Chapter 84: with translation of chapter title

In the end, everyone decided that Walte would lead, taking Xing and Sanyueqi to Luofu for an exploratory journey.

Jizi and Dan Heng stayed on the train.

After undergoing two jumps, a dazzling flash of light suddenly pierced the darkness of the leap. When the few of them steadied themselves, a planet‑size vessel of staggering magnitude appeared in their sight.

"Wow!" Sanyueqi was left speechless, "Is this the Xianzhou? It looks even larger than Yalilo No. 6!"

Sanyueqi

Naviya found it hard to associate this planet‑like behemoth with a ship.

Fontaine had possessed a navy fleet long ago, and Naviya had read about it as a child; ordinary vessels only carried a few dozen to a few hundred people, but this Xianzhou… she even doubted it was larger than the whole of Teyvat!

"Don't forget, this was built by the ancient empire's emperor with the nation's full might… there are five of this size," Kelorinde reminded expressionlessly from beside.

"Moreover, the ancient emperor originally constructed more than six Xianzhous."

Kelorinde handed the newspaper that recorded recent light‑screen information to Naviya and sighed, "…It's hard to imagine how vast the emperor's realm was and how advanced the technology had to be to support such a massive construction project."

"I doubt that even if we drained the iron and coal mines of ten Teyvat continents… and tunneled through the Layered Rock Abyss to the planet's core, we still couldn't build a ship of this scale."

"Even if resources were abundant, who would build it?" Kelorinde hummed lightly, "It couldn't be those guys at the Fontaine Academy, could it?"

"They haven't even spared their own academy… If they were given enough resources, I'm afraid the Xianzhou wouldn't be completed, and Fontaine would be flattened first."

"For the people of the Xianzhou, this ship is their planet," Dan Heng said calmly, his eyes holding an indefinable emotion. "The ground is the indispensable cradle for a civilization's survival and development. Yet some civilizations can outgrow their childhood, piloting starships to roam the void… the Xianzhou Alliance is exactly that."

Dan Heng's voice grew even softer; if you listened closely you could hear the tremor at the end: "I've only seen it a few times, but it's still so magnificent…"

"What on earth is happening with you? You look both nostalgic and lonely," Dan Heng's melancholy made Sanyueqi feel unusually uneasy, prompting him to soften his tone.

Immortal Vessel Alliance

Meanwhile, Jizi was sending a request for the train to dock at the Xianzhou. Strangely, after several attempts, the only reply she received was a fragmented AI voice.

"The Star Core Hunter might not have lied; the Xianzhou really is in trouble…" Sanyueqi was instantly terrified, thinking they were about to step into a horror‑movie scenario.

Fortunately, the tense atmosphere didn't last long; soon the Xianzhou side responded with guidance for the train to dock, and an AI reply came through:

"The Jade Realm Gate is opening. On behalf of the Xianzhou Alliance: Luofu, I welcome guests from afar. Please follow the instructions and dock in an orderly manner—"

Although still no one responded, Walte was already ready to disembark, and Sanyueqi was eager to take many photos of Luofu so Dan Heng could truly envy… This mindset was completely unlike carrying out a mission, more like tourism.

Since it was still their first time working with Uncle Yang, before departure Xing found Jizi and asked some questions about Uncle Yang.

During the conversation, Jizi only mentioned that Uncle Yang's skill was excellent; as for anything else, she knew little: "He rarely talks about his own story; when you ask him, he only says he makes animations."

"…making animation?"

Inside the Valkyrie Academy, Jizi slightly furrowed her brows, replaying the sentence over and over. Suddenly she seemed to recall something, and hurriedly dialed the number on her phone.

After a brief series of "du—" sounds, Wa'erte Yang answered the call.

"Did you see? That Mr. Wa'erte on the light screen… I keep feeling he's not a parallel‑universe counterpart," Jizi said cautiously, voicing her speculation.

"We've observed the traits of other‑world counterparts; whether it's me, Buloniyia, or Xi'er… their counterparts each have varying differences, both in personality and appearance."

"But only you… only you, Wa'erte, your counterpart differs from all of us."

An incredulous expression flickered on Jizi's face, yet her voice remained firm: "No, simply put, your counterpart is too much like you—personality, voice, even looks, age… now even the experiences line up."

"Jizi… what do you mean?" the voice on the other end trembled slightly.

She took a deep breath, and Jizi whispered, "Wa'erte… I think you've already guessed to some extent."

"The three followed the guidance to the Celestial Vessel's Star Chariot Sea, and everywhere they saw towering piles of shipping containers."

"'Good heavens, it's a sea of densely packed containers, you can't see the end of it,' Sanyue Qi complained, 'This isn't a passenger landing area, it's a cargo dock, right? Who gave us this guidance? A port with such massive throughput, not even a single silhouette in sight—truly creepy…'"

"Seeing a human silhouette would be even creepier…"

"'Ugh! Stop it, whoever shows up now must be the mastermind,' Sanyue Qi shivered, 'Uncle Yang, what should we do?'"

"Start with the person who found the Jade Realm Gate. If that person has ulterior motives, it conveniently saves us trouble; if they're staff, we can ask them what happened."

"Wa'erte quickly cleared his thoughts, looked calmly at the two, and said, 'Let's go, stay alert.'"

"Mr. Wa'erte gives a reassuring impression," Dada Liya examined the middle‑aged man on the light screen. "If he were in Snezhnaya, he wouldn't stand out in a crowd, yet this perfectly measured low‑key demeanor neatly conceals his edge."

"Although this gentleman seems gentle and refined, it feels that once he fights, he'd become a different person."

"I feel the same," Zhongli remarked lightly, "Calm in crisis, poised to act."

"Come to think of it, it's a bit like Mr. Zhongli…"

"Oh?" Zhongli's interest sparked, his tone slightly rising, "I'd like to hear the details."

"Beyond personality, the important thing…" Dada Liya smiled faintly, pointing to his mouth, "is the voice. Mr. Zhongli, haven't you noticed… your voice is very similar to Mr. Wa'erte's?"