In the Parlor Car, Welt pushed up his glasses and looked over the lineup before him, secretly clicking his tongue in amazement at what he was seeing.
Lucian really was impressive.
He had gone out for one trip and somehow managed to bring back two geniuses from the Genius Society to work for them. It was difficult not to wonder just what kind of circumstances he had encountered along the way to accomplish something like that.
"Welcome, you two."
Himeko held a cup of coffee in one hand as she smiled and welcomed the arrival of the two geniuses.
"Although the facilities aboard the Express may be a little simple, we'll certainly do our best to make you feel comfortable."
As she spoke, she handed each of them a cup of coffee, her expression carrying the usual warmth and hospitality of the Astral Express.
Herta knew exactly how lethal Himeko's coffee could be, so she immediately shook her head without the slightest hesitation.
"I've been trying to quit coffee lately."
Screwllum, on the other hand, politely accepted the cup and thanked her, but then paused the next moment when he noticed that something was off.
'I've detected some unusual changes in everyone's gazes. It seems they are all waiting to see me make a fool of myself? Hypothesis: they are waiting to observe my reaction after accepting the coffee...'
Screwllum quickly analyzed the situation and immediately arrived at the obvious conclusion: there was something wrong with the coffee.
Recognizing the danger, he promptly abandoned the idea of actually drinking it. He maintained his usual courtesy and simply held the cup in his hand, showing no intention of taking another step toward what was clearly a trap.
"Drink it, drink it already! Dammit, what's there to be afraid of? Drink it! Drink!"
Stelle watched from the side, growing increasingly impatient as she urged Screwllum to take a sip—the anticipation of watching something entertaining was practically written all over her face, making it painfully obvious that she was hoping to see exactly what Himeko's coffee would do to him.
Clearly, she had no intention of letting this rare opportunity to witness another victim of Himeko's coffee slip away.
Just then, however...
"Alright, cut it out."
Lucian appeared alongside Black Swan, reached over, and grabbed Stelle by the head, stopping her from pestering Screwllum any further.
Naturally, the sight of the handsome Lucian accompanied by the beautiful Black Swan drew everyone's attention, especially when he was holding onto her shoulder as though the two of them had already become quite familiar with each other.
In everyone's eyes, the scene was so natural that it was difficult to tell whether their closeness had developed gradually or whether something had happened during the short period they had been away.
Himeko noticed the scene and slightly furrowed her brows, a hint of curiosity appearing in her eyes.
'When did those two get so close?'
'They weren't like this just now, right?'
'Where did things go wrong?'
'Or could it be that, in the few minutes since then, Lucian had already spent time with Black Swan in that miraculous dream?'
At the same time, Herta recognized Black Swan's identity the moment she saw her, and her brows immediately knitted together.
"Lucian, you're working with someone from the Garden of Recollection? They've given me plenty of trouble over the years. I've got dozens of Memokeepers sealed inside my mirrors. What do you have to say about that?"
"Madam Herta, I'm neutral within the Garden of Recollection, a proper Memokeeper. I'm neither a Memosnatcher who steals memories nor a Cremator. I'm just an ordinary Memokeeper."
Under Herta's scrutinizing gaze, Black Swan felt somewhat uneasy, but she still maintained a perfectly serious expression as she explained her position. Her tone remained composed, and she made no attempt to deny the problems associated with some members of the Garden of Recollection.
Black Swan herself knew that there were problems within the Garden of Recollection, and quite a few Memokeepers coveted the memories of fallen Aeons.
And because Herta's Simulated Universe experiment could simulate the trajectories of an Aeon's birth and fall, it became an extraordinary source of experience for Memokeepers who sought knowledge concerning Remembrance.
To those who pursued the Path of Remembrance, the information contained within the Simulated Universe was naturally an extremely tempting prize.
It was precisely for that reason that the Memokeepers of the Garden of Recollection had been eyeing Herta Space Station covetously, repeatedly visiting Herta Space Station in hopes of stealing the valuable memories contained within the Simulated Universe.
Unfortunately for them, Herta was an Emanator of Erudition, and those insignificant memetic entities were hardly worth mentioning in front of her.
Every Memokeeper who came to steal something was caught, and as far as Black Swan knew, none of the Memokeepers who had gone to Herta Space Station with such intentions had ever managed to return.
"Hm, that's for the best. Memokeeper, don't go coveting something that doesn't belong to you."
Herta's eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke, and the meaning behind her words was obvious.
What exactly was this 'something' that supposedly did not belong to Black Swan?
Everyone present naturally assumed that she was referring to the Simulated Universe, but only Herta knew what she was actually referring to.
"Yes, I understand."
Black Swan nodded obediently, but even after giving her answer, the hand resting on Lucian's waist still showed no sign of moving away. Instead, it remained comfortably pressed against his side, as though Herta's 'warning' had nothing whatsoever to do with her.
"Hahh, I can tell you don't understand at all..." Herta frowned and let out a quiet sigh. "Well, whatever..."
"Alright, everyone's here. Before we set out, let's hand out some gear."
Lucian interrupted the increasingly strange exchange between Herta and Black Swan, successfully drawing everyone's attention back to him.
He flipped his wrist, and a strangely shaped device emitting a soft blue glow appeared in his hand.
It was none other than the 'Chronocognitive Anchor' he had obtained from Screwllum.
"Well, this is Screwllum's baby. It can pinpoint our locations even when we're in areas with different time flows, so we won't get separated." Lucian paused for a moment before continuing, "But one isn't enough for everyone, so..."
As he spoke, he activated River God, and the Chronocognitive Anchor in his hand was instantly copied into two additional versions, one gold and one silver.
Screwllum stared at the two newly created devices in surprise, clearly not expecting his little invention to have actually been copied.
At this moment, Screwllum discovered yet another ability possessed by Lucian.
"Lucian, every time we meet, you give me a new reason to be surprised. For that, I feel very fortunate."
Screwllum genuinely felt that becoming acquainted with Lucian had been an extraordinary stroke of luck.
The last time they had met, Lucian's ability had already influenced him and provided him with fresh inspiration, allowing his research to achieve another breakthrough. Perhaps this time, he might even be able to draw inspiration from Lucian's ability to copy objects.
With that thought in mind, Screwllum silently resolved to make a proper contribution during this journey.
"Screwllum, there'll be more surprises waiting for you in the future, so look forward to them." Lucian smiled at Screwllum before turning his attention to March. "Here, Stelle, March, Evernight, you three take one each. Especially you, March."
"Why am I 'especially'?"
March blinked her large eyes, clearly puzzled by Lucian's emphasis.
"Because you'll enter Amphoreus ahead of us and wander around alone for a long time," Lucian answered calmly, revealing the truth. "As for why, you don't need to know. Just listen to me."
Evernight stood behind March, quietly watching him carefully remind her of everything she needed to know before a faint smile gradually appeared at the corners of her lips.
'You really do care about her... Good. At least he has some conscience and knows to look after this silly girl.'
Evernight thought as she gazed at Lucian, secretly pleased, and then immediately chimed in to support him.
"He's right, March. Listen to him. He won't hurt you."
As she spoke, Evernight smiled and met Lucian's gaze directly, causing him to notice the genuine gratitude contained within her eyes.
Once again, Lucian was convinced that Evernight was truly a hardcore fan of March 7th.
"Alright, then I want the golden one!"
March happily took the golden Chronocognitive Anchor, while Stelle immediately moved closer and reached for the other one.
"I want the silver one! It looks so badass!"
As luck would have it, however, just as Stelle's words fell, Evernight also reached out for the silver Chronocognitive Anchor at precisely the same moment.
"We sisters obviously need matching gold and silver."
Evernight spoke calmly, and in that instant, as both she and Stelle stared at the silver Chronocognitive Anchor in each other's hands, they began tugging over it.
"Raccoon, let go."
"No, I want the silver one."
"Don't make me beat you up."
"If you hit me, I'll tell my godfather."
"You... are you a kid? You're still telling on people to your parents?"
"Hmph, I'm not even one year old."
"Heh, fine! Pray that I don't become your godmother."
"Try me, then."
"Raccoon, you're done for."
At Stelle's provocation, Evernight ultimately released her grip and took the original Chronocognitive Anchor instead.
Of course, she had only decided to let Stelle off for Lucian's sake. Otherwise, the consequences of opposing her would have been quite different.
Stelle, meanwhile, happily obtained the silver Chronocognitive Anchor she had wanted because, in her eyes, the strange-looking device seemed almost tailor-made for her, as its color resembled her hair.
Yet, as she held it in her hands, she could not shake the inexplicable feeling that something was wrong, as a faint chill inexplicably seemed to creep across her backside.
'Strange, I remember putting on underwear. Why does my butt feel so chilly?'
Before Stelle could find the answer, Lucian's voice resounded.
"Alright, then let's get ready to—"
Lucian had just been about to announce their departure when a familiar notification suddenly rang out in his mind.
[DING! Script cooldown complete. You can now activate the script again.]
[Script: 1]
[Activate?]
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[A bonus chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]