'Cyrene' handed the invitation back to Divine Herta, then asked:
"What's the plan now?"
"Same as before, I'll leave the Irontomb body for Amphoreus, and I'm off to the Land of Light."
Divine Herta's mind hadn't changed one bit. Irontomb was no longer a skeleton frame; instead, it had transformed into the form of a rather striking female giant.
Truth be told, it actually aligned with her aesthetic preferences.
But when you got down to it, a body like that held little practical use for a researcher like Divine Herta.
If she wanted, she could craft an entire Scepter System by hand right now.
As for where to go, well, since she was now a completely new individual, it made sense to change her collaborative partner too. The Land of Light was a pretty good alternative.
Mainly because the atmosphere there was pleasant.
Plus, the Giants of Light were generally smarter and easier on the eyes.
Oh right, and there was Asta too. That girl had already become… comfortable to use.
Switching assistants would just feel awkward.
In a few years, when the kid's a bit older, I might as well just take her to the Land of Light and have her continue as my proxy.
"I thought you'd be like Herta, finding a place to live alone."
"That's possible, but unnecessary. I'm starting from scratch right now; I need a suitable partner."
Divine Herta's curiosity about the Giants of Light was no less intense.
Through Nous's consciousness, she had glimpsed many scenes from different worldlines.
She'd also seen how things might have unfolded if she herself hadn't failed.
The Astral Express, about to embark on its journey.
In this current reality, where even the start time of the Fourth Instant had been altered, who knew how things would develop now?
She still felt a bit of a sense of crisis.
--+--
'Cyrene' parted ways with Screwllum and Divine Herta for the time being.
She'd asked for the location where Madam Herta was resting.
It was a rescue vessel belonging to the Land of Light. Inside a warmly decorated recovery room, Madam Herta had—unusually—shed her ornate dress.
In its place was a much softer, more restful set of sleepwear.
When 'Cyrene' arrived, she'd half-expected to see people from the Land of Light or the Interastral Peace Corporation.
But the room only held Herta's puppet, not even Ruan Mei was there.
Some fruit and pastries sat on the table.
Madam Herta's face was still a bit pale; clearly, the strain of interfacing her consciousness with Nous had been significant.
But her eyes were bright and alert, especially when 'Cyrene' entered—the look she gave her was distinctly different from before.
'Cyrene' didn't mind, raising a hand in greeting and speaking without the slightest hesitation:
"Heard Divine Herta got one over on you?"
"Pfft—I let her win. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing if I suppressed her despite having every advantage? Consider it humoring a child."
Herta let out a light laugh, reflexively countering 'Cyrene's' statement.
Hard to tell if she meant it or was just being stubborn.
And Divine Herta claimed she'd broken free from Herta's influence.
Yet these two were practically cast from the same mold.
Where exactly was the difference?
With a resigned sigh, 'Cyrene' met Madam Herta's gaze.
This person genuinely believed what she was saying.
Now both of them were unilaterally declaring their own victory—it was almost funny.
'Cyrene' walked over and sat down on the edge of Herta's bed.
Looking at Herta's pale face, she asked: "How are you feeling? Any lingering effects?"
Hearing this, the corner of Herta's mouth lifted slightly, followed by a soft 'hmph'.
"Perfectly fine. I'm just lying here because I didn't want to see that smug look on her face. More importantly, you—instead of helping out on Amphoreus, what are you doing here with me?"
"Just checking in on you. Does Amphoreus even need me meddling?"
'Cyrene' smiled as she looked at Herta, but Herta simply wore an expression of mild amusement:
"At least you have some conscience. But honestly, the situation on Amphoreus is hard to say."
"What do you mean?"
"The wreckage of the Emperor's Scepter. Even though it's badly shattered, its research value is still immense. Quite a few parties have their eyes on it."
For the Interastral Peace Corporation, the ownership of Irontomb might not concern them much, but who claims the Emperor's Scepter is worth fighting over.
The technical data hidden within, if excavated, could generate immense wealth.
"And the one leading the IPC team is an annoying fellow named Oswaldo. Heard he recently became an Emanator—no idea what Qlipoth sees in him."
Herta's tone dripped with disdain for Oswaldo.
They'd probably already had contact, and it clearly didn't go well.
However, 'Cyrene', who knew the inside story, wore a subtle smile.
Qlipoth definitely didn't see anything in him; that thing was a fake.
It was just a matter of time before Sparkle decided to knock him off his self-made pedestal.
Mid-sentence, Herta suddenly paused.
She eyed 'Cyrene' suspiciously, studying her face intently: "You… know something, don't you? Do you know him?"
"You could say that. Anyway, someone's dealing with him. Don't worry too much about it."
"Hmph~"
Herta let out a skeptical hum but didn't press further.
She hadn't been overly concerned with him to begin with; it was just that Amphoreus was territory they had secured.
She didn't like the idea of some disagreeable character laying claim to it.
"By the way, Zandar… no, Lycurgus's remains—did you find them for me?"
"Found them, found them. Though all that's left is a head."
As she spoke, 'Cyrene' raised a hand. A flicker of flame passed, and Lycurgus's head materialized on a chair in the room.
The head had long since deactivated, incapable of producing any sound.
Lycurgus had chosen self-termination after Irontomb's failure.
"Heh, what a miserable sight. Just leave it there. I'll have a puppet handle it later."
Herta chuckled.
"…As long as you don't find it creepy yourself."
'Cyrene' couldn't quite understand Herta's peculiar hobby but chose to respect it.
Herta shot her a glance, said nothing, then abruptly changed the subject:
"Speaking of which, I just received intelligence from the Corporation. Apparently, the Astral Express has set sail again, during the period we were dealing with the Irontomb."
"The Astral Express? Ah, right. Finally on its way."
'Cyrene' was momentarily taken aback, then a look of understanding crossed her face.
So Himeko must still be quite young now. If memory serves, she encountered the stranded train in her girlhood.
Do Trailblazers just age really slowly?
Tiernan and Mikhail lived for several Amber Eras. Himeko set out early, yet by the time of the main storyline, she didn't look old at all.
The other Express crew members all have their unique abilities, but Himeko seems to be just a pure engineer by origin, right?
"Thanks to a certain someone, I hear this generation's Navigator has drawn intense focus from all major factions the moment she stepped out."
"They'd have been in the spotlight even without me. It is the train that paves the Star Rails, after all. So, where's the Express headed?"
"What, you want to go see for yourself?"
"Of course. You must have seen many images through Nous, right? The Astral Express seems pretty important."
"No, I actually think you're more important."
Herta reached up and pinched 'Cyrene's' cheek.
It was pleasantly squeezable, though Herta felt a twinge of regret—she'd have preferred to pinch Bai Ming's face instead.
"But you don't need to run around everywhere. The IPC is loaded; they just threw money at the Express to have them come to Amphoreus and lay down a few convenient Star Rails. Wait a couple of days; they should arrive soon."
"…"
'Cyrene' fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
They… can just do that?
--+--