Honkai Star Rail: I Created A Chat Group With The Aeons — Chapter 208

Chapter 208: The Smell of a Trash Can

As soon as the cap popped off with a sharp hiss, an indescribably sour stench violently wafted out of the glass bottle, aggressively invading the surrounding air.

March 7th was completely unprepared. The color drained from her face, rapidly replaced by a sickly shade of green. The sudden odor was so overwhelmingly pungent that it practically punched her in the nose. For a brief, hopeful second, she thought her senses were just playing tricks on her. Refusing to believe a beverage could smell this offensive, she leaned in slightly and took a cautious, deep breath.

“Ugh…” March 7th gagged, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. “This thing has gone completely sour, hasn’t it?!”

“What’s that smell? Let me get a whiff.” Stelle leaned over, her curiosity piqued. Following suit, she popped the cap off her own glass bottle. Another sharp hiss echoed in the room.

“Whoa… the smell of a trash can! It’s really something else!” Stelle took a massive, greedy breath of the foul air, her eyes fluttering shut as she looked a little lightheaded from the sheer potency of the fumes.

“Hmm? The flavor of a trash can, you say?” Upon hearing those magic words, Caelus’s eyes lit up as if he had just discovered an untouched, pristine continent of garbage. He immediately cracked open his own bottle without a second thought. He brought the rim right up to his nose, sniffed carefully, and then nodded with deep affirmation. “Indeed. The familiar, comforting scent of a trash can… still so unforgettable.”

“Isn’t that just the smell of something rotting and sour?!” March 7th cried out in sheer exasperation, her voice pitching up an octave.

“Oh, so that’s the smell of something sour? Why didn’t you say so sooner?!” Stelle and Caelus turned their heads in perfect synchronization, staring at March 7th with wide, innocent eyes.

“Hehe…” March 7th let out a dry, hollow chuckle. She wasn’t amused in the slightest; she was entirely at her wit’s end. How could these two be so utterly absurd? Their obsession with garbage was reaching terrifying new heights.

“Ah, this… is this really the smell of a trash can?” Serval muttered, her curiosity getting the better of her. She popped the cap off her own bottle of Mung Bean Soda. The moment the fumes hit her, a highly complicated expression froze on her face. She had originally thought Himeko’s dreaded coffee was the unrivaled king of biological weaponry, but she never expected something like this to exist in the universe. Who on earth invented this concoction?

“It’s not sour, this is simply its authentic, artisanal aroma.” Leon explained unhurriedly, leaning back in his chair. The mischievous, teasing smile tugging at the corners of his lips was almost impossible to hide. “Mung Bean Soda, a highly celebrated special beverage from the Xianzhou Luofu. Made from fermented bean products, it is widely known for its sour, pungent stimulation and incredibly ‘long’aftertaste. Locals say it is quite refreshing. Now, everyone, don’t forget our little’clean plate’ promise.”

“This… do we really have to finish the whole bottle?” Serval’s left eyelid twitched violently. To be completely honest, she was already drowning in regret. This drink was clearly not meant for ordinary human consumption.

“Waste, especially wasting precious ‘local specialties,’ is a shameful act!” Leon declared righteously, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I should have never opened it…” March 7th slumped forward, her forehead hitting the table with a soft thud. She looked utterly hopeless, as if all the color and joy had been permanently drained from her future.

“Let me taste what it’s actually like.” Caelus didn’t hesitate for another second. He raised the bottle and took the first sip. His chewing motions paused. The taste is a bit strange! Let me try again. He took another sip, smacking his lips thoughtfully. Hmm… this taste is actually not bad at all…

“It smells absolutely awful, but don’t knock it until you try it. It tastes perfectly fine when you actually drink it,” Caelus nodded seriously, looking at the group.

“Don’t lie to me! You’ve used that exact trick several times already!” March 7th immediately shot up from the table, pointing an accusing finger right at his face. Her expression practically screamed that she had seen through his lies centuries ago. “Every single time, you pretend it’s nothing! Then, after we all fall for your acting and take a sip, you spit yours out, right?!”

“I’m really not lying this time.” Caelus looked the picture of innocence. To prove his absolute sincerity, he tilted his head back and simply gulped down several large mouthfuls. Under everyone’s astonished, unblinking gazes, he chugged the entire bottle of Mung Bean Soda until not a single drop was left. He even shook the empty glass bottle upside down, wiping his mouth with lingering satisfaction.

“Brother, you know I always trust you.” Stelle immediately changed her tune. She reached over and patted Caelus heavily on the shoulder, her face a mask of solemn solidarity. “It’s just March 7th who lacks faith in you.”

Caelus silently cast a sideways glance at Stelle, his deadpan stare wordlessly conveying, ‘You certainly weren’t making that supportive face when you instigated me to taste the poison first.’

“Hey! You were clearly just as suspicious a second ago!” March 7th immediately exposed her fellow girl, waving her arms in protest.

Stelle completely ignored the pink-haired archer. Imitating Caelus’s fearless approach, she raised her bottle and took a massive gulp. Her brows instantly furrowed together, and her facial features twisted into a knot for a fleeting moment. However, her expression quickly relaxed again as she carefully savored the lingering notes on her tongue.

“Heh… interesting.” Stelle’s golden eyes lit up with genuine intrigue. She took another big, hearty gulp, then wiped her chin and gave a firm thumbs-up. “This taste is indeed… quite unique! It’s not bad at all. I’d even say it’s a little… addicting?”

“Really… is it actually acceptable?” Dan Heng couldn’t help but ask for confirmation, looking at the two Trailblazers with deep incredulity. Could it be that the ancient recipe for Mung Bean Soda had undergone some sort of revolutionary, miraculous innovation during his years away from the Xianzhou Luofu?

“It’s really alright, Dan Heng. Would you like to try some of mine?” Stelle enthusiastically shoved her half-empty bottle toward his face.

“No, no need! Thank you for the generous offer!” Dan Heng quickly waved his hands in front of him, his body honestly and instinctively shifting backward in his chair to escape the blast radius of the smell.

“Well, since they both say it’s fine…” March 7th and Serval exchanged hesitant, nervous glances. Bracing themselves, they both raised their bottles, took a tiny, cautious sip… and practically died on the spot.

The very next second…

“Cough! Cough! Cough!!!”

“Ugh—water! Give me water, quickly!!”

Both girls doubled over, coughing violently at the exact same time, tears rapidly pricking the corners of their eyes as their throats burned with the pungent sourness.

Leon was fully prepared for this exact outcome. With a smooth motion, he immediately slid two cold bottles of Immortal’s Delight across the table, right into their grasping hands.

“Gulp, gulp, gulp…”

March 7th practically inhaled the sweet boba tea, taking several massive gulps before finally letting out a long, trembling sigh. She slumped back into her chair, feeling like her soul had just been forcibly shoved back into her body. “Phew… saved!”

“I surrender…” Serval raised both her hands in a gesture of absolute defeat, her chest still heaving as she recovered from the shock. She stared at the two Trailblazers like they were alien lifeforms. “How can you two drink that literal sludge without even changing your expressions?”

“Is it really that bad? I think it’s perfectly alright…” Stelle blinked innocently, taking another casual sip of her fermented drink.

“The taste is indeed a bit strange at first, but after drinking it for a little while, it feels completely acceptable.” Caelus also nodded in agreement, indicating that the situation wasn’t nearly as dire as Serval and March 7th were making it out to be. The flavor profile was certainly unique, but far from undrinkable. Compared to the dark abyss that was Himeko’s freshly brewed coffee, there was still a massive, obvious difference in lethality.

“Didn’t Himeko and Pom-Pom specifically ask us to bring back some local specialties from our trip? How about we bring back a few crates of Mung Bean Soda then?” Leon suggested, a light, dangerous chuckle escaping his lips.

Leon honestly hadn’t expected Stelle and Caelus to accept the bizarre taste of the Luofu specialty so quickly. Perhaps it really was directly related to their shared sentiment about it tasting like a trash can? However, Leon wasn’t entirely surprised. After all, the simple fact that this fermented drink had existed on the Luofu for centuries indicated that it must have its own dedicated, albeit strange, demographic of consumers. And Stelle and Caelus just happened to fit perfectly into that exact demographic.

“That is a very good idea…” March 7th’s eyes suddenly lit up with a mischievous glint, all her previous suffering entirely forgotten. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. What exactly would Himeko’s reaction be after taking a sip of this stuff? Could they finally, for the first time in history, see the ever-elegant, unflappable Navigator lose her composure?

“But wait… what if Himeko decides to mix the Mung Bean Soda directly into her coffee?” Stelle proposed, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper as she voiced the terrifying conjecture.

“Don’t even say it! That’s way too terrifying!” March 7th couldn’t help but shiver violently at the mere mental image of that apocalyptic brew.

Welt, Dan Heng, and Serval, who were sitting nearby and listening to the conversation, also shivered in unison. Terrifying. It was truly, catastrophically terrifying. A biological weapon capable of wiping out entire planets.

“Leon, it’s your turn to drink now…” Serval suddenly narrowed her eyes, shifting her gaze directly onto the instigator. She and March 7th had both suffered through it, but Leon hadn’t even touched his bottle yet.

“Don’t worry, of course I’ll drink it.” Leon smiled calmly and popped the cap off his own bottle.

‘Ugh… honestly, this smell really is awful,’ Leon thought to himself as the fumes hit his nose. He had always thought the taste of fermented bean juice from his previous life was already pushing the limits of human endurance, but he never expected the flavor profile to become even more exaggerated after being mixed with carbonated soda from the Xianzhou Luofu.

But, to be completely fair, the taste really wasn’t that bad once it was actually in your mouth; it just smelled absolutely disgusting. Tipping his head back, Leon downed his portion smoothly.

As the glasses clinked against the table, Leon, Stelle, and Caelus had already completely finished their bottles of Mung Bean Soda.

Then, the three of them slowly turned their heads in unison, their unblinking gazes locking dead onto March 7th and Serval’s half-full bottles.

“No… why are you three looking at us like that?”

[Inorin’s Note: The “soda fermented milk drink” from the raw is a direct reference to the Xianzhou Luofu’s infamous “Mung Bean Soda” (often inspired by Beijing’s real-world Douzhi, a fermented mung bean juice known for its extremely pungent, sour smell that locals love and tourists hate).]