[Dan Heng: This feels really bad!]
[Teacher Dan Heng, run for it!]
[Hahaha, I can't take it anymore. These two characters together are just too funny.]
Boothill slightly curled his lips. "Simple. We quietly nab a few hostages, and everything else falls into place. We can use them to negotiate with the Family or take their identities."
Dan Heng's eye twitched. "No need. Let's head back to the Express now."
"What! You scared, brother? Pull out your gun, it's time to do something big!"
[Hahaha, the Nameless turning into Stellaron Hunters.]
[I'm laughing so hard I'm tearing up.]
[This is just too Elation-level fun.]
— —
Suddenly, the bartender approached them. "Are you two leaving? Should I cancel the Asdana White Oak you ordered?"
"Huh? Asdana White Oak? But didn't you just say…"
Dan Heng quickly cut in, shooting Boothill a look. "Looks like… your Memokeeper friend came for you."
Boothill caught on instantly. Changing someone's memory was easier than drinking water for a Memokeeper.
"Oh, right, right! Look at my brain—too many cybernetic upgrades make you forgetful! Let me check… fudge it, it really is Asdana White Oak, with a note… 'I'm waiting for you on the Astral Express.'"
The two then returned to the Express.
Pom-Pom saw them and trotted over with tiny steps. "You're back? Two people boarded earlier, saying they were looking for Passenger Boothill. I let them wait in the observation car, pa."
Boothill tipped his hat. "Oh! Perfect timing."
Dan Heng, however, was puzzled. "Two people?"
At that moment, Black Swan appeared out of nowhere in the car.
Pom-Pom pointed at her. "That's her. The Astral Express welcomes all passengers, but sneaking in one by one… you guys are acting way too comfortable, pa!"
[Hahaha, that's exactly it.]
[Let's count: Kafka came once, Boothill, Black Swan. The Express's security feels a bit… lacking.]
[Practically nonexistent.]
Black Swan looked at them gracefully. "My apologies, Conductor. I was impolite, assuming the Express was already familiar with the Garden of Recollection… With Penacony's situation so convoluted, you Nameless are the only ones we can trust."
[Familiar? I didn't skip anything!]
[This plot feels like it's from the Penacony game. A Memokeeper snuck onto the Express before, but only Caelus/Stelle knew. In the end, the Garden of Recollection didn't want their identity exposed and asked the Trailblazer to keep quiet, and they actually did.]
[No, Stelle kept quiet, but Caelus spilled. Same outcome, though—their memories were altered.]
— —
After introductions, Boothill got straight to the point.
"I've been looking all over for you, Memokeeper! Let's cut to the chase—tell me everything you know."
Black Swan smiled faintly. "That's my intention. But first, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Black Swan, a Memokeeper of the Garden of Recollection. As for the story of Miss Acheron… perhaps she knows it better than I do."
Before her words settled, Acheron stepped forward from behind them.
"Greetings, I'm Acheron."
Boothill's pupils widened in shock. "What?! Fudge it—Garden of Recollection, you sold me out?!"
Acheron expressed her apologies. "Sorry, it was my request. For certain reasons, I was exiled from Penacony. Thankfully, this Memokeeper accompanied me, giving me a chance to slip out of the Family's control unnoticed."
Black Swan gave an awkward yet polite smile. "It wasn't exactly accompanying—it was more like tracking. And it was hardly 'unnoticed'… but fine, we'll go with that."
[I want to know what happened in between.]
[She just steamrolled her way through?]
[With Acheron's strength, what's wrong with steamrolling?]
— —
Acheron didn't dwell on it and continued, "I asked her to take me somewhere beyond the Family's sight to contact trustworthy people—that's you all."
"Trust? Haha, hahahahaha!" Boothill laughed loudly, his hand already on his gun holster. "Sweetheart, are you taking me for a lunatic or a fool?"
The next moment, he drew his gun. "How about this? Let me put a few holes in you first, see what's hiding inside, and then we talk about trust…"
[Is he always this bold?]
[Sweetheart?]
[Here it is, the alliance pistol.]
[So who's faster, Acheron's blade or Boothill's gun?]
[Outside seven steps, the gun's faster. Within seven steps, the gun's both fast and accurate. But Acheron's an exception.]
[Fudge it, spouting rhymes like that—you trying to ace an exam?]
— —
Facing the gun's muzzle, Acheron maintained her expressionless demeanor. "No need for that. I'll tell you everything you want to know, but not now… If my identity hasn't been exposed, we might have more time, but right now, this is our only option."
"Only option? What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's the only way I can ensure your safety… The Astral Express must jump immediately and leave the Asdana system."
[Huh? What does that mean?]
[No idea. Any experts want to explain?]
[We're all still watching—where's the expert coming from?]
[I bet it'll be explained later. Honkai Star Rail's web series is pretty tight with its logic; almost no wasted lines.]
The car fell silent for a moment.
Seeing the situation, Black Swan advised, "In my opinion, she bears no ill will and is telling the truth."
Acheron began to appeal with reason and emotion. "Mr. Dan Heng, I briefly traveled with your companions and know where they are. Please believe that your fellow Nameless are still safe, but they also need our help.
And Mr. Boothill, you may have already guessed… I've been waiting for your arrival. The Galaxy Rangers are elusive, rarely interacting even among themselves. Forgive me for using this method to establish 'contact' with you.
Only this way could I find a true Galaxy Ranger. And only this way can I fulfill a long-standing promise… to return 'his' relic to its rightful owner."
Acheron took a deep breath, the sound of pouring rain gradually surfacing in her mind. "Someone once told me… every rain is the heavens' mercy upon the world.
Raindrops are the tears of the gods, shed for the sorrows of humanity. But because they still fall, it means the gods haven't lost hope in this world.
So…"
"How long has this rain been falling?"