[Stelle saw Kafka—her body stretched, distorted, and melded with the umbrella in her hand, turning into droplets that fell at her feet.]
[She realized she was a weeping infant of Adlivun, embracing a twin whose umbilical cord remained uncut. She remembered a golden scar on her body, golden blood flowing across a dying planet. She discovered her skin had turned dark, her robes sweeping across a barren wasteland.]
[Then, His voice suddenly echoed from a distant place—]
["Robes float and envelop your journey, your dark skin spreads as you sneer, exploring threads that spin and intertwine, weaving an ocean of words…" Every syllable He uttered connected seamlessly, like murmurs. Before Stelle could respond, He vanished abruptly.]
[Stelle was holding her head when suddenly, Herta's excited voice rang in her ears: "Success! That was Fuli—He mistook you for the fallen Akivili and spoke to you! This is even better than I imagined! Fuli is incredibly valuable for my research because He holds the memories of all and knows more than anyone except the Wisdom Sovereign!"]
The speaker might have been careless, but the listener was not. Citlali set down her wine glass, her eyes slightly downcast as she pondered silently.
Memories of all… Does this "all" encompass every human in the universe?
That's just…
As the Grand Shaman of the Night wind, Citlali had some understanding of the affairs of the God of Death. Even though this deity held dominion over death, their authority was limited solely to Teyvat.
Judging by the worldview presented in the Celestial Screen, their universe must contain countless worlds similar to Teyvat—and the Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli, governed the memories of these innumerable worlds.
Compared to the power of the Archons, this was an immeasurable difference…
Citlali stole a glance at Mavuika. Just moments ago, Mavuika had been chatting and laughing, but after witnessing the simulated authority of the Aeon firsthand, her expression had grown uncharacteristically solemn.
["Come out, Stelle. I need to upgrade the Simulated Universe. You'll be spending more time inside from now on."]
[As soon as Herta finished speaking, Stelle felt a hook yank at her navel, sending her tumbling head over heels. When she opened her eyes, she found herself back in Herta's office.]
[Herta, still immersed in her excitement, fiddled with the Simulated Universe dial while muttering, "I need to report this result to Stephen… Oh, right, Stelle, don't just stand there—go back in and see if you can exchange a few words or something…"]
[Herta's complete disregard for others' feelings irked Stelle slightly: "You should show me some respect."]
["You're absolutely right," Herta replied, still not turning her head as she adjusted the machine. She didn't seem angered by Stelle's retort and conceded amiably, "I got carried away. My apologies, Stelle—you did great! If it's not too much trouble, could you go back in for another test?"]
["I've upgraded the Simulated Universe—it now has more memory and longer sequences. I imagine the last round was pretty dull, so I'll have Stephen add more interesting elements."]
"Uh, this Herta woman's personality…" Frieren trailed off.
"People like her are rare in daily life, but they're quite common in certain research fields."
Frieren recalled her encounters with court mages decades ago. Every one of them was an eccentric, yet their skills were undeniably profound. They devoted their limited, fleeting lives entirely to magical research and decryption, sacrificing even their humanity for the slightest progress.
Compared to them, Herta was practically mild.
["How about something more practical, like better rewards?" Stelle held out her hand.]
["Oh, of course! Since you'll be spending more time on this project, I'll arrange the rewards later—no need to worry." With that, Herta resumed tinkering with the Simulated Universe, clearly beginning the upgrade.]
[Seeing Herta busy at work, Stelle quietly slipped out of the office.]
["Beep beep—" The moment she stepped out, her phone vibrated.]
[Asta: Stelle, thank you so much for helping Herta with the Simulated Universe testing.]
[Asta: The tests must've been tough, right? You've worked hard—here's your payment. 30,000,000 Credits. Please accept it.]
[Asta: Sorry, I wasn't sure what reward would be appropriate. Next time you visit the station, I'll prepare something extra.]
[Asta: Pleading for forgiveness.jpg]
[Seeing the adorable sticker Asta sent, Stelle felt the Stellaron inside her warm up. But when her gaze drifted upward to the long string of zeros in the credit amount, she gasped sharply.]
At the same time, the audience outside the Celestial Screen felt a pang of envy.
Just like that, she's set for life?
"Academic genius, young and beautiful, gentle and considerate, pink hair, butler…" Asaba Harumasa carefully compared the Asta on the screen before shifting his gaze to Tsukishiro Yanagi beside him, who was nibbling on a red bean bun.
Aside from a certain eye-catching difference in proportions, she matched the description perfectly!
Could it be…?
Asaba grinned mischievously. "Vice Director Yanagi… could you also be a secret rich woman?"
"Hah? What nonsense—"
Before Yanagi could refute, Harumasa leaned over her desk, putting on a pitiful act. "Vice Director, you know me—I've been frail since childhood, especially my teeth. I can't handle tough food…"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Yanagi adjusted her glasses, her serene smile unchanged, but her delicate fingers had already reached for the retractable blade sheath behind her. Seeing this, Harumasa broke into a cold sweat and wisely retreated.
However—
The next second, Harumasa felt something sweet and soft in his mouth. When he came to his senses, he realized someone had stuffed a soft, chewy red bean bun into it.
—It was Soukaku.
"Harumasa, you can't eat tough food? Here, have the red bean bun Vice Director Yanagi gave me today!"
Soukaku cheerfully leaned in, her innocent, adorable smile reminiscent of budding flowers by the riverside at Hikari Plaza.
Harumasa froze for a full ten seconds. Just as he was about to tearfully hug Soukaku and praise her as a good kid, he noticed the empty lunchbox she was secretly holding.
Scrawled on the box was Asaba Harumasa in crooked handwriting.
When the girl smiled, her two little canine teeth peeked out cutely—but at this moment, Harumasa felt as if those teeth were piercing straight into his heart. Soukaku held up the lunchbox proudly, puffing out her chest triumphantly:
"…You said you can't eat tough food, right? But don't worry! Look, Soukaku took care of it all for you!"