Herta

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Herta (黑塔)
Alias(es)	Madam Herta; Lady Herta
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Genius Society; Herta Space Station
Occupation/Role	Genius researcher, engineer, and magic practitioner
Status	Active 563
First Appearance	Chapter 372

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mana user	373	Learns meditation from Li Yu and immediately senses and analyzes the mana produced within her body.
Third-rank mage	380	Uses magic-enhancing potions and a Meditation Array to rapidly increase her mana, then successfully casts a Piercing Magic Bullet.
Further advancement on the Path of Erudition	505	Her Path reacts when she completes a perpetual motion machine, taking “another great step forward” on Erudition.

Appearance

Herta is first seen in a mage outfit when she contacts and later boards Abant with Screwllum. Her real body remains at Herta Space Station, while she can also operate through small Herta doll avatars. 372 491 503

• Wears a mage outfit. 372
• Uses small Herta dolls as remote bodies and assistants. 390 503
• Carries a wand that can disperse into nanobots for rapid construction. 390

Personality

Herta is intensely curious, decisive, and impatient with delays. When inspiration strikes, she immediately begins testing it, arguing that ideas must be acted on before they disappear. 381 Her curiosity consistently overrides caution: she enters the Sea of Quanta, seeks to study Jhana’s Honkai energy, and pursues research that could disrupt the wider universe. 390 411 413

She is blunt and pragmatic in her dealings with others. Herta treats the implantation of Stellarons, Izayoi’s energy extraction, and other dangerous procedures as straightforward experiments, often with little concern for the subject’s comfort. 382 504 505 Although initially respectful of Nous, exposure to Li Yu’s knowledge and power leaves her openly contemptuous of Aeons and willing to threaten Nous directly. 506

Abilities & Skills

Scientific Genius and Engineering

Herta rapidly analyzes unfamiliar systems and converts discoveries into practical technology.

• Conducted a comprehensive scan of Abant, identifying it as neither a normal living creature nor a conventional machine and detecting no Path energy within it. 372
• Uses Herta Space Station’s systems to scan the universe for Li Yu’s phone signal. 380
• Constructs laboratories and bases from nanobots within minutes. 390
• Derived a nanomachine synthesis formula while researching technologies that did not match known Path, Honkai, or magical systems. 503
• Built a massive research base near Abant using magical materials, including Dragonia scales capable of anchoring spacetime. 400

Magic

After receiving Li Yu’s explanation of meditation and mana, Herta quickly grasped the system and began developing applications of her own. 373

• Reached third-rank mage capability after receiving magical potions and support from a Meditation Array. 380
• Casts Piercing Magic Bullet, producing a powerful explosion. 380
• Uses ice magic to destroy Quantum Phantoms, which were unaffected by her Imaginary-energy attack. 390
• Proposed technological meditation assistance and automated spell systems almost immediately after learning magic. 373
• Her magic remains usable in the Sea of Quanta because it is power generated within her own body, unlike Path power. 390

Stellaron Implantation

Herta can directly implant Stellarons into compatible bodies.

• Suppressed and implanted a Stellaron into herself using Path power. 382
• Implanted another Stellaron into March 7th, turning her into a Stellaron spirit. 382
• Worked with Li Yu to test whether Stelle could convert Stellaron energy into mana. 381

Perpetual Motion Machine Research

Herta investigated Izayoi’s internal perpetual motion machine and collaborated with Li Yu to reproduce a usable version.

• Used Izayoi as an energy source while synthesizing material for a third perpetual motion machine. 504 505
• Identified a limitation: the reproduced machine continuously generates energy, but non-biological applications require a way to store and release that energy. 504
• Successfully completed a perpetual motion machine and later helped produce more than a hundred units with Li Yu. 505 506
• Prioritized an endless personal energy supply over public distribution of the machines. 505

Scepter of the Emperor Access

Herta uses the Scepter of the Emperor’s computation in her research.

• Her Sea of Quanta base borrows its computational power. 413
• Received access from Li Yu to transfer the Elysian Realm inhabitants’ data into the Scepter rather than physically relocating the entire realm. 435

Equipment / Resources

• Magic wand — transforms into nanobots for building and serves as a focus for spellcasting. 390
• Herta dolls — remote avatars that can accompany others, relay information, and enter standby mode. 390 503
• Herta Space Station — provides planetary-scale scanning, laboratories, personnel, and logistical support. 380 385
• Scepter of the Emperor — a supercomputer whose computational power supports her research. 413 435
• Arrows of the Hunt — a deterrent branded onto her hand by Li Yu; activating them alerts Lan and lets her threaten Nous. 506

Relationships

• Li Yu — Research partner and magic instructor. Herta joins his journey to inspect Abant, learns magic from him, collaborates on Stellarons and perpetual motion machines, and presses him to reveal his larger secret. 372 373 380 505 506
• Screwllum — Fellow Genius Society member and collaborator. They arrive on Abant together, learn about magic together, and jointly investigate the Sea of Quanta. 372 373 390
• Asta — Close logistical supporter at Herta Space Station. Asta immediately acquires and delivers Herta’s requested experimental materials. 385
• Ruan Mei — Fellow researcher and collaborator in Sea of Quanta and Honkai-related studies. 390 411 413
• Lygus — Research collaborator who explores the Sea of Quanta with her and later proposes preparing measures against the Aeons. 390 443
• Nous — The Aeon of Erudition, whom Herta derisively calls “machine-head.” She threatens Nous with the possibility of Lan’s ascension to suppress information about perpetual motion machines. 376 506
• Jhana — Herta studies Jhana’s Honkai energy and determines that the energy is centered on and controlled by Jhana herself. 410 413
• Izayoi Sakamaki — Experimental subject and research source for perpetual motion technology; Herta also teaches him to use his internal energy beyond simple physical enhancement. 489 504 505

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Abant and Amphoreus expedition — Herta becomes interested in Abant after scanning it, then boards it with Screwllum to investigate its Flugel, Ex-Machina, and lack of Path energy. 372
• Magic research — She learns meditation from Li Yu, immediately understands the principles behind mana, and begins treating magic as a field suitable for technological automation and large-scale study. 373 380
• Stellaron experiments — Herta tests the relationship between Stellarons and mana, implants a Stellaron into herself, and performs the same procedure on March 7th. 381 382
• Sea of Quanta exploration — She enters the Sea of Quanta with Li Yu, Ruan Mei, and Lygus; builds a laboratory there; and confirms that magic can harm Quantum Phantoms where Imaginary energy cannot. 390
• Honkai and Elysian Realm research — Herta studies Jhana’s controllable Honkai energy, becomes interested in Welt Yang’s homeland, and takes responsibility for transferring Elysian Realm data through the Scepter of the Emperor. 413 418 435
• Perpetual motion machine project — She researches Izayoi’s perpetual motion machine, creates a reproducible version with Li Yu, advances on Erudition, and secures Nous’s silence through the threat represented by Lan’s arrows. 504 505 506

Notable Quotes

“Inspiration is fleeting. If I have an idea, of course I have to act on it. What matters is quickly seeing whether it works.” 381

“Machine-head, do you see this? You don't want the Aeon of The Hunt to ascend either, right?” 506

Trivia

• Li Yu’s cooking makes Herta ask for seeds so she can cultivate the ingredients herself. 375
• She considers ordinary eating inefficient enough that she normally relies on energy bars, but makes an exception for Li Yu’s food. 375
• Herta requested Dragonia scales from Jibril for research, but the Flugel’s hostility forced her to negotiate rather than take them by force. 400