Herta Space Station. Adrian stepped off the platform with March 7th and Himeko.
"You seem pretty familiar with this place," Himeko said, smiling slightly as she watched Adrian look around.
Years had passed, and compared to her teenage self, she'd grown more mature and composed, with a few traces of age on her face.
Adrian, on the other hand, hadn't changed a bit…
No, he had changed.
Where? Probably his identity.
Himeko never imagined the young man who earnestly helped her repair the train back then was an Emanator.
Claiming to be a follower of the [Eternity Church], he was actually an Emanator gazed upon by an Aeon, now aboard the [Trailblaze] Astral Express, and once known as the [Worst Nameless]…
"You've got too many identities."
"Hey, out in the universe, you need a few identities to get by," Adrian said casually. Even if he claimed to be of [Abundance], Lan's arrows wouldn't target him.
"When you're out and about, you give yourself the identity!"
March 7th chimed in, having prepared a whopping seventy-seven backstories for herself!
Originally sixty-seven, Adrian had helped her come up with ten more in the past few days.
Like: [The leader of the Denizens of Abundance, barely escaping the Plagues Author's arrows, accidentally frozen, losing memory, and picked up by the train—a beautiful girl.]
Or: [A Mask of Fools, too mischievous, angering the Remembrance Aeon, sealed in six-phased ice, then picked up by the train—a beautiful girl.]
"This time, we're staying at the space station for a few days. Little March, feel free to explore," Himeko said, adopting a hands-off approach. After March 7th left, she turned to Adrian. "How's your relationship with Lady Herta?"
Both had been to the space station, both were long-lived Emanators—Herta must have crossed paths with Adrian. Himeko was sure they had some connection.
People of similar age always have plenty to talk about, right? On a new planet, the kids go Trailblazing, while she and Welt chat about mundane things on the train.
"She's after my body."
Himeko: ???
She thought she misheard, but a tiny part of her was curious for gossip. Everyone has a girlish heart, after all~
"Spill."
"Not convenient."
Himeko: …
She'd never seen Adrian like this.
He genuinely couldn't say it. If he did, his Aeon cover would be blown.
"You can ask the Mask of Fools at the tavern. If you're lucky, you'll meet one who gossips about cosmic headlines."
They chatted as they walked to the space station's master control segment.
Per the original plot, Herta wasn't at the station during this time. She'd entrusted the Astral Express to retrieve relics, and this visit was for resupplying and delivering them.
With Herta absent, Adrian breathed a sigh of relief—no chance of her pestering him.
Upon seeing a petite, adorable girl with pink hair, Himeko greeted her first.
"Stationmaster Asta, long time no see."
Himeko went to chat with Asta. Adrian, uninterested in the conversation between a mature woman and a lively girl, started wandering the station.
No sign of Herta's puppet in the master control segment. Maybe her office? It was said to be the most (un)mysterious office in the universe.
The next second, Adrian appeared in Herta's office, spotting a petite Herta puppet standing idle on standby.
Hmm…
Better not do anything naughty.
Just as he turned to leave, the puppet suddenly looked up and grabbed his wrist.
"I ([Aeon-level expletive])!"
"Tch," a sweet voice reached Adrian's ears. "You come here and don't even tell me?"
"Good thing I checked this puppet to see if any idiots broke into my office. Didn't expect it'd be you."
"No, I'm not calling you an idiot. Come with me."
The Herta puppet led Adrian to an office—his exclusive office—then went offline.
Adrian pushed open the door to a spotless, dust-free room that brightened his eyes.
But what surprised him more was the desk, where two Hertas stood.
One was a powered-down Herta puppet; the other was the real Herta—The Herta—who'd just portaled back.
"Ho~ Nice reunion gift," Adrian said, eyeing the new-model Herta puppet.
It was clear the standby puppet in his room was crafted with finer detail, even sporting twin tails.
"Do I look better now or when I was younger?" The Herta asked.
"Hmm… let me think. Lady Herta, you're stunningly beautiful, a visage that shames the stars. Even as a puppet, you're still the cutest."
Herta's appearance was indeed unique. Her rejuvenated look? Adrian could only say:
The cutest among mature women, with an elegant charm in her cuteness—a perfect balance that really struck him.
"Human, female, young, beautiful, cute," Herta said, patting her chest. She never hid her beauty.
"Your sweet talk's gotten better," she said, standing beside the puppet for a stark contrast.
"Oh… a year ago, I met a Knight of [Beauty]. We hit it off, thanks to Idrila."
"So, what's [Beauty] like?"
"It depends on your understanding of 'beauty.'"
Adrian pinched the powered-down puppet's cheek, his eyes lighting up.
"This texture! Miles above those other puppets. You put in some effort."
"Hmph, don't underestimate this genius. This is a custom puppet made for you, with eighty-three new hidden joints for extra flexibility!"
"And her hairstyle's customizable!" Herta pulled out a remote, changing the puppet's hairstyle with each press.
"You can even DIY it~"
"You know your stuff."
Adrian pinched the offline puppet again. "Send her to the church."
"Huh?" Herta was stunned. "I spent time and effort making this for you, and you toss it after a glance?" So many begged for her inventions, and she ignored them.
"The church lacks guards. My priest is always off 'preaching' and playing around. With the top fighter gone, those kids are vulnerable."
Adrian was protective of his flock, but he hadn't visited the church in nearly a millennium. He had no idea what it was like now.
"Fair point. This puppet's got half an Emanator's combat power and can self-destruct in a pinch."
Herta kept explaining, but Adrian had lost interest in the new puppet.
"You're not a puppet too, are you?"
"Standing before you is Herta herself. I'm not lazy enough to use a puppet even for deconstructing Aeons."
"Deconstructing…" Adrian sneered. "You've studied me for years. Any progress?"
Though this body was fabricated, its structure was identical to his true form, just with less energy output but maxed-out physical stats.
"There will be."
Herta was stubborn. She'd studied Adrian for nearly a century without scratching the surface, relying on him to provide test materials.
Like: Adrian's used toothbrush, Qlipoth's dandruff, fragments of Aha's Fool mask, and bits of the blown-up train carriage…
All scraps from Adrian. He didn't dare give anything too wild, fearing Herta couldn't handle it.
Without precautions, even rejuvenated, Herta was still mortal. Directly touching an Aeon's items was wishful thinking.
A single hair from Xipe could drive an ordinary Pathstrider insane.
Of course, Adrian's own items were an exception.
To help people better pursue [Eternity], all items tied to HIM had protective measures.
Legend had it the Eternity Church priest's weapon was crafted by the [Eternity] Aeon HIMSELF.
"So, I say the Genius Society's all lunatics. Why not call it the Lunatic Society?"
"No genius isn't a bit mad."
Herta mocked herself. She was a prime example—just like how Adrian lost interest in her puppet after a glance.
If she got bored with a project, she'd toss it aside too. That's how ruthless she was.
But studying Aeons was different!
"You should rename it the Idiot Society."
Adrian smacked his lips. He'd dropped so many hints—how was she still clueless?
"Tell me, do Aeons bleed?" he asked.
"They do. [Destruction] Nanook…"
Herta stopped, realizing something, and looked up at Adrian.
"Finally getting it." Adrian's lips curved slightly, waiting for her to say it.
"Studying you won't yield results. With so many Aeons in the cosmos, you either ask that scrap heap or study my body. From an Aeon's perspective, your vision's too narrow."
Adrian hadn't seen other Aeons in a battle-damaged state. His worst injury was Qlipoth's hammer blow—that one really hurt, thanks to Akivili!
"So, Lady Herta, can't you use that clever brain of yours and be bolder?" Adrian pulled out a wooden hammer, eyeing the pointy witch hat on Herta's head.
Getting hammered by Qlipoth wasn't without gains. Adrian's physical durability was top-tier, though it left a big bump on his head, mocked by the equally bumped Aha and Akivili for days.
The gains were substantial. As they say, force works both ways. Qlipoth hammered Adrian—couldn't Adrian hammer back?
This wooden hammer was pieced together from Qlipoth's fallen amber stones, each brimming with Emanator-level energy. As for how many stones…
Adrian hadn't counted.
"You should start with Nanook. Even Silver Wolf knows you clear elite mobs to level up before fighting the boss."
"Spill, or I'll bonk your head." Adrian tested the amber hammer's weight.
"Get me an Aeon's blood sample."
"Beg me."
"Please, help me out."
"There we go."
Adrian was waiting for that. Now he had a legitimate reason to go after Nanook.
"You're closer to humans than I thought. The Simulated Universe data needs an update."
Herta hadn't considered this. A mere Emanator, commissioning an Aeon? She'd been too focused on asking the machine head.
It was like a new employee ordering the CEO to do their work—absurd.
"This is your reward for tirelessly studying me all these years."
Adrian was genuinely moved by Herta's persistence—it was very [Eternity]-like.
"Not many care for Emanators like I do, even if you're not mine." Adrian felt like Yaoshi, always trying to lure Herta to the Eternity Path.
"You and the machine head get along well?"
"If we did, you'd already be a dual-Path Emanator." Adrian tapped Herta's hat with the amber hammer.
He didn't think much of Nous. That one, like Fuli, loved observing others.
One was a paparazzo, the other a solver of all things.
Two peeping toms.
"Let's get to it. What are we studying this time?"
"Obviously, a deep dive into you."
"I'm in a hurry. Let's do this."