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"You're back?"
Hearing footsteps, Himeko turned with a smile.
Her gaze met a familiar face.
Bochang nodded, "Yes, I'm back."
"Where are March and Stelle? Haven't seen them around." Himeko's eyes briefly paused on Bailu and Qingque.
Bochang had no intention of speaking ill of them. "They have other matters to attend to, which might delay them slightly."
"Alright." Himeko shrugged slightly, suspecting what might be happening but choosing not to reveal it. "Lucky young man, it seems you'll be the only one enjoying this treat today."
"But before we begin... could you introduce these two ladies?" Himeko requested.
As before, Bochang provided a brief introduction for Qingque and Bailu. "This is Himeko; you can address her by that name as well."
Bochang gestured expansively.
Qingque and Bailu nodded in greeting.
"Don't be shy, come sit down here." Himeko pointed at the soft sofa beside her.
Qingque and Bailu took their seats without further ado.
No additional words were exchanged.
Bochang approached Himeko and took a seat opposite her.
The redheaded woman examined him with her golden eyes, remarking, "It's been only a few days, but you seem to have grown stronger again."
Bochang was about to modestly downplay it when Himeko abruptly changed the topic.
"Let's skip the small talk. Come, I'll brew you a cup of coffee."
Himeko picked up a nearby teapot and began preparing the beverage.
To be fair,
Himeko's technique for brewing coffee was quite impressive.
Her movements flowed effortlessly, graceful and smooth.
Bochang patiently waited.
After nearly five minutes, Himeko finally finished brewing the coffee.
This duration seemed slightly too long, at least according to Bochang's perception.
"Give it a try." Himeko handed the freshly brewed coffee to Bochang.
As he looked at the rich, dark liquid, Bochang swallowed nervously, recalling some unpleasant memories. Under Himeko's watchful gaze, he slowly lifted the cup...
Taking a cautious sip, the bitter taste instantly filled his mouth, rushing straight to his head, making him feel faint.
And that was just from one small sip.
If Stelle were here chugging it like usual, she would undoubtedly collapse immediately.
"How does it taste, Bochang? I'd appreciate your opinion." Himeko rested her chin on her hands, exuding a subtle air of youthful charm.
Pausing for a moment, Bochang replied, "It's quite bitter, similar to before. Himeko, I think you still put too much coffee powder in."
"Really...?" Himeko's gaze softened. "I actually find this flavor quite pleasant."
"Perhaps our taste preferences differ," Bochang responded with slight resignation.
Himeko smiled and said, "That's why I wanted to hear your opinion."
"Hmm... Let's not dwell on that anymore. What happened during your time on Xianzhou Luofu? Since you're here, let's chat about it."
Himeko set aside her freshly brewed coffee and poured another cup of water for Bochang.
He took a small sip before beginning to recount their experiences on Xianzhou Luofu—from encountering Tingyun at Cloudford to defeating Lord Ravager Phantylia. Bochang narrated meticulously, while Himeko listened attentively.
Bailu and Qingque played nearby but perked up their ears whenever adventure stories were shared, occasionally feeling a stir within as they heard mentions of themselves.
After hearing the full account, Himeko asked, "Do you think the Miss Tingyun you met might have been an imposter from the very beginning?"
"That... I'm not certain." Bochang shook his head.
Xianzhou Luofu was currently overwhelmed with numerous tasks. Searching for Tingyun likely wasn't considered a top priority; there had been no updates thus far.
Upon hearing this, Bailu softly sighed, reminiscing about her familiarity with Tingyun.
The news of Tingyun's whereabouts being unknown inevitably evoked a sense of melancholy.
Himeko sighed wistfully. "If the Astral Express hadn't arrived, Xianzhou Luofu would indeed have suffered heavy losses."
She believed the Stellaron Hunter's words.
Without the intervention of the Astral Express and Herta, Phantylia, empowered by the Tree of Foundation, would likely have been too formidable for Jing Yuan alone to handle. After all, even the Blindfold General wasn't renowned for sheer strength.
"Himeko, I heard that Herta placed one of its mannequins on the Astral Express. Is this true?" Bochang interrupted the redheaded woman's thoughts.
Himeko nodded. "Yes, it's true. Herta did assign a mannequin to the Astral Express. Just yesterday, she was accompanying me for tea and conversation; now, she should be AFK in your room..."
"My room? What's going on?"
Bochang looked taken aback.
Himeko continued, "Herta seems quite interested in you. You're the first to pique her such curiosity."
"I'm not sure if that's entirely a good thing," Bochang shook his head.
Indeed, Herta showed significant attention towards him, even going so far as to rush from the space station at great effort just to study Bochang.
After some casual conversation...
Bochang bid farewell to Himeko and returned to his room, where he found Herta mannequin waiting.
The lifelike mannequin sat motionless on the bed, eyes tightly closed.
It indeed appeared to be offline.
"So this is the mannequin... that Herta mentioned she would gift me?" Bochang approached Herta mannequin, studying her intently without blinking.
Her features were exquisite, with long, flowing brown hair draped over her shoulders, and though her eyes were shut, delicate eyelashes framed them gracefully.
When Herta was online before,
Bochang dared not observe her so closely; he could only do so when she was offline.
Ignoring the mechanical joints of Herta mannequin,
she looked every bit like a sleeping beauty.
Moreover, the mannequin's skin appeared smooth and radiant, incredibly realistic.
[Dating Options activated.]
[Option 1: Embrace the spirit of scientific exploration and conduct a thorough investigation of Herta mannequin, assessing its realism—Completion Reward: A Bigshot Slap from Herta.]
[Option 2: Pinch the cheeks of Herta mannequin, observing if any normal physiological activities occur—Completion Reward: Obtain a random item, ranging from small as a matchstick to large as a star destroyer. Note: Such items will...]
[Option 3: Take a nap while holding Herta mannequin—Completion Reward: A Bigshot Slap from Herta.]
[Option Four: Give Herta mannequin a Bigshot slap and see if she reacts—Completion Reward: Skill 'Dare to Die', ensuring you will never be killed when intentionally courting danger.]
As usual.
The two "Bigshot" options were immediately ruled out.
Bochang's choices narrowed down to Option Two and Option Four.
"The last one still carries too much risk, and besides, Herta hasn't provoked me; rather, she has even helped me. Giving her a Bigshot slap wouldn't be appropriate. Therefore, my only choice... is Option Two. Hopefully, she won't wake up during this."
Based on the description for Option Four,
Bochang felt that merely pinching her cheeks should not cause Herta to awaken.