Seeing Acheron so resolute, Kiana could only temporarily set aside the thought, planning to talk with her properly another time.
Ruan Mei disliked social niceties, but that didn't mean she was oblivious.
Naturally, she could sense Acheron's lack of warmth toward her, yet she paid it no mind. How Acheron viewed her simply didn't matter.
"Unfortunately, it's inconvenient here to perform a more comprehensive examination on you."
She had spent some time building a laboratory here, but this hastily constructed one was far less functional than her personal facility.
Many of her research projects couldn't even be initiated.
After all, her primary field of study was life sciences.
"Honkai will bring many changes to this world as well," Kiana said thoughtfully.
"I know."
Ruan Mei had been preparing long before. The transformations this process would cause were all worth observing.
Kiana had found a way to accelerate the progress again, and her mood was quite good. She chatted with Ruan Mei about her experiences.
Unbeknownst to her, however, Izumo was undergoing a sudden change.
A beautiful maiden clad in a white ceremonial dress stepped out of the sea. Unlike her original projection, which could not touch the physical world, she now left shallow footprints one after another in the sand.
Half a year ago, she had already found a way to assume human form.
Since then, she had waited every single day for news from Kiana—waiting for Kiana to come fetch her, to stay by her side forever, never to part again.
However, each day of waiting was pure agony.
In that painful longing, she had waited until now.
She believed Kiana would return, for Kiana had once said—if she could take on human form, Kiana would come for her and allow her to stay by her side.
But... it had been too long.
Their encounter had been brief, yet Jyahnar relived that joyous moment of meeting Kiana over and over in her mind.
She longed for the day they would meet again.
"This coordinate..."
Her beautiful, otherworldly eyes gazed toward the distant location. She could sense it—another world marked by Honkai.
Without a doubt... Kiana was there.
The thought of Kiana filled Jyahnar's eyes with hope and joy. It was the first trace of Kiana's presence she had sensed since her departure.
"She needs me."
That world had only been marked—it had not yet been fully assimilated by Honkai. Jyahnar guessed that Kiana was expanding her domain.
At that thought, Jyahnar's patience ran out completely. Her very existence was meant to aid Kiana.
Kiana needed her now.
This was the moment to prove her worth.
Indeed, Izumo was important—but few humans dared step foot there. Even if they did, assimilation by Honkai awaited them.
She had to leave.
She had to go to that world marked by Kiana, where Kiana was waiting for her—where Kiana needed her.
Jyahnar was about to revert to her true form for the journey but hesitated, recalling Kiana's words—that her true form was too ostentatious and would draw unnecessary trouble.
Remembering Kiana's warning, Jyahnar suppressed the urge to transform and left the sea in her human guise, departing Izumo.
The place of the coordinates called to her like the sun itself. She only needed to keep her head down and move forward with all her strength, and she would eventually arrive.
She wanted to give Kiana a surprise.
As Kiana prepared to head to the ridge to check the situation, she suddenly shivered.
Having just completed all the possible checks and cooperations with Ruan Mei, she was about to go to the site of the Stellaron to observe whether it was affected by Honkai.
Acheron was by her side.
As for Ruan Mei, she was still busy elsewhere—and she felt at ease letting Acheron accompany her.
"What's wrong?"
Acheron noticed Kiana's sudden shiver and asked curiously, "Are you cold?"
The temperature here was lower than elsewhere, but Kiana was a strong Pathstrider—able to adapt to various extreme environments.
Could it be that the cold around them had gotten to her—that Kiana had caught a chill?
She wasn't wearing a coat, nor did she have anything with her to keep warm. There was nothing she could do about it.
Kiana also looked puzzled. She shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck. "Not cold. That's strange... I suddenly feel like something's watching me. No, more like... something's whispering my name from behind."
"Something's watching you?"
Acheron glanced around, scanning the vast white surroundings. There was nowhere for anyone to hide. Since arriving on this planet, they had rarely interacted with people—there shouldn't be anyone nearby worth noting.
If it wasn't a person... could it be...
"Could it be the Stellaron?"
Kiana muttered in confusion.
Hearing her guess, Acheron hesitated before replying, "But Stellularons don't have self-awareness, do they?"
"A Stellaron's just an object, isn't it?"
Kiana's expression turned strange. The Stellaron of Jarilo-VI could influence human minds. Whether that was unique to this one or all Stellarons, she didn't know—perhaps the one in Belobog had simply gone through too much, running rampant for over seven hundred years and changing as a result.
In the future, they would even encounter the Stellaron Hunters.
"This Stellaron is different?"
Seeing Kiana fall silent, Acheron caught the answer in her expression. Without waiting for an explanation, she guessed it herself.
"There's a high chance this Stellaron possesses consciousness—or at least, it can tempt and corrupt the human heart."
"Then doesn't that make it no different from a Kami?"
Acheron frowned. Kami were not among the memories she could ever forget. She remembered well how they had changed when combined with Honkai energy. After all, the Almighty Thunder they had met had been a Kami tainted by Honkai.
"It should be different... Hmm, though the probability of mutation is indeed quite high!"
Through Ruan Mei's systematic experiments, Kiana had learned how domineering the Honkai energy she carried truly was.
Thankfully, it only erupted without limit in designated areas—and was confined to a single world. Otherwise, she had no idea how she would contain it, how she would stop Honkai from spreading across the entire universe.
"A corrupted Stellaron... that's not something the humans of this planet could handle," Acheron said after some thought. "And since Stellarons are called the 'cancer of all worlds,' if possible, we should eliminate it before it grows further."
"Mm! No problem—let's go with your plan, Mei!"
Kiana agreed completely. Letting a Stellaron fuse with Honkai energy was never a good idea. She had no interest in spawning an enemy even she would find troublesome.
Cut the trouble off in its cradle.
It was indeed the best approach.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder—if she eliminated Jarilo-VI's Stellaron now, would the Astral Express still stop by here in the future?
Having made up their minds, Kiana and Acheron found the restrained Stellaron, and just as they had suspected—
The Stellaron truly had reacted to the Honkai energy. Though faint, the signs were unmistakable.
Kiana's eyelid twitched as she sealed the Stellaron and tossed it into her system space, ensuring it would never again see the light of day.
With the Stellaron sealed away, the world's centuries-long blizzards seemed to lessen ever so slightly.
Even the Fragmentum's expansion began to slow.
The change was subtle—so subtle that those unaware of the cause would need at least a month to notice any difference.
After dealing with the Stellaron, Kiana and Acheron traveled to other areas, investigating regions where the concentration of Honkai energy was abnormal.
And just like that, several months passed.
"Is this the power of the Saint?"
Leaning over the restraint apparatus, Kiana peered at the golden, threadlike glow within, curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
Ruan Mei stood beside her.
"It's a creation I developed based on the Saint's power within you," Ruan Mei said, her gaze fixed on Kiana. "It's a pity, though—it's still lacking in some ways compared to your own ability."
"It's already amazing!"
Something seemed to occur to Kiana, and she turned to Ruan Mei with excitement. "Maybe the missing part is because my Saint's power is actually an extension of the Authority of Finality."
"Ruan, can this be used by others?"
"Of course."
Kiana's eyes lit up. She straightened her posture. "Then... can it be inherited?"
"It can."
Once implanted into a living being, this power would alter its genes—and the modification would be permanent, naturally hereditary.
Not only could it be inherited, but she could also replicate it. Imbuing every person with this power wouldn't even be difficult.
It would just be extremely laborious.
And she wasn't the type to do such tedious work.
"So if we implanted it into cultivated life, we could create a family capable of manipulating Honkai energy?"
Her voice rose slightly with excitement as she spoke, because she had just thought of the Schariac family.
"Implant it into cultivated life... to create a family capable of controlling Honkai energy?"
Kiana's thought process was a little too jumpy—Ruan Mei hadn't considered anything along those lines. Hearing her words, she looked back at her own creation in mild surprise.
"You mean, you want me to use Honkai energy as part of an experiment—to cultivate new life?"
"Huh? When did I ever say no?" Kiana blinked in confusion. "You wouldn't experiment on humans anyway, so why would I object?"
And besides, since Ruan Mei had never done such research before... she was actually considering Kiana's feelings?
Acheron wasn't here right now.
Months had passed, and since the Stellaron's disappearance and the subsequent Honkai surge, Jarilo-VI's situation had changed noticeably.
She and Acheron had spent that time monitoring Belobog's condition, occasionally offering subtle guidance when necessary.
But today, Ruan Mei had invited her back to the lab, so only Acheron was out observing the situation.
"No, you didn't refuse..."
Ruan Mei focused, her cool eyes leaving the restraint apparatus to rest on Kiana.
"Right? I didn't, did I?"
Kiana scratched her head nervously, feeling uneasy under Ruan Mei's gaze. Her tone softened. "I didn't, right?"
Ruan Mei was silent for a moment before shaking her head.
But before Kiana could relax, Ruan Mei continued, "Now simply isn't the right time."
"Eh?"
Kiana blinked, surprised. She didn't understand what Ruan Mei meant by that—what wasn't the right time?
Was she referring to what Kiana had just said?
Creating a family capable of controlling Honkai energy to fight against it?
"Why isn't it the right time?"
Kiana never hesitated to ask about things she didn't understand.
"My understanding of Honkai still isn't sufficient, and your condition remains unstable. Now isn't the proper time to create a continuation of our life."
Wait... what?
A continuation of our life?
A continuation of life...
"Ah??!"
Kiana's eyes widened in shock as she finally understood what Ruan Mei meant. Her face flushed all the way to her ears.
"I-I-I didn't mean it like that! Why are we even talking about that kind of thing?!"
Ruan Mei lifted her gaze, her tone laced with genuine confusion. "You didn't mean it?"
"Of course not!"
Kiana's heart raced as she hurriedly tried to explain herself. "I was just thinking—it'd be a shame not to pass down such an amazing ability! A family capable of controlling Honkai energy would be natural-born defenders against it!"
But wasn't this power derived directly from Kiana herself?
Ruan Mei's creation was only a replica of it.
By Kiana's own logic...
"A lifeform cultivated using your genes would meet your criteria perfectly," Ruan Mei said. "Though I don't quite understand why you emphasize opposing Honkai."
Using my genes to cultivate life?
Kiana froze, speechless for a long moment.
"That's not what I meant..."
Whether offspring or clones—neither was what she had intended. She had merely thought of the Schariac family on a whim.
Still, Ruan Mei wasn't wrong.
A lifeform born from her genes would indeed fit her requirements perfectly—qualified to become the 'Schariac' and 'Kaslana' of this new world.
"Ugh, forget it! Ruan, just pretend I never said anything!"
Kiana shook her head furiously, trying to shake the chaotic thoughts from her mind.
"If you truly wish to have one now, I could attempt it," Ruan Mei said calmly.
Kiana's face turned crimson, and she looked away as if burned. "Ruan! What are you even saying? I really don't have that kind of thought—let alone... wanting one right now!"
Was there something wrong with what she'd said?
Seeing Kiana avert her gaze, Ruan Mei tilted her head in mild puzzlement. She didn't think there was anything strange about her words.
Taking a few steps forward, Ruan Mei placed her hand gently against Kiana's flushed cheek, turning her face back toward her.
Sensing that their earlier discussion had gone off track, she took the opportunity to read Kiana's thoughts directly.
It was far more efficient than verbal communication.
And misunderstandings were impossible that way.
As Ruan Mei's beautiful face came so close that their breaths mingled, Kiana's eyes darted nervously, her ears burning hotter than ever.
"Hmm? You want to do that sort of thing?"
Ruan Mei's sudden question struck like thunder in Kiana's ears, leaving her mind ringing.
Her brain went blank.
But Ruan Mei didn't stop there. "However, such a primitive method wouldn't create a true continuation of our life."
Kiana's breath caught. She had forgotten Ruan Mei could read minds. Hearing her words now, Kiana felt her blood run in reverse—her whole body turning cold.
"But if you wish to try," Ruan Mei added matter-of-factly, "I can accompany you in the experiment."
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