While the Herta Puppet (the version controlled by her original consciousness) was performing emergency repairs on the smoking Simulated Universe terminal—using techniques far more experienced than her cute appearance suggested and offering cold complaints like, "Tsk, what a pain," and "Who wrote the redundant design for this part?"—
"Ding!"
A crisp, pleasant notification sound, as beautiful as celestial music, suddenly rang out deep within Stella's mind.
"Hmm?"
Stella's spirits lifted as she hurriedly used her thoughts to summon the system panel that only she could see.
A line of shining notification text slowly emerged:
[First completion of the 'Simulated Universe' challenge (Special High-Difficulty Event Triggered version)! Evaluation: S (Triggered an incredible chain reaction)!]
[Calculating rewards...]
[Obtained stellar jade x125!]
[Unlocked Special Achievement: 'Gazer of Aeons'!]
[Obtained Special Reward: 3-Star Character—'Herta (Puppet)'!]
"Oh?"
Stella's eyes lit up as she quickly opened the character archive.
Sure enough, among the many grayed-out avatars, the exquisite little face representing [Herta (Puppet)] had lit up, though her level was still a pitiful Lv. 1.
Looking at the vast array of tempting but dark high-star character avatars in the archive, and then comparing them to the few Level 1 "little kids" she currently had, Stella couldn't help but curl her lip. A sense of desolation from moving from luxury to poverty welled up within her.
"Sigh... after experiencing the majesty of a max-level five-star powerhouse like Phainon, who can clear a field with a wave and point a sword at an Aeon, looking at these starter characters... it feels like going from piloting a Gundam to riding a toddler's tricycle. The drop-off is just too big!"
She complained wildly in her heart.
"No, no! I must get stronger! Right now! Gacha! Immediately! There's no time to lose!"
Her gaze drifted to the top right corner of the panel—stellar jade Balance: [1198].
She was only... 82 short of the [1280] needed for a ten-pull!
This tiny difference was like smelling the aroma of food from next door when you're hungry; you're just one bite away from tasting it, and it makes your heart itch with impatience.
Stella's gaze involuntarily drifted toward Herta, who was focused on repairs with her back turned, and then back to her newly unlocked, sparkling [Herta (Puppet)] character card.
A bold (and suicidal) plan began to "bubble up" in her mind like an effervescent tablet dropped in water.
"Go big or go home... bah, I mean, turn stellar jades into a ten-pull!"
Stella grit her teeth, hardened her heart, and decided to go for it!
She quickly operated the panel, swapping out [March 7th]—who had been temporarily benched to summon Phainon—and replacing her with the fresh, brand-new [Herta (Puppet)].
"Summon!"
She whispered in her heart.
A faint blue glow quietly emerged beside her, rapidly condensing.
The next second, a Herta Puppet almost identical to the one currently repairing the terminal appeared beside Stella.
This [Herta Puppet] had lively eyes and a straight posture. As soon as she appeared, following some preset "entry program," she shouted toward the real Ms. Herta in a clear, loud tone full of professional enthusiasm:
"Ms. Herta is unparalleled in the world! Ms. Herta is brilliant beyond compare! Ms. Herta is beautiful enough to sink fish and drop geese!"
The real Ms. Herta, who was currently tightening a virtual data interface screw, suddenly paused.
"Hmm?"
She turned her head in confusion, her electronic eyes accurately locking onto Stella... and the "copy" of herself standing next to Stella, currently shouting slogans.
Her gaze shifted between the two before finally settling on the face of the obvious "mastermind," Stella. She tilted her head slightly and let out a simple, questioning syllable: "Huh?"
"What... are you doing?"
Herta's voice was calm, but an invisible pressure had already spread—one that said, "If you can't give me a satisfactory explanation, I'll put you on the test monster list for the next Simulated Universe."
Stella felt a chill down her neck under that gaze. She instinctively snapped to attention, hands tight against her sides, and shouted like a soldier answering an officer: "Re-reporting, Ms. Herta! I saw you were working hard on repairs, so I specifically summoned her (pointing to the [Herta Puppet] beside her) to help! She can hand you tools! Cheer you on! Or... just be a quiet vase to decorate the environment!"
By the end, her voice grew smaller and smaller.
Herta looked expressionlessly at the puppet, then at Stella's face, which was written with "guilt but trying to look sincere."
"No need."
She spat out those two words decisively, then turned back without hesitation to continue her repair work, leaving Stella with nothing but a "don't bother me" back and a faint follow-up.
"Take it back. Don't use this kind of copy to interrupt my work."
"Yes! Executing immediately!"
Stella replied hurriedly, feeling as if she had been granted a grand pardon.
But... just take it back like that? Wouldn't that mean she summoned it for nothing? She hadn't farmed the stellar jades yet!
In a flash of inspiration, Stella made an even more suicidal decision.
She didn't directly unsummon the [Herta Puppet]. Instead, she lunged forward. Under the shocked gazes of Stelle and Dan Heng—who had just walked in to see what was happening after hearing the strange slogans—she hoisted the [Herta Puppet], which was still trying to brew a second round of praise, onto her shoulder like a giant doll!
"Heave-ho!"
Stella shouldered the [Herta Puppet], broke into a run, and sprinted out of the smoking office without looking back!
The scene looked like a tiny ant carrying a large grain of rice, or perhaps some bizarre... puppet kidnapping scene?
Stelle: "..." (Completely stunned, her brain once again unable to process this amount of information.)
Dan Heng: "..." (Silently stepped aside to clear the path. He glanced at the real Herta in the office, then at Stella's sprinting back, decisively chose not to get involved, and silently closed the office door, isolating the inside from the outside.)
The real Herta didn't even turn around. Her repair movements only seemed to get a bit faster (and more forceful) as she coldly muttered: "...Childish."
——————
The connecting passage between the Astral Expressand the Herta Space Station, as well as some open areas of the station.
The next few minutes became an unforgettable spectacle for many.
A gray-haired girl with dark circles under her eyes (which hadn't fully faded) was huffing and puffing as she carried an exquisite puppet—identical to the station's master, Ms. Herta, though with a slightly dull expression—rushing through the corridors (and occasionally jogging)!
"Look! What's that?!"
"Ms. Herta? No, it's just a puppet, but what is she doing?"
"Heavens! Is she carrying a Herta Puppet?!"
"Is this some new experiment? Or performance art?"
"Quick, take a photo! Wait, Ms. Herta forbids random photography... but I really want to!"
"That little girl is so strong!"
"Where are they going?"
Researchers, staff members, and even patrolling Security Department personnel along the way all cast shocked, curious, confused, and stifled-laughing looks.
Whispers rose and fell, and gazes focused like spotlights on Stella and the "cargo" on her shoulder.
Stella felt her face burning, but her heart was ecstatic!
Because in her mind, the pleasant "ding-dong" notification sounds were ringing out in a dense barrage, accompanied by small text only she could see:
[Detected Surprise emotion, Source: Anonymous Staff Member A, stellar jade +1]
[Detected Curiosity emotion, Source: Anonymous Researcher B, stellar jade +1]
[Detected Stifled Laughter emotion, Source: Security Staff C, stellar jade +1]
[Detected Intense Confusion emotion, Source: Passing Scholar D, stellar jade +3]
[...]
The numbers were jumping rapidly! Her stellar jadebalance was soaring like it was on a rocket! 1180... 1190... 1200... 1250...
When Stella, carrying the [Herta Puppet], ran haphazardly (or rather, with a purposeful aimlessness) into a relatively secluded supply transfer area, the notification sound in her mind finally reached a heart-pounding "Ding!"
[Current stellar jade: 1280/1280] (Reached the amount for one discounted ten-pull!)
"Enough!"
Stella cheered in her heart. She immediately braked hard, looked left and right, and quickly unsummoned the [Herta Puppet] on her shoulder.
The exquisite puppet turned into points of light and vanished, as if that absurd "puppet transport show" had never happened, leaving only a faint awkwardness in the air and even more bewildered expressions on the passersby.
Stella brushed off non-existent dust from her clothes and let out a long sigh of relief.
Looking around, she found a room nearby with a sign that read "Spare Storage Room, Temporarily Idle."
"This is the place!"
Her eyes lit up. Like a little mouse that had stolen some oil, she slipped inside and gently closed the door behind her.
The storage room was piled with some rarely used instrument boxes and filing cabinets. The light was dim, but it was quiet and private enough.
"Whew... safe landing."
Stella leaned against the door, calming her heart which was racing from both the sprinting and the shame.
She summoned the system panel once more, looking at the golden [1280] stellar jade balance and the ten-pull button on the [Warp] interface that seemed to be beckoning her.
An excited heart, trembling hands!
Without hesitation or delay, Stella used her thoughts, carrying a mood of utmost devotion and a hint of anxiety, to press down hard—
[Ten-Pull!]
The familiar flowing light began to swirl once again. The wheel of fate had started to turn...