Ruan Mei was never one for many words to begin with.
The reason she spoke directly to 'Cyrene' this time was simply because she found it quite novel to see Herta displaying such emotion.
While it was true that Herta's emotions ran rich, her pride and confidence ran deeper still.
A sentiment like this… it hardly seemed like her at all.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the cabin, the figures of several people could be seen discussing something on the other side.
Probably a meeting to optimize the link system, she guessed.
Whether it was just her imagination or not, 'Cyrene' couldn't tell.
Under Ruan Mei's ministrations, the discomfort she'd felt earlier seemed to fade rapidly.
Meanwhile, the subtle, elegant fragrance of plum blossoms lingering at the tip of her nose constantly reminded her just how… intimate her current position with Ruan Mei was.
"Ruan Mei, thank you for coming so quickly. I feel much better already."
'Cyrene' tried to sit up from Ruan Mei's lap, but the motion was interrupted by a gentle hand.
Fingertips pressed against her forehead, easing her back down.
"Be good. Let me examine you a bit more thoroughly. Your synchronization with the Light has increased significantly. It might be an effect of the campaign against the Irontomb."
It hadn't been long at all since the last check-up—just the day before the final battle.
Yet, her synchronization with that beam of light from Nexus had risen by a notable degree.
Ruan Mei theorized it might be due to her encounter with the future Noa.
"Is that so?"
To be honest, although she'd fashioned herself a Giant of Light, she hadn't actually transformed in any proper, formal setting.
Most of the time, she just sneaked off alone to strike poses and feel cool by herself.
"Mhm. There are traces of transformation into a Memetic Entity on you, but the process was halted."
"So I almost became a Memokeeper?"
Hearing this, 'Cyrene' didn't feel particularly bothered.
After all, she still didn't have a proper body of her own. Becoming a Memokeeper didn't sound all that bad.
Ruan Mei, however, shook her head.
"No. The influence was minimal. Even if it hadn't been stopped, you couldn't have become a Memokeeper. Regardless, that was only the Aeon's original body from the Simulated Universe, not a true Aeon."
At this point, Ruan Mei paused briefly, then added with a hint of uncertainty, "Hmm… if we maintain the current state without modifications, and allow the Simulated Universe to develop to a certain stage, while you continue entering it long-term in the guise of Fuli… perhaps you really could become a Memokeeper."
Truth be told, Ruan Mei was rather keen to observe how 'Cyrene' might transition from this peculiar soul-like state into a Memetic Entity.
A change in fundamental nature like that would reveal far more about the essence of her existence.
Her continued observation of 'Cyrene's' synchronization with the Light was driven by this very reason.
--+--
On the other hand, Herta was discussing optimization plans with the other two members.
But anyone with eyes could see—Madam Herta was not in the best of moods.
Divine Herta found this utterly amusing, while Screwllum wisely chose not to comment.
After all, Herta wasn't the type who needed comforting.
And setting aside this unexpected incident…
The development of the Simulated Universe itself had been tremendously successful, even wildly beyond expectations.
Of course, being able to reach this point in such a short time…owed a great deal to the Simulated Universe source code from Divine Herta's memories.
Without that, they'd probably still be stuck in the earliest coding and testing phases.
Getting it to run as it did now would have taken at least a year or more.
In short, disregarding this minor hiccup, their project's progress had far exceeded expectations.
"Screwllum, have you found anything?"
"Deduction: The issue with Lady Bai Ming may not lie with the linking program, but rather with the peculiar nature of Fuli. A Pure Child of Anāsrava can rely on a causal loop to briefly become an independent 'Fuli.' Lady Bai Ming's actions happen to satisfy these conditions."
"Furthermore, to maintain the stability and potential of the Simulated Universe, we proactively strengthened and stabilized the connection between this Memetic world and the real one."
"This may have enabled Lady Bai Ming to genuinely become the Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli, within this miniature world."
This was the bold hypothesis Screwllum had arrived at after examining the entire system and its logic.
Of course, this 'Fuli' would be exceedingly weak—so weak that the process could be forcibly suspended and the user logged out.
Because its causal footprint was too small.
This nascent Memetic world held too few memories. Even if one truly became Fuli here, it wouldn't affect the outside.
But the issue wasn't about strength or weakness.
It was about authenticity.
If 'Cyrene' were to complete this process…
If she truly acted as Fuli within this closed loop…
The impact it could have on her would be far too unpredictable.
Each Aeon was fundamentally, vastly different from another.
Followers of different Paths could exhibit entirely disparate traits—let alone the Aeons themselves.
That Herta could briefly become Nous and return safely was a testament to Nous's benign nature.
Who knew if one could return after becoming Fuli, even just once?
Normal Pure Children of Anāsrava that fulfilled causal loops remained trapped in the past.
What if this aspect also adhered to the original setting?
"Tch, this is troublesome…"
Herta frowned, a wave of irritation washing over her.
Because the current situation implied that such an event could only occur if they had done an exceptionally good job.
The simulation fidelity of the Simulated Universe was absurdly high.
Its accuracy and precision in future cosmic simulations would be incredibly reliable as a result.
But the problem was, this very high fidelity…also meant 'Cyrene' could potentially run into trouble.
Right now, Herta's curiosity about the truth was wrestling with her sense of morality.
She didn't want Bai Ming to gamble on those odds.
If she were truly lost because of this, Herta knew she would regret it deeply.
But if a Pure Child of Anāsrava didn't complete this causal loop…the logic of the Simulated Universe couldn't be perfectly established.
The final result would be significantly diminished.
It would become merely a high-definition, upgraded version of the original Simulated Universe—not a true iterative leap in performance.
"What if we reduce the immersion level of the link…"
Herta tried to grasp for alternatives, but Divine Herta cut her off without ceremony:
"You should understand best of all. To an Aeon, 0.1% and 100% hold no meaningful difference."
"…"
Yes. Having briefly been Nous, she understood that all too well.
Reducing immersion was pointless.
Divine Herta looked at her other self. She never imagined a face identical to her own could wear such an expression.
"This is your project. Think carefully about how to proceed. I'm going to rest."
--+--
In the lounge on the other side.
'Cyrene' watched for a while, then began to sense something was off.
Though Herta had her back turned, making her expression hard to read…
Divine Herta's face showed clear surprise and something like wonder.
Then she seemed to toss out some remark before walking away.
"…They didn't get into an argument, did they?"
"Who knows? If you're curious, why not go ask yourself?"
It wasn't that Ruan Mei was unconcerned about her colleagues.
She simply didn't believe a conventional argument was something that would ever involve Herta.
--+--