"Kiana... what are you doing here..."
Mei curled up in Kiana's arms, her face flushed red. It was hard to tell if it was from shyness or from the strong wind.
"Because I heard from Ryn that a certain little princess wanted to be a dragon rider and go for a ride on a dragon. The great Demon King heard the little princess's wish, so he brought his demonic dragon to whisk the princess away and fulfill her dream of soaring through the sky."
Kiana gently set down the Mei in her arms, letting her stand beside her on Benares's head to look ahead.
"Look, Mei, this is the kingdom I have conquered for you," Kiana said with a grin, pointing at the snowy landscape before them.
"Stop being silly and trying to cheer me up... You even knocked Bronya away."
Mei reached out and tickled Kiana's armpits, making Kiana giggle.
"Haha... that tickles... I was just letting Bronya experience the feeling of flying, too! Besides, I'm the great Demon King! The great Demon King who rides a demonic dragon!"
Tears of laughter streamed down Kiana's face. Then, just as Mei was thinking she might have tickled her too much and lowered her hands, Kiana lunged at her, sticking her hands into Mei's armpits and tickling her back.
"Hahaha... Kiana... don't..."
"I'm gonna, I'm gonna! Mwahahaha, little princess Mei, you are my captive! Do you think you can escape from my grasp?!"
Mei, who had been feeling down because of the Herrscher of Thunder, found her spirits lifted by Kiana's goofy antics.
Mei smiled and pinched Kiana's cheeks. Every time she saw Kiana's sunny, cheerful face, her own mood would always improve significantly.
"By the way, Kiana. Where's Ryn? I just saw him with you a moment ago."
"Hmph, don't mind that big oaf. He said he was going to another world to get you a dragon-type Honkai Beast to be your mount. And he wouldn't let me go with him, so annoying!"
"Ryn went to another world to find a dragon-type Honkai Beast for me?" Mei's mouth fell slightly open in surprise, covering it with her hand in disbelief.
"Mhm, he's already left. I don't know when he'll be back..." Kiana's eyes suddenly dimmed a little.
Perhaps it was the influence of the Herrscher of the Void, or perhaps it was due to her own innate talent, but Kiana was especially sensitive to space-time. Although she couldn't control time at will yet, she could already borrow the Herrscher of the Void's authority to briefly pause time for a few seconds. If it was just a pseudo-time stop within a fixed space, she could maintain it for several hours.
The last time Ryn left the prime world, only three days had passed, but the temporal turbulence on Ryn's body suggested at least ten thousand years had gone by for him.
"This is too reckless! What if he's in danger?! What if..."
Upon hearing that Ryn had gone to another world to find a dragon-type Honkai Beast for her, Mei's heart suddenly warmed, and her eyes grew a little misty.
All the things the Herrscher of Thunder had tried to trick her with were instantly thrown to the back of her mind. All she could think about now was whether Ryn would be in danger in another world. What if something happened to Ryn and he couldn't come back?
"Mm... I believe in him. If something really happens and he can't come back, I'll..."
Kiana paused, then looked toward the moon.
"Don't worry. If Ryn can't come back, I'll find a way to bring him back myself... no matter the cost..."
Ever since the core of the Second Herrscher had condensed and she and Sirin had reached a consensus, Kiana had felt something on the moon calling to her. Moreover, there was a power within her, completely opposite to the aura on the moon, waiting to awaken.
Kiana didn't know what these two powers were, but she knew she could only choose one.
The one on the moon could grant her godhood in an instant, but it seemed... its upper limit was already fixed, and it might be subject to certain restrictions.
As for the power within her that belonged to her...
Although it was also very powerful, its lower limit was worlds apart from the one on the moon...
But with enough time, it wouldn't be a problem for it to develop and surpass the one on the moon.
The problem was, there was no time...
——————————————
While the Hyperion was still on its way back, Ryn had already opened a black hole portal and returned to the underground "Batcave" at home, where he was packing his things.
The destination and target were both clear, so he shouldn't be staying for too long. Besides, Ryn was now a little afraid of meeting Penglaiji Ryn. Their relationship was a bit strange...
Ryn thought of Penglaiji Ryn as a good little sister, but this good little sister seemed to want to be a rebellious sister who would cross the line.
"Star of Eden, this thing is great stuff. I'll bring more and leave them for Penglaiji Ryn to use as grenades later. If Penglaiji Ryn has also become the First Herrscher, she can save some energy by using the Star of Eden to exercise her authority."
"Should I bring a gift for Janna? What does she like again? Kittens? Too bad, she's allergic to cat fur. I'll just bring some of Mei's seasonings. It'll be more convenient for her barbecue stall and make it taste better."
"I don't know if Theresa and Himeko have retired or are planning to open a new academy... I don't have much to give them. I'll give Theresa some height-increasing medicine, and some liquor for Himeko!"
"I'll prepare some new medical tools and textbooks for Emisha, and some new research equipment for Yiselian..."
Ryn muttered as he stuffed things into his four-dimensional backpack. When he was about to prepare something for Yiselian, he suddenly froze.
It seemed there wasn't any good research equipment at home to give her!
"Forget it, forget it. I'll just give her some books! Like 'On How to Improve a Pal's Work Efficiency,' 'The Self-Cultivation of a Top-Selling Pal,' and 'I Am a Pal Who Works 25 Hours a Day.' Yiselian will definitely love them."
Ryn checked the time. It was four in the afternoon. By the time the Hyperion returned, it should be around eight or nine at night.
Yes, there was still plenty of time.
After double-checking the gifts for everyone, Ryn unfolded a black hole space portal behind him, then turned and stepped inside.
With that, the prime world once again lost sight of Ryn.
After Ryn left the prime world, Kiana, who was always paying attention to Ryn's aura, immediately received the news.
She had left a coordinate on Ryn, originally to make it easier to steal his food, but now it served a different purpose.
"Mei, you and Benares go look around for a bit. I have something to do, I'll be back in a little while!"
Kiana quickly shouted to Mei, telling her to play with Benares for a while. Then, she immediately opened a portal, following the coordinate she had left on Ryn, and rushed through.
But to Kiana's surprise...
What appeared after passing through the portal was not another world, but the Sea of Quanta, a place she had visited a few times by chance...
Between the vast heavens and earth, everything was silent. Besides the endless horizon and the water beneath her feet, which was like the Heart Lake and came up to her ankles, there was nothing...
Kiana stared blankly at her surroundings. The silence of the Sea of Quanta gave her a sense of claustrophobic fear.
Moreover, the coordinate she had left on Ryn had disappeared.
Kiana didn't know why this had happened. Was it because Ryn discovered the coordinate she left and removed it, or because Ryn had left the "transit station," the Sea of Quanta...
Kiana's power came from the Tree and the Sea. Before she transcended the rules and constraints of the Tree and the Sea, her power could not sense or touch anything outside of them.
And it was obvious that the place Ryn was heading to now... did not belong to the Tree and the Sea.