"I have them? I don't think so. What would I even do with your puppet?"
Herta said nothing, simply staring intently at Fu Zhu's face. After a moment, she finally looked away.
"Fine. If you say you don't have it, you don't. Just remember not to do anything... perverted with my puppets."
It was just a puppet that could be created with a wave of her hand. If Fu Zhu wanted it, he could have it, as long as he didn't use her puppet for any unsavory business.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."
Fu Zhu coughed violently, a little embarrassed. It seemed his little maneuver hadn't escaped Herta's notice after all.
Still, this was good. It looked like Herta was tacitly approving of his actions. He hadn't expected her to be so easy to talk to!
Initially, Fu Zhu had thought that, given Herta's personality, getting a Herta puppet from her would be a troublesome affair. He had even been brainstorming ways to trade for one, but he never imagined it would be this simple.
After this small interlude, Fu Zhu turned back to the three of them. "The effectiveness of the JEI Item Management Mod has been verified. It's confirmed that it can show me the recipes for everything in this universe. Shall we return to the Simulated Universe to continue our research now?"
Silver Wolf, who had been standing awkwardly to the side, raised a small hand. "Um, excuse me... shouldn't you be keeping this kind of thing from me? It's a bit awkward for me to say it, but I'm technically on the enemy side. Are you really okay with revealing the secrets of your power to me?"
The three of them glanced sideways at her, looking as if they had just heard a funny joke. The corners of their mouths all curled into a smile.
Silver Wolf couldn't understand why the three of them had suddenly started laughing. "What are you laughing at? I'm trying to be considerate of you here! Aren't you worried that after your secrets are revealed, someone will find a way to counter you?"
Fu Zhu chuckled, crossed his arms, and walked over to Silver Wolf, leaning down to meet her gaze.
"Let me ask you, how many mods do you think I possess?"
Silver Wolf was taken aback, a faint sense of unease rising in her heart. "What do you mean..."
"For a Steve, mods are also a kind of 'technology' that can be freely created. So, take a guess, how many digits do you think the number of mods I've mastered is?"
Silver Wolf was instantly stunned by Fu Zhu's words. The term he had just used wasn't "how many," but "how many digits." That was far too exaggerated.
"I... I talked too much..."
Fu Zhu smiled, not frightening Silver Wolf any further. He turned to Herta and Screwllum, awaiting their decision. After all, when it came to research in the Simulated Universe, he was just there to assist, not to lead.
The decision of what to research was up to them.
Without a second thought, Herta said directly, "Let's go, back to the Simulated Universe. I can't wait to see the real body of that black dragon. The chance to face an Aeon isn't something everyone gets, not even an Emanator."
Based on all the previous signs, Herta and Screwllum had already placed the Ender Dragon on a level equal to the Aeon of [Finality]. The only thing they didn't understand was why the Ender Dragon could still share a Path with the Aeon when the latter had not yet fallen.
Herta was eager to solve this mystery.
"I think that would be improper."
Screwllum, however, gave a response that was the complete opposite of Herta's. Seeing the confused looks from Herta and Fu Zhu, he explained.
"Herta, I know you have a strong curiosity about Fu Zhu's homeland, but uncovering the mystery step by step is the correct choice. Besides, have you forgotten that Ruan Mei hasn't arrived yet? With her here, we might be able to analyze the composition of that world's lifeforms, which would provide us with many clues."
After hearing Screwllum's words, Herta seemed to be persuaded. She sighed and nodded.
"Fine. I'll go get her. You all can rest for a bit."
With that, Herta strode briskly out of the office, eager to pull Ruan Mei into her research of the Simulated Universe.
After Herta left, Screwllum spoke apologetically to Fu Zhu. "Fu Zhu, why don't you rest for a while? Herta, once she gets interested in something, tends to research it without eating or drinking. It can be quite exhausting. As for Miss Silver Wolf, just leave her with me. If the Stellaron Hunters send someone to hand over the Stellaron, I will help receive it."
"Alright."
Fu Zhu had no objection to this arrangement. It just so happened that he planned to use this opportunity to collect a few more Herta puppets. Although taking a large number of them at once might make Herta angry, he already had an idea of what to use to appease her.
"Then I'll just go for a little stroll."
---o---
Fu Zhu waved to Screwllum and left the office. He opened his minimap at the door, confirmed the specific locations of all the Herta puppets on the space station, and then headed towards the nearest one.
In the lowest level of the Herta Space Station, within the medical bay, Ruan Mei was standing before a nutrient pod, recording various data from the screen. From time to time, she would glance up at the woman lying inside the pod, confirming that her condition was not deteriorating further, before she would return to her computer, relieved, to input the data she had just recorded for analysis.
Just as she was quietly analyzing the data, the door to the bay was suddenly thrown open. Herta walked in with the clack-clack-clack of her high heels.
"Ruan Mei! Let's go! To the Simulated Universe!"
Herta came in, grabbed Ruan Mei's wrist, and made a motion as if to drag her outside.
Seeing her so anxious, Ruan Mei sighed softly and asked calmly, "Are all the preparations on the Simulated Universe side complete? For you to be this anxious, the situation inside must have exceeded your expectations, hasn't it?"
"That's right!" Herta nodded, her eyes sparkling brightly as she said with excitement, "You'll definitely be interested too! Every single creature in there can be considered a Pathstrider! Especially that black dragon... it's practically an Aeon!"
"An Aeon..."
A flicker of interest ignited in Ruan Mei's usually emotionless eyes.
An Aeon. Even for an Emanator, such a being was incredibly distant. Her goal was to personally cultivate an Aeon, and if the Simulated Universe was as miraculous as Herta claimed, her research might just see significant progress!
"Alright, I'll go with you after I make some preparations."
"Okay."
Seeing Ruan Mei agree, Herta immediately took out her phone, preparing to use a Herta puppet to notify Fu Zhu and the others to continue the research.
Rest? That doesn't exist!
But as Herta tapped on her operating system a few times, she discovered a problem.
"Huh? Why are all my Herta puppets offline? The locators are disabled too..."