Chapter 17: I Have an Aeon Group Chat?
Leon had just returned to reality from the Abyss of the Path. Before he could even brush the stray sunflower seed shells off the corner of his clothes, a violent surge of energy erupted from within Stelle and Caelus.
Golden light spilled uncontrollably from their chests. The power of the Stellaron acted like a wild horse violently breaking free from its reins, tearing through the air with a high-pitched whine.
Clearly, standing face-to-face with Nanook the Destruction had caused the already volatile Stellarons to react with extreme prejudice.
The blinding golden energy pushed back the Doomsday Beast's Mutual Annihilation beam at a speed visible to the naked eye, striking the massive leviathan with pinpoint precision.
Boom!
Amidst the deafening explosion, the Doomsday Beast, which had been so intimidating just a fraction of a second ago, was directly detonated by the sheer kinetic impact of this terrifying energy.
Brilliant fireworks of shattered matter bloomed across the starry sky. A powerful storm of Imaginary Energy swept across the entire platform, whipping up heavy debris and making it nearly impossible for anyone to keep their eyes open.
"Oh no!" March 7th cried out, shielding her face with her arms as her skirt whipped in the gale. "The Stellaron is going berserk!"
Dan Heng immediately readied his spear, his knuckles turning white around the shaft, while Himeko narrowed her eyes, preparing to step in and suppress the volatile shockwave.
However, just as this out-of-control energy was about to sweep across the platform and cause untold collateral damage, Leon made his move.
He stepped forward casually, gently reaching out his hands to tap Stelle and Caelus on their foreheads.
A soft, crisp chime echoed through the air.
As if a pause button had been pressed on the universe itself, the rampaging aura radiating from Stelle and Caelus instantly vanished. The violent golden light receded into their bodies, leaving the platform in a sudden, eerie silence.
Dan Heng stepped in swiftly, catching the falling Caelus, while March 7th rushed over to support the unconscious Stelle.
"Leon... they..." March 7th asked, her voice trembling with lingering worry as she checked Stelle's breathing.
"They're fine. They just need a good nap."
Leon went right back to cracking sunflower seeds, spitting a shell to the side as he looked toward Welt, who had just rushed over to the scene.
"Uncle Yang!" March 7th called out, her face lighting up with relief.
Welt nodded slightly, but his gaze bypassed the Express crew entirely. His eyes locked onto Leon, who was leisurely chewing on seeds as if he were watching a theater performance from the front row.
"This must be Mr. Leon." Welt adjusted his glasses. The gaze behind those lenses was sharp, deep, and highly calculating. "I saw a quite spectacular... performance on the monitors just now."
Leon unhurriedly finished the last few seeds, dusted off his palms, and clapped his hands together. "Oh, so I was on camera? I'm just a passing clerical worker. That little display just now was... well, purely self-defense."
The corner of Welt's mouth curled up slightly. "Easily suppressing a rampaging Stellaron... Mr. Leon's definition of 'clerical' is quite unique."
It was a very good thing Welt hadn't seen Leon punch Nanook in the face back in the Abyss of the Path; otherwise, the seasoned Trailblazer probably wouldn't be speaking so calmly.
"Well..." Leon blinked innocently. He suddenly closed the distance between them, leaning in close and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Actually, I've admired you since I was a kid, Mr. Yang. Look at my potential. Am I qualified to be a candidate for the Herrscher of Reason?"
This sudden turn of events left the surrounding crew members stunned.
Herrscher of Reason?!
March 7th and Dan Heng exchanged blank looks. They had absolutely no idea what that meant.
But Welt did.
Hearing those words, Welt's pupils contracted violently. His breath hitched in his throat.
"No, no, no, I'm kidding." Leon waved his hand with a bright, entirely unapologetic grin. "I just know a little bit of trivia, that's all."
Then, clearing his throat, Leon actually began to imitate Welt's voice. He nailed the exact pitch, the dramatic pauses, and the heavy, melancholic tone perfectly:
"When I inherited the name of Welt, I also gained everything that man had. But beneath this name, there is nothing that belongs to me."
Leon placed a hand over his chest, looking off into the distance with fake sorrow.
"I am playing the role of a shadow who has been dead for years. But why should I play the role of a failed shadow?"
He clenched his fist, raising it toward the artificial sky with dramatic flair.
"That's right, it was I who killed the Herrscher of the Void and saved this world. I did what that man couldn't do. I have surpassed him."
Silence descended upon the platform.
Welt stood completely frozen. Watching this strange young man flawlessly mimic the chunibyo lines he had spouted back in his youth made Welt feel completely unwell.
A massive wave of embarrassment surged in his chest. His jaw locked tight. He felt like his toes could curl hard enough to carve out a three-bedroom apartment right there on the metal floorboards.
No, seriously, is this guy sick?
Who goes around imitating other people's darkest, most embarrassing history just for fun?!
And he dropped it so suddenly, without giving Welt even a single second to mentally prepare his defenses.
He had been careless. He didn't dodge the cringe.
Back in his home world, besides himself, who else even knew about this specific dark history?
Who on earth told this guy?
This was absolute insanity!
"Is it the Void Archives?"
Welt adjusted his glasses again, his fingers slightly stiff. He forced himself to stay calm, burying the heavy urge to sigh.
In front of the younger Express crew, he still had to maintain his reliable, mature image.
If it were his younger, hotter-headed self, he probably would have thrown a miniature black hole at Leon's smug face by now.
"Nope. I just know things. But I'm definitely not from your side of the universe." Leon smiled frankly. His eyes were so clear and innocent that not a single flaw could be seen in his expression.
"Since the immediate crisis has been averted," Welt said, regaining his usual steady composure. He pushed up his glasses one more time and quickly changed the subject, desperate to move on. "Let's talk in detail after we've handled the matters at hand."
Although the Doomsday Beast had been reduced to cosmic dust, the Antimatter Legion forces within the Space Station had not yet been completely wiped out.
Remaining Void Rangers were still roaming the corridors and needed to be cleared out as soon as possible.
Of course, this was primarily the Herta Space Station's own security responsibility, but the Astral Express crew never stood idly by when help was needed.
"I'll take Stelle and Caelus to the medical room," Dan Heng said, carefully adjusting his grip to support the unconscious Caelus.
Although the twin Trailblazers didn't appear to have any external injuries, the violent state of the Stellaron's eruption just moments ago was truly worrying.
"I'll help too!" March 7th hurriedly stepped forward to support Stelle. The two of them, taking one twin each, began to carefully guide the pair of Stellaron hosts toward the medical area.
Watching the Express crew leave, Leon finally had a moment of peace.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the mysteriously appeared smartphone, toying with it thoughtfully.
This device, much like the mask resting in his other pocket, was of completely unknown origin. It was highly likely to be Aha's latest masterpiece.
He gently stroked the cold, sleek casing of the phone, a searching look flashing in his eyes.
'Let me see what kind of secrets you're hiding...'
Leon leaned back against the cold metal railing of the platform, his fingertips casually sliding across the illuminated screen.
To be completely honest, he was brimming with curiosity about this Star Rail universe. What he had seen through a screen in his past life was, after all, just the tip of the iceberg. The real, breathing universe had to be infinitely more magnificent.
He temporarily suppressed his stray thoughts and decided to browse the local internet first.
As soon as he opened the primary social media application, his assigned username popped up on the screen.
'Lover of Elation'...
Leon's face scrunched up, looking exactly like an old man squinting at a confusing subway map. Who gave him such a creepy, obsessive-sounding name?
His fingers flew across the digital keyboard, quickly changing the nickname.
'Face Saver'...
Leon nodded in satisfaction at his new, much more dignified username.
Just as he was about to properly explore this world's vast internet, a notification pinged. A chat group named 'Aeon Tea Party' suddenly appeared at the very top of his interface without any prior warning.
Curious, he clicked on the member list. Four staggering, universe-shaking profile pictures were listed right there on his screen:
The Aeon of Elation, Aha.
The Aeon of Erudition, Nous.
The Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli.
And the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook.
It was precisely the four Aeons he had come into direct contact with since arriving in this world.
Holy moly?!
I have an Aeon group chat?!
Leon stared at the screen, a wide grin slowly spreading across his face. Don't think he hadn't read enough web novels in his past life; he knew exactly where this kind of plot was going!
He tapped the screen tentatively, sending his very first message into the chat:
Face Saver: Are you all the real deal?
Aha replied instantly, the typing bubble barely flashing for a millisecond.
Aha: That's right, we're the real deal~ Aha is very happy to meet you, you really are so much fun...
Aha: [Flowers.jpg]
Aha: It's a pity Aha can't give you a blessing right now, otherwise I'd definitely give you an Emanator position to play with~
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]