Honkai: Star Rail – Banner Character, Delivering Knives to the Player [41]

“So, speaking of Lingzhou—did any of you notice this tiny detail about him?”

[Sorry, nope.]
[Go on.]

“It's about the DoT damage reflected by his [Eidolon] effect, [Dream Mirage]. The damage numbers ticking on our characters and on the enemies are actually different.”

Lao Xiong quickly pulled up the recording from the recent battle.

“Here's the conclusion first: the reflected DoT damage back onto enemies scales off the stats of whoever triggers the reflection.”

“For example, when Automaton Direwolf's saw hits Lingzhou, activating [Dream Mirage]—”

“The next time Direwolf acts, the reflected DoT damage is calculated based on Lingzhou’s stats.”

“To put it plainly: whoever gets hit and triggers the DoT reflection, their stats determine how much damage enemies take.”

“Lingzhou’s base Attack is a pitiful 4 points—clearly a hidden joke set by the developers.”

“So, the damage he reflects is basically negligible.”

“But imagine if it's a main DPS character with a high Attack. What does that mean?”

“It means that using a max [Eidolon] Lingzhou against DoT-applying enemies can indirectly boost the team's overall damage output.”

“The only catch is that your main DPS needs to get hit first…”

“It's a small gain, but hey, meat is meat—even mosquito legs count.”

“In the future, there’ll definitely be high-Attack characters who rely on DoT. Pairing them with Lingzhou against certain enemy setups could yield surprising results.”

Most players found this explanation mystifyingly impressive.

Few realized how soon Lao Xiong’s predictions would come true.

Barely three patches after launch, countless players desperately wished they could split Lingzhou into two separate units:

One for the notorious Prison Overseer getting elbowed endlessly by golden-armored mobs,

And another for Cocolia’s battle, who required DoTs for detonation.

And let's not forget the universally energy-hungry characters—essentially everyone.

Seriously, be it support or DPS, who doesn't crave more energy regeneration?

Players fortunate enough to own Lingzhou’s exclusive 4★ Light Cone—especially at Refinement 5—experienced unmatched comfort in their gameplay.

But that's a story for another day.

After a brief grind, the majority, streamers included, finally reached Trailblazer Level 14, unlocking the next stage of the main quest.

---

Ah Xian returned to the mission point, comfortably initiating conversation with Bronya as usual.

They were supposed to look for Seele together.

She had expected a change in the quest location, only to find Bronya engaged in a dialogue with the Express crew.

Stelle: “Don’t look at us like that. If we hadn't brought you down here ourselves, nothing we said would’ve convinced you completely.”

“Now that you've seen firsthand how the lower district has struggled these past decades, do you still believe Cocolia did nothing wrong?”

Bronya bit her lip. “...I'm sorry.”

“Apologies mean nothing. What you need to do is find a way to fix this.”

The camera shifted, focusing on Lingzhou returning Bronya’s rifle.

Finally, Bronya chose openness with the Express crew, hiding nothing.

Through this conversation, players discovered why the lower district had been sealed off—

Whether true or not, that remained uncertain.

Yet, what players truly fixated on wasn’t this revelation, but rather Lingzhou’s role in dismantling Bronya’s illusions—

Stripping away her blind trust in Cocolia.

Moreover, through Lingzhou’s explanations about the Stellaron’s unique properties, previous story hints finally fell neatly into place.

[No wonder the Stellaron spoke to Cocolia—it actually developed self-awareness.]

[And here I thought Cocolia was just after its power. Who’d have imagined…]

[Bronya must be hurting right now, even if all this is still speculation.]

Seeing Bronya’s crestfallen expression, many fans couldn’t help but empathize deeply.

Lingzhou: “It’s only a possibility—a slim one at that. Don't take it too seriously.”

[Ahhh, he’s so warm I’m crying. He clearly knows the Stellaron has gained sentience but still chooses gentle white lies to comfort Bronya.]

Having reached this point in the storyline, Ah Xian prepared herself to move on.

Yet unexpectedly, Bronya asked for a moment alone—to sort out her thoughts?

Then came Lingzhou, gently stepping away to give her space.

The screen faded black, lighting up again to show the crew standing further below.

Looking up from this new angle, Bronya stood quietly in contemplation.

March 7th: “Lingzhou, why did you lie to her?”

"Because my husband is a man who's gentle and understands clothes deeply~"

[It's ‘understands hearts,’ thank you.]
[She clearly said 'clothes' deliberately. Ha, this woman’s obsession with Yifu is terminal.]

“Everyone deserves to preserve a little dignity,” Lingzhou said quietly, his voice seemingly imbued with magic, piercing straight into Ah Xian’s heart.

“When dignity is lost, one’s sense of worth shatters completely, and it becomes impossible to hold one's head up again.”

“At best, you fall into despair. At worst, you doubt everything—the world, even your very existence.”

“A mother is an irreplaceable harbor in everyone’s heart.”

“It represents absolute trust, someone you'd give everything for without hesitation...”

Ah Xian froze.

Without realizing it, memories flooded her mind, scene after painful scene.

“The breakdown of an adult often happens in an instant. I wasn't lying—I merely chose to preserve a sliver of dignity for her.”

Listening quietly, tears slowly slid down Ah Xian’s cheeks.

Back then, no one had preserved any dignity for her.

To her family, her dignity was worthless.

Yes, family.

Under the guise of wanting the best for her, her parents had personally snapped her wings.

Yet afterward, they expected her to soar.

Any resistance she offered felt futile. As their child, filial piety was expected above all.

Her promising future, the dreams she worked so hard toward—all were shattered the moment her parents were imprisoned.

At the peak of her emotional collapse, no one thought to preserve her dignity.

All she received were accusing fingers and merciless jabs at her wounds.

Yet she couldn’t even argue.

Because her parents were corrupt.

As a child, whenever she heard the gossip about her parents, she never believed a word.

But as she grew older, seeds of doubt were inevitably planted.

Even if she subconsciously knew it was probably true, deep down she still held onto a fragile hope.

No matter their mistakes, they were still the people who gave her life and raised her…

How similar to Bronya in the game.

How she wished someone like Lingzhou had appeared when she was spiraling into self-blame and despair—

someone who would respect the last thing she had left.

Her remaining dignity.

But no one came.

She collapsed completely, and the harbor within her heart was forever destroyed.

[Wait, why is Ah Xian crying?]
[???]

“Ah…something got into my eye suddenly...”

She quickly grabbed a tissue, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

To genuinely love a character, sometimes complicated reasons weren't needed.

A line that pierced straight into your heart, or a gentleness that healed your wounds, was enough.

She admitted that at first, liking Lingzhou was purely superficial—a simple crush, liking every handsome face she saw.

But things were different now.

Meeting someone perfect in real life was impossible.

Yet, at least in this virtual, two-dimensional world, she could find someone perfect to soothe her scars.

Lingzhou was her idea of perfection.

She loved this gentle, reliable character who truly understood others—and who had another, softer side hidden beneath.

---

This is a fan translation of 崩铁：卡池角色，给玩家发刀 by 三十度幻. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!