adbindia Chapter 400 - 61 - Trailblaze
Chapter 400 - 61 - Trailblaze
"He... has returned?" a voice whispered in the cosmos, more a statement than a question.
"No, that is not him," another voice replied, its tone filled with regret, as if it had sensed something.
"Then... who is he?"
Indeed... who was he?
Why could he take over a Path that had "died"? And why could he fully inherit [Trailblaze]?
No one knew the answers. But the eyes of the god symbolizing wisdom flickered. It was calculating, and through the computational power of its divine form, it deduced the identity of the successor.
But It chose to remain silent. This... was related to the final outcome of the universe, and It, too, was on the list of names that had already emerged.
---o---
Clang...
In the end, Wende turned back and pulled open the door of the train he had just repaired. Although he really wanted to carefully consider Dragon's words, time was of the essence. This train would likely be officially traveling the sea of stars very soon. In that regard, he wanted to maintain a responsible attitude and thoroughly inspect it.
Upon entering the observation car, Wende was immediately drawn to the distinctly different interior design. If the original Astral Express "Line One" could be described as stately and grand, then this "Line Two" possessed a rather specific style, one that was like a blazing fire, captivating the eye.
After all, now that the train was repaired, the secondary color scheme on the exterior was red. The original owner of this train must have been a person much like its interior...
The inside of the train was spacious and bright, but it felt a bit empty. It was, after all, a newly repaired train. Many things, like coffee tables and sofas, needed to be purchased anew. miHoYo Planet should have these basic goods, but if not, Wende certainly didn't mind pinching them into existence himself.
However... he was an Aeon. Casually using his "divine power" to create furniture... was that really okay?
Yes.
And so, Wende recalled the interior of the original train and, copying it meticulously, recreated everything from Line One inside this train. He even remade the phonograph that Pom-Pom loved so dearly.
Of course, it would be nice if he could pull a Miss Memokeeper over from the Garden of Recollection, but it seemed that aside from Stelle... no one else could see them, right? It was best to just let that be a passing thought...
But speaking of which...
Wende turned and looked at the room near the front of the train, then pushed the door open.
This was the conductor's room. Normally, Pom-Pom would never let passengers enter, but right now... it seemed he was the boss of this Astral Express.
"Then again, it seems Himeko did trick Pom-Pom by saying it would become the Grand Conductor. Looks like Pom-Pom really is going to be the Grand Conductor now."
Wende looked at the small figure sitting silently on the control console and shook his head helplessly.
So this was what a naked Pom-Pom looked like... No wonder March and Himeko were so insistent on making new, pretty clothes for it. It was still cute, but... he wasn't quite used to it.
Wende casually created an outfit suitable for the small figure before him. With a flick of his index finger, Pom-Pom's classic attire flew through the air as if it had a soul of its own and neatly dressed the little figure.
"Hmm... will Pom-Pom be surprised when it sees me? But is this [Pom-Pom] the same one as the Pom-Pom on Line One? Maybe they're connected in parallel? Or does each Pom-Pom have its own independent consciousness?"
After pondering for a while, Wende decided it was best to just wake up the "Pom-Pom" before him. After all, practice is the sole criterion for truth. The only way to know if it was the same Pom-Pom was to try.
And so, Wende extended an index finger. The flame symbolizing the Path of [Trailblaze] condensed on its tip, and he then injected it into the cute little rabbit's body.
"Nngh..."
The Pom-Pom sitting obediently on the console suddenly let out a mumble, the kind one makes in a dream, and slowly opened its large eyes.
"Huh? Lord Akivili? What are you doing here... wait... no... that's not right! What's going on, pom! Wasn't Pom-Pom just pouring tea for Passenger March? How did I suddenly end up in the control room? Did I fall asleep? No, isn't that Passenger Wende? Why... why do you have Lord Akivili's aura on you? Pom-Pom must be dreaming! Definitely! I'll just go back to sleep..."
The moment Pom-Pom opened its eyes, it saw Wende looking at it with a beaming smile, and it could sense the aura that belonged only to Lord Akivili coming from him... This... this wasn't right, was it? It had to be dreaming!
Seeing the Pom-Pom before him curl into a ball and bury its head between its two large ears like an ostrich avoiding reality, Wende shook his head helplessly.
"Pom-Pom, it's me, Wende. You're not dreaming!"
"...Ngh, that's definitely Passenger Wende's voice. But this strange feeling combined with it... there's no way this can be real! Dream Passenger Wende, stop bothering Pom-Pom's sleep! When Pom-Pom gets out, I'll make you a delicious drink!"
Seeing Pom-Pom still determined to escape reality, Wende could only shrug helplessly. He walked toward the curled-up ball and extended his wicked finger.
Flick!
A light flick landed on Pom-Pom's head.
"Ow! That hurts!"
The flick from Wende sent Pom-Pom jumping up from the control console. Its cute, large eyes were filled with tears as it stared accusingly at Wende.
"Passenger Wende! If you don't respect the conductor, you'll make the conductor very angry!"
Seeing Pom-Pom puffing up its cheeks like an angry little animal, Wende smiled helplessly. To Pom-Pom's surprise, he gently stroked its forehead, and the pain instantly vanished.
"Huh? Pom-Pom isn't dreaming? Are you really Passenger Wende? But this feeling..."
Pom-Pom's azure eyes were filled with confusion and doubt. Why did Passenger Wende... have Lord Akivili's aura? Could it be that Passenger Wende... was the incarnation of Lord Akivili?! Could it be that Lord Akivili hadn't passed away, but had merely taken another form to assess Pom-Pom's performance?!
Looking at Pom-Pom, whose train of thought had clearly gone off the rails, Wende didn't know how to explain. He... had inherited the Path left behind by Akivili, right?
"Pom-Pom, don't worry, I'm still Wende. As for you sensing Akivili's aura on me... it might be because I've inherited something he left behind."
Wende said gently, lightly stroking Pom-Pom's small head.
"Is that so... I thought Lord Akivili, he..."
Hearing this, Pom-Pom's expression was tinged with a hint of disappointment.
Pom-Pom's origins and past were a mystery to the members of the Astral Express. Even Himeko only knew it was something like an administrator on the train, the "Conductor."
But no one knew anything about Pom-Pom's history, not even the Data Bank, which recorded everything about the train's journey.
Because of this, it was speculated that Pom-Pom, like the Astral Express itself, was an Aeon's creation. Based on totems and statues of Pom-Pom found on various planets, it could be basically deduced that Pom-Pom had perhaps always accompanied the Astral Express on its [Trailblazing] mission.
And it... was possibly the one who accompanied Akivili from the very beginning... er, or was it a rabbit, or something else?
In any case, Pom-Pom's significance to the Astral Express was self-evident. Perhaps that was why every Astral Express had an inactive Pom-Pom on board. But now, it seemed that Pom-Pom was a "parallel" consciousness? All Pom-Poms were controlled by a single one?
If that was the case, just how busy must Pom-Pom have been during the golden age of the Astral Express?
Wende first comforted Pom-Pom, then informed it that Line Two was ready to depart. Upon hearing the news, Pom-Pom was stunned for a moment, then, as if recalling something, its eyes gradually brightened.
As for what came next... it was best to call Himeko and Welt over for a meeting. Those guys had left way too fast. The Star Map showed that Line One was already three light-years away from miHoYo Planet. Such was the speed of the star-rails!
Of course, as the one who inherited [Trailblaze], Wende could now naturally use his own [Star Map] to observe the movements of all Astral Expresses and star-rails. The [Star Map] also marked the detailed information and specific locations of all known planets, making it a veritable on-demand Data Bank.
This... could be considered a "gift" from Akivili, couldn't it? Just like Taichi's eyes.
If the old Wende only had a "telescope," the current Wende now possessed a "radar." With the radar and telescope combined, Wende could see the specific situation of any planet he wished. This would be very useful in the current state of the universe. At the very least, a strategist could now make decisions from a thousand leagues away.
While Wende was studying the Star Map, Pom-Pom had more or less finished inspecting Line Two. It was even pouring drinks for March on Line One and telling everyone there what was happening with Wende, all while meticulously checking the status of Line Two.
Aside from being completely empty, there wasn't much difference between Line Two and Line One.
So, Wende decided to let Pom-Pom have free rein, telling it to just give him a list of anything it needed.
"Hmm... a different color would be nice, and maybe decorate this part like this, to make it different from the other train, or Pom-Pom will get them mixed up! And a synthesizer, and also, also..."
Seeing Pom-Pom completely immersed in planning for Line Two, Wende smiled with satisfaction.
There was a good reason why Akivili kept Pom-Pom around.
After a meeting with Himeko and the others, the passengers for Line Two were quickly confirmed. They were: Jingliu, Tingyun, Wendy, and Wende.
This decision was met with strong opposition from Stelle and March, but once they discovered they could travel back and forth between the two trains, they swallowed their objections.
Wende himself had initially refused when he heard about this arrangement. What kind of joke was this! Jingliu, Tingyun, and Wendy... didn't he deserve to live?!
But his protest was directly overruled by Tingyun and Jingliu. Even Wendy cast an abstention vote.
If she weren't afraid of affecting Wende's mood, she probably would have voted in favor too, right?
But... it would be better if it were just Wende and her on the train...
Looking at the somewhat superfluous Jingliu and Tingyun, Wendy had this thought for some reason.
Fortunately, Wende didn't know what she was thinking. If he knew that his most well-behaved and obedient little angel was unknowingly starting to transform into a yandere...
He might, perhaps, probably have an existential crisis.
In any case, after entrusting some company matters to the workers from the IPC (Topaz) and the Xianzhou (Qingque and that Miss Qingmu), Astral Express Line Two began its first trailblazing journey, with miHoYo Planet as its starting point.
Wende didn't have to worry about security on miHoYo Planet. Thanks to the miHoYo employee contracts, everyone could teleport freely between the train and the planet. Plus, with several "ferocious gods" currently residing on miHoYo Planet, and the backing of the [Alliance], anyone who dared to cause trouble for miHoYo Planet was probably looking to re-roll their character.
Everything progressed quickly, so quickly that Wende didn't even have time to lie down in his own bedroom on Line Two and contemplate life before both Tingyun and Jingliu covered his mouth and forced him to discuss the knowledge of [Aeon creations].
Fortunately, the train's soundproofing was excellent and wouldn't disturb Wendy.
After a heated and intense battle, Wende, without any teacher, came to understand many things. Dragon's words were perhaps not so enigmatic after all. Everything... would have to wait until the end, until the person who brought him here finally revealed themselves, for a complete explanation. Rather than getting stuck in his own head, it was better to think of ways to do something for this universe.
After all, he didn't have to worry about so much anymore. In the past, he might have considered the reactions of the players back in reality for various reasons... but now, the miHoYo company was his... As for reality...
It didn't really matter anymore, did it?