Herta Space Station.
Via Resonance Space, Pei Guang transported Elysia and Mei for free. Upon arriving at the station, Pei Guang immediately brought the two of them to the command cabin to look for Asta.
"This is...? A space station? Did we leave Earth?" Elysia looked around excitedly the moment they left Earth. She hadn't expected to one day visit another world.
Pei Guang: "That's right, this is the space station of the Genius Society's genius Herta. Earth's technology isn't sufficient for Mei to conduct her research, and since I've built up some goodwill with the station master and those in charge here, I figure it shouldn't be a problem for you to stay. If it isn't, I'll go ask over at the Xianzhou."
Under normal circumstances, the Doctor's Association would've been another option, but Pei Guang's attitude was that any place not yet unlocked on the map was just background filler: sending his characters to a place where he hadn't farmed enough goodwill or prestige left him feeling uneasy.
On the way to Herta's office, Pei Guang saw a Herta puppet.
Just as he was considering whether to use the puppet to contact Herta, the little Herta suddenly called out to him: "You! Wait a moment!"
With that, everyone turned to look. Elysia and Mei were the first to be surprised.
Elysia: "Eh? Eh eh? Lady Herta, you're here too?"
Herta: "Who are you? Do I know you?"
Pei Guang: "She knows the puppet you gave me."
Herta: "Oh? I see. You're Pei Guang, right? Don't leave just yet: I have a task I'd like to assign to you."
Pei Guang: "Accepted!"
Herta folded her arms: "Aren't you curious what the task is?"
Pei Guang: "Not at all. The rewards you give are always worth it. And even if I can't do it now, I can always put it off until later!"
Pei Guang wore the look of someone whose plan was going smoothly, while Herta responded nonchalantly: "Suit yourself. The Simulated Universe maintenance is complete, and we've made major updates to it!"
Pei Guang: "Still about the Swarm? I've developed a very unique understanding of them!"
Compared to the experience of the Memory World, Pei Guang felt the Simulated Universe was simpler and more enjoyable. It was less exhausting, too.
Thinking back on the joy of the memory world—sure, it was fun, but the electronic sheep-tail side effects afterward were painfully real.
Herta: "Nope. But you'll see when the time comes. I think you'll definitely be interested. Oh, and that person wants to meet you in person too. Once we finish tuning the Simulated Universe, you'll be able to meet her. Alright, that's all I had to say. You can go now~"
Pei Guang: "I can go, but you can't. I have a researcher under me, and my territory doesn't have enough resources. I want her to do her research here."
Herta: "Hm? You think my space station is a place just anyone can walk into? ...But these two—I'll allow it."
Pei Guang: "Whoa, just one look and you're allowing it? Don't you want to know what they'll be working on?"
At that moment, Pei Guang really started to like Herta. Although her tone at first had a touch of arrogance, when it came to getting things done, she really delivered. No—actually, he loved all the NPCs in this world.
Thinking back to story-driven games he'd played before, when you maxed out favorability and prestige, even a stray dog would come up and give you a lick.
And now, just by mentioning what he wanted to do, she gave the green light on the spot? Pei Guang found it incredibly satisfying. His favorability toward Herta skyrocketed.
Herta: "I find them pleasing to the eye. Is that reason enough? As for the station rules—let Asta teach them. Anything else? If not, I'll get back to tuning the Simulated Universe. Won't be long before you can start testing it."
To Herta, it didn't matter who the newcomers were: after all, they wouldn't be of any help with the things she was working on anyway. In her eyes, even all the staff on the space station were about the same as ordinary people.
As for the two Pei Guang brought? Well, they were pleasant enough to look at, so if they wanted to stay, then let them. It wasn't like the station couldn't handle a couple more people.
Elysia and Mei had no issues with anything related to Herta. Elysia wasn't particularly interested: after all, to her, this puppet wasn't nearly as fun to tease as the one back on Earth.
As for Mei, she was always like this. Though a researcher, she understood a bit about social situations. She knew Pei Guang was leveraging his connections to help her carry out her plans—and maybe even to bring more things back to Earth.
With Herta's permission, Pei Guang brought the two of them to see Asta.
"Huh? You're here. What do you need from me?"
As soon as she saw Pei Guang, Asta felt a strong urge to laugh. She recalled how he'd sent her the wrong coordinates for the galaxy he gifted her, and how he'd still somehow ended up there and even became the owner.
Thinking about his antics and imagining his flustered state at the time… it was just too funny!
Hearing Asta's question, Pei Guang immediately explained why he had come, that he had Herta's approval, and what he wanted to do.
"Is that so? If Lady Herta agreed, then I've got no problem at all. Though this Honkai energy stuff is a bit sketchy… if she's one of your people, then it's fine! If she needs anything while staying here, just let me know. As long as it's something money can buy, I can get it—if not, I can still figure something out. Buuut~"
Asta smiled at Pei Guang, who immediately felt a bad premonition. A player like him getting caught off guard by an NPC? Pei Guang tried to steel himself, but Asta's next words left him completely disarmed.
"But when I have tasks for you, you'll help me with them, okay~? Hmm~ I haven't decided what they'll be yet, but we'll get there. Don't worry, my tasks come with plenty of rewards!"
As soon as she said that, Pei Guang's expression changed in an instant: "No problem! If I can do it, I'll even help you kick an Aeon off their throne if that's what you want!"
If any regular NPC had said "plenty of rewards," Pei Guang would've stayed skeptical. But when Asta said it: she meant it.
Just look at the prices she paid for all sorts of items Pei Guang sold her. In all his gaming experience, he'd never seen such generous prices. The amount of Credits she gave him almost made him wonder if Credits were worthless in this world.
But no—they were very valuable. To put it simply: with five million Credits, you could fully equip Hook to go toe-to-toe with Voidrangers. And that wasn't even counting all the extra materials.
So, when Asta said "plenty," she meant it.