Asta's family didn't even recognize Bai Ming at first, standing right there beside Divine Herta.
To your average person, a genius is something you look up to, like the sun or the moon in the sky.
But an Aeon? An Aeon is like a black hole in the boundless reaches of deep space—unknowable, invisible.
That changed quickly.
As the fellow who first ran out to receive them collapsed on the spot, paralyzed by sheer terror, the others began to realize something was very wrong.
Unfortunately, Divine Herta wasn't about to give them a chance to react.
She stormed straight into the family council chambers, threw open the grand doors, and locked eyes with a young girl who had just finished a heated shouting match with her family elders.
After all, in a room full of tedious adults, a pink-haired girl with a spark in her eyes stood out like a sore thumb.
"Oi~ Asta, right? Pack your things. You're coming with me."
"Wait, Madam Divine Herta..."
"Wait for what? I haven't the slightest interest in your nonsensical academic reports. Only this girl seems to have any modicum of potential."
Even though Divine Herta talked a big game about dragging Bai Ming along just to help haul someone away, the truth was that since the moment she'd burst through the doors, she hadn't spared a thought as to whether anyone noticed Bai Ming or not.
The rest of the room followed the genius's lead; their attention was so fixated on Asta that they failed to identify the woman standing beside her.
Asta, however, suddenly finding herself the center of a genius's attention, happened to glance at the white-haired woman accompanying her.
And that one look left Asta completely stunned.
Asta might not have fully grasped the concept of an Aeon, but she knew that the romantic Star of Light and the Land of Light were both the handiwork of this Madam Bai Ming.
While many in her family held deep prejudices against the Land of Light, in Asta's eyes, it was the physical incarnation of everything beautiful in the universe.
She had heard countless stories; to her, it was a literal utopia.
So, while the rest of the world was reeling from the shock of Bai Ming ascending as an Aeon, Asta was simply struck by the fact that she finally knew what the woman looked like.
In that moment, Asta's gaze was glued to her.
Joy and shock instantly swept away every trace of her previous bad mood.
"Are you... Madam Bai Ming?!"
The question hit the room like a thunderclap.
"What—?!"
"Huh?!"
As the others squinted at Bai Ming and finally recognized her features, a good number of them followed the first man's lead, fainting dead away from the sheer sensory overload.
Those who stayed upright weren't faring much better, their eyes flickering with a chaotic mix of emotions.
Bai Ming arched an eyebrow.
Asta's gaze was remarkably clear; such pure, unadulterated admiration was a rare find. But why did it feel like this girl was also a member of her little fan club?
Beside her, Divine Herta shot Bai Ming a side-eye.
"Tsk. Even Asta likes you? Fine, whatever. You handle this. Help me kidnap her back to the Land of Light."
"..."
Bai Ming gave Divine Herta a wordless, exasperated look—the woman couldn't even be bothered to say two sentences to recruit someone properly—before turning her attention to Asta, who had already hurried closer.
Compared to the Space Station Lead Researcher in the white lab coat she remembered from the game, this girl was barely in her teens, dressed in an exquisite gown that made her look both adorable and elegant.
"This person here needs someone to help out in her laboratory back in the Land of Light. She specifically asked for you. Interested?"
"The Land of Light?!"
Asta felt as if a miracle had just dropped into her lap.
What had she done to deserve being hand-picked by a genius—and with Madam Bai Ming herself coming along to fetch her?
That was the Land of Light! Word was they were currently building a massive experimental base and recruiting world-renowned scholars from across the cosmos.
Could it be that base?
If she joined, wouldn't that mean she might run into Madam Bai Ming every day?
Asta was so lost in her own fantasy that she forgot to ask if Bai Ming actually did any research in that lab herself.
"I'll go! I'll go!"
Seeing Asta nodding her head off, Divine Herta let out a satisfied smirk.
"Then go pack. We're leaving now. Bring that little sidekick of yours, too."
"Ah... oh."
Asta had been about to ask for exactly that, but Divine Herta seemed to have read her mind.
It all felt a bit rushed, but Asta had been planning to run away from home anyway. This was the perfect, legitimate excuse to slip away.
Half a day later.
Asta, along with Arlan—who was currently pushing a mountain of luggage—and a certain long-eared puppy, boarded the ship. Together with Bai Ming and Herta, they left her family behind.
Divine Herta watched the somewhat stiff Asta sitting beside them, her tone noticeably cheerier.
"I imagine the IPC is in a total tizzy by now. An Aeon drops into a private residence, scares half the population into a coma, and makes off with a young girl."
"The IPC should be used to it by now. Besides, you were the one who kidnapped her, not me," Bai Ming countered.
She felt her dealings with the Corporation weren't that frequent, though they existed. Theoretically, they shouldn't be that easily rattled.
The two of them chatted away, while Asta finally began to come down from her high.
Then, a realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
The Madam Bai Ming who was taking her away... she was an Aeon, wasn't she?
She had just been invited by a literal god?
The weight of what had just happened—and the absolute storm it would cause back home—finally crashed down on her.
The stars in Asta's eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by a rigid, nervous tension. Even Arlan looked like he didn't know where to put his hands.
Peppy, however, blissfully unaware of the cosmic gravity of the situation, crawled over to Bai Ming with his tongue lolling out. He sniffed curiously at Bai Ming's shin, seemingly catching a scent he really liked.
So this is Peppy?
Bai Ming reached down, scooped Peppy up, and set him on her lap.
It wasn't surprising the dog took to her; the vitality of Permanence and the affinity of Hope tended to act as a natural magnet for living things.
"What's his name?" Bai Ming asked, scratching the pup under the chin. She wondered if this little creature was the same Peppy from the space station in the game.
"He... his name is Peppy. He's my pet."
Asta felt a bit self-conscious. She'd brought a person and a dog; even though Divine Herta had agreed, she worried she was being a bit greedy.
Bai Ming nodded slightly. So it really was him. For a little dog, that's one heck of a lifespan. She wondered if he was born that way or modified later.
"He's a good boy."
Hearing this, Peppy sat up on her lap, tilted his head back to look at Bai Ming, and wagged his tail so hard it looked like a propeller.
"Thank you! Peppy has always been very well-behaved."
Having found a safe topic, Asta's nerves finally began to steady. She started telling Bai Ming all about Peppy.
Sitting across from them, Divine Herta watched the two people and the dog who had once worked at her space station.
For a moment, she felt a pang of nostalgia. Although she knew she came from a "world of possibilities" that hadn't happened here, the memories were real to her.
Finding a trusted subordinate in this new world brought her a deep sense of satisfaction.
She remembered how the old Asta used to ask why she didn't visit Herta Space Station more often.
Now that Asta was working in the Land of Light lab, Herta doubted she'd go long stretches without visiting.
Asta should be quite happy, Herta mused.
The ship flew directly to the Land of Light.
The Land was vast, designed to accommodate a massive population of light-based lifeforms and their families. The research institute was located in a peripheral but expansive district.
As soon as Asta stepped off the ship, she saw... a world that looked remarkably normal.
Because this ringed sector gathered the majority of the ordinary humans in the Land of Light, the light-beings who could transform generally defaulted to their human forms here.
Noticing the faint flicker of disappointment in Asta's eyes, Bai Ming smiled.
"What? Think it looks a bit ordinary?"
"Ah? No, no! I just... I thought I'd see a lot of Giants of Light..."
"If you want to see that, you have to fly closer to the star. That's where most of the giants live in their true forms."
Asta nodded, enlightened.
"Alright then. You go with Divine Herta to report to the lab. I should probably head out."
"Eh?"
Asta froze, looking at Bai Ming in shock. "You aren't staying here?"
"No. I'm usually either wandering the cosmos or staying at the Simulated Universe Space Station. I don't come to the Land of Light all that often."
"Ehhh—"
Asta let out a very strange, strangled sound. She looked at Bai Ming with total confusion, unable to fathom why the creator would stay away from her own creation.
"What, did you think I lived here full-time?"
"Yes... I thought after coming here, I might be able to see you often, Madam Bai Ming." Asta let out a heavy sigh.
Beside them, Divine Herta couldn't help but glare at Bai Ming.
What is this?! Did Asta only come here because of this woman? Was that even allowed?
With her memories of the old space station, Divine Herta felt like her perfect "tool" was about to be stolen away by Bai Ming!
"..."
Bai Ming shot Herta a helpless look. It wasn't like she'd done it on purpose.
But seeing Asta looking so pitiful, Bai Ming relented. "Well... I'll make an effort to drop by more often when I'm free."
"Really?!"
"Of course. I'll have to see how you're getting on, after all."
Bai Ming ignored Divine Herta's twitching eyelid. Things had already come to this; she couldn't exactly break the heart of a young girl who had just run away from home.
This little pink-haired girl wasn't the "Station Lead" just yet, after all.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL