Just when Lin Shuang had nearly let thoughts of the Astral Express drift away.
March 7th finally found a break in her busy schedule and glanced at her chat logs.
[March 7th: Wow! Lin Shuang, you don't even expect me to treat myself to something nice?]
[March 7th: Quick, confess—were you the one who told Stelle to dig through the trash?]
[March 7th: (March 7th is furious)]
The moment Lin Shuang saw the messages, she could almost picture March 7th waving her fists around in protest.
She just didn't know where they were right now—on March 7th's side.
Logically, after these past few days, they should be close to reaching Cocolia by now.
If Lin Shuang recalled the sequence correctly, and set aside the optional side paths in Belobog, the main story only took a handful of days to progress.
[Lin Shuang: Don't pin this on me. I didn't tell Stelle to do that!]
[Lin Shuang: So, how's life in the snowfields treating you?]
[March 7th: …]
[March 7th: Ugh, don't even start, I'm so exhausted. Lin Shuang, is your tongue cursed? Dan Heng says you jinx everything!]
Being called a jinx by the Star Rail's "seer" was strangely entertaining.
[Lin Shuang: That's hilarious, please tell me more.]
[March 7th: You're still laughing?! Unforgivable! No photos for you next time we meet!]
[March 7th: (March 7th gnashes teeth)]
[Lin Shuang: My bad, I'm sorry, haha~ When you reach Penacony, I'll treat you to a perfect dream.]
[March 7th: Penacony? What's Penacony?]
Elsewhere.
March 7th was still in the lower city. She blinked at Lin Shuang's message and scratched her head, turning to Dan Heng.
"Hey, Dan Heng, do you know what Penacony is?"
"Penacony, the Planet of Festivities. Why?"
"Lin Shuang messaged me just now—said that once we get to Penacony, she'll treat us to a beautiful dream. How does she know where we're going?"
March 7th tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. Dan Heng only gave a small shake of his own.
He knew Penacony was soon to host a major music festival, but that had nothing to do with the Express.
"A dream? Is it a fun place?"
Stelle popped up out of nowhere and leaned in close, stretching her neck to read the messages over March 7th's shoulder.
Upon spotting Lin Shuang's name, she softly exclaimed:
"Ah—right! Lin Shuang messaged me too, and I forgot to reply."
"What did she say?"
March 7th looked over curiously, only for Stelle to scratch her cheek with a sheepish look.
"She told me to remember what I saw after diving into the trash. But I went to take a shower and forgot after that."
"…You."
March 7th was momentarily speechless, staring at her eccentric companion in exasperation.
She'd gone rifling through garbage on her first day in the city—March 7th had nearly pretended not to know her.
"Ehehe~"
Stelle chuckled, found a spot to sit, and pulled out her phone to resume chatting with Lin Shuang.
…
Lin Shuang mentioned Penacony again to March 7th, only this time, she clarified that the Astral Express had been invited to the Charmony Festival.
[Lin Shuang: So if all goes well, you'll probably head to Penacony next.]
[March 7th: Wait, really?! Why didn't anyone tell me?! Himeko and Uncle Yang totally hid this sweet vacation plan from me!]
[March 7th: Anyway, we'll talk later. Once we wrap things up here, you should drop by the train. I've got stories to share.]
[March 7th: (Photo) (Photo)]
She sent a few images with her message—based on the scenery, it looked like a mining district and a small settlement in the lower city.
[Lin Shuang: Got it. I'll be waiting.]
Just after closing March 7th's chat window, Lin Shuang noticed a message from Stelle too.
[Stelle: I saw your message earlier but went to shower and forgot, hehe~]
[Stelle: (Stelle munches watermelon)]
[Lin Shuang: I thought March 7th couldn't stand you?]
[Stelle: No way! Besides, I picked up some odd stuff—I'll give you one later.]
[Stelle: (Praise for noble virtue)]
"Ah…"
Lin Shuang looked at the photo Stelle sent. It was that strange and rather abstract item from the game.
Praise of High Morals.
Alright, she'd never actually gotten her hands on one of these before.
[Lin Shuang: Thanks in advance. I'll let you ride Bella next time.]
[Stelle: Then I'll need Knight Armor—I'm gonna be a Dragon Knight!]
[Lin Shuang: …]
Flame spear, huh?
You know what, it does kind of fit.
Besides, Bella could breathe fire now.
Might as well borrow that flame spear sometime.
While thinking this, Lin Shuang suddenly recalled the next chapter of the original story—they'd be heading toward the Xianzhou Luofu soon.
But with the timeline now altered, the Stellaron event might happen differently… or even be postponed.
Phantylia wasn't the type to abandon her plans so easily, but a shift in strategy wasn't out of the question.
With that in mind, Lin Shuang nodded thoughtfully:
"…Time to retrieve the Celestial Jade table and check on the Poké Ball progress."
No use waiting.
Lin Shuang returned to Luofu, picked up the card table from the factory, and learned the Poké Ball project still needed a few more days.
She wasn't in a rush, but as she turned to leave, she suddenly encountered someone unexpected just outside the Artisanship Commission.
"My dear Lin, how have you been? It hasn't been long, yet it feels like ages."
Dan Shu had shed her doctor's robe for everyday attire. Aside from a bracelet on her wrist, she looked the same as ever.
"Dan Shu…"
Lin Shuang opened her mouth but couldn't find the right words.
"Hehe~ Care to chat for a while, little Lin?"
"Alright. Where should we go?"
"The Alchemy Commission. It's close."
Lin Shuang quietly followed her into the Alchemy Commission, where they found a secluded pavilion far from prying eyes.
For a brief moment, Lin Shuang felt like she'd slipped back in time.
Dan Shu brewed tea as she always had, then spoke:
"Little Lin, are you wondering why I'm still here, instead of in custody with the Ten Lords?"
"…Yeah."
"Since the battle at Exalting Sanctum, Jing Yuan didn't expose my crimes. Instead, he and the Diviner created these restraints."
Dan Shu gently touched the unassuming bracelet on her wrist. Her voice remained calm—devoid of reverence, or even emotion, when speaking of Jing Yuan.
Even when mentioning her shackles, she sounded like still water—flat and undisturbed.
Lin Shuang immediately sensed something was wrong.
"Was it to lure out Phantylia?"
"Yes. Jing Yuan asked me to act as bait, pretending to collaborate so Phantylia would show herself. In return, I get to live under Divine Foresight's surveillance until the evil spirit attacks."
"…"
--+--
T/N: Yo! I'm back?
You know I actually had this chapter in the drafts for like a month.
Also, idk why but the since this fanfic has so much more star rail terms than the seele fanfic, it's lowkey way worse to translate.