First off!
Kiana had been staying in Sapphire City all along, following its local time.
The Sky Screen broadcasts were basically scheduled based on Sapphire City's time zone.
So.
When it's nighttime in Sapphire…in some regions, it's the dead of night.
In others, it's morning or afternoon.
Basically, every possible time slot is covered.
As a result, for those places where the broadcast drops in the middle of the night when everyone's asleep, people have to drag themselves out of bed each time. At first, many simply couldn't be bothered to get up and ended up missing the earlier videos.
But now? No way!
Everyone knows how incredibly important the Sky Screen is.
It's all real.
Who knows what clues it might drop? It's like getting a sneak peek into the future, something you can analyze and prepare for.
Who'd want to miss that?!
So even if you have to squirm your way out of bed like a worm, you do it.
Just to cling to the window and stare at the sky.
But now!
Kiana's at the Fire Moth headquarters.
Which isn't on the coast of Shenzhou, nor is it in the Far East.
If she uses this time zone as the new standard…
Well, those who used to have to watch at ungodly hours are now grinning from ear to ear.
While those who accidentally find themselves calculating the time only to realize it's the middle of the night for them are… less than thrilled.
Not that it's a big deal, really.
But when the preview dropped, plenty of folks online were whining and complaining.
After all, not everyone can pull an all-nighter, and some just can't handle staying up late, let alone pulling an all-nighter—not everyone's built for that!
But.
Kiana couldn't care less.
She could, with a snap, make it daytime across the entire planet.
But that would just mess up everyone's sleep schedules even more.
What's the point~
Overall, though, things are pretty much the same as before.
Once the preview's out, Dr. Mei and the team start adjusting their workloads accordingly.
Anything urgent gets handled first, and whatever can be postponed, well, it's not like it can't wait.
It's gotten to the point where every time this rolls around, it feels like some kind of holiday's coming.
People gather, there's food and drinks, decorations go up—it's a full-blown party.
Kiana and her circle are one thing.
But across MOTH and even beyond, it's almost become an unspoken rule to treat these moments as a chance to unwind, to throw a little banquet.
Good food and drinks are just the basics.
The real highlight is the chance to mingle, to share thoughts like kindred spirits, to rant together or dive into deep discussions.
The Sky Screen doesn't support live comments, and it doesn't let people from all over chime in remotely.
So at the very least, sharing the experience with those around you makes it all the more lively.
Honestly! When you think about it… the Sky Screen hasn't been around that long—definitely less than a year.
But even so, bit by bit, everyone's gotten used to it…
No matter how serious it is, you've gotta relax.
Some folks are still just here for the fun.
Others come armed with notepads, ready to take notes like they're prepping for an exam.
Plenty of people used to treat it as this huge, monumental thing, but as time went on and life moved forward, it kinda became… routine.
Nothing surprises them anymore.
'After all, if the sky falls, the tall folks will hold it up.'
Why overthink it?
"My dear Eden, how are you feeling? Nervous?" Elysia looped her arm through Eden's, smiling playfully up at her.
Since the last preview had already hinted, this time, it was all about Eden.
Regardless of what the actual content would be, those in the know, well, they knew! Anyone singled out by name was basically part of Kiana's harem.
After that reveal, MOTH had reached out to Eden.
Plus, she was already pretty curious about Kiana herself. So she didn't refuse.
She played along nicely.
Though, compared to Kiana, she found herself far more drawn to the radiant, enthusiastic Elysia.
She adored girls like Elysia—simple, pure, beautiful as blooming flowers, like the most breathtaking Venus descended to earth.
With just a little teasing from Elysia, the two had hit it off wonderfully.
Unlike Kiana, who was gentle, quiet, but also a bit aloof and never pushy.
Eden didn't dislike that type of girl either.
In fact, she rather liked it.
But…when faced with someone like Kiana, who made it clear she wasn't resistant, wasn't opposed, but also wouldn't make the first move—someone who just went with the flow—it definitely didn't make her heart race the way Elysia did.
First of all, she wasn't into younger girls.
Secondly, it wasn't like she couldn't consider it…
But right now, none of that mattered.
Since coming here, even though she had her own fans, they all respected her space.
It almost felt like she was getting an early taste of retired life.
Doing her own thing, taking it easy day by day, and honestly? She was starting to enjoy it a little.
Eden had long, wine-red hair, soft and sleek.
Tonight, it was elegantly swept up into a graceful updo.
She'd designed herself a stunning, form-fitting gown that bared her shoulders and back.
Meticulately tailored, with delicate sheer accents.
It gave her an ethereal, almost dreamlike elegance.
Her smooth skin glowed like warm jade, and under the evening lights, it seemed to shimmer with a soft, honeyed radiance.
Adding to the magic.
Similarly, the dresses Elysia and Kiana wore were also handmade by Eden.
It was a little hobby of hers, so shortly after arriving, she'd taken their measurements and gotten to work.
Originally, this was just supposed to be a casual get-together, a chance to chat.
No big deal.
But seeing Eden dress so formally, everyone else started paying more attention to their own appearances too.
Dr. Mei, Mobius, Vill-V, and Blanca, among others, all wore gowns.
Kevin, Su, and even guys like Ato suited up in tuxedos.
Keep in mind, Kevin was still a bit of a goofball.
This was his first time dressing so formally.
He kept glancing at himself, then over at Su, looking seriously uncomfortable.
Which made Su frown slightly, though thankfully his eyes stayed closed—small mercies.
Everyone was scattered across different departments now.
They didn't always run into each other day-to-day so when they did meet, they'd catch up on what they'd been up to.
Kiana listened quietly.
She heard that Fuxi and Nuwa had piled even more work onto Mobius and Klein, which made the 'Snake' lash out—well, lash out as much as Mobius ever does—by assigning those two to be in charge of lab milk tea duty from now on, and nothing else.
Heh~
She also heard.
That Dr. Mei was making progress with her Stigma research.
And Vill-V? In what felt like no time at all, she already had a prototype and a clear direction for the first Divine Key.
That accelerator of hers really was something.
When you got down to it, it was like the future was pulling the past forward, while the past was swimming frantically toward the future.
Wasn't that a different kind of mutual effort?
Before long, the sky began to shift.
Like winds gathering, clouds swirling.
A familiar sight.
Then, in the next instant.
Boom—
A thunderous roar echoed across the heavens.
The Sky Screen gradually flickered to life.
In every nation, every corner of the world.
Deserts, wastelands, mountains, forests, hills…
Whether populated or utterly remote, every place was now blanketed by the Sky Screen.
People looked up, watching the screen unfold.
Animals paused too, not frightened but rather serene, gazing skyward with what seemed like a newfound wisdom.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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