Hastily finishing their meal, the Astral Express crew carried back arms full of snacks, drinks, and fruit onto the train.
The moment the train doors closed, they could no longer keep their expressions straight. Gasps of shock sounded one after another.
What on earth happened today?
The mysterious conductor Pom-pom, who never set one foot outside the train, had not only taken the initiative to walk out and speak with the local natives, but had even obediently let a strange man pat it's on the head.
This was even more shocking than if someone told them that the Aeon of Destruction loved small animals, or that the Aeon of Erudition was illiterate.
Everyone stared at each other in dumbstruck silence. Only when they saw that all eyes were filled with deep curiosity, even fear, did they dare confirm that what happened just now wasn't a dream.
The boldest, most carefree girl, March 7th, really couldn't hold herself back.
She crept up from behind the dazed Pom-pom, slowly stretched out her sinful little hand, and tried to imitate Emiya, lightly patting Pom-pom's little head, to test how it felt.
"Wong!" Suddenly, March 7th felt a crushing pressure descend upon her. Frightened, she plopped straight down on the floor, and right after that the entire Astral Express trembled violently.
"That's very impolite."
"Phew!" For some reason, seeing Pom-pom with such full authority made everyone relax. 'Looks like the conductor was still the conductor after all.'
"Pom-pom, that man named Emiya… could he have once been one of the crew?" Himeko voiced the question in everyone's heart.
On this train, aside from the last two to board, March 7th and Stelle, everyone else was well-traveled and knowledgeable. Just a stroll through the city of Idealus was enough for them to roughly guess this planet's situation.
Emiya and his family were not native to this planet.
One day, they fell from the sky, selflessly helping Belobog prosper and grow strong, even willing to oppose the Interastral Peace Corporation for their sake.
Combined with the fact that at this exact "coincidental" moment the Astral Express automatically accelerated into Jarilo, and Pom-pom's attitude toward Emiya…
If one dared to speculate boldly, Emiya might have been one of those Nameless who once directly followed the Trailblaze Aeon themself.
"Don't let your minds run wild. Emiya is indeed a very, very old friend of mine, so old I nearly forgot him altogether."
Pom-pom didn't seem willing to speak more on the subject. With just that simple explanation, it clasped its hands behind it's back and hopped off toward the fuel room.
"Um, Pom-pom, how long will we be staying here?" Himeko had never seen Pom-pom this happy, which made her deeply worry the journey ahead would be disrupted.
"Don't worry. Once the company's people settle down, we'll leave. Emiya isn't on the same road as us."
"Mm, that's good!" Himeko let out a long sigh of relief, her cheeks flushed with joy.
As long as that Emiya didn't board, even staying here three to five years wouldn't matter. That mysterious man was simply too dangerous, if he truly came along, he might even lure Pom-pom away.
"Stelle, looks like things are fine here. Let's hurry and find Zoe for a big feast!"
Hearing they'd be living here long-term, March 7th and Stelle were the happiest of all.
They'd already become good friends with Zoe, the Queen of Jarilo. Not only could they freely eat and drink in Idealus, they could also ride Zoe's colossal Creation Engine like a mountain giant and go sightseeing outdoors.
For quite some time, they wouldn't have to worry about boredom.
"Himeko, I heard they're doing large-scale farming outside the city. Dan Heng and I want to see firsthand how the locals feel about Emiya's family. We'll be back around seven."
After saying this, Welt could hardly wait, following Dan Heng out the door.
Both of them were once leaders in their own right, men concerned for the fate of their people. Though temporarily traveling with the Express, they still couldn't help but want to better understand the people's livelihood and wishes.
Compared to the others on board, Welt and Dan Heng felt the strongest goodwill toward Emiya's family.
After all, to develop such a ruined city into what it had become, and make nearly all the people happy and content, that was every leader's dream.
"Hmph! Go then, go! Best if none of you come back!"
Himeko pouted and stomped her foot like a wronged little girl. But immediately, she laughed at her own childishness. "Haha, who am I even mad at!"
Shaking her head, she casually grabbed a few changes of clothes and stepped into the bathroom.
Splaaaash!
Cold water poured straight down from her head. Himeko shivered, goosebumps breaking out over her smooth, milk-like skin.
But the human body adapts quickly. Within minutes, she was used to the chill.
Feeling the cool water run down her soaked hair, plastered to her chest and dripping lower, she even found it oddly pleasant.
"Why is it… I still haven't gotten to pat Pom-pom's little head?"
Her two pale, delicate feet pressed and rubbed against each other in frustration, just like her tangled, unexplainable emotions.
The next day, Himeko rose early, washed and dressed. She was planning to go straight to Emiya for a talk.
Mainly she wanted to ask how they planned to resist the corporation, and to give some proper advice. And along the way, maybe ask Emiya just what his connection was to Pom-pom and the Astral Express.
'Mm. Just along the way. Definitely not out of jealousy.'
Himeko firmly nodded to herself in her heart.
"Miss Himeko, Mr. Emiya awaits your presence in the mechanical empire beneath Belobog."
A guard robot of Idealus saluted Himeko, then continued in fluent speech, "If you'd like to go, I can guide you there."
"Oh, all right. Thank you."
Himeko nodded. As the guard robot led the way, her eyes brazenly swept over its body again and again.
As the one who had repaired the Astral Express, Himeko considered herself fairly skilled in mechanics. Yet no matter how many times she examined them, she still found Idealus's robots frighteningly exquisite.
Not just their human-like speech and intelligence, their internal structures too. Even when she shamelessly asked Zoe yesterday to open one up for her, she couldn't understand it.
Most important of all, these robots seemed to be mass-produced. Robots that would be considered top-tier high-tech on any other planet… here, they were mass-produced.
'If only Herta and Zoe could collaborate on building a robot… how incredible would that be!'
"Miss Himeko, we've arrived."
The guard robot stopped before a building that looked somewhat like a train station waiting hall.
Standing at the entrance, through the transparent glass wall, she could see rows of black robots armed with loaded rifles, standing like statues on either side of the road.
And at the end of that road, a ten-car rail train stood quietly, its design somewhat resembling the Astral Express.
"Is this the one we saw in the sky, orbiting the city of Belobog?" Himeko asked curiously.
"That's right. This is the sightseeing train Lord Zoe built for you travelers."
Robot Svarog, clad in black and gold armor, stepped out from the hall.
In his right hand he carried a black cube, one meter square. This was now the sole pass into Belobog, valid for only 24 hours.
After 24 hours, Belobog would shut down completely, even Emiya's family would be sealed outside.
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