As the neon glow of New Eridu flickered to life after the Version 3.1 maintenance, Alex logged in with a mix of curiosity and anticipation. The air in the city felt different—charged with the promise of something extraordinary. Before his screen even fully loaded, a splash banner flashed: a shimmering golden ticket stub against a backdrop of Remielle’s soda-sea waves. The Commemorative Ticket Stub event had begun, and the entire Proxy community was already trading calculations and wish lists.
Alex had been waiting for this. Rumors had swirled on the Inter-Knot forums for weeks: Would there finally be a chance to grab a limited S-Rank Agent without torturing the gacha gods? The answer was a resounding yes, but it came with a strategic twist. The event, running from the Version 3.1 update until the end of the patch, transformed every purchase of Monochromes, the New Eridu City Fund, cash-bought Gifts, and Inter-Knot Memberships into commemorative ticket stubs. These stubs were not just souvenirs—they were the keys to a treasure vault.
The rules were clear. A maximum of 15,000 commemorative ticket stubs could be earned. The conversion rates were posted like a menu in a high-end café:
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Monochrome ×60 → 60 stubs
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Monochrome ×300 → 300 stubs
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Monochrome ×980 → 980 stubs
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Monochrome ×1,980 → 1,980 stubs
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Monochrome ×3,280 → 3,280 stubs
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Monochrome ×6,480 → 6,480 stubs
But there was a catch. Only the base Monochromes counted. Any bonus from the first-purchase double top-up, or extra Monochromes thrown in, were ignored. Alex grimaced. He had been saving that first-time bonus for a rainy day—now it felt useless for this event. Still, he shook it off. The Growth Plan (680 stubs), Premium Plan (1,280 stubs), and Plan Upgrade (780 stubs) offered a steady income. Even an Inter-Knot Membership at 300 stubs per month was a simple addition. Then there were the limited Gifts: Tea Party Invitation (300 stubs), Cloud Garden Invitation (580 stubs), Celestial Nexus Invitation (980 stubs). Alex’s eyes widened at the Eridu Welcome Gift—just 60 stubs—and the trio of Sincere, Favored, and Exclusive Invitation Gifts, each climbing to 980 stubs. But he remembered the fine print: Gifts purchased with Monochromes would not generate stubs. Only cash-bought ones counted.
He started mapping out his path. A few minutes with a calculator gave him a tentative plan: one Premium Plan (1,280 stubs) plus an Inter-Knot Membership (300 stubs) plus the Celestial Nexus Invitation Gift (980 stubs) already put him at 2,560. He needed to climb much higher to reach the juiciest rewards. The tier list glowed on the event page like a constellation of desire:
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300 stubs → Ether Battery ×2
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1,000 stubs → Tuning Calibrator ×1
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2,000 stubs → Proxy Accessory "Starshine Cross" + Encrypted Master Tape ×2
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4,000 stubs → Resonating Core ×2
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7,000 stubs → Choice of S-Rank W-Engine: Flight of Fancy, Elegant Vanity, Cordis Germina, or W-Engine Microcontroller Unit ×4
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10,000 stubs → Choice of S-Rank Agent: Vivian, Astra Yao, Seed, or Special Invitation Letter ×2
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15,000 stubs → Remielle-themed dynamic wallpaper "Summer of Soda Sea", menu decoration set "Good Morning, Dear Partner in Crime", and exclusive dynamic namecard "Countless Nychthemerons"
Alex’s heart raced. Vivian, the enigmatic phantom thief, was right there for the taking. He had missed her banner earlier, and now she was within reach—if only he crossed the 10,000-stub threshold. The alternative, a Special Invitation Letter ×2 that could be exchanged for any S-Rank Agent in the Collectible Exchange, was tempting but felt less personal. He wanted Vivian. The warning on the event page gave him pause, though: if a Proxy had already maxed out an Agent’s Mindscape Cinema, they couldn’t claim that Agent again and had to pick another reward. That was a non-issue for Alex, but it added a layer of seriousness to the choice.
He dove deeper. To hit 10,000 stubs, he would need to combine strategies. An expensive Monochrome pack seemed inevitable. The 6,480 Monochrome pack alone gave 6,480 stubs. Combined with the Premium Plan and the gift, he would be at over 8,000. A few more small purchases, maybe the Growth Plan or another gift, and he’d comfortably reach 10,000. The ultimate prize at 15,000—the Remielle dynamic wallpaper—called to him, but it demanded a commitment he wasn’t sure he could afford. He decided 10,000 was his target.
As he finalized his purchase plan, Alex noticed another crucial detail: the commemorative ticket stubs were a limited-time item that would vanish once the event ended. There was no hoarding. If he failed to claim his chosen Agent before the event closed, the system would automatically grant him two Special Invitation Letters instead. That safety net was comforting, but it lacked the thrill of hand-selecting Vivian.
He checked the clock. External payments made via web payment centers would only count if he logged into the game during the event period to complete the delivery. That meant no last-second credit card swipes without a login. Alex had seen Proxies mess that up before, and he wasn’t about to join them. He opened the in-game shop, fingers steady. A few taps later, his stash glowed with the promised stubs. The meter climbed past 2,000, 4,000, 7,000… and finally, the triumphant 10,000.
The reward selection menu appeared, and there she was: Vivian, with her crimson eyes and mischievous smile. Alex felt a genuine rush of joy. He selected her, and the screen burst into a congratulatory animation. The Proxy Accessory, the Encrypted Master Tapes, the Tuning Calibrator—all unlocked in a cascade. He even earned enough stubs to snag the 7,000-tier W-Engine. He chose Elegant Vanity, perfectly suited for his new Agent.
Later that day, the Inter-Knot forums lit up with similar stories. Proxies were forming spreadsheet tribes, debating the merits of Seed versus Astra Yao. Some were holding out for the cosmic 15,000-stub dragon, the Remielle dynamic wallpaper that shimmered like liquid soda and the namecard “Countless Nychthemerons” which whispered of endless nights in New Eridu. Alex looked at his phone, where the new wallpaper glowed faintly—not the 15,000-tier one, but a small reminder of what could be. Maybe next time.
He turned his attention to Vivian, queuing up her trust events. The commemorative ticket stub event was more than a cashback scheme; it was a celebration, a way for HoYoverse to say thank you after the Version 3.1 upheaval. And for Alex, it was the moment he finally added a certain phantom thief to his roster, a memory sealed in digital stubs that would fade when the event ended, but whose reward would stay with him forever.