Added to the Gacha as Rukkhadevata (Honkai Star Rail)

"So, what should I do? My brain simply can't compare to geniuses like you, Miss Herta."

Having agreed to Herta's request, Lumina turned her gaze to the colossal Simulated Universe device before her.

"Explaining it directly would be a bit complicated. Just enter the Simulated Universe first, and I'll guide you from there."

Herta pointed to a nearby chair, gesturing for Lumina to sit down and begin the experiment.

Lumina nodded without a word or question and immediately settled into the chair.

If even Herta of the Genius Society finds direct explanations troublesome, I shouldn't push it. I wouldn't want to tarnish my flawless image with unnecessary questions.

"Now, close your eyes, relax your mind, and leave the rest to me."

Seeing Lumina's cooperative demeanor, Herta felt a flicker of satisfaction. She strode to the control panel and tapped a few buttons.

Compared to Lumina, that brat is a completely inferior test subject.

She's always loitering around here, spouting nonsense, and constantly trying to skip her Simulated Universe tests.

If Lumina hadn't been an Emanator with overwhelming power, rendering her Simulated Universe experiments largely fruitless, Herta would have kicked that Stellaron Spirit out long ago.

Watching Herta's fingers twitch incessantly, Lumina asked with a hint of amusement, "Hey, Miss Herta, you wouldn't be planning any... weird experiments on me while I'm running simulations in the Simulated Universe, would you?"

Herta paused, her gaze lifting from the screen to meet Lumina's. Her expression remained impassive as she remarked calmly, "Your personality is completely different from what the rumors suggest."

"But that's understandable. No one is truly perfect."

"This side of you actually makes me like you quite a bit more."

Herta firmly believed that no one was flawless. Those who appeared perfect were merely projecting a carefully constructed facade to the outside world. If Lumina had maintained a flawless image in Herta's presence, Herta's affection for her would have remained lukewarm at best.

If Lumina doesn't even take herself seriously, why should I treat her any differently?

But that concern was now gone. Since Lumina had revealed her true personality to Herta, Herta felt compelled to reciprocate in some way.

Herta found this contrast—a seemingly pure and flawless exterior masking a mischievous and scheming interior—rather amusing. Of course, this amusement paled in comparison to her fondness for Ruan Mei and Screwllum.

Dismissing further contemplation, Herta refocused on the screen, tapped a few times, and stated coolly, "Alright, let's begin the experiment."

"I have no personal interest in you, and I won't waste my time on pointless pursuits."

Before Lumina could respond, her vision shattered abruptly. In the next instant, she felt her consciousness being pulled into the Simulated Universe.

"Couldn't Miss Herta have waited until I finished speaking?" Lumina muttered to herself, watching the simulation progress bar fill. She sighed resignedly, but didn't let it bother her.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Herta observed Lumina—eyes closed, face serene, posed like Sleeping Beauty. Lowering her head to prop her chin on her hand, Herta pondered for a moment.

"Should I subject you to some... unexpected trials?" Herta's gaze lingered on Lumina, a glint of intrigue sparking in her eyes.

Upon entering the Simulated Universe, Lumina found herself immediately in a convincingly realistic simulated space station, bypassing the usual Path and difficulty selection screens. She opened her eyes to the sudden brightness.

"What should I do next?" Lumina asked Herta, who was observing from outside the simulation.

"...?"

Only silence answered her.

"Herta?" Lumina called out again, puzzled.

"Hmm... Oh, right. I'm here," Herta finally responded, sounding distracted as if she were preoccupied with something else.

Realizing this, Lumina glanced at her physical body outside the simulation. She saw Herta filming her experiment with her phone.

"?"

A question mark slowly formed in Lumina's mind, but she quickly dismissed it. It's just a photo. It won't hurt.

Besides, being photographed by a beautiful girl isn't a loss—it's a gain! ♪

"First, clear all the monsters in this area. Then, if there's an event, follow it. If not, choose an encounter," Herta instructed, finishing her photoshoot and pointing Lumina in the right direction.

Lumina walked over to the control panel, tapped the screen a few times, and added a few lines of code.

"You're not running an experiment right now; you're just supplementing data," Herta said. "That's why I've given you developer privileges."

"First, max out all your buffs. It'll make things easier."

Because they both had developer privileges, Herta couldn't directly buff Lumina.

"Mm."

In the Simulated Universe, Lumina nodded. A system interface appeared in her mind, and she maxed out all the Blessings, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

Lumina loathed people who cheated in games, but if she was the one cheating...

Well, she took that back and shamelessly activated god mode ♪

Looking at the monsters in the space station, Lumina smiled gently and strode toward the Fragmentum Space portal in the distance.

The monsters along the way naturally spotted her. Countdown timers appeared above their heads, turning red as they charged.

As the monsters rushed forward, Lumina casually flicked her hand. The gust of wind from her palm passed through their bodies.

The monster halted abruptly, frozen in place. In the next instant, it dissolved into data and vanished from sight.

Nearby, the teleportation portal began to glow, signaling Lumina to enter quickly.

Lumina slowly approached, gazing at the red and blue portals before her. She stepped into the blue one.

As she passed through, her vision blurred briefly before resolving into a new environment.

Hmm... still a space station.

"This must be the event," Lumina murmured, eyeing the question mark card in the distance.

(I know that during the game's initial launch, events appeared as glowing orbs instead of cards. But for the sake of simplicity, I'll just write it this way.)

"Exactly! This event is manifested from your own memories. I have no idea what it is either—go check it out!" Herta urged from the outside, watching the scene unfold on her monitor with keen curiosity.

"Right," Lumina nodded and walked toward the event card.

As she stood before it, curiosity surged within her. She reached out and touched the card...