"Find someone?"
After hearing Kiana's request, Jade was briefly stunned.
After all, she had come to Kiana because she wanted Kiana's help finding someone, yet now Kiana was making the exact same request in return. That genuinely caught Jade off guard.
Still, she recovered quickly.
After all, Miss Kiana had never deliberately concealed information about her past since entering Herta Space Station.
And based on Jade's investigation, she also knew that Kiana had a mother who was an Emanator of Abundance.
Presumably, Miss Kiana wanted the IPC's help locating her mother.
"Of course." Jade agreed readily.
Or rather, she had no reason to refuse.
That was an Emanator of Abundance, after all.
Though the last known Emanator of Abundance in galactic history had been a thoroughly vicious figure, there was no denying the immense value Abundance could offer.
Blade of the Stellaron Hunters had inherited only a fragment of Shuhu's legacy, yet had still attained a kind of quasi-immortality.
If the IPC could establish cooperation with an Emanator of Abundance, the value of such a relationship might not even be inferior to that of an Emanator of Preservation.
A sharp gleam flashed through Jade's eyes. "Miss Kiana, would you happen to be able to provide any information about your mother?"
"If she truly is an Emanator of Abundance, then the company will naturally spare no effort in assisting."
Kiana shook her head lightly. "The person I want to find isn't my mother."
Jade froze for a moment.
"Then you wish to find...?"
"A friend from my past," Kiana said.
A friend?
For a moment, Jade could not quite process it.
Miss Kiana was not in a hurry to find her own mother, yet she wanted to search for some friend instead?
And if she could still confidently assume that person was alive after so much time had passed, then that friend was clearly no ordinary figure.
"Her name is Bianka. Bianka… Durandal… Ataegina. Has the company ever heard that name before?"
"Bianka… Durandal… Ataegina?"
Jade repeated the awkward name under her breath, trying to pull up relevant information from the IPC's vast intelligence network.
But unfortunately, there was nothing.
"Apologies, Miss Kiana. I've never heard that name before," Jade answered honestly. "But the IPC possesses the most comprehensive intelligence network in the galaxy. So long as she truly existed, we will certainly be able to find some trace of her."
She paused, then asked tentatively, "But... does your friend have any special traits?"
"Or rather, what Path does she follow? If you could provide us with a little more information, it would make it easier for us to help you find her."
At that, Kiana merely nodded calmly. This was exactly what she had been waiting for.
"Bianka... right. She's an Emanator of Trailblaze."
"An Emanator of Trailblaze?"
Jade's pupils contracted sharply.
Those four words struck like thunder in the reception room. Even with Jade's composure, she could not hide the shock on her face.
The Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili, had long since fallen. That was an accepted fact across the galaxy.
And Emanators, being extensions of an Aeon's will, were almost impossible to produce once that Aeon had perished.
But if Kiana were lying… then what was the point?
Surely she was not saying this just for amusement?
And if that was the case, then Jade had to seriously consider whether this might actually be true.
The IPC had never stopped researching the Path of Trailblaze, because it concerned the very foundation of interstellar trade. If they could truly find a living Emanator of Trailblaze...
"Miss Kiana, are you certain?" Jade asked again.
"Aeon Akivili of Trailblaze has been dead for many years. Under such circumstances, for a new Emanator to still exist, that would…"
"Who told you she became an Emanator only after Akivili died?" Kiana cut in casually.
Jade froze again.
Wait.
Did that mean—
"You mean Miss Bianka became an Emanator while Akivili was still alive?"
Kiana did not answer directly. She merely lifted her teacup and took another measured sip, radiating inscrutable composure.
In this galaxy, power was the most fundamental truth of all. If this sort of information came from an ordinary person—or even from a somewhat powerful Pathstrider—its credibility would be impossible to guarantee.
But when the same information came from a Lord Ravager, and an exceptionally powerful one at that, it became a very different matter.
Then Kiana dropped another bombshell.
"Well, that's not inaccurate. Durandal once told me Akivili was her father."
Jade nodded reflexively.
I see. So she was the child of the Aeon of Trailblaze. If that were the case, then yes, it did explain a lot.
Jade: ...
Wait, whose father?
That Durandal—was she the child of the Aeon of Trailblaze?
Could an Aeon even have children?
"You... what did you say? The child of the Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili?"
Kiana spoke again in the same calm tone. "That's what Durandal told me. And given the relationship between us, I have no reason to believe she would lie."
Jade opened her mouth, only to realize she had no idea what to say.
Could an Aeon really have offspring?
In any academic discussion, that question would have been regarded as utterly absurd.
Aeons were embodiments of their Paths, incarnations of abstract concepts. Other than the Aeon of Propagation, how could an Aeon possibly reproduce like a mortal?
Then again... if it were Akivili, the most human-like of all Aeons, perhaps it was not entirely impossible?
[Ding! Your lie has led Jade to begin considering its plausibility and planning to verify it, causing the lie to partially come true.]
[Trailblaze authority has increased slightly, and you have gained 3,000 Chronicle Points.]
[Remaining Chronicle Points: 152,909.]
...That was so little.
Kiana had seen truly grand hauls by now, so seeing a mere 3,000 points again after so long made her a little emotional.
It looked like even though Jade was leaning toward believing her, she still found the idea of a "descendant of Trailblaze" a bit too outrageous.
Still, that was fine. Kiana had never expected to squeeze immediate profit from Jade anyway. All she needed was to plant a seed in the woman's mind.
Judging by her upcoming plans, she might soon have contact with the Astral Express, and with the IPC's reach, they might end up helping her shape her fabricated history in subtle ways.
"As for that Preservation Emanator, all I know is that she called herself a saintess and came from the Asdana star system."
"Yes. That's all."
Then Kiana extended her hand toward Jade.
"So then—here's to a fruitful cooperation."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( Ending )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter108)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 99
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 95
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 99
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 92
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 47
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 44
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 43
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