As someone who treats the Astral Express like a very loud therapist, I’ve learned that Honkai: Star Rail’s main story and I have a slightly toxic relationship: it hooks me, then vanishes for a patch or two. During one of those dramatic pauses, I returned to the Trailblaze Continuance quest A Foxian Tale of the Haunted. Yes, even in 2026 I was still chipping away at my backlog, and honestly, catching runaway Heliobi with Huohuo, Hanya, Xueyi, Guinaifen, and Sushang felt like the perfect distraction. Little did I know I’d end up in a haunted house, talking to a possessed Kafka poster, and solving a lockbox puzzle that made me question my entire education.
The Walk-In Ghost Hunt Begins
After chatting with the house’s owner outside, I waltzed in with Guinaifen and Sushang like we were on a buddy-cop ghost show. The first red flag? A Kafka Wanted poster that turned evil the second I touched it. I just wanted a souvenir; instead, I got an Unusually Colored Lodestone dropped into my inventory. Fine. Creepy collectible acquired.
In the next room, I used that lodestone on a box to my left and snagged the first Courtyard Gate Key. But before bolting through the door, I checked the opposite side of the room and found a shiny area holding a Shattered Cloud Knight Devastator Glaive. Is it a bell? Is it a weapon? Is it both? In Fyxestroll Garden, the answer to all three is probably yes.
Back near the questionable box, I used the Glaive on it to earn the second Courtyard Gate Key. That opened the door where Sushang and Guinaifen were providing premium moral support. Right beside that door, another interactable spot held a Square Rice Ball. Why was there a rice ball in a haunted house? Who cares—loot is loot, and this one was clearly destined for something bigger than lunch.
Ghost Footprints and Carb Sacrifices
In the final room, I spotted the safe sitting smugly in the middle. On the deep right was yet another glowing interactable. I plopped the bell thing down first, then offered the Square Rice Ball like a tiny carbohydrate sacrifice. Footsteps appeared on the wall, which was definitely not unsettling. Following them led to a new spot and the Rubbing Paper, because apparently haunted houses run on arts and crafts.
Now, let’s talk about the safe, or as I call it, the reason my fingers still hover over the number pad at night. I took the Rubbing Paper back to the pillar in the first room. The riddle revealed the password was the letter T. At the bottom, the game assigned numbers to letters like M, N, and V. It finally clicked: these weren’t serial numbers. They were patterns you’d trace on the keypad.
The example for M was 7-1-8-3-9. Press those in order and you’re basically drawing an M across a numeric grid. So for T, the code is 1-3-2-8. Was I confident? No. Did I press it anyway? Absolutely.
| Clue | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Password letter | T |
| Example pattern for M | 7-1-8-3-9 |
| Safe code for T | 1-3-2-8 |
After hitting the last digit, the game mercifully completed the puzzle before I could collapse into a puddle of self-doubt. Then came a Heliobi fight, because nothing says emotional closure like beating up a spirit after surviving a geometry pop quiz. Along the way, I also learned the truth behind the haunted house—turns out mischief and misunderstood ghost energy make a surprisingly good duo.
TL;DR for Fellow Procrastinating Trailblazers
If you’re running this quest after the main story gives you the cold shoulder, don’t overthink it. Here’s the quick version:
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Touch the evil Kafka poster for the lodestone.
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Use the lodestone on the left box for the first key.
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Grab the Glaive from the shiny spot before leaving the room.
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Use the Glaive on the next box for the second key.
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Snag the Square Rice Ball near that door.
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Use the bell and rice ball at the far-right spot to summon wall footsteps.
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Follow the footprints, get the Rubbing Paper, read the pillar.
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Enter 1-3-2-8 and enjoy your Heliobi showdown.
The haunted house may look spooky, but it’s really just an escape room with extra ghost drama. And remember: when in doubt, poke every glowing object in Honkai: Star Rail. That philosophy has never failed me.