Thanks to [Lai Yi Fa] for the Great God Certification x2!
...
Dressed in a form-fitting gown and wearing a large, pointed wizard hat, a young woman riding a scepter descended from the sky without warning, jumping down before countless cameras.
With a cold sneer, her first words made many people feel awkward and embarrassed.
"Thank you all for your heartfelt mourning. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to disappoint some of you again."
The last time Ms. Herta appeared before the media, she was no longer young.
But seeing her now, so young and beautiful, the media reporters were all stunned.
When they saw the figure standing behind her—looking identical but with the build of an eight or nine-year-old girl—their jaws nearly hit the floor.
"Are you... Ms. Herta?"
"Is this Ms. Herta's puppet?"
"That thesis on rejuvenation... it actually became a reality?!"
"Ms. Herta, please explain!"
Facing the cacophony of the media reporters, Ms. Herta cleared her throat and raised her scepter, speaking loudly.
"It's because of magic. Alright everyone, I've finished answering. I hope to never see you again."
Before her voice had even fully faded, she sat back onto her scepter—which resembled a giant key—and with a confident, flamboyant smirk, she flicked the brim of her pointed hat.
"Ms. Herta, please wait!"
"Impossible! Rejuvenation is only theoretically possible; it's still a million miles away from implementation..."
Regardless of how the reporters tried to keep her there or what the numerous scientists said, Ms. Herta did not stop.
She picked up the puppet, tossed it behind her, and sped away into the distance.
She came softly and left softly, without taking a single cloud, leaving only a crowd of veteran scientists huffing and puffing in indignation.
"Science... does she even count as a scientist anymore! Utter nonsense!"
"But she really did get younger..."
"Hmph, it's probably some kind of optical illusion!"
"Am I the only one who cares that Ms. Herta's entrance and exit were so cool?"
"..."
High in the sky, a mirror emerged from thin air.
Ms. Herta stepped through it and soon arrived at the border of the galaxy.
Within a lonely, lifeless star system, a mysterious tower loomed faintly within a vortex.
Jumping down from her scepter, Ms. Herta looked around the empty room and snapped her fingers.
"In a place this big, I don't want to work myself to death."
Clack-clack, clack-clack, clack-clack...
Numerous puppets twisted their bodies and came scurrying over excitedly, speaking in unison.
"Ms. Herta is unparalleled in the world!"
"Ms. Herta is brilliantly intelligent!"
"Ms. Herta is breathtakingly beautiful!"
"Alright, alright, get to work." Ms. Herta waved her hand impatiently.
Three to mop the floor, two to water the flowers, and one more...
"Make some coffee. It's getting cold; I want it hot."
Brown beans were ground, boiling water poured through, and the black liquid bubbled and gurgled.
Ms. Herta lay on a soft sofa, a book in one hand, as she took a sip of the fresh hot coffee presented by an puppet with both hands.
Turning the page, a photograph tucked inside the book caught her eye.
A young girl taking a selfie with a boy was smiling brilliantly; the boy had a gentle curve at the corner of his mouth, his eyes not looking at the camera, but gazing tenderly at her.
Gently stroking the face of the boy in the photo, Ms. Herta's lips parted slightly, her eyes filled with longing.
...and with regret.
Many years had passed, and she still hadn't found a way to change the past or modify the causality of fate without triggering the butterfly effect.
To put it simply, she had yet to overcome the self-consistent paradox.
But she wouldn't give up.
She hadn't before, she wouldn't now, and she certainly wouldn't in the future.
"Ms. Herta, you have a message from the Intelligentsia Guild. They are questioning your..."
The puppet's report interrupted Ms. Herta's thoughts.
She curled her lip impatiently.
"Complaining about my 'self-evident proofs' again? Pick a few lines from the auto-reply list for me."
"Ms. Herta, you have a message from the Interstellar Peace Corporation. They are inviting you..."
"Tell them I'm not interested in those inventions."
"Ms. Herta, you have a message from the First Truth University. They are inviting you to serve as an honorary professor..."
"What kind of school is that?"
"..."
Gradually, the puppets handled all the mundane affairs of the world for Ms. Herta.
She no longer cared about the outside world and faded completely from the public eye for many years. No one knew where her true self was, or why she no longer appeared.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, the azure calendar had turned over countless springs and autumns.
And the Amber Era had quietly reached the 2157th era.
Even though Ms. Herta never showed her face, the discussions and rumors about her deeds across the galaxy never ceased.
As the years passed, she eventually joined the Genius Society, becoming Member #83.
In addition to that, she gained a title with no less prestige than being a genius.
—Emanator of Erudition.
An Emanator of the aeon of erudition could be a genius, but a genius was not necessarily an Emanator of Erudition.
Looking at the entire Genius Society, the number of currently living geniuses who were also Emanators could be counted on one hand.
...
Having rejuvenated several times, Ms. Herta, currently in her teenage form, woke up from her sleep.
An puppet brought a tablet on time to play the latest trending news in the galaxy.
[Shocking! The Trailblazing Astral Express has reappeared in the galaxy without any warning!]
[The dark celestial body, Planet Nord, was invaded by the Borisin. A frost-colored swordsman from the Xianzhou Alliance suddenly appeared and, within half a day, single-handedly slaughtered the entire Borisin fleet.]
[With the help of a Memokeeper, the people of the Bucolait-type clouds completed memeticization, escaping destruction by Lord Ravager Celenova.]
[The Pepeshi are promoting a replica of Genius Society #55 Yu Qingtu's work, 'Tartarus Flame,' to the vast galaxy. It is safe, harmless, and alcohol-free.]
"What is all this rubbish? Take it away, take it away."
Ms. Herta only took one glance before waving her hand impatiently.
From behind, the puppet responsible for reporting affairs stepped forward.
"Ms. Herta, Mr. Screwllum of Genius Society #76 and Ms. Ruan Mei of #81 have completed the preset engineering plans for the simulated universe project."
"Got it. Arrange it immediately. Send my preset plan to the Space Station."
"Ms. Herta, the 478th manager of the Space Station has fallen ill from overwork and has submitted a resignation."
"Approved. Find the next one. Remember to find someone reliable."
"Ms. Herta, I learned something from the Interstellar Peace Corporation..."
"Stop. I'm not interested in IPC affairs. Next."
"It's related to Qi Zhimu."
"???"
Hearing those three familiar words, Ms. Herta froze for a second. After snapping back to her senses, she lunged out of bed and stared intently at the reporting puppet.
"I take back what I just said. Speak. Every single word."
"According to the business supervisor under Jade of the Ten Stonehearts, they have been quietly searching the galaxy for anyone named Qi Zhimu for many Amber Eras."
"How many have they found?"
It wasn't that she hadn't seen people with that name before, but they were all just coincidental namesakes.
"So far, they have found 2,841,587, and they haven't stopped yet," the puppet replied truthfully.
"And the reason the IPC is looking for this name?"
"The fellow didn't dare say at first, but confessed after being pressured. He claimed a certain genius ordered them to search the entire galaxy for Qi Zhimu. Every single one must be found, and all their information collected."
"Even I, this genius, haven't done such a thing. Which fellow is it?" Ms. Herta frowned.
...
Asking for gifts, asking for gifts, asking for gifts~~ Please click 'Power of Love', I'm begging you!
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