Let's be real, back then, Kiana found it pretty entertaining.
Her, Seele, Jyahnar, and the others would watch the news and see Blanca, their little cousin, looking thoroughly guilty during Fire Moth's press conferences.
But wasn't that their own fault? If Fire Moth had just come and asked Kiana what was going on, she would've given them a straightforward answer.
They wouldn't have ended up like that back then.
Hesitating, stammering, not even knowing the basics?
Anyone with a bit of sense could smell something fishy.
But thankfully, official channels worldwide were stepping up.
And honestly, nobody really cared whether the Fire Moth were unwilling to talk or genuinely didn't know.
Though, given the Fire Moth's reputation in everyone's minds,most viewers were convinced they were being shady, hiding something, hence all the evasive answers.
As for how sketchy it really was?
No one was going to dig too deep.
As long as the outcome was good, that was fine.
The rest? Not a big deal.
What's worth noting! Fire Moth's reluctance to deal directly with Kiana was becoming more and more obvious.
In the past, they'd still send people over to talk to her.
But now? Forget Fire Moth... even organizations and countries worldwide were treading very carefully...Fire Moth, or Shenzhou where Kiana lived, were more direct, and had the confidence to be.
Including the family behind Kiana, it was the same.
They'd all go straight to Kiana's mom.
Then they'd have Kiana's mom act as a middleman to communicate with Kiana or ask her things.
Anyway!
They just wouldn't contact Kiana directly anymore.
As for other countries, needless to say, they were even more roundabout.
They'd really settled into a fixed routine by now.
If they had questions, they'd ask Shenzhou, or Fire Moth, or Kiana's family. If they didn't know, then they'd ask them to pass the question to Kiana.
The main idea was: Unless absolutely necessary, avoid direct contact.
After all, you never knew when you, someone under you, or some troublemaker might offend the young lady.
Going through Kiana's mom was the right move.
That way, there was always room for discussion.
The Sky Screen videos kept emphasizing that the young lady holds a grudge, and now, Jyahnar isn't exactly patient either.
Probably even asking Elysia would be more reliable than asking those two, but people even overthought that.
Asking Elysia?
How's that any different from bypassing the emperor and going straight to his concubine?
If Kiana didn't mind, fine.
But what if she did? Wouldn't they be done for?
Honestly...Kiana felt a bit too exhausted to complain, but she didn't object either.
After all, it meant less hassle for her, right? And she genuinely preferred dealing with her mom rather than some random other person.
If it was a pretty girl, fine.
But what if it was a guy?
Not hateful, but annoying.
So forget it!
Of course, it wasn't all about this stuff during that time.
Thanks to a previous Sky Screen video, Miss Yuzu had further refined the Pathstrider system.
Experts and scholars worldwide were electrified, putting all their effort into digging deeper.
After all, everyone knew by now.
Even though we're using the Honkai system now, eventually we'll connect to the main world, seamlessly transitioning to the Pathstrider system.
News had come from Vill-V's Spiral Workshop.
She'd already created a foolproof hibernation pod.
If you wanted, you could just lie down in the pod, take a long nap, and wait for the future.
But! That's impossible, right?
If the whole world went into hibernation, what about the Stellar Alliance? Who'd do the work? Who'd develop civilization?
Inevitably, it'd only be a small group of people.
Everyone understood that.
But still, it gave them something to hope for.
Because the hibernation pod slots weren't decided by money or status; Vill-V had the final say.
She said she'd use a lottery, or magic tour performances, random prize draws—more exciting methods like that to decide.
So what? Someone's not happy? Tough.
Not only did she make the pods herself—nobody else has the skill.
And there aren't that many pseudo-Herrscher cores to go around.
Even if you protest, go ahead, try complaining to my wife Kiana.
She'll reason with you. Then there's nothing more to say.
No hibernation pod just means no future, but you can still live. But offend the young lady, and you probably won't live at all.
Dying now vs. dying later—anyone can do that math.
The Aeon of Destruction himself got chased across the universe by the young lady for a thousand years in the future.
With our frail little bodies, better not, huh~
In fact, Vill-V's method, seeming playful, actually benefits ordinary people more.
Even if the chance is tiny, it's not zero. And that's enough.
"Seele, what are you and Rin watching?" One day, Kiana came downstairs and saw the two little ones sitting on the floor like a pair of ducklings, watching the big TV.
Sometimes, sitting on the floor, close to the TV, isn't good for your eyes, but the viewing experience is great.
They always liked doing that.
Anyway, one's a Herrscher, and the other is a potential Herrscher vessel. Bad for your eyes? What's there to worry about?
Nanomachines, kid.
Simple as that.
"It's an interview with Sister Mei," Rin turned her head slightly, looking up at Kiana with a smile.
Kiana raised an eyebrow and walked over.
She took a look.
Turns out it was a special interview about Pathstrider system research. Although Miss Mei was fully focused on Stigma technology, she had her own insights on this too.
Heck, the content didn't even matter that much.
What mattered! Was that the interviewee was Mei.
The future leader of Fire Moth, appointed by the Sky Screen, the one who led everyone to victory in the War against Honkai.
Also the future wife of the Aeon of Salvation, Kevin.
She's gotta be at least an Emanator.
People were pretty curious about folks like Mei and Mobius because they kept to themselves, typical researcher types.
Not like Vill-V, who was always pulling surprises.
Sometimes she'd go out performing, so everyone felt familiar with her.
Right now, on screen, after the usual pleasantries, the host formally introduced Miss Mei.
Although Mei still only had a high school education, her abilities, boosted by her future self's knowledge, had completely taken off.
She didn't have a Ph.D. only because she hadn't had time to get one.
But from a research standpoint, calling her 'Doctor' wasn't wrong.
The host knew how to play along, of course, and addressed her as such.
"Dr. Mei, we've heard the Stigma Project you're leading has made significant progress. Could you tell us about it?"
"The theoretical research is largely complete, but clinical trials haven't officially begun yet."
Mei spoke clearly, carried herself gracefully.
She smiled. Her words were impeccably measured.
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T/N: Gacha x Multiverse Fic Up!
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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.
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.