"Tch, why not just say 'Herta' directly? Did you have to tack on 'the 83rd Seat'?" Herta clicked her tongue in displeasure.
She had always been somewhat dissatisfied with the title of "83rd Seat." After all, even including deceased members, the Genius Society only had a total of 84 members. Being ranked 83rd gave the impression that she was dead last.
"Alright, alright," Yun Fan waved his hand dismissively, agreeing half-heartedly.
"Tch!" Herta pursed her lips, then crossed her arms. "To be honest, I didn't actually guess your identity either. When I first heard your name, I was only slightly surprised and didn't pay it much mind."
"After all, who would've thought that an Aeon who paved the supreme Path of Causality would play house with small fries like us?"
This wasn't Herta joking around. From an ordinary person's perspective, Aeons were the most mysterious and powerful beings in the universe, holding an exalted status in the hearts of all Pathstriders—even objects of reverence and aspiration.
Now, imagine being told out of the blue that this somewhat unserious, handsome young man before you was actually an Aeon who had forged a Path. Would you believe it?
"Oh? Then how did you confirm it?" Yun Fan watched the teenage version of Herta with interest, his eyes glinting faintly.
Admittedly, teenage Herta was quite well-endowed. Unlike the flat-chested child version, this iteration stood around 165 cm tall, and with her arms crossed, the fullness on display was at least the size of a lemon C. Her fair, jade-like legs, barely concealed beneath a knee-length skirt, seemed to exude a milky, alluring aura.
'Sigh, it's a shame these legs aren't in white stockings.' Yun Fan lamented inwardly.
Herta, the subject of his gaze, remained oblivious to his covert appraisal and continued speaking. "It was because of this."
Hearing this, Yun Fan discreetly withdrew his gaze and turned his attention to Herta's palm—more precisely, to the cube-shaped object she was holding.
"This is… Ah, I see."
Staring at the cube in Herta's hand, Yun Fan understood. Though he didn't know exactly what this cube was, he could sense the dense energy of the Path of Erudition within it. Presumably, it was a high-level artifact bestowed upon Herta by Nous. With its power, it was indeed possible to see through this avatar of his.
"Haha, since you already know, Herta, you'll keep my secret, won't you?" Yun Fan chuckled softly, leaning down to whisper in her ear.
Herta didn't react much to this. She merely extended her hand expressionlessly and made a gesture that took Yun Fan slightly aback.
"You're… asking for hush money?" Yun Fan raised an eyebrow at the girl before him. To dare demand hush money from an Aeon-level being—this little Herta had quite the nerve. But… it was kind of amusing.
With that thought, the corners of Yun Fan's lips curled upward.
"Hush money, huh? Let me think." Yun Fan stroked his chin, pondering briefly before a faint smirk appeared on his face.
"How about… I make you a woman?"
Herta: "???"
It was as if Yun Fan had just run a truck over Herta's face. She froze, clearly not immediately grasping the meaning behind his words.
"Hah? Was I not a woman before? Are you saying—" Herta planted her hands on her hips, indignant, but before she could finish, she suddenly realized something, and the rest of her words died in her throat.
"You— H-How… how can't I move?!" Just as Herta was about to speak, our genius suddenly felt as though her body had been bound by some invisible force, leaving her rooted in place, completely immobilized.
"Heh, spatial power—pretty neat, right?" Yun Fan extended his right hand, smiling as he caressed Herta's smooth, creamy cheek.
"You— Hmph!" Herta opened her mouth but ultimately let out a cold snort. She had already understood the implication behind Yun Fan's earlier words. Now, he was the butcher, and she was the lamb. What could she do, even if she resisted? There was no way she could defeat an Aeon.
'Forget it, just consider it a dog bite.'
With that thought, Herta simply closed her eyes and let Yun Fan do as he pleased.
However, time passed slowly—one minute, two minutes…
With no movement from him, Herta opened her eyes in confusion.
In her line of sight, Yun Fan was looking at her with a smile—and that smile… Tch! Was this guy mocking her? Instantly, Herta felt like she'd been played by Yun Fan again.
"My dear little Herta, try not to be so arrogant in the future." Yun Fan pinched her cheek. "You're the only one who's ever dared to demand hush money from an Aeon. I'll let you off this time, but next time won't be so easy."
With that, Yun Fan planted a kiss on Herta's cheek.
Then, under her utterly dumbfounded expression, he left the office.
"I… I just got kissed…?" Herta's face flushed visibly. Though this body was already over a hundred years old, Herta had devoted every second of that century to scientific research.
Romance? Forget that—she barely even interacted with people. Now, Yun Fan had suddenly ambushed her like this, leaving our genius completely at a loss.
"T-This is such a loss…"
...
Time flies like an arrow; days and nights pass like a shuttle.
In the blink of an eye, several days flowed by.
During this time, thanks to everyone's relentless efforts and Asta's "financial prowess," the Herta Space Station had completed its initial post-disaster reconstruction. All injured personnel had received treatment, and their conditions had improved.
As for the brave souls who had fallen in battle, their remains were sent back to their respective homelands via spacecraft. Upon their return, the Interastral Peace Corporation would handle their burial arrangements.
As for using the authority of Causality to resurrect them, Asta had indeed considered it. However, the number of casualties in this battle was at least eighty, if not a hundred. With her power alone, it was absolutely impossible.
As for asking Yun Fan for help…
The moment this thought arose, Asta decisively crushed it. Though Yun Fan was an Emanator of Causality, he had no connection to the deceased. There was no reason for him to revive them.
"Now that matters at the space station have been settled, the Astral Express must continue its journey. Asta, Herta—we'll meet again someday."