"Me? What about me?"
After handing the water cup to Sparkle, Yun Fan picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a glass of plain water, gulping it down in a few sips. He slightly raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm? There's a peculiar sweetness to it. Did you mix something in?" Compared to ordinary water, the water provided by the Reverie Hotel had a faint, sugary taste—likely due to a hint of SoulGlad added to it.
"Wouldn't you like to try it, Miss Sparkle?" Yun Fan shifted his gaze back to Sparkle. The girl was still holding the cup in the same posture, her expression seeming somewhat uneasy.
However, upon hearing his words, she quickly flashed a sweet smile. "Thank you, but I'm not very thirsty."
Sparkle gently placed the cup back on the table, as if regaining her usual grace and composure. The water Yun Fan had handed her... truth be told, she wasn't quite brave enough to drink it. Who knew if this guy had slipped something into her cup?
"Is that so? What a shame."
Yun Fan shrugged, appearing completely unbothered. Casually picking up the teapot again, he poured himself another cup. For a moment, an awkward silence settled between the two.
But the atmosphere didn't last long. After a brief pause, our Miss Sparkle couldn't help but speak up.
"Mr. Yun Fan, Sparkle is curious—when did you break free from the illusion? Could you tell me?" Resting her chin on her hand, Sparkle absentmindedly traced her lips with a slender finger, adopting the adorable demeanor of an inquisitive child.
"Of course." Though Yun Fan knew full well that Sparkle's current act was nothing but pretense, so what? When faced with a cute girl, wasn't it only natural to generously indulge her curiosity?
"Why don't you take a guess, Miss Sparkle? Relying on your intuition, when do you think I broke free from your control?" Instead of answering directly, Yun Fan tossed the question back at her, turning it into what seemed like a rather mundane guessing game.
Staring at Yun Fan's handsome face and deciphering the profound meaning hidden in his gaze, Sparkle seemed to realize something. Then, with a hint of uncertainty, she asked, "Could it be... you were never under the illusion from the very beginning?"
"Congratulations, Miss Sparkle. That's correct."
"...Why would you do that?"
Sparkle was puzzled. If he had never been under her control, then why had he allowed her to escape and even abduct him?
It couldn't possibly be because he was also a follower of the Path of Elation, doing all this just for his own amusement, right? That didn't seem likely either—she hadn't sensed even a trace of Elation's aura from him.
"Why? Heh, does there need to be a reason? I did it simply because I wanted to." Yun Fan chuckled lightly, shaking his head. His words carried an air of indisputable authority, the bearing of a ruler.
As his aura swirled, in Sparkle's eyes, Yun Fan's appearance began to change.
The once clearly defined man suddenly grew indistinct, his presence becoming ethereal, as if he stood high above the heavens, gazing down upon the cosmos.
"Could it be... you're an Emanator?"
Emanators—the strongest beings beneath the Aeons.
This was the conclusion Sparkle reached after sensing Yun Fan's aura. Such power could only belong to an Emanator; there was no other possibility.
The reason she didn't suspect him of being an Aeon was twofold. First, the strength of Yun Fan's energy avatar didn't reach the level of an Aeon—at most, it was that of a high-ranking Emanator.
Second, aside from the Aeon of Elation, Aha, Sparkle couldn't imagine any other Aeon bothering to toy with someone as insignificant as her.
"You may interpret it as such. I am—the Emanator of Causality."
——————————————
"So, Passenger Yun Fan went ahead to the Festival Planet Penacony, which is why he didn't return with you?"
Since Sparkle had taken the Stellaron away from Belobog, the Trailblazers' mission to retrieve it could be considered indirectly accomplished. With no further reason to remain on Jarilo-VI, the group bid farewell to Cocolia and the others before returning together to the Astral Express.
"Mhm, Yun Fan left for Penacony with that Masked Fool, saying he'd wait for us there." Dan Heng recounted their experiences in Belobog to Himeko. When she asked why Yun Fan hadn't returned, he answered before March 7th could.
"Is that so? In that case, let's proceed to our next destination. What do you think, Old Yang?" After a moment of contemplation, Himeko turned to Welt Yang, seeking his opinion.
Upon hearing her words, Welt adjusted his glasses and, after brief consideration, gave an affirmative answer.
"I think that's acceptable."
"Well then, in that case, let's set off for Penacon—Who's there?!"
Just as Himeko was about to say "Penacony," the lights in the train carriage flickered abruptly. The next instant, a holographic projection suddenly materialized inside the train.
Upon recognizing the figure in the projection, Himeko's brows furrowed deeply, and even Welt's expression turned guarded. Only Stelle widened her eyes, her voice trembling slightly as she uttered, "Kafka..."
Faced with the Astral Express crew's wariness, Kafka merely smiled softly before speaking. "Long time no see, everyone of the Express."
"Let's skip the pleasantries, Kafka. As far as I know, the Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters have no connections whatsoever, do we?" After confirming that the figure was merely a projection, Himeko, as the Express's navigator, stepped forward first, her tone icy.
"Hehe, it's true we have no direct ties. But from another perspective, aren't we also friends? Isn't a little chat between friends a nice idea?" Kafka remained unfazed by Himeko's cold words.
Her holographic projection glanced around the passenger cabin before walking toward Stelle, who was still staring wide-eyed. Stopping before the girl—who was about the same height as her—Kafka reached out, as if to caress Stelle's cheek.
Unfortunately, as a mere projection, she lacked the ability to do so. Her hand phased right through Stelle's face, leaving behind scattered fragments of light in the air.
"What a pity." Kafka shook her head regretfully. Watching this, Himeko frowned again. "Enough with the small talk, Hunter. Just state your purpose. This back-and-forth is getting ridiculous."
"Hmph, as straightforward as ever, Miss Himeko." Kafka let out a light scoff before dropping all pretense and cutting straight to the point. "Listen well, members of the Astral Express. I want you—to change your destination."