The South Asian night was serene. Without the city's glare, the sky seemed even more brilliant. Leaning against each other, the two drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
The next day, just as the sky began to show the first pale light of dawn, a faint humming sound drifted from the distant sky. Kiana slowly opened her eyes and saw transport airships slowly approaching the settlement area.
Several airships flew in formation, carrying large amounts of supplies. On the ships' hulls, the words 'Elysia Honkai Relief Foundation' were faintly visible.
"Elysia?" Startled for a moment, memories of the Fenghuang Down surfaced in Kiana's mind. In that sealed past, she had indeed met a girl named Elysia.
But the girl named Elysia had gone dormant with her civilization fifty thousand years ago. This fleet was likely just a simple coincidence of names. Still, why was a relief fleet appearing here?
She instinctively looked beside her for Ren, but found him gone. Kiana's heart tightened, and she quickly got up to search.
Fortunately, it didn't take long to spot Ren's figure on the outskirts of the settlement area. He was currently bathed in sunlight, seemingly talking to someone.
But the morning sun was somewhat blinding; against the light, she couldn't make out the other person clearly. Kiana's heart leaped with joy, and she hurried towards the settlement. As she got closer, however, she realized the person talking to Ren was a pink-haired girl.
Looking at the girl's silhouette, Kiana narrowed her eyes slightly. For some reason, the figure felt vaguely familiar. And judging by the distance between her and Ren, they seemed quite close.
Unconsciously, she slowed her pace, changing her route to approach them stealthily from the side. As she drew nearer, their conversation reached her ears.
"In another ten minutes, the first batch of The Obsidian Concord's supplies will fully arrive. In ten hours, the foundation will completely take over the resettlement work in the South Asia region. Well? Surprised?"
"Didn't expect you to react so quickly."
"Mm-hmm? This is called being prepared! The moment you gave me the authority, I knew you were getting ready to move. Setting up a foundation in just one day – such efficiency! Aren't you going to praise me, Ren?"
"..."
'Ren? This girl knows Ren well?' Hearing the familiar address, Kiana subconsciously started recalling people Ren had interacted with. But in her memory, Ren had always been a loner; he shouldn't have known anyone like this.
Just as she was guessing the girl's identity, she realized Ren hadn't answered for a long time. Looking up, she saw Ren staring quizzically at her, hiding behind an obstacle.
"You walked all the way here just to circle around? Is there something over there?"
He saw my little movements all along?
Kiana's face flushed crimson. She didn't know why she had done that. Luckily, the morning light hid the change in her expression.
"Uh..." Feeling awkward, she could only scratch her head and walk over, pretending nothing happened. "Morning," she greeted.
"You're usually not up at this hour. Don't you want to rest more?"
"No need. We're not at home, after all. Sleeping a little less is fine." Kiana had expected Ren to continue chatting with the other girl, but he immediately focused his attention on her. Feeling strangely reassured, Kiana's gaze also subtly shifted to the girl opposite them.
She hadn't seen clearly against the light earlier. Now, she realized the other person was an incredibly cute girl. Her pink hair radiated youthful energy, and her slightly mischievous expression was full of life. She looked exactly like... Elysia.
Wait, exactly alike?
Just as surprise struck her, she saw the girl squint her eyes and proactively greet her, "Hello there, Miss Kiana. I'm Ely."
"Ely? Weren't you fifty thousand years ago..." The memories of the Fire Moth almost slipped out. Kiana quickly swallowed them back.
"Fifty thousand years ago? Sorry, Ely doesn't know about things from fifty thousand years ago. Right now, I'm just the head of the foundation, and I guess you could call me Ren's friend."
"Sorry, that was rude of me. You just look a lot like someone I know," Kiana apologized quickly upon hearing the girl's words.
After all, fifty thousand years was a long time; it wasn't strange for people to look similar. Not everyone underwent genetic modification like Fu Hua. Mistaking a stranger for an acquaintance was indeed impolite.
"How could it be? If Ely feels familiar to you, maybe we're naturally meant to get along!"
It had to be said, Ely's flirting skills were superb. In just a few sentences, she had closed the distance with Kiana. Within minutes, they went from strangers to friends, leaving Ren awkwardly sidelined, unable to get a word in.
Ren didn't mind, though. It was good that these two got along. Listening to them chat from names to the foundation, then from the foundation to the relief efforts, he figured they'd quickly finalize the resettlement plans.
So, he simply excused himself and walked away.
Returning to the settlement area, it was already bustling. The refugees whose shacks had burned down had nowhere to go and had mostly just settled in random open spaces. When someone spotted the relief troops, the crowd naturally stirred awake.
"It's you again, kid! We let you off last time, but you dare court death again?"
Familiar arguing reached Ren's ears. Unsurprisingly, it was the same group who tried to steal the inhibitor earlier, now confronting the boy again.
"This relief effort is a gift from the Savior! I am merely following the divine decree to maintain order!"
"Get lost! Divine decree? Who do you think you are?"
Whenever disaster strikes, someone always pops up to assert their presence. Ren sighed softly and walked over.
The moment he approached, the boy immediately noticed and was about to kneel, but Ren stopped him with a raised hand.
"Lord God, I failed." The boy was full of remorse. Others might not know, but he had personally witnessed Ren's power. And yesterday, the warmth on his forehead clearly indicated Ren was giving him instructions.
Even today's supply arrival was something Ren had foretold, which was why the boy had taken the initiative to maintain order among the refugees.
But clearly, not everyone believed Kiana was the god's apostle.
Looking at the boy, whose face was covered in burns yet still full of piety, Ren didn't speak. He simply raised his hand, restored the boy's appearance, then touched his forehead again, bestowing upon him the blessing of the Herrscher of Dominance.
Witnessing this miracle, many wavering refugees finally believed that gods truly existed. These people already harbored religious beliefs; now they were utterly convinced.
"How is that possible?!" The troublemakers stared wide-eyed. They weren't non-believers; they just didn't believe the boy could be so lucky as to be chosen by a god. Seeing Ren intervene, they quickly knelt and begged for mercy.
Glancing at them, Ren's expression remained cold. "I don't care whether you believe or not. But since you dared to offend again after being warned once, let your gods personally forgive you."
Without waiting for their reaction, he tossed them into the Theater, then through the Theater, flung them into the wasteland a hundred kilometers away.
Unlike Vyasa, their crimes weren't as severe, so Ren's handling was relatively gentle. Whether they could find their way back from the desolate, Honkai-ridden ruins... that wasn't his concern.
After personally buffing the boy, these already devout believers needed no further persuasion. They automatically accepted him as the god's apostle, and the title of Kiana as the Savior spread thoroughly.
Of course, Ren giving the boy the Herrscher mark wasn't entirely out of goodwill. He simply wanted to use the boy to seize control of public opinion in South Asia. For this religious region, the existence of gods aligned better with their internal beliefs anyway.
This place suffered extreme inequality due to religious influence, then was abandoned by the city after the Honkai outbreak. Under such oppression, once Ely's foundation completed the relief efforts and dealt with the city, the South Asian people would naturally rally behind Kiana without Ren even needing to lift a finger.
Handing over the task of maintaining order to the boy, Ren lost all interest in this land. Besides, Kiana and Ely had probably finished chatting by now; it was time to head back.
However, he had only taken two steps when he stopped. Simultaneously, a mature female voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"Your senses are quite sharp, Mr. Ren."
"You're just too obvious." Ren turned around and saw an identical copy of himself. But this 'Ren', though appearing as a boy, moved with distinctively feminine mannerisms. "Nearly died at my hands last time, haven't learned your lesson?"
Sensing the killing intent in Ren's eyes, Hare shivered. Her still-unhealed wounds seemed to ache again. She knew when to fold, immediately conceding, "My deepest apologies. Last time was my own unauthorized action."
"I am Hare, an executive of World Serpent, and also the executor of the sixteenth version of Project Stigma. Last time, it was because the data pertaining to you was marked as deceased, conflicting with reality, hence the probing. This time, I've come merely to inform you that the preparations on the Lord's side are complete. You may begin your actions whenever you are ready."
Project Stigma is about to begin?
Ren looked towards Ely and Kiana, still talking in the distance, and remained silent.
After a long moment, he finally asked, "What happens if Version Sixteen fails?"
"Version Fifteen will be executed. The entire Earth will be enveloped in the 'Ritual' to circumvent the influence of Finality. However, due to the tighter timeframe, the effects will be significantly more drastic."
Meaning, World Serpent had prepared contingencies all along. If Ren failed, humanity's fate likely wouldn't be much better than being directly destroyed by Finality.
"I understand."
Hare nodded and turned to leave. But before departing, she seemed to remember something and asked curiously, "May I ask what killed me last time?"
"Under the influence of a god, people gradually gravitate towards that god. Just like in the Cthulhu mythos, humans actively distort themselves into the god's image." Ren had no reason to hide this memory; it was just one of many failed outcomes. The incident on Mount Taixuan occurred because Hare triggered a keyword, leading to a temporary loss of control.
"In that case, aren't you afraid of repeating the same mistake?"
Hare spoke cryptically, but Ren knew she was referring to implanting faith in the refugees.
"You're overthinking it. Approaching godhood only happens because the god is unique. This world is far more vibrant than you imagine."