Chapter 30: Parted Hair, Overalls, Remember My Name is Stephen!
"By the way, Asta," Leon began, casually stretching his arms behind his head as they walked through the gleaming corridors of the space station. "Herta mentioned she would give me one of her puppets. Where exactly do I pick that up?"
He certainly had not forgotten the little promise the genius had made him.
Asta paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "Ah, that would be in the Storage Zone. I will have someone escort you." She turned and flagged down a passing researcher. "Please take them to collect the special puppet prepared by Madam Herta."
As they followed the nervous researcher down the sprawling, neon-lit hallways toward the Storage Zone, Stelle leaned in close. Her golden eyes narrowed with intense curiosity. "Bro, what do you even want a Herta puppet for? It couldn't really be for... you know, what she implied earlier..."
Smack.
Leon casually flicked her forehead, the crisp sound echoing in the corridor. Stelle immediately clutched her brow, pouting.
"What goes on in that head of yours?" Leon sighed, crossing his arms with a look of deep disappointment. "Am I really that kind of person?"
"You are," Stelle and Caelus replied in perfect, deadpan unison.
Leon clutched his chest, staggering back half a step as if struck by an invisible arrow. "Is that truly the image I hold in your hearts? I am devastated. Utterly heartbroken."
He put on a masterful display of sorrow, but the twin Trailblazers remained entirely unmoved. They just stood there, staring at him with wide, unblinking, purely judgmental eyes.
Stelle's gaze screamed: We are all trolls here. Who exactly are you trying to fool?
Caelus's expression read: We are just quietly watching your performance.
Leon dropped the act, his lips twitching in dry amusement. 'Are these two growing up too fast? Where is Aha when you need him? The Aeon of Elation really needs to come take a look at his disciples.'
"The love is gone," Leon lamented, looking up at the metallic ceiling with a heavy sigh. "I merely want to study the puppet's internal structure. Think about it—being able to control a proxy remotely across lightyears while maintaining such fluid, lifelike flexibility? The engineering behind it is genuinely fascinating."
Beside him, Caelus pulled out a small notepad and began scribbling furiously. 'Note to self: Big brother has a deep, passionate interest in studying puppets.'
Leon snatched the notepad. "Hey! Do not write down things that are so easily misunderstood!"
The banter carried them all the way to the heavily secured doors of the Storage Zone.
A senior staff member hurried over, carefully carrying an exquisitely crafted, velvet-lined packaging box. "This is the special edition proxy prepared exclusively by Madam Herta," the man announced, presenting it with utmost reverence.
Leon popped the latches. Inside lay a pristine puppet, identical in facial features to the standard Herta proxies, but adorned in far more elaborate, carefully tailored clothing. The silk ribbons and lace details were flawless. Pinned neatly to the center of the puppet's chest was a crisp white note.
Leon plucked it up and read the elegant handwriting aloud: "Remember to perform regular maintenance. —Herta"
Stelle leaned over his shoulder, blinking in surprise. "She actually cares about puppet maintenance?"
"She built it with her own hands, after all." Leon gently lifted the proxy from its velvet bed. The joints moved with silent, frictionless grace. "You have to admit, the craftsmanship is absolutely superb."
Right at that moment, the puppet's lifeless glass eyes sparked. A brilliant, glowing blue light flared within the irises, and Herta's signature haughty voice emanated directly from its vocal processors:
"I forgot to mention, this specific puppet is equipped with a remote monitoring function. After all, I need to ensure the strict standardization of your sample collection process."
Leon stared at the glowing blue eyes, his expression flattening into a deadpan mask.
'If I actually use this thing while collecting samples, would you even dare to watch? If so, Madam Herta, you are far braver than I thought!'
...
Meanwhile, lightyears away, the four founding members of the Simulated Universe were currently gathering in a highly encrypted virtual space. Four distinct projections flickered into existence around a circular, floating table:
Genius Society Member 83 — Herta.
Genius Society Member 84 — Stephen Lloyd.
Genius Society Member 81 — Ruan Mei.
Genius Society Member 76 — Screwllum.
"Herta, did something happen? It is rare for you to take the initiative to contact us," Ruan Mei asked first. She sat gracefully, taking a slow, measured sip from an elegant porcelain teacup.
"There are indeed some new discoveries," Herta replied, skipping the pleasantries entirely. She quickly recounted the recent chaos that had swept through her space station.
"Regrettably, I was unable to arrive in time to provide assistance," Screwllum said. His electronic voice was gentle, modulated to convey a deep, sincere apology. Though he was a purely mechanical lifeform, his tone was incredibly elegant and refined, carrying the unique, impeccable grace of a true gentleman.
"It is fine, it was just a mere invasion by the Antimatter Legion..." Herta waved her hand dismissively, treating the galactic threat like a minor pest problem. "That wasn't the focus of why I called you all together."
She paused, ensuring she had their full attention. "First, the Stellaron I left dormant on the Space Station was implanted into the bodies of two individuals named Stelle and Caelus by the Stellaron Hunters. Surprisingly, the Stellarons are completely compatible with them. Zero adverse reactions."
During their previous interactions, Herta's dismissive attitude often implied she couldn't be bothered to remember the names of unimportant people. But in reality, she had long since committed the names Stelle, Caelus, and Leon to memory.
"The Stellaron Hunters excel at handling the Cancer of All Worlds. This outcome is not entirely unexpected," Screwllum analyzed, his glowing optical sensors pulsing with quiet logic.
"But there was only one Stellaron. How could it be implanted into two people at the exact same time?"
The question came from Stephen.
The other three geniuses turned toward his projection. None of them batted an eye at his appearance—a bizarre, cartoonish figure with neatly parted hair, a small yellow rubber duck perched on his head, wearing denim overalls, and sporting a fluffy white beard. It looked remarkably like a toy mascot.
Though Stephen Lloyd was an obvious genius, he suffered from crippling social anxiety. He almost exclusively appeared in this absurd avatar form; very few individuals in the universe knew his true face.
"That question involves another key figure. Allow me to explain that part later," Herta said, smoothly changing the subject. "First, let's discuss these two Stellaron hosts."
"I configured their avatars with the appearance of Akivili to enter the Simulated Universe."
"Subsequently, they successfully attracted the Gazes of Qlipoth and Aha from within the simulation..."
She provided a detailed breakdown of Stelle and Caelus's bizarre, chaotic run through the Simulated Universe, finally adding, "I will transmit the relevant combat data and sensory recordings to you shortly."
"I see... truly incredible." Ruan Mei took a delicate bite of a plum pastry, a rare glimmer of genuine excitement flashing in her calm eyes. "But considering the leader of the Stellaron Hunters is Elio, the uniqueness of these two children makes perfect sense."
Elio, known across the cosmos as Destiny's Slave, was a Pathstrider of the Path of Finality. He possessed the terrifying ability to foresee future possibilities, directing his members' actions by orchestrating a flawless script. This was common knowledge among the cosmic elite.
For the Stellaron Hunters to stuff a Stellaron into these two meant they were certainly not simple individuals. Attracting the attention of Aeons was well within the world of reason—especially since Herta had disguised them as the fallen Trailblaze, Akivili.
"That is only one part of the equation," Herta said, the corners of her lips curling upward into a slight, anticipatory smirk. "The person I am about to mention next is the true focus of this meeting—Leon."
"Leon?" the three geniuses repeated in unison, their voices tinged with varying degrees of confusion.
Screwllum and Ruan Mei exchanged a brief glance before shaking their heads simultaneously. "I have never heard of him," Screwllum noted.
"Ruan Mei, are you absolutely certain you haven't heard this name?" Herta pressed, her eyes gleaming.
"Positive." Ruan Mei elegantly dabbed a stray pastry crumb from her lip with a silk napkin. "Should I know him?"
"No matter." Herta smiled meaningfully, clearly enjoying the suspense. "Now, to answer Stephen's earlier question regarding why a single Stellaron could exist within two individuals at once—"
She paused deliberately, letting the silence stretch before delivering words that shocked the entire table:
"The answer is simple. Because a second Stellaron appeared on the scene. And this man... created it with his bare hands, right in front of me."
At those words, even the perpetually composed Screwllum was visibly moved. His mechanical gears whirred softly. "Unbelievable... a Stellaron can be artificially manufactured?"
After all, even the Genius Society generally believed that Stellarons were infinitely complex existences manifested from cosmic consciousness. They could be contained, controlled, or even purged, but they absolutely could not be created from nothing.
Ruan Mei slowly set down her refreshments. The intense, scientific hunger in her eyes deepened significantly. "Fascinating."
"But that is not all." Herta's voice trembled slightly, betraying a rare, raw excitement. "What is truly shocking is his performance inside the Simulated Universe..."
"He entered the simulation without any disguise whatsoever. And not long after he stepped inside, Nous personally arrived..."
She leaned forward, emphasizing her next words with absolute gravity. "That is right. It wasn't a mere Gaze. Nor was he pulled into the Abyss of the Path. The Aeon's true body personally descended."
Ruan Mei, Screwllum, and Stephen all fell silent. They knew exactly what Herta meant by the Aeon's true body. She meant the simulated Nous within the system's parameters.
Because if the actual Erudition had descended upon the physical world, every single member of the Genius Society would have felt the cosmic tremor.
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