My Honkai Star Rail: Reversing All Phenomena Chapter 12

[Error, error!]

The Backend System kept sounding error alerts. Herta, who had been closely monitoring the internal situation, had no time to rejoice over the appearance of the Simulated Aeon of Preservation Qlipoth, nor could she analyze the infinite data surge caused by that hammer blow. For once, the Genius Miss was flustered as she rapidly operated the machines in her office.

"I clearly never granted the Simulated Aeon control authority, yet It can still break through the rules' restrictions and even affect the operation of the entire Simulated Universe?! Something's wrong. I'll help you exit the Simulated Universe first. Stop testing for now—I need to thoroughly inspect the Simulated Aeon's data... Tch, I can't inspect it at all. Once cultivation was complete, the simulacrum could no longer be locked onto by the system. Otherwise, why would we need testers? Anyway, get out first."

Within the Simulated Universe, Hua Yi's eyes reflected the flames of Preservation, and he could feel Simulated Aeon Qlipoth's gaze remaining fixed upon him.

He had confirmed something. If he brazenly stirred up a Path in reality through methods different from those of a Pathstrider, he would most likely be discovered by the Aeon who governed that Path.

Sentient Celestial Bodies would not care if mortals fantasized about an Aeon riding a Trotter and took it as an insult. But if he used Imaginary Energy as an oar and raised waves of a sufficient scale upon a Path, he would very likely draw an Aeon's gaze.

Would it be no more than a glance?

Perhaps Hua Yi would catch the eye of [Preservation] or another Aeon, become an Emissary, and then, under the identity of a Preservation Emissary, freely use Imaginary Energy in unnatural ways to connect himself to other Paths. What unclear consequences would follow?

Would the Aeon of Preservation see him as a traitor, or would the other Aeons see him as an enemy?

If he could achieve both at once, it would surely be an exceedingly rare accomplishment.

Wars had indeed broken out between Aeons. Hua Yi felt that if he deliberately wanted to bring chaos to the universe, he could develop a career plan around becoming the spark that ignited conflict, repeatedly hopping between numerous Paths in ways that defied all reason.

Though some Aeons' Paths overlapped to an extent, the Department of Secret Scrolls' records stated that several Aeons whose Paths intersected or conflicted had already fought one another.

It remained unknown what happened to the Aeons themselves, but The Universe clearly knew one thing: countless galaxies had been destroyed beneath the overwhelming power of Aeons at war.

The battles of Exalted Beings sometimes did not result in either side's complete defeat, but they could still bring death to countless weak beings.

I'd better not let any Aeon put a label on me. I should cautiously remain a Free Agent and quietly borrow the power of Paths.

The Honkai Star Rail Universe was vast. The countless known things, and even more unknown ones, left Hua Yi unable to be satisfied with a single Path.

Originally, he had merely hoped to learn Aeon Mysteries through the Simulated Universe. Now, it seemed he also needed to simulate the power of Paths within it, so that he could become a proper ferryman on real Paths in the future.

The sort whose ripples from rowing would not draw an Aeon's attention.

Besides, he was increasingly looking forward to meeting a certain Galaxy Bat Hero.

Herta hurriedly shut down the Simulated Universe. Seeing Hua Yi fall silent after emerging, she immediately frowned and spoke.

"The Scanning Device hasn't detected any abnormal mental symptoms. How do you feel?"

"I was immersed in the sight of Simulated Aeon of Preservation Qlipoth's hammer strike. My head doesn't feel uncomfortable at all. By the way, can what happens inside the Simulated Universe affect the outside world? For example, if a Simulated Aeon thinks I have considerable potential on a certain Path, could It send a message to the real Aeon?"

"Impossible. The Simulated Universe is virtual to begin with. Even if we forcibly assumed that we had truly reproduced an Aeon simulacrum of an actually existing Aeon, it still couldn't possibly have any connection with the real Aeon. Aside from [Wisdom] Nous, I've never met any other Aeons, much less understood Them. How could there be any intersection between the original and the simulacrum?"

Wouldn't that mean he had directly attracted an Aeon's attention?

"If the Aeons learned that Madam Herta had created simulated copies of Them, I wonder whether They'd feel Their Portrait Rights had been violated."

"..."

Hua Yi seemed to be joking, but the Genius Miss found herself speechless for a moment.

Although everyone knew Aeons were lofty and mysterious, and there had never been precedent for Them punishing ordinary people over disputes in Sapient Life's understanding, it was still rather frightening to think about.

According to Herta's plans, the Simulated Universe would include every known Aeon as thoroughly as possible. If one insisted on calling it a violation of Portrait Rights, that meant offending every Aeon in one go.

Ahem. If those Sentient Celestial Bodies truly cast Their gaze down because of it, that would instead prove the Simulated Universe was special enough.

"Madam Herta said earlier that she guaranteed I wouldn't suffer any losses. If I get targeted by an Aeon because of the Simulated Universe, I'll have to ask the Genius Miss to think of something."

"Think of what? There's nothing to be done! Just pray that being targeted by an Aeon is the same as receiving an Aeon's gaze. What else can you do?"

Ever since earlier, this guy had been catastrophizing.

Herta rolled her eyes at Hua Yi irritably.

"You were merely watched by Simulated Aeon [Preservation] Qlipoth for a while. Why think so much? The Simulated Universe was designed from the start to let those who entered it interact with Aeons. Once I sort out the data, you'll see an upgraded version of the Simulated Universe next time!"

Boys Like Staying Up Late

Most people on the Space Station had no idea that Madam Herta, who had not appeared for quite some time, was busy maintaining the Simulated Universe in her office.

It was not until the following day, when the Department of Astral Boundary and Flora discovered that the contained entity known as Outworld Blaze had fallen into an abnormal state, that they retrieved the surveillance footage and saw Herta Automaton and Hua Yi. The later footage had been encrypted beyond even the Department Head's authority and could not be accessed, but the known footage alone was enough to set the upper ranks' hearts racing.

Madam Herta had come to the Space Station!

That news alone delighted the experts and scholars. As for Outworld Blaze, which the Genius Miss might have treated as an experimental subject and handled however she pleased, nobody cared in the slightest.

Every collection on Herta Space Station belonged to Madam Herta. Never mind a Void creature—if the Genius Miss violently dismantled even a Curio from the Department of Applied Materials, Wen Huairen would have to applaud her a few times.

If anyone else thought they could act as willfully as Madam Herta, they ought to first consider whether they possessed wisdom equal to Madam Herta's.

At Herta Space Station, there existed a pyramid of rank judged by talent. The Genius Miss undoubtedly stood at its peak, while Hua Yi, whose reputation had recently been unparalleled, was the other person in the pyramid drawing everyone's attention.

Madam Herta had interacted with Hua Yi and played around with a contained entity from the Department of Boundary Seeds together with him. What did that mean?

It meant Madam Herta had recognized the judgment of the Five Research Departments!

Look at that—after Station Master Asta reported the situation, the exceptional newcomer being fought over by every department had even drawn Madam Herta herself out. With the Space Station welcoming someone worthy of a personal meeting from a Genius, everyone from the upper ranks to ordinary researchers felt honored by association.

Considering that the esteemed Madam Herta had not issued any new instructions, the Department of Boundary Seeds could not openly publicize the matter. But turning a blind eye while female researchers fond of gossip discussed it in the Colleague Chat Group was perfectly fine.

They could hardly forcefully suppress good news.

Inside the Station Master's Office, Asta ate breakfast while lurking in a Chat Group and silently reading its messages.

"Have you heard? Madam Herta met with Lord Hua Yi late last night!"

"Of course. The moment this huge news spread, I received it immediately. Madam Herta apparently went to the Department of Boundary Seeds with Lord Hua Yi. Could they be conducting a project related to Special Species?"

"Lamina, aren't you from the Department of Boundary Seeds? You even became Brother Hua Yi's secretary. Hurry up and share some insider information!"

"I... I only know that he was busy all day yesterday and put a great deal of effort into the work of the various departments. I didn't expect that after work, he wouldn't go straight back to rest, but would continue scientific research with Madam Herta."

"That guy has always liked helping others without caring whether he has enough energy. Now that he's become such a big star, who knows how busy he'll get? I think he'll soon be meeting people with two dark circles under his eyes."

This Chat Group, named [Hua Yi Fan Club], had been created by female researchers with similar interests. Most members only knew that the others were definitely people from the Space Station, but did not know their real identities. Asta, for instance, had joined under the username [Name Redacted], secretly observing the chat logs.

Still, a few members' identities were public knowledge. The last three speakers were Wen Shiling from the Department of Applied Materials, Lamina from the Department of Boundary Seeds, and Emily from the Department of Secret Scrolls. Because they had interacted with Hua Yi quite a bit, they had become group administrators, and everyone wanted to learn more gossip from them.

Seeing the words Emily had sent to the group—words that looked like complaints at first glance but were actually filled with worry—Asta could not help smiling.

Even Emily, who was not very good with words, expressed her complaints so gently now? Was it because she was talking about Hua Yi?

Anyone could see that she was worried about him.

Still, Hua Yi really was too busy right now. Even though I specifically warned the Five Research Departments not to invite him into new projects without permission, all the existing work alone was already far beyond a normal workload.

The series of research derived from the Seed of Erudition inevitably required communication with the creator of the secret ritual. The Department of Legal Affairs also seemed to have received a paper written by Hua Yi, and Gunn had become invigorated, beginning to rectify the atmosphere of the entire department.

Then there was Madam Herta appearing in the Department of Boundary Seeds with Hua Yi late at night. Not only was his work efficiency terrifyingly high, his working hours were exceptionally long as well.

Hmm, earlier yesterday, I even had him make purchases according to the Space Station Equipment Needs List. That was another burden I added to him.

Asta pursed her lips, her heart filled with guilt.

Hua Yi seemed to possess some kind of magic. Whenever she was with him, she always felt relaxed. Her mind lost its usual sharpness, leaving her unable to promptly put herself in his shoes and consider his circumstances.

Earlier, he had actually wanted to completely give up the intellectual property rights to the Seed of Erudition and make it Common Property of the Space Station, all just to prevent the various departments from becoming dissatisfied with her—the Station Master who had set a precedent and granted Hua Yi universal Level IV Researcher authority...

Honestly, there was no need to go that far.

The upper ranks of the departments were all knowledgeable, quick-thinking Scholars. They would not casually question the Station Master's decisions. As for the gossip of ordinary researchers, as long as it did not go too far, I did not care in the slightest.

Sigh, I hope Hua Yi can get a good night's sleep today. I specially used Station Master Authority to quietly enable Do Not Disturb Mode on his terminal. Nobody should be able to wake him.

Just as Asta was thinking this, her terminal sounded a message alert.

It was not a private message from an anonymously joined Chat Group member, but an email received in her capacity as Station Master.

It was a message from Hua Yi.

Before she could check its contents, Asta frowned and quickly typed a reply.

"You're awake this early? No, don't tell me you stayed up all night?!"

"Just woke up."

"I checked the Space Station surveillance. From the time you left Madam Herta's office and returned to your dorm until now, only four System Time hours have passed. Don't tell me you're saying you've already rested enough?"

"...I'm in good health, so it's fine. How about Station Master Asta take a look at the file I just sent?"

"Go to sleep!"

"Fine, I'll try."

Seeing Hua Yi's reply, the Station Master puffed out her cheeks indignantly. "I'll try" was clearly different from a normal affirmative answer. He had no intention of resting properly at all!

Opening the Interstellar Delicacies shopping website, Asta directly entered "Boys Like Staying Up Late, what should they eat to nourish their bodies" into the search bar.

Are You Asleep?

As someone well-versed in the internet, Asta knew perfectly well that typing "what effects does staying up late have" into a search engine would, nine times out of ten, lead to results pointing toward incurable illnesses.

It was better to directly look for food that could nourish the body. If the Space Station did not have any, she would buy some online, then contact the Medical Department and create a nutritious, healthy meal plan for Hua Yi.

The girl split her terminal screen into two halves. On one side, she browsed the interface of a members-only high-end shopping website. On the other, she sorted through her email inbox, which contained plenty of spam.

Some relatives from The Family pretended to ask after her well-being while actually probing to see whether Asta knew Madam Herta's recent whereabouts. Others put on airs and asked her to take a starship on a particular route home for a visit, saying a certain aunt or uncle missed her and had already bought her ticket.

If she truly believed those people's nonsense and boarded the Designated Starship, the girl was certain she would disappear midway through the journey.

There were also agents who had somehow obtained the Station Master's Email address for Herta Space Station. They wanted to help Asta manage her assets and invest her funds into the high-return industries they listed, claiming that cooperation would bring nothing but benefits and that they could double the young lady's fortune within a certain period of time.

Yet they did not even know exactly how much pocket money Asta had!

These people were not aspiring youths recommending themselves. They were outright swindlers, eyeing the young lady's principal and hoping to scam as much as they could. The moment money was transferred to the relevant account, they would immediately erase all communications and flee with the funds.

She was used to it. Asta had long grown used to such things. What had she not seen?

The clever girl had never been fooled.

After sorting out her inbox and setting Hua Yi's account to special attention, Asta opened the file he had first sent her.

[Madam Herta hopes the Station Master can write two statements for her. One will be published internally on the Space Station, demonstrating Madam Herta's recognition of Miss Asta's consistent diligence and responsibility. The other will be sent to the Station Master's Family, preventing you from being disturbed too much during work.]

After carefully reading the email without missing a single word, Asta suddenly felt her heart clench sharply, more violently than it did on most occasions.

She understood Madam Herta's personality. That Genius, who only invested effort into things that interested her, would never make such a work request without reason.

Of course, that was not to say Herta ignored Asta. The girl knew that whenever she told Madam Herta about troubles in work or life, Herta was willing to listen and would swiftly solve the problem.

Though the specific approach would most likely be extremely rough, its effectiveness was beyond doubt.

Asta simply hoped to resolve various issues as independently as possible while the Space Station continued operating normally. She did not want to disturb Herta over trivial matters.

She was deeply grateful for the turning point Herta had brought to her life.

Yet Hua Yi had spoken up for her and asked Herta to step in and clear away the trouble.

There could only be one possibility.

The internal Space Station announcement was meant to prevent ordinary researchers who had failed to advance for years from grumbling about the Station Master rapidly promoting a newcomer. As for Herta stepping in to send what was effectively a warning email to the girl's Family—

Hua Yi actually knew that my relatives at home have ill intentions. Did Madam Herta tell him, or did older Space Station members like Wen Huairen and Gunn tell him?

Even though these things would not affect him in the slightest, he still asked Madam Herta for help...

Asta could completely imagine Hua Yi wasting an extraordinarily precious opportunity. He could have made a request to a Genius renowned throughout The Universe that better served his personal interest, yet he had voluntarily given it up to reduce troubles for her that were not even all that serious.

I had already gotten used to it.

The moved Station Master nearly sent Hua Yi a message immediately, intending to give him a proper scolding. How could he be so careless with an opportunity to communicate with Madam Herta, concerning himself with such minor matters on her behalf? But when she remembered that he might have only just fallen asleep, and that rashly messaging him might wake him, Asta stopped herself.

She pursed her lips, first selecting nutritious ingredients on Interstellar Delicacies and paying double shipping fees to have the merchant deliver them to the Space Station as soon as possible. Then, holding her terminal, she stared at her previous chat history with Hua Yi. Her long, fair fingers hesitated over the Touch Keyboard for quite a while. Only after using Station Master Authority again to confirm that Hua Yi's terminal was still in Do Not Disturb Mode did she begin composing a message.

Under Do Not Disturb Mode, even if he received a message, there would be no sound or vibration notification—unless that guy was not asleep at all and had been using his terminal the whole time.

"Are you asleep?"

The message Asta sent was brief, but it concealed hidden meaning and carried a strong note of probing.

The best reply at this moment would be no reply. That would mean Hua Yi was truly asleep, and the Station Master hoped he would sleep all the way until noon.

No, he should sleep until afternoon!

As for the newly promoted Level IV Researcher, the Space Station's most sought-after figure, failing to arrive at the office on time and being complained about or reported by some department—

If anyone truly accused Hua Yi of being late to work, that would be what deserved a thorough investigation. He had already made so many contributions, and he was so friendly and humble. Who exactly was jealous of talent and ability?

"I tried, but I couldn't fall asleep."

Seeing Hua Yi's reply arrive not long afterward, Asta felt both annoyed and amused.