In the pure white space, Madam Herta stood before a massive light screen.
Her gaze lingered longer on the left light screen, watching that "Tingyun" Phantylia swaying her fan with flickering fox ears, her mouth twitching uncontrollably twice.
"...Why."
Black Herta's voice was very light, carrying a sense of exhaustion like one who discovered a project failed after working seventy-two hours of overtime. "Why is Phantylia here?"
Beside her, the system—a doll girl with purple hair and inverted cross pupils—immediately began analyzing, a stream of data surging through her eyes: "Tracing the trajectory of anomalous energy coordinate migration... matching Joy Path interference characteristics... similarity 99.97%..."
"No need to analyze."
Black Herta raised her hand to interrupt directly. "Aha did it, right?"
The system nodded calmly: "Yes. Based on existing data and event anomalies, the probability of it being 'Gift of Joy No. 3' is 99.99%."
"Heh."
Black Herta let out a mirthless breath and raised her hand to rub her throbbing temples. "One after another... Herta, Phantylia... this Aeon really doesn't mind the chaos. Does He think things aren't lively enough on my end?"
She looked at Phantylia's effortless posture on the light screen and, remembering this woman's capabilities, felt her headache intensify.
"Do you remember our original purpose?"
Black Herta seemed to be asking the system, or perhaps herself, her tone tinged with absurdity. "We just came to find Huo Huo. A lost Little Judge. And the result? Fuyuki City has become a team-building site for otherworldly Heroic Spirits (and Emanators), and as for the Xianzhou side..."
She turned her gaze to the light screen—near the cargo hold where Kafka and Silver Wolf were.
In the image, Kafka was leaning against a container, the hem of her dark red trench coat fluttering without wind. She had her arms crossed, and her usual lazy composure was gone, replaced by deep contemplation as her fingertips unconsciously tapped her arm.
Occasionally, she would look up in a certain direction, her brow slightly furrowed.
Silver Wolf squatted nearby with her game console, but she clearly wasn't playing seriously. She stole glances at Kafka from time to time and looked around, her bubblegum-chewing frequency much faster than usual.
"...The Xianzhou's 'BOSS' is gone."
Black Herta sighed. "Packaged by Aha and sent to Fuyuki City to be a Servant. Then how is this Xianzhou'Stellaron' and 'Abundance' chaos plot... supposed to play out? Kafka and the others' script, Elio's prophecy—won't they all fall through?"
This wasn't just a matter of fun anymore; it could directly affect her fragile partnership with the Stellaron Hunters and even trigger larger timeline disturbances.
"Any new news from Kafka's side?" Black Herta asked the system.
The system quickly retrieved communication records: "Since the last 'Processed' message, Ms. Kafka has not initiated further contact. According to emotional analysis and micro-expression calculations, her current anxiety index is 78%, and decision-making pressure is high."
"How could it not be..."
Black Herta looked at the clearly ill-tempered Kafka in the image. "The cooked duck flew away, and in such a ridiculous way. She's probably frantically calculating backup plans now, or wondering if we're the ones behind it."
She crossed her arms and paced a few steps in the pure white space, thoughts flying through her purple-black eyes.
(The Xianzhou plot cannot be interrupted. The Stellaron Hunters''script' needs to progress, the Astral Express's 'Trailblaze' needs to be experienced, the Luofu's crisis needs to be resolved... This isn't just a'story,' it's a key node for maintaining certain necessary 'trajectories'.)
(But Phantylia is gone... who will be the 'villain BOSS' who triggers the crisis, tests all parties, and is eventually defeated?)
Did she have to take the field herself to play 'Lord Ravager Phantylia' and stir up trouble on the Xianzhou?
The moment this thought surfaced, Black Herta herself felt it was a bit comical.
But for now, there seemed to be no better choice... Just then—
[Ding! New task released.]
The system's notification sound and the translucent task panel appearing before her interrupted Black Herta's thoughts.
[Task Name: Substitute Lord Ravager]
[Task Description: Due to force majeure (Joy interference), the original core villain of the Xianzhou Luofu'Stellaron Crisis,' 'Phantylia' (Lord Ravager), is unexpectedly absent. To ensure the basic framework and key nodes of the'script' proceed normally, please temporarily take her place and complete the corresponding plot tasks.]
[Task Objectives: 1. Intervene in the Xianzhou Luofu situation; 2. Guide/trigger'Stellaron' and 'Abundance' related crisis events; 3. Conduct interactions and confrontations with the Astral Express Crew, Xianzhou Alliance, and other forces consistent with the identity of a 'villain BOSS'; 4. Exit at the 'appropriate' time.]
[Task Reward: repair level +3%]
[Remarks: Acting skills are very important. Please do not over-perform and pay attention to controlling the scale of destruction. —— Warm reminder from System I]
Black Herta: "..."
She stared at the task panel for three seconds, especially at that [repair level +3%] reward, and finally let out a breath of resignation.
"Fine... what else can I do."
She rubbed her face, trying to make her expression look less like she was going to an execution. "The pit Aha dug, I have to fill. Substituting it is, 3% repair level... tsk, it's worth the price of admission."
She looked at the system: "System, you keep an eye on things here first. As for Fuyuki... as long as Herta and Phantylia don't actually tear Fuyuki City apart, let them play. The liberation of the Golden Descendants cannot stop either."
"Understood." The system nodded. "Adjusting priorities."
Black Herta took one last look at the magnificent purple-and-gold confrontation on the left light screen, then at the anxious Kafka on the right light screen, and took a deep breath.
"Well then... time to go to 'work'."
She reached out and made a light swipe in front of her.
A door opened silently; beyond it was the Xianzhou Luofu.
Black Herta straightened her black-and-purple Lolita skirt, adjusted the large witchs hat on her head, and the helplessness and fatigue on her face were quickly suppressed, replaced once more by a somewhat mysterious posture as she stepped into the gate of light.
Xianzhou Luofu · A relatively secluded cargo area
Kafka leaned against a cold container, the frequency of her fingertips tapping her arm increasing.
The elegant Stellaron Hunter's brow was now tightly furrowed, and her dark red eyes rarely lacked that all-controlling laziness, instead churning with complex considerations.
(Phantylia's presence... has completely vanished.)
(In Elio's script, she is a key link... without her, the 'trials' and 'choices' of the Loufu cannot be discussed.)
(Who did it? That mysterious Black Herta? Or... some other accident?)
(If it was Black Herta... what exactly is her purpose? What benefit does disrupting the script bring her?)
(Backup plan... backup plan...)
Thoughts flashed through her mind one after another, only to be rejected.
Phantylia's existence was unique, a carefully designed link in the script.
Finding a temporary replacement? Easier said than done.
Silver Wolf squatted nearby, seeing Kafka's rare display of anxiety, and also felt a bit of pressure.
She whispered: "Kafka, how about... we contact Elio first? Or... ask that mysterious Black Herta woman? Didn't she say 'Processed' last time? This processing was a bit too thorough..."
Kafka was about to say something when suddenly, her dark red eyes narrowed sharply, her body tensing instantly as she looked at the shadows not far ahead.
There, the air rippled like water.
A figure with greyish-white long hair, a black-and-purple Lolita dress, and an exaggerated witchs hat emerged silently. It was Black Herta.
"Whoa!"
Silver Wolf was so startled she almost threw her game console, jumping up like a frightened cat and hiding behind Kafka, only poking half her head out to warily watch the suddenly appearing Black Herta.
Kafka's body relaxed slightly, but her gaze remained sharp.
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