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This is the Lantern of [Salvation]—Herta had indeed obtained it in her previous simulation, and it wasn't incomprehensible for it to appear as a reward option in the Life Simulation Game now.
This lantern was the materialization of the Path of [Salvation]. When [Salvation] Ron died for the first time, the Lantern of [Salvation] was heavily damaged due to the fracturing of the Path, the entire Path nearly severed. Ultimately, it was reduced to this state, and the flame of [Salvation] within it was almost entirely extinguished.
At that time, Herta, as the sole Emanator of the Path of [Salvation], successfully climbed the Path, constantly walking towards the residence of [Salvation], crossing the boundary between Emanator and Aeon, and came into contact with this shattered, nearly destroyed Lantern of [Salvation]...
It could be said that the Lantern of [Salvation] had fallen into Herta's hands back then, becoming her complete property.
To be honest, if Herta hadn't plotted Ron's resurrection operation, if she hadn't considered stirring up so many Aeons to start a banquet of the gods just to let Ron reappear in the world and manifest himself in the history engraved by [The Remembrance], then the Path of [Salvation] would have surely fallen tamely into her grasp.
When that time came, Herta, the Emanator of [Salvation], would have worn the crown, placing the diadem of [Salvation] upon her own head, becoming a true Master of the Path, wielding the Path of [Salvation].
The chance to become an Aeon had been abandoned by her because of her choices, but now, it miraculously fell into her hands in reality—
The Lantern of [Salvation] had once again fallen into her grasp.
Although the current Lantern of [Salvation] was far from its peak state, clearly representing the time when Ron had just fallen, when the Path of [Salvation] was on the verge of shattering and almost completely erased from the world, the power this lantern represented was absolutely not to be underestimated.
After all... this was a genuine, brand-new Path that had never appeared in reality.
Although it was on the verge of shattering, seemingly at the edge of "death"... it was still a Path, a true Path.
In reality, no one had ever opened the Path of [Salvation]—Herta could perhaps imitate the simulated Ron, using this portion of the core philosophy of [Salvation] as a guide to forcefully open a Path of [Salvation]. This was an opportunity guaranteed to let one become an Aeon.
Even if the result of becoming an Aeon might be as miserable as the simulated Ron's, this was still a ticket to cross the threshold of "Aeon," absolutely not something to be treated casually.
Moreover, even if Herta didn't borrow its power to open a Path, and merely utilized the divine authority within it, she could be just like her simulated self and once again claim the position of an Emanator of [Salvation], becoming a dual-Path Emanator once more.
...This was a gift of unimaginable preciousness.
Looking at the Lantern of [Salvation] in her hand, Herta gently shook the nearly shattered casing. She watched the tiny golden flame within sway with her movements. Occasionally, golden sparks would fly out, burning minuscule voids in space. Through those voids, one could see the endless Sea of Quanta surging beyond reality, proving that even though the flame was so minute, it possessed unimaginable heat and power.
"The Life Simulation Game... what kind of existence is it exactly?"
Sitting in the pilot's seat, Herta pondered this question calmly—it was a doubt that had arisen in her heart when the Life Simulation Game first appeared. She had temporarily set it aside because she couldn't find a breakthrough, but now, she had no choice but to pick it up again and place it front and center.
Herta's evaluation of the Life Simulation Game had already been extremely high. When she determined that she couldn't uncover its true nature, she assumed it was an Aeon's creation. She firmly believed that if an Aeon took action, they could indeed create a "Life Simulation Game."
For example, the game's predictions of the future were like the Jade Abacus calculation system of the Xianzhou Alliance; one only needed to inquire of Nous [The Erudition], and simulating future calculations could be accomplished in reality.
The simulation's reward system could be easily resolved with the boundless mighty power of an Aeon... The imaginary energy within a Path is essentially omnipotent. With just a thought from an Aeon, it could be molded into the required form under Their authority.
The presentation format of the Life Simulation Game was similar to Punklorde's Aether Editing... Perhaps a Punklorde hacker who had received the full blessing of an Aeon could complete a Life Simulation Game. This was what Herta had thought previously.
But no matter what kind of technology it is, there are always limits... Even with the full blessing of an Aeon, Punklorde's hackers might be able to use Aether Editing technology to edit world after world in reality, but it was absolutely impossible to create an Aeon's relic out of thin air, let alone create a broken Path.
This was a power that exceeded the authority of Aeons... Yet the Life Simulation Game had accomplished it just like that, so peacefully, without even making a ripple.
Its existence was fundamentally much harder to probe than her previous estimations... This was a deeper secret that surpassed the comprehension of Aeons.
Herta's face remained calm, but ripples had already stirred in the depths of her heart.
Once, she thought Aeons were the most profound mystery in this universe. For this reason, she organized personnel to develop the Simulated Universe, attempting to uncover the secrets of Aeons in a virtual sea of stars. But now, all of that was easily overturned in an instant.
There were even deeper secrets above the Aeons... And now that Herta had lifted a corner of this secret, how could she continue to remain calm?
Looking at the lantern in her hand, the corners of Herta's mouth inevitably curled up, and a highly aggressive smile appeared on her exquisite face.
Perhaps some people would feel heartfelt terror when facing Aeons, and when facing secrets even deeper than Aeons, they might fall into madness out of fear of the deep abyss they glimpsed after lifting a corner of the truth...
But Herta would absolutely not be like this.
As a member of the Genius Society, recognized by Nous [The Erudition], and the most brilliant genius in the universe, Herta's heart had never lost its passion for pursuing the truth.
To her... truth is simply truth. No matter how difficult it is, it is a treasure that must be grasped in her hands.
"...Hah, interesting."
Herta curled her lips, chuckled lightly, and put the lantern away, shifting her attention away from the Life Simulation Game.
Although her innate thirst for knowledge far surpassed that of the vast majority of living beings in this sea of stars, as an Emanator of [The Erudition], her years of research had taught her to restrain herself...
When facing more important matters, the pursuit of truth could always be pushed back.
She calmly shifted her gaze forward, looking outside the starship...
On the other side of the star system directly in front of the ship, a massive ecological warship was blocking the large star at the center of the Jarilo system, casting its shadow over the cold, ice-bound planet beneath its hull—the very same frozen planet that had become an anomalous miracle in the sea of stars in the previous simulation.
The Xianzhou [Luofu] was currently anchored outside Jarilo-VI's orbit, moving perfectly in sync with it. It had clearly established contact with Belobog, and it was highly likely they had already gained complete control over it.
Looking at the scene before her, Herta couldn't help but furrow her brow. The bionic skin, controlled by precise mechanical components, flawlessly outlined her current expression of doubt.
"The Xianzhou [Luofu] is actually faster than me... Did they prepare the warp jump before the simulation even ended?"
"A choice that required the agreement of the Luofu's Six Charioteers... Which player is it? That Divine Foresight General?"
The arrival of the Xianzhou [Luofu] was extremely peculiar, and Herta knew this was absolutely not normal. A moment of careful thought was all it took to immediately spot the problem.
However, regarding the arrival of the Xianzhou [Luofu], Herta did not harbor a particularly friendly attitude... She didn't believe that the entire Xianzhou [Luofu] had come, just like her, to find Ron to clarify the issue of the [Salvation] Aeon destroying the sea of stars in the last simulation, to figure out who the enemy lurking behind the scenes really was.
After all, if they truly came as friends, they should have used their contact in the simulation as a heads-up beforehand, or the player could have come alone. There was absolutely no need to bring an entire Xianzhou ship...
One must know, the Xianzhou ships of the Xianzhou Alliance are not just the homes they live in, but also terrifying war machines—the Alliance, which hunts Abundance abominations across the sea of stars, has never ceased its warfare, and their massive ecological ships are the Alliance's most powerful weapons of war.
Driving a Xianzhou directly above Belobog is not a sign of goodwill... That player on the Luofu might not truly hold friendly intentions toward Ron.
And now, Ron, who was just an ordinary person in Belobog, might have already been taken aboard the Xianzhou [Luofu], and it was highly possible he was already being controlled by the Xianzhou people. He might even have been thrown into the Shackling Prison by the Ten-Lords Commission...
After all, Ron had destroyed this entire sea of stars as the Aeon of [Salvation] in the last simulation. If there was indeed a player on the Xianzhou [Luofu], the possibility of them viewing Ron as a volatile element capable of destroying the sea of stars was the highest.
After all, even Herta herself, if it weren't for the fact that she had worked with Ron for so long in the previous simulation and knew he absolutely wasn't some terrifying, anti-life entity, and if she had feared the evil act of destroying the sea of stars that Ron ultimately committed, she would have also tried everything to control or even eliminate this unstable element...
Thinking of this, Herta shrugged somewhat helplessly. She then simply adjusted the ship's control console and charged toward the Xianzhou [Luofu] at maximum speed.
Ron encountering such huge trouble would be difficult for him to handle with his current abilities temporarily, but with Herta's help, it would be different...
As a veteran Emanator of [The Erudition], she had a hundred ways to fish Ron out of the Shackling Prison, a hundred ways!
Even if she really had to fight the General guarding the Luofu, the current Herta, possessing the Lantern of [Salvation], would have no pressure at all... Let alone one General, even if another one came, Herta would still have a chance of winning.
Even if the Xianzhou Marshal stood before Herta, she could hold her ground in a peaceful negotiation. What on the Luofu could possibly stop her?
"Hmph, wait for me to fish you out, and see how you can hide things from me then..."
Herta muttered to herself. But at the same time, on the other side—
In Herta's guess, the Ron who had been thrown into the Shackling Prison to suffer, interrogated and beaten by the puppets of the Ten-Lords Commission all day long, was actually currently wrapped in his blanket, sleeping soundly. His loud snores echoed throughout the entire Petrichor Inn, intertwining with the knocking on his door that had started who knows when.
His door was rattling, and the knocking grew louder and louder, just like the increasingly irritable mood of the person knocking outside...
"Wake up! Ron, wake up!"
Looking at the sun outside that was almost starting to set in the west, Qingque knocked heavily on the door, unable to stop herself from muttering:
"Heavens, where did this slacking immortal come from... he can actually sleep more than me!"
"I thought I was already invincible under the heavens, I didn't expect there to be such a master!"
Listening to the snoring inside the room, she scratched her head, a deep sense of reverence welling up in her heart for this distant native of Belobog.
But reverence for a slacking immortal didn't mean she would give up on waking Ron up—
After calling out for nearly two hours to no avail, she finally gave up on simply knocking and calling. Helplessly, she found the front desk of the Petrichor Inn, got the key to Ron's room, and opened Ron's door...