Normally, when the Astral Express sets out to explore any location, someone always stays behind on the train to provide support and protection, just like Himeko voluntarily stayed behind when heading to Jarilo-VI, only leaving temporarily when she saw Twilight and the others in danger.
Therefore, this time Pom-Pom wouldn't have to guard the empty train alone; someone considerate would stay behind with it—that's how it should have been. But as everyone knows, plans never keep up with changes, and rules are made to be broken… Simply put, this time, everyone in the Express crew seemed quite interested in Penacony, so the poor conductor once again became the lonely Pom-Pom…
"Never thought, never thought, in such a short time, our Express crew has gone out all together twice in a row." March 7th counted on her fingers. "If we count the time at the Herta Space Station, that makes it three times! Hehe, it's definitely livelier when everyone's together~"
"It's just poor Pom-Pom having to stay alone on the train again." Himeko smiled, watching Caelus and Twilight leaning against the ferry window, curiously observing the other passengers passing by. "So, for our dear conductor, we must make sure to accomplish its commission this time."
"The Nameless who stayed behind in Penacony…"
Mentioning this, Dan Heng's gaze flickered slightly. He glanced at Twilight, then at the others in the cabin, but ultimately said nothing.
The train travels through the sea of stars; people get on, people get off. Encounters and farewells are inevitable… It's normal for people on the train to choose to leave and stay at a certain stop. Dan Heng was prepared for this.
For him, how wonderful would it be if, amidst the ebb and flow of people, the six of them could always stay together?
Unfortunately, this was destined to be impossible. As a Vidyadhara, he was separated from the short-lived others by the chasm of time. No matter how much he struggled, separation was inevitable after a few hundred years. Perhaps only in dreams could there be a beautiful ending without pain.
Dan Heng didn't know if he could remain calm when that moment came… But at least for now, he still had centuries to prepare.
The ferry sailed peacefully, and occasionally, voices could be heard from inside.
"Uncle Yang, why are those people golden iron shells?"
"They are Intellitrons. You can't call them 'iron lumps,' okay? It's very impolite."
"Oh…"
Twilight blinked. She was genuinely curious—why did all these Intellitrons have this yellowish, steampunk feel? Honestly, since they had reached the level of artificial intelligence, shouldn't they be cyberpunk at the very least… Thinking it over, perhaps only personal aesthetics would make them keep even the connection seams on their bodies.
And was it really necessary for Intellitrons to wear clothes? They were all iron shells, there shouldn't be anything to hide… Maybe I should find an Intellitron later, knock it out, and see what's going on?
Just as a terrifying criminal plan began to sprout in Twilight's mind due to curiosity, the ferry responsible for transporting distinguished guests finally arrived at the entrance of the Penacony Grand Lobby, forcing her to temporarily halt her trailblazing on the Path of Erudition.
Twilight looked around. She had to admit that Penacony truly lived up to its reputation as the land of dreams for countless people. The word "luxury" seemed tailor-made for this star hotel.
The interior decoration of the Astral Express was already quite good, and Belobog's Qlipoth Fort was a palace built with the power of an entire planet, but compared to this place, they were still far inferior… Considering the price, Twilight even suspected that selling the entire impoverished planet of Jarilo-VI wouldn't fetch as much as this hotel building.
Although the lobby here was already absurdly large, it didn't feel empty due to the massive flow of people. Among these countless tourists, the vast majority were successful individuals in suits and ties—at least, they all made themselves look like such people.
Of course, occasionally there were some people with ashen faces and sloppy appearances, but soon, enthusiastic members of the Family would lead these unsightly individuals away from public view, restoring the environment to its noble elegance.
However, March 7th and Caelus were in no mood to notice such minor details.
"Finally here! There were over a dozen checks, big and small, along the way. They almost smashed my suitcase into powder to see if anything was hidden inside!"
March 7th stretched luxuriously. The repetitive security checks along the way had really suffocated her. If she didn't know this was the hotel's standard procedure and not malicious harassment, she would have wanted to call Twilight on the spot!
Sigh, no, no. Since meeting little Twilight, she felt like her thinking ability was getting worse and worse. No matter what she encountered, she always wanted to call little Twilight…
Thinking of this, March 7th couldn't help but feel remorseful for her violent thoughts—but what could she do? After all, as the saying goes, when you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail…
"Look on the bright side, at least the staff's attitude was quite good. They didn't cut me open and take out the Stellaron for inspection…"
"As if they'd dare…"
March 7th gave a dry laugh upon hearing this. She really wanted to tell Caelus that of course he received good treatment.
After all, when those people were checking him over and over, little Twilight's gaze from the side was so cold it felt like it could freeze people to death. Even with the Express crew helping to smooth things over, the inspectors were still stared at until they broke out in cold sweats and resigned on the spot.
March 7th had no doubt that if the Penacony staff really dared to make any unreasonable demands on Caelus or try to harm him, the famous star hotel, Penacony, would probably become the Penacony Ruins.
Twilight just blinked innocently beside them.
Did she look like the type of person who would do such a thing?
Of course, she was! As long as those people dared to harm Caelus, she dared to show the Family a Lord Ravager instantly arriving in Penacony—actually, she was kind of looking forward to this development. After all, such a protective and proactive little girlfriend would definitely gain massive favorability from the players. Unfortunately, the staff here were too professional and didn't give her the chance.
"Anyway, I feel pretty good about this place… This hotel is really gorgeous." Caelus stroked his chin. "Since we can stay here for free, let's not fuss about those minor things for now."
…
"I take back what I said earlier."
Caelus sat on the lobby sofa with a solemn expression, heartbroken: "What a money pit! I feel like the air is filled with the smell of money and sin!"
"Don't change your attitude so quickly just because your name isn't on the reservation list, okay…"