Character story: Herta, part 2
The Herta retracted its terminal, Imaginary Energy gathered around her, condensing into a tangible stream of light.
She prepared to merge with the Iron Curtain before her, to crown Iron Curtain with herself, to weaken its power, and to reduce this cosmic Destruction to an acceptable level.
Just as she raised her hand, preparing to complete this final step, a crack silently appeared in the space behind her.
A streak of light illuminated the entire universe, and Bai Luoming's figure emerged from it.
Behind him, the Black Swan stepped out of the void and bowed slightly to the Herta, saying, "I have delivered Mr. Bai. The rest of the show is up to you two."
As soon as she finished speaking, she took a small step back, and her figure disappeared into the universe.
The appearance of Bai Luoming caused a fleeting glint to flash in Herta's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by coldness.
Herta's face wore its usual indifference and impatience, his eyes revealing not a trace of emotion.
She strode towards Bai Luoming, her steps steady, and finally stopped in front of Bai Luoming, speaking coldly.
Who sent you?
Bai Luoming scratched his head and smiled at the Herta, "It's not like anyone sent me. Actually, even if you hadn't come, I would have been here anyway. Besides, it's good to have another person helping you, isn't it?"
Herta's lips twitched downwards.
"I don't need any help." She tilted her head back, meeting his gaze directly. "This is my own problem, and I already have a complete solution. Your presence here will only distract me; you'd be better off going back to your girlfriends!"
Bai Luoming took a step forward, closing the distance between them to a dangerous level. He lowered his head slightly, watching as Herta's smile faded.
"I'm also aware of what's going on here. Are you sure your plan can guarantee your safety? The renowned genius Herta shouldn't end up like this."
He paused upon hearing Bai Luoming 'Herta words.
Bai Luoming saw right through her plan, even though he didn't seem particularly bright to begin with.
Before she could formulate a rebuttal, Bai Luoming laughed again, his tone returning to normal. "Besides, more people mean more strength."
"I'm a genius..." Herta raised his chin, only saying half of his boastful words.
Bai Luoming didn't wait for her to finish speaking.
He turned around and moved closer to Amphoreus.
Herta stood frozen in place.
She realized what was happening, and her voice suddenly rose, carrying a hint of urgency she herself didn't realize. "Stop! Do you know what's inside that thing?"
Bai Luoming didn't turn his head, he just waved to her.
"Rest assured, Ms. Herta. You will keep Lygus occupied outside, while I will enter the scepter to secure your victory!"
In the distant void, the Black Swan reappeared, and a passage leading to the core of Amphoreus was quietly opened.
Bai Luoming's figure was swallowed by the light and disappeared from the spot.
The Herta's outstretched hand froze halfway up in the air before finally falling limply to the ground.
She couldn't stop him.
Just as she could never stop this man from driving his rickety ship around recklessly, she could never stop him from bringing back all sorts of troublesome "specialties" to her space station time and time again.
She stood there, silent for a moment.
In that instant, Herta's mind raced, countless plans surfacing and collapsing in its head.
Finally, all the thoughts were compressed into one unshakeable conclusion.
She couldn't let his adventure turn into a pointless sacrifice.
Herta turned around and returned to her control panel. The previously dissipated Imaginary Energy re-condensed, becoming more solid and powerful than before.
She opened all communication channels, contacted the space station, contacted the Interastral Peace Corporation, and contacted all the forces she could mobilize, forces that could be motivated by "interests" or "personal connections".
Immediately afterwards, she made two special calls.
Screwllum's holographic projection appeared first beside her. The mechanical gentleman surveyed his surroundings, a peculiar light gleaming in his eyes. "Herta, you seem to have encountered trouble beyond your calculations."
"A madman Lygus wants to use the Scepter of the Emperor to hatch a Lord Ravager to Erudition attacks," Herta explained rapidly. "Now, my tester is inside."
"An interesting topic." Screwllum's voice was as steady as ever. "Please send the coordinates, and I will arrive as soon as possible."
Communication was cut off, and Ruan Mei's holographic image was immediately connected.
She wasn't initially very interested in the description of the Herta, but after hearing the Herta, her gaze finally changed slightly.
"Since it's your request, and it involves that interesting fellow," Ruan Mei said in a cool voice, "I will grant your wish."
She then shut down her private communications and focused all her attention on the torrent of data in front of her.
But even a genius like her could not directly observe the contents of the scepter.
All she could rely on was the constantly fluctuating data leaked from Amphoreus.
On the screen, the percentage representing the progress of the Iron Curtain's creation is slowly decreasing.
99%... 98%... 97%...
She stared at the string of numbers, her breathing unconsciously slowing down.
What exactly did he do inside?
Just as the progress dropped below 90%, Lygus's counterattack began.
The Iron Curtain's equations are activated, attempting to rewrite Amphoreus's underlying logic.
"They're here!" Herta growled.
She began to clash with Lygus, but Lygus was, after all, a fragment of Zandar, and for a time she found herself at a disadvantage.
Fortunately, the reinforcements from Screwllum and Ruan Mei arrived quickly, and the three members of the Genius Society joined forces to completely suppress Lygus's counterattack.
At this moment, the entire star field where Amphoreus was located seemed to have become their battlefield.
After an unknown amount of time, the number on the screen representing the progress of the Iron Curtain's creation finally reached zero.
A deep, rumbling sound came from inside the scepter.
With the combined efforts of the three, the formula for the Iron Curtain was completely overwritten, and that Destruction power disintegrated.
But then, an even more drastic change occurred.
A magnificent and unfamiliar consciousness was born from within Amphoreus, and rose and ascended in dimensionality at an astonishing speed.
Herta, Screwllum, and Ruan Mei all stopped what they were doing.
They realized that a whole new world was breaking free from the scepter.
The Herta immediately mobilized all its computing power to backtrack the data, attempting to piece together everything that had happened inside the scepter.
A moment later, an analysis report was presented to her.
After entering the scepter, Bai Luoming touched upon the Path of Remembrance Remembrance countless echoes of reincarnation.
After completing the Re-Creation, he forcibly took over the Remembrance of the thirty million reincarnations accumulated by Cyrene, and used them to connect and close all the causal relationships of Amphoreus.
He also stripped the entire Amphoreus from the framework of the scepter, giving it a new, independent life.
Herta stared at the conclusion on the screen, remaining silent for a long time.
She knew Bai Luoming had a special constitution, but she didn't expect that he could bear such a huge amount of Remembrance from Amphoreus and complete the causal settlement in place of Cyrene.
However, Bai Luoming may also be completely trapped in the cycle of Amphoreus, unable to escape.
Thinking of this, regret welled up in Herta's heart. If she had known it would end like this, she would have been better off stopping Bai Luoming. At least according to her original plan, Bai Luoming could have survived.
Just then, at the edge of the newly born world of Amphoreus, a figure broke free first.
It's Cyrene!
She transformed into a complete living being, breaking free from the scepter's restraints. But her face showed no trace of relief at surviving a catastrophe, only an intense, unyielding anxiety as she gazed intently at the new world behind her.
Herta quickly composed herself and began the final finishing touches. She had to stabilize the newly born Amphoreus, while ensuring that the Iron Curtain would not return, and that Bai Luoming's efforts would not be wasted due to improper handling.
The moment the last parameter is calibrated, the final touches are complete.
A rift suddenly tore open in the void where Amphoreus was located.
Bai Luoming's figure fell from it, like a meteor that had run out of fuel, helplessly plummeting into the boundless void.
The moment Herta saw Bai Luoming appear, he instinctively took a step forward, wanting to catch him.
But someone was faster than her.
Cyrene's figure transformed into a streak of light, soaring out and precisely catching Bai Luoming's falling body in the starry sky, gently pulling him into her arms.
The Herta took that step, and it remained suspended in mid-air.
After seeing Cyrene catch Bai Luoming, she silently withdrew her hand.
She lowered her head and straightened her clothes, as if doing something insignificant.
Bai Luoming was in very poor condition at this moment, his breath was weak. The power of his Path of Remembrance had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
Cyrene held him in her arms and whispered something in his ear.
Herta didn't hear clearly, and she didn't bother to lean in to listen.
She simply watched Cyrene's actions from afar, confirming that Bai Luoming was still alive, before turning around to examine the data on the scepter she had salvaged, as if that was the only thing she cared about.
Herta turned around, her back to everyone. Her expression remained indifferent, but her fingers trembled slightly.
"It's good that you're back."
Bai Luoming recovered quickly and was soon able to walk again. Unfortunately, in order to break free, Amphoreus sacrificed his Path of Remembrance, and even some of his own characteristics were lost.
However, Bai Luoming didn't care about any of this. He continued his travels through the Milky Way, and even retrieved the wreckage of the Astral Express from some obscure corner, setting the legendary train on its way again. Cyrene and some of his previous travel companions naturally joined his group, becoming Nameless.
The project on Simulated Universe had long since ended, but he did not sever ties with the Herta. Instead, he frequently returned to the space station, only his return times changed from regular to random.
He would appear at the Herta's office door with new curiosities or interesting gadgets, cheerfully place them on her desk, and, as before, quote her a price and haggle over it.
Everything seemed the same as before.
Besides, the number of people following him increased significantly.
And the Herta never spoke its mind again until the Finality of the universe.
Everything returned to normal. Herta stared blankly at Bai Luoming, who had suddenly appeared on the space station's monitor, but unlike before, her eyes shone with a different light.
Although this scene is different from what she Remembrance, it doesn't matter. She will rewrite the ending herself and keep Bai Luoming firmly by her side. Herta thought to herself.
"This time, I will not lose!"