118 Herta Discovery, Stelle Fate
Xiling was explaining things.
"In short, my friend isn't the one you know, so don't worry." Xiling patted Kevin's shoulder and smiled.
After getting what he wanted, Xiling felt he shouldn't go too far. While he wouldn't do anything to Mr. Welt, it was best to be honest since he tried to make friends.
Gazing at the slightly immature face compared to his memory, Welt sighed deeply.
"I see. This world is truly full of wonders."
However, it's true that he had reacted too strongly and missed some details. Compared to the man he knew, whose heart had died 50,000 years ago, this Kevin was like the rising sun; vitality and passion were his theme.
However, Welt thought of something else and asked with some doubt, "You seem to know something about me."
"Similar to the principle of the world bubble," Xiling replied vaguely, after all, there wasn't much to say about that kind of thing.
Welt sensed something was amiss, but didn't ask.
Just then, Xiling noticed that someone who had been sleeping had also gotten up. Stelle looked around, puzzled, and asked, "This is... a space station?"
"What else? You think this is your home?"
A familiar voice suddenly rang out.
Xiling stood to the side, smiling at her.
The moment Stelle saw Xiling, she blurted out, "Why are you still here?"
"Oh, guess?" Xiling was taken aback by her reaction and asked back.
"Hehe, I won't guess~."
Just as Xiling was about to show Stelle his linguistic skills, March 7th ran over, laughing.
"You're finally awake! How are you feeling?"
Stelle touched her head.
"I don't feel anything wrong."
"Then get up." Xiling reached out and pulled Stelle up.
Just then, March 7th said with a smile, "Since you're alright, Sister Himeko is looking for you. I have something to do, so I'll take care of it first. I won't keep you company."
After saying this, March 7th took Xiling's friends away.
Watching the excited Elaina, Houraiji Kyuushou, and Lemuen wave and turn away, Xiling stroked his chin.
"Do you think I've been tricked?" Xiling looked at Stelle, who stood beside him.
Stelle looked at him expressionlessly, remained silent for three seconds, and then answered in a solemn tone:
"...I'm just a one-day-old baby. Your question is too profound for me. I don't understand."
"That's true, but one year old is the age for learning. Don't worry, I'll have Dan Heng give you homework every day." Xiling gave a thumbs up.
While Stelle looked pained, Xiling walked ahead, turned back, and smiled at her.
"Come on, let's go find you some parents, so you don't get lost."
Stelle followed silently behind Xiling.
Xiling curiously surveyed his surroundings. Dan Heng and Kevin had wandered around the space station, leaving only him and Stelle. Xiling turned and saw Stelle's bewildered eyes, a sense of responsibility welling up within him.
The other person was just a child! At this moment, a reliable adult needed to answer her questions!
So, Xiling stopped, turned around, and put on what he believed to be an incredibly reliable smile:
"Stelle~ I see you're full of curiosity about everything around you. Come on, ask away if you don't understand anything!"
Stelle looked up, seeing Xiling's sincere smile and then at her novel surroundings. She indeed had many things she didn't understand. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and pointed to a huge device at the end of the corridor.
"What's that?" Stelle's voice was filled with pure curiosity.
Xiling's smile remained unchanged as she confidently followed her finger—
The smile froze slightly.
"That thing... its structure is complicated... um, I don't recognize it."
"...Uh, I don't know," Xiling answered dryly.
Stelle raised an eyebrow, her pale finger twirling as she pointed to an inconspicuous device on the wall beside her:
"What about this?"
Xiling looked at it again, his smile becoming strained.
This thing... the style is somewhat familiar, but...
"...I don't know." Honesty is a virtue, Xiling comforted himself.
Stelle blinked, pointing to a slowly moving monitoring robot on the ceiling:
"What about this?"
"...I don't know?" Xiling's tone began to waver.
"What about that?"
"...I don't know?" Xiling's voice now carried a hint of self-doubt.
"...So you know absolutely nothing!" Stelle's voice rose an octave.
"And you were so confident just now, saying, 'Ask away! I know everything!'"
"Hehehe," Xiling chuckled awkwardly, then pointed at a figure ahead.
"At least the way I led you is correct, right?"
As Xiling led Stelle to the center of the platform, the conversation between Himeko and the Herta doll seemed to have just ended. Both noticed them simultaneously. Himeko smiled gently, while the doll girl—her gaze was precisely locked onto Stelle! That gaze seemed to dissect this stellaron carrier from the inside out.
Stelle felt extremely uncomfortable under that penetrating gaze and instinctively shrank back behind Xiling.
Seeing Stelle's reaction, Xiling smiled.
"Yo! Did I disturb you? I brought this guy to you." Xiling waved to the two, at which point Herta finally turned her gaze to Xiling. Only then did Herta seem to notice Xiling's presence finally. She casually glanced at Xiling.
Hmm? An ordinary person? Unremarkable energy reaction? The Herta doll's gaze was about to shift—
Wait! Something's not right!
An unusual feeling made her head snap back!
This time, the Herta doll's eyes shone with an unprecedented light! It wasn't a casual glance anymore; it had activated some kind of scanning mode!
Then, this knowledgeable, genius-level lady Herta strode quickly to Xiling's side!
"Eh?" The doll's delicate face revealed obvious, pure confusion and shock.
"You… what's going on?!"
Herta walked around Xiling, as if examining a rare unearthed artifact, carefully tracing its every detail!
What? What's going on? Xiling was completely bewildered, asking in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
Ignoring Xiling's question, Herta focused entirely on analyzing Xiling, this anomalous entity, and began muttering unconsciously:
"Anomalous disturbance observed...non-standard path power fluctuation? The carrier appears to be an ordinary carbon-based life form...but the energy reaction in the core area...wait! This isn't pure imaginary energy at all! Structure...layers...completely unfamiliar! Origin unknown!"
"More like...some kind of highly condensed, directional projection of pure will?... But how is that possible! This guy doesn't have any trace of path!"
"Contradiction! Anomaly! This is so interesting!" The last muttered sentence was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Stelle bypassed the muttering Black Tower and walked to Himeko's side, looking at Herta with a puzzled expression and asking Himeko.
"Himeko, who is she? And what's wrong with her?"
"This is Lady Herta, the true owner of the Herta Space Station, the legendary figure ranked 83rd in the Genius Club."
After introducing her, Himeko watched Herta's unusually flustered state with interest, elegantly resting her chin on her hand, her tone slightly amused.
"But the way she's acting now... even I've rarely seen her like this. It seems that our Mr. Xiling possesses some kind of special quality that even this genius finds incredible."
Just then, the Herta doll, immersed in her own world, suddenly stopped! She pointed a finger at Xiling with the pride and undeniable authority of someone announcing a major discovery:
"Hey! You're special. Come be my test subject. Don't worry, nothing will happen, and I'll even pay you a generous reward."
Hearing the words "extremely generous reward," Xiling's eyes instantly lit up!
"Oh? Really? You'll pay me handsomely if I cooperate with your experiments? Anything I want?"
Herta snapped her fingers crisply, chin slightly raised, brimming with confidence:
"Of course, if you're willing to cooperate with my experiments, I will definitely pay you handsomely. I guarantee it with my name."
However, the next second, the eager expression on Xiling's face vanished without a trace, replaced by a flat, even slightly disdainful expression, his tone crisp and decisive:
"Oh. Then I refuse."
Herta's smug smile froze. After a full two seconds, she suddenly took a step forward, her voice rising eight octaves, filled with disbelief and the anger of being mocked:
"Hey!!!"
"You little brat, you're kidding me! You were clearly really interested just now!!"
Xiling shrugged, spreading his hands innocently:
"Interested is one thing, but I didn't agree to anything. Is expressing my desire for a generous reward illegal? Does that count as playing you?"
Xiling waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, alright, the great Lady Herta, you should go study your precious stellaron, don't try to take advantage of me, OK?"
Herta was so angry at Xiling's attitude that her puppet joints were cracking. She pointed at herself and said, "Tsk! Do you even know who I am?! How dare you talk to me like that?"
"Herta, a top genius in the universe, the Emanator of the Aeon of the [Erudition], the master of the space station, right?" Xiling tilted his head and smiled.
"So? Knowing who you are... and my refusal to be your guinea pig... are these two things... necessarily contradictory?"
The air seemed to freeze, and the atmosphere between the two seemed to shift.
"Himeko, something seems off!" Stelle whispered nervously.
Himeko patted Stelle reassuringly, "Don't worry, knowing Herta, nothing will happen."
Just then, Herta crossed her arms, and a disdainful look appeared on her face.
"Hmph, do you think you're so precious? Do you think this genius needs you for experiments? Let me tell you, this genius doesn't care at all!"
Herta turned to leave, but then Xiling's voice rang out.
"It's not impossible for you to study me."
Her forward steps turned into backward steps, and Herta stood beside Xiling, with a smile on her face.
"You should have said so earlier. State your conditions."
She completely forgot what she had just said; her change of attitude was so swift that Stelle didn't even have time to react. Xiling thought for a moment. He didn't seem to want anything. Well, not exactly. Xiling wanted the other party to study his body's data; he also wanted to understand his own physical condition.
"I don't seem to want anything. Do you have any suggestions?" Xiling turned his difficulty over to the genius comrade.
Herta gave a haughty snort.
"The promise of the genius Herta is priceless."
"You're right."
The other party's words were genuine; Xiling really couldn't think of anything more valuable.
"Alright, let's take this then."
Xiling smiled and nodded in agreement to the deal.
"Then hurry up and come inside with me. We'll start the research now!"
Herta directly grabbed Xiling's hand, trying to pull him towards his research lab.
"Um, there's no need to rush, I'm not mentally prepared yet."
"What mental preparation? Don't worry, this genius said she'd guarantee your safety." Herta patted her chest as she pulled Xiling along.
"Did you forget something?" Xiling turned around and couldn't help but ask Herta when he saw a certain baby.
"Are you questioning a genius's memory?"
"No, but I need to tell you that I'll be leaving soon. When I'm gone, you won't have anything to study." Xiling hinted frantically.
Herta raised an eyebrow and released Xiling's hand.
"Why didn't you say so sooner?"
After saying this, she turned around and went back to talk to the two who were still standing there.
"Is this what a genius is like? Heh."
Xiling shook his head with a smile, then saw everyone in the chat group posting various pictures of the space station, and some were even inviting him to come and see them.
[I Am the Savior]: Do you guys think we could get a train like this, too!
[I'm a Witch]: Xiling, are you done on your end?
[Fire Moth Warrior]: I found something really powerful here when you come over after you're done on your end!
[I Don't Want to Be a Hero Anymore]: Still busy, wait a bit.
After sending this message, Xiling closed the chat group.
Meanwhile, the conversation between Herta, Himeko, and Stelle was coming to an end.
"So? Kid, have you made up your mind?" Herta asked casually, hands on her hips.
"Don't rush it. You can go meet with other people first and think about this carefully. This might be one of the most important decisions of your life," Himeko gently advised.
The two were discussing whether Stelle should stay at the space station or on the train.
Stelle, caught in their conversation, scratched her head and looked at the white figure not far away. As if she had thought of something, she shouted at the figure.
"What choice do you think I should make?"
No one else expected Stelle to ask Xiling, and even Xiling was surprised. After a slight moment of surprise, a smile spread across Xiling's face.
"Go explore, witness everything you're about to witness, meet the people you'll meet in the future. Staying on the space station is a waste for you. You're born to explore."
Hearing Xiling's words, a smile also appeared on Stelle's face. Without hesitation, she turned to Himeko and asked, "Can I join the train crew?"
Himeko smiled and shook her head.
"Welcome to the team."