The white-robed woman... Let's call her Bina.
Bina watched the masked man retreating figure.
"The Joy Seeker is still the same as ever…"
"Forget it. He enjoys his pranks, but at least he doesn't go too far."
Her attention then returned to the Astral Express. She had once thought of taking Ena away by force, but when she approached the Astral Express, she saw Ena sincere smile.
In her memory, Ena rarely smiled like that, no matter what role she assumed.
"The Trailblazers… seem quite nice."
"With those blessings, she should be able to live a healthy life until the end…"
Unlike other Emanators of Abundance, Bina did not desire its power. She was already an extension of it. She despised those who pursued immortality at any cost, and likewise loathed short lived beings who still sought immortality despite the warnings.
She was the most unusual existence among all the Emanators of Abundance. What she sought was not immortality, but death. If life is a long ascetic journey, then death is surely a form of antidote
The vines born from the Power of Abundance would begin to rot, their immortal vitality severed, slowly collapsing into a mass of decayed branches.
"One of her companions is from Xianzhou. That blessing of Abundance may cause unnecessary trouble. It looks like I'll need to send her something."
The white robe concealed death and decay. She possessed a face identical to Yaoshi yet did the exact opposite.
Just like the nickname people gave her. "Apothecary of Finality"
...
Inside the Astral Express.
After finishing her routine checkup, Ena lay weakly on the sofa. She had changed into a light blue silk dress embroidered with butterfly patterns. Himeko had noticed she didn't own many proper clothes, so she had gone out to pick out a few outfits for her.
She could swear that trying on clothes was a terrifying experience in its own way. It felt like her body had become something gently admired by two overly enthusiastic women. A slim waist, well-proportioned legs, and a delicate face. because of that she had somehow become Himeko and March 7th favorite "dress-up model"
"Ena, try this cheongsam! Dan Heng is from Xianzhou, right? Uncle Welt said this is their traditional style. Maybe if you wear it, it'll calm him down or something. Either way, it'll totally fit you!" March said, holding it up against her.
"Your figure is perfect for this kind of cute style… uh… that part... might be a little big? But it's fine! Ena looks good in everything anyway," March added, clearly a little overwhelmed by Ena presence but still pushing the outfit forward with full enthusiasm.
Ena opened her mouth slightly, then hesitated. "I… actually wanted to refuse."
March 7th tilted her head. "Refuse what?"
"Uh… the clothes." Ena pointing at the clothes on March 7th hand.
Himeko looked at the clothes in March hand. "Is there a problem with them?"
Ena looked between March hand and the pile of outfits beside her. "…No."
March 7th immediately leaned in again. "Then it's settled! You said you needed clothes, right? So we're just helping you pick a new skin! Totally normal team synergy!"
Ena sighed softly. "I did ask for clothes…"
Himeko smiled gently. "Then there's nothing wrong with us helping you choose."
March nodded rapidly. "Exactly! See? No problem at all!"
"…It's just that the clothes you chose…" Ena paused, her eyes drifting back to them.
March 7th froze for a second. "Hm? What about them?"
"…Nothing." Ena decides to just go with the flow.
March immediately relaxed. "Right? I knew it! top tier taste!"
Ena lowered her eyes slightly. "…I think I might have made a mistake asking for help."
Her gaze drifted across the pile of outfits again.
"Suits, cheongsams, tailcoats, classical gowns, maid outfits? Why is there even a garter? Wait… is the 'traditional culture' of a certain developer studio being inherited even in space? Are March and Himeko trying to turn me into a meta character… in terms of appearance?" Her expression stiffened slightly.
"uhm... Challenging the unknown… is part of the Trailblaze. Daring to walk paths never taken before is a challenge to the unknown." Ena, effectively surrendered, repeated this to herself as a form of self-brainwashing.
March 7th happily kept snapping photos, zooming in with full enthusiasm.
"Perfect fashion dataset secured! This is going to be a top-tier reference material for future outfit builds!"
Himeko glanced at her from the side. "…Dataset?"
March didn't even look up. "Yeah! Like, future styling optimization! This is important research!"
Himeko said nothing, but her eyes quietly drifted toward March camera interface.
(Ena Dress-Up Simulation: Ultra Rare SSR Fit Collection (NOT FOR PUBLIC USE))
"…I see." Himeko calmly looked away, she had decided it was better not to ask further questions.
After trying on the outfits, Ena removed the ill-fitting high heels and gently rubbed her feet.
...
Looking at the two "obstructions" in her view, Ena increasingly suspected the visual representations of the two Paths might have been swapped.
'Trailblaze is a D, while Abundance is a B. Abundance… Abundance... shouldn't it be the one with plenty of 'nutrition'? then why is trailblaze bigger?'
(Your Excellency, Host, please forgive me for interrupting your thoughts, but there is a possibility. your Abundance is too pure, too selfless. Naturally, it has influenced your Trailblaze representation.)
"Give me a break. I'd rather believe it's malnutrition." Ena rolled her eyes at Chibi Circuit teasing.
March 7th, who had been passing by, suddenly froze. "Wait, malnutrition?! Ena, are you saying your stats are unbalanced?!"
Himeko turned her head calmly. "Nutrition imbalance can indeed affect physical perception and fatigue."
Ena blinked. "…That's not what I meant."
March gasped. "So it's a hidden debuff?! We need a build fix immediately!"
Himeko nodded slightly. "We should adjust her diet schedule."
"No it's not!" Ena tried to explain, but the two had already begun seriously discussing "support role optimization"
...
Recently, her time off the train had been short. mostly just supply runs. There were no chances for medical practice, and she had been using the Path of Trailblaze aboard the Astral Express. As a result, even after some time had passed, the "Medical Practice" mission progress remained at zero.
(Host, are you up to this? I originally thought you were a workaholic who would finish the mission quickly.)
"Chibi Circuit, people should be brave enough to try new things. Besides, it's not like there won't be chances to finish it later. You won't look down on me, will you?"
(This system will…)
"Aaaah, what?" Ena said, one hand behind her ear in a "what did you just say?" gesture.
The Chibi Circuit looked at its silly host with a bit of disappointment.
Just then, Himeko sat down beside Ena with a smile.
"Would you like a cup of coffee?"
"Yes, please. Thank you."
"How does it taste?"
"It's quite good, for me."
Himeko eyes carried a gentle gaze, as if she had found a kindred spirit, yet it made the other Trailblazers instinctively uneasy.
In the small coffee cup sat an unidentified dark liquid. The foam formed the shape of a demon's face. Strangely, it wore a timid expression toward the two women in front of it, mirroring the uneasy expressions of the companions watching the coffee scene unfold.
"Himeko, there's something I'm not sure if I should mention," Ena said, looking at her reflection in the dark surface of the coffee.
"Please, go ahead" Himeko replied calmly, still sipping her coffee.
"While giving Dan Heng a physical exam recently, I found that he has slight damage to his stomach."
"Uh… since you've already diagnosed it, Dan Heng condition should already be resolved, right?"
"It was cured, but his stomach keeps getting damaged again, so it keeps recurring." Ena frowned slightly, remembering Dan Heng expression of grim determination as he watched her drink coffee these past few days.
"Is Dan Heng has been training his willpower by drinking coffee lately?" Ena said, turning her head toward Himeko.
"Dan Heng has indeed been asking me for coffee these past few days" Himeko said, hand on her chin.
"Stop giving it to him… for the sake of his health" Ena said with a serious expression.
"Alright, I will follow the doctor's advice" Himeko nodded.
"…Wait" March 7th, not far away, froze mid-step after hearing Himeko would stop giving Dan Heng coffee.
She ran toward the two with the seriousness of someone uncovering some villain plan.
"Dan Heng who has been doing a hidden boss training method this whole time…"
"And you stop giving Dan Heng coffee, that means and all his progress will be gone!" she said gravely.
"…Huh?" Ena blinked.
"Think about it! Coffee + repeated damage + self-discipline grind loop. he's clearly leveling up Endurance!" March said, pointing at the ceiling while wearing glasses.
Himeko took a calm sip. "That is… one interpretation."
"He's probably stacking resistance stats! Training his mental debuff tolerance! This is like… hardcore challenge mode progression!" March nodded rapidly, already deep in theory crafting mode.
Ena stared at her. "…That sounds unhealthy."
March turned toward Ena. "If we interrupt it now, he might lose his build optimization!"
From somewhere down the corridor, a faint cough could be heard.
Dan Heng, who had just walked in at the worst possible timing, paused.
"…What build optimization?"
March slowly turned. "…Uh."
Ena quietly closed her eyes.
Himeko set her cup down like someone witnessing a cutscene.
"…This is going to be difficult to explain."
...
Ena thought it would be a long time before she could make progress on the mission, but before long, an opportunity presented itself.
Herta Space Station was safe and full of people. Even if she left the train, she probably wouldn't need many combat units accompanying her. It was the perfect place to level up the Path of Abundance and, using the wounded and rescuing the dying or rather, to selflessly treat patients.
"Herta Space Station… that sounds familiar."
The moment Ena mentioned it, March 7th immediately perked up.
"Wait. The Space Station map? with its High population density? That's basically THE loot zone, right?!"
Ena tilting her head. "Loot… zone?"
March already pulled out her camera, zooming in as if scanning an invisible UI.
"Think about it! Tons of people, medical needs everywhere, safe environment. this is like a beginner friendly farming area!"
Himeko sipped her coffee calmly. "You're treating it like a game again."
"We need optimization! If Ena is going in as a healer, we maximize efficiency routes, paths, supply spawn points, emergency hotspots!" March ignored Himeko completely.
"We can even categorize patients by "rarity of condition" common cold = trash drop, rare syndrome = elite loot, emergency case = boss drop!" She nodded seriously, as if reviewing a raid strategy.
Ena slowly raised a hand. "Please don't categorize patients like that…"
March gasped. "Ena, this is meta optimization! We're reducing wasted action time!"
Himeko looked at Ena over her cup. "She is not entirely wrong in terms of logistics."
"That's not helping…" Ena muttered.
From the hallway, Dan Heng quietly walked past the three. "…I'm not involved in this conversation."
March immediately turned. "Dan Heng! You're DPS, right? We might need you for escort route efficiency!"
"…No." Dan Heng said as he kept walking.
March nodded solemnly. "He's avoiding the dungeon prep phase. Classic."
Ena stared at her. "Why did I feel like I just accepted a raid planner instead of a companion?"
Himeko smiled slightly. "Welcome to the Astral Express."
Ena exhaled softly, letting the conversation settle, then turned her gaze toward Herta Space Station.
'It seems Stelle was born here' Ena thought, watching the station reflected in her eyes.
The female protagonist of Honkai: Star Rail from her past life. the trash can enthusiast, the Galactic Baseballer, the most adorable raccoon.
A faint memory of chaos… and, oddly enough, something like warmth.
As for the Antimatter Legion invasion… she couldn't recall it clearly anymore.
Only fragments remained, something about a Doomsday Beast, and a racoon girl who eventually joined the Astral Express.
A story that felt like it ended well. "…A happy ending, right?"
"Chibi Circuit, nothing unexpected will happen on this trip to Herta Space Station, right?"
(Rest assured. According to system calculations, no unexpected events will occur.)
"Then I'm relieved." Ena nodded slightly. "I trust you."