The Meaning of Honkai: Star Rail! Myriad Celestia Trailer! The Past of Penacony!

"Until I discovered Blade. Watching his story, seeing how strong he is… Every time I was bullied, I would imagine Blade appearing beside me, comforting me, telling me to hold on because one day, I'd get my revenge!"

At this point, the chubby girl's eyes were red, her whole body trembling as she poured out her emotions.

"I know it's all just my imagination… but when I'm bullied, when I feel like I can't hold on anymore, I imagine Blade standing by my side… I imagine having such a strong person to rely on."

"I… I… I want to become as strong as him, even if it's just a dream!"

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The chubby girl finished speaking.

After venting her emotions, she became timid and weak again, now trembling under Blade's gaze.

She originally thought Blade would say something—whether mocking her or something else—but at the very least, he should respond, right?

Yet, Blade remained silent.

An invisible pressure weighed on her down once again.

It wasn't that Blade didn't want to speak, but rather, he didn't know what to say.

After hearing her out, Blade understood.

It wasn't admiration or worship...

To someone like her, he was a pillar of spiritual support.

This feeling was different from the blind reverence of those he had encountered before.

It was a deeply positive influence.

"So that's how it is…" Blade murmured softly.

"W-what?" The chubby girl shivered in surprise.

"What's your name?" Blade asked.

"My name is Li Chengcheng." Li Chengcheng stammered, answering without hesitation.

"Why don't you resist?" Blade spoke slowly, "If his story gives you strength, why not try to take revenge?"

"I-I don't dare…" Li Chengcheng lowered her head and said, "I tried before, but they only bullied me even more."

Blade instinctively wanted to ask why she didn't tell her family or teachers.

But as soon as the words reached his lips, he fell into silence again.

Li Chengcheng had already mentioned—her family didn't really care about her.

If telling a teacher would help, she wouldn't be in this situation now.

Then, Blade's attitude softened a bit, and he continued chatting with Li Chengcheng.

Through their conversation, he learned more about her circumstances.

Perhaps no one had ever talked to Li Chengcheng like this before, so she poured everything out.

Since childhood, her parents had been divorced. Though she technically had both a father and a mother, neither cared for her.

She lived alone with her grandmother.

But now, her grandmother's health wasn't good either.

"In the past, I was a terrible person."

As she spoke, Li Chengcheng wiped her tears in guilt.

"When I was bullied at school, I would take my anger out on my grandmother at home. But she was always tolerant of me, never once getting mad."

"It wasn't until I read Blade's story that I realized my grandmother is the person I should protect the most, just like Blade with the High-Cloud Quintet."

"No matter how much grievance I suffer, I can't take it out on the people closest to me."

After speaking, she broke into a smile through her tears, finding solace in her struggles.

"Luckily, I realized in time. Now, my grandmother and I are happy every day. Her health is good, too. There's nothing I'm more grateful for than this."

"That's good." Blade nodded slightly and said indifferently, "At least you're not completely hopeless."

"Mm." Li Chengcheng lowered her head, fiddling with the poster.

"Besides school, I find part-time jobs to improve our living conditions."

"If things are so difficult, why waste money coming here?" Blade frowned.

Li Chengcheng suddenly panicked and quickly explained, "I saved up this money myself from working part-time! I took a slow train and walked most of the way. I even brought a lot of steamed buns with me. I barely spent a few hundred yuan!"

Saying this, she took out an old-fashioned phone and played a recording.

"I told my grandmother about my trip, but she misunderstood and thought I actually knew Blade."

The recording began to play.

The phone's poor audio quality and her grandmother's thick dialect made it hard for Blade to make out the details.

But he could still catch some parts,

"Grandma knows you've changed a lot lately, so thank that person for me. Tell him I'm really grateful that my good granddaughter is happy now."

"Our family is poor. We don't have much to offer. Take this cured meat and see if he wants it. If not, bring it back."

"Be careful on the road. Remember to stay safe."

"I have some money here. Take it with you."

Listening to these words, an image of a kind elderly woman formed in Blade's mind.

"Hehe, I actually imagined that if I really met Blade, I'd play this recording for him to hear Grandma's gratitude."

Li Chengcheng said shyly, "But the train was delayed, and by the time I walked here, it was already dark. Besides, even if I had arrived on time, how could someone like me ever meet Blade?"

"Mm." Blade nodded lightly.

After hearing all this, his doubts faded significantly.

Her grandmother had allowed Li Chengcheng to travel alone not out of negligence but because of a misunderstanding—she believed Li Chengcheng truly knew someone named Blade.

And since Li Chengcheng had changed for the better, in her grandmother's eyes, Blade must be a good person, making her trust him.

She even wanted to express her gratitude.

Blade remained silent, leaving Li Chengcheng unsure how to continue the conversation.

But she was used to silence, so she simply lowered her head and continued playing the poster.

Blade, meanwhile, gazed at the night view of the city.

The knot in his heart gradually loosened.

"This is what it means to be part of Honkai: Star Rail."

"But maybe not exactly."

"If my mere existence can make someone better… then maybe, that's meaningful enough."

With that thought, Blade stood up.

"Find a place to rest for the night, then go home."

Blade looked down at Li Chengcheng and said seriously, "Remember to study hard and don't let your grandmother down. If... you really think Blade's story can be a spiritual pillar for you, then don't follow his path—don't let your life be filled with regrets."

"Okay!" Li Chengcheng nodded vigorously, a smile finally appearing on her chubby face. She stammered, "Uh... th-thank you!"

Although she didn't understand why this tall man had suddenly appeared or why he seemed so opposed to her admiration for Blade, at least for tonight, he had listened to her pour out her heart. He seemed like a good person.

"Mn." Blade nodded slightly and turned to leave.

But after taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "I forgot to say—if you get bullied again, send an email to miHoYo."

"Huh? That... that probably won't work..."

Li Chengcheng was stunned for a moment and murmured, "Sending an email to miHoYo... someone like me... I doubt..."

"Aren't you a fan of Blade?"

Blade said indifferently, "What if he sees it?"

Li Chengcheng opened her mouth but then slowly nodded.

Yeah.

It wouldn't hurt to try.

What if he really saw it?

Besides, even if no one saw it, just sending the email would give her something to look forward to in the future.

After that, she watched as the mysterious man wearing a mask disappeared into the night.

She sat quietly on the steps, waiting until there was no one around. Then, she turned to the empty space beside her and whispered, "Brother Blade, I had really good luck today."

In her eyes, Blade from the series was standing there, holding his sword in silence. Upon hearing her words, he gave the slightest nod.

…

When Blade returned to the hotel that Ningguang had booked, he saw everyone gathered together, eating and drinking merrily.

"Oh, you're back." Seeing Blade return from his walk, Jing Yuan greeted him with a smile.

"Is there any food left? I'll have some." Blade responded calmly.

"Of course there is. You seem to be in a good mood. What happened? Did something nice happen during your walk?" Jing Yuan chuckled.

"Mn." Surprisingly, Blade actually responded.

This reaction made Jing Yuan even more shocked.

But he didn't press further.

They had been friends for many years—any change in Blade was a good thing.

Blade didn't hold back.

He sat beside Jing Yuan and started eating.

After a while, he suddenly asked, "Are the events the boss mentioned before still available?"

"Yeah, why? You have something in mind?" Jing Yuan was completely dumbfounded and sized Blade up from head to toe.

"Help me ask." Blade ignored Jing Yuan's expression.

"Alright." Jing Yuan nodded, but he was already considering whether he should inform Xia Wen about Blade's sudden change.

It was a good thing, of course.

But the change was quite drastic.

…

The next morning.

The entire miHoYo team was preparing to head home.

On the way, the girls discussed everything they had seen and experienced during the trip.

Meanwhile, Jing Yuan, Gepard, and the others gathered together.

After all, Blade had changed quite a bit.

He still had that cold demeanor, but he no longer resisted being involved in company matters.

As for Xia Wen, he was sitting with Firefly, eating snacks while scrolling through his phone.

Today, Xia Wen wasn't in the office.

But inside the company, everything was still running smoothly under Aventurine's watch, and the scheduled release was proceeding as planned.

Today's feature was an important episode of Myriad Celestia Trailer.

"In the past, we always watched in the screening room. This time, we get to experience it from the audience's perspective."

Firefly was curious about the experience, her round eyes filled with anticipation.

"Not only that, but none of you have read the script for Beautiful Dreams of the Past either."

"This is a surprise within a surprise." Xia Wen smiled.

"Is it like The Complete History of Xianzhou?" Firefly asked with curiosity.

"Similar, but different. The Complete History of Xianzhou tells the story of a civilization's journey across space, whereas Beautiful Dreams of the Past is about a single planet and a group of 'criminals' fighting for their own salvation."

Xia Wen said mysteriously.

"Now I'm even more curious." Firefly's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

At that moment.

The official website on the tablet automatically refreshed.

A new Myriad Celestia Trailer episode had appeared.

"It's starting!" Firefly eagerly reached out to tap the video but suddenly paused right before her finger touched the screen.

She turned to look at Xia Wen beside her, her eyes shining with excitement.

"In the book, it says that at moments like these, the timing is just right—so let me give it a try!"

Firefly, full of courage, thought to herself. Then, she coughed lightly and said in a reciting tone, "Um, boss, sitting like that must be tiring, right?"

"Hmm?" Firefly's words made Xia Wen's mind start racing.

Based on their interactions these past few days, whenever Firefly asked something like this, it meant she had a plan in mind.

Most likely, it was something she read in a book.

But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out the hidden meaning behind Firefly's words. Was she expecting him to respond in a certain way?

"I'm fine?" Xia Wen tentatively replied.

"I-I mean, boss, doesn't your waist hurt?" Hearing Xia Wen's response, which was different from what she had imagined, Firefly froze.

Shouldn't he have replied directly, "I'm very tired, so let me rest in your arms"?

Could it be that the stories in the books were wrong?

No, something must have gone wrong somewhere.

"Why would my waist hurt?" Xia Wen was even more confused, realizing that he couldn't follow Firefly's train of thought at all.

"Alright then." Firefly sighed and muttered, "Looks like I'll have to do it my own way."

"Huh?" Before Xia Wen could finish speaking, Firefly, both gentle and full of courage, said, "No, boss, it's time!"

Then, she stood up, wrapped her arms around Xia Wen's neck, and forcibly pulled him into her embrace while pressing down on his waist.

Firefly was now dying of embarrassment, her face flushed red, but she refused to let Xia Wen leave her arms.

On the contrary, she was thoroughly enjoying this closeness.

Xia Wen, while feeling incredibly comfortable, also found the situation amusing.

Firefly's words were too misleading—if he had known, he would have just gone along with it from the start.

It seemed that from now on, he would have to take the initiative to help Firefly experience this kind of feeling.

Otherwise, the meaning behind Firefly's words might become even harder to guess.

"Hehe, boss, s-so let's start watching like this?"

Satisfied as she looked at Xia Wen lying in her arms, Firefly giggled and then set up the tablet.

Just like that, the two of them snuggled together, immersing themselves in the viewing experience.

Watching the Myriad Celestia Trailer from an ordinary viewer's perspective...

On the tablet screen.

As the screen turned black, MiHoYo's logo appeared.

Then, without any warning or background music—

A loud explosion erupted.

"Fugitive hailing from the Harbeck clan of Nashoba, Hanunue."

"In Amber Era 2147, you single-handedly orchestrated the great turmoil in the Montour System."

"Given the irreparable damage you've caused, according to the internal decision of the Interastral Peace Corporation, you are sentenced to life imprisonment. You will serve your sentence in the Asdana's frontier prison."