Even after converging her selves and gaining over a decade of experience as the Glamoth Empress, Miss Firefly's straightforward style hadn't changed much—or perhaps, this was actually more normal.
After all, she was now both the Empress of Glamoth and the Stellaron Hunter Sam.
And the latter was inherently straightforward.
Of course, maybe influenced by Kafka, or perhaps for various other reasons, she still retained some maidenly reserve befitting her appearance—well, at least while her clothes were still on.
As for after the clothes came off.... well, releasing over ten years of accumulated 'pressure', getting a little wild shouldn't be a problem, right?
Like a punctured balloon, or perhaps a sewer pipe clogged for many years?
Within the sealed Hall of Progeny, during a brief yet seemingly long time, the highly stressed Her Majesty fully utilized a certain 'plumber' who walked right into her 'trap' to resolve her pressure issues—the process was quite pleasant~
As the tightly shut doors opened, the 'unrestricted combat' seemed to have finally ended.
Miss Firefly, following someone into the courtyard, had rosy cheeks, like a bamboo shoot nourished by rain after a storm. She looked utterly satisfied, relaxed, and content—it was evident that Master Jiang's 'massage technique' was indeed exceptionally outstanding, as if, like in popular martial arts novels from certain planets, it had cleared her previously blocked meridians.
"Honestly, what were you two doing.... I've been waiting forever."
A familiar, slightly high-pitched voice, not unlike powdered milk, sounded. Lounging on a cradle swing in the courtyard, sucking on a lollipop with a game console in hand, the silver-grey-haired girl—Miss Silver Wolf—couldn't help but complain. She casually glanced at the two. Jiang Qiao looked completely normal.
As the legendary Stamina King, even facing a 'Propagation Broodmother' who had held back for ten years, the experienced him appeared utterly relaxed.
Miss Firefly, meanwhile, was still in the same outfit—although logically, as Empress, she should wear something more special, due to personal preference and various reasons, she still favored this green dress.
Though many parts of the dress were somewhat damp after a fierce battle, Miss Firefly maintained considerable composure, appearing as if she had merely been caught in the rain.
Silver Wolf showed little interest in this, or rather, her knowledge in this area... wasn't exactly lacking, just mostly uncaring.
She merely glanced at Jiang Qiao, her tone drifting, "You've really done quite a few incredible things, huh."
—Just like Firefly experienced convergence, Silver Wolf, who had interacted with Jiang Qiao in the past, naturally wasn't an exception.
As a Stellaron Hunter, she too had converged with that part of her past....
"Meh.... doesn't matter though. It's kinda interesting."
Unlike Firefly, however, Miss Silver Wolf didn't seem overly concerned, just wearing a slightly amused smile.
After all, hailing from Punklorde, she was the type to treat reality like a game.
Merely having her past save file altered wouldn't worry her at all; she might even find it fun.
After all, she was now the Iron Knight Commander of Glamoth.
"I don't really care about this stuff, but after you did all this, Elio must have a huge headache, right?"
"That's what she said. Is that right, Elio?"
A languid female voice, intoxicating like aged wine, sounded in the air. Appearing was a purple-haired woman draped in an exquisite coat, wearing round glasses as decoration. Her peach-like eyes, full of allure yet somewhat empty as if missing something, stared directly this way—it was the Stellaron Hunter, Kafka.
Her dazzlingly rounded thighs, wrapped in black stockings, were incredibly eye-catching. Tapping her high heels, she walked over gracefully. Beside her shoulder, a completely black cat could be seen. Its vertical pupils held little wildness, only an intelligence that seemed to pierce through everything.
"Slave of Destiny.... Elio?" Seeing its appearance, Jiang Qiao touched his chin, deep in thought.
"You actually came looking for me.... Right, it would be stranger if you didn't come looking for me."
After all, no matter how you put it, he had run off with two pretty girls from the Stellaron Hunters—it would be strange if Elio, as the leader, let it slide.
"First time meeting.... you truly are special."
"Oh? How so?"
"I... can't see you at all."
"Huh? Isn't he right there? Is your eyesight failing?" Silver Wolf sounded exasperated, pouting.
"No, no, not physically invisible. I mean.... in fate."
"Like a web woven by a spider, everyone's fate intertwines, becoming part of the nodes on the web...."
"They head towards this future or that, marching towards a predetermined destiny.... But, this man is different. His fate.... is blank."
"What does that mean?"
"It means—his fate is completely unpredictable.."
"This... is something even the Aeons cannot achieve."
Indeed, Aeons were immensely powerful, even capable of flooding everything with the power of their Path, making past, present, and future run parallel—yet even the powerful Aeons' futures weren't entirely unpredictable.
Like Long the Permanence, Idrila the Beauty, Tayzzyronth the Propagation—they would eventually perish in some predetermined way.
But, the man before them was different.
Within the threads of fate, there was absolutely no trace of him. It was even impossible to capture him, like trying to scoop the moon from a well.... an existence completely visible, yet utterly unattainable.
"So that's how I appear in your eyes...."
"Mm, not surprising."
Understanding dawned. He lightly touched his chest, whispering:
"After all, this 'Spiritual Foundation' does not belong to this world."
Just like how Herta's Simulated Universe, even developed by geniuses, couldn't manipulate the Aeons born within it—even Aha might discover it was merely a simulated Aeon.
An Aeon's rank doesn't change due to environment, and neither did he—Jiang Qiao.
This was something transcending the physical body and consciousness, the foundation of 'Reason' itself.
Although its existence didn't imply overwhelming power, this special foundation allowed the holder to stand from a higher perspective, to view and interfere with matters more comprehensively.
Previously, Jiang Qiao's ultimate mastery over various Herrscher authorities stemmed from this.
It wasn't a talent belonging to the physical body—from a certain angle, [Jiang Qiao] as a vessel simply couldn't manipulate such Imaginary authorities based on human fundamentals.
The higher rank was the source of this trait.
"....So that's how it is."
Elio seemed to understand something, a human-like wry smile appearing on his cat face.
He knew—the reason this man before him absolutely couldn't be spied upon.
Because the other party had already exceeded the predictive limits of the machine called 'Fate,' an incalculable 'variable'.
"You.... are the pointer of fate."
"....Is that the role that child plays in your plan?"
"....Of course." Elio instantly knew his secrets were exposed, understood Jiang Qiao's meaning, and nodded honestly.
Undoubtedly—they were referring to the Trailblazer.... Stelle/Caelus.
As the Stellaron Hunters' creation, Elio's important 'puzzle piece,' the Trailblazer played the role of the 'pointer of fate'.
By turning this pointer, he could more accurately guide the future towards the 'future' he envisioned.
Though it wasn't impossible without the pointer—like the other ending on the space station. For Elio, the Trailblazer's weight was high, but even without her, he could still accomplish his plan through various means, just potentially with greater losses.
As for forcing the issue—that was naturally impossible, because the Trailblazer represented 'the present moment'.
The future changes because of the present, and the present.... if overly coercive means were used, it would cause unpredictable deviations in the future, leading to the worst outcome.
Therefore, he could only guide that silly girl to complete his plan, absolutely not force her—this was also why the Trailblazer could choose to live out her life peacefully on the space station.
And Jiang Qiao—Elio already clearly understood what this man's existence meant.
He was the very 'present moment,' the 'Tathāgata' (Thus Come One / Thus Gone One, representing the ultimate present reality) that he had painstakingly tried to create.
The future would diverge based on this person's choices—whether for better or worse, even fate couldn't know.
This was a terrifying prospect. After all.... Elio wanted to use Jiang Qiao to guide the future towards the better direction he saw.
Yet the future this man created was completely unknown, with no visible end.
But....
"This is fine."
A gratified smile appeared on Elio's cat face.
"Even if fate deviates towards a future completely unpredictable to you because of me?"
"Even so."
"After all.... being able to see the threads of fate isn't necessarily a good thing, is it? In my eyes, the world... has a visible end."
"Exploration permits the unknown, but absolutely cannot accept the unknowable."
For followers of the Path of Trailblaze, this has always been a famous warning.
But, for followers of the Path of Trailblaze, what is truly terrifying?
Is it the unknowable?
No. Even if obstacles abound ahead, even if it's incredibly arduous, as long as exploration can continue, one can always keep moving forward.
If someone blocks the way, just defeat them.
But.... what if the road ends?
When all unknowns become known, when travelers can no longer advance, no longer 'progress,' only stagnate at the end.
This is the greatest terror for Trailblazers.
The Path Seeker's road shatters—it should be known, what truly sustains them deep within is the conviction in their chosen path. But what if they suddenly learn the path they believed in was wrong from the very beginning?
Undoubtedly, this is the beginning of an Aeon's death.
—Born of fate, they shall also end by fate.
"....So, you're not planning to continue changing fate anymore?" Sensing Elio's thoughts, Jiang Qiao asked a question.
To this, the former merely countered:
"Fate, hasn't it already changed?"
"Regrettably, because of your existence, I seem unable to see the threads of fate so clearly anymore."
"Since that's the case.... how can I continue being the 'Slave of Destiny'?"
"What are you planning to do?"
"Do what.... hmm, if possible, probably the same as before."
"Board the Astral Express, and then.... continue my journey of Trailblaze. After all.... my journey of Trailblaze doesn't plan on ending just yet." Elio's tone was incredibly light.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
"You're just planning to leave like this?"
"What's wrong?"
Elio was puzzled—he worked so hard precisely to guide the pointer to open the path ahead. Now that a natural pointer had appeared, his wish was fulfilled from the start. There was clearly no need to continue striving as a Stellaron Hunter, right?
"Then you explain it to these two yourself," Silver Wolf rolled her eyes.
The next moment, Kafka waved with a smile—simultaneously, in the courtyard, another male figure had appeared at some point, staring coldly at Elio.
It was Blade.
Silver Wolf and Firefly were one thing. The former followed Elio without much agenda, just wanting to make a name for herself across the stars.
The latter, needless to say, her Entropy Loss Syndrome cured, the meaning of her life found, and with a massive power like the Glamoth Empire, she wouldn't lack companions—as Empress, she couldn't leave either.
But.... Kafka and Blade were different.
Both the former and the latter had prior agreements with Elio before they were willing to join the Stellaron Hunters.
Now that your goal is achieved, you just want to pat your butt and leave?
Blade stared menacingly at Elio, wishing he could use the Shard Sword in his hand to give this leader a middle part.
Trying to escape? Before I perish together with that sinner, don't even think about it!
Elio's expression instantly turned subtle.
Crap, almost forgot about these two deadly stars in the team....
Kafka was somewhat manageable, but Blade....
In his planned script, there was certainly a place for him—Nanook the Destruction would definitely send this masochist to his final rest. Even Shuhu the Abundance arriving in person couldn't withstand the Destruction Aeon acting personally.
But now.... the plan was completely messed up. Was he supposed to bring these two onto the Express?
The former probably wouldn't be happy, the latter....
Elio's mind pictured a certain short-limbed, rabbit-eared creature.
Bringing Blade aboard, he'd really get kicked off the train, right?
The troubled cat face contorted in thought. After a long while, his gaze fell upon Firefly and Jiang Qiao nearby. As if struck by an idea, his smile became brilliant.
Though it was a cat's face, it beamed like a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Hey, you looking for people?!"