The scene changed, shifting to the Astral Express.
The hum of the whistle roared. At that moment, the Astral Express was heading toward Herta Space Station, on the verge of arriving at its docking point.
To Orchis, it felt as if she had seen the Trailblazer off only a few days ago... but in truth, during the time she had been unconscious, the Astral Express had already passed through Jarilo-VI and the Xianzhou Luofu.
The Nameless had resolved the Stellaron crisis in Belobog, dealt with the Interastral Peace Corporation's bad debts, engaged in a fierce battle with Phantylia the Undying, and even formed a thriving ghost-hunting squad in their spare time!
Moreover, this was not the Trailblazer's first return trip to Herta Space Station.
The Astral Express and the space station had a cooperative relationship, often coming here to exchange goods and replenish supplies. The last time she returned, the little gray-haired girl had even participated in the grand Simulated Universe project concerning the history of the ancient Swarm Disaster and the secret lore of how the Aeon of Propagation was jointly crusaded against by the other Aeons.
"..."
Sitting on the sofa in the carriage, Stelle was silent, staring at the golden pocket watch in her hand.
A faintly sorrowful melody echoed in the space. The object stirred her emotions. The Trailblazer often wondered, what exactly were Orchis's origins?
While testing the Swarm Disaster module, she had taken a detour to the platform, hoping to find a trace of the puppet girl.
Unfortunately, ever since they held hands and said goodbye, Stelle had not seen Orchis again.
Did I do something to make her dislike me?
Or does Orchis have some unspeakable secret that prevents her from meeting me?
With all sorts of considerations but insufficient information, the little gray-haired girl sighed and put her pocket watch away.
"If you're always sighing, your rare good luck might just fly away."
A lively voice rang out. Stelle turned her gaze to see March 7th walking toward her.
"Rare good luck?" the little gray-haired girl asked in return.
The way she said it, it was almost as if something good had already happened.
March 7th didn't keep her in suspense and told her the truth.
"Haven't you been helping Madam Herta test the Simulated Universe? You're also very interested in the people from the Genius Society.
"Well, I just got some news from the station's personnel. You might get to meet a new genius soon!
"Miss Ruan Mei, who's considered a recluse, is indifferent to fame and fortune and almost never shows her face to outsiders. It's incredibly difficult to get a chance to see her, yet this very genius has been frequently active on the station recently. So? Are you interested now?"
The girl seemed to be providing information, but she was actually trying to comfort Stelle and distract her. March 7th often saw Stelle staring blankly at the pocket watch. Was it a gift from someone very important to her?
March 7th had tried to ask about the pocket watch's origin, but the little gray-haired girl always dodged the question with riddles.
For the Trailblazer, her reluctance to speak was perhaps due to a sense of "specialness" at play.
Stelle was a person with no past memories, so she was quite sensitive about finding a place to belong.
While traveling with the people of the Astral Express, although she felt the warmth of a large family, her subconscious sense of belonging seemed to lean more toward Orchis.
The warmth of the Nameless was a warmth for everyone.
But Orchis was different from the others. She was uniquely special to Stelle, a truly exceptional existence.
This innocent and ambiguous connection made Stelle subconsciously resist sharing anything about Orchis.
When people have a lot, they give without reservation; when they have only one thing, they cherish and protect it with care, wanting it all for themselves.
(Honestly...)
Stelle shook her head, casting aside the negative thoughts. There really were some rather weak parts to her personality.
Push aside the complicated thoughts and focus on the present. After all, March 7th had gone out of her way to bring her good news. She couldn't let someone else's kindness go to waste.
A member of the Genius Society... Ruan Mei?
The name was both familiar and strange, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
-----------------
"...Genius Society #81, Ruan Mei. You should have seen her data form in the Simulated Universe before."
"I've called her over this time. Screwllum is here too. We have something important to discuss."
"Remember to be respectful to Ruan Mei. You won't get many chances to see her."
As the plot progressed, the Astral Express arrived at the station. The little gray-haired girl couldn't wait to run inside the moment she disembarked. Just as she was about to head toward the Simulated Universe, she ran into Herta and Asta, who were in the middle of a conversation. The Trailblazer approached, and Madam Herta told Stelle the news about Ruan Mei.
"Is Ruan Mei that great?" Stelle couldn't help but ask, surprised that Herta would specifically mention respecting someone.
"In the eyes of ordinary people, the dead cannot be revived. But she is an exception."
In her youth, Ruan Mei nearly altered the biosphere of her home planet in an attempt to resurrect the dead, which led to her being glimpsed by Nous.
It is said that her parents died in an avalanche, yet she has also been heard saying she would find time to visit her father, a truly terrifying thought upon closer inspection.
Rumor has it that when Lady Ruan Mei took a short rest on a desert planet, she created a great miracle of local species proliferation upon her departure.
"Does a person who can be my, Herta's, academic partner need any further introduction?
"Little one, if you've heard enough, then get going. Let's see if you can find her."
According to Herta, Ruan Mei had borrowed a Curio from her for research. She wasn't very concerned with the trivialities of life and usually only frequented the Master Control Zone and the platform. Perhaps she could be found nearby?
...The platform?
Hearing this location, Stelle felt she had a rather strange fate with the place.
She had met Orchis there, made the choice to board the Astral Express there, and now she was to go there again to find Lady Ruan Mei.
"But, will Orchis be there?"
The Trailblazer murmured to herself. For a moment, more than the so-called genius, she seemed more concerned about whether she could meet the puppet girl again.
With a hint of curiosity and a touch of melancholy, the little gray-haired girl bid farewell to Herta and headed for the viewing platform.
-----------------
The scene changed, returning to Orchis's side.
After Orchis and Aha had their bout of noisy fun, she came to her senses and realized Ruan Mei's figure had vanished from the laboratory.
Could this be a sign that the main storyline was beginning?
Orchis could no longer be bothered to banter with Aha and immediately followed, leaving the lab. She naturally knew Ruan Mei's range of activity, and the memetic entities were also very good at appearing and disappearing unpredictably to conduct large-scale searches. Thus, Orchis quickly arrived at the viewing platform.
At this moment, what appeared before Orchis's eyes was a platform bathed in azure light.
Standing on it were a woman in traditional attire, Ruan Mei, and a gray-haired girl in a black overcoat, the Trailblazer, Stelle.
Ruan Mei was taste-testing a pastry while admiring the cosmic scenery. Crumbs dotted her mouth, making her look cute and comical. But this was actually a form of psychological inducement, a performance of feigned clumsiness and unpretentiousness to easily close the distance between herself and ordinary people.
It made it easier for an observer to first focus their attention on the food, which could then naturally lead to sharing things and establishing a connection.
Are you interested? Would you like a taste?
It would be rude to refuse, so I'll have a little.
And so, the first thing Orchis saw upon arriving was her Trailblazer being played right into the lady's hands.
Ruan Mei extended a hand and gently placed it on the pulse point of the Trailblazer's chin.
It was a very familiar move, the same principle as when Orchis had intertwined her fingers with the little gray-haired girl's—intimate physical contact to close the distance between them.
"Hello, my dear. I hope I didn't startle you. This is a habit of my work. By touching, I open up perception, allowing the details of life to flood my mind. This helps me understand you better."
The moment Ruan Mei spoke, her words and actions were once again strikingly familiar to Orchis.
First, she casually used the special term of endearment that was supposed to be exclusive to the little gray-haired girl and her. She started right off with "my dear"!
Second, she claimed it was her work habit, providing a reasonable explanation for her physical contact!
And she even said it was to "help me understand you better," which was basically equivalent to "she's interested in me"!
These were all things Orchis had done to the Trailblazer that night, giving her the uncanny feeling of looking in a mirror.
"Um, Miss Ruan Mei, you have some pastry crumbs on the corner of your mouth..."
Ruan Mei was indeed a beauty. Possessing the most authoritative character model of early Star Rail, her cool and aloof, beautiful face was dotted with some cake crumbs. It was so strange and cute that the little gray-haired girl couldn't help but stammer and point it out.
At the same time, a trace of fondness for the woman before her grew in Stelle's heart.
Why was that? In this scene, she was somehow reminded of Orchis. She felt that Miss Ruan Mei, like Orchis, seemed to be a very kind and friendly person. There was an indescribable commonality between them.
"Just call me Ruan Mei, my dear.
"I don't often come to the station, and I only discovered this place today.
"The view is expansive, and the azure planet is calming and pleasant.
"It's a perfect match for the light fragrance of lotus leaves, plum blossoms, glutinous rice, and powdered sugar. So relaxing, yet full of vitality.
"This dessert is also delicious. I'll share half with you.
"Sweet pastries always remind one of a blooming flower. As you eat it, bite by bite, the fragrance will linger on your lips and teeth.
"I hope you like it too."
Orchis just watched as Miss Ruan Mei naturally brought the plate of pastries to the little gray-haired girl's face with a light smile.
A mysterious little snack, laced with an anti-truth serum.
Eat it, and you won't be able to speak your true thoughts, becoming a captive to this bad woman.
The Trailblazer, however, appeared somewhat awkward. Because of Ruan Mei's actions, and thinking back to March 7th, she felt she was a lucky person to some extent. People cared about her, were willing to get close to her, and share things with her, which in turn made her seem not so sociable.
Even a stranger could so naturally offer what they had to others.
Yet she herself wished she could hide everything about Orchis away in her heart.
The contrast created a stark disparity.
Perhaps out of a sense of shame, the young and simple little gray-haired girl hurriedly shook her head, refusing Ruan Mei's gift.
At the same time, due to some of her experiences on the Xianzhou, Stelle was actually no longer daring enough to accept food from strangers.
The memory of how the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus had used the Vidyadhara as a medicinal ingredient, which she had almost consumed, was still vivid in her mind.
But Ruan Mei was not about to let the Trailblazer go.
There are no secrets that can be kept forever. Ruan Mei found it difficult to trust anyone but herself.
Any single error in the data during meticulous research could cause problems.
She hated situations that were beyond her control.
"...You don't like it? I put a lot of effort into it."
Seeing the disappointment in Ruan Mei's expression, Stelle suddenly felt as if she had done something wrong.
The little gray-haired girl was very simple-minded. *Since I've received so much support from Orchis, the Express crew, and Madam Herta, I must be more grateful and cherish the people around me.* At this moment, driven by social obligation, she really had no choice but to eat the pastry.
Seeing this, Orchis felt that the following plot would probably be more or less the same.
Next, the little gray-haired girl would be tricked into the laboratory to feed the big bug, and then she, the female protagonist, would find a way to provide some functional assistance.
After this little interlude was hastily wrapped up and the weekly boss was defeated, it would be time to go to Penacony.
—Or would it?
Boom.
Orchis's gaze froze. She suddenly felt the temperature of the entire space station rise sharply.
Turning her head toward the source of the heat, she saw a weapon that was both a shield and a cavalry lance, burning with scorching flames, manifest into existence.
-----------------
"My dear, do you still remember my 'research'?"
After the Trailblazer had completely ingested the anti-truth serum, Ruan Mei naturally began to confirm its effects.
The little gray-haired girl thought for a moment, only remembering that it was related to biology.
But as the words reached her lips, the line Stelle spoke was the complete opposite of her inner thoughts.
"I don't remember. I only like researching little stories about toilets."
The Trailblazer's expression looked a little strange.
What's going on... What am I... saying?
"Is that so? A very cute hobby," Ruan Mei said, observing the Trailblazer's blank expression and confirming that the drug had taken effect.
"But remember, if you encounter a similar situation in the future, you must hide your expression before you figure out what's happening. Otherwise... you'll be full of openings. Let's try that again. Now, my dear, what else do you want to ask?"
What does that mean...
What did this person do to me...
What did she make me eat...
The accusatory words were stuck in her throat. The little gray-haired girl could only speak in a flat tone.
"The pastry was delicious. I'd like to have some more."
"Such a gluttonous child. Very well, I will tell you the recipe."
"Come, take a walk with me. A walk is the most suitable pastime after enjoying a delicious snack."
Ruan Mei immediately turned her back to the Trailblazer and walked forward, preparing to let her new assistant understand the subsequent situation.
But after a brief moment of shock, Stelle hesitated for a long while, her eyes gradually turning dangerous.
Boom! A decisive move! She raised her right hand, and her palm instantly burst with fiery sparks!
The Gift of the Architects! The Blessing of the Amber Lord! The power of the Path of Preservation! This was the Lance of Flame the Trailblazer had obtained in Belobog.
Stelle gripped the fiery lance with both hands, her expression cold, as a hot wind howled! Charge! She aimed the weapon directly at Ruan Mei's throat!
In an instant, all the researchers lingering on the viewing platform turned their gazes toward where Ruan Mei and the Trailblazer were.
(This psycho.)
She urged me to eat food from an unknown source and now wants to take me to some strange place. How could I possibly go with her?
Does she take me for an idiot?!