...….
"W-Well, Mister. The truth is that I'm not from a Low-Mortal World, but I am the age that I look…
As for your question on why I'm on the Astral Leap… Family problems…
And for what you asked about breaking the World Barrier being a part of the Astral Leap… That is technically true, but it's more complicated than that, as breaking your respective world's World Barrier is akin to acquiring the key to taking the real Astral Test.
There were probably people who told you that there were 'judges' who scored the cultivators that broke the world barrier, and although that is halfway true, there are no judges before the true Astral Leap begins…
Lastly, as for why you should let me come with you…
I'm cute, and I need someone strong to watch out for me…"
The young, white-eyed girl became a little bashful toward the end as she spun her left foot on the wooden floor, taking furtive glances at the most handsome man she had ever seen.
"..."
Azmodeus ignored the weird looks of the equally unusual girl as he pondered all the things she said.
…It looks like Prometheus is at such a low level that a bunch of the information concerning the Astral Leap and the Starry Expanse has been skewed over time…
He turned his listless gaze up from deep thought as he asked, "Why is it that you seem smarter than you should be at your age? And also, how do you know I'm as strong as you think I am?"
"...T-The first question has something to do with those family problems, and your second question is because I watched you walk over to the Astral Leap Locomotive."
"???" Azmodeus wasn't following.
"What does making it to the train have anything to do with my strength…?" He questioned after his curiosity got the better of him.
"You don't know…?" The young girl inquired.
"...No… I know nothing about anything past my Low-Mortal World."
"How unusual… To be so ignorant of the situation outside your world is not ordinary. But when considering the history of Prometheus, it makes some more sense…"
Azmodeus listened to the girl whispering to herself as he asked, "What do you mean by that-?"
"Anyway, you just need to know that it usually takes hundreds, if not thousands, of years for someone to make it from over there to this train station," the girl interrupted him while pointing at a spot where a large number of people were making their way over at absurdly slow speeds.
None of the countless people were in the same dimension, and thus, they were unable to view the existences of anyone besides themselves, just like the Crimson Devil Lord.
However, unlike him, they moved millions of times slower than turtles, with some of them having been on that trot for thousands of years, simply moving toward a goal that was so close yet so far away…
Azmodeus observed the speeds of all the ghost-like people walking, as he now understood why the girl showed so much interest in him.
After all, he probably looked similar to an anomaly as he passed by all the other incorporeal ghosts like he had a rocket up his a*s.
But there was one thing that confused him greatly, and that was:
"Wouldn't the train have already taken off toward its destination by this point? And if not, then what do these people do when that does eventually happen?"
"...You truly don't know anything, do you…?"
"No…"
The young, misty-eyed girl shook her cute head a little bit as she stuck one of her small hands in the air and pointed toward a set of glass windows on the opposite side of the train.
And unlike the side of the train station where all the people took the 'Time Walk', there was no train station, only bright flashes of light that zoomed past the train at speeds beyond inhuman.
"That is…" Azmodeus muttered as he flipped his gaze between both sides of the train, noticing that there was one still-moving side and one constantly moving side.
"...I'm honestly baffled by your lack of knowledge, but the simple version of what is happening is that the Astral Leap Locomotive exists in countless universes, multiverses, omniverses, and various other low-level Cosmic Constructs.
And through this connection between an untold number of Cosmic constructs, the Astral Leap Locomotive and parasitic train station act as a transit point, and yet only the train exists on a completely different plane of existence, speeding through the boundless Void as it approaches the Astral Leap venue, all while never leaving the parasitic train station.
You can think of the two constructs as a pet owner and a leash, with the dog being infinite in size and yet as small as could be."
Azmodeus got the gist of what she was talking about, but the concepts centered around such ludicrous claims were of such a ridiculously high level that it was extremely tough to believe.
After all, even with his Time/Space Rune's, it would be impossible to come even close to making something as complex as what the Astral Leap Locomotive and Train Station acted as.
Which begged the question:
What sort of godlike existence was able to make the Astral Leap setup…?
"If you're thinking about who or what was capable of creating this incomprehensible train station, then I suggest you discard that train of thought."
The young girl's voice took Azmodeus out of his mind as he looked toward the kid who was too smart for her own good.
After analyzing her existence for a second, he asked,"On a side note, how long will it take before we reach the true Astral Leap Venue?"
"I will tell you if you promise to look out for me in the days to come," the girl responded with a serious expression, indicating that she was not looking to bargain.
"..."
Azmodeus stared into the misty eyes of a girl who had clearly been playing the part of a naive and innocent kid...
This girl is too smart for her age… And more often than not, it probably stems from a not-so-good childhood.
And I'm assuming this childhood of hers is one of the reasons why she's here on this train...
...….