Star Railway: The Last of the Grammer Riders

Chapter 158 The audition method for the Grand Event Superstar Finals is actually...!
The three groups of people passed the first checkpoint with great ease.

They all rested in the rest area before the next level.

Then comes another level selection.

This time it's the trial of "Time of Gunfire," the story of the Hanu brothers.

This is divided into two modes:
First, the Trial of Gunfire, as the name suggests, is related to mastery of firearms.

Second, the Trial of Time sounds strange, but it is actually just one of Pinocchio's well-known games, a level in the Dream Clock game.

Both levels are somewhat difficult; one tests shooting skills, and the other requires a certain level of spatial awareness.

Bronya chose the trial of gunfire without hesitation, since she was very familiar with firearms.

Kiana, on the other hand, confidently chose the trial of time.

In her words: "Please, I am the Herrscher of the End! Time is just one of my powers!"

Xing looked at the two options, unsure of what to do, and turned her gaze towards March 7th.

March 7th also used her little brain to think about which one to choose.

Ultimately, through a selection process, they chose the trial of gunfire.

However, it was also because of this choice that they avoided a trap they were destined to lose.

The test of time is not just a test of spatial awareness, but also of dream dislocation and time.

Unlike the game version, the Dream Clock here is played in 3D.

This means that there are many ways to go, but there is only one real path. And there are many wrong and trap paths. If you walk on one, you will trigger some debuffs such as spatial distortion (all the blocks are messed up) and perspective distortion (mirrored or reversed perspective).

This level of difficulty is indeed quite challenging for them.

This is a bit beyond Kiana's capabilities.

Looking at this complicated situation, and because I had never encountered a similar problem before.

My brain is a little overloaded from watching it.

In the end, they gave up and sought Mei's help.

Ultimately, thanks to Mei's skillful maneuvering, the two barely managed to pass the second hurdle.

Let's look at the other side.

The Trial of Gunfire
Everyone here has become short.

Oh no, Hanuman brothers.

First, they overcame various obstacles.

Next, we need to find weapons.

Finally, we must defeat the enemy.

This series of operations was very simple for Bronya.

But...

This is a bit troublesome for Xing.

However, despite her abstract nature, she still managed to pass the test in a perplexing way.

Then the two groups met.

This is also the final trial of the second stage.

A match between the two teams.

The winners advance, the losers are eliminated.

That is to say...

Ultimately, they will choose one to advance.

It's not that capital is causing trouble, but rather that it's an inevitable outcome.

because…

Only those two groups chose the trial of gunfire and completed it.

The final showdown between the two groups.

The winner was Xing.

It's really unexpected, considering how abstract she usually is.

Once he gets serious, he becomes incredibly strong.

And its accuracy is astonishing.

Even Xing himself was shocked by his own strength.

She herself was surprised at how accurate her aim was. (Note: The previous level was actually one that March 7 found fun; she only switched to a different level after being defeated.)
Ultimately, only the Star Team and the Kiana Team remain to advance to the third stage.

And the enemy in the third level…

It's the duo of the slippery guys.

To be precise, they are the pure and beautiful knight Silverbranch and the seafaring ranger Potio.

"Damn it, if it weren't to solve this trouble, I, Wuwubo, wouldn't have even come to participate in this boring match!" Potio cursed.

"Mei. This person talks so strangely! His expression looks like he's cursing, but he says it like he's praising someone!" Kiana said, pointing at Portio.

"You two are my opponents this time? Damn it, how come they're two kids who look like they're not even adults yet?" Potio complained.

"Hey! You cowboy over there, who are you calling a little kid! Mei and I are both adults! Believe me or not, we'll beat you to a pulp!" Kiana retorted.

"Hey? You've got guts! Let's cut to the chase and get ready for a fair duel!" Portio reached for his pistol, striking the classic cowboy drawing-gun pose.

Kiana also drew her gun and confronted Potio, while Mei gripped her katana with a hint of helplessness.

"Mei, let me deal with him by myself!" Kiana stopped her.

"Alright. But be careful not to get hurt." Raiden Mei watched as Kiana seriously sheathed her katana and stepped aside, saying this.

"Hehe, don't worry, Mei is very strong!" Kiana said with a smile.

“I mean… this is just a friendly spar, don’t get carried away and hurt your opponent. Don’t forget, you’re the new Herrscher of the End. Your physical strength and internal energy are both higher than the average person. And I can’t guarantee that your powers won’t be affected in this dream.” Mei explained. “Ah? Oh, I see.” Kiana put away her pistol and drew her sword.

"Huh? So confident, thinking you can defeat me with a sword?" Potio retorted.

"Hehe, I hope you'll still be as confident as you are later!" Kiana launched herself forward and instantly closed in on Potio.

He swung the sword down towards Potio's head.

However, Potio should not be underestimated. With the blessing of the Hunting Fate, its speed and reaction ability are very fast.

He immediately and gracefully stepped back a few paces and launched a counterattack.

However, Kiana blocked all the bullets.

Potio was stunned; he never expected that someone could block a bullet at close range.

However, this was just a test by Potio.

Seeing how easily the other party handled the situation.

The firing rate also increased slightly.

However, Kiana easily blocked them all.

As the opponent drew closer, Potio knew he was no match for him and readily surrendered.

“Okay, you win, girl. You’re really good,” Portio said helplessly. “But what’s the point of you becoming superstars at this event?”

"Huh? Oh, we're investigating something, uh... I don't know the specifics, but Himeko and the others said it seems to be about that star core in the grand theater."

"Huh? The Himeko you mentioned later... is she the navigator of the Star Train?" Potio suddenly sensed something was off.

"Oh, right, what's wrong?" Kiana was a little puzzled by this. Could it be... that this cowboy knows Aunt Himeko?
"Oh my god, so they're from the train! What was that fight about? Anyway, we all have the same goal. Anyone can go to the Grand Theater!" Portio finally realized that the two people in front of him were passengers of the Starry Sky Train.

"Ah! You wouldn't happen to be that wandering knight that Mr. Danheng mentioned, would you?!"

"Brother Danheng? You've already seen him! Where is he now?"

"We don't know. When we saw him, it was in a dream within a dream, or something like that? But I don't know where he is now." Kiana didn't know how to explain it clearly, so she could only use the "dream within a dream" analogy to explain to Portio.

“Alright, you two heroes, please proceed. Once you pass this hurdle, you will be superstars of the event and can go directly to the Grand Theater,” Portio said, making way for them.

"Yes, we've finally reached the last step!" Kiana said excitedly.

The two then arrived at an open space.

But what lies before them is not the final awards stage, but Star and March 7th.

The four of them looked at each other in bewilderment.

"You guys passed too?" Kiana asked.

"That's right, thanks to our silver tongues, we persuaded Silver Branch and got us through directly," March 7th said confidently, hands on hips.

“Right, right, right, we first said, ‘I admit Idrila’s beauty is unparalleled,’ and then we said we were going to save the world and destroy the Star Core. Then Silver Branch let us go. What about you guys?” Star said, hands on her hips, looking all smug.

"Stop talking, we ran into a cowboy who immediately told us we were underage. Do I think I'm underage?" Kiana said, pointing to her face.

Xing and March 7 tilted their heads and glanced at it a few times before nodding solemnly.

"They really do look like minors," the two said in unison.

“You…you guys! Aren’t you all the same? You don’t look that old either!” Kiana retorted.

“Me? I’m only one year old,” Xing replied.

"Oh... actually, it hasn't been more than 3 years since I woke up in the Six Phases Ice. All my previous memories have disappeared like Xing's. So it's okay for me to say I'm 3 years old," March 7 said somewhat embarrassedly.

"Huh? Your experience is just like mine! I was a clone created by a dog using my sister's genes. I was only 8 years old back then, hmm... if we're talking about it... Mei... I don't think I was actually an adult yet!" Kiana was shocked to discover this fact after thinking about it carefully.

Mei was also a little stunned at this moment.

So... would you say she and Ming are pedophiles?

It seems...so?

Hmm, no, no! Absolutely not! How could I possibly be a pedophile!
"Ahem, could you contestants please interrupt for a moment? We have one more challenge!" The announcer, wearing a mask, approached the group and said.

This mask style…

He's obviously a masked fool!
"Huh? Didn't you say it was over?" Kiana asked, puzzled.

“Yes, yes, Silver Branch just said that too. There are no more challenges after that, so why are you going back on your word now?” March 7th asked.

"Ahem... It's like this, normally we would have divided into two groups as the star performers just now. We have the results here, summarized based on everyone's performance and live stream donations. But as you can see, the problem is that it's a tie. This is something that happens only once in a century, or even a millennium; we've never encountered this in previous editions. And all our events are canceled. How about we decide the winner by rock-paper-scissors?" The Fool said, pulling out his tablet.

“Alright then. Who shall we choose to play rock-paper-scissors?” Kiana said.

"Kiana, you should go. You've always been lucky; you're better suited for games like this that rely on probability and luck," Mei said.

"March 7th, go!" Xing pointed ahead and said.

“Me? Are you sure?” March 7th pointed to himself and said.

“Yes, you go!” Xing said firmly.

"Hmph~ Let's see how powerful I am!" March 7th said confidently, taking a step forward.

"In that case, the 20th Hot Sand Festival, 33rd event, will select the true star of the festival through the most solemn, fair, and open rock-paper-scissors competition in the entire world! Let's see who will become the true star of the festival!" the Fool shouted.

"Stone!"

"scissors!"

"cloth!"

After saying that, Kiana and March 7 attacked at the same time.

But what was unexpected was...

Both sides actually played stones!
Then for several rounds in a row, I would get a guaranteed win again because of the same gesture.

Two thousand years later~
The two were locked in a fierce and evenly matched contest. Ultimately, due to the contest lasting too long, the Fool forcibly stopped it.

Ultimately, they all became stars of the event, ranking alongside each other.

What a joy.

(End of this chapter)