Stellar Train: I Open a Small Shop on the Train-Chapter 181

Cecilia nodded.

"Yeah, I didn't expect that either.

By the way, I heard Archbishop Otto is also in this world?"

Welt nodded at her words and said:

"That's right, he's currently being held at the Theater of Joy.

Don't worry, the security there is absolutely tight. It's guarded by a powerful Aeon, so Otto absolutely won't be able to escape."

At this, Welt suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Sparkle just told me that there's going to be a performance by Otto at the Theater of Joy tonight. She reserved the best box seat for me.

Do you want to come along and watch?"

Just as Welt finished speaking, Sparkle suddenly popped out from the side.

"I heard someone calling my name? Who is it? Who's talking about the invincible Lady Sparkle behind her back~"

She glanced at Welt, then at Kiana and Cecilia.

Walter said:

"It was me. Isn't there an Otto performance tonight? I wanted to invite Kiana and her mother to come along."

Sparkle responded:

"Oh~ I see~ So, Kiana, do you want to come?"

Kiana nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! I want to go. Mom wants to see Archbishop Otto perform."

Sparkle smiled at her words.

"Oh~ in that case, to celebrate your mother's resurrection, I'll modify tonight's program and add a performance featuring the little blonde girl."

Kiana's eyes lit up instantly.

"Really? Thank you, Sparkle!"

Kiana hugged Sparkle tightly, cheerfully resting her head on Sparkle's shoulder.

Sparkle struggled free from Kiana's hug.

"No need to thank me~ Alright, alright, I can't chat with you now—the invincible Lady Sparkle has to go join the elimination rounds!"

With that, having eaten and drunk her fill, Sparkle skipped away into a portal.

After breakfast, Kiana, Stelle, and the others also headed to the Joyful Mini World.

As soon as Stelle stepped out of the portal, she was called over by Topaz and Emerald.

Although Sparkle, Hutao, and the others were a little puzzled, they didn't think much of it.

After all, Topaz and Jade weren't strangers—they were part of the organizing committee of the tournament. If they were calling Stelle over, it must be something important.

First Spirit Tournament Elimination Stage

The venue was a nest-shaped stadium, divided into five battle arenas.

The first arena had a rainforest terrain.The second, a desert terrain.The third, a glacier terrain.The fourth, a grassland terrain.

The fifth was the most special, located in the center. Above it was a dueling platform, and behind the platform was an ascending staircase.

On both sides of the staircase were many platforms.

At the top of the staircase stood a throne forged entirely from diamond, gleaming in the sunlight.

There were no spectator areas for the fifth arena; anyone who wanted to view its battles had to watch from the other four arenas' stands.

Host Aventurine slowly made his appearance.

"Good morning, everyone! Welcome to the First Spirit Tournament!

After three days of intense battles, 1,000 contestants have made it to the elimination stage through nine matches!

That's right! The ones standing in the arenas now are the elite fighters who broke into the Top 1,000!"

As his voice fell, spectators turned their attention to the Rainforest, Desert, Glacier, and Grassland arenas.

Each arena already had 250 contestants standing ready.

A spotlight shone down on each contestant, illuminating them.Apart from the central fifth arena, the ceilings of the other arenas were sealed off, with no natural light shining in.

Under the spotlight, each contestant looked like a brave warrior bathed in holy light—noble and majestic.

In the stands, people cheered for the contestants they recognized.

Cecilia was among them, standing in her own viewing area and cheering for Kiana.

"Kiana, go for it! You must win!"

Aventurine continued introducing the rules:

"I'm sure you're all wondering—why are there no contestants in the central arena?

That's because only the final top two contestants will earn the right to step onto that glorious stage, the arena of renown!

And the final victor will have the opportunity to challenge the current strongest Spirit Trainer—Galactic Fire Hero, Stelle!"

With that, Aventurine pointed toward the throne.

All the spotlights turned off, and the ceiling above the stadium slowly opened.

A single beam of light shone down on the throne.

At that moment, Stelle descended, holding the blazing Judgment of Shamash, her expression stern and imposing.

Beside her stood Mires, arms crossed, gazing down at everyone with an air of supreme dominance.

Stelle slowly spoke, her voice echoing across the entire arena:

"I am the trainer of the Light-type Spirit Queen—Mires!

Challengers! Step forth! Defeat me and prove you are the true Champion Trainer worthy of the throne!

This is the name of the Ace Trainer!"

As she finished, Stelle swung the Judgment of Shamash, and a scorching wave of flame spread out from her, lighting up the entire stadium.

In that instant, the crowd's passion was fully ignited.

"Holy crap! Spirit Queen?!"

"Hsssss!!! That's insane! She's not holding back at all!"

"Ace! Ace! I want to be the Ace!"

"Dream on, you couldn't even make it into the elimination round."

Aventurine once again spoke:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're also honored to have invited the world-renowned singer Robin, the famous singer Furina, and the girl group from New Teyvat to perform for us!

Now, let's cheer for their performance! Where's the applause?"

With that, Aventurine cupped his ear as the crowd of hundreds of thousands erupted in cheers.

Aventurine quickly exited the stage. A minute later, a series of loud booms erupted around the stadium—dozens of fireworks launched into the air and exploded.

Moments later, a rain of colorful streamers fell, igniting the crowd's excitement.

Fireworks erupted again, and along with them came Robin's sweet, melodious voice, and more flying streamers.

"Welcome to my world!"

The spectators had not expected to see Robin performing live today.

Audiences around the four battle arenas cheered and waved, watching her perform on the central stage.

When Robin finished her song, Furina immediately took the stage.

The song she performed today was one given to her by Ye Yun—A song from Ye Yun's past world, a famous piece from a certain canyon.

"Rebirth!"

A song very fitting for the occasion.

*"Endless peaks shrouding the path home,Lit by burning flames to guide the way,Colorful clouds dance in the distance.Oh, the cycle of life, every trial and test,

All to bloom in flight,

With a rainbow-feathered crest.Through thorns and storms we rise, clearing every twist and turn ahead!Soar to the sky! Unfold your wings! Oh oh oh!Ascend to the clouds, voices echoing far, riding across the heavens!"*

Furina sang with great passion, further elevating the energy of the live audience.

No one watching in the livestream—numbering in the trillions—regretted tuning in.

***

"Damn it! I hate myself! Why didn't I go to the venue!"

"Exactly! I'm such an idiot! The atmosphere at the venue totally exploded!"

"Fresh sprouts! You bunch of newbies! All the tickets for the upcoming shows are gone now!"

"Heh, still waiting? Don't you understand the principle of 'fast hands get it, slow ones miss out'?"

"What the heck is this 'Teyvat Girl Group'? Never heard of it. I have no impression of them at all."

"Same here. I know Furina—she recently went viral—but this Teyvat Girl Group? What even is that?"

"They're out! They're out! Whoa—three girls!"

"The one in the middle looks amazing! Totally radiates that noble lady aura!"

"Yo-ho, the show crew has good taste. They even labeled the names. Let me see—oh~ it's Kamisato Ayaka. What a lovely name."

On stage.

Ayaka, Nilou, and Barbara exchanged glances, then began their performance.

Their debut song—prepared by Ye Yun.

"Everlasting Flame! Moon Halo!"

As the music began, Ayaka started singing:

"Some deserts on this planet were oceans once..."

Once Ayaka finished the first verse, Barbara sang the second:

"Sometimes I see a dying bird fall to the ground..."

Then it was Nilou's turn for the third verse:

"I thought I were no more than a bystander / Till I felt a touch so real..."

Then, at the climax, all three sang together:

"A shoulder for the past

Let out the cries imprisoned for so long

A pair of wings for me at this moment

To soar above this world"

The audience was shocked by their performance. No one had expected such a powerful showing from an unknown girl group.

Just their vocals alone were already incredible!

"This girl group has something going on. I'm gonna follow them!"

"Totally! Way better than those screeching banshees from the big agencies!"

"Chicken, You Are Beautiful???"

"What did you just say?! What did you say?! Bring your chat logs to court!"

Soon, Ayaka, Barbara, and Nilou finished their performance, and Aventurine returned to the stage.

He asked the audience how the performance was—he received a unanimous response.

"Amazing! Beautiful! We want more!"

Aventurine pretended to be alarmed by their enthusiasm.

"No, no, no—if we run this again, I'll go bankrupt! Their appearance fees aren't cheap!"

This drew laughter from the crowd.

Aventurine cleared his throat.

**"Alright, enough talk! Let's get to the main event!

The Spirit Tournament elimination round officially begins! Contestants, take your places!

Begin!!"**

As his voice fell, the venue lit up and all 1,000 contestants began competing.

Backstage, Stelle was bouncing with excitement.

Ye Yun, meanwhile, was chatting with Topaz, Jade, and Aventurine.

Seeing Stelle return, Ye Yun called her over.

"Stelle! Over here!"

She ran over, and Ye Yun gave her a look-over.

"How does it feel? Pretty awesome, huh?"

Stelle nodded wildly.

"Awesome! Super awesome!"

Jade chuckled.

"Of course it's awesome. You've basically become famous across the galaxy. That stream had tons of viewers."

Topaz added:

"We've used every available resource to promote this Spirit Tournament. The peak viewer count hit 18 trillion."

Stelle blinked in confusion.

"Trillion? What kind of unit is that?"

Aventurine explained:

"One trillion is a thousand billion."

Stelle sucked in a sharp breath.

**"Hssssss! So that's 18 trillion!? Dang—I'm really famous now!

Wahahaha! The name 'Galactic Flame Hero' now echoes across the stars! Hahaha!"**

Aventurine laughed.

**"Then shouldn't you thank the four of us?

Ye Yun came up with the idea, and Jade, Topaz, and I rushed to build the throne."**

Stelle waved it off grandly.

"No problem! Once we're back, hot pot's on me—Snowfield Venison Hot Pot! A whole one!"

The four clapped their hands.

"It's a deal, then."

Stelle patted her chest.

"Don't worry! I've got this!"

Just then, Barbara, Ayaka, and Nilou returned backstage.

Topaz immediately called them over.

"Hey, come look! You're famous now!"

The three girls came over excitedly.

Topaz handed them a laptop.

**"Check this out. As soon as you started performing, I uploaded your song online.

Downloads have already passed a million."**

Jade added calmly:

"Meaning—after Topaz takes her cut, each of you has earned around 3 billion credits from this song alone."

Ayaka, Nilou, and Barbara were thrilled at the news.

Ayaka in particular—Inazuma's reconstruction had been going slowly. With this income, she could now buy a massive batch of materials and equipment.

Aventurine spoke:

"Check your phones—if nothing went wrong, the first payment should already be in your accounts."

Ayaka quickly checked—sure enough, 3 billion credits had been deposited.

She immediately transferred it to Yae Miko.

Ayaka: [Transfer: 3 billion credits]

Lady Fox: Hm?? Ayaka, where did you get so much money?

Ayaka: From the song I released!

Lady Fox: Oh~ I saw your performance earlier. It was excellent. Keep it up!

Lady Fox: [Accepted 3 billion credits]Ayaka: Got it! I'll do my best!

Not long after, Furina and Robin came strolling in, chatting and laughing.

Topaz spotted Furina and said:

"Furina, there's something I need to tell you."

Furina scratched her head in confusion.

"What is it?"

Topaz pulled out an electronic contract.

"Please sign this. Your account has reached its credit limit. I'm upgrading it for you."

Furina took the contract and signed it right away.

After signing, she casually glanced at her account balance.

"Sigh~ still 200 billion left. Why does it feel like my money only grows the more I spend it?"

Hearing this, Ayaka, Barbara, and Nilou—who had just earned 3 billion—were full of envy.

200 billion! That's insane! They'd only earned 3 billion.

Robin smiled.

"Furina, don't get too excited. You'll need a lot more money down the line. The development of the new Fontaine isn't cheap."

Furina thought for a moment.

"You're right. I should transfer some public funds to Neuvillette."

She pulled out her phone and messaged:

Furina: Butler @Neuvillette [Transfer: 100 billion credits] For public use.

Neuvillette: Understood.

Neuvillette: [Accepted 100 billion credits]

Sigewinne: Bow down to Lady Furina!

Clorinde: No one compares to our Lady Furina!

Lyney: Lady Furina is forever Our Goddess!

Lynette: Lady Furina is forever Our Goddess!

Clorinde: Our Goddess.

Witnessing Furina's transfer, Barbara, Nilou, and Ayaka were even more motivated to work harder.