Upon returning to the Express, Pom-Pom wasn't in any rush to press them about their next destination.
According to their usual routine, the train would typically remain at port for about a week before setting sail again.
Of course, this schedule was frequently subject to delays.
Sylvia checked the notifications on her phone. Both March 7th and Stelle had sent her private messages, bringing up an invitation to a festival on Jarilo-VI.
They mentioned that Belobog's current Supreme Guardian, Bronya, was planning to host a festival and had invited several of the Nameless over as guests. March 7th naturally wanted to bring Sylvia along, taking the opportunity to introduce her to the planet.
Speaking of which, March 7th had even specially changed into her formal gown and snapped a photo to send to Sylvia.
An evening dress that might normally seem a bit too flashy on anyone else somehow managed to look purely elegant and exquisite just because it was March 7th wearing it.
Sylvia held her phone up, nudging the photo right in front of Mei's face.
"Hey, look at this! March 7th's outfit is pretty stunning, isn't it? When are you going to get a formal dress to wear yourself?"
Sylvia had always felt that her current body was on the shorter side, even if her proportions were quite beautiful. Mei, however, had no such worries.
She was tall, long-legged, and flawlessly proportioned. Just imagining her dressed in formal evening wear was enough to make Sylvia practically drool.
Leaning back into her chair in a relaxed posture, Mei cast a glance at the photo Sylvia handed over, then tilted her head up to look at her.
"Do you want to go attend this festival on Jarilo-VI?"
"Hmm... I am a little tempted. What do you think?"
"I'll just do whatever you want."
Mei naturally didn't mind either way. For the time being, there wasn't anything she particularly wanted to do.
If Sylvia wanted to go unwind, she was more than willing to accompany her.
However...
Just as Sylvia was about to drop March 7th a line and have Pom-Pom steer the train over, a text message from Robin made her knit her brows.
Looking at the content itself, it really wasn't anything special. It was just a very simple, everyday check-in to make sure she was safe.
What truly caught Sylvia's attention was what came after.
In a rare move, Robin's message extended an invitation for Sylvia to come to Penacony—specifically to the Moment of Blue Hour—to experience a grand ball.
Sylvia's first instinct was that this message was a fake, sent by Sparkle masquerading as Robin.
Her second instinct was that Robin might have discovered something, and this was her way of telling Sylvia to return to Penacony right away.
But regardless of the truth... she still had to go back and check.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing the shift in Sylvia's expression, Mei leaned in closer.
Sylvia had no intention of hiding it and spoke directly, "Robin sent me a message. I think she might have found something. I'm sorry—I originally wanted to experience the festival with you, but now it looks like we might have to put that on hold for a bit."
Sylvia offered Mei an apologetic smile. When she had planned to agree to March 7th's Jarilo invitation, she had meant to take Mei along so they could have some fun and relax together.
"There's no need for that," Mei said, shaking her head. She didn't mind whether their next stop was Jarilo-VI or Penacony. It really made no difference to her.
"Alright then. I'll go find Pom-Pom so we can head out to Penacony first."
Clutching her phone, Sylvia went off to call for Pom-Pom, making sure to drop a quick message to Himeko and the others in the Astral Express group chat while she was at it.
The Astral Express possessed abundant energy, and after a few warp jumps, Sylvia arrived in Penacony once again.
Entering the Asdana star system this time, that familiar sense of discomfort washed over Sylvia yet again.
"Ugh..."
"What is it? Are you reacting poorly to the Memoria?"
Mei reached out, gently massaging Sylvia's temples to ease her discomfort.
"No, it's not that."
Taking advantage of the time while the train docked at the starport, Sylvia shared the bizarre experience she had felt within the Asdana star system with Mei.
Sylvia's tone remained quite lighthearted; since she couldn't figure it out for the moment, she generally preferred not to overthink it.
Yet, the more Mei listened, the tighter her brow furrowed.
This situation wasn't right...
Sylvia didn't understand this world well, nor did she know much about Memoria or the Asdana star system. Because of that, she probably hadn't delved too deeply into it, or even given it a second thought.
But Mei was different.
Mei had some understanding of the Planet of Festivities, especially back when she had first decided to head to Penacony. She had gathered a great deal of information regarding it.
The sensation Sylvia described—as if "breaking through a layer of illusion"—was absolutely not something that could simply be written off as a mere issue with the Memoria.
"I know, I know. I also think there's definitely something fishy going on, but I just can't find a starting thread right now." Facing Mei's concern, Sylvia shrugged her shoulders.
It wasn't hard for her to guess that the Asdana star system was highly likely covered by a completely synchronized, massive illusion. But as for what purpose this thing was created for, or who had deployed it... Sylvia couldn't find a single clue for the time being.
The prime suspect was The Family itself.
After all, the Twelve Hours of Penacony were already a synesthesia dreamscape covering the entire planet. Now, this was merely expanding that synesthesia dreamscape to encompass the entire star system.
To put it plainly, it was at least technologically feasible. Perhaps it was meant to deal with the chaotic influx of foreign guests this time, or to guard against the Interastral Peace Corporation tearing off its polite mask.
The second suspect would be the traitors within The Family, led by Sunday.
Even though he only commanded one of the lineages, Sunday was in charge of the entire Charmony Festival. He possessed both the capability and the opportunity to execute such a plan.
If he was the one behind it, his motive wouldn't be too hard to guess; it would highly likely be used to dismantle The Family itself.
If it were either of those two scenarios, Sylvia could deal with it.
But if it were a third scenario... where some outside party had planted such a colossal dreamscape over Penacony...
Sylvia shuddered to think just how immense the power of that mastermind would have to be.
Still, the probability of that third scenario was relatively low. After all, The Family was still a formidable faction in the universe.
"Actually, there is one way," Mei mused for a moment, suddenly speaking up.
Sylvia was incredibly curious as to what kind of solution Mei could possibly come up with under these circumstances. "What way?"
"I could just slash this layer of illusion open with my blade. An illusion of this magnitude couldn't possibly be a casual setup. When the time comes, we'll just have to see exactly who gets startled out of hiding."
"Whoa..."
Sylvia couldn't help but gasp.
Wow, that really is a great method. I wonder why a brilliant mind like mine couldn't think of such an excellent plan? Ah, right—probably because I can't split open an entire star system's worth of illusions.
Never mind then.
"It's not completely out of the question, but aren't you still supposed to wait for the Galaxy Rangers? It's probably better to slash it later."
Sylvia gave it some thought. Though Mei's method was simple and crude, it was unexpectedly effective.
However, there was a very high chance Penacony would plunge into chaos first, right? And Mei still had a relic she needed to return to the Galaxy Rangers.
At the very least... it wouldn't be too late to slice it open once that message was delivered.
In any case, right up until the rest of the Express crew arrived, Penacony would still maintain its facade of peace.
Mei nodded. "Whatever you say."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL