NOVEL NEXT Chapter 12: Jarilo-VI 1
"Checkmate..." Austin gently placed the pawn, checkmate Welt's king, which was blocked by his own pieces, along with another pawn that Austin had previously placed in check.
"What bad luck, Mr. Yang, even though you had the first move."
"..." Welt raised a finger and adjusted his glasses slightly.
"I guess I was a bit careless, thinking you resembled an old acquaintance of mine, so I used the same plan and strategy that once defeated him. I never thought you would be much better at defense than he was. I guess I need to stop this habit."
"It would be great if you could quit, Welt, because in a normal situation, you would have lost the moment you saw the other side was someone else." Austin said as he lifted the extremely strong hot coffee that Himeko brewed for him and took a sip.
"That's right. In battle, seeing the enemy as someone else is considered a major mistake."
[Hey.... Hey...] The sound of the pom-pom echoed around the train car.
[All passengers, please return to your seats.]
Austin, upon hearing this, tilted his head in confusion because normally, Pom-Pom didn't say anything like this when teleporting to different stations. At most, he would just tell them to take their seats with a tone and words that were formal, befitting the position of a captain.
But when he turned to the center of the parlor car, he realized the reason:
March, who should have been sitting in his designated seat, was standing ready, bracing herself for the vibrations from the warp.
"...Does that happen often?" Austin turned back to Welt.
"If it were before, maybe, but nowadays I've toned it down a bit. I don't know what got into me this time to try it again."
"Teenagers are really great..." Austin quickly downed the coffee in his cup and stored it away in the storage dimension.
[The warp is about to begin. Everyone, please get ready. 5 4 3 2 1!]
As soon as the countdown ended, the train began to move at faster-than-light speed through the cosmos before stopping on a silver track that branched out like shards of glass over a bright white star.
Austin got up from his seat and gazed out the window towards the direction where the white stars were shining.
"It's completely covered in snow. It looks like wearing thick clothes would be appropriate~. By the way, where is this place?" He turned to Himeko.
"Jarilo-VI, I never thought that after just a few thousand years... it would turn out like this."
"Huh? That bright white star is our trailblazing destination." March, who had rolled away, quickly got up and came to look at the star outside the window with everyone.
"That's right... I expect this expedition won't be easy at all." Himeko replied, while Austin opened the screen of the device on his wrist, displaying various outfits for him to choose from.
"Abnormal spatial readings! The stability rate of the star track has decreased by 12%! The landing plan has been changed from the original 7-day period to an indefinite extension instead!"
"Swarm? Or is it Stellaron again?" Austin looked up from the control panel.
"The inspection results are out. The source of this anomaly is the stellaron, just as Austin said." Welt walked over after stepping away to check the data and inspect the surrounding values.
"Damn it, every time! Why is it always Stellaron when there's a problem... Oh, no offense."
Austin muttered under his breath, but when he noticed Stelle standing next to him, he quickly clarified.
"It's okay; I don't mind. But what exactly is that, Stellaron?"
"Right now, as far as we know, it's still a mystery, but to put it simply, it's a cluster of high-intensity energy," Austin explained, projecting a simulation of the stellaron cluster to help visualize it more clearly.
"Yes, but the cause of its occurrence and the extent of its impact are still a mystery that even geniuses cannot figure out," Welt added to emphasize its danger to Stelle from another angle.
"The reason why Jarilo-VI turned into this clear space ice cube is probably because of Stellaron." Austin looked back at the planet outside the window again.
"But anyway, it sounds fun~."
"Austin and I once speculated that it was a disaster spread throughout the universe by the Aeon. If we don't eliminate the root cause of the colonization disaster, we can just put it on hold for now," Himeko explained further.
"Turns out we are the brave and virtuous heroes of the universe!" don't know how, but it seems Stelle concluded it that way.
"Finally, you understand the essence of the Express crew, huh? How cool is that?" And then he actually agreed with Stelle.
"If it were me, I would call a victim rather than a hero, even though we can't deny that we go to help them almost every time." Austin turned back to the screen projected from the device on his wrist, then smiled contentedly and nodded as if he had made a decision.
At that moment, small silver-red particles swirled around Austin's body, changing the outfit he was wearing once again into a warm winter suit with thick gloves, suitable for exploring a snow-covered planet.
"And this too~." With that, Austin took out a black scarf from the storage dimension and put it on. It was one of the items Himeko had given him, and it was also her first handmade scarf.
"Oh, it seems someone can't hold back anymore. Well then, you take the lead on this trailblazing mission. March, Dan Heng, this time you two should observe and learn Austin's style. And Stelle, do your best too." Himeko turned to smile at the three of them, who seemed to have become a close-knit team despite the short time that had passed.
"What's going on? You and Welt aren't going to go down there with us?" Austin asked while adjusting his grip.
"I've been traveling for a long time too. Let the kids have their fun, and as for the Stellaron, I'll take care of the rest from up here."
"Come on, you're not that old anyway, but fine, just take care of my back."
After that, Austin didn't inquire about this star in the train's database and the latest scan. Once everything was prepared, Austin called everyone to gather again at the parlor car.
"Alright everyone, get ready. The first time will be a bit dizzying, and then we'll meet again, Himeko."
Austin waved goodbye. After he finished speaking, the dimensional surface around the four twisted and turned like the surface of water when a stone is thrown into it. Then, the dimensional space gradually contracted, with the four at the center, forming small black holes that pulled them in before disappearing into thin air.
The black hole reappeared above the thick layer of snow on planet Jarilo-VI, along with the four people stepping out of it. This is a skill called Abyssless Dragon Gate, a technique from the power of controlling the space-time continuum.
In its true essence, it is a small black hole. But with Austin's control, it has become a dimensional gate that he can use to travel anywhere in the universe as long as he has enough power.
"It's not as cold as I thought. I went all out preparing my outfit~" Austin stepped onto the snowy ground and looked around.
"Wow, that was amazing! We didn't even need to land the train!" March looked around excitedly, her breath coming out as a cold mist, just like Dan Heng and Stelle, unlike Austin, who was different.
"A dimensions portal, huh? I've seen many forms before, but this black hole form is a first for me." Dan Heng analyzed the experience he had just encountered. He didn't seem too excited, but there was a hint of interest.
"It's just a little trick; never mind that for now. Where did Stelle go?" Austin looked around left and right.
"Wow, snow!!!" Stelle exclaimed excitedly while lying down and making a snow angel, having a great time.
"...*Pfft!* What are you doing! *Haha!*" Austin laughed, watching Stelle play around like a child. But before he could pull one person up, another one couldn't resist joining Stelle in the fun.
"*Woo!* It's so cold but super fun~!" March threw herself down to make a snow angel next to Stelle.
"Ah..." Austin rubbed his forehead, muttering under his breath but stifling a laugh. Dan Heng didn't intervene either. It was probably because March did things like this often, so he had given up on trying to stop her.
"Then let's leave it for a while. According to the latest coordinates we have, this should be the outskirts of the city, right?"
Dan Heng nodded in agreement. "We probably just need to walk a bit more, and we'll get there."
While the two were discussing their plans, a monster born in the Fragmentum suddenly appeared in front of them, even though these monsters usually do not appear outside the areas that have not yet been corroded by Stellaron.
"Ah... the impact of Stellaron on this planet is quite concerning," Austin said as he drew his short sword and threw it at the monster resembling an ice bird, causing it to disintegrate.
"Let's hurry up, or we'll have more trouble on our hands."
"Okay~" March and Stelle replied in unison before walking over to find an object shaped like a black and gold higanbana. Its size was just right to be a man-eating plant that could devour a human head whole.
"Calyx, huh? Normally, this thing occurs in areas where there are a lot of corrosion, Let's hurry up." When he saw that there was a Calyx in the area, Austin quickly led the three of them out of that place.
"What was that just now?" Stelle looked back at Klex behind her as she asked.
"As you heard, it's a Calyx. If you touch it, a bunch of Fragmentum monsters will swarm out. Even though you'll get the items inside after dealing with them, it's not worth the effort, so don't bother."
Austin answered the question while controlling his short sword to fly around, attacking the nearby monsters with such speed that the eyes couldn't keep up, guarding the kids behind him.
"And another thing, Dan Heng and March probably already know about this. But Stelle, after meeting the people of this planet, don't do anything rash. Even though our goal is to solve the problems that arise, not everyone will understand us. Here, we are outsiders. So, whether we fight or talk, always remember that even if we receive a bad welcome, don't confront them unless necessary,"
Austin said while walking along the path, calling his short sword back and keeping it at his left waist, ready for use at all times.
"Explore, understand, establish, and connect. This is what we must do every time we pioneer. If possible, don't get involved in internal matters unless necessary; that is the role of the nameless. Here, we are neither anyone nor anything to the natives."
Austin fell silent for a moment when he noticed that his straightforward speech was starting to tense up the atmosphere.
"But if a problem arises, we have to help as much as we can, right~?" Austin changed his tone to a more relaxed one.
"Um, got it. I'll be careful, and if any real trouble comes up, I'll use this baseball bat to take care of it." Stelle raised her baseball bat and swung it through the air a few times.
"That's the spirit! Just as expected from my future top partner!" March raised both arms in response to Stelle's attitude.
"Hey, if you keep moving like that, it's going to get even colder after a while, you know?"
With that, Austin snapped his fingers, creating silver sparks. He then wove those sparks to resemble flowing water, circling around the three of them.
"This should help."
"It's getting warmer! It's like sitting in front of a cozy fireplace. So comfortable~"
March said cheerfully while her hands kept fidgeting, trying to grab those strings but failing every time. But at that moment, it seemed like she saw something.
"Hey, everyone, did you see that? It looks like something is moving in that snow pile over there." March pointed to the unusually high snow mound in front of them in the pass.
"I think I saw something flash by too. It wouldn't hurt to take a look," Austin said, and then they walked over to the snow pile. As they got closer, the four of them immediately realized what was inside.
"Stop hiding already, or you'll freeze to death,"
March said, bending down to speak to the snowdrift. But all that answered back was silence and the sound of the snowstorm.
"It's too late to hold your breath and be quiet now."
"He might be lacking warmth; let me handle it," Austin snapped his fingers again, igniting a silver flame that blazed as large as a bonfire in his palm. "Alright then~ 3, 2, 1, flame on!"