"Big Sis Himeko! We're back! And we brought you some Xianzhou specialties!"
March 7th, having returned to the Express's docking point via a Domain Anchor, walked into the carriage carrying bags of all sizes, calling out to Himeko, who was boredly scrolling through her phone.
"Welcome back. It must have been a tough journey. For now, just rest well, and tell me all about what you encountered. As for the Xianzhou specialties…"
Himeko's gaze fell upon the "specialties" in March's hands, and her expression suddenly turned awkward.
"Hm? What's wrong, Big Sis Himeko?" March tilted her head, holding the "specialties" with a look of confusion at Himeko's clearly odd reaction.
"Er… just put them over there for now. March, are you sure these specialties are all… normal?" Himeko asked hesitantly, her PTSD from past Xianzhou specialty mishaps flaring up.
"Mhm, of course! We picked these out very carefully. Big Sis Himeko will definitely love them!"
Seeing March's confident expression, Himeko breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, she could trust March's taste buds and aesthetic sense.
But then, her eyes landed on Stelle, who was slowly walking into the carriage holding a can of fermented mung bean soda. Himeko's expression instantly soured again, and she shot a look full of meaning at an embarrassed March.
"Ahaha, Big Sis Himeko~ Stelle's taste is just a little special, that's all. I'm not like her at all!" March said, trying to curry favor.
"Himeko." Dan Heng greeted her with a nod as he entered the Express.
"Mhm. It's good to have you back." Himeko nodded back at Dan Heng, looking genuinely relieved.
"By the way, where's Wende? Welt said he had things to take care of and had to stay on the Xianzhou, so what about Wende?" Himeko asked, puzzled when no one else came through the Express's door.
"Himeko."
The moment Himeko asked, Wende walked into the carriage, laden with even more bags of all sizes…
"Er… Tough work?"
"Sigh, it's fine." Wende looked at March, who was scratching the back of her head, and found he had no temper left. In the end, he was the one who had to carry everything!
"Heehee, where's the Conductor? I've been drinking milk tea every day on the Xianzhou, and now I'm starting to miss the fruit Pom-Pom makes," March said, looking around the Parlor Car but failing to spot Pom-Pom's small, fluffy figure.
"The Conductor is probably still cleaning your rooms. Pom-Pom has been very diligent while you were away," Himeko said with a gentle smile.
"Mhm! As expected of our Conductor!"
After making dinner on the Express, March reported the events on the Xianzhou to Himeko, recounting their tragic tale of being used as tool people all along the way.
The next day, Stelle, Himeko, and Wende left the Express under March's mournful gaze.
"Dan Heng, little March, take good care of the Express!"
After saying her goodbyes, Himeko followed Stelle and Wende through a Domain Anchor and teleported to the Herta Space Station.
Himeko planned to unwind at Asta's tea party, while Stelle was being forcibly dragged away by Herta to work as a test subject for her "Simulated Universe."
As for Wende, he had been forcefully dragged along by Stelle.
---o---
"Mmm, even though we didn't bring the Express back this time, this feels pretty good."
Himeko looked at the space station before her, feeling her mood brighten considerably. Staying on the Express for so long made her feel restless all over. Thankfully, Wende's massages were there to help her relax.
"Let's go. Asta should be in the Master Control Zone right now, and Herta's office is there too."
Himeko led the way with the ease of someone who knew the route well.
"By the way, I heard Stelle caused quite a bit of trouble on the Xianzhou again. It must have been tough on you during this time."
Himeko smiled gracefully at a bewildered Wende, only to then fall into the same state of bewilderment herself.
"…Er, wasn't Stelle… right here a moment ago?" Himeko asked, looking doubtfully at the empty space beside Wende where Stelle had just been.
"Mhm… If I'm not blind, then yes, she was."
Wende clutched his head, a massive headache coming on. That gray flash I just saw… wasn't a hallucination!
---o---
"Hello everyone… I'm your Yue Yue… the treasure chests of Herta Space Station…"
"Oh! Oh! So it's here!"
[The matter of me watching Yue Ma's videos in Dogzi's stream.]
[So you're really so bored you've started sweeping the map for resources.]
[Yes.]
[I have to save up Stellar Jades for my wife Silver Wolf in the next version!]
[My account is stronger now, I can finally clear out the entire Simulated Universe!]
[Silver Wolf! Without you! How can my Seele possibly live on!]
[You say that about every new character, don't you?]
[When is 5-star Wende getting a banner! I'm dying! I'm going to die without Wende's abs to lick!]
[Luocha: So love just disappears, does it?]
[Wende: Trailblazer, do you want him or me? (Points at Luocha then at himself.jpg)]
[You know what I'm going to say. You! Are both my wings!]
---o---
"Hah, with my account's power level, if I go with the Hunt path, how could I possibly lose!"
Marshmallow banged on his desk, confidently selecting World 5 of the Simulated Universe and choosing the Path of the Hunt.
[The confidence of a whale?]
[It's confidence that comes from Yifu.]
[Marshmallow: How did you know my Wende is Six-Star Eidolon.jpg]
[Lmao, that's a flex on par with having a max-refinement Skyward Atlas.]
He paid no mind to the audience's teasing. He'd had bad luck for so long, wasn't he allowed to get lucky just once?!
"Let's go! Simulated Universe, activate!"
---o---
"Little Wolfie? Are you really that bored already?" Kafka asked, looking skeptically at Silver Wolf's projection. Has she really gotten this cocky?
"Well, there's still some time, isn't there? I've already maxed out all eighty-six of my game accounts. I'm super bored right now, just looking for a bit of fun," Silver Wolf said, waving her hand dismissively before cutting the connection.
Although she had already left some interesting things behind during her previous infiltration of the space station, thinking back on it now, what she did back then wasn't fun enough!
"Is it really okay to just let her go like that?" Blade, who was meditating silently behind Kafka, asked with his eyes closed, a hint of doubt in his voice.
"Let her go. She's still just a child, after all…"
Kafka shook her head, then looked at a surveillance monitor showing Stelle frantically sweeping through the Herta Space Station for loot, and silently shook her head again.
"Sigh… she… is also just a child…"
---o---
Zzzt! Zzzzt!
"Guh!"
"Sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't keep a good eye on her."
Wende apologized profusely to the staff member in front of him, holding onto a paralyzed and twitching Stelle.
"Er… It's fine, it's fine. She just took my takeout receipt… By the way, is she really okay?" the staff member asked hesitantly, looking at Stelle, who now had black smoke rising from her head.
"Er… She's fine!"
---o---