After Orchis and Aha exchanged a few pleasantries... there was no time to lose!
The young girl unfolded a virtual screen in front of her, checking the game production capacity she currently possessed.
[Game Production Capacity: 11037]
A production capacity of over ten thousand points!
Compared to the initial one thousand points, it had multiplied more than tenfold!
Orchis raised an eyebrow, looking surprised and a little bewildered. Was this unexpected, yet also within reason?
Was this a number worth celebrating?
The doll-like girl propped up her chin, pondering, then quickly turned her gaze to Aha, ready to see how he would react.
The Aeon of Elation naturally leaned his head over. Upon seeing the points on the screen, he spoke in surprise.
[Ten thousand points, that's quite a handsome return. It seems your little girlfriend persona really worked. This is almost enough production capacity to create a five-star character with an independent story, one who could occupy a minor version update's slot.]
The production capacity for a minor version's five-star character?
Orchis repeated these words in her mind. Sensing Orchis's slight confusion via telepathy, Aha slapped his head as if he had just remembered something.
[Oh, right. I don't think I've ever given you a frame of reference for how much production capacity can do what.]
Aha recalled when Orchis had first transmigrated. He had only told the girl that "as long as you have enough production capacity points, you can do anything," but he hadn't offered any further explanation. He had left Orchis to guess, unleash her imagination, and use the points based on her own feelings.
Belatedly, Aha began to explain to Orchis.
[Let me think, it should be calculated like this...]
[1000 production capacity points is equivalent to a major side quest with a complete story in the game, or a very significant easter egg.]
For example, those super high-quality side quests in Penacony, some of which even involved members of the Genius Society, like Herta inheriting the Imaginary Implosion Pulse from old Mr. Chadwick.
[5000 production capacity points is equivalent to a four-star character in the game—a recognizable face that players can get to know.]
One thousand points could grant you the status of a story character, while the extra cost for a four-star character was all for a pleasing appearance and the strength or status to stand on their own—basically, getting an official green card to survive in the miHoYo-verse.
With this official green card, unless the writers were determined to push the plot forward with a death, it would be very difficult to kick the bucket.
Take someone like Jiaoqiu, that mysterious hotpot man. By virtue of his noble five-star status, he managed to survive under Hoolay's claws with only the loss of an eye.
The reason Orchis was able to obtain a high-class appearance and an independent story with a mere thousand points was that the Memetic entity was already half-dead, possessed no special powers, and had no background lore. Only by imposing numerous restrictions did she barely manage to interfere with a few plot segments, appearing in the real world as a hidden easter egg story for players to discover. But that was already the absolute limit of what she could manipulate.
[Around 10,000 production capacity is for a five-star character in a transitional storyline.]
Roughly on par with the treatment of characters like Argenti, Jade, or Topaz.
[Or, you could be the protagonist of an event story, like Luka in the Luofu.]
Hearing Aha specifically mention a certain Underworld boxing champion, Orchis thought of the Wardance event.
What did that mean? Luka could get his own slot and sit at the same table as five-star characters?! He had that much clout?
[Yeah, the writers are also very curious. Why is that?]
A four-star pretty boy whose popularity and plot relevance were practically nonexistent. He wasn't for banner sales, wasn't for marketing, and wasn't for testing a mini-game. It was one of the most incomprehensible moves by miHoYo. Why a primitive underground fighter could get his own complete event storyline remains an unsolved mystery to this day.
[Maybe miHoYo really doesn't want to make money and is just focused on telling a good story.]
Ahem. Orchis almost lost her composure hearing the Aeon of Elation's words.
[Anyway, that's pretty much the deal with production capacity.]
[The tiers after this will require two to three times the production capacity, and ridiculously inflated special effects will need five or even ten times more.]
"There are other tiers after this?"
[According to the tiers defined by the player community, five-star characters are further divided into: The Anniversary Royal Family Character! The Zero-Cycle-Guaranteed-Lord! The C-Rank Roadside Poet! The Flaw-Ridden Mysterious Woman and the Thrice-Rerun-to-Squeeze-Out-All-Value-and-Force-Her-Way-into-the-Roster Pointy-Hat Lady! And the Completely-Ignored-Ones! The Lower-Banner Rejects whose power was chopped in half on the test server!]
After hearing all this, Orchis told Aha to stop beating around the bush and get to the main point!
"Just tell me straight. How much production capacity does our coolest, most handsome savior, Phainon, who has the best story, the best special effects, and the highest prestige in the whole village, require?"
To this day, the girl couldn't forget the moment she was stunned by the savior's epically exaggerated and lavish special effects on the day of the 3.4 leaks.
What did they mean by "even men are secretly playing"? What was this about "my phone automatically pulled for Phainon"? What was that about "if Phainon just had Kiana's model, he could have ruled for all eternity"?
What did they mean by "every character's production capacity is limited, we're all limited five-stars, there's no hierarchy!"
Don't look, Seele!!!!!
[If you want a grand spectacle and a huge production like the savior, you'll need at least 100k.]Aha said.
One hundred thousand production capacity... Orchis didn't know if she could ever achieve that level of popularity in her entire life.
A character's popularity was more or less fixed upon their debut. Although Orchis had exploded with over ten thousand production capacity from a single story appearance, the growth would become considerably more difficult once players had a psychological expectation.
At best, her popularity might continue to ferment as her character and story were fleshed out, but most players were first attracted by a character's art and would only be willing to delve into their story afterward. If they didn't find the character appealing at first glance, that was likely how it would stay forever.
[My dear Orchis, you don't need to care so much about popularity and production capacity.]
Seeing Orchis's silence, Aha added, "Being a minor version five-star is already pretty great, you know."
Over ten thousand points was already enough for Orchis to become an official game character and survive in this world.
With the threat to her life removed, she could just do what she could with the rest.
[You know, in a cruel game like Star Rail, high popularity doesn't necessarily mean good treatment. They could give your future playable character some humorous after-sales service like tripping over their own feet, make a Trace that takes up the healer slot, and then bundle it all up into a multiplier that's less than what the free protagonist gives you. That'll teach you.]
"Shut up! Don't start drama about the Break Effect girl!"
-----------------
"...You waited until now to tell me all this important information," Orchis said, pressing a hand to her forehead.
Although the lack of instructions on how to use production capacity points hadn't greatly affected her, she couldn't ignore the fact that Aha hadn't clearly explained these key details from the beginning just because the outcome was good.
However, given that the Aeon of Elation was not a serious Aeon, the girl quickly let it go.
As it happened, from the cold perspective of remaining value, Orchis felt that Aha had already served his purpose.
He was a functional NPC. His appearance was to introduce the world's premise, and once the protagonist's career was on the right track, his mission was complete.
Orchis could only influence the world through production capacity—in other words, not even an Aeon could interfere with her; she was only affected by production capacity.
Even if Aha suddenly had the whim to grant Orchis the title of an Emanator of Elation, it would still cost production capacity points; it couldn't be given for free.
Thinking it over, the only situation where Orchis would need Aha was to get information from the real world's internet, to have the Aeon help her hear the players' true voices.
(But I only need to hear that voice once.)
Because a character's general direction is decided from the very beginning.
She would use the players' voices to find her niche and serve that initial audience from beginning to end, without making too many adjustments later on.
If Orchis were to constantly take things one step at a time, following the forums every day, a character who was merely a marionette would lack dramatic tension.
A character must always maintain a sense of novelty within a range acceptable to their fans, and what Orchis needed to do was confirm who that initial fanbase was.
Thus, the doll-like girl ignored the Aeon of Elation's antics beside her, calmed her mind, and began to process the information at hand.
"From the players' perspective, it seems I am indeed on the 'little girlfriend' path, considered someone important from the Trailblazer's past."
"The community basically sees me as a tragic heroine. Following the old formula of Honkai games, I must have some heavy-duty tearjerker plot points buried in my story."
"The person who shouldn't be forgotten, yet was forgotten by the little gray-haired girl... is that the feeling?"
"The vast majority of players view me with a protective instinct, believing that Orchis cannot be left behind."
"This is more or less in line with the user profile I considered. The innocent phase between a 15-year-old girl and a mature otome heroine is indeed very charming."
"How's the fan-creation circle? The art seems to mostly depict me as quiet and dorky, with the Trailblazer taking the initiative to care for me tenderly. A dominant/submissive dynamic."
"If that's the case, perhaps I should adjust my previous idea?"
Before coming to Ruan Mei's lab, Orchis had thought that if she managed to survive, she would use her production capacity points to gain combat power. Then, when the little gray-haired girl was getting beaten senseless by the Swarm King, she could step in to help, creating a sense of contrast.
A girl who looks weak but is surprisingly capable in a fight—this mismatch of feeling protective of her yet also being protected by her combat prowess is a common trope.
"But looking at the community feedback, they seem more enthusiastic about the protagonist having the power to act more chivalrous and heroic towards me."
"I need to adjust myself... to become the one who is protected. I see."
It would be more fitting to be a delicate and powerless princess-type character who doesn't hold the protagonist back and does her best to provide crucial support.
Orchis tinkered with the idea, and a general framework for the story she would act out next began to take shape.
Seeing the doll-like girl already fully immersed in the next phase, Aha was grief-stricken.
[You damn efficiency-obsessed monster.]
Aha was being used and tossed aside like a dirty rag, completely ignored and left to the side.
Being ignored?!
Only Orchis in the entire universe would treat the Aeon of Elation this way. Alas, an inappropriate emotion stirred in Aha's heart.
I actually really like this!
[So, my dear Orchis, what are you planning to do with these ten thousand-plus points?]Aha asked curiously.
"I'm waiting for Penacony," Orchis replied.
The entire Penacony arc was the version that brought the most new players to Honkai: Star Rail, had the highest activity, and saw the most soaring popularity.
If she wanted to use her points to become a playable character, Orchis had to be implemented during the 2.0 era.
And Penacony had Acheron, the workhorse Raiden Mei expy of the Honkai series, as well as the number one traffic-driving, white-haired mecha beauty, the girl whose girlfriend power was so high it made people exclaim she was invincible—Firefly!
If she didn't save her points to prepare for the future, and just dorkily entered 2.0 to face off against two monsters, was she just waiting to be kicked aside like a roadside dog?
Look at March 7th! A female protagonist who doesn't work hard ends up having her lewd art ecosystem completely taken over by new pretty faces!
[You never thought about being implemented in the 1.0 era?!]
Aha shouted, earning a disgusted look from the doll-like girl.
"Then it would be hard for Orchis's power level to make her a player's favorite."
"A character not even worthy of a ten pull would have few people exchange for them in the shop."
[The ugly face of a meta-slave.]
"Say whatever you want! I'm determined to become a noble Ice-type Path of Remembrance character! To become a pre-release Lord of Remembrance!"
"If I can't do that, I'll go for Harmony and become a pillar of the Wind set, Bronya, and Dance! Dance! Dance! A god of the 0-turn domain with a two-gold cost!"
In any case, Orchis didn't believe the slogan "play until the game shuts down without your characters being powercrept." Believing in character buffs was less reliable than finding a way to accompany the players for a longer time.
"Alright, Aha, let's leave it at that. After this 1.6 version, I need to prepare for Penacony. I'll be very busy."
For a Memetic entity, a grand stage like the Dreamscape, filled with Memoria, was a very natural place for the little gray-haired girl to "recall past memories."
Penacony was the best vessel for shaping Orchis's character! She had to polish her character's highlight moments!
In the current 1.6 plot, Orchis had to reveal to the little gray-haired girl that she was a Memetic entity, letting the players know this fact.
Laying the groundwork with foreshadowing would make it easier to develop the story later!
The preparations were numerous; she didn't have the leisure to chat about random things with a jester.
Those who don't work should just sit quietly in the audience and watch the show.
[Are you trying to kick me out? My friend, you are so cruel.]Aha said, looking miserable.
"Don't make it sound like I'm wronging you. You started this story, you're the one who brought me here."
"Logically, you have an obligation to be responsible for me, yet I'm fending for myself and even providing you with entertainment. That should be enough."
Orchis didn't look up, continuing with the work at hand.
[Actually, I've provided you with a little bit of help. If you don't mind, I won't delay you any longer.]
"Hmm?"
[There's a saying: once a character is on PC, what they wear is no longer up to the developers!]
[You know, the official version of Star Rail has some very... revealing mods, and you're a game character too, you know.]
—!!!!
[And, I'm a Memetic entity parasitic on the internet. While I don't have any special abilities in the upper world, as a cyber virus, I can quietly put a lock on your data. An unbreakable one. I can even do something about those lewd pictures.]
[It seems I am an unwanted child. I'm sorry, my lord, I have overstepped.]
"Stop! My apologies! Lord Aha!"
"Although what you're doing is very unfriendly to the players, I admit I was speaking too loudly just now!"
"If anyone asks me in the future who I respect most in the world, I will answer without hesitation that it is the Aeon of Elation, Aha!"
[Hmph, you two-faced, opportunistic bad girl! Why are you being so sycophantic!]
-----------------
Joyful laughter echoed through the laboratory as an Aeon and a Memetic entity bickered and played.
Ruan Mei, however, was completely unaware. The woman's brow was slightly furrowed as she continued to contemplate the experiment on the Emanator of Propagation. She needed an assistant.
"Preferably someone not from the space station..."
Then, Ruan Mei remembered what Herta had once mentioned—the Trailblazer who had boarded the Astral Express.
Calculating the cycle for when the Astral Express crew would come to the space station to replenish supplies, the timing seemed just right. They would arrive today?
With this thought, Ruan Mei put down her research materials and walked toward the exit of the laboratory.