Chapter 12: Jarilo VI, Here We Come!
A renowned female content creator has once again made an appearance, posting a screenshot below a character illustration of Wende on her Ac station space.
"Does anyone get it?! Why are all the guys trying to steal our husband?!"
Meanwhile, on a certain blue software starting with the letter 'P', fan art of Wende quickly surpassed a hundred pieces in just one night. Countless artists worked tirelessly through the night to create various images related to Wende, some of which are acceptable, while others are not...
In any case, Wende could never have imagined that his popularity points would be obtained in such a manner. If he knew, he would definitely buy a ticket as far away from the protagonist as possible, fearing for his chastity being taken in the middle of the night!
Fortunately, Wende is unaware of these matters. He is still considering what kind of template to create once he has accumulated enough five-star popularity points.
…………….
“Knock, knock, knock! Wende! Himeko said you’re coming with us this time!”
The energetic voice of March 7th interrupted Wende’s thoughts. Indeed, it was a bit early to be thinking about how to create a five-star character card. It's better to focus all energy on this expedition!
“Wait a moment! I’ll be right there!”
Wende grabbed a backpack, putting in the metal container of "secret black coffee" from Himeko, along with some basic daily necessities, just in case something unexpected happens in Belobog.
After preparing everything, Wende opened the door and headed toward the observation car...
………………
“Ready? Exciting adventure, here we come!”
March 7th shouted energetically from the train’s landing gear.
“Let’s go!”
Stelle, inspired by March 7's enthusiasm, joined in as they both gazed at Jarilo VI below, their hearts filled with endless imagination.
“Hmm… you’ll get used to it.”
Dan Heng patted Wende on the shoulder, noticing his slight unease.
“Well, I actually think it’s pretty good. After all, at least this exploration trip won’t be boring, right?”
Wende smiled as he looked at the two lively companions in front of him.
“Hmm.”
Dan Heng nodded in agreement.
A star emitting a blue light slowly descended onto the sky of Jarilo VI, landing on the only remaining human settlement on this icy planet.
“Belobog,” the last fortress of humanity against the eternal freeze.
Before the eternal freeze happened, Jarilo VI was a planet with spring-like weather all year round. Its residents used their diligence and wisdom to build a city unique to Jarilo VI and began connecting with the outside world.
After the Astral Express connected to Jarilo VI, its communication with the outside world became increasingly frequent, and the planet began to flourish.
The unique mineral of Jarilo VI, "geomarrow," was also loved by other civilizations, making Jarilo VI a famous "vacation planet" in the universe.
At that time, everyone believed that this planet would shine brightly in the galaxy like other dazzling stars.
However, the arrival of a stellaron shattered the planet’s and the Builders’ fantasies about the future.
The arrival of the stellaron brought disaster and turmoil to this beautiful planet. The once well-known vacation spot had become a playground for the antimatter legion.
To protect itself, Belobog’s original supreme guardian made a wish to the stellaron, leading to a freezing wave that engulfed the entire planet...
The cold prevented the antimatter legion’s destruction and cut off Jarilo VI’s connection with the outside world.
Since then, Jarilo VI became a lone ship in the vast universe, with Belobog being the last passenger on this small boat.
A thousand years later, the express, symbolizing exploration once again descended upon Jarilo VI, and a new struggle over the stellaron began...
…………
“Wow! It’s really a snowy world here!”
March 7th stepped out of the landing gear, gazing at the vast snow-covered landscape. She extended her hands to gently catch a falling snowflake, watching it melt into a droplet in the warmth of her palms, and sighed from the heart.
“It really is a snowy world!”
Stelle stretched and also marveled at the icy scene.
March 7th complained to Stelle, who echoed her words.
“Ugh~ where are we supposed to go in this endless whiteness?”
March turned to Dan Heng, the train’s guardian and the overseer of the think tank, knowing that asking him was always the right choice!
“According to the coordinates, the target is not far ahead.”
Dan Heng checked the landing gear’s position and then looked ahead. After the snowstorm, their destination was just beyond.
“So, why don’t we land directly there?”
Wende couldn’t help but grumble. If he wasn’t a pathstrider, he would have already frozen into a popsicle in this snowy world!
“Um… do you want me to explain, or should I leave it to little March?”
Dan Heng, feeling a bit embarrassed, handed the explanation over to March 7th.
“Well… I think we better not discuss it. Anyway, there are no creatures here, so it’s safe, right?”
Stelle’s eyes were somewhat inscrutable, as if she had caught a whiff of something amusing.
“In any case, it’s always better to be cautious. We still know very little about this world.”
Reflecting on the lessons from previous exploration trips, Dan Heng said seriously, looking at the carefree March 7th.
“Don’t worry! With the four of us, what can’t we solve?”
March 7th confidently patted Wende’s shoulder.
“Hiss…”
Seeing March’s proud demeanor, Wende couldn’t help but feel that she wasn’t entirely wrong.
Originally, the exploration team only included Stelle, March, and Dan Heng. However, with him added, the team now seemed complete.
Just look, now Stelle follows the path of destruction, Dan Heng follows the path of the hunt, March 7 follows the preservation, and Wende—well, his skills are like a mix between abundance and harmony. Whether it’s healing or support, he’s top-notch. If he’s also at six eidolons... hmm, with preservation added in, things could get a bit complicated!
“Right!”
Seeing Wende’s “that’s exactly right” expression, March 7th smiled and squinted her eyes.
“Stelle has a stellaron in her body, I have the unique Six Phased Ice powers, Dan Heng has… uh, a mysterious past of unknown origin, and Wende… uh… has the tragic experience of being sunk while traveling by ship??”
Seeing Wende’s helpless expression, March 7th was momentarily speechless. She didn’t actually know what special thing Wende had—being handsome could be considered special? It seems that Wende is the most mysterious among them!
“Alright, alright, one boat ride and it’s talked about for a lifetime.”
Wende rolled his eyes, feeling a bit speechless. She could at least praise him for being more handsome than others!
“Uh… anyway! Anyone who dares to cause trouble for us is in for a bad time!”
“Bad time for them!”
Stelle echoed appropriately.
“Hiss… How long has this repetition lasted?”
March 7th looked at Stelle, whose mental state seemed to be stabilizing, with a hint of concern.
“Did Mr. Yang knock some sense out of you? Or did you get brain damage from drinking Himeko’s coffee?”
……………
Reality
Countless players eagerly awaited the new update of Star Rail!
At 5 AM, the new update went live. Numerous AC station content creators had been waiting in the game, and a group of viewers unsatisfied with their own enjoyment were also eagerly awaiting in the live stream.
Finally, when the time came, all the content creators shouted "Star Rail! Start!" and then opened the task interface, heading to the Star Rail train to officially embark on their exploration journey.
Then, 80% of the content creators, after boarding the train and drinking a cup of Kizuna’s coffee, “died.”
“Huh?”
Kakaya stared in shock at the coffee that sent his character to the respawn point, holding his head in disbelief.
【Huh?】
【Huh??】
【Huh????】
【A favorite line of Star Rail players: Huh?】
“Seriously, this cup of coffee is more powerful than the doomsday beast’s mouth cannon!”
Kakaya couldn’t help but complain, as he was a “legendary figure” who had withstood the doomsday beast’s mouth cannon without a scratch, yet was taken down by an ordinary black coffee?
Unwilling to give up, Kakaya returned to the Star Rail train and, amidst a barrage of question marks in the live stream, took another sip of the coffee from the table.
“Coffee Enthusiast”
With a pleasant notification sound, Kakaya successfully earned a secret achievement reward, earning 5 star rail passes.
【Farewell! I’m logging on to drink coffee now!】
【That’s Himeko’s coffee! Calm down!】
【That’s five pulls! Five whole pulls! How can I calm down!】
【Honestly, I want Himeko’s coffee recipe!】
【What? Someone here wants to make biological weapons!】
After the coffee incident, Kakaya began the main mission.
Following a conversation with the train crew, the train’s next stop is the frozen planet known as Jarilo VI. Kakaya had already experienced this during testing, so there were no new surprises.
What he was really interested in was talking to the new character, Wende.
Originally, the train only had two carriages available for exploration, but after the public test, an additional carriage was added for players to visit. This new carriage includes Wende’s bedroom and the train’s kitchen.
It’s worth mentioning that players can enter Wende’s bedroom directly, but it’s quite plain with nothing of interest.
In the kitchen, players can see Wende cooking. Through conversation, players learn that since he shared some secrets with everyone, he has become the new logistics officer of the Star Rail train.
When players talk to Wende, he will also kindly remind them not to drink Himeko’s coffee.
Kakaya, who had drunk two cups: “…”
【My husband can cook too? Love it!】
【Didn’t Dan Heng mention before that Wende’s medical skills are quite similar to those of the Xianzhou? So, does that mean Wendel might be cooking dishes from the Xianzhou?】
【Wow, bringing a little bit of Xianzhou flavor to the express crew’s palate!】
“By the way, I’ve prepared some afternoon tea here. Would you like some?”
Wende in the game smiled as he handed the afternoon tea to the player.
“Item obtained: Wende’s carefully prepared afternoon tea set
Effect: Restores five skill points.
Afternoon tea carefully prepared by Wende, featuring cookies made with a rabbit mold paired with condensed milk, and a cup of flower tea from the Xianzhou Alliance, marking the start of a warm afternoon.”
【Ah~ he gave me something to eat, he cares about me!】
【You know what I want to say, right?.jpg】
Kakaya, having wandered around the train and teased Pom-Pom a bit, then found March 7th and started the exploration journey to Jarilo VI.