Honkai: Star Rail – Banner Character, Delivering Knives to the Player [33]

[Trailblazer’s Creed #5: Even amidst the twilight of a galaxy shrouded in gloom, one must illuminate the endless night.]
[The Underworld is undoubtedly a place trapped in perpetual darkness. Though the Nameless cannot yet dispel this darkness entirely, at least they can bring some warmth to ease the suffering.]
[Looks like Ah Xian really likes Lingzhou. She analyzed so much from just a small scene.]
[Who doesn’t love Lingzhou? Setting and story aside, his in-game presence is basically dad-level.]
[Exactly. He greets you with a free ten-pull, restores 60 stamina every day, plus a tiny chance of special surprises.]

The scene in Natasha’s clinic came to an end.

After controlling Lingzhou to leave, the viewpoint returned to Stelle.

But the current location looked rather strange.

It appeared to be some kind of boxing gym?

March 7th glanced skeptically at Sampo.

"Why do I feel like you're treating us like fools?"

Sampo shook his head vigorously.

"No way! Aren’t you looking for that thing called a Stellaron? Something that powerful—only Wildfire could possibly have a lead."

March 7th: "Then what's that got to do with you trying to talk us into joining a boxing tournament?"

Sampo's expression froze subtly; clearly, he hadn’t expected this question from March 7th. His eyes darted around briefly before answering quickly:

"In the Underworld, nothing gets you famous quicker than becoming a boxing champion! Once you’re famous, Wildfire will come knocking—they always seek strong fighters. So having you enter the tournament makes perfect sense."

Stelle placed one hand on her hip. "You still haven’t explained exactly what kind of group Wildfire is."

Sampo: "You’re asking me? They’re a bunch of stubborn fools—straight-laced, simple-minded. But who cares what I think?"

"Anyway, they’re an organization formed by locals to maintain order after the Silvermane Guards withdrew. Don’t underestimate them. You ever hear the saying, ‘Masters hide among common folk’? Wildfire is full of experts—you’ll see when you meet them."

Stelle stared oddly at Sampo.

"By your logic, Wildfire should be everywhere. Why haven't we seen a single one of them?"

March 7th chimed in, "Exactly. We saw Silvermane Guards patrolling everywhere topside. Why aren’t Wildfire members around down here?"

Sampo scratched his head awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm puzzled too… Maybe something happened elsewhere and they're short-handed?"

Stelle stared at him as if he were an idiot.

"You're asking me? Let me ask you—let me ask you again: who’s the guide here, you or me?"

Hearing this, Sampo's eyelids twitched violently.

Wait, something’s wrong here.

These two were supposed to be gullible fools, easy to dupe—when did they get so sharp?

It had to be because of Lingzhou!

Recalling that strange man who’d thoroughly thwarted him earlier, Sampo felt like a casual gamer getting destroyed by a boss and hurriedly blaming the defeat on his new, fancy peripherals.

As soon as he found a believable excuse, he quickly made peace with himself.

Yep, that's right, it’s all Lingzhou’s fault!

Kekekeke!

As the Xianzhou saying goes: 'Near vermilion, one turns red; near ink, one turns black.'

It made sense these two cute idiots became smarter after spending time with that cunning fellow, didn’t it?

Seeing Sampo struck speechless and dumbfounded by Stelle’s question, viewers burst into laughter.

[Trailblazer: Why is your head so pointy?]
[That disgusted little expression! Stelle’s adorable, adorable, adorable~]
[Sampo was definitely planning to trick Trailblazer into fighting so he could secretly bet money.]
[Bet you didn't expect the Trailblazer to actually have a brain!]
[Are you implying Warp Tickets are brainless?]
[That meme line "You thought I was a fool, didn't you?" became famous precisely because it fits.]
[Haha...]

“Come on, sister, you forgot about the Supreme Guardian’s spies already?”

Sampo swiftly changed his approach.

March 7th: "What's that got to do with anything?"

Sampo: "Wildfire surely has spies too. Once you show your strength, you'll get their attention. After they handle whatever issue they're busy with, they'll definitely come find you, right?"

"Anyway, since you can't find Wildfire members now and you're bored anyway, I think you've got what it takes."

Stelle crossed her arms, staring skeptically at him.

① "How about I let Lingzhou demonstrate his acupuncture technique—Three Cries, Half-Step Madness—on you?"
② "Why don’t you enter the tournament for us? You can keep the prize money."
③ "At least you have good eyes, recognizing the extraordinary talent of this Trailblazer."

"Oh! Almost got too immersed and forgot I had dialogue choices."

Ah Xian excitedly moved her mouse, accidentally hitting the DPI switch.

"Oh crap, I clicked the wrong one!"

Stelle’s proud expression appeared onscreen, her lips curled smugly like a dragon king.

"Well, at least you've got good eyes, kid. Clearly, you can see my incredible strength. One punch from me would knock out a bull!"

March 7th rolled her eyes dramatically. "I’d believe you could brag a bull to death."

Stelle immediately turned toward her, eyes filled with exaggerated sympathy.

"It's okay, March. Since you're weaker than me, it's understandable you can't appreciate the vast gap in our power…"

March 7th: "(╬▔皿▔)╯ I really want to smack you…"

[I can't hold it anymore, truly can’t hold it anymore...]
[My dear March is getting teased by the Trailblazer, my small brain is laughing big-time.]
[Something’s off about you!]
[Wait, there's such a good thing? Hit me hard, reward me freely!]
[You brat, you’re totally hopeless.]
[The Trailblazer has a Stellaron inside. Forget a bull—an elephant would be a piece of cake.]

Unexpectedly, the next dialogue had equally outrageous options.

① "Ah March, as my Trailblazing senior, you must remain calm."
② "Harsh truths help you grow. Don’t get mad."
③ "Please, hit me harder."

"Hey, if you tell me there isn’t an M in MiHoYo’s writing team, I won’t believe you," Ah Xian remarked. Her words resonated with countless other streamers encountering this absurd dialogue.

"If I remember correctly, during beta it was Bronya who had a similar interaction. Guess they switched Bronya’s line with March 7th for Lingzhou’s route."

Unfortunately, this dialogue choice had no voice acting.

But March 7th’s reaction was visible—particularly for option three, which prompted a look of utter disdain.

"Heh… haha, there’s definitely something wrong with you… Lingzhou, come quick, this kid’s brain broke!"

With perfect comedic timing, Lingzhou’s voice appeared.

"Whose brain broke?"

March 7th’s face brightened briefly before pointing at Stelle.

"Hers!"

Stelle: "Oh, my dear friend, you’ve deeply wounded my heart. I swear I’ll take my baseball bat and smack Sampo’s butt hard."

Sampo instinctively covered his backside with both hands.

"This has nothing to do with me! Why target poor old Sampo’s butt?"

Lingzhou approached calmly, smiling. "What happened here?"

The moment he asked, the two girls instantly turned toward Sampo with mischievous glints in their eyes.

March 7th didn’t exaggerate, simply laying out the facts.

After hearing the story, Lingzhou’s smile grew wider, and he turned cheerfully toward Sampo.

"Time to show your loyalty to your bros, my good brother Sampo. I’m just a fragile doctor who doesn’t fight…"

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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!