Stellar Train: I Open a Small Shop on the Train-Chapter 159

Rimuru was also very happy to see Aileen and the others.

"Oh!!! Ellen! Kido! Caval, you're finally here. Just yesterday, I was thinking that I hadn't seen you in a while."

Kido smiled.

"Lord Rimuru, we're here to scrounge for food. Please take us in—we can't even afford a meal!"

Ellen gave Kido a kick in annoyance. How could he say such an embarrassing thing so casually?

Rimuru chuckled at the comment.

"No problem, leave it to me. Come on, there's a big feast tonight. I got a bunch of seasonings and we're having a barbecue party!"

The three of them were overjoyed. They didn't expect to arrive just in time for a feast.

Rimuru called over Benimaru and had him take Ellen and the others to the barbecue.

Benimaru was now serving as the Grand General. After receiving a name from Rimuru, over thirty ogres evolved into Kijin.

Among them, Benimaru, Souei, Shuna, Shion, and Hakurou gained the most power.

After Benimaru left with Ellen and the others, Rimuru looked at Shizu, who was cleaning her sword nearby.

"Shizu, how was today's adventure?"

Shizu smiled slightly and nodded.

"It was fun. Being with Stelle and the others was really enjoyable. There were always interesting things happening along the way."

Rimuru nodded with relief.

"That's good to hear. Come on, let's get some barbecue. I got a lot of seasoning from Yeyun.

I even had Souei catch some fresh sea fish to make sashimi.

With some wasabi and soy sauce—it's delicious!"

Shizu was tempted by Rimuru's description.

"Ah~ I haven't had sashimi with wasabi and soy sauce in a long time.

The last time I had it was before I was reincarnated, when my mom bought a big bamboo mackerel."

Rimuru laughed heartily.

"Right? People from my place love eating that stuff. Let's go, time for a feast!"

Shizu happily agreed and hugged the slime as they headed off to eat.

—

On the Astral Express.

Himeko gathered the crew for a meeting.

Himeko, Welt, Dan Heng, Stelle, March 7th, Sunday, and Misha sat around a long dining table.

Once everyone had arrived, Himeko spoke.

"Tomorrow, we'll be heading to Amphoreus to find something to solve the train's fuel problem. Does anyone object?"

Misha replied, "No objections. Wherever the Express goes, I go. As long as I'm with the crew."

Himeko smiled.

"Senior Mikhail, you say that, but rules are rules—we still have to ask."

Misha nodded in understanding.

Himeko then checked with the others—Stelle and the rest naturally had no objections.

"Alright, since no one objects, the meeting is over. We'll begin the warp at 10 a.m. tomorrow. Get some rest, everyone."

After the meeting, the others dispersed. Stelle walked into the small bar to grab a bottle of cold cola to take back to the treehouse.

She often got thirsty at night and frequently woke up to drink water.

So, she'd make it a habit to grab a cold cola each evening.

Just as she picked up the cola and was about to leave, she ran into Jing Yuan and Yanqing.

"General Jing Yuan, Yanqing, long time no see! I haven't seen you at the store these past few days."

Jing Yuan laughed heartily and patted Yanqing on the shoulder.

"Yanqing's been sparring with me lately—no time to stop by."

Stelle responded, "Oh~ I see. Is Luofu alright?"

Two generals training together surely caused quite the commotion.

From her perspective, Luofu probably took a hit.

Jing Yuan looked confused.

"Luofu? Why would you ask that?"

Then after a few seconds, he realized what she meant.

"Oh, I get it. No worries, it's just training."

Stelle looked a bit disappointed.

"I see~ alright then."

Jing Yuan was speechless at her expression.

Did she actually want Luofu to get wrecked?

He decided to change the subject.

"I heard you're heading to the next stop—where are you going?"

Stelle answered, "A place called Amphoreus. Black Swan said even Akivili, the Aeon of Trailblaze, never went there. We're going to look for something to solve our fuel problem."

Jing Yuan replied, "An unknown place, huh? Be careful. If things get out of hand, come find me. I'll help you take revenge in no time!"

Yanqing added, "Yes. If you need help, I'll strike with my blade."

Stelle looked at Yanqing in disbelief.

It made sense for Jing Yuan—he had restraint.

But Yanqing? He heard Amphoreus looked like a sideways number 8.

One slash from him and that "8" would probably become two "O"s.

"Uh, right. If I run into something I can't handle, I'll call you two."

Jing Yuan chuckled.

"With your power, there aren't many in the universe who can take you down—your Judgment of Shamash and the two Stellaron inside you."

Stelle proudly put her hands on her hips.

"That's right! At full power, even if I fought you two, I wouldn't necessarily lose!"

Jing Yuan laughed again.

"Then let's spar sometime."

Stelle immediately agreed.

"Sure! Let's go a few rounds when we have time."

Then she took her cola, said good night to them, and returned to her room in the Abode.

Jing Yuan went into the bar and cracked open two beers with Yanqing.

The two had just finished training and were sweaty—perfect time for some cold beer.

They were both in sporty, youthful outfits.

—

The next morning.

Pom-Pom entered Yeyun's store to confirm the next stop with Himeko and the others.

"Everyone, next stop is Amphoreus. Final confirmation—any changes? Pom!"

"I want to change it! I'm going to Pierpoint! I want to visit company HQ!" Elio suddenly stood up from the couch, raising his hand to cause trouble.

Pom-Pom glared at Elio and ignored him.

"Then I'll go drive. Next stop: Amphoreus. Pom!"

Elio leapt in front of Pom-Pom to block his way.

"I said we're going to Pierpoint! Didn't you hear me?"

Pom-Pom replied, "Stupid cat, Pom! You're not a member of the Express crew, Pom! You don't get to choose the next stop, Pom!

Move it! Pom! Or I'll make you taste my Trailblazer Headbutt, Pom!"

Elio, unfazed by the threat, jumped up.

"Final Kick, Style Two! Divine Cat Kick!"

Pom-Pom took out a pointy hat.

"Trailblazer Headbutt, Style Two! Spiked Hat!"

Then came Elio's scream.

"Fat bunny! You used a weapon! That's not honorable combat!"

With that, Elio passed out.

***

"Attention all passengers, the train is about to depart. Please stand firm and hold on. Do not lean out of the windows. Thank you for your cooperation."

Pom-Pom's voice echoed through the train's broadcast system as it slowly pulled away from the Penacony platform.

Stelle, March 7th, Firefly, and Hutao were sitting in a booth drinking juice. Cards from the game Three Kingdoms Kill were laid out on the table—they were playing the game together.

Sunday sat in a booth adjacent to theirs, quietly watching the platform recede through the window.

Seeing this, Ye Yun teased him from across the aisle.

"What's wrong? Already feeling homesick just after we left?"

Sunday gave a small smile.

"Yeah, kind of. It's strange—barely left and I'm already missing this place."

Ye Yun chuckled.

"That's nothing. It's not like we're not coming back. With one jump from the train, we'll be here again."

The train accelerated, quickly leaving Penacony's range and entering space.

Pom-Pom's voice came through the broadcast again.

"The train is about to warp. Please remain seated and hold on.

3!

2!

1!

Warp!"

A bright flash of light filled everyone's vision.

Moments later, their sight returned. The train had exited the wormhole and arrived in an unfamiliar starfield.

March 7th looked out the window.

"Wait, weren't we going to Amphoreus? Why are we here? There's nothing out there!"

Black Swan appeared from a nearby mirror.

"Amphoreus only reveals itself when reflected by the Memory Garden."

March 7th turned to Black Swan.

"Really? Then hurry and show us."

Black Swan smiled and focused. Under her power, a world shaped like a Möbius strip appeared before everyone's eyes.

As soon as March 7th saw Amphoreus, she suddenly shivered, feeling a strange chill.

While the others gathered to discuss, March 7th felt increasingly cold and dizzy.

At first it was tolerable, but soon she could barely bear it.

"You guys keep talking—I'm not feeling well. I'll go lie down."

Stelle, Firefly, and Hutao looked at her in concern.

"What's wrong, March? Where does it hurt? I'll go get Bailu to check on you," said Stelle as she got up.

March 7th shook her head.

"It's okay, probably just a cold. I'm feeling a little chilly. I'll be fine after some rest."

Firefly offered, "Then you go rest. I'll make you some herbal cold medicine."

March 7th nodded and walked off toward the treehouse.

After preparing the medicine, Firefly entered March 7th's room.

March 7th was already asleep in bed.

Firefly placed the medicine on the bedside table and gently reached out to wake her up so she could drink it.

March 7th woke up groggily and drank the medicine. She looked extremely weak.

At that moment, Stelle and Hutao entered the room.

"March, how are you feeling?" Stelle asked, worried.

March 7th forced a smile.

"I'm okay. Just sleepy.

I probably won't be able to join the expedition this time. Stelle, could you do me a favor? Take some photos for me?"

Stelle took March 7th's camera and stored it in her ring.

"Of course. I'll bring back a whole box of pictures for you."

Satisfied, March lay back down and drifted into sleep.

Firefly stepped forward to tuck her in, but the moment her hand touched the blanket, a burst of icy cold radiated outward.

Firefly instinctively pulled her hand back.

Suddenly, blocks of ice appeared around March, encasing her body.

Stelle immediately reached out, but the ice had already wrapped around March, leaving only her head exposed.

Firefly quickly ran to Yeyun's shop to tell the others what had happened.

Everyone rushed to March's room upon hearing the news.

Himeko stood at the bedside, face grim.

"What happened here?"

Stelle recalled, "March has been acting strange ever since we arrived at Amphoreus. She said she felt unwell and came back to rest."

Welt examined March closely.

"She seems to be trapped in some kind of dream. Sunday, check her condition."

Sunday nodded and began his inspection.

After a while, he retracted his power and shook his head.

"It doesn't appear to be caused by any memory substance. I couldn't detect any presence of it in her."

Welt frowned and fell into thought.

"Wait, don't we have Senzu Beans? Let's try one on her."

Sunday promptly took one out, but Himeko stopped him.

"No. We don't know what's wrong with her. What if the bean makes things worse?"

Stelle asked, "Then what do we do?"

Himeko thought for a moment, then looked at Star.

"Stelle, you and Dan Heng will handle the expedition this time.

Welt, Sunday, you two go to the Herta Space Station and ask Lady Herta if she knows anything about this.

We'll split into two teams."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Stelle and Dan Heng, following Pom-Pom's directions, headed to the rearmost car.

This car had been converted by Himeko and Pom-Pom into a landing module.

It was heavily fortified and equipped with devices for communicating with the train crew—essentially a mobile base during expeditions.

Stelle sat inside and murmured, "Feels weird not having March with us..."

March had always joined the expeditions, her chatter making the journeys more lively.

Suddenly, Stelle's phone rang urgently.

It was a message from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Master: "@Stelle, wait up! Don't go yet!"

Stelle turned to Dan Heng. "Wait a minute—Hutao says to hold up."

Dan Heng paused his preparations.

Moments later, Hutao ran in holding a portal wrapped in bubbles.

"Stelle! Yeyun just told me there are treasure chests on Amphoreus too! Open a gate for me when you land, we're coming!"

Stelle's eyes lit up and she happily took the portal, storing it in her ring.

"Nice! I didn't think there'd be treasure here too—perfect~"

This time, there were no more interruptions.

Dan Heng launched the landing car after checking in with Pom-Pom. Its rear engine ignited and propelled it toward Amphoreus.