This time, Rita's task wasn't something she could easily wrap up.
Just as Kotori had anticipated, so-called negotiations required time—time to feel out each other's bottom lines, to alternate between pushing forward and stepping back, circling round and round before finally arriving at terms both sides could accept.
And this wasn't just a matter between two parties, either.
While Ratatoskr certainly disliked DEM even more than Schicksal, with DEM's aggressive obstruction, Ratatoskr could naturally take advantage of their stance to siphon off some benefits.
If Schicksal could afford to make concessions, it'd be better for everyone.
Thinking of Rita, who had headed out early in the morning to keep pressuring the politicians, Amber—currently taking a short break in the training room—felt her mind go a little blank.
Rita wasn't here, Dark Amber wasn't around, Yoshino and the Yamai sisters were gone too.
The rare silence left her at a loss for what to do. Out of sheer helplessness, she ended up poking at the Fanghuang Down.
'Master, what's Little Senti up to?'
'Same as always—traveling among the stars.'
Fu Hua's voice was as calm and detached as ever, like an old monk deep in meditation. If the Fu Hua she'd first met back in Babylon still had a noticeable touch of humanity about her, the current Fu Hua seemed far more divine.
That said, it also made her feel even more like a stern elder.
'Star-hopping… is it really that fun?'
Amber couldn't quite grasp the appeal.
'For Little Senti, there's never a shortage of fun—so long as she's willing to look for it.'
Since the topic had come up, Fu Hua filled her in:
'She's passed through two worlds so far. One never appeared in your memories, and the other was the Fifth Holy Grail War. Coincidentally, that happens to be a parallel version of the world we're in now.'
'Yeah, I know about that one.'
It wasn't as if Amber paid no attention at all.
Back in the previous world, most of her friends had either died of old age or lost the energy to move around much.
The little attention she had to spare went mostly to Dark Amber and the Herrscher of Sentience—family who were out and about.
So she was aware of both incidents.
But still…
'Has Little Senti already left the Type-Moon world? I thought she was pretty interested in the Root?'
Half a year ago, the Herrscher of Sentience had still been in the Type-Moon universe: 'Wait—so this "star-hopping" isn't within Type-Moon?'
Amber didn't know all that much about Type-Moon, but she was aware it had things called Ultimate Ones—the strongest lifeforms on a planet.
Since that concept existed, it made sense that the setting spanned more than just one planet.
At least it lived up to its massive fanbase and the whole Heroic Spirit concept. Definitely better than those narrow-minded worlds that treat a tiny island nation as the entire universe.
'In the end, that's just not her nature—she doesn't stick with things for long.'
Fu Hua didn't seem surprised: 'The world she's in now is one you're familiar with. As you probably know, it's Honkai: Star Rail.'
'Huh…?'
Amber hadn't expected the Herrscher of Sentience to end up there—that was a world where cosmic heavyweights clashed… Then again, she was plenty powerful herself. She should be fine as long as she didn't go picking fights with Aeons.
'Currently, she's being hunted by the Interastral Peace Corporation for scamming Diamond out of seven hundred quadrillion credits, causing significant financial loss to the company.'
'…Seriously?'
All Amber could think was, Yep, that sounds like her—causing that level of chaos was totally on brand.
She sighed. 'Good thing the Aeon of Preservation doesn't bother with trivial matters like that, or Little Senti would've been in big trouble.'
'…Actually, the trouble is already pretty serious.'
Fu Hua paused briefly before continuing: 'Although the Herrscher of Sentience has strange authorities and formidable strength, an Emanator is still a bit too much for her to handle. If she faced one head-on, it'd be pretty much a death sentence.'
'Huh? But Master, aren't you and Little Senti both at Emanator level?'
'If your benchmark is "can easily destroy a planet," then yes, that's correct.'
Fu Hua explained: 'But in reality, Diamond possesses power capable of influencing half a star system. It was only after going through several twists and turns—and becoming an Emanator herself—that Little Senti finally gained the power to confront Diamond directly.'
'What?'
The sheer amount of information in that statement left Amber struggling to process it.
So destroying a planet with ease doesn't make you an Emanator? But from what she'd seen in the game, being able to destroy a planet seemed plenty powerful already.
Wait—Little Senti became an Emanator?
'Who did she become an Emanator for?'
'…Aha.'
'…'
You know, I'm not even that surprised.
Just as Amber was about to ask for more details, a figure stopped in front of her.
It was Origami.
Her presence—or more precisely, the fact that she had suddenly walked up to Durandal—drew the attention of the other Valkyries in the training room.
"Lady Durandal, would you accompany me on an outing today?"
Origami stated her request plainly. Though her wording was polite, her tone and expression carried a conviction that seemed determined to turn this into reality.
"…I can, but what are we going out for?"
Amber, being naturally lazy, would've long since flopped down if not for maintaining her persona. Seeing a perfect chance to get out for a walk, she had no reason to refuse.
To everyone else, however, it looked like a heartwarming scene: "Lady Durandal, gracious and humble, halting her training for the sake of her subordinate."
Origami hadn't expected her to agree so easily. Her expression relaxed slightly, but she clearly had no intention of explaining in front of everyone. "Please come to my room first."
Since she'd already agreed, Amber didn't hesitate. After rinsing off the sweat in the showers and changing, the two made their way to Origami's room.
Just as Amber had imagined, Origami's bedroom largely retained the hotel's most basic layout.
Although it was a Schicksal-affiliated hotel, two entire floors had been reserved specifically for Valkyries who might need lodging. These rooms weren't open to regular guests, ensuring privacy and security.
Still, since it was part of the hotel, the layout was identical to standard rooms.
Amber herself hadn't changed her own room much—to maintain her image—but Rita had helped bring in plenty of items to add warmth and convenience, making it feel much cozier than Origami's.
As Amber glanced around the white-haired girl's room, Origami walked over to the bedside table, opened the first drawer, and pulled out two slips of paper. It looked like some kind of tickets, from the look of them.
"These are tickets for a performance by Izayoi Miku, the school idol who's been getting really popular in Tengu City lately. The show starts this afternoon."
Tobiichi Origami's voice was flat, giving no hint that she might be a fan—and in the original story, she hadn't shown any interest in Miku anyway.
Sure enough, after describing what she held, she continued, "I suspect this school idol's true identity may be a Spirit. I was hoping Lady Durandal would come with me to investigate."
So that was it. Because the target was a Spirit, she couldn't act recklessly—which was why she'd sought out Amber, who could face a Spirit head-on and win.
Amber understood Origami's reasoning. There was no reason to refuse, and besides, Miku's songs were genuinely pleasant to listen to. It wouldn't be bad to go hear her.
Well, when she said Miku's songs, Amber was really thinking of Miku's voice actress—how beautifully she sang, especially the ending theme for Violet Evergarden. It was downright eargasmic.
"In that case, let's go check it out together."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.