Planarcadia, Duomension City. The summer sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows across the tree-lined paths.
The sound of cicadas drifted lazily to their ears.
Herta leaned on her magic staff. Around her, Herta puppets fanned her with handheld fans while two others carried blocks of ice. The Fifth Mirror had even reserved a mobile solar-powered outdoor air conditioner. Wisteria Cake and Ruan Mei Cake sat on top of it, eyes closed, nestled together.
Herta's pace slowed slightly, her peripheral gaze lingering on Ruan Mei beside her. She discreetly signaled a few puppets to fan Ruan Mei as well.
"Oh, Ruan Mei, about the Simulated Universe experiment data on Ouroboros and Aha—Aha stole Ouroboros's authority of Aftertaste, throwing the entire Voracity Path into an unpredictable state."
Ruan Mei said nothing, her expression still and calm. But her gaze casually swept past a blonde woman drinking coffee at a nearby café.
"The authority of Aftertaste... she's likely somewhere in Planarcadia."
Herta paused, following Ruan Mei's gaze. One look was enough to see that the blonde woman was off—her Path power faintly linked to Voracity. Her presence was like a drop of ink in a lake brimming with Elation and Abundance—noticeably out of place, but not enough to stir a storm.
They reached the café. The indoor air conditioning had long since sealed out the scorching summer heat beyond the windows, leaving a thin layer of mist on the glass.
Kuchiba slowly set down her coffee cup. She opened her eyes and glanced over at them. When her gaze swept across Herta and Ruan Mei, she was visibly startled.
Neither of them showed any surprise—only the quiet anticipation of finding a new research subject.
And these two were not the kind of stone-headed fools who merely mimicked human paintings.
Kuchiba instinctively rose to leave—but the entire café was already surrounded by Herta puppets. The lead puppet issued an ultimatum.
"Everyone here, this café has been reserved by Madam Herta. All expenses will be covered, plus compensation for the inconvenience. Please leave immediately."
A few patrons and mecha stared in disbelief, exchanging glances—only to find credits suddenly appearing in their hands. Who would turn down money? With extra compensation in hand, the bystanders quickly got up and left. Whatever was about to happen, they weren't about to risk their lives to find out.
Herta and Ruan Mei sat down directly across from Kuchiba, ordering two coffees.
Kuchiba kept her composure, speaking first with practiced calm.
"I'm Kuchiba, from the Abnormal Defense Department. You two geniuses—I don't recall Planarcadia having any roles for you in its current script, does it?"
Herta crossed her arms, took a sip of her coffee, and her expression flickered for just a moment. Damn, it's bitter. Was this café recommended by Himeko?
Ruan Mei had already added sugar to her coffee.
"Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we've come to Planarcadia ourselves. Please cooperate with our research. In the end, we may both benefit without conflict."
Kuchiba lowered her head in silence. Cooperating with two geniuses renowned across the universe? It seemed more reliable than working with that mechanical stone head. But wasn't this also a gamble? Still, her people had already lost the Aftertaste—they were at a dead end. Taking a risky step forward might not be such a bad thing.
Of course, 'Yu Qingtu' was also a wild card. But Ouroboros, the ancient god, would protect her descendants.
(A/N: The main story ends here. The wedding will be in an extra chapter.)
(T/N: I'll mark this story as complete now, and add the wedding to this chapter when it comes out, probably.)