Honkai: Star Rail: I Can Fix This Gender-Bent World — Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Transformation

Chen’s head throbbed, a dull ache that had been steadily building in time with Clara’s heartbroken sobs. Only when the girl’s crying finally tapered off into quiet, hiccuping breaths did the Herta puppet grumble irritably.

“What’s all the fuss about? I went through all the trouble of taking you apart and putting you back together again,” she muttered, gesturing at the bizarre construct before them. “I replaced your entire set of energy lines and drive modules. So what if I added a motorcycle form? It’s a feature, not a bug!”

She began to tick off points on her fingers. “It’s practical! It can fight, and it can flee. It’s a hell of a lot better than just standing there like a glorified hunk of iron, isn’t it? Honestly, some people have no appreciation for innovation.”

Ignoring Clara’s bewildered, tear-streaked face, Chen stepped forward to confront the gleaming silver motorcycle. She took a deep, theatrical breath, puffing out the puppet’s chest, and then declaimed in a tone worthy of the grandest stage:

“Awaken! My partner! Abide by the ancient covenant and the pact we have forged!”

Her voice echoed through the cavernous workshop.

“Manifest here and now! Lend me your strength! The ultimate, the invincible, the super-handsome—”

She intentionally drew out the final word, letting the anticipation hang in the air before finishing with a triumphant flourish:

“—Silver Lightning!”

Clara could only watch from the side, dumbfounded. Her small face was a canvas of pure confusion, her earlier grief completely overshadowed by whatever strange ritual this was.

However, the very instant Chen’s last word fell…

VROOOOM!

A low, guttural roar suddenly erupted, not from an engine, but from the very metal of the machine. The armor plates on the silver motorcycle’s body began to rapidly shift and reconfigure, accompanied by a display of crisp, mechanical clicks and whirs. The motorcycle’s silhouette elongated and stretched, its components folding and unfolding with impossible grace, finally coalescing back into the familiar, towering form of the automaton guardian.

Compared to her previous aged and weathered texture, the Svarog that stood before them now was a marvel. Her entire chassis had been polished to a mirror-like shine, and the synthetic plating that mimicked skin now possessed a softer, more lifelike texture.

“Command confirmed. Initial startup protocol override complete.”

A synthesized female voice, crisp and with a unique digital timbre, rang out from the reborn mecha. Svarog turned her head, the red light of her tactical visor sweeping over Clara’s pleasantly surprised face. Finally, her gaze fixed on Chen, who was still inhabiting the form of a Herta Puppet.

“Detecting traces of large-scale underlying protocol rewriting and optimization,” Svarog stated. A brief pause. “Detecting… unconventional data packet implantation.”

Her voice hitched for a microsecond, a flicker of digital static in the otherwise smooth modulation. She seemed to be processing a flood of information that far exceeded the scope of her original database.

“…Parsing data packet content. Basic Universe Model, Updated Version. Major Interstellar Factions Overview, Brief. Stellaron Basic Characteristics and Potential Hazard Assessment. General Protocol Conflict Solutions, Advanced… and…”

For the first time, a rare note of what could only be described as ‘confusion’ entered her electronic voice.

“…and an auxiliary protocol labeled as ‘General Flexibility Logic Patch and Basic Sense of Humor Cultivation Guide’.”

Listening to the deadpan report, Chen wore a smug, self-satisfied smile that did nothing to hide her culpability. She gave a magnanimous nod.

“Looks like the upload was a success. No need to thank me; it’s all part of the after-sales service. This should save you from getting stuck in a logic loop in the future because of a lack of information or an inflexible mind. Or from making any… unwise decisions.”

Svarog remained silent for several seconds, her crimson visor lingering on Chen. Inside her positronic brain, terabytes of new information—the true nature of the universe, the Stellarons, the nuances of that absurd ‘Flexibility Patch’—were being rapidly indexed, cross-referenced, and integrated with her core programming.

She now understood the root cause of the Eternal Freeze and the Fragmentum Rift. She recognized the potential roles these outsiders, these ‘variables’, might play in Belobog’s fate. She saw the shared plight of the Overworld and the Underworld with a clarity her old programming could never have achieved.

“Logic restructuring complete,” Svarog finally announced, her voice regaining its perfect stability. She turned fully toward Chen and inclined her head in a gesture of gratitude. “Thank you for the repairs and the… gift of knowledge, Excellency. My system’s operational efficiency and cognitive breadth have been significantly enhanced.”

Her tone became formal and cooperative. “Based on the assessment of the newly integrated information, you and your companions represent the highest probability variables for resolving Belobog’s Stellaron crisis. How do you require my cooperation? Should I retrieve the records I have preserved regarding the Stellaron? Or should I activate the available units within the settlement to assist in your actions?”

Listening to these rational and highly feasible suggestions, the smile on Chen’s face grew wider. This was exactly the result she wanted: a clear-headed and flexible ally, not a stubborn, single-minded obstacle.

“Very good, Svarog. The effects of your upgrade are even better than I imagined,” Chen nodded, pleased. “As for the specifics of our cooperation…”

She stepped closer, lowering her voice to ensure only Svarog’s audio sensors could pick it up.

“First, you’ll do this… then, you’ll do this… and after that, you’ll do that.”

Svarog listened quietly, her head tilted in concentration. A few seconds later, she nodded again.

“Instructions received. Feasibility assessment passed. Relevant protocols have been updated and focused on for execution.”

“Excellent.” Chen clapped her puppet hands together, thoroughly pleased with this newfound efficiency. “We’ll leave it at that for now. I’m giving Clara back to you. I need to get back and check on my companions; we have serious business to attend to tomorrow.”

With that, she turned and headed for the main gate, her steps light and carefree. It was as if she had just completed a perfectly ordinary after-sales repair call.

“Excellency.”

Svarog’s voice suddenly called out from behind her. Chen stopped and looked back over her shoulder.

“Thank you once again,” Svarog said, her voice now imbued with a solemnity that transcended mere programming. “Your repairs fixed more than just a malfunction.”

Chen simply smiled, gave a lazy wave of her hand, and walked straight out into the tunnels.

On the way back, she mentally ticked off the night’s accomplishments. She had not only defused the potential trouble with Svarog but had also gained a powerful and surprisingly reasonable ally. Better yet, she had finally managed to light up Clara’s icon in her system. All in all, she was in a damn good mood.

‘Hmm… Stellaron records are secured, and Svarog is on our side now,’she calculated as she walked.’I’ll bring Lord Bronya and the others over for a formal meeting tomorrow. That should wrap up the process nicely… Wildfire has Seele and Oleg, so there shouldn’t be any major issues there…’Everything was progressing smoothly, almost too smoothly.’Wait…’She scratched the puppet’s head.’Did I forget something?’

A faint, nagging feeling tickled the back of her mind, the sense that some trivial little matter had slipped through the cracks.

“Forget it,” she shrugged. “If I can’t remember it, it probably wasn’t important.”

She quickened her pace, heading back toward the Goethe Hotel.

Meanwhile, back in the workshop, Clara finally snapped out of her immense joy and threw herself at Svarog’s side. Her small hands gently held one of Svarog’s massive, silver prosthetic fingers as she looked up, her eyes full of starlight at having regained what she had lost.

“Big Sister Svarog! You’re really better! This is wonderful!”

“Yes, Clara. I am back,” Svarog replied, lowering her head. “I am sorry for making you worry.”

“No, no!” Clara shook her head quickly, then, as if remembering something, she turned her small head toward the gate. Then she looked in another direction. She blinked and tugged on Svarog’s finger with a hint of confusion.

“Big Sister Svarog, that… that very impressive older sister… did she forget something?”

“According to monitoring records and audio analysis,” Svarog replied with calm logic, “when she departed, she was not carrying any physical items belonging to this location.”

“Ah? No, that’s not it,” Clara waved her hands hurriedly and pointed to a dark corner below the main platform. There, curled into a ball and doing its best impression of an inanimate piece of junk, was the little robot pieced together from scrap metal. It had automatically hidden there the moment Chen began her… violent repairs.

“I mean… that little robot she brought with her?”

In the shadows, Geo-Map’s single lightbulb eye flickered once, a dim, lonely pulse. It was as if it were silently recounting the deep sorrow of being forgotten.