Astral Express, parlor car.
"Sigh~ Our Express crew is really stepping up, but is this really okay?" March 7th plopped down next to Freesna.
She genuinely hadn't expected that—after the Mega True Tayzzyronth incident—Freesna would stick around and travel with the train for a while. The next stop was the Planet of the Festivities, Penacony anyway, so it didn't make much difference.
As for why Freesna stayed… who else but Adrian? It couldn't possibly be for the daily milk tea.
Hm… actually, it might be. The Eternal Church knew how to keep proper distance—no risk of overstepping and getting disliked by their own Aeon.
Heh… let Blake enjoy his vacation in Penacony alone for now.
Stelle looked worried. She'd just returned from Herta Space Station. Never mind that weird plaster-head guy.
As fellow Genius Society members, the gap between these geniuses was insane.
Especially that Ruan Mei—she'd started poking and prodding Stelle right away, claiming it was a work habit: touching to open perception, letting life's information flood the mind to better understand biology.
By comparison, the inorganic Screwlloyd felt the most human. Was that the sense of security intelligencers provided?
She should've brought Adrian to Herta Space Station—he could've drawn all the geniuses' attention.
Herta and Screwlloyd were fascinated by her weapons.
From what Herta said, Stelle was basically a walking curio vault—every piece of gear on her could be displayed as a curio in the station.
Do you even understand the value of the Galactic Baseballer… being eyed by three Genius Society members!
Tch, how does the Aeon of Erudition have zero taste? If THEY had any sense, THEY'D glance at Stelle right now and make her the universe's rare six-Path Pathstrider.
Weirdly, her performance on the Xianzhou Luofu had been too mediocre—no Aeon had even glanced her way. She'd thought Lan of The Hunt might at least peek.
There was a way to get Lan's attention: find the Aeon of Abundance.
[Whether your world has day and night or not, good morning, afternoon, and evening, everyone! Welcome to this edition of the Interastral Peace Broadcast—I'm your good friend Jimmi~]
[Renowned singer Robin will perform at the Harmony Ceremony. As an ancient tradition on the Planet of the Festivities, held only once per Amber Era, the Harmony Ceremony gathers countless followers of Harmony to pray for a beautiful future across the cosmos.]
[Miss Robin, a galaxy-famous superstar, has won numerous top honors. Her heavenly voice echoes through the worlds, and there are industry rumors that… her throat was noticed and blessed by a certain divinity in the cosmos.]
[At this ceremony, Miss Robin will sing a hymn to the Aeon of Harmony on behalf of the Family, opening the grand event.]
[The IPC will broadcast the ceremony in full, sending music and blessings to thousands of stars across the universe. Let's look forward to it~]
[Additionally, scholars have discovered a crystal coffin inside the Ever-Flame Mansion. Its origins remain unknown…]
...
Party car. Adrian swirled the milk tea in HIS cup, glancing at the silver-haired girl beside HIM.
"Barging onto the Astral Express so blatantly—does Elio know?"
"Nope."
Silver Wolf was always straightforward. Even as a virtual projection, she could sip non-alcoholic drinks mixed by the [Shut Up] robot.
"Gotta say, Eternity's secret arts are pretty handy right now."
The script was already garbled. Elio worrying about it was pointless—that's what Silver Wolf figured.
Among the Stellaron Hunters, she had it easiest: gaming all day or trolling Herta at the space station. No real missions.
Originally, Penacony's script had nothing for her anyway. But it was the Planet of the Festivities—perfect for gaming.
Hm… had to be better than the Eternal Church.
Silver Wolf recalled that not-so-pleasant memory…
—
New to the place, Silver Wolf was curious about everything on the planet, basking in the residents' enthusiasm. She remembered Adrian's words.
[The water planet, Eternal capital Perixia—headquarters of the Eternal Church… Trust me, one visit leaves a deep impression.]
"Elves and dwarves—this is straight out of a fantasy isekai."
Silver Wolf rode in a private carriage. The Eternal Church really was different—she'd arrived on a tourist ship with a crowd, yet now this VIP treatment felt like a local specialty.
Hm… why did it feel so technologically backward?
"The scenery's nothing like Punklorde either. Ah! This snack shop even sells twisty bubble gum!"
"Mmm~ The air's so fresh. What a wonderful start!"
Thanks to Adrian—and riding a private carriage that cost a fortune in credits! She hadn't expected HIM to have connections with church higher-ups.
"Right, driver, what's your job?"
"Milk tea… cough, think of me as a bartender, miss." The driver up front replied.
"Bartender? Got a side hustle? Two jobs at once."
Silver Wolf perked up. She'd been wondering where to go—here was a ready-made guide.
"There's a saying: pulling the carriage is work, but running a tavern is the life I love."
"Speaking of Perixia—it's a famous tourist spot across the cosmos. The hot springs here are incredible, with healing effects rivaling the Aeon of Abundance." The driver preempted her question.
"So I should hit the hot springs first?"
"No, miss… Start at the central fountain. Pontiff Blake spent an entire Amber Era building a statue of the Aeon of Eternity there!"
Minutes later, following the driver's advice, Silver Wolf arrived at a small fountain. Seeing the so-called Eternity statue, her expectations crashed.
"An hourglass? With a rainbow digital 8 inside? You've gotta be kidding…"
"Ah~ My apple fell."
A dramatically timed gasp rang out perfectly from behind her.
Silver Wolf turned to see a little girl kneeling in the classic "damsel in distress" pose, fruits from her bag rolling across the ground like a rehearsed scene.
Out of kindness, Silver Wolf bent down to help pick them up and even hauled the girl to her feet.
"Thank you, big sis!" The girl immediately bowed ninety degrees, her smile sweet as melted candy.
Silver Wolf sighed in relief, thinking the "chance encounter" was over—only for the girl to clench her tiny fists, face switching to shy excitement:
"Um… there's a new church milk tea shop up ahead. Come chat with me there, big sis!"
"No need."
Silver Wolf rejected firmly. Adrian had stuffed her with milk tea before departure—she got twitchy just hearing the word.
"Wait!" The girl's voice shot up. "If big sis doesn't want milk tea, I'm actually great at fortune-telling! Let me read your future as thanks!"
Before she finished, a small hand shot out like lightning, locking onto Silver Wolf's wrist.
"No need, really no—hey! Let go!"
Silver Wolf's mouth twitched as she struggled. She, a Stellaron Hunter, couldn't break free from a robed little girl?
This grip strength was ridiculous! She'd report the Eternal Church for child labor—this kid had definitely trained!
"Big sis, the reading's done! If you keep going like this, misfortune will strike! But join the Eternal Church and dodge disaster! Sunshine everywhere! Dreams come true! Limited spots!"
"No credits required! Once-in-a-lifetime chance! Join now! Join right this second, big sis!" The girl's eyes gleamed like a demon as she clung to Silver Wolf.
"The misfortune is you latching onto me right now!"