In Herta City, she had finally agreed to Wisteria Cake's suggestion—to wait two days before seeing Ruan Mei.
After Wisteria Cake left, Herta stood before the mirror, gazing at her reflection.
Beauty, talent, elegance—I'm practically an Emanator of Pure Beauty. But Ruan Mei...
"In all these Amber Eras, only you, Ruan Mei, have ever disturbed my mind and clouded my thoughts."
"According to my plan, I was supposed to take it step by step until I confessed. And what happened? You changed. And then that impossible, infuriating fox showed up halfway through."
Nearby, Herta #1264 kindly reminded her.
"Madam Herta, according to your original plan, when were you going to confess to Ruan Mei?"
Herta shot her a cold glance.
"Maybe an Amber Era from now. Maybe ten years."
Then her tone shifted, sharp and irritated.
"Why are you asking? Is that any of your business? Go prepare my coffee."
Herta #1264 scurried away. The real Herta's mood swings are completely unpredictable.
One second she's missing Ruan Mei, reflecting on herself, drowning in melancholy.
The next, she's interrogating and glaring at a mere puppet like me.
Herta put on the coat Ruan Mei had embroidered herself and gazed at the ancient mirror Ruan Mei had given her.
Her eyes held three parts delight, three parts helplessness, and four parts arrogance.
"You promised me a sleeve pendant. When will you give it to me?"
"If you've forgotten... when I bring you back, you're not leaving Herta City for the next ten thousand Amber Eras!!"
---
Herta Space Station.
Wisteria Cake was leading the cat-cakes in one final strategy meeting.
"Everyone. In two days, we'll follow Madam Herta to Ruan Mei's lab."
"Follow the plan I just explained. Understood?!"
"Meowmu, understood!"
"Good. Dismissed."
The cat-cakes scattered instantly—gaming, taking pictures, fighting over Trash Cake...
Wisteria Cake watched them scatter and sighed helplessly.
"Sigh. Completely unreliable."
Just as she turned to leave, a cat-cake that hadn't been there before approached Sesame Cake (Blade).
"Excuse me? What was Wisteria Cake's plan just now?"
The Unreachable Side.
Bam.
The cat-cake dodged just in time, startled. It hadn't expected Sesame Cake to weaponize its tail.
Shader Cake approached and asked gently.
"Meow, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Hmm? Why do you have six tails? Completely different from the rest of us."
Forgotten Cake snapped back to reality and quickly used its power to merge its six tails into one.
"Meowmu, you must be seeing things. By the way, what was Wisteria Cake's plan just now?"
Shader Cake answered directly.
"Follow Madam Herta. All of us cat-cakes have to look tearful."
"And occasionally plead with Ruan Mei to reconcile with Madam Herta. Say it's what all us cat-cakes want."
Forgotten Cake listened, thinking to herself: Madam Herta and Wisteria Cake... how deceitful.
Instead of sincerely inviting Benefactor back and fixing that terrible personality, they come up with these underhanded schemes.
She kept smiling and pressed further.
"Anything else?"
Shader Cake shook her head.
"I don't know anything else."
"Meow neither!! She doesn't, but I do!"
Forgotten Cake turned. Aether Silver Wolf Cake had appeared.
"Shader Cake, go find Firefly Cake. I need a word with this one alone."
"Oh."
After Kafka Cake left, Silver Wolf Cake pulled Forgotten Cake aside.
"Did Ruan Mei or Tingyun send you?"
Forgotten Cake blinked.
"This... don't joke about it. I'm Lingsha Cake, not Forgotten Cake."
Silver Wolf Cake blew a bubble with her gum and stared at her dismissively.
"I saw your six tails."
Forgotten Cake tensed, silently preparing to take Silver Wolf Cake out—before she could ruin things.
"Wait. Don't attack me. I'm on your side. No hard feelings."
Forgotten Cake looked at her suspiciously.
"Did Benefactor Ruan Mei show you kindness?"
"No. I just can't stand Herta and Wisteria Cake. I want to see them both miserable."
Forgotten Cake remained skeptical.
Silver Wolf Cake spilled everything.
Her grudge with Herta. Her grudge against Wisteria Cake. And how the great Madam Herta had bullied a poor cat-cake on the Luofu.
"There's a saying on Punklorde: if your enemy has enemies, they're my friends."
"Yesterday, Trash Cake overheard everything. The IPC Cakes were there too, but they'll demand a high price."
"Trash Cake?"
Silver Wolf Cake pointed into the distance, where Navigator Cake and the Stellaron Hunter Cakes were fighting over Trash Cake.
"Quid pro quo. Help us beat Navigator Cake. And help me rescue the real Silver Wolf from Madam Herta."
Forgotten Cake glanced at her dismissively. You think you're in a position to make demands? Then she knocked her out cold.
While Navigator Cake and the Stellaron Hunter Cakes were locked in battle, Forgotten Cake snatched Trash Cake and vanished. The two factions immediately called a truce and gave chase.
"What did Madam Herta and Wisteria Cake discuss yesterday?!"
"I'd rather die than talk!"
Forgotten Cake smiled faintly and produced a five-hundred-thousand Stellar Jade gift card.
In an instant, Trash Cake's eyes lit up with unprecedented hope.
"I'll talk!! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Madam Herta and Wisteria Cake's plan is..."
Forgotten Cake nodded, handed over the card, and vanished from the space station.
But when Trash Cake tried to withdraw the Stellar Jades, she froze.
Incorrect password.
Incorrect password again. Four attempts left. Otherwise, only a few hundred Stellar Jades as compensation. Card voided.
"Wuwu."
Trash Cake burst into tears. Shader Cake and Navigator Cake rushed to comfort her.
"Does anyone know the password?!"
---
Ruan Mei's Laboratory.
Forgotten Cake relayed everything she had heard to Ruan Mei and Tingyun.
Tingyun covered her smile with her fan.
"Benefactor, is Madam Herta getting desperate? Coming up with schemes like this?"
Ruan Mei sighed helplessly.
"These cat-cakes are my creations. I don't want them caught up in this—between me and Herta."
"Can you defeat Madam Herta, benefactor?"
Ruan Mei shook her head calmly.
"No."
"Then you don't want to go to Herta City?"
"No. Just as Herta said, space and time are bound there. Without her permission, escape is almost impossible."
Tingyun thought for a moment, then answered directly.
"Madam Herta cares too much about her pride and reputation. I have a countermeasure. Something to stop her from using Path power so recklessly."
"Oh?"
"Let's wait and see. As long as she doesn't resort to force, I won't need to use it. Peace is the priority."