"Although I've indeed held this position for a long time... the one who truly bestowed this conviction upon me, the source of this belief, is Jiang Qiao."
"I am not the true Empress of Glamoth, merely a temporary acting one."
Firefly's tone was incredibly serious, her pretty face full of sincerity.
Although few knew this secret, and although Jiang Qiao—the [Glamoth Empress] [Firefly] who had personally created all this—didn't actually care much about this identity, to the point where 'acting' felt more like a joke nowadays...
In her heart, the true Glamoth Empress [Firefly] was Jiang Qiao alone. While the actual Firefly felt a twinge of reluctance about this, she would never deny the truth that Jiang Qiao was the Empress of Glamoth.
This conviction wouldn't change just because she had held the position longer than Jiang Qiao, the hands-off manager. In a way, Firefly was just like the Empress's believers in the Glamoth Cathedral—a follower of the great [Glamoth Empress].
This truth might seem unbelievable if it got out—the Glamoth Empress Firefly herself was a believer in the Glamoth Empress.
But regardless, it was indeed the truth.
"He created this nation, endowed the people of Glamoth with the will of Glamoth... He showed us the way, the path ahead is forever bright. All I have done is merely lead Glamoth, lead the peoples of the universe who follow, along the path illuminated by the Empress."
The silver-haired girl gently touched her chest—caressing this [Empress's Body]. Although it was her own body, in Firefly's eyes, it was also undeniably a part of the [Great Glamoth Empress].
She felt immensely honored, filled with joy.
After all, for her own insignificant, damaged machine body to become a piece of Her Majesty the Empress's puzzle... This was truly an incredibly glorious thing.
Perhaps, it was precisely for this reason...
That Firefly felt her union with Jiang Qiao wasn't immoral. After all... this Empress's Body originally belonged to him. Even if the form of this union was a bit strange... using the Empress's Body as a vessel to hold the sweet 'wine' of the 'Glamoth Empress'—was that really so strange?
Of course, perhaps because the distance was too close, an ugly impulse inevitably arose—'the desire to profane the supreme existence in one's heart'... Although this was indeed terrible, and would absolutely infuriate the loyal followers of the Empress if they knew, since he didn't resist... cough cough, didn't that also mean Her Majesty the Empress didn't object... tantamount to approving her actions?
No resistance = No objection = Approval. Miss Firefly's excellent formulaic reasoning ultimately led to her current state—like a soup dumpling filled to the brim with juices.
Naturally, Miss Nun was clearly unaware of the former's current state.
Right now, she was still immersed in the incredibly shocking truth that the real Empress of Glamoth was actually Jiang Qiao.
Logically speaking, this should have been a huge blow to a devout member of the clergy.
After all, having undergone the spiritual baptism of the Glamoth Cathedral, Aponia already regarded the Empress as the deity she worshipped. To then be told that the great existence she believed in wasn't real, merely an acting proxy, and that the true Empress was not far away, even right beside her, incredibly close...
This was undoubtedly profoundly shocking.
However, for some reason, after learning this truth, Aponia, beyond the initial astonishment, gradually calmed down. A feeling arose in her heart regarding this outcome—So that's how it is.
Or rather—It should have been this way all along, naturally.
Perhaps it was because Miss Nun's heart already held a 'deity'?
With the precedent of [Ely], when the 'shadow of [Ely]' merged with the great Glamoth Empress, Miss Nun's solemn face remained calm, but the conviction already within her underwent a qualitative change.
"Qiao..."
Her interlaced fingers clasped tightly before her ample chest, Aponia, veiled, softly murmured that name.
"Thank you for telling me. I understand now."
"Uh... glad I could help."
---||---
It seemed everyone had their own gains that day.
The members of the travel group returned to the villa Firefly had prepared for them.
"Did you have fun today, Ely?"
Eden casually asked Elysia, who was beaming in her new clothes. The latter chuckled happily:
"Mhm, guess."
"Hmph, look at that smug look on her face. Isn't everything written all over it?" Mobius, also present, snorted, her smile tinged with a hint of 'mockery'.
Her gaze fell on a certain Mr. Jiang, laden with shopping bags, and she narrowed her eyes:
"Looks like you two really hauled in quite a bit today."
"It was alright," Jiang Qiao replied.
"At least she's happy."
"What kind of talk is that? Weren't you happy too~!" Elysia leaned in close, puffing her cheeks, staring fiercely at Jiang Qiao. He just smiled, "Of course I was happy, you know that."
"As long as you're happy, I'm happy."
"That's more like it~" Miss Pink Fatty nodded with satisfaction upon receiving this answer.
"Enough about us. You all must have had quite the day too, right?"
Hearing this, Elysia also looked curiously at the others.
"Yeah, yeah, how was your day?"
Although her outing with Bad Jiang Qiao was fantastic, the ever-curious Miss Pink Fatty was naturally interested in what Eden, Mobius, Aponia, and Vill-V had experienced while they were apart.
After all, among girls, it usually boiled down to the same kinds of things.
"Me? It was quite a fulfilling day. I saw many forms of art I'd never encountered before... Also, I met a very interesting young lady."
"Oh?"
"Her name is Robin. Apparently, she's a very famous interstellar singer."
"I know, I know! When Bad Jiang Qiao and I were out today, we saw lots of her posters. She feels just like you used to be, Eden."
"Haha, I can't compare to her. After all... I only had some fame in my own little corner of the world, while Miss Robin is famous throughout the entire universe." Eden gave a self-deprecating smile. "My little patch of land" is a loose translation of "一亩三分地," meaning a small, limited sphere.
"Trust me, Eden, if you debuted now, you definitely wouldn't be much less dazzling than that Robin!" Elysia waved a small fist encouragingly.
"Mm... Actually, she said something similar to me."
"Could it be she wants to form a band with you for life?" Jiang Qiao teased.
"Eh... Really?"
Seeing Elysia seem to take Jiang Qiao's jest seriously, Vill-V couldn't help but chime in:
"That seems impossible, right? They just met... Besides, 'for life' sounds way too heavy."
"True... but it sounds kind of interesting. Jiang Qiao, why don't we try it together?"
"What?"
"Forming a band with me for life~" As she spoke, Elysia's cheeks flushed slightly.
Before Jiang Qiao could reply, Mobius pursed her lips and interjected first:
"You really only think about yourself, don't you?"
"What was that..."
While Elysia grumbled resentfully, Eden also spoke up:
"While it wasn't quite such a heavy request... she did indeed say something similar."
"Inviting me to join the Family and pursue a singing career with her."
"Eh... So you agreed?"
"Not really. After all, I don't know what that 'Family' is really like. But... I did try submitting some lyrics I wrote back on Earth, and the response from the Interstellar Media Corporation seemed quite good."
"Phew..." Elysia breathed a sigh of relief. It would have been too worrying if her dear sister and best friend had joined some strange faction after just one day out.
But hearing the latter part, her eyes lit up.
"Eden, are you making a comeback?"
"Mm, you could say that."
"After all, art is my lifelong pursuit."
"Being able to express myself on such a new stage is truly something I've dreamed of."
"Stepping onto the interstellar stage... Wooow, sounds really interesting, but I don't have any talent in that area..." Elysia pouted.
"Actually, you could ask Qiao for help," Eden suggested, knowing Elysia's lament.
She knew Elysia wasn't untalented, just lazy and prone to short bursts of enthusiasm.
Letting Qiao 'tune' her up a bit, injecting some 'Jiang Qiao spirit', could easily overcome this hurdle, much like Firefly's governing abilities.
"Maybe not... It's more fulfilling to achieve something like that on my own..."
Elysia waved her hand dismissively, then seemed to think of something and looked at Jiang Qiao:
"But, Eden is making a comeback... Bad Jiang Qiao, can you help her out on your end?"
"I'll ask Firefly to put in a good word," Jiang Qiao replied. The Interstellar Media Corporation was actually formed after Glamoth broke up and restructured parts of the IPC's business—specifically, the entertainment division previously handled by Director Tian.
"However, I don't think Eden would want too much special treatment."
"So..."
"I don't plan on providing excessive help."
Hearing this, Eden smiled.
She wouldn't completely refuse help; sometimes, without it, things could indeed be quite difficult.
But just as Qiao said—she wasn't the type who liked being coddled.
Just like when she debuted in the Previous Era, she became a household name entirely through her own hard work and talent.
—Dust cannot hide the luster of gold.
Out of pride, Eden hoped that even in this unfamiliar place, she could still stand out through her own efforts.
Indeed, the one who understands me best is still [Ely]... Qiao.
"Mobius, what about you?"
"Me? Hmm, I did indeed make some significant gains today."
"Met a woman named Ruan Mei."
A slight smile played on Mobius's lips.
"Ruan Mei?" Jiang Qiao asked.
"You've heard of her? Oh, well, that's not surprising. According to the Interastral Peace Network, she's a member of that Genius Society, right? Seems pretty famous." Mobius continued.
"Honestly, I don't particularly like her as a person, but in terms of ability alone, she has certainly benefited me greatly."
"Ruan Mei..." Hearing the name Mobius mentioned, Jiang Qiao frowned slightly, but his expression quickly smoothed out as understanding dawned.
Right, Glamoth is indeed closely related to Propagation.
He knew that woman had been trying to replicate or even create Emanators or Aeons by studying Propagation. And the most readily available material for her research—Propagation itself—made it unsurprising that Ruan Mei, who constantly studied it, would come to the Glamoth Empire, born from the power of Propagation.
After all, not only did they have Brunhilde, a former Swarm King who was exceptionally unique even among all Swarm Kings, but also the Empress of Glamoth, who wielded nearly the full power of the Path of Propagation.
While these two facts were kept secret from most interstellar powers, it wouldn't be strange if a genius, especially one as closely involved as Ruan Mei, discovered something.
However, that genius's methods were ultimately somewhat dangerous for Glamoth... He needed to mention this to Firefly.
"Sorry, I have something I need to take care of." Jiang Qiao excused himself.
"Eh?"
Elysia blinked—she had been thinking, since today went so smoothly, maybe I could do something more... For example, seize the moment and conquer Bad Jiang Qiao!
But clearly, Miss Pink Fatty's cunning plan was thwarted before it even began.
Fortunately, she still had her four good sisters around... Hmm, it's fine, there's plenty of time. Ely will conquer this bad guy sooner or later.
For now, it was time for happy chatter.
However, Elysia didn't notice that Aponia, beside her, had been distractedly staring at Jiang Qiao the whole time.
---||---
Needless to say—
Regarding the situation Mr. Jiang Qiao reported, Her Majesty Empress Firefly naturally expressed the highest degree of importance.
Furthermore, she decided to bestow a reward—after all, the person had practically delivered himself to her doorstep. There was absolutely no reason not to partake, right?
Besides, even if she didn't, with Mobius and Sister Eden around, Elysia wouldn't get a turn either. Since that was the case, why not take the initiative and act first, on Elysia's behalf?
This way, she could also repay Sister Elysia for guiding her in the first place.
Moreover, after a full day of intense work, the '95 octane' in her 'fuel tank' had been significantly depleted. It was necessary to take this opportunity to refill—and as for what happens after refilling... isn't there a saying?
Girls have three stomachs! Even if two of them are connected, with a little expansion, you discover a whole new world.
Not to mention, Jiang Qiao had even brought her favorite oak cake roll today. Such a wonderful dessert—wouldn't it be a waste not to pair it with fresh, just-squeezed 'milk'?