Topaz had only come up here to stop her colleague from digging his own grave. Now that he'd wised up, it was time to focus on her own tasks.
There were still over two weeks until the Solwarm Festival—more than enough time to hype up the event and get everyone involved.
In this era of the cosmos, where time was money, only the long-lived Xianzhou natives lacked a strong sense of urgency. Every other planet connected by the IPC raced against the clock.
One week for promotion, one week for competitions, with the finals held on the day of the festival—perfect.
The only downside was that Jarilo-VI was a remote star system: many participants would have to compete remotely, which might open up opportunities for cheating.
But that was a problem for another day.
Moreover, this wasn't a major issue: Topaz planned to bring in the IPC's top engineers to oversee the event. Of course, this precaution turned out to be unnecessary, because Pei Guang had a legendary hacker and gamer on his side: Silver Wolf.
Though Silver Wolf was known for cheesing single-player games, she had one ironclad rule—no cheating in competitive matches.
As a gamer, she had her own pride. Using trainers in solo games was a player's freedom, but winning in PvP through hacks?
Despicable.
If Silver Wolf caught anyone cheating in a tournament, she'd wipe their account without hesitation.
Since Bronya still had work to attend to—and Himeko had something to discuss—the group returned to the Astral Express.
Seeing everyone on board, Welt, who had been waiting on the train, smiled at Pei Guang and the others. "How did it go?"
Himeko: "Perfectly resolved~ Though, honestly? Even if I hadn't stepped in, Ah Guang could've handled it easily, right?"
She'd figured it out by now—her presence was mostly ceremonial, just lending Belobog some authority. Even without her, Pei Guang would've found a way.
March 7th giggled. "No way! In Ah Guang's plan, you were the most crucial part!"
Pei Guang nodded. "Exactly! Without you showing up, it wouldn't have gone this smoothly. I even thought that IPC guy might ignore you—but turns out your reputation carries serious weight~"
Himeko waved it off. "Flattery won't get you anywhere. In the end, it was your thorough preparation—and Topaz likely noticing something—that made that employee back off.
But I do have to praise your actions this time. You did excellently. I'll admit, even I couldn't have achieved what you did—using your own methods to ensure this reborn planet can thrive freely. You're truly walking the Path of Trailblazing."
Pei Guang scratched his head sheepishly at the praise. Himeko's idea of "Trailblazing" didn't quite align with his own approach, but hey—close enough! Trailblazing was trailblazing!
Pei Guang: "You're making me blush~ Oh, by the way, there's an event coming up in Belobog—one I'm organizing. Wanna come, Himeko?"
Himeko raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You've already integrated into local life that deeply? For you, of course~ We'll just let Welt handle train duty."
Welt stayed silent, but his expression screamed, "I really want to go."
March 7th noticed and grinned. "Hehe~ Looks like Uncle Yang's itching to join too! Don't worry, I'll cover for you! You and Himeko can go have fun first~"
Pom-Pom, who had been listening nearby, crossed his arms. "Did you all forget about me, Pom? With me here, you can all go enjoy yourselves, Pom!"
March 7th gasped. "Eh? Really? Pom-Pom, you're the best! Ah Guang! Let's go tell Dan Heng—we'll have the whole Express crew at the Solwarm Festival!"
At the mention of Dan Heng, Welt spoke up. "After you took Himeko with you, Dan Heng had urgent business back on Xianzhou. We'll inform him when he returns."
Pei Guang: "Hmm? Went back to the Xianzhou?"
Pei Guang faintly caught the scent of plot developments. Just to be safe, he pulled out his phone and sent Dan Heng a message.
Pei Guang: "Yo~ You there? What's up? Any danger?"
Dan Heng: "Perfectly safe. Just meeting some… past-life acquaintances. Settling old debts."
Pei Guang: "Ohhh~ Need us to back you up?"
Reading Pei Guang's message, Dan Heng felt a warmth in his chest. Since boarding the Express, Pei Guang had been… an anomaly. At first, he'd just seemed like an eccentric but well-meaning oddball.
But over time, Dan Heng realizedsomething: Pei Guang's mind worked in strange ways, his abilities were unique, and most importantly, he treated everyone on the Express as genuine friends.
Even after learning about Dan Heng's past, he'd helped him face it head-on.
After a pause, Dan Heng replied: "No need. This is personal. I can handle it. Besides… with the gift you gave me, I'll be fine."
His gaze drifted to the Pink Fluffy Bunny spear in his hands.
Originally, he'd meant to give this "weapon effect" to Bailu as a present. But after she'd used it to reinforce a seal, her draconic power had permanently fused with the bunny motif, meaning even without activating the effect, the spear stayed like this.
Somehow, through a series of mishaps, the bunny curse had circled back to him.
And honestly? Dan Heng loved it.
At the very least, ever since he started carrying this thing, Blade had stopped calling him Dan Feng and stuck to Dan Heng.
That was the crux of it—his past self had committed unforgivable sins. He would bear that weight, but as Dan Heng, not as the reincarnation of Dan Feng.
And what gave him the courage to do so? Not strength, not his status as a Nameless, not even the Vidyadhara rebirth cycle…
It was the Pink Fluffy Bunny spear tucked under his arm!
Case in point: Right now, Dan Heng was standing outside the Seat of Divine Foresight, hugging his bunny-spear as he prepared to enter.
The person he was meeting was an "old friend" from his past life. By all logic, past and present lives shouldn't intertwine—but to truly sever those ties, Dan Heng had come alone.
This was his past and he would be the one to end it.
As he stood there, Cloud Knights patrolling the area kept sneaking glances.
Cloud Knight A: "So weird! Gotta look. So weird! Gotta look again. One more peek—"
For some reason, seeing the usually stoic Dan Heng cradling a pastel-pink bunny spear was hilarious—but they didn't dare laugh out loud.
Yanqing, on duty nearby, noticed the knights' odd behavior. When he turned to look, his entire expression froze. Memories of his sparring matches against Dan Heng—and that accursed bunny—flooded back.
He shuddered.
Yanqing: "Today's guests just keep getting worse…"
The sight of Dan Heng tenderly embracing the bunny-spear made Yanqing's soul wither. In his eyes, Dan Heng was already terrifyingly strong—but this? This was next-level shameless.
In all his years of combat, he'd never seen a weapon so absurdly humiliating to face.
He opened his mouth to say something—
Then the Fluffy Bunny's glowing, judgmental eyes locked onto him.
Yanqing's jaw snapped shut.
If I stay quiet… it won't torment me. If I speak… Aeons know what it'll do. One more poke from that thing, and his life would be over. Over!
Meanwhile, Qingzu, Jing Yuan's secretary, also fell into stunned silence upon seeing Dan Heng. She knew things—like the Pink Fluffy Bunny Incident that had driven the Vidyadhara elders to the brink of madness.
Complaints about Dan Heng had flooded every Xianzhou organization. And after witnessing the bunny-spear's ocean-splitting capabilities firsthand, Qingzu felt only dread as she stared at it now.
Cuteness as a weapon should be comforting. But watching Dan Heng wield it, seeing the bunny's cheerful face—no one wanted to be stabbed by that thing.
So Qingzu hesitated.
"Should I stop him?"
Dan Heng, noting no one was intercepting him, strode into the Seat of Divine Foresight, where Jingliu stood waiting.
The moment his footsteps echoed through the hall, she turned.
Before she could speak, Dan Heng cut in: "Let me guess. You were about to say—'Dan Feng. You've come.'"
Jingliu's words died in her throat.
She'd expected many things, but not this.
And when she finally saw him—
The Pink Fluffy Bunny's eyes gleamed at her, radiating a mix of 30% mockery, 40% scorn, and 100% utter disdain.
Dan Heng stood there, confidently hugging the abomination.
Jingliu's mind flashed to the reports—the bunny splitting the sea.
For the first time in centuries, the Mara inside her screamed:
"DON'T LOOK."