The journey to accumulate energy for the Express went off without any unexpected surprises or hitches.
That was mostly because Mei had already been to all these places before.
Whether there were dangers, or what kind of environments they would encounter—everything was already a known variable.
And as it turned out, blazing a trail to just one brand-new world was enough to provide the Express with an incredibly abundant supply of power.
The entire process took less than a week.
Just like that, their first trailblazing expedition was successfully completed.
The new world was an oceanic planet where life hadn't even begun to form. Ninety percent of its surface was covered by water, leaving behind a somewhat desolate expanse of dry land.
Given that not even microscopic life was visible to the naked eye yet, the planet would most likely end up classified as a resource world in the future.
Sylvia didn't hesitate for a second. She organized the planet's data and the coordinates of the new navigation route, then reached out to Topaz in her own name to cut a deal.
It was all about building connections and trading favors.
Sylvia had no intention of claiming this star system for herself.
A huge part of why the Astral Express enjoyed such a stellar reputation throughout the universe was that they only charted new courses without hoarding the fruits of their discoveries.
Of course, that was the high-minded, official reason.
Her personal reason was much simpler: Sylvia already had a life-bearing planet of her own that was currently undergoing redevelopment. She genuinely didn't have the spare energy, let alone the manpower, to manage and develop another entire star system.
Handing Topaz a favor on a silver platter was just the smarter choice.
"Passenger Sylvia, Passenger Raiden, this trailblazing expedition has concluded with flying colors! The Express has gathered more than enough energy. We won't have to worry about fuel for a very long time on our future voyages!"
In the parlor car, Pom-Pom happily raised its paws, officially announcing the bounty of their recent journey.
"Oh, my... to tell the truth, it's been quite a while since the Conductor last trailblazed a brand-new trail. I'm truly grateful to Passenger Sylvia for giving this Conductor such an opportunity."
Ever since its revival, the Astral Express had spent most of its time clearing old routes that had been choked off by Stellaron corrosion.
As for Himeko, her ultimate goal was to retrace the steps of the Trailblaze, traveling all the way to Akivili's homeland to pay homage to the very origin of their philosophy.
Acts like this—forging an entirely new path and broadcasting it to the cosmos—couldn't help but remind Pom-Pom of the long-lost, glorious past.
Sylvia looked down at the contemplative Conductor, crouched, and scooped the little manager right into her arms with a single motion.
The fur was thick but short, making it incredibly soft and comfortable to the touch. The large ears were plush and warm, practically begging to be squeezed.
Naturally, Mei crouched down right alongside her, reaching out to gently pinch the Conductor's ears as well.
"Passengers are not allowed to ambush the Conductor!"
Pom-Pom's lingering melancholy was instantly dispelled by Sylvia's antics.
Flailing its limbs in mock indignation, the Conductor scrambled out of Sylvia's embrace and deftly batted away the stray hands that kept trying to pinch its ears.
"As for our next destination... there really isn't much to debate. It's for Passenger Raiden's personal matters, so we're heading to Jepella, correct?"
Seeing that Pom-Pom's mood had brightened, Sylvia clapped her hands clean and stood up.
"Yes. I'll leave Herta's puppet behind, along with two little guys to watch over the place, just in case anyone lacking common sense tries to break in and stir up trouble."
With that, Sylvia summoned the Herta puppet and released the two juvenile insects she had previously tamed.
As a side note, Mount No.1 had completely integrated into the Security Department back at Herta Space Station, and by now, it had become a legendary, heavy-hitting star player for the squad.
Particularly after being implanted with a specialized Synesthesia Beacon, it had practically climbed the ranks to become Arlan's second-in-command.
Seeing that it was living its best life in the Security Department, Sylvia had simply chosen to leave it to its own devices.
"Uh..."
Pom-Pom clearly flinched a bit at the ferocious, chitinous appearance of the Swarm creatures.
Fortunately, since they had been fully tamed by Sylvia, the two little critters harbored no malice whatsoever.
Before long, Pom-Pom accepted these two rather aesthetically challenged new passengers. The Conductor even naturally hopped right onto one of their heads, instantly elevating its line of sight.
"Whoa—! The view up here is suddenly so high!"
Holding onto the horn on the insect's forehead, Pom-Pom looked around the train car, still trying to find its bearings.
Once it grew a bit more accustomed to the height, the Conductor remained seated atop the juvenile bug and boomed out an announcement:
"The Express... The Express is about to depart! Passengers, please take your seats!"
As the words left its mouth, the clever insect beneath Pom-Pom already knew exactly what to do, smartly carrying the Conductor straight toward the conductor's cabin.
--+--
Jepella.
A planet occupied by the Antimatter Legion's offshoot, the Annihilation Gang, steeped in a dark order fueled entirely by violence.
However, ever since the Stellaron Hunters incited a massive rebellion on its surface, Jepella had plunged into a state of fierce, unyielding warfare and chaos.
It wasn't until the Ever-Flame Mansion made their grand appearance and suppressed all active pockets of resistance that Jepella managed to regain a fragile, tentative semblance of stability.
But given the inherent nature of the Annihilation Gang, neither the scattered rebel forces opposing the Ever-Flame Mansion nor the Mansion itself could ever be considered peaceful factions.
As a result, Jepella remained deeply mired in turmoil, with no signs of lasting peace anywhere on the horizon.
The Astral Express didn't enter the planet's atmosphere directly, choosing instead to anchor itself in orbit.
"Dear passengers, we have arrived at our destination, Jepella. Please exercise extreme caution down there, and make sure you don't get hurt."
By this point, Pom-Pom had grown completely used to riding its juvenile insect transport. Sitting atop the bug, it trotted over to Sylvia and Mei, offering a few final words of care to the duo preparing to disembark.
"Got it. You stay safe too, Conductor. And please, take this with you."
Sylvia handed the capsule containing Bella over to the little manager.
"What is this?"
"Bella is resting inside. If anyone with ill intentions tries to surround the Express while we're gone, Bella will ensure the train's safety."
Because Sylvia and Mei were the only two passengers on this particular trip, once they both went planetside, Pom-Pom would be left entirely alone on board.
The two juvenile insects possessed decent combat capabilities, but they were simply too small and lacked the means for proper vacuum-of-space combat.
Bella, on the other hand, was perfect for the job.
"Oh... Passenger Sylvia..."
Clutching the capsule tightly, Pom-Pom looked up at Sylvia.
Even though Sylvia wasn't an official Navigator, actions like this gave Pom-Pom a profound, deeply comforting sense of security.
"Mei and I shouldn't take too long. Go ahead and prepare the drop."
"Understood! Safe travels!"
Pom-Pom carefully tucked Bella's capsule away before turning around to head back to the controls.
Pom-Pom's deployment sequence went off without a hitch.
Before long, the two women touched down softly in a secluded city alleyway.
The dilapidated cityscape around them was entirely barren, without a single pedestrian in sight.
Sylvia stretched her neck, letting a wreath of flames wrap around her body as her Valkyrie armor materialized over her skin.
Mei stood by quietly, admiring Sylvia's transformation process.
Sylvia, meanwhile, looked around curiously and asked, "By the way... do you actually know where the Ever-Flame Mansion is located?"
"I do. Their stronghold isn't hard to find. Duke Inferno's hellfire has engulfed the entire urban center, transforming it into the new Jepella Palace. It burns eternally, serving as a monument to flaunt his absolute authority."
Hearing Mei's explanation, Sylvia suddenly recalled something she had spotted during their approach to the planet.
There had been a massive, brilliant patch of orange-red light blazing so violently that it could easily be seen from outer space.
And if she remembered correctly, the drop coordinates Mei had requested happened to be right in that exact vicinity...
"You don't happen to mean that glowing spot we could see from orbit, do you?"
"That's the one," Mei replied with a calm smile. "Which means we can expect to run into the forces of the Ever-Flame Mansion at any given moment."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL