My Honkai Star Rail: Reversing All Phenomena

The special plants cultivated here have not yet undergone comprehensive safety testing. Any unauthorized contact may lead to unpredictable consequences!

The adverse reactions discovered so far are as follows:

Hallucinations such as little people with bubbles floating above their heads, Aeons riding Trotters, Credits fluttering through the sky, and pastries crawling all over the ground.

Sudden personality changes, commonly manifested as an abrupt urge to confess secrets to colleagues or superiors.

Confusion of self-identity. If you believe you are a rice cooker or a ballpoint pen, do not doubt it—you are now in grave danger.

Confidently creating false things, such as a warning that does not exist or fabricated adverse reactions.]

The descriptions of adverse reactions on the notice were vivid and lifelike, especially the line about "an Aeon riding a Trotter," which sparked endless curiosity.

Even Hua Yi could not help but imagine it, combining Sentient Celestial Bodies with pig-like interdimensional creatures in his mind as he tried to picture what such a sight would look like.

Herta Space Station truly was open and inclusive. Though it revered the Aeon of Erudition, the Interastral Peace Corporation providing financial support behind it was a follower of the Aeon of Preservation. The term "Aeon" had not been subjected to any particularly strict restrictions either, and people could still let their thoughts run wild, give their imaginations wings, and add a peculiar mount to an Aeon.

At the same time, it showed that Aeons, embodiments of philosophical concepts, truly did not care about the way mortals in some corner of the starry sea arranged them in their stories.

Otherwise, even though the crooked handwriting in the latter half of the notice proved that its writer had lost their mind, the Aeons would not have allowed words damaging to their image and dignity to remain for long.

[Given the danger of the plants, please move away immediately and seek help from the space station if you experience any of the above adverse reactions or other abnormalities!

Otherwise, you... you will...

Ah~ become... a happy pen... like me...

Riding a Trotter...

Catching Credits raining down...

Across this galaxy...

Then eating those pastries that have grown legs...]

Hua Yi examined the notice with amusement. Whoever had written the warning had truly put in the effort. To prove the danger of the special plants behind the isolation window, they had risked themselves and let the facts speak, demonstrating the severe consequences of unauthorized contact with the plants.

The Base Zone of the space station had a dedicated Monitoring Room. This place could hardly be considered some forgotten corner hidden from surveillance and untouched by anyone. Judging from the color of the sticky note, it had likely been there for quite some time.

Perhaps Herta Space Station regarded it as a more convincing warning, using it to deter researchers from meddling before the special plants completed comprehensive safety testing. From another perspective, Hua Yi could also determine just how unknowable Aeons truly were.

Making wild guesses about Aeons was not a crime. In fact, it was a research method commonly used by many Scholars. When mortals tried to understand Sentient Celestial Bodies of that caliber, they could only reason from scattered clues and even vague legends that were difficult to verify.

The space station had not deliberately altered or removed the sticky note left behind by a researcher, allowing "an Aeon riding a Trotter" to stir the imagination of those who saw it. That alone was enough to show that such a minor offense was insignificant.

Precisely because of this, a casual downward glance from an aloof and lofty Aeon would be an immense blessing.

Otherwise, if freely making up stories about Aeons could earn the attention of those mysterious higher beings, there surely would be no shortage of madmen across the universe willing to risk their lives.

So, when I use Imaginary Energy to simulate Path power in the future, borrow the wonders within it when necessary, or even change certain things through the influence exerted by some Aeon factions in the universe, They will not mind, right?

Hua Yi was relieved.

Next, he needed to base himself on the boundless knowledge of the Department of Light Abyss Archives and Herta Space Station, observe the truths of the universe, and only then make proper use of his Imaginary talent within the framework of the rules.

Oil and water were both liquids, but if someone who knew nothing confused the two and poured them onto a raging fire, the consequences would be entirely different.

If Imaginary Energy was regarded as the broad category of liquid, then the differences between Paths were like those between oil and water. The characteristics of the latter had already been thoroughly analyzed, while research into the former remained shrouded in vast fog. Hua Yi's thinking aligned with that of the Department of Light Abyss Archives, and even Herta Space Station as a whole.

He was merely seeking the truth.

Little Fan

[Hunt] on the left, [Harmony] on the right, [Wisdom] in my heart, and [Preservation] upon my chest!

On a new day, following his hometown's custom of seeking good fortune during certain festivals or events, Hua Yi gave it some thought, then wrote a line of words himself with swift, flowing strokes. They carried auspicious meaning without lacking respect for the Aeons. He placed them on his desk, hoping to use mysticism to further improve his efficiency in absorbing knowledge, understanding truth, and learning about Paths.

All of the new researcher's work had been completed. The department did not immediately assign him new tasks under the principle that the capable should do more simply because Hua Yi had performed outstandingly. Even if he did not show up at his workstation today, it would not have been a problem.

However, only certified terminal devices could access the space station's internal Database.

From lowest to highest, researcher ranks were roughly divided into Level I, Level II, Level III, and Level IV. Hua Yi had just arrived, so he was a Level II Researcher.

The reason he had not started at Level I was not because the department had noticed his talents and promoted him quickly. Rather, under normal circumstances, there simply were no Level I IDs.

At Herta Space Station, where permission was required everywhere, a Level I ID could probably do nothing more than open the door to a restroom.

There was not much information accessible with Level II Permission either. Even with the convenience granted by his status as a Department of Light Abyss Archives employee, Hua Yi would not need long to finish reading all of those precious materials and gain a complete outline of the scientific knowledge of the Honkai Star Rail Universe and the basic rules of the Imaginary.

"Young Master Hua."

"..."

"Young Master Hua, you look so handsome when you work seriously. Ehehe, as expected of the brightest star on the space station besides Master Herta!"

Only when the voice sounded again, this time from closer by, did Hua Yi finally realize that the peculiar form of address had been directed at him.

Behind him stood a little girl in a researcher's uniform, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"Ah, now that I'm seeing you up close, Young Master Hua seems even more gentle and humble, mature and calm. It must be your excellent inner character that gave you such a perfect appearance... Ah! So this is what it means when one's appearance reflects one's heart!"

Although the space station allowed outside visitors to enter and tour the facility, it did not give children any special treatment by letting them wear specially tailored researcher uniforms and experience the work and life of researchers.

The little girl before him was definitely not a tourist.

"You are Wen Shiling, a Level II Researcher from the Department of Universal Matter?"

"Wow! Young Master Hua actually knows me! This is wonderful!"

The little girl cheered.

"That's right, that's right. Shiling is with the Department of Universal Matter. Young Master Hua, do you want to study Curios? Shiling can send you some!"

At Herta Space Station, where talent gathered in abundance, it was quite rare for a child to become an official researcher alongside adults who had undergone rigorous selection.

If some newcomer suddenly saw a little girl claiming to be a researcher from the Department of Universal Matter, they would inevitably find it strange. However, Hua Yi had already gained a basic grasp of the space station's information and clearly remembered the details on Wen Shiling before him.

She looked like an ordinary child, but she was also a little Genius, capable of inspecting Curios according to the Department of Universal Matter's standards for researchers and completing routine warehouse spot checks.

Of course, no matter how clever an ordinary child might be, it would be difficult for them to undertake Interstellar Navigation alone, participate in Herta Space Station's selection process, or take proper care of themselves after joining.

It was simply that both the former and current heads of the Department of Universal Matter were surnamed Wen, so Wen Shiling's way of joining differed from that of ordinary researchers.

Without lamenting the importance of connections, nor intending to use this little fan's position to bypass tedious procedures and study those Curios—marvels scattered throughout the universe with miraculous effects—Hua Yi put on the demeanor of a friendly older brother next door and spoke gently.

"Just call me by my name. Otherwise, a newcomer like me who just arrived being called 'Young Master Hua' feels far too arrogant, little sister."

"Eh?... Then can I call you Brother Hua Yi?"

"Sure."

Some people failed to live up to their reputation when met in person, while others were even better in person than their reputation suggested.

Listening to Hua Yi's gentle voice and seeing his friendly, handsome smile, Wen Shiling felt more and more strongly that this extraordinary newcomer—whom members from many departments had mentioned in just a short time, calling him exceptionally handsome, poised, and easy to get along with—truly lived up to his name.

Those people's praise had actually been somewhat restrained.

"Shiling heard that Brother Hua Yi optimized the Database indexing program of the Department of Astral Boundary and Flora, so I went to take a look. Then I copied your approach and tried optimizing the warehouse inventory on the Department of Universal Matter's side. It really worked! I finished my work a whole System Time earlier than usual. And afterward—"

Afterward, she saw some female researchers secretly taking pictures of him and discovered that someone who could optimize a Database through such concise and effective methods was also this handsome. With both brains and looks, she immediately decided to establish the "Young Master Hua Fan Support Club."

Coming over now was also because she wanted to see her idol with her own eyes.

He was even more perfect than she had imagined!

His smile was so beautiful.

"Brother Hua Yi, do you want to study Curios? Hehe, I'm not bragging, but the Department of Light Abyss Archives and the other research departments all depend on the Department of Universal Matter to some extent. They either need funding or Curios. Shiling's authority isn't enough to allocate funds directly to Brother Hua Yi, but helping you arrange Curios for research won't be a problem!"

"That's not right."

Hua Yi shook his head and adopted a serious expression as he began lecturing this unexpected little fan.

"Since you're a researcher at the space station, you should follow the proper rules. You can't abuse your authority."

"How is that abusing authority? Shiling knows that Brother Hua Yi has helped so many researchers. Even Level III Researchers couldn't properly complete those research reports because they involved gaps in their knowledge, yet Brother Hua Yi was able to offer valuable suggestions! Being a Level II Researcher is only temporary. You'll definitely be promoted soon, so Shiling is merely treating you according to the standards for senior researchers in advance."

"Do you also run up and ask other senior researchers what Curios they need? That's quite a workload, and it isn't good for a child's development."

"No, no, Brother Hua Yi is different—hehe, from now on, I'll be your number one fan at the space station!"

Compared to veterans who had struggled at the space station for years, or the relatively younger researchers who could mostly restrain their emotions with reason, the little girl was clearly more innocent and naive.

If Hua Yi encouraged Wen Shiling at this moment to exploit her position to arrange those heavily regulated high-grade Curios at the space station for him, or even sought to climb the ranks through the authority of the two Wen Department Heads of the Department of Universal Matter, then once it was exposed, it would surely have a severe negative impact on the little girl.

"Is that so? Should I prepare a fan gift for you, then? That's quite a difficult question. I'll have to think about it. As for things like bringing me Curios in violation of space station regulations, you can't say that again, and you can't even think about it. Otherwise, if the Department of Universal Matter finds out, the lightest punishment would be locking you in a little black room."

Open Source and Reduce Expenditure

If she got locked in a little black room, wouldn't she be unable to keep collecting handsome photos of Brother Hua Yi, along with his food preferences and hobbies in his free time?

What a harsh punishment!

Wen Shiling shrank back in fright.

Still, if Brother Hua Yi needed Curios, she was willing to take the risk.

How could a rising star of Herta Space Station be treated like an ordinary researcher? If authority and procedures prevented him from quickly applying for Curios to conduct research, wouldn't that be an enormous loss to scientific research?

With Brother Hua Yi's talent, he would sooner or later become one of the space station's leading figures. Shiling was only taking out what already belonged to him in advance. Once Brother Hua Yi amazed the universe, I might even become a great contributor!

As the little girl thought this, it was not that she knew nothing of the consequences of abusing her authority, nor that she lacked proper reverence for the space station's rules and regulations. She simply believed in the handsome big brother before her.

Yet when she heard that what he was considering was a fan gift for her, saw him decisively reject her proposal to help obtain Curios, and then saw the earnestly lecturing expression on Hua Yi's face, the little girl could not immediately understand what kind of integrity he had displayed in the face of temptation, nor could she comprehend how great the kindness behind his warning was.

But one thing was certain: Brother Hua Yi was a good person!

Her admiration as a little fan grew even stronger. Seizing the chance, she chirped away, asking her handsome and gentle idol what he had eaten recently at the space station and which meal sets he liked.

Outside the office area, on a high-level rest platform inaccessible to ordinary researchers, a wizened old man stood hunched over at this elevated spot, squinting his aged eyes at the newcomer from the Department of Light Abyss Archives.

He removed the high-performance headset from his ear. It was a product of advanced science and technology, cutting-edge equipment that many ordinary Planetary Civilizations could not produce even by pooling all their productive capacity. It could detect minute vibrations in the air, allowing researchers wearing it to determine whether abnormal changes in sound had occurred during precise experiments. With slight modifications, it could also serve as a "clairaudient ear" over a certain distance.

Rubbing the ears that had begun to ache from Wen Shiling's distant shouting, Wen Huairen, the former Department Head of the Department of Universal Matter, stared intently at Hua Yi in the office area.

"He actually refused... this young man..."

Wen Shiling was a Level II Researcher, but she was also a child whose mind lacked the shrewdness of truly seasoned researchers. Although gifted, how could she possibly complete all the space station's work alone without anyone watching over her and never make a single mistake?

She could not even reach the controls of some large electronic equipment.

Wen Huairen knew that Shiling had previously gathered information on Hua Yi, knew that she was planning to establish some Fan Support Club, and had even anticipated that the little girl would seek out her idol to curry favor with him. He had been prepared to turn a blind eye.

Back when Wen Huairen had still been in charge of the Department of Universal Matter, every single Credit of research funding had been accounted for with absolute clarity, much less applications involving Curios.

Wen Huairen was famously sharp-eyed. He had bought quite a few unique Curios from the Interastral Peace Corporation at low prices, only for their interstellar market value to soar afterward.

Back when the Department of Universal Matter was still developing, it had grown ever larger and stronger by acting as a middleman, expanding revenue while never forgetting to cut expenses.

In summary, it increased the Department of Universal Matter's revenue and cut the Department of Land Surveying's expenses.

Those truly had been glorious years. He still remembered how the Department of Universal Geodesy had relied on Star Surveying Rods cobbled together from scraps, struggling through hardship as they pushed their research forward. Unlike now, when they asked for money at every turn.

Well, although the Department of Universal Geodesy had also applied to the Department of Universal Matter for research funding countless times back then, Wen Huairen had never approved it. Even after he was beaten up by Jose Lazaro from the Department of Universal Geodesy, Wen Huairen had remained unwavering in his commitment to thrift.

Now that his son, Wen Mingde, had become Department Head of Universal Applied Materials, more research funding was being approved. Even the number of products sold by the Interastral Peace Corporation whose supplier labels read [Herta · Universal Applied Materials] had steadily increased. Yet Wen Huairen still warned his son to be frugal. Unfortunately, Wen Mingde did not listen to his old father.

Now, with all the major research departments flourishing, Wen Huairen had no reason to accuse his son of mismanagement.

But at this very moment, sharp-eyed Wen Huairen realized that he had misjudged someone—or rather, that he had never expected such noble character from a newcomer.

Wen Huairen had originally been prepared to notify his son and let Shiling make a small fuss within certain limits.

Yet that young man from the Department of Light Abyss Archives, having only just arrived, had actually withstood the temptation of a Curio!

Curios—strange objects scattered throughout the universe, most of which could not be replicated through science and technology, possessing all manner of special effects or properties. At Herta Space Station, for a researcher to obtain a Curio often meant earning a high-quality paper. This was a crucial criterion for promotion.

At the same time, if a researcher failed to produce respectable results for a long period and performed only mediocrely, the space station would not renew their contract once its term expired. So it was not much of an exaggeration to equate Curios with a researcher's career.

Hua Yi had actually refused.

Wen Huairen could tell that the young man was by no means unaware of the importance of Curios. He could call Shiling by name and had shown no confusion at the term "Curio," so he clearly knew about the Department of Universal Matter.

Knowing full well that enormous benefits lay within easy reach, he had decisively turned them down—and had even advised Wen Shiling in return.

"Tut. Even if you seem like a decent person, I can't have the Department of Universal Matter allocate you research funding for no reason, much less proactively hand you a Curio to study before receiving an application submitted through the proper process... At most, I can adjust your name in the department database and raise your priority."

The miserly old man, universally acknowledged as such by countless people at Herta Space Station, muttered indistinctly to himself.

"Should I poach Hua Yi for the Department of Universal Matter? With the ideas and techniques he used to optimize the Department of Boundary Seeds' database, he could make great use of his talents in my department too. What's he doing in the Department of Light Abyss Archives—collecting the beards of the old fogeys on the space station to perform secret rituals? If Mingde hadn't refused to keep tightening our spending, I'd definitely cut the Department of Light Abyss Archives' funding. Their results are out of proportion to the money invested; the return rate is far too low."