Ruan Mei was still savoring the extension of her lifespan, along with the further strengthening of her true form's power.
But on the other side, the Giants of Light, who had been steadfastly guarding the three of them, were the first to notice the changes within themselves.
Among them, the first-born Giant of Light, Zero, turned to Ruan Mei and spoke with confusion, "Mother, I sense a brand new Path—brilliant, vast, yet somewhat ethereal."
"It's unlike any Path we've encountered before, yet it feels as if it contains echoes of all the previous ones."
"And... I feel a connection. Coming from... It." Zero raised a hand, pointing towards the amber crystal sphere several meters in size.
The other Giants of Light nodded in agreement, for they too had sensed it, had heard the fragmented whispers of this slumbering divinity.
No sooner had their words settled than a brilliant white radiance began to seep through the amber crystal from within, transforming the sphere into a miniature sun pouring forth its light.
The glow was bright yet not harsh.
A sensation of warmth and comfort washed over everyone present the moment the light touched them.
Herta and Ruan Mei exchanged glances. Herta adjusted her witch hat, curiosity in her voice.
"So, did we succeed? Or did we fail?"
'Ruan Mei' reached out, her hand gently stroking the luminous crystal sphere, her eyes filled with a deep yearning for its true essence.
"Neither success nor failure, I suppose. While we don't know why the Aeons have permitted Its existence, there's no doubt They have forbidden Its birth for now."
A nascent Aeon. Just a fetus of a star god.
But without question, It had truly embarked on the path of metamorphosis, only to have that process paused mid-transition for some inexplicable reason.
To Ruan Mei's eyes, such a specimen was even more precious!
It meant she could observe this very moment of an individual's transformation into an Aeon for an unlimited amount of time.
"Haa~"
Herta let out a sigh with a strange inflection.
"Hard to say if we've come out ahead or behind on this one."
In this whole affair, Lady Herta had suffered the greatest losses.
The terrifying tidal surge of Imaginary Energy brought by the descent of multiple Aeons had destroyed nearly all the mechanical constructs within the castle.
Even her personal puppets were heavily damaged, with few remaining connected to the puppet network.
"But why allow this? I thought It would have been erased outright." Herta pressed her hand against the solid crystal wall.
The other 'Ruan Mei' pondered for a moment, a bold idea springing into her mind.
"Herta, Ruan Mei, are you both familiar with the Prophecy of Terminus?"
Herta and the original Ruan Mei glanced at each other and gave slight nods.
Of course they had heard of the prophecy spread by the suddenly appearing Aeon of Finality.
The prescient abilities of the Theory of Four Apocalypses were genuine, often spanning an entire Amber Era in their forecasts, leading many factions across the cosmos to believe in the existence of Terminus.
"Then, at the moment the entire universe steps into its final ending, that Finality where even the Aeons grow dim... wouldn't that be the most desperate moment this world could ever know?"
'Ruan Mei' attempted to describe the scene of that finality.
Herta and the original Ruan Mei grasped her meaning immediately.
Had the Aeons left behind a seed of miracle for the moment of that final end?
'Ruan Mei's' conjecture did possess a certain degree of logic.
Or, at the very least, it sounded pleasing to the ear.
The Aeon of Hope was not permitted to be born now because the other Aeons still lived; naturally, they wouldn't tear apart their own concepts to gift to It.
But if the moment of finality was approaching, when the Aeons grew dim and the world was plunged into its most desperate hour, then It, representing the light of hope, might perhaps emerge at that very end, becoming a sliver of radiance to pierce through the despair.
Then, gathering the power of multiple Paths, embodying the purest hope and miracle, upon Its descent into the world, could It possibly forge a new path for an ending destined for finality?
Perhaps only Terminus and Fuli would be able to witness it.
Herta thought it over, then couldn't help but say, "It sounds plausible enough, but is the communication between Aeons really that straightforward?"
'Ruan Mei' simply shrugged, nonchalant.
"I just prefer a reason that appeals to me. It makes for a better story. As for what consensus the Aeons reached in that moment, only They themselves know, of course."
"Heh, you're quite the optimist." Herta chuckled, shooting a glance at 'Ruan Mei'. "In that case, you can help me rebuild Herta City!"
'Ruan Mei' thought for a moment after hearing this, then said, "Why don't you use the AllSpark to handle the repairs? It might not have that function now, but we could just add a new module."
It seemed like a perfect solution in 'Ruan Mei's' eyes.
But Herta immediately whipped her head around and let out a dismissive 'Hah!' at 'Ruan Mei'.
"What? I don't want a whole city full of weird transforming robots! The fact that the space station is full of them is already the limit of what I can tolerate!"
Just looking at Herta City's architectural style made her preferences perfectly clear.
Did this fool really want to bring that bizarre robot aesthetic here? The absolute audacity!
'Ruan Mei' pursed her lips at the response. What was wrong with robots? Transforming robots were super cool!
Griping aside, Herta ultimately did not retrieve the AllSpark to repair the machinery.
Instead, she summoned all the other Herta puppets stationed in various locations and handed the repair work over to them.
Herta managed more than just that one space station, and she had puppets deployed in many places.
With several hundred puppets working together, they couldn't restore the entire Herta City to its former glory immediately, but at least the essential equipment and devices were quickly fixed.
Truth be told, Herta had just been joking earlier.
Right now, she hardly cared whether Herta City was perfectly repaired. All she wanted was to quickly begin her research on this infant Aeon and the new Path.
So, once the three of them, along with the puppets, had finished repairing the lab equipment, Herta eagerly threw herself into verification and testing.
The first subjects were the six Giants of Light, led by Zero. After sensing the power of the new Path and the Aeon representing Hope, their strength had received a noticeable boost.
Furthermore, the idea that 'Ruan Mei' had considered but never acted upon—altering the nature of light itself—seemed to have borne fruit due to the birth of the new Path.
It was as if ordinary light had now been tinged with a subtle hint of the Path's essence.
Even that batch of light beings originally intended for fabricating lies had undergone an evolution.
They had grown more intelligent and their power had increased.
Fortunately, no troublemakers had emerged among them. It seemed the early education program 'Ruan Mei' had designed for the light beings was quite effective.
As a species, the light beings had experienced a significant evolution following the emergence of the Path. It was definitely good news.
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