The thought that had just flashed through Asta's mind upon waking, but soon she negated this idea.
No other reason; although she was currently wearing a white evening gown, both of their clothes were intact, and since both were girls, what could possibly have happened?
"Phew... While the Trailblazer hasn't woken up yet, I should slip away quickly. If she wakes up, it'll be hard to explain."
Asta lightly and carefully removed her little hand that was hugging the other's arm, went to the bathroom, quickly changed into her work clothes, and then cautiously left her own room.
'Phew...!'
The moment the room door closed, our Miss Asta finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wu, why does my head feel so dizzy? Could it be that bottle of wine from Lady Herta has something wrong with it? It shouldn't be..."
Feeling the stabbing pain and fatigue transmitted from her mind, Asta involuntarily furrowed her brows.
"It shouldn't be; Lady Herta she..."
"Asta."
Just as Asta was pondering, a clear and cold voice intruded into her ears, pulling her thoughts back.
"Eh? It's Lady Ruan Mei!"
Asta, who was deep in thought, lifted her head. Upon seeing clearly the person who had called her name, the girl politely bowed.
Ruan Mei, just like her own teacher, was also an Emanator of the Erudition Aeon Nous.
Although in terms of combat power, Erudition Emanators might not be particularly skilled in battle, their wisdom and knowledge were absolutely top-tier in the galaxy.
Otherwise, how could they receive the gaze of the Erudition Aeon?
"Mm."
Regarding Asta's respectful demeanor, our Miss Ruan Mei merely nodded indifferently.
Of course, this was not because Ruan Mei looked down on the other; it was simply that this scientist miss's personality was inherently like this. Toward Asta, she had no opinions or dissatisfactions.
"Asta, can you contact Herta?"
"Lady Herta? Sorry, Lady Ruan Mei, Teacher Herta took a special flight to Penacony early yesterday morning; she's probably on the aircraft right now."
Without concealing anything, Asta truthfully told Ruan Mei about Herta's whereabouts.
"Went to Penacony? What is Herta going there for?" Hearing Asta's words, Ruan Mei was slightly surprised; after all, between her and Herta, there was still a certain information gap.
"The planet of festivities Penacony? I see. By the way, before Herta left, did she tell you where she placed the wondrous object she was helping me prepare?"
"Won-wondrous object?"
Hearing the words "wondrous object," Asta's heart skipped a beat. The girl seemed to recall something, but she needed to verify it to confirm if it was what she thought.
"La-Lady Ruan Mei, may I ask, what kind of thing is the wondrous object you asked Lady Herta to help prepare?"
"It's a wondrous object that can distort the mind; its overall appearance should be similar to wine."
Ruan Mei roughly described the wondrous object's appearance to Asta, and upon hearing this description, our Miss Asta's face immediately turned pale.
'This thing is entrusted to you; the aircraft to Penacony is about to arrive, I'm leaving first.'
Yesterday, after Herta tossed a bottle of red wine to Asta, without waiting for the girl to ask in detail, she hurriedly left the Herta Space Station and set off for Penacony.
At that time, Asta, who received the bottle of red wine, was utterly confused, the girl not understanding at all why Lady Herta would toss a bottle of red wine to her.
Not understanding Lady Herta's actions, Asta placed that bottle of red wine in her office until the afternoon, close to evening.
The space station received a communication from the Astral Express, and after learning that the Astral Express would arrive in two hours, Asta suddenly realized.
So Lady Herta had known in advance about the Astral Express's arrival and thus left a bottle of red wine for her to entertain the train's passengers.
Then, Asta did indeed do so. But who would have thought that this bottle of red wine was actually not wine for hosting guests, but a wondrous object that could affect the human mind.
"Your heartbeat has accelerated, exceeding the normal limit by 30%, and your face is slightly pale, seeming like some oxygen deficiency. Stationmaster Asta, has your body developed some issue?"
Although Ruan Mei didn't quite understand Asta's current reaction, as a scientist, one specialized in life sciences.
With her insight, she instantly noticed Asta's abnormality at this moment.
"I, um... this..."
After hesitating and struggling for a moment, our Stationmaster Asta still truthfully explained to Ruan Mei the whereabouts of that bottle of red wine and the ins and outs of the matter.
After listening to Asta's words, Ruan Mei fell slightly silent, not saying anything. But this scene in Asta's eyes did not appear very friendly.
"I'm sorry, Lady Ruan Mei; I will definitely find a way to return your wondrous object to you!" Asta voiced her apology, her heart pounding like a drum.
Please please! Absolutely do not let Lady Herta know about this; if she fires me, then I'd have no choice but to go home and inherit the family fortune!
Just as Asta was in a state of panic, our Lady Ruan Mei finally spoke.
"Was that wine-like wondrous object only drunk by you and that Miss Himeko?"
"Uh... yes, only the two of us, Lady Himeko and I, drank it."
"I see..." Ruan Mei nodded, pondered for a moment, then said, "That wondrous object was originally intended for me to use in creating life, but since it has already been used by you, then please take me to see that Miss Himeko as well."
"Regarding the people of the Astral Express, those Nameless who helped the Xianzhou Luofu resolve the Lord Ravager of Destruction, I am also quite curious... They must surely be excellent material for life research."
This latter half-sentence, our Miss Ruan Mei said in her heart.
She simply didn't quite understand human emotions and wasn't foolish; if she said this directly, Asta would absolutely not dare to take her to see those Nameless.
"Meet the Nameless? Sure, Lady Ruan Mei."
Hearing Ruan Mei's request, Asta slightly breathed a sigh of relief. If it was just meeting the Nameless, that was no problem, as long as the other didn't complain to Herta and force her to go home and inherit that billions in wealth.
Moreover, just right, after learning that bottle of wine was actually a wondrous object, Asta had planned to personally go to the Astral Express to apologize to Himeko; now taking Ruan Mei along could be considered convenient.