The Suniaster was a key item in the world of No Game No Life.
Unlike the Holy Grail sought by many Servants, the Suniaster contained the power of creation on a cosmic scale, as well as the sovereignty to rule an entire universe.
If one were to judge solely by the strength and performance of the Ex-Machina, it would be hard to imagine that the "One True God" they spoke of wasn't some native planetary god, but a genuine, bona fide deity who could achieve omnipotence within a single universe.
Even Nous had subconsciously misjudged.
It wasn't that they lacked imagination, but because beings at the level of a master of a single universe were few and far between, even in the entire Honkai: Star Rail cosmos.
In terms of status, Su Mo was on the same level as the strongest Aeon, IX the Nihility.
A Path-bound god like Nous was a tier below Su Mo.
After all, his purpose was to calculate the answer to the universe, and it wasn't even certain he could figure it out.
Su Mo, on the other hand, truly possessed an entire universe.
Originally, Nous had treated Su Mo, this person from another world, with the standard procedure for an audience.
Only now did he realize that the term "audience" was indeed correct, but perhaps the roles should be reversed... It wasn't the other party having an audience with him, but him having an audience with the other party.
"Master of another universe..."
Looking at the starlight draped over Su Mo, after ten thousand years, Nous finally began to calculate again.
If he still had a physical body, his computational systems would surely be overclocked to the point of smoking.
He naturally wouldn't blindly believe Su Mo's words. As the Aeon of Erudition, his habit was to analyze and judge for himself.
However, the mystery that manifested on Su Mo's body made it almost impossible for him to begin. He didn't need much time; at first glance, Nous confirmed that the rules covering Su Mo's surface were pure, otherworldly laws that did not match the Honkai: Star Rail universe at all.
Furthermore, Su Mo had actively used the starlight to isolate himself, turning himself into a black box. Nous couldn't probe any information from him at all.
This pure information barrier was on a completely different dimension from the Imaginary Space that separated countless small worlds.
Let alone him, even if all the other Aeons combined, they could never break through this defense.
If he wasn't mistaken…
"Is this... a barrier between universes?" Nous proposed this hypothesis.
"Correct." Su Mo nodded, acknowledging the idea. "Enclosing myself within the protection of the Suniaster's universe was an inspiration I got from Saber. It's a basic self-defense technique."
The reason he dared to venture into the world of Honkai: Star Rail alone was not just the confidence from the chat group's anytime-exit mechanism, but also the sovereignty of the Suniaster.
Although the Suniaster could only be used within the world of No Game No Life, and could only maintain his power supply and allow him to exert his usual strength in the outside world...
However, Su Mo, the One True God himself, could also be considered a part of the world of No Game No Life.
Therefore, the Suniaster could establish a clear barrier between Su Mo and the outside world. Without the power to break through a world's barrier, without the ability to shatter the sovereignty of the Suniaster, one could not cross this barrier to harm the Su Mo within.
Naturally, as Su Mo's property, Holou also enjoyed this privilege.
That was why Su Mo had come before Nous without any other preparations.
Now, facing Nous's shock, Su Mo struck while the iron was hot.
"As I said before, the heart is a sharp weapon against nihility. To calculate the answer to the universe, civilization is the key variable."
"Even if your Path itself doesn't care about civilization, you must ensure the existence of the variable of civilization until you calculate the ultimate answer."
"Therefore, Nihility and Finality are your eternal obstacles... On this point, we should be on the exact same side."
Whether from Nous's consistent behavior, the information he got from Herta, or Nous's own reactions just now, Su Mo could be sure of this.
That was why he had changed his mind and accelerated his plan.
Hearing Su Mo's invitation, Nous finally ended his extremely laggy analysis.
With his current computational power, he still couldn't analyze the weight of a master of a universe. But based on the known information, he was almost certain that Su Mo was telling the truth.
The computational lag translated into unparalleled shock. The process of resource allocation and clearing was no different from an organic life form being shocked into silence.
Taking Su Mo's status as a master of a universe as a premise, Nous focused his boiling computational power on considering Su Mo's proposal.
Even for an Aeon, this invitation from a master of another universe held immense weight.
"Query: Master of another universe, can your proposal be interpreted as you interfering with the interstellar mythology, attempting to establish a mythological alliance, and thereby creating a pantheon?"
After a long silence, Nous asked this question with extreme caution.
Nous had received all the information Su Mo had described to Herta and the others about interstellar civilizational gods.
If Su Mo's theory was correct, the universe was an upward-spiraling cycle.
Tribal native gods become mythological gods through civilizational fusion. Mythological gods become civilizational gods through civilizational competition. And the so-called civilizational gods are then relegated to native planetary gods in the interstellar age.
According to this pattern, once the native planetary gods became interstellar civilizational gods, the next step would most likely be to strengthen the connections between the Aeons and form a pantheon.
This time, however, the purpose of forming a pantheon wouldn't be for faith, but to broaden their Paths.
By binding concepts together, they would clarify the philosophical concepts the Aeons represented. Just as Lan the Hunt achieved godhood by binding themself to Yaoshi the Abundance, this phenomenon had long existed. It was just that no one besides Su Mo had noticed it.
If Su Mo's theory was correct, then the coming period of historical transition would see not only conflict between the Aeons but also an evolution of the Aeon model itself.
Nous was certain that Su Mo's so-called alliance would not consist of just him alone.
And once the Aeons formed an alliance and fought together, the connections between them would strengthen, and an interstellar mythology would be born.
From the results, Su Mo's proposal was completely pushing interstellar civilization forward, advancing it to the era of an Aeon alliance that should have only been born in a much more distant future.
"Correct!" He had exposed the development model of this world's Aeon civilization in advance, intending to crush it with a straightforward, grand strategy. "Creating an Aeon alliance mythology is the inevitable trend. I don't think many Aeons will refuse my invitation. If you don't want to do it, there are plenty of others who will."
In an extremely calm tone, Su Mo spoke to the Aeon before him with the words of a capitalist.
"So, what do you say?"
Faced with Su Mo's confident inquiry, Nous did not rush.
On the contrary, the blind old man was still able to maintain extreme caution. After a moment of calm thought, he spoke again.
"Based on logical judgment, from the conditions of the alliance alone, I should not refuse this invitation."
"But before that, I must confirm one thing..."
As he spoke, his sunglass-covered blind eyes seemed to stare into Su Mo's.
"Query: What is your purpose? Before I accept your invitation, I need to confirm that we are truly on the same side."
On a matter as important as an alliance, no matter how great the risk of refusal, he had to first confirm that the underlying logic was sound.
Although Su Mo's current behavior seemed fine, and the goal of establishing a mythology was beneficial to the prosperity of interstellar civilization, a wise man would never judge another's purpose based on such a short observation.
He and Su Mo had the motivation to cooperate, but they still lacked a foundation of mutual trust.
To this question he had long anticipated, Su Mo said casually, "What if I told you it was for the position of the One True God of the interstellar mythology?"
Based on past experience and logical deduction, after individual gods united to form a pantheon, they would inevitably begin to create a hierarchy.
After all, comparing the combat power of Guan Gong and Qin Qiong across different eras has always been a favorite pastime of onlookers.
When the Aeons were independent, it was fine. To avoid being targeted by a single believer, discussions about Aeon combat power were always kept brief.
But once the Aeons formed an alliance and became allies, internal disputes and chaos would be inevitable.
In a sense, this controversy was also part of civilizational prosperity.
And after continuous elimination and evolution, the distinction between upper and lower tiers would become more and more obvious.
Just like the monotheistic tendency of Zeus in Greek mythology, in the end, an existence that ruled over all myths would inevitably be born.
That being would stand above all Aeons, becoming the head of the pantheon that could command even IX the Nihility—the One True God of the interstellar civilization.
"Reasonable."
After a few seconds of thought, Nous nodded slightly.
Given Su Mo's current identity as the One True God of another universe, it was normal for him to be interested in the position of the One True God of the Honkai: Star Rail universe.
From a mortal perspective, Su Mo's actions were a complete invasion by an otherworldly being.
The One True God of the interstellar civilization would surely be able to control the entire Honkai: Star Rail universe. Su Mo's ambition was equivalent to wanting to take the entire universe for himself.
However, the Aeons didn't care about this.
Whether Su Mo wanted to become the supreme god or the one true god, as long as he didn't interfere with or hinder his own search for the truth of the universe, Nous wouldn't see the need to intervene.
On the contrary, Su Mo's honesty increased his credibility.
If an organic life form's actions weren't for its own benefit, that would be the real problem.
However, these words alone were not enough to completely dispel his doubts.
"Based on language and logic alone, I cannot be one hundred percent certain of your position."
Nous informed him with the same honesty.
"I am willing to accept the invitation, but I still require decisive evidence."
To this, Su Mo, who had long anticipated it, smiled faintly.
"Decisive evidence, and my position? That's simple enough."
"You should know that a god cannot betray their own concept. Even a one true god is no exception. So—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a vision of light and shadow containing the entire concept of a cosmology flashed.
In Su Mo's hand, the phantom of a burning, half-withered world tree appeared.
"How about this?"