The sudden change in the stream's visuals instantly made the live chat explode.
[The universe, the galaxy, a train?]
[What happened to the stream? Guinaifen, are you still alive? If you are, make a sound!]
[Oh no, oh no! Was the stream hacked? Did Guinaifen offend someone?]
[Don't! Don't hurt Guinaifen!]
Guinaifen, on the other end of the stream, had been doing an outdoor broadcast and had just found a seat at a nearby teahouse.
The reason she hadn't spoken up for so long was because she'd been captivated by the game's loading screen the moment she entered.
The main menu was quite impactful, wasn't it?
"This game seems kinda interesting?"
"Don't worry, folks, I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm about to review a game. This is just the game footage."
[That's Guinaifen's voice! She's alive! So it's just game footage?]
[You scared me! Wait, game footage?]
[What game is this? It's called 'honkai: star rail'? Sounds like it might be related to the Astral Express. *The* Astral Express, right?]
[The Amphoreus version? Never heard of that planet. As the most dedicated Express fan, I have no idea the Trailblazer ever went there.]
[Probably some unofficial fan game cobbled together to make a quick buck, haha!]
In fact, Guinaifen felt the same way, so she didn't even bother refuting the criticisms in the chat.
After all, her whole purpose for streaming was to have fun.
If the game was utterly terrible, that would still make for good streaming content.
"Alright then, let's officially start the game!"
With a mindset geared towards finding amusement, Guinaifen promptly registered an account and clicked to enter the game.
As an epic, scroll-like page unfurled before her eyes.
What came into view was the sole planet shimmering incessantly amidst a sea of stars.
Shaped like an '∞', its composition was exquisite and magnificent, making one yearn for its radiance.
Amphoreus.
The four characters were etched in the upper right corner.
Guinaifen's finger paused on the screen, and she couldn't help but frown.
"Is that it?"
After entering the game, there was nothing? Just a single planet?
She thought she understood now why her family had sent her this game. They really did want her to give a scathing review!
Fine, then she'd have to unleash some sharp criticism and see just how shoddy this game really was.
Without another word, Guinaifen tapped directly on the only planet available: Amphoreus.
The next second.
The screen first went black.
Silence—
A silence so deep that almost nothing appeared.
Guinaifen waited idly for dozens of seconds, to the point where the live chat grew impatient and started flooding the screen with question marks.
"Uh..."
This left Guinaifen utterly confused. Could this game be just an empty shell?
Why did it go black the moment she clicked in?
"What's going on?"
Guinaifen tapped the screen to see if it had frozen.
However.
The instant her finger made contact, flames erupted, and golden threads spread upwards!
[In the beginning of the world, there was chaos.]
[Then, the gods cast down the ember.]
[The Titans were born from the fire.]
The threads that had risen wove into the form of a giant, holding up a sphere as it spread across the center of the screen.
Paired with a gentle, unhurried female voice, it gave Guinaifen a start.
[The three weave fate, the three cleave heaven and earth, the three mold life, the three usher in calamity.]
[The Titan's flame ignited civilization, allowing the myriad beings of all nations to flourish without end.]
[But the golden age passed in the blink of an eye. The profane black tide descended from beyond the heavens...]
As the recitation continued, epic mural-like images shifted, turned, and moved, as mysterious and glorious as an ancient civilization.
Guinaifen's gaze was completely captured by the sudden animation.
[?]
[?]
[?]
The live chat was also flooded with a screen full of question marks.
They kept scrolling for nearly half a minute.
[Holy ****, what is this, what is all this?]
[I thought this game was just an empty shell, but there's actually something here! Is this the game's lore? Titans, the ember, gods?]
[Wait, this animation is way too grand. It's so lifelike, as if it actually exists.]
[I've never heard of this planet. The author must have imagined it.]
[Aglaea of the Golden Weaver, the Triune Messenger, the Dullard Anaxagoras, the Priest, and that lion... are these characters from the opening cinematic? They're a bit too detailed.]
[Look! This 'Ashen Hand' attendant actually has a dragon following her. She looks like the final boss for sure. Dare you hold her gaze for ten seconds?]
The Chrysos Heirs made their appearances in the animation one by one, like characters from an epic poem, revealing this world's setting and its cast.
Until a brilliant, blazing sun shone forth, and a silver-haired man raised a holy sword high.
[And the unnamed new king is crowned, alongside countless heroes.]
[To undertake the great work of Deliverance!]
[...]
[Fire Chasing is a journey of constant loss.]
[Indeed, we are consumed by the flames.]
[All to inscribe but the opening stroke in the epic of creation.]
About three minutes passed.
As a group portrait of the Chrysos Heirs appeared, the screen gradually dimmed, carrying a sense of grandeur and tragedy.
But Guinaifen and the viewers in the stream were watching with eyes wide and shining.
Unexpectedly, however, it still wasn't over.
In the blink of an eye for Guinaifen, a lady with a pointed hat appeared right on the screen.
Looking relaxed and at ease, she gazed at the '∞'-shaped ring reflected in the mirror and smiled:
"Most heroic journeys across the universe are merely dice tossed by Their hands."
"Will your answer be any different?"
"Amphoreus."
With those words.
In an instant.
Guinaifen had already drawn in a sharp breath, her expression shifting from curiosity to sheer amazement.
Wait!
That outfit, that appearance... even though she wasn't some high-ranking official on the Xianzhou, Guinaifen naturally recognized who this was.
After all, while this person rarely appeared in her true form publicly, her fame was outrageously huge!
Could this be the 83rd member of the Genius Society, Ms. Herta?!
And the creator of the Herta Sequence?!
A real-life figure had appeared in the game.
But most importantly, this appearance... could it be her true form?!
[Herta? That's Herta, right?]
[You must address her as Lady Herta! That's definitely that Genius. The game even includes Herta?]
[My heavens! And is this Herta's true form? This is my first time seeing that Genius's full appearance. Oh no, oh no, I'm completely becoming a fan now!]
[An unofficial fan game dares to put Ms. Herta in it? Has the game's author gone mad for money, throwing caution to the wind?]
[Does he even have Herta's copyright? He just uses Herta's likeness? I remember this Genius hates appearing before others the most...]
Revealing Herta's true form had clearly stirred up quite a storm of discussion.
Suddenly, the viewership in Guinaifen's stream began to skyrocket.
The stream, which had only a few hundred viewers, quickly broke a thousand.
One must remember, this was the 83rd seat of the Genius Society, a legend rumored to have had an audience with an Aeon twice.
Anyone who knew what her true form looked like made people question their identity and the fate that awaited them.
After all, rumors said Ms. Herta's temper wasn't exactly the best...
However, at the very end of the animation.
"Of course..."
[Demons and gods?!]
[And masters!]