After sighing inwardly, Yabuli raised her head and asked the person before her seriously, "Miss Herta, the manuscripts you write... most people in the Intelligentsia Guild can't understand them. Do you think you could lower the difficulty a bit?"
"No," Herman shook his head slightly. "If you want to settle in The Blue and establish a laboratory... I'm not asking you to be a genius, but at the very least, you should be able to understand my manuscripts. If you can't even understand my manuscripts, then I'd say you might as well give up research and go home to sleep."
"..."
Yabuli was rendered speechless, completely unable to refute his words.
At that moment, Chadwick spoke up from the side. "Miss Herta's requirements really aren't high. After all, she's only asking people to understand her manuscripts. She isn't even requiring them to publish papers based on them in top journals like Galaxy Nature."
Seeing that even Chadwick was supporting Herta, Yabuli stopped pressing the issue of lowering the entry requirements for scholars entering The Blue star system and instead changed the topic. "Miss Herta, actually, I came to see you this time for another purpose as well."
"Speak."
Yabuli said seriously, "From my colleagues in The IPC, specifically Jade from the Strategic Investment Department, I learned that you possess a Barrier Fruit. If this fruit were developed to the awakened stage, would it be possible to construct, in the real universe, a wall with even one ten-thousandth—no, one hundred-thousandth—the strength of the great Amber Lord's Celestial Comet Wall?"
"And furthermore, could it allow the one who consumes it to step onto the Path of Preservation and even go further to become an Emanator?"
Hearing this, Herman was slightly taken aback. He glanced at Fu Xuan and Yao Guang beside him, thinking to himself:
The Marshal Hua of the Xianzhou Alliance wants to create an Immortal Dragon Fruit to allow the Vidyadhara, whose reproduction has ceased, to give birth to new life once more and strengthen their race, even attempting to construct a Dragon Gate.
Meanwhile, the higher-ups of the Interastral Peace Corporation are also coveting the Barrier Fruit, intending to consume it and develop it to its awakened state, using this extremely unique method to construct a super wall that would catch the attention of the Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth.
The IPC and the Xianzhou Alliance truly are a pair of ill-fated lovers.
With that thought, Herman picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and slowly said, "The Barrier Fruit can indeed create barriers, but its limit is only at the continental level. It wouldn't even be able to withstand a single salvo from The IPC's fleet cannons."
Yabuli replied seriously, "But in the future, won't the Devil Tree produce even more perfect defensive-type fruits?"
Herman showed a hint of surprise. "You've already considered that the Devil Tree can produce even stronger fruits?"
"It wasn't my idea," Yabuli shook her head slightly. "Ever since Jade revealed that the Devil Tree absorbs imagination elements from the emotions of all beings, The IPC immediately held internal meetings and had its think tanks conduct extensive analysis."
"In the end, they concluded that the Devil Tree has currently absorbed imagination energy from million galaxies, but that is only its starting point!"
"In the future, if it absorbs imagination elements from more worlds, it has the potential to condense even stronger fruits."
"And as it happens, the number of galaxies is far greater than just millions—it reaches into the tens of millions, even billions."
After saying this, Yabuli stared directly into Herta's eyes. "So, has the Devil Tree already reached its limit after absorbing imagination energy from million galaxies?"
"Of course not. It can absorb more energy and continue to grow... and as it grows, it will naturally produce more powerful Devil Fruits. Your IPC's think tank is correct," Herman said with a faint smile.
"So, The IPC intends to accelerate the Devil Tree's growth and allow it to absorb energy from more worlds?"
"Naturally. Please tell us, Miss Herta, how can we enable the Devil Tree to absorb emotional energy from more worlds?"
"It's simple—scatter more Herta Puppets across different superclusters."
After saying this, Herman noticed the confusion in Yabuli's eyes and explained carefully.
Herta Puppets function as Warp anchors. Each time a puppet arrives in a new world, it allows the Warp to absorb that world's emotional energy. As the Warp accumulates more energy, the Devil Tree rooted within it will naturally grow faster.
"I understand. Miss Herta, then when I leave this time, may I take some of the little Herta Puppets with me?"
"No. Next, I will be carrying out some special modifications on the Hertas. But don't worry—it won't take long."
After Herman shook his head and finished speaking, he heard a report from the First Mirror.
"Miss Herta, the Eastern Federation you previously told me to ignore has undergone new changes."
Herman blinked slightly and quickly responded through the Dark Plane, "New changes? Explain."
"I will transmit the surveillance data to you..."
Herman closed his eyes and rapidly received the data. What he saw next was that across the land of the Eastern Federation, people were already living in extreme suffering.
For example, in the plains and farmland, harmless scarecrows had been modified by Fictionologists, taking on the form of terrifying figures from local myths—faces twisted in grotesque expressions, sprouting sharp fangs and teeth.
Combined with the influence of the Lord Ravager Phantylia, they developed an overwhelming urge for destruction and began preying on living flesh.
Meanwhile, the Bermuda sea region, under the influence of Fictionologists and the Path of Destruction, had transformed from an ordinary sea into a terrifying zone capable of devouring countless fishing boats and ships.
...
One myth after another, even horror films, were being turned into reality under the mysterious Path energy of the Fictionologists. They were having the time of their lives.
And the Eastern Federation? It was suffering miserably.
Herman even noticed that the Supreme Leader of the Eastern Federation had already called the Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation for help, begging them to save the Eastern Federation.
However, the Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation did not dare to take any action.
Through satellite observation, he had already confirmed that the massive anomalies occurring in the Eastern Federation were closely related to the major interstellar factions that had recently arrived in the Blue Federation—the Preservation-aligned IPC, the Hunt-aligned Xianzhou Alliance...
In front of such forces, the Blue Federation's Supreme Leader held no real authority at all.
It could even be said that the reason countless interstellar immigrants were willing to go through the Blue Federation's immigration system was because Herta recognized the Blue Federation.
If the Blue star system did not have a genius like Herta, factions such as the Interastral Peace Corporation or the Xianzhou Alliance would not spare the Blue Federation a second glance.
In other words, in the current Blue Federation, the government was merely a façade... Herta was the true foundation—the only essential core figure.
The Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation sighed. "I can't help you, Supreme Leader of the Eastern Federation."
"If you won't help me, aren't you afraid I'll use ultimate weapons and drag you down with us?" the Supreme Leader of the Eastern Federation said through clenched teeth. "I know that back then, the Preservation-aligned Architects faction only built a single Herta City on your Blue Federation's land."
"Only Herta City can withstand the Dongfeng nuclear missiles. Your other core cities can't. Even if you've built a large number of civil defense projects underground, most people will still die under nuclear bombardment."
The Supreme Leader of the Eastern Federation continued making threats. "So I advise you to assist our great Eastern Federation as soon as possible. Don't wait until we launch nuclear missiles and regret it later."
"Our Blue Federation really can't help. After all, in a sense, we're only a planet-level civilization."
"I know you can't, but you have a good relationship with Miss Herta. You can step in and ask her to take action."
"I just asked the Fourth Mirror. It said Miss Herta is currently in discussions with envoys from the Xianzhou Alliance and senior employees of The IPC... It wouldn't be appropriate for me to interrupt."
"Not appropriate? Our Eastern Federation is about to be wiped out!"
"Just wait a bit... Once Miss Herta finishes meeting with the Xianzhou Alliance and The IPC, I'll speak to her about assist—"
Before the Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation could finish speaking, a panicked voice came from the other end of the call:
"Supreme Leader, something's wrong! The nuclear arsenal has a problem. The nuclear bombs... they've all turned into bugs!"
???
The Supreme Leader of the Eastern Federation, who had just been issuing threats, immediately had a flood of question marks pop into his mind upon hearing the report. He was utterly dumbfounded. When he finally came back to his senses, cold sweat instantly poured down his forehead, and he couldn't help but curse, "Damn."
He then shot a fierce glare at the Asian subordinate who had delivered the report, cursing inwardly:
Why report now of all times? Why during my call with the Blue Federation's Supreme Leader?
Huff.
The Supreme Leader of the Eastern Federation took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the negative emotions in his heart. He forced a smile onto his face and said into the phone:
"Can you pretend you didn't hear that, dear Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation?"
"Of course... that's impossible."
"No, you can't do this..."
The Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation sneered. "It's not impossible for me to continue asking Miss Herta to take action—but only if you agree to impose tariffs on the Eastern Federation's trade with the Blue Federation."
"Despicable."
"How is that despicable? Didn't you do the same thing to the Blue Federation? You even used a grand-sounding term for it—free trade."
"Fine, I agree. Now can you contact Miss Herta?"
"No, no, no. You also need to agree to the following conditions." Realizing that a golden opportunity had fallen into his lap, the Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation seized the chance to squeeze as many benefits as possible from the Eastern Federation and began making a string of demands.
At this point, the Supreme Leader of the Eastern Federation had no choice but to agree.
By the time the call ended, a satisfied smile had already formed on the Blue Federation Supreme Leader's lips. He then asked a nearby subordinate whether the call had been recorded.
"Supreme Leader, the recording is complete."
"Good."
The Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation nodded, then fell into thought. His expression gradually turned serious:
In the call just now, intelligence personnel reported that the nuclear bombs had turned into bugs.
Why does that sound so familiar?
It feels like something I've heard—or seen—before.
Right... in the interastral network, in records concerning the outbreak period of the Swarm Disaster...
The most extreme Swarm Disaster didn't just affect the reproduction speed of insects. It influenced the entire world in every aspect.
Not only would the words in books fall off the pages and turn into insects.
Machine parts produced in factories would also become insects.
Even bullets fired from soldiers' guns on the battlefield would turn into insects. Magazines filled with orange-yellow rounds would become breeding grounds for them.
Likewise, children born by humans, even teeth that fell from a person's mouth, would also become insects.
Thinking of all this, the Blue Federation Supreme Leader's face turned extremely grim:
Nuclear bombs—the most dangerous weapons of Blue's human civilization—had turned into insects!
Could it be that the Aeon of Propagation was reviving and about to unleash the Swarm Disaster once more?!
The moment this thought crossed his mind, the Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation no longer cared about anything else and immediately contacted Herta.
...
At The Blue's First University, Herman picked up the call and heard the Blue Federation Supreme Leader's extremely anxious report. After listening, he replied calmly:
"Don't worry. The Swarm Disaster won't come, and the Aeon of Propagation won't revive. On the land of the Eastern Federation, there's only a single Swarm King that couldn't control its instincts and accidentally reproduced a little."
A Swarm King couldn't control its instincts and casually reproduced a bit... and that turned the ultimate weapon of Blue's civilization—the nuclear bomb—into insects?!!
Right... a Swarm King, no matter what, is still a direct offspring of the Aeon of Propagation.
But more importantly, could Herta handle this Swarm King that had infiltrated Blue's civilization?
Thinking of this, the Blue Federation Supreme Leader quickly asked Herta this question.
"Of course I can handle it." Herman's voice on the phone was full of confidence as he revealed information about the Swarm King. "After all, I've already completed my self-coronation, and this Blue star system has been transformed by me into an airtight genius stronghold."
"If that weren't the case, it wouldn't be only causing trouble in the Eastern Federation."
"Precisely because it's an intelligent insect—it knows that the Blue Federation is under my protection—it is wary, or rather afraid of me, and doesn't dare to invade the Blue Federation at all."
On the other end of the phone, the Blue Federation Supreme Leader was momentarily stunned upon hearing this:
In just two months—less than two months—Herta had already grown to this level, capable of dealing with even the offspring of the Aeon of Propagation!
After his moment of amazement, he asked whether Herta could take action to rescue the Eastern Federation. He explained that the Eastern Federation was now overrun with swarms, yaoguai, and zombies... the situation was far too chaotic, and he feared these monsters would invade the Blue Federation after sweeping through the Eastern Federation.
"No need to worry. With me here, the Blue Federation is very safe." Herman's voice remained as confident as ever. At the same time, he added, "As for the Eastern Federation, I don't particularly care..."
Hearing this, the Blue Federation Supreme Leader's gaze began to flicker.
Herta had promised that the Blue Federation was safe under her protection.
Since it was safe, there was no need to intervene and rescue the Eastern Federation at this moment. After all, the Eastern Federation's governing system was still intact.
If they waited until the Eastern Federation's government collapsed before stepping in to help... then the Blue Federation would become the savior of the Eastern Federation, and might even have the opportunity to bring it under its control—ultimately unifying The Blue.
After thinking it through, the Supreme Leader of the Blue Federation spoke seriously into the phone, "Since The Blue is safe, that's truly a relief. Miss Herta, there's nothing more on my end. Please continue discussing important matters with The IPC and the Xianzhou Alliance."
Beep... beep... beep...
Listening to the disconnected tone, Herman couldn't help but think to himself:
It seems the Blue Federation's Supreme Leader has figured it out... He's planning to wait until the Eastern Federation's official structure is completely wiped out before stepping in. This is an opportunity to unify the civilization of The Blue.
More importantly, as immigration increases and various interstellar factions arrive one after another, chaos is bound to follow. At such a time, the continued existence of the Eastern Federation is indeed no longer suitable. If it continues to exist, it would easily be exploited by outsiders.
For example, Phantylia. Or Asat Pramad. Both are masters of schemes and long-term planning.
Especially Asat Pramad, who can lay out plans spanning decades or even centuries.
After thinking this far, Herman used the computational power of the Super Herta Astral Computer to examine the situation in the Eastern Federation.
He discovered that the creatures created by the Fictionologists were now fighting against the nuclear bomb insects transformed from the Bewitching Swarm King.
And since these nuclear insects were transformed from nuclear bombs, they naturally possessed the ability to undergo nuclear fission and mitosis.
Their rate of division was astonishing. In an extremely short period of time, they filled the sky above an entire Eastern Federation city, forming a dense black mass like dark clouds.
At this point, the creatures created by the Fictionologists had originally intended to retreat. After all, insects that could endlessly divide without any visible upper limit were truly terrifying—worthy of being called a natural disaster.
However, at that very moment, the energy of the Path of Destruction began to subtly influence these fictional constructs. It was the Lord Ravager Phantylia exerting her influence:
"Fight... fight more fiercely... let the tide of destruction surge even more violently."
"Kill!"
Under the influence of the Lord Ravager Phantylia and the heliobus racial abilities, the fictional constructs lost themselves and began to wage war frantically against the nuclear fission insects...
And as the battle commenced, more and more nuclear insects were destroyed. Eventually, they learned to trigger nuclear explosions at the moment of death!
The war escalated rapidly, devastating entire cities.
The chaos and conflict within the Eastern Federation continued to intensify under the influence of these deranged Path followers.
Meanwhile, the ordinary civilians of the Eastern Federation who had not been influenced by Pathstriders or lunatics saw this as a golden opportunity to get rich, and took advantage of the chaos to carry out rampant looting.
...
Seeing all this, Herman shook his head and thought to himself:
The chaos in the Eastern Federation continues... truly a beautiful spectacle.
"Fourth Mirror, who is the next person coming to see me?"
The Fourth Mirror replied, "Second Madam Herta, currently at your dormitory door are the Bodhi Elixir Seekers. At the Soul Factory, they prostrated themselves over a hundred times before Herta 05. I have determined that their desire to meet you is extremely strong, so I arranged this meeting."
"Pathstriders of Abundance—Elixir Seekers—and they kowtowed over a hundred times to little Herta 05?" Herman was slightly stunned. "Why are they doing something so strange? And why are they so eager to meet me?"
"Perhaps they believe that you, Second Madam Herta, have stepped onto the Path of Abundance and have even received Its blessing," the Fourth Mirror explained seriously. "After all, both the Devil Tree planted in the Warp and the Chakra Divine Tree you planted in the Yongmei Star System appear to be strongly related to Abundance in the eyes of others."
Herman blinked at this and said, "In that case, explain to them that I have not stepped onto the Path of Abundance."
The Fourth Mirror replied, "I already had Herta 05 explain it to them, telling them that you are not a recipient of Abundance's blessing, but they didn't believe it at all... they just kept prostrating themselves before Herta 05."
Hearing this, Herman's mouth twitched slightly. "Then as Elixir Seekers of Abundance, has their Bodhi clan ever plundered the blessings of other Abundance followers?"
"According to information I searched on the interastral network, the Bodhi clan has no record of plundering others' blessings."
"Fine, fine. Since they aren't the type to corrupt Abundance... then I'll meet them and personally tell them that I haven't stepped onto the Path of Abundance," Herman waved his hand and said.
"Understood, Miss Herta. I'll let them in now."
...
Tap, tap.
A series of footsteps sounded. Sitting on the sofa, Herman looked up and saw a group of bald individuals. The moment they saw him, they immediately dropped to their knees and began prostrating themselves before him frantically.
"Miss Herta, you must be a disciple personally accepted by the great Abundance Apothecary in the mortal world—an Emanator of Abundance like Shuhu! Only then could you plant divine trees of life with such overwhelming vitality in both the Yongmei Star System and the Blue star system."
"Miss Herta, pioneer of Abundance, please grant us your wisdom and miracles, we humble Elixir Seekers!"