"Starsea Empire expeditionary force, conduct personnel check. Prepare for return."
Two days later, at the Xianzhou Luofu, Starskiff Wharf.
Just as the sun rose over the distant horizon, the area was already packed with people.
There were shipgirls and little girls brought along earlier, as well as girls recruited locally from the Star Rail universe, and even members from the Xianzhou who had come out of curiosity, hoping to visit the Starsea Empire.
The Cloud Knights kept the onlookers outside the dock, while quite a few high-ranking members of the Xianzhou Alliance personally came to see them off.
"Lady Fu, once you arrive at the Starsea Empire, do try to build a closer relationship with the Sacrosanct. In the future, the Xianzhou Alliance may need to rely on him quite a bit."
Jing Yuan personally came to see off Fu Xuan, Qingque, Sushang, and the others, offering a few words that were half joking, half serious.
Setsuna was an Aeon, and Ereshkigal governed life and death. Anyone with common sense could realize just how much influence the Starsea Empire would have in the future.
"Build a relationship? Wouldn't it be more important to study their divination techniques and technology?"
Fu Xuan felt the phrasing was rather strange.
It made her feel like a princess being sent off in a political marriage—though she had volunteered.
She glanced at Tingyun. The foxian girl unfolded her fan and covered her smile.
"When the Sacrosanct jokes with me, he often mention Lady Diviner as well."
"Hm? Me?"
The Master Diviner looked puzzled.
Himeko, March 7th, the gray-haired girl, and the rest of the Astral Express crew were even more excited.
After docking the Astral Express at the berth of the Eternal Snowfall, they followed everyone else and boarded the massive ship.
"Whoa, this place is way bigger than our train. Should we upgrade the train—add a few more reactors and turn it into an ecological ship?"
Stelle clicked her tongue in amazement.
Although there were many shipgirls, with their hulls stored away, the Juggernaut could easily carry the entire expedition.
The natives of Belobog were also seeing a ship of this scale for the first time.
Clara, Lynx, Hook, and several other little girls huddled together, holding onto Natasha, barely daring to breathe.
They lined up and boarded under the guidance of the Angeloids.
Inside the spacious bridge, people from different factions, star systems, and worlds gathered together for the first time.
"Ah, I know you—Stellaron Hunters!"
Topaz froze for a moment when she saw Kafka and Silver Wolf.
Her mind immediately calculated their bounties. The two of them together were worth at least fifteen billion.
"What? Firefly is still clinging to the Commander. If you've got the guts, go capture her and claim the reward."
Silver Wolf put down her game console and rolled her eyes.
"Besides, those bounties are long invalid, okay?! Or do you want to fight us? Fine, Kafka and I can take the two of you."
"Uh... no, I'm just surprised. I didn't expect you to be here."
Topaz hurriedly shook her head. She wasn't very familiar with the Stellaron Hunters—most of what she knew came from IPC reports.
Looking around again, she noticed that two members of the Genius Society were also present. Herta and Ruan Mei were naturally accompanying Setsuna to the Starsea Empire for research.
Herta had even brought many of her puppets, lined up neatly beside her—a rather grand sight.
Asta followed along like a small attendant, looking slightly nervous.
Black Swan sat quietly to the side, flipping through documents in her hands.
Meanwhile, when Phantylia boarded the ship, many people were unsettled.
"A Lord Ravager!!!"
Robin and the Belobog natives sensed her aura and were startled.
"I am the Sacrosanct's servant, merely handling a few disobedient individuals on his behalf."
Phantylia lowered her head modestly in greeting, while glancing at Aura, Linie, and the other small followers.
"Eek!"
Aura shuddered and immediately stepped forward to serve tea, her attitude extremely respectful, not even daring to meet anyone's gaze.
"Please enjoy your tea, Sacrosanct."
"Mm."
Setsuna felt that Phantylia was quite suitable for dealing with unruly villains.
The process didn't matter—judging by the results, she had done well.
"Good. When your performance is sufficient, I will grant you appropriate rewards."
He gently patted Phantylia's head.
"Understood!"
"..."
"Former IPC employees, ordinary people, Genius Society members, Stellaron Hunters, Emanators, the Xianzhou Master Diviner, Cloud Knights, and even a Lord Ravager..."
"The Commander managing to gather all these people together is impressive."
Topaz looked around, realizing that people who had once been scattered across the universe with no connection to one another were now gathered under the banner of the Starsea Empire.
Once they reached another universe, those from the Star Rail world would instead become fellow countrymen.
"The research team will temporarily remain stationed at Pier Point and the base, continuing exploration and study of this universe."
"The garrison fleet will rotate regularly. If there is any news from Amphoreus, notify the Commander immediately."
"Oh, and if you have time, you can pick up a few people in the cosmos. We're still missing a few names on the list—they're probably wandering around out there."
After the personnel check, the gray-haired girl made the final arrangements.
A portion of the fleet would remain stationed here. The Angeloids and Bulins would continue unfinished construction work at the Herta Space Station.
Several Sophons would oversee affairs at the Interastral Peace Corporation, Belobog, Penacony, and other locations, periodically reporting information back to the Sophons aboard the Eternal Snowfall before presenting it to the Commander.
Boom—
The massive ship slowly departed from the Xianzhou, accelerating through the sea of stars until it became a dazzling meteor.
Then, accompanied by the sound of space tearing apart, it vanished from its original position.
...
Buzz—
Everyone felt their consciousness blur for a moment, as if passing through a spacetime singularity.
When they opened their eyes again and looked down—
"A blue planet!"
A deep azure world slowly rotated beneath them.
The solar system was a completely unfamiliar structure to those from the Star Rail universe.
"Mm, the capital system of the Starsea Empire is a G-type main-sequence star with eight planets. The imperial capital is located on the third orbit."
"The system is highly developed. There are also some massive celestial structures I don't recognize—are those what you call Galactic Wonders?"
Herta completed a rapid academic analysis of the solar system.
At a glance, everyone could see those cosmic-scale marvels.
The sun was wrapped in a Dyson Swarm network, above which stood towering orbital fortresses and shipyards the size of asteroids.
Countless starships were docked, stretching from one end of space to the other.
On the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and others, there were also massive structures nearly the size of entire planets.
Maintained by anti-gravity systems, they kept the gravitational balance of the entire system stable.
As the imperial capital, it naturally needed plenty of grand constructions to show its prestige.
"The one on Mercury's orbit is a ringworld base. The one synchronized with the Moon is the science nexus, headquarters of the Research Department. The one on Mars is the Strategic Coordination Center..."
"Oh, if you're interested, I can also take you to see the Matter Decompressor and other fun things."
Grey enthusiastically introduced these Galactic Wonders to the newcomers.
Even if they didn't fully understand each structure, the sheer visual impact was overwhelming.
As they passed nearby, gazing at the colossal constructions spanning the stars, Fu Xuan, Guinaifen, and the others even felt that the Xianzhou seemed somewhat ordinary in comparison.
They directly experienced the technological prowess of a super interstellar civilization.
Boom—
A small transport craft carried them down to the capital's starship base.
As the hatch opened, dazzling sunlight and the bustling noise of the capital rushed in.
Before them lay an interstellar metropolis far more prosperous than Pier Point or Penacony.
Buildings stretched from the surface all the way beyond the atmosphere, while small ships and shuttles flew endlessly through the clouds.
Herta, March 7th, Bronya, and everyone setting foot in the Starsea Empire for the first time stood frozen.
Because it combined technologies and magic from many worlds, the Empire's homeland looked unlike anything they had ever seen.
There were sleek sci-fi structures and spacecraft, Angeloids and Flügel soaring across the sky, Crimson Demon Girls riding flying brooms and casting levitation magic in magical academies, and Seiren emerging from the sea, singing to welcome the Commander...
There were also chattering shipgirls, Spirits, Heroic Spirits, and others gathering to greet them.
Styles from countless worlds merged here—complex, yet magnificent.
After thinking for a moment, Herta concluded that only one phrase could accurately describe the Starsea Empire: a multiversal empire.
"Haa—finally..."
Kiana, Gudako, and the others stepped onto the ground, looking at the familiar scenery. After spending so long in the Star Rail universe, it felt like returning home after a long journey.
The white-haired girl happily embraced the sunlight and air.
"Welcome back home!"
...
"Commander-sama!!!"
A little later.
In the grand hall of the administrative center, Setsuna was surrounded layer upon layer by shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits who had rushed over after hearing the news.
"Commander, you've been gone for so long this time. Taihou has been thinking about you every single day—"
"Calm down! Didn't the Sakura Empire fleet come with me?!"
"But Taihou had patrol duties over there, so it wasn't convenient to get close to you. By the way, where are you going tonight? Taihou's hull, or the Eternal Snowfall? Or we can pick somewhere else too!"
"???"
"My dear husband, I have truly been waiting for you in the capital for a long time. Nia Honjou was so bored that she even started drawing books about you."
"Master, while I understand you bring girls back every time you go out, isn't this a bit too many this time?!"
A crowd of girls chattered around him—some shipgirls pressed close affectionately, little girls asked for hugs, and a few clearly had ulterior motives.
Origami, expression unchanged, handed Setsuna a mysterious drink.
"Commander, you've worked hard on your trip. Please replenish your energy."
"What's this?"
Gulp—
Setsuna drank it in one go, savoring the aftertaste. It felt a bit strange.
"An energy supplement. I was worried you'd expend too much outside and be unable to keep up tonight."
Origami looked at him expectantly.
"Do you feel your body heating up now? Strange thoughts appearing in your mind? Perhaps some uncontrollable... expansion?"
"??!"
"No."
"...Not strong enough?"
The enthusiastic welcome left the girls from the Star Rail world completely stunned.
"Uh... this is a bit different from what I imagined?"
Silver Wolf and Kafka exchanged a glance, while Cocolia, Bronya, and the others had complicated expressions.
In their world, Setsuna was a supreme Aeon, the Sacrosanct.
Even Belobog's Supreme Guardian, Penacony's great families, and even generals and marshals of the Xianzhou Alliance could only kneel before him in fear.
Ordinary people found it almost impossible to even gain an audience. Thinking back to her first meeting with Setsuna, Cocolia still felt her legs trembling.
They had assumed the Starsea Empire's homeland would be similar—but here, Setsuna had no airs at all, and his role felt entirely different.
He laughed and joked with shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits alike, letting them crowd into his arms one after another.
"Mm... perhaps this is the difference, in my husband's eyes, between insiders and outsiders?"
Tingyun smiled as she stroked her tail.
"Whether an omnipotent god or an ordinary person, in his eyes, all are treated equally."
"You don't need to be so restrained here. There's no need to follow those complicated formalities anymore."
"Oh..."
Even so, those who had once worshipped Setsuna as a god still felt a bit hesitant.
"Ahem—"
After spending some time settling the girls who had remained behind, Setsuna finally got to the main point.
He introduced the newcomers and gave them a general overview of the Starsea Empire, helping them integrate into life in the capital as quickly as possible.
"In short, there are no Aeons here, nor any strange evil gods or aliens. This universe is the main universe of the Starsea Empire."
"In the capital, you can do whatever you want—conduct research, study magic, refine your martial skills, travel... anything except committing crimes."
"If you need anything, go to the Angeloids or come directly to me. Most reasonable requests can be fulfilled."
"As for the other subordinate worlds, if you're interested, you can visit them by spacecraft."
"Wow—"
They had already learned a bit about the Starsea Empire from the data, knowing it resembled a utopia.
What they saw now matched their expectations almost perfectly. The lower district natives of Belobog, who had endured hardship for so long, were especially overwhelmed with excitement.
"Everyone gets a big house? Food is free, shopping is free, medical care is free... everything is free?! Wow— is this heaven?!"
Hook made a fuss until Seele knocked her lightly on the head to calm her down.
"I want to go to the Research Department."
Herta and Ruan Mei stated their request concisely.
"Approved. If anyone else has something they want to do, tell me. If not, that's fine too—stay in the capital for a while and decide later."
Setsuna nodded.
Then he looked at the shipgirls, Spirits, and the others, all watching him with anticipation.
"Although the Star Rail world hasn't been fully explored, this trip has still yielded valuable results."
"Setting aside research on Imaginary energy and Paths, I have a little gift for you all."
With a snap of his fingers—
Hum...
Inside the Eternal Snowfall's dockyard, five Astral Express trains slowly emerged, lining up neatly at the capital's berth.
They were slightly smaller than the original train used by the Astral Express crew, but their design was very similar—especially the front, which followed the original Trailblaze engine concept.
"These are Astral Express trains. They are creations of the Aeon of Trailblaze—that is, me—and possess power granted by me."
"Through the power of Trailblaze, they can pierce the boundaries and barriers of universes, traveling to entirely different worlds."
"Even worlds not yet discovered on the hyperdimensional star map—so long as you choose a destination, the train can take you there."
Setsuna pointed to two universes on the star map.
Frieren and Warhammer—both worlds that had previously gone undiscovered, now explored through the Astral Express.
"..."
"AH!!!"
After a moment of silence, the crowd erupted.
The Astral Express could freely explore the multiverse!
Previously, exploring other worlds required Setsuna to first unlock them on the Hyperdimensional Star Map, then open pathways one by one.
Only a small number of people ever had the chance to accompany him, while many squads had nothing to do except farm dungeons in the Konosuba world or take ships to bully aliens in the Three-Body world.
Considering the increasing difficulty of later worlds, Akame, Kurome, Kanae, Iris, and others had thought they'd be stuck idling at home.
Now, they finally had the opportunity to explore new worlds and expand territory themselves.
Jibril, in particular, was eager to act.
"All Flügel units are ready. With a single command from our master, we will conquer worlds in the shortest time possible."
"This is the first batch of Astral Express trains I've created. If they perform well, I'll consider increasing their number and expanding the fleet."
Setsuna smiled.
The Starsea Empire had ample manpower—it was entirely feasible to form a fleet dedicated to exploration.
"Each squad, or two to three squads combined, can share one train to explore other worlds."
"The Imperial Valkyrie Academy and Magic Academy can also organize field training—take students out to see other worlds."
"Waaah—"
Sirin, Megumin, Yunyun, and the other children were overjoyed.
"I want to go! I want to go—"
"Stop! You have to follow the academy's arrangements!"
Theresa and Shigure Kira hurried to maintain order, though their eyes kept drifting toward the trains.
After staying at school for so long, they also wanted to stretch their legs.
Excitement and anticipation quickly spread to everyone present.
Everyone was eager to board the Astral Express and discover new worlds of their own.
Clap—
The gray-haired girl clapped her hands.
"Rejoice! This is the great age of exploration of the interstellar era—the grand expansion of the Starsea Empire!"
"Let us explore more worlds, conquer more enemies, and... capture even more girls for the Commander!"
—
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