Although Jade said that, Topaz had basically made up her mind.
It couldn't be just a coincidence. Plus, Godzilla...
Thinking of that massive figure, Topaz narrowed her eyes.
She remembered, when Godzilla swung Serval around, he did say something rather interesting.
Just as she was thinking, Topaz suddenly felt a pressure come over her. Snapping back to reality, she saw Jade leaning over the sofa, eyes blazing— staring at her... chest?
Ah!
---------------------------------
"Miss Jade, you are..."
The sudden happiness—no, pressure—made Topaz stumble over her words. Her teeth gently touched, and her throat felt a bit dry.
"Hmm?" wedged in the middle, Numby swung in confusion, feeling its head was being squeezed.
"Little Jelena, don't you think your cornerstone looks a little dim?"
Topaz, who was initially at a loss, relaxed a little upon realizing Jade was talking about her cornerstone.
But she quickly reacted, taking off the cornerstone she wore and examining it carefully with Jade.
"It does seem a bit dim? I thought it was just an illusion caused by the lighting on the ship."
Squinting slightly, Topaz held the cornerstone up toward the light. The brilliant light reflected off its surface, but the cornerstone seemed even dimmer in this state.
At that moment, a Jade stone was raised high—Jade held up her own cornerstone to compare it with Topaz's.
In contrast, Topaz's doubt deepened.
"I think we should take it to get checked."
The more she looked, the more off it seemed, Jade suggested.
Topaz nodded. She also wanted to know whether something was wrong with the cornerstone.
...
Jarilo-VI, Belobog.
As the Stellaron Hunters, the Astral Express left—recently, the balance of daily life seemed to have lost some of its usual magical quality.
"That's because March 7th and the others always stir up some commotion on the streets of Belobog."
Natasha chuckled gently.
"Xianzhou Luofu—just hearing the name sounds magical. I wonder when Jarilo-VI will be able to soar through the universe like them."
Today's weather was particularly clear. Looking up at the sky, Seele seemed to see the scene when the Astral Express first departed.
"There will be a chance," Pela said seriously.
After enjoying the peaceful Jarilo-VI for a while, Seele spoke, "By the way, aren't Gepard and the others about to return?"
"Mm, today should be around the time they come back. I can check again."
"No need. They're already back."
Seele raised her eyebrows slightly and gestured with her head to look over there.
There, a group of Silvermane Guards and Cloud Knights were marching in orderly ranks, clearly divided, moving forward in unison.
"They seem to have brought something back?"
One could vaguely see the group behind them carrying something, but it was too far to make out clearly.
...
"You're back." Yukong, who had been waiting, looked at the returning group and spoke, curious as she peeked at what they brought back. "A genuine Mature True Sting?"
Seeing clearly what it was, she straightened up a little.
"Yeah, it probably fell into the forest when the swarm came down earlier. Lady Herta had discovered one before and told us that if we encountered one, we should bring the corpse back to her."
Yanqing spoke up, stepping aside so Yukong could see the Mature True Sting corpse being carried back.
As a product of the Path of Propagation, the Mature True Sting holds considerable research value for many scholars—but the problem is...
"I recall Lady Herta's specialization isn't in this area."
Yukong pondered slightly. Lady Herta's research had always been known for its 'whimsical' nature.
If she was interested, she'd take it; if she lost interest, she'd abandon it. Yet her manuscripts were notoriously hard to come by across the universe.
The Genius Society was always thrilled to obtain one and equally frustrated that what was written was often too eccentric for them to use effectively.
But in any case, Lady Herta didn't seem like someone who'd be interested in a Mature True Sting.
That Ruan Mei, on the other hand, was said to be highly skilled in life sciences.
Could it be that she's here too?
"What are you thinking about?" Herta stood with her hands on her hips, face showing indifference, speaking irritably.
"Uh, Lady Herta, you're here too."
Yukong's expression remained calm, even with a slight smile.
Just a passing thought—nothing serious.
Just as she was about to speak, Herta had already lunged toward the Mature True Sting, completely ignoring everyone around her.
"Mm hmm hmm, just as I thought—changing this fast? But why is there no change in the person?"
Muttering things that others couldn't understand, Herta bent over and ducked under the mine cart.
With a grunt, she lifted the entire cart.
"I'm leaving now. Don't bother me."
Leaving those words behind, Herta dashed off at full speed.
Watching her receding figure, Yukong was momentarily speechless.
"What's that shorty doing?"
Just then, Seele arrived with Natasha and Pela. Seeing the dust Herta kicked up, Seele asked in confusion.
"She's probably in a hurry to do research. Serval acts like that sometimes too."
Gepard shook his head slightly.
Having a science-obsessed older sister at home, Gepard somewhat understood these people's mindsets.
Recently, his sister had even said she wanted to equip his ability [The Barrier] with some large-scale weapons of mass destruction—Gepard didn't even know how to refuse her.
In Serval's words:
"Aiya, you're a Preservation type, right? Just pop a shield on yourself and charge forward, problem solved!"
Recalling that conversation, Gepard Landau let out a breath.
...
Bang!
A loud bang shook the clothes hanging by the doorframe off their hooks.
Herta didn't care about the chaos at all—she tossed the Mature True Sting right onto the experimental table.
As a Master of Erudition, getting her own lab was a piece of cake.
Although, in her view, this kind of place's lab wasn't even as good as a janitor's closet on the space station. But the conditions were simple, so this would do for now.
At this moment, Herta looked completely like a research maniac.
After quickly dissecting the Mature True Sting, Herta revealed an enlightened expression.
"As I thought—even a Path-born creature like the Mature True Sting can be affected by Godzilla."
Although the path of propagation has not been as prosperous as it once was since the fall of Tayzzyronth, the remaining insect plague is still a headache for many worlds.
Strictly speaking, the current True Stagnant Insects are merely later products—after all, with the death of the Insect Emperor, the oppressive force was briefly lifted.
But even so, they are still creations of the Path of Propagation!
Without the intervention of strong external forces, it's impossible for changes to occur!
"No, no, that guy won't let me study them, and I can't study them even if I want to." Herta subconsciously bit her thumbnail and fell into deep thought again.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"How could I have forgotten that!"
With a flash in her mind, Herta pulled out her phone and sent a message to a guy covered in iron parts.
"Screwllum, are you online? Working overtime. Need your help!"
...
"Chirp chirp, chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp."
A pair of fair, slender legs wearing open-toed sandals dangled casually, the feet stopping in the residential zone of the lower district.
A bright yellow, fluffy, chubby little bird.
Because too many ores had arrived afterward—so many that Belobog truly couldn't hold them—Cocolia could only watch Godzilla leave Belobog with a long face. Fortunately, Godzilla only slept not far from Belobog. Otherwise, she really would have had to consider whether Belobog could afford to construct another city-state.
Just like before, where Godzilla is, life follows.
The already lush forest became even more vibrant under Godzilla's influence, and several strange new things appeared.
"Go on." With a gentle shake of her arm, the chubby bird flapped its wings and soared into the sky.
When it reached a certain height, several vines extended from a nearby tree, weaving into a cozy bird nest.