"Vita, don't you feel like this city is strange?"
After asking the old man a few questions about the so-called Chosen Ones, Griseo walked along the street holding a skewer of candied hawthorns, her eyes sweeping over the crowd.
"Strange? In what way?" Vita asked lazily.
"Look over there." Griseo pointed toward a large screen playing a game advertisement.
All along the way, they had passed nothing but entertainment venues and restaurants—ads for games, anime, and movies. Everything was either food or amusement.
Shops of other types were few and far between.
Human civilization had always been about food, clothing, shelter, and fun—but shouldn't the proportion of 'fun' be this high?
Here, people were either eating or playing.
"That's just a game ad, isn't it?"
"Do you know how many game ads we've seen since we started walking?"
"A lot, I guess. I didn't count."
"I counted 124 different game ads," Griseo said seriously.
In a normal human civilization, there should be advertisements for all sorts of industries—many of them even false or misleading.
The world was supposed to be a painting of many colors, yet now only two remained.
"And then?"
"I don't know if it's this city that's wrong—or if something's wrong with Earth's entire civilization."
Griseo frowned, her eyes filled with confusion and unease.
If only this city was like this, that would be fine.
But if all of humanity on Earth had become this way—that would be terrible.
Had humanity, after surviving the Honkai, truly become a civilization of indulgence and entertainment to death?
Although it felt strange, the people here did seem happy.
Griseo and Vita continued walking along the street, asking passersby about the world around them.
Eventually, they arrived before a Church of Revelation chapel.
Standing at the gate was a white-haired nun in a black habit. When she saw them approaching, she smiled warmly and said, "Hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"And you are...?"
Griseo looked at the nun, a flicker of recognition in her eyes. She somehow felt a faint resemblance to Kevin.
"My name is Diana. I'm just an ordinary nun here."
An ordinary nun?!
Beside her, Vita's expression turned slightly odd.
Her mind-reading ability wasn't working.
That only ever happened with her stepmother or her powerful sisters.
Which meant—this white-haired nun was strong.
"Hello, Miss Diana. My name is Griseo. I heard that people can take a test here, and if they pass, they can enter Academy City."
"Yes, that's correct."
Diana nodded gently.
"May I take the test?"
"I don't think you need to," Diana replied, looking Griseo up and down. "From the moment I saw you, I knew—you are a once-in-a-generation prodigy, someone who could become a Herrscher."
A once-in-a-generation prodigy who could become a Herrscher!
That sounded... strange!
Griseo was momentarily stunned.
"Ahem, Griseo, actually our Venus Quantum Academy is just like Earth's Academy City—and Mars has one too."
"If you really want to enter Academy City, I can take you there."
Seeing her own person being poached, Vita quickly stepped in.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"You didn't ask!"
Vita shrugged, then crossed her arms and smiled at Diana. "Sister, did you know we were coming and wait here for us on purpose?"
She knew that people in this world could have all sorts of abilities after becoming Herrschers—even precognition wasn't unusual.
Or perhaps it was a form of magical divination.
"Vita, do you think Miss Diana really knew we were coming?"
Griseo was surprised. She had only just returned to Earth today, yet this woman had somehow known in advance.
Such an ability reminded her of Mother Aponia's power to foresee the future.
"She did."
"If I guessed right, her target is you."
"Oh? Don't tell me you've fallen for my Griseo?" Vita said flatly.
Vita had met plenty of girls from Academy City. To put it bluntly, most of them had very clear motives.
Those who approached her first were usually driven by desire.
Don't ask how she knew—her mind-reading ability still worked on most people.
"Vita, what nonsense are you spouting now!"
Griseo glared at Vita.
Diana smiled softly.
"You two seem quite close. Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person."
"Not that kind of person?"
Vita tilted her head, watching Diana with interest. "Then what kind are you?"
"Does that really matter?"
"I think it does," Vita replied casually, then turned to Griseo. "Griseo, you'd better be careful."
Careful?
Careful about what?
Griseo looked puzzled.
"Miss Diana, you said you knew I was coming. Was there something you needed from me?"
"Nothing important, really. I was just a little curious about you."
"Curious about what?"
"I don't even know what exactly I'm curious about," Diana said, shaking her head. Then she looked at Vita. "Perhaps, as Miss Vita said—it's just a feeling."
"..."
Griseo was speechless.
What kind of conversation was this supposed to be?!
"You wanted to go to Academy City, didn't you? Let me take you there."
As soon as Diana finished speaking, the surrounding space rippled.
The scene before Griseo's eyes changed in an instant—just like when Vita had brought her to Earth. In the blink of an eye, they were somewhere completely different.
This place was nothing like the outside world. The technology here was far more advanced, and the concentration of Honkai energy was significantly higher.
In addition to Honkai energy, Griseo could also sense several unknown types of energy intertwined with it.
Vita didn't really want to come to Academy City. The girls here were too troublesome to flirt with.
If she did, it would only end in headaches.
On Mars, at least, she could still get away with it.
But here, many of the girls came from other worlds—and the relationships were... complicated.
Her mind-reading had revealed far too many little secrets.
Although she couldn't read Bronya, Sirin, or Kiana's minds, she could read the thoughts of the girls who knew them—and that alone told her plenty.
Kiana Kaslana, using one of her alternate avatars named Diana, had personally brought Griseo into Academy City.
The Griseo who had been brought back from the Honkai world wasn't a memory copy—she was a genuine MANTIS from the Previous Era.
Kiana was curious to see whether Griseo would recognize the fairy Elysia as a construct of the Elysian Realm.
Kiana Kaslana glanced through her other worlds. She had created countless alternate identities—each one a Herrscher from a different universe.
Each avatar operated independently, interacting with different worlds, each fulfilling unique roles.
Switching from Diana's persona to another—her "Kiki" account—Kiana teleported from the Overlord world to the world of Hell Girl to pick up her child.