It was supposed to be a routine elite monster encounter.
Who would've thought the friendly-fire antics between the Astral Express duo would add so much hilarity?
Little March's clumsy cheer, Stelle's exasperated quips, and Leon's…
Well, he was probably speechless.
Maybe a bit amused.
And in the end, a touch of indulgent fondness from a senior covering for his juniors.
Of course, that last bit was something Ah Xian eagerly tacked on.
Because in her heart, Leon was just that reliable.
Stelle: "Tiny robot, eat my move—Trailblaze Essence! Bat, strike!"
The victory animation triggered.
Stelle charged at the Automaton Grizzly, swinging her bat and knocking its head clean off.
Then, with a graceful backflip, she landed steadily beside Leon, stowing her bat.
Her ultra-cool pose and aura were completely ruined by her next move—
She flicked off the Six-Phased Ice stuck to her shoe…
First, she shot Leon a "thank goodness for you" look.
Then her gaze at March 7th carried an indescribable flavor.
As the animation ended, Ah Xian barely held it together—truly a god-tier effort.
"What the heck, they poured so much budget into an elite fight, even adding a victory CG."
"My stomach's cramping from laughing. Stelle's expressive little glance perfectly sums up the difference between a god-tier teammate and a pig-tier one."
"Who's the 'stuffed-belly pie' now, hahaha~~"
[You'd think they just beat a major boss. That final strike got my blood pumping!]
[Why does Stelle's line sound so familiar…?]
[No kidding, it's a CV gag!]
[Stelle's CV is Teacher Redleaf, same as Sushang. That line's a tweaked version of Sushang's ultimate!]
[Pfft, am I the only one who noticed Stelle's quip about March is from Tang Bohu Spots Qiuxiang?]
[Holy crap, it really is.]
① "Little March, Leon was right—you're totally a stuffed-belly pie."
② "Sigh, our Trailblaze team would really fall apart without Leon…"
③ "Battle's over, hair's still perfect. Flawless."
"No wonder she's the poster girl. No wonder it's a space comedy—I've been laughing non-stop, except for one brief pause."
That pause was just a fleeting moment of sadness, nothing compared to the fun.
Ah Xian's mouse hovered between options one and two before settling on three.
"Little March is too cute—I can't bear to tease her more."
March 7th said weakly: "Um… you don't exactly have a hairstyle…"
Stelle: "Nonsense. Don't you think my free-spirited hair exudes a wild, melancholic, brooding vibe?"
March 7th: "Uh, when you're not talking or smiling, you do kinda have a hint of a brooding beauty."
Stelle: "? So you're saying I'm a perfect beauty ruined by having a mouth?"
"I didn't say that—don't overthink it! Are you hurt?" March 7th quickly changed the subject.
① "I'm pretty sturdy. How could I be hurt?"
② "Leon's healing is more than enough. Any injuries are already gone."
Option two.
Leon: "Too many gaming terms. I'm not a cleric—I don't heal."
March 7th, puzzled: "Why not? Doctors can be clerics too."
Leon said lightly: "Because you don't bring clerics to raids, except battle clerics."
Stelle grinned.
"You know, when gaming on the Express, there was this cleric with glowing hands who just planted their weapon in the ground."
Ah Xian didn't catch all the references but instantly got Leon's.
"What, Ye Bushou?"
"Bad news: the game's stitching memes."
"Good news: it's all stitched!"
[Holy crap, a ground-stabbing healer!]
[Star Rail's dev team is wild. I wanna crack open their brains and see what's stuffed in there.]
[Leon's skills are all memes. I wouldn't be shocked if he pulled out a white plastic chair next.]
The Express trio's banter made the two locals' lips curve into slight, unconscious smiles.
Though they hadn't known each other long, watching them bicker felt oddly heartwarming.
Seele instinctively glanced at Bronya, only to catch her eye.
Seeing the matching curves of their lips, both blushed and simultaneously looked away.
[I'm shipping this pair!]
[Seele-Bronya squad for the win!]
[Place your bets—who's top, who's bottom?]
[In Honkai 3rd, it's obvious, but in Star Rail, it's hard to say.]
Seele: "A few more minutes, and we'll have a view of half the main mining area."
The few minutes' journey was short.
Soon, they reached the designated high entrance.
Bronya sighed in awe: "Looking at this ore vein from up here—it's magnificent."
Since she could remember, the underground had been sealed off.
She only knew geomarrow for heating was transported from below, never what the veins looked like.
"It's magnificent, but who knows if the underground can hold out until the veins are mined dry."
Seele suddenly dropped a heavy line.
"…" Bronya fell silent with a sigh.
"Something's off." Leon spoke up suddenly.
Stelle: "I feel it too. If this main mining area is the trouble spot, why don't we see anyone?"
She pointed below.
Seele then recalled what had been nagging her.
Yeah, where were the people?
It was too quiet!
"Maybe in the deeper Zone Four. Natasha mentioned a newly discovered vein there."
The more Seele thought, the more likely it seemed.
"Let's hurry. We haven't seen any miners heading back, or vagrants either. The conflict might not be over!"
Or they could've left through the D-to-G transport passage, but that was less likely—it's a tough route.
The player's perspective shifted to a real-time cutscene.
Countless robots, big and small, flooded into the mining area from outside.
Following the robots' view, they soon reached the standoff between two groups.
Seeing the swarm of machines, both sides' faces flashed with wariness.
As is common, cutscenes often have a time delay.
By the time they play, the events shown might've happened a while ago.
When Ah Xian controlled the characters to reach the area, the dialogue confirmed it.
Leon: "There's fighting deeper in. Doesn't sound like people versus people—more like people versus inorganic life."
Seele: "Inorganic life? What's that?"
Leon: "Sorry, slipped out. I mean robots."
Seele: "Damn it, why's Svarog getting involved? I'm worried—I'm going ahead!"
Bronya: "I'm with you!"
March 7th: "We're not familiar with this place—and they're running that fast?"
Stelle calmly patted March's shoulder.
"Little dummy, if Leon can sense a fight deep in the mining area from this far, he can definitely lead us there."
"Uh…" March 7th froze, then said sheepishly: "Alright."
"No way, nine-out-of-ten levels of wrong."
At this point in the plot, Ah Xian fell into thought.
[Don't tease us, spill it!]
"I'm recalling the closed beta plot—or rather, Dan Heng's storyline. If the public release hasn't changed…"