"Name?"
"Herta!"
"Gender?"
"Can't you tell just by looking?"
Madam Herta glared at the judge before her, who looked as if she might die from overwork at any moment.
"Is the Luofu really that short on manpower? I only broke in here. There's no need to send someone from the Ten-Lords Commission to deal with this, right?"
The overworked judge nodded at Herta's complaint.
"That is correct. Due to the Ambrosial Arbor incident, disturbances have broken out throughout the Luofu. In addition, the revelation that the Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission was a disciple of Abundance has led to investigations across the entire ship. As a result, even the Ten-Lords Commission, which normally doesn't handle such matters, has been forced to assist in alleviating the current manpower shortage. If Miss Herta has any further complaints, please voice them. I will record them."
The overworked judge rattled off the entire explanation in one breath, leaving Herta somewhat impressed.
She didn't even pause to breathe?
"Fine. I understand your situation."
She decided to forgive this overworked judge.
"Thank you for your understanding. To be honest, I don't particularly wish to handle these tasks either, but this opportunity to walk among the living again was not easily obtained. Even if I'm dealing with unfamiliar work, I will do my utmost. If Miss Herta has any complaints afterward, you may file them, although I'm only temporarily assigned here, so rewards and punishments aren't under this department's jurisdiction..."
The judge finally let out a sigh of relief.
Herta stared at the judge, who had once again delivered an incredibly long speech without taking a breath.
That lung capacity didn't seem like something an overworked person should possess.
Xianzhou natives really were strange.
She suddenly wanted to study them.
"Alright, alright. Let's hurry this up. I have things to do."
She had come here to find Su Ran.
Not to chat with some judge.
"Very well. Let us return to the matter at hand. Gender?"
Hanya looked at Herta seriously.
Herta: "..."
Was this deliberate or accidental?
Hadn't she just called her "Miss" earlier?
Surely she wasn't being mistaken for something else just because this puppet body looked a little flat?
"Very well. I'll remember you. What's your name?"
"I am Hanya, Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, listed last among the four judges of Apprehension, Restraint, Punishment, and Interrogation. By the grace of the Ten Lords, I have been entrusted with the Heavenly Brush to record crimes and deliver judgment."
Hanya introduced herself with utmost seriousness.
Even Herta didn't know how to respond.
Was she fearless, or was there simply something off about her personality?
"I have a guarantor! Do you know Su Ran? He's on the Luofu right now!"
Herta crossed her arms, utterly unconcerned.
It was only a puppet body anyway.
If it got destroyed, so be it.
What bothered her was how disrespectful the Luofu was being toward her.
She would remember this.
"...I don't know him."
After searching through her memories, Hanya admitted she had no idea who this person was.
She had only recently returned to the world of the living and had been busy with work.
How would she have had time to browse the internet?
Her expression remained completely earnest.
"Take out your phone and look at the news."
Hanya obediently took out her phone and searched the recent headlines.
Sure enough, she found numerous articles about Su Ran.
An expression of realization appeared on her face.
She now understood that he was the newest member of the Genius Society.
"What you say may be true. However, I have not received any official documentation or application stating that he is acting as your guarantor."
Anyone could make such claims.
In the past, there had even been outworlders claiming that General Teng Xiao was their guarantor.
Yet the General didn't even know who they were.
What use was an empty claim?
Without written approval, it was merely rumor and fabrication.
"Hey! I'm also a member of the Genius Society! And I submitted an application! You people just never responded, so I took that as approval!"
"Oh. I will report that to my superiors."
Hanya dutifully recorded Herta's statement as well.
Herta was on the verge of losing it.
It was one thing for Su Ran to toy with her.
But now even an overworked judge could push her around like this?
"Mr. Su Ran... I have successfully completed the task you assigned me."
Hanya approached Su Ran and handed over all the information she had recorded.
That's right.
The reason she had made things difficult for Herta during the interrogation...
Was entirely because of this man's instructions.
Hanya:It was merely a task assigned by Mr. Su Ran.
"Well done. I'll speak with Jing Yuan about granting you and your sister more opportunities to return to the world of the living."
For Hanya, this reward was already quite generous.
After all, she had already joined the Ten-Lords Commission.
For a Xianzhou native, that was practically the final chapter of life.
"Also... there is another matter I wish to request. If Mr. Su Ran is willing to help, I am prepared to pay any price."
Hanya hadn't been blinded by the earlier reward.
She had her own objectives.
"Tell me. If it's not too excessive, I can help."
"I have heard that you possess the ability to restore life and flesh to the dead. Hanya wishes to know what price must be paid for you to create an incorruptible body for my sister."
Although Xueyi could currently return to the world of the living...
She could only do so through her puppet body.
If possible, Hanya hoped that whenever her sister returned, she could possess a genuine body of flesh and blood.
For members of the Genius Society, such a request didn't seem particularly difficult.
There were many experts specializing in the field of life sciences.
However, Hanya had never had the opportunity to establish connections with a Genius Society member.
The only reason she had been able to meet Herta was because Su Ran had deliberately arranged it.
If not for her perpetually overworked appearance, which made it difficult for others to suspect anything...
She might never even have met Su Ran.
"A small matter. Coincidentally, I've always been quite interested in Xueyi myself. There's a question I've always wanted answered."
"What question?" Hanya asked curiously.
"Can mechanical girls get pregnant?"
Hanya shook her head.
"Xianzhou puppets do not possess those functions, so they cannot."
The puppets merely served as bodies for movement and activity, sharing only a human-like appearance.
Naturally...
They couldn't reproduce.
"But what if I could make it possible?"
Su Ran blinked.
Hanya: Then you would be far too perverted!
In more ways than one.
Both in terms of ability...
And intent.
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