"Alright, we've basically seen all the famous attractions in central Okhema, plus a few other spots I know."
"There are still some places that are quite far away, on the outskirts of Okhema. We probably can't make it there now."
"Miss Lumina, Miss Herta, besides these, are there any other places you'd like to visit?" Tribbie asked after concluding their tour of Okhema.
"No, I'm good. I had a wonderful time on this tour."
"Tribbie, you're an excellent guide."
Although Lumina felt a little disappointed not to have met Castorice or any other beautiful girls, she reminded herself that she already had one by her side. So, while the tour wasn't perfectly fulfilling, it was far from unpleasant.
Lumina was genuinely happy with the delightful tour.
Still, she would have been even happier—ecstatically so—if she'd encountered more beautiful girls.
After all, when it came to adding a little spice to life, Lumina couldn't get enough.
While one was already satisfying, how could Lumina possibly turn down two, three, four, or even five or six?
In fact, the more there were, the happier Lumina would be.
The sky's the limit~
Of course, this was all within the realm of what Lumina could handle. If there were too many, she'd be completely overwhelmed, and that would be a real headache.
Shaking off the thought, Lumina decided that if fate wasn't on her side today, she'd simply wait for it to arrive another time.
She crouched down, reached out, and gently placed her hand on Tribbie's head, ruffling her hair softly.
"Tribbie, you've worked hard."
"Agy mentioned you have something important to take care of tomorrow, right?" Lumina asked in a gentle voice, her hand still stroking Tribbie's small head.
"You should get some rest. You wouldn't want to embarrass yourself tomorrow by being too tired and making a fool of yourself."
"Mmm..." Hearing Lumina's words, even while lost in the bliss of her irresistibly skilled Head-Rubbing Technique, Tribbie's mind began to wander.
She started imagining the mortifying scene Lumina described: being so exhausted that she'd make a complete fool of herself at tomorrow's Coreflame Ritual.
Seeing this, and knowing exactly what Tribbie was thinking, Lumina chuckled and withdrew her hand from Tribbie's head.
She stood up and said, "You don't want to lose face, do you, Tribbie?"
"In that case, go get some proper rest."
"Herta and I will be fine."
"Mmm..." Lumina paused for a moment before continuing, "And of course, Okhema and Amphoreus will be fine too."
As she finished, Lumina gave Tribbie a meaningful wink, as if hinting at something.
"Mmm... I'll go rest then." Though she felt a pang of regret as the warmth left her head, Tribbie thought for a moment and nodded.
She gave no outward reaction to Lumina's wink, acting as if she hadn't understood its meaning.
But she had.
Though Tribbie looked like a child, she wasn't truly one. How could she possibly fail to grasp Lumina's obvious words and even more obvious gesture?
There was only one reason Tribbie didn't respond.
She couldn't make such a decision alone.
Lumina and Herta were merely visitors from another world. To ask them to interfere with Amphoreus, to interfere with Okhema—Tribbie had to discuss it with Agy first.
She couldn't provide an answer on her own.
So, Tribbie chose to play dumb, pretending she hadn't understood what Lumina was saying.
However...
If Okhema ever faced a true crisis of survival, Tribbie would genuinely beg Lumina to intervene.
She just didn't know if Lumina would still be willing then.
Regardless, for now, feigning ignorance was the best strategy.
Even if she had to plead for Lumina's help to save Okhema later, Tribbie could still pretend she hadn't understood Lumina's hint this time.
Mmm... Tribbie's a bit cunning.
She wondered...
Would Lumina and Herta mind?
Tribbie crossed her arms over her chest and glanced at their expressions. Lumina remained gentle, and Herta remained impassive. Tribbie felt a small sigh of relief.
She couldn't know if they were truly displeased.
But Tribbie knew that, at least outwardly, they showed no signs of displeasure.
And that was enough.
"Mmm, go on." Lumina nodded, taking in Tribbie's subtle expressions without comment. She gave a gentle wave, offering a simple farewell.
Even without mind-reading, Lumina could deduce why Tribbie was playing dumb from her series of small expressions and gestures.
Lumina didn't mind much.
After all, this place had beautiful girls, and she happened to be here.
That made it one of the most perfect places in the entire cosmos.
Undoubtedly.
Unquestionably.
"Miss Lumina, Miss Herta, see you tomorrow!" Hearing Lumina's voice remain so gentle, Tribbie finally relaxed.
She waved goodbye once more before turning and flying away.
Beside Lumina, Herta heard the farewell. Though she didn't wave back like Lumina, she gave a rare nod in acknowledgment.
"My, Herta, you actually nodded goodbye to someone unimportant?"
Lumina was somewhat surprised by Herta's action.
After all, in Lumina's eyes, Herta was the arrogant genius type—the kind who wouldn't even spare a glance for things that didn't interest her.
But now, she had nodded goodbye to a mere program. It made Lumina feel that Herta was a bit of a stranger.
Hmm... well, this isn't the first time Herta has felt unfamiliar.
"I wonder what Herta has been through internally?"
Lumina had been by Herta's side almost constantly during this period, so she could rule out external factors.
If external factors were ruled out, it had to be something internal.
Unfortunately, Lumina didn't have Mind Reading... she couldn't see what Herta had experienced internally to transform her from an arrogant, untouchable genius into her current state.
Another day of wishing for Mind Reading...
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Do you know what that Intellitron said to me when I first came to Amphoreus alone?"
While Lumina was silently throwing a tantrum over her lack of Mind Reading, Herta heard her question, snorted lightly, and retorted.
"What did it say?" Lumina's curiosity was instantly piqued.
At the same time, she remembered.
Although she had been with Herta for most of the time, she had actually left for a short while back then.
Herta had arrived at Amphoreus alone and was stopped by that guy named... Lygus.
Lygus's ability to stop Herta was partly due to his strength.
But Lumina didn't believe that mere strength could have held back Madam Herta.
So...
There had to be a hidden story behind it.
Lumina was dying to know!
"Hmph." Seeing Lumina's curiosity, Herta crossed her arms, the corners of her lips curling into a slight smirk. She hummed softly, keeping Lumina in suspense for a moment before finally speaking under Lumina's expectant gaze. "It said, 'In my long life, [Conscience] has played an extremely important role.'"
"Hmm... what does that mean?" Hearing this, Lumina raised an eyebrow, then lowered her head, stroking her chin in thought for a moment.
Then she looked up, her expression serious, and said to Herta, "Herta, does that mean it's saying you have a bit of humanity?"
"Hmm? Something like that. What about it?" Herta hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Conscience... it's probably about goodwill.
Lygus's words implied that even she, a member of the Genius Society, was occasionally constrained by her humanity.
Herta didn't refute this.
Because it was true.
It was just a statement of fact, and Herta wouldn't deny it.
There had been many times when Herta had abandoned important experiments because of her conscience.
She wasn't particularly bothered by it.
Experiments could always be redone. As the genius Madam Herta, she never lacked inspiration or ideas.
Herta was supremely confident in herself. That's why, as a member of the Genius Society, she still possessed the unique [Conscience] that only true talents could afford.
As for the other members of the Genius Society... aside from Screwllum and Stephen...
If anyone else had been threatened by Lygus like that, wouldn't they have torn Amphoreus apart?
As for Lygus's threat—"If you force your way into Amphoreus, the Cosmos will face the wrath of a [Lord Ravager]"—Herta had already considered the consequences.
Take Ruan Mei, for example. If she became interested in Amphoreus and Lygus blocked her path, what would happen?
The next day—no, within moments—Amphoreus would likely be overrun by all sorts of "little lifeforms."
If Ruan Mei were feeling particularly ruthless, she might even replicate the [Propagation] experiment she conducted on the Space Station.
A miniature [Swarm Disaster] would erupt around Amphoreus.
And if she failed and the Lord Ravager was released?
What would that have to do with her?
Ruan Mei dared to conduct a [Propagation] experiment right under Herta's nose on the Space Station. Was there anything she wouldn't dare to do?
Herta shook her head, dismissing the thought.
Anyway, I'll never become someone like Ruan Mei.
Actually... the main reason is...
Herta glanced at Lumina, who stood before her.
The main reason is Lumina...
"Herta, you know, this is basically like the first stirrings of sentience."
Herta's thoughts had flashed through her mind in an instant.
Unaware of Herta's inner thoughts, Lumina explained the meaning behind Lygus's words.
"Having a [conscience] means you still have humanity."
"And having humanity... isn't that just saying you're showing the first stirrings of sentience?"
"The first stirrings of sentience?" Herta muttered. That doesn't sound like a compliment.
"Yes, the first stirrings of sentience," Lumina said with a completely serious expression.
After watching Herta with a faint smile for a moment, Lumina slowly elaborated, "The phrase 'first stirrings of sentience' is usually used for small animals."
"Lygus was basically calling you a newborn with a freshly grown brain."
Whether Lygus had actually said that, or even meant it, was irrelevant.
Lumina didn't care.
If Lumina said Lygus said it, then Lygus said it.
If Lumina said that's what it meant, then that's what Lygus's words had to mean.
"..."
A genius like Herta couldn't possibly be unaware that Lumina was messing with her.
But it didn't matter.
"So that's what it meant. I understand," Herta said without a hint of doubt, nodding. "In that case, I'll just have to dismantle Intellitron Gnaeus a few extra times when we leave Amphoreus."
In this interpretation of Lygus's words, as explained by Lumina, Lygus might have been innocent.
But on second thought, Lygus wasn't innocent.
If it were innocent, how could it have said something like that in the first place?
Since things had come to this, it deserved a beating.
Besides, Herta genuinely disliked Lygus. Beating it a few extra times would be satisfying, so why not?
"Oh, right. That girl... March 7th, was it?"
"March 7th and Little Swarm—aren't you going to do something about them?"
Without dwelling on the previous topic, Herta turned to Lumina with her question.
"They're on Amphoreus, but not our Amphoreus."
"According to my Perception, they're in different timelines."
"While this is a fortunate encounter for them, they'll surely have to endure some hardship, right?"
"Can you really bear to see that pink-haired girl and Little Swarm suffer?"
There's a saying: Enduring hardship to gain an opportunity is a form of enjoyment.
But gaining an opportunity without hardship? That's called a heaven-sent blessing.
Besides, Herta didn't believe for a second that Lumina would let the pink-haired girl and Little Swarm suffer.
Even a minor scrape on a beautiful girl made Lumina's heart ache—letting them endure real hardship?
Herta wasn't buying it.
"That's not a concern," Lumina said, waving her hand dismissively. "With Little Swarm's strength, as long as no Emanator intervenes, she can walk all over Amphoreus."
"It's not a major issue."
"However..." Lumina trailed off, her tone shifting.
After a moment of thought, she raised her hand and plucked a small kitten from the void.
"I choose you, Phantylia Kitten."
"Meow~"
Having been yanked out of nowhere like this so many times, the Phantylia Kitten was already used to it. After a brief moment of confusion, it regained its composure and lay quietly on the spot, awaiting Lumina's command.
"March 7th—that's the pink-haired girl with the bow who fought you on the Luofu—and a Swarm from the Path of Propagation. Protect them well. Don't let them get hurt."
"Understand?"
In its current state, the Phantylia Kitten was a complete Lord Ravager. Protecting March and Little Swarm would be a simple task.
"Meow~ (Understood)" Hearing Lumina's words, the Phantylia Kitten tilted its head in confusion for a moment. Once it processed the command, a wave of reluctance washed over it.
Without a doubt, it was reluctant to leave Lumina.
After all, her embrace was just so comfortable...
"Off you go." With a casual wave, Lumina used the power of [Time] to teleport the Phantylia Kitten directly to March 7th and Little Swarm's location.
"Let's go, Herta. Time to get back to resting," Lumina said after everything was done.
"Tomorrow will be a bit more lively. Save your strength for it!"
"More lively tomorrow... You mean a new beautiful girl will be appearing before you, don't you?" Herta replied, her tone laced with suspicion.
"Well... that would certainly make things a bit more lively." Lumina didn't deny it. She clasped her hands behind her back, one wrist held by the other, and hummed softly.
Like a vibrant, adorable young woman, she took light, graceful steps, radiating a warmth that was both comforting and endearing.
"Heh."
Herta rolled her eyes and followed.
As sharp as she was, Herta instantly understood what Lumina meant.
It probably meant...
Two beautiful girls would be appearing before Lumina tomorrow.