The next day, Wende awoke leisurely beside the two of them. After tucking them in, he walked to the train's galley and began making breakfast, just as he always had.
There was no need to wake the little ones up individually; the aroma alone would be enough to draw them from their beds in search of food.
When March and Wendy saw Wende making breakfast, they seemed to short-circuit for a moment. After confirming that yesterday's reunion wasn't a dream, they each gave Wende a loving hug before happily waiting for their meal.
Stelle, on the other hand, was like a little raccoon that hadn't gotten enough sleep but was lured awake by the smell of food. She groggily hugged Wende's leg in the kitchen and refused to let go.
Wende, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, had to carry her to the observation car and let March and Wendy "wake her up."
After a flurry of activity, a familiar and delicious breakfast was ready. After gently waking the exhausted Jingliu and Tingyun, Wende didn't forget to call Himeko and Welt, inviting them to Line Two for breakfast.
Everyone on the train gathered together, sharing a relaxed and pleasant meal like a warm family.
After breakfast, Welt discussed the future with Wende. After all, with no major crises left and the war over, Wende, as the Aeon of [Trailblaze], ought to provide some direction for the Astral Express's future path.
After a moment of thought, Wende decided to let the Express return to its original purpose.
And so… after so much turmoil, the train once again departed from miHoYo Planet, carrying its car full of "family" to resume their unfinished trailblazing journey.
---o---
With the disappearance of [Destruction], all the factions entered a period of recovery. The universe had suffered immense damage during the war, and they needed time to rest and recuperate.
With the help of the Star Rail network, countless new and old worlds were reconnected. In a very short time, the entire universe would surely flourish once more.
And ever since Wende had assimilated [Destruction] and [Equilibrium], Long of [Permanence] and the system had never reappeared.
Just like that, more than a year passed.
Perhaps it was because the Luofu no longer faced any major risks, or perhaps Jing Yuan had thoroughly cleaned house for Fu Xuan, but within that year, Jing Yuan resigned from his position as General of the Xianzhou Luofu, transferring the title to Fu Xuan.
The pie that had been dangled for who knows how many years was finally eaten by Fu Xuan.
But after taking the position of "General," Fu Xuan didn't feel the expected joy. Instead, she watched with a worried heart as the retired Jing Yuan departed.
As for Jing Yuan, after shedding his burdens, he seemed much more relaxed. Before long, he joined a squad of Galaxy Rangers, saying he was going to fulfill his childhood dream.
Of course, he had mentioned this more than once at the High-Cloud Quintet reunions, only to be shot down by Jingliu with, "How old are you? Still want to act like you're young?"
Dan Heng and Blade had snickered on the side, only to be silenced by a glare from Jingliu…
But in the end, that sly old fox Jing Yuan still secretly realized his dream. The former Divine Foresight was cunning indeed…
A major event also occurred within that year.
The infamous Stellaron Hunters announced their disbandment.
Elio, the "Prisoner of Fate," vanished. The other Stellaron Hunters had, in truth, already been recruited long ago.
Elio's disappearance signified that the future had shifted from a predetermined state to an unpredictable one, which was still a vast improvement over the originally fixed future.
Kafka stayed on miHoYo Planet and opened a clothing store. Though it was called a clothing store, it also handled some less-than-legal business on the side. This was within permissible limits, of course; you couldn't really expect her to go completely straight, could you?
Stelle would still go back to help Kafka try on clothes and mind the shop when she had time.
As for Silver Wolf, something seemed to have provoked the little hacker. She started her own company on miHoYo Planet, flying the banner of "Acquiring miHoYo."
Wende guessed it was probably due to her terrible gacha luck, and he secretly became the company's largest shareholder.
Blade had originally wanted to continue seeking death every day, but at one of the gatherings, the other three members of the Quintet ganged up and gave him a good beating, then asked Wende to treat him.
After that… the guy opened a blacksmith shop on miHoYo Planet, forging metal all day.
With Wende's help, he was no longer trapped in that torturous immortal body. However, due to the long-term corrosion of the Mara, even after having his immortality removed, his lifespan was still far longer than that of ordinary people.
He did not choose to commit suicide, but rather to die of old age naturally.
It was definitely not because he still hadn't beaten Dan Heng even once. Definitely not!
The other Stellaron Hunter, the armored man named Sam… truthfully, Wende had only met him once. After the Stellaron Hunters disbanded, he too joined the Galaxy Rangers.
Belobog, with miHoYo Planet nearby, developed its economic and comprehensive strength rapidly. The Jarilo-VI of today was a world apart from its past. Although the ice and snow would still take at least a century to melt, green shoots, symbolizing life, had already begun to sprout around the city.
Within the year, Bronya truly unified the Overworld and the Underworld, and the concept of upper and lower districts ceased to exist.
Punklorde also recovered from its Stellaron crisis. Under Veyl's leadership, the planet was now developing even better than before, at one point even becoming one of the top one hundred most developed planets in the universe.
The Herta Space Station was the same as always. However, since the Stellarons lost their power after Destruction vanished, Herta no longer bothered Stelle for tests.
As for whether Stelle was affected by the Stellaron's weakening…
The answer was yes, but with Wende by her side, he simply blessed her with the power of his Path. The mere weakening of a Stellaron? He'd lose if it made her eat two fewer bowls of rice!
---o---
Ten years passed. In the grand scale of the universe, ten years was but a fleeting moment, but many changes had occurred.
First, Stelle and March had matured quite a bit. As for Wendy, she was always sensible, but she was as clingy as ever.
The Express encountered many things during its travels, but no difficulty was ever so great that it required Wende's intervention, and he was happy to enjoy the leisure.
While trailblazing in Penacony, Wende "accidentally" made eye contact with Xipe of [Harmony], and subsequently, the Path of [Harmony] was "accidentally" assimilated by Wende.
It could be considered getting some payback for Taichi…
Otto, who had worked diligently on miHoYo Planet for over a decade, suddenly submitted his resignation to Wende. Wende had no reason to refuse someone who had given so much to the company and the planet "for free," so he approved the request.
It was said that when Otto left, a white-haired girl with a long, braided ponytail came to meet him, though most people didn't know the girl's true identity.
Not long after the war ended, Kevin returned to the Honkai world to act as its guardian. In these ten years, the fusion between the Honkai world and the Star Rail world continued to deepen, and it was estimated that they would fully merge in a hundred years.
The "three little ones" from the Honkai world also grew into very reliable adults over these ten years. While their appearances hadn't changed much, their mindsets were completely different.
When they had free time, the three of them would still come to the Star Rail world to hold concerts and fan meetings. It seemed the title of "Star Rail Idols" would stick with them for life…
During this time, the Honkai world officially entered the age of interstellar travel. Through the wormhole, the universe learned of a world existing in another dimension, which sparked a new wave of enthusiasm for wormhole exploration.
In ten years, old friends remained, their faces unchanged. Wasn't that the best thing one could ask for?
Of course, there was something even better…
---o---
"Daddy~"
"Yes! My good daughter!"
"Papa!"
"Mm-hm~"
Wende held the two soft, fragrant little bundles in his arms, a blissful smile on his face.
Jingliu and Tingyun, at his sides, exchanged a glance before sitting down on his left and right. The family of five sat together, a picture of warmth.
A year ago, Tingyun had blushingly whispered something to Wende, followed by an awkward-looking Jingliu saying the same thing.
As the Aeon of [Propagation], Wende had long had the idea, but he had kept it to himself out of respect for their feelings. Now, he finally had the chance to make it a reality!
Jingliu and Tingyun were quite prolific; a year later, Wende had two lovely daughters. One had black hair, golden eyes, and adorable fox ears and a large tail, as cute as a little mochi ball. The other had white hair and purple eyes, with a naturally aloof temperament, but she was also very clingy and would often refuse to let go of Wende.
Today, while the three girls were out trailblazing with Himeko and Uncle Yang, and Dan Heng was at a gathering, Wende planned to take a family photo to commemorate the occasion, but…
It quickly became a family photo of eight, and then ten…
Dan Heng, who missed the photo, even called specifically to ask Wende to Photoshop him in.
Ms. Kafka, who had somehow become the most renowned fashion designer in the universe, generously declared, "I'll cover all your kids' clothes. Remember to Photoshop me in, too."
In the end, Wende couldn't even keep up with the calls. The original family of five instantly turned into a group photo of a hundred people. It was truly a hilarious situation.
---o---
One night, Wende had just coaxed the children to sleep and was about to have a heartfelt chat with their two mothers when he realized time had stopped again.
This time, a familiar figure pulled him into another space.
"Long time no see. About ten years?"
The figure counted on their fingers, speaking to Wende with some embarrassment.
"You… are you Long?"
Wende narrowed his eyes, looking suspiciously at the person who looked exactly like him.
"Yup. Though I did kind of lie to you before. The Dragon died a long time ago. I'm just you from another world."
The "Wende" opposite him frankly revealed his true identity. He had expected to see some surprise on his other self's face, but he found that Wende was just looking at him with an extremely calm gaze.
"You don't seem surprised."
"Haha, after ten years, I'd be an idiot if I still hadn't figured it out."
Wende smiled openly.
The other self before him had sent him to this world, given him a different kind of life, and even changed the destiny of the original world…
He should thank this version of himself whom he had never met. Oh, they'd met now? Then no thanks! They were the same person, why be polite!
"Alright, I should have expected that."
"Wende" scratched his head in frustration.
"In that case, I'll make it quick. I'm the you from a higher dimension. I come from the fifth-dimensional world, which is why I can manipulate reality or deploy a wormhole at will."
"Twenty years ago, I inadvertently observed that this universe was showing faint signs of imbalance. But we were short-staffed over here, so I could only send a version of myself from another world over to be a grunt worker… I'm very sorry about that."
Wende looked at the slightly guilty version of himself and couldn't help but curl his lip in disdain.
"So, what are you here for this time?"
Seeing that his other self was getting impatient, "Wende" cut to the chase.
"It's like this. I left before because we received some very important information on our end. It took a while to deal with, but it's handled now. However, your guidance was lacking for a while. But you've already embarked on your own path, so logically, I shouldn't continue to guide you. But as the one who sent you here, I still have to give [myself] a heads-up."
"You have the ability to unify all Paths. This is your most powerful cheat. In the original plan, you were supposed to unify all the Paths, become the one and only [Aeon], and then use this branch to become the true [God of the Sea of Trees]. But due to certain reasons, you no longer need to follow the previously laid-out path. What you want to do is entirely up to you."
After he finished speaking, time resumed its flow, and Wende was back in his own bed.
"What's wrong?"
Tingyun, slightly woken by Wende's movements, slowly opened her drowsy eyes, looking quizzically at Wende, who was wide awake in the middle of the night.
"It's nothing. Go back to sleep."
Wende smoothed Tingyun's hair, glanced at Jingliu sleeping soundly beside her, and then looked out the train's porthole.
"Up to… myself, huh?"
Wende murmured, then lay back down and closed his eyes.
(End of Book)
translators note: Thank you for supporting me for this wonderful journey. and I'll see you all to the next novel!