Stellar Train: I Open a Small Shop on the Train-Chapter 79

After everyone finished opening their red envelopes, Stelle finally began to open the seven she had just bought.

She laid them out in a line on a chair.

March 7th noticed and asked, "Are you doing some kind of ritual again?"

Previously, every time Stelle played the scratch cards from trash cans, she'd always perform some weird ritual first—things like bathing with incense or dancing like a shaman.March 7th never understood where Stelle learned those things.

Stelle scratched her head. "Huh? Ritual? Not today."

Just as she finished speaking, she suddenly grabbed all the red envelopes and opened them in one go. "I'm just gonna open them all! Catch 'em off guard!"

A flash of golden light—and then Stelle slumped into the chair with a defeated look.

Before her were seven apples.

March 7th shook her head with a sigh. "See? That's what gambling gets you. Stelle, maybe cool it with this stuff next time."

Stelle numbly nodded, staring up at the ceiling like all hope had left her body.

Just then—

A loud boom came from outside the cabin.

Klee, who had been playing near the window, looked out at the sky.

The moon hung high, and stars scattered across the dark night, lighting it up.

A firework bloomed in the sky, brilliant and colorful.

Then more and more fireworks shot into the sky—

"Boom!"

"Bang!"

"Whoosh—Boom!"

Klee jumped up and down with joy. "Fireworks! It's fireworks!"

The six little ones quickly grabbed their sky lanterns and rushed to the deck. "Klee wants to release lanterns~!"

Zhongli looked up at the fireworks exploding above, then turned to everyone in the room. "Everyone, let's go watch the fireworks on the deck."

With that, he took the lead and walked out.

Nahida arrived on the deck and looked up at the fireworks bursting one after another, her little face full of joy.

She had seen fireworks before—but only in dreams.This was the first time she saw them for real.

Calestia and Silver Wolf, the two gaming addicts, even put away their PS5s and quietly enjoyed the firework show.

Hu Tao was chatting with Stelle, excitedly debating which firework was the prettiest.

"Stelle, look at that one! It's huge!"

"This one's even bigger! Look!"

March 7th was using her phone to capture the rare and beautiful moment.

Ningguang watched the fireworks in the sky and had her prepared stash brought out. "Everyone! Let's light our own fireworks!"

The six little ones bounced over excitedly when they saw the fireworks.

Stelle, March 7th, Hu Tao, and the others were just as thrilled, gathering around to pick their favorite ones.

Ye Yun picked up Klee and taught her how to use the fireworks. "Klee, point this end at the sky. Ready?"

Klee shouted with glee, "Klee's ready~!"

Ye Yun lit the fuse, and a few seconds later, the firework shot into the sky from Klee's launcher.

It soared up and exploded with a bang. "Wow~ so pretty~"

Klee's little launcher continued shooting out fireworks one after another.

Her bright smile never faded—she was so, so happy.

Stelle hoisted a 50-shot, 25-tube firework set onto her shoulder, aiming at the sky. "March, help me light it!"

March 7th quickly pulled out a lighter and lit the fuse.

A few seconds later—

Fireworks shot wildly from the launcher Stelle carried on her shoulder like a Gatling gun.

All 50 fireworks exploded in the sky at once, pushing the fireworks show to its climax.

Calestia thought Stelle's method looked fun too. She grabbed an identical launcher and slung it over her shoulder. "Silver Wolf, I wanna try this! Light it for me!"

But when she turned, Silver Wolf was already far off, playing with her own firework launcher.

Calestia glanced around and saw Tsaritsa quietly enjoying the scene nearby. "Tsaritsa, come light this for me!"

The Tsaritsa took the fuse offered to him, blew on it, and a flame flared to life.

"Lady Calestia, I'm lighting it now—please be careful."

Calestia waved it off."It's fine, it's fine—go!"

The Tsaritsa lit the firework, and the launcher on Calestia's shoulder roared to life.

"Awesome! This is so fun! Tsaritsa, you try! Don't just stand there—I called you to have fun!"

A smile spread across Tsaritsa's face. "Alright, I'll give it a go."

He picked up a firework tube and lit it.

Zhongli, holding a cup of tea, quietly watched everything unfold.

Just then, Hu Tao ran over. "Consultant! Consultant! Come light fireworks! I got a super big one for you! I'll help you light it!"

Zhongli looked at the firework tube Hu Tao was handing him, and a rare smile appeared on his calm face. "Alright, Hall Master."

Everyone on the ship was joyfully lighting fireworks.

Inside the cabin, Feixiao, Venti, and Kaeya were still fast asleep.Even with all the noise outside, none of them stirred.

As the fireworks began to fade, sky lanterns started rising into the air from every street and alley of Liyue Harbor.

Zhongli gazed at the glowing lanterns and spoke with deep emotion: "The rising sky lanterns represent the people of Liyue's hope for peace and harmony."

Xiao added, "To protect every light and ensure Liyue's peace—that is our duty. Lord Rex Lapis, I shall go ahead."

Zhongli looked at Xiao, understanding his intent.

The Lantern Rite was Liyue's most important festival—and also the time when monsters and demons were most active.

"Be careful."

Xiao nodded and vanished into the night like a gust of evil-banishing wind.

Ye Yun called over Rios. "Rios, go assist Xiao."

Rios nodded and chased after Xiao's direction.

Zhongli turned to Jing Yuan. "General Jing Yuan, would you be willing to sell me a Cleansing Pill?"

Jing Yuan replied, "A single Cleansing Pill? I'll bring one to you tomorrow."

Zhongli gave a slight bow. "Thank you."

Jing Yuan shook his head lightly, signaling there was no need for thanks.

Just then, Klee hugged her sky lantern and ran over to Ye Yun. "Brother Ye Yun~ can Klee release her lantern now?"

Ye Yun crouched down and patted Klee's head. "Of course. Come on, I'll show you how."

Ningguang brought out the prepared sky lanterns and handed them to everyone present. "Everyone, releasing sky lanterns is one of Liyue's traditional customs. You can write your wishes on them before letting them go."

Stelle took a pen and wrote on her lantern: "I wish I'll always win the lottery when pulling gacha."

She looked over her writing, extremely satisfied.

Lumine read what Stelle wrote and gave her some advice. "Stelle... maybe choose something a little more realistic? That one's not happening. No amount of money can fix bad luck, you know?"

***

As the lanterns slowly rose into the night sky, everyone returned to the cabin to enjoy themselves.

Some went to play Celestial Jade, some drank tea, and some watched cartoons.

The Elixir of Life that Qiqi took had already started to take effect.

Although Qiqi still spoke with a bit of a stutter, it was far less severe than before, and her responsiveness had improved significantly.

Furina brought Clorinde up to the deck, where they were watching the Lancelot Knights sparring with swords.

Slowly, as time passed, midnight struck.

Zhongli raised his wine glass.

"Everyone, happy Lantern Rite Festival!"

Everyone raised their cups.

"Happy Lantern Rite!"

Early the next morning.

Furina was sound asleep in bed, while two Lancelot knights stood guard attentively at her door.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, filling the entire room with brightness.

Furina, feeling the sting of the sunlight, frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes.

She sat up and looked out at the vast blue sea.

"Slept so well~"

She stretched deeply and got out of bed, walking over to the window.

The refreshing sea breeze brushed against her face as she closed her eyes to enjoy it.

Last night, after ringing in the New Year with everyone, she followed Ningguang's arrangements and went to the second floor of the treasure ship to rest. Ningguang had arranged a room for everyone.

Furina stretched her body a bit and looked toward the two tall figures guarding the door, feeling quite pleased.

This time, she had recruited such a strong team.

Now it would be even easier to put on a show when she got back.

In Fontaine, there had been some who questioned her identity.

Because Furina had never demonstrated her strength in front of the people of Fontaine.

This led some to doubt whether she truly was who she claimed to be.

This time, she was planning to go big upon returning.

Local Haters! Just you wait! I'll wipe you out the moment I get back!

Furina planned to return with the Lancelot Knights in a high-profile way to take down those Local Haters.

That way, no one would dare question her power again.

After all, if her subordinates—the Lancelot Knights—were this powerful, then how strong must their master be?

Furina got dressed and stepped outside. The two Lancelot knights bowed with their swords.

"My Lady, good morning."

Furina nodded in satisfaction.

"Good morning, my loyal knights. Have Stelle and the others gotten up yet?"

Last night, she'd stayed up all night having fun and had gotten along well with Stelle and March 7th. Today, they planned to explore Liyue Harbor together.

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One of the Lancelot knights responded,

"My Lady, Miss Stelle and Miss March 7th are currently having breakfast on the first floor."

Furina replied,

"Alright, got it."

She then headed toward the first floor.

Downstairs, the entire area was decorated festively, with couplets and "Fu" characters on the walls, windows, and door.

As soon as Furina walked into the main hall, the six little ones came toward her, each holding a bowl of congee.

Klee waved enthusiastically.

"Good morning, Sister Furina~"

Furina smiled and greeted them.

"Good morning. Where are you all headed?"

Klee giggled and said,

"Klee wants to eat outside."

Furina stepped aside to let the little ones out onto the deck.

Then,

Furina walked into the cabin and found Stelle and the others, taking a seat beside them.

Stelle was busy downing a big bowl of plain congee.

After finishing, she wiped her mouth and got up to get another bowl.

Just then, she noticed Furina.

"Furina, finally you're up. We tried to wake you earlier, but those two little bodyguards of yours wouldn't let us in."

Furina scratched her head.

"I told them to guard the door."

March 7th helped scoop a bowl of congee and handed it to Furina.

"Furina, have some breakfast first. After that, we'll head to Liyue Harbor. I heard there's a lot of fun stuff today."

Furina took the bowl and sat down, sipping the congee slowly.

"Where are we going today?" Furina asked curiously.

Hu Tao answered,

"We're just going to stroll around Liyue Harbor. There'll be lots of fun little stalls. I'll take you to check them out."

At that moment, Xiangling suddenly spoke up.

"By the way, I checked today's dungeon. It's a little game called 'Mario.' Should we go play it first?"

Stelle asked,

"Mario? How much is the reward?"

Xiangling thought for a moment.

"Not much—only 100 star coins for completing it."

Hearing that, Stelle instantly lost interest.

"Only 100~ Forget it, let's just hang around Liyue Harbor.

Himeko already went back earlier. She's working with Pom-Pom to renovate a new train car. They should be done by the end of the day.

Once that's done, we'll get ready to head to our next stop."

Amber asked curiously,

"Aren't we participating in the Martial Arts Ceremony?"

March 7th explained,

"Of course we are, but we don't need to join the preliminary rounds. We're entering straight into the knockout round.

According to General Jing Yuan, the preliminaries will take about a month since there are so many participants this time."

Amber nodded in realization.

"I see. Okay then~"

Furina listened to their talk about the Martial Arts Ceremony, completely puzzled.

"What is this Martial Arts Ceremony you're talking about?"

March 7th looked at Furina and explained,

"It's a martial arts competition hosted by a faction in our world."

Furina stared at her wide-eyed.

"Your world?"

March 7th nodded.

"Yeah, we forgot to tell you. Stelle, Seele, Qingque, and I aren't from your world."

Furina was stunned.

"Not from our world?"

Stelle then explained everything to her, how they came to Teyvat and so on.

After hearing Stelle's story, Furina became deeply intrigued by the Nameless.

Being one of the Nameless sounded so cool! Riding a train through the galaxy and casually saving some worlds along the way.

Oh my! Furina made up her mind—once the prophecy in Fontaine was resolved, she'd run away and become one of the Nameless!

"Stelle, how can I join the Nameless?"

Stelle and March 7th were stunned for a moment upon hearing her question.

"What? Furina, you want to be one of the Nameless?"

Furina nodded.

"Yeah, why not?"

Stelle replied,

"Sure, you can. According to Pom-Pom, the train doesn't reject anyone who wants to join the Nameless.

But... you're the Hydro Archon of Fontaine. You're just going to abandon your whole nation?"

Furina clarified,

"I don't mean right now. I mean in the future."

Stelle said,

"Then you should talk to Himeko later. She's our navigator.

'Navigator' might not make sense to you—it basically means our boss."