The moment Welt Yang spoke, the atmosphere within the carriage palpably shifted.
"Uncle Yang..." March 7th looked at him, the worry she had just suppressed flickering back to life in her chest. "Why aren't you coming?"
Bai Ming glanced between Himeko and Welt Yang before her and couldn't help asking, "Yeah, why aren't you two joining us?"
Before Welt Yang could adjust his glasses to answer, Himeko spoke up from beside him.
"It's simple. The train can't be left completely unattended."
"Unattended...?"
"Correct." Himeko nodded. "If everyone left, Pom-Pom would get lonely."
"Ehhh—?" Bai Ming's gaze drifted to Pom-Pom, who was nearby diligently filling out forms with a look of intense concentration. This Pom-Pom... getting lonely? Bai Ming found that hard to believe.
"Then, Miss Himeko, what if we took Pom-Pom with us? Wouldn't that work?"
Himeko shook her head. "I've already suggested that to Pom-Pom. Its response was that a conductor must never abandon their train. It's become a custom over time—someone must always stay behind to keep Pom-Pom company."
"I see..." Understanding dawned on Bai Ming's face. "Then there's no helping it. But... we don't even know what we're supposed to do down there."
"Well..." Himeko turned to gaze out the window at the planet named Jarilo-VI. "If I'm not mistaken, Jarilo-VI's transformation into a frozen world is inextricably linked to the 'Stellaron' itself. We theorize that 'Stellarons' are seeds of calamity sown across various worlds by a certain Aeon. Unless we remove the source of this disaster, there can be no true 'Trailblaze.' Furthermore, it would continue to cause unimaginable harm to the world hosting it."
"A strangely familiar sensation..." Bai Ming murmured softly.
"Familiar? What's familiar?" Himeko smiled as she inquired. "Have you seen a Stellaron somewhere before?"
"N-no, no!" Bai Ming waved her hands hurriedly. "I mean, wouldn't a world afflicted by a 'Stellaron' try to save itself? Isn't assuming it can't... a bit naive?"
"That line of thinking is naive." Welt Yang's voice cut in. He slowly walked to the window's edge, observing the view outside. "Observing a planet from this vantage point creates an illusion of omniscience. Only when you stand upon its soil do you grasp your own insignificance and helplessness."
"Oh—! So that's the so-called 'God's perspective'!" Bai Ming gained a new understanding.
Seeing her simple, almost guileless expression, Welt Yang's own grew complex. He didn't fully trust her. And yet— he also felt the person before him might not warrant that degree of suspicion.
Himeko looked between the two, hesitated for a moment, then said, "In any case, Little Bai Ming, you understand now, right? For this Trailblazing expedition, I intend to entrust it to you, Little March, and Dan Heng to complete together."
"Eh?!" Bai Ming bit her lip, looking somewhat put out. "Can Dan Heng not come...? Just me and March!"
"I wish that were possible." Dan Heng's voice came from the other end of the carriage. He stood holding his weapon. "But unfortunately, if neither of them are going down, then as the Data Bank manager, my presence is rather necessary. Otherwise, if communications are severed due to some mishap, we would genuinely lose contact with the train."
"Well..." Dan Heng's words were blunt but accurate. March and Bai Ming exchanged a glance and smiled sheepishly.
"It seems you've reached a consensus," Himeko said with a smile. "Good. Then let me reiterate your mission: locate the Stellaron that altered Jarilo-VI's environment and retrieve it. As for what comes after, leave that to us."
"Okay! Since Miss Himeko says so." Bai Ming looked at March and Dan Heng. "Let's set off now!"
"Mhm!" / "Mhm." March and Dan Heng responded in two completely different tones.
"Do a good job, Pom!" Pom-Pom chimed in. "Don't bring shame to Pom-Pom's Astral Express!"
Watching the trio head towards the other end of the train, Himeko quietly said to Welt Yang beside her, "I didn't expect you to show no interest at all."
"It's not a lack of interest. Having sat on this train for so long, I'd naturally like to stretch my legs. It's just—" Welt Yang watched the receding figures of Bai Ming and the others. "—I need an opportunity to verify what she said. And Jarilo-VI presents a suitable venue for that."
On the other side.
Holding March's hand, Bai Ming walked with her as Dan Heng led the way towards another part of the carriage. But as they walked, a question suddenly struck Bai Ming.
"Wait, March, where are we going? Walking around these corridors... how is that supposed to get us to the planet called Jarilo-VI?!"
"Hehe~" March flashed a confident smile. "I knew you'd ask that! And I know the answer!"
"Ehh—! Tell me, quick!"
"It's—" March declared with full assurance, then suddenly froze. After several seconds of silence, she looked at Dan Heng with an awkward yet polite smile. "Um, Dan Heng, what's it called again?"
"..." Dan Heng sighed, then said, "The Star Rail Anchor. It's a device specially designed for Trailblazing. Only those recognized as Trailblazers can utilize it. It enables spatial traversal. The train docked at Jarilo-VI millennia ago, so we happen to possess the coordinate data to compile an Anchor for that location."
"Wow!" Bai Ming blinked her golden eyes. "That sounds amazing! Then— Dan Heng, let me ask you a question!"
"What is it?"
"Is it possible to create an Anchor that uses March as the destination?!"
"What purpose would that serve?"
"That would of course be—" Bai Ming cupped her cheeks, wiggling slightly. "—so on a day when March is showering and off guard, I could whoosh and teleport right in to—"
Before Bai Ming could finish, March's hand descended in a preemptive chop.
"Ow! That hurt!"
"If it hurts, then don't say such strange things!" March said, her face flushed.
"But don't you think it's a very practical application?!"
"Practical your head!"
Watching the two descend into their usual antics, Dan Heng felt a familiar buzzing in his head. Even so, he explained, "Bai Ming. The Star Rail Anchor isn't intended for that sort of use. Fundamentally, it's a manifestation of the Trailblaze Aeon's power, a tool provided for Trailblazers to advance. I think..." Dan Heng glanced at March and Bai Ming. "...this deceased Aeon likely wouldn't wish for its energy to be used for such purposes."
"Ehhh—!" Bai Ming pouted. "What a shame! If It knew doing this could earn It a devoted believer, It would definitely agree!"
"There's no such thing!" March retorted, her blush deepening.
"Enough." Dan Heng intervened, halting what could have been hours of bickering. "Bai Ming, I need to confirm something first. Regarding the Astral Express's warp jump earlier, did you experience any discomfort?"
"Well..." Looking at Dan Heng's impassive face, Bai Ming asked quietly, "Is it important?"
"Naturally." Dan Heng nodded. "The method of using the Star Rail Anchor is, in a sense, quite similar to the train's warp jump. If you experienced discomfort during the warp, you might have a similar reaction when using the Anchor."
"I see..." Bai Ming nodded thoughtfully. Simultaneously, her curiosity towards the deceased Aeon Akivili, who bore the title of [Trailblaze], grew a few degrees stronger. Judging from the situation on the Astral Express, It seemed to be an Aeon with a considerable sense of adventure—utterly different from the [Destruction] Aeon, Nanook, she had encountered before. It appeared... Aeons all made their own distinct choices. If the Flame-Chasers could come here... they'd probably embark on all sorts of journeys too, right?
"I'm fine!" Bai Ming patted her chest. "I feel great, no issues at all!"
"Good." Dan Heng resumed leading the way. "Regarding the planet Jarilo-VI, I consulted the Data Bank. It seems its environment underwent a drastic change over the past few millennia due to an unknown event. It was originally a warm, spring-like world, but now it's blanketed in snow, transformed into its current state."
"I know about that! Himeko and Uncle Yang said it's the Stellaron's influence!"
"Is that what they said?" Dan Heng pursed his lips in thought. "Mhm, that is indeed plausible. After all, during the earlier diagnostics, the star rail showed signs of spatial obstruction caused by a Stellaron. Attributing it to the Stellaron is probably over ninety percent accurate."
"The Stellaron is that powerful?" Bai Ming was somewhat astonished. "It can affect not just the planet itself, but even the surrounding space?"
"Correct." Dan Heng looked at Bai Ming. "So you should now comprehend just how incomprehensible your own existence is—harboring a Stellaron within you and remaining unaffected."
"Oh—! March, I'm so incredible!" Bai Ming said happily.
But when she turned her head, she saw that March beside her didn't share her cheerfulness. Immediately, Bai Ming grew concerned.
"March, what's wrong?" Bai Ming asked softly. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Eh?" March, snapped back to the present, shook her head. "No, you didn't."
"Then why do you look so distracted?"
"..." "Not going to tell me?!" Bai Ming pouted. "Then I'll have no choice but to slip my hand under your skirt—!"
"Don't!" March quickly interjected. "It's just... Himeko and Dan Heng both said Jarilo-VI is a planet covered in ice and snow, right?"
"Yeah, so what?" Bai Ming asked, puzzled. "Are you afraid of the cold? I can hug you! Then we'll both be warm!"
"It's not that!" March gave Bai Ming a gentle push. "I was just thinking... since this world is all ice... perhaps it has some connection to my past... Once that thought arises, I can't seem to stop it."
"Oh, right..." Bai Ming looked at March. "March, you were originally sealed in ice, right?"
"Mhm." March nodded. "But what trapped me was a substance called 'Six-Phase Ice.' It's exceedingly rare on ordinary planets."
"Six-Phase Ice?! It wouldn't happen to be... cube-shaped, would it...?"
"Why would you think that?" March looked at Bai Ming, perplexed. "Don't tell me you've seen it before too?! In that 'storybook' of yours?"
"No, no!" Bai Ming waved her hands. "Just a random guess. And—" Bai Ming took March's hand. "—I don't think there's any need to worry, right? If it really is connected to your past, that's the best possible outcome. If not, it doesn't matter either. If it's not here, we'll go to the next place. If the next place isn't it, we'll go to the one after that. And if that's still not it, the place after that! As long as you're willing, I'll search the entire universe with you until we find it! So, no need to worry! Wherever the Astral Express goes, we'll search there!"
"Bai Ming..." Her words stirred a small, warm current in March's heart.
But before it could warm her for more than a few seconds, Bai Ming's next statement promptly extinguished that feeling.
She said, "When we find it, we'll get married right there on the spot, and then—"
Thwack!
Bai Ming covered her forehead, looking utterly wronged. "Ow! March, you hit my head again!"
"Because you started saying weird things again!"
"But they're all words from the bottom of my heart!"
"That doesn't make them any less weird!" At this point, March turned her face away slightly. "But— Bai Ming, thank you. I'll remember what you just said."
"Eh?! March, are you agreeing to my proposal?!"
"Of course not!"
Amidst the clamor of March and Bai Ming, Dan Heng's sigh was completely swallowed up.
The Star Rail Anchor slowly hummed to life.
The trio vanished from the train.
The journey to the snowbound realm had begun.
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
Honkai Impact 3rd, I Can Transform into a Valkyrie!
patreon.com/deadlygoober