Xianzhou, Aurum Alley.
After satisfying their hunger, Lin Yu rented a room nearby the hotel.
The room was clean and tidy, with all amenities readily available.
Lin Yu sat by the window, sipping on the hotel's signature complimentary beverage while opening the system interface.
[Popularity Points: 20,000+]
[Premium Points: 0]
[Cumulative Points: 20,000]
[Congratulations! Host has reached the first milestone, awarded 5,000 points and one small-scale promotion opportunity.]
"Promotion opportunity?" Lin Yu's eyes narrowed as he read the reward.
Haven't Guinaifen's streams already provided ample publicity? What exactly does this system-promised promotion entail?
By clicking on the description, Lin Yu quickly understood its purpose.
"It allows unconditional advertising within a certain range?"
"That..."
Recommended Placement Location: Space Station [Herta] Penacony
Lin Yu pondered for a moment.
Initially, he considered placing the advertisement at Penacony, as it was a hub for dreams with heavy foot traffic, ensuring the game would attract more attention.
However, upon checking the map:
He couldn't help but comment, "Isn't this coverage area too small?"
"It's barely larger than one attraction in Penacony!"
"But placing it at the space station seems to cover almost the entire area."
"Alright, let's go ahead and place it at the space station then."
As Lin Yu utilized the opportunity, all advertising screens in the space station's Master Control Zone instantly changed color.
Advertisements for Seeker Devices, Caliburn, and similar products were swiftly replaced.
Introducing the latest mobile game—Honkai: Star Rail! Launch promotion includes three free Astral Express crew members! Plus, Asta and Herta unlocked absolutely FREE!
What are you waiting for? Get ahead of the crowd and embark on your Trailblazing journey now!
On the advertisement cover, alongside silhouettes of March 7th, Dan Heng, and Stelle, the most striking visuals were the illustrated characters of Asta and Herta.
This promotional tagline was specifically tailored by the System to target the space station's audience.
The straightforward yet bold approach proved highly effective on these researchers accustomed to routine monotony. Amidst their usual barrage of formulaic ads, encountering something so intriguing compelled everyone to take a closer look.
"Honkai: Star Rail? Never heard of this mobile game before."
"Free-to-play? And they give away characters just for signing up? That sounds too good to be true!"
"What do 'Asta' and 'Herta' mean in the ad? Did they turn Station Chief Asta and Lady Herta into playable characters?"
"In that case, I have no choice but to try it out!"
"You better deliver, billboard! If those characters aren't free upon launch, you'll hear from me immediately!"
Upon seeing the advertisement, numerous staff members paused in their tracks. They quickly pulled out their phones to download "Honkai: Star Rail" right there in the mall.
Considering the space station wasn't particularly large, news spread rapidly. It swiftly reached the meeting room where Asta was present.
"Miss, here's the situation," Arlan explained with utmost seriousness.
"It's as if all the billboards suddenly came under a hacker attack. They're now displaying ads for... Honkai: Star Rail."
"Should we cut off power to those billboards?"
"No need..." Asta shook her head while glancing at her phone. "This game seems quite intriguing. I'm about to perform my first Transmigration."
"Transmigration?"
"Yes, that's it! You can summon characters you know from reality, like March 7th, Himeko, and maybe even Lady Herta herself!"
As she spoke, Asta tapped the option for "[Transmigrate Once]."
A regular train ticket floated through space, followed swiftly by an approaching locomotive.
Under Conductor Pom-Pom's watchful gaze, the rear doors opened, revealing a purple glow.
Excitedly, Asta noted, "Purple light... Hmm, this must mean I've drawn a four-star character!"
Within the radiant aura, an image emerged—a girl seated beside a massive telescope.
Asta (New), Fire Attribute, ★★★★, Cooperator
Next to her, Arlan was utterly dumbfounded.
Asta's mouth dropped open in astonishment, forming an 'O.'
Drawing a card...and getting herself?
Arlan opened his mouth, struggling for several moments before managing to ask, "Miss, you're...also a character within this game?"
"I-I don't know!" Asta seemed flustered; she had never encountered such a situation while gaming before. "But just now, I did indeed see myself as part of the game's storyline."
"So that's how it is..." Arlan lowered his head, deep in thought. "Miss, I'll have one of our engineers check if any other programs on the space station were hacked."
"Oh, alright. Go ahead." Gradually, Asta composed herself and eagerly opened her character interface to review her skill descriptions.
"Skill [Meteor Swarm]... Deals additional damage 4 times..."
"Ultimate [Wishes Upon Stars]: Increases Speed for all allies..."
"Wow... How did these developers know I love stars?!"
Meanwhile, after leaving Asta's presence, Arlan didn't immediately contact his team of engineers.
Instead, he returned to his private quarters and pulled out his phone. With slightly trembling fingers, he began searching for "Honkai: Star Rail."
Soon, the game finished downloading. As he launched it, he muttered to himself, "I-I must summon Miss Astria too! And protect her at all costs. Even within the game, I cannot allow any harm to come to her."
Inside the space station, various departments temporarily set aside their work to delve into this intriguing new game.
It wasn't long before someone discovered Little Guizi's live stream on Xianzhou Live Streaming Platform. Those unable to play or simply wanting to observe first flocked to watch the broadcast.
They even switched the largest display screen in the station to tune into Little Guizi's channel. A crowd gathered around, intrigued and eager to follow along.
Pointing and discussing animatedly at the screen:
"So this is Honkai: Star Rail?"
"According to reliable sources, the game's storyline is entirely based on real-life events. Look at these characters in the streamer's team—they're all familiar faces!"
"And even our Station Head Asta? Am I seeing this right?"
"Not to mention, each character's ultimate abilities are incredibly flashy!"
The crowd continued to grow larger.
Upon hearing about the game's wonders, many immediately started downloading it.
Within the live stream footage,
Guinaifen's cheeks were flushed with excitement.
"Folks! Next up, we'll try out Miss Himeko's skills!"
"I wonder what the Navigator's Ultimate will be like?"
Guinaifen summoned the trial version of Himeko.
First, she zoomed in closely, allowing for clear details of Himeko to be visible onscreen.
Her pristine white gown adorned with golden rose accessories—
Even the mole near her right breast was distinctly noticeable.
Several comments scrolled past.
"This streamer knows how to keep viewers engaged!"
***
"Are there any other viewpoints available?"
"Switching now would get us banned."
Controlling Himeko, they quickly encountered a Voidranger.
A tap to attack.
Instantly, Himeko's suitcase appeared, and from one end emerged a chainsaw, striking directly onto the monster.
Upon entering combat mode,
the details of Himeko's weapon became clearer.
Both her Basic ATK and Skills involved using various tools from the suitcase to slice enemies!
When triggering her Talent for Follow-Up Attacks, sparks flew dramatically.
This unique fighting style elicited numerous exclamations from the researchers.
"Forget about the monsters, just watching this looks painful!"
"Miss Himeko is quite beautiful, but she fights with real ferocity!"
"Absolutely! How else could she become the train's navigator?"
"Does her ultimate involve throwing the suitcase to explode? I heard Miss Himeko's suitcase contains an escaped satellite."
"I can't wait to see it!"
In no time at all, Little Gui Zi had accumulated enough energy for Himeko.
Facing the three monsters on the battlefield, they firmly pressed the button to activate [Fallen Star Fire].
"It's coming, here it comes, folks!"
Himeko interjected, "I think you might not fully understand yet."
Guinaifen was taken aback.
"Why did the suitcase suddenly turn into a chair?"
"And Miss Himeko! When did you have time to brew coffee? We're in the middle of a battle!"
Typically, when others activated their ultimate abilities, they would assume a stylish combat stance.
Only Himeko had seamlessly transitioned from standing to sitting, still holding her cup of coffee.
This transformation left everyone puzzled and intrigued, wondering what spectacle her ultimate would unfold next!
She pressed the release button on the right side with a '?' symbol!
Himeko gently crossed her right leg over the other, assuming a relaxed pose, while gazing up at the sky.
Beside her, a red beam shot straight towards the heavens!
It pierced through spiraling clouds, reaching all the way into outer space.
"Humans have never concealed their desire to control the stars..."
The red beam acted like a signal flare.
In space, the satellite received this cue and immediately prepared its weapon.
A railgun descended vertically, delivering a precise bombardment on the designated coordinates below!
"Of course, I am no exception."
Remaining seated, Himeko calmly took a sip of her coffee, expression unchanging.
The towering inferno beside her illuminated half of her figure and stirred her long red hair, yet she remained unfazed, not even turning her head.
The ultimate ability animation concluded.
In the live stream, Guinaifen stood frozen, and the surrounding scientists were momentarily speechless.
After a few seconds,
the scene erupted like a boiling pot.
Everyone jumped to their feet!
Exclamations of awe filled the air, some even blurting out exclamations in their native dialects.
"Elegant! Absolutely elegant!"
"Woah! A railgun?"
"How incredibly badass!"
"If that was unleashed for real in a space station, it'd obliterate an entire module!"
"Awesome! Absolutely incredible! The visual effects in this game are mind-blowing! Who could've imagined that Himeko's ultimate ability involves summoning a satellite to bombard the ground?"
Not far away, Asta also witnessed Himeko's ultimate ability animation through a nearby screen projection.
Being who she is, Asta didn't lose her composure like an ordinary scientist, rendered speechless by the spectacle. Instead, her eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Miss Himeko is just too elegant!"
"And especially when she says, 'Humans have never concealed their desire to master the cosmos'... Ahh, it resonates so deeply with my heart!"
If not for the people around her, Asta would have hugged her phone featuring Miss Himeko and joyously rolled on the floor several times, overwhelmed with excitement.
In that moment, she made up her mind:
No matter what,
she had to obtain Miss Himeko in this game!