A while later, Jingliu and Baiheng gradually woke from their deep sleep one after another.
As soon as they regained consciousness, both women could not help recalling the intense 'battle' from the previous night.
Neither of them could deny that it had been utterly brutal.
Not long after Himeko ran away, Jingliu and Baiheng suffered a fierce round of retaliation from Lucian, whose relentless assault left both their bodies and minds completely exhausted, with a lingering sense of fatigue still deeply rooted within them even now.
Yet thanks to the blessing of Abundance, their complexions still appeared healthy, smooth, and flushed with vitality, showing no outward signs of weakness.
Unfortunately, while the blessing of Abundance could keep the body in peak condition, it could not restore one's mental energy.
In short, both Jingliu and Baiheng had realized the same terrifying fact—Lucian had become even stronger and more ferocious than before, and he would only continue growing stronger in the future. By the time that happened, it would probably become a complete disaster for them.
At this rate, if they did not spend three to five days properly resting and recovering, they likely would not return to their best condition at all.
"I think Himeko's pretty great—elegant, beautiful, and she's got those childbearing hips and big boobs too, so she can definitely hold the front line."
Baiheng lay sideways on the bed, propping up her head with one hand as she lazily looked toward Jingliu while casually voicing her opinion.
At the moment, neither of them wore any clothes. Only a thin blanket loosely draped across their bodies, barely covering their fair skin.
"Choose your words more carefully. Don't sound so vulgar."
Jingliu glanced at Baiheng coldly, her expression remaining as indifferent as ever.
"I'm already a vulgar person, so what's wrong with sounding vulgar?" Baiheng shrugged without the slightest bit of shame. "Besides, if you're supposedly so refined, then why are you lying here just like I am?"
Jingliu remained silent for a moment before calmly replying.
"In any case... don't keep pestering Himeko for now."
Her icy eyes narrowed slightly.
"From what I can see, she hasn't truly fallen in love with Lucian yet. I can tell that much. We still need the proper opportunity. A dream capable of making her completely devote herself to loving him."
"Honestly, I hope she joins us soon..." Baiheng let out a helpless sigh and rolled onto her back. "I'll be honest, I seriously can't be the frontliner anymore. I just can't handle that guy's firepower at all."
"If you're weak, then train more," Jingliu said teasingly, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her lips. "You know, the way you and Fu Xuan passed out yesterday was rather entertaining to watch."
"Hmph!" Baiheng immediately wrinkled her nose and snorted. "Next time, you go first, then we'll see whether you pass out or not."
For the time being, neither of them had anything important to do, so they simply remained in bed, quietly resting and recovering while casually chatting to pass the time.
Meanwhile, Lucian, who had already noticed that they were awake with his super senses, chose not to disturb them. Instead, he sat alone beside the lake near his residence, holding a fishing rod as he quietly fished beneath the gentle breeze.
Originally, he had planned to bring Himeko and the others to meet Jing Yuan and Teng Xiao, but since she was still upset with him, he temporarily abandoned the idea.
Relaxing by the lake and fishing peacefully for a while was not bad either.
Just as he started wondering what to do after finishing his fishing session, the System's familiar mechanical voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
[DING! Script cooldown complete. You can now activate the script again.]
[Script: 1]
[Activate?]
Lucian's eyes immediately lit up.
It truly came at the perfect time.
Since he had nothing else to do anyway, starting a new script sounded like a decent way to pass the time.
'Activate.'
Immediately after Lucian silently gave the command, the System immediately began drawing the script.
[Random character script starting...]
[Himeko]
[Randomly drawing a conceptual ability...]
[Existence Anchor: By using powerful willpower and deeply engraved memories or emotions as anchors, the user can stabilize any target's state of existence within reality. Its effectiveness depends on the clarity of the user's memories, the depth of their emotional investment, and the strength of their connection with the target. Against unfamiliar, fictional, or incomprehensible targets, this ability becomes ineffective. Maintaining large-scale or high-intensity existences will place enormous strain on the user's mind.]
'Heh, just like I thought, it's really Himeko, huh... Once a flag gets raised, there's really no escaping it.'
When Lucian saw Himeko's name appear as the protagonist of the script, a faint smile immediately appeared on his face, and he could not help but let out a soft chuckle.
Just like with the previous scripts, the System seemed to be deliberately arranging things this way, almost as if it enjoyed creating opportunities for him and the women around him to become closer.
Still, he had to admit that the timing could not have been more perfect.
Himeko was clearly still upset with him because of what had happened earlier. Although neither of them had openly addressed the matter, the awkwardness lingering between them was impossible to ignore.
Entering the script world would give him a rare opportunity to spend time with her in a different environment, help her calm down, and gradually ease the tension between them.
As the thought crossed his mind, Lucian's gaze lingered on Himeko's name for a brief moment before he finally shifted his attention away and focused on the newly obtained ability.
'Using memories and emotions to stabilize a target's existence within reality?'
Lucian quietly repeated the description while analyzing its meaning.
It did not take long for him to grasp both the strength and limitations of the ability.
To put it simply, as long as he remembered someone, that person could continue to 'exist' forever, and no external method would be capable of erasing them unless he himself lost the relevant memories connected to them.
It was an ability that directly interfered with the concept of existence itself.
However, the stabilization effect could only work on things that had genuinely existed within reality before. Fictional things, unknown entities, or concepts he could not comprehend would all remain unaffected.
'What would happen if I used this ability to stabilize a dead Aeon's existence?'
Just then, that thought suddenly surfaced in Lucian's mind, and almost immediately, the spontaneous question it raised sparked a surge of curiosity within him.
If Existence Anchor truly functioned the way he understood it, then its potential might be far more terrifying and overpowered than it appeared on the surface.
It seemed he would need to properly research the matter after entering the script world.
And so, without dwelling on it any further, Lucian casually set the fishing rod beside the lake before quietly waiting for the countdown to end.
Three seconds later, his figure suddenly vanished from the spot as though he had never been there in the first place.
A gentle breeze swept across the quiet and empty lakeside, causing faint ripples to spread across the water's surface.
Moments later, the unattended fishing rod suddenly trembled violently as something beneath the water took the bait, causing the fishing line to instantly pull taut and bend the rod into a noticeable arc.
===
Meanwhile, over in Aurum Alley, the atmosphere today was far less lively than usual in Himeko's eyes.
After wandering around with Stelle and March for quite some time, Himeko's mood had finally calmed down a little. As long as she did not see the culprit responsible for everything, she would not feel nearly as embarrassed, frustrated, or flustered as before.
At least for the moment, she could enjoy a brief period of peace.
Stelle happily skipped down the bustling street with a sugar painting in one hand and a mechanical bird toy in the other. Every now and then, she would wave the toy around or take a small bite of the sugar painting, looking completely like a child.
However, after playing around for a while, she suddenly remembered something. Her eyes immediately lit up, and an excited expression appeared on her face.
In the very next second, she skipped over to Himeko's side without the slightest hesitation, and with a bright smile on her face, she cheerfully raised the sugar painting toward her as though presenting a treasured prize.
"Mom, this is for you!"
Stelle's especially crisp and cheerful 'Mom' instantly drew the attention of several nearby tourists and natives.
"Oh, dang, she's way too young to already be a mom, ain't she?"
"Huh, she's crazy gorgeous. Makes me wonder who the daddy is. Fudge, that guy must've saved the whole cosmos in his past life to land a woman that pretty."
"One kid's got gray hair, the other's got pink hair, but the mom's a redhead... so what color's the father's hair? Are those kids even biologically hers?"
"Who gives a damn whether they're biological or not? If I had a wife that gorgeous, why the hell would I care about something like that?"
Just like that, the passersby's discussions quickly grew louder for a moment before gradually drifting farther away with the flow of the crowd.
Unfortunately, Himeko's emotions, which had only just settled down, immediately became unsettled again as the heat that had barely faded from her face began rising once more, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
'Stelle... really is far too easy to misunderstand...'
Himeko felt both embarrassed and helpless in the face of Stelle's attitude, yet when she looked at the girl's innocent expression, she simply could not bring herself to reject her.
In the end, Himeko could only accept the sugar painting with a helpless smile, gently shaking her head as she did so.
"Thank you, Stelle."
As soon as Himeko accepted the gift, Stelle's smile immediately became even brighter, the joy on her face completely impossible to hide.
Meanwhile, March, who was standing nearby with a camera in her hands, instantly puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"Seriously, why do I suddenly feel like I'm the outsider here?"
If Himeko and Stelle were acting like a warm mother-and-daughter pair, then didn't that make her look like the random neighbor's kid tagging along behind them?
"How could you be an outsider? March, I'm your beloved big sis~"
Stelle replied with a bright grin, draping an arm around March's shoulders as if the matter had already been decided.
"Big sis? I'm older than you, okay? I'm obviously the big sis here."
March immediately shot back, puffing out her cheeks in protest.
"Age doesn't matter. What matters is spiritual maturity."
Stelle nodded seriously, speaking as if she were sharing some profound wisdom.
"You don't even know what spiritual maturity means!"
March rolled her eyes without hesitation.
"Yeah, that's exactly why I need a little sis to teach me."
Stelle answered with a completely straight face.
"Huh? That makes even less sense!"
March stared at her in disbelief, feeling as though her brain was starting to burn from trying to follow Stelle's logic.
Just like that, the two instantly began bickering over something trivial again, neither willing to back down even the slightest bit.
Watching them argue left Himeko both amused and helpless.
Truth be told, taking care of children was both fun and exhausting at the same time.
Although March and Stelle often caused trouble and occasionally gave everyone a headache, they also brought an endless amount of energy and laughter to the Astral Express—their lively personalities made her feel far less lonely, and their daily antics often brightened even the most ordinary days.
Without realizing it, Himeko's gaze gradually softened as she watched the two continue their playful quarrel.
However, not long afterward, she suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of sleepiness wash over her—the feeling arrived so abruptly that even she was caught slightly off guard.
Before long, her eyelids became unexpectedly heavy, and a faint sense of drowsiness quickly spread through her body, making it difficult to stay fully awake.
'Uhh... It must be because I didn't rest well last night... It's all his fault...'
When Himeko thought about the reason, Lucian's face instinctively appeared in her mind, causing her expression to stiffen ever so slightly.
Not wanting to think about it any further, Himeko quickly led the two girls toward a nearby food stall, planning to buy March and Stelle something to eat while also taking the opportunity to sit down and give her tired eyes a brief rest.
After finding an empty seat and making sure March and Stelle had food in front of them, Himeko finally allowed herself to relax.
Leaning lightly against the table, she gently closed her eyes.
At first, she only intended to rest for a moment and relieve the fatigue that had been building up throughout the day. Yet before she knew it, the surrounding sounds seemed to grow distant, and her consciousness gradually drifted away into darkness.
"Huh? Why'd Mommy Himeko suddenly fall asleep?"
Stelle asked vaguely while holding a bowl and continuously stuffing food into her mouth.
"Based on this young lady's careful observation and analysis..." March rubbed her chin with the serious expression of a detective solving a major case. "Himeko definitely has something on her mind, and it absolutely has something to do with Lucian!"
"Mm-hmm, that makes sense."
Stelle immediately nodded repeatedly.
"Before we came to the Luofu, those two were basically surrounded by pink bubbles the whole time on the Astral Express..." March continued her analysis confidently. "But after coming to the Luofu and meeting Lucian's three wives, she suddenly started acting like this and even said she's allergic to Lucian."
"Are we really okay talking about this right in front of her?"
Stelle lowered her voice a little and glanced at the sleeping Himeko.
Right now, the two of them were sitting on opposite sides of Himeko while openly discussing her relationship problems right in front of her.
"It's fine, it's fine~" March waved her hand dismissively. "I mean, she's asleep and can't hear us anyway. We've gotta figure out a way to get Himeko and Lucian to make up already. It's not good for her to stay 'allergic' forever, and honestly, I really don't wanna see those two split up."
"Umu!" Stelle nodded seriously before declaring in an unusually solemn tone. "In that case, the only option left is for me to awaken Mommy Himeko's maternal instincts."
March's mouth immediately twitched.
"Heh, so that's why you've been acting pitiful on purpose, huh? I'm basically parentless too, but I'm nowhere near as shameless as you."
"March! Stop talking about me already and hurry up and use that smart brain of yours to think of a solution."
"You're asking me to do all the thinking again?"
"Because you're smarter."
"Huh... that's actually true..."
With that, the two girls quickly reached an agreement and resumed enthusiastically discussing plans while continuing to stuff themselves with food.
Even though their intentions were completely different, they somehow arrived at the exact same course of action.
Stelle wanted Himeko to become Lucian's wife.
Meanwhile, March only wanted Himeko and Lucian to remain close friends and reconcile with each other.
At this moment, however, Himeko had already fallen into a completely unresponsive state and had become entirely unaware of everything happening around her as the noisy discussions, the bustling crowd, and the aroma of food drifting through the air—all of it gradually faded away from her perception.
Amid the hazy darkness, she vaguely began dreaming.
She dreamed of her university days.
She dreamed of the years she spent tirelessly studying in pursuit of Akivili's ideals before eventually becoming a scientist.
She dreamed of countless nights spent alone in libraries, stubbornly pursuing a path that many people could neither understand nor support.
Misunderstood by others, she had always walked the Path of Trailblaze alone.
The road had been long.
The road had been lonely.
Yet within this dream, she met a university teacher who made her long and solitary journey through the stars feel far less lonely than before.
For the first time in a very long while, someone seemed capable of understanding the ideals she carried in her heart.
{PS: Because Himeko's detailed origins as well as Planarcadia had not yet been revealed when this chapter and the following chapters were written, her story and all the upcoming stories will probably be more like Acheron's, which won't exactly follow the original lore.}
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]