Honkai Star Rail: But I can touch Castorice

"Lord Oronyx, are you alright?" Derick asked.

Oronyx, of course, did not feel alright. No one would feel good after having a piece of themselves bitten off. But seeing them rush all this way to rescue him, and with Polyxia now injured, he wouldn't say anything to make them worry.

"I have no major issues," Oronyx said. "It's just that that creature took a part of my body. It is truly detestable."

"Rest assured, I will find a way to capture it later," Derick promised Oronyx.

Of course, it was a promise he would make, but as for actually capturing his own clone, well, they could wait a long time for that.

"Mm." Oronyx nodded.

He then looked at Derick, his tone once again falling silent.

In this situation, remaining in the Temple of the Three Fates was undoubtedly very dangerous. He wanted to ask Derick to take him away, but the pride of a Titan made it impossible for him to speak the words.

Derick listened to Oronyx's tone and understood his thoughts.

Faced with this prideful, unspoken request, Derick naturally decided to…

…just let him hang and see if he'd finally break the silence.

You didn't want to go when I asked you earlier, but now you do! Well then, you'll have to beg me.

Derick continued to care for Hyacine's injured arm with Castorice, completely ignoring Oronyx's plight.

Finally, under their collective disregard, Oronyx, after half a day of internal struggle, said with resignation, "Derick, can you take me back to Okhema?"

"Of course, we can." Derick smiled and nodded.

Heh, little Oronyx, gotcha!

Seeing Derick nod, Oronyx breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the young man, he also felt a little embarrassed. Just moments ago, he was suspecting Derick's motives, yet now that he was in trouble, he had to rely on him for help.

What a good child! Oronyx thought to himself.

As he was thinking, Derick continued, "Um, Oronyx, isn't it a bit too conspicuous for you to go back like this? How about… you change your form?"

Like into a humanoid shape, for instance?

"You're right." Hearing Derick's suggestion, Oronyx agreed. It would be difficult to explain the missing piece of his body, and it would be even more embarrassing if the citizens of Okhema saw it.

And so, before the eyes of Derick and the others, Oronyx instantly transformed into a small, chipped ball of light, floating in front of them.

Huh!? Still a ball of light? You're not going to turn into a person?

Looking at Oronyx, who was still maintaining his sphere form, Derick and the others were dumbfounded.

"Let's go. Help cover for me in a bit," Oronyx said to them.

"R-Right." Derick nodded quickly.

Because they wanted to rush back to treat Polyxia's injuries, they didn't delay any further. Polyxia transformed back into a giant dragon, carrying Derick, Castorice, and Oronyx towards the city of Okhema.

The blood Derick had left in Polyxia's body could indeed help her heal quickly, but using it would greatly diminish her body's undeath properties. Once the blood was used up, replenishing it would require shattering her entire body again to fuse with it.

This minor injury wasn't worth it. The healing power of his blood was best saved for a critical moment.

The dragon moved with incredible speed, and the group soon returned to Okhema.

Along the way, Oronyx seemed very uncomfortable having left the Temple of the Three Fates, remaining silent the entire journey.

Arriving at the entrance of Okhema, Polyxia reverted to her human form. The group quickly led Oronyx towards the place where Aglaea was.

The Hero's Bath.

Tribbie and Aglaea were together. Just as Tribbie was about to say something, Aglaea raised a hand to stop her.

"My master, Derick and the others have returned."

"Really? Derick is back?!" Tribbie said with pleasant surprise.

"Yes, they're back. However, it seems Polyxia's arm has been injured. I must go inform Hyacine to prepare for treatment," Aglaea continued.

Tribbie's expression instantly changed from happy to worried.

"They… were injured?"

"Yes… wait, what is that chipped ball of light!?" Aglaea's expression once again showed surprise.

Seeing this look on Aglaea's face, Tribbie tilted her head and looked at her. She realized that as long as Derick was around, constantly providing shocks to Aglaea, she would sooner or later find the humanity she had lost.

The two waited for a moment, and Derick, Castorice, and the others walked over. Seeing Aglaea and Tribbie, Derick immediately said, "Lady Aglaea, we have escorted Lord Oronyx to Okhema. From here, we'll leave the arrangements to you. At the Temple of the Three Fates, we encountered the Flame-Reaver. After a fierce battle, we successfully repelled him, but Polyxia was injured."

Derick briefly explained the situation to Aglaea.

"Alright, I will arrange for Lord Oronyx's temporary residence. Please wait here for a moment; Hyacine will be here shortly."

"Mm." Derick nodded.

Oronyx looked at Aglaea. "I'll be in your care."

"It is what we should do." Aglaea went to settle Oronyx. Derick and the others remained, waiting for Hyacine.

It didn't take long for Hyacine to hurry over. In her arms, she held a small white horse. Derick remembered this must be the Little Ika that Hyacine had mentioned in a casual chat with them before. This was the first time he had seen it.

"Cassie, Derry, Lady Aglaea told me Poli was hurt. Where is she injured? I'll treat her."

Derick pointed to Polyxia and said to Hyacine, "Polyxia's arm was cut by the Flame-Reaver. Please treat it."

"Mhm." Hyacine placed Little Ika on the ground, then walked over to Polyxia to begin the treatment.

Derick had no interest in watching the healing process. Besides, it wouldn't be right to keep staring at his sister-in-law's arm. So, he turned his attention to Little Ika, who was still on the ground.

"Come here, Little Ika, come here." Derick crouched down, trying to coax the little horse.

When he had first arrived, the story about Hyacine hadn't been revealed yet, so he knew nothing about this little white horse.

But it was definitely not simple.

Seeing Derick trying to coax it, Little Ika tilted its head as if in thought. After a moment, it made up its mind and trotted its little legs towards Derick.

Hyacine was treating Polyxia. Seeing Little Ika's reaction, she smiled and said, "It seems Little Ika really likes you, Derry."

Little Ika continued to approach Derick.

But just as it was about to reach him, it suddenly sensed something. The entire horse froze, its face filled with terror. It dug its four little hooves into the ground and scrambled to retreat.

Derick and Hyacine were confused by this.

What happened?

In the next second, the mystery was solved. Derick and Hyacine saw Cipher appear beside them, a rope in her hand and a look of regret on her face.

"Is this Little Ika a horse or a chimera? How is its sense of smell so sharp? I even deliberately used Derry-boy's scent to cover my own, but it still found me out."

Derick, Hyacine, and Castorice were left speechless by Cipher's words.

At that moment, Cipher turned her gaze to Derick.

"Derry-boy, look, I've already taken out the rope. I can't just put it away, right? How about it? I think you're just the right size. Let me tie you up a bit."

"In your dreams," Derick said without hesitation.

Cipher felt a pang of regret that Derick was no longer the boy who was shorter than her. His strength now clearly surpassed her own; she couldn't use force on him anymore.

Castorice also walked up to Cipher and said to her, "I think this rope is just as suitable for tying you up as it is for Derick."

Hearing Castorice's words, Cipher couldn't help but sigh internally at how times had changed. It wasn't just Derick who had changed; Castorice had also undergone a tremendous transformation. The once reclusive princess was gradually becoming more cheerful. And now, beyond being cheerful, she was even proactively protecting her man.

"When will I ever be truly safe!" Cipher screamed in her heart.

As she thought this, her gaze shifted to Derick, her look of anticipation impossible to hide.

"Derry-boy, when are you going to absorb a new Titan's Core Flame?"

"Soon, I guess."

Derick couldn't say for sure.

Just then, he felt a sensation in his right eye. He quickly shifted his perspective to his second clone to see what had happened.

Ah, nothing unexpected, it was just that Ruan Mei was preparing to leave and had come to call his second clone to depart.

Jarilo-VI, at the edge of a certain Fragmentum fissure.

Looking at the second clone, which had changed slightly in appearance again, Stelle, who had come with Ruan Mei, was a little reluctant to see it go.

"Lady Ruan Mei, are you really leaving?"

She hadn't even had a chance to introduce her buddy to the wonders of the trash cans.

"Mm, of course, we are preparing to leave. The next stage of its modification requires finding more creatures."

After saying this, however, Ruan Mei looked up at Stelle and reached out a finger to lift her chin.

"Of course, if my dear Stelle wishes to come, that is also possible. My ship has room for one more." Ruan Mei nodded.

A body composed of a Stellaron was also of great experimental value. Ruan Mei wouldn't mind conducting one more experiment.

Derick watched from the side, controlling his second clone, and felt like laughing. This tall, one-hundred-seventy-something-centimeter Stelle, who was taller than most women and usually acted with such cool composure, was now looking so timid and flustered from being teased. It was truly a rare sight.

Lady Ruan Mei, no matter how you looked at it, was terrifyingly formidable.

_____

Greetings! ✨ Walnut here!

🔥 AN INCREDIBLE OFFER IS ON THE TABLE! 🔥

We're only 18 members away from our 65-member goal! 🎯

The second we hit it, 10 BONUS CHAPTERS for ALL STORIES will be released to everyone. No exceptions!

🪦 Your membership is the key. Let's make it happen!

100 powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone! 5 reviews = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone!

Secure your early access before it's too late!

👻 patreon.com/Walnutchan