"Should I bring some novels or comics? That way I won't get bored cooped up in the hotel room… but these books are so heavy…"
"Ugh, so torn… what else should I pack…"
"Are you sure you'll actually read any novels you bring?" Stelle couldn't help roasting her.
"Hey~ Watch it! This girl has read plenty of novels… never mind, wrong time for that. Let's head back to the parlor car—the jump's about to start."
"No rush. I'm gonna go pry some intel out of Teacher Adrian first. Maybe I can get HIM to spill something important."
"Trying to pump an Aeon for information? Bold move."
Stelle dashed to the party car—Silver Wolf called it Adrian's fixed spawn point.
"Before you hear my thoughts, why don't you answer a few questions first? Consider it a continuation of the little Aeon Q&A we had back on Jarilo-VI."
"And correct answers come with rewards, of course."
A cryptic smile played on Adrian's lips. With a flick of his wrist, three bizarre drinks materialized on the table.
"Different flavors, different effects… when to drink them is up to you."
Stelle planted her hands on her hips, striking a "bring it on" pose, though her eyes betrayed her for a split second, drawn to the strange drinks. Nothing could stump the all-knowing Galactic Baseballer!
"First question. When you wake up in a guest room, names you once whispered on your lips—who are they to you? Companions? Family? Enemies? You seem to have forged unbreakable bonds with countless people and events…"
"Tell me—are you afraid of losing those bonds?"
"That came out of nowhere…" Stelle shook her head, gaze steady. "I'm not afraid."
A cup of milk tea glowing with warm golden light slid toward her, guided by an invisible force.
"I know this one! It's the legendary amber milk tea…" Stelle leaned in curiously and sniffed.
She poked the nearly solid surface. "…Uh, can you actually drink this?"
"Who says milk tea has to be drinkable?"
Adrian produced an amber crystal. "This cup can be given as a gift. Might earn you a massive favorability boost with someone."
"Eh? So I can't drink it… what a waste…" A flicker of disappointment crossed Stelle's face.
"New flavors will come," Adrian said soothingly, waving a hand. "Maybe even at the next stop. For now, let's stay on topic."
"Imagine a vast dreamscape—so real it's indistinguishable from reality. No parting, no death. Everyone gets the happy ending they deserve and lives in eternal joy."
"Would you choose to dwell inside it?"
Stelle answered without hesitation: "Dreams are false. No matter what, I refuse to live inside one—even an [Eternity] dream."
"Oh? Solid answer." Adrian gave her an approving look.
"Now imagine that beautiful dream is doomed to shatter. Everything will leave: friends, family, strangers; then the gentle breeze, the soaring birds, the stars themselves… and finally, you."
"Wow, straight into the drama."
Stelle plopped down beside him. When he went full riddle mode like this, there was always a deeper meaning.
"Listen to the end. Every person, every memory of every person—their smiles, their tears, promises kept and unkept… all marching toward a predetermined finale. If you knew the destination the moment you set out…"
"Would you still embark on the journey?"
Stelle's gaze fell on the gleaming ticket pinned to her jacket. Easiest question yet—she'd [Trailblaze] forward without looking back!
After hearing her answer, Adrian tapped the table lightly. The cup shimmering with stardust slid over.
"This one lets you tell truth from illusion. Some jerk might impersonate me—make HIM drink it. Same for any other familiar faces."
"Last question… In your eyes, what is true [Eternity]?"
He raised a hand, gently stopping the answer already forming on her lips. "No need to rush. The process of thinking may be more important than the answer itself…"
"As Miss March said—just enjoy this relaxed, sunny, pleasant vacation for now."
His palm settled over the strangest cup of all: perfectly transparent liquid, as if the cup held nothing but a few diamond-like bubbles frozen at the bottom.
"As for this final one… improvise. You probably won't need it in Penacony."
...
With a loud "thud" from March 7th hitting the floor, the jump ended. The Express arrived at the Planet of the Festivities—Penacony.
"Ugh… finally here. The Family's entry procedures are insane! A dozen checks big and small, they flipped our suitcases four, five times…"
"I was worried they'd demand to take a peek at the Stellaron inside you."
"That'd give us something to talk about."
Stelle toyed with her hourglass necklace. One in her body, one in the pendant—maybe even one here in Penacony.
"In a way, the Family really is incredibly tolerant… they even let [Eternity] Chur—ptooey ptooey, [Eternity Church] people in."
March glanced at Adrian. The original plan was for him to register as a [Masked Fool], but on second thought, the Fools were even less reliable than the Church.
"But the suffering wasn't for nothing—this hotel lobby is insane! Are all those honeycomb things guest rooms? How many people are staying here?!"
"March, this is a cosmic luxury resort! We're supposed to be [Trailblazing] Nameless, yet we look like total country bumpkins."
"No idea which rooms are ours—come on, Uncle Yang and the others must be queued at the front desk. Let's go join them!"
"Speaking of… is Pontiff Blake in Penacony too? I swear I smell soap in the air."
March sniffed dramatically. And the soap smell was really close…
"Huh? Isn't that… Freesna and Blake at the front desk?"
"Why's there a crowd over there? We didn't just land and run into trouble again, did we…?"
What on earth could bring two [Eternity] Emanators together at hotel check-in? Following the sacred principle of "gossip appears, I appear," Stelle bolted over without a second thought.
"I'm sorry, but that name really isn't in the system…"
Attendant Ellie sighed—she'd just had almost the exact same conversation with a blond young man moments ago.
"But the message the Astral Express received clearly stated rooms were booked for us. Please check again."
"Let me look one more time… just a moment…"
"Astral Express, four platinum suites: Mr. Welt Yang, Mr. Adrian, Ms. Himeko, Ms. March 7th, and… Mr. Dan Heng. Only these four reservations appear."
Stelle stepped forward, itching to channel March's energy and declare:
That's right—this girl is Dan Heng!