Madam Herta watched Asta stand there, looking somewhat awkward.
An urge to tease the other party quietly rose in Black Herta's heart.
She did not speak further, but rose from the main control chair and walked toward Asta with composed steps.
Asta felt the gaze of "Ms. Herta." Unlike the usual research-like scrutiny of the puppet, this gaze held a sense of... focus, as if meticulously tracing her outline.
This overly direct gaze caused a faint blush to involuntarily creep onto Asta's fair cheeks. Instinctively, she lowered her head slightly, avoiding those purple eyes that seemed capable of piercing one's soul.
Ms. Herta was indeed extremely beautiful; that refined, doll-like beauty, coupled with the radiance of intelligence, was devastatingly potent under such close scrutiny.
"Is there something you need?" Black Herta asked. Her voice possessed Herta's crispness, but the final syllable seemed to carry a hint more lazy magnetism than the original.
Asta's heart beat faster. She stared at the tip of her shoes and whispered, "It's... it's about some recent material allocation reports for the Space Station, and..."
Before she could finish, Black Herta interrupted her with a hint of teasing: "Why are you looking down?"
Black Herta tilted her head slightly, as if genuinely curious, "Could it be... I'm not pretty?"
"Ah? No! That's not it!"
Asta suddenly lifted her head like a startled rabbit, her pink long hair swaying. She quickly waved her hands, her cheeks turning even redder, like a ripe peach. "Ms. Herta, you are very, very beautiful! It's just... precisely because you're too beautiful that I... dare not look..."
Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a mosquito buzz.
"Heh..." Black Herta let out a light, low chuckle. This laugh was unlike Herta's usual slightly mocking snort; instead, it felt like a feather gently tickling the heart, making Asta's ears feel hot and her face so warm it was almost steaming.
"Is that so?"
Black Herta took another step closer. The distance between them was so small that Asta could even smell a cold, mysterious fragrance emanating from the other party, completely different from what she usually encountered.
The scent made her head spin, turning her thoughts into a tangled mess.
Next, something happened that made Asta's heart stop—Black Herta extended her slender, graceful fingers and gently pinched Asta's chin, using an irresistible but non-painful force to make her lift her head and look directly into those close, crystalline, amethyst-like eyes.
"Since I'm beautiful,"
Black Herta's voice carried a seductive magic, and her gaze intensely locked onto Asta's completely stunned blue-green eyes, "Then you must look properly. You haven't said... do you like it?"
Asta's brain completely crashed. Her sight, hearing, and smell were entirely occupied by the flawless, delicate face before her and the seductive aura.
Like a robot fed a simple command, she mumbled blankly, "Li... Like it..."
Black Herta was satisfied to see the complete daze in the other party's eyes, and a sense of pleasure rose deep within her.
This feeling of controlling another's emotions, especially teasing this serious yet adorable little rich woman, felt unexpectedly good.
She appropriately released Asta's chin, as if the intimate gesture had been merely a casual whim. Her voice returned to its previous composure as she asked softly:
"So, is there something you need?"
Asta was still reeling from the previous shock, her mind a mess. Dizzily, she replied, "It's, it's Ms. Ruan Mei... she's here."
Black Herta raised an eyebrow, showing a perfectly measured hint of surprise: "So soon?"
This wasn't entirely acting; Ruan Mei's efficiency was indeed slightly beyond her expectation.
Asta shook her head hard, trying to regain a shred of clarity, and nodded. "Yes. She said she wanted to look around the Space Station herself first."
"Then let her look around." Black Herta waved her hand, her tone casual, as if the visitor was just anyone. "Is there anything else?"
"N-nothing else!" Asta felt as if she had been granted a great pardon, or perhaps was fleeing in disarray. She quickly left the office, moving stiffly, and even forgot to say goodbye.
Watching Asta's figure disappear behind the door, the corner of Black Herta's mouth curved into an amused smile.
(Teasing a simple little girl is indeed a good way to relieve stress and lift one's spirits.)
As for Ruan Mei's arrival... Black Herta felt little fear or tension.
On the contrary, a sense of eager anticipation grew within her.
(Hmph, it's just Ruan Mei.)
Having inherited part of Herta's memory and knowledge base, she felt a competitive urge toward this fellow member of the Genius Society.
(This body was once 'Herta,' and I am an Envoy carrying the power of 'Rupert III.' Even if I can only use a fraction of that power now, why should I fear her? Little Ruan Mei, easily dealt with, easily dealt with!)
She even began to calculate:
(Perfect timing, maybe I can seize this opportunity... to 'record' some data from her as well?)
After just a brief interaction with Asta, the system had silently completed the collection of Asta's data, which greatly boosted her confidence in her "data collection" ability.
Perhaps it was the influence of this "Herta" persona, or the confidence stemming from her gradually recovering power, but she felt exceptionally good at this moment.
She walked toward the system puppet, who was still busy at the simulated universe control console, and asked, "What is the data progress?"
The system puppet reported calmly in an electronic voice without turning its head: "Current completion: eighty percent. Core encryption protocol is being cracked. Subsequent progress is expected to accelerate gradually."
Black Herta nodded. "Acceptable. Maintain efficiency."
She pondered for a moment and decided not to wait passively any longer.
(Instead of waiting for her to come to me, I should take the initiative.)
"I'm going out for a walk," she instructed the system. "You continue."
[Belobog · Lower District · Natasha's Clinic]
March 7th's long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she groggily opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry at first, then gradually focused—the calm face of "Xing" was close by, golden eyes staring at her without blinking.
"Woah!"
March 7th jumped in fright, nearly leaping off the hospital bed. She irritably patted her chest. "Xing! What are you doing? You scared me to death!"
Jack straightened up expressionlessly, her tone flat: "Seeing if you were awake."
"Even if I was awake, you don't need to look so closely!"
March 7th grumbled, only then belatedly realizing that the surrounding environment was wrong.
It wasn't the slightly luxurious room of the Goethe Hotel, but a clinic furnished with simple medical equipment.
"Eh? Where is this? Why are we here?"
Just then, Natasha walked over, a gentle smile on her face. "You're awake? How do you feel? This is the Lower District Clinic, and I am the doctor here, Natasha."
She briefly recounted what had happened—Sampo had brought them here from the encirclement of the Silvermane Guards, using some kind of... sleep-inducing smoke.
"The Lower District?!"
March 7th widened her pink and blue eyes, looked at the simple but clean surroundings, and then at the scenery outside the window, which was completely different from the Upper District, finally accepting the reality.
She quickly thanked Natasha: "Thank you, Doctor Natasha! We've caused you trouble!"
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