Two hours later, Hoolay knelt on the ground.
He looked up and surveyed his surroundings. Apart from Jiaoqiu, every last borisin had been annihilated.
"You two. I, Hoolay, have no grudge against the Genius Society. Why do you insist on making an enemy of me?"
Herta yawned. With a casual wave, beams of Erudition light surged from the mirrors and struck Hoolay.
When the dust settled, the wounds—though seared—had already healed.
"You really do have a thicker health bar than the average grunt."
"You... you go too far!"
Hoolay spun around, ready to use Jiaoqiu as bait to forcibly restore his strength.
Plum blossoms bloomed cold. An orchid domain formed.
Hoolay snapped back to reality. He was frozen in plum frost. Even breathing had become a luxury.
Even among the Abundance's finest, the spiral of life had its structure.
Hoolay's gaze shifted to Ruan Mei, who had not spoken a single word. Icy. Detached. No emotion. Only boundless cold.
"You are more terrifying than that woman."
Herta turned to look at Ruan Mei.
"Who's the 'that woman' this wolf is talking about?"
Ruan Mei's voice was cold.
"Jingliu."
The moment he heard the name "Jingliu," Hoolay's Bloodeye, Bloodrage, and Moon Rage erupted simultaneously. He repeated the name over and over.
"Jing... liu!!"
Bam.
The plum frost shattered. Ruan Mei shook her head slightly. With a casual wave, Hoolay, who had been struggling, was frozen once more.
Herta used her magic key to assist Ruan Mei. She remarked casually,
"Two of us bullying one little wolf. Isn't that a bit much?"
"Just erase him already."
"Fine, fine. Once I'm done with this little wolf, remember to give me a freshly preserved plum cake."
A tear of frustration traced down Hoolay's cheek. The arrogance of the Borisin was long gone.
In the old days, against Jingliu, he could at least hold his own sixty-forty before being captured and brought to the Luofu.
And now?!
Now, in his Moon Rage state, against these two Genius Society members, he couldn't even struggle.
Centuries. Millennia.
He was tired. Weary.
And those Xianzhou people? Utterly shameless. Instead of sending the Seven Arbiter-Generals to fight him, they brought in outside help—beings like these—to crush him.
Hoolay slowly closed his eyes. He, who had once shaken the stars, met Jingliu. Now, newly escaped, he met these two.
Boundless cosmos, Aeons of the heavens—why have you forsaken me? Why have you forsaken the Borisin?
Hoolay's life flashed before his eyes.
The arrogance and pride the Borisin held most dear—in an instant, they were annihilated by absolute power.
"Giving up already? Sigh. How boring."
Hoolay dissolved in despair. The [Crimson Moon] rose to illuminate the world—and was sealed by Herta in one casual move.
"Not bad. This counts as a decent curio. I'll stick it in some corner of the space station to collect dust."
Ruan Mei cast a cool glance at Herta.
"Hand it over."
Herta blinked.
"This thing may be mediocre in my eyes, but if I just let it loose, it could harm the Xianzhou people."
"Someone will inherit the Crimson Blood."
"Ah?! That silver-haired fox?"
Ruan Mei nodded slightly.
Herta crossed her arms, her expression proud and aloof.
"No."
"I killed the mob and got this drop. Isn't it mine?"
Ruan Mei could only rub her forehead.
In Herta's eyes, Hoolay is just a mob. The Crimson Blood inheritance is just an ordinary curio.
Sigh. Only Herta could put it so casually.
"Give the Crimson Blood to Feixiao. I'll grant you one condition."
In an instant, Herta froze. A million possibilities flooded her mind.
But in less than three seconds, she snapped back to reality.
"One is too few."
Ruan Mei gave a cold snort.
"Then half."
Herta's face was a mask of disbelief.
"What?! Conditions can be halved?! You... you're not joking?!"
"One quarter."
Seeing the offer dropping by half again, Herta quickly handed over the sealed Crimson Blood.
"Fine, fine! One quarter it is. Honestly. Here."
Ruan Mei accepted the sealed Crimson Blood. Now, Feixiao would inherit it, and she could ask about Yukong's desired gift.
Once all the crystal fragments were gathered, the light of [Divinity] would surely descend.
Herta's gaze lingered on Ruan Mei. Ruan Mei asked softly,
"Herta. What about your condition?"
"A quarter of a condition. Would you even agree?"
Ruan Mei shook her head.
Herta sighed.
"Hmph. I knew it."
Ruan Mei began contacting Feixiao. Then she spoke to Herta.
"Then I'll save it for you. First, do something for me."
Herta's eyes flew open. She glared at Ruan Mei, her expression one of extreme proud aloofness.
"What did you say? You haven't even fulfilled my condition, and now you want me to do something for you?"
Herta snorted again, pouting as she refused.
"Not helping. I'm absolutely not helping. Even if Machine Head showed up, I wouldn't help."
Ruan Mei produced the starry sleeve pendant.
"For me?"
"Asta's."
Herta's face fell. She immediately closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and turned away.
Internally, she envied Asta fiercely. No matter what, I'm not helping Ruan Mei today.
Ruan Mei gently smoothed a strand of her hair and said softly,
"Your sleeve pendant needs more time."
Herta, who had been feeling slighted and a little angry, immediately began overthinking. Mine must be more exquisite. Better materials. That's why it needs more time.
She's not completely heartless.
Herta cracked open her left eye to observe Ruan Mei. She feigned composure with a cough.
"Ahem. Fine. What do you need? No promises, though."
"Just find a lost starskiff. It's been drifting for a few months, probably."
"Fine. I'll go now. Give me two hours."
Herta left through the Jade Gate, gazing out at the boundless sea of stars.
Finding a single, unmanned, drifting starskiff? Like finding a single grain of sand adrift in the ocean.
Anyone else would have given up. But who was she? She was Herta.
With a single thought, 9 to the 999th power calculations flooded her mind. The vast cosmos, at her command.
First calculation: the starskiff might be several light-years from the Luofu. Approximately thirty million possible locations.
Second calculation: eliminate twenty-nine million.
...
Tenth calculation: roughly one hundred possible locations, each at risk of falling into a star or other celestial disaster.
Herta closed her eyes and remotely ordered all her puppets to pilot space station starships toward these targets.
In an instant, a starskiff shot through the Jade Gate at terrifying speed—then vanished.
Herta glanced back at the gate.
"Hmm? That faintly felt like Silver Wolf's aura?! No... not a hologram, either. Must be my imagination."
"The other one felt strange, too. Forget it. Back to finding that starskiff."
This time, I'm definitely getting some real praise from Ruan Mei.