"Will your answer be different?"
"Amphoreus."
Herta's voice faded.
But that meaningful expression remained etched in every player's heart!
After all, Lady Herta wasn't someone who took interest in just anything!
Something that could capture her attention, even evoke such an expression...
It was undoubtedly something capable of stirring up a massive storm across the universe!
"As expected..."
"Amphoreus is definitely not as simple as it seems!"
March couldn't help but sigh.
Was the Astral Express Crew's choice of Amphoreus as the next stop for Trailblazing good or bad?
So far, it seemed impossible to say for sure!
Just as many players around began whispering among themselves.
On the screen,
Another voice suddenly echoed!
That voice was sweet.
Carrying a gentle tone.
"Of course."
"This is bound to be a romantic story unlike any before."
She seemed to be responding to Herta's earlier self-questioning.
The screen showed a golden wheat field.
A pink-haired girl stood amidst the wheat.
A gentle breeze stirred her skirt and hair.
"You think so too."
"Right~"
At the end of this sentence, there was an eighth-note symbol, seemingly symbolizing the girl's playful and whimsical nature.
The barrage erupted once again!
...
"Who is this?!"
"Wuwu why, why do I feel like crying just hearing this voice!"
"She's like my innocent first love, though I can't quite remember anymore, seeing her again feels just like the first time."
"Tell Argenti for me, the Aeon of The Beauty has been found!"
"The girl who hugged the protagonist from behind in 'Nameless Faces'!"
"I'm certain, this girl must be the key to Amphoreus!"
"I can't wait, I want to see her storyline right now!"
...
Astral Express.
Old Yang paused the video on the very last frame.
The pink-haired girl turned slightly, as if sensing someone watching her.
The corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
Her gaze, intentionally or not, glanced toward the camera's position.
Old Yang's hands began to tremble faintly.
Seeing this,
Stelle immediately understood.
She asked, "Uncle Yang, this girl... she wouldn't happen to match someone from your hometown too, would she?"
Old Yang's lips quivered slightly.
He closed his eyes, then opened them again.
After experiencing the "ups and downs" brought by Honkai: Star Rail, he had now learned to maintain a calm exterior no matter how shocked he felt.
After a long pause,
Old Yang finally spoke, "Back in my hometown, once, I saw Mei painting..."
"The person she painted looked exactly like the woman at the end of this video..."
"Even the hair accessory was identical."
"Hah..."
"If it really is her, borrowing a phrase popular among players nowadays."
"Amphoreus is saved."
After Old Yang finished speaking, everyone in the carriage fell into deep thought.
Though no specific details of the past were revealed, from these fragments of words, it was clear.
Old Yang held this girl in extremely high regard!
Everything that had happened to this girl in the world called "Earth" must surely be another moving and romantic tale...
Himeko couldn't help but ask, "In your world, what was her name..."
Old Yang took a deep breath.
And slowly said, "The Flawless One... Elysia."
...
Luofu.
Dock Square.
All the players stared intently at the screen.
Afraid that some heavyweight character might suddenly appear at the end, catching everyone off guard!
Lady Herta herself, the pink-haired girl...
It had already happened twice!
Half a minute passed.
The scene remained eerily quiet!
There was no other way—
They were all traumatized!
Only when the large screen switched back to the cover of Amphoreus Hero Chronicles, preparing to replay, did everyone finally relax.
"Phew..."
For a moment,
Sighs and exclamations filled the air!
Many felt as if they had personally witnessed a glimpse of a grand epic!
Their hearts were stirred, yet they longed for more!
Thus,
What followed was intense discussion!
The scene instantly turned as lively as a stock exchange.
March 7th opened her phone, intending to send a message in the "Astral Express Family" group chat.
Suddenly,
A collective gasp erupted from ahead!
"March 7th... my March 7th!!"
March 7th's heart skipped a beat!
She thought her disguise had been seen through!
But it seemed no one around was paying attention to her?
She moved forward with the crowd to see what the commotion was about.
She saw a woman kneeling on the ground in the crowd, her face twisted in agony!
Wiping away her tears.
She pointed at the Jade Abacus screen and said, "I just discovered a heartbreaking fact!"
"Look!"
"In the Chrysos Heirs illustration that appears at the end of the video, there are four unlocked silhouettes with unknown appearances..."
"The second silhouette... take a closer look!"
"Who does she look like!"
The female player performed some operations on her Jade Abacus.
Extracting that specific character artwork separately.
It was shocking to see!
Because it was arranged with other artworks before, most people's attention was divided.
Now, looking closely.
It bore an extremely high degree of resemblance to March 7th!
"Oh my god!"
"No way, no way!"
"I knew it looked familiar at first glance, so that's why!"
"I just told my friend this silhouette looks like March 7th! Now that it's isolated, it looks even more like her!"
"We're doomed!"
March 7th's heart sank!
No way?
It can't be!
This must just be a girl with similar short hair, it can't possibly be me!
However,
The female player's next move sent a chill straight through March 7th's heart!
Like a bucket of cold water poured over her from head to toe!
"Comparison in progress: similarity 91.2%..."
On the left was her Preservation Path character artwork, on the right was the black silhouette.
The two overlapped.
Perfectly aligned.
Even the split ends of the hair were identical!
Is this a coincidence?
Could such a coincidence really exist?
Seeing this comparison result, the crowd instantly erupted into chaos!
"We're doomed, it's exactly the same!"
"This is also recorded among the legendary new swordsmen!"
"The daughter of the Styx, March 7th!"
"But this pose... why is she placing her hand over her eyes!?"
"Even though I can't see her expression, I can already sense a kind of madness!"
"Little March turning crazy or something, please don't let that happen!"
"Looking at this pose, I have no doubt she's about to chant an ancient incantation next, like 'Amatelas' or something, then shoot black flames from her eyes, burning everything to ashes!"
"March 7th is ice attribute, where would she get flames?"
"Not necessarily, many characters' attributes can completely reverse after awakening..."
The crowd's discussion grew increasingly heated.
Meanwhile, March 7th herself walked dejectedly toward the edge of the square.
Found a bench and sat down.
The sky was clear, the weather was lovely.
But March 7th felt her heart grow cold.
She thought of Kiana, the protagonist of Honkai Impact 3rd...
Could it be that, like her, she also has a second personality inside her body?
And as the Amphoreus storyline progresses, that personality fully awakens, takes over her body, and then tries to destroy the universe or something...
Please no!!
A few small birds flew overhead.
Chirping and fluttering their tiny wings.
March 7th was momentarily stunned.
"Sigh..."
"It seems... endlessly worrying like this isn't helping either..."
"Forget it..."
"Anyway, everyone dies eventually. In my limited life, I should still be myself—be March 7th!"
"Never mind all that!"
"First, I'm going to Aurum Alley to have some fun!"
"I used to be afraid of eating too many carbs, but now I'm ordering two portions for myself!"
"And that new almond tea—this time I'm going straight for the premium 'Twilight' version!"