Seeing her so nervous that her limbs were out of sync, Madam Herta slightly frowned.
"Put on the eye mask."
She reminded, referring to the special equipment given to Baiheng during the night raid on the Astral Express.
"Oh, right!"
Baiheng quickly pulled out the black eye mask from her small pocket and skillfully put it on.
Strangely, once her eyes were covered, a calm and mysterious aura naturally emanated from her.
Madam Herta observed her, nodding, but still seemed to feel something was missing.
She stood up and slowly walked to Baiheng.
The close proximity made Baiheng instinctively hold her breath; she could smell the cold aura of her master.
Baiheng instinctively held her breath, watching her master's excessively delicate face approach. The purplish-black eyes, like the deep void, reflected her own somewhat bewildered expression.
Madam Herta raised her slender hand, adorned with a black lace glove, her fingertips imbued with an extremely faint purplish-red data stream, and lightly pointed towards Baiheng's shoulder.
In an instant, the data stream, like living threads, wrapped around Baiheng's body.
Her original simple, easy-to-move-in attire was transforming at a visible speed—the color shifted to a deep, profound black, the material became more crisp and flowing, the cut combined the traditional wide sleeves and flowing clouds of Xianzhou with sleek modern design, and the hem of the skirt was embroidered with dark purple flowing patterns, like the flowing night.
The overall style still retained the characteristics of Xianzhou, but the main black tone and the dark purple patterns in the details subtly echoed Madam Herta's own dressing style.
The transformation process was silent and completed in an instant.
Baiheng looked down at her brand-new attire in a daze, touching the cool fabric of the skirt, feeling... very novel, and it seemed as if a power was attached to it.
Madam Herta stepped back half a pace, scrutinizing her "masterpiece."
The black Xianzhou attire made her snow-white long hair and fox ears even more prominent. The mysterious aura brought by the eye mask perfectly blended with the elegant and solemn clothing. Standing there, she resembled an envoy emerging from the dark night, with extraordinary temperament.
"Very good." Madam Herta nodded slightly in satisfaction, and with a casual swipe in the air, a gate shimmering with data streams along its edges quietly opened, revealing a twisted, swirling starry sky behind it.
"Go, and return immediately once you have the item." Madam Herta instructed.
Baiheng took a deep breath, suppressed the apprehension in her heart, adjusted the eye mask one last time, and stepped into the teleportation gate.
With a flash of light, her figure, along with the gate, disappeared from the carriage.
Having sent Baiheng away, Madam Herta paced to the observation window.
Outside the window was the platform of Herta Space Station.
The Astral Express was quietly docked there.
On the platform, the departing crowd was faintly visible.
The imposing Herta stood with her arms crossed, listening impatiently to what Station Master Asta was saying; the pink-haired Station Master, on the other hand, smiled gracefully and gave careful instructions;
Star stood there, the still prominent bump on her head making her look a bit comical, making her final goodbyes with March 7th, Welt, and others.
Madam Herta's gaze swept indifferently over the crowd, lingering for a moment in a certain corner—there, Danheng stood quietly in the shadows, arms crossed, like a silent guardian, his aura so restrained that he almost blended into the environment.
(That's why I sent you, Baiheng.)
Madam Herta whispered in her heart.
Until now, she had intentionally or unintentionally kept Baiheng away from all information related to Danheng.
As for the reason, it was not yet time.
Soon, the farewells ended, and the Astral Express Crew boarded the train one after another.
On the platform, Herta seemed to yawn and turned to leave, while Asta waved until the train door closed.
Madam Herta withdrew her gaze, returned to the sofa, crossed her legs, and slightly closed her purplish-black eyes, as if dozing, or perhaps calculating something.
The Stellaron was about to be acquired, and the plan had advanced another step.
But the path ahead was still shrouded in mist.
Kakumu's threat hung like the Sword of Damocles, the liberation of the Golden Descendants had just begun, and the "cooperation" with the Stellaron Hunters was full of uncertainties... A slight tremor came, a sign of the Astral Express starting.
Pom-Pom's energetic announcement echoed through the entire Astral Express via broadcast: "Warp jump ready to activate, Pom! All passengers please sit tight and hold on, Pom!"
Immediately after, a strange sensation of weightlessness and spatial distortion enveloped the entire carriage, including the "secret" sections where Madam Herta was.
That was the warp jump process, traveling through the sea of stars.
For ordinary life forms, this might be a long journey, but for the Astral Express, and for beings like Madam Herta, it was almost instantaneous.
Madam Herta opened her eyes and looked out the observation window.
Where there had just been deep space and the metallic structure of the Space Station, now everything had changed dramatically.
A massive planet covered in pristine ice and snow silently floated outside the window, white ice fields intertwined with dark ravines, like a frozen, silent giant.
Jarilo-VI, arrived.
When Baiheng stepped out of the teleportation gate, the sensation under her feet was no longer familiar, but rather the hard surface characteristic of some barren planetary terrain.
The night wind, carrying the coolness and dust of an unknown region, brushed past, causing her masked face to stir slightly.
This seemed to be a deserted industrial platform, with giant metal structures standing silently in the night, like the skeletal remains of ancient beasts.
In the distance, two moons of different sizes hung in the sky, casting a cold, eerie glow that painted everything in shades of blue and gray.
Two figures were already waiting there.
(These are... the two? Their presence is indeed extraordinary.)
Baiheng took a deep breath, trying to suppress her inner nervousness.
She reminded herself that she was representing Madam Herta, and absolutely could not show any fear.
Her snow-white long hair fell, creating a stark contrast with her dark dress.
She elegantly clasped her hands in front of her, silently waiting for the other party to speak first.
She had to maintain her composure, at least... put on a good show.
"Oh?"
Kafka was the first to break the silence, her gaze curiously sweeping over Baiheng, finally settling on her eyes, which were covered by the eye mask. "You sent such a... graceful messenger. Your master, who likes to hide behind the scenes, doesn't seem willing to show herself in person."
Silver Wolf 'popped' her bubblegum, making a crisp sound, and unceremoniously complained: "Exactly! Such airs! We worked so hard to 'get' this thing, and the boss isn't even coming to inspect it?"
She tilted her head, scrutinizing Baiheng, her eyes full of judgment. "And wearing an eye mask, so mysterious..."
Baiheng remained silent, offering no response.
She remembered Madam Herta's instructions—speak little, observe much, and simply complete the transaction.
(This little girl is really rude... But, is she referring to Madam Herta as the 'boss'? Of course, Madam Herta wouldn't easily show herself.)
Kafka chuckled lightly, seemingly unfazed by Baiheng's silence.
She took a step forward, her gaze sweeping over Baiheng's fox ears, snow-white long hair, and her attire.
A fleeting thought flickered deep within her eyes.
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