Sylvia chose to answer only some of Herta's questions, deftly steering the conversation elsewhere.
After all, there wasn't much else to say—she had simply relayed to Herta a summary of the knowledge and some of the abilities granted by her skills.
But the more Herta listened, the more her brow furrowed, until finally, the look she gave Sylvia turned downright strange.
'You're not with the Garden of Recollection, kid. Where'd you get such an outrageous talent for meddling with memories?'
Right now, Herta badly wanted to haul Sylvia off to the space station for a thorough examination.
This girl showed no trace of the Path of Remembrance's power, yet she could casually mold Light Cones with her bare hands, extract memories, and perform all sorts of feats with unsettling ease.
It just didn't make sense.
But the Simulated Universe was in a critical update phase.
Herta simply couldn't break away at the moment.
Ah—
Herta planted her hands on her hips and sighed, then looked up at Sylvia.
"Sylvia, how about letting me open a few more research projects on you? Your constitution is even more fascinating than I imagined."
"..."
Sylvia pursed her lips. She'd known Herta would say something like that.
Thank goodness she hadn't told Herta that the reason for this ability was the result of 'marrying' her puppet.
People like Acheron, or the Stellaron Hunters, might find it incredible, but they weren't researchers. After their initial amazement, they wouldn't press further.
But Herta was different.
If Herta ever found out, who knows what she might do?
She might just wave a hand and have every woman on the space station line up to marry Sylvia.
Sylvia absolutely did not dare let someone like that know about these things.
"What, not willing? If you have any conditions, we can negotiate, you know."
Herta looked up at Sylvia, thinking she was just being reluctant.
"It is my own body we're talking about studying. You understand."
"Ah, I get it, I get it. You're concerned about experimental safety, right? We can draft a contract. You can list your boundaries—"
Listening to Herta elaborate enthusiastically, Sylvia nodded, then said with utter seriousness:
"No, I mean... you'll have to pay more."
"...Heh, you're quite the little entrepreneur."
Herta laughed, then gave Sylvia an approving nod.
"It's settled, then. Next time you come to test the Simulated Universe, we'll run the tests then."
With that, Herta logged off.
The Herta puppet, its connection severed, fell completely still.
"She's gone just like that?"
Sylvia let out a sigh, her tension finally easing.
Even if Herta didn't care much, being caught in the act like that was still pretty awkward.
Sylvia continued directing the Herta puppet to tidy the room and change clothes back.
Meanwhile, Sylvia herself changed and then collapsed onto the sofa.
She opened her chat window with Acheron and began rambling about the day's events.
[Sylvia: You there? How far are you from Penacony now?]
Luckily, Acheron was in an area with signal.
So her reply came quickly.
[Acheron: I'm here.]
[Acheron: Not too far. There's still time before the Charmony Festival.]
[Acheron: Are you finished with your work?]
[Sylvia: Yeah, I'm back already.]
[Acheron: Then call me back.]
[Sylvia: Okay.]
By now, Sylvia's sense of shame had been worn down to almost nothing.
Calling someone 'Big sister' wasn't really a burden anymore.
Of course, it helped that sometimes, Acheron would call Sylvia 'Big sister' in return.
So they were even, in a way.
"Help me, Big Sister Acheron~"
With Sylvia's soft call, Acheron appeared in the room, fully dressed.
Her initially tense expression visibly relaxed the moment she saw Sylvia.
"How did things go?"
During their earlier contact, Acheron only knew that the space station had encountered the Antimatter Legion. She hadn't heard what happened afterward.
"Nothing major. Mainly met Herta, and the people from the Astral Express..."
Sylvia, still sprawled on the sofa, waved for Acheron to come sit down.
But as Acheron approached, Sylvia caught a faint whiff of the 'aftermath' of battle.
Probably ran into some trouble again.
Sylvia didn't plan to ask, though.
The probability of running into danger in unexplored regions was just too high.
"The Stellaron Herta kept at the space station was taken by Kafka and implanted into Stelle's body. But Herta didn't seem to mind. In fact, she became very interested in Stelle's constitution instead."
"Sounds like something Lady Herta would do."
Acheron wasn't surprised at all. Herta, as a genius, was also famously capricious.
As they were talking, the Herta puppet walked out of the room. It had changed back into its original clothes and now headed to the kitchen to pour Acheron a glass of water.
"This is?"
"Herta's puppet. I asked for it after she said she wanted to study me. Didn't really expect Herta to actually give it."
"That generous?"
Acheron took the glass with some surprise, examining the puppet carefully. Suddenly, in the puppet's eyes, she caught a faint, flickering hint of bluish-green flame.
"...It's just that Herta doesn't care. She only pays extra attention to things that interest her."
"I see... So, did you perform any kind of ritual with this puppet too?"
Acheron gave a slight nod, then opened with a question that nearly made Sylvia choke.
"Cough... Why is that your first question?!"
Facing Sylvia's outburst, Acheron remained calm, sipping her water. She rather enjoyed seeing Sylvia get flustered.
These vibrant emotional fluctuations made Acheron feel the meaning of being alive.
"Was I wrong? I remember you used to be quite enamored with those high-end starships. Yet this time, after meeting Herta, you didn't ask for one. I figured it must only be for 'power,' then."
"..."
Sylvia was at a loss for words, feeling a strange sense of being completely seen through.
"Alright, fine. I did."
Saying this, Sylvia pouted and took out the Light Cone.
"After I tested one of her projects, Herta gave me a Light Cone. My new ability allows me to clarify the memories within a Light Cone, indirectly enhancing its power."
"This is... the Aeon of Permanence."
The moment Acheron saw the Light Cone, her gaze turned intensely serious.
This was a Light Cone that clearly recorded the visage of an Aeon.
And not just any Aeon—one who had vanished long ago, leaving behind scarce records.
The value of this Light Cone was immense...
Not only was its power great, but the memory sealed within was enough to make countless people pursue it.
Heck... if the Vidyadhara found out, who knows what would happen.
"Yeah, it's an image of the Aeon of Permanence. It came up during the Simulated Universe test, actually..."
Sylvia explained the Light Cone's origin and how it ended up in her current form.
How did the Aeon of Elation even get involved?
Thinking of that, Acheron couldn't help but sigh softly.
--+--
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.