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ArabicHonkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Epic Beginning, Choosing a Character
A gentle breeze swept through the soft, swaying awns of a golden wheat field. Amidst the autumn harvest, a pink-haired girl glanced back over her shoulder.
【This must be a romantic story unlike any before.】
【You think so too.】
【Right?】
Amphoreus. Ash’s room, a quiet chamber once inhabited by Hysilens.
Tribios leaned her face close to Ash’s phone screen, her lips curling into an irrepressible smile. “That’s Agy’s voice, isn’t it? I certainly didn’t expect the grand opening of the Amphoreus epic to be narrated by our dear Agy.”
Aglaea offered a helpless, soft smile. “My Teacher, please stop teasing me.”
“No, no. If you ask me, it’s entirely fitting for you to take the lead in the opening of Fire Chasing,” Tribios said, smoothly cutting off Aglaea’s modesty. “After all, for the longest time to come, it will always be Agy standing on the front lines for us.”
Aglaea stared at her teacher’s familiar, warm smile, momentarily dazed. “My Teacher, you really are…”
“But I truly didn’t expect Little Gray’s writing to be this exceptional,” Tribios added, her eyes gleaming with genuine praise. “The way he described us… it’s all so incredibly romantic.”
Ash glanced back at the group gathered behind him.
Anaxa let out a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. “To actually label me the ‘dull Anaxagoras’…” She paused, her arrogant composure quickly returning. “However, I quite favor the subsequent line regarding the waves of deicide. I suppose I can overlook the slight.”
Ash remained silent, dryly amused. Even after the fall of all the gods of Amphoreus, Anaxa’s towering pride remained entirely intact. It was no wonder that in Cyrene’s simulated calculations, this woman possessed the sheer intellect to become the hundredth member of the Genius Society.
“Hold on. Why is this Empress the only one missing from your grand opening?”
Keluida crossed her arms, her chin tilted up in haughty indignation. “Even that Sword Banner Duke made an appearance!”
Ash blinked, looking down at the disgruntled Empress. He suddenly remembered how the original developer had structured the very first promotional video—it really did seem to leave Keluida out entirely, even while the Long Night Moon was heavily featured.
“Uh…” Ash’s mind raced for a save. “Well… Your Majesty is simply too important! Appearing later makes your grand entrance far more mysterious and impactful!”
Keluida tilted her head, her sharp eyes narrowing in suspicion. “…”
“Really?”
“Absolutely!”
“Hmph. Fine, that is much more fitting for my station.” She turned her face away, though the corner of her lips twitched upward.
Ash quietly exhaled a breath of relief. He hadn’t expected the haughty Empress to be so effortlessly coaxed.
“Your Excellency.”
A quiet, hesitant voice broke his thoughts. Ash turned to see Castorice approaching, her usually placid expression tinged with deep unease.
“What’s wrong, Castorice?” Ash asked. “Is there something you don’t like about your character’s writing?”
“It is not that, Your Excellency.” Castorice pointed a slender finger at the phone screen, her voice dropping to an anxious whisper. “Will this… be seen by many people?”
She hesitated, her words slowing down as a faint, uncharacteristic flush of embarrassment colored her pale cheeks. “I mean… ‘Attendant of the Hand of Duskhaze,”Daughter of the Styx,”Cold Death’… and isn’t this animated portrait a bit too frightening? It looks a bit…”
Despite her solitary nature and her secret yearning for a warm embrace, Castorice was fundamentally a quiet, peaceful soul. Her intense social anxiety, born from an eternity of isolation from the living, was flaring up. The relentless flood of bullet chats analyzing her edgy persona in Guinaifen’s livestream was simply too much for her to process.
Ash gave a thoughtful hum, his brow furrowing. He looked from the blankly staring Castorice to the terrifying, scythe-wielding harbinger of death depicted in the animation.
His expression smoothed out, and he immediately reached out to pat Castorice’s shoulder. “It’s perfectly fine, Castorice! You need to believe in yourself. Have a little more confidence!”
He met her nervous gaze. “You have no idea how striking you look when you’re serious. Besides, that isn’t ‘frightening’—that is called having an overwhelming presence, okay? And of course,” he added with absolute sincerity, “every version of you is incredibly cute!”
Hearing those words, Castorice seemed to shrink, burying her chin into her collar, but the tension in her shoulders visibly melted. “O-Okay, Your Excellency. Thank you.”
Ash nodded, thoroughly satisfied.
The video progressed. After establishing the grand lore of Amphoreus, the Titans, the Kindling, and the various Chrysos Heirs, the footage transitioned into the Easter egg segment.
First came Herta, followed closely by Cyrene.
Herta’s inclusion was a calculated risk, but Ash figured that given Lady Hat-Tip’s pragmatic personality, she would likely forgive him. After all, this entire endeavor was for the rebirth of Amphoreus.
As for Cyrene, the girl in question was already pressing herself against his side, her cheek nearly resting on his shoulder.
“Partner,” she murmured, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness, “you said the ones placed further back are more mysterious. So, by putting me at the very end… does that mean I am the most important of all?”
Ash turned his head. Cyrene was so close he could feel the warmth of her breath against his neck.
He kept his composure, answering smoothly. “Of course. Your presence basically runs through the entirety of Amphoreus. And from a purely personal perspective, you absolutely belong at the very end.”
“Ah! Partner is so bold.” Cyrene’s delicate face bloomed with a rapturous, slightly obsessive joy. “It seems I really am that important in your heart~”
Shortly after, Ash gathered all the Chrysos Heirs to watch the full version PVs and the complex world-building he had designed for the game.
‘Titans and the Myriad Kingdoms’unfolded the tragic epic of Kephale bearing the dawn, alongside the varied fates of the Titans—whether they were driven to madness or hidden away in obscurity.’The Beginning of Myth, Song of the Silenced Gods’ chronicled the arrival of the Astral Express Crew, painting Amphoreus as the ultimate convergence of three distinct Paths.
Accompanied by familiar faces, the first appearances of Aglaea, Tribbie, Trinnon, Trianne, Castorice, and Mydei flashed across the screen. They looked so vivid, so breathtakingly real in the animation, as if their true souls had been captured in the digital light.
As the footage neared its end, the silver-haired youth appeared once more, leaving only the silhouettes of two figures standing together.
【Become a hero with me!】
Meanwhile, across the cosmos, the images finished playing on the livestream. Guinaifen sat perfectly still, staring at her monitor in an absolute daze.
For some inexplicable reason, a massive wave of anticipation crashed over her. This so-called fan game looked like a bootleg on the surface, but the sheer quality of the lore—the Titans, the fall of the gods, the Chrysos Heirs’ Journey of Chasing the Fire—was staggering.
And just a moment ago, did she actually see characters resembling the Stellaron Hunters in that animated PV?
This developer has a death wish! she thought wildly. To actually dare weave top-tier cosmic fugitives directly into an original plot!
“I can’t take it anymore! I can’t hold back!” Guinaifen slammed her hands on her desk. “I need to see exactly what this game is right now!”
She frantically clicked through the menus, finally reaching the entry page.
Wait, I actually have to choose a character this time?
Instantly, a figure materialized in the center of the screen, completely dominating everyone’s attention.
A striking black and yellow coat. Piercing golden pupils. Ash-grey hair.
And a pair of… incredibly long legs?!
—— Select Vessel 【Stelle】
Seeing the name ‘Stelle’ hovering on the screen, Guinaifen immediately let out a loud gasp. “Oh!”
She knew this person. In fact, she was more than familiar with her. It was the Ghost-Hunting Squad—formed alongside Ash and Stelle—that had finally pushed her channel past the one million follower milestone!
The in-game model looked exactly like her real-life counterpart.
Did this mean the entire game was meant to be experienced from Stelle’s perspective?
Without a second thought, Guinaifen slammed her mouse and locked in Stelle.
The livestream chat exploded into a frenzy of scrolling text.
[This game is wild. Are we actually playing as the Astral Express’s Stelle?]
[Wait, does this mean the game wants us to take the perspective of the Nameless and go Trailblaze a completely original planet?!]
[Whoa, I’ve never been a Trailblazer before! This is gonna be epic!]
[Hold up, I definitely saw the Stellaron Hunters in that trailer earlier. Is there some hidden lore connecting the two factions?]
[The dev is absolutely asking for it! He actually put the Stellaron Hunters in his game. Isn’t he terrified that Sam—the most violent, brutal, and cold-blooded killer whose fearsome reputation echoes across the universe—will track him down and incinerate him?!]