After hanging up the call, Robin put her headphones back on.
She glanced at the score and softly hummed a few notes of her new song.
Although her new album Air Chrysalis had been in preparation for some time, due to some disharmonious "notes" within her family, Robin's voice had been slightly affected, and even her usual inspiration had been dulled…
She still hadn't completed any finished songs.
But these two demo tracks…
were like an unexpected key to her creative wellspring.
The style of the songs suited her perfectly!
Robin even had a feeling…
as if they were tailor-made just for her!
In fact, she had previously composed two songs in a similar style,
but there had never been much concrete progress.
This time, however, Yu Ling had brought her a fully finished track!
Fortunately, Robin had already produced many well-loved songs in the past,
otherwise she might at this moment sigh:
Sigh, I feel like I've always been living in his shadow.
And in the collaboration request Yu Ling sent over,
there was another important detail—
Yu Ling wanted to make a dedicated MV for Swinging Alone in the Milky Way,
with the MV blending in game content from Honkai: Star Rail!
That made Robin even more excited.
"I think I have absolutely no reason to refuse~"
She began composing her reply,
carefully weighing each sentence—
Was this appropriate?
Would it sound too casual?
She wanted to show Yu Ling her sincerity and sense of honor as much as possible!
Meanwhile, at the Reverie Hotel—
After confirming that his younger sister wouldn't be venturing into the dreamscape to investigate Something Unto Death,
Sunday felt a bit more at ease.
Now, he could fully focus on handling the chaos here.
Bang bang bang!
Boom!
A burst of intense gunfire erupted from below,
making the already tense atmosphere even more agitated and uneasy!
On site, various factions had formed into small groups.
The moment the shots rang out,
they began whispering to each other.
The whole floor grew noisy.
"What happened?" Sunday asked.
A security guard beside him replied,
"Master, a group of armed forces attempted to break through the Hounds' blockade.
Both sides clashed in the transit plaza.
According to reports, no serious damage has occurred and the leaders have already been subdued."
Sunday nodded to indicate he understood.
It seemed like just a small incident,
but in truth, it was a snapshot of the current situation here.
If not for the presence of the Stellaron Hunters, the IPC's envoys, and Sparkle,
someone here would probably have already sparked a riot like the one below.
The family's mission was originally to expel dangerous elements from the universe—
yet now they had to rely on them to keep order…
The root cause was still that in the trailer,
Sunday had been shown opposing the Astral Express crew,
gaining the suspicion of being a "mastermind behind the scenes."
That had greatly eroded the family's credibility.
Thinking this over, Sunday glanced at the Express crew,
preparing to invite Mr. Welt or Ms. Himeko to cooperate.
Just then,
a faction spoke up:
"Mr. Sunday, we can no longer trust you.
That's right—the final boss of Penacony could very well be you!
We're not targeting you personally, but there are definitely problems within the family!
Until the plot is revealed, we will no longer submit to the family's authority.
Until the truth is clear, I only trust the Aeon of Remembrance!"
Sunday's gaze darkened.
Things were heading in the worst direction.
Not far away,
Sparkle hopped down from a railing,
mocking him with a gloating grin:
"What's with the long face, chicken-wing boy?
How about letting Lord Sparkle help you out?
I've got a button here—press it and everyone will be blown sky-high!
Saves you all this petty back-and-forth!"
Sunday refused without hesitation.
"No need, thank you."
What a joke—
this was family territory.
No matter how cornered he was, there was no way he'd blow up the hotel building.
Besides, he suspected the "button" wasn't even a bomb—
Sparkle was probably just here to mock him.
"Deadlock, deadlock… what to do?"
Sparkle stroked her chin, pretending to help him think,
but anyone could see she was openly mocking him.
The security guards beside Sunday were indignant on his behalf—
yet Sparkle was still a key player in this gathering,
possibly holding information about the future storyline,
so she could not be offended.
Suddenly, Sparkle exclaimed,
"Oh right!
If an Aeon descended here right now, wouldn't that break the stalemate?"
Sunday sighed helplessly.
"Please don't say ridiculous things like—"
But halfway through, he froze.
Because above the hotel,
a golden figure appeared!
It was as if he had stepped right out of a screen,
composed and poised,
standing tall in the void.
He instantly drew everyone's gaze.
"Ah?"
"That's…!?"
"Yu Ling in the flesh!?"
"I-Is that really him!?"
"How could he personally be here?!"
"My god! My life is complete!"
"Handsome! Even more handsome than on the livestream!"
"They say Yu Ling is an Aeon in the game—I didn't believe it before, but now… maybe!"
"Calm down! Calm—damn it, I can't calm down!"
"Yu Ling, please bless my next 50/50 to not lose!"
"Quick, take a picture and hang it above the bed—pray before every pull, guaranteed triple gold in ten pulls!"
The scene instantly erupted—
the once tense battlefield turned into a massive fan meeting.
Acheron, Aventurine, Himeko, Sparkle…
all looked on in surprise and doubt.
Why would Yu Ling himself appear at this moment?
They carefully and seriously studied this legendary figure.
The reason Lin Yu was here, of course,
was that he had already unlocked the latest version's storyline not long ago
and decided to come deliver it in person.
He remembered how, when he first experienced this part of the story,
he'd been frustrated by cliffhangers—
and now that he was a developer of Honkai: Star Rail,
he wasn't about to repeat that mistake.
Opening his eyes, he spoke calmly:
"I am Yu Ling, developer of Honkai: Star Rail.
I know you're confused about the situation in Penacony,
and uncertain about its future…
So I have brought the latest game storyline.
Through this newest chapter, I believe you will see…
the truth hidden within the dream."
After speaking, Tatsuke planned to withdraw his projection—
masters delivered their riddles and vanished,
keeping their fame intact.
The longer you stayed, the more your mystique diminished.
But he hadn't intended to be cryptic;
his words were already concise and clear.
At that moment,
Sunday realized this was a rare opportunity.
"Lord Yu Ling, it's an honor to meet you.
Although you've brought us the new storyline,
it requires a player to stream it live—
may I ask, who should play this role?"
It sounded like a simple question,
but it carried deeper meaning—
if Yu Ling answered "Anyone" or "It doesn't matter,"
Sunday would immediately assign a family member to the task,
then hype it as:
[Yu Ling personally appeared and authorized the family to premiere the new version live!]
Even if Yu Ling hadn't said it outright,
it would feel like an official endorsement.
Aventurine's face darkened—
he clearly understood the value hidden behind this question.
"Damn it, how did he react so fast?
If I'd asked first, this chance would've been mine!"
Tatsuke smiled faintly—
Sunday's plan was obvious to him.
"Since you ask, I do have someone in mind."
He raised his hand,
pointing toward a hotel room door—
which instantly transformed into a teleportation gate.
At that same moment,
Guinaifen, who was streaming from a space station,
suddenly felt a mysterious summons.
The next second,
the floor vanished beneath her,
and she dropped into the teleportation gate.
"Aaaaahhhhhh!!!"
Unaware of what was happening, she let out a sharp scream.
An instant later,
she appeared in the hotel corridor.
Every gaze turned toward her at once.
Her bangs had been blown straight up,
her expression screaming one word—bewildered.
It took her several seconds to realize she was surrounded by people,
all staring directly at her.
"???"
"What the hell!?"
"What's going on?"
"Who am I? Where am I? And what do you all want from me?"
To be continued…