Grandma Herta / I Approve of This Marriage ...

Asta turned Caelus's casual remark into reality. She said she would give a reward, so she definitely would. As long as a reward could be settled with Credits, that was not a problem.

Yay!

Caelus jumped up with joy. Although he did not yet know what a Star Destroyer could bring him, being able to own one was a good thing.

"Don't be so happy. You can't buy this thing right now; it's out of stock. I'll buy it for you once it's available."

Asta handed her phone to Caelus and spoke. Caelus saw photos of Star Destroyers in all their dazzling variety, but every single one of them had the word "out of stock" written across it. It seemed this thing wasn't easy to buy.

Grandma Herta

"Meaning, this Caelus kid managed to get a Star Destroyer right under our noses?"

March 7th didn't know how to complain for a moment. She only knew Caelus had made a fortune. Even if he did nothing for the rest of his life and sold the Star Destroyer on, he could still become a planet-level rich second-generation heir and enjoy a life of idling away the days.

"How many months has it been since I left? Hmm, the Space Station has turned into this state."

An abrupt voice broke in, sounding like an underage little girl. Caelus snapped out of his identity as a ship captain and looked toward the gray-haired little girl walking over at a slow pace.

The little girl had the appearance of being around thirteen years old, wearing a cute black dress, with a huge golden lock hanging on her chest. As for the key to open the lock, it was casually hung around her neck like an ornament. On her head was a tilted black round hat, and her purple pupils flashed with a precocious look unsuited for her age. Naturally, her way of speaking was also old-fashioned.

Asta paused slightly, but upon seeing this little girl, she immediately stepped forward and hugged her.

"Madam Herta, ahhhhh! I almost died here. That Doomsday Beast was so big, I wouldn't even be enough between its teeth. If I died, would you cry for me? I work for you, you know."

Asta shed her previous calm and collected demeanor, her two eyes almost crying into the shape of fried eggs. The little girl in front of her looked small, but she seemed to be Asta's most respected elder.

"I wouldn't."

Herta said very calmly. As an Emanator of the Erudition, her mind had long since surpassed that of humans. Human emotions were mostly a burden to her for the most part; rather than having time to cry, she might as well think about doing more research.

"Allow me to introduce her. This is the true master of the Space Station, the 83rd seat of the Genius Society, Herta."

As the person who called Herta over, Himeko was also responsible for introducing this stranger to everyone. Aside from Asta and Himeko, everyone else was also meeting this youthful master of the Space Station for the very first time.

"Genius Society? Is there a Dunce Society?"

Caelus said with a smile. He simply felt the name was a bit funny, like a small group built by a bunch of people amusing themselves. However, if he truly knew that all 84 geniuses within it were Emanators of Aeons, he would probably... laugh even louder.

"Kid, show some manners when you speak. Although the name of this club is quite foolish, it's not something you can mock."

Herta looked at the collection in front of her with slight displeasure and spoke. Himeko hadn't been entirely believed when she first told her about this matter; genius though she was, she found it hard to believe her collection had turned into such a wayward young man.

"I'm a kid, then aren't you a tiny kid? Talking so cockily, you cracked me up."

Caelus raised a finger and pointed at Herta, speaking while smiling and turning half his body to look at Acheron beside him, wanting to share the joy with his companion. Acheron, on the other hand, didn't see what was funny at all, tilting her head to continue eating her peach.

"Kid, I'm very interested in you. Come with me and chat over here."

Herta's emotional management was quite good. She pointed to an empty corner of the master control zone and spoke. There were some things she wanted to talk about with Caelus alone, and the only person allowed to listen in was Himeko.

"Oh."

Laughing aside, Caelus still obediently followed Herta. After all, in a sense, this one was also a mother figure.

Acheron set her pace to follow Caelus, and Herta turned to glance at her. Although nothing could be discerned from the puppet's camera, that uncomfortable feeling still spread to her true body, which made her conclude that this woman was even more terrifying than a Stellaron, heightening her interest even further.

"I heard from Himeko that you are that Stellaron of mine?"

Herta looked at Caelus and directly blurted out the shocking truth. Actually, this wasn't much of a secret either. Aside from pure little March, normal people would associate the golden orbs on Caelus's chest with a Stellaron upon seeing them, because the Astral Express crew actually frequently dealt with Stellarons and had sealed them as well.

"Can't change my name and won't change my surname, it is truly I."

Caelus said proudly with his hands on his hips. He remembered the things his mother told him, but his mother didn't tell him to keep this Stellaron secret either. Wasn't the fact that he was a Stellaron sprite something worth being proud of?

"The Stellaron inside your body once descended to cause havoc on the planet below. In order to protect the planet below, I specially built the Space Station to seal the Stellaron. I didn't expect there to be such a maneuver. Whose subordinate is this?"

Herta stared unblinkingly at Caelus's body. Of course she could tell that the body was a vessel and that the Stellaron wasn't stretched and kneaded into the shape of Caelus, but these two were also inextricably linked, as if Caelus's current mindset was the mindset of the Stellaron entity itself. Anyone who had contacted a Stellaron knew that thing's intelligence was not low.

"Of course my mom did it."

"Kid, she stole you and stuffed you into a vessel, and then she became your mom? Then what am I?"

Herta said with a trace of annoyance. Theoretically, Caelus was her possession, or rather, his soul belonged to her. Kafka's side provided a physical body; how could she treat them unequally?

Caelus tilted his head and looked at Herta for a moment. An image of the universe forming appeared in his head, and three seconds later, he directly lunged forward, sliding all the way to Herta's feet, hugging her thigh, and started rubbing against it.

"...Grandma Herta!"

Caelus shouted at the top of his lungs. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought this was a large-scale family reunion site. However, upon seeing Caelus's actions, quite a few people might have wanted to call the police.

"Wah, let go of me, you pervert. How can you even lift my skirt?"

Herta said, pressing down hard on her skirt. Caelus's head had burrowed right under her skirt. Although there were puppet joints inside, she couldn't stop him from rubbing with his head; the tactile sensation of the puppet would be transmitted to her real person, and her true body was almost about to faint from anger.

"Grandma brought me here and even built such a big house for me. I really have to thank you. If you hadn't protected me, Mom wouldn't have been able to give birth to me, so you're Grandma."

Caelus explained to Herta very earnestly. Herta was still single to this day, and didn't want to suddenly become a mother-daughter relationship with a little thief. How on earth did she become a grandmother?

"Who wanted to protect you? I was afraid you would destroy the planet below. Get lost."

Herta pulled a large hammer from out of nowhere, its hammerhead constructed from purple crystals. Wielding the hammer, Herta knocked the Caelus below flying away.

Acheron's figure flashed as she appeared behind Caelus, catching him and setting him down. Caelus, in turn, gave her a thumbs-up to praise her. With her by his side, he could flirt with death even more merrily.

I Approve of This Marriage

"But kid, you have piqued my interest. I'm going to study you."

Herta straightened her skirt and quickly returned to the state of a genius as she spoke to Caelus. At this point, other matters could be put aside; doing what interested her was the real business.

"How are you going to study me?" Caelus asked curiously.

"Naturally, by cutting open, reassembling, cutting again..."

The five fingers of Herta's puppet joints twisted into an incredible angle and wriggled. Just based on this appearance of hers, if Caelus could agree to this, he really could go back to the furnace to be remade.

"No thanks, no thanks. I'm busy looking for my mom. See you."

Caelus waved his hand, wanting to bid farewell to his grandma. It was too dangerous here; Mom's embrace was still much more yearning, and Acheron's embrace wasn't bad either.

"Your mom must be that thief who stole you, right? What is her name, and what does she do?"

Herta blocked Caelus and asked. Although the outcome was interesting, that didn't mean she was willing to let that thief off. If she didn't do something, thieves from all over the universe would come to her subordinates to steal things.

"Give up. Even if I die, I won't betray my mom, and neither will my aunt."

Caelus said with great backbone. Although he was currently in Herta's hands, he didn't feel afraid at all. Not only was his personality like that, but he also had a reliable friend like Acheron by his side.

"So there were two thieves? To have this kind of ability, and to know everything about Stellarons, they are most likely the legendary Stellaron Hunters. According to what you said, the mother should be a voluptuous woman, and the aunt would be a younger one—oh, that Silver Wolf who provoked Screwllum, right?"

Herta lowered her head in thought for a moment, and she had already stripped away all of Caelus's defenses. Just from a few words coupled with her understanding of information channels, she already figured out who had done it.

"Mm-mm."

Caelus widened his eyes and covered his mouth with his hands. He hadn't expected that he would just speak casually, and Herta would completely guess the existence of Mom and Aunt. Chatting with a genius meant one could probably only pretend to be mute; this time, he suffered a loss from being scatterbrained.

"I built something called the Simulated Universe on my end. Come over and test it for me before you leave the Space Station. Consider it payment for all these years you've lived off me for free."

Herta quickly thought of an experimental project suitable for Caelus. She had previously struggled with finding a suitable candidate, but now it was different. Caelus, this Stellaron sprite, was simply too suited for that project.

"Okay, Grandma, I'll come when I have time." Caelus nodded in response.

"Don't call me Grandma!"

"Grandma, I'm hungry, pocket money."

Caelus extended both hands and looked at Herta pitifully as he spoke. He was truly hungry, and he knew that eating cost money. Penniless, he could only rely on his family.

"Are you ever going to finish, you brat? I have no money on me. Go ask Asta for some."

Herta said with exasperation. Although her age was enough to make her a grandmother, she didn't want to acknowledge this grandson at all. As for money, in her eyes it was just a string of numbers; anything she needed had professionals delivered right to her face, leaving no place where she needed to use money.

"Can you give Asta to me?"

Caelus's gaze seemed to brighten for a moment. He felt that asking for money was a tacky act, so it was better to get the person once and for all. Wouldn't that eliminate so much troublesome business?

"Asta isn't my possession. However, if you have the ability to trick her into your hands, I can handle the family behind her. Anyway, she's going to marry off sooner or later."

Herta said with an indifferent expression. She was still quite satisfied with Asta's administrative ability. With Herta protecting her, Asta wouldn't be dragged into any political marriages, but she couldn't spend her life in solitude either. If there was a chance, Herta wanted to know whether a Stellaron could have children with humans—yet another interesting piece of research.

"Okay, Grandma, just wait to see your granddaughter-in-law."

Caelus said cheerfully. He didn't know why he wanted Asta as a wife either; perhaps it was simply because his stomach was weak and he wanted to eat something soft, or maybe it was because she was cute. Anyway, if he wanted to do it, he would go do it. Kafka Mom had also said that when you have a choice, don't let yourself regret it.

Herta left with a headache. She didn't want a big grandson like Caelus at all, but thinking that he had only been born for a few hours, what bad intentions could he have? He still had to be counted on to test her Simulated Universe in the future, so Herta could only swallow her anger. This kind of universal unique sample delivered right to her door could not be lost.

After the casual chat ended, Himeko led Caelus back to March 7th and the others. March 7th and Asta were both very curious about what they had chatted about with Herta, and why it had taken so much time.

"I'll go wait for you all on the express. There's still some time before we depart. During this time, you can consider whether to stay at the Space Station or come along with us to set off on a Trailblaze journey."

Himeko spoke. Those latter words were directed at Caelus, and it was also a formal invitation for him to board the Star Rail.

"What, this Caelus kid is coming with us?"

March 7th looked at Himeko in surprise and asked. She previously only thought Caelus was interesting, but she hadn't expected him to come along with her. This seemed even more interesting.

"Caelus has his special qualities. You'll find out right away."

Himeko smiled mysteriously. After becoming companions, it naturally wasn't necessary to conceal the fact that Caelus was a Stellaron sprite, though no one on the train would mind what he was anyway.

"I'll go with you guys. My mom told me to start a tense and exciting adventure; staying behind with you guys definitely isn't safe."

Caelus agreed without a second thought. He still remembered those words of Kafka's. If he stayed at the Space Station, he could only be an idle kept man, being raised by Asta.

"What kind of talk is that? It makes it sound like we're going to crash the train at any moment."

March 7th complained unhappily, but recalling it in reality, the adventures on the express were indeed all very thrilling, and this time they had almost become rations for the Doomsday Beast, leaving her with not much confidence in her words.

"However, having one more companion really isn't bad." March 7th changed her tune.

"It's two."

Caelus reached out to grab Acheron's arm, pulling her closer to his side. The two of them leaned very close, and Acheron, who didn't care much for external information, glanced at him again and acquiesced to his action.

"I understand. I'll arrange rooms for you."

Himeko responded with a smile, not refusing to let Acheron board just because her identity was suspicious. This was a companion Caelus brought along; stubbornly splitting them apart here served no purpose.

"Asta, good news. My grandma agreed to our affair."

Caelus crept over to Asta's side, taking advantage of her inattention to pull her right hand into his palm as he spoke.

"?"

Asta, maintaining her smile, was still smiling, but the expression on her face was already a jumble of confusion and a smile. She didn't know Caelus's grandma at all, and besides, what affair was "our affair"? This sudden change made her forget to even pull her hand back.

"Herta is my grandma."

Caelus knew Asta was very surprised, so he explained his background once over. Upon hearing him say he was that Stellaron, Asta's gaze lost its focus entirely, only coming back to her senses after hearing about the bizarre relationship between him and Herta.

"In that case, Madam Herta is also considered a mother, right? Does this count as grandmother-level?"

Asta tried hard to complain and speak. Even though this wondrous relationship sounded correct—without Herta there would be no Caelus—she still felt it couldn't be calculated that way.

"There can only be one mom, no help for it."

Caelus spread his hands and said. He couldn't possibly acknowledge two moms; since Herta had taken him in much earlier, she could only be grandma.

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This Can Be Had

"Strange fellow, you are now a member of the Star Rail Express, so you can't ruin Madam Herta's reputation."

Asta said to Caelus. She heard from Caelus's fragmentary words that Herta didn't oppose taking him on as a grandson. Asta understood Herta; this must have been a decision made because she had a favor to ask of Caelus, most likely concerning the Simulated Universe.

"Definitely won't ruin it. Since we just happen to have some free time now, why not come chat about our..."

Caelus wanted to grab Asta's hand and continue speaking, but he was met with a side-eye from her, and the fair palm that had been within his grasp vanished as well.

"I'm busy up to my ears over here. We'll talk later."

Asta didn't have time to chit-chat with Caelus, because the Space Station had just suffered an attack, and survivors, treating the wounded, and subsequent defenses all required her command.

Caelus also understood the responsibilities Asta shouldered; she didn't come here to be the station master just to play around, so they temporarily parted ways. He followed March 7th toward the docking location of the Star Rail, preparing to understand his future destination.

"Who else is on the express?"

Caelus asked, not treating himself as an outsider at all, wanting to get acquainted with the express's environment in advance.

"There's the conductor, Pom-Pom. It's all fluffy, and it's responsible for driving and daily affairs. Then there's Welt Yang. Because of his advanced age, we all call him Uncle Yang. Uncle Yang is amazing; not only is he erudite and multitalented, but his character is also very reliable. He's our pillar."

March 7th simply described the other two people, though these adjectives sounded a bit strange, as if she were describing a peculiar doll.

"Just this few people?"

Listening and finding that March 7th had nothing more to say, Caelus couldn't help asking with doubt. The express looked quite large, but the people inside seemed countable on one hand.