No matter what, Herta herself had granted him a period of vacation.
Alright, how was he going to explain to Himeko and the others that he was getting on the train?
Just then, Stelle found Bai Luan.
Stelle saw Bai Luan and, without a single wasted word, with a look of confusion and struggle in her eyes, went straight to the point:
"Uncle, what should I do?"
However, Bai Luan's attention wasn't on the latter half of the sentence at all, but entirely on the simple first half.
He took a deep breath, and then:
"I told you I'm not your uncle!"
After a slight digression, Bai Luan learned why Stelle had come to him.
She was currently torn between staying at Herta Space Station or boarding the Astral Express.
She had only just been born, and there was no elder around to discuss this matter with. After much thought, Bai Luan seemed like an "elder," so she came to him.
Now Bai Luan finally understood how Herta felt when he said he was afraid of being dissected and studied by her.
He completely understood.
But this was also good; at least it gave Bai Luan a reason to get on the train:
"Listen to your uncle's advice... bah, my mouth!"
Bai Luan slapped his mouth twice.
"Herta Space Station, it's not as good as the Astral Express. I suggest you choose the Astral Express."
"Then why are you staying at Herta Space Station?"
"..."
Stelle's rhetorical question immediately shut Bai Luan down.
Then Bai Luan cleared his throat and explained:
"I have a deeper reason."
"What's the deeper reason?"
"It's a reason you don't have, anyway."
Bai Luan forcefully ended the conversation.
"Are you worried you won't adapt to life on the train? Don't worry, your uncle will accompany you... Oh, what's going on, this is never-ending!!!"
Bai Luan was fuming due to his slip of the tongue, but he quickly composed himself, looked at Stelle, and said:
"I can accompany you on the train for a while. If you don't adapt, I can even bring you back to Herta Space Station. How good is that?"
"Really?"
Bai Luan nodded and said:
"Really."
Hearing this, Stelle breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Bai Luan, and said with a smile:
"Thank you, Uncle, you're so kind."
"..."
Bai Luan's chest heaved violently.
"I'm really not your uncle!!!"
After March 7th heard Stelle recount the entire process, she was already sprawled out on the train car's sofa, laughing.
Amidst March 7th's joyful laughter, Bai Luan was on the verge of becoming introverted.
He was still very young.
He hadn't even gotten married.
Being called "uncle" by someone who looked roughly his age.
Who could keep a straight face... Being called "uncle" or whatever, at least wait until he was older, right?
Himeko cleared her throat and summarized the retelling:
"In short, you'll be traveling with us for a while now?"
"Yes, I'll be traveling with you for a while. I hope this decision won't cause you too much trouble."
"Oh, no trouble at all, no trouble."
March 7th raised her hands and said:
"I completely agree to you getting on the train! I still remember the taste of the food you made last time! Hehehe... Now I can eat it again..."
Dan Heng also expressed his agreement:
"It's good to have another reliable companion on the train."
Welt Yang also had no objections, saying:
"Occasionally changing environments and experiencing a new life is also a good decision."
"As long as you don't cause trouble on the train, Pom."
Stelle also nodded seriously, saying with a firm tone:
"I'm with Uncle!"
"You just got on the train, same as me!"
Bai Luan retorted, then said with a helpless tone:
"I'm begging you... can we just drop this?"
"No, an uncle is an uncle."
"No, why are you so stubborn, kid..."
"With that tone, you're still saying you're not my uncle?"
"I..."
Seeing that no one objected, Himeko spoke:
"Then, welcome both of you to the train crew."
Then Himeko handed Bai Luan and Stelle a ticket and a badge each.
"With these, you'll officially be part of the train crew."
March 7th clapped and celebrated:
"Yay, yay, yay, our train crew has expanded so much all at once."
Then, March 7th thought of the food Bai Luan had made earlier.
"I can eat delicious food again. What should I order this time..."
March 7th began to draft her menu in her mind, and as she thought, her mouth started to water.
Bai Luan took the ticket and badge, saying:
"I might not be traveling with you for too long, after all, I still have work to do at Herta Space Station."
"Ah!?"
March 7th let out a wail, and then her widely cast menu in her mind began to shift to more cautious choices.
Bai Luan looked at the train crew and explained:
"Moreover, the meaning of getting on the train this time is more about hitchhiking. There's something I'm interested in at your next stop, but I might not accompany you when you explore that stop."
Dan Heng asked with a slight puzzlement:
"Why won't you accompany us?"
"As you know, I possess some foresight abilities, and this ability is a variable in Elio's script.
Traveling with you could very likely attract the Stellaron Hunters, bringing unnecessary trouble to your trailblazing journey.
So..."
Bai Luan looked down at the ticket and badge in his hand.
"I'm not sure if this counts as traveling with you, or if I'm qualified to take these things."
March 7th waved her hand dismissively, saying:
"Oh, why bother with that? You're not getting on the train without doing anything. At the very least, you have to cook us a meal, right?"
Himeko also smiled and said:
"Don't worry, people have hitched rides on the train before. You're not the first, nor will you be the last."
"Since you insist, then I'll accept them with a clear conscience."
Bai Luan put away the ticket and badge.
Afterward, he began to prepare a meal for the train crew. The train was still under repair, so it was a good opportunity to use the Space Station's kitchen to cook a meal.
The entire train crew was very satisfied with the meal, and March 7th was so full she couldn't move, lying on the sofa.
She was caught in the annoyance of knowing she would gain a lot of weight after eating so much.
Himeko was in a good mood, grinding coffee beans and brewing coffee.
Dan Heng, seeing the situation, retreated into his room.
Welt Yang, sensing trouble, got up and went with Pom-Pom to wash the dishes.
Bai Luan was trying to correct Stelle's way of addressing him.
"I'm really not much older than you, I'm really not your uncle."
"Don't try to fool me, Uncle. I know from March that you're over nine hundred years old."
"...I'm not over nine hundred years old, and I don't look like an old man, do I?"
"You can't judge by appearance. Dan Heng told me that for long-lived species, once they reach a certain age, their appearance changes very little."
"..."
No, why did it feel like he was about to be convinced by Stelle?
Just as Bai Luan was pondering how to set Stelle straight, Himeko handed him a cup of coffee.
Bai Luan was deep in thought and didn't pay much attention, subconsciously taking it and then drinking a sip very naturally.
Then he couldn't think about anything else.
A taste bud shock, like a cosmic explosion, erupted in his mouth, making it impossible for him to ignore this coffee.
This coffee... this coffee... it was truly... Bai Luan didn't know how to describe the taste he was experiencing on his tongue.
But very quickly, he forced himself to maintain his composure.
Because he saw Stelle also taking a cup of Himeko's coffee, and she was now looking at him strangely.
After all, when he first drank the coffee, his expression management had been a bit out of control.
He couldn't be the only one to experience the power of Himeko's coffee, could he?
Bai Luan pretended as if nothing had happened, even taking another sip of coffee.
Although his hands were trembling slightly, his mouth remained firm:
"This coffee is good."
Seeing Bai Luan like this, Stelle also took a sip with a hint of curiosity.
After tasting it, Stelle's pupils suddenly constricted. After painstakingly swallowing that small sip, she looked at Bai Luan with a resentful gaze:
"You're a bad uncle."
Bai Luan suddenly felt that being called "uncle" might not be so unacceptable after all.