Chapter 47 : Chapter 47 What is our relationship now? Let's put on an act!
Herta Space Station.
Originally, after Asta issued an order at the Space Station that game content could not be leaked, she informed Ms. Herta of the entire situation.
Before this, she had already prepared herself for Ms. Herta to be a bit angry.
However...
The unexpected happened.
Herta was not only completely unsurprised, but she also wasn't angry; in fact, she showed no interest in it at all.
As if she had known beforehand, she directly told Asta to handle it as she pleased—if she liked playing it, play it more; if she loved playing it, play it often; and if she was happy, she could even spend some money on the game.
Asta was stunned when she first received the message.
But looking back now, Ms. Herta's meaning was already very obvious.
She likely... no, it should be said she likely knows the game's Author, and their relationship is so close that she might have known about it in advance!
That's why she could be so calm and not pursue the matter at all.
"That's the reality of it, Arlan," Asta said lazily, tapping her fingers on the desk. "Ms. Herta said we don't need to worry about the game. You've worked hard these past few days; I'll give you two days off to get some proper rest."
Arlan, standing stiffly in front of Asta's desk, subconsciously gasped upon hearing this news.
"Miss, if this is Ms. Herta's instruction, I understand!"
"But to be able to use Ms. Herta's image so freely without being held accountable..."
Being at the Space Station and staying by Asta's side, he often saw many high-profile figures.
This included, but was not limited to, Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and other Geniuss.
However, Geniuses generally shared a relationship of mutual respect.
As far as anyone knew, even Screwllum wouldn't use Herta's image so recklessly in such a somewhat comical manner.
If one had to evaluate it, this was truly too bizarre!
The key was that Ms. Herta didn't even pursue it.
But for Asta, it was fine; at least Ms. Herta wasn't looking for trouble, so she could definitely continue to enjoy the game!
...
In the honkai: star rail game community, just as the new banner was about to open...
A hot topic rapidly climbed the trending charts.
Upon clicking the topic, one could see a series of related videos, posts, comments, and likes that were all extremely high!
[Interastral Hot News! honkai: star rail is saved! Reports claim Ms. Herta will not pursue legal action against this game.]
[Breaking News! The IPC has lifted restrictions on the game? It seems a mysterious hand is operating behind the scenes!]
Undoubtedly.
Besides those on the inside, the game community was the fastest to receive the news.
In an instant, the community's soul for gossip was completely ignited.
[Is the news reliable? I just can't believe it. Didn't I hear this game had already been reported to the IPC?!]
[It shouldn't be wrong; so many big content creators are spreading it. Plus, I've heard that the IPC has indeed withdrawn its investigation and lockdown on the game!]
[If the IPC withdrew, then it's for real. But this is too incredible—Ms. Herta actually stepped in herself?]
[They said Ms. Herta has an unfriendly personality and doesn't like meeting people... Someone used her image recklessly, and not only did she not cause trouble, she even saved the game?]
[An angel, she's practically an angel!]
[Is it possible she's just unfriendly to *you*?!]
[Oh my god, could the Author also be a Genius from the Genius Society? What's his relationship with Ms. Herta? To make her go this far for him!]
[My worldview is truly being refreshed... I have enough shock material for the next year...]
Herta rarely made public appearances, and rumors said she was an extremely eccentric Genius who was very difficult to get along with.
Anyone who dared to use her image to bait people into spending money would basically spend the rest of their life waiting to be liquidated and pay off debts.
But the fact was...
This game did all of those things, yet it remained not only unscathed but was also allegedly defended by Ms. Herta herself.
This was too unbelievable. Even people who knew Herta couldn't help but ask: is this still Herta?!
Because of this, many players began to speculate about the Author's identity.
And what exactly was his relationship with Ms. Herta?!
...
"And then?"
"What exactly is your relationship?"
"Relationship?"
"Hmm... if we're talking about our relationship?"
"Actually, our current relationship is quite complex. It's hard to explain in a short time."
"In short, if you must say, just consider us ordinary friends."
"Ordinary friends? You call this being ordinary friends?"
"Hmph, who would believe that."
Herta Space Station.
Watching Welt converse with Herta, Sunday's usually calm eyes twitched for a moment.
Sunday: "Uh..."
"Please forgive me; in my haste, I forgot the most basic etiquette."
"My name is Sunday. I boarded the Astral Express not long ago and should currently be considered an ordinary passenger, nothing more."
He placed his hand over his chest. This simple explanation was much more effective than Mr. Yang's roundabout way!
Although Herta still had some doubts, she didn't want to pursue it further.
Nameless travelers, then.
"So, tell me the purpose of your visit. I assume your presence here isn't just for sightseeing?" Herta's tone was calm.
Welt and Sunday exchanged a glance.
Even though it seemed Ms. Herta didn't pay much attention to interastral news, just being able to see her was good enough.
After all, now that they were here, they couldn't just turn back halfway just because they were predicted by the game again, could they?
After confirming with a look, Welt spoke: "Ms. Herta, we have come for Amphoreus."
Herta feigned a thoughtful nod, as if she were truly considering it.
"Oh, not surprising at all."
"But I'm curious, is that world really so miraculous? To the point that the already departed Astral Express would turn back for it?"
To be fair.
A Genius is a Genius after all—not just in their understanding of the universe, the construction of Curios, and the practice of their Path, but also in their acting skills.
Except for cooking, of course...
Herta perfectly carried out the plan subsequently discussed with Xu Qiong.
In fact, after establishing communication that day, Xu Qiong had consulted with Herta again on a follow-up plan to completely stabilize the Aha Star.
The most direct manifestation was to act out the script he had written for the Astral Express once more!
Otherwise, there was no way around it. If a butterfly effect occurred later, there's no telling what major disasters might happen. For example, Xu Qiong knew how terrifying the IF-line of Myriad Celestia could be!
Herta was also out of options. She really wanted to ask herself now: why was she accompanying that brat in this play?
"What kind of person could make Herta come out personally?"
"Get ready. After this is over, you'll be free labor for the simulated universe for the rest of your life..."
She took a deep breath in her mind.
Welt and Sunday didn't notice Herta's underlying change in expression at all.
Upon learning that Herta knew about the Aha Star, they were clearly much more at ease.
"It's like this, Ms. Herta," Welt said with a solemn expression. "Two of our companions have vanished without a trace after entering Amphoreus."
"And another companion has developed terrifying symptoms that we find hard to explain."
"Furthermore, you may already be aware of..."
On the surface, the two were relatively steady, but in reality, both Welt and Sunday were very anxious.
Fortunately, they had at least managed to see Herta.
After all, according to that game's plot, Stelle and Dan Heng were currently inside Amphoreus, and their situation was likely very dire.
Just thinking about it was heart-wrenching!
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