Finally, Baiheng couldn't suppress the curiosity and apprehension in her heart. She spoke weakly, her voice still a little hoarse from just waking up: "Um... please, please... where is this? Who... are you?"
Madam Herta recovered from her 'hair dyeing scare', quickly reined in the surprise on her face (though she didn't have much expression to begin with), and resumed her profound and unfathomable demeanor.
She elegantly turned around, her skirt hem tracing a small arc, and her voice was calm with a hint of etherealness:
"Who I am is not important." She slightly raised her chin, the shadow under her hat brim making her appear even more mysterious. "What's important is that you are still alive."
Baiheng blinked her azure eyes, processing the information in that sentence. "Did... did you save me?"
Madam Herta nodded slightly, noncommittally, her movements reserved and graceful.
"Then... what about Shuhu? How was the war?" Baiheng asked eagerly, this being the matter she cared about most.
Madam Herta briefly narrated what happened after her 'sacrifice'—how the Xianzhou Luofu seized the opportunity, how General Teng Xiao slew the greatly weakened Shuhu, and how the Alliance ultimately achieved victory.
Upon hearing this, Baiheng let out a long sigh of relief, her taut shoulders relaxing.
She was alive, and her sacrifice hadn't been in vain. That was enough.
"Thank you..." She expressed her sincere gratitude, her gaze once again curiously sweeping over the pure white space. "Um... what exactly is this place...?"
Madam Herta changed from standing to elegantly floating in a seated position, crossing one leg, her grey long boots and stockings outlining graceful lines.
She propped her chin with one hand and spoke in a calm tone, as if stating a universal truth: "My domain."
Baiheng: "..."
Even though she didn't understand, it sounded incredibly powerful!
An awkward silence once again fell within the space.
Baiheng, being naturally lively, couldn't stand this atmosphere. She secretly peeked at Madam Herta's unreadable face, then mustered her courage to speak again, her voice tinged with cautious probing: "Um... Senior... do you need me to do anything? I, I can only pilot starships, I don't know how I can repay you..."
Madam Herta looked at her calmly, her unwavering gaze making Baiheng feel a little uneasy. She unconsciously placed her hands on her knees, sitting up straighter, like a student waiting for a teacher's lecture.
(On the surface, the dignified Madam Herta's heart was currently experiencing a tumultuous storm—because that damn System Panel had popped up again, complete with cheerful fireworks effects!)
[Ding! Detected a high-quality 'Elation' opportunity! Triggering special mission: Fox Girl's Submission!]
[Mission Requirement: Make the rescue target, Baiheng, willingly (or semi-willingly) address you as 'Master'.]
[Mission Reward: Elation Points immediately credited, convertible to 2% Core Repair Progress!]
Madam Herta's inner thoughts: 'What kind of twisted hobby is this?! Aha, do you have some weird fetish?! Making me, a dignified former Rupert III, engage in such shameful play?! Absolutely not! I, Madam Herta, would rather have my core permanently damaged, I'd rather jump out of this System Space, than ever...'
[Warm Reminder: It's 2% progress~ Enough for you, Madam, to use Envoy-level output more often! If you miss this, who knows when such an easy mission will come again~ (～￣▽￣)～]
Madam Herta: '...'
She looked at the '2%' figure, then at the innocent, clear-eyed (even a little foolish) white-haired Fox Girl in front of her, her heart in a fierce internal struggle.
'Just by making her say it... I can repair 2%... This, this is practically...'
'No! It's too shameful! This undermines my dignity as Madam Herta!'
'But it's 2%... I don't know how long it will be until the next time... It could save my life at a critical moment...'
'And... (secretly glancing at Baiheng's fluffy ears and Tail)... being called 'Master' by such a Fox Girl... seems... not entirely unacceptable?'
Ultimately, the desire for repair progress triumphed over shame.
Madam Herta silently wept inwardly: 'Aha, you really know people... I'll endure this hardship!'
So, in Baiheng's eyes, the mysterious senior, who had always been expressionless, seemed to have an even deeper gaze.
Madam Herta slowly stood up, her long boots landing on the invisible ground with crisp, rhythmic 'tap, tap' sounds. Each tap struck Baiheng's heart, making her involuntarily nervous.
Madam Herta crossed her arms, seemingly casually pacing around Baiheng, her gaze fixed on her neatly trimmed, purple-patterned nails, as if evaluating a work of art. She spoke leisurely: "I don't need a driver."
(Inner thoughts: Actually, having an experienced driver doesn't seem bad?)
Baiheng's heart tightened. Sure enough, her meager skills were nothing in the eyes of this senior.
Madam Herta continued to circle her, her skirt swaying, bringing a faint, peculiar scent reminiscent of violets mixed with cold frost.
"Saving you, for me, was merely a trifle."
She stopped in front of Baiheng, their distance extremely close, almost feeling each other's breath.
Baiheng's heart pounded faster, her eyes darting around, not daring to look directly at Madam Herta's excessively beautiful face so close to her, nor her mysterious and alluring attire.
Madam Herta leaned in slightly, extending a slender, jade-like finger adorned with a black lace glove, gently lifting Baiheng's chin, forcing her azure eyes, like a clear sky, to meet her own deep, dark purple eyes.
Baiheng held her breath, her mind blank, able to see only the magnified, delicate features of the other person, and those eyes that seemed capable of sucking away souls.
Madam Herta looked at those clear eyes filled with panic and helplessness, listening to the 'Elation Points +1 +1' prompts frantically playing in her mind. She suppressed the equally turbulent waves within her, and in her unique, slightly languid yet undeniable tone, slowly began to speak:
"I have only one very simple request, as the price for saving you—"
She paused slightly, appreciating (and internally complaining about) Baiheng's white Foxian ears, which trembled slightly due to nervousness, and finally uttered the condition that even she found incredibly shameful:
"Become my possession."
"And call me 'Master'."
Baiheng felt as if she had been plunged into a huge emotional vortex.
"Become my possession."
"And call me 'Master'."
These two sentences echoed repeatedly in her mind like a curse.
She was first stunned, then her pale cheeks rapidly flushed crimson at a visible speed, as if she had drunk the strongest wine.
Her azure eyes widened, filled with incredible embarrassment.
"Ah... I... that..." She opened her mouth, but could only utter some meaningless syllables, feeling her white Foxian ears on top of her head burning, her eyes almost turning into continuously spinning mosquito coils.
This mysterious and powerful lady saved her, and then... made such a request?
This, this was completely different from the way she imagined repaying kindness!
Madam Herta maintained a calm facade, her dark purple eyes watching Baiheng's entire process from shyness to confusion without a ripple. However, her heart stirred slightly: 'Hmm... her reaction is quite interesting, like a startled little animal.'
She struck while the iron was hot, pressing on with an undeniable tone in her emotionless voice: "What is your choice?"
(Inner thoughts: Agree quickly! Agree quickly! My 2%!)
"C-can I... not call you that?"
Baiheng stammered, trying to struggle, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
Baiheng had traveled far and wide and seen many strange customs, but personally calling someone 'Master' was simply too shameful, challenging the psychological limits of this innocent Foxian.
"Or... how about... a different way to repay you? I'm very good at piloting starships! I can also brew wine!"
Madam Herta narrowed her eyes slightly. Although her face showed no expression, her aura seemed to grow more dominant.
She took half a step closer, their distance so near that Baiheng could clearly see the curve of her eyelashes.
(Inner thoughts: No! Absolutely no changing! Aha's fun... no, my repair progress!)
"You have no room to refuse."
Madam Herta's tone carried an undeniable imperiousness. Although her voice wasn't loud, it seemed to carry an invisible pressure.
She tilted her head slightly, the shadow of her witchs hat falling on her delicate profile, adding a touch more mystery.