"Brother?"
Returning to her room, Robin was surprised to find someone else inside.
Her brother.
The head of the Oak Family—Sunday.
"Sister."
Sunday nodded at Robin. His gaze lingered for a moment on the faint smile still resting on her face before he spoke gently. "I heard that the friend you invited arrived in Penacony today."
"Yes, I mentioned her to you before." Robin still wore a smile, though confusion flickered in her eyes. "Brother, did you come because you're curious about my friend?"
As Robin's older brother,
Sunday paid close attention to her every move. Especially after that accident, he had grown even more worried that she might be hurt somewhere beyond his sight.
"If there's an opportunity, would it be convenient to introduce us?" Sunday said. "I'd like to thank her in person."
Robin understood immediately. He was referring to what had happened on Kasbelina-VIII, when she had been struck by stray fire.
"I'll have to ask her what she thinks first." Robin's gaze shifted slightly, avoiding direct eye contact with Sunday.
Just as she understood her brother, her brother understood her equally well.
She did not believe that some of her actions could completely escape his notice.
For a brief moment, Sunday froze, instinctively wanting to say something more. "Sister..."
"Alright, Brother." Robin interrupted him before he could continue. She looked at him seriously. "Let me handle my own affairs, okay?"
"..."
Sunday fell silent for a long time.
Robin said nothing further, only meeting his eyes with a steady, unyielding gaze.
"I'm currently investigating the discordant note within Penacony," Sunday said at last, having composed himself—at least on the surface. "You don't need to worry. I'll find a solution."
Robin was slightly taken aback, then smiled. "I believe in you, Brother."
After seeing her brother out,
Robin closed the door and let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least for now, she did not want her brother to meet Kiana.
Brother...
Perhaps he has already sensed something.
Hesitation flickered in Robin's eyes, but it quickly transformed into resolve.
...
Herta Space Station.
After leaving the Xianzhou Luofu and once again receiving a message from Herta, Stelle returned to the space station—and once again met the other two collaborators of the Simulated Universe.
Screwllum and Ruan Mei.
Although many things had happened, she was the Galactic Baseballer. Nothing could truly stump her.
So what if it was the Starcrusher Swarm King?
After helping Ruan Mei deal with the trouble in the Seclusion Zone, Stelle had barely rested before being summoned away by Herta again.
"Wasn't the Simulated Universe already tested?"
Arriving at Herta's office in utter confusion, Stelle genuinely could not think of anything else Herta might want from her.
"So today, we're testing something different."
"Something new?"
Now that piqued Stelle's interest.
She actually found the Simulated Universe pretty fun. More importantly, Herta's rewards were generous.
"Follow me."
Herta's puppet led the way. Stelle followed behind curiously and soon saw that what had once been a wall had somehow turned into a door leading elsewhere.
"There's even a hidden room here?"
Stelle exclaimed in surprise, growing even more curious about what Herta intended to test.
"Don't make a fuss. Listen carefully," Herta said. "This test is different from the Simulated Universe. It hasn't undergone safety testing."
Stelle stopped abruptly. "What do you mean it hasn't undergone safety testing? Are you saying it's completely unsafe?"
"That's right." Herta ignored her shock and showed no concern that she might back out. "It's similar to the Simulated Universe, but this is the Honkai version. Kiana and I built it together."
If Stelle chose to retreat, Herta would not regret it. Valuing one's own life was perfectly normal.
Her responsibility was to inform Stelle of the risks.
Then wait for her decision.
"Kiana?" Stelle blinked, then suddenly realized something. "No wonder she disappeared toward the end of our time on Jarilo-VI. So she was here at the space station working on this new thing with you!"
"Are you close with her?" Herta shot her a casual glance.
Close?
Stelle blinked.
Her clever brain seized the high ground. She considered herself friends with Kiana. Back when she had just awakened at the space station, she had spent some time with her.
The impression left on her had been quite deep.
If Stelle were still the same person she had been back then, she would have honestly said that she had a good impression of Kiana and wanted to be friends with her.
But the current Stelle was no longer the same.
So after hearing Herta's casual question, her clever self chose abstraction. "Miss Kiana is someone who could be my wife!"
"..."
Based on her understanding of Herta, after hearing something so abstract, Herta would probably glance at her speechlessly and pretend she hadn't heard it.
She wouldn't respond at all.
But this time, something seemed off.
Herta still looked at her, saying nothing. Her expression was blank—almost frightening.
"Oh?"
Can't she tell I'm joking?
Stelle looked at Herta in confusion, then suddenly thought of something. Placing one hand on her hip, she continued, "Don't tell me you think so too, Herta?"
Why was she even indulging this...
Herta withdrew her gaze helplessly and nodded perfunctorily. "Yes, you're absolutely right."
"Just thinking about it is enough." Stelle recalled the slash Miss Acheron had delivered in Scalegorge Waterscape and shuddered. "Miss Acheron is seriously terrifying. If she found out, she'd definitely give us a couple of cuts."
Herta remained expressionless. "If she didn't give you a couple of cuts, would you actually take action?"
Stelle put on a thoughtful, serious face. "If Miss Acheron really wouldn't cut me, then I might actually..."
"Stop being abstract with me." Herta waved her hand impatiently. "Are you testing it or not?"
"Testing it! Of course I'm testing it!"
Stelle answered without hesitation. The words fear and retreat simply did not exist in her dictionary.
So what if it wasn't safe?
Could this test possibly be more dangerous than that Starcrusher Swarm King she had just encountered in the Seclusion Zone?
Even if it had only been an inferior specimen.
"Admirable courage," Herta said. "I'll introduce it to you. If you want to back out, you can say so at any time."
"There's no backing out in my dictionary."
Herta shot her a glare. "Then you must've bought a fake one."
"The Honkai Simulated Universe. This is a device Kiana, Araya, and I constructed together. Its purpose is to observe the impact of Honkai energy on the universe."
"Within this Simulated Universe, there will be an entirely new system. No longer Paths—but Honkai and Stigmata."
"Honkai and Stigmata?" Stelle was far from unfamiliar with the concept. In fact, she knew it rather well.
It was something she had encountered after leaving the space station—on the very first world of her Trailblaze journey, Jarilo-VI. That place perfectly matched what Herta was describing.
"Yes. It's very similar to Jarilo-VI. Since you stayed there for a while, I won't bother explaining it," Herta said.
The Astral Express had docked there for some time, and she had been invited by the crew. Clearly, they already had a solid understanding of the matter.
Herta continued, "After entering the test, you'll receive a blank Stigmata. If you don't know what that is, just think of it as a rather unconventional Light Cone. It will record your choices, decisions—even your will."
"Stigmata? I've seen them before."
Belobog had them as well. Come to think of it, the Stigmata on the people of Belobog were connected to Kiana and Ruan Mei.
"That makes things easier."
Looking at the pale violet vortex, Herta slightly raised her chin, signaling for her to look. "That's the entrance to the device. The login method is the same as the Simulated Universe."
So within this Simulated Universe, she could obtain the Stigmata she had seen before—and even cultivate them?
Stelle grew thoughtful.
She had a rough idea of what the process would be like.
"Kiana and I have inspected this device. There's no problem," Herta said, glancing at Stelle. "But no one else has tested it yet."
"I'll ask you one more time."
"Are you certain you want to proceed with the test?"
"I'm already here." Stelle showed no intention of retreating. If anything, she seemed eager for whatever would come next.
Besides, she trusted that if anything went wrong, Herta would kick her out immediately.
The device might lack safety measures—but Herta herself was standing right there. If something happened, she'd pull her out.
Stepping forward, Stelle skillfully logged into the device, just as she had with the Simulated Universe. Her consciousness blurred for a moment before she arrived somewhere else.
Before her lay three maps.
"This is the initial version of the Honkai world," Herta's voice sounded, guiding her as before. "I haven't made many modifications. There are currently only three selectable modules."
"You can choose any one of them."
"What's the difference?"
"The first world has me in it. The second has Acheron. In the third, you'll encounter Ruan Mei."
"I get why you'd be there—but what about Acheron and Ruan Mei?" Stelle asked, puzzled. "Why are they inside?"
"The current Honkai Universe was constructed using information provided by Araya. As for why those two are present—it's because they participated in that Stigmata Trial."
"What Stigmata Trial?"
"Curious? If you're curious, find the answer yourself. You have three worlds to choose from. Take your time exploring."
"Then I'll pick the middle one!"
Once Herta stopped offering additional information, Stelle decisively chose the middle option—Acheron—as if she had already made up her mind.
The reason was simple.
Miss Acheron possessed a certain aesthetic of overwhelming power.
Back at the space station, Stelle had been captivated by Acheron's blade. It was a pure, unadulterated beauty of strength.
Later, on the Xianzhou, she had witnessed an even more devastating slash.
Now, merely hearing Acheron's name gave Stelle an inexplicable sense of reassurance.
As she made her choice, light enveloped her. In the next instant, the scenery shifted, and she arrived in an unfamiliar city.
A blank Stigmata imprint appeared on the back of her right hand. Above it floated a striking beam of light that could be toggled—half gold, half violet.
"This is a completely free world," Herta's voice explained. "You may follow your heart and make whatever choices you desire. The Stigmata will record everything."
Stelle examined her surroundings with curiosity, flipping her hand over repeatedly to inspect the Stigmata.
"Anything at all, right?"
"Yes. No restrictions," Herta replied. "You can do whatever you want."
Stelle grew thoughtful. It was as though she had made some grave decision. With a solemn, determined expression, she stepped forward and marched firmly in a certain direction.
She stopped in front of a trash can.
Without hesitation, she lifted the lid, leaned half her body inside—and began rummaging.
"Let's see what we've got here!"
Holding up a small handgun, Stelle looked as delighted as if she had uncovered treasure rather than a battered old weapon.
She carefully put the gun away, eyes shining, and dashed toward another trash can in the distance.
"...Your hobby is quite unique."
Herta remained silent for a long moment before regaining her composure. Earlier, she had even questioned Kiana about this particular setting.
Supplies inside trash cans?
Was that reasonable?
What kind of normal person rummaged through trash cans?
Heh. But this little gray-haired one was not normal.
No wonder her impression of Kiana was so good. Their shared absurdity resonated perfectly.
"There's even ammo." Stelle's lips curled into a grin. "I'm starting to like this new Simulated Universe!"
Herta had said that here, she could decide her own path through sheer will.
And she had already decided.
She would rummage through every single trash can in this city.
Infused with ten layers of energy, Stelle felt brimming with strength—more than she could possibly use.
As she continued forward, the journey gradually grew more dangerous. Stelle felt no fear. After eliminating the zombies blocking her path, she pressed onward in search of more trash cans.
Even without deliberately investigating, she gathered fragments of information about the city as she advanced.
A disaster known as Honkai had erupted here.
Stelle knew that Honkai would give birth to a Herrscher. She had already seen one in Belobog—Cocolia's transformation—and had even fought her.
So her ultimate objective was set.
Rummage through trash cans. Finish rummaging. Then find the Herrscher and defeat her. That should conclude this test.
The first test of the Honkai Simulated Universe.
Watching Stelle enthusiastically dig through trash cans, Herta grew more and more silent. In the end, she simply handed the task of continued observation over to her puppet.
The Stellaron showed no unusual reaction.
At least for now, there was no need to worry about it.
Unaware that her "masterpiece" had already gained approval, Kiana—now in Penacony—had successfully entered the dream.
She was waiting for Robin in the Golden Hour.
Robin had not yet arrived, but Kiana was in no hurry. She found a spot that wouldn't inconvenience anyone and waited quietly.
Her gaze rested on the statue of Clockie in the plaza.
She was still thinking about what Robin had said earlier—that right now, she was the only one who could help her.
She believed in her.
Should I tell her the truth... or not?