Herta held the evolutionary path for this little dog—from an initial small pet, to a standing big cat-like creature, then to a tall, slender female form.
She looked up with a subtle expression toward 'Hertatomb':
"Who designed this evolutionary path? Is this your type?"
"What's wrong with that! Can't I like it if I want to!"
"Heh~"
Herta let out a laugh at 'Hertatomb's' response.
Though it was trivial information, seeing 'Hertatomb' so flustered was pretty entertaining.
"Logic: A design that aligns with general human aesthetic preferences. Though it is a Digimon, a form leaning toward human aesthetics serves as an acceptable foundation for public recognition."
Surprisingly, Screwllum stepped in to smooth things over.
Now that's a gentleman for you!
Screwllum, really… I'm moved to tears.
"Don't make it sound like I'm bullying her. Let's proceed with the experiment. Do we need to reach this stage of evolution?"
Herta tossed the evolved form design aside and turned to Ruan Mei for guidance.
Ruan Mei shook her head:
"No, we only need one evolution to confirm stability. Multiple stages aren't necessary."
As she spoke, Ruan Mei reached over and gently picked up the well-behaved little dog, the corners of her lips curling up almost imperceptibly.
Just as Herta had said.
It really was nice to pet.
And there were no other concerns.
Though she knew that after evolution, they would possess considerable intelligence and cognitive abilities.
In fact, even at this stage, the little dog probably understood what they were discussing.
After all, something like a Synesthesia Beacon had long been built into its base programming as a core protocol.
Placing the Digimon on a platform, Ruan Mei gently stroked its head while activating the device, beginning to load more data into the Digimon's body.
As for what kind of data…
Just pulling some from Madam Herta's database at random, plus some intelligence- and machinery-related data kindly provided by Screwllum, would be enough to support its first evolution.
Though it was a substantial data load, for the Digimon, it wasn't much of a burden, and soon, the light of evolution began to shine.
Beneath that glow, one could vaguely see the four-legged Digimon shift to standing on two feet.
Its body grew slightly larger, and distinct evolutionary changes appeared in features like its ears and tail.
If there was one clear trait that remained, it was probably the golden ring on its tail.
"…So why design it to evolve from a dog into a cat?"
Herta reached out to scratch the Gatomon under its chin, looking speechlessly at 'Hertatomb'.
"I was just imitating an image I saw in childhood memories, but I guess it was to express possibility? An evolutionary phenomenon that doesn't follow real-world logic or something."
'Hertatomb' honestly admitted she had simply copied from her own memories.
Then Herta revealed a slightly mischievous smile:
"So, can I assume that the Angewomon form after its next evolution was your favorite type as a kid?"
"…Are we still on this topic? Yes, yes, that was the image I liked when I was little."
'Hertatomb' reached out and patted the Gatomon's head.
She knew that the Gatomon now possessed intelligence no less than that of a normal adult.
So she said to it with a smile: "You must still be confused, but it's alright. There's plenty of time—so much to learn and understand. Just take it slow and adjust."
"Mmm…"
The Gatomon seemed lost in thought, but it showed no resistance to Herta and 'Hertatomb' petting its head or scratching its chin.
Instead, it narrowed its eyes in enjoyment.
That part was very cat-like.
'Hertatomb' turned to look at Ruan Mei, who was lost in thought with her head lowered. Before she could speak, the other woman said, as if anticipating the question:
"The evolution process was stable. The program framework perfectly accepted the external data and automatically completed expansion and transformation upon reaching the threshold. However, as a consequence of this evolution, there was no trace of response from the Seed of Light."
"So the experiment was a complete success?"
'Hertatomb' smiled and blinked.
This outcome had been within expectations all along.
The Seed of Light wasn't something easily triggered.
Forcing growth wouldn't elicit a response from it.
But since this was essentially an additional evolution anyway, there was no issue of it being too early or too late.
Ruan Mei shut off the screen in front of her, looked at the Gatomon curiously examining its surroundings from the platform, and nodded with a smile:
"Yes, all aspects met expectations. Next, we can try having the other Madam Herta take over."
"The Anti-Irontomb Equation is also complete. It can effectively suppress the Irontomb's viral processes. As long as Digimon carry this equation and spread it within the Scepter, it will significantly hinder the progress of Irontomb's emergence."
Naturally, Herta and Screwllum had also finalized the design of the anti-Irontomb equation.
And after all this was done, the final step was to transform the other Herta—from a simple program into a Digimon—and then deliver a nice surprise to Zandar.
"But before that, before modifying me, you still have to dig out my source code from Irontomb's body."
The other Herta was still using a puppet to move around externally.
Her actual program was still inside 'Hertatomb's' body.
To become independent, that part had to be extracted.
"That's the easy part. But Bai Ming, what will happen to your body after this?"
Herta chose this moment to bring up something that had been on her mind.
'Hertatomb' glanced at her own interface:
--+--
[Role-Playing System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Hertatomb)]
[Lifespan: 450 Years (Paused) + 15 Days (role-playing)]
[Transformable Roles: Big Herta (Usable), Acheron (Usable), Celenova (Charge: 83.4%), Jingliu (Charge: 71.4%), Ruan Mei (Charge: 52.4%), Sparkle (Charge: 43.1%), Hertatomb (Active)]
[Available Draws: 0 (52.1%)]
--+--
The Celenova role card, which had lost an arm earlier, automatically restored itself after the transformation was canceled.
In principle, the same should apply to the Hertatomb card.
Even if changes occurred during the role-playing period, they should revert once canceled.
That was the theory.
But for the Irontomb role card, after Herta's consciousness was removed, for the entity known as Rubert III, losing the restraint of 'conscience' should logically make it even stronger.
How the role card would handle this situation—Bai Ming herself didn't know.
"I'm not sure, but it won't slip from my control regardless. You're not actually worried Irontomb will consume me, are you?"
'Hertatomb' smiled as she looked at Herta.
She had a feeling that was exactly what Herta had been concerned about.
"Since when do you need my worry?"
Herta gave a light hum, dropping the subject.
She then reconnected to the Irontomb's body to extract the other Herta's source code.
Once retrieved, the final modifications could begin.
--+--