"I knew it…"
Asta sighed wordlessly, looking quite helpless.
"What do you think, sir? Would you like to come inside with me?"
Asta looked at him once more.
"I am terribly sorry for the trouble my parents caused you. Please, you must give me a chance to make it up to you."
That was a lie.
Asta's gaze never left the longbow on his back.
This was Azure Star, the territory of the person she respected most—the home of Herta, #83 of the Genius Society.
Ordinary people wouldn't dare cause trouble here, because that would be equivalent to provoking a genius.
That's why people here didn't react much when they saw others carrying lethal weapons like blades or guns on the street.
Because none of them were as dangerous as the things Herta herself cooked up.
But it's better to be safe than sorry.
Asta's sense of responsibility couldn't allow someone carrying a weapon to wander around the city center.
If it were just a bow, she could turn a blind eye.
But he was also accompanied by a Heliobus, a creature that could absorb others' emotions. She had to be on guard, even if he
meant no harm.
Herta was the person she admired most.
This genius also had great achievements in the field of astronomy, which was why Asta wanted to work by her side.
She was here today to talk to her family's elders about the Herta Space Station, to persuade them to let her take
the position of Station Master.
As the preparatory Station Master, protecting Azure Star was also within her duties.
Within a hundred-mile radius, this place was undoubtedly the most well-defended.
Her family had specifically chosen this location for their family meeting because she liked this shop.
Her family lacked for nothing, especially money.
Unsurprisingly, protective measures to ensure their own safety must have all been secretly put in place.
In other words, there was currently no safer place than this.
Rather than letting an uncertain factor like Leon run around, it was better to have him follow her inside for observation for a
while.
If there was truly a problem, the forces prepared by her family should be able to quell it directly. If he showed no signs of
trouble, she would simply have someone follow him.
Perhaps this was a bit paranoid.
But with Lady Herta absent, it was always better to be more vigilant. Any potential dangers were best nipped in the
bud.
Until Leon left Azure Star, Asta dared not relax her guard for a single moment against any existence that could potentially bring harm to Lady Herta's home.
"Well, since you put it that way, what else can I say?"
Seeing her sincerity, Leon's Freljordian passive was triggered.
Asta nodded, a smile on her face.
"This way, please."
She showed no abnormality on the surface, turning sideways to invite him in first.
"Haha, I'm not going."
Leon refused flatly, turning to leave with March 7th.
Bad intentions. Go back and try again.
If he were alone, it wouldn't matter, but now he had someone with him. He couldn't be bothered to get involved in some messy business where he was being viewed with suspicion.
Don't you underestimate the super intuition of The Hunt!
"Um…"
Asta froze, completely blindsided by this development. She subconsciously raised a hand, wanting to say a few more words.
But the person who suddenly appeared beside him made her stand rooted to the spot.
"Geniuses are always questioned."
Click, clack, click, clack.
A cane tapped against the ground, one step at a time. The crisp sound echoed from afar, gradually drawing closer.
"They question a genius's experiments, question a genius's inventions, question that a genius truly stands above them, these mediocre people, and question a genius's authenticity…"
A wide witch's hat, accompanied by a graceful and proud tone that radiated "I'm the queen, shining with confidence," became the newest information subconsciously received by the ears and eyes of the three.
"But a genius never pays any mind to doubt, because a genius does not need their acknowledgment."
With her head slightly lowered, her face obscured by the wide brim of her hat, a lady with a pointed hat stopped in front of him.
"What I mean is…"
When the newcomer looked up, the magnificent face under the hat was revealed to all.
It was a face of devastating beauty, so stunning it took one's breath away.
To mortals who had not embarked upon a Path, there was perhaps no face that could better symbolize "Beauty."
"Even if you're baselessly questioned, it doesn't change the fact that a genius is a genius. The same goes for you."
Herta's lips curved into a slight smile, her index finger resting on her chin as she spoke playfully.
"If you really wanted to do something to Azure Star, no one here could stop you except me."
Herta's gaze unabashedly roamed over him, finally settling on his bow, Vanquisher.
Unlike those ordinary people who only look at the surface, she preferred to see the essence through the surface.
This bow looked unremarkable, but the reality was the complete opposite.
The very reason ordinary people couldn't see what was special about it was precisely because every part of it was special.
Its aura was steady, sharp but not ostentatious.
Its power was contained within, waiting only for injustice.
Herta's eyes were a measuring stick.
At least, after her thorough examination, she saw no sign of any rare materials forged into the bow.
What was strong was the bow's wielder, not the bow itself.
Under the nurturing of its previous wielder, this bow, with the body of a mortal weapon, had attained the status of an "Emanator."
Few things in the universe could compare to it.
"Wouldn't you agree, Emanator of The Hunt?"
Her gaze shifted from Vanquisher, lifted, and met that pair of calm, unruffled eyes.
"Emanator…"
Hearing those two words, Asta was dumbfounded.
She suddenly recalled the Xianzhou Alliance's massive publicity campaign that had hidden all details, as well as the secret discussion among her family elders not long ago about an eighth Divine General.
She had accidentally stumbled upon that meeting, but because her family never let her get involved in dangerous matters, the topic was immediately dropped when she entered.
She didn't care about such things anyway, so she hadn't asked further.
Emanator of The Hunt.
Judging by Lady Herta's address, this meant the person before her was the rumored eighth Divine General…
In that instant, she realized just how absurd her earlier thoughts had been.
No wonder Lady Herta regarded him so highly.
She even appeared in her real body, not a puppet.
An Emanator.
This was an existence on the same level as Lady Herta. Just being addressed with those two words by a peer was the greatest symbol of their power.
For an Emanator, shattering skies and sundering worlds was not a metaphor.
It was an unexaggerated statement of fact.
Even if the Corporation deployed its most advanced war fleets, it would be difficult to guarantee victory against an Emanator-level powerhouse.
Asta stood completely frozen, a cold sweat drenching her entire body. The fear of what she had almost brought upon Azure Star filled her heart.
She had almost provoked an Emanator…
An existence of this level could not be casually fathomed, and their moods were unpredictable.
A situation that might have been peaceful could have spiraled out of control because of her rash actions.
Just as Lady Herta said, if he wanted to make a move, he would have done so long ago.
An Emanator wouldn't bother with fancy tricks. With Lady Herta away, who on the entire Azure Star could stop him?
This meant he was truly here just to experience the local culture.
But under her baseless suspicion, the probability of something happening to Azure Star might have instantly jumped from absolute zero to a river of blood in the next moment.
Asta was truly terrified.
Perhaps Lady Herta would have protected the planet, but she had almost become the culprit who plunged Azure Star into disaster.
The main thing was, what kind of proper Emanator would deliberately hide their identity?!
An Emanator who arrived openly would be treated like a god in any region, even on another Emanator's turf.
But for such an existence to deliberately conceal their identity was like hiding the detonation switch for bombs planted everywhere. It was hard not to think they had ulterior motives.
"Ah, no."
Questioning other things was fine, but questioning his stats—Leon had to clarify that.
"You couldn't stop me either."
Leon stroked his chin, trying to figure out who this was.
She looked a bit familiar.
There was a pretty F2P-friendly god-tier lineup in Pure Fiction, the Herta-Himeko combo. The character in front of him looked like a grown-up version of the one abbreviated as Herta.
I wonder what her DPS is like?
"Geniuses are always eccentric."
Herta placed a hand on her hip. Due to her height, she had to look up slightly to meet his gaze.
"Having confidence that matches your ability, that's very good."
As a genius who had saved Azure Star from disaster multiple times, she wasn't annoyed by his arrogant words. Instead, she appreciated him even more.
Click!
As the two locked eyes, neither willing to back down, the flash of a camera flickered for an instant.
Having taken the picture, March 7th tilted her camera slightly, looking down to open the gallery and check the results.
Surprisingly, for once, the photo wasn't covered in corrupted data.
Herta was captured perfectly, along with her beautiful face.
Why though?
March 7th blinked, then looked at Herta again.
Is it trying to pick a wife for Leon?
She also thought this person named Herta was very pretty.
She just couldn't figure out the mechanics of this camera. Were there specific conditions that had to be met to share a frame with him?
"A child of 'Remembrance'?"
Herta's attention was drawn by this, her peripheral vision glancing towards her.
"Hmph, you've got quite a few interesting things with you."
Herta sized up March 7th, then retracted her gaze.
"How about I give you my entire collection from the space station, and you lend me this girl and your bow for a few days of research?"
Herta said suggestively.
"Haha, in your dreams."
Leon told her to stop daydreaming.
"Isn't my beauty enough to show that I'm serious?"
Herta flicked her hair, clearly having absolute confidence in her appearance.
She was very fond of a certain saying.
If Nous hadn't glanced at her first, the universe might have gained an Emanator of Beauty.
"Ugh, what a cringe girl. I'm posting you online later."
Leon scoffed, feeling she was even more overly self-confident than he was.
He felt she was the type who thought she was the main carry.
But then two other major carries get released. She can't compete in terms of system synergy, can't compete in terms of raw stats, and in the end, she's just cosplaying as a main carry while actually being a roadside mob.
Fast forward to 'why is my DPS one digit lower than theirs?.jpg'
"The bow is not for you. You can't handle it."
Leon brought the conversation back on track.
Vanquisher. Besides himself and Lan, no third person in the universe could hold it.
Touching it means death, in the truest sense. Even for an Emanator.
He held back with Huaiyan because he was an ally. If it were someone from another Path, their corpse would probably be cold by now.
Just kidding, it's impossible to hold back fully.
"And you can't have this girl for research either."
"But if you have a way to help her recover her memories, I can agree to whatever you came to find me for."
Any discerning person could see who this lady with the pointed hat was here for.
Although he didn't know what she wanted with him, since she called herself a genius, maybe she could solve March 7th's memory loss problem.
More options, more paths.
Ugh, that damn Fuli is too hard to find.
Leon figured it would take at least a month of grinding to beat him, and he had no idea what the hell Fuli's purpose was in wiping people's memories.
"It's a deal."
Herta was extremely confident, as if certain she wouldn't fail in this regard.
It was just a small memory problem.
The great Herta couldn't solve it?
Hah, she was a genius!
Do you know what a genius is? Do you understand genius?
There was no problem in this world that could stop her!
Unless the Aeon of Remembrance personally did it, Herta couldn't see how she could possibly lose!
"You must be Asta, right?"
Having effortlessly achieved her goal of inviting the Emanator of The Hunt into her game, Herta's mood brightened considerably. She turned her gaze to the out-of-place young woman beside them.
"The young lady who applied to be the Station Master?"
"Ah… yes, that's me!"
Asta was snapped back to reality by the call, responding nervously.
"I should have sent out your appointment notice long ago. Why haven't you shown up?" Herta asked, crossing her arms.
"I'm very sorry, Lady Herta! My family has been debating my appointment. I will resolve it today, I promise I'll be there tomorrow!"
Asta said anxiously, as if afraid she would be fired on the spot.
"Within three days, I want to see you at the space station."
Herta tossed over something that could symbolize her identity as she spoke.
Herta gestured for Leon to follow and, without another word, turned and left.
Leon followed, with March 7th close behind.
"Good luck."
As he was about to brush past Asta, Leon paused for a moment and offered a word of encouragement.
Asta's invitation was half wariness, half genuine goodwill. He was returning the favor for that half of goodwill.
Asta froze in place.
This Emanator acted no different from an ordinary person, with no overpowering aura.
This was clearly extremely rare.
He didn't use anything to pressure people, didn't cause trouble for anyone.
Just a normal stroll. Perhaps this was the real reason he hid his identity.
She watched the three of them walk away, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She wanted to apologize to Leon, and also to thank him.
An apology for her malicious speculation. If possible, could he give her a chance to compensate him?
Thanks for giving her the chance to call out to him. She was endlessly grateful that he was willing to pause for a moment at her call.
Asta looked down at the token in her hand.
This was what she needed most right now.
It was something that could silence everyone in her family, allowing her to boldly devote herself wholeheartedly to the field she loved.
Asta clutched the token tightly, her gaze once again shifting forward.
It was true that her family respected Lady Herta—rather, no one would dare disrespect a genius. The entire space station was funded to curry favor with her.
Logically, the space station belonged to her family.
She should have been able to do whatever she wanted, but reality was not so simple.
The reality was that Herta was a dictator; her word was law.
Herta Space Station.
The emphasis was on Herta, not the space station.
What was a mere space station? With the Corporation's financial power, they could build as many as they wanted. Gaining Herta's favor was the most important objective.
The family elders were worried that her high-and-mighty status would make her unaccustomed to being a subordinate, that she would feel wronged and cause conflict.
Furthermore, she had applied for the Station Master position herself, rather than being invited.
So the elders were constantly worried that the genius's pride would lead to her getting the cold shoulder, bringing trouble upon herself. Thus, they had delayed letting her go.
Without this token, the family would still be hard to convince.
But with it, things were completely different.
A personal invitation from a genius—everyone knew how precious such an opportunity was.
Even her family, despite their high position in the Corporation, would have to grovel for it.
Asta knew perfectly well who had brought this to her.
Lady Herta had come specifically for Leon.
Not for her.
Without a doubt, if he hadn't come to this area today, or if she hadn't called out to him…
Then she might have missed out on the dream she had pursued since childhood.
Herta Space Station.
Upon learning that the only condition for his participation in the Simulated Universe was to help a young girl find her memories, Herta wasted no time in bringing the two of them to her space station.
She thought she'd solve the problem and start the test right away.
But fantasy is just fantasy, and reality can be harsh.
If something could go wrong, it did.
"How is this possible?!"
Herta stared at March 7th's missing memories, which showed no detectable problems, and got tilted.
A genius's rage speaks louder than any words.
____
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