Just as Stelle and March 7th were speaking with Welt, Pom-Pom came walking over with her signature bouncy steps.
Her oversized hat bobbed slightly as she tilted her head toward Stelle and asked in a cheerful tone:
"Did you get the introduction packet for our next destination yet? Are you excited?"
Stelle shook her head honestly. "Not yet, I haven't received it."
Pom-Pom blinked. "Oh? Not yet? After all that cold and exhausting travel on Jarilo-VI, aren't you at least curious about what kind of planet comes next?"
"I love all kinds of planets!" Stelle nodded earnestly.
She was eager to learn more about the universe—this was the very essence of being a Trailblazer.
Pom-Pom looked delighted. Her small hands rested on her hips, and she beamed proudly. "Pom-Pom is glad you're enjoying the journey!"
"Long, long ago, this train took many across countless planets. And now, just like before, it continues that mission."
"If you're ready, please gather at the front of the train. The route meeting is about to begin."
Himeko was already there, waiting with a composed smile.
"Good morning, everyone. Right on time."
"Dan Heng's not here yet," Stelle pointed out.
Himeko gave a small shake of her head. "It's fine. Dan Heng is rarely late without reason."
"His circumstances are… special. We do our best to protect his peace."
Pom-Pom then walked to the front of the cabin. Her usual cheerful expression faded into a serious one, giving her a rare air of authority.
Despite her small stature, she no longer looked like just a cute mascot—she looked like a proper conductor.
"Dear passengers, the route meeting is now officially in session."
"First, I'd like to thank all our guests for resolving the crisis at the last station. Thanks to your efforts, Train 507 can safely continue along the Star Rail."
March 7th puffed up proudly. "It's all thanks to the three of us, right, Stelle?"
"Yeah." Stelle nodded, a bit bashfully.
"Next, the conductor will announce our next stop."
Pom-Pom was just about to make the announcement when a strange electric current pulsed through the center of the cabin. The energy quickly gathered, forming into the image of a woman composed of blue holographic lines.
It was a high-level projection—holographic technology.
The woman smiled faintly.
"Long time no see, everyone on the Astral Express. I'm Kafka."
"Looks like I caught you at the perfect time. Since you're all here, I won't bother with introductions."
With graceful steps, Kafka walked toward the front of the train, her posture relaxed and confident.
"Himeko, I'm sorry to crash your little meeting. But I believe once you hear what I have to say, you'll understand why I came."
She slowly turned, voice calm yet firm.
"I'm here to request a change to your next destination."
Her sudden appearance cast a heavy silence across the room.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Himeko, her hands gently folded in front of her, replied with steady composure.
"Star Core Hunter. I remember seeing your name—on the Interastral Company's wanted list. The bounty was astronomical, dead or alive."
"Do you know what your reward is?"
It was a subtle warning: tread carefully.
Kafka, however, looked completely unfazed. "I don't really care. To me, a bounty from the Company is more like a badge of honor. The higher the number, the louder the praise."
March 7th muttered under her breath, "You wanted criminals sure have a way of twisting things…"
"In that case," Himeko continued, "Herta has praised you too."
Her voice carried a trace of irony as she shared what she knew.
"'A lunatic who claims to see destiny, leading a group of equally unhinged followers, chasing down the most dangerous forces in the universe.' And for Herta to praise anyone—that says something."
Kafka's smile deepened, her tone almost playful. "Chasing the most dangerous things in the universe? In that sense… aren't we the same?"
It was true that the Star Rail had often followed the trail of Star Cores.
But anyone with a discerning eye could see that their goals and those of the Star Core Hunters were worlds apart.
Welt narrowed his eyes and spoke firmly. "You've come to the wrong place, Kafka. We won't be accepting your request. And we have no intention of getting involved with the Star Core Hunters."
Aligning with them would only bring disaster.
Kafka, of course, didn't back down.
"Maybe someday," she said lightly, "you'll come find me. Then we can have a proper conversation."
She hadn't even revealed the full reason for her visit—there was no way she was leaving so soon.
"…Tell me, have you heard of Floating Expanse?"
Welt stepped forward. "The Celestial Vessel Floating Expanse? One of the six flagships of the Celestial Vessel Alliance?"
Although he hadn't been in this universe long, Welt had already studied its major powers.
"But what you don't know," Kafka said with a faint smile, "is that the Celestial Vessel is already very close. Just a two-fold moon jumps away. In four system hours, a star core will detonate on the Floating Expanse."
Her voice was light, as if she were simply commenting on the weather.
"A sudden catastrophe… quite the twist, isn't it?"
Welt's brows furrowed. He couldn't understand what the Star Core Hunters were after.
"Star Core Hunter, what are you planning? The Celestial Vessel Alliance isn't as forgiving as we are. Once their hunting patrols mark you, you're no longer the hunter—you're the prey. And they don't stop until you're dust at the edge of the universe."
The hunting patrols were infamous—not for mercy, but for their ruthless pursuit of vengeance.
Their patron deity, the Hunt, might not be the most powerful Aeon, but he was generous. He granted strength to his envoys freely, and they wielded it with terrifying efficiency.
Getting on their bad side spelled disaster.
Himeko stepped in, her tone cutting through the tension.
"Drop the games, Kafka. Say what you really came to say."
Kafka let the facade drop and spoke plainly.
"It's simple. This star core has nothing to do with us. But Celestial Vessel has already decided to blame the Star Core Hunters."
"My companion, Blade, was captured by the Cloud Knights. I intend to get him back, resolve the crisis, and prove our innocence."
March 7th stood abruptly, voice filled with disbelief.
"You expect us to believe that? The star core explodes, and then you show up? That's not just suspicious—that's movie-level coincidence!"
"No one's going to believe you're uninvolved."
"We're not friends," she added coldly. "Why should we care if the Star Core Hunters are innocent?"
Stelle hesitated. "Maybe… maybe we should give her the benefit of the doubt."
There was something about Kafka that stirred a strange familiarity in Stelle—enough to make her pause.
But March was quick to shake her head.
"No. I don't trust her at all."
"Besides, the Celestial Vessel Alliance is powerful. Can't they handle one star core themselves? We're the Astral Express crew—not universal janitors for sealing star cores."
Kafka just smiled calmly.
"You can absolutely choose to stay out of this," she said. "You could initiate a jump right now, before the star core pollutes this sector of space. Go on to the next world and leave this behind."
"But if you do, the star rail will be blocked again in due time."
"I can already tell you what the future holds. If you don't intervene, the star core will contaminate the entire Floating Expanse. Nearly half the civilians aboard will die or be gravely injured."
"And I know the Astral Express. The brave Trailblazers… and the Nameless, who always answer the call of justice—they won't just stand by."
Himeko said nothing. She didn't need to. Kafka wasn't wrong.
This was how the Express always operated.
Himeko narrowed her eyes.
"Your companion—Blade. He wasn't spared by the Alliance either, was he?"
Kafka shrugged slightly. "No comment. I've said what I came to say."
She held out a hand, and a data packet appeared—a set of precise coordinates.
"Do what you will with this. The choice is yours."
"Our goals may be different… but the paths of stars often cross."
"Until we meet again."
With that, Kafka's holographic projection flickered and vanished.
March 7th:
"That's what happened. Silver Wolf! Tell me—what exactly are the Star Core Hunters plotting?"
Momonga:
"Something about this stinks. Feels like a trap."
Bronya:
"What's their endgame? Why draw us into this?"
Nami:
"Blade's a wanted criminal, right? That says a lot about their character already."
Shinobu:
"What's your take on this Silver Wolf?"
Silver Wolf:
"…"
"I'll keep my eyes open."
"I just want to play games. What evil intentions could I possibly have?"
March 7th: "And what about the Star Core Hunters? What's their real motive?"
Silver Wolf:
"I don't know. I'm just following orders."
"All I was told to do was help Kafka talk to you—and open the Jade Gate of the Floating Expanse Celestial Vessel."
March 7th: "…That's it?"
Silver Wolf: "That's it."
March 7th: "Ahh! How can you not know anything?"
Silver Wolf: "We just follow Elio's instructions. The prophecies he makes… if we know too much, the future changes."
Saeko:
"That… actually makes a weird kind of sense."
March 7th:
"Unbelievable!"
"So we're really going to Floating Expanse now?"
Nanashi, who had remained quiet until now, finally spoke.
"You're planning to head to the Floating Expanse Celestial Vessel?"
March 7th: "Yeah. We don't have much of a choice. Honestly… we weren't planning to. But now…"
She trailed off with a sigh.
Nanashi: "Then be careful."
The Floating Expanse was bound to be a chaotic place—beset by threats from within and without.
From the outside loomed the danger of the star core and the looming Lord Ravagers.
From the inside, the turmoil of the Vajra Clan, the followers of the Rich Man, and the Secret Teachings of the Medicine King.
A chaotic stew of ideologies, factions, and ambitions—each with their own agenda.