"...But all of the above is just the appetizer."
"If you want to see real art, you can't miss this move."
Guinaifen clenched her fists, watching the screen with great anticipation.
She saw herself take out a gong and a mallet.
She struck a pose ready to strike.
Red flames wrapped around her.
"Boom, boom, boom—!!!"
The moment she struck.
She swung the gong with all her might.
Then.
Three little Diting actually ran over from behind!
So fast that they kicked up a cloud of dust on the ground!
The three little Diting gathered in front of the enemy.
After a series of rolls and somersaults.
A large firecracker was lit in the middle!
"Boom!"
A huge pillar of fire shot into the sky.
A mushroom cloud exploded on the spot!
Guinaifen was still watching from there.
Diting was directly blown back and fell onto the screen.
The barrage of comments immediately flooded in!
...
"Is this the depth of the older generation of artists?"
"Wow, what a spectacle!"
"Little Gui, how did you convince these three Diting to cooperate with you in lighting the firecracker?"
"All Diting used in this skill are specially fireproofed Diting, please do not imitate with ordinary Diting."
"Master Gui's Ultimate is so adorable!"
...
In the live stream room.
Guinaifen's mouth formed an 'O' shape.
After watching it.
Her eyes lit up with golden Starlets!
"I love it!"
"Ahhhhh!!!"
"I love this Ultimate so much!"
"There's even a dream collaboration with Diting!!"
"Yu Ling, how did you know I wanted these little guys to appear in my skill set?"
After watching the video.
Guinaifen immediately opened the recharge interface!
Without hesitation.
She topped up 10 times 648!
While pulling for characters, she exclaimed, "Guys, I feel like my skill mechanics are pretty strong!"
"Finally, I can replace Sampo in Kafka's team and take on the role of the DoT dealer myself!"
...
Astral Express.
Pom-Pom, Himeko, Old Yang, March 7th, and Stelle were staring intently at the game screen.
At this moment.
Inside the train car.
An unexpected guest had appeared!
It was the red-haired man who had appeared in the recently released teaser trailer!
Pom-Pom stared fixedly at the game screen and said, "He really showed up, Pom!"
"Pom-Pom wants to see what this guy is all about..."
"And what exactly has happened to the train?"
March 7th muttered, "We just wanted to go to Carwash Star to get the train washed, and we ended up running into something like this?"
"Conductor, it seems like we should hold off on any major cleaning for now."
Pom-Pom rubbed his head, "Not sure, let's wait and see."
Controlling the character.
She moved to the window of the Parlor Car.
The scenery outside had completely changed.
The background was a deep crimson.
Small asteroids were moving along fixed trajectories.
The surroundings looked desolate.
March 7th sighed, "It seems... it's not just a simple case of a spaceship rear-ending the train."
"Looking at the red hue outside, something abnormal must have happened."
"Let's go ask this guy what's going on!"
The red-haired man stood in front of a potted plant.
With his back to everyone.
As March 7th approached.
A spotlight suddenly appeared from nowhere, shining on the man.
Highlighting the golden arcs on his armor.
The man spoke in a sincere, emotional voice, "The shining universe, an anomaly on the other side."
"Like vibrant paint blooming."
"You... are truly beautiful."
As his words ended, the spotlight also illuminated the object of his praise.
――The potted plant in the corner.
???
Pom-Pom, March 7th, and Stelle were instantly stunned.
Full of question marks!
Why did the tone suddenly shift like this!
Because they had seen the teaser trailer, they had a preconceived impression of this red-haired man.
Arrogant, dangerous...
Even daring to fight on the train, chasing the conductor and piercing Pom-Pom's shadow with a spear!
All these "disrespectful" actions made them think that this man might have come specifically to cause trouble on the train!
A battle to defend the train seemed inevitable.
But what was this scene that just unfolded?
He was praising a potted plant?
Is this guy... mentally okay?
And then.
The absurdity continued.
March 7th walked over, intending to greet him first.
But a spotlight also appeared from nowhere, shining on her.
Startling March 7th.
The red-haired man turned around.
Approaching with elegant steps.
"A lady?"
"Please allow me to sincerely compliment you."
"You are like a flower on a winter snowfield."
Stelle also came closer.
The red-haired man immediately praised her as well, "Here is another beautiful being."
"I haven't introduced myself yet―my name is Argenti, from The Knights of Beauty. May I have the honor of knowing your esteemed names?"
His polite demeanor.
Elegant posture.
Seemed completely different from the dangerous figure they had imagined earlier.
The sudden contrast left everyone a bit stunned.
March 7th chose not to introduce herself.
Instead of beating around the bush, he directly questioned, "So, you're the one who rear-ended the train?"
The knight named Argenti continued, "Indeed! I deeply apologize for this and have come specifically to help the Astral Express resolve its predicament."
"Pleased to meet you both! My apologies, I was just explaining the meaning of beauty to this potted plant."
"Forgive my abruptness, but out of habit, I would like to ask you both: As fellow beings in the universe, are you aware of the goddess of The Beauty, Idrila?"
[Wait, are you genuinely complimenting me?]
"Why? Why would you ask that? Please don't doubt yourself, madam!"
[But you even complimented the potted plant!]
"My words and actions are absolutely sincere. I believe its heart is as clear as a mirror."
???
March 7th and Stelle exchanged glances while watching the scene.
Judging from the reactions in these dialogues.
Why does it feel like this guy isn't the sharpest tool in the shed?
Pom-Pom sighed, "So, he's from The Knights of Beauty..."
"Hmm... these guys are indeed like that."
"These members are scattered across the galaxy, spreading the name of The Beauty and making all beings aware of Idrila's existence."
"In this storyline, they perfectly captured their eccentric style."
March 7th couldn't help but ask, "So, are these guys good or bad?"
Pom-Pom showed a thoughtful expression.
After a moment, he said, "They should be considered good, I guess. Apart from being a bit obsessive about their beliefs, most members walk the galaxy with good intentions."
"The Argenti who appears in this storyline should be no exception."
...
"In this storyline, even Yu Ling, the developer of Honkai: Star Rail, acknowledged my efforts in defending [beauty] in the galaxy!"
On a planet with an elegant environment, lush mountains, and clear waters.
Argenti looked moved and inspired.
The scene playing before him was the mission storyline of [Night of Universal Hallucinations].
Argenti then exclaimed with delight, "The beautiful music, the moving lights... all of it is Yu Ling's recognition of my path in [The Beauty]!"
"I believe that by continuing to defend and maintain this beauty, we will eventually, under the guidance of this game, touch upon the traces of the goddess of The Beauty, Idrila."
Around him.
Besides himself, there were other Knights of Beauty gathered here.
Hearing Argenti's words.
They all began to applaud.
The intense applause was accompanied by the clashing of armor.
Some even sang ancient and beautiful ballads.
For a moment, the flowers in the bushes bloomed, and springs gushed from the ground.
After Honkai: Star Rail became a sensation across the universe.
Its content naturally attracted the attention of The Knights of Beauty.
Therefore.
Knights of Beauty from all corners of the universe gathered on this beautiful planet to experience Honkai: Star Rail together.
Apart from the game containing a wealth of content that could be called "beauty,"
They believed that they might find clues about Idrila within this game.
A female knight walked up to Argenti with a smile, "Congratulations, Argenti."
"You've taken a big step forward on the Path of The Beauty. On behalf of The Knights of Beauty, I offer you my sincere congratulations. May we soon find the true form of Idrila."
Argenti's face lit up with emotion. "Thank you. Let us continue to witness this moving and heroic tale together."