"Wait, I have one more question for you, Dr. Mobius."
Just as he was about to leave, Rovel seed to recall sothing important and turned back.
"Speak," Mobius replied, her tone as indifferent as ever.
"Dr. Mobius," Rovel began, his voice steady, "haven't you ever considered possessing my body to escape the Elysian Realm?"
The question hung in the sterile air of the laboratory. The delicate motion of Mobius's hand, which had been tracing the rim of a glass beaker, stilled for a fraction of a second. She slowly lifted her gaze to et Rovel's, her serpentine eyes sharp and analytical. He t her stare without a hint of fear.
"I already tried," she stated flatly. "It didn't work."
Mobius's eyes remained locked on Rovel, searching his face for the slightest flicker of anger, betrayal, or even frustration. During the five minutes that her debuff had been active, Rovel had been completely cut off from the outside world, a blank slate, unaware of what she had attempted in that window of opportunity. It was then that she had made her move, attempting what he so accurately called "possession."
Unfortunately for her, it was as if so unseen, inviolable power was shielding his consciousness, causing her every effort to end in absolute failure.
Yet, the reaction she anticipated never ca. There was no outrage on Rovel's face. Instead, he wore an expression that seed to say, 'Just as I thought.'More than that, there was an unmistakable glint of pride in his eyes, a subtle satisfaction that scread,'I guessed right. I'm brilliant.'
For a mont, Mobius was at a loss for how to classify him. An audacious... weirdo? He not only seed to understand her on a fundantal level but also held a strange mixture of affection, admiration, and… trust for her.
That feeling—being trusted by him—was truly… dreadful.
It was so unsettling that it stirred a trace of sothing akin to "guilt" deep within her, a phantom regret for the sche she had just deployed against him. Such an emotion was an anomaly, a variable that should never appear in the cold, logical calculus of an individual nad "Mobius."
And for that, Mobius disliked Rovel. She disliked him in the sa way she disliked Elysia—for being an unpredictable elent that disrupted her perfect equation.
After receiving Mobius's confirmation, Rovel simply nodded, turned, and followed Klein out of the laboratory.
The scenery of the Elysian Realm wasn't what one would call beautiful; in fact, it was rather monotonous. A world of crystalline structures and perpetual twilight, it was a gilded cage, beautiful in its own stark, unchanging way. Rovel found it a pity that he didn't encounter any other Fla-Chasers on his way out; it would have been a pri opportunity to get acquainted with them.
"Alright, this is the exit."
Klein's voice pulled Rovel from his thoughts. She had led him to the entrance of a long, shimring corridor.
"Thank you, Klein." Rovel nodded, preparing to depart.
Klein stood silently, watching his back as he walked away. Just as his silhouette was about to vanish at the far end of the corridor, she suddenly called out to him.
"Please, allow to apologize on behalf of Dr. Mobius. She just…"
Before she could finish her sentence, however, Rovel gently interrupted her.
"Don't worry about it. I can understand her desire for 'Infinity.' To soone like her, a Descender—a being from outside her world—must be an irresistible temptation. I don't mind at all."
He paused, turning to offer the small, doll-like girl a reassuring smile. "Besides, didn't I say it before? I trust the Serpent. That was just a little test, wasn't it, Klein?"
With that, he turned and walked out of the Elysian Realm, leaving Klein standing alone in the corridor. She remained there for a long ti, a complex and unreadable light flickering in her eyes.
This man… perhaps he, too, could beco soone who truly understands Dr. Mobius.
The very mont Rovel stepped out of the Elysian Realm, the clock struck nine.
Honkai, servers open!
A booming system broadcast instantly exploded in Rovel's ears.
[Character creation complete. Please select your descent location.]
[Notice: You have 17 missed calls.]
[ssage from "The World's Cutest Little Sister": Brother, why aren't you picking up my calls?]
[ssage from "The World's Cutest Little Sister": Brother, you didn't fall back asleep, did you?]
[ssage from "The World's Cutest Little Sister": Beep beep, this is General Yuki. Corporal Ruobai, please respond.]
"..."
Before Rovel could even begin to type a reply, his phone buzzed with another incoming call. The caller ID, of course, was "The World's Cutest Little Sister."
He answered.
"Brother! Why didn't you pick up just now? Could it be… has my big brother already grown tired of his Yuki?"
Yuki's voice ca through the receiver, laced with a tearful quiver that Rovel knew with one hundred percent certainty was completely fake.
"I was in the middle of character creation and didn't hear the phone, Yuki. I'm sorry!" Rovel said, his voice softening with a doting warmth despite seeing right through her act. "Next ti, I'll treat you to Hellfire Spicy Hotpot to make it up to you."
"It's a promise! No take-backs!" Yuki's cheerful voice instantly returned. "By the way, Brother, where are you choosing to descend? Yuki wants to be with you!"
"I'm planning to choose Changkong City in the Far East," Rovel said, glancing at the list of available starting points.
There were countless places to choose from: Shenzhou, the Far East, North Arica, Vienna, New Zealand… and each region was further subdivided into specific cities and towns. However, with so little information released to the public, the choice was effectively a blind one for most players. The majority would simply pick a familiar area, like their own hotown.
But Rovel knew better. He knew that Changkong City was the fateful place where Kiana Kaslana and Raiden i would et, and where other crucial characters like Bronya Zaychik and Yae Sakura would appear. Choosing Changkong City offered the greatest potential for opportunity, though it also ca with the highest risk. The fact that it was an available starting zone ant the ga's tiline was set soti before the catastrophic Third Honkai Eruption.
"Eh? I thought you'd choose Canghai City in Shenzhou, Brother. The map shows it overlaps with where we live," Yuki said, a hint of surprise in her voice. "But if you're going to Changkong City, then so am I! Wait for , Brother, your cutest sister will be there soon!"
Rovel shook his head with a fond chuckle, ended the call, and confird his selection. He would descend in Changkong City.
Just as he was about to materialize, waiting for Yuki to join him, his phone rang again.
"Brother… if sothing unexpected happens and I can't make it to Changkong City, would you be angry…?" Yuki asked, her voice now genuinely small and hesitant.
"Well… as the heir to the family, you have your obligations. I understand," Rovel replied with a nod, his tone gentle. "We can just play together once cross-region travel opens up."
"I'm so sorry! Brother, Yuki will make it up to you with her body later…"
Rovel decisively hung up the phone again and began to take in his new surroundings.
Changkong City was a bustling port tropolis, gleaming under the virtual sun. It seed quite a few players had made the sa choice he had. The starting plaza where he stood was already teeming with several thousand people, ninety-nine percent of whom appeared to be locals from the Far East.
Online, the launch of Honkai had already detonated, seizing the top spot on every trending list. The number of concurrent players had exceeded a hundred million in less than five minutes, causing a brief server crash right at the start.
"Requesting a launch guide! Did they release zero info for this ga? I'm completely lost."
"Latest insider info, Venmo 50, I'll give you a head start on everyone else."
"The guy above is a scamr. The so-called 'insider info' is just a link to a Rickroll."
"On another note, will the ability synchronization with reality cause social unrest?"
"I heard syncing your powers requires so hidden conditions; it's not that simple. Besides, the military is officially involved in the ga this ti. A well-trained army will always be stronger than us solo players, right?"
"Even the military is involved? Doesn't that just prove how valuable this ga is? Brothers, let's go!"
…
[System Notice: You are the first player to obtain a Legendary title. A server-wide announcent will be made, and you will receive a reward: one spin on the Random Lucky Wheel. Would you like to remain anonymous?]
"Oh? There's a perk like this?" Rovel raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling upon the shimring, golden title in his status window: [Mobius's Comprehender].
He thought Mobius had already given him more than enough, but he never expected she'd leave him with such a parting gift.
'Long live the Serpent! The Serpent is number one in the world!' Rovel cheered silently.
After a grand total of two and a half seconds of deliberation, Rovel chose "Anonymous." His reasoning was the sa as always: he hadn't entered this ga for fa or to build so grand organization. He only wanted to gain enough power to protect himself and Yuki.
[Server Announcent: Congratulations to an anonymous player for becoming the first to obtain a Legendary title. Reward: One spin on the Random Lucky Wheel!]
[Server Announcent: Congratulations to an anonymous player for becoming the first to obtain a Legendary title. Reward: One spin on the Random Lucky Wheel!]
[Server Announcent: Congratulations to an anonymous player for becoming the first to obtain a Legendary title. Reward: One spin on the Random Lucky Wheel!]
…
The system broadcast bood across every channel three tis in a row. For a full second, the world chat fell completely silent.
Then… an overwhelming flood of question marks washed over the screen.
"What's going on? I'm still trying to figure out the controls and soone already got a Legendary title?"
"Holy crap, a hacker!"
"Hmph, just so coward who hides his na. If I find him, my Green Dragon Crescent Blade will surely take his head!"
"Oh? And who might the esteed warrior above be?"
"Speak my na and you shall be startled! I am Zhao Zilong of Changshan!"
"Cute and tender delivery girl, available for nationwide service~"
…
As the conversation inevitably spiraled off-topic, only a small fraction of players continued to discuss the title itself. Since most had no idea what a Legendary title even did, the initial hype quickly died down.
A select few, however, understood that anything capable of triggering a server-wide announcent was no ordinary achievent. These players and their burgeoning guilds imdiately began posting high-priced bounties for any information on the anonymous title holder, while simultaneously exploring every nook and cranny of the ga to find their own path to fa. After all, a server announcent was free advertising of the highest order—an very useful asset for anyone looking to build a powerful faction.
Of course, none of that had anything to do with Rovel anymore.
[System Notice: You have one chance for the Random Lucky Wheel. Would you like to use it?]
"Use it."
The next second, a colossal wheel of shimring gold and starlight materialized before him. It began to spin at an impossible speed, the prizes on its surface blurring into a continuous streak of light.
"Stop."
At Rovel's command, the wheel screeched to an instantaneous halt, defying all laws of physics and montum. The pointer landed squarely on a single, radiant prize.
[Congratulations, you have obtained the item: Elysia's Crystal Flower!]
…
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