The moment players first arrived on Punklorde, they were captivated by the duality of the Neon Metropolis, a city both prosperous and dilapidated. They marveled at the sights as they began their new Trailblazing journey.
But! How could true agents of chaos possibly follow the main storyline in an orderly fashion!? The first thing to do upon arriving at a new map wasn't to clear out every treasure chest, interact with every single object, and then go check if there was anything under the NPCs' skirts...?
Embracing the spirit of [Trailblazing], Dogzi decisively abandoned the rest of the crew waiting at the docking point to start the main quest. Instead, she fully unleashed her inner street-explorer instincts, taking her newly pulled "Numby" on a treasure-hunting trip.
What's this? A treasure chest! Open it! What's this? Robot wreckage? Touch it! What's this? A Punklorde specialty dish? Eat it!
Annnnd... she was dead.
Watching Topaz respawn at the nearest Realm-Restricting Anchor, Dogzi was fuming.
"So you guys just feel uncomfortable if you don't put some kind of dark cuisine in every location, huh? What the hell is 'Engine Oil Nutrient Mix Noodles'? Aren't the people of Punklorde supposed to be hackers? Why would they eat this stuff!" Dogzi, heavily influenced by her preconceived notions from Silver Wolf's companion mission, roared in complaint. Was this thing really meant for carbon-based lifeforms to consume?
She opened her inventory and clicked on the icon for the "Engine Oil Nutrient Mix Noodles" she had just picked up. A mass of black and white substance sat on a plate, emitting a bizarre glow.
[Item: Engine Oil Nutrient Mix Noodles]
[Effect: Immediately restores 80% HP to a mechanical or semi-mechanical lifeform and increases their ATK by 20%.]
(Note: Has the opposite effect on non-mechanical lifeforms.)
"Uh..."
Dogzi stared at the description, momentarily lost in thought.
[Okay, so it's really not for carbon-based lifeforms. At least, not for fully carbon-based lifeforms.]
[Screwllum: Thanks, but I won't be eating it either.]
[Lmao, Screwllum can simulate taste. If he ate this... he'd probably explode on the spot!]
[The world of Star Rail's dark cuisine finally welcomes its second main course! Temporarily taking first place! Let us congratulate Punklorde!]
[My Belobog black bread objects!]
[My Xianzhou Stir-fried Videvum and Rock Sugar objects!]
[My Astral Express black coffee objects!]
[You guys are so coordinated...]
---o---
According to the map, only three areas of Punklorde were currently open: the External Docking Bay, Neon Street, and the Old District. Subsequent areas would likely be unlocked through the main story. Because Wende's team had gone to the Old District, that part of the map was also lit up.
Thinking about her Daddy who had been abducted and her two waifus who had been abducted along with him, Dogzi's heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
Should she be envious of Wende... or envious of Jingliu and "Tingyun"?
"Dammit! This is such a hard choice! Something's not right! This is very not right!" Dogzi yelled, clutching her head. Then, as if struck by another thought, she froze.
"Wait a minute! Aren't they all my waifus? What am I agonizing over? MiHoYo! You bastards! Why can't all my waifus be by my side!!!"
[Damn, your harem is probably getting all tangled up.]
[What do you call a dog with angel wings? A dog-angel.]
[That's hilarious. Please don't say it again.]
[Have you noticed that nobody else is sending bullet comments?]
---o---
As players continued their exploration, those who liked to poke and prod at every glowing spot would discover that this new map did not disappoint.
At the Tongtong Supermarket on Neon Street, the gold coin Topaz had thrown away was still on the ground. If you chose to throw it back, you would receive a "Praise for Lofty Morals."
Under a certain utility pole in the Old District, a person was sleeping. If you touched them... you would find yourself immediately sent back to the respawn point.
To solve this, you needed to find an insulated rod, which was located in a nearby trash can. When you rummaged through it, the Trailblazer would even mutter Wende's warning to themselves, then proceed to open the lid while still muttering...
After obtaining the insulated rod, you could rescue the person from under the pole. Give them a healing item, and you would get an achievement.
"Insulated Walker"
In addition, there was a strange trash can in the Old District. If you rummaged through it many times in a row, it would turn into a Warp Trotter and give you 60 Stellar Jade!
In the External Docking Bay, you could find some tracks. Following them would lead you to the very edge of the map where you'd find a few small Punklorde monsters. After clearing them out, you'd discover some hovercar fragments. These monsters were feeding on mechanical objects, which explained Dan Heng's confusion during the main story.
Of course, a certain someone who hadn't even officially started the main quest couldn't get this reference point. Dogzi was still leading Numby around, searching for treasure chests!
Numby! The best partner on a Trailblazing journey! With it, Wende would never have to worry about her missing out on treasure chests and nutrition!
Aside from the map, the monsters of Punklorde were also a source of player complaints. Seemingly influenced by a certain sister game with questionable design choices, the trash mobs on Punklorde had unusually tough health bars. Compared to the self-reviving Abominations of Abundance, these monsters that had to be shield-broken to be killed quickly were a massive headache for some players.
Of course, the DoT teams expressed that they felt no pressure whatsoever.
---o---
[Ding, Reality Player Emotion Value has increased by 10,000.]
"?"
Wende, who was in the middle of chatting with Jack in the Old District, suddenly frowned. Why was the Player Emotion Value now being categorized separately for "reality" and "Honkai"? Don't tell me you're going to skim off the top even for this?
He silently swallowed a mouthful of spicy ginger beer and discreetly opened the system panel. Seeing that the emotion value counter hadn't been split, he let out a sigh of relief.
Good, it's probably just for easier categorization... but that's not right either. He hadn't done anything recently, so why did the value increase on its own?
It probably wasn't a big deal. It must be the players' usual antics. Now that Stelle wasn't by his side, he shouldn't have to share the headache, right?
Whatever. He decided to send a text to March just to give her a heads-up.
---o---
The players' antics continued. A content creator who wrote fan songs for game characters finally set their sights on Wende. Using the 5-star Wende as a template and the 4-star Wende's character story as a basis, a song titled "Sighing for Yangming" mercilessly harvested another wave of Player Emotion Value!
True players! They had to learn how to find their own angst to consume!
---o---
Wende (Quit Games):
"March? How's Stelle doing over there? Is she acting unhinged?"
The Universe's #1 Cutest Girl, March 7th!:
"Huh? Nope, she's the same as always. Right now she's hugging Numby and singing to it..."
Wende (Quit Games):
"Oh... that's good. Wait a second? Hugging who?"
Wende tilted his head, a look of suspicion on his face.