Watching Fu Xuan alternate between turning beet-red and burying herself under the covers to escape reality, Bai Ming tried her hardest to stifle her laughter.
She didn't want Fu Xuan to completely shut down from the sheer embarrassment.
Raising a hand, she gently patted Fu Xuan's head to soothe her before reaching out to pull her into a firm embrace, closing her eyes to settle in for the night.
As for the Fu Xuan who had just been scooped up...
She was still busy fleeing from reality. By the time she processed what was happening, the window to refuse had long since slammed shut.
All she could do was snuggle into Bai Ming's arms, torn between a secret flutter of joy and a tangle of inner conflict, wondering if she would actually manage to get any sleep tonight.
--+--
Meanwhile, at the Simulated Universe space station in Amphoreus.
Herta had accessed the puppet stationed here, preparing for the routine maintenance and data analysis of the Simulated Universe.
Although she had been obsessing over the Elation Equation lately—and getting a bit competitive about it due to the sluggish progress—she still kept up with the maintenance of a project as vital as the Simulated Universe.
After all, the Simulated Universe was a crucial path toward understanding the Path of Elation, even if Herta absolutely loathed analyzing Aha's behavioral data.
However, the moment Herta controlled the puppet to open its eyes, she saw an existence in the main control segment that defied all logic.
Celenova? Wearing a micro-mini maid outfit with a cut-out over the chest?
The Lord Ravager was currently perched on a nearby chair, looking through what appeared to be research notes and reports left by other station researchers. Fortunately, none of them pertained to the Simulated Universe.
Herta's eyebrows shot up.
While she didn't know the specifics of what had transpired, she had a hunch this was almost certainly the work of that girl, Bai Ming. Just to be safe, Herta checked the station's permission registry.
The very last member added to the roster was indeed Celenova. Furthermore, her clearance was remarkably high; almost everything was open to her, save for the Simulated Universe sectors.
Herta's eye twitched.
Even if the Simulated Universe remained off-limits, allowing a Lord Ravager to loiter here so brazenly was beyond the pale.
"...What on earth is that girl doing now?"
Rather than anger, Herta felt a surge of speechless exasperation that almost made her want to laugh.
"Celenova. Why are you here?"
Hearing the voice, Celenova looked up and locked eyes with the Herta puppet staring her down.
"..."
Wasn't it said that Herta rarely came here in person and usually handled data remotely? Why did she have to run into her on the very first day?
Celenova's lip curled slightly.
She knew that if she didn't provide a clear explanation, Herta would likely attack her on the spot. Even if this avatar were destroyed, there was no guarantee Bai Ming would stop breathing down her neck.
But if that happened, what would all her humiliation have been for?
She had already prepared herself for a long-term infiltration to study ways to deal with Bai Ming. If she exited on day one, wouldn't it be a total loss?
"Bai Ming captured me. She told me to be her bed-warming maid."
"..."
The puppet seemed to lose its connection for a split second.
--+--
Back at Herta's territory:
Clatter!
A fine teacup shattered into pieces on the floor. Herta's face went dark instantly.
"Heh... Heh heh... Fine, great. I look away for a few days, and she's already arranging bed-warming maids for herself!"
And if she was going to do it, she just had to pick a Lord Ravager. Herta felt her temper flare up in an instant.
Though she had never admitted it, nor gone out of her way to define their relationship—after all, Bai Ming had already ascended to the level of an Aeon while she was still just an Emanator, and Herta's pride made it difficult to initiate such a conversation—she had long since considered Bai Ming as one of her own, someone who would always be by her side.
Therefore, Herta was angry. Very angry.
So angry that the table in front of her was on the verge of being reduced to splinters. She was so incensed she couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.
If Bai Ming couldn't provide a reasonable explanation later, Herta would kick her to the curb, Aeon or not.
"Whew..."
She squinted and took a deep breath, forcing her emotions down for the moment. She was Herta, after all. Angry as she was, this wasn't enough to shake her core.
With the maintenance of the Simulated Universe looming, she had no interest in rushing to contact Bai Ming to bicker about it just yet.
--+--
Back on the other side, after a brief moment of being dazed, the Herta puppet regained its link. Herta looked toward Celenova with a blank expression and gave a small nod.
"Fine. But you'd better behave. Don't go doing anything unnecessary."
"..."
Celenova remained silent, quietly withdrawing her gaze to focus back on the data in front of her. Since she was born of Harmony, she could clearly sense the emotions radiating from Herta.
Clearly, Herta was furious about her presence, but that anger wasn't directed at her—it was aimed at Bai Ming.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Celenova's heart. This was an unexpected harvest. Fine, go ahead and argue. Better yet, start a fight. It would be for the best if this little clique of Geniuses fell apart.
While Celenova was secretly praying for chaos, her surface remained calm and collected as she continued to study the records.
Seeing that Celenova had nothing to say or do, Herta didn't bother with her further and dove straight into the routine maintenance work.
Even if Celenova was a dangerous individual, there wasn't so much as a single Legion unit here.
Given the military strength present in Amphoreus, Celenova wouldn't be able to make waves even if she truly wanted to strike.
Screwllum, who was performing remote maintenance from Planet Screwllum alongside Herta, keenly sensed the shift in her mood.
"Inquiry: Has Madam Herta encountered another troublesome matter?"
If it were just a difficult problem, Herta wouldn't react this way.
"Hmph. See for yourself on the station," Herta snorted, not wanting to say another word.
Screwllum accessed the station's equipment and performed a quick self-check. He soon discovered the new entry on the permission list and, through the cameras, spotted Celenova.
"Lord Ravager Celenova? Why is she here? Could this be the handiwork of Madam Bai Ming?"
"Yeah, you guessed it. That brat brought her here!"
"...Deduction: Perhaps Madam Bai Ming has another objective in mind."
"Hmph! This genius can't be bothered with her! Let's continue, Screwllum."
Screwllum fell into a brief silence before offering a dry explanation. He could certainly think of many excuses and justifications; he could even calculate exactly which excuse would soothe Herta's anger.
But Screwllum chose not to intervene. Having been part of this small circle for so long, he could see certain things.
The connection and feelings between those three were clearly a bit different from the bond they shared with him.
To put it in human terms, there was a romantic comedy unfolding between them.
Herta was clearly angry because of those feelings. In such a situation, Screwllum judged that any interference from him would be inappropriate and likely counterproductive.
The only one who could truly appease Madam Herta was Madam Bai Ming herself.
Well, I should send Madam Bai Ming a message to give her a heads-up later.
Though he didn't quite understand it, experience suggested that if she stayed away for too long, Herta's anger would only fester.
Screwllum trusted that Madam Bai Ming wouldn't do anything truly crossing the line—at the very least, she wouldn't project romantic feelings onto someone who was originally an enemy.
If it were Lady Acheron appearing here, Screwllum might have suspected as much. But since it was a Lord Ravager, he relied on simple trust; he believed there was nothing "extra" between Madam Bai Ming and Celenova.
That being said, looking at Herta's performance this time, she was clearly genuinely upset. It seemed Madam Bai Ming would likely have a rough time upon her return.
--+--
The next day.
Fu Xuan woke up very early. As a workaholic, she was long accustomed to a life of early mornings and late nights.
However, because she had been held in Bai Ming's arms all night—and while it wasn't exactly scandalous, they were certainly close—Fu Xuan was more concerned with how to crawl out of bed without disturbing her rather than feeling shy.
But no matter how Fu Xuan tried to use her Matrix of Prescience to find a way, Bai Ming would inevitably be startled awake and get up with her.
The only alternative was for Fu Xuan to give up and choose to be late for work, waiting until Bai Ming woke up naturally.
"..."
Fu Xuan let out a tiny sigh.
Right then, the arm wrapped around her waist shifted. A slightly lazy voice drifted down from above her head.
"What's wrong? Sighing so much first thing in the morning."
Fu Xuan stiffened for a second before quickly relaxing again. She tried to pull away from Bai Ming's embrace and sat up to look at her.
"Apologies. Did I wake you?"
"It doesn't matter if I sleep or not. You're still worrying about that?"
Bai Ming reached out to adjust Fu Xuan's fallen shoulder strap. "It's about time for you to head to the Divination Commission, isn't it?"
"Yes. Regarding the Antimatter Legion's attack yesterday—although the Luofu didn't suffer much loss, there will still be a busy period ahead."
After saying this, Fu Xuan paused, looking as though she were struggling with something. She sat there in silence for a long while before finally asking:
"Will you... come back again later?"
Fu Xuan didn't harbor those kinds of intimate feelings for Bai Ming yet, but she had to admit that being in the same room as this being—who had saved her in so many ways—gave her an indescribable sense of peace.
"Probably won't come by often. Plus, I'll be busy with some things in a while; I won't be returning to the material world for a bit."
"Oh..."
Upon hearing this answer, Fu Xuan's eyes immediately cast downward, her face falling into a piteous, disappointed expression. But she quickly suppressed it.
"If you miss me, you can contact me whenever you want. Does your deity always have to be the one to seek you out?"
Fu Xuan's eyes widened.
Why did those words sound so strange coming out of her mouth?
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL