After the Tarot gathering ended, Sairuis's consciousness returned, and he looked at his palm. The blood that had once been there had vanished without a trace. Flipping his hand over, he saw a crimson glow swirling on the back, like a tattoo.
Moments later, the glow dimmed and finally sank into his skin, disappearing altogether.
[I think you should go downstairs. The basement.]
"Hm?" Sairuis blinked in mild confusion, glancing at Gornes, who was quietly knitting nearby. "What's this… Forget it. Did something happen in the basement?"
Gornes blinked as well. "I have no idea, boss. I've been here the whole time." He even held up the sweater in his hands. "See?"
"…Fine." Sairuis smacked his lips, stood up, and headed for the stairs. After just two steps down, he leaned back, poking his head out again. "Make me one with a dinosaur pattern."
Gornes laughed and spread the sweater open. Embroidered on the back—still unfinished—was a chibi green T-Rex riding a trash can.
The basement had long been converted into a wine cellar. Crates of various alcohols were neatly stacked, with a few wooden tables and chairs pushed into a corner. At the farthest end stood a trash can beside a strange device that clashed with its surroundings.
It had long rectangular components on the top and bottom, each encircled by a glowing ring. In the center floated a blue, luminous cube. The three segments—top, middle, bottom—weren't even connected, simply suspended in midair, radiating futuristic brilliance.
This was a Domain Anchor.
A gadget from the Astral Express, Domain Anchors were usually deployed in newly explored regions as relay points to connect them with the wider starrail.
As a devoted follower of Trailblaze-Aeon Akivili, Sairuis had naturally purchased one from the crew. Unfortunately, it could now only connect with other Anchors within this mysterious world.
[See? I told you not to put a trash can next to the Domain Anchor. Look, now they've had a chemical reaction.]
"A chemical reaction? What, are they gonna have a kid or something?"
Sairuis lifted the trash can lid.
Two pairs of eyes met in silence.
—Huh?
...
At half past twelve, Klein awoke from hunger. He boiled two potatoes, wolfed them down with two long slices of black bread—nearly a full pound of food.
After filling his stomach, he studied some notes from his body's former owner, then endured questioning from a few policemen who came knocking. Two left a particularly deep impression.
The leader, about thirty, had a straight nose and gray eyes with a depth beyond words.
The other was a younger officer with black hair and green eyes. Though his uniform was neatly worn, something about him still gave the impression of disheveled nonchalance. He carried the subtle aura of a poet.
The green-eyed officer was especially sharp. His eyes instantly locked onto Klein's notes, catching the chilling line: "Everyone dies. Including me."
Before leaving, he noticed the tavern flyer on Klein's desk. He picked it up, studied the front and back. "The Tavern at the End of the World? What a name…" With a soft laugh, he placed it back down. "Drink less, young man," he advised warmly.
"Uh, of course." Klein forced an awkward smile.
Two protagonists of different eras had crossed paths. History's Leonard rolled forward.
The next few hours, Klein spent locked in a duel of wits with thin air, pouring all his acting skill into deceiving potential observers.
When he felt sure he was no longer being watched, he relaxed a little, finally turning to the flyer he had ignored. His first thought:
"This isn't a circus ad?"
The orange-yellow flyer listed the tavern's address and promotional offers: all drinks 30% off, buy-one-get-one-free for the next three days. The background was splashed with fireworks, streamers, hula-hoops, juggling balls, and masks. At the center: bold letters—"The Tavern at the End of the World."
In the lower left corner was a strange pink emblem: a goblet topped with a diamond-shaped star, wings—or perhaps smiling patterns—decorating its sides.
"…Wait." Klein froze. Among the background drawings was a mask strikingly familiar. "Mr. Devil's mask?"
Even through the gray fog, he had seen the Devil's side-hanging mask, and this outline was nearly identical.
"No way it's that much of a coincidence…" Klein broke into a sweat.
...
Sairuis looked into the amber eyes before him—eyes still untouched by knowledge, pure.
He took a step back. The girl immediately clambered out of the trash can.
She even tripped over it.
But that didn't matter. Heroes never flee—they rise again where they fall.
Dusting herself off, she stood in silence for a beat.
Then, her lips curved into a triumphant grin, hands on her hips, and she let out a cool "hmph."
[My Goat is here 🥹]
A newborn stellaron, barely a year old. Just formed into human shape. Only beginning to grasp humanity.
Behold: Galactic Baseballer, making her grand debut!
[Bravo! Clap clap clap!]
"…Wait, sis? You transmigrated too?"
"I dunno. He said there'd be Star Jades, so I came." Her eyes shone with the vacant brightness of a college freshman.
Star cupped her chin in thought, summoning her world-shattering intellect to unravel the mystery of her sudden transmigration.
She couldn't figure it out. But how could that be? She was the pride of Origami University. No teacher—no matter how strict—could keep from smiling sincerely at her.
"Truly worthy of being a Penacony shareholder," they all praised.
Then—epiphany struck! She understood!
As BGM blared from her pocket, she ducked under the table, whipping out a tranquilizer dart that struck Gornes, who had come down to gawk.
The butler staggered forward, collapsed unconscious in front of the table.
Behind him, Stelle pulled out a blue bowtie, pressed it to her lips, and out came the gravelly voice of a middle-aged detective:
"This kidnapping case of a maiden has been solved by me! There's only one truth! And the culprit… is you, Sairuis!"
"Eh? Me?"
[Didn't expect you to be this kind of man! Even my husky is ashamed to walk beside you!]
"No, hang on, bro—"
"Still denying it? Then allow me to reveal your method of crime!" Stelle roared with confidence.
"Every seasoned criminal knows the easiest way to abduct someone is to impersonate a trusted acquaintance. And the victim—none other than the galaxy's unrivaled beauty, Stelle—was snatched while speaking with Wang Yatong. You disguised yourself as Wang Yatong and tricked her with a bounty of 1600 Star Jades! The evidence? No job ever pays over a hundred!"
"…So how did you get fooled?" Sairuis asked, hand raised.
"…What's it to you?"
"Then why are you so sure I was the impostor?"
"Hmph, isn't it obvious? Same logic as why someone would help a person they didn't hit with their car. If you weren't the culprit, why would you have freed me from the trash can's seal?"
"…That's way too far-fetched."
Stelle crawled out from under the table and kicked his shin. "Anyway! Hurry up and confess in tears already!"
[Wonderful! A goddess-tier detective—we're doomed.]
(End of Chapter)