{He’s coming, He’s coming, He’s coming with a mask.}
Herta’s proposal was acceptable to the Trailblazers.
Dan Heng expressed no interest, Himeko and Welt suggested that Stelle and Theresa should participate, and March 7th declined, saying her strength was only average.
So Herta took Stelle and Theresa to where the Simulated Universe device was kept.
It was a vast, dark blue space.
At the end stood a complex and somewhat exquisite clover-shaped device, with a Herta Puppet standing nearby.
“Eh, another Herta Puppet!”
Stelle pointed at the Herta Puppet and shouted.
Herta rolled her eyes at her, explaining that she had placed over two hundred Herta Puppets throughout the Space Station.
“Alright, we’re here.
This is the Simulated Universe we developed.
Its purpose is to understand the secrets of the Aeons and the history, loves, and hatreds of the universe.”
“We’ve designed seven Paths: Preservation, which focuses on shields and counter-damage; Remembrance, focusing on freezing and Dissociation; Destruction, focusing on raw buffs and low-HP playstyles; Elation, focusing on follow-up attacks; Nihility, focusing on damage over time; Abundance, focusing on healing and damage buffs; and The Hunt, focusing on stacking Critical Boosts.”
“You’ll naturally understand the specific abilities once you’re inside.”
“First is Stelle, you give it a try.”
“There’s only one slot currently, but we’ll consider opening more in the future.”
Following Herta’s words, Stelle stepped up cautiously.
She closed her eyes and relaxed her mind as instructed.
As the Simulated Universe device began to operate, Stelle’s consciousness arrived in a snowy field.
[Hey, hey, can you hear me?]
Herta’s voice came through, making Stelle want to complain—she could clearly see her, couldn’t she?
[Because of your uniqueness—being someone with a Stellaron in their body—I’ve disguised you as the deceased Aeon Akivili to see if we can lure out some simulated Aeons to contact you.]
[If one actually appears, just answer according to my prompts.
No need to panic.]
With Herta’s guidance, Stelle began her Simulated Universe journey.
Since it was the first test, Herta told her to just pick any Blessings she liked.
Stelle thought about how she had been glanced at by the Aeon of Destruction, so she figured choosing Destruction would be better.
During the journey, she encountered Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation, and then Fuli, the Aeon of Remembrance.
She tentatively tried to communicate with Him, asking the questions Herta had pre-set.
However, Fuli only spoke a series of chaotic, disordered words before turning and leaving.
Stelle ended this Simulated Universe run feeling confused.
“Stelle, how do you feel?
What did the simulated Aeon Fuli say when He met you?”
Herta asked, looking at Stelle with curiosity.
“I’m not sure.
What He said was so disorganized, I couldn’t understand it.”
Stelle said, scratching her head.
Herta sighed upon hearing this and then turned her gaze toward Theresa.
“Is it my turn?
Just a disclaimer, I might not necessarily attract their attention.
Herta, you should be prepared for disappointment!”
Theresa said quickly.
Herta nodded and urged Theresa to test the Simulated Universe.
[Theresa, I will help you seal off the memories that don’t belong to this world, so they won’t be peeked at by people or those Aeons.]
The Homu System’s voice spoke, and Theresa thanked it in her heart.
Theresa carefully stepped onto the login platform and closed her eyes.
With the humming of the machine, her consciousness entered the Simulated Universe.
When Theresa opened her eyes, she found herself in a massive tavern.
“Eh, Herta, didn’t you say I’d need to fight monsters?
Why am I in a tavern as soon as I arrive?”
Theresa shouted, but to her surprise, Herta did not respond.
“Sigh, looks like something went wrong again.
Where is this?”
Theresa asked, looking around the tavern in confusion.
The people here were very strange, all wearing various masks.
Theresa suddenly realized she wasn’t wearing a mask, wouldn’t that make her stand out?
“Yo, little sister, are you new here?
Where’s your mask?”
A girl with twin tails and a fox mask walked over.
She was wearing a breezy kimono and laughed as she pulled Theresa to sit beside her.
“Who are you?”
Theresa shouted, looking warily at the twin-tailed girl.
“I can be whoever you think I am~”
“Welcome to the Masked Fools’ tavern.
Sparkle narrowed her butterfly-shaped rose-red eyes, staring at the cute Theresa through her fox mask while smiling.
“Here, this drink is on me~”
Sparkle smiled at Theresa, while the others, also masked, watched the bewildered Theresa with amusement.
As for that drink, it was a glass of wine mixed with toothpaste and stirred vigorously.
They were looking forward to seeing the effects after she drank it~
Looking at the expectant Masked Fools, Theresa pretended to drink.
Suddenly, she grabbed the startled Sparkle and poured the wine into her mouth.
“Mnh-hmph♦”
Sparkle let out a soft moan.
Theresa clearly saw hearts appear in the other girl’s eyes, confirming her suspicion that the drink was not quite right.
“Damn, I was careless and didn’t dodge♦”
“I actually messed up♦”
Sparkle laughed, looking at Theresa with hearts in her eyes.
At this moment, Sparkle seemed to have an expression that mixed happiness with something else.
“Sister, you smell so good (♦▽♦)~~”
Sparkle giggled and hugged Theresa.
The sense that she was about to kiss her made Theresa break into a cold sweat.
“Let go of me!
Worlds Cutest Kick!”
Theresa kicked Sparkle’s mask.
The fox mask was sent flying, but Theresa was surprised to find another mask underneath—a comical one.
Refusing to give up, Theresa straddled Sparkle and began frantically peeling off masks.
She didn’t notice that every time she removed a mask, one of the laughing Masked Fools in the tavern would disappear.
As the pile of masks beside her grew, Theresa’s stubborn streak kicked in; she was going to see this through to the end!
“Hehe, it’s useless, *hic*~”
“You’ll never finish peeling off my masks (*♦▽♦*)”
Sparkle said, laughing through her wine hiccups, making no move to stop Theresa.
Theresa naturally didn’t believe her bluff and continued peeling masks like crazy.
She didn’t notice the Masked Fools in the tavern gradually vanishing, followed by the tavern itself.
When Theresa finally snapped out of it, she found herself sitting on Sparkle’s stomach with a huge pile of masks floating around her.
And what was beneath her wasn’t Sparkle, but a massive stack of overlapping masks with various exaggerated expressions.
She was actually sitting in a pile of masks.
{Theresa is about to become an Elation-seeker~}