Kiss, kiss, kiss, the kiss was far too convincing!

The Herta's eyes were filled with pure intent.

To her, exploring the unknown was far more important than worldly etiquette.

To replicate as closely as possible the effect of a couple's interactions on the Lucky Star's energy field,

she said with utmost seriousness, "Lin Hai, for the time being, we need to interact strictly according to the behavior patterns of a couple. We must make it as authentic as possible."

After all, any detail could affect the final data collection results.

Lin Hai looked at the serious expression on the Herta's face and couldn't help chuckling. He nodded along. "Understood. I'll make sure the mission is accomplished."

He took a step forward, instantly closing the distance between them, then naturally reached out and gently took the Herta's hand.

The Herta's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

It was the subconscious reaction of a researcher who had long held the dominant position, only for her subject to suddenly take the lead.

But she quickly suppressed that flicker of reaction and took the initiative to adjust her posture. "Continue. Be more intimate."

Lin Hai readily complied, slipping an arm around her slender waist and gently drawing her into his embrace.

The sensation made him pause for a moment.

The Herta's waist was even slimmer than he had imagined, yet it also possessed a supple strength.

The Herta showed no sign of shyness. Instead, she seemed to be silently recording the strength and duration of the embrace, as well as changes in her own physiological parameters.

Yet she might not even have been fully aware of her quietly quickening pulse and slightly elevated body temperature.

Immediately afterward, the two of them grasped the Lucky Star together.

As a faint light shimmered, their surroundings changed in an instant. The futuristic laboratory gave way to the bedroom in Lin Hai's home.

It was already late at night outside. Quiet moonlight streamed through the sheer curtains, casting a hazy, suggestive glow over the entire room.

In the space where only each other's breathing could be heard, their eyes met.

Those earlier interactions, which had been defined as experimental steps, seemed to be taking on genuine warmth.

The air seemed to grow warm.

Lin Hai gazed at her face, so close to his, and spoke softly. "According to the 'procedure'... I need to kiss you now."

The Herta lifted her eyes to meet his gaze.

Her rational mind was still trying to analyze the potential quantitative effects of this action on the energy field, but an unfamiliar flutter that was difficult to explain with data quietly arose.

In the end, she gave a brief response. "Proceed..."

Lin Hai lowered his head and gently kissed her lips.

At first, the Herta maintained an observer's mindset, calmly analyzing the sensation and the possible changes in hormone levels.

Soon, a flood of emotion swept over her, and she responded to the kiss awkwardly but honestly...

Just then, the bedroom door was quietly pushed open a crack.

Cipher, who had been resting in the living room, was drawn over by the unusual sounds from the bedroom and approached out of curiosity.

Through the crack in the door, her keen eyes caught the entire scene of the two inside embracing intimately and kissing.

At that moment, Cipher was utterly stunned!

Her cat ears instantly stood straight up.

She would never have imagined that she would see the legendary, calm and rational, lofty Lady Herta in this place, in this way...

Still less could she have imagined that the Herta would be so absorbed in kissing a young man.

The faint turn of the door hinge and Cipher's gaze made the two people immersed in their special experiment abruptly part.

Lin Hai and the Herta turned toward the door at the same time, meeting Cipher's wide, round eyes.

The three stared at one another, and the air froze. A mixture of awkwardness, shyness, and uncertainty silently spread through the stillness.

The Herta was the first to regain her composure.

She coughed softly and elegantly raised a hand to wipe the corner of her lips, as if removing traces left by the experiment, trying to maintain her usual calm tone.

"Don't misunderstand. That action was intended to collect crucial data and ensure the research proceeded smoothly."

The Herta tried to dress up their moment of intimacy in precise terminology.

Yet she knew full well that her heart rate had accelerated abnormally and her body temperature had risen significantly.

Lin Hai chose to remain silent, merely shifting his gaze subtly between the two women.

Cipher's cat ears twitched unnaturally. She quickly turned around, pretending to study the patterns on the hallway wall, her voice wavering.

"Huh? I... I just got here. I didn't see anything, really!"

Her all-too-revealing denial only made the atmosphere more awkward.

An odd unspoken understanding prompted the three of them to move almost simultaneously, leaving the bedroom with its lingering suggestive atmosphere and heading to the living room instead.

Each found a place on the sofa and sat down, trying to use the more open space to dilute the awkwardness from before.

After a brief silence, curiosity ultimately won out over embarrassment.

The Herta was the first to look at Cipher and pose a question.

"How did you come to this world?"

Cipher's gaze drifted instinctively toward Lin Hai.

"I summoned her here using the Lucky Star," Lin Hai answered, readily admitting it.

The Herta nodded slightly, then moved on to a more central question, her gaze moving back and forth between Lin Hai and Cipher. "Then, from your interactions with her, have you obtained any key data on the Lucky Star?"

Lin Hai considered for a moment, then nodded. "The deeper the bond and the more intimate we are, the stronger the power I gain."

"Then how far have the two of you gone?"

Cipher hurriedly said, "We haven't made any progress."

The Herta grew even more curious. "If you haven't made any progress, how did Lin Hai reach that conclusion?"

"It was because I used my authority to pass something fake off as real. Perhaps that triggered some of the Lucky Star's abilities in the process."

At those words, the Herta fell into thought, her fingertips tapping unconsciously against her knee.

Beside her, Cipher's expression also grew somewhat more serious.

The Herta asked, "Lin Hai, what powers has the Lucky Star given you?"

"My physical abilities have increased twofold, and I've also gained the Path power of Nihility."

At that, neither the Herta nor Cipher could remain calm.

How was that possible?

Path power!

Neither the Herta nor Cipher was an ordinary person. As far as they knew, everyone who had obtained Path power since records began had needed to establish some connection with an Aeon and follow certain behavioral norms.

Lin Hai had obtained Path energy in an unprecedented way.

Inconceivable!

It had never happened before.

The Herta pressed him. "Is it really Path power?"

Lin Hai reached out and placed his hand on the Herta's knee. "You can feel it for yourself."

The Herta grasped Lin Hai's wrist and immediately sensed a current of Path power belonging to Nihility.

He wasn't joking, much less exaggerating.

It had indeed happened.

No matter how miraculous it was, it was undeniably real, right there before the Herta.

The Herta said gravely, "The Contract Lucky Star actually has such an ability!"

At the same time, an even bolder conjecture occurred to her.

"Lin Hai, if the two of us consummated a marriage, would you gain the Path power of Erudition?"

"To be honest, I've thought about that too." Lin Hai shook his head. "There's no way to verify it at present, but the possibility exists."

The Herta took a deep breath. "How about the two of us give it a try?"

Lin Hai recalled the kiss they had just shared.

It had been an exceptionally wonderful experience.

He nodded. "I have no objection. Shall we try it now?"