Across regions, across cities.
Some were watching the spectacle.
Some were the spectacle themselves.
And some were looking in the mirror.
Many didn't join the protests in person, but they were plenty loud online.
Even in Shenzhou. Though it had been clearly announced that a scientific plan would be developed to help everyone balance daily life and tower climbing, lots of people were still making a racket.
Pushing incessantly, hoping Shenzhou would move faster. Most of them, honestly, just couldn't wait.
Better to charge in once now than not at all!
If you can't guarantee how long you'll last each time, or the quality of the attempt, then the only option is to go more often—win through sheer numbers.
But to be frank, this really is a slow, grinding process.
After all, two or three months have passed now, and over in Shenzhou, after careful testing and retesting, they've only just confirmed—hmm, yes, there has been some growth. Their test subjects, of course, are all those who've passed floor zero.
No matter how long you hold out, it's obvious! It can't compare to clearing a floor, ascending to the next level, and reaping greater rewards.
And yet…
They still can't see clear progress with the naked eye.
They still need tests.
As for the casual climbers, most don't even know this is a thing.
Even if the recovery period dulls their senses, surely it shouldn't be that vague, right?
So if you really think of charging the tower as some kind of miracle cure, then there's nothing more to say.
The higher your hopes, the harder the fall.
Let's not go that far.
This isn't something you can rush. They say it takes daily accumulation—and it really does.
But still!
Every nation, every organization has had to admit: if it really works like gaining experience points in a game, even just a tiny bit at a time, at least it's something.
Eventually, you'll level up. Maybe it really is time to ease up on the restrictions. They also worried that keeping such tight controls would put the young lady in a bad mood.
But they asked around, and the young lady didn't seem to mind.
That let them breathe a sigh of relief.
Yet if every country starts pushing nationwide tower charging, slowly raising their people's physical fitness, falling behind means you'll get left in the dust.
No one wants that.
So, one after another, countries and regions began loosening their policies.
They also promised to establish more specialized departments, just like Shenzhou, to study the balance between gains and costs, and to help more people manage the relationship between climbing and daily life.
In fact, theoretically, everyone should charge the tower as soon as their cooldown ends.
But everyone's physical condition is different—or, more directly, how they die in the tower also affects the length of their recovery period.
Even for the same person, each time they enter, the recovery duration can vary. You only know how long you'll be weakened after you come out; there's no way to know in advance, before even going in.
Therefore, everyone has to register their recovery time after exiting.
For the relevant authorities, collecting and analyzing all this data is quite a challenge.
And then—you're weakened, fine.
But then what?
What about eating? What about living?
If you finish your recovery period, go charge the tower again, then get weak again, recover, and go climb again…
What about making money?
What about supporting your family?
What about living your life?
That obviously won't work.
So, this time, people have been relatively sensible. Once their savings ran out, they settled down.
Back to work, back to earning.
Even for office workers—during recovery, your head is foggy, your whole body feels weak—how the hell are you supposed to work?
Naturally, the intervals between tower charging sessions gradually grew longer.
Life doesn't wait.
It couldn't stay as frequent as it was at the beginning. Half a year later, things finally reached a point where some stability was restored.
The tower became part of everyday life.
When everyone realized the gains from each charge were minuscule, consciously reducing the frequency to prioritize living became the new normal. And that made perfect sense.
"It's like in games—when a new event first drops, everyone gets super hyped. But it's just a flash in the pan. Soon enough, everyone has their own plans, their own priorities."
"Right?"
Kiana played a board game with Seele and the other girls, smiling cheerfully.
She'd hidden quite a few secret rules in the game. Consider them little surprises.
The others had started noticing some of them, and that made her happy. The villages near the towers had developed rapidly.
Relying on the towers, they built up tourism, adventuring, logistics, support services, and so on…
Kiana had done this on purpose.
Except for the one on Mount Everest—she figured, since it's the highest peak, not having a tower there would be kinda lame, so she plopped one down.
The other towers had their regulars visiting almost daily.
"So we really don't need to climb the tower?" Rin still wasn't ready to give up.
But Kiana said, "It's useful for ordinary people. It can slowly improve their physical fitness. And if they're in better shape and have more experience, they'll find it easier to reach the top."
"But what are you?"
"Haven't you already become a Herrscher? What's the point of climbing?"
She added, "This event, at most, will only bring people up to the level of an A-rank Valkyrie. S-rank would be a stretch, let alone Herrscher."
Don't get the idea that Herrschers are all about skill and not physical power.
That's only relative.
Relative to MANTIS warriors like the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, or Valkyries at the S-rank level, a Herrscher's body might seem a bit frail.
But if you really think a Herrscher—who can operate in outer space, ignoring low pressure, freezing temperatures, and cosmic radiation—is as fragile as paper, then you're seriously underestimating them.
"So, it's useless for you."
Kiana tossed the dice and moved her piece.
"Even Kevin and Su would get more out of climbing than you."
She said, "But if they've undergone the fusion warrior procedure, then there's no need for them either."
"Or do you still want to get beaten up? I can let you keep your memories, you know, my dear Rin."
Kiana teased Rin with a sly look. Rin shook her head vigorously. "Th-that won't be necessary."
Sakura watched her little sister and couldn't help but smile.
Eden also gave a light chuckle.
It's worth mentioning that by now, not only had Kiana implanted a Herrscher core in Rin, granting her Herrscher status—she'd done the same for Eden, Aponia, Sakura, Mobius, Vill-V, and the others.
They didn't necessarily have to use the same authorities as the original thirteen Herrschers, because Kiana could craft any authority she wanted.
Still, those thirteen were more iconic.
Many of the girls couldn't be bothered to design a custom authority, so they just went with the existing ones.
Less trouble that way.
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