Chapter 219: March, Shut Stelle Up!
Stelle immediately shrank her neck, clasping her hands together and bowing repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! March! I know I was wrong! It was all my fault! I didn't control my strength!"
"When we get back, I promise I'll go with you to apologize to Yanqing! I'll prepare the most generous apology gifts and beg for his forgiveness! I swear!"
Seeing Stelle's sincere—and admittedly, slightly pitiful—expression as she owned up to her mistake, most of March 7th's anger dissipated. In truth, she wasn't truly blaming Stelle as much as she was heartbroken over the precious gift her master had given her.
She huffed, then waved a dismissive hand. "Hmph! That's more like it! And I have to approve the apology gifts first! Anything less than completely sincere won't do!"
"Absolutely, absolutely!" Stelle promised in a rush.
Seeing that March 7th was no longer pressing the issue, the rest of the group shared a relieved laugh. Naturally, there were no longer any objections regarding the sword's ownership. The powerful divine weapon was now Stelle's, who was indeed lacking a proper blade at the moment.
Although the process of claiming it had been a bit boisterous, her actions had ultimately secured everyone's tacit acceptance. After all, she was the one most in need of a new weapon, and this particular sword, humming with the raw spirit of conflict, seemed a perfect match for someone who wielded the powers of both Preservation and Destruction.
With that, the spoils of war were finally distributed. Everyone had received something, and more, the team's atmosphere remained harmonious and enthusiastic.
A satisfied grin spread across Stelle's face as she eagerly wrapped her hand around the sword's hilt. The dark red blade seemed to tremble in response, as if connecting with its new master's aura. She flicked her wrist, attempting a flourish, her stance brimming with vigor.
Then, she formed a two-fingered sword seal with her left hand and, with a solemn expression, slowly traced the air from the weapon's guard to its tip. Her serious demeanor truly gave her the air of a wandering martial hero from an ancient tale.
She cleared her throat and announced gravely to the blade in her hand, "I've decided! I shall bestow my name upon you! From this day forward, you shall be called... Star Sword!"
Everyone: "???"
The naming method... while simple and direct, was certainly in line with Stelle's usual style.
However, before anyone could react, Stelle herself couldn't help but let out a proud chuckle. "How about it? Isn't that a great name? It sounds just like 'Starship'! When enemies hear me shout 'Star Sword' in the future, they'll be so startled! They'll think I can summon a giant Star Rail battleship to bombard them at any moment!"
An eerie silence descended upon the ruins.
An invisible, frigid wind seemed to blow through the group, carrying away all sound and warmth. Stelle's pun had successfully plunged the atmosphere to a freezing point.
"..." Dan Heng silently averted his gaze.
"..." Zhongli raised a hand to his lips, a light cough concealing a barely perceptible smile.
Lumine rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
Paimon, along with the three Amphoreans—Mydei, and Castorice—looked utterly bewildered. They didn't quite grasp the wordplay, but they could feel the sudden, awkward chill in the air.
Belle and Wise exchanged a glance, a silent, mutual agreement to stay out of it passing between them.
Stelle looked at the complete lack of reaction, scratching her head. "What? Not funny? Should I try another one? How about..."
"Stelle, shut up!"
March 7th finally snapped, her shout cutting off the second terrible joke that was about to escape Stelle's lips. She pointed an indignant finger at her friend. "Where in the worlds did you learn to tell such awful jokes?!"
Though March was complaining, Stelle didn't seem to mind in the slightest. In fact, she seemed even prouder that someone had engaged with her pun, even if it was just to scold her.
Meanwhile, a few smiles finally broke through the confusion on the faces of Castorice, Phainon, and Mydei. After this little interlude, they had come to fully understand one thing: the girl from beyond the stars operated on a logic entirely her own, one that could never be predicted by common sense.
They now knew that if they ever had a question about her in the future, the best approach was to ask her directly. Trying to guess what she would do next was a fool's errand—you would never get it right and might even find your own thought process led astray.
After the bout of laughter and commotion finally settled, the distribution of spoils was complete. It was time to leave the war-torn ruins of Hanging Edge City and return to Okhema.
The members of the chat group could, of course, use their Domain Anchors for instant teleportation. Phainon, Mydei, and Castorice, however, couldn't use this special ability. It also seemed like overkill to have Belle and Wise open the Gate of a Hundred Worlds again for such a short distance.
Phainon proactively stepped forward, addressing the Astral Express and Liyue crews. "Everyone, you are guests from afar, and you have fought so hard for Amphoreus. There's no need for you to accompany us on the long trek back to Okhema. Please, use your anchors to return first. We will follow shortly."
Everyone wanted to politely refuse, as a short journey was nothing after facing life and death together.
But Phainon was clearly being considerate. He continued, looking at Stelle, "Stelle, do you happen to have a spare Bamboo Dragonfly? If possible, could you lend one to Castorice? As for Mydei, I'll fly him myself."
He had been carried by Stelle before, and while the experience hadn't been the smoothest, he had a rough grasp of the controls. He figured he could manage one passenger and was keen to let Mydei experience the 'joy' of flight for himself.
Just then, Paimon zipped over and pulled a spare Bamboo Dragonfly from her personal dimensional space. "Use mine! I got one in my last ten-pull. I was saving it to give to Klee the next time I go back to Mondstadt... but you can use it first! Just remember to return it!"
Castorice curiously took the small, toy-like device, her eyes alight with scientific inquiry. "Thank you. Is this the wondrous creation that allows one to fly?"
She carefully placed it on her head as instructed. As she felt the faint buzzing and the gentle sensation of lift, a look of pure amazement washed over her face.
Stelle waved her hand grandly. "Just use it! Don't be shy! As long as you don't break it! Well then, we'll be heading off first!"
She rubbed her stomach, an expectant look on her face. "I got up early, fought a tough battle all day... my energy is almost depleted! I'm so hungry I could eat a whole pig right now! It's the perfect time to head back and have Aglaea prepare a huge feast to reward us all!"
"Hungry!"
Stelle's words were like a switch, instantly triggering Paimon's keyword.
After the series of battles, especially the last few reality-bending 'optimizations'and'time-stops', Paimon's stamina was long gone. She had been running on pure adrenaline and excitement until now.
Prompted by Stelle, the suppressed, extreme hunger she'd been holding back instantly swept over her like a tsunami.
Grrruuuumble~~~
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