The look of shock on Herta's face lasted less than half a second. She strode to the main console and pulled up the external surveillance feed.
"The Astral Express… Hmph. Screwllum really knows how to deliver a 'surprise,'" she muttered.
Ruan Mei stepped up beside her, gentle eyes flickering with mild surprise.
"The Astral Express… I remember they've been missing for a long time. For Mr. Screwllum to invite them here—this is unexpected."
On the monitor, the Astral Express's distinctive, ancient, streamlined body floated quietly in the sea of stars, aligned side by side with Screwllum's ship.
Its surface bore the marks of time, yet it still radiated an indescribable solemnity—and a stubborn vitality.
Inside the Spiral Gap Research Institute, the docking airlock eased open with a low, steady hiss.
Wei Qing walked in first.
As the Astral Express's newly appointed Navigator, the crew naturally followed his lead.
When the hatch fully opened, two women stood waiting beyond it—styles utterly different, yet both impossible to ignore.
Old acquaintances: Herta and Ruan Mei.
They looked no different from when he'd last seen them on the Luofu.
"Welcome to Spiral Gap—Astral Express, and you too, Screwllum. Long time no see," Herta said first, crisp and direct. "I'm Herta. This is Ruan Mei."
Screwllum returned the greeting with his usual elegance. "Lady Herta. Lady Ruan Mei. It has been some time."
He added, perfectly timed, "Allow me to introduce them. This is the Astral Express's new Navigator, Mr. Yi Qing. This is the previous Navigator, Mr. Granholm. And traveling with them—Miss Acheron."
Wei Qing stepped forward with a faint smile. "I've long heard of the two of you. I'm Yi Qing—the Astral Express's current Navigator."
"New Navigator?" Herta's attention hooked instantly. She sized him up, openly curious. "The Express vanished for ages, shows up again, and the Navigator's already changed? And your Path aura… it's intense."
Blunt to the edge of rude—classic Herta.
Ruan Mei smoothly took the conversational baton, her voice soft enough to sand down any awkwardness.
"Mr. Yi Qing, Mr. Granholm, Miss Acheron—welcome. The Astral Express returning is news that could shake the starsea. We've always held the legacy of Trailblaze in high regard."
Her gaze paused on Granholm. She caught the exhaustion and the withering life-force with one look; a flicker of understanding—and quiet regret—passed through her eyes.
Granholm inclined his head slightly. "Thank you for hosting us. Forgive me—my condition is poor. I fear I may be discourteous."
"No problem." Herta waved it off. Her interest clearly lay elsewhere—mostly on Wei Qing and Acheron. "Let's be direct. I'm interested in you."
"Especially you, Navigator Yi Qing. Screwllum was annoyingly vague in his call. He just said it was 'meaningful.' Now I want to know—what exactly is this 'meaningful' supposed to mean?"
The demand was practically a bright neon sign: Show me the surprise.
Screwllum stepped in at the right moment, metal tone steady. "Lady Herta. Lady Ruan Mei. That is precisely why I invited the Astral Express here."
"Mr. Yi Qing is not only a new Navigator—he is also… an Emanator of Trailblaze, newly reappeared in this era."
For an instant, the air at the lab entrance seemed to freeze.
"An Emanator of Trailblaze?" Herta's pitch lifted. "Akivili is dead. Trailblaze can still produce an Emanator? Screwllum, are you sure?"
Her skepticism wasn't aimed at Screwllum's competence—it was the universe's rules that were being slapped in the face.
Wei Qing met the two geniuses' scrutiny without flinching.
"A coincidence of circumstances. The details involve personal matters, so I can't disclose everything. But as for being an Emanator of Trailblaze…"
He let his intent shift.
A current of Trailblaze spread outward—unshowy, not aggressive, but unmistakably at the Emanator's level.
A spark of wonder surfaced in Ruan Mei's eyes. "So pure… so active…"
"This surpasses ordinary Pathstriders by a wide margin. Congratulations, Mr. Yi Qing. This isn't merely your fortune—perhaps it's also a sign that Trailblaze is stirring again."
Herta folded her arms and paced half a circle around him like she'd found a priceless specimen, muttering under her breath.
"Interesting. Really interesting. A fallen Aeon's Path producing an Emanator again… this dataset is absurdly valuable."
"You're Yi Qing, right? I'm very optimistic about you. Want to cooperate on a few small experiments? Guaranteed painless!"
Wei Qing's mouth twitched—barely.
So she was still like this. Like a priestess trying to sell miracles.
"…If conditions allow, I will," he answered—polite, and conveniently noncommittal.
Herta didn't look satisfied. Her eyes slid to the quiet woman at the side.
"And you?" she asked, attention sharpening. "Miss Acheron? Your aura… Nihility? And the concentration is way too high."
Acheron lifted her gaze, voice flat. "Acheron. A traveler."
Then, as if remembering something from her earlier conversation with Screwllum, she added evenly:
"I'm also a Self-Annihilator. You could say… I qualify as what you call an Emanator."
"A Nihility Emanator?!" Herta actually looked startled this time.
"IX, that eternal layabout, is handing out Emanator authority now? What is today—missing train returns, 'ownerless' Paths spawn Emanators, and even the one who never moves is suddenly working overtime?"
Ruan Mei couldn't fully mask her surprise either. Her gaze traced Acheron with cautious curiosity.
"My power doesn't come from IX's blessing," Acheron said.
The atmosphere tightened.
"Not a blessing?" Herta arched a brow—interest surging higher. "Don't tell me you took it. From an Aeon that doesn't care about anything?"
That should have been impossible.
Aeons granting authority was the crystallization of a Path's power—an extension of an Aeon's will.
No one had ever heard of mortals extracting Emanator-level power from an Aeon that never granted it.
But if it was the "couldn't-care-less" Nihility… it almost felt terrifyingly plausible.
Acheron lifted a hand. A faint thread of gray-white drifted at her fingertips.
"IX neither stopped it, nor acknowledged it. It simply… exists. And I happened to become a vessel capable of bearing this Nihility."
Herta's usual casualness snapped away. Her focus turned sharp—rarely serious.
"To align your existence with a Path so completely that the Path fills you in return… that's dancing on a blade. One misstep and you don't become an Emanator—you get erased, cleanly, absolutely."
She looked at Acheron with an unusual weight in her voice. "To make it this far and not be fully self-annihilated… your luck and willpower are top-tier."
Acheron didn't react. She simply withdrew the faint aura at her fingertips, as though the statement had nothing to do with her.
Herta didn't seem to mind. She turned back to Screwllum, grinning.
"Trailblaze Emanator, Nihility Emanator… Ha! Screwllum, now that's a surprise with some weight."
"I admit it. Their existence is beyond what I expected."
"But in terms of 'surprise'—I'm still winning."
Surprise?
What surprise?
Watching "pointy-hat lady" brimming with smug excitement, Wei Qing felt faintly baffled.
What else could they possibly have? He could guess it blindfolded—his arm, their research, whatever they'd been tinkering with.
If Herta learned that Screwllum had already laid out the "Aeon candidate" hypothesis first, he genuinely didn't know what her face would do.
Screwllum replied calmly, "I have never doubted that, Lady Herta. Any discovery you and Lady Ruan Mei bring forth will be equally remarkable."
Then, before Herta could deliver her victory speech, he continued:
"However, there is another crucial reason I brought these honored guests here."
"Reason: after speaking with Mr. Yi Qing and Miss Acheron, and combining that with my prior research, I formed a hypothesis regarding 'Path Candidates.'"
"Mr. Yi Qing—Navigator of the Astral Express, and a re-emerged Emanator of Trailblaze after Akivili's fall—according to my model, is the current era's strongest match for becoming the next Aeon of Trailblaze."
A brief, dead silence slammed into the room.
"What did you just say?" Herta's voice trembled—half disbelief, half outrage—as she stared at Screwllum.
Are you kidding?
Screwllum—did you just turn cheats on?
This was absurd.
This was supposed to be her trump card—the bomb she was going to drop on Screwllum.
And he'd stolen it first—and dropped it on her?
Ruan Mei reflexively looked to Wei Qing.
A Path Candidate…
They already knew the concept.
But Screwllum had found a living example—highly compatible and standing right in front of them.
Ruan Mei only needed a moment's analysis to arrive at the same conclusion: "Mr. Yi Qing," like Wei Qing himself, was a being most likely to inherit a godseat.
Screwllum, oddly, seemed confused by Herta's reaction.
"Lady Herta, your emotional response appears unusual."
"Question: Have I phrased something incorrectly?"
He turned toward Wei Qing and continued, "Mr. Yi Qing walks the effectively unclaimed Path of Trailblaze and has reached Emanator level. He has become the most prominent focal point of that Path in this era."
"According to my calculations, he indeed possesses the theoretical possibility of succeeding Akivili and becoming the next Aeon of Trailblaze."
Herta stared at Screwllum, breathing hard, clearly unwilling to let it go.
"Screwllum—this 'Path Candidate' theory you just stated… did you come up with it independently?"
"And did you run into Wei Qing? That Destruction Emanator—Qingzhou?"
The question was abrupt and made little sense.
Even Wei Qing froze for a beat.
Seriously? Still holding a grudge?
I literally handed you an arm to study, didn't I?
"Wei Qing? Qingzhou?" Screwllum answered evenly. "I have heard of that Lord Ravager, but I have never met him. Lady Herta, why do you believe I am connected to him?"
"As for the 'Path Candidate' hypothesis—it is indeed an independent conjecture derived from long-term observation and logical inference."
"Only after encountering Mr. Yi Qing and confirming his Trailblaze Emanator status did the hypothesis find its most fitting empirical anchor."
"Herta," Ruan Mei said quietly, "you're losing composure."
Herta's chest rose and fell hard. The sheer "collision" of revelations had clearly knocked her off balance.
"Independent? Heh… interesting. Very interesting." She shot Ruan Mei a complicated look.
Ruan Mei simply shook her head.
"Fine, Screwllum. You win." Herta's voice carried a grudging surrender. "Your 'surprise'… is indeed big enough."
She exhaled, a rare flash of frustration surfacing.
But almost immediately, that frustration condensed into a hotter curiosity.
"This round counts as yours."
"Path Candidate… you beat me to naming it out loud."
Her gaze snapped back to Wei Qing, as though re-measuring him as a "living specimen."
"Astral Express's new Navigator, Trailblaze Emanator, and now a potential Aeon successor… Yi Qing, your identity stack is ridiculous."
Wei Qing met her stare and smiled mildly. "You flatter me, Lady Herta. Mr. Screwllum's theory is only a possibility. An Aeon's seat is… distant."
"Possibilities are what matter!" Herta fired back immediately.
"Every scientific breakthrough that looked impossible started as a tiny 'possibility.' And becoming an Aeon is exactly the kind of problem worth chasing."
She looked between Screwllum and Ruan Mei, then swept her eyes across the Express group.
"Since you brought such… interesting guests and theory, Screwllum, I can't keep my own cards hidden."
Herta snapped her fingers.
Deep in the lab, lights flared on in sequence, revealing the corridor leading to the institute's core.
"Come on. I've got a 'gift' waiting inside."
"Let's add a little… more evidence to today's discussion."
She smiled—mysterious, supremely confident.
As if to say: even if she lost the race on theory, she still held the ace in empirical proof.
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)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
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
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 180
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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