"Honkai Star Rail's universe…"
"So the world is really this vast?"
"Heh… how laughable. We truly were just frogs at the bottom of a well."
Inside the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Diluc listened to the explanatory video with utmost seriousness. When it ended, he could not help but let out a self-deprecating smile.
For the longest time, he had believed Teyvat was everything.
The sky, the land, the nations — all of it.
Now, that certainty felt painfully narrow.
"So the world beyond the stars is this boundless…"
"That's truly shocking…"
Lisa blinked slowly, lips slightly parted. Even with her vast knowledge and calm composure, this revelation had shaken her worldview to its foundations.
"A leaf before the eyes obscures Mount Tai."
"Two beans in the ears prevent one from hearing thunder."
Within Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli sighed in quiet contemplation.
"After living too long upon Teyvat, even we have forgotten just how boundless the world beyond truly is."
As the most ancient and learned of the Seven, he had always known that there were heavens beyond heavens. Yet Teyvat had been sealed for far too long — so long that most had long forgotten what lay beyond.
"Consultant, you're amazing!" Hu Tao exclaimed.
"Tell me honestly — is everything in that video real?"
"By common reason," Zhongli replied gently, "what was described is, for the most part, true."
"WAAAH!!!"
"Then that means there are countless worlds outside Teyvat?!"
"If so… doesn't that mean Wangsheng's business is going to skyrocket?!"
"Hahaha! This is wonderful!"
Her thoughts had taken a very different — and very Hu Tao — direction.
"…Director," Zhongli said, tone resigned,
"I must interrupt your fantasy. At present, no one can leave Teyvat. Not even the Seven."
The laughter stopped instantly.
"Universe… Aeons…"
"So this is true power…"
"Could such power bring my sister back…?"
In Tenshukaku, Raiden Ei stared at the screen, fingers tightening silently at her side.
Meanwhile, atop Mt. Yougou, Yae Miko's thoughts wandered elsewhere entirely.
"If the world is so vast, then there must be many extraordinary novels out there too…"
"I wonder how I could get my hands on them?"
She bit into a piece of fried tofu, humming softly.
"How troublesome."
"Nous… the Aeon of Erudition…"
"So this is true wisdom…"
"If I could gain its favor…"
"Then perhaps I could finally become a sun capable of standing beside her…"
"And protect the people of Sumeru."
Inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana, Nahida's eyes gradually filled with longing as she replayed the description of Nous in her mind.
"Did you hear that, Neuvillette?"
"Teyvat is actually so small compared to what lies beyond."
"So does that mean we've been living like ants in a tiny glass box, arguing and struggling all this time?"
Furina's voice trembled slightly as she spoke.
"Lady Furina," Neuvillette replied calmly,
"I cannot agree with that description."
"Yes, the outside universe is unimaginably vast."
"But this world… is our home."
"It holds those we cherish and everything we value."
"Therefore, it is not insignificant in the slightest."
"To us, its meaning is immeasurable."
Even though he too was shaken by the sheer scale of the cosmos, his devotion to Fontaine — and to Teyvat itself — never wavered.
Live Room
Scaramouche:
"Is this video even real?"
"Is the universe truly so vast?"
His words were full of doubt.
Boothill:
"Well I'll be rusted scrap, primitive. Why don't you step outside and see for yourself?"
"You'll know soon enough just how big the universe really is."
"Stop squatting in your corner and pretending to be enlightened."
Boothill:
"Disclaimer: All the above was aimed at Scaramouche alone!
If anyone else felt offended, I apologise in advance!"
He clearly enjoyed every second of it.
Scaramouche:
"You…!!"
"Good."
"You've angered me."
"Once I ascend to godhood, I will make you regret this."
His anger burned fiercely. Once his apotheosis was complete, the first thing he would do was leave Teyvat and find Boothill.
Boothill:
"Ascend… what?"
"God… what?"
"Say that again, partner, I didn't catch it!"
Boothill:
"Hahaha! You? Becoming a god?"
"If you can do that, then even dogs can become gods!"
From a distant star system, Boothill burst into roaring laughter.
"Dogs can become gods?"
"Pepper, can you become a god?"
On Herta Space Station, Asta looked down at the pup in her arms.
"Woof?"
Pepper blinked, utterly confused.
"By that logic…"
"Lumine, are we worse than dogs?" Paimon muttered worriedly.
Unlike Boothill, they knew the truth.
Scaramouche truly was attempting apotheosis — and his chances were disturbingly high.
"The 'god' he means isn't the same," Lumine explained.
"He's talking about Aeons. Scaramouche is trying to become a god of this world."
"From that perspective, Boothill isn't entirely wrong."
"If Scaramouche could become an Aeon, even Taroumaru could."
"I agree. Taroumaru is way cuter too," Paimon said solemnly.
After the explanatory segment ended, the video paused briefly, allowing everyone to process the overwhelming information.
Gradually, unfamiliar comments began scrolling across the screen.
[Thanks to the uploader! Even without playing the game, I can follow the plot now!]
[Serious question: Honkai Star Rail vs Teyvat — which is stronger?]
[Here it comes! Classic power-scaling debate!]
[Obviously Star Rail.]
[Teyvat doesn't even qualify to be compared.]
[Calling it a planet is generous.]
[Some Pathstriders alone could annihilate it.]
March 7th frowned deeply.
"These comments… they're not from us."
Steluna narrowed her eyes.
"The tone feels different… like they're from another world entirely."
Sampo:
"There's no way another universe actually exists."
Herta:
"Oh? You'd be surprised."
"I asked Them just now."
"And guess what?"
A chill ran through the chat.
Steluna:
"What did they say? Don't keep us hanging!"
Everyone:
"Don't tease us!"
Herta:
"They answered."
"And they confirmed that the power behind this live room does not belong to this universe."
Silence.
Then shock rippled through everyone.
Boothill:
"Well I'll be damned… so there really are other universes?"
He knew exactly who Herta meant by "Them."
And that made it terrifyingly real.
Himeko:
"So we're being observed by a higher-dimensional civilization?"
Herta:
"More or less. And whatever it is… its power surpasses even the Aeons."
Bronya:
"Then why would such beings observe us?"
Sparkle:
"For entertainment, obviously~"
"Even higher beings need fun!"
In Penacony, Sparkle stared at the screen with manic delight.
A livestream delivered by a higher civilization right before the grand celebration — how perfect.
March 7th:
"That actually… makes scary sense."
"But what is this Teyvat place for them to look down on it like that?"
Boothill:
"Probably some run-down backwater wasteland."
"A pathetic corner of existence that barely counts as civilization."
"And they wanna compare that to the whole universe? Laughable. (mocking.jpg)"
The chat fell silent.
Lumine:
"..."
Paimon:
"..."
Hu Tao:
"..."
Venti:
"..."
Furina:
"..."
Neuvillette:
"..."
Boothill:
"Huh? What did I say wrong?"
Slowly, Lumine's reply appeared.
Lumine:
"The 'barren land' you're mocking…"
"...is our home."
Boothill:
"..."
For once in his life —
Boothill had nothing to say.
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