Chapter 1005: Alternate Timeline: Nexus Exposition (6)

"Alright, now go..."

Phaethon Solaris waved his hand impatiently, dismissing General Harriot after delivering the punishment. However, before the general could retreat fully, the young king still turned toward Kiara and apologized with proper courtesy for the disturbance caused inside her venue, his youthful face carrying an expression that looked strangely mature for someone barely past childhood.

Kiara quietly observed him for a moment.

At that instant, she suddenly realized something.

This Zoa person...

She was probably extremely important to him.

Otherwise, a king would never lose composure publicly over someone disappearing for only a few minutes.

And strangely enough...

Kiara could understand him.

In her previous life, she had also been absurdly protective of her younger brother because he had been the only family member she had left in that lonely world.

Phaethon Solaris appeared similar.

Still...

None of that mattered to Kiara’s plans.

Whether the girl lived, disappeared, laughed, cried, or spent the whole day feeding fish had nothing to do with the auction.

So she simply put away those thoughts and smiled lightly.

"No worries."

Then she gestured politely.

"Please come this way."

As Kiara escorted both Phaethon Solaris and Ares Frost toward their assigned table, she suddenly felt a sharp gaze land upon her from somewhere inside the auction hall.

There was no killing intent hidden within it.

No hostility.

No murderous pressure.

Otherwise, her instincts would have reacted immediately.

So, while continuing to walk calmly, she merely glanced sideways from the corner of her eyes.

It was the young man with the eye patch.

Morvain Wolf.

He sat leisurely while continuously tossing a gold coin upward and catching it with effortless rhythm, the metallic glint repeatedly flashing beneath the chandelier lights.

Clink.

Catch.

Clink.

Catch.

His visible eye remained fixed in their direction.

Or perhaps...

Not her direction.

Perhaps at Ares Frost.

Kiara’s brows faintly twitched. Still, she did not bother approaching him.

Everyone else inside this hall was ultimately irrelevant.

Only three people truly mattered to her today.

Alexander Phoenix.

Caleb Crescent.

And Phaethon Solaris.

The rest was background noise.

Powerful perhaps.

Useful perhaps.

But still secondary.

Eventually, after reaching table twelve, Kiara stopped and addressed them calmly.

"Lord Frost."

"King Phaethon."

"The auction will begin in approximately ninety minutes."

"For fairness toward every competitor, we will not engage in private discussions with any additional guests from this point onward."

She gestured toward Noah.

"In the meantime, Noah will assist you personally. And we have prepared delicacies from several regions. I hope you enjoy them."

Then, with deliberate casualness, she added another line.

"Please do not forget to leave feedback after lunch."

Phaethon blinked once.

Ares Frost also looked slightly amused.

Neither expected a merchant handling an auction involving millions of gold coins to casually ask for meal reviews like an innkeeper proud of his kitchen.

Meanwhile, Kiara had already shifted focus elsewhere.

She quickly ordered Zion through the system to continue security rounds while instructing Noah to handle the guests personally.

Afterward, she finally turned to leave alongside Arceus Silver toward the private waiting room attached separately to the auction tent.

However...

Just as they began walking away...

Movement appeared near the entrance.

Zoa and Syllia Wolf had returned.

The two women walked side by side toward table twelve while continuing a conversation about marine creatures.

Then...

Kiara stopped at once.

Arceus halted as well.

Even Noah noticed the abrupt change.

For one brief moment...

It felt as though the entire noisy auction hall vanished from existence.

Kiara’s eyes locked onto the young woman approaching from afar.

And the world silently overturned inside her mind.

Her breathing grew uneven.

Her eyes widened slowly while unconsciously wandering across every detail of the girl’s face.

The fair skin.

The slender neck.

The emerald eyes.

The naturally curved brows.

The small upturned nose.

The soft downward lips.

The heart-shaped face.

Every feature struck her like a forgotten memory clawing its way out from beneath years of burial.

Too familiar.

Far too familiar.

The only true difference was age.

This girl was older.

More mature.

Yet as Kiara stared at her...

Fragments from her previous life violently resurfaced one after another.

Laughter.

Rain.

A hospital corridor.

A gaming chair.

A voice calling from another room.

And suddenly—

Before she could even control herself...

Her voice escaped involuntarily.

"Mari...?"

The sound echoed louder than intended.

Zoa visibly startled.

So did Noah and Arceus.

Even nearby guests subconsciously looked over.

The young woman blinked in confusion before answering hesitantly.

"Miss... My name is Zoa."

The moment those words entered her ears...

The light inside Kiara’s eyes dimmed instantly.

Like someone waking abruptly from a dream, only to realize reality remained unchanged.

"I..."

She forced herself to regain composure.

"I apologize. I mistook you for someone else."

Without waiting for additional response, she turned immediately.

"I’ll take my leave."

Then she walked away quickly toward the waiting room, her footsteps noticeably faster than before.

Arceus silently bowed politely toward the others before following after his fiancée, although anxiety quietly formed within his chest.

Because earlier...

When Kiara spoke that name...

Her voice had trembled.

Not slightly.

Deeply.

As if the name itself carried unbearable weight.

Inside the waiting room, Kiara sat down heavily while lowering her head into silence.

The atmosphere became strangely suffocating.

After several moments, Arceus finally spoke softly. "Are you alright?"

Kiara raised her head immediately.

The expression on her face had already stabilized.

Too quickly.

"Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?"

The answer sounded normal.

Yet precisely because it sounded too normal, Arceus became more convinced that something was wrong.

After spending weeks beside her, he had gradually learned one thing.

Kiara’s fake smiles looked real only at first glance.

If one observed carefully...

The eyes betrayed everything.

After hesitating briefly, Arceus finally asked the question lingering inside his chest. "Is this Mari... Someone important to you?"

Kiara shook her head. "Not exactly."

Then, forcing out a small smile, she continued.

"Marina was actually Zion’s friend."

A pause followed.

Then she corrected herself awkwardly.

"I mean... Not the Zion you know. It’s someone else..."

"Someone who was like my younger brother."

"I was simply shocked because there is no way she should exist here."

Arceus quietly listened.

And almost immediately...

A conclusion formed inside his mind.

The original "Zion" was probably dead.

Something tragic must have happened in Kiara’s past.

That was likely why she named one of her highest-grade life puppets after him.

And judging from the sadness hidden behind her smile...

The wound clearly still existed.

Suddenly, guilt rose inside Arceus.

"I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked."

Kiara waved her hand lightly.

"No, I should apologize instead. You must have been surprised."

"Well..."

Arceus quickly looked away.

He absolutely refused to admit he had nearly panicked from jealousy earlier.

So he hurriedly changed the topic.

"Actually... There is something I have been wondering about regarding the exhibition."

Kiara looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

Arceus folded his sleeves carefully before speaking.

"Firearms may now be recognized officially as weapons... But most bidders still do not truly understand them. We did not prepare any live demonstrations either. How can people confidently spend thousands of gold coins on something they do not fully trust?"

"And..."

He hesitated briefly.

"Your reputation among major noble houses is honestly not very good. I am not even certain some of them truly intend to bid."

Kiara suddenly smiled. "That is a very good question."

Then she leaned back calmly.

"You see, Arceus... I never intended to sell the important weapons to those clan leaders from the beginning. My true targets are independent rulers and His Majesty."

"The advanced firearms are meant for wealthy merchants who will distribute them elsewhere. That is precisely why I intentionally avoided live demonstrations."

Arceus frowned slightly.

"Then why invite the Noble Houses at all? To bring them here, you even requested assistance from the Imperial Palace. It cannot possibly be just for amusement."

Kiara merely smiled silently.

And that smile alone made Arceus realize she was hiding another layer beneath her plans.

Meanwhile...

Back inside the auction hall...

Phaethon Solaris sat quietly while staring at Zoa, who remained fully absorbed in conversation with Syllia Wolf.

To build familiarity quickly, Syllia had begun discussing marine life enthusiastically, displaying knowledge regarding deep-sea creatures, aquatic spirit beasts, coral ecosystems, and poisonous jellyfish.

And Zoa...

Who adored such topics obsessively...

Had become completely captivated.

She no longer noticed the king’s gaze upon her.

Yet Phaethon Solaris remained deep in thought.

"Miss Kiara called her Mari earlier..."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Could that truly be a coincidence?"

Then another memory surfaced.

He remembered his grandfather once mentioning something important.

Zoa’s original name had supposedly been Marina Hughes.

And unlike people from this continent, even the commoners at her place had surnames.

Which meant...

If her memories had remained intact...

She might never have become "Zoa" at all.

Silence lingered within his mind for several moments.

Then he slowly reached a decision.

"After the auction... I need to confirm this matter with Miss Kiara."

"Maybe..."

"Kiara might know who Zoa was..."