"At this moment, Stelle doesn't understand—curiosity is the start of all horror movies—"
The black screen gradually lit up with this sentence, then slowly faded away. It was replaced by a new scene, not entirely dim or pitch-black, captured from a bird's-eye view, showcasing an unusual atmosphere for the audience.
The next moment, from a high-angle shot, Stelle and Guinaifen slowly approached.
"Ugh, it's so dark around here. It feels like someone's watching us from the shadows." Guinaifen cautiously scanned her surroundings, her gaze finally landing on Stelle.
"Family, have you ever heard the rumors about Fyxestroll Garden being haunted?"
Stelle shook her head. "Care to elaborate?"
"Good question!" Guinaifen pulled out her phone.
"As a location-streamer, I did my homework. Let me find my video script…" She began to explain. In essence, Fyxestroll Garden was once a garden cavern, but after people held memorials for fallen foxian soldiers at the Foxsomn Tomb, rumors of
"Fyxestroll Garden being haunted" started spreading.
Stelle nodded, taking it in, but one thing puzzled her. She smirked slightly at Guinaifen.
"You know so much about Xianzhou culture, huh?"
Guinaifen gave an awkward laugh.
"Family, don't call me out like that. This script was written by Mr. Xiyan for a fee—how could it not be professional?"
Stelle sighed. "Being an internet streamer sure isn't easy. You've gotta fight the urge to bolt from a creepy place like this and keep filming like a reporter at a murder scene."
[No surprise, Stelle always nails the snark.]
[That's why I said this movie's packed with memes.]
[I love this comedic movie, but why's the vibe so eerie and creepy?]
[Foxian Chronicles—you think it's joking around?]
As they ventured deeper, the journey was silent except for the occasional brawls. Stelle, wielding her sturdy baseball bat, knocked out anyone who spotted them until they stayed quiet. As more ghostly agents appeared, three figures emerged before them, calling a halt to the fight.
"Stand down, Nethergarde Enforcers. These two mean no harm." "Yes, Lord Judge."
Guinaifen studied the newcomers. She recognized the first two—Xueyi and Huohuo— but the third one's appearance genuinely unnerved her. She tugged at Stelle's sleeve.
"Family, did you see? That sister's skin is deathly pale, and her eyes are so shifty… is she human or ghost?"
The camera focused on the third person, with subtitles displaying her name—Hanya.
Hanya spoke slowly. "Once you enter the Ten-Lords Commission, you may as well consider me a dead person. My codename is 'Hanya.' As a Judge, I oversee the final duties of capture, restraint, punishment, and interrogation. Thus, I'm not entirely ignorant about you two."
[Not gonna lie, Hanya's kinda pretty.]
[Man… miHoYo's costume and makeup game is unreal. I love Hanya's outfit.]
[Why does she look like me after pulling all-nighters?]
[Or like me, grinding under the stars and moon! I've got an exam tomorrow!]
[Sigh, probably from overworking.]
[Another victim of 996, huh?]
Hanya continued in an utterly calm tone. "Guinaifen, outsider, unemployed… entered Fyxestroll Garden with Cloud Knight soldier Sushang the day before."
"Hey, unemployed?" Guinaifen hurriedly clarified.
"I'm a street performance artist and a streamer chasing trending topics! A streamer! It's a legit job!"
Hanya smiled faintly, not responding to Guinaifen, and turned to the other. "As for this one…"
Stelle brushed her hair back. "You must've heard…" She paused deliberately.
"Galactic Baseballer."
Hanya: ???
Xueyi took over to explain. "A passenger of the Astral Express, a guest of the Seat of Divine Foresight, helped the Cloud Knights quell the Ambrosial Arbor crisis, an ally of the Alliance."
Huohuo looked at Xueyi in surprise. "She's the Nameless from the Astral Express?"
After the introductions, Hanya began questioning Guinaifen about her reasons for returning. After some discussion, the audience learned there were no ghosts or spirits— the things causing trouble were highly dangerous energy parasites called "Heliobi."
[Finally filling in the gaps. The High-Cloud Quintet and Godfather movie mentioned Heliobi.]
[Heliobi get a lot of screentime. I think the Phase Flame is kinda similar to them.]
Guinaifen, however, wasn't convinced. "Really? I don't buy it. Heliobi? What's that? I get it—on the Xianzhou, Heliobi is just another name for ghosts, right? That's gotta be it."
The three exchanged glances and decided to let Guinaifen see for herself. "Looks like we need Mr. Tail to make an appearance… T-Tail, Mr. Tail?"
Suddenly, a voice that didn't belong to anyone present rang out, and a flame resembling a grey wolf appeared before them. "I heard you, I heard you! So noisy… I'm not some exotic pet serving humans."
Guinaifen: "Mr… Tail?"
Tail smirked mockingly. "I'm a Heliobus, the ghost you're thinking of. Got it now? Get it and get lost!"
[…] Guinaifen froze, then screamed, "A ghost!!!" Forcing everyone to cover their ears.
After Guinaifen calmed down a bit, Hanya shook her head, speaking in a half-dead tone. "Goodness, what a strange girl. You came here to film supernatural stuff, yet you scream when you actually see it…"
"Deep breaths! Little Guizi, calm down! Deep breaths!" Guinaifen took a few heavy breaths.
"Hey, can I talk to this… Mr. Tail a bit more?"
Tail snapped back. "Get lost. I don't have time to chat nonsense with you."
[Haha, I declare Mr. Tail the current king of attitude.]
[I'm dying, this Tail.] [Civilized Heliobus.]
[What a ferocious grey wolf.] [Is this Heliobus from Zu'an? Gotta say, it's got potential.]
"Wow! What a fierce ghost!" Stelle pointed at Tail.
Tail: "I told you a million times, I'm not a ghost. Keep yapping, and I'll eat you all!"
Huohuo hurriedly explained. "Don't be scared, you two. It's just talk. Mr. Tail's vegetarian."
[Haha, still denying it's a grey wolf? A long-term vegetarian.]
[I'm dying, I got that reference. There's a wolf next door just like it.]
To help Guinaifen leave with peace of mind, Hanya calmly explained the origin of Heliobi. You wouldn't know until she explained, but once she did, it was shocking.
There are no ghosts on the Xianzhou—just alien parasitic creatures imprisoned for millennia that escaped. Don't wander around here; you're interfering with our duties. Good news: no ghosts running wild in Fyxestroll Garden. Bad news: Fyxestroll Garden's crawling with alien parasites…
Stelle was too drained to retort. After this info dump, Guinaifen shook her head in frustration.
"Ghosts, Heliobi, possession…? My brain feels like someone stabbed it with a pole and stirred it up. But thinking about it, isn't this just like urban legends about ghostly hauntings? 'Energy parasites' sound like some kind of pest… not mysterious or scary at all."
But then, she looked at Mr. Tail with a new glint in her eyes.
"If I could film a few clips of Mr. Tail on the way, with a title like 'Fyxestroll Garden's Shocking Ghost Fire Possessing Innocent Foxian Girl,' that'd be pretty eye-catching, right? Family, will you back me up?"
Stelle gave a wry smile. "Piss off the Judges, and you'll eat centuries of jail time."
"Hmm, good point. But my max is a few decades in jail, hehe."
[Damn, the knife always slips in unnoticed.]
[miHoYo's knife-feeding skills are leveling up!]
[Cured my low blood pressure, thanks, miHoYo.]
At that moment, Huohuo approached the two and timidly asked, "You two, can we get going?"
Stelle tilted her head to glance at Tail behind Huohuo. "Is Tail coming too?"
"Uh… he's sealed in my tail…"
Tail grumbled irritably. "Seal, seal, seal… pfft, one day I'll make you rip that seal off."
"You think I want to be stuck with you?"
[Haha, such a cute Matcha Cupcake!]
[So adorable, hahaha.]
[I'm going to Interactive City to get Huohuo's actor's autograph!]
[Me too.]
[I want a photo with her.]
[Help me, Mr. Tail. He's kinda like Svarog and Clara.]
Afterward, Huohuo escorted them to leave Fyxestroll Garden. But a few steps in, Guinaifen screamed, "A ghost, aaaahhh—"
Huohuo, hearing this, trembled uncontrollably. "W-Waaaah~ W-What's wrong?"
The scene left Stelle dumbfounded. Isn't Huohuo a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission? How can she be this scared?
"Is it one of Mr. Tail's kind?"
Huohuo immediately turned to Tail. "Tail, is it another Heliobus?"
"No way, I didn't see a thing, you little coward."
"Wait, where's Miss Guinaifen? Miss Guinaifen, d-did we lose her…" Huohuo's legs shook wildly.
"No good, w-we need to find Miss Guinaifen… Something's off with this place… I'm so scared, stay close, I'm afraid you'll disappear too…"
Stelle had no choice but to retrace their steps. But Huohuo walked so slowly. "Don't get too far, please…"
"Guinaifen? Where are you? Huohuo, keep up—" After passing through a door, Stelle looked back. "Where'd she go? Oh no, Huohuo's gone too…"
Bang. The door behind Stelle slammed shut, leaving her no choice but to head toward the courtyard's center. "This is… a mirror? Looks creepy."
Stelle rubbed her eyes, pinched her chin, and studied it closely, waving at the mirror.
"Hi!" It seemed fine. As she turned to leave, the Stelle in the mirror suddenly reached out and pulled her into the mirror's world.
Stelle scratched her head. "Where am I? Is this Fyxestroll Garden? It feels… different."
With no clues, she walked forward alone. But after wandering, she ended up back at the starting point, instantly on guard. Thankfully, her analysis unraveled the mystery, and she gradually escaped the maze.
However, at that moment, an eerie voice echoed around her.
"Hiss, you have a peculiar scent… you are… I heard the whispers of Fyxestroll Garden's fallen leaves, the weeping flames. They told me a powerful body drew near… They say you carry the aura of one who fought 'Phantylia'… You're… the one who drove off 'Phantylia'… So… so strong, just feeling your presence is deliciously thrilling! Let me taste you? Just a nibble, I can't wait to savor your flavor!"
Listening to the mysterious voice, a bead of cold sweat rolled down Stelle's face. Suddenly, several automatons with eerie green flames charged at her.
Stelle didn't sit idle—she summoned her baseball bat and fought back. After a few rounds, the automatons were reduced to scrap, but the green flames rose from their bodies, surrounding her.
The mysterious voice spoke again. "Let me see what someone who drove off Phantylia tastes like."
Taking advantage of Stelle's defensive exhaustion, the green flame burrowed into her body. Finally, a Heliobus resembling Tail appeared, but its form was far creepier—an eyeball.
[Gotta say, miHoYo's tech is top-tier. That eyeball looks so lifelike.]
[miHoYo's technical prowess is no joke. It's CG, sure, but if they made a real one, you'd be crying somewhere.]
As Stelle communicated with the Heliobus, she learned its name—Cirrus. Guided by Cirrus, Stelle found a strange, fragmented script in the illusion.
It told of a story from long ago about a Luofu general and a Heliobus, with text that seemed to hint at a way to break the illusion. Though Stelle felt Cirrus wasn't entirely trustworthy, she followed its guidance and found Huohuo.
"It's you! Finally, a living person!" Huohuo shed little tears of relief.
"Thank goodness, I thought I'd be trapped here forever… I'm so glad to see you!"
[Ouch, my health bar! Huohuo's emptied it again.]
[So cute, Huohuo! I love you!] [Hehe, Matcha Cupcake is mine, hehe, mine.]
Huohuo wiped tears from her eyes. "Um, have you seen Miss Guinaifen? I haven't found her. She's not in trouble, is she…"
"Don't bother looking. Guinaifen's probably been eaten by a Heliobus by now."
Stelle flinched—she hadn't meant to say that. In her mind, she asked Cirrus, "Did I say that myself?"
Cirrus: "Hehe, the vocal cords are the easiest muscles to control."
Huohuo looked at Stelle pitifully. "You can find a way out, right? Please take me with you…"
Tail, revealing his true form, clicked his tongue.
"I can't stand your cowardly act. A Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, always begging for help?"
"You know I'm not cut out to be a Judge. I thought working at the Ten-Lords Commission would make me braver, but… I'm just not."
"Tch!!" Tail gritted his teeth. "Useless thing, why am I sealed to you?"
Huohuo: "All you do is swagger around, and one slip-up lands us both in someone's trap. Who's the useless one?"
[Hahahaha, I'm dying.]
[Who knew Matcha Cupcake could be so sharp-tongued?]
[Huohuo's got guts when it comes to roasting Mr. Tail.]
[Haha, exposing each other's dirt.]
[Saying the toughest words in the most timid tone—I'm dead.]
Stelle pinched her throat, preparing to shout, "Help, I'm possessed by a Heliobus!"
But what came out was, "You following me is useless. I'm leaving, and you'll stay here alone. Bye!"