Chapter 185: Eternal Waltz! Penacony's Second Myriad Celestia Trailer!
Even professionals analyzed the good and bad based on dialogue.
These Hound Household members were utterly engrossed.
Many theories were quickly overturned by more "reasonable" inferences.
But the audience persisted enthusiastically trying to come up with more inferences.
The only constant? Perhaps it was the thread pinned by the moderator across all major chat sections, A scruffy-faced Gallagher with dull eyes, staring blankly at the camera.
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But regardless of the storyline.
Most of the analysis's points to Acheron, who was the most suspicious character in the entire first episode.
Of course, other characters also have relatively unified views in these theories.
For example, Misha or Mikhail.
In the series, viewers are still speculating about who Misha really is.
Meanwhile, the long-standing important name "Mikhail" remains a mystery to the audience.
The only confirmed information so far is that the Watchmaker and Mikhail might be connected.
In the discussion boards, two significant figures, Misha and Clockie, have sparked interest.
It seems that Misha and Clockie are in cahoots.
The two can see each other.
At the same time, Clockie is portrayed as a righteous figure in the history of Penacony.
This puts him at odds with the current ruling family.
But regardless of the analysis, they all point in one direction,
The hidden forces in Penacony, the ones sending the invitations and even linked to death, are highly likely part of the Watchmaker's faction.
As the story nears its end, Sunday's remarks also support this point.
When all the characters' stances and clues are revealed, fans are painfully realizing that the fog is not lifting but thickening instead.
...
At least five major foreshadowing points have surfaced,
The fate of the three nameless guests and their connection to the Watchmaker's faction.
The true nature of Penacony's reality—what is it exactly?
Acheron's true identity and purpose.
Misha's origins.
Why The Family chose to conceal death despite being aware of it during their travels.
...
Each clue connects to others, like a tangled ball of yarn—unraveling one piece only reveals more underneath!
As for why no one analyzed the conversation between Sparkle and Sunday?
It's simply because Sparkle's chaotic nature makes any analysis seem futile.
Who in their right mind would waste time guessing the intentions of a masked fool? You might just end up getting played instead.
At least other characters have stances you can analyze.
But anything that comes out of Sparkle's mouth isn't just unreliable—you can't even tell if her mental state is normal.
To viewers, this character is the epitome of chaos!
...
: Incredible! Honkai Star Rail's new chapter is like a mix of werewolf games and mystery-solving plots—it's maddeningly complex, and every line has to be analyzed carefully.
: Without the theories from these top players, I wouldn't have noticed the hidden meanings in so many lines.
: But the more theories I read, the more questions seem to arise.
: Why does the Watchmaker's faction oppose The Family? And how is it connected to death?!
: Are Firefly and Robin truly dead or just faking it? After all, it's a dream world—what about the Watchmaker?
: Argh! This is driving me crazy! Tingyun's revival isn't even moving forward, and now there are three more contenders entering the fray.
: Forget the Inferno Duke—he's probably done for. With a ruthless character like Acheron, there might not even be a complete corpse left.
: Stop mentioning Acheron! After reading the analysis, just seeing their name sends chills down my spine.
: And what exactly did Black Swan see in Acheron's memories? I desperately want to know—I can't sleep without knowing!
: Also, thinking about how those two adorable girls died so tragically...ugh, I can't take it anymore.
: Stop it! My heart can't take it! Firefly-chan!
: Wait a minute, when I think about Firefly's death, I realize she turned into liquid. So shouldn't she be called "Firefly Juice" now?
: ? You're insane…
...
Tonight, the forums were ablaze.
Originally, viewers planned to read the theories, solve the mysteries, and then sleep soundly.
But now, no one can sleep.
As if anticipating this, the producers had MiHoYo release a piece of information at 10 PM.
That is, Honkai Star Rail's official album has finally been released!
There are four albums in total, featuring music from Belobog, Xianzhou Luofu, and Penacony.
On any other day, this announcement would've caused a massive stir.
But today, it's a global sleepless night.
Fans who are already wide awake are now excited to listen to the music.
The top priority is the iconic tracks from the major scenes in the series.
Fantasy Mirage and such.
But when they saw the name of the music track in Penacony, they couldn't hold back anymore.
...
: Are you kidding me? The track is called Nameless Chronicle IV???
: Isn't this the music that plays when that monster appears in the series? What the hell, MiHoYo?! Are you hinting at something?
: I'm begging you, Director Xia, I already can't sleep—don't mess with me anymore! I'm scared!
: Is that meme going to become reality? Will Penacony really be wiped out with no survivors?
: Also, SAM's battle theme is so damn cool, but the title Never Again—geez, horrifying!
: And the eerie music when Stelle and Firefly get lost in the little TV is called Desire for Death! I can't handle this anymore!
: Director Xia must've done this on purpose!
: Last week, everyone was acting so smug, wearing sunglasses and showing off. Now look—sunglasses off, eyes red from crying, aren't they?
...
For the audience, the following days were rather hard to endure.
Except for Xia Wen, from time to time, he would go online to check out these cute little fans' theories.
The hooks in the first episode of Penacony were almost all uncovered.
Although the truths pieced together from these clues were often absurd, like something concocted by fictional historians, that was where the real fun lay.
The harder the truth was to guess, the more anticipation it created, and most of the audience followed the interpretations of the experts.
Unknowingly, they began to subconsciously believe them as well.
Wouldn't that make the twists and climaxes of the second episode even more exciting?
Fortunately, there were no spoilers leaking out, or 80% of the carefully designed hooks would have lost their effect.
...
In the following days, the buzz around the plot discussions not only didn't subside but actually grew stronger.
To keep everyone from feeling lonely, Xia Wen went out of his way to fill the fans' "empty" hearts with various small Easter eggs.
For example, on Sunday, he released a short clip of an alternate timeline on the official website.
It showed the scene where Stelle rejected Aventurine and directly moved into the ending.
In the cast list, all the characters were marked with question marks, except for Sparkle, the masked fool.
Although the Honkai: Star Rail series had always been played under real names, the communities in different zones shared a tacit understanding aside from Sparkle, the real identities of all the characters remained a mystery.
In a story like Penacony, where everyone lies and identities are shrouded in mystery, Sparkle, the masked fool, was the only one who truly used her real name online.
This irony perfectly matched the fans' imagination of the Path of Elation.
So, no matter what the plot was or what happened, you should never try to guess what's on the mind of someone like Sparkle.
Who knows what might happen?
But this was just the beginning.
Next, countless pieces of information were lined up to bombard the audience's minds.
...
On Monday, inside MiHoYo, everyone had already gathered early in the screening room, many of them with joyful smiles on their faces.
It was clear that the fans' reactions online all day yesterday had given them the thrill of messing with people.
The smiles wouldn't disappear—they would just transfer to their faces.
"I'm so excited, so excited! Some of their theories are completely off track!"
"And they forgot the most critical person!"
"They even mistook Gallagher's photo as the leader's. Hehehe, I can't wait to see their faces when they discover the truth." March 7th rubbed her hands eagerly as she spoke.
"March, you seem a bit too happy!" Stelle criticized from the side.
"Ahem, you've got some nerve saying that. Who was it that kept sending me screenshots and messages non-stop last night?" March 7th coughed, poking Stelle in dissatisfaction.
The two instantly started playfully tussling.
As they squeezed together with Fu Xuan and the others, the topic naturally shifted to today's PV release.
"Today's the first time a character PV for the Penacony chapter is being shown, right?"
"They say it's for Black Swan. Tsk tsk, I wonder what it will be like."
"Also, I've got a little piece of insider news." Tingyun winked mysteriously and said, "Last time, when I went to ask the boss if I could win the revival match, I saw Sister Mei and Black Swan practicing dancing in the studio!"
Hearing Tingyun's gossip, everyone perked up their ears.
Black Swan and Acheron dancing? They hadn't seen that during filming.
"I just remembered!"
"During last week's reshoots, there was a time when Furina was filming, and the boss seemed to go to a separate studio."
"Black Swan and Sister Mei went too."
March 7 suddenly recalled and excitedly said, "What do you think they were secretly filming behind our backs?"
Something that had to be secretly filmed!
Hiss...
Thinking of this, the beautiful girls were filled with anticipation.
But just then, the blunt Stelle noticed something different.
"Uh, Tingyun, did you end up winning the revival match?" Stelle scratched her head and asked.
"Of course, Stelle." But this time, Tingyun gave a charming smile, her face slightly flushed, "With my... cough cough efforts, the script seemed to have leaked a tiny bit of a lifeline."
"I... might not be completely doomed yet! There's still a chance for a comeback!"
Saying this, Tingyun seemed a bit worried and added, "However, the way I win the revival match might not be what everyone expects."
"Spoiler, spoiler, spoiler!"
"We're going to see the script eventually anyway." March 7th's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Tingyun expectantly.
"It has something to do with Ruan Mei."
"That's all I know for now. I'll find another chance to pry more out of the boss." Tingyun propped her chin on her hand and shook her head.
Although she was happy about the chance of winning the revival match, Ruan Mei's role in the plot made her worry about the direction things might go.
"Ehh… Tingyun... you're not going to turn into some kind of monster, are you?" March 7th blurted out.
"You jinx! You're asking for it!"
Tingyun angrily raised her hand-held fan, gesturing as if to scare March 7th, then sighed deeply and said, "I hope the boss shows some mercy. If I were to turn into something hideous, it'd be better to just die."
At that moment, as the time arrived, the enormous holographic projection began to unfold.
The screening room gradually quieted down, and the people in it could see the barrage of comments from the audience, who had been eagerly waiting for some time.
...
: Here it comes! Hurry and serve it up!
: Finally, some new info! I haven't slept well all weekend—my mind's been consumed by the character designs and plot developments, even while eating!
: miHoYo, I'm warning you—be kind! Confess now and avoid harsher judgment later! Don't you dare mess with us again!
: They'd better expand on those factions that had too few clues in the first episode.
: Exactly! The Watchmaker and Penacony's history—they haven't even been touched on yet!
: Holy crap, a new Myriad Celestia Trailer is here!
: Wait… is this… Black Swan?
: Eternal Waltz? What kind of name is that? I've got a bad feeling about this…
...
As the comments flooded in, miHoYo's logo appeared.
The title and cover followed, drawing all eyes. It was none other than Black Swan, the character who had appeared most frequently in countless theories recently, her stance the clearest of all.
Fans had at least reached one consensus about Black Swan: this woman knows a lot.
Any casual revelation from her could potentially be explosive!
But it remained unclear what kind of information she'd bring to Myriad Celestia Trailer.
Under the audience's eager gaze, a cheerful music box melody began to play. Black Swan, with unmatched elegance, appeared in the lobby of a luxury hotel. She approached a man holding a lost-and-found box and handed him a tarot card.
"...Are you looking for the owner of this?"
"Let me divine it for you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the person who received the tarot card was instantly transported to the bustling city of Penacony. The magnificent golden metropolis shimmered in the background as upbeat drums and lively saxophones played a jazzy tune so catchy one couldn't help but sway along.
The card burned, and Black Swan emerged from its flames. The following scenes were filled with the abstract and surreal style characteristic of Myriad Celestia Trailer.
Here, Black Swan didn't seem human but more like a flowing liquid. At times, she dove into billboards, becoming the charming figure within the advertisements. At other times, she reached out from portraits to pick up a cup of SoulGlad. In various incredible ways, she traveled through Penacony.
The lighthearted, carefree atmosphere left the audience feeling unfamiliar. This tone seemed entirely different from the somber and tense atmosphere of the first episode of Penacony.
Just as they were wondering about the tonal shift, the cheerful music was abruptly interrupted by a loud explosion.
In the square, countless panicked people were fleeing in chaos. Black Swan pursed her lips, her expression serious, as she turned to the center of the scene.
"The truth doesn't lie."
"Nor does memory."
She picked up a tarot card and walked step by step toward the site of the explosion, attempting to uncover the truth.
But just then, beneath her feet—no, across the entire screen—a glass-shattering effect appeared!
Crash!
The shattered glass captured Black Swan's current expression and appearance in stunning detail.
Surrounding fragments reflected the faces of various characters, Black Swan herself, Acheron, Duke Inferno, Aventurine, and Sparkle.
One shard, barely visible through a narrow gap, revealed a hint of red, but nothing more could be discerned.
These shattered reflections ultimately converged into a massive eye—it was Black Swan.
The scene shifted again.
She was back in the moment of handing the tarot card to the man. Everything that had just occurred was an abstract vision Black Swan had seen while peering into his memories!
She withdrew the card and spread it out, revealing five cards to the audience.
The top three displayed Robin, Inferno Duke, and… Firefly.
As Black Swan attempted to touch the card representing the Inferno Duke, it suddenly ignited and burned to ash in an instant, mirroring the Duke's abrupt death in the first episode.
Her deck now contained only four cards. The audience could clearly see two of them: Firefly and Robin.
"That ominous Phase Flame… consumed by the deep sea."
"And yet, from that deep sea emerges…"
As Black Swan spoke, the screen abruptly went dark.
Just as the audience braced for another infuriating cliffhanger, the screen lit up again.
Black Swan was now standing in front of a grand, brightly lit ballroom. Penacony's self-playing instruments were performing an elegant melody on stage.
With graceful steps, she approached the lounge area, her eyes filled with curiosity and confidence.
Not far away, sitting silently on a sofa with vacant eyes, lost in thought, was Acheron.