After settling Lumine and Paimon, March 7th walked over to a relatively open space, full of fighting spirit.
"Let's go! I'm definitely going to succeed this time!"
Paimon looked at March 7th with some curiosity.
"What is March doing?"
Hearing Paimon's question, March 7th smiled and explained, "I'm taking on a challenge: not falling over when the Astral Express makes a jump. I haven't managed it even once so far."
Paimon tilted her little head and thought for a long time, but couldn't make sense of it.
Himeko explained, "When a jump occurs, the Astral Express accelerates rapidly, throwing the human body into a state of imbalance. That's why little March calls it a challenge."
Paimon had a sudden flash of understanding.
"So that's how it is! I'd better sit tight, then, so I don't get thrown off later."
Paimon quickly sat down and grabbed onto Lumine's arm for dear life, terrified of being flung away.
Soon enough, Pom-Pom's voice came over the Astral Express's loudspeaker:
"Attention, please! Attention, all passengers! The Astral Express is about to make a jump. Please find your seats and remain seated, and do not put any parts of your body out of the windows.
3
2
1
!!!"
The Astral Express surged forward abruptly, and Ye Yun felt a powerful thrust pressing him back into his seat.
His field of vision gradually filled with countless particles of light.
A few minutes later, once his vision cleared, Ye Yun looked out the window. The Astral Express had arrived above a planet blanketed in ice and snow.
Jarilo-VI, the opening chapter of Honkai: Star Rail.
March 7th, predictably, landed flat on her rear.
"Ow—! That hurts!"
March 7th raised her head and looked out the window.
"Is this Jarilo-VI?"
Just then, the compartment door slid open, and Pom-Pom walked in on short, hurried steps.
"The stability rate of the ahead astral rail is too low. Jump aborted. Aborted indefinitely."
Upon hearing that the suspension was indefinite, March 7th was dumbfounded.
"What? Indefinitely! How can that be?"
Himeko, Welt, and the others walked over.
"As expected, it's the work of a Stellaron again."
Hearing this, Stelle instinctively touched the spot where the Stellaron had been implanted in her body.
Welt said, "That's right—it's the exact same thing as the one inside you. However, the Stellaron inside you is extremely stable and non-destructive."
Hearing this, Stelle let out a sigh of relief. She had thought for a moment that it was caused by the Stellaron within her own body.
Himeko looked down at the planet below and pulled up the Astral Express's database to check.
Upon reviewing the records, she discovered that this planet differed drastically from what was documented in the database.
Himeko said, "As long as we resolve the Stellaron, we can set off once more. This time, the few of you young ones should go down. It'll be a great opportunity to train yourselves."
Hearing this, Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle all agreed that they had no problem with it.
Lumine looked around the scene; everyone seemed to have things to busy themselves with, so she decided she might as well head back first.
Guided by the memories in her mind, Lumine opened a portal and stepped right through it.
Over the next while, Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th had already departed aboard a landing craft.
Lumine returned to Teyvat with Paimon; from now on, she could use her portal to visit Ye Yun's shop whenever she pleased.
Looking out at the snow-covered Jarilo-VI, Ye Yun suddenly felt the urge to go down and have some fun himself.
With that, Ye Yun asked Himeko for a landing craft and set off for Jarilo-VI.
.........
Aboard the landing craft, Ye Yun arrived at an icy plain.
Across the frozen expanse stood numerous ice sculptures of Antimatter Legion voids.
Ye Yun clenched his fist toward the sculptures, and a wave of dark gold imaginary energy swept across the area, shattering every single ice sculpture within his field of vision.
The voids trapped inside those ice sculptures would turn into a massive headache once the Stellaron crisis was resolved later on; since he could easily wipe them out right now, why not?
Besides, Ye Yun hadn't had a single serious, hands-on combat experience since acquiring his powers, so this was a convenient way to get a feel for them.
Ye Yun forged ahead, making his way toward Belobog.
The biting wind and snow whipped against his face, making Ye Yun feel rather uncomfortable.
"System, is there any way to keep warm?"
[Notification. The host may purchase a Cold-Weather Bundle or buy special series merchandise: the Spirit series, Fire Spirit, Lios.]
Hearing this, Ye Yun remembered.
Ah, right—when he completed his mission, he had also unlocked a Spirit series.
Ye Yun opened up the system interface and saw that the spirits in this Spirit series were actually from a mini-game he used to play in his past life.
The game was about a group of robots searching the universe for endless energy.
The Fire Spirit Lios, just mentioned by the system, was one of them.
He checked the price.
[Fire Spirit: Lios (Complete Form)
Combat Power: Half-Step Emanator
Price: 200,000 Credits.
Host discount available. Discounted price: 20,000 Credits]
Ye Yun immediately had the system deduct the payment. Being able to buy a utterly loyal spirit with the strength of a half-step Emanator for just twenty thousand was an absolute bargain.
His system really came through, even giving him a ninety-percent discount.
After the system deducted twenty thousand Credits from Ye Yun, a graceful reindeer radiating flames appeared before him.
"Hello, Ye Yun. Nice to meet you; I look forward to working with you."
The reindeer spoke in a human voice, but Ye Yun wasn't surprised at all.
Some powerful spirits were fully capable of human speech.
Ye Yun smiled.
"Looking forward to it too, Lios."
Lios stepped closer to Ye Yun, allowing him to climb onto its back.
Ye Yun reached out to touch the flames burning on Lios's body. The moment his fingers brushed against them, the fire extinguished harmlessly, leaving him completely unburned.
With Lios by his side, the surrounding snow and ice melted away in an instant, and Ye Yun no longer felt even a hint of the cold.
.........
Meanwhile, Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th had fallen right into Sampo's trap and ended up in a fight with Belobog Silvermane Guards Captain Gepard.
Stelle drew the Judgement of Shamash and fired two shots straight at Gepard.
Gepard slammed his instrument case hard against the ground, raising a barrier all around him.
"Give up resistance, villains! Your attacks are completely ineffective against me!" Gepard said sternly.
March 7th let out a cold snort.
"Ha? We were just trying not to hurt you guys! Since you're going to talk like that, don't blame us for not holding back! Dan Heng! Stelle! Let's get 'em!"
Seeing this, Dan Heng no longer concealed his true strength, wielding his Cloud-Piercer spear with full force to beat back the surrounding Silvermane Guards.
March 7th drew back her bowstring and loosed an arrow of immense destructive power directly at Gepard.
Stelle brandished the Judgement of Shamash and let out a roar.
"Judgement, draw!"
The Judgement of Shamash assumed its unleashed form, and Stelle lunged forward in a flash, closing the distance to Gepard.
Just as Gepard swatted away March 7th's arrow, Stelle was already right in front of him.
Stelle leaped high into the air and brought the Judgement of Shamash down hard upon Gepard with all her might.
Gepard hurriedly raised his instrument case to block.
The instant the case made contact with the Judgement of Shamash, it was sliced cleanly in two.
Gepard was sent flying backward by the blow.
Stelle landed on her feet and wiped her nose.
"Well? Are my attacks effective now?"
March 7th hurried over to Stelle's side, gazing enviously at the Judgement of Shamash in her hands.
"You're so lucky to have drawn this weapon. Once we get back, I'm going to find a way to get a weapon from Ye Yun too."