Kiana was still unaware that Noldrei was back in the second Academy City, lecturing the people who had been running wild.
She, too, was currently pondering what path she should take.
Follow Noldrei?
But if she wanted to prevent the birth of a future built on "Proliferationism," she would have to try and steer the direction of society's development herself.
Could she offer another path?
"Bronya does not believe Kiana has that kind of ability. On this point, you're not even as capable as Mei-Nee. See? She's over there sunbathing as a pony," Bronya said with a lift of her chin, gesturing to where several ponies were nestled together on the grass outside.
The pony form Noldrei had designed dissipated heat far more effectively than a human body, even in the summer.
"I know I don't have that kind of ability, but I can't think of a better solution on my own," Kiana admitted. She was well aware of her own limitations. Her primary motivation for thinking so hard was her desire to help Noldrei.
If she were left to her own devices? Kiana would have trouble even mustering the initiative to act until she personally felt the trouble that Proliferationism would bring.
"If you can't think of anything, you can't think of anything. We have a long time to deal with these things, anyway. Why rush to find a solution in such a short period? Bronya thinks our current human civilization is quite good. They don't seem to want to change things; on the contrary, they're looking for more ways to integrate into the Academy City system."
As for Bronya herself, she was more than content with her current life. She had no motivation to take drastic action. Change would only come when a new generation emerged, one that took all this for granted.
"..."
Kiana noticed a rather serious problem. Was everyone around her getting lazier by the day? Had Noldrei spoiled them all rotten?
"Have you guys not considered this? What if Noldrei decides that we can't change the future of Proliferationism, and he just goes off to find replacements in another parallel world?" Kiana's question hit the nail on the head.
"Hmm? Kiana, what do you mean by that?"
Bronya's gaze sharpened instantly. She hadn't expected Kiana to think of such a critical point.
"It's simple. I just have a feeling that if we can't do it, he'll most likely continue his search for others who can help him. He won't waste his time hanging around with us. One more or one less of us makes no difference to him."
"We can be replaced at any time. Isn't that the basic reality of our situation?"
Kiana thought for a moment. "In that case, the only solution is to 'marry' him. In other words, only by mutually exchanging power over each other can we change... Hiss..."
She sucked in a sharp breath as she spoke, realizing the full implication of her words.
"Huh? Wha—? Eh?"
Bronya's eyes widened in shock. She had never, ever expected Kiana to harbor such thoughts about her own foster father.
What kind of terrifying idea was this, to want to exchange the power of life and death with him?
Even Mei, who had been enjoying the breeze as a pony outside, couldn't help but prick up her ears. She, too, turned her head in shock to stare at Kiana for saying such a thing.
"No, I don't mean we literally have to get married. It's just that the only method I can think of is to borrow that kind of concept. Isn't it common to use the conflict between an individual and a collective to resolve a political crisis?" Kiana tried to explain herself, completely oblivious to how frightening her words sounded.
Bronya was so scared she took several steps back.
Bronya was afraid. She was afraid that if Kiana found out what she had been up to, her own life might genuinely be in danger. It wasn't like Dr. Tesla, whose special "care" from Noldrei was common knowledge.
To this day, Bronya had no idea that, aside from herself, everyone else already knew what she'd done.
"Are you serious? Why are you backing away? What I'm talking about is a very common strategy," Kiana said, a little confused. "Although I hate to admit it, the best solution for us, of course, is to make him give up on the new future he's pursuing."
Kiana was now well-versed in all sorts of political conflicts. They either had to make Noldrei admit his experiment was a failure or continue to stall for time, hoping to cultivate social conflicts that would be easier to resolve.
"But the problem isn't what we want to do, it's what we can do. For example, even if I obtained the power of the Honkai, I'm still not certain I could defeat him."
Kiana was no longer the simple-minded girl she once was. She knew very well what she truly wanted. Her future-human body had not only enhanced her learning ability but also accelerated her comprehension of the world around her.
"From my perspective, allowing oneself to be replaceable is an incredibly cruel social phenomenon. It's really just a form of inertia, a worship of a certain production order. It's the same principle as worshipping a certain national system or a certain social structure."
"He's probably opposed to something similar—he's against people becoming infatuated with the products of their own labor."
"Future humans solved the logical problems of the capitalist market, but new problems have appeared, clinging to us like ghosts. To make Noldrei stay, we have to show him that we can proactively move in this direction. We can't just let him leave."
Hearing Kiana's words, Bronya was genuinely a little scared.
How terrifying. Is this a yandere with political overtones?
Although Bronya suspected Kiana had other, ulterior motives, she had to admit that she didn't want Noldrei to leave, either—and she certainly didn't want him to find replacements for them.
Her feelings were similar to Kiana's, she just never dared to say them out loud.
"Then... Kiana, what are you planning to do?" Bronya asked timidly.
The rest of the family had even gathered around to listen to the speech from Kiana, the Great Sage.
"We not only can't oppose it, we must co-opt his geneticism and make it our own!"
Kiana's opening statement almost made Bronya lose her composure.
"Based on the research on various industrial civilizations that Mr. Yang taught me, I've found something we can use. Since we can't win in a direct confrontation, our only choice is to use the shell of Proliferationism to launch our own ideology."
"Shenzhou emphasizes productivity, especially that 'technology is the primary productive force,' but it ignores that the people who create the technology are the key. The essence is that 'talented people in tech are the primary productive force'—human activity itself is the primary productive force."
"North America loves to emphasize liberty and democracy, but it tries to ignore the material costs required for an individual to maintain that freedom in society. So, the more they emphasize freedom, the less free they become, devolving into the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak."
"Europe likes to fly the banner of human rights, but it deliberately ignores the significant public power that individuals surrender. So, the more they emphasize human rights, the more public power is eroded, which in turn destroys the material basis for individual human rights."
"Since they all have their problems..." Kiana thought for a moment before declaring, "Then we will replace them all with our own geneticism, and we'll stitch everything together."
"Since all freedom, democracy, human rights, and productivity are maintained by the activities of individuals, then we will use our geneticism, based on the principle of equal rights and responsibilities, to guarantee equality in people's political activities and their right to the means of production."
"From now on, this will be the banner of our Academy City."
Bronya was suddenly filled with admiration for Welt Yang, who had managed to synthesize such a theory.
To counter Noldrei's Proliferationism, he had truly racked his brains!