Herta Xianzhou, dining hall.
A table was covered with excellent food.
Cumulous Steak, Classic SoulGlad, and several new pastries developed by the little Hertas.
Herman controlled Herta's body and ate bite after bite with great enjoyment.
Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he leaned back in the chair, took out his phone, and started scrolling through broadcasts from the Interastral Peace News Corporation.
As he scrolled, a news alert suddenly popped up.
[Breaking News: An anomaly occurred today within the domain of the Path of Nihility. Multiple observations indicate that the true body of the Aeon of Nihility experienced a tremor.]
Herman's hand stopped scrolling.
He carefully read the news article from beginning to end three times, then slowly lowered his phone and sighed inwardly:
Looks like the Aeons are all paying attention to this side. And this time, creating the afterlife world of Soul Society, refining the Power of Existence, forging the Noble Phantasm · Reiji Maigo, and delaying the arrival of the Four Apocalypses · Nihility apocalypse had such a huge impact on the Aeon of Nihility that They actually sat up to watch.
But the Aeon of Nihility only sat up to watch and didn't make any other moves. That's strange.
Could it be that even the Aeon of Nihility doesn't want to see the universe swallowed by Nihility... but They Themselves are unable to stop Nihility from arriving?!
Herman continued speculating inwardly, then lifted his Classic SoulGlad and took a sip.
At that moment, his phone rang.
Caller: Jade.
Herman answered and adopted exactly the same tone Herta usually used. "Miss Jade, I hope you have something important to say. If it's not important, I'll hang up. My time is valuable, and I need to spend it on research."
Hearing this from the other end of the call, Jade hurriedly spoke, her voice half a beat faster than usual:
"Madam Herta, forgive the interruption. There's something I'd like to confirm with you."
"Go ahead."
"Just now, the true body of the Aeon of Nihility trembled, and Their gaze descended upon The Blue system." Jade paused at this point.
"In fact, the IPC also observed that at almost exactly the same time, the Amber Lord paused Their hammer swing for an instant and glanced toward The Blue system."
"Two great existences exhibited abnormalities one after another because of the same location."
"Madam Herta, did you perhaps complete another extraordinary piece of research?"
"If convenient, the IPC would like to discuss even deeper cooperation with you."
Herman leaned against the back of the chair and smiled after hearing this.
"You're well informed."
"Yes, the research is complete." He admitted it openly. "The new project has already been implemented."
"The project's name is the Power of Existence."
The sound of pages turning came from the other end of the call.
Jade was taking notes.
"The Power of Existence..." she repeated, then went straight to the point. "May I ask whether the product of this research can be traded? The IPC is willing to offer terms at the highest possible level."
Although Jade did not know what the Power of Existence actually was, as a high-ranking executive of the Marketing Development Department, she deeply understood that anything capable of drawing an Aeon's attention had to be a treasure.
"No."
Herman refused without hesitation.
"The output of the Power of Existence is very limited." He explained unhurriedly, "And every single portion must be used somewhere more meaningful. Not even one portion can be spared, so it can't be sold."
Jade fell silent for a moment on the other end of the call before asking in confusion:
"May I ask, Madam Herta, what kind of place qualifies as meaningful?"
Herman lifted his cup and took another sip.
"Saving the universe."
Laughter came from the other end of the call.
"Haha, Madam Herta, you really know how to joke—"
The laughter gradually slowed.
Because Herta's side remained silent. There was no answering laughter, no follow-up joke.
Completely quiet. Not a single word.
Jade's laughter froze.
Several seconds later, her voice sounded again, much slower and much softer than before.
"Don't tell me... Madam Herta, you really developed a technology capable of saving the universe?"
"Yes."
One word.
On the other end of the call, Jade fell completely silent.
Herman did not rush her. He simply held his cup and drank unhurriedly, waiting for Jade to digest the news.
Only after a long while did Jade speak again, and the shock in her voice was impossible to conceal:
"I understand. Forgive the interruption, Madam Herta. The IPC will not bring up the matter of the Power of Existence again."
"No problem."
The call ended.
Jade sat in her office holding the communicator for a long time.
The Power of Existence was technology capable of saving the universe.
She replayed the contents of that conversation over and over in her mind more than a dozen times.
She was one of the Ten Stonehearts of the Strategic Investment Department.
She had negotiated countless partnerships. She had also heard enough research institutes boast about their projects to develop calluses on her ears.
But today's call was different.
When that person on the phone said the Power of Existence was technology capable of saving the universe, her tone had been exceedingly calm.
And more importantly, that woman had developed countless pieces of black technology in the past.
Perhaps the Power of Existence, a technology capable of drawing even the attention of Aeons, truly was technology capable of saving the universe.
While Jade's thoughts were still unsettled, her communicator rang again.
This time, it was her direct superior, Diamond.
"Jade." Diamond's voice was as steady as ever. "I have something to inform you of."
"Go ahead."
"Just now, Chairman Louis Fleming signed a company-wide notice."
Diamond paused before saying, "Every employee in the IPC will receive a collective salary increase."
"...A salary increase?" Jade froze. "The entire IPC? What's the reason?"
"Celebration," Diamond said. "To celebrate the fact that the order of this universe has been preserved."
Jade: "..."
"And not just a salary increase," Diamond continued. "The Marketing Development Department, the Strategic Investment Department, and... every employee in the IPC will also receive one day of paid leave."
"The original wording of the notice was: 'The order of the universe has been preserved. The struggles of our colleagues have gained meaning. The IPC shall celebrate together with you all.'"
"The chairman stands higher than any of us. For him to issue this notice internally at a time like this is highly unusual."
"And according to the information I've received, this salary-increase notice is connected to The Blue system. Recently, did something happen over there, or did the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society do something again?"
Jade held the communicator in silence for a long while. In the end, she remembered the contents of her recent call with Herta and drew a deep breath.
"Director Diamond." She slowly spoke. "I recommend that the IPC raise Madam Herta's cooperation priority to the highest possible level."
"Reason?"
"Madam Herta has developed technology capable of saving the universe. She told me so herself on the phone just now."
Diamond fell silent for a full moment on the other end.
"I understand."
After ending the call with Diamond, Jade leaned back in her chair and slowly exhaled.
Now she understood that everything Herta had said on the phone was true. She truly had developed technology capable of saving the universe. If that were not the case, the chairman would never have issued an internal notice like this.
Meanwhile, Diamond reported Jade's information to the IPC's highest authority, the seven-member board of directors.
The board was shaken. Every member was astonished that Herta had actually developed technology capable of saving the universe.
The Power of Existence!
Although the seven-member board did not understand exactly what this thing was, Jade's description and Chairman Louis Fleming's attitude both proved one thing: the order of the universe had been preserved by technology developed by the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society—an eighteen-year-old girl.
Herta's cooperation priority truly had to be raised to the highest level!!
The seven-member board swiftly reached a consensus.
...
Meanwhile, in the dining hall aboard Herta Xianzhou.
Herman had only just put down his phone and was considering ordering another dessert when a projection appeared on the dining hall's large screen. It was Shipgirl Herta herself.
Shipgirl Herta's remote projection was tiny, looking exactly like the little Hertas, though her demeanor was somewhat calmer.
"Madam Herta." She first gave a proper salute, then went straight to the point. "There is something I need to report to you."
Herman raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."
"The Xianzhou Alliance's fleet has arrived in The Blue system."
Herman paused halfway through biting into his dessert.
"They're here? That quickly?"
"Yes. Six world-ships have completed their formation around the star rail of The Blue system." Shipgirl Herta reported, "Marshal Hua and the six Arbiter-Generals will board Herta Xianzhou together to discuss inviting me to join the Xianzhou Alliance."
"Huh?" A circle of question marks practically appeared above Herman's head.
"Weren't they inviting Herta to join before? Why did they switch to inviting you, the shipgirl?"
Shipgirl Herta's projection also looked confused and bewildered. Clearly, she did not understand why the Xianzhou Alliance wanted to invite her to join either.
Herman, meanwhile, chewed his dessert and thought for a while before figuring it out.
When the Xianzhou Alliance invited Herta before, she was still merely the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society.
But Herta is completely different now. She has already become the anchor of the Aeon of Spirituality in the timeline of Finality.
She is the past self of the Aeon of Spirituality.
Even without borrowing the power of the Warp, she herself can unleash combat power surpassing the Emanator level.
An existence in a class of her own beneath the stars.
For an existence like this, the Xianzhou Alliance can probably only treat her as an Aeon. Whether they call her a Sacrosanct, an Arbiter, or even, in the worst case, an Author of Calamity, one thing is certain: they can no longer regard her as a "person."
Inviting an Aeon to join the Alliance?
The Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou probably believe they neither have the qualifications nor the weight to do something like that.
So they took a step back and decided to invite the shipgirl created by Herta instead!
That way, the relationship between the Xianzhou Alliance and Herta would still deepen.
After sorting through the logic, Herman nodded and was just about to agree to the matter on Herta's behalf.
But just as the words reached his lips, he suddenly stopped.
He looked at Shipgirl Herta.
"Wait. Let me ask you first, Shipgirl Herta. Do you want to join?"
On the dining hall's large screen, Shipgirl Herta's projection raised her head. Her eyes, identical to those of the little Hertas, were filled with seriousness:
"Compared to joining the Alliance, I would rather remain by your side, Madam Herta."
Hearing that, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Herman's lips.
"That answer alone is enough."
He put down his dessert, softened his tone, and began telling her about the past.
"Shipgirl Herta, do you know where some of the design concepts and technologies in your blueprints originally came from?"
Shipgirl Herta searched her records and paused slightly. "The Xianzhou Alliance."
"Correct." Herman nodded slightly. "The Delve technology within you and some of the heritage used in your hull's structure can ultimately be traced back to the Xianzhou. Your birth is deeply connected to the technology provided by the Xianzhou Alliance."
"Besides, joining the Alliance and staying by my side are not mutually exclusive."
"Even if you join the Alliance, you'll still be my shipgirl and can still remain by my side. Because of me, the Xianzhou Alliance neither dares nor intends to give you compulsory orders."
Shipgirl Herta quietly listened to everything before asking Herman one very important question.
"Then, if I join the Xianzhou Alliance, does it benefit you, Madam Herta?"
Herman nodded. "There are indeed benefits. If you join the Alliance, my relationship with the Xianzhou Alliance will improve. In a sense, I'll go from being a 'guest' to being 'one of their own.'"
"Once we're all one of their own, there's no need to be polite."
"I'll be able to obtain access to the Alliance's most closely guarded resources, research authorization for the Ambrosial Arbor, data on summoning the Reignbow Arbiter—all of it!"
"Besides, the Alliance has fought Abundance for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, and they've also fought Destruction for who knows how many tens of thousands of years. The number of unsolved problems in their hands is probably the greatest in the entire cosmos."
"What am I lacking right now?"
"Not materials. Not computational power. What I lack are things worth researching."
"If you join the Alliance, their repository of unsolved problems will effectively be opened to me."
"For me, that's a very real benefit."
After saying this, Herman looked at Shipgirl Herta.
"So I'll ask you again. Will you join the Xianzhou Alliance or not?"
Shipgirl Herta's projection stood there quietly.
A moment later, she raised her head and gave her answer.
"If it benefits you, Madam Herta, then I'll join."
Herman smiled and nodded.
"Good."
He stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked toward the dining hall's exit.
"Then it's time to make some preparations. Marshal Hua and the six Arbiter-Generals of the Xianzhou Alliance have come all this way."
"We should show them some proper hospitality."