In the game, an awkward and somewhat eerie scene unfolded.
Aventurine, Huangquan, and Stelle—three people sharing the same room.
Stelle looked utterly confused.
Huangquan's expression was icy.
And Aventurine watched Huangquan with guarded wariness.
At this moment...
Only silence remained.
Aventurine, who had just displayed his cunning and presence in the game, now seemed like someone caught red-handed.
After a long pause, he finally spoke:
"Your room?"
Huangquan didn't answer.
Another stretch of silence.
Aventurine then gave Stelle a meaningful look.
"Impressive, friend. You've only been in Penacony for a short while, yet you've already learned how to recruit allies."
"Don't misunderstand—I just wanted to remind you that this place is a den of snakes. There are far too many ill-intentioned people here. Best keep your wits about you... like, say, remembering to close the door."
"Then I'll take my leave, miss! Hope you two have a pleasant time."
With that, the scene shifted—Aventurine vanished instantly.
He fled fast.
[Live Stream Screen]
Viewer Comments:
- "Did Aventurine peek at the script and realize Huangquan's a monster?"
- "Whose room is this, anyway?"
- "If I hadn't seen 'Eternal Samsara' beforehand, I'd still think Huangquan was just a normal tourist."
- "Right now, Black Swan must be trembling in fear."
- "Aventurine probably saw the combat ratings from the Emberlord and Black Swan and noped out..."
In front of the live stream screen, Aventurine (the real one) let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He felt fortunate for his in-game counterpart.
That moment just now... could be considered a minor highlight, right?
As expected of himself.
Right after arriving in Penacony, he had already pinpointed the Trailblazer—the most crucial figure.
Seeing Topaz lost in thought, Aventurine couldn't help but boast:"What do you think? My instincts are as sharp as ever, aren't they?"
"Just arrived in Penacony, and while everyone else was still getting their bearings..."
"I was the only one who sought out the Trailblazer from the Astral Express to propose a partnership."
Topaz shot him a glance.
"That move... seems decent enough."
"But the Trailblazer hasn't agreed to your cooperation yet."
Aventurine shrugged.
"Like you said—it's just one move."
"Put yourself in my shoes."
"I'm sure in the later plot..."
"I... will definitely employ some necessary measures to make sure they can't refuse this partnership."
He was brimming with confidence.
Then, in the game—
The scene transitioned again.
A black screen appeared with a line of text:
[Meanwhile, elsewhere...]
This usually signaled a major development from another faction.
Aventurine and Topaz immediately stopped talking.
They straightened up and focused intently on the screen!
But what no one expected was—The perspective shifted to Aventurine's own room!
After closing the door, Aventurine walked inside.
"What's wrong, Ratio? No need to look so grim... Huh, I just noticed—where's that handsome plaster head of yours?"
Standing by the Dream Pool was none other than [Dr. Ratio] Veritas Ratio.
Their collaboration had been agreed upon long before arriving in Penacony, so Aventurine wasn't surprised.
Honkai: Star Rail continued its trend of foreshadowing the future.
Ratio responded coldly:
"You're late. By exactly 4 minutes and 16 seconds. I hope you spent that time unraveling the mystery of Akivili's demise—if not, then my advice is: don't cause trouble for the Nameless."
"Cause trouble? Even you think that? Does no one believe I genuinely just want to be friends with them?"
"Chatty people don't make friends. Here's a fun fact: the Adini peacock is one of the noisiest birds in the universe, and your outfit makes you look like a gaudy peacock..."
Ratio's gaze flickered slightly.
"Seems this peacock's feathers have been plucked clean—did the Family confiscate your luggage?"
Aventurine sighed helplessly.
"Yeah, all of it was seized by that guy in the gray suit—all the gifts, even the case holding the 'Cornerstones'... Hm? Where are you going?"
"Back to headquarters, to inform the IPC that an idiot just ruined everything."
"They're just a few rocks. Why so pessimistic? What's the worst that could happen?"
"Without that 'Aventurine,' you're nothing but a Zaronian slave sentenced to death by the IPC—or what, is that barcode on your neck also a 'gift' from the Amber Lord?"
Aventurine chuckled.
"Oh, nice one! Very funny. Seems our learned friend here did his homework."
Ratio retorted: "That's my job. Otherwise, how is a Aventurine supposed to reclaim Penacony's border prison for the IPC?"
"Relax, Professor. I've got plenty of tricks up my sleeve. The Family's scared of the IPC making moves, hence the hostility... Who knows? Maybe Penacony has been a 'Harmony' conspiracy from the start."
[Live Stream Comments Explode]
- "Wait, what does Dr. Ratio mean? The Strategic Investment Department's Aventurine was a slave? And sentenced to death?"
- "Aventurine's a self-made man."
- "Rumor has it he was just a nobody from some backwater planet before."
- "Wrong—not a backwater. It's Zaronian-IV."
- "Still never heard of it."
- "Seems like everyone's clueless about Aventurine's background. Let me explain."
- "Aventurine was a slave on Zaronian-IV. The mark on his neck is a product barcode, a slave brand."
- "Later, the IPC arrived on Zaronian, and Aventurine caught the attention of Lady Jade, which allowed him to become an IPC employee."
- "Holy crap! That's so inspiring!"
- "Aventurine had such a hidden past?"
- "Then what's this about 'Cornerstones'?"
- "The 'Ten Stonehearts' of the Strategic Investment Department each possess a 'Cornerstone'—a fragment of the Preservation Emanator's authority."
- "So before checking in, Aventurine's Cornerstone was confiscated by Sunday?"
- "Exactly."
- "Which means right now, Aventurine's just a regular guy who's really good at bluffing."
- "Wrong—he still has his 'money powers.'"
- "Now the situation makes sense."
- "Our boy Aventurine got all his gear seized the moment he arrived in Penacony?"
- "No wonder he's scrambling to find allies!"
- "Outwardly calm, inwardly panicking."
- "From Aventurine's POV, this mission is a heaven-defying challenge from the start."
- "I can't even imagine how he'll turn this around!"
To be continued…