"Still, even if Zandar still has his consciousness, what exactly is he doing? Why'd you elbow him? Did he piss you off?"
Herta casually brushed a hand through her hair as she spoke, but when she noticed Lucian looking at her, she immediately turned her body slightly to the side, deliberately preventing him from getting a good look at her expression.
Lucian did not seem to care about her little gesture and simply continued explaining.
"He found an Emperor's Scepter and is running a simulated experiment. From what I know, he plans to have that Scepter crown itself as a new Lord Ravager, then borrow the power of Destruction and use a Destruction Equation to kill Nous. And that Scepter's known as Irontomb."
An Emperor's Scepter?
A Lord Ravager?
Kill Nous?
Irontomb?
What kind of absurd new information was that?
Herta's brows furrowed slightly as the implications of Lucian's words finally sank in, and the shock on her face became increasingly obvious. For a moment, she simply stared at him as though she needed to make sure she had heard everything correctly.
Zandar One Kuwabara, as the first seat in the Genius Society, the creator of Nous before THEIR ascension, and an Emanator of Erudition, was actually conspiring with Destruction to kill Erudition?
'Is that really possible? Nope, that definitely doesn't sound right... In that case, what's the real motive?'
Herta stared at Lucian's serious expression, carefully examining his face, yet she was unable to find the slightest hint that he was joking.
'He's not joking? Insane!'
Right after thinking that, Herta then asked about the thing that was bothering her the most.
"What's his real motive? Why would he do something like that?"
"Because Nous divided the knowledge of the universe into the knowable and the unknowable, and aside from THEM, no one can touch the unknowable knowledge. Every time your research is about to make a breakthrough, you run into all kinds of accidents that cause you to fail, right?"
At Lucian's question, Herta nodded in agreement without hesitation.
"I see... so I was being set up by Droidhead? No wonder. With a brain as smart as mine, how could my experiments possibly fail? If my opponent is an Aeon, then it all makes sense."
In other words, there was nothing wrong with the direction of her research all this time.
It was precisely because she had been trying to approach knowledge that remained unknown to the universe that Nous had interfered with her research, repeatedly creating obstacles that prevented her from reaching a breakthrough.
Once Herta understood the situation from that perspective, the numerous failures that had once frustrated her suddenly seemed far more reasonable.
"Hmph, just look at our level. I'm playing a game of wits against an Aeon. I'm way too awesome."
Once she looked at the matter from that perspective, Herta's mood immediately improved, and the slight gloom that had been lingering in her expression disappeared as though it had never existed.
Lucian, meanwhile, was left speechless by her narcissistic words.
Evidently, this narcissistic girl really could find a way to justify herself and raise her own value at every possible opportunity, no matter how ridiculous the circumstances were.
"Now that I know, Zandar's motive for killing Droidhead actually makes sense, because I suddenly had the same thought..."
Herta spoke irritably, clearly annoyed that she had only just figured it out.
"I knew you'd think that."
Lucian quipped with a shrug, causing Herta to shoot him another sidelong glance.
"Huh? How could you possibly have known that already?" Herta asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "I only thought of it a second ago."
"When you're walking down the path of knowledge and run into a gatekeeper, would you stop moving forward?" Lucian smiled as he explained. "No, you wouldn't. You'd kick the gatekeeper in the ass and charge straight through. Even if the gatekeeper were an Aeon."
"Hmph, don't think you know me that well." Herta folded her arms across her chest and raised her chin slightly, her expression carrying an unmistakable trace of pride. "What you know about me isn't even one ten-billionth of the whole picture. You just happened to get lucky this time."
"Take your time." Lucian reached out and casually pinched a strand of hair beside Herta's face, looking rather amused by her reaction. "I'll eventually figure out all your countless strengths and weaknesses."
"Who said I'd give you the chance to figure me out? Don't flatter yourself." Herta immediately snatched her hair back from Lucian's hand and turned her back toward him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her expression. "And besides, I have countless strengths, not weaknesses."
"Sure, sure..." Lucian gave an indifferent smile, clearly too familiar with her personality to bother arguing. "Well, I'm heading out. I'm gonna find Screwllum."
He had just turned around and was about to activate Absolute Hit when someone suddenly grabbed his arm from behind, stopping him before he could take another step.
"Wait, I'm coming with you. I don't feel like jumping through space myself. And don't think that means I wanna travel with you."
Herta held onto Lucian's arm with one hand while deliberately tilting her head away from him, refusing to meet his eyes even as she made it perfectly clear that she wanted him to take her along. Her actions contradicted her words so thoroughly that there was practically no room for misunderstanding.
Lucian had to admit that the slightly tsundere little act made her look unexpectedly cute.
He was increasingly convinced that this girl really was kind of adorable.
"Herta, the tsundere thing is kinda outdated. Just be honest."
"What the hell is a tsundere? You're talking nonsense. So, are we going or not?"
===
Planet Screwllum.
Within the magnificent city constructed from countless layers of metal and machinery, Lucian appeared directly before an enormous and extremely complex mechanical structure.
Its design was both elegant and precise, with countless components fitting together seamlessly in a manner that gave the entire structure an almost artistic quality. Every part appeared to serve a specific purpose, yet the sheer complexity of the construction made it difficult for an ordinary person to comprehend at a glance.
From Herta, Lucian learned that this was actually Screwllum's office.
As the two approached, the entrance opened automatically without either of them needing to do anything, and the platform beneath their feet began moving on its own, carrying them smoothly into the interior.
Lucian soon saw Screwllum sitting in the center of the room, quietly watching the two of them approach. His metallic figure remained perfectly still, giving off an air of calm and composure.
"I am deeply honored by the visit of two friends."
Screwllum's electronic voice remained gentle and resonant, and he showed no particular surprise at Lucian's sudden arrival. It seemed that, to him, unexpected visitors were hardly worth being surprised about.
After a brief pause, he continued.
"Question: What major matter could have brought the two of you here together?"
Before Lucian could say anything, Herta answered for him without the slightest hesitation.
"We're gonna steal Zandar's Scepter. We're taking you with us."
Screwllum visibly paused for a moment before asking cautiously.
"Question: You mean Zandar One Kuwabara of the Genius Society? Is this about the Emperor's Scepter?"
Like Herta, Screwllum had clearly been caught off guard by the legendary name, and even his usual composed manner showed a slight disturbance.
It was only natural, considering Zandar One Kuwabara was not an ordinary member of the Genius Society, and the Emperor's Scepter was no ordinary item either.
Lucian then repeated the explanation he had previously given Herta, explaining Zandar's plan and the purpose behind their trip.
Of course, Lucian's primary objective in inviting Screwllum was to obtain his curio known as the 'Chronocognitive Anchor.'
Chronocognitive Anchor was a curio that could establish a position across different flows of time, making it an extremely useful tool for locating someone even when the surrounding temporal conditions were abnormal.
Its ability to anchor a specific position across the flow of time was precisely what Lucian needed.
He knew that March would inexplicably end up in Amphoreus when they arrived there, and that even with the Scepter, they would be unable to trace her whereabouts.
For that reason, to prevent her from losing contact with them entirely, he needed to make the necessary preparations in advance so that they could locate her at any time, regardless of what happened to the flow of time around her.
"Mm... Interesting... Elbowing the first genius and preventing the destruction of the universe. Yes, this is indeed an extremely tempting invitation. Although the word 'elbowing' sounds somewhat crude, I believe I understand what you mean."
Screwllum paused briefly before giving his conclusion.
"Conclusion: It is indeed a meaningful adventure. I would be more than happy to contribute my strength."
Just like that, he agreed without further hesitation.
He, too, wanted to see just how powerful Zandar really was and what kind of ability the legendary Emperor's Scepter possessed. Being able to personally witness such an extraordinary existence was, in itself, a worthwhile opportunity for someone like him.
"Good. How many Chronocognitive Anchors do you have? Take them all out. I need them."
Lucian reached out his hand without the slightest trace of hesitation, directly asking for the curio he needed.
"I only have one."
Screwllum reached into his bag and took out a small device shaped like an anchor, placing it in Lucian's hand.
Needless to say, this inconspicuous little device was precisely the key to avoiding a great deal of trouble later, so Lucian accepted it without hesitation.
One was one.
He could simply use River God to make a copy later.
"Good. Next, come back to the Astral Express with me. You two will handle the technical support."
After successfully recruiting two major technical experts from the Genius Society in succession, Lucian was thoroughly satisfied with the results.
He intended to bring both of them aboard the Astral Express and have them assist with breaking through the temporal-spatial firewall surrounding the Scepter from the outside.
With the two of them working together, the difficulty of dealing with the Scepter's defenses would undoubtedly be reduced considerably.
===
Meanwhile, aboard the Astral Express, Black Swan stood quietly at the corner of the Parlor Car.
Her deep eyes once again drifted toward March, and the more she observed the girl, the more difficult it became for her to suppress the curiosity rising within her.
No matter how carefully she observed, the girl's memories were far too clean—they were so clean that they resembled a completely blank sheet of paper, and that was highly abnormal.
Under ordinary circumstances, after living for such a long time, a person's memories would inevitably contain traces of imperfections, distortions, or other remnants left behind by the passage of time. Even the most ordinary experiences would leave behind some kind of mark.
March, however, had none of that.
There was not even the slightest impurity in her memories, as though some unknown power had carefully wiped them clean, removing every trace that should have accumulated over the years and leaving behind nothing but an impossibly pristine state.
'Well, this really is one surprise after another. First Lucian, and now March 7th...'
Black Swan lightly pressed her lips together, and the curiosity burning inside her only grew stronger.
If she could investigate March's memories and discover the secret behind them, it would undoubtedly be a major achievement for a Memokeeper. A mystery of this level was precisely the sort of thing that could drive a Memokeeper to investigate it regardless of the risks involved.
Unfortunately, that was also the old problem that Memokeepers had always struggled with—their curiosity could easily overwhelm everything else.
Black Swan had only just suffered a major setback because of Lucian, yet she still could not shake the feeling that March's situation was different.
In her eyes, a monster like Lucian alone was enough.
Surely not everyone around him could be a monster, right?
Besides, the pretty pink-haired girl looked so silly and clueless.
What kind of danger could she possibly pose?
'It should be fine to take a look, right? Just a little contact.'
Seeing that the potential achievement was right in front of her, Black Swan simply could not bring herself to ignore it.
In the end, she silently encouraged herself and finally decided to make another attempt.
As long as she was careful, there should not be a problem.
===
[A bonus chapter for reaching 400 Power Stones]
[Support and get early access to upcoming chapters at: patreon.com/VALRRR]