"Stop yelling, you two... get out!"
The owner of the mobile game shop grabbed the little boy with one hand and the little girl with the other, tossing them both out the back door. He then quickly locked the door behind them.
"What do we do?! Big Sis Bai was taken by assassins!" The little girl was on the verge of tears.
"We should report it to the Cloud Knights!"
"Waaah... By the time the Cloud Knights get here, Big Sis Bai will already be dead..." The little girl burst into loud sobs.
Suddenly, the little boy covered her mouth, his expression grave. "Quiet—look over there!"
The back door led to a secluded area. At the end of the alley was a dead end, where a faint white mist had begun to rise. Within it, shadowy figures flickered into view, like phantoms from a video game.
The little girl hurriedly wiped her tears away. The two cautiously approached the end of the alley and climbed onto the wall.
What they saw next left them utterly stunned.
They had to cover their mouths with their hands to keep from screaming in shock.
There, in the narrow alley, stood Bailu and her maid, Huanxi!
Bailu seemed to sense something amiss. She placed a hand on the gourd at her waist and whispered, "Huanxi, something feels off here. It's like we've walked into a trap!"
"Hah..."
Huanxi sighed.
"Lady Bailu, how have I earned such trust from you? Even now, you haven't doubted me for a second. It almost makes me... reluctant."
"Don't worry. When it's time for you to 'depart,' I'll make sure it's as painless as possible."
"Huanxi, you—?!"
Bailu was dumbfounded. How could someone who'd seemed so caring in the story suddenly turn out to be working with the assassins?
Unfortunately, Bailu hadn't finished the [Dragon Returns Home] storyline, so she didn't know that Huanxi would eventually betray her.
Instinctively, she turned to flee—but the only exit was already blocked by two assassins.
Worse, they seemed to have used cloud-weaving magic to conceal everything happening inside the alley from the outside world.
Bailu gritted her teeth, her face twisted with frustration.
"Dammit! Am I really going to die here...? There's still so much good food and fun I haven't had yet..."
Huanxi stepped forward, twin daggers gleaming in her hands.
"Don't worry, Lady Bailu. It'll be over soon. You won't feel a thing..."
Bailu squeezed her eyes shut, too scared to watch.
But just then—
A man materialized out of thin air, standing between Bailu and Huanxi like a ghost.
Huanxi froze.
Because the daggers in her hands suddenly seemed to gain a will of their own—and plunged straight into her own chest.
Her face twisted in shock as she collapsed.
Just as she had promised Bailu moments ago...
It was over quickly.
And painless.
At the same time, every other assassin in the alley met the same fate—killed by their own weapons!
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Bodies slumped to the ground, lifeless.
The pain Bailu had braced for never came.
Trembling, she peeked through her fingers—and saw a man standing before her like a divine savior.
Her eyes widened in shock.
All the assassins around her were dead!
Her mouth fell open in disbelief. She was so stunned she couldn't even speak.
Only the two children witnessed what had happened.
The man had simply appeared—snapped his fingers—and all the enemies dropped dead.
The little boy's eyes sparkled with awe. "So... so strong! I'll never forget that for as long as I live!"
The little girl whispered, "Big Sis Bai... is saved?"
"Oh my god, this feels like a dream...!"
"This is even crazier than the game's story!"
---
Alchemy Commission
After Jing Yuan left, only Dan Heng, Jingliu, and Blade remained to continue watching the story.
Since both Jingliu and Blade had appeared in Honkai: Star Rail's storyline—and given their unique identities—their appearances had been slightly altered to avoid recognition.
Jingliu, for instance, now wore her hair down, with a blue inner outfit and a white coat draped over her shoulders.
Blade, at Jing Yuan's request, had swapped his usual attire for a sleek suit. While it couldn't completely mask his distinctive aura, it at least made him less recognizable to players.
Dan Heng, wanting to avoid unnecessary trouble, had also changed into a simple black coat.
Now, in the [Clouds Leave No Trace] quest, he and Jingliu arrived at the Stargazer Navalia, where they were greeted by Yanqing.
Yanqing tilted his head in confusion. "If you wanted to see starskiffs, you could've just looked up near the Jade Gate. Why come all the way out here?"
Instead of answering, Jingliu asked, "Little one, have you ever heard of the Foxian pilot, Baiheng?"
"Baiheng... Baiheng... That name sounds familiar..."
After selecting this dialogue option, the screen's filter shifted to a sepia-toned flashback.
A line of text appeared:
[The name feels as distant as a passing breeze, stirring no emotions. Yet, for some reason, a voice echoes in your ears...]
"Let the noble Imbibitor Lunae summon the rains and drown the enemy. The rest of us can just watch from the skies, right?"
Jingliu and Blade stiffened.
That was Baiheng's voice.
In the past, hearing her name—or her voice—might have triggered their Mara-struck states instantly.
But after progressing through the story, layer by layer, it was as though their wounds had been given time to scar over.
Now, when the past resurfaced, it still ached—but the pain no longer drove them mad.
In fact, Jingliu even murmured, "If only... Baiheng could be a playable character in this game too."
Blade: "..."
"Well... it's all in the past now. The reason we came to 'Stargazer Navalia' was to pay our respects to her."
"Sending the deceased's starskiff into the cosmos. Back then, I left in such a hurry that I never got to say goodbye. It's been a regret of mine ever since. Before leaving the Luofu, I wanted to settle this matter."
As the starskiff production line activated, Yanqing suddenly spoke up.
"Ah, I remember now! I read about 'Baiheng' in a book once."
"Though I don't read much, General Jing Yuan made me study a lot of ancient texts during strategy training. One of them was called Wanderings Among the Sea of Stars, and the author's name was Baiheng."
"That book was written so humorously—nine out of ten pages were about the author crash-landing her starskiff in different worlds, narrowly escaping danger, and documenting local species and ecosystems."
"I remember thinking, 'How can someone who crashes so often even call themselves a pilot?' But then again, she always managed to escape unscathed. That kind of luck was truly astounding."
Jingliu smiled faintly. "Yes, her luck was always terrible. Every time she flew into battle, she'd either get swallowed whole by Abundance abominations or crash-land behind enemy lines."
"Hardly any starskiff she piloted ever returned intact. The Sky-Faring Commission secretly called her the 'Starskiff Reaper.'"
"Her mouth was cursed too—whatever misfortune she jokingly predicted would come true nine times out of ten. Eventually, few Cloud Knights dared to team up with her."
"But when it came to survival... her luck was uncanny. No matter how dire the situation, she always made it out alive."
"Luck is a kind of strength too... I hope this starskiff, built for the 'Starskiff Reaper,' can return to the cosmos just like she did."
Dan Heng's emotions were complicated.
Unlike Jingliu and Blade, who had endured centuries of torment reliving their memories, this was his first time experiencing the Foxian pilot's story firsthand.
The recollections flickered between first-person and third-person, stirring ripples in his heart.
"Jing Yuan... has been gone for a while now..."
"I'll go check on him."
Dan Heng stood up.
Jingliu paused the story.
"I'll wait for you."
Nodding, Dan Heng headed in the direction Jing Yuan had left.
On one hand, he needed time to process his emotions.
On the other, Jing Yuan had been absent for too long—unless something urgent had come up, he wouldn't have vanished without a word.
---
The Ambush
Dan Heng stepped into the alley.
Due to the recent crackdown on the Denizens of Abundance, the Alchemy Commission was still under heavy security. Aside from designated safe zones, the streets were mostly deserted.
This particular alley was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Yet, for some reason, the layout felt... different from what Dan Heng remembered.
Five minutes later, he stopped.
His sharp gaze turned to the side.
"Who's there?!"
White mist suddenly flooded the alley.
The surroundings blurred, as though submerged in water, before fading entirely.
When the distortion ended—
Dan Heng realized he was no longer in the Alchemy Commission.
Somehow, he'd been transported to a desolate beach.
And surrounding him...
Figures emerged from the mist.
One after another.
More than ten in total.
Each radiated an aura of formidable power.
The mist enveloped the beach, sealing off the area from the outside world.
"Dan Feng... no, we should call you Dan Heng now, shouldn't we?"
An elderly man stared at Dan Heng coldly.
"You took the Imbibitor Lunae's power. You took the art of draconic transformation. Did you really think you could escape consequences?"
"If you don't remember... then consider your body our compensation."
Dan Heng exhaled softly.
Thanks to the game's story, he, Jingliu, and Blade had found common ground.
They'd even begun to reconcile.
But these Dragon Elders...
They still clung to their obsession with the Imbibitor Lunae's legacy.
Fortunately, Dan Heng had prepared for this.
With a flash of cyan light, he transformed—
Into Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae.
"I never wanted to use this power..."
"Hah! Did you think we wouldn't study Star Rail? We know all about your abilities!"
Dan Heng's eyes darkened.
This time, they'd come prepared.
In fact—
They'd likely mobilized their entire force.
This battle...
Would be the final reckoning with the Dragon Elders.
To be continued…
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