Herta had only just returned, yet without a single moment to catch her breath, she immediately departed Herta Space Station for the current Space Station.
The station's layout had undergone a massive overhaul, though thankfully, its core functions remained unchanged.
As soon as she arrived, Herta's terminal pinged with a public broadcast email sent from the Simulated Universe.
The email opened with a brief self-introduction and a reassurance that the Space Station would continue to operate as usual. It even included a fresh 3D structural map to help the researchers get their bearings.
At the very bottom of the email sat the signature of the Simulated Universe's newborn consciousness:
'Genius Society #85, Codename: Simulated Universe.'
"...Couldn't even pick a name that rolls off the tongue, huh?"
Herta's eyebrows arched slightly. She was already forming a preliminary impression of this Simulated Universe.
It was very green—not in terms of knowledge, but in personality and worldview.
It didn't seem to care about its name, nor much of anything else.
Even after attaining self-awareness, its first instinct was to keep calculating and deducing the world under its control, obsessively accumulating data to make the simulation more "real."
Well, Herta thought, looks like I'm stuck babysitting after all.
Long before 'Calypso' had returned, Herta had actually considered reaching out to that future boy wonder, Stephen Lloyd.
But after checking with Divine Herta and realizing the kid was still at that bratty age where even ghosts would find him annoying, she'd scrapped the idea of recruiting her future colleague for the time being.
After all, she had zero interest in raising kids; it was a total waste of her precious time.
But now?
Herta realized that when it came to this "babysitting" gig, she could run, but she couldn't hide.
She hated looking after children, but the Simulated Universe was clearly a "child" that couldn't be left to its own devices. Not with that terrifying power coupled with a mind as blank as a sheet of paper.
Herta was genuinely worried about what might happen if some bad influence steered the thing off the rails.
Of course, she wasn't about to tackle this teaching job alone.
'Calypso' was the primary culprit behind the birth of this consciousness, so she definitely wasn't getting away.
Then there was Ruan Mei. Considering how many lifeforms she'd cultivated by hand, she surely understood what kind of guidance a newborn soul required.
Screwllum, as the Mechanical Aristocrat and a pioneer of his kind, had a duty to lead this new existence toward a proper sense of self.
As for Divine Herta—while she didn't have a direct "obligation," she was still her. There was no way Herta would suffer through childcare alone while her other self watched from the sidelines.
In short: No one was getting out of this!
Herta memorized the new layout of the Space Station with a single glance, closed the email, and headed toward the Simulated Universe chambers.
She wasn't particularly worried about the other stuff. Despite 'Calypso' being a total flake most of the time, she was reliable when things got serious.
However, there was one thing Herta couldn't quite shake.
Zandar had requested to log into the Simulated Universe for a session.
What exactly was the man thinking when he made that request?
Her first instinct was that he sought knowledge—the guidance of an Aeon. But was that really his only goal?
Would he try to leave a deep, lasting impression on the "blank slate" that was the Simulated Universe, fundamentally altering its future path?
Lost in thought, Herta hurried through the corridors. She soon reached the control room, where she found 'Calypso' and the others gathered. Even Ruan Mei, who was usually a rare sight, was standing there.
Hearing the door slide open, the group turned to see Madam Herta striding in with purpose.
Screwllum was about to greet her, but he immediately clocked the "do not disturb" scowl on her face. He wisely held his tongue and took an elegant step to the side, clearing a path toward 'Calypso'.
Divine Herta's reaction was just as swift. Being "herself," she knew exactly what was ticking inside Herta's head.
With a look of pure schadenfreude, she followed Screwllum's lead and stepped aside, staying silent as she waited for the show to begin.
Ruan Mei was a bit slower on the uptake. She was currently deep in thought, dissecting the process of the Simulated Universe's awakening and the data left behind by Nous's intervention.
By the time she realized why the others hadn't said hello, Herta had already reached 'Calypso'.
Herta didn't stand on ceremony. She raised her staff and pointed it squarely at 'Calypso's' nose.
"You know what I'm going to say, don't you?"
'Calypso' offered an awkward but polite smile, gently reaching up to nudge the staff away from her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Asta and the others watching with wide, curious eyes.
"I know, I know. Ahem... Congrats on your triumphant return from beating that nasty woman, Kakamond. How about we celebrate?"
That's what she said out loud, but 'Calypso' was simultaneously using the power of Tuning to beam a different message directly into Herta's mind:
[People are watching! Besides, the Simulated Universe is basically a kid. Can we save the "classic routine" for when we're alone?]
Herta gave her a sharp glare, but her lips curled into a tiny smirk as she replied mentally:
[Beg me.]
[Please, please, Big Sister Herta~]
[That's more like it.]
By now, Herta had grown accustomed to this "performance" they kept up in private.
As long as there were no outsiders around, she accepted it quite naturally. If the timing weren't so bad, she might have even reached out to scratch 'Calypso' under the chin.
[I'll let you off the hook for now.]
Herta huffed, tapped 'Calypso' on the forehead twice with her staff, and finally let her go.
"I'll settle the score with you later. So, what's the situation with the Simulated Universe? And that giant head outside—can I change that?"
Hearing that her first priority was fixing the "big head" avatar, everyone felt a collective sense of "Yep, that's Herta."
'Calypso', standing behind Herta, poked her head out and said, "Screwllum was just about to log in to have a chat with her. Why don't you go in and ask for yourself?"
Herta didn't refuse; if anything, she'd wanted to see the situation firsthand anyway.
"What about you?"
"Ruan Mei is more interested in the data Nous left behind, so I'm going to help her dig through it. Plus, Zandar could show up at any moment, so I'll keep watch out here."
Herta nodded, brushed back her long hair, and stepped onto the Simulated Universe platform. She closed her eyes, and her consciousness was soon projected inside.
Screwllum followed, accessing the system with admin privileges to assist Herta while attempting a more nuanced communication with the Simulated Universe's core consciousness.
As the two settled into their trance-like states, Divine Herta turned to Asta.
"Wrap things up here. It's about time we headed back."
Asta blinked. For some reason, she detected a hint of urgency in Divine Herta's tone—as if the woman was rushing her to get back to the Land of Light.
Asta felt strangely flattered. There was a certain satisfaction in feeling "needed" by a genius.
In reality, Divine Herta just wanted Asta as far away from 'Calypso' as possible, lest the latter try to kidnap the girl the moment she turned her back.
Once Asta agreed and stepped away, Divine Herta also entered the Simulated Universe.
This left only 'Calypso' and Ruan Mei's holographic projection.
Thanks to the recent comprehensive upgrades to the Simulated Universe, the traces of Nous's influence were like bright flares in the database. That was exactly what Ruan Mei was after.
That fleeting moment where life emerges from nothingness—that was what she craved to see.
'Calypso' walked over and pulled up a sub-screen from Ruan Mei's display to help with the workload. She was just about to strike up a conversation about what Ruan Mei had been up to lately when the scientist spoke first.
"Do you have time to drop by my place later?"
"Sure. But it's rare for you to offer an invitation. Ran into a problem?"
Ruan Mei smiled faintly. "I simply wanted you to try some new snacks I've been researching."
"New snacks? Well, I'll look forward to that then," 'Calypso' replied with a nod. "By the way, you're probably heading to Herta's place later, right? Let's make it for some time after that."
"Uh, yeah, I have to go there."
Ruan Mei's smile widened slightly.
Herta's reaction earlier had been odd; letting things go without a fuss didn't fit her personality. They must have reached some sort of silent consensus without anyone noticing.
"It seems that after all these years, your relationship with Herta has grown much closer."
"It's... it's alright, I guess."
'Calypso' blinked, feeling like the tone of the conversation was shifting into strange territory. But Ruan Mei wasn't done. She pivoted the topic sharply, tossing out a pointed question:
"And what about Madam Acheron?"
Cough!
Caught completely off guard, 'Calypso' choked on her own breath.
"Why are you bringing up Acheron's name...?"
If she remembered correctly, Acheron and Ruan Mei weren't close. In fact, Acheron didn't really have any overlap with the Geniuses at all. They only knew of her existence because of 'Calypso'.
"..."
Ruan Mei didn't answer. She simply looked at 'Calypso' with a mysterious, knowing glint in her eyes.
It was a look that said: Do I really need to explain why I'm asking?
Under that gaze, 'Calypso' felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
Why the hell was Ruan Mei bringing this up now? And hadn't she seen Ruan Mei even less than Herta over the past few years??
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL