To the others, Su Mo seemed to have agreed far too easily. But in reality, they were the ones overthinking it.
It was Su Mo's style to maintain good relationships with the group members, as long as there wasn't anything particularly important to attend to.
Even setting aside matters of personal gain, the personalities of the group members were generally worth associating with. Therefore, meticulous preparations were often unnecessary.
Take Kanae, for example. Even if she hadn't prepared her two younger sisters to serve him together, Su Mo would still have made the trip.
In truth, Jibril and Rin didn't need to think of any special reasons either. A simple invitation would have been met with a simple consideration of acceptance or refusal. It wasn't that complicated.
However, March 7th's invitation this time was indeed different.
Just as a place a protagonist passes through can never be entirely peaceful, a place visited by the Astral Express Crew could never be just a peaceful banquet.
Behind the Penacony festival lurked a conspiracy involving Aeons and their Emanators. Even in the original story, this festival was not an easy one to get through.
The right time, the right place, and the right people—all were indispensable.
If Elio's script was without error, there would be no need to worry about the outcome.
But with Su Mo's appearance, numerous variables had completely changed.
Even the Prince of Finality might not be certain that the path They had experienced was the true destiny.
Therefore, for safety's sake, he had to make a trip this time. It just so happened that Su Mo was also very curious about Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony.
"Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony with a thousand faces in one body... is somewhat similar to my Pantheon."
Although the upper limit of power in the world of Honkai: Star Rail was not as high as in the Little Garden, that was mainly due to the vast difference in their world settings.
One stage was only the size of the observable universe, while the other involved an infinite multiverse.
As a type of god, the Aeons had far fewer followers than the gods of the Little Garden. Under these circumstances, the fact that the Aeons possessed such strength was a testament to their transcendence.
In fact, as a cosmology of the interstellar age, the variety of concepts in the world of Honkai: Star Rail far exceeded that of the Little Garden.
Therefore, even with Su Mo's current power, though an ordinary Aeon wouldn't last a single round against him, the powers they wielded were indeed worthy of his research.
Thus, the trip to the world of Honkai: Star Rail was quickly settled.
Never mind the others in the group who were now berating and envying March 7th.
After confirming the schedule, Su Mo began to make arrangements for the world of Black Bullet.
It wasn't much of an arrangement, really—just ensuring the rules of the world continued to operate as they should.
The Seitenshi was appointed by Su Mo as the world's Scribe, responsible for decision-making and guiding the angels in handling emergencies.
Tendō Kisara, on the other hand, was appointed as the Guardian of Eden.
In this world without external enemies, her skills as a swordmaster had little use. 'Guarding Eden' was really just a glorified babysitting job.
However, she had no objections.
It seemed she wanted to take this opportunity to hone her swordsmanship and become a truly useful subordinate to Su Mo.
With her talent, reaching the divine domain with proper guidance would not be difficult. Su Mo naturally approved of her idea and specially compiled corresponding swordsmanship materials for her.
Just before leaving, however, Su Mo noticed Tendō Kisara secretly pulling the Seitenshi aside, whispering something about "a way to make Lord Su Mo stay."
Not far from them, Midori Fuse had her cat ears perked up, eavesdropping on their conversation with the help of Tina's Sentinel.
"So this is how the adults do it. So shameless!" Enju Aihara said, filled with righteous indignation. "To think they'd use such a shameless method to seduce Lord Su Mo... and without including me!"
Hearing this, the dazed-looking Kayo Senju couldn't help but retort, "Enju, the only part you really meant was that last sentence, wasn't it?"
"Hmph! What's so great about big cows!" Enju Aihara glanced with envy and jealousy at Tendō Kisara's prominent figure and then at the Seitenshi's impossibly fair skin. Finally, she looked down at her own chest.
Well, at least she had a clear view of the top of her feet.
"Waaaah~" The girl lost all confidence.
Seeing her like this, the platinum-blonde loli, Tina, rubbed her sleepy eyes and gave a thumbs-up. "It's okay! The Master once said that smol is cute, too, right?"
"Really?!"
In a flash of pleasant surprise, the little girls immediately regained their confidence.
Watching their lively antics, Su Mo opened the group chat interface and accepted the invitation from March 7th.
---||---
World of Honkai: Star Rail, the Astral Express.
As expected, Su Mo once again appeared in March 7th's room. What was unexpected was the other person also in her room.
"Dad! You're finally here to see me!"
The moment he appeared, a small, gray-haired figure rushed over and threw herself at him, seemingly intending to hug him and roll around on March 7th's bed.
"Stelle?"
Su Mo glanced at the girl and swiftly grabbed the scruff of the Stellaron host's neck, lifting her up like a kitten.
Although she was tall for a girl and her wild boar charge had considerable force, it was nowhere near enough to budge him.
"Sorry, Lord Su Mo! I was going to greet you secretly, but I let it slip, and this one insisted on coming along!" March 7th scratched her head and apologized regretfully.
She had even changed into a beautiful dress to show him, but this jester had to ruin the moment. It was her own fault for having a loose tongue.
Seeing March 7th's regretful expression, Stelle, still dangling in the air, glanced at her in confusion, then had a sudden realization.
"Little March, do you want to be my stepmom too? Getting my approval won't be ea—"
"You idiot, shut up!"
Before she could finish, March 7th clapped a hand over her mouth.
Is that something you can just say out loud? And what's this about 'stepmom'? To me, you rebellious daughter seem more like a daughter with a father complex!
After a bit of a commotion, March 7th used her ultimate weapon—allowing Stelle to rummage through the trash cans in Penacony—to finally quiet the gray-haired girl down.
Then, they left March 7th's room and went to the parlor of the Astral Express.
In the parlor, Himeko and the others were not surprised by Su Mo's arrival. March 7th's earlier excitement must have been too obvious for anyone to miss.
The three of them greeted Su Mo one by one before bringing up the matter of Penacony.
"Penacony is located in the Asdana star system. It was originally a place used by the Interastral Peace Corporation to exile criminals for mining Memoria. It was later transformed into an interstellar hotel and is now the territory of The Family, a faction of Xipe, the Aeon of Harmony."
"The Charmony Festival is a grand event held by The Family every Amber Era to spread the name of Harmony. It has never had any mishaps over the years. If you're looking for a leisurely vacation, Lord Su Mo, this is probably the most suitable place in the entire universe!"
After Himeko's introduction, March 7th couldn't help but complain, "In just two sentences, Sister Himeko has raised so many flags! This invitation isn't a trap, is it? Are you saying the moment we get there, something's going to happen in Penacony?"
He quickly determined that the silly girl didn't have any prophetic abilities; she had just read too many novels. However, in a way, the intuition honed by this was no worse than Elio's destiny predictions.
Hearing March 7th's outlandish words, Himeko was speechless. "How could that be, Little March? While it's good to be cautious, there's no need to be overly so."
Dan Heng, who was standing nearby, also spoke up. "According to the databank, Penacony is the safest resort in the universe. The Family has promised that death does not exist in the dreamscape, so it's basically impossible for any major incidents to occur."
At this point, the deadpan Vidyadhara even made a joke. "Of course, it's not absolutely impossible for something to happen... for example, if Penacony were facing a crisis of destruction, the safety rules might become invalid. But of course, that's also something that's almost impossible."
Hearing this, March 7th was finally at ease.
Just then, Stelle walked over with a baseball bat. "Rules are made to be broken! A so-called protagonist is someone who makes the impossible possible!"
"Hearing you all talk, I'm starting to think this might actually be a little dangerous. Father, let's stick together this time. I-I-I... I will protect you!" The gray-haired girl seemed a bit scared now.
"Don't talk like we're some kind of jinx!" March 7th retorted, exasperated. "And what's this about protecting Lord Su Mo? You just want him to protect you, don't you!"
"It's pretty much the same!" Stelle insisted stubbornly. "Father protects my safety, and I'll stick close to protect his chastity! I've decided! I'm going to eat and sleep with Father throughout this journey and make sure no scoundrels get a chance!"
Hearing this, March 7th grew anxious. "Is that what you call protecting? You're clearly trying to sneak a bite for yourself!"
I went through all the trouble to invite Lord Su Mo, and this is what you pull?
A future stepmom is still a mom!
The gray-haired and pink-haired girls immediately faced off. The scene wasn't too tense; it was like watching two house cats in their daily squabble.
Everyone on the Astral Express was used to it and calmly began to sip their tea.