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After Black Swan sees this notification.
She notices that several pairs of travelers walking through the hotel lobby suddenly stop.
Those resting on the sofas also exclaim in unison.
Clearly.
These people are all Star Rail players!
All following Yu Ling, the developer of Honkai: Star Rail!
All received the message at the same moment.
The once quiet and orderly hotel lobby instantly becomes noisy and chaotic.
Black Swan is no exception.
Instantly intrigued.
Like everyone else, she immediately opened the video.
It had just begun.
A familiar voice echoed from the background.
"Let's make an exchange, a swap about [memories]."
Black Swan's previously interested expression froze.
Of course, it was familiar!
That was her own voice!
But.
Why had she suddenly appeared in a short film released by Yu Ling?
Even Black Swan was somewhat puzzled at this moment.
"I dreamed of a strand of light, a crystal cup."
"The crystal light spoke to me: Please listen, a fable about the stars."
In the scene.
The backdrop of the universe flashed by.
It was the cosmic space from the game's storyline where the Trailblazer was first noticed by the Aeon.
Black Swan's eyes showed a trace of contemplation.
A fable about the stars, huh...
It seems.
This video likely uses fairy tales and other obscure methods to convey the intended message.
Heh, this is truly interesting.
Even I have to guess what I'm trying to convey.
At this moment.
The scene shifted to a series of covered cards.
A hand was moving over the cards.
Around them were crystal candles symbolizing [memory].
It was confirmed.
That was her hand.
As the fingers moved, the images on the backs of the cards lit up one by one.
"The nameless, the lifeless,"
"Come from the wilderness, cloaked in the light of the stars."
"Go on,"
"Just tread the Sunstorm,"
"You will eventually return to my embrace,"
"Just walk towards that light."
At this time.
On the left, there were continuous real-time comments.
...
"Who is this person? Her voice is so pleasant!"
"I know every word, but I can't understand them when put together."
"It's time for The Riddlers!"
"Big sister, you speak like you're singing."
"Full of rhymes, are you trying to test the company's system?"
"Didn't you see the title? It's [A Collection of Fables About the Stars], fables must be obscure and abstruse."
"Waiting for a Caelus expert to analyze..."
...
As for what she had said.
Black Swan could somewhat understand.
She often uses similar obscure imagery during her divinations.
So she was quite sensitive to this way of speaking.
The previous words.
Without a doubt, were about the Nameless, or rather, the Trailblazer.
But the language didn't seem like the result of her divination.
It was more like receiving an "inspiration" from Fuli.
The stars represent more than just their literal meaning.
It should also include... the Aeons!
At this, she immediately showed a serious expression.
Because in reality.
She had never received an "inspiration" from Fuli regarding the stars.
She wasn't sure if this was a discrepancy between the game and reality...
Or if something had happened, causing Fuli not to give her this inspiration?
At this moment.
One of the cards lit up with a slightly different golden light.
She immediately drew it out.
Black Swan knew.
Whatever appeared next would more or less represent a certain Aeon.
For example, using fire to represent Nanook, a hunter to represent Lan, and so on.
So...
When the word [Destruction] appeared directly on the screen.
Black Swan was completely stunned!
What happened to the fable!
What happened to the stars!
You directly typed out the name of the Aeon—Nanook—as if you were afraid others wouldn't know I was talking about an Aeon!
Below the name was a line of small text.
[At the center of the universe lies a spark of fire. It burns brighter and brighter, consuming the entire galaxy, all to usher in a magnificent annihilation at the end of all reality.]
However.
What Black Swan didn't expect was.
There was more to it!
Next.
The name interface flashed by.
Against the backdrop of the starry sky, flames surged forth.
Golden light rain fell.
A massive, imposing figure appeared in the scene!
Well.
This was even more direct.
They literally put Nanook's image on full display!
And her own voice narrated in the background: "But the light began to burn, piercing through the clouds, turning into golden death. Towers crumbled, people fled, for the sun was about to set, meeting a vicious destruction."
At this moment.
The barrage on the left almost instantly stopped scrolling.
Leaving only rows of question marks.
"????"
"?????"
Clearly.
Even the most seasoned players hadn't anticipated this.
This video was so direct!
Naming names!
They practically wrote Nanook's ID number on the screen.
It was only then that many players realized.
No wonder they called it a parable!
This was revealing a glimpse of an Aeon!
If it were just the background narration, it wouldn't have been so bad.
It wouldn't have immediately made people think of the Aeon of Destruction…
But the problem was.
Yu Ling directly brought the visuals into it!
There was no room for pretending ignorance now!
After Destruction.
What came next was.
The Hunt!
[In the first ten thousand years, the hunter drew their arrow for survival; in the second ten thousand years, the hunter drew their bow for wrath; in the third ten thousand years, the hunt became the purpose itself.]
Amidst waves of blue and purple light rain.
Lan appeared in the cosmos.
At that moment, he was in the stance of drawing his bow to shoot.
His entire body was bathed in a layer of starlight.
Looking utterly divine and sharp!
Black Swan prophesied: "But the children of the earth, do not be alarmed! A luminous arrow will come, purging the evil scourge; you must follow its trail, paying homage to the direction of the storm—"
The players finally caught on.
Excitedly sending out barrages!
…
"The Divine Archer"
"Brother Lan!"
"The Emperor's Chariot, swift as light!"
"Music instantly clear, the Hunt Aeon that banishes evil spirits!"
"Wherever Brother Lan points, I'll strike!"
...
Next up.
It's Erudition, Nous.
[If the truth of the universe is cruel and uninteresting, do you still crave answers? — The seeker remains noncommittal, for its mechanical core has been cold and indifferent since birth... just like the endpoint of the Path it pursues.]
"Celestial bodies keep secrets, calculations connect the roots of all things. But it remains silent, like the mist at the center of the universe; listen to the silence, and you will know where the stars rest."
Photos of geniuses are connected by lines of data streams, ultimately converging towards the Aeon in the background.
Black Swan keenly notices.
The frequency of the radio waves in the background music of this segment matches the flashing red light on Nous's head.
This... should be a code that can be unlocked.
Seeing this.
People from the Genius Society will surely start decoding immediately.
And this is no longer within the scope of her work.
[Abundance]
[Yaoshi]
[What saddened her was that eternal life did not allow her to accumulate infinite wisdom. Instead, those things she once regarded as precious began to blur, never to return.]
The image of Abundance appears in the frame.
A pale body.
Red pills nestled in her palms and arms.
Arms extend from her front, sides, and back.
"Let the staff strike the earth, they say, once, twice. Tiny sprouts will grow into towering trees, sweet dew will fall from the branches, dispelling your illnesses and poisons."
And Yaoshi's expression, while compassionate, also reveals a hint of the uncanny.
Of course.
This is from Black Swan's completely neutral perspective.
For different believers, the style they see should also differ.
In the bullet comments.
Sure enough, a polarizing trend has already emerged.
...
"Yikes!! It's Plagues Author!! Everyone retreat!!"
"Plagues Author, eat my arrow!!!"
"Abundance's appearance just exudes an aura of evil charm..."
"Where's the evil charm? I only see compassion and mercy!"
"Ahhhhhhh."
"The Medicine King is compassionate!"
"I am Abundance's servant."
"Praise Abundance!"
"Open up, Cloud Knights!"
"Abundance's abomination! We of The Hunt will surely hunt you down to death!"
"Destroy Plagues Author, the world belongs to Xianzhou!"