NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 9: Herta Space Station 5
"That's everything that happened between me and the Death Star out there. Instead of me stalling him, it was actually him who stalled me." Austin sat down to explain what had happened to Asta and Herta, who were listening through the hologram, as he took responsibility for the situation.
"I understand; I apologize. I was the one who invited you, yet something happened." Herta, in a representative robot form that resembles her real self but appears much younger,.
"What the heck, did that Herta actually apologize to him~?" Austin smirked slightly, his usual faint smile appearing as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Herta.
"Hmph, this kind of thing is wrong, and I have no excuses. But someone as brilliant as me won't let this happen again. A Stellaron Hunter, huh? If they dare to come again, they'll see."
"Hey, isn't it mostly because of the anti-matter army? Are you angry at the wrong person...?"
"Madam Herta is usually like this, Mr. Lionheart." Astaire replied to Austin with a faint smile.
"Not at all, not at all. It's not something you need to worry about, Miss Asta. His Majesty just has a playful mouth," Klein, who was standing next to Asta, replied with a friendly smile that was much more approachable than Austin's faintly mysterious smile.
"Then, if we've said everything that needs to be said, I guess I should excuse myself and head towards the Express Crew first. There are probably many things they want to discuss with me as well. By the way, it seems like Ms. Herta is heading that way too, right?"
"Hmm," Herta nodded in response to Austin. "I'm quite interested in that kid who can store Stellaron in their body."
"Then let's walk together. Ms. Herta also has something she wants to discuss with me." After saying that, Austin turned to Klein.
"I'll leave this to you. Don't mess around anymore, and Ms. Asta, if you need any assistance from us, you can always tell Sir Hall."
Then both Austin and Herta walked towards Himeko, who was standing a little way off, talking to the gray-haired girl that Austin had just told Herta about.
"It seems like you're awake now. How do you feel?" Austin turned to greet the girl with gray hair.
"Just a bit confused... Who are you?"
"Allow me to introduce them; this is the one who helped you, the 85th genius of the Genius Society, Austin. The person next to him is the true owner of this space station, the 83rd genius, Herta." Himeko introduced both of them to the still-dazed girl with gray hair.
"If you're going to give advice, at least say it nicely. I have so many achievements; why should I talk about the society?" Herta interjected.
"I agree with Herta on this, Himeko. It's as if you're saying I'm not a member of the train crew." Austin interjected, but with a faint smile on his face, he showed that he wasn't too bothered by it."
"Anyway, what about this kid?"
"My name is Stelle, but the Genius Association, huh...?"
"Yeah, go ahead and laugh. That old man Zandar was the one who came up with this name, not me. Do you think I like it?" Herta turned to Stelle, crossing her arms and shooting a question that seemed to not want an answer.
"It's just a name for a group of people; don't think too much about it. But then again, not everyone likes it, and I'm one of them. And as I mentioned, Miss Herta, this is the kid who can store Stellaron in their body."
"Hmm, she looks so normal that it's almost unnoticeable. We'll have to keep a close eye on her." Herta smirked slightly.
"Moreover, the interior is completely stable, as if it were a body specifically designed to contain Stellaron."
"Wow, that's impressive. I went through the trouble of building a space station to contain Stellaron, but this little rascal can just keep it inside her." Herta nodded at Austin's words while scanning Stella's condition.
"Even if this child is a synthetic body, it must be so delicate that it goes down to a level smaller than a molecule. What kind of technology is this, like a physical energy body that integrates at the particle level?"
"Finally, someone who understands this stuff, no wonder you can solve equations at that level," Herta turned to compliment Austin. "That brat's body really does look like it was synthesized."
"My name is Stelle, not that brat." Stelle took a small step back as both Herta and Austin approached.
"Okay, Stelle, I get it, but I'm still going to call you 'the brat' as usual. My brain space is too valuable to waste on remembering everyone's names I meet." Herta replied straightforwardly before turning to Austin.
"That's quite something, but I'm glad you remember my name and Himeko's." Austin chuckled softly as he replied.
"That's a different story. Both of you aren't the type to just come and go. As for that brat, if you see her often enough, you'll remember her name eventually." Herta turned to Stelle again.
"Anyway, let's put that aside for now. As for that troublemaker, I'm quite interested in her. Can I conduct some research on her?" Herta said, turning to Himeko.
"I can't decide this on my own; wouldn't it be easier to ask the person involved?" When Himeko said that, all three pairs of eyes turned to Stellr at the same time.
"How much are you going to pay?" Stell asked straightforwardly, hands on her hips, with a sly smile.
"The business head is good. I really like it."
"This kid is quite funny. In the future, if Elation gazes at you, I won't be surprised at all." Austin smirked at the other person.
"Don't tease her like that." Himeko scolded both of them. "Herta wants you to stay on this space station; do you understand, Stella?"
"Yeah, right now I'm on fire, and I'll pay whatever you ask. You should thank me, you little rascal, because this is a service that even with IPC's connections, you can't buy. Oh, and don't think too much about it; just stay for a while. Once I finish my research or lose interest before you, you can go wherever you want."
"And after that?" Himeko turned to Herta with a worried look.
"after that? What does it have to do with me?" Herta replied in a serious tone, indicating that she really didn't care about it.
"Stelle, you still have another option, which is to travel with our Astral Express. If you want, I can take you to this trailblazing path. Austin himself came here for this."
"You also the Nameless? You never mentioned it, or is it classified information?" Herta quickly turned to Austin.
"It's not a secret that needs to be hidden. It's just that few people know that I traveled with the Express many years ago, and as for Stelle, the Express often encounters Stellaron. The concerns you have, we might find answers to them along the way. The journey is a bonus; even though trailblazing is dangerous, it keeps your heart racing, I must say."
"As Austin said, besides, we can have Herta conduct the research anytime." Himeko added.
"That's not bad. I won't have to worry when that brat is here."
"Should I take the train or stay here...?" Stell scratched her head, unable to decide.
"I think it's better if you take the train there. It's nice to be here, but it doesn't really help much. Just don't forget to come back and visit us often~, and if you want to schedule a visit, you can go see Asta or Arlan." Herta added, fully agreeing with Himeko.
"Then let's give Stelle some time to think, and in the meantime, the three of us won't handle the pending matters," Austin suggested.
"Alright then, I have quite a few things to discuss with you too." Then Austin and Herta parted ways. The two walked together to Herta's office, which was adorned with portraits of various geniuses she respected or was interested in.
"...I heard you're a collector, but I didn't think even virtual images would count. My own image is so few that you can count them on your fingers." Austin stood looking at his own likeness at the far right of the row.
"Forget about that; is that what you told me?" Austin turned towards the machine that resembled a giant computer, the main processing system of the space station.
"Yes, Simulated Universe. I've heard that there's something similar in the Abyss Domain too."
"That could be said, in the Divine Dragon Realm, we created a 'Virtual Universe' for training so as not to destroy this and that. But whether it is similar or not, we will have to see, because the purpose for which we created such things is not necessarily the same."
"My purpose is just to observe the star gods, that's all. But... who knows, in the future, I might use it for something else. Once created, it can be used for all sorts of things. I don't know if others would want to use it for something too."
Then Herta called Austin to the control panel of the simulated universe, introducing him to the various parts with familiarity akin to her own inventions. Austin quickly learned.
The conversation between the two went smoothly and amicably, and because they had many similarities, their collaboration went without any issues. Austin was also happy to present his ideas and share the knowledge that Herta was interested in.
"And if we adjust this value and the calculator and input the life equation into the algorithm, the creatures in the simulated dimension will be created with details that are more similar to the real world." Austin sent the converted equation data to Hertz through the device on his wrist.
"I see, just as I thought. My Rejuvenation equation has some characteristics and details that are really similar to the life equation you gave me. It seems like we're more alike than we thought~"
While Herta and Austin were enjoying the simulated universe, the door to Herta's office suddenly opened. It was Stelle stepping inside, looking around in confusion.
"Oh, I was the one who sent that troublemaker the message." Herta closed the control panel and turned to Stelle.
"Did you call her? You called her for... this? The tester you mentioned earlier to replace me is Stelle. It's really a fitting choice; with a body that can even contain Stellaron, it should blend well with the dimension of confinement." Herta nodded at Austin's words and walked towards Stelle.
"Finally, she here. This is one of my research projects that I want you to help with. Right now, Austin and I, along with a few other researchers, are working on this big project. To put it simply, as Austin once said, this is a universe simulated from our real universe. The goal is to uncover the secrets of the celestial beings." Then Herta began to elaborate on the greatness of the simulated universe she had created, both its goals and the results to be achieved.
Meanwhile, Austin was inputting the equation of life into the algorithm of the simulated universe, as he had discussed with Herta. During that time, he came across a significant amount of data on celestial deities recorded in the database, both those that still exist and those that have perished.