The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Pei Guang stroked his chin as he recalled, "Ah! I remember now. You did say that. And I also said at the time that your mission would definitely have some kind of unexpected twist. See? It happened."

"I'm sorry..." Ruan Mei apologized.

"It's fine. It's completely normal for things to go sideways in missions. I'm not the type to hold grudges over that."

Just as Pei Guang was about to say something else, he suddenly remembered, "You just said you find it hard to trust anyone but yourself, right? Then can I use one of my quest rewards now?"

Ruan Mei replied, "Sure. You want me to start trusting others?"

Pei Guang shook his head. "Not really. You have your own life, your own ideals, your own worldview. If you don't want to trust others, then don't. My request isn't to make you trust others. 

It's just that, when you need someone to do something for you, when you form a cause-and-effect bond, don't mess with their body before they break a promise. If they break it, deal with them however you want, but not before. Can you do that?

'Don't use someone you suspect, and don't suspect someone you use.' That's how the saying goes, right? And with your skills, if someone actually breaks their promise, I'm sure you'll still be able to get what you want. You know, in games, the characters who try to control players or NPCs with external force? They always die a horrible death."

Ruan Mei looked at Pei Guang, puzzled. "Why? That request… doesn't seem to benefit you in any way."

Pei Guang replied, "Says who? It benefits me a ton, okay? At the very least, I won't have to worry about getting drugged out of nowhere while doing your quests."

Ruan Mei said, "Understood. I'll be more mindful from now on. However..."

His request was full of loopholes, but Ruan Mei understood Pei Guang's intent: simply put, when genuinely entrusting someone with something, she should be sincere. 

Don't go straight for manipulative methods, but make a clear agreement first—and if they break it, then she can do what she wants.

She smiled at Pei Guang. "However, this would expose me to risk. So, I also have a request. If I ever find myself in danger, I want your help. Also, I want to study you. If you complete my requests, I'll raise your favorability… and there'll be some special rewards too~"

Ruan Mei was willing to make these changes because this whole incident had made her realize something: the more you try to hide something, the harder it is to keep it hidden. 

Due to her life research, her emotions had already become rather distorted, but during her interactions with Pei Guang, the player's sincere emotions made her decide to change.

Pei Guang responded, "You sure know how to adapt quickly! Sure, if I don't have other tasks at the time, I don't mind helping you with your experiments. But seriously—aside from the trust issues, why did you drug me in the first place?"

Ruan Mei answered frankly, "Because the bonds between lives—friendship, secrets, entanglements, lies—all get erased. That makes things easier for us..."

Pei Guang immediately retorted, "In theory, sure. But once cause and effect are established, how can you just erase them? Who knows, one day the karmic boomerang might hit you square in the head. And honestly, it's kind of fun. Monsters, machines... Hey, have you ever studied emotions while researching life? I'm telling you, emotions are fascinating."

"Hmm?" Ruan Mei made a listening gesture, while Pei Guang continued enthusiastically:

"Lifeforms without emotions or even basic thought have a hard cap on their potential. Instead of researching about an Emanator of Elation, why not take a look at all the adorable little things you've created?

Without emotions, life is just... elements? Particles? Molecules piled together? I don't really get how the world works, that's your department. But other than those basic material stacks, what's left? Of course—consciousness and emotion. 

Look at combat, for example: without emotions, mechanical beings have fixed combat strength. But with emotion? They can throw everything they have at an unbeatable foe and last 251 seconds!

With the right conditions, a creature's emotions and cause-and-effect links can turn them into a god. Not just in strength, but in the sense of being able to interfere with the past, present, and future. 

Just look at the Aeons we know: don't they each embody some aspect of life? If you nurture them according to the right emotional environment and direction, wouldn't that lead to an Emanator-like existence?"

For those who know what an Emanator is in this world, the idea of cultivating one is something only someone like Ruan Mei could even consider. But for a player? 

Not only would they dare to think about it, they'd dare to do it: for players, raising a few top-tier companions is just par for the course.

"So! If you want to study Emanators or Aeons, stop just focusing on those little bugs in your brain that only scream 'biology, biology, biology.' Study real lifeforms with real hearts. For example, look at the Aeon of Destruction: doesn't it provide a template? Follow that and who knows, you might raise a true Lord Ravager."

To Ruan Mei, most of what Pei Guang said sounded like nonsense: but strangely, within that nonsense, she sensed a certain logic and feasibility. In fact, it seemed more viable than how she went about creating the Emanator of Propagation.

Ruan Mei said, "What you're saying... might actually be worth trying. I'll test it when I get back. Do you have any specific suggestions?"

Ruan Mei thought of the trash can Pei Guang had cultivated. 

Although she couldn't understand the process behind it, she had a feeling that any specific suggestions from Pei Guang would be extremely effective.

Pei Guang said, "Suggestions? I've got two plans: the 'Nemesis Training Plan' and the 'Hero Training Plan.'"

"First, the Nemesis Plan. You give the lifeform you're cultivating the greatest love. Let her understand the kind of pain that ordinary people go through, and then let her see the beauty and loveliness of the world from their perspective. 

Give her enough potential. Make her suffer first, then enjoy sweetness; go from distrust to trust, from hopelessness to being filled with hope. And then, one day, you suddenly get dismembered and killed, and the world she lives in gets repeatedly destroyed—so she can feel the malice of the universe."

In that moment, Ruan Mei fell silent. Although her research into life had dulled her sensitivity to emotions, she could still mentally picture the scenario just from the description. 

As she listened to Pei Guang's Nemesis Training Plan, she was silent.

She did a quick projection in her mind: what would be created by raising a lifeform this way wasn't just a nemesis. It was someone with a personality fully aligned against the universe itself. 

And to be honest, if things were carried out like that, she really might end up creating a Lord Ravager.

Pei Guang continued, "The other method is just the reverse. You can even run both at the same time. One filled with hope toward the world, one filled with despair—and then let them compete, see who wins in the end."

At that moment, Ruan Mei went even quieter. 

She had a strong intuition: one that told her to end this topic immediately. 

A genius relying on intuition might sound a bit ridiculous, but what was even more ridiculous was that her intuition was telling her that if she didn't stop Pei Guang's line of thinking, the universe really might be doomed someday.

She suddenly felt that compared to herself, Pei Guang might actually be the more extreme one!

NOTE: I should be back!