The Herta Puppets, once recalibrated for coordination, were reintegrated into the Halo System.
And sure enough, this puppet once again showcased its "creative" side.
What started as a little gadget, originally just meant to prank Herta, had unexpectedly churned out something rather strange...
Plus, Ruan Mei was the one primarily in charge of this particular chunk of the logic core.
Just what did she sneak in there?
'Little Herta', after all, didn't have the broadest base of knowledge.
The knowledge gained from character cards was mostly just project-related stuff that stuck.
So for the time being, she really couldn't figure out what extra ingredient Ruan Mei had added.
"Ruan Mei, what did you put in when you were setting it up? From what I remember, you didn't really add much, did you?"
"Just some personal insights of my own. Didn't expect them to exceed all expectations."
Ruan Mei's voice crackled through the comms.
You could clearly hear the good mood in her tone.
"...So it really was your doing, huh?"
'Little Herta' figured as much. It was within expectations, but, well, this particular chunk of logic was more Ruan Mei's work.
Though, if memory served, she'd been keeping up with the progress too, right?
There's no way she'd have no memory of this.
"It was me. You know, lately, I've been pondering what the decisive difference between a genius and an ordinary person truly is."
Ruan Mei began her brief explanation calmly.
"So you incorporated that question, and your thoughts on it, into the Halo System?"
"Exactly. Like how Zandar used the Scepter System to deduce fate and the Aeons, I tried to mimic that a little."
Ruan Mei clarified what she'd added.
It wasn't anything super secret. Essentially, it was an attempt to pose a question to that constructed "Genius" they were building.
Like Zandar trying to find answers within the Scepter.
What Ruan Mei wanted to know was that "decisive factor of genius."
The answer itself, or any pre-set keywords, weren't the point.
The important part was the cascade of data the whole system generated during its calculations.
And now, the creativity the Herta puppets were displaying was precisely that.
The reason 'Little Herta' had no memory of it?
Was because Ruan Mei had only pre-input a single question into the system.
And the puppets' current performance? That was the result of that question being calculated within the system.
It was even trying to eliminate the factor of "life" itself, in an attempt to solve for the cause of genius.
Sounded a bit out there, but after understanding Ruan Mei's goal, 'Little Herta' found, to her chagrin, that her brain could actually grasp Ruan Mei's line of thought.
"...No wonder."
'Little Herta' twitched the corner of her mouth.
Even though this outcome, this calculated data, would boost her plan's success rate, she couldn't shake the feeling that after this "extra seasoning," the whole system was starting to get way more serious.
"By the way, when exactly did you add this stuff?"
"Right at the very end. You probably didn't read the report carefully. You were in such a hurry to rush off and push your plan."
Ruan Mei chuckled, pointing at the timestamp on the report displayed on the device.
It was dated exactly to when she'd rushed over to Herta City, right when she was roping the puppets into her scheme.
'Little Herta' scratched her head, smiling sheepishly. Well, that seemed to be her own fault then.
"Alright, alright, got it. Sorry! Next time you send a file, I swear I won't miss a single word!"
Hearing the sincere apology, Ruan Mei let out a soft laugh and didn't dwell on it.
When it came down to it, this content was essentially Ruan Mei's own little side project. It didn't really matter if 'Little Herta' paid attention or not.
She pulled her focus away from the comms.
--+--
Meanwhile, the Halo System within Herta City continued its relentless proliferation.
And 'Little Herta' wasn't idle either.
To make sure she hadn't missed anything else this time.
She started directly analyzing the still-expanding Halo System.
Simultaneously, she patched bugs in the system, making tons of minor adjustments.
All to ensure a more stable and harmonious connection between the puppets and the Halo.
After a full day of this high-intensity work, finally, every single Herta puppet in all of Herta City was integrated into the system.
"Urgent report! Frontline intel suggests the great Madam Herta might have sensed something off in Herta City. High probability of her returning directly!"
A puppet gave 'Little Herta' a brief update.
After confirming Madam Herta's situation, 'Little Herta', who'd originally planned to keep tweaking for a few more days, instead chose to gather all the puppets in Herta City for a grand assembly.
No time to waste. Time to begin the final step.
Bathed in the radiance of Noa's light, all the puppets, big and small, sported their purple halos.
They were independent yet connected, individuals yet a collective.
And the final purple halo, yet to be donned, was lifted by 'Little Herta' using a curio storage tray and placed upon the platform.
"Puppets... can you feel the change within you?"
At this opening line, the Herta puppets all nodded in unison.
That strange sensation of collective connection pushed them beyond the system's mere data links, forging something far more intimate.
"Then, begin to think. Who is Herta? What kind of person is she? And you... what kind of Herta do you wish to become? Think, calculate, give form to the hollow mannequins you are!"
'Little Herta' stood in the center, launching into a speech that sounded pretty out there, but for the Herta puppets, it was an electrifying topic.
And as the puppets' minds focused on that single question.
The Halo System finally began to unveil its true power.
It was like individual neurons, each thinking its own thoughts, finally reaching a consensus and deciding to ponder the same problem.
Every single unit generated thoughts, some faint, some strong.
But linked by the Halo System, these thoughts were transmitted with astonishing efficiency, weaving together into a powerful tide of consciousness.
Ideas were proposed, then shot down.
Everyone had a Herta in their heart.
And combined with these puppets' expectations of Madam Herta, each of these Hertas had subtle, nuanced differences.
These different, yet similar, impressions of Herta began to rapidly pile up.
When this accumulated impression crossed a certain threshold.
The central Ring gently floated up.
Then, beneath that Ring, a phantom image of Madam Herta was projected.
It wasn't real, yet it wasn't entirely false either.
Like Fuli projecting from the end of time into the past.
This was a phantom stitched together from the sparks of the puppets' thoughts, a projection of their consciousness.
It was the "Genius Herta" that the puppets yearned for.
And just as Fuli allows the Pure Child to register for an account, this phantom was merely a means of visualization, a way to signal to 'Little Herta' that the system was running smoothly.
The ones truly capable of self-coronation, of truly becoming "Herta"?
Were those assembled puppets themselves.
"Woo-hoo! It's really Madam Herta! We did it!!"
"It's Madam Herta! We can actually become Madam Herta!"
"Is this me? No... I'm a part of Madam Herta? So puppets can be this beautiful too?"
"Wait, wasn't I imagining Ruan Mei? How come I can't see a trace of her here..."
Through the Halo System, every puppet understood what this phantom represented.
They had truly become Herta!
Though just what level of ability they could achieve still needed testing, but that didn't stop the puppets from being swept up in excitement.
And as for the testing they still lacked?
'Little Herta' turned her head towards a certain direction.
Fwoosh—
A flash of elegant flame.
Madam Herta, sensing something amiss in Herta City, had directly burst onto the scene.
And then Herta witnessed this... chaotic spectacle, long with that inexplicably appearing projection that looked exactly like her.
In an instant.
Herta locked onto the pint-sized version of herself standing in the middle.
No thought or judgment needed; her instincts screamed that this one was the culprit.
So she flickered directly before 'Little Herta'.
A dangerously sweet smile spread across her face.
The veins on the hand gripping her staff stood out starkly.
"What. In. The. Actual. Hell. Is. This? Bai Ming? Care to explain?"
"As you can see: The Herta Completion Project! By using the puppets' impressions, they crown themselves. Now, standing before you, is the 'Pseudo-Herta' manifested by the collective consciousness of the puppets!"
Oh, her fist was clenched. It was really clenched now.
She had no idea what Bai Ming had cooked up, but she knew one thing for sure: the name "Herta Completion Project" pissed her off!
And this brat had even colluded with her own puppets to cause trouble.
This was practically a mutiny!
"I'll get the specifics from the puppets myself. But before that, Bai Ming... are you ready to be personally hunted down by this genius?!"
Madam Herta's killing intent was palpable.
She was absolutely determined to give Bai Ming a good, hard spanking.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL