[Fanfic Honkai Starrail] Ortesha Dragon god Chronicle Starrail Chapter

After explaining everything, Stell entered the simulated universe as Herta suggested. She herself would be the tester, with Herta coordinating from the inside to the outside, while Austin monitored the changing values and observed the effects of the life equation that was introduced.

"Overall, there is nothing unusual compared to her records. The simulation of living beings and celestial beings is within acceptable limits, but due to the more detailed interiors of the living beings, it shows potential comparable to the real ones. When she set the simulation status of Stelle to Akivili, the celestial beings in the simulated dimension seemed more alert than in the actual records."

"Well, meeting an old friend who suddenly disappeared and then reappeared still attracts people just like before, doesn't it? It seems even the star gods have a human side like us." Her laughed slyly, with a smirk that made the usually expressionless face of the representative look a bit terrifying.

After that, the simulation continued smoothly until the end of the test round without any major issues.

"Well... overall, there were no problems. It can handle the upgrade you suggested earlier without any issues. But as expected, when something new is added, there are still some minor bugs. At this point, the AI in the algorithm should be able to tune itself and fix the problems." Austin sent the test report screen to Herta. "But adjusting it like this, are you trying to turn it into a game?" Austin reassessed the value that Herta had asked him to add.

"That's nice; I like playing fun games~" Stelle said cheerfully after trying out the simulated universe.

"Stephen seemed to have said something like that too. Even though I don't really care about 'fun,' never mind. The more time you spend on it, the more rewards I have prepared for you. Don't worry, I won't let anyone work for free." Herta confidently glanced at the report that Austin had sent her. She couldn't help but be surprised and amazed by the details he had noted, as if he had been observing everything happening within it through millions of characters in a single second, all at once.

"That's probably enough for today. We've already taken up a lot of Stelle time, and she still has to decide whether to stay here or go with the train convoy." Austin projected the screen from his wrist-mounted device and checked the system time.

"Alright, I'll contact you later. As for the things we've discussed before, I'll agree to all of them." With that, Herta disconnected from the avatar in front of Austin and Stella.

"...Have you made your decision yet, Stelle? I'm just about to head to the platform. I'm sure Himeko is waiting for your answer there. Shall we go together?"

"Mm~," Stell smiled back at Austin's faint, mysterious, and unpredictable smile in a friendly manner.

"I already have the answer in mind." Then the two walked to the platform, where there were Himiko, the Astral Express, Klein, and dozens of Abyss Domain starfighter ships docked in silence.

"What's up, Austin, Stelle? Have you made a decision yet?" Himeko greeted them both with a smile, while Klein stood silently beside her, eyes closed and expressionless.

"Um, I want to ride the train. I want to see what a universe full of Aeon is like~!" Stell, who usually has a calm and expressionless face, smiled faintly as if imitating Austin while answering.

Himeko nodded and smiled at the other person, chuckling softly in her throat as Stelle tried to imitate Austin. It didn't resemble him at all. From the mysterious smile, the other person ended up imitating it but made it look gentle instead. "Then come with me, you too, Austin."

The three of them and the other members of the train crew boarded the train after saying goodbye to the people at the station. Meanwhile, Klein and the people from the Abyss Domain also boarded the ship, preparing to depart after safely delivering Austin.

As soon as Austin stepped into the carriage, he felt the familiar scent and the nostalgic atmosphere. He walked slowly down the carriage, his hand sweeping over the objects and seats as he continued on.

Until he stopped at the backrest where he used to sit regularly, then let himself down, leaning back and relaxing from his previous duties, becoming a pioneer walking along the silver track once again.

At that moment, Himeko walked up and stopped right in front of him. "Hey, Himeko. Long time no see. I guess this is the perfect moment to say that. Austin greeted her warmly with a gentle and friendly smile, shaking off the faint smile that usually lingered on his face. "It's been years, hasn't it? I'm back."

"Well, thinking about it, it really has been a while, hasn't it? Welcome back, Austin." Himeko replied, reminiscing about the first time they met. Even though it had been less than ten years, the man in front of her had changed so much that she could hardly recognize him.

Besides the changed hair color and the surrounding atmosphere, there were also bright eyes. Unlike the dead fish eyes, which, despite being the color of a sunset, did not shine at all at that moment.

"this?" Austin noticed the gaze that Himiko cast on his hair. "It's usually like this." He traced his hand over the ends of his hair at the back, which were long enough to cover his neck completely, requiring him to tie them up.

"Back then, when we met, the situation was quite complicated, so my hair color was like that. But honestly, when I was a kid, my hair color was like that too. I don't know why it turned black as I grew up.

"I remember. You've told Pom Pom and me that story countless times," Himeko chuckled softly. "But it seems like you really like to let your hair grow long. It's not as long as back then, but it's quite long enough now."

"Ah... is this it? Since I've been busy with work, I haven't really paid much attention to this, so I guess I'll have to trouble you again, 'like always'."

"Yeah, just like always. Once we finish organizing the room for Stelle, I'll help."

"Sure, sure, I can wait anytime; after all, you made me wait for so long. By the way, where did Stell go? We just got on together. That kid is as fast as a raccoon." Austin looked left and right until he spotted Stell, who was standing and talking with the train captain, Pom-Pom, one of the travelers who had accompanied him and Himeko at that time.

But after just a moment of looking, the other person ran around to greet the other passengers with great interest. In contrast, Austin sat back comfortably. Even though he was already a member, after being away for many years, every passenger was a stranger to him.

"Now that you're back, I want to say that nothing has changed, but you look much more lively," Austin said to Himeko, who chose to sit next to him after seeing Stella running around to greet people in the procession.

"Once we got the teenagers like March and Dan Heng on board, many things changed, but this isn't bad, right?"

"That's right! Once the kids with their overflowing energy come in to create the atmosphere, I feel much more energized myself.

"You, with a youthful appearance like that, always make me forget that you're already in your five-digit age~." Himeko chuckled softly as she mentioned Austin's age, which was almost a hundred epochs old. One could say he was older than the immortal men of the Zhou tribe, who were blessed with longevity by the flourishing.

"Ugh...hey, hey, I told you didn't it that we people in Divine Dragon Realm have a long life-span...."

"But you said yourself that you've been living beyond the average lifespan of the people in your territory for thousands of years, and you don't show any signs of aging or decline at all~."

"Well, that's..." Austin couldn't argue back because normally, people in the Abyss Domain have an average lifespan of ten thousand years. But Austin himself had already lived for several thousand years. Moreover, recently, it seemed that the average lifespan in this area was increasing exponentially based on the health assessments of the new generation of children.

"Well, age depends on the race according to each star, and I myself am not very familiar with it yet."

Then the two continued their conversation, reminiscing about the old days when Austin boarded the new train, until Pom-Pom called for all the passengers to gather for a meeting.

"Ahem! The reason I called everyone together is that the captain has a couple of announcements to make, Pom." Pom-Pom, the small train captain resembling a rabbit with large ears and grayish-white fur, said as he turned to Austin. "The first announcement is to welcome back the train convoy guard, Austin Pom!"

"Pom-Pom miss Austin so much. I know you said you would come back, but I didn't think it would take this many years. Anyway, welcome back to the Express, Pom. Now we finally have a guard we can trust."

"I would like to argue that my skills aren't lacking, but after seeing Mr. Austin fight the Stellaron Hunter, I can't help but agree with Pom-Pom that we're on different levels." March said with a casual and friendly demeanor, raising her camera to take a candid shot of Austin, but he quickly posed perfectly for the camera.

"Just like I said, Pom. Austin is the Express guard, whom the captain trusts a lot. During the time Austin was on the train, no alien creature could ever do anything to the Express, Pom." After finishing her sentence, Pom-Pom turned to Stella, who was looking at the picture of Austin that March had sent a moment ago.

"The second thing is to welcome the new passenger, Stelle Pom! So..." Pom-Pom turned to Himeko.

"I think it would be better if the train captain asked these questions himself," Himeko replied with a smile.

"Wait, don't tell me that thing; are they still doing that...?" Austin interjected after realizing what Himeko's question meant.

"Yes, yes, that's it, Pom!" Pom-Pom nodded in response and turned to Stelle again, clearing his throat. "Passenger Stell, are you willing to join the Astral Express and become an The Nameless?"

"Of course! I'd be happy to!" Stell nodded in response immediately.

"Wow~ I was still scratching my head over that question," Austin remarked at Stella's immediate decision.

"You don't need to rush. Becoming The Nameless means you won't cling to the past, but instead choose to be a trailblazer of the future," Dan Heng added to Stelle.

"Exploring the vast universe is definitely more fun than wallowing in oneself, right~?" March smiled warmly.

"have to say goodbye to the familiar life and venture into the unknown world," Welt added.

"Not yearning for the ground beneath their feet anymore, but instead taking the distant stars as their homeland." Himeko added, giving more weight to Pom-Pom's question.

"Use the stars as the roof, the planet as the floor, and the boundless space as the walls. That's what I mean." Even Austin turned to Stelle, advising her to carefully consider her own answer.

"But don't worry, it's not like we're completely abandoning the past. A long journey often brings us back to the past we've experienced. That's why it helps us grow beyond the past and move forward."

"Yes, just like Austin said, Pom. And most importantly, becoming an The Nameless means that the responsibilities you will have to bear from now on will be much greater than what you have received. Even so, you still want to be an anonymous visitor, right?"

"Yes, I want to be The Nameless." Stelle nodded, responding with an unwavering tone.

"Yay~! From now on, we will definitely be the best trailblazing team." March exclaimed joyfully.

"You're really determined... but pom-poms, do we really need those...?" Austin started to look worried.

"What are you saying? The next part is the most important! Everyone, gather around, Pom, let's get ready to start the new member initiation ceremony." Pom-Pom's eyes began to fill with determination. "Stelle passengers, from now on, please recite the Trailblzaer oath with me."

"Damn it, I can't believe it." Austin rubbed his forehead when he reached the point he had anticipated.

"Um... that seems a bit too embarrassing; can we not do that...?" Stelle herself started to worry like Austin.

"What's so embarrassing about it? This is a very important ceremony, Pom!"

"See! I told you everyone is shy!" March added.

"Then let's cancel this step from now on." Even Dan Heng himself seems to agree with this.

"I cast one vote to abolish the oath," Austin quickly brought up the point when he saw the opportunity.

"Wh-what? Even the passengers Austin too, Pom? This is an ancient tradition of the trailblzer, you know, Pom." Pom-Pom, upon hearing this, looked dejected, as if thinking her cuteness could change everyone's mind.

"Being a trailblazer means moving forward. If we cling too much to traditional customs, we will fall behind in the future," Austin commented from his personal perspective in a seemingly reasonable manner.

"Um, I think we should just cancel it." Himeko, upon hearing this, agreed with the point.

"Sorry, Captain, it seems like the two of us have become the minority," Welt said with disappointment.

"Alright, the captain has to respect the vote, Pom. But no matter what, welcome Stelle." Pom, who was in the minority, accepted everyone's decision and showed that he wouldn't complain anymore.

"Then let's move on to the next topic; I can somewhat guess this one. So, let me ask first, My room in the conference cabinet is still fine, right?" Austin, who guessed that the third topic was about the accommodation, spoke up first.

"Yeah, Austin's passenger room is still the same, Pom. But the condition of the conference room has changed a bit, Pom."

"Changed?" Austin tilted his head. "What happened? We put in so much effort to get that part back. Because at that time, the passenger lounge in the accommodation pod was still not restored, so I had to use that storage room instead."

"Actually, we're still facing issues with the passenger lounge, you know. Right now, there are only four rooms available. No, it should be three, because Dan Heng is still using one of the archives rooms as a lounge." Welt turned to answer the question. "As for the conference cabin... it's been converted into a party cabin now. As for the details..."

"Ah, that's not necessary. As long as the cabin is still there, I don't mind. Besides, we don't use that cabin for meetings often anyway." Austin quickly cut in before he could find out anything unnecessary, but then his thoughts stumbled at one point. "But wait, if the number of passenger rooms is still insufficient, where will Stelle stay?"

"The problem lies right there, Pom. Because right now we don't have any vacant rooms left, the train captain thought that we might have to let passenger Stelle share a room with passenger Austin, since that room is the widest one, Pom."

"Share a room? Logically, it could work, but cramming into a small passenger room isn't good. But Stella is a woman and I'm a man; would that be okay, Pom-Pom?" Austin asked with a worried expression. "I'm a man, so it wouldn't be a problem for me, but Stelle... We might need to renovate it into two rooms."

"I'm fine. As long as there's enough space, I can sleep anywhere." Stell replied nonchalantly.

"If Stelle isn't bothered by it, I don't think there will be any problems. Even though Austin has some concerning habits in that regard, he has never done anything to cause issues. I must say, he is quite mature for his age," Himeko added after assessing that Austin probably wouldn't do anything problematic.

"I've heard about Austin's age for a while now, but how old are you?" March turned with interest.

"Could you not use the word 'old'? But whatever, I can't argue with that. As for my age, I don't really remember the exact number. It should be..." Austin tried to roughly count his age in his head before getting a clear number. "About 15,XXX years, I think."