The Galactic Frontier.
In a lifeless, disaster-stricken star system.
A mysterious tall tower loomed in the small vortex, like a witch's abode from a fairy tale.
Inside the tower, sunlight poured through pink stained-glass windows, casting a dreamlike glow upon the room, illuminating the bed and the sleeping face of the person on it.
"Ms. Herta, an uninvited guest has arrived on your territory."
A life-like puppet, with forked hair and a black beret adorned with a purple iris, stood respectfully before the large bed to make its report.
"Yawn~"
The distinguished member #83 of the Genius Society, the young, charming, and adorable human female, heard the report, half-opened her eyes, and sat up, covering a yawn with her hand.
"Oh? An uninvited guest? The Corporation? The Intelligentsia Guild, or a member of the Genius Society?"
Herta's hair was a little messy as she inquired about the specifics.
"An Emanator, ma'am."
The "Herta" puppet bowed and replied.
"An Emanator?"
Hearing those two words, Herta's interest was piqued, and she instantly became wide awake.
"Whose?"
Herta threw off the covers and stepped barefoot onto the cold floor.
"An Emanator of The Hunt."
The "Herta" puppet retrieved the relevant information through the special communication network shared between Hertas and replied.
"Based on eyewitness accounts, it should be that Emanator of The Hunt who's been making waves recently, the eighth Arbiter-General of the Xianzhou Alliance."
The "Herta" puppet answered every question.
"The eighth Arbiter-General?"
Herta continued to walk forward. At the same time, she stretched her arms out to her sides, and upon seeing this, numerous puppets swarmed forward in unison.
Some combed her hair, some wiped her fingers with a handkerchief, some braided her hair, and others followed closely behind, holding the clothes she was to change into. It was a picture of perfect coordination.
"Why would he come to Azure Star?"
"It's unclear, but for now, it seems he's just passing through and looking around," the "Herta" puppet replied.
"Interesting."
Herta's lips curled into a slight smile. "As I recall, not long after the news of his emergence was released, this Arbiter-General took on three Lord Ravagers, didn't he?"
"Celenova, Iron Tomb, and Phantylia."
"Three Lord Ravagers—two retreated, one died. What an exaggerated battle record. He's almost on par with that Kakamond fellow."
Of course, none of this was what Herta was most concerned about. What she truly cared about was the unique nature of this Arbiter-General.
"Someone who can summon an Aeon for aid is a rare sight indeed."
Except for those on the Path of Erudition, Emanators of other Paths are not so easily killed. It didn't take a genius to know there was more to the story.
"If I could invite such an existence for a test, it would be a great help to my Simulated Universe. It might even attract an Aeon to truly enter the stage."
Herta mused to herself.
She was different from those common folk; she was a genius.
No eyewitness proof doesn't mean no traces were left behind. What could truly kill an Emanator? A little investigation and the answer would naturally reveal itself.
This was the difference between an Emanator of Erudition and Emanators of other factions. One had to use their brain a little more, not be a crude brute.
The energy fluctuations in that area had experienced an extremely terrifying spike in an instant, even causing spatial distortion, on a level not at all inferior to the computing power she used to see Nous.
If nothing else, it was clear that Lan had made a move.
Now that was intriguing. The Aeon of The Hunt had manifested twice recently.
One time created this eighth Arbiter-General, and the other time, it was highly likely that Lan personally eliminated his enemy for him.
She thought this was enough to prove the special nature of this Arbiter-General.
Herta walked to a dark purple carpet where a deep purple staff floated, her bare feet stepping lightly upon it.
She aimed the staff at the keyhole in the center of the carpet, then controlled it to descend. The magic carpet lifted off the ground.
"Since he's come to Azure Star, allow me to extend the courtesy of a host."
As she spoke, like a magical girl transformation, the outfit held by the puppets appeared on Herta's body after a fleeting flash of light.
In a certain sense, she and Leon were the same kind of person. If they wanted to do something, they would absolutely do it.
Because that's just the kind of woman she was.
Azure Star, Commercial District.
Click!
The flash of the camera went off once again.
Along the way, March 7th took pictures of various places. However, the number of times she photographed him was just too much. She couldn't help but take a picture of him everywhere; it was like she took a picture with every step.
March 7th mumbled to herself, following a few steps behind him, her head down as she scrolled through her photo album.
In the album, the photos she took of scenery and objects alone were perfectly normal, without any issues.
But whenever Leon was included, the scenery in the photo would become his backdrop, obscured by garbled code from an unknown source, leaving only him in focus.
It was as if nothing was allowed to tarnish his image, or perhaps it was a reflection of the ranking of importance between the three elements.
March 7th couldn't figure out where this garbled code bug came from. But she thought it was pretty cool and didn't see it as a problem, so she didn't bring it up with Leon.
"What's that thing Leon's carrying on his back?"
March 7th's gaze fell on Vanquisher out of the corner of her eye. She had originally thought it was just an accessory that came with his clothes, but judging from the shop owner's reaction earlier, it seemed to be something else.
Leon glanced down and then said, "When I have the chance, I'll teach you how to shoot a bow."
He remembered that March 7th was a bow user in the game, so it was a perfect match, so to speak.
Leon nodded.
"You need to learn daily life skills, but you also need to learn how to fight back when you encounter danger. Only then can you be considered well-rounded."
With the blessing of Fuli on her, he felt that even if she wasn't an Emanator, March 7th had to at least be a Pathstrider. Practicing some self-defense techniques would be good for her.
March 7th obediently nodded.
"This will help you live a normal life."
She had always kept Leon's words to heart and naturally wouldn't have any distrust; she would do whatever he asked.
Leon was somewhat moved by her obedience. It saved him a lot of trouble and made him willingly help her with many things.
When a person is completely obedient, doing as they're told even if they don't understand the action, his workload becomes practically zero, no different from just chatting with someone.
The only difference was that the content of the chat changed from interesting gossip to common life knowledge.
The two of them walked one after the other.
After walking for a short while, Leon finally stopped in front of a simple, private little eatery.
He had a good feeling about it. He'd expand the child's life experience here.
"Let's go. No amount of talking can compare to letting you experience it yourself."
With that thought, he pointed towards the shop door for March 7th, indicating that they were going in.
March 7th nodded.
Then she raised her camera and aimed it at the shop's sign. The moment the shutter clicked, another image was recorded in the small square device.
Another memory of the two of them together was made.
"Hold on, sir. We don't allow weapons to be carried inside!"
Before they could even enter, the two were stopped by security at the door.
Two security guards stood on the left and right of the entrance, like door gods screening the entering guests. These two were tall and strong, clearly trained fighters. They didn't seem like ordinary security guards; rather than guarding, they looked like they were on the lookout.
A small shop like this usually wouldn't need to hire security. It seemed there was someone important inside.
But that was none of Leon's business. He could go to the next restaurant, but he didn't like leaving without a reason. He needed a sufficiently persuasive reason to be turned away.
"Hey, what's wrong with cosplay? Are you looking down on cosplay? This is the closest replica of Lan's bow I could find. You don't think it looks like it?"
Leon casually plucked the bowstring, playing with it as if it were a musical instrument, indicating that it was just a toy.
The two guards shook their heads in unison, remaining incredibly strict.
"Please unequip your weapon before entering. If you're worried, we can temporarily store your fine bow for you. If any damage occurs, we will compensate you to your satisfaction."
Hearing this, Leon turned to leave without the slightest hesitation, signaling for the silly girl to follow.
To be honest, even if they dared to ask, he wouldn't dare to give it to them.
Even though its power was usually restrained within him, the sharp aura of Vanquisher was simply not something an ordinary person could withstand. A moment of carelessness could truly cost them their lives.
Besides, Vanquisher was one with his heart and mind, almost a part of his own flesh and blood. Asking him to take it off now? Was that a joke?
It was absolutely impossible.
Leon chose to solve the problem by finding another shop.
"Please wait. Sir, if you don't mind, why don't you come in with me?"
Just as March 7th was about to follow him, a pleasant, unfamiliar voice suddenly called out to them.
Looking over, a new pink-haired girl had appeared.
A new pink-haired girl, a little shorter than March 7th and a little taller than Cyrene, stood there. She had dusty pink, medium-length hair that just barely passed her shoulders.
She wore a dress with a white top and a dark purple skirt, with a light blue bow tied at the collar. The white coat, not worn properly but draped over her shoulders, had a very scholarly feel.
Behind her, a man followed closely.
The man was just a man. Other than having bronze, wheat-colored skin and being short enough to be considered a shota, there was nothing worth mentioning about him.
"Miss!" x2
Seeing the newcomer, the two guards immediately shouted respectfully, standing even straighter and puffing out their chests, trying to stand taller than the sky.
Considering their form of address, their desire to get ahead was obvious at a glance.
Could it be that he really couldn't escape a connection with pink-haired girls? Leon looked at her hair color and couldn't help but think so.
He vaguely recognized the newcomer. The damn mandatory single pull character for beginners. The memory was too deep; it was hard to forget even if he wanted to.
"You can just call me Sis Asta. And you, sir?"
The young lady's speech and manners were excellent, and she exuded an aura of high literary cultivation. She was clearly from a prestigious family.
With a few exceptions, Leon usually used a fake name.
He had originally wanted to use Boothill's name. But considering Boothill was a wanted criminal, and he was currently teaching someone about life rather than causing a scene, he decided against it.
"Mr. Jiang-jun?"
Sis Asta thought he might have a bit of an accent. What kind of good person calls themself 'General'? So she took the liberty of translating the name he gave into something that sounded more like a person's name.
"It sounds like a title for a Dragon Scion from the Xianzhou."
As Sis Asta said this, her gaze undoubtedly fell on the Phantylia who was just tagging along.
It was no exaggeration to say that her knowledge base could modestly be described as 'versed in all times and places.' Naturally, she couldn't be unaware of the existence of the Heliobus race.
Although its appearance was a bit strange, its form and other characteristics were identical to the descriptions of Heliobi in books.
"A Xianzhou native?"
Sis Asta made a preliminary judgment about his identity. Using a cold weapon, accompanied by a Heliobus—the probability of him not being a Xianzhou native was quite small.
Leon couldn't be bothered to correct her. As long as it couldn't be traced back to him, it was fine.
"The one behind me is Arlan. He's my guard."
After introducing herself, Sis Asta stepped aside to let the person behind her come into their view.
Arlan gave a slight nod in response.
Leon nudged the person beside him with his hand, clearly wanting her to introduce herself rather than him doing it for her.
There were still many things she needed to get familiar with in the future; they had to be conquered one by one.
"My name is July 3rd."
March 7th answered without a second thought, mimicking him and giving her name.
Leon was speechless for a moment.
Six six six. Was this what they called a child growing up watching their parents' back?
Don't copy me when I use a fake name! Or at least wait until you're better at it! He felt like he was corrupting an honest child...
"It's nice to meet you, Miss July 3rd."
Sis Asta took her seriously and returned a smile.
"So, what do you say? If you two don't mind, how about you come in with me?"
Sis Asta continued the previous topic.
"To be honest, the reason this place has become so heavily guarded is actually because of me."
Sis Asta replied, looking a bit helpless.
"I clearly warned the elders in my family not to make it too exaggerated, but I didn't expect them to completely ignore my words."
"So capital was at play after all?"
Leon watched as the passersby came and went without a single one stopping, not even casting a glance in this direction.
It was as if this shop was invisible; everyone tacitly ignored it.
He had felt something was off from the beginning. Now the case was solved. It was the big hand of capital at work.
"Tell me, what exactly did my father and the others do?"
Sis Asta sighed and asked the two guards at the door.
"Please rest assured, Miss."
The two guards didn't dare not answer.
"The master never used violence, nor did he threaten anyone."
"He simply distributed one hundred thousand credits to every household in the vicinity. There was only one condition in the contract: do not approach this restaurant today, otherwise, they would have to pay a penalty ten times the amount."
The security guard reported truthfully.
Leon couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.
The superpower of money was truly worthy of its reputation.
He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had decided to hand Vanquisher over to them and go inside.
Would the two of them have started negotiating with him how many credits it would take for him to part with it?
_____
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