Chapter 88: Departure for the Luofu

“…And that,” Uncle Himeko concluded, her voice steady as she finished the briefing, “is the long and short of it.”

Her gaze swept across the assembled crew of the Astral Express, a silent question hanging in the air.

“You all know the rules,” she continued, a faint smile playing on her lips. “We’ll decide by vote. All those in favor of setting a course for the Luofu, please raise your hands.”

Unsurprisingly, a wave of hands shot up around the parlor. The only one who remained still was Caelus.

Uncle Himeko’s gaze settled on him. Caelus, who was standing right beside Chen, glanced from one raised hand to the next, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Seeing that everyone else, including Chen, had already cast their vote, he seemed to make up his mind. He slowly, almost hesitantly, raised his own arm.

“Good. It’s unanimous, then.” Himeko’s smile widened. Her fingers danced lightly across the main console, her movements precise and efficient as she locked in the coordinates for the Xianzhou Luofu. “Target: Xianzhou Alliance, the Luofu. Pom-Pom, prepare for the jump.”

“Received, pom!” Conductor Pom-Pom materialized as if from thin air, his voice brimming with enthusiastic professionalism. “Warp coordinates locked! All passengers, please take your seats and hold on tight, pom!”

The crew returned to their designated seats. Chen grabbed Caelus by the arm, pulling the quiet trailblazer down into the seat beside him.

A steady, electronic countdown began to chime through the cabin.

“Preparing for warp. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”

A subtle vibration hummed through the floor of the Express. Outside the panoramic observation window, the distant starlight warped, stretching into magnificent, iridescent lines of pure color that painted the void. Then, in the next instant, they snapped back, contracting into a single point.

When the view resolved itself, a structure of such impossible scale and grandeur filled their vision that it stole the breath from their lungs.

“Whoa…!”

March 7th’s face was practically pressed against the reinforced glass, his exclamation a heartfelt gasp of pure wonder. “It’s… it’s huge!”

Chen stared, his eyes wide, unable to look away. ‘As expected of the Xianzhou,’ he thought, a sense of awe mixing with his usual meta-commentary. ‘The budget for this model… I mean, the sheer divine craftsmanship is off the charts.’

Himeko strode to the main console and opened the communication channel. “This is the Astral Express. Repeating, this is the Astral Express. Requesting entry to the Xianzhou Luofu Spaceport and asking for docking guidance. Please respond if you receive this.”

The only reply was the soft rustle of static, a sound that felt far too loud in the expectant silence of the parlor car.

A slight furrow appeared between Uncle Himeko’s brows. She adjusted the frequency and tried again. “Astral Express calling Xianzhou Luofu Spaceport Control. Please respond if you receive this.”

Still, only static.

A third time, then a fourth… just as a evident sense of unease began to creep into the atmosphere, a faint, broken voice finally bled through the interference.

“Welcome… to… Luofu… Spaceport… Star-Chariot Sea…”

The voice, distinctly female, lagged for a moment before starting over.

“Welcome… to… Luofu… Spaceport… Star-Chariot Sea… Nexus… Welcome… to…”

The intermittent, looping message sounded like a stuck recording, a digital ghost caught in a repeating echo. The mood in the cabin shifted, becoming subtly charged with tension.

March 7th shivered, pulling his shoulders in. He lowered his voice, adopting a conspiratorial, spooky tone. “Hey, hey, doesn’t this feel… just like the beginning of a horror movie? A massive, empty space station, a creepy automated welcome broadcast, and then…”

“Waaah!!!”

Chen suddenly slammed a hand down on March 7th’s shoulder from behind. At the same time, he leaned in close to his ear, deliberately lowering his voice and dragging out the syllables in a ghoulish imitation.

“And~ then~ some~thing~ sud~den~ly~ ap~pears~ be~hind~ you~~”

“Aaaaah!!!”

March 7th practically leaped out of his skin, clutching his chest as if trying to keep his soul from escaping. When he whirled around and saw Chen, who was failing to suppress a mischievous grin, his cheeks puffed out in indignation.

“Chen! Xing! Are you trying to die?! You scared the life out of me! I… I almost shot an arrow at you!”

“Hahaha! And whose fault is that for setting the spooky mood in the first place?” Chen laughed, nimbly dodging the light smack March 7th aimed at his arm. “It’s called giving you a taste of your own medicine!”

While the two were bickering, the looping, distorted broadcast suddenly cleared without any warning.

“Astral Express, signal confirmed. Welcome to the Xianzhou Alliance, the Luofu. Spaceport guidance program initiated. Please follow the guidance beam and dock at the designated area. The Starfaring Sea Nexus will provide you with all necessary services. We wish you a pleasant journey.”

Ms. Welt cleared her throat, a soft sound that was still enough to halt the scuffle. “Alright, you two. Stop messing around. Prepare to land.”

At that moment, Dan Heng stepped forward, addressing Himeko and Ms. Welt. “The situation for this trip to the Xianzhou is unclear. The Express needs someone to stay behind as backup. I request to remain on board.”

Himeko glanced at him, a flicker of understanding in her eyes, and nodded. “Very well.”

“Dan Heng is careful; having him watch over the Express is indeed more secure,” she added, turning to Welt. “Welt, what do you think?”

Ms. Welt pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, her expression thoughtful. “Fine. I see no issue with that. In that case, I will lead the team down to investigate. March, Chen, Caelus—you three are with me. Maintain formation and stay alert.”

“Understood!” March 7th and Chen replied in unison, their earlier playfulness vanishing in an instant.

Caelus simply gave a silent, firm nod.

With a final, gentle hiss of pneumatics, the Astral Express settled into its berth. The main hatch whined open, extending a ramp onto the deck below. The group walked down, their boots making soft sounds as they stepped onto the ground of the Luofu Spaceport.

The expected reception from the Xianzhou—the bustling staff, the shuttling star-skiffs, the thronging crowds—was nowhere to be seen.

The colossal docking bay was terrifyingly, unnervingly empty. The only sound was the soft echo of their own footsteps beneath the vast, silent dome.

“There’s really… not a single person here?” March 7th whispered, the lingering fear from Chen’s earlier prank seeming to resurface as his eyes darted around the cavernous space.

Ms. Welt stopped, turning to look back at the younger members of her team. “The situation is indeed abnormal. We’ll head to the Starfaring Sea Nexus first. Remember,” she said, her voice low and serious, “stay close, and do not separate.”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]