บท 25: Chapter 25: Jarilo
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Bochang and Stelle casually strolled through the train, briefly peeking into Dan Heng's and March 7th's rooms.
Then, Pom-Pom gathered everyone at the main hall for the upcoming warp of the Astral Express.
The two returned to the hall, where March 7th, Himeko, Welt Yang, and Pom-Pom were already present. Only Dan Heng was missing.
Stelle and Bochang sat on soft brown sofas, quietly awaiting the start of the warp.
Suddenly, March 7th, who had been observing stars nearby, approached them.
"Did you visit my room just now?"
"How did you know?" Stelle looked puzzled.
March 7th explained, "I couldn't find you earlier, so I asked Pom-Pom. It mentioned seeing you both in my room. So, what do you think? Isn't it beautifully decorated...? Stelle, once your room is assigned, would you like me to help spruce it up too?"
"That won't be necessary."
Stelle smiled.
Dan Heng's room was within the information archive; it wasn't originally intended as living quarters, but he had stubbornly stayed there, and Pom-Pom didn't bother to enforce any rules. Over time, the archive gradually became Dan Heng's personal space. Since there was no bed, he typically slept on a makeshift mattress on the floor.
March 7th's room was adjacent to the archive.
The entire room was adorned in pink, giving off a distinctly girlish ambiance.
However...
Stelle, having no such preferences, naturally declined the offer graciously.
March 7th sat next to Stelle, and their casual conversation continued until Pom-Pom approached, interrupting them.
"The train has now left the safety zone of the space station. The warp is expected to initiate in ten minutes. Please ensure all passengers are seated securely and braced for potential vibrations!"
"Uh... There really wasn't a need to remind me specifically, Pom-Pom. I've gone through warps numerous times already..." March 7th expressed with a resigned look.
Pom-Pom responded unsympathetically, "Who else would repeatedly challenge themselves and end up tripping during each warp except passenger March 7th?"
"Heh heh, that's called resilience against adversity."
Contrary to her initial frustration, the pink-haired girl began to laugh.
Pom-Pom merely sighed and shook its head before turning to leave. As the warp countdown reached zero, March 7th promptly stood up, moved to the center of the hall, and braced themselves as if facing a formidable adversary.
Stelle and Bochang closed their eyes, following March 7th's earlier advice during their casual chat that doing so could alleviate the sensation of dizziness.
Naturally, they both complied.
The warp countdown hit zero swiftly.
As the Astral Express traversed through space, it turned blue, seemingly crossing dimensions in an instant, rushing away like a speck of light vanishing from sight.
Within the space station, the signal of the Astral Express abruptly disappeared.
An overwhelming wave of vertigo swept over them, far stronger than motion sickness. Bochang gritted his teeth and endured it.
The destination of this warp was a tiny planet with the designation—Jarilo VI.
The last time the train visited this planet... was thousands of years ago.
According to the records in the knowledge bank, it was once a lush and incredibly beautiful world.
However, once the warp concluded, they discovered that reality was quite different.
From space, Jarilo VI appeared uniformly white—a planet seemingly enveloped by extreme cold.
The warp had ended.
Now it was safe to move freely within the train.
Bochang and Stelle stood up, joining others at the windows to gaze upon the snow-covered planet outside.
March 7th, who felt accomplished for not stumbling during this self-challenge, initially seemed pleased. But as she took in the sight of the icy world, her excitement gradually faded.
"Weren't we told it's supposed to be a very beautiful planet?" March 7th scratched her head. "Could it be that we haven't arrived yet?"
"This is indeed our destination. After thousands of years... Jarilo VI has transformed into this state. It seems our Trailblazing journey won't be easy..." Himeko spread her hands, realizing from the drastic change in the planet's environment that something significant must have occurred here.
It was now time for the Trailblazers to step in.
As expected, Pom-Pom promptly reported the situation.
Pom-Pom promptly reported the situation.
"Abnormal spatial readings! Stability of the star rail has dropped to 12%! The planned docking duration, initially seven days, is now extended indefinitely!"
"Not this again... Without even saying it, I bet the cause of these star rail anomalies is once more due to Stellaron..." March 7th closed her eyes, feeling exasperated.
Welt Yang approached from nearby, confirming her suspicion. "The preliminary analysis results are out; the root cause of the anomaly remains Stellaron."
Stellaron. Stelle had heard this term numerous times, but even now, she still didn't fully grasp what it meant.
Unable to resist, the gray-haired girl asked, "What exactly is Stellaron?"
"Based on our conjectures, Stellaron appears to be a seed of calamity disseminated across various worlds by some Aeon. However... the only certainty we have at present is that Stellaron's arrival triggers drastic changes in civilizations and ecosystems, along with spatial distortions like rifts. It's likely that Jarilo VI's transformation also bears connection to Stellaron."
Welt-Yang provided extensive explanations.
Himeko added, "Don't worry... This isn't the first time we've encountered routes obstructed by Stellaron. Although many mysteries still surround it, even beyond Herta's ability to fully analyze, at least we possess means to counteract its influence."
"In any case... crew members of the Astral Express, you now have work to do." Himeko smiled warmly at everyone.
The mission was straightforward: locate the Stellaron causing calamity and distorting space on this world, then bring it back to the train.
Himeko entrusted this challenging task to Stelle, Bochang, Dan Heng, and March 7th.
The four-person team prepared themselves for departure.
However...
Before setting off, there were some necessary preparations to make.
Dan Heng was currently organizing Jarilo VI's ecological and survey data.
Meanwhile, Stelle and March 7th went to sort out supplies.
Bochang approached Himeko and asked, "Himeko... since we're heading to a frigid planet for this mission, do we have any snowmobiles or similar vehicles?"
The redheaded big sister, sipping coffee while reading a newspaper, had her legs elegantly crossed, revealing graceful curves amidst soft, snow-white skin.
Upon hearing his question, Himeko lifted her head, briefly glancing at Bochang and his Vow Spear.
"Snowmobiles, you say... Yes, we have one, but March wrecked it pretty badly. If you can fix it, feel free to use it; I certainly don't want to deal with that thing right now."
Even the Astral Express could be repaired by Himeko. Naturally, fixing a snowmobile wouldn't pose a problem for her. However, the issue was... the vehicle was practically reduced to scrap metal, requiring significant effort to restore.
Moreover, there were many situations where snowmobiles simply weren't needed.
Thus, Himeko saw no point in repairing it. After all, even if fixed, there was a high chance March 7th would once again render it unusable.
Just then... the neutral electronic voice sounded once more:
[Dating Options activated.]
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