"Mr. Sam Li, please come back to visit when you have time..."
"Mr. Sam Li, we'll be waiting for you."
"Nicole, don't worry. I'll always keep the position of Deputy Mayor of Calydon City reserved for you. Whenever you return, you'll still be the Deputy Mayor of Calydon City..."
"Mr. Sam Li, farewell—"
"Farewell—"
...
Amidst the echoing farewells, the Astral Express slowly began to move, its speed steadily increasing. Under the stunned and reluctant gazes of everyone, the train shot out along the subway station tracks like an agile dragon, then soared into the sky...
Though Sam Li and Nicole had already vanished into the distance, the crowd remained rooted to the station platform, unwilling to leave. They stared fixedly at the direction Sam Li had departed, then lifted their gazes to the boundless expanse of sky.
The universe is vast. With Sam Li gone this way, who knows when they might meet again. Perhaps... they would never see each other again.
Lost in these thoughts, Zhu Yuan sighed deeply.
"Senior, will Sam Li return?"
Qingyi replied slowly, "He will."
Seth looked puzzled. "Senior Qingyi, why are you so certain?"
Qingyi smiled faintly. "Have you forgotten? My intuition is remarkably accurate."
Seeing everyone still staring at her, Qingyi continued her explanation.
"Alright, alright. Have you forgotten? Sam Li is the Liyue Geo Archon. Now that New Eridu also belongs to Liyue, how could he possibly abandon Liyue... Maybe next time, maybe next year, but he will definitely return."
After hearing Qingyi's analysis, everyone nodded repeatedly, finding her reasoning spot on.
Zhu Yuan immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Truly worthy of being called Senior Qingyi."
Caesar regained her drive and exclaimed cheerfully, "Right, Lucy, Piper, Burnice, Lighter—let's hurry back!"
Lucy was speechless. "Why the rush to return this time?"
Caesar replied earnestly, "I must complete the construction of Calydon City before Mr.Sam Li returns."
With that, Caesar led the members of the Sons of Calydon away.
Immediately after, the members of Section 6, No. 11, the Victoria Housekeeping staff, and the two Proxies... all departed Janus District Subway Station.
Though Sam Li and Venti had left New Eridu, the city still pulsed with vitality. On streets and in alleys, citizens continued celebrating humanity's victory, singing praises of the great Geo Archon.
Only... few noticed that Janus District was missing a versatile agency called Cunning Hares, or that the coffee shop on Sixth Street no longer had the old regular who used to walk his bird.
But the coffee shop gained a new customer instead—a silent, heavily armed young woman who could never remember anyone's name..
...
At this very moment, in the starry expanse beyond the planet where New Eridu lay, the Astral Express pierced the atmosphere, finally leaving the planet behind and formally entering the cosmos.
Nicole, Billy, Nekomata, Anby, and Hu Tao all pressed their faces against the train windows, staring in awe at the universe unfolding outside. It was their first time witnessing this spectacle.
The vast world they knew truly resembled the descriptions in ancient texts—a colossal sphere adrift in the dark void.
Billy seemed to spot something, urgently pointing outside. "Nicole, look over there! Even that giant abyss Sam Li blew open is visible..."
Nekomata exclaimed excitedly, "It's huge! Like a giant soccer ball!"
Nicole, however, remained perfectly calm. "What's the big deal? I've seen all this in books before."
Beside her, Hu Tao gazed curiously at the cosmos outside the window, scanning the planet where New Eridu resided, then shifting her view to the other side, discovering yet another planet...
Then Hu Tao glanced at the other window and saw an immense planet radiating blazing light.
"So the sun is this big—"
"Take your time looking. You'll get tired of it later."
March 7th showed zero interest in the cosmos outside the window, instead fixating on the pile of gifts laid out on the table. Rumor had it these gifts included delicious pastries and the finest wines...
As the Astral Express accelerated, soon the planet where New Eridu lay vanished from view, and only then did Nicole, Billy, Hu Tao, and the others slowly settle onto the sofas.
March 7th couldn't wait to ask, "Do you need help opening these presents?"
Sam Li replied slowly, "Go ahead."
Nekomata perked up again, leaping over excitedly. "I'll help too!"
Surveying the mountain of presents, Nicole chuckled. "I told them Sam Li was leaving and suggested everyone prepare gifts for his farewell... That's why they gathered so much. Little did they know we at Cunning Hares hadn't prepared anything—we were the gifts themselves! Hahahaha..."
Billy chimed in, "That's our boss Nicole for you—got us a sweet deal in one go."
Seeing this, Sam Li was utterly speechless. "..."
Nicole and Anby declared solemnly, "Boss Nicole's still the same as ever."
Still the same as ever. A complete little money-grubbing miser.
Munching on the pastries Zhu Yuan had gifted them, Hu Tao couldn't help but praise, "Who knew Miss Zhu Yuan was such a master pastry chef? Too bad we found out too late. We'll never get to taste her sweets again..."
Sam Li smiled. "There will be opportunities."
Beside them, Nicole, Billy, and Nekomata—all experiencing their first journey beyond New Eridu's home planet—were utterly fascinated by outer space. Each took a pastry, then they rushed to the train windows to admire the outer space scenery.
Whether spotting new planets or asteroids streaking past, Billy and Nekomata would gasp in awe.
"That was close! Mr. Pam, please slow down..."
"Passengers, don't doubt my driving skills—"
Pom-Pom, annoyed, accelerated again.
Time flew by. After journeying through the starry skies for a full day and night, though they hadn't reached their destination, the Wish Star, they passed an interstellar resource supply space station operated by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
Although the train wasn't short on supplies, Himeko and Pam still decided to dock here, intending to purchase information about the nearby star systems from the station's personnel.
However, upon entering the space station, Himeko, Dan Heng, and the Trailblazer immediately sensed something was amiss. Not a single soul was in sight.
The next moment, Sam Li seemed to detect something, his brow instantly furrowing.
"Careful! Unknown monsters ahead."
Unknown monsters? Were there skeletal monsters in the starry void too?
As Nicole and Billy frowned in confusion, Himeko, standing nearby, had already reacted. She hurriedly warned:
"Everyone, be cautious! It's the Antimatter Legion—"
...