Chapter 36: The Q&A Resumes
The scene shifts. Hu Tao appears, a bright smile on her face, clutching a photograph of her grandfather while pulling her small cart. She inquires of a passerby, "Excuse me, have you seen my grandfather?"
"I'm sorry, I haven't," the person replies, shaking their head after a brief glance.
In the top left corner of the video, a small caption reads: "In search of her grandfather, Hu Tao has traversed every corner of Liyue!"
The scene shifts again. A disheveled, dirt-streaked Hu Tao is seen posting missing person notices.
After putting up a stack of them, an exhausted Hu Tao sits by the roadside. Just then, a Millelith soldier approaches.
Spotting the soldier, Hu Tao hurriedly raises the photo of her grandfather with a smile, asking, "Excuse me, have you seen my grandfather?"
Hearing her voice, the Millelith soldier turns, studies the photo for a few seconds, then shakes his head with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, little one, I haven't seen your grandfather!"
Afterward, Hu Tao asks many more people throughout Liyue Harbor, but they all claim never to have seen him. The more she asks, the heavier the disappointment etched upon her face.
Night falls quickly. Hu Tao sits upon a rock, gazing up at the starlit sky.
"Grandfather… I don't think I'll ever find you again," she says, her expression laced with sorrow as she stares at the brilliant stars.
"Grandfather, I'm so cold."
"The video ends here!"
...
Following the video's conclusion, the entire review livestream remains deathly silent; no one speaks.
[ Star Rail - Fu Xuan: Come now, Review Livestream, tell me—is this what you call 'Positive and wholesome'!? ]
[ Honkai Impact 3rd - Raiden Mei: My blade is not yet dull! ]
[ Star Rail - Xuanyong: Is this mess the handiwork of a company with the surname 'Mi'? ]
[ Genshin - Dehya: Poor child! ]
Countless viewers in the livestream demand to know if this is what the streamer considers positive and wholesome.
"This is nothing; I haven't even shown you the truly tragic ones yet!"
[ Genshin - Sangonomiya Kokomi: There are even more tragic ones? ]
At this, the crowd within the livestream is stunned, yet a burgeoning sense of curiosity takes hold.
"In truth, whether it be Genshin, Honkai Impact 3rd, or Star Rail, there are plenty of lighthearted, sunny, and happy stories."
"But have you ever seen thirteen people die forty-two times?"
[ Honkai Impact 3rd - Pardo-Felis: Ah, thirteen people died forty-two times? ]
[ Honkai Impact 3rd - Mobius: Thirteen people? Died forty-two times? ]
Among the thirteen Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era.
Kevin, hearing the livestream mention thirteen people dying forty-two times, narrows his eyes and sets aside his cup of instant noodles.
"Mobius," Kevin says, looking toward her.
"We knew this day would come the moment we embarked on this path, didn't we?" Mobius merely smiles, seemingly unbothered.
"Big Brother Kevin, Sister Mobius, what are you talking about?" Griseo pokes her head through the doorway, looking curious.
"Nothing. By the way, Griseo, is there something you need?" Kevin smiles, shaking his head, then asks with feigned curiosity.
"Oh, Sister Aponia said dinner is ready!" Griseo suddenly remembers the task that brought her there and says excitedly.
"Alright, we're coming!" Kevin and Mobius exchange a smile, then turn to Griseo.
...
"Hu Tao, are you alright?" Xiangling asks, watching her with concern.
Midway through the video, Xiangling, Chongyun, and Xingqiu had arrived at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, whisking Hu Tao away to Wanmin Restaurant and preparing a feast to cheer her up.
"Don't worry, I'm fine!" Seeing her concerned companions, Hu Tao quickly forces a smile, offering nothing more.
"Director, put those thoughts aside. Let's eat," Zhongli interjects, smiling as he places a piece of chicken into her bowl.
"Thank you, Consultant. And you all think of me as too fragile. I am Hu Tao, after all—how could I be defeated by such a trivial matter?" Hu Tao thanks Zhongli, then turns to Xiangling and the others, speaking with pride.
The three of them fail to notice anything amiss and begin to eat, though only Hu Tao knows the true depth of her sorrow.
...
"Now, we begin our daily prize trivia segment!"
"Question: With Lesser Lord Kusanali—Nahida—already present in Sumeru, why did the Akademiya agree to Dottore's god-creation project?"
"There are no multiple-choice options for this question. Please base your answers on the hints provided by the people of Sumeru."
[ Honkai Impact 3rd - Mobius: Oh, no options? We must formulate the answer ourselves? Interesting. ]
[ Star Rail - Jing Yuan: Then I shall trouble our friends from Sumeru in Genshin for their assistance. ]
[ Honkai Impact 3rd - Otto: Although I have some conjectures, I require further hints to confirm the complete answer. ]
In truth, the viewers in the chat already have a rough idea, but to avoid any errors, they choose to clarify the Sumerians' evaluations of Lesser Lord Kusanali.
"Let's start with the first!"
"Genshin - Alhaitham: Lesser Lord Kusanali seems to drift outside Sumeru's governing system; one barely feels her presence. Moreover, the Akademiya possesses the Akasha, which symbolizes the god's wisdom, so the scholars have no desire to interact with the deity."
"To underestimate or fear a god is equally inadvisable. Gods need believers, yet they are also a link in the biological chain. Therefore, I take no pride in participating in saving a god, and I hope Lesser Lord Kusanali will not mind."
"Now, the second:"
"Genshin - Cyno: Evaluating a god… that strikes me as slightly presumptuous! However, having walked alongside her, I have witnessed her wisdom and her courage with my own eyes. Compared to the sages who cast judgment based solely on their own fantasies, I believe I am more qualified to reach this conclusion!"
"She is a wise, kind, and qualified god!"
"Now, the third:"
"Genshin - Judar: The Akademiya is executing a grand plan that could change the world. They want to create a new god that belongs to them, a god of Sumeru! Because they believe Lesser Lord Kusanali lacks the wisdom and capability of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the Grand Sage and his cohorts intend to forge a new god for Sumeru."
"Now, the fourth:"
"Genshin - Morlji: The Akademiya… never treated her as a god from the very beginning. When the Akademiya found the newborn God of Wisdom—Lesser Lord Kusanali—the sages expected her to be omniscient and omnipotent like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. In truth, however, her wisdom was no different from that of a child. This revealed a terrifying fact to the Akademiya: Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was dead."
"Furthermore, Lesser Lord Kusanali's Gnosis was used to maintain the operation of the Akasha, and she possessed neither the wisdom of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata nor the extraordinary martial prowess of other gods. Gradually, people simply forgot about her!"
"I believe the hints are now quite clear. The buzzer round begins in one minute!"
[ Honkai Impact 3rd - Otto: Interesting. Creating a god, is it? ]
As someone who would eventually become a pseudo-god, Otto has quite a bit to say on the matter.
[ Star Rail - Firefly: I must do my best! ]
Lying in her medical pod, Firefly prays earnestly; if she can obtain the rewards from the livestream, perhaps she can cure her illness.
[ Genshin - Tartaglia: Then let us rely on our own abilities! ]
People from all three worlds are eager, ready to spam the button the moment the buzzer round begins.
"Now, let us congratulate…"
…