Chapter 244 - 244: Good Morning, You?

"Mmm... nothing beats your own bed!"

Stelle groaned, burying her face into the soft bedding for a few precious seconds before finally rolling over. She stretched her arms high above her head, popping a few stiff joints in the process. She had slept so deeply and soundly that her internal clock was completely scrambled; she almost forgot what day it was.

After a quick wash in the bathroom to splash the grogginess from her face, she shuffled out into the Passenger Cabin in her fuzzy slippers, her stomach rumbling a hollow demand for breakfast.

"Good moooorning—" Stelle drawled, waving lazily at March 7th. She dragged out the final syllable with a highly exaggerated, dramatic cadence as she spotted her pink-haired friend sitting at the table, busy stuffing her cheeks.

March 7th blinked and looked up, a half-eaten pastry dangling comically from her lips. "Good morning... wait a minute, it's definitely not morning anymore." She chewed rapidly, swallowed the sweet pastry, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the gray-haired Trailblazer. "And why did your 'Good morning' have such a weird, creepy tone to it?"

"Oh, you mean this? Listen closely—"

Stelle whipped out her smartphone with practiced ease. She expertly pulled up her private chat history with Leon, scrolled up a few pages past their usual nonsense, and pinpointed a specific, highly obnoxious emoji sticker.

On the glowing screen was a cartoonish, round-faced girl with two peculiar small dots drawn right beneath her oversized eyes. Beside her were the bold, animated words: Good Morning~ You~

Stelle tapped the image with a smirk. The sticker immediately blared out a voice message, perfectly matching the dramatic, sing-song cadence Stelle had just used.

"Good morning~ You~"

"Who did Leon use as a reference to make this sticker now?" March 7th groaned, slapping a hand over her forehead in exasperation.

She was already far too used to Leon pulling out bizarre yet undeniably adorable custom emoji stickers at the drop of a hat. In fact, March 7th herself was usually his hardest-hit victim. In the main Astral Express Crew group chat, Leon absolutely loved spamming derpy, edited stickers of her face. It had gotten so bad that Himeko, Stelle, and Caelus had all saved them and frequently used them to tease her as well.

"I have no idea who she is, but don't you think this girl is super cute?" Stelle defended the sticker with righteous indignation. "And that voice—it's practically overflowing with the Path of Elation!"

She cleared her throat and imitated it once more, drawing out the playful tone even further to maximize the annoyance factor. "Good moooorning~ You~?"

"I guess it is pretty catchy..." March 7th sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I just hope whoever the real person in that sticker is doesn't suddenly show up demanding royalties from us."

Stelle finally took a good look around the empty cabin. "By the way, why are you the only one out here? Where's Dan Heng? Where's Mr. Yang? Himeko? Where are Leon and Caelus?"

"Himeko is busy brewing her... special coffee over in the Parlor Car, and Dan Heng should be holed up in the Data Bank as usual..." March 7th began counting off her fingers. "Caelus, Leon, and Mr. Yang aren't out here yet. Knowing them, they're probably all still dead asleep."

"Still sleeping at this hour? What a bunch of lazy bums." Stelle clicked her tongue in sheer disappointment, shaking her head as if she held the moral high ground.

"Do~ you~ have~ the~ right~ to~ say~ that?" March 7th fired back, enunciating every single word slowly, syllable by syllable. Her deadpan expression practically screamed, Are you serious right now?

"Then let's go wake them up!" Stelle's golden eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous spark, her hands rubbing together in anticipation.

Himeko was always the one gently waking her up; now, it was finally her turn to violently yank the warm blankets off Leon and the boys. Just the thought of their startled, shivering reactions filled her with a thrilling sense of power.

However, before the two girls could launch their ambush, both of their smartphones chimed simultaneously with a sharp notification ping.

"Hey, a message. Is it the main group chat?"

They both pulled out their devices and unlocked their screens at the exact same time.

Bronya: [Silvermane_Guard_Drinking_Red_Wine.jpg]

Bronya: Astral Express Crew, can you all see my message?

Stelle: Got it. Long time no see, Bronya.

Stelle: I missed you so much.

March 7th: Bronya! We missed you terribly!

Lightyears away in the frigid city of Belobog, Bronya saw the instant replies from Stelle and March 7th pop up on her screen. A warm, involuntary smile graced the young Supreme Guardian's elegant features. Stelle and March 7th remained completely unchanged—still so wonderfully full of boundless vitality.

Bronya: That's great. I was worried the signal might not reach you.

Bronya: I know you are all incredibly busy with your trailblazing, so I will keep this brief.

Bronya: I've recently been pushing forward with the preparations for the Solwarm Festival.

Bronya: The Solwarm Festival is a traditional Belobog holiday. Due to the Fragmentum crisis and the strict curfews of the past, the usual celebratory activities have been suspended for many years.

Bronya: It has been a very long time since the people of Belobog have experienced a truly lively, festive atmosphere.

Bronya: If the members of the Astral Express have the time, I would like to formally invite you to attend the Solwarm Festival celebration. I want you to witness the phased results of Belobog's Revitalization Plan.

After several lengthy administrative discussions, Bronya was also preparing to officially cooperate with Mr. Giovanni to promote the Aether Wars tournament. Integrating the popular game into the Belobog celebrations would undoubtedly inject a much more active, modern atmosphere into the historically rigid city. Step by step, Belobog was visibly developing in a positive, thriving direction.

Stelle: I'll definitely be there.

March 7th: Me too! Holidays, festivals, and celebrations—that sounds exactly like our kind of event!

Bronya: It is wonderful that you can come. Everyone here has been thinking of you all.

Bronya's fingers hovered over her keyboard. She paused, biting her lower lip slightly before typing out another line.

Bronya: Is everyone else busy? I see only the two of you talking in the group.

She asked with polite restraint, though a trace of imperceptible disappointment still flashed through her heart.

This specific group chat was the exclusive channel for the original Trailblaze Squad that saved her world—herself, Stelle, Caelus, March 7th, Leon, Serval, Dan Heng, and Mr. Yang. Everyone was in it. Yet, aside from the two girls, the chat remained dead silent.

Stelle: We were out all night yesterday on a mission, so the guys are probably just catching up on their sleep.

March 7th: I'll go storm their rooms and wake them up soon!

So that was what happened. Bronya let out a soft sigh of relief, expressing her understanding.

Bronya: Staying up all night is quite detrimental to your health. Early to bed and early to rise is best.

Bronya: Thank you, March.

Bronya: [Sparkling_Pink_Peony_Flower_With_Glitter_Text_Saying_Blessings.jpg]

Staring blankly at the glittering, low-resolution flower image Bronya had just sent, March 7th and Stelle were rendered completely speechless.

"How can Bronya, such a young and pretty girl, always like using stickers that only elderly grandmas use?" March 7th couldn't help but complain, her face scrunching up in second-hand embarrassment. "Even Mr. Yang rarely uses such old-fashioned, boomer-tier stickers!"

Stelle: March 7th just said your stickers are super tacky...

Stelle instantly tattled, her thumbs flying across the screen without an ounce of hesitation.

"Hey!???" March 7th gasped, staring at Stelle in sheer betrayal.

"What? I'm just truthfully relaying the message to our dear friend," Stelle replied with a shameless, deadpan shrug.

Bronya: What... are they really that tacky? Seele and Pela said the exact same thing to me recently, but I thought they were perfectly fine.

Sitting at her massive oak desk, Bronya felt deeply conflicted. Her brows furrowed in distress. Were her stickers genuinely that bad? Then... what about all those stickers she had sent to Leon during their private late-night chats? Weren't those incredibly tacky too?

Oh no... A flush of heat crept up her neck. He wouldn't think I'm some hopelessly tacky, uncultured country girl, right...?

March 7th: No, no! Everyone has their own unique style!

March 7th: Looking at it another way, maybe this is just one of your special charming points, Bronya! It's cute!

March 7th frantically typed, desperately trying to smooth things over and salvage the Supreme Guardian's shattered pride.

"Stelle, what the heck are you doing?! You totally betrayed me!" March 7th shrieked, immediately lunging at Stelle with a flurry of playful, rapid-fire slaps—a technique she proudly dubbed the 'Plum Blossom Hand of the Astral Express'.

Stelle smoothly twisted on the spot, using nimble, exaggerated footwork to dodge the 'fatal' tickle attack. "Can't catch me! Hey, you can't catch me~" she taunted with a rare, breathy giggle, dancing out of reach.

After fooling around and chasing each other through the cabin for a few minutes, the two girls finally remembered their actual, important mission. Panting slightly, they adjusted their clothes and marched straight toward the Data Bank to find Dan Heng.

"Dan Heng! Bronya sent a message in the group chat, did you see it?" March 7th poked her head through the sliding electronic door, spotting the archivist surrounded by glowing holographic screens.

"I saw it," Dan Heng replied calmly, lifting his cool, jade-green gaze from the massive data terminal.

"Then why didn't you reply?" Stelle asked, tilting her head in genuine confusion as she stepped into the dimly lit room.

"Exactly! Bronya is an old friend of ours. It's rude to leave her on read," March 7th agreed, crossing her arms.

"My apologies. I simply wasn't in the proper state of mind for small talk." Dan Heng gently shook his head. His tone remained perfectly calm, yet a distinct, heavy weariness lingered at the edges of his voice. "After our chaotic trip to the Xianzhou Luofu, I have been reflecting constantly on my past and my current path. It has been... mentally draining."

March 7th's expression softened as she instantly understood his plight. "Right... after everything crazy that happened on the Xianzhou with your past life, you definitely need some quiet time to adjust."

"How about coming down to Belobog with us for a change of pace?" Stelle suggested gently. "A festival might be exactly what you need to clear your head."

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I will stay on the Astral Express for now." Dan Heng paused, his stoic expression softening just a fraction as he looked at his two energetic companions. "It is a great, joyous event that Belobog has recovered enough to hold such a celebration. I wish you all a very pleasant trip."

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