Herta Space Station
A pure white figure materialized on the platform. Perhaps due to deliberate concealment, she went unnoticed by the people there.
"Heh heh~"
Herta would never guess that I'd come to the Space Station right after the Wardance Ceremony~
The newcomer was none other than Lumina, who had just departed from the Xianzhou Luofu. Gazing at the familiar space station, she couldn't help but imagine the adorable expression Herta would make upon discovering her sudden visit.
Lost in thought, Lumina began to hum a little tune.
"Hmm hmm hmm~ Hmm hmm hmm♪"
Following the path from memory, she walked through the station for a while before arriving at Herta's office.
She stared at the tightly shut door, adorned with three signs: "Do Not Disturb," "Do Not Knock," and "If It's Urgent, Say It Later."
But Lumina paid them no mind. A faint green light enveloped her as she walked straight toward the door.
Without knocking or opening it, she simply phased through the solid barrier and entered.
Lumina didn't know if Herta was inside. At the very least, she hadn't sensed Herta's main body anywhere on the space station.
Upon entering Herta's office, the first thing that caught Lumina's eye was the massive, conspicuous Simulated Universe Device in the center of the room. The second most noticeable thing was a small Herta puppet tinkering with something in front of it.
A smile bloomed on Lumina's face as she watched the puppet, which emanated a faint aura.
Looks like my luck is pretty good.
Although Herta's main body wasn't here, her consciousness was currently residing within this very puppet.
Herta seemed completely absorbed in her own world, oblivious to Lumina's arrival.
But Lumina had expected as much.
After all, she had concealed both her aura and her form. If Herta could still detect her despite this double layer of concealment, Lumina might as well find a block of long-frozen tofu and bash her head against it.
Watching Herta engrossed in her research, Lumina decided not to disturb her.
Instead, she stealthily found a seat, openly activated her phone's recording function, and began filming Herta's experiment.
While this wasn't exactly blackmail material—it couldn't be used to threaten Herta into submission—that didn't matter.
But that didn't matter. This was just to satisfy Lumina's little mischievous hobby.
With the recording function active, Lumina kept her phone aimed at Herta, filming continuously.
She seemed to enjoy it immensely. As the minutes and seconds ticked by, Lumina still hadn't lowered her phone.
"Hah..."
"Fascinating... truly fascinating!"
"A massive void! It can't be observed or interfered with, yet it continues to operate normally!"
After an unknown amount of time, Herta finally broke free from her intense focus on her research, her cute little face flushed with excitement.
"Oh? Madam Herta, did you discover something?" Seeing Herta so animated, Lumina put away her phone and asked curiously.
"A void has appeared in the Simulated Universe! It's from a period of history after the Second Emperor War, known as the Scholars' Strife."
"It's extremely chaotic, yet it functions normally."
"So—"
"Hmm?"
Caught up in her excitement, Herta had initially responded to the familiar voice without thinking, rattling off a long explanation.
But just as Herta was about to reveal the crucial part, she finally registered the voice and let out a soft, questioning "Hmm?"
Turning her head toward the source of the sound, she saw a familiar, pure-white figure standing before her.
"Hey~ Miss me?" Sensing Herta's gaze, Lumina waved with a broad smile.
"..."
"Who missed you? Could you stop being so full of yourself?"
Unlike the candid Madam Ruan Mei, Madam Herta was a bit of a tsundere.
If Lumina had said this to Ruan Mei, she would have nodded calmly, her expression unchanging, and admitted she missed her.
But with Herta, even if she desperately missed Lumina in her heart, she would pretend otherwise on the surface, averting her gaze and feigning busyness and indifference.
So predictable, Lumina thought to herself.
3...
2...
1...
As Lumina counted down in her mind, Herta did exactly as she'd predicted. She turned her head back, refocused her gaze on the Simulated Universe Device, and put on an act of being busy and unconcerned.
"Pfft... hahaha."
Watching Herta's performance, Lumina tried her best to hold it in, but ultimately failed and burst out laughing on the spot.
"Hahaha..."
Anyone who's experienced this knows: once you break past that dam of restraint, there's no stopping the flood until it runs its course.
And so...
"Hahaha..."
Lumina's laughter echoed relentlessly through the office, causing Madam Herta, who was still feigning indifference and busyness, to clench her fists tightly.
"Hahaha..."
Herta: (╯▔皿▔)╯
"What's so funny, you member of the Dunce Society!"
Herta couldn't take it anymore. With a decisive clench of her five fingers in the air, a massive hammer materialized in her hand.
Without a moment's hesitation, she swung the hammer viciously at Lumina.
Thwump!
Naturally, it hit nothing but air.
Even if Herta's main body, the Emanator of Erudition, were here to launch a "magic attack," she still wouldn't be able to touch Lumina—let alone this mere puppet.
"Ahem..." Lumina coughed, looking at the Herta Puppet, which was now puffing its cheeks in anger while maintaining its usual deadpan expression. A pang of regret struck her.
If I were facing Herta's main body right now, she'd probably be in a red-hot state, wouldn't she?
Lumina sighed inwardly with regret.
This puppet is adorable in its own way, but because it's just a puppet, it lacks so much...
Shaking off the thought, she refocused on the scene before her. Herta stood there, hammer still raised, glaring at her with a mix of embarrassment and anger.
Lumina smiled. "Madam Herta, please calm down. Getting angry is bad for your health, you know."
"Hmph... Who said I'm angry?" Herta stared at Lumina for a moment longer before letting out a long breath and dismissing the massive hammer.
She turned back to the Simulated Universe Device.
"How long are you staying?"
"How long do you want me to stay?"
"So you're free? Perfect. Come over here and help me research the Simulated Universe."
Realizing Lumina had time on her hands, Herta wasted no time in ordering her around.
"You really don't hold back, do you?" Lumina chuckled helplessly. She sighed as she walked over to Herta's side. "Ah... I really can't say no to you. You are Herta, after all."
At those words, the corners of Herta's mouth lifted into a faint, subtle smile.
But the moment Lumina reached her side, the smile vanished instantly.
-
"So, what is this?" Walking up to the Simulated Universe Device, Lumina noticed the black hole inside.
"I've named it... Simulated Universe: Unknowable Domain!" Herta's voice lacked the earlier excitement and fervor.
Perhaps Lumina's arrival has diverted some of her attention?
"Unknowable Domain? How did this thing come into being?"
"I don't know." To Lumina's question, Herta—in a rare display of uncertainty—shook her head.
"That's why I plan to go in myself to find clues and see what's really inside." Herta turned to face Lumina directly. "You keep watch for me. If anything goes wrong midway, wake me up."
"If it's dangerous, why don't I go in and test it? You can stay here and observe. The results will be the same either way." Lumina glanced at the black hole in the device, then shifted her gaze back to Herta, making her proposal.
"No, absolutely not." Hearing Lumina's proposal, Herta shook her head. "Anyone can be the tester, but you absolutely cannot."
Lumina: ?
Wow, really? Are you targeting me specifically?
Anyone can be the tester, except me. Madam Herta, you're not even bothering to pretend anymore, are you?
Hearing Herta's words, a large question mark slowly materialized above Lumina's head.
Lumina said nothing, waiting for Herta's explanation.
"Ah, my apologies. I didn't mean it the way you're thinking." Seeing Lumina's slightly confused expression, Herta paused for a moment, realizing her words could be misinterpreted. She quickly clarified, "Do you remember what I told you during your first Simulated Universe test?"
"?"
Now more familiar with Lumina, Herta knew she was a bit of an airheaded beauty and elaborated, "I said back then that because you're an Emanator, your power is too immense. Even if you ran the test, we wouldn't get any meaningful results."
"But isn't this just for exploration? Since it's exploration, wouldn't stronger be better?" Hearing this explanation, Lumina grew even more confused. "Otherwise, if something went wrong, the risk wouldn't be worth it."
"Yes, if you were still at your previous power level, I'd definitely send you in." Herta crossed her arms, stating this as if it were the most natural thing in the world, causing Lumina's mouth to twitch slightly.
Alright, alright. So you'd send me in because it's dangerous?
Fine, that's perfectly reasonable.
It's my honor to risk my life for a beautiful girl.
But...
"What do you mean, 'if I were still at my previous power level'?" Lumina immediately caught the key point and asked, puzzled.
I haven't done much recently. Could my power have actually gotten weaker?
"Not weaker. Your power has grown far, far stronger than before. The current Simulated Universe can't withstand the pressure you'd exert." Herta kept her arms crossed, seemingly reading Lumina's thoughts as she explained, "If you entered the Simulated Universe and, in a moment of excitement, accidentally released even a sliver of your aura, the entire Simulated Universe, the Herta Space Station, and even The Blue below would all be destroyed."
The Simulated Universe is the masterpiece of several geniuses. If Lumina blew it up, with a bit of bad luck, this entire star system might just vanish.
"..."
"So... I'm a bomb now?" After a moment of silence, Lumina finally understood her current status.
"More or less." Herta nodded, affirming Lumina's analogy.
"Just stay out here and observe. Leave the inside to me." Herta waved her hand dismissively, then prepared to enter the Simulated Universe to investigate the black hole.
"Go on, go on." Lumina could only sigh in resignation.
Herta was the professional; Lumina was the amateur.
Naturally, the amateur had to listen to the professional. Since Herta had made her decision, there was nothing Lumina could do.
She just felt a little bored.
I came all this way to see you, and the first thing you do isn't to cuddle with me, but to make me your assistant for Simulated Universe research.
Waaah...
Lumina wailed silently in her heart.
"Oh, right."
Just then, Herta seemed to remember something and abruptly stopped what she was doing.
Under Lumina's expectant gaze, she slowly began to speak. "Before you arrived, I already sent a message about this black hole in the Simulated Universe to the group chat."
"Screwllum replied. He should be here any minute."
"You can brief him on the situation when he arrives."
Herta had originally planned to wait for Screwllum before entering, as having an extra person provided a safety net. If something went wrong inside, there would be a contingency.
Of course, Herta disdained the need for personal escape routes. This contingency wasn't for her own escape.
It was for the Simulated Universe itself.
What if something happened that caused a problem with the Simulated Universe?
The masterpiece of several geniuses—and one dunce—couldn't be destroyed by an unknown black hole.
As for what would happen if she ran into trouble?
Ridiculous. Herta couldn't imagine ever having a problem with a device she herself had created.
So that wasn't even a concern.
"Oh, that. Got it." Upon hearing this, Lumina's expectant gaze immediately vanished. She waved her hand listlessly. "I'll tell Screwllum. Go on, don't worry."
Lumina's words were slightly ambiguous, but she didn't bother to correct herself.
She was currently feeling a tiny, tiny, tiny bit of dissatisfaction with Madam Herta.
"Alright, let's begin," Herta announced, either ignoring the undertone in Lumina's words or simply not understanding it.
"Mhm," Lumina hummed softly, tapping the Simulated Universe Device before her.
Herta had taught her most of the basic operations for the Simulated Universe, so Lumina knew what to do.
"Oh, right. One more thing."
"Hm? What is it?"
Even though Lumina was "angry," she still put on her best smile for Herta.
"Welcome to the Space Station..."
With those words, Herta entered the Simulated Universe.
"..."
Pfft...
After a moment of stunned silence, Lumina came to her senses and shook her head with a helpless smile.
"Such a tsundere."
Madam Herta's pride is harder than the Amber Lord's...