Inside the train.
The long, crimson hallucinatory night in the storyline was still not over.
Having been forewarned of this crisis.
As the train conductor, Pom-Pom could avoid this area in advance.
Himeko also immediately contacted the Interastral Peace Corporation, reporting the presence of a giant True Sting on the interstellar route.
"Rest assured, everyone."
"The company has stated that they have dispatched professionals to inspect the route."
"This time, we can avoid the crisis in advance."
Pom-Pom patted his chest: "That's good, Pom."
March 7th sighed: "Avoiding this hallucinatory night, not only do we not have to deal with bugs, but we also won't encounter that peculiar-minded Knight of Beauty."
"Saved a lot of trouble!"
"From the storyline, I think he's actually quite nice, but if he really appeared in front of me, I'd definitely have a headache."
Himeko returned to her seat and said, "I'm curious to know how we in the story will handle this crisis."
"It's here!"
"Something's happening!"
At this moment.
In the story.
Argenti and Stelle had a private conversation: "I apologize for my abruptness. It's quite strange to suddenly request a private talk with you."
"In fact, I've had a strong feeling: as a knight of The Beauty, this is a battle I must face—"
"I think I should get off the train and confront the giant True Cicada 14 head-on—attack its stomach wall with my spear, causing it to spasm and vomit out the train."
"It's hard for me to describe this phenomenon… but when I witness certain things, I feel an emotion of beauty from the depths of my heart. It's vague and can only be sensed by instinct."
"Perhaps I've been wandering the galaxy alone for too long, making it difficult to understand where this feeling comes from. But I know that as a knight, my duty is to protect the Seed that contains beauty, to stand in front of it and block everything…"
"And now, the Astral Express is that Seed. This place gives me a sense of belonging, a warmth like home, and I believe it comes from the deep bond you share with each other…"
Hearing Argenti praise everything about the Astral Express.
Pom-Pom's eyes lit up slightly.
He couldn't help but exclaim, "My impression of Passenger Argenti has changed, Pom! Although his behavior is a bit hard to figure out, he's indeed a good person."
March 7th was somewhat moved: "He's actually willing to sacrifice himself to save us…"
"Just for this…"
"If he can enter the gacha pool and become a playable character, I'll definitely pull for Argenti!"
Before setting off.
Argenti proposed to continue the unfinished duel with Stelle.
"Please forgive my untimely action. Although we haven't known each other long, we've already established a bond through our fight—I just regret that it wasn't completed! I want to resolve this regret before I leave!"
"I will prove my will with my spear, defend my honor with martial etiquette; whether the outcome is a win or a loss, I will accept it and bid you farewell—"
"My friend… it's an honor to fight with you."
[Entering Battle]
This time.
It was a complete battle.
Argenti also summoned spear tips, shields, medals, and other such objects.
And just like him, they all have weaknesses to Physical, Fire, and Ice attributes.
March 7th initially thought that her Imbibitor Lunae Dan Heng could ignore weaknesses and enforce the law across environments.
However, when facing the boss Argenti, it still felt a bit like scraping the surface...
"Could it be..."
"Do I need to bring Clara out and train her?"
"Clara's reputation has been getting better and better over these past few versions!"Pom-Pom, upon seeing Argenti's skills, couldn't help but complain, 'Why is he both stabbing the ground and scattering rose petals?"!"
"Good thing this isn't a fight in the real train, or I'd be heartbroken!"
In the end, they still managed to win the duel.
"Phew..."
"That was tough!"
"And this was just in the story. If it were in the Forgotten Hall, I wouldn't even know what team to use against him."
Upon hearing Argenti decide to challenge the giant True Sting alone, Velite, though he wouldn't admit it verbally, showed through his actions that he had been silently moved by Argenti during this journey.
He even said, "I, Velite, can also have some backbone. If you won't listen, then I'll go with you!"
At this moment, the screen was filled with white highlights, resembling the holy radiance of a knight.
Argenti, holding a spear, turned back with a resolute look in his eyes.
The scene froze at this moment.
"Please do not worry, I will shout that the beauty of the goddess Idrila is unparalleled!"
"After ensuring the safe escape of the train, I will find my own way out and return safely, awaiting our next meeting."
"If you can witness all of this... you will understand my fervent ideals."
"In the crimson long night of the universe, my life is more loyal than that of the Guileless!"
Stelle couldn't help but want to applaud Argenti.
Was this scene really made to be this cool?
Now she had no choice but to pull for Argenti.
The train began to accelerate, swiftly moving through the crimson space towards the outside.
Suddenly, a blue light came through the window.
The train successfully escaped from the mouth of the giant True Sting!
And!
At the moment of breakthrough, the surrounding starry sky blossomed with dazzling fireworks.
March 7th thought it was a cosmic explosion caused by the train.
But Old Yang explained, "This is an illusion created by the giant True Sting."
"With such a big commotion, we're bound to collectively inhale its wing dust."
"Argenti would probably think... this fireworks display is beautiful."
Seeing this ending, the Astral Express Crew felt a bit complex.
In the end, it was Argenti who sacrificed himself to resolve the crisis of the Astral Express.
At this moment, the [Warp] in the upper right corner suddenly lit up.
[Notification: Argenti (Limited 5-Star, Physical Attribute, Path of Erudition) has now been added to the character pool as one of the selectable characters.]
[Optional: Watch Argenti's Character PV—Chivalric Romances]
March 7th's eyes immediately lit up, "As expected, Argenti has become one of the playable characters."
"And he's a limited 5-star!"
"According to Yu Ling, there are a total of six hidden limited 5-stars in this update, right?"
"By completing this quest, not only did we avoid a future crisis for the train, but we also unlocked a 5-star character pool!"
"Not bad, not bad!"
"Choosing to do the quest I discovered was indeed the wisest decision!"
Watching March 7th's excited expression.
Stelle couldn't help but say, "March, you have no heart..."
"Argenti sacrificed himself in this storyline less than half a minute ago, and I haven't even recovered from the sadness yet."
"How can you be so happy?"
March 7th also realized she had gotten a bit too excited.
She lowered her head in shame.
"Sorry..."
"Wait, isn't this emotional blackmail?"
"We've avoided the crisis in the storyline now. Although we lost one passenger, Argenti won't have to sacrifice himself anymore. He can live well on the other side of the universe."
"Looking at it this way, we should indeed be happy!"
"Hmm... You do have a point."
At that moment.
The game notified them of a new message.
[Group Chat: Argenti, March 7th, Pom-Pom, Trailblazer]
[Argenti: Are you all safe now?]
[I'm very worried]
[A knight should have unwavering faith in victory the moment they step into battle]
[As I fought fiercely, it felt as if The Beauty's radiance was shielding me]
[After that, I lost my memory]
[But the True Sting seemed to have bad breath, probably due to indigestion]
[After the battle, I spent a long time cleaning my armor]
Seeing this message.
March 7th and Stelle immediately cheered!
"See? I told you we should celebrate!"
"I knew Yu Ling wouldn't kill off a character who just boarded the train. In the end, this mission had a happy ending!"
March 7th immediately opened Argenti's banner.
After 70 pulls.
A golden light burst from the door!
[Argenti (New), 5-star, Path of Erudition, Physical]
"Yay!"
"The pity didn't fail!"
"Successfully got one of the limited 5-star characters!"
"Who do you think the remaining five limited characters will be? Could there be someone we know?"
Himeko was operating the computer nearby.
Hearing March 7th's curiosity, she shared a screen from her computer onto the projection.
She said, "You probably don't know this limited character yet."
"A senior executive from the Strategic Investment Department—Topaz."
"The company is preparing to launch a public livestream to celebrate this director's inclusion in the banner."
"Do you want to watch?"
"Huh?" Stelle was surprised.
"Even the company's people can get into the banner?"
Old Yang said calmly, "Nothing's impossible."
"When the Stellaron Hunters were added to the banner, it also caught everyone off guard."
"True."
"Then let's see what kind of person this director from the Strategic Investment Department is."