Seeing Herta like this, Qi Zhimu didn't know what to say, and his arms, which wanted to embrace her, hesitated to fall.
"Hold me tight," Herta urged.
Qi Zhimu did as he was told, holding the warm and soft beauty in his arms.
But neither of them was in the mood; even though they understood each other, they felt a slight sense of confusion and struggle at this moment.
Everyone has a selfish side, and geniuses are no exception.
To gain something, one must lose something; Herta knew well the price of destiny's gifts.
No matter how much she wanted to keep him all to herself, she understood that some things were hard to change, even impossible to change.
If just one Yelena, who didn't even have a substantial relationship with him yet, made her feel this bad, then—what about the two or three others who were still unknown?
Who could be sure that Qi Zhimu wouldn't reunite with them?
Qi Zhimu naturally understood what Herta was thinking.
But he hadn't done anything wrong and considered himself to have a clear conscience.
No one was at fault; therefore, no one needed to apologize.
Love without restraint is merely possession.
Since she loved him, she was willing to give up a portion of her possessiveness for his sake.
It was just that Herta felt she needed time to adjust.
"I promised you, Lord Zhimu..."
"I also promised you, Xiao Ta."
Love is like that; it can be both generous and selfish.
"So for what I'm about to do next, you must indulge me!" Herta's tone shifted.
"What?"
"Hmph..."
Feeling a sharp pain in his neck, Qi Zhimu couldn't help but gasp; a moment later, a conspicuous mark appeared.
...
Qi Zhimu pulled back from his memories.
Himeko: "Herta, my curiosity has shifted from Lord Zhimu getting off the train to you. How did you two end up together?"
Herta really hadn't thought about how to answer such a question.
Qi Zhimu had gone through reincarnation and was reborn into this world.
Although this universe had the presence of Aeons and the great power of Paths, explaining reincarnation by tying it to any existing Aeon wouldn't be easy to justify.
There used to be one, the Aeon of Permanence.
He left behind descendants after his death, but the problem was, Qi Zhimu wasn't a Scion of Permanence.
"I lost my memory due to some complex reasons and forgot Herta, as well as our past bonds."
Seeing Herta's predicament, Qi Zhimu naturally explained on her behalf.
"As for when we got together, it can be traced back a long time ago. Now that I've recovered my past memories, the correct way to put it should be: we've restored our former relationship."
"I see." Hearing the subtle out, Himeko followed the lead.
An answer was enough; getting to the bottom of it would be too intrusive.
Herta suddenly spoke: "Lord Zhimu is a Galaxy Ranger now; he has his own life. Getting off the train doesn't mean we won't see each other in the future."
The words weren't hard to understand, but Himeko didn't catch the underlying meaning for a moment.
She saw Herta casually take out a mirror and place it in an area of the carriage that wouldn't obstruct movement.
"You Trailblazers have Space Anchors and can perform warp jumps under specific circumstances. This genius naturally has a similar curio."
"As long as it's within the effective range, Lord Zhimu can use it to travel between the Astral Express and the Space Station."
"You Trailblazers can use it too, but only once every 7 system days. Maintaining its warp function is quite a hassle..."
What followed were words Himeko couldn't understand, involving operating principles, related academic topics, and so on...
A flash of surprise crossed Qi Zhimu's face; he hadn't expected Herta to be so considerate of him.
Seeing what Qi Zhimu was thinking, Herta curled her lips, a hint of tolerance flashing in her eyes.
"When I'm engrossed in certain academic topics, I'm often busy for ten or twenty days at a time."
"Your life is still long; you're not at the age of an old man retiring to enjoy a peaceful life. Occasional separation can better maintain and promote emotions."
"The Astral Express never stops its journey. For you, being an occasional passenger here is better than staying at the Space Station or Azure Star all the time."
"Some birds are destined for the sky, not to be locked in a cage. As long as the bird doesn't forget the way home, that's enough."
Qi Zhimu was stunned, a sense of warmth rising in his heart.
Himeko was not just stunned, but dazed, with a ridiculous feeling like seeing a ghost.
Could this understanding, gentle, and considerate girl before her be associated with that self-centered, aloof, and flamboyant genius Herta?
Could the magic of love be so strong? It could actually turn a person into a completely unfamiliar version of themselves.
"Himeko, what do you think?" Herta asked.
"Don't ask me; it depends on Lord Zhimu's own thoughts."
"That's enough from you; it means you've allowed me to place it on the Astral Express." Herta pointed at the mirror: "As for Lord Zhimu, I know him."
Himeko finally realized that was what she meant and couldn't help but smile.
She had to admit, her previous stereotype of Herta was too severe.
How severe was it? She hadn't even asked her, the Navigator, just now, and directly took out the mirror and threw it there, yet Himeko didn't even feel anything was wrong.
Given Herta's personality, this behavior was as natural as changing shoes after returning home.
"In that case, you're welcome to join the journey on the Astral Express anytime, Lord Zhimu." Himeko smiled.
"When I can't sit still anymore, I'll naturally come to disturb you," Qi Zhimu said politely.
Since the atmosphere was right, Himeko invited them to the party carriage for a drink.
Unfortunately, Herta had only been sitting for two minutes when Asta sent a notification that Genius Society #76, Screwllum, had arrived at the Space Station.
Regarding this, Herta split her attention, remotely controlling her puppet in the office at the Space Station.
A play was about to begin.
...
Half a system hour later, inside the Space Station.
Stelle became a helpful citizen; anyone with an exclamation mark over their head was her target.
Currently, she was helping a staff member named Leonard investigate intruders other than the Legion, with clues pointing directly to the Stellaron Hunter, Silver Wolf.
After a series of investigations, they found that the intrusion route eventually led to Herta's office, and the target was a curio named Punklorde Mentality.
After thinking it over, Stelle decided to inform Herta herself of this bad news.
To her surprise, upon arriving at the office, she found Screwllum and the Herta Puppet arguing about something.
Herta: "I'll say it one last time, I don't care what Ruan Mei whispered in your ear again. Want to shut down the simulated universe? Not a chance!"
Screwllum: "Herta, this is my decision. Question: what have we invested in this project?"
"Countless hours, the resources of an entire planet, and the most advanced technology in the universe."
"And what have we gained? Unknowns, doubts, and a series of error reports."
"Initially, we defined the simulated universe hoping to create a miniature world that could glimpse the traces of Aeons."
"But now, it's drifting further and further away from that goal."
Herta: "The simulated universe needs errors; those were your own words. The current situation clearly fits perfectly, so why are you dissatisfied?"
Screwllum: "I appreciate the flow of knowledge, but I do not accept that the simulated universe will always be just a contract on a to-do list."
"Herta, think about how many surprises this project has given you? Then think about how many disappointments it has given you?"
Herta retorted: "The simulated universe never disappoints me; the one who disappoints me is you... Screw."
"Do you think you're so great? Right now, you're acting like a, a... a member of the Society of Fools."
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