The reason the Herrscher of Corruption was written to be so hateable… well, let's not dwell too much on that.
Meanwhile, Elysia, who clearly didn't overthink it, instantly latched onto Hokuto's semi-approval.
"I knew you'd understand, Mr. 'Otto'!"
"I guess I understand a little…"
"The Ferris wheel is one of the most beloved attractions in any amusement park, so of course Mei would ride it with her favorite person—and that person must be Elysia… Hmm, though I think in the game her favorite wasn't… not important, not important…"
Hokuto had barely started his reply before Elysia muttered her follow-up out loud, which completely threw him off.
Hokuto: "..."
Too many points to complain about—he didn't know where to begin.
And in the moment of his brief silence…
The players began to comment on the CG Hokuto had shown them.
[Just from this CG, I can already imagine Mei and the Corruption having some intense verbal showdown.]
[I'm hoping for physical confrontation too (desperate to beat down Corruption).]
[Maybe we should get our blood pressure meds ready—this CG gives me a bad feeling.]
[It doesn't matter anymore. Even if all the Flame-Chasers go down, Corruption better go with them!!!]
Indeed, the CG gave off a bad vibe, and it wasn't unfounded.
Mei and the Herrscher of Corruption… riding a Ferris wheel?
Talk about jarring.
Naturally, players assumed things wouldn't turn into some "peaceful and wholesome" scene—on the contrary, the opposite seemed more likely.
[By the way, why did the livestream go quiet?]
[Writer? Did you disconnect? Aren't you going to explain?!]
"Looks like everyone's getting impatient."
Hokuto came back to the present and resumed the previous topic.
"Well then, let's talk about this CG."
"Actually, this CG is from a very early part of Chapter 31. As you saw on the CG itself, the chapter title is—'To Elysia.'"
"And of course, this 'Elysia' absolutely does not refer to Corruption. I believe everyone who's seen the PV understands that."
[If this 'Elysia' refers to Corruption, I'm camping in front of MiHoYo headquarters until they rewrite the script!!]
[I support this!!]
[Count me in!!]
Hokuto: "..."
Looks like the players had been bottling up their emotions for a while.
Hopefully, Chapter 31 would give them an outlet for all of it.
Hmm…
Based on his experience from his previous life, it shouldn't be a problem.
Most players enter zen mode after finishing Chapter 31.
But for now, better not to think about it.
He tucked away his drifting thoughts.
"Personally, I think the title alone already gives plenty for everyone to chew on."
"Maybe after today's stream, players will start posting theory threads on the forums… I'm looking forward to reading them."
He did enjoy browsing the forums from time to time—both for the plot analysis and the many, many flag-planting posts.
"Mr. 'Otto,' you're getting off topic," Elysia reminded.
"Ah!"
Hokuto quickly brought it back.
"Back to the point—what I can tell everyone is that Chapter 31 is very long. It might end up being the longest story chapter in Honkai Impact 3rd history."
"Even just the first part could take four or five hours to complete if you're listening to full voice lines and not rushing."
No sooner had he said that than the chat exploded again.
[Just the first part takes that long?! What about the rest… I'm scared.]
[Story enjoyers rejoice!!]
[I'm genuinely, emotionally hyped for this.]
But with excitement always comes concern.
Sometimes a large script isn't necessarily a good sign.
[Am I the only one who thinks it's because there's too much emotional damage coming up, and they needed the extra length to deliver all of it?]
[The knives in the Elysian Realm are so massive, even MiHoYo had to extend the script to fit them in.]
Even Elysia was surprised by what Hokuto had just said.
Four to five hours for the first part?
That meant Chapter 31 might be even longer than Chapters 25 or 28.
"It's really that long?"
"Well, you all always complain that there's never enough story, right? So this time, we decided to give you a little surprise—try and stuff you full," Hokuto said teasingly.
Then he paused briefly and added:
"Just… Elysia, you and the others might want to brace yourselves. It's going to be a bit of a grind."
"As long as you've got the script ready, Mr. 'Otto,' I can start voice recording right away!" Elysia replied with full enthusiasm.
"Haha, hearing how motivated you are makes it worth the trouble. I've been working on the new script even after getting home."
Hokuto sounded genuinely pleased.
Elysia didn't notice anything odd. She simply asked again:
"So, Mr. 'Otto,' aside from the massive script and this CG, is there anything else about Chapter 31 you can share?"
"Nope."
Hokuto's voice turned calm—and he bluntly said those two words.
Elysia: "???"
"Eh? That's it?!"
"Yep. What, you want me to spill the specifics of what happens to the Flame-Chasers next?" Hokuto asked with a bit of mock righteousness.
"Well… you're not wrong, but still, can't you at least tease something? Like, will there be any twists? Any surprises? Any really intense moments?!"
Elysia's voice rose slightly in urgency.
"Right?"
"Hmm… I really can't say. Maybe there will be. Maybe there won't be."
Hokuto's reply was unusually vague.
Elysia: "..."
['I can't say'? That's basically confirmation we're getting stabbed.]
[Don't do this—we're already afraid of the knives. ⊙﹏⊙]
[No matter what happens in Chapter 31, I say we stab the writer first.]
As Elysia fell silent and the chat exploded in speculation…
Hokuto offered his most heartfelt "blessing."
"In any case, please look forward to the final chapter of the Elysian Realm. I hope everyone will stay with the story to the very end."
Reaching the end of the Elysian Realm… it sounds easy, but it's not.
As for the reason?
It's complicated—far too much to explain in just a few words.
…
After that, Elysia tried again to pry more info out of Hokuto.
Ultimately, she got nothing. Not a single detail she wanted.
Which made her a little pouty.
And so…
Hokuto shared the few bits he could reveal:
Like how the Flame-Chasers' summer event was on the way.
And that Honkai Impact 3rd's anniversary celebration was just around the corner, with MiHoYo preparing rewards like the Artbook, Mystery Blind Boxes, and other beautiful merch as thanks for the players' support.
The playerbase got hyped again.
Shortly after that, Hokuto had to leave early to handle matters back at the studio.
Elysia, meanwhile, kept murmuring in the voice chat channel.
"I'm so curious… how will the story unfold next? What fate awaits everyone in the Elysian Realm? Say, should we think of a way to get Mr. 'Otto' to…"
She clearly wasn't calming down any time soon.
Seeing this, Pardofelis suddenly called out like she had just remembered something.
"Elysia-san…"
"Pardofelis? What is it?"
Even if Elysia was feeling a bit down, she wouldn't ignore her adorable little Pardo.
"It's just… um… eh, never mind, it's nothing…"
"...Pardofelis, you too~~" Elysia sighed. "If something's on your mind, just say it~~ don't leave us hanging."
"I just… well, Elysia-san, don't you remember?"
Pardofelis' voice dropped a little.
"Didn't Boss Hokuto say he's been working on the script even at home lately?"
She paused and added, cautiously making her point clearer.
"Then… maybe in his room, there's…"
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