Stellar Train: I Open a Small Shop on the Train-Chapter 81

Luofu, Aurum Alley, Train Docking Area.

Himeko was taking inventory of the renovation materials delivered by the company, with Pom-Pom assisting.

Nearby, Blade and Dan Heng were waiting to help move the items.

The two still ignored each other, each finding a spot to sit in complete indifference, acting as if they'd rather die than interact.

Himeko checked the materials one by one. After finishing the inventory, she called out to them:

"Move these inside first, they've all been counted."

Dan Heng and Blade stepped forward and began carrying the materials into the train. While bending over to pick them up, they accidentally made eye contact.

They both snorted coldly at the same time and turned away.

After finishing the inventory, Himeko walked into an empty train car.

She looked over the materials scattered on the floor, then pulled out a blueprint for reference.

In this train car, Himeko planned to create six rooms—not too big, about half the size of her own.

After carefully comparing the blueprint and organizing her thoughts, Himeko called Dan Heng and Blade to start the renovation.

The work was relatively simple; the materials were high-end products from the company. For example, the soundproof walls were delivered in the form of glowing rods.

Once activated, the rods would unfold automatically into full walls.

They set up the walls first, then applied wallpaper, installed sockets, and laid down carpets and other furnishings.

Thanks to the trio's effort, the basic renovation was quickly completed.

Himeko clapped her hands in satisfaction, brushing off dust.

"As expected of high-end products from the company—really saves time and effort."

She looked at Dan Heng and Blade.

"Let's take a break first. After lunch, we'll continue in the afternoon."

Dan Heng and Blade both nodded in agreement.

Each of them found a place to rest.

Pom-Pom went off to prepare lunch.

Himeko washed her hands and went to the small bar to operate the spirit energy coffee machine.

Just halfway through making the first cup, the machine suddenly lost power and stopped working.

Opening the energy compartment, Himeko saw the spirit stone inside had completely lost its luster.

She opened a nearby box, took out a new spirit stone, and replaced it.

With the new one installed, the coffee machine resumed operation.

Before long, Himeko had finished three cups of her signature coffee.

Carrying the cups, she walked over to Dan Heng.

"Dan Heng, have a cup of coffee and take a break. You've worked hard."

Hearing "coffee," Dan Heng froze on the spot.

Himeko's coffee!

He turned his head and quickly put on headphones, pretending he didn't hear her.

Blade, seeing this, said:

"If he doesn't want it, I'll take it. I happen to be thirsty."

Hearing this, Himeko suddenly found Blade much more pleasing to the eye.

Look at that—someone who appreciates quality.

Himeko placed two cups of coffee in front of Blade.

Blade nodded slightly.

"Thank you."

Himeko smiled.

"You're welcome. Let me know if you want more."

With that, she took her own cup and sat aside to rest.

Dan Heng sneaked a glance at Blade—farewell on your journey.

Blade picked up a cup and drank it all in one go. The moment he swallowed, he froze, sitting stiffly in place.

Dan Heng immediately felt something was wrong and walked over to check on him.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Blade looked up, revealing a twisted expression.

Even so, he forced a smile.

"I-I'm fine! Just... a cup of coffee—"

Before he could finish the sentence, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

Dan Heng hurried forward to check, shaking Blade.

"Hey! Wake up! Come on, wake up!"

Himeko saw this and was puzzled. She walked over to the coffee machine with her own cup to investigate.

—Some time later—

Blade sat on the couch, arms limp over the backrest, looking like someone who had survived a great ordeal.

"This is the first time I've felt the Blessing of Abundance was actually helpful."

Dan Heng stood beside him, stunned, and nodded.

Blade had nearly died just now—luckily, his immortal body kicked in at the last second and saved him.

Though Blade longed for death, he silently thought: This is not how I want to go!

To die from drinking terrible coffee? I, Blade the Stellaron Hunter, refuse to do that!

After a short rest and a lunch prepared by Pom-Pom, they continued renovating the new car.

Blade came to help primarily to secure a room for Kafka.

There were a total of six rooms. Topaz had reserved one, and Qingque had another—leaving four.

Stelle had one, and March 7th another—now just two remained.

Kafka wanted one, so she sent Blade to do the work.

Blade didn't mind. He had nothing else to do anyway, and it was good to move his body.

By the end of the afternoon, Himeko was pleased. She took out her phone and snapped a photo of the newly renovated car.

Upon entering, the right side had a row of rooms, while the left had a corridor and a row of windows.

The overall style was similar to Himeko's own carriage, just without a few sofas for resting.

Each room was equipped with only the basics:

A refrigerator, a two-meter bed, a desk, a wardrobe, air conditioner, and a washing machine.

If anyone wanted more furniture, they'd have to buy it themselves.

Checking the time, Himeko told Dan Heng to fetch Topaz, Qingque, Stelle, and March 7th.

Dan Heng entered the teleportation gate left behind by Ye Yun and arrived in Liyue Harbor.

Looking at the busy streets, he felt troubled—too many people, hard to find anyone.

At that moment, Yelan, stationed at Wanmin Hall, walked over and noticed his concern.

"Dan Heng, are you looking for someone?"

Dan Heng nodded slightly.

"Yes, I'm looking for Stelle, March, Topaz, and Qingque."

Yelan took out a phone and operated it for a moment.

Soon, she said:

"Stelle, March, and Qingque are playing near the Lotus Pool at Yujing Terrace. Topaz is doing business at the port."

Dan Heng nodded.

"Thank you."

With that, he headed toward Yujing Terrace.

Over there—

Hu Tao was chasing Qiqi.

"Hehe, Qiqi, don't run! Last night Ye Yun protected you, but let's see who can save you now! Hehe!"

Qiqi ran for her life.

She had just been playing hide-and-seek with Klee and the others and came this way to hide.

But the moment she arrived, she saw Hu Tao.

Naturally, Hu Tao saw Qiqi too and immediately pulled out a sack and gave chase.

Stelle and March 7th ran behind, trying to stop Hu Tao.

As Qiqi ran, she spotted Klee, who was in charge of catching people.

"Klee... s-save meee—"

Klee saw Hu Tao charging in and shouted:

"Big Sis Hu Tao is trying to catch Qiqi! Everyone come help!"

The hidden little ones—Bailu and the rest—saw this and rushed out to help.

Bailu grabbed Hu Tao around the waist to slow her down.

Diona and Hook jumped on as well—one clung to Hu Tao's hand, the other to her leg.

Just as Hu Tao tried to free herself with her empty hand, Klee pounced too.

Hu Tao was completely restrained, unable to move.

Seeing this, Qiqi stopped running, walked up to Hu Tao, and glanced at the rope she'd brought.

***

More than ten minutes later.

Jade Chamber, Liyue.

Hu Tao was tied up like a zongzi and lay on a patch of grass.

A Sunsettia was stuffed in her mouth.

Qiqi was holding a chicken feather, tickling Hu Tao, making her squirm non-stop from the itch.

Grandma Ping, watching nearby, walked over and pulled Qiqi up.

"Alright, alright, children. Let Hu Tao go. She should know she was wrong."

Hu Tao quickly nodded in agreement with Grandma Ping.

Qiqi, still holding the chicken feather, said:

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"Hu Tao... Devil... Qiqi punished her."

Grandma Ping smiled and patted Qiqi's head.

"Qiqi, Hu Tao already knows she was wrong. Let's forgive her, okay? She won't try to bury you again."

Hearing this, Qiqi looked at Hu Tao.

Hu Tao nodded repeatedly.

Seeing this, Qiqi said:

"Alright... Qiqi forgives Hu Tao."

Only then did Stelle untie Hu Tao.

Hu Tao stood up and rubbed her sore waist.

"Ow, being tied up is really uncomfortable."

Lumine shrugged helplessly.

"There's no helping it. You buried Qiqi so many times before. By the way, Hu Tao, why are you so obsessed with burying Qiqi anyway?"

Hu Tao replied:

"Qiqi is a zombie. The dead should go to the underworld."

Everyone nodded—so that's the reason.

At that moment, Grandma Ping spoke up.

"Qiqi is no longer a zombie. Thanks to Mr. Ye Yun's treatment, Qiqi can now be considered an immortal."

Everyone looked at Qiqi in surprise.

"An immortal?"

Grandma Ping explained:

"Yes, an immortal. The reason Qiqi became a zombie in the first place was because she couldn't bear the chaotic immortal energy within her. Now that the energy has harmonized inside her, her body has been transformed into that of an immortal."

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Just then, Dan Heng arrived.

"There you are."

Stelle turned to him.

"Dan Heng, why are you here? Weren't you helping Himeko renovate the train car?"

Dan Heng replied:

"The renovation is done. Himeko asked you, March, and Qingque to go back and pick your rooms."

March 7th was confused and pointed to herself.

"I already have a room. Why do I need to pick another?"

Dan Heng explained:

"The new rooms aren't as spacious as before. Since Klee and the other five will be staying, your old room now belongs to them."

March 7th nodded in realization.

"I see, got it. Let's go pick new rooms."

Stelle looked at Hu Tao and the others.

"Hey, do you want to come with us?"

Hu Tao replied:

"Sure, we've got nothing else to do right now anyway."

Then they all followed Dan Heng to the port, found Topaz, and returned to the train.

Himeko welcomed them.

"Welcome back. Did you have fun today?"

Stelle grinned.

"It was fun! But I think we've had enough fun. Himeko, we're leaving the day after tomorrow, right?"

Himeko nodded.

"Yes, we'll depart the day after tomorrow. We're going to attend the family gathering."

March got excited when she heard that.

"A family gathering? You mean Penacony? That's awesome!"

Stelle was puzzled.

"Penacony? Is it fun?"

March nodded happily.

"Of course! Penacony is also known as the Star of the Festival and the Land of Dreams. It's super famous across the galaxy!"

Stelle said:

"Ohhh? Really? How about we leave tomorrow instead?"

Himeko shook her head.

"We still need to restock supplies."

Stelle replied:

"Alright then~ let's go do a dungeon tomorrow instead."

Himeko stood up and looked at Stelle, March 7th, Topaz, and Qingque.

"Okay, go pick your rooms first."

The group cheered and ran off to choose.

Stelle asked March 7th, Topaz, and Qingque:

"Which one are you picking?"

Topaz shrugged.

"I don't mind. The six rooms are about the same size. Any is fine with me."

Qingque said:

"I'll take the last one. I'm planning to set up an Celestial Jade table in there. Don't want to disturb you all."

March 7th said:

"I'll take the first one. I'm a light sleeper."

Stelle said:

"Then I'll take the one next to yours."

Once the rooms were picked, the four entered their rooms to check them out.

Stelle's room was empty—no bedding or mattress.

Seeing this, Stelle checked his pockets. All he had was Mora. Looks like a trip to Liyue is in order.

Time passed quickly.

The next day came in the blink of an eye.

The train crew, the Luofu crew, and Topaz's group all ended their Lantern Rite trip and returned to the Honkai: Star Rail world.

Asmode stood at the door of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Internet Café, seeing off Ei, Yae Miko, Tsaritsa, Furina, and Clorinde.

"When you go back, govern your nations properly. Don't hold up the relocation later, understood?"

They all nodded.

Calestia, seeing their response, nodded with satisfaction.

"I'm serious. I've already talked with Lumine. She'll be doing surprise inspections. If anything goes wrong, you're in trouble~ Alright, off you go."

With that, Calestia returned to the café to continue gaming.

Miko and Ei boarded a merchant ship back to Inazuma.

Miko originally wanted to return quickly to handle political matters, but Ei had bought a ton of snacks and desserts—enough to fill an entire ship. Miko had no choice but to travel back with her.

Ei sat in the cabin happily eating flower cakes while reading the manga March 7th gave her.

Miko sat beside her.

"Ei, what do you plan to do once we return?"

Ei replied bluntly:

"Just hold a meeting, right?"

Miko shook her head slightly.

"Ei, just holding a meeting isn't enough. I told you before, the real problem lies with the officials.

Just now, Lady Calestia made it clear—we need to govern well, and Lumine will be doing surprise inspections. If—"

Ei thought for a moment, then made a decision.

"Once we're back, we'll go with your plan. I don't know how to govern."

Miko pretended to be troubled as she agreed.

"Sigh~ How pitiful I am... Just a little fox, yet I have to worry about so much."

Ei, thinking Miko was genuinely upset, handed her a flower cake.

"Here, eat a flower cake. You'll feel better after eating it."

Miko looked at Ei seriously offering her the cake and couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, I'll eat."

Then the two sailed back to Inazuma. Throughout the journey, Ei stayed in the cabin reading manga.

Meanwhile—

Furina and Clorinde arrived at Liyue's entrance, where the Lancelot Knights had been waiting.

"My Lady, please board the carriage."

A knight offered his hand to help Furina up. Then, with a wave of his sword, he led the knights to escort her carriage toward Qingce Village.