Simulated Universe

Stelle had never expected that she would actually fall asleep.

After all, she had only been pretending to be drunk. It was not like she had really drunk too much.

But when she lay against Sunday's chest, the sound of his heartbeat was too soothing. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Stelle thought she was merely resting her eyes. It was not until she heard Aha's laughter that she realized she had long since drifted into dreamland.

Well, since things had come to this, she might as well keep sleeping.

So the Trailblazer did not wake up. She quietly turned off the Elation Switch, then excitedly asked Aha for scripts in her mind.

"Hmph, hmph. You still haven't given me the two scripts I earned through Dr. Ratio and Bооtie. Come to think of it, for people I willingly pursue, like Sunday, Aha, you should give me scripts too, right?"

"I do. Of course I do."

Aha's voice sounded especially delighted.

"Whether you take the initiative or not, as long as the characters you conquer bring me joy, I'll give you scripts. After all, Aha is not a stingy Aeon~"

What kind of self-congratulatory, full-of-himself Aeon was that?

Stelle really wanted to say that.

She helplessly pursed her lips.

Somehow, she had gradually started adapting to life as an Emanator of Elation.

After all, she quite enjoyed conquering characters.

And whenever she was bored, Aha was there to joke around with her.

She rather liked it.

The Trailblazer was no longer the same as she had been in the beginning.

Back then, every morning when she opened her eyes, she thought becoming an Emanator of Elation had been a dream.

Feeling more and more like fate's favorite, she raised her brows and hummed an off-key tune of "Water Dragon Chant" as she accepted three wrinkled little paper balls from Aha.

"Tear~ apart~ heartsea~ shoulders↗→↘~"

The Trailblazer unfolded one of the notes.

5, you shall bear the "Years."

What did that mean? She did not understand.

She opened another one.

6, there are eight people, and eight prices to pay.

Wait, she seemed to have heard that somewhere before.

Wasn't the original saying something like "five people, three must pay" or something?

7, Aha will always be with you.

Hey, what was with that last one?

It was obviously some Aeon slipping in private goods!

Stelle wanted to summon Aha like last time and make Them explain the contents of these three scripts line by line.

Unfortunately, Aha was not very cooperative this time. After giving Stelle the scripts, They did not say another word.

The connection between Stelle and Aha was rather intense, unlike other Emanators and Aeons, who communicated only rarely.

To a certain extent, Aha and Stelle could actually sense a small portion of each other's thoughts.

So at this moment, Stelle keenly caught Aha's unspoken meaning:

The contents of these scripts were too advanced. They could not reveal the secrets of heaven.

"What, would revealing heavenly secrets bring down lightning tribulation? Would it delay your ascension?"

Stelle crumpled the notes into balls again. This time, instead of throwing them at Aha, she casually stuffed them into her pocket.

Actually, she understood. The scripts were already the greatest extent to which Aha could spoil the future for her.

If They revealed any more, it would involve confidential matters. The journey to Amphoreus would lose all surprise and, with it, the meaning of Trailblazing.

If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.

So knowing only the surface-level contents of these scripts was enough.

Knowing a little was better than knowing nothing.

And more importantly, that vile Aeon Aha might simply enjoy acting mysterious.

After all, just imagining Their obedient little Emanator receiving a trash script full of meaningless nonsense that said everything and nothing, then gritting her teeth in anger, might make Them clutch Their stomach and laugh while shouting, "This is so joyful!"

Stelle had already seen through Aha's little schemes.

With that in mind, she simply stopped dwelling on it.

The road would reveal itself when the cart reached the mountain.

Besides, she was the protagonist—a protagonist with protagonist's luck.

And the Aeon of Elation had her back.

Not only did she possess absurdly good fortune, she was also an Emanator.

With a setup this broken, how was anyone else supposed to play?

Her future was truly bright.

Stelle smacked her lips and laughed foolishly twice before peacefully sinking into deep sleep.

By then, Sunday had long since left.

Pom-Pom, who was still awake, kept its large, watery eyes open. With a meow, it jumped onto the bed and sprawled across the Trailblazer's chest. Its tail tip brushed against the girl's chin as it adjusted into a comfortable sleeping position and drifted off as well.

Thus, their return visits to the three worlds they had once Trailblazed—Jarilo, Xianzhou Luofu, and Penacony—had all come to an end.

But—

Without a moment spent mourning the imminent departure from their comfort zone, the world they were about to Warp to was—Amphoreus!

But before that—

The Trailblazer had not forgotten that she had promised Herta to conduct one final Simulated Universe test before setting foot on Amphoreus.

So this should be their last busy moment.

Once she finished testing the Simulated Universe today, she could spend the remaining time loafing around on the train while waiting for the Warp.

The next day.

The Trailblazer stretched as she opened her eyes from sleep, then rolled over while hugging the soft Trash Cake in her arms.

"Cute baby, let me give you a kiss!"

Pom-Pom struggled. Pom-Pom failed. Pom-Pom let the Trailblazer do whatever she wanted.

Stelle finally released the Trash Cake after kissing it until it was covered in sticky saliva.

The poor little thing jumped to the corner of the bed and lazily licked its fur.

Stelle got up and packed her things, slung her Four-Dimensional Backpack over her back, and picked up the heavy bat by the door.

Simulated Universe, here she came!

When she arrived at Herta's office, Herta and Screwllum had already been waiting for quite some time.

Herta directed one of her puppet girls to pour the Trailblazer a cup of tea, while speaking without the slightest courtesy.

"It's not as if I'm not paying you. Do I really have to beg you every week just to test the Simulated Universe? This Herta is really going to get angry—"

Herta adjusted the enormous witch's hat on her head. Though she said that, her body honestly handed Stelle two Curios suited for this week.

"Take them. They'll make clearing it easier."

Tsundere. What a tsundere.

Stelle put away the Curios, then squeezed over with a grin. "Herta, your mouth is still as unforgiving as ever, but it's fine. I know you're all bark and no bite."

"Hmph." Herta returned to her position and stood shoulder to shoulder with Screwllum. "Stop using such ancient memes. Finish testing the Simulated Universe before coming back to bicker with me."

Screwllum elegantly bowed and gave the Trailblazer a standard salute.

"Trailblazer, it has been a long time. For this Simulated Universe test, I will be accompanying you.

Logic: Some minor errors have appeared within the Simulated Universe. As a developer, I will assist Ms. Herta with debugging during the test.

Conclusion: This is one of the rare tests in which I can fight alongside the Trailblazer. Therefore, I look forward to working with you, Stelle."

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