"Hello, Miss Himeko."
Inside the Herta Space Station, Asta was communicating via interstellar transmission.
"Yes, I saw the docking request sent by the Astral Express earlier. The reason I didn't reply immediately is because even I wasn't entirely sure if the station would be open to outsiders during this period. My apologies…"
"The space station might be closed?"
On the other end of the call, Himeko's voice paused. "Have you run into some trouble? If you need our help, please don't hesitate to ask."
"No, no, no…"
Asta quickly shook her head. "It's no trouble, really. It's mainly that Madam Herta suddenly cancelled her scheduled trip and will be returning to the station in the next few days."
"Since she didn't specify what she intends to do, I was concerned she might need to commandeer the station's entire computational capacity again, which is why I held off on replying to the application."
"However, Madam Herta just contacted me and gave me some… well, rather strange instructions. One of them actually involves the Astral Express."
"Involving the Express?"
Himeko sounded surprised. "Does… Madam Herta wish to study the Astral Express again?"
"I'm not sure about that, but I don't think so."
Asta thought for a moment. "After all, Madam Herta's exact words were… she has some matters she'd like to discuss with you."
--+--
"Phew, perfect timing. The Astral Express will be docking at the Space Station soon anyway. That saves me the trouble of having to seek them out specifically."
On the other side, Herta, who had just finished her call with Asta, also let out a sigh of relief.
After observing that Lynelle's situation seemed to be proceeding without any hiccups, Herta had seized the moment to contact Asta.
While the Trailblaze path should, in theory, be highly compatible with Lynelle, Herta couldn't be one hundred percent certain Lynelle would choose to board the Express.
For instance, the little one might want to stay by her side a while longer, or perhaps after learning about the current state of the cosmos, she might decide to join the Interastral Peace Corporation instead.
All were possibilities.
So, being able to contact the Astral Express early, to either confirm this option or rule it out, was only beneficial.
"Alright, let's see what Lynelle is up to now… I recall she wanted to dismantle the Babylon Tower? Hmm, erasing her tracks is important, and that girl Sirin certainly has the capability for it."
"But the power hierarchy of her world is truly fascinating. Becoming a so-called 'Herrscher' can instantly grant a previously powerless girl the ability to freely traverse the Imaginary Space… Wait, what are they doing?"
Herta's brow furrowed. On the screen, Sirin and Lynelle had already reached the final phase of their plan: the demolition of the Babylon Tower.
However, Herta watched… as Sirin reduced the entire Babylon Tower to rubble and then just… left?
"Eh? No, hold on a second?"
Herta smacked her own forehead, feeling an intense urge to jump into the screen and take over. 'How is this girl Sirin's idea of 'dismantling' the tower just literally smashing the building? Isn't she going to look for the lab's servers? Just destroying the tower itself is practically useless!'
'The servers for a classified lab like this usually aren't networked; the mainframe is most likely buried deep beneath the Babylon Tower… Would it kill you two to check if there's anything underneath?!'
"..."
Unfortunately, no matter how frantic Herta felt, she had no way to contact the two in the other world. After the initial shock wore off, she began to piece it together.
When it came down to it, this was her own oversight. She'd reminded Lynelle to cover her tracks but forgotten a crucial prerequisite…
These two were complete ignoramuses when it came to this stuff.
Sirin was a given; her education level basically amounted to an elementary school dropout. And while Lynelle seemed like she'd received a normal education, Herta was certain she'd never led any research projects. So, it was normal for her not to think of this.
It was just that for Herta, this was basic common sense. At the time, she'd been so focused on studying Lynelle that these finer details had genuinely slipped her mind.
"Tch, looking at it now, they're going to be discovered soon…"
Herta stared at the screen, feeling a headache coming on. "Now we can only hope that so-called 'Schicksal' organization is slow on the uptake, that they don't find Lynelle until after I've returned to the space station. That way, I might still have a chance to supply her with some Curios or equipment…"
--+--
"The Babylon Tower has been destroyed, all experimental personnel killed. The initial report from the nearest Siberian branch suggests a suspected Herrscher awakening?"
On the other side, listening to Amber's report, Otto fell into deep thought.
"The second Herrscher awakening at a time like this… Well, it shouldn't affect the overall plan."
"Notify all branches worldwide to raise their Honkai response levels. Furthermore, order the local branch and all nearby Schicksal branches to evacuate the Siberian region and surrounding areas. Let them invent their own reasons—a gas leak explosion or whatever. That area is sparsely populated anyway; ensure most residents are evacuated before any engagement begins."
"Then inform Theresa. Have her take a private flight to the Babylon Tower immediately to investigate. Also, if I recall correctly, the intelligence-type A-Rank Valkyrie from the Snowwolf Squad, Patricia, is currently nearby, correct?"
"That is correct."
Amber nodded. "Shall she be assigned to assist Madam Theresa? Capability-wise, she is suitable, but I believe she is…"
"No matter. Send her. Anti-Entropy has likely already received the news. The rising local Honkai energy concentration is impossible to hide."
Otto shook his head. "In a dangerous and uncertain situation like this, the first to make a move often become the 'expendables' used to test the Herrscher's strength… Little Theresa will be fine with the Oath of Judah. As for this Anti-Entropy spy, her survival will depend on her own luck."
"Oh, and one more thing."
Otto paused, as if remembering something, and instructed Amber, "For now, keep the detailed intelligence regarding this incident classified, especially within Schicksal. If anyone inquires, state that a Second Honkai Eruption is suspected and that headquarters is investigating."
"I need to observe the situation in Siberia a little longer."
"But, Your Excellency, if we classify the information, we cannot allocate significant resources to the investigation."
Amber noted down the orders, somewhat puzzled. "Or do you require me to go personally…"
"That won't be necessary. You are to remain on standby at headquarters as well."
A subtle, inscrutable smile played on Otto's lips.
"Additionally, for the near future… do not schedule an excessive workload for me."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.