Herta's Clone

Herta's Clone

There were many things that mattered in a person's life, but to Yao Lan right now, only two things mattered.

Wealth and status.

After all, humans were social creatures. It was impossible to completely detach oneself from society, so in this Douluo world, Yao Lan needed a higher status.

Wealth and status complemented each other. Once one rose, the other would naturally rise as well.

Although Yao Lan had possessed considerable power when he first transmigrated here, he had no identity in this society.

To put it bluntly, he was undocumented.

Fortunately, slums still existed in this world. It was better to mysteriously pop up as an undocumented person than to have no identity whatsoever even after a full population census.

"Come to think of it, during the era of The Legend of the Dragon King on Douluo Continent, there was only one profession that came with both money and status, right?"

Forging Master!

Compared to the era of The Peerless Tang Sect, the Douluo Continent of The Legend of the Dragon King had gained armor known as Battle Armor, which could greatly enhance a soul master's strength. As a result, Forging Masters who crafted this armor had become highly sought after.

As long as he forged top-tier metals, his reputation would naturally spread. If he sold those metals afterward, he could make a fortune as well. It was a profession that brought both fame and profit.

"But for now, I can only create one clone."

"Should I use a Wisdom character to plan for the future? Or should I first find a way to become a Forging Master and gain wealth and status?"

"Or... can I have both?"

Yao Lan's brows gradually relaxed, because he had thought of a character who met both requirements.

A member of the Genius Society—just the word "genius" alone spoke for her worth. Her intellect was undoubtedly exceptional.

She had long dealt with the Interstellar Peace Corporation and possessed remarkable schemes and strategic skill. Chadwick's fate alone proved that one needed to be shrewd.

And there was that massive hammer in her hand. Though it was used against enemies, it surely would not be bad for forging metal either, right?

She was both a "Wisdom" character and capable of serving as this world's Forging Master and designer... It felt like she could handle every side profession with ease.

After all, she was a genius!

"It's decided, then—Herta!"

At Yao Lan's command, his body changed once more. The outline that had belonged to a boy transformed in an instant into that of an adorable little girl, clothing included.

Waist-length brown hair and dazzling purple eyes—though she differed somewhat from her appearance in the game, anyone with eyes could recognize her at once. This was Herta.

But it was not over yet!

This "Herta" was like a Tomie capable of splitting apart, pulled from Yao Lan's original body by some unknown force.

Then the two figures stared at each other in silence.

"So this is literally a 'clone,' huh?" ×2

The same words, spoken in the same tone, came from both of them. On second thought, it made sense. Though there were two bodies, there was only one consciousness.

Yao Lan said, "I don't feel any discomfort."

Herta said, "Is this what they call multitasking? If I were controlling puppets, this should be what it feels like, right?"

But speaking of puppets...

Both Yao Lan and Herta focused their gazes on Herta's joints, because something completely different from the game had appeared there.

"No puppet joints?"

"In other words, the one I created is the real child Herta, not some kind of puppet. No wonder some details are different."

But according to the system's rules, all of Yao Lan's clones conformed to the rules of this world. In other words... Herta had a martial soul!

"What is her martial soul? It can't really be a hammer, can it?"

"Why not try and find out?"

Herta herself had not revealed much information, but judging by the Herta Puppets in the game, there was truly a strong possibility that it was a hammer.

Although Yao Lan could create clones, he really had no idea what their martial souls would be unless the traits were especially obvious, like Robin's.

For someone like Herta, he could not guess at all.

She truly was Ms. Herta. Even a clone created from her was this extraordinary!

As little Herta closed her eyes, Yao Lan's eyes lost their light in an instant. In a daze, he seemed to see a colossal mechanical body watching him from the end of knowledge.

The next second, both Yao Lan's and Herta's eyes became clear again. He had been forced out. At the same time, he understood everything that had just happened.

"Nous's gaze..."

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but the instant Nous looked at him, Yao Lan felt as though he had become quite a bit smarter.

"What would happen if this power from Nous were introduced into Herta's clone, System?"

Though he vaguely had a guess in his heart, Yao Lan still chose to ask the system. After all, this was power granted by the system, and it was naturally best to receive an official answer.

Herta's clone will awaken a martial soul known as Nous, just as the host previously did, possessing both The Hunt and Abundance martial souls.

"That really is... fantastic. Is this what they call having an Aeon fight for you?"

"Then let's begin now!"

The mechanical figure appeared before Yao Lan again—or rather, upon Herta's body. But this time, it was no longer as illusory as before. It descended upon Douluo Continent under the new identity of "Herta's martial soul."

"Innate Soul Power... level twenty?" There was a trace of surprise in his voice.

Innate Full Soul Power in the Douluo Continent world was level ten. The only martial soul with innate level twenty had been Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel during the era of the first Douluo. Yet Herta's martial soul, "Nous," was also level twenty?

Yao Lan felt that something was off. For Nous, innate level twenty was not high—it was low!

After all, the world setting of Honkai: Star Rail was far from weak. If an Aeon became a martial soul, then no matter how much it was weakened, it could not possibly be limited to this level. But the answer was not difficult to guess. Innate level twenty... perhaps that was this world's upper limit.

If a martial soul with even higher Innate Soul Power appeared, it would completely shatter this world's rules.

Yao Lan took a step back and looked Herta's clone up and down. "Excellent looks, powerful learning ability, and a god-tier martial soul with innate level twenty... worthy of the name genius. Becoming the rising star of the Forging Association shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Little Herta put her hands on her hips, raised her head, and spoke confidently. "Of course! Because I'm Herta!"

"In a sense, talking to myself is pretty interesting, isn't it?"

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