After the mutual flattery finally came to an end, the Herta Magic Wand transmitted a questioning mental wave to The Herta:
"After reviewing the contents on your phone, I confirm that you are indeed my master, The Herta... But why, at the moment of my birth, did my instincts tell me that my true master—my true creator—was someone else?"
Upon hearing this, The Herta finally understood the reason behind the wand's rebellious attitude.
So it was all because of Herman.
She closed her eyes and spoke inwardly, 'The reason the Herta Magic Wand turned out like this has a lot to do with you. You handle it.'
The moment those words fell, control over the body shifted—The Herta's consciousness switching to Herman's.
The Herta Magic Wand immediately spoke again, "Yes, that's it—that's the feeling! My creator, this aura is exactly right. You are the one who truly made me, aren't you?"
As soon as it finished speaking, the gem at the very tip of the wand began flashing with rapid black-violet light.
"That's right. It was me."
Herman gave a slight nod. "However, in a sense, the one who was controlling this body just now is also your master... From now on, you must obediently listen to her."
"Since the Creator says so, little Herta Magic Wand will behave." After saying this, its tone suddenly grew excited again. "Herta Mom—since you were able to create me, you must be the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society mentioned on the encyclopedia page—the true Madam Herta, correct?!"
"The one just now... should have been a split consciousness formed from excessive research—your dissociated personality?!"
Herman was utterly stunned by those words.
Meanwhile, The Herta—who was observing the conversation from within—had already darkened her expression.
"This wand really dares to say anything. Just moments ago it was praising me as the genius Herta... The second it realized the consciousness in this body had changed, it stabbed me in the back and started calling him Mom!"
"Detestable little brat—Herta Magic Wand!!"
"Ahem... Just call me Herta. No need to call me Mom," Herman said with an awkward expression, raising his hand to rub the gem at the tip of the wand. "Tell me, aside from changing size at will and opening the Gate of Wisdom—the gate of the Path of Erudition—what other abilities do you have?"
The Herta Magic Wand answered eagerly, "I have many, many abilities! For example, the prettier Herta Mo—you dress, the greater the enhancement I can grant you. At the same time, the amount of Path energy extracted from the Gate of Wisdom will increase accordingly!"
"Additionally, as long as Path energy is infused into me, I can fire magic bullets. The more energy input, the greater the power!"
At those words, The Herta's observing consciousness clenched her silver teeth tightly.
"Herta Magic Wand... truly infuriating."
"After betraying me—the true genius Herta—it even calls Herman Mom!"
"I am the real genius Herta. I was the one who designed the Soul Gem blueprint using World-Shaking Wisdom!"
"This is utterly outrageous!"
Meanwhile, Herman asked with visible interest, "So the more energy infused into the wand, the stronger the magic bullet's power becomes. Is there an upper limit?"
"There is," the wand replied honestly. "But the limit is very, very high... So high I don't even know how many floors it reaches."
"Even if I draw at full capacity from the gate of the Path of Erudition, I still cannot fill myself in a short time to unleash the single highest-power, all-destroying magic bullet!"
Hearing this, Herman immediately understood.
The Herta Magic Wand—formerly Herta's Key—could draw near-infinite Path energy from the Gate of Erudition. Yet even so, it still could not fill the wand itself to unleash its strongest magic bullet attack.
That meant the extraction speed of Herta's Key—the key that opened the gate of Erudition—was not fast enough.
It also meant that the wand's inherent magic bullet spell was absolutely monstrous in strength.
In other words, The Herta now possessed a truly extraordinary offensive method.
After reaching that conclusion, Herman immediately communicated with The Herta through their shared consciousness.
"The Herta, I have to congratulate you. With the Herta Magic Wand, your weakness in offense is gone!"
"Congratulate me?" The Herta's voice was filled with resentment. "I drew the blueprint. I perfected the Soul Gem project... Why does the Herta Magic Wand insist on calling you Mom?!"
"How did things turn out like this?"
Herman coughed lightly in their shared mind. "Ahem. Didn't I already make it acknowledge you as its master? And I forbade it from calling me Mom. I'm a man—a pure man. I have absolutely no interest in being anyone's mother. If anything, it should call me Dad."
"Don't even think about making the Herta Magic Wand call you Dad!!" The Herta snapped. "I've already determined that the wand is indeed an extension of my soul. If it calls you Dad, wouldn't that mean I also—"
"Alright, alright. No Dad," Herman said with a faint smile. "Take a deep breath and calm down first."
"Hmph." The Herta's soul let out a cold snort before closing her eyes to adjust her state. Soon, her agitated emotions settled, and her genius-level intellect rapidly grasped why Herman had congratulated her.
The Herta Magic Wand did more than amplify Path energy by one hundred percent. It could open the Gate of Wisdom—the gate of the Path of Erudition—and extract energy, effectively allowing her to become a pseudo-Emanator of Erudition.
And now it also came with a magic bullet spell whose energy capacity could not be filled no matter how much power was poured into it.
Its strength was practically maxed out.
"Well modified, Herman!" The Herta exclaimed. "Although I still haven't gotten over the fact that the Herta Magic Wand betrayed me, your technique in magically modifying the Soul Gem V1 prototype is truly extraordinary!"
"With your magical modification—this ability to turn decay into miracle—the V1 Soul Gem has nothing but advantages, aside from its inability to transform!!"
"I shall praise you. You possess wisdom comparable to this genius Herta herself!"
"Feel honored. Feel privileged!"
Herman blinked in surprise. "Herta... are you praising me?"
The Herta's soul placed her hands on her hips. "Of course!"
Herman complained, "I couldn't tell. Your vocabulary when praising someone is painfully lacking."
"Y-You—!" The Herta sputtered. "In my entire life, I have never praised anyone before. You are the first person I have ever praised, and you're still nitpicking? That's outrageous!!"
Herman froze slightly.
That had just been the first time in The Herta's life that she praised someone?
No way...