March 7th hugged Himeko's arm.
So, Sister Himeko, you agreed to their proposal?
Himeko replied:
Yes. They had carefully studied the preferences of every Astral Express crew member and prepared targeted incentives.
They also promised to hand over the Curio we came to find for Miss Herta and give the Express a very generous subsidy.
Besides, Tykon isn't the first place the Astral Express has crashed into. Most people would just laugh about it as a story to tell later.
No one really cares about the exact amount of damage, and the risk would be borne by Tykon.
The Express crew only needed to not take the initiative, not refuse, and not take responsibility. We simply had to act unaware and avoid publicly correcting the narrative.
With such favorable conditions and such a simple task, after Welt Yang and I confirmed they weren't lying, I agreed.
And recently our travels hadn't been very smooth, so I thought it would be a good opportunity for everyone to relax.
Besides… that annoying guy getting kicked off the train was something worth celebrating. We never had time to celebrate before, so this was convenient.
March's eyes lit up.
So that's how it is! Then… since the Express has money now, does that mean our allowance will increase?
Himeko immediately replied:
No! Crew stipends are fixed. If you want extra spending money, do chores or apply to Pom-Pom.
March looked disappointed.
Aww… alright. But Sister Himeko is amazing. You seem to understand these things so well.
Himeko smiled knowingly but did not explain further.
Welt Yang spoke:
Let's go. We shouldn't keep them waiting. After we say goodbye, it'll be time to leave.
March continued her usual teasing.
So saying goodbye actually means getting our stories straight, right?
Just as Himeko, March, Dan Heng, and Welt stepped into the stadium backstage, a voice suddenly spoke.
Members of the Astral Express… I'm afraid you won't be able to leave.
Himeko's smile faded.
Chief Garu, what do you mean by that?
Welt narrowed his eyes slightly and tapped his cane.
Garu answered:
Oh dear, sorry, I said that wrong.
What I meant was… you probably can't leave Tykon anymore.
Don't say things like that, Uncle Garu!
A short-haired girl about March's age suddenly punched Garu on the head.
Garu immediately collapsed on the ground and began snoring.
He was not knocked out—he was actually asleep.
The girl apologized.
Sorry everyone. This season is supposed to be the hibernation period for Garu's species. He's been forcing himself to stay awake, so his logic and speech ability have dropped a lot.
March waved excitedly.
Miliko! Long time no see!
Dan Heng replied dryly:
You met yesterday.
Miliko continued:
I'll have someone take Uncle Garu back to rest first, then I'll explain.
She waved her hand and two tall humans in mobile sphere protective suits appeared.
Please take Uncle Garu back.
They carried away the short, round, fur-covered chief.
Garu was a long-lived species, possibly dating back to the era of Akivili.
In fact, the first design and construction of Tykon's giant stadium had originally been supervised by him.
But now he was old and had long retired.
Like many long-lived species, his race had its own flaw.
They grew slowly and reproduced rarely.
After adulthood they spent most of the year in deep sleep, and their long life came from their extremely slow metabolism.
Biologically speaking, ten years for them might equal only a single day of metabolism for a human.
But this slow life cycle also meant low offspring survival rates, making the species very rare.
Miliko then turned serious.
Uncle Garu was actually right.
You probably really can't leave.
The Stellaron sealed on Tykon has erupted.
And now the star routes connecting Tykon to the outside world have been cut off.
Himeko frowned.
The Stellaron erupted? That shouldn't be possible. The Express crew already inspected the sealing device earlier. It was installed by an old Nameless and should be extremely stable.
Miliko sighed.
A group calling themselves the Yepera Brotherhood somehow bypassed the guards, reached the Stellaron seal, and destroyed it.
Welt spoke calmly.
As far as I remember, the Yepera Brotherhood was already destroyed together with Lindjano by an unknown strike from space.
March froze, then secretly tugged Dan Heng's sleeve.
Dan Heng… quickly explain. What are those things?
Dan Heng was already used to this and no longer looked at her like she was illiterate.
Dan Heng explained:
The Yepera Brotherhood is a faction that worships the Path of Destruction.
They commit arson, looting, and destruction everywhere while preaching their interpretation of destruction.
Unfortunately for them, Nanook never even glanced at any of them.
A scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild once described them perfectly.
To Nanook, their value might not even be as much as a baby who accidentally breaks a vase.
As for Lindjano…
The Yepera Brotherhood once deployed a living biological weapon called the Plague Hive there, releasing a virus that caused a horrific massacre.
It was a terrifying virus. After infection, every cell in the body begins attacking and devouring each other.
But despite using such inhumane weapons, the Yepera Brotherhood was eventually forced to retreat from Lindjano.
Many believe the Annihilation Gang was involved because they began fighting each other afterward.
Later the Yepera Brotherhood returned to Lindjano.
But this time, both they and Lindjano were completely annihilated by an unknown attack.
What remains there now is only interstellar dust.
March covered her mouth in shock.
Just dust?! That's terrifying! Who did it? The Annihilation Gang again?
Dan Heng replied:
The explanation given by the Interastral Peace Corporation was that the attack came from the Lord Ravager Starhowl.
Her armies often use similar attacks.
It's very likely she was testing some terrifying new weapon.
The Astral Express should be careful about this in the future.