Herta Space Station was being targeted by Aha, the Aeon of Elation?
This was truly one of the worst pieces of news possible.
Had it been any other Aeon, she might have harbored some doubts—but this was Aha!
Given that Aeon’s consistent modus operandi, this was entirely the kind of thing THEY would do.
Aha: When it comes to reputation!
I ask you, who else?!
Who!
Else!
“Don’t worry.
Aha vanished right after tossing me here.”
Xu Zixuan waved his hand dismissively, his tone breezy.
“Right now THEY are probably tucked away in some corner, secretly enjoying the show.”
“Huh?
That’s even more terrifying, no?!” March 7th couldn’t help but facepalm.
Was that supposed to be reassurance or a threat?
The very thought that her every move might be under the gaze of the Aeon of Elation made March 7th feel utterly creeped out, goosebumps rising all over.
And besides…
“And you still claim you’re not a Masked Fool?!” She planted her hands on her hips, feeling she’d seized crucial evidence.
“If you weren’t a Masked Fool, why would the Aeon of Elation go out of THEIR way to send you here?!”
Man, I’m just too smart!
March 7th gave herself a mental thumbs-up.
“Did you never consider that maybe Aha sent me here precisely because I am ‘entertainment’?” Xu Zixuan countered helplessly.
As for why Aha had specifically sent him to Herta Space Station?
Xu Zixuan didn’t know either.
Could Aha also observe world lines?
Or could THEY peer into his memories?
No way!
If THEY really could, wouldn’t Fuli just shatter?
Wouldn’t Terminus the Finality blurt out “what the heck”?
…Well, Fuli really did shatter.
But that absolutely had nothing to do with him.
He didn’t do anything at all!
“Huh?
Aha treats you as entertainment?” March 7th was choked up by this explanation.
It really wasn’t impossible…
No, no, no!
“That’s still a huge problem!
Who gets to meet an Aeon that easily?!” She tried to refute him.
“Even though the Aeon of Elation is known as the most approachable Aeon, barely anyone has actually seen THEM with their own eyes, right?”
“Isn’t that just a matter of probability?” Xu Zixuan raised an eyebrow.
Can you say that worm was special and not just an ordinary bug?”
“What you said…
actually kind of makes sense.” March 7th was convinced, but still half-doubtful.
“So you’re really not a Masked Fool?”
Dan Heng: “…”
Himeko smiled wryly.
She hadn’t expected March 7th to get talked in circles so quickly.
A person personally delivered by the Aeon of Elation to serve as entertainment—even if he wasn’t a Masked Fool right now, he probably wasn’t far off, was he?
“What’s the current status of the space station?” Dan Heng coolly changed the subject.
“The situation is still under control.” Asta took a deep breath, feeling the pressure intensify even further.
“The security system suffered very minor damage.
The intruders only rewrote a small amount of core data.
Repairs won’t be difficult.”
“The bigger hidden threat now lies with the staff…
They trust Madam Herta far too much.
They never imagined the space station could be breached by the Legion.
Compared to physical injuries, the psychological panic is far more worrying.”
The pressure of organizing resistance against the Antimatter Legion was already immense enough.
Now she had to worry about being watched by the Aeon of Elation too?
Asta felt her nerves were about to snap.
Thinking of this, her gaze toward Xu Zixuan couldn’t help but carry a tinge of resentment.
This is all your fault!
“Rich lady, can I…” Xu Zixuan had barely opened his mouth when Asta cut him off.
“Don’t call me rich lady anymore,” she said, cheeks slightly flushed, her tone carrying a hint of exasperation.
“Just call me Asta.”
“Have you tried contacting Herta?” Himeko asked gently, offering the most effective suggestion.
As the true master of Herta Space Station and the Emanator of Erudition who ought to protect this place, resolving the current crisis would be trivially easy for Herta.
“I sent many emails.
All of them sank like stones into the sea.”
“Miss Himeko, you know how she is…
To her, the space station is nothing more than a warehouse for storing followers and curios.
She’s never truly taken it to heart.” Asta let out a soft sigh.
Though Herta was nominally the master of the space station, only when she discovered an interesting curio would she recall this place’s existence.
“I expected as much.
It’s no problem.
I’ll send Herta another message.
I’ll tell her the ‘curio’ she wanted, we’ve brought it.”
“At the very least, that should pique her interest.” Himeko said with a smile.
“That would be an enormous help!” Asta finally revealed a relieved smile.
“Actually, I have a great idea.
“Hm?
What idea?” Asta maintained a polite smile on her face, but inwardly held very little hope for any proposal from Xu Zixuan.
“Simple.
Just tell Herta that Silver Wolf has come to Herta Space Station.”
“Given the relationship between Herta and Silver Wolf, who knows, Herta might come back immediately.” Xu Zixuan proposed with brimming confidence.
“Ha?
Who’s Silver Wolf?
Is she close with Herta?” March 7th blinked and asked curiously.
“Of course!
They’re super close!” Xu Zixuan puffed out his chest with pride.
“Once she hears news of Silver Wolf, Herta’s guaranteed to come back!”
Whether or not she’d hiss was another matter.
“Silver Wolf is a Stellaron Hunter.
She has a history with Miss Herta.” Asta sighed and explained helplessly.
“Ugh, you tricked me again!” March 7th stomped her foot in anger.
“Ha?!
Stellaron Hunters came to Herta Space Station?” Asta furrowed her brow.
“Could it be that they’re the ones who drew the Antimatter Legion here?”
She couldn’t be blamed for thinking this way—the Stellaron Hunters’ reputation across the cosmos was truly not all that good.
“Not at all.
You’ve got the cause and effect backwards.” Xu Zixuan corrected her.
“The Stellaron Hunters took advantage of the Antimatter Legion’s invasion to carry out a mission on Herta Space Station.”
“How do you know about this?” Himeko rubbed her chin and looked at Xu Zixuan thoughtfully.
“Are you with the Stellaron Hunters?”
“Of course not.
I just happened to see them and followed them for a while.”
“It wasn’t just Silver Wolf who came, but Kafka as well.” Xu Zixuan described the scene vividly.
“The situation was extremely perilous.
I saw with my own eyes as they shoved the Stellaron into Stelle and Caelus’s bodies.”
“What?!
There’s a Stellaron inside me!” Stelle was shocked beyond belief.
“What?!
So I’m a Stellaron that gained sentience!” Caelus was equally stunned.
“Wait.
Herta Space Station only had one Stellaron.
How could both of them have a Stellaron inside them?” Asta cut off Stelle and Caelus’s astonishment and raised a perfectly reasonable objection.
She remembered very clearly.
There was indeed only one Stellaron stored aboard Herta Space Station.
“There really was only one Stellaron.
So I made another one.”
Xu Zixuan spoke with absolute nonchalance.