"If you don't mind, March, you can call me Sister Lumina," Lumina said with a warm smile.
"Si... Sister Lumina!" March 7th's fear vanished completely at Lumina's gentle expression. She scurried to Lumina's side, hugged her arm, and carefully examined her face.
Staring at Lumina's flawless beauty, March 7th couldn't help but sigh in admiration. "Sister Lumina, you're so beautiful! Your skin is so smooth and perfect."
Lumina gently patted March 7th's head and chuckled. "You're adorable too, March."
"Hehe." Lumina's touch filled March 7th with an unprecedented warmth, reminding her of a mother's caresses.
Mother... The thought of a mother dimmed March 7th's eyes.
Then, gazing at Lumina's face, a bold idea suddenly bloomed in her mind. "Sister Lumina, why don't you become my mom!"
Lumina: ???
The others: ?
"Uh..." Lumina nearly lost her composure at March 7th's declaration, momentarily speechless.
"March!" Himeko and Dan Heng instinctively facepalmed, clearly speechless at March 7th's remark.
"Ahaha..." Lumina chuckled awkwardly. "Being a mother... let's just drop that idea."
"You can think of me as an older sister instead. I'll take good care of you," Lumina said softly, gently patting March 7th's head.
"Hmm... Okay," March 7th replied, a hint of disappointment in her voice, but she didn't press the matter further.
"Alright, Asta entrusted me with finding Arlan, so I can't stay here chatting any longer."
"If Arlan gets into danger because I wasted time chatting, I'll blame myself for the rest of my life." Lumina waved goodbye and turned to leave.
Asta: ...
Watching Lumina's retreating figure, Asta remained uneasy. With a serious expression, she addressed the crew of the Astral Express:
"Everyone, I need to ask for your help. I'm making this request in my family's name..."
"That Asta..." Lumina shook her head, a hint of exasperation in her eyes as she overheard Asta's conversation with the Astral Express crew.
Naturally, their dialogue couldn't escape Lumina's superhuman hearing. With her overwhelming power, even a Lord Ravager would kneel before her, let alone a few petty Voidrangers.
Healing life and saving sentient beings stood in direct opposition to the path of Destruction, so Lumina had encountered Lord Ravagers throughout the Amber Era. Yet without exception, whether facing her in honorable one-on-one duels or resorting to dishonorable attacks, none had ever proven her match.
This made Lumina genuinely curious about the image Asta held of her, the perception that led her to underestimate Lumina's strength so drastically.
If only I could read her mind, Lumina mused.
A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea. Unable to decipher it, Lumina decided to abandon the attempt.
Asta's misconception about her power didn't particularly bother Lumina. What concerned her was Asta's suggestion that they all go find Arlan together. How am I supposed to farm emotional resonance with the players if you're all here?
Well, if that's how it's going to be, don't blame me for taking matters into my own hands.
-
Meanwhile, in Herta's mysterious vault, a woman with burgundy hair and a young girl with silver hair materialized silently.
Oh, and there was also a young girl with white hair, but she remained hidden in the shadows, unnoticed by anyone.
"This trick is ingenious," the red-haired woman murmured, impressed by the hidden mechanism. "Truly worthy of the Genius Society."
"Kafka, the Stellaron is right there. Hurry up," the silver-haired girl beside her urged, eyeing the golden sphere before them.
"Don't rush, Silver Wolf. We have time," Kafka replied calmly, her movements graceful as she slowly approached the Stellaron.
"It's protected by an independent device," she observed. "It seems the Stellaron isn't just another ordinary artifact for Herta."
"So, can you retrieve it?"
"Of course I can. In the realm of hacking, even Herta is no match for me." Silver Wolf puffed out her chest, radiating pride.
"Alright, alright. Then I'll leave the vessel selection to you," Kafka said with a smile.
"Isn't she just acting like that clingy, whiny fungus again?" Lumina muttered, quietly munching on her potato chips as she watched Silver Wolf's smug demeanor.
[ Host, this is the main storyline! Are you sure you don't want to go down there and make yourself known? ] the System prompted.
"If I go down now, it'll be hard to explain my presence later," Lumina replied, continuing to eat her chips and ignoring the System's suggestion.
[Oh, right.]
Lumina's gaze returned to the scene below. Kafka had already secured the Stellaron and approached Silver Wolf. Silver Wolf tapped a few times on the screen and pushed it toward Kafka.
"The vessels are ready. Choose one."
Holding the Stellaron, Kafka looked up at the screen. Only two options were displayed: "Stelle" and "Caelus."
Faced with the choice before her, Kafka paused, lost in thought.
"Ellio said, 'This decision must be yours,'" Silver Wolf reminded her, observing Kafka's conflicted expression.
"Hmm..." Kafka tapped her finger on the screen, then asked, puzzled, "Why does it feel like this vessel, Stelle, has suddenly become so much more radiant?"
"? What the heck?" Silver Wolf leaned closer to take a look, then waved dismissively. "Ah, that? No big deal. Just hurry up and choose."
"Okay." Kafka nodded, accepting the explanation without further questions. She activated the Stelle vessel, and in an instant, Stelle appeared before them.
"Whew..." Silver Wolf let out a sigh of relief. "If both vessels had malfunctioned, we'd have been toast."
Without hesitation, Kafka grasped the Stellaron and strode toward Stelle.
-
[ What did you do? ] the System asked Lumina, bewildered by the scene unfolding before it.
Lumina finished her potato chips, gracefully wiped her fingers and mouth, and replied, "I didn't do anything, ha."
While she did favor Stelle slightly, she hadn't forced Kafka to make a different choice. Whether Kafka chose Stelle or Caelus, it wouldn't hinder her progress in raising player affinity.
Lumina quietly watched Stelle lying on the ground, waiting for Kafka and Silver Wolf to leave.
Once they were gone, Lumina swiftly materialized beside Stelle, a radiant smile blooming on her face. "She's quite a rare beauty~"
Kneeling, she gently placed Stelle's head on her lap, offering her a lap pillow.
"Now, we just wait for you to wake up~"