Herta seemed to hear only the words "embroidered by Ruan Mei's own hand." Her brow furrowed instantly.
"Madam Herta? Are you alright?"
Asta's voice over the phone gradually brought Herta back to her senses. She looked down and slowly picked up her phone.
"Hello? Asta? The interstellar long-distance signal is bad. We'll talk about whatever it is later. Goodbye."
"But—!"
Herta hung up immediately. Peppy, nearby, barked in complaint on Asta's behalf.
"Woof woof!!" (Asta! Both your phone and Madam Herta's are purple gold level. There's no way the signal is bad on the Luofu!)
Asta gently stroked Peppy's head.
"Madam Herta has been good to me. If she's acting this way, she must have her reasons. Maybe her schedule is just too tight."
"Woof woof!!" (Kindness is kindness, but wrong is wrong! Haven't you been repaying her by working at the space station all this time?!)
Peppy's concerned words through the synesthesia beacon brought an involuntary smile to Asta's face.
"Alright, alright, Peppy. What kind of dog food do you want?"
"Woof. Woof!" (Hold on—no, focus on the important thing first.)
(Don't you notice? Every time Ruan Mei comes up, Madam Herta gets extremely cautious—like she's afraid you'll take something away from her.)
(In our world, we call that food guarding.)
Hearing this, Asta couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. She stood up and picked up a nearby Robin poster.
"Never mind that for now. Peppy, do you think Madam Ruan Mei would like a Robin concert?"
"Woof. Woof." (I doubt it. She'd probably prefer the chirping of Starcrusher Swarm King larvae.)
Asta scratched her head helplessly at this, but then something clicked. Her face lit up as she looked at Peppy.
"I remember now! Madam Ruan Mei really likes pastries. I'll have my hometown's cosmic-class chef prepare something special for her—the most unique plum blossom cake in the entire universe."
Peppy added from the side.
"Woof. Woof!" (You seem to have forgotten: Before Madam Herta left for the Luofu, she asked you to find a Luofu guide—someone who knows all the dessert shops and traditional food spots.)
Finally realizing something, Asta froze in place. She gritted her teeth and silently resolved:
No matter what, I'm giving Madam Ruan Mei a surprise this time!!
Asta's phone suddenly rang again. She quickly opened it and heard that familiar, gentle, heavenly voice.
"Hello? Is this Miss Asta?"
"This is Asta."
"You said you wanted to donate one billion credits to aid one hundred thousand disabled people across the cosmos?"
"Yes. But I have one condition."
The Celestial being on the other end hesitated slightly. So there really is no such thing as a free lunch.
"Please, speak."
"There's a concert scheduled for approximately—"
---
At the same time, on the Xianzhou Luofu.
Bailu had gone out early to buy breakfast for Herta, Ruan Mei, and the crowd of Ruan Mei's creations.
At first, the breakfast shop owners hesitated. Dozens or even hundreds of breakfast portions at once—and from the Vidyadhara Dragon Lady herself, no less.
Waiving a small tab now and then was one thing. This amount would wipe out their profits entirely.
"Lady Bailu, we're just small vendors. If you buy this much, you couldn't possibly eat it all yourself. Let us prepare just one portion for you—free of charge."
"Boss. This card has no limit."
The owner and his employees looked troubled. They instinctively assumed it was a purple gold card Fu Xuan had given Bailu.
If Fu Xuan returned and found out Bailu had been recklessly spending on it,
She'd scold not only Bailu—but them too, for selling her so much food she couldn't finish just to make a quick buck.
Having heard Qingque's constant complaints about the Grand Diviner's horror, they'd grown genuinely afraid.
"Well... Lady Bailu..."
Bailu pointed at the distinctive Asta insignia on the purple gold card.
"Don't worry. I won't waste food. And this card isn't the Grand Diviner's. You've heard of Herta, right?"
The owner and employees exchanged glances, then their eyes went wide.
"Madam Herta of the Genius Society?! You know her, Lady Bailu?!"
"Of course. We've reached an agreement. The Great Demon Lord Herta is covering my meal expenses for the next three months."
Hearing this, the owner and his staff immediately relaxed and began preparing dozens—hundreds—of breakfast portions.
...
Over an hour later...
"Here. Deliver it all to that Star-Gazing Terrace."
Hundreds of robotic birds nodded and simultaneously transported the packaged breakfasts upward.
At the breakfast table, the cat-cakes all instinctively looked toward Ruan Mei.
Sensing their gazes, Ruan Mei asked softly,
"What is it?"
"Meow. It's just... this is our first time having breakfast with Madam Ruan Mei. We're happy. And a little overwhelmed."
"Meowmu. Yes. More than the food, we care about every move you make."
Wisteria Cake sighed at this.
"Meow. All of you—skipping breakfast and going hungry will only worry Ruan Mei!! Stop staring!"
Ever since the incident at the space station, the cat-cakes had come to regard Wisteria Cake as their leader—even the Ruan Mei cake among them.
They all averted their gazes and obediently began eating.
Seeing a cat-cake so similar to herself acting as leader, Herta couldn't help but sigh and compliment herself.
"Sigh. Being too excellent can be such a burden."
Ruan Mei said nothing. She simply ate her breakfast in silence. Then she took out a handkerchief and wiped a grain of rice from Wisteria Cake's face.
In an instant, all the cat-cakes—and even Herta—froze in place. Only Bailu continued eating obliviously.
The air grew exceptionally still, save for the sounds of Bailu's breakfast.
Gradually, Bailu sensed something was wrong. She set down her chopsticks and stammered cautiously,
"What... what is it?! Is the breakfast not to your liking?"
Herta picked up a bowl of congee and downed it in one go. As she set it down, she deliberately left a grain of rice on her face.
The cat-cakes followed suit, mimicking her perfectly.
Seeing this, Ruan Mei had no choice but to go around, wiping the rice from each cat-cake's face with her handkerchief.
Finally, she came to Herta.
Herta had already closed her eyes, head held high as always, her face the picture of proud aloofness.
Just as Ruan Mei raised the handkerchief—
Everything around them seemed to freeze, held in place by an unseen force.
"Every move you make lies within the observation of my Matrix of Prescience."
In an instant, that grain of rice was also affected by this Path power. It fell to the floor.
Its fall seemed to echo with a sound that filled Herta with dread and despair.