Angela, the younger sister, watched quietly, trying to understand why Abby's story was considered important for this briefing and essential for the council meeting.
After Abby finished speaking her vow, a small holographic figure of her was seen raising her hand high in the air, repeating her words with a brighter and wider smile each time.
After repeating it four times, she turned to the window of her fourth-floor room, gazing at the crowd outside.
The forested area beyond the barren land was alive with people starting to pack and set camp.
Lovely chatter, rustling noises, and fireworks celebrating the hero's life floated up to her ears.
Smiling, Abby returned to her diary and continued scribbling away.
"Why didn't you speak much?" Angel asked, curious as the summary neared its end.
"She was cute, but I don't understand why she's in the summary. It seems she didn't change anything," Angela said, pointing out a critical observation.
"Well," Angel said, "thanks to her, we can learn about Nina, Max, and all the past and present Piao."
"What do you mean?"
"As time passes, language changes, and paper decays. Diaries can be lost if not preserved properly."
"Why is that important?"
"When she became head of her family, Abby made small rule changes. Piao descendants could read diaries on non-special days if they helped translate or copy them, preserving the information for future generations."
"That would take a lot of paper," Angela said.
"Yes, and many protested. The bloodline shouldn't use so much paper, especially with the environmental impact."
"So what did she do?"
Angel explained the system in greater detail.
"She bought two massive plots of land—one full of trees, one barren. She hired teams: one to cut trees and send them to a factory she built halfway between the plots, and another to restore the barren land with new generational trees. She decreed that all diary copies must use paper from that factory."
"Well, that's one way to handle it." Angela said.
"I agree," Angel replied, lowering her eyes.
"But the protests didn't stop, right?"
"Yes, factories at the time caused a lot of pollution," Angel explained, pulling up a small holographic report from her watch.
"Some people tried to use that to challenge her plan, but she cleverly secured the surrounding land and negotiated with the government to access one diary every ten years under restrictions." Her elder sister chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?" Angela asked, curious.
"I remembered the funny statement she made about the Piao bloodline—" Angel began, but her words were cut off as the screen shifted to a new section.