"Huh?"
Baiheng was stunned for a moment, then realized "she" referred to Madam Herta. She scratched her head and answered honestly, "I... I guess I am a little scared. She... she can be quite frightening sometimes, especially her eyes. When she looks at you, it feels like she can see right through everything you're thinking..."
She muttered a complaint softly, then quickly added, "But! She saved my life! Although the method was a bit... strange, and she made me call her Master..."
Her face flushed again when she said this.
"Saved your life?" Cyrene caught the word.
"Yes!"
Baiheng nodded vigorously, her gaze becoming distant, filled with the emotion of surviving a great catastrophe. "I... I should have died. During a great battle, trying to destroy something terrifying... she pulled me out of the explosion."
She didn't elaborate on the matters of Xianzhou and Shuhu, thinking it might be too complicated.
Cyrene listened quietly, thoughts swirling in her deep blue eyes.
An existence that saves others' lives... seemed to contradict the "Iron Tomb" that bound her here and radiated cold malice.
Baiheng watched Cyrene's silence, and the urge to help her grew stronger in her heart.
She walked a few steps below the chains, looking up and observing closely: "These chains... they don't seem like physical metal? They feel... more like some kind of energy or..."
She tried to reach out and touch the nearest chain, but her fingertips stopped a few centimeters away. A bone-chilling repulsion kept her from getting any closer.
"It's useless."
Cyrene spoke softly, her tone carrying a resigned calm. "This is the manifestation of the Iron Tomb's power. It is bondage, and it is also... a brand."
It was the solidification of the painful Remembrance that was corrupted and controlled.
"A brand..."
Baiheng chewed on the word, and seeing Cyrene's dimmed eyes, she felt terribly upset.
She clenched her small fists, her gaze firm. "No! We can't give up! Madam Herta... even though she seems cold, I don't think she's completely unreasonable! Maybe... maybe there's a way we can beg her? Or... we can figure out how to break these chains ourselves?"
Baiheng began to look around fancifully, searching for a possible switch or weak point. She even tried jumping up to reach the chains, but unfortunately, her height and jumping ability were nowhere near enough. Her clumsy yet earnest efforts formed a strange contrast with the gloomy environment.
Cyrene watched her hop around like a small animal desperately trying to reach a high-up snack. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly—it could barely be called a smile—but it dispelled a trace of the gloom in her eyes.
This unfamiliar maiden with fox ears was like a ray of light unexpectedly shining into the abyss. Though faint, it brought a long-lost, vibrant aura of "life."
"Bai... Heng?" Cyrene spoke again, pronouncing her name awkwardly.
"Yes! I'm here!"
Baiheng immediately stopped her futile jumping, lifted her face, and looked at Cyrene with bright, azure eyes.
"...Thank you," Cyrene said softly.
Thank you for your concern, and thank you for this untimely yet incredibly precious kindness.
Baiheng paused, then a brilliant smile bloomed on her face, as if it could drive away the surrounding darkness. "You're welcome! Are we... are we friends now?"
She asked cautiously, with a hint of anticipation.
Friends?
Cyrene looked at those clear eyes, free of any impurities, and a cold, hard corner of her heart seemed to quietly loosen a fraction.
She did not answer, only blinking again, ever so slightly.
Baiheng took this as agreement, and her smile brightened further.
She secretly vowed in her heart that she must find a way to help this sad yet gentle friend trapped by chains.
Perspective shift.
Madam Herta's figure silently reappeared in the pure white System Space.
She smoothed her skirt, which wasn't actually messy, and her gaze habitually swept the surroundings, then paused slightly—the white Fox Girl was gone.
"Hmm?"
With a thought, she summoned the System Panel and quickly retrieved the recorded footage from within the space.
In the footage, Baiheng was like a curious yet timid small animal, first peeking out from behind the railings, then cautiously walking down the stairs to approach the chain-bound Cyrene. Following that was their conversation about "the Iron Tomb is too evil," "Madam Herta is a bit scary but saved me," and "let's be friends"... Watching Baiheng's clumsy attempts to jump and reach the chains, and the slight melting of the frost in Cyrene's eyes due to the unexpected kindness, Madam Herta's mouth twitched uncontrollably a few times.
(Inner Monologue: This... why does this development feel strange? I was clearly supposed to be the villain, but the longer I play the role, the more it feels like I'm becoming... ugh, the Tyrannical Master and her two pitiful little pets? Also, Baiheng, I heard your complaint about me being 'too evil'!)
She rubbed her temples, feeling that the direction of events seemed to be deviating from the path of a "villain."
In truth, she wished more than anyone to immediately end Cyrene's misery, but her gaze fell upon the glaring [Core Restoration: 28%] on the System Panel... (Inner sigh: Just 2% left! Just this cursed 2%! And I have to earn this 2% by continuing to act as the "villain"! What kind of ridiculous rule did Aha set?!)
An inexplicable wave of annoyance welled up in her heart.
Her gaze unintentionally fell upon the Herta Puppet standing motionless beside her, like an exquisite decoration.
The puppet maintained Herta's classic appearance—a petite body, precise structures visible at the joints, wearing the iconic Beret, with a delicate but lifeless face, like a wind-up toy waiting to be activated.
Driven by an impulse, Black Herta raised her hand, her slender fingertip slowly approaching the puppet's cheek.
Just as she was about to touch it, the System Panel suddenly popped up a notification in front of her:
[Detected an Unowned High-Level Vessel that can be assimilated/modified. Proceed with 'the corruption' and 'Personalized Remodeling'?]
Black Herta was slightly startled.
(Inner Monologue: Unowned? Oh right, I already severed its connection to Herta herself... Personalized Remodeling? Sounds kind of interesting?)
Driven by a hint of curiosity and the thought of finding a new "toy" to distract herself, she selected [Yes].
In an instant, purple-red Data Streams surged from Black Herta's fingertip like living tentacles, quickly enveloping the entire Herta Puppet!
The Data Stream violently churned and reconstructed the puppet's surface like boiling liquid!
After a few breaths, the purple-red light receded.
The original Herta Puppet had completely transformed!
The puppet's figure remained petite, but faint, vine-like purple patterns spread from the corners of its eyes across its formerly plain face, adding a touch of mystery.
The familiar dress she wore was modified into a dark-themed style. The fabric seemed stiffer, detailed with simple yet aesthetic silver Skull Ornaments, and the skirt was sharply cut, giving it a dark fashion aesthetic.
Her hair had turned deep purple, like the descent of night.
The most striking feature was the pair of open eyes—the formerly inorganic pupils had now turned a deep purplish-red, and a tiny Inverted Cross Pattern was clearly branded deep within the pupils!
The puppet stiffly turned its neck, emitting a faint mechanical sound. It then faced Black Herta, held its arms straight out, and loudly proclaimed, word by word, in a flat, completely inorganic voice:
"Madam Herta! Unrivaled in the world!"
"Madam Herta! Supremely intelligent!"
"Madam Herta! Of devastating beauty!"
"Madam Herta! Of transcendent beauty!"