Before Qi Zhimu could answer, Herta quickly accessed the autonomous modules of all the puppets on the Space Station to flip through their memories, locating the target within seconds.
It was, strikingly, the puppet placed in the Master Control Zone.
"..."
Herta only now realized in hindsight that the passenger Himeko mentioned was none other than Qi Zhimu.
After learning of Qi Zhimu's existence last night, her heart had been in such turmoil that she hadn't had the peace of mind to wonder why he was on the Astral Express.
She hadn't even thought about why he had appeared on her own Space Station.
Reading the puppet's actions and words and witnessing Qi Zhimu's somewhat dazed reaction at the time, Herta wished she could tear that puppet apart right then and there.
How dare it... How dare it make Qi Zhimu show such a lost expression and make him speak words so full of melancholy.
That sentence, 'Don't you remember me?', sounded suffocating in its tone.
There was a strange feeling, as if she had used him and then turned around to act like a stranger.
Was she that kind of person?
Impossible!
Once she got her hands on him, she wouldn't even have enough time to cherish him properly; how could she bear to hurt him?
Surely no one would actually be willing to hurt a Brother Zhimu like this, right? Surely not?
Herta kept questioning herself mentally, but eventually, the questioning turned inward, and her momentum inadvertently faltered.
Fine... She hadn't personally hurt Qi Zhimu.
But her puppet had hurt him, speaking those heartless words.
And the one who enabled the puppet's autonomous thinking was none other than herself...
Going in circles only brought it back to her; she couldn't exactly shift the blame onto a puppet that was originally in standby mode and only knew how to give automatic, meaningless responses.
She wasn't that shameless yet.
"Every word I said is true. You know I don't like fabricating lies unless absolutely necessary."
Seeing Herta dazed, Qi Zhimu thought she didn't believe him and patiently emphasized his point.
"...How could I possibly not believe you?"
Herta sighed, her gaze complicated.
"Let's set this matter aside for now. Since seeing my puppet made you remember your past life, why..."
Before she could finish, her voice gradually trailed off.
She wanted to ask why he hadn't contacted her or looked for her immediately.
But Qi Zhimu was neither a god nor an immortal; how could he have found her?
In his past life, Qi Zhimu had been lost in the Memory-Substance World when she was ten years old. When they reunited, it was five years later in the space Labyrinth Zone.
Shortly after their reunion came their final farewell.
He died as an Original Human, and his remains were born as a Virtual Substance Lifeform because of her obsession, retracing the path he had once walked.
In both lives, no effective way to contact each other had been left behind, and it had been impossible to leave one.
Magician Qi Zhimu had returned to his original body because of her consciousness, completely dissipating along with the world she had created, leaving behind only an embrace and a parting kiss.
If she had stored everything related to Qi Zhimu into the core module when she first started making puppets, she definitely would have reunited with him at the first opportunity.
Thinking of this, Herta had never felt so much regret.
Fortunately, Qi Zhimu hadn't disappeared from her world at light speed after finding her, like he did in his past life.
A blessing...
What a blessing!
Seeing Herta dazed in silence again, Qi Zhimu knew what her unfinished question was this time and shook his head helplessly.
Herta stood up, walked to Qi Zhimu's side, sat on his lap facing him, and wrapped her arms around his chest.
"Lord Zhimu..."
"I'm here."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright. I'm not some stubborn fool; I'll think of the reasons myself. Before I get an answer, I won't easily doubt the feelings we once had."
Herta's grip on him tightened, her tone complex: "Lord Zhimu, your life has been more than just two cycles, hasn't it?"
"Probably. Only after truly reuniting with you did I remember my life on the Azure Star. Other than that, I don't have any more memories of past lives for the time being."
"This also means that the jade pendant, the sachet, and that musical instrument were likely left by people you had deep bonds with in your past life, the life before that, or even more distant eras."
And they could only be women.
No matter how you looked at these items, they didn't seem like something one man would give to another.
If one had to stretch it, only the jade pendant could be considered an heirloom.
She had never forgotten and never given up on Qi Zhimu; so, what about the people who gave him these objects?
Perhaps... they were just like her.
"I can be indifferent toward many things, but when it comes to possessing you, I am very selfish."
"..." Qi Zhimu was speechless, deciding to speak his mind truthfully: "I cannot make any guarantees."
After reuniting with Herta and learning the origin of one of the indestructible items on his person, anything Herta could think of, he naturally could as well.
Perhaps in some inadvertent moment, he would reunite with another old acquaintance.
"...I understand." Herta whispered, then fell silent.
The atmosphere between the two temporarily lapsed into silence.
"I want to hear about your journey in this life, may I?"
After a long while, Herta was the first to break the silence.
"Of course."
Qi Zhimu lightly sniffed the fragrance of Herta's hair, his thoughts drifting back to past years as he spoke eloquently.
He started from his earliest memories, his childhood experiences, the hardships of his youth, and his over a hundred years wandering the universe alone.
How many dangers he had encountered over the years, how many difficult people he had dealt with, or what kind of companions and friends he had met...
Upon learning that Qi Zhimu also had complex relationships with a few women in this life, Herta's expression didn't change much.
Since she had asked, she was naturally prepared.
In the grand scheme of things, the time Qi Zhimu spent with her in his previous life was only a few short years, yet their bond was already indestructible.
And the him of this life, in terms of experience, far surpassed his previous life.
Fortunately, they were merely complex relationships.
At most, it was one-sided interest from the women; even if Qi Zhimu wasn't very resistant, at least he hadn't been explicit.
Thinking even more selfishly, it was actually great that Qi Zhimu had become an interstellar mercenary after major upheavals in his youth and then wandered the galaxy as a Galaxy Ranger.
Not casually forming emotional connections with employers—his professional ethics really deserved praise.
Otherwise, he likely would have been snatched up by some other woman already.
Herta: "If you reunite with old acquaintances from your past, I won't interfere with your choices, but that doesn't mean I'll just watch them snatch you away from me."
"Most importantly—you must have a place for me in your heart, one that can never be erased for all eternity. Otherwise... I'll go crazy..."
She absolutely would!
She couldn't imagine losing him again after having found him.
"Wouldn't that just be a disastrous mess of a jealousy war..." Qi Zhimu choked out.
"What choice is there? Not only do you have to endure it, but I have to endure it too. So, why should those unknown women get off scot-free?"
Herta lifted her chin proudly and said assertively:
"Thinking you can compete with this genius without any strengths? It won't be that easy, humph... So, I have an extra requirement for you."
"Go ahead."
"If that day truly comes, I don't want to make things difficult for you. You have to stay away from the center of the battlefield."
...Meaning, let him stand to the side and watch them scheme against each other?
Qi Zhimu's expression couldn't help but turn strange.
"I said I don't want to make it hard for you, so naturally I won't use underhanded means. If they want to snatch what's mine, fine, we'll see who's more capable. This genius is very confident in her own charm."
After saying that, Herta didn't give Qi Zhimu a chance to speak and directly bit into his lips.
This was essentially a rehearsal for declaring her sovereignty.
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