The more March 7th thought about it, the more irresistible the idea became.
The soreness in her muscles seemed to melt away in an instant—she could practically fly to that trash can shop right this moment.
If Stelle could become an Emanator of Joy through a trash can encounter, then wasn't it only natural for her to become a legendary heroine the same way?
And most importantly… if this shortcut actually worked, then she wouldn't have to suffer through training every day!
That was—just a tiny bit—more important than becoming a heroine itself!
Hehe, just a little bit more important! Definitely not because she wanted to slack off or anything!
Beaming, she turned to everyone. "Let's go right now! I can already hear the people of the Xianzhou singing ballads of the Great Heroine, March 7th!"
The others remained unmoved.
Yunli and Yanqing exchanged a glance, then turned back, mercilessly exposing her true intentions.
"Little March, what you really want is to skip training tomorrow by having a sudden miracle today, right?"
"Uh-hahaha…"
Her inner thoughts laid bare, March 7th could only laugh awkwardly. "N-nooo~~"
Trying to mask her guilt with forced sincerity, she said dreamily, "I just can't stand the thought of waiting who knows how many years before wielding my three-foot blade, upholding justice, and saving the downtrodden! If I can't bring peace to the people of the Xianzhou, I just can't rest easy! If you ask me—"
Before she could finish, Stelle tugged on her sleeve and whispered, "March, you're overacting. The storytellers here are good, but you don't have to quote them verbatim."
March 7th pouted. "And you're one to talk? You're always going on about becoming the King of Trash Cans!"
Yanqing offered an awkward yet polite smile and reminded gently, "Miss March, our Cloud Knights' work may be rigorous, but it's also very productive. Situations needing heroes to fight evil and aid the weak… those only happened a few times, back during the Abundance Civil Wars."
"These days, the Xianzhou has mostly been on the offensive. It's been ages since we were ever attacked. Well… except for the Ambrosial Arbor Crisis, I suppose."
"Eh? R-really?"
March 7th froze, her expression suddenly hollow and distant.
Then—like a spark in her clever little head—an idea struck.
Her face quickly shifted into one of heart-wrenching sorrow, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Her tone carried the weight of a tragic ballad—
"Uuu… All work and no play makes smart March 7th turn dull. I've been training so much I can't even tell stories from reality anymore. If this goes on… uuuuuu…"
"Alright, alright! We get it," Yunli relented immediately, unable to stand it. "A little travel will help clear your mind, broaden your horizons, and, well… that does benefit sword training."
The moment she said the words 'a little travel', Yunli felt a strange echo in her head telling her to stop all training immediately and go out to eat, drink, and play instead.
And for some reason… she even used the word travel without meaning to.
Weird. Why did that just happen?
Ah well. March 7th clearly couldn't keep going like this anyway. A short break wouldn't hurt.
"Really?!"
March's "severely depressed" act vanished in an instant, replaced by uncontainable excitement.
"Great! Let's go right now!"
She rushed to hail a taxi Starskiff—but before she could board, Yanqing raised a hand to stop her. Not to retract the offer, but to add—
"Wait, wait! There's no point going now. The trash can shop sells out early—by ten o'clock everything's gone. You'll have to wait until tomorrow if you want to open one."
"Oh, that's such a pity."
She said that aloud, but inside, she was grinning from ear to ear.
How lucky could she get?! Whether or not she became a peerless swordmaster, she now officially had no training tomorrow!
Perfect! She'd pack peanuts, sunflower seeds, mineral water, and bring several camera lenses of different sizes—she'd make sure to spend all day there if she could!
…
While March 7th and the others schemed their "shortcut to greatness," Fu Xuan had already returned to the Seat of Divine Foresight with Herta and Qingque.
Seated amid piles of scrolls and documents, Jing Yuan looked up as they entered, setting down his brush with a courteous smile.
"Lady Diviner, and Lady Herta. I was just about to send someone to invite you both for a discussion. I didn't expect you to arrive together already—it saves me quite some trouble."
He stood and addressed Herta directly. "Well then, Lady Herta—after your visit to the Luofu today, what have you observed?"
Herta's face was calm, her words brief and precise.
"I visited a place called the Curio Trash Can Shop and happened to encounter Diviner Fu Xuan. I obtained several valuable research samples."
After a short pause, she glanced at Fu Xuan, wondering if she should be a little more… polite?
So, she added stiffly, "Fu Xuan did as well."
That should count as being polite, right? Usually when she invited Trailblazers to the Simulated Universe, it was purely for testing. But this—this was already a lot of words.
Perhaps her "politeness" was too subtle, because Jing Yuan didn't seem to pick up on it. He chuckled lightly.
"Oh? If something's piqued Lady Herta's interest, it must truly be a rare find. Might I have the honor of seeing it myself?"
He said it half in jest—knowing full well that the so-called geniuses of the Genius Society guarded their research fiercely.
They would rather let their blueprints rot in vaults than share so much as a single line of data.
Even though the Luofu and Herta had ongoing digital projects together, that hardly meant she'd reveal anything else.
But to his surprise—Herta nodded.
"You may."
And under Jing Yuan's astonished gaze, she promptly produced a hairpin.
…What? This wasn't the Herta he knew.
He glanced at Fu Xuan, silently asking with his eyes: What happened to her?
Wasn't she the kind who despised small talk and wasted words? Why so… cooperative now?
Fu Xuan caught his meaning immediately and smiled faintly.
Oh, you think this is surprising?
Wait until she starts handing over her world-renowned research—the Herta Sequence itself—you'll be picking your jaw off the floor.
She said smoothly, "Patience, General. Since Lady Herta is willing to share her insight, let us listen attentively."
As Herta activated the [Iron Body of the Saint], she sighed inwardly.
Of course, she understood Fu Xuan's implication. Soon, she'd have to present her life's work on a silver platter.
To think that someone who always lived by the creed 'Hit where it hurts, and never mince words' would one day find herself on the receiving end of coercion.
And the one she owed was none other than the Xianzhou Luofu—whom she had once dismissed as "too low-IQ to collaborate with."
So, this is what they call karmic retribution, huh…
Still, for the sake of unlocking the secrets of Conceptual Force, such sacrifices were worth it. If it could lead to understanding the Aeons THEMSELVES—so be it.
With that resolve, she completed her summon—a massive bronze hammer materialized in her hands.
"This is a hammer that amplifies all inflicted damage by twenty percent," Herta explained evenly. "It also has a unique property: if it judges its target to be 'Evil,' the damage increases another fold."
She summarized its effects in just a few crisp words.
Jing Yuan, however, immediately latched onto the key detail.
Wait—the hammer itself judges whether something is evil?
And if it deems them one, the damage multiplies?
So… the power output is tied to the target's moral alignment?
How could such a relic even exist in this world?