"You're back."
Aboard the Astral Express, Himeko elegantly held her coffee, a light smile on her face as she watched the three of them return to the parlor car.
Wait, three?
Himeko lowered her head, her gaze meeting a pair of pure, flawless, emerald-green eyes.
Bailu tilted her head, a slender, pale finger resting on her lips. Her large draconic tail swayed happily behind her as she looked around the car with curiosity.
It was her first time seeing such a magical vehicle.
Always cooped up in the Alchemy Commission, Bailu felt like her bottom was about to grow roots there. She was even wondering if she could just run away with Felicity on this Astral Express.
"You... how did you bring the Luofu's High Elder over?"
The hand Himeko used to hold her coffee began to tremble slightly. She suddenly had a very bad feeling.
She had heard from Welt that Felicity and the Luofu's little healer lady seemed to be on good terms. She thought to herself, *Felicity isn't actually planning to smuggle Bailu off the Luofu, is she?*
Thinking about it, if Felicity wanted to, she really did have the ability. She was an Emanator of Abundance; if she wanted to take someone from the Luofu, Jing Yuan alone truly couldn't stop her.
More importantly, Bailu seemed genuinely attached to Felicity.
"I just brought her over for a tour. The Express isn't departing so soon anyway, right?" Felicity said cheerfully as she stroked Bailu's head. Jing Yuan had already promised her that as long as she was on the Luofu, Bailu could run around freely. Bringing her back to the Astral Express for a bit of fun wouldn't hurt.
"Oh, a tour is good, a tour is good."
Himeko smiled, nodded, and took another sip of her coffee.
...She just hoped she wouldn't find a Vidyadhara High Elder hiding in a corner of the car after the Express warped.
"What a great secret base!"
Bailu placed her hands on her hips, then leaped up, flipped in the air, and landed sitting on the sofa. Feeling its soft texture, she happily swung her legs, a triumphant look spreading across her face.
"Hehe, now those old geezers from the Alchemy Commission will never guess where I am, not even if they rack their brains."
She even began to imagine herself as a wandering nameless, traveling the world with Felicity.
When that time came, she could be just like the storytellers of the Sleepless Earl, recounting her own legendary tales of traveling the cosmos. She had even thought of an opening line: "Last time on our story, the Xianzhou of that era..."
"Hey, no playing on the sofa!"
Pom-Pom's voice suddenly rang out. It walked out from the other side holding a cleaning cloth, its face a mask of displeasure.
"The sofa is very difficult to repair if it breaks!"
"Eh? A talking doll?"
A shocked expression appeared on Bailu's face.
"Pom-Pom is not a doll!"
Pom-Pom was instantly infuriated, raising its short little arms high and waving them frantically. It "whooshed" and jumped up.
"Pom-Pom is Pom-Pom! Pom-Pom is your respected Conductor! You must abide by the train's rules while on the train!"
"Eh? The Conductor!?"
Bailu's eyes grew even wider. She stared at Pom-Pom in astonishment, then glanced at Felicity. Only after receiving a nod of confirmation from Felicity did her expression turn to one of envy.
"Ehh, such a cute little thing, even shorter than me, is already a conductor?"
"—Darn it! Don't talk about Pom-Pom like that!"
"..."
Watching the two little ones immediately start bickering and playing, Felicity couldn't help but chuckle, momentarily at a loss for words.
Suddenly, she felt a tug on her sleeve.
She turned her head and, sure enough, was met with Herta's beautiful, expressionless face. A pair of gem-like purple eyes stared coldly at her.
"The matter with that little dragon girl is more or less resolved. Isn't it about time you spent some time with me?"
"If you talk like that, I might get the wrong idea, you know?"
Felicity blinked, her eyes full of amusement.
"What you want to think is your business, as long as you're willing to cooperate with my research."
Herta shrugged, then forcefully pulled Felicity toward her room.
"Yes, yes~"
Felicity replied perfunctorily. She didn't resist, allowing herself to be half-pushed, half-led by Herta toward her own room.
...
"Alright then, show me everything you've got."
Herta sat on Felicity's bed, crossing her arms like a judge as she watched her.
After sensing Felicity's current power, Herta couldn't help but feel a flicker of interest.
The old Felicity, who hadn't even bothered to actively master her powers, was already nigh-immortal. Now that she had taken control of her abilities and grown even stronger, just how powerful had she become?
However—
"Even if you tell me that, I don't know how to show you."
Felicity spread her hands.
To be honest, if Herta hadn't told her, she wouldn't have even known she'd gotten stronger. It wasn't something she could control, and it wasn't like she wanted to get stronger anyway.
"Just do what you always do. Make a plant grow out of somewhere random," Herta said, a little exasperated.
"Okay."
Felicity nodded cheerfully. She raised her hand and summoned a speck of life energy, and a miniature Ambrosial Arbor sprouted rapidly.
—From the top of her head.
Herta: ...
"Ahaha, if I let the root grow directly from the floor, it would probably damage it. Then I'd get another lecture from Pom-Pom, and that would be no fun."
Felicity scratched her head, looking a little embarrassed.
"It doesn't matter. This works too."
Herta simply reached out and ruffled the Ambrosial Arbor on Felicity's head.
"Could you do this before?"
"Never tried. You know me best; I never used to use this power."
"How fascinating. It's as if your body has changed species—part animal, part plant."
Herta remarked thoughtfully. Her interest was now fully piqued, and she only regretted not having the proper research equipment on hand.
"Why didn't I notice this before... No, this is definitely a new trait. Your life is... evolving? I'm not sure if 'evolution' is the right word, but your life form is certainly changing."
Herta grew more and more excited, already impatient to study Felicity all over again.
"Does that mean I'm turning into a vegetable!?"
Felicity exclaimed in shock.
Herta: ...
She pressed a hand to her forehead, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of trying to explain music to a cow. She simply returned to the spot where Felicity had originally placed her, even striking her previous pose.
"Forget it. I need to go back and record this. Remember to come by for testing. Also, give me my flower back."
Herta added as a final reminder, still fixated on that flower that would never wilt.
"Okay~"
Felicity hummed in acknowledgment, watching as the Herta puppet lowered its head, the light in its eyes quickly fading. She then gently stroked her chin.
Now, what should I do next?