Back on the Astral Express, Pei Guang and his group had already returned.
Hiko and Welt greeted the five returning passengers with smiles.
Hiko said, "Welco ho, all four of you, and the new passenger as well!"
March 7th proudly put her hands on her hips, "Hiko! Uncle Yang! The Trailblazer Squad's first mission was a total success~ And we brought back a new passenger~~"
Seele, feeling a bit nervous, quickly introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Seele, from the Underworld and the organization Wildfire."
Originally, Seele hadn't felt much when boarding the Express, but the mont she saw Hiko and Welt, she inexplicably felt a wave of nervousness.
Hiko smiled warmly, "No need to be nervous. Just think of this place as your ho."
Hiko had already learned Seele's story from Dan Heng and was looking forward to having her aboard.
Welt, too, was looking forward to it, though his expression was a bit more serious as he looked at Seele. His gaze moved from Pei Guang, to Hiko, and back to Seele. Then, he pulled out his phone and zood in on the photo March 7th had taken of Silver Wolf. He squinted, staring intently at the image.
Good grief. With Bronya, Seele, and Hiko all on board thanks to Pei Guang, if Kiana or Raiden i showed up next, he wouldn't even be surprised.
Although Welt had seen people across the vast universe who bore similar appearances, voices, or even personalities to those from his mories, they were always independent individuals from parallel worlds. Yet, with Pei Guang on board, it seed he had a knack for gathering all these independent individuals together. Perhaps it was fate.
As Welt looked at his phone, Pei Guang quickly snapped a picture of him squinting at it and sent it back to Welt.
Pei Guang teased, "Uncle Yang, squinting, with a phone~"
Welt casually asked, "Is there so special aning to this?"
Pei Guang grinned, "It's a back ho. The original is an old man squinting at his phone on the subway, trying to make out the screen. It's usually used as a reaction image for when soone is squinting to take a closer look~ Seeing you doing that, I couldn't resist sending it."
Welt looked at the image of himself squinting at his phone and couldn't help but smile, "Not bad, it suits . I'll keep it."
Welt then sent the back to Pei Guang, who replied with a picture of Pom-Pom looking cheerful.
anwhile, Seele, who had just boarded the Express, was feeling quite nervous, but with March 7th and Hiko guiding her, her tension gradually faded.
March 7th chirped, "No need to be nervous~ Co on, let's pick out a room you like. There are plenty of rooms to choose from on the train~"
Seele stamred, "O-okay~"
As March 7th enthusiastically led Seele to pick out a room, Hiko turned to the others. "Take a good rest, everyone. Pom-Pom has already prepared for our departure, and we'll be leaving this star system soon."
Dan Heng, ever thoughtful, mused, "Does that an we'll need to decide our next destination soon?"
Welt, done with his ntal back-and-forth with Pei Guang, replied, "That's right~"
Seele, still a bit nervous, asked, "Is it happening so soon?"
March 7th, now pulling Seele along, grinned, "That's the path of a Naless! Always on the move, always Trailblazing. Discover the unknown, explore the unknown—there's always another surprise around the corner."
Seeing March 7th's pure excitent, Seele finally relaxed and Hiko said, "It seems like Little March has really co to enjoy life as a Naless. That's wonderful. You can head to your rooms to rest or stay here in the lounge for a while—grab a coffee or sothing. We're all friends here, so make yourselves at ho."
However, as soon as Hiko ntioned coffee, Stelle, March 7th, and Seele all had the sa dark look flash across their faces.
After their experience with the coffee Pei Guang had brought from Herta's Space Station, they had developed a sort of PTSD. While Hiko's coffee had always been… difficult for most to stomach, the concoction Pei Guang had provided was downright lethal.
Dan Heng quickly excused himself, "I'll be heading to my room for so rest."
March 7th waved him off, "Go on, go on~ Sweet dreams!"
Dan Heng nodded slightly and turned around, ready to get so well-deserved rest.
Watching this, Hiko was a little surprised. She knew that they had been through a lot down on the surface, but many of the details were still unknown to her. March 7th used to joke that Dan Heng wasn't very sociable, but now she was even wishing him a good rest.
Hiko: "It seems like Dan Heng had quite the experience down there?"
March 7th nodded: "Yeah! Dan Heng used to have nightmares often, but after Pei Guang gave him sothing, the nightmares stopped, and now he's even having sweet dreams! Oh right, I almost forgot the most important thing—Pei Guang! Stelle~"
March 7th's words reminded Pei Guang, who was in the middle of sorting his backpack and trying to skip over so cutscene animation.
Pei Guang pulled out the gifts he had prepared from his backpack: "Hiko, Old Yang—these are Herta dolls we got as rewards from our mission. Each of us got one. Don't worry, Seele, I'm already gathering materials to make one for you too!"
As he spoke, Pei Guang handed over the Herta dolls he had prepared for Hiko and Welt. Hiko wasn't particularly surprised—Herta had contacted her half a day ago, even asking for Hiko's assistance.
Although Herta could no longer control her original doll, with Hiko's help, she could still gain so limited visual input and communicate with Hiko to stay updated on Pei Guang's activities.
Welt didn't refuse the Herta doll either. Thanks to Hiko, he knew what Pei Guang had been up to, and honestly, he was quite looking forward to having this doll as a combat support.
But that was just the beginning of the gifts Pei Guang brought: "And on top of that, we've got special food and drinks from Belobog, local fashion items, and oh—these! So farm-fresh eggs, all for us."
Seele added from the side: "Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th did so much for Belobog. Really, they brought hope to the people of the Underworld, and to all of Belobog. I hope I can beco like them soday…"
Pei Guang, along with Stelle and March 7th, kept taking out more and more local souvenirs—food, drinks, and everything in between. Watching this, Hiko and Welt exchanged amused smiles.
Hearing Seele's description of the events, Welt looked a bit regretful. He regretted not joining in on such an interesting adventure. But no matter—with Pei Guang around, there would surely be plenty more of these enjoyable monts in the future.
However, Pei Guang had more in store: "Pom-Pom~ This is for you~"
Pei Guang handed over the statue gifted by the people of Belobog to Pom-Pom. When Pom-Pom saw it was a trash can, he was startled: "What are you doing? Why are you giving a trash can?"
This imdiately made March 7th burst into laughter: "Pom-Pom~ Look closely. What is it?"
Stelle: "This is a statue given to us by the people of Belobog."
Pei Guang: "This gift belongs to everyone on the train, and since you're the conductor, Pom-Pom, it's only right that it's entrusted to you."
March 7th turned to Pei Guang: "As you always say, it's about 'raising affection levels!'"
Pei Guang nodded: "Exactly! Pom-Pom is our conductor. Without him, how could we have had such a fun adventure and earned so many rewards? So this honor belongs to him! I'm leaving this with you."
Pom-Pom carefully inspected the trash can statue, noting its strong arms and proud posture. However, because of his height, he couldn't see the four little figures on top of the trash can.
Thoughtfully, Pei Guang placed a small stool on the floor. Pom-Pom stepped up on it and saw the four lifelike figures on top of the trash can.
But as soon as Pom-Pom saw the figures, he almost couldn't keep a straight face. Not just Pom-Pom, even Welt and Hiko struggled to hold back their laughter.
Reviews
All reviews (0)