[Sushang: This is such a sad story. Was your planet destroyed?]

[Acheron: Yes... I can't remember the details clearly, many things have become blurred. However, some fragments still linger in my mind, impossible to shake off.]

[Acheron: One scene I still remember is a massive black vortex, like a black hole, appearing in the sky. It mercilessly devoured everything around it. At that moment, it seemed as if everything lost its meaning, all human efforts, struggles, and sacrifices turned into an absurd farce.]

The existence of IX - Nihility is lamentable. The slumbering, formless devourer of all is not something that a civilization yet to leave its planet can resist. Or rather, even for the top-tier powers in the interstellar community, when facing Nihility, the only options are escape or self-destruction.

The group discussed Nihility for a long while, until the release of the next video segment.

[Title: Venturing into the Long Night's Dream]

The video playback began, showing the interior of the Astral Express.

March 7th, Stella, Dan Heng, Welt, and Himeko arrived on time and assembled in the observation car. March 7th looked around curiously and asked, "Hasn't the conductor arrived yet?" Himeko chuckled and teased, "Heh, I didn't expect Pom-Pom to keep us in suspense."

Just then, a cough was heard, and Pom-Pom appeared before everyone, saying apologetically, "Ahem, sorry to keep you all waiting, pom. Since this matter is of great importance, I, as the conductor, took extra time to prepare, pom."

Hearing Pom-Pom's voice, Stella smiled and said, "It's rare to hear the conductor speak."

Pom-Pom nodded and said, "All passengers should know by now, pom? The destination of this train journey is the 'Star of the Grand Gathering', Penacony."

[Hook: It's time for the honorary crew members to set off on an adventure!]

[Seele: So this is a story from even earlier than the first act, but... it seems quite ordinary, doesn't it?]

The others also found it strange. Based on previous patterns, a normal jump wouldn't be enough to warrant this viewing room, unless— something major was about to happen.

In the video, Pom-Pom continued, "Although this conductor knows that everyone has been looking forward to that famous space hotel, there are three things I must remind you all of before we depart."

"First, Penacony is located in the Asterdana system, an area rich in 'Mnemotics'. Historically, it was one of the 'great holes' of Mnemonic leakage. Although thousands of years have passed, the Mnemonic concentration ahead is still higher than average."

"Usually, there wouldn't be any major problems... but everyone's physical condition is different. If you experience dizziness, hallucinations, or memory disorders, don't take it lightly!"

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[Silver Wolf: Hilarious, according to the usual story flow, as long as they mention the possibility of an accident in advance, it's bound to happen.]

[Qingque: That's quite a flag they've raised.]

"Second, Penacony is the territory of the 'Harmony' family. This is also the first time the family has extended an invitation to other factions. Remember, the train is invited as a guest, so we must observe the rules that need to be followed."

"Got it, it's just about following local customs!" March 7th said cheerfully. "Don't worry, conductor, we won't embarrass the Nameless."

"Lastly, the third point, rather than a requirement... Pom-Pom would like to make an unreasonable request to you all."

Saying this, Pom-Pom rubbed his hands together.

"If possible — I really hope that while enjoying your holiday, you could spare some of your precious time to try and seek out information about those 'Nameless' individuals."

Hearing this, Stella couldn't help but ask curiously, "Does this mean we're about to welcome new companions?"

Himeko shook her head slightly, then took the initiative to explain, "Let me clarify the situation."

"Actually, like most of the worlds where the train stops along its route, Penacony was once one of the stations on the Silvermane Line. Thousands of years ago, it was just a remote frontier prison established by the company, but after continuous development and expansion, it finally connected with numerous stars."

At this point, Himeko paused briefly.

Then she continued, "At that time, the Astral Express had also reached Penacony — just like in life's journey, there are meetings and partings. According to the train's travel records from that time, it seems that several passengers resolutely chose to stay in this place, treating Penacony as their final stop."

"After so long, can they still be found?" Stella said, spreading her hands.

Himeko shook her head, "Don't worry, just treat it as a ritual of returning to an old place. After the train left, the Stellaron separated the worlds, and Penacony changed hands several times."

"How those old Nameless who stayed here fared later, what they experienced, and what traces they left on this world... exploring the footsteps of our predecessors is also a kind of adventure."

Saying this, Himeko looked towards Pom-Pom.

"Even after leaving the stars, the 'Trailblazing' of the Nameless doesn't end. That's what the conductor thinks too, right?"

Then, she introduced to the train crew again, "According to the passenger list, the three passengers who disembarked at that time were called Tiernan, Ragwock, and Lazulina. They were the train's guard, mechanic, and cartographer respectively. There's no other information beyond that."

"Just names and occupations? And they might not even be real names... isn't this like looking for a needle in a haystack?" March 7th sighed and shook her head.

Himeko comforted March 7th, "Let's just see how it goes. Considering the diversity of the Nameless... we might even find their descendants, and there's a tiny chance — we might meet them in person."

Hearing Himeko say this, March 7th's eyes lit up for a moment, but then dimmed again, "Ah, but something like that can't be that easy..."

"Come on, don't be so pessimistic," Himeko patted March 7th's shoulder, smiling. "Well, that concludes our route meeting for this time. There's still some time before the jump, everyone can take some more time to check their luggage."

Pom-Pom nodded as well, "Before the jump begins, this conductor will announce it over the broadcast, pom!"

Stella sat on the sofa in the observation car, chatting with March 7th.

After a while, Pom-Pom's voice came through the broadcast:

"Hello — hello hello — attention all passengers —"

"The train is about to make a jump — the train is about to make a jump — please sit tight and hold on, pom —"

Stella tightly closed her eyes, silently praying for everything to go smoothly.

"The jump is about to begin! Five-second countdown!"

"Four!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"