Honkai: Star Rail – Banner Character, Delivering Knives to the Player [56]

[If Yifu gets knifed, the Express would just replace him with equivalent functions. Then you'd behave.]
[???]
[What kind of devil are you? Busy rolling gacha, forgot to roll away your soul?]
[Stop wishing for such things!]
[Didn't you see him spread his wings to shield everyone in the mines? He’s literally number one at protecting guys!]
[Spicy flavor is tasty today, keep going.]
[Alright, here’s the question: who’s the number one girl-protector, then?]
[Do you even need to ask? Obviously Mommy Kafka!]

---

While players fervently debated, Sampo stood frozen in place.

The drink Lingzhou pulled out?

No—

A terrifying shadow of trauma!

He still vividly remembered being tricked into drinking last time, which directly landed him in jail.

He swore he'd never tasted alcohol so strong before... Wait a second!

Recalling that drunkenness, arrest, imprisonment, and finally Lingzhou’s convenient arrival and their transaction…

Every step, in hindsight, felt meticulously calculated, one after another.

Almost as if…Lingzhou had prepared a trap from the very beginning, just waiting for him to fall inside…

N-no way?

Sampo himself wasn’t sure how the script would end, yet he’d somehow stumbled into someone else's carefully crafted scenario?

Just what was Lingzhou’s angle here? It felt positively uncanny!

Sure, no rule forbade the director from stepping into an actor's role, but being so thoroughly controlled didn't sit well.

No normal Fool enjoyed such manipulation.

Unless they weren’t mentally stable…

Like that cackling twin-tailed gremlin, for instance.

Remembering that face, Sampo practically heard hysterical laughter whispering in his ears:

“Isn’t it more joyful when the director is controlled? Ohohoho~~~”

Nope, nope, stop thinking about it!

"Ah, I almost forgot Brother Sampo got injured recently and can't drink. My fault, my fault."

Lingzhou smiled innocently and downed the alcohol he’d offered Sampo himself.

Then, he casually produced another cup filled with a dark brown liquid.

"Here, brother. You got injured helping our Trailblazer squad; as such, I bear some responsibility…"

"I’ll drink the booze, and you just have this cup of oolong tea. Substitute tea for wine, how’s that?"

Sampo almost burst into tears from sheer gratitude.

He truly had measured a noble heart with a villain's pettiness—how could he have ever thought badly of Lingzhou?

Clearly, everything was coincidence and his own fault.

If he hadn't schemed against the Trailblazers in the first place, trying to sell them out, Lingzhou wouldn’t have helped the Silvermane Guards capture him.

If Lingzhou hadn't assisted the Guards, he wouldn’t have gone to jail.

If he hadn’t gone to jail, when Cocolia ordered the Trailblazers arrested, he’d have been there to help them instead.

Then he'd have earned genuine gratitude instead of owing Lingzhou a favor.

Ahh!

What a mess!

The script was flipped upside down.

Well, at least they hadn't drifted from the main storyline.

Forget it—he'd just accept being forced onto this chaotic stage.

If every joy were predictable, where would the fun be in that?

"Good brother! Thank you for your warmth and care! There's no need to apologize—I'll drink up, you do as you like!"

Sampo swiftly grabbed the cup and boldly gulped it down.

The corners of Lingzhou's mouth lifted further.

See?

He still has to thank me for this.

Sampo had barely taken two sips before nearly spitting the liquid straight back out.

But with Lingzhou right in front of him, he absolutely didn't dare.

Swallowing hard—

He forced it back down.

"B-brother Lingzhou… th-this isn't right, is it? Oolong tea doesn't taste like… Did you pick the wrong drink?"

Sampo’s face flushed bright red, veins bulging on his neck, turning slightly blue from forcibly suppressing his cough.

His heart cried out with an earth-shattering shout: If this is oolong tea, I'll livestream myself eating it!

Lingzhou tilted his head innocently, genuinely confused.

"What nonsense are you saying? Isn't the color identical to oolong tea?"

Sampo: "…I mean, it’s the same color, but—"

"Not only is the color identical, but it’s flammable too."

Lingzhou interrupted smoothly, producing a lighter and flicking it on.

A bright flame shot up from the cup in Sampo's trembling hand.

Sampo: "…Flammable oolong tea? That's, uh… pretty innovative! A-any patents yet?"

"Probably," Lingzhou smiled brightly. "Tastes amazing, doesn’t it?"

---

[It’s noon and I just burst out laughing!]
[Look at Lingzhou’s totally innocent expression—if you say he isn't aligned with Elation, I’m not buying it.]
[But he’s Nameless, though.]
[Who says someone can only walk one Path?]

Many longtime anime fans instantly recognized the reference.

Wasn't this paying homage to the legendary meme—flammable oolong tea?

Back in the day, that joke stayed popular for ages.

"Whether he’s Elation or not doesn't even matter…"

"That angelic face and pure-white wings, coupled with that devilishly dark personality…"

"Ehehe… ehehehe… Black-bellied Lingzhou hubby is the absolute bestest~~~"

Livestream viewers today had already been bombarded with Ah Xian's outrageous fangirling.

By comparison, this statement was pretty tame.

Yes, tame indeed—barely even registered.

Not even reaching her usual low-level fangirling threshold.

[Pity poor Sampo—he just followed them a bit and now he's practically arrested.]
[Personally, I feel Lingzhou’s protective trait borders on yandere-lite. Need I remind you how characters who cross a yandere usually end up?]
[Relax, this isn't an otome game. Male yanderes won’t appear.]
[Why not?]
[Because there’s no locked-in heroine route. Without that exclusivity, male yanderes are impossible. Female yanderes might happen, though.]
[Cold and angry here—what have male yanderes done wrong?! Justice for male yanderes!]

---

Sampo forced a smile filled with comedic pain. "Yeah, fantastic stuff…!"

"Cheers!"

Lingzhou drained his own drink, then stared at Sampo expectantly.

The meaning was crystal clear:

If you don’t finish, it means you don't see me as your bro, nor accept my apology.

Was Sampo moved?

He dared not move at all!

If he moved, it was only to shakily lift the cup again, bracing himself and gulping down every last drop of “oolong tea.”

Then desperately praying he wouldn't pass out like last time.

"Brother Sampo, your capacity is truly impressive—respect, respect."

Lingzhou beamed, eyes curving with amusement, giving him a thumbs-up.

Sampo’s eye twitched uncontrollably, forcing himself to grin through his misery.

"Y-you flatter me, Brother Lingzhou… I-I’m embarrassed by such praise…"

Lingzhou’s eyes remained shut in cheerful contentment.

"Brother, mind if I ask you a quick question? I’ll offer some more fine liquor as a thank-you."

Fine liquor?

A thank-you gift?

Sampo nearly had his soul scared clean out of his body, both hands frantically waving before him like a blur.

"N-n-no need for thanks! I'm a helpful, sunny young man who enjoys helping others! Ask away, brother! I'll answer everything honestly!"

His fearful, trembling form resembled a quail, causing every player witnessing the scene to clutch their stomachs with laughter.

Help!

Can’t hold it together!

"It's nothing major. Since you brought us here, there's been something I still haven't clarified."

Lingzhou slowly opened his eyes.

"The Underworld residents are clearly trying to save themselves, yet no one has mentioned jointly breaking through the Surface’s blockade."

"Whether that secret tunnel of yours is your private channel, or why you haven't told anyone down here about it—I don’t care."

"I just want to know one thing clearly: Is the entity hindering Wildfire from breaking the blockade, here in this underground world, Svarog?"

---

This is a fan translation of 崩铁：卡池角色，给玩家发刀 by 三十度幻. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!