"Whew… Can't believe it, even after rushing, I still didn't quite make it…"
In the train car, Lynelle's eyes shot open, a flicker of dismay crossing her face.
Even though everything had gone smoothly on the Honkai Impact 3rd side, thanks to time constraints, the progress of her plan had fallen a bit short of what she'd originally envisioned—wrapping up the Herrscher of Dominance incident before she attended the Charmony Festival.
By the time Lynelle had left, the mass-produced Lynelle dolls had already reached over a hundred.
But increasing that number further was proving difficult. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's Soulium production was capped, and a large portion of the existing stock was tied up preserving critical data, making it unavailable for use.
As things stood, the only way to "boost production" for Lynelle seemed to be waiting until after Otto's incident was over and recycling his pile of Soulium dolls—especially since, material-wise, Lynelle's dolls were far more economical than Otto's.
Aside from the doll issue, the recovery and search for the Cores had only just begun. But Lynelle wasn't too worried about that.
No matter how fast Otto moved, there was no way he could wrest control of the Herrscher of Dominance from her now that she already had over four hundred Cores in her possession.
Besides, even if Otto really set his sights on seizing control, it was debatable whether he alone could get past the sheer number of Herrschers currently linked into the network.
Anyway, after doing everything she could to push things forward on the Honkai Impact 3rd side, Lynelle could only return to the Star Rail side with some regrets.
In the original storyline, the Herrscher of Dominance incident dragged on for a full three months, only concluding at the end of August.
After that came a calm, uneventful period until October, when Otto finally completed his preparations and began his plan to resurrect Kallen.
But with Lynelle's interference this time around, that timeline had been compressed to less than two months for a clean finish.
That meant Lynelle had bought herself more time to deal with the Penacony problem—provided Otto didn't jump the gun on his plan.
Uh… he probably… won't, right?
"Ah, Mama, you're awake…"
Seeing Lynelle's eyes suddenly open, Corruption-chan, who was beside her, quickly stood up, looking a bit flustered.
"…You idiot, Corruption-chan. Did you do something weird to me again while I was sleeping?"
Seeing her daughter's guilty expression, Lynelle immediately grabbed the girl who was trying to slip away, yanked her into her arms, and started squishing her soft cheeks.
"Waaah, no way… It's just that being close to Mama feels super nice, so I lingered a bit longer…"
"So you snuck under the covers and used me as a body pillow again, huh!"
Since this foolish daughter was already a repeat offender, Lynelle instantly "auto-translated" what Corruption-chan really meant.
"Whatever… we're almost at Penacony anyway. I'll let it slide for now. But listen up, I've got three important things to tell you, so make sure you remember them."
"Mm-hmm." Corruption-chan quickly nodded obediently.
"First, don't call me Mama outside. Call me Big Sister Lynelle." Lynelle's face was full of exasperation.
"Mainly because you look too much like me, and there are plenty of beings in the universe with really long lifespans. I don't want to attract the attention of some weirdos with strange hobbies… 'Lolita wife' or whatever, the tags are already way too loaded."
"Okay, Mama!" Corruption-chan nodded seriously. "But Mama, I have a question."
"Go on."
"What if I'm kind of feeling tempted by that whole 'Lolita wife' thing now… Ow!"
A swift iron fist from Lynelle made Corruption-chan shrink back, looking pitiful.
"Second thing: if you run into a tall but super cute, mysterious girl with white hair in Penacony who's always trying to sidle up to Stelle, I suggest you stay far away from her."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Because she might get triggered the moment she sees you, shout something about 'setting the seas ablaze,' and summon a huge mech to beat you up."
"Mmm… Sounds just like those creepypasta rule-breaking novels I've been reading lately…"
Corruption-chan tilted her head. "And the third thing?"
"The third thing…" Lynelle was silent for a moment, then said seriously, "If, and I mean if…"
"If you sense any kind of… kinship in Penacony, don't make a sound, don't alert them. Just quietly let me know."
"Once we enter Penacony, we might face a lot of situations. Things will have their priorities. So, if you really find other bugs, don't provoke them yet."
"You remember those Heliobi abilities I had you absorb before? If necessary, you can disguise yourself as energy life. It's not like you only have Propagation in you anyway… Got it?"
"Got it." Corruption-chan nodded emphatically. "But I get the feeling, Mama, that you're already certain something's going to happen in Penacony…"
"Don't ask. If you must know, I've read the script."
"Oh…"
[Beep—Beep—]
Just then, the communicators on Lynelle and Corruption-chan both went off at the same time.
[Passenger Lynelle, the jump device is ready. Please come to the observation car quickly. Our meeting is about to start. This time, the conductor has something important to emphasize, so everyone must attend.]
"It's the conductor calling us down…"
"Okay, then Corruption-chan, hurry up and pack your things." Lynelle patted her head. "Looks like the conductor is taking this trip pretty seriously."
And so, a short while later, all the Astral Express crew members were assembled in the observation car.
"Ahem, passengers, sorry to keep you waiting."
Once everyone was gathered, after a moment, Pom-Pom emerged from the conductor's exclusive room, accompanied by their adorable little footsteps.
"Because it's important, the conductor took some time to prepare, pom."
"Question!" Stelle raised her hand at this point. "Is this as important as March 7th and Lynelle secretly finishing all the ice cream in the fridge without leaving any for me?"
"You idiot, why are you still hung up on the ice cream! I told you, your share was eaten by the Cake Cats that came to visit the Express!" March 7th hastily pushed Stelle's hand down.
"So your compensation was a cup of Himeko's coffee?"
"Th-That… that was Lynelle's idea!"
"Th-This serious?" Stumbling upon such juicy gossip, Pom-Pom gasped.
But noticing Himeko watching them with an amused smile from the side, Pom-Pom quickly cleared their throat and changed the subject.
"Ahem, Passenger Stelle, while the conductor understands what you're saying is important, it's probably not as important as what I'm about to say, pom."
"Regarding the Memoria environment issue in the Asdana star system, and the identity under which we've been invited this time, I believe Himeko has already filled everyone in. I won't reiterate the rules about reporting any physical discomfort immediately and abiding by the Family's regulations."
"The important thing I want to talk about, more than a request, is something I'd like to ask as a special favor…"
"If possible, Pom-Pom hopes that while you're all on vacation, you can also spare some time to help inquire about the news of a few Nameless."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.