Elysia couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
"Hmm... I don't recall giving you that book, One Hundred Questions About Kalpas's Mask: From Beginner to Master, Su Luo."
"How did you manage it?"
Su Luo thought for a moment and replied, "Probably because Kalpas is a kind and gentle soul, and with someone as sincere and kind as myself, it's easy for kindred spirits to appreciate each other."
"Oh my, Su Luo, you think so too? Kalpas truly is a kind and gentle soul, isn't he."
"Indeed, Su Luo, you and I really speak the same language."
The two of them discussed Kalpas.
Meanwhile, Kalpas, standing beside them, was...
Kalpas: ??!!
His expression was quite... oh, right, he was wearing a mask, so his expression was invisible.
Elysia quickly transitioned to the next topic.
"I didn't expect you two to get along so splendidly~~ I was so worried something might happen that I rushed over~~"
Then she glanced inside the apartment, her eyes curving into a beaming smile as she asked:
"Su Luo, are you home alone today?"
Su Luo nodded.
"In that case, why not... come over to my place?" Elysia suggested.
"Hmm..."
Su Luo hesitated. "There should be quite a few people at your place now, right? Is that alright?"
"It's fine, let's go, let's go! Besides, there are plenty of people you know there too. The more, the merrier."
Elysia trotted behind Su Luo, enthusiastically nudging him forward.
Kalpas, left trailing behind alone, turned his head and glanced at the open door of Su Luo's apartment.
He very politely closed the door for him.
Su Luo was pushed by Elysia all the way to her apartment.
As soon as he stepped inside, the living room was filled with familiar figures.
Kevin, Su, Mobius, Vill-V...
Some were leaning, some standing, some jesting, others conversing, each wearing a different expression.
This scene struck Su Luo as inexplicably familiar.
In a trance-like state, something surfaced from the depths of his memory.
[It's alright. When you don't feel like moving forward, it's okay to pause for a moment.]
[Then, look beside you, look behind you...]
[You see... we will always be here.]
"..."
"Everyone's here. That's wonderful."
"Su Luo, don't just stand there at the doorway~~ Ah! Could it be that you're shy? Oh my, oh my, that's a real novelty~~"
Elysia's voice chimed in from behind Su Luo.
Then, with a gentle push, she made Su Luo take a few steps forward, bringing him into everyone else's line of sight.
...
...
Naturally, Elysia and her group weren't the only ones playing the updated Honkai Impact 3rd event.
Many, many other players had eagerly clicked into The Day You Vanished with the Stars.
And, as one might expect, the player base went wild!
This was because Su Luo's spiced-up version of The Day You Vanished with the Stars featured gameplay in its later stages that resembled a GALGAME; choosing the wrong option would trigger a new way for Stargazer to die.
Players were forced to go through the loop once more.
And the number of death scenarios he had prepared for Stargazer... well, let's just say that finding the true ending amidst countless demises was still somewhat challenging.
Such adjustments naturally left a deeper impression on the players and enriched the plot, but the difficulty had clearly increased significantly.
From a monetization standpoint, this was obviously not ideal. After all, Honkai Impact 3rd was a mobile game, and it didn't have that many hardcore gamers.
Of course, Su Luo wasn't overly concerned. Even if his design was complex, the path to achieving the true ending of The Day You Vanished with the Stars was ultimately fixed.
Therefore, as long as one player managed to clear it, it was as good as all players clearing it.
If worse came to worst, he could even use an alt account to leak the solution on the forums himself.
However, before anyone managed to unlock the true ending, the official Honkai Impact 3rd forums were currently flooded with posts like these...
[miHoYo is Utterly Devoid of Conscience!! Give Me Back My Stargazer!!]
[miHoYo, Just How Many Death Scenarios Did You Line Up for Stargazer!]
[The Budget for This Event Was Clearly Through the Roof! I Don't Even Know How Many Different CGs I've Seen, But... My Stargazer, Ahhh!!]
[No Matter the Cost, I Swear I Will Save Stargazer!]
Similarly, countless industry insiders who caught wind of it, casual onlookers eager for drama, and those who just wanted to fan the flames flocked to observe.
Some malicious competitors were probably sneering inwardly.
It's just a small studio that suddenly took off, after all. miHoYo definitely got arrogant this time, writing scripts recklessly. They're bound to crash and burn, right?
The forums were in an absolute uproar.
Just as the situation seemed to be escalating.
A new post appeared on the forum.
[Weaklings Incapable of Overcoming the Samsara! You're Unworthy of Having Stargazer Join Your Crew!]
That overflowing edgelord aura, coupled with the mockery.
It made countless players, who were already riled up, instantly feel a rush of blood to their heads.
They immediately clicked on the post, brandishing their newly bought keyboards, ready to wage a three-hundred-round flame war with the OP.
However, as cultured Honkai Impact 3rd players, they naturally had to first see what the OP had written, so they could meticulously refute them point by point with sound reasoning and evidence, making the OP concede defeat.
They clicked into the post and began to read seriously, with more focus than if they had suddenly found a hundred-yuan bill on the roadside.
The OP's name was 'Courteous Burst Fist'?
What kind of ridiculous name is that!
Someone grumbled inwardly and continued reading.
"How to achieve the true ending of The Day You Vanished with the Stars?"
"Huh? The Day You Vanished with the Stars actually has a true ending? Isn't it just miHoYo getting arrogant and trying to take revenge on society?"
Just from the beginning of the post, they were already itching to comment.
But they restrained themselves, frowning and patiently scrolling down.
Their mood shifted from fault-finding, to disdain, to...
"Where's my phone!"
"Why are you suddenly looking for your phone?"
"I need to play Honkai Impact 3rd!"
"Didn't you say you were going to quit?"
"Quit my ass! This old man is gonna get Stargazer on board!!"
Some players, after reading the post, excitedly grabbed their phones and began to replay the side story.
Other players left comments in the post.
[The information in this post has to be real, right? I even see CG screenshots from the true ending further down.]
[I tried it! What the OP said is true!!]
[The OP is amazing! miHoYo is amazing! I'm thoroughly impressed by this ending. Thinking about it carefully, my character (the Captain) in the story is also incredible!]
[Thank you, OP, for sharing the guide. I finally managed to save Stargazer.]
[I was wrong! I completely misunderstood miHoYo. My sense of immersion in this event's story was off the charts; I even started feeling proud of myself (as the Captain)!!]
As more and more people discovered the 'Courteous Burst Fist' post, and as an increasing number of players completed the true ending, feeling proud of the Captain's choice...
The general sentiment on the forums changed in an instant.
All the pain and struggle transformed into waves of inexplicable relief and joy.
The longer a player had persisted within those endless loops, the more deeply they could empathize with the subsequent plot.
They were ready to declare The Day You Vanished with the Stars as miHoYo's strongest and most perfect finale for this event.