The farce quickly came to an end once Stelle had fully awakened and her mind had cleared.
It had to be said, although Stelle seemed a bit silly, it was really only because she had lost her memories. On top of that, she had only recently been dragged out by Silver Wolf, had a Stellaron stuffed into her by Kafka, and had her consciousness repeatedly influenced by Kafka's Spirit Whisper...
Fainting over and over again would make even the sharpest person a bit foolish, like a clueless newborn child.
But after seeing Ron, the small part of her memory that had been sealed by Kafka's Spirit Whisper was completely unearthed. After successfully digesting this fragment of memory, Stelle quickly regained her senses—
Of course, her intelligence level was still on par with March 7th's.
"...So, what actually happened was the Stellaron Hunters inserted the Stellaron into Stelle's body. You wanted to stop them, but you were blocked by the other party's Aether Editing technique. By the time you went back, you found that Stelle had also disappeared, is that right?"
Welt thoughtfully stroked his chin. This middle-aged man possessed a remarkably steady temperament, and one could only wonder how many storms he had weathered in his past...
"That's right. The Stellaron is Herta's property, and Stelle is just an unlucky soul captured by the Stellaron Hunters. Naturally, I would help if I could... but unfortunately, Punklorde's Aether Editing is truly special. I carelessly let them get away and couldn't keep them here."
Ron spoke, letting out a small sigh.
"But none of that matters anymore... Right now, the most important thing is the Stellaron inside Stelle."
He said this with a grave tone.
"You Nameless are used to dealing with Stellarons, so I probably don't need to elaborate on the dangers..."
"This Stellaron is a unique specimen from Herta's numerous dangerous experiments. Its state was already special to begin with, and although its activity was suppressed by the containment device in Herta's collection, its essence has long since become thoroughly activated."
"No one knows when it will completely erupt, or perhaps it already has—if I hadn't arrived in time, half of the Herta Space Station might have been sacrificed for Stelle's self-detonation."
Ron sighed again.
"Of course, I've never seen anyone else so closely integrated with a Stellaron besides Stelle—perhaps the eruption isn't a bad thing for her. But if you don't want to gamble with her life, it's best not to let that Stellaron inside her explode."
"Eh... Is that so..."
The somewhat excited expression on March 7th's face vanished, replaced by a look of worry.
March 7th knew exactly what she was doing. The things she had said just now were less the truth she had deduced and more a deliberate joke to lighten the mood...
The pawns of [Destruction] had attacked the Herta Space Station. The giant Doomsday Beast was just howling in space not far away, and even now, the motes of light from its complete combustion hadn't fully dissipated—
March 7th was afraid that everyone was in a bad mood, and since some people didn't know each other, the atmosphere was too tense. So she deliberately told a harmless joke to liven things up... But now, it was her, the optimist, whose mood had become the most anxious.
Stelle's actions had completely won her approval, making her truly see this girl she had just met as a friend...
When Stelle had rushed to her side and shielded her without hesitation, for a fleeting moment, March 7th felt like she was the female protagonist of some story.
Like in a legend where an Aether Dragon pillages a star system and captures an empire's princess. Then, a passing Knight of Beauty sees the injustice and draws his sword to help, rescuing the princess from the dragon's lair and, while he's at it, slaying the dragon that plagued the sea of stars—
She was that princess, the Doomsday Beast was that Aether Dragon, and Stelle was that handsome Knight of Beauty...
...Alright, even though Stelle was a beautiful girl, no less so than herself, the role still suited her perfectly.
After all, who says a Knight of Beauty can't be a girl?
But unfortunately, all beautiful things in this world have their flaws... A Stellaron was latent within Stelle, ready to explode at any moment.
March 7th couldn't even begin to imagine how a person could withstand the impact of a Stellaron detonating from within their body—no matter how she thought about it, there was no way to survive, right?
Clearly seeing the worry on March 7th's face, Stelle smiled at her and offered comfort:
"Don't worry too much... I haven't exploded yet, have I?"
This single sentence of comfort did nothing to ease March 7th's mind; instead, it made her even more worried.
"But... but it's a Stellaron..."
Dan Heng, who had been stroking his chin in thought for a long time, looked at Ron calmly and said:
"Mr. Ron... since Lady Herta said your research on Stellarons has reached the pinnacle of mastery, you must have a way to handle Stelle's current situation, right?"
Hearing Dan Heng's words, the corners of Ron's mouth curled up imperceptibly.
Finally... the words I wanted to hear most.
But his expression turned slightly troubled.
"I have some methods... but they mostly rely on my own power."
Ron said, snapping his fingers. A brilliant golden flame ignited on his fingertip, and a gentle light flowed out, making everyone around feel a pleasant warmth.
"This is the sacred fire of [Salvation]... You don't need to understand its essence, as even I find it difficult to explain. All you need to know is that I can rely on it to anchor a 'path marker' for the future."
"A 'path marker' anchored by me will be fixed in the future, and then all developments will have a very high probability of proceeding in the direction I have anchored."
Ron explained, but then sighed with a bit of helplessness, his tone sincere and earnest.
"But this power, while it sounds formidable, is not without its limits... I can use it, but I am also constrained by its harsh conditions."
"I can only anchor a future path marker for one day at a time, and I can only anchor people who are near me. I cannot anchor myself—"
As Ron spoke, he finally revealed his true intentions, mixing his objective into his request so as not to draw attention.
"I can keep the Stellaron inside Stelle stable, but I need to have close contact with her once every day..."
His tone was rather helpless. "But if I'm not mistaken, she wants to go with you now, right?"
"...That's right."
Stelle nodded lightly, a hint of determination in her voice.
"I have too many memories sealed in the depths of my mind, and the words Kafka said to me weigh heavily on me—"
"Miss Himeko invited me, telling me the purpose of the Astral Express is to trailbraze the unknown..."
"I must search for the story of my past, and also search for the 'ending' Kafka spoke of—I will definitely board the Astral Express."
Hearing Stelle's resolute words, Ron shrugged helplessly at the members of the Express crew.
"You see... She's unwilling to come with me, so there's nothing I can do."
But Himeko thought for a moment, then mused:
"The Astral Express doesn't necessarily have to depart right now... We can wait for a while."
"I wonder how much time would be needed to completely remove the Stellaron from Stelle?"
Hearing this, Ron hesitated, unable to make a decision right away.
"Although I have in-depth research on Stellarons, this is the first time I've ever seen a situation like Stelle's—if I want to completely solve the problem of the Stellaron in her, I'll at least need to observe and study her for a period of time..."
Ron thought for a moment and gave a serious estimate:
"It would take at least two or three standard years."
"Two... two or three years?!"
March 7th was stunned by this length of time. "It's going to take that long?!"
At that moment, Herta chimed in at the perfect time, giving Ron's words another boost.
"Two or three years is already fast enough. If it were up to me, it would take at least twice that."
Dan Heng, off to the side, was lost in thought. "Even Lady Herta can't solve this problem quickly..."
"Two or three years, huh..."
Himeko murmured to herself, falling into deep hesitation.
The Astral Express could indeed be berthed for a period of time... Resting at the Herta Space Station for a while wouldn't affect its trailblazing journey, and Himeko wouldn't mind helping the station with some repairs and preparations. It would be a good way to build a relationship with Herta and Ron, and solve the major problem with Stelle at the same time.
But two or three years... that was far, far too long.
Since the Astral Express was repaired from its derelict state and set sail again, it had never stopped for such a long time... It had never even stopped for more than a year.
It must be known that the Astral Express was a divine relic that inherited the power of [The Trailblaze], one of the few remnants left after the fall of Akivili.
A large part of the reason it had been stranded in Himeko's hometown was that after Akivili's fall, there was no one to lead the Express in exploring the unknown and advancing on the Path of [The Trailblaze]. The Nameless scattered, and the Express itself gradually gathered dust and fell into ruin.
If they could not maintain a stable and continuous [Trailblaze], the power of the Astral Express would gradually fade due to the dwindling power source of its Path... Even members of the crew might lose their desire to explore the unknown, gradually sinking into a life of comfort.
The [Trailblaze] of the Astral Express absolutely could not be stopped so easily—not even to remove the Stellaron from Stelle's body.
After briefly weighing the pros and cons, Himeko looked at Ron solemnly and said:
"In that case... I wonder if Mr. Ron would be willing to board the Astral Express and accompany us as a passenger for a while, until the issue with the Stellaron in Stelle is resolved?"
"Board the Astral Express as a passenger? This..."
Although Himeko's words were exactly Ron's goal, the expression on his face was completely different from what he felt in his heart.
He showed extreme hesitation, deliberately creating a reason to stall.
"I personally wouldn't be against it... but unfortunately, I have things to attend to right now."
Ron said, pointing to Bronya who had been standing silently behind him, only chiming in at the end of various topics to be a proper member of the atmosphere team. He said helplessly:
"This is my friend, Bronya... She left her hometown a few days ago to come to the Herta Space Station to discuss matters of planetary development cooperation. But who would have thought she'd run into the Antimatter Legion's invasion? Her starship has been completely destroyed, and she's in a hurry to get back..."
"The space station is in shambles now, and there aren't enough good starships to lend her—her hometown is constantly being targeted by the Antimatter Legion, and there are still remnants of the Legion on her planet. Without a sufficiently advanced starship to conceal her presence or fight back against the Legion's pawns, she could very well be ambushed on the way."
Ron let out a soft sigh. "So, I have to see her home personally. Otherwise, I can't rest easy..."
Hearing Ron's words, although he hadn't discussed it with her at all, Bronya immediately understood his meaning. She immediately pouted with a slightly wronged expression and said sorrowfully:
"The Legion is ravaging the sea of stars. When will there be peace? Although I don't want to hold Ron back, I really am powerless to return on my own..."
"Is it just a matter of escorting her?" Himeko said gently. "The Astral Express never refuses a passenger. The train travels through all the worlds; there is no place the Astral Express cannot reach. Escorting Miss Bronya on her journey is but a small effort."
"But... before that, if I may ask, where is Miss Bronya's hometown?"
"The Jarilo system, Jarilo-VI—it used to be a tourist planet for the Corporation, but after the Legion's invasion, it fell into ruin. It's also plagued by a Stellaron. Bronya came all the way to the space station to seek aid..."
"Jarilo..." Hearing these two words, Dan Heng frowned slightly and said:
"If I remember correctly... in the Express's current itinerary, our next destination is Jarilo-VI..."
"It is indeed Jarilo-VI? What a coincidence."
A look of surprise appeared on Ron's face, as if he hadn't expected this at all... probably.
Welt, standing beside them, pushed up his glasses and also urged Ron, "It is indeed Jarilo-VI. Our next stop and Miss Bronya's hometown are the same place... It's right on the way."
"Since that's the case... then I have no reason to refuse."
Ron said, finally relenting. Although he sounded a bit reluctant, he ultimately agreed to the crew's request.
Hearing Ron agree, the members of the Express crew finally breathed a sigh of relief—in their eyes, this was them begging Ron for help, dragging him along to save Stelle, who was now fused with a Stellaron.
Ron didn't charge a consultation fee, nor did he make any demands. He only asked them to give Bronya a ride...
...He's a pretty good guy, huh?
The favorability of the Express crew towards Ron started off very high from the get-go.
As for Ron himself... he was currently ecstatic.
See? What is the art of interpersonal relations?
This is the art of interpersonal relations!
He had originally intended to beg the crew to let him board the Astral Express, ask them for their navigation routes, and even try to find a way to learn some of the deep secrets of Akivili. Now, the situation had completely flipped. The crew was now begging Ron to get on the train to solve the Stellaron problem in Stelle...
Ron had successfully created a good impression with the crew. Whatever he wanted to do next would be much, much simpler.
---o---
With the matter settled, the Nameless of the Astral Express temporarily parted ways with Ron and Herta to go buy supplies at the station and prepare the train for departure...
There was about half a day before the train would depart, but Ron didn't want to spend that time sitting idly on the train—
At that time, the only ones on the train would be him and Pom-Pom, the conductor. And he had absolutely no desire to be alone with Pom-Pom.
This conductor, bound to the Astral Express, might look like a cute mascot, but its true nature was still up for debate...
Ron didn't think Pom-Pom was a simple character—it was rumored that the power source of the Astral Express was the "Heart of God" left behind by the fallen Akivili, the very heart from the Aeon's remains...
Who was Pom-Pom? An incarnation of Akivili's remains, or a lingering will He left behind?
Ron wasn't sure, but Pom-Pom was definitely closely related to Akivili of [The Trailblaze]...
As for who in this world knew the secrets of Akivili, apart from Fuli of [The Remembrance] who could potentially "remember" all memories, the only one left would be Pom-Pom, the remnant of [The Trailblaze].
Because the problem Ron needed to understand concerned the starting point of the Tree of Existence's main trunk, it was very likely that even Fuli of [The Remembrance] didn't have enough information. He had to find Akivili of [The Trailblaze] himself and ask.
Ron would have to chat with Pom-Pom sooner or later... but definitely not now.
He hadn't earned Pom-Pom's trust yet. For a stranger to start asking about such deep secrets right off the bat, who in their right mind would answer?
Ron planned to board the train with the crew, find a way to raise his favorability with Pom-Pom, and try to deduce some information during their chats, before finally having a showdown with Pom-Pom to ask for everything he wanted to know...
But for now... he needed to do something more important.
He needed to set up a "small" backup plan for his grand undertaking to overturn the sea of stars.
He and Herta walked into her office together. Standing before the terminal of the Simulated Universe, Ron caressed the cold machine and said softly:
"Herta... tell me, when the Sea of Quanta pours into the Tree of Existence, completely erasing the boundary between reality and nihility, and this sea of stars is elevated, what will the Simulated Universe, built by you, become?"
"The Simulated Universe?"
Herta frowned slightly, pondering.
"I've never thought about this problem... but thinking about it simply, if the Simulated Universe were to fuse with endless imaginary energy, perhaps it would become more... real."
As Herta spoke, she lightly opened the Simulated Universe and casually brought up a few "slices," which were automatically simulating several worlds from within this sea of stars—
The Corporation's "Pier Point," the Family's "Penacony," the Alliance's "Xianzhou Luofu"...
These highly advanced worlds, which were small core hubs in the universe, had all been thrown into the Simulated Universe after Herta and the others had sorted through the data. They occupied the idle computing power of the SU, simulating everything that could possibly happen.
Herta hadn't interfered with any of these slices, simply letting them simulate and develop freely.
So, as of now, these worlds within the simulation looked no different from their real-world counterparts—
The beings within these worlds, though simulated by machine data, possessed their own unique joys, angers, sorrows, and pleasures. They controlled their own destinies, writing their own lives...
If a consciousness were to be cloaked and immersed within it, living life there, they would likely be unable to distinguish between reality and the simulation, unable to treat it as a mere illusion...
So... Ron realized this fact.
He looked at the Simulated Universe terminal before him, his tone somewhat complex.
"I was thinking... if, to the Simulated Universe, we are like observers from outside the cosmos, like puppet masters pulling the strings of fate, then Terminus of [The End]... is no different from that to us."
"I was thinking... is it possible that this world we live in now is also, in a sense, a 'simulation'?"
"The restart of the universe is the restart of a program. The existence of Terminus is like an antivirus software, a cleansing program, or simply the representative of the programmer—"
"Of course, this is a figurative analogy. It's a small problem that made me realize some important things..."
Ron said, tapping lightly on the terminal of the Simulated Universe. His fingers made a crisp sound against the metal block.
"Herta... tell me, in our vision, the Sea of Quanta pouring into the Tree of Existence can elevate this sea of stars. So, after this world is elevated to a higher dimension, will the Simulated Universe, which we control, also be affected and thus elevated?"
"Right now, the Simulated Universe is just cold data, without any physical existence to rely on..."
"But after the Sea of Quanta pours into the Tree of Existence, the endless imaginary energy can also be used by the Simulated Universe—at that time, will it become a true universe, one under our control?"
"At the very least... it should also exist in the same dimension as our current world..."
Hearing Ron's idea, Herta's brows furrowed even tighter. She thought for a long time, even opening a light screen and wanting to write and draw on it, but in the end, she wrote nothing. After a period of simple thought, she finally sighed and said:
"I... I don't know, Ron."
"This situation has never been observed in reality. We can't predict whether the Simulated Universe will become a universe of the same dimension as ours, and we can't even predict if the Simulated Universe will still be under our control by then."
"However... I've thought about it, and I really can't refute your idea."
Herta spoke, her tone serious. "Your idea is special, but the possibility of it exists... and it's a high one."
"Since it's highly possible... then the Simulated Universe can perhaps become an extremely useful backup for us."
Ron said, lightly stepping onto the import device of the SU terminal and speaking to Herta.
"Set up a new blank slice. I'm going in to leave something behind."
Leave something behind?
Herta was a little puzzled for a moment, but she didn't say much. Her hands moved quickly, unhesitatingly following Ron's request. With a few taps on the light screen of the SU terminal, Ron's consciousness felt a pull.
The Guiding Spirit Lantern at his waist glowed faintly for a moment. Ron felt a searing heat ignite in his mind, shielding him from this pull on his personal consciousness.
If Ron wanted to, the Simulated Universe would be absolutely incapable of importing his consciousness into it...
But of course, he wouldn't do that. Instead, he relaxed his consciousness's defenses and slowly submerged into the Simulated Universe...
The next moment, when he opened his eyes again, he was faced with a familiar blankness—white walls formed every corner of this square world. Ron stood in this empty room, with nothing around to disturb him.
At this moment, a Q-version Herta figure appeared beside him. "This is a temporarily prepared blank slice. It might be lacking some physical laws—but it shouldn't affect anything."
"What do you want to do, Ron?"
"Just leaving something behind."
Ron said, briefly reviewing his own memories. Following the memory of his previous ascension to the seat of [Salvation] in the Simulated Universe, he quickly re-enacted it. Everything that had happened in the SU happened once more...
Endless imaginary energy poured into Ron's body. Under the binding of [Salvation], his dharma body was propped up, standing tall and firm like a god.
From somewhere far away came a chant. The suffering of all living beings transformed into a song of sorrow, pulsating in unison with the blazing white light around Ron, playing in chorus...
Suffering, sorrow, pain—all the inextricable calamities fell before Ron. The faint golden cracks on his body suddenly burst forth with a brilliant golden light. The sacred gold and white intertwined, wrapping around the straight, pure white longsword in Ron's hand.
He swung the sword out of thin air. The endless calamities were quelled by this single strike. From the depths of suffering, the hope in the hearts of the afflicted emerged, transforming into motes of white light that fused into Ron's body—
Pure white wings sprouted from his back. The sacred wings unfurled to cover the sea of stars. Every feather upon them was the hope of a person. The hope of a sea of stars converged into the grand wish of [Salvation], transforming into the wings of an Aeon to shelter the world.
The familiar scene replayed. Next, Ron would be completely dealt with by the [End] within the Simulated Universe. After all, the SU lacked the imaginary energy to support the birth of an Aeon. Although Ron could easily step onto the Path of [Salvation], he only possessed the status in name within the SU.
But all he needed was this status.
"Prepare a data storage slice, Herta."
Ron said softly. Herta had already prepared the data storage slice the moment Ron began his ascension to the throne of [Salvation]. At this moment, it was the perfect time to point Ron in the right direction.
Ron casually threw the longsword in his hand in that direction, then grabbed the lantern manifested from his Path and threw it in that direction as well...
The next moment, the sword and lantern broke through the world block of this simulation and disappeared. But the wings on Ron's back suddenly flickered, and after a few moments, they abruptly collapsed. The pure white sacred feathers fell to the ground one by one, turning into fragile, shattered points of light that disappeared.
On Ron's body, the brilliant golden light from the cracks gradually revealed a dangerous aura. The light suddenly burst forth, tearing Ron's body apart, and in an instant, it filled the entire simulated universe.
The next moment, he was guided back to reality by the cold calculation of the Equation of Destiny toward his own "end," and his consciousness returned.
"How was it? Did you manage to save those two pieces of information?"
Having just returned from the Simulated Universe, Ron opened his eyes and turned to look at Herta, who was operating the terminal. He stepped off the import device.
"They're saved... Two simple yet complex pieces of strange information. Can't decode them, can't encode them. At most, I can only copy and paste."
Herta said, looking at Ron with a thoughtful expression. "You did all this... are you thinking of having me copy these unique Sacred Sword of [Salvation] and Lantern of [Salvation] a few times, store them in the Simulated Universe, and wait for the great change in the world to see if the Path data in the SU will change?"
"No, no, no... you've got the main point wrong, Herta."
Ron shook his head, interrupting Herta's train of thought.
"I am indeed curious to see what the power of a Path will become after receiving the endless imaginary energy of the Simulated Universe... but that's not important, Herta."
"What I want... is for you to copy all of this data, and then import it onto every 'person' in the Simulated Universe."
Herta was stunned. "Import it onto everyone?"
"You want them all to become part of [Salvation]... No, that's not right. Is this really what you're thinking?"
A smile played on Ron's lips as he nodded lightly.
"Yes... that is indeed what I'm thinking."
"Import all of this data onto every living being in the Simulated Universe, and have them all become a different kind of Aeon of [Salvation]..."
"Of course, when you've done all this, you must pause the simulation's progress."
"After all... Terminus in the Simulated Universe seems to be much stronger than the one in reality, perhaps because the world is more illusory. It can easily resolve these special processes. We can't let that happen."
Ron said this as if he didn't care too much about the matter.
"But this is just a small backup plan. Its chances of being effective might not be very high. It was just a thought, so I'm doing it first..."
"The important thing is the [Savior] Serum."
Ron said, pointing to a string of data on the simulated light screen.
"Remember the [Savior] Serum that was completed with the data from the [Sword of Salvation] in the previous simulation? The thing that makes one almost equivalent to a half-Pathstrider of [Salvation] after injection..."
"Now there's a [Lantern of Salvation]. These two sets of data might complement each other—I hear Ruan Mei is a master in the biological field? Let's get her for the gene-editing technology. It would be best if we could call her over to help design a new [Savior] Serum, and then mass-produce it."
"I need enough people injected with the [Savior] Serum... No matter what, when the Sea of Quanta pours into the Tree of Existence, all ordinary people will be elevated because of it. If they have their developmental direction, mindset, and faith fixed by the [Savior] Serum from the start, we could gain a great deal of assistance."
"The faster the research, the better... If everyone on Azure Star and the Herta Space Station has been inoculated with the serum, then continue mass production and send it to Jarilo-VI—although I feel that, theoretically, we won't have that much time before we have to start the plan to burn the Tree of Existence. But it's best to give it a try."
"Is that so... I understand what you mean."
Herta nodded thoughtfully. Without refuting, she immediately began to make preparations, unhesitatingly contacting Ruan Mei, with whom she hadn't spoken for some time—
"Oh right, one more thing."
Ron looked at Herta, thought for a moment, and suddenly took off the lantern hanging from his waist.
"What else is there to do?"
Herta tilted her head, then saw Ron open the lid of the lantern, tilt it slightly, and let the brilliant golden flame flow out, coalescing into a docile cloud of fire in the air at his will.
Ron placed this ball of fire gently into Herta's hand. Herta felt a wave of warmth from the golden fire-ball, without the slightest sensation of being burned.
Ron closed the lid of the lantern. The light within it dimmed considerably, looking as if it was only half as bright as before.
"Considering my idea... although this thought isn't necessarily true, I believe in my intuition."
Ron said, pointing to the brilliant golden fire-ball in Herta's hand.
"If my guess is correct, this place should be the first place that needs to be burned..."
"I'll be leaving with the Astral Express next, but this place can't be without a kindling—"
Ron's expression became extremely solemn. "Next, this place might need to be ignited at any moment. The task of igniting it can only be entrusted to you."
"Although, I'm not sure about the timing of the ignition right now..."
Ron said, glancing at the rose-colored mist that was always floating around him and Herta. Mythus of [The Enigmata] was always by their side, following the development of all this, and using all its strength on another battlefield.
If this matter were to progress... no one would know better than Mythus, who had been concealing information for them and keeping up with the developments as their "intelligence officer."
After a moment of thought, Ron decided to trust Mythus. He didn't make any more troublesome backup plans, and said thoughtfully:
"...But I think our friend will tell you at the appropriate time."
"At that time, you just need to place this fire-ball at the boundary between the Sea of Quanta and the Tree of Existence—in other words, at the end of the branches of the Paths and the boundary of this sea of stars. Our friend should lend you a hand then."
Hearing Ron's extremely detailed arrangements, Herta felt a bit of pressure... alright, more than a bit.
Herta knew better than anyone what such detailed arrangements meant... In the previous simulation, when Ron became an Aeon and arranged for the continuation of the new Belobog, he had made some arrangements for her, but those were just a simple framework, not this detailed.
Because at that time, Ron knew that things were still relatively easy, not that difficult. Those arrangements didn't need to be so meticulous; a simple framework was enough to achieve the goal.
But it was different now... Ron had made arrangements to such a meticulous degree, yet he still had no confidence, not daring to say with too much certainty that this plan would surely succeed. This time, there would definitely be a result, and they hadn't even decided on the timing to burn the Tree of Existence when the time came...
It was clear that none of this was under Ron's control.
She knew that this was the limit of what Ron could do... Even he couldn't control everything. He could only do his best to find things he could do within the situation, and do his best to push the direction of the plan toward the result he wanted.
He could only constantly check for gaps and fill them, making various backup plans, hoping that if the plan deviated or ran into problems along the way, these backup plans could play their intended role and steer the plan back on the right course...
Ron was being extremely cautious, but it was precisely because of this caution that it made one feel the hope for this plan was slim... After all, even the initiator and main executor of this plan, Ron himself, had shown his apprehension. It felt like the probability of success wasn't high, and various backup plans were needed. Who couldn't see the danger of this plan?
But... none of this could stop Herta's determination.
It had come to this... no matter what dangers and difficulties lay ahead, nothing could stop Herta from completing this plan.
After all... if this plan failed, she would have to watch Ron give up his own future to become the [End] of this sea of stars—she absolutely could not accept a future without Ron.
So she nodded with some weight, accepting the heavy task Ron had arranged for her.
Bronya, at the side, also nodded seriously, looking as if she had been listening intently.
Although she didn't understand what Ron was talking about at all—after all, she had never been exposed to this information, and Ron hadn't had time to explain his plan to overturn the sea of stars to her in detail...
...But this didn't stop Bronya from nodding seriously at this time, acting as a "I think I get it too" member of the atmosphere team.
What's more, she could indeed see Ron's extraordinary caution. It was clear that this plan was extremely difficult, and the hope for success this time was slim...
Being there to support him would at least make the current atmosphere less heavy... Bronya was always doing what she could.
---o---
Next, after briefly discussing the detailed arrangements with Herta, there was a knock on the door of Herta's office. March 7th and Stelle had come as runners to inform them that the Astral Express was ready and it was time to depart.
Ron took Bronya with him and temporarily bid farewell to Herta. He boarded the Astral Express, chatted briefly with everyone, got the people on the train familiar with him, and had a good chat with Pom-Pom, successfully leaving a pretty good impression.
With everything ready, Ron, after much coaxing and pleading, got the detailed route map of the Astral Express from Dan Heng. Just as he was about to analyze the former route of Akivili of [The Trailblaze], the Astral Express departed. In an instant, it broke through the boundary between reality and the imaginary domain, shuttling into the endless Sea of Quanta, heading toward the Jarilo system—
Just as the warp jump was about to end, on the verge of arriving at the Jarilo system.
Ron felt a slight tremor. He keenly turned his head, and his gaze met with a void-like rift, like an "eye," torn open in the chaotic darkness outside the window...
The next moment, the Astral Express successfully completed its jump, arriving at the Jarilo system. It was as if nothing had happened...
But Ron knew clearly that a lot had just happened.
IX of [The Nihility] had discovered the problem and had its eyes completely fixed on him...
Much earlier than expected.
Next...
I'm afraid it's a race against time.