[Finally, the group decided that Welt would lead the team, taking Stelle and March 7th to the Luofu for their trailblazing journey.]
[Himeko and Dan Heng remained on the Express.]
[After two warp jumps, a dazzling light suddenly pierced through the darkness of the leap. Once the group steadied themselves, an overwhelmingly massive planetary-scale starship appeared before their eyes.]
["Wow!" March 7th was so shocked her jaw dropped. "This is the Xianzhou? It looks even bigger than Jarilo-VI!"]
"This... is a starship?"
Navia struggled to connect this planet-sized behemoth with the concept of a ship.
Fontaine had once possessed a naval fleet long ago, and Navia had read about it in her childhood. Ordinary ships typically accommodated just dozens to a hundred people, but this Xianzhou... She even suspected it might be larger than all of Teyvat combined!
"Don't forget, this was built by an ancient emperor who mobilized the entire nation's resources... And there are five more of similar scale," Clorinde remarked impassively from the side.
"Moreover, the ancient emperor didn't just build six Xianzhou ships initially."
Clorinde handed Navia a newspaper that had recently documented the Celestial Screen's information and sighed. "...It's hard to imagine how vast the territory and how advanced the technology of that emperor's nation must have been to support such an enormous construction project."
"Even if we drained all the iron and coal mines across ten Teyvat continents... or dug through the Chasm straight to the planet's core, we still couldn't build a single ship of this scale, could we?"
"Even with sufficient resources, who would even build it?" Clorinde let out a light scoff. "Surely not those folks at the Fontaine Research Institute, right?"
"They didn't even spare their own institute... If given enough resources, the Xianzhou might never get built, but Fontaine would probably be razed to the ground first."
["For the people of the Xianzhou, this ship is their planet," Dan Heng said quietly, his eyes carrying an indescribable emotion. "The earth is an indispensable cradle for the survival and development of civilization. However, some civilizations can break free from their infancy and navigate the void aboard starships... The Xianzhou Alliance is one such example."]
[Dan Heng's voice grew softer, and if one listened closely, they could detect a faint tremble in his tone. "I've only seen it a few times, but... it remains just as magnificent."]
["What's up with you? You look all nostalgic and lonely?" March 7th found Dan Heng's melancholy utterly unfamiliar and couldn't help but soften her voice.]
[Dan Heng sighed and didn't answer... as if the past was too painful to revisit.]
[Meanwhile, Himeko was requesting permission for the Express to dock on the Xianzhou. Strangely, after multiple attempts, only intermittent AI responses came through.]
["The Stellaron Hunters might not have been lying... The Xianzhou really is in trouble," March 7th muttered, suddenly terrified, as if they were about to step into a horror movie scenario.]
[Fortunately, the tension didn't last long. Soon, the Xianzhou responded with docking guidance, and the AI announced:]
["The Jade Gate is now opening. On behalf of the [Xianzhou Alliance: The Luofu], we welcome our guests from afar. Please follow the guidance and dock in an orderly manner—"]
[Though there was still no human response, Welt was already prepared to disembark, and March 7th was excitedly planning to take plenty of photos of the Luofu to make Dan Heng jealous... Her mindset was less like executing a mission and more like going on a trip.]
[Since it was her first time working alongside "Uncle Yang," Stelle sought out Himeko before departure to ask about him.]
[During the conversation, Himeko only mentioned that Welt was highly skilled in combat. As for other details, she knew little: "He rarely talks about his past. If you ask him, he'll just say he's an anime producer."]
"...An anime producer?"
At St. Freya Academy, Himeko frowned slightly, mulling over those words. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she quickly dialed a number on her phone.
After a brief "Du—" tone, Welt Yang picked up.
"Have you seen it? That Mr. Welt in the Celestial Screen... I can't shake the feeling that he isn't just a parallel universe counterpart," Himeko cautiously voiced her suspicion.
"We've observed the traits of alternate-world counterparts. Whether it's me, Bronya, or Seele... their counterparts all have some differences, be it in personality or appearance."
"But only you... Welt, only your counterpart is different from the rest."
A look of disbelief surfaced on Himeko's face, yet her voice remained firm. "No, to put it simply, your counterpart resembles you too closely—whether in personality, voice, appearance, age... and now, even experiences align."
"Himeko... what are you implying?" The voice on the other end of the call had begun to tremble slightly.
Taking a deep breath, Himeko whispered, "Welt... I think you've already guessed it to some extent."
[The trio followed the guidance to the Starskiff Haven of the Xianzhou, where they were met with mountains of stacked shipping containers.]
["Good grief, it's nothing but endless rows of containers. You can't even see where it ends," March 7th complained. "This is supposed to be a passenger docking area? Looks more like a cargo port. Who guided us here? A port this busy, yet not a soul in sight... Creepy."]
["If we did see someone, that'd be even creepier..."]
["Eek! Don't say that—anyone who shows up now is definitely the mastermind!" March 7th shivered. "Uncle Yang, what do we do?"]
["We start by finding whoever opened the Jade Gate. If they have ulterior motives, that saves us some trouble. If they're staff, we'll ask them what's going on."]
[Welt quickly organized his thoughts and calmly turned to the two. "Let's go. Stay alert."]
"This Mr. Welt gives off a very reassuring vibe," Tartaglia observed, studying the middle-aged man on the screen closely. In Snezhnaya, he wouldn't stand out in a crowd, but this perfect level of low-key demeanor concealed his sharpness well.
"Though this gentleman seems gentle and refined, I get the feeling he'd become a completely different person in a fight."
"I share that impression," Zhongli remarked evenly. "Composed in crisis, ready to strike at any moment."
"Come to think of it, he's a bit like you, Mr. Zhongli..."
"Oh?" Zhongli's interest was piqued, his tone lifting slightly. "Do elaborate."
"Aside from personality, the key thing..." Tartaglia smiled and pointed to his own mouth. "Is the voice. Haven't you noticed, Mr. Zhongli...? You and Mr. Welt sound very similar."