Seeing Bai Ming like this, Acheron couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
She was adorable, yet incredibly dependable. It felt only natural to fall for someone like her.
"Having said that, I didn't expect you to care so much about the 'purity' of such feelings."
"Is it really a matter of purity...?"
Bai Ming scratched her head, looking helpless. "This is clearly a matter of taking advantage of someone's vulnerability. You're definitely sidestepping the main issue here."
Acheron just offered a noncommittal smile. As for whether she had phrased it that way on purpose, only she knew for sure.
Just as the two were deciding to find another Delve they hadn't visited yet for a casual stroll, a message popped up from Qingque.
Apparently, the employees had heard they were working on a project for Bai Ming—the Aeon herself—and were suddenly acting like they'd been injected with Adderall. They were so hyped they'd volunteered for overtime, churning out an initial draft of the project proposal in a mere half-day.
Qingque mentioned she had already chased everyone home to get some rest, but she still wanted Bai Ming to drop by and see if the plan looked okay or if anything needed a bit of polish.
Acheron saw the chat logs and chuckled. "See? It's perfectly common for people to be fond of you. You really don't need to overthink it."
"You... you're actually twisting the facts to suit your argument now, aren't you?" Bai Ming shot Acheron a skeptical look. "Is their 'fondness' even remotely the same thing as yours?"
Bai Ming gave her a weird look. Sure, Acheron's behavior was changing a bit, but there was no need for her to lean into such strange directions.
Acheron, however, was completely unfazed by the rebuttal. She simply puffed out her chest and held her head high. "Feelings don't come in ranks, and neither does affection."
"..."
Bai Ming was left speechless. She even began to wonder if, once she was completely free from the influence of Nihility, Acheron would ever return to that cool, aloof woman she used to be.
Not wanting to press the argument—mostly because she felt that continuing would only make the atmosphere turn unnecessarily intimate—Bai Ming decided to change the subject. It was better to focus on the tangible stuff at Celestial Sparrow Entertainment.
"I'm heading over to Celestial Sparrow Entertainment. Want to come along?"
"I'll join you. I'd like to hear the specifics of how they're handling it."
Even though Acheron didn't strictly need to keep an eye on things anymore, she was still curious about how that world would be designed.
Bai Ming nodded, took Acheron's hand, and the two vanished into a flicker of Phase Flame.
On the other side of things, Qingque watched the familiar flames ignite in her office. She let out a wide yawn and stood up from her desk.
"Yawn... Boss, the project drafts are all on the desktop. Take your time with them; I'm gonna go crash on the sofa for a bit."
Acheron stepped out of the flames and walked straight to the computer, while Bai Ming looked at the yawning Qingque.
"Don't tell me you pulled an all-nighter with them?"
"Sort of. Just a little overtime. Everyone was working with such passion, I couldn't exactly just pack up and head home as the boss, right?"
Qingque laughed awkwardly as she pulled out the office sofa to turn it into a makeshift bed. As she turned around clutching her pillow, she finally noticed the pattern on her boss's forehead.
"Uh... Boss, is that forehead design some new fashion statement you're trying out?" Qingque pointed to her own brow, her face full of curiosity.
"I was just playing around with a friend. Little kids shouldn't go snooping into grown-up business."
"..."
Qingque stared at the stamp, which looked suspiciously like Madam Herta, then looked at Bai Ming's expression.
She got the feeling things weren't that simple—otherwise, her boss wouldn't be acting so cagey.
But as much as she wanted to gossip, Qingque didn't dare push her luck.
If her boss got annoyed and did some behind-the-scenes maneuvering to drag her last remaining clone into a fourth job, she'd be finished.
So, Qingque blinked, shut her mouth, kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the bed.
The moment her head hit the pillow, she let out another massive yawn and drifted off, completely ignoring her boss and Miss Acheron in the room.
Seeing that the girl hadn't even bothered with a blanket, Bai Ming sighed.
With a casual wave of her hand, she manifested a thin coverlet over Qingque. Only then did she circle the desk to join Acheron in reviewing the proposal.
To be fair, while the designers didn't know the full story, the requirements Bai Ming had laid out had yielded some pleasant surprises.
They had addressed details she hadn't even considered and proposed several viable solutions.
Even the Mourning Actors and Masked Fools had been busy; in a single night, they had churned out hundreds of outlines for various tragic and comic stories.
They looked quite promising and could easily be fleshed out as side quests to add depth to the game's world.
The proposal was quite extensive. Since it featured high-freedom gameplay and no forced monetization, the designers had clearly gone wild, sneaking in all their favorite elements from other games. Their passion was palpable.
Aside from a few minor tweaks, Bai Ming was very satisfied with the general direction. Most of the "issues" stemmed from the fact that they were designing it as a traditional building game.
Neither Bai Ming nor Qingque had told them that the game would be constructed within a literal, physical world. Those gaps were unavoidable for now and easily fixed later.
Setting those small problems aside, she was genuinely impressed by their efficiency and drive. She even started wondering what kind of corporate retreat she should give them. Maybe a trip to Penacony? Or the Xianzhou Fanghu?
Or perhaps she could contact the Queen of Glamoth and take them there for a "100% realistic" bug-slaying experience. That would be a real "hack-and-slash" delight.
"What do you think?" Bai Ming asked, making sure to get Acheron's input.
Acheron didn't seem to have many complaints. "It's good. Though, I'm not sure if these specific parts can be adjusted."
Acheron spoke hesitantly, pointing out a few areas she'd marked in red. Some mirrored Bai Ming's own thoughts, while others were unique concerns. Because this involved the Sin Thirsters, Acheron was being incredibly meticulous. Bai Ming, not wanting to dampen her spirit, leaned in and joined the discussion.
They continued until a cute little noise came from the sofa, signaling that Qingque was waking up from her nap.
Qingque squirmed on the sofa for a bit with her eyes squeezed shut, then suddenly froze. She turned her head and found herself locked in the gaze of two pairs of eyes.
Her round little face turned bright red in a matter of seconds. Like a coiled spring, she snapped into a sitting position.
"Did you... see all of that?"
Bai Ming and Acheron shared a look, both seeing the glint of amusement in the other's eyes, and then nodded in unison.
"..."
The world turned dark for Qingque. Usually, she was the only one in this office, and the employees never dared disturb her.
She'd gotten used to letting her guard down and not worrying about her image while resting. Today... she had made a grave tactical error.
Laughing, Bai Ming walked over and scooped Qingque up by the shoulders. "Alright, stop overheating. We've already marked the parts that need changing in the document. Take a look."
Once the modified files were handed over, Bai Ming and Acheron were basically done. Celestial Sparrow Entertainment just had to follow the new plan.
There was no rush for an immediate finished product, so it wasn't a problem. With Qingque at the helm, the company would be running like a well-oiled machine in no time.
Acheron seemed particularly invested in the project, so after asking Bai Ming for a spark of Phase Flame, she decided to hang around the office for a while.
As for her physical condition, the power Bai Ming had left in her body would last for a long time, so there was no worry about them being apart for a bit.
Bai Ming, meanwhile, made a trip back to the Simulated Universe space station. She mainly wanted to see if Celenova was behaving herself.
But the moment they met, Celenova's gaze turned... odd.
"...What's with that look?"
Celenova just gave a light chuckle, staring at Bai Ming as if she were some rare specimen.
"Heh~ I'm just reflecting on how unexpected it is. I never thought someone like you would engage in such... intimate interactions with others. And you're clearly wearing the frequencies of more than one person. Some faint, some deep. How very interesting."
Bai Ming nearly lost her cool. Since when did the power of Harmony allow someone to sniff out that kind of information?
"You creep. Is that what the power of Harmony is for? Prying into people's business?"
"Don't blame me. Blame the fact that your own frequency is so overwhelming that any 'harmonics' left by others become glaringly obvious on you."
Celenova had a teasing smirk on her face, throwing her hands up as if to say it wasn't her fault.
Bai Ming's frequency was a contradiction: high-profile yet lacking in aggression or pressure.
It was so unique that if anyone else's frequency mixed in, no matter how well they harmonized, it stood out like a splash of red on a black wall.
That in itself was one thing, but having two distinct marks was something else entirely.
"I'm genuinely curious. Just who—what kind of holy being, what species, what gender—could actually move your heart enough to... strike a chord?"
To Celenova, this was the discovery of the century. An Aeon maintaining intimate relationships with mortals—and apparently more than one. It completely flipped her perception of Bai Ming.
But Bai Ming wasn't about to leak her private life to Celenova.
If little Robin had discovered it, she might have talked. But Celenova was always up to no good; there was no way she was getting a straight answer.
"Do I look like the type of person who'd tell you that? Of course, if you're willing to 'sacrifice' yourself a little, I might be persuaded to share."
"..."
Hearing that, Celenova immediately took two steps back, hugging herself defensively as she shot Bai Ming a wary look.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL