I, The Aeon of Trailblaze, Trailblazing the Multiverse

"Excellent!" Elias clapped his hands with a beaming smile.

Inside, he was overjoyed.

Bringing the Emanator of Erudition aboard and guiding Herta onto the path of Trailblaze was essentially a power move against Nous.

Though Nous wouldn't particularly care about losing an Emanator, the feeling of accomplishing this was undeniably joyful.

Buzz~

At this moment, Herta felt another force manifest within her body—there was no doubt, it was the power of the Trailblaze Path.

"Walking two Paths simultaneously?"

Herta looked at Elias. There was no doubt—this was a gift from the Trailblaze Aeon himself.

The concept of a Path was essentially the road walked by an Aeon. As long as one's journey aligned with a particular Path, they could tread upon it.

The only exception was when an Aeon directly bestowed their power.

Even if someone wasn't walking the same road as an Aeon, they could still receive the power of that Path.

In this regard, Abundance was undoubtedly the most generous.

Without direct intervention from an Aeon, it was impossible for a person to walk two Paths at once—just as one cannot walk down two roads simultaneously.

If one chose to step onto another Path, their previous Path would automatically close.

They might retain the power gained from their former Path, but they could no longer progress—it was a dead end.

A prime example of this was Oswaldo Schneider, the head of the Marketing Development Department in the Interastral Peace Corporation. He was once a Nameless, but when he embraced the Path of Preservation, his connection to Trailblaze was severed.

His actions no longer aligned with Trailblaze.

However, the powers he gained from Trailblaze still remained.

Of course, what Herta didn't yet know was that Elias had already reclaimed Osvaldo's Trailblaze-gained powers.

Herta didn't revel in the joy of simultaneously treading two Paths.

Instead, she was more intrigued by the possibility of achieving dual Paths without the intervention of an Aeon—was it achievable through science or technology?

"Thank you for your recognition, Lord Elias."

Still, gratitude was necessary—even if, to an Aeon, such a gesture was as insignificant as a glance.

"Since you've decided to board, then get ready—the train is heading to its next destination!"

Elias's face brimmed with a bold, adventurous smile. "Our next stop—beyond the universe, to an entirely different world!"

"From now on, the Astral Express will use this universe as a hub, shuttling between countless unknown worlds."

"Simply put—next stop: a different world; the stop after that: back to this universe; and then another world—on and on in a cycle."

"Moreover, I will not appoint any Emanators."

"Because on the path of Trailblaze, with each new world you pioneer, you will naturally advance further along the Path."

"Himeko, little March, Welt—you've already felt it, haven't you?"

Welt adjusted his glasses with a steady nod. "Yes, after experiencing Miss Saeko Busujima's world, my strength has increased by about 10%."

Himeko nodded as well. "I noticed it too. A 10% power boost is quite significant."

Elias laughed heartily. "That is the beauty of Trailblaze. As long as we continue trailblazing new worlds, our strength will continue to grow endlessly."

"With a few more exciting worlds, I believe some of you will soon reach Emanator-level!"

As long as they continue to advance far enough along their respective Paths, their own ideals will eventually blossom and bear fruit, adding new concepts to the Trailblaze Path.

Currently, his navigator Himeko possesses the concept seed of Aspiration, Welt has the concept seed of Salvation, and March 7th holds the concept seed of Beauty.

The other Nameless members have yet to awaken their concept seeds, given that they have only recently boarded the train—it's still too early.

Elias wasn't in a rush, as adding new concepts to the Trailblaze Path is an incredibly long process.

There's plenty of time.

However, even if they were to reach Emanator-level, the concepts they would contribute to the Trailblaze Path would only be secondary concepts, not primary concepts.

To add primary concepts, they must reach the Throne-level.

The Throne-level is considered the equivalent of a Lesser Aeon, with enough power to shake a portion of the universe itself.

So far, in the history of the Star Rail Universe, only three individuals have ever reached the Throne level.

But it's still too early to dwell on such matters.

...

Three days passed at Herta Space Station.

The primary reason for staying was to satisfy the curiosity of the new crew members.

During this time, Stelle quickly bonded with the girls aboard the train through her quirky and abstract personality.

Her hobbies and true nature fully emerged.

Whenever she spotted a trash bin, she had to rummage through it, even when the staff told her that "there's nothing but trash inside." She simply wouldn't take their word for it.

"Yo~ Stelle, how many hidden trash bins did you find today?"

Elias teased, looking at Stelle, who was covered in dust, her clothes stained with grime.

"Hehe, I found three hidden trash bins, and I even found a few discarded treasures!" Stelle proudly puffed out her chest, hands on her waist.

March 7th walked over, pinching her nose with a disgusted look. "Ugh, Stelle, why are you digging through trash again? You reek of garbage!"

"There's no treasure in the trash bins, only filth."

Stelle pouted in defiance and pulled out her latest find from behind her back. "Who says there isn't? Look at this! I found this shopping radio—it's practically new!"

The radio in her hands crackled to life, playing an ongoing shopping broadcast:

[This Star Destroyer can take out three planets with a single shot, my friends!]

[What? You don't have money? Go borrow some!]

[What? You're afraid you can't pay it back? No worries, you have a Star Destroyer!]

Elias couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up. "Good stuff. No wonder you're so abstract, Stelle. Walking the Path of Elation wasn't a waste for you."

Stelle thumped her chest proudly, entirely oblivious to how enticing it looked. "Of course! I'm a girl with a Stellaron in her body!"

March 7th sighed in frustration. "I have nothing more to say to you."

"Forget about that for now. Pom-Pom told me to inform everyone that departure time is approaching."

Elias crossed his arms. "What's the rush? If I don't give the word, would Pom-Pom dare to start the train without me?"

March 7th stuck out her tongue playfully. "No wonder Pom-Pom says you're the second worst person in train history."

Just then, a playful and mischievous voice rang out.

"Oh-ho-ho~ Then who might be the worst person in train history? Ahaha, Aha is very curious!"