Honkai Star Rail: Destiny Card System of the Multiverse — Chapter 64

Chapter 64: The Astral Express Crew Decides to Head to the Luofu

Kafka’s holographic projection flickered, breaking into a shower of digital static before vanishing completely from the Astral Express lounge. The sudden silence left the crew staring at the empty space, a collective sense of bewilderment hanging heavy in the air.

Slowly, every gaze pivoted toward the Trailblazer. Far from looking embarrassed by the Stellaron Hunter’s intimate parting words, the Trailblazer merely blinked back at them, their expression a mask of absolute, unbothered neutrality.

“Trailblazer~ dear~” March 7th marched over, grabbing the Trailblazer by the arm and pulling them aside. She planted her hands firmly on her hips, her pink eyes narrowed in a huff. “Confess! Why did that bad woman Kafka call you ‘dear’? What are you hiding? If you don’t spill the truth right now, I’m going to tickle it out of you!”

On the other side of the plush lounge, Himeko and Welt turned their attention to Dan Heng. They remained silent, waiting to hear his perspective on the sudden crisis.

Dan Heng let out a heavy, troubled sigh. He spoke carefully, detailing how he was currently wanted by the Xianzhou Alliance and emphasizing just how dangerous a criminal like Blade truly was. Yet, he kept his lips tightly sealed regarding his own past, not breathing a single word about the legacy of the Imbibitor Lunae. Himeko and Welt listened intently, nodding thoughtfully as they weighed the risks.

After another long stretch of heavy silence, the group began to vote on whether to alter their navigational route and head straight for the Xianzhou Luofu. The rules were simple: raising a hand meant agreeing to the detour, while keeping it down meant refusing.

If things had followed their usual rhythm, March 7th, Himeko, and Welt would have raised their hands, Dan Heng would have abstained, and the Trailblazer would have been caught in the middle of indecision.

But the dynamic had shifted. March 7th and the Trailblazer thrust their hands into the air without a second of hesitation. Himeko and Welt, however, remained perfectly still, their reluctance to walk into an obvious trap clear. Dan Heng sat frozen on the velvet sofa, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his hands together, trapped in a bitter internal struggle.

Just as the stalemate threatened to drag on, March 7th’s eyes suddenly lit up with a brilliant idea. She slapped her thigh with a loud smack.

“Hey! That’s right!” she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with renewed energy. “I just remembered that Kazuki is on the Luofu right now! I still have such a deep impression of him winning over that young girl’s heart! And I absolutely love those photos he sent of the Daiyu ruins! Cave diving, treasure hunting, map making… it sounds way more exciting than fighting those boring ice lumps back on Jarilo-VI!”

She scratched her cheek, her confident smile turning a little sheepish. “How about… we give him a call and ask? We can see what the situation on the Luofu is really like before we make a blind jump.”

This was the true reach of the Nameless, their connections spanning across the vast sea of stars.

Dan Heng pondered the suggestion for a long time, his sharp eyes staring at the floorboards. Finally, he gave a slow nod. “Hmm. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

Light-years away, Kazuki had just returned to his room at the Yichen Inn. He had barely slumped onto the soft cushions of the sofa when his phone buzzed to life in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw an incoming video call request from March 7th.

He tapped the screen to accept. “Hello, March? Why are you calling me all of a sudden? And hey, why is the entire Astral Express Crew gathered around the camera?”

Looking at the magnificent, warmly lit parlor car on his screen, and the group of anxious faces staring back at him, he offered a casual, lazy wave.

“Wow! Kazuki, the room you’re staying in is gorgeous!” March 7th gasped, her eyes widening as she took in the elegant Xianzhou architecture behind him.

“Ahem. March, get to the point,” Dan Heng reminded her in a low, serious voice from just off-screen.

“Oh, right!” March 7th snapped back to reality, shaking her head. “Kazuki, are you still on the Luofu?”

Kazuki raised an eyebrow, a teasing lilt slipping into his voice. “Yeah, I’m still here. What, is your next stop the Luofu? Do you want me to help you book a room in advance so you don’t end up sleeping on the streets?”

“No, no, no!” March 7th waved her hands frantically, nearly smacking the camera. “Kazuki, you look totally exhausted. Did something big happen over there?”

It had to be said, March 7th’s entry point for the topic was perfectly fine, but her transition was incredibly stiff.

Kazuki rubbed his sore eyes, playing up his fatigue as he deliberately let out a massive, exaggerated yawn. “You can say that again. The whole ship is under strict martial law. The streets are completely lifeless, and there’s this suffocating feeling that a massive storm is about to break. Even a perfectly law-abiding citizen like myself got dragged into the Shackling Prison for a day. I was only just released.”

March 7th’s lips twitched, her expression radiating serious doubt at his use of the term ‘law-abiding citizen.’Dan Heng, meanwhile, was completely bewildered.’Is the Shackling Prison the kind of place you can just stroll in and out of?’

After a bit more idle chatter, Himeko stepped forward, her elegant face filling the center of the screen. “Mr. Kazuki, may I ask if you happened to see a man looking like this while you were in the Shackling Prison…”

She proceeded to describe Blade’s appearance in careful detail. She needed to verify if there was any truth to Kafka’s cryptic warnings, and to confirm whether the Stellaron Hunter’s claim that ‘all prerequisites have been met’ held any water.

Hearing Himeko’s question, the relaxed, teasing look on Kazuki’s face melted away, instantly replaced by a bright, knowing smile. “Oh, you mean Prisoner Blade? Yeah, I was actually tossed into the exact same cell as him. That guy is so stuck up, always keeping this ridiculously cold face. When I asked him if he wanted some candy, he looked at me like I was the most annoying thing in the universe.”

The more Dan Heng listened, the more a cold sense of dread crept up his spine. Unable to hold back, he quickly interjected, leaning into the frame. “Mr. Kazuki, has there been anything particularly strange happening on the Luofu recently?”

“Hehehe, you’ve definitely asked the right person!” Kazuki’s energy spiked, leaning closer to his phone. “These past few days, the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus have made a massive comeback, and the Cloud Knights just raided one of their hidden strongholds. But the scariest thing is what happened at the Scalegorge Waterscape. There was a huge battle there yesterday, and even the Arbiter-General of Divine Foresight took the field himself. I heard that the Vidyadhara’s Imbibitor Lunae and the High Elders were all injured to varying degrees.”

“Is it really that serious?!” March 7th’s mouth hung open in absolute shock. “Even the General had to step in personally?”

Dan Heng’s heart seized in his chest. His hands clenched into tight fists, his nails biting into his palms. He took several deep, ragged breaths to steady himself before looking directly into the screen, asking earnestly, word by word, “Mr. Kazuki, is everything you just said true? Please tell me the truth; this is incredibly important to me.”

Kazuki fell silent for two seconds, his expression turning solemn. He gave a firm nod. “Yes. Except for the part about me being law-abiding, everything I just said is the absolute truth, witnessed with my own two eyes.”

He was, quite frankly, being far too honest.

Dan Heng’s breathing instantly grew rapid. He solemnly cupped his hands in a traditional Xianzhou salute toward the screen, his voice thick with emotion. “Thank you.”

After a few more brief words of farewell, March 7th reached out and ended the call.

The lounge plunged back into silence. Under everyone’s heavy gaze, Dan Heng slowly, deliberately, raised his hand.

Seeing this, Himeko stood up, a decisive gleam in her eyes. “Three to two. Then, by majority vote, the Astral Express Crew agrees to set our course for the Xianzhou Luofu.”

Meanwhile, shortly after ending the call with the Express, Kazuki closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into the system space.

He handled the ethereal void and chose to enter the card world of [Master Smith Yingxing].

The world materialized around him, resolving into the familiar, quiet courtyard. He found Yingxing standing at a sturdy wooden table, rhythmically chopping vegetables. The various kitchen knives and utensils scattered around him were all crafted by his own hands—blades sharp enough to split a falling hair in two, masterpieces that would easily fetch a fortune in the outside world.

“Chopping so many vegetables? Are you planning to throw a welcome feast?” Kazuki asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Yingxing didn’t break his rhythm. He gave a slight nod. “Yes. I’ll have to trouble you to buy more ingredients and bring them in from now on. I plan to prepare a proper feast every time someone new arrives here.”

Kazuki flashed an OK gesture, his gaze lingering on the blacksmith. “You seem to be in a pretty good mood. Have you finally let it go?” He was still quite concerned about Yingxing’s fragile mental state, given the heavy burdens of his past.

Yingxing’s chopping motion paused for a fraction of a second. But within the blink of an eye, the rhythmic thwack-thwack-thwack of the blade resumed.

“There is nothing that cannot be let go,” Yingxing replied, his tone remarkably relaxed and smooth. “It is fine to just get to know each other all over again, just like before.”

Seeing the blacksmith’s calm, composed demeanor, Kazuki silently confirmed that he wasn’t lying. After all, it was a known fact that only those harboring ulterior motives would display awkward movements or blush when speaking of the past.