The appearance of Luna Kindred gave the audience a massive surprise. They never expected that this Theresa wouldn't be the Principal they knew, but a Theresa from another world! A Theresa who was... a vampire? No wonder her voice and manner of speaking had a sickly, weak undertone!
Finally, the viewers understood why her voice matched the Principal's, yet her tone and inflection were entirely different. But while so rejoiced, others suffered. The players were happy; Theresa, however, felt like she was losing her mind.
"Just thinking about that perverted maid Rita wearing that avatar... I feel like ants are crawling all over my skin!!" Theresa clutched her head, her skin erupting in goosebumps. "Using a voice changer to mimic my voice and saying those things... she's definitely using this for a personal vendetta!"
Theresa was convinced Rita was doing this on purpose out of resentnt for being transferred away from her side. No wonder she volunteered to play the role—it was a perfect opportunity to legally troll her in public! Simply loathso!!
"Uh... Principal, I don't think Rita is targeting you..." Beside her, Fu Hua adjusted her glasses. Currently, in the Schicksal branch office, Fu Hua and Theresa were watching the BW exhibition livestream together. As for Senti, the mont she heard about BW, she had bolted out the door to have a "friendly close contact" session with the dog thief Su Mu.
Although the Honkai 3rd exhibition hadn't officially announced the writer's appearance, Senti had worn Fu Hua down until she asked Kiana about the personnel arrangents.
"Don't worry, Old Tir! My anger is gone! I'm really just going to the exhibition to help Su Mu! Look at how many fans Honkai 3rd has; the scene is going to be swamped. That old thief definitely can't handle it alone, right?"
Calling him "old thief" with every breath... it seed Senti still held a bit of a grudge. After several guarantees, Fu Hua finally let her go, but not without a warning not to cause Su Mu any trouble.
"I know... but hearing those words from Rita's mouth just makes my blood boil!" Seeing Theresa gnashing her teeth, Fu Hua could empathize. She knew all too well how Rita "served" Theresa back at the branch.
"Mhm... but I didn't expect Honkai 3rd to use this thod to bring a character from the new version to the stage. It's certainly eye-catching." Fu Hua mused. From her perspective, the exhibition was already a massive success. "Even if it's just a 'vtuber' stream, the tactic feels refreshing."
A slightly cald Theresa added, "Even random passersby who don't play Honkai 3rd will be drawn in by this, right? It must be Su Mu's idea." Fu Hua didn't ask why she was so sure; her first instinct had also been to bla Su Mu.
At the scene, Guinaifen looked at Luna on the screen with shining eyes. "Wow, this is incredible! Honkai 3rd really knows how to pull a stunt! I have to admire the event planner. Who ca up with this? A total genius!"
[Need to guess? It's definitely that old thief Su Mu!]
[Exactly! Bronya's chip, i's 'cooking' status and losing her core, Hiko going MIA... all Su Mu's doing!]
[Don't forget the life-and-death parting of Sakura and Kallen! Lord Otto's unrequited love! Theresa's eternal regret over Cecilia!]
[Forget the beginning, forget the middle—basically, it's all the old thief's fault!!]
The fans in the chat were indignant, pinning every shocking move by miHoYo on Su Mu. Whether it was Su Mu himself or done under his orders, it didn't matter. The King of Scapegoats for miHoYo had officially been born!
"Thanks for the Super Chat from 'Big Spark_49886'! 'Little Gui, since you're at BW, can you beat up Su Mu for ?' Ahem! That's a bit difficult for . I can't just hit soone in person, right? Besides, the writer might not even be here!"
"Thanks for the Super Chat from 'Invincible Swordsman 123'! 'I want to spar with the in-ga Fu Hua; he looks like a martial arts master.' Family, this comnt is a bit off-topic for the stream, isn't it? But Fu Hua's Ki-Extinguishing Palm is indeed powerful! Are you sure you want to reconsider?"
Guinaifen replied to the Super Chats while the program on stage continued.
"Humans, don't be stunned by my presence. I heard there were fun things here, so I ca to see. If you can't keep entertained, then..." On the screen, the Theresa-lookalike bared her fangs, trying to look intimidating. But because she was so cute, her attempt failed to scare anyone. It succeeded only in nearly "killing" them with cuteness!
Afterward, following the script, Carole launched several mini-gas. The audience could scan a QR code to enter, and winners were chosen randomly to join the stage. In the talent segnt, Guinaifen was surprisingly selected.
"Little Gui!" "She's so lucky! She actually got picked!"
Many in the crowd recognized her from her streams.
"Wow! This ti it's Little Gui. Does everyone here watch her? I often watch her late at night too. Even though it's scary sotis, I can't help myself..." Carole's words drew cheers of agreent. Humans are like that—knowing sothing is terrifying but unable to resist the curiosity. Curiosities kills the cat for a reason.
"Why don't you introduce yourself to everyone? Let those who don't know you get acquainted!"
Guinaifen didn't have stage fright. She cleared her throat: "My na is Guinaifen! Gui for 'Noble Wood,' Nai for 'Is,' and Fen for 'Fragrance.' Isn't it easy to rember? I usually stream on Huyu 668; rember to co watch my performances when you have ti! ~♪"
"Little Gui, since you were the lucky one, what talent do you have for us today?" "I didn't bring props, so how about a Shu-lai-bao (rhythmic storytelling)?"
Despite the massive crowd, Guinaifen wasn't nervous; her ntal fortitude was forged in paranormal investigations. She perford the rhythmic intro she often used for her streams:
"Ahem! This little sister has arrived at this treasure land to show her skills and sell her craft. A few coins are never too few; a thousand gold shows your love. Let's skip the idle chatter and give you my best act!"
With that, amidst the crowd's gasps, Guinaifen dropped into a perfect split instantly—a seamless movent!
Carole's eyes widened. "Wow! Little Gui's flexibility is insane! As expected of a pro!" She looked up at the screen. "Theresa, what do you think?"
Luna comnted on the performance: "Human, your act is interesting... though I didn't understand it, I liked it."
For every talent act, Luna would offer a critique with Carole acting as the "hype-man." It was mostly praise and encouragent; getting on stage took courage, and the quality of the act was secondary.
"Thanks for the support, elders and neighbors! Little Gui thanks you!" She cupped her hands to the crowd with a grin. Thanks to her performance and witty remarks, the atmosphere in the hall beca even more joyful.
[Holy crap, miHoYo official is so full of life!]
[Is Little Gui a paid plant?]
[Probably not, I was in her stream; she really was chosen randomly!]
[Then her luck is just too good!]
[I'll just say it: if you didn't co to BW, you lost a hundred million!]
[Exactly! Watching a recording can't compare to being here! This is so much fun!]
[Luna is too cute! I'm pulling for her next version no matter what!]
The performance quickly hit the trending lists on major forums. Many BW strears saw a surge of viewers asking to see the Honkai 3rd booth. So strears who planned to go elsewhere couldn't resist the hype and flocked to the booth as well.
[I regret it, I truly regret it! Is it too late to go now?]
[Doesn't the expo last three days? Just go tomorrow!]
[Don't! Check the official dynamic! The 'mysterious guest' only appears on the first day!]
[What! Honkai 3rd is so sneaky! Only saying 'mysterious guest' and not who! If I knew it was another Theresa, I definitely would have gone!]
Many players who stayed ho for various reasons were now green with regret!
anwhile, in the Schicksal office, Otto felt like ants were crawling all over him!! "Dammit! I couldn't fly to Arc City because of work and missed my lovely Theresa's new character debut in person!"
Amber pushed a docunt toward him. "Lord Otto, you've been watching the stream for thirty minutes. It's ti to deal with the paperwork."
Otto didn't move his eyes. "Amber, just a bit longer. Once Theresa's part is over, I'll work." Amber was speechless. "You said that thirty minutes ago." Though helpless, she could only wait patiently.
About twenty minutes later, the stage interaction finally concluded.
"Humans, I'll be waiting for you in the new version, [Midsumr Night's Fantasy]. If you don't keep our promise, hmph..." Luna officially exited after the promo, and Carole left the stage after saying goodbye.
Just as everyone was chatting about the performance and preparing to disperse—the giant screen went dark. Then, a vivid blood-red moon appeared!
[Wait, another one?]
[I was just about to leave, and you give this?!]
[Holy crap! This is definitely the old thief Su Mu's style! He did the sa thing during the 'Vermilion Blade' preview!]
[Is Su Mu actually at the scene?! Strear, catch him!!]
The rooms of the strears at the scene exploded. The live audience was both shocked and delighted.
["Pale as moonlight, vermilion as fla. She walks under the moon, and in a dream, quietly leaves a fatal kiss..."]
[Under the image of the blood moon, Otto Apocalypse's voice suddenly rang out.]
[Valkyrie Pledge: Awakening — Luna Kindred]
[Holding a blood-red giant axe, Luna Kindred's figure appeared on screen.]
The sudden video left everyone stunned. "Otto?" "Is this 'Otto's Valkyrie Lecture'?" "Playing a 'Valkyrie Lecture' here and now, in front of all these Captains?"
In the video, Otto explained the features of Luna Kindred's new battlesuit alongside a demonstration.
["As a princess who drinks blood, Luna Kindred possesses inhuman strength and an ability that leaves enemies in rivers of blood."]
The flavor was right. Too right. Lord Otto's chuuni comntary! Since the Sixth Serenade video, players had beco strangely addicted; if they didn't see Otto being chuuni for a day, they felt uncomfortable.
The demo showed Luna dual-wielding blades for rapid attacks, marking enemies while recovering her own HP and the "Blood Stamp" gauge above her HP bar. By consuming the Blood Stamp for a charged attack, she would swing her giant blood axe in a violent offensive!
["Theresa unleashes the power of blood! She leaps into the air, swinging her giant axe to strike the enemy, dealing massive area damage!"]
The video showed Theresa manipulating a blood axe far larger than her own body, giving the audience an intuitive sense of what "monstrous strength" ant! Under Otto's passionate comntary, a complete combat rotation was showcased.
At the end of the video: ["Do not be fooled by Luna's petite figure; after all, she may be the most terrifying hunter you will ever face."]
["Heh, vampire or not... my Theresa is still the cutest in the world."]
A girl dancing under the blood moon with a giant axe—the violent combat style contrasted sharply with her petite fra. This character PV pushed the atmosphere to a climax!
"I want to play the new version now!" "I must pull Luna Kindred imdiately!" "If I can't play the new version right now, I feel like I'm going to lose sothing beautiful!" "Brother, don't say that! Last ti soone said that, Hiko-sensei had her 'Final Lesson'!" "You jinx! You're the one who killed Hiko! You bastard!"
If it were just a simple tutorial video, it wouldn't have caused such a stir. Compared to "Queen's Descent" and "Vermilion Blade," "Midsumr Night" was less of a heavyweight. But that didn't an the story or the character were insignificant—quite the opposite. As the start of the "Captain Verse," it held imnse significance for every veteran Captain. That was why Su Mu didn't hesitate to pour resources into this version and na it [Midsumr Night's Fantasy].
In the original ga, such a specific version didn't even exist. The hype from BW, the refreshing "live" interaction, and finally the PV... Theresa's popularity was already high, and this "one-two punch" had Theresa simps wailing because they couldn't pull for her yet. Other players were also becoming deeply interested. It was clear that the new version would spark another wave!
As the BW footage was uploaded to various sites, the hype began to sweep the entire internet. Once again, Honkai 3rd had hooked the players, leaving them eagerly anticipating the brand-new version!!
Su Mu was currently at a booth nad "Ranger Ga Studio," testing their ga—Starsea Ranger. In this ga, players acted as an interstellar ranger, using various weapons and abilities to fight aliens and monsters. It was a 3D top-down Roguelike; the graphics were simple, but the controls felt decent. However, it wasn't "satisfying" enough; the difficulty was a bit too high—one misstep and a monster would take half your health. The sensory stimulation was also a bit lacking... but he could see the developer had vision.
As for the main stage, Su Mu wasn't worried. He always had confidence. This studio's booth was practically deserted; Su Mu was the only one in the playtest area.
"Sigh... I wonder what that guy Su Mu's brain is made of. Now the whole BW exhibition has turned into a miHoYo solo show..." A staff mber watched the main stage on a phone stream and couldn't help but lant.
"Brother, why aren't you at the Honkai 3rd booth?" The staff mber looked at Su Mu curiously. "Though it's weird coming from ... the Honkai 3rd booth activities should be way more attractive than our ga."
He was telling the truth; the fact that Su Mu was the only tester proved it.
"Is that so? I think your ga is quite good," Su Mu said with a slight smile. "It's normal for single-player gas to have less hype than mobile gas."
The man looked surprised. "Brother, you're an expert? Is your studio's ga at BW too?" "Mhm." "Holy crap, then you're unlucky! I'd say every studio at this BW is having a bad ti! By my Wubbaboo, all the players were snatched away by those 'little darlings' at Honkai 3rd!"
"Haha..." Su Mu could only give a dry laugh. What else could he do? Could he say he was the one in charge of the Honkai 3rd booth? He'd probably be kicked out. But soon, Su Mu noticed a "blind spot."
"Mhm, brother, your verbal tic is a bit strange. It reminds of soone I know." Wubbaboo, little darling... Su Mu would occasionally use these phrases too. Having a friend with a strange verbal tic in college made it hard not to get brainwashed.
"Hah! It's a long story! Our boss has this tic, it's super catchy, right? Now everyone in our company can't stop mimicking it!"
The explanation made Su Mu's expression turn strange. Wait... his boss couldn't possibly be...
"Dammit, all those little darlings ran off to the Honkai 3rd booth... what are the brains of those Honkai 3rd darlings made of? To co up with a stunt like that!"
At that mont, a grumbling voice ca from outside the booth.
"?" "?"
When the person appeared before Su Mu, they both froze after making eye contact.
"Boothill?" "Old Su? You little darling? What the hell kind of day is this!"
The staff mber looked at them, bewildered. "Boss, you two know each other?"
Boothill threw an arm around Su Mu's shoulder and laughed heartily. "Of course! Let introduce you—this is Old Su! My college roommate! My brother!"
Su Mu hadn't expected to run into Boothill here. He had seen Boothill once right after graduation, a eting that nearly resulted in "social death." He rembered in Chapter 8 it ntioned a college friend coming over, seeing Hiko's left-behind stockings, and nearly concluding Su Mu had a strange fetish. Regarding his roommate being Boothill, Su Mu had only realized it after awakening his mories. He had a "character collection" right next to him for four years! Boothill was loyal and had looked after Su Mu; they had a great relationship.
"Boothill, when did you start a studio?" "Haha! Just trying to build sothing and then pop out to surprise you!" Boothill slapped Su Mu's back. "Old Su, how've you been? Every ti I ssaged you, you said you were busy. Been swamped with work lately?" "Mhm, been handling a project for the past six months."
Su Mu chatted with Boothill for a while and learned that his studio wasn't doing well. Staff was limited, and they were completely overshadowed at this BW exhibition.
"Sigh, Old Su, compared to , I think your future is even more 'troubled'." "Hmm?" Boothill sighed and said: "You know miHoYo, right? Their Ga Director is also nad Su Mu! Hey, isn't that a coincidence! Sa na! Small world!"
"See, there's a Su Mu who already made a na for himself. With a na like yours, people are bound to compare you, right? The first ti soone sees your na, they'll compare you to that Su Mu, and the expectations will be sky-high! That's why I say your path is troubled!"
"Having the sa na as that 'little darling' is truly a misfortune... What kind of brain does that Su Mu darling have? The whole industry can't keep up with him, can they?"
Su Mu's expression beca increasingly peculiar. He didn't know how to respond for a mont.
"Right, haven't asked you yet—which company are you at? What's your project called? A ga, right? Title?" Boothill looked at Su Mu curiously. He had been wanting to ask where Su Mu worked.
"MiHoYo," Su Mu answered honestly.
"MiHoYo? Mhm, that company is quite good. I heard the benefits there are great..." Boothill nodded, ready to be happy for his brother finding a good job, but then he realized sothing was wrong. "Old Su, you work at miHoYo?" "Mhm."
Boothill scratched his head, a trace of confusion in his eyes, and asked a seemingly stupid question. "So... how many Su Mus are there at your miHoYo?"
Su Mu rolled his eyes. "Nonsense. Obviously, there's only ."
"Oh, true. Two people with the sa na in one company would be pretty rare." Boothill replied, his brain replaying Su Mu's words.
MiHoYo. Su Mu.
........Mhm. ........Mhm??
eooow (Holy mother of God)?!
END OF CHAPTER
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