Honkai, Survive

Masked Fools? Before?

You're calling out Sampo by name.

Fang Jie understood then, who was really playing the game of dodging questions.

But this seemed to add even more to its credibility.

So, I'm a Bloodsin Spirit?

"!"

The excitement of boarding the Astral Express completely froze, turning into...

He was suddenly kicked again, letting out an "Oof," no longer overexcited. His plans for how to approach and communicate were interrupted mid-way...

The Astral Express had gained another dejected soul.

Silence filled the train at that moment.

Welt felt a pang of sympathy. After a long, or perhaps short, while, he picked up the coffee Himeko had refilled for him ages ago, which he'd pretended to be dejected and hadn't touched. He handed it to Fang Jie. "Look on the bright side. The galaxy is vast, and any miracle is possible, so there's hope. Don't underestimate hope. Though it's colorless, formless, and intangible, it holds infinite energy."

Fang Jie, of course, believed in miracles and hope. He took the coffee and drank it down in one gulp.

"Ah..."

The taste that flooded his mouth was incredibly impactful, like drinking in a vast, calm sea. It was hard to see what lay beneath the surface, only that it was deep.

It couldn't be described as bad, but it also couldn't be called good. If he had to choose one word to recommend it to others, Fang Jie could only say 'drink.'

This taste was unique enough to be shared.

Whether you're lost, dejected, frustrated, demoralized, or questioning life...

Drink it, it cures all ailments.

"Old Yang, you should have a cup too."

"A toast? Alright. Actually, it's not bad, right?"

Coffee diplomacy.jpg.

After drinking this cup of coffee, what else is there we can't talk about?

With that, Welt let down his guard, and the two continued their conversation, sharing the strangeness, about how he hadn't met Fang Jie, yet had memories of him.

A strangeness that... made Fang Jie suddenly understand.

It was about Welt's dream, three days ago, which matched the time of his last return trip between two worlds.

"It does match, but this..."

Fang Jie had even considered if he'd gone to a World Bubble, or a place influenced by the Masked Fools, given it was the galaxy.

But Welt denied it. He originated from a native world, and was on the Astral Express. Surely Aha wouldn't personally intervene to do this to him?

Then it must be [Mystery], influenced by the Aeon of Finality!

That possibility couldn't be ruled out, but weren't you a Bloodsin Spirit of [Nihility]? My resistance isn't low either. What level of Aeon of Finality could silently invade the train and fabricate all this?

What's the point?

The two looked at each other, speechless.

Therefore, another possibility couldn't be ruled out: it involved time and changes in the worldline. Either way, it was quite significant.

Not only going against the flow of time, Fang Jie had also existed in the past, existed in the present, and would perhaps exist forever if he didn't perish, opening up new worldlines from nothing.

How would those who knew all this see him? How would Kiana see him? How would Otto see him... Everyone would change with him, leading to the emergence of different memories...

It was dreamlike, at least for Welt at that moment. Everything was reflected in the changes to his memories.

The two looked at each other. Welt saw Fang Jie's existential crisis, wondering if he should run. Fang Jie also saw Welt's hesitation, wondering if he should seal away this anomaly.

"Let me think, let me think carefully."

Welt was even more conflicted than Fang Jie. Thinking of someone, or perhaps something, he picked up his coffee and gulped it down.

"You really do need to think more. Think positively. At least for now, only you are affected."

Fang Jie also picked up his coffee and drank it.

He didn't choose to run. He was quite optimistic; after all, he wouldn't feel guilty for picking on Old Yang.

If you dare to shove me, I'll shove you when you were little, believe it or not!

Ps: Wuwuwu, the weather has warmed up again, damn it. Now I'm in the mood to wish everyone good morning, good noon, and good evening. Have a great day.

Everyone, please vote for me this new month! (?o?o)??

Chapter Thirty-Four: How is this World Painted?

Pom-Pom, the best conductor, sternly warned all demons and monsters boarding the train—even if you unmask yourselves as Aha, no troublemaking is allowed.

Afterward, she meticulously and enthusiastically arranged the 'Homeland' with utmost care.

Even a lone sail on the distant sea yearns for a safe harbor.

Every Nameless should have their own room. However, the available rooms on the train are quite limited now, so the unused storage rooms had to be allocated to the Stellaron Spirits who had recently boarded the train.

It's vast, allowing for boundless imagination to build one's own home. Thus, the Stellaron Spirit...

slept everywhere – the sofa, the floor, March 7th's big bed, even in cardboard boxes.

Meanwhile, Rin and Yae Sakura were guided to the guest carriages by Pom-Pom.

This wasn't strange; they were just passengers, visitor-level passengers who hadn't decided to walk the path of the Nameless. The guest carriages were prepared for this, with rooms specially vacated.

Temporary residences weren't homes, but they still needed to be readily available.

But Fang Jie!

"Passenger, Passenger Fang Jie, do you wish to join the Astral Express and become a [Nameless]?"

Pom-Pom interrupted Fang Jie and Welt's heartfelt conversation, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

Fang Jie's scattered thoughts vanished. "Pom-Pom, you truly make me happy." He said with a look of having drifted through life, "Actually, I've been a Nameless for a long time."

Welt let out a wry smile, his previous indecision gone, his expression regaining its composure. He pushed up his glasses. "There's no need to rush your answer. Becoming a Nameless means you no longer cling to the past but choose to forge the future. From now on, rather than caring for yourself, you will love exploring the world."

"That's right, Pa~"

Pom-Pom's tone also became serious. "And most importantly—becoming a Nameless means the responsibilities you bear far outweigh the rewards."

These weren't empty words but the genuine beliefs of generations of Nameless, especially those who continued to practice their path even after the [Trailblaze] fell.

At this moment, aboard the Astral Express, facing this question, one could not lie to their own convictions.

Fang Jie asked himself, then readily replied:

"Yes, I am willing to become a Nameless."

This was never a choice. If he didn't become a Nameless, where would his appearance, physique, social etiquette, fine character and personality, or even his soul, find a place?

Should he go back to Honkai Impact 3rd to be the Captain?

The Captain had been gone for so long.

Go to Honkai Impact 3rd Part 2 to be the savior...

Slowly, slowly.

Besides, work is work, and life is life. The Nameless aren't such inconvenient things. This path always welcomes those who choose it, or not even people.

"Very good, Pa~, Passenger Fang Jie, the Train Master will prepare a room for you. Please wait a moment."

The reason Pom-Pom needed Fang Jie's immediate answer was this: after the Stellaron Spirit chose the vacant storage room, the Express no longer had enough rooms for new passengers.

If Fang Jie joined, he would have to... choose the Detachment Compartment at the tail end!

On a regular [Trailblaze] Journey, the Express crew would board a safe and stable drop pod to land at the designated coordinates. However, on a variant [Trailblaze] Journey, the Astral Express would detach the tail-end carriage to serve as a drop pod, equipped with sufficient life support resources to ensure the Nameless could operate safely from the carriage after landing.

Furthermore, the recycling rate of Express carriages was only 42.4%.

In other words, this carriage...

It had a perfect track record so far.

Pom-Pom needed to modify it first to become a place to call 'home.'

This was the Train Master's duty. Pom-Pom happily headed deeper into the Express, full of fighting spirit.

"It seems the problem that was bothering you has been solved."

Himeko emerged from the guest carriages, her steps graceful. Especially after seeing all the coffee cups were empty, with Fang Jie having drunk even Pom-Pom's cup, her smile became even brighter.

"Yes, thank you, Himeko, and the Train Master."

"Why thank me? This was all done by the Train Master. You should be thanking the Train Master."

Himeko calmly took out new coffee beans to grind, looking at Fang Jie without any pretense. "Hello, new Trailblaze partner. I'm sorry to inform you, but even though you've made your decision, the welcome ceremony can't be held immediately. We're still short a few companions to form a circle."

"I'm looking forward to it, Miss Himeko..."

Fang Jie wisely avoided calling her "Auntie" or "Teacher."

Himeko's smile didn't waver. She stopped grinding coffee and extended her hand. "Don't be so formal, just call me Himeko. I'm not the person you know. I am Himeko, the navigator of the Astral Express. Welcome aboard, and I look forward to an interesting journey together."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Fang Jie took her hand and felt warmth.

Actually, I wasn't friends with that Himeko either. We were comrades-in-arms, once sharing life and death. Though, knowing her temper, if we met again, she'd probably scold me endlessly.

A fiery older sister!

Fang Jie quite liked that.

He liked them both.

Watching this scene, Welt seemed to recall something, his gaze becoming firm. Himeko didn't dwell on the past; everyone who boarded the Astral Express had secrets, but no one pried into them.

"I think you still have some questions that need answering before you can join us more happily."

Although the joining ceremony wasn't complete, Fang Jie was now one of them. Himeko suddenly blinked and produced a small projector, displaying an image of Jarilo-VI.

Pom-Pom had her ways of eliminating barriers and building consensus.

Himeko had one too.

"This is..."

Fang Jie saw the frozen planet engulfed in flames. He was the one who did it, on a scale visible from outer space, igniting the sky and earth, recreating a corner of the sea, yet it continued to burn...

"Keep watching."

Himeko possessed an imagination that even Herta praised. She even repaired the Astral Express in her youth. So when she realized the Astral Express might be in danger, that it was a trap...

Then it wasn't just Welt's problem.

After a thorough investigation, she presented irrefutable evidence.

"Look, this is what it looked like three days ago."

Amidst the ice and snow of Jarilo-VI, a lightning bolt from Raikiri, slicing through birds, raged mercilessly. Even though those birds were monsters that brought Destruction, looking like flying Honkai Beasts no more than ten meters long, they weren't exactly small either.

In short, when something happens, there's always a way to find out.

"And look, this is what it looked like a month ago."

There were no obvious changes, truly none. The observable parts, the places the Astral Express would never overlook, were a dark patch, well, a Path view, siphoning energy while holding onto a Domain Anchor.

Such a deviant had to be dealt with. Pom-Pom couldn't stand seeing someone steal electricity.

That was all there was. Beyond that was the unobservable, but it was enough for Himeko to reach her conclusion. She didn't use the observational data but instead 'painted' her memories.

A scene where Fang Jie, that dark patch, was absent, where everything was 'normal,' updated to three days ago.

"Welt, you weren't the only one who had a dream. While it's easy to overlook, whenever I focus on these things, I can always hallucinate another version of them, lasting until three days ago."

Himeko said terrifying things with a smile.

Even though they were on the Astral Express.

"I once learned that Bloodsin Spirits are the obsessions of Pathstriders. They are born from the shadows of [IX], seeing themselves as the principal party, unknowingly repeating the actions of the deceased during their lives."