Honkai: Star Rail – Banner Character, Delivering Knives to the Player [13]

“Come my ass.”

“But Aha did come, teehee! It’s been, what, twenty-something years? And you’re still so dear to Aha’s heart~”

He really had become just a head.

A very beautiful woman’s head.

Perched right on Lingzhou’s shoulder.

The scene was as horrifying as it sounds.

Anyone else walking in—anyone not used to this—would probably faint on the spot.

“Cut the crap. Give me the power, then get lost.”

Lingzhou’s voice brimmed with disdain.

Ever since his second life—after the Fall of Propagation—Aha had been clinging to him nonstop. Right up to now.

A truly unbeatable-grade clinger, worse than any chewing gum. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake Him.

And every single time, Aha would forcibly bestow upon him the power of Elation.

Sometimes more, sometimes less. Depended on Lingzhou’s current identity.

The lowest tiers were stuff like "Masked Fool" or "Mourning Player." At best? Emanator.

A few hundred Amber Eras ago, Lingzhou hadn’t been someone who sought joy for its own sake.

But, well... proximity changes people. Too much exposure to Elation, and change was inevitable.

He wondered how much power Aha planned to give him this time.

The power itself wasn’t the real problem—the real problem was:

Aha always made it into a game.

The timing was unpredictable. Sometimes every few days, sometimes once a year.

You couldn’t refuse Aha’s “fun.”

Accept it? There’s a reward.

Reject it? Still a reward.

But the difference between the two? That’s where things got dangerous.

You never knew if Aha’s “gift” was going to be a pleasant surprise—or an existential horror.

“Yay~ You finally asked Aha for some Elation power on your own?”

Aha’s voice went squeaky with excitement, like a lovesick schoolgirl.

“Can’t say no to you, darling. I’m glowing with joy~ And my power’s got so much juice. Take it~!”

Lingzhou did a quick read on the flow of power and arrived at a conclusion:

Emanator.

“Did you know, sweetheart, Aha used to dream of being a Trailblazer too—”

“Stop.”

Lingzhou cut Him off instantly.

“Skip to the conclusion.”

“Boo, you’re no fun… Fine. The Astral Express is weak—too weak. There’s no Emanator to hold the line anymore.”

“So you’re giving me the power of an Emanator to replace you—and finish what you started when you blew up the Express back then?”

“Eek, don’t read Aha like that, it’s embarrassing…”

“Friendly reminder: go die.”

“So cold—wahh! Aha is dead!”

The woman’s head on his shoulder vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Lingzhou didn’t break stride. His expression stayed perfectly calm.

Small stuff. Been through worse.

Still, what Aha said was probably true.

The Astral Express right now… was indeed weak.

Didn’t even come close to the former glory days.

Back when Akivili still lived, the Path of Trailblaze had shone brilliantly.

Nameless passengers traveled the galaxy, spreading goodwill and heroism, praised far and wide.

In his first life, Lingzhou’s role and responsibilities had aligned closely with Trailblaze’s ideals.

So his relationship with the Path—and even Akivili—had been quite strong.

A shame, really...

This time around, he was once again a Nameless.

Until his old power returned, Elation’s strength would have to do.

The universe was vast. Not every world or civilization could be approached with open hands and kind words.

Earning respect—and civility—wasn’t just about doing good deeds.

Sometimes, fists spoke louder.

That would never change.

---

Elsewhere, at a platform within the space station, Himeko and Stelle were speaking with another Herta doll.

Stelle watched her with unreadable eyes.

“You might be the most selfish person I’ve ever met.”

“Hmph. There are plenty more selfish people on this space station.”

Herta crossed her arms.

“Anyway, even if you leave, remember to drop by now and then. Make an appointment first—through Asta or Arlan—so I can clear my schedule to study you.”

“Too blunt. I don’t even know what to say to that.”

Stelle rubbed her chin, her eyes flickering thoughtfully.

Himeko chuckled softly.

“No rush. When you’re ready, come find me at Platform J-34. Until then… I’m sure there are still things you want to do. People you want to see.”

“Mm.”

Stelle nodded.

“Then it’s settled.”

Herta watched the two of them walk away, then turned to enter standby mode—only to be interrupted by a system notification from her office puppet.

Tch. Everyone acting like she was out to torment that Stellaron kid.

As if staying at the space station meant she was doomed to suffer under Herta’s care.

---

In the “real” world, Stelle had choices—and in the player’s world, of course, she did too.

Ah Xian stared at the screen, stunned by the ending scene.

Wait, hold on—

Did they really drop this kind of thing in the public release?

[LOL, classic HoYoverse chaos.]
[Who would've guessed you could jump to the endgame on launch day?]

“Just a harmless little easter egg.”

Ah Xian calmed herself quickly, exited the ending sequence, and loaded back into the game via the train’s warp screen.

Familiar scenery. Familiar… yet unfamiliar people.

Familiar because—beside the train’s engine—stood a non-wild Lingzhou.

Unfamiliar because, just a moment ago when she’d turned down Himeko’s offer, that spot had been empty.

So it was a hidden event triggered by rejecting the train invite?

She rushed over to initiate dialogue.

Lingzhou: “Good morning. Another day full of hope, eh?”

① “It’s currently 12:45 system time…”
② “Weird, did I just time travel?”

Ridiculous greeting. Tongue-in-cheek reply options. The kind of zero-delay banter that cracked players up immediately.

Ah Xian chose option ②.

Lingzhou chuckled warmly.

Lingzhou: “Strictly speaking, no—you didn’t travel through time. Maybe… you simply experienced a different life from a different perspective.”

That line sealed it for her.

She’d been right: turning down the invitation once was the trigger to meet Lingzhou here.

① “Mind if I ask why you boarded the Express?”

Lingzhou: “Nothing too special, really. The universe is vast—I just wanted to see it for myself. Oh, and there was one more reason. Want to hear it?”

① “I’m all ears.”

Lingzhou: “I’ve forgotten a lot of my past. Maybe I’ll find those memories again on the journey.”

① “No way, I’ve got amnesia too.”
② “You guys have so many amnesiacs on this train…”

“Eheheh… I can’t. My humor threshold’s low, sorry y’all.”

Ah Xian burst out laughing.

Her gorgeous dual 8K monitors shimmered with every frame, holding the chat’s attention hostage.

Lingzhou’s scene? Instant fan favorite.

Lingzhou: “Then allow me to call you a kindred spirit, my dear friend!"

Lingzhou: "If even three cobblers can match the mind of a Zhuge Liang, imagine what we three amnesiacs can do together! Invincible, don’t you think?”

① “Zhuge Liang? I don’t get the reference.”
② “Do three amnesiacs unlock a special bond or something?”

Ah Xian slammed option ②.

Lingzhou: “Nope. But with the game’s current logic, doesn’t it sound like a perfectly legit mechanic?”

① “Can’t argue with that…”

[Dead 💀 Lingzhou really just name-dropped Zhuge Liang?!]
[Why’s that weird? Maybe Old Yang told him about it.]
[His dialogues are always a left turn into comedy. I live for it.]
[He says he’s not a Masked Fool—but who believes that, really?]

---

This is a fan translation of 崩铁：卡池角色，给玩家发刀 by 三十度幻. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!