—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Ah? So that's how the train's energy comes about."
Furina de Fontaine: "By continuously trailblazing, we can keep the energy fully charged…"
Furina de Fontaine: "It's actually quite miraculous."
March 7th: "I didn't expect the train's energy to only be enough for two more warp jumps?"
March 7th: "What if during the next two jumps, we don't meet the Trailblaze standards? Wouldn't the Express really end up drifting in space?"
Stelle: "March, when the time comes, seal me in the ice cube with you."
Stelle: "I'm afraid of the dark. I don't want to turn into an ice block and drift alone in space!"
Himeko: "Let's be optimistic, everyone. We still have two warp opportunities left."
Himeko: "There are still plenty of options."
Himeko: "No need to worry."
Himeko: "At most, we just need to carefully consider our next journey."
....
『 [ At least you'll be an adorable ice cube. ]
As March 7th finished speaking, Stelle placed heavy emphasis on this line.
[ When you put it like that, it doesn't actually sound too bad. ]
[Ugh, I don't want to turn back into an adorable girl ice cube drifting in space again! ]』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Qingque: "Adorable girl ice cube?"
Qingque: "There's actually such a thing?"
Guinaifen: "There's nothing wrong with that! Ice that freezes an adorable girl is indeed an adorable girl ice cube!"
Li Sushang: "Uh… but a beautiful girl ice cube is still an ice cube."
Li Sushang: "It's not good to turn into an ice cube out of nowhere."
March 7th: "Exactly!"
March 7th: "I never want to turn into an ice cube and drift all alone in space again!"
March 7th: "Not even an adorable girl ice cube !"
....
『 [ In other words, we must consider this when choosing our next destination. ]
Dan Heng nodded in contemplation.
[ Indeed. I have already checked the astral charts. The two nearest worlds to us are the oceanic planet of Lushaka and the Agate World, Melustanin. ]
[ As for which one we choose as our destination, we will still have to vote… ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Speaking of which, when I was having the Express itinerary meeting in Ena's Dream, wasn't there mention of a world being invaded by the Antimatter Legion?"
Stelle: "Is that just gone now?"
March 7th: "You already know it was a dream, so of course it has nothing to do with reality!"
March 7th: "After all, back in that dream, we didn't hear anything about the Express running out of energy!"
Furina de Fontaine: "So the Astral Express's next destination can only be chosen from these two closest places?"
Furina de Fontaine: "It feels like the difficulty of choosing has suddenly dropped!"
Paimon: "Ooh… I'm really curious about which planet everyone will choose as their destination."
Stelle: "I'm interested in Luhsaka!"
Stelle: "Because that's Mikhail's hometown!"
March 7th: "I'm interested in Luhsaka too! An ocean planet, I wonder what it looks like."
March 7th: "But then again, I think the agate world is also very attractive!"
March 7th: "After all, just from the name, you know there must be many beautiful agate stones in that world!"
March 7th: "Oh no, I'm so torn!"
March 7th: "My choice paralysis is acting up again!"
Lumine: "It seems… even with only two worlds, it's still quite hard to choose!"
Aventurine: "Don't panic when faced with choice paralysis."
Aventurine: "Just take out a coin. Heads for option one, tails for option two."
Mualani: "What if the coin lands on its edge?"
Aventurine: "Ahem… then abstain!"
Hu Tao: "Mm, that's a good method."
Hu Tao: "At least you don't have to stress over it."
....
『 [ Haha… Or, perhaps you all could listen to my proposal. ]
Just as Welt finished speaking, inside the parlor car, another voice resounded.
Everyone looked towards the sound, only to find the manifestation of Black Swan's figure.
[ We meet again, everyone. ]
Black Swan smiled, offering a greeting.
[ I-It's you? Why were you just in my room... ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Damn, Black Swan actually walked out of March's room out of nowhere!"
Stelle: "Is our train's defense really that weak now?"
Dan Heng: "..."
Dan Heng: "The train's security indeed needs to be strengthened."
March 7th: "This isn't Ena's Dream anymore. Why did Miss Black Swan board the Express again?"
Black Swan: "To… help you resolve your energy problem, of course."
Furina de Fontaine: "So Miss Black Swan was here all along."
Furina de Fontaine: "No wonder we didn't see Miss Black Swan when Miss Stelle was saying her final goodbyes."
....
『 [ What a lovely room, Miss March — just like yourself. ]
Black Swan teased.
[ I did feel like someone was missing during the farewells… ]
Stelle remarked with hindsight.
[ Memokeeper… Setting aside how you managed to board the Express without being noticed, the proposal you just mentioned… ]
Welt inquired about the proposal Black Swan spoke of.
[ Regarding the train's method of obtaining fuel, I happened to overhear it all. ]
[ I originally just wanted to chat with you all to see if a cooperation between us is possible — now it seems my proposal might very well be your saving grace. ]
Black Swan was still keeping them in suspense.
[ Speak plainly. ]
[ Depending on the content, we might have to ask you to disembark. ]
Dan Heng said with a cold expression.
[ A descendant of Permanence… What a charming little dragon indeed, especially that turbid memory of yours. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Hahahahaha."
Stelle: "A charming… little dragon!"
Stelle: "She made Dan Heng sound like some kind of baby dragon, that's hilarious."
Dan Heng: "…"
March 7th: "Eh, compared to his lifespan, maybe he really is considered a young little dragon right now?"
Feixiao: "No matter how you look at it, he is the former High Elder. 'Little dragon' is a bit of a stretch, isn't it?"
Feixiao: "To be honest, I wonder how much of Imbibitor Lunae's strength this Mr. Dan Heng still retains?"
Stelle: "No idea. Aside from the last time we fought Phantylia on the Luofu, we rarely see him use that power."
Stelle: "This time on Penacony, we only saw him use it in the false Ena's Dream."
Stelle: "But in actual reality, he still didn't use it."
March 7th: "In short, he was slacking the whole time."
March 7th: "Got it!"
March 7th: "This shows that the crisis we encountered wasn't that big of a deal."
March 7th: "Otherwise, he definitely would have unleashed his full power!"
Stelle: "I think so too."
Stelle: "Himeko's orbital cannon, Uncle Yang's black hole, Dan Heng's dragon form — none of them were used."
Stelle: "This proves the intensity was still too low."
Stelle: "It didn't push us to our limits."
Silver Wolf: "So you guys think this game wasn't high-level enough."
Silver Wolf: "Maybe next time you'll encounter a much higher-level game."
Silver Wolf: "I'll be waiting to see what you look like when you unleash your full power!"
....
『 [ To get back to the point. ]
[ If the Astral Express is in urgent need of a special trailblazing journey to replenish its engine's power — ]
[ Have you all ever considered? ]
[ What if your destination this time is a world that even the legendary Akivili never reached… ]
[ If you can lay down a brand-new silver rail in the universe, the train will probably never have to worry about energy again. ]』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Ah, this!"
Stelle: "Going to a world Akivili never reached to lay down silver rails?"
Stelle: "This is no time for jokes, making it sound so simple!"
Himeko: "Mm… In theory, as practitioners of the Trailblaze riding the Express, we do have the ability to do this."
Himeko: "But since our departure, we have had no such experience."
Himeko: "So behind what seems feasible, there are also countless risks hidden."
March 7th: "Going to a place not connected by the silver rails can give the train enough energy to never worry again…"
March 7th: "I get the logic, but the question is, can it be done?"
Hu Tao: "Not connected by silver rails… Isn't our Teyvat exactly that kind of world?"
Hu Tao: "Which means, if the Astral Express can come to Teyvat to trailblaze, you won't have to worry about fuel!"
Welt Yang: "However, we do not have Teyvat's astral charts coordinates."
Welt Yang: "So, trailblazing to Teyvat is temporarily unfeasible."
Lumine: "Teyvat's coordinate…"
Lumine: "Speaking of which, can Teyvat people really not get a hold of this thing?"
Nahida: "Perhaps only the Heavenly Principles know."
Furina de Fontaine: "Could it be that we can only obtain this by attacking the Heavenly Principles?"
Furina de Fontaine: "But that's the Heavenly Principles!"
Furina de Fontaine: "Us fighting the Heavenly Principles, that's…"
Zhongli: "Such matters must not be rushed."
Zhongli: "It requires careful consideration."
Stelle: "Since Black Swan brought up this proposal, she must already have a suitable target for us to choose, right?"
Black Swan: "Indeed, I have had a suitable destination in mind for a long time."
....
『 [ Trailblazing a world Akivili never reached… Can this really be done? ]
Hearing Black Swan's words, March 7th was suddenly quite shocked.
[ Continue, Memokeeper. ]
[ The destination you speak of, what kind of world is it? ]
Welt pressed on.
[ A world whose existence is unknown to most in the universe… ]
[ A world difficult to observe from the outside, which can only be reflected through the Mirror of the Garden of Recollection… ]
[ A world bound and entangled by three Paths, with an uncertain fate… ]
[ The Eternal Land, Amphoreus. ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "Holy crap, I'm starting to sweat!"
Stelle: "This place sounds far from simple!"
Stelle: "IT'S DEFINITELY AN ABSOLUTE HIGH-LEVEL GAME!!"
March 7th: "A world that can't be observed from the outside?"
March 7th: "And entangled by three Paths?"
March 7th: "This makes the difficulty of trailblazing sound a bit too high, doesn't it?"
March 7th: "Can just the few of us trailblaze such an absurd world?"
Silver Wolf: "What's there to fear?"
Silver Wolf: "Just charge in."
Silver Wolf: "You guys are the chosen ones of this era, blessed with great fortune. Is there anything you can't accomplish?"
Stelle: "Silver Wolf, I've only seen that kind of description in Xianzhou novels."
Stelle: "Are you trying to fool us?"
Silver Wolf: "Would I do that?"
Lumine: "The Eternal Land, Amphoreus…"
Lumine: "Just from the name alone, it sounds very grand and high-class."
Lumine: "In short, it must be a very terrifying world."
Paimon: "Yeah, it sounds way fancier than our Teyvat."
Paimon: "So, shouldn't our Teyvat also change to a more imposing, beautiful, and mysterious name?"
Hu Tao: "Who knows how many years of history the name Teyvat has. How can it be changed just like that?"
Dan Heng: "A world divided by three Paths… To be honest, I do not wish for our next destination to be such a dangerous place."
Himeko: "But judging from the Express's current situation, we have a reason to take the risk."
Stelle: "It's a pity we can't find Teyvat's coordinates. Otherwise, with all the acquaintances we know now, wouldn't going straight to Teyvat make things much easier?"
Stelle: "That way, we wouldn't have to go to this scary-sounding world."
March 7th: "Miss Black Swan, do you have any other worlds to recommend?"
Black Swan: "Unknown worlds are not so easily discovered."
Black Swan: "If the Mirror of the Garden of Recollection hadn't projected the silhouette of this world, we wouldn't have known such a singular place existed in the universe."
Black Swan: "To be honest, the risk of trailblazing this world is certainly immense."
Black Swan: "But corresponding to that is the harvest!"
Qingque: "The greater the risk, the higher the return. That part is fine."
Qingque: "I'm just afraid this world has high risks but shockingly small returns. If the Express Crew goes there, they'll be in big trouble!"
....
『 The screen shifts, moving elsewhere.
[ ... ]
[ I hope I'm not too late, child. ]
The door of a specialized prison was opened, and Jade's figure appeared.
She looked at Sunday, who was bound by chains in his seat, a slight smile appearing on her face.
[ …I didn't expect it to be you. ]
Seeing Jade, Sunday looked very surprised.
[ You have no idea how many outposts the Family set up. Do you know how hard it is to get you out of here? ]
Jade's words sounded like a complaint.
[ It seems my time has come? ] 』
『 ....』
—✦Omniscient Viewer's Chat Lodge✦—
Stelle: "???"
Stelle: "What's going on here?"
Stelle: "Why did it suddenly jump to such an exciting scene?"
Stelle: "Is Sunday locked up in a prison like this right now?"
March 7th: "Although it's not very dignified, he seems to be in decent shape?"
March 7th: "But what is Madame Jade doing here?"
Furina de Fontaine: "It looks like she's there to get Mr. Sunday out."
Furina de Fontaine: "Uh… wouldn't that be… a jailbreak?"
Lumine: "Miss Robin's transaction with Madame Jade…"
Lumine: "So that's how it is!"
Lumine: "This must be the content of Miss Robin's transaction, right?"
Paimon: "I knew Miss Robin wouldn't give up on her brother."
Paimon: "As expected, she found a way to save Mr. Sunday."
Sunday: "Sigh… there was no need to save me."
Sunday: "Otherwise, if you happen to leave any leverage, the Family won't…"
Robin: "None of that matters. What matters is that you are saved, isn't it?"
Sunday: "Sigh…"
Qingque: "With all due respect, Mr. Sunday in the video thought he was about to be executed. Haha."
....
『 [ I don't quite understand what you mean. What do you mean… when? ]
Jade didn't understand Sunday's meaning.
[ A Negotiation, interrogation, or death... My fate lies entirely in your hands, Madame Bonajade. ]
[ The dance is done. Why bother with the compassionate pretense and give someone who's about to die the chance to talk? ]
Sunday appeared very indifferent.
[ Even falling from the altar, your posture is still quite exquisite. ]
[ I am very pleased to see you so energetic. ] 』
『 ....』
(Amphoreus is around the corner!)