"The villain ranking must be Gallagher!"
"Damn, this guy is too fierce! Up to now in the storyline, without shedding a drop of blood, just with his pet, he's already killed three people!"
"Gallagher is on a killing spree, Gallagher is unstoppable."
"If this continues, in the next version, he might just kill his way to godhood?"
"But, Firefly, who was killed by [Death], is still alive?"
"Firefly must have paid a huge price to come back alive..."
"After setting up for two major versions, only appearing at the end of the 2.1 storyline, if it weren't for the final easter egg, I really wouldn't have thought the mastermind would be him!"
"Just that eerie smile at the end of the storyline, even Phantylia would have to admit it's masterful!"
Watching the barrage of comments in the livestream.
Aventurine felt utterly disheartened!
What about me?
Didn't I just take on the entire Astral Express Crew plus Acheron in the 2.1 storyline!
Am I not the boss?
Am I not the villain?!
Why isn't anyone mentioning me?
Aventurine immediately posted his comment.
"I think Aventurine deserves a vote, in the storyline he gambled everything to oppose the Astral Express Crew, truly an outstanding villain."
However.
The players' reactions that followed were beyond his expectations.
"What villain! I advise you not to talk nonsense."
"Aventurine is my good brother, I won't allow anyone to slander him."
"Gambling everything to fight for that one hope! He's definitely the protagonist of the 2.1 storyline!"
"Aventurine has always been [Preservation], not a villain, just a respectable opponent in a different position."
"Exactly! A villain should be a cunning and ruthless scoundrel, Aventurine definitely doesn't fit that category."
Aventurine gently rubbed his forehead.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
If it were usual times, having so many people speak up for him, he might have been moved.
But now!
It's the crucial moment for the villain ranking!
The top ranker gets a chance to fulfill a wish!
You guys just disqualify me from the competition like that?
Aventurine sat down.
Downed the wine in his glass.
Already had an idea in his mind!
Since the appearance of Honkai: Star Rail, the company can no longer manipulate public opinion as easily as before.
Now, the vast majority of people are more inclined to believe the content they get from games.
However.
A company is, after all, a company.
The massive intergalactic economic system is not something to be taken lightly.
Now.
Aventurine needs players to define themselves as [villains] in the game.
It's time for the power of public opinion to come into play.
Aventurine first sends a message to Topaz.
[Miss Topaz, I need to compete for the top spot on the villain leaderboard this time. Could you help me buy some online trolls? The content doesn't matter, as long as it proves I'm a [villain]!]
[Topaz: Why are you asking me?]
[Aren't you nicknamed the "Chart-Buying Queen"? Shouldn't you be good at this kind of thing?]
[Topaz: …]
[Topaz: I'll give it a try. If it works, you owe me a huge favor!]
[No problem.]
After that.
Aventurine began leveraging his other connections within the company.
Trying to add as much leverage as possible to secure his spot on the chart.
...
The Reverie Hotel.
March 7th's room.
Stelle and March 7th sat on opposite sides of the sofa.
Both were scrolling through their phones, keeping an eye on the latest developments in the Villain Chart.
Suddenly, March 7th chuckled!
It seemed she had come across something amusing.
She read aloud from her phone.
"I (Aventurine) solemnly declare: All my actions in the game's storyline should be attributed to villainous behavior! I must have a spot on this Villain Chart."
"I am Aventurine, and I just want to say one thing: I am a villain! I really am a villain!"
March 7th giggled.
"Looks like our Director Aventurine is really eager to make it onto this Villain Chart!"
"He even hired so many bots."
"Well, it makes sense. After all, he'd get to meet Yu Ling and have a wish granted!"
"What do you think we should wish for if we made it onto the chart?"
Stelle scratched her head. "I think life's pretty good as it is. I don't really have any special wishes."
"Then let's wish for guaranteed pulls! Every ten-pull gives us double golds!"
"That's a good one."
The countdown ticked away.
In Yu Ling's livestream.
More and more players gathered.
The moment of truth was approaching.
But in reality.
The outcome was already clear!
Although Aventurine had successfully promoted his villainous image.
It was obvious.
Most players still believed Gallagher was the true mastermind behind Penacony.
It's a shame this was the Villain Chart.
If it were a Character Development Chart, Aventurine would probably have secured the top spot.
At this moment.
The top spot on the chart was Gallagher.
Second place, Aventurine.
Third place went to Sunday.
In the latest storyline, Sunday had become a victim, but some players believed he might turn traitor in the next update, earning him a fair number of votes.
When the results were revealed.
Aventurine ultimately couldn't surpass Gallagher.
It was time for the highly anticipated reward distribution—
The screen shifted.
Gallagher's figure appeared in the livestream.
His hoarse voice spoke. "To live on, and witness the Trailblaze journey of the Nameless?"
"Not a bad choice."
"Since I have the opportunity, I should indeed strive for it."
After Gallagher finished speaking.
Yu Ling's voice echoed in the background. "The reward has been granted."
Then.
The screen faded and disappeared.
In the livestream.
The players were stunned!
...
"???"
"Why did you rush through that? Is Gallagher's appearance fee that high?"
"Wow, that victory screen was way too fast!"
"What did Gallagher say? His reward was to live on?"
"Isn't he the mastermind? Shouldn't his wish be something like gaining immense power or something?"
"Holy crap, I don't get it!"
"Is there a twist to Gallagher's character?"
"But he's really allied with [Death]!"
...
Before the players could finish their exclamations.
A new line of subtitles appeared in Yu Ling's live stream.
[Final Rankings for This Period]
[Character Strength Tier List]
[Countdown to Character Strength Tier List Settlement: 11:59:59]
"Character Strength Tier List?"
"Jing Yuan!"
"Forget about Jing Yuan, this is a character strength tier list, it's only about the in-game strength of the characters."
"Jing Yuan really crashed this time!"
"Last time during Pure Fiction, Jing Yuan's 'The Unreachable Side' really got me hurt."
"Quick, call the Destruction 3c!"
"Without any surprises, the top spot on this list should be between Yin Yue and Jingliu."
"Personally, I still favor Jingliu, the strongest warrior at 0+1!"
"You're right, but 'Canglong Zhuoshi'!"
"I illuminate all rivers!"
...
In Little Gui's live stream.
Although Yu Ling's 2.2 tier list was receiving a lot of attention.
Guinaifen still remembered her duty.
A game story streamer.
"I've finished the 2.1 Acheron perspective storyline!"
"What I'm most curious about now is, in Acheron's memory flashback, who is the old man standing by the sea with her? What was Acheron doing there?"
"The answer to this question probably won't be revealed until the 2.2 storyline."
Guinaifen let out a long sigh.
At that moment.
A prompt appeared on the game interface.
[Character [Acheron] has been unlocked!]
[You can try her out in the [Warp] interface, and obtain the limited character through the Star Rail Special Pass!]
"Wow!!!"
"Acheron is here!"
"I knew this version couldn't have only Aventurine as the limited character!"
"Indeed!"
"The big one is still coming!"
"Everyone! Let's see how Acheron's skills are designed!"