The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Pei Guang cleared his throat, hummed the melody a bit, and then started to sing.

"All~ are brave ones~"

"The scar on your forehead, your, uniqueness, the mistakes you've made~"

"All~ need not be hidden~"

"Your worn-out toy~ your~ mask~ your self~"

"They say~ you must carry the light~ to tame every monster~"

"They say~ you must mend your wounds~ for no one loves a clown~"

…

…

…

As Pei Guang reached the climax of the song, March 7th instinctively moved closer to him. Even Dan Heng, despite finding the melody grating, stopped in his tracks to wait for Pei Guang to catch up.

"For the wailing and roaring in the dark~"

"Who says only those in the light can be heroes~"

Pei Guang roared out the last lines of the song. When he finished, everyone, including Dan Heng, applauded.

Dan Heng commented, "Though the tune was hard to listen to, the emotion in the song was truly moving."

March 7th proudly said, "Exactly! While Pei Guang may not have much talent for singing, he pours a lot of emotion into the lyrics. Hey, by the way, what's the name of this song?"

Pei Guang responded, "Warrior of the Darkness (孤勇者)."

She thought for a moment, "Warrior of the Darkness... it really suits the situation! Let me sing it once."

As the four of them walked along, singing the song, none of them noticed that when Pei Guang was singing, a nearby snow pile had started shaking violently and then went completely still.

Inside the snow pile was a man named Sampo Koski. He was waiting there for the Astral Express crew to appear; his plan was to use this opportunity to connect with them to facilitate his future actions.

However, while Pei Guang was singing, he could barely make out the lyrics from within the snow pile, but "fortunately" he could hear the tune. The melody, which resembled a dreadful sound akin to nails on a blackboard, somehow broke his concentration and caused him to fall asleep.

Thus, he missed his first chance to connect with the Astral Express crew.

Though Sampo missed the opportunity to approach the team, another person unexpectedly stepped forward.

This man, with blond hair and blue eyes, carrying a large shield, was named Gepard Landau, the commander of the Silvermane Guards. While patrolling nearby with his soldiers, he heard the singing through the wind and snow.

However, he was lucky enough to hear March 7th's version, not Pei Guang's.

For some reason, March 7th felt an inexplicable connection to this song, so her rendition was just as emotionally powerful as Pei Guang's. But since she could carry a tune, with a strong and powerful voice, everyone preferred her version.

In the snow, the blond man looked in the direction of March 7th's voice. "Whose singing is that?"

March 7th's voice, as clear as a nightingale's, pierced through the wind and snow, reaching the ears of the Silvermane Guards.

"Go! Fight!..."

"Who says only those standing in the light are heroes..."

Despite the wind and snow muffling the sound, they could still hear the lyrics and the emotions within the song.

"This song..."

Even from such a distance, Gepard felt his spirit being uplifted. It wasn't just him—his comrades standing beside him also paused, especially when they heard the final lines, "To the wailing and roaring in the night, who says only those standing in the light are heroes." For some of the Silvermane Guards, who had been under immense pressure for years, their eyes grew moist.

To protect the last city, to protect their families, they stood up. For those living peacefully within the city, they had only heard of the Silvermane Guards but had never witnessed their battles.

Some, who had lived in peace for too long, even spoke ill of the guards. In addition to the growing conflict between the upper and lower layers, the Silvermane Guards were under tremendous pressure.

But at that moment, with this song, that pressure was completely released.

The singer was honoring them, calling them heroes. Although leaving the city without permission would normally result in severe punishment, at this moment, none of the Silvermane Guards present wanted the young girl who sang for them to be punished.

Gepard could sense the feelings of his comrades, so when the singing stopped, he gave an order.

"This place is very dangerous for ordinary people. Whoever is singing here, we must escort them back to Belobog."

"Yes, sir!!!"

The dozen or so Silvermane Guards shouted in unison. Meanwhile, on the other side, March 7th, who had been mimicking Pei Guang and sneakily putting her own emotions into the song, proudly asked, "How was it? How did I do?"

Stelle said, "Amazing!"

Dan Heng added, "Very good."

Pei Guang, however, stubbornly replied, "Just average~"

In response to Pei Guang's "average" comment, March 7h cheerfully asked, "Should I sing it again?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Gepard's voice interrupted her, "Miss, and everyone else, I must ask you to return to Belobog. Singing in this place could attract Fragmentum creatures, endangering your safety."

If they were ordinary trespassers, Gepard would not have said much and would have simply captured them. But he couldn't bring himself to do that to March 7th.

It wasn't because he was being lenient to her, but because she had sung from her heart, expressing the emotions of himself and all the Silvermane Guards. They were under tremendous pressure, guarding the city's surroundings, forced to disperse people as the Fragmentum spread, and the conflicts were intensifying. But now, with this song, the pressure was eased, and their actions were acknowledged. This joy allowed them to be more flexible with the law.

"Hey, wait..."

Pei Guang quickly interjected, "Alright! We'll comply with your instructions."

Pei Guang was impressed with March: not bad for a teammate—singing one song and immediately gaining an NPC's favor? But this was a good thing. His plan was to earn some favor first, and when they had enough, they'd deal with the local lord.

Gepard breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't question Pei Guang and his group's identities too much. After all, no one could survive in this world outside of Belobog, and it never crossed his mind that they might be outsiders.

"Thank you for understanding. And thank you all—your singing has reignited our fighting spirit. What's the name of this song? Can we learn it?"

Pei Guang explained, "It's called Warrior of the Darkness. If you like it, I can personal-mmph!"

Before Pei Guang could finish, Stelle covered his mouth. Teaching them personally? When others sing, it's a treat, but when Pei Guang sings, it's torture. If anyone should teach the song, it should be March. Dan Heng was also interested, but it was clear that the favor they were earning from the Silvermane Guards was all due to March 7th, with no one paying attention to him.

Gepard didn't quite understand why they were doing this, but from Pei Guang's response, he assumed they agreed to his request.

"Thank you all for your help. On behalf of all the Silvermane Guards, I thank you."

Pei Guang waved it off, "If you really want to thank us, how about giving us a tangible reward~"

Gepard laughed, "No problem. What do you want?"

Pei Guang said, "We'd like to meet the leader in person and admire their authority."

Gepard considered it. "Meet the Supreme Guardian? That's possible, but today isn't convenient. How about tomorrow?"

Gepard had a bit of a personal agenda. He didn't want to take them directly there because doing so wouldn't show how much the song had impacted his comrades. He planned to have them spread the song first, so when the Supreme Guardian Cocolia saw the boost it gave the Silvermane Guards, they might receive more rewards.

In his mind, Pei Guang's group didn't seem like bad people. They might just be singers who left the city for inspiration. Judging by their unusual attire, it was clearly for a performance. Meeting the Supreme Guardian was indeed difficult for a singer, but since he and his comrades liked the song, he thought it was worth using his connections to help Pei Guang's group meet Cocolia.

Meanwhile, March 7th quietly asked Pei Guang, "Does this mean we've successfully gained their favor?"

Pei Guang nodded, "Definitely. But I never expected that gaining favor through a song could make things so much easier. It seems I'll have to be a copycat this time."

March 7th added, "The music library on the Astral Express is quite extensive. When we get back, we can search together. But I really didn't expect that earning favor would make our actions this convenient. Now I finally understand why you were so keen on gaining favor from ordinary people at the space station—it really works!"

Although she had always understood Pei Guang's habit of earning favor, she hadn't thought it would help much in finding the Stellaron. After all, they were strangers—could raising favorability really get them into the city? But they actually really did get in!