Originally worried that Cocolia and Bronya were comforting the others and unable to rest easy, she had followed the route they had taken after making all the arrangements. By the time she arrived, her CPU had also burned out alongside Cocolia's.
"Stop fooling around, Kiana."
With Kiana's addition, March 7th, who had originally been rash and unreliable, seemed to have become much more dependable.
"Sorry, sorry. The atmosphere was too oppressive just now. I'm Kiana, Kiana Kaslana. Let's get reacquainted. Actually, your daughter, Bronya, is my wife."
It wasn't just Bronya, who had been mentioned. Everyone who heard Kiana's words stared at her in disbelief.
They couldn't understand how she had managed to say something like that.
Especially Seele and March 7th. If looks could kill, Kiana had probably already been stabbed to death by the two of them tens of thousands of times.
Seele: So you're trying to steal my person? Sleep with one eye open.
March 7th: Why? I was clearly first. Me, me, I was first. I was the first in everything, whether it was being flirted with, getting close to her, or falling for that woman.
"March 7th, don't look at me like that! You're all my wings!"
After saying that, Kiana boldly grabbed March 7th, but instead of receiving an affectionate response, she was greeted by a vicious beating.
"I'm your wing, am I? You want all of us, do you? Fine, fine, fine! Don't run!"
Watching the two chase and brawl with each other, the awkward atmosphere instantly vanished.
The Stellaron crisis had ended, but there were still many troubles to deal with. The biggest problem was that the commotion caused by the Creation Engine had been far too great. The residents in the city were probably already growing frightened.
If they didn't provide an explanation, this planet might still have no future.
"Bronya—no, my daughter. As the Supreme Guardian, I made many mistakes. You've also grown up, and your will can better represent the will of the City Builders. As a sinner, I'm no longer worthy of serving as Supreme Guardian. So, new Supreme Guardian, the future of Belobog is in your hands."
Bronya hadn't expected to become the Supreme Guardian at a time like this.
But she didn't refuse. Instead, she immediately began thinking about how to resolve everything and give the people an explanation.
"There are still many things to do. The enormous commotion caused by that Creation Engine must have been noticed by everyone in the city. Many questions need answers, and many truths need to be made public..."
"Wait, you're serious?"
Seele stared at Bronya in disbelief. She hadn't expected Bronya to say something like that.
Bronya was equally confused about why Seele would say that. Being honest and open was precisely the sort of action Seele's personality should have preferred.
Watching the two argue, Cocolia seemed to see the shadows of her younger self and Serval in them.
In the end, Cocolia's crimes were softened. The public was told that she had been injured while fighting alongside the visitors who had descended from beyond the stars to destroy the Stellaron, leaving her unable to support the intense workload of the Supreme Guardian.
Bronya took over the Supreme Guardian's duties at lightning speed and issued a series of orders. The residents of the Upper District saw hope for a counterattack and heard the horn of victory.
The people of the Lower District could also return to the surface and witness the future.
"Seele, aren't you going to rest?"
"Hmph. Of course I'm going to rest. But what if you get exhausted and something happens to the new Supreme Guardian? What would happen to the Lower District? So I'll reluctantly help you out."
Looking at Seele's tsundere expression, even the exhausted Bronya couldn't help but smile warmly.
"What? Why are you smiling?"
"Nothing. I just think you're very cute, Seele."
"Don't flatter me. Just treat the people of the Lower District well from now on and give Belobog a future. That's all you need to do."
"I, Bronya Rand, as the Guardian of Belobog and commander of the Silvermane Guards, swear that I will give you and everyone in Belobog a brand-new future."
Faced with Bronya's oath, Seele turned her head away and merely let out a soft snort without replying.
But the tips of her ears slowly reddened like the evening sky. The shy blush quietly bloomed around them, making it easy for Bronya to understand what Seele was thinking.
Meanwhile, retired Cocolia was in the Mechanical House, studying all kinds of equipment with Serval in the hope of helping everyone in Belobog.
Kiana and the others, however, had far fewer things to worry about. The matter of the Stellaron had been settled, and as Belobog's saviors, they received the greatest care possible.
It was just that, perhaps because of Aha's influence, Kiana was becoming more and more of a troublemaker.
"Come, everyone, try my new dish."
In reality, this was supposed to be a celebration banquet, as well as the final dinner before the Express crew departed.
Unfortunately, Dan Heng had to collect some data, while March 7th and Stelle had gone to buy local specialties. Only Kiana had come to the banquet as their representative.
However, looking at the bland and tasteless dishes, Kiana felt that she should let everyone experience her cooking before they left.
That was what she said, but since there were already enough dishes, Kiana only made one.
"Shredded potatoes?"
Sampo looked at the dish that seemed completely out of place. It looked ordinary enough, but when he saw Kiana place it closest to him, he thought she had finally found her conscience and intended to thank old Sampo for his selfless contributions—or, more accurately, for taking the blame every day.
As for why Sampo had been able to come, that was also because of Kiana.
Before the banquet began, seeing that there were too many empty seats, Kiana suggested, "Why don't we invite Sampo too? He may be unreliable, but without him, the path to your convictions might not have changed, and we'd probably have become wanted criminals and quietly left."
Bronya thought Kiana had a point. So, on one hand, she informed the Silvermane Guards to temporarily stop pursuing him, while on the other, she asked Kiana to invite Sampo to the banquet.
It wasn't that Bronya had no one under her command. Sampo simply ran too fast whenever he encountered the Silvermane Guards, and no one else could catch him.
"All right, all right. We're all acquainted here, so don't be shy. Eat and drink as you please. Don't act like outsiders."
And so, the banquet officially began.
Chapter 45: Bronya's Social Death Scene
Besides Kiana, Bronya, and the invited Sampo, Seele, Serval, and Cocolia were also on the guest list.
Natasha and Oleg had originally been among those Bronya invited as well, but after Bronya lifted the lockdown and began carrying out a series of reforms, the two of them had been so busy that their feet barely touched the ground. They simply had no time to attend.
Just as everyone was either picking up their chopsticks or raising their cups in preparation for a good drink, Kiana's words made them pause before tasting the food she had prepared.
"By the way, ordinary food is too boring. I made a dish of shredded potatoes stir-fried with shredded ginger. Let's take it as a lucky draw. How about whoever eats the last piece of ginger puts on a performance?"
The others were still some distance away from the plate of "shredded potatoes stir-fried with shredded ginger," so after hearing Kiana's words, they immediately withdrew their chopsticks.
Sampo looked at the food he had already picked into his bowl, unable to tell whether it was potato or ginger, and suddenly felt an urge to run away.
"Of course, punishment alone would be too boring. How about this? If you don't eat any ginger, the survivors will each receive a small gift from me at the end."
As she spoke, Kiana took out one small ornament after another from her storage space, along with various interesting things she had bought earlier.
The others only thought that the items were exquisitely made and beautiful. Even if they didn't wear them themselves, they could give them to someone close to them.
Unlike Bronya and Seele, or Cocolia and Serval, who exchanged glances, Sampo, as a businessman, spotted the business opportunity immediately.
With his keen eye, he instantly judged the value of Kiana's so-called small gifts. To put it bluntly, converted into Credit Points, not one of them was worth less than five digits.
How were these small gifts? This was practically throwing money away.
"So, if I eat all of it, can I have all the gifts?"
Sampo's question made everyone at the scene fall silent for a long while. In the end, Kiana was the first to realize what he meant and spoke up:
"Don't even think about it. There are only five people besides me here, but I have eight gifts. If there are any left over at the end, I'll give them all to you."
"Great!"
The others also took symbolic bites and placed them in their bowls. Even if it wasn't for the gifts, they would eat it for Kiana's contribution to the planet. Even if it was all ginger, they would still eat it.
Then, after swallowing their portions, everyone's expressions changed.
Cocolia in particular took a huge bite, hoping to finish the battle in one go.
The result nearly made her spit it straight back out.
The others didn't look much better. Their expressions were all more or less strange.
There were also people who refused to admit defeat, such as Seele. Apart from Sampo, she was the first to pick up some of the dish and put it into her mouth.
But after freezing for a moment, she became expressionless, acting as though nothing had happened.
Then she set down her chopsticks and took a large gulp of juice.
"It's a little spicy, but it's no big deal."
Kiana was the only one who knew who Seele was trying to explain herself to. She merely looked at her with an amused expression.
But after everyone had finished eating, Sampo's next move drew Kiana's attention even more.
While everyone else wore strange expressions, Sampo directly picked half the shredded potatoes into his bowl. Then he piled on a large amount of the other dishes and rice, stuffing everything into his mouth like a starving refugee.
As he ate, he praised Kiana's cooking without changing expression.
"As expected of you, your cooking is excellent. You preserved the ingredients' natural flavor while adding ginger as a garnish. Excellent, truly excellent."
Kiana looked at Sampo and helplessly said:
"If you think it's good, eat more."
After the banquet ended, Cocolia and Serval performed a song together. Though it was played on electric guitars, their cooperation made everyone feel exceptionally relaxed, and a sense of ease and comfort spread through the group.
Even the troublemaker Sampo,
and the energetic Kiana, leaned against the backs of their chairs and enjoyed this moment of peace.
When the song ended, it was Bronya's turn to take the stage. Seele, who had been drowsily leaning against her chair, suddenly lit up and stared fixedly at Bronya on the stage.
Kiana also took out her phone and opened the recording function, wanting to see Bronya's performance.
"Sorry, I don't have any particular talent I'm especially good at, so I'll tell everyone a story."
It was an ancient folk tale. As Bronya's gentle voice slowly carried the story onward, it captivated everyone, even though its ending was not entirely happy.
Among them, Seele merely felt that Bronya's story was interesting. Although she disliked the ending, it was still an excellent story.
Only Cocolia knew that this was the story she had told Bronya when Bronya was young. She simply hadn't expected Bronya to remember it even now.
"All right, that's the end of my story."
Bronya stepped down from the stage. Kiana then walked in front of everyone and coughed twice. After drawing everyone's attention, she spoke.
"Bronya's story was wonderful, but you got one thing wrong. There is actually something you're very good at!"
Kiana stopped there. Instead, she took out her phone and produced a projector from her storage space, projecting a video from her phone.
"No, but I think I should go find Mother now. The Stellaron disappearing might be a good thing. Perhaps the crisis will be brought under control, and the Cracked Boundary won't continue to spread. Then we can slowly reclaim the land we've lost and use our strength to revive this planet, restoring it to the splendor it had eight hundred years ago."
The video showed Bronya's earlier speech from the end of Chapter 37. Perhaps when she had spoken those words, Bronya had merely been expressing what was in her heart. But playing them before everyone now gave her an overwhelming feeling of social death.
Kiana ignored Bronya, who had lowered her head, and instead looked toward the only two people who had not performed.
"What? Is that all?"
Chapter 46: Kiana's Glory Cannot Be Shaken
Seeing that neither Sampo nor Seele intended to take the stage, Kiana did not insist. Instead, she took out several gifts and gave them to everyone one by one.
Although she had said earlier that only the winners could receive rewards, only Kiana knew the truth of the competition. There could never be a winner, and these gifts had been prepared in advance.
She gave Seele and Bronya a pair of hair ornaments. Neither of them said anything; they simply made sure not to look at each other.
Cocolia and Serval received a pair of earrings. They did not put them on immediately, instead thanking her before putting them away.
As agreed, Kiana gave all the remaining gifts to Sampo.
Just as Kiana was about to leave, she suddenly turned around after already stepping out of the room, leaving only her head poking back inside.
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you all—I forgot to add the shredded potatoes when I made this dish."
After saying that, Kiana instantly pulled her head back, closed the door, and left everyone inside staring blankly.
"She forgot to add the shredded potatoes?"
Shredded potatoes stir-fried with shredded ginger. If she had forgotten the shredded potatoes, did anyone really need to explain what was left?
Unlike the shameless Sampo, who left grandly after obtaining what he wanted without even avoiding everyone's gazes, Seele was thin-skinned despite her stubbornness. When she noticed Bronya staring at her, she felt as though her face had been set on fire.
"Kiana!"
Hearing Seele's embarrassed and indignant shout from behind, Kiana couldn't help raising the corners of her mouth.
"Kiana, let's go."
"All right."
To avoid the sadness of parting, the Express crew boarded the train after the banquet ended and left Jarilo-VI.
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