A flash of light flickered, and The Herta vanished from her dormitory, reappearing within a luxurious library.
But that was not the most critical detail.
What truly mattered was that the moment she arrived, she noticed that the view outside the library windows was not of a planet's interior—but of outer space itself, at the edge of a massive black hole.
Even now, as The Herta gazed outside, she could see the black hole devouring countless rays of light, swallowing them whole.
Spacetime in this region was completely distorted.
As expected of the same genius as me—the 56th Seat, Elias Salas.
To establish the Genius Society's base at the edge of a massive black hole...
Impressive.
Herman, residing within Herta's mind, immediately responded upon hearing her inner admiration.
"To many forces, black holes are terrifying celestial bodies to be feared like tigers. But to geniuses, they're hardly anything remarkable.
"Take another member of the Genius Society—the Third Seat, Nyul Iman.
"In order to study the essence of Nihility, she once transformed an entire black hole into a cotton candy machine in just three weeks.
"Geniuses never follow common sense. So placing the Genius Society's base at the edge of a black hole actually makes perfect sense.
"I even suspect that the base's ability to stand here for so long—and continue operating—comes from absorbing the matter swallowed by the black hole itself."
Upon hearing this, The Herta immediately walked to the wall of the library. Raising her hand, she released the energy of the Path of Erudition, sensing the circuitry within the electrical outlets embedded in the wall. Through this method, she traced the internal energy circulation of the building's power system—its loops and even its origin.
Very quickly, she discovered that the source of energy for this Genius Society outpost was neither a generator nor any thermal or wind power plant.
It came directly from the black hole itself.
The black hole devoured massive surrounding matter and absorbed immeasurable light. Yet the 56th Seat of the Genius Society, Elias Salas, had utilized this phenomenon to successfully extract energy from the black hole, allowing the Genius Society's base to operate indefinitely.
As long as the black hole continued to exist—continued devouring matter and stellar light from this region—the outpost would never lack energy.
Truly the design of a genius.
After silently praising it, The Herta responded to Herman:
"You're absolutely correct. This outpost was most likely deliberately established on the black hole's surface—at its very edge—so that Elias Salas could draw a constant stream of energy from it, ensuring the base would continue functioning long after his death."
Herman revealed an expression of expected confirmation. "And there's another advantage. Being located at the surface of a black hole means there's an immensely distorted gravitational field surrounding it. Any would-be invaders would struggle to cross the tearing forces of the black hole's gravity."
"In that case," Herta replied, "this place is essentially a supermassive safe house. With unlimited knowledge available, one could stay here indefinitely without boredom.
"That means every genius holding a Society Ticket can teleport here in times of danger.
"No wonder we've never heard of geniuses being persecuted by other forces."
"Indeed." Herman paused briefly before continuing, "Although geniuses can escape pursuit by teleporting here, the Genius Society itself harbors a Lord of Silence—a supreme assassin who specializes in killing geniuses."
"That would be the Fourth Seat of the Genius Society—Polka Kakamond. She possesses the Knowable Domain and forbids geniuses from exploring knowledge beyond the domain circumscribed by Nous—knowledge that lies in the unknowable.
"Once she discovers a genius attempting to explore forbidden knowledge beyond that boundary, the Lord of Silence's lethal assassination will arrive."
"More importantly," Herman added, "her assassinations are terrifying. Even Emperor Rubert I, who once ignited the Emperor's War, failed to evade her."
At this point, Herman offered a reminder. "So Herta, before you truly become an Emanator capable of contending with Polka Kakamond, you must be careful not to let your research cross the line."
"Of course I understand that," Herta replied. "I know well the reputation of the Lord of Silence. But I also know that my future self will inevitably surpass her Knowable Domain—and even surpass Nous—to research forbidden knowledge that even Nous does not comprehend."
She paused, then declared confidently:
"After all, I am the genius Herta!!"
"Good. That's the spirit," Herman praised. "Now to the main matter. You've been here for three minutes already. The appointed meeting time has arrived. You can start searching this library for your senior—the 81st Seat, Ruan Mei."
"Mm."
Herta nodded and began walking through the library in search of her. Very quickly, she spotted a figure in one of the aisles.
But it was not the life sciences expert Ruan Mei—the one Herman had described as possessing a cold temperament like a plum blossom in winter.
Instead, it was the very person she and Herman had just been discussing.
The Fourth Seat of the Genius Society.
The Lord of Silence.
The wielder of the Knowable Domain.
Polka Kakamond.
Of course, the reason Herta recognized her at a glance was because the mosaic obscuring Polka Kakamond's head was simply too unforgettable.
In that instant, Herta's thoughts raced wildly. She began rapidly analyzing whether she had unknowingly crossed the boundary of the Knowable Domain defined by Nous—whether she had touched upon forbidden, unknowable territory.
At the same time, she considered another question.
If Polka Kakamond were to assassinate her here, within the Genius Society's base—would she have any chance of victory if she resisted?
Relying on the Herta Magic Wand in her hand, the Research System Herman in her mind, and her own genius intellect—could she win?
She factored in every possible element that might determine victory...
And came to a discouraging conclusion.
Her chance of winning was zero.
Even with World-Shaking Wisdom and Universal Genius active—boosting her computational capacity to 1,500 times that of an ordinary person—even with the Herta Magic Wand drawing limitless Path energy from Erudition...
Her direct combat strength would at best approach that of a true Emanator.
But her opponent was different.
Polka Kakamond was unquestionably an Emanator of Erudition—and among Emanators, one of the most overwhelmingly powerful.
After all, she had slain even Rubert I who ignited the Emperor's War and established the Machine Empire.
At this moment, The Herta's tension reached its peak.
And then—
Leaning casually against a bookshelf, Polka Kakamond let out a soft laugh.
"Heh.
"Relax, young junior. I'm not here to assassinate you this time."
"As long as you don't attempt to break through the Knowable Domain delineated by Lord Nous, and don't try to research forbidden knowledge that lies beyond, my scalpel will not cut across your throat."
Herta did not relax upon hearing this. Instead, a grave expression surfaced on her face as she asked the mosaic-faced Polka Kakamond seriously:
"A figure as renowned as the Lord of Silence wouldn't seek me out without reason."
"State your true purpose."