The ship's warp was incredibly fast—so fast that Kiana found it hard to believe.
Looking at the flight logs, the sheer distance they had crossed, measured in astronomical figures of light-years, was staggering.
If only Earth had such incredible warp technology, Kiana thought, staring intently at the numbers.
But then she smiled and shook her head. Their ability to travel this fast was purely thanks to the Star Rail laid down by the Aeon of Trailblaze.
While the ship's performance wasn't entirely irrelevant, its impact was minimal.
At most, a standard ship would have to drop out of warp periodically to let the engines cool down. This vessel, however, could reach its destination in one continuous leap.
"So, where we're docking is the Herta Space Station? That legendary collection hub belonging to one of the eighty-odd geniuses appearing over tens of thousands of years?"
Has it really been tens of thousands of years?
The Geniuses had only been counted since Zandar created Nous, so the Aeon wasn't exceptionally ancient. Still, the sentiment was there, and there was no need to be pedantic about the timeline.
Just then, AI Herta, who had already taken over the docking procedures, suddenly piped up:
"This white-haired lady certainly has a keen eye. This is indeed the Herta Space Station, and I am the station's director, AI Herta! Long time no see, my Creator. And who might this lady be, who bears such a striking resemblance to you?"
"Has it really been that long? Don't we chat online every day?" 'Finality Kiana' replied. "Her name is Kiana, a friend of mine. I'm bringing her around for a look."
"A friend?"
AI Herta's logic circuits seemed to pause for a beat.
"In that case, I won't spoil your fun. Call me if you need anything."
Kiana blinked and turned to 'Finality Kiana', asking curiously, "She's called AI Herta and she's the director of the station, but why does she call you 'Creator'? Don't tell me Herta is just another one of your personas?!"
After spending time with the Astral Express crew, Kiana had realized that this person—who looked exactly like she did when she first became the Herrscher of Finality—was actually a bit of a shapeshifter.
She often swapped faces without a word to go off and stir up trouble.
The crew had mentioned that while she had taken Kiana's form this time, her original appearance was actually very similar to Kiana's anyway.
This made Kiana incredibly curious about what her "other self" truly looked like.
'Finality Kiana' laughed and shook her head.
"It's because I really did design her. Back when this space station was preparing for launch, I posed as Madam Herta and designed this AI Herta. I even remodeled the station so much it was unrecognizable as a bit of a provocation. Madam Herta hunted me down for quite a while after that."
"..."
Kiana's mouth hung open, at a loss for words.
She was starting to feel more and more like this other version of herself was a total troublemaker. Anyone would be hunted down for messing with their space station like that.
"But later, I used my 'personal charm' to win Madam Herta over, so all the changes were kept."
"Ugh..." Kiana looked at her with a face full of localized disgust.
She seemed very tempted to tell her she was incredibly thick-skinned.
Meanwhile, Silver Wolf had already slipped into the space station with great enthusiasm. Not long ago, she had come up just short in a digital offensive-defense battle while hacking the station.
Now that she was here in person, her rebellious streak was flaring up; she was determined to see exactly what kind of treasures were kept here.
Seeing Silver Wolf head off on her own, Kiana's eyes darted around before she leaned in close to her other self and whispered:
"Hey, let me ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Well... didn't you say you and your Mei had already... you know?"
"Yeah, what about it?" 'Finality Kiana' looked at Kiana with a strange expression, unsure where this was going.
Surely she wasn't about to ask for the "dirty details"? Kiana didn't seem like the type to say such scandalous things.
"I mean... you aren't 'raising' Bronya just so you can take her down too, are you? Ow—!"
Before she could finish, Kiana received a sharp flick to the forehead. It hurt enough to make her hiss through her teeth.
"I really couldn't tell that a fine Herrscher of Finality like you would have a head full of such nonsense! I think I should warn the Bronya over there to watch out for a creep like you!"
"Hey! I'm not a creep! Even if I were, I'd be a super-duper invincible beautiful girl creep!"
"Oh, so you're proud of it?"
'Finality Kiana' was tempted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the retort. What on earth was inside this girl's head?
She remembered that in the very early days, Kiana's character settings did have a bit of a "pervy" streak—things like Mei-flavored instant noodles and whatnot.
But she recalled that such traits had mostly vanished as the story progressed.
Was that just a compromise made by the game developers, and the real Kiana was actually just a massive disaster lesbian?
...Looking at the girl's reaction, she felt her guess was probably on the mark.
"Bronya is only in her teens and you're already thinking in that direction. Kiana, it seems I really need to have the Mei over there give you a stern lecture on moral education."
"Wait—mercy! If Mei finds out, she'll nag me for ages."
Seeing Kiana cave instantly, 'Finality Kiana' let out a soft huff. It was easy to see who wore the pants in that relationship. The name "Mei" really was her kryptonite.
Not wanting to continue the "creep" debate, 'Finality Kiana' took Kiana's hand and led her out of the ship. Outside, Silver Wolf saw them and waved.
"I found the Curio collection list. They actually have an Aether Cartridge from a legendary hacker. I'm going to go check it out."
"Go ahead. Just ask AI Herta for permission."
"No way! I'm going to challenge it again!"
Silver Wolf waved off the suggestion immediately.
She hadn't mentioned it to ask for permission; she would gain access using her own methods. What she really wanted was to make sure 'Finality Kiana' didn't disappear without a word like last time.
"What I meant was, remember to call me before you leave this time. Don't go dumping me here again!"
"Alright, alright. I'll remember to call you. And hey, try to be polite when you're 'downloading' things."
'Finality Kiana' patted Silver Wolf's head and let her be.
Silver Wolf pouted; she wanted to point out that Herta herself wasn't polite at all, so why should she be? But since it was her "big sister's" request, she nodded and agreed.
Following 'Finality Kiana', Kiana glanced back at the tinkering Silver Wolf and asked curiously, "Is it really okay to let her run wild like that? She's definitely planning to hack the station."
"It's fine. I think Herta herself felt that their previous confrontation being interrupted was a letdown. Round two shouldn't be an issue."
'Finality Kiana' understood Herta well.
While Herta was the type who didn't mind using "means" to ensure a win, when she encountered an opponent she actually respected, only to have the battle cut short for some random reason, she might accept the victory on paper, but she wouldn't be satisfied in her heart.
Given the chance, Herta wouldn't mind a proper rematch.
Just like how she dealt with Kakamond—one time wasn't enough, and even after years, she insisted on another round, even taking the fight to the person's front door. That's just how that woman was.
Whether you called it a refusal to lose or pure self-indulgence, it was best to just let them be.
Kiana shook her head, not quite understanding the way these "space people" thought.
She looked down at the light screen in front of her, casually scrolling through the jumble of collected items. There truly was a bizarre variety of things.
"By the way, I heard The Blue below the station is a great vacation planet? Can I go down and play later?"
"Of course. I brought you here to have fun, after all."
'Finality Kiana' led Kiana toward the Storage Zone. Many staff members passed by, but none recognized her identity. They only thought the two sisters were exceptionally beautiful.
But halfway there, Kiana's hands suddenly trembled. Her eyes locked onto a specific item in the catalog.
Kiana's cheerful expression vanished instantly, replaced by a complex look of sorrow, disbelief, and a flicker of joy. She grabbed 'Finality Kiana's' arm and pointed at the Curio on the screen.
"This... this shattered greatsword. Can I go see it?"
"Of course. Let's go."
Seeing the turmoil in Kiana's eyes, 'Finality Kiana' didn't say much.
She simply led her toward the destination, holding Kiana's hand in silence. Through that slightly trembling palm and the unnatural grip, she could feel the storm currently raging in Kiana's heart.
The two moved quickly. After winding through several corridors, they soon found the room where the broken sword was kept.
Resting on a square pedestal, inside a display case that separated the inside from the out with transparent glass, half a shattered greatsword floated in the center.
Kiana's breath hitched the moment she saw the blade.
"The reason Herta collected this sword is that it carries a very special power. Why don't you place your hand on it and feel it?"
'Finality Kiana' took Kiana's hand and pressed it against the glass wall.
Kiana took a deep breath. The instant she made contact, she felt a faint, warm current of air diffusing from the jagged edge of the broken blade.
And along with that warm breeze came a series of faint murmurs—like a hallucination echoing in her ears—the very voice she had missed with all her soul.
Startled into awareness, Kiana snapped her head toward 'Finality Kiana'. She didn't say a word, but her eyes said everything.
"This sword... it's related to that 'Teacher Himeko' you mentioned, isn't it? Do you want to take it? I can help you ask Herta for it."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL