Running a website didn't exactly break the bank when it came to computing power.
Besides, it seemed like Castorice was still using the site.
Bai Ming decided to keep it up for the time being.
And if Aha hadn't given up just yet... well, given the ironclad firewall surrounding the current Simulated Universe, this website was likely the only back door left for THEM to slip through.
She wanted to see exactly what Aha was cooking up by messing with her Simulated Universe.
After layering a few early-warning systems onto the site, Bai Ming turned her attention to the simplified equation she had stripped off the simulated Aha.
Compared to the Elation Equation she was currently dissecting, this thing was naturally much cruder.
However, its real value lay in how it allowed Bai Ming to peer deeper into the fundamental nature of the Paths themselves.
Not just Elation, but the essence of what a Path actually is.
For the current Bai Ming, the thing didn't have much practical use beyond its value as a reference.
But once she got her hands on the equations for other Paths? That's when this simplified version would truly shine.
To Bai Ming's eyes, this simplified equation acted essentially like a universal hub.
The concepts within a Path were like individual plug-ins; once connected to this hub, they could collectively form an entire Path Equation.
That raised an interesting question.
What if she dismantled the concepts from different equations and mixed them together?
If she stitched concepts from various Paths into a single equation... could it work?
It was hard to say, but certainly worth a shot.
In reality, the concepts contained within a Path could inherently be split or integrated.
Although Bai Ming hadn't tested this ability yet, theoretically, as an Aeon authorized by Aha, she could tear concepts away from other Paths and meld them into Elation.
She just didn't know the specific "how-to" yet.
Of course, Bai Ming suspected that while an Aeon could do this, it likely required the user to have a profound understanding of the concept itself.
Otherwise, the Paths that had long since lost their Aeons would have been carved up and swallowed by the others by now.
After all, for an Aeon, the more concepts they encompassed, the broader their Path became and the stronger they grew. There was no reason for them not to be tempted.
But!
The Path Equations in Bai Ming's hands didn't require individual enlightenment; they could mobilize the power of a Path through pure mathematics.
If she used these raw equations, she might be able to bypass the laws of the Paths entirely.
She could forcibly stitch different concepts together and draw upon multiple Paths simultaneously.
While this method likely wouldn't interfere with the actual state of the Paths in reality—meaning she wouldn't accidentally trigger a universal Path merger—it didn't matter.
With the power of the equations, she could effectively wield the strength of several Paths at once. In practice, there wasn't much difference between that and a total merger. Even if there was a slight gap in power, the ease of use made it a fair trade-off.
But before all that, she had to test if the theory even held water.
Bai Ming's gaze drifted toward the Astral Express, which was still lingering over at Amphoreus.
Since she only had one Path Equation at the moment, she couldn't exactly grab concepts from different Paths to stitch together.
However, she was just experimenting; jumping straight into melding full concepts would be a bit too reckless.
Instead, Bai Ming chose to work with the code for the Aeons and Paths within the Simulated Universe, along with the code for the Thirteen Titans of Amphoreus.
As code designed to simulate Aeons, these snippets—while no match for a complete Path Equation—still carried the distinct signatures of their respective Paths.
She would use this code to verify the feasibility of her logic and see if any bugs cropped up. Like compatibility issues between concepts...
For instance, she could hardly imagine what would happen if the concepts of Nihility and Abundance were triggered within the same entity at once.
No time like the present.
Bai Ming quickly began her preliminary trials within the Simulated Universe.
First was the compatibility of the code. Even though the simplified equation was highly adaptable, the tech Zandar had used to design Amphoreus utilized entirely different, long-obsolete encoding methods.
Making them play nice together wouldn't happen without some serious design tweaks.
Fortunately, the Simulated Universe's computing power was massive. Leaving the tedious grunt work to the simulation saved her a mountain of time.
Then came the dismantling and reassembling.
Generally speaking, simply tethering different Path concepts together via the simplified equation worked fine. But if she jammed conflicting concepts into the same slot, the whole thing would backfire like a jammed gun the moment it was activated.
She'd need to put a lot of thought into "concept synergy" when picking her parts.
Bai Ming's first experimental subject? A planned upgrade for the Astral Express.
She selected concepts from Preservation and The Hunt, then spliced them with fragments of the Elation equation.
She'd briefly considered Trailblaze, but since the Express crew were literally the embodiment of that Path, adding it felt a bit like wearing a hat on top of a hat.
She chose Elation because it was the most complete and powerful tool she had.
The Hunt was for its sheer aggression, and Preservation was mainly to ensure the hardware carrying the equation didn't shatter during intense combat.
As for the vessel...
Bai Ming had toyed with the idea of just borrowing one of the Express's coaches, but the train didn't have many to spare. Since this was just a trial run, she used materials already available on the Space Station to hand-craft a specialized functional coach.
To boost its durability, she even threw in some materials from the horns of the Great Dragon. This infused the coach with a touch of Permanence.
Mostly, though, she did it because those horns were so massive she didn't know what else to do with them—might as well use them up.
Once everything was ready, Bai Ming contacted Himeko. She asked her to swing by the Space Station one last time before they departed.
When Himeko and the others arrived, they were joined by Cerydra and Hysilens. It looked like they were truly planning to leave Amphoreus behind.
Stepping off the train, Himeko's eyes immediately landed on the brand-new coach parked alongside them.
"This is..."
Himeko looked on curiously, while Bai Ming puffed out her chest and gave a confident grin.
"A little experimental piece of mine. It's still in the prototype phase, so I was hoping the Astral Express could help me out with some field testing."
Confusion flickered in the eyes of the crew. Cerydra, ever the inquisitive one, asked, "Is there something... special about this coach?"
"You can think of it as a combat armament I designed. I've dubbed it—Drytron Alpha Thuban. It's triggered by an Astral Express pass. Who wants to give it a whirl?"
The group traded glances. Dan Heng remained cautious, Himeko was intrigued, but Cerydra looked ready to jump in.
"Let me try."
"Wait, Imperator. An unknown armament should be scouted by your Knight first."
Hysilens reached out to stop Cerydra. Even though they trusted Bai Ming, the "prototype" label triggered Hysilens's protective instincts. She wanted to clear the path for her King.
"I told you, Hysilens. I am no longer King, and you needn't shadow my every step."
But Cerydra's words were met only with Hysilens's stubborn silence.
Finally, with a sigh, Cerydra stepped back and let Hysilens take the lead.
Taking the pass from Himeko, Hysilens stepped into the solitary coach.
Moments later, a massive web of mechanical patterns began to crawl across the coach's exterior.
Accompanied by a ghostly blue glow, the coach began a staggering transformation, expanding and shifting.
The carriage detached from the platform, soaring into the vacuum of space. In a flurry of shifting plates, it transformed into a mechanical dragon over a kilometer long!
Its body was primarily white metal and pale blue crystalline structures, accented by glowing yellow and purple power cores.
Its "arms" were formed from massive blades and a main cannon, while its long, slender tail housed a brilliant light source.
The image was intensely mechanical, yet it possessed the unmistakable grace of a dragon.
Bai Ming nodded in satisfaction as she watched Drytron Alpha Thuban unfold perfectly.
The aggression and agility came from The Hunt, while the transformation and expansion were powered by Elation. The Preservation aspect hadn't been triggered yet, but it was already reflected in its defensive stats.
For now, its power was decent, but if she could ever get her hands on the full equations for The Hunt and Preservation, Drytron Alpha Thuban would be due for a massive upgrade.
Reaching the level of an Emanator wouldn't be out of the question.
Actually, according to the original design, this thing should have been much larger. But considering the size of the Express crew, making it too big felt pointless.
It was better to keep it a manageable size—practical for both atmospheric and deep-space use.
"Incredible... I feel like this massive construct has become an extension of my own limbs. No data-sync required. It's not clunky at all, and the power..."
Hysilens's voice, filled with awe, crackled over the comms back at the platform.
The massive Drytron Alpha Thuban performed a series of incredibly complex maneuvers in space right before their eyes, moving with terrifying fluidity.
As for the weapon systems, Hysilens didn't dare fire them randomly. She picked out a nearby asteroid belt and let off a casual shot.
A massive swathe of asteroids was instantly vaporized, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the belt.
Himeko's jaw dropped at the display of firepower.
According to Bai Ming, that was just a standard shot. The main cannon on the left arm was the real heavy hitter. It had extreme range and even more devastating power.
Furthermore, the unit was equipped with short-range warp capabilities, multiple defensive shield systems, and state-of-the-art sensors.
It also boasted a core processing power far beyond that of a standard starship. You could say it had the punch of a flagship, but in a smaller, faster, and more precise package.
"Are you... really giving this to the Astral Express?" Himeko looked at Bai Ming, clearly stunned.
Bai Ming just waved a hand dismissively.
"It's just a prototype. I didn't even use the premium materials. Consider it a loan for testing. Go ahead and push it to the limit—I don't mind if you break it."
"..."
Himeko gave a slightly strained smile.
The Astral Express wasn't exactly a paramilitary organization.
If they managed to break this thing, she couldn't even imagine what kind of nightmare they'd have to be fighting.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL