[Stelle arrives at the Master Control Zone and spots Himeko waiting for her in a corner from afar.]
[Seeing Stelle arrive as expected, Himeko smiles warmly: "You're awake. I asked March and the others to stay near the train to keep an eye on things. The timing's just about right—the person I've been waiting for should be here soon."]
["I've only been gone a few months, huh? And the space station's already in this state?"]
[Before the words fade, a slightly haughty female voice suddenly rings out nearby.]
[Following the sound, the first thing that catches the eye is a pair of pale, slender legs. But as the view pulls back, it becomes clear that the girl's joints—where her calves meet her thighs—are distinctly ball-shaped.]
"A puppet?" Outside the Celestial Screen, Jayce's eyes widen.
"Remarkable technology," Viktor murmurs in awe. "Piltover's tech can achieve remote automation too, but in terms of expression and form…" He trails off, simply staring up at this masterpiece, flawless in both structural precision and appearance.
If not for the joints at her limbs, she'd look exactly like a human girl. A navy-blue beret paired with long gray hair, adorned with a purple lily, adds an air of elegance and intellect.
Beneath a black women's tailcoat, she wears a snowy-white puffy dress, lending the imposing lady an unexpectedly playful and cute charm.
["This is the true master of the space station—#83 of the Genius Society, Herta."]
[Yet the moment Himeko finishes the introduction, the girl lifts her violet eyes in displeasure, shooting Himeko a reproachful glance: "If you're going to introduce me, do it properly. Why mention the Society? With all my extraordinary achievements, any of them sounds better than '#83.'"]
["Genius… Society."]
[As the most elite gathering of geniuses in the universe, Stelle had expected a far cooler name for the organization. Instead, it's so… down-to-earth that she struggles not to laugh.]
[Herta's gaze sweeps over Stelle, and she snorts: "Go ahead and laugh. That old ghost Zandar came up with the name—you think I like it? Also, this kid's the one with the Stellaron now?" ]
[Himeko nods silently.]
["Hmph, then I'll have to take a good look." A rare smile gradually spreads across Herta's face.]
——
"Uh… so… this is Herta?" Jayce rubs the faint stubble on his chin, looking at Viktor in disbelief.
"It must be her, though I imagined the esteemed Lady Herta would be… more composed." Viktor, too, finds it hard to reconcile. According to Asta, Herta is the "Embodiment of Wisdom," one of the smartest humans in the universe. Yet now, she seems more like a slightly childish young girl.
It's a perfect match for her puppet body, though.
"The puppet's probably just a communication tool. The voice might belong to the real Lady Herta."
"But that voice sounds like it's from someone in their teens or twenties?" Jayce still can't believe it. "A wisdom incarnate… that young?"
"Well, how else would she be a genius?" Viktor replies with a wry smile.
[In the Celestial Screen, Herta begins scrutinizing Stelle from head to toe, murmuring in admiration: "Incredible. To restrain an inactive Stellaron and spare Pteruges-VI from disaster, I built an entire space station…"]
["Yet someone went back to basics and solved it all with this kid's body—how?"]
[Under Herta's gaze, which feels like she's examining a lab rat, Stelle breaks out in a cold sweat, her skin prickling.]
["And the Stellaron is remarkably stable inside her," Himeko adds.]
["Yeah, this little one's constitution is truly bizarre." Herta's curiosity burns even brighter.]
[Stelle wipes her forehead: "Do you really have to discuss me right in front of me? And—I'm not 'little.'" As she says this, her eyes dart pointedly toward Herta's petite frame.]
[Herta, sharp as ever, immediately catches the implication. She raises an eyebrow and huffs: "Compared to me, you are little. How old are you, anyway?"]
["Besides, I've long completed my research on rejuvenation. This puppet you see now is only about 70% similar to how I looked as a child."]
These words strike Viktor's mind like a thunderbolt.
"Rejuvenation?! Is that something human science can truly achieve? If, if… cough…" Viktor, rarely this agitated, clutches his chest as a fit of violent coughing overtakes him.
Fortunately, after the coughing subsides, a faint flush returns to his paper-pale face.
"Viktor, you need to calm down. Even if Lady Herta achieved rejuvenation, she's from another world." Jayce doesn't forget the insurmountable barrier of the Celestial Screen separating them and gently reassures him, "Her success doesn't guarantee ours."
Viktor shakes his head firmly. "Jayce, the essence of science lies in exploring the impossible."
Jayce sighs deeply. He knows Viktor's health has always been fragile, his longing for a sound body unending. He understands Viktor's obsession and doesn't plan to dissuade him further.
But alongside Viktor's pursuit of health, a bold idea begins to take root in his own mind.
——
At the same time, in the Undercity of Zaun.
This is a cesspool of filth—drunken brutes lurk in sewer corners, while thugs with knives rob passersby in shadowed alleys. Rivers tainted with neurotoxins snake through the city, branding this scarred land with infamy.
In a laboratory nestled within an underground cavern, the door creaks open. A polished leather shoe steps in first, followed by its owner, who brushes dust off his coat before entering leisurely.
Singed rises slowly to greet him—this guest is not one to be treated lightly.
The guest is none other than Silco.
Behind him are several burly subordinates, hauling precious mechanical parts scavenged from black markets across Zaun.
"These are what you asked for," Silco orders, and his men dump the machinery haphazardly in a corner. The pile of metal further crowds Singed's already cramped lab.
Singed helped develop the Shimmer serum, making him one of the key architects of Silco's empire. Within reason, Silco grants his requests. But ever since Singed saw the puppet called "Herta" in the Celestial Screen, he's been scouring the Undercity for precision machinery.
His intentions are obvious, even unspoken.