Honkai Star Rail: Starting With Marrying Acheron

Lin Shuang looked at Qingque in confusion, unsure why she was panicking.

Only when she got closer did she realize that standing next to Qingque was Master Gongshu.

"Oh, Master Gongshu, you're here too. I was just looking for you."

Lin Shuang raised a hand in greeting.

"Ah, yes, we were just talking about you—"

"Ahem—!"

Master Gongshu was interrupted mid-sentence by Qingque's two dry coughs. Laughing, Qingque trotted over and clung to Lin Shuang's arm.

"Sister, why did you come straight to the factory this time? You didn't even tell me! If you had, I would've come with you. We almost missed each other."

"…"

Lin Shuang was baffled by Qingque's inexplicable behavior.

What's up with her?

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"...No reason. I just came to ask Master Gongshu if she could make something for me. But what about you? Another card table?"

Lin Shuang glanced at the tiny bluebird, and Qingque nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, yes, yes! A new card table! I've had my old one for decades, so I figured it was time for an upgrade."

"I see."

Lin Shuang looked up at Master Gongshu, who stood with her arms crossed, smiling mysteriously.

"Master Gongshu, I was wondering if your company can make customized portable caves. The kind that can be carried around."

"How big do you want it? What are you using it for?"

Master Gongshu looked at Lin Shuang curiously. She knew Lin Shuang already had a portable space far larger than the average one.

What, that's not enough? Now she wants something even bigger?

Lin Shuang considered it for a moment. Bella was about a hundred meters tall—at minimum, she needed a space large enough for her to move around.

"Well... at least a kilometer in length and width. I plan to use it to house the Doomsday Beast."

But even that number was too abstract.

Master Gongshu was stunned.

Does she have any idea how much energy a folding space of that size consumes?

Forget portability. Just powering it would require a cable as thick as her arm!

"That big?! No way, I can't do it."

Master Gongshu shook her head firmly. This kind of technology was used for large-scale machinery, not individuals.

"Ah, what about a smaller one?"

"No... Miss Lin Shuang, before we discuss that, can you tell me why you need to carry around a Doomsday Beast? If I remember correctly, that thing belongs to the Legion of Destruction."

As part of the IArtisanship Commission—and given recent events—Master Gongshu had a deeper understanding of the Legion of Destruction than most.

Who in their right mind would want to lug that thing around?

"Yeah, Lin Shuang, are you in trouble again? Tell me so I can help you!"

Qingque's curiosity was piqued. She tilted her head, blinking at Lin Shuang like a child.

Lin Shuang sighed and briefly recounted what had happened at Herta's Space Station.

Of course, she left out the involvement of the Stellaron Hunters, only mentioning that a small group of Antimatter Legion soldiers had targeted the station's Stellaron.

"Hiss— Lin Shuang, are you really going up against the Antimatter Legion? What kind of grudge do you have against them?"

Qingque scratched her head. First, Lin Shuang schemed against Phantylia on the Xianzhou, and now she had gone to the space station to snatch their anti-Stellaron weapon.

Is her hatred for the Legion that deep?

Master Gongshu, standing nearby, looked equally speechless. As a weapons manufacturer, she understood all too well how infuriating it was to have someone steal your technology.

Last time, she heard Lin Shuang stole half of the Lord Ravager's body. Now, she'd taken an anti-Stellaron weapon.

Insulting. Truly insulting.

But regardless of her personal feelings, the request was simply impossible.

Lin Shuang had no choice but to compromise and discuss a smaller alternative.

Meanwhile, Qingque cheerfully declared she was off to buy some Fairy Happy Tea for Lin Shuang and left.

Lin Shuang spent a long time in Master Gongshu's workshop before they finalized a preliminary design.

During a break, Lin Shuang noticed something out of place—a Celestial Jade table in the workshop, along with a set of specially crafted Celestial Jade Tiles.

"Master Gongshu, did Qingque order this?"

"Ah? Oh—!"

Master Gongshu smacked his forehead, realizing he had completely forgotten about it.

Lin Shuang frowned. "Master Gongshu, are you and Qingque hiding something from me?"

"What? No, of course not!"

"Then why are you so flustered?"

"Ah— I just remembered I need to check on my apprentice's work. Lin Shuang, I'll be going now!"

Watching Master Gongshu flee the scene, Lin Shuang was speechless.

Never mind.

Might as well play cards for a bit. When Qingque comes back, they could head to Exalting Sanctum for a few rounds.

Exalting Sanctum had reopened, and the massive scar in the sky had mostly faded. The remaining mark no longer affected the area's operations.

Then—

When Qingque returned with the Fairy Happy Tea, she found Lin Shuang at the workshop door, idly playing with the brand-new Celestial Jade cards.

"Ah…"

Qingque glanced around and, seeing no sign of Master Gongshu, immediately guessed what had happened.

He ran away from the battlefield!

"Qingque, you're back? Is this the new Celestial Jade set you ordered? It's really beautiful."

The table and cards were exactly Lin Shuang's style.

"Hey, really?"

Qingque's face lit up with a delighted grin.

"Yeah, it's really nice."

Lin Shuang continued flipping through the cards, not looking up. She didn't notice Qingque stepping closer until the girl beamed and said—

"Then it's decided! This table and card set are yours!"

"Huh?"

Lin Shuang raised her head, meeting Qingque's gleeful gaze.

"This is a new type of card table I invented. I even asked Miss Tingyun what kind of design you'd like!"

"A new type? And why are you giving it to me?"

Qingque shoved the Fairy Happy Tea into Lin Shuang's arms.

"Oh, what else? It's for playing cards! Come on, let me tell you what makes this table so amazing!"

Qingque hooked her arm around Lin Shuang's and leaned in close.

Lin Shuang had no choice but to bend down so their heads were nearly touching.

"You know how there's going to be an online version of Celestial Jade soon? But I think playing online just isn't the same as feeling the cards in your hands..."

Listening to Qingque's enthusiastic explanation, Lin Shuang endured the tickling sensation of her hair brushing her cheek and finally understood.

This was a card table that could link remotely through a phone's communication function, allowing people to play together no matter where they were.

Lin Shuang considered it for a moment before commenting dryly—

"How should I put it… it's like taking off your pants just to fart."

"What the! What kind of analogy is that?! No Fairy Happy Tea for you!"