Herta's projection faded away.
Having failed to achieve her goal, there was no point in lingering. It was better to return and arrange a ship to personally travel to Ruan Mei's planet.
A face-to-face conversation would be more effective.
Once the projection disappeared, Kiana looked curiously at Ruan Mei. Her curiosity got the better of her—she wanted to ask if what Herta had mentioned was indeed the Simulated Universe.
She strongly suspected it was.
"Sit down. It's tea time," Ruan Mei said, gesturing for her not to stand awkwardly by the door. She took a sip of tea and added, "That projection was Miss Herta—like me, she's a member of the Genius Society."
"And she..."
"Wants me to do something?"
"Mm-hmm."
Kiana leaned forward with genuine curiosity, eager to hear what Ruan Mei would say—and how she could possibly turn down an invitation from Herta.
After all, this was the Simulated Universe!
"She's leading a project and wants me to join it," Ruan Mei said. There was no need to hide it. Holding her teacup, she watched the faint steam curl upward. "It's a promising project—I'll admit, I was a little tempted."
Herta's persistent invitations had had their effect. Each time, her words had managed to stir Ruan Mei's curiosity.
But she truly didn't have the time.
Especially now.
If Herta's last invitation had made her waver—if she had even briefly considered setting aside her current research to join the Simulated Universe—then Kiana's return had completely dispelled that thought.
Because Ruan Mei didn't know when Kiana would leave.
She had already spent over a year on Kiana—pouring her time, her energy, and her focus into her.
If she stopped now...
"Then why not accept?"
Naive as ever, Kiana had no idea what Ruan Mei was thinking. If Ruan Mei was interested, why not just agree to Herta's invitation?
In the game, she had agreed, after all.
Why not this time?
"You have something you want to tell me, don't you?" Ruan Mei didn't answer directly. Instead, she shifted the conversation back to Kiana, watching her from across the table.
"...Yeah. I was thinking of going to the Herta Space Station," Kiana admitted.
Considering that she had just seen the station's owner, saying that now felt oddly timed.
"Why?"
Ruan Mei neither agreed nor refused. For the first time, her tone carried a hint of inquiry—a question that demanded explanation.
"Well, like I said yesterday, I'm trying to find Mei. I posted a bounty through the IPC. When I checked earlier, I found out they already discovered a lead."
Ruan Mei paused mid-sip, setting her cup down with composed precision. Her gaze grew more intent.
So quickly?
And then what?
Would Kiana still be willing to stay here—to continue as her research subject?
"At first, I wasn't sure," Kiana continued excitedly, "but Miss Herta said she knows Sirin. That means the IPC's lead must be real!"
Her voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Sirin's a friend of mine from Izumo! She didn't die—before the Final Eruption, she took some of the Izumo survivors and left the planet."
"Mei was with her! So if I can find them, I'll definitely find Mei!"
"You just came back," Ruan Mei said quietly. "And you're already in such a rush to leave again?"
"She's my friend!" Kiana sat up straight, her tone firm. "Even if it has nothing to do with Mei's whereabouts, I have to see her!"
Going out of her way just to meet someone? Ruan Mei found that sentiment... pointless.
"So you're planning to leave, then?"
Looking at Kiana, Ruan Mei no longer hid behind indirect words. She asked the question plainly.
Kiana wanted to nod—but when she saw Ruan Mei's calm, expressionless face, she suddenly realized that the question wasn't really about the trip to the space station.
"I just want to go there for a while."
Kiana didn't quite understand what Ruan Mei meant. After thinking for a moment, she spoke carefully, "I just want to know what happened afterward."
"And then end our deal?"
Ruan Mei didn't dance around her words. She looked straight at Kiana and spoke plainly.
"No, of course not!"
So she hadn't been mistaken—Ruan Mei's "leaving" really meant that kind of leaving!
Kiana grew restless. "Ruan, don't misunderstand—I don't mean it like that!"
"Not right now, you don't."
Ruan Mei nodded slightly. So there was no need to worry for the moment. It seemed that the person at the Herta Space Station wasn't as important to Kiana as Raiden Mei was.
The end of their agreement would likely come only after she found Raiden Mei—or Acheron.
"In the future..."
Kiana wanted to say that she wouldn't leave even then—but when Ruan Mei raised her gaze and looked at her so seriously, the words caught in her throat.
Would she really never leave?
When she had first awakened, she and Ruan Mei had made a deal: she would cooperate with Ruan Mei's experiments, and in return, Ruan Mei would act as her "family," helping her search for her past.
Ruan Mei studied her for a long moment.
There was a trace of disappointment in her eyes.
After all, she had invested time, thought, and even a degree of trust into Kiana—not just in her research, but beyond that.
"As long as there's still something you need from me, I won't leave," Kiana said earnestly, taking a deep breath.
Once Ruan Mei obtained what she wanted, her interest in Kiana would likely fade.
Drawing on her memories from her previous life, Kiana understood Ruan Mei's true priorities from an almost omniscient perspective. Ruan Mei's greatest fascination had always been with the Aeons; her curiosity about Kiana was only temporary.
"I don't like being deceived," Ruan Mei said quietly. Her eyes remained on Kiana, unblinking. "Especially not by you."
Kiana froze, startled by her tone.
Especially me?
...So I'm special, then?
Realizing this, the faint gloom in Kiana's heart vanished instantly. She decided she wouldn't let her past-life knowledge dictate how she saw Ruan Mei anymore.
"Don't worry, I won't lie to you," Kiana said with a bright smile. "I mean it—so long as you still need me, I'll stay. I'll help you with your research, no matter what."
Finally, Ruan Mei's heart settled.
She no longer had to worry that Kiana might suddenly abandon the experiment midway.
And if Kiana dared to promise, Ruan Mei dared to believe her.
"Have some snacks," Ruan Mei said, pushing the plate toward her. "We'll be spending a long time in the lab later."
"What about the Herta Space Station?" Kiana asked, reaching for a piece of pastry.
Ruan Mei took one herself, savoring its flavor before replying with a statement that surprised Kiana. "I'll go with you."
"You're going to accept Herta's invitation?"
Ruan Mei's earlier hesitation had stemmed from concern that Kiana might leave, costing her a prime opportunity to study her directly.
But now that Kiana had said she would stay as long as needed, that worry was gone.
"We'll see," Ruan Mei said calmly.
She was still weighing her options, planning to meet Herta and see the project firsthand before deciding.
And before they headed back into the lab, Ruan Mei looked deeply at Kiana and said, "Don't betray my trust, Kiana. Don't disappoint me."
She didn't really understand why either.
But she trusted Kiana.
Unknowingly, somewhere deep within her heart, Kiana had become... different from everyone else.
"Next is the limit test."
Half a day passed, and the data on Kiana had already been updated once again. Ruan Mei rested her index finger against her lips as she studied the streams of information flashing across the screen before her.
"No problem."
Kiana was still full of energy, not the least bit tired even after half a day of testing.
"In the virtual space?"
Ruan Mei shook her head. "Actual combat."
At the words actual combat, Kiana's expression changed slightly. She remembered unpleasant things. "Using Honkai energy in real combat could lead to... unfortunate consequences."
"Like what happened on Kasbelina-VIII?"
"Mm..."
Kiana sighed. She really did feel like a walking contamination source—fine when dormant, but the moment she used Honkai energy, it inevitably began to affect everything around her.
Though it wouldn't be like Izumo.
Where the entire world had been rewritten by the rules of the Honkai—now endlessly generating energy without end.
"It's fine," Ruan Mei said calmly. "That's precisely one of the reasons I want you to perform a limit test."
"But if I do that, this planet will become contaminated with Honkai. As long as I stay here, the energy won't disperse."
"Isn't that better?"
Kiana was at a loss for words. Right—Ruan Mei was studying the Honkai. What was a disaster to other worlds was, to her, little more than a boon.
If this planet did turn into another Izumo, Ruan Mei might actually be pleased.
"You're too distracted," Ruan Mei said, closing the holographic display before her and looking at her directly. "Do you want me to help clear your mind?"
It sounded like a joke.
But coming from Ruan Mei, it wasn't.
Kiana shook her head quickly. "No thanks, I'll pass on that."
"I respect your choice," Ruan Mei replied evenly—though Kiana could swear she detected a faint note of regret in her tone.
"Let's just start the test already. Wait, are there even any opponents here strong enough to fight me?"
"Come with me."
Ruan Mei led her down into the underground laboratory, taking an elevator to an even deeper level.
They arrived at a place Kiana had never been before. The air felt strange—like something out of those stories where ghosts haunted research halls and accidents were bound to happen.
On both sides of the corridor stood rows of containment tanks, each filled with eerie, unfamiliar creatures—Ruan Mei's early works.
Some of them didn't even seem anatomically coherent.
"These are my earlier creations," Ruan Mei said, noticing Kiana's fascination as they walked. "They're simple things to me now, but they still hold collection value."
If Kiana hadn't known Ruan Mei personally—if she had woken up for the first time here—she probably would've thought Ruan Mei was some sort of mad scientist.
The deeper they went, the stranger the creatures became. By the time they had walked two-thirds of the corridor, Kiana began to sense faint traces of Path energy lingering in them.
"These creatures... they have the power of the Paths in them?"
Kiana studied the specimens closely.
But she didn't recognize any of them.
"This one... is that the Path of Abundance?"
From some of the creatures, she could feel a familiar energy.
Why familiar?
Because she'd fought Borisin before on the battlefield—and had dealt with enemies imbued with Abundance's power.
"Yes, Abundance," Ruan Mei confirmed. "And not only Abundance—Propagation as well."
"Propagation?!"
Kiana's eyes widened as she stared into the dim corridor ahead, which seemed to stretch endlessly.
So even before joining the Simulated Universe project, Ruan Mei had already been studying Propagation?
...Of course.
In the later storyline, Ruan Mei had researched the Starcrusher Swarm King directly aboard the Space Station—and even managed to replicate one, albeit for only a brief time.
But that was an Emanator of Propagation.
"There's no need to be surprised," Ruan Mei said calmly. "My focus has never changed. Both Abundance and Propagation have always been part of my research."
If not for Kiana's own extraordinary nature—so unique that Ruan Mei sometimes suspected she was an unascended Aeon—she would probably be studying Emanators right now.
"Ruan... you're not seriously going to make me fight bugs, right?"
Kiana's face turned pale.
Not because she was scared—but because if the insects were to mutate into Honkai creatures while retaining their original traits, that would be a nightmare.
The Abominations she'd fought before had also kept fragments of their original instincts—and their vitality had been terrifyingly strong.
"Using Propagation's offspring as test subjects makes for excellent opponents—and valuable samples," Ruan Mei replied.
"...There really are bugs?!"
Ruan Mei shook her head.
"Then... the Abominations?"
"I'll create suitable opponents for you based on your performance," Ruan Mei said evenly. "And I'll record the entire battle process."
"..."
Their destination was a vast open chamber. Though underground, bright illumination made it seem almost like daylight.
Various instruments and devices lined the area.
"Put this on, and head there," Ruan Mei said, fastening a wristband onto Kiana's arm before motioning toward the open space.
"Alright, I'm going. You... actually, forget it—bring it on! No matter what kind of enemy it is, there's no way it can beat me!"
If she was worried about the creatures propagating, then she'd just kill them before that happened.
That way, they couldn't mutate into Honkai beasts.
Brimming with confidence, Kiana jumped straight down from the high platform instead of taking the elevator.
Ruan Mei, watching her unorthodox approach, fell silent for a moment—feeling the urge to press her fingers to her forehead.
The lift was right there...
Forget it. Let her be.
She activated the console, adjusting the parameters on the screen. Once Kiana reached the center of the arena and signaled she was ready, Ruan Mei selected an opponent for her.
It was a creature blessed by Yaoshi—an Abundance-based lifeform. Not a Borisin, but still far stronger than the average Pathstrider.
A formidable opponent.
Blue shields materialized around the perimeter, sealing off the area. The chamber resembled an empty cultivation tank without fluid.
Light poured down as the shape of a massive creature—four or five stories tall, with a tiger's head, a humanoid torso, and a dragon's tail—materialized as though printed from thin air.
"...That's insane."
Once again, Ruan Mei exceeded her expectations. The act of printing life from the void was even more incredible than growing one in a rice cooker.
Because it defied all logic.
When the radiance faded, the tiger-headed creature stirred. The moment it fully formed, it reared back and let out a thunderous roar.
It clearly lacked intelligence.
Its crimson eyes gleamed with nothing but primal savagery—an insatiable urge to tear apart everything it saw.
At four or five stories tall, with that bestial form and violent aura, it was the kind of monster that could easily terrify anyone unaccustomed to battle.
But creatures like this?
Kiana had faced too many of them in Izumo to count. Back when she'd been far weaker, she'd still dared to leap off skyscrapers and punch giant arachnids in the face.
Compared to those days, this thing didn't even qualify as a warm-up.