Orchis was somewhat surprised to see the gray-haired girl pull out her lance and point it directly at Ruan Mei.
This scene never happened in the original story.
The butterfly effect Orchis had brought about had transformed the once-drifting Trailblazer, giving her initiative. She now willingly wanted to get on the Express, strove to become a better person, and had learned to filter out those who were not friendly to her.
A person's character is their destiny.
For someone with awareness and conviction, even if they walk the same path of Trailblaze, the outcome will be vastly different.
[You reap what you sow. There's nothing to be surprised about it at this point, is there?] Aha's voice suddenly reached Orchis's ears.
Before Orchis could react, the red mask appeared beside the doll-like girl and waved a sparse, large hand.
The next second, several virtual screens unfolded before Orchis. The images displayed were the stories of what had happened to the Trailblazer on Belobog and the Luofu Xianzhou while she was unconscious, which deviated slightly from Orchis's memory.
In the original Belobog story, Cocolia, deluded by the Stellaron, was ultimately defeated by the group and took her own life when the Stellaron went rampant. Bronya then took her place as the Supreme Guardian. The Nameless, indifferent to fame and fortune, supported Bronya in concealing Cocolia's fate and left once their work was done.
But now, the scene Orchis saw on the screen was not like that at all—
-----------------
Just as Cocolia was about to self-destruct due to the Stellaron, the Trailblazer, under the astonished gazes of everyone else, rushed forward without hesitation.
She herself was a life-form forged from a Stellaron. During her time with Herta, Stelle had gained a certain degree of understanding of the thing inside her. At the same time, this thing was a matter of life and death for her. The girl did not want to experience that feeling of her life hanging by a thread, like when she fought the Doomsday Beast, ever again. She had to find a way to control it! Stelle knew where she could learn how.
Previously, when the gray-haired girl's Stellaron had gone rampant, it was Mr. Welt who had suppressed it... She needed to possess that ability! So, after boarding the Express, she had actively sought him out to learn from him.
Those who drift with the current passively accept the changes of fate, powerless; those who actively advance will shape a completely different destiny.
"Why did you save me?"
In the footage, Cocolia was held up by the Trailblazer with one hand. At the very end, it seemed she had no better option than to atone with her death.
The arrival of the Nameless had resolved the Stellaron disaster. As for Cocolia, who had chosen to embrace the Stellaron, she had pushed what she was supposed to protect toward destruction, facing so many deaths in both the Overworld and Underworld. She was unworthy of the title of Supreme Guardian. If she were to live, what should she do...
"Don't run away to the easy side. Death is the most irresponsible method. It's too cunning," Stelle said, somewhat indignant.
"Coming to Belobog, I saw those powerful people who, even when facing doomsday and a crisis of survival, still chose to persevere with strength. Even in despair, people still yearn for tomorrow."
"You said that for the future of this planet, sacrifice and a new world are necessary, but that's not it! If sacrifice has value, it's for the people living in the present!"
Cocolia: "—"
"Bronya is completely different from someone like you. Not just her, but Seele, Clara, Gepard, Serval, the members of Wildfire and the Silvermane Guards—all the precious companions I've met on this journey. They all carry their own worries and pains, have gasped for breath in the face of setbacks, and have denied themselves. Yet, in the end, they fought desperately to do what they could, holding on to who they were until the very last moment."
I won't let you use the Stellaron's delusion as an excuse, only to die with such a miserable and regretful look after the dust has settled.
Who is that look of being wronged, helpless, and then finding release for?
"What a joke!"
Orchis had thought that raising the lance of fire would be the gray-haired girl's insurmountable highlight of her life.
But instead, she saw the Trailblazer standing in the protagonist's spot, speaking the protagonist's lines, and taking the protagonist's actions.
Then she hauled the melancholic and hesitant Cocolia up from the ground.
"...But, at this point, how can I possibly go back and face Belobog?"
"Could it possibly be more painful than the harm brought by the Stellaron?"
I don't know what you can do, nor do I expect your actions to be forgiven, but you must do something! It's a matter of attitude!
"As long as you have the courage to face this fact, there will always be people willing to support you. You can definitely start over."
As she finished speaking, Bronya threw herself into her mother's arms. With the help of her companions and their bonds, the story of Belobog actually had a happy, all-inclusive ending?!
-----------------
As for the footage related to the Xianzhou, our dear Dan Heng's condition remained stable—he was still wavering over the sins of his past life!
I am not Dan Feng! I am not him! ...Actually, I am gradually accepting that the High Elder's past is unavoidable.
By the end of the whole High-Cloud Quintet reunion, Dan Heng was completely numb. He tried to sever ties but couldn't. Everyone else just assumed he was Dan Feng, and he himself was becoming neurotic. Incomplete reincarnation is no reincarnation at all!
You'll definitely use the Draconic Transformation Art again in the future! And when you go to Amphoreus to become an Earth Titan, this psychological torment will just relapse for another round.
You can't just question Dan Feng when your companions are still alive!
"Stelle, what do you think about me and Dan Feng?"
"Who knows? I lack a deep understanding of your past, and I can't empathize with it."
"Sorry, that was abrupt of me. Dan Feng's sins constantly linger around me, his past relentlessly assails me. Even I, who personally experienced it all, can't maintain my sense of self. How can I place my hopes on someone who only heard the story?"
"So, is the past really that important? At least, I'm looking at the you of the present."
I'm looking at our Astral Express companion, the person named Dan Heng.
"The past can't be undone, but the future can be changed. We look back at the past to spur ourselves on, to never make the same mistakes again. Perhaps you can think of those memories as a blessing, a kind of grace."
"A blessing... you think?"
"Within them, find what kind of person you want to become in the future. Become your own unique self."
Gifting her companion the words she had received from Orchis that day, the Trailblazer felt that if she could change, then others could certainly move forward too.
-----------------
Orchis watched the gray-haired girl on the screen and did a tactical lean back.
She could proactively improve herself, independently resolve her Stellaron's rampages, and provide psychological counseling to her companions. She was acting completely as the core of the team, handling incidents and internal conflicts, rather than being dragged along by everyone. She wasn't just the group's beloved mascot who was there for the ride; she was practically brimming with story-driving force.
What's going on, Gray ? Where's your superb player-character vibe?
[Isn't this what you hoped for? An outstanding heroine and a game protagonist complement each other in a story.]
[Because of your arrival, she has changed.]
[She is no longer a dandelion seed drifting with the wind. She now rides the wind herself, living out her own brilliance.]
I just designed a reason for her to get on the Express... Orchis truly hadn't expected the butterfly effect to take hold so quickly.
Her perception of the Trailblazer was still stuck on her in-game persona.
[You view this world from a player's perspective. This helps you quickly process information and decide what to do in the next stage.]
[But at the same time, this is now your reality. For the people living in this world, it is just as vivid.]
[They have their own joys, sorrows, and thoughts... How about it? Do you finally have the real feeling of having twisted someone else's life?]
The Trailblazer had become unlike the person players knew because of Orchis. Perhaps Aha was trying to suggest that this was a kind of evil act.
The answer was no.
Humans are inherently social animals. In the course of constant encounters, they often change their own positions. For every person, just by living, by existing there, by being observed by others, their words and actions are shaping you, shaping me, and shaping the person next to us.
Therefore, to say it was "twisting a life" was not accurate. Rather, it was giving it a richer color.
But as a result, with the gray-haired girl having changed, the main storyline would naturally become unrecognizable as time went on.
Originally, the Trailblazer was supposed to go along with Miss Ruan Mei's wishes, tricked into becoming her research assistant. But now, the plot had undergone a huge shift. Stelle had sensed something was wrong and directly pulled out her weapon to pressure and threaten Ruan Mei.
Before long, the commotion on the observation platform also attracted the master of the space station, Ms. Herta.
-----------------
"Oh, what do we have here? So lively. It seems you two are getting along quite well."
The moment Herta arrived on the platform, she saw the standoff between the Trailblazer and Ruan Mei and gave a smile brimming with interest.
She hadn't expected this unforeseen conflict to arise between the two of them.
Interesting. Her curiosity immediately flared up.
"Little one, what did Ruan Mei say to you?"
The Trailblazer couldn't spit out the real information, so she could only use her eyes to gesture at the pastries left on the scene.
Herta bent down, glanced at them, and after a moment of contemplation, quickly analyzed their ingredients.
"An anti-truth serum...? You actually fed this stuff to the little one."
Looking at Ruan Mei's cold expression, Herta instantly connected a lot of dots.
First, Ruan Mei was definitely conducting some kind of secretive experiment that required an assistant who wasn't affiliated with Herta Space Station.
Something big was coming, and she was even keeping Herta, the station's master, in the dark.
Second, Herta was also teasing Ruan Mei a bit for her methods.
"Sometimes I think you should learn how to interact with people. Living in seclusion, you've even forgotten how to present yourself openly."
This sentence wasn't actually meant for Ruan Mei, but for the Trailblazer. Using a seemingly enlightened reprimand could de-escalate the situation.
"Why go through so much trouble? Just ask her to test it, right? Or, let me test it."
The little Herta puppet took a few steps forward and stood before Ruan Mei, one hand on her hip. Ruan Mei lowered her head, silent for a moment, then spoke.
"...I don't think you'll like the content of my research."
"I'll be the judge of that after I've seen it. You're messing around in my space station, after all. You owe me a favor, so you might as well see it through."
"We'll talk about it later."
Ruan Mei fell silent. Her research didn't just involve the Swarm King. If Herta delved too deeply, it might even connect the dots to Ruan Mei's collaboration with Jingliu and Luocha.
In order to bring death to the Abundance, the former Sword Champion had to rely on the powers of Destruction and Propagation. Ruan Mei was attempting to use this to reach the Aeon of Abundance, the Plagues Author.
No genius could refuse the secrets of an Aeon, not even Zandar.
This was Ruan Mei's own project. Some research could be collaborative, but in their own fields of authority, most geniuses had an unwritten, uncompromising rule: no unauthorized interference in another's experiments.
"Fine. Come with me to see Screwllum first."
Herta beckoned to Ruan Mei with a finger, pointing toward the Simulated Universe.
Ruan Mei considered it, then walked in the direction Herta indicated.
Before leaving, the classical-styled woman's eyes glanced toward the Trailblazer's location. The gray-haired girl met her gaze with a wary look.
The Trailblazer's trip to the laboratory was off.
-----------------
Orchis observed this scene from the shadows. The brief conflict between the Trailblazer and Ruan Mei had been smoothed over by Herta's appearance.
At the same time, the plot's development was gradually diverging. It was very likely the gray-haired girl wouldn't be investigating Ruan Mei's laboratory.
[What are you going to do next?] Aha asked Orchis.
If the Trailblazer didn't go to the laboratory as per the original plot, the story would fast-forward to Penacony.
"Although I'm a bit surprised the plot has changed so much, it's still within a manageable range."
After all, Orchis could use Production Points to adjust the plot's development at any time, as long as it conformed to the logic of the world.
"Herta showing up here is actually surprisingly helpful for me."
Hearing Orchis's words, Aha grew puzzled.
[What do you mean?]
Orchis needed a reason to go to Penacony in the first place.
As a character who frequented Herta Space Station, if she wanted to appear in the Penacony storyline, from a player's perspective, she would undoubtedly need a reason to get on the Express, a reason to travel, a reason to be by the Trailblazer's side.
And Herta's Curio collection happened to contain an item capable of containing a Memetic Entity, a device that could hold the memory of an entire world.
She had to make it so the gray-haired girl could obtain that Curio through a reasonable path.
By having the player proactively advance the plot to obtain it in the form of a quest reward.
[I get it. 'Written in Water,' right...] Aha suddenly chuckled.
-----------------
"Little one, if you don't have anything to do, help me with something. I'll give you a reward when you're done."
Watching Ruan Mei's receding figure, Herta turned to the Trailblazer and asked her to help investigate what Ruan Mei was secretly up to.
Although Ruan Mei's experiment was her own project, and normally Herta had no right to interfere, she was messing around on Herta's turf. Of course, Herta had the right to know what was happening in her own space station. Recently, the three geniuses had been gathering in front of the Simulated Universe, attracting admirers that even included people from the IPC's Intelligentsia Guild. Herta didn't want her space station to be tainted by strange rumors.
"A reward?" The Trailblazer's interest was immediately piqued.
"How about you pick any Curio you like from the vault and take it with you?"
Deal! Herta's collection was practically priceless, and all the Trailblazer had to do was investigate Ruan Mei's activities within the space station. It was practically a free gift. What danger could there be? There was naturally no reason to refuse.
The gray-haired girl set off at once, and Orchis began to plan the next story.
[There are three conditions for the script.]
First, the Trailblazer must obtain the book Written in Water.
Second, the Trailblazer must learn that Orchis is a Memetic Entity.
Third, Orchis must be placed inside the book, giving her a logical reason to follow the Trailblazer to Penacony.
Since I'm adopting the tragic heroine persona, I'll go with the script where I'm on the verge of death, my soul nearly scattered, and I'm put into a book to barely cling to life.
The ancestral method of Honkai-style beautiful girls: high-intensity suffering and torture, writhing on the ground, eyes filled with tears, powerless, "I can't do anything!"