Stellar Train: I Open a Small Shop on the Train-Chapter 147

Dan Heng brought Sunday to the vacant car.

This car had previously been occupied by Stelle, March 7th, Topaz, and the others.

But ever sinceStelle obtained her own realm, they had moved into it, leaving these rooms empty.

The treehouse area was now full of girls, so it wouldn't be convenient for Sunday, a boy, to live there.

Dan Heng turned to Sunday and said,

"Sunday, take a look and pick whichever room you'd like. They're all available."

Sunday casually picked one. At this point, just having a place to rest and settle was already more than enough for him.

After choosing his room, Sunday looked to Dan Heng.

"Mr. Dan Heng, would you mind showing me around the train?"

Dan Heng nodded in agreement.

"Of course. And no need to be so formal—since we're all companions on this journey, just call me Dan Heng."

Sunday smiled lightly.

"Alright then, Dan Heng. Sorry to trouble you."

Dan Heng first took Sunday to visit Ye Yun's shop. After learning that one could buy anything they wanted there, Sunday immediately thought of Robin.

Dan Heng noticed Sunday's thoughts and said,

"Don't worry. Miss Robin has already been here. She even bought something—a violin that can soothe the heart."

Hearing this, Sunday smiled.

"Alright, let's go check out the other places."

Dan Heng then brought Sunday into the realm and walked with him into the fields.

Sunday was a little surprised upon entering—he hadn't expected something so magical to exist in this world. That such a vast space could be hidden inside such a tiny compass was incredible.

Dan Heng crouched down beside a Sweet Flower.

"The plants here come from different places. Some are from Mr. Zhongli's world—Teyvat. Some are from Kiana's world—Planet Azure. And others were bought from Ye Yun's shop."

Sunday crouched down and lifted one of the Sweet Flower's leaves.

"Amazing... Such a small field, yet it holds so many extraordinary plants."

Looking around, Sunday noticed a pigsty.

"What's that?"

Dan Heng followed his gaze and explained,

"That's something Stelle set up. She and March caught a bunch of piglets in Teyvat. They said once the pigs are grown, they'll cook them."

Sunday chuckled to himself—his new companions on this train were quite amusing.

Then, he and Dan Heng started to study the plants in the field.

Sunday found these plants fascinating as well.

Inside Ye Yun's Shop

After Rimuru had eaten and drunk his fill, Kiana walked up to him.

"Rimuru, can we visit your world and play sometime?"

Rimuru thought for a moment.

"Tomorrow, maybe. Right now, I'm in a cave—there's nothing fun there. I'll look for an exit."

Kiana nodded in agreement.

Ye Yun reminded him,

"Rimuru, don't forget to pack up the portal and take it with you."

Rimuru nodded, then waved his tiny hand to bid everyone goodbye before jumping into the portal and leaving.

Seeing this, Kiana and the others could only continue hanging out at the shop for now and planned to visit Rimuru's world tomorrow.

Sumeru – Aaru Village

Nahida and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had arrived.

Aaru Village had become incredibly beautiful, full of birdsong and fragrant flowers.

All sorts of small animals roamed the village, foraging for food.

The villagers and desert mercenaries treasured this hard-won land deeply. They had strict rules forbidding harm to these animals and were committed to protecting the environment.

Candace and Rahman had been waiting for a long time.

"Candace greets the two Archons."

"Rahman greets the two Archons."

The Greater Lord stepped forward and helped the two of them up.

"Thank you both for your hard work these days, helping Nahida govern the desert."

Candace and Rahman shook their heads.

"This is simply our duty.

If there's anything you need in Aaru Village, please call on us at any time."

The Greater Lord smiled.

"It's nothing serious—I'm just here to help Nahida fulfill a promise."

She then looked toward the towering Tree of Life at the village center.

The Tree of Life was revered by all of Sumeru as the new Sacred Tree. It had been planted personally by the Lesser Lord Kusanali.

Every citizen of Sumeru who visited Aaru Village would come to this tree to pray and give thanks for the blessings granted by their Archon.

Hand in hand, the Greater Lord led Nahida to the base of the tree.

The people praying beneath it noticed them and gasped in awe.

"Heavens! It's the two Dendro Archons!"

"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! The Lesser Lord Kusanali! I never expected to see them here today!"

Under the watchful eyes of the villagers, the two Archons slowly rose into the air.

Exchanging a glance, they reached out their hands toward the Tree of Life and channeled their divine power into it.

The moment the divine power touched the tree, it came to life—its leaves trembled and grew rapidly.

Even the surrounding plants began to sprout and spread wildly. Grass extended in all directions.

Desert mercenaries who had been traveling through the sands saw a sudden flash of light—and in the next moment, the desert beneath their feet had turned into a grassy plain.

Looking around in disbelief, they saw the towering Tree of Life in the distance.

Moved by the lush, life-filled land around them, many of the mercenaries were brought to tears.

"Look! The Sacred Tree!"

One by one, they fell to their knees, weeping with joy and praying in the direction of the tree.

This miraculous scene played out across the entire desert.

Except for the Red King's tomb, the whole desert had transformed into a forest.

Rahman looked up at the two Dendro Archons performing their miracle, a tear sliding down his cheek.

"At last... we have gods who care about us."

He and his fellow desert mercenaries knelt on one knee, placing their right hands over their hearts, lowering their heads in reverent devotion.

In that moment, Rahman and his warriors fully committed themselves to the two Dendro Archons.

From now on, anyone who wished to harm the Archons would have to step over their dead bodies.

Rahman remembered what the Greater Lord had said to him:

"I'm here to help Nahida fulfill her promise."

A god, lofty and divine, truly caring about a promise made to mortals...

These two Archons were genuinely kind—devoted to protecting humanity.

In the past, Rahman had never believed the saying:

"The Archons love the people."

The Akademiya had long oppressed the desert folk, forcing them to live in barren lands.

But now, seeing what the Dendro Archons had done—Rahman finally believed it.

"The Archons love the people."

Rahman made up his mind: tomorrow, he would apply to join the Sumeru Forest Rangers.

This was a new armed force established by Nahida after disbanding the Eremites.

Such a major transformation naturally also caught the attention of Apep.

"The Dendro Archon's aura...? Her!? I thought she had perished!"

***

Scene shifts to Rimuru's world.

After returning through the portal, Rimuru wandered aimlessly inside the cave, looking for an exit.

He casually released a Water Blade, slashing a spider monster.

Then, as usual, he wrapped the corpse and absorbed it.

Rimuru possessed a skill called "Predator," which allowed him to obtain the abilities of anything he devoured.

But just as he finished swallowing, his body froze on the spot like a statue.

A few seconds later—

Rimuru suddenly rolled on the ground, his whole body turning green.

"Ahhhhh!!! That tasted awful!!!"

He rolled around a few times, then got up, leaning on a rock and taking a while to recover.

"That spider tasted terrible. So sour!"

It was like biting into a rotting lemon—so unforgettable.

[Notice: You have devoured a Venomous Spider and acquired the skill "Silk."]

After resting by the rock, Rimuru resumed his journey.

Along the way, he encountered monsters like Armored Lizards and Poisonous Snakes.

Standing by a monster's corpse, Rimuru pondered for half an hour before deciding to devour it.

Having played character-raising adventure games in his past life, he understood one thing—this world must be filled with powerful monsters.

If he wasn't strong enough, he'd end up just like those monsters—food for others.

Hopping along cheerfully, Rimuru finally reached the cave entrance.

Just as he was about to dash out, the gate opened from the outside, and three human adventurers entered.

Two men and one woman. Rimuru thought about talking to them.

But then, remembering he was a monster, he gave up the idea.

He used his stealth skill to avoid their attention, and once they were inside, he happily bounced out of the cave.

Outside, looking at the vibrant, bird-chirping forest, Rimuru took a deep breath, feeling excited.

"I'm finally out!!!"

He dashed into the forest, running wildly, checking everything out.

He even picked fruits from trees along the way to taste them.

While wandering, Rimuru was suddenly blocked by a group of goblins.

He thought a fight was about to happen, but the moment he moved, they dropped to their knees.

After being taken to their village, he learned from the goblin elder that he'd been subconsciously releasing his aura.

The goblins had sensed his powerful presence and surrendered.

He treated their wounded and learned that a pack of Direwolves planned to attack them.

Rimuru decided to help the goblins defend their village.

As the sun set, the forest dimmed under the fading light.

Rimuru finished setting traps, wiping imaginary sweat from his head with his stubby hands.

"All right, I'll go have dinner now. You all stay in the camp and don't run around, got it?"

The goblin elder nodded shakily.

Rimuru jumped into the portal.

He arrived back on the train—just in time for dinner with Ye Yun and the others.

Stelle, Firefly, and Kiana had spent the whole day playing Three Kingdoms Kill.

Stelle was serving rice from the cooker, while the others helped tie little aprons on the six kids.

Theresa, Bronya, and Rita had also returned after a day of observation, placing equipment orders with Topaz to speed up postwar reconstruction.

Rita didn't even want to leave—she adored the cute Melusines of Fontaine and wanted to join them.

She pulled up a chair next to Hook, feeding her and occasionally giving her food.

Rimuru looked around at everyone.

"Hi there~ Good evening, everyone."

His voice drew attention.

"Wow!!! A talking slime!" Klee stood on her chair, excitedly pointing at Rimuru.

Bailu tiptoed to get a look.

"For real! A talking slime!"

Ye Yun chuckled.

"Good evening, Rimuru. Have you eaten yet? Want to join us?"

Rimuru smiled and jumped into an empty seat.

"Hehe~ Just waiting for you to say that!"

Stelle asked curiously, "Rimuru, what's your situation now? Did you get out of the cave?"

Rimuru took the utensils Sunday handed him.

"Yep, I got out—and I met a group of goblins. I have to go back soon to help them defend their village.

A wandering Direwolf pack has targeted their territory and wants to take over."

Hearing that Rimuru had left the cave, Kiana's eyes lit up.

"You left the cave?! Can we come and visit?"

Rimuru scratched his head with a stubby arm.

"There's going to be a battle soon. How about I take care of it first? I'd hate for you to get hurt."

Kiana patted her chest confidently.

"No worries! We're strong—we'll help you out!"

Rimuru agreed.

"All right then, let's go together after dinner."

Everyone continued enjoying their meal cheerfully.

Sunday chatted at the table with Dan Heng and Welt, finding plenty in common.

Seeing the lively scene, Sunday felt warm inside. He had made the right choice to join the Astral Express crew.

The six kids had small appetites and soon finished eating. They ran to Rimuru, curious and eager.

They were fascinated by a talking slime.

Klee tilted her head, big eyes filled with curiosity.

"Mr. Rimuru~ How did you learn to talk? It's my first time seeing a talking slime."

Rimuru thought for a moment.

"A dragon taught me."

Klee nodded seriously—so that's how! A dragon taught him!

She tugged at Ye Yun's hand.

"Big brother Ye Yun~ Klee wants to visit the Wind Dragon Tewalin tomorrow~"

Ye Yun pinched her cheek.

"Okay, Ye Yun will take you tomorrow."

Klee was already planning to bring a few slimes with her, introduce them to Tewalin, and have the dragon teach them to talk.

After dinner—

Stelle, Kiana, and the others followed Rimuru energetically to his world.

Rimuru and the group stepped through the portal.

The goblin elder sighed in relief upon seeing Rimuru return. He'd been worried Rimuru might not come back.

They wouldn't be able to defend against the Direwolves without him.