【 "The coordinates are right here, you decide for yourselves. Though our pursued goals are vastly different, the orbits of the stars will eventually intersect with one another. Farewell." 】

【 Kafka's projection vanished on the spot. As for the coordinates, Silver Wolf would send them over later. 】

【 "March, go find Dan Heng," Himeko instructed with a solemn expression. 】

【 Welt frowned from the side and said, "How could the powerful Xianzhou Alliance be breached by a Stellaron?" 】

【 "Is the Xianzhou Alliance very impressive?" Stelle asked curiously. 】

【 "There is more to this than meets the eye. The Xianzhou Alliance is one of the few factions that draws power directly from an Aeon. They follow Lan of The Hunt, with the mission of eradicating the Aeon Abundance. Their strength is immense, far surpassing the Astral Express under the protection of the late Akivili." Welt nodded without hesitation. 】

【 "Among the Aeons, Lan is not particularly powerful, and the concept of His Path, The Hunt, is relatively narrow... However, unlike most Aeons, Lan pays close attention to mortals, bestowing His power upon the Xianzhou Alliance almost without reservation." 】

【 "Therefore, I don't think a Stellaron would pose any trouble in the eyes of an Aeon..." Welt lowered his head in deep thought. "Either the Stellaron Hunters are lying, or... an even greater threat is hidden on the Xianzhou Luofu..." 】

"Bestowing power upon mortals without reservation... One can almost conclude that the generals of Xianzhou are all Emanators of The Hunt." Pyro Archon Mavuika speculated.

"However, judging from the performance of Shogun Jing Yuan, while Emanators are powerful, they are not impossible to kill—at least when facing his master Jingliu, she once suppressed him in swordsmanship."

"Indeed, much like the divine seat of the Pyro Archon." Mavuika looked at her clenched Riot. "As long as you have sufficient strength, anyone can sit in the position of the Pyro Archon, but even upon becoming the Pyro Archon, one remains a mortal of flesh and blood, unable to escape the trials of aging, sickness, and death—just like Jing Yuan ultimately cannot escape being Mara-Struck."

Chasca narrowed her eyes and said after contemplation, "Perhaps there is a possibility that every Shogun excels in a different field?"

"For instance, there are Shoguns who excel at strategy, such as Jing Yuan; there are also Shoguns who are exceptionally skilled in combat, or possess certain special abilities..."

"That's possible." Mavuika nodded and said, "But I believe that the Aeon's blessing is not aimed at a specific person, but rather at the position of 'Shogun'—in other words, as long as you can sit in the position of the Shogun, you can become an Emanator."

【 After a while, seeing that March 7th and Dan Heng still hadn't arrived, Stelle intended to go to the back carriage to take a look. 】

【 When she arrived, March 7th and Dan Heng were talking. 】

【 "Eh, why did you come too? I've already explained everything to Dan Heng. It's settled, then, we'll vote against it together later! I don't want to listen to that woman's instructions at all!" 】

【 The moment March 7th saw Stelle, she puffily discussed it with her in advance. 】

【 The usually calm Teacher Dan Heng was uncharacteristically hesitant, his eyes revealing a hint of awkwardness: "I didn't expect such a thing to happen in just this short while. If it were any other Xianzhou, fine, but the Luofu... I cannot go." 】

【 "I am forbidden from setting foot on the Luofu... 'Wherever they rule, none shall tread.'" Speaking of the past, a faint sorrow lingered in Dan Heng's eyes. 】

"Uh... Forbidden entry. It seems Dan Heng's past is quite extraordinary." Najenda smiled and sighed, "He must have done something earth-shattering on the Luofu, right?"

"Huh? Big Sis, how did you guess that?" Mine raised her head curiously.

"It's very simple, Mine. Think carefully... If you didn't rely on NIGHT RAID's fake identity, could you smoothly enter and exit the Imperial Capital?"

"Of course not, we've been wanted for a long Time."

"That's right, precisely because we committed a 'heinous crime' in their eyes within the Imperial Capital, we are wanted. Similarly, Dan Heng probably committed a grave crime on the Luofu as well, which is why he was exiled and forbidden from setting foot there for all eternity."

Najenda paused for a moment and continued, "And you should have noticed as well that Dan Heng's spear techniques are peerless, even stronger than Akame's... In combat, he possesses experience and maturity far exceeding his age. Therefore, I suspect he is a native of the Luofu himself, a Long-lived species."

"So, Dan Heng just looks like he's in his teens." Mine sized up Dan Heng in the light screen. Such a handsome face, completely devoid of any traces of Time... She swallowed a mouthful of saliva with envy.

"In reality, he's actually an old man who could be my great-great-great-great-great-grandfather?"

"That choice of words isn't quite appropriate, Mine." Najenda smiled slightly. "Using 'mature' is more fitting."

【 After clamoring for everyone to vote against it together, March 7th and the others returned to the main carriage. 】

【 "Are you alright, Dan Heng? Little March 7th told you everything, right?" Himeko asked with concern. 】

【 "Mhm, I'm fine, and I understand the situation." 】

【 Himeko: "Mhm, then, regarding this special matter, let's vote to decide our direction of travel." 】

【 The five of them nodded one after another and quickly made their decision. 】

【 Dan Heng voted against it, while Stelle's mind was completely filled with—who am I, where am I, what am I supposed to do—completely forgetting to raise her hand, which also counted as a vote against. 】

【 As for Himeko, Welt, and March 7th, they all voted in favor. 】

【 "Three to two. Then, the majority of the Express crew agrees to head to Xianzhou!" 】

【 "Didn't you say you were going to vote against it?" Stelle looked at March 7th in utter shock. 】

【 "Uh... After calming down and thinking about it, what if that woman wasn't lying, and many innocent people would be killed if we don't go to Xianzhou..." March 7th laughed awkwardly with embarrassment: "Now isn't the Time to be willful... Hehe." 】

"Eh—Dan Heng isn't going to Xianzhou this Time? Won't his lingering trauma go unresolved?" Mizuki Yumemi wore an expression of regret.

"He's already been banned from entering the borders, so let's not make things difficult for him, shall we?" Yae Miko smiled slightly. "Although Dan Heng isn't going this Time, Mr. Welt is leading the team. This gentleman... looks quite reliable to me."

"You're curious about his weapon that can create black holes, aren't you?" Raiden Ei exposed her expressionlessly while drinking Dango Milk.

"What, figure? Aren't you curious?"

Miko's smile deepened at the corners of her lips. "From what we can see so far, Mr. Welt himself hasn't displayed any extraordinary power; his biggest reliance seems to be that weapon. Being able to create black holes at will... I'm afraid even gods couldn't do something like that, right?"

Raiden Ei did not object, only silently nodding.

"Therefore, I am very curious about this Mr. Yang's true strength. This journey to Xianzhou is far more perilous than Belobog... It should allow us to truly get to know him a bit better, right?"