Herta: As Expected of Me / Herta Explains, Welt: So It Was You!

"Little March is right."

Himeko calmly agreed, but still said with a smile,

"Moreover, the Space Station has always been an important partner of the train."

As she spoke, she suddenly changed the subject, saying considerately:

"However, there should be a lot of cleanup work going on at the station right now, so we won't bother you any further. Please contact the train staff if you need anything."

"There are indeed quite a few things to handle..."

Asta smiled apologetically, then suddenly winked playfully at March 7th.

"We'll have to make do with these few distinguished guests for now."

The conversation after going through life and death together was particularly relaxed, and the existing cooperative relationship was further strengthened by a more sincere friendship.

Just as the group was about to say goodbye, March 7th suddenly exclaimed "Ah!" and pressed himself almost against the observation window:

"Wait! Why is there another person next to Gwen?"

Although Gwen only had a train ticket given to him by someone else, after experiencing the crisis of fighting side by side, March 7th already regarded him as a companion on the train.

At this moment, the girl's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and she asked with surprise and uncertainty.

"Um?"

Her gaze fell on the screen, and seeing that familiar figure, Asta was momentarily stunned before softly replying to March 7th.

"It's Ms. Herta."

"Ms. Herta?"

On March 7th, he asked subconsciously.

"But she's not a little one..."

Halfway through his sentence, March 7th realized something was wrong and couldn't help but gasp—

"Has Ms. Herta herself arrived?"

Keep in mind, their Astral Express Crew had made quite a few trips to and from the Space Station, yet even so, all they had ever seen were those exquisite but aloof Herta Puppets—

They mostly stand quietly in the corners of the Space Station, occasionally casting a glance, but their amethyst-like eyes rarely reveal the will of that genius himself.

As for the Herta itself...

Even when the Space Station nearly perished, all that ultimately appeared was a remotely connected doll. March 7th almost thought that the legendary member of the Genius Club would only exist in this way forever.

And now—

Through the screen, March 7th could clearly see the real Herta standing there.

Her long hair flowed like a galaxy in the vacuum.

Even if you can only see a magical girl's profile, you'll still think of her as young, beautiful, and cute.

Unlike the stereotypical image of a genius scientist, this world-renowned genius possesses many Magus elements, making him quite unique, while the perfectly placed neck collar and black stockings add a touch of modern trendiness.

The magic hat adorned with purple lilies on the side of her head added a touch of whimsy to her appearance.

Outside the Space Station, Gwen was also somewhat surprised by the appearance of the witch with the pointed hat beside him—

The wide brim of his hat cast a mysterious shadow under the starlight, his long legs were elegantly crossed, and he sat sideways on a floating staff like Magus from a fairy tale.

The radiance of the sun emanating from Apollo could not dispel the strange mystery surrounding him; instead, it added a touch of dreamlike quality to this surreal scene.

The Herta has actually arrived in its true form?

"What, are you surprised to see me?"

Herta rested her chin on her hand, her violet eyes beneath the brim of her hat gleaming with cunning. The tip of her staff emitted a stream of eerie blue particles, outlining star-like patterns around her.

"That's true to some extent."

After all, the infamous Ms. Herta had actually appeared right in front of me.

Gwen nodded. These words should have been tinged with surprise or honor, but when they came out of Gwen's mouth, they sounded like he was reading an instruction manual—clearly a deliberate attempt to "read in a flat tone."

"Hehe..."

Herta suddenly chuckled, lightly tapping her staff with her fingertips, causing it to sway gently with her movement. The vacuum should have been silent, but her clear and melodious laughter still reached Gwen's ears clearly.

"You really are an interesting person..."

The Herta didn't seem to care about Gwen's "rude" words; instead, they looked at Gwen with even more interest.

She had seen Gwen through the dolls on the surveillance footage, but seeing him in person now was a completely different feeling.

Well... she didn't have the respect and restraint that ordinary people show when they meet this "genius," nor the provocation of those who consider themselves extraordinary. Instead, she had a kind of ordinary composure.

This gesture caused Herta to lean forward slightly, shifting the shadow of her hat brim and revealing a hint of interest in the corner of her mouth—

Of course, this is on the premise that Gwen possesses abilities that would make even her take notice.

A tall figure leaped down from the staff, slender fingers lightly tapping the floating staff, sending ripples of eerie blue energy through the vacuum. Herta slightly narrowed her captivating eyes, a hint of provocation playing at the corners of her lips:

"Alright, enough chit-chat. Time for the final parameter adjustments—"

This time the difficulty is going to be ridiculously high, are you confident?

"I don't know who told me to give up just now."

Faced with this clumsy attempt at provocation, Gwen responded with a smile.

Surprisingly, Herta didn't utter a sarcastic remark. Instead, she clapped gently, her eyes beneath the brim of her hat sparkling with genuine appreciation.

"Not bad, it's much more complete than I expected."

"Let's begin then."

Without delay, the Herta displayed complex formulas at the tip of its staff, which ultimately transformed into a series of requirements and instructions that were conveyed to Gwen.

About ten minutes later, the final adjustments were completed. Gwen had fulfilled some of the Herta's requirements, but some of the overly demanding conditions could not be met.

Herta didn't mock this; instead, she praised it a few times, and then a serious look appeared on her pretty face.

Gwen has already demonstrated abilities that have startled even her, so she should naturally demonstrate abilities that match these high standards.

Her slender, tall figure moved gracefully towards the Quasi Black Hole. Gwen warned her to be careful, as the experiment could cause dangerous changes in the Quasi Black Hole, but Herta casually shoved him aside with a smile.

"They're really quite confident."

Gwen muttered to himself, then stopped trying to persuade him and instead strengthened his control over the Quasi Black Hole to prevent any real accident from happening.

However, as the massive Imaginary Energy surged, Gwen's expression became somewhat strange—

For some reason, he sensed a certain familiarity with the Herta's experiments, but the experiments, which were so characteristic of the Herta, made it impossible for him to pinpoint the source of this familiarity.

As the energy reached its peak, a surge of Imaginary Energy erupted, triggering a flash of inspiration in Gwen's mind—

"This feels... it feels so much like the aftermath of the failed Third Magic experiment?"

While stabilizing the violently fluctuating Quasi Black Hole, Gwen was simultaneously pulling out the Herta that showed signs of getting trapped inside. His mind was filled with doubts.

"Could it be that the Herta happens to have a research project that could trigger similar experimental results?"

But it will coincidentally trigger similar failure cutscenes...

That's too much of a coincidence.

In addition to acquaintances, I also shared my request for help with two unidentified online Netizen...

"Tsk, could it be that one of those two is Herta?"

Upon thinking of this, Gwen's expression became somewhat strange. My Netizen, Herta?

Can this paper be published in a journal?

"Alright, the experiment is over. We can begin destroying this Quasi Black Hole now."

Back with Gwen, the Herta remained composed, showing no sign of frustration at the failed experiment.

"You don't seem to care that much about the success or failure of the experiment?"

Gwen asked curiously.

"Well, the answer isn't that important; sometimes, the question is more worth exploring."

Herta remained calm and composed, appearing quite unfathomable.

Anyway, this stupid experiment has failed so many times, and repeating it again today is just a whim. The purpose is not to succeed, but to get more data to prepare for asking the machine head questions next time.

The reason for his good mood was Gwen's actions just now.

It's not that she can't get out without Gwen; if she's prepared, dealing with this situation would be a piece of cake for her.

What pleased the Herta was that Gwen's reaction proved that Herta judgment was as sharp as ever, and she hadn't misjudged him.

Although it involves Anti-Matter Legion and Propagation remnants, this setup is only a minor matter if it's meant to deal with a genius like her.

Now that Gwen has proven through his actions that he is not one of those with ulterior motives, the Herta is naturally even more pleased.

"As expected of you."

Gwen smiled and praised him.

Regardless of whether Herta was internally pacing, crying, and rolling Raven like a raven, his nonchalant attitude at least deserves praise.

"Certainly."

Herta raised his fair chin, but quickly regained his composure—

"Given that this Quasi Black Hole already has the potential to become a real black hole, what method do you plan to use to contact it?"

Now that Gwen has cooperated with her to complete the experiment, the Herta will naturally not treat him unfairly—

Moreover, the Herta was also curious whether Gwen, with enough knowledge, could create something that would surprise her.

After Gwen presented his solution, the Herta didn't immediately reject it, but instead patiently guided him step by step to think and change his perspective.

Although she doesn't have students, it doesn't mean she can't teach.

On the contrary, she could be the best teacher in the world if she wanted to.

Herta was quite satisfied with the student he had taken on on a whim, and he secretly raised his head slightly.

Soon, with the new solution guided by the Herta, Gwen perfectly resolved the Quasi Black Hole without causing any adverse effects.

On the way back to the Herta Space Station, Gwen even saw several Herta Puppets piloting small airships approaching.

"Although it's just a Quasi Black Hole, it should still be able to produce some special materials."

The Herta noticed Gwen's gaze and casually remarked.

"...

"Yes, that's true."

Gwen nodded, then looked on with curiosity, wondering if the Herta knew that the lower level of their toy box was used to raise insects.

"However, that bug from before..."

Chapter 859 Herta, Welt: It really is you!

"I didn't raise them; the place was lent to someone else."

However, when I took a look last time I was here, it was far from reaching this level.

The Herta wouldn't mind offering a further explanation about Gwen, someone who piqued its interest.

Even if they usually ignore it, it doesn't mean that Herta is unaware of the slander against them from the outside world.

The Herta is still considering how many of its ideas, which have been shelved due to circumstances, could be realized through Gwen's efforts, and it doesn't want to be seen as the culprit behind Swarm research in Gwyn's eyes.

Herta has never hesitated to invest some effort in those who are interested.

Furthermore, studying the Propagation Swarm and such...

Although many individuals and forces are involved, they are all doing it covertly.

The Universal Locust Calamity was a disaster that impacted the entire universe.

If anyone dares to openly study the Propagation Swarm, those civilizations that have suffered immensely in the Universal Locust Calamity and survived to this day will truly go mad.

"Um."