Wende watched with his own eyes as the fake Wende added a massive amount of some unknown substance to the dark cuisine he was preparing for Stelle. Then, with a hypocritical smile, he walked into the Parlor Car and handed it to Stelle, who was busy "flirting" with Kafka.
"Do I usually smile in such an artificial way?"
Wende rubbed his own face, watching the imposter take a spoon and feed the dark cuisine to Stelle, spoonful by spoonful. He felt a wave of uncertainty.
Maybe he needed to change his smile?
What's that? You ask why he wasn't concerned about what Stelle was eating? Please. In this universe, besides Himeko's coffee and cookies, is there anything that can actually poison Stelle? If it weren't for her petite frame, Wende would suspect she was gluttony itself.
This small dose of poison... it wouldn't even be enough to get stuck between her teeth, would it?
While marveling at this, Wende didn't forget his mission to free Stelle from the dream. His Chaos energy once again scanned the carriage. With the experience from March's dream, he quickly located the fissure. Unlike in March's dream, this time it was inside the data bank. Not a big problem. First, he needed to get Stelle to notice him.
"Ahmm!"
Stelle blissfully accepted the spoon from the fake Wende and chewed lightly a couple of times. Then, the smile on her face vanished.
"Ptooey!"
Stelle decisively shot up from "Kafka's" embrace and spat out the contents of her mouth. A baseball bat instantly appeared in her hand, pointed directly at the two "imposters" before her.
"You're not Wende and Kafka! Even Wende's dark cuisine tastes a million times better than what you just made!"
Stelle glared menacingly at the two "imposters." Seeing that their cover was blown, the two began to reveal their true forms. Wielding their weapons, they charged at Stelle!
But for the current Stelle, "Star Rail's Little Lu Bu," the pressure these two monsters exuded couldn't compare to a single hair on Wende's head! With her baseball bat, it was one swing, one kill! Two crisp cracks echoed through the room as Stelle instantly obliterated the two imposters who had been deceiving her for so long.
"Hmm, aside from her brain not being quite right, my dear daughter is still pretty formidable."
Wende, who had witnessed the entire process from the sidelines, clapped his hands in appreciation, sighing with emotion as he watched Stelle inspect the battlefield.
Compared to March, Stelle's performance was quite impressive. It seemed that after the Punklorde incident was over, he would have to ask Jingliu to put March through some "demonic training." After all, only an archer who can fight in close combat is a good archer. He had always been a firm believer in this.
---o---
Since Stelle had dealt with these monsters, all he needed to do was guide her to the exit, and then he could go save the next person.
He now understood the purpose of this space. Every time he rescued someone from the illusion, the next person would appear, awaiting his help. Although this method was a bit slow, it was much faster than letting them break the illusion on their own.
Same old routine. Wende took control of a metal skull, intending to reveal his identity to Stelle.
Just as he was struggling to think of what secret code to use to confirm his identity with her, a sharp crack sounded next to his ear. The metal skull under his control went flying past him.
"It has a second form? Good thing I was paying attention, or I would've been ambushed!"
Stelle wiped the corner of her mouth and looked at the skull she had sent flying with a single swing. She disdainfully rubbed her nose, looking every bit the part of a little street punk.
"..."
Wende was silent, but not completely silent. On second thought, it made sense. As expected of Star Rail's one and only female protagonist, her vigilance was almost on par with that of the Cautious Hero...
But... why wasn't Stelle this vigilant when she was around him?
Wende quickly pondered this question, and his gaze toward Stelle softened.
Forget it. She is my good daughter, after all. I'll help her get out of here.
This time, Wende chose to directly control another metal skull. While Stelle's attention was focused on the first one, he deliberately had it bang against a door to get her attention, then began guiding her toward the data bank.
Stelle: "What? More monsters?! All must die!"
And so, General Stelle chased after it, brandishing her "war club." Any similar monsters she encountered along the way were knocked to the ground with a single swing, sent into a very peaceful slumber.
"Is this... a crack? Appearing out of thin air?"
Stelle, who had rampaged her way to the data bank in god-mode, tilted her head. A thoughtful glint flashed in her golden eyes. Looking at the skull floating in the air, she seemed to realize something. The fierce look in her eyes instantly cleared up. She slowly looked at the floating skull that seemed to be guiding her and said softly, "Wende?"
"Oh? It seems Stelle is quite smart after all."
Wende smiled, then had the skull bob up and down, as if nodding.
"Did you come here just to save me? I'm so moved!"
"Wende! My good Wende!"
"..."
Watching Stelle, who was on the verge of losing her mind with excitement, Wende suddenly felt as if the touching sentiment from a moment ago had been devoured by a Diting. Seeing that she had already touched the fissure with her hand, Wende could only temporarily shelve the idea of smacking the metal skull against her head. Once they were out, he would just use the lightning needle directly!
And just like that, Stelle's dream ended. And the next one...
Wende looked at the sleeping Dan Heng. For some reason, the level of erosion displayed on his body was constantly decreasing. Could it be that his dream self had already realized he was in an illusion? As expected of the third most reliable person on the train...
Even so, Wende still chose to enter his dream to give him a hand. After all, finding that fissure would still take a lot of time.
---o---
Dan Heng wielded Cloud-Piercer, clashing endlessly with the man before him. This battle felt like it had been going on for a very long time. When did it start? It was probably when he realized this was an illusion... Still, to think this illusion could conjure him. It seemed this place had some power to it.
A crimson sword slash once again hurtled toward Dan Heng. Unflustered, Dan Heng held Cloud-Piercer horizontally before him in a defensive stance, blocking the attack once more.
He's not as annoying as the real one, but he's inherited the part about being unkillable...
Looking at the illusion of "Blade," Dan Heng thought with utter helplessness.