On the way to Ruan Mei's lab, Wisteria Cake reminded her again.
"Madam Herta, we should plan this carefully."
Herta confidently flicked her bangs and dismissed the idea with a casual smirk.
"Plan carefully? No, no. Every extra second that fox spends near Ruan Mei makes it impossible for me to eat or sleep in peace."
"Besides, with all of you here, Ruan Mei won't be as cold as before. You're her creations, aren't you?"
Wisteria Cake sighed deeply.
"Sigh. You're still like this. Honestly, weren't we supposed to follow my lead this time?"
Herta blinked and abruptly ended the [Mirror] teleportation. The other cat-cakes looked at her in confusion.
"Wisteria Cake. Careful planning might be out of the question. But I can accept following your strategy."
Wisteria Cake stared at her, still exasperated.
"Really?"
"Really. I swear on my talent, beauty, and knowledge as Madam Herta—this time, I'll follow your lead."
Ruan Mei Cake commented from the side.
"Madam Herta, why are you listening to us cat-cakes?"
"Before, you'd just half-close your eyes and look down on everyone with that disdainful smirk, wouldn't you?"
Herta shot her a cold glance.
"You're not Ruan Mei herself. Do you know what the consequences are for speaking to me like that?!"
Wisteria Cake immediately stepped in front of Ruan Mei Cake.
"Madam Herta, please control yourself. Ruan Mei Cake only spoke the truth. If you harm her, we're leaving. Right now."
Herta gritted her teeth and kept telling herself: It's just a cat-cake. Don't take it seriously. Don't get angry.
Don't get angry. Anger turns a genius into a fool. It drains my intelligence.
Forcing herself to ignore Ruan Mei Cake's insolence, she asked calmly,
"Wisteria Cake. I want to hear your plan."
Wisteria Cake produced a notebook.
"Here. I knew you'd come back, so I prepared a strategy in advance."
Herta began reading.
Wisteria Cake had three plans.
Plan One: Bait the Fox Away.
Send Tingyun packing first.
Pretend to inform Tingyun that Yukong is nearing her end. Let her return for one last meeting.
Note: Block all external signals beforehand. Use a fabricated hologram of Yukong to deliver the message.
Then have a proper talk with Ruan Mei.
Plan Two: Don't Hesitate.
Use your authority as an Emanator and the terrifying power of the Erudition Path to forcefully overpower Ruan Mei.
This plan preserves Madam Herta's precious dignity, but it damages relationships. Only use as a last resort.
Plan Three: The Happy Ending Masterstroke.
Don't hesitate. Confess to Ruan Mei directly. Admit you were wrong on the Xianzhou Luofu.
Promise to treat her well from now on. No more arrogance. Mutual respect.
Herta frowned and rejected it with characteristic pride.
"I, the great Madam Herta, wrong? Honestly, even if Machine Head were wrong, I wouldn't be."
"I've read them. I don't want to use Plan Two."
"Let's just send that fox away first. Then I'll have a proper talk with Ruan Mei. If we can't reach an understanding, I'll take her back to the space station."
"No—I'll invite her to Herta City."
Wisteria Cake looked at her suspiciously.
"Herta City? Why take her there?"
Herta confidently smoothed a strand of hair and smirked.
"Once she's in Herta City, almost no one in this world can escape."
"Space and time are bound there. Even Ruan Mei couldn't find a way out."
Wisteria Cake and Ruan Mei Cake exchanged glances. Ruan Mei Cake asked,
"Wisteria Cake... are you sure you're not setting Madam Ruan Mei up?"
Wisteria Cake nodded helplessly and sighed.
"This... sigh. Madam Herta only said 'almost no one.' What if Aha's gaze falls on Herta City? Then everything changes."
Herta stared at her.
Countless Amber Eras. Countless Herta puppets. None have found a way out of Herta City. Yet this cat-cake dismisses it all with a single sentence.
But she forced herself to stay calm and retorted,
"Wisteria Cake, don't overthink it. All those Masked Fools, and Aha never glances at them. Why would They suddenly show up in Herta City?"
Wisteria Cake met her gaze.
"In the Simulated Universe, who invited you to become an Emanator of Elation?"
"In the real world, what if Aha is watching you and Ruan Mei from somewhere among the stars?"
"Have you never wondered—you've known Ruan Mei for so many Amber Eras."
"Why, in just these past few months, has Ruan Mei changed? Why did she confess to you?! And she said it wasn't a social experiment."
Herta's expression darkened. The gravity of the situation hit her.
She had wondered. She just didn't want to think about it. People always seek benefit and avoid harm. Even Herta was no exception.
Ruan Mei's change was everything she'd hoped for across countless Amber Eras.
"Wisteria Cake. Let's set aside all this talk about Aha for now. I just want to bring Ruan Mei back to Herta City."
"In short: send Tingyun away first. Then have a proper talk with Ruan Mei. I'll find a chance to confess."
"If she rejects me—or tries to run like I did before—I'll use my Path power to defeat Ruan Mei directly."
Wisteria Cake nodded helplessly.
---
Ruan Mei's Laboratory.
Tingyun looked at the newly appeared Forgotten Cake, a genuine smile spreading across her face.
"Wow, Benefactor Ruan Mei! This cat-cake really looks like me!!"
Ruan Mei nodded slightly.
Tingyun asked softly.
"Forgotten Cake, is there anything you want to say to me or Benefactor Ruan Mei?"
Forgotten Cake looked around, then glanced at the sealed Herta #3.
"Who is she?"
"Just a guest. Oh, Forgotten Cake, I need to talk to you."
Forgotten Cake looked at her quizzically.
"Hmm?"
"It's about Benefactor Ruan Mei and Madam Herta..."
Tingyun explained the situation between Ruan Mei and Herta.
"I see. I understand now. I'll do my best to help Benefactor Ruan Mei too."