"So, Kiana, how did you end up here all by yourself?" March 7th looked at the white-haired girl beside her.
"Me? I swam here!"
March 7th smacked her forehead. "I mean, how did you end up at the comic con?"
Kiana sighed. "Ugh, it's a long story. I was with Sister Stelle, but she got lost. Then I ran into you guys."
A bead of sweat rolled down Dan Heng's forehead. Having witnessed Kiana, March 7th, and Stelle together, the combination was downright terrifying. "I think you're the one who got lost. I'm calling Siegfried to get you home…"
"Huh?!" Kiana's eyes widened as she spotted someone. "Headmaster!!!"
With a whoosh, she darted toward a cosplayer dressed in bishop attire but styled with Luocha's hair. "I told my auntie that you played Luocha, but she didn't believe me! Now you're not even pretending, huh?!"
The Luocha cosplayer looked at Kiana, utterly confused. "Miss, what are you talking about? Who's your auntie?"
"She's my mom's thirteenth sister!"
"Your grandma must've been busy."
Suddenly, Kiana grabbed his collar. "Don't cosplay Luocha, and definitely don't try cosplaying that guy! Got it? Take off that outfit right now and switch to something original!"
"Y-Yes, yes!"
Faced with Kiana's fiery anger, the Luocha cosplayer bolted from the scene. He caught his breath. "That was close! What's with that white-haired girl's strength? What's wrong with cosplaying Luocha? Tsk."
The next moment, his gaze landed on a dazzling sight. "Whoa! There's another Luocha cosplayer, and they nailed it! And a Welt Yang cosplayer too? Someone's cosplaying Uncle Yang?"
Luocha and Welt Yang were strolling through the comic con. By chance, they'd both ended up here.
At that moment, a Pam cosplayer was serving tea to passing cosplay fans to quench their thirst. "Would you two like some tea to refresh, pa?"
Welt Yang nodded. "I didn't expect even Pam to be cosplayed so perfectly!"
"Hard to refuse such hospitality. I'll take a cup!"
At that moment, the Luocha cosplayer approached the real Luocha, hoping to chat with a fellow cosplayer.
The bishop attire nearly triggered an emergency response in Welt Yang. He adjusted his glasses. "What an odd combination of outfits."
As Luocha turned with his teacup, the two bumped into each other, spilling tea and soaking their clothes.
Luocha quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry. My fault for not watching where I was going. Are you alright?"
The Luocha cosplayer brushed it off, saying it was no big deal. The two headed to the restroom to clean their clothes.
But they ended up swapping outfits by mistake.
After tidying up, Luocha returned to Welt Yang's side. "My apologies, Mr. Welt, for stepping away."
"No worries. Want to go home and change?"
"No need. I'm fine here. Funny enough, I've spotted a lot of old acquaintances in passing."
"I've had that feeling too. Wait, you said old acquaintances, right?"
Luocha remained calm. "I didn't say that. You must've misheard."
"Alright." Welt Yang lowered his guard for now. "Don't catch a cold. Put your clothes back on."
"I'll do it later. I'll wear them when I'm ready."
Click.
A March 7th cosplayer snapped a photo, capturing Luocha and Welt Yang together. Flipping through their gallery, they had shots of Abundance pushing Hunt, the tall dark handsome figure with a shattered egg, Gojo Satoru, Guinaifen, Qingque playing mahjong, and General Jing Yuan with a Divine Lord. "Hehe, comic con's so much fun!"
"How's it looking? Pretty good, right?"
Su Chen gazed at Interastral City, packed to the brim with people. Just a few months ago, he couldn't even pay rent. Who'd have thought he'd create such a spectacle now!
Beside him stood a person with black silk over their eyes, attempting a blind monk cosplay, who spoke slowly. "It's quite impressive."
"Hey, I've got an idea. Do you have to wear that black silk? You could cosplay Jingliu instead!"
"Keep your little schemes to yourself. My eyes are sensitive to bright light right now. And one more thing! If you keep teasing me, I'm done being your mouthpiece online. You always make me post weird comments!"
"No, no! Brother Asaba Nanaya!" Su Chen raised an eyebrow. "Without you, I'd be lost on the internet! You're practically my dad. Oh, quick question—did you snag the top spot for Elysia's fan ranking?"
"No, the top fan's strength is just too terrifying!!!"
"Alright, have fun, big guy. I've got things to do upstairs. Time to introduce the grand event: Penacony, Star of the Festivities!"
Not long after, Su Chen, dressed in a Trailblazer uniform, held a microphone as every screen in Interastral City synced to his live feed.
"Welcome, everyone, to miHoYo's Interastral City!!!"
"Today is miHoYo's first comic con, and it's also a momentous day. First, let me congratulate you all—attendance has surpassed 50,000 and is still climbing! Second, the top 10 most popular miHoYo characters of the year will be announced in just a few minutes. Third, Interastral City's fourth independent zone is complete! Welcome to Penacony! How do we get there? By boarding the Astral Express, of course!"
Su Chen snapped his fingers, and the sound of a train whistle roared through the air as a massive Astral Express rolled in. The Astral Express was enormous, a perfect 1:1 replica from the web drama.
"Everyone, stay calm. The Astral Express can carry far more passengers than you'd imagine, so follow the conductor's instructions and board in an orderly manner!"
In that moment, the venue's atmosphere exploded. Everyone raised their arms and cheered.
"miHoYo's freaking awesome! They actually built the Astral Express?!"
"Holy crap, it's a perfect 1:1 replica!"
"No way, a real-life Astral Express? Are we actually in the Honkai: Star Rail world right now?"
"Wait, what did Su Chen mean by 'follow the conductor's instructions'? What's that about?"
Just then, the train doors slowly opened, and Pam stepped out with tiny strides, appearing before the crowd.
"Passengers, please maintain order and board one by one, pa!"