“Indeed. It seems this Trailblaze won’t be easy either.”
…
“Spatial readings are abnormal! Star Rail stability has dropped to 12%.” Pom-Pom suddenly appeared, and everyone turned to look at him.
“Docking plan changed. This station’s stopover time has been extended from 7 days to indefinite!”
“Indefinite?” Stelle looked incredulous.
“Yes, indefinite, until the anomaly is cleared.” Pom-Pom nodded.
“Compared to a regular land train, it’s like the tracks ahead suddenly snapped, and beneath lies a collapsed abyss. At that point, all you can do is stop.” Himeko explained to the two new passengers.
“Himeko’s right. Forcing our way forward could lead to severe consequences.”
“Here we go again…” March rubbed her forehead.
“No need to guess. The cause of this Star Rail anomaly is definitely—”
“Preliminary test results are in. The source of the anomaly is still the Stellaron.” Welt adjusted his glasses as he walked over.
“The same as the one inside me?” Stelle touched her chest, where a Stellaron lay dormant.
“Correct, Stelle. It’s the same substance as the Stellaron implanted in you.”
“What exactly is a Stellaron?” Phainon asked with a grave expression.
“There are many mysteries surrounding Stellarons. Even Herta doesn’t have a complete answer,” Himeko explained.
“What we do know is that Stellarons are a cancer spread by Celenova, a Lord Ravager under Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, across various worlds. As for Their purpose, we can only guess.”
“What we can confirm is that the arrival of a Stellaron brings unimaginable upheaval to civilizations, along with spatial distortions like the Fragmentum.”
Looking out at the snow-white planet, Welt continued.
“In my view, this planet’s current state is inseparable from the Stellaron’s influence.”
“Without removing the source of this calamity, Trailblaze is impossible.”
“A mere Stellaron? Leave it to our Trailblaze squad!” Stelle raised her baseball bat, her face full of enthusiasm.
“Hehe!” Himeko chuckled at her eagerness.
“You certainly have plenty of energy! In that case, your first Trailblaze mission will be with little March, Dan Heng, and Phainon.”
“Guess we’re not needed this time either.” Welt looked wistfully at Himeko and the planet outside the window.
“Got to leave some chances for the younger ones, right?” Himeko patted his shoulder.
“Besides, have you finished studying that robot we got you?” With that, she turned and headed back to her room.
“Right!” Welt was jolted by her words.
“Phainon, Stelle, go with Dan Heng and the others. I’ll head back and study the robot.”
Watching the two leave, March 7th let out a long sigh. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
“What a pair of unreliable parents!”
“Follow me,” Dan Heng said to the three.
“We’ll descend from here.”
The four transformed into streaks of light and vanished from the train.
When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves standing on a vast snowfield.
“Jarilo-VI, we’re here!” March 7th stepped forward excitedly.
“It really is freezing!”
“It really is freezing!” Stelle planted her hands on her hips, repeating with a smirk.
“Copycat much?” March shot her a look, then turned to Dan Heng, who stood with his hands behind his back.
“So, we’re surrounded by white nothingness. Which way do we go?”
“According to the signal, our target is not far ahead.”
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” March was brimming with energy, eager for the adventure ahead.
“We still have to walk?” Stelle stared at the seemingly endless snowfield, feeling her legs turn to lead.
“Right? Not even a spare snowmobile. Our train sure is stingy.”
“Spare one?” March’s eyes darted away.
“Yes,” Dan Heng said, looking at Stelle with a knowing nod.
“Do you remember what happened to the last snowmobile you drove?”
“…Let’s skip that topic.” Recalling her glorious misadventure, March could only clam up.
“Speaking of which, the train’s landing system should be able to set down anywhere on the planet. Why not land directly inside the city?”
“You’re right, but there are two main reasons.”
“First, some more radical places may be wary of outsiders and could imprison us without question.
Second,” Dan Heng glanced at March, who was trying to make herself less noticeable, “who’s going to explain the hole we put in Teykon Arena?
You or me?”
“I said skip that topic already!” March bristled like an angry cat, grabbed Stelle, and marched off.
If only everyone were as reliable as Phainon.
“Remember, thousands of years have passed. We know very little about this planet. Every step must be taken with caution,” Dan Heng warned March and Stelle.
“Don’t worry, Dan Heng!” March was completely unconcerned.
“Stelle’s got a Stellaron inside her, I’ve got my unique Six-Phase Ice, Phainon’s got his Divine Vessel form, and Dan Heng’s got… well, some mysterious past we don’t know about.”
“Anyone who picks a fight with us is asking for trouble!”
“Asking for trouble!” Stelle echoed.
“How long has this copying symptom been going on?”
“Exploring the unknown and facing danger—that’s what Trailblaze is all about!” March stood at the front.
“Trailblaze squad, move out!”
Advancing across the snowfield, they spotted many frozen Antimatter Legion monsters along both sides of the path.
“A world corrupted by a Stellaron has so many frozen Legion monsters?” Dan Heng scanned their surroundings.
“It seems Jarilo-VI holds secrets we don’t yet know about.”
Staying alert, the group pressed forward.
Before long, a blue, bird-like Fragmentum creature blocked their path.
“This area hasn’t been corrupted yet, but Fragmentum monsters have already started spilling out,” Dan Heng said to the others.
“The Stellaron’s influence on this world must be extraordinary.”
“Let’s finish this quickly. We need to reach the settlement as soon as possible.”
Stelle was already itching for a fight.
She raised her baseball bat and charged in.
“Rules are made to be broken!”
Having been nourished by the Stellaron and granted a gaze from the Aeon of Destruction, her strength had grown considerably.
One swing was enough to disperse the Fragmentum creature.
Continuing on, Stelle’s attention was caught by a trembling pile of snow.
“Is this some local feature? Even snow piles can move—how magical!”
Following her gaze, March 7th was equally surprised.
“That really is… wait a minute! That’s obviously a person hiding in there.”
“Sneaking around like that, probably up to no good,” Phainon said, summoning Dawnmaker.
“March, Dan Heng, be careful.”