Whatever Mei had thought of, Sylvia had naturally considered as well. Still, no matter how she turned it over, even the closest personal relationship shouldn't be enough to push things to that level.
The Family had ruled Penacony unchallenged for far too long, and the changes Robin wanted clearly couldn't happen without outside pressure. The Interastral Peace Corporation was the best source of that pressure.
As for the three-way balance Mei was worried about, Sylvia thought the Astral Express Crew was less likely to claim a place at the table than the Xianzhou Alliance or some other major faction.
Putting the Astral Express's position aside, it simply didn't have enough people. It had no known Emanator among its ranks, and even its Aeon was gone.
Under those circumstances, the Astral Express could use its reputation to serve as a witness or mediator at best.
Otherwise, why would anyone hand over a share of the profits for no reason? Who did business like that?
Mei, however, thought Sylvia was being far too optimistic. With Penacony's situation growing more chaotic by the day, the odds of the two of them staying out of the fighting were slim.
There was also the Lord Ravager who'd soon arrive. Even if another Emanator agreed to fight them, Mei wouldn't feel at ease unless she personally erased him with the power of Nihility. Unless the Antimatter Legion learned that Sylvia wasn't someone to provoke, it'd only cause them more trouble later.
Besides, the Astral Express's name and credibility carried far more weight across the universe than Sylvia imagined.
It wasn't Sylvia's fault that she didn't understand that yet, since she hadn't been with them for long, but Mei knew how valuable the Astral Express's reputation could be.
That was especially true now, with Stellaron disasters breaking out one after another and only two Astral Express trains left. To put it bluntly, the Astral Express was the only group willing to shoulder the burden of reopening routes across the galaxy without asking for payment.
Before Mei and Sylvia joined, the Express had lacked enough top-tier strength to draw the attention of major powers. Now that it had the force to back up its reputation, its value was entirely different.
--+--
The two of them talked the entire way and only stopped once they reached Herta and Screwllum.
"You're here."
Herta nodded to them. Sylvia had handled things well this time, and for once, Herta thought she deserved some praise.
"Mr. Screwllum, these are the files Topaz asked me to pass on to you. Take a look."
Sylvia uploaded the files to the laboratory's terminal. The encryption wasn't complicated, and Screwllum broke through it in moments, revealing a dense collection of documents and records.
"These contain a far more detailed account of the incident, including the experiments conducted after Chadwick's physical death. Please pass my regards to Ms. Topaz. I'll handle these files with care."
The scenes they'd witnessed in the dream had only shown the broad outline. Screwllum now had access to the fuller truth. It didn't differ much from what they already knew, but it filled in many missing details.
"As Ms. Sylvia suspected, the IPC extracted Chadwick's memoria after his death and sealed it inside a Memory Bubble. The operation had been planned for years before it was carried out, which allowed them to preserve even Chadwick's consciousness."
"They then cooperated with The Family, allowing Chadwick's memoria to remain active and continue existing within the dream."
Herta clicked her tongue in contempt.
"The Family and the IPC are enemies. There's no way cooperation that deep could've succeeded without some ugly exchange of interests behind the scenes."
Screwllum nodded.
"Deduction: Ms. Topaz likely realized the same thing, which is why she chose to keep this information as leverage. She may possess even more precise intelligence."
"That's got nothing to do with us. You, though—"
Herta turned toward Sylvia. She'd heard all about how Sylvia had stirred up trouble over there.
"Don't let yourself get dragged too deep into it."
"Whoa, Herta. Caring about someone else? That's rare."
"What's that supposed to mean? You're one of the few decent Simulated Universe test pilots I've got. I won't stand by while you waste your time on some ancient, rotten mess."
Sylvia grinned. Mei, meanwhile, was staring at the device beyond the glass partition. A mass of thick, viscous memoria floated inside.
"Is Chadwick's consciousness still awake?"
Screwllum gently shook his head.
"Chadwick had only retained a tiny fragment of himself. After this transfer, it's unlikely he'll be able to preserve his sense of self."
"...I see. May you rest peacefully in the waking world."
Mei whispered her farewell to the mass of memoria.
The process of seeing Chadwick off was simple. Once the device containing the memoria shut down, what remained would quickly lose its activity and disperse.
Yet at the very last moment, the consciousness that should've fallen silent stirred once more. Chadwick entrusted all his knowledge to Herta, hoping that if the IPC ever recreated that terrifying weapon, the knowledge within Herta's mind could become the force needed to keep the corporation in check.
The dormant memoria slowly lost its remaining activity, and Chadwick finally fell into a true sleep. The knowledge he'd left behind, however, plunged Herta into deep thought.
Just as Sylvia turned to leave, Screwllum stopped her.
"Ms. Sylvia, Madam Herta previously asked me to remind you to test the Simulated Universe in case she forgot."
"Did the Simulated Universe get an update?"
"No. The next update hasn't been completed yet."
Screwllum shook his head before explaining Herta's reasoning.
"However, your power has recently passed another threshold. Perhaps this time, you'll allow us to observe something new."
The moment Screwllum finished, Herta's voice came from beside him.
"Also, Stelle drops by every few days to run a couple rounds. You never come unless someone calls you over. Take a page from Stelle and show some initiative!"
Stelle treated the Simulated Universe like a full-dive video game, didn't she?
In old games, plenty of scenes had been nothing more than black screens and lines of text. Inside the current Simulated Universe, those same scenes were fully rendered. Everything looked far more real, especially events involving the Aeons.
"Fine, fine. I'll go test it now."
Sylvia waved and pulled Mei out of the Seclusion Zone.
Testing the Simulated Universe was no big deal. Sylvia rarely came because she couldn't be bothered to keep running back and forth. Besides, all they'd been testing lately was the Swarm Disaster.
Every run forced her to look at the Swarm blotting out the sky and the Imperator Insectorum looming behind them. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight.
Still, they didn't have much choice. Because of the Permanence within Sylvia, she triggered events connected to Propagation far more efficiently than Stelle could.
--+--
With those thoughts in mind, Sylvia entered the Simulated Universe. Before the scene had even finished loading, a grinning mask appeared before her amid a burst of giggling laughter.
A strange sensation swept through every inch of her body.
"Aha—"
Sylvia couldn't stop herself from laughing along. A white cat mask then appeared without a sound, covering half her face.
[Aha grants you their power. You become an insect, then their Emanator.]
[You stare blankly at the segmented limbs growing from your body and feel the power churning within you. Shrill laughter pours endlessly from your mouthparts.]
[An insect has become an Emanator of Elation. Such a strange existence draws the Imperator Insectorum's gaze.]
[Are you my offspring, or a traitor to Elation?]
When Herta noticed those lines, she nearly blacked out.
"That bastard! What're THEY trying to do now?!"
Sylvia could still maintain her awareness, but she could no longer answer Herta from within the Simulated Universe. Standing before the Aeon of Propagation, she opened her mouthparts and released another piercing laugh.
At the same time, the power pouring from the mask grew stronger. It quickly surged beyond heights even Emanators couldn't reach, approaching and nearly matching Tayzzyronth.
[Tayzzyronth has discovered you, a traitor to the Swarm. They realize another Aeon has set their sights on them, so they attempt to devour you and make an example of you before the universe.]
[Countless members of the Swarm descend from the heavens, blotting out the sky, all to bury your existence.]
Oddly enough, Sylvia wasn't overwhelmed by the Aeon's power this time. When the endless Swarm rushed toward her, even her mad laughter finally stopped.
Then—
"Herta."
"Sylvia?! You're still lucid? I was just about to force-disconnect you!"
"Uh, strictly speaking, I can only talk. My body's completely on autopilot."
Her transformed insect body was tearing through the battlefield. A single flap of its wings sent mocking laughter rolling across the entire star system.
Sylvia could only watch as her body moved on instinct. She couldn't control a shred of the absurd power coursing through it.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
As Herta voiced her confusion, Screwllum connected to the simulation as well.
"Deduction: Aha has poured ninety-nine percent of THEIR power into your body. An Aeon's power can't be controlled through human will."
"Screwllum, you're here too? Yeah, that sounds about right. I'm stuck watching from the sidelines."
"Madam Herta intended to force-disconnect you, but there's something I find more concerning. In previous simulations, an Aeon's power nearly smothered your consciousness. This time, you remain fully awake."
For the first time, a hint of puzzlement entered Screwllum's elegant voice.
He and Herta both knew Sylvia had been chosen and had almost become an Emanator of Elation. Even so, the gulf between an Emanator and an Aeon was an uncrossable chasm. That Sylvia had reached this point in such a short time was almost impossible to explain.
"Uh, I'm not sure, but my mental resistance has gotten stronger."
Sylvia remembered the mental-resistance ability she'd drawn earlier. She couldn't tell whether it was truly this effective or whether some other factor was involved.
Maybe Aha was secretly playing the run for her. With that Aeon, even a ridiculous explanation like that seemed possible.
Herta's voice rang beside Sylvia's ear.
"Still, this is a good opportunity. They say Tayzzyronth was brought down by several Aeons working together, and Aha was among them. Maybe this time we'll pull off something incredible and witness the battle between Aeons more directly."
Usually, all they could capture was the aftermath of the battle and the fallen Aeon left behind once the dust had settled. This time, Sylvia was showing them the powers of Elation and Propagation through her own eyes.
At that moment, a figure appeared in the void. They seemed suspended by countless threads and wore an enormous golden halo and flowing headdress, their form ethereal yet imposing.
"Ena the Order is making a move? Wait—the Preservation's here too!"
Ena appeared first, followed by the Aeon of Preservation. Sylvia, standing in for Elation, somehow pulled in a body that looked like Stelle's from nowhere.
Herta froze.
This was turning into an Aeon reunion. Why had Sylvia dragged Stelle's data into it?
Then Herta realized that wasn't Stelle.
That was freaking Akivili!
Five Aeons began battling inside the Simulated Universe. Aha—or rather, Sylvia—fought harder than anyone else.
Ena and the Preservation both cast Sylvia strange looks. They were probably wondering whether Aha held some personal grudge against the Propagation, considering how viciously they were attacking.
Sylvia answered them with nothing but a shrill laugh. Somehow, that raised the difficulty for everyone, and the battle exploded into even greater violence.
At that instant, everything went black.
Before Sylvia could react, her consciousness jolted. When her vision returned, she was back inside Herta's office.
"...What happened?"
Sylvia rubbed her arm as feeling returned to it. She hadn't finished watching the movie yet.
The battle between Aeons had been abstract, carrying the strange feeling of a clash raging to the end of time while reality itself was ground into dust. Still, it'd looked incredible.
The figure wearing Stelle's form had been the only humanoid one. Sylvia had spent most of the battle watching them.
"The Simulated Universe crashed."
"What?"
Sylvia turned in surprise and saw Herta approaching with a deep frown. She didn't look pleased.
"It wasn't your fault. The system encountered an unknown error, and the simulation was forced to stop. Screwllum's already checking it."
"Well, uh..."
"More importantly, did anything feel strange?"
Herta tipped her chin as though she were hinting at something. Sylvia assumed there was something on her body and looked herself over, earning a stare from Herta that suggested she was looking at an idiot.
Sylvia cleared her throat.
"Ahem. I think I'm fine. Nothing feels wrong."
"You weren't expecting that mask to crawl out of the Simulated Universe, were you?"
"Don't say things like that!"
Sylvia shuddered, afraid the mask might truly appear in the next second.
"Tch. Look at you. Aha's an Aeon, sure, but you think THEY've got nothing better to do than watch you all day?"
Herta gave Sylvia a sidelong glance. She could barely be bothered to mock her.
Besides, Sylvia had already rejected Aha to their face once. Would Aha truly try the same thing again? Didn't THEY have any pride?
"Enough. Stop jumping at shadows."
Herta rolled her eyes. Far too much had happened today. First there'd been Chadwick, and now the Simulated Universe had encountered a bug.
Both she and Screwllum would be busy for a while.
"Go on, get out of here. If you feel sick, head to the medical bay. If you're fine, go back and sleep. Come test it again once the Simulated Universe's fixed."
Sylvia shrugged, knowing a technical problem like this had nothing to do with her. When Herta didn't say anything else, she left.
The moment Sylvia stepped out of Herta's office, she spotted Mei sitting nearby and talking with a little girl. When Mei saw her emerge, she said goodbye to the girl and walked over.
"Finished?"
"All done. Let's head back."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL