"Let's hold off on exploring Sumeru City and gathering Lumina's breakthrough materials for now. We should focus on completing the Main Story first."
Little Bear wasted no time following Gao Guang's guidance to the hotel. Following the Main Story's prompts, he quickly completed the check-in process.
Watching Lumina's retreating figure, Little Bear didn't dwell on it and immediately chose to rest.
As Little Bear clicked "Rest," the game screen abruptly went dark, and the perspective shifted—from the Trailblazer's viewpoint to Lumina's.
"Dual-perspective switching... I hope this doesn't lead to some kind of heartbreaking twist."
Seeing the game screen shift to Lumina's perspective and the playable character change to Lumina, Little Bear couldn't help but feel a pang of worry.
[If there's no tearjerker, I'll eat this screen!]
[If there's no tearjerker, I'll eat my boss!]
[Heh, you little gluttons! You've finally caught my attention!]
[Blind guess: While the exact same plot points won't repeat, Mihoyo never said the same narrative template can't be reused. The Version 1.7 tearjerker probably involves Irminsul!]
[Is that even a blind guess? We already established that the Sumeru Star System and the Xianzhou Alliance are top-tier powers. To truly cripple such forces, you have to strike at their foundations—like the Ambrosial Arbor and Irminsul. One hit to either and they crumble in silence.]
Although the live stream's comment section was mostly filled with frivolous remarks, a few serious and thoughtful comments occasionally surfaced.
Little Bear felt immensely relieved. Thank goodness, the live stream isn't entirely full of perverts. There are normal people here too...
"Hmm... Is Irminsul acting up again? Better go check it out right away."
The next moment, Lumina's muttered words in the game echoed through everyone's ears, confirming the commenter's suspicion.
"This place is so far away..." Little Bear lamented, staring at the in-game distance of over a thousand meters with no teleport beacons in sight.
Lumina was currently positioned not far from the hotel in Sumeru City. In this early stage of Honkai: Star Rail, where teleport beacons were yet to be activated, a distance of over a thousand meters felt particularly daunting.
"Charge! Charge! Charge!"
But this was merely a hurdle within the confines of Honkai: Star Rail. As a seasoned player of the esteemed two-word game Genshin Impact, Little Bear considered a mere thousand-meter distance utterly insignificant!
Locking onto the direction, Little Bear maintained intimate contact between his middle finger and the "W" key, gradually shrinking the distance.
"These new monsters... they're the Abyssal forces showcased in Lumina's character PV, right?"
Upon reaching their mission destination in the mountains behind Sumeru City, several shapeless, pitch-black creatures radiating darkness, dread, and an unknowable aura materialized before them.
Little Bear vaguely remembered these beings from the Special Preview Program, where they had been briefly mentioned. They had also appeared in Lumina's character PV.
Moreover, thanks to a certain neighboring two-word game, Little Bear harbored no fondness whatsoever for these Abyssal creatures.
[Hiss... Am I still trapped in the Sabzeruz Festival?]
[Sumeru City, House of Daena, Irminsul, Abyssal Power... Crap! I'm stuck in the Samsara of the Sabzeruz Festival forever!]
[These Abyssal Creatures are so disgusting and creepy... The ones from that two-word game next door were way cuter...]
[Heheheԅ(♡『♡ԅ) Abyss Mage, heheheԅ(♡『♡ԅ) Abyss Mage, come home with me, Sister~ My bathroom and bed are quite spacious... We can bathe together after playing, and then sleep together afterward, heheheԅ(♡『♡ԅ)~]
[The one above is such a pervert! They'd even lay hands on an Abyss Mage! I'm going to condemn you from the moral high ground! By the way... can you add me? I have a doujinshi featuring a Hydro Abyss Mage!!!]
[Big Brother! Father! I have a friend...]
The moment the word "Abyss" appeared, a certain "two-word" Player began their "triggered" reaction. The live stream's viewership even visibly plummeted for a moment. Whether this was due to viewers getting caught slacking off at work by their bosses or other unforeseen circumstances remains unknown...
"So the Abyssal Power is overflowing? It seems the situation is far more serious than I imagined..."
In the game, Lumina surveyed the Abyssal Creatures materializing around her without a trace of panic or alarm. Instead, she completely ignored them, muttering under her breath.
"Hiss... ha... hiss... ha... hiss... ha..." Sensing her disregard, the Abyssal Creatures hissed hoarsely before lunging at her.
The screen shattered, plunging into combat.
The battle was short-lived. With Little Bear's character's exceptionally high level, victory was swift and decisive.
"Looks like I need to hurry and resolve the Irminsul issue..."
After the battle, the camera panned back to the overworld. As Lumina's muttered words echoed, the quest marker's distance changed to just over seven hundred meters, pointing toward the towering, magnificent Irminsul tree in the distance.
"Why is this knife's aura getting stronger and stronger?"
Watching Lumina's in-game mutterings, Little Bear's expression darkened considerably.
"No! Lady Lumina, please don't get knifed! I'll do anything!"
[Just release your browser history then (smirking)]
[One thing at a time]
[One thing at a goddamn time (facepalm)]
"It's okay, it's okay," Little Bear reassured the visibly dejected comments. "Lumina still has to go to Penacony later, she won't die, she won't die."
Instead of calming the situation, Little Bear's reassurance ignited another eruption in the comment section.
["She won't die"? So as long as she survives in the end, you can just torture her to death as many times as you want in between, right? ]
[Great, she's the Undying Lord now! We're doomed! ]
[Guess how many times Lumina will die? ]
[As the Emanator of Abundance, dying and resurrecting multiple times seems perfectly reasonable, right? ]
[Is that really how the Abundance Emanator's powers work? ]
Hearing Little Bear's assurance that Lumina would definitely survive in the end, the hearts of some players, which had been racing with anxiety, finally stilled.
Because...
Now the question wasn't if there would be tragedy, but rather how many times Lumina would die in this storyline...
-
"Why? Why is so much Corruption staining the branches of Irminsul?"
As Little Bear's character reached the mission location, the screen abruptly went dark, transitioning into a cutscene.
In the cutscene, Lumina slowly walked beneath Irminsul, placing her palm against the tree's trunk. She tilted her head back, gazing up at its flourishing branches and leaves, which radiated a divine aura. As if sensing something amiss, a shadow of sorrow crossed her face.
"Could it be... that thing?" Lumina seemed to realize something, withdrawing her hand. She lowered her head, cradled her chin, and fell into thought.
"It seems... I must..."
Her expression gradually turned serious as she seemed to arrive at a conclusion. But in the next instant, her expression shifted dramatically. She whipped her head around, her ice-cold, piercing gaze instantly piercing the hearts of everyone present.
"Who's there?!"
The cutscene froze on Lumina's icy, peerless beauty... The screen went black, and the perspective shifted back to the Trailblazer's side.
Even though the CG sequence had ended, the players in the live stream remained captivated by Lumina's close-up kill and icy gaze.
This was the first time players had seen Lumina in this form. Logically, they should either dislike this version of her or feel indifferent, finding it unfamiliar and unremarkable.
But the viewers of Little Bear's Livestream unanimously chose a third option.
[Hiss... Ha... Hiss... Ha... Yes, yes! That expression! That gaze! ԅ(♡『♡ԅ) Step on me, step on me! Please! Please!!!]
[I can't even imagine how blissful it would feel to be stepped on by Lumina with that expression!]
[Ahem, it's nothing special, really. Rather bland. I'm more interested in national affairs.]
[Young man! How can you let your mind be consumed by petty romances, by a mere woman? Fight on! Break free from this cage! The nation needs you!]
["At this rate, even if you found girlfriends, you'd break up at light speed." (Facepalm)]
"Ahem, this is a proper live stream! This is a proper live stream! If you keep this up, I'll kick you all out!"
Little Bear desperately wanted Lumina to step on him too, but as a public figure—especially on live stream—he absolutely couldn't voice such desires.
If I can't say it, then no one else gets to either, Little Bear thought to himself.
Just as he expected, the comment section instantly fell silent after his warning, save for a few scattered, unhinged remarks.
Little Bear showed no mercy, immediately kicking those users out.
Having purged the chat, he nodded in satisfaction as the comment section returned to normal. Following the mission prompts, he continued progressing through the storyline.
"Pardis Dhyai, The Palace of Alcazarzaray, Zubayr Theater... Why do these names sound so familiar? It's like I've heard them somewhere before."
"Do you guys remember? I have a vague impression, but I can't quite place it."
On his first day exploring Sumeru City, Little Bear only completed one quest from Lumina and gained no other significant information. After a brief playthrough controlling his character, he returned to his hotel to rest and advanced to the second day.
Early the next morning, Lumina appeared at the hotel, delivering a quick explanation and mild scolding before hurrying off, seemingly preoccupied with urgent matters.
Following Lumina's instructions, March 7th obediently used Myriad Search to list Sumeru City's must-see attractions. Little Bear's livestream once again surged with excitement.
[Hiss... You're right, Streamer. Now that you mention it, these place names do sound familiar, like we've experienced them before...]
[Oh no, I'm about to grow a brain!]
[Isn't this Sumeru? Tell me this isn't Sumeru! Hmm... Wait, it is Sumeru (covers face).]
[Dude, are we even bros anymore? @Mihoyo, you didn't change a single word? Even if you'd tweaked just one syllable, I wouldn't be saying this. Isn't this a bit much?]
[Alright, we've got the Sanctuary of Surasthana. Nahida can't be far behind, right?]
Although Mihoyo had completely copied the names from a certain two-word game, only a small fraction of players voiced their disapproval. The majority remained indifferent, shrugging it off.
After all, it was just a place name—meaningless in itself. Let them copy it if they want; for some Genshin players, it might even add a touch of familiarity.
The only hope was that the plotlines involving Irminsul and Lumina wouldn't be copied verbatim as well... Otherwise, Mihoyo might as well prepare to face the consequences!
"Here we are, full circle, back in Sumeru again," Little Bear murmured, a touch of wistfulness in his voice despite it being just a name.
A flicker of anticipation stirred within him—a yearning for Nahida's debut.
Yet even if she did appear, according to the mysterious 4-star character in the gacha pool, Nahida would only be a 4-star character... This left Little Bear somewhat disappointed.
Still, a 4-star was a 4-star. At least she'd be easier to pull, saving him a good chunk of money. Not a bad compromise.
-
Little Bear continued playing through the story. After a brief discussion sparked by the mesmerizing rain and dew in the Zubayr Theater, the plot settled into a rather uneventful rhythm.
That is, until...
"I'm Buer, um... Of course, you can also call me Nahida," a white-haired girl in the game said.
"Holy shit, Nahida!"
Seeing Nahida appear before him, Little Bear let out a gasp of shock.
You couldn't blame him for being so astonished. Apart from a change of clothes, this Nahida was virtually identical to the one from Genshin—her height, her hair, everything...
It was as if she'd been copied and pasted directly from the game's asset library.
[Wife! Wife! Wife! Wife! Wife! Wife! Wife!]
[Daughter! Daughter! Daughter! Daughter! Daughter! Daughter! Daughter!]
[Holy copy-paste! They didn't change a single thing except the clothes! Facepalm]
[Buer, Nahida... Even if Nahida suddenly claimed to be one of the Seven Archons of Teyvat, I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest...]
[So... no one thinks Nahida might be the clue Lumina's been searching for? Or maybe... Nahida is Lumina's childhood self?]
"Nahida and Lumina are either mother and daughter, sisters, or the same person—I'm calling it!" Little Bear declared confidently, snapping out of his stunned reverie after Nahida's dramatic entrance.
Based on their relationship in Genshin, Little Bear was absolutely certain of his deduction...