"Listen... the dead are speaking."
This small line of text appeared beneath the video Guinaifen was about to click on, sending a chill down her spine.
But she wasn't actually scared—her exaggerated reaction was just for show.
If she hadn't experienced Xianzhou Luofu's storyline firsthand, she might have found this eerie and unsettling.
But now?
After the release of the short film "Primordial," the meaning behind "Five people, three must pay a price" was crystal clear.
Back when they first arrived on the Luofu, Blade had uttered those words to Jing Yuan in the Shackling Prison.
At the time, Guinaifen had assumed "name" referred to some profound, cryptic meaning—after all, Blade was a Stellaron Hunter.
But now she understood:
"Five people, three must pay a price."
Blade's message was simple:
"There were five of us. Three of us sinned. Jing Yuan... you were right."
With this revelation, Blade's image had shifted from "edgy, cryptic villain" to "gruff but painfully honest man."
So watching his character PV—"[A Lost Soul]"—felt far less intimidating.
"Let's check out Blade's skills first before deciding how many copies to pull!"
"Blade? Who's 'Blade'? Call him 'Bladie'!"
"I've already pulled E6—here to see Xiao Guizi's reaction!"
"Current patch's strongest Destruction DPS!"
"Hunt for single-target, Erudition for AoE—Destruction does BOTH!"
Guinaifen's fingers itched to pull for him immediately, but she resisted.
Watch the PV first!
---
A crimson slash tore across the screen as a blood-red spider lily bloomed.
Text flashed:
[Judgment]
[Life or Death—No Compromise.]
Blade gripped his ancient sword, voice low and grim:
"With this blade... I shall bury you."
A Xianzhou-style electronic beat kicked in as Blade cut through enemies with brutal efficiency.
"The sins run deep... yet you dare judge me?"
"This rotten world... still calls itself 'Xianzhou.'"
After slaughtering a group of Cloud Knights, Blade suddenly lowered his head, breathing heavily.
The scene shifted—
A field of spider lilies stretched endlessly.
At its center knelt a white-haired man, trapped in this sea of suffering.
As he weakly lifted his head—
A figure with dragon horns appeared before him.
"Yingxing!!"
"Yingxing and Dan Feng—I'M CRYING!"
"You still can't let him go?!"
"This part sounds like Jing Yuan's PV—do all the Quintet share this theme?!"
"Special thanks to Dan Heng for his cameo."
Then—
A spear pierced Blade's chest.
Dan Heng—trembling but resolute—held the weapon firm.
Silence.
Then—
Blade's mad laughter erupted.
And with it—
A single, piercing note from an instrument so powerful it shook the soul.
The sheer raw intensity threatened to shatter the screen.
---
[Chat]
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT INSTRUMENT?!"
"MY PHONE ALMOST EXPLODED!"
"IT'S A SUONA! THEY USED A SUONA!"
"I NEVER THOUGHT BLADE'S PV WOULD FEATURE A XIANZHOU FOLK INSTRUMENT!"
"HOLY SHT, MY EARS ARE BLESSED!!"
"SUONA DROPS—EVERYONE STANDS UP!"
"THIS THING CAN PLAY FROM YOUR BIRTH TO YOUR FUNERAL!"
"THE SHEER AUDACITY OF THIS BGM—PEAK FICTION!"
...
Blade's voice growled:
"Before your sins are cleansed..."
"My vengeance... knows no end!"
A blood-red light erupted as Blade descended from the sky.
The moment he landed—
The ground cracked like a spider's web, each fissure glowing with crescent-shaped slashes.
Mountains and rivers in the distance bloomed with spider lilies.
"THAT'S HIS ULT?!"
"THE EFFECTS ARE INSANE!" Guinaifen gasped.
"The trial version didn't do him justice—this is next-level!"
"I'm swiping for E6—let fate decide how many copies I get!"
---
At Central Starskiff Haven, the PV played on a giant screen.
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
"Why does this PV feel like a funeral march?!"
"Why's it so hype?! I can't resist pulling now!"
"There's a wanted poster for Blade right there—is this appropriate?!"
"Wasn't gonna pull, but the SUONA sold me!"
Soon, players started pulling right then and there.
"I trade my brother's 10-year singleness for Blade no 50/50!"
"OMG I GOT HIM FIRST TRY!!"
"Pulled the second the suona hit—INSTANT WIN!"
"NO WAY! PLAY IT AGAIN!"
---
Meanwhile, in Penacony...
Robin extracted the PV's background music and shared it in a private musicians' group chat—a space for interstellar artists to discuss music, free from gossip.
"Thoughts on this piece?"
Minutes later, replies flooded in:
"What is this instrument?! Its presence drowns out everything else!"
"If I'm not mistaken, it's a Xianzhou folk instrument—the suona. Though traditionally, it's used for funerals and weddings, not 'high art.'"
"Huh? 'Not high art'? Are you deaf?!"
(The chat was anonymous, so opinions flew freely.)
Another musician chimed in:
"This suona goes HARD—I feel my soul leaving my body!"
"Music isn't about 'rules'—it's about EMOTION!"
"This proves the suona isn't 'low-class'—it's just been misunderstood!"
The first critic backtracked:
"Relax! I heard that from a Xianzhou friend. This track proves its worth."
Another added:
"This is from Honkai: Star Rail's Blade PV, right? My kid made me listen—it's insane!"
"Is Yu Ling a game dev or a composer?!"
"How are we supposed to compete?!"
"This PV blends Xianzhou tradition with modern edge—dark yet heroic. Got it? Yu Ling: 'Got it. Drops masterpiece.'"
To be continued…
Advance 100 Chapters are up on my Patreon!
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus