"Who... who is it? Who's speaking?"
"Sounds like the Young Mistress..."
"The figure in the sky—it really is the Young Mistress! Is she manifesting to us?!"
Restlessness spread across the world.
Shenzhou, North America, South America, Europe, the Mu Continent... everywhere, all places.
Countless people looked up at the sky.
Bewildered. Stunned!
Panicked.
Then—awestruck!
"What is the Young Mistress doing?!"
"No idea!"
"Did you understand what she said?!"
"Sort of... She said if we all climb the tower, we can become Herrschers?"
"Herrschers who fight for humanity—does that mean they won't be controlled by the Honkai? Isn't that great?"
The wealthy felt yearning. The poor felt even deeper longing.
Every person is born with an innate, incomparable desire for a higher state of being.
Whether educated or not.
Regardless of academic background.
No matter their identity! Or status!
Gradually, everyone seemed to finally realize what this meant! Shaking off the initial stupor of the revelation, they couldn't help but grow even more excited!
The entire planet seemed to come alive.
Not just the planet itself, but also the people living on it.
Their spirits, their drive—as if suddenly ignited.
Even though they clearly knew that among billions of people, there were only 108 spots, and their own chances of success were almost nonexistent...
Still, everyone couldn't help but dream: what if? What if I'm one of the lucky ones?
Wouldn't that be amazing?!
"Kiana... just what is she trying to do?" Dr. Mei wondered, perplexed.
Kevin fiddled with his spirited little potted plant and said casually, "Who cares what she's up to? Anyway, if the Young Mistress wants to do something, can we even stop her?"
He saw things pretty clearly.
And in fact, that was the shared sentiment among every nation, every organization, all the higher-ups at this moment.
Even though the strange phenomenon in the sky had slowly faded, the shock in their hearts still hadn't settled, lingering for a long time.
Once they calmed down a little and thought it over carefully—
"How can the Young Mistress be so confident about creating new Herrschers?"
"And Herrschers that belong to her, not to the Honkai? Who can fight for humanity?"
The fact that Kiana had gone to the Domain of Finality was known only to the girls at home.
And precisely because this matter hadn't been made public, many people were left speculating.
Theories abounded.
"My, my~ It seems my adorable little wife has succeeded~" Mobius smiled brightly. Seeing Kiana's enormous phantom disappear, she hastily began gathering her things.
She was getting ready to head back.
Vill-V, too, abandoned the project she'd been working on.
She practically skipped her way home.
After all, right now, nothing intrigued them more than Kiana.
Kiana had returned, triumphant.
No matter what, they had to go see her!
"Maybe... without us knowing, the Young Mistress backstabbed the Honkai, completely seized its authority... That's not impossible, right?"
Someone had guessed the truth.
The person next to her immediately laughed and said, "If that's really the case, no wonder! The Honkai can create Herrschers, and so can she. The Young Mistress belongs to all of us, so the Herrschers she creates would definitely be on humanity's side."
"That's fantastic!"
Another voice chimed in, even more excited.
Although many people had never personally experienced a Honkai outbreak, seeing the official releases and propaganda online made it clear: this was something even more terrifying than war.
Honkai sickness, Honkai beasts. Zombies, and Herrschers...
If you wanted to die quickly, there was a way.
If you wanted to go suddenly, without warning, that worked too.
If you wanted to take it slow, that was also possible. Honkai sickness could fulfill that wish...
Damn it!
Who could stand something like that?!
Therefore, through the relentless propaganda of various nations and organizations, resisting the Honkai had become the righteous path, and faith in the Young Mistress was absolute truth.
Even if the Honkai hadn't yet threatened them personally, its mere existence was like having grease smeared on your skin—no matter how you thought about it, it felt disgustingly uncomfortable.
"I've decided!"
The people living near the Gobi faced sandstorms daily, water shortages, and lived in humble earthen huts.
Life was incredibly harsh.
Finally, someone stood up!
"Better to believe in the Young Mistress than in Buddha!"
"When the Young Mistress erects that tower, no matter how far it is, I'm going to give it a shot!"
"Alright, that's the spirit! I support you!"
"I want to go too, I want to go too!"
"Me as well!"
People in many places felt the same.
They keenly sensed this was an opportunity—a chance right before their eyes. Wouldn't missing it mean regret for life?
No matter what, they had to try!
The wealthy, the well-positioned—their lives were fine as they were.
Often, they lacked the courage to bet everything.
But those in poverty, the children who knew hardship—their lives were already like that, what more did they have to lose?
How could they not gamble on this one chance?
So they were filled with determination.
Meanwhile, back at home, after Kiana returned, she didn't see the other girls there.
Only Miss Sakura was present, making sushi.
Noticing Kiana's sudden appearance, she looked surprised, then tilted her head slightly, a picture of gentle devotion, seeming very happy as she gazed at her. "Welcome back, Kiana."
"Mmm... I'm home, Sakura."
Kiana walked to the dining table and poured herself a glass of water.
Miss Sakura set aside her work and took off her disposable plastic gloves.
"Sakura, where is everyone?" Kiana knew she'd adjusted the time and came back too early. Almost no time had passed—an hour? No, less than half an hour, probably. Everyone likely hadn't expected it.
And indeed, that was the case.
Sakura explained:
At this hour, Rin and Seele were still at school. Mobius and Vill-V were at their respective research institute and workshop.
Kiana's mom, seeing it was still early, had taken Elysia to the Fire Moth headquarters, probably to discuss Kiana's trip to the Realm of Finality and hope they could prepare early.
Well, that worked out. They'd probably just found out Kiana had gone to the Realm of Finality.
Hadn't even had time to worry.
And she was already back.
Kind of amusing to think about.
Kiana silently held her cup, drinking water.
Sakura continued, "The festival is approaching, and Eden still had some matters to attend to. She figured there was no point staying here, so she went ahead to take care of it."
Under normal circumstances, if Kiana were here, Eden would've worked remotely. Unless it was particularly troublesome, she'd be reluctant to leave Kiana's side.
Kiana felt like Eden had become even more attached to her lately.
Kiana couldn't help but smile.
A happy smile.
She looked truly content.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
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If you guys wanna check it out.