The Gateway wasn't impressive. The most impressive thing about it was that it was in a lab, which was in a castle, which was in… the Dream Realm? At this point, Sunny was half-convinced that Herta just stole it and brought it to the Waking World, and that they were on some random planet that she was using as an experiment.
It sat at the center of the lab like a discarded relic, a stone arch made of no particular stone and no particular craftsmanship. It was just… there. Weathered, unadorned, older than everything in the room by a margin that felt deliberate. If someone had told Sunny it belonged in a garden rather than a top-secret laboratory, he would have believed them.
Its surface pulsed faintly, like a breath pushed through rock.
Sunny set his anchor quickly, feeling a connection form. Now, if he ever needed to retreat for whatever reason, he could use his anchor as an emergency escape.
He stepped back, letting the anchor settle into place in the back of his mind. It linked easily to the one he'd left on the Express. March had her own anchor, too. They could have left without any help.
But leaving wasn't the problem.
Getting to the Xianzhou Luofu unnoticed was.
He raised his voice slightly, projecting it into the lab.
"Herta."
Silence.
He repeated himself, more firmly:
"Herta, we need convenient transportation!"
A faint clacking echoed from behind one of the tables. One of Herta's dolls drifted out, holding a clipboard it had no reason to be holding.
"You two are very needy. Herta predicted this. Annoyance level: moderate."
Sunny crossed his arms.
"Well, this needy boy needs you to teleport us. And why are you speaking in third-person?"
He absentmindedly noticed signs of cracks and decay on the doll, and a rather lacking craftsmanship. Was this an old spare Herta had lying around? A prototype?
The doll stared blankly, not feigning to answer his question.
"No."
He tilted his head.
"You've done it before."
"Yes. And Herta regrets setting that precedent."
Sunny arched a brow.
"You? Regret something?"
The doll huffed — if an emotionless puppet could huff.
"Herta will not teleport you directly to the Xianzhou Luofu. Doing so without authorization is a violation of interstellar boundaries. It counts as trespassing. Herta is not interested in starting diplomatic incidents for your convenience. Otherwise, the Interastral Peace Corporation will get on Herta's delicate posterior."
March coughed.
Sunny stepped closer.
"Just push the blame on me, then. No biggie."
The doll shook her head.
"No point. Getting something out of THE Herta is much more rewarding than trying to bother small fry like you. If Herta is believed to be involved, even if untrue, then she will definitely deal with some annoyances."
Sunny upturned his lips, thinking for a few moments. What she said is certainly true. He might have been powerful as he was, but that was only in comparison to the first three Ranks… out of seven. He wasn't even halfway through the Path of Ascension, while Herta — the real one — was at least a Saint, most likely stronger.
Sticking his tongue out in contemplation, he shrugged.
"Ah, well, why don't you make an investment? You help me out, and I'll owe you later. Deal?"
The doll paused for a few moments, before nodding.
"I already have something in mind. Though, you'll probably regret it."
Sunny's eye twitched.
"Why are you speaking normally all of a sudden? And what do you mean I'll regret it?!"
Once again, not deigning to answer, the doll held out her free hand, palm turned downwards.
"Alright, labdog. Why don't you kneel and kiss your mistress's hand to seal the deal?"
March stood next to him, sending the doll a dead stare. She pursed her lips, turning to Sunny.
"…This is a prime case of grooming. She'll make you start off small, before making you do more and more crazy things! In the end, she'll turn you into the ideal spouse, completely indistinguishable from your former self! Listen, Sunny… we can walk. We can sneak in some other way. You don't have to do this!"
Herta's facial expression didn't change, but there was a certain coldness in her tone.
"I am offended that you'd suggest that I, the magnificent, beautiful, gracious, and ultimately perfect, Herta, would ever have to partake in underhanded schemes to infatuate this child. It's fine. I'm merciful. You should thank me for not sealing you into a box full of rats."
Sunny blinked.
"What's groom… Nevermind, I think I've got it. Some people shouldn't express themselves, you know? Like you, March. And you, Herta… no. I will not be doing that. Ever heard of a handshake?"
"A handshake implies we're equals. We are not."
"At least I can speak without having to say my own name.
"At least I'm not a malnourished peasant."
"At least I have the balls to show my real face."
"At least I have pancake recipes I have spent the past millennia perfecting."
"At least… you have what?!"
The doll's expression dint shift, but the real Herta must have been smirking in amusement.
"Hm? Well, I suppose a well-mannered subordinate who listens to their mistress can have something so worthless."
Sunny kissed her hand so fast March actually yelped.
"Sunny!"
He straightened instantly, face blank, dignity already dead and buried.
"The Sunny is at your service."
"Don't do that. It's creepy."
"…You did it first, though?"
Sunny ignored her entirely. Herta, meanwhile, withdrew her hand with the satisfied air of a researcher marking a successful trial.
"Good. With that done, cooperation is now formalized."
Sunny didn't answer. His mind drifted, just for a moment, toward an idle, quiet place — wondering how she even knew about his weakness for syrup-delivery foods. Pancakes, waffles, crepes… anything with pockets or layers that could trap syrup. He pushed the thought away quickly, smothering it before she sensed it.
Wooden hands touched the shoulders of the two Masters.
The world vanished in an instant — not like blinking, but like being snatched out of existence. For a fraction of a second Sunny hung in an impossible place, suspended in the same void he'd glimpsed earlier. Shapes twisted in the distance, not quite forms. Light bent sideways. Something brushed the edge of his consciousness, vast and impersonal.
Everything snapped back.
Solid ground. Cool air. Bright hanging lanterns shaped like hydrangeas flickering along metal beams. They stood in a shipment zone: stacks of crates tied with luxurious seals, hovering lifts humming along suspended rails, carved pillars blending jade-like patterns with gleaming alloys. The architecture curved with elegance, hard angles softened by ornate ridges, fusing ancient motifs with advanced engineering.
March stumbled.
"W-We're here? Already?!"
Sunny steadied her by the elbow.
"Yep."
Herta's doll hovered a few feet away, arms folded.
"Delivery complete. Do not cause trouble. Or do. Herta does not care."
The doll popped out of existence, leaving no trace.
'Why did she feel the need to talk like that? I don't get it.'
March looked around.
"So… now what?"
Sunny scanned the shadows between the crates, already mapping routes inward.
"Now, we avoid everyone. And we try not to die in the first five minutes. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy… whatever a lemon is."
March sighed.