Xueyi had originally been ordered to pursue the fugitive Stellaron Hunter, Blade, who had escaped from the Shackling Prison.
Following the clues, she chased the fugitive to a deserted Grotto-Heaven, where she engaged in a direct confrontation with Blade.
Blade had no desire to prolong the fight; he left hurriedly after securing his victory. Xueyi, however, was heavily injured. She barely managed to push her arm bones, leg bones, and ribs back into their correct positions and reattached her severed arm.
She decided to return to the division of the Artisanship Commission responsible for puppet bodies to undergo repairs, as her broken body could no longer support the execution of her mission.
Fortunately, the Grotto-Heaven where Xueyi was injured was very close to the Artisanship Commission.
Unfortunately, just as Xueyi arrived at the Artisanship Commission, she witnessed the miraculous spectacle caused by the revival of the Ambrosial Arbor. Immediately after, the entire Grotto-Heaven was turned upside down by the Arbor's roots.
Perhaps because of her puppet body, the Mara-struck Ingeniums showed slightly less aggression toward her. However, while she could avoid the Ingenium beasts, she could not avoid the Mara-struck humans.
Besieged by a large number of Mara-struck, even Xueyi was ready to give up.
Not giving up psychologically, but rather, her body had reached its limit and could no longer support any activity. Xueyi could only lie helplessly amidst the ruins, quietly waiting for death to arrive.
Xueyi did not fear death. Having her soul return to the Hall of Karma's Archives was, for her, a common occurrence.
At most, she would forget some people and events the next time she walked out of the coffin... and she regretted that she could not play a greater role in this disaster.
Just then, Xueyi felt the ground tremble. She opened her dark red eyes and saw a scene that made her exquisite, emotionless little face reveal a look of astonishment.
A black-and-gold painted Mashin Mecha descended from the sky, its cape fluttering in the wind. Wherever its sword light directed, the Mara-struck were severed. It was mighty and domineering.
"What is this?"
Xueyi frowned slightly.
As a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, she could be certain that the cool Mashin before her was not a combat Ingenium of the Xianzhou.
Why would it appear in the Artisanship Commission?
While she was pondering, something even more surprising happened. From the light shooting out of the crystal on the mecha's forehead, two figures emerged.
She had never seen such a method of disembarking a mecha.
Moreover, Xueyi recognized those two gray-hairs. To be precise, she had heard of them.
Responsible for pursuing the Stellaron Hunter Blade, Xueyi had naturally reviewed the fugitive's files in detail and knew that the criminal had an accomplice, the Stellaron Hunter Kafka.
Kafka had been captured and brought to justice with the help of the Nameless of the Astral Express.
Xueyi had only heard her little sister mention it briefly; she hadn't expected to cross paths with them.
Then, Xueyi's brain was crashed by their two sentences.
"I am also very curious."
With burning eyes, Caelus sized up Xueyi's body, meeting those red eyes. "Can machine dolls get pregnant?"
Stelle grasped one of Xueyi's hands, full of deep emotion. "Will you be my wife, Big Sister?"
"??????"
The question marks continued to increase.
First, as a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission who walked in the underworld, Xueyi had no worldly attachments and it was basically impossible for her to discuss marriage.
Second, she spent most of her time sleeping in a coffin, only entering the world of the living when on a mission. Her interactions with the living were few and far between, and even when they occurred, they were brief informational notifications.
Over time, this led to Xueyi not understanding many phrases used on the internet. Why would someone get angry when netizens praised them for being filial?
The Miss Judge, disconnected from the times, met two gray-hairs who were extremely abstract even by internet standards, leaving her only bewildered and blank.
After a brief thought, the rescued Xueyi decided to show friendliness by answering one of their questions first.
"I cannot get pregnant."
"Yay!"
The gray-haired girl jumped up excitedly at first, then became visibly dejected and downcast.
"Not yay~~ Then I won't have any way to nurture a crystallization with Big Sister, will I?"
"?"
Silent for two seconds, Xueyi decided to temporarily ignore the girl's strange words.
"You are the Nameless of the Astral Express. Why have you appeared here?"
"Jing Yuan asked us to go to the Alchemy Commission to help, and to resolve the crisis here in the Artisanship Commission on the way," Caelus replied.
Speaking of which, this 'on the way' wasn't convenient at all. He'd have to ask for more rewards later!
"I see... I am a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, named Xueyi."
Xueyi spoke plainly.
Reinforcements invited by the General?
Xueyi's gaze drifted toward Ryujinmaru.
Is this the method of the Nameless?
"Can you still get up?" Caelus assessed the wounds on Xueyi's body.
"No. The movement mechanism is broken; I cannot move."
Xueyi shook her head. She could barely move anything other than her head.
"It's a pity Seele went ahead to the Alchemy Commission." Stelle squatted beside Xueyi.
"Even if Seele were here, she couldn't cure it. Xueyi isn't a body of flesh and blood."
There was still a gap between the power of creation of the Black Abyss White Flower and the Power of Abundance. Only a powerful Pathstrider of Abundance could heal the injuries of Ingeniums and machines.
"The two of you need not worry about me. Proceed according to your plans."
"No way! How can we leave a beautiful girl to die?"
Stelle put on a righteous and stern expression on her small face and patted her external brain.
"Caelus-cub, go!"
Caelus squatted on the ground, staring at Xueyi. His gaze swept over her abdomen, which was emitting short-circuit sparks, and landed on her white silk stockings shimmering with golden light. He laughed.
"How about you temporarily switch to a different body, Xueyi?"
These words made Xueyi pause slightly, and she said expressionlessly, "I do not possess a spare body."
The puppet body was, to some extent, undying, but it could still be damaged—especially for a Judge like Xueyi who specialized in combat and capture.
Getting injured and changing parts was a common occurrence.
For bodies damaged during work missions, the Ten-Lords Commission would reimburse all parts and costs required for repair.
Daily maintenance and replacing old with new, however, required Xueyi to use her own salary—'time in the living world'—to purchase. For every criminal captured, the salary was half a day of living time.
It looked like the capitalists were ruthlessly oppressing the employees, but maintaining the Judge's soul in the Hall of Karma also came at a considerable cost.
"It doesn't matter, I have one here."
Caelus took a Herta out of his spatial ring.
"A puppet body?"
Xueyi gazed at the tea-haired girl dressed in a gorgeous black and purple western dress with incredibly exquisite features, raising her eyelids in surprise.
"That's right."
Caelus pinched the cheek of the powered-down puppet, introducing it like he was selling a product. "Soft, tender, and bouncy. And it's very realistic. Absolutely easier to use than your current body! This comes from my personal experience."
"Mhm, mhm, her tongue is really flexible."
Stelle offered herself as an example, recounting her empirical knowledge.
"?"
Xueyi tilted her head in confusion.
What does being easy to use have to do with a flexible tongue?
And your personal experience... aren't you a body of flesh and blood?
How did you experience it?
Ahem, well, that is the reason this Herta puppet is in a powered-down state.
With Jizo Mitama adding to Fenghuang Down, it was entirely possible to transfer a portion of Stelle or Caelus's consciousness into the Herta puppet. As for what happened after... let's just say those who know, know, and those who don't wouldn't understand even if told.
Xueyi blinked, half-shocked and half-suspicious. The girl puppet before her was indeed a puppet body superior to her own.
Even the puppet body bestowed by the Ten-Lords could not possibly compare to the 'self' designed personally by the genius Herta!
"I cannot change bodies independently. This matter is not as simple as you think."
Xueyi shook her head and sighed softly, beginning to explain.
A body wasn't something one could change just by wanting to.
Daily maintenance or changing parts was fine, but changing the entire body required using the return-to-life equipment in the Hall of Karma.
"Or, you could destroy my current body, and I could attempt to perform a transfer."
When a Judge was destroyed or heavily injured while pursuing a major criminal, and the puppet body was killed, this situation was occasionally encountered.
If the circumstances were special, emergency measures could be taken, and the soul could possess other Ingeniums as a temporary host body.
The side effect was that using a temporary host body for a long time would lead to memory loss. If the temporary host body was damaged again, memory would also be lost, and the soul would suffer wear and tear from being outside for too long.
It was a dangerous operation that could only be performed in emergencies.
Given the current situation on the Xianzhou, it undoubtedly counted as an emergency.
"This is the puppet of Herta, #83 of the Genius Society. Relying solely on yourself, you probably can't perform the possession."
"A Genius's puppet body?"
Caelus's words made Xueyi's eyes widen slightly.
The Genius Society was known to everyone in every star-level civilization in the universe. To think the person before her actually had a Genius's puppet body!
She could possess ordinary Xianzhou Ingeniums at will, but a Genius's puppet... Xueyi didn't think she could master it.
Even in a powered-down state, Xueyi couldn't breach the personality firewall.
"But you don't need to worry. As long as you agree, just leave the rest to me."
Caelus drew a red and black tachi from the void, a crimson feather hidden in his palm.
Scarlet particles spread out, wrapping around Xueyi. As Caelus waved the blade, the scarlet particles flowed into the Herta puppet's body.
"This...!"
A familiar voice, but with an unfamiliar tone, spilled from the pink lips of the Herta puppet, while Xueyi's body lay completely paralyzed on the ground.
Xueyi-Herta, temporarily referred to as Xue-ta.
Xue-ta lowered her head to look at the small hands with obvious puppet joints, a look of astonishment appearing on the tender, childish face.
What kind of method is this?
To transfer her consciousness so easily!
Not only did Xueyi feel no discomfort, but the fatigue of her soul had even lightened somewhat.
"...Miraculous."
Amazed by Caelus's power, there was one other thing that puzzled Xueyi: Why were there measurement lines on the puppet's lower abdomen?
Who takes measurements on a human body?
"Alright, you can move freely now. Combat is no problem either. The functions of this body won't be weaker than your own."
It was Herta's puppet, after all.
By the way, the matter of lending the puppet to Xueyi couldn't be known by Herta, otherwise he would definitely be nagged to death by that narcissistic mesugaki—oh no, old hag.
"I'll keep your body safe for you first. I'll give it back to you after the matter is concluded."
Like a parent telling a child they'll hold onto their red envelope during New Year's, Caelus collected the broken puppet body into his spatial ring without waiting for Xueyi to nod, leaving only her weapon.
Having stripped off Xueyi's white silk stockings inside the spatial ring, Caelus, with a face full of righteousness and solemnity, handed the Demon-Quelling Awl to the short Xue-ta.
"The urgent task right now is to go to the Alchemy Commission to capture the enemy bandits and provide support."
Seeing her body taken away by Caelus, Xueyi felt it was somewhat inappropriate, but seeing Caelus's serious expression and his urgency to defend the Xianzhou...
She felt that going to the Alchemy Commission to hook and suppress the abominations was more important.
"My thanks to you both. This good deed of yours, I will report to the Ten-Lords. If there is an opportunity, I will surely repay you."
"Is pledging yourself to me okay? I want to personally try out whether a machine doll can get pregnant!"
Xueyi looked at Stelle expressionlessly, her gaze skipping over the girl's obviously curved chest, and typed a question mark with her unwavering eyes.
How would you try?
"Use this guy to try."
Stelle pressed down on Caelus's head, forcing him down.
"??"
Xueyi's question marks increased.
Sure enough, the problem lay with these two people.
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