"Where on Earth did this child learn these phrases...?"
From behind an observation window nearby, Lumina overheard every word and witnessed every gesture of Stelle's performance. Her lips twitched involuntarily, and she pressed a hand to her forehead, a hint of exasperation in her eyes.
No one taught her these things, did they? She's barely a year old! How did she pick them up on her own, and why is she using them so fluently?
Could this be the legendary Talent?
Lumina couldn't comprehend it, nor could she easily try to.
Well, let her learn these arrogant, show-off phrases. Even if she provokes someone, I'll always be there to back her up.
Lumina muttered inwardly, remaining unfazed by Stelle's Galactic Baseballer persona.
As long as Stelle didn't become a beautiful girl who cursed with every breath, Lumina was perfectly fine with it. (ō▽ ̄)ブ
And if Stelle did turn into such a foul-mouthed beauty... Lumina wouldn't hesitate to give her some "loving" discipline and teach her the proper etiquette for a young girl.
After all, a beautiful girl who curses like a sailor needs a good lesson... a proper scolding, you know?
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lumina turned her gaze to Ruan Mei, who was diligently recording data on the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King beside her.
"How's it going? Has the Constructed Starcrusher Swarm King's energy level reached that of an Emanator?" Lumina asked. "Will this experiment be helpful to your research?"
"Hmm... quite helpful," Ruan Mei replied, nodding as she continued to jot notes. "The power contained within this Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King is equivalent to one Emanator's authority, divided into several fragments... much like the Ten Stonehearts of the Interastral Peace Corporation's Strategic Investment Department."
"However, since this power was granted by an Emanator rather than an Aeon... even though the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King has met the energy threshold of an Emanator, it still falls far short of a true Emanator's capabilities..."
Ruan Mei's voice remained as calm and detached as ever. If Lumina hadn't seen her hands constantly recording data from the arena, she might have thought Ruan Mei had no interest in the experiment whatsoever.
She's such a tough nut to crack, Lumina mused inwardly, observing Ruan Mei's demeanor.
If Lumina hadn't known for a fact that Ruan Mei was human, she might have mistaken her for an avatar descended from an Aeon...
However, Lumina was familiar with Ruan Mei's temperament and wasn't particularly worried. She knew this wouldn't be resolved quickly.
Moreover, now that she had become a partner in the Simulated Universe, their paths would continue to cross, unlike fleeting encounters with strangers...
"The Blessings of an [Aeon] and the Blessings of an [Emanator] are fundamentally different. Given equal energy and strength, an [Emanator] blessed by an [Aeon] far surpasses a [Pseudo-Emanator] created by an [Emanator]'s Blessing..."
"Hmm... Of course, a [Pseudo-Emanator] could never truly match an [Emanator] in energy or strength."
No longer dwelling on Ruan Mei's question, Lumina watched the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King being thoroughly trounced by Stelle in the circular arena, a faint smile playing on her lips.
The power within that Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King is merely a casual blessing I bestowed. How could it possibly compare to the meticulously crafted ring I made?
Therefore, the spectacle of the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King exerting its full strength only to be pinned down and ground into the dust by Stelle was entirely within Lumina's expectations.
"Is that so..." Ruan Mei's hand froze mid-motion. Her head lowered, her face obscured by strands of blue-black hair, leaving her thoughts inscrutable.
After a moment of silence, Ruan Mei lifted her head. Her face, as delicate and meticulous as a fine brush painting, radiated an ethereal grace, untainted by earthly concerns, fully revealed itself to Lumina's gaze.
Her clear, water-like eyes fixed steadily on Lumina as she asked, "According to what you've said, I can never create a true Emanator, correct?"
Ruan Mei continued to stare at Lumina, her expression utterly blank, her voice devoid of emotion as she posed this fundamental question.
Though Ruan Mei's face remained expressionless and her tone completely devoid of emotion, Lumina could still sense the burning desire for an answer in her words—a desperate craving for the truth.
As for the answer Ruan Mei sought, Lumina naturally provided her honest reply.
"I don't know."
Lumina shook her head, giving her answer.
How could I possibly know if it's possible to create a true Emanator? ╮(╯▽╰)╭
Even Herta herself, the Emanator of Erudition, might struggle to answer Ruan Mei's question... let alone Lumina, the Emanator of Abundance.
Lumina: I'm already the Emanator of Abundance! What more do you want from me?!
"Hmm, I understand." Hearing this, Ruan Mei showed no reaction. She nodded slightly, her gaze returning to the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King being pummeled by Stelle. Her hands once again grew busy...
"Hmm... what exactly did you understand?" Lumina muttered inwardly, though she didn't dwell on it.
After all, her intellect did fall a tiny bit short of Ruan Mei's...
A tiny bit.
-
Bang! Bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang! Bang-bang-bang! Bang-bang-bang!
The battle between the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King and Stelle the Trash Can Aeon raged fiercely, threatening to collapse the entire Herta Space Station.
"Your power... why is it so overwhelming?!"
In the end, the intense and brutal clash culminated in Stelle pinning the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King to the ground and mercilessly beating it.
Sensing the vast gap in power between himself and Stelle, the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King let out a furious cry of frustration.
"Could it be... not that I'm too strong, but you're just too weak?!"
With one foot planted on the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King's body and a baseball bat casually slung over her shoulder like a gang thug, Stelle sneered at its defiant words.
Bang!
"Aaaaaaah!"
Stelle swung the baseball bat down with full force, the metallic clang of bat against flesh followed immediately by a bloodcurdling scream.
"If you're weak, train harder!" As the satisfying sound echoed through the air, Stelle's lips curled into a gleeful grin, like a villain relishing the torment of the protagonist beneath her.
"Hahahahahaha! Ahahahaha! Now you know the power of the Galactic Baseballer!"
Stelle threw her head back and roared with laughter, her lips curving into a Villian-like smirk.
Feeling the power coursing through her veins—enough to easily bring every trash can in the Cosmos home—Stelle could already imagine her glorious future!
Left arm hugging an ordinary trash can, right arm clutching a golden one, and Sister Lumina holding me in her arms... What a life! Heheheheԅ(o『oԅ)
"Hmm? What's happening?"
But just as Stelle was basking in her delightful fantasy of future bliss, the power within her began to drain away... The sensation of plummeting from the clouds sent panic surging through her.
"Nooo! Please, stop! My trash can life, come back! ｡ﾟ(T^T)ﾟ｡"
Stelle screamed inwardly, desperately pleading for the ebbing power to halt... Yet no matter what she tried, the force refused to linger.
In mere seconds, the suffocating power that had overwhelmed her vanished, leaving her in the same "frail" state as before...
"Waaah! My glorious trash can life..." Seeing this, Stelle quickly withdrew her foot from the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King. As the power granted by the ring vanished, her eyes dimmed instantly.
She collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands and wailing, bidding a tearful farewell to the wonderful trash can life that would never come to pass...
"Waaah! Aeon above, you can't do this to me! I'm just a baby, not even a year old!" Stelle cried, kneeling and gazing up at the ceiling, her eyes blazing with defiance against the injustice of fate.
This girl... has she lost her mind?
Little Swarm naturally noticed the fading power within Stelle, but had no intention of attacking her. After all, their Great Creator was watching from above...
Watching Stelle's current state, Little Swarm couldn't help but worry that her brain had completely fried, turning her into a total idiot...
Though she was already a bit of an idiot to begin with...
Seeing Stelle's utterly dejected demeanor, as if her entire life had lost all meaning, Little Swarm hesitated for a moment before deciding to go comfort her.
"You've lost your power, but you still have me! I can totally..."
"You fucking piece of shit!"
Stelle, who had been wallowing in grief, instantly snapped out of her misery. She leaped to her feet, swinging her baseball bat at Little Swarm with reckless abandon.
Bang!
The bat slammed against Little Swarm's carapace, leaving not a scratch. Having lost Lumina's Power, Stelle couldn't even breach his defenses.
"..." Feeling her baseball bat bounce harmlessly off Little Swarm's shell, Stelle's composure completely shattered.
"Waaah! (╯︵╰)/~~ Sister Lumina, he's bullying me!"
Her composure shattered, Stelle burst into tears. Crystalline teardrops poured from her eyes like a never-ending stream, soaking the floor beneath her.
Clenching her fists, she rubbed frantically at her eyes, desperately trying to stop the flow of tears. But it was a futile effort. The more she rubbed, the faster the tears fell. Within seconds, a visible "small pond" formed on the floor.
Little Swarm, watching Stelle's meltdown, flailed helplessly, unsure of what to do.
No, that's not it... When I was born, no one taught me how to comfort people...
Completely at a loss and afraid of making things worse for Stelle with a single word, Little Swarm could only stare helplessly as she sobbed, silently waiting for her tears to subside.
"Waaaaaahhh... sniffle... Uwaaaaaaahhh!"
Time ticked by, minute by minute. Even as the tears Stelle shed formed a "small lake" on the floor, there was no sign of her stopping.
No, oh my great-aunt... Little Swarm thought, stunned by how such a tiny body could produce so many tears.
This woman... is she made of water? How can she cry so much?
Little Swarm muttered to himself, his small eyes filled with overwhelming exasperation.
At this rate, she'll probably stop crying only after her tears have flooded the entire Containment Zone...
Resigned to this possibility, Little Swarm braced himself for a long standoff.
"Aww, who made our little Stelle cry like this?"
"Tell me, and I'll beat them up for you."
Just as Little Swarm was bracing himself, a calming fragrance wafted into his nostrils, bringing a wave of comfort.
But the comfort was short-lived.
He saw someone he had longed for suddenly appear behind the silly, crybaby Stelle. She reached out and gently pulled Stelle into a warm embrace, slowly soothing the cracks in Stelle's broken heart with her warmth.
"There, there~ It's okay now. Don't cry anymore~"
Lumina hugged Stelle from behind, gently stroking her head. The soft sensation under her palm moved her to whisper comforting words.
"Mmm~"
As expected, Mommy Lumina's intervention stopped Stelle's tears in mere seconds.
Basking in the warmth above her head, Stelle closed her eyes, completely lost in the moment. All the frustrations and disappointments from earlier melted away, cleansed by the warmth of Lumina's Power.
Little Swarm: ...
To further enhance their immersion, Little Swarm even considerately dimmed the lights.
Bathed in the glow of the Little Swarm's electric bulb-like glow, Lumina and Stelle remained in that pose for a long time.
"Alright, remember not to cry and fuss again, okay?"
Time flew by. Seeing Stelle return to her usual self, Lumina finally relaxed her hold.
"Mmm..." Stelle felt a pang of emptiness as the gentle warmth above her and behind her faded.
But recalling everything that had just happened, Stelle temporarily pushed aside her emptiness and turned to the Little Swarm illuminating them. Pointing a finger at it, she said in an aggrieved voice, "Sister Lumina, it bullied me."
Little Swarm: ?!
A huge question mark immediately appeared above the Little Swarm's head.
Who's bullying who? Use your brain and think about it properly!
"Oh, is that so?" Lumina nodded, gently patted Stelle's head, and said softly, "Alright, I'll teach it a lesson for you."
Lumina smiled faintly, withdrew her hand, and fixed her gaze on the Little Swarm. In a deceptively gentle tone, she asked, "Would you rather beat yourself up, or should I do it for you?"
Little Swarm: ...