Himeko waved Sylvia and Mei over, then told them about General Jing Yuan's invitation. The group had a brief chat about whether to head straight to Amphoreus, as Black Swan had suggested, or stop by the Wardance first.
Stelle and March 7th seemed to have a touch of PTSD when it came to events like this. Before they could settle on anything, Sylvia spoke up.
"There's something I wanted to ask you about too, Himeko."
"Oh? What is it?"
Himeko turned to her with interest. Sylvia sent over Ruan Mei's contact details, then explained.
"Ruan Mei just got in touch. She wants to hire the Astral Express to fetch some Leviathan remains from Ginnungagap. It'd take a little over a month. Would you be interested?"
"A commission from Ruan Mei herself?"
Himeko looked surprised. Of the geniuses, the Astral Express had the most contact with Herta, and even that connection only went so far. Getting a commission from a second genius felt like a step forward.
Sylvia nodded and went on.
"We've got two trains now, so there's no reason we can't split up. If you're going to the Xianzhou, Mei and I can handle Ginnungagap. It won't get in the way of much."
As for the Wardance, she could always watch the broadcast. There wasn't much need to be there in person.
"Hmm..."
Himeko thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"Leave Ruan Mei's commission to me. As the Astral Express's navigator, I should handle her first request in person. It's a rare chance for the Express to build a bond with her."
Sylvia might be stronger, but Himeko still led the crew as their navigator. Since Ruan Mei thought well enough of them to offer a commission, Himeko should take charge of their first job for her.
It'd also help bring Ruan Mei closer to the crew. Until now, her friendship had been with Sylvia alone, not the Astral Express. Sylvia might be one of the Nameless now, but that wasn't quite the same thing.
"Besides, you've done so much in Penacony. Go to the Luofu with March and the others and take a break."
Himeko smiled at Sylvia. She'd done a great deal in Penacony, and the crew owed their early grasp of the key facts to her. She'd also faced a powerful foe just a short while ago.
Now that things had settled down, Himeko wanted the young girl to get some rest. A tedious job that wasn't too dangerous was best left to an adult like her.
Welt nodded in agreement. Strength was one thing, and age was another. They couldn't ignore how young Sylvia was just because she was strong.
In fact, aside from Stelle, whose past was still a mystery, Sylvia was the youngest member of the crew. She didn't even look twenty.
"Well... sure."
Sylvia had a feeling their trip to the Luofu would bring its own share of trouble. Still, Himeko meant well, so there wasn't much point in arguing.
Himeko nodded, then glanced at Welt. Once he gave her a nod in return, she laid out the plan.
"In that case, here's what we'll do. Welt and I'll take the Astral Express to carry out Ruan Mei's commission. March 7th, Stelle, and Dan Heng will join Sylvia and Acheron at the Wardance as our representatives."
Welt adjusted his glasses and turned to the younger trio.
"What do you think?"
Dan Heng and March 7th had no objections. Stelle, however, planted both hands on her hips and announced:
"I wanna play with Leviathan remains!"
"Hey! Himeko and Mr. Yang are going there to do real research, not play! Don't make trouble."
As usual, March 7th had to rein Stelle in before she could run off and cause chaos. Someone had to keep her in check.
Sylvia and Mei had no objections either. Sylvia was ready to head to the space station and fight the Lord of Silence whenever Herta called.
As for Mei, she'd go wherever Sylvia went. Leviathans or the Wardance—neither could hold her interest the way Sylvia did.
Pom-Pom had listened from the side while the group reached a decision. Only then did the conductor speak.
"Then I'll get ready for departure. All passengers, please head to your assigned trains as soon as possible."
Sylvia had rooms set aside for everyone on her train, just as Himeko's train had rooms for Sylvia and Mei. The crew had money now, after all. Furnishing a few rooms wasn't beyond their means.
March 7th only had to pack a few things. With several changes of clothes in tow, she followed Sylvia to the other train.
--+--
"Oh, you're back already? Where are we going next?"
Bailu hadn't joined the crew's meeting. She was in the carriage, eating snacks with Dormancy and Qingque.
"We're going to the Luofu for the Wardance. Himeko and Welt are taking Ruan Mei's commission."
"Oh, I see."
Bailu gave a thoughtful nod. Qingque greeted the others with a broad grin.
"Hehe, thanks for giving me a ride, Sylvia!"
"We're friends. Besides, it's on the way."
Sylvia waved off her thanks. Qingque had spent the past few days in Penacony playing Celestial Jade to her heart's content. Since she was due to head home, Sylvia had brought her along.
"Passengers, you can keep chatting later. The train's about to depart, so please take your seats and hold on!"
Pom-Pom didn't leave them time to linger. The other train had already set off, so this one needed to get moving too.
--+--
The Xianzhou Luofu.
Sylvia felt a little strange as she stepped out of the port. She came to the Luofu often, but she'd rarely entered through the port and checked in like a proper visitor. Most of the time, she just teleported straight into her house.
"Ah... back in familiar territory. A girl can't help but feel a little nostalgic."
March 7th gazed at the streets she knew so well. For a moment, their last visit felt like a lifetime ago.
"Are you about to recite a poem, March?"
Sylvia grinned at her. March shook her head at once.
"I'm not that moved! I was just thinking about our last visit. We got half dragged here and half tricked into coming, then ended up chasing a wanted criminal. We didn't even land at the cargo docks. Having everything go this smoothly is really—"
"Stop, stop! Please don't jinx us again!"
Stelle cut her off before she could finish the spell. She didn't dare let March's mouth run any further.
"I-I'm wishing us well! What do you mean, jinx us? Ask them!"
March protested with all the force of someone who knew she was right, then looked around for support. But Sylvia and Dan Heng both glanced away, looking awkward, and took half a step back in perfect sync.
They'd seen March's talent for jinxing things more than once. Both agreed that Stelle had been right to stop her.
"You traitors! Did you seriously just step back?! What happened to all the life-and-death stuff we've been through together as a crew? Aaaah! Miss Acheron, they're picking on me!"
March wriggled free of Sylvia's hand and looked around. To everyone's surprise, she ran to Mei to complain.
Mei raised a hand and gave her head a gentle pat. Then she spoke in a soft voice.
"You should probably say a little less, March. There's something about you..."
She didn't even get to finish. March clutched her chest, crushed. All she needed now was to squat by the road and draw sad little circles in the dirt.
It took Sylvia a bit of effort to cheer her up. Once March felt better, the group made their way onto the main street.
There, they ran into Yunli, who was strolling along, eating and drinking as she went. She seemed to know they were coming, because the moment she spotted them, the barefoot girl bounded over with a snack held high.
"Sylvia! You're finally here! Can you teach me swordplay? I can't wait to get stronger!"
Yunli came to a halt right in front of her, still clutching a skewer of Berrypheasant Skewers. With her cheeks full and her heels raised, she looked ready to leap into Sylvia's arms.
"Sure, sure. I'll teach you once I've settled in. But how come you're on your own?"
Sylvia reached out and scratched under Yunli's chin without thinking. The way Yunli narrowed her eyes made it feel like she was petting a cat.
"I'm not a little kid! I'm just taking a walk around the Luofu. I don't need Grandpa to take me everywhere."
Yunli puffed out her cheeks and glared at Sylvia. She seemed quite upset at being treated like a child, though her response did little to help her case.
It didn't help that she still had her head tipped back, with her chin resting in Sylvia's palm. If anything, that made her look even cuter.
March watched from the side, itching to give Yunli a pat herself. But the moment she reached out, Yunli turned and bared her teeth. She showed none of the warmth she'd given Sylvia.
March drew back her hand with a look of regret. Then she pouted at Sylvia.
"Uh... Sylvia? Why's she only friendly with you?"
"Maybe because I promised to teach her swordplay."
Sylvia smiled and lowered her hand, then led the group toward the port exit. Bailu and Yunli each claimed one of her arms, making her look like she was taking two children out for the day. Even Mei couldn't get a spot beside her.
"I wonder what the Luofu's arranged for us. I'll contact Tingyun in a bit and ask her to find you a place to stay."
Sylvia's usual place was a fairly standard home. It could fit two or three people well enough, but housing the whole group at once would make it cramped.
Besides, it had served as her and Mei's private little nest. They'd left quite a lot of personal clutter lying around, so it wasn't a great place to invite others for a long stay.
Bailu spoke up when she heard Sylvia's plan.
"The Sky-Faring Commission gets word as soon as the Astral Express docks. Someone should be here to welcome us soon."
She couldn't imagine the Astral Express getting no reception. An Emanator had come in person, after all. Wherever they went, someone from the highest seat of power would make a point of meeting them.
Sylvia was also on very good terms with the Luofu. Someone should arrive soon, though Bailu didn't know who it'd be.
She'd heard that the Master Diviner had gone to the Yuque on business and hadn't come back yet. That might leave Madam Yukong. She knew everyone already, so that'd work out well.
Bailu pondered this as she walked beside Sylvia. Then she stopped short, staring at the man ahead with wide eyes.
"General Jing Yuan?!"
March covered her mouth and let out a hushed cry. At some point, Jing Yuan had come here in person. The moment he spotted Sylvia and the others, he raised a hand and walked toward them with a smile.
He'd clearly been waiting for them.
"It's been a while, friends of the Astral Express. You're all looking well."
Sylvia raised an eyebrow too. She hadn't expected Jing Yuan to come in person.
This wasn't her first visit to the Luofu. Sending Yanqing or Yukong would've been more than enough. Did he really need to make it this formal?
"It hasn't been that long. And you've actually got time to leave the Seat of Divine Foresight to come meet us, Jing Yuan?"
"Hahaha! It's just a polite greeting. Must you call me out on it, young Sylvia? Since old friends have come to visit, why don't I treat you all to a welcome meal?"
"..."
Jing Yuan had slipped past the question without saying a word about work. Sylvia took that as a sure sign that he'd dumped it on someone else and snuck out again.
His gaze, meanwhile, had settled on Bailu. At first, he'd only thought she seemed a bit taller. But a closer look revealed quite a bit more.
The lock the Preceptors had placed on her tail was gone, and her aura had grown much stronger. From the look of things, the change had happened over the past few days. Her power had grown fast, but she hadn't yet learned to keep it fully in check, so a little of it leaked out.
Most people would only think she had a more commanding air. Anyone with enough strength, though, could tell that she still lacked a firm grip on her own power.
According to the Preceptors, the lock had been there to stop Bailu's power from running wild. Yet without it, she showed no sign of danger. She'd even grown taller.
Had the Preceptors used that excuse to hold back the new High Elder on purpose?
Jing Yuan had questioned the lock before. But it was an internal matter for the Vidyadhara, and Bailu's position had been delicate at the time. Her power had also shown signs of slipping out of control, so he'd had no grounds to challenge them despite his doubts.
He'd only found an excuse to entrust Bailu to Sylvia after she'd revealed her power of Permanence. Yet in less than a month away, she'd even taken off the lock.
At that thought, Jing Yuan's smile grew warmer and more sincere. Sylvia left him to study Bailu and turned to ask March and the others what they wanted to do.
She didn't mind either way, but Dan Heng might feel awkward around Jing Yuan, and March might struggle to relax. If they weren't comfortable, Sylvia could take only Bailu and Mei to the meal and let the younger trio explore on their own.
Just then—
BOOM!
A sudden roar came from the port. Everyone whipped around to look.
High above the docks, a huge IPC transport ship burst through the Xianzhou's spatial barrier. Thick smoke poured from its hull as it lurched through the sky, falling toward the port.
"What? What?! What's going on? Is the Antimatter Legion attacking?"
March jumped and summoned her bow with a flick of her hand. She was afraid the Legion might charge in and start a battle at any moment.
The others drew their weapons too, bracing for an attack.
All except the three Emanators.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL