As the sun set in the Dragon Nation, dawn was breaking in White Eagle, a country on the opposite side of the planet. In a garden filled with white jasmine blossoms, a young girl dressed entirely in loose white robes, her hair as pure white as her garments, strolled leisurely.
If the Martyr's color was black, then this girl was undoubtedly its antithesis: white from head to toe.
She seemed to be admiring the garden, but anyone observing her closely would notice her eyes were tightly shut, hardly the behavior of someone enjoying flowers.
In truth, this young girl was the Prophet, one of the White Eagle Eight.
Her title was simple, direct, and self-explanatory, reflecting her ability to foresee the future.
Suddenly, she stopped walking and murmured softly, "It worked..."
Several days prior, she had proactively contacted the Martyr, inviting him to meet with her and cutting straight to the chase:
"I have foreseen a way for you to meet God."
Naturally, the Martyr could never refuse such an offer.
The relationships among the White Eagle Eight were far from harmonious. In the past, two members had even become bitter enemies, fighting fiercely to the point of mutual exhaustion and severe injury.
The Prophet was the sole exception among the White Eagle Eight. She had never made an enemy, maintained good relations with the other seven members, and remained the only original member of the "Founding Eight."
Apart from the Prophet, the other members of the White Eagle Eight had been replaced for various reasons.
Even if they had been enemies, the Martyr would never have refused such a proposal from the Prophet at this critical moment.
"What's the method?!" the Martyr demanded, his eyes widening.
"You must secretly travel alone to Longcheng in the Dragon Nation," the Prophet instructed. "Steal an artifact called the Surprise Box."
"A box... can grant me an audience with God?" The Martyr's first reaction was disbelief. Though fanatical, he wasn't foolish. The method sounded utterly absurd.
If this box truly possessed such power, why would it be stored in a city he had never even heard of? Shouldn't it be securely guarded in the Dragon Nation's capital?
The Prophet explained, "While the Dragon Nation possesses the box, they don't know how to use it. Even I don't. But in Longcheng, there's someone with an ability called Data Vision. He can help you decipher the box's exact function."
The Prophet's words were ninety percent true, but the single falsehood was that she knew the Surprise Box's true purpose.
To the Martyr, the Prophet's detailed explanation made the entire plan seem far more plausible. In the end, he naturally chose to journey to the Dragon Nation.
After all, even if the plan turned out to be false, at worst he would have wasted a trip. But what if... just in case... it was true?
Returning to the present, the Prophet murmured to herself, "With this, before the final catastrophe strikes, this world... possesses its last trump card."
Indeed, the Prophet hadn't assisted the Martyr out of idle curiosity. She had her own motives and objectives.
As it turned out, the Martyr fulfilled his lifelong dream of meeting God, albeit at the cost of his life. The Prophet also achieved her goal. It was a win-win—or even a triple-win—situation, wasn't it?
As for why the Prophet didn't simply instruct the Martyr to go to the Dragon Nation and use his Ability on a woman named Robin, instead of taking such a circuitous route...
This was to minimize the perceived intentionality of the entire affair, making it appear like a mere coincidence.
Perhaps this was the price of her Ability. The Prophet could never directly achieve her desired outcomes; she could only manipulate events to create the illusion of serendipity.
The day after the destruction of Zhong Wanhong's team's investigation branch, Robin had to travel to another, slightly more distant branch in Longcheng to assist with report writing.
Her primary task, of course, was to share intelligence from her "previous life"—the world she knew before transmigrating.
"Just to confirm beforehand, you don't mind sharing information about your previous world with us, do you?"
"Not at all, not at all..." Robin waved her hand dismissively. After all, she would only be discussing game lore, not genuine intelligence from her former world. Why would she mind?
Besides, even if she were to reveal details about her mundane previous life, Zhong Wanhong probably wouldn't believe her anyway. Without realizing it, she had become deeply intertwined with her current identity.
As for the Honkai: Star Rail universe, there was endless lore to discuss. After a moment's thought, Robin decided to start with Penacony.
Located in the Asdana Galaxy, the renowned Festival Star Penacony is, in reality, a vast interstellar hotel suspended in the Milky Way. Anyone can check in and retire to their room, but only after falling asleep will they witness Penacony's true form: a dazzling metropolis of gold and splendor, a paradise of revelry.
Yet even this simple introduction threatened to overwhelm Zhong Wanhong's mind, nearly causing it to crash. "The world you came from... was a cosmic civilization?" he blurted out instinctively.
His reflexive question made Robin realize that the concept of "civilization" seemed less prominent in the Star Rail worldview. Instead, the focus was on the Aeons and the various factions they represented.
For example, the Antimatter Legion belonged to the Destruction Aeon, the Xianzhou Alliance to the Hunt Aeon, Penacony to the Harmony Aeon, and the Interastral Peace Corporation to the Preservation Aeon. Belobog could arguably also be classified under Preservation.
As for Herta Space Station, it might be considered neutral or aligned with the Genius Society, which would fall under the Erudition Aeon.
Robin explained, "To be precise, Penacony, where I was before, is a territory under the protection of the Harmony Aeon, controlled by the Family's influence."
Zhong Wanhong frowned. "But no matter how you put it, you've developed technology capable of interstellar travel. How could you... still believe in gods?"
In Zhong Wanhong's view—and, indeed, in the view of most people in this world—faith was a symbol of ignorance.
Robin pondered for a moment before offering a simple analogy. "Take the Erudition Aeon, for example. Its true form is a planet-sized supercomputer that observes, calculates, and deduces information from across the entire universe. You could think of it as knowing everything that every living being in that universe will do and experience throughout their lives."
"The purpose of this Aeon's existence is to possess all knowledge and information in the entire universe."
Zhong Wanhong fell silent, his expression unreadable.