Honkai: Star Rail – Banner Character, Delivering Knives to the Player [39]

On the road to the mine entrance.

Stelle swallowed a mouthful of delicious bread, face full of satisfaction, before playfully teasing March 7th again.

“Lingzhou’s the reliable one, unlike a certain smug little pink-head~”

She couldn’t help but imagine—if Himeko hadn’t let her choose an extra teammate for this Trailblaze mission and she’d been alone with March, it was terrifying to imagine how chaotic things would’ve gotten.

“Say that again, and I’ll beat you up!”

March puffed her cheeks, embarrassed, and waved her fist threateningly.

“Always resorting to violence~ Well, whatever—I’m the bigger person here. Who told me to spoil you, after all?”

Stelle gently patted March’s head, voice dripping with affection.

Damn it, she's treating me like a kid again!

March’s eyebrows shot up as she lunged, aiming her hands at Stelle’s waist.

“Argh! I’ll strangle you!”

Behind them, Bronya slowly chewed the food in her mouth, silently watching their playful scuffle with a touch of envy.

Growing up under Cocolia’s strict guidance, Bronya’s days were tightly regimented. Friendships were superficial at best, and she didn't have anyone she could truly confide in.

Seeing the two run ahead faster, Bronya glanced sideways at Lingzhou, who was calmly strolling alongside her.

“Thank you for the food, Mr. Lingzhou.”

It was unlike anything she’d ever tasted in Belobog, confirming their claims of being outsiders.

“We brought you down here, so it’s only right to take care of you—just this once.”

“Of course, I won’t take advantage—”

“You misunderstand. Let me finish.”

“Hm?” Bronya paused, confused.

“When you woke up, did you investigate how the people here actually live? Including their food?”

“No…I didn’t.”

“Once we meet with Wildfire, it’ll be getting late. You'll soon understand why I said ‘just this once.’”

Lingzhou’s tone was gentle, detached—almost as though he was describing something unrelated to himself.

“The people down here have it far tougher than you can imagine. Take a look ahead.”

Bronya raised her head, noticing Stelle and March 7th blocked by a group of figures.

“Who are those people…?”

“Refugees. Down here, they’re called homeless wanderers.”

Bronya felt a pang of guilt. Her lips moved silently, but she couldn’t find the words.

Seemingly expecting her silence, Lingzhou continued:

“Seele wasn't exaggerating. Her resentment towards surface-dwellers isn’t unfounded.”

“Though there are homeless people above ground too, at least they don’t have to constantly worry about basic survival.”

“Down here, desperation forces many into situations like this.”

Lingzhou turned, looking directly at Bronya with a faint smile.

“As captain of the Silvermane Guards, can you resolve this without causing harm?”

Seeing Stelle wielding her baseball bat protectively in front of March, facing down the angry crowd, Bronya tightly gripped the gun in her left hand.

If not for her nails being clipped short, they would’ve pierced deeply into her palm.

Desperate people would do anything to survive. Yet, if Belobog’s leaders hadn’t failed, how could so many end up so desperate?

At that moment, Bronya understood the true hardship Wildfire faced and why Seele held such resentment towards the surface.

The chaotic state of the Underground was all due to that single order from above. Without Wildfire’s self-organization, it was impossible to imagine how much worse things would’ve gotten.

Starvation, unrest, constant conflict with desperate people… After enduring such conditions for so long, who wouldn’t become bitter?

Stelle’s voice rang out firmly.

“You’re really gonna try to build your confidence by robbing me? You’ll regret it. Move aside.”

Bronya quickened her pace, rushing forward to stand beside Stelle.

But before she could say anything, a giant scythe slammed into the ground between both sides.

“Oh no! It's Seele from Wildfire! Run!”

Recognizing the scythe, the refugees blocking the path scattered like frightened birds, leaving only their retreating backs visible after mere seconds.

Clearly, this wasn’t the first time they'd fled from Seele.

“So, Young Miss from the surface—care to comment on what you’ve seen down here?” Seele walked over, yanking the scythe from the ground and resting it on her shoulder. Her gaze at Bronya was filled with both mockery and accusation.

Bronya remained silent, unsure how to respond.

Underground, the Silvermane Guards’ authority had long vanished. Here, they were little more than a laughingstock compared to Wildfire’s genuine power.

Had Seele not shown up, Bronya doubted words alone could have defused the situation. Eventually, she would’ve been forced to resort to something she desperately wanted to avoid—

Raising a gun against the citizens of Belobog.

Seeing Bronya’s silence, now meek compared to her earlier pride, Seele found it less satisfying than expected. Yet, looking at the humbled Bronya, Seele’s harsh gaze softened slightly.

Maybe she’s not entirely hopeless, just ignorant of reality.

“So we just let them go? They tried to mug us! Isn’t that too lawless?” March 7th complained unhappily.

“What else do you suggest? Arrest them, and we’d have to feed them. We don’t even have enough food for ourselves—why bother with those lowlifes?” Seele’s sarcastic tone masked bitter helplessness.

Bronya’s heart sank.

Not long after Lingzhou’s words, she’d already experienced their truth firsthand: basic survival wasn’t guaranteed here. Seele’s casual remark drove the point home—food, shelter, and clothing were all huge struggles.

If sealing the Underground had truly been the right decision, why did the people here suffer so terribly?

As commander of the Silvermane Guards, Bronya had been taught since childhood to always put people first. She had sworn to become Belobog’s unyielding shield, upholding the Amber Lord’s will, protecting every citizen.

But now she faced a reality she’d never imagined.

“Young Miss, it’s a bit early to look this gloomy,” Seele remarked, staring directly at her.

“Why?”

“I mentioned Wildfire’s got trouble. Care to guess what it is?”

Bronya paused, realization dawning grimly. “The wanderers—they’re targeting the miners?”

“At least you’ve got some brains. Let’s go. I’ll show you just how bad things have gotten.”

Seele turned sharply and led them toward the mines.

---

Lao Xiong had also hit the Trailblaze Level cap.

But unlike Ah Xian’s rush to complete sidequests, Lao Xiong leisurely explored the map, chatting and looking for trouble. He interacted with any glowing spots and searched for treasure chests.

Eventually, he stumbled into a remote corner guarded by a chainsaw-wielding Automaton: the Automaton Direwolf.

Not especially powerful, but for players at this stage, it was tougher than even the Doomsday Beast.

[Here we go—Lao Xiong’s team isn’t leveled. Predictions on wipeout time?]
[Three minutes, tops. That thing hits insanely hard—one chainsaw swipe will halve his HP.]
[Three minutes? He won’t even last one! He didn’t bring any tanks or healers!]

Normal quest mobs weren’t hard, so Lao Xiong’s party was purely offense for faster clearing. Unfortunately, he didn’t know the chest-guarding Automaton was leagues above regular enemies at his level.

When his Lv10-ish Asta got slammed to critical health and immediately KO’d by a follow-up DOT, Lao Xiong froze in shock.

“Oh crap! Lingzhou, save my sorry life!”

---

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!