After hearing Herta's words, Sylvia couldn't help but let her thoughts wander a little.
Wonder how much Herta's paying for this.
And I already asked for one of her dolls earlier—turns out there's still another reward on top of that.
"What's the reward?"
"Not with me. Head to this cabin—it's in there."
As Herta spoke, she directly sent Sylvia the coordinates to a cabin module.
Sylvia checked it and saw it wasn't far, just somewhere near the elevator in the Seclusion Zone.
She glanced over at Stelle, who was still busy fueling up in the Simulated Universe, sent her a quick message on her phone, and then walked off ahead.
--+--
Back in the Storage Zone, before mealtime had even started.
Beep-boop-beep—
Along with the familiar electronic jingle, Silver Wolf's chibi avatar popped out again.
"Whew~ Finally out! Never thought Herta would cook up a project this big, though. Gotta find a way to come play here someday."
Following the map, Sylvia quickly found the cabin's location while listening to Silver Wolf's remarks.
She recalled the game's storyline, where this girl ended up with so many of her gaming accounts sacrificed in that "tragic ending," and couldn't help sighing:
"I did hear you went head-to-head with that Screwllum online once, but this project is a collaboration between several geniuses. Take it easy."
"What kind of talk is that! What are you even saying! In the world of hacking, bring on as many as you want—I'm not scared of any of them!"
To be questioned in her own field of expertise… if it weren't Sylvia, Silver Wolf would've definitely sent over some special "care package" to teach her a lesson.
"…We're here."
Sylvia decided not to continue the topic, resolving to properly "comfort" the little Silver Wolf later when she'd be crying and fussing.
Besides, she had already found that rather inconspicuous cabin.
Swiping the door open smoothly with her own pass, she saw some equipment and a workbench inside.
On the tabletop floated a picture card, encased within a transparent crystal.
Inside the card was the faint silhouette of a dragon, set against the backdrop of boundless cosmic depths.
Sylvia reached out and picked up the solid-feeling encased picture card, surprised to sense the power of the Aeon of Permanence from it.
She recognized what this was.
A Light Cone.
Technology from the Garden of Recollection, sealing memories of the past and turning them into artifacts that enhance power.
Of course, the Interastral Peace Corporation also had usage rights for it.
Clearly, Silver Wolf recognized it too.
"Well, well~ A Light Cone? Herta's being this generous? Not only did she give you one of her dolls, but now she's handing you a Light Cone? These are rare finds."
For something manufacturable to be called a 'Curio' across the cosmos was proof enough of its power and rarity.
Such things definitely didn't circulate freely—ordinary folks would be lucky to even catch a glimpse.
"Yeah… I'm pretty surprised too."
Sylvia examined the Light Cone closely. The real thing was obviously nothing like its in-game counterpart.
Holding this one in her hand, Sylvia felt as though she could see it again—the dragon roaming the galaxy, biting its own tail: Long.
This was a Light Cone that directly recorded an image of an Aeon. Though not perfectly clear, the power it contained was still extraordinary.
There was no sign of Herta's doll here, but Sylvia spotted a note from Herta on the workbench below.
"I tried capturing a fragment of Permanence's image to make into a Light Cone, but sadly the duration was too short and the visuals degraded badly. Anyway, make do with it for now."
So Herta had skills like this too.
With just that tiny glimpse, she could actually produce a Light Cone from it?
What a shame, Sylvia thought to herself.
If she could make Light Cones herself, wouldn't one crafted from a first-person perspective of Permanence be even more powerful?
Tucking the Light Cone away, Sylvia could already feel her Path energy being enhanced.
Whether it was strength, vitality, or spirit—all had received a considerable boost.
Silver Wolf naturally saw this information too, but to her it was just something novel to look at.
Compared to this Light Cone, she was much more interested in Herta's puppet.
"Speaking of which, what are you planning to do with that Herta doll? Want me to make an AI for it?"
"I'll try my method first and see how it works."
"…You're not seriously planning to use that reinforcement method of yours, are you?"
"Why not?"
Sylvia looked at Silver Wolf, puzzled. It wasn't like she was going to use it for anything weird.
But clearly, Silver Wolf didn't have much trust in someone who could even come up with the idea of marrying a doll.
Silver Wolf didn't bother hiding the look in her chibi avatar's eyes, making Sylvia instantly aware that this girl was definitely making up stories about her in her head!
"…Are you secretly slandering me in your mind?!"
"Does it even count as slandering?"
"Fine, fine. I'll remember this grudge."
--+--
After obtaining the Light Cone, Sylvia didn't return to the Master Control Zone but instead headed to the Platform.
Though the passage at the Platform was now open, since Bella was still lying there, only the members of the Express crew dared to approach for the time being.
"Roooar~"
The bored Bella let out a happy cheer when she saw Sylvia approaching—thankfully, she didn't excitedly pounce over.
Sylvia smiled and waved at Bella, catching the attention of the Express crew.
"Sylvia, you're here."
The first to greet her was Miss Himeko, as elegant and composed as ever.
"Yeah, just came to take a look. Stelle's still with Herta, but she should be here soon."
"Hey Sylvia, you're so late! We've been waiting for you forever. C'mon! Let me show you around the Express!"
Then March 7th rushed up to her, camera in hand, with enough momentum to practically knock Sylvia over into a hug.
"Himeko already agreed—you can come hang out on the Express anytime from now on!"
March 7th enthusiastically grabbed Sylvia's hand, chatting away while pulling her toward the Express.
Sylvia didn't resist, glancing down at her captured hand with a smile.
"Slow down, it's not that urgent, is it?"
"Of course it is! Our conductor is really strict about departure times. If we're late heading back, the conductor will scold us. Since you won't join us, I don't wanna get yelled at."
March 7th's muttering made Sylvia want to laugh. During their earlier conversations, March had invited Sylvia aboard before, but Sylvia had declined—for now.
"I already promised you I'd come play often, right? My teleportation skills are pretty reliable."
Sylvia's teleportation worked by marking locations directly, independent of the actual coordinates of the place.
Once she'd been aboard the Express, she could teleport straight onto it no matter where it traveled—assuming, of course, her teleportation truly had no distance limit.
"It's not the same at all, seriously."
As she spoke, March 7th was already tugging Sylvia into the Express carriage, then called out loudly:
"Conductor! Conductor! I brought a friend to visit the Express!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.