Star Calendar Year 8099, Amber Era 2157, Herta Space Station, Master Control Zone.
"Star, you must work hard. The Space Station relies on me, but even more so, it relies on all of you."
Asta gently patted the gray-haired girl on the shoulder. With her other hand, she held the practice longsword behind her back in a rather dashing, reverse-grip pose.
She tried her best to make her tone sound earnest and grave, yet her voice floated slightly with a hint of irrepressible excitement. It turned out that the graceful elegance of swordsmen in movies was truly this addictive.
This freshly baked 'Senior' style wasn't bad at all.
"If I work hard, will I be able to raise my hand and unleash sword energy spanning dozens of meters?"
Star rubbed her chin, subconsciously sizing up the baseball bat in her hand.
In that case, who needs this bat!
"Keep dreaming, you Stellaron Brat."
A sneer laced with mockery came from the side. "At the very least, you'd need a cheat code."
Herta sat sideways on her magic staff, arms crossed over her chest. Was Asta's current strength due to hard work? Then why couldn't she see a single drop of sweat on her forehead?
"A cheat?"
Star froze for a moment, then her eyes lit up high as she looked expectantly toward Herta.
"Then, the unparalleled, supremely intelligent, beauty-that-sinks-fish-and-drops-geese, Madam Great Herta! Look at this Stellaron inside my body..."
She didn't speak too clearly, but Star believed that Madam Herta, who could smash the Doomsday Beast with a wave of her hand, would definitely understand what she meant... Could this Stellaron be used as a cheat?
"Hah?"
Herta tilted her head to the side.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow. My interest in you today has already mostly run out."
She yawned lazily and floated away on her magic staff in a leisurely manner, leaving behind a string of gradually fading, slightly girlish hums.
"I'm leaving first. Don't disturb me while I ponder the mysteries of the universe."
"..."
Left behind, Star clenched her fist. An inexplicable 'Chunibyo' soul—a delusion of grandeur—burned within her. She must, she absolutely must climb to the highest peak!
She would make Madam Herta, make everyone, revolve around her. They would not be able to ignore her. She would condense the gaze of the entire cosmos upon herself. She wanted to be the Shining Star!
"Star! We're heading off now!"
To the side, the pink-haired March waved her hand, followed by the gentle-looking Dan Heng and a Welt Yang who looked like he was 'just passing by'.
Although they had met by chance, a wonderful friendship had already been established. However, compared to the Great Herta who suppressed the Antimatter Legion's assault with a wave of her hand, the Express Crew really seemed too much like side characters just there to buy soy sauce.
*[Promising Future Chat Group]*
Asta: "That's roughly the situation. It's magical, right? The power of a Stellaron can actually be controlled by a human."
Jingliu: "Indeed magical."
Wangshu: "So, the Trailblazer Star was just kept behind by you like that?"
Asta: "Mn, fortunately, this Station Lead displayed divine might and subsequently captured the little one's heart, making the other party stay at the Space Station willingly. Otherwise, she really would have been abducted by the Express Crew to live a life of wind for food and dew for sleep across the universe."
Asta: "I heard from Madam Herta that there seemed to be matters regarding the Stellaron Hunters today as well, but since they didn't take advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, we didn't look into it deeply."
Wangshu: "..."
Asta: "^_^"
Wangshu: "..."
Asta: "Are you done practicing with the sword? You're just spamming ellipses here."
Moreover, constantly sending ellipses was quite annoying; it was like saying she was leaving him speechless.
Wangshu: "I was just thinking, should you... tactfully persuade Star to board the Express and try out the taste of The Trailblaze?"
Asta: "There's no need. Even if Madam Herta loses interest in her in a few days, with this Station Lead's connections and resources, wouldn't it be a breeze to arrange a stable, promising job with excellent benefits for her on the Space Station?"
Who was she? The most popular Station Lead of Herta Space Station, the one who sympathized most with her subordinates!
Asta: "But you seem to know Star too. Is the timeline from before your transmigration very far in the future?"
Wangshu: "Mn. If Star doesn't step onto the journey of The Trailblaze, there is a high probability the universe will step into the finale of Destruction. Quite a few people should know this prophecy in a few years. After all, the Space Station is the starting point of her Trailblaze journey."
Asta's confident smile froze slightly: "..."
Jingliu: "Is that little gray-hair so important?"
Wangshu: "I heard—I only heard this from my side—that if that little gray-hair boards the Express, she is the Akivili of the past. She also seems to have a very deep connection with The Finality."
Actually, that was likely the case. However, if he stated such matters too definitively, it would be a bit hard to explain.
Anyway, the Aeons of Honkai: Star Rail didn't pay much attention to timelines; they were special existences on a philosophical and rule-based level.
Asta: "..."
Jingliu: "6."
Wangshu: "Very 6, right!"
Asta: "Did I cause a disaster?"
Wangshu: "I'm just saying. After all, before individual Aeons ascend, there seem to be reservists. Who's to say The Trailblaze and The Finality don't also have reservist settings? It's not like they're short of just her."
Wangshu: "Maybe if she doesn't join The Trailblaze, the Mandate of Heaven will just shift to someone else's head."
Asta retracted her gaze, looking toward the Astral Express which had already disappeared into the distance, wishing to speak but stopping herself.
Because Madam Herta had acted in time, the Express Crew hadn't encountered much trouble and didn't need to rest and reorganize. Meanwhile, Star had already become a member of the Space Station as a subject of research.
"What's wrong, Station Lead? Does Madam Herta have new instructions?"
To the side, Star—who had rapidly completed the mental transition from drifter to Space Station employee—leaned over, a proactive and enthusiastic smile on her face.
She seemed to have completely accepted her new identity and... the future of potentially being researched.
Asta felt her throat becoming a bit sticky again.
"Star, Madam Herta's temper might not be very good. If you regret it and want to return to the Express, you can tell me."
Anyway, the destruction of the universe couldn't be because of her. This pot of blame was too big; she couldn't carry it!
Star shook her head. "No, Station Lead, I don't regret it. I have a new ideal, and here, I see the hope of realizing it."
She turned her head, gazing into the boundless dark abyss outside that was studded with stars. Her eyes were dazed for a moment, as if swallowed by the magnificence and depth of this universe, but soon, a more fervent and determined look replaced the confusion.
"How vast is this cosmos? How magnificent?"
Star's voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a strange infectious power. "If I just act as a passerby, taking the Express to witness it place by place, wouldn't that be too slow? Too inefficient?"
She extended her hand, fingertips gently pressing against the cold glass as if to grasp that distant starlight within her palm. "I was thinking... why must I go to the mountain? Letting the myriad sceneries, the thousands of civilizations, the countless wonders all come to me, gathering right here—wouldn't that be far more... efficient?"
Asta opened her mouth. No, wait, what is your new ideal? Why do I feel like I didn't quite understand?
"Star, can you speak a little more clearly?"
Star withdrew her hand and clenched her fist tightly, as if seizing the illusory starry sky scene from just now and digesting it.
"Station Lead, human power has limits."
I know, Asta nodded subconsciously, so in the future you don't seem to be human... you become an Aeon.
"So!"
Star's voice suddenly rose, filled with hot-blooded passion. "I've decided! Once I familiarize myself with the Space Station's operations and accumulate some capital and experience, I want to join the Interastral Peace Corporation!"
Asta: ...
"Using my own methods! Using the rules of commerce! Using the power of capital!"
Golden credit points seemed to sparkle in Star's eyes. "I will make this cosmos run according to the blueprint in my heart—one that is more efficient, more prosperous, and more... centralized! I will make all resources, all gazes, and all beautiful sceneries converge towards profit... ah no, converge towards a greater Order!"
Asta's vision went black, feeling a bit hypoxic in her brain. It's over. The child's brain has issues.
"Star, trying to get ahead in the IPC is very hard... It is very cruel there."
She tried to tactfully make Star recognize reality.
Star seemed not to have heard. She stood at the edge of the Space Station, her back straight as a ramrod, looking down upon the vast Star Ocean.
The Great Herta seemed very special; everyone respected her. Star could borrow her influence. Adding on her exploration of the Space Station today, she discovered that Asta's status was also far from ordinary.
Thinking of this, her psychological construction became even more perfect. Star took a deep breath, suddenly turned around, and strode toward the still-dazed Asta.
"Star?"
Asta was made a bit nervous by her sudden solemnity.
Star extended both hands and, without explanation, grasped Asta's hand, holding it tightly. Her gaze was incomparably sincere, even carrying a few degrees of classical theatrical gravity, as she spoke with perfect articulation:
"Station Lead!"
"Star, drifting for half a lifetime, lonely and without support... Fortunately, I obtained the Station Lead's shelter, granting me a place to stand. The grace of your appreciation is like giving me a second life!"
She paused. Under Asta's increasingly horrified gaze, she slightly raised her volume:
"If the Duke does not abandon me—"
Asta: No, don't... don't say that sentence!
"Star, is willing to bow and accept you as Foster Father!!!"
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