The trip to Jarilo VI wasn't a simple hop and skip away. Apparently running to different worlds the Astral Express hadn't been to in many years. Made the Express slower as it had to touch up on the cosmic silver rails the train ran on.
Which was fine honestly. The Astral Express's people in the nameless were nothing but inviting and honestly great to engage with. Me and Welt especially came to a good understanding as being from Earth and having a desire to go back.
Dan Heng was a bit solemn and liked his personal space. But that didn't mean he was lacking in humor and over the last few days we bonded over talking about the Xianzhou's history as I was certainly interested in learning more about the long-lived races that were part of it.
March 7th and Stelle however? Yeah, they were two chaotic peas in a pod, first of all... Stelle was comically bad at cooking.
Not even a joke, I saw her somehow catch water on fire when she was trying to boil it to cook up some mac and cheese... Honestly, I blamed the Stellaron and her also being on the Path of Destruction.
'Setting the sea's ablaze... Is this some echo of a memory of what Stelle was up to when she was part of the Stellaron Hunters.' I thought with amusement as I was laid out on a well-padded love seat beside Elysia as we were both reading in the records room.
Which was now kinda a library for people to comfortably read within, as Dan Heng had taken one of the free bedrooms I had created in the other cart. So he didn't need to sleep on the floor anymore.
"So... What is having all that power like Jake?" Elsyia asked suddenly making me blink as she added on. "Like, can you feel your limitations, do you even feel those?"
I smiled wryly and with a shake of my head, I admitted frankly. "Yeah, I certainly have limits. I can only break reality when its actually within my hands. But other than that, I need my Throne of Power to expand my reach to enact my will across longer distances."
There was a pause before Elysia asked quietly. "I meant more... Cosmic limitations, or I could say divine really. Could you bring someone back to life on your own for example?"
I was silent before I took a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Yes. Yes, I can do so. It... Depressingly simple in reality to do so in fact. Restore the soul's host body, forcibly rip the soul from the afterlife, restore any damage to the soul, and then stuff said soul into the body."
I held up a hand and from it I flexed my will. My power and Elysia watched transfixed as I created an ever so small bonsai tree with its roots threading between my fingers with beautiful pink flower petals that matched her hair.
"I am an Aeon, a god for all intents and purposes... Whereas if I was at my full power I could create entire worlds and solar systems with a wave of my hands. But I am... So very limited in the physical scope of the range of my power."
The power of the Aeons in the Honkai Star Rail universe was truly insane honestly. Abundance was capable of terraforming entire solar systems with but moments of thought and giving immortality to entire species without a hint of effort, and likewise Propagation was spawning countless lesser versions of itself that were eating away at this galaxy.
I shook my head and then looked at Elysia and asked curiously. "And you, what are your thoughts now with a clean slate as it were."
Elysia chuckled and said oh so helpfully. "Ufufu, I am just happy to not have as much responsibilities on my shoulders. And making so many new friends and seeing so many new places with be wonderful."
Couldn't deny that honestly. The people of Jarilo VI were hardy, great people. I was looking forward to going there... Even though I was a bit hesitant about what I needed to do in order to deal with the Stellaron. And whether I could be allowed to purge its influence on Cocolia the leader of the world's sole city.
But that was a problem for future me.
However, those thoughts were shuttered to the side as Pom Pom's voice rang out through the intercom system. "Ladies and gentlemen! The Astral Express will be arriving at Jarilo VI in less than an hour. Please make sure all who are leaving are packed and ready to go!"
I let out a hum and said. "Alrighty, Elysia let's go."
But as I stood up I staggered Elysia pouted and let out a whine. "Buuuttt I don't wanna go."
I threw her a look and my lips twitched as I saw she was reading some weird Xianzhou shitpost of a wuxia novel that March 7th was obsessed with collecting.
Rolling my eyes I said. "Alright... Have fun then without us. All alone on the ship with no one but Pom-Pom who will need all your company."
Elysia shot up and said with no shame. "As a proud Nameless of the Astral Express it's our duty to bring joy and trailblaze a future for the worlds we visit!"
'Dear god she is so damned shameless.' I thought as I shook my head and made my way to the entry cart to see if everyone was coming together to talk about our trip.
Which I was right. Everyone was indeed there besides Pom-Pom who was probably still working stretching out having a bit taller body and dealing with the Astral Express.
I walked over seeing everyone standing by one of the large windows and I asked curiously. "So I had a question. Are we all going down to Jarilo VI?"
To which Himeko gave a bright smile and then said gently. "No, I think it's a good chance for the younger generation of Nameless to go on this little adventure alone without Welt and I to hold your hand."
March 7th pumped a hand into a fist as she said confidently. "Me and Dan Heng are really strong and have been Nameless for a good while haha. So we got this in the bag!"
Himeko gave an indulging nod before she raised an eyebrow and looked directly at me and spoke. "Not only are there the needs of Stelle, Elysia, and yourself getting whatever supplies you all need... That you don't want Jake manifesting for example, but Jake. I will have to ask you not to just steamroll any issues you all run into."
I was silent for a moment as I thought through her words. For one I knew what she meant about the stuff the girls didn't want me manifesting... Fairly enough they didn't want me manifesting their clothes and whatnot, along with food.
But the second part...
I gave Himeko a long look and I said slowly. "Jarilo VI and its active Stellaron are blocking off the tracks for the Astral Express, not to mention the Fragmentum that spawns Destruction-based creatures. Are you asking me to just ignore the Stellaron and active Destruction elements that are anathema to my existence?"
There was a pause as Himeko's face pinched as she seemingly realized that asking me to just ignore the Aeon of Destructions elements was impossible. Both on my end as it was digging in my mind at their presence, but also the Stellaron, and the Fragmentum monsters will be rushing for me specifically.
"We are not asking you to ignore, or otherwise let yourself be harmed Jake. Merely asking you to allow Dan Heng, and March 7th to have a chance at taking the lead in an expedition." Welt spoke reasonably.
And to that, I was fine with that. Though obviously, I would need to help should things go sideways... Like when it inevitably would.
So I nodded and said with an easy smile. "Alright, I won't carry the rest of the Nameless. March 7th will need to step up to be our glorious leader during this expedition of a dangerous world... One with a terrible active Stellaron."
At my obvious teasing, March turned a bit pale before she looked between me and the 'adults' of the Astral Express with her saying weakly. "Hey... Don't dump everything on me! Dan Heng is like, super dependable after all!"
And without a hint of shame, Dan Heng stated. "March is always telling us to watch her 'awesome moves' after all... It could be a good test to see her true potential."
"Don't bully March so much," Stelle spoke almost defensively and I raised my eyebrows as March beamed at someone standing up for her.
And then she almost collapsed as Stelle added. "She has maxed out on her potential already as a background character, don't put too much pressure on her."
I couldn't help an actual snort as I remembered how March 7th was a 'standard banner 4 star' in the game of Honkai Star Rail... This meant that she was the very definition of niche and power-crept by later characters especially five-star characters like Himeko and Welt themselves.
"Ahem... Back on the topic at hand." Welt spoke as he shifted and pushed his thin glasses up. "Jake, if you see the effects of the Stellaron, you are more than welcome to dealing with. Personally, the best the Astral Express can do is sealing them, but... If you have a better way, we would be glad to hear it."
I blinked and then I nodded and made a hum of thought before I said. "I do have ways of dealing with a Stellaron. For one I could seal it and then yeet it into the nearest star to let the sun hold onto it for the next few billions of years. Otherwise, I could just use my powers to disassemble the Stellaron into pure energy that could probably be used for energy for whatever planet we are landing on."
Both Welt and Himeko blinked at my two options with Welt speaking with a tired tone. "Stellaron's tend to violently self-detonate should they be forced off the world they are seeded onto. It's why the IPC and other factions also don't just throw them into blackholes or something like a star."
I nodded in understanding before Pom Pom's voice came again through the intercom system. "We are closing in on Jarilo VI! Make sure everyone is seated as we are coming off the Astral Rails and entering real space."
I likewise took a seat on the nice comfy benchs with Elysia sitting beside me along with Dan Heng while Stelle and March 7th went up to the windows and held onto the sides of the train which rumbled and shook slightly as we were slowing down cosmically speaking and with a rush of light streaming through the windows.
Jarilo VI came into view. A planet seemingly completely covered in thick ice shelves and looking upon the frozen hellhole of a planet. I said dryly.
"I may be the weakest Aeon... But terraforming an entire world is a bit much to ask."