[Shocking! She Has at Least 53 Wives! Who Are They?]
[Database Updated! Who's Your Favorite Among Them?]
[We Are the Previous Era? Originally Destined for Destruction?]
[The Young Mistress Saves Our Skins! She's the True Savior!]
Even after Kiana had fallen asleep, the world continued to buzz like mad. Twitter, blogs, forums, and every other form of online media were flooded with all sorts of news—promotional pieces, discussions, analyses—the headlines alone were a dizzying array.
The serious and the not-so-serious.
They had it all!
It was almost too much to take in.
In just a few short hours, the internet felt completely saturated, and even offline, the focus of everyone's conversations had shifted. It was as if the worldline itself had changed, leaving everything feeling strangely unfamiliar all of a sudden.
Some people were just chatting, enjoying the spectacle.
Others were researching, pondering deeply.
You could find posts like:
['A Brief Discussion of the Main World Through Honkai Impact 3rd's History']
And you could also see:
['Civilization on Mars? Civilization on Venus? Perhaps That's the Norm When Facing the Honkai.']
Some content was rather serious.
Some were a bit more humorous.
Every kind of news article, every kind of forum post, seemed to be gushing forth all at once. No one was going to let this wave of hype pass them by.
Some people, after watching the celestial screen videos, were so stirred with emotion that they felt compelled to speak out, sharing their views freely online and offline.
Others, driven by work demands, pulled all-nighters just to catch the first wave of traffic.
['Discussing Elysia's Importance Through the History of the Honkai Impact 3rd World.']
['We Were Right. Without the Young Mistress, We Are the 'Previous Era'.']
['Is Kiana, the Herrscher of Finality from the Honkai Impact 3rd World, Actually an Alternate Version of the Young Mistress?']
['Predicting How Many Worlds Will Be Featured in the Next Harem Roundup.']
['Place Your Bets! Guess the Number of Characters in the Next Harem Update.']
['Unraveling the Truth of Mars' True God, Leylah, from Scattered Clues.']
['Is Senadina the Equivalent of Elysia? Then is Leylah the Equivalent of the Herrscher of Finality?']
If it were just various news portals, that would be one thing. But offline, every nation, every organization, every think tank and person in power was busy summarizing, compiling all the information and content revealed in the previous recap videos.
Then, online, related wiki entries were updated at lightning speed, rapidly filled out and completed. It was as if the entire world was collaborating to build a new section named the 'Honkai Impact 3rd' World.
Whether it was the Previous Era from that worldline, the Current Era, the Post-Honkai era, or even the so-called Martian Civilization... they were all placed within the Honkai Impact 3rd World section. A more complete timeline was formed, based on a chronicle of events.
While people here were still piecing together the fragmented historical information revealed by the celestial screen to understand their own worldline's future, this far richer content appeared like a mirror reflecting a parallel world. The shock and introspection it brought certainly couldn't be dismissed with a laugh.
The more they compared, the clearer it became!
"Sticking with the Young Mistress is the only way we'll have a better life!"
"The Young Mistress is supreme, utterly invincible, and I won't accept any arguments!"
Even the one potential risk point—the notion that the Young Mistress might be controlled during the final confrontation with the Herrscher of Finality—didn't worry many people.
Just look at that future!
Wasn't it clearly a path straight to the stars and beyond? Even causing a ruckus across both the Tree and the Sea! The Honkai? How many divisions does it have? Could it possibly stop the Young Mistress's march?!
Even if you argued that the future might change—No! The future was already changing, right now, in the present.
But people simply didn't believe the future could truly turn out badly.
And even taking a thousand steps back.
Even if the common folk like us stopped worrying entirely...
Those big shots in power would still be scrambling like crazy.
After all, they were the ones who should be the most nervous!
"Yes, the future is bright!"
"With longer lifespans and so many Aeons backing us, who in the universe would dare bully us?"
"Don't even talk about the wider universe; the very Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta are like our backyard. Probably the world outside too!"
Although, in essence, this still didn't have a huge direct impact on ordinary folks like us.
It was like when your country becomes powerful; you still feel a sense of shared pride, however small.
It was still pretty gratifying.
Naturally, some people genuinely started looking for ways to reach the future and witness that golden age themselves.
Thus, discussions about seeking longevity, life extension, or even cryogenic freezing to be thawed out in the future gained traction.
Most of it was probably scams.
Before, it had been just whispers.
But now!
The schemes were becoming downright brazen.
Don't think educated people can't be fooled.
When it comes to being tricked, anyone is vulnerable.
As Kiana idly scrolled through her phone, she could see that in the following half-month, the number of people falling victim to such fraud had noticeably increased. The number of solved fraud cases alone reached thousands each week, in every country and region. Some of the stories were enough to make you laugh and cry at the same time, but they were starkly real.
Even Ato discreetly asked if there was any way to 'cling to life long enough to catch a glimpse of the future.'
As for Mobius, she said that while awakening a Stigma might not guarantee immortality, it could extend one's life. 'But don't look over there, look at me! I need test subjects—ahem, volunteers. Once my MANTIS technology is perfected, and with sufficient Honkai energy, you could live as long as you want! Doesn't that sound tempting?'
What could one say?
She'd definitely found the key to wealth.
Because of claims like that, even though everyone knew the MANTIS surgery wasn't for just anyone, high-ranking officials, executives, and wealthy elites from various nations and organizations were practically falling over themselves to curry favor with Mobius, kneeling beside her and clinging to her leg.
What if?
What if they could somehow secure a MANTIS identity for themselves?
Even without great power, just living on would be enough!
Kiana didn't quite know what to make of it.
But Dr. Mei seemed to take it in stride. She even told Kevin,
"There's no helping it. This is just human nature."
Dressed in her lab coat, she leaned slightly on the desk.
"Some people complain about fate, others resent the nobility. But in truth, they simply resent not being nobility themselves; they hate that those with privileges aren't them."
"Even with the Young Mistress Kiana as a pillar of support in everyone's hearts, no one knows how long that pillar will hold. Even if they trust her, they don't trust that they'll survive as the Honkai intensifies."
"Because, even if they're unwilling to admit it, they know perfectly well they're just insignificant pawns, easily overlooked."
"On one hand, there's a radiant future. On the other, potentially brief darkness."
"A human life is merely a hundred years. How many people, knowing a wonderful future awaits, would be content to miss out on experiencing it?"
She paused briefly.
"So those who get scammed... they aren't necessarily unaware it might be a scam. But they still cling to that slim hope."
"It comes back to the same phrase... What if?"
--+--
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.
20+ advanced chaps on my patreon.
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If you guys wanna check it out.