Chapter Seventeen: It Was All Because of the Company. / Chapter Eighteen: The Unknown Aeon.

The Nightingale looked at her with delight and was happy for her. "This is wonderful!"

She felt that she and Kiana were already friends, and she knew that Kiana had amnesia.

Becoming friends with Kiana means being careful that you might be forgotten in the future. Even if Kiana does forget what happened between them due to amnesia, she will tell Kiana about this experience in the future. But it's definitely best not to forget this!

Although they haven't known each other for very long, she doesn't want to forget Kiana; a little selfishly, she also doesn't want Kiana to forget her.

"Yes, the amnesia is cured."

Kiana glanced at the 'Weakness' indicator on her panel that hadn't completely disappeared, thought for a moment, and decided to find a notebook to write down what was going on and then put it in her spatial storage.

It won't be lost if placed in the space, and it won't be discovered by others. She only needs to hint at the existence of the space in the notes on her phone.

That way, even if she forgets something, she won't wander around aimlessly like a headless fly, completely lost and confused.

"So when do you plan to leave Kasli -VIII?"

"I need to consult with someone at the company. It was ARuan who helped me arrange that previous spaceship. I might need to contact another spaceship willing to go to Kasli."

The vehicle she had been in had been repaired a few days earlier, and after confirming that she wouldn't be boarding, it set sail and left the planet.

17

Chapter Seventeen is all because of the company.

"And you? Are you going to stay here and help out?"

Kiana asked curiously.

I almost lost my life.

Is the Nightingale planning to stay here, or leave Kasli and return to Penacony?

"Me?"

The Nightingale's reaction was somewhat unusual; its smile faded considerably, and a complex expression flickered in its eyes.

"I don't know what to do either."

She gave Kiana a reply that surprised her greatly; it wasn't something the Nightingale would say.

Is it because you're injured and feeling very down, even doubting yourself, that you said you don't know what to do?

Kiana didn't know what to say.

"Should we just leave?"

After carefully considering the situation in this world, Kiana said, "Some things can't be solved just by being kind..."

She suddenly remembered what she had done in Izumo, and her mood plummeted for a moment, preventing her from finishing her sentence.

"By the way, didn't I tell you that those monsters spread because of the war?"

Now that they both couldn't both shut themselves off, she composed herself and asked, "Didn't you tell anyone else about this?"

"... I already said that."

The Nightingale looked even more dejected.

Having just recovered and her complexion improved, she lowered her head and became listless again.

"Tsk."

Kiana frowned, and said unhappily, "Then you should leave even more. Good advice is useless against this damned fool."

The Nightingale hesitated, pursed its lips, and ultimately said nothing. It then mustered its spirits and said, "I'm sorry to have made you worry about me."

Aren't you worried that I'll encounter something terrible if I go to Buli City?

Yes, friends worry about each other.

The Nightingale felt a little better.

"Yes, you stayed inside for a long time."

"Because there's so much we want to research, and we actually only had a short time. If it were someone else, they might not have made any progress even after living there for a year or two. ARuan is a true genius. Of course, the environment there also reminded me of a lot of things from the past."

Will the disaster in Buli City continue to spread?

"The Nightingale asked."

"Probably not."

Kiana paused for a moment. She didn't want to make her affairs public knowledge. What ARuan said made a lot of sense, and her experience in Izumo had taught her a lesson.

She is a moving natural disaster.

Regardless of her original intentions, once things get out of control, she will be the first to be targeted and suspected.

"The activity of energy has reached a peak, and it should gradually decline afterward."

"Really?"

The Nightingale was overjoyed to hear this good news. "This way, we don't have to worry about the civilians being implicated."

"It's true. The energy activity there will gradually decrease, but those monsters probably won't all disappear; they'll need to be wiped out."

This isn't really bad news.

The Nightingale's joy lasted only a few seconds before it suddenly remembered something, and its mood plummeted again, its smile turning into worry.

She frowned and muttered, "If this happens, what about the company..."

Upon hearing the company's name, Kiana perked up her ears and asked curiously, "A company? Why are you mentioning a company?"

The Nightingale was silent for a long while, then sighed, "I only found out the day before yesterday. The company is planning to acquire this planet. Not through cooperation, but... to buy it..."

"Buy it?!"

This is not an unclaimed planet; it is inhabited by billions of humans.

The people here even waged war over ownership of the planet, all for the sake of determining its fate.

"While you were away, I'll tell you everything that happened here, little by little, and you'll understand."

"The disaster that struck Buli City, and the emergence of that new type of energy, led the company to reassess Kasli. They suspect that the new energy in Buli City may have originated from Aeon, or even an unknown Aeon."

"An unknown Aeon?"

Kiana's expression turned strange for a moment.

The Nightingale said seriously, "That's the company's view; it doesn't belong to any known destiny."

"Okay, you can continue."

"... Do you remember the attack we suffered the day we arrived here? The company has already investigated and found out that the people who attacked us were Rebel Army supported by the company."

Kiana was slightly surprised, but considering that human nature is inherently greedy, she didn't find it particularly surprising.

The Nightingale looked very unhappy, his face filled with disappointment in humanity. "There are many reasons, I... I can't even say they are wrong."

"There's no need to dwell on it. We have different stances, and there's no need for us to take their side."

Kiana has been suffering from amnesia for over a year, has learned many things, the most significant of which is that she has learned some of Ruan Mei 'Ruan Mei ways of thinking from her.

"You're right, we have different positions, and there's no point in dwelling on this."

"Using this as an excuse, the company abandoned the Rebel Army and reached an agreement with the Local Army. The Local Army was prepared to sell all ownership of Kasli to the company, and the money from the sale of Kasli..."

The Nightingale didn't continue.

Without a doubt, those nobles who took the money wouldn't stay in Kasli.

"The company certainly has guts."

Kiana finally understood what was going on. The company, seemingly an aid provider, was actually the root cause of the turmoil in Kasli.

The war was also orchestrated by the company behind the scenes, in order to acquire Kasli at a lower cost and achieve the cooperation they desired.

There are probably many more worlds like this.

The company wasn't in a hurry; such a world would eventually fall into their trading system, and they had plenty of time to wait.

That's how it was originally.

But the Honkai appearance aroused suspicion within the company, who suspected it was a trace left by an unknown Aeon.

This is enough to warrant the company's attention.

The original cooperation was transformed into an acquisition.

The war that broke out in Kasli was merely a means for the company to achieve the cooperation it desired.

"So I don't know what to do."

The Nightingale lowered its head, looking lost, and said, "If all of this is because of the company, if the company is the one doing the good deed, and the company is also the one driving the war behind the scenes, then what I've done... does it really have any meaning?"

She realized she had been too naive.

If it were her brother, he would definitely have discovered everything behind this much sooner, unlike her, who only found out when things came to light.

She felt somewhat depressed.

"Meaningful."

Seeing that she was very downcast, Kiana took her hand and looked at her earnestly, saying, "Believe me, what you're doing is meaningful."

~~~~~

18

Chapter Eighteen: The Unknown Aeon.

"The people you've helped care, and you care too. I came here with you because I agree with your ideas."

"Look, clearly many people agree that it's important, so how can it be meaningless?"

Do you agree with my thoughts?

Isn't it obvious?

Kiana smiled helplessly, "You don't actually think I came here with you just to watch the show, do you?"

"No, no, I didn't mean that!"

"That's right. I came here with you because I agree with your idea of doing something for people in need."

Kiana continued, "So don't think like that. A company is a company, and you are you. Their actions are open to interpretation."

With Kiana's comfort, the Nightingale's mood improved considerably. "I understand, I won't dwell on this anymore, thank you, Kiana."

"However, they probably don't need me here anymore. The company has sent a lot of people on their way, and this planet should soon be taken over by the company."

It was unexpected that it would end this way, the Nightingale's trip wasn't entirely fruitless.

I witnessed the company's methods.

He also made friends with Kiana.

... and there's another unforgettable Remembrance.

"Let them do whatever they want."

Kiana shook her head and said, "The energy reaction there will gradually disappear. Although there are many geniuses within the company, few can compare to ARuan. They won't be able to figure anything out."

Ruan Mei is a genius, and she has someone like her, the Finality, assisting her in the experiments; no one else has this kind of treatment.

Did Welt Stellaris Train at this point? I'm really curious about his reaction after hearing about the Honkai.

"ARuan? Your friend sounds like a very impressive scientist."

"Hmm, she's very impressive. Her name is Ruan Mei, she's member number 81 of the Genius Club, and she specializes in the field of life sciences."

Kiana's feelings were somewhat complicated because of her, as two characters who had never crossed paths in the game got to know each other.

"He's a member of the Genius Club?"

The Nightingale glanced at Kiana in surprise, never expecting that the 'ARuan' she mentioned would actually be a genius from the Genius Club.

The members of the Genius Club possess intelligence beyond human imagination. Although she didn't know much about them, as a member of the galaxy, she had heard of the Genius Club's reputation.

I have a vague idea of what it means.