Firefly thought for a moment.
"Stelle, you don't just have the Path of Destruction—you also have the Paths of Preservation and Harmony.That makes you truly one of a kind in the universe. Looking at it this way, Stelle, you really are the protagonist."
Kafka took a sip of black tea and slowly said,
"Definitely the protagonist. After all, if it weren't for meeting Ye Yun, Stelle would have had a set storyline.In the end, Stelle was supposed to confront the Aeon of Destruction, Nanook."
Himeko was a little surprised when she heard this.
"That's how your script goes? Sounds a bit too dangerous, doesn't it?"
Kafka smiled.
"Dangerous? Sure, it is. But if it can be achieved, it'll be the best possible ending."
Ye Yun then spoke.
"What's there to be afraid of? Protagonists always have plot armor. They never die."
Exactly. Got stabbed in Belobog—got saved right away by Preservation. In the Xianzhou, teammates came through; Dan Heng summoned a dragon, and a whole crew of strong allies backed him up. In Penacony, there was even a glimpse from Harmony. And in the original story on Amphoreus, Stelle didn't even land before being wiped out—yet Acheron still saved them.
But in reality, that didn't happen.
Stelle and Dan Heng's strength now far surpassed the original plot. They avoided the attack before it could land. So that event never occurred.
Still, Yeyun somehow felt that, eventually, Stelle would get that glimpse from Fu Xuan one way or another.
Right now, Stelle was feeling on top of the world.
"I'm the protagonist~ Hehe~ I'm the protagonist~ Wahoo~ So cool!"
Just then, Jing Yuan and Zhongli entered the train.
Each of them was dragging a birdcage, with two thrushes chirping inside.
Stelle saw them arrive.
"Yo~ Good morning, sirs~"
Jing Yuan wasn't surprised at being called "sir" by Stelle—he knew himself well enough.
"Morning, Stelle. By the way, did you guys see this morning's news? The company HQ got attacked yesterday by a mysterious powerhouse—and that person actually got away unharmed."
Welt nodded.
"I saw it. They say it might've been a Spirit."
Stelle was shocked.
"No way! To hit HQ and walk away clean? That has to be at least a Legendary-level Spirit, right?"
Firefly added,
"There are several Arbiter General-level powerhouses in the company. Anyone who can leave safely must at least be at Arbiter General level."
Hutao pointed to Topaz, who was sitting not far away, wearing headphones and working in a booth.
"Isn't that a senior executive from the company right there? Why not just ask her?"
With that, Hutao jumped out of her seat and walked over to Topaz.
Topaz, who had been in a meeting with subordinates, suddenly found herself surrounded by Hutao, Stelle, and the others, interrupting her session.
"You guys keep talking, I've got something to deal with."
She took off her headphones and looked at Stelle in confusion.
"What's up? Do you guys need something?"
Hutao sat down next to her and asked directly,
"Topaz~ I heard your company HQ got attacked yesterday?"
Topaz nodded.
"Yeah, so?"
Hutao followed up.
"You're a senior executive—do you know who did it?"
Topaz nodded again.
"Sure do. We were the ones who invited that person over."
Hutao looked like she had just heard the most unbelievable thing.
"What? Did you just say the one who attacked your HQ was invited by you?Wait, I didn't hear that wrong, right?"
Topaz smiled.
"You heard right. The one who attacked our HQ was Lord Arceus. The director from the market expansion department invited Jade over yesterday to meddle in the Spirit project. Of course we couldn't allow that. YeYun wouldn't agree either. So yesterday, we sent Arceus over to put those people in their place—To let them know that not everything is theirs to mess with."
After hearing Topaz's explanation, Hutao and the others finally understood.
"Oh~ So that's how it is. Lord Arceus is amazing.To just come and go from HQ like that, and the company couldn't do a thing."
Topaz nodded.
"Yep. Lord Arceus was dominant yesterday, beat that director interrogating Jade into the ground—he couldn't even fight back. If the other directors hadn't arrived to help, that guy might not have made it.What a pity, really."
Just then, Ye Yun walked over.
"I told Arceus to go easy. You really think those Stoneheart can go toe to toe with Arceus? A Spirit attacking HQ is already serious enough. If someone died, the situation for Spirit would get worse. Then selling our Spirit-essence wouldn't be so easy."
No sooner had Ye Yun finished speaking than Herta rushed out of a portal in a panic.
"Ye Yun! Where's Arceus? Where is it?"
Ye Yun looked at Herta, puzzled.
"What's wrong? Why are you looking for it?"
Herta stared wide-eyed at Ye Yun.
"Why are you looking for Him? He just caused a big commotion!"
Stelle replied.
"A big commotion? Oh, we know about that. Isn't it just the attack on the Company headquarters? We just heard about it."
Herta rolled her eyes at Stelle.
"An attack on the headquarters? That's not big news. You think something like that could pique my interest?
Just now, Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and I detected two Aeon-level energy signatures.
After carefully scanning and burning through several observation devices, we finally managed to capture a photo."
As she spoke, Herta pulled out a photo. The image was very blurry, showing two figures engaged in battle at the center.
Hutao and the others crowded over to take a look.
"Isn't one of them that big-shot Arceus? The other one also looks familiar… who is that again? Let me think."
Firefly said,
"The Aeon of Destruction—Nanook."
Hutao, reminded by Firefly, remembered.
"Oh~ right! That's Nanook."
Stelle was a bit in disbelief.
"No way? Arceus is actually fighting Nanook?"
Ye Yun mentally reached out to Arceus.
"Arceus?"
A moment later, Arceus' voice rang in his mind.
"I'm fighting some white-haired guy. Talk later!"
Ye Yun was momentarily stunned.
So it was you, Arceus. I know you love fighting strong opponents, but really? It hasn't even been that long and you're already going after Nanook?
Ye Yun turned to answer Herta's question.
"I just contacted Arceus. It is him—he's fighting Nanook."
Stelle was stunned.
"Holy moly! Arceus is that powerful?"
Hearing that, Welt turned to Himeko and said,
"Himeko, inform Pom-Pom. Let's go help."
Ye Yun quickly stopped them.
"No need. Phanes can handle it."
Himeko looked at Ye Yun, concerned.
"Are you sure he doesn't need help?"
Ye Yun nodded.
"He's fine. Just wait."
Herta added,
"Yeah, no need to worry. Based on our energy readings, Arceus is actually slightly stronger than Nanook.
There shouldn't be a problem. Arceus can take him."
Everyone was shocked.
Especially Stelle.
"Holy moly! That means we've got an Aeon-level powerhouse backing us now?"
Herta remarked,
"Pretty much. Your train's full of monsters now."
Stelle wiped her nose proudly.
"Of course! I'm the main character! And that makes us the main character party! Of course we're awesome!"
Herta frowned in confusion.
"You're the main character? What do you mean?"
Stelle then told Herta all about the Honkai: Star Rail instance dungeon.
After hearing everything, Herta rushed over to Ye Yun and hugged his leg.
"You must let me play the Star Rail instance!"
Ye Yun peeled her off.
"It's open to anyone. Play if you want."
Herta scooted next to him with a wide grin.
"So… when does it open? Tomorrow? The day after? Surely not three days later? Please don't say that..."
Ye Yun rolled his eyes.
"What's the rush? The Genshin instance has only been open for a few days!"
Herta immediately pouted and sulked off to sit on the side.
Soon after, a shadow flashed—Arceus returned to the train, refreshed and invigorated.
"Ah~ that was awesome! A good fight! That white-haired guy is such a bro—strong and willing to brawl."
As soon as Arceus appeared, Stelle and the others threw down their handhelds and rushed over.
"Phanes! Did you win?"
"You're so cool! You actually fought an Aeon!"
"Arceus! Can I study you?"
The last voice rang out, and everyone turned to see Herta mixed in with the crowd.
Instantly awkward, Herta let out a cold "hmph" and returned to her seat to continue sulking.
Arceus called out to her.
"Hey, you! Herta, right?
I'm in a good mood today. I'll try out that… what was it, that simulation thing of yours?"
Herta's eyes sparkled like she heard music from the heavens, and she zoomed up to Arceus in a flash.
"Simulated Universe! Simulated Universe! Arceus, are you really willing to try it?"
Arceus nodded.
"Yeah, I'm feeling good today. But give me a bit—I need to rest first. That was a pretty intense workout."
Herta immediately agreed.
"Of course~ you rest! I'll go tweak the Simulated Universe to give you the best experience!"
She darted into the teleport portal and called Ruan Mei and Screwllum to begin adjusting the simulation.
Arceus, meanwhile, stayed to chat with Stelle and the others.
They were super curious about his battle with Nanook, and they all sat around Arceus like they were listening to a story.
Apparently, Arceus had just been wandering around when he ran into Nanook.
Seeing such a strong figure, Arceus decided to go ask for a friendly spar.
Unexpectedly, before he even got close, Nanook attacked straight away.
Far from being upset, Arceus was thrilled.
"Nice! This is perfect! No chatter, straight to fighting!"
And so, the battle began.
As for the outcome—well, it ended in a draw.
Arceus would rest for two days to digest the gains from the battle, and once recovered, he planned to go challenge Nanook again.
Worried about losing track of him?
No way—Arceus had already marked Nanook. As long as they were in the same universe and world, he could find him.
At the Company Headquarters
The board meeting originally meant to discuss how to punish Arceus dissolved quickly upon hearing he fought Nanook to a draw.
The Strategic Investments board member looked over at the Marketing board member—wrapped head-to-toe in bandages with only his eyes exposed.
"Let's drop it. This time someone clearly overreached. We should reflect on ourselves too.
Agreed?"
The other board members weren't stupid—someone had offered a way out, so they took it.
"Agreed. This time let's just let it go. Honestly, we provoked the wrong guy."
"Yeah. Arceus is powerful. Better to befriend him than make him an enemy. I believe the Strategic team has three juniors who are close with Arceus, right? Let them apologize on our behalf."
"Understood. I'll send Aventurine, Topaz, and Jade to handle it.
Any objections? If not, meeting adjourned."
The Marketing board member had no choice but to accept the reality. Everyone else had backed off—there was nothing he could do alone.
After the meeting, Topaz, Jade, and Aventurine were all rewarded by the Company.
In Amphoreus, "Eternal Holy City" Okhema
Furina and Robin were strolling around the city with the Lancelot Knights.
They had come to have custom stage outfits made by Aglaea.
Stelle had mentioned Aglaea was an amazing designer, and Furina and Robin both wanted some performance outfits.
However, Aglaea was busy, so Tribbie was the one who greeted them.
Tribbie told them they could stroll through the Okhema while they waited. She would call them when Aglaea was free.
Furina and Robin had never seen a civilization like Amphoreus's before.
So they figured—why not enjoy the exotic vibe?
Lancelot trailed behind them with ten knights as escorts.
As they wandered, Lancelot gradually got loaded down with shopping bags.
The locals of Amphoreus didn't recognize Furina or Robin, so no one asked for autographs or anything.
The two of them had a relaxing time—whenever they saw something unfamiliar, they bought it.
It was a classic shopping spree.
Eventually, they ran into Phainon.
Phainon was slightly surprised to see them, though they only knew each other by name and appearance, not personally.
Phainon walked over to them.
"Miss Furina, Miss Robin, what brings you to Amphoreus?"
Furina and Robin smiled and waved.
"Hi Phainon, long time no see! We're here to have outfits made by Aglaea, but she's busy, so Tribbie told us to hang out here for a while."
Phainon nodded.
"Lady Aglaea is in a meeting. It might be a while longer. How's your shopping? Need a guide?"
Furina smiled.
"No need~ We've seen most of it. There's so much fun stuff here! We're planning to head back to that palace thing to rest and wait."
Phainon responded,
"Got it. I'll get back to my patrol then."
***
Furina and Robin said goodbye to Bai'e.
As Lancelot passed Phainon, he turned back and gave him a meaningful glance before following after Furina and Robin.
Phainon, meanwhile, continued his patrol.
About ten minutes later—
Furina and Robin arrived at the Hero's Bath, where Aglaea received them.
Aglaea had a very deep impression of the two.
One was Robin, a key figure from one of the universe's top-tier Families.
The other was Furina, a superstar who singlehandedly propelled her nation into rapid development.
Although the two didn't appear often on the train, Aglaea remembered them clearly.
"Welcome to Okhema, Furina, Robin."
Furina beamed.
"Aglaea, I heard from Stelle that you have great skill in clothing design. I'd like to ask for your help in making a few outfits."
Robin followed up.
"That's right. We'd like to make some matching sister outfits."
Aglaea smiled gently upon hearing this.
"I see. Then please follow me. I'll take your measurements."
She led Furina and Robin into a fitting room.
Half an hour later—
Furina and Robin stepped out wearing long dresses that were very much in Aglaea's signature style.
They stood in front of the mirror, admiring themselves, clearly very pleased.
Aglaea explained:
"These form-fitting gowns suit you both perfectly. They can be worn casually or for performances.
As for the patterns—I chose tulips, which symbolize friendship.
Miss Furina's is adorned with blue tulips, symbolizing: 'May close friends never be separated.'
Miss Robin's has pink tulips, which traditionally represent 'eternity.' May your friendship be eternal and everlasting."
Furina and Robin were even more delighted after hearing Aglaea's explanation.
"Wow~ Aglaea, you're amazing! We love these outfits so much! How much for both?"
Aglaea gave a soft smile.
Ever since she merged with the divinity of Venus, the goddess of beauty, Aglaea had clearly felt a restoration of her human emotions.
She had consulted Yeyun about it.
Ye Yun had explained that in the multiverse, gods with emotions are the mainstream.
"Just pay what you think is fair. Transfer it to Ms. Tribbie—she's our special financial manager here in Amphoreus.
She handles all currency, whether it's credit points or star coins."
Upon hearing this, Furina pulled out her phone and sent Trinnon the payment.
After the transaction, Aglaea invited them to have tea and a chat. Then Furina and Robin left Amphoreus, accompanied by the Lancelot Knights.
Just after they left—
Tribbie flew over in a panic to find Aglaea.
"Aggy! Something's wrong! There's suddenly a huge amount of money in our account!"
Tribbie came to a sudden halt in front of Aglaea, pulling out her phone to show her the screen.
Aglaea glanced at it—and right there was a transaction for 10 million credit points.
Tribbie pointed at the transfer note.
"Aggy, did someone transfer this by mistake?! Two dresses for 10 million? We've never sold clothes that expensive!"
Aglaea looked at the sender—Furina.
"No mistake, Teacher Tribbie. Furina and Robin just came to have dresses made. This must be their payment.
I just didn't expect them to transfer this much."
Tribbie stared at Aglaea in shock.
"What?! You made 10 million selling clothes?! That's enough to buy so many things!"
Suddenly struck by an idea, Tribbie looked at Aglaea seriously.
"Aggy! Let's open a clothing store! We're sure to make a fortune!"
Aglaea chuckled.
"We could open a store… but it definitely won't make that much. Furina and Robin are different. They're loaded.
If we open a store, most of our customers will be regular folks."
Tribbie insisted,
"That's fine! I believe in your skills, Aglaea! We'll definitely earn tons of money!
Then we can buy a bunch of high-tech weapons and won't have to fear the Black Tide anymore!
Like—buying a warship from Topaz and parking it right in front of Okhema, then just blast everything with cannons!"
Aglaea considered it.
"Well, it's doable. Teacher Tribbie, go ahead and make the arrangements. For everyday outfits, my team of tailors can handle the work."
Seeing Aglaea agree, Tribbie happily dashed into the teleport portal.
She arrived at Ye Yun's store and excitedly shared the news.
Ye Yun thought for a moment.
"If you want to open a store, first you need a location. I suggest either near the Company headquarters or in Penacony. Those two places have the most foot traffic and customers."
Tribbie hesitated.
"But opening a store in either of those places is really expensive. We might not have enough credit points…"
Just then, Himeko put down her newspaper and chimed in.
"How about setting up shop on the train? I can rent you a spare carriage in the back.
You can do your transactions online.
As for rent—30,000 credit points per month.
How does that sound?"
Tribbie lit up—this was perfect!
"Really?! If that's okay, I'll go get Aglaea right away!"
Himeko smiled and said,
"Of course it's real. Go call Aglaea over so we can talk about the rent. If everything's fine, we'll sign the contract."
Tribbie immediately darted into the portal and returned to Amphoreus.
A few minutes later, Tribbie brought Aglaea to Ye Yun's store.
Aglaea first greeted Ye Yun and Himeko.
"Ye Yun, Himeko."
Ye Yun smiled in response and invited Aglaea to sit down.
"Come, have a seat. Let's talk while sitting. Want something to drink? Tea? Coffee?"
Aglaea replied with a smile,"Black tea, please."
Ye Yun nodded and called out to Noelle.
"Noelle, a cup of black tea please."
Not far away, Noelle—who had been chatting with Jashin-chan—got up and brewed a cup of black tea, placing it in front of Aglaea.
"Miss Aglaea, your tea. Please enjoy."
Then Noelle returned to her seat and continued knitting with Jashin-chan. The two of them gave Ye Yun a strong sense of déjà vu.
Why were these two more and more like the old ladies in the village who gossiped while knitting?
Aglaea and Himeko didn't talk for long before signing the contract.
Himeko and Pom-Pom led Aglaea and Tribbie to an empty carriage at the back.
Klee, Bailu, and Qiqi also tagged along to see the commotion.
The whole carriage was just like when Ye Yun first rented his—completely empty.
The seven little ones immediately started running around, chasing and playing.
But that actually made renovation easier.
Himeko explained,
"This carriage was originally a freight car. Ever since Ye Yun opened his store, all the freight carriages on the train have been vacated. All the cargo is now stored in the storage ring Ye Yun gave to Pom-Pom.
The space isn't huge, only 130 square meters, but it's more than enough to open a clothing store."
Aglaea nodded in satisfaction."I'm happy with this one. Let's go with it. I'll have people come in to renovate shortly.
Tribbie, please transfer the rent to Himeko."
Tribbie pulled out her phone and cheerfully transferred the first month's rent and deposit—a total of 900,000 credits—to Himeko.
After securing the shop, Aglaea and Tribbie got to work decorating it.
Tribbie held a small brush and began painting the walls.
Klee and Bailu stood by, watching enviously.
They wanted to join in, but since Tribbie was doing real work, they didn't want to interrupt. Otherwise, they wouldn't be good kids!
Seeing this, Ye Yun took Klee, Bailu, and the other little ones to another carriage farther down.
He brought out a few buckets of harmless paint and handed each of them a small brush, then began playing with them.
Klee had a blast, using her brush to draw a Dodo-Ko on the wall.
Qiqi drew a small Round Sparrow. Just that one took her more than half an hour to finish.
As night fell—
After spending the afternoon in a dungeon instance, Stelle and the others walked out of the portal.
They immediately saw Dan Heng and Welt moving tables.
The two were helping Aglaea move things.
Aglaea didn't want ordinary citizens to know about extraterrestrial existence, so she couldn't ask the regular people from Amphoreus to help.
Mydei and Phainon were both busy.
Mydei was currently guarding the city gate—the only way in and out of Okhema.
All other routes were sealed by Arceus's magic; nobody else could enter even if they tried.
Mydei had been assigned to maintain order inside the city and patrolled daily.
Seeing this, Welt and Dan Heng volunteered to help.
Stelle ran over.
"Dan Heng, Uncle Yang, why are you moving stuff?"
Welt replied,
"Aglaea and Tribbie rented a carriage on our train to open a clothing store. We're helping them move things. If you're free, go help out."
Upon hearing that, Stelle, Firefly, and the others dashed into the portal to help.
Even those who came out later—Jing Yuan, Zhongli, and others—weren't spared, all roped in to help carry stuff.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, Aglaea's shop was fully renovated before dinner.
The store's decor followed the style of Amphoreus, featuring lots of marble.
The checkout counter, fitting rooms, and clothes racks were all made of pure white marble.
The surrounding walls were painted white as well.
The entire store looked bright and warm.
Tribbie brought over a box of bottled water to distribute.
"Thanks, everyone~ Have a drink and take a break."
Stelle grabbed a bottle, twisted it open, and gulped it down.
"Tribbie, why'd you decide to open a shop?"
Tribbie answered,
"Aggy made 10 million today selling clothes! She's super skilled, so we thought we'd make some credits using her talents."
Stelle was stunned.
"What the heck? Two pieces of clothing for 10 million?"
Tribbie nodded.
"Yep! Furina and Robin bought them.
They both had custom clothes made today."
Hearing that, Stelle wasn't surprised anymore.
Those two had way more credits than they could ever spend.
Stelle even remembered Furina complaining once that she couldn't spend her credits fast enough.
Just then, Jashin-chan walked in holding a spatula.
"Mosimosi~ Everyone, it's dinner time~"
Everyone got up and headed to Ye Yun's restaurant.
They sat down at the table.
Jashin-chan started announcing the menu.
"Tonight's dinner: beef brisket with radish stew, steamed East Star Spot fish, tuna sashimi, stir-fried sweet potato leaves, dace with Chinese lettuce, and winter melon soup."
After listing the dishes, Jashin-chan, Xiangling, and Guoba began serving.
Stelle looked at the tuna sashimi in front of her with little interest.
"Why do we keep having tuna sashimi? It's not even that tasty."
Jashin-chan was shocked.
"Huh? This is tuna! Super delicious tuna!"
Stelle whistled casually.
"It's just not tasty~ I prefer cooked food."
Hearing this, Milim scooted over.
"Stelle, if you don't like it, let's switch seats. I love this stuff."
Stelle agreed and swapped seats with her.
With Xiangling's call to start eating, the meal began.
Jing Yuan, Zhongli, Welt, and Huaiyan sat together. Jing Yuan took out a small jar of wine.
"Let's have a little drink?"
Zhongli nodded gently.
"I see no reason not to."
Jing Yuan poured four cups, and the four clinked them together before drinking.
Qiqi, sitting beside Jing Yuan, stared curiously at his cup.
Seated so that her eyes were level with the table, she stared at the white wine glass he had just set down.
Jing Yuan noticed and smiled.
"Qiqi, you can't drink, okay? Kids aren't allowed alcohol."
Qiqi showed a disappointed expression.
She wanted to try it. Ever since her taste returned, she had started to really enjoy food and trying all kinds of flavors.
Honestly, she had never tried alcohol before.
Zhongli commented,
"General Jing Yuan, let her try just a tiny sip. Her constitution is unique—she's not your average child."
Jing Yuan, hearing this, cautiously poured Qiqi a very tiny amount.
Qiqi happily accepted and took a sip.
One second later, her face twisted in pain. Her little face scrunched up as she spat repeatedly and stuck out her tongue.
"Blegh~ blegh~ it tastes awful! Qiqi doesn't like it!"
She gave the wine jar a disgusted look, then turned her head and grabbed a piece of beef instead.
Jing Yuan, Zhongli, Huaiyan, and Welt were all amused.
Well, you asked for it—can't blame us.
Besides, your reaction was too funny, especially the contrast before and after the drink.
One second curious and eager, the next totally disgusted.
Meanwhile, Aglaea sat with Himeko and Kafka, asking about tips for running an online store.
Himeko and Kafka patiently explained everything.
The three even agreed to have outfits custom-made by Aglaea after dinner.