T/N: I assume that volumes aren't connected in chronological order, so this is the start of a new volume(Herta's)
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[Herta: Don't bother sending me this junk next time. I was mildly curious at first, but now it's all just mass-produced garbage. You really have the nerve to call these "divine artifacts"?]
[Herta: Instead of cluttering my inbox with useless scrap, why don't you send Sung Jin-woo over for me to study?]
[Castorice: ...I'm not some heartless mogul, Herta. I can't just sell off my employees.]
[Herta: If you asked, I'm sure he'd be more than willing.]
[Castorice: Cha-sunbae is calling me for dinner. Let's talk later...]
[Herta: ?]
[Amber: Herta, how are things on your end? Still short-handed?]
[Herta: Doesn't my Approval Rating speak for itself? Besides me, who else is fit for the top spot?]
[Herta: It's been over a hundred years of development, and I've poured a massive amount of Approval into this place. There's still plenty to keep me busy, but at least I don't have to do every little thing myself anymore.]
[Amber: That's good to hear. By the way, when do you plan on heading to Earth?]
[Herta: Asta is already on her way. Calculating the time... she should be arriving soon.]
Inside a silver-gray office brimming with high-tech aesthetics, a beautiful young girl sat at her desk. She had light brown hair, violet eyes, and wore a whimsical witch's hat.
Closing the chat group, Herta raised a hand to summon a holographic screen.
With a flick of her thoughts, the translucent display shifted to show a corridor. Simultaneously, aboard a starship in the far reaches of the galaxy, a Herta puppet opened its eyes.
Knowing exactly where Asta was, Herta wasted no time navigating to the file archive.
"Ah... Madam Herta?"
Startled by the sound of the door and approaching footsteps, a pink-haired girl busy sorting documents spun around immediately.
Though Amber was behind both identities, after so many years, they had long since grown accustomed to addressing each other by their current personas.
"What are you doing in here? You're almost at Earth. Are you not busy enough as it is?" The puppet's face remained expressionless, her voice devoid of any discernible emotion.
Asta, however, was well-acquainted with this manner of speaking.
"I just wanted to do a final check on the ceasefire agreement sent by the Kree," Asta said sheepishly. "I didn't have much else to do, and if I'm not keeping busy, I just can't seem to settle my mind."
"Fine. Just don't forget the actual mission."
Herta had only come to give her a nudge. Having delivered the message, she abruptly severed the link.
Watching the now-lifeless puppet, Asta mentally retraced the steps of their current operation.
Over a hundred years ago, Herta had arrived in this world.
She hadn't descended directly onto Earth, but rather on a planet with a similar environment and geography. In that moment, she realized she was likely in a world that spanned the entire universe.
On that planet, known as The Blue, the inhabitants looked identical to Earthlings. Their technology wasn't particularly formidable, but they were advanced enough to be part of the galactic community.
However, once Herta arrived, The Blue's technological prowess underwent a violent expansion fueled by her genius alone.
In just a few generations, she transformed the obscure rock into the galaxy-renowned "Planet where Herta was born."
Amber had invested heavily in Herta's Approval Ratings, not only pulling Asta but also numerous Curios and even the Simulated Universe.
The investment had paid off.
As a genius of immense renown across the cosmos, the Approval Herta harvested was astronomical—so much so that even Amber, known as the "God of the Mortal Realm" across three worlds, found it hard to keep pace.
The sheer scale of a galactic population was simply staggering.
Over the years, Herta gained followers, entire civilizations, and planets willing to pledge their loyalty.
People clamored to flatter her or beg for her aid. Naturally, she also made her fair share of enemies.
But power is the ultimate passport.
Through victory after victory, she proved her worth and established herself as someone not to be trifled with.
She eventually discovered this was the Marvel universe, but she wasn't in a hurry to reach Earth; at the time, Earth was still stuck in the era of Captain Rogers' plane crash.
Only now, feeling the timing was right, did Herta finally reach out toward the world's main stage.
The Kree were among those who sought to control Herta's talents.
Yet, after a string of stinging defeats, they had finally come crawling back to propose a ceasefire. Asta's official mission was to discuss the finer details of that agreement.
But... that was only the surface objective.
In reality, Herta had timed this trip to coincide exactly with Loki's invasion of Earth alongside the Chitauri army. Their chosen route happened to pass right by the portal where the Chitauri fleet was emerging.
That's right—they were here to pick a fight. To ensure the trap looked convincing, Asta hadn't brought any combat personnel, and the ship wasn't even equipped with weapons.
After all, they were here to sign a "peace" treaty. Carrying weapons would just be bad form, wouldn't it?
Once she had reviewed the plan, Asta set down her work and headed to the bridge.
The vessel was a small warp-ship, eighty meters long and sixty meters wide.
Aside from three Herta puppets, there were only four members on board: Asta, two pilot-guards, and... Arlan.
Indeed, Amber had not only pulled Asta but had also drawn Arlan's character card, which had come as quite a shock. She had assumed she could only pull female characters.
However, upon actually using the card, she found things weren't quite what she expected.
While the persona was Arlan, the body wasn't male; rather, it was a "feminized" version with much softer features. This had saved Amber from a fair bit of awkwardness, as she had spent two weeks mentally preparing herself for a gender swap. For her, it was a welcome outcome.
Noticing Asta enter the bridge, Janus, a merman guard responsible for piloting, spoke up. "Miss Asta, we're only three jumps away from Planet Elvie. Total travel time will be one hour and thirty-two minutes."
"Where is the next jump point?"
"The next point is near Midgard, in the Asgardian sector," the merman replied. "We've already sent word to Asgard that we'll be passing through."
"Not that it really matters," another woman from The Blue, Themis, chuckled lightheartedly. "Asgard has always been indifferent toward Midgard. They barely even look in that direction."
"Even so, we follow protocol. Themis, we can't be a source of trouble for Madam Herta," Asta noted, nodding firmly but offering a gentle reminder.
"I know, I know..." Themis scratched her head, realizing she'd picked the wrong topic to joke about.
Lead Researcher Asta was usually easygoing, but she became incredibly strict whenever Madam Herta was involved.
Seeing his companion get scolded, Janus let out a quick laugh before quickly returning to his professional demeanor.
"Warp drive prepped. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
The small warp-ship vanished from its position and, in the blink of an eye, reappeared in the void of space just outside Earth.
Before Janus could even assess their surroundings, the ship's proximity alarms began to shriek.
Everyone's expression shifted to one of pure shock.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! 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!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.