Astral Express, Observation Car.
Through the carriage window, the universe stretched deep and boundless. The river of stars flowed like a silken ribbon, its shifting light illuminating every corner of the car.
The pre-departure air was filled with a silent solemnity.
Himeko's voice, gentle and steady, introduced some details about Penacony and the purpose of their trip, bringing the brief train meeting to a close.
"Well then, this route meeting is now adjourned. There's still some time before the warp. Everyone can use this gap to make a final check of your luggage," Pom-Pom added timely, his voice full of energy.
"Before the warp begins, I, the Conductor, will make an announcement to inform everyone, Pom!"
With the meeting over, everyone dispersed, their minds occupied with different thoughts.
Dan Heng indicated he had no intention of disembarking on this trip, choosing to remain on the train.
He returned to the Archives, his long, slender fingertips gliding across a light screen, meticulously checking the complex navigation parameters, his cool and handsome brow furrowed in unwavering concentration.
March 7th, on the other hand, seemed much more cheerful. Humming an out-of-tune little song, she excitedly returned to her room to pack her bags, occasionally picking up her beloved camera to wipe the lens, her eyes full of anticipation.
Himeko leaned elegantly by the window, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand, her gaze soft as she quietly watched her busy companions.
Welt Yang sat upright, engrossed in a thick report, his eyes behind his glasses profound, his expression as composed as ever, carrying the calm and wisdom of one who has weathered many storms.
Only Daziel, after returning to his room, stood alone before the enormous holographic starmap, his figure as straight and tall as a pine tree.
Penacony, the planetary coordinate crowned with the moniker "Planet of Festivities," was right beneath his fingertip, emitting a faint yet alluring halo.
Unlike the anticipation, more or less evident in the eyes of the other Astral Express crew members, Daziel's gaze was as deep as a cosmic black hole—bottomless and without a ripple. He seemed to be able to easily pierce through the exquisitely crafted, ornately worded invitation letter, to glimpse the turbulent, treacherous undercurrents surging beneath.
Daziel, of course, knew that this planet was by no means as dazzling and peaceful as its surface suggested.
Even the Penacony of the original storyline was fraught with danger, let alone this heavily modified inner world.
"My, oh my, don't make the pre-departure atmosphere so stiff. You should be happier, like the others on your crew, Big Brother Daziel." A voice, frivolous yet teasing, like a feather tickling one's heart, sounded unexpectedly from behind Daziel.
Sparkle's figure appeared like a phantom, silently materializing there, her steps as light as the most agile cat, standing charmingly still.
Through his peripheral vision, Daziel saw Sparkle's slender, fair feet, her small toes round and cute, her toenails painted with a bewitching red polish. Sparkle still wore her signature sweet yet inscrutable masked smile, her eyes twinkling with a light that seemed to wish for chaos upon the world.
Among the other women on the train, Jingliu was troubled by Mara, and would certainly not accompany them. Herta was clearly uninterested in this trip, merely instructing them to call her if needed. Only Sparkle, this character who was supposed to appear on Penacony's stage, arrived as expected, not missing her cue.
Everything seemed to align with a certain predetermined trajectory, not much different.
But Daziel knew this was merely the surface of the undercurrent.
He couldn't be bothered with Sparkle, still maintaining his posture with his back to her, not even turning his head in the slightest.
Sparkle's corruption value had long been pushed to near maximum by Daziel; there was only absolute submission and obedience.
Although most of the time, she would still deliberately play the part of a provocative and charming bratty imp, this was more due to Daziel's own twisted taste in commands.
After all, the process of conquering such a bratty imp, seemingly rebellious but actually a plaything in his palm, was filled with a unique kind of pleasure.
There was no need to forcefully distort her nature, to make her like the suppressed and twisted Phantylia, learning to speak in Tingyun's tone while grinding her teeth.
This, too, could be considered Daziel's twisted taste.
If he truly pinned Sparkle down on the bed and brandished the fire poker, this little thing would have no choice but to beg for mercy through tears.
So Daziel had always maintained an indifferent attitude towards Sparkle.
Sparkle, however, didn't take offense at all, finding it even more amusing. She skipped lightly, circling around to Daziel's side-front, tilting her head slightly, examining him like a curious baby.
"Big Brother Daziel, I went to the tavern recently, you know? Aha asked me to pass on a message to you."
She deliberately pinched her voice, imitating the exaggerated tone of some comical stage actor, cupping her small hands around her mouth in a funny megaphone shape.
"He said—Penacony has lots—and lots—and lots—of fun, just waiting for us to discover!"
She dragged out the last syllable, like the swaying tail of a little fox, filled with undisguised, pure excitement and anticipation.
Her eyes curved into cunning crescents, her gaze like glue, firmly locked on Daziel's face, trying to capture even the slightest flicker of emotion on that impassive countenance.
Daziel finally showed a slight reaction.
He merely quirked the corner of his mouth almost imperceptibly, a fleeting hint of a smile, but his gaze remained fixed on the starmap, not moving an inch.
"That fellow Aha, always spouting such useless nonsense."
His voice was as flat as water, betraying no emotional fluctuation.
"As if I wouldn't know if Penacony has problems or not."
Throughout this journey, the seemingly innocent 12+ Star Rail plot had long been turned upside down and rendered unrecognizable by the intervention of the inner world's memetic influence.
Regardless of what bizarre sights or tumultuous storms awaited, Daziel was already prepared for anything.
Perhaps he had worried about combat strength before, but now, with Phantylia, a true Emanator-level power at his beck and call, there shouldn't be any trouble in that regard.
Daziel's nonchalant reaction was like a heavy punch landing on soft cotton, causing Sparkle's meticulously prepared grand entrance to lose much of its luster instantly. A subtle silence briefly permeated the air.
The brilliant smile on Sparkle's face stiffened for an almost imperceptible moment, but then, as if injected with new vitality, it bloomed into an even brighter, more bewitching arc.
"Tsk, so utterly boring."
She complained with feigned dissatisfaction, her small nose wrinkling slightly, yet her eyes showed no sign of discouragement. Instead, it was as if her competitive spirit and even greater interest had been thoroughly aroused.
"Alright, alright, it seems ordinary 'little fun' can no longer pique your interest, Big Brother Daziel."
She leaned forward a step, a mysterious air about her, her body tilting slightly as she lowered her voice to a whisper, like lovers sharing secrets, yet tinged with the excitement of a prank about to succeed.
"Then… what about… this?"
Sparkle took out her phone, her slender, fair fingers swiping lightly across the screen.
Lines of highly encrypted characters jumped, flickered, and reorganized rapidly like darting fish.
Finally, they stabilized, freezing into a crystal-clear, command-like message.
Daziel's gaze casually swept over the content on the screen.
It was a snippet of a chat log.
Although the avatar of the other party in the conversation was deliberately and thoroughly obscured by a mosaic, Daziel recognized at a glance that the one engaged in this secret transaction with Sparkle was none other than the hacker girl among the Stellaron Hunters.
Silver Wolf, whose corruption value had been pushed to 50% by Daziel, had already become "Lewd Wolf."
The core content of the chat log was roughly that Silver Wolf and Sparkle had reached a deal, commissioning Sparkle to assist the Stellaron Hunter member "Sam" in completing three "death" performances in Penacony.
This, too, was a plot point that already existed in the original storyline. Sparkle's purpose in coming to Penacony this time was not merely to seek so-called "fun"; a deeper reason was that— She had accepted a private commission from Silver Wolf, receiving a considerable sum as payment, to assist Firefly in completing the key nodes foretold in Elio's script.
It was just that due to the disastrous narrative pacing of the original storyline, and its anticlimactic, vague ending, many players never fully understood Sparkle's initial motivations until the very end. And this piece of news, involving the Stellaron Hunters' clandestine operations, might be enough to cause high alert and vigilance for others on the train, like March 7th or Himeko… However, for Daziel, who had already seen through the entire script's direction, this was merely a well-memorized, predetermined "past."
Sparkle clearly didn't know Daziel was a man who had read the script. She remained full of enthusiasm, like a child showing off a treasured toy, carefully observing Daziel's every subtle reaction.
"How about it? Is this 'fun' exciting enough? Big Brother~"
She winked playfully, her tone reverting to its previous lighthearted and whimsical nature, as if merely discussing an inconsequential, amusing street game.
"Those mysterious folks from the Stellaron Hunters rarely issue this kind of private commission, you know."
Daziel remained silent, his long fingers unconsciously caressing the cold surface of the starmap, as if feeling the pulse transmitted from those distant stars.
He didn't speak, not because he was shocked by the content revealed in the chat log. He was merely contemplating how this unpredictable force, which he called the "inner world memetic influence," would twist and modify this segment of the plot that was supposed to happen…
After all, Firefly had a purely sweet girlfriend persona. If possible, Daziel didn't want things to get too complicated… Sometimes, a little pure love is better!
Sparkle stared at Daziel's unperturbed demeanor, as if he had everything under control. The stubbornness in her heart, like wildly growing vines, rapidly entangled and spread.
She let out a soft hum, the corners of her mouth once again curving into a sly arc, like a little fox, as if she still held an even more astonishing, more secret trump card.
"Alright, it seems a trivial matter like 'assisting death,' which sounds troublesome, isn't enough to rattle Big Brother Daziel's nerves."
She deliberately drew out her tone, building suspense. Her slender finger lightly tapped the deep blue virtual screen. On the screen, the two characters for "Firefly" flickered faintly in sync with her movement.
"However…" Her voice was like the softest feather brushing past his ear. Her body leaned forward slightly, almost touching Daziel's earlobe, her breath like orchids, yet carrying an almost cruel, prank-like excitement.
"That big fellow called Sam, that stiff, cold mecha knight in the Stellaron Hunters… its pilot is actually a very cute girl, you know~"
Her tone was full of insinuation, her eyes slyly, unblinkingly glancing at Daziel, desperately hoping to catch a hint of interest, a flicker of wavering on his face. Even if it was just a momentary, imperceptible dilation of his pupils.
This was her privately hoarded, explosive tidbit, enough to arouse the most primal curiosity in any male creature. Her delicate face almost had "There's no way you could know this, right?" written all over it in smugness.
However, all the reactions she had anticipated were like stones cast into the deep sea, not stirring even half a ripple.
Daziel didn't even spare her a glance from the corner of his eye. Only the curve at the corner of his mouth became more distinct.
"Of course, I know."
His voice was frighteningly calm, without the slightest emotional inflection, as if merely stating an objective fact not open for discussion.
"Things like this, you don't need to specially tell me. If they don't provoke me, I won't use despicable means to harm others. Being so harsh on you is purely because you, little girl, are too malicious."
This nonchalant yet absolutely certain affirmation was like an invisible, incredibly heavy sledgehammer, crashing down fiercely! It not only shattered the suspenseful and teasing atmosphere Sparkle had meticulously created but also pulverized her little bit of smugness, her probing, and the desire for control hidden beneath her mask, scattering them to the ground!
The air seemed to completely freeze at this moment. The signature smile on Sparkle's face, which seemed as if it would never fade, froze completely. Her eyes, which always sparkled with agile and cunning light, widened, clearly reflecting pure shock and an incredulity so intense it was almost tangible.
"How… How can you say that?! Sob… Besides, how did you know this piece of news?"
She subconsciously whispered, her voice carrying a tremor so faint even she didn't notice it. That cynical, playful mask she wore to face the world showed clear cracks.
The Masked Fool, who always prided herself on controlling the rhythm of "fun" and toying with people's hearts, had, for the first time, been so thoroughly, crushingly defeated on an informational level!
How could Daziel possibly know?! This was absolutely impossible! Sam's secret, the true identity of its pilot, was known only to a very few!
Daziel slowly turned around, finally, for the first time, looking directly at Sparkle, whose expression management had completely lost control. His gaze was still calm and rippleless, like a windless deep pool, yet it carried a sharp, heart-piercing power.
That gaze reached directly into her ever-restless heart, the one always seeking so-called "fun" to fill its emptiness, her true inner self, making her feel exposed, her cute toes in her sandals curling.
Daziel spread his palm, his movement casual and natural.
"I know far more than you imagine."
Daziel's gaze swept past Sparkle's momentarily frozen face, finally and precisely capturing the fleeting panic deep in her eyes.
"When the time comes, just manage yourself," Daziel's voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to draw an invisible boundary in the air, incomparably clear, "Not causing me trouble is the biggest help."
"Most troubles, I can handle myself."
That sharp, almost tangible gaze, like an invisible blade, lightly scraped across Sparkle's delicate skin, bringing a barely perceptible stinging sensation. This was both a warning and a declaration.
Sparkle's cheeks puffed up suddenly, like a cat whose favorite ball of yarn had been snatched away, a sound of extreme dissatisfaction, a "harrumph," escaping her throat.
However, in her eyes, which were always full of provocation, the previous unruliness had quietly faded, replaced by a hint of unconcealable apprehension, and a clear reluctance. She truly felt it, the absolute confidence and unfathomable depth hidden beneath that calm, rippleless tone.
This man who had become her "master" seemed to truly possess information and an astonishing confidence that she couldn't comprehend at all.
"...…I know!"
She mumbled under her breath, her volume barely louder than a mosquito's buzz, and simply turned her head away, avoiding Daziel's eyes that seemed to be able to control her directly.
"I… I just wanted to show off a little in front of Big Brother Daziel, that's all."
Just then, Pom-Pom's energetic and cheerful voice came through the train's broadcast system.
"Attention all passengers! The warp engine preheating is complete, preparing for spatial jump, Pom! Please all passengers be seated and hold on tight, do not move around casually, Pom!"
Daziel glanced sideways at the pouting Sparkle beside him and gestured, "Go sit properly in your seat, we're about to depart."
Sparkle immediately retorted, her tone tinged with a coquettish imperiousness, "Then I want to sit with Big Brother Daziel! The kind where we're really close!"
Daziel neither confirmed nor denied, offering no response. He allowed Sparkle to squeeze into the seat next to him like a clingy kitten, pressing almost half her body against his, bringing with her a faint, sweet fragrance unique to young girls.
"Destination confirmed: Penacony—Planet of Beautiful Dreams!"
"Please everyone confirm again that you are seated and holding on tight, warp countdown beginning—"
"Three!"
The lights in the carriage began to flicker at a specific frequency, and the low hum of the energy core's operation suddenly intensified.
"Two!"
The starry sky outside the window suddenly twisted and deformed. Distant stars were pulled by an invisible force, transforming into blurred, out-of-focus, rapidly flowing streaks of light. The canvas of the universe was being smeared wantonly.
"One!"
"Warp initiated!"
Boom—!!!
An immense force, indescribable in words and utterly irresistible, instantly seized the entire Astral Express. The scene outside the window completely shattered and disintegrated, transforming into a surging, multicolored torrent of light.
Countless incandescent ribbons of light frantically intertwined, violently collided, and mercilessly tore apart. Shattered fragments of space, like glass in a kaleidoscope, flashed past their vision at a speed beyond comprehension.
It was an utterly brilliant visual feast, yet also a sensory catastrophe capable of shaking one's very soul. The concepts of time and space became utterly muddled and indistinct at this moment, only the rampaging, unparalleled torrent of energy filled every inch of perception.
Daziel leaned back against the soft seat, slowly closing his eyes, trying to block out the dizzying sensation brought by the bizarre, bewildering sights.
The cold metallic touch of the baseball bat in his hand transmitted through his fingertips, like an anchor in a stormy sea, allowing his chaotic thoughts a slight measure of stability and calm.
Firefly, Sparkle, Robin, Black Swan… And the soon-to-be-reached Penacony, a producer of beautiful dreams and conspiracies. Countless clues, like a tangled mess of yarn, frantically intertwined in his mind, yet he struggled to unravel a clear and distinct thread.
That uncontrollable variable he called the "inner world memetic influence," where would it stir this murky water this time? How much would the plot's trajectory deviate?
Just as Daziel was deep in thought, an extreme, pure darkness, without any warning, brutally invaded the depths of his consciousness.
It wasn't the chaotic interplay of light and shadow in the warp tunnel, but a… An almost nihilistic, soul-stirringly profound darkness that seemed capable of devouring all light and existence.
In the very center of this boundless darkness, a blurred figure, like ink dropped into clear water, quietly bloomed and emerged.
It was the silhouette of a woman, tall and solitary, one hand seemingly casually resting on the hilt of a long, narrow tachi. Even as a mere illusory projection on the conscious level, it still exuded an extreme loneliness and icy indifference that made one's heart contract.
Her face was shrouded in a hazy mist, impossible to see clearly. Only that pair of red eyes, as if traversing an endless distance of time and space and layers of nothingness, were incomparably clearly and sharply reflected in Daziel's perceptual world.
In those eyes, there was not the slightest hostility, nor half a shred of killing intent, only a… An extremely intense, extremely urgent intent, as if something was burning.
As if exhausting her last ounce of strength, the owner of those eyes silently transmitted a two-word message to Daziel.
"Leave quickly!"
This was not a sound, more like a warning directly branded onto the origin of his soul, a thought transmission transcending language. Cold, resolute, undeniable, carrying an almost command-like urgency.
Daziel's heart suddenly clenched, as if doused with a bucket of ice water in midsummer, the chill instantly permeating his limbs!
The illusion before him, like a fragile bubble under the sun, popped with a "pop" sound, instantly vanishing without a trace, as if it had never appeared.
The rampaging light and shadow in the warp tunnel continued to flow madly. The stable and powerful roar of the train's engine refilled his eardrums, and Sparkle's faint breathing beside him became clear again.
Was everything just now merely an illusion caused by warp sickness?
No. That sense of urgent prompting from a powerful stranger, carrying an ominous premonition, was like the deepest knife wound, firmly and clearly engraved on his heart, impossible to shake off.
Those eyes… that aura… Who was it?
A name subconsciously surfaced from the depths of Daziel's memory.
Acheron!
It could only be her; besides him, there was no one else.
Why would she issue such a warning to him?
Leave quickly?
Was she warning him to leave Penacony immediately?
___
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