Honkai Impact: Star Railway: I'm really not a Star God!

"Deserved punishment!"

"How about I punish you by making you a maid suspended in the air!?"

"f...a?"

The black tower, which had been mechanically expressing its apology, suddenly stopped and silently watched the sky.

No, I was talking to Xing, why are you getting in the way?!

After a while...

The Black Tower, having completed its upgrade of the simulated universe, gazed at the stars with excited eyes.

"This part is all for you! Hope you have fun!"

Having grasped the essence of the matter, Xing simply shrugged.

"It would be more practical to give more rewards."

The doll gave a plethora of enthusiastic responses, but Ling Kong always felt something was missing.

I suspect that this puppet might have an auto-reply function enabled, or that its main consciousness has already gone off to research and left a high-level program running in the background.

Looking at the doll that had begun to stand still, Ling Kong pondered for a moment, then asked angrily.

"Xingdu has worked so hard, and you're not even going to reward her with a doll to play with? That's too much! I have to get that doll back that belongs to her!"

"Do you think it's possible?"

Black Tower rolled its eyes at Ling Kong.

Alright, looks like I can't take this doll home to play with.

Don't overthink it. He just sees too many Black Tower dolls. One more or one less won't make a difference. He'll go back and study what material Black Tower's face is made of so he can sculpt one of himself later.

Chapter 20 The Star's Confusion

(Regarding some side stories... do readers think I should write a side story, or integrate them into the main plot later? The timeline of the side stories on the Black Tower Space Station is not particularly easy to arrange.)

After testing the simulated universe, that irresponsible woman, Black Tower, abandoned Xing and went off to test data somewhere, leaving Xing wandering around the space station.

"Xing, what are you thinking about? You look so gloomy. Let me tell you, sometimes not making a choice isn't necessarily a bad choice. It's just that you're only sure of your choice when the answer comes out."

Aimless, like a sky searching for Easter eggs, encountering a star that embodies a combination of confusion and contemplation.

"Ling Kong, what are your plans for the future?"

With her hands resting on the railing, Xing pretended to enjoy the breeze as she turned to look up at the sky.

"Me? A traveler would definitely choose to wander around. The atmosphere on the space station is too boring, and the competition among the crew members is intense, all for the sake of gaining the Black Tower's approval. Many of the people here are... bookworms, you know? It's very boring."

Leaning against the railing with Xing, looking at the blue star below the space station, Ling Kong slowly spoke.

Oh, so that's how it is. It turns out it's lost its way. That's easy to understand.

"Ling Kong, do you think I should stay at the space station to study my origins, the star core within me, and why I am the way I am? Or should I agree to Himeko's request and board the Star Train?"

"You're searching for unknown answers, but staying put isn't a good idea. Why not try... exploring the unknown? Come on, let me show you what might happen if you stay on the space station."

Following Ling Kong, the two arrived at the Black Tower's office. If they went through the main entrance, the security guards would see them.

He made a shushing gesture, and a faint light emanated from the back of his hand as it hovered in the air. A small crack appeared, and he stepped across the crack directly into the Black Tower's office.

Why are you so skilled at it?

"No, that's just your imagination."

He waved his hand in front of the doll, and seeing no further reaction, he nodded in mid-air.

"Ms. Black Tower, how do I find the Star God's Eight Trigrams when testing a simulated universe?"

“I don’t think that’s important. What’s more important is that Robert once said that if your photos aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough. So we need to examine this issue more carefully: the key to gossip is how gossip is conducted.”

He gestured to Xing with his eyes, then pointed at the Black Tower's face in mid-air and said.

"Look at her, look at her! She's such a scumbag! She used you and then ran away!"

"Why does this sentence always feel a bit off..."

"Don't worry about the details. I brought you here to expose the true face of the Black Tower! Look at her! She won't even grant you a special privilege!"

Faced with Ling Kong's sarcastic remarks, Xing pondered for a moment and then asked.

Why did you find this?

The scene froze for a moment, and Ling Kong immediately put on a grief-stricken expression.

"You actually... doubt me...?!"

All he did was sneak back and pinch Black Tower's cheek!

Is that really the kind of look I'm giving you?!

With a sigh, it was Xing's turn to ask a question.

"Ms. Black Tower, are you a broken record?"

"I don't think that's important. What's more important is what Yu Qingtu once said: 'For a scholar, it's about setting goals.' Therefore, we need to examine this issue more carefully: the key to a so-called 'repeating machine' is how that machine should repeat content."

Ling Kong, who had seemed agitated, suddenly softened his tone and spoke.

"See? It's not that I'm slandering the Black Tower. In the endless galaxy... a star core is just a research topic that's neither high nor low. Have you thought about what it would be like if you stayed on the space station? Do you know how to do research? No, wait...!"

Ling Kong's pupils widened slightly.

“You can compete with Alan for the job. Alan doesn’t understand scientific research either. Just be better at fighting than him.”

"Then forget it."

"So, do you want to stay at the space station now, or go with the Star Train? Just make your own choice. Since you have amnesia, you can go find Danheng and March 7 to confirm."

Xing nodded gratefully, already having a direction in mind.

They played a little prank and secretly slipped out of Black Tower's office.

The Black Tower, still unaware of its grand plans, had its home completely robbed by the air.

What if her consciousness were to reload someday...

They'll probably chase Ling Kong to the ends of the earth.

......

In front of the platform, Dan Heng, holding a long spear in his arms, leaned against a wall, lost in thought.

Although it was time to depart, Himeko said they could wait a little longer, as new members might join later.

"Star...? That's plausible. Lingkong? Hopefully it won't be like March 7th."

As if on cue, two familiar figures appeared out of the corner of my eye.

"Star...it's you. Is there anything you want to ask?"

Danheng's expression was like a still, deep well, as if he had been hiding a heavy burden in his heart.

"You don't seem like someone who likes to travel."

The impression Danheng left on her was that of a blockhead.

"Getting on a train is not entirely the same as traveling or adventuring... The Star Train represents exploration, you know? Exploration often means the unknown, whether it is unknown risks or unknown fun. In my opinion, the unknown is not more terrifying than the known. The unknown often means that it can still be controlled and changed."

I'm a little hesitant...

Xing looked at Dan Heng, but her body's reaction was unmistakable; she chose to lean towards the Starry Sky Train.

"We always have to be on the road first, opening blind boxes, isn't that exciting?"

Ling Kong smiled slightly. He found the girl quite interesting. The Starry Sky Train could travel anywhere, so he could follow her like a tour group.

"When you ask a question, you already have the answer in your heart, so hold on to it and don't let your initial idea disappear."

Ling Kong uttered a sentence, and Dan Heng uttered a sentence.

Although Danheng was quite confused, he felt that Lingkong was just like a veteran employee of the train, using one trick after another to persuade people to get on the train.

"Don't use hesitation as an excuse. If you hesitate for too long, your original idea will disappear."

With this idea in mind, Hoshino began walking towards Himeko's location.

"and many more!"

The two stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. They saw March 7th crouching down, a small camera hanging from his waist pointed at them.

"eggplant!"

They instinctively flashed a peace sign, and the photo of the two standing side by side in front of the train was captured in an instant.

Click.

"Yay! I took another picture!"

This girl always manages to bring joy to those around her in various ways.

After taking the photos, March 7th waved vigorously at Xing and Lingkong, then jogged over.

"Hey, Xing, Lingkong, I heard you're joining the train crew, is that true?"

Do you want me to come?

It's easy for girls to have a conversation, and Lingkong said she's fine with being just a background character.

"Of course! We've gotten along really well along the way, and we're the same age. Those two things alone are quite remarkable."

Peers?

Xing asked inwardly.

Am I really the same age as others? ( ) I don't think I'm even a month old yet. ( )

Seeing Xing's expression, March 7th pouted.

What's going on?! Why do you still look so hesitant?!

"Waaah... Could it be... that Xing isn't planning on traveling with us...? Can you really bear to see the train carriage so empty...?"

"Uh...no, no! Absolutely not!"