I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 25

On the streets of Liyue Harbor, Feng Ji, the chief instructor of the Qianyan Army, led his troops in maintaining order.

With Lord Yan's arrival, martial law had been imposed to prevent disturbances. Feng Ji's sharp eyes scanned the crowd, searching for anything amiss.

A sudden gasp from the crowd caught his attention.

"Look! It's the magic medicine bestowed by the Emperor!"

Feng Ji's head snapped up, and his eyes widened as he saw the glowing potion drifting toward him. With steady hands, he caught it and immediately bowed his head in gratitude.

"Thank you, Emperor, for this gift!"

The surrounding Qianyan soldiers cheered for him. As their chief instructor, Feng Ji commanded deep respect—not just as a teacher of combat, but as a warrior who always led from the front. He had earned their loyalty through blood and battle.

"Congratulations, Commander!"

"Boss, you're treating us to a feast now, right?"

"Yeah, Wanmin Hall sounds good!"

Feng Ji laughed heartily. "Of course, we should celebrate! But since we all have different shifts, let's do this—on my next day off, I'll bring food from Wanmin Hall to the barracks, and we'll feast together. How about that?"

His soldiers cheered in agreement. As long as there was good food, they were happy.

Feng Ji looked at the potion in his hand and, without hesitation, downed it in one gulp.

A strange sensation coursed through his body—his skin tingled, his muscles pulsed, and an overwhelming energy surged within him.

Gasps erupted from the crowd.

"Oh my god! It's true! This potion really grants youth! Look at Commander Feng! He looks like a young man again!"

"What?! Are you saying Lord Yan lied to us before?!"

"No, no! I misspoke! I was just too excited!"

Feng Ji examined his hands, noticing how the calluses had softened, his skin appearing younger. A soldier hurriedly handed him a bronze mirror.

Feng Ji peered into it—and was stunned.

He saw his reflection, not as the hardened warrior he had become, but as the seventeen-year-old version of himself.

A miracle, indeed.

Word of Feng Ji's transformation spread like wildfire through Liyue Harbor. This was the first instance of someone publicly drinking the potion, and its effects were undeniable.

The people of Liyue became even more devoted to their home. The impact was immediate—Northland Bank suffered a massive withdrawal crisis. Citizens rushed to take back their Mora, declaring that entrusting their wealth to a foreign bank was disloyal to Liyue.

Upon hearing of this, Ningguang acted swiftly. Before any other merchants could react, she established Liyue Bank—a financial institution owned entirely by Liyue.

The citizens wasted no time transferring their funds. Meanwhile, the Northland Bank staff could only watch helplessly as their business crumbled.

Citizens of Liyue Harbor: "This is necessary!"

Zhongli's potion had done more than extend lives—it had cemented loyalty.

Meanwhile, in Belobog, inside Bronya's office...

Bronya sat at her desk, her expression dark with frustration.

"It's over... It's completely over... The Stellar Jade is gone!"

Seele sighed beside her. "It's not all bad. At least we managed to recover a good portion of it."

Just earlier, Bronya and Seele, along with Gepard and Pela, had led a squad of Silvermane Guards to the commercial district.

But they had been too late. By the time they arrived, Kevin and March 7 had already looted half the area.

Empty treasure chests were scattered across the street, the remains of a grand heist.

Even worse—there had been three luxurious treasure chests. One of them had contained a staggering thirty Stellar Jades.

The moment Kevin and March 7th saw the real enforcers arrive, they gave a casual wave, whistled innocently, and ran off.

Kevin & March 7th: "Hehehe! Jackpot!"

Realizing they might actually be in trouble, the two girls disappeared into the crowd, lying low to avoid Bronya's potential wrath.

Gepard, ever the voice of reason, spoke up. "Great Guardian, we did reclaim the district. And we wiped out all the interdimensional monsters in the process."

Bronya exhaled, her frustration easing.

"You're right," she admitted. "Logically speaking, I should be grateful to Kevin and March 7th."

After all, treasure chests were free for the taking. Whoever got to them first had the right to claim them.

And in the process of looting, Kevin and March 7th had also cleared out more than half the monsters.

"Yes," Bronya muttered, composing herself. "Indeed."

She took a deep breath and turned to Geppard and Pela, her gaze firm.

"I have an important task for both of you."

Gepard and Pela straightened, awaiting orders.

"Gepard, after the succession ceremony, you'll lead a squad to recover Stellar Jades. Search every treasure chest. Don't miss a single one."

"Pela, work with the citizens to exchange Stellar Jades. Set a fair price—don't exploit anyone."

Both of them saluted. "Understood."

They departed to carry out their duties, leaving Bronya alone with Seele.

Bronya looked up at her. "Seele, after the ceremony, will you come with me to the Astral Express?"

Seele nodded without hesitation. "Of course. Natasha is also heading out for supplies today. I'll go tell her—we can go together."

Bronya smiled in gratitude. "Thank you."

Seele left the office, and Bronya glanced at the box holding the remaining Stellar Jades.

Luckily, Seele had acted quickly and alerted her in time.

Otherwise, Kevin and March 7th might have walked away with all 800 Stellar Jades.

The succession ceremony soon began.

Cocolia took the stage first, explaining the dangers of the Stellaron and her own injuries from battle. She formally announced that she was stepping down, appointing Bronya as the new Supreme Guardian.

Bronya stepped forward and delivered a speech, one that resonated deeply with the people of Belobog.

Her leadership, intelligence, and courage had already won their trust. There was no opposition—only applause and cheers.

Bronya took a moment to thank Kevin, March 7th, and Dan Heng for their invaluable help.

Meanwhile, the two culprits—Kevin and March 7th—were hiding near a speaker in the city, eavesdropping.

Hearing their names, they grinned and high-fived.

"Hey, we're heroes!"

The ceremony was simple and efficient, just as Bronya preferred. No unnecessary formalities—just a speech and a promise for the future.

Inside the train.

Asta had chosen the battleship she wanted to buy, but she didn't have enough Stellar Jade to complete the purchase.

[Product: Galaxy-Class Battleship

Product Introduction: A Galaxy-Class Battleship capable of accommodating one million crew members. Fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and featuring an integrated large-scale star-tier dimensional foil.

Price: 1 million Star Coins.]

Asta turned to Yuri with a pleading look.

"Yuri, I really want this, but I don't have enough Stellar Jade. Can you hold it for me? I'll gather the funds when I get back."

Yuri smiled and nodded. Among all his customers, Asta was probably the only one interested in something like this.

Besides, with enough Star Coins, producing even a hundred of these was no issue.

"Alright, I'll keep it for you. Let's add each other's contact info—just reach out when you're ready to buy."

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Overjoyed, Asta quickly pulled out her mobile device and added Yuri's contact details.

"Thank you, Yuri!"

Yuri shook his head dismissively. "Don't mention it."

With that, Asta stepped aside to begin gathering funds. Yuri turned around and took a glance at Herta.

"So, still haven't found what you want to buy?"

Herta shook her head. "I did, but I don't have enough money. Can you give me a discount?"

Yuri spread his hands. "Sorry, small business—I don't sell on credit."

Herta clicked her tongue, giving him an unimpressed look.

"Stingy."

After a moment of consideration, she reached into her pocket and pulled out 10,000 Star Coins to purchase a probe.

[Product: Star Spirit Probe

Product Description: A Protoss "Builder" unit capable of using resources to project materialized buildings.

Price: 10,000 Star Coins.]

Yuri glanced at the small, round probe floating beside Herta, its lights blinking as it scanned its surroundings.

"What are you buying that for?"

Herta patted the probe's smooth, bald head. "I'm going to modify it. I need a mechanical assistant."

The probe chirped in response, looking up at its new master.

Herta hopped off the stool and called over to Asta, who was still standing nearby.

"Asta, let's go back."

Asta snapped out of her thoughts and followed her out of Yuri's shop.

The starship carrying Herta, Asta, and the others docked at the Astral Space Station.

Without hesitation, Hertatook the probe straight to her lab.

Asta remained outside the door, only to hear high-pitched, robotic screams shortly after.

"Drip!!!! Drip!!!"

Half an hour later, Herta emerged, carrying what appeared to be the same small probe.

Asta blinked. "Miss Herta... what exactly did you modify? It looks exactly the same."

Herta smirked and patted the probe's head. "Idiot No. 1, store that flowerpot."

Idiot No. 1 was the name she had given the probe—because, well, it only had a head.

Obediently, the probe emitted a beam of light at the flowerpot, which visibly shrank and floated into its body.

Herta explained, "I upgraded its intelligence, added a folding space inside, and installed a shrinking prism that can reduce objects."

Idiot No. 1 gave an excited beep, twirling in the air around Herta.

"This way, I won't have to waste time looking for materials when I run experiments. Idiot No. 1 can collect and store them for me."

Asta was amazed.

What a convenient tool! She wanted one too. She imagined using it to store cosmetics, clothes, jewelry, documents—anything she didn't want to carry around. Just leave it with Idiot No. 1 and retrieve it whenever needed.

Herta noticed Asta's longing gaze and smirked. "Go find Yuri and buy a probe. I'll modify it for you when you get back."

Asta's eyes lit up. "Really? Miss Herta!"

Herta nodded. "Yeah, it's nothing complicated. Now go on—I'm taking Idiot No. 1 with me."

With that, she departed for the starship platform, preparing to visit her main body.

After she left, Astacontacted Himeko, asking her to buy a probe on her behalf. Himeko agreed and made the purchase.

Back on the train.

After Herta and Asta had left, Yuri scanned the area and suddenly frowned.

Wait. Why was Silver Wolf still here? Hadn't Kafka already left?

He turned, and sure enough, Silver Wolf had occupied an entire booth. At some point, she had set up a massive screen on the table.

She sat cross-legged on the sofa, a pillow supporting her back, wearing headphones and gripping a controller in her hands, completely immersed in a game.

Muttering to herself, she grinned. "Ha! Take this! Dodge! You little tiger—how ridiculous!"

Yuri walked over, curious. Just as he approached, Silver Wolf slammed her controller onto the table.

"What the hell?! What is this stupid mechanism? I refuse to let some low-level Tiger Vanguard beat me!"

Yuri pulled off her headphones.

Silver Wolf looked up, irritated. "What do you think you're doing? Hands off my gear!"

Yuri sighed. "Kafka is gone. Why are you still here?"

Silver Wolf stretched and yawned. "Elio said I'm staying here permanently. What, you gonna kick me out?"

Yuri shrugged. "Not really. But why did Elio tell you to stay?"

Silver Wolf picked up her controller, casually leaning back. "No idea. That's just what he said. Oh, by the way, do you have any rooms available? Can I rent one?"

Yuri shook his head. "I don't have any—ask Himeko."

Silver Wolf groaned but got up and left to find Himeko. A short while later, she returned.

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Well? Did you get one?"

She sighed, flopping back onto the sofa. "Nope. She said all the rooms are full. Even Kevin has to share."

She looked around the booth, eyes gleaming. "Hey, can I just rent this space?"

Yuri blinked. "You don't want an actual room? You're just going to live here?"

Silver Wolf nodded. "Back at the base, I sleep on the couch in the living room most of the time anyway. This isn't much different. So, deal?"

Yuri chuckled. "Fine. No rent. Stay if you want."

Grinning, Silver Wolf clapped him on the shoulder. "Now that's loyalty! If you ever need help, just call me—I'll see what I can do."

Then, she summoned her keyboard and began modifying the booth using Ether Editing, settling in like it was home.