Soon after, Gallagher looked in Jiang Lin's direction as he left, and couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief.
Then he lowered his head to look at the pattern on the palm of his left hand.
Its main body was a slender silhouette, outlined with faint ink-colored shadows all around it;
Three pairs of purple eyes were arranged symmetrically, forming the visual core;
Two sharp wing-blade lines extended from the sides, with no superfluous details, using shadows and sharp outlines to emphasize the coldness and distinctiveness of 'death'.
It was Mian Mian.
Gallagher couldn't help but fall into deep thought. According to Jiang Lin, Mian Mian was currently inside his mechanical body.
He could summon her at any time.
Jiang Lin even gave a rather fitting term for it—Memory Spirit!
But if Mian Mian was his Memory Spirit, then what exactly was he?
Just as Gallagher was about to continue pondering, Megatron, who was nearby, grew impatient.
He simply picked him up like a figurine and took him to prepare for work matters.
Meanwhile, on the other side,
After Jiang Lin left, he discovered a few scattered Space Anchor points on Cybertron.
It seemed that the Nameless had once explored here.
However, there weren't many, likely because this planet was once too backward, with nothing much to explore.
After activating all of them, Jiang Lin began to ponder his next plan.
"I wonder how Sunday is doing right now..."
Astral Express
The group, who had just finished a meeting, left the Observation Car.
But Himeko stayed behind; she was gently comforting Pam.
During the recent meeting, Misha and the others were naturally mentioned, but Pam didn't seem to react much, only lowering her head in silence.
However, everyone knew that Pam was in a very bad mood, so the group left the Observation Car and went to the adjacent car.
"Speaking of which, wasn't that Dream Bubble brought onto the Astral Express by Jiang Lin? Why doesn't the Conductor look at Misha more often?"
March 7th felt a pang of sympathy for Pam, but also a bit of confusion.
"Ever since we collectively saw the contents of that Dream Bubble, it began to grow silent.
It was like a wilting blade of grass, so Pam handed it over to Miss Black Swan, hoping she might have a solution."
Welt's tone was steady, yet tinged with a hint of helplessness.
For a moment, the atmosphere grew quiet.
Seeing this, he looked at everyone and chose to change the subject.
"Pam just said the fuel is almost gone?"
Welt nodded, his tone also becoming somewhat serious:
"Although Pam was mostly venting emotions at the time, what she said was indeed true."
Welt adjusted his glasses and began his analysis.
"With the addition of he as a node, the Astral Express has spent longer than expected at each subsequent stop.
To ensure everyone was accounted for, Pam had no choice but to repeatedly postpone the warp timetable."
Dan Heng also seemed to understand something at this point.
"I see, no wonder I often heard Pam pacing anxiously in the corridor."
"So the Conductor has been silently sacrificing for us..."
March 7th also felt a bit sad at this point, and then Welt continued to explain:
"Unlike ordinary vehicles, the Astral Express converts each exploration into energy to sustain its operation.
Ideally, as long as the journey of exploration is uninterrupted, the Astral Express can obtain a continuous stream of power, moving forward like a perpetual motion machine.
But due to previous encounters... fuel consumption has been faster than anticipated. Two more warps might be the limit."
And just then, Sunday arrived in this car.
Seeing the group gathered together, he approached with some confusion and asked,
"What are you talking about? Where are we going next?"
That's right, Sunday did not attend the previous meeting. According to him, it didn't matter where they went.
But seeing everyone gathered together at this moment, he couldn't help but feel some curiosity and confusion.
"You're here. We're discussing the fuel."
Dan Heng looked at Sunday and explained.
"Fuel?"
Seeing Sunday's puzzled expression, March 7th took the initiative to repeat Welt's earlier words.
After listening to March 7th's explanation, Sunday nodded knowingly.
"What a marvelous Astral Express. So you're still discussing the destination for the next stop?"
Dan Heng nodded helplessly, "The next destination must take this into account."
"That's right. I've already checked the star chart. The worlds relatively close to us are the 'Ocean Planet' Lusaka and the 'Agate World' Melstein.
As for which one to choose as our destination, it still needs to be voted on..."
Welt added.
But another voice interrupted their conversation.
"Or, perhaps, you might also consider my suggestion."
Black Swan's figure emerged from March 7th's doorway, gently greeting everyone.
"We meet again, everyone."
"Miss Black Swan?! How are you in my room?"
March 7th's face was full of surprise. Although she often left her door open, usually only he would enter her room.
Besides, she distinctly remembered that no one was in her room just now... Black Swan smiled slightly when she heard March 7th's words:
"What a lovely room, Miss March—just like yourself."
Welt spoke up at this moment, asking,
"Miss Black Swan, our collaboration on Penacony should have already concluded."
"Of course. However, I am very much looking forward to our next collaboration.
It won't be bad for you, and my suggestion might even be your best option, who knows?"
Black Swan appeared very composed in the face of Welt's inquiry, her confident smile causing Welt to slightly value the Mnemonist's suggestion a bit more.
"I'm listening."
Seeing this, Black Swan, with her black-gloved fingers, gently traced her jawline, and said in a calm tone,
"I overheard how the Astral Express obtains its fuel."
March 7th put her hands on her hips, giving her a helpless expression.
"Was it really 'overheard'?"
Black Swan chuckled softly, "Don't mind such details."
Then she continued to explain,
"I originally just wanted to chat with everyone and see if a collaboration between us was possible—now it seems my suggestion might also be your lifeline."
"Speak plainly. Depending on the content, we might also ask you to get off the Astral Express."
Dan Heng's face was serious. He was always very direct with people outside of the Astral Express.
"Alright, then I'll be direct."
Black Swan was a little helpless, but it was also within her expectations, after all, they were only in a cooperative relationship, and now the cooperation had ended.
"If the Astral Express is in urgent need of a special journey of exploration to replenish its engine—
Have you ever considered? If your destination for this journey is a world that even the renowned Akivili has never reached... if you can lay down a brand new silver track in the cosmos, then the Astral Express will probably never have to worry about energy again."