Another day had passed since then.
With the Astral Express still a few days away from departure, Felicity found herself idling in her room, scrolling through her phone.
Asta was helping her furnish her room in the Astral Express, other procedures would be handled by Himeko, and Herta wouldn't be bothering her with various experiments.
For a moment, Felicity couldn't think of anything to do.
Could dying of boredom count as a way to die?
Just then, a crisp, pleasant notification tone rang out. Felicity instinctively glanced at her phone.
[Herta: My office. Come quickly.]
Herta's messages always came out of the blue like this, but Felicity was still glad for it.
Finally, something to do.
She immediately headed to Herta's office. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Stelle looking bewildered and Herta beaming with excitement.
Felicity rarely had the chance to see Herta so exhilarated. The last time she'd seen her like this was… well, the last time.
"What's up, Herta? What good news has you this happy?" Felicity asked with a smile.
"I succeeded! Felicity, listen—Stelle's constitution really is special. She managed to establish a connection with an Aeon in the Simulated Universe and even converse with one!"
Herta turned to Felicity, eagerly sharing her joy:
"We've taken the most crucial first step!"
"Alright, alright, I get it. So, why did you call me here?"
Felicity quickly waved her hands to calm Herta down and took the opportunity to voice her confusion.
Come to think of it… she remembered that thing Herta and the other geniuses were researching was originally called… the Metaverse, wasn't it?
"Simply put, Stelle's impersonation of Akivili did attract the attention of the simulated Aeons. The reason is still unclear, but I suspect it has something to do with the Stellaron inside her."
Herta placed a hand on her hip, finally returning to her usual demeanor, and spoke calmly:
"I need more clues. Relying on her alone isn't enough. If a dormant Stellaron can help someone impersonate an Aeon, then an Emanator should be able to as well."
"So, you want me to enter your Simulated Universe and pretend to be my Aeon, the Kind Abundance Yaoshi?"
"No, you'll go with Stelle. Her disguise successfully attracted the attention of the Preservation Aeon, Qlipoth, and the Remembrance Aeon, Fuli. I speculate that your impersonation of Abundance might draw the gaze of The Hunt."
Herta explained without pause.
"Alright, alright."
Felicity sighed. This wasn't her first time participating in Herta's Simulated Universe experiments. Emanators like her were rare, so it made sense Herta wouldn't let her off the hook.
But previous experiments had been incomplete, and Herta hadn't achieved the results she wanted. No wonder she was so thrilled now.
"Hey, Stelle, how's it going? Having fun?"
Felicity turned and greeted Stelle, who had been standing silently to the side.
Stelle blinked a few times and nodded gently.
"It's been quite fun. Thank you."
She said sincerely.
She felt the two lessons Felicity had taught her were quite useful—at least they proved effective during negotiations with Herta and in the Simulated Universe. They would likely come in handy during future journeys as well.
Moreover, before leaving, Felicity had even helped "warn" Herta on her behalf, indicating that Felicity hadn't simply tricked her into coming to Herta's place on a whim.
She cares about me!
Felicity: ???
Now it was Felicity's turn to be bewildered. She had only deceived Stelle into coming to Herta's office and hadn't done anything else beyond that.
Could it be that this girl has masochistic tendencies?
Felicity subtly took a step back.
"Stop wasting time! Hurry up and get inside for testing!"
Herta urged from the side, genuinely eager to see the results as soon as possible.
Under Herta's insistence, Felicity had no choice but to approach the terminal of the Simulated Universe. Seeing this, Stelle quickly followed suit.
The two stood before the terminal, and Felicity turned to signal Herta that she was ready.
The next moment, the world spun.
When Felicity opened her eyes, she found her state entirely different from before.
She drifted in the dark cosmos, much like when she had first arrived in this world. But this time, she had transformed into the Aeon she once paid homage to.
[I listen to the prayers of living beings, I cannot bear the withering of flowers. I bestow blessings, so that life may flourish unceasingly, and the paradise endure forever.]
"Felicity? Can you hear me? Felicity!?"
Herta's voice echoed from outside the Simulated Universe. She had detected something unusual.
Felicity's condition was far from normal!
"Stelle, help her! It seems she's truly convinced she's an Aeon now!"
Herta's voice rang out again, this time pleading for Stelle's assistance.
"Why is this happening?"
Stelle was momentarily stunned. She raised her baseball bat and cautiously approached Felicity, asking with confusion.
"I don't know. Perhaps the [Simulated Aeon] meticulously cultivated by Ruan Mei and Screwllum is nearly perfected, and Felicity's disguise was so convincing that she directly 'replaced' the position of the Abundance Aeon!"
Herta's tone was unusually shaky as she spoke anxiously,
"I have no idea what consequences this might bring, but I doubt it's anything good. Find a way to bring her back, or use your baseball bat to snap her out of it!"
Stelle nodded. She had already drifted behind Felicity and raised her baseball bat high, ready to strike Felicity back to reality.
But at that moment, a low hum suddenly sounded from behind her.
The originally dark cosmos abruptly turned into a field of blinding light, and far in the distant "sky," a rift appeared, revealing a majestic figure standing there.
"It's Lan of the [The Hunt]. He is the sworn enemy of [Abundance], an unyielding avenger."
Herta's commentary chimed in at just the right moment.
Stelle looked up and saw Him draw his longbow. The brilliant stellar winds were stirred, and His arrow was aimed directly at Felicity, who had taken the form of the Abundance Aeon.
[The arrow is nocked, to eradicate the scourge.]
Stelle heard a whisper, as if from the Hunt Aeon, yet not entirely. The voice was ethereal, gently falling upon her ears.
She saw Felicity lift her head.
[Life is fleeting, like the night-blooming cereus.]
[Sevenfold curses, sevenfold ailments, sevenfold blessings!]
[All things shall live eternally, never to perish.]
Felicity faced the [Hunt]'s arrow with calm composure, neither dodging nor evading, merely whispering softly.
"[Reignbow Arbiter]"
The arrow burst forth, splitting from one into two, then multiplying further, blanketing the sky like a torrential downpour, sweeping down from above.
The next moment, everything was buried in white light.
...