Madam Herta was unconsciously tapping her fingertips on the armrest of the sofa, pondering how to break through Anaxa's stubborn barrier, which combined "philosophy" and "violence," when the communicator, encased in a dark purple skull phone case and casually placed beside her, suddenly lit up and vibrated.
Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her purplish-black eyes glanced over.
The message was from the contact she had parted ways with not long ago, saved as "Stellaron Hunter K."
(Kafka? Contacting me at this time... Is it about the Stellaron's aftermath, or...)
She tapped open the message with a hint of doubt.
The content was concise, yet it made Black Herta raise an eyebrow slightly.
Kafka: Madam Herta, I apologize for the intrusion. There's a small matter that might require your attention. It's about your... little gifts that have gone astray.
This was immediately followed by a brief text explanation and several pictures.
The pictures clearly showed the data puppet, modeled after her own image and wearing a witchs hat, placed on a bedside table in what looked like a hotel room.
The text briefly described the cause of the incident — Stelle, that restless fellow, took photos of the puppet and sent them directly to Herta for some "friendly" teasing.
Black Herta's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
(This Stelle... really knows how to find "surprises" for me.)
She immediately understood why Kafka knew and specifically reminded her.
The Stellaron Hunters' monitoring of the Astral Express, especially their focus on Stelle as a key node, had probably never relaxed.
And the abnormality of the puppet had clearly not escaped the Stellaron Hunters' eyes.
"System," Black Herta silently chanted in her mind, "Retrieve the abnormal dissemination records of the Belobog data puppet, and... Herta's current location."
[A little earlier · Belobog, Goethe Hotel]
When Stelle, March 7th, and Danheng stepped into the guest room prepared for them by the Supreme Guardian, they did not expect to encounter an "uninvited guest."
"Wow!"
March 7th, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot the small puppet sitting on Stelle's bedside table.
It wore an exquisite black-purple witchs hat and a small Lolita dress of the same color. Even the skull pendants around its neck were recreated with miniature technology, making it a perfect Q-version of Madam Herta — although March 7th and the others didn't know who the original figure was.
"Isn't this... that puppet that looks so much like Herta... whose puppet is it? I think we've seen a picture of it somewhere!"
Stelle walked over, curiously picked up the puppet, and examined it. The texture was unexpectedly soft.
"It does look very similar. But why is it here?"
Danheng, who had been silent, also walked over. He didn't touch the puppet, but observed it carefully.
"The material is ordinary," he calmly analyzed. "Is it a popular local craft, or... was it deliberately placed by someone?"
The three discussed it and proposed several possibilities:
Perhaps it was an influence left by Ms. Herta's visit, or just a coincidence of similar appearance.
After all, the universe is vast and full of wonders.
Ultimately, they did not reach a definite conclusion, treating it as just a small interlude among Belobog's many unsolved mysteries.
However, our Stellaron — Stelle — clearly had her own unique way of handling things.
She found the puppet adorable, possessing a unique charm belonging to a "villain."
So, she did something significant:
She pulled out her phone, found several angles for the puppet, snapped a few photos, and then quickly operated her fingers to send them to that Genius Society member on the Herta Space Station — Herta.
The accompanying message fully embodied Stelle's style:
「Look! I found your'sister' in the ice and snow! [Picture], [Picture] Doesn't her temperament capture the essence better than yours? (Laughs)」
Herta was boredly processing the Space Station's daily data. When she received Stelle's message, she merely glanced at it casually.
"Boring."
She snorted lightly, long immune to Stelle's level of teasing.
The puppet's image indeed bore some resemblance to herself, but she didn't think much of it. It was not uncommon in the universe to create dolls and statues imitating Aeons or powerful beings. She even had the leisure to comment: "However... the aesthetics aren't too bad."
The matter should have ended there.
However, coincidences always followed one after another.
A little later, Herta encountered Asta in the core area.
What made her gaze sharpen was that Asta was also holding an almost identical puppet that resembled her!
"Asta," Herta called out to her, pointing at the puppet, "Where did you get that thing?"
"Ah, Ms. Herta!"
Asta was a bit surprised, holding up the puppet, "Are you talking about this? I don't know either, it just suddenly appeared on my desk. The design is very unique, and I thought it was left behind by a staff member, so I was about to ask around."
"Suddenly appeared?"
The Herta Puppet repeated, her tone taking on a scrutinizing quality.
She had previously thought Stelle's puppet was a local specialty of Belobog, but now, the same thing appearing on her Space Station could absolutely not be explained by mere "coincidence."
"Let me see."
The Herta Puppet took the puppet, and the moment her fingertips touched it, her powerful perception delved into it.
Initially, she still found no abnormalities; the structure and materials were as ordinary as could be.
(No... it's too ordinary, which makes it seem like a deliberate disguise.)
She concentrated more powerful computing power, like the most precise scanner, and once again probed into the puppet's core.
Just as her consciousness touched a certain node deep within the puppet—
"Bang!"
A sound like a balloon popping.
The small puppet... exploded in the Herta Puppet's hand.
There was no fire, no shockwave, not even fragments.
Only a small burst of dense, ink-like black smoke exploded, precisely and evenly coating the Herta Puppet's face.
When the black smoke dispersed, Asta covered her mouth in horror, her shoulders trembling slightly uncontrollably.
Herta's usually exquisite and flawless puppet face, like fine porcelain, now looked as if it had just been pulled from a coal mine, covered in a matte black layer. Only her eyes retained their original color, wide with disbelief, a contrast so stark it was almost comical.
The Herta Puppet froze in place; she could "feel" the condition of her face.
A surge of nameless anger flared up. Not because she was harmed (this prank-like explosion had no power), but because... this was a blatant, extremely crude mockery of her, the great Herta!
She said nothing, not even bothering to immediately clean the stains from her face. She directly brought up the communication interface with Stelle, her fingers tapping rapidly, almost sparking on the virtual keyboard:
「Specific coordinates! Now! Immediately! I'm coming!」(Elio: Huh?)
Every word exuded the atmosphere of an impending storm.
[Present · Covert Carriage]
The system puppet simultaneously displayed the retrieved surveillance footage from the Space Station (thanks to Aha's "friendly provision" and Silver Wolf's previous backdoor) on the light screen.
In the footage, Herta, with a "Bao Gong face," was heading menacingly straight for Jarilo-VI.
Madam Herta looked at the darkened little face on the screen, and even she couldn't help but raise a hand to her forehead, letting out a sigh.
(Now... the fun has really begun.)
She reopened the communication interface with Kafka, thought for a moment, and replied:
Black Herta: Message received, thanks for the reminder. A harmless data collection method, I didn't expect it to attract the attention of this Genius. It seems Belobog is about to welcome a formidable "visitor."
Almost an instant reply.
Kafka: You're welcome. However, Ms. Herta's involvement might introduce some unexpected variables into the "script" here. This is not good for us, who seek stable outcomes. Perhaps, at the necessary moment, we need to ensure that this small "accident" does not interfere with the more important main plot... What do you think?:)
Black Herta looked at the meaningful smiling emoji at the end of Kafka's reply, her purplish-black eyes narrowing slightly.
(Indeed... she was never worried about the puppet itself, but rather Herta's intervention potentially disrupting the Stellaron Hunters' plan. Is she trying to use my hand to restrict Herta's actions, ensure their "script" proceeds smoothly, and at the same time test my capabilities?)
She picked up the drink that the system puppet had just refilled on the nearby table and gently swirled it.
Black Herta: Of course. I also don't wish for my temporary "abode" to be disturbed by excessive commotion. When necessary, I will ensure that the Genius's attention remains in the "appropriate" place.
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