Xin Yu encased the soul in a piece of ice crystal and handed it to the woman's daughter. Although he had the ability to resurrect this person, she herself had said she had committed many sins, so perhaps this was for the best.
"I'm not sure if your planet has the concept of so-called reincarnation. If it does, you can shatter this ice crystal. Your mother's soul will be released, and for a certain period, she will be solidified and able to communicate with you normally. But after that time, your mother's soul should completely disperse."
"I don't know what will happen after that. Perhaps she will completely return to the heaven and earth, or perhaps she will go to the legendary land of reincarnation. This all depends on your own choice as her child."
Amidst Bronya's profuse thanks, Xin Yu handed the blue crystal to her. Truth be told, seeing this Bronya cry so miserably earlier, Xin Yu had even felt a pang of compassion, wanting to go back to the past. Even if he didn't change past history, he at least wanted to allow this mother and daughter to have a normal conversation once.
But then he remembered that this world contained manifested entities born from the materialization of philosophical concepts known as Aeons. He couldn't be sure what kind of undesirable consequences his time-traveling actions in this universe might lead to. In order not to sadden those who loved him, and, of course, for his own safety, Xin Yu ultimately refrained from such an act.
Actually, a simpler way to put it was: your story isn't tragic enough, your stakes aren't high enough to make Xin Yu temporarily cast aside everything to save you.
"Greetings, everyone. I am Xin Yu, currently a lost traveler."
"Hello! My name is March 7th, he's Dan Heng, and she's Xing. We are all Nameless of the Star Rail."
The pink-haired girl, March 7th, was full of vitality. Her sunny and cheerful demeanor couldn't help but remind Xin Yu of Kiana back when Nagazora had not yet been destroyed.
"Nameless? I apologize, my original hometown didn't have direct contact with the universe, so I'm still very unfamiliar with this cosmos. I don't know what that means."
"So, you're saying you really knew nothing, just closed your eyes, opened them, and directly transmigrated?! Then do you have some peculiar little trinket with an old grandpa inside, or some divine artifact with special functions, or perhaps you've obtained a system that can defy fate and change destiny?"
March 7th looked at Xin Yu like a curious child. Xin Yu shook his head, indicating he had none of those things, and that he truly didn't know the principles or circumstances behind his transmigration.
However, the main reason he could transmigrate should still be that unknown existence, right? But it was really hard to determine what that existence was. Xin Yu still wasn't quite sure if that existence was still around.
Subsequently, under March 7th's enthusiastic introduction, Xin Yu gained a deeper understanding of this starry sky. Although Huangquan had briefly introduced him to some aspects before, the information was too fragmented, and it seemed her memory wasn't too good either.
"...I understand. The Nameless are those who blaze trails, existing so that people across this universe can better interact and exchange what they have, is that right?"
After listening to her introduction, Xin Yu felt a wave of emotion. He truly hadn't expected there to be an Aeon representing the Will of Trailblaze. It was because of this Aeon's existence that the galaxies in this universe could rapidly communicate and maintain close contact.
And the Nameless, who followed in this Aeon's footsteps, would embark on that journey anew, carving out former or entirely new paths for this universe, even if that very Aeon had already disappeared.
These were a group of people worthy of admiration.
"If you're willing, you can also embark on the journey with us. Perhaps you might find your way back home."
Dan Heng extended the invitation. Although this person before them had appeared very suddenly and suspiciously, he could sense the same sorrow in the other's eyes when watching Cocolia and Bronya's mother-daughter exchange, as if sympathizing with both.
And such a person, capable of sympathizing with others' sorrow, probably wouldn't be a bad person.
"Of course, no problem. I also want to try and see the various brilliant civilizations and different creatures in the universe. I also want to find some answers to my own heart from this endless starry sky."
Xin Yu directly accepted their invitation. Compared to his own planet, perhaps this vast and boundless universe held even more people in need of help.
The group headed towards the city called Belobog. Along the way, someone's behavior made Xin Yu harbor some doubts about the noble profession of the Nameless. After all...
"Is she... really acting normally right now?"
Xin Yu pointed at the gray-haired girl up ahead, asking March 7th and Dan Heng beside him with a look of suspicion.
"Jie jie jie! Little baby, taste my Great Flame Lance! Let me pierce deep inside you, let my surging passion melt your ice!"
The gray-haired girl cackled maniacally, thrusting the flame lance in her hand into the body of a crystalline monster constructed of ice. Then, the surging flames engulfed the ice-formed monster. Although the monster resisted, it caused no damage. The girl's body was constantly enveloped in a layer of amber-colored light, the protection constructed by that light as impenetrable as the hardest bedrock in the world.
This was clearly a normal scene of fending off an enemy and fighting. If muted, one could even appreciate the somewhat cool battle. But if you turned on the sound, you would hear the gray-haired girl's maniacal laughter.
"Err... Maybe it's because she got a new weapon, so she's a bit excited. After all, when she first got the baseball bat, she would try to hit anything breakable on the road."
March 7th had just finished speaking when they saw Xing, who had already dealt with the enemy, place her flame lance before her. She then charged towards a small snowdrift not far away. The flame lance easily pierced the small snowdrift. Then, either her foot slipped or there was something in the snowdrift, but the charging Xing clearly tripped and dived headfirst into the snow.
...Xin Yu felt like he was looking at a silly roe deer.
Even Bronya, who usually wore a faint look of sorrow, couldn't help but chuckle lightly, and her sadness dissipated somewhat because of it.
Xin Yu noticed this. Looking at Xing, who poked her head out of the snowdrift with a beard made of snow still on her face, he couldn't help but wonder: could she be deliberately acting like a buffoon to alleviate Bronya's sorrow?
Xing looked at the speechless Seele (implied, as Bronya's companion, though name not explicitly stated in this interaction, but context from previous chapter about Bronya's group might imply Seele or another girl) and the chuckling Bronya, then at the resigned faces of Dan Heng and March 7th, and finally at Xin Yu, who wore a thoughtful expression.
Xing stood up from the snowdrift with an air of indifference, patted the snowflakes off her clothes, walked over to Xin Yu, patted his shoulder, and said with a very profound look, "It seems you've figured out my purpose."
"Mm, you're probably trying to relieve everyone's fatigue after the battle this way, and also to lessen Bronya's sorrow from losing her mother, right?"
"Mm!"
Xing patted Xin Yu's shoulder with an air of "this child is teachable," then proudly tilted her head and walked to the side.
Where was she going?
She was going to show off the perfect excuse she had just heard to Little March.
As for whether this excuse Xin Yu had guessed was true or false?
Well... who knows?