Chapter 5: Curious March 7th and Dan Heng
Lumine exchanged a knowing glance with her floating companion. After a brief, animated discussion with Paimon, she made a decision. She would send a selection of local specialties and signature dishes—gathered from their long journey across the seven nations of Teyvat—directly into the Cross-Dimensional Chat Group.
It was a calculated move, though driven by genuine goodwill. Offering a tangible gift would instantly solidify the trust of the other group members. Plus, as Paimon had eagerly pointed out while wiping drool from her chin, establishing a friendly exchange meant they could eventually trade for exotic, otherworldly delicacies. After all, kindness freely given often returned tenfold.
With a few taps on the ethereal interface, Lumine deposited a handful of representative Teyvat ores. A cluster of Electro Crystals crackled with volatile purple energy, sitting right beside several smooth, high-quality cuts of Noctilucous Jade from Liyue.
Next came the food, carefully portioned out from Paimon's heavily guarded emergency stash. A perfectly roasted Sweet Madame, its golden skin glistening with oil; a spicy, aromatic serving of Jueyun Guoba; and a colorful, steaming bowl of Universal Peace. Pausing for a moment, Lumine smiled and tossed in a few chilled bottles of Dango Milk to serve as dessert.
She deliberately prepared extra portions. A traveler rarely walked alone, and Lumine knew that Stelle likely had her own companions. Sharing a good meal with friends was one of the greatest joys across any universe.
[Administrator Lumine: "Alright, I've put some local specialties and unique delicacies into the group's storage."]
[Administrator Lumine: "The purple crystal is an elemental creation called Electro Crystal. It feels tingly to the touch and is a commonly used alchemy material."]
[Administrator Lumine: "The other one is Noctilucous Jade. Its quality is quite good. This ore is thermoluminescent, especially good Noctilucous Jade, which emits a bright, clear blue light under high temperatures. It's great for making decorations."]
[Administrator Lumine: "As for the food, it's mealtime, so I just conveniently put in some unique dishes from the countries we've traveled through."]
[Administrator Lumine: "Feel free to try them. I have plenty more. When Paimon and I travel, we always prepare these foods in advance."]
[Administrator Lumine: "If you have any delicious food, you can also put it in the group storage. Paimon and I would love to try otherworldly delicacies too."]
Aboard the Astral Express, Stelle stared at the holographic text floating in her vision. Her golden eyes blinked slowly. Could this actually be real?
However, before making a final judgment, there was only one way to test it. She focused her mind. The phantom interface of the group storage materialized before her eyes. Sure enough, nestled within the digital inventory slots were several strange, glowing stones and an assortment of mouth-watering dishes.
With a mere thought, she willed one of the items into reality. A jagged, purple Electro Crystal dropped heavily into her palm. Bzzzt. A sharp, static shock bit into her skin, sending a very real, very physical tingling sensation racing up her arm.
Her breath hitched. 'It's real,'she thought, her pulse quickening.'It has to be. Even back on Penacony, with Acheron's assistance, the power of other Paths had minimal impact on the Path of Nihility. This isn't an illusion. This is physical matter from another universe.'A wide, chaotic grin spread across Stelle's face. Her inner protagonist syndrome flared to life, burning brighter than a supernova.'If all this is true, then I truly live up to being the ultimate main character! I've stumbled into another multiversal marvel. I might actually get to travel to entirely different universes!'Her imagination immediately derailed into glorious, self-serving territory.'In that case, my Trailblaze Power is going to shatter the charts! Even Akivili the Trailblaze never laid tracks in other dimensions, right? Oh, this changes everything. Pom-Pom will have to butter me up, and I'll demand absolute dominion over every single trash can on the Astral Express. No one will dare stop me!'The deeper she fell into her power-trip fantasy, the more a low, villainous chuckle bubbled up in her throat.'Wait, focus. Otherworldly food! I'm coming!' Stelle snapped back to reality, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth. She accessed the group storage again, rapidly extracting the dishes Lumine had deposited.
The plates clattered softly against the table. The roasted fowl and the colorful rice dish looked vaguely similar to the cuisine back on the Xianzhou Luofu, yet the spices carried an entirely alien, mouth-watering aroma. She wondered how it tasted.
She paused, a roasted bird leg hovering inches from her mouth. 'Hold on. I'm the protagonist, after all! With such a great marvel, wouldn't it be a massive shame not to make March and the others completely envious?'
Abandoning her meal for the moment, Stelle sprinted down the corridor, her coat tails snapping behind her. She burst into the Parlor Car and spotted March 7th, who was locked in a tense game of chess with Dan Heng.
"March! Dan Heng! Come quick, come quick!" Stelle shouted, waving her arms frantically. "Let me show you my new marvel! Oh, right, where are Pom-Pom, Uncle Yang, and Himeko?"
March 7th, who had been staring at the chessboard with an expression of pure, unadulterated panic, looked up at Stelle as if an Aeon had just descended to save her life. She shot to her feet. Her knee jerked upward, "accidentally" catching the edge of the table.
Chess pieces scattered across the carpet in a chaotic clatter.
"Oh dear, I was so clumsy!" March gasped, her acting entirely unconvincing. She grabbed Dan Heng's sleeve, practically dragging him up. "Let's go, Dan Heng! Let's go see what Stelle is talking about. We can totally restart from scratch later!"
Dan Heng didn't even blink at the ruined board. Long accustomed to March's tactical clumsiness whenever she was three moves away from a checkmate, he calmly smoothed out his jacket and stood. "Mr. Yang and Himeko went out for a stroll," he answered in his usual measured tone. "And Conductor Pom-Pom is currently inspecting the Astral Express engine."
Missing half her audience didn't dampen Stelle's excitement in the slightest. "Let's go, let's go! First, let me show you what kind of marvel I, the protagonist, have encountered."
She dragged the two of them back to her room. March 7th and Dan Heng stepped inside, scanning the area. Aside from the sudden appearance of several steaming plates of food on the small table, they didn't notice anything unusual.
March placed her hands on her hips, leaning over to inspect the roasted fowl. "Your marvel? Is it just these few dishes? I mean, although they look delicious, they're too ordinary, aren't they? Oh, right, you haven't been out all day, have you? Where did you even buy this food?"
Dan Heng crossed his arms, his sharp eyes analyzing the plating and ingredients. It certainly didn't match the culinary style of the Luofu, nor did it resemble the local fare of Belobog or Penacony. He shifted his gaze to Stelle, silently waiting for her explanation.
Stelle puffed out her chest, striking a dramatic pose. "This isn't just any ordinary food! These are otherworldly delicacies! I, Stelle, have been pulled into a cross-dimensional chat group."
Her hands flew through the air as she spoke, her words tumbling out in a rushed, excited blur. "Now I can contact others across worlds and even travel to other worlds! How about that? Pretty amazing, right? Come on, hurry up and envy me! Maybe I can even take you two to trailblaze in other worlds."
March 7th stared at her, her expression flat. "You haven't woken up yet, have you? How can you say such strange things with a straight face? I know you go off the rails for a while sometimes, but this is a new level."
Feeling like a master detective who had just cracked the case, March wagged a finger at her friend. "And while I really haven't seen these foods before, you don't have to make up such a ridiculous reason, do you? Who would actually believe that? Right, Dan Heng."
Seeing March 7th's absolute disbelief, Stelle huffed. She reached into her pocket and slammed the glowing rocks onto the table. "Look, this is also a specialty from another world."
March 7th picked up the Noctilucous Jade, holding it up to the light. She squinted, turning it over carefully in her hands, but didn't find anything special about it. To her, it was just a somewhat pretty blue stone.
Dan Heng, however, reached for the jagged purple stone. The moment his fingers brushed the Electro Crystal, a sharp crack echoed in the quiet room. A spark of raw electricity jumped from the stone, zapping his skin. He flinched slightly, his teal eyes narrowing in intense focus.
'What a strange ore!'he thought, turning the crystal carefully to avoid another shock.'It is self-electrified, and the energy signature within it is completely novel.'
He looked up at Stelle, his usual stoicism replaced by genuine curiosity. "Where did you get these ores? I haven't seen this kind of mineral before, and there is no related record of it in the database."
Hearing Dan Heng's words, March 7th's jaw dropped. She whipped her head toward the archivist. "No way! Dan Heng, is there actually something you haven't seen before? And there's no record in the database?"
Her shock quickly morphed into deep suspicion. She pointed an accusing finger between the two of them. "You're not teaming up with Stelle to trick me, are you? When did you two even plan this? Weren't we just playing chess?!" Once again, March felt certain she had uncovered the grand conspiracy.
Stelle groaned, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Oh, come on, why would I go through all this trouble to trick you? I'm not joking. I really joined such a group, and there are people from two other worlds in it, and we've been chatting quite happily."
She gestured helplessly to the steaming plates. "These meals were put into the group storage by someone named Lumine for us to eat. I'm really not lying to you. Why don't you just try them first?"
Dan Heng remained silent, processing the information. 'Lumine? A traveler from another world?'he pondered.'It sounds like a Traveler who goes everywhere, much like the Nameless.'
But his archivist's curiosity quickly gave way to a protector's caution. "If what Stelle said is true, then what is the purpose of this so-called group? I don't know if there's any hidden danger, or if it will ultimately harm Stelle."
Seeing the heavy skepticism still lingering in the room, an idea sparked in Stelle's mind. "I'll chat with them a bit more and see if I can pull you guys in. Hehe, once you're in, you'll know if what I'm saying is true or not."
Looking at Stelle's smug, unwavering expression, March 7th fell into deep thought. 'Could Stelle actually be telling the truth? It seems impossible no matter how I think about it. I've never heard of a Stellaron Hunter being able to casually open up portals to another world in an entirely different universe.'
Ignoring her friends' internal crises, Stelle closed her eyes, letting the physical room fade away as she focused her entire attention back onto the glowing digital interface of the chat group.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]