Honkai Star Rail: I Can Hear Their Secrets

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Luofu, Cloudford

Welt adjusted his glasses, appearing puzzled.

He never expected their first stop upon arriving at Luofu to be a transportation port.

As its name suggested—"Goods flow like rivers, treasures weave as clouds"—this bustling hub was known as Cloudford. It processed massive volumes of cargo from various worlds day and night. During quieter moments, one could even stroll around the port, meticulously counting the merchandise transported by each daily star ferry.

Gazing at the densely packed containers before them, March 7th couldn't help but grumble:

"Wow, just rows upon rows of these boxes, stretching endlessly."

"This doesn't look like a place for passengers; it's more like a cargo dock!"

"Who led us here?"

"So creepy—such a busy port with not a single person in sight!"

Stelle stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Seeing people here would actually be scarier."

March 7th's face showed alarm. "Eek, don't say anymore!"

"In horror movies, any character suddenly appearing is bound to be the villain behind the scenes!"

"Uncle Yang, what should we do?"

Welt spoke firmly, "We start by finding the person who opened the Jade World Gate."

"If this person has ulterior motives, it might just save us some trouble."

"And if they're staff, we can inquire about what happened from them."

Stelle, uncertain, asked, "What if we can't defeat them?"

March 7th silently placed her hands on her hips, looking quite smug. "I won't blame you for saying such naive things."

"You haven't yet fully grasped Uncle Yang's capabilities..."

Welt calmly stated, "Let's move on, but stay vigilant."

Following the signs at Cloudford Port, the group continued walking for some time until they quickly noticed something unusual around a corner.

In that corner stood a trash bin emitting a faint golden glow.

"A t-trash bin!"

With anticipation gnawing at him, Stelle rushed towards it before March 7th and Welt could even voice their warnings.

"Hey, be careful! What if it's some kind of trap?" March 7th urgently called out.

Unheeding, Stelle persistently sprinted to the glowing trash bin in the corner.

Under the mixed gazes of March 7th and Welt,

Stelle hastily retrieved a canned soda bean juice.

On the label of the soda bean juice was a note: For Girls Only, Unopened and Brand New.

"I found a can of soda! This is great!"

Pop.

Without hesitation, Stelle opened the pull-tab, tilted back her snow-white neck, and began drinking.

"Eww—gross!" After just one sip, she couldn't help but spit it out. "Is this supposed to be soda bean juice or slop?"

March 7th remained silent.

Welt was equally speechless.

Why would she rummage through the trash? Could it be that little March and Dan Heng isolated her, causing immense stress and triggering such peculiar behavior? But neither March nor Dan Heng seemed like the type to do that; their usual interactions appeared quite amicable.

Welt fell into a wave of self-blame, wondering if he and Himeko had inadvertently neglected the child too much.

Undeterred, Stelle took a few more steps and continued searching through nearby chests:

Tattered white stockings - useless. Soda bean juice with a stinky tofu flavor - useless. Half-drunk milk tea - useless.

Damn it, why is everything such worthless junk?!

Why are all the chests on this Xianzhou filled with rubbish?

Finally, she approached the last chest, which also held her highest expectations.

Buzz—

"Hey, hey, hey! Your little cutie suddenly appears!"

Before Stelle could open the chest, Su Jinyan's head popped out first.

Last night, he had pondered for hours, trying to determine what would be considered the most unique piece of junk. Eventually, Su Jinyan reached his conclusion.

Athletic gear wears out, saury fish goes stale, fine juices spoil, but I—I'll forever be a songstress!

I am Xianzhou Luofu's most exceptional trash (with pride)!

Su Jinyan watched as the aloof gray-haired girl paused and began contemplating. He observed her expression shift from surprise to bewilderment, then confusion, uncertainty, and finally, uncontrollable fury on her normally cool face.

This was too entertaining; he'd never seen such a rich range of emotions play across someone's features before.

Wait, hold on, why does she look somewhat familiar?

"It's you—!" Su Jinyan and Stelle simultaneously pointed at each other, exclaiming in unison.

Without hesitation, Stelle pulled out her baseball bat, ready to beat him to death. Facing a dangerous adversary, her reaction was purely instinctual self-defense.

March 7th and Welt simultaneously displayed expressions of shock.

"Stop immediately! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Stelle, halt!"

Thud!

Before Stelle could even strike, Su Jinyan collapsed to the ground, wailing pitifully.

Stelle stared, bewildered.

March 7th's expression shifted slightly. Oh no, have we scared him into paralysis? With this thought, she hastily rushed forward to help Su Jinyan.

Stelle waved her hand to stop March 7th. "Little March, don't move!"

Welt approached with a serious demeanor. "Stelle, do you know each other? Is he your enemy?"

Stelle slowly responded, "I don't know him personally, but I recognize that face!"

"Anyone bearing such a face must be wicked."

Earlier, at the inn within the Simulated Universe...

The bartender had blocked Su Jinyan at the entrance, inadvertently revealing his appearance before he put on the Fool's Mask, which Stelle caught sight of.

Normally, it wouldn't have mattered, but this guy had deceived her out of a Cosmic Fragment. Consequently, Stelle's impression of that face was deeply ingrained.

Welt wholeheartedly agreed with her sentiment; indeed, some individuals' true nature can be discerned just by looking at their faces.

However, as the leader, Welt couldn't allow Stelle to provoke unnecessary conflicts at Luofu, especially not based on superficial judgments. Being unfamiliar with the place, such actions would only work against them.

Welt's tone was stern. "Stelle, don't succumb to stereotypes and never judge someone by their appearance."

"Now, help this gentleman up."

Obediently, Stelle assisted Su Jinyan back onto his feet. "My apologies, sir. I might have mistaken you for someone else..."

"No, you clearly pointed at me with shock just now. Do you recognize me?"

The gray-haired girl released her hold on Su Jinyan and glared at him menacingly.

With a thud, Su Jinyan fell back to the ground once again.

Welt remained silent—well, earlier they could've claimed it was merely a self-inflicted fall, but now there's no way out of this predicament.

Su Jinyan's eyes darted, and he began wailing pitifully.

"Aiyo—!"

March 7th hurriedly supported Su Jinyan, concern evident in her voice. "Hey, are you okay?"

"My name is March 7th, you can call me March. He's Walter Yang, but I usually call him Uncle Yang."

"And she, she's called—"

Stelle proudly puffed out her chest. "Call me Galaxy Bat Hero."

"Uh, don't mind her," March 7th quickly added. "Are you hurt from the fall? Does it hurt anywhere?"

Su Jinyan began to wail dramatically, "Ow, my elbow!"

"Aiyo, my knee! Aiyo, my lower back!"

March 7th's face paled with shock. "Is everything injured?!"

Su Jinyan gently drew a breath. "Actually, nothing hurts at all~"

March 7th covered her blushing cheeks. "At this point, let's not use elimination methods."

"Well, since nothing hurts, why don't we try walking again?"

"I'll give it a go," Su Jinyan agreed.

"Okay."

Lying on the ground, Su Jinyan circled around himself like the hands of a clock.

Unable to resist, March 7th helped him up. "Take it slow now."

"You can walk, but...you're moving just like those clock hands."

Gratefully, Su Jinyan responded, "Miss March, you truly are such a kind person. And thank you for helping me up, unlike that troublemaker over there—"

With pride, Stelle interjected, "Yes, I am indeed a troublemaker. Surprised you figured it out so quickly."

Su Jinyan stared, incredulous. What the f*ck? You take no shame in it; instead, you boast about it?

March 7th was caught between laughter and tears. "Oh dear, given the situation, please stop causing more chaos."

Sighing, Su Jinyan said, "If it were someone else with gray hair here, they'd never admit knocking me down, even if their life depended on it."

Nodding in agreement, March 7th echoed, "Indeed, indeed..." before pausing abruptly, "...huh?"

Upon closer inspection, the man before her was indeed strikingly handsome and exceptional in appearance. However, she had a gut feeling that his demeanor resembled Sambor's somewhat, carrying a hint of a con artist's vibe.

Recalling what Stelle mentioned earlier, March 7th's eyes gradually brightened.

Could it be true? Am I really a genius, able to discern someone's character just by intuition?

Detective March 7th, officially making her debut!

Stelle protested indignantly, "When did I bump into you?"

"Don't make things up. Are there any surveillance cameras around here?" Feeling uneasy, she glanced skyward but couldn't spot any cameras.

"No surveillance," Su Jinyan lied without batting an eyelid.

Nice try! No cameras yet you still dare to act tough?

Stelle immediately regained her confidence.

March 7th turned towards Welt with a pleading look, "Uncle Yang, what should we do?"

Welt remained silent, harboring an embarrassing idea he felt too ashamed to voice.

Stelle wrapped an arm around March 7th, leaned close to Welt, and whispered, "Uncle Yang, March, listen up. I have a great plan."

"In a moment, when I count one-two-three, we'll just run."

"This intense sense of déjà vu..." murmured March 7th.

Su Jinyan, wary, asked, "What do you mean? You still want to run away?"

Stelle raised her thumb confidently. "You guessed it! It's too late to catch up now; I gotta bolt!"

"On the count of three—run!"

Zoom!

Without hesitation or any lingering doubts, this girl dashed off instantly, shedding all pretenses of being a delicate maiden.

In that moment, the great Trailblazer Stelle set an example for her two companions.

Realizing what was happening, March 7th and Welt promptly joined her in running.

March 7th panted breathlessly, struggling to keep up.

"Why...why are we being chased in Belobog?"

"Even after arriving on the Xianzhou, we're still getting pursued?"

"Doesn't that make our journey here pointless?"

Welt ran effortlessly despite his age, keeping pace easily with March 7th. He even managed to instruct her on proper fleeing technique: "Don't talk, little March."

"Maintain steady breathing; it conserves energy."

Su Jinyan stood dumbfounded. Colliding with someone and then just trying to flee—are you even human anymore? His hands turned icy cold, and he trembled with fury.

"Damn it, you better not run—"

Su Jinyan immediately gave chase.

"Nya-nya-nya~ You try catching me first!" March 7th stuck out her tongue while running and looking back.

The trio from the Astral Express sprinted ahead for their lives, with Su Jinyan hot on their heels.

March 7th ran even faster, and Su Jinyan pursued more relentlessly!

March 7th increased her speed further, and Su Jinyan closed the gap tighter! As she ran—

Alright, March 7th could really run no more and had to take a break at the corner.

"So tired, so tired. Let's rest for a bit; I can't keep going."

Stelle hastily stopped, silently raising her bat, her lips curling slightly as she awaited her prey to fall into the trap.

If Su Jinyan dared to approach, one swift strike from her bat would guarantee stars dancing before his eyes, knocking him instantly unconscious.

Welt and March 7th exchanged glances:

"...If you keep this up, we'll be in the wrong even if justified initially. We'd turn from fleeing the scene of an accident to intentional harm."

March 7th snatched away the bat. "What are you doing? Stop playing around, let's just keep running."

Stelle shook her head slightly. In that brief moment, Su Jinyan had already caught up.

"Don't run, I've finally got you now."

Slap!

Without hesitation, Stelle feigned a trip and dramatically collapsed right in front of Su Jinyan.

"Stick to the plan, Uncle Yang!" Just before falling, Stelle discreetly gave Welt a thumbs-up.

March 7th and Welt exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions, and tugged at Su Jinyan's clothes.

Welt adjusted his glasses sternly. "Sir, please stay where you are."

March 7th pointed at Stelle, lying on the ground wailing. "Hey, look what you've done!"

"A perfectly fine young lady can't even speak now."

Su Jinyan was taken aback. "Wait, you're saying I hit her?"

"That's correct," Welt affirmed.

"No, she wasn't hit by me!" Su Jinyan insisted.

March 7th adopted a very serious expression. "Here you stand, while there she lies."

"The accident scene is crystal clear, yet you still deny hitting her."

Stelle moaned dramatically, "Ow, ow~"

March 7th suppressed a laugh. "See, see? She's already crying out from the impact."

Su Jinyan was stunned. "Why are you making such a fuss?"

Welt took March 7th's camera and swiftly snapped several photos of the accident scene.

"Sir, such a significant incident has occurred."

"See here, would you prefer to handle this privately or involve authorities?"

"Huh?" Su Jinyan responded.

Welt cleared his throat.

Instantly, Stelle began wailing dramatically, "Ow, my elbow!"

"Oh, my kneecap! Ow, my lower back!" she continued moaning.

Su Jinyan felt like crying but couldn't muster tears. "She's using all my lines!"

Clutching her sore rear from the fall, Stelle muttered, "Well, whoever says it first wins, right?!"

In a stern tone, Welt said, "If we settle privately, we won't demand any money from you."

"As newcomers to Luofu, we're unfamiliar with the area."

"So, for a period of time, you will serve as our free tour guide."

"But if we go public, Mr., I assume you wouldn't want your relatives, friends, colleagues, and superiors to know about this incident, right?"

Sighing heavily, Su Jinyan conceded, "Fine, fine, consider me unlucky. Let's settle privately then."

March 7th beamed widely, chuckling, "Heh, should've agreed sooner, wasn't that easy?"

Stelle quietly extended her hand, "For your kind patronage, fifty thousand Credits please."

March 7th swatted away her hand, exclaiming, "Aiya, finally putting an end to this mess."

"Please have mercy, sir, and don't add to the chaos," Su Jinyan said with a serious expression. "Fine, give me your phone."

"Huh, is he really this easy-going?" Stelle thought, sensing a ripe target for exploitation.

Excitedly, she hastily handed her phone over to him.

March 7th frantically waved her hands, "No, no, we don't want your money. Resolving the misunderstanding is enough."

"Hey, you're actually giving it back just because she asked?!"

Despite March 7th's repeated admonishments, Stelle turned a deaf ear to them.

He already swindled fifty Cosmic Fragments from me; isn't asking for some compensation justified?

With a hint of amusement at the corner of his lips, Su Jinyan took the phone from Stelle and performed several operations on it.

"Credit received in Interstellar Peace Account - Two million."

March 7th stared, bewildered.

Welt also looked on, astonished.

Unable to resist, Stelle took a step backward, her conscience trembling.

She was wrong; she shouldn't judge by appearances. There's no way this guy's IQ could be low enough to fall for such a scam.

Frauding fools is illegal; I'm guilty, truly guilty!

March 7th, feeling extremely anxious, exclaimed, "Why did you transfer so much to her, Stelle? Let's return the money back to him."

Embarrassed, Stelle responded, "I was only joking! Why would you send me such a large amount?"

"That's two million Credit points! Where did you get this money?"

Two million Credit points felt too hot to handle; it made her uneasy just holding it.

Su Jinyan, with a serious expression, patted Stelle on the shoulder. "Miss, don't mistreat yourself while out here."

"This is a loan your Eldest Brother arranged for you, with an annual interest rate as low as just 20%."

"Moreover, funds can be accessed instantly, arriving in your account within a minute."

The smile froze on Stelle's face. "Ah? A loan?"

"If even the lowest annual interest rate is 20%, what about the highest?"

Su Jinyan grinned widely. "There's no upper limit; the interest rate depends on your remaining value."

Welt and Stelle were left speechless.

"Pfft—"

March 7th couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

A minute later, the roles had reversed dramatically.

Now, Su Jinyan was desperately running ahead, pursued by Stelle wielding a baseball bat close behind.

"You better not run if you've got the guts—"

"Nyaah nyah nyah nyah nyah!" Su Jinyan taunted, sticking his tongue out at her while sprinting.

His focus on making faces caused him to miss noticing the container up ahead.

Crash!

Stars danced before Su Jinyan's eyes as he collided hard and tumbled to the ground.

When Stelle finally regained her senses, she found that Su Jinyan had already raised his baseball bat, asking menacingly:

"Choose my bat or the burning rod?"

Stelle covered her head and pleaded for mercy, "Daddy, I was wrong! Daddy, I really messed up!"

"How about I compensate you with ten million credits, alright?"

Satisfied, Su Jinyan lowered the baseball bat. "That's more like it. Hand it over."

Su Jinyan brightened, surprised. "Ah? You're actually taking it?"

"My apologies, but your actions have severely violated Xianzhou's laws. Please come along with me."

Feeling uneasy, Stelle took half a step back and feigned indignation.

"How dare you accuse someone without proof? Do you have any evidence?" She added hastily, "If not, I'll charge you with defamation."

A hint of amusement played at the corners of Su Jinyan's lips. "Miss, weren't you looking for surveillance cameras just now?"

"Look there, see those mechanical birds flying overhead? They serve as Xianzhou's surveillance systems." He continued, introducing himself, "I am a diviner from the Divination Commission, essentially a public servant of Xianzhou Luofu."

Stelle's face paled, her spirits sinking as she knelt on the ground. "How...how could this be?"

"Just one day on Xianzhou, and I'm being arrested? Am I going to jail for extortion?"

Su Jinyan looked at her with a peculiar expression. "Who said you've committed extortion?"

Confused, Stelle asked, "What crime have I committed?"

Su Jinyan produced a pair of silver handcuffs, clicked them onto Stelle's wrists with a snap, and said, "You're suspected of stealing Xianzhou's waste. Please accompany me to the Realm-Keeping Commission."

"Under Xianzhou Luofu's 'Ten Unforgivable Crimes,' the most severe offense is theft of garbage, carrying a minimum sentence of five hundred years."

Stelle, March 7th, and Welt all stared in disbelief.

So, extortion isn't illegal on Xianzhou Luofu, but stealing trash is?! This place truly is terrifying!

March 7th covered her face with dismay, "Uncle Yang, it seems we've gotten off to a bad start here."

Welt spoke gravely, "We misjudged the situation. Was she always like this during your previous missions together?"

March 7th hastily explained, "Usually, she's fine; she only acts this way under certain circumstances."

Imitating Welt's gesture, Su Jinyan pushed up imaginary glasses and said, "However, I'm generally quite reasonable."

"As such, you do have a second option."

It seemed as though something dawned on March 7th, causing her cheeks to blush. She quickly drew her bow and aimed at him, exclaiming, "Don't even think about doing anything shady! We will never yield!"

Su Jinyan looked at her, bewildered. "Huh? Is helping me find someone really that difficult?"

"Or would you rather have your companion imprisoned than help me with this small task?"

March 7th managed a sheepish smile. "Oh, it's just about finding someone?" she chuckled awkwardly. "Ah ha ha... I overthought it..."

Su Jinyan took out a key and unlocked Stelle's handcuffs. "Then we have a deal."

Stelle smirked disdainfully. "Finding someone? Too easy! Give us a more challenging request!"

"You underestimate us—it's still a piece of cake," March 7th chimed in.

"There's nothing our Trailblazer Squad can't accomplish," Su Jinyan affirmed gravely.

"All right then, please solve Hecarim's Conjecture."

March 7th looked puzzled. "Hecarim's Conjecture? What is that?"

Welt was even more bewildered—what on earth was Hecarim's Conjecture? Wasn't it supposed to be Goldbach's Conjecture?

Su Jinyan rapidly began reciting: "Listen carefully! In the morning, Hecarim walks from home to school. When he has covered half the distance, Kalista realizes that Hecarim left his Netherdream Blade at home. She immediately hops onto her Swift Spectre Skateboard to bring him the blade. By the time she catches up, Hecarim still has three-tenths of the journey remaining. Then, Hecarim gets on Kalista's skateboard, and together they proceed to school."

"Thus, Hecarim arrived at school five minutes earlier than if he had walked alone. How long would it have taken Hecarim to walk from home to school without assistance?"

Stelle's expression froze as she clasped Su Jinyan's hands and shook them fervently.

"Sir, let's talk about finding people instead, shall we?"

"Hey, this isn't some 'Hecarim Conjecture' at all!" March 7th exclaimed, growing frustrated. "It's just a ridiculously simple math problem, okay?! Why should it stump you?!"

Embarrassed, Stelle admitted, "I never went to school when I was young."

Su Jinyan calmly asked, "So what is the answer to the question?"

March 7th wore a proud expression. "Honestly, even this lady doesn't know!"

How dare you sound so confident not knowing the answer?

Welt barely managed to suppress his reaction.

Eager for knowledge, Stelle looked at Su Jinyan. "Then what's the solution?"

Su Jinyan's demeanor brightened. "I don't know either! Perhaps that's precisely the essence of the 'Hecarim Conjecture.'"

March 7th, Stelle, and Welt exchanged bewildered looks.

Wait, even the one who posed the question doesn't know?!

March 7th raised her hand and interjected, "Oh right, oh right, I have a question. Do you two actually know each other or not?"

Su Jinyan and Stelle glanced at each other simultaneously replying, "No, we don't!"

March 7th pouted, "Still denying it? This young lady suspects you two are just putting on a show for me and Uncle Yang."

"Oh right," she added, "I haven't even asked your name yet?"

Su Jinyan smiled warmly, "Just call me 'Auntie Cold Legs.'"