Real World
The Version 1.5 Special Program began broadcasting on time at 8 PM. However, Wende was not a participant in this particular preview show. In a way, it was a vacation for him, though he himself was unaware of it. After all, a certain someone was destined to become the designated host for the Honkai world.
This time, the special program featured two voice actors for brand-new characters: Qiqi, the voice actress for Veyl, and Lu Ming, the voice of Meryl.
That's right, Meryl's voice actress was portrayed by the [True Biological Daughter of miHoYo] herself. After all... Meryl doesn't speak, so this task was perfect for Lu Ming!
[Poor Meryl, looks like I have to pull for her now! My adorable baby Lu Ming! She's the wallpaper on both my phones and my PC!]
[Awesome, V! I heard after you were done being a fridge, you came to Star Rail to go on a killing spree? And you opened an orphanage?]
[Huh? It's really Teacher Qiqi! Holy crap, the living terror of Night City came to Punklorde to open an orphanage. I can already picture someone getting their entire family wiped out for touching one of the orphanage kids' lollipops.]
[That settles it, I have to pull now!]
[Jack: Awesome, V!]
[Wait a minute... there really is a big bro named Jack in the story...]
[And there's that hilarious "Edgerunner" achievement, too.]
[Holy smokes, the dev team's tastes are as varied as ever. Can we get a crossover?]
[Does this count as...]
[I'd advise you not to say those two words here.]
[You're right, but the official Cyberpunk account just reposted the special program livestream and said they're looking forward to it, even asking if there was a chance for a collaboration...]
"Ahhh! My V! Why didn't you tell me sooner that you were my V! Quick! I can't wait a single second longer for this 1.4 version to end! Let me pull for my Veyl now!!!"
Antarctic Bear leads Arctic Goose was practically glued to the livestream, letting out an indescribable penguin screech.
In an instant, fans of both franchises rejoiced. The first half of Version 1.5 would feature Veyl, and the second half would have the 5-star Tingyun plus the 4-star Meryl. This meant the combined weight of these two banners was...
Wallet: "Are you targeting me?"
Everyone originally thought the Fire DPS Tingyun was the whale bait. Who knew, who knew... they weren't letting anyone off the hook!
---o---
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Wende's face was dark as he repeatedly pounded his chest. His eyes were subtly rolling upwards, looking as if he were about to ascend to the heavens.
Finally, he managed to spit out what was in his mouth, squatting by the entrance of Meryl's mansion, his face pale with lingering fear.
[Is Mr. Wende... alright?]
Meryl looked worriedly at Wende, who looked like his soul was about to fly out of his head, and turned to Jingliu and Himeko.
"Mm, don't worry, he'll be fine."
Jingliu shook her head nonchalantly, popping one of the seemingly exquisite "cookies" from the table into her mouth as if nothing was wrong.
"Hmm... could it be that Wende is allergic to coffee?"
Himeko picked up a "cookie." She looked at the brown biscuit, sniffed it lightly, then parted her lips and took a bite.
"Mm... the taste is actually okay. Maybe he really is allergic to coffee."
Himeko cast a pitying glance at Wende, who was still taking a long time to recover. How pitiful, to be unable to enjoy the deliciousness of coffee. Wait, could it be that everyone on the Astral Express was allergic to coffee, which is why they disliked drinking hers so much?
Himeko pondered this, holding her chin.
"Nom..." Meryl chewed on a cookie, her expression unchanged.
"Heh heh... coffee cookies made by three people with abnormal taste buds..."
Wende sat on the steps in front of the door, looking completely broken. A moment ago, he had actually thought Jingliu had a change of heart and was finally going to reward him for his hard work...
Who knew this was an assassination attempt!
The coffee cookies were a joint creation of Himeko's coffee and Meryl's craftsmanship, with Jingliu acting as the taste-tester. That one bite he took... he felt as if his master, who had long passed away and whose ashes had even been scattered, was standing right in front of him, smiling...
"Huh? Wende, why are you sitting here?"
March, who had just finished exploring the surroundings with Stelle, bent down and asked Wende curiously.
"Uh... I think it's better if you two don't go inside."
Wende's face was unusually pale. He looked at the two of them with a completely dejected expression.
"Huh? What happened?"
Stelle tilted her head. A weakened Wende... hehe~
"Hey? What are you smiling about? Hurry up and come inside with me to report to Sister Himeko!"
Seeing Stelle's obviously strange expression, March quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her into Meryl's mansion.
"Heh heh... ahead lies hell itself... How do you suppress a Stellaron meltdown again? I should probably call Mr. Yang first..."
Having foreseen the future, Wende decisively dialed Welt's number, who was far away in the sky.
Five minutes later, a vibrant, multicolored light burst forth from within Meryl's mansion, accompanied by a crisp "bang~!" sound.
"I have to say, she's really tough."
Wende shook his slightly reddened hand, looking with a sigh at the now-unconscious Stelle. Amidst her soft gray hair, a large, crimson bump had sprouted like a small sweet potato.
"Pfft... Wende! Help me! I'm here too!"
Little March, who had also eaten the "Forbidden Cookie," was now lying on the floor, clutching her stomach, her tear-filled eyes pleading with Wende for help.
"Coming, coming! Don't worry, March! I'm here! You'll definitely be alright!"
Wende decisively scooped up one person under each arm, carrying the unconscious Stelle and the agonized March out of this disaster zone, leaving behind a baffled Himeko and Meryl, and a perfectly composed Jingliu.
"It seems... they're allergic too..."
"No, I don't think this is a matter of allergies anymore, is it?"
Due to the Trailblazing team being temporarily down two members, the original plan to head to the Scrapyard today, enter the underground reservoir entrance there, and proceed directly to the Legendary Tower had to be postponed...
To ensure future safety, Wende issued an absolute decree, strictly forbidding Himeko and Jingliu from entering the kitchen or any similar facilities! And, for the safety of all of Punklorde, he confiscated all the cookies they had made that day!
Author's Note:
A plug for a very interesting book!
T/N: The following is a shout-out to another Chinese fanfiction titled "The Stellaron Isn't Important, Dad Is!" which reimagines Wende as "Dad" (Lao Die), a parody of the character Uncle from the cartoon "Jackie Chan Adventures."
"Dad, Master of Chi Magic, Controller of Pufferfish and Lizards, Potion Master who Perceives the Truth!"
The 5-star character Stelle once said: "If you give Dad a dried pufferfish and a dried lizard, he could fight the Antimatter Legion until the Great Dao itself is worn away."
"Making Dad add some garlic to Himeko's coffee can turn a cup of mud into a cup of mud that can cure illnesses."
"Give Dad a Dog Talisman, and he could go a few rounds with the former Sword Champion of the Luofu, Jingliu."
"If Dad wore a Shadowkhan mask, I'm afraid [Destruction] would have to hand over its Path overnight."
Dad raised a hand and rapped the head of the muttering Stelle: "One more thing. If you want to defeat an Aeon, stop talking to yourself and hurry up and write in the Book of Ages that Dad has defeated the Aeon."
Surrounded by the eight artifacts and twelve talismans, a dried pufferfish in his left hand and a dried lizard in his right, Dad smiled at the Aeon before him, a being so colossal it seemed the entire universe could not contain it.
"Do you want to tussle with Dad?"