Thankfully, the progress bar held strong, and after a black screen, the train's logo didn't appear.
The scene shifted to the interior of the train carriage, where, through the window, it was clear the train had returned to the familiar starry cosmos.
March 7th was listlessly slumped against the windowsill. "Argenti would probably think… this fireworks display was beautiful, right? Though we didn't know him long, he seemed like a pretty decent guy."
"…" After a few seconds of silence, March 7th tugged at her hair. "Ugh, I'm so worried…"
Pom-Pom also shuffled to March 7th's side. "I wonder how Passenger Argenti is doing… Even though the train escaped this crisis, for some reason, I can't feel happy, pa…"
As Pom-Pom spoke, a dark cloud literally appeared above their head, and the audience could tell Pom-Pom was, in a physical sense, very down.
"Sigh…"
March 7th let out a heavy sigh, completely lacking her usual lively, bubbly demeanor. "Velite just got off the train on his own too. He looked so sad… Probably because he couldn't figure out what Argenti was thinking either…"
Himeko entered the frame, comforting the gloomy Pom-Pom and the deflated March 7th. "The Knights of Beauty are a group accustomed to wandering the cosmos alone, difficult to understand. Their true home is the starry sky, and perhaps this fireworks display symbolizes a kind of accolade for him."
Her comfort didn't seem to work. March 7th mumbled weakly, "Such a grand fireworks show, though…"
Pom-Pom chimed in, "Such a beautiful starry sky…"
"And he can't even see it…"
Himeko continued, "He had his own convictions and struggles. After all, the Aeon of Beauty… may have already fallen."
"Huh?" March 7th suddenly looked up at Himeko. "Idrila, the one Argenti kept talking about? Didn't he say he was going to find Idrila and fulfill his knightly duty to protect her?"
"It's an accepted fact among some Knights of Beauty that Idrila has fallen. Of course, there are those who refuse to believe it, like the one you just met… He likely believes Idrila is merely missing, hidden in some corner mortals cannot reach.
Stelle, the crisis is over, and our chance visitor has left. But I think there are still some things worth discussing."
As Himeko spoke, Stelle slowly entered the frame.
Looking at Stelle approaching, Himeko asked, "For example… what do you think 'Beauty' is?"
Stelle propped her chin with one hand. "Eating, drinking, having fun, and never working!"
"That's the ideal life everyone dreams of.
'Beauty' takes countless forms, ever-changing, and the answer varies in each person's heart… I'm curious—what exactly are the Knights of Beauty chasing across the galaxy?
If Argenti found the 'missing' Idrila, would he, with human eyes, even recognize her? Or would he, in the face of the very 'Beauty' he's devoted to, be like a blind man, seeing yet not perceiving, completely unaware…"
[That's why I really wanted to see a scene where Argenti meets Elysia.]
[Exactly, but man, this hurts! How could they do this? A character with his own movie, just gone like that? That's just not right!]
[From the moment Baiheng appeared to her death, it wasn't even half the movie, was it? You think miHoYo wouldn't dare feed us a knife?]
[Yeah, before it was just minor characters getting the knife, but now they're coming for the main ones!]
[No way, they wouldn't just kill off the main cast like that, right?]
[This sucks! Argenti was quirky but good. Why'd he have to go?]
[Maybe not? The rose petals later might hint at a comeback.]
"There's got to be a comeback, right? ♪ Otherwise, I'd really cry! ♪"
Elysia stared at the big screen, a bit dejected.
"Yeah, he's totally the type to blindfold himself, set some harsh self-imposed stakes, and train by fighting a wooden post."
March 7th glanced at the others and continued, "I don't get it, but anyway, if one day I saw him in Belobog rummaging through trash cans, shouting, 'Idrila, are you there?! Are you there, are you there, are you there?!' I… wouldn't even be surprised.
But so what? I still think he's a good guy… even if he's a bit weird…"
"Yeah," Pom-Pom's dark cloud vanished instantly, as if recalling something. "Sigh… where were we headed again, pa?"
The scene transitioned. Still inside the train, the camera focused solely on Stelle, sitting obediently on the sofa.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed. She opened it to find a new group chat—created by Argenti, no less.
[Holy crap! I knew Argenti wouldn't bite the dust!]
[My gosh! Argenti's too awesome! That massive bug—how'd he escape?]
[The Swarm Disaster is seriously terrifying, no exaggeration.]
[Argenti's amazing! I'm totally a fan of this powerful, captivating Knight of Beauty now.]
Elysia didn't say anything, but her smile told everyone she was probably the happiest one there.
The entire screen shifted to the group chat.
[Argenti: Trailblazers, are you safe now? I'm deeply concerned.]
[Stelle: ???? Hold on, don't worry about us yet.]
[March 7th: ?????]
[Pom-Pom: ??????]
[March 7th: AHHH!!!]
[Pom-Pom: Waaah (sobbing loudly), it's Passenger Argenti, pa!]
[March 7th: Argenti! You're really alive! I'm so glad you're okay!!!]
[Argenti: A knight, the moment they ride into battle, must hold unwavering faith in victory. When I fought that creature, it was as if a radiant light of Beauty protected me. I lost memory of what followed, but the true insect seemed to have bad breath—indigestion, perhaps. Afterward, it took me quite a while to thoroughly polish my armor.]
[Stelle: That's great… I'm about to cry.]
Soon after, the train's crew gathered in the carriage. Stelle, March 7th, and Pom-Pom were as giddy as kids, holding hands and spinning in circles.
The screen slowly faded to black, the train's logo appeared, and Night of Galactic Illusions, Complete!
Elysia watched this scene, feeling a bit unsatisfied, but glancing at the time, she realized it was really late and closed the video page.
"Sorry, everyone, it's super late! ♪ Thanks for staying up with me for this indulgence! ♪ Watching web dramas with you all is so much fun—let's do it again next time! ♪"
With that, Elysia adjusted the camera angle.
She stood up, making a big heart gesture toward the screen. "If you guys have anything you want to watch next time, leave a message under my profile! ♪"
[Goodnight, Elysia!]
[I love Elysia the most! Don't forget to stream on time tomorrow!]
[Goodnight, Pink Fairy Lady! I got your heart!]
[That heart was for me!]
[No, it was for me!]
[...]
Elysia chuckled and ended the stream.
She glanced at the empty room, ready to leave and return to her real home.
Not long after, Elysia arrived at the entrance of a courtyard. She gently opened the gate.
She remembered everyone seemed busy today, which was why she chose to stream late.
Still, Elysia moved lightly.
She hung up her backpack and walked inside.
Click. The lights in the house lit up, and her friends appeared one by one.
"Ah! ♪"
"Happy birthday, Elysia!"
"Ely, what's your wish?"
"Hmm ♪ I hope we can all go to miHoYo Interactive City and have a blast together! ♪"
"By the way, where's Kevin? ♪"
"No idea. Heard he went to some hotel?"
Meanwhile, at miHoYo Interactive City.
Though it was late at night, Himeko's Coffee Shop was still lit.
Su Chen sat on a sofa, facing four others: Sparkle, Jiaoqiu, Aventurine, and Sampo.
"Ah!" Sampo yawned. "Come on, dear boss, why'd you call us here so late? Don't tell me we're watching fan-made content again?"
"Not a bad idea, Sampo," Sparkle perked up at the suggestion.
"Sure, I've got Sampo's fan-made video ready. Shall we watch yours next week?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow at Sampo.
"Whoa, why so serious? Old Sampo was just joking! No need to go that far!"
"No, we have to show Sampo's," Sparkle slid next to Su Chen. "I'll do it for free—next week, Sampo's video!"
"Hey, you! Director Sparkle, that's not fair! Bribing the boss with money? Just send the cash to me, and we'll skip my video next week."
"Heh, no way! I'd rather throw it away than give it to you! Blep!"
Jiaoqiu rolled his eyes at the two. "Can we get to why you called us? I really can't see what the five of us have in common."
Su Chen paused for a moment, pulling out his phone. "This is my phone. Besides Sparkle, I only gave my number to one other person, and two days ago, he sent me this."
He cleared his throat, adjusting his tone. "Hello, Su Chen. I need your help—Sunday."
"…"
The coffee shop fell silent.
"That's… it?" Jiaoqiu spread his hands, puzzled. "Is this message in Morse code or something? Who's Sunday?"
Aventurine spoke up. "I know. Sunday is the manager of the Reverie Hotel. More than that, he's also the older brother of the superstar Robin."
"For him to ask Su Chen for help, this must be serious. We need to think this through carefully," Jiaoqiu said, fanning himself with his feather fan.
"miHoYo has plenty of smart people, but this message gives too little to work with."
"No need. I called you four because I already have a plan." Su Chen stood, grabbing a set of car keys.
"The five of us can fit in one car. This time, I'm not just hiring those siblings—I'm taking the entire Reverie Hotel. Let's move!"
At that moment, an undeniably epic BGM blared.
Su Chen flung open the door and stepped out boldly.
Sparkle took on the role of narrator. "Su Chen, miHoYo's boss. His ability: pulling out a pile of scripts anytime, anywhere."
Next, Sampo strutted out.
"Sampo, shady secondhand dealer. His abilities: an extensive social network and exceptional escape skills."
Then came Aventurine.
"Aventurine, compulsive gambler. His ability: winning every bet, except at mahjong."
Finally, Jiaoqiu shook his head.
Sparkle's voice rose excitedly. "It's Jiao-Jiao! Spicy Fox, with the ability to 'spice up the cafeteria' and a mind sharper than a thousand tricks!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Sparkle was hoisted up by Su Chen, who also cut off the music playing from her waist.
"Enough messing around. Get in the car."
On the other side of the city, a young man reluctantly left Elysia's livestream.
He lay in bed, motionless. He'd planned to sleep early, but the Pink Fairy Lady had captivated him.
Sleep now? He wasn't quite ready.
"How about this? I'll watch my phone a bit more. Maybe I'll fall asleep that way."
With that thought, he opened his phone. After skimming a couple of suggestive videos, he suddenly remembered, "Whoa, hold on! I didn't get the buy-one-get-one deal for the exclusive movie! I should watch Jingliu's companion mission, or I really won't sleep!"
A slight grin crept onto his face. "I'm doing this willingly!"
His fingers swiped, clicked, and played, all in one smooth motion.
The scene opened with Stelle's captivating face.
She was wandering aimlessly in the train carriage when a letter smacked her in the face from the table.
Stelle unfolded the paper, and ink began to surface, as if an invisible hand wielded a brush like a sword, swiftly inscribing words.
Moments later, the contents became clear: "The ancient sea inverted, the tides turned to avert calamity. Surely, old memories have been reclaimed. Per our long-standing pact, we shall revisit old grounds, recount past tales, and share a cup of wine."
Stelle scratched her head. "I know the words, but together, they make no sense."
If that's the case, better ask the conductor first!
Stelle took the letter to Pom-Pom, who quickly stashed away their tiny broom upon seeing her.
"Pa! Pa!… Hm? Passenger, what's up?"
"Who sent this letter?" Stelle handed the paper to Pom-Pom.
"Pom-Pom's been cleaning here the whole time and didn't see any letter, pa!"
Stelle nodded, muttering to herself, "Could someone have snuck onto the train?"
"D-Don't scare Pom-Pom! Why do weird things always sneak onto the train? Pa-Pom-Pom's gonna raise the train's security level, pa!"
Pom-Pom glanced at the letter's contents, unsure of its meaning but noting its Xianzhou style, and suggested Stelle show it to Dan Heng.
Not long after, Stelle handed the letter to Dan Heng.
After studying it, Dan Heng found the letter's appearance unsettling.
He deliberately sent Stelle away and began examining it alone in his room.
He summoned Cloudhymn, and a bead of water formed in the air, seeping into the paper.
The original text faded, and a new line of ink spread with the water's trace— "Five names for a man, three costs to pay."