Another half day passed.
Inside the medical ward of Herta Space Station, the smell of disinfectant had yet to completely fade. Herta was currently sprawled across the hospital bed without the slightest regard for her image, her head resting quite naturally in the hollow of Kiana's shoulder.
Her face was still somewhat pale. The wound in her abdomen had already undergone emergency treatment and was no longer bleeding, but the weakness left behind by the Prison Realm's bizarre erosion clearly had not fully gone away.
At the moment, she was enjoying Kiana's "special care."
A spoonful of warm porridge, cooked from some unknown grain specialty of some unknown star system, was brought to her lips by Kiana's own hand.
"Aah—"
Herta even parted her lips slightly and let out a deliberately affected little sound.
Then, with her eyes half narrowed, her gaze drifted vaguely toward the other side of the room.
Seeing this, Kiana was somewhat speechless.
Wasn't this normally something Herta's little puppet bodies did for her? Shouldn't those small dolls floating around every corner of the space station be perfectly capable of serving tea, pouring water, feeding her, and wiping her mouth?
Well, admittedly, Kiana did not have much experience taking care of people. But strictly speaking, her household registration was still filed under Herta Space Station.
That was right. Legally speaking, she was still an official staff member of Herta Space Station, though even she herself had almost forgotten about it.
So, facing her "suspected guardian," Kiana made a rare exception.
After all, Herta's injury did, technically, have something to do with her.
But there was nothing she could do about that. Kiana truly had not expected Herta to actually come that close to messing up.
After all, once the Xianzhou Alliance saw Mobius get pierced through by the Prison Realm, they had immediately issued an additional galaxy-wide bounty for Kallen.
They had even published the Prison Realm's appearance and its possible functions, attaching a detailed risk assessment report and warning everyone not to touch that curio lightly.
And yet, even with all that, Herta had still fallen for it.
At this point, Kiana no longer knew whether Herta was genuinely weak, or whether she had simply been cursed by the universal law that all "Hertas" were destined to fail spectacularly.
Though this Herta was not that Herta, when it came to failures, they were both certainly Hertas who overturned their carts.
Kiana let out a soft sigh. Then she scooped up another spoonful of porridge, blew on it gently, and brought it to Herta's mouth.
Naturally, Herta swallowed it obediently. A satisfied hum even slipped from her throat.
Hiss. Now that she thought about it, seeing Herta like this was actually rather novel.
This proud, sharp-tongued genius now looked like a cat whose fur had been smoothed down.
Only, this cat's eyes had never once left the other two spectators in the room.
The medical ward was not large, but at this moment, it had four people squeezed inside it. In particular, three of them possessed extraordinary presences, making the air feel somewhat stagnant.
Acheron leaned against the wall farthest from the hospital bed, holding her signature odachi in her arms, her eyes lowered.
As a Self-Annihilator, Acheron's emotions were already much dimmer than those of ordinary people. Most of the time, she remained calm.
However, even she had a slight twitch at the corner of her brow on that ice-sculpted profile of hers.
Her gaze would occasionally sweep over Kiana's hand as she cared for Herta, only to quickly move away again and return to some empty point in the air.
If one had to describe it, this was probably an emotion called envy.
After all, ever since she had returned to the space station with Kiana, she had not had a chance to be alone with Kiana because of Celenova and Herta.
If possible, she would even have preferred to be the injured one right now.
That said, compared to the other person in the room, Acheron's reaction was still much more normal.
Without a doubt, the center of the lowest air pressure in the room was Celenova, who stood diagonally across from Acheron and looked as though she was about to bury herself into the shadow of the wall.
This Emanator of Destruction currently had her arms folded, her fingernails almost digging into her own forearms.
Her gaze was locked firmly onto the purple figure leaning against Kiana in the hospital bed.
Regret, humiliation, killing intent!
That was right. Celenova was already close to losing control.
In Celenova's pure and absolute understanding, Kiana was different.
Kiana was the liege she would serve for the rest of her life, the next Destruction who would sooner or later succeed the position of the Ruinous Creator God.
Yet such a supreme existence in Celenova's heart was now taking care of Herta, that venomous woman.
That woman who was clearly so weak, who overturned her cart every day, and yet still acted so high and mighty.
At the thought, Celenova's breathing grew faintly heavier, her chest rising and falling.
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
She wanted to rush forward and tear that ungrateful woman away from her young lady's side.
She wanted to use the power of Destruction to vaporize this medical ward together with that hateful figure.
Or at the very least, she wanted to pierce through that hypocritical, sickly disguise with icy words.
But the instant each thought arose, it was forcibly pressed down by an even stronger force.
Because Kiana was here, and Kiana had shown no unwillingness.
Celenova's loyalty stood above everything else, including her own anger and killing intent.
She could not, and absolutely would not, defy Kiana's will, even if that will manifested as care toward an enemy.
And so, the entire storm could only be compressed inside Celenova's own body.
Meanwhile, Kiana looked at Herta's utterly natural enjoyment of being served and finally could not hold back any longer. She placed the porridge bowl in her hand onto the small table beside them and spoke.
"I say, are you feeling any better yet? The Astral Express situation still hasn't been dealt with, and there's a whole pile of messes waiting to be cleaned up. Meanwhile, you're here having fun at my expense?"
Hearing this, Herta immediately became displeased. She opened her half-lidded eyes slightly, a trace of dissatisfaction flashing through her purple pupils, and her tone turned entirely justified.
"Kiana, what kind of thing is that to say? I'm your adoptive mother. Sooner or later, you'll have to support me in my old age. What's wrong with letting me enjoy it in advance?"
"…Hah?"
Kiana was completely dumbfounded, as though she suspected she had misheard.
Her eyes widened slightly, and her head unconsciously leaned back a little, as if she needed to reexamine the face of the woman in front of her.
"Adoptive mother? Are you trying to take advantage of me?"
"Take advantage? This is only natural!"
Herta gave a light snort.
Then she adjusted her position against Kiana's shoulder, making herself a little more comfortable.
"When you were first picked up by me and brought back to the space station, your identity information, guardianship relationship, and everything else were all registered in black and white. Are you trying to deny it now?"
Kiana was momentarily speechless. She really had not expected Herta to drag out this ancient history.
Back when she had first embarked on her level-grinding journey, the first person she sought out had indeed been Herta.
But the title "adoptive mother" sounded weird no matter how she listened to it.
Could it be that Herta had some kind of hobby for being other people's mother?
Herta continued, "Besides, that irresponsible woman Cecilia has gone off who-knows-where again. There's been no news from her at all."
"Do you think that's what a normal mother should do?"
"If you ask me, Kiana, you may as well just stop bothering with her and live here with me permanently. Good food, good drink, and a genius like me covering for you. Isn't that better than hanging around with that woman?"
At the mention of Cecilia, Kiana's eyes flickered slightly, and she did not answer right away.
After all, the reason Cecilia had disappeared some time ago was because she had gone off to act as Mobius's Demon Lord protector.
Not only that, because of Cecilia's special status, Kiana had also made all of her other personas wandering outside go to Cecilia for a bit of an Abundance blessing.
And honestly, that Abundance persona had really been worth buying back then.
One-and-done, lifetime warranty, absurdly cost-effective.
Though that was what she thought inwardly, Kiana did not answer Herta's question about where she should live.
She merely looked at Herta quietly for a few seconds, then suddenly tilted her head slightly and turned her gaze toward the tightly shut door of the medical ward.
"There's a guest outside," Kiana said calmly.
Almost the moment her voice fell, everyone in the room turned their eyes toward that door.
Clearly, before Kiana had spoken, they had all already noticed that someone was standing outside.
Herta coughed lightly.
"Ahem… come in."
Soon, the door was pushed open gently, and Dan Heng walked in.
He first swept his eyes across everyone in the room. His gaze paused briefly on Acheron and Celenova, then landed on Herta, who was lying on the hospital bed.
Thinking back, when Stelle first boarded the Astral Express, March had jokingly called the space station a beginner village because of its lack of combat personnel.
But now, looking at the four Emanators in front of him, Dan Heng had nothing to say.
If the Astral Express had had enough energy back then, enough to support its arrival at the space station…
Perhaps, with the four Emanators working together, they might have been able to take down the enemy.
Dan Heng nodded slightly and said, "Madam Herta, thank you again for sending people to receive the Astral Express. If not for your help, we might have…"
"Enough. Spare me the pleasantries."
Herta interrupted him.
Although her face was still somewhat pale, a bit of the genius's usual arrogance had returned to her expression.
"The Express has been retrieved. Have your companions woken up?"
Dan Heng shook his head again.
"March and Stelle have not awakened yet. But Miss Himeko has already woken up. Her consciousness is clear, and her physical condition is stable."
"The space station doctors said they were only deeply corroded by the power of Nihility and will need time to recover."
"Mm."
Herta nodded, seemingly unsurprised by this result.
Afterward, she fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Dan Heng. Her tone became somewhat solemn, even carrying a rare trace of sympathy.
"Dan Heng, my condolences."
Dan Heng: "...?"
Herta sighed and waved her hand.
"I mean, although Welt sacrificed himself, at least everyone else is still alive."
"Besides, Welt is only missing. He may not truly have been killed. With his strength and experience, his chance of survival is at least not zero."
However, the instant Herta mentioned Welt, Dan Heng's face revealed an extremely obvious look of awkwardness.
Previously, when Dan Heng had first found the Astral Express, although everyone in the Express crew had fainted, at least they were fine.
There had, however, been one exception.
That was right. At the time, Dan Heng had not found Welt.
And after suffering an attack from the Witch of Nihility, there was essentially no difference between missing and dead.
Of course, that was before. Back then, Dan Heng had indeed felt somewhat heavy.
But now…
"…Ahem."
Dan Heng opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Herta was as sharp as ever and immediately caught the abnormality in his expression.
"What is it? Could it be… there's news of Welt?"
Dan Heng's awkward look grew even stronger.
He cleared his throat, his tone somewhat subtle.
"Yes, Madam Herta. Mr. Welt… has already been found."
"Oh?"
Herta raised an eyebrow.
"Where was he found? How is he?"
The corner of Dan Heng's mouth seemed to twitch.
"Near… an interstellar garbage recycling station nearby. Based on the traces at the scene and the damage sustained by the Express, Mr. Welt did not lose consciousness at the time. He fought a great battle with Miss Kallen… with that Witch of Nihility."
"But clearly, Mr. Welt was no match for her. However, the Witch of Nihility did not kill him. She merely threw him out of the Astral Express."
"Threw him… out of the Express?"
Herta repeated the words, her tone full of disbelief.
Dan Heng's expression became even more awkward.
"Yes. Based on our subsequent search and analysis of the scene, Mr. Welt should have drifted through space for approximately two hours. Then… he was scooped up by the garbage recycling station's automatic salvage device."
The room sank into an eerie silence.
A few seconds later, Kiana could not hold back and laughed.
No, Welt really did go and cosplay space trash.
Even Acheron, who was usually like an iceberg, had an almost imperceptible twitch at her brow after hearing that familiar name. The corners of her lips seemed to flash with an extremely faint curve.
As for Celenova, she was not familiar with this person called Welt, so she had no particular thoughts.
Herta was also stunned for quite a while before she finally digested this information.
"Ahem. It's good that he's fine."
In the end, that was all she said.
"All right, let's put Welt's matter aside for now and talk business."
"Himeko has already woken up, hasn't she? What did she say?"
Herta's gaze fell on Dan Heng's face, carrying a trace of curiosity.
"The Astral Express was attacked by the Witch of Nihility. As its navigator, she should know something, right?"
Dan Heng shook his head.
"Himeko said she knows nothing."
"At the time, she was brewing coffee in the parlor car. According to her recollection, she was merely adjusting the water temperature when she suddenly lost consciousness."
"When she woke up again, she was already in the space station's medical ward."
Herta frowned.
"She fainted just while making coffee?"
"Yes." Dan Heng nodded. "Miss Himeko said she did not even see Miss Kallen… did not see the Witch of Nihility."
"In other words, the other party acted without her noticing at all."
Herta fell silent for a moment, then gave a soft snort.
"That does fit that witch's style."
She paused, then added, "After all, those people from the IPC were also stabbed in the back by her like this."
Dan Heng did not speak, but his hand tightened unconsciously.
"Compared to that…"
Dan Heng took a deep breath and looked at Herta again.
"Miss Himeko actually wanted to come and find you herself, to reconfirm the information regarding Miss Kallen."
"She asked me to come first and ask you. If it is convenient, she would like to speak with you in person."
Herta raised an eyebrow.
"What, she still doesn't believe it?"
Dan Heng was silent for an instant before slowly speaking.
"It is not only Miss Himeko. Even I… still feel somewhat dazed."
"Miss Kallen stayed on the Express for three days. During those three days, she showed nothing unusual."
"She helped us leave the domain of Nihility, and she saved all our lives."
"Even back in Penacony, she helped the Express crew many times."
"If not for the various reports from the space station, if not for the fact that the Astral Express truly was attacked by Nihility…"
"I absolutely would not have suspected her."
Dan Heng's voice carried an indescribably complicated emotion.
Seeing this, Kiana, who was standing to the side, did not find it surprising.
After all, the people aboard the Astral Express were indeed rather emotional by nature.
Never mind Kallen, who had helped them.
In the original plot, even Sunday, once a former final boss, had been accepted after joining the Express crew.
At that moment, Herta looked at Dan Heng and spoke again.
"Dan Heng, do you think that because Kallen treated your Express crew rather well, she shouldn't be a bad person?"
Dan Heng's brow moved slightly, but he did not answer.
Herta did not care about his silence and continued, "If that witch Kallen were really so easy for your Express crew to see through, the IPC would not have been stabbed in the back by her."
"Do you think this is her first time doing something like this?"
"Do you think she would show mercy to the Astral Express?"
Herta's tone was calm, as if she were merely stating the most ordinary fact.
"She did save you. But she also attacked you."
"These two things do not contradict each other, because to her, both are merely methods."
"Just like when she was with the IPC. On one hand, she said she wanted to return to Preservation, and on the other, she stabbed them in the back."
At this point, Herta paused briefly, her gaze falling on Dan Heng's face.
"I understand," Dan Heng finally said.
Herta glanced at him and did not continue the topic any further.
After all, she had something more important to ask now.
"By the way, you said earlier that Kallen stayed on the Express for three days?"
Dan Heng nodded.
"Yes."
"Then did she say anything strange? Or do anything strange?"
Dan Heng thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"She spent most of her time recovering from her injuries and did not interact much with the Express crew."
"The only thing relatively special was that she asked me to deliver to you that… cube."
At the mention of the Prison Realm, Dan Heng's expression became noticeably more solemn.
"She said it was a gift she had once promised to give you, and that she wanted to give you a surprise."
Herta's face changed slightly.
She lowered her head and glanced at the bandaged wound on her abdomen, the corner of her mouth twitching.
"A surprise… Yes, it certainly was surprising enough."
Dan Heng looked at Herta's expression. After hesitating for a moment, he still asked, "Madam Herta, regarding that cube…"
"What I want to ask is, is the intelligence from the Xianzhou Alliance true?"
Herta looked up at him.
"What part?"
"Yuanqiao."
Dan Heng's tone became solemn.
"That Xianzhou ship that once crashed. The information about it… is it true?"
The air inside the medical ward seemed to freeze for an instant.
Although the information about Yuanqiao had already spread thoroughly across the galaxy over the past month, for Dan Heng, this was indeed his first time hearing about it.
Herta was silent for a few seconds before slowly nodding.
"It is absolutely true."
"This is a truth that Aha personally revealed to the entire galaxy."
"Aha?"
Dan Heng frowned.
Aha of Elation?
That Aeon who took joy in messing with people?
Herta seemed to see his doubts and gently waved her hand.
"I know what you're thinking. Aha is indeed unreliable, but this time, I do not think he fabricated a lie."
"Why?" Dan Heng asked.
"Because of the Xianzhou Alliance's reaction."
Herta's gaze sharpened.
"If what Aha said was false, the Xianzhou Alliance would have come out to refute it long ago. But they did not."
"On the contrary, they immediately held a grand welcome celebration for that Lord Jadebearer of Yuanqiao."
"That was not an act."
"That Miss Mobius?" Dan Heng murmured the name softly.
"Correct. Mobius."
Herta nodded.
"Yuanqiao's Lord Jadebearer, and also the person the Xianzhou Alliance is now searching for so anxiously they are practically about to cry."
"She disappeared for thousands of years after Yuanqiao's crash, and now she has suddenly reappeared. That alone is the strongest proof."
Dan Heng fell silent.
A scene surfaced in his mind.
It was the instant he took the Prison Realm from Kallen's hand.
That aura, one that made him feel incomparably close to it…
"Madam Herta," Dan Heng spoke again.
"That Lord Jadebearer… Miss Mobius, is she truly sealed inside that Prison Realm now?"
Herta looked at him, seeming to have noticed something.
"Yes. I have already confirmed it with the Xianzhou Alliance."
Her tone was certain.
"That cube's appearance, aura, and sealing effect are all identical to the Xianzhou Alliance's description."
"If the Witch of Nihility did not kill Lord Jadebearer outright, then Lord Jadebearer should still be inside the Prison Realm right now."
Dan Heng's fingers curled slightly.
"Then, Madam Herta, have you… tried opening that curio?"
Herta glanced at him, a strange look flashing through her purple eyes.
"Of course we tried."
Her tone carried a trace of unwillingness.
"I had Kiana try, and I had these two try as well."
Hearing this, Dan Heng turned his gaze toward Kiana.
Kiana was leaning against the other side of the hospital bed, still hugging a pillow, looking bored out of her mind.
Sensing Dan Heng's gaze, Kiana shrugged.
"Don't look at me. I tried. It won't open."
Her tone was casual, but Dan Heng could tell from her eyes that she was serious.
But this, too, could not be helped.
The Prison Realm's settings were rather special. The persona bound to it was Kallen.
If one wanted to open the Prison Realm, then only Kallen herself could do it.
Of course, if she used the Judgment of Shamash, Kiana was indeed confident she could force the Prison Realm open.
But if she opened it just like that, then wouldn't the Xianzhou Alliance be unable to immediately see Mobius in her half-dead state?
With that thought in mind, Kiana had not made a move.
However, after hearing Kiana's answer, Dan Heng fell silent again.
He knew Kiana's strength.
Although she had not displayed her full power in Penacony, based on the aura she had revealed back on the Luofu, she was absolutely among the strongest beings.
If even she could not open it…
Just what exactly was that Prison Realm?
"But you don't need to worry too much."
Herta's voice sounded, interrupting Dan Heng's thoughts.
"I have already notified the Xianzhou Alliance."
"They take Lord Jadebearer's matter very seriously. They have already sent people rushing here."
Hearing this, the first to react was neither Dan Heng nor anyone else, but Kiana, along with Mobius, who was currently eavesdropping from inside the Prison Realm.
Oho. Looks like it is time to prepare some dragon skewers in advance.
Join here to read ahead.
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 180)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl 285
"Is this chat group even serious?" 150
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (This matter is completely finished.)
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 255
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 210
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 305
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer (This matter is completely finished.)
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 130
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 155
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 120
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 155
My Harem Is Indescribable 105
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 110
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 110
Still playing traditional Honk 96
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 95
What Should I Do After Switchi 51
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 80
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 105
Checking In in Demon Slayer 95
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 105
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 95
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel (This matter is completely finished.)
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 95
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 90
Why did they assign me to Uma 80
MYGO Beauties 75
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 80
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 100
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 120
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 65
The Uma Musume Who Became 70
I'm Definitely Not the King of 105
After Maxing Out Every Class 110
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 95
I, the Elden Sword Saint 60
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 60
No One Knows Pokémon Better 60
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 69
From Trilobites to Titans 57
Chainsaw Man: Contracted with 75
DanMachi: My Party Members Are 86
An Anime Heroine Darkened 60
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Duel Links 70
Honkai: The Fire Devil 70
Honkai Transformation Cards Volume2/30
Age of Heroes, I'm Just a Back 60
Uma Musume Has No Weird Fan Le 74
At age 8, she co-starred with 42
Honkai: Schicksal Media 30
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