Signora frowned upon hearing this.
"Have you seen something more terrifying?"
Childe bitterly smiled and shook his head.
"Of course. Do you understand that feeling? When you've given it your all, and yet your opponent treats it like a game—just one strike, and you're defeated? That feeling is pure strength crushing you, and no skill can make up for it."
Childe couldn't help but think back to when he fought that girl with the fiery greatsword.
In the end, when she left, she gave him a disappointed look.
That was the look of disappointment in his strength. She probably thought he was strong at first, but after their fight, she realized he was just average.
Seeing that Signora had woken up, Childe stood up to return to his room to rest.
"Take care of your injuries here. I'll go rest. As for the Liyue mission, I personally think we should pause it for now. Let's observe the situation here first, what do you think?"
Signora nodded in agreement.
"You make a good point."
Clearly, after being beaten, Signora had become much more docile, at least not as arrogant as she was in Mondstadt.
Elsewhere, on the Luofu Immortal Ship.
Stelle, March 7th, and Welt had successfully caught up with Kafka.
After a brief exchange, Fu Xuan of the Taibu Division appeared.
Fu Xuan activated her divine eye, changing the trajectory of all the bullets Kafka shot.
The divine eye dimmed, and Fu Xuan landed.
None of Kafka's bullets hit Fu Xuan.
Kafka discarded her submachine gun.
"I lost."
Fu Xuan ordered her subordinate, the Cloud Knights, to arrest Kafka.
Fu Xuan looked at Stelle, March 7th, and Welt. "Are these the people the General arranged for you? The General actually entrusted such an important task to a few outsiders?"
"You've completed your mission. If you have questions for Kafka, you can go to the Taibu Division."
With that, Fu Xuan led the Cloud Knights and Kafka away.
Stelle, March 7th, and Welt thought about it and decided to ask Kafka some questions. She must know a lot of information.
Later, they boarded the Starship to Changle Tian. Fu Xuan said that someone had already been arranged to meet them there.
As they arrived at the square, a sudden shout from the crowd broke out.
"Run!!! Run! It's a Mara-Struck Soldier!!!"
The crowd instantly went into a panic, scattering in all directions.
Stelle immediately drew out the Judgment of Shamash and rushed to the scene.
Before them, a group of Cloud Knights that had just transformed into Mara-Struck Soldier were chasing the residents.
Seeing this, Stelle quickly intervened. Since this was a bustling area with many civilians, she held back a bit, only coating her Judgment of Shamash with flames and striking at the Mara-Struck Soldier.
Welt and March 7th also joined the battle.
With the three of them working together, the chaos was quickly subdued.
At this point, in the original story, Xing's group met Bai Lu.
With Bai Lu's healing abilities, there shouldn't have been so many Mara-Struck Soldier.
After settling the disturbance, the three quickly found the person assigned to meet them.
Qingque, who was casually playing Mahjong, spoke without looking up.
"Don't rush, my esteemed guests. Wait until I finish this round, and then I'll take you there."
March 7th glanced at Qingque's position and then at the place where the recent chaos had happened.
Is she not worried? The disturbance was so close! How can she still play Mahjong?
"Aren't you afraid?" March 7th asked out of curiosity.
Qingque waved her hand casually.
"This is Changle Tian, where there are many Cloud Knights stationed. Even if you hadn't intervened just now, the nearby Cloud Knights would have quickly subdued it. No need to worry."
March 7th glanced around and saw that more Cloud Knights had arrived in just a few minutes.
Stelle, seeing Qingque still playing Mahjong, suddenly became interested.
She leaned in next to Qingque.
"Qingque, how do you play this game? It looks quite fun."
Qingque raised an eyebrow. "Oh, didn't expect you, a distinguished guest, to be interested in Mahjong."
"How should I address you, esteemed guest?"
Stelle patted her chest proudly.
"Call me the Galactic Fire Hero!"
Qingque raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by Stelle's humor.
Soon, the round ended, and Qingque stood up.
"When I have time, I'll teach you how to play, okay?"
Xing eagerly nodded. "No problem, let's do it tonight. Do you have time?"
Qingque thought for a moment.
"Sure, I'll bring a Mahjong set to meet you then."
Welt, seeing that the two had exchanged contact information, spoke up.
"Qingque, please take us to the Taibu Division. The important matters come first."
Qingque nodded with satisfaction.
"Of course, my esteemed guests, please follow me."
Qingque led the three of them to the Taibu Division aboard the Starship.
After the formation was repaired, Fu Xuan began the memory tracing on Kafka.
Upon learning the truth behind Kafka's arrival at Luofu, Fu Xuan was shocked.
"I can't believe it… so that's the reason! It's absurd!"
Fu Xuan turned and looked at Stelle.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I have other matters to attend to."
March 7th and Welt looked at Stelle, deciding to let her ask the questions.
From their reactions, it was clear that Stelle knew Kafka before.
During the chase, Stelle hadn't used her full strength.
Had Stelle gone all out, Kafka would have been captured long ago.
Stelle approached Kafka and looked at her familiar face.
"Long time no see."
Kafka smiled slightly.
"Long time no see, Stelle. How have you been lately?"
Stelle thought for a moment and smiled.
"Very well. I've made many new friends—March, Dan Heng, Himeko, Uncle Yang, Ye Yun, Venti, Ying... And I've had lots of delicious food lately. Ye Yun always finds ways to cook for us, especially the spicy hot pot. It's my favorite. Heh heh."
Kafka was comforted to hear Stelle talk so happily about her time recently.
But suddenly, Stelle realized that it was her turn to ask the questions.
"Kafka, why did you bring us to the Immortal Ship?"
Kafka smiled and replied.
"Stelle, if I told you that even the Aeons could die, would you believe it?"
Stelle nodded.
"I believe it. Ye Yun told me that the Aeons is just a small role among the myriad worlds."
Kafka nodded.
"In the script chosen by Elio, the hunt is an indispensable force. That's why I brought you here, to help establish an alliance with Luofu. Only this way can we reach the best ending."
"Alright, I've said what I needed to. I have other matters to attend to. We'll meet again in the future."
With that, Kafka suddenly broke free from her restraints and walked toward the edge of the platform.
Stelle was about to chase after her when Blade suddenly appeared and blocked her way.
Kafka looked at the distant "Ambrosial Arbor" and murmured.
"The show is about to begin. Blade, let's go. We still have things to do."
With that, Kafka leapt down, Blade following right after her.
Stelle, March 7th, and Welt reached the edge, but suddenly, the ground trembled.
The three looked on in disbelief at the sight.
Ambrosial Arbor was growing wildly, its thick vines rampaging through the surrounding caves.
Stelle, staring at the distant Ambrosial Arbor, suddenly had a thought.
Could Ambrosial Arbor withstand a full strike from her Annihilation Mode?
She thought for a moment and decided to try.
March 7th saw Stelle preparing the Judgment of Shamash and immediately guessed her intention.
"Stelle! Wait! That move is too powerful! There are too many people here!"
Stelle recalled the destruction she had caused in Belobog and decided to put away her Judgment of Shamash.
***
While the Ambrosial Arbor revives, onboard the train...
A surprise guest arrived at Ye Yun's shop inside the train.
"Ye Yun, what do you think would happen if I went and lit the Ambrosial Arbor on fire right now? Would those Emanators of Abundance go completely crazy?"
A masked young man asked Ye Yun this question casually.
Ye Yun was speechless. Although he had mentally prepared himself for this, the moment this masked man really showed up, he still felt caught off guard.
No doubt about it.
The masked man was none other than the infamous Aha!
Ye Yun replied,
"You can give it a shot. You'll find out soon enough."
Aha looked eager. Honestly, he was tempted to see what would happen if he lit the Jianzhu on fire.
"Hmmmmm… nah, forget it. It's more fun here. Where's your Anywhere Door? Lend it to me for a spin."
Ye Yun rolled his eyes at Aha.
"You want to play? Pay up. Don't tell me a whole Aeon like you doesn't even have any Stellar Jade."
Aha grinned and shook his head.
"Nope, nope~ Aha's broke. Back then, when I blew up that train with Akivili, it was him who paid for the explosives~"
Ye Yun didn't know what to say. Back in his previous life, there were rumors online speculating that Akivili was definitely involved in the train explosion.
He didn't expect... it was actually true.
And even more ridiculously, Akivili paid for the bomb.
Ye Yun could only respond:
"Impressive. You two sure know how to have fun. Just don't cause any trouble this time."
Aha chuckled.
"Got it, got it. But can I play with that Anywhere Door? Come on, pleaaase? I swear I won't break it."
Ye Yun thought for a moment, bought 20 Destiny Coins, and tossed them to Aha.
"The Anywhere Door's off-limits. But here, you can play with these. You'll have fun for sure."
Aha quickly caught the Destiny Coins. He had seen "that hunk of scrap metal's" little girl use them before.
"Ye Yun, what are these?"
Ye Yun explained,
"Destiny Coins. Just toss one. Heads, it heals all injuries and curses on your body.
Tails, you get struck by lightning."
Aha's eyes lit up.
"Ohohoho! I love it! Aha likes this!"
Saying that, he started stuffing the coins into his pocket.
Ye Yun stopped him.
"You want to keep them? That'll be 6,000 Star Coins. Which is 60 Stellar Jade."
This time, Aha pulled out 60 Stellar Jade without hesitation and handed them to Ye Yun.
He really couldn't wait to try out the Destiny Coins—or try them on someone.
Hehe, this was going to be fun.
After receiving the Stellar Jade, Ye Yun didn't stop him any further.
Aha pocketed the 20 Destiny Coins and waved playfully at Ye Yun.
"Bye-bye, Ye Yun~ Aha's off to have some fun!"
The next second, Aha vanished from the shop.
Ye Yun converted the 60 Stellar Jade into Star Coins, then went to sit at the small bar.
At the moment, both of his current tasks were progressing slowly.
[Task 5: Serve 50 different customers.] Current Progress: 23/50. Reward: Dungeon Teleporter x1
[Task 6: Reach 10 million Star Coins in revenue.] Current Progress: 190,000/10,000,000. Reward: Life Level Ascension (Equivalent to peak Emanator level strength)
Looking at the second task made Ye Yun feel a bit of a headache. 10 million in revenue… at this rate, who knew how long it would take?
He couldn't just wait for the system to give him power anymore—it was time to train himself.
So...
Ye Yun opened the system interface and began browsing for techniques or mystical tools.
He still had 160,000 Star Coins on hand.
After a long selection process, Ye Yun locked in a talent, a sword technique, and a cultivation method.
[Item: Eternal Sword Body] Description: Ranked within the top 3,000 of all physiques across myriad worlds. Can be upgraded in the future to a supreme sword physique with enough Star Coins. Price: 100,000 Star Coins
[Item: Sword Control Technique] Description: A swordsmanship technique from a Xianxia world. Price: 30,000 Star Coins
[Item: Divine Sword Art – Basic Volume] Description: A divine-level cultivation technique from a Xianxia world. This volume covers from Qi Gathering to Golden Core stage. Price: 20,000 Star Coins
Ye Yun purchased all three items.
He looked at the small figure floating in front of him, encased in a bubble. On its forehead, one could faintly see a sword-shaped mark.
Ye Yun slightly curled his fingers. The bubble popped, and the little figure flew straight into Ye Yun's body.
The moment it entered, Ye Yun felt his senses sharpen significantly—he could now feel the presence of food around him with astonishing clarity.
A few minutes later, Ye Yun slowly opened his eyes.
His physique had completely transformed into the Eternal Sword Body.
Looking around, he returned to his room and asked Rios to guard the door, not letting anyone disturb him.
It was time to begin training in the Divine Sword Art and Sword Control Technique.
In a certain palace on a newly interstellar civilization in the Honkai Star Rail universe...
The young prince Javin sat slumped by the window, empty wine bottles scattered across the floor.
When he was a child, Javin was smart and loved by his father, the king.
It was practically a given that he would be crowned heir; the king had even planned to name him as the next monarch.
But unexpectedly, the crown prince poisoned Javin's wine—making him infertile for life.
For some reason, this incident became widely known, and people gossiped about it endlessly.
After hearing about it, the king threw Javin into cold storage—a fallen prince.
A future king could never be a "cripple"—it would disgrace the royal name.
Javin looked up at the moon in the sky.
"I've heard that gods roam the universe… Aeons, they're called. I wonder if they're real."
As soon as he spoke, a burst of laughter echoed around him.
The sound grew nearer and nearer. Javin looked around in terror.
Suddenly, masks appeared all over his room.
A single coin floated before him, shining silver.
"Dear little prince, I have here a coin that may change your fate.
Toss it. If it lands heads up, all your injuries will be healed.
If it lands tails, well... divine punishment awaits. You'll be struck by lightning.
So, what do you choose, dear prince?"
Javin stared intently at the coin, completely ignoring the risk.
His attention was laser-focused on the part about healing all injuries.
He snatched the coin and threw it into the air.
The coin spun higher and higher, flipping and whirling.
Heads.
Tails... Heads... Tails…
The coin dropped.
The result was...
Heads!
Seconds later, the coin turned into a green light and shot into Javin's body.
The moment it did, Javin felt it—he was whole again! A man once more!
Overwhelmed with joy, he looked around to thank the masked figure—only to find it gone.
But his recovery was proof enough that everything had been real.
With renewed spirit, Javin bathed, dressed, and went to see the king.
Then... killed the crown prince!
And far away, Aha sat silently, watching this drama unfold.
Would the little prince kill the crown prince?
Or would the crown prince kill him instead?
Either way—Aha, with 19 Destiny Coins still in his pocket, eagerly awaited the next act in his self-produced play.