Note: Hi Archivist here!
First, Sorry for missing a few updates...again... I got a cold and I don't usually get sick tbh only once or twice a year and since I got my quota for it this year, I should be safe for the remainder of the year lol (but seriously, all i got is a common cold and by body felt like it went to a shut down mode, can't even hold a phone lol all I do is sleep for a week.)
Lastly, i missed a lot so 20 chapters today! Happy readings!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 314: The Final Boss of Penacony is a Bug?! The Metagame Script Begins!
"Mr. Sunday, what are your thoughts on the Swarm Disaster?"
"When you were planning the Order's Dream, did you ever consider the impact the Swarm might have on the dreamers?"
"Lord Sunday, if a Swarm outbreak occurs in Penacony, would you be able to turn the tide single-handedly?"
"…"
Players from various planets scrambled to ask Sunday about the hidden dangers within the dreamscape.
Ever since the video "Embers of Glamoth" was released, discussions surrounding the Swarm seemed to explode among the players!
Previously, in Argenti's Companion Mission, there had been plotlines involving the propagating bugs. However, the sense of crisis presented in that storyline wasn't particularly intense; it didn't give people a direct, visceral sense of the Swarm's overwhelming pressure.
But this time, it reminded everyone of the true terror of the Swarm Disaster!
The excited players were held back by the Family's security personnel.
Meanwhile, Sunday opened the game forum and glanced through it. Out of ten posts, seven were discussing the Swarm! The buzz surrounding the Swarm Disaster was continuing to ferment.
[ The actual Swarm Disaster is far more terrifying than the text descriptions in the Simulated Universe. ]
[ You don't seriously think the bugs you fight in the game represent their actual scale in reality, do you? Their size and numbers in real life are countless times larger than what's shown… ]
[ Translating the game to reality, if you encounter the Swarm, those True Stings are just basic foot soldiers. When they cover the sky and earth before you, even if you have the SAM armor and can crush them one by one, you probably couldn't finish them off in a whole year! ]
[ Don't forget the even larger Mother Swarms. They aren't even considered Emanators of Propagation, yet ordinary SAM armor can't even get close to them. They can only be completely wiped out using star-destroying strategic weapons… ]
[ This short film really made me realize what a universe-spanning catastrophe actually means. ]
[ Now I finally know why it took several Aeons joining forces to stop Propagation. Because other than Aeons, there is absolutely no force that can halt the Swarm's march! ]
[ Friendly reminder: The Swarm Disaster depicted in "Embers of Glamoth" might not even be the Swarm at its peak. After all… at its peak, the Swarm Disaster swept through two-thirds of the entire universe! ]
[ At its peak, there were Emanator-level King Bugs. They literally propagated entire planets! That scale… tsk tsk, it's countless times grander than what you saw! ]
[ It's safe to say that other than the Aeons, no one could have ended the Swarm Disaster… ]
[ We're lucky we weren't born in that era. It's a level of despair that's simply unimaginable. ]
Suddenly, Sunday's gaze shifted. He spotted a post with an extremely high number of likes, and its content caught his attention.
[ Penacony has countless ties to Propagation. Penacony itself might just be one giant True Sting! ]
[ In the new map, Dreamflux Reef, not only can you hear the buzzing of bug wings, but a biologist named Hydra also claimed to have heard the sound of squirming and chewing in a certain dreamscape. ]
[ Reply: There's a line in the text—'The Grand Theater is like a teal cocoon.' ]
[ Reply: Does anyone remember the Swarm King prototype that Ruan Mei cultivated? During the storyline, there was a close-up of the Swarm King's secretions. The color looks extremely similar to SoulGlad. ]
[ The text also mentions an orange soda flavor, which matches the description of SoulGlad… ]
[ Reply: It's over! I just downed three cans of SoulGlad yesterday! ]
[ Reply: Just to add, there's a broken clock in a certain area of the Reverie Hotel in Penacony. After fixing it, there's an incredibly terrifying prompt related to Propagation! And the Trailblazer gets angry for no reason, as if infected by a hallucination caused by the bugs. ]
[ Reply: Also, don't forget that the wing duster of the Propagation bugs can cause hallucinations, just like what happened when we first met Argenti. And one of the materials Ruan Mei used to resurrect the Propagation Emanator was Memoria! ]
[ With so many hints, it's hard not to connect the dots… ]
[ I get it! The Aeon of Propagation is going to win a resurrection match in Penacony! ]
***
"Penacony actually has a connection to Propagation?"
"This is a bit too absurd…"
Aboard the Astral Express, March 7th had naturally come across these posts on the forum, her face filled with disbelief.
Stelle was also quickly scrolling through the related content beside her, saying, "Looking at these player comments, they make it sound so mysterious and profound~"
"How come I didn't notice so many hidden clues when I was playing through it myself?"
"Reading this actually makes me wonder if the final boss of the next version is going to be a Propagation bug?!"
At this moment, Himeko spoke up, "Whether there is a dormant Swarm in Penacony still remains to be verified…"
"Right now, there is a more pressing matter before us."
"Misha's true identity is about to be revealed in the upcoming plot."
***
In Guinaifen's livestream room…
"No wonder Firefly said 'I live for myself' after Sunday explained his philosophy!"
"To think such a painful experience lay behind those words…"
"And it is at this very moment that Firefly's transformation begins."
"This time, she is no longer a Glamoth Iron Cavalry, no longer a human weapon, but the Firefly we know!"
…
"Little Gui is right!"
"She's just like that quiet, introverted female classmate from my school days."
"She was once a genetically modified soldier created as a weapon of war, but in the end, she lived her own life."
"I will pull for Firefly no matter the cost!"
"When is Firefly's banner opening? I can't wait!"
"Can that state with the burning teal flames be implemented in the game? Please, Feather Spirit!"
"I really want that limit-breaking state!"
…
Guinaifen took a deep breath, composed herself, and said, "Now, we have a deeper understanding of Firefly's past…"
"We can probably understand why she made this choice."
"Before the Express Crew makes their decision, there's still another segment of the story to play out."
"Let's watch it together!"
***
The Reverie Hotel, Dreamscape.
"Sir, how could there be bugs in the dreamscape? Please calm down."
"Ma'am, I assure you we will clean your room thoroughly. Please do not worry about any bugs."
In the hallway, Misha sighed. Beside him, Clockie also drooped his head.
"What on earth happened? Why are all the guests who come to the dreamscape discussing things like Propagation and bugs?"
Clockie gave a helpless smile.
"Everyone seems very troubled, and no one can give us an answer…"
Misha nodded. Indeed, so far, no one seemed to have actively interacted with him.
Misha took this for granted, not yet realizing the strangeness of it all.
Just then, the two of them stopped in front of a television set. The TV was currently broadcasting Guinaifen's livestream of the game's story.
Misha's face instantly lit up with joy.
"Great! It's the story of Honkai: Star Rail!"
"Maybe we can find out what exactly happened through the plot!"