Chapter 175: The Pink Cloud Goddess and a Trailblazer's Deduction
While aimlessly scanning a small square near the residential district on the market's edge, Stelle's gaze was snagged by a small, peculiar gathering.
The people were dressed in common, unremarkable clothes, but their behavior was anything but. They had formed a tight circle, chanting something in low, rhythmic voices, their faces a strange mixture of fervent piety and wild fanaticism.
Stelle's curiosity was instantly hooked. Ducking behind the corner of a secluded stall, she strained her ears, listening intently.
She could just make out the group's hushed prayers.
"Oh, supreme Pink Cloud Goddess, you who descended from beyond the heavens, bestowing upon lost souls the hopeful glow of dawn..."
"Please, Pink Cloud Goddess who descended from beyond the heavens, grant me good fortune today..."
"Praise the Pink Cloud Goddess, may your grace spread across Okhema like the morning glow..."
Stelle's eyes widened.
Pink Cloud Goddess? Descended from beyond the heavens?
Though she could be a bit of a space case, Stelle clearly remembered Aglaea's repeated, solemn warnings to keep their "outsider" identity an absolute secret. The phrase "beyond the heavens" was practically a taboo in Okhema; ordinary citizens should have been terrified to even whisper it.
Yet here, in this unassuming public square, was a group of people openly and devoutly praying to a "Pink Cloud Goddess" who had "descended from beyond the heavens."
This was far too strange to be a coincidence. There had to be an important secret hidden here—perhaps something related to the truth of Amphoreus, or even those bizarre nymphs.
Stelle's spirit of exploration (and her love for a good bit of gossip) ignited. She quickly fired off a brief report in the group chat.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Stelle]: "@All Members Major discovery! There's a strange organization here at the market, something like the 'Pink Cloud Goddess Research Society,'and they're openly praying to a'Pink Cloud Goddess'who'descended from beyond the heavens'! This is way too suspicious! I'm going in to investigate!"
[Honkai: Star Rail · March 7th]: "Eh?! Stelle, wait! Don't be rash!"
[Genshin Impact · Lumine]: "Stelle, proceed with caution. Observe first."
But Stelle's actions were always a step ahead of her thoughts. After sending the message, she didn't even bother to read the replies—mostly because she was afraid Dan Heng or Zhongli would chime in and tell her to make a proper plan. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself up from behind the stall, composing her expression.
Slipping into the role of a curious passerby, she walked openly toward the group, who were still lost in their devout prayers.
Stelle approached them with a friendly, slightly innocent smile plastered on her face. "Um... hello? Excuse me," she began, her voice light and inquisitive. "I think I just heard you talking about a 'Pink Cloud Goddess'? She sounds really impressive. Could you tell me about her?"
The chanting stopped. Every head in the circle snapped toward her, their gazes uniformly falling upon the uninvited, brightly smiling, gray-haired girl.
For a moment, the air in the square seemed to solidify.
Stelle's sudden appearance and direct question had shocked the members of the "Pink Cloud Goddess Research Society" out of their trance. Their eyes, a mix of surprise and uncertainty, remained fixed on the unfamiliar girl.
She maintained her harmless, curious smile, but inwardly, her nerves were pulled taut. The power of her Path began to circulate subtly within her, ready to be unleashed. If any of them showed the slightest hint of hostility or so much as reached for a weapon, she would strike first—after all, sometimes the most direct form of "communication" was a "physical" one.
However, contrary to every bad scenario she had just imagined, their faces showed no wariness or hostility. After a brief, stunned silence, their expressions erupted with an almost fanatical enthusiasm.
The middle-aged man leading the group even stepped forward, his hands crossed over his chest in a strange, reverent gesture. His voice trembled with excitement.
"Distinguished guest! Hello! I am Damianos, a team leader of the Pink Cloud Goddess Research Society! I never imagined we would have new friends interested in our faith today! Please, allow me to explain in detail the great deeds of the Pink Cloud Goddess!"
Stelle blinked. "...?"
Wasn't this reaction a little too enthusiastic?
Before she could even formulate a response, the leader who called himself Damianos seemed to flip a switch, launching into a passionate, ceaseless narration.
"You ask of the Pink Cloud Goddess, Your Excellency? She is the savior of our Amphoreus, the guiding light in the suffocating darkness!" he proclaimed.
"Do you know, in those desperate years when the Black Tide raged and even the Titans went mad, it was the Goddess who descended from beyond the heavens and saved an entire migrating tribe from under the hundred eyes of [Aegler]!"
"Have you heard that atop Skyfang City, the Goddess once battled the mad [Strife Titan Nikador] for three days and three nights! She ultimately repelled it with her supreme divine power, buying precious time for Okhema to breathe!"
"And, and! The Goddess once guided lost merchant caravans through the treacherous Hollows! She once healed withered chimeras with her dawn-like warmth! She once..."
Damianos spoke in a torrent, story after story flowing from his mouth like verses from a legendary epic, the plots growing more exaggerated and bizarre with each telling. Calming storms with a wave of her hand, turning stones into gold with a single word... Stelle's eyelids twitched. These tales sounded even more outlandish than the legends from the Xianzhou; a three-year-old would probably question their veracity.
But Stelle didn't interrupt him. Instead, she focused, trying to pluck key fragments from the flood of information, a deluge of personal worship that was difficult to parse for truth.
She keenly grasped several key points.
First, this "Pink Cloud Goddess" was clearly and consistently defined as an "outsider" in all the legends, which directly contradicted Aglaea's strict secrecy requirements.
Second, according to the Research Society, the legends of the Pink Cloud Goddess had been circulating for "several millennia"—an incredibly long time.
Third, and most, almost every legend, when describing the Pink Cloud Goddess, mentioned her iconic, "radiant as the morning glow" pink hair.
Pink hair.
A tiny light bulb seemed to 'ding' inside Stelle's head.
Pink wasn't exactly a common hair color. And in her experience, she just so happened to have a companion with beautiful, vibrant pink hair—March 7th.
Descending from beyond the heavens... the distinct pink hair... and the fact that March was mysteriously missing a part of herself for reasons still unknown...
The clues collided and combined in Stelle's mind, rapidly weaving together into a surprising deduction that, to her, was perfectly and logically consistent.
This legendary "Pink Cloud Goddess" was very likely March 7th herself! Or rather, it was March 7th from a past era of Amphoreus, from a time before she lost her memories.
Perhaps, long ago, March had come to Amphoreus and left behind these incredible legends. And now, the Astral Express Crew's arrival had inadvertently triggered some past karma. A Titan who had once been taught a lesson by the "Pink Cloud Goddess" must have sensed March's aura and come seeking revenge.
That would explain the attack on the Express and the forceful abduction of a part of March!
'Yes! It must be like this!'Stelle thought, a triumphant grin spreading across her face.'I'm a genius detective!'
Dan Heng was always engrossed in his books, and March was always complaining about her being scatterbrained. This time, she was definitely going to shock them all with this amazing discovery.
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]