Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
Back in her pre-booked room at The Reverie Hotel on the Luofu, Lumina hadn't even taken off her clothes to lie down when her phone's notification for the "Special Group" buzzed.
She paused her undressing, picked up her phone, and glanced at the screen.
"Huh, Herta?"
Lumina was genuinely surprised to see the sender's name. She'd expected the message to be from Yunli, Feixiao, or perhaps someone from the Astral Express Crew, but it turned out to be the legendary Madam Herta herself.
"Little Herta seems to have fallen completely under my control now," Lumina mused.
"To the point where even a day apart leaves her feeling utterly restless, both physically and mentally."
A slight smirk curved Lumina's lips. Though Herta's message had taken her by surprise, it was undoubtedly a good sign.
This means Herta can no longer do without me, Lumina thought triumphantly.
She tapped open the message:
[Herta: Have you arrived on the Luofu yet?]
This first line alone was irrefutable proof that Herta was completely dependent on her.
Lumina's face lit up with smug satisfaction. After all, she had finally captured the heart of what she considered her most challenging target, all thanks to her irresistible charm.
In Lumina's eyes, the two most challenging targets were undoubtedly Acheron and Herta.
However, due to the influence of Nihility, Acheron had become exceptionally simple-minded. While making progress with her was difficult, it was also easy to increase her favor, putting her slightly below Herta in terms of difficulty.
Herta, as the Emanator of Erudition, possessed an overwhelming intellectual advantage over Lumina. A single misstep could easily result in Lumina being manipulated by her instead.
For example, during the "lap pillow incident" in the Reverie Hotel suite, Lumina had nearly been cornered by Herta due to a minor mishap. Fortunately, Herta hadn't noticed, sparing Lumina from being thoroughly outmaneuvered.
Pushing aside further contemplation, Lumina focused on answering the message with an air of genuine concern.
[Lumina: Just arrived on the Luofu!]
After sending the message, Lumina felt something was missing. Her eyes darted around, and a mischievous idea sparked. With a flick of her wrist toward the bathroom, a swarm of droplets surged forth, completely enveloping her hair and head.
Moments later, she dispelled the droplets, creating the illusion of freshly washed hair.
"Hmm... perfect."
Lumina first checked her reflection in the mirror, ensuring there were no flaws. Then, she raised her phone, struck a "V" sign, and snapped a selfie.
Next, she activated the location feature, embedding her current address on the Luofu into the photo, and sent it to Herta.
[Lumina: Lumina's post-bath selfie.jpg]
[Lumina: See? My location is already on the Luofu.]
After sending the image and message, Lumina stared intently at her phone screen, waiting for Herta's reply.
A short while passed, but Herta still hadn't replied, leaving Lumina somewhat puzzled.
"Hmm? What's going on?"
"Even if it's not an instant reply, she usually responds within ten or twenty seconds, right?"
"In that time, how could Herta possibly not be at her screen?"
Lumina muttered to herself, utterly baffled.
"Hmm... could it be?" Lumina glanced at the selfie in the chat window and tapped to enlarge it.
After studying the image closely for a while, Lumina finally reached a conclusion.
Human nature—Herta is no exception.
Seemingly satisfied with her deduction, Lumina nodded, finding Herta's behavior perfectly understandable.
After all, this was a truly exceptional (albeit fake) photo of Lumina emerging from her bath—the only one of its kind in the entire Cosmos. It was perfectly natural for Herta to want to preserve it across all Clouds and in reality.
Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
Just as Lumina was convinced Herta was already carrying out her plans, a message arrived from her.
"So fast?" Lumina murmured, surprised to hear the Special Group notification tone and see Herta's message.
She had expected it would take at least a quarter of a System hour for Herta to save the photo across all Clouds and in reality.
But then she remembered that as a member of the Genius Society, Herta's personal devices were likely far superior to the most advanced technology in the Cosmos. It made sense they would operate at such speed.
Brushing aside this thought, Lumina glanced at Herta's message.
"Hmm?"
"!"
As she looked at the message—no, the photo combined with a message—Lumina's eyebrows shot up, an unreadable emotion flickering across her face.
[Herta: Herta Bath Photo.jpg]
[Herta: What a coincidence! I was just taking a bath.]
[Herta: Since you sent me a picture, I definitely have to return the favor.]
"So she was getting dressed just now," Lumina thought, realizing what Herta had been up to during the time she was replying.
She put the thought aside and clicked on the picture Herta had sent.
A vision of radiant beauty: Herta's face flushed, tiny water droplets clinging to her hair and skin, creating a truly stunning post-bath portrait.
Of course, the essence of any such portrait lay in the beauty of its subject.
With Madam Herta's exceptional looks, anything she did could be considered "top-tier."
"Hiss... what a pity," Lumina murmured, saving the photo to her Cloud. A hint of regret crossed her face.
What a shame I didn't video call her directly... ah, no.
What Lumina meant was, What a shame I didn't send a video.
Given Herta's habit of reciprocating, she would undoubtedly have sent a video in return...
[Lumina: 👍]
[Lumina: Where are you right now? At the Space Station?]
Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
After finishing her bath and getting dressed,
[Herta: No, I'm not there.]
A few seconds after sending that message, Herta sent another one:
To be precise, it wasn't a message, but a location marker.
[Herta: [Location Marker: xxxx Star System]]
"I never expected Herta to send me her location," Lumina thought, her face once again filled with surprise as she looked at the location marker Herta had sent.
Back at the Space Station, Herta, for some reason, had stubbornly refused to share the coordinates of her main body's location, even under threat of death...
It seemed the various incidents they'd experienced on Penacony had finally eroded Herta's guard around Lumina.
Lumina thought this, her surprise fading to be replaced by a wide, joyful smile.
[Lumina: An unfamiliar place]
[Herta: I don't recognize it either. I'm just here to pick something up and will be leaving shortly.]
[Herta: Alright, enough chatting. Have a great time on your trip to the Luofu!]
[Herta: Wait, no, better not have too much fun.]
[Lumina: ?]
[Herta has logged off.]
"Is Herta letting her wild thoughts run rampant again?" Lumina muttered, scratching her head in confusion at Herta's shifting messages—first wishing her well, then retracting the sentiment.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I'll just take it as her blessing me anyway."
"After all, I am having a pretty great time."
Lumina tucked her phone away and hummed softly.
On her very first day on the Luofu, she had already met Yunli and Feixiao, and she had even set the Borisin's plans in motion. How could she not be happy?
Her gaze drifted from the large, soft bed to the bathroom. After a moment's consideration, she turned her attention to the latter.
Shedding her clothes, she headed toward the bathroom.
"It's all Herta's fault," she grumbled. "Now I want to take a bath."
Her voice echoed through the empty room, the only sound left behind.