Having made her decision, Bai Ming carefully visualized the appearance of Bronya: Silverwing in her mind.
She considered every detail, from the original design to several of her different outfits. Drawing from these mental images, Bai Ming raised her hand and made a grasping motion in front of her face.
A blue mask materialized in her palm.
With a casual flick, she tossed the mask to her side. It erupted in a brilliant blue radiance, the light rapidly condensing into a human form.
Before long, a figure strikingly similar to an adult Silver Wolf appeared before everyone.
She had those familiar silver-grey curls, but her height and figure were easily on par with the likes of Kafka. Her features were more mature, too.
Clad in a dark-toned dress with a wing-like cape draped over her right shoulder, the image she projected was one of unparalleled beauty.
To be honest, Bai Ming had initially considered using Haxxor Bunny, as that version's size and abilities were a closer match.
But compared to a child, Bai Ming felt a taller, more curvaceous build was better—at least it looked more sophisticated.
Silverwing took a moment to inspect her new body from a first-person perspective. She then turned her gaze toward Jingliu, who was currently busy prying Elio out from the cracks in the sofa.
"What do you think? I'll use this look as a Stellaron Hunter."
Elio, having been successfully "uprooted" from the sofa by Jingliu, let out a meow of approval.
Kafka, ever bold, stepped closer to inspect her new companion. "And what should we call this version of you, Madam Bai Ming?"
"Bronya: Silverwing. You can just call me Silverwing for short."
Kafka arched an eyebrow. It was a strange name, but as a nickname, Silverwing worked well enough.
Bai Ming performed a quick calibration of the link between this persona and her true self, setting the power levels accordingly. Once she felt everything was in order, she left the clone behind and departed.
As for Elio—well, even if things hadn't gone exactly to plan, he had still managed to recruit a top-tier teammate.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Elio turned and led the group away from Punklorde.
On the other side of things...
Silver Wolf had spent some time nervously tidying up her room. Finally, the figure she had been longing for so very long appeared.
Initially, Silver Wolf felt a sudden impulse to rush forward, throw her arms around her sister, and act like a total brat. But she had grown up, after all. A sense of bashfulness made her freeze; her arms stayed down, and her half-step forward halted mid-motion.
"Cough... You—how'd you just walk in like that?"
Seeing Silver Wolf acting so coy, Bai Ming chuckled. She didn't say a word, simply walking over to pull Silver Wolf into a proactive hug, affectionately ruffling her hair.
"It's just us here. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
Her face pressed into Bai Ming's chest, Silver Wolf felt the soft warmth and the gentle, clean fragrance of her sister. Her face flushed a deep crimson instantly.
Yet, beyond the shyness, she truly missed her sister's embrace.
Over the past few years, Bai Ming had sent clones to visit her, but a clone was just a clone.
Silver Wolf was a practitioner of Elation herself; in her eyes, there was always a fundamental difference between a projection and the real thing.
And now, she was finally face-to-face with the real Bai Ming...
Silver Wolf's nose crinkled, and she nearly shed a few "little pearls."
She tried to squirm a couple of times, but when she couldn't break free from Bai Ming's hold, the strength in her hands faded. She carefully wrapped her arms around Bai Ming in return.
She pressed her face deeper into Bai Ming's embrace. A few stray tears escaped, leaving traces of warmth and moisture against Bai Ming's skin.
"Heh..."
Bai Ming gently stroked Silver Wolf's hair, rubbing her back with a soothing rhythm.
Yeah, little Silver Wolf is still as cute as ever.
Sure, she was going through a bit of a rebellious phase, but overall, she was the same adorable girl she'd always been.
"I've already convinced the Stellaron Hunters to head back. However, they did mention what Bronya was thinking."
"Guh—"
Buried in Bai Ming's arms, Silver Wolf went completely stiff. Internally, she cursed those two women for selling her out so easily, but outwardly, she couldn't find the words to speak.
She felt a wave of shame—not because of her feelings, but because she hadn't voiced them herself; instead, Bai Ming had found out this way.
Bai Ming could feel the smooth skin of the girl's cheek heating up against her.
But Silver Wolf wasn't that same little girl anymore.
Ashamed as she was, staying huddled in someone's arms felt even more childish. Despite the lingering panic in her eyes, she pulled herself away from the hug.
"I want to go with you, Sister. I don't want to go to the IPC, and I don't want to join the Stellaron Hunters."
Silver Wolf stared intently into Bai Ming's eyes. She had a "sink or swim" look about her, but at least she had finally spat out what was on her mind.
"Are you sure you want to follow me? Your growth rate might slow down quite a bit."
Bai Ming wasn't lying. She wasn't exactly a fan of conflict; if Silver Wolf stayed with her, there probably wouldn't be many adventures to use for "leveling up."
Silver Wolf did hesitate. Thanks to her experiences before being taken in, she struggled with a lack of security.
While Bai Ming's intervention had helped significantly, Silver Wolf's current drive to get stronger was now fueled by a desire to "keep up with Sister Bai Ming."
For a Silver Wolf who hadn't hit max level yet, slowing down her progress was a legitimate concern. But then again...
She wanted to get stronger so she could stay by Bai Ming's side. She could hardly abandon being by Bai Ming's side just for the sake of getting stronger, right? Silver Wolf wasn't about to get her priorities backward.
After a moment's thought, she nodded seriously. "I'm sure."
"Alright then. Come with me, Bronya."
Bai Ming smiled and patted Silver Wolf's head. Come to think of it, had this version of Silver Wolf already provoked Herta and Screwllum?
In the original game's plot, Silver Wolf had challenged Screwllum and taunted Herta right at the start of her career. Now that Silver Wolf was her "younger sister," she wondered if that would still happen.
"But even though you're coming with me, I don't have that much for you to do. So if there's anything you want to do, you're free to go do it whenever. Just remember to come back."
"I know." Silver Wolf nodded in agreement.
She actually had quite a few things on her to-do list once she left with Bai Ming.
For instance, she wanted to head to Amphoreus to find Cipher and that pet that was as black as a lump of coal. She also wanted to challenge the ruler of Planet Screwllum.
Then there was the matter of visiting Planarcadia to discuss technical issues with Pearl.
Actually, she had even tried to hack into the Land of Light to taunt that weird Divine Herta.
Unfortunately, she didn't succeed and ended up getting a bit of a "lesson" from her instead.
Even though Silver Wolf had been on Punklorde all these years, it didn't mean her activities were limited to the planet; she just hadn't discussed the details with Bai Ming.
In the end, Bai Ming brought Silver Wolf back to the Space Station.
Originally, Bai Ming thought about letting Silver Wolf go to Amphoreus first to meet Cipher. The two had been on decent terms ever since they caused that massive stir in Punklorde.
However, Silver Wolf had apparently missed Bai Ming too much; she refused to leave and insisted on sticking to her like glue.
This led to Herta, upon discovering them, mocking her for being a "little tag-along."
It was a well-known fact that Herta had a sharp tongue and a small ego. It was also a well-known fact that Silver Wolf had a bit of a temper.
Consequently...
Silver Wolf, taunted by Herta, went "Red Mode" on the spot. Without a second word, she began an all-out hack of the Herta Space Station, vowing to steal every single Curio in the station's collection!
Now, Herta wasn't about to take that lying down. Even if the Curios were things Herta had long grown bored of, it didn't mean she'd tolerate being provoked by a brat.
If Silver Wolf hadn't been brought back by Bai Ming, Herta might have used some "adult methods" to retaliate.
Bai Ming hadn't expected this.
These two, who shouldn't have had any overlap yet unlike the game, were now locked in a digital duel because of her. It was as if they were fundamentally incompatible.
Setting aside their technical skills, their verbal sparring was just as intense; they were ruthlessly sniping at each other. Bai Ming was exhausted just watching them.
On the other hand, Screwllum—who was technically supposed to be Silver Wolf's rival—showed up after hearing the news and began observing Silver Wolf's methods with great interest.
"Is this the child you took in on Punklorde?"
"...It wasn't exactly 'taking her in,' just providing a bit of help."
"Fascinating technique. And the hacking skills this Miss Bronya employs are quite different from the norm. Is this the fabled upgraded Aether Editing?"
Screwllum was getting excited; he wanted to test Silver Wolf's level himself.
When it came to hacking, Silver Wolf was the real deal. If Herta didn't resort to other means and stuck purely to a hacking contest, she really couldn't beat Silver Wolf.
However...
The one who struck before Screwllum could was Divine Herta, who had also caught wind of the situation. Herta always held a grudge, and Divine Herta was no exception.
Even though Silver Wolf had come out on the losing end of their previous encounter, it didn't mean Divine Herta had forgotten the slight. Seeing an opportunity, she dove back into the fray.
As for Silver Wolf...
She was in high spirits, looking ready to go for three hundred rounds. She was completely immersed in the network, having forgotten where she even was.
Bai Ming had little interest in hacking tech. Seeing the three of them so obsessed and realizing this wouldn't end anytime soon, she turned to the robot.
"Screwllum, I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on them."
"Leave it to me. This is a wonderful observation opportunity regardless."
Screwllum gave a slight nod, signaling for Bai Ming to leave without worry.
Bai Ming didn't go far. She just found some snacks on the Space Station to satisfy her cravings while taking a moment to pull some cards.
--+--
[Roleplay System]
[Name: Bai Ming]
[Lifespan: ∞]
[Transformable Characters: Big Herta, Celenova, Jingliu, Ruan Mei, Sparkle, Hertatomb, Lord Ravager - Jingliu, Young Herta, Robin, Artoria, Cipher, Georios, General of the Yuque - Qingque, Huohuo, Silver Wolf, Hysilens, Cyrene - Fuli (Charge: 46.5%), Acheron (Charge: 21.3%), Calypso (Charge: 1.8%)]
[Available Pulls: 21 (92.6%)]
--+--
It hadn't been long since her last roleplay ended.
However, thanks to the Simulated Universe, her emotion points had surged quite a bit.
Bai Ming silently commanded a pull.
Accompanied by the familiar gacha animation, a figure emerged from the golden glow of the Astral Express door. It was a girl with a white and purple theme, her eyes shimmering with stars.
"Holy crap... How did I pull Finality? Is that even in the pool?!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL