[So this was a flashback? The plot's kinda brilliant!]
[That callback between Chapters 20 and 21 is crazy good!]
[Shibao: Buddha, can you tell which of us is the real WuSora?]
[Bronya & Kiana: Oh no, we Herrschers have become Buddhas.]
[You guys just can't stop with this joke, huh? 23333]
...
Seeing that there was still hope for a turnaround—and especially that perfect echo from Chapters 20 and 21—players were amazed. Unexpected yet completely fitting.
They temporarily put aside their urgency.
At that moment, the game screen shifted.
It returned to the very beginning of the Herrscher of Sentience's birth, at the start of Chapter 20.
Inside Schicksal's life-support pod.
After Fu Hua abandoned this body, a Honkai-forged consciousness easily took over the powerful vessel.
The Eighth Herrscher awakened within Fu Hua's body.
To the Honkai, this was the ideal Herrscher.
However, just as Otto's unintended mistake had pushed Fu Hua's body toward the Honkai's side, events often develop subtle twists from chance and coincidence.
The newborn Honkai consciousness awakened within Fu Hua's mind.
At this point, it was still simple. The Honkai had shaped a basic personality for it—one that would merge with the body's memories to give birth to a unique Herrscher consciousness.
Such is the case with every Herrscher. The Honkai always holds the advantage.
But this time, it underestimated the body's original owner.
Memories spanning thousands and thousands of years surged forth. An overwhelming tide of thought flooded the Herrscher's personality.
Fu Hua's past came crashing down like tidal waves—unstoppable in their force…
Thus, without any outside interference, the newborn Herrscher personality relegated the Honkai's influence to a secondary role.
At last, the birth of the Eighth Herrscher—and why the Herrscher of Sentience so firmly believed herself to be Fu Hua—was made completely clear.
Players, hit by this bombshell of a reveal,
took a moment to digest the story.
And then… they had an epiphany.
So it wasn't that Fu was Herrscherified—but that the Herrscher was Fu-ified?
So the Herrscher of Sentience only believed she was Fu Hua because she got overloaded by the class monitor's 50,000 years of memories?
In that case, everything in the plot really did connect perfectly.
Looking back on the main story just moments ago, it felt like countless delicate threads had woven together in their minds to form a vibrant world.
A strange, novel, and exhilarating clarity swept over them, filling them with a unique sense of joy.
Brilliant!!
You thought it was just about meme play, character quirks, and debates over what's real or not?
Turns out that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Now that the real iceberg had surfaced, they realized they had severely underestimated miHoYo.
miHoYo's scriptwriters are incredible!!
"So impressive." Even industry professionals watching from the sidelines couldn't help but marvel.
To the layperson, it's just a string of twists.
To insiders, it's a masterclass.
It's not just about piling on twist after twist—the key is that every single twist is unexpected yet logical, and each one pushes the story forward.
That's the real brilliance.
However, if they thought that was the entire iceberg, they were dead wrong!
Something even bigger was still waiting for them.
Even though everyone in the livestream room was excited and having fun,
the joy was theirs alone—certain someone didn't feel happy at all.
As for the reason… we probably don't need to elaborate.
Of course, she was barely managing to keep up appearances.
Until someone just had to bring up the one thing they shouldn't.
[Didn't Shi-nee just say no one would get dumb from Fu Hua's 50,000 years of memories?]
[Is Shi-nee actually a prophet?]
A few comments floated by.
Fu Shibao said nothing and pretended she didn't see them.
It's fine. Stay silent. She believed the topic would blow over soon.
Unfortunately, things rarely go as one hopes.
[Shi-nee helped dub the scenes, right? No way she doesn't get the plot. She must've done it on purpose.]
[I think so too! Shi-nee's clearly just playing along with the meme!]
A few more comments drifted by.
Fu Shibao's lips trembled. She seemed about to speak, then gave up—and still pretended not to see anything.
[I get the feeling Shi-nee doesn't actually like the idea of the Herrscher of Sentience being dumbed down by 50,000 years of memories. Let alone intentionally running with the meme.]
[She may not like it, but she still went along with it to keep the mood up—that's what you call selfless devotion. So moving~~]
Fu Shibao: "..."
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.
She stood up.
Everyone at miHoYo turned to look at her, as if silently asking "What's wrong?"
Fu Shibao stayed silent. She walked out of the livestream shooting area.
"...Someone else take over the livestream from here."
"Shi?"
Kiana approached, just about to ask why Fu Shibao was suddenly "clocking out."
Fu Shibao cut her off without mercy.
"I'm not a kid. Don't call me that."
"Well, I can't exactly call you 'Ms. Shi,' right? That feels way too formal."
Kiana blinked. "Why not call you Shibao? How's that?"
"..."
"Call me whatever you want. I just want to clock out now."
Fu Shibao waved her hand.
Kiana looked slightly troubled. "But the livestream's only just begun."
Fu Shibao turned away. "I'm tired. You guys cover for me."
"But... today's your feature, Shibao."
Today's main story was a feature on Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Sentience.
If someone else took over, it just wouldn't hit the same.
Fu Shibao suddenly snapped back and exclaimed from the heart:
"None of you better even think of making me work overtime!"
Everyone: "..."
"Shi."
Just then, Fu Hua also left the filming area.
"Old relic, don't say anything stupid." Fu Shibao rolled her eyes.
"Hmm..."
Fu Hua hesitated, raised her hand, and mimicked an in-game pose—tapping her temple in contemplation.
The others nearby got the eerie feeling that the classic in-game scene was about to play out in real life.
Fortunately, Hokuto walked over to defuse the tension.
"Perfect timing. We shouldn't spend the whole stream just pushing main story anyway. Let Fu Hua and Shibao get some rest."
He even changed the way he addressed Fu Shibao on the spot.
After a brief pause, he turned to Kiana:
"Kiana, can I ask you and Mei to hop into the livestream and give an intro to the homestead system?"
"Me and Mei?" Kiana pointed to herself.
"Yeah." Hokuto nodded.
"Got it." Kiana nodded back, then turned to find Mei.
"Mei~~ let's go livestream for a bit."
Naturally, Mei had no objections to Hokuto's arrangement.
She smiled and wrapped an arm around Kiana's shoulders. The two walked toward the filming area side by side.
Once Kiana and Mei had left—
Fu Shibao looked at Hokuto, who had come up to her.
"I'm not just..."
"I know you're tired, Shibao. Go ahead and rest."
Hokuto cut her off naturally, then smiled and asked:
"While you're taking a break—wanna check out the promo PV for the Herrscher of Sentience?"
"My... the Herrscher of Sentience's promo PV? It's done already?"
He took the tablet Rita handed him with perfect timing.
"Yeah. Just like we discussed earlier. It's really impressive."