"Last time was just like this. Sigh… The space station is so huge, where am I supposed to find Herta?"
Stelle wandered aimlessly through the space station. She had rashly agreed to Asta's request in the heat of the moment, but now that she thought about it, wasn't this like looking for a needle in a haystack?
But just then, the hushed whispers of two nearby researchers caught her attention:
"Hey, did you see that? Lady Herta just came out of her office!"
"What?! Lady Herta's been holed up in her office for years. Why'd she suddenly come out today? Did something big happen?"
"I bet it did. I heard she headed to the Curio Collection Room. Wanna go check it out?"
"Uh… that's not a good idea, is it? Lady Herta's so aloof. The only people I've seen her talk to at the station are Stationmaster Asta and Captain Arlan."
"Yeah, true. She's a genius, after all. It's normal for her to look down on ordinary folks like us."
"…"
The Curio Collection Room, huh… Stelle nodded thoughtfully. At least she had a general area to start with. Might as well check it out.
Ten minutes later.
Stelle entered the Curio Collection Room, feeling a wave of nostalgia—this was practically her birthplace. Who would've thought her first return would be for a reason like this?
The room was filled with all sorts of curios, each displayed in its own case, dazzling to the eye. But with careful observation, Stelle quickly spotted a suspicious figure behind one of the display cases—undoubtedly Herta.
The corner of Stelle's mouth twitched upward, and she instinctively softened her breathing. She tiptoed toward the figure, and then—
…
Some time ago.
[: Cheaters deserve to die. You'd be better off camping bridges than playing like that.]
[: Exactly! You're done for. I'm reporting you!]
[: If you wanna cheat, go play XX Sniper. This is CS!]
[: …]
Silver Wolf glared at the barrage of insults on her screen, grinding her teeth in frustration. She turned on her mic to retort, "What's wrong with cheating? Who am I doing this for? Isn't it to lead the team to victory? The enemy team flaming me is one thing, but my own teammates too?"
"Are you all just a bunch of adorable little babies?!"
[: …]
[: That voice sounds so young… Hiss—kinda hot.]
[: What do I even say… Sure, you lost your driftwood, but you've got us! We can call you Mommy and let you feel like the driftwood.]
[: Mommy, Mommy!]
"Tch! I'm done!"
Silver Wolf slammed the game interface shut, ready to go online and vent her frustration on a certain purple lolita, only to find that account hadn't been updated in days.
Silver Wolf: Argh!
Why was the universe so cruel to her?
Why give her unmatched hacking talent and galaxy-tier gaming skills, yet curse her with such clumsy hands!
"Oh heavens, why must you forsake me!"
Silver Wolf wiped a tear from her eye, about to grab something to eat when she heard a news broadcast from the nearby TV:
[: It is reported that the technological marvel from the cyber data world Punklorde, the curio "All-Round Gloves," has recently been gifted to Lady Herta, #83 of the Genius Club. Lady Herta's manager, Miss Asta, expressed gratitude for Punklorde's gift, stating that the Interastral Peace Corporation will provide three trillion credits in financial support.]
[: Rumor has it that the curio "All-Round Gloves" possesses a special function—it can make the fingers of even the most dexterity-challenged individuals agile, allowing them to perform even the most difficult actions with ease.]
[: The only downside is…]
"All-Round Gloves… All-Round Gloves?" Silver Wolf's eyes glazed over, staring at the gloves on the TV screen, her heart pounding as if she'd met her one true love.
This thing was practically made for her! She had to get her hands on it!
Let's see, where is it now… Yo? Herta Space Station? That's an old haunt!
Hahaha, the gloves are mine!
With a snap of her fingers, a transparent panel appeared out of thin air—her unique ability, known to others as "Aether Editing," though she preferred to call it her "System."
It was a technique that could alter reality's data, like inputting a "command" into the universe.
After entering the coordinates, Silver Wolf snapped her fingers again, and her figure vanished. Just then, the TV finished the rest of the sentence—
[: …The only downside is that the gloves seem to have a mind of their own. According to the latest champion of a certain game, wearing the gloves only made their fingers act foolishly, worse than not wearing them.]
[: Thus, this curio was rated one of this year's galactic F-tier curios.]
Back to the present.
Bang!
"Ouch! Damn it… Who's there?!"
Silver Wolf was rummaging through the Curio Collection Room for her prize when someone tackled her from behind, pinning her down.
Since she didn't think snagging an item would be a big deal, she'd come dressed casually in a tank top and slippers, as if she were raiding her own kitchen.
"Herta, I'm sorry! Can you hear me out first? I… huh?"
Stelle was about to launch into a tearful apology, but upon seeing the petite figure beneath her, she froze—Silver Wolf?
Why was she here? And dressed so… lightly?
Hiss—almost forgot, this is part of Silver Wolf's companion mission plot. Running into her makes sense.
"Stelle?"
Recognizing her attacker, Silver Wolf was momentarily stunned, then furious. She kicked Stelle in the chin with her foot. "Get the hell off me, you little punk! What are you doing here?"
Thud!
Stelle's head hit a display case, and she winced, shrinking back. "What's wrong with you? What's it to you that I'm here? I'm looking for Herta. What are you doing?"
"I…" Silver Wolf faltered, suddenly remembering that Stelle had amnesia and shouldn't recognize her.
The air went quiet for a few seconds, but Silver Wolf quickly came up with an excuse. "I'm the manager of the Curio Collection Room. You just attacked me, so of course I fought back!"
"You clearly kicked me!"
"That's not the point!" Silver Wolf put her hands on her hips. "I'm warning you, this place isn't for random people. Get out!"
To be honest, this worked somewhat on Stelle. She actually hesitated, and for a simple reason: she'd seen too many absurd twists.
From Herta Space Station to Belobog to the Xianzhou Luofu, she'd witnessed countless character reversals. Silver Wolf being Herta's employee wasn't even that far-fetched—heck, if someone told her the Borisin warhead was named Silver Wolf, she'd believe it. (They're both wolves, after all.)
Plus, Silver Wolf's casual outfit made it plausible she could be a staff member here.
Still, Stelle retained a shred of caution. Staring into Silver Wolf's eyes, she suddenly asked, "Then let me ask you, what kind of existence is Lady Herta to you?"