It turned out that in the world Welt came from, the Herrscher of Finality had also faced a similar situation.
Acheron knew the reasons were certainly different.
But Welt's words still gave her an extra layer of reassurance.
"Thank you for telling me these things."
Acheron said, "This should be a normal phenomenon. After the Honkai Eruption, Kiana fell into slumber."
Welt exchanged some information with her.
He wanted to go take a look at Miss Kiana's current condition, but the cautious Acheron politely refused.
Any further details could only be obtained after Kiana woke up.
The disappearance of Nihility and Honkai Energy, and what exactly had happened in that brief moment just now.
These were unanswered mysteries.
Not long after, Himeko and March 7th also completed their landing and arrived on this planet that had once been deathly silent.
Acheron did not have much desire to communicate with others. After exchanging a few simple words with the Nameless, she returned to the room to continue keeping watch over Kiana.
She sat by the bedside, looking at Kiana.
Only after a long while did she take out her phone. Seeing that with the disappearance of Honkai Energy and the power of Nihility, Izumo now had a signal capable of contacting the outside world, she finally found Sirin in her contacts and sent over the current situation of Izumo.
On Sirin's side, three question marks were sent back.
Then came the sound of an incoming call.
"Raiden Mei, are you serious?"
Sirin's voice carried excitement, along with some disbelief and doubt.
"Although I don't know why, I'm certain that Izumo has now completely broken free from the influence of Nihility. And the Honkai Energy that was everywhere on the planet has also almost entirely disappeared in the recent change."
The breathing on the other end grew heavy. "You mean to say that we can return to Izumo?"
"...Yes."
Acheron fell silent for a moment before saying, "When you have time, you can come back for a visit. I'm not sure whether the Honkai Energy will appear again."
"I understand."
Sirin forced herself to nod calmly. Just as she was about to hang up, she suddenly felt that something was off. After thinking for a moment, she abruptly asked, "Wait, where's Kiana?"
Why was Acheron the one telling her about something like this?
Shouldn't it be Kiana?
Acheron normally never contacted her.
Why was it her sending the message today?
"Kiana..."
Acheron looked to the side at Kiana, who appeared to be asleep. Her gaze dimmed slightly as she said, "She's fine."
She was just going to sleep for a very long time.
"Huh?"
Sirin didn't understand what she meant and wanted to ask more, but the call had already ended.
No matter how one looked at it, something was wrong.
"What exactly is she up to?"
Sirin sent Kiana a few messages asking about the situation, but after waiting for a while, she still didn't receive any reply.
She frowned, somewhat displeased, and put down her phone, secretly thinking that when she returned to Izumo after some time, she would find out what was really going on.
But...
Since Izumo had already completely broken free from the influence of Nihility, and even that terrifying Honkai Energy had disappeared along with it.
Did they still need to expand Project Ark?
After thinking it over, Sirin still felt it was very necessary. After all, this was now the era of the star sea.
Moreover, Acheron had also said that it was uncertain whether Honkai Energy would continue to increase. If it did, then to transform Izumo into a place suitable for habitation, they would need to think of other methods.
Honkai Energy carried a certain degree of harm.
But Izumo could not simply be abandoned.
In any case, there was no rule saying only one option could be chosen. Sirin's inclination was naturally the choice of wanting it all. Still, this matter would have to be discussed with Bronya and the others to ask for everyone's opinions.
That place was their homeland, which they were deeply attached to.
It buried their past.
...
Herta Space Station.
"Ruan Mei, you're distracted."
Herta crossed her arms, looking at Ruan Mei with slight dissatisfaction. She had deliberately taken time to come talk with Ruan Mei about the next phase of testing for the Simulated Universe.
"Sorry."
Ruan Mei accepted the fault readily and apologized for her earlier behavior. Suppressing those ill-timed thoughts once more, she smiled and said, "Please continue."
What Herta had just mentioned regarding the portion about the Aeon of Nihility had made her think of her partner, who had not contacted her for several months.
From the day she said she was going back to Izumo to look for the Nameless of the Astral Express, she had never sent her a single message again, and she could no longer contact Kiana.
It wasn't that she was worried about her safety. She trusted Kiana's abilities.
Moreover, Miss Acheron was by Kiana's side. Even if they were to directly encounter a Lord Ravager, the ones at a disadvantage would certainly not be them.
Ruan Mei believed that with her strength, the possibility of an accident was infinitely close to zero. The universe was vast, and there were many possible reasons for losing contact.
Euphorion... that place called Izumo was originally a special region. Having no signal there was completely normal.
She was inclined to believe that Kiana had been held up by some trouble, which was why she had suddenly become unreachable.
Reason had long since analyzed the cause.
Yet Ruan Mei would still, at certain moments, suddenly think of this matter, and her heart would feel... somewhat empty.
Even knowing the answer, she was still unable to put her mind at ease.
Truly an experience she had never had before.
"We should still switch to a different tester."
As the discussion drew to a close, Herta said while stroking her chin.
"For the simulation involving Akivili's portion, we can find the Nameless to substitute."
Ruan Mei looked at Herta. "You cooperate with the Astral Express. Persuading them to take part in the test shouldn't be difficult."
"I'll ask."
The Nameless were indeed a good choice.
Herta acted as soon as the thought occurred to her and began contacting Himeko right in front of Ruan Mei.
Ruan Mei responded with a sound of acknowledgment and looked toward the piled-up materials to the side, thinking to herself that the Astral Express should also be unreachable right now.
They were in the special region of Euphorion.
"She agreed. She'll be here shortly."
Himeko happened to be returning to the space station to resupply, so Herta's invitation came at just the right time.
This answer made Ruan Mei pause. She looked at Herta with a trace of confusion in her eyes. "She'll arrive shortly?"
"You know the Astral Express."
Herta didn't think much of it.
Of course Ruan Mei knew the Astral Express.
She frowned slightly. Kiana had said that the Nameless of the Astral Express had gone to Izumo to carry out Trailblaze, and one person had gone missing.
So she had gone to help.
They had agreed that she would come back once the person was rescued.
"...I'll go with you to meet the Nameless of the Astral Express."
A vague sense of unease surfaced in her heart.
She didn't believe that Kiana would lie to her.
So what was going on now?
"Do you have a commission to ask of the Nameless?"
"A commission... you could say that."
"Your reaction is really interesting. Did you run into some kind of difficult problem?"
Herta finally noticed that something was off with her.
"It's not an academic problem. It's a personal matter."
Ruan Mei said expressionlessly, "I'm going to leave for a while. I won't be participating in the upcoming tests for the time being."
"No problem."
Herta didn't ask what it was. Ruan Mei's reaction was completely different from usual. She couldn't even maintain her smile, so she probably had no interest in sharing it with her.
...
"Miss Kiana?"
It wasn't strange to see Ruan Mei at the space station. Herta's cooperation with the other geniuses was something Himeko knew about.
But what she hadn't expected was that this Lady Ruan Mei would actually ask her about Kiana.
That was truly surprising.
"She told me that the Astral Express encountered trouble in Izumo and needed her help."
Ruan Mei spoke slowly, her face betraying nothing of her thoughts. "After that, I lost contact with her. Miss Himeko, can you tell me what exactly happened?"
"So that's how it is."
Telling Ruan Mei about this meant that Kiana and Ruan Mei's relationship must be very close.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have come to her of her own accord.
"That's correct. In order to investigate that kind of energy called Honkai Energy, we designated that planet as our next stop and stayed there for a period of time."
Ruan Mei nodded lightly and continued to ask, "Where is Kiana now?"
Kiana had gone over to help. Now that the Astral Express had already left Euphorion, Kiana should have left there as well.
Yet she still hadn't replied.
That wasn't like her.
"She's still on that planet."
Himeko answered Ruan Mei honestly, while also feeling a bit curious. "Miss Ruan Mei, are you looking for Miss Kiana because there's something important?"
If it was about cooperation or something similar, Himeko would have to tell Ruan Mei that since the day Kiana fell into slumber, there had still been no sign of her waking up.
As for how she knew...
March 7th was quite concerned about this matter. After all, Kiana had fallen into slumber because she accepted their invitation.
Even though Acheron said it wasn't a bad thing.
Was there something she needed Kiana for?
Ruan Mei knew what she was thinking. Himeko hadn't hidden her thoughts at all. It was easy to read.
She regarded Kiana as her partner in cooperation, perhaps just like how she now worked with Herta.
"She is my partner."
Ruan Mei stated the fact in an even tone.
She didn't need a reason to look for Kiana.
"...Partner?"
The mature and steady Himeko froze slightly, looking at the calm Ruan Mei with astonished disbelief.
Collaborator, friend—Himeko had considered all of those just now. This kind of intimate relationship, however, had never crossed her mind.
After all...
Kiana had always been together with that Miss Acheron. If one were to speak of intimacy, those two seemed more like that kind of relationship.
"Why is she still there?"
Ruan Mei frowned, somewhat puzzled. "I remember her saying that she would come back after helping."
Were they really that kind of relationship?
Himeko suppressed her untimely curiosity and probed cautiously. "Miss Ruan Mei, have you never considered contacting the Miss Acheron who's with her? She's always been with Miss Kiana."
Ruan Mei fell silent. "..."
Because her interactions with Acheron were not harmonious. Any communication that could be avoided was basically avoided.
The relationship was very complicated and hard to explain.
If she had to describe it, even with Kiana as a connection between them, she and Acheron could only be considered familiar strangers.
This also meant that there was no contact information between them at all. Without contact information, how could she get in touch?
Before today, Ruan Mei had never thought of finding Kiana through Acheron. She had never imagined that such a day would come.
"I'm not familiar with her."
Needing to find out what exactly had happened from Himeko, Ruan Mei answered patiently.
"This..."
Himeko was at a loss for words. Acheron and Kiana's relationship didn't seem ordinary at all. If Ruan Mei and Kiana were partners, how could she not be familiar with Acheron?
That Miss Acheron had always been by Kiana's side. After Kiana fell into slumber, she had stayed with her without leaving her side.
Wait...
Could it be because their relationship was too close?
Himeko speculated inwardly, her expression unchanged. After thinking it over, she ultimately chose to believe Ruan Mei's explanation.
Since Kiana had even told Ruan Mei about going to help, even if they weren't partners, they were certainly close friends.
"I wonder how much Miss Ruan Mei understands about Izumo," Himeko said.
"I haven't truly been to that world. From Kiana's description, it seems to be a... Honkai world," Ruan Mei replied.
Ruan Mei had actually wanted to go there to investigate as well. It was just that she had many matters on hand, and there was no urgency to explore it, so she had placed it later on her list.
"Yes, it's a very special and very dangerous world. The Astral Express has been to many worlds and encountered many disasters, but a place like Izumo..."
Himeko paused slightly, recalling the shock of seeing that planet when they first arrived. "Unheard of."
"But all of that is in the past."
Ruan Mei, who had been listening intently, looked up. "What do you mean?"
What did she mean by in the past?
"That place has already returned to normal. All the special phenomena on the surface have completely disappeared. Whether it was Nihility or Honkai, both have vanished from that planet."
Ruan Mei's brows knit tightly.
Why did it sound like she couldn't quite understand?
What did it mean that everything had disappeared?
Was that normal?
"Miss Kiana fell into slumber because of this. That happened several months ago."
Slumber?
The first thing Ruan Mei thought of was her first meeting with Kiana. When she had met Kiana, she had been in an extremely special state.
No wonder, no wonder she had suddenly disappeared.
Several months had already passed?
In other words, not long after Kiana finished telling her those things, she encountered an accident in Izumo and fell into slumber because of it?
"Miss Acheron said that this was a normal phenomenon and that we didn't need to worry about it."
Ruan Mei subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself and lowered her head to think for a moment. She then nodded to Himeko in thanks. "Thank you for the information. It's very useful to me."
After learning the truth from Himeko, Ruan Mei felt slightly more at ease, yet also more uneasy.
That Acheron's words could still be trusted, but what was the reason Kiana had fallen into slumber?
Was it the same as before?
Energy that enveloped an entire world suddenly disappearing all at once. That also looked very wrong.
Izumo was practically a completely Honkai world, occupied by the powers of Honkai and Nihility.
It was an extremely special place.
Both Honkai Energy and the power of Nihility suddenly disappearing, how was that any different from all the Memoria on Penacony suddenly vanishing?
This was definitely not a trivial matter.
She had to set out immediately and go to that world to investigate.
To learn the specific cause of everything, she had to go find Acheron and get to the bottom of it.
Clearly, Kiana had also returned to that world last time. Why had nothing happened then, yet something happened this time?
What was different between the two times?
Ruan Mei could not stop the speculation in her mind.