Chapter 48: Sampo: I'm Unjustly Accused! I'm Not a Feathered Spirit, Truly!

At that moment, within the Live Streaming Room:

Little Gui Zi was not broadcasting the storyline; instead, the screen froze on the Astral Express' Parlor Car.

"Huh? Where did Streamer Little Gui go?" Fu Xuan asked, puzzled, instinctively looking at Jing Yuan.

Jing Yuan shook his head. "Don't look at me, I don't know either."

"He was here just a moment ago."

Viewers began flooding the chat with messages.

"How did Little Gui suddenly disappear?"

"Everyone, disperse. The Cloud Knights have already taken away the streamer."

"It's genuinely been shut down?"

"Realm-Keeping Commission, really?! We were just about to enter the storyline of Xianzhou Luofu. At such a crucial moment, taking Little Gui away—do future events truly bear no scrutiny whatsoever?"

"I'm heading straight to tackle the main quest myself now, to see exactly what significant event awaits Luofu!"

"Give us back our Little Gui!"

Jing Yuan and Fu Xuan, staring at their screens, were utterly bewildered—especially Jing Yuan.

He had specifically instructed the Realm-Keeping Commission not to interfere with this Live Streaming Room, ensuring Little Gui's broadcast would proceed as smoothly as possible!

And now the streamer was suddenly gone? Who could have acted so swiftly?

Taking a moment to compose himself, Jing Yuan immediately began operating on his jade tablet.

[Real Name User] gifted Streamer Little Gui 1 Listening Storm!

[Real Name User] gifted Streamer Little Gui 3 Listening Storms!

[Real Name User] gifted Streamer Little Gui 5 Listening Storms!

As colorful comment notifications flooded the screen, Fu Xuan instantly understood the situation.

Right!

Send gifts!

It wasn't that there was an issue with the Live Streaming Room; after all, the broadcast continued without being shut down.

There must be some urgent matter concerning the streamer himself.

But what could possibly outweigh the importance of advancing the plot?

The entire universe is watching the development of this game!

Not wanting to be outdone, Fu Xuan also started sending gifts.

[Heartless Divination Machine] gifted Streamer Little Gui 5 Super Star Boats!

[Heartless Divination Machine] gifted Streamer Little Gui 10 Super Star Boats!!!]

"Woah, what's going on today? It's like witnessing gods clashing!"

"Little Gui, hurry back! With so many big shots flooding gifts, I..." [User: '...'] "am getting anxious for you!"

"You two, stop showering gifts! You'll really attract the attention of the authorities soon!"

Suddenly, Little Gui performed a spinning drift followed by a somersault, re-entering the live stream's frame.

His eyes sparkled brightly.

"Thank you to our two incredible benefactors, [RealNameSurfer] and [Heartless Divination Machine]!"

"I just went for a bathroom break, folks! I'd been holding it in all night!"

"To not disappoint my dear viewers' enthusiastic expectations, Little Gui will continue diligently unraveling the plot, bringing you even better storytelling experiences!"

Fu Xuan let out a long sigh of relief.

Phew, good thing he's still there! she thought.

How would the Astral Express collide with Xianzhou Luofu? What significant events were about to unfold on Luofu?

She fully immersed herself in anticipation.

Ideally, previewing the upcoming plot could help her make informed decisions ahead of time—always best to be prepared!

Meanwhile, on a snowy plain of Jarilo-VI:

Aventurine led a group of company security personnel to surround a highly suspicious trash bin.

"Come out already, Sampo." Aventurine twirled a token between his fingers, speaking nonchalantly. "Do you really think finding a trash bin here is reasonable?"

As he finished, a person emerged from beneath the bin.

"Hahaha, just a little joke for all of you."

"What brings my esteemed employers looking for me, Sampo?"

An employee stepped forward with their gun raised, snarling, "Cut the act—you're Feathered Spirit, the developer of Honkai: Star Rail, aren't you?"

Sampo lifted both hands, feigning innocence. "What? You think I'm 'Feathered Spirit'?" He exclaimed dramatically, "I've been framed, utterly framed!"

"I want to find that damned developer too! Just look at how they portrayed me in the Belobog storyline!" Sampo continued indignantly, "I'm upright and incorruptible, yet they turned me into a slick, unreliable old fraud! It's an absolute travesty!"

Aventurine squinted, closely observing Sampo's every move.

Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate. Upon checking it, he found the latest announcement from "Feathered Spirit"—a short film titled "Soaring Light."

Sampo clung to this lifeline desperately. "Look at this! If I were Feathered Spirit, how could I possibly post online messages simultaneously right now?"

"This Feathered Spirit is clearly using me as a scapegoat!"

Aventurine remained unconvinced. "That's not necessarily true. Unless my memory fails me, these announcements can be scheduled for later posting, correct?"

"It might just be your trick to mislead everyone, wouldn't you agree?"

A giant question mark seemed to appear above Sampo's head. After a moment, he sighed.

"You make a compelling argument; even I'm starting to believe I am 'Feathered Spirit' myself."

"Go ahead and capture me for the reward then." Sampo extended his arms, his expression resigned.

Aventurine smiled faintly. "Rest assured, the company will conduct a fair trial for you next."

Sampo nodded, seemingly accepting his fate.

Suddenly, several bombs with lit fuses rolled out from both of his sleeves, creating a dense cloud of smoke.

With a wave, Aventurine dispersed the fog before him, but Sampo had vanished without a trace.

"Aventurine-sama... cough cough Should we chase after him...? cough cough"

"No need. It was merely a bluff earlier—Sampo is not the developer Feathered Spirit."

Gazing into the distant snow-covered plains, Aventurine murmured to himself:

"My task was to confirm whether Sampo is the developer of Honkai: Star Rail. Now, the answer is evident."

"This mission is complete."

"As for finding the true Feathered Spirit—"

"Chuckles, could someone capable of creating such a game be easily manipulated?"

"Any job with this level of difficulty? Whoever fancies it can take it on; I certainly won't."