Honkai Star Rail: My Chat Group is Full of Broken Timelines — Chapter 42

Chapter 43: Six Months On

No one had anticipated the journey would stretch on for so long. Several months had already passed since Kazuki and the Ming Huo Merchant Group had departed the Luofu. Though the void between stars was vast and silent, their passage had been anything but.

They had faced disturbances that would have ended lesser crews. Void-blackened ships of marauding space pirates had descended upon them, only to be shattered by a force they couldn’t comprehend. Small-scale Borisin warships, bristling with alien armaments, had been turned into drifting scrap. They had even skirted the edge of the Antimatter Legion’s nihilistic advance and punched through a localized pocket of the Swarm, the chitinous horrors screeching against the ship’s shields. Yet, through it all, they had emerged unscathed, every crisis resolved with an almost unnerving smoothness.

It was during a rare moment of quiet transit that Kazuki opened the chat group interface, a familiar blue screen hovering in his vision.

[Cliffhanger King: @everyone Hey, everyone. It just hit me, today should be the six-month anniversary of our group’s founding, right? How has everyone been doing lately?]

He leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. Half a year. It felt both like an eternity and the blink of an eye since he had been bound to the Parallel World Chat Group. For each member, those six months held different weights, different meanings, but all of them were living through unique stories in their own fragmented realities.

The first to reply was, as usual, the group’s most diligent chronicler.

[Fanfic Author: Okhema remains as it always has, untouched by war. The black tide has yet to erode the lands near the Holy City. Ever since Lord Mydei slew the Hanging Blade King and joined our cause, the Holy City has been left without a single rival.]

The message came from Castorice. Lately, it seemed both Cipher and Robin were preoccupied with their own affairs, leaving her as the group’s most active correspondent. For a being like her, who measured her existence in millennia, six months was but a fleeting moment. In the world of Amphoreus, where the Chrysos Heir lived lives that spanned ages, half a year was less than a breath.

A second message followed, tinged with a hint of exasperated amusement.

[Fanfic Author: Although… a while ago, Hyacine and Lord Phainon seemed to believe I was… having an online romance. I had to seek out Madam Aglaea’s help just to clear up the misunderstanding.]

Castorice could only shake her head, the memory of the awkward confrontation still fresh in her mind. She had noticed it for weeks—the way Hyacine, Phainon, and even the stoic Mydei and his companions would suddenly go quiet when she entered a room, their conversations dissolving into hushed whispers and strange, knowing glances.

Finally, she had cornered them and demanded an explanation. The reason they confessed left her utterly speechless. They had mistaken her frequent, enthusiastic chats with Kazuki in the group for a budding romance.

‘An online romance?’she had thought, completely baffled.’Just because I made an agreement with Lord Kazuki that he would give me a hug once I could physically touch others again? How is that romantic?”And so what if we often exchange ideas and experiences about writing? We’re both authors! How does that count as an online romance?”And it was just one time! I heard the story of “To the Dimming Star” from Lord Kazuki and was so moved that I wrote a tale based on us as prototypes—a story about two lovers separated by time who ultimately cross the boundaries of time and space to be together! Where is the romance in that? Stop slandering me!’

To prove her innocence, Castorice had resolutely marched the entire suspicious cohort to find Madam Aglaea, the administrator of the Omni-Net.

After a thorough review of her chat logs, Madam Aglaea had delivered her verdict with a serene smile. “Butterfly’s chat logs indeed contain no particularly intimate records with any individual.”

Castorice had left, satisfied and vindicated. However, the moment she was out of earshot, Aglaea had leaned in conspiratorially toward the still-dubious group. “Even so… I suspect Butterfly might be corresponding through letters.”

“See! See! Even Madam Aglaea thinks something is off with Tribbie!” Hyacine had exclaimed, her two pink, Roman-style curls bouncing with excitement as if cheering on her discovery.

“If you’re going to continue this foolishness, don’t involve me,” Mydei said, crossing his arms. A look of helpless resignation was etched onto his stern features, a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

“You can’t say that,” Phainon countered, his eyes sparkling with academic curiosity. “As her companion, it’s only right that we show concern for Castorice. Besides, I would also like to know, Madam Aglaea, what is your assessment of the possibility of Castorice having a romance?”

Madam Aglaea’s smile was gentle and full of warmth. “As a friend who has walked alongside Butterfly for so long, I too hope she can find a harbor for her heart that belongs solely to her. However, my attitude aligns with yours. If the opportunity arises, it would be best to investigate a bit.”

“Hooray! We have Madam Aglaea’s support!” Hyacine jumped for joy. The other members of their circle, Trianne and Trinnon, gathered around, all expressing their fervent desire to uncover the truth behind Castorice’s supposed secret romance. Of course, this was all a story for another time, as Castorice, for her part, left behind no evidence for them to find.

The conversation in the chat group continued, pulling the focus back to the present.

[Cliffhanger King: Sounds like you’re leading quite the life, Tribbie. In the meantime, have you investigated Lygus?]

[Fanfic Author: Naturally. He claims to be the last of the Antikythera, a race created by the Heavenly Father Kephale. But in truth, if one simply thinks about it for a moment, you’ll realize his race bears no resemblance to any of the existing peoples in Amphoreus. It’s as if they’re from a completely different artistic style.]

[Fanfic Author: It’s just that he fabricated his background so masterfully, and coupled with the fact that we generally don’t question Kephale’s status as the creator, no one has ever doubted him, this Divine Ritual Spectator, for thousands of years.]

Castorice’s tone turned serious. It was clear she had dedicated significant effort to investigating the enigmatic figure.

[Fanfic Author: However, I have already intentionally reminded Madam Aglaea and Teacher Anaxa to be cautious of him.]

[Cliffhanger King: Actually, you don’t need to overthink Lygus. He sees himself as a spectator and won’t step from behind the curtain until the most critical moment. In fact, across thirty million cycles of reincarnation, besides Phainon and Cyrene from the very first cycle, the only ones who ever saw him were the final survivors of each era, the Kaeslanas, and even then only once. Compared to Lygus, Tribbie, you should pay more attention to the Flame Reaver.]

[Fanfic Author: Sir, you may not be aware, but I did go to the Tree Court to seek information about the Flame Reaver from Teacher Anaxa… It’s just that the records from the many destroyed city-states are critically incomplete. I’m afraid only Lady Cipher, the last descendant of Dolos, would know the truth…]

[Cliffhanger King: Ah, the cat. She has indeed seen the Flame Reaver, but I’m afraid you won’t be able to find her, right? After all, she’s deliberately hiding from everyone in Okhema.]

Kazuki chose his words carefully. He was afraid that if he revealed the full extent of Cipher’s deception to Castorice, it would jeopardize the former’s complex plans. So, he offered a half-truth, stating only that Cipher was hiding from Aglaea for a very important reason.

In the original story, the only reason the heroes of Okhema could contact Cipher was because she chose to reveal her location after hearing that the Seeds of Fire had been mostly collected. Otherwise, trying to capture a demigod of trickery—one who surpassed even the Trickster Titan in cunning—within the world of Amphoreus was a nearly impossible task.

[Cliffhanger King: If you really want to see Cipher, you could try capturing that thieving spirit, Baturus. He’s her underling; she wouldn’t abandon him.]

[Fanfic Author: Then let us forget it… As you said, sir, the problems of Amphoreus are not so easily solved. It is still too early. Perhaps only after you, Lord Kazuki, save Ms. Herta from her current madness will we have a glimmer of hope.]

Castorice sighed, a wave of resignation washing over her. She was keenly aware of the monumental difficulties they faced and understood that everything depended on the right timing.

[Cliffhanger King: We will win.]