"Ordinary people?"
"Ordinary people."
The Monarch affirmed Hua's doubt.
"The Honkai energy adaptability of natural lifeforms does indeed vary."
"And it is extremely unbalanced."
Some things, with a little explanation, the other party would understand:
"But the beings that proliferate on this land of Shenzhou are not 'natural'."
"Even without considering the female human genes that were affected by the initial Stigma Project, the adaptability of your so-called ordinary people is several times higher than that of the Previous Era."
"Is it not?"
"…"
Hua could not refute the Monarch's words.
The so-called Current Civilization was, in many senses, merely an extension of the Previous Era, or more aptly described by the cold but fitting phrase, "a desperate, lingering existence."
"This process, especially the initial contact…"
"It is not so easy to survive."
Although Hua was still verbally objecting, by saying these words, she had in fact already agreed to the feasibility of the Monarch's suggestion.
"My new retainer can help you control the risks."
"?"
"Perhaps, you have not understood the meaning of the words 'I am the Honkai'."
A translucent dragon finger traced a line through the clouds, and the figure of Black Ji Lin appeared directly before them.
"!?"
"Chi… Chi…"
"No, no, no."
"Chiyou is already dead. This child now has a brand new name."
The metallic dragon scales rippled like ocean waves.
"To turn hostility into friendship."
"I believe this phrase is quite fitting for the current occasion."
---o---
Within the Empire, upon the [Throne].
"Mei…"
"Shh!"
"Softer, Kiana!"
Kiana's voice was already at a whisper.
But in this space, even the sound of a silver needle dropping to the ground was no less than the tolling of a great bell in the ears of the higher-ups.
The crucial point was, Kiana was not proficient in the [Authority of Consciousness], and she knew very little about even the [Authority of Thunder]—the former could be used for telepathic communication, while the latter could be used to communicate with "crackles" like an electric-type Pokémon.
The only ones who actually needed to open their mouths to speak were…
"Mmph… mmph!"
Alright, there was also Sirin, whose mouth was likewise being covered by Bella.
While reminding Kiana, Mei placed a "patch" less than two centimeters in diameter behind Kiana's ear. This was the Empire's "internet" device, generally used by Imperial residents who were not skilled in the [Authority of Consciousness].
Incidentally, the four [Throne Guardians] in charge of security were all present, yet these students from St. Freya had not been subjected to a security check.
To be precise, it was completely unnecessary.
"Mei!"
"There are so many big shots here!"
The moment she put on the patch, Kiana's voice created a violent fluctuation in Mei's mind through the "local network." Kiana's spiritual fluctuations were too intense, and Mei, who was deliberately suppressing her own aura at this moment (due to the important occasion), felt her head buzzing from the shock.
"Yes."
This was the [Throne Room], the place where the Empire's high command held meetings or entertained foreign dignitaries (which had never happened).
Under normal circumstances, even members of the Ninety-Nine Chambers rarely had the opportunity to come here.
While "perfunctorily" answering Kiana, Mei's gaze slowly swept across the circular space above. To release one's perception here was an act of great disrespect, and if one truly dared to do so, they would likely be executed on the spot by the [Throne Guardians].
Furthermore, this space had been enhanced by the Monarch's [Dominion of Trailblaze]. Even though it was just a small piece of a layered space, it was countless times larger than it appeared from the outside.
Most of the high-ranking officials' seats were empty.
This was normal.
The masters of the twenty-seven seats would not all awaken at the same time, and the matter at hand was clearly not important enough to warrant the appearance of all the Apostles.
As for the few who were seated…
[Eighth Apostle · Rin], who had once led them to the continent of Teyvat, was the first among them, her familiar face being the first Mei discovered.
As for the second—
Although this was the first time she had seen her, according to her memory, Mei had heard from the elders of her clan more than once that she had been held by the "Old Ancestor" before. At that time, she had only shown a "regression" in her aura that was extremely similar to the "Old Ancestor's," but now…
"She looks so much like her!"
"She and Mei look so alike!"
"…#!!"
Mei forcefully resisted the urge to smack a large bump onto Kiana's head.
Her ancestor looked a lot like her… It was a good thing Aunt Cecilia had left the family, otherwise, Kiana would have been dragged away by the Inquisition who knows how many times!
The Inquisition sounded intimidating, but it was at most the Kaslana family's internal disciplinary department. If this matter were known to the Ninety-Nine Chambers, it wouldn't be something that could be resolved with mere confinement!
As this thought crossed her mind, Mei suddenly realized a problem: the conversation they were having using the terminal devices, although it seemed like a private telepathic exchange, was still fundamentally an application of an authority. And in this place, the number of beings with such high attainments in the [Authority of Consciousness] and the [Authority of Corruption] that they could discover the content of their conversation without even trying to eavesdrop…
Was simply innumerable!
"…"
Mei quickly averted her gaze and directly shut off her "headset."
[Third Flame-Chaser · Mei]
The true backer of the Kaslana family, a major figure among the Empire's great figures.
And yet, in a position even more prominent than the Third Flame-Chaser, on the second seat to the right in the [Throne Room], an [Apostle] was sitting there!
In other words, the person in charge of this meeting had an even higher status than the [Third Flame-Chaser]!
[Second Flame-Chaser · Elysia]
This existence, who rarely showed her face within the Empire, was the true convener of this meeting!
Crackle!
A faint electric spark sounded in the silent conference hall.
This was not Mei's doing.
Not far from her, Sirin was electrolyzing her own sweat… Originally, it was to prevent it from dripping on the floor, and she was worried that wiping it with her hand would be too large a movement. But unexpectedly, due to being overly nervous, she had a "tiny" problem with controlling her authority. If it weren't for the fact that her Schariac bloodline was so obvious, and that the child was truly young… she probably would have been vaporized on the spot.
But thanks to this, Mei also took the opportunity to get a good look at the "ordinary people" present:
Among the fellow students from St. Freya Academy, besides the four of them, there were also Bronya Zaychik and Seele Vollerei, who were tied for first place in the grade-wide written exams. Although their bloodlines were not obvious, Mei, who was well-informed, knew very well that they were actually direct descendants of the "Silver Wolf" family.
Incidentally, the matriarch (the old antique) of the "Silver Wolf" family was herself a splinter entity created in one of "Haxxor Bunny's" experiments, and had somehow formed a family like this. Although the family was not large, the strength of the Silver Wolf family, which always produced twins (?), was also extraordinary.
On another note, Mei's terminology was actually more of an "outsider's" perspective.
The internal designation of the Silver Wolf family was to refer to the Zaychik (clan) and the Seele Vollerei (clan) as "Silver Wolf" and "Silver Wing" respectively.