"A Totem of Undying, for real..."
Fu Zhu stared in disbelief at the Herta puppet he was holding aloft by its armpits. He never imagined that, without Herta controlling it, the puppet would actually be identified as an item.
Although the display also showed that the puppet could be converted into an Iron Golem Spawn Egg, that was clearly inferior when compared to a Totem of Undying.
What do I do? I really want to stuff her in my pocket and take her home!
Screwllum, who was sitting nearby, noticed Fu Zhu just holding the Herta puppet up without any further action for quite some time. He couldn't help but look over inquisitively.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, what exactly are you doing, holding the Herta puppet up like that?"
Fu Zhu, with a conflicted expression, looked between the puppet and Screwllum before asking with difficulty, "Screwllum, do you know Herta well?"
Screwllum paused. Despite the powerful computational abilities of its core processor, it couldn't calculate why Fu Zhu would ask such a question in this situation.
"Mm, I have known Herta for many years and have collaborated with her on numerous occasions. From a human perspective, I suppose I could be considered familiar with her."
"In that case, if I take one of her puppets, she wouldn't get mad, would she?"
"Take one? For what reason?"
"To use it, of course."
Screwllum's hand, holding the stem of a wine glass, tightened involuntarily. The fragile glass stem snapped instantly, and some of the liquid inside spilled onto the back of its hand.
Silently, Screwllum retrieved a handkerchief from its breast pocket, wiped its hand clean, and then carefully disposed of the broken glass shards in a nearby trash bin.
Only after doing all this did it look up at Fu Zhu, speechless for a long moment.
I never thought that Mr. Fu Zhu, who appears so dignified, would have a preference for the... young?
While it was true that it should not interfere with the preferences of others, if this were to happen, it could potentially damage the relationship between Herta and Fu Zhu. Screwllum felt it was necessary to offer a word of caution.
"Mm, it is true that Madam Herta's puppets are modeled after her childhood appearance. From a human aesthetic perspective, they are indeed very beautiful. However... Mr. Fu Zhu, I would not recommend you engage in such behavior with the Herta puppet."
Fu Zhu sighed in frustration. He understood that secretly taking a Herta puppet was wrong, but the temptation of a Totem of Undying was simply too great!
Even though he was currently in Survival Mode and could respawn infinitely, he'd still have to run back from his respawn point, which was a hassle.
More importantly, a Totem of Undying wasn't just for him; he could also give them to the crew of the Express for their protection.
Now that he had found a way to obtain Totems of Undying, there was no way Fu Zhu would let this opportunity pass. He had to get at least six of them for his inventory!
One for each member of the Express crew. That way, he wouldn't have to worry about their safety anymore.
Just as Fu Zhu was contemplating how to get his hands on the Herta puppet, the lifeless eyes of the puppet he held aloft flickered.
At the same instant, the system's conversion prompt vanished.
Herta looked down at Fu Zhu, who was holding her puppet in the air, and asked irritably, "What are you doing?"
Seeing Herta come online, Fu Zhu immediately put on a sincere expression.
"Beautiful Madam Herta, I simply feel that with your beauty, I can only gaze up in admiration. This is the only way to express my respect for you!"
Herta blinked, her brow furrowing in confusion as she retorted, "Did you take the wrong medicine? Hurry up and get yourself checked. I don't want our Simulated Universe research to be derailed by your mental problems!"
"No! Beautiful Madam Herta, there is nothing wrong with my mind! I have merely had a sudden epiphany!"
"You still say you didn't take the wrong medicine? Am I the kind of person who would say such things? Do you take me for an idiot?"
Seeing Herta's tone growing increasingly impatient, Screwllum quickly stood up to mediate on Fu Zhu's behalf.
"Herta, Mr. Fu Zhu's mind has not encountered any issues. The preferences of every individual tend to differ; we should respect that."
"Screwllum, how come you're also spouting a bunch of nonsense I don't understand?"
Herta was completely bewildered. It was one thing for Fu Zhu to have an episode—his way of thinking could never be measured by normal standards anyway—but what was Screwllum's deal?
What in the world had happened between these two in the reception room while she was busy with preparations?
"Hmph, whatever. Just as long as it doesn't affect what comes next."
Herta crossed her arms and glared down at Fu Zhu, whose face was plastered with an overly dramatic smile.
"Are you going to put my puppet down or not!"
Fu Zhu regretfully placed the Herta puppet back on the floor.
After landing, Herta stomped her feet a few times. The feeling of being on solid ground again was truly wonderful.
---o---
"Alright, you two, follow me. The Simulated Universe is just about ready."
Herta turned and walked out of the reception room. Fu Zhu and Screwllum quickly followed as she led them through a winding, seven-turn, eight-bend path within the space station until they arrived before the door to Herta's exclusive, luxurious office.
Herta didn't push the door open herself. Instead, she stood to the side, a faint smile on her face as she watched Fu Zhu. "Go on in. I've been preparing for a long time, you know."
"Why are you just standing there?" Fu Zhu glanced suspiciously at the motionless Herta. Her posture looked exactly as if she had set a trap inside the office and was waiting for him to walk right into it.
"You'll know once you're inside!"
Herta impatiently placed her hand on Fu Zhu's back, trying to push him into the office. But no matter how hard her puppet's short little arms pushed, Fu Zhu remained rooted to the spot.
After several failed attempts, Herta finally gave up on using brute force. She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Fu Zhu.
"Are you going in or not!"
Fu Zhu bent down, narrowing his eyes to meet Herta's. "You're so desperate for me to go in. Is there a trap inside?"
Herta gritted her teeth in frustration. Trap your ass! This is a surprise I painstakingly prepared for you!
Herta took a deep breath, composing herself and reminding herself not to get angry. This guy had always loved to provoke her.
Although she was annoyed by Fu Zhu, Herta was not unprepared for this situation. She had, after all, thoroughly studied him!
Herta's angry expression vanished, replaced by a grin as she raised an eyebrow at Fu Zhu. "You're not... scared, are you?"
Fu Zhu Conversation Manual, Rule #1: Fu Zhu will never ignore a direct challenge!
"Scared? The word 'fear' doesn't exist in Steve's dictionary!"
Fu Zhu immediately turned and pushed the door open, striding inside. He was eager to see what kind of "surprise" Herta had prepared for him!
Screwllum shook its head with a wry smile and followed Fu Zhu inside.
Herta's puppet, however, remained outside the door, its eyes once again turning lifeless.
Upon entering the office, Fu Zhu and Screwllum scanned their surroundings. Aside from the active Simulated Universe machine, there was nothing else in the room that looked particularly unusual.
Fu Zhu looked around carefully, confirming there were no "surprises." He even opened his minimap to check, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
This puzzled him. He glanced at the minimap and saw Herta's icon right behind him, so he turned around to ask.
"Oi, Herta, what are you..."
As he turned, a stunningly beautiful face, wreathed in a smile, was inches from his own. Fu Zhu was so close he could see the fine, downy hair on her fair cheeks, fluttering as his own breath brushed against her face.
Her warm breath washed over his face, carrying a faint fragrance from her body that made him feel as if he had been transported to a field of dancing flower petals.
In that moment, Fu Zhu's mind flooded with all sorts of words to describe beauty. Yet, as they swirled together, they could only form a single, heartfelt sentiment.
She's so beautiful.
"Ta-da! A living person transformation! Awestruck by my beauty?"
Herta's lips curled into a smile. She spread her arms wide and slowly spun around in front of Fu Zhu before proudly tilting her smooth chin up at him.
Although Fu Zhu said nothing, his stunned expression was, in Herta's opinion, the highest praise for her beauty.
"Struck speechless, are we?"