Amid the crowd, two women with incomparably graceful figures and mysterious auras surrounding their entire bodies were also watching the unusual activity at The Blue's First University.
They were Pathstriders of Remembrance, Black Swan and Dahlia.
Black Swan glanced at her close friend beside her and asked, "You've been serving under Miss Herta for quite some time. Do you know why she has gathered so many Herta Puppets with such great fanfare?"
Dahlia raised a hand and stroked her tender cheek, revealing a mysterious smile. "Guess."
The corner of Black Swan's mouth twitched slightly as she muttered inwardly, How old are you, and you're still telling me to guess?
The next second, Black Swan quickly realized, Dahlia most likely has no idea what subject Miss Herta is researching this time, which is why she's asking me to guess. After all, even Dahlia herself doesn't know what Herta is researching.
Still, Miss Herta's research speed was truly astonishing.
After all, strictly speaking, Miss Herta had only been a genius for three short months. Yet within such a brief period, she had already produced one breathtaking achievement after another!
After sighing deeply in amazement, Black Swan used the power of the Path of Remembrance to contact the Pure Child far away in the Garden of Recollection and inform them that Herta was making another major move.
Meanwhile, among the crowd not far away, Acheron's gaze was involuntarily drawn toward the row after row of Herta Puppets at The Blue's First University. The wooden expression on her face vanished, replaced by a thoughtful look.
According to Miss Herta, the Simulated Universe: Izumo project capable of curing Nihility will still require some time before research can begin.
In other words, Miss Herta is researching a different project.
Judging from the current situation, however, the project she is researching this time must be extraordinary.
I hope she succeeds!
...
Meanwhile, beneath the dormitory building at The Blue's First University.
Standing before the assembled Herta Puppets, Herta 05 raised her hand and saluted the pointed-hat-wearing woman on the balcony. With a solemn expression, she began her report.
"Madam Herta, one hundred thousand Herta Puppets have assembled around The Blue's First University and are awaiting your instructions."
Herman nodded slightly and said inwardly.
'Herta, it's your turn.'
'All right.'
In an instant, control of the body's consciousness switched.
The Herta opened her eyes, lowered her head, and slowly addressed the densely packed Herta Puppets below.
"I intend to construct a new megastructure!"
"I will require your assistance. All Hertas are to follow my instructions and log into Herta Stigmata Space. I will provide you with a set of megastructure blueprints."
As The Herta's voice fell, every little Herta obediently closed her eyes and logged into Stigmata Space. There, they saw design blueprints piled high enough to fill an entire room.
At that moment, the many little Hertas stared blankly at one another, their faces filled with bewilderment.
Are we supposed to read all these blueprints one by one? What kind of megastructure could possibly require this many plans?
One Herta after another began scratching her head, looking deeply troubled.
Before long, one Herta stepped forward, crouched down, and picked up a blueprint to examine it carefully. Her expression immediately grew even more confused. The reason was simple. The contents of the blueprint were far too profound.
"I don't understand it. I don't understand any of it."
"We're only puppets. We don't possess wisdom comparable to Madam Herta's."
"Alas, we're going to disappoint Madam Herta."
The little Hertas sighed one after another.
At that moment, The Herta herself appeared within Herta Stigmata Space. Gazing at the bewildered Hertas, she slowly asked:
"Do you find the contents of the blueprints difficult to understand?"
The Hertas nodded frantically.
"Yes, yes!"
"Even with the wisdom Madam Herta bestowed upon us, we still can't understand what's written on the blueprints. They're far too profound."
"I feel as though understanding the contents of this single blueprint would take at least a year. Reading and comprehending every blueprint in this room would take even longer."
Herta 05's eyes shifted as an idea occurred to her. She quickly said, "If the Second Madam Herta teaches us, we'll definitely understand the blueprints much faster."
Another little Herta immediately agreed. "That's right. The only reason we managed to build the Super Herta Astral Computer last time was because the Second Madam Herta taught us."
Upon hearing those words, The Herta shook her head slightly. "There will be no need for this Second Herta you speak of to intervene. I am certain all of you will be able to understand the blueprints quickly. I have already arranged everything."
"As long as you do exactly as I say, you will soon understand their contents."
Upon hearing this, the bewilderment on the Hertas' faces disappeared, replaced by intense curiosity.
The Herta continued, "Psionic gene chips have already been installed within your bodies. Activate their computing power now and connect yourselves to the Warp."
The Hertas did not hesitate. They followed her instructions seriously and saw the black sun within the Warp. They also saw that black, frigid sun release countless rays of light, which converged into one hundred thousand soul conduits and connected to their conscious forms.
At that moment, The Herta's Warp blessing and psionic blessing manifested upon the Herta Puppets. It was a blessing of wisdom.
More precisely, it was a supreme wisdom blessing that The Herta had created by combining the awakened power of the Brain-Brain Fruit with one of the Warp's four fundamental essences—the power of genius and wisdom!
This blessing could raise the Herta Puppets' intelligence by another level. Combined with the extraordinary computing power supplied by the Super Herta Astral Computer in the outside world, it immediately raised every Herta Puppet present to a level at which they could comprehend Herta's blueprints.
Naturally, bestowing a Warp wisdom blessing upon one hundred thousand Herta Puppets came at an extraordinarily heavy cost.
At that moment, The Herta's physical stamina and Erudition Path power were burning away at a terrifying rate.
At the same time, the vast quantity of psionic energy stored over the past half month within the Warp's frigid black sun—Herta's soul projection—was also being consumed at a frantic pace.
The next moment, The Herta adopted a solemn expression and swept her gaze across the Herta Puppets present.
"I have now bestowed a spiritual blessing of wisdom upon you. You are all the cleverest Hertas now. Hurry and examine the blueprints. Each little Herta only needs to study one portion. Divide the work appropriately."
Upon hearing this, the Herta Puppets all rushed over to examine the blueprints. To their astonishment, they discovered that they could indeed understand the contents.
That meant Madam Herta truly had bestowed supreme wisdom upon them.
As expected of Madam Herta.
"Madam Herta is an unrivalled genius! Madam Herta is an inimitable beauty!"
"Madam Herta is an unrivalled genius! Madam Herta is an inimitable beauty!"
The little Hertas cheered, delighted by the growth of their intelligence.
The Herta smiled as she watched them. "Hurry and study the blueprints."
"Yes, Madam Herta."
The Hertas began carefully examining the plans and attempting to comprehend their designs.
At the same time, some of the Hertas were considering another matter.
Now that we Hertas have received Madam Herta's blessing, have we grown closer to her? Have we also become geniuses?!
Before long, one little Herta could no longer restrain her curiosity and asked The Herta that very question.
The Herta shook her head.
"You are still far from it. However, as long as my research continues, the day will eventually come when I can grant every little Herta the wisdom of a genius!"
By the time she finished speaking, The Herta's voice was filled with solemn conviction and absolute confidence.
Deep within her heart, The Herta truly believed that one day in the future, she would inevitably surpass the Droidhead, granting supreme wisdom to every Herta Puppet in the universe.
The Herta began waiting for all one hundred thousand little Herta Puppets to fully comprehend the blueprints before commencing construction of the Herta Xianzhou megastructure!
At present, everything remained within her calculations.
Meanwhile, Herman, who was also within Stigmata Herta Space but had concealed his presence, wore a peculiar expression as he thought inwardly.
Good grief. This is absolutely incredible!
The Herta bestowed a mass Warp blessing upon one hundred thousand little Hertas, and it was even a blessing of wisdom!
That means that after more than ten days of research, Herta not only fully deciphered the technology behind the Herta Xianzhou shipgirl.
She also considered the problem of the little Hertas lacking sufficient intelligence to comprehend blueprints written by a genius.
She therefore developed the Brain-Brain Devil Fruit and the Warp's four fundamental essences in depth, then combined them to complete research into a psionic blessing corresponding to one of the four Chaos Gods of the Warhammer universe—the one representing curiosity!
The Herta's wisdom blessing for the little Hertas gave Herman even more ideas.
One day in the future, could Herta combine the Warp with the Path of Destruction through her ever-increasing research points and research ability, then bestow a blessing of strength—Khorne—upon the Hertas?
Or perhaps she could combine the Warp with Abundance and bestow Nurgle's blessing of life!
Alternatively, she could combine the Warp with the Paths of Beauty or Elation and bestow a blessing of beauty and pleasure—Slaanesh?!
In Herman's view, there was a very real possibility that everything he imagined could eventually be achieved.
After all, he also believed that with the support of the master of the Research System, The Herta had no limits and could continue breaking through without end!
In the not-too-distant future, Herta would inevitably surpass Nous.
...
Time passed little by little. Several system hours later, one of the little Hertas within Stigmata Space stepped forward and announced that she had understood the infrastructure blueprints for Delve No. 1 of the Herta Xianzhou.
After another period of time, the little Hertas' voices began ringing out one after another throughout Stigmata Space.
"I understand mine too—the foundation blueprints for Herta Xianzhou No. 39."
"I have mastered the core principles of constructing the Herta Xianzhou."
"I've also mastered the core principles of constructing the Herta Xianzhou."
...
The Hertas' voices rose and fell in succession. They clutched their blueprints tightly, all traces of bewilderment gone from their faces, replaced by overflowing confidence.
They all believed that as long as they devoted their full strength to assisting Madam Herta, they would undoubtedly be able to construct a qualified Herta Xianzhou in the real world.
Several dozen more minutes soon passed. Finally, the last of the one hundred thousand little Hertas, Herta Puppet No. 999999, spoke. "My apologies for keeping everyone waiting. I have now comprehended the knowledge contained within the final Herta Xianzhou design blueprint as well."
"Excellent." Seeing this, The Herta raised a hand and adjusted the pointed hat atop her head. A faint smile curved her lips as she said calmly, "With this, the entire Herta Sequence has mastered the core principles of constructing the Herta Xianzhou. I hereby order everyone to return their consciousness to realspace and immediately begin the Herta Xianzhou megastructure construction project."
"Yes, Madam Herta!"
"Yes, Madam Herta!"
The little Hertas called out The Herta's name as they transformed into light in separate groups and withdrew from Stigmata Space.
The Herta nodded slightly at the sight. After every little Herta had left Stigmata Herta Space, she turned toward Herman and asked, "What do you think of the Warp blessing I developed myself?"
"It's quite impressive, though there remains room for improvement," Herman replied with a smile. "After all, the Warp possesses four fundamental cores... The wisdom of genius is only one of them. You can still develop the other three—Abundance, Elation, and Destruction."
The Herta froze slightly upon hearing this, then the smile on her lips grew increasingly delighted. "You're right. The Warp's potential has not yet been fully developed. In the future, I will continue researching the Warp, develop its potential, and attempt to connect it with the three Paths you mentioned."
As her words fell, The Herta's figure vanished from Herta Stigmata Space.
At that exact moment, only half a system hour had passed in reality.
Several hours had passed within Stigmata Space while only half a system hour had elapsed in reality because Stigmata Space was a mental world, where time within the spiritual domain was stretched. That was why The Herta had first instructed the little Hertas to enter Herta Stigmata Space before connecting their consciousnesses to the black sun within the Warp.
Ultimately, she bestowed a wisdom blessing upon them, allowing the little Hertas to study and comprehend the blueprints within Stigmata Space.
...
In the real world, atop the dormitory balcony at The Blue's First University, The Herta opened her eyes and looked down at the assembled Herta Puppets below.
"The IPC has already delivered the materials. They are located within The Blue star system. Raise your heads and use your Eyes of Insight."
The little Hertas obediently raised their heads and activated their Eyes of Insight. The next moment, their vision turned silvery white and pierced through the atmosphere into the vacuum of space.
Eventually, in one corner of The Blue star system, they saw a vast quantity of materials piled together into what resembled an asteroid belt.
"Everyone, set out and enter the wormhole."
After speaking slowly, The Herta used the computing power of the Super Herta Astral Computer and her completed super-spacetime gene to artificially create a wormhole.
Without the slightest hesitation, the one hundred thousand Herta Sequence · Puppets marched into it in perfect unison.
...
Near Jupiter within The Blue star system, space split open, and row after row of little Herta Puppets emerged. Every little Herta who walked out of the wormhole wore an intensely solemn expression and carried a diamond hammer glittering beneath the sunlight.
The diamond hammer was both a weapon and an industrial construction tool.
Psionic energy could alter its form, transforming it into hardware tools such as wrenches, impact drills, and pliers.
Upon arriving, they were met by what appeared to be an asteroid belt. More precisely, it was an enormous mountain formed from countless construction materials joined together, a sight dazzling enough to overwhelm the eye.
Herta No. 1,000,000 could not help raising a hand to scratch her head. "There are far too many materials. Everything is tangled together, and I have no idea where we should begin."
Herta 05, who possessed considerable experience in such matters, replied, "Leave that problem to the Super Herta Astral Computer. She will plan everything for us. We only need to follow her instructions step by step."
As soon as Herta 05 finished speaking, the astral computer in the distance, whose size rivaled that of a planet, began operating at full power. Pipes extended from it, surged beyond the edge of The Blue star system, and entered the Imaginary tidal band, where they began violently siphoning Imaginary energy from the tides.
At the same time, the light surrounding the Super Herta Astral Computer dimmed. The computer itself was drawing in solar energy at extremely high power.
While operating at full capacity, it calculated that the one hundred thousand little Hertas should be divided into one thousand teams, with one hundred little Hertas in each team.
Those one thousand teams of little Hertas would then be assigned different tasks.
Some Hertas would construct the Xianzhou's Delves!
Some Hertas would construct the Xianzhou's foundations!
Still others would construct the Xianzhou's various core units and complete its central systems!
...
After the consciousness of the Super Herta Astral Computer · Fourth Mirror finished calculating everything, she connected to the one hundred thousand little Hertas and installed a newly created special program into every little Herta's CPU.
Herta Xianzhou Megastructure Interface.
The interface contained a map clearly displaying the location of every material they required, with red dots marking the corresponding mountains of material.
In addition, the interface displayed a construction progress bar, making the entire project resemble a base-building game.
Upon seeing this, the one hundred thousand Hertas did not hesitate and immediately began working.
The progress bar for the Herta Xianzhou displayed on the interface finally began to move, starting from 0.000 percent...