[After hearing that line, I'll be honest, I'm completely sold on the title "Godfather."]
[Indeed, Godfather's full title is "Father of Compulsory Education"!]
[Instantly elevated—truly worthy of Godfather!]
[I'm in awe of Star Rail's writers. I'm growing a brain!]
[As a mortal, compared to geniuses, I prefer Godfather.]
[Godfather's like a stern college professor in class—strict, yet cares more than anyone.]
[Stop, you're gonna make me cry.]
["But a failed life is still a life, they have the right to taste it to the end." That line is incredible, especially coming from Godfather.]
[Exactly, paired with his earlier act of giving out movie tickets, I know it's miHoYo's setup, but who's to say it's not all within miHoYo's plan?]
[He's brilliantly crafted both in and out of the story. I love Godfather's character.]
[High-Energy Alert ahead, recommend memorizing the whole thing!]
"I have a cleanliness obsession. I can't stand idiots, fools, or morons. Seeing them makes me want to die—sadly, this space station, like the Intelligentsia Guild, has no geniuses, just a sea of mediocrity."
At this, Dr. Ratio instinctively closed his eyes.
"You want to eradicate the staff's blind faith in 'geniuses.'"
Dr. Ratio shook his head. "I merely raise my doubts. As for the answers… they'll figure it out themselves.
Seeking with a skeptical mindset is still seeking, and it can lead us to the right destination. For a group of mundanes to awaken, this is a necessary process."
"More than a scholar, you're truly a 'doctor.'"
"As for the sparks I left behind…"
"I trust Asta can handle them properly."
Dr. Ratio nodded slightly. "That's her assignment. Well then, farewell. I hope to meet you geniuses again in the future. I believe it will be, as today…"
He smashed the oddity containing Duke Inferno's flame at his feet, flames enveloping him.
He gave Screwllum an elegant parting bow.
"A farce, full of troubles."
"In the end, nothing but…"
"The mundane troubled by themselves."
Dr. Ratio turned and left, vanishing within the space station…
Screwllum extended his right hand, collecting the star-like sparks into his palm. He seemed to shake his head helplessly, or perhaps he was smiling.
[That line is fire!]
[Worthy of Godfather!]
[Godfather may be sharp-tongued, but he genuinely cares for everyone. That's what makes him so precious—he doesn't act superior just because he's a genius.]
[Godfather's carrying the whole show!]
The perspective returned to Stelle, wandering the space station, receiving a message from Herta:
"I heard about it. Good job."
Stelle replied instantly, "How's Asta doing?"
"She's already back to work."
"I meant her safety…"
"With me here, you're still worried?"
"With you here, I'm even more worried."
"Fair enough."
"Forget it, let's say Ruan Mei owes me a favor—higher value that way."
"You should thank Mr. Ratio too."
"Who's that?"
"Hm?"
"Hm?"
The screen went black, the Astral Express logo appeared, followed by the words "The End."
[Damn, that final message exchange is the cherry on top!]
[In the eyes of geniuses, there's no place for the mundane.]
[Exactly, Godfather's the one with humanity.]
[It's this contradictory characterization that made me love Dr. Ratio. Looking forward to Godfather's next performance.]
At this moment, a line appeared on the screen: "Don't leave, there's a post-credits scene."
After the credits rolled, a dark screen lit up with a beam of light, as if doors were pushed open from both sides.
Accompanied by footsteps, the camera focused on a close-up of the lower half of a walking figure, dressed in extravagant clothing.
The figure's face wasn't visible, but his voice was clear.
"Yo, pretty lucky, huh? Messed up a project this big and only got demoted one rank. Looks like the higher-ups are looking out for you. Oh, they're all offline now, right? Well—
I'll just turn off this trashy effect device."
He kept talking to himself as he walked, unstoppable.
"Since you get it, let's talk business: I'm in Pier Point now, got a big deal tied to the whole department. This trip's missing a reliable project manager—buddy, you're the one."
His voice paused for a few seconds. "What else? Penacony, of course."
Sensing hesitation on the other end, he relished it. "That's right~ I love that reaction. So, you in?"
The camera slowly panned up, revealing his slightly upturned lips. He roughly pushed open a room.
Inside, a man with a plaster head was flipping through a book.
Dr. Ratio maintained his posture, continuing to turn pages.
"What? In the company, don't executives need manners? Knocking is basic etiquette."
"Sorry, I got impatient. So, just letting the professor know—are we ready to go?" The camera finally revealed the visitor's appearance.
Dressed flamboyantly with vibrant, multicolored eyes, he gave the audience the impression of a stereotypical rich kid.
Dr. Ratio didn't respond, silently putting away his book.
The flashy man smiled slightly. "Penacony, here we come."
[Penacony again? How many times has it been mentioned?]
[Who's this guy? Doesn't look like a good person.]
[Yeah, if Godfather wasn't wearing his headpiece, I bet he'd be pissed.]
[Penacony again, brought up so many times.]
[This is probably setting up Season 4, right?]
[Most likely. Season 4's gotta be Penacony. Wonder what kind of story it'll tell?]
[One more question: who's the guy with Godfather? Someone from the company? And who was he calling?]
[Why care so much? It's miHoYo's usual trick—just watch and enjoy. Like Season 3, they drop hints everywhere.]
[Show's over, nothing more.]
Late at night, at Himeko's Coffee Shop, the wind chimes at the door rang with a cheerful jingle.
Su Chen slowly pushed open the door.
He was about to head back to his temporary base but decided against it.
It was too far, so he'd crash at the coffee shop for the night.
Feeling parched, he approached the counter to grab a glass of water.
But,
his ears twitched, catching faint sounds from somewhere.
Deep, hoarse, like a malevolent ghost.
Su Chen wasn't scared. Gripping his glass tightly, he moved toward the sound.
At the corner of a table, he saw a long, tangled mass.
What was that?
Seaweed?
Kelp?
Su Chen turned on the coffee shop's lights. "Oh, it's hair!"
"Hair!!!"
He cautiously approached and saw a pale face hidden beneath the hair.
"Urgh…" As Su Chen grabbed a nearby wooden chair to swing, the figure uttered two words.
"Help me"
Su Chen's eyes widened slightly, closely examining the figure's appearance.
Though a bit abstract, there was still some humanity, faintly recognizable.
And wearing flip-flops?
He'd seen this outfit somewhere!
No way, could it be Firefly?
Su Chen quickly helped Firefly up, spotting the two decorative marks on her cheeks, confirming it was her.
"Firefly, what happened? How'd you end up like this? Who hurt you? I'll get revenge! Feixiao, Hoolay, Jingliu, Dan Heng, Jing Yuan, Yanqing, and Firefly—they'll all team up to back you up."
Firefly's trembling hand pointed to the side. Su Chen followed her finger.
Sure enough, he saw writing. "Is this a clue you left?"
Su Chen gently set Firefly down and began reading the text:
"Hey everyone, it's Firefly. The weather's nice today, so I decided to have some fun in the interactive city. In the morning, I ate at a breakfast shop… then at noon… I texted Sampo… and finally came to the coffee shop…"
After rambling for about a thousand words, Firefly must have been too exhausted to continue, so she wrote,
"So I'm going to…"
Su Chen scratched his head, feeling his intelligence wasn't up to the task. "Uh… what's she trying to say?"
But he glanced at the empty coffee cup on the table, lost in thought.
Wait, why are there coffee stains in the cup?
Himeko would definitely keep things spotless.
No way!
He looked at Firefly, still twitching on the floor. "You didn't drink Himeko's coffee, did you? There's like seven or eight cups here! Oh man."
Su Chen hoisted Firefly over his shoulder and headed to the hospital building next door.
The next day, early morning.
In the staff building, Stelle yawned as she walked out the main door.
"Big sis Stelle, what're you up to?"
Stelle rubbed her eyes, scanning around until she spotted a Yunli cat in front of her.
"Ah~ What's up? Want candied hawthorn? Go find my brother, I don't have any."
"No, that's not it. Don't you remember? Ever since those Siblings moved in, the interactive city's been getting tons of new shops. I heard there's a newsstand where you can get a free scratch-off every day!"
Stelle instantly perked up. "Oh? That kind of deal? Let's go check it out."
…
Soon after,
Stelle and Yunli arrived outside a newsstand. Stelle rubbed her chin.
"Wait, you sure this is a newsstand? Why's it just a dog?"
"Seems the owner's never around, so they got a husky to watch the shop." Yunli teased the husky while speaking.
"A dog running a shop? That's as shocking as Scott being a lead actor." Stelle tried saying to the husky, "I want a free scratch-off."
The husky stuck out its tongue, nodded as if it understood, and handed Stelle a scratch-off with its paw.
Stelle blinked. "Fine! I'm used to it! After all, Pepe can pick locks, so I'll just accept it."
Then, Stelle and Yunli found an open-air bench to sit on.
Stelle carefully scraped the scratch-off with her fingernail. "By the way, why didn't you grab one?"
Yunli sighed. "I wanted to, but that dog wouldn't give me one. Later, I asked Billy from Cunning Hares, and he said only the Wise-Belle siblings, you, and Su Chen can get free scratch-offs. No one else can, even if they pay."
"There's such a thing? Why just the four of us? Oh, it's Thursday today—remember to come to the coffee shop for our team-building."
"Can I skip it? Silver Wolf said no one who joins this team-building comes out unscathed."
"No worries. Look at March 7th and Silver Wolf—they're still full of energy, right? I heard today's story will be explosive."
The next moment, Stelle's expression changed drastically. "Wow! Look at this! Holy—!"
Yunli's eyes lit up. "What? Hotpot's on me?"
"No, holy—!"
"Hotpot? I brought you here, so I get a share."
"Wow! Wow!"
"Buy me candied hawthorn. I want ten sticks."