Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 96

Chapter 96: The Girl Who Can See, March 7th~!

“Achoo~!”

Stelle rubbed her nose, her golden eyes narrowing as she peered over the ornate stone railing. “Strange.”

“It’s really strange.”

“What’s strange?” Dan Heng didn’t look up from his screen. “Are you talking about that masked Fire Thief?”

“Dan Heng, didn’t you feel it?” Stelle leaned further over the balcony of the Bath Palace, tapping her fingers against the marble. “Why does Okhema seem to turn into a ghost town every single time we’re preparing for our next departure?”

Dan Heng paused. “Uh…”

Stelle went back to counting the passing pedestrians on her fingers. That one merchant had walked past three times. The guard over there, twice. And that suspicious figure in the cloak? Five times in total. The looping patterns felt entirely unnatural.

Dan Heng rubbed his temples, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. “I thought you were actually going to say something useful.”

“But it really does feel deserted,” Stelle insisted, turning her head to look at him. “What’s going on?”

Dan Heng rested his chin on his hand, his expression heavy with thought. His other hand continued to scroll uselessly through his mobile phone. The screen remained stubbornly devoid of a signal; they were completely and utterly cut off from the outside world.

After spending so many days in Amphoreus and experiencing its bizarre, twisting reality, an eerie sensation had settled over them. The entire place felt shrouded in a suffocating mystery.

This isolation made Dan Heng deeply anxious. “I wonder how things are outside. And March…”

Before they had crossed over, March 7th had been feeling unwell. It was still entirely unclear if she had even made it to Amphoreus with them.

“Never mind.” Dan Heng shook his head, forcing the dark thoughts away. “Go to sleep early. Aren’t you supposed to be preparing for the trial of Time?”

Stelle nodded, proudly planting her hands on her hips. “Don’t worry, Dan Heng. March is usually incredibly lucky. She’ll definitely be fine!”

‘That’s right.”Haven’t you realized it yet? You’re just a… ghost that no one can see.’

Januspolis, Temple of the Threefold Fate.

Along the sweeping, gilded expanse of the Veneration Path, a pink-haired girl wandered aimlessly. She had been pacing these grand halls all morning, accompanied only by a faint, mocking voice echoing from the deepest recesses of her Remembrance.

She strolled right down the center of the sacred corridor. The pious believers kneeling on the polished floor didn’t just turn a blind eye to her transgressive behavior—they were actively prostrating in worship right through her shins.

“This is… way too eerie, right?” March 7th muttered, waving a hand in front of a chanting priest’s face. No reaction. “I mean, can these people really not see me?”

She scratched her head in utter confusion. “And can you be quiet for a single second? Where on earth did you even come from?”

Today was her first actual day in Amphoreus.

After falling asleep on the Astral Express, her dreams had grown strange. She vaguely remembered meeting another pink-haired girl in that hazy space. When she finally opened her eyes, she had materialized in this bizarre, ancient city.

Through the morning’s wandering and eavesdropping on the locals, March had pieced together her location: Januspolis, a city within Amphoreus. She had also picked up on some of the cruel, heavy realities governing this world.

But the only reason she could eavesdrop so easily was the very thing currently driving her crazy—she seemed to have become an intangible soul.

“I’ve tried literally everything,” March complained to the empty air. “Greeting people, shouting at the top of my lungs in front of those pious believers, I even tried to draw a turtle on someone’s face! But my hands just pass right through them.”

And then there was this strange voice in her head, constantly urging and enticing her with cryptic nonsense ever since she arrived.

However, who was she? She was March 7th!

There were always more solutions than problems. She refused to accept this ghost business lying down.

“Quick, quick, quick! The Saintess has escaped!”

“This is bad! Secure the Kindling Storage! Someone is trying to lay hands on the Kindling!”

“No matter who it is, execute anyone caught in the perimeter—!”

The sudden explosion of armored footsteps and frantic shouting snapped March to attention.

“Saintess?”

She had heard that title whispered in the halls earlier. She had already gained a surprisingly deep understanding of the tragic lore surrounding that role. She just hadn’t expected to stumble right into a massive crisis on her first day.

Unlike her usual lighthearted trailblazing adventures, the grim history she had overheard about this world had genuinely shocked her.

She clenched her fists. “This Januspolis is confusing enough, and there’s practically not a single good person running things. I have to find a way to help her!”

“Everyone, move faster!”

“This concerns the fate of Amphoreus. Remember to time it perfectly; don’t let anyone make a mistake later!”

“We… we know we were wrong! Quick, everyone, secure the perimeter!”

At the very end of the Path, inside the dimly lit Kindling Storage.

Tribios stood with her arms crossed over her chest. The gentle, accommodating expression she usually wore when traveling with Ash was completely gone. Right now, she looked exactly like a strict, unforgiving instructor.

The scattered guards had already planned their patrol routes. They stayed outside the heavy stone doors, waiting for Tribios to secure the Kindling and for the designated ‘parting sobs’ to end before they made their perfectly timed, dramatic entrance.

Ash had told her exactly what to expect.

He had promised that a pink-haired girl would arrive here and improvise, just like back then. Except this time, the girl would step out of the temple with Tribios’s direct help.

And, exactly as predicted…

A moment later, March 7th phased directly through the solid stone wall and stumbled into the vault.

“Ugh, did I run to the right place?” March shook her head, feeling a bit dizzy from passing through solid matter.

‘Don’t waste your energy,’the voice of Long Night Moon rang in her ear, dripping with condescension.’No one will see you here. You’re just a phantom. No matter how many times you try, the result will always be—’

“Eh? Wait, can she see me?!”

Long Night Moon: ‘?’

March’s expression suddenly bloomed with absolute joy.

Because she had materialized directly in front of the pedestal holding the Kindling, she had accidentally made direct, dead-on eye contact with Tribios.

Tribios, in fact, could see March 7th perfectly clearly.

Because the pink-haired girl had popped out of the wall so suddenly, Tribios had momentarily forgotten to avert her gaze. Their eyes locked.

Realizing her mistake, Tribios quickly snapped her head away, staring intensely at the glowing Kindling.

“Mother…” Tribios forced her voice to tremble, dropping into character. “Did… did you see?”

“I have taken up the mission, and I am about to set off…”

She spoke with a slight, manufactured quiver, accompanied by shallow sobs, making it look as though her spirit was about to break.

March 7th immediately covered her mouth, her eyes shining with sympathy. “She… she’s so pitiful… How can I help her?”

Long Night Moon: ‘She was just looking at the Kindling. I told you, in your current state, no one will—’

“No! She just glanced at me again?!”

Long Night Moon: ‘?’

Because Tribios could not only see March but also hear her loud and clear, she had instinctively peeked out of the corner of her eye to confirm if this was actually the girl Ash had described.

Naturally, March caught the glance immediately.

“It’s true! She really can see me?!” March was so excited she started waving her arms and jumping up and down.

Long Night Moon: ‘(⊙ˍ⊙)?’

Meanwhile, far from the temple.

Ash and Castorice walked through the territories of Aidelia and Styxia, retracing every stretch of the long Path that Castorice had walked back in her original timeline.

They even visited the Aethelgard Cemetery. Seeing a weathered tombstone erected for herself while she was still very much alive made Castorice burst into laughter—a bright, genuinely happy sound that cut through the gloomy air.

With the terrifying Path abilities Ash currently possessed, this entire cross-country trip took less than a single day.

When they finally returned to Okhema, the game’s online community was at the absolute peak of its excitement. The post-story event was almost ready to wrap up.

Sitting in his temporary workshop, Ash pulled up the system interface and posted the final piece of promotional content.

`[TonightWeEatRoastChicken: Version 3.3 content is about to begin!]`

`[Announcement: “Honkai: Star Rail” Version 3.3 PV: “Fall When the Dawn Rises” has been officially released!]`

Ash leaned back in his chair, watching the view count skyrocket the second the PV went live.

It only took a few minutes for a massive tidal wave of comments to flood the community forums.

`[Complete victory! This can be called my absolute complete victory!]`

`[I knew there were benefits to staying up all night; I finally waited for something big!]`

`[It’s here, it’s here! The dev is finally cooking again—!]`

`[Version 3.3 PV, oh my god? Wait, the title of this version is ‘Fall When the Dawn Rises’?]`

`[I’m directly dropping a row of question marks, baby—?!]`

`[That’s not right. There’s only one Titan left, and Re-creation is right before our eyes. So why the hell is it called ‘Fall When the Dawn Rises’?]`

`[This name… I have a really bad feeling about this name…]`

`[No, no, no! Don’t look, kids! Whatever you do, don’t click on this PV! It’s all gone, everyone is gone!]`

`[Inside… it’s absolute hell—!!!]`