Although she deeply resented the locked skills, Siberian Duck dutifully checked Jiang Yu's abilities.
"Basic attack: Strutting Around (single target). Level 5. High spirits, a fiery steed, a crimson blade-how many injustices have fallen beneath his stride? Jiang Yu casually picks a 'weapon' from nearby, dealing Wind damage equal to 90% of his ATK to a single designated enemy."
"Skill: Pure as the Wind (bounce). Level 8. Consumes 1 skill point. With wind as his sword, he follows like a shadow, lightly skimming the water to cut crimson leaves. Deals damage to enemies 6 times in total. Each hit deals Wind damage equal to 35% of Jiang Yu's ATK to a random single enemy and applies one stack of Wind Shear. Wind Shear can stack up to 6 times on a single target."
Those were the only two descriptions available. His base stats, Light Cone, ultimate, talent, and technique all displayed "???".
"Ugh, this is so annoying!"
Siberian Duck gritted her teeth, but her hands honestly went right on playing.
After all, this was a rare trial opportunity. She wanted to see all his attack animations first.
Then Dan Heng's basic attack dealt a whopping two-digit damage number of 39! The Trampler's health bar visibly dropped a little.
Next, she tried Jiang Yu's basic attack.
A gentle breeze swirled around Jiang Yu. With a casual reach, he took Dan Heng's Cloud-Piercer into his hands. Then the white-haired boy leaped high and delivered a plunging slash to the Trampler, dealing a whopping 309 damage!
"Good grief, why is the damage gap so huge? This isn't how character trials usually work!"
Siberian Duck swallowed as she stared at the enormous damage difference and the Trampler's health bar, which had collapsed like an avalanche.
[Stingy Luoluo: Maybe they're trying to show that Jiang Yu is really powerful at this point?]
[Tang Monk Washes His Hair with Rejoice: Could be. After all, Jiang Yu flew in from outer space on a sword. Sure, he had a little accident, but he still traveled across the cosmos in the flesh, right?]
[Aha's Emanator: Did any of you notice his basic attack? Jiang Yu snatched Dan Heng's spear!]
[Little Sunny Day: Look at Jiang Yu's basic attack description. That must be an Easter egg!]
"Let's check out his skill next." Siberian Duck could hardly wait.
On-screen, Dan Heng's skill dealt a hefty 89 damage. The Trampler returned the favor with a kick, taking off a third of Dan Heng's health bar in one blow.
Jiang Yu's skill came next.
Since the Trampler was the only enemy, all six hits landed on him.
Jiang Yu turned into a gentle breeze, drifted out, then returned to his original position, leaving a thin thread of fierce wind across the battlefield. The boy raised his hand and lightly hooked the thread with a finger. Six gusts tore through the Trampler like sword slashes!
Jiang Yu's skill dealt 721 damage to the Trampler and applied six stacks of Wind Shear.
The Trampler's health bar vanished instantly!
A cutscene followed, naturally showing Jiang Yu and Dan Heng working together.
"Oh, they're so cool!" Siberian Duck said with a laugh. "The moment combat starts, that sword-immortal vibe just kicks right in. They're both so handsome!"
[Everlasting Dan Heart: Oh, my babies! They're both my angels!]
[Check My Record: Two happy wind boys!]
[Jade Flute Echoes as Wind Dispels Rain: These two are so adorable-the mature, dependable Professor Dan Heng and our slightly airheaded baby Yu. I'm shipping them right now!]
[Wind Boy Solo Stan: Tone it down. Shipping everything will only hurt you, but it makes me very happy!]
The two wind boys worked seamlessly together in the cutscene, a delight to watch.
Siberian Duck said nothing, but she was starting to want to ship them too.
This part of the story ended after they found Arlan and spotted March 7th. Then the game switched to the other side.
March 7th walked alongside Stelle, who had also picked up the Galaxy Bat Hero's signature weapon along the way.
After clearing several more stages in the game, Stelle and March 7th reached a ring-shaped platform.
A white elevator surrounded by rifts stood at its center.
March 7th marveled at Stelle's combat prowess, then remarked that both people she had met today were powerful fighters. After joining forces with Stelle to take down several Voidrangers: Distorters, the two followed the circular platform toward the elevator.
Once they reached the elevator, March 7th approached the control terminal with a serious expression and tried to activate it. Stelle stood behind her, her kitten-like face full of bewilderment as she studied the space station's fantastical, high-tech machinery and layout. At the same time, she kept watch over their surroundings, making sure no Voidrangers suddenly approached.
March 7th tapped the control terminal a few times. Nothing happened, and a helpless look crossed her face.
"Sigh... I knew it..."
"Did you break it?" Stelle asked in confusion.
March 7th turned around and spread her little hands, sounding confident despite having no grounds for it. "It wasn't me! It must be the Antimatter Legion's fault!"
Then the girl lowered her head, her confidence fading. "Ugh, if only our all-purpose Professor Dan Heng were here. He knows all kinds of weird stuff. Maybe he could fix elevators too."
The two pretty girls chatted without noticing the three figures who had appeared behind them at some point.
Dan Heng listened calmly, his expression betraying neither pleasure nor anger.
Arlan held his injured arm as he watched the two girls with an awkward expression. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately held back.
Jiang Yu stood quietly in place, his eyes unfocused, seemingly lost in a daze.
In reality, however, he was reading the information his system was reporting to him in real time.
[Ding! The host has gained the attention of over five thousand people. Skill awarded: Strutting Around.] [Ding! The host has gained the attention of over five thousand people. Achievement unlocked: A Test of Skill. Obtained 500 Stellar Jade.] [Ding! The host can now design his own playable character and choose the timing of his rate-up.]
Jiang Yu glanced at Strutting Around's description. It was in the same style as Pure as the Wind, only a few sentences long.
Next, he examined the Stellar Jade. After studying it through the system for a while, he was certain it was useless to him. It was just an ordinary lump of aggregated star fragments.
Put plainly, it was a pretty rock full of impurities.
Why not make up a quest later and give the players some freebies? If I became Honkai: Star Rail's first Liben, would the players call me their benefactor?
Wouldn't my popularity and attention go through the roof?!
As for designing his playable character and choosing his rate-up timing, Jiang Yu was in no hurry for now.
He planned to wait until the Ambrosial Arbor disaster to enter the banner pool. That would fit his identity as someone from the Xianzhou Luofu, as well as the scenes in Interstellar Journey.
"I can't do that."
Unable to keep listening to the two pretty girls' conversation, Dan Heng finally interrupted them.
March 7th was so startled that she immediately stepped back. "Ah! What are you doing here?... Wait, how did you get here before us?!"
"It's perfectly normal for Wind characters to be a little faster."
Jiang Yu spread his hands, looking innocent.
"Dan Heng and I took another route. We found Arlan in the monitoring room with minor injuries, then spotted you two."
As he spoke, Jiang Yu patted Arlan beside him.
"Ahaha..." March 7th laughed awkwardly. "Have you... been here long?"
"Yep." Jiang Yu nodded. "We saw you break the elevator."
March 7th clenched her fists and snapped, "That wasn't me!"
Professor Dan Heng sighed at the two goofballs, then turned to the head of the Security Department-the dark-skinned boy, Arlan-and asked:
"Arlan, do you know what's going on with the elevator?"
Before you continue