The moment Herta declared her intention to link directly with Nous, Screwllum stepped forward to stop her.
"Herta, I believe I have told you before. If you connect directly with Nous through the Audience System, you will suffer severe damage, perhaps even death."
Himeko, hearing Screwllum's words, also stepped in to dissuade her. "Herta, you don't need to take such a risk. We are already incredibly grateful for your help this time. There's no need to put yourself in that kind of danger!"
Listening to their objections, Herta simply let out a light laugh. She reached up and pulled the brim of her hat down, obscuring the upper half of her face.
"Perhaps. But this is something I must do. Screwllum, the reason we're in this mess... it might be because of my curiosity."
"Herta, what do you mean by that?"
Just as Screwllum finished speaking, he immediately recalled the matter of the Simulated Universe. Being as intelligent as he was, he instantly understood that Herta was blaming herself for her curiosity in inviting Fu Zhu to help with the research project.
"Herta, if that is truly the case, then the fault is not yours alone. I, too, was your accomplice."
Screwllum took another step forward, standing directly in front of Herta. "I believe that with an additional person assisting, it should be possible to mitigate some of the damage from linking with Nous."
Hearing this, Herta looked up, an eyebrow raised in a smirk. "Are you sure? The worst that can happen to me is ending up in a vegetative state. Brain damage for you, on the other hand, is truly fatal."
Screwllum, however, let out a chuckle. "If Nous truly calculated the arrival of the Ender Dragon, then it most certainly would have also calculated that I would choose to connect alongside you."
After hearing that, the corner of Herta's mouth curled up, and her usual confident smile returned.
"Well then, let's go all out. I can take this opportunity to see just what's inside Nous's big machine head!"
Seeing that both had made up their minds, Himeko knew she alone couldn't dissuade them. All she could do was offer her blessing.
"In that case, I can only wish you both the best of luck."
"Thank you for your well wishes, Ms. Himeko." Screwllum produced a communicator from his coat and handed it to Himeko, explaining, "This communicator is linked to the artifact we previously gave to Mr. Fu Zhu. You should be able to contact him inside Amphoreus with it. And before we attempt the connection, I will still be available to assist you."
"Thank you."
Himeko took the communicator and, without wasting any time, began following Screwllum's instructions to contact Fu Zhu inside Amphoreus.
Before long, the communication was established. Projections of Fu Zhu and the group of Chrysos Heirs around him appeared in the train car.
Seeing Fu Zhu and the others unharmed, Himeko let out a long sigh of relief.
"Fu Zhu, it's so good to see that you're all safe. But... what's going on with your eyes?"
Himeko raised a hand and pointed at Fu Zhu's glowing white eyes. Even as a projection, they were still quite unsettling to look at.
"Oh, this? It's just a minor side effect of a power-up. Nothing to worry about," Fu Zhu explained casually.
Himeko nodded, not dwelling on the topic, and got back to the matter at hand.
"Back to business. We don't know the specifics of your situation in there, but the joint fleet is preparing to help destroy the End Crystals. You just need to focus on dealing with the Ender Dragon. We'll handle the remaining obstacles."
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Fu Zhu's face.
"That's great. Please pass on my thanks to everyone."
Destroying the End Crystals was a simple matter for him, but he wouldn't refuse his companions' offer to brave the immense pressure of the Ender Dragon and risk their lives to help him.
"I will," Himeko nodded in acknowledgment. After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Fu Zhu, how do you plan to deal with it?"
"Hmm..."
Fu Zhu turned his head to look at the Ender Dragon, which remained motionless in the distance, waiting for him to make the first move. He fell silent for a moment.
Truthfully, he had many ways to kill the Ender Dragon, but that was contingent on knowing the full extent of its abilities. As of now, Fu Zhu still didn't know how much the Ender Dragon had been empowered. Just from its ability to alter the entirety of Amphoreus, he knew that it, at the very least, could also use some commands.
However!
All his previous hesitations were based on the limitations of being in Survival Mode. In Creative Mode, there was very little he needed to worry about.
Fu Zhu grinned and gave Himeko an OK sign. "Don't worry, just leave it to me."
Himeko returned his smile. "I believe in you."
With that, Fu Zhu on the other end actively disconnected the communication. After the call ended, the smile on Himeko's face gradually faded. Though she said she believed in him, deep down, she couldn't help but worry.
Screwllum, standing beside her, offered some comfort. "Ms. Himeko, please have faith in Mr. Fu Zhu. He is the most miraculous person we have ever met. This time, too, he will surely turn disaster into triumph. And I have good news. During that last communication, I detected that the flow of time inside Amphoreus is now identical to the outside world. We no longer need to worry that our assistance will not arrive in time."
"That's good to hear."
Just as the two finished speaking, a commotion came from another train car. A moment later, Himeko and the others saw Dan Heng, Stelle, and March 7th push open the car door, their faces etched with anxiety.
Himeko was surprised to see that their consciousness had returned to their bodies. Not long ago, they had just retrieved the physical bodies of Dan Heng and Stelle from the depths of space and brought them back to the Express. She didn't expect the three of them to have their consciousness return at this moment.
"How did you three get back?"
Dan Heng explained anxiously, "Just after the communication ended, Fu Zhu said Amphoreus was too dangerous and he was sending us away. He sent our consciousnesses back before we could even say anything!"
Stelle also turned to Screwllum and Herta with a worried look. "Herta, Mr. Screwllum, can you send us back again? I can't rest easy leaving my big brother alone in Amphoreus! And Castorice and the others are there too, I'm worried about them!"
Hearing this, Screwllum and Herta looked at each other hesitantly. Sending the three back was not difficult, but just as Fu Zhu had said, Amphoreus was far too dangerous. If the three of them were to get involved in the deathmatch between Fu Zhu and the Ender Dragon, they would surely be caught in the crossfire. If anything were to happen, it would be a result no one wanted to see.
With this in mind, Screwllum decisively shook his head, refusing their request.
"I apologize. Just as Mr. Fu Zhu feared, we cannot send you back regardless of the danger to your lives."
"How could you..."
March 7th ran to the train car window, her face full of worry as she gazed in the direction of Amphoreus.
"Fu Zhu..."
Himeko walked to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Little March. Just like all the times before, believe in Fu Zhu."