Star Rail Impostor! - 401 - 410

Star Rail Impostor! - 401

--+--

Divine Herta took one look at her expression and immediately guessed what the girl was thinking.

It was enough to make her laugh out of sheer exasperation. 

The fact that her other self was actually enjoying this meant that if she ever fell in love, she might end up the exact same way. 

That realization was the final straw for her composure. 

Just imagining herself bickering with someone until she was red in the face every single day made Divine Herta shake her head frantically.

"I swear, for my other self to end up with someone like you... she’s really done for in this lifetime."

Or rather, she had never considered, even in her wildest dreams, that she would see such a day.

To Divine Herta, no matter how her other self acted in an intimate relationship, it would always remain utterly incomprehensible behavior.

As for Screwllum? Well, he didn't join the conversation; he was deep in thought.

Just then, a communication request with a very strange IP address broke into their exchange. Screwllum and Divine Herta looked over, and 'Calypso' gave a relaxed smile.

"It’s Zandar. This guy has peeked into the Simulated Universe more than once or twice."

'Calypso' had, of course, discovered Zandar’s little tricks long ago. It would have been easy to block him, but she hadn't. 

The main reason was that the most extreme slice of him had already been dealt with; the other slices were at least less insane. And as long as he wasn't crazy, Zandar—as the creator of Nous—was a rather excellent partner for dialogue.

'Calypso' might not have much use for him personally, but she was sure the others wouldn't mind an academic exchange with him. 

Herta, in particular, viewed Zandar with a mix of loathing and respect. Besides, even if one of Zandar’s other slices turned out to be a total nutcase, she had the power to stabilize the situation before things spiraled out of control. 

That was why 'Calypso' had only chased Aha away and left Zandar alone.

Screwllum could naturally guess that 'Calypso' had likely left this loophole open on purpose. However, since this involved the analytical equation of a Path, he was somewhat concerned.

"Shall we let Zandar join?"

"Hmm... let’s hear what he has to say, but the core components must remain off-limits to him."

'Calypso' would never reveal the Path Equation to anyone outside of Herta’s circle. 

Zandar had a track record, making him even less trustworthy. But considering he created Nous, she was willing to listen if he had some insights to offer.

Divine Herta huffed but offered no objection. Although she had died in her previous life because of Zandar, her current resurrection utilized the Irontomb body he had created. 

To be fair, this Irontomb body was actually quite impressive; its base stats were essentially maxed out. One could only say Zandar had cultivated it well, only for her to swoop in and pluck the fruit.

And so, the communication request was accepted. A holographic image of Zandar appeared before the three of them.

"I offer greetings to the three of you on behalf of Zandar One Kuwabara."

Divine Herta crossed her arms, speaking quite bluntly. "Cut the pleasantries. Speak up—did you call because you have an idea?"

"Well, it seems you all aren't particularly keen on me joining this project." Zandar smiled slightly, his tone devoid of disappointment. It was only natural for him to be excluded. 

However, that didn't matter; it wasn't his primary goal anyway. "But since you accepted this call, it means there's room for negotiation, right? In that case, why not hear my proposal?"

Zandar’s gaze swept over the three of them, finally landing on 'Calypso'.

"I will provide you with the original source code of Nous, along with all my knowledge and understanding of Him. In return, I wish to experience the Simulated Universe once your experiment concludes."

"..."

The three present exchanged glances, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. 

Zandar’s request wasn't over the line, and his motive was clear: he likely wanted to use the upgraded Simulated Universe to further understand Nous. 

After all, the next iteration of the Simulated Universe would be upgraded using Erudition as the seed. This shared some similarities with Nous’s own path to godhood.

Zandar hoped to obtain this data—even superficial observation data would suffice. For 'Calypso', this trade was worth considering. 

The data Zandar offered held high reference value and would help her understand the Erudition Equation more easily. 

As for the price... as long as Zandar didn't try to touch the actual Equation, she could accept it. She could easily leave a clone behind to keep an eye on him.

However, this project wasn't 'Calypso’s' alone, so the opinions of Screwllum and Divine Herta were important.

"What do you two choose?"

"Inference: We have an Aeon as an ally; should Zandar harbor a conspiracy, it would be in vain. Meanwhile, the original data from Nous is highly valuable. I believe we should agree."

"You're basing that decision entirely on your trust in me," 'Calypso' said, giving Screwllum a helpless look. 

This supreme ruler of mechanical life and member of the Genius Society was actually using an Aeon as his primary metric for judgment.

"Conclusion: I trust Miss Bai Ming implicitly. From the past to the present, that has never wavered."

Divine Herta nodded as well. "I’m with Screwllum. I might have a lot of thoughts on the matter, but you gave me this new life, so I trust you to handle this right."

"You two really... choosing this moment to get lazy on me."

Faced with 'Calypso’s' exasperation, Divine Herta put her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly. "When an Aeon is standing right here, wouldn't it be a massive waste not to use her power?"

"Fine, fine..."

With both of them saying such things, what else could 'Calypso' say? The mood was set; she couldn't exactly tell them not to trust her. So, 'Calypso' looked at Zandar.

"Since Screwllum and Divine Herta have both voted in favor, I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

"A pleasure, Miss Bai Ming, Screwllum, and Divine Herta." Zandar bowed once more. "In that case, I will send the data as soon as possible. I look forward to your research results. Farewell."

With that, the transmission cut out. Screwllum remained silent, staring at where Zandar had vanished.

That Zandar was willing to trade this data for a single chance didn't just mean he valued it—it meant he was placing a bet. 

He was gambling on his one chance in this lifetime to trade with an Aeon for knowledge. 

After all, the failure at Amphoreus had made Zandar realize that even if the Irontomb had truly been born, this world and Nous would remain unshaken. 

His previous efforts were almost entirely in vain. To oppose an Aeon, he had to use the power of an Aeon.

By sending over this perfectly timed, precious data, Zandar was buying an opportunity. 

A Simulated Universe upgraded through the perspective of an Aeon would undoubtedly retain strong Aeonic characteristics. That was what Zandar wanted.

'Calypso' guessed as much—truthfully, Zandar hadn't even tried to hide his intent. But she didn't care. 

Could Zandar, whose thoughts were already confined by his own creation, truly escape the fate mapped out by Nous? Perhaps. Who could say? After all, this galaxy had room for every possibility.

"It’s about time to start. Screwllum, I’ll give you some data first. I think you’ll like it."

Hearing this, Divine Herta frowned slightly. "What about me?"

"Isn't that body of yours right outside? I'll send it directly into that."

"...That works."

Divine Herta, who usually ran around as a Digimon, often caused people to forget that her true body was actually that gargantuan, light-fallen Irontomb outside Amphoreus. Even she herself didn't seem to have any plans to actually do anything with that body.

"Alright, Screwllum, you first."

Screwllum extended his hand, a data connection port unfolding at his fingertip. 

Then, a ribbon of light appeared out of thin air, carrying a massive amount of data into the port. 

The vast and extremely complex code turned into a data stream that exceeded his processing limits, causing Screwllum to lag for a moment.

Fortunately, after the storage equipment was completed, Screwllum had given himself a major upgrade. 

So, while the receiving process was a bit grueling, he managed to carry it. This "gift" gave the mechanical head of Screwllum a genuine taste of what it felt like to be "dizzy."

While he wasn't yet clear on what all the data represented, a rough scan confirmed one thing: this code was no simple matter. 

Considering today’s events, it was highly likely these were fragments of the Erudition Equation itself. 

For a mechanical being like Screwllum, such a thing would almost certainly allow for a staggering self-evolution. No one refuses the chance to become smarter—not even a genius.

Thus, Screwllum expressed his gratitude with the utmost solemnity.

"What data did you give him? To make him lag like that... good grief, you didn't give him the Equation, did you?"

"Just the foundational parts. You have a share too, though I don't know if your instincts can handle the processing while your consciousness is detached."

'Calypso’s' casual remark made Divine Herta’s face pale. 

Not out of excitement, but because her body hadn't been upgraded like Screwllum’s. 

It was already filled with a mess of cluttered data she had been too lazy to clean up. If all this was suddenly shoved in while her main consciousness was still drifting out here, she really would crash.

"Wait, you’re serious?! Hold on! Wait until I get back!"

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 402

--+--

Divine Herta hadn't intended to rush over so soon.

But now, she didn't have much of a choice. That woman was definitely doing this on purpose!

Divine Herta grumbled fiercely to herself.

Bai Ming was likely just trying to scare her; after all, that thing was the source code of Erudition. 

Even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance, if that bit of source code managed to get inside, it could potentially bring even Irontomb back to life. 

Then, Divine Herta would be stuck in a tug-of-war for control.

Now, that would be a real disaster.

Deep down, she knew Bai Ming was probably just teasing her, but the offer of that source code was admittedly tempting enough to make her heart skip a beat. 

So, even though Divine Herta was annoyed by 'Calypso's' twisted sense of humor, her body responded honestly—she chose to set off immediately.

The communication cut off with a sharp click.

'Calypso' just smiled and shrugged, not minding the sudden silence. Instead, she turned her gaze toward Screwllum, who was still deeply immersed in thought.

"Please allow me to express my gratitude, Madam Bai Ming."

Suppressing his "discomfort" and his burning intellectual curiosity, Screwllum offered a gentlemanly thanks to Bai Ming.

"No need to thank me. After all, we'll be working together soon. I'll be relying on you and Divine Herta for quite a bit."

While Bai Ming didn't intend to spread the complete Erudition Equation haphazardly, she was willing to share small fragments with someone as trustworthy as Screwllum. 

Besides, she needed their help for what she planned to do with the Simulated Universe.

It would be a waste of time if they lacked the necessary foundation and couldn't even understand the simplified version of the program when the time came.

Thus, 'Calypso' shared a small, fundamental, and relatively simple portion of the source code she had derived from the Erudition Equation.

On the other hand, although they were all Path Equations, the Path of Erudition was clearly more compatible with a mechanical lifeform like Screwllum and a digital entity like Divine Herta. 

They were geniuses in their own right, messengers of Erudition chosen by Nous itself. 

Coupled with their unique life forms, a piece of Erudition’s source code might only serve as a powerful tool for people like Herta or Ruan Mei, but for these two, it could trigger a true metamorphosis.

While waiting for Zandar, Screwllum and 'Calypso' dove back into their research. 

During this time, Divine Herta arrived in a hurry and returned to her main body to personally handle the "surprise" she had been given.

As for Celenova...

She had grown accustomed to life here. She wasn't causing trouble or overstepping; she had even learned many of the duties expected of a maid, gradually taking on the air of a proper housekeeper. 

However, because the upcoming plans involved sensitive details, she had been dispatched—with 'Calypso's' quiet approval—to take a vacation in Amphoreus.

She was currently away from the Space Station.

Of course, whether she left because of the vacation or because she heard 'Calypso' was moving back for a long stay and decided to flee out of sheer terror was anyone's guess.

In short, 'Calypso' had cleared away any potential threats. She wanted to ensure the Erudition Equation wouldn't be leaked easily. 

She couldn't guarantee it would remain a complete secret, of course. After all, Nous might be watching right now, curious to see how the Simulated Universe would evolve.

Two days later, the data Zandar had promised was delivered by one of his clones.

After dropping off the goods, the clone bolted immediately without lingering for a second—likely afraid of being unceremoniously deleted. 

With the materials in hand, 'Calypso', along with Screwllum and Divine Herta (who had already had their first taste of the Erudition source code), officially began their operation.

Screwllum's first task was to use his fragment of code and Zandar’s data as a foundation to overhaul the entire architecture of the Simulated Universe. 

It was a massive undertaking. Fortunately, he had Divine Herta assisting him. The two took the opportunity to exchange ideas and explore the mysteries of that partial equation together.

Meanwhile, 'Calypso' used the original data from Nous to begin compiling the simplified equations. 

These simplified versions would pass through the hands of Screwllum and Divine Herta to be integrated into the Simulated Universe’s framework. Even though they were "simplified," they remained incredibly valuable for study.

Before the project was even finished, Divine Herta underwent an evolution triggered by the sheer accumulation of data.

Her appearance didn't change, but her internal structure was entirely different. Because the equation had merged with her essence, she began to manifest certain special, indescribable abilities. 

Screwllum, unfortunately, didn't have such a convenient evolution feature; all his upgrades had to be handcrafted. While he was somewhat envious, he had no intention of changing his species.

--+--

Meanwhile, at the borders of IX.

With 'Calypso's' subtle assistance, Herta had finally managed to catch Kakamond’s trail. However, just as she was about to press her advantage, a strange sensation washed over her.

"Sigh... why do I have such a weird feeling? It doesn't feel like danger, but something’s just... off. It’s like I’m missing out on something important."

Herta stopped in her tracks, lost in thought. 

Her first instinct was that Kakamond was pulling some strings behind her back. But given Kakamond’s ruthless track record, if she were actually making a move, it would be a lethal trap, not this mild nagging feeling.

"Is something happening outside? But with Bai Ming there, what could possibly... Wait. If there isn't a disaster, then it's eighty percent likely that Bai Ming is the one causing trouble!"

Herta’s eyes sharpened. She felt she had found the truth. 

After all, if something dangerous happened, Bai Ming was the best shield; but if nothing was happening, Bai Ming was the most "dangerous" element of all. 

This sudden intuition was likely because Bai Ming was out there doing something ridiculous—and it probably involved her, and would probably make her blood boil if she found out.

"But what else can that woman even do? She already messed with my Herta City until I had to move it. What’s left?"

Herta frowned. 

Her Space Station had been orbiting The Blue for centuries. 

Herta City had been forced to relocate once because of that woman’s meddling. 

Her puppets had undergone a collective "ascension" and were now addicted to roleplaying as Herta. 

Even her own person had... "interacted" quite closely with her.

What else could she possibly pull?

"There’s nothing left of mine she’d want... except maybe the Simulated Universe? She wouldn't make the Simulated Universe spin in circles like the Space Station, would she? That’s too unoriginal. If she did that, I’d mock her for ten thousand years."

Herta looked at the mark on her hand. In this void-choked place, external communication was impossible. But through this mark, she could reach the other woman. 

If she asked seriously, Bai Ming would definitely tell her what was going on.

But...

Thinking back to their conversation before she left, Herta realized she’d only been gone for a few days. 

If she reached out this early, she’d definitely be teased for being "unable to live without her" or some such nonsense. Just imagining the scene made Herta’s fists tighten.

But if she didn't reach out, and that woman really was doing something infuriating... Herta couldn't put her mind at ease.

Torn by indecision and growing increasingly annoyed, Herta finally gave up on the idea of calling.

"Curse you, Bai Ming! I’m adding this to the debt!"

--+--

Meanwhile, just as they had guessed, Nous was indeed watching the changes within the Simulated Universe.

Though it was a simplified version in the Aeon's eyes, it offered a very novel perspective on a specific question: Where does a world controlled by Erudition lead?

In the calculations of Nous, no matter how the variables were adjusted, the future ultimately trended toward Finality. 

The paths leading to that end varied. Erudition could only calculate and use specific anchors to indirectly influence the future, but it could not control it. There was a vast difference between the two.

But if this plan for the Simulated Universe succeeded, it would become a meaningful thinking unit for Nous: a simulation of how a universe governed by Erudition would evolve.

Furthermore, because 'Calypso' was involved, even Nous couldn't accurately calculate what the future of this Simulated Universe would look like. 

The answer would only be revealed once the work was complete. Whether that answer would be a surprise or a shock to Nous remained to be seen.

However, as long as it wasn't something that led the universe toward total destruction, Nous was more than happy to include it in its eternal contemplation. 

Since it couldn't fully incorporate 'Calypso' into its thoughts, it would settle for the next best thing: her creation.

While Nous was highly invested in the project, it couldn't openly "peek" while 'Calypso' was there, so it simply waited for the project's success.

Aside from Nous, Aha was also watching. Compared to the Aeon of Erudition, Aha’s thoughts were much simpler.

If the Simulated Universe really evolved into a "Mini-Nous," what would it become once it possessed the data of over a dozen Paths? 

Or, to put it simply, what happens when so many Paths converge into a single entity—much like how 'Calypso' was walking toward the end of her own journey?

Aha wasn't just curious about the Simulated Universe; THEIR true interest was 'Calypso' herself. 

Why had THEY appeared before her so many times, granting power and helping her hide her tracks? 

It wasn't for nothing—it was because no matter how it looked, THEY couldn't understand her, and that was driving the Aeon of Elation mad with curiosity.

Perhaps this business with the Simulated Universe would finally allow Aha to catch a glimpse of some useful information.

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 403

--+--

As far as Aha was concerned, there was one thing the Elation had always been dying to figure out:

Where, exactly, did ‘Calypso’ get her power?

Setting aside the strength granted to her by Nanook and Aha themselves, ‘Calypso’ possessed the innate ability not only to transform into others out of thin air but to simulate their power with pinpoint accuracy.

In the early days, she had merely borrowed the strength of mortals. 

Now, things had spiraled into the realm of the absurd. From some unknown source, she had unearthed the operational logic of various Paths and mastered them completely.

Aha had, of course, peeked at all the equations ‘Calypso’ had ever revealed. For an Aeon, the logic of the equations wasn't difficult to grasp. 

The real mystery lay in how they were generated—who had created them and handed them to her?

It couldn’t have been her own doing; that simply defied logic. After all, you cannot clearly draft the underlying architecture of a thing without first understanding its fundamental principles.

After a period of observation, Aha noticed that ‘Calypso’ was effectively utilizing the power of emotions. 

When it came to the power of sentiment—or feelings—Aha had experimented with similar concepts elsewhere. However, the phenomena involving "willpower" in the Simulated Universe were essentially propped up by the power of Elation in the background.

So, by what mechanism did ‘Calypso’ convert her use of emotions?

The moment Aha reached this step in the puzzle, the Aeon realized they were stumped. 

THEY couldn't see through it; no matter how THEY looked, it remained an enigma. Even after attempting a bit of direct contact, the logic stayed shrouded.

There was definitely a secret hidden within ‘Calypso’s’ body—a secret that transcended the Tree itself.

Aha mused that if Akivili were still alive, THEY would probably be even more obsessed than Aha was. But sadly, Akivili was dead. 

Otherwise, Aha could have dragged a partner-in-crime along to peek, someone to share the impact of the punches whenever ‘Calypso’ decided to vent her frustrations on THEM.

The good news, however, was that the Astral Express had set sail once more. Akivili might just return to life. When THEY did, Aha would have to break the news. Whether it was good news or bad was up for debate.

After all, staring at a mountain of treasure without the key to the lock—forced to scratch your head in frustration behind a fence—is a special kind of torment.

Just like Aha was feeling right now.

Anxious, restless, and utterly stuck.

Fortunately, Aha wasn't the most stressed of the bunch. That honor belonged to Nous and HooH, so Aha’s mood brightened just a little at the thought.

On the other side of things, ‘Calypso’ had no idea what Aha was brooding over. She was currently hard at work optimizing her simplified equations.

It sounded simple enough in theory, but the problem was that ‘Calypso’ hadn’t fully mastered the Erudition Equation.

While it wasn't difficult to cobble together a rough first draft with her current knowledge—and she could always polish it later—it wouldn't be an instant success once put into practice.

The primary issue was compatibility.

On one hand, this hand-crafted, simplified version struggled to achieve the "plug-and-play" seamlessness of the original equation. 

On the other hand, ‘Calypso’ wanted these equations to support the iterative operations of the entire Simulated Universe, rather than just acting as a buff for the simulated Aeon of Erudition.

Much like how the fragments of the Elation equation had once attracted the simulated Aha and led to him wreaking havoc inside, the Erudition equation would naturally draw the attention of the simulated Nous.

Of course, those weren't the only problems. Countless other trivial hurdles needed clearing. However, the bulk of the issues boiled down to two things: the performance of the Simulated Universe couldn't keep up, and the simplified equations ‘Calypso’ produced weren't quite elegant or perfect enough.

To handle this massive undertaking, Divine Herta and Screwllum decided to mobilize resources from the Land of Light and Planet Screwllum, initiating a hardware overhaul of the entire Simulated Universe.

Meanwhile, ‘Calypso’ turned her attention back to the other Path equations she had mastered, deconstructing and reorganizing them once more.

Pinpointing the key strings of code wasn't the hard part. Although the compatibility logic for each Path differed, there were common threads. The real issue was the high level of technical sophistication. 

Understanding how it worked didn't mean you knew how to script a new one from scratch. And if she simply copied parts directly, they would carry the "source code" of the Erudition equation.

All she could do was try her best to learn from these "perfect" equations provided by the System.

At this point, ‘Calypso’ was almost tempted to invite the real Nous over and let that massive head do the calculations for her. 

Fortunately, she managed to restrain herself. It felt too much like inviting someone else to study the System’s secrets.

As her greatest secret, ‘Calypso’ intended to keep it to herself. 

Besides, even though the programs she wrote were currently a bit lackluster, she could see clear signs of progress. They might not meet the requirements yet, but the future looked promising.

While the project advanced steadily, the Simulated Universe entered its formal upgrade phase.

To ensure no labor went to waste, ‘Calypso’ hauled Celenova back from her vacation in Amphoreus. Joining her as "guest labor" was Asta, who had been staying in the Land of Light.

Celenova stared coldly at the pink-haired girl standing before her, then turned to ‘Calypso.’

"What’s the meaning of this? It’s bad enough you dragged me back to work, but I have to take orders from this brat?"

"Well, there's no way around it," ‘Calypso’ replied. "You’ve studied here for a few years, but you’ve never actually done any field work.” 

“Don’t let Asta’s age fool you; she’s been working in the Land of Light’s research institutes for years. Tens of thousands of Giants of Light follow her lead. You can’t really compete with that experience."

"Is it because I don't want to do field work?" Celenova ground out, glaring at ‘Calypso.’

Was she unwilling to lift a finger? No, this person clearly wouldn't let her do anything!

"That's not the same thing. Besides, if you want to turn over a new leaf, I wouldn't mind trusting you a bit more. Don't think I don't know you've been meddling over in Glamoth recently."

"How should I know? This avatar of mine is practically being abandoned," Celenova huffed, falling silent in a foul mood.

Her current avatar was in a state of neglect. She had even proactively cut herself off from the Legion's movements and intelligence—a process she had carried out bit by bit over several years.

Although she was the one who chose the isolation, as time passed, she felt as though she had completely lost touch with her true self.

If it weren't for the fact that her connection to Harmony remained intact, she might have felt like a completely independent entity. Because of this, while she knew her other avatars were busy working, this state of ignorance left her feeling restless.

"In any case, the organization has decided: you’re the assistant."

"Tch." Celenova clicked her tongue, ultimately standing behind Asta with a dark expression.

A few years had passed, and the young Asta had grown into a fine young woman. 

Not only was she elegant and poised, but perhaps due to her long stay in the Land of Light, the pink-haired girl now carried a certain noble, lofty aura characteristic of that place.

"Alright, Asta, the upgrade work is in your hands. If you’re short on people, you can call for reinforcements from Herta Space Station, the Land of Light, Amphoreus, or Planet Screwllum."

"It's enough, it's enough! We have plenty of robots and researchers on the station to finish the job," Asta said, shaking her head quickly. Who was she to command the forces of so many major powers?

It hadn't been easy for her to find her footing in the Land of Light over the years. The physical capabilities of the Giants of Light at the institute were top-tier—terrifyingly strong, actually. 

As an ordinary human navigating a world of superhumans, only Asta knew the hardships she had faced. If she had to manage scholars from several more major factions now, she’d truly lose it.

Seeing Asta like this, ‘Calypso’ smiled and patted her shoulder, not pushing the issue. It seemed the young lady was still a bit green; she hadn't yet grown into the reliable Station Master from the original timeline.

"Alright then. Just don't be nervous. If you have any problems, come find me directly. I have plenty of free time."

"Oh... okay." Asta scratched her head.

Instead of going to Divine Herta or Screwllum, she was supposed to go straight to this Aeon? Was that really the right order of operations?

Though, to be fair, this Aeon didn't act much like one. 

Years ago, she had even personally come to whisk Asta away, which scared her family so much they hadn't dared to breathe a word about her since, giving her years of peace.

Also, she had a habit of wearing a mismatched charm bracelet. One of the charms was a tiny hammer that looked remarkably like the hammer of the Amber Lord she had seen in books as a child.

"So, any other questions? If not, let’s get to work."

"Actually, I have a personal question." Asta raised a small hand and pointed curiously at the bracelet on ‘Calypso’s’ wrist. "That little hammer on your string looks exactly like the Amber Lord's hammer I saw when I was little. Did you make it?"

As a daughter of the Corporation, Asta still held the Amber Lord in high regard.

It was the first time she had seen a piece of "merchandise" that captured the original’s essence so perfectly. She kind of wanted one.

"You’re the first person to ask. Everyone else just stares and keeps their mouth shut."

‘Calypso’ had actually been prepared to show off big time, but neither Herta nor Screwllum had ever brought it up. It had been driving her crazy.

Asta really was a sweetheart—why hadn't she snatched her away from Divine Herta back then?

Thinking this, ‘Calypso’ smiled and held out her wrist.

"It doesn't just 'look' like it. That is the hammer you’re thinking of. THEY tossed it to me a while back. Hanging next to it is the Hunt’s arrow and the key from Nous. If you can actually pick them up, I'll give them to you."

"???"

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 404

--+--

Asta’s finger, which she had just used to poke the object, instantly froze in place.

It was that very touch that allowed her to feel the exaggerated mass of this little hammer—a weight that defied its outward appearance. 

Her finger felt as if it had brushed against the body of Qlipoth the Amber Lord THEMSELF; mere skin contact was enough for her consciousness to perceive the immense, grounding heaviness of Preservation.

This sensation served as the perfect evidence for ‘Calypso’s’ claim.

This thing was actually real?!

Asta nearly failed to suppress a curse. That was the Amber Lord’s hammer! Why on earth was it sitting in front of her, turned into a mere charm on a bracelet??

It couldn’t have been stolen, right?

Asta immediately dismissed that thought. It wasn't as if the Amber Lord didn't know how to fight back; if someone truly tried to snatch THEIR hammer, THEY wouldn't have been so calm about it.

So, was it a gift from the Amber Lord?

But why? There didn't seem to be any connection between them at all. And besides, if the Amber Lord didn't have THEIR hammer, what were THEY using to strike the Subspace Barrier right now? Did the IPC notice the hammer was missing? How would they react?

If they knew this hammer was in ‘Calypso’s’ hands, the Corporation would probably be scared to death.

Asta fell into a whirlwind of frantic thoughts.

Celenova’s gaze also landed on ‘Calypso’s’ wrist. It was an unremarkable hand-woven cord; at first glance, it looked no different from any ordinary handmade trinket.

But the moment Celenova tried to use Harmony to probe it—!

An amber giant swung a colossal hammer down toward her; a fully drawn bow aimed a bolt of light at her heart; unfathomable, mysterious shifting light swirled around, and a chaotic, dizzying flood of information attempted to invade her consciousness.

Those four terrifying, dormant powers instantly broke Celenova into a cold sweat.

If she had been even a fraction more aggressive just now, the mere residual pressure from those four forces would have cost her her life!

Even so, the fleeting glimpse left a deep impression on Celenova’s heart. 

Specifically, the images of Preservation swinging the hammer and Hunt drawing the bow against her—coupled with the mental wash of Enigmata and Erudition—left Celenova feeling as though her mind was currently filled with nothing but hammers and light-arrows.

‘Calypso’ looked at Celenova’s dazed, lost expression with a strange look.

This girl isn't going to be "reformed" into a good person by the clash of those two wills, is she?

She reached out and gently closed Asta’s hanging jaw. ‘Calypso’ then ushered the still-contemplating young girl and Celenova out of the room, telling them to get back to work.

As for herself, she would, of course, continue researching the simplification of the equations.

With Asta joining the team, work efficiency improved significantly, and the entire iteration process was being pushed forward with incredible speed.

Naturally, this also included the assistance of the power of Harmony from Celenova.

In any case, it made ‘Calypso’ realize why Divine Herta—even after starting a new life—insisted on "kidnapping" Asta back to her side. 

While this girl might not quite reach the level of a Genius, she was a respectable talent in research and possessed truly outstanding management skills.

If she’d known Asta was this useful, she wouldn't have let Divine Herta have her; she would have gladly kept her for herself.

Alas, in her youth, she didn't realize how good it was to have a "rich woman" around. 

If only she could trade Celenova for Asta. Aside from being easy on the eyes, Celenova’s working ability couldn't hold a candle to Asta’s.

‘Calypso’ felt a secret pang of regret. She even considered finding a way to lure Asta home. 

However, Divine Herta was sharp-eyed; before ‘Calypso’ could even act, Divine Herta had already guessed her intentions, causing the idea to fall through.

Putting the matter of Asta aside, ‘Calypso’ began to wonder who else she could drag in as "coolie" labor.

Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit her, and she remembered a young genius she had almost forgotten.

In the original Genius Society, #84 was an incredibly young boy. Of course, currently, #84 was already Divine Herta, so Stephen could only be #85 in the future. 

However, he hadn't been "glanced at" by Nous yet, which meant Stephen might actually be an underage kid right now.

He probably wasn't suitable for forced labor. Even during the main storyline, Stephen was still looking after his relatives' fruit shop, so he was likely just a brat. 

Now, with at least several years to go before the main story began, he was probably even younger.

Out of caution, ‘Calypso’ found Divine Herta to ask about Stephen.

"You're asking about Stephen? That brat is probably still in school learning calculus," Divine Herta remarked, recalling the Stephen from her memories.

Though it wasn't perfectly accurate, calculating the time based on her impressions, the current Stephen was eighty percent likely to still be a schoolboy.

"You want him to help? I have no interest in teaching him. Besides, that kid doesn't even like leaving his house. How could he possibly come here to help? You’d better wait until he’s recognized by the Droidhead first."

"Is it really impossible?"

"Do you want to babysit?"

"...Never mind then."

‘Calypso’ thought about it; it was hard to say if Stephen had even hit ten years old yet. 

While Stephen definitely wasn't a "problem child," she certainly wasn't cut out for babysitting. She couldn't exactly hand him over to Celenova, either—she might accidentally kill the kid.

Seeing her expression, Divine Herta let out a frustrated huff. "Honestly, if you were going to do this, why did you let my other self go? That’s one less person for no reason."

On this point, ‘Calypso’ admitted it was indeed her fault. "I didn't think that far ahead back then, and I promised Herta quite early on."

Divine Herta shook her head repeatedly. Launching such a massive project without telling Herta would only result in Herta blaming her when she returned. And now, with Herta gone and a shortage of people... this girl was just a glutton for punishment.

In short, there was no luck in finding more help for the time being. ‘Calypso’ gave up on the idea of slacking off and went back to studying the equations.

Under constant optimization, after more than half of her roleplay time had passed, the first successfully running simplified equation was finally hammered out.

The data sent by Zandar had been a huge help. It didn't just contain the original code; it included all the information from Zandar’s very first slice. Calling it a "massive investment" would be an understatement.

Although by now, compared to the body and code of Nous, it had surely iterated to the point where its own mother wouldn't recognize it, it was still unexpectedly useful for referencing the underlying logic to aid in understanding the Erudition Equation—especially for simplifying them.

It successfully began running within the Simulated Universe.

The impact of the simplified equation on the Simulated Universe was glaringly obvious.

The powerful computational logic made the output results far more detailed. More information was calculated; even for the same output content, the sheer volume of data far exceeded the past.

Consequently, the requirements for hardware facilities also skyrocketed. Luckily, Screwllum had chosen to develop new storage technology, or the Space Station would have become much more bloated.

As the system began to run again, the next step was to see when this Simulated Universe would give birth to a self.

Zandar had hidden in a corner, looping Amphoreus for who knows how many years before a Demiurge finally emerged. 

Theoretically, by using the simplified content of the Erudition Equation and the reference of Nous’s initial code, it shouldn't be that difficult for a machine as vast as the Simulated Universe to birth a self-awareness. At the very least, it shouldn't require waiting as many years as Zandar did.

However...

For the sake of purity, ‘Calypso’ didn't intend to intervene with her own power.

If the Simulated Universe was left to evolve on its own, there was no telling how long it would take or what would happen once that consciousness was born.

If that self-awareness wandered into the Simulated Universe, thought of itself as a certain lifeform within it, and became so immersed that it forgot the world outside... that wasn't entirely impossible. 

At that point, finding a needle in a haystack would be easier than fishing out a self-awareness from that thing.

‘Calypso’ glanced at her roleplay time:

--+--

[Roleplay System]

[Name: Bai Ming (Calypso)]

[Lifespan: ∞+4 Days (Roleplay)]

[Transformable Characters: Big Herta, Celenova, Jingliu, Ruan Mei, Sparkle, Hertatomb, Lord Ravager - Jingliu, Young Herta, Robin, Artoria, Cipher, Georios, General of the Yuque - Qingque, Huohuo, Silver Wolf, Hysilens, Cyrene - Fuli (Charge: 46.3%), Acheron (Charge: 18.8%), Calypso (In Progress)]

[Draw Count: 21 (64.7%)]

--+--

Only about four days of roleplay time remained.

While she wasn't short on emotion points now, if the Simulated Universe didn't "stand up" within the roleplay period, the character reward settlement would have to rely on additional rewards to hit the pity.

But with only four days left, she assumed she’d have to settle for the pity again and wait a while longer.

Just as ‘Calypso’ thought this roleplay session would likely end this way, suddenly—

A cold ripple of Imaginary Energy arrived in an instant from the depths of the void. A flickering red glow reflected the dimly visible, massive mechanical head.

Once the Simulated Universe began to run stably, Nous finally cast THEIR gaze upon it.

THEY first looked at ‘Calypso’, seemingly wanting to gauge her attitude. 

Seeing that ‘Calypso’ had absolutely no reaction, THEY then let THEIR gaze penetrate the shell of the Simulated Universe, reaching deep into that smooth-running world permeated by Memoria.

The simplified equations had already iterated themselves to perfectly adapt to this world. 

Although the Simulated Universe was isolated from direct interference with simulated Erudition, it still indirectly influenced the state of the simulated Aeon of Erudition's original body within.

And because of that...

The tiny spark of life birthed by the Simulated Universe itself happened to land right upon that simulated original body of Erudition.

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 405

--+--

That tiny flicker of consciousness instinctively clung to the simulated original body of Nous.

The act itself was a complete accident.

After all, this consciousness—born from simplified equations—was intended to be the overseer of the entire Simulated Universe. 

If it were allowed to grow naturally upon the Aeon’s simulated form, it would end up interfering with its own future potential.

Moreover, it didn't align with what Nous desired.

What the Erudition sought was something independent of the system, a being that relied on pure intellect to master the variables of the world—not another "Nous" shackled within a simulation.

If it were the latter, the Aeon could simply look at THEMSELF; why bother paying attention to the Simulated Universe at all?

The reason Nous cast THEIR gaze here was specifically to verify where the world would lead when influenced by a force from outside the system.

And so, Nous did not hesitate.

THEY did not allow the simulated Aeon's body to grow stronger. Instead, It extracted that consciousness.

Right before ‘Calypso’, Nous fixed that consciousness into the very operating core of the Simulated Universe. 

As the Aeon intervened, the power of the Path of Erudition surged forth, condensing within that nameless spark of mind.

Coalescing alongside that power was a single question left by Nous for this newborn fledgling.

With that finished, Nous looked toward ‘Calypso’. 

With a nod—a friendly greeting in the manner of Aeons—It slowly departed.

However.

By now, Amphoreus was no longer the desolate, backwater world it once was.

Relying purely on its vast wealth, the Interastral Peace Corporation had reorganized the surrounding star system, transforming it into a bustling hub of prosperity. Factions of all sizes and various commercial planets had cropped up like bamboo shoots after rain, all orbiting Amphoreus.

Consequently, the sudden arrival of Nous immediately alerted almost everyone keeping an eye on the world. Furthermore, the incredibly distinct tide of Imaginary Energy converging on the Simulated Universe’s space station was clearly detected by every major power.

Amidst the shock, a wave of confusion followed.

What exactly was Nous doing?

If the Aeon had come for that specific Aeon or one of the Geniuses, it would be understandable. But why bestow a blessing upon a mere space station?

While there was no shortage of mechanical lifeforms among the Geniuses, the problem was that this space station wasn't a machine lifeform.

Wasn't this place just a site used by a few Geniuses for their Simulated Universe project?

If one had to be pedantic, Herta Space Station over at The Blue looked far more like a mechanical being. For Nous to bless a space station... wasn't that a bit too abstract?

Or had this space station somehow come to life without anyone noticing?

--+--

When that theory surfaced, the people at the IPC were the most shaken.

This was because the IPC had footed nearly the entire bill and provided the labor to build the station. 

The Corporation even kept the full set of blueprints in their archives. 

Even though the station’s owner had patched and modified it later, the engineering teams used were mostly from the IPC; they knew exactly what had been changed and moved.

That was precisely why the IPC was so baffled. They knew better than anyone that this place wasn't built to study mechanical life. How could it just wake up out of the blue?

It was beyond ridiculous... what on earth had those big shots added to the interior?

And why did it have to be at Amphoreus? 

Not long ago, they had dealt with Irontomb’s mechanical crisis, and now here was another one... Jade was honestly worried that this birth would result in an Irontomb 2.0 or an Emperor Rubert III.

Jade truly didn't know how to handle this. A space station recognized by Nous as a Genius?

How was she supposed to communicate with it? Was she meant to say, "I helped design and build your frame, so you should call me Mom"? Just thinking about it felt utterly absurd.

Of course, as abstract as it was, the universe was full of bizarre mechanical beings; it wasn't as if they couldn't find a protocol for it. The real headache for Jade was something else.

This place was originally a research site for the Geniuses and a spot where that certain Aeon would occasionally stay. Now that the place had come to life, what would happen? 

The Geniuses all had massive personalities—wouldn't they end up fighting? And would that Aeon still choose to stay here?

In the past, the IPC viewed Amphoreus as a vital transit point where they could easily contact a deity. They had poured immense resources into it, even stationing Jade here personally with Topaz. 

If this connection vanished, the Strategic Investment Department was going to take a massive loss. That would be disastrous for Diamond’s upcoming promotion.

After her initial daze, Jade quickly calculated the pros and cons. She decided she had to get first-hand intelligence as soon as possible. At the very least, she had to know what was happening!

--+--

Meanwhile, ‘Calypso’ had no time to worry about the IPC’s thoughts.

Nous had personally enlightened the consciousness of the Simulated Universe and informed her of what had just transpired. 

In truth, ‘Calypso’ didn't particularly care if that consciousness had grown while attached to the simulated Nous; it could have been separated later anyway. 

But since Nous had taken the initiative, ‘Calypso’ had no objections.

More than that, ‘Calypso’ was currently pondering something else.

What method should she use to make the Simulated Universe "stand up"?

The Herta Space Station had used the AllSpark for its complex transformation. If she used the same thing here, it would feel repetitive. It wouldn't have that same "wow" factor when Herta saw it.

But soon, ‘Calypso’ didn't have to think anymore.

Bolstered by the power of Erudition, the blessed consciousness of the Simulated Universe had rapidly matured.

Although its personality wasn't yet fully formed, its cognitive abilities were running smoothly.

Adding to that, the data from the frequent interactions and thoughts shared by the Geniuses and ‘Calypso’ within the simulation served as the perfect nutrients for its learning.

Thus, before ‘Calypso’ could even decide how to make it "stand up," the consciousness chose its own form.

With a surge of Imaginary Energy mixed with the powers of Remembrance and Erudition, a small figure with long brown hair—appearing physical yet not—manifested before everyone.

The brown-haired figure had visible mechanical structures on her body, suggesting she perceived herself as a machine rather than flesh and blood. 

Her features held that distinct aura belonging to Madam Herta, yet her face also carried a hint of ‘Calypso’ herself. 

As for her clothing style, she leaned toward Ruan Mei’s aesthetic, constructing a light-colored qipao for herself.

Screwllum carefully observed the small mechanical girl. 

With a body structure of a machine, a look resembling ‘Calypso’ and Herta, and a style clearly influenced by Ruan Mei... she felt like an image forged by taking the appearances of her several creators as references.

‘Calypso’ also stared, stunned by the figure that shared fifty percent of Herta’s spirit.

Though... why did she look so much like Herta? Was that even logical? Wasn't I the one usually stationed here?

Well, she supposed she hadn't actually visited much the past few years; it was mostly Herta and Screwllum doing the heavy lifting... Alright, she could accept why the girl didn't look like her.

Just as ‘Calypso’ came to terms with it and prepared to test the new Simulated Universe, the "evolution" wasn't over yet. It seemed the girl was only just confirming her personal image.

Seeing that no one had any objections, the entire space station began to tremble.

Then, the station began to restructure itself.

It wasn't a transformation into a giant robot like the AllSpark; it was a pure physical reorganization of the station’s exterior.

As everyone knew, over 70% of the station consisted of the Simulated Universe's main body, with the remaining 30% being living and research quarters. 

Now, that massive main body began a grand-scale reconstruction. What was once a simple, large machine was reshaped into a gargantuan mechanical head.

Sheet-metal hair grew from the head, rapidly lengthening to define a hairstyle. Even without a paint job, anyone who knew Herta would recognize it at a glance: this was the image of Madam Herta.

The remaining 30% of the station used by staff was reshaped into several orbital rings surrounding the giant mechanical head.

Every cabin, design, and internal structure was thoroughly iterated and optimized. No one on the station was injured—only frightened.

When the transformation finally finished, every member of the station received a letter on their mobile devices from the Simulated Universe Space Station. Simultaneously, a purple glow ignited in the eyes of the mechanical head.

The previously powered-down Simulated Universe rebooted.

The logic of its calculations was completely reshaped within its body. At that very moment, an invitation to the Genius Society was delivered right outside the station in front of countless watching eyes.

Of course, the most shocked person was ‘Calypso’.

She had been wondering how to make the station "stand up," and the thing had gone and done a jaw-dropping transformation into a mechanical head that looked like Herta.

Now, Herta could never call Nous "Droidhead" ever again. Because now there was a mechanical head that looked just like her; if she called out that name, people would think she was talking about herself.

"Pfft..."

‘Calypso’ knew Herta would be furious when she saw this, but the thought of the expression Herta would make was simply too much to handle. She couldn't stop herself from laughing.

As for whose influence led to this image...

The expression on Divine Herta’s face was extremely subtle. 

After holding it in for a long time, she finally couldn't help but complain:

"Can... can’t Nous teach something better? Is turning into a giant head and hanging in the middle of space really such a great thing?!"

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 406

--+--

Meanwhile...

On the other side of the cosmos, Herta was actually in a rather grand mood lately.

It was all because she’d finally managed to corner Polka Kakamond at her own front door.

She wasn't sure if the woman had sensed Herta’s pursuit or if she’d simply relocated following the recent anomalies. 

Out in that godforsaken wasteland on the edge of IX’s Nihility, Kakamond had pulled a fast one, leaving behind a trail of decoys and false intel that nearly sent Herta off on a wild goose chase.

Fortunately, Herta had come prepared—and she’d had a little help from 'Calypso' operating in the shadows.

Long story short: Herta successfully trapped Kakamond, forcing the woman’s hand.

Under normal circumstances, Kakamond would have leaped at the chance to cut Herta down. 

After all, Herta had come dangerously close to breaching the boundaries of knowledge over a dozen times. But times had changed.

Herta now had an Aeon standing at her back—and the kind of Aeon who wasn't above throwing manners out the window to intervene personally. 

Even putting aside whether Kakamond could kill Herta under an Aeon’s protection, there was the immediate reality to consider: if Herta so much as breathed a word, Kakamond would be apprehended the next second, bound hand and foot, and delivered to Herta City for Herta to deal with at her leisure.

Consequently, Kakamond’s current strategy was to stay as far away from Herta as possible, avoiding contact at all costs.

Herta, however, clearly had other ideas.

What’s more, Herta had somehow found her hiding spot. 

If this had been the Herta of several centuries ago, it might have been different, but the Herta of today had grown to a point where even Kakamond couldn’t simply brush her aside. 

The "Knowable Domain" sounded impressive, yet Herta had cracked it through some unknown means. 

With an endless barrage of tricks up her sleeve, the cornered Kakamond found it impossible to shake her off.

Driven to desperation, Kakamond was forced into a hasty confrontation.

During the struggle, Kakamond even considered calling Dr. Primitive for backup. 

Unfortunately, while the Doctor had sent a response saying they would come, Kakamond waited and waited, but there was no sign of them. 

She was so livid she assumed the man had ghosted her and run off yet again.

As for the outcome...

After ten long system days of entanglement, Kakamond ended up severely wounded and suffered a crushing defeat. She likely wouldn't be recovering anytime soon.

Herta had initially wanted to press the advantage and kick the dog while it was down, but Kakamond grew desperate, deploying a final gambit that forced Herta to abandon the pursuit.

It was a bit of a shame, but Herta was satisfied enough. This trip had allowed her to dig up quite a few of that woman’s secrets.

As for actually taking Kakamond’s life? Herta didn’t care all that much. If she could kill her, fine; if not, whatever. Engaging in a high-stakes battle with Kakamond was far more important than the kill itself.

Still, it was a pity she hadn’t been able to finish her off then and there. If the opportunity arose again, she definitely wouldn't give her another chance to escape. 

With the experience and gains from this bout, the next time they met, the scales wouldn’t be nearly so balanced.

Musing over this, Herta decided to leave the battered star system and return to Herta Space Station.

The moment Herta crossed the wormhole and arrived at the station, the puppets—detecting Madam Herta’s return—immediately compiled all the recent developments regarding the Simulated Universe and delivered them to her hands.

"Hmm? What's this? Why the rush? What happened to the Simulated Universe?"

Herta looked at the files sent by AI Herta with a look of confusion. For some reason, she had a sudden, sinking feeling.

She opened the file. The first thing she saw—a metaphorical blow to the head—was a photo of a massive mechanical head floating in the orbit of Amphoreus.

Herta hadn't even reached the text below yet; just seeing that mechanical head, which looked at least fifty percent like her, sent the blood rushing straight to her brain.

"WHAT—IN—THE—WORLD—IS—THIS?!!"

Herta felt like she might faint from sheer fury.

That thing floating in the satellite orbit of Amphoreus was clearly where the Simulated Universe was supposed to be. BUT! The Simulated Universe space station in her memory absolutely did not look like this monstrosity!

Who did this? Who turned her station into this giant, thundering head?

That station that liked to spin around everywhere was troublesome enough, but now there was this "Big Head." And to top it off, it didn't even capture her beauty properly—it was practically a crime!

Even if she could recognize who the remaining parts looked like, since the main body was "Herta," it had to look like her own perfect face. Anything less was heresy!

"Inhale... exhale..."

Herta closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady herself. Once she’d finally suppressed her temper, she flipped past the close-up photo to read the detailed logs.

And there, just as she expected, she saw a very familiar name: "Madam Bai Ming."

In an instant, a wave of speechlessness, resignation, and "of course it was her" washed over Herta, making her laugh out loud.

It was one of those thoughts where she felt that if it wasn't Bai Ming, it wouldn't be normal.

Herta patiently continued reading.

From the initial "I have an idea" to the part where she shared portions of the Erudition Equation with Divine Herta and Screwllum, leading to their consecutive evolutions and transformations...

Herta’s mood remained a mix of exasperation and annoyance.

However, when she reached the part explaining that the plan was to input a simplified Erudition Equation into the Simulated Universe to induce self-iteration, her eyes sharpened.

Almost instantly, Herta realized three things. If this plan succeeded, the very meaning of the Simulated Universe would change for them.

On the other hand, Nous originated from Zandar’s sudden whim to create a self-iterating slice, which eventually iterated into an Aeon and an entirely new Path.

Therefore, this plan was inherently dangerous. Even if Erudition already had an Aeon, if this thing truly started iterating, it would reach an astronomical level of complexity.

After thinking it through, Herta’s first thought was: What is she doing this time? This is way too big.

The second thought: She didn't invite me to participate in such a fascinating project?!

The third: Did she purposely wait for me to go bother Kakamond before starting this?

And the final thought: If she doesn't explain this clearly, she’s going to have a very bad time!

Of course, remembering that strange premonition she’d had back at the edge of the Nihility, Herta decided right then and there to hold a grudge. A serious one! She’d settle the old scores and the new ones all at once.

Silently marking a heavy tally against 'Calypso' in her mind, Herta kept reading. She wanted to see why the Simulated Universe had turned out like this and whether the plan had actually succeeded.

Then, she saw the good news.

The plan was a success. It had even drawn the gaze of Nous. The "Droidhead" had acknowledged the Simulated Universe, and the Genius Society had even sent an invitation.

An invitation to the Society, addressed to a space station.

Just imagining the absurdity of that scene made Herta want to giggle.

But beyond the humor, she realized one thing: the speed at which the Simulated Universe had developed self-awareness was terrifyingly fast.

According to the records, the entire process—from the first attempt at inputting the incomplete equation to the final completion—only took about twenty days.

Such a short time to trigger the birth of a consciousness... should she call the Erudition Equation itself powerful, or was the Simulated Universe simply that exceptional?

When it came to the budding consciousness and the boundaries of mechanical life, 'Calypso' might call it "Heart-consciousness." But for mechanical beings, they had a more unique set of criteria.

How did Screwllum view the consciousness born from the Simulated Universe? And from his perspective, where was the line that led Nous to judge it as a living being? These details weren't in the files, but Herta found herself curious.

Aside from that, Herta also found the logs regarding the "Great Thundering Head."

She realized that, regarding this abstract result, she might have wrongly blamed 'Calypso'. According to the puppets' records, 'Calypso' hadn't even had the chance to give her opinion during the final stages. 

The Simulated Universe had made the choice itself, first constructing an image and then spontaneously remodeling the station into its current form.

That giant head... rather than calling it grotesque, if one were to be technical, the image actually aligned with Nous’s own mechanical form. 

According to the meeting minutes summarized by the puppets, it seemed Nous had stepped in to help, ensuring the Simulated Universe's consciousness didn't become a mere appendage of the "Simulated Nous," but rather grew independently.

So, strictly speaking, the blame for turning the Simulated Universe into a giant head rested largely on Nous’s shoulders.

"...Fine, but even so, doesn't Bai Ming, who proposed the plan, carry any blame? And why use my face as the blueprint? She was the one who proposed the Simulated Universe project in the first place!"

Herta accepted the outcome, but every time she glanced back at the photo, she couldn't get over the fact that the head looked like her yet wasn't "her" enough.

Ultimately, she decided to dump the blame squarely on ‘Calypso’s’ head.

Whatever! It was her fault anyway!

"Regardless, I should go see what’s actually happening."

Though the Simulated Universe’s new look made it hard to look at, its inner workings were far too interesting to ignore.

Herta planned to make a trip—partly to understand the current state of things, and partly to see if she could "optimize" that exterior. At the very least, that face needed to be brought up to the standard of her puppets!

But then again...

Now that the Simulated Universe had come to life, would it still let them run simulations and research its data as freely as before?

It would be a real joke if the thing decided it wanted its independence.

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 407

--+--

Herta had only just returned, yet without a single moment to catch her breath, she immediately departed Herta Space Station for the current Space Station.

The station’s layout had undergone a massive overhaul, though thankfully, its core functions remained unchanged.

As soon as she arrived, Herta’s terminal pinged with a public broadcast email sent from the Simulated Universe.

The email opened with a brief self-introduction and a reassurance that the Space Station would continue to operate as usual. It even included a fresh 3D structural map to help the researchers get their bearings.

At the very bottom of the email sat the signature of the Simulated Universe’s newborn consciousness:

‘Genius Society #85, Codename: Simulated Universe.’

"...Couldn't even pick a name that rolls off the tongue, huh?"

Herta’s eyebrows arched slightly. She was already forming a preliminary impression of this Simulated Universe.

It was very green—not in terms of knowledge, but in personality and worldview.

It didn't seem to care about its name, nor much of anything else.

Even after attaining self-awareness, its first instinct was to keep calculating and deducing the world under its control, obsessively accumulating data to make the simulation more "real."

Well, Herta thought, looks like I’m stuck babysitting after all.

Long before 'Calypso' had returned, Herta had actually considered reaching out to that future boy wonder, Stephen Lloyd.

But after checking with Divine Herta and realizing the kid was still at that bratty age where even ghosts would find him annoying, she’d scrapped the idea of recruiting her future colleague for the time being.

After all, she had zero interest in raising kids; it was a total waste of her precious time.

But now?

Herta realized that when it came to this "babysitting" gig, she could run, but she couldn't hide.

She hated looking after children, but the Simulated Universe was clearly a "child" that couldn't be left to its own devices. Not with that terrifying power coupled with a mind as blank as a sheet of paper.

Herta was genuinely worried about what might happen if some bad influence steered the thing off the rails.

Of course, she wasn't about to tackle this teaching job alone.

'Calypso' was the primary culprit behind the birth of this consciousness, so she definitely wasn't getting away.

Then there was Ruan Mei. Considering how many lifeforms she’d cultivated by hand, she surely understood what kind of guidance a newborn soul required.

Screwllum, as the Mechanical Aristocrat and a pioneer of his kind, had a duty to lead this new existence toward a proper sense of self.

As for Divine Herta—while she didn't have a direct "obligation," she was still her. There was no way Herta would suffer through childcare alone while her other self watched from the sidelines.

In short: No one was getting out of this!

Herta memorized the new layout of the Space Station with a single glance, closed the email, and headed toward the Simulated Universe chambers.

She wasn't particularly worried about the other stuff. Despite 'Calypso' being a total flake most of the time, she was reliable when things got serious.

However, there was one thing Herta couldn't quite shake.

Zandar had requested to log into the Simulated Universe for a session.

What exactly was the man thinking when he made that request?

Her first instinct was that he sought knowledge—the guidance of an Aeon. But was that really his only goal?

Would he try to leave a deep, lasting impression on the "blank slate" that was the Simulated Universe, fundamentally altering its future path?

Lost in thought, Herta hurried through the corridors. She soon reached the control room, where she found 'Calypso' and the others gathered. Even Ruan Mei, who was usually a rare sight, was standing there.

Hearing the door slide open, the group turned to see Madam Herta striding in with purpose.

Screwllum was about to greet her, but he immediately clocked the "do not disturb" scowl on her face. He wisely held his tongue and took an elegant step to the side, clearing a path toward 'Calypso'.

Divine Herta’s reaction was just as swift. Being "herself," she knew exactly what was ticking inside Herta’s head.

With a look of pure schadenfreude, she followed Screwllum’s lead and stepped aside, staying silent as she waited for the show to begin.

Ruan Mei was a bit slower on the uptake. She was currently deep in thought, dissecting the process of the Simulated Universe’s awakening and the data left behind by Nous’s intervention.

By the time she realized why the others hadn't said hello, Herta had already reached 'Calypso'.

Herta didn't stand on ceremony. She raised her staff and pointed it squarely at 'Calypso's' nose.

"You know what I’m going to say, don't you?"

'Calypso' offered an awkward but polite smile, gently reaching up to nudge the staff away from her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Asta and the others watching with wide, curious eyes.

"I know, I know. Ahem... Congrats on your triumphant return from beating that nasty woman, Kakamond. How about we celebrate?"

That’s what she said out loud, but 'Calypso' was simultaneously using the power of Tuning to beam a different message directly into Herta’s mind:

[People are watching! Besides, the Simulated Universe is basically a kid. Can we save the "classic routine" for when we're alone?]

Herta gave her a sharp glare, but her lips curled into a tiny smirk as she replied mentally:

[Beg me.]

[Please, please, Big Sister Herta~]

[That’s more like it.]

By now, Herta had grown accustomed to this "performance" they kept up in private.

As long as there were no outsiders around, she accepted it quite naturally. If the timing weren't so bad, she might have even reached out to scratch 'Calypso' under the chin.

[I’ll let you off the hook for now.]

Herta huffed, tapped 'Calypso' on the forehead twice with her staff, and finally let her go.

"I'll settle the score with you later. So, what’s the situation with the Simulated Universe? And that giant head outside—can I change that?"

Hearing that her first priority was fixing the "big head" avatar, everyone felt a collective sense of “Yep, that’s Herta.”

'Calypso', standing behind Herta, poked her head out and said, "Screwllum was just about to log in to have a chat with her. Why don't you go in and ask for yourself?"

Herta didn't refuse; if anything, she’d wanted to see the situation firsthand anyway.

"What about you?"

"Ruan Mei is more interested in the data Nous left behind, so I’m going to help her dig through it. Plus, Zandar could show up at any moment, so I’ll keep watch out here."

Herta nodded, brushed back her long hair, and stepped onto the Simulated Universe platform. She closed her eyes, and her consciousness was soon projected inside.

Screwllum followed, accessing the system with admin privileges to assist Herta while attempting a more nuanced communication with the Simulated Universe’s core consciousness.

As the two settled into their trance-like states, Divine Herta turned to Asta.

"Wrap things up here. It’s about time we headed back."

Asta blinked. For some reason, she detected a hint of urgency in Divine Herta’s tone—as if the woman was rushing her to get back to the Land of Light.

Asta felt strangely flattered. There was a certain satisfaction in feeling "needed" by a genius.

In reality, Divine Herta just wanted Asta as far away from 'Calypso' as possible, lest the latter try to kidnap the girl the moment she turned her back.

Once Asta agreed and stepped away, Divine Herta also entered the Simulated Universe.

This left only 'Calypso' and Ruan Mei’s holographic projection.

Thanks to the recent comprehensive upgrades to the Simulated Universe, the traces of Nous’s influence were like bright flares in the database. That was exactly what Ruan Mei was after.

That fleeting moment where life emerges from nothingness—that was what she craved to see.

'Calypso' walked over and pulled up a sub-screen from Ruan Mei’s display to help with the workload. She was just about to strike up a conversation about what Ruan Mei had been up to lately when the scientist spoke first.

"Do you have time to drop by my place later?"

"Sure. But it's rare for you to offer an invitation. Ran into a problem?"

Ruan Mei smiled faintly. "I simply wanted you to try some new snacks I've been researching."

"New snacks? Well, I’ll look forward to that then," 'Calypso' replied with a nod. "By the way, you're probably heading to Herta’s place later, right? Let's make it for some time after that."

"Uh, yeah, I have to go there."

Ruan Mei’s smile widened slightly. 

Herta’s reaction earlier had been odd; letting things go without a fuss didn't fit her personality. They must have reached some sort of silent consensus without anyone noticing.

"It seems that after all these years, your relationship with Herta has grown much closer."

"It’s... it's alright, I guess."

'Calypso' blinked, feeling like the tone of the conversation was shifting into strange territory. But Ruan Mei wasn't done. She pivoted the topic sharply, tossing out a pointed question:

"And what about Madam Acheron?"

Cough!

Caught completely off guard, 'Calypso' choked on her own breath.

"Why are you bringing up Acheron’s name...?"

If she remembered correctly, Acheron and Ruan Mei weren't close. In fact, Acheron didn't really have any overlap with the Geniuses at all. They only knew of her existence because of 'Calypso'.

"..."

Ruan Mei didn't answer. She simply looked at 'Calypso' with a mysterious, knowing glint in her eyes. 

It was a look that said: Do I really need to explain why I'm asking?

Under that gaze, 'Calypso' felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

Why the hell was Ruan Mei bringing this up now? And hadn't she seen Ruan Mei even less than Herta over the past few years??

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 408

--+--

As for Acheron's side of things.

Back when Herta had first set off to stir up trouble for Kakamond, Acheron had already departed for the territories of several well-known Scions of Permanence. She intended to visit some of the more powerful Long-descendants to better understand her newfound strength.

Her journey included a trip to the Xianzhou Fanghu to seek counsel from General Xuanquan, a visit to Inferno to consult with Typhon, and a stop at Leyaris to speak with the Great Dragon.

For the most part, these were beings who were already acquainted with 'Calypso'.

Typhon, for instance, would occasionally drop by the Simulated Universe Space Station. 

Even though 'Calypso' hadn't shown her face in recent years, the fact that she’d left a puppet behind meant Typhon still visited—though she rarely did anything productive.

General Xuanquan, on the other hand, would occasionally send greetings in the form of letters.

The correspondence usually mentioned the steady growth of the Vidyadhara population over the years, along with the various troubles and trivialities that came with it.

As for the Great Dragon, they remained the same as ever: sprawled out in their domain, going nowhere and doing absolutely nothing.

Initially, they were all quite stunned by Acheron's arrival. 

None of them had ever heard of such a Scion existing, but their shock faded into acceptance once they learned she was a former Self-Annihilator who had been saved by 'Calypso'.

While the idea of saving a Self-Annihilator and turning them into a Scion of Permanence sounded utterly preposterous, it was, after all, the work of an Aeon—and a multi-Path Aeon who held the complete Path of Permanence at that. 

When put in those terms, it didn't seem so strange that she could pull it off.

'Calypso' had known where Acheron was all along.

However, seeing as Acheron was busy familiarizing herself with her new powers—and considering the things Acheron had said previously—'Calypso' found herself at a loss for how to respond.

Consequently, she had been using the situation as an excuse to avoid a face-to-face encounter.

In fact...

Acheron’s proactive departure to seek out the other Scions was likely a calculated move.

She had probably sensed 'Calypso's’ inner conflict and intentionally left to give her an out. Knowing how considerate Acheron was, it was exactly the kind of thing she would do.

The more 'Calypso' thought about it, the more the guilt began to gnaw at her.

If only Acheron weren’t so thoughtful and warm. 

If she were more like Ruan Mei—emotionally distant, close but maintaining a clear sense of boundaries and space—'Calypso' wouldn't be overthinking this at all.

Unfortunately, ever since the power of Nihility had been suppressed, Acheron’s emotional life had become increasingly rich. 

Now that she had completely broken free from Nihility, her personality had become far more extroverted.

To put it plainly, 'Calypso' was the type who responded better to a soft touch than a hard one.

Facing Acheron’s quiet consideration and gentleness was like taking a series of critical hits to the heart; she simply had no defense against it.

Beside her, Ruan Mei watched 'Calypso', whose expression had twisted into one of sheer conflict after just a few questions. Ruan Mei arched an eyebrow, looking somewhat surprised.

Her understanding of the relationship between Madam Acheron and 'Calypso' was largely based on deduction—drawn from the few interactions she’d witnessed and 'Calypso's' demeanor whenever Acheron was mentioned.

For Ruan Mei, whose sense of conventional morality was weak, most things were a matter of indifference. 

Furthermore, Ruan Mei was the type who preferred to keep her own heart under lock and key. 

Therefore, the fact that 'Calypso' had an intimate relationship with Herta while maintaining a complicated, ambiguous bond with Acheron didn't particularly bother her.

She assumed 'Calypso' and Herta felt the same way.

However, as a friend, seeing 'Calypso' look so troubled piqued Ruan Mei’s curiosity. Did she actually care about such things that much?

Ruan Mei looked at 'Calypso' and spoke:

"Once we’re finished, would you like some snacks? Maybe we could talk?"

"...Ruan Mei, you’re actually the type to offer a heart-to-heart?"

'Calypso' wore a look of utter bewilderment. She wasn't sure what drove Ruan Mei to seal off her emotional connections with others, but whatever the reason, Ruan Mei’s outward affect was always thin and detached. 

Even for those they were on good terms with, an invitation for tea and snacks was usually the peak of her hospitality.

'Calypso' figured if she had asked to talk, Ruan Mei might have agreed. But for Ruan Mei to proactively offer to help her sort through her emotions and problems? That was something 'Calypso' had never even dared to imagine.

Seeing that look of shock, Ruan Mei knit her brows slightly. Just what kind of image did she have in this girl’s mind?

"I’ve wanted to ask for a while now: just what kind of person do you think I am?"

After tossing out the question, Ruan Mei didn't wait for an answer, continuing in her own self-contained way:

"You’ve helped me so much and given me so many things. Whether out of personal affection or simple social reciprocity, it shouldn't be strange for me to show you some concern."

"Uh, I’m just surprised you chose a 'heart-to-heart' as the method. I wasn't doubting your feelings for me."

Hearing the explanation, Ruan Mei shook her head helplessly.

"I admit I don’t enjoy this kind of communication, but for a problem like yours, what else is there to do besides talk it out?"

As a genius who would rather drug someone than deal with the hassle of social interaction—and whose only warm memories of connection were with her family long ago—asking Ruan Mei to come up with a subtle, non-verbal way to solve an emotional crisis was honestly asking too much of her.

'Calypso' blinked. She hadn't expected the reasoning to be so... unadorned. And so, the two of them made a promise to sit down at Ruan Mei’s place later, try some new snacks, and have a chat.

Four days slipped through their fingers in the blink of an eye.

'Calypso'’s roleplay duration reached its end, ushering in a new round of reward settlements.

--+--

[Roleplay System]

[Name: Bai Ming (Calypso)]

[Lifespan: ∞]

[Transformable Characters: Big Herta, Celenova, Jingliu, Ruan Mei, Sparkle, Hertatomb, Lord Ravager - Jingliu, Young Herta, Robin, Artoria, Cipher, Georios, General of the Yuque - Qingque, Huohuo, Silver Wolf, Hysilens, Cyrene - Fuli (Charge: 46.4%), Acheron (Charge: 20.2%), Calypso (Charge: 0.0%)]

[Available Pulls: 21 (81.6%)]

--+--

[Settlement Rewards: Single-handedly simplified the Erudition Equation and collaborated with several geniuses to induct the Simulated Universe into the Genius Society, shocking the cosmos. Acquired partial analysis of the Erudition Equation. Bonus Reward: Increased analysis efficiency for Path Equations.]

--+--

While the harvest of emotional points from the first twenty-some days had been average, the final few days had been a goldmine. 

Between Nous descending and the Simulated Universe becoming a "Genius," Bai Ming had raked in a massive wave of points in just four days.

As a result, the settlement rewards were quite substantial.

The progress on the Erudition Equation, which she hadn't seriously delved into before, suddenly surged to the twenty-percent mark. 

A flood of knowledge rushed into her mind; in that brief moment, Bai Ming realized there were countless ways to optimize the "simplified" equation she had tinkered with earlier.

She could not only reduce its complexity further but also significantly boost its output.

Bai Ming glanced toward the Simulated Universe. She could easily input this new version of the simplified formula and give the system an immediate upgrade.

However, considering Zandar hadn't arrived for their meeting yet, she decided to hold off. She would wait until after Zandar left to roll out the new version.

At this very moment, Herta and the others were possessed by an unprecedented desire to explore the Simulated Universe.

A large part of that was due to the fact that the Simulated Universe was now officially a member of the Genius Society. It had evolved from a mere tool into a genius in its own right. 

This leap brought about a total systemic evolution. 

The underlying logic remained the same, but it was like jumping from 2K resolution to 8K; calculations that were once imprecise were now extraordinarily detailed.

With all these changes combined, Herta was once again hopelessly addicted, losing herself in the simulation. She had completely forgotten her intention to settle scores with Bai Ming.

In fact, she hadn't even noticed that Bai Ming’s roleplay timer had expired and she had reverted to her original form.

Bai Ming, who had initially planned to smooth over Herta’s ruffled feathers, sighed helplessly as she watched Madam Herta "ruthlessly abandon" her for the data.

On Ruan Mei’s end, with Bai Ming’s help, all the vital information had been collected and preliminary analysis was complete. 

As for the detailed follow-up research, Ruan Mei naturally preferred to conduct that in her own laboratory. Thus, she was already preparing to head out.

"I’ll go get the snacks ready then."

Ruan Mei gave Bai Ming a small smile, leaving her with those words before cutting the communication link.

Bai Ming looked at the other three, who were still completely absorbed, and noted that Zandar still hadn't reached out. She left a message behind and departed from the space station.

A Phase Flame carried Bai Ming instantly to Ruan Mei’s laboratory ship. Ruan Mei had only just begun her work. Bai Ming naturally stepped in to help out, giving herself something to do.

"Has Rappa been back lately?"

"No."

Ruan Mei didn't much care for the comings and goings of her creations. Even though Rappa had somehow ended up running with the Galaxy Rangers, Ruan Mei never interfered with her decisions. 

Of course, if Rappa ever wandered back, Ruan Mei wouldn't drive her away either. Her style was strictly hands-off.

Ruan Mei didn't even look up as she answered. Her hands moved with practiced agility, manipulating materials that looked decidedly eerie.

Some were things Ruan Mei had concocted herself, others were collected from the far reaches of the stars—some of the species were truly bizarre.

It was hard to imagine these things being used to make pastries.

When Ruan Mei made snacks, she was incredibly focused—or rather, she was enjoying herself. So, Bai Ming only engaged in casual small talk, careful not to disrupt her mood.

It wasn't until the pastries were out of the oven and the two of them sat down with freshly brewed tea that the real conversation finally began.

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 409

--+--

With Ruan Mei taking the initiative, Bai Ming gave a summarized explanation of her situation.

For example, her relationship with Herta, and how her relationship with Acheron had changed over time.

She also covered the suppression of Nihility, the removal and replacement of Acheron’s anchor, and so on…

Leaving out some of the more ambiguous interactions, she conveyed the problems she was currently facing as accurately as possible.

After listening to the entire story, Madam Ruan Mei looked at Bai Ming in confusion.

Her guess about the current situation hadn’t been wrong, but she hadn’t expected Bai Ming to be this conflicted.

Just how had this person managed to tie herself into such a knot?

From initially wanting to eliminate the hidden danger of Nihility, to later agreeing to Herta’s request—researching Nihility and helping Acheron solve her problem was perfectly normal in itself.

And afterward, because Acheron trusted Bai Ming to resolve everything, she let go of her inner burdens. That, too, was normal.

On top of that, Bai Ming, as an Aeon, becoming Acheron’s new emotional support was only reasonable.

In that case, as a qualified Aeon, she just needed to accept the other party’s faith.

With that framework—human devotion toward a god—most of Bai Ming’s worries would no longer even be issues.

After all, both Ruan Mei and Herta knew Bai Ming had found herself an Emanator over on the Xianzhou Luofu, and Herta hadn’t raised any objections. But not only had she not done that, she had even personally asked Madam Acheron to remove the anchor in her heart.

So the aspect of faith in a god had been dismantled by Bai Ming herself, and now she was here agonizing over whether the other party’s feelings toward her had changed.

“…Have you been too idle lately?”

Ruan Mei felt this person was simply too free. Having reached the level of an Aeon, she probably wasn’t encountering any real difficulties anymore, so she started creating trouble for herself.

“I’m idle?!”

Bai Ming raised her eyebrows, surprised. Was she really idle? She had just finished dealing with the Nihility Equation, okay?

Where was the idle part?

Ruan Mei ignored her retort and instead smiled, lifting a piece of pastry to Bai Ming’s lips, watching her eat it little by little.

“How does it taste?”

“There’s a very unique fragrance in it. It’s delicious. That thing you added actually smells this good?”

Hearing the praise, Ruan Mei’s eyes curved as she smiled.

“I don’t know how you define your relationships with everyone, but from my perspective, your relationship with me, with Herta, and with Acheron aren’t all that different—only varying slightly in distance. In my view, your troubles are actually quite… childish.”

As a woman who had lived for who knew how many thousands of years, even without personal experience in romance, her abundant life experience was enough for Ruan Mei to consider Bai Ming’s worries extremely “ordinary.”

Or rather, as a scholar who studied life, Ruan Mei’s understanding of emotions was highly rational—she saw them as merely physiological reactions.

Bai Ming becoming closer with Herta, growing more intimate—

To Ruan Mei, she had always considered that merely a phase.

Sooner or later, her relationship with Bai Ming would become just as close.

She even thought Herta probably believed the same.

Even though Ruan Mei knew that Bai Ming and Herta’s closeness wasn’t just psychological, but physical as well—she still thought so.

Or rather, to Ruan Mei, the physical intimacy that came with deepening relationships wasn’t something she cared about.

So Ruan Mei reached out, lightly pinching Bai Ming’s cheek. Her fingers then slid downward, resting against the exposed collarbone and the pale skin beneath.

“See? You’re getting nervous again. You care a lot about this kind of direct, simple interaction. That’s actually not normal—because you’re an Aeon.”

Ruan Mei sighed as she looked at the tense and slightly bewildered Bai Ming.

No wonder Herta always scolded Bai Ming—perfect in every way, except she never had a proper understanding of herself.

“For example, whether out of personal feelings or admiration for an Aeon, I would consider it perfectly natural for my relationship with you to advance further, just like yours with Herta.”

“Similarly, Acheron, whom you saved—after you forcibly extinguished her worship of divinity—her relationship with you becoming closer is also perfectly natural.”

“You always want so-called ‘pure feelings,’ but mortals are bound by flesh and nerves, mechanical intelligences by programs and circuits, even heliobi are influenced by others’ emotions. The feelings of life in this world never appear without cause.”

Ruan Mei’s fingertip poked lightly at Bai Ming’s chest.

But at this moment, Bai Ming stared at Ruan Mei with trembling pupils.

Had this woman just casually said something terrifying?

What did she mean—“your relationship with me advancing further, like yours with Herta, is perfectly natural”?

Did she even know what she was saying???

Was this person normal… oh right, Ruan Mei had never really been normal. Never mind.

Bai Ming recalled how, a few days ago, Ruan Mei had asked her—almost complaining—what she actually considered her to be.

At first, Bai Ming had felt a little guilty.

Now it seemed—where did Ruan Mei get the confidence to ask that?

“…Were you serious about the first half of what you said?”

Ruan Mei raised her eyebrows slightly, withdrew her fingertip, and picked up another piece of pastry.

She took a bite, then nodded faintly at Bai Ming.

“Of course.”

“You… I… uh…”

Right now, Bai Ming really wanted to ask—were you here to chat, or just to make things worse?

“Did I scare you?”

Ruan Mei’s teasing smile made Bai Ming feel like she was being flirted with.

But in Ruan Mei’s eyes, Bai Ming was indeed extremely young. Even if you removed the centuries affected by different flows of time—Bai Ming’s age still wouldn’t amount to a fraction of Ruan Mei’s.

So yes, she had been teasing her.

But what she said wasn’t exactly false.

For Ruan Mei, she usually didn’t like forming emotional bonds—not because she was naturally cold. In fact, when she was young, she had been quite emotional.

The reason she became like this had everything to do with her family.

After her family passed away, Ruan Mei felt that since everything would end this way anyway, it was better not to form bonds in the first place.

So she sealed off her heart not because she lacked feelings, but because she hated the parting at the end.

On the contrary, she valued emotions deeply.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have made such a decision.

And that brought things to the key point.

If, at the beginning, her friendship with Bai Ming and Herta had essentially been drawn by projects and resources, and she hadn’t intended to grow close—then now, Bai Ming had already reached the position of an Aeon.

Aeons weren’t immortal, but compared to mortals, they were currently the most long-lived and stable existence known.

Especially for Ruan Mei, who was still striving toward the path of an Aeon herself.

Since that premise—that relationships would inevitably end—was no longer reliable, what reason did Ruan Mei have to keep her heart locked when it came to Bai Ming?

Moreover, being able to build a reliable relationship before the other party became an Aeon was itself an unrepeatable, extremely rare event.

So Ruan Mei didn’t mind—she even looked forward to forming a sufficiently intimate relationship with Bai Ming.

Because aside from Bai Ming, everyone else—including geniuses like Herta—wasn’t reliable enough.

Only Bai Ming was the closest thing to “Eternity.”

Of course, even though this was what Ruan Mei thought, after so many years of keeping people at arm’s length, suddenly becoming proactive or enthusiastic felt unfamiliar and impossible.

So even now, saying such bold words directly to Bai Ming, her tone remained as calm as ever—like she was simply discussing whether today’s dessert tasted good.

It was hard to tell what she truly thought.

Bai Ming looked straight into Ruan Mei’s eyes.

She saw amusement there—but not the attitude of a joke.

Which meant that although Ruan Mei had mostly been teasing her, those words were genuine.

A lethal strike delivered through humor.

Bai Ming felt that coming to Ruan Mei hadn’t solved anything—if anything, the problem had only grown bigger.

And the culprit was still laughing at her.

“…Ruan Mei, you’re being very mischievous right now.”

“Heh~”

Ruan Mei chuckled.

“So, would you like to hear my reasons?”

Alarm bells rang in Bai Ming’s head.

She felt that if she listened, she’d probably be left speechless—but not listening didn’t seem right either.

This wasn’t something she could just gloss over. Pretending to play dead wouldn’t work.

Seeing Bai Ming remain silent, Ruan Mei took it as agreement and began speaking.

She talked about her childhood, about what she later did for her family, and the decisions she made because of them.

Of course, she kept it brief—she wasn’t trying to gain sympathy, only to let Bai Ming understand her mental journey.

After all, constantly being seen as some strange person would make even Ruan Mei unhappy.

So when she explained why she wanted to build a closer relationship with Bai Ming, Bai Ming truly didn’t know what to say.

It almost sounded like Ruan Mei had developed a kind of stress response due to past trauma.

--+--

Star Rail Impostor! - 410

--+--

True, the logic held up.

But if this person’s whole journey started with the loss of her kin, how could she now accept intimacy with others so easily?

Bai Ming’s doubts regarding Ruan Mei hadn't been fully resolved. So, she decided to throw the question back at her.

Hearing this, Ruan Mei simply smiled and shrugged. "Claiming an Aeon for oneself? That’s a difficult question to answer, dear."

"That’s hardly the same thing..."

"It’s a question you’ll have to ponder yourself. More importantly, while you’re busy hesitating, have you ever stopped to ask Herta what she thinks?"

Ruan Mei didn't expect Bai Ming to understand or accept her perspective right away. 

The seeds had been sown. Sooner or later, Bai Ming would realize that although she still mingled with the mortals of this world, she had long since ceased to belong to it.

And so, Ruan Mei chose to change the subject. For instance, speculating on Herta’s thoughts.

To an extent, Ruan Mei felt that Herta was very similar to her. Yet, she couldn't be certain of Herta's stance. 

Herta was a creature of whim—when she was interested, she treated something like a precious treasure; the moment that interest waned, she’d toss it aside without a second thought.

While Herta did have a sense of "possessiveness," she was the type who would forgive you for taking her things as long as the act itself piqued her interest.

That was where she and Ruan Mei differed. Ruan Mei rarely collected things, and she certainly wouldn't construct an entire Space Station just to house her findings.

Thus, Ruan Mei wasn't sure if Herta would be fiercely possessive of Bai Ming and shut everyone else out, or if she’d simply see the situation as another interesting development to be accepted.

Listening to this, Bai Ming felt she still couldn't keep up with Ruan Mei’s train of thought. Was this really the kind of thing you just asked the person involved? And so casually, too?

Herta was so willful and self-centered; Bai Ming half-expected her to unscrew her head and kick it around like a ball.

"Are you sure? If I ask Herta’s opinion on this, won't she be so pissed she’ll actually try to kill me?"

Bai Ming was starting to wonder if she was the one with the problem. Perhaps she knew too little about Geniuses to understand their underlying logic. In this room, she felt like the only "weird" one.

Ruan Mei took a sip of tea, her expression suggesting that the answer was self-evident. 

"My dear, you’ve done far more outrageous things and Herta has always forgiven you. Why act so timid now? Do you truly believe that an intimate relationship is more important to Herta than a Path Equation or the Simulated Universe?"

"..."

Bai Ming opened her mouth but found no words. She was beginning to grasp Ruan Mei’s logic.

To a Genius, did private emotions truly outweigh the research projects they poured their lives into?

For example, between researching an Aeon and maintaining a relationship, Herta would undoubtedly choose the former and discard the latter.

It was just like Ruan Mei. Though her childhood trauma had left her emotionally stunted, she had never been fervent or intense about intimacy. At most, she would do what she was doing today: calmly stating her thoughts to the person involved.

Anything more? Sorry, not happening.

Lost in thought, Bai Ming nibbled on a snack while mulling over Ruan Mei’s words. She looked at the treat in her hand, then at Ruan Mei’s face, which glowed with a faint satisfaction from the sugar.

Suddenly, a spark of realization hit her.

Wait. That's not right.

That’s not how this works! In the game, when Herta said things like "Please," it was simply because she didn't care or was curious about the Trailblazer. It didn't mean she actually enjoyed saying it.

Herta might not mind the situation, but that didn't mean she felt positive about it. Those were two completely different concepts.

She had almost let Ruan Mei lead her in circles. This woman... she almost "talk-therapied" her into a corner.

As if sensing that Bai Ming had caught on, Ruan Mei noticed the shift in her gaze and launched a follow-up attack:

"Sitting here thinking won't give you answers, dear. Since even I can see it, why do you think Herta hasn't noticed?"

"..."

That hit the mark.

They were all Geniuses. If even Ruan Mei, who had been wandering off-grid lately, could see it, there was no way Herta hadn't realized.

Especially considering Herta and Acheron had met several times over the past few years. 

Yet, Herta had never brought it up. Given Herta’s personality—she wasn't one to let a grudge sit overnight—if she wanted to do something, she would have done it long ago.

Even if she had been worried about the Nihility Equation before, now that Kakamond had been driven off, she should be at ease.

Thinking about the inevitable "settling of scores" once she was alone with Herta, Bai Ming decided she would have to test the waters.

The rest of the tea-time conversation with Ruan Mei was actually quite harmonious, aside from the occasional bombshell.

Ruan Mei was exactly as she claimed: calm and indifferent. Even after tearing down the veil between them, she didn't become overly flirtatious. She remained as she always was—affectionate, yet keeping a measured distance.

It made Bai Ming feel like the only one acting restless and impatient. Eventually, she followed Ruan Mei’s lead, calming down and focusing on the Erudition Equation while she was there.

Ruan Mei, meanwhile, focused on analyzing the data gathered from the Simulated Universe.

Whenever she hit a snag, she would consult Bai Ming. Once they entered "work mode," the strange atmosphere from earlier vanished into thin air.

After staying with Ruan Mei for a few days—just long enough for Ruan Mei to make some breakthroughs—Herta finally seemed to remember she had unfinished business.

Exiting the Simulated Universe, Herta sought out the puppet Bai Ming had left stationed on the Space Station.

"Are you at Ruan Mei’s?"

"Yeah. She wanted to study the data Nous left behind in the Simulated Universe. You were so buried in your work you didn't know day from night, so I headed over there."

Herta’s brow furrowed slightly, followed by a soft huff. "And when are you coming back?"

"I can head back today."

"Fine."

Herta stared at Bai Ming’s puppet and gave another almost imperceptible huff.

While checking the Space Station’s surveillance logs, she found that while everyone else’s conversations were crystal clear, a specific segment of Bai Ming and Ruan Mei’s private chat was a blurred mess.

To say the surveillance system had simply malfunctioned was nonsense. The "glitch" was far too precise and coincidental.

Besides, one mustn't forget that the entire Space Station was now essentially a part of the Simulated Universe’s body. To hide data from it required a deliberate hand—and not just any hand.

Screwllum and Divine Herta had been inside the Simulated Universe with her. Ruan Mei, while not ignorant of mechanical engineering or IT, couldn't possibly outmatch a fellow Genius of the mechanical variety.

Process of elimination: the only person who would and could pull this off was Bai Ming.

So. What on earth were those two talking about that required such cautious concealment?

Herta had a rough idea. And it didn't make her happy.

If there was something to talk about, why go to Ruan Mei instead of her? What, am I not the one closest to you? To not talk to me is one thing, but to actively hide it?

This girl... if I could actually beat her in a fight, I’d lock her up in Herta City and give her a proper "education."

Back at Ruan Mei’s, Bai Ming felt a sudden chill run down her spine, as if she’d just narrowly avoided a catastrophic event.

Assuming it was just Herta being grumpy, she bid Ruan Mei farewell and hurried to Herta City.

Almost the moment Bai Ming landed, Herta stepped through a wormhole into the room. Their eyes met.

Before a word could be exchanged, the puppets swarmed them. Snacks, tea, chairs, incense, music—every comfort imaginable was presented by the meticulously prepared dolls.

As Bai Ming took a seat in an empty chair beside Herta, the latter remained silent. She leaned back peacefully, savoring her tea and snacks. It wasn't until her first cup was drained that Herta glanced at her while a puppet refilled the tea.

"I was nearly fuming when I first saw that 'Big Head' Simulated Universe, but I must admit, the current evolution is quite impressive. I’m satisfied."

Bai Ming’s eyebrows shot up. It seemed Herta had gained quite a lot from her days in the simulation; she’d actually cooled off.

"So, did you change the way it looks?"

"Of course. I fixed it myself. It’s at least as good as that portrait in the Space Station now. It’ll do."

Herta gave a proud little huff, clearly pleased with the result. Bai Ming blinked, confused. Then what was that chill she felt earlier? Had something else gone wrong?

Just as Bai Ming started wondering where to begin investigating, Herta’s tone shifted.

"However, if I just let you off the hook like this, you’ll never learn your lesson. No, wait—you never learn your lesson, which is exactly why I can't let this go."

"..."

Bai Ming choked on her words. Even though she was "satisfied," she was still going to drag this out? She really was the type to settle every score.

"Besides, don't you think you and Ruan Mei were being a bit too obvious with your little secret chat?"

Herta’s gaze was sharp, pinning Bai Ming down. 

Watching the girl slowly grow more and more sheepish, Herta couldn't tell if she had left such a glaring loophole on purpose or by accident. Only an idiot would miss it.

"You were talking about Acheron, weren't you? Even if you won't say it, I can guess exactly what’s going on with her."

--+--