Chapter 13: Himeko Joins the Team, Winning Over Countless Fans
After witnessing Dan Heng's spectacular ultimate ability, Guinaifen's admiration for the developers grew even stronger—but so did her indignation. "How dare they not let me pay for a character like this!" she exclaimed. "Do they think I wouldn't spend money?!"
She even imagined herself as part of the game's planning team, devising monetization strategies for Dan Heng's abilities:
Tier 1: No cinematic close-ups.
Tier 2: Unlocks the close-up effect but excludes the ink-wash background visuals.
Tier 3: Full ultimate ability experience—available only with extra payment!
"Developers, don't you know how to make money? You should take notes from me!" she joked. But instead of implementing such ideas, the developers continued their generosity by giving away Dan Heng for free. Unable to contact the mysterious developer "Feathered Spirit," Guinaifen left her suggestions in the game's comment section before refocusing on the unfolding story.
The battle against the elite Voidranger intensified when it let out a fierce roar, summoning ghostly shadows that represented its lesser minions. March 7th protested, "Hey! Resorting to ganging up just because you can't win—what kind of play is that?" She cautiously began inching backward while Dan Heng took a defensive stance with his spear to cover their retreat.
Suddenly, a mechanical device resembling a propeller appeared on the scene. Spinning rapidly, it shredded one Voidranger instantly. Its circular saw extended outward, mowing down the remaining enemies effortlessly before delivering a final blow that shattered the elite Voidranger entirely. Seizing the opportunity, the group charged forward and broke free.
The scene shifted to another part of the space station, where jade-like hands gently lowered as a mature voice echoed, "Creating such close calls every time... but as long as they return safely." A woman with long red hair entered the frame, her gentle smile captivating everyone.
"A new character has appeared!" Guinaifen exclaimed excitedly. "And she's a sophisticated older sister!"
The live stream chat erupted:
"What a beautiful big sister!"
"I love mature and gentle women like her!"
"Hold on—don't you recognize her? She's Miss Ji Zi, the navigator of the Astral Express!"
"Oh, it's her! Not only is she a top-notch scientist, but she's stunning too!"
"From now on, I'm all about Miss Ji Zi!"
Aboard the Astral Express, Old Yang smiled knowingly as he watched the single-molecule saw appear. He had suspected earlier that Dan Heng's introduction would pave the way for Himeko's appearance—and now his hunch was confirmed. "True to form, Miss Ji Zi is incredibly dependable in these children's eyes," he remarked.
Meanwhile, Himeko remained composed as she worked at a nearby screen. Curious about her activity, Old Yang asked, "Himeko, what are you doing?"
"I've been searching for information about this game," she replied. "But there's surprisingly little available publicly. All I could find is that the developer goes by 'Feathered Spirit.' It's unclear whether that refers to an individual, company, or organization."
"And?" Old Yang prompted.
"But I did come across a related game livestream hosted by a young girl from Xianzhou," Himeko continued. "Just like us, she's starting her experience with Honkai: Star Rail."
She turned the screen toward Old Yang, revealing that Guinaifen's progress matched theirs closely. The real-time viewer count had already surpassed ten thousand—a significant jump from her usual few thousand viewers. Streaming Honkai: Star Rail had clearly attracted widespread attention.
"This game seems to be gaining popularity among the masses," Old Yang observed.
The live stream chat buzzed with comments:
"What qualities would it take to marry Miss Ji Zi?"
"She's so charming—I fell for her at first glance!"
"Even as a woman myself, I can't resist her!"
"Dream material for tonight."
Himeko discreetly turned off the chat and focused on the screen depicting Stelle's first encounter with her. Apart from minor variations in dialogue and expressions, everything matched Himeko's memories perfectly—as if an invisible camera had captured those moments and transformed them into this game.
This led Himeko to ponder: if Honkai: Star Rail ended its storyline at the space station, it would make sense since those events had already occurred and could be recreated technically. However, if further developments unfolded in Jarilo-VI or beyond, wouldn't she soon witness future events play out before her eyes?
Looking out at the snow-covered planet below through the window of the Astral Express, Himeko considered contacting Dan Heng and the Trailblazers but was interrupted by an incoming message from March 7th herself. The message summarized their progress: aided by a robot named Svarog who provided information about Stellaron, they planned to rest for the night and head toward Stellaron's location tomorrow.
Himeko hesitated but decided not to inform them about Honkai: Star Rail just yet. There would be time enough after their mission was complete tomorrow. For now, she resolved to monitor their situation closely to prevent any unexpected incidents.
Back in Guinaifen's livestream room, excitement reached new heights as Little Gui Zi exclaimed from her screen:
"Peeps! Am I seeing this right?! Miss Himeko is also a playable character! And she joined our team!"
"Ahhh! I must try out Himeko's skills immediately!"