After handling the miscellaneous affairs of the expedition team and settling the newly recruited girls, the Stellaron spirit and Gudako were packed off to the Astral Express crew.
Setsuna quickly began discussing serious matters with Grey.
Inside the administrative center's conference room, all the expedition team's research lolis were present.
They were elites selected from various departments such as the Physics Department, Engineering Department, and Life Sciences Department.
The Herta puppet had also been called over. Rather, she herself was already unimaginably interested in Setsuna.
"Commander, could you let me study you—just a little? Please?"
Herta stared at Setsuna for a long while. She had memorized all the data on the Starsea Empire by heart.
In a certain sense, this Commander could also be called a god—just one from another world.
"You've got quite the imagination."
Setsuna tapped Herta lightly.
"But don't you think your real body should come see me? Sending only a puppet to talk to me feels rather lacking in sincerity, doesn't it?"
"I still have some matters to resolve over there. If you're willing to let me study you, I'll come immediately."
Herta replied.
Pfft—
"As expected of you."
Setsuna laughed.
"But what we're about to do may be far more interesting than studying me."
Swish—
Grey projected complex data onto the holographic interface.
"After destroying the Interastral Peace Corporation, the Starsea Empire now holds unquestionable dominion in this universe. No ordinary civilization dares challenge us anymore."
"Of course, that's only a small part of our work. We didn't come here to manipulate cosmic trade or replace the IPC as some interstellar monopoly. That would be far too dull."
"Since the Commander has personally arrived, our mission will shift to the second phase—"
She paused.
"Completely analyze the power of the Aeons and bring Them all under the management and rule of the Starsea Empire."
"Oh!"
The research lolis were unfazed. After settling secular regimes, if a world had gods, nine times out of ten the next step was figuring out how to deal with the gods as well.
If it couldn't be handled immediately, it would be resolved sooner or later.
If they were like Nyarlathotep and the others—moral exemplars who stayed home gaming all day, hospitable and helpful—then fine. The moral standards of Outer Gods were higher than ninety-nine percent of the Starsea Empire's population.
But the Aeons were unfathomable and unpredictable. They could not be allowed to act recklessly within imperial territory.
Herta froze for a moment and leaned forward, concentrating.
She felt as though she had just heard the most fascinating and greatest project in history—analyzing and controlling gods.
"Question. What exactly do you intend to do?"
Herta asked.
"I originally planned to use the Herta Space Station's energy to pay an audience to Nous and ask Them questions. But it seems what you're proposing is even more interesting?"
"Simply put, we're going to do three things."
Grey said.
"First, analyze the principles and conditions behind the birth of an Aeon, thereby creating opportunities for ascension so suitable individuals within the Starsea Empire can take charge of new Paths."
"Second, have a discussion with the existing Aeons about whether They're willing to accept our governance and management. Those willing to submit are naturally welcome. As for those unwilling... no, They have only one choice."
"Follow our rules, or be destroyed."
The nanomachine's logic was precise, explaining the future objectives succinctly.
"From a practical standpoint, these three matters should proceed sequentially."
"Analyzing the principles of Aeons and allowing our people to ascend as new Aeons takes top priority and is the most important. This is to seize control of the highest-tier power system in this world."
"As for fighting the Aeons... we can let our newly ascended Aeons handle it, or call in Outer Gods. In short, that part isn't difficult."
"..."
The Herta puppet froze.
A piece of information flashed through her mind.
Far beyond the Xianzhou, hundreds of millions of light-years away, the real Herta shuddered.
She recalled something:
The three moments foretold by Nous.
First, a new Aeon would be born—They would create a Path and ascend.
Second, a war among Aeons would sweep the cosmos. Old gods would fall, and authorities would change hands.
And finally, Nous would fail to calculate the future of the universe. They pessimistically believed the universe would return to chaos and the unknown.
The prophecy overlapped with the Starsea Empire's plan.
In theory, Grey could deliberately do something else to invalidate Nous' prophecy.
But judging from the scale of mobilization and the power being deployed, it was clear that from the moment they arrived in this universe, they had already been planning these events.
Prophecy is prophecy. I was going to do this anyway.
To ascend as Aeons, contend for Paths, and unify the Aeons under a single order—this was perfectly in line with the Starsea Empire's style.
Herta did not know whether to marvel at Nous' extraordinary computational ability or praise the Starsea Empire's ambition.
"Ah..."
Kafka, who was listening in, froze as well.
"You're... planning to challenge the Aeons?!"
The Stellaron Hunters believed it was possible to kill an Aeon—but only possible. It would require meticulous planning and a certain price.
The Starsea Empire's move was on a far grander scale.
"Mm-hm. Isn't that super interesting?"
Grey smiled at her.
"Far more interesting than the jobs Elio assigns you, right?"
"..."
"Thrilling. Very thrilling. Provided I don't get killed by a single glance from an Aeon."
Silver Wolf muttered quietly.
"What do you plan to do? What do you need from me?"
Herta's initiative had been stirred like never before.
"Let's start with the first matter."
Grey and the research lolis answered.
"Many people from our homeland want to create their own Paths and wield the power of Aeons. Ereshkigal constructed a new cycle of life and death on the Xianzhou as an experiment."
"Unfortunately, we still haven't figured out the principles and mechanisms behind Aeon ascension. We need to understand how to ascend into an Aeon and how to control a Path."
"Mm..."
Herta pondered again.
"Do you have any plans?"
"Several."
Grey tapped the holographic screen.
"First, find a way to capture an Aeon and dissect Them for study. Simple and crude. However, since our goal is to research Their ascension method, I suspect most Aeons don't even know the answer themselves. It might just cause chaos."
"Second, accumulate research points. Use Phantylia and other Emanators as samples and conduct systematic research step by step. Stable, but inefficient. We don't know how long it would take."
"Third, go ask Nous. But we're not certain They can provide a useful answer."
"Only you would come up with the idea of capturing an Aeon for research."
Herta said in admiration.
After a moment of contemplation—
"If we want to simulate the birth of an Aeon, I have another proposal."
"Use data and code to reconstruct the cosmos. Reproduce the evolution of Aeons within the Simulated Universe."
"The Simulated Universe was originally jointly developed by me, Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and Stephen. With your technological support and additional data, deriving more information isn't impossible."
"We can also run several plans simultaneously. Once we reach a conclusion, we can input it into the Simulated Universe for verification to determine whether it's effective."
As a system jointly developed by the Genius Society to explore the mysteries of Aeons, the Simulated Universe was perfectly suited for this task.
"Oh, good idea."
Grey clapped her hands.
"Agreed. To enhance computational power and precision, we'll need to upgrade the Simulated Universe's hardware."
"Don't worry. The budget is unlimited. Cost is no object."
She dispatched a research team and Bulins to the space station to begin renovation work.
"Mm."
Herta greatly appreciated the nanomachine's efficiency. This was the tacit understanding between geniuses.
"But, Commander?"
The Herta puppet turned her head again to look at Setsuna.
She spoke softly.
"Since you have personally come here, do you also intend to wield the power of an Aeon like them? May I witness the moment of your ascension to godhood?"
"Mm."
Setsuna nodded.
"Question. What Path do you intend to create? No..."
Before she finished speaking, confusion appeared on Herta's face.
The question was inaccurate. What Path one created depended on what kind of person the creator was.
She found it difficult to summarize Setsuna's qualities directly.
"Will you inherit the Path of Trailblaze? Or perhaps Destruction? ..."
"Take a guess."
...
Buzz—
With the objectives of the second phase confirmed, the expedition team's research groups and Herta immediately sprang into action.
Thousands of Bulin fleets set sail for the Herta Space Station. It already possessed abundant experimental facilities, making it ideal as a forward research base.
At the same time, even more Bulins and Angeloids were mobilized from the Starsea Empire's homeland.
"Burin!!"
A group of rainbow-colored Bulins carrying Ultra Rainbow Hammers descended onto the Herta Space Station, leaving Asta and the researchers utterly astonished.
"Are you sure they can understand the principles behind the Simulated Universe?"
Herta watched the lively Bulins with skepticism.
"Don't worry about whether they understand it. As long as they can build it, that's enough. Construction difficulty isn't our concern."
Grey paid it no mind at all. She had even transferred gold, purple, and rainbow Bulins. Besides high-tech manufacturing, there would probably be infrastructure work involved as well.
"..."
Herta was speechless at this utterly green-skinned approach. After a moment's thought, she decided it didn't matter. The Starsea Empire was providing the budget and manpower. Let them do as they pleased.
"Ahem. Your prototype's performance is insufficient. Far from sufficient. Our goal is to simulate and analyze the birth of Aeons, as well as the principles behind Their creation of Paths."
"It must also possess a certain degree of predictive capability, because we need to experiment and simulate what methods others could use to ascend."
Inside Herta's office, Grey, together with Kayo Senju, Midori Fuse, and a group of little girls, examined the prototype she had built for quite some time before delivering a merciless critique.
The current Simulated Universe was still the primitive version Herta had previously cobbled together with Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and Stephen. It only included data injection for inorganic life and simulated Aeons.
Its functionality was extremely basic.
"My apologies. This is the best I can do for now. Feel free to modify it however you like."
The Herta puppet spread her hands.
"What's your plan?"
"Simple."
With a swish, Grey projected thousands of pages of complex holographic interfaces. Asta immediately felt dizzy at the sight, while Herta read with relish, sinking into thought.
"First, confirm the target Aeons for simulation. I intend to construct, in data form and with near one-hundred-percent accuracy, several thousand versions of the universe from before the Amber Era."
"Within the Simulated Universe, we will recreate the birth processes of the Aeon of Destruction Nanook, the Aeon of Trailblaze Akivili, and the Aeon of Erudition Nous, then conduct comprehensive data analysis."
"If a mere astral supercomputer could ascend to godhood, I believe I can too."
Grey patted her chest. She was confident her computational power already surpassed that of Nous before Their ascension.
"Additionally, I want to simulate the events of the Emperor's War. I wish to understand Emperor Rubert's scepter system and the Anti-Organic Equation."
"Both are fascinating—especially the Anti-Organic Equation. It reminds me of a specialty from another universe."
"Huh? You're interested in that stuff?!"
Herta was baffled.
The Emperor's War was ancient history. Many details were long lost to time.
"Mm. If I were Emperor Rubert, I could have eliminated all organic life."
"..."
"Exploring the Emperor's War will involve another troublesome individual."
Herta sighed.
"Polka Kakamond? It's fine. Let her come. I'll wait for her right here at the Herta Space Station."
Grey's interest only grew.
"If necessary, I'll have the Sophons broadcast a bounty across the universe for Polka Kakamond."
The fourth seat of the Genius Society, the Lord of Silence.
She had erased her portraits and statues across the universe, ended the Emperor's War, and killed Emperor Rubert.
Many Genius Society members' deaths were connected to her. When Polka Kakamond sensed someone tracing her footsteps, she would follow the causal chain back to cause trouble.
"You're planning to fish her out through entrapment?... Fine. Just try not to cause any catastrophic incident."
Herta was thoroughly impressed.
She gathered with Grey and the little girls in the conference room, spreading out materials and beginning the grand project of upgrading the Simulated Universe.
Thousands of Bulins visibly transformed the Herta Space Station at an astonishing speed, installing new energy systems, shield modules, and more.
"By the way, to simulate the organic life components, I'll need another assistant."
"Although we don't get along, I won't deny she's a genius among geniuses. The Simulated Universe owes much to her."
Herta said.
"You mean Ruan Mei?"
"For the life sciences aspect, I can transfer Dr. Mobius over. Mm... she and Ruan Mei might find some common ground."
"You know her?"
Herta was slightly surprised.
"Mm-hm. Every beautiful girl in this universe is on our mission list."
Grey nodded.
"She needs the Commander to inject humanity into her even more than you do. And it'll probably take many injections before it works."
"?"
...
Meanwhile.
As the grand plan for the Simulated Universe advanced, the renovation of the Astral Express was also placed on the agenda.
Near the starskiff dock, the two Himekos led a group of Bulins, standing between two Astral Express trains.
Beside them were two groups of train crew members.
"Since we're all members of the Astral Express crew now, I believe merging the two Astral Express trains into one is quite necessary."
Murata Himeko cleared her throat.
The merged crew would include the original Himeko and March 7th, her own small team, and Stelle and Gudako, who had signed up after hearing the news.
It already qualified as a fairly sizable Trailblazing squad.
"Akivili's train possesses the power of Trailblaze. The Starsea Empire's train is larger and technologically more advanced. So we should combine their strengths."
The two Himekos both had backgrounds in engineering and astronautics. They hit it off immediately.
"Therefore, we plan to combine the main structures of the two Astral Express trains and, on the basis of the original train, implement some modern upgrades."
"Wait, pa!!"
Pom-Pom was stunned, standing at the carriage door and stomping anxiously.
"Renovations and merging and all that... you can't damage this Astral Express!"
"Don't worry. Akivili's train is practically a cultural relic. We'll take good care of it."
Murata Himeko projected structural blueprints as a group of Bulins eagerly crowded around.
"The original Astral Express' propulsion system is too weak. Its defenses and firepower are also insufficient."
"So we're converting it into a dual-drive system and installing additional weapon modules, shield modules, and backup energy modules."
Her design wasn't hard to understand.
It involved modifying the Cosmic Juggernaut and attaching it to the rear of the Astral Express, while modernizing the central carriages.
This way, the front engine could be swapped at any time. If necessary, the two engines could even tow separate sections of carriages and operate independently.
The renovation itself was relatively straightforward.
"Oh, that's a good idea. We can use whichever engine we want, and even split up when needed."
Stelle craned her neck to look.
The Bulin construction team quickly hauled various tools up and got to work.
At first, docking the two engine heads together, installing new carriages on the original train, and adding new furniture inside were all things March 7th and Himeko could understand.
But once the large-scale modifications began, they—and Pom-Pom—started feeling something was off.
"Um... may I ask what that thing is?"
March 7th pointed at a missile-silo-like structure being installed along the side of one carriage.
"Corrosion missile launch silos. According to estimates, the train can carry sixteen launch arrays in total, capable of executing surface-level cleansing missions."
"It's perfectly normal for the Astral Express to have some self-defense firepower, right?"
Murata Himeko shrugged.
"Oh..."
"What about the one on top of the third carriage?"
March 7th reluctantly accepted that explanation and pointed at the turret-like behemoth mounted on another carriage.
Its base nearly filled the entire carriage, reminiscent of classical-era railway cannons.
"Axle-mounted weapon system. A small Tachyon Lance. Each armed carriage will have one installed. Six in total."
"When we roam the cosmos, we must ensure firepower superiority in case of interstellar pirates. Makes sense, right?"
"..."
Himeko and March 7th barely convinced themselves. With more crew members, installing a few extra weapons was... reasonable.
"Why are three carriages linked together like that? And why are they so huge?"
They turned to another peculiar module.
"Because we're installing a Photoid emitter. Even miniaturized, its ammunition capacity and firing rate are low, but it's still useful."
Gudako answered with her arms crossed.
"If we encounter a civilization looking to cause us trouble, we need some countermeasures, right?"
As she spoke, she sighed.
"Ah, what a pity the Commander didn't issue us any Dual-Vector Foils."
"Huh? A Photoid emitter?!"
March 7th and Himeko's expressions began to twist.
The earlier weapons had been barely justifiable. Installing this on the Astral Express made them seriously question the renovation's intent.
An excessive-firepower anxiety disorder seemed to be spreading into the civilian sector.
"And... the sixteen hundred combat Angeloids newly stationed in the carriages are... ?"
"For landing operations. If we can handle minor issues ourselves, there's no need to trouble the Imperial fleet."
"???"
Himeko was dumbfounded.
She had thought the Starsea Empire's renovation would transform the Astral Express into a faster, more powerful interstellar high-speed train.
Instead, it had been upgraded with massive "self-defense" firepower, turning it into an armed Astral Express.
Its martial virtue was overflowing.
"Aren't we... going Trailblazing?"
March 7th raised her hand timidly.
"Expanding territory is also Trailblazing!!!"