Herta didn't spend much ntal energy on the matter—honestly, she couldn't even be bothered to think about it.
It was exactly as she'd said before: Bai Ming was an Aeon, destined to be surrounded by all living beings. To harbor the idea of monopolizing an Aeon was, to so extent, nothing more than wishful thinking.
Besides, compared to her research, dwelling on such things was a total waste of her intellect. If she had the ti to worry about this, she might as well spend it pondering the Erudition Equation.
Furthermore...
Her primary reason for having Bai Ming co over this ti was to spend so quality ti together, just the two of them, and soak in that private, intimate atmosphere.
She wasn't here to waste ti overthinking things that hadn't even happened yet.
So, Herta chose to use today's topic as leverage to give Bai Ming a hard ti, making the Aeon follow her every whim while she thoroughly enjoyed herself. It served as a perfect, satisfying conclusion to her recent period of hard work.
As for Bai Ming...
She obviously saw right through Herta's intentions. However, considering Herta had finally exacted her long-awaited revenge and had been working so hard on her own for so long, Bai Ming didn't call her out.
She simply played along to comfort her.
After being thoroughly "drained" by Herta in Herta City for an entire day, Bai Ming finally made her departure.
As for Herta herself?
The price of being the aggressor was a completely depleted stamina bar. She was currently passed out, and when faced with Bai Ming's parting teases, she could only furrow her brows and let out soft, incoherent whimpers—a truly adorable contrast to her usual self.
After a final bit of teasing, Bai Ming finally let her off the hook, feeling quite satisfied.
Over at the Simulated Universe, there was still no word from Zandar. In the past, because Bai Ming was the one managing things, she had turned a blind eye to Zandar's eavesdropping.
But now, the Simulated Universe had developed a self-awareness of its own. Its first instinct had been to scrub away every little trick Zandar had left behind.
Moreover, she was an Intellitron now; Bai Ming couldn't exactly ask her to install wiretapping devices inside her own body. That would be a bit too much.
Consequently, Bai Ming had no idea what Zandar was thinking lately. Regardless, Bai Ming intended to keep her promise and wouldn't break the agreent; she just didn't know what Zandar's own stance was.
Bai Ming sent a ssage to Acheron to see where she was.
[Naless: Where are you right now?]
[Acheron: What is it? Is your business finished?]
[Naless: Yeah, I wanted to find you and talk.]
[Acheron: ...]
[Acheron: Alright.]
[Naless: Where are you?]
[Acheron: That world on the border of IX.]
[Naless: What are you doing all the way out there?]
[Acheron: I've more or less familiarized myself with my new power, and since I didn't have anything else to do, I went back. I'm more used to the atmosphere here.]
[Naless: Fine, I'll co find you.]
Bai Ming looked at Acheron's ssage and pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.
Putting away her phone, she took a single step forward, departing amidst flas toward that world that was growing livelier by the day.
Over at Celestial Sparrow Entertainnt, they had been steadily operating that ga for several years now, and the player base had stabilized at a decent number.
After all, it was a ga focused on extre freedom; not everyone enjoyed a ga without a clear objective.
But then again, Bai Ming's goal was never to create a massive blockbuster. The essence of it was to use living people to fill this world, making it feel more real.
As long as a player registered and logged in, even if they eventually quit, the data they left behind would serve as nourishnt for the world, promoting its growth.
Bai Ming entered the world with ease.
Simulated Aha was busy tinkering with the simulated Aeon prototypes it had created, though its purpose remained a mystery. On the flip side, this kept it too preoccupied to stir up trouble elsewhere, which was a blessing in disguise.
After waving a greeting to Simulated Aha, Bai Ming quickly located Acheron amidst the sea of players and Sin Thirsters.
At that mont, Acheron was taking a stroll through the "Izumo World" within this realm. Years ago, Bai Ming had gifted her this Izumo world fashioned from mories, and Acheron had placed it here, offering it as a special instance for players to experience.
According to Acheron's thinking, she wanted this Izumo to feel more populated and alive, rather than a lifeless world purely simulated from mory.
As it turned out, the special map of Izumo and its unique campaign were actually t with widespread acclaim. It had even attracted a crowd of archaeologists who ca seeking the secrets of Izumo.
Bai Ming found Acheron walking in a park and appeared silently by her side.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
Acheron turned to glance at Bai Ming and shook her head with a smile. "It's fine. Walking around here is nice. Every ti I co, I see many new developnts. I like it here."
Acheron truly loved the feeling of her Izumo developing bit by bit at the hands of these players.
It gave her the sense that Izumo hadn't truly perished in the shadow of IX, but had been inherited and had set sail once more.
The park was relatively empty. Since this was a ga, most players naturally preferred triggering quests in the city rather than sightseeing here.
Acheron was actually quite nervous. She knew that Bai Ming was sowhat resistant to her previous confession. So, when the other party suddenly said they wanted to talk so soon, Acheron was genuinely worried. If the answer was still a rejection, she didn't know what she would do next.
On the surface, however, Acheron remained the picture of calm, her true feelings impossible to read.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Acheron didn't look at the person beside her, keeping her eyes fixed on the nearby scenery.
She feared that if she caught a certain expression on Bai Ming's face, she might not be able to hold her emotions together.
"It's about the answer to that matter from before. I felt like it shouldn't be left hanging indefinitely. It would be irresponsible of ."
Bai Ming noticed Acheron's palm trembling slightly.
Is she nervous...?
Bai Ming instinctively reached out and took that slightly trembling hand. The palm was a bit cold, even stiff. When Bai Ming grasped it, Acheron didn't even react at first, as if she were afraid to squeeze back.
Bai Ming's gaze traveled up from their joined hands, finally settling on Acheron's profile.
"Won't you look at ?"
"...I'd rather not."
Acheron was silent for a mont before finally shaking her head, declining the invitation. Right now, she felt like her hands were starting to sweat. Unfortunately, Bai Ming refused to let go.
"Actually, you can look over. I'm saying yes, and I won't ask you to let go of this or that anymore."
Acheron froze in her tracks. Her eyes widened, and she turned around stiffly, looking at Bai Ming in utter disbelief. Her mouth opened, but no words ca out.
Acheron felt her heart racing frantically; her limbs felt numb as if she'd lost control of them. Even her vocal cords didn't seem to belong to her anymore, leaving her unable to make a proper sound.
It was the first ti Bai Ming had seen Acheron this nervous. It was actually quite cute.
"What I said to you before was a bit out of line. And well, since I promised to take responsibility for you, I shouldn't keep running away. It's all my fault. I apologize."
Acheron felt her heartbeat steadying slightly. Her fingers twitched, and she finally squeezed Bai Ming's hand back, asking softly:
"Is it only out of responsibility that you're agreeing?"
"...Of course not. If I didn't like you, how could I have been so conflicted?"
Bai Ming gave Acheron's hand a little squeeze of mock annoyance. But seeing that Acheron was still a bundle of nerves, her body stiff as a board, Bai Ming sighed.
Tugging on Acheron's hand, she stepped around to stand directly in front of her and pulled her into a hug with her other arm.
Now that she was free from IX, the scent on Acheron had beco remarkably distinct. That faint, fresh fragrance drifted into Bai Ming's nose as she rested her chin on Acheron's shoulder.
Thankfully, Acheron didn't completely shut down. After being embraced, she at least had the presence of mind to wrap her free arm back around Bai Ming.
While they had hugged in the past, today's embrace was clearly different, and the feeling it gave Acheron was worlds apart.
"Acheron, I'll take responsibility for your life from now on, no matter what happens."
"...Mhm. Yeah."
Acheron opened her mouth, unsure of what to say, and a stray breeze blew a few of Bai Ming's white hairs into her mouth.
But Acheron didn't dare move; she was terrified this was all a daydream, and that even the slightest movent would wake her up.
Bai Ming continued to hold her, hand in hand, staying perfectly still. She gently stroked Acheron's back, hoping to help her adjust and relax so her muscles wouldn't stay as tense as a slab of granite.
Neither of them knew how much ti passed in that position.
Under the influence of Bai Ming's scent lingering at the tip of her nose, Acheron's heart finally cald down. Her body and mind gradually relaxed. Once she had settled, Acheron realized how embarrassing her behavior had just been.
Was I really that easy to win over?! She couldn't help but wonder.
She hadn't even managed to give a proper response, only stamring out a couple of "mhm"s. Upon realizing this, Acheron's face began to flush.
She had been so composed when she made her confession, yet she had turned into a complete amateur when the mont actually arrived. It was more than a little humiliating.
Sensing that the person in her arms had relaxed, Bai Ming slowly pulled back. She looked up only to find that Acheron's face had turned a deep shade of red, looking thoroughly embarrassed.
It was a look that made Bai Ming want to tease her.
On a whim, Bai Ming took Acheron's hand and led her forward. In an instant, they moved from the park to an empty room.
After pulling Acheron down onto a sofa, Bai Ming turned and sat across her lap. She leaned in until their foreheads touched and asked with a playful smile:
"Still haven't snapped out of it? You were so bold before, so why are you so shy now?"
-- --
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL
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