When the Astral Express group finally set foot on the ground—or rather, the deck—of the Xianzhou Luofu, the expected ethereal and ancient welcoming plaza was nowhere to be seen.
In its place were mountains of metal containers stamped with various merchant guild logos, and the air was thick with the faint smell of engine oil and the peculiar scent of interstellar cargo.
Several automated loading machines, looking like giant metal beetles, moved silently along designated tracks, while the distant, faint hum of non-human machinery could be heard.
Welt Yang looked around, the tip of his cane lightly tapping the metal mesh floor beneath him, his brow furrowed deeply: "Is this... a dock?"
His tone was full of disbelief.
"And by the looks of it, a freight dock."
"This is no place for guests from afar to disembark!"
March 7th stomped her foot, her pink-and-blue hair seemingly losing some of its luster under the dim lighting of the dock.
"This is clearly a cargo unloading area! Who gave us the navigation?! This is way too sloppy! What happened to 'orderly docking'? Where's the order?!"
Dan Heng observed the environment calmly: "It seems the Jade Gate's automated navigation system might have been tampered with, or someone intentionally guided us here to avoid official ports and minimize attention."
His gaze swept over the shadows of the containers, remaining vigilant.
"Next..."
Jing Yuan stroked his chin, a fox-like, cunning smile appearing on his face.
Stelle, almost as a reflex, silently shifted two steps to the side, distancing herself from Jing Yuan's "kindly" smile.
Her intuition told her that whenever this General smiled, someone was usually about to have a bad day.
"We have to split up."
Jing Yuan announced, his finger tracing lines in the air as if arranging troops on a battlefield.
"I'll be in a group with Master (Jingliu), Dan Feng, and Yingxing. As for Bai Heng..."
He looked smilingly at the Foxfolk Maiden, who was currently touching Bailu's small dragon Tail.
"I'll have to trouble you to move with the Astral Express Crew."
"Our identities aren't exactly suitable for being exposed to the public eye of the Luofu too early."
Jing Yuan added, his reasoning so sound that it was impossible to argue against.
Hearing this, everyone's eyes involuntarily drifted over these "High-Cloud Quintet Limited Edition" members, and then they all nodded in deep understanding—
Jing Yuan: The current General of another Luofu. What would it mean for him to show up on this Luofu? An imposter? A parallel world counterpart? The explanation alone could fill ten volumes of "Strange Tales of the Luofu."
Jingliu: The Sword Champion of the Luofu, but in this Luofu's timeline, she's a sensitive and dangerous figure who "defected from the Xianzhou and fell into Mara-Struck." Being recognized on the street would likely trigger a level-one alarm.
Yingxing: A legendary artisan, but in this world's "script," he's better known as "Blade of the Stellaron Hunters," one of the Xianzhou's most wanted criminals. Entering the Cloud Knights' sight would probably result in being pinned down on the spot.
Dan Feng: The previous High Elder of the Vidyadhara, the "culprit" of the Imbibitor Lunae Sedition, and another historically sensitive figure who once caused massive waves.
After understanding why these "walking collection of troubles" needed to keep a low profile, everyone's gaze simultaneously snapped toward the only one singled out to go with the Express Crew: Bai Heng.
Bai Heng felt extremely uncomfortable under the scrutiny, her ears drooping. She pointed at herself, her voice carrying an uncertain tremor: "S-so... you mean... let me go meet 'that' Jing Yuan? Just like this?"
Jing Yuan's smile was brilliant as he nodded vigorously:
"Exactly! Look, you're the one with the 'cleanest' identity among us! A 'deceased' heroic Foxian pilot should only have beautiful memories and nostalgia in this timeline. It's most appropriate for you to contact the current General, reminisce a bit, and scout the situation! You can even give him a... well,'surprise'."
"Are you sure this won't directly trigger that Jing Yuan's Mara-Struck state..."
Stella muttered while facepalming.
Imagine the Luofu General, Jing Yuan, already overwhelmed with dealing with the Stellaron and wanted criminals, suddenly seeing a living, smiling, long-dead old friend Bai Heng bouncing in front of him...
The scene was too "beautiful" for Stella to think about.
It would probably trigger a plotline like "Of five people, three are surprises."
"Things have come to this, we'll take it one step at a time."
Welt ended the discussion about identity sensitivity, pulling their attention back to the current task.
But he then showed that hesitant expression again, as if his stomach were faintly aching. His gaze slowly, with a hint of undetectable struggle, moved to Phainon, who was standing quietly beside Stella.
Phainon noticed this overly complex gaze and tilted his head slightly, his eyes filled with pure confusion: "What's wrong? Mr. Yang?"
"...Nothing."
Welt took a deep breath, trying his best to maintain his image as a steady and reliable senior, though the hand on his forehead tightened slightly.
"It's just... I suddenly have a strange sense of déjà vu. It feels like a certain... persistent 'concept' or 'fate' is still relentlessly chasing me."
His tone carried a sense of world-weary resignation.
First Himeko, then Bronya and Cocolia, and now Phainon, who looked at least seventy percent like that warrior of the sign of "Deliverance," Kevin Kaslana, yet with an even more mysterious and profound temperament...
Welt's inner self was frantically pounding the ground: Is this universe targeting me?! I'm just a normal (former) Sovereign of Anti-Entropy who wants to peacefully Trailblaze, study Stellarons, and look after my juniors! Why do I run into strange counterparts of Honkai-related elements everywhere I go?! Is this even logical?!
For a final confirmation (or perhaps to just put himself out of his misery), Welt asked with a last, slim shred of hope:
"Mr. Phainon, if I may ask, what is your full name...?"
Phainon blinked, seemingly surprised by the question, but answered frankly: "Full name? Does my birth name count? My birth name is Khaslana."
Khaslana.
Welt Yang, the man who once faced Herrschers and world crises without flinching, now felt a very real and familiar twitch in his stomach.
He seemed to hear a certain cold, fiery word that had haunted his life echoing in his ears again.
The hand on his forehead pressed harder, almost trying to soothe his throbbing temples.
If not for his dignified image as a senior, he really wanted to shout at the ceiling of the Xianzhou dock regardless of everything:
'DAMMIT! HONKAI IS STILL CHASING ME!!!'
His internal monologue was completely flooded by this single sentence.
He even began to seriously consider whether, after this Luofu trip, he should apply for a vacation in a galaxy that absolutely had no white-haired people, no similar names, and was completely unrelated to any concepts of "Deliverance," "Finality," or "Herrscher."
Beside him, Dan Heng seemed to sense the heavy resentment and exhaustion radiating from Welt, casting a confused look mixed with a bit of sympathy.
March 7th didn't notice at all, still curiously studying the Xianzhou script on a container.
Stella looked at Phainon, then at Welt, who seemed to have aged several years in an instant, and appeared to understand something, wearing a subtle "Oh, this..." expression.