The power delivered by the latest spaceship engine was naturally more than enough to propel a train through the cosmos.
And keep it from being ensnared by the gravitational pull of any celestial body.
But the issue lay in the unique nature of the Astral Express itself. During the repairs, every effort had been made to preserve its integrity.
As a result, many of the devices used on spaceships for calibration and stability were incredibly difficult to replicate on the train.
Besides...
Miss Himeko's train didn't possess any of those spaceship-exclusive gadgets to begin with.
Right now, the output was sufficient. If they continued to accelerate, they could successfully break free from the gravitational pull.
The real problem was that the engine car had spun out of control. Relying purely on the incredibly outdated control levers built into the train, they simply couldn't keep a handle on the engine car at this velocity.
The person in charge didn't even dare to increase the speed anymore.
Sylvia released threads of energy, securing everyone present to the spot.
From her perspective, the engine car was already fishtailing wildly, hurtling straight toward The Blue.
Sylvia was just about to seize control. Relying on her [Riding EX] skill, she intended to force the train to change direction.
"Wait a moment, Sylvia! Don't do that yet—!"
As if possessing foresight, Herta suddenly turned her head and shouted for Sylvia to stop.
Then, she called out at the top of her lungs:
"Keep accelerating!"
"What, accelerate?! Madam Herta, are you sure you want to accelerate?! The engine car has already lost con—"
"Cut the chatter, just accelerate when I tell you to!"
Herta bypassed the hesitating technician and took matters into her own hands, instantly slamming the engine output to its maximum.
Rumble...
Because of the sudden spike in output, the entire train began to vibrate at a high frequency.
Accompanied by the roaring of the engine, the entire train plunged into a violently exaggerated shudder from the abrupt surge in acceleration.
On the other side of the cabin, March 7th and Stelle were sent flying, tumbling head over heels and making a chaotic mess inside the train car.
Mei instinctively reached out and gripped Sylvia's hand.
Sylvia stole another glance through the window.
The train's acceleration was certainly enough now, but after stabilizing, the engine car was inevitably charging right toward The Blue.
"Herta, are you sure about this?"
Sylvia asked with a frown. Yet, Herta replied with utter nonchalance:
"I have no idea."
"Huh?"
"What do you mean 'huh'? How could I possibly know anything about the Trailblaze? It's just a gamble."
Herta hung irresponsibly in midair, suspended by the energy threads. With her hands on her hips, she waited for a miracle with great interest.
Beside them, the technician had already closed his eyes, praying that his impending demise wouldn't look too hideous.
But right at that moment.
A force born from god-knows-where suddenly erupted right in front of Sylvia—immediately following, Herta's excited shouting echoed through the entire train car:
"It's here, it's here! I guessed right, haha! It's the power of the Trailblaze! Sylvia, look quickly! The power of the Trailblaze is consuming the entire engine room!!"
"I see it, I see it..."
Sylvia's eyes widened. A force that felt remarkably welcoming to her exploded out of thin air in the center of the room, visibly seeping into the engine.
The entire engine began to burst with a brilliant white light.
With a sharp crack, the nuclear batteries wedged inside the mechanism were forcefully ejected.
The entire power supply system was violently stripped away, clattering onto the floor.
The engine that had stood proudly in the center of the compartment underwent an incomprehensible transformation, rapidly sinking beneath the floorboards.
At the same time, the moment the engine was swallowed up, the train's violent shaking instantly smoothed out.
As desired, the engine car swung back around, flying toward the starry sky once more.
The technician was completely dumbfounded by this point.
This scene truly challenged everything he knew as a researcher.
"My goodness... Aeons preserve us... Is, is this the Astral Express...?"
This train literally... ate the entire engine. It even pulled its own power supply, sailing along without any fuel source whatsoever.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who could he even complain to?
A soft, gentle light enveloped everyone present.
It completely restored the train's interior back to its original, vintage aesthetic.
All those cables that had been pulled out disconnected completely and dropped to the floor.
Then, the light gradually coalesced, shaping into a creature that wasn't even half the height of a person.
"Passenger Sylvia, I knew it was you! You were way too careless when starting up the train!"
Before the light had even faded, Pom-Pom's voice rang out.
The familiar, nagging tone of the Conductor echoed in the room.
"Conductor?"
"Yes! Thank you for repairing the second Astral Express!"
As the light dissipated, Pom-Pom, wearing that tall cap, waved cheerfully at Sylvia.
Nearby, Herta stood frozen in place. The puppet's entire processing capacity had been redirected to analyze the phenomenon she had just witnessed.
As for the technician who repaired the train, he currently had absolutely no idea how he was going to write this report.
Meanwhile, Sylvia spoke up.
"Pom-Pom, did you run over here from Himeko's side? Can you just hop between both sides at will?"
"Eh? Of course not! If there were only one of me, how could I have managed back during the era of the entire fleet?!"
Pom-Pom waved its paws forcefully, slapping away Mei's hand, which had reached out to pinch its ears.
"I exist on both trains simultaneously. You can see me no matter which side you're on."
"That's actually possible?!"
Sylvia was thoroughly baffled. Could Pom-Pom really be the living manifestation of the Astral Express?
Right then, Herta suddenly spoke up:
"Is that so... Meaning you possess multiple bodies simultaneously, and whether it's memories or sights and sounds, everything is synchronized in real-time?"
"Why is Madam Herta here too? Yes, that's exactly how it is."
Pom-Pom nodded and began to waddle outward.
"I'm going to go clean up this train. And see if Passenger March is making a mess out there."
Herta didn't stop the Conductor, merely staring at Pom-Pom's retreating figure, deep in thought.
Curious, Sylvia asked:
"Did you figure something out?"
"I have a few leads, but it's hard to explain in a short time. I'm going back to my research first. Remember to return my puppet to the Space Station."
With that, the Herta puppet fell into a completely dormant state.
Both the technician and Sylvia found themselves a bit speechless at Herta's behavior.
"Well, anyway, the experiment counts as a success. Let's send you back to the Space Station first."
Sylvia spoke to the technician, then turned to call out to Pom-Pom, telling it to pilot the train back to the Space Station.
The train started up without a hitch.
Sylvia had naturally become the captain of this particular train.
After docking the train back at the Space Station, it underwent another thorough, comprehensive inspection before they finally called it a day.
With that, this trip to the Space Station had finally drawn to a successful close.
Aboard the train.
Sylvia stood beside Pom-Pom, introducing the very first passenger of her train.
"Her name is Raiden Mei, but when she's out and about, she goes by Acheron. Conductor, she's my very first passenger!"
"Mmhmm, mmhmm! Though Passenger Raiden looks a bit dangerous, since she has boarded the train, we are all companions!"
"Welcome aboard!"
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL