"So our trip here is done?"
Walking along the road toward San Francisco International Airport, Shigure Kira hoisted her enormous suitcase and asked Lucius beside her.
"More or less."
"Feels like I didn't do anything..." Shigure Kira muttered as she walked.
"That's exactly why you're just a background extra in this production, isn't it?"
Hearing Lucius's words, Shigure Kira puffed up her cheeks in irritation. She weighed the suitcase she was holding, considering whether to just drop it on this guy.
However, she quickly thought of something more important.
"Wait, didn't you say I'd get to meet Eden? You're not going back on your word, are you?"
Lucius glanced at her and said with a smile:
"Eden has already arrived at the filming location in the Far East. She'll be our props manager... primarily handling costumes."
"Hold on, isn't our film being shot in America?"
"No, we can't go all out here. There might be scenes where entire cities get leveled—we can't exactly flatten California just for a film shoot, can we?"
"So what kind of film shoot IS this!" Shigure Kira retorted mercilessly.
Of course, there were some things Lucius hadn't told Shigure Kira.
After Himeko completed Himeko's trajectory, they could seamlessly transition directly to the Great Honkai of Nagazora City. Being far away would only complicate things.
As for the filming location—with St. Freya Academy City gradually nearing completion, a considerable portion of Nagazora City's population had already been moved there.
And those vacant buildings that needed to be demolished were a time-consuming and laborious task. They might as well be used as a film set.
Perfect!
...
Nagazora City.
Miss Eden, having just stepped off her private jet, quickly spotted the purple figure waiting for her.
"My dear Eden, it's so wonderful that you could come~" The Faded Fairy had already arrived first to receive her.
"Ely, I'm equally happy to see you."
"I've said this before—I'm not Ely..." The Faded Fairy's face showed considerable frustration.
"I understand. I should call you... the Faded Fairy." Eden's face wore an expression of complete comprehension.
No, I feel like you don't understand at all.
After returning from Caltech, Lucius had seamlessly switched to the Faded Fairy identity to receive Eden at the airport.
The two chatted for a while, then Lucius said:
"My dear Eden, do you remember the request I sent you not long ago?"
Eden smiled elegantly and gave a gentle nod.
"You said someone wanted to ask me how to become an excellent singer."
Before Lucius could reply, she continued:
"This isn't any trouble at all. Being able to guide a newcomer onto the path of music makes me happy as well."
But after she finished speaking, she saw Lucius give a slight shake of his head.
"No. What I meant was—I want you to persuade her to give up the path of becoming a singer."
"If I say it, she certainly won't listen. But if it comes from you, her idol, perhaps she will."
To this, Eden expressed confusion.
"If she loves music, why persuade her to give it up?"
"She's naturally tone-deaf and has no real talent in music. Better to direct her interests elsewhere—she might actually accomplish something."
Hearing Lucius's explanation, Eden laughed softly and said:
"It's alright if her talent is a bit lacking. As long as she has a heart full of passion, I'll share everything I know without reservation."
Tone-deaf? What does that matter!
Even if someone were mute, she was confident she could train them into a master singer. Was there anyone who couldn't learn to sing?
And the more Lucius kept trying to dissuade her, the more Eden's competitive spirit rose.
"Ely... Faded Fairy, my mind is made up. You needn't say any more."
Watching the confidence on Eden's face, Lucius was somewhat infected by the positive energy.
She thought about it—Eden, as the pre-civilization's divine figure in the realm of art, should be able to correct Shigure Kira's singing voice, right?
So after Eden agreed, Lucius summoned Shigure Kira.
In Eden's residence in Nagazora City, Lucius left the space to Eden and Shigure Kira.
At the first glance of Shigure Kira, Eden found this was a girl who was very easy to feel favorably toward.
And at the moment she truly saw Eden, Shigure Kira's eyes suddenly lit up brilliantly.
"Miss Eden, I'm your fan!"
If not for the last shred of reason restraining her, she might have already launched herself forward.
Eden had long grown accustomed to such passionate fans. She still smiled with elegance.
"Delighted to meet you, Miss Kira."
In the realm of art, Eden was never one to dawdle. So she got directly to the point.
"Come then. Open your throat and let me see your fundamentals."
After hearing Eden's request, Shigure Kira showed a rare moment of hesitation.
"Miss Eden... I, my voice really isn't good."
Shigure Kira lowered her head in shame, radiating an overwhelming sense of inferiority.
Eden walked to her side and gently clasped her hands, encouraging her:
"It's alright. No one is born perfect. Innate deficiencies can also be made up through effort."
"Sing out boldly. Only by finding your weaknesses is there the possibility of continuing to improve."
In Shigure Kira's eyes, the Eden before her seemed to be radiating light from her entire being.
And beneath this light, her inferiority, her timidity, her fear all seemed to be retreating.
In the end, she nodded firmly.
"In that case, Miss Eden—please bear witness to my singing voice!"
Eden gave a gentle nod.
"Miss Kira, open your throat. Let me feel the sincere emotion in your singing."
And so, following the surging feeling in her heart, Shigure Kira let her voice emerge from her mouth.
Outside the door, Lucius leaned against the wall, having put on noise-canceling earplugs in advance.
Until the glass beside him shattered explosively, the flying shards raining down on the floor like droplets.
Lucius hurriedly pulled out his earplugs, and immediately heard Shigure Kira's cry of alarm from inside the door.
"Miss Eden, don't die on me!"
...
Somewhere in the Sea of Quanta, a peculiar building shaped like a cake continuously shifted positions, impossible to locate.
This was the Outer Key of the Sugar species—the Candy House, a Divine Key possessing the power to interfere with dimensional forces.
Inside the Candy House was a vast and expansive world.
But this world was entirely composed of candies, cream, chocolate, marshmallows, and various other sweets.
One by one, beings resembling black round blobs moved through it.
These were the alien species from beyond Earth, who had been concealed in the Sea of Quanta as observers throughout the ages.
At this moment, a blob holding a walking stick, giving off an air of weary ancientness, looked at the message coming from Earth and couldn't help sighing.
It was the oldest of the alien species, an individual named "Konpeito."
"Sigh... the Great Honkai is coming again. That god who brings the ending is about to descend, and another human civilization is about to be destroyed."
"We must conceal ourselves next. We can't be noticed by that god in the final reckoning."
Beside it was another, much younger blob.
Its name was "Brown Sugar"—a newborn of recent years who had not yet experienced the long passage of ages, and therefore still brimmed with curiosity about the outside world.
Hearing Konpeito's lament, it couldn't help feeling worried.
"It's only been two hundred thousand years since the previous civilization on Earth was wiped out. Is the newly born civilization already going to repeat the same fate?"
The alien species had come to Earth long ago, observing Earth's life forms while evading the Sky People.
Though they had stalled the development of their civilization to avoid triggering Honkai, their history was truly ancient enough.
They had witnessed Honkai ravaging one planet after another across the solar system.
Hundreds of millions of years ago, Venus, Mars, and many other planets had once been places teeming with life.
But now, these planets had all been reduced to dead wastelands under Honkai's rampage.
One could even say the entire solar system was a graveyard of countless buried civilizations.
And they, as long-standing observers, could in some sense be regarded as the gravekeepers of the solar system's many past civilizations.
Earth's previous civilization was destroyed two hundred thousand years ago. The new human civilization had only been born for tens of thousands of years. Now it seemed to be at the beginning of destruction once again.
The elder's gaze left the observation records. Looking at the young Brown Sugar, it offered guidance:
"Child, you must remember—Honkai cannot be defeated. Any civilization tainted by Honkai is an unfortunate one."
"Just as we have done throughout the ages—conceal ourselves, silently be observers. Do not interfere in the disputes of civilizations."
"That way, it's the best outcome for both them and us..."
Just as the elder was in the midst of its lesson, it found another report coming in from the Outer Key.
"Hmm? Why is there another alien individual on Earth?"
"Wait, this consciousness frequency..." The elder looked at the blob beside it with suspicion. "Brown Sugar, why does it resemble you so closely?"
Hearing this, the black blob bounced in place and said urgently: "Elder, I haven't gone to Earth..."
"You grew up right under my eyes. I naturally know it isn't you."
"But it is truly strange... could there really be another version of you?"
Watching the elder fall into contemplation, Brown Sugar thought for a moment and said:
"Elder, how about... I go to Earth to take a look?"
---
Advanced 30+ Chapters in pat/reon.com/Sleepy_Hua