Stellar Train: I Open a Small Shop on the Train-Chapter 117

Yunli was sitting and eating skewers. Ever since discovering Ye Yun's shop, she went there every day to buy skewers.

A different flavor every day—never the same twice.

Yanqing glanced at Yunli. He already knew who his opponent would be—Yunli.

This was arranged specifically by Jingliu through Jing Yuan, to let the two of them spar and test each other's recent progress.

Jingliu also imposed a restriction: this duel could only use sword control techniques—no other sword arts allowed.

Yanqing had a background in sword control and had progressed slightly faster than Yunli—but only slightly.

Yunli had caught up quickly and was now advancing even faster than Yanqing.

To be blunt, Yanqing had developed inner doubts. After battling Dan Heng, Blade, and Jingliu, he had started questioning his own swordsmanship.

Especially after that fight with Jingliu.

In contrast, Yunli had a pure heart and trained with focused determination. Naturally, her progress surpassed Yanqing's.

Soon, the host stepped onto the stage and began the opening ceremony.

The surrounding audience cheered loudly, shouting encouragement for their favorite contestants.

Lumine, March 7th, Clara, and Yanqing were all raring to go. Yunli was still calmly eating her skewers.

At that moment—

Stelle's phone rang. She answered it.

"Hello? Hutao? What's up?"

Hutao's voice came through the line.

"Stelle! Get back to the train right now! Today's dungeon is insane! The prize is 100,000 star coins!"

Hutao hadn't planned to come watch the match on Luofu. She had only stopped by to check out what today's dungeon was. The previous few had been pretty lackluster.

Stelle immediately hung up and called over Firefly and Ayaka.

"Firefly, Ayaka, pack up—we need to head back!"

Firefly and Ayaka looked confused.

"What's going on, Stelle?" asked Liuying.

Stelle replied, "Today's dungeon reward is 100,000 star coins."

As soon as they heard that, they jumped up to start packing.

After a couple days here, Ayaka had also learned what star coins were worth.

Last night, she had even visited Ye Yun's store to browse the shop.

A hundred thousand star coins! If she could get her hands on that, it could definitely help improve the situation in Inazuma.

March 7th noticed Stelle frantically packing behind her.

"Stelle, where are you all going?"

Stelle stuffed a sack of peanuts into her storage ring, then folded up her lounge chair.

"It's nothing, it's nothing~ We're just heading out for a stroll. You all go on with your matches."

With that, Stelle tugged on Firefly and Ayaka and rushed them out.

Stelle, Firefly, and Ayaka reached the venue exit.

Firefly asked, puzzled, "Stelle, why aren't we bringing March and the others?"

Stelle replied, "They have their matches. Besides, there are only 16 slots available this time!Come on, move it!"

The three of them dashed off.

March 7th saw Stelle acting all suspicious and instantly guessed she was up to something.

Knowing Stelle, she had definitely found a money-making opportunity.

Every time Stelle got this urgent, it meant she was about to rake in some star coins.

Right then, the matchups were announced.

March 7th's opponent was Clara.

An idea popped into her head. She ran over to the judges' table and whispered something.

The judges looked a little regretful but shook hands with her.

March 7th then bolted out of the tournament grounds to catch up with Stelle.

Soon after, the judges announced over the broadcast:

"Contestant March 7th is feeling unwell. A hidden injury from the last match has flared up, and she has decided to withdraw.

Therefore, contestant Clara advances directly to the next round!"

The audience was stunned.

They were already down to the top 8—how could someone withdraw now?

If she won this one, she'd become famous!

Lumine rubbed her chin, thinking.

She had clearly seen March 7th go to the judges and then run out.

The more Lumine thought about it, the more it didn't sit right. Something was definitely off. In the last match, March 7th had wiped the floor with Scott in just a few arrows—there's no way she was injured.

There was definitely something fishy going on!

Lumine looked around and realized Stelle, Firefly, and Ayaka were also gone!

That confirmed her suspicions.

Lumine started considering how she could also find an excuse to withdraw. For March 7th to leave so decisively, it had to be because of the star coin prize.

Just as she was about to head to the judges—

The broadcast sounded.

"Up next: the first match! Contestant Lumine versus Contestant Wang Er!"

Seeing that, Lumine decided to just act her way through it.

She stepped onto the stage. The opponent was about to greet her with a cupped-fist salute, but Lumine impatiently waved it off.

"Hurry up, stop wasting time. You—come punch me!"

Wang Er was dumbfounded. What's with this urgency? It's like she's rushing to reincarnate.

He threw a punch. Ying pretended to block with her sword.

He punched again—Lumine flew off the stage.

She lost the match instantly.

Just as Yanqing was about to help her up, Ying got up on her own, dusted off her legs, grabbed Paimon, and ran off the field.

Yanqing frowned slightly.

What's with Lumine and March 7th? Something's not right. One forfeited, the other threw the match. But they were so serious just yesterday.

At Ye Yun's shop—

Hutao was pacing anxiously near the dungeon portal, sending messages to Stelle every so often to ask where she was.

Today's dungeon was called [Starcraft Showdown], a large-scale event.

[Today's Dungeon: Starcraft Showdown]Description: All participants will play as mobile troopers defending their base against invading bug swarms.Rewards: Each Zergling kill earns points. Each point equals 10 star coins, up to 10,000 points.Points can also be used to summon reinforcements—Marauders, Ghosts, Banshees, Siege Tanks, and more.Participant limit: 16 people.

Finally, Hutao saw Stelle, Firefly, and Ayaka arrive.

"You're finally here! My guest officer, General Jing Yuan, Mr. Welt, plus Kafka and Silver Wolf are already inside.

Come on, come on, let's sign up and get in!"

***

After Hu Tao finished speaking, she pulled Stelle toward the dungeon portal.

At that moment, March 7th and Lumine also came running back.

March 7th saw the situation and, as expected, there was Stellar Jade to earn!

"Hey! Stelle! There's money to make and you didn't call me?"

Lumine immediately followed up.

"Exactly! Are we not sisters anymore?"

Stelle shrugged.

"Didn't you two have a competition? So I didn't call you~"

Lumine looked at her with a disappointed face.

"The martial arts ceremony? That's just a match. Is that more important than money?"

March 7th strongly agreed.

"Exactly, Stellar Jade is the most important thing, right?"

Stelle shrugged again.

"Yes, yes, yes. Let's go, let's get into the dungeon first."

The group then signed up and entered the dungeon.

A few beams of light flashed, and Stelle and the others were teleported into the instance.

Inside the dungeon.

On a barren planet, a high-tech military base was perched on a high ground.

All around it, swarms of Zerg-like creatures surged in from every direction.

From the base, streams of firepower blasted out, killing the incoming enemies.

Stelle and the others were teleported into a preparation room.

An NPC was already waiting for them.

"You're finally here. Grab your weapons and head to the front lines immediately!

Remember! Be very careful—reviving costs 50 points if you die."

The NPC pointed at the rifles on the table, and everyone quickly grabbed one.

They stood upright and gave a salute.

"Yes, sir!"

Everyone got into character quickly, rushing out with their rifles.

As soon as they stepped outside, Stelle felt a rush of adrenaline.

Explosions roared all around; both sides were locked in brutal combat.

Stelle waved her hand.

"Go, go, go! Charge!"

She rushed ahead straight to the front-line trenches.

A leaping bug suddenly lunged at her, but Stelle reacted quickly. Her electromagnetic rifle fired, killing it.

When her bullets hit the bug, she thought she saw a health bar above it.

She shot again, confirming it—there was a health bar.

"Health bars? That makes this easy. Let's go!"

Stelle pulled the trigger nonstop, gunning down bug after bug.

March 7th, Lumine, and Ayaka joined the battle.

They held the trench together, fending off the swarm.

But something was wrong. The number of bugs breaching the defenses kept increasing, and their firepower was falling short.

March 7th asked,

"Should we fall back a bit?"

Lumine shook her head.

"We can't get out. These bugs are too fast, and we're nerfed to normal human stats in the dungeon—we can't outrun them."

Stelle gritted her teeth.

"Then let's fight to the end! Earn as many points as we can!"

She went full auto, her rifle spitting fire endlessly.

Just as the swarm was about to overwhelm them, a teasing voice rang out.

"Yo, yo, yo~ isn't this Stelle? Haven't seen you in a bit and you're already struggling? Your Lord Silver Wolf is here to save you!"

Stelle turned to see Silver Wolf carrying a Gatling gun.

She had a cigar in her mouth, one foot up on a rock, and opened fire on the swarm.

"Hahaha! Hell yeah! Rattatatatat!"

With Silver Wolf's suppressive fire, the swarm was pushed back again.

She jumped into the trench and pulled a cigar from her jacket, handing it to Stelle.

"Stelle, want one?"

Stelle wrinkled her nose.

"No thanks, I don't smoke. That stinks."

Silver Wolf explained,

"This is a dungeon—it's just a cosmetic item. No taste or smell at all."

Hearing that, Stelle took the cigar and held it in her mouth.

And sure enough, it felt different—cooler, more badass.

With the cigar in her mouth, she propped up her rifle and kept blasting bugs.

Lumine's eyes sparkled—this was cool!

"Silver Wolf, give me one too!"

Silver Wolf tossed her a cigar. Lumine caught it and copied Stelle.

March 7th, however, was eyeing Silver Wolf's Gatling gun.

"Where'd you get that? We only have these dinky rifles, and you've got a big machine gun?"

Silver Wolf replied,

"You can buy it with points—100 points each, at the prep room. Just ask the NPC."

March 7th looked at her points—only 67. Still far from enough.

Silver Wolf added,

"I'm actually a bit slow. Zhongli already has a mech suit, with a grenade launcher that wipes out a whole crowd in one shot."

Upon hearing that, Stelle was instantly fired up.

No way! I've got to get one of those badass weapons too!

They kept fighting off the swarm.

Silver Wolf handed out cigars to everyone—even Ayaka got one.

At first, Ayaka was reluctant, but after Stelle and Lumine told her how cool it was, she eventually gave in.

Once she held the cigar in her mouth, she felt different too.

Looking at Silver Wolf laughing and firing the Gatling gun, Ayaka made a decision in her heart.

The High Priestess was right. In Inazuma, she was the Kamisato clan's lady.

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But here, she was just a normal girl. She could do whatever she wanted, without worrying about others' opinions.

Soon...

Stelle, March 7th, Lumine, Firefly, Silver Wolf, Ayaka, and Hu Tao all had cigars in their mouths, one foot on the trench wall, gunning down the bugs.

Before long, Stelle had earned enough points and rushed back to the prep room.

She found the NPC.

"I wanna spend my points!"

The NPC hit a button, a wall slid down, and a weapon vault appeared.

Stelle's eyes lit up at the dazzling array inside.

"Wow~ these weapons are awesome!"

She and the others browsed and bought a Gatling gun like Silver Wolf's—it was perfect for killing bugs.

No matter how fast they were, firepower solved everything.

Stelle hefted her Gatling gun, feeling invincible.

"Come at me, you bugs!"

Then a heavy thud sounded behind her.

She turned to see Silver Wolf stepping out in a heavy mech suit.

Strutting over to Stelle, she said smugly,

"Hey Stelle, check out my Raider Mech—cool, right?"

Stelle looked on enviously. That mech was awesome! Just look at that cannon—bigger than her head!

They headed back to the front.

Silver Wolf launched a grenade. The explosion cleared out a whole section of bugs.

She immediately earned over 30 points.

Seeing that, Stelle made up her mind.

That's it! I'm getting the Raider Mech too! Even if it's just for one awesome moment, it'll be worth it.

They continued playing and enjoying the dungeon.

Back at the martial arts ceremony.

The final match had begun: Yanqing vs Clara.

Clara's robot, Svarog, was just too strong. None of the previous contestants could break through its defenses.