Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 68

Chapter 68: An Opening Animation? Mimi Has a Voice Now!

The agonizing wait was finally over. Version 3.2 had officially dropped, and Guinaifen was already live, her streamer setup glowing brightly as she greeted her surging audience.

“Family, smash that like button!” she cheered, clapping her hands together. “The character banner dropped a little early this time, so you know the drill! We pull first, then we dive into the lore!”

While thanking her viewers for their gifts, she logged into the game.

But this time was different. The moment the loading bar filled up, the screen shattered.

The familiar Astral Express map did not appear. Instead, a custom animation played. Castorice appeared, a delicate butterfly resting on her finger. A majestic dragon-butterfly soared into the frame. As she slowly descended, brilliant purple light flared from both their eyes, tearing the very fabric of the screen.

[Proceed to Leap] was written below.

[Gods and demons! What is this?!]

[Wow, a startup animation! They even added a custom startup animation. Castorice is getting the VIP treatment!]

[Awesome! So cool!]

[My Long Moon Night cinema is back!]

[People of Amphoreus, children, the actors are getting into position!]

[Hahaha, the classic Amphoreus local segment.]

The chat exploded into a frenzy.

Guinaifen gasped, leaning close to her monitor. Other characters did not have one, yet Castorice received a unique startup animation? The developers were not even trying to hide their favoritism. They slapped her right on the banner the second the version went live. They were that confident?

Without another word, Guinaifen slammed the top-up button. A barrage of 648-Stellar Jade packs lit up the stream. She was determined to respond in kind.

The pulls were an absolute bloodbath, but after a tense few minutes, the golden ticket flashed. Castorice was secured.

After slotting Castorice into her primary team, Guinaifen quickly prepared to start the new Trailblaze Mission.

[Continuing from last time!]

[These past few days have felt like years, I can’t wait any longer!]

The beginning featured a brief recap of the version 3.1 story. Once it ended, the perspective shifted back to Stelle, picking up right after the trial of the Ember of Eons. Stelle was seeking out Aglaea.

Aglaea was in the middle of a tense discussion with Castorice regarding Anaxa. Clearly, Anaxa and Aglaea did not see eye to eye. The man was a heretic, bearing the infamous title The Earth Beast in Fine Robes, showing zero reverence for the gods.

Yet, Aglaea hesitated to actually pass a death sentence upon him.

The pressing issue was that Stelle, heavily influenced by Mimi’s relentless hypnosis, had agreed to inherit the Ember of Eons. This burden was deeply tied to the sacred mission of the Chrysos Heirs.

“Chrysos Heirs possessing the true qualifications are exceedingly rare,” Aglaea explained, her tone heavy with ancient weariness. “If this path proves impassable, I will have no choice but to lower our standards.”

“There are still many priests of Janusapolis within the city walls, along with their descendants. If pushed to the brink, I will seek a suitable vessel from among them.”

[Just do it that way, I’m out—]

Aglaea could only sigh helplessly and begin to explain.

Guinaifen immediately slammed her mouse on the dialogue option with the highest barrage count.

[The galactic baseballer’s behavior is as hilariously abstract as ever. I wonder if the real Stelle would sue the developers if she saw this?]

[Is it possible that the real Stelle actually has this exact personality?!]

[Then the developer would probably be beaten to death with a bat, hahaha!]

“Don’t back out now, Stelle!” Mimi panicked, hovering anxiously. “We’ve come this far. Everyone is waiting for you to become the hero!”

“At least… go talk to her face-to-face?” Mimi pleaded. “I have a feeling that if we don’t meet Orionis, we might miss something truly momentous.”

Under Mimi’s relentless barrage of persuasion, Stelle hesitated for a moment, her deadpan expression unwavering, but ultimately agreed to proceed to the trial.

Next, Castorice handed Stelle an ancient book of fables.

The text detailed a grim legend. A dragon corrupted by a black tide invaded Styxia. It was the embodiment of death itself, swallowing the city-state’s princess whole. The local warriors eventually slew the beast, but the princess had already perished. Driven mad by grief, the queen attempted to resurrect her daughter using the dragon’s tainted blood. The revived princess, stripped of her memories, mutated into a new evil dragon, and Styxia was utterly annihilated as a result.

The story ended abruptly on that bleak note.

Stelle crossed her arms, a faint, unbothered smile on her lips. “Such a heartwarming story.”

Mimi recoiled. “Huh? Where exactly is the heartwarming part?!”

“Hmm… Actually, I agree with Stelle,” Castorice nodded thoughtfully, her expression entirely serious.

Mimi shrieked. “Mimi? Mimi?!”

[So this was the secret option to raise favorability?]

[I thought only the Trailblazer was this unhinged. Turns out the poet is just as abstract?]

Guinaifen giggled, slapping her desk. “Mimi is so traumatized she reverted back to her native language, haha.”

Still, the lore felt eerily familiar. A dragon, corrupted blood, a catastrophic resurrection. It sounded suspiciously like the history of the Xianzhou Luofu.

Before heading to the trial, Stelle met up with Dan Heng and Phainon. Phainon delivered a heavy lore drop regarding the existence and organizational structure of the Senate.

The Citizens Assembly, convened only once every fifty years, had become a massive political roadblock for the Journey of Chasing the Fire. The next session was looming ominously on the horizon.

What was different this time was that the Senate had now locked its sights on Anaxa as well.

Realizing the political noose was tightening, Dan Heng and Stelle agreed to split up to cover more ground.

The cutscene transitioned, accelerating the passage of time.

Finally, the Trial of Eons was about to begin.

Guinaifen leaned forward, the glow of the monitor reflecting in her eyes. “Main event time, family. This trial is all ours. Let’s see what kind of trauma we encounter this time.”

Stelle arrived at the Creation Vortex Core. The atmosphere was thick with divine pressure. Dan Heng, Phainon, Castorice, Aglaea, Tribios, and several others were already gathered around the perimeter of the grand sacrificial altar.

After exchanging solemn farewells with Castorice and Phainon, Stelle stepped up to the altar. Ensuring the perimeter was secure, she began to recite the ancient prophecy alongside Trinnon, their voices echoing into the abyss.

“Solemn Twelve Titans, pillars supporting the world, we beseech divinity here…”

“To infuse the mortal form with Golden Blood, to willingly wither and dry for the divine oracle…”

The Ember of Eons descended from the heavens, a blinding manifestation of raw power.

The long-awaited trial had officially begun.

A flash of pure white light consumed the screen. Stelle and Mimi vanished from the altar, leaving only the Chrysos Heirs behind, bowing their heads in silent prayer.

Then, darkness.

The silence was absolute, heavy and suffocating. Slowly, the chaotic, overlapping whispers of the Titans began to bleed into the audio track, sending a chill through the headphones.

But the eerie atmosphere was quickly broken by a soft sound.

Pat pat, pat pat…

“What’s that noise?” Guinaifen muttered, squinting at the black screen.

The perspective shifted, opening to a low-angle view.

It was Mimi, hovering mid-air, her tiny wings flapping frantically.

And then, the impossible happened.

“Wake up, Stelle.”

The voice was slightly halting, but crystal clear.

[Did the trial start?]

[WAIT, HOW CAN YOU TALK?!]

Two dialogue options popped up on screen. Guinaifen did not even hesitate, slamming the second option that perfectly mirrored her own shock.

“How can you talk?!”

Mimi puffed out her little chest, placing her tiny hands on her hips with a proud, melodic laugh.

“Testing, testing, one two three! Testing, testing, one two three…”

She did a little twirl in the air. “Phew! Such a cute voice! It must be because I’ve collected so many memories. My growth has far exceeded expectations!”

Guinaifen sat frozen, her mouth forming a perfect O shape, a faint flush of excitement rising on her cheeks.

The chat went absolutely nuclear.

[WHAT AM I HEARING?! THIS IS REAL, MIMI CAN TALK!]

[I thought she was just going to squeak mimi mimi forever!]

[Mimi! You finally have a voice! The developers finally made enough credits to hire a voice actor for you!]

[This voice is incredible! She hinted she might speak eventually, but I didn’t expect her to sound THIS good!]

[She is so cute! Who is the voice actress? I really can’t place the voice!]

[The voice actress’s acting is top-tier, it perfectly matches the vibe I had in my head for her. Absolute cinema!]