Nero and Stelle walked onto the gangway together, then headed toward the Astral Express parked at the platform.
After the battle with the Doomsday Beast, this place had suffered considerable damage, but as a key hub for outside contact, the platform and gangway were repaired at the fastest speed.
The gangway and platform, although not as complete and splendid as before, had no issues being used now.
At the edge of the gangway, the two encountered Dan Heng, who was standing here quietly with his eyes closed.
"How is it? You didn't eat the Trotter, right?" Dan Heng asked the two.
"You already said I shouldn't eat it, so of course I wouldn't!" Nero spread his hands.
"Mhm, that's good."
Dan Heng nodded, then looked at Stelle, "Let's go. Himeko is waiting for you at the platform."
The three walked forward together and found March 7th at the platform edge, looking at the stars.
The pretty girl turned back and greeted the three, then picked up her camera and took a photo of the starry sky and the three of them.
The Astral Express was parked at the platform, the lights on its head glowing. This huge, legendary train capable of traveling among the stars stood out strikingly here. Himeko stood right beside the engine.
Stelle walked forward.
After chatting casually for a few sentences, Himeko asked Stelle, "So? Have you decided?"
Kafka's words when she first woke up echoed in Stelle's mind. She had to make a choice with her own will, to not do anything she would regret.
Stelle also thought of the numb expressions on most researchers in the space station, which formed an extremely sharp contrast to the train crew and to Nero.
Whether it was fighting the Doomsday Beast together or going with Nero to retrieve the Fright Maze, they were all very interesting adventures. She really liked that feeling.
Looking into Himeko's eyes, Stelle nodded and said seriously, "I want to get on the train!"
Himeko smiled gently. "Good."
"Me too, me too!"
Nero ran forward and waved.
"I want to get on the train too! My flying sword burned out on the way here. Can the Astral Express send me back to the Xianzhou?"
"Of course." Himeko nodded lightly.
"The train never rejects any companion. But the train's next stop is already set. Do you mind traveling with us for a while? If you're in a hurry to return to the Xianzhou, I can ask Herta to..."
"No need!" Before Himeko could finish, Nero immediately cut in, "I'll go play with you guys!"
Himeko blinked, then chuckled softly. "In that case, I'll entrust you with guarding the train. You two, come with me."
Dan Heng had already boarded ahead. March 7th walked past the three at this moment.
The pretty girl stretched lazily, then grabbed Nero's hand and dragged him toward the train. "Let's go, let's go! Adventuring on different planets is super fun!"
Himeko also brought Stelle aboard.
Once everyone was gathered, the train slowly started, its speed gradually increasing. The scene of the Herta Space Station's platform and the distant stars began to slide past before their eyes.
Mr. Yang had been on the train the whole time. The two adults got together and began discussing the train's next course of action.
Stelle, March, and Nero stood at the train's window, waving. Then they saw Asta and Arlan, and the Herta puppet rushing over to say goodbye.
Herta herself didn't stay at the platform for long. She glanced at the puppet once, then went back to standby.
Asta and Arlan also turned and left after nodding in farewell.
The phonograph inside the train had begun playing at some unknown moment. The melodious singing drifted from it, circling everyone's ears like the wind, carrying a faint reluctance and the free-spiritedness of a traveler.
Very soon, the train left the track of the Herta Space Station, departed from the space station's platform, and officially charged into the vast and boundless starry sky.
At that moment, a short but furry figure came to stand beside Nero and Stelle.
It was a creature with long ears, gray and white in color, wearing a uniform, looking somewhat like a plush toy.
"Hey! Hey, I'm calling you!"
This little thing, whatever species it was, shouted twice, successfully drawing Nero and Stelle's attention.
Stelle looked at the creature in confusion, first glancing at Nero, then pointing at herself.
"Yes! That's right, I'm calling you two! You look kinda slow and goofy..."
Nero crouched down. His eyes lit up as he looked at Pom Pom.
He hadn't expected that even in the world of the Astral Express, Pom Pom actually still looked like a plush toy.
He kind of wanted to poke it, to see whether Pom Pom's texture felt more like a stuffed toy or more like a real creature.
Nero extended a finger toward Pom Pom and said seriously, "First of all, I'm not 'hey.' My name is Nero."
Pom Pom shifted its gaze toward Nero, its eyes widening slightly.
The white-haired boy smiled, his clean gray eyes filled with seriousness and curiosity. The starlight of the universe shone behind him, making him radiant like a blazing star.
Even in its long, long life, this was the first time it had seen someone... something... like Nero.
From appearance to personality, it seemed flawless and perfect. (During the retrieval of the Fright Maze, Pom Pom had already heard the stories of Stelle and Nero from Himeko and Mr. Yang.)
Pom Pom almost spoke without thinking, "Oh my Idrilla, are you related to Them or something?"
Nero blinked, surprised by Pom Pom's words.
He hadn't expected Pom Pom's evaluation of this body to be this high, though he was indeed quite satisfied with it himself now.
After all, the moment Mengming saw him, she immediately invited him to Sleepless Earl to be a mascot.
And Mr. Xiyan also said at first glance that he could make big money just by relying on his looks, easier than Xiyan relying on his tongue.
But Idrilla was a "Aeon of Beauty," after all. Nero had never expected that one day he would rank anywhere near that name in appearance.
Whether or not the mysterious Conductor Pom Pom had actually seen Idrilla before, even just hearing such an exclamation carried a lot of weight.
Pom Pom stared blankly for two seconds, then snapped back, clearing its throat to ease the awkwardness. "I'm Pom Pom, the Conductor of the Astral Express!"
Stelle's confused eyes suddenly lit up. She finally realized that they had unknowingly entered the self-introduction part.
"I'm Stelle." She stated her name to the conductor.
Pom Pom nodded, then continued, "If you encounter any problems on the train, just come find me anytime, Pom Pom!"
"Really?" Nero looked at Pom Pom with a squinty smile.
"Of course!" Pom Pom lifted its head proudly. As the conductor, it had always worked diligently to take care of everything on the train, and it was very proud of performing its duties.
"In that case, I have a question right now!"
"Hm? Passenger Nero, what question do you have? Go ahead!"
"My question is... hehehe..."
Staring at Pom Pom's long ears and plush-toy-like body, Nero let out a silly giggle.
He didn't say anything else. Instead, he directly reached a hand toward Pom Pom's ear.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.