"They're... really gone?"
"Indeed."
Discovering that this wasn't an empty option but actually triggered subsequent plot development, both Himeko and Welt were astonished.
However.
For some reason, as they read these few short lines, they both felt an inexplicable sense of sorrow.
Who was grieving?
There was no way to know.
Perhaps it was due to the subsequent content: Black Swan's disappearance, and the irreversible worsening of March's condition.
And that line... about the fate of Amphoreus and the potential upheaval it might bring to the galaxy?
They couldn't shake the feeling that if their Astral Express Crew truly left, something catastrophic and irreversible might happen.
Regardless, at this moment, Himeko felt a certain admiration for the game's Author.
No matter who he was, the ability to evoke such a profound sense of loss with just a few strokes of the pen was truly impressive.
But it also gave both of them pause for thought.
Just how many more secrets did that world outside the window, shaped like an '∞', hold?
Could it really be as the game suggested?
Before they could ponder further, another line of text popped up.
Himeko: "There's more?!"
[Leading Star: Stelle]
[Starring: Dan Heng as Dan Heng]
[Phainon as??]
[Castorice as Castorice??]
[Tiresias as Tribbie, Trinnon, Trianne,??,??,??...]
[Aglaea as Aglaea]
[Mydmos as Mydei]
[?? as??]
[Nikador as Nikador]
At this moment, Himeko and Welt's gaze was completely immersed in the screen.
What in the world.
What the hell is all this?!
The information was so explosive that Himeko and Welt were speechless for a long moment.
This seemed to be a list of characters who had appeared on Amphoreus so far.
Following the pattern of 'Dan Heng as Dan Heng' and 'Tiresias as Tribbie,' it should be the order of real names to character names, which wasn't particularly problematic.
But here's the key point: why were so many replaced with '??'?!
There was even '?? as??,' placed prominently at the front despite not having appeared yet. Who could that be?
Himeko's voice seemed to deepen: "Just how many secrets is Amphoreus still hiding?"
Old Yang shared the same sentiment: "We don't know yet, but perhaps it concerns many things."
"Especially this game Author—there's not a single clue, and we have no idea what position he holds. Friend or foe?"
"However." Welt checked his watch, "According to the time, Sunday should be back soon."
After learning about Robin's news, Sunday had gone to find her. Her return might bring some clues, however few.
"Alright." Himeko forced herself to relax a bit. "We still need to keep following this game for now. If it really comes to that..."
If it really came to that, they'd have no choice but to seek help.
After all, Dan Heng and Stelle were currently out of contact, and Himeko and Old Yang, being outside, could do nothing.
And as the two redirected their attention back to the game...
[May this journey lead us to the stars.]
The final line of text scrolled by.
Then.
It crashed!
Himeko: "?"
...
This segment resembling a cast list wasn't seen only by Himeko; many players had also reached this point.
However.
Even though the subsequent content showed Aglaea talking with Tribbie, not truly intending to harm them but merely testing them.
And both Castorice and Phainon stated that their lives had never been threatened.
The community continued to swell, completely exploding.
[This is a huge amount of information, but why did it crash? Forcing me to stay, huh?]
[I've had enough. She threatened us with death, so why are we still here? I want to escape Amphoreus right now!]
[Phainon and Castorice are good, Aglaea is bad!]
[Is this Aglaea the Okhema sun or something? Forbidding talk of things beyond the sky, then wanting to kill us for it...]
[Doesn't anyone feel this plot is OOC? As a Trailblazer, how could I possibly lose to a mere demigod from a small world?]
[Yeah, yeah, I know Trailblazers have defeated beings comparable to Emanators. Has this game Author ever been a Trailblazer? Writing nonsense about things he doesn't understand.]
[Aglaea's character is completely ruined. I always said most fan-made games are just cash grabs; better not get your hopes up too high.]
[Wait, isn't this the game Author's problem? If you want to blame someone, blame the Author!]
[Sigh, the Author can only do some character modeling. Even my grandma could write a better character than this.]
[Hey, upstairs, don't be so quick to criticize. The Author's storyline has just begun, right? There might be a plot twist later.]
[What a joke~ The Author sells characters first, then releases the plot. Clearly just farming credits, not afraid of the time-space police! If there's a twist, I'll max out her constellations!]
The denunciations of Aglaea stretched endlessly across the interstellar forums.
But it also showed just how explosively popular Xu Qiong's current game was, even attracting numerous content creators to make videos about it.
[Critical Review of the New Game 'honkai: star rail': New Character's Persona Collapses, a Black Train Game Disguised as Epic?]
[Understanding Aglaea's motives, but unable to accept her actions. Maybe Amphoreus isn't worth saving!]
[Goddess? More like a ruler! Criticizing Demigod Aglaea's cruel and indifferent actions, doubting her ability to lead the Chrysos Heirs!]
Clicking into any of the numerous videos revealed a uniform stream of Make complaints content.
Even the comments were packed with high-quality gems!
[I said from the start not to come to this Amphoreus place. Didn't listen? Now look what happened!]
[Oh my god, who on earth suggested coming to Amphoreus? Am I, a Herta Space Station researcher, not authoritative enough? I said we should go to the ocean planet, Lusaka!]
[Go to Lusaka? Wouldn't the Glazed Light Belt be better than this?]
[I remember, wasn't it Black Swan who first suggested going to Amphoreus? Did she lose her damn mind?]
[I really can't take it anymore. Why did I come here to suffer like this? What a joke, Black Swan.]
Of course.
Some felt that Trailblazing should be fraught with difficulties, so Xu Qiong's main storyline wasn't a problem.
[Can we hold off on the criticism? This is only the first version, and we haven't even finished the first version's main story, right?]
[Exactly, exactly. Didn't Aglaea say? She's a demigod who has lost much of her humanity. Acting this way isn't strange, is it?]
Although Guinaifen and others felt it was passable, the overwhelming backlash left them no room to voice their opinions.
As a result, Guinaifen chose to ignore it and prepared to continue pushing through the main storyline.
And on Amphoreus...
Scrolling through the chaotic community, Xu Qiong had anticipated this.
Similarly, whether it was the portrayal in the storyline or the discussions and condemnations in the player community, Aglaea and the Chrysos Heirs were also watching.
Holding the stone tablet, Aglaea's expression remained calm, serene, and unreadable.
She silently browsed, just like in the game, not feeling indignant or resentful despite Stelle and Dan Heng's complaints about her.
However, Tiresias beside her wore a look of deep concern, mixed with heartache.
As the first Chrysos Heir to receive the revelation of fate, she had accompanied Aglaea the longest, through most cycles as well.
Thus, she understood best the burdens Aglaea had borne over the millennia.
"Agy..."