Chapter 39 - 37 - Can You Open the Door to My Heart?

[Bro, seriously, we don't have to fight every single monster we see. Can't we just run?] [Yeah, the streamer next door is already at the Robot Settlement and has met Clara, but you're still messing with the "True Aeon of Preservation" over here!] [Why don't we just switch games? You could even play some Rainbow Six Siege, that trash can you saw earlier would make a perfect small-screen overlay.] [Dude, this is the first time watching you play a game has made me so anxious.] [To the guy above, you'll get used to it. We've all been through this.] In Ruo Feng's stream, the bullet comments pleaded earnestly, trying to talk some sense into the stubborn streamer. "No way! I have to teach these scrap heaps a lesson today. And they brought miners? What is this, infantry-tank coordination?" Watching Ruo Feng, who had clearly gone mad from fighting automatons, the viewers in his stream shook their heads and switched to other channels. A massive influx of viewers suddenly poured into Fanyin's stream, but she didn't notice. At that moment, her main story quest had just led her into the Robot Settlement. Led by Sampo, the Trailblazer's team had successfully arrived. Staring at the massive gate leading to Svarog's base, the group was stumped. March 7th: "Whoa, what a heavy door! Watch this! Open Sesame!!" The gate didn't budge. Bronya: "What was that? A password?" Dan Heng: "A magic phrase from a fairy tale is unlikely to work here..." The Trailblazer looked at Sampo. Option 1: What happened to the clue you promised? Option 2: Help us pry the door open. Option 3: (Look at Wende with pleading eyes.) Fanyin chose option three. The Trailblazer turned to Wende with a pleading gaze. "Hm? What are you looking at me for?" Option 1: Turn to Sampo: Go on, pick the lock. Option 2: (Look at Wende with pleading eyes.) Fanyin chose option two again. "..." "If you have something to say, just say it. Stop staring at me!" Wende felt completely unnerved by the Trailblazer's stare. Option 1: Can you open this gate? Option 2: Can you open the door to my heart? "!" [Pick two! Pick two!] [As expected of the Trailblazer!] [What a cheesy pick-up line!] [If you don't pick two, you're not playing right!] Seeing the dialogue option, Fanyin decisively chose the second one! "Can you open the door to my heart?" "????" Seeing the utterly baffled expression on Wende's face, the viewers and Fanyin all broke into identical, mischievous smiles. "...Sigh." Wende looked at the Trailblazer, who was clearly acting nuts, and sighed with a touch of exhaustion. He walked over to the large gate, and with a flash of lightning from his hand, the gate's circuits were instantly activated. The heavy door rumbled open. [Huh?] [Huh??] [Ahhh♂~] [The person above is on another level.] [Wait, how did he open it?] [Mind your own business when it comes to my dad!] [Waaah, Mama is so good to me, he didn't even electrocute me for that! I'm in his heart!] "Alright, let's go," Wende said, walking over to Stelle and patting her on the head as if she'd taken the wrong medicine. He then turned to the dumbfounded Sampo. "Err... why do I suddenly feel so useless?" Sampo said, astonished as he stared at the gate Wende had opened with a casual wave of his hand. "No, no, you're still very useful. At least when it comes to leading the way," Wende said with a shrug. "Fine, then let me give you one more piece of advice. The area ahead is uncharted territory. Everyone, be extremely careful, watch your step..." "Alright, alright, why are you suddenly acting like a mother hen?" Seele quipped, looking at Sampo, who was preaching caution with every other word. "Err..." Sampo looked toward Wende. Wende simply turned his head away. "Sigh, fine, fine. Let's just go," Sampo said with a helpless wave of his hand. He silently fell to the back of the group, and then... While everyone's attention was focused on the path beyond the gate, Sampo's "old cold legs," previously cured by Wende, kicked into gear. He shot off at eighty miles per hour, vanishing from behind the group in an instant. "Why is there another door!" March 7th exclaimed with her arms crossed, thoroughly annoyed. "Doesn't Svarog get tired of opening so many doors just to get home?" "Don't look at me. I can't open this one," Wende said with exasperation to the group, who had all turned to stare at him. He wasn't Doraemon. "Besides, has no one noticed something? Is our team... missing someone?" "!!!" March slapped her palm. "Oh, right! Where did Sampo go?" Dan Heng's expression was calm; he was no longer surprised by this turn of events. "Beep... Beep... Beep..." An automaton began walking toward them. Watching the subsequent map-traversal part of the story, Fanyin was already used to it. After all, Star Rail was a game where you could teleport at any time. The maps weren't large, and there was no frustratingly designed "hellish terrain." It was much better than its older sister! [We should be meeting Clara soon, right? Hehehe, Clara, my sweet Clara!] [It's the "True Lord of Bare Feet"!] [Isn't it the "True Lord of Placing Food on the Ground"?] [Speaking of which, the plot here has changed again...] [You're not used to it yet? Take a bro's advice, don't be a Beater!] [What the hell, a Beater? Is this Honkai Art Online?] [Anyway... just treat it as a new game with a new story. The stuff from the beta is no longer a reliable reference.] [Emmmm, that reminds me of a certain old friend.] Kakaya wasn't streaming today. Instead, he was sitting with dark circles under his eyes, endlessly crunching numbers. Ever since Honkai: Star Rail officially launched, all his old data had become useless! Take the newest rate-up character, Seele, for example. Previously, besides calculating Seele's own stats, he also had to factor in supports like Bronya, Tingyun, and Asta. But now, he had one more person to add to his calculations... Wende! "Dammit! Why does a healer also have an attack buff!" Kakaya was on the verge of tears, with no choice but to painstakingly continue his calculations. If he didn't calculate it, his audience would think he was slacking. But if he did, Wende's attack buff wasn't actually that strong. Unless players had god-rolled Relics with attack substats, his damage amplification was still inferior to the other three supports. But that wasn't the most important part. Tingyun and Asta were four-stars, but not everyone had them. Bronya was a noble five-star, but her ownership rate wasn't low. But Wende... everyone had him! Remember the starter trio? This meant that from now on, no matter which character's damage was being calculated, Wende would inevitably be part of the equation. He was like a permanent pendant that could never be unequipped! And that was the reality. Because Wende's kit was so genuinely useful, many free-to-play players without a five-star healer treated him like a treasure. He was a healer, a tank (thanks to his high base HP), and even occasionally guest-starred as a noble Harmony character! Precisely because of this, all the initial drama and controversy surrounding Wende had vanished. In its place were cries of, "Old Mi! You've done a great job!"