The Beautiful Ms. Herta

[Contract Lucky Star]

[Contract target] Seele

[Current affection] 89

[Hidden task completed: Kiss. Task reward obtained]

[Ability] Chaotic Butterfly

A new notification appeared on the panel in Lin Hai's mind.

He had gained a new ability, one that came from Seele.

Chaotic Butterfly.

It could double his personal combat ability for ten seconds.

The boost didn't look like much, mainly because Lin Hai's current combat strength was only that of an ordinary young man.

If he also possessed extraordinary power, a twofold increase would be terrifying!

Lin Hai clenched his fist, slowed his breathing, and used [Chaotic Butterfly]. In that instant, he felt his muscles' explosive power and his whole body's coordination undergo a qualitative leap.

He threw a punch, stirring the air around him with its sheer force.

The punch made no sound as it struck empty air, but he was certain it could easily knock down an adult man.

In this state, Lin Hai would be practically invincible against anyone in his weight class in the ring.

"I need to find a way to tap into the power of a Path."

Lin Hai unclenched his fist and shook out his arm.

The skill [Chaotic Butterfly] was powerful, but his base stats weren't high enough.

Tapping into the power of a Path could raise his base stats. Using [Chaotic Butterfly] after that would make all the difference!

Lin Hai gently picked up the fourth lucky star, its surface cool against his fingertips.

He took a deep breath and slowly closed his hand around it, feeling both anticipation and apprehension.

In an instant, a soft blue-white light enveloped the entire room.

Tiny particles of light appeared in the air, swirling and gathering like shattered stars.

Within the dreamlike glow, a figure dressed in a black gown gradually appeared.

It was none other than The Herta.

She floated in midair, her skirt swaying without a breeze, her long hair falling like silk woven from moonlight.

Her deep eyes slowly opened, as though they held countless stars.

When she landed lightly, her heels clicked against the floor, the crisp sound especially clear in the room.

"Interesting." The Herta's red lips parted slightly. She noticed something was wrong at once.

Her slender fingers lifted gently, then lowered again. Clearly, she had realized that she couldn't use her usual powers in this space.

But there wasn't a trace of panic on her face. Instead, a smile of keen interest appeared.

A palm-sized drone flew out from somewhere, cold light glinting across its silver casing.

It rose silently into the air, its red targeting dot settling precisely on Lin Hai's chest.

"Please don't be alarmed," Lin Hai said calmly, meeting The Herta's scrutinizing gaze openly. "You've crossed over into my world."

The Herta raised an eyebrow. The drone remained hovering in the air, but she had already begun looking around.

Her gaze swept over every corner of the room, from the items displayed on the bookshelf to the decorations on the walls, before finally settling on the city at night beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Countless lights flickered in her eyes, reflected like a brilliant river of stars.

The Herta walked slowly toward the balcony, her fingers brushing lightly over the window as though feeling the texture of this unfamiliar world.

"Crossed over?"

She murmured to herself. There was no fear in her voice, only the delight of someone discovering a new world.

As The Herta turned, her skirt traced a graceful arc.

"Did you summon me here?" she asked.

Lin Hai nodded and opened his palm, revealing the faintly glowing lucky star.

The Herta's gaze was immediately drawn to it. She stepped closer and examined the wondrous little thing carefully.

"Incredible..." she said softly. She almost reached out to touch it, but restrained her researcher's instinct. "This completely defies the known laws."

"Would you like to study it?"

"Very much!"

"I can lend it to you for the time being. I hope you'll be able to get some results," Lin Hai said sincerely.

The Herta suddenly gave a soft laugh, and the drone descended to rest on her shoulder.

"You don't seem afraid of me at all?" She studied Lin Hai with interest.

Lin Hai smiled. "There's no need to be afraid. That drone can function normally in this world. If you wanted to, you could subdue me at any time."

"Clever." The Herta nodded approvingly. The drone on her shoulder gave a faint hum, as if agreeing with her assessment.

"Just now, I already partially analyzed this world's fundamental physical constants."

Her voice held just the right amount of confidence, neither exaggerated nor modest. She was simply stating a fact.

Lin Hai exclaimed in genuine admiration, "You assessed your surroundings faster than I could have imagined."

"Of course." The Herta accepted the praise readily, her lips curving elegantly. "Now then, tell me, how do I return?"

Lin Hai showed her the lucky star in his hand again. "You only need to close your hand around it, and you'll be able to return to your original world."

But The Herta didn't take it immediately. Instead, she turned to look once more at the unfamiliar city at night outside the window.

Neon lights played across her eyes, reflecting boundless curiosity.

"I won't go back just yet," she decided. "This world... is very interesting. I'm going to explore it thoroughly."

The drone rose from her shoulder again, but this time the targeting dot was gone, replaced by the soft beam of a searchlight.

The Herta walked toward the door. "I'd like to see this world."

Lin Hai glanced at the clock on the wall and tactfully reminded her, "I'd be happy to go with you, but it's already late at night. I'm afraid it might not be very convenient."

"It's fine." The Herta waved a hand lightly. "A walk around the neighborhood will do."

The drone from her shoulder circled silently, emitting a faint hum, as though expressing its owner's anticipation.

"All right, but we shouldn't stay out too late." Lin Hai nodded in agreement.

The elevator descended slowly, the two of them clearly reflected in its stainless-steel interior.

The Herta watched the changing numbers on the elevator display intently, as though analyzing the technological level of this world.

The elevator doors opened, and a cool night breeze brushed against their faces. The residential complex was silent, with only a few streetlights casting dim yellow halos in the darkness.

A black cat darted out of the bushes, gave them a wary glance, and quickly vanished into the night.

The Herta crouched down and gently touched the leaves of a camphor tree by the roadside, feeling their texture and thickness.

"A very interesting plant structure."

She murmured to herself.

When they reached the road outside the complex, an occasional vehicle drove past, its headlights tracing streaks of light through the night.

The Herta stood by the roadside, her gaze following every passing car as though calculating its speed and trajectory.

"The physical constants of this world differ slightly from those of mine," she said suddenly.

"If we're going to come here often, we'll need a car." The Herta turned to Lin Hai.

Lin Hai was about to respond, but The Herta had already continued, "There's no need to buy one, though. Your world should have financial markets, shouldn't it?"

"Yes," Lin Hai replied, vaguely guessing what The Herta had in mind.

The corners of The Herta's lips rose. "A few rounds in the financial markets are all it would take to obtain enough funds."

The drone on her shoulder suddenly projected a tiny holographic chart, complex streams of data flickering across it.

Lin Hai had no doubt that this super genius could do it.

The Herta looked up at the starry sky and made a decision. "Let's head back first. We'll start with the financial markets."

Back in the apartment's living room, Lin Hai took out his laptop and placed his bank card and phone on the table. The screens displayed various financial app interfaces.

The Herta's slender fingers brushed lightly across the touchpad as she quickly browsed the different interfaces.

"Your stock market has already closed." She yawned. "We'll need to trade in other markets that are still open."

"That's right." Lin Hai nodded.

The Herta's fingers flew over the keyboard, and windows for several international financial markets quickly appeared on the screen.

"We'll need to open some international accounts." She seemed to be talking to herself.

Computer operations of this kind were no challenge to her at all.

The Herta spent only a little while on the computer before successfully obtaining an international account. Then, in an extremely short time, she maxed out her leverage and turned one US dollar into a thousand.

Lin Hai sat on the sofa beside her, one hand behind his head, and witnessed the changes in the account figures firsthand.

He could only marvel at how the gap between people could sometimes be unimaginably vast!