Previously, Herta had never upgraded her Puppets' network capabilities. It simply hadn't been necessary, as her research primarily focused on spatial phenomena.
However, "choosing not to" didn't mean she "couldn't." A simple network upgrade was child's play for her.
Yet, in this world, what unfolded next was utterly absurd. One moment, hackers were frantically trying to breach Little Herta's systems. The next, every screen—from the hackers' devices to the highest-level government terminals—went dark simultaneously. Then, each display morphed into a cute, chibi version of Herta, her hands clasped in prayer, eyes closed.
Beneath the image, small text read:
[Young girl praying...]
The world's executives: "???"
After skimming through classified intelligence, Herta quickly grasped the situation. A single eyebrow arched slightly, a peculiar expression forming on her face.
In a single word, this world could be described as: "selfish."
A Dyson Sphere envelops a sun, but the people of this world had done the opposite, encasing their entire planet in a massive, silver mechanical structure that stretched across the sky—the same structure Herta had witnessed earlier.
Beyond this mechanical barrier lay not the cosmos, but a sky filled with Dimensional Rifts that completely enveloped the planet. The purpose of this silvery machinery was to create new Dimensional Rifts.
The situation was roughly this: if a monster emerged from a Dimensional Rift outside the world, it would immediately be hurled into another dimension through an artificially created rift. It was akin to someone contracting a lethal infectious disease and deliberately spreading it to others.
The Evil God World of 1850 and Herta's Main World were among the victims infected by this world's reckless practices.
In truth, this world had long since perished, its corpse hardened into lifeless rock. Yet its inhabitants clung on like indestructible cockroaches—or perhaps parasites—tenaciously infesting the decaying husk of their world.
Herta wasn't sure how to evaluate these people's actions. In truth, with her complete control over the network, she could obliterate the last city in this world with a mere thought if she so desired.
Just moments ago, Little Herta had been surrounded by hovering police cars, but without her lifting a finger, the vehicles automatically retreated. The drivers inside frantically manipulated their controls, but nothing worked. They could only watch in terror as their cars drove themselves back to the garage, the doors opening as if urging them to get out.
After a moment's consideration, Herta decided that the fate of this world held little significance for her. Her sole purpose here was to locate the source of the Dimensional Rift and eliminate it.
With this in mind, Little Herta flew straight toward the silver mechanical construct in the sky. Without hesitation, she unleashed a blast of magic, tearing a gaping hole through its surface and revealing the pitch-black 'sky' beyond.
Little Herta resumed gathering information about the Dimensional Rift. It wouldn't take long before she could deduce what lay on the other side. By following this trail, she was confident she could trace it back to its true source.
Several hours later, having completed her data collection, a mirror materialized before Little Herta. She stepped through it and vanished from this world.
Herta had no intention of destroying this world. However, when the pristine silver machine in the sky exploded, tearing a gaping hole and exposing a Dimensional Rift, she cared little about the consequences.
She was simply here to do her job, nothing more.
Using the newly acquired information, Herta adjusted the mirror's parameters while simultaneously dispatching a puppet to the Beast-Eared Girl World to gather data on that world's Dimensional Rifts.
After all, this was reverse engineering—following the threads back to their source. Herta didn't need to focus solely on the current lead; she could pursue multiple paths concurrently.
Time passed slowly. In Herta's home, floor-length mirrors floated a few centimeters above the ground, each reflecting the bustling activity of Little Hertas flitting in and out. One by one, she identified the coordinates of different worlds.
A world ravaged by devastation, reduced to nothing but ruins, devoid of life.
A planet shattered into countless fragments, its remnants scattered across the void.
A world completely submerged beneath a black sea, utterly devoid of life.
Initially, the worlds accessible through the mirrors might have shown signs of life. But as her investigation deepened, most of the mirror worlds had already been destroyed, leaving nothing behind.
Notably, during this process, Herta even stumbled upon the world of the "Big Blue Men," where all inhabitants shared this distinctive appearance. Whether this was their natural form or the result of a civilization-wide genetic ascension remained unclear.
Only a single continent remained in this world, and upon it stood the civilization's last city. Endless waves of monsters besieged the city, and Herta observed the Big Blue Men within diligently calibrating their machines, seemingly seeking a new path for their civilization's survival.
Herta merely glanced at the scene, collected the necessary information, and then instructed Little Herta to depart. The civilization's actions couldn't be classified as inherently good or evil; their invasive behavior, driven by the survival of their clan, was simply a matter of differing perspectives. Herta had no intention of attacking them, nor any inclination to assist them.
As before, her sole purpose was information gathering.
This relentless chain of exploration continued for over a week. Herta lost track of how many worlds her puppets had visited. Then, one day, the two Little Hertas—one tracing the Submarine Dimensional Rift and the other originating from the Beast-Eared Girl World—miraculously converged in the same location!
This was a monochrome world of black and white. Even when the two Little Hertas looked at each other, they saw only those two colors. The world itself seemed complete, with cities, villages, mountains, and rivers, but it was utterly devoid of living beings.
Beyond this pristine black-and-white realm, high in the sky, the two Little Hertas searched tirelessly until they finally discovered a Dimensional Rift less than a meter wide. They sensed that beyond this rift lay the origin of all Dimensional Rifts—the true source of the "infection."
But just as they prepared to venture further, White Eagle, the Prophet, suddenly rushed in, urgently exclaiming to Elysia, "What have you done?! The disaster has been accelerated again! This time... it's coming in just a week!"