Chapter 32 - 32: Catching Up, Why Bully My Clara?!

"Bailu is so adorable!" "Our very own Xianzhou five-star character!" "I wonder how the Draconic Lady will react when she sees herself turned into a game character." "This character is incredibly strong—once you get her, you won't have to worry about sudden deaths while progressing the story or farming materials!" "Just look at Bailu-sama's value!" [Third Tier: Himeko, Welt, and Yanqing. These three characters can all serve as primary DPS during the early stages of gameplay. Himeko excels against groups, Yanqing shines in single-target scenarios, while Welt is versatile, capable of handling both group and single targets with additional crowd control through slowing effects—an incredibly well-rounded character!] Welt and Himeko were familiar faces to Guinaifen. However, upon seeing the young man named Yanqing, she was taken aback. The chat erupted even more fervently. "Huh? Am I seeing this right?" "Isn't that Yanqing, the valiant guard by the General's side and reputedly Xianzhou Luofu's strongest swordsman!" "If even he can be in the gacha pool, then could our Divine Strategy General possibly...?" "The thought of Jing Yuan General joining the gacha is mind-boggling! Wouldn't every Luofu player go all out on summoning him?" Even Guinaifen felt her mouth go dry with excitement! As more content within the game was discovered, it continually refreshed players' understanding! If one day they indeed introduced the Luofu General as a playable character, Guinaifen would be amazed but not surprised! These developers truly have guts... [Fourth Tier: Clara. A cute and seemingly harmless young girl, so her combat capabilities are somewhat weaker. She relies on passively enduring attacks to trigger robotic assistance for counterattacks. Currently, she doesn't seem well-suited for new players venturing into unexplored territory. If casual players draw her, their only option might be to reluctantly start over.] "This must be a Belobog character." "And barefoot too, how adorable!" Although the video creator deemed this character less powerful, Guinaifen believed there were no weak five-star characters. Clara's skill mechanics were quite unique; once players leveled up and honed their skills, she might prove to be incredibly strong. After watching the video, Guinaifen took a deep breath. This footage had truly opened a new world for all Honkai: Star Rail players! She felt just one emotion: —I want them all! Her wallet seemed to tremble with apprehension! Suddenly, a new message surged to the top of her feed—an even more significant announcement this time! It was from Feathered Spirit, the developer of Honkai: Star Rail, whom Guinaifen followed: [Honkai: Star Rail - Seele Character PV: "A Quiet Night"] As soon as Guinaifen clicked on it, 500 viewers joined simultaneously. Then it jumped to 2,000. 6,000! 10,000! 20,000! 50,000... Even the live chatroom fell silent, likely because everyone had received the notification and rushed to watch the character PV. Real-time comments flooded the screen rapidly. "Check out what I found!" "Honkai Star Rail fans are having a field day today!" "So cool!" "This is insane!" "The background music fits Seele perfectly!" With the captivating rhythm of the background music, Bronya appeared on screen. The duo seamlessly coordinated, showcasing their ultimate abilities and unleashing exhilarating combo attacks against enemies! It was as if the Feathered Spirit were teaching players—using Seele alongside Bronya could achieve twice the effect with half the effort! After watching the video, Guinaifen immediately went all-in on Seele. "I must have both the character and her exclusive Light Cone!" Meanwhile, aboard the train... Himeko and Old Yang were pushing the game's storyline forward at full speed. Having resolved the conflict between miners and vagrants over the new mineral vein, they encountered the Robot Settlement [Svarog] in the Lower City and its adopted daughter, Clara. They then helped Clara repair the settlement's power supply equipment and successfully persuaded her to lead them for negotiations with Svarog. Their goal was to determine just how quickly this plotline could be advanced. Continuing beyond this point would synchronize the game's progress with March 7th's real-world timeline! "We're almost at Svarog's Base—it seems like Little March and the others experienced this yesterday," Himeko remarked while preparing to open the base's entrance gate. Through the Trailblazer's perspective, she had become emotionally invested in the unfolding narrative. Whether it was her family on the Astral Express or the people of Jarilo-VI—like Clara, Seele, Bronya, and others— Despite belonging to different factions, these young individuals possessed radiant souls. Despite never having met them personally, Himeko hoped they could all thrive on this planet. Old Yang said, "Based on Dan Heng's logs, they ultimately succeeded in negotiating peace with Svarog and even learned information related to the Stellaron." "I'm aware," Himeko smiled. Other players reaching this point might still feel tense and anticipatory. However, Himeko and Old Yang were different; they already knew the outcome beforehand. The negotiations began. Our representative was Stelle. "We-we are [Variable]!" "No... We've come for the [Stellaron]." If Himeko or perhaps Welt had led the negotiation, they might have employed more sophisticated strategies tailored specifically for robots. But for Stelle and their group, being young and experiencing this for the first time, they immediately brought up the Stellaron. Mentioning the "Stellaron" right away seemed to instantly provoke Svarog. Its red lights flared brighter! In a deep mechanical voice, it warned, "Throughout recorded history, humans have attempted multiple times to interact with the 'Stellaron.' Without exception, driven by their selfish desires, they sought to claim this substance for themselves." "The Architect's directive states: Any attempt to engage with the 'Stellaron' will lead to severe consequences. Re-evaluating—target threat index reaches maximum level." "There is no evidence suggesting you would be an 'exception'; maintaining original assessment results." "Temporary suspension of peace maintenance protocol... requesting activation of extermination protocol." Himeko was slightly taken aback. Something isn't right here, isn't it? Shouldn't both sides successfully negotiate in reality? Could this be the point where the storyline deviates from actual events? As she pondered, combat had already commenced. Himeko's training and skill were commendable. To ensure smooth progression through the plot, she even made some minor in-game purchases. Having secured her first guaranteed five-star character—Clara—Himeko decided to stop there for now. However, since she hadn't yet encountered Clara in the story progression, she continued using members of the Astral Express Crew: Stelle, Dan Heng, March, and Natasha. With this balanced team capable of both defense and offense, Himeko was quite satisfied. As for other characters... Bronya, Seele, including herself... Of course, she wanted them too! But currently, she remained primarily focused on progressing through the storyline as a plot-driven player. Soon, Svarog's health bar dropped significantly, signaling the entry into the next narrative segment. Natasha and Sampo arrived with reinforcements, reigniting the intense battle. The outcome, however, was inevitable. Svarog ultimately proved no match for their combined forces. Just as Natasha prepared to deliver the final blow to Svarog, Clara suddenly rushed forward, tearfully shielding him. "W-wait!" "Please don't hurt Mr. Svarog!" Her flushed cheeks were streaked with continuous droplets like tiny pearls. This sight stirred Himeko's heart; she found Clara both adorable and deeply pitiful. The young girl possessed an untainted innocence, untouched by worldly corruption. Despite appearing fragile, her inner strength shone through. Seeing her tears, Himeko felt an urge to berate the entire Astral Express Crew fiercely. "Why do you bully poor Clara?! We agreed to negotiate, but instead, you ganged up on her centuries-old robot and left it in this state!" "Do you have any humanity left?" "Doesn't your conscience ache?" Himeko gently patted Clara's head and wiped away her tears. She reassured her that everything would be alright—Big Sister Himeko would fix Svarog and take care of the situation.