In the real world, shortly after the conclusion of Version 1.6's main story, "The Crown of the Mundane and the Divine," and just a few days after Dr. Ratio's gacha banner went live, around 5:59 PM on a certain day, countless players were frantically refreshing the official Honkai: Star Rail account, as if collectively awaiting something significant.
The official Honkai: Star Rail account didn't disappoint these eagerly waiting players. At exactly 6:00 PM, it promptly released an announcement across all platforms.
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The Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.7 "Eternal Garden of 730 Trillion Suns and Moons" special preview program will officially air on XXX at 19:30!
The program will be streamed on the official live stream! During the broadcast, Pom-Pom will also be giving out redemption codes and randomly selecting lucky Trailblazers to receive mysterious gifts!
Don't forget to join Pom-Pom for the show~
Click here to subscribe to the live stream: [Web Link]
▌Official Weibo: @HonkaiStarRail
▌Official WeChat Account: HonkaiStarRail
Image Description: The image features four vine-woven swings. Three swings are on the left, each occupied by a chibi figure: March 7th, Lumina, and Stelle. A small insect perches on Stelle's shoulder. On the right, Owlbert sits on a swing, wearing a flower crown. The entire scene is set within a lush, emerald-green garden, radiating vibrant life. At the center of the image, bold text reads: "The Eternal Garden of 730 Trillion Suns and Moons" - Version 1.7 Special Preview Program, likely hinting at the version's theme.
The post had barely been published when a flood of comments poured in.
Regarding the preview livestream announcement, users flooded the comment section with their thoughts:
[Front row seats reserved!]
[As expected of my wife Lumina—even as a chibi, she's a masterpiece!]
[Hurry up! My wife Lumina's gacha feels like its fourteen years away!]
[Looks like the devs are getting impatient too. Why don't we just release Version 1.7 today? (adoring face)]
Naturally, the most common comments under the preview for the upcoming special broadcast were the Lumina simps' deranged ravings and eager anticipation for the new version.
While early server access was an impossible pipe dream, they couldn't resist expressing their desires aloud.
As time passed, these standard pre-broadcast comments were gradually buried beneath more insightful observations based on the version's title, theme, and background imagery.
["Eternal Garden of Seven Hundred Thirty Trillion Suns and Moons"? Seven hundred thirty trillion?! H-how... HOW MANY?! Say it again! How much?!?!?]
[Seven hundred thirty trillion Suns and Moons... Could this be my wife Lumina's age? Holy crap, a trillion-year-old ancient monster?! (terrified)]
[Do you even have a brain? Seven hundred thirty trillion Suns and Moons can't possibly be her age. (facepalm) Otherwise, the Cosmos' Amber Era would have to be renamed the Lumina Era. (laughing through tears)]
[I think it must be the number of lives my wife Lumina has saved and healed. The Interastral Peace Corporation even reported that she's openly saved and healed several trillion lives.]
[Tens of trillions versus seven hundred and thirty thousand trillion—isn't that a slight difference?]
The discussion in the comments primarily revolved around the number "seventy-three trillion," with few focusing on the subsequent terms "Sun and Moon" or "Eternal Garden."
This made sense. The concept of "Sun and Moon" was simple, with only a few interpretations, leaving little room for debate. Meanwhile, the "Eternal Garden" concept was so complex that it offered no clear focal point for discussion, so everyone fixated on "seven hundred and thirty thousand trillion."
Ignoring age, only the number of lives Lumina had saved and healed came close to matching that figure.
Hmm... So tens of trillions is roughly equivalent to seven hundred and thirty thousand trillion? Any problem with that?
None at all!
After all, the Interastral Peace Corporation had specifically mentioned that these were only the publicly acknowledged figures.
Therefore, the explanation that "seven hundred and thirty thousand trillion" referred to the number of lives Lumina had saved and healed was ultimately accepted by the majority...
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Inside a room at Herta Space Station, as Lumina scrolled through Player comments on her phone, the System's curiosity piqued, prompting it to ask her:
[What does this 730 trillion refer to? Lives?]
"What else could it refer to? Age?" Lumina rolled her eyes at the question displayed on the screen, retorting, "Seriously?"
Lumina couldn't fathom what else the figure "730,000,000,000,000" could possibly represent besides the lives she had saved.
Even if they couldn't grasp that, how could they possibly think it meant her age?
If she had truly lived for 730 trillion days, would she be cowering meekly in this space station? She'd have already gone around slapping various Aeons with a single palm strike each...
[Umm... So you really have saved 730 trillion lives?]
Hearing Lumina's words, the System's cold, blocky text suddenly radiated waves of awkwardness.
Yet awkwardness was a small price to pay when curiosity far outweighed embarrassment. The System slowly typed out a question on the screen, its curiosity burning bright:
"How would I know? It's just a random number I pulled out of thin air," Lumina retorted, her voice dripping with exasperation.
At the very least, she healed entire planets at a time. At times, she even saved entire galaxies in a single breath. How could Lumina possibly know exactly how many people she had healed?
Am I supposed to count every life on every planet and in every star system before saving them?
At this moment, Lumina finally understood the meaning behind Dr. Ratio's words:
I can't stand fools. Just seeing one makes me want to die...
Before, Lumina had dismissed this as an exaggeration, believing that even fools had their merits. The idea of wanting to die at the mere sight of one seemed extreme.
But now, Lumina genuinely wanted to die... The Players were one thing; they only saw her through a screen, and given their lack of understanding, their Wild Thoughts were understandable.
But you're different. You're with me twenty-four hours a day, one of the beings who knows me best. How could you still ask such a question?
Lumina was about to die of speechlessness. How could a person... no, a thing—whatever it was—be this stupid?
Lumina didn't understand, and she couldn't even begin to comprehend...
[I was wrong! (╥﹏╥)~~]
Seeing Lumina's speechless expression and hearing her unfiltered mental thoughts, the System realized it had blurted out two idiotic questions in a row. It quickly apologized:
[ "Hmph?" ] Lumina scoffed at the apology, ignoring it as she refocused her gaze on the screen. She opened the live stream to watch how various streamers were reacting to the special preview event.
Ding-dang~ Ding-dang~ Ding-dang~
Before she could watch for long, the notification chime for the [ Special Group ] rang out.
"Herta? She's back?" Lumina muttered, glancing at the sender's avatar. She tapped to open the message:
[Herta: Where are you? Weren't you coming to find me?]
[Lumina: ?]
[Lumina: When did I ever say I was coming to find you?]
"Did this business trip scramble Herta's brain?" Lumina shook her head in confusion, a hint of concern for the well-being of Herta's little mind.
Ding-dang~ Ding-dang~ Ding-dang~
Just as Lumina was pondering how to soothe Herta's agitated mind, Herta sent her the reason for her outburst:
[Herta: The pink-haired girl from the Astral Express told me.]
[Herta: The puppet in my Office was missing, so I controlled one nearby to go check. I ran into her on the way, and she told me you'd been waiting for me in the Office since early this morning.]
[Herta: But when I got there, where were you?]
[Herta: Don't tell me you were just leading her on, taking advantage of her trust?]
"Uh... that does sound about right..." Lumina squinted at Herta's messages, racking her memory. She realized it had indeed happened.
Earlier, wanting to retreat to her room to better observe the Players' reactions, Lumina had casually dismissed March 7th with a flimsy excuse...
Though the ditzy little March was easily fooled, Lumina had still crafted a flawless lie to deceive her. After all, Herta would never tell March the truth about being tricked. [ O(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ ]
"Ahem, ahem." Lumina coughed a few times, snapping out of her reverie. While March was no problem, she needed to keep Herta under control.
After all, the flawless Saintess couldn't let Herta accuse her of "deceiving innocent girls," could she?
[Lumina: How could I? Herta, have you only just met me? I would never do something like betray a girl's trust.]
[Lumina: I just waited for you in your office for ages and you never showed up, so I left temporarily.]
[Lumina: Don't worry, Little Herta. Just stay put and wait obediently. I'm coming now.]
After typing these three messages, Lumina immediately turned off her phone screen and put it away.
"Mmm~"
She stretched languidly as she rose from the bed, letting out a satisfied groan.
Deceiving girls was a grave sin, something universally condemned. Lumina would never allow such a thing to happen... unless...
Unless I'm the one doing it o( ̄▽ ̄*)ブ*
After all, this wasn't deception—it was just a mother's benevolent white lie~
"Little Herta, I'm here! It's been ages since we last saw each other, several System hours, in fact. You must have missed me terribly! Come into my arms and have a good cry and tantrum, darling~♪"
"Come on, a free hug! A free taste of paradise!"
In no time at all, Lumina arrived at Herta's Office. Sensing only Herta's presence inside, she pushed the door open, winked at Herta, and hinted at a "long-awaited reunion" embrace.
"Speak quickly. My time is precious. Don't waste it," Herta snapped, rolling her eyes in response.
Though a fleeting thought of embracing Lumina did cross Herta's mind, it was just a flicker—Herta immediately suppressed it.
"How heartless! I'm going to cry!" Lumina wailed dramatically, wiping away imaginary tears from her dry eyes. Her voice trembled as if she were about to burst into genuine tears.
"If you want to join a theater troupe, I can recommend you to a director." Having spent considerable time with Lumina, Herta understood her quite well.
Nine out of ten words she spoke were lies, and the remaining one was pure nonsense.
The Saintess, outwardly pure, gentle, generous, and selfless, was secretly a compulsive liar with a nasty personality—a head-patting maniac who demanded rewards even when none were offered.
"Then thank you very much for the recommendation, Lady Herta! I'll be sure to give a stellar performance♪" Lumina hummed lightly, neither refusing nor agreeing, merely echoing Herta's words.
Herta: ...
"Phew... Did you test the Simulated Universe? Tell me your thoughts."
Faced with Lumina's brazen and shameless remarks, Herta resorted to the only strategy she knew: distraction.
Lumina saw through Herta's childish tactic immediately, but she didn't press further, simply smiled.
After briefly considering her progress during the Gold and Gears tests, she answered Herta's question:
"No problems at all! It's great—the combat is incredibly satisfying!"
Herta: Hmm?
Upon hearing Lumina's response, a flicker of confusion crossed Herta's eyes.
"Wait, I asked for your opinion on the Simulated Universe, not how satisfying the combat was!"
But Herta quickly realized something and gave Lumina a speechless look.
The Stellaron Spirit being good at combat has nothing to do with you, Lumina!
I asked you to test the Simulated Universe for stability, not its combat capabilities...
Wait a minute... Could Lumina be using her Developer Permissions to cheat?
Herta's thoughts raced, the suspicion that Lumina was hacking her way through the Simulated Universe growing stronger with each passing moment.
"But speaking of which, why isn't the Eternal Garden included in the guaranteed Event pool?"
Gold and Gears were great, and Lumina loved them, but her one complaint was that the Eternal Garden wasn't included in the Event guarantee system.
With a serious expression, Lumina turned to Herta and proposed her suggestion:
"Herta, to give every Blessing a chance to shine, let's add the Eternal Garden to the guaranteed Event pool!"
"I bet you just want to play it yourself," Herta retorted, shooting Lumina a disdainful look. Nevertheless, she obediently added the Eternal Garden Event to the guaranteed pool...