Astral Inquires

Happy Mother's Day, Everyone!

Hello all! Sorry, the chapter got delayed. Mother's Day is a pretty busy weekend for me.

This chapter was a bit difficult to write for me as the dialogue was a bit of a challenge, but I hope I did well on it. This chapter was necessary before we got to the fun on the snow planet.

Here's the chapter!

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[Meanwhile In the Astral Express][3rd Person POV]

Within a lavishly adorned chamber, replete with opulent red leather furnishings, two figures were seated side by side on a grand crescent moon sofa. The first was Himeko, the celebrated navigator of the Astral Express, a striking woman with a cascade of fiery red hair whose affinity for both technology and coffee was well-known.

The second was Welt Yang, a man of profound history and a survivor of numerous tribulations. Yet his spirit, a beacon of resilience and untamed youth, remained unscathed. His brown locks slowly greyed as the signs of time eroded this formidable hero. At the same time, his glasses concealed a gaze that shared both the look of a seasoned veteran and a young soul.

Welt sat on the long couch, his heart filled with a mix of protectiveness and fondness, watching the sleeping March and Dan Heng in a red plastic racecar bed that was sitting in the middle of the train's lavish interior.

His hands, weathered from a life of adventure, rested on his long cane before he pushed his glasses up and turned toward the navigator.

"So…" Welt began while turning his gaze from Himeko to look at the sleeping pair. "What exactly happened in the space station?"

"Besides the legion invasion?"

"Yes"

"Well…I'm not exactly sure…" Himeko stated, observing Dan Heng's dragon features and March's sleeping face filled with drool. "I was hoping to ask them about that when the two had woken up…"

"I see…" Welt muttered as he adjusted his glasses. "Besides that, I heard that we will have some new members joining us?."

"Yes… Aster and Stelle," Himeko stated before taking another sip of her coffee.

"...And you trust them?" Welt said, his gaze fixed on the cheap plastic racecar bed that held some of the crew.

"...They seem…Energetic, but ultimately, I think they mean well." Himeko said while gazing into her reflection in her coffee mug. "The girl…has a stellaron inside her."

"Wait…You mean there is someone who has a stellaron inside their body, and it's stable?!"

"Yes… That's part of why I wanted those two to join us, as I'm not sure who else would be equipped to handle the situation if things took a turn for the worse."

"I see…" the brown-haired man said as he leaned back onto the sofa and gazed at the holographic whale above him.

The two sat for a few minutes, the soft hum of the train's engine and the rhythmic breathing of the sleeping duo filling the room, as did the gentle melody from the record player that seemed to float in the air.

"Well, it's a good thing then. I'm sure March and Dan Heng would love some new friends to travel with." Welt stated, his voice filled with a palpable sense of anticipation before using his cane to prop himself up. "Let's go say hello to our new members."

Then suddenly, the train shook as the space station itself felt the floor shake with a sharp boom like something heavy had been dropped.

In a sudden burst of action, both adults dropped their conversation and sprinted straight to the door to see what had happened. 

Once outside, Welt began to squint as he could barely see a cloud of dust running towards them.

Leading that cloud was a smiling blonde-haired boy, his mischievous eyes shining through the dust, who had somehow lost his shirt while wearing a strange white mask. 

A grey-haired girl, her hair a stark contrast to her pale skin, trailed behind him with a frantic look on her face.

Welt peered a bit further to see a horde of thirty or more Herta Dolls chasing after them. One of the dolls was waving what he assumed was the boy's clothes as they chased the two with chairs, hammers, and various other items found in the space station. 

The boy was cackling while dodging the many items being thrown at him expertly, and his companion had a wry look as she dodged a pot aimed at her head.

Welt looks at the two running down the bridge towards them before glancing at Himeko. "Well… It looks like things will be more hectic from now on…" he says before chuckling.

-

-

-

"…So where did your clothes go?..." Himeko asked the boy with her arms crossed and an amused look on her face. "Im starting to feel like this is going to be a pattern…"

"Hehe…" The blonde boy chuckled scratching the back of his head. "Well those dolls got a little too handsy after my prank…"

"Really now?..." Himeko says while raising a brow and looking behind him towards a giant 10 ft tall pile of Herta Dolls. "This seems like more than just a simple prank…"

Aster strikes a pose, flexing his arms like a gym bro. "Well…My pranks are just built different, after all. That shortie didn't appreciate me drawing mustaches on her portrait." 

"..."

Aster Felt a piercing stare behind him as he saw the racoon girl gazing at him with a judging look. "What?" he exclaimed "If she didn't want me to vandalize her art. She should have protected it better…"

"You dropped an anvil on her…" Stelle stated blankly doing a deadpan.

"Nuh uh uh… I dropped a anvil-BAT on her" Aster corrected her while wagging his finger. "Silly disciple! You know better than that. Everything I can summon is a bat."

"But she said she was gonna pay me…" Stelle muttered disapointedly.

"..."

Aster in shock, palmed his forehead. "Duh…No wonder you didnt attack the Zuckerberg clone! I knew my disiple had a good reason to let her run her mouth." He stated before reaching into his pockets. "I know! Ill help compensate you…Give me your hands"

Stelle reluctantly reached out with her hands in a cup towards the masked fool.

Himeko watched thoroughly amused as she saw Aster reach into his pockets before putting something in the girls hands.

Stelle curious opened her hands only to see…nothing.

Instantly she pulled out her bat and started to chase the still shirtless boy.

"WHY ARE YOU MAD?" The boy screamed as his disciple chased him around the boarding area with a look that could kill.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT HAND IS WORTH??? I GAVE YOU LIKE A TEN ROLL WORTH OF STELLAR JADE!" He said before ducking to dodge a swing aimed at his head.

"GOOD SWING!" He yelled while running and observing her batting form. "I CAN TELL I PICKED THE PERFECT DISIPLE!"

"Stop calling me your disciple! You lunatic!" Stelle said as she tried to chase him around a bench. 

Meanwhile the red haired beauty watched this all unfold and started to giggle. "I can see that Welt was right…This will be more "hectic" like he said" She said before taking a sip of her mug.

-

-

-

[Aster POV]

"Um…Miss Himeko. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it, Aster?"

"Why did you give me a rabbit onesie when I asked for clothes?

"Oh, I don't know…Maybe you have a tendency to lose your clothes, so I found something that would be difficult to lose…" She said with a finger resting on her chin. "Do you like it? It is based on the conductor."

I looked down at myself like a fool while Himeko stared at me with a slight grin.

"..."

-

-

After amusing the coffee lady for a bit, I managed to get some new clothes and room. Exploring the wardrobe in my new room, I eventually decided on a black hoodie and a pair of jeans with this cool anime-feeling belt that I hung my mask on before exploring this cool space train that I joined. 

This thing screamed protagonist homebase, and there was no way I was not gonna explore every nook and cranny.

After trying to break into every bedroom, I eventually found myself in the "main" area as there was a giant yellow what floating on the ceiling. In the middle of the room was my racecar bed bat that held those two sleepy heads. On the side was that Himeko lady, Stelle, and some guy with brown hair.

Looking at the box above his head I saw that his name was Welt and that he was a 5-star as well. 'Name seems familiar tho…'

Anyway, I make my way up to the group while twirling my mask on my finger like some guy with a pizza. They turn to me as the brown-haired guy adjusts his glasses. 'Did… he just… do that? And did those things flash?... I need to get some glasses too…'

"Hello, Aster," the glasses man said. I am Welt Yang. Welcome to the Astral Express."

Ignoring the anime moment I just saw, I immediately returned the greeting before gazing at the sleeping beauties next to us.

"So I was wondering if you could explain what exactly happened?" Glasses man said. "Knowing your strength and how you were with March, I was curious on how these two ended up the way they did."

"Well…" I say while staring at March sleeping like a log. "Pink girl here fainted from overwork I think?... She kinda collapsed after taking the "elevator." She truly was brave as she didn't seem to like elevators."

"Really?..." The Herrscher of chads stated before glancing at Himeko who shrugged. "I didn't realize she disliked elevators…" he said while scrunching his brows.

"Well I already heard from Himeko about how Dan Heng showed up so I guess we can wait for them to wake up to tell us the full story."

His and Himekos eyes met my mask that I was twirling in my hands. "As for the other topic…"

He gripped his cane tightly. "What is a Masked Fool doing on the space station?..."

"Huh?" I raise my eyebrows. "Did you just call me a fool old man? I'll have you know that I am a certified genius."

"..."

Welt and Himeko exchanged glances before turning back. "No I am not trying to insult you…While we don't know you well enough we at least know that you are not a threat…for now."

Himeko started to speak up "Aster we just want to know where you got that mask of yours…I don't remember seeing it earlier."

'They want to see this cool mask I got!'

"Ah! Why didn't you say so!" I lift the mask for them to see better. "Hehe this badboy is my money maker." I say while waving it around in the air infront of me. "I was just wandering the space station and this mask appeared before me. I had to fight a bunch of these weird floating masks before this thing came before me, I felt like some anime character getting a powerup."

"I see…" Welt stated while pondering something. 

"Aster…" Himeko started "Did these…masks seem to be laughing?"

"Oh yeah! How did you know? Yeah those things kept laughing and even gave me a bunch of cool rewards!" I stated clearly excited at my upcoming gacha session. 

'I got like 40 pulls from this awesome mask!'

"..."

"...Emanator" 

They looked shocked as if some puzzle clicked in their mind. "Aster…Did a Aeon just gaze upon you at the space station?" Welt stated recovering from the shock.

"Aeon?" 

They both stared blankly at me. "You…dont know what an Aeon is?" Himeko seemed shocked as Welt stared quietly pondering.

"Like the measurement of time?"

"..."

"Aster where are you from?"

"Huh? Thats easy! Earth of course!"

"..."

"...Earth?!" Welt said looking like he had Vietnam flashbacks as he dropped his cane.

******

[Accessing Database]

[Welcome Admin]

[Asters Bat Log]

[Bat-024 | Codename "One-Armed Bandit"]

Description:

"Only by casting aside reason does one truly gamble…"- Aster

Bat-024 is a bat of the "Utility" class that embodies Aster's mentality regarding gacha. This bat is shaped like a baseball bat that can completely fit in Aster's palm, which he uses when he feels lucky. When fully gripped and positioned like a lever, Aster can manifest a slot machine in front of him with various symbols still unknown to the database. 

There have been theories that this bat utilizes the very concept of luck to either increase or decrease Aster's luck, depending on the result. There are three possible results regarding the bat's abilities. These effects last anywhere from a minute to a whole year, and the duration is random.

Positive Outcome: On a positive outcome, with varying levels of effect. This bat increases Aster's luck immensely. However, it's been reported that the luck of the surrounding 5km of Aster has dropped significantly. This results in increased rates of accidents, casualties, and unpredictable weather. Aster after this effect takes place, Aster gains an ungodly amount of good fortune as the laws of reality will warp to give him a better outcome.

Neutral Outcome: A neutral outcome results in something odd when achieved compared to the other outcomes. Instead of the user's luck changing, it causes Aster to disappear. Frequently, these absences last a varying amount of time before Aster typically comes back with a new bat of different strength. This would be considered a neutral outcome due to the unpredictable outcome of his expeditions.

Negative Outcome: On a negative outcome, Aster absorbs all the bad luck around within a 5km radius into himself. This can be more dangerous as the accumulation of bad luck in Aster can cause him to overload. This surge in bad luck resulted in the world experiencing a global effect of enhanced bad luck. This has caused major international disasters such as the laws of nature rebelling, laws of physics breaking, and meteors falling upon the planet. The last time this event was documented, the world was hit by a global pandemic. However, the preemptive efforts to shut the bat down diminished more significant effects.

This bat appeared after a nasty gacha session that Aster had gone through. He had hit hard pity at 900 Saint Quartz on the berserker Morgan banner and had gone through a mental break. In his madness, he raided Las Vegas for a slot machine and used unknown metal, blood from his goth neighbor, and another mysterious rainbow gem to craft this bat. 

This bat allowed Aster to easily have a global impact; however, there is an unknown cooldown period. Regardless of Bat-024's result, the world will tremble.