Chapter 277: Punklorde Mentality 『 Part Three 』
〜Genshin Impact World〜
Teyvat—
"Liuyun, come in. The Director has already returned."
Inside the elegant private room of Xinyue Kiosk, the fragrance of tea curled through the air. When Xianyun pushed the door open and entered, Zhongli was sitting squarely by the window, cradling a cup of clear tea in his hands, his gaze fixed distantly upon the myriad lights of Liyue Harbor.
"Rex Lapis."
Xianyun stepped forward briskly, her sleeves stirring a gentle breeze.
"The scene in the sky—did you see it? Those Wind Gliders are an essential tool for adventurers across the continent, yet now they have appeared within Herta's Space Station. Rex Lapis, could it be that outside of Teyvat… there have long been visitors?"
Zhongli's fingertips lightly caressed the rim of his teacup. He remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly:
"In over six thousand years, Teyvat has indeed been visited by 'travelers from beyond the sky.'"
Xianyun's eyes lit up.
"Have you met them?"
Zhongli raised his eyes, his gaze as profound as bedrock.
"I have. Aside from that, Traveler, I have also met a lady from another world. That lady once traveled all across Teyvat, and at this moment, she is likely toiling for the sake of this world as well. As for those Wind Gliders—"
Zhongli shook his head.
"Unless they were taken from Teyvat by that lady from another world… regrettably, what I know of the matter is likely no different from what you know yourself."
"Then… in Rex Lapis's view, will the world beyond the sky bring a threat to Teyvat, to our Liyue?"
Zhongli nodded. Though his tone remained as gentle as ever, it carried an added weight of indisputable solemnity:
"…It will bring threats, but there is no need for excessive worry."
"Oh? What does Rex Lapis mean by this?"
"With but a single thought from an Aeon, the greater part of the universe may be overturned, and worlds annihilated like dust. Such power… even with the authority of an Archon, or the principles of the Heavenly Principles, one would struggle to even glimpse their back. When disaster has not yet arrived, there is no need to worry like the man of Qi who feared the sky would fall; but when disaster does arrive…"
Zhongli did not continue. His fingertips gently stroked the cup's rim, his gaze lowered slightly, as if contemplating the tea leaves floating and sinking within the cup, or perhaps looking through the tea soup toward a far more distant past.
Silence was already the best answer. Xianyun understood intuitively and asked no more.
Outside the private room, the storyteller's voice drifted in faintly, recounting the ancient legend of Rex Lapis suppressing the sea beast. From the corner of her eye, Xianyun glimpsed a trace of a bitter smile on Zhongli's lips, imperceptible and fleeting, as if it were merely her illusion.
—
「 Leonard excitedly introduced Ms. Herta's collection to Stelle—items like the Rating Pistol and the like—but Stelle's mind was completely elsewhere.
She saw the wreckage of a red greatsword displayed in a case to the side. It floated in mid-air, drawn by some unknown force that outlined the silhouette of the broken blade. Its mottled surface looked like a wasteland scorched by wildfire, whispering of its past.
A sudden, subtle warmth drifted through the air, brushing against her cheek and lingering beside Stelle's ear. 」
「 ..... 」
〜Honkai: Impact 3rd World〜
"That sword…"
Himeko gazed quietly at the shattered greatsword, her brow furrowing slightly. An inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up in her heart, as if this broken weapon had once trembled in her hands, cleaving through despairing darkness.
"Eh—"
Kiana let out a sound of surprise.
"Auntie Himeko, the design of this greatsword actually matches your Valkyrie battlesuit quite well."
"Kiana… just from a few fragments of a broken sword, how can you tell it matches Major Himeko's battlesuit?"
Mei quietly studied the scant remains of the sword.
"And for it to be shattered like this, the person wielding it must have gone through an extraordinary battle, right?"
"True. If Auntie Himeko's weapon became like this…"
The young girl thought about it for just a moment before immediately shaking her head.
"Forget it, forget it, that's way too ominous!"
Watching the girl's twin tails sway back and forth, Himeko suddenly let out a laugh, reaching out to ruffle Kiana's hair.
"Who can say for sure what the future holds? However—"
Her hand moved slowly down to rest on Kiana's shoulder, her tone firm.
"As your instructor and captain, no matter how shattered my weapon becomes, I will do everything in my power to protect every single one of you, and never let you fall into danger."
"Eh?! Au… Auntie Himeko, don't say things like that!"
"That is my principle."
A smile curled at the corner of Himeko's lips.
"Let's go. The next class is combat training. Kiana, since you said you wanted me to worry less, how about I be your opponent for this practical session?"
—
「 Stelle was admiring Herta's Curios on the side, while Leonard was reasoning to himself nearby. As he deduced, he actually stumbled upon a clue; he recalled that among Herta's Curios was a game cartridge named "Punklorde Mentality," and that item was also on the list of missing Curios.
Leonard speculated that Silver Wolf's actions on the Space Station were merely a diversion. She hadn't taken the Stellaron at all, but rather that "Punklorde Mentality" game cartridge!
Stelle nodded. The Stellaron Hunters indeed hadn't taken the Stellaron away, because the Stellaron had been taken away by her.
"The Stellaron Hunters' movements will instead become a smokescreen for our investigation. Impressive. As expected of someone from Punklorde," Leonard marveled, clicking his tongue.
Although Stelle felt this bro was reading a bit too much into it, she was still willing to accompany him to the monitoring room to take a look. However, after some investigation, reality delivered a swift slap to the face; Leonard discovered that the Curio had never left the Space Station at all, but had been sent into Ms. Herta's office.
This was the only lead left. Leonard refused to give up, so Stelle had no choice but to accompany him to Herta's office.
But the moment Stelle pushed open the door to Herta's office, she felt a chill on the back of her neck—the room was filled with a subtle smell of gunpowder, and unfortunately, the fuse was already lit. Herta and Screwllum were staring each other down, the atmosphere tense with drawn swords and bent bows.
"Don't even think about it." Herta's puppet suddenly crossed her arms, her voice rising a few notches. "I'll say it again. I don't care what kind of nonsense Ruan Mei whispered in your ear. You want to shut down the Simulated Universe? Not a chance!"
"Herta. This is my decision." Screwllum's tone remained calm and gentle. "Query: What have we invested in this project? Hundreds of system hours, the resources of an entire planet, and the most advanced technology in the universe. And what have we gained? Unknowns, doubts, and a string of error reports."
"The Simulated Universe needs errors; those were your own words. The current status fits that perfectly, so why are you unsatisfied now?"
"I appreciate the flow of knowledge. However, Herta, consider this: How many surprises has this project given you? Consider again: How many disappointments has it given you?"
"The Simulated Universe never disappoints me. What disappoints me is you… Screwllum. Do you really think of yourself as someone so exceptionally amazing? Right now, you're more like... like... like someone from the Nitwit Society." 」
「 ..... 」