Honkai Star Rail: Corruption System

Countless thoughts flashed through Daziel's mind as he simulated all sorts of possibilities for Himeko wanting to speak with him alone.

Perhaps it was about the treasure clues left by that mysterious Mikhail. Perhaps it was a hidden conspiracy descuentos Stellaron Hunters.

Or maybe it was about the Interastral Peace Corporation's complex movements in Penacony.

But he had never, ever anticipated that the actual script would veer wildly in such an absurd, intimate, and heart-stoppingly fast direction! The result was actually…

Himeko didn't immediately answer Daziel's almost shouted question. Instead, a meaningful, alluringly languid curve graced the corners of her exquisite lips.

She leaned forward slightly again, that unique warm breath of a mature woman, like a magical feather, gently brushing against Daziel's sensitive earlobe.

The rich fragrance of her body mixed with the mellow aroma of coffee, becoming clearer and more intense, as if weaving an invisible net to envelop and devour Daziel's very soul.

"That, Daziel, is merely one insignificant reason." Himeko's voice was extremely low, carrying a deadly magnetism, like a lover's intimate whisper, each syllable striking Daziel's heartstrings.

"That child, Herta, she should have told you, right? In the Simulated Universe, she observed that unsettling prophecy about the 'King of the End's' advent?"

Daziel's heart skipped a beat, and a strong premonition of unease washed over him like an icy tide, instantly submerging him.

"The one mentioned in the prophecy… the savior."

Himeko's eyes, deep as a sea of stars, gazed at Daziel. Deep within her pupils, countless stars seemed to flicker and swirl, reflecting his currently panicked face.

"From that moment on, Daziel, my gaze has never truly left you."

She let out a soft laugh, a laugh tinged with a hint of teasing, an indescribable complex emotion, and even a trace of… A deep-seated loneliness she herself hadn't even realized.

As if counting precious treasures, Himeko slowly recounted Daziel's experiences since he embarked on his Trailblazing journey.

"In Belobog, you blessed the women there with your... essence; then on the Xianzhou Luofu, that certain someone from the Divination Commission already has an ambiguous relationship with you.

Last time, you brought the current Dragonarch (High Elder Imbibitor Lunae) onto the Express, and Pom-Pom isn't oblivious either…"

Himeko's gaze lingered on Daziel's face, her eyes a mixture of inquiry, admiration, and an almost imperceptible trace of a mature woman's unique loneliness and longing.

"You really… get around, don't you, Daziel."

Her breath, warm and fragrant, sprayed like an electric current onto the skin of Daziel's neck, sending an uncontrollable shiver down his spine.

Daziel's entire face flushed crimson in an instant. His heart hammered like an out-of-control war drum, almost bursting through his chest and leaping out of his throat.

He felt as if stripped bare by an invisible hand, utterly exposed to Himeko's knowing gaze. All his thoughts, all his secrets, had nowhere to hide.

Extreme embarrassment, intense shock, and an unspeakable panic engulfed him like a surging tide.

He tried to open his mouth, wanting to explain something, but found his throat terribly dry.

Every syllable was stuck deep in his throat, completely suppressed by Himeko's powerful aura and the intimate rhythm of her words, unable to move.

Just as Daziel was at a loss, about to be completely melted and devoured by this almost palpably thick, intimate atmosphere—

Himeko suddenly reined in her criminally seductive teasing. She sat up a little straighter, creating some distance.

The expression on her face instantly turned serious and earnest, as if everything that had been so heart-stirring moments ago was merely a meticulously crafted prelude designed to lower his guard and lead to the main topic.

"About the 'King of the End' prophecy, perhaps… it's not the whole story."

Himeko's tone became grave, carrying an undeniable solemnity.

"Akivili, before Their unfortunate demise, also seemed to have left behind some… extremely fragmented pieces of information, or, to be more precise… a kind of warning."

The titillating ambiguity in the air quietly dissipated, replaced by a heavy sense of gravity concerning the fate of the universe.

"According to some unconfirmed rumors I've heard," Himeko's eyes sharpened, locking onto Daziel like searchlights.

"It's said that within the dreamscape of this city that never sleeps, there exists an extremely popular 'Dream Emporium'.

The owner seems to be… a fellow with rather large eyes, apparently called something like… 'Dr. Edward'?"

Her gaze grew even sharper, as if it could pierce through layers of mist to reach the core of the truth.

"Rumor has it that this shop might very well hold… an extremely precious Dream Bubble belonging to Akivili, the Trailblaze. And within that Dream Bubble, perhaps, lies the key information to unraveling some of the mysteries that have troubled us for so long."

"So, Daziel, if you have the chance during this Penacony journey, why don't you go explore there? You might have some unexpected gains."

Himeko gazed at Daziel with utmost seriousness, her tone filled with anticipation and entrustment.

A Dream Bubble of Akivili? A thought stirred in Daziel's mind, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Is that thing… really useful?

In his "memories," such a segment about Akivili's Dream Bubble did exist in the original plot.

But that Dream Bubble ultimately proved to be almost worthless. The information Akivili left inside was vague and unclear, like trying to listen through thick frosted glass, making it impossible to hear any useful content.

However… Daziel reconsidered.

Since Himeko was mentioning this so solemnly now, and the timeline of this world had already undergone some uncontrollable changes… The content of that Dream Bubble might have changed.

But what kind of content would it be?

"Daziel, what are you spacing out for? Are you even listening to me?"

Himeko's slightly dissatisfied voice forcibly dragged Daziel's wandering thoughts back from distant conjectures to reality.

He quickly suppressed the agitation caused by Himeko's earlier words and actions, as well as the turmoil of confusion and speculation in his mind.

He nodded seriously and replied, "I've noted it down, Himeko. I'll keep an eye out."

His voice was still a little hoarse. Evidently, he hadn't fully recovered from the shock of Himeko's earth-shattering "You really get around, don't you?" and her hint about her own loneliness just moments before.

Then, receiving such serious and important information immediately after, his brain was having some trouble processing it all, feeling like he'd been on an emotional rollercoaster.

However, Himeko didn't give him much time to digest and think. She seemed eager to get all "official business" out of the way and immediately threw out a second bombshell.

"There's one more thing you need to pay special attention to."

Himeko picked up the coffee cup from the table again, her long, slender fingers unconsciously caressing the warm side of the cup, her eyes becoming profound.

"Do you still remember that 'Invitation' our Astral Express received from Penacony's 'Family'?"

Daziel's gaze instantly sharpened, and a sense of vigilance rose within him.

He asked in a low voice, "The invitation? That invitation… is there something wrong with it?"

"The surface text of the invitation reads: 'We cordially invite the distinguished guests of the Family to Penacony, to join other guests in attending the grand banquet.' It was precisely based on this formal invitation that we decided to accept and ultimately appear here."

A serious note that couldn't be ignored laced Himeko's voice.

"This 'Invitation' sent by the 'Family' came in the form of an exquisitely designed music box. Normally, winding its clockwork would play the invitation's content accompanied by harmonious and pleasant music.

However…," Himeko's tone shifted, her brow furrowing slightly.

"This music box that was delivered to our Express seemed a bit… strange. Amidst the main melody it played, there seemed to be some extremely faint, extremely subtle… discordant noises."

Daziel understood immediately and interjected.

"And then? Himeko, what did you discover?"

Although, relying on his knowledge of the "plot," he had already roughly guessed what Himeko was about to reveal.

At this moment, he had to play the role of an oblivious listener. The acting had to be convincing.

Himeko put down her coffee cup, her gaze burning as she looked at Daziel.

"I transcribed those subtle noises separately. After careful analysis, I discovered that their frequency characteristics were an astonishingly perfect match for the specific gravitational wave frequencies generated when our Astral Express performs a space warp!"

"And when I tried to use the Express's main engine's spatial curvature parameters as the decryption key for this noise—"

Himeko's voice dropped slightly, tinged with the gravity and excitement of discovering a major secret.

"I obtained this, the true message hidden beneath the invitation—" She enunciated each word clearly:

"'...Witness all the impossible debauchery in dreams, seek out the legacy of Penacony's father, the 'Clockmaker,' and then answer: For what reason do hormones surge.'"

Looking at these slightly incongruous lines, Daziel's expression became a little odd.

From the mystery of why life sleeps, to why hormones surge… That profound philosophical touch seemed to have vanished instantly.

However, this wasn't the time to complain about it.

Daziel tilted his head and asked Himeko curiously.

"Himeko, don't you find these lines a bit strange?"

Himeko looked somewhat puzzled and retorted.

"What's so strange about them? Isn't it normal for a riddle to be designed a bit oddly?"

Alright, it seems the fundamental concepts of people in this world have indeed changed. As expected of an inner world.

Since Himeko didn't find anything amiss, there was no need to dwell on it.

"I see, it's nothing then," Daziel timely put on an expression of appropriate surprise and then said.

"This hidden message… do the others on the Express, Uncle Welt and the others, know about it too?"

Himeko nodded lightly, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes as she explained:

"Yes, Welt and Dan Heng already know. But you've been spending most of your time with Sparkle.

Although she's temporarily staying on the Express, she is, after all, one of the Masked Fools…"

Mentioning Sparkle, Himeko's expression held an almost imperceptible strangeness and vigilance.

"You should have heard that old rumor, right? When Akivili was still around, Aha, the Aeon of Elation, once disguised Themselves as a mortal, infiltrated the Express, and finally found an opportunity to blow half the Express and a planet to smithereens."

Daziel's lips twitched, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"Yes, of course, I know about that. As a Nameless, there's no reason I wouldn't have heard about it."

"So, I've always been wary of the Masked Fools." Himeko's tone grew more solemn.

"With Sparkle around, many things couldn't be said openly. Choosing to stay with you alone in this double room was precisely to avoid her and ensure the secure transmission of information, so that…"

Daziel had a sudden realization, a weight lifting from his heart. He let out a long sigh of relief.

"Oh! So that's how it is! Himeko, you've gone to a lot of trouble.

I thought… I thought it was because of all that messy stuff from before, you saying you were getting old and lonely or something… You scared me!"

He patted his chest in relief. Great, Himeko is still that reliable and dependable navigator, the matriarch of the Express crew, not really…

"..." Himeko whispered almost inaudibly, a blush quickly flitting across her cheeks, her voice so soft it almost dissipated into the air.

"Loneliness… that was a big part of it too, you know."

Her voice was too low, and Daziel, completely immersed in the relief of the "misunderstanding being cleared up," didn't hear her clearly.

The shadow of the King of the End's prophecy, the clue of Akivili's-legacy Dream Bubble, plus Mikhail's secret message hidden in the invitation…

One by one, they weighed heavily on Daziel's mind.

After all the serious "official business" was concluded, the atmosphere in the room didn't lighten as expected. Instead, it once again became subtle and ambiguous.

Himeko's body relaxed again, and she leaned back lazily against the soft sofa back. Her deep eyes were locked onto Daziel, her gaze intense, as if wanting to see through him completely, inside and out.

Daziel's mind was still racing, thinking about the Clockmaker's treasure, pondering Akivili's Dream Bubble, and how to deal with the various changes that might occur next.

The air seemed to solidify, becoming thick and heavy, carrying a silent oppression.

Finally, Himeko broke the silence first.

Her voice carried a hint of almost imperceptible resentment, clearly dissatisfied with Daziel's lack of response, yet also as if she had mustered a kind of do-or-die resolve.

"Alright, official business is over." She leaned slightly forward, her gaze fixed on Daziel's eyes.

Each word fell like a soft feather, yet landed like a heavy hammer deep within Daziel's heart.

"Now… shouldn't we talk about us, Daziel?"

"Tell me…"

"Towards me…"

"Do you really… not have any other kinds of thoughts at all?"

Himeko's words, spoken with a raised tone, drilled into Daziel's ears with absolute clarity!

He snapped back to reality as if struck by an electric current. Alarm bells screamed wildly in his mind, and the hairs on his body stood on end in an instant!

What is this situation?! This isn't in the script!

Faced with Himeko's direct, bold, almost interrogative words, Daziel instinctively wanted to retreat, to dodge, to find any excuse to brush it off, even silence would be better.

However, Himeko clearly had no intention of giving him any chance to escape.

She suddenly lunged forward! Her movement was astonishingly fast!

Daziel only saw a blur before an irresistible force pushed him heavily onto the soft back of the sofa.

Himeko propped her hands on the sofa on either side of his body, leaning down slightly, forming an absolutely dominant posture, trapping him firmly between herself and the sofa.

The rich, unique fragrance of a mature woman mixed with the faint scent of coffee, like the most potent drug, instantly enveloped and shrouded Daziel completely.

His psychological reverence for her made it impossible for him to struggle effectively; he could only passively endure this sudden, intensely aggressive assault.

Under the dim, ambiguous lighting of the room, Himeko's face was inches away, exquisitely flawless.

Those red eyes, usually gentle and smiling, were now surging with emotions of extreme complexity—there was probing, desire, unwillingness, and even a burning, desperate recklessness.

"Don't, Himeko! You… you calm down! Don't be like this…"

Daziel tried to push her away, but subconsciously, facing this navigator who was like a sister, a mentor, a family member, he didn't dare to truly resist with force.

In his panic, his hands flailed randomly, inadvertently snagging the shoulder strap of her white dress and pulling it down sharply!

A soft "rip" sound. The strap slipped, revealing a stretch of snowy, delicate shoulder and an exquisite collarbone, glistening enticingly under the light.

Their breaths instantly intertwined, their noses almost touching.

Daziel could clearly feel the heart-stopping warmth radiating from Himeko's body, and the equally rapid, violent beating of her heart in her chest.

Thud-thud, thud-thud, as if about to synchronize with his own.

An atmosphere of extreme intimacy and an unspeakably dangerous aura instantly filled the entire space, squeezing every inch of air, suffocating.

Daziel's mind went blank, leaving only the overwhelming, undeniable premonition that he was "about to be kissed," and the dizzy spells brought on by his wildly beating heart.

In that hair's breadth moment, as their lips were about to touch, as the intimacy was about to boil over to its peak—

"Knock, knock, knock!"

A series of crisp and extremely abrupt knocks on the door, like a cold, sharp blade, instantly shattered the suffocating, intensely titillating atmosphere!

Then, before anyone inside could respond, a male voice, tinged with a lazy magnetism and a roguish smile, clearly penetrated the heavy door panel.

"Anyone home? Excuse me… may I come in and sit for a while?"

Hearing this voice, Himeko's expression changed abruptly. Like a startled cat, she lightning-fast pulled the slipped shoulder strap of her white dress back up, covering the enticing spring scenery.

"Click." Before Daziel or Himeko could react, the door swung open.

Aventurine leaned casually against the doorframe, his well-tailored suit accentuating his tall figure.

His golden hair shimmered charmingly under the soft corridor lights, like flowing molten gold.

His distinctive iris-hued eyes, filled with undisguised, intense interest and a hint of mockery, slowly swept over the two on the sofa, whose posture was extremely ambiguous and whose clothes were slightly disheveled from the earlier struggle.

A playful, perfectly measured curve touched Aventurine's lips, his tone carrying an exaggerated air of feigned surprise.

"Oh my, oh my, it seems I've come at a rather inopportune moment?"

"I didn't disturb your… hmm, refined interest in deeply… conversing, did I?"

Daziel, a mix of shock, embarrassment, and anger, almost reflexively shot up from the sofa.

At the same time, he instinctively shielded Himeko, whose shoulder strap marks were still visible and whose cheeks had quickly flushed red, behind him.

The blush on Himeko's cheeks, like an evening glow on a snowy peak, vanished in an instant.

She quickly straightened her slightly rumpled skirt and the hair at her temples, regaining her usual composure and elegance.

Only in the depths of her profound eyes, a ripple of emotion and vexation seemed to linger, not yet completely dispersed.

"Mr. Aventurine, for you to come uninvited, and even barge in by opening the door directly, is exceedingly impolite."

Daziel's voice was filled with suppressed rage, his eyes glaring coldly at the uninvited guest at the door.

Aventurine nonchalantly spread his hands, his face wearing his trademark business smile, somewhere between sincere and insincere.

"Apologies, apologies, my friend."

His tone was light and carefree, as if he were just passing by.

"But seeing as I generously helped you out with a small matter during the day, how about you forgive this tiny, harmless breach of etiquette?"

Daziel fought to control his anger and demanded.

"So, how did you get the key to this room?"

"Oh, that. This was originally the room I booked. I specifically gave it up for you, my friend."

Aventurine showed a somewhat innocent expression, his smile widening.

"Lucky building number, lucky floor, lucky room number… I went to a great deal of trouble to book such a prime spot."

He shrugged, a hint of cunning in his eyes.

"Although I don't know why, the hotel forgot to retrieve my spare room card… Perhaps Penacony's backend system is having issues again."

Daziel's brows furrowed tightly. He cut him off impatiently.

"Get to the point! What do you want, coming here?"

The smile on Aventurine's face receded slightly. A barely perceptible glint of shrewdness flashed in his iris-hued eyes, like a gambler about to reveal his hand.

"Naturally, I'm here to find you, my dear Trailblazer friend, to make a deal."

He paused, leaning forward slightly, lowering his voice. His tone became meaningful, carrying a certain allure.

"A deal… concerning that superstar, Miss Robin."

A chill ran down Daziel's spine.

"What do you mean? What does this have to do with Robin?"

Aventurine's familiar, confident smile returned to his lips as he retorted, "Don't you think… that dazzling Miss Robin, there's something… very off about her?"

___

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