Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 47

Chapter 47: What Is Our Relationship Now? The Acting Begins!

Herta Space Station.

Originally, after Asta issued a strict directive across the station prohibiting any leaks of the game’s content, she had dutifully reported the entire situation to Ms. Herta.

She had braced herself. She fully expected the Genius Society member to be at least mildly infuriated by the unauthorized use of her likeness.

However…

The unexpected occurred.

Herta wasn’t just completely unfazed; she wasn’t angry in the slightest. In fact, she displayed an utter lack of concern regarding the copyright infringement.

It was almost as if she had known about it all along. She bluntly told Asta to handle it however she pleased—if she liked the game, she should play it more; if she loved it, she should play it often; and if it made her happy, she was entirely free to whale on it and spend some money.

Asta had been completely stunned when she first read that response.

But looking back on it now, Ms. Herta’s underlying meaning was glaringly obvious.

She likely… no, it was a certainty. She definitely knew the game’s Author. Their relationship had to be so close that she might have even been in on the project from the very beginning!

That was the only logical reason she could remain so calm and refuse to pursue any legal action.

“That’s the reality of it, Arlan,” Asta said lazily, her slender fingers tapping a rhythmic beat against the polished surface of her desk. “Ms. Herta explicitly stated that we don’t need to worry about the game. You’ve worked incredibly hard these past few days managing the security protocols; I’m giving you two days off to get some proper rest.”

Arlan, standing stiffly at attention in front of the desk, subconsciously gasped at the news.

“Miss, if this is Ms. Herta’s direct instruction, I understand!”

“But… to be able to use Ms. Herta’s image so freely without being held accountable…”

Working on the Space Station and serving as Asta’s right hand, he frequently interacted with incredibly high-profile figures.

This included, but was certainly not limited to, Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and other eccentric Geniuses.

However, the Geniuses generally maintained a relationship of mutual, professional respect.

As far as anyone in the cosmos knew, not even Screwllum would dare to use Herta’s image so recklessly, especially in such a comically exaggerated manner.

If one had to evaluate the situation objectively, it was simply too bizarre!

The crux of the matter was that Ms. Herta wasn’t even investigating it.

But for Asta, this was a massive win. As long as Ms. Herta wasn’t looking to cause trouble, she could continue to safely enjoy her gaming sessions!

Meanwhile, in the Honkai: Star Rail gaming community, just as the highly anticipated new banner was about to go live…

A massive hot topic rapidly skyrocketed to the top of the interastral trending charts.

Clicking into the thread revealed a flood of related videos, speculative posts, and comments, all boasting astronomically high engagement metrics!

[Interastral Hot News! Honkai: Star Rail is saved! Reports claim Ms. Herta will not pursue legal action against this game.]

[Breaking News! The IPC has lifted restrictions on the game? It seems a mysterious hand is operating behind the scenes!]

Undoubtedly, aside from the corporate insiders, the gaming community was the fastest demographic to catch wind of the news.

In an instant, the collective soul of millions of gossip-hungry netizens was completely ignited.

[Is this news actually reliable? I just can’t believe it. Didn’t I hear this game had already been reported to the IPC’s legal department?!]

[It shouldn’t be fake; so many massive content creators are spreading it. Plus, I’ve heard from reliable sources that the IPC has indeed withdrawn its investigation and lifted the lockdown on the game’s servers!]

[If the IPC backed off, then it’s real. But this is too incredible—did Ms. Herta actually step in personally?]

[They always said Ms. Herta has a notoriously unfriendly personality and hates meeting people… Someone used her image to make a gacha game, and not only did she not liquidate them, she actively saved the game?]

[An angel, she’s practically an angel!]

[Is it possible she’s just unfriendly to you guys?!]

[Oh my god, could the Author also be a Genius from the Genius Society? What exactly is his relationship with Ms. Herta? To make a notoriously cold Genius go this far for him!]

[My entire worldview is being refreshed right now… I have enough shock material to last me until next year…]

Herta rarely made public appearances. The prevailing rumors painted her as an extremely eccentric Genius who was fundamentally impossible to get along with.

Anyone who dared to use her likeness to bait players into spending money would typically spend the rest of their miserable life waiting to be liquidated by the IPC to pay off their astronomical debts.

But the cold, hard fact remained…

This game had done exactly that, yet it remained completely unscathed. Not only that, but it was allegedly being shielded by Ms. Herta herself.

It was simply too unbelievable. Even the researchers who worked closely with Herta couldn’t help but ask themselves: Is this still the Herta we know?!

Fueled by this bizarre turn of events, countless players began to wildly speculate about the Author’s true identity.

And more, what exactly was his relationship with Ms. Herta?!

“And then?”

“What exactly is your relationship?”

“Relationship?”

“Hmm… if we’re talking about our relationship?”

“Actually, our current relationship is quite complex. It’s hard to explain in a short time.”

“In short, if you must say, just consider us ordinary friends.”

“Ordinary friends? You call this being ordinary friends?”

“Hmph, who would believe that.”

Herta Space Station.

Watching Welt converse with Herta, Sunday’s usually calm eyes twitched for a fleeting moment.

Sunday cleared his throat. “Uh…”

“Please forgive me; in my haste, I forgot the most basic etiquette.”

“My name is Sunday. I boarded the Astral Express not long ago and should currently be considered an ordinary passenger, nothing more.”

He placed a gloved hand elegantly over his chest, offering a slight bow. This simple, direct introduction was much more effective than Mr. Yang’s roundabout, probing questions!

Although Herta still harbored some minor doubts about the winged man, she didn’t care enough to pursue the matter further.

Nameless travelers, then.

“So, tell me the purpose of your visit. I assume your presence here isn’t just for sightseeing?” Herta’s tone was flat and calm, her doll joints clicking faintly as she shifted her weight.

Welt and Sunday exchanged a subtle glance.

Even though it seemed Ms. Herta didn’t pay much attention to interastral news or the ongoing rumors, just being able to secure an audience with her was a massive victory.

After all, now that they were physically here, they couldn’t just turn the Express around and give up halfway simply because their actions had been predicted by that mysterious game again, could they?

After confirming their silent agreement with a look, Welt adjusted his glasses and spoke. “Ms. Herta, we have come for Amphoreus.”

Herta feigned a thoughtful nod, narrowing her eyes as if she were truly considering the weight of his words.

“Oh, not surprising at all.”

“But I’m curious. Is that world really so miraculous? To the point that the already departed Astral Express would actually turn back for it?”

To be entirely fair, a Genius was a Genius after all.

Their brilliance wasn’t just limited to their deep understanding of the universe, the complex construction of Curios, or the relentless practice of their Path. It apparently extended to their acting skills as well.

Except for cooking, of course…

Right now, Herta was perfectly executing the script she had subsequently discussed with Ash.

In fact, after establishing communication that day, Ash had consulted with Herta again on a follow-up plan to completely stabilize Amphoreus.

The most direct manifestation of this plan was to act out the exact script he had written for the Astral Express crew once more!

Otherwise, there was simply no way around the impending crisis. If a butterfly effect occurred later due to their deviation, there was no telling what major disasters might unfold. For example, Ash knew exactly how terrifying the IF-line of the Myriad Celestia could be!

Herta was also entirely out of options. Deep down, she really wanted to ask herself right now: Why am I accompanying that brat in this ridiculous play?

‘What kind of person could make Herta come out personally to act?”Get ready, Ash. After this is over, you’ll be free labor for the Simulated Universe for the rest of your natural life…’

She took a deep, steadying breath in her mind, maintaining her flawless, aloof exterior.

Welt and Sunday didn’t notice Herta’s underlying shift in mood at all.

Upon learning that Herta knew about Amphoreus, the tension in their shoulders visibly lessened. They were clearly much more at ease.

“It’s like this, Ms. Herta,” Welt said, his expression turning grave and solemn. “Two of our companions have vanished without a trace after entering Amphoreus.”

“And another companion has developed terrifying symptoms that we find incredibly hard to explain.”

“, you may already be aware of…”

On the surface, the two men maintained a relatively steady and composed demeanor. But in reality, beneath their calm facades, both Welt and Sunday were burning with anxiety.

Fortunately, they had at least managed to see Herta.

After all, according to that game’s ominous plot, Stelle and Dan Heng were currently trapped inside Amphoreus, and their situation was likely very dire.

Just thinking about the danger their young companions were in was heart-wrenching!