First was the Warp. If such a special dimension were created within the Honkai universe, then the joys and sorrows of countless living beings across the cosmos—their innumerable emotions—would all pour into it.
And one must remember, the Honkai universe was full of madmen. Every one of them was stirring up chaos. There were as many as twelve major powers, and across the various galaxies rampaged the destruction-aligned Antimatter Legion, along with the Stellaron—the cancer of all realms.
Countless living beings were suffering, generating vast amounts of negative emotion. Those negative emotions were enough to overwhelm the positive ones. If that happened, the direction of the Warp would inevitably mirror that of Warhammer—negative emotion everywhere, filled with chaos and disorder.
Over time, as those negative emotions continued to accumulate, they could even evolve into Chaos Daemons, worsening the trajectory of the entire cosmos.
And if the Warp accumulated negative emotion on an astronomical scale, it might even give birth to Four Chaos Gods.
One representing violence and hatred, seated upon a brass throne—Khorne.
One symbolizing change, conspiracy, and magic—Tzeentch, whose every move was part of a grand design.
One whose very existence embodied the pinnacle of life's path—the god of life, Nurgle.
And one of pleasure, indulgence, delight, and even love—Slaanesh.
Of course, the concepts represented by their respective Paths had already been claimed by the Aeons.
The concept of vengeance was governed by the Reignbow Arbiter of The Hunt. The concept of wisdom was ruled by Nous of Erudition. Life naturally fell under Yaoshi's control. And as for joy—there was Aha...
But if the four Chaos Gods were truly born, they would stand at the summit of their respective Paths from the very moment of their creation—Emanator-level existences, perhaps even approaching the level of a pseudo-deity like the Harmonious Choir, Dominicus.
In short, Warp technology was extremely dangerous.
Of course, if Herta created Warp technology while simultaneously constructing a Plasma Spark Tower—and even artificially establishing a Land of Light within the Honkai universe, forming a cosmic defense force to uphold peace, preventing the madmen from causing trouble and striking everywhere to suppress the destruction-aligned factions—
Then the negative emotions born in the hearts of countless living beings across the Honkai universe would greatly diminish. The Warp, capable of containing emotion, would transform from a dangerous technology into a stable one.
Finally, there was the Cloud of Poems.
Once this technology was created, it could calculate the cultural foundation of an entire civilization.
Moreover, since it could parse poetry, it could naturally deconstruct culture itself—analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of a civilization.
At the same time, the Cloud of Poems could also serve as material for the Simulated Universe project, because it possessed the ability to deconstruct civilizations.
As long as the Cloud of Poems was used to dismantle the endless civilizations of the universe and all those parameters were added into the Simulated Universe, one could naturally simulate the future of the cosmos with even greater precision.
After thinking this through, Herman spoke seriously to Herta, explaining the dangers of the Warp. He also described how creating Soul Society would alter the future of the cosmos.
At the same time, Herman also stated that the Cloud of Poems could be incorporated into the Simulated Universe project.
After listening, Herta fell into thought. A moment later, she spoke earnestly. "You're right. The Cloud of Poems can deconstruct the cultural foundation of civilizations. Once that technology is integrated into the Simulated Universe, it will be possible to simulate whether a civilization, without interference from external factors, will head toward destruction or prosperity."
"As for the Warp, it is indeed dangerous," Herta said. "After all, the vast majority of people in the universe are not like me—someone who has never failed... To me, success is like fruit hanging from a low tree in front of me. I simply reach out and pluck it."
She paused before continuing, "And the danger of the Warp isn't limited to nurturing the so-called Chaos Gods. More crucially, once the Warp is created and negative emotion accumulates excessively, the lifeforms born from it will attract the attention of Nanook of Destruction. In the end, Nanook would personally intervene, creating even more abysses of negative emotion—Lord Ravagers."
"For example, the Khorne you just mentioned—filled with revenge, hatred, and violence. If Nanook arranged for such an existence to infiltrate the Family of Harmony, then the harmonious symphony of Harmony would surely encounter problems."
"Hatred would spread. The Family might fracture. The cornerstone that forms Harmony would shatter along with it."
"So for now, the Warp cannot be created," Herman advised seriously.
Herta shook her head. "I have a different opinion."
"Herta, you... didn't you just agree with me that once the Warp is created, it could brew a crisis affecting the entire cosmos?"
"Herman, don't underestimate me. I'm Herta. I possess a way to solve the problem of negative emotions outweighing positive ones in the Warp. I only need to utilize a special existence from the known universe."
"A special existence?"
"That's right—the Aeon of Equilibrium, HooH."
Her tone was filled with seriousness. "With Their influence, negative emotions within the Warp will never be able to overwhelm positive ones."
Herman said, "But according to what I know, That One has already fused Their body into the cosmos itself."
"That's true. But have you forgotten? In the world of Amphoreus, we signed a contract of Equilibrium with Lygus. The symbol upon that contract carries the power of the Path of Equilibrium. As long as that symbol is inscribed... it can draw down the power of Equilibrium."
"With the influence of Equilibrium, the Warp I create will form a balance between good and evil emotions."
"Since you've already made your decision, then go ahead and do it," Herman said.
"Mmm. Creating a Warp megastructure requires enormous amounts of Imaginary energy. More precisely, it requires converting Imaginary energy into psychic energy. It also demands special psychic materials and an emotional prayer ritual before construction can be completed."
"I already have inspiration for the formula to convert Imaginary energy into psychic energy. As for psychic materials, they do not yet exist in this world. I'll need to manually produce a psychic immersion solution. So next, Herman, you'll need to place an order with the Interastral Peace Corporation and have the materials delivered here."
"In addition, we must contact the highest authorities of The Blue and the Blue Federation, as well as the Eastern Federation, and have them cooperate... to conduct the psychic Warp creation ritual!"
"Don't worry. Leave everything to me," Herman replied with a smile. "But this time, Herta, you're not only building the Warp, are you?"
"Correct. There's also the Plasma Spark Tower. However, the materials required to construct it are even more special. It demands multiple-star-level solar energy. Beyond that, the genes of those exposed to it must be adjusted, and the subjects must maintain a righteous state of mind. Only then can they undergo genetic ascension and become Giants of Light."
"In short, the materials for the Plasma Spark Tower must also be purchased from the Interastral Peace Corporation."
"We'll also need to attempt purchasing stars from other worlds through the IPC."
Herman nodded slightly. "No problem. I'll contact Jade next."
"Good." Herta nodded. "After that, contact Ruan Mei as well. According to what she said aboard the Ruanruan, she has conducted research on the Swarm of Propagation. I want a Swarm planet."
"What do you want the Swarm for?" Herman asked, then instantly realized something. "Herta—you're planning to create a God Tree seed, plant it on a Swarm planet, and use the life force of those insects to nurture the God Tree?"
"Exactly. If a God Tree seed is to mature rapidly, it must obtain planet-level life force... And in the cosmos, there just so happens to be the Swarm capable of reproducing at extraordinary speed. The Swarm and the God Tree seed are perfectly compatible."
She paused briefly before continuing, "In fact, it's not just the God Tree. I also intend to plant a Devil Fruit Tree. However, that one requires extracting concepts from the fantasies of living beings across the cosmos in order to produce Devil Fruits."
"So the planting of the Devil Fruit Tree must wait until the Warp is fully formed—until it can absorb the emotions of countless beings and extract those bizarre and fantastical thoughts from within them."
"And likewise, once the Warp is complete, construction of Soul Society can also begin. Soul Society will exist within the Warp—more precisely, within the region where positive emotions are abundant..."
"In that case, the construction of the Warp truly is imperative. Its very existence concerns the production of the Devil Fruit Tree and even the creation of Soul Society," Herman said thoughtfully.
"Exactly. So, Herman, I'll leave the procurement to you. I'm going into the Simulated Laboratory. I'll try to intercept all the inspiration generated by the actively triggered World-Shaking Wisdom and realize it within the laboratory..."
With that, Herta plunged once more into the Simulated Laboratory.
Meanwhile, Herman began following her instructions. He contacted Jade and, through her, placed a massive order with the Interastral Peace Corporation.
He ordered Voidstones and Trailblaze Stones required for developing the Warp, as well as four special materials: Vitalized Blood of Abundance (symbolizing Nurgle), and Gilded Blood of Extinction (symbolizing the vengeful and destructive Khorne).
As for the remaining two special materials—one was a Mask of the Masked Fool (symbolizing love and pleasure, Slaanesh), and the other was the Blood of a Genius (symbolizing wisdom and scheming). The latter did not need to be purchased from the IPC. Herta herself possessed it.
And with her current fourth-generation divine body... it was impossible for her to run out of blood.
...
Interastral Peace Corporation.
After receiving Herta's message, Jade responded almost immediately. "Miss Herta, the IPC has abundant supplies of Voidstones and Trailblaze Stones. However, a Mask of the Masked Fool concerns whether the Masked Fool is still acknowledged by Aha—it is an extremely important item."
"As for the Blood of Abundance, the IPC does not stock it. If anyone does, it would likely be the Xianzhou Alliance, the Galaxy Rangers, or perhaps even the Stellaron Hunters."
"And the Gilded Blood of Extinction—such blood likely belongs to a Lord Ravager or even the Aeon of Destruction. The IPC does not possess that either..."
"Very well. Deliver the Trailblaze Stones and Voidstones to The Blue star system first."
"Understood, Miss Herta."
After speaking, Jade could not help but sigh inwardly.
Miss Herta was stirring up something enormous again. Her experimental materials even involved Masked Fools and the blood of Lord Ravagers. What exactly was she planning this time?
At the same time, Herman fell into deep thought.
The Mask of the Masked Fool, the Gilded Blood of Extinction, the Blood of Abundance... These would all have to be obtained through other channels.
First, the Gilded Blood of Extinction—it would need to be acquired from a Lord Ravager. But the problem was that Herta was not even an Emanator.
Wait...
That's right. In Amphoreus, wasn't there an unborn Lord Ravager—Irontomb—still in gestation?
Drawing blood from a Lord Ravager not yet fully born should produce the same effect.
As for locating a Mask, that task could be assigned to the little Hertas. After all, they were currently scattered across more than a hundred worlds. Among so many worlds, there was bound to be activity from the Masked Fools.
As for the final Blood of Abundance—he would first contact the Xianzhou and see whether it could be obtained from Bailu, the High Elder of the Xianzhou Luofu. Alternatively, he could seek out the Stellaron Hunters and find Yingxing—also known as Blade.
Blade carried the Blood of Abundance within him. In a sense, the Emanator of Abundance, Shuhu, still retained a trace of vitality. If some extraordinary change were to occur in the future, resurrection might even be achieved through Blade.
After thinking this through, Herman swiftly issued orders to the little Hertas to search for Masked Fools and their Masks.
Upon hearing the instructions from the Second Madam Herta within the Stigmata Space—namely Herman—the little Hertas responded with great excitement.
Across the cosmos, the Herta Array became active.
Immediately afterward, Herman contacted General Yao Guang and inquired whether she possessed any Blood of Abundance.
"The Blood of Abundance is taboo within the Xianzhou Alliance. It is impossible for it to be preserved," Yao Guang said seriously. "After all, the Reignbow Arbiter despises Yaoshi above all. However, I do know that a Vidyadhara once merged with the Blood of Abundance and became the High Elder of the Luofu."
"Bailu."
"Correct. But the issue is that the Xianzhou Alliance is a coalition. Internally, it consists of Xianzhou natives, Vidyadhara, Foxians... The Vidyadhara are extremely strict regarding the purity of the High Elder's bloodline. They would never allow that blood to flow outward."
"..."
Herman fell silent.
At that moment, Yao Guang spoke again. "To my knowledge, there is still another who carries the Blood of Abundance—that is Yingxing... once a craftsman of the Xianzhou Zhuming, one of the High-Cloud Quintet. But due to certain circumstances, he was tainted by the Blood of Abundance, left the Xianzhou, and joined the Stellaron Hunters."
"As long as you find him, you can obtain the Blood of Abundance! More importantly, I can use the Fortune Hexagram to divine his location for you."
"Then I'll leave it to you. Thank you."
Herman spoke with gratitude.
"No need for thanks. We are friends."
After saying this over the phone, Yao Guang formed hand seals with both hands. The radiance of The Hunt blossomed within her palms, and around her appeared a luminous Dharma realm like thousands of peacock feathers interwoven.
Kālacakra Skyplume!
The divine authority of the Reignbow Arbiter manifested!
The Fortune Hexagram unfolded!
This time, however, what Yao Guang employed was not an ordinary divination. It was an upgraded calculation enhanced with the Solitary Waves Theory algorithm.
Very quickly, the calculation produced a result.
Yao Guang opened her eyes and relayed a set of coordinates over the call, stating that Blade was located there—and that Miss Herta's expedition this time would be an extremely auspicious omen.