In the end, Herta was just joking around and didn't actually press the issue further.
She also lifted the restrictions on the 'Little Herta' program at the same time, but just as 'Little Herta' was about to take off the Halo System, Herta spoke up to stop her.
Said she wanted to take the opportunity to study it a bit more.
"Don't rush to take it off. How about trying to log into this ideal account?"
Herta tilted her head, gesturing toward the white-haired image with its eyes closed.
Just like how a Herta puppet could log into that manifested Herta.
Now, of course, this image could also let 'Little Herta' directly jack in.
But right at this moment, once again lying on the experiment table having her essence studied, 'Little Herta' hadn't quite recovered yet.
She was still stuck pondering whether her own brain had been led astray by the system.
As for suspecting Aha?
She'd nearly forgotten she was even still carrying that Fool's Mask.
Coupled with the sheer overwhelming impact of everything, for the time being, she probably wouldn't be able to pin it on Aha.
More than likely, it'd only be when her body finally settled into its definitive form and the mark belonging to Aha was actually perceived.
Only then would it suddenly dawn on her that all of this was Aha's behind-the-scenes meddling.
But by the time that actually happened, trying to get another body that could rival something an Aeon had crafted would be an achievement incredibly hard to pull off.
What would happen then was anyone's guess.
--+--
Meanwhile.
Far away in the Land of Light, Divine Herta received a file sent from another version of herself.
Clicking it open, the very first document to catch her eye was a three-dimensional rendering of Bai Ming.
"Whoa, actually kinda looks a bit like me? Hmm... wait, seriously? Bai Ming doesn't really look like this, does she?"
Compared to Madam Herta who was right in the thick of it, it was Divine Herta, watching from afar in the Land of Light, who picked up on something a bit strange.
From her own interactions with Bai Ming, including what she'd learned about her back when she was still inside Hertatomb, it seemed like Bai Ming did indeed harbor some baseline fondness for the personas she'd played.
But that level of fondness clearly couldn't compare to her feelings for the Herta puppets.
In Divine Herta's eyes, she shouldn't really see them as someone 'she wanted to become.'
Of course.
A person's inner world is complicated.
Kind of like how Divine Herta never would have guessed that inside that weird collective Herta system the Halo cooked up.
All sorts of bizarre slices of Herta would pop out.
Maybe, somewhere deep in her subconscious that even she hadn't noticed, Bai Ming really did admire these people.
I mean, according to Bai Ming, the personas she embodied each time were random, but what if it wasn't entirely random after all?
What if there was some sort of filtering mechanism at play.
Like...
Whether Bai Ming subconsciously harbored a desire to become that particular figure.
It's not impossible, but stuff like that isn't exactly easy to go prying into.
"Ah well, either way, it's that other me's problem, not mine."
Divine Herta remained in her usual aloof stance.
Instead, she turned her attention to carefully examining the records related to the Herta puppets.
Combining it with the Halo System data she'd gotten earlier, the outcome of this experiment was better than expected.
At the very least, it was enough for mass-producing assistants for geniuses, but to actually cook up a full-fledged genius would still require further in-depth research.
"But... this modified system that Ruan Mei and Screwllum cooked up together... might be usable as cover for those Memory Tokens in the Land of Light."
Those memory-sealed Tokens brought by Demiurge.
Although they could indeed be used directly, like Light Cones.
The effect was pretty much the same as using a Light Cone. While they had the confidence to argue with the Garden of Recollection if needed, if it could be avoided, that was naturally better.
And this Halo System...
Using impressions to create slices, then duplicating those slices into 'individuals.'
What if the input impressions weren't extracted directly from an individual's mind, but came from Memory Tokens instead?
Using the Halo System to extract the memory image sealed within a Token, complete the duplication, and directly integrate it with the user.
Although it added an extra step compared to directly using a Token or Light Cone.
Its advantage was that, using this system, one could harness the power of multiple Tokens simultaneously.
Whereas using a Token or Light Cone directly usually only allowed one at a time.
The advantage of combining multiple Tokens went without saying.
"Hmm... this is actually kinda interesting, and this nesting logic seems pretty similar to Bai Ming's ability. Perfect timing since that other me is studying her, I'll give her a call to chat."
Divine Herta had drawn inspiration from Bai Ming's abilities.
If this Token system could be successfully grafted, then Divine Herta could even get Ruan Mei, Screwllum, or even Bai Ming to create Tokens based on their images, and then stack them all onto herself at once.
As a Digimon, her advantage in data stacking was even greater.
A distinctly ambitious smile crept onto Divine Herta's face.
And, if she wanted to push it even further, if she used the current Simulated Universe to craft some Tokens related to the Aeons, and then integrated those into the Halo System... what would end up being patched together, even Divine Herta herself couldn't guarantee.
After all, the realism of this current Simulated Universe was way higher than the one she'd had before.
--+--
The call connected to Herta Space Station.
Soon, Herta, Ruan Mei, and the projection of 'Little Herta', who was still sprawled out on the experiment table, appeared before Divine Herta.
"Oh, perfect timing, you're not done yet. Got an idea I wanna run by you."
"Talk."
Herta was still observing 'Little Herta's' data, urging her to get to the point succinctly.
"The Halo System is highly efficient at replicating a body's abilities. I'm thinking, could we integrate it with the Memory Tokens into a single system?"
"No way?!"
Before Herta or Ruan Mei could react, 'Little Herta' shot up like she'd been jolted back from death's door, eyes wide as she stared at Divine Herta's hologram.
Everyone present only needed to hear the start to roughly imagine what she was getting at.
So 'Little Herta' almost immediately grasped the kind of crazy things this could enable.
"Yeah, I think it's feasible. Isn't that Halo on your head also borrowing the Simulated Universe's capabilities?"
Divine Herta wasn't sure why the other was so excited, but she nodded and briefly outlined her train of thought.
Then she saw the other girl's eyes practically start glowing, like she was about to dash over right that second and start working with her.
"This system's advantage lies in being able to interface with crystallized compound memories, thereby integrating different powers together. It's way superior to directly using Light Cones."
Herta reached out and forcefully shoved the overly excited 'Little Herta', who looked ready to bounce out of the room, back down.
Then asked, puzzled:
"Isn't this line of thinking already pretty complete? Why contact us specifically?"
"Just keeping you in the loop, and besides, don't you guys think this approach sounds a lot like Bai Ming's ability? Maybe her situation could offer some reference."
'Little Herta', who'd been all excited a moment ago, immediately stiffened:
"Whoa, hold on, why am I suddenly the one being studied again?"
Hearing this, Ruan Mei smiled and patted 'Little Herta's' head soothingly:
"Doesn't that just mean you're capable?"
"...Fine."
'Little Herta' was really interested in the system Divine Herta mentioned and ultimately decided to help out.
But the angle of her interest was a bit different from the others.
Divine Herta's sights were still set on the Aeons, but 'Little Herta' just wanted to tinker and make toys.
As someone who already possessed the authentic, legitimate Evoltruster, the ability to genuinely transform into a Giant of Light.
If it was just making a transformation prop that looked the part.
That clearly wouldn't satisfy 'Little Herta' anymore.
And this idea solved the problem of it being just a shell.
By simply collecting the relevant memories, different props could truly manifest different power enhancements through the transformation device.
So 'Little Herta' readily signed up for Divine Herta's experimental project.
Of course, it was only after Herta and Ruan Mei were done with her that she specifically headed to the Land of Light.
The whole research process went relatively smoothly.
Combining the Halo System with the Tokens wasn't overly difficult on its own.
A prototype was finished pretty quickly.
The problem cropped up with the power output intensity.
For combat stability, you definitely couldn't hook it all up to the Simulated Universe for auxiliary calculations.
And if you wanted something a single person could carry, the whole system's output could hardly compare to the system that came from a cluster of Herta puppets.
Reaching Divine Herta's intended goal would require a comprehensive upgrade, and right at that moment, a communication from Elio interrupted 'Little Herta's' research life.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL