Hearing Welt Yang's words, Phainon, beneath his mask, frowned slightly.
"Damn it, is Honkai still chasing me?"
"No, it's not Honkai chasing me, it's the Black Tide."
"No, it's not that either… Honkai isn't chasing me, it's chasing Old Yang."
Memories of his past life were buried in thirty million reincarnations, becoming very blurry.
Now, he could only recall fragmented memories, with only a rough outline of future events.
But, looking at Welt, that extremely tense, 'subway old man' expression…
Phainon suddenly felt that it was all absurd and comical, and persecuting Old Yang seemed like a very satisfying thing to do.
And so…
From beneath the mask came a low, suppressed laugh.
"Heh, heh heh heh…"
There was a hint of madness in his laughter.
He didn't even know why he was laughing.
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't distinguish between illusion and reality.
"He, he's laughing… Uncle Yang, I'm scared!" March 7th's voice trembled.
Welt Yang's Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke every word with extreme clarity:
"Excuse me, Mr. Phainon, why did you appear on the Astral Express's Stelle-rail?"
Phainon's laughter stopped abruptly.
He tilted his head, his ice-blue pupils peering through the mask's gap, as if scrutinizing the most familiar stranger.
"I… I seem to be lost."
His voice was very soft, with a hint of confusion.
"My head… was hit once, oh, no, it should be twice, like it was run over by the Astral Express's wheel hub."
"Many things are all jumbled up; I can't distinguish them."
Hearing the words "was hit," everyone in the Astral Express immediately turned their gaze to the trembling Conductor in the corner.
Pom-Pom's ears drooped, and beads of sweat continuously rolled down its forehead.
Welt took a deep breath; the other party's mental state seemed unstable, his words fragmented, but this only made him more vigilant.
"I see."
He maintained his outward composure, "We caused you trouble, and we are responsible. So, can you still recall… your homeland?"
Homeland?
Phainon's body stiffened slightly.
The scorched earth of Ailimi, or the azure of Earth… which one counted as his homeland?
And subconsciously, he seemed to be waiting for a hero with gray-white hair.
This hero, or rather, the Stellaron, would also travel with the Astral Express crew!
After a moment of thought, Phainon finally squeezed out four words.
"Amphoreus, I suppose."
Upon hearing this, Welt searched the deep sea of his memories.
Amphoreus? A blank.
He looked at Dan Heng.
Dan Heng simply shook his head in silence; there was no record of this Stelle in the database either.
The atmosphere solidified once again.
After a long pause, Welt spoke, breaking the silence.
"Mr. Phainon, your condition requires rest. Please settle in the guest room for now. We will discuss the subsequent arrangements. I hope you don't mind."
As he spoke, he exchanged glances with March 7th and Dan Heng, and the group quietly exited the room… In the Observation Car, Himeko elegantly held a cup of hand-drip coffee, admiring the galaxy outside the window.
"So, Phainon was hit by the Astral Express and lost his memory?" She put down her coffee cup and looked at the solemn-faced Welt.
"Hmm, judging from his current statements, that's the most logical conjecture. Moreover, his mental state is not very stable." Welt rested his chin on one hand.
"However, there are too many unanswered questions. The Stelle-rail is a synchronized pathway laid by the Astral Express as it travels. A living person appearing on it is, in itself, against common sense."
March 7th couldn't help but interject, "But no matter what, we really did hit him and cause his amnesia. He seems to be in a serious condition, unable to even speak clearly."
"We can't just leave him at the Space Station, can we? At the very least, we should help him find that place called… Amphoreus."
Dan Heng crossed his arms and mused, "There's no record of Amphoreus in the database. This means it might be a world that even the Aeon of Trailblaze has never set foot in."
"Wow! Isn't that great!" March 7th's eyes lit up instantly. "If we send Phainon back, wouldn't that be exactly fulfilling the will of Trailblaze? Just imagine, a brand new, unknown adventure awaits us!"
"Now is not the time to fantasize about Trailblaze, March." Welt interrupted the girl's enthusiasm. "The doubts haven't been dispelled. I can clearly feel a restless energy hidden within Phainon, very… dangerous."
He paused, his tone becoming heavier: "I should have mentioned my homeland to you before. There, too, was a warrior who carried too much. Seeing Phainon inevitably reminds me of him."
"Welt, what is your suggestion?" Himeko looked at him, her gaze calm and profound.
"This matter concerns the safety of everyone on the Astral Express, and I cannot make a decision alone. Let's vote on Phainon's stay or departure."
March 7th was the first to raise her hand: "I think we should help him until he recovers his memory. He looks so pitiful, and he hasn't shown any malice so far. Just abandoning him feels like a betrayal of conscience!"
Dan Heng immediately echoed, "I also agree with March."
As for why, he didn't elaborate much, but perhaps Dan Heng found a resonance of kindred spirits in Phainon.
After all, they were both people who had lost their past.
"It seems the young ones already have their opinions." Welt sighed.
"My opinion is that he should temporarily remain on the Astral Express until we can confirm he can live independently or safely return to Amphoreus. But he must be under strict surveillance."
"Ugh…" Pom-Pom also raised its small paw, saying tearfully, "Pom-Pom hit him, Pom-Pom will take responsibility for him, Pom-Pom!"
Himeko smiled, picked up her coffee, and took a sip: "It seems the vote results are already clear. So, it's decided."
"Welt, since you are the most wary of him and feel that power most deeply, then the task of observing Phainon will be yours, correct?"
She put down her cup and looked at the gradually clearer outline of the massive structure outside the window, "Coincidentally, we are about to arrive at the Herta Space Station."
"Perhaps we can ask Ms. Herta for help; she should be very interested in this mysterious guest."
"With her wisdom, she should be able to find a way to probe what lies deep within Phainon's memories."
—
In the guest room.
Phainon stood motionless by the window, gazing at the continuously enlarging Space Station.
A whisper echoed deep within his consciousness.
There… a grand "Destruction" would descend.
And he would gain an opportunity to confront Nanook.
An opportunity… to kill an "Aeon."