"Wow! Space is so beautiful! I can't wait for our first trailblazing journey!"
Kiana flopped onto the sofa in the observation car, her azure-blue eyes reflecting the myriad of stars outside. This was the first time in her life she had seen space for real!
"Indeed. This is far more breathtaking than seeing it in movies or panoramic simulation games."
Bronya nodded in firm agreement with Kiana. As her gray eyes gazed out the porthole, a strange feeling welled up inside her.
What was this feeling? Was it anticipation for the unknown, the loneliness of leaving her home world… or the good fortune of being able to journey into deep space with her companions?
"It certainly is. I'm also looking forward to all the new and strange things we'll encounter along the way. I'm quite interested in the Xianzhou… uh, though it would be even better if it didn't have things like soda mung bean milk…"
Mei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Recalling the extremely "sumptuous" feast from the previous night, she couldn't help but rub her stomach. She could still feel a faint, sharp pain inside… While it wasn't as lethal as "Miss Himeko's" coffee, it was clear its damage output wasn't low either…
Watching the three little ones acting like curious children, Himeko couldn't help but put down her milk tea, a nostalgic smile gracing her face. How nice, this vibrant youthfulness. They possessed an inexplicable passion for everything. It might seem foolish, but it was filled with the most sincere anticipation.
Wait, why was she getting sentimental again? Could it be… that she was really getting old?
"Speaking of which… Wendy is just like Wende was at the beginning, always wanting to stay in her room."
At that moment, Wendy was in Wende's room. While her behavior might seem similar to Wende's past self, it certainly wasn't identical.
Because she was currently hugging Wende's blanket and rolling all over his bed!
"Ah! This is Wende's bed!"
Err… perhaps under Wende's influence, the child had gradually emerged from her shell and was now heading in a very strange direction.
But none of that was important. What was important was that this trailblazing journey was different from before, where everyone would split up to explore each unfamiliar world.
With the growth of miHoYo Interstellar Inc., the crew of the Astral Express was becoming increasingly overwhelmed. Wende was already preparing to issue the first official "recruitment order" across the universe. It really wasn't right to always burden his own family. Most importantly, if they kept wasting their time in an office, wouldn't the mission of connecting the universe be delayed?
The people who had come to miHoYo Interstellar Inc. were initially excited, searching the building for the game development department. But even after turning the entire miHoYo Building upside down, they couldn't find any trace of a game department. Yet, the game Honkai Impact 3rd truly existed. Consequently, some would ask the members of the Astral Express where the mysterious game department was, only to be met with enigmatic smiles.
It wasn't that the crew wanted to be mysterious, but besides Wende, none of them knew where the game came from. And Wende himself only knew that the game was currently being updated and maintained by the system.
He wanted to ask the Dragon, but that old fossil always fobbed him off, acting as if he knew nothing, while practically having the words "I know, but I'm not telling you" written all over his face!
"Benefactor, this is the company's recent business summary that we've compiled. Please have a look."
The diligent and capable little fox handed a report to Wende, who was off in his own world. She gently placed her two slender fingers on his temples and began to lightly massage his throbbing head.
"Mm, you've worked hard. If it weren't for you, Tingyun, the Express probably would have been delayed in the Honkai world even longer."
Wende took the report from Tingyun. While enjoying the exclusive massage service, he sighed with emotion.
"Not at all. To be able to do my part for you, Benefactor, brings me great joy~"
Tingyun shook her head nonchalantly. For her, just being by Wende's side was the best thing possible. Not long ago, Lady Yukong had even sent her a message, telling her to bring Wende back for a visit more often~
"Hmm…"
Wende's gaze swept across the report. The number of projects at miHoYo Interstellar Inc. had unknowingly grown to ten. Besides the gaming and investment projects, there was also a universal credit project, and even a proposal for a "Huyou Express"… Was this not a direct attempt to snatch business from the Interastral Peace Corporation?
Although only two of these projects had been launched so far, if they continued to develop according to this report… the scale of miHoYo Interstellar Inc. would become immense!
Putting down the report, Wende gently patted Tingyun's hand. Tingyun removed her hands from his head, her golden eyes gazing at him like a spring of liquid gold.
As expected, being with Tingyun was far more relaxing than being with Jingliu.
Leaving Tingyun's office, Wende wandered around for a bit. Many new things had appeared on miHoYo Planet, such as supermarkets, restaurants, and the like.
These were all legitimate and compliant commercial activities conducted by outsiders who had received permission, signed certain agreements, and operated within designated areas. Dan Heng had directly copied and implemented the Corporation's set of regulations for managing a planet. It proved to be extremely effective; at the very least, they didn't have to rack their brains coming up with a bunch of messy rules.
Most of these outsiders were also Corporation employees. Their ways of earning extra cash were certainly simple and unadorned…
With the rising fame of miHoYo Interstellar Inc., miHoYo Planet also seemed to be becoming a hot spot. However, the planet was not yet open to the public; only the Corporation and a few partner factions could send personnel over. Because of this, the closest planet, Jarilo-VI, had recently enjoyed a surge in popularity. Many people from other star systems who couldn't directly enter miHoYo Planet chose to visit the still relatively dangerous Jarilo-VI instead, leaving Bronya, who was leading the "archaeological" site, completely dumbfounded.
She quickly recovered, however, and prepared to seize this hard-won opportunity!
After strolling through the pathetically small miHoYo street, Wende went to check on the Stellaron Hunters. To be honest, he hadn't understood what they were up to at first. But after overhearing part of their conversation, he suddenly felt that it wouldn't be a bad idea for miHoYo Interstellar Inc. to expand its business scope.
But for now… he should probably let the IPC catch its breath.
Speaking of which, he truly hadn't expected them to be working so hard.
In the Punklorde project team's office, Silver Wolf was diligently typing code, with the Honkai Impact 3rd dorm system running on a screen to the side. Kafka sat nearby, handling the newly opened customer service line with a smile, elegantly rejecting a user's request to increase the game's drop rates.
And Blade… uh…
Blade was wearing a black Punklorde-style uniform, leaning back in his chair with a water cup in hand. His eyes were glued to the monitor in front of him, which displayed a dense grid of security camera feeds.
"So, because he can't do anything but fight, he's just started working as a security guard…"
Looking at Blade's stern face, which somehow still exuded a sense of tranquil years, Wende thought that if he were polishing a pair of walnuts in his hand, he'd look the part perfectly!
Alright… the contrast was a bit too stark. If this were another timeline, Wende might have believed it possible, but this one… better forget it. It was already a miracle he wasn't lashing out and hurting people!
After wandering around for a while, he ran into "Grandpa Jing Yuan," who was still lingering on miHoYo Planet. This old man was the true embodiment of "tranquil years." He had found a small folding stool and a fishing rod from somewhere and was now fishing by a small river near the miHoYo company building.
"Yo! Isn't this Wende? How's the company doing? Feeling tired?"
The moment Jing Yuan sensed Wende's presence behind him, he raised a hand in a token greeting without even turning his head, his eyes still fixed on the bobber in the water.
"Yes, thank you for your concern, General. Everything at the company is fine. As for being tired, it's certainly a bit more tiring than trailblazing."
Wende replied politely to the slacker General before him. He had no choice. If you showed this guy even a hint of intimacy… you could just wait to be fleeced.
"Sigh, there are always difficulties when starting a business for the first time. It's a good thing for the Astral Express to have its own industry."
Jing Yuan nodded with a smile. For the Xianzhou, cooperating with miHoYo Interstellar Inc. not only strengthened their ties with the Astral Express but also brought them certain benefits. This way, both sides could further deepen their relationship. It was a win-win situation.
"But… why are the fish on this planet so hard to catch? I've been sitting here for two system hours…"
Jing Yuan stroked his chin, muttering to himself with a puzzled expression.
"Uh…"
Wende watched Jing Yuan's thoughtful look and scratched his head awkwardly.
He seemed to have forgotten to create a creature called "fish"… But it wasn't a big deal. He could probably just order a "family bucket" of the IPC's "Ecological Fish Package" from their website later.
After bidding farewell to Jing Yuan, Wende went to check on Dan Heng and Jingliu. Compared to the serene Blade and Jing Yuan, Dan Heng was working much harder.
Dan Heng was busy assigning tasks to a new batch of support staff from the Corporation who had arrived on miHoYo Planet. As for Jingliu…
"Phew… this tea is good. You should try some too."
At the very top of the miHoYo Building, Jingliu had transformed the space into a veritable "sky garden," furnished, of course, with a series of facilities bought from the Interastral Peace Corporation.
At this moment, she was leisurely reclining on a lounge chair, sipping on new tea freshly delivered from the Xianzhou, and beckoning Wende over.
Well… never mind. Four of the five High-Cloud Quintet members were now here, and three of them had reached retirement age. Dan Heng, the "youngster," would just have to keep working hard on his own… Maybe in this life, he too could enjoy retirement…
But speaking of which, Jingliu's current state was probably the best she could be in. No longer driven by Mara, acting entirely of her own will, free from the turmoil of the curse.
The defense of miHoYo Planet had been symbolically handed over to Jingliu. As for why it was only symbolic…
Did anyone really dare to cause trouble on miHoYo Planet right now?
---o---
"Wow! So this is the Archives? It looks so sci-fi… Is this Teacher Dan Heng's sleeping spot on the floor?"
Looking at the casually placed quilt and pillow on the floor, Kiana squatted down with a thoughtful expression.
"Baka Kiana, what are you doing staring at Teacher Dan Heng's bed?"
Bronya said with a sense of helplessness, looking at the ever-curious Kiana.
"I was just thinking, is Teacher Dan Heng so strong because he often sleeps on the floor?"
Kiana said with a dead serious expression.
"Uh… Kiana, did you actually pay attention to the story when you were playing the game?"
Mei's eye twitched as she looked at the pure clarity in Kiana's eyes.
"Of course… I read some of it?"
"Alright, it seems you've played Star Rail all this time for nothing."
Bronya shrugged helplessly.
"Let's start browsing the Data Bank. After all, understanding the universe is part of the Trailblaze."
Mei suddenly put on a stern face. Then, under Bronya's almost pleading gaze, she pushed her down into the chair at the Data Bank console.
"Kiana Today's task is to learn about all the Aeons and their Paths"
Mei said with a gentle expression.
"Ah! Spare me, Mei! I really can't remember all that!"
"Just pretend you're reading a Homu doujinshi. If you can't even remember these settings, then we might have to go back to St. Freya and seriously reconsider your academic performance."
Bronya reminded Kiana, her hands on her hips.
"Err… fine, I'll give it a try."
The mere thought of those impossibly difficult academic classes instantly deflated Kiana's bravado. The lore of these Aeons… had to be better than schoolwork, right?
Steeling herself, she opened the Data Bank's records on the Aeons. In the next instant, the light in Kiana's eyes vanished.
What was this dense wall of text?! …And she had only just opened the table of contents! Why was there so much more here than in the game's settings?!
Of course, this was normal. The real information about the Aeons couldn't possibly be so scarce. Everything related to an Aeon was worthy of being recorded in the "Data Bank."
"Uh… it does seem to be a bit much."
Mei looked awkwardly at the seemingly endless table of contents. This… wasn't quite what she had imagined.