Watching them head upstairs, Himeko couldn't help but smile.
"Looks like our journeys are going to get a lot livelier from now on."
"That's a good thing. The rest of us are pretty reserved. Trailblazing needs a bit of cheer," Welt said.
He'd been through a lot, cultivating a mindset that stayed calm even under immense pressure.
Himeko had seen her share of grand spectacles, and Dan Heng had his mysterious past.
As for Leon, though he seemed young and amnesiac, he had lived through countless years, making him a steady presence.
His outwardly carefree and frivolous demeanor was just a way to mask his true self.
Leon gave Welt an odd look.
He could choose not to be reserved—that would make Aha very happy.
But if Aha's happy, not everyone else would be.
"The next stop is Jarilo-VI, right? When do we set off?" Leon asked.
Himeko smiled faintly.
"Rest well tonight, and we'll depart."
…
After admiring the galactic starry view through the train window, Leon was about to rest when the sticky candy showed up.
"Get off my bed."
"Why? Is Aha not pretty enough?"
Aha curled up half a leg, curves on full display, throwing Leon a charming glance.
Their current form was breathtakingly stunning.
Unfortunately, Leon's heart remained as still as a calm lake.
"Pretty, but I'm afraid of catching a plague and spiking a fever."
He wasn't worried about his conversation with Aha appearing on players' screens.
Without his permission, the system couldn't turn it into in-game footage.
"So heartless, calling Aha a plague god—boo-hoo, that hurts Aha's feelings…"
"With that attitude, darling, you might as well ignore Aha completely. Now it just feels like Aha's making a fuss for no reason."
The woman on the bed covered her face, sobbing pitifully in a way that could melt hearts.
Leon nonchalantly approached the bedside and kicked her off with one foot.
"Look at that, look at that! Aha only said a couple of things, and darling's already getting physical!"
"Keep yapping, and I'll…"
"What, what, what? Gonna give Aha a good beating? Yes, yes, yes! Don't hold back just because Aha's a delicate flower—go hard!"
Aha was overjoyed, crawling to the bed's edge, propping up on elbows, and gazing at Leon with infatuation.
Leon's mouth twitched, a chill running through him.
"What I meant was I'll treat you like air. Beat you? In your dreams."
"Why not?"
"If I hit you, wouldn't that just make you happy?"
"No love, no love! Aha's heart is colder than the icy dregs of the ninth winter, knocked out by darling's ruthlessness!"
Aha rolled around on the floor dramatically.
Leon lay on the bed, crossing his legs, ignoring the prankster god's theatrics.
When Aha really came to mess with him, he couldn't refuse—not like now, where it was just verbal teasing to get under his skin.
"Enough with the dramatic act. Quiet down. Say '1' and I'll find you some fun on Jarilo-VI."
"1111111!"
Aha's eyes lit up.
"Really, my adoptive father?"
"I'll count to three, and you'd better disappear. Three."
Before the word fully left his mouth, the stunning beauty in the room was gone, not even a shadow left behind.
With the noisy prankster god gone, Leon slowly closed his eyes.
Compared to his past lives, he liked these days.
No need to rush around worrying about this person or that, saving this world or that planet.
Sometimes, in moments of numbness, he'd even considered collecting faith through misdeeds.
But alas, he had a conscience.
His moral compass wasn't lofty, but it was decent enough.
Bullying the weak? Beneath him.
…
In front of the screen.
Ah Xian rubbed her hands, ready to head to the second beginner village.
Though she already knew the story from the closed beta, Leon's presence rekindled her excitement.
Before advancing the main storyline, she could choose to talk with the Astral Express crew.
Having just finished talking with Leon, she sought out the last person.
Not for any other reason—just to learn more about Leon's deeds.
"You guys, why the rush? To draw a long doujin, I've gotta dive deep into the character's personality and story."
"How can I make a high-quality long-form work without effort? You don't want me to churn out some low-quality, out-of-character garbage, do you?"
Talking with Welt, she selected the option about Leon.
Welt: "He arrived a little over two months before Dan Heng.
Himeko and I met him on a world plagued by natural disasters.
That world was on the verge of withering, and he was the only one left, standing guard before a few nameless tombstones…
At the time, I saw the weariness of countless years and a sense of loss on his face.
We asked what he was guarding there and how many years he'd endured, but he said he'd long forgotten.
He remembered he was from the Sky Haven Clan, remembered his name.
He only recalled staying there to wait for someone or something to arrive.
We couldn't be sure if fate had destined Leon to wait for the Astral Express.
All we knew was that the world was about to become history, and he couldn't stay there any longer.
So he boarded the train, becoming a Nameless to seek his forgotten past."
[???]
[Boo-hoo!]
[Damn, they're planting seeds right at launch?]
Ah Xian also caught a familiar whiff, almost triggering PTSD.
Standing alone, guarding tombstones until everything was forgotten, until the world withered.
Just hearing the description painted such a vivid, immersive scene.
Why was Leon the only one left? Why did the world wither?
From his story, personality, skill voice lines, to his character background, everything about Leon screamed prankster.
But who would've thought the story Welt shared would be so heavy?
"The Astral Express doesn't ask about the past. No matter what intentions passengers have or whether they harbor hidden motives,
as long as someone is willing to join the wondrous journey, the train's doors will generously open for them.
Leon, Dan Heng, March 7th—all have their own pasts, just like you.
Nameless don't need to look back. There's only one thing we do:
look forward together, pioneer the unknown, and charge toward the future."
That was all Welt had to say about Leon.
Ah Xian bit her lip, her expression heavy.
Out of her fondness for Leon, she deeply empathized.
Leon must have been through so much to guard a world until its end.
"Still too little info. I'll trust the writers this time—after all, this is a space comedy game."
Pushing aside the jumbled thoughts, Ah Xian smiled:
"Compared to March 7th, Leon's doing pretty well. At least he didn't forget his name or skills."
"Wait, no—his medical skills might just be the least of his abilities…"
"Why? Intuition, or rather, a woman's sixth sense."
"Think about it—if Leon was just a doctor, how could he guard a world until its end?"
"Whether it's a knife or not is a small issue. Like I said, trust the writers."
[But Ah Xian, Honkai: Star Rail has 'Honkai' in its name. Think about how many people Honkai Impact 3rd killed off.]
[The Last Lesson, Elysian Realm, Everlasting Flames…]
Seeing those comments, Ah Xian's eyes slowly widened.
Boo-hoo!
Honkai Impact 3rd's Welt is really in Star Rail.
The ghost of Honkai Impact 3rd is still chasing me!