Chapter 36 - 34 - Animated Short: "Disciple"

Real World A short video suddenly appeared on Honkai: Star Rail's official account. A white-haired old man was sitting atop a mountain peak. His gaze followed a young child with black hair and purple eyes, who was carrying a basket full of medicinal herbs up the mountain path. [Who's this old guy? The kid looks kinda familiar...] [Woah! A little shota! I'm hard!] [FBI OPEN UP!] [Wait a sec, that color scheme... could it be Wende?] [Judging by the face, it should be. This kid has been handsome his whole life!] [When I was little, I'd top Wende. When I grow up, Wende tops me! Ehehe!] [Someone report the bro above me!] [He's just a child... he could be my mother!] [Are you Star Rail players all this unhinged???] Accompanied by the melodious sound of a bamboo flute and the crisp notes of a pipa, the little boy gradually grew up on the mountain. In the morning, he learned pharmacology under the guidance of the white-haired old man. In the afternoon, he studied acupuncture points and needling techniques. At night, he recited poems filled with ancient charm under the moonlight. "When yin and yang are in harmony, all things thrive. If they are out of balance, evil qi invades, and a hundred illnesses arise." Time passed, and the child's milky voice slowly transformed into that of a young man. The youth still sat atop the mountain, reciting the classics under the moonlight. [Ooh! Teenage Wende is so cute too! I really want to...] [Hey, hey, hey! Is there anything you people can do besides get horny for Wende?!] [Ah! This music! I could listen to it all day!] [Yeah, miHoYo's music department is consistently amazing.] [To play the qin and se, to blow the sheng, with a beautiful person in one's arms, what fortune! All I'm missing now is little Wende sitting in my lap!] [Little Wende... ehehe... come let mommy hold you!] At this moment, the music's style shifted abruptly. The originally light and positive melody became sorrowful and melancholic. In the pouring rain, the youth knelt before a small grave mound, utterly silent, letting the rain soak him to the bone. What dripped from his face was impossible to distinguish—was it the rain... or the boy's tears? [Huh?? Huh??? HUH!???] [FUCK! It's angst! Retreat!] [?????????] [I knew it! I knew it! You just can't stand not killing off a character, can you, miHoYo!] [My heart aches for little Wende. After his Master passed, this kid is all alone now...] [Sigh......] The scene changed. The youth, having lost his only family, left the deep mountains and began to journey toward populated lands. Along the way, he treated children with fox ears, gave new life to the gravely ill, and brought the hope of recovery to the disabled. Gradually, he began to hear rumors of the Xianzhou. That place sounded very similar to the one his "Master" had described before he passed. This planted a seed in his heart—a desire to go to the Xianzhou. [Holy crap, the old man was from the Xianzhou! Does that mean Wende has a big connection to the Xianzhou too?] [Hard to say. Maybe Wende is the son of some big shot on the Xianzhou?] [A miraculous hand that brings the dying back to life! Doctor Wende!] While honing his skills by saving people, he also saved up for his journey to the Xianzhou. Gradually, he grew into a young man. The young adult Wende always remembered his master's teachings and forged a strong physique for himself. The average Pathstrider was no match for him, and his opponents found it hard to believe that Wende was actually on the Path of the Abundance. On screen, a shirtless Wende was practicing a set of martial arts in an open field, his powerful muscles glistening under the sun. [Gulp...] [Sluuurp...] [Splish, splash...] [Water Style! Who's going to fix the Great Dam Jutsu!!!] [I watched this episode when I was little, and my village got flooded.] [Thanks, I'm thirsty now!] [Moderate fitness attracts the opposite sex, but excessive fitness... damn, it attracts everyone!] [My dick! Hold on! You can't fall here!] Finally, Wende saved up enough for a ticket to the Xianzhou. He could finally leave this subsidiary planet of the Xianzhou! However, his luck was poor, his fate-strewn with misfortune. Just as Wende stepped onto the starship bound for the Xianzhou, the planet he was leaving, his home, the place that held all his memories... Wende watched with his own eyes as the planet disintegrated, the very landmasses churning... [What... what's happening?] [It's a photoid! This is a dark forest strike!] [No way, who would dare to strike a subsidiary planet of the Xianzhou!] [Is it possible that... it was an inside job?] [Impossible! Absolutely impossible!] Just as the bullet chat was buzzing with discussion about the planet's inexplicable destruction, the two-minute-long short film came to an abrupt end. [Wait? That's it? You show us this and that's all?] [Fuck! Riddlers, get out of AC Station!] [SON OF A BITCH! To end it here! AHHHHHHHHH!] [What's next!? What's next!??] [Have you guys noticed... Wende and his Master don't have voice actors listed in the description...] [Yeah... why are there no VAs? Wende's name isn't listed under the VAs in-game either.] [Could it be a bug? Did the staff forget?] [RNM! Dock their pay!] [Anxious, anxious, anxious, anxious! I'm the Anxious Vanguard!] [Anxious! I'm the Anxiouslimarine, Roboute Guil-anxious-man!] [I am the King of Anxiety!] [You guys are truly ridiculous...] Fanyin, having finished the in-game cutscene, was completely baffled. Who was the Master? Why did he turn into a Mara-Struck? Was he from the Xianzhou? Then who is Wende? Her mind was filled with question marks. Although this dream was likely related to Wende's past, she couldn't understand any of it! [Quick, quick! Streamer! The official Star Rail account updated with a new video! It seems to be related to the scene just now!] [Go watch it, go watch it! Poor little Wende! Waaah...] "Okay, okay, you guys don't have to be anxious, I'll be anxious for you!" Fanyin immediately stopped her recording and switched her stream's view to the animated short titled "Disciple" that the official Star Rail account had just posted. [Ding dong. Player Favorability increased by 3000. 5010/10000 until 5-star rank unlocked.] The notification for the increase in Favorability suddenly rang in Wende's ear. He was still talking with Natasha, and his brow furrowed at the system's prompt. "Mr. Wende? What is it? Is something wrong with those locations?" Natasha asked softly, seeing Wende's knitted brow. "No, I don't think your analysis is wrong." Wende rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Staring at the map of the Underworld on the table, he fell into thought. "Rivet Town borders both Boulder Town and the Robot Settlement. With such a large-scale invasion of Fragmentum creatures, the Robot Settlement must be under a lot of pressure as well..."