One of the lighter beats in Honkai: Star Rail’s Version 4.6 story comes when the group heading into Astropolis has to explain itself to an IPC escort. Nihilux, who has already revealed herself as Aha, the Aeon of Elation, sizes up the party and hands out cover roles on the spot. Kuchiba becomes a bodyguard, the monkey companion becomes an assistant, and Ashveil gets stuck with the label “a pet.”
Quick answer: Nihilux, revealed as Aha, calls Ashveil “a pet” so the IPC Guide does not question why five people are traveling together on the way into the Life Sciences Institute.
The Version 4.6 setup that leads to the scene
Version 4.6, “Dance With the Beast Before Moonrise,” pushes the Voracity storyline forward. The Trailblazer (Caelus in this footage) travels with Nihilux to reach the Life Sciences Institute deep beneath Astropolis, the place that serves as the source of all imagenae in the region. Their goal is to expose a plan to “weaponize the husk.”
Before the escort turns up, Nihilux and Caelus stand outside an entrance hall and talk over how the Phantasmoon and the leviathan keep the Phantasmoon Games running in Planarcadia. The concern is that Yabuli, head of the IPC’s Technology Department, reverse-engineered those games into a Wishpower loop inside Astropolis, and that her husk experiment could put every life in Planarcadia at risk.
Who joins the party before the Guide shows up
A monkey’s tail is briefly visible before Ashveil and Kuchiba join the discussion. Acting on Madam Pearl’s orders, the pair are tasked with defending Planarcadia and investigating Yabuli. They claim to be searching for Leviathan Essence, but their actual mission is to thwart Yabuli’s plans and eliminate the danger’s source.
Kuchiba and Ashveil relay the intelligence Pearl entrusted to them. It points to Yabuli stealing flesh from the husk, or a sample of the Abundance, while the Strategic Investment Department held jurisdiction over Anatopia.
Ashveil then spells out the theft in more detail, describing how Yabuli pulled a sample out of Planarcadia during the period the Strategic Investment Department was in charge. That explanation is what frames the whole trip into the institute.
The IPC Guide and the “Ms. Mellanine” cover
An IPC Guide rushes over during the conversation, greeting Caelus from the Astral Express and Nihilux, whom the Guide addresses by the alias “Ms. Mellanine.” The Guide says the entire city is abuzz: Mr. Arita has reversed his decision under the influence of Dongfang Qixing. Like Fleming, Qixing is descended from an IPC founding father.
The Guide is there to escort the pair thanks to Dongfang Qixing’s pull. The catch is simple. The escort expected two people, but the party now numbers five.
The disguise: bodyguard, assistant, and “a pet”
When the Guide notices the extra bodies and asks why there are five in total, Nihilux improvises roles for everyone. She keeps the cover light and moves quickly through the group, which is where the joke lands.
| Character | Role Nihilux gives |
|---|---|
| Kuchiba | Bodyguard |
| Monkey companion | Assistant |
| Ashveil | “…And, uh, a pet.” |
Ashveil takes the demotion in stride, laughing it off with a line about a “little mix up.” The moment plays as a quick comedic beat before the story turns serious again.
With the cover accepted, the Guide invites the whole group to meet Yabuli at the institute, noting that the Department Head treats emotions as a sensory illusion and a byproduct of biological functions. That framing sets the tone for the confrontation the party is walking into, and the “pet” gag is the last bit of levity before it.
