The DLC for Swarm Disaster was essentially complete.
Even though the current Simulated Universe could, with a bit of grit, recreate almost the entire process of the Swarm Disaster, the history of that era was vast.
Even with time acceleration active within the simulation, there was no way to witness such a massive stretch of history in a short period.
Besides, trying to watch the whole thing would be utterly exhausting for anyone.
Ultimately, the practical solution was to intercept key time nodes or specific events for detailed simulation, while the rest of the process would be pushed through as a general summary.
"All set. Screwllum, thanks for the help."
"Correction: Madam Bai Ming invested a significantly greater amount of effort."
"Hmph... we'll deal with her part later."
Herta gave a light snort, not denying Screwllum's words. However, expecting her to offer direct praise was clearly out of the question.
On the side, 'Little Herta' didn't mind such details. Instead, she looked up at the holographic projections of Herta and Screwllum.
"Who's testing it next?"
Herta and Screwllum exchanged a glance.
Neither of them knew much about Harmony, and the same went for Order.
Ruan Mei had done more research on Propagation, but she clearly had no interest in this part of the job.
So, Herta waved a hand dismissively.
"Unless you go to Penacony and find someone trustworthy, Bai Ming, then let's just wing it. That Reveria girl wouldn't be a bad choice; isn't she on the Path of Propagation anyway?"
At this moment, Reveria was still in Amphoreus.
The unique culture, the city-states, and the novel lifeforms and worlds there had all piqued her curiosity.
Moreover, since Amphoreus had gained a new lease on life, the entire world was bursting with a sense of vitality.
This positive atmosphere continued to draw the Glamoth Iron Cavalry, allowing her to briefly cast aside her worries and enjoy life in a foreign land.
Bai Ming shrugged at the suggestion.
"I'll ask her later. But if there are no other candidates, I'll do it myself. It's about time for a change of identity anyway."
"Oh? Who is it this time? Does it have something to do with Harmony?"
Herta and Screwllum looked at Bai Ming with anticipation. Since she put it that way, it meant the identity must be related to either Harmony or Order. That would indeed be a timely fit.
"The grown-up Robin, one of the Twins of Order recently cultivated by Gopher Wood."
"No impression. Who's that?"
Herta, naturally, was completely in the dark. Screwllum, however, had gathered some information:
"Not long ago, Penacony and the Galaxy Rangers assisted a world suffering from a Stellaron disaster. Gopher Wood took them in, claiming he had found Twins of Harmony worth nurturing."
Bai Ming nodded.
"Internal to Gopher Wood, the siblings Robin and Sunday belong to the Twins of Order. Of course, given the current situation, calling them the Twins of Harmony works just as well."
"Then you go ahead. I'll assist you from the outside."
Since Bai Ming happened to have a suitable identity ready, Herta didn't have much else to say.
If the few of them could handle it, that was for the best. Pulling in a random outsider might mean they couldn't keep up with their train of thought, and explaining things would be a hassle.
Bai Ming nodded and selected the new role-play.
The low-angled perspective vanished as the character card was deactivated.
By now, even without using a character card, Bai Ming was capable of perceiving everything in all directions. It wasn't much different from seeing—in fact, it was even more detailed.
The Robin character card was activated.
A tall, graceful body replaced the previously small frame. Supple long hair carried a pleasant fragrance that lingered at the tip of her nose.
An aura unique to Harmony seemed to naturally envelop Robin, even without her actively channeling any power.
--+--
[Role-Play System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Robin)]
[Lifespan: 1200 years (Paused) + 30 days (Role-playing)]
[Transformable Characters: Big Herta (Available), Acheron (Available), Celenova (Available), Jingliu (Available), Ruan Mei (Available), Sparkle (Charging: 96.8%), Hertatomb (Charging: 56.5%), Lord Ravager · Jingliu (Charging: 17.2%), Young Herta (Charging: 2.9%), Cyrene · Fuli (Charging: 2.7%), Robin (Role-playing)]
[Draws Available: 0 (35.7%)]
--+--
[Reward Settlement: Although #83 Herta was not truly completed, the completion plan from AI to Life was achieved. Gained a portion of Young Herta's talent.]
--+--
The reward settlement was fairly standard. At least it didn't come with any jump-scare news like the previous one.
Compared to the rewards, being in this state for the first time—with a few extra controllable organs—felt quite novel.
Specifically, the pair of tiny wings behind her ears and the halo atop her head.
She tried fluttering those wings, watching them wave back and forth at the edge of her vision. It was quite entertaining.
Herta, too, was sizing up this future universal superstar with great interest.
"The makeup is exquisite, and that dress is quite high-end. It seems that girl turns out well when she grows up."
Perhaps because the person inside was Bai Ming, Herta actually offered a rare word or two of praise.
In response, 'Robin' puffed out her chest with an air of pride.
"Of course! Future Robin is an interstellar superstar! Though right now, she's still in her obscure phase."
However, this display of ego made Herta feel inexplicably annoyed.
"She's the superstar, why are you so proud? It's not like you raised her."
"I didn't then, but does that mean I can't be involved from now on?"
'Robin' hissed a breath at Herta, and Herta immediately hissed right back.
"Then you'd better watch your decorum. You're playing a superstar now; no hissing, understood? Get in the simulation, now."
Herta placed her hands on 'Robin's' shoulders and shoved her toward the platform. Ignoring her reaction, she prepared to boot up the Simulated Universe.
Screwllum, long accustomed to this, checked to see that 'Robin' didn't harbor any actual resentment before starting the recording preparations.
The Simulated Universe initialized.
Soon, 'Robin' entered the history of the Swarm Disaster under the identity of a 'Child of Order.'
In the beginning, Ena the Order was still that ancient, powerful Aeon.
Harmony and Order were still worlds apart. Before the Swarm Disaster had fully erupted, and before Order had been polluted by the desires of sentient beings, 'Robin' could sense it.
Harmony was not yet dominant, while Order was filled with an absolute, impartial beauty.
But as that lonely Swarm King ascended to Aeonhood out of a longing for companionship, the Swarm began to explode.
The universe fell into calamity, and sentient beings began to crave an absolute powerhouse to protect them.
That beauty of well-regulated order began to shift.
"Bai Ming, can you feel it? The distortion of Order."
Herta's voice rang in her ear. 'Robin' knitted her brows.
"I can feel a slight sense of dissonance, but that's because I already know there's a problem. In terms of actual physical sensation, the power of Order is becoming stronger."
"No wonder Ena hated this. Ultimately, sentient beings calling for Order only did so because Order was more prominent in this era."
Even in the prologue of the story, Herta understood Ena's choice.
What the masses craved during the Swarm Disaster wasn't impartial justice, but simply raw power—authority.
An authority that could suppress the Swarm and protect them.
The reason they projected this longing onto Ena the Order was simply because Order was relatively flourishing in this era and had a greater reputation.
After all, Ena truly was governing the order of the universe's inhabitants.
Thus, once a disaster occurred, the first instinct of the masses was to pray to Order.
If this were the current era of the real world, the object of prayer would likely be the Amber Lord.
But for Ena, this kind of rule through power was never what THEY desired. The addition of this power would indeed make Order stronger, but it would simultaneously pollute THEIR Order.
Listening to Madam Herta's explanation, 'Robin' couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"But Ena was too uncompromising. If it were me, I'd definitely find a way to separate these concepts and hand them off to someone else first. This one just went straight to self-destruction?"
Herta carefully examined the data streaming out.
"Because there was no choice. Ena defined the order for the universe; at that moment, THEY had to respond, but responding meant certain pollution. As for splitting it afterward... a concept like 'authority' is likely something Ena didn't want to exist in the first place."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL