Seeing Welt's expression, Lynelle couldn't help but let the corners of her lips curl upward.
If you could keep a straight face in front of an expression like that, you could probably succeed at anything—no doubt about it.
Joining the Astral Express was bound to bring her face-to-face with Welt eventually. Fortunately, Lynelle had long been mentally prepared for it.
Of course, given that her own existence was something of a Schrödinger's cat across timelines, she couldn't even be sure which version of Welt this was until they'd spoken.
So she needed to test the waters first—to figure out just how much to reveal about her abilities.
And the perfect opportunity for that test was right now.
After all, Lynelle hadn't officially joined the Express yet.
Strictly speaking, she and Welt weren't even comrades at this point. So, for the time being, being vague about her abilities would be more than enough to get by.
She could always decide how to explain herself properly once she'd learned more about his situation.
"Ah, Uncle Yang's coming over! Uh… but why does he look so surprised?"
March 7th had also noticed Welt approaching.
"Maybe he's startled by Lynelle. After all, that move of hers…"
Dan Heng's expression turned somewhat odd, as if he were puzzling over how someone as delicate-looking as Lynelle could unleash an attack that even left him a little shaken.
"It felt like it defied the law of conservation of energy, somehow."
"I don't really get it, but it sounds impressive…"
Scratching her head, Stelle suddenly brightened.
"Lynelle, Lynelle, what would happen if you hit the white spear with that black sword?"
"Uh…"
Just as the group was chatting happily, the Doomsday Beast—which had seemed utterly defeated moments before—suddenly lifted its head again.
No, perhaps "lifted" wasn't the right word. One moment it had been hanging its head, completely lifeless—the next, as if tugged by some unseen force, its head was wrenched upward in a way that was clearly not of its own volition.
Then, an energy beam far surpassing any of its previous attacks gathered instantly in its maw and shot straight toward…
Lynelle's position?
"Lynelle!"
Before Lynelle could even process the situation, a gray-haired figure had already thrown her arms wide and stepped protectively in front of her without hesitation.
In an instant, a massive surge of energy slammed into Stelle's chest. Under the assault, golden light erupted wildly from within her, as though provoked by the impact.
Yet Lynelle, safe and sound under Stelle's protection, stood frozen in place as if in a trance. She neither dodged nor used any tools to defend herself.
Because… at the exact moment Stelle was struck, she too was being watched.
Now, the scenery of the space station's platform vanished completely from Lynelle's vision. It was as if she were plunged into total darkness, with only a single point of light remaining—a gaze.
A gaze from Nanook.
And that gaze alone was enough to render Lynelle completely immobile. Unlike Stelle, who could still act freely whenever she entered the narrow interval of a Path, Lynelle felt more like she'd been captured by Destruction itself.
Why is Nanook fixating on me?! There's a whole Stellaron right beside me—aren't you going to look at that? Why stare at me? Do I look like one of your Emanators or something?!
Lynelle screamed inwardly, soundlessly.
But just then…
Crack—
Accompanied by a sound like shattering glass and a faint, elusive chuckle, the world before Lynelle's eyes abruptly began to break apart.
To put it more accurately, from Lynelle's perspective, it felt like she was being… "fished" out.
The system had played a part, as had the authority of the Cocoon.
She'd even sensed the power of at least two different Paths at work in that single instant—though, given her limited understanding of Paths, she couldn't identify who had saved her.
But Lynelle was certain: more than one being had intervened just now.
Only…
Perhaps it was because her consciousness had been overloaded in such a short span, but the moment she left the Path's narrow interval, an overwhelming wave of dizziness washed over her.
The young woman didn't even have a chance to react before her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.
"Huh?! Wha—why did Lynelle collapse too?"
By now, Welt had reached the four on the platform. Just as in the original course of events, he easily subdued the out-of-control Stelle and gave her a "hard reset."
But before anyone could breathe a sigh of relief, Lynelle—who had been safely shielded by Stelle moments before—suddenly dropped to the ground as if struck by some invisible force, falling into a deep sleep right then and there.
"Did she… faint from fright?"
Dan Heng was also startled by the sudden turn of events.
"Unlikely. Her spirit seems to have grown extremely weak all of a sudden… Was she caught in the backlash of that attack just now?"
Welt shook his head slightly.
As someone once known for his tenacity and resilience, his understanding of the human body far surpassed that of ordinary people.
With just a glance, he could accurately assess a person's condition.
"Regardless, let's get them back to the space station first. There are plenty of medical devices there that might help examine her. Besides…"
Welt hesitated, leaving his sentence unfinished.
There were simply too many things about this girl named Lynelle that piqued his interest.
Leaving aside the Black Abyss White Flower she had used earlier, and her uncanny resemblance to a "certain someone" from his past, when he checked Lynelle's condition just now, Welt had also sensed an eerily familiar presence within her.
If he wasn't mistaken… it might be a Herrscher core.
"Wait."
A cool, clear woman's voice interrupted Welt's thoughts.
"You can leave her to me."
"Madam Herta, it's been a while."
Welt nodded slightly in greeting, but he couldn't hide his surprise upon seeing the visitor's appearance. "You… came to the space station in person this time?"
"Hmph, with such a big commotion going on, of course I had to see for myself."
With a light wave of her staff, Herta made Lynelle's body float up from the ground, then settle into a rather… intimate position in her arms.
With another casual flick of her wrist, the Doomsday Beast still lying on the platform was sent flying off the edge.
"Ahem… Madam Herta, I won't stop you from taking her, but before you do, I'd like to offer a word of advice."
Perhaps it was the stern look on Herta's face, or the way she seemed intent on "taking Lynelle away" that reminded Welt of some rather unpleasant possibilities.
In any case, he stepped forward, hoping to appeal on the girl's behalf.
"You must be aware that the universe contains countless beings both similar and different, and most of them end up walking a similar path."
"As for the young lady in your arms… I have witnessed the story of one who resembled her, and heard a friend describe the endings of many 'versions' of her. In all those countless outcomes, 'she' invariably made the same admirable choice. So I believe this young lady likely isn't responsible for this attack—"
"Uncle Yang…"
March 7th, only now understanding what Welt was implying, gently tugged at his sleeve.
"Madam Herta probably just wants to treat Lynelle, not suspect her of being the mastermind or anything. Because… Lynelle is her lab assistant…"
"What?"
Welt, who had just disembarked from the Express and hadn't yet been briefed on Lynelle by March 7th and Dan Heng, was taken aback.
"Pfft… You certainly have quite the imagination."
Herta was amused by the misunderstanding. "Relax, I came here specifically for her. Why would I do anything to harm her? Or to put it another way, Mr. Welt… you didn't actually think the 'big commotion' I referred to was the space station being attacked, did you?"
"Asta must have told you—I never involve myself in managing the space station. As things stand, the space station's priority in my mind is far, far below that of this little one."
"Could it be… I see. It seems my judgment was lacking."
Welt adjusted his glasses. As everyone knew, Herta, as a member of the Genius Society, hardly ever had any need for something like a lab assistant.
And judging by the familiar way she held Lynelle… describing their relationship as merely "lab assistant" might be a bit of an understatement.
Having come from the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, Welt understood in an instant what might really be going on.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.