Chapter 168: The Exclusive Tour Group Reports In!
The next morning, Stelle struggled to pry her hazy eyes open. Her head felt as though it were filled with paste—heavy, muddled, and slow.
Rubbing her eyes, she mumbled, "Ugh... I had the weirdest dream last night... It felt like I was back in that place where I first fell."
"I spent the whole night talking in 'riddles'with that little pink creature that only goes'Mee~ mee mee~'. I'm exhausted... feels like I didn't sleep at all..."
In contrast, March 7th, who had woken up midway through the night and taken preventative measures, only retained a faint fragment of being called "mother." Her subsequent sleep quality had been excellent, and her spirits were noticeably higher than Stelle's.
Dan Heng, on the other hand, had been the earliest to rise among the three.
He was currently standing on the balcony, taking in Okeanos's cool morning breeze and the strange light filtering through its sky. His fingers moved deftly as he organized notes on his portable terminal. The screen was densely packed with every fragment of information they had collected since arriving in Amphoreus—notes on the Titans, the ongoing conflict, the sky's impenetrable blockade, the legend of recreation...
He was attempting to analyze the deeper reasons why Amphoreus had remained isolated from the rest of the universe, piecing together the complex puzzle from the clues they had gathered.
Hearing Stelle's groggy complaints from inside the room, Dan Heng closed his terminal and stepped back inside. He saw that both Stelle and March 7th were awake, though one was listless and the other's gaze was still a bit unfocused.
"If you're awake, hurry up and get ready," Dan Heng said, a hint of urgency in his tone. "Didn't you confidently say yesterday that you'd get up early to greet your friends with full energy? And yet you still woke up so late."
As Stelle and March 7th yawned and began to wash up, they couldn't help but tell Dan Heng about their bizarre dreams. Of course, it was mainly Stelle chattering away with complaints; March 7th would absolutely never utter a word about a dream as utterly mortifying as "suddenly becoming a mother."
Stelle mumbled indistinctly around her toothbrush, "Dan Heng, Dan Heng, let me tell you, I had a super—weird dream last night!"
"In my dream, I met that pink, squishy little creature again, the one that only goes 'Mee~ mee mee~'from when we first landed! Then I had to communicate with it using'riddles' all night long! Now I'm so sleepy~"
After saying that, she let out a huge, theatrical yawn, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
Dan Heng listened to Stelle's description, his brow furrowing slightly. "The mysteries of Amphoreus far exceed our understanding," he reminded her. "Dreams can also be a form of bewitchment or a means of influencing the mind. Stelle, you need to pay more attention to your own state."
"Huh? It can't be that serious, can it, Dan Heng?" March 7th's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she subconsciously retorted. At the same time, a thought wormed its way into her mind. 'Could my dream last night... also have been some kind of bewitchment? How else can I explain becoming a mother for no reason?'
The more she considered it, the more plausible it seemed, and a sudden chill ran down her back.
Dan Heng glanced at March 7th, seeming to notice the unusual edge in her voice, but he didn't press the matter. He only continued, "After all, we still don't understand everything here well enough. A little extra caution is always a good thing."
He checked the time and changed the subject. "Alright, let's not talk about this for now. Hurry up and get ready to welcome our friends."
"A little while ago, Phainon already had someone deliver the five sets of local clothing that were prepared. I've already transferred them to you all through the chat group's storage function."
"We'll soon be able to see our friends'brand new'local' appearances."
"Oh? The clothes have arrived?" Stelle and March 7th's interest was immediately piqued, and they sped up their morning routine.
After getting ready, Stelle asked curiously, "By the way, Dan Heng, how are Lumine and the others getting here? Is it like the previous World Commissions, where they just 'whoosh' and teleport over?"
Dan Heng shook his head and explained, "This morning, the chat group updated the detailed rules for the event."
"During this World Event, everyone in the chat group can directly use the Domain Anchors we previously left in their worlds to teleport across universes, traveling freely between their respective homes and Amphoreus."
"Similarly, they can also use the Domain Anchors we set up here in Amphoreus to return. However—" He emphasized the next point. "This permission is one-way, limited only to event-related worlds. We still cannot use the Domain Anchors to go to their worlds."
He preemptively shut down any whimsical ideas Stelle might have had about taking a spontaneous trip to another universe.
"Wow! It can even do that!" March 7th couldn't help but exclaim. "It's a good thing you had the foresight to set up Domain Anchors in Lumine's and Wise's worlds beforehand, Dan Heng!"
"Otherwise, this event would have been so much more troublesome! You really think of everything!" March 7th declared, giving Dan Heng a firm thumbs-up.
Stelle chimed in with her own exclamation, her tone quickly becoming boastful. "Oh my! Our trailblazing army has just been infused with powerful new reinforcements! Little—"
"Little Amphoreus, you're practically ours for the taking! Just watch us help the Chrysos Heirs snatch back all the embers!"
Dan Heng looked at his two companions, who had instantly regained their vitality and were already puffing up with pride. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve into a faint, helpless yet indulgent smile.
He reminded them, "Alright, don't get too carried away. Notify everyone in the group that we're ready on our end and can receive them anytime."
"Got it!" Stelle and March 7th responded in unison, immediately immersing their consciousnesses into the chat group.
[Honkai: Star Rail - Stelle]: "@everyone We're ready! The Okeanos Luxury Tour Group is ready to receive you anytime! Come on, come on!"
[Honkai: Star Rail - March 7th]: "Super excited to see everyone's new looks!"
A few seconds after the message was sent, a dazzling but not harsh pure white light erupted without warning from the open space near the Domain Anchor in the bathhouse.
As the light completely dissipated, five figures appeared clearly within the Okeanos Luxury Bathhouse.
The first to break the brief silence was Paimon.
Her small body seemed to be filled with endless vitality. She shot forward abruptly, dramatically pressing her left hand to her forehead while forcefully waving her right hand backward. Striking a pose she had learned from some light novels—one she thought was incredibly cool—she announced in the "deepest" voice she could muster:
"Hmph hmph hmph! Crossing the barrier between worlds, answering the call of our companions! The chat group's exclusive tour group… reports—in—!"
The scene was silent for a second.
"Whoa—!" Stelle's eyes instantly lit up. Looking at Paimon's small frame trying so hard to look cool, she thought it was absolutely awesome.
She immediately began clapping loudly, praising her without reservation. "Cool! So cool, Paimon! That entrance was so stylish!"
Stelle even began to thoughtfully stroke her chin, wondering if she should also design her own cool entrance pose for the future, instead of always just standing there foolishly whenever a pillar of light appeared.
March 7th and Dan Heng, on the other hand, were clearly a bit bewildered by Paimon's unusual behavior and didn't react for a moment.
Just then, Lumine calmly walked out from behind Paimon, a hint of a helpless yet doting smile on her face. She explained to the Astral Express crew, "Sorry, Paimon has recently become obsessed with some Inazuman light novels. She's just imitating the actions of the protagonists in them. Please don't pay it too much mind."
She quietly tugged on Paimon's cape, signaling her to stop.
"Ehe~" Paimon put away her pose, scratching her head sheepishly, but her face still showed a hint of smugness from Stelle's praise.
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