Looking sidelong at Sunday's pensive face, the Dream Master Gopher Wood, perched on his shoulder, gently flapped its wings.
"What, can't bear it? But this is indeed the best option. Right now, [Order]'s momentum has not yet fully formed. If we rashly summon the 'Harmonic Choir' to fight the Emanator of Causality, we will be the ones to fail."
"Even if we don't fail, a battle between two Emanators in Penacony would inevitably draw the attention of [Harmony]."
"You know that under the radiance of [Harmony], all falsehoods and lies have nowhere to hide. Our secrets would surely be exposed."
"Sunday, I believe you will make the right choice. Only [Order] can bring true peace to the world. Only [Order] can create the paradise we envision."
After Gopher Wood spoke earnestly, it controlled the Night Thrush to flap its wings and depart, leaving Sunday alone to ponder.
After a long while, this brother who cherished his sister raised his head, gazing at the eternal 'Dawn' outside the window. The head of the Oak Family, bearing the fate of 107,330 compatriots, finally made his decision.
"I'm sorry, Robin. For our compatriots, for creating the paradise we envision… I have no choice but to do this!"
— — — —
Herta Space Station, in the private room of the Emanator of Erudition, Herta…
Watching the clock's hands tick round and round, our Miss Herta's heart grew slightly anxious. When the hands reached 8:15 system time, this usually calm and composed woman could no longer sit still.
Standing up from the soft couch, a mix of grievance and irritation flashed in Herta's eyes.
"Heh, should I really not have had any expectations?" Herta's expression was cold, and she muttered to herself icily.
Last night, she and Yun Fan had agreed to meet at 8:00 system time this morning in her private room. As for whether he could find the place, she hadn't even considered it, because for an Aeon, it was as simple as drinking water or breathing. Yet now, a full fifteen minutes past their agreed time, Yun Fan still hadn't shown up, which meant he had stood her up.
"Hehehe, I'll remember this grudge, great Lord Aeon of Causality."
Herta gritted her teeth, her face cold as frost. However, just as her words fell, a slightly teasing voice came from behind her.
"Oh? You'll remember this grudge? May I ask, Lady Herta, what grudge are you holding?"
The voice reached Herta's ears, causing the Emanator of Erudition's body to stiffen slightly, and even her imposing aura waned a bit. But just a few seconds later, she reverted to her earlier 'overbearing' demeanor.
"Hmph! Of course, I'm holding a grudge against you. We agreed on 8:00 system time, and now you're a full fifteen minutes late."
"Making a lady wait this long—don't you think that's terribly rude?" Herta crossed her arms, tilting her little head proudly, looking entirely justified.
It's worth noting that the Herta standing here was not one of the hundreds of puppets left at the Herta Space Station but her genuine, true body. To prepare for Yun Fan's arrival, she had specifically used her powers as an Emanator of Erudition to teleport her real body from Belobog to here. So, what Yun Fan saw was a mature young woman with her arms crossed, looking as though she was sulking over her boyfriend breaking a promise.
Seeing this, our Mr. Yun Fan felt a slight stir in his heart. While Herta's puppet form was charming, the real body of this young woman before him was even more captivating. As for her actual age of over two hundred years… Yun Fan didn't care about that at all.
"You seem to be thinking about something improper."
Sensing Yun Fan's somewhat heated gaze, our Lady Herta couldn't help but shiver, tightening her clothes as a wary expression appeared on her face. But beyond that, deep in her heart, a tiny sense of pride and secret delight also emerged, as if…
"Haha, nothing, nothing. You invited me here and offered such a price, so I assume it's something particularly urgent, right?"
"Please, tell me. As long as it's something I can help with, I absolutely won't refuse." Yun Fan patted his chest, exuding an air of 'leave it all to me.' Of course, he already knew Herta's purpose from earlier; he was just putting on an act now.
'You can definitely help, and only you can help. If you can't help, then no one in this world can.'
Herta silently grumbled in her heart.
"Since that's the case, I'll trouble you. After it's done, you can name any condition."
"I'd like to know about your life before you became an Aeon."
"Before becoming an Aeon…" Hearing Herta's words, our Mr. Yun Fan seemed somewhat sentimental.
"You're not the first to ask me. A while ago, the head of the Oak Family in Penacony asked me the same thing."
Herta: "???"
"Before I achieved Aeonhood…"
"Wait!" Herta hurriedly interrupted Yun Fan, then grabbed his arm, asking for confirmation, "Are you saying the information from those [Harmony] 'Family' people in Penacony is true?!"
Herta's face froze instantly. Yesterday, she had boldly declared that the Penacony folks were liars, but now it seemed they hadn't been lying?
"By common rationality, yes."
'Slap—!'
Herta slapped her own face, on the verge of tears. Good grief, she had outsmarted herself this time. There was readily available information that the Genius Society could have obtained from the Family for a small price. But now… ugh… I really messed up!
Just as Herta was feeling dejected, our Mr. Yun Fan raised an eyebrow and spoke up at the right moment.
"Of course, the information I gave the 'Family' wasn't entirely accurate. A large part of it actually deviates from the truth…"