Honkai Star Rail: I Played the Villain, Now the Heroines Want Revenge — Chapter 234

Chapter 234: Arrival at the Luofu Immortal Boat

The Astral Express traversed the starry sea, the jumpdrive whining as it decelerated, warping to the Luofu Celestial Ark’s coordinates.

Soon, the massive, breathtaking silhouette of the Luofu Celestial Ark finally appeared outside the viewport. It was less a single ship and more an artificial solar system of rotating, golden-roofed discs, all connected by great bridges of light and flowing, impossible rivers.

However, when the Astral Express slowly docked at the Luofu Celestial Ark’s spaceport, they were met with dead silence.

“Oh my…” March 7th peered out the window, looking at the endless, massive containers stacked like mountains outside. “Is this where passengers disembark? It feels more like a cargo dock!”

Stelle also curiously looked around, her face pressed to the glass. “And it’s so strange… It’s too quiet…”

Welt pushed up his glasses, his expression grave. “For a port of this size, this level of silence is indeed abnormal. Kafka said there was a Stellaron disaster here, so it seems she wasn’t lying.”

Orion’s gaze penetrated through the containers, through the very walls of the port.

In his eyes, which could glimpse the future, the entire Cloudford was shrouded in lines of death and destruction. He saw endless, chaotic futures, all branching from a single, elegant, smiling source.

Conductor Pom-Pom’s voice came over the intercom, sounding nervous. “The docking is complete! But… Pom-Pom can’t seem to reach the Luofu’s port authority… Well, the air is breathable! You can disembark!”

Welt looked at everyone. “The situation is unclear; we need a small team to investigate first. March 7th, Stelle, Orion, you three come with me.”

He paused, looking at Dan Heng, who had been silently gazing out the window at the distant, familiar architecture.

“Dan Heng, what about you?”

Dan Heng’s gaze retracted from the familiar Celestial Ark buildings, his knuckles white on his spear.

He shook his head. “I won’t go. I want to stay on the Astral Express and organize the data bank.”

Hearing this, everyone didn’t think much of it and let him stay on the Astral Express. Only Orion glanced at him thoughtfully. He saw the complex, branching futures swirling around Dan Heng, lines of water and lightning.

He’s afraid, Orion realized. Afraid of being home.

Thus, led by Welt, the four-person trailblazing team consisting of Orion, Stelle, and March 7th, stepped onto the land of the Luofu Celestial Ark.

The four walked off the Astral Express.

The massive port was empty, a colossal cavern of steel and jade. Only containers and transport Star Skiffs were quietly docked. No workers, no greeters, no security.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the hum of the Express’s engines behind them.

Just then, a groan came from nearby, behind a stack of crates.

They followed the sound and found a Cloud Knight, his intricate armor stained dark, lying in a pool of his own blood.

“Ahead… there are monsters ahead…”

The soldier finished speaking with his last breath, his eyes wide with a terror that went beyond death. Then, he passed out.

Welt immediately stepped forward to examine him, checking his pulse.

“He… is gone.”

Traces of battle, strange claw-like wounds on his armor, an empty port… everything exuded an ominous aura.

Just then, a cry for help echoed from a distance.

“Help! Is anyone there?! Help me!”

The four exchanged glances and immediately rushed in the direction of the sound.

They rounded a corner and saw a graceful, brown-haired Foxian girl, her dress immaculate, being attacked by several distorted, red-eyed “soldiers.” Her situation seemed precarious as she dodged their clumsy, enraged swings.

Battle erupted.

“I’ll take the lead!” Stelle shouted, her baseball bat already swinging.

Orion moved at the same time, a blur of motion, his blade drawn.

In just a moment, those soldiers who had fallen into “Mara-Struck” were all struck down. Orion’s strikes were precise, severing tendons and joints. Stelle’s were… less precise, but brutally effective.

[Inorin’s Note: “Mara-Struck” is a condition afflicting the long-life species of the Xianzhou, where their minds and bodies eventually succumb to immortal, cancerous growth, turning them into monsters.]

“Thank you for your righteous assistance, benefactors~”

The Foxian girl smoothed her slightly disheveled hair and bowed deeply to the group, a picture of perfect, practiced elegance.

“This humble one is Tingyun, the Reception Envoy of the Luofu’s Sky-Faring Commission. May I know your esteemed names, benefactors?”

[Inorin’s Note: The Sky-Faring Commission (司辰宫) is the Luofu’s port authority and traffic control, which Tingyun is a representative of.]

“Hello, Miss Tingyun!” March 7th, always eager, stepped forward enthusiastically. “We are from the Astral Express. I’m March 7th, and this is Stelle!”

“Stelle is my good best friend, and she’s super good with a baseball bat!”

“Cough cough… Please call me, Galaxy Bat Hero!” Stelle took out her bat and struck a pose.

Tingyun’s smile faltered for just a microsecond.

“Uh… alright. And this is Welt Yang, our Uncle Yang! He’s like our guardian, very reliable!”

“And this is… Orion!”

She proudly puffed out her chest, pointing at Orion and adding with a huge grin:

“He’s super amazing! Before, in Belobog, a Lord Ravager came to cause trouble, and Orion killed him! Isn’t that awesome?”

Hearing this, Tingyun’s charming fox eyes widened in feigned surprise. She half-covered her mouth with her folding fan, her gaze lingering intently on Orion.

“A Lord Ravager… that’s an existence that even Aeons find troublesome, completely beyond the reach of ordinary people, yet benefactor… you can defeat him?”

“Does Miss Tingyun not believe it?” March 7th immediately said, puffing her cheeks. “Orion is really amazing!”

“How could I not believe it?” Tingyun’s gaze was completely fixed on Orion now, her eyes becoming fervent and revealing. “This humble one can naturally see the strength of you benefactors. Especially Benefactor Orion…”

She took a graceful, almost gliding step forward, bowing slightly, her eyes becoming even more alluring.

“…This humble one admires heroes like you the most.”

That captivating look, combined with the faint scent of perfume, was enough to make any man’s heart flutter.

Orion, however, merely turned his head, avoiding her direct gaze.

This woman indeed possessed some charming abilities, a faint, hypnotic suggestion in her voice.

But in his opinion, her acting was still a bit clumsy. The smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Orion knew, with the absolute certainty of his Emanator of Finality ability, that the “Tingyun” before him was the Lord Ravager—Phantylia.

In his eyes, which could glimpse the future, countless possibilities leading to the destruction of the Luofu Celestial Ark extended from her.

He saw her possessing Fu Xuan. He saw her raising the Ambrosial Arbor. He saw her betraying Jing Yuan.

And with his intervention, with his simple presence, half of those possibilities had already been cut off.

What remained were the futures where he had a chance to win and obtain the Stellaron.

Orion chose to remain calm, to play her game, and see what kind of play this Lord Ravager intended to put on.

At this moment, March 7th leaned into Stelle’s ear, quietly fanning the flames:

“See, Stelle? Your ‘good buddy’ is so popular! A competitor has appeared, you better step up!”

Stelle’s cheeks flushed, and she glared at March 7th in a bit of a panic.

“W-what are you talking about! What if he’s popular, what does that have to do with me?”

Though she said this, she couldn’t help but secretly glance at Tingyun’s elegant figure, then looked at Orion, feeling inexplicably stifled in her heart.

Afterward, Tingyun very honestly led the way for them, saying she would take them to the Starskiff Haven’s central hub for refuge.

However, along the way, the situation became increasingly bizarre.

They walked between the towering stacks of containers in the port.

And those Mara-Struck soldiers, like ghosts lurking in the darkness, always rushed out from unexpected corners.

At first, they were just soldiers who had lost their minds but were still physically intact.

But as they went deeper, the forms of the Mara-Struck became more terrifying.

One Mara-Struck soldier’s head was completely missing, replaced by a sprouting, fleshy growth, yet it still wildly swung the sword in its hand, attacking them on pure instinct.

Another’s head was twisted at a strange, 180-degree angle to his back, crawling on the wall like a spider in an anti-jointed posture, waiting for a sneak attack.

Before those monsters turned to dust, they muttered: “Please… save… me…”

That indistinct, pained plea made March 7th’s arrow hesitate for a moment. “Was… was it asking for help just now?”

When everyone finally walked out of the winding container maze and reached an open area, the sight before them made everyone gasp.

In the plaza, several Cloud Knights’ bodies lay scattered.

And dozens of figures were surrounding a still-breathing body… gnawing on it.

Those things were not wearing Cloud Knights uniforms; they were wearing the clothes of Luo Fu Celestial Ark civilians.

Their eyes were blood-red, fangs like a beast’s grew from their mouths, their faces hideous, devoid of humanity, only filled with a primal, desperate craving for the flesh and blood of the living!

“Roar!!”

A Mara-Struck civilian, its jaw unhinged and bloody, discovered them. It fiercely pounced on a Yunjin guard next to Tingyun, opening its maw to bite his neck!

“Watch out!”

Stelle, reacting on pure instinct, rushed forward, her baseball bat swinging fiercely!

With a sickening, dull thud, the Mara-Struck’s head burst open like a watermelon, and the headless corpse twitched and fell.

This scene was extremely bizarre and grotesque.

Welt’s face turned extremely grim. He turned to Tingyun and asked in a deep voice:

“Miss Tingyun, do the Mara-Struck of the Celestial Ark… eat people? This is quite different from what I understood before.”

“Oh dear…” Tingyun clutched her chest, her fan hiding her mouth, looking quite startled. “This humble one has never seen such a sight either. It must be the Stellaron’s doing, causing the Mara-Struck to mutate, perhaps?”

Her voice was filled with fear, but Orion could see, in the lines of the future, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.

Welt was skeptical.

“Orion, what do you think?” March 7th, somewhat scared, huddled next to Orion.

Orion looked at the terrifyingly dead Mara-Struck, then glanced at the “startled” Tingyun beside him, and said:

“Things are definitely not that simple.”

“The Luo Fu Celestial Ark, I’m afraid, has undergone some immense mutation that we cannot imagine.”

“That’s right, something is very wrong here.”

Stelle also walked over, holding her dripping baseball bat, agreeing with Orion’s view.

“Mu-mutation?” March 7th’s face turned pale. “It’s not like those old movies where some biochemical virus breaks out, is it? Don’t scare me!”

Welt’s expression was grave; he said nothing.

Only Tingyun, when no one was looking, glanced at Orion again, a hint of cunning flashing in her charming fox eyes.

Subsequently, led by Tingyun, everyone boarded a Star Skiff and finally arrived at a magnificent cavern, a city built inside the ark, full of bustling activity.

“Then, please allow this humble one, on behalf of the Sky-Faring Commission, to welcome all benefactors to the Celestial Ark… the Starskiff Haven Central Hub.”

“This cavern beneath your feet is the most prosperous and lively center of the entire Luofu Celestial Ark.”

Everyone looked out, only to see an endless city beneath the Star Skiff.

Many Star Skiffs shuttled along fixed, glowing routes, and people came and went between uniquely shaped, golden-roofed buildings.

Shops lined both sides of the streets, and interstellar travelers of various races coexisted harmoniously with the Celestial Ark locals, presenting a scene of utter prosperity.

This was like two different worlds compared to the dock of death they had just walked through.

“In any case, once you’re here, you can rest assured.”

Tingyun said with a smile, “Although it is an extraordinary time, this place is heavily guarded and absolutely safe. I should have shown you around and fulfilled my duties as a host, but important matters come first. We should go to the Sky-Faring Commission first to report your intentions to Lady Yukong.”

[Inorin’s Note: The text in the source novel previously confused the Divination Commission (Fu Xuan’s) with the Sky-Faring Commission (Yukong’s). I have corrected it to the Sky-Faring Commission, as Yukong is its head and Tingyun’s superior.]

“You all wish to help the Luofu Celestial Ark deal with the Stellaron disaster… right?”

No sooner had she finished speaking.

“Wait…” March 7th suddenly tugged on Orion’s sleeve, her voice small. “Look, those people down there… aren’t they a bit off…”

Hearing this, everyone immediately followed her gaze downwards.

Then, everyone’s breath caught.

Below, on that originally bustling and lively street, all the pedestrians who were walking, talking, and shopping…

Whether they were Celestial Ark residents or alien travelers…

They all, at the exact same moment, instantly froze as if someone had pressed a pause button.

The vendor who was enthusiastically shouting just a second ago had his hand, holding merchandise, frozen in mid-air.

The child who was chasing and playing just a moment ago had his running posture solidified in place.

The sound of the entire world—the chatter, the music, the laughter—seemed to have been drawn away, leaving only the flapping wings of distant mechanical birds and the engine hum of unmanned Star Skiffs automatically navigating.

This prosperous cavern, in one second, turned into a giant, silent wax museum.

This scene would make anyone’s scalp tingle.

For a moment, even Welt felt the immense pressure.

Tingyun and the Astral Express Crew on the Star Skiff couldn’t help but freeze, staring downwards.

Finally, March 7th couldn’t hold back. She shouted down:

“Hey—! What are you doing? You’re all not moving? Are you playing Red Light, Green Light?”

However, the crowd on the street seemed not to hear her, remaining utterly still, with no one responding.

“No, what exactly is wrong with these people?”

March 7th was even more puzzled. “Are they all deaf? Or are they doing some kind of performance art?”

Stelle stroked her chin, analyzing seriously: “Maybe your voice was too soft just now, and they didn’t hear you?”

“Makes sense… Well, you have a loud voice, you try?”

“Okay!” Stelle nodded, took a deep breath, and was about to shout at the top of her lungs: “Hey—”

“Wait, something’s wrong…” Welt just wanted to stop her.

But just as Stelle’s mouth opened, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and covered her mouth.

Stelle turned her head and saw it was Orion.

Their distance at this moment was extremely close; his palm was pressed against her lips.

That warmth, and his sudden proximity, made Stelle’s heart skip a beat instantly. Her cheeks flushed, and her body felt a little soft.

Orion made a “shush” gesture to her, then lowered his voice and whispered in her ear:

“Something is very wrong. Let’s observe first; don’t act rashly, okay?”

The feeling of his warm breath on her ear made Stelle feel ticklish, and she nodded frantically. Only then did Orion release his hand.

“W-what happened?”

Stelle asked softly, not daring to look into his eyes.

“Look…”

Orion pointed to a corner in the crowd below.

“That person over there.”

Welt, March 7th, Stelle, and Tingyun all immediately looked over.

Among countless frozen figures, that man, with his back to them, seemed unremarkable.

March 7th said quietly, puzzled: “What’s wrong with that person? Isn’t he also motionless?”

At this moment, Welt’s pupils suddenly contracted: “No, look closely… that man, he’s trembling.”

At his reminder, everyone noticed that the man’s body was trembling with a very small amplitude, barely noticeable from a distance if one didn’t look carefully!

In this world of absolute stillness, even just trembling seemed incredibly out of place!

The next moment, a scene occurred that almost made March 7th and Stelle scream!

All the pedestrians in front of, behind, and beside the trembling man…

Their heads simultaneously made a “crack” sound of dislocated bones.

Then, in perfect, horrific unison, they twisted 180 degrees!

Their bodies maintained their original postures.

But each expressionless face, at an angle no normal person could possibly achieve, stared fixedly at the trembling man!

“Oh my god!”

March 7th was so scared her soul almost flew out, and she grabbed Orion’s arm.

“G-ghosts! How can their heads turn like that?!”

Stelle’s scalp also tingled, but her focus was different from March 7th’s:

“So, that man… was he noticed because he was trembling?”

Just then, an even more bizarre and explosive scene occurred!

The man, who was being stared at by everyone, trembled even more violently.

He seemed to want to escape, but his legs looked like they were fighting each other.

One leg wanted to go west, the other wanted to go east, instantly losing coordination, and he collapsed directly to the ground.

“No, don’t!”

“I-I didn’t mean to…”

He hadn’t finished speaking.

Those people who had turned their heads to look at him suddenly, in unison, uttered two words:

“You… die!”

The moment the words fell, those people suddenly moved!

They were like a school of sharks that had smelled blood, instantly pouncing on the man kneeling on the ground!

“Ah…!”

The scream lasted less than a second.

The Astral Express Crew didn’t even have time to react; they only saw those people frantically gnawing and tearing, then quickly dispersing.

And in their place, the man’s figure had completely vanished.

As if he had been gnawed away completely, not even a single bone or strand of hair remained!

“…”

March 7th, Stelle, and even Welt were dumbfounded.

“Th-that guy… just… just got…”

March 7th and Stelle met each other’s gaze, seeing horror in each other’s eyes.

Stelle: “What exactly is this…”

Orion, meanwhile, watched silently, his brows slightly furrowed.

Welt looked grave: “Are those… truly Celestial Ark people? Or something disguised as them…”

And Tingyun, beside him, had an expression of having seen it all before.

“Oh dear, it’s alright now. Look, it’s back to normal.”

Hearing this, everyone looked down again.

Indeed, just as Tingyun said, after the man was gnawed away and disappeared.

On the street, the frozen crowd seemed to have had the “play” button pressed, instantly returning to normal.

They continued their previous actions, people coming and going, buying things at shops, chatting with friends beside them, as if the previous scene had never happened.

“…”

Stelle looked at the prosperous scene below, now restored to its original state, and felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

“…Miss Tingyun, what exactly is going on here?”