Leaving the busy, somewhat heavy dock area behind, Welt led Mercy into the commercial district attached to Kara’s spaceport.
The atmosphere here was completely different, filled with the hustle and bustle and energy of the marketplace.
Shops lined the streets on both sides, displaying all kinds of exotic interstellar goods.
The air was filled with the tempting aroma of food and the enthusiastic calls of vendors hawking their wares.
Welt moved with practiced ease through the list, purchasing everything from long-lasting compressed rations to various mechanical parts, along with local specialty seasonings and seeds for easy-to-grow space crops.
Mercy followed behind him, curiously looking around.
Her temporary Nameless credential did seem to have some effect; several shopkeepers became noticeably friendlier after seeing it.
But what truly caused a stir was not the credential, but Mercy herself.
Her delicate, ethereal features, her short, slightly curled sky-blue hair, and especially the pair of fluffy pure white wing-like halos behind her head, which trembled slightly as she looked around curiously, made her stand out like a star that had suddenly fallen to earth in this pragmatism-driven commercial district.
She was impossible to ignore.
“Oh my!
Look at that little girl!” An elderly grandmother selling handmade woven goods spotted Mercy first, her cloudy eyes suddenly lighting up.
“That halo…
she’s a Halovian child, isn’t she?
What a beautiful little thing!
Like a little angel that stepped right out of a painting!” “She really is a Halovian!
I’ve heard their people are all good-looking and kind-hearted, and their songs can soothe the soul!” A nearby vendor selling roasted interstellar potatoes also came over, her face beaming with affectionate smiles.
The Halovians indeed had an excellent reputation throughout the universe.
They were known for their striking beauty, their heavenly voices, and their generally gentle and kind natures.
Though their close ties to the Harmony faction gave them a somewhat mysterious aura, to the average person, the Halovians were more like symbols of beauty and harmony.
Welt had only ever read about this race in the Interastral Peace Corporation’s databases.
He knew they had a good reputation, but it wasn’t until today that he truly, viscerally understood just how much affinity the Halovians, especially someone like Mercy who appeared completely harmless and even came with a “cute” aura (outwardly), possessed among ordinary people.
In the blink of an eye, Mercy was surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic elderly folks, aunties, and uncles.
“Little girl, here, try some freshly baked Kara fruit pie that Grandma just made.
It’s so sweet!” The old grandmother, without waiting for a reply, pressed a warm little pie into Mercy’s hand.
It smelled richly of fruit and butter.
“Child, you look like you might be hungry.
These roasted potatoes just came out of the oven.
They’re delicious!
Take them!” The potato vendor also quickly wrapped up a golden, roasted potato bigger than Mercy’s face and handed it over.
“Little miss, this little feather-bird ornament is for you.
It’ll look lovely hanging next to your little wings!” A craftsman chuckled and handed over a brightly colored, exquisitely made feather accessory.
“These are star fruits I grew myself.
They’re juicy and fresh.
Have some!” “Here, this toy spaceship!
It’s for you to play with!” …
The waves of enthusiasm kept coming.
Mercy couldn’t even react before her arms were filled to overflowing with all kinds of food and trinkets.
She stood there, a little flustered, holding this pile of unexpected gifts, her blue eyes filled with bewilderment and a touch of being overwhelmed.
She could clearly feel the pure kindness and affection radiating from these ordinary people.
This warm feeling formed a strange contrast with the cold destruction energy within her.
“Th-thank you, everyone…” she could only manage awkward, small thanks.
A faint blush crept across her cheeks from embarrassment, which only made her look even more adorable.
And that, of course, further fueled the crowd’s enthusiasm to “feed” and “gift” her.
What made Welt’s lip twitch even more was that in just this short time, he had already counted at least seventeen people (he was keeping track) who had tried to strike up a conversation and ask for Mercy’s contact information.
There were simple-looking young men, stylish interstellar merchants, and even an elderly man with a cane who claimed to be a retired noble from some planet, all trying to establish a closer connection with this “Halovian little angel.” “Little miss, I’m a cargo ship captain in this sector.
Here’s my contact card.
If you ever want to visit this area again, feel free to contact me anytime!” A man in uniform pushed through and handed over an electronic business card.
“Shoo!
Don’t scare the child!” The potato vendor pushed the captain aside, shielding Mercy, then turned and stuffed another bag of local specialty dried meat into her hands.
“There, there.
Don’t mind them.
Take your time and enjoy it.” Mercy could only hug the increasingly heavy pile of “gifts” and politely but firmly refuse, over and over.
“I’m sorry, I…
I don’t have a communicator…
Thank you for your kindness, but really, it’s fine…” Welt watched Mercy, surrounded by the crowd like a celebrity mobbed by overzealous fans, looking both pitiful and adorable.
He then glanced at the few boxes of supplies he had already purchased that needed to be carried.
He let out a helpless sigh.
He stepped forward, gently patted Mercy’s shoulder, and addressed the enthusiastic crowd.
“We appreciate everyone’s kindness; thank you all.
But we still have procurement tasks to complete, so we won’t disturb you any longer.” His voice was steady and carried an undeniable authority, quieting the noisy crowd somewhat.
Welt looked down at Mercy, who was holding an armful of items, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
At this moment, Mercy still seemed to be surrounded by the faint, lingering notes of the “Harmony” she had hummed at the docks.
The subtle field that could harmonize the atmosphere and increase goodwill had not yet fully dissipated.
It made her shine even brighter among the crowd and more easily attract kindly attention.
“Let’s go,” Welt said, his tone softening slightly.
“You already have…
more than enough.” Relieved, Mercy quickly bowed to the people still trying to give her things, then followed closely behind Welt as they pushed out of the enthusiastic crowd.
Leaving the commercial district, they walked toward the connecting passage back to the train.
Mercy looked at the large pile of food and toys in her arms and felt a little troubled.
She was an energy body now and didn’t actually need to eat.
These things were more of a psychological comfort.
As they walked, they passed a residential area where spaceport staff families lived.
Many children were playing in an open space.
Mercy stopped and watched the laughing, playing children.
Then she looked at the items in her arms and had an idea.
She walked over to the children, crouched down, and put on a gentle smile.
“Hello, little ones.
Sister has some good food and fun things here.
Would you like to share them?” The children curiously gathered around, their eyes lighting up at the tempting food and novel toys in Mercy’s arms.
Mercy handed out the roasted potatoes, pies, star fruits, dried meat, and the toy spaceship to the children, one by one.
Watching their bright, innocent smiles bloom, listening to their excited chatter of thanks, Mercy felt as if sunshine had filled her heart.
The shadow of witnessing suffering at the docks earlier had faded considerably.
She had passed on that kindness.
Welt stood not far away, quietly watching the scene.
He didn’t stop her or rush her.
He watched Mercy patiently hand out items to each child, watched her genuine, soft smile that was so utterly incompatible with the identity of a “Lord Ravager,” and his doubts and curiosity about her deepened.
In the end, Mercy had given away everything she was carrying, except for the fruit pie the old grandmother had given her, which had gone cold.
She held it carefully in her hands.
“Let’s go, Uncle Yang,” she said, standing up and walking over to Welt with a bright, relaxed smile.
Welt nodded, and the two finally returned to the Astral Express.
The airtight hatch closed behind them, shutting out the noise of the outside world.
Pom-Pom immediately came over.
“How did the procurement go, pom?
The supplies have already been delivered to the new warehouse entrance, pom…
Huh?
Passenger Mercy, what are you holding in your hand, pom?” “It’s a pie an old grandmother here gave me,” Mercy said, waving the pie.
Then she looked curiously at the mountain of supplies piled up at the entrance of the brand-new cargo carriage.
“With this much stuff, will the warehouse be able to hold it all?” “It should be fine, pom.
The new warehouse is bigger inside than it looks…” Pom-Pom’s words were cut off as Mercy walked over to the warehouse door and, seemingly unconsciously, reached out to touch the identification panel beside it.
The moment her fingertip made contact with the panel, something changed again.
Inside the warehouse, like the surface of a pond disturbed by a stone, an invisible ripple spread outward.
As the workers pushed the supplies through the entrance, they visibly shrank before their eyes.
Crates that should have taken up vast amounts of space became palm-sized.
Then, as if guided by an unseen force, they flew neatly to their corresponding shelves deep inside the warehouse, landing with precision.
It wasn’t just this batch.
Other supplies that Welt had purchased and already moved into the warehouse underwent the same transformation.
The entire space inside the warehouse seemed to have been warped and expanded by some rule, its actual capacity far exceeding its physical dimensions.
Pom-Pom’s mouth fell open.
His little paw pointed into the warehouse.
“Th-this is…
spatial compression technology, pom?!
And it’s perfectly integrated with the train, extremely stable spatial compression, pom!
This cargo carriage is far more incredible than we imagined, pom!!
This was the kind of carriage they only had back in Akivili’s time…
Not even someone like Falcon could make this carriage reappear, pom.” Welt Yang also stared in shock.
He adjusted his glasses and looked at Mercy, who was equally surprised (genuinely this time).
Again with her?
The “upgrade” from that ticket was far beyond anything they could have anticipated.
Mercy blinked and looked at the now-miniature supplies in the warehouse.
A thought suddenly struck her.
“So…
does this mean we can buy even more stuff now?
Since we have the space?” Pom-Pom snapped out of his shock and nodded his little head vigorously.
“Yes!
Absolutely yes, pom!
We’ll never have to worry about supplies for long journeys again, pom!” Welt looked at the excited Pom-Pom and Mercy, who wore an expression that seemed to say, “Looks like I made myself useful again,” and shook his head with a helpless smile.
This new “passenger” just kept bringing surprises (or shocks).
He looked down at the procurement list still in his hand, which had many items crossed out due to budget and space constraints.
Now it seemed…
perhaps he could reconsider.
And Mercy, took a small bite of the now-cold fruit pie.
The sweet jam melted in her mouth, mixed with the kindness of the outside world and the wonder within the train, creating a complex, warm taste.
Her life on the train seemed to be heading in an increasingly interesting direction.