Looking at Herta standing in front of him, Nero opened his mouth but didn't manage to say anything.
Great. He had just woken up and already the creditor had come to collect the debt.
Seeing Nero's expression, Dan Heng thought this fellow countryman must be confused about who suddenly came up to talk to him, so he explained, "This is the master of the Herta Space Station, Seat No. 83 of the Genius Society, Herta."
As soon as Dan Heng finished speaking, the Herta puppet put one hand on her hip and turned to look at him. "Why are you like Himeko? Is the Genius Society such a great accomplishment to you? All my research achievements, yet you and Himeko don't mention a single one. And does 'Seat No. 83' sound that nice to say?"
After speaking, the puppet turned her head back toward Nero.
"No need for introductions. I know you. I heard plenty about you while you were asleep. First you stepped on a sword and flew over from the far side of Blue Planet and smashed into my space station, and then when the Doomsday Beast arrived, you smashed the station's walls and doors into scrap again."
The puppet's eyes stared at Nero, as if examining a rare material.
"From my surveillance, that sword of yours and your clothes aren't anything special. But after your body turned into a meteor and crossed interstellar space, you were completely unharmed."
"Xianzhou people... you're a Pathstrider of the Hunt? No, forget it, that doesn't matter. What I'm interested in is your method for suppressing the Stellaron."
"I've already examined that little Stellaron-brat friend of yours. In order to suppress this Stellaron, I built an entire space station here, but her body actually managed to keep the Stellaron's energy suppressed and even stabilize its operation inside her. Her physique is strange, but what I'm more curious about… is you."
"If her body is like a sealed cabinet storing the Stellaron, then you are the lock that keeps that cabinet shut. The power you left behind tightly bound the Stellaron.
"Even ordinary Pathstriders, let alone most Nameless, can't do something like this. And you clearly don't look like someone who specializes in this sort of thing."
"Kid, how did you do it?"
"I don't know either…" Nero shook his head. Then he took out his phone. "Maybe it has something to do with this?"
Nero didn't intend to hide the fact that Aha had chatted with him.
Herta lacked empathy, but once something piqued her interest, she was willing to tolerate a lot.
In the game's story, in order to research the Aeons and uncover the mysteries behind them, Herta and a few Genius Society members like Screwllum created the Simulated Universe, and even imported massive amounts of data for calculations and simulations, letting the Simulated Universe iterate through many versions.
This shows that Aeons are a highly attractive research subject for Herta. Thus, the chat logs with Aha were a very weighty bargaining chip.
Aeons rarely show themselves in the world. They differ from ordinary lifeforms in fundamental levels of existence. So even a few words left behind by an Aeon are extremely valuable for understanding and researching them in greater depth.
Right now, Herta was interested in him, and he had tossed out a big enough bargaining chip. That meant he most likely wouldn't be forced to stay at the station and work off his debt.
Herta took the phone from Nero and began reading the chat history with Aha.
Meanwhile, Nero pretended to look confused and reverent. "After the conversation ended, I felt a huge power enter my body."
"I see."
Herta muttered. The light from the phone reflected onto the puppet's face. At this moment, even on the puppet's expression, one could see seriousness and excitement.
"Aha seems to think highly of you. And it looks like he'll come find you again later." Herta handed the phone back. "Unexpected, but it fits his personality."
"What a pity," Herta suddenly said. "I should have waited until you woke up to let you and that little brat test the Simulated Universe together. Next time I'll call you in.
"Kid, let's talk business. Originally I planned to keep you on the space station, after I finished researching you, or when I lost interest, you'd just stay here working off your debt."
"But now… how about making a deal with me?"
Hearing that, Nero instantly perked up. This was exactly what he'd been waiting for.
"What kind of deal?"
While Nero and Herta continued talking, March 7th pulled Dan Heng aside to a corner.
The pretty girl looked at Herta and Nero with confusion, then whispered to Dan Heng, "Dan Heng, what are Herta and Nero talking about?"
Hearing March's question, Dan Heng finally withdrew his gaze from the two and answered, "Aha. The databank records him, he's the Aeon of Elation."
"He's an unpredictable one. Once disguised himself as a mortal and boarded the Astral Express. After keeping up the disguise for a whole year, he blew off an entire carriage…"
"Nero has probably received Aha's invitation. The power he used to suppress the Stellaron was also given by Aha. And Herta is very interested in Aeons as a research subject, so Nero's communication with Aha is extremely valuable data."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the 'deal' is most likely that Herta wants more information about Aha from Nero in the future."
"He blew off a carriage!" March 7th showed shock and worry. She glanced at Nero, then said anxiously, "Then if Aha has his eye on Nero, isn't that dangerous?"
Dan Heng frowned slightly, then shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Aha's behavior is unpredictable, and he has indeed caused terrible consequences across the universe. But he enjoys seeing his followers, or people he finds interesting, spread elation. Even if someone opposes him, he often helps them from behind the scenes if he finds it amusing."
"March, do you know about the Mourning Actors?"
March shook her head.
"Among Aha's followers, two groups are most well-known, the Masked Fools and the Mourning Actors. The former are widely regarded as lunatics, seeking entertainment without any moral limit, spreading their idea of joy by creating suffering, manipulating fate, hosting festivities… anything for amusement."
"But the Mourning Actors were not originally Aha's followers. They were strict anti-elation devotees, champions of asceticism, believing that only hardship and suffering help people grow. Their performances aim to oppose the Path of Elation, to dilute the sweet temptations Aha brings to the universe."
"But in the end, Aha cast his gaze upon them. He approved of their actions, even granted them power multiple times, helping them cross galaxies to perform their sorrowful plays."
"So, if Aha thinks Nero is interesting, I don't believe he'll bring danger to him. Because the most dangerous moment has already passed, Nero didn't die from receiving Aha's power or from Aha withdrawing it."
"I see… that's good." March patted her chest, relieved. Then she turned to look at the boy who had protected everyone during the Antimatter Legion's attack and sighed.
"Even knowing Nero is safe, I still can't understand why Aha would pick him. Dan Heng, don't you think it would make more sense for the Hunt or Preservation to choose him instead?"
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