Looking at Herta's face, filled with anticipation, Ron couldn't help but scratch his head.
It wasn't that he couldn't test it. In fact, he was eager to test Herta's... but there were still a few things he needed to ask first.
"Although I feel your method isn't exactly reasonable, Aeons are just such unreasonable existences. Maybe there's a chance of success..."
Ron began, but his tone shifted abruptly.
"But this kind of 'setting' work shouldn't have been enough to delay you for nearly two years. Besides all this, what other preparations have you been making?"
Under Ron's scrutinizing gaze, Herta's expression froze for a moment. Then she sighed and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Alright, who told us we're the same kind of people? I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Do you know Polka Kakamond?"
"Polka Kakamond..." Ron murmured to himself, then suddenly paused. "You mean 'The Silent Lord'?"
"That's right." Herta snapped her fingers. A holographic portrait in the office lit up, displaying a woman in sophisticated attire with a white coat draped over her shoulders.
Judging by her figure alone, she was a beauty rarely seen in this sea of stars... but looking toward the center of the portrait, where a delicate face should have been to match her frame, one could only see a blurry haze, as if someone had deliberately smeared it, altering the portrait to its current state.
"'The Silent Lord' Polka Kakamond, Genius Society #4. A woman shrouded in mystery. Quite a few members in the club have fallen by her hand. There was no news of her for many years, but she suddenly popped up over a year ago."
As Herta spoke, a shadow of gloom fell over the doll's exquisite face.
"First, it was Stephen Lloyd. I had originally asked him to make some setting modifications in the Simulated Universe, to construct a new cosmic module for the attempt at creating an Aeon. In his eyes, it was like making a new game mode, a job perfectly suited for him."
"But he lost contact the very next day. He only came back online several months later."
"He told me his family's fruit shop was completely gone... The Silent Lord had found him and killed his entire family."
"He said that if his adoptive father hadn't desperately drawn The Silent Lord's attention while he used a Frequency Catcher to simulate a new version of himself with light and sound, allowing him to flee the planet, he would have also died at her hands, becoming just another club member killed by The Silent Lord."
"I brought him back to the Herta Space Station afterward, but he's completely withdrawn now, and I don't know what he's researching... Still, after experiencing something like that, this kind of reaction is to be expected."
Herta let out a soft sigh.
"After that, it was Screwllum... He and The Silent Lord had a few bouts on Planet Screwllum. They couldn't determine a winner, but Screwllum suffered a considerable loss."
"Ruan Mei and I haven't been targeted by The Silent Lord yet, probably because she hasn't found us—but I expect it won't be long, if we continue trying to create an Aeon."
As Herta spoke, a rare chill entered her tone. It was the first time Ron had ever heard her so clearly express her hatred, so pointedly directed at a single person.
"Polka Kakamond... To think I thought she might be someone I could share a common language with. I never expected her to be just a pure lunatic."
She crossed her arms, the trace of hatred on her face gradually fading as her voice calmed slightly.
"But I won't give up my research because of a threat like this. She can come if she wants; I'm not afraid of her."
"Although her obstruction has kept everyone busy fending for themselves, the update to the Simulated Universe was ultimately released. No one can stop me from creating an Aeon. The only thing that can stop me is if I suddenly lose interest myself."
Looking at the image on the light screen, Ron couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"The Silent Lord...? She's also come out to stop this project of creating an Aeon?"
As the fourth member of the Genius Society, Polka Kakamond was an antique from some forgotten era. With no news of her for so many years, it would have been perfectly normal if she had died quietly in some corner of the universe.
But now, she had suddenly reappeared, specifically targeting the geniuses in the Simulated Universe team.
Stephen Lloyd and Screwllum represented the underlying algorithms and content updates of the Simulated Universe. The Silent Lord's attacks on them were by no means random; she was clearly trying to prevent them from updating the simulation, attempting to make the "Creating an Aeon" project fail before it even began.
But her goal was clearly not achieved. Although her interference delayed the project for a significant amount of time, Herta still successfully completed the update and wrote the new settings. The simulation project could now begin—the thirty percent completion of the "Creating an Aeon" event was ironclad proof.
As expected of a secret so deeply tied to the Aeons... the waters here ran deep.
Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully as the image on the light screen continued to play.
"The Silent Lord? Well, I'm not a member of the Genius Society. She probably won't come hunting for me, right?"
The Ron in the simulation frowned slightly, but Herta shook her head in denial.
"No one knows what The Silent Lord will do, but as long as you're on the Herta Space Station, I can guarantee that nothing will happen to you."
With that, she casually pointed a finger at the nearby Simulated Universe entry terminal.
"Alright, any more questions? If not, are we testing today or not?"
"I don't mind if you want to wait a couple of days, but the sooner we do this, the better. If we drag it out, I don't know what that Polka woman will come up with..."
"She is, after all, a 'genius.' A true genius."
The image on the light screen faded, and new options appeared upon it:
---o---
[You stand in Herta's office, having listened to her recount the troubles the Simulated Universe project team has encountered recently.]
[Polka Kakamond, a dangerous and mysterious woman. You never imagined such a person would become your enemy, but now you must face the threat of her assassination from any of the infinite shadows in this sea of stars.]
[Standing before the Simulated Universe entry terminal, you feel an ever-intensifying pressure... This pressure emerges from the unseen, weighing on your heart, and an endless sense of crisis nearly drowns you.]
[You are once again certain of the kind of crisis you must face by choosing to create an Aeon. Such a crisis might truly be a danger you are powerless to withstand... What could possibly provoke so many obstacles?]
[You don't know, and you don't want to know—right now, there is only one thing on your mind.]
[Two thoughts are clashing in your mind... This is the real, final chance. If you give up, there will be absolutely no possibility of escape, only one path to walk to the bitter end, with facing the outcome as your only choice.]
[This is your last chance. Think carefully about the future you are prepared to face, and then make your decision...]
[1. This is too dangerous, Herta.
The obstruction from The Silent Lord has raised the sense of danger in your heart to a new level. Although you are not sure if you will face the blade of the Genius Society's fourth member, a sliver of retreat has once again sprouted in your mind.
From the moment you began to investigate knowledge that should not be investigated, you have been met with all sorts of obstacles. Emanator-level figures appear among these obstacles endlessly, and you have no idea if you will encounter even more Emanators, or even an Aeon who decides to eliminate you completely.
This is a real, definite, and imminent crisis.
You should seek fortune and avoid disaster... After all, the truth isn't really that important, is it?
Selecting this option, you will temporarily go back on your word and refuse to enter the Simulated Universe.
Herta's favorability toward you will decrease moderately. She will understand your choice to avoid The Silent Lord, but she will place you under house arrest on the space station for the safety of her research.
The "Creating an Aeon" project will be permanently closed to you. You will never be able to trigger this project again.
The Disaster Level of the "Fated Calamity" event for you and New Belobog will be slightly reduced, from 50 to 30.]
[2. Come on, let me test yours!
The threat of The Silent Lord is far less terrifying than the hazy unknown in the deep darkness of this universe, and it pales in comparison to the fires of calamity ignited by the Antimatter Legion across the cosmos.
Fear? You have unilaterally deleted this word from your dictionary. You will not abandon the pursuit of this imminent truth over such a small threat...
To put it bluntly, if you can truly succeed in creating an Aeon, what meaning would any of these threats hold for you?
If you were an Aeon, no threat would be a threat; but if you lack the power to overturn the chessboard, their mere existence will make you lose sleep.
Only the power and knowledge held firmly in your own hands are things you can truly rely on when facing danger.
Evasion brings nothing. Evasion only brings a fear that clings to you like a gangrenous sore.
You decide to begin the test now and attempt to complete the "Creating an Aeon" project.
Selecting this option, your energy for today will be completely depleted. The "Creating an Aeon" project will gain a random amount of completion, with a minimum of no less than 5%.
Herta will gain a small amount of respect for you due to your choice. Herta's favorability toward you will increase to a certain extent.
The Disaster Level of the "Fated Calamity" event will be greatly increased and fixed. Now, the Disaster Level for this event is—70.]
---o---
Looking at the deep red option box on the screen, although Ron had already made his decision to help Herta complete the project, this choice still made him frown.
"The third time... this is the third time a reminder has appeared, warning me of the danger of this option, telling me to cut my losses and not get involved with creating an Aeon..."
This choice was far too special.
But being special meant this legendary option was of monumental importance. In fact, Ron was now growing a little curious, not only about what kind of reward he could get for choosing to create an Aeon, but also what kind of terrifying disasters and crises it would bring...
Since it was unavoidable anyway, it was better to be expectant than anxious and panicked. After all, it was just one simulation.
Ron thought to himself and, without much hesitation, clicked on the second option.
The options on the screen faded, and new lines of text appeared:
[Although the actions of The Silent Lord are extremely dangerous, you feel not the slightest bit of fear.]
[How could someone who has already had an audience with an Aeon panic and abandon their goal because of an Emanator's threat? You did not choose to rest for a few days, but instead stepped onto the Simulated Universe entry terminal without hesitation.]
[Herta looks at you and nods in approval, immediately tapping on the control panel before her.]
[Your consciousness transforms into a precise data stream and is uploaded into the Simulated Universe, reforging your body in another sea of stars built by geniuses.]
[You open your eyes in a daze, waiting for your senses to return. You find yourself standing in a pure white space, a space completely empty except for yourself, with no other existence.]
[You look at your own hands and the clothes on your body, finding that they are no different from your own—]
[But in the unseen, you have a strange feeling. A faint voice in your mind is telling you that you are Zandar One Kuwabara, the first Emanator of Nous, The Erudition, and also the creator of the Aeon Nous itself...]
[You have replaced his identity, supplanted his status, and will now usurp his destiny within this simulated universe—]
[You are about to create an Aeon... But where to begin?]
Where to begin?
Ron subconsciously glanced at the traits he had loaded. To create an Aeon, one must first open a Path that has never appeared before...
And as it happened, there was such a Path that had never before appeared, one that might just be brought into existence by his own two hands.