To be honest, Chu Ze was what you'd call a "cloud gamer" of Honkai: Star Rail.
In his past life, he had been confined to a hospital bed. By the time he had the energy to play other games from the same company, Star Rail hadn't been released yet. And by the time the game was officially launched, he no longer had the strength to even hold a phone.
But even so, he had picked up bits and pieces of information about the game from the chatter of young nurses and visiting friends. After all, the game was incredibly popular among young people.
And among that limited information, the name Herta stood out.
"Isn't that a character from our Honkai: Star Rail?" he thought. "It seems the timeline I'm in isn't too far off from the main story."
As he pondered this, memories from his childhood began to surface. In the early days after his reincarnation, his mind had been a chaotic mess, and he hadn't paid much attention to the details. But recalling it now, the little girl who lived next door did bear a striking resemblance to the official character art he had seen of Herta's puppets.
...Come to think of it, after all these years, how was that little girl not old and grey, but instead a potential blind date candidate of the right age?
With that thought, Chu Ze immediately tapped the [Add Friend] button.
He was an honest man, and he had a weakness for pretty girls.
As long as it didn't interfere with his training, didn't go against either person's will, and didn't violate any moral codes, he was more than happy to... interact with women. Especially beautiful ones.
["Herta" has accepted your friend request. Go ahead and say hi!]
Hm?
She accepted instantly?
Normally, even when adding someone face-to-face, it would take a second or two for them to react. Why did she accept in an instant, as if her account didn't even have friend request verification enabled?
Before he could type anything, a message immediately popped up from her.
[Herta]: (Auto-reply) Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later, either.
[Chu Ze]: ?
[Herta]: (Auto-reply) Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later, either.
[Chu Ze]: ???
An auto-reply right off the bat? And such an arrogant one, too!
Chu Ze wasn't the type to take that lying down. He decided to give her a taste of her own medicine.
Thus, the two immediately began a fiery conversation—
[Chu Ze]: (Auto-reply) Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later, either.
[Herta]: (Auto-reply) Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later, either.
[Chu Ze]: (Auto-reply) Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later, either.
[Herta]: (Auto-reply) Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later, either.
[Chu Ze]: (Auto-reply) Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later, either.
[...]
[...]
After an enthusiastic "chat" that lasted several minutes, Chu Ze started to get bored.
He understood the situation perfectly. This childhood friend, this genius beauty, had absolutely no interest in him. Though she had accepted his friend request instantly, the impersonal auto-reply was a clear sign of rejection.
Therefore, he didn't bother trying to suck up to her or pester her. He simply put his phone away and continued talking to Jing Yuan about the job transfer.
"I asked my mom. The job change was indeed her idea."
As Chu Ze spoke, he briefly considered trying to swindle some severance pay for the transfer. But then he remembered how well Jing Yuan had treated him over the years, practically promoting him through the ranks by hand.
So, he just sighed, gave up on the idea of getting money, and gave Jing Yuan a thumbs-up. "You're welcome. Just treat me to dinner later and we'll call it even."
"...?"
Jing Yuan and Qingzu both had question marks floating over their heads.
What's gotten into this guy now?
...
...
General Affairs Secretary for the Six Charioteers.
This position was a high-ranking civil servant post in the Xianzhou Alliance. There were seven such secretaries on each Xianzhou ship: one Secretary-General and six regular secretaries. The six secretaries were assigned to one of the Six Charioteers' commissions, assisting the respective leaders with administrative tasks, so their duties varied greatly.
And Chu Ze had been assigned to the commission of an old acquaintance: Fu Xuan of the Luofu's Divination Commission.
"Let-ter... of... Ap-point-ment—!"
Standing at the entrance of the Divination Commission, Chu Ze cleared his throat, pulled a scroll from his bag, and bellowed:
"Hereby, Chu Ze is appointed as the General Affairs Secretary for the Six Charioteers! Signed on this day, of this month, of this year, in the 2158th Amber Era!"
Qingque, who had been waiting for her cue, darted out from the side. Upon seeing Chu Ze, she grinned, dropped to one knee, and bowed her head in a grand gesture.
"Lord Chu has arrived! The Divination Commission is saved!"
"With Lord Chu here, justice will be d—Oof!"
Before she could finish, a pink-haired figure appeared in a flash, throwing out a talisman that knocked Qingque to the ground. Then, she shot a kick towards Chu Ze.
"You! If you're here to start your new post, then just do it! Why are you making such a racket at the entrance?!"
Chu Ze chuckled, effortlessly catching her silk-clad leg. "Isn't this to bring some glory to Lady Fu Xuan? To bolster the prestige of our Divination Commission..."
"This is clearly bringing me shame! Stop with the performance art!"
Fu Xuan struggled for a moment but couldn't pull her leg free. She glared at Chu Ze, flustered and annoyed.
"Does my leg feel good to touch? How long do you plan on holding it?"
Chu Ze put on a serious face. "The texture is superb. I want to hold it forever..."
"You can go straight to the lowest level of the Shackling Prison, you muscle-bound pervert!"
Clearly, Chu Ze and Fu Xuan had known each other for a long time and were on very familiar terms. Otherwise, he would never dare to joke with his direct superior like this.
Releasing Fu Xuan's leg, Chu Ze glanced around, admiring the scenery.
Fu Xuan, however, narrowed her eyes and fixed her gaze on the girl beside him. "And you, Qingque. It's working hours. Why are you joining him in this nonsense?"
Qingque's eyes lit up. "Because Chu Ze said that if I helped with his act, he'd give me a three-day VIP pass to the Celestial Jade Gaming Parlor. It was an offer I couldn't refuse."
Chu Ze nodded repeatedly. "That's right."
The two looked at each other and, in perfect sync, gave each other a high-five.
Fu Xuan felt her third eye dim as her blood pressure skyrocketed.
These were her two most valued subordinates?
This Divination Commission was doomed!
"Let's go! To work!"
Fu Xuan leaped up, grabbed Chu Ze by the collar, and then shot a cold glare at Qingque, who was about to slip away. "You too. Get over here unless you want your salary docked."
"Oh, okay..."
And so, the trio—one tall, two small—entered the Divination Commission...
...
...
Meanwhile.
Somewhere on the Azure Star.
Herta stretched lazily after finishing her research in the Simulated Universe and picked up her phone.
She was about to send a message to Ruan Mei when she noticed someone new in her contact list.
"Hm? Who's this? How did they add me as a friend?"
Puzzled, she clicked on the chat history with the person.
And then, a long, scrolling chain of auto-replies filled her entire screen.
Herta: "????"
Huh?
This person actually had a back-and-forth conversation with her auto-reply? For this long?
What is wrong with this person?!