Chapter Six, Xing: Come on, March, let's finish this cup of coffee!

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Hiko took the spirit stone and placed it into the spiritual energy coffee machine. The indicator light on the coffee machine instantly illuminated, and it began to operate. Hoshi and March Seven, the two women, also gathered around, eager to join in the fun. Soon, Hiko skillfully brewed a cup of coffee. She turned around, looking at Ye Yun, Hoshi, and March Seven.

“Want to try some?”

March Seven shuddered all over—she was definitely not keen on drinking coffee brewed by Hiko!

“Uh... um... I’ll go check if Dan Heng has picked out what he wants. You guys drink it!”

With that, March Seven quickly took off; if she didn’t run now, she’d be forced to drink Hiko’s coffee! Hiko’s smile became somewhat stiff.

“Hoshi, Ye Yun, would you like to try some?”

Hoshi was a bit confused by the situation—why was March Seven so flustered? It was just a cup of coffee, after all. Only the naïve are fearless. Hoshi took the coffee from Hiko.

“Thanks!”

Hoshi drank the entire cup in one gulp. Hiko watched her expectantly.

“So? Hoshi, how does it taste?”

A smile appeared on Hoshi’s face as she gave a thumbs-up.

“Delicious!”

She then beckoned to March Seven.

“March! Come quickly and try this coffee—it’s really good!”

March Seven, hiding beside Dan Heng, poked out her head. She saw Hoshi showing off the empty coffee cup. Doubt filled March Seven’s mind. Had Hiko’s coffee actually improved? Judging by Hoshi’s expression, it really did look good. Maybe... she should give it a try?

Summoning her courage, March Seven asked Hiko to brew a cup for her. She took the coffee and first sniffed it.

Hmm! The aroma was normal—no strange smells!

Hoshi urged from the side,

“March, give it a try, it really is good.”

Ye Yun, standing nearby, was barely able to suppress a smile; he could clearly see that Hoshi’s legs were trembling slightly. Judging by this, Hoshi probably wanted to rope March Seven in so she wouldn’t be the only one suffering.

March Seven lifted the cup and took a large gulp. The moment she swallowed, both Hoshi and March Seven simultaneously collapsed in place, kicking their legs and fainting instantly.

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“Ha!”

Ye Yun watched them with a look of schadenfreude. Tsk tsk, Hiko’s coffee really packed a punch. Hiko looked at the two sprawled on the ground, beginning to doubt her own coffee-making skills. But soon, she discarded the thought, turning to pick up a book about manual coffee brewing to see where she might have gone wrong.

Ye Yun, seeing the two lying unconscious, kindly moved them onto the sofa to rest. At that moment, Dan Heng had finished selecting what he wanted—a pair of headphones with unlimited power supply, priced reasonably at 300 star coins. After exchanging three star jewels for star coins and purchasing the headphones, Dan Heng bid farewell to Ye Yun and Hiko and returned to the data room.

Ye Yun glanced at the two still unconscious on the sofa, contemplated for a moment, and decided to talk with Hiko about renting a train carriage. He approached her.

“Hiko, there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

Hiko put down the book upon hearing this.

“Oh? What is it?”

Ye Yun took a sip of water and slowly said,

“I want to rent a carriage to open a shop. Is that possible? Of course, I won’t use it for free—your train group can take one item each month from me, valued no more than 3000 star coins. How about that?”

Hiko thought over Ye Yun’s proposal deeply. This was something unprecedented on the train, at least none she had encountered in the history of the Nameless Guest. However, renting to Ye Yun wasn’t impossible; every month they could receive a treasure from the countless worlds. As for whether Ye Yun posed a threat to the train group, it seemed unlikely at this stage. As for her evaluation of Ye Yun, Hiko could only say he was a pure, conscientious businessman.

After a moment’s thought, Hiko said,

“I can’t decide this alone. I need to ask everyone in the train group.”

For any major matters concerning the train group, everyone abided by a rule that had existed since the train’s inception: a vote.

Ye Yun smiled.

“Of course. I’ll leave for now. Send me a message once you’ve decided. By the way, we don’t have each other’s contact info yet—shall we exchange?”

After exchanging contact details, Ye Yun returned to the space station. Upon disembarking, he sent a message to Black Tower, asking her to arrange a place for him to rest. There simply was no external hotel or inn available in the space station. The staff here each had their own rooms, all provided free of charge. Don’t ask—just say the company was big and wealthy enough not to care about the cost.

...

More than two hours later, inside the observation carriage: Hiko, Walter, Pam, Dan Heng, March Seven, and Hoshi gathered together. Walter, Pam, and Dan Heng had arrived earlier; Hiko had already briefed them on Ye Yun’s request to rent a carriage. They were just waiting for March Seven and Hoshi to awake so they could vote.

Just now, March Seven and Hoshi had groggily gotten up from the sofa. After drinking a cup of hot water to regain some strength, Hiko informed them of the matter.

Hoshi was a bit puzzled—why was Hiko telling her this, since she wasn’t a member of the train group? Hiko saw the confusion on Hoshi’s face and smiled.

“Hoshi, remember when I invited you to board the train before? Have you thought it over?”

Hoshi touched her chin, pondering. March Seven encouraged her from the side.

“Hoshi~ Just join us! Let’s roam the galaxy upholding justice! Along the way, we can save a few worlds and be heroes—how about that?”

Hoshi thought it sounded very cool. These past few days at the space station, she had felt no sense of belonging. Apart from Aista, Alan, and Black Tower, no one else cared to interact with her. Everyone was busy with their own affairs, and the place felt utterly devoid of warmth. Instead, she found great joy in spending time with the train group.

“Alright, I’ll join the train.”

March Seven cheered happily.

“Yay!”

Hiko took out a train ticket and handed it to Hoshi.

“Hoshi, wear this—it’s a symbol of your identity as a Nameless Guest.”

Hoshi took the ticket and pinned it on her collar. Walter and Dan Heng also welcomed Hoshi’s joining the train group. After chatting for a while, Hiko brought the discussion back on track.

“Alright, now that everyone in the train group is here, let’s start the vote on Ye Yun renting a carriage. As usual, the minority shall yield to the majority. Raise your hand if you agree; keep it down if you disagree.

Three...

Two...

One...

!”

The results were in: Hoshi, March Seven, Hiko, and Dan Heng voted in favor; only Walter did not. Walter explained,

“I abstain. I haven’t interacted with Ye Yun yet, so I can’t say yes or no outright. I need to get to know him first before giving my opinion.”