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"..."
Sol was a little speechless.
This felt so much like the cliché in which a scumbag, before leaving, convinces one last time that he loves you. By character logic, this was exactly what he should be doing.
But he also knew Herta's intentions were definitely not like that.
"Forget it if you don't want to come."
Herta pouted, a mix of relief and slight disappointment crossing her face.
This wasn't like before—earlier she had been teased in all sorts of ways, and now he suddenly acted like a proper gentleman.
"I'll come."
Sol turned and held Herta's hand, his eyes filled with pure desire.
He could have easily anchored to Herta using the Astral Express's domain and arrived in an instant—there really was no real dilemma.
But with such a beautiful invitation, wouldn't refusing make him look weak?
"Mm."
Herta hummed lightly, almost absent-mindedly. "I have a private room in Penacony. You can stay over for a while."
"Shall we go?"
Sol had already tidied up the traces on the rooftop, smiling as he raised an eyebrow.
In the blink of an eye, they returned to reality hand in hand, ready for an exciting night together.
Along the way, a small interruption occurred—Sol received a message from Sparkle.
[Sparkle: Coming home tonight, darling? I transformed into Silver Wolf today, wearing Silver Wolf's clothes!]
[Sol: Thanks for the invitation. I'll come back tomorrow.]
"Hmph, scumbag! You have no idea what an opportunity you just missed!"
Sparkle looked at the blushing Silver Wolf before her, pouting in frustration.
Having lost a bet to him, Silver Wolf had to fulfill her request. She had orchestrated this little drama for Sol.
She even planned to appear as Silver Wolf during the middle of it to playfully scare him.
But Sol wasn't coming today—what a pity.
...
The next afternoon.
Herta finally opened the permanent platinum guest room in Penacony.
She had originally scheduled a morning departure but had only gotten up by the afternoon.
"Eh~"
Herta looked at her body, unusually displaying a hint of dissatisfaction.
Though freshly bathed, she still felt grimy all over.
"What's wrong, Herta?" Sol sniffed along her hairline, detecting only her subtle natural scent, and smiled. "Want to go wash again? I can scrub you thoroughly."
"No need." Herta rolled her eyes, a little aggrieved. "It's because I showered this morning that I'm leaving in the afternoon. If I shower again, I might not even leave until next month."
Sol smiled. "The longer the time, the cleaner you get."
"Hmph~"
Herta lightly hummed. The longer the washing, the dirtier it seemed, and the more water she used.
Anyway, for a proper bath, she definitely wouldn't do it with Sol.
"One last thing." Herta turned to Sol, cupped his head, and planted a fierce kiss.
After a long moment, she pulled back on her own, wiped her mouth, and said efficiently, "We're officially boyfriend and girlfriend now. I don't care if you see other girls—but you can't pick really bad ones."
This was the pride of a genius—she couldn't share herself with just anyone.
The thought of mediocre people made her uncomfortable.
Sol nodded, smiling. "Understood. If you don't trust my character, at least trust my taste."
"That's good. After experiencing a genius like me, it'll be hard for anyone else to impress you."
Herta lifted her chin confidently, two little Hertas carrying luggage floating gracefully beside her onto the starship.
Such a flawless, unparalleled genius—no one could compare.
Given Sol's infatuation with her, other women would feel bland; in the future, he would likely love only her.
What a headache—what if his previous girlfriends came looking for him?
And what about Stelle later—how many Stellar Jades would she need to give to avoid hurting Stelle's feelings?
It was all her fault. Perfect to the last detail, making Sol helplessly obsessed.
Herta blushed, shaking the messy thoughts from her head.
"Sorry."
Sol watched the figures of one big and two small Hertas leave, feeling a little guilty.
Yesterday, he had made a mistake with the little Herta in front of the main Herta; his conscience was pricked.
Next time, he wouldn't do it in front of her.
Speaking of which—what was that message from little Sparkle yesterday?
He wasn't that kind of person. If she really wanted him, she could just contact the real him.
Sparkle had misunderstood him too deeply—he'd need to go back and correct it in person.
Just then, Robin sent a message.
[Robin: Ms. Jade and Ms. Topaz of the Interastral Peace Corporation would like to meet with you. Are you available? If not, I can pass on the message.]
She knew Sol had been busy negotiating a major project with genius Herta and likely had little time to meet with the two from the IPC.
"They finally can't resist trying to reclaim the cornerstones of the Emanator's power!"
Sol casually pulled out a golden, translucent Topaz stone and a premium Jade stone.
Since he became the man behind Robin, as Penacony's new backing, these two hazardous items from the Interastral Peace Corporation had come into his hands.
Originally, they served as markers for the IPC's schemes in Penacony. With him overseeing, the markers were useless—directly becoming his spoils.
Collecting them was perfectly justified; the IPC had always schemed against Penacony.
Before, it didn't matter, but now Penacony was the land of rising hope—important to him.
Robin was his little bird, and he highly valued Sunday's efforts, whose "Dream" also helped awaken hope.
So, the IPC with designs on Penacony was half his enemy.
These two cornerstones contained 20% of Emanator-level power—strategically significant for investment operations.
Reclaiming them wouldn't be easy without a substantial price.
After considering for a moment, Sol clasped the two cornerstones and replied to Robin: "They're lucky today. I happen to have time—I will be there immediately."
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