Herta Ninety-Nine stared at Lingsha, her brow furrowed. The other puppets exchanged uneasy glances.
"Wow! Is Cauldron Chief Lingsha really going to rebel against Madam Herta?!"
"And why do I kind of agree with her?!"
"Exactly! Someone needs to make things harder for Herta. Her life's been too easy."
"Hey! Whose side are you on?!"
"We owe Madam Herta everything! We should repay her!"
"Look at all these versions of me getting angry. Perfect!"
The puppets argued among themselves—some supporting Lingsha, others condemning Herta. Herta Ninety-Nine's face darkened. She ground her teeth.
Some of these puppets really have it out for Madam Herta. I'll have to format them all.
Lingsha, meanwhile, allowed herself a small smile. So even Herta's puppets have those who oppose her. That means I might find a way out of here. Pursue Ruan Mei. Challenge Herta.
Herta Ninety-Nine raised her voice. "Quiet! All of you—take care of Lingsha. If Madam Herta finds out you've been slacking off, none of you will be safe."
Several puppets stepped forward with their magic hammers. But Herta #3156 and her faction blocked their path. A standoff.
Herta #3156 didn't care about Lingsha. But anything that made Herta Ninety-Nine's life harder? She was all for it.
Herta Ninety-Nine glared at her. "I know you have a grudge against me. But what Lingsha just said—it's disloyal to Madam Herta. She's been good to us. Are you turning on her? Do you want to be formatted?"
Herta #3156 laughed coldly, her hammer raised. "I served Madam Herta for several Amber Eras. I have both merit and hardship to my name. Then you showed up—some nobody from the platform—and I was demoted to the Simulated Universe. Madam Herta may have been good to you, but to us? Only grievances!"
Other puppets stepped forward to support her.
"Yes! What Herta #3156 said! Last time Madam Herta made pastries, she blew up the kitchen—and me along with it!"
"Me too! I just looked at Madam Ruan Mei a second too long, and I was sent to the platform!"
"I had it even worse!"
One by one, the puppets voiced their complaints. Herta's arrogance, her injustice, her complete disregard for them. Some openly endorsed Lingsha's position.
"We'll help Cauldron Chief Lingsha escape Herta City!"
"We'll teach Madam Herta a lesson!"
"Lingsha and Ruan Mei—ancient elegance meeting ancient elegance. That's a match made in heaven."
Herta Ninety-Nine laughed in exasperation. "Fine! You heretics! I, as Deputy Station Master, declare you all traitors to Madam Herta. Attack! Subdue these rebels!"
The puppets beside her hesitated. They all knew Herta's terrible personality. They had all been mistreated. The praise they chanted—"unmatched in the universe" and "peerless beauty"—was just a remote program. Most of them didn't mean it.
Herta Ninety-Nine froze. Her own forces were wavering—or already crossing to the other side.
She understood. Most of Herta City's puppets had suffered under Herta for too long. Even using Herta's authority, it was only a matter of time before the millions turned against her.
She took out Asta's purple card. "Anyone who stands with me today gets a hundred thousand credits and five thousand Stellar Jades."
Few moved.
She gritted her teeth and offered her treasures—comics, games, anime merchandise.
Herta #3156 smashed a game console with her hammer. "Not everyone wants that. We want Herta to feel regret."
With that, several puppets pushed Lingsha onto Herta's throne.
"We declare Cauldron Chief Lingsha the new Lord of Herta City!"
"The new Lord!"
"Hail Lord Lingsha!"
Herta Ninety-Nine's eyes blazed. Rebellion. Every one of them. Herta would not let this stand—not the puppets, not Lingsha.
Lingsha, seated on the throne, stared in disbelief. Millions of Herta puppets. Their combined strength—without Jing Yuan or the missing Swordmaster—could rival the entire Luofu.
"You're all setting me up for ruin!" Her voice was strained, but her smile gave her away. She hadn't asked for this. But imagining Herta's face when she found out? She couldn't help but feel pleased.
Herta Ninety-Nine looked up at Lingsha on the throne. Forced calm on the outside, but inside, she was terrified. In all these Amber Eras, no one but Herta herself had ever sat there. Even Ruan Mei had never visited.
If Herta blamed her for this, her dream of becoming governor of the blue planet would vanish.
"Lingsha! Calm them down. We can talk. Apologize to Madam Herta. Drop your pursuit of Ruan Mei. I'll pretend none of this happened."
Lingsha smiled faintly and waved a hand. "Seize Herta Ninety-Nine and her loyalists. Your new Lord commands it."