Herta: Be good and let me see you!

After carefully observing the puppet in Herta's space station, Lin Shuang couldn't help but sigh at the exquisite craftsmanship.

It was almost mesmerizing.

At first, Lin Shuang had only thought of the Herta Doll as some casual research project, something she'd merely observe and be done with. But seeing it in person, the level of detail was beyond her imagination, so much so that she even entertained the thought of hugging it while sleeping.

Would its body be soft?

"Hey—Ms. Herta? You're finally here?"

Just as Lin Shuang and Herta were silently staring at each other, March 7th lifted her camera and broke the silence.

March 7th hadn't reacted at first, but now she realized that Herta had finally logged into her precious space station.

But why was she here? Was she looking for Lin Shuang? Or was she here for Stelle?

Thinking back to their first meeting, March 7th recalled how Ms. Herta had wanted to study her due to her unique origins.

So now, did she come for Stelle instead?

After all, the Stellaron inside Stelle's body was something unheard of. The very idea that a human could contain such power was beyond belief.

Herta cast a glance at March 7th, acknowledging her presence with a simple look.

March 7th understood. That was just how Herta was. She even hoped that Herta wouldn't take an interest in her—being someone's research subject was never fun.

But formalities were necessary. March 7th turned to Lin Shuang and said, "Let me introduce you. This is the true owner of the space station, Genius Society's #83, Herta. Of course, what you're seeing right now is just a remote-controlled puppet. No one really knows where she actually is."

Herta, upon hearing this introduction, turned to glare at her.

"Introduce me properly. Why bring up the Genius Society ranking? Of all my extraordinary achievements, why is that the only one people remember?"

"...Haha, well, for outsiders, it's the most recognizable title," March 7th chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head.

She might not have remembered all of Ms. Herta's achievements, but let's be real—most people wouldn't either.

Lin Shuang, being new to the galaxy, wouldn't be familiar with the specifics of Herta's accomplishments. Instead of bombarding her with academic jargon, it was easier to just highlight her title.

Besides, all those technical papers and research topics were too complicated. Even if she tried, Lin Shuang wouldn't be able to grasp them so soon after arriving in the galaxy. Just explaining the general structure of the universe would take ages.

So yes, calling her a Genius Society member was the easiest and most impactful introduction.

"Forget it. I didn't expect you to be interested in research anyway."

Herta obviously understood what kind of person March 7th was. She had considered studying her before, after all. But the girl's brain was clearly not suited for scientific pursuits.

Indeed, expecting March 7th to remember her accomplishments was wishful thinking.

With that, Herta shifted her gaze to Lin Shuang—and then to Stelle, who was lying unconscious behind them.

"I checked the space station's logs. Your abilities are interesting. I wonder what other tricks you have—seems like coming back here wasn't a waste."

The level of control Lin Shuang displayed over Heliobus' power had surprised Herta.

Assimilation and taming. A rare combination.

And then, there was the matter of the Stellaron—the fact that a mere girl had absorbed it into her body and was still alive.

Herta nodded in satisfaction.

Her original plan had been to experiment with Lin Shuang's abilities to see how they would interact with a Stellaron. But that wasn't necessary anymore.

The answer was already in front of her.

Now, she just needed to study the Stellaron girl directly.

"So, the Stellaron has turned into this little thing lying here?"

Himeko wasn't present, so Herta directed her question to Lin Shuang and March 7th instead.

March 7th didn't answer. Lin Shuang simply smiled and nodded. "Yes, and it's stable."

"Interesting. When she wakes up, bring her to me. I need to take a closer look."

With that, Herta's gaze shifted from Stelle to Lin Shuang, scrutinizing her carefully.

Then, she suddenly spoke. "Your physique is interesting. I even suspect that you could contain a Stellaron inside your body. Too bad I don't have a second one to test it."

Lin Shuang showed no signs of corrosion from using Heliobus' power.

Even though she openly wielded his abilities as a medium, her body remained unaffected.

Herta pondered. If Lin Shuang could freely use Heliobus' power, what would happen if she absorbed a Stellaron instead?

Would she be able to control it?

Unlike Stelle, who had fainted the moment she took it in.

But that was a problem for another time. Even without a second Stellaron, Herta had other ways to test her hypothesis.

And…

Lin Shuang had recently stolen most of the power of a Messenger of Destruction. That entity had also been connected to Heliobus.

Which raised the question—could Lin Shuang now wield the power of Destruction?

If not, why had she gone through so much trouble to gather that energy?

Herta's interest in Lin Shuang was no less than her curiosity about Stelle.

"Lin Shuang, do you mind if I study you?"

March 7th curled her lips. Knew it.

Ms. Herta had obviously set her sights on Lin Shuang and Stelle. Why else would she bother chatting with them so casually?

Lin Shuang simply smiled. As expected.

"Is Ms. Herta always this direct when inviting people for research?"

"When something interests me, I don't beat around the bush like corporations do. It's a waste of time. You should be honored that I'm interested. Tell me what you want."

Herta made no mention of the containment order or the bottled power.

Perhaps, to her, the act of containing destiny wasn't all that impressive?

Lin Shuang pondered. Geniuses had a way of thinking that ordinary people simply couldn't grasp.

But as long as it was just research on her body, she had no problem with it.

Compared to Ruan Mei, Herta seemed to have a stronger bottom line. Or rather, she seemed more… humane?

Either way, if Ruan Mei had been the one standing here, Lin Shuang would have refused without hesitation.

Of course, the biggest reason she felt at ease was because of Acheron.

If anything went wrong, she could always call for Acheron's help.