The soft oak cake roll, rich with the fragrance of oak, paired with a sweet and delicious dipping sauce resembling yogurt with a pleasant texture, made Miss Firefly, weary from a long day, narrow her eyes in relaxation as she chewed, looking utterly content.
After all, for her, this was a rare little indulgence after a busy day of work.
Although Glamoth's advanced technology could certainly create similar things through food synthesis—perhaps even better tasting ones wouldn't be difficult—she still preferred this freshly produced, uniquely sourced treat.
This was the unique crystallization of the life of the [Great Glamoth Empress].
One must know that Propagation originates from the most primitive union of life, the collision of life's blueprints.
And this process of closely contacting that precious [Empress's] life blueprint, letting every cell in her body touch it, was precisely the source of the joy Firefly savored.
"..."
Jiang Qiao felt a little helpless.
The worship of reproduction often marks the initial stage of a civilization's development, symbolizing life and the future.
He understood Firefly's hobby; everyone's preferences deserved respect.
However... from a personal standpoint, being treated as the raw material for producing condiments and beverages, even needing to double as a drinking straw, was indeed quite embarrassing.
Fortunately, perhaps because she had plenty in stock from before, Firefly's appetite wasn't large. After sweeping away the tiramisu-like remnants from the corner of her mouth along with the last piece of oak cake roll, chewing and swallowing it all, she returned to her demure, shy appearance, looking very satisfied.
Noticing Jiang Qiao straightening his clothes while staring at her, her cheeks reddened slightly, but the composure cultivated over many years as Empress allowed Firefly to remain calm:
"Sorry... the dessert you brought was just too delicious..."
She subconsciously licked the corner of her mouth, seemingly reminiscing.
"...As long as you like it."
Although he wanted to declare that certain things didn't fall under the category of 'dessert', seeing her slightly flushed cheeks and happy expression, Mr. Jiang Qiao swallowed the words he wanted to say and sighed, half resignedly.
"Regarding Ruan Mei, I'll contact her later... You, Sister Elysia, and the others should have had a reasonably fun time, right?"
"Mhm."
"That's good. When Sister Aponia came today, I thought perhaps my hospitality was lacking."
"Aponia? She came to see you?"
"Yes, it seems she visited the Glamoth Cathedral..." Firefly explained in detail, leaving Jiang Qiao silent for a moment.
He hadn't expected his temporary alias to have such an impact on someone close to him, but... it shouldn't cause any problems, right? He tried recalling Aponia as he saw her today, feeling she seemed no different from yesterday... Perhaps he could talk to her.
"By the way, the Xianzhou Alliance sent an invitation for the Luminary Wardance. Do you want to go check it out?" Firefly, remembering something, placed a jade pendant-like Jade Talisman on the table and asked.
"Aren't you planning to go?"
"I'm a bit curious, but due to the convergence effects, there's some handover procedures with the Corporation side... Also, Penacony's Family sent representatives to discuss cooperation... Plus, there's the matter of that genius, Ruan Mei..."
Firefly listed them one by one, her resigned words tinged with a faint hint of resentment as she stared at the culprit responsible for her busyness. The latter averted his gaze slightly.
With so many matters in these eventful times, Miss Firefly, as Empress, lacked the time to attend the Xianzhou Alliance's Luminary Wardance, even if she wanted to.
Fortunately, the Xianzhou collaborates with the Interstellar Media Corporation, so even Glamoth could watch the broadcast of the Luminary Wardance through them.
"Haha... Hmm? This Luminary Wardance isn't just the Luofu this time?"
Mr. Jiang, having chuckled awkwardly, glanced at the information on the Jade Talisman, looking puzzled.
It was different from the Luminary Wardance hosted solely by the Xianzhou Luofu he remembered... This time, it wasn't just the Luofu.
"It seems the Yaoqing... and the Fanghu are also involved. Anyway, it looks like people are coming from various Xianzhou ships. I heard the Yaoqing's Sky-Striking General will be there too... Anyway, I'm not too clear. It's an internal affair of the Xianzhou Alliance. If you're curious, you could ask Qingque. She should know the inside story."
"Qingque? Right, she's the acting Diviner of the Divination Commission..."
"Acting Diviner?... How long has it been since you checked up on Qingque's situation?"
"What's wrong?"
"She's now the acting General of the Xianzhou Luofu, the uncrowned successor to the Luofu General position."
Hearing Firefly's words, Jiang Qiao paused, subconsciously glancing at the chat group he rarely paid attention to, which lacked much presence—and immediately saw the high frequency of complaints being posted by a certain Acting General of the Xianzhou Luofu.
He felt a bit awkward... It wasn't that he didn't pay attention to the people in the chat group, but mainly that he had too many 'bad women' around him. When he wasn't busy, he didn't look much, and as soon as he had free time, he was grabbed by the bad women and thoroughly squeezed dry.
If it weren't for his solid foundation, Mr. Jiang's routine should have been a cycle of 'work' - 'squeezed' - 'unconscious' - 'work'.
He had a leisurely day today, but if Elysia found out he was distracted by the chat group while out playing with her, he probably wouldn't have a good time later.
The perpetually busy Mr. Jiang occasionally wanted some leisure too.
---||---
[Chat Group]
Firefly: @Qingque, Qingque, what's the situation with your Xianzhou's Luminary Wardance?
Inside the Seat of Divine Foresight, Miss Qingque, slumped miserably over her desk looking at arrangements for the Cloud Knights and the other five commissions during the Luminary Wardance, instantly perked up upon seeing the chat message.
Of course, outwardly, she maintained a diligent appearance—having been trained under the watchful eye of the former Acting Diviner Jingzhai, and now under Qingzu's supervision, Qingque still knew how to behave properly.
Qingque: What's up?
Firefly: I've got a bit too much work lately, so I can't make it over. But coincidentally, Jiang Qiao brought Sister Elysia and the others here for a trip recently, so I recommended they go check it out.
Qingque: Hmph, didn't I say handing your body over to that guy was asking for trouble?... Wait, you're saying Jiang Qiao is coming here?
Firefly: Yeah, the Xianzhou Luminary Wardance is a rare event, right? It would feel like a shame to miss it.
Firefly: But that's not my territory, so when they go there, I can only count on you, the Acting General, to take care of them.
Qingque: Take care... Hehehe @Jiang Qiao, No problem, I'll definitely take good care of you! Absolutely!
At her desk, Miss Qingque revealed a slightly 'teeth-gritting' expression.
---||---
"She didn't give specifics. Ask her yourself when you get to the Xianzhou," Firefly shrugged at Jiang Qiao.
"...Alright."
"Then I'll head back first."
"Wait!"
"?"
Firefly produced a large thermos from somewhere, blinking. "I still have a long work session ahead, need some essential 'instant mix' for the job..."
"...."
She really treats it like a beverage, doesn't she!
Although he wanted to resist, the fleeing Mr. Jiang still ended up leaving behind a large cup of 'pearl milk tea'.
---||---
Night had fallen. Returning to the villa, Jiang Qiao found that Elysia, Eden, and the others seemed to have already fallen asleep. This left him feeling a bit helpless, as he wanted to ask their opinions about the Luminary Wardance.
However, in the courtyard, he spotted a figure still awake.
"Aponia?"
Undoubtedly, the bountiful figure that even the night couldn't conceal, along with the nun-like attire, allowed Jiang Qiao to easily recognize her identity, feeling somewhat surprised.
"...Qiao?!"
Hearing his voice, Aponia sounded surprised, her calm tone tinged with a certain fervor.
Unaware, Jiang Qiao walked over and sat down beside her by the pavilion, gazing at the bright moon.
"Elysia, Eden, and the others are asleep. Staying up so late, is something troubling you?"
Glamoth also had a moon, though it was actually an artificial creation.
Born from the necessity of the vast darkness and the desire to complete certain landscapes according to the Empress's wishes, Glamoth created this artificial celestial body. It was large and round.
"Yes."
"I heard some things from Firefly... I thought perhaps you might want to talk to me about something."
"Her Majesty the Empress?... Right... It's like this."
"Jiang Qiao... the true Glamoth Empress... Ely... Which one is the real you?"
"That, huh... Of course, I am Jiang Qiao... But, I am also the [Empress of Glamoth], and [Ely]. They were indeed identities I once used. Even if brief, I won't deny their significance in my life."
"Elysia, Firefly... While I left traces on them, these are also the traces they left on me."
"However, about being the 'true [Glamoth Empress]' and such... although Firefly told you that, in my view... there isn't really such a concept. While this nation was indeed created on my whim, in the scale of its life, I only occupy a very small part."
"Firefly is the true Empress of Glamoth... Or rather, I hope, and believe, that every citizen of Glamoth is. It should be more of a 'conviction' rather than referring to a specific person."
Aponia smiled—what she worshipped, what she yearned for, was certainly not just such a position.
Regarding the title of Glamoth Empress itself, while she held respect for it—after all, anyone capable of leading such a vast nation deserved respect—
For her, who had been troubled by fate for half her life, the only thing that could truly become an object of faith like a 'god' was the 'Great Glamoth Empress' spoken of by the followers in the Glamoth Cathedral.
...But now it seemed, perhaps she simply admired and worshipped the source of this faith—that is, Jiang Qiao himself.
"That is correct... But, Qiao... what I wanted to talk about was yesterday."
"...The passion of beautiful girls is always hard to resist." Mentioning this issue, Jiang Qiao showed a hint of helplessness and difficulty.
Aponia seemed thoughtful and nodded in understanding:
"So that's how it is."
"But, that is wrong." The calm female voice was incredibly serious.
To this, Jiang Qiao didn't deny it, but said:
"Perhaps... One day, it will be corrected."
"No... If it were her, although she would be very angry, this mistake might just continue like this." Aponia was likely referring to Elysia.
"...That certainly sounds like her personality."
"Haha, see? I'm not always right either. I make mistakes too," he scratched his cheek, smiling half-resignedly.
He had done so much. Perhaps in many people's eyes, he was omnipotent, infallible. But in certain crucial aspects, he was just like this.
This was probably the part of him that was human, something he could never escape.
Even if this will, this body, these thoughts at this very moment had transcended the limitations of the word 'human' in many ways, this heart always belonged to a human.
"...Is this also the trace she left on you?"
"Half and half, perhaps."
"Compared to what she left on me, perhaps I left more on her... Or maybe it's the same amount?"
"People always end up becoming like each other, don't they?"
"I understand," Aponia said softly.
"...Well, it's good you've thought it through. Get some rest early. We're going to the Xianzhou next. They're holding the Luminary Wardance after many years. For short-life species, it's basically a once-in-a-lifetime event..."
Thud—
"Uh..."
Feeling the weight and pressure suddenly up close, the rambling Jiang Qiao looked at Aponia, stunned and half-confused.
"Aponia... uh..."
"This is wrong."
"..." I know it's wrong, you don't need to demonstrate again! After the successive actions of several bad women, Mr. Jiang felt he had clearly sampled enough.
Under the reflection of the bright moon, Aponia's pretty face was clearly visible, her soft voice whispering in his ear:
"Mistakes should be corrected."
"..."
Are you sure this is correcting a mistake?... This clearly looks like you're making me commit a huge mistake!
"Let it start with me. I will help you correct your mistake, Qiao."
"..."
"That's probably not necessary..." Feeling a certain mental pressure... no, physical pressure as well, Jiang Qiao, after hearing this, showed signs of wanting to turn over a new leaf, attempting to struggle.
However, he was held even tighter.
Miss Nun—Aponia—spoke gently, yet with indisputable, extremely firm words:
"It's alright."
"If it cannot be corrected, then... let me become the vessel that holds your mistakes."
At this moment, Mr. Jiang Qiao seemed to understand why Kalpas was so utterly dominated by the person before him.