"Come on, my foot."
"Aha really came with just a head, hehe. It's been twenty-something years, and you're still so dear to Aha."
It really was just a head.
A beautiful woman's head.
Perched right on Leon's shoulder, the scene was as creepy as it gets.
If anyone else saw this, someone with weaker nerves might faint from fright.
"Cut the nonsense, hand over the power and get out of my sight."
Leon's tone was dripping with disdain.
Starting from his second life after the fall of Propagation, Aha latched onto him and hasn't let go since.
The ultimate, unbeatable sticky candy—impossible to shake off.
Every time, Aha forcefully grants him the power of Elation.
Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, depending on his identity in that life.
The least was on the level of a Masked Fool or Mourning Actor, the most at Emanator level.
Hundreds of Amber Eras ago, he wasn't someone who chased fun.
But as they say, you become like those you're around.
After years of Elation's influence, people change.
Who knows how much Elation power Aha would give this time?
The power itself isn't the big issue. The real problem is—
Aha will mess with him for fun.
There's no pattern to the frequency—sometimes every few days, sometimes once every year or two.
You can't refuse Aha's pranks.
Accept, and there's a reward. Refuse, and there's still a reward.
But the rewards differ.
You never know if Aha's giving you a pleasant surprise or a heart-stopping scare.
"Yay, you're finally asking Aha for Elation power willingly?"
Aha was thrilled, putting on a coy, high-pitched voice.
"Can't say no to you. Aha's got face, and power aplenty—here you go~"
Leon roughly sensed it and came to a conclusion.
Emanator level.
"Darling, you know Aha once dreamed of Trailblazing too…"
"Stop!"
Leon cut Aha off.
"Get to the point."
"Aha's got no face. The Astral Express is way too weak right now—no Emanator to hold the fort."
"So you're giving me Emanator-level strength to take your place and finish the job of blowing up the train like you did back then?"
"Eek, don't understand Aha like that, okay? It makes me shy…"
"Dear, I suggest you go die."
"Such a cruel heart, waaah—Aha's dead!"
The woman's head on his shoulder vanished instantly, as if it had never been there.
Leon kept walking, unfazed.
Small potatoes—he was used to it.
What Aha said was probably true.
The Astral Express's overall strength right now… it's weak.
Can't even catch the exhaust of its glory days.
Back when Akivili was still around, the Path of Trailblaze was so illustrious.
Nameless roamed the cosmos, doing good deeds and earning widespread praise.
In his first life, his role and duties aligned closely with the Trailblaze creed.
So his relationship with Trailblaze, and even Akivili, was quite good.
But alas…
In this life as a Nameless, until his past powers are restored, Elation's power is still useful.
The universe is vast, and not every civilization or world is easy to deal with.
To earn respect and courtesy, doing good deeds alone isn't enough.
Sometimes, speaking with fists is the eternal truth.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, Stelle, meeting another of Herta's puppets with Himeko, was looking at her with an unreadable gaze.
"You're the most selfish person I've ever met."
"Hmph, there are plenty of people more selfish than me on the space station."
Herta crossed her arms.
"Anyway, if you leave, remember to come back sometimes. Book in advance with Asta or Arlan, so I can make time to study you."
"Too blunt. I don't even know how to roast you for that."
Stelle rubbed her chin, her gaze drifting with a thoughtful glint.
Himeko chuckled softly.
"No need to rush. When you've decided, come find me at Platform J-34. Before that, you probably have things to do and people to see."
"Mm."
Stelle nodded.
"Then it's settled."
Herta watched Himeko and Stelle slowly walk away, just about to enter standby mode when the system relayed a message from the office puppet.
Hmph, everyone's so concerned about that Stellaron kid.
As if staying at the space station means she'd be tortured or something.
…
In the real world, Stelle has a choice, and so does the player world.
Ah Xian, listening to the ending narration, stared blankly at the screen.
Wait, what?
You're pulling this in the public release?
[Lmao, MiHoYo knows how to stir things up.]
[Who could've guessed you could reach the ending right at launch?]
"Just a harmless little Easter egg."
Ah Xian quickly regained her composure, clicked the train warp screen, and re-entered the game.
Familiar place, familiar… no, unfamiliar yet familiar person!
Familiar because there was a non-wild Leon leaning against the train's front.
Unfamiliar because, when she responded to Himeko earlier, that spot was empty.
So, you have to reject the boarding invitation once to trigger this Easter egg and see him?
She eagerly approached for dialogue.
Leon: "Morning. Another day full of hope."
① "It's 12:45 system time…"
② "Weird, did I time travel?"
Absurd greeting, cheeky dialogue options—zero-frame humor that cracked up plenty of players.
Ah Xian picked option two.
Leon let out a hearty chuckle.
"Strictly speaking, you didn't time travel. Maybe you just experienced a different life from another perspective."
That confirmed her earlier suspicion.
As expected, you need to reject boarding once to meet Leon here.
① "Can I ask why you boarded the train?"
Leon: "The reason's not special. The universe is so vast—I want to see it all. Oh, and there's one more reason. Wanna hear it?"
① "Please, go on."
Leon: "I've forgotten a lot of my past memories. Maybe I'll find them on this journey."
① "What a coincidence, I'm amnesiac too."
② "The Astral Express has a lot of amnesiac members…"
"Hahaha… I can't, folks, my sense of humor's weak, please forgive me."
Ah Xian burst out laughing.
Her dazzling 8K dual screens jiggled, firmly capturing the live stream audience's attention.
Thanks to this Leon plot segment, the bros got quite the eyeful.
Leon: "Allow me to sincerely call you a kindred spirit!
Three cobblers can outsmart a Villager. With three amnesiacs together, wouldn't we be invincible across the cosmos?"
① "Villager? Not quite getting it."
② "Can gathering three amnesiacs trigger a special bond?"
Ah Xian hurriedly clicked option two.
Leon: "No, but with the way things are going, don't you think this setup makes total sense?"
① "You're so right…"
[Laughing so hard I'm gasping. Leon even knows about Villager?]
[What's so surprising? Maybe Welt told him.]
[Conversations with Leon always take a wild turn, full of cheer.]
[He says he's not a Masked Fool, but I don't believe it one bit.]