Playing Stat-Sticks in Honkai: Star Rail

Even I, in my true form, would have thought that was another real me if I were secretly observing.

At this point, we were getting closer and closer to the Loufu. The rest of the journey would only take about half a day.

And once we docked at the Loufu, the real performance would begin.

I would need to wait for Tingyun's rescue during that time.

Standing on the deck, Liuge took a deep breath and opened his Six-Ribbed Folding Fan, gently fanning himself. His posture was as fluid as Tingyun's own.

He walked slowly to the railing and gazed into the distance. The silhouette of a massive Xianzhou was already faintly visible.

Even though it would still take half a day, seeing it, the Xianzhou was several times larger than Jarilo-VI.

"How much longer until we reach the Loufu?"

Liuge fanned himself and spoke softly.

Even though his voice wasn't loud, someone still heard him.

"Esteemed Tingyun, it will only take another two and a half hours to reach the Loufu."

A subordinate instantly appeared by Liuge's side and responded.

"Mhm!"

Liuge nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the Loufu Xianzhou in the distance, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

Only there could the current predicament for himself and Tingyun be resolved.

Bzzzt.

Suddenly, Liuge's terminal chimed.

He took out his own terminal and discovered dozens of new messages from March 7th.

The most frequent question was where he was now.

The second most frequent was, 'Are you sleeping?'

In short, the messages over the past few days were mostly these.

However, Liuge didn't reply to any of them. But he did learn that the Astral Express crew was still on Jarilo-VI.

Cocolia, having had the Stellaron stolen by Bronya, had not fused with it and had instead shattered into fragments. The day she returned to the City Hall, it was announced that Land Duck would take over her position, and she herself announced her abdication.

But according to March 7th, Cocolia spent all her days at Serval's mechanical repair shop, claiming to be pondering the obscure.

However, March 7th, being clever, happened to pass by once and heard strange noises from inside. She suspected that Cocolia might be doing something novel with Serval.

But when she asked Dan Heng, he immediately told March 7th not to go near there anymore.

In short, it was all complaints.

Looking at these messages, Liuge smiled slightly, his expression indescribably charming.

Yes, charming.

After all, he was currently impersonating Tingyun, acting for Phantylia.

However, what he didn't know was that his acting over the past few days had left the secretly observing Tingyun somewhat speechless. From initially suspecting another self, it had progressed to questioning whether he was even the real Tingyun anymore.

Time ticked by, and the Loufu Xianzhou drew closer.

In the control room, a communication link was established with the Loufu's Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs.

[Welcome back to the Loufu, esteemed members of the Minghuo Merchant Guild!]

There were no pleasantries, only familiar words.

This was the relationship between the Minghuo Merchant Guild and the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs.

As the merchant ship returned to port, the figures of the Cloud Knights in their silver-blue armor were present on the docks, along with many foxian members dressed in the Minghuo Merchant Guild's attire.

Rumble!

As the merchant ship docked, the gangway was lowered.

And at that very moment, all the members of the merchant ship, except for Liuge and Tingyun, let out a long sigh of relief.

Because they knew that once they returned to the Loufu, they would be able to rest for a while.

This escort mission had been incredibly stressful for them.

It wasn't much on the way there, but on the return trip, they had encountered the Antimatter Legion's starship. After the tense and thrilling battle, everyone had been on edge.

Amidst cheers and laughter, they disembarked one by one.

Tingyun watched as they went to undergo the necessary inspections by those waiting, then stepped towards the gangway.

Her steps were light, and her tail swayed behind her.

"Esteemed Tingyun!"

At this moment, a woman dressed in the steward's uniform of the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs called out to Liuge.

"Hm?"

Liuge stopped and looked at her.

She didn't recognize him, nor did she know his name, but out of politeness, she put on an expression of curiosity.

"Is there something you need?"

The woman walked forward and bowed to Liuge.

"Just now, Lord Yukong sent word, asking me to escort Lord Tingyun to the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs."

"Lord Yukong? But this little lady is a bit tired right now~ Could you give me a moment to rest and recuperate?"

Liuge's posture and expression at this moment perfectly mimicked Tingyun's playful and charming demeanor.

"But..."

"Alright, alright. Lead the way~"

Liuge put on a helpless expression.

Taking delicate steps, he followed the woman in front of him to the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs.

After everyone else had mostly left, many members of the Construction Commission who were inspecting merchant ships boarded the ships with their tools for routine maintenance.

However, to their surprise, another Tingyun walked out from the ship's cabin. This Tingyun's expression was incredibly complex.

She quickly skirted past everyone and left the area.

At the same time, Tingyun took out a Jade Amulet, which functioned like a phone, and sent a message to Yukong.

"Lord Yukong, this is Tingyun. I have something to report..."

038 Urgency

Within the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs, Yukong held the position of Chief Administrator.

She was a mature and intellectual foxian woman dressed in blue and white attire.

Her sophisticated face exuded a calm demeanor, as if she had seen through all the world's vicissitudes.

At this moment, a subordinate approached her.

"Lord Yukong, the Minghuo Merchant Guild's ship has returned to port. Lord Tingyun has also received your notification and is on her way to the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs."

"That girl Tingyun?"

Yukong's mind flashed with the image of the red and white foxian girl, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

Bzzzt!

Suddenly, the Jade Amulet placed beside Yukong emitted a notification sound.

This surprised Yukong.

Normally, she wouldn't answer anything unrelated to work while she was busy, but there were exceptions.

In those rare cases, people would usually contact her directly via the Jade Amulet she kept aside.

She reached out and picked up the Jade Amulet, waved away her subordinate, and opened the message that had come through.

"Lord Yukong, this is Tingyun. I have something to report..."

Yukong was somewhat surprised to hear Tingyun's voice from the Jade Amulet.

She had already sent someone to notify Tingyun to come here, so why was she still contacting her via Jade Amulet?

With curiosity, Yukong continued to listen to what Tingyun had to report.

But the more she heard, the more serious her expression became.

In the end, she almost shattered the Jade Amulet in her hand.

"Lord of Ruin!"

Disbelief flickered in Yukong's eyes. She then understood the gravity of the situation and also realized that the Tingyun her subordinate had called was not the real Tingyun, but a young man named Liuge.

"To be able to transform into Tingyun and play this role... this young man is extraordinary!"

Muttering to herself, Yukong immediately summoned a subordinate standing nearby.

"I'm going to the General of the Xianzhou's residence. If Tingyun arrives later, tell her to go back first..."

"Understood, Lord Yukong!"

With that, the subordinate watched as Yukong, accompanied by rows of Phantoms, gradually disappeared from view.

Meanwhile, Liuge, who had followed the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs steward to the entrance, steadied his nerves as he looked at the grand gate.

Even though he was extremely surprised at the moment, he couldn't show it. He had to maintain a calm state of mind.

After all, when dealing with someone like Phantylia, who was on the level of a Lord of Ruin, one could never be too careful.

Just as the two were about to enter, a subordinate who had long served Yukong happened to walk out.

Seeing Liuge arrive, she bowed to him and said, "Lord Tingyun, Lord Yukong has just left."

"Left?"

Liuge frowned slightly, putting on the characteristic expression of Tingyun.

"Yes, Lord Yukong had an urgent matter. She asked me to convey a message to you, Lord Tingyun, asking you to return and rest for a while."

"So that's how it is. Then there's nothing we can do~"

Liuge opened her Six-Ribbed Folding Fan and fanned herself gently.

She then put on a thoughtful expression.

A moment later, she turned and spoke to the steward beside her.

"Steward, could you take this humble girl to freshen up?"

"Yes, yes! Lady Tingyun!"

After Liuge left with the steward, the person who had come out of the Ministry of Interdimensional Affairs turned around and went back to work.

After all, no matter where you are, a worker has a worker's spirit!

Ahem, a certain little sparrow is not included in that.

On the other side, Tingyun, having finished informing Yukong to notify General Jing Yuan, continued on her way towards the Divination Commission without stopping.

Although with Jing Yuan present, there wasn't much to worry about, wouldn't it be better to have more safeguards?

Thinking this, she barely paused for even a moment.

Besides helping the Loufu overcome the crisis of the Lord of Ruin, Liuge's image also flashed through her mind.

As she thought, Tingyun realized something was amiss.

Why was her chest pounding so, and her cheeks feeling so hot?

No, it couldn't be!

She recalled the scenes of the young man helping her, of him putting himself in danger.

Tingyun gritted her teeth and arrived outside the Divination Commission.

At this moment, a woman in a green shirt stood quietly outside the Divination Commission.