The image on the screen faded away, and new text materialized in its place:
[You have stepped out of Jarilo-VI's atmosphere and seen the Astral Express, which has just ended its years-long journey and appeared in the planet's orbit.]
[The train's head and tail seem to connect to countless spaces. You see the train docked in orbit outside Jarilo-VI, with warm, orange light glowing from within its exquisite observation car.]
[Familiar faces look up from inside the observation car. You see Stelle looking at you, her expression a bit dazed.]
[March 7th is watching you curiously, her arm around Stelle as she chatters happily about something.]
[Dan Heng stands behind them on high alert. Normally calm, he is now watching you cautiously, cold sweat beading on his forehead.]
[Welt looks at you, his expression like that of a weary old man on the subway staring at his phone.]
[Himeko's hand trembles slightly as she places her coffee cup on the table, spilling a few drops of an unidentifiable black liquid.]
[Your last shred of sanity is about to evaporate. You have enough left for one final sentence.]
[Looking at the Astral Express not far away, you decide—]
[1. "Hello there, everyone on the Astral Express... Have you eaten?"]
[2. "Welcome to Jarilo-VI, my friends... I am the former emperor of the empire, Ron. I hope you enjoy your time here." ]
[3. "Get away, now! Don't look back! Find the Xianzhou, find [The Hunt]... Tell them I'm here... and then, kill me!"]
Looking at the text on the screen, Ron couldn't quite keep a straight face.
Although it was perfectly reasonable for the Astral Express to be stuck circling outside Jarilo-VI due to Sampo's interference and only now emerge from the Imaginary Space, did they really have to run into him at this exact moment?
He had originally planned to watch his simulated self meet his end quietly and simply, but it seemed that was no longer possible...
Ron sighed, looking at the options. He chose the third one without hesitation.
Options one and two seemed interesting, and if his simulated self still had his wits about him, Ron would have gladly chosen one of them to greet the Express crew.
But that was clearly not an option now... In a moment, his sanity would be completely consumed by desire, and he would be mutated by the power of The Apothecary of The Abundance into a terrifying monster the universe had never seen before. Greeting the train would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths.
He had no doubt that after his evolution, he would be more than capable of crushing the train... Once he lost his reason, he wouldn't mind doing something like that at all. He'd probably instinctively treat the train like a chocolate bar, stuffing it in his mouth, chewing it up, and swallowing it whole.
While he did like the beautiful girls of the Express crew, that didn't mean he liked them minced. Even though this simulation was about to be scrapped, Ron wanted to arrange his own funeral, to minimize the impact his simulated self would have.
A Progeny of Abundance had to be dealt with by the Xianzhou Alliance, even if that Progeny of Abundance was himself...
With that thought, Ron watched as the option box on the screen faded and a new scene began to play:
"Stelle, look, look... There's a person over there!"
March 7th shook Stelle's shoulders, her face full of curiosity.
"He's drifting in space just like I was... though he's not frozen in ice. Do you think he could be my long-lost brother or something?"
Beside her, Stelle was getting dizzy from the shaking, but her gaze remained fixed on Ron, staring at him in a trance.
In a daze, she saw a brilliant starlight flicker within Ron's chest, and a strange sense of familiarity emanated from him.
Stelle gently covered her own chest, feeling her heartbeat quicken slightly as if in resonance, and murmured subconsciously:
"...Do you think he could be my long-lost brother or something?"
March 7th looked at her, exasperated, and made a pouting, unimpressed face. "What are you, a broken record?"
"He can't be your relative... Attention, we are preparing to warp."
Behind them, Dan Heng placed his hands firmly on March 7th's and Stelle's shoulders, pressing them down to sit on the sofa in the car.
"This is an emergency warp. The train will shake violently. You must hold on tight..."
March 7th and Stelle were both taken aback. Only now did they notice that everyone else was already seated, gripping the armrests tightly.
The conductor, Pom-Pom, was running around the carriage on his short little legs, shouting as he went:
"Star Rail diagnostics stable, no self-check stop required! This station's layover is being shortened from seven days to zero!"
"The Express will begin its warp in three minutes! Please be seated and hold on tight, careful of the turbulence!"
March 7th scratched her head in confusion. "Why are we leaving so suddenly? We only just got here!"
"This warp took a whole two years! I've never been on a warp this long since I boarded. I was about to die of boredom stuck in the carriage... Are we really not going down to that planet to have some fun?"
She pointed to Jarilo-VI outside the window. The planet was draped in a silvery-white coat, looking as cold as a scoop of ice cream, which happened to be right up March 7th's alley.
"Whether or not we can stay here... depends on 'that person's' intentions."
Dan Heng stared intently at Ron outside the window, at the god-like figure cloaked in splendor. A sharp pain shot through his mind, as if a thousand steel needles were piercing his brain. Fragments of unpleasant memories flashed before his eyes, and he subconsciously clenched his jaw.
"That person?"
March 7th glanced at Ron outside the window and habitually raised the camera slung at her hip.
"He doesn't look like a dangerous person... Don't you think he looks kind and handsome? Meeting someone like that on our journey would definitely be interesting!"
March 7th put a hand on her hip, full of confidence. "There's really no need to be in such a rush. Why don't you let this young lady go over and have a chat with him? Maybe we can even get a photo together. Everything will be..."
But before she could finish, a voice, filled with agony and ferocity, echoed through the train despite the vacuum of space—
"Go... Go now! Don't look back!"
Ron was forcefully clutching his own throat, suppressing its mutation, using his final shred of sanity and strength to plead with the train:
"Find the [Xianzhou Alliance] and [The Hunt], Lan! Tell them I'm here... and then, kill me!"
The words vibrated through the carriage. Even Stelle, sitting firmly on the sofa, felt a slight tremor. The sound booming in her ears caused the Synesthesia Beacon to let out an ominous wail.
March 7th immediately deflated, clearly terrified. She dared only to peek over the back of the sofa, her eyes watching Ron cautiously.
"Wh-what's happening to him...?"
The moment she asked, Ron answered her with his actions—
In his eyes, which twinkled with the light of a thousand stars, the last glimmer of reason was completely extinguished.
The unrestrained blessing of The Abundance, guided by Ron's desires, began to reshape his body. The human form that had merely shimmered with golden-green light suddenly expanded to an unimaginable size...
A scarlet mass of flesh blotted out the Jarilo star. Its tentacles nearly brushed against several planets. In its shadow, the Astral Express was as insignificant as an ant, completely engulfed by darkness...
The scene on the screen paused, and a new option box appeared:
[Your sanity is almost completely gone.]
[The unreserved blessing from The Apothecary of The Abundance has brought about an unimaginable change. You will fully evolve into the most powerful creature in the universe, becoming the ultimate biological entity.]
[Due to your previous choices of "restraint," you have slightly suppressed the blessing of The Apothecary.]
[Now, as the blessing changes you, you have a limited ability to guide the focus of your evolution.]
[Please choose—]
[1. Power-focused. Only the strong can survive the infinite crises of the universe and live to see the end of all things. You will guide the blessing of The Abundance to the pinnacle of evolution, adding extra weight to your "Power." ]
[2. Survival-focused. Many crises cannot be withstood by ordinary means. Only by ensuring one's own survivability can one live to see the end of the universe. You will guide the blessing of The Abundance to the pinnacle of evolution, adding extra weight to your "Survival." ]
[3. Charm-focused. The endpoint of evolution will ultimately reach the pinnacle of the perception of "Beauty"... You don't care if you can live forever; you just want to make yourself a little less dangerous. You will guide the blessing of The Abundance to the pinnacle of evolution, adding extra weight to your "Charm." ]
Was there even a choice? It's a no-brainer to pick charm.
If I really chose power or survival, it's a toss-up whether the Xianzhou could even beat me after I called them over...
Ron thought with a hint of emotion and, without hesitation, clicked the third option.
The option box on the screen faded, and the scene continued to play:
The massive, system-spanning scarlet mass of flesh suddenly contracted. Like a sponge being wrung dry, it squeezed in on itself, transforming into a fleshy egg that pulsed with a faint golden light. A strange heartbeat echoed from within, as if some creature was about to break free from its chrysalis...
Then, a pair of crystalline horns pierced the shell. An azure dragon stretched its body freely, swimming through the cosmos. Its scales shimmered with a faint golden light, each one like a priceless gem, reflecting the brilliance of the stars, dazzling all who saw it.
It swished its tail, coiling its body. Jarilo-VI, like a pearl, was sheltered beneath it. Like a father protecting his child, it opened its eyes towards the train. Its draconic eyes shone like great suns, its vertical pupils staring directly at the Express, its gaze cold and merciless.
March 7th instantly understood what Dan Heng meant. Pointing at Ron, she stammered, frantically shaking Dan Heng's arm.
"He-he-he-he-he turned into a dragon—!"
Beside them, Stelle stared blankly at Ron's cold, emotionless pupils. She watched the azure dragon's whiskers drift in the windless void, watched as its mouth seemed to brew storms, lightning, ice, fire, and stone—all of creation simmering within, ready to be unleashed upon the train in a single breath...
But everything stopped—
"Warp commencing! 3, 2, 1—!!"
Pom-Pom's voice came over the broadcast. The power left behind by Akivili, The Trailblaze, still supplied the Astral Express with infinite energy. The train's wheels turned on the Star Rail, and space itself buckled and twisted—
The Astral Express once again entered hyperspace. A breath attack from Ron followed an instant later, passing through the train's afterimage and striking a planet hundreds of millions of kilometers away.
In a flash, the planet was pulverized by the immense force. A blazing fire erupted from its core, and it ultimately disintegrated into scattered dust in the cosmos...
Ron watched all of this happen calmly. His draconic body, which covered nearly half the star system, stretched gracefully before slowly coiling up, settling itself around Jarilo-VI, protecting it. It then slowly closed its eyes...
---o---
The image on the screen faded, and new text appeared:
[Ron has left Jarilo-VI.]
[You know that you have lost him completely.]
[All duo-traits between you and Ron have become ineffective. But having undergone a monumental change, you have obtained new traits...]