Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 35

Chapter 35: The Herta PV Drops, Place Your Bets on the Author’s Lifespan

After the text ‘as i have written’ appeared in the game, the player base was astonished to discover it contained hidden lore about the Chrysos Heirs. It was as if the Author had quietly patched in an entire historical archive. The community found it endlessly fascinating.

Naturally, even Mem made an appearance within those digital pages.

“Partner, you actually wrote ‘as i have written’ into the game?”

The great Cyrene leaned against Ash’s shoulder, her soft breath brushing his collar. “Though, the contents of this version feel somewhat different,” she murmured.

The discrepancy made sense. This was an early build of the lore, and Ash had not yet applied the electronic screen interface for it.

He did not answer her observation right away. Instead, he turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Cyrene with a slow, calculating intensity. He looked her up and down, nodding thoughtfully as if he had just unearthed a hidden treasure.

“Partner…” Cyrene took a sudden step back. She crossed her arms over her chest, her voice taking on a slight, breathy tremble. “Don’t look at me with such a fiery gaze.”

She bit her lower lip, glancing away. “If you keep staring like that, I’ll get shy.”

Ash blinked, entirely taken aback.

Watching Cyrene’s coy, half-rejecting, half-inviting display, he realized she had completely misunderstood. He harbored no impure thoughts whatsoever. He was simply calculating how to rope the Chrysos Heirs into working for him as free labor. Take Cyrene, for instance—a pure, authentic, magnificent butterfly. If he dragged her out to do some live promotional events, the game’s popularity would absolutely skyrocket!

“It is nothing like that. I was just brainstorming content for the new version,” Ash said, waving a hand dismissively. “I am preparing to release the update right now.”

He shifted his attention back to his phone screen.

Due to the sheer volume of the recent storyline and the fragmented lore scattered throughout the map, community discussions were currently running at a fever pitch. Ash’s sudden appearance in the official forums at this exact moment was nothing short of a depth charge dropped into a turbulent ocean.

[Announcement: Aglaea’s Event Warp ‘Weighing Destiny’ is ending soon. The Phase 2 Event Warp will become available following tomorrow’s update.]

Faced with this abrupt system notice, the players who had been fiercely debating lore theories ground to a sudden halt.

[What? The Author has resurrected?!]

[Oh, by Nous! I thought we were only getting one character per version. There is actually a Phase 2 banner?]

[Heavens above, look at this production speed! Quick, Author, serve it up! Who is the limited character? Is it Mydei or Tribios?]

[It could not be Nikador, right? Now that would be interesting. A Titan in the gacha pool would be explosively overpowered.]

[Author, can you release some characters outside of the Chrysos Heirs? Like last time! Sam and Firefly were insanely cool!]

[That is impossible. Those are real, existing big shots in the universe.]

[Haha, even if the Author coded them, he definitely would not dare use them for gacha monetization. If the IPC or the factions sued him, his little game revenue would not even cover the legal fees.]

The former ghost-hunting squad members of the Xianzhou Luofu, always eager for some good drama, were currently crowded into the online community.

A new limited character release was a massive event. As a dedicated meta player, Asta naturally refused to miss it.

The moment she saw Ash’s announcement, her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

“A new character already?” Asta muttered to herself, her fingers tapping her premium credit card against her desk. “Which Chrysos Heir will it be this time?”

Her wallet was already prepped for an automatic top-up. Truthfully, her favorite among the Chrysos Heirs was Castorice. Could the new banner feature the little butterfly?

Hope blossomed in her chest.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty.

The community was left to stew in its own hype, the tension winding tighter and tighter.

Finally, Ash posted the follow-up announcement.

[The Phase 2 Event Warp ‘Letters from the Horizon’is coming online. The new 5-Star character banner’The Herta (Erudition – Ice)’ will open soon.]

[The Phase 2 5-Star Light Cone Event Warp ‘Towards the Unquestionable’ will open soon!]

At that exact moment, Ash also pushed the character showcase live. It functioned as a complete preview, displaying the in-game model, combat skills, Ultimate animation, and a brief character introduction.

Asta, who had been aggressively refreshing the forum page for the better part of half an hour, was the very first to load the new announcement.

Her face lit up with absolute joy as she eagerly clicked the link.

Nobody could have predicted her reaction.

With just one glance at the screen, the moment the new character’s model loaded in, the bright smile on Asta’s face froze solid. It was as if she had just locked eyes with an Aeon. Pure, unadulterated shock washed over her features, mixed with a heavy trace of disbelief.

It was not just Asta.

Shortly after the announcement went live across the network, shockwaves rippled through the Xianzhou Luofu. Sushang, Huohuo, and others—especially high-ranking officials like Fu Xuan—were equally paralyzed by astonishment.

This collective silence lasted no more than a dozen seconds.

But to those staring at their screens, each second dragged on like an entire year.

Ultimately, the first demographic to completely explode were the researchers stationed at the Herta Space Station.

A massive flood of question marks scrolled down the community feed at blinding speeds.

[Huh? Who is this? Who is this?! Author, you better explain who this is right now!]

[I think my brain is fried from too much late-night research. Am I hallucinating?]

[Which Herta is ‘The Herta’? It could not possibly be Madam Herta herself, right?!]

[It is really her! Even the Path and Combat Type match, and she is a limited banner! Who was just saying the Author would not dare use real people? He actually made one!]

[Wow, look at these skills and this character model… Madam Herta looks incredible. The Author’s modeling skills are top-tier!]

[Holy mother of stars, he actually dared to monetize Madam Herta’s image. Is he not afraid she will bludgeon him to death with a diamond hammer?!]

[Quick, someone go inform Madam Herta!]

The chaos did not stop there.

Not long after the initial banner reveal, Ash dropped Herta’s personal promotional video, titled ‘The Universe Has a Genius’. This pushed the already volatile hype to an entirely new climax.

[A PV! The Author actually released a PV!]

[I cannot hold back anymore. Madam Herta gets her own custom animation?]

Nobody expected Ash to produce a high-quality cinematic for a real, living legend. The entire player base was brimming with curiosity about this Emanator of Erudition who so rarely showed her true face to the public.

Millions of fingers clicked on the video link simultaneously.

A grand stage materialized on the screen, opening with several of Herta’s jointed puppet bodies. They began to perform in perfect unison, their numbers multiplying rapidly across the floor.

Scenes flashed in rapid succession, showcasing brilliant, dazzling moments of cosmic magic.

Then, beneath a cascading prismatic projection, a lady seated upon a floating staff, wearing a pointed hat, slowly descended into view.

It was The Herta.

Down below, an entire sea of little Herta puppets raised their hands, shouting in absolute worship.

“Madam Herta, immortal and peerless!”

“Madam Herta, unmatched in the world!”

[Damn, look at this animation quality! God-tier!]

[Awesome! Madam Herta, unmatched in the world!]

[Madam Herta…]

The live comment section was instantly energized, flooded with praises.

Immediately after, the video shifted. One by one, the little Hertas submitted campaign proposals, only to have them ruthlessly vetoed by the true Herta.

Driven to rebellion, the puppets rose up, launching a mass attack against their creator.

But Herta simply drifted through the air, her movements graceful and entirely relaxed. Magical prisms shimmered around her, and the blinding light from her staff easily dispersed the incoming horde.

“You know, having no problems is the biggest problem of all,” Herta said, her voice dripping with casual confidence. “Come on, create more problems for me.”

She blew a playful flying kiss toward the camera.

As the cinematic neared its end, she stood with her back turned to the audience, gazing up at a series of portraits. A confidential document slowly floated into view beside her.

It read: [Herta Personality Supplementation Plan.]

“Hmm, another failure,” Herta murmured. “As expected, I am perfect.”

Her tone carried a distinct hint of laziness, sounding almost as if she were lamenting her own flawlessness.

That single line of dialogue instantly captured the essence of Herta. It embodied the unmatched genius to absolute perfection.

The marketing effect was flawless.

Within just an hour of the video’s release, tens of thousands of new posts piled up on the forums. Some players were vibrating with excitement, some were grabbing their popcorn to watch the inevitable drama, and others were simply overwhelmed by the sheer audacity of it all.

[Too strong! I must pull. I absolutely must pull. The second the servers go live, I am dropping ten max top-ups!]

[The Author did an amazing job! He perfectly captured Madam Herta’s beauty and arrogance, and the visual effects are maxed out.]

[I cannot take it anymore. I have completely become a die-hard simp!]

[Extra! Extra! Opening the betting pools! How long does everyone think the Author has left to live?]

[By the Reignbow Arbiter, I bet news of the game’s Author mysteriously disappearing will hit the IPC broadcasts by tomorrow.]

[Within two days, guaranteed. We will probably see the Author’s frozen corpse floating outside the Herta Space Station. Paying my respects to the Author in advance!]

[Hahaha, Madam Herta’s temper is famously bad. This is a massive mess. The Author is completely doomed.]

[But what does that matter to me? I am pulling until the servers shut down!]

[Elysian’s Note: “Ten max top-ups” is localized from the Chinese gacha slang “ten 648s”, referring to the 648 RMB premium currency bundle, which is the highest and most expensive top-up tier in games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail.]