"Exactly what Little March 7th and I thought."
"Just don't know what kind of content can fill the remaining forty minutes."
Himeko sipped her coffee, reflecting slightly.
--------------------------------------
"Trust the boss. I believe he wouldn't force the series to extend its length."
Welt replied while adjusting his glasses.
"However, it's also nice to maintain a sense of mysterious anticipation even after having read the script, just like a regular viewer."
Kafka said with a smile.
"Here comes the boss!"
At this moment, Xia Wen walked in.
"Luckily, I made it just in time; I was dealing with the Thousand Stars Era issue earlier."
Xia Wen explained with a smile and then casually found a seat. He took out his phone and checked the time. There were exactly ten seconds until the scheduled start. He adjusted his position.
Soon, the lights in the screening room dimmed. Everyone, who had been whispering, turned their attention to the screen. The logos for Mihoyo and Honkai: Star Rail appeared in sequence. Before the playback even began, the barrage of comments started flooding the screen.
A week of negative reviews had not affected the viewership data for the second episode at all!
Comments~
First!
Mihoyo, you finally spent some money on your servers!
Bring it on! I can't wait any longer!
I'm curious what you'll do with this episode.
The comments continued as the story began! The plot picked up right after the end of the last episode with the surprise attack of the apocalyptic beast and Stelle's protection in front of March 7th.
A fierce beam of light struck. With the incredible special effects, the opening immediately brought everyone back to that tense moment.
In the previous week, there had been various speculations online about the fate of the Stelle. In fact, Xia Wen had already hinted at it in the end credits with supplementary materials. These included materials related to the Stellaron and the Aeon representing destruction, Nanook.
But only a very few people connected the supplementary materials about the Stelle to the identity of the Stellaron's essence and eventually extended their thoughts to Nanook, the aeon of destruction.
On screen, before the destructive beam guided by the antimatter engine, the Stellaron's essence radiated brightly. Stelle's spirit seemed to enter a special place. A giant, magnificent figure with intense light stood there. The most conspicuous feature was a scar-like gap on its chest. Golden, unknown substance slowly flowed around it. Its waist was also covered with cracks. Its hands were broken, but inside it seemed empty. The dots of yellow light surrounding it looked like embers of burning flames or twilight before dawn.
A grand, stirring music suddenly began.
Nanook, the aeon of destruction.
With this, a scene of a fleeting glimpse appeared!
In an instant, various images flashed by.
Cocolia standing in the icy wasteland with a long spear.
Seele and Bronya standing together.
Finally, Kafka's appearance.
"Reach that end."
"Use your will to reach that conclusion."
"Look…"
"He… is already watching you."
Kafka's fragmented voice appeared. And with the grand music and special effects, Nanook's oppressive presence seemed almost to overflow from the screen. It was just a fleeting glimpse. Within Stelle's body, the Stellaron began to tremble as if it were about to explode. The entire segment flowed smoothly. Especially with the music enhancing Nanook's imposing pressure, the audience's comments flooded the screen.
Opening thunderstrike!
What a dazzling god! What powerful music!
Nanook is so cool! I declare! From today on, he is the destroyer of destinies!
Why is Nanook appearing here?
Didn't you mention things about destiny in the first episode?
The Stellaron's about to explode, what should we do?
As Stelle seemed on the brink of losing control, Welt appeared. He held a staff and stunned her.
"Let's talk about this back on the train," Welt said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
On the platform, the doomsday beast, having exhausted its antimatter engine, finally slid off the platform with its dying strike.
Welt's appearance delighted the audience. Due to the cliffhanger from the last episode, many memes about Welt had appeared over the past week.
For instance, one of the most famous images showed Herta Space Station on the left with the train crew fighting the doomsday beast, and the Express on the right with Welt enjoying while replying to the train crew: "On my way soon."
Such sudden memes were unexpected by Xia Wen.
...
The story continued. With the defeat of the doomsday beast, the offensive of the antimatter legion officially came to an end. Herta, who had been away for several months, finally returned to the space station. Information about Herta, the concept of destiny, and Aeons were revealed more comprehensively.
Subsequent supplementary settings focused on small details, emphasizing the minor characters on the space station. The world of Star Rail deviated from the Genshin Impact style of main quests, side quests, and hidden quests. It showcased the world's vibrant colors and inherent cruelty through NPCs and side stories.
As Stelle woke from her coma and, at the request of March 7th and Himeko, delved into the details of rebuilding the Herta space station, small stories about Gun and his created robots, the sharp-tongued sister Amelie, and the friendship between Wen Shiling and Adler emerged. These stories made the audience laugh and feel touched.
The more real and specific world gradually built up through these ordinary people.
Hahaha, these two kids are so cute.
Sigh, even though I know she's a robot, I still feel sorry for her.
This guy taking the exam is too funny; it seems that even in the future universe, exams are the way to go!
The barrage of comments was cheerful and engaging until Rocky mistakenly sent a message to Star due to a disaster.
"Eh."
"This part wasn't in the script."
March 7th blinked.
Himeko and Kafka also noticed this. They were very curious about this unlisted part of the script.
...
As the plot advanced, the story of Rocky and Leslie gradually came to light. One was an ordinary researcher, Rocky, and the other was a on-field researcher, Lesley. They surprisingly got along well, discussing everything from aeons to the composition of mud.
To show his affection, Rocky even read out a poem he had written, which was a bit poetic but extremely cheesy. Phrases like "You're like a wild pigeon landing in my heart" and "You left the Herta Space Station, dancing, making my heart tremble" made the audience instantly taste the sweetness of romance.
However, the pleasant scene didn't last long. Bernard, Rocky's senior, kept obstructing their relationship.