It took a few moments before the train got out of the warp jump and stopped right on a huge planet. Zhi Jiang can't help but feel a bit dizzy as he holds his head and glances at the window.
"H-hey, you're okay?" March asks him in concern, especially after hearing a bit about Zhi Jiang having a head injury.
"Y-yeah, I-I think I may have motion sickness..." Zhi Jiang mutters while rubbing his head. "I...may have forgotten stuff, but I'm pretty sure I never had any motion sickness, especially when riding planes...or maybe because this is a highly advanced space train."
"Uh..." March is really unsure how to react to Zhi Jiang's mumbling as she taps his shoulder, causing him to snap out of his thought.
"Oh, um...sorry," Zhi Jiang says as he rubs the back of his head. Over the years, he had been keeping himself company by thinking out loud, and it had become a habit of his.
'I should keep in mind I'm no longer alone...people would find it weird...' Before March could respond, they heard Himeko gasp while staring at the planet through the window.
"After all those millennia...is this what Jarilo-VI has become?" Himeko murmurs.
"Huh? So, that snowy planet is our destination this time?" March asks in confusion.
"Yes...looks like this trailblazing expedition won't be easy," Himeko nods as Zhi Jiang tilts his head.
"...I wonder what caused the changes?" Zhi Jiang mutters, remembering the Archive describing Jarilo-VI. He was pretty sure they never said anything about a planet entirely covered in snow.
He supposed that's what happened, relying on a thousand years old's information. He can't believe this train can preserve an information that long.
"Spatial readout anomaly!" Pom-Pom exclaims as they rush into the parlor car. "The star rail's stability is down to 12%! Schedule alteration: 7 days stopover time extended indefinitely!"
"Anomaly?" Before Zhi Jiang could ask, Stelle had beaten him to it.
"The complex locality in this world has been...affected somehow. The star rail has been blocked off by something," Himeko muses as she places her hand on her chin.
"...so, Stellaron, then?" Zhi Jiang asks. Before Himeko could respond, Welt had entered the Parlor Car.
"The results of the preliminary analysis are here - the anomaly stems from Stellaron, as always," Welt reports as March lets out an exasperated groan. Before Stelle could open her mouth, Welt had cut her off. "Yes, Stelle - just like the one that's been placed in your body."
"Ah...cool..." Stelle mutters as she looks back at the window.
"Well, good to know that I hit right on the nail." Zhi Jiang mutters before looking at Welt and Himeko. "I never got to ask, but how does a Stellaron block off the star rail? If I remember correctly, it's supposed to be a golden ball of light. Did that thing turn invisible, similar to Star Rail?"
"That's...not how it works," Himeko says with a sweatdrop. She needs to remind herself that Zhi Jiang is very new to the world of cosmos. "Think of Star Rail like an ordinary train rail, and Stellaron had managed to sever the rail. If we continue to move forward while ignoring this issue, the Astral Express will head towards nothing but a collapsing abyss. The only sensible thing to do would be to brake hard, right?"
"If we force our way ahead, there could be a hefty price to pay!" Pom-Pom exclaims.
"...I think a hefty price is a severe understatement, especially with that 'move towards nothing but a collapsing abyss,'" Zhi Jiang deadpans, then takes a deep breath. "...you guys said that sealing a Stellaron is possible, but will sealing it allow the star rail to reconnect? Or do we have to apply new rails? If it's the latter, how do we even apply those rails? We don't just go out into space and manually put them right?"
"N-no..." This time, Welt can't help but sweatdrop while responding to Zhi Jiang, and Himeko tries to keep a straight face, but she can't control her lips from twitching upon hearing Zhi Jiang's question. "The power of the Trailblaze Path will automatically restore the trail in its former glory once we seal the Stellaron, but it won't be instantly restored. It'll take a few moments before the rail is fully restored due to the lingering energy of Stellaron around the planet, especially since this energy has covered the surrounding planet for Aeons-knows how long."
"Oh..." Zhi Jiang notices how ridiculous he sounds the moment he sees Himeko's lips twitching and her voice cracks a bit, causing his face to turn slightly red.
"I-I'm sorry..." Himeko can't help but apologize to the poor boy, feeling slightly guilty for laughing at him.
"Another thing to note is that any civilization or ecosystem affected by the Stellaron could cause distortions in space called Fragmentums," Welt explains. "It's a mysterious anomaly taking the shape of a crystal-like substance that corrupts any living beings into monsters."
"...of course we have a zombie virus in space, cuz why not!?" Zhi Jiang groans as March can't help but giggle while Stelle snorts as she turns back to face everyone. "I can't help but wonder where those things even come from."
"We had a theory that Stellarons are seeds of disaster planted by a certain Aeon throughout the whole universe," Himeko says as Zhi Jiang stares blankly at the older woman.
"...I regret asking." Zhi Jiang mutters.
"Anyways, the point is that we can't continue trailblazing unless we remove the source," Himeko says as she glances at the trio. "Stelle, I'd like to entrust this trailblazing expedition to you, March, Dan Heng, and Zhi Jiang. The objective is clear: find the Stellaron responsible for the disaster and the spatial distortion, and bring it back to the Express. We'll deal with the rest."
"...eh?" Zhi Jiang blinks as he wasn't expected to be chosen to join.
"Awesome, we get to work as a team again, Stelle!" March exclaims before looking at Zhi Jiang. "And we get to work as a team for the first time, Zhi Jiang! Let's compete at who's shooting enemies down with our bow!"
"...I think the winner is obviously you," Zhi Jiang mutters as March pouts.
"Oh, cool..." Stelle also blinks in surprise. "You guys aren't coming?"
"Someone has to stay with Pom-Pom, or they'll get lonely," Himeko says with a smile before frowning. "Also, Nanook had thrown a glance at us. If we're targeted by the Antimatter Legion, then things might go south."
"Great..." Zhi Jiang had only encountered them once, and he already disliked them.
"Okay...But, I think it might take a very long time to find the Stellaron. Is there no way to find any information about where it is?" Stelle asks.
"Unfortunately, no," Himeko says with an apologetic tone. "Because our information on Jarilo-VI has not been fully updated for a very long time, we can't rely on it to find where it was. We had to find this information ourselves by exploring the planet once again, like our seniors."
"Well, I hope we can find them," Stelle says with a concerned tone. "I mean, we're searching through an entire planet here. The previous space station is already large enough, and this planet seems like a bazillion times larger than that."
"Our suggestion is to find this planet's resident settlement and try to gather information, perhaps finding a place where ancient history is preserved," Welt suggests. "From the analysis, the Stellaron had been on the planet for a very long time, and there is a chance that almost everyone had forgotten about them."
"...what if there's a chance that we encounter someone who only sees Stellaron as wish-making tools and ignores all of...this?" Zhi Jiang can't help but ask as he gestures at the entire planet.
"Well, we just have to sneak into their place and find the information ourselves!" Stelle exclaims without hesitation, earning stares from everyone. "...w-what? It was the right move!"
"Yes, it may seem to be the right move, but there's one issue," Welt says with a sigh. "Once we're caught, everyone on that planet will be against you, and it'll make things even more complicated and harder. I would rather you all didn't have to deal with such issues in your first Trailblazing explorations."
"Also, as the Pathstrider of Trailblaze, we are meant to connect one world with another, including the people. Your suggestion might not allow us to connect and only plant a seed of mistrust towards you." Himeko explains as Stelle looks a bit guilty.
"...then, what should we do if what Zhi Jiang said will happen?" Stelle asks.
"It's why we ask you to get information. It'll help you all to figure out who you can trust," Himeko says with a smile as Stelle nods in understanding.
"I guess that'll work." Zhi Jiang rubs his head. He had honestly believed Stelle's suggestion might be the only way if what he feared did happen, but at the same time, he also agreed with Welt about the consequences.
Besides, the chance of failure is very high, especially when the cosmos is filled with superpowered beings. Sure, there are some in the Astral Express, but none of them have any stealth-related powers. So yeah, Zhi Jiang ain't risking it.
"Well, I suppose I should get going and pack some winter clothes for now. It's gonna be cold down there. Good thing I got myself a huge bag to carry stuff." Zhi Jiang mutters as Welt blinks.
"Did...no one tell you?" Welt asks as Zhi Jiang tilts his head in confusion.
"Tell me what?" Zhi Jiang asks.
"As a Pathstrider of Trailblaze, you are granted the ability to adapt in any harsh environment on any planet," Welt explains. "And the bag isn't necessary when you have the Express Pass, which is a storage space that allows you to store items in it."
"...no, no one told me about it," Zhi Jiang says in a dead tone. Welt winces as he glances at everyone.
"Cool!" Stelle exclaims in excitement as Himeko and March scratch their cheeks sheepishly.
"...so, what was the point of buying all those stuffs again?" Zhi Jiang asks as he glances at March and Himeko.
"W-well, you can't just wear the same outfit every day, right?" Himeko coughs.
"...I see all of you did that for these few days," Zhi Jiang deadpans.
"We have several copies of these outfits," March explains as Zhi Jiang sighs.
"...I suppose I could wear them to blend in? Or to avoid questions? Maybe for looks? It's been a very long while since I wore those types of outfits anyway..." Zhi Jiang says as he walks back to his room. Everyone blinks at his words before March slaps her head.
"Why didn't we think of that during our last few expeditions!? We could avoid those unpleasants confrontrations!" March exclaims as she and Stelle rush into the room.
"...am I getting too comfortable with this particular dress?" Himeko mutters as she glances at her dress. "Maybe I could try the other clothes from time to time..."
To be continued