[Herta Space Station – Main Control Section]
Realizing that the beautiful-girl caretaker was probably about to dive into one of those headache-inducing conversations with that witch-like big sister, Fairy Elysia grabbed March 7th and hurriedly dragged her out of Herta's office.
And then—
Beyond the massive transparent composite glass window were dazzling stars. Golden particles of light formed phantom images of stars drifting in the air, and even things like cargo crates and potted plants looked incredibly novel.
"Whoa?!"
Fairy Elysia put on a wide-eyed, starstruck expression. "This space station is so pretty! This is that witch big sister's territory, right? These flowers are so cute—wah… why does it smell so awful!"
She had spotted a lovely blue flower and floated over to sniff it out of curiosity, only to end up rubbing her nose in distress.
"Um… Elysia, that's a space plant from the station," Little March said smugly. "It's a primitive plastid-based organism. It doesn't produce oxygen at all!"
She looked very knowledgeable.
This was something Himeko had explained to her back when March first arrived at the Herta Space Station for her physical checkup. She had gone over it again recently while showing Stelle around the station, so the memory was still crystal clear.
And so, Miss Pink Fairy's grand interstellar street-roaming adventure officially kicked off at the Herta Space Station.
"Household Item-Finding Device, now hot on sale!"
A roadside ad terminal on the station was playing the latest commercial from the Interastral Peace Corporation. Fairy Elysia immediately felt the urge to buy it.
"Wow? If I had this, wouldn't I never have to worry about finding my little dresses in the closet again? One hundred eighty thousand credits… Little March, isn't that kind of expensive?"
Fairy Elysia's eyes sparkled with a very obvious I want this expression.
Inside March 7th's head, a voice was screaming nonstop: Buy it! Buy it for her! It's just 180k credits, that's like the price of a hundred bottles of sweet soda! Buy a household item-finder for Elysia!
Not only would it help build rapport with the cat-senior, it could also count as a formal gift for apprenticing under a magical girl! When you think about it that way, it was absurdly worth it.
But—
"Wait, wait, wait!! Don't fall for it, Elysia!" Little March grabbed her own left hand with her right, stopping herself from placing the order. "That thing is an IPC intelligence tax! Its cost-performance is about as bad as overpriced health supplements. The brand markup is insane, it's totally not worth it!"
Back in the day, baby Stelle had wanted one too. In the end, its usage rate was zero percent. After all, Stelle's closet was filled with dozens of identical Galaxy Bat Hero outfits.
Later, when March herself tried using the item-finder, she realized the actual performance was nothing like the ads promised.
It was a complete waste of a hundred bottles of sweet soda. Absolutely painful.
"The Interastral Peace Corporation is so mean, meow!"
After hearing March's rant, Fairy Elysia put on a little cat-pout and commented, "Sigh, I really thought it'd make finding clothes easier. My closet's been growing exponentially lately, it's such a headache, meow."
"Eh? Exponentially?"
March blinked. She already knew that the beautiful-girl caretaker was a bit of a rich girl in her own world, but was Cat Elysia also a small-time tycoon in hers?!
"Hehe, Little March, I'll tell you a secret. Don't tell the beautiful-girl caretaker, okay?"
Fairy Elysia leaned close to March's ear, glanced around to make sure the caretaker wasn't nearby, and whispered, "Don't you think the caretaker-turned-cat is super cute? And that she'd look perfect in little dresses and stuff?"
In short—
Miss Fairy had hoarded a massive collection of cat outfits in her own world. She just hadn't found a good chance to trick Cat Inori into wearing them, since every time that cat showed up, she was busy scheming with Mobius.
March 7th froze.
As Fairy Elysia whispered, a little bubble popped up over March's head. Inside it were images of Cat Inori and the beautiful-girl caretaker wearing matching dresses of the same style.
That… actually was really cute.
And so—
With Fairy Elysia's friendly assistance, March's shopping cart gained two new items: custom-made "Beautiful Girl Dresses" and "Cat Dresses," in pure white and icy blue. Since they were custom orders, they would take two days to arrive.
Since they were meant for the beautiful-girl caretaker, March deliberately chose a reputable brand with guaranteed quality. Her wallet took a critical hit.
Based on March's observations, Cat Elysia really loved snacks and drinks.
Originally, March had planned to cater to her tastes, treat Fairy Elysia to lots of tasty stuff at the Herta Space Station, and then begin learning the hidden power of "Magical Girls."
But… today's spending was already pretty high. If she kept burning credits, she might get scolded by Conductor Pom-Pom when asking for allowance. So March opted for a more economical plan.
Besides Himeko, the master of coffee mixing—
There was another hidden beverage expert aboard the Astral Express: the drink-mixing robot in the party car, "Shush."
"Phew… thank goodness Himeko isn't here."
Leading Fairy Elysia as they snuck into the party car, March patted her chest in relief.
"Himeko…?" Fairy Elysia tapped a finger against her lips, thinking. "I remember her! Stelle said she's super reliable and super amazing, the navigator of the train!"
"Well, she is amazing," March said vaguely. "I'm always learning from her, but… um, nobody's perfect! A few small flaws are totally normal!"
If Himeko found out that March had gone to the party car to get drinks from Shush, and it escalated into "Shush vs. Himeko, the ultimate bartender showdown," then March's magical girl training was definitely not happening.
March had already imagined it—
Fairy Elysia eagerly drinks Himeko's coffee, convulses, collapses, and a tiny soul floats out of her body…
"Nope, nope, nope!"
"Oh! Welcome to the Party Car, dear Nameless. Would you like a drink—"
The Shush robot recited its usual programmed lines, but halfway through, when it saw the other pink-haired figure floating beside March, it abruptly froze.
Here's a little-known fact about the Astral Express:
Shush was a drink-mixing robot invented by some Nameless traveler long ago, built several Amber Eras in the past. When the Astral Express crashed, it broke along with the train.
Later, after Himeko repaired the train, Welt Yang and Void Archives boarded it. Void Archives found Shush in the cargo car and fixed it.
The name "Shush" came from the last thing Himeko ever said to Void Archives before kicking him off the train.
It could tell cold jokes and dark jokes, sing "Regression," and even imitate the voice of a certain blond bishop from another universe. While Shush gathered language and behavior data from Void Archives to train itself, Void Archives, true to the Vill-V spirit, also left a backdoor in Shush so he could keep an eye on his old friend.
Hmm… looks like something interesting showed up.
Void Archives was essentially the library of the Previous Era, sealing away almost all its knowledge, technology, and Honkai-related information. Yet under the "Elysia" tag, part of the data had been deliberately erased.
Oh, got it. Another familiar flower.
Having seen plenty of "variants," Void Archives naturally assumed that was the case. After all, so many years had passed. There was no way this could really be that Elysia.
Probably just looked similar.
"Shush, make two of your absolute best milk teas!" March rushed up to the counter. "I'm officially apprenticing today, so hurry it up!"
Time was tight. Absolutely, absolutely had to finish before Himeko came back. She could not enter the bartender battle timeline.
"Milk tea. Though I am a drink-mixing robot specializing in alcohol, I do have some understanding of milk tea. Please wait a moment…"
A short while later—
"Dear Nameless, please enjoy this 'Wrench-Stirred Milk Tea.' Healthy ingredients, just the right sweetness, rich mouthfeel. A drink renowned on the Astral Express for several Amber Eras."
Shush placed two milk teas on the counter. One was March's usual pearl milk tea. The other was a fruit-flavored drink bubbling with pink foam.
"Since when could you make that?!" March stared at the pink drink in shock.
"I am merely a drink-mixing robot," Shush said proudly. "Over several Amber Eras, I have continuously optimized my menu data to provide the highest-quality service."
March carried the tray away.
On the surface, it was still Shush.
But in reality, Void Archives had already slipped through the backdoor and taken control of the system. Based on database records of Elysia's favorite drinks, he used different ingredients to recreate a similar appearance.
If this were that Elysia, she would recognize it at a glance, take a sip, and immediately realize the taste was off.
Void Archives shifted his focus to the two pink-haired figures.
"Elysia~ Look! This is milk tea made by a robot on the Astral Express. The ingredients, sweetness, and texture all look great. Hehe, it's no worse than the milk tea shops on the space station!"
March presented the drink like a treasure.
Fairy Elysia, meanwhile, was still gazing around like she'd wandered into a grand exhibition hall, eyes sparkling as she examined the interior of the Astral Express. Everything about the star-filled world fascinated her.
Then—
In this unfamiliar place, she spotted a drink whose style felt far too familiar. It looked exactly like something she often bought at convenience stores.
"Wow~ I didn't expect to find this here too?!" Fairy Elysia floated up excitedly, cupped the drink with her tiny hands, and gulped down a few mouthfuls. "So refreshing! It's different from what I remember, but it's really good!"
"Hah, that's great then! Elysia, my hidden power is all up to you now! I'll study hard, I promise!"
March looked incredibly eager.
If March were in cat form right now and had a tail, it would definitely be swishing back and forth impatiently.
What an idiot, that other 'me.' Hidden power is supposed to be hidden! If everyone knows about it, what's the point of calling it hidden?
And if 'I' get a new hidden power over there, doesn't that mean I'll have to keep hiding it on my end too? Sure, hiding is fine, but why does that leave such an inexplicable sense of frustration?
—The hidden "Evernight."
"Didn't expect to find this here" and that question mark… That chibi fairy girl definitely said those keywords, right?!
And there wasn't even the slightest trace of Path resonance on her. No Honkai energy either. What in the world was she? No, no rash moves. Better observe quietly for now.
—The hidden "Void Archives."
Under the watchful eyes of two unnamed figures lurking in the shadows, Fairy Elysia began special "Magical Girl" training for Little March.
…
[Emperor's Scepter φ-ln7]
Less than an hour had passed in the outside world, but the conversation inside the Emperor's Scepter had gone on for a very long time.
"Honkai energy… such an impressively high efficiency as an energy source," Herta said as she examined the Honkai energy stored within the Emperor's Scepter by Kiyono Inori. "A shame its properties make it rather inconvenient."
"Heh… you know what I'm going to say."
"Yes, yes. Don't bring this stuff into our world. I know, I know," Herta replied lazily. "Senior, you're really not romantic at all."
She glanced at the figure who followed her at all times, habitually polishing a scalpel.
Number Four, the Lord of Silence.
To be honest, when Herta was first transported into the world within the Emperor's Scepter and found herself face-to-face with a cat of unknown strength and the Lord of Silence, she was genuinely startled. But after several rounds of discussion, she had relaxed.
She now understood the cat's purpose.
The other party wanted her help.
To help save a world on the brink of destruction.
Saving worlds was something Herta was very familiar with. She had done it so many times she'd lost count. She had saved the Blue Star alone more than twenty times.
A phone call here, a casual side project there. Saving most worlds was effortless for her.
With the exception of the Blue Star.
Herta rarely took action personally, and this time was no exception. If not for the sheer peculiarity of the other world, she wouldn't even bother. After all, she was a genuine homebody.
A parallel universe of a parallel universe. No Paths or Aeons. Honkai energy and Herrschers. A colleague, Number Four, the Lord of Silence.
Honestly—
Herta couldn't find a single reason to refuse. Just being able to converse with the Lord of Silence was worth the price of admission.
And the world to be saved was a true parallel universe, one without Paths or Aeons at all. Her curiosity was completely maxed out.
In the end—
After four rounds of information exchange, and with data demonstrations via the Emperor's Scepter, Herta had dug up quite a bit of intel.
The original plan had been for a more efficient exchange, but the cat girl's stamina seemed lacking. Every four to five hours of discussion, Kiyono Inori needed about half an hour of rest.
During those times, the Emperor's Scepter database would be opened for Herta Number Eighty-Three and the Lord of Silence to browse. Herta browsed. The Lord of Silence polished his blade.
"Oh~ the child's finally asleep."
This time, the cat girl had entered a deeper rest. Monitoring within the Emperor's Scepter had relaxed considerably, giving Herta the chance to ask some heavier questions that children really shouldn't hear.
Directed at the Lord of Silence—
"Care to explain, Senior? What's so special about that child that you'd ignore her existence, or even choose to help her? I know what she wants. What about you?"
Herta teased, "Don't tell me you're just helping her because she's a cute cat. Who would believe that? She doesn't know what you've done, but the geniuses of the club know very well."
"I refuse."
Number Four had foreseen this question. "This is clearly not something you should know. But if you're worried that I might use her for something, you already have your answer, don't you?"
"Sigh… I really can't stand you riddle-speakers," Herta rubbed her forehead. "Do all you ancient monsters who've lived for thousands of Amber Eras love this style?"
"In the prophecy of the End, four Paths will push the galaxy toward destruction: Destruction, Harmony, Nihility, and one Path that has yet to fully form."
"As the War of the Gods unfolds, this Path will manifest within the conflict. Academia has proposed many hypotheses. After all, Aeons can merge with or devour one another.
Take the Hunt that slew Abundance, or Remembrance that absorbed Erudition. As the Aeons clash, any one of them that claims victory and expands its Path has a high chance of losing control and becoming the culprit that destroys the entire galaxy."
…
Behind the cognition filter obscuring her face, the Lord of Silence let out an approving hum.
"Hah…" Herta sighed. "Fourth Seat, I always knew you were crazy, but I didn't think you'd be this unhinged. She has nothing to do with this world, yet you insist on dragging her into this mess. She's not even eighteen!"
"Have you ever considered why the Emperor's Scepter, driven by the Anti-Life Equation and dedicated to simulating countless paths of civilizational destruction, becomes so unusually calm in that girl's hands?
You know very well that even you and I can only neutralize such an uncontrollable weapon of Erudition from the outside, slowly and with great effort."
The Fourth Seat's voice was calm and refined.
"…What are you trying to say?" Herta replied coolly. "Yes, it's impressive. But what made you decide on this plan? Get to the point. If your answer doesn't satisfy me, I'll start making little moves behind your back."
She spoke playfully, but there was no hint of a joke on her cold, expressionless face.
"That girl was meant to be the next victim."
The faceless woman's voice carried deep sorrow.
"I once believed it to be an achievement no future genius could surpass. A god's thoughts using the flicker of starlight as neurons, the victories and defeats of geniuses as conclusions. No one could escape the moment anchored by Erudition.
But—
The Omniscient Domain completely failed when facing her. Even adding new variables couldn't incorporate her into its calculations.
I became lost. If Erudition uses the clash of geniuses as its cognitive synapses, then perhaps Erudition itself is merely another god's synapse. Life beyond the domain proves this possibility…"
…
Faced with the Lord of Silence's lament over her shattered worldview, Herta Number Eighty-Three neither confirmed nor denied it.
Her eyes, however, burned with curiosity.
That little cat looked silly enough, but the secrets she carried were far greater than expected. Interesting. Very interesting.
One thing was certain.
The conversation between geniuses and cats would continue for a long, long time.
…
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Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.