The entire Astral Express seemed to shift into a special state. The train's body gradually turned a translucent, ethereal azure, and everything within its carriages blurred in unison.
The next second, the Astral Express vanished completely from the starry sky, as if it had never existed at all.
In another instant, it re-emerged as though bursting from a tunnel, appearing in an entirely unfamiliar star region. At the other end of its path, suspended in the void, lay the incomparably massive Xianzhou Luofu.
"Wow! Is this the Xianzhou Luofu?" Serval couldn't help but let out a soft gasp. "It looks... even larger than our entire planet, Jarilo-VI."
"To the people of the Xianzhou, this ship is their planet," Dan Heng said, a complex expression clouding his features. His voice was quiet, as if stating a simple fact, yet it was tinged with a deep, wistful reminiscence. "The land is an indispensable cradle for the survival and development of most civilizations... but there are also those that can leave the cradle, steering starships to roam the void. The Xianzhou Alliance is one such civilization."
He paused, his gaze distant, and added in a low voice, "I've seen it a few times... but every time, I still find it... breathtakingly magnificent."
"What's going on with you?" March 7th looked at the fleeting loneliness that shadowed his profile and couldn't help but ask with concern. "You look both nostalgic and... really sad."
Dan Heng didn't answer. He merely lowered his eyes, a sigh escaping his lips so softly it was almost inaudible.
At that moment, Himeko had already walked over to the communication panel. Her steady voice broke the subtle, heavy silence in the parlor car. "This is the Astral Express. I repeat, this is the Astral Express. We have arrived in Xianzhou airspace and are requesting docking permission."
After a brief silence, a stuttering, mechanical female voice crackled through the channel.
"Please... wait patiently for docking... Please wait patiently for docking... Please... wait... patiently for docking..."
"Why does it sound like a broken record?" Caelus muttered under his breath.
"What, does it feel like 'coming home'?" March 7th instinctively chimed in with a tease, but she immediately realized the metaphor might not be appropriate for Dan Heng and quickly shrank back, her neck disappearing into her collar.
"The Xianzhou Alliance... I'm afraid something has really happened," Welt said, his expression turning grave. He leaned on his cane. "A spaceship arriving at an empty spaceport... the prologues of many stories begin this way."
Just then, the chaotic static on the line suddenly cleared for an instant. A steady, yet emotionless female voice rang out.
"The Jade Gate is opening. On behalf of the Xianzhou Alliance Luofu, I welcome the guests who have traveled from afar."
"Please follow the guidance to dock in an orderly manner."
As the voice faded, the communication line was severed once again, leaving only the monotonous hiss of static.
"Did a staff member finally show up?" March 7th asked, puzzled.
"The signal is cut off. The other party didn't provide any more information," Himeko replied, shaking her head as her brows furrowed slightly.
"We should get moving." Welt picked up his cane and looked at Himeko. "Himeko, I leave the Astral Express to you. Be careful."
"No need to worry," Himeko replied with a calm smile. "Isn't Dan Heng still here?"
Stelle noticed Leon was still leaning against the wall, showing no intention of joining them. She couldn't help but ask, "Brother, aren't you coming with us?"
"You guys go ahead," Leon said, waving a hand at them with a gentle smile. "I'll head down myself later."
"Sigh... Last time on Belobog you slipped away halfway through, and this time you won't even 'depart together'?" March 7th puffed out her cheeks, her tone laced with a small complaint.
"Alright, alright," Leon laughed, placating her. "I promise to accompany you from start to finish next time."
"Then I'm leaving too."
As Stelle, Caelus, March 7th, Welt, and Serval proceeded toward the carriage door one after another, Leon straightened up and gave Himeko a gentle nod.
"Goodbye."
"Safe travels." Himeko watched him turn and walk toward the other end of the car.
The carriage door opened, then closed again.
The Parlor Car fell quiet.
And then, Leon's figure simply faded from where he stood.
The next moment, he was standing silently in an alley on the Xianzhou Luofu, the air thick with an ancient, serene atmosphere. The bluestone path was damp with morning dew, and the copper bells on distant eaves chimed softly in the wind. Everything was peaceful, just as it should be.
However, in the next instant, the space around him rippled subtly.
Several figures emerged without a sound from within those ripples.
Nanook's appearance had hardly changed; one could say he had simply scaled himself down proportionally, put on a set of clothes, and dropped by. That heart-stopping silence, however, still clung to him like a shroud.
Aha was dressed in a sharp yellow suit and leather shoes, but he wore a smiling mask on his headâthe kind that would make anyone immediately suspect he was one of the Masked Fools.
Qlipoth had transformed into a hulking giant that seemed carved from mountain rock. With broad shoulders and a thick back, he stood as still and unshakeable as a fortressâa veritable mountain of a man.
Nous appeared in the form of a mechanical lifeform. Its head was slightly oversized, and deep blue data streams flowed within its eyes, precise and cold.
Finally, there was Memoria... and damn, she was a pink-haired beauty?
An Aeon cannot be confined by an ordinary body. What appeared at this moment was merely an avatar, adapted to the scale of this world for the convenience of walking among mortals.
Logically speaking, the Aeon of Remembrance, Memoria, had not yet been born in this era. But were Aeons such inconvenient existences? Since it was destined that Memoria would be born in the future, her existence in the past was, to an Aeon, nothing more than a casual glance back along the long river of time.
As for why Memoria was a pink-haired girl... it was actually quite reasonable. After all, the paragons of Purity that Leon knew were all pink-haired beauties, so it made perfect sense for Memoria herself to be one, right?
Leon blinked, and the scene before him seemed to subtly overlap. He saw both the ordinary-looking people standing in the alley and their original, extraordinary Aeon forms. Or rather, they were always their original selves; they had simply cast reflections of themselves into the morning light and bustle of the Xianzhou, forms convenient for a stroll.
In the eyes of an ordinary person, they might just be a few passersby with distinct temperaments... a silent young man in black, a strange guest in a yellow suit wearing a smiling mask, a sturdy man as steady as a mountain, a scholar with a mechanical body, and a pink-haired girl standing quietly in the morning mist.
"Memoria... is this the appearance you 'chose'?" Leon asked, looking toward the pink-haired girl with keen interest.
"Long time no see, partner~" She leaned in lightly, a starlight-like smile flowing in her eyes. "Did you miss me?"
"Wait..." Leon leaned back slightly, studying her. "Your tone... why does it sound a bit familiar?"
That voiceâlively, yet carrying a touch of sweetness, as if flowers could bloom from her wordsâtruly reminded him of a certain "flawless" old friend...
"Cyrene? Elysia? Demeugo?"
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