"Ugh... How am I supposed to make this Version PV?!"
Staring at the Version PV creation process on the screen, Lumina repeatedly scratched her hair. Her once silky-smooth locks, as soft as fine silk, became slightly disheveled with each repeated tug.
[All your plans are in your head. Even if I wanted to help, I'm powerless to do anything.]
Observing Lumina's current state, resembling a fallen angel, the System adopted a detached, gleeful attitude, sighing theatrically while feigning helplessness.
But while the System enjoyed the spectacle, it truly was powerless. It had no idea what Lumina intended to create.
How could it assist in producing the Version PV when it knew nothing about her vision?
Therefore, Lumina had only herself to blame for this predicament.
[ o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ ]
"Heh," Lumina scoffed, a cold smile spreading across her face as the System's thoughts flashed across the screen.
Now wasn't the time to give this guy a proper dressing-down. The special preview program was just around the corner, and Lumina needed to hurry and finish the version PV... And it had to be top-notch. Anything less would be a disservice to all her meticulous preparations!
There's an old saying on the Xianzhou: "Haste makes waste." Though Lumina thought cold tofu was fine too (scratch that), or maybe she could warm it up herself (scratch that), she knew the wisdom of the saying well.
So, Lumina first calmed her racing thoughts, then pulled out her phone, opened the Bilibili app, searched for the official Honkai: Star Rail account, scrolled to the bottom, and clicked on the Version 1.1 PV. She prepared to study it thoroughly from start to finish...
(P.S.: Version 1.0 didn't have a version PV)
Thus, Lumina's little brain—the same one that could be beaten to a pulp by a mere cleaning lady from the Intelligentsia Guild—now began to whir at full speed, switching into learning mode.
"I get it now!!!"
After watching the entire version PV, Lumina suddenly had an epiphany. She seemed to grasp exactly how the Version 1.7 PV should be presented.
[You've had another epiphany?]
The System replied sarcastically.
"Of course," Lumina said, her expression relaxing instantly as she put away her phone, tapped the screen, and began crafting her own version PV.
"Making a version PV might seem complicated, but it's actually quite simple. There are just a few key steps."
"First, start with a cryptic opening line to hook viewers. Then showcase the new areas and monsters, followed by a demonstration of the Featured Character. Interject glimpses of the Version's Main Story and limited-time events. Finally, cap it off with an utterly misleading visual and line of dialogue—and voilà, a fresh version PV is born!"
[ "Utterly misleading visual and line of dialogue? Like what, for example?" ] the System asked, genuinely curious.
"B-B-Sister Lumina... I... I don't want to die..." Lumina croaked out, imitating a dying character.
[?]
Hearing this, the System didn't know what to say, only silently typing "?" to express its utter speechlessness.
"Ahem~♪"
Lumina hummed lightly, meticulously following these steps to bring her mental vision to life. In less than an Hour System Time, she had crafted the Version 1.7 PV.
"How is it?"
After creating the version PV, Lumina first reviewed it herself, making minor adjustments to address any shortcomings. Then, she submitted it to the System for feedback.
[Hm... I strongly disagree with the Genius Society not having a place for you.]
After reviewing Lumina's entire version PV, the System remained silent for a moment before delivering its high praise.
"I agree." Lumina nodded earnestly. With my intellect, why hasn't Nous, the Aeon of Erudition, even glanced my way yet?
[You're letting the praise go to your head, aren't you?]
Hearing this, the System couldn't tell if Lumina was being serious or not and grew exasperated.
"What else?" Lumina retorted, sensing the System's frustration.
[?]
Observing Lumina's demeanor, the System recognized she had become intoxicated by her recent success, so deeply entrenched in her self-admiration that she couldn't be snapped out of it.
Given Lumina's undeniable intellectual prowess, the System refrained from further comment. It slowly typed out a "?," conveying its unspoken thoughts, and then fell silent.
-
Real World, 7:20 PM, ten minutes before the Version 1.7 special preview program.
Even though the preview program wasn't scheduled to start for another ten minutes, the number of viewers in the live stream had already reached an astonishingly high figure.
[Start the Train! Start the Train!]
[Start the Train! Start the Train!]
[Open the Gate! Open the Gate!]
[? Bro, this is the Astral Express, not that GI Game next door (facepalm).]
The Comment Section was filled with uniform, rapid-fire messages, almost all urging the stream to start quickly and begin the preview.
Beyond the official live stream, other streams were also buzzing with activity.
For example, Little Bear's live stream...
With the official preview program about to begin, Little Bear wasn't playing any games. Instead, he had opened the official stream and was broadcasting his own stream watching the official stream.
Even though it was essentially just watching the official stream in a different window, many fans had flocked to Little Bear's channel, eager to watch the preview alongside him and observe his reactions to every moment.
After all, switching to another live stream wouldn't mean missing any content, and might even offer a moment of amusement. Why not?
"These ten minutes feel longer than my lifespan..."
Little Bear sighed anxiously, watching the Astral Express drift endlessly through the cosmos on the screen.
[Just thinking about how the Lumina gacha won't be available for another two weeks after the live stream fills my eyes with darkness (collapsing in tears).]
[Do you think they'll give us Lumina right after Ratio? (Smiling thoughtfully)]
[Are you kidding? Even if they gave away Ruan Mei, they'd never give us Lumina, not with the power level she had in the Test Server's v5 build (laughing).]
Since it was the second week of the Version 1.6 second-half gacha, the Test Server data had already been fully packaged.
Even after Lumina's strength was nerfed from v1 to v5, she remained "meta"—a must-have character.
While her E0 was somewhat underwhelming and had glaring flaws, her E1 and E2 were ridiculously powerful—so strong they felt like they belonged to a completely different era...
[But seriously, why is there no news about a second Featured Character in the Test Server? Not a single hint. If it weren't for the Extraterrestrial Satellite lying on the official account, I'd think Version 1.7 was only getting Lumina as the new Featured Character.]
[Maybe the official team wants to keep things mysterious. Ice-type Erudition... honestly, that's a tough one to guess...]
[True, it's really hard to guess. Wasn't there a Version 1.6 boss covered in blue? Hmm, but we can't rule out a new character from the New Planet either.]
[Bro, don't rule anything out. What kind of sane person would put three question marks and a shadowy figure on the new map's character showcase? (laughing and crying)]
"Indeed, the probability of the new character being a humanoid Little Swarm is quite high," Little Bear nodded in agreement, watching the comments flood the live stream.
Before the Version 1.6 storyline dropped, this "Mysterious New Character" might have genuinely been mysterious... But ever since most players completed the Version 1.6 main quest and learned that Lumina gifted the Trailblazer the Constructed Starcrusher Swarm King, the "Mysterious New Character" had lost almost all its mystique.
Anyone with a shred of critical thinking could tell this move was clearly setting up something big. Considering the "mysterious new character," there was at least a 90% chance it was the humanoid form of the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King, gifted to the Trailblazer by Lumina...
[But wait a minute, if the new character really is the Swarm King, will its humanoid form be male or female?]
[Definitely female! (laughs)]
[We already know the Swarm King's parents are Lumina and Ruan Mei, and we also know both are female. According to basic genetics, it's impossible for the Swarm King to be male! (facepalms and laughs)]
[Honkai: Star Rail talking about genetics? This is all about Aeon worship!]
As Little Bear scrolled through the comments, a constant smile played on his lips, though he refrained from sharing his own opinion. After all, as long as the story was compelling and the character strong, gender didn't really matter...
Well, of course, female would be better.
[All aboard! All aboard! Let's see if this preview livestream reveals the [mysterious new character].]
Just as Little Bear had this thought, the clock slowly ticked past 7:30 PM. The Astral Express, drifting endlessly through the Cosmos, now carved its way toward the Starry Sky...