With that, Arlan left the group.
…
After watching Arlan leave, Himeko turned her gaze to Phainon and Stelle, who were following behind March 7th and Dan Heng.
She walked up to them with a smile.
“Hi, you two. Nice to meet you. I’m Himeko, the navigator of the Astral Express.”
“That means she’s the one who decides where the Express goes,” March 7th explained from the side.
“Oh, and Himeko, this is Stelle—she’s got amnesia. And this is Phainon—he says he’s from Aedes Elysiae in Amphoreus. Have you ever heard of that place?”
“Hmm… unfortunately, no.” Himeko rubbed her chin thoughtfully before answering.
“Dan Heng, does the Data Bank have any records of this place?”
“Not that I know of,” Dan Heng replied.
“Seems like you’re from a very mysterious place,” Himeko said with a smile, glancing at Phainon.
“By the way, little March didn’t cause you too much trouble along the way, did she?”
March 7th shot Stelle and Phainon a warning look.
“Think carefully before you answer.”
“I plead the fifth.” Seeing March’s expression, Phainon couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Phainon, I never expected this from you.” March 7th looked at him in mock agony.
“Fine. Stelle, what’s your answer?”
“I’ve got it!” Stelle planted her hands on her hips, a knowing smirk curling at the corner of her mouth.
“I’ve never met such a reckless girl in my life!”
Hearing this, March 7th lunged at her and started tickling her relentlessly.
“Stelle, you’re spouting nonsense again! Don’t you agree, Dan Heng?”
“I reserve the right to remain silent.” Dan Heng crossed his arms, saying nothing.
“Haha.” Himeko chuckled softly.
“Young people sure get along quickly. It looks like you’ve all become pretty close! Alright, enough small talk. Follow me. Asta’s been worried about you.”
Following Himeko’s lead, Phainon and Stelle soon met the pink-haired, petite station master, Asta, whom March 7th had mentioned. New chapters come out on g.com first.
Seeing them return safely, she let out a long sigh of relief.
“I’m glad you’re all back. Arlan came by earlier and told me what happened in the Storage Zone. And his injuries… thank you for your help.”
“The disaster struck so suddenly. We’ve realized we still don’t have nearly enough security and combat personnel. Thank goodness for you, helpful Nameless.”
“It’s nothing, Asta,” Himeko said with a smile.
“The Astral Express and the space station have always had a cooperative relationship. Besides, helping others is what the Nameless do.”
“Be that as it may, I still want to express my gratitude.” With that, Asta looked toward where the researchers had gathered.
“Everything happened so fast, and none of the researchers ever imagined they’d suffer such a heavy blow while under Lady Herta’s protection. Compared to the damage to the space station, their mental state is the real issue we need to address right now.”
“We’ll go check on them.” Dan Heng said, then led March 7th and Stelle away.
As for Phainon, he still had some questions for Asta.
“Um, Station Master Asta.” Phainon rubbed the back of his head.
“No need to be so formal,” Asta said with a smile.
“Since you’re a friend of the Astral Express crew and you’ve done the space station such a big favor, that makes you my friend too. Just call me Asta.”
With that, she extended her right hand.
Phainon shook her hand gently and then asked, “Asta, I was wondering if you know where my homeworld, Amphoreus, is?” He looked at her with hopeful eyes.
“I left my home for reasons I don’t fully understand, and now I’m trying to find my way back.”
“Hmm… unfortunately, I don’t have any information about Amphoreus in my records. But I’ll help you look into it.” She seemed to remember something.
“Oh, and when Lady Herta comes by, you could ask her.”
“Thank you.” Despite his disappointment, Phainon managed a smile.
While the two were chatting, Stelle and the others were also checking on the frightened researchers in the space station.
Seeing Phainon still standing there, Stelle walked over.
“You know, Phainon, you have no idea how weird that researcher was.”
“What happened?” Pushing aside his gloom, Phainon smiled and patted Stelle on the head.
“Let me tell you, that researcher named Abraham was going on and on about ‘I can’t escape—even if I get through today, I won’t get through tomorrow’—stuff like that.” She took a sip of water as she spoke.
“But luckily, I, the Galactic Baseballer, am not just skilled with my hands and feet—I’m also pretty sharp with my tongue. In the end, with my silver tongue, I successfully guided him toward a bright future!”
“That’s my partner.” Phainon patted Stelle on the shoulder.
Just then, a flurry of red exclamation marks suddenly appeared on the control panel in front of Asta, and alarms blared from every corner of the space station. This chapter was copied from novelping . com without permission.
She pulled up the surveillance feed, revealing a winged monster trying to breach the space station’s protective barrier.
Seeing this, March 7th was shocked.
“It’s the Legion’s anti-planetary weapon—the Doomsday Beast! Can the barrier hold?”
“Get on the Express and leave now. I’ll stay here.” Asta frowned, considering her options.
“But you—” March 7th started, but before she could finish, Himeko pulled her away from the Master Control Zone.
“The comms are down. Should we go back and help?” Dan Heng looked at the signal-less communicator in his hand and said to Himeko, the team’s leader.
“This space station was built by Herta. Unless a Lord Ravager shows up, it won’t be in any real danger.”
“Herta’s not at the space station right now. The Doomsday Beast will tear through the barrier with its hands soon. The people here won’t be able to hold off the Legion’s assault.” Dan Heng analyzed calmly.
“Exactly why we need to take her with us.” Himeko turned her gaze to Stelle, who had been standing there in a daze.
Seeing this, Stelle pointed at herself.
“Huh? Me?”
“That’s right. You’re the key to turning this around. My intuition tells me the Legion’s target might be you—though I could be wrong.” Himeko paused.
“So, no matter what happens, you have to stay with us.”
“Got it, Sister Himeko!” Stelle stood at attention.
“Alright, I’m with you. What’s our next move?” Dan Heng didn’t argue.
“We’re heading to the researchers’ Supply Zone for repairs. It leads to the nearest platform. We’ll meet up with Welt there.”
“Uncle Yang’s here too?” March 7th looked at Himeko curiously.
“But I thought he was staying on the Express?”
Sensing her confusion, Dan Heng explained.
“The Astral Express’s log tracker records our movements in real time. With all the commotion happening at the space station, there’s no way someone of Mr. Welt’s caliber wouldn’t have noticed.”
What none of them knew was that, in the Express’s monitor room, Welt’s eyes were fixed on the man silently standing in the back of the group.
That familiar face—he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
(T/N: My favorite—the shocking Welt scene; it never gets old.)