Chapter 146

Stelle: "I want to see the Conductor get angry, but I haven't had the chance."

Stelle: "Maybe I’ll see it this time?"

Acheron: "I’m afraid not, because I won't be making a move."

Acheron: "My original intention was just to find someone to help."

Boothill: "Damn it, an Emanator needs to ask for help?"

Boothill: "Who are you kidding?"

Acheron: "An Emanator isn't omnipotent."

Black Swan: "Ha, with the current situation in Penacony being so complex, they will likely choose to prioritize peace in the end."

Dan Heng: "Yes, infighting among our own is clearly something only stupid people would do."

Dan Heng: "And they are not stupid people."

The video continues.

【There’s no need for that.】

【I will tell you everything you want to know, but not now...】

【If my identity hadn't been exposed, perhaps there would be more time, but for now, this is all we can do.】

Acheron looked at Boothill

and explained sincerely.

【All we can do?】

【What do you mean, all we can do?】

Boothill raised an eyebrow,

not quite understanding Acheron’s words.

【Only by doing this can I ensure everyone’s safety...】

【Please have the Astral Express jump immediately and leave the Asdana star system.】

Acheron’s words were shocking,

proposing a suggestion that left everyone present

very surprised.

【What does this passenger mean...】

Pom-Pom couldn't help but ask.

【In my opinion, she has no malice and is telling the truth.】

Black Swan vouched for Acheron’s words.

【Mr. Dan Heng, I briefly traveled with your companions and know where they are.】

【Please believe that the Nameless are still safe, but they also need our help.】

【And Mr. Boothill, you might have already guessed... I was waiting for your arrival.】

【Galaxy Rangers are unpredictable, and we rarely interact with each other. Forgive me for only being able to contact you this way.】

【Only in this way could I find a true Galaxy Ranger.】

【And only in this way could I fulfill a long-standing promise...】

【...to return his relic to its rightful owner.】

Stelle: "Have the train jump immediately?!"

Stelle: "What does that mean?!"

Stelle: "Are they trying to ditch us?!"

March 7th: "Hey, you aren't planning to run away with the train, are you?"

March 7th: "But... that’s clearly impossible!"

Welt: "Leave the Asdana star system..."

Welt: "Could it be...!"

Himeko: "This is truly shocking bad news."

Himeko: "We might be in for some serious trouble next..."

Furina: "Ah?!"

Furina: "You mean..."

Furina: "The whole star system is having problems now?!"

Hu Tao: "Are you kidding?"

Hu Tao: "How big is a star system?!"

Hu Tao: "What could possibly affect an entire star system in Penacony?!"

Dr. Ratio: "Not yet."

Dr. Ratio: "But... it will soon."

Dr. Ratio: "The Charmony Festival is about to begin, and then..."

Dr. Ratio: "The Emanator of Harmony will descend upon Penacony."

Dr. Ratio: "And his power is enough to affect the entire Asdana star system."

Zhongli: "The power to affect a star system..."

Zhongli: "Such vastness makes one feel fearful."

Paimon: "Too scary. Affecting planets and star systems at every turn—the universe is truly too dangerous..."

Paimon: "I think it’s better to just play house on Teyvat..."

Childe: "Heh, that feeling of walking on the edge of a blade is what makes it worth it!"

Childe: "I’m looking forward to going to the universe more and more now!"

Miss Sushang: "Speaking of which, Miss Acheron was looking for a Galaxy Ranger just to return a relic?"

Miss Sushang: "Whose relic is it?"

Guinaifen: "Since she’s looking for a Galaxy Ranger to return it, it must have been left by a Galaxy Ranger."

Acheron: "That’s right, he was indeed a Galaxy Ranger."

Boothill: "Damn it, if you’re returning a relic, just return it."

Boothill: "Couldn't you have just said so earlier?"

Boothill: "Why go through all that trouble and break me out in a cold sweat!"

Navia: "Cold sweat?"

Navia: "Mr. Boothill, your body shouldn't be able to sweat, right?"

Boothill: "It’s just a metaphor."

Boothill: "If I still had a flesh-and-blood body, I’d definitely be sweating bullets!"

Silver Wolf: "But didn't I see you being quite brave?"

Silver Wolf: "You even dared to point a gun at her."

Firefly: "It should be that way to feel more secure, right?"

Boothill: "I said it before: don't lose your nerve even if you lose the fight!"

Boothill: "But the other party is an Emanator, after all. Facing her alone, the pressure is damn high!"

Aventurine: "It’s fine, you can bet that her blade isn't faster than your gun."

March 7th: "What if you lose the bet?"

Aventurine: "It’s just one life, nothing more."

Boothill: "Hahaha, you silly treasure, you’re killing me."

Boothill: "Are you trying to send me to my death?"

Boothill: "What malicious intent!"

Boothill: "Does this kind of thing need betting?"

Boothill: "Do you think my gun is some high-end gear that can kill an Emanator?"

Aventurine: "Give it a try, what if it works?"

Miss Qingque: "Hehehe, that’s the real 'try and you’ll die'!"

The video continues.

【Someone once told me... every rain is the heavens' mercy toward the world.】

【Rain is the tears of the gods, shed because of the world’s sorrow.】

【But precisely because they still fall, it means the gods have not yet lost hope for this world.】

【So...】

【How long has this rain been falling?】

On the dim coastline,

Acheron gazed at the gloom of the sky

and the black raindrops,

asking an elderly man with a hunched figure beside her.

【Once, I was just like you, expecting it to stop one day, and just like that, years and decades passed...】

【In the end, hope reached its conclusion before the rain did.】

【It seems the god you speak of does not exist.】

The old man said,

his gaze looking into the distance.

There, against the backdrop of the black rain,

countless hazy, smoke-like arms

stretched out from the sea, reaching toward the sky.

【Let me tell you a story instead...】

【Mortals walk on the Path like a small boat crossing the water, leaving behind a winding trail and pushing away ripples of infinite possibilities.】

【Compared to a human’s fleeting life, the waves do not calm down for a long time.】

【And among them, some leave traces of their existence so strong that they leave their reflections in these clusters of waves.】

The old man’s tone was weary,

slowly telling a story to Acheron.

【Just like... those shadows on the sea.】

Acheron looked at the hideous black phantom arms on the sea,

her expression complex.

【Blood-Sin Spirits... the obsessions of Pathstriders. They are born from the shadows of IX, viewing themselves as the subjects, unknowingly repeating the actions of the deceased during their lives.】

【They are born from Nihility and head toward Nihility, living a meaningless life.】

【But this group of hollow phantoms...】

【...were once my important companions, a group of Galaxy Rangers.】

The old man revealed the origin of these phantoms.

【Are you watching over them?】

Acheron couldn't help but ask.

【Watching over?】

【No, I am guiding them to peace.】

【It was a tragic war, a crusade that shook the universe. The universe witnessed the fall of the Lord Ravager Zulo, but the cost...】

【Except for those who experienced it, no one remembers the cost.】