No sooner said than done.
They were in Ruan Mei's lab, which was perfect—just about any piece of equipment you could want was right there.
And if something was missing, a trip to Herta Space Station would sort it out.
Ruan Mei, noticing that 'Jingliu' had suddenly gotten busy with something, took a break from her wholehearted study of the black Lightning Lord to voice her curiosity.
"What are you up to?"
"Just looking for a little entertainment. You see, Herta's been so obsessed with the Simulated Universe lately she can't pull herself out."
'Jingliu' tapped on their phone screen.
All the regular reports for the Simulated Universe project team, as well as the data sharing and maintenance for Screwllum, had been delegated to AI Herta.
The two of them couldn't find hide nor hair of the real Herta these days.
Ruan Mei nodded, but she was still puzzled.
"So... what's the problem?"
"The problem is huge! I went out of my way to bring her something cool to share, and all she cares about is that Simulated Universe of hers!"
'Jingliu' was putting on this completely unreasonable act, trying to pin the blame on Herta, but to Ruan Mei, it just looked like she'd been marinating in Herta's influence a bit too long.
Ruan Mei pressed her lips together, holding back a laugh.
Out of politeness, she managed to keep a straight face.
"So, you want to get back at her?"
"Not really getting back at her, just a little prank."
'...' Ruan Mei looked at the expression on 'Jingliu's' face.
It didn't exactly scream 'little' prank.
She shook her head helplessly. "Need any help?"
Even though it wasn't exactly serious business, Ruan Mei figured it was time to return the favor, considering how much 'Jingliu' had helped her out.
"Not for now, but if I do, I'll come to you."
"Alright then."
Ruan Mei didn't pry. She'd find out soon enough once it was done anyway.
Compared to other Geniuses, 'Jingliu' had a much stronger urge to share. And judging by the look of it, they were doing this purely for fun.
When the time came, they'd probably be more than happy to spill the beans.
This time, 'Jingliu' had their sights set on the army of Herta puppets left behind at the space station.
After all, it was the "Herta Completion Project." And Herta herself had probably tried something similar, or at least planned to.
In essence, it was about expanding the possibilities of Herta as an individual.
Of course, judging from the game's PV, that experiment had failed. Sure, a bunch of wacky ideas popped up, but they were useless.
This time was different, though. Because 'Jingliu' was here!
Not that they seriously intended to complete Herta's "upgrade." That would be way too hard.
It'd be like trying to reform a genius and make them even more of a genius, without a single hitch. Starting from scratch would be easier than that train of thought.
Honestly, what 'Jingliu' really wanted was to push some of those hilarious, off-the-wall ideas forward.
Literally, playing around with a "Personality Complement" plan.
Like, boosting the computing power of Herta's puppets to create abstract versions like Ruan Mei · Herta, Screwllum · Herta, or Polka · Herta.
Then, maybe pushing some funny projects like a Herta virtual idol.
Oh, and another one—they were really struck by that bartending event in the game.
Little Herta kept changing who she wanted to become, but she never once picked Big Herta.
That was pretty interesting too. In the game, Herta's changing expressions were hilarious; this time, they wanted to see it live.
They'd whip this up and show it to Madam Herta.
Yeah.
Madam Herta's expression at that moment was bound to be absolutely delicious.
Just thinking about it made her eager to start.
But before that...
First, they needed to figure out how to give the Herta puppets a serious boost in computing power.
Otherwise, if the simulations fell flat, it wouldn't be any fun.
So, what kind of external device could they use to amp up the processing?
Knowing how attached Herta was to her puppets, if they went and tampered with the hardware or messed with the programs, she'd probably find out in no time.
They needed an external device that could be hooked up and used on the fly.
'Jingliu' mulled it over.
One option naturally floated to the surface of their mind.
The Scepter System.
Not that they'd recreate an actual one, but the logic behind building a Scepter System was something they could reference.
The problem was, there were so many Herta puppets. If they had to make a miniature system for each one, that'd be a ton of work.
Plus, doing it that way felt too isolated. It didn't have that "Human Complement Project" vibe to it.
After going back and forth...
'Jingliu' suddenly remembered an old animation where they used clones to form a computational matrix. That idea seemed like it could work with the Herta puppets.
Not building a Scepter for each puppet individually, but making every puppet a node in the system.
Connecting them all into one complete "Personality Complement System."
So, more than just raw computational power, the real focus would be on the ability to simulate emotional, human-like personality models.
Therefore, the design of this device couldn't just follow the logic of the Scepter system.
A self-awareness born from precise calculation would only become an Intellitron, not something that thought it was human.
And for this part...
It was time to consult Ruan Mei.
Even though Ruan Mei usually seemed pretty detached emotionally, if you spent enough time with her, you'd realize she wasn't emotionally deficient at all.
On the contrary, she had very rich feelings.
It was just that, because of her past experiences, she subconsciously avoided trading emotions with others, which made her seem so cold.
But if anyone tried to claim Ruan Mei hadn't done any research in this area...
Well, 'Jingliu' wouldn't buy it for a second.
Of course, before asking for advice...
'Jingliu' needed to come up with a plan, or at least a prototype.
Good thing that back when they were playing the role of Hertatomb, they'd already analyzed Irontomb's body. Later, when they hacked into the Emperor's Scepter, they'd analyzed its structure too.
Using the Scepter system as a reference...
'Jingliu' started building their own "Personality Complement System."
But as the design started coming together...
'Jingliu' suddenly realized Ruan Mei's lab didn't have some of the materials they needed. If they went to Herta Space Station to grab supplies, there was a risk of getting caught.
After thinking it over...
'Jingliu' shot a message to Screwllum.
[Nameless: Screwllum, you there? Got a small favor to ask.]
[Nameless: [File]]
[Nameless: Take a look at this list. Do you have any of this stuff?]
[Screwllum: I do. How much do you need? Should I have it sent to the space station?]
[Nameless: No, no, no. Don't send it to the space station, and don't let Herta know. I'll come pick it up myself. Also, it gives me a chance to see the legendary Planet Screwllum.]
[Screwllum: Query: Is Bai Ming preparing a surprise for Madam Herta?]
[Nameless: Uh... I guess you could call it a surprise.]
'Jingliu' wasn't sure if Screwllum would be interested in their prank. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should just come out and say it.
But Screwllum was sharper than they expected. He'd guessed it immediately.
[Screwllum: Correction: It appears to be some sort of harmless practical joke?]
[Nameless: Uh... yeah, pretty much.]
[Screwllum: By the name of Planet Screwllum, I shall not divulge this information to Madam Herta. Would you permit me to join in?]
[Nameless: Huh?]
[Screwllum: I am most curious. What fascinating idea have you conceived this time?]
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL