“It looks delicious. Thank you, Conductor.”
…
Taking a bite of the exquisitely crafted sandwich, Phainon’s face lit up with a satisfied smile.
“The Conductor’s cooking is really good. This sandwich is delicious.”
Blushing at Phainon’s praise, Pom-Pom tried to maintain a composed demeanor.
“Pom-Pom is glad Passenger Phainon likes it. Pom-Pom will make delicious food for everyone often, pa.”
“Then I’ll be in your care, Conductor.”
Before long, Stelle emerged from her room.
The moment she spotted the adorable Pom-Pom, she rushed over, scooped him up, and began smothering him.
“What is this? So cute!” She rubbed him relentlessly, completely losing her composure.
“Wait, why haven’t I seen the conductor yet? Is he still asleep?”
Phainon shot her a deadpan look.
“The conductor is currently in your arms.”
“Huh?” Stelle froze in place.
Pom-Pom seized the opportunity to wriggle free from her grasp, huffing indignantly at her.
“Uh… sorry about that, Conductor.” (π_π) Stelle looked apologetically at Pom-Pom, who was glaring at her.
“Since you did not know Pom-Pom was the conductor, Pom-Pom will forgive your transgression this once, Passenger Stelle.” Pom-Pom straightened the fluff that Stelle had ruffled.
“Allow Pom-Pom to introduce himself. Pom-Pom is the conductor of the Astral Express.”
With that, Pom-Pom produced two golden tickets from behind his back.
“These are your tickets. They serve as proof that you are members of the Astral Express. Please keep them safe.”
Phainon tucked his ticket into his belt, then led Stelle off the train and toward Herta’s office.
A few minutes later, Stelle asked Phainon along the way.
“Phainon, how much farther is it? Is Herta’s office really that far?”
Hearing this, Phainon stopped in his tracks and stared at her in disbelief.
“So you don’t know where Herta’s office is? I thought you knew.”
“Hey, I was just following you! I thought you knew!”
Phainon slapped his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
“Let’s go find Asta. She’ll definitely know where Herta’s office is.”
He then turned to Stelle.
“And neither of us is going to tell anyone about this.”
Returning to the Master Control Zone, they found Asta coordinating the aftermath of the space station’s damage.
With his enhanced perception, Phainon could hear her speaking with Arlan from a distance.
“Arlan, to prevent the space station from suffering another large-scale invasion like this, I’ve decided to purchase a star destroyer for defense.”
“That’s not a good idea, Miss Asta.” Arlan looked helplessly at the wealthy young lady who treated credits like they were nothing.
“What you’re saying does make sense.
It’s indeed not a good idea…” Just as Arlan thought Asta had finally listened to his advice, she continued, “One doesn’t seem like enough.
I’ll buy a few more!”
“Miss Asta!” Arlan sighed in resignation.
(╮(ਊ◞‸◟ਊ|||)╭) “Whatever makes you happy.”
Looking up, Asta spotted the two approaching.
“Good morning, heroes of the space station.”
“There’s no need for such formalities. Just call me Phainon.”
“Call me the Galactic Baseballer” Stelle planted her hands on her hips.
“Saving the world is my duty!”
“Oww!” She clutched her forehead after Phainon flicked it, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Just call her Stelle.” Ignoring her pitiful glare, Phainon continued asking Asta, “We’re looking for Herta’s office. Do you know where it is?”
“Oh, of course. Lady Herta’s office is right over there.” She pointed to a closed door on the second floor of the Master Control Zone.
“Just enter through there. Lady Herta is usually inside.”
“Got it. Thanks, Asta.” After expressing his gratitude, Phainon pulled Stelle along toward their destination.
“They get along so well.” Asta watched their retreating figures with a hint of envy.
She had never experienced that kind of friendship—everyone who approached her always had some ulterior motive.
Nothing was ever pure.
“Sigh.” Having followed Asta for so many years, Arlan naturally knew what she was thinking.
All he could do was quietly stand by her side.
Following Phainon to the office door, Stelle was about to knock when the door slid open on its own.
“Come in. I’ve been waiting for you.” A cool voice came from inside.
Looking around, the dimly lit room ended with a mysterious blue-glowing machine at its far end.
“Over here, you two.” Herta’s puppet stood beside the machine, beckoning them over.
“Where’s your real body?” Stelle asked curiously, staring at the tiny puppet.
“The real me is busy with other things,” Herta replied flatly. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
“I’ll cut to the chase, you two. A few colleagues and I are working on a massive project. If it succeeds, we’ll finally crack the ultimate mystery that’s plagued us for thousands of Amber Eras: the secrets of the Aeons.”
“Never mind, that’s probably over your heads.” She gestured to the machine beside her.
“Four geniuses of the Society teamed up to write a program. See this machine? Inside it is a universe just like ours, only more streamlined and more customized…”
“I call it: the Metaverse!”
“Don’t ride that wave.” Stelle stared at her flatly.
(˘ㅂ˘)
“Fine. I actually liked that name, but since you said that, this Herta is open-minded. We’ll call it the Simulated Universe.”
“Now go give it a try, you two. I’ll guide you from inside. I guarantee you won’t suffer any losses—and I’ll pay you handsomely for your time.”
Taking their designated positions, the two donned the equipment.
Their consciousnesses sank, and the next second, they found themselves standing in a replica of the space station.
“Hello? Can you hear me?” Herta’s voice echoed in their minds.
“We can hear you!” Stelle shouted at the sky.
“No need to be so loud. I can hear you just fine even if you whisper.”
“What do we need to do?” Phainon asked, looking around in confusion.
“From now on, Stelle will play the role of the Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili. And Phainon, you’ll play the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook.”
Before they could react, several Voidrangers of the Legion materialized before them.
“Fight them. Let’s see if you can catch the gaze of other Aeons.”
Staring at the Voidrangers before them, Stelle looked pitifully at Phainon, practically writing “I don’t want to fight” all over her face.
Phainon rolled his eyes (╮（╯＿╰）╭), but said nothing.
He closed his eyes.
His body slowly rose into the air as he extended his right hand.
A black hole materialized out of thin air.
“The end begins, igniting the dawn!”
With those words, the Voidrangers were annihilated by the black hole.
“Whoa! I want to learn that!” Stelle looked at Phainon with admiring eyes, practically begging.
Outside the simulation, Herta felt a surge of excitement.
“Interesting. The power of Destruction is growing stronger. I wonder… will you become one of them in the near future?”
“This is tied to my own inherent power. I don’t think anyone else can learn it.”