Kiana's eyes lit up the moment she heard those words.
But soon after, she shook her head with a bittersweet smile.
"I think... it's better to let it stay here."
"Why?"
'Finality Kiana' froze for a moment, unable to understand why Kiana would refuse.
"Well, how should I put this..."
Kiana scratched her cheek, smiling as she looked at this other version of herself. "I'm really grateful you showed me all of this. This space station was built specifically to study these collected Curios, right?"
"Well... you could say that."
Though the original purpose was simply to give all those messy Curios a place to stay, due to the rules 'Finality Kiana' had established back then and the management of AI Herta, the current Herta Space Station had a very strong academic atmosphere.
You wouldn't be treated differently just because your research project couldn't be monetized or wasn't a popular topic. The work regarding Curio research was indeed carried out with great passion.
So, one could indeed say that.
"That's why I feel like rather than taking it away, it's better to leave it here. Leave it for some future researcher who might choose this sword, and let them discover the stories it once held."
Kiana spoke those words with a smile, never once hesitating.
Himeko-sensei would always be remembered in her heart, and in all of theirs.
As for this sword—though she didn't know what it had been through to end up here—Kiana felt that since it contained such messages, perhaps it was fate that brought it here to wait for someone to notice it and solve the puzzle.
Compared to taking it back and letting it become a shackle of past memories, leaving it here to become someone else's inspiration in the future was undoubtedly the better choice.
"But I'm still so thankful you let me see all this, letting me see this vast world. I'm really happy. Thank you for inviting me here."
Kiana took 'Finality Kiana's' hand, gazing at her with total sincerity.
"What's with the sudden speech? You make it sound like you're leaving right now."
Kiana grinned and scratched her head sheepishly.
"Hehe, well, the atmosphere was just right! Besides, Bronya was here earlier, and I was a bit too embarrassed to say it."
Right then, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind them:
"Oh? Now that is an interesting topic I've overheard. Little girl, do you know the owner of this broken sword? And Bai Ming—you knew such juicy intel and didn't tell me?!"
The voice of a Herta puppet came from behind.
Kiana and 'Finality Kiana' turned in unison to see the tiny, cute puppet standing there with hands on its hips, brow furrowed, staring at 'Finality Kiana' with a look of pure displeasure.
"Wow... what a cute doll! I wanted to ask on the way here—why are there so many exquisitely made puppets in this station?"
"Hmph~ you've got good taste, kid."
The Herta puppet stood tall, chest out, wearing an expression that said 'you're absolutely right.'
'Finality Kiana' took the lead in introducing Herta:
"This is an autonomous puppet Herta made based on her younger self. Herta has many different bases, so she usually uses these puppets to keep an eye on her territory at all times."
"Right now, the real Herta has taken remote control of the puppet to talk to us."
After introducing Herta, 'Finality Kiana' turned to introduce Kiana:
"Her name is Kiana. She comes from a special world, one that is isolated from the Paths and Aeons, driven by Imaginary Energy through a different set of rules. That broken sword in your collection belonged to one of Kiana's former teachers."
"A different set of rules? Interesting. Could it be that what our grand predecessor sought their whole life actually manifested long ago in some frontier galaxy?"
Herta let out a small laugh, her tone dripping with curiosity.
What did a world independent of Aeons and Paths signify?
It meant it was a world beyond the reach of Nous—much like the world Bai Ming had crafted herself. If she wanted to, she could also block out the calculations of the Erudition.
So, this meant Kiana came from a world controlled by a sufficiently powerful existence. An existence that was at least on par with an Aeon while remaining independent of the current system of rules.
That fact alone was enough to pique anyone's curiosity.
After all, even the remnants of the ancient beasts like Oroboros, or the perhaps even more ancient Equilibrium or Nihility, were all contained within the framework of the Aeons.
For a completely independent entity to suddenly pop up...
Just what level of existence would it take to achieve that?
"So, Bai Ming, can I go take a look?"
"Hmm... I can't say for sure. Honestly, since you're someone specifically marked by Nous, it's probably best if you don't go."
"Ha? Why not?"
Herta's brows knitted together, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.
But 'Finality Kiana' wasn't about to ignore the potential risks just to satisfy Herta's curiosity. She briefly explained her deductions and the warnings from Aha to Herta.
Fortunately, Herta was a rare example of a genius with a conscience. She quickly realized why 'Finality Kiana' advised against her going.
As a genius marked by the Erudition, if she truly set foot there, she could easily draw the gaze of Nous with her.
If that ended up alarming the existence behind that world known as the 'Cocoon,' it wouldn't be pretty.
"Tsk, what a pain. But Bai Ming, you can go, right? Then when the time comes—"
"I know, I know. When the time comes, I'll help you with whatever research you want."
"That's more like it. Then I won't hold it against you for bringing another brat here to cause me trouble."
Herta gave a light huff and crossed her arms, seemingly satisfied with 'Finality Kiana's' answer.
"What are you talking about? You clearly felt the previous skirmish was anticlimactic, which is why I let it slide. If you actually hated it, you would've come over and made me take them away ages ago."
"Tsk, one thing at a time. And don't change the subject—tell me the stories of that place. I'm curious."
As for Kiana, who couldn't get a word in edgewise, she watched their familiar banter and her limited little brain realized something: her other self seemed to be an equally brilliant genius who could talk to this genius on equal terms.
Good heavens.
Not only was the 'her' of this world smart, but she was one of the smartest people in the entire universe?
However, it seemed this brilliant Genius Herta was very curious about her home world. Kiana didn't have any reservations about sharing.
Although, based on what her other self said, she was worried about the two isolated states turning into a reckless free-for-all connection.
But just telling stories of the Honkai and some info on the Cocoon shouldn't be a big deal, right?
Well, if there was a problem, her other self would surely warn her.
After all, her other self seemed to be a deity of this world as well. A god of such a massive universe—that was a much bigger job than being the God of Earth.
Thinking this, Kiana raised her hand and proactively said to Herta:
"If Madam Herta doesn't mind, I can tell you about it. The story of the Honkai, and a story about a young girl."
Herta didn't know exactly who Kiana was. But she could at least recognize that 'Finality Kiana' was currently playing the role of the girl before her.
And although this girl was trying hard to restrain her aura, that sense of her very existence being incompatible with this world could not escape Herta's eyes.
Thus, Herta gave a slight nod and extended a generous invitation:
"Since we're telling stories, let's head to the office and chat properly."
"...Aren't you still facing off against Bronya? Is it okay to be this distracted?"
"Divine Herta is doing most of the work. You know I'm not as skilled in network security as those two, especially since you gave them both an upgrade. My little bit of talent isn't enough to keep up now."
Herta huffed, bluntly admitting her own limitations. It wasn't something she cared much about; Screwllum and Divine Herta were naturally stronger in that field.
Not long ago, they had been gifted an evolution said to come from the Erudition Equation, so their strength had naturally soared.
That brat Silver Wolf being able to reach this level had indeed made Herta look at her in a new light. Otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered with that rude little punk.
"Alright, Bai Ming, bring her over. I'll be waiting in the office."
After the puppet finished speaking, it suddenly went silent.
Before Kiana could react, 'Finality Kiana' explained:
"Herta went offline. She has over a hundred puppets arranged around the station just so she can reach any area at any time. She's likely already connected to the puppet in the office."
"...What a willful person."
Kiana curiously poked the puppet's cheek. It was soft, even slightly warm, and felt no different from human skin. But the ball-and-socket joints were real enough.
Moreover, she heard these puppets had autonomous AI and impressive combat capabilities; the technical prowess involved was explosive. And yet, over a hundred of them were deployed just for the sake of convenience.
Kiana's only thought was that this woman was loaded.
"Herta is a very willful person, but it's fine. As long as she's still interested in you, she's easy to talk to. So for now at least, you don't have much to worry about."
"Uh..."
Kiana's eye twitched slightly. That kind of introduction really didn't make her feel any less worried.
What if she lost interest? Would she be snatched up for some cruel dissection experiments? Kiana's scientific literacy was basically limited to entertainment stories.
She was easy to read, so 'Finality Kiana' knew at a glance that the girl's mind was wandering into all sorts of messy directions again.
"Snap out of it. I don't know what weird things you're imagining, but it's definitely not like that. Come on, it's time to go."
"Oh, right..."
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL