Before Elysia knew it, a week had passed. Her daily routine had become remarkably consistent: she would wake up early, head to the White Tower, chat with the staff, and lend a hand with their tasks.
It wasn't just idle chatter; she genuinely helped out, though naturally, only with minor tasks. The White Tower staff wouldn't dare burden her with anything too difficult.
Such a considerate and caring superior, one who mingled freely with her subordinates, was a rare find.
Imagine having to choose between a gruff, balding boss with a perpetual scowl, constantly pressuring you for overtime without compensation, and a super-cute, pink-haired young girl boss who regularly checked to see if you were tired and occasionally treated you to bubble tea. The choice seemed obvious, didn't it?
It's worth noting that Elysia had carried the Human Skin Book with her throughout the week, yet not a single Cultist attack occurred. This left her with a tinge of disappointment.
If just one attack had happened, she could have attempted to capture some enemies alive and interrogate them for information.
Tonight, Elysia emerged from the bathroom after her shower. As she opened the door, a visible cloud of white steam billowed out, while she was wrapped in nothing but a thin white bath towel, leaving large expanses of her pale skin exposed from her shoulders to just below her thighs.
Even though she had dried herself, tiny droplets of water still glistened on her collarbones, shoulders, and ankles—perfectly normal, since who can ever dry themselves completely after a shower without leaving a single drop behind?
Compared to her usual cuteness and beauty, Elysia exuded an undeniable allure at that moment, appearing utterly captivating. However, since she was alone in the house, it hardly mattered.
Why be so reserved in my own home?
Elysia shuffled to the sofa in her slippers, the soft clack-clack sound echoing through the room. She retrieved her phone, opened a video, and propped it up on a stand on the coffee table. Gathering a thick bundle of her long hair behind her with one hand, she held a hairdryer in the other and settled onto the sofa to blow-dry her hair while watching the video.
With remarkable dexterity, Elysia swiftly dried and smoothed her long, damp hair, her attention mostly fixed on the video playing before her. She moved with practiced ease, her hands guided by sheer habit.
After all, she had to blow-dry her hair about four times a day.
The video she was watching was a movie review by a Content Creator, covering the recently released first film in the Honkai series.
Yes, the movie had been out for a while. In essence, the review concluded that while it wasn't a masterpiece, it was certainly worth watching.
The female lead, Kiana, was praised for being both beautiful and badass. The special effects were stunning, the plot was tightly paced with no unnecessary filler or contrived plot twists, and Robin's theme song was also highly praised for its haunting melody.
In the video, a virtual avatar of a red-haired, bespectacled young girl with a surprisingly gruff male voice remarked:
"The only thing that really surprised me was the sudden reversal of good and evil during the final battle. Why did the female lead suddenly awaken some power and turn into a villain? And the Anti-Entropy Robot, which had been portrayed as the antagonist throughout the movie, ended up saving the second female lead at the end, becoming the hero for a moment."
"A typical movie usually follows a predictable arc: introduce the protagonist, present them with a challenge, show their growth as they overcome it, uncover a conspiracy and confront the mastermind, defeat the final boss, and wrap up with a satisfying conclusion."
"But this movie was different. It started like that: introduce the protagonist, present her with a challenge (a few Anti-Entropy Robots), show her growth (as she struggled to defeat them), uncover a conspiracy, and confront the mastermind (Fu Hua, who captured her). Logically, the next act should have been the protagonist's team rescuing her, everyone teaming up to defeat the traitor Fu Hua, and then the grand finale, right?"
"The absurd part is, the rescue team did come, but then, for reasons unknown, the protagonist suddenly transformed into the final boss! She proceeded to utterly decimate hundreds, even thousands, of those robots that had appeared throughout the middle of the movie. It was visually stunning, I'll admit, but I was completely baffled."
"Normally, plot twists are expected in movies, but this was something else entirely. I went back for a second viewing and noticed countless subtle details I'd missed the first time. Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a plot twist. Everything had been subtly foreshadowed; it was simply the natural progression of the story."
"The protagonist's mysterious backstory, that shady guy Otto who only appeared in one scene and clearly wasn't up to any good—he's definitely the real mastermind. And what exactly are the Honkai and the Herrschers in this world? None of these questions were answered!"
"Honestly, watching this movie felt more like watching a TV series. It left me feeling unsatisfied, but I'm still really looking forward to the next installment. I heard it's coming out in the second half of the year—they're working fast! I'll definitely be first in line to see it and give you all the inside scoop, Family!"
At the end of the video, the streamer suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, does anyone know what's going on with this?"
The screen showed the movie's end credits:
Director: Jiang Li
Editor: Jiang Li
Screenplay: ???
Visual Effects: ???
And...
Kiana as Kiana
Mei as Mei
...and so on.
In other words, the entire cast and crew list contained only one real name: the director, Jiang Li. Everything else was either blank or listed as "same-name actor playing same-name character."
The streamer remarked, "Forgive my ignorance, but is this some kind of prank? Or what's going on here? If anyone knows anything, please leave a comment. I'm genuinely curious."
As the video ended, Elysia finished drying her hair. She gathered a handful, brought it to her nose, and inhaled a faint, refreshing floral scent.
Of course, this wasn't any kind of natural body fragrance; it was simply the lingering aroma of shampoo.
Overall, the first Honkai film had completely met her initial expectations. Countless viewers were now hooked, eagerly anticipating the sequel. Little did they know that a wave of heart-wrenching tragedy was fast approaching.
The film's expressive power and emotional depth far surpassed those of the game medium. When those scenes finally hit the big screen, the theater experience would undoubtedly be unforgettable.