"Now that no one's interrupting us, wanna keep going with what we were doing earlier?"
Inside the Passenger Cabin, Lucian wrapped an arm around Himeko's slender waist and gently pulled her into his embrace, the corners of his lips curling into a teasing smile.
He didn't care whether Pom-Pom felt awkward standing nearby. Considering everything Pom-Pom had witnessed aboard the Astral Express over the years, being fed a little romance was probably nothing out of the ordinary.
At this moment, the blush on Himeko's cheeks had yet to fade after she came out of the bathroom completely. A faint rosy tint still lingered across her beautiful face, and her gaze flickered nervously as she deliberately avoided looking directly into Lucian's eyes.
Clearly, the passionate scene in the bathroom that had nearly gotten out of control was still having quite an impact on her.
Because the lingering warmth of that intimate moment remained fresh in her mind, and now that Lucian had brought it up again so naturally, the embarrassment she had only just managed to suppress immediately resurfaced.
Like a startled deer, Himeko suddenly took a step back and pressed both hands against Lucian's chest, widening the distance between them before he could pull her close again.
"I... I'm a little tired. I'm going back to my room to rest!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Himeko turned around almost as if she were fleeing the scene and hurried toward her room before Lucian could even react or say another word.
*Click!*
In the very next second, the sliding door shut behind her, followed almost immediately by the faint but unmistakable sound of the lock being engaged from the inside.
"Heh..."
Lucian stared at the tightly closed door for a moment, feeling both helpless and amused as he let out a quiet chuckle.
Was it really necessary to even lock the door?
For all these years, they had always come and gone freely between each other's rooms without the slightest concern. Yet now that they had officially become boyfriend and girlfriend, she was actually locking the door as though she were guarding against him.
'Seriously...'
Lucian let out another helpless sigh, shaking his head with a wry smile.
'Well, there goes my cooked duck... no, the beauty who was practically already in my arms has flown away again...'
Even though the opportunity had slipped away once again, he wasn't particularly disappointed.
It seemed he still had to take things step by step and couldn't rush them, which was understandable, considering Himeko had only just accepted their new relationship. Expecting her to adapt to such rapid intimacy overnight had been a little unrealistic.
Moreover, they were on the Astral Express, so Himeko wasn't going anywhere. He still had plenty of time to gradually close the distance between them until the day she could naturally accept every bit of his affection.
===
Time slipped away in the blink of an eye, and the days that followed soon returned to their usual peaceful rhythm.
As always, the Astral Express traveled steadily through the boundless cosmos, crossing one bizarre yet magnificent star system after another.
Glittering nebulae, endless rivers of stars, and planets with impossible landscapes drifted past the Astral Express's windows, each destination adding another unforgettable sight to their ever-growing journey across the cosmos.
Meanwhile, Lucian and Himeko's relationship entered a rather subtle 'couple' phase.
If one were to say their relationship was good, Himeko still refused to take the final step with him.
At most, she would kiss him.
But if one were to say their relationship was bad, then the way they interacted with each other made it obvious that it was anything but, as they stayed by each other's side almost every day, constantly cuddling, holding each other, and enjoying each other's company whenever they had the chance.
Even Pom-Pom complained every day, telling them to stop showing off their affection.
It couldn't be helped.
Pom-Pom felt like the only outsider aboard the Astral Express, forced to endure an endless display of romance every single day.
Regardless, life on the Astral Express itself was warm, peaceful, and pleasantly uneventful.
For example, Himeko occasionally became interested in learning how to cook various interstellar dishes, enthusiastically trying recipes she had collected from countless different worlds.
Unfortunately, she usually turned the kitchen into a complete disaster and sometimes even summoned indescribable Lovecraftian creations that looked as though they had crawled straight out of the deepest abyss.
Yet Lucian always sat down without hesitation, ate everything without changing his expression, and then calmly said, "You've improved."
Every single time, those simple words would leave Himeko smiling happily for the rest of the day.
Another example was when the two of them would squeeze together on a sofa in the Parlor Car, sharing the same blanket while quietly watching the endless sea of stars drifting past beyond the panoramic windows.
Sometimes they would remain like that until late into the night, talking about everything from interesting anecdotes surrounding the Aeons to the countless civilizations they had encountered, and even the dreams they hoped to fulfill together in the future.
Or, yet another example, Lucian would casually help Himeko repair the water supply system in her room that she could never seem to fix, solving a problem that had troubled her for hours in only a matter of minutes.
Yet despite that, she appeared to have gradually developed the habit of simply using his bathroom instead, and this unspoken understanding always caused a certain someone's lips to curl upward in satisfaction whenever he noticed it.
As for Pom-Pom, the conductor continued handling the Astral Express's daily maintenance while delivering endless complaints as always.
"Passenger Lucian! Passenger Himeko! Don't pour that hell coffee onto the carpet, pom~!"
"Passenger Lucian! Today is No-PDA Day! Public displays of affection are prohibited aboard the Astral Express!"
Despite all the protests, Pom-Pom knew full well that the two passengers would only behave themselves for a short while before everything returned to normal again.
Just like that, the peaceful and pleasant days quietly continued, one after another, as the Astral Express journeyed across the endless sea of stars.
Until one day, while the Astral Express was performing an ordinary routine warp jump, just after emerging from the warp corridor, a gigantic creature suddenly appeared directly ahead in the previously empty region of space without any warning whatsoever.
Its appearance was grotesque and incomprehensible, resembling a colossal stitched-together beast composed of countless shattered planetary fragments and dark matter forcibly fused into a single monstrous body.
Its enormous size rivaled that of a small asteroid, and it seemed to have been awakened by the violent energy fluctuations produced by the warp jump.
*Whoosh!*
Letting out a silent roar that seemed to shake the soul itself, it raised a massive arm composed entirely of meteors before swinging it directly toward the Astral Express with overwhelming force.
Judging by its posture, it clearly intended to swat the little train that had disturbed its sleep as though it were nothing more than an annoying fly.
"Passenger Lucian, save us, pom! High-energy giant beast attack detected!"
Pom-Pom's panicked scream instantly echoed throughout every car of the Astral Express.
In the Parlor Car, Himeko's expression immediately turned serious as she instinctively looked toward Lucian.
Lucian's eyes turned cold, and he was just about to make his move.
In his eyes, something so blind and foolish could be dealt with using nothing more than a single slap.
However, just as Lucian raised his hand, someone—or rather, a dragon—intervened first.
At the critical moment, just as the monster's massive forearm was about to crash into the Astral Express—
*BOOM!*
A dazzling azure dragon-shaped beam of light suddenly erupted skyward from a floating continental fragment below like the sword of dawn splitting apart the darkness itself. Carrying overwhelming momentum, it crossed the vast expanse of space in an instant before striking the beast's enormous claw with absolute precision.
*Crack!*
In an instant, the monster let out a miserable howl as its arm, as thick as a mountain range, was forcibly shattered in the middle by the azure light. Countless broken rocks and chunks of dark matter exploded outward like a torrential storm, sweeping across the surrounding space as violent shockwaves rippled in every direction.
At the same time, the azure dragon-shaped light gracefully circled through space, weaving through the drifting debris before gradually revealing the slender figure hidden within.
It was a black-haired man floating amid the stars, a spear firmly held in his hand, his aura cold, calm, and powerful, exuding an overwhelming sense of authority. Majestic dragon shadows coiled around his body, their ethereal forms rising and twisting around him as though protecting their master.
Slightly frowning, he looked toward the giant beast that had fallen into a frenzy after losing its arm, seemingly preparing to strike once more and finish it off completely.
Lucian slowly lowered the hand he had raised halfway and narrowed his eyes as he carefully studied the figure standing alone in space.
'Dan Heng, huh... is it finally time for him to board the Astral Express?'
He silently pondered the thought while continuing to watch the battle unfold outside.
Meanwhile, Himeko looked curiously at the unfamiliar figure beyond the window for a moment before turning to glance at Lucian.
"Do you know him? He looks pretty strong."
At Himeko's question, Lucian merely shrugged his shoulders.
"Nah, no idea... Well, I'll go try talking to him."
===
Meanwhile, outside the Astral Express, Dan Heng had already launched another attack, his offensive as sharp as a drawn blade and as relentless as an unending tide. Even though the beast possessed an enormous body and terrifying physical strength, it was clearly no match for him.
Under Dan Heng's continuous assault, it was completely suppressed in just a few short seconds, unable to mount any meaningful resistance.
In the end, the beast let out an unwilling roar that echoed throughout the surrounding starfield before violently breaking away from the battle. Dragging its crippled body behind it, it fled toward the depths of the galaxy as fast as it could, disappearing into the endless darkness without looking back.
Dan Heng did not pursue it and instead calmly put away his spear before turning his gaze toward the Astral Express, his expression remaining as indifferent as ever even as he seemed to hesitate over whether he should approach.
Seeing the scene, Lucian rubbed his chin thoughtfully as the gears in his mind immediately began turning once again.
Inside this script world, the Astral Express didn't need any male supporting characters.
However, Lucian was worried that one of the script's completion conditions might involve Dan Heng. If he simply let Dan Heng wander off now and couldn't find him later, that would undoubtedly become troublesome.
'Wait, Herta Space Station's probably still short on security personnel, right?'
As that thought suddenly crossed his mind, the corners of Lucian's lips curled into a faint smile.
In the next moment, without wasting another second, he immediately activated Absolute Hit and appeared directly in front of Dan Heng.
"!!!"
As soon as Lucian appeared before him without any warning, Dan Heng's grip on his spear instinctively tightened as he immediately assumed a guarded stance, his vigilant eyes never leaving the unfamiliar stranger standing before him.
Dan Heng was obviously wary.
*Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!*
Lucian clapped three times in approval before smiling warmly, his eyes filled with unmistakable appreciation.
"Nice skills. Looks like you don't really have anywhere to go, huh?"
Hearing that, Dan Heng remained silent for a moment, his silence alone serving as the answer.
In truth, he had only one goal this time: to stay as far away from the Xianzhou Luofu as possible.
As for where he should go after that, he had no plans and no ideas. One could say he truly had nowhere to go and was simply drifting through the vast cosmos without any destination in mind.
Seeing Dan Heng's reaction, Lucian's smile grew a little wider.
"Perfect. I happen to know a place with a beautiful environment, advanced technology, great security, and free food and lodging. It's the perfect place for a talented youngster like you to really put your abilities to good use."
A trace of confusion immediately appeared in Dan Heng's eyes upon hearing that.
"Where?"
"Herta Space Station," Lucian replied without the slightest hesitation. "I heard they're kinda short on high-end talent like you. Just show them a Star Rail Pass as proof. You could at least end up as a security captain with your skills."
"..."
Dan Heng fell silent once again, not answering immediately.
Apparently, the sudden recommendation had caught him somewhat off guard.
In Lucian's view, becoming the captain of the security team was honestly a pretty decent option. At the very least, it sounded far better than wandering aimlessly through the cosmos without a destination.
Among all the people connected to the Astral Express, Herta was probably the most accommodating when it came to recruiting capable individuals.
If he sent her a new employee or two, surely the Great Herta wouldn't mind.
In the very next second, without giving Dan Heng any time to carefully think the matter over, Lucian immediately pulled out a pen, a sheet of paper, and a Star Rail Pass. He swiftly wrote a recommendation letter, folded it neatly, stuffed both the letter and the Star Rail Pass into Dan Heng's hand, then gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
"Keep working hard. You've got a bright future ahead of ya."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lucian casually gave Dan Heng a light push, and that seemingly ordinary motion instantly sent him straight to Herta Space Station.
Dan Heng only felt his vision blur as the surrounding sea of stars shifted rapidly before his eyes. By the time everything finally stabilized, he found himself standing inside a completely unfamiliar yet highly advanced hall, filled with futuristic technology and people clad in various neat uniforms.
In his hand, he still held a Star Rail Pass along with a recommendation letter that read, 'Recommendation for Dan Heng to serve as a Security Captain at Herta Space Station.'
"Young man, you need to register over there before entering."
As Dan Heng was still processing everything that had just happened, a middle-aged man suddenly called out to him from not far away.
"Hm? Isn't that... a Star Rail Pass? Don't tell me... were you sent here by some young man to work as well?"
When Welt noticed the familiar silver ticket in Dan Heng's hand, Lucian's figure immediately came to his mind.
Dan Heng turned to look at him, his gaze lingering on the security guard uniform Welt was wearing before he gradually fell into deep thought.
Judging from Welt's calm expression and composed demeanor, the job didn't seem to be nearly as bad as he had initially imagined.
'Seems like working security here isn't bad at all... If we meet again someday, I'll definitely thank him properly.'
Right after thinking that, Dan Heng gave a small nod toward Welt.
"...Yes. He recommended that I apply for a security position."
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones]
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