In the story, Herta was still explaining the Simulated Universe to Himeko.
"The club's four geniuses joined forces to write a program. See that big machine in the office? The machine contains a universe. It's like the world we live in, only more streamlined and customized..."
"I call it the [Metaverse]!"
That name... why did it sound like one of those mysterious concepts cooked up a while back to lure bosses into investing...
Back then, they slapped "Metaverse" onto everything—Metaverse streamers, Metaverse catgirls, Metaverse starch sausages!
It got to the point where nobody even knew what the thing had originally been, and now there was no buzz around it at all.
All she could say was, Ms. Herta, maybe don't chase that trend!
"Is that so? My partners said the same thing. I actually quite liked it... but I, Herta, am open to good advice. Then let's call it the [Simulated Universe]."
"Go experience it now. I'll guide you inside the [Simulated Universe] and guarantee you won't suffer any losses! I'll even pay you a hefty sum~"
After following Herta's instructions and entering the Simulated Universe, the environment before her seemed to replicate the Space Station. Herta's voice came through from the screen.
"Himeko, can you hear me? If you can, just tap the screen—"
"Your body is still in the office. This is a Simulated Universe sustained by memories."
"This is the Alpha test server. All its features are simplified versions. Now, try walking around."
"I want you to play Acheron. Go find some monsters to fight and see which simulated Star God notices you first."
By playing the Trailblaze Aeon Acheron, she would draw the attention of the simulated Star Gods within the Simulated Universe and ask them for information about Star Gods.
These simulated Star Gods had been created through the deconstruction of Paths, using some method, and were practically no different from real Star Gods!
This was the work of the Simulated Universe's two partners: Genius Club #76 Screwllum and #81 Ruan Mei!
The difference was that they existed only within the Simulated Universe, so one could only attract their attention by playing a Star God.
After she defeated a monster in the Simulated Universe, the Preservation Aeon Qlipoth appeared!
[An immense roar erupted around Him—He was truly warning you. Then, He vanished before your eyes.]
"Hmm... as expected, it's not like the real Simulated Universe. It's only simple Star God images and story text. I thought we'd get to truly experience the shock of a Star God appearing."
Herta quietly watched the Simulated Universe in the game. In the real Simulated Universe, Qlipoth's sky-blocking body was enough to cover an entire stretch of the sky!
Still, the audience was captivated by this strange project experience, and they could even see an image of Qlipoth!
"The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles! So that's what He looks like! He looks like a huge rock!"
"So this is Ms. Herta's Simulated Universe? If it were the real Simulated Universe Project, could we really see King of Amber?"
"I can hardly believe it. Is this the power of geniuses? They can even create Star Gods!"
"It's just data in a computer. No matter how realistic it is, it still follows programmed logic. Could He possibly realize that He was created?"
"By the way, why did King of Amber warn Acheron? Did they have a grudge before?"
"You don't get it. Acheron was actually a rebellious punk. Because King of Amber's massive walls blocked His Trailblaze, He often drove the Star Rail Express into the walls King of Amber had built. That's why King of Amber got angry!"
"Holy shit, did a Fictional Historian attack?"
"I never thought playing a game would let me experience a project made by geniuses! I'm already looking forward to which Star Gods we'll encounter next!"
"I just wonder whether Ms. Herta still needs people to test the Simulated Universe!"
"Please, let me test it!"
Roguelike Gameplay, the Cyber Emperor of Jade Appears
The Simulated Universe story continued. After Herta finished explaining the tasks within the Simulated Universe, the screen entered the Blessing selection stage.
After battles in the Simulated Universe, one could obtain Path Blessings to strengthen combat power. Since this was the first entry, Herta used her authority to replace all Blessings with enhanced versions.
Three Preservation Blessing options appeared on the screen, each with its own effects and rarity.
"This gameplay... a roguelike?"
Lao Mu muttered as he looked at the three Preservation Blessings before him.
As one of the classic game formats, roguelikes had won over countless players with their randomly generated elements, one-way progression, and other features.
He had not expected the development team to combine turn-based combat with roguelike gameplay!
If they could keep updating the gameplay and patches afterward, this Simulated Universe mode alone had every chance of becoming a smash hit!
It was just clearly still in the beginner tutorial phase, so it was hard to tell how complete the development team's Simulated Universe section was.
With that thought, Lao Mu sped up his progress through the mission. After a battle along the way, he received a Preservation-type Gold Blessing that could deal countershock damage based on shield strength when attacking.
Then, after an elite battle, the figure of a Star God appeared in the Simulated Universe once again!
Herta: [...He's here!]
[Herta's disbelieving voice came through beside your ear.]
Herta: [No, not Him... it's another Star God! It's—]
[Her voice was suddenly drawn away. A strange sensation came over you, as though Herta's words had frozen solid and the entire Simulated Universe had become less real—]
"Oh, another Star God has arrived. Who could it be!"
Lao Mu and the viewers in the Barrage began eagerly anticipating which Star God would appear this time. Destruction? Elation? The Hunt?
Yet when the Star God's image appeared in the livestream, everyone was stunned!
On the screen stood a vague figure. He was formed from fragments of mirrors, and His face had been repeatedly refracted by prisms into an enigma. Only the Six-Liu Crown atop His head, with its beaded curtains hanging down as a symbol of status, proclaimed His nobility!
Time was the most diligent thief in the world. It constantly stole away our present and casually tossed it into a warehouse called memory. Some sank into reclaiming lost things, while others did not care about what had been lost!
The Memory Aeon—Fuli!
Compared to other Star Gods who often appeared before the general public of the universe, Fuli could be called exceptionally mysterious.
No one knew when the Memory Aeon had appeared. He seemed to have quietly emerged in the history of the universe, naturally and logically, as if He had altered everyone's memories.
The only documented appearance so far had been when Interastral Peace Corporation founder Louis Fleming retired, and that had been an unknown number of Amber Eras ago.
Most people in the universe would never have the chance to see this Lord of Flowing Light in their entire lives, yet His image had actually appeared in a game!
"This is... the Memory Aeon Fuli!"
"Holy shit, the Cyber Emperor of Jade!"
"What a cool design! This feels exactly like the Jade Emperor from the Xianzhou Storybooks I've read!"
"Oh my god, first the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, now the Lord of Flowing Light. Will we get to see the Lord of the Hunt later?"
"I never expected that playing a game would let us see what Star Gods look like. This is incredible!"
"If this were the real Simulated Universe, wouldn't that be insane!"
Compared to the Preservation Aeon Qlipoth who had appeared earlier, the Memory Aeon Fuli caused a far greater sensation!
After all, King of Amber built walls in a fixed location. As long as you could reach Belobog, the Interastral Peace Corporation's headquarters planet, you could see that majestic figure above the Heavenly Dome.
Over time, everyone had gotten used to it. Rare things were precious, after all.
After marveling for a while, Lao Mu looked over the story text in the Simulated Universe. He began carefully reading this information about the Star Gods.
Fuli: [You saw Kafka. Her body was pulled and warped, kneaded together with the umbrella in her hand, turning into water that fell by your feet.]
Fuli: [You discovered that you were the Crying Adelfen Infant, embracing a fetus whose umbilical cord had yet to be cut. You remembered a golden scar upon your body, golden blood flowing across a dying planet. You discovered that your skin was dark and your robes swept across the wilderness. You discovered that you were a swift shadow crossing an abyss, reaching out to embrace a shooting star.]
[Then His voice suddenly came—every word spoken from His mouth connected to the next, like a murmur. Before you could answer, He abruptly disappeared.]
That sudden barrage of riddles left everyone completely confused.
"Wh-what is any of that supposed to mean?!"
"A golden scar on the body... was that saying I became Nanook?"
"Why do I recognize every word, but can't understand them when they're put together?"
"Is this the level of a Star God? As expected, their words are beyond the understanding of ordinary mortals like us!"
"It must have been written by some riddle-speaker!"
"That's right, I think spaghetti should be mixed with No. 42 concrete!"
"So we've started talking nonsense now, huh!"
However, Herta was very satisfied with the result of drawing out the Memory Aeon Fuli in the story, and she ended this Simulated Universe test.
[Something hooked your navel and yanked it. Your entire body flipped over. When you opened your eyes, you were already in Herta's office. Your first experience ended here.]
"What's going on? It's over already?"
"I haven't had enough yet!"
"This is my first time experiencing that lingering sense of unfinished satisfaction in a game!"
"This game is so amazing! I'm going to recommend it to all my friends!"
"Streamer, run the Simulated Universe again! I want to see other Star Gods!"
Having experienced the novelty of the Simulated Universe, Lao Mu was already thinking of doing another run. Both the Star God storylines and the roguelike gameplay were simply too appealing!
After completing his conversation with Herta, the character art flashed on the screen, and he was even given a four-star Herta!
Lao Mu could not wait to start the Simulated Universe again. This time, Herta had updated some of the content, and the Blessings he obtained had changed into Memory-type ones!
Then, after a battle ended, a change occurred!
[The enemies fell one after another, and you could not control your excitement. You were a genius—you were certain of it. Your attention began to scatter. You loved the trembling of every leaf. You delighted in the destructive power of infinite thought, until you noticed something was wrong with yourself—this was not you.]
Herta: [Damn it, He's here...]
The Barrage also erupted with excitement at that moment!
"That description!!!"
"Haha, as expected, even He was created!"
"Interesting! This is such a delight!"
From the shadows, He appeared before you: He had no head and cradled a mask in His arms.
He waved at you, spun around by Himself, and held His arm in midair, his muscles controlling the trembling of his fingers. His pose resembled a statue.
Understanding joy was a right exclusive to intelligent life. Stubborn rocks and stars could never experience the humor of life!
"Everyone, stand up!"
"He's never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you, never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!"
"He is the Aeon of Elation—Aha!"
"A man among men! A god among gods! King! Emperor! Demon King! The immortal pinnacle of human history!"
"Damn, did the Masked Fools attack?"
"So many fun-seekers!"
"Question Elation, understand Elation, become Elation!"
Aha's Most Glorious Episode
The appearance of the Aeon of Elation, Aha, immediately sent the livestream into a frenzy!
The universe had never lacked fun-seekers walking the Path of Elation, let alone the viewers watching a livestream in this room!
And Aha in the story was equally excited to see Himeko playing the Trailblaze Aeon.
Aha: Acheron, Acheron! A voice laughed madly. Long time no see, I missed you terribly! You shuddered at the infectiousness unique to lunatics.]
Aha: [I am very sad. He suddenly became sorrowful. Why did you die? He whimpered in pain, His tears brushing across the back of your hand. You felt as if you had truly died before.]
Aha: [You have fallen for too long, and the universe has lost Order. He began clapping, and then everything became chaos! This is what I want! I want to embrace you, but sadly, I am merely an equation in a computer. Oh, that actually seems pretty cool. He scratched His head.]
Herta: [That bastard knows again. I need to have Screwllum alter His data some more...]
In just that brief opening, Aha had shocked everyone. He actually knew that He was only a fake!
"As expected of Aha! He actually guessed that He was a fake created by someone!"
"I take back what I said before. The creations of geniuses are truly terrifying!"
Before you continue