Herta was busy collecting the previously simulated data, fine-tuning the timeline of the Simulated Universe.
Beside her, 'Robin' wasn't idling either.
She casually switched on a recording device, attempting to channel the power of Harmony to hum a few melodies.
Meanwhile, she struck up a conversation with Ruan Mei regarding the Glamoth Iron Cavalry.
[Ruan Mei: A defect born of Paths? If that's the case, it truly is a difficult knot to untangle.]
[Nameless: Do you have any ideas, Ruan Mei? I tried using the Halo System to simulate the concept of a hive mind, but it ended in failure. For now, I've had my own Swarm adopt her; it's the only thing keeping her stable.]
[Ruan Mei: ...I haven't even met the subject yet. However, defects of Paths are often most easily mended by Paths itself. Perhaps you could try the Harmony.]
[Nameless: Are you referring to the concept of the collective that Xipe absorbed?]
[Ruan Mei: It's merely a direction. Or, if the opportunity arises later, you could try making contact with the Empire of Glamoth.]
[Nameless: Are you interested? The Land of Light has a decent relationship with the Empire.]
[Ruan Mei: It's a fine suggestion. Pathstriders of Propagation... such a collective is quite a rarity.]
The Path of Propagation consisted almost entirely of bugs. Whether they looked human or not, their essence remained insectoid.
Even with the identity 'Robin' had used previously, the aspect of Propagation had been concentrated within that strange Lightning Lord, while her true form bore the weight of Destruction.
The Iron Cavalry of Glamoth was a rather peculiar group.
They could be classified as both mechanical and human, yet they undeniably belonged to the Path of Propagation.
While the Republic of Glamoth had its fair share of issues, in terms of research output, the Iron Cavalry was a truly magnificent achievement.
If she could make contact—perhaps even meet the Titania of the Iron Cavalry—she might deepen her understanding of Propagation.
Naturally, Ruan Mei was keen on the idea.
The chat with Ruan Mei drew to a close.
Coincidentally, the melody had just finished.
'Robin' stopped humming, letting the power of Harmony dissipate.
Herta took the opportunity to lean over and ask, "What are you doing?"
"Recording a movement of Harmony to see how effective it is."
"...Recording the power of an Aeon with just that kind of equipment? I think you're being a bit naive."
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting it to be that simple. I just wanted to see the extent to which the power of Harmony can influence things."
'Robin' turned to look at Herta with a smile.
While pressing the replay button, she asked, "Is the Simulated Universe ready?"
"Done. Are you going in again this time?"
"I'll do it. After all, we need to release the Swarm."
'Robin' nodded, and then the sound of Robin's humming filled the air.
A trace of Harmony's power did indeed linger within the song, but it was limited.
It was essentially just enough to allow the listener to perceive a richer spectrum of emotions.
If she intended to rely on this method to directly broadcast the influence of Harmony, it fell far short of the mark.
Herta, however, arched an eyebrow.
"Oh? Something actually stayed behind. You're a bit more capable than those other performers of Harmony. If you can optimize this, you might actually reach the level you're aiming for."
"Probably. But it'll take some work."
'Robin' agreed with Herta's assessment.
Using song to transmit emotion and power was indeed feasible; the effect just hadn't met her expectations yet.
It all depended on whether the optimization bore fruit.
If not, this path was essentially a dead end.
But if it succeeded... the Family might just blow a fuse.
"For now, let's focus on testing the resurrection of Ena."
Putting the matter of the harmonic music aside, they needed to finish the verification work first.
"Good luck then. I'll keep an eye on things from out here for you."
Herta gave her a slight nod.
"Mhm. Thanks for the help."
'Robin' offered a sincere word of thanks, secretly hoping that Aha wasn't the one pulling the strings this time.
The Aeons within the Simulated Universe possessed an extraordinary sense of realism that felt decidedly abnormal.
She had never found the right opening to investigate the cause.
But now, she could use this very trait to test the waters.
Whether it was a secret touched upon by the Simulated Universe itself, or if an outsider had been quietly tampering with it.
Combined with Elio's prophecy, the birth of the Eighth Lord Ravager would undoubtedly be linked to 'Robin'.
What if she proactively simulated her own Swarm within the Simulated Universe?
At least in her eyes, her Swarm was surely the best candidate for forging the Eighth Lord Ravager.
Since she was conducting experiments anyway, rather than constantly worrying, she might as well take the initiative to induce the birth of that Lord Ravager.
If Nanook truly intended to do something—
Assuming the Simulated Universe was being manipulated by human interference, would Nanook's actions alert the culprit?
And if the Simulated Universe was naturally evolving to this point, what changes would occur after the interference of a true Aeon?
Of course, if Nanook didn't react at all, that was fine too.
She would simply proceed with the experimental project as planned.
There would be other chances to test things out later.
Taking a deep breath to steel herself, 'Robin' stood up and walked toward the platform once more, syncing into the Simulated Universe.
This time, her identity was herself.
Inside the Simulated Universe's Penacony.
After receiving AR-214 who had traveled to Penacony, she accepted Gopher Wood's invitation.
She cast her Swarm into the dreamscape of Penacony.
The literal Swarm sank into the Synesthesia Dreamscape.
The already blurred boundary between dream and reality was completely obliterated at that moment.
A controllable Swarm began to prowl through Penacony.
Using the beautiful dreams of countless people from across the cosmos as a nursery, the Swarm began to drink in the power of those dreams, growing in an unexpected direction.
Gopher Wood had finally completed his final puzzle piece.
In the end, Gopher Wood did not wait for Robin and Sunday to grow up.
Particularly because he was certain that the resurrected Ena would surely be the first to punish the followers who had profaned THEM.
Therefore, he was unwilling to let the twins, into whom he had placed so much hope, die for his desires.
So, before Robin could grow up, he initiated the final plan.
The Charmony Festival was convened ahead of schedule.
People from all over the universe gathered here as Ena's Dream quietly blanketed the entire Asdana Star System.
When the audience had all arrived, the Swarm hidden deep within the beautiful dream swarmed out in full force.
The Swarm evoked the fears of Penacony, and under the guidance of the Family, that fear transformed into a yearning for power.
And Gopher Wood directed that yearning toward Order.
The whole process was largely as expected.
If there was any surprise, it was perhaps the Interastral Peace Corporation, but in the Simulated Universe, the IPC also underestimated the Swarm that 'Robin' had deployed.
The Swarm within the dream could move freely between it and the real world, and the assembled fleets ultimately became nothing more than breeding grounds for the Swarm's expansion.
The resistance gathered by the various major factions was almost entirely suppressed by the Swarm, making it impossible to achieve any effective results.
The beautiful dream of Order expanded completely.
Just like the original plot, the Galaxy Rangers proposed using their gathered strength to resist the dream.
The problem, however, was that the IPC fleet had already learned a bitter lesson.
Numbers might be able to shake the dream of Order, but they would only give birth to more Swarm, dealing a devastating blow to those who had gathered.
Everything in the Simulated Universe seemed to be moving in the direction 'Robin' desired.
When Xipe appeared, looking at the reconstructed Ena within the dream, it seemed THEY were there to witness THEIR resurrection.
'Robin' and Herta both fell silent.
They waited for the moment the dream would overwrite reality.
However, no one expected that the first thing to emerge from the beautiful dream was not Ena.
Instead... a giant bug with an incredibly exaggerated energy signature was slowly being born!
Even just its illusory body was large enough to occupy the entire star system of Penacony.
A thick aura of Propagation, even mixed with the movements of Harmony and Order.
It almost gave one the illusion that the Swarm King was being revived.
The massive insect had not yet fully taken shape, because Ena's dream had not yet finished overwriting reality.
Yet it was visible to the naked eye—if Ena of Order truly resurrected through this dream, then this bug born from the dream would also descend with unrivaled majesty!
Seeing this, Herta finally lost her cool.
"What are you doing?! Are you trying to use Ena's resurrection to split off and revive the Swarm King?!"
"It's not me! I didn't do... Wait, I told the Swarm to develop within the dream, and they're still following orders?? They're using this dream that covers all of reality to gestate a giant bug?!"
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL