---o---
Her brain short-circuiting for a moment from the shocking news, Bronya was dazed. The next second, she snapped back to her senses, grabbed the young man before her by the shoulders, and, disregarding her usual aristocratic etiquette, shook him with an impolite urgency.
"Then- then when is Lady Herta coming back? Are there any other emergency contact methods to reach her?!"
Being shaken back and forth by Bronya left Arlan a bit dizzy. He stammered, "Miss, please don't shake me like this…"
Hearing this, Bronya realized just how rude her actions had been. She retracted her hands, slightly embarrassed, but her eyes remained intensely fixed on Arlan, desperate for an answer.
Arlan simply took a moment to steady himself before coming to his senses. He looked at Bronya, who appeared as if she were facing a great enemy, truly desperate to find Herta. He fell silent for a moment, then scratched his head with a hint of resignation.
"Although I am the head of the station's Defense Section, it's very rare for anyone on the station to have direct contact privileges with Lady Herta…"
He looked at Bronya. There were many people like her who showed up unannounced at the Herta Space Station, clamoring that they had urgent business with Lady Herta. A large portion of them were her crazed fans, and a smaller portion were fools who, for some inexplicable reason, wanted to gain Herta's favor.
Only a select few had a genuine connection to Lady Herta and would show up unexpectedly for urgent matters.
Arlan didn't recognize Bronya, and it was clear she had never been to the Herta Space Station before. But her urgency was anything but baseless. Just looking at her anxious expression, it was obvious she had some legitimate business with Lady Herta.
Of course, as the head of the Herta Space Station's Defense Section, Arlan was extremely vigilant about the station's security. He couldn't possibly believe a complete stranger without any access privileges and lead her into the Main Control Zone just based on her demeanor.
But… who told Bronya to arrive in such an unusual ship?
Arlan was actually very familiar with the design of that small vessel. It was a boutique private ship that Miss Asta had once purchased from [Cosmic Grandeur], primarily designed for the dignitaries of various political powers across the cosmos to use as a shuttle.
And this ship wasn't just unique in its design; the emblems on it were also extremely curious.
Aside from two emblems he had never seen before—one of a sword and shield intertwined, the other in the shape of a lantern—the most important thing was the extremely exquisite portrait of Herta engraved on the ship's hull.
This Herta looked noticeably older than the puppets commonly seen around the station. She wore a heavy crown on her head, and her portrait was encircled by nine small swords, forming a strange crest.
Arlan didn't know what this crest represented, but he knew for certain that it was related to Lady Herta.
He thought for a moment, then looked at the incredibly anxious Bronya and stammered slightly:
"I… I'll take you to see Miss Asta. If there's anyone on the station who can contact Lady Herta right now, it would have to be Miss Asta."
---o---
After all, compared to Herta, the station's nominal master, Asta was the true core figure of the Herta Space Station.
If Asta didn't exist, the Herta Space Station certainly wouldn't either. After all, every single alloy floor plate on the station was paid for by Asta's family fortune, from the black credit card Asta used for pocket money.
There were even many times when Lady Herta's own research projects required financial support that only Asta could provide.
It was said that just a few days ago, a debt collector from the Interastral Peace Corporation had come to the station. That Miss [Topaz] had smilingly and tactfully presented the bill while both Herta and Asta were present, successfully avoiding Lady Herta's wrath while managing to squeeze a large sum of money from Asta to subsidize Herta's debts.
Given this situation, no matter how elusive Lady Herta was, she would ultimately have to maintain contact with Asta.
Hearing Arlan's words, Bronya took a moment to process the name, realizing she had absolutely no impression of this person in her mind.
But whether she knew her or not didn't matter. Bronya just wanted to find Herta. Who acted as the intermediary was completely irrelevant.
"Is that so? Then time is of the essence. Please take me to see Miss Asta at once!"
At Bronya's urgent request, Arlan could only lead her on a brisk walk through the station's various corridors, from the lowest-level moon platform to the uppermost Main Control Zone, where Station Master Asta handled most of the station's affairs.
And right now, Asta was standing before the giant telescope in the Main Control Zone, observing the view while tapping away at a light screen in her hand, seemingly recording observational data.
"Miss… Asta. There's a guest."
Arlan approached Asta and whispered a reminder. It was only then that Asta pulled her attention away from the telescope and the endless stream of data. She raised her head, a hint of curiosity in her eyes as she looked at Arlan and the anxious Bronya.
She opened her mouth with a trace of doubt.
"Arlan? And this is…"
Before Arlan could say anything, Bronya immediately took over, introducing herself in a rapid-fire tone:
"I am the heir to the [Supreme Guardian] of Belobog, acting commander of the Silvermane Guards, Bronya Rand. That is a routine self-introduction, and it is not important right now."
She rattled off the whole introduction in one breath, took a moment to catch her breath, and then immediately asked with urgency:
"Miss Asta, do you have a way to contact Lady Herta right now? There is an extremely important and urgent matter that requires her help. There is no more time to waste."
Hearing Bronya's urgent plea, Asta was clearly taken aback. She then offered a comforting tone that she wasn't quite used to.
"Um… Miss Rand, please don't be so anxious…"
As she spoke, she casually took out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts, asking, "What happened that requires you to find Lady Herta so urgently? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Bronya shook her head with a grim expression.
"No… other than Lady Herta, I don't think anyone here can help me."
"Right now, the Xianzhou [Luofu] and Belobog are facing an imminent disaster… An Emanator will ignite the Xianzhou [Luofu] within half a month, reducing it to a pile of ash."
"We have less than half a month left. In that time, if I cannot bring Lady Herta to the Xianzhou [Luofu] to complete a rescue mission, then disaster will surely befall us all."
Hearing Bronya's words, Asta, who had just opened her contact list, suddenly paused.
She looked at Bronya, and a subtle, wondrous expression appeared on her usually serious face.
Bronya, seeing Asta's hand motion stop because of her words, was afraid that what she said wasn't serious enough to gain Asta's attention. She even emphasized her tone, speaking with extreme gravity once more:
"And… it's not just Belobog and the Xianzhou [Luofu]. If we fail to complete this rescue mission, this entire sea of stars might be reduced to ash under the threat of [The Destruction] Nanook. These calamities will ravage the whole galaxy."
"Only by successfully rescuing Ron on the Xianzhou [Luofu] and saving the seed of hope can we ignite the holy flame of [Salvation] in this sea of stars and avert this catastrophe that could destroy everything…"
After hearing Bronya's emphatic words, the expression on Asta's face became even more peculiar.
She was silent for a moment, then put her phone back in her pocket. She casually pulled over a nearby light screen, tapped on a search interface, and entered the keyword "Herta." She then pulled up one of the most popular entries out of billions.
"Are you… looking for this Lady Herta?"
Bronya looked at the light screen. On it was an image of Herta wearing medieval knight armor, shimmering with golden light, looking nothing like the Herta she knew.
The nearby Arlan helpfully leaned over to explain:
"This is 'Savior Knight Herta.' It's something Lady Herta drew on a whim a few days ago. Later, her fan club fleshed out the lore, and this is what it became."
"I heard that the new 'Savior Knight' Herta figure is already up for pre-order, and the number of orders has surpassed many previous models. It seems the Herta fan club has made a fortune from this…"
Bronya suddenly felt that the two people in front of her weren't taking her seriously at all. She said, slightly annoyed:
"Not this one! I'm talking about the real Lady Herta, not some weird fan-made creation!"
"Then… you're looking for this one?"
The upward lilt in Asta's voice made it sound like she was holding back laughter.
She casually tapped the light screen again, opening a new interface.
Bronya saw Herta in formal attire, her expression cold, wearing a pale golden badge with #83 on her chest.
Arlan once again leaned over to explain:
"This is from the promotional drama 'Genius Society' that Interastral Peace Pictures filmed a while ago. This was Lady Herta's official photo. According to her own words, it was—"
Asta smoothly took over the conversation:
"—'So annoying. Those idiots from the Corporation said I needed to show the dignity and honor of an Emanator, so they made me wear this ridiculously complicated and useless formal wear… Hmph, I'm already perfect enough. Why would I need these clothes to show my prestige?'."
She imitated Herta's voice perfectly.
"'And, I clearly have so many accomplishments, so why do they only fixate on my rank in the Genius Society? They just had to make me wear this '#83' badge on my chest?'."
Bronya finally couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't a fool. How could she not see that Asta didn't believe her at all and was just humoring her?
"Stop with these pointless jokes! I'll say it again, everything I just said is extremely important and I am absolutely not kidding!"
"Oh my… yes, of course. After all, it concerns the life and death of a civilization like the Xianzhou Alliance. This sort of thing must be taken seriously!"
Asta cleared her throat, feigning a serious expression, but the slight curve at the corner of her lips couldn't be suppressed.
"I will do my best to contact Lady Herta, but she has always been rather elusive, so I can't guarantee I can reach her quickly."
"If you really want to see Lady Herta, you can wait at the space station for a while. Even if I can't get in touch with her, she will log on at least once within the next five days to perform routine maintenance on the Simulated Universe. You can go to her office then, and you'll be able to see her."
"Arlan, please help Miss Rand arrange a room. Also, use my card to credit her account with thirty thousand Herta Coins. That should be enough for her to stay at the station for a while…"
As Asta spoke, she turned her attention back to the data screen she had opened earlier and began to copy down the data, resuming her previous work. She casually said to the nearby Arlan:
"It's quite rare to see such a passionate fan who chases her all the way to the station. Arrange Miss Rand's accommodation in the Herta Fan Club's activity zone. I think she'll like it."
Arlan nodded silently and left the Main Control Zone with a clearly frustrated Bronya, taking her to the staff dormitories in the Base Zone.
After arranging a room for Bronya, Arlan left in silence. Bronya sat on the bed in the dorm room, scratching her head in frustration, letting her carefully styled, smooth, curly hair become a mess as new ideas churned in her mind.
There was absolutely no way she was going to wait at the Herta Space Station for five days just for Herta to log on. And Asta clearly didn't believe her. For an ordinary person, the things she was describing, which only someone who had experienced a simulation would know, were simply too fantastical. She couldn't force Asta to accept it.
She had to think of a new plan, to consider how to get Herta back to Belobog and save Ron with her power…
Wait… bring her back to Belobog?
Bronya paused, a flicker of realization in her eyes. Her once dim eyes instantly brightened.
Since Asta said Herta would log into a puppet once within five days, why not just take a Herta puppet with her?
Herta was going to log in anyway. It didn't matter where she logged in from, so why couldn't it be in Belobog?
Thinking of this, Bronya felt a surge of excitement, but her expression darkened in the next moment.
But the Herta Space Station's defense forces were too strong. Trying to steal a Herta puppet would be extremely difficult…
Bronya hesitated for a moment, but in the next second, her face became resolute.
No… it won't work. No matter how difficult it is to steal a Herta puppet, she had to overcome this obstacle to save Ron!
Bronya grit her teeth and, without hesitation, opened the simulation light screen, selecting to start the game.
She was a woman with the Life Simulation Game! Surely she could find a way to transport a Herta puppet?
Herta! You just wait for me! Wait for me to bring you to the Xianzhou [Luofu] and help me save Ron!
---o---
And at the same time, on the other side—
"Achoo!"
Herta suddenly sneezed. The soft bionic body was almost identical to a normal human's at this moment, a truly lifelike representation.
Ron glanced at her. "What's wrong?"
Herta's face was calm as she said coolly, "I don't know. Maybe someone is cursing me. I added a 'sixth sense induction module' to this bionic body before. It can, to a certain extent, imitate the so-called 'sixth sense' of living beings."
Hearing this, Ron couldn't help but ask with concern, "A curse? Is someone cursing you? Will this affect our upcoming actions?"
Herta shrugged, completely unconcerned.
"Whatever. Plenty of people in the universe want to curse me. Have you ever seen one dare to jump in my face?"
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to the simulation light screen before them.
"Don't worry about it. Pay attention…"
"Game, start."