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ArabicHonkai Star Rail: My Chat Group is Full of Broken Timelines — Chapter 25
Chapter 25: A General’s Concern and a Friend’s Suspicion
Kazuki slowly pushed himself up from the ground, raising a hand to wipe away the trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
The moment his fingertips brushed against the liquid, however, he froze. The blood wasn’t red; it was a dazzling, molten gold. His gaze flickered to Jing Yuan, who stood not far away, and a sheepish grin spread across his face. How could he have forgotten? The name said it all—the Chrysos Heir were supposed to have golden blood flowing through their veins.
Jing Yuan observed the boy’s subtle movement, his expression unreadable. He let out a long, helpless sigh before addressing them both. “That’s enough for today. Go and get some rest. Kazuki, do you still remember the room you stayed in at the Seat of Divine Foresight?”
“I remember, I remember!” Kazuki nodded eagerly, the gears in his head turning. He understood instantly—Jing Yuan wanted to speak with him privately.
Relying on memory, he handled the familiar, winding corridors of the Seat of Divine Foresight until he found the guest quarters he had once occupied.
He pushed the door open. Everything was just as he remembered it. The carefully carved wooden bed, the celadon tea set resting on the low table, and even the half-dead asparagus fern drooping sadly on the windowsill. It was a snapshot of a time that felt both a lifetime ago and like only yesterday.
While waiting for Jing Yuan to arrive, Kazuki opened the chat group and began scrolling through the recent messages.
[Fanfic Author: Lord Kazuki, the group log shows you’ve redeemed the Golden Kin Constitution… How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?]
Castorice was clearly still on edge. She knew she was afflicted with a death curse, but she couldn’t be certain if the constitution she had stripped from her own essence would carry any unforeseen side effects for its new owner. After all, the power was intrinsically tied to her bloodline.
[Cliffhanger King: It’s fine, totally fine. It’s just that my great-uncle saw the traces of golden blood. The old man wants to have a ‘talk’ with me now. I just hope he doesn’t get any brilliant ideas about how to get rich off of it.]
[Fanfic Author: Is that so? As long as you’re alright, Lord Kazuki…]
Far away, in a quiet attic in Amphoreus, Castorice stared at the joking words on the screen. The tense line of her lips finally softened into a small, relieved smile. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the fabric of her skirt—it seemed he really was okay.
After chatting with Castorice for a few more moments about the strange new changes in his body, Kazuki was left to wait in the room, bored. The sunlight slanting through the window gradually shifted, painting the room in hues of orange and gold. Finally, a soft knock echoed from the door.
Before Jing Yuan could even speak, Kazuki launched himself forward with a theatrical “Waaah!” and latched onto the general’s arm, his face a mask of feigned tears and snot. “Lord General! I’m a law-abiding citizen! I swear I’ve never done anything harmful or immoral in my life!”
Several dark lines seemed to appear on Jing Yuan’s forehead. He had a sinking feeling about this kid. ‘He couldn’t have quietly stepped onto the Path of Destruction, could he?’he thought, a flicker of absurdity crossing his mind.’If he doesn’t end up on the Path of Elation one day, it will be a great loss for the Path itself.’
“Alright, that’s enough,” Jing Yuan said, gently but firmly prying Kazuki off his arm. “We’re on the same side. I never doubted you. I assume the changes in your body are related to the encounter you had last night?”
“The General is truly divinely insightful!” Kazuki knew Jing Yuan was no fool; it was a simple connection to make.
“While I don’t know the specifics of your encounter,” Jing Yuan continued, his gaze sharp, “the aura of Destruction in your blood is actually denser than the antimatter flowing within the Antimatter Legion. But… this is all harmless to you, correct?”
Sure enough, rather than suspecting Kazuki of some unspeakable secret, Jing Yuan’s first priority was his well-being.
“Of course!” Kazuki’s joking demeanor vanished, replaced by a solemn gravity. “Great-Uncle, don’t worry. No matter what happens in the future, I will never do anything to harm the Luofu or the Alliance.”
With his current strength, which wasn’t even enough to defeat Yanqing, the declaration might have sounded laughable. Yet, Jing Yuan heard the unshakeable sincerity in his tone and gave a slow nod. “I believe you.”
“Then… Great-Uncle, about the matter of me leaving the Luofu?” Kazuki ventured. He knew that facing an opponent like Yanqing, who had already stepped onto a Path, was no longer something he could overcome with simple training. He wasn’t some shonen protagonist who could close any gap with a hundred-fold training montage.
“Wait a while longer,” Jing Yuan replied, taking a slow sip of tea. “For the time being, continue to train with Yanqing. I will also find the time to guide you both.”
In truth, Kazuki’s performance today had surprised him. To be able to force Yanqing to use his flying swords was a feat that already qualified him for a low-level officer position within the Cloud Knights.
“Deal!” Kazuki agreed readily. He also knew that venturing out now would be reckless. If he ran into a true powerhouse, like one of the Stellaron Hunters, he might just force Jing Yuan, a man with a head full of white hair, to bury another.
Of course, his true confidence stemmed from the power Jing Yuan had bestowed upon him, as well as the chat group’s emergency escape and summoning functions. For now, he would calmly accept Jing Yuan’s arrangements and focus on improving himself at the Seat of Divine Foresight. ‘Besides,’he mused,’some of the techniques I got from Firefly are specifically designed to counter bugs. I can use Yanqing for some practice…”Butterfly Baby has been very off lately.’
This was the conclusion reached by Hyacine, one of Castorice’s few friends in Amphoreus. As a healer, Hyacine prided herself on her keen powers of observation.
In the past, whenever she came to visit, Castorice—her dear Butterfly Baby—would always greet her with a bright, surprised expression and would never get distracted during their chats. But lately… why did it feel like she was constantly absent-minded?
It was as if… as if…
“She’s in an online relationship, isn’t she?” a voice beside her declared bluntly. It belonged to a white-haired man with the boisterous, slightly goofy energy of a Samoyed.
“Lord Phainon!” Hyacine hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, her cheeks flushing slightly. “Don’t say it so directly…”
In the corner, a man named Mydei leaned against the wall. Hearing this, he just shook his head. “So you called us here just to discuss this? I’m not interested in other people’s private affairs.”
Despite his dismissive words, a hard-to-detect softness flickered in his eyes. If that Saintess of Adyria, who always kept her heart so tightly locked away, could truly open up to someone, it wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.
“Mydei, I don’t like the sound of that,” Phainon immediately straightened up, patting his chest in rebuttal. “Castorice is our companion. Isn’t it right for us to be concerned about her? Besides, you know what kind of people are on the Omni-Net. If she’s met a good person, that’s wonderful. But what if she’s met a scammer? Shouldn’t we help her check things out?”
“That’s right,” Hyacine nodded, her brow furrowed with worry. “The Omni-Net’s waters run very deep. What if Butterfly Baby is being deceived? And… even if the other person is good, you know about her constitution. If they ever want to meet in person, those troublesome matters… We have to think ahead for her.”
The curse that clung to Castorice was like an invisible thorn. Everyone knew it was a topic never to be touched, but if she truly found someone she cared for, that thorn would only prick all the more painfully.
“Hmph. In my opinion, you’re just overthinking things,” Mydei snorted, though his tone had softened considerably. “Castorice has spent more time in Okhema than all of us combined. She’s not some little girl who needs people to worry about her every move. If you’re really that doubtful, why not just go ask Aglaea?”
“But… Madam Aglaea is so busy…” Hyacine said softly.
Mydei was about to retort, ‘And are we very idle?’ when a strong arm suddenly hooked around his neck from behind.
Phainon pulled him into a side-hug, his voice booming with exaggerated laughter. “Hey, Mydei, you aren’t afraid, are you? Afraid you’ll come up with no clues and end up losing to me?”
The word “lose” was like a switch, instantly igniting Mydei’s competitive spirit.
He whipped his head around, his eyes as sharp as knives. “Ha? Me, afraid of you? Fine. Tell me, what’s your plan? Where do you want to start investigating?”
Out of Mydei’s line of sight, Phainon secretly flashed a peace sign to Hyacine, a triumphant light dancing in his eyes.
Seeing this, Hyacine couldn’t help but let her lips curl into a small, fond smile.
As expected, Lord Phainon always had a way to handle Lord Mydei.