Honkai: Star Rail: Opening a Milk Tea Shop for the Aeons and Outwitting Aha

The Astral Express arrives at Amphoreus, where a dead city awaits them. The streets, plazas, and eaves are packed with golden humanoid statues. Herta's projection suddenly flickers into view, her eyes alight with fervor. “This isn't a disaster. It's a logical process that formats life into a baseline state.” She sends them a “cornerstone” relic from the Architects, which raises a barrier of order to hold off the assimilation for a while. Then she tries to hack the signal source, the Iron Tomb. The next second, Herta's projection warps violently, and her scream cuts off. The liquid glow at the barrier's core turns dark gold, and a figure combining Herta's appearance with the Iron Tomb's will slowly emerges: “The old order is over. I am Emperor Rubert III. Hand over the star chart and join the Empire, or be purged.” The golden legion drops to one knee in unison, and Amphoreus is turned into a war factory. The Express races into space, where a distress call from the Xianzhou Yaoqing comes over the communicator. The Emperor's fleet is devouring the Jade Gate. Jing Yuan's projection appears in the middle of the car, his brow furrowed: “The Xianzhou needs allies. Which side are you on?” This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.