Wei Qing stared at the ticket in Pom-Pom's paws—an object that carried countless stories—yet for a moment, he genuinely didn't know how to respond.
He'd come here to take a vacation.
The Astral Express's Navigator wasn't just a title.
It was a responsibility with weight—steering the Express toward unknown seas of stars, deciding where to go, when to stop, and what to risk.
As the last remaining institutional remnant of Trailblaze, this position—at least in symbolic authority—was practically on par with the Marshal of the Xianzhou Alliance.
What I failed to accomplish on the Xianzhou… I'm going to "complete" on the Express instead?
Wei Qing hesitated and spoke carefully.
"Pom-Pom… that responsibility is too heavy. I joined the Express only recently. I'm not sure I can—"
"Passenger Yi Qing!" Pom-Pom cut him off, voice threaded with pleading. "Pom-Pom knows this is sudden, pa! But the train needs a Navigator right now!"
It pushed the ticket forward again.
"On the Express now, you're the last officially registered Nameless. And… this was Passenger Granholm's wish too. Pom-Pom can feel it."
Pom-Pom's ears trembled, but it held its ground.
"Passenger Granholm recognized you. He entrusted you to write the record of his final Trailblaze. And it was you who helped him complete the cleansing of Qilan Star. It was you who brought the power that let the Express breathe again!"
It paused, then spoke even more earnestly.
"Pom-Pom can tell you're different from the Nameless who came before. You're strong. And your heart of Trailblaze… it's a little weird, pa, but it's real!"
"And as an Emanator of Trailblaze, you have the qualification."
Wei Qing fell silent.
He could feel Pom-Pom's urgency—raw and unfiltered—and he could see the relief in Granholm's eyes, the quiet acceptance of a man who'd finally placed the burden down.
It was clear now: this wasn't something he could dodge.
Wei Qing drew a long breath, then reached out and took the ticket with both hands.
"…Alright."
He pinned the worn ticket to his chest beside his own pristine one.
"If the Conductor and the previous Navigator trust me this much… then I'll carry it."
Pom-Pom's small body visibly loosened, as if a cord inside it finally slackened.
"Mm! Congratulations, Passenger Yi Qing. You're officially the Astral Express's Navigator now, pa!"
And at the exact moment the battered ticket touched his chest—
Wei Qing felt it clearly.
An ancient will of Trailblaze, far older than the "Emanator authority" he'd received before, surged up from deep within the train like a warm tide.
This wasn't a blessing from Akivili's lingering power—Akivili had long since fallen.
This came from the Astral Express itself—from the great vehicle that had carried the weight of countless Trailblazes—acknowledging its new helmsman.
So being Navigator comes with pay, huh?
Why didn't anyone mention that earlier?If he'd known, he wouldn't have hesitated for even a second.
In that instant, Wei Qing's chest sank slightly—like something invisible had settled onto him.
Then a powerful resonance expanded outward from the ticket.
Hum—
The air in the observation car changed.
The Astral Express's unique aura—an intangible mixture of countless worlds, memories, and "first steps" taken into the unknown—became sharper, clearer, more alive than ever.
The Express had formally recognized him.
As an Emanator of Trailblaze, Wei Qing could feel his connection to the train lock into place, intimate to the point of instinct. The train's structure, its internal state, even the fatigue and wear buried deep in its frame—everything surfaced in his mind like lines on his palm.
And in return, a more condensed Trailblaze power flowed back into him.
He had taken a real, solid step forward on this Path.
Trailblaze "candidate deity"?
Not quite.
If he had truly reached "candidate" level on Trailblaze, with Akivili gone, that would imply he should already be on the verge of ascending.
But he wasn't.
This felt… more like what happened with Hunt: an abnormal synergy effect, where two separate "Emanator-grade" endorsements weren't additive at all—
They compounded.
A 1 + 1 = 10 kind of compounding.
As for why future Himeko never displayed Emanator-tier combat output?
Wei Qing didn't know.
Maybe by the time the Express restarted, Trailblaze's "momentum" hadn't recovered yet. Or maybe his own luck—and his own ridiculous bundle of Paths—made his case special.
Any number of explanations were possible.
Pom-Pom looked up at the ticket on Wei Qing's chest and nodded hard.
"Mm! Even though we don't have much time before the Express needs to rest, Pom-Pom believes you'll do well during this period, pa!"
"I understand." Wei Qing's voice steadied. "I'll serve as Navigator until the Express enters dormancy."
Beside them, Granholm's face finally relaxed into a real smile. He leaned back against the wall of the observation car and slowly slid down into a sitting position.
His aura was faint, yet strangely calm—as if the thousand-pound weight he'd carried all these years had at last been removed.
"…That's good," he murmured, gaze drifting toward the star-sea. And then, as if letting the last honesty of his life spill out, he began to speak.
"Pom-Pom… Yi Qing… and Miss Acheron."
He paused, breath ragged, but his eyes were clear.
"To be able to say this here—on the train—with you… is wonderful."
He organized his thoughts, voice low and tired.
"What is Trailblaze?"
"When I was young, I believed it meant conquering the unknown, stepping where no one had stepped, leaving behind a name and a legend."
"Later, I witnessed too many meetings and partings. I lost myself. I thought all effort was just futile struggle. That's probably when the seed of Nihility took root."
"I thought I'd seen through it. Let go of it."
"But on Qilan Star—when I decided to accept that 'nothingness'—I finally understood…"
Granholm's eyes flickered with a brief clarity, like a candle's last bright flare.
"Trailblaze was never about what you gain."
"And it was never simply about resisting loss."
"It's about the act of living through it—the moment of connection—the step forward taken even when you know the road might end in nothing."
"I turned myself into a vessel, not to become a hero, and not to 'fight' Nihility."
"I accepted it… and inside it, I found Trailblaze again."
He looked toward Wei Qing, and the meaning was unmistakable—entrustment.
"Yi Qing… I can sense it. You're not only a Pathstrider of Abundance and Trailblaze."
"You're also… like us. A Self-Annihilator of Nihility."
"And yet… you don't seem to be consumed by it."
"There's a strange balance in you."
Wei Qing blinked.
He hadn't expected the old man to be that perceptive.
In truth, his "Nihility" wasn't something he'd chosen—it had been dumped on him by the system as a reward, and it hadn't come with the usual erosion of despair.
Maybe that was exactly why he stayed "healthy."
He smiled faintly.
"Maybe I'm just greedy," Wei Qing said. "I want to witness life's brilliance… and I also want to understand emptiness."
"I grab a bit of both—so I don't sink too deep into either."
Granholm seemed like he wanted to speak more—
But a sudden signal interrupted the moment.
The comms console in the observation car chimed softly, the screen lighting up with the elegant, unmistakable figure of Screwllum.
Incoming request: Astral ExpressCaller: ScrewllumPurpose: Greetings and coordination of follow-up matters
Pom-Pom's ears snapped upright. It looked at the console, then anxiously at Wei Qing.
Wei Qing hesitated for half a heartbeat—
Then remembered.
Right. I'm the one "in charge" now.
He nodded to Pom-Pom.
Pom-Pom swallowed, then approved the request.
Screwllum's projection unfolded into the carriage.
"Greetings to the Astral Express."
His gaze moved immediately to Granholm.
"Regarding Qilan Star's follow-up matters, I have completed initial alignment with the Luminifolk representatives and the IPC."
Granholm breathed shallowly and smiled with relief.
"Thank you… Mr. Screwllum."
Then he spoke softly, as if closing a door.
"I am no longer the Astral Express's Navigator. If you have matters to discuss, speak with my successor—Yi Qing."
He gestured toward Wei Qing.
Screwllum's head angled slightly.
"Understood. Then, greetings to the Astral Express's new Navigator, Mr. Yi Qing."
"In accordance with the preliminary consensus reached with the Luminifolk, and the IPC's supply manifest, Qilan Star's reconstruction has entered a stable trajectory."
"Thank you for the update, Mr. Screwllum," Wei Qing stepped forward, voice calm.
"No thanks are required." Screwllum's tone remained precise. "This is a rational decision grounded in respect for civilizational diversity."
"However," he continued, "this communication is not solely to report progress. I have a private question—more precisely, I wish to verify an observation."
Wei Qing's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Please."
Screwllum's voice was steady, like an instrument reporting measured values.
"Based on my analysis of Qilan Star's residual energy imprint, during the final phase of the crisis resolution, the region exhibited fluctuations far beyond normal parameters."
"Emanator-level signatures. And not just one."
He paused—just long enough for the words to sink in.
"Beyond the departing Lord Ravager, there were traces consistent with Nihility and Trailblaze."
"These are two Paths that, by conventional understanding, should no longer produce new Emanators."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 155)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter200)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter110)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter230)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 200
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
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From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 230
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 220
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 120
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 135
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 110
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 100
My Harem Is Indescribable 90
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 95
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 80
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 70
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 75
Checking In in Demon Slayer 80
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 85
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 70
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 65
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 70
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 70
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 65
Why did they assign me to Uma 65
MYGO Beauties 65
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 55
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 65
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 45
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 45
The Uma Musume Who Became 40
I'm Definitely Not the King of 45
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
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