Chapter 226: Stelle's Eureka Moment
Himeko mulled it over for a moment, ultimately conceding that Welt's plan was the most secure. The Astral Express was their home, their base of operations; they couldn't afford any mishaps.
She gave a firm nod. "Alright. Be careful, then. If you notice anything abnormal, sever the connection to that blue light screen immediately. Sunday, I'll have to trouble you to assist Mr. Welt."
From the edge of the communication feed, Sunday, projected through his proxy, inclined his head, his expression serious. "Understood, Ms. Himeko. I will do my utmost to ensure Mr. Welt's safety."
After the communication ended, Welt took a deep, steadying breath. His gaze returned to the shimmering blue panel that hovered before him, an invitation to another world.
The Harmony-blessed puppet under Sunday's control shifted its position slightly, placing itself between Welt and the unknown, a silent, immaculate guardian ready to react to any threat.
With the basic contingencies in place, Welt's hesitation vanished. He focused his will and selected [Yes] on the light screen.
In the time it had taken for the two men to deliberate, however, Stelle and the others had already been chatting with their new friends in Amphoreus for what felt like an eternity.
The newly joined Venti and Hu Tao, both masters of conversation with exceptional emotional intelligence, had woven themselves into the fabric of the group with remarkable speed. Venti's witty, lyrical humor and Hu Tao's quirky, off-the-wall remarks consistently drew chuckles from everyone, bathing the chat group in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Yet, amidst the jubilation, Stelle seemed somewhat distant. Her gaze was locked on the member list, her brow furrowing tighter and tighter with each passing moment.
Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer and sent a message that cut through the lighthearted banter.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "Um... everyone, hold on a sec. There's something I'm really worried about."
Her message brought the relaxed conversation to a halt.
[Genshin Impact · Paimon]: "What's wrong, Stelle? Did something happen?"
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "I clearly used two invitations at the same time to invite Himeko and Welt, but there's been no sign of them at all... Could something have happened to the Astral Express again? Or did the invitation mess up somehow?"
Stelle's text was laced with an obvious anxiety. Ever since entering Amphoreus, she had been cut off from the Express. Now that the invitations seemed to have failed, she couldn't help but fear the worst.
Reading Stelle's words, March 7th's own worry flared up instantly.
[Honkai: Star Rail · March 7th]: "Yeah! Why haven't Himeko and Welt come in yet?"
A evident tension spread between the three Trailblazers. Seeing their distress, the others quickly chimed in to soothe them.
[Genshin Impact · Lumine]: "Don't worry too much, Stelle, March. Maybe Ms. Himeko just got held up by something."
[Genshin Impact · Paimon]: "Yeah, yeah! Maybe she's busy making coffee and didn't see the message!"
[Zenless Zone Zero · Belle]: "Mhm, the invitations shouldn't fail that easily. Let's just wait a little longer."
[Genshin Impact · Zhongli]: "Generally speaking, since both were successfully invited, the mechanism itself should be sound. It is likely, as the others have said, that some other matter is occupying their attention."
Just as everyone had managed to talk Stelle and March 7th down from the ledge of their panic, the long-awaited system notification finally chimed through the chat group once more.
[[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle] has invited [Welt] to join the group. Let's welcome the newcomer!]
Seeing the message, Stelle and March 7th practically leaped out of their seats.
[Honkai: Star Rail · March 7th]: "Welt!!! You finally made it! We've been waiting for ages! We thought something went wrong on your end again. You scared me to death! (Crying.jpg)"
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "Welt! Thank goodness! You're okay! What about Himeko? Why isn't she here yet? Is the Astral Express in trouble?"
Having just handled the abnormal situation at Herta Space Station, Welt was still maintaining a high level of vigilance. But as he saw the familiar, vibrant usernames in the group—especially the concern from Stelle and March 7th that practically overflowed the screen—the heavy stone that had been lodged in his chest finally dropped halfway.
He carefully organized his words, needing to comfort the kids without completely dismissing the potential risks.
[Welt]: "Stelle, March, Dan Heng. I'm relieved to see that you are all safe and sound. As for the delay, we encountered an unknown attack just as we arrived at Amphoreus's coordinates, so Himeko and I were on high alert."
[Welt]: "She also received an invitation, but to ensure the absolute safety of the Astral Express, I decided to enter first and confirm the situation. For now, there are no obvious threats. I will notify Himeko shortly and have her join as well."
Reading Welt's explanation, Stelle and March 7th finally let out a collective sigh of relief. But Stelle's mind was already jumping ahead, latching onto another key issue.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "So that's what happened... It's good that you're okay! By the way, Welt, it's been many days now. Have you found Herta and Acheron? Did they agree to come help?"
From her perspective, a considerable amount of time had passed since they entered Amphoreus—more than enough for Welt and the others to have completed their mission to request reinforcements.
However, Welt's reply left the three Trailblazers, and indeed the entire chat group, utterly stunned.
[Welt]: "Many days? Stelle, are you certain? According to the Astral Express's chronometer and my own personal timing, from the moment your group separated and entered Amphoreus until now, only about one standard system hour has passed. Mr. Sunday and I have just arrived at Herta Space Station and haven't even had time to contact Ms. Herta."
The message was a stone cast into a placid lake, sending a thousand ripples of shock through the group.
[Honkai: Star Rail · March 7th]: "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Welt, we've clearly been here for at least seven or eight days!"
[Honkai: Star Rail · March 7th]: "Even though there's no day-night cycle here, we helped with the defense of Okhema, joined the group activities to explore three different regions of Amphoreus, and even fought several battles with the local gods! There's no way that was just one hour!"
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "Yeah! It definitely feels like more than an hour! We've experienced so much; it feels even longer than all the time we spent on Jarilo-VI!"
[Zenless Zone Zero · Wise]: "...The difference in time perception is that huge?"
The chat group fell into a brief, stunned silence. Everyone was reeling from this bizarre temporal discrepancy. It was Dan Heng who first offered a plausible speculation.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Dan Heng]: "If the timekeeping on both sides is correct, then the most likely explanation is this: the rate of time flow on the planet Amphoreus itself differs significantly from the standard cosmic rate we recognize. We may have experienced several days here, while only a moment has passed in the outside world."
His theory immediately ignited a flurry of discussion.
[Zenless Zone Zero · Belle]: "Wow! Just like in those old legends, 'a day in the mountains is a thousand years on earth'? Or that story about the 'Dream of the Golden Millet'?"
[Genshin Impact · Hu Tao]: "Ooh? Like watching a game of chess in a cave for so long the handle of your axe rots away? Interesting! It seems this Amphoreus is a very special place indeed!"
[Venti]: "Hmm... a discrepancy in the flow of time between different worlds. That certainly sounds like something from a bard's tale."
Belle's words, however, sent Stelle's train of thought careening down a completely different track. Her eyes widened as a wild idea took root.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "Could it be that this place is... a low-spec training room?! If we cultivated here for decades, and only one or two days passed outside... wouldn't that be a massive profit? Wait, that's it!"
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me!
Want to read ahead on our official home, or unlock 50 advanced chapters (plus an Ad-Free experience) to feed your addiction? Help keep this shameless translator alive here:
(P.S. Replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
🌐 Official Website: elysianreads[.]com
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters & Ad-Free): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]