Did the main characters enter the wrong game in their second playthrough?

Page 20

Inside the space station, Kiana, who had just finished having her stomach pumped, heard the news from Himeko, and a look of confusion immediately appeared on her delicate face.

She naturally knew about the Black Tower lady; when Walter was "tutoring" her, he specifically used the Black Tower as an example in the context of the fate of [intelligence].

The Black Tower space station where he was located was one of the assets under the name of this Black Tower lady.

So... why did that Black Tower lady suddenly take a liking to me? Could it be... that she's still alive after drinking Himeko's coffee?

Seeing Kiana's confusion, Himeko chuckled softly, then guessed:

"Perhaps... what she's curious about is your power? After all, you and Walter come from the same place, and your ability to control space is extremely rare, even in this universe."

"She's probably also curious whether your power can break the limitations of the simulated universe, right?"

Kiana's power, which she revealed in the battle against the Doomsday Beast, is no longer a secret. In fact, when clearing out the remaining Void Soldiers on the space station, Kiana's power provided a lot of convenience for everyone.

Basically, after eliminating those illusory soldiers, they were all dumped outside the space station, saving the trouble of cleaning them up.

"I see……"

Kiana nodded knowingly.

Since it was an invitation approved by Lady Himeko, it certainly wouldn't be harmful to her, even though she hadn't known this world's Himeko for long and had experienced a less-than-pleasant little accident...

Recalling that coffee, filled with "chaos and evil," and whose pungent taste was millions of times more intense than Theresa's bitter melon juice, Kiana's body shuddered involuntarily, and her face turned bitter.

But now she is also a member of the Star Train. As the head of the Star Train, how could she possibly harm the members of her own crew?

Since that Black Tower lady's "experiment" was approved by Himeko, let's give it a try!

However… as if she had thought of something, Kiana focused her attention on the chat group in her mind, and looked at Ying, who was telling Xing the “script”, and her blue eyes lit up instantly!

Yeah! Couldn't she also ask Xing about the script or something?

But... isn't this a bit inappropriate?

Her bright eyes dimmed again in an instant, after all... she was still looking forward to this unknown journey!

Hmm, let's forget about it!

"Himeko-nee, I agree."

After a moment's thought, Kiana finally nodded and replied to Himeko.

"Okay, in that case, I'll take you to Black Tower's office later. You can rest here for a bit. Pam specially prepared a 'recovery meal' for you. Little Three should be here soon. Don't worry, there's no coffee in it~"

Himeko teased Kiana with a smile, her eyes widening as she watched Kiana's face gradually turn rosy.

"I'm sorry... Sister Himeko, I shouldn't have drunk your coffee..."

Upon hearing this, Kiana scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly. If she hadn't been feeling a little guilty about her homework at the time, she wouldn't have unconsciously picked up Himeko's coffee.

"It's alright, as long as you're alright, but..."

Suddenly, Himeko's expression turned troubled, her brows furrowing slightly, as if she had some unresolved thoughts.

"Why do you all have such a strong reaction to coffee? I actually think it tastes pretty good..."

"Uh... haha..."

Seeing Himeko's troubled expression, Kiana didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only put her hand behind her neck and smile awkwardly.

So... she wasn't the only one who drank it...

Okay, that's good...

Despite her embarrassment, Kiana also felt a little comforted.

"Himeko-nee! Kiana-nee! I brought the train conductor's lovingly prepared bento! Eat it while it's hot!"

March 7th appeared beside the two of them at some unknown time, carrying a lunchbox, and walked briskly towards them.

"This is just in time, Little March. We were just planning to go find Black Tower after we finished eating."

Himeko smiled and nodded to March 7, then took the lunchbox, placed it on the bedside table next to Kiana's bed, and gently took out the various light and healthy-looking dishes inside.

"This is a nutritious meal that Pam carefully prepared; it should help relieve your stomach symptoms..."

Himeko paused at this point.

It seems... most of the stomach problems in the train crew are due to her coffee...

Mitsuki, seemingly oblivious to Himeko's subtle expression, simply nodded in agreement and added:

"Yes! Pam's cooking is really good! Last time I accidentally drank Himeko's coffee instead of milk tea, I survived thanks to her lovingly made bento!"

"..."

Kiana took the nutritious porridge from Himeko and looked at its healthy color and the variety of ingredients. Her lips twitched slightly.

"So... this is Himeko's special nutritional meal?"

Kiana silently complained to herself again.

It seems that even inside a train isn't absolutely safe...

Meanwhile, in another chat group...

Ying: "Phew... So that's roughly the plot of Mondstadt. You just need to get along well with everyone in the Knights of Favonius, and don't kill Dvalin. That's basically it!"

At this moment, Ying is taking a class at St. Freya, listening to a talk about the origins of the Honkai while distracted by "spoiling" her own script to Xing.

Xing: "I see! Ying-sensei, I have another question!"

Xing raised his hand and spoke enthusiastically across time and space.

Ying: "What is it?"

Xing: "I accidentally demolished two of the three abandoned temples in Mondstadt. Is that alright?"

Ying: "Oh, an abandoned temple... It should be alright, right? There are quite a few abandoned temples in Mondstadt, as long as you don't..."

Suddenly! As if she had just realized something, Ying's eyes widened abruptly!

"Wait! Which ones did you demolish!?"

Xing: "Hmm... I think there's a temple called the West Wind Eagle, and another one called the North Wind Wolf..."

Outside the abandoned temple, Xing scratched her chin somewhat awkwardly, looking at the dumbfounded Kaeya and Wendy who had just been standing there in a daze, feeling a little embarrassed.

She... didn't seem to have done anything, did she?

I just had enough energy points to unleash a powerful attack... it wasn't even an area-of-effect attack, so how did it explode?

Yeah... how did it explode?

At this moment, Wendy, who had gained a general understanding of Xing's character and personality through her interactions with Xing along the way, was thinking the same thing to herself.

He had originally planned to release Dvalin after returning, but now...

He should reconsider...

Chapter Twenty-Six: Veteran Actors

"emmmmm"

"This... um... hiss..."

Even someone as wise as Kaiya is now facing a dilemma.

Theoretically speaking, these temples are no longer that important to Mondstadt. They may have been very important before, but they are definitely not important enough now that the entire population of Mondstadt would have to search for the culprit after they were demolished.

But... if you say it's not important... he still doesn't know how to explain it to the church.

Ok……

Although he was more interested in the power of the star that could destroy the secret realm than these trivial matters, it seemed that if he didn't deal with this matter, it wouldn't be easy to explain to the Knights either.

So, under everyone's gaze, Kaiya pondered for a moment, then revealed a very regretful expression. Her icy blue eyes were filled with sorrow, and she shook her head vigorously, her tone filled with helplessness and sadness as she addressed the crowd:

"I never imagined... that Stormterror could be so despicable! To steal the remaining power of the temple and endanger Mondstadt, it even went so far as to connect the entire temple to its power..."

Then, he raised his head, his face filled with sorrow.

"These temples were not only symbols of the pillars of Mondstadt, but also preserved many precious historical relics from the ancient Mondstadt period. Now... they have been destroyed by Stormterror!"

"Ah! Lord Wind God! Where are you now?"

"..."

"Clap clap clap..."

The three people present... oh, the suspected half-human, a Star Core Spirit, and a Wind Spirit, upon seeing such exquisite and logically flawless acting skills, all shook their heads from the bottom of their hearts, and then a sparse round of applause rang out.

"As expected of the cavalry captain, his horsemanship is absolutely flawless!"

Xing praised him from the bottom of her heart.

"Hmm? What does this have to do with the cavalry captain and the horse?"

Upon hearing this, Paimon turned around, looking puzzled.

"Well, with your level of experience, it's difficult for me to explain this to you."

Xing shook his head again at Paimon's question, indicating that he could not answer.

"Huh? What?! I'm the top guide in Teyvat, after all! I'm very experienced!"

"It's better for children not to know."

"I'm not a child anymore!"

And so, amidst their bickering, the group slowly made their way into Mondstadt.

Currently, thanks to Ying's "spoilers," Xing has a complete understanding of the plot development in the first playthrough, but for the current second playthrough, it seems that the plot has deviated from the very beginning.

From the initial "wind elemental force" to the "path of destruction," and from the dragon and bard who originally met, to the extremely friendly Venti and the dragon who has disappeared, everything... seems to have undergone corresponding changes under the watchful eyes of something.

Hmm... Could it be those three figures in the sky?

Xing pondered the possibilities on her own, and it seemed she didn't ask Ying the question.

Or... did Wendy sense her power and thus personally orchestrate the plot's shift?

Otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared before me at this stage.

That golden, detached gaze swept across the poet of the wind for a fleeting moment, then returned to nothingness.

"Hmm... never mind, just enjoy this brand new [exploration], or... it might be better to view this journey through the lens of [travel]."