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After the afternoon tea ended.
Thanks to Sol's lifesaving help, he now had a decent relationship with the members of the Astral Express Crew—at least on the surface.
As for the three adults who were still on guard, he didn't care. It's not like he needed to max out their affection in just a few days; true feelings are revealed over time.
Even the usually serious Welt Yang couldn't keep a straight face after seeing the Judgement of Shamash. He'd been chased by Honkai for so long—even running to the world of Star Rail wasn't enough to escape it.
As for Himeko, in his eyes, the wise big sister type wasn't difficult to get along with. Just like how Yanagi's voice was pleasant, she was also the type who knew how to comfort others.
As long as you weren't an enemy, daily interactions with her felt warm and gentle, and once you were confirmed as a friend, it felt like basking in the spring breeze—in short, nothing to worry about.
As for Dan Heng, even the coldest dragon lord could be warm at work. Not really.
Truth was, the little dragon was simply stoic, observed on his own, and then silently adjusted his attitude.
Sol watched the few people before him spacing out and made a very accurate assessment.
"Mr. Mercer?"
Himeko waved her hand, reminding him with a hint of confusion.
"Sorry, I drifted off a bit. If something's the matter, please say it."
Sol returned to his senses and smiled apologetically.
"It's like this—our destination this time is the Planet of Festivities, Penacony. If it isn't the same as your final stop, please let us know so we can discuss arrangements."
Himeko explained.
For now, she only knew Sol wanted a ride; she didn't yet know where he wanted to go.
If their destinations were completely different, misunderstandings would be troublesome.
And this time, they were going to Penacony with a purpose. The Charmony Festival was about to begin, they'd received a special invitation, and three Trailblazers had once been there. They had to investigate.
"The Planet of Festivities, huh."
Sol suddenly realized—the Trailblaze had already progressed to this point.
A planet famous throughout the universe, rumored to make every beautiful dream come true, a paradise-like utopia.
Although he knew the paradise wasn't pure at all—at its core, it was just a dream-selling money pit.
"Is something wrong? If you have another destination in mind, we can speak to other factions to help you reach it."
Himeko asked with some concern.
With the reputation of the Astral Express, they could help Sol travel to nearly any corner of the cosmos. At the very least, the Interastral Peace Corporation would show them courtesy.
This way, the Astral Express would form goodwill with Sol, and they wouldn't need to worry whether he had other intentions.
"No special treatment needed. I'm just a traveler from afar, and the Planet of Festivities sounds like a place worth visiting."
Sol smiled lightly, looking somewhat expectant.
He certainly wasn't hoping to achieve his wishes through dreamscapes; with his current abilities, he could play creative mode in reality.
It was simply that a great incident was about to be born there—worth witnessing.
Listening to Robin's singing, helping Sunday—the prison lord trapped in endless weekdays—get his seven-day holiday. Defeating the black-hearted boss to create a world with no workdays… he was very interested.
Welt Yang's eyes flickered as he probed, "It sounds like… something there is especially attractive to you."
From Sol's expression, Penacony clearly held some unique appeal.
And for a mysterious powerhouse to care this much… perhaps it was connected to that mysterious invitation.
"Heh." Sol glanced at Welt and said, "Of course. After all, I inherited that person's name, power, and dream. Naturally, the Planet of Festivities is where I want to go."
Trying to probe him? Sorry—he even knew the color of Welt's underwear.
"…?"
Welt fell silent.
That was a hint, wasn't it? That had to be a hint.
This so-called 'traveler from afar'—could he have followed him all the way from his original world?
And the ability to materialize food… was extremely similar to the Herrscher of Reason's powers.
Could it be that damn Honkai… had already chased them here?!
At that moment, Himeko sensed something was off and stepped in to smooth things over. "Since Mr. Mercer is also heading to the Planet of Festivities, then it seems we're going the same way—no extra arrangements needed."
She thought for a moment, then said gently, "However, the train wasn't prepared with a guest room. Putting something together on short notice may be a bit simple."
The Astral Express only had the rooms for herself, Welt, Dan Heng, and March 7th—and even Stelle's room was only an emptied space.
They said they'd renovate it, but nothing had ever been done. There wasn't even a bed.
Now that they needed to make space for Sol, indeed, there wasn't a proper guest room available.
Wait—she suddenly realized something. Where had Stelle been sleeping all this time?
Had she always been squeezing in with March 7th?
"No worries, as long as there's a free space. I don't have strict needs."
Sol waved casually.
He was just hitching a ride; sleeping or not didn't matter.
Besides, as long as there was an empty area, he could shape the best bed out of thin air.
"Thank you for understanding. The train used to have a party carriage, and the second floor is still empty."
Himeko thought for a moment and apologized softly, "It was originally meant for Stelle, but since it hasn't been renovated, it's been neglected."
"If we clean it up now, you can settle there temporarily. Forgive the poor hospitality."
She had checked on it from time to time—despite being Stelle's allocated space, there was no trace of anyone living there. Still filled with clutter, just like before.
In that case, letting Sol use it didn't really require avoiding suspicion.
Of course, letting a guest stay in an unrenovated storeroom-like place was still somewhat impolite.
It seemed they would need an actual guest car in the future—otherwise, any new friends or passengers would have nowhere to stay.
"I don't mind, but if I take Stelle's place… where will she sleep?"
Sol asked curiously.
"She can squeeze in with March 7th, like she always does." Himeko smiled, glancing at Stelle and March 7th. "You two don't mind, right?"
"Mmh-mmh-mmh!"
Stelle nodded rapidly—like a tapping machine.
March 7th, her little March.
Hehe, sleeping together again tonight!
"I don't mind either."
March 7th nodded, then whispered into Stelle's ear, "Where did you sleep before? You weren't with me."
Stelle leaned toward her ear and whispered back, "I used to sleep in a cardboard box. It was super comfy. But I think your room is even better."
"…"
March rolled her eyes and gave a thumbs-up.
What kind of normal person sleeps in a cardboard box every day?! But… if it was Stelle, it wasn't surprising.
She couldn't help feeling guilty. It was partly their fault for not caring enough—they hadn't noticed all this time.
Soon, the Astral Express Crew worked together to clear out the clutter on the party carriage's second floor.
Although simple, it was good enough as a temporary resting place.
Thus, Sol Mercer officially had a temporary residence on the Astral Express.