Stelle showed Noldrei to his new room.
It wasn't small by any means, and the train even provided an attached bathroom. With a little decoration, it could be a very nice place.
"This is your room. From now on, you can keep all your things here. If you need any help, you can find me in the room next door. Or you can go to Mr. Yang or Himeko; they're very kind people."
"If there's anything else you don't understand, you can ask Dan Heng for help. As for March… um, I'll have to ask you to look after her."
Even Stelle seemed to think that asking March to take care of someone was a bit of a stretch. It was far more practical to have Noldrei look after March.
Noldrei had no particular requirements for his new room. After all, no matter how nice it was, it couldn't possibly compare to his newly constructed palace on the moon.
"This is great. I'm very satisfied with this place. If there's anything you need my help with, just ask. But rather than that, why don't you tell me a little about the Astral Express? For example, why do you Trailblaze, what do you hope to Trailblaze, and what do you like to do on the train?"
Noldrei didn't continue the conversation about social structures or other complicated matters, instead shifting to a topic Stelle was more familiar with: the Astral Express itself.
Stelle hadn't been on the train for very long herself. As for her thoughts on Trailblazing...
She scratched her head. "I was actually pulled onto the train by accident. I thought it would be nice to just go with the flow for a while, and it got a lot better after I got to know everyone. It's like I came home!"
She said this quite proudly, oblivious to how speechless Mr. Yang might be if he heard her.
Seeing that there wasn't even a place to sit in the room, Noldrei figured he couldn't just sleep on the floor. He used his abilities to conjure a set of a table, chairs, and a bed.
"Your ability is so convenient! How about you make a set for me too?"
Stelle tried sitting on the chair Noldrei had created. She leaned back comfortably, feeling a mysterious power wash over her, and instantly slumped into a "Ge You slouch." [T/N: A popular Chinese meme pose of extreme relaxation.]
Leaning back in the chair, Stelle reminisced. "When it comes to Trailblazing, there is a kind of system. I think it's 'Explore,' 'Understand,' 'Establish,' and 'Connect.' It's supposed to be the Trailblazing spirit left behind by Akivili, the Aeon of the Trailblaze. I don't really understand the specifics. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask Mr. Yang."
In any case, she was now a member of the Express crew, and through her adventures in various worlds, she had gradually come to appreciate the wonderfulness of this kind of life.
Noldrei asked with some curiosity, "What is the work like? Is it very hard?"
Stelle sat up straight, her expression serious. "I wouldn't call it work. It feels more like constantly searching for new and exciting things. It's a lifestyle that I enjoy. If I were to think of it as some kind of job…"
Stelle recalled the lives of some of the corporate drones she had seen at the Space Station and shook her head in disgust. "I don't want a job. I'd rather go hungry with everyone on the Express."
"I see. So the Trailblazing on the Astral Express can't be viewed simply as a profession or a job."
Noldrei roughly understood how Stelle felt about the train. While she might complain about the bad parts, she enjoyed it more than anything else. It was clear that she loved this life and didn't treat it as some kind of repetitive, productive labor.
Before boarding, Noldrei had wondered if this was some kind of pioneering group, similar to a colonizing army—establishing strongholds, opening up trade routes, and preparing for battles like scalping colonists.
But it seemed that the Trailblaze Aeon's spirit of "Trailblazing" was different from what Noldrei understood it to be. They were more like cosmic information exchange workers, responsible for the work of "Connecting."
"What about the Aeon, then? What happened to Akivili? The history I read on the Xianzhou said that they fell, is that right?"
Noldrei was more curious about Akivili's ultimate fate. He also wanted to learn how to deal with the Aeons.
But Stelle didn't know the inside story. She did, however, know a few other things.
She frowned in thought for a moment before speaking slowly. "I'm not sure, but based on what Conductor Pom-Pom and Mr. Yang have told me, no one currently knows what happened to Akivili. That means no one knows if they fell or just disappeared. You see, the Xianzhou's records aren't necessarily accurate. I learned about similar situations from Asta back at Herta Space Station. The people behind the station are the Genius Society."
"The members of their club are much better informed. If the people on the train and the Genius Society don't know whether Akivili fell, then nobody knows the true situation."
Noldrei narrowed his eyes, realizing there might be an unexpected secret hidden here.
Akivili, the Aeon of the Trailblaze, might not have fallen. It might not be a situation similar to that of the Aeon of Order. Perhaps…
'Could it be that an Aeon really gave up their position?'
This thought didn't make Noldrei want to leave. In fact, it strengthened his resolve to stay on the Astral Express.
Akivili must have been a very unusual Aeon.
To be honest, besides the Xianzhou's Ambrosial Arbor and the Woe-Weaver guarding the Jade Gate of the Luofu, the most convenient way for Noldrei to access the power of the Aeons was through the Astral Express.
And now, he had unexpectedly learned about Akivili's disappearance from Stelle.
This made him even more certain that staying on the Express would allow him to better understand the reality of this universe.
"What a strange Aeon… No one knows how they disappeared. And this was the Aeon of the Trailblaze, an Aeon who had so many legendary friends in the past."
Noldrei marveled at the brilliance of Akivili's methods.
Stelle didn't understand the meaning behind his words and nodded along. "I know, right? I'm also really curious about what kind of Aeon Akivili was. I heard they were very close to mortals. They were probably the most approachable Aeon, right?"
She had been glanced at by an Aeon herself. She knew very well what it was like when one of those beings paid attention to a person.
Thinking of this, Stelle asked curiously, "Do you have a path you want to Trailblaze? You must have something you want to do, right?"
Noldrei hadn't expected that in Stelle's eyes, he too could be associated with Trailblazing.
Stelle smiled. "Didn't you say you want to fight that proliferationism thing? Well, I think your path is to Trailblaze a new kind of relationship between people! Right? Join us in finding a human social relationship that better suits your own heart."
"The universe is so big, there's bound to be a new society out there that's a perfect fit for you!"
Noldrei was stunned. He hadn't realized this girl was such a genius!