Looking at Herta before him, Jiang Yu opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Great. I only just woke up, and my creditor's already here to collect.
Seeing Jiang Yu's reaction, Dan Heng assumed his fellow native was wondering who had suddenly approached him, so he introduced her:
"This is the owner of Herta Space Station, Member of the Genius Society, No. 83, Herta."
As soon as Dan Heng finished, the Herta Puppet put a hand on her hip and turned to him. "Why are you just like Himeko? Is being in the Genius Society such a great achievement? I have so many research accomplishments, and neither of you mentions a single one. Besides, does No. 83 sound that impressive?"
With that, the Herta Puppet turned back to Jiang Yu.
"No need to introduce yourself. I know who you are. I heard quite a few things about you while you were asleep. First, you rode a sword over from the far side of the Blue Planet and crashed into the space station, damaging it. Then, when the Doomsday Beast arrived, you smashed the station's walls and doors to pieces."
The Herta Puppet stared at Jiang Yu as though she were examining a rare material.
"Judging by my surveillance footage, neither your sword nor your clothes are anything special, yet you emerged completely unscathed after turning your body into a meteor and crossing the vacuum of space. A Xianzhou native... are you a Pathstrider of The Hunt? Never mind, that's not important. I'm very interested in your method of suppressing the Stellaron.
"I've already examined that Stellaron kid you're friends with. I built an entire space station here to suppress this Stellaron, yet her body actually suppressed its energy and even allowed it to operate stably inside her. Her constitution is strange, but you intrigue me even more.
"If that kid's body is a closed cabinet holding the Stellaron, then you're the lock that seals it shut. The power you left behind bound the Stellaron firmly in place. A Pathstrider... even an ordinary Emanator couldn't do something like that, and you clearly don't look like someone who specializes in this field.
"Kid, how did you do it?"
"I don't know either..." Jiang Yu shook his head, then took out his phone. "Maybe it has something to do with this?"
Jiang Yu had no intention of hiding the fact that Aha had contacted him to chat.
Herta lacked empathy, but when something caught her interest, she was willing to accommodate a great deal.
In the game, Herta, Screwllum, and several other geniuses had created the Simulated Universe to study the Aeons and uncover their secrets. They had even fed massive amounts of data into it for calculations and extrapolations, iterating through numerous versions of the Simulated Universe.
That showed the Aeons were a highly compelling subject for Herta, which made his chat history with Aha a valuable bargaining chip.
Aeons rarely appeared in the world, and the gulf between them and ordinary beings was immense, even in terms of their very nature as life-forms. Thus, even a few words spoken by an Aeon could be enormously useful in gaining a deeper understanding of them and researching them.
Herta was interested in him now, and he had offered a sufficiently valuable bargaining chip. With that, he probably wouldn't have to stay on the space station and work off his debt.
Herta took the phone from Jiang Yu and began reading his chat history with Aha.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu feigned bewilderment and awe as he said, "After we finished chatting, I felt an immense power enter my body."
"So that's how it is."
Herta murmured, the light from the phone reflecting off the Herta Puppet's face. Even the puppet's expression now showed concentration and excitement.
"Aha seems to think highly of you, and it looks like they'll contact you again." Herta returned the phone to Jiang Yu. "It's a little unexpected, but it certainly fits their personality."
"What a shame," Herta suddenly said. "I should have waited until you woke up and had you test the Simulated Universe with that kid. I'll call you in next time.
"Kid, let's get down to business. Originally, I intended to keep you on the space station. Once I finished studying you, or lost interest, you would work here to pay off your debt.
"But now, how about making a deal with me?"
At that, Jiang Yu immediately perked up. Those were the words he had been waiting for!
"What kind of deal?"
While Jiang Yu and Herta talked, March 7th pulled Dan Heng into a corner.
The pretty girl watched Herta and Jiang Yu with a puzzled expression, then asked Dan Heng quietly, "Dan Heng, what are Jiang Yu and Herta talking about?"
Only at March 7th's question did Dan Heng look away from Jiang Yu and Herta and say:
"Aha. The Data Bank has records of them. They're the Aeon of Elation.
"They're an inscrutable being who once disguised themself as a mortal and boarded the Astral Express. After maintaining that disguise for an entire year, they blew the train's cars apart...
"Jiang Yu probably received an invitation from Aha. The power he used to suppress the Stellaron also came from them. Herta is very interested in researching Aeons, so Jiang Yu's conversations with Aha became exceptionally valuable research material.
"Most likely, the deal is about Herta hoping to obtain more information about Aha from Jiang Yu in the future."
"Blew the cars apart!" March 7th looked shocked and worried. After glancing at Jiang Yu nearby, she asked anxiously, "Then won't Jiang Yu be in danger now that Aha has taken an interest in him?"
Dan Heng frowned, then shook his head. "I don't think so.
"Although Aha acts entirely on a whim and has caused some extremely harmful consequences throughout the universe, they actually delight in seeing their followers, or anyone who catches their eye, spread elation. They don't even mind giving people who oppose them a helping hand behind the scenes.
"March 7th, do you know about the Mournful Actors?"
March 7th shook her head.
"Currently, two groups among Aha's followers are widely known: the Masked Fools and the Mournful Actors. Most people consider the former lunatics. They have no limits when it comes to finding amusement, creating ordeals, orchestrating destinies, holding banquets... they stop at nothing to spread their philosophy of elation throughout the universe or amuse themselves.
"As for the Mournful Actors, they weren't originally Aha's followers. They're staunch anti-Elationists who advocate abstinence and asceticism, believing that the trials and tribulations of suffering are what allow people to grow. The Actors hope that by opposing the Path of Elation, they can dilute the sweet temptations Aha brings to the universe.
"But in the end, Aha cast their gaze upon them and delighted in their actions. They even bestowed power upon the Actors countless times, helping them cross star systems to stage their performances filled with sorrow and suffering.
"So, if Aha finds Jiang Yu interesting, I don't think they'll put him in danger. The most dangerous moment has already passed. Jiang Yu didn't die when Aha's power entered and left him."
"Oh, I see. That's great." March 7th patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Then she turned to look at the young man who had protected everyone during the Antimatter Legion's attack and let out a long sigh.
"Even though I know Jiang Yu's safe now, I still don't understand why Aha took an interest in him. Dan Heng, don't you think it would make more sense for The Hunt or Preservation to approach him?"
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