I opened a shop on the Astral Train-Chapter 76

"Oh my~ Oh my~ These fresh Star Coinss smell so good~ The scent of money~ Fresh~"

A vein popped on Kafka's forehead as her fists clenched.

Seeing that she was about to be hit, Silver Wolf bolted immediately.

Hu Tao, seeing this, decided to imitate Silver Wolf and sauntered over to Xiangling with a swagger.

"Hey~ I didn't even want these Star Coins, but my teammates were just too amazing. Don't you think so, Xiangling?"

Xiangling said nothing. Instead, she pulled out her wok and shouted, "Guoba! Go get her!"

Hu Tao yelped and dashed away. "You can't catch me, Xiangling! Lululu!"

As she ran, she turned back and stuck out her tongue at Xiangling.

Meanwhile, Paimon, who had won Star Coin's by doing absolutely nothing, clutched them with a dreamy look on her face, muttering excitedly about all the snacks she could buy.

"Potato chips~ Hehe~ Dried fish~ Hehe~ Cookies~ Hehe~ Spicy skewers~ Hehe~ Slurp~"

Next to her, Yuri held his own Star Coins, looking just as blissful. "One skewer, two skewers, three skewers~"

These two food lovers were beyond saving.

—

Jing Yuan, Fu Xuan, and Qingque were consoling Yanqing, who looked utterly defeated. The poor kid had been unbelievably unlucky, encountering top players at every turn.

At that moment, Feixiao, Huaiyan, Jiaoqiu, and Moze approached.

Huaiyan and Feixiao, rather than being upset over their loss, were in high spirits.

Feixiao stretched his arms. "That was so much fun! This game is amazing!"

Huaiyan laughed. "Agreed. I felt a little of the warrior's spirit I once had in battle."

Jing Yuan nodded. "If we have time, we should join again. The game changes daily, but judging from today, they'll all be worth playing."

Feixiao grinned. "Then it's settled. I'll check in every day. Anyone interested can join me."

Jing Yuan turned to Qingque. "No need to worry, Qingque."

Qingque, who had been happily counting her winnings, snapped to attention. "General, what do you need?"

Jing Yuan smiled. "Create a group chat and add us in. I've spoken with Himeko and Welt. Once their new train carriage is ready, we'll assign you a room."

Qingque's eyes lit up. "Wait... does this mean... I can stay on the Astral Express?!"

Jing Yuan nodded. "Yes. Besides sharing product updates, you'll also send out the game details each day."

Qingque's mind raced.

A job that paid well. A room on the train. No superiors breathing down her neck. A chance to travel the galaxy.

More money, less work, close to home...

This was the dream!

She grinned. "Understood, General! I'll set up the group right away!"

She was already planning to ask Himeko how long the carriage installation would take—she couldn't wait to move in.

After Yuri handed out the victory prizes, he raised the microphone.

"Now, let's award the MVP! Any guesses?"

Kevin shot his hand up instantly. "Yes! It's me!"

Silver Wolf scoffed, hands on her hips. "Kevin, sit down. It's obviously me."

Yuri smirked. "Actually, neither of you. The MVP of this match is... Klee! Everyone, give it up for our adorable little champion!"

Klee gasped, then jumped for joy. "Wow! It's Klee! Klee is the MVP!"

Diona, Hook, and Bailu cheered for her.

Bailu grinned. "Klee, grab your prize so we can go buy spicy noodles!"

Hearing this, Klee bolted toward Yuri.

She stood up straight and saluted. "Brother Yuri! Klee is here to accept her command!"

Yuri chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Klee, you did great. Here's your MVP reward."

He handed her Star Coins. Klee held them high and bounced happily.

The infectious joy spread, making everyone smile.

March 7th suddenly recalled, "Now that I think about it, Klee did blow up a lot of people."

—

After the awards ceremony, the system teleported everyone back to Yuri's shop.

Despite returning to reality, the players were still deep in discussion, excitedly sharing stories about their experiences in the game.

The four little ones—Klee, Diona, Hook, and Bailu—raced to the snack bar with their winnings.

Yuri, ever the responsible one, called out, "You're each allowed only one pack. Got it?"

The four chorused, "Okaaay..." before grabbing their snacks.

Satisfied, Yuri led Xiangling into the kitchen to prepare dinner for everyone.

With over fifty people to feed, he realized space would be an issue.

A buffet-style setup it is, then, he decided.

In the kitchen, Yuri sighed at the mountain of ingredients. Cleaning all this was going to be a pain.

Just then, Himeko, Kafka, Natasha, Jean, Lisa, Bronya, Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu arrived.

"Need a hand with the prep?" Himeko asked with a smile.

Yuri didn't hesitate. "Absolutely."

The group sat down with stools, chatting as they cleaned and prepped ingredients, while Guoba fetched water for them.

Yuri and Xiangling exchanged a glance, tied on their aprons, and got to work.

—

In the lounge, Kevin, Silver Wolf, Yuri, Asmodeus, Amber, Eula, March 7th, Seele, Huo Huo, and Hu Tao were sprawled on the carpet, controllers in hand, playing a chaotic co-op game called Cute Cat Park.

In this game, everyone played as kittens tethered together with a rope, requiring perfect teamwork to pass levels.

"Asmodeus! Stop moving! We need to go forward!"

"Huh? Forward? Like this?"

"No! You're going backward! ARGH!"

Zhongli, Welt, and Jing Yuan brought Huaiyan and Jiaoqiu to the reception room to drink tea and chat. This slow-paced lifestyle suited this group of "old souls."

—

Nearby, Topaz and Jade were chatting by Topaz's small office, both still excited from the day's events.

If Jade didn't have to handle the Pinocchio situation later with Gold Sand, she would have considered staying on the train permanently, just like Topaz.

Topaz was thrilled to hear Jade voice the idea.

"That's great, Jade. Himeko has already designed the new carriage with eight rooms. They're a bit smaller than March's, but more than enough for one person.

Plus, Himeko and I have struck a deal—I'm supplying all the materials for the renovation, and in return, I get a room. If you want one, I can talk to her and probably secure you a space."

Jade smiled. "No rush. We'll talk about it later, little Topaz.

By the way, where have you been staying? There aren't any spare rooms on the train."

Topaz shrugged. "I've been staying at Clara's place. Since there's a portal on the train, I just head back with her every day."

Jade raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Then I'll stay with you for the next few days. I still have time before dealing with Pinocchio."

Topaz beamed. "Okay! I'll let Clara know."

Jade chuckled. "Let's go together. Do you know where she is?"

Topaz nodded. "Of course. Clara went straight to the lab after we got teleported back."

Jade looked confused. "Lab? What lab?"

Topaz explained, "Yuri built a laboratory in the train for Clara. You wouldn't believe the equipment inside—it's all top-tier. Come on, I'll show you."

The two made their way to the lab.

—

Inside the laboratory, Clara was asking Herta some questions.

Since Herta hadn't finished answering Clara's earlier inquiries, she had taken Clara to the lab to continue the lesson. After all, she had already accepted Star Coin's from Yuri for tutoring—she had to deliver on the deal.

Herta explained concepts while Clara assembled a machine. If Clara made mistakes, Herta pointed them out, correcting her with precise explanations.

Under Herta's guidance, Clara successfully completed the main body of the Gundam.

Herta smirked, satisfied. "Not bad. You're way more talented than those dimwits at my space station."

Clara brightened at the praise.

Meanwhile, Topaz and Jade had arrived. They had been watching quietly, but now they were utterly shocked.

Herta, the Genius Society's intellect envoy, had just praised someone?

Herta turned, spotting them with an unimpressed look. "Alright, what do you two need?"

Topaz quickly explained that she was taking Jade back with her to stay at Clara's place.

Clara lit up. "Sister Jade! Let's go back together after dinner!"

Jade smiled and nodded.

Seeing this, Herta announced, "Clara, I'm heading out."

As she reached the door, she paused. "Oh, by the way, tell Yuri—if he ever needs more tutoring, my rates are the same."

Clara nodded, and with that, Herta left, wandering off to explore the train's first floor.

A little after 8 p.m., Himeko, Kafka, and the others carried out dish after dish of delicious food.

With so many people to feed, Yuri had opted for large serving basins. Since it was a communal meal, no one minded.

Despite their hunger, everyone waited for the two chefs.

Yuri and Xiangling finally emerged with the last dish.

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Xiangling raised her spatula and shouted, "Dinner's ready!"

The room erupted in cheers, especially from Paimon and Yuri, who were the loudest of them all.

Everyone grabbed plates and began serving themselves.

Jing Yuan stood in line, debating what to try first.

A voice came from behind. "Try the shrimp dumplings. They're Xiangling's specialty—had them once before, and they're amazing."

Jing Yuan turned to see Dan Heng standing behind him, tray in hand.

Jing Yuan chuckled. "Alright, I'll give them a shot."

Dan Heng proceeded to recommend a few more dishes, and Jing Yuan took all of his suggestions.

Once they finished, Blade stepped forward to get his meal, recalling the dishes Dan Heng had mentioned.

However, he forgot two of them.

Just then, Silver Wolf approached. "Blade, you forgot the green pepper fish and radish-braised beef."

Blade paused before grabbing the missing dishes and heading to a corner to eat.

Seeing this, Silver Wolf sighed, grabbed two bottles of Coke, and sat beside him.

"Here. Brought this for you."

Blade took the Coke, stared at it for a moment, then let a small smile slip onto his face as he opened it and took a sip.

Kafka then sat down next to them. "Bao, you gave Blade a Coke but not me?"

Silver Wolf smirked. "Lululu~ Not for you. You tried to steal my airdrop today."

Kafka chuckled. "Didn't even get it in the end. That little gremlin Klee tricked me."

Silver Wolf crossed her arms. "Klee's luck is insane. She got so many kills just by tossing bombs."

Blade nodded. "Her constellation is a four-leaf clover. It symbolizes luck."

Silver Wolf blinked. "Huh. Makes sense."