Will She Live? Absolutely Not.

The space station's lounge area bustled with activity. The chaos caused by the Antimatter Legion's attack seemed to have completely vanished, and the tension had faded from people's faces.

But in a corner of this area, the atmosphere was even more quiet and tense than the space station had been during the attack.

The people present were Caelus, Twilight, and the two members of the Astral Express crew.

"Caelus, have you decided what to do?"

Himeko, who usually maintained an elegant smile, now had a rare look of somberness on her face.

Her gaze involuntarily fell on Twilight. After learning that she only had a year to live, Twilight didn't react in any particular way, as if she hadn't even heard it, continuing her usual activities.

Twilight spent her days sleeping and eating, occasionally clinging to Caelus or Himeko. But even when she was sticking to them, she didn't show any signs of wanting to do anything.

And now, Twilight was just gnawing on a giant pastry that Herta had just given her like a hamster. Compared to the issue of her own life, this large pastry seemed to be of more interest to her.

Himeko felt that this was probably because Twilight simply didn't understand what a one-year lifespan meant… This child was like a blank sheet of paper, with no real understanding of the world. Everything she knew was only learned from Caelus and them during these past few days.

One year… This time is too short. Himeko didn't think Twilight had enough time to understand the world, let alone experience the vastness and diversity of the universe.

This world is so unfair—no, or perhaps it's too fair. While granting Twilight power, it had taken away something else from her.

"Herta is a true genius. Although she said that… but staying in the space station might offer a glimmer of hope, even if it's small." Himeko reached out and stroked Twilight's head, her eyes drooping slightly. "But I think it might be better to take this child on the train. This way, at least, she can see and experience more of the world…"

"If you also want to stay in the space station to take care of Twilight, we can help you communicate with Herta." Welt sighed.

Although he had seen countless tragedies, he still couldn't get used to watching young boys and girls facing life and death at such a young age.

"She should have a way to let you stay here safely. She probably said that before just because she found it troublesome."

Caelus ran his fingers through his hair. He never thought he would face such a choice so soon.

Should he stay in the space station, seeking a slim chance of survival for Twilight after a year? Or should he take her on the Astral Express and show her the beautiful world?

Why did things turn out like this? Wasn't she going to be his Mother of the Universe? Why, at the very beginning of their journey, was the time of parting already predetermined…?

"Twilight, what do you think?" In the end, Caelus turned his gaze to Twilight beside him. "Do you want to stay here? Or leave with Himeko and the others?"

You're asking me? Then I'm definitely choosing to leave, bro. There's no future in farming energy in the space station… But she had always been portrayed as someone who listened to Caelus's arrangements.

Wouldn't it be strange to suddenly express her own opinion now?

But what if Caelus really stayed in the space station? Would the name of this game be changed from Honkai: Star Rail to Honkai: Herta Space Station?

That name has a… ominous ring to it.

Twilight chewed on the pastry. She had to admit, this thing tasted really good.

According to Herta, it was a sample from Ruan Mei… Twilight wasn't interested in what that true mad scientist had created based on this thing, but her skills were indeed decent. She would give it an 8 out of 10.

Swallowing the food in her mouth, Twilight blinked her innocent big eyes at Caelus: "I'm following you."

"This child is really attached to you." Himeko smiled wryly. "It seems like you're her navigator now."

Finally, after frowning and pondering for a while, Caelus stood up and made his decision.

"As expected, I still want to go to more places with Twilight…" Caelus looked at Twilight, as if he had made up his mind. "Even if the ending can't be changed, I at least want her life to be more than just the monotonous colors of the space station!"

"Is that so…" Himeko's smile widened, and the helplessness lessened slightly. "The Express welcomes you, Caelus, Twilight. You don't have to be so pessimistic. The universe is vast, perhaps we'll encounter a way to cure her on our journey."

There were many ways to prolong life in this world.

Not to mention the rejuvenation technology developed by Herta, there were also the blessings of Abundance, mechanical modifications, and even the Path powers themselves… Lifespan wasn't a problem in many cases.

Could it be that Herta hadn't considered these? But she still gave the answer that Twilight's life couldn't be extended…

Himeko didn't point this out. Sometimes, the existence of hope itself was a motivation to support people.

Hmm, making the right choice saved me a lot of trouble. Otherwise, I would have had to rack my brains to come up with a reason like "Caelus only stayed in the space station because of her" and that this decision wasn't what Caelus truly wanted, just to refuse him staying in the space station…

Hehe, now that I'm on the train, wouldn't it be even easier to farm favorability from the crew? You should know, she was a limited-time character, the kind that would disappear from the gacha after a certain period, unlike other permanent characters on the train!

As everyone knows, limited-time characters are always more popular than permanent ones…

Twilight glanced at her current favorability chart.

During this period of getting along, she had implemented a plan to stimulate Himeko's motherly instincts and achieved remarkable results. Now, Himeko was practically her adoptive mother, with her favorability reaching a terrifying level eight.

In contrast, March 7th, who originally had a higher favorability, had fallen far behind, only at level five, and the reliable male, Dan Heng, was only at level two—but it didn't matter, once she boarded the train, she would have plenty of time to farm their favorability.

Perhaps because of the junior factor, Welt, although also a reliable male, had a level four favorability towards her.

As for the unreliable male Caelus's favorability, it had already reached level ten in less than a week after the start of the game…

Unfortunately, Caelus's favorability didn't represent the players' favorability, after all, they were still in the newbie village and hadn't gone out yet, so the players' feelings for her weren't very deep.

Although there was a foundation, most of them hadn't taken her "dying after a year" setting seriously.

[Where's my waifu? Mihoyo, I'm asking you, where's my waifu?!]

[Good news: you get a waifu at the start. Bad news: it's a limited-time trial card.]

[Great, others celebrate their first anniversary, and you're having a funeral on yours, huh?]

[Don't worry, Mihoyo won't kill off Twilight so easily, they'll sell an SSR version later~]

[Wait, Twilight can only live for a year at most, wouldn't that mean no matter when I romance her, I'm a lolicon?!]

[Generally speaking, yes. Don't worry, we can provide you with the smallest caliber bullet when you're executed.]

[Don't laugh yet, there's something even funnier in the hidden ending.]

[Whoa, you can actually choose to stay in the space station.]

[What ending? If you choose to stay in the space station, won't Twilight come and persuade you to board the train?]

[To the one above, you can repeatedly talk to Himeko and Herta, then you can stay in the space station, and Twilight will stay with you.]

[Yes, then a year later Twilight dies, and in the ending, it shows that the Express crew most likely died as well.]

[If they board the train, the Express crew's fate will definitely change, but what about Twilight's setting?]

[Don't panic, this is just Mihoyo's technical adjustment based on expectations! Think about it, with their usual behavior, would they let go of a popular character like Twilight?]

[The one above is right, Twilight doesn't even have a gacha banner yet, they can't kill her off~]

[Not necessarily, they could totally kill her off once, then release a new SSR form and sell it!]

[Anyway, she can't really die~]

Hmph, just you wait and see. SSR? In your dreams! Who would want to do that kind of thing? Just thinking about it is tiring…

But it's just as well, the more the players don't take this setting seriously, the more gold I'll get when the time comes~