As her voice faded, the black robe enveloping her suddenly transformed into countless fragments of purplish-red data streams, silently dispersing into the moonlight like fireflies scattered by the wind, revealing the true appearance that had been hidden beneath.
Her waist-length, grayish-white hair flowed like moonlight, gleaming with a cold luster in the darkness.
She wore a mysterious black and purple witchs hat. Beneath the brim was a face as delicate as a doll's, with skin so fair it was almost translucent.
Her purplish-black eyes, devoid of highlights, were like deep pools, reflecting the astonished figures of the two Stellaron Hunters before her.
She wore an off-the-shoulder Lolita dress primarily in black and purple, with a complicated and gorgeous skirt. Several small skull ornaments hung around her neck, swaying gently with her movements.
Gray stockings encased her slender legs, and she wore a pair of knee-high black high-heeled boots.
One hand was elegantly placed on her hip; her posture was upright, exuding an innate, undeniable authority and charm.
"Herta?!"
Silver Wolf's eyes instantly widened, her mouth slightly agape, practically blurting out the name that made her grit her teeth in hatred.
That signature gray long hair, that overly delicate face... Although the temperament and eye color were completely different, the visual impact upon first sight was too strong!
Kafka's hand gripping the gun tightened imperceptibly, and a flicker of genuine surprise crossed her rose-red eyes, but her rationality quickly suppressed this momentary fluctuation.
"No..."
She quickly calmed down, her voice returning to its former steadiness. "Herta would never appear here personally, especially not for a mere Stellaron. The mistress of the Space Station isn't so... obsessed with 'collecting' Stellarons. So, madam, how should we address you?"
Madam Herta—or rather, Black Herta, as she should be called now—turned her gaze toward Kafka, a hint of approval flashing in her purplish-black eyes.
"Quite clever, unlike a certain 'little fool' who only knows how to shout."
"Hey! Who are you calling a fool?!"
Silver Wolf immediately bristled, like a cat whose Tail had been stepped on, nearly crushing the data screen in her hand.
Anyone mocked face-to-face by someone who looks like an old enemy wouldn't be in a pleasant mood.
Black Herta tilted her head slightly. This action, which should have looked cute, carried a sense of condescending scrutiny when performed by her.
She completely ignored Silver Wolf's anger, refocusing her attention on Kafka.
"The address isn't important. What matters is, what do you think of my proposal?"
Her purplish-black lips parted slightly, her voice carrying a strange seductive power. "Exchange one Stellaron for my promise of 'non-interference.' This deal should be very cost-effective for you. After all, my goal is simple: I only want the Stellaron itself. Your goal is clearly much grander, and you certainly don't want any unplanned... 'Variables,' do you?"
She paused, looking around the dim reception room as if evaluating the stage setting.
"I know the'Script' you are executing. Elio has indeed described an interesting future. But please believe me, if I insist on taking the Stellaron here, even if the two of you join forces, you might not be able to stop me. And the result of a conflict would only cause your'Script' to completely spiral out of control."
Moonlight spilled onto her, the black and purple dress contrasting sharply with her pale skin, and the skull ornaments gleamed coldly.
She stood there like a queen condensed from the night itself—beautiful, mysterious, and full of unknown danger.
Her words were not a threat, but a statement of a fact she considered self-evident.
"Give me a Stellaron, and we part peacefully. Otherwise..."
In Black Herta's purplish-black eyes, a trace of light, like a data stream, flickered for the first time. "I don't mind personally becoming the biggest 'Variable'."
The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff.
"Beep."
A faint yet clear notification sound rang out from the sci-fi device on Silver Wolf's wrist, breaking the silence that was about to solidify.
Silver Wolf frowned slightly and quickly glanced down at the scrolling information on the light screen.
Her expression instantly became somewhat strange.
She looked up at Kafka and conveyed concisely:
"Elio says, 'Agree to her terms'."
These simple three words seemed to possess magic.
Kafka had maintained her graceful composure, but the shoulders that had been subtly tense relaxed almost imperceptibly.
With a flick of her wrist, the gun that had been steadily pointed at Black Herta vanished as silently as it had appeared.
"It seems the'Script' deems your involvement not unacceptable."
Kafka's tone returned to its initial languidness, even carrying a slight smile, as if the tense standoff had never occurred.
"That's good. After all, I didn't really want a conflict with such a... beautiful and mysterious lady."
Black Herta also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
It was naturally best not to fight; she truly didn't want to cross swords with a character she had quite liked in her "previous life."
At the same time, she caught a clear piece of information:
Elio could sense her presence, and her existence had been factored into his so-called "Script."
This was a crucial piece of intelligence.
"A wise choice." Black Herta nodded slightly. Though no emotion could be discerned in her purplish-black eyes, her tone softened somewhat.
At this point, Kafka raised a practical question: "So, how should we contact you? When we need to deliver the 'reward,' or... when the'Script' requires cooperation from you, the new Variable?"
The posing of this question made the atmosphere subtly delicate.
The two Stellaron Hunters were likely expecting some kind of interstellar communication key, psychic imprint, or high-dimensional coordinate exchange.
However, Black Herta's reaction was beyond their expectation.
She elegantly raised her hand, and the fingertip clad in a black lace glove lightly tapped the air. A faint glow flashed, and a... mobile phone appeared in her hand.
The phone case was dark purple and featured a small white skull pattern winking with one eye.
"That's simple," Black Herta said, her voice flat and even. "Let's add a group chat."
Silver Wolf: "..."
Kafka: "..."
A momentary blank expression appeared on the faces of the two well-traveled Stellaron Hunters.
Silver Wolf's mouth twitched visibly, and even Kafka's perpetual smiling mask seemed to show a hairline crack, her elegant eye corner twitching for a fleeting moment.
This... wasn't this method a little too down-to-earth?
It created an absurd sense of incongruity with the powerful aura and image of Madam Herta, who claimed she could overturn the Script.
It was like seeing Xipe of the Harmony pull out a QR Code and ask you to scan it to follow them.
Suppressing the strong urge to complain and the strange feeling, Kafka quickly returned to her normal state, relying on her extraordinary professional composure.
"...A very... unique contact method."
Maintaining her smile with effort, she also took out her communication device—a terminal with a more technological design.
Silver Wolf, however, looked reluctant, muttering under her breath, "Seriously... I thought it would at least be an encrypted star-domain network channel, but it turns out to be just a group chat..."
But, signaled by Kafka's look, she reluctantly pulled out her game console-shaped communicator.
After a series of operations—"scanning the code," "adding contacts," and "creating a group"—which seemed exceptionally mundane in an interstellar setting, a chat group named [Stellaron Exchange Group] was born.
Group members: Black Herta, Kafka, Silver Wolf.
Black Herta looked at the group name, seemed quite satisfied, and casually set the group avatar to a skull emoji.
The matter seemed to have concluded; the deal was struck, and contact information exchanged.
Kafka was ready to leave. It was unsuitable to stay here long; the Belobog "Script" was still in progress.
However, Black Herta did not move.
She stood there quietly, the moonlight outlining her perfect profile and the silhouette of her gorgeous dress, her purplish-black eyes falling once again upon Silver Wolf, who was trying to minimize her presence nearby.
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