After The Herta's extensive modifications, the number of Herta Sequence production lines in the Soul Factory continued to increase, while the population of Herta Puppets skyrocketed.
Ten thousand, one hundred thousand...
More and more Hertas stepped off the production lines. The moment they emerged, The Herta summoned them to her side, and she had only one purpose for doing so.
She was sending them to school to study the Herta Xianzhou's blueprints. Of course, the Herta Puppets' original computational power was insufficient to understand those designs. Even with amplification from the Brain-Brain Fruit, they still could not manage it.
Only after The Herta burned psionic energy to bestow blessings of wisdom upon the newborn little Hertas could they comprehend the blueprints.
To maintain those blessings, the amount of psionic energy she burned every second was astronomical, far exceeding the heat released by the sun in a single second.
Of course, The Herta could only sustain such consumption because she was the Lord of the Warp. Within the Warp lay emotional energy absorbed from millions of galaxies, all of which could be converted into psionic energy.
Moreover, as Yao Guang's company brought psionic Herta Puppets to an increasing number of galaxies, the Warp became connected to more galaxies and absorbed emotional energy from them.
Under these circumstances, the total amount of emotional energy within the Warp continued to increase, and the Warp itself kept growing.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, more and more Hertas emerged from the Soul Factory and Herta City before heading to the front lines of the Herta Xianzhou's construction. Their numbers reached one million.
The construction workforce surged from one hundred thousand to one million, a full tenfold increase.
That was roughly the population of a modern third- or fourth-tier city. With so many workers, the Herta Xianzhou's construction speed naturally began to soar.
The construction period fell from the original fifty days to only thirty.
Moreover, according to calculations, the one million little Hertas, combined with the Herta production lines operating at full capacity over the following week, would be enough to double the Herta Puppet population once more. This meant the construction speed could rise another level, allowing the entire project to be completed in fewer than twenty days.
Of course, even then, The Herta still considered it too slow.
Faster. Construction must be accelerated...
As The Herta pondered this, her phone rang again. She took it from her pocket and saw that the caller was Ruan Mei.
Herta answered the call and greeted her. "Ruan Mei, have you finished your latest research?"
Ruan Mei's voice carried a note of emotion. "Yes. I achieved an enormous breakthrough this time... though part of the credit belongs to you."
"Me? You mean you relied on the Swarm Emperor Fruit to make further progress in your research on the Starcrusher Swarm King and the Path of Propagation?"
"This time, my research was not focused on the Path of Propagation, but on dimensions." Ruan Mei's voice traveled through the phone into Herta's ears. "After seeing you develop the Warp and even the Dark Plane in The Blue star system, I asked you for information on the relevant technologies, then began conducting in-depth research into dimensional technology."
"I achieved considerable results... Using the A-Ruan Pouch as a foundation, I opened a dimension and perfected it with my biotechnology."
"What kind of dimension is it?"
"As for that question, I can come over and show you personally. Give me a moment. Ten, nine..."
As Ruan Mei's countdown ended, she arrived outside the entrance to the Soul Factory and knocked on the door.
Hearing the knock, The Herta merely glanced at the camera inside the room. The Fourth Mirror immediately opened the Soul Factory's normally sealed doors and guided Ruan Mei into Herta's office.
"What is the dimension you created like?" Herta asked directly, her curiosity overflowing.
Ruan Mei said nothing. She merely removed the A-Ruan Pouch from her waist and tugged it open, causing the mouth of the pouch to spread wide.
Herta saw the scene inside. There was an enormous black hole, and at its center lay an incomparably gigantic insect.
It was the Starcrusher Swarm King, sleeping within the black hole.
Aside from that, Herta also discovered that the A-Ruan Pouch itself was alive and possessed the aura of life.
Herta sighed in admiration. "You created a living dimension, a black-hole hive dimension capable of sustaining life within it."
Ruan Mei nodded slightly. "Correct. After absorbing the relevant dimensional and spatial technologies you gave me, I completely perfected the A-Ruan Pouch, whose internal space had previously been in a constant state of collapse. I also brought the pouch itself to life."
"To increase the A-Ruan Pouch's practicality, I gave it the ability to actively collect objects. Then, through spatial transference, I transported a physical black hole from another galaxy in the real universe and placed it inside."
"Now, as long as I say the word 'collect,' the A-Ruan Pouch's will releases the black hole's previously suppressed gravity. Its terrifying gravitational force erupts and devours all matter in front of the pouch."
The Herta added, "That is not all, is it? After the A-Ruan Pouch consumes someone, the Starcrusher Swarm King sleeping inside the black hole will attack as well, won't it?"
Ruan Mei did not deny it. She nodded slightly. "Indeed... I used the black hole to distort the Starcrusher Swarm King's flow of time, allowing it to exist for an extended period. It will awaken only when I need it to fight."
Upon hearing this, The Herta realized that any enemies Ruan Mei encountered in the future were in for a miserable experience. First, they would have to endure the A-Ruan Pouch's black-hole suction. Even if they could resist the gravitational force capable of distorting most matter in the universe and even spacetime itself, they would next have to face the Starcrusher Swarm King, an Emanator of Propagation.
More importantly, the A-Ruan Pouch's pocket dimension had been created by Ruan Mei. It could not possibly be as simple as what Herta currently saw. Beneath the black hole's shadow, Ruanruan, the sun of the Plumblossom System, or even a dimensional swarm might also be hiding, all prepared to give any enemy entering the A-Ruan Pouch an endless series of surprises.
Herta sighed. "Now that you have developed the A-Ruan Pouch, you have become even stronger."
"So have you." After speaking earnestly, Ruan Mei raised her head and glanced across The Blue star system. Looking toward the still-unfinished Herta Xianzhou, she said, "Soon, you will possess the Herta Xianzhou, a super-battleship. At that point, you will be able to bring the stronghold of Erudition with you on expeditions and display your full strength perfectly."
Herta smiled faintly without refuting her.
Herman, who resided within The Herta's mind, observed the exchange between Herta and Ruan Mei.
Through his Research System's Attribute Appraisal ability, Herman had already uncovered the measures Ruan Mei had concealed within the A-Ruan Pouch. Together, they formed an ultimate killing move capable of trapping and killing an Emanator caught unprepared.
The black hole and the Starcrusher Swarm King were merely the obvious killing moves. The true weapon was hidden beneath the black hole's shadow: the spatial power wielded by the A-Ruan Pouch itself as the will of a dimension—dimensional confinement.
As the name suggested, it could imprison someone inside the A-Ruan Pouch and seal them completely. Even an Emanator would be unable to escape through teleportation, unless they were walking the Path of Trailblaze.
More importantly, the dimensional will of the A-Ruan Pouch could reduce its own dimensionality and demote itself into a two-dimensional painting. At that point, the A-Ruan Pouch would become a sheet of paper, transforming into a world within a painting.
However, doing so would destroy the A-Ruan Pouch. At the same time, every living creature inside it would also be reduced to two dimensions, becoming images on paper that anyone in the real world could tear apart with a casual motion.
After uncovering this information, Herman quickly shared it with Herta. The Herta froze briefly, then could not help sighing inwardly:
As expected of Ruan Mei, a genius whose research capabilities are exceptional. After obtaining technological knowledge from beyond this world from me, she effortlessly perfected the A-Ruan Pouch... transforming it into both spatial equipment and a dimensional weapon.
Her strength has increased tremendously.
After The Herta finished sighing inwardly, she heard Ruan Mei ask, "Herta, do you need my wisdom to assist with the construction of the Xianzhou?"
"I would never care for the assistance of an ordinary person, but since it is you, Ruan Mei, you may genuinely be able to accelerate the construction of the Herta Xianzhou."
Ruan Mei smiled faintly. "May I examine a portion of the Xianzhou's blueprints? They do not need to involve any core components. That way, I can devise a method to help with construction."
"Of course." As Herta spoke, she opened the door to the office's storeroom. Inside were stacks upon stacks of manuscript paper filling an area the size of several rooms.
"This section contains part of the Xianzhou's blueprints," Herta said, pointing toward one corner of the room.
Ruan Mei was not surprised to see an astronomical number of blueprints filling a space the size of several houses.
After all, when she constructed Ruanruan, although its blueprints had not filled several rooms, they had still formed enormous, densely packed stacks. Piled together, they had reached several stories in height.
Ruan Mei raised a hand and picked up a blueprint. With her intelligence, she easily understood its contents, then immediately devised a way to accelerate the Xianzhou's construction. She raised her head and told Herta, "I have an idea. I can share with you the scientific method I use to awaken living consciousness. You can then have the construction materials join the building team of their own accord."
Herta froze briefly upon hearing this.
Activating the materials themselves and making them construct the Herta Xianzhou on their own truly is an excellent idea.
In that case, the next step is to use Ruan Mei's technology to awaken the spirits within the Xianzhou's construction materials.
As Herta thought this, she saw Ruan Mei turn around and point toward the Stigmata on her smooth, pale back. "Come into Stigmata Space. I will give you the method of awakening."
"All right."
The two entered Stigmata Space together. Of course, their respective Stigmata Spaces were not the same, so they needed to establish resonance.
Soon, Ruan Mei's Stigmata Space resonated with Herta's Stigmata Space, and knowledge began to spread between them. Herta gradually came to understand the true nature of biological awakening technology.
In essence, it involved administering drugs... causing animal and plant matter to grow brains. The technology appeared highly scientific, but considering that even rocks, planets, and weather phenomena could grow brains after being treated, it still bordered on the fantastical.
In any case, Herta devoted herself fully to comprehending it. With her 4,500 research points, she quickly understood the technology completely and transformed it into a form of magic.
This magic could be created using only energy from the Path of Erudition and the power of the Brain-Brain Fruit. It could be considered extremely simple.
This made Herta strongly suspect that Ruan Mei had modified the technology on the spot. After all, Ruan Mei was the universe's greatest master of biology, a true biological genius.
For a woman standing at the forefront of biological awakening technology, modifying a technology she had researched and mastered was naturally effortless.
With this thought, Herta smiled and said to Ruan Mei:
"I have already learned it. I also made a few minor modifications to your awakening method and incorporated the power of the Warp."
Herta then walked to the balcony and waved her magic wand toward the sky.
At that instant, Herta's magic wand, Herta's Key, opened the gateway to the Path of Erudition and began drawing energy from within the Path at a frantic rate. At the same time, the power of the Brain-Brain Fruit within Herta surged, while the psionic power of the Warp began to boil.
The power of the Path of Erudition, the energy of the Paramecia-type Brain-Brain Fruit, and finally the mind-over-matter psionic ability to awaken machine spirits within materials fused into one. The combined force soared into the sky, pierced the atmosphere, and entered a corner of The Blue star system, where it transformed into a torrential rain that fell upon the mountains of material-laden asteroids.
At once, both the Honkai Beast swarms moving materials and the Herta Puppets whose population had already multiplied severalfold froze as they stared at the raindrops falling from above.
"?!"
"What is happening? Heavy rain is falling in outer space. That is not normal... Space is a vacuum. Water should only form floating droplets, so where did this rain come from?"
"We are clearly in outer space, not on a planet. There is no gravity to capture it, so what exactly is this rain...?"
"Could another faction be trying to cause trouble, like the Eastern Federation did before?"
"Could this sudden downpour in the middle of space have been created by Madam Herta?"
"Why would Madam Herta do something so pointless? Madam Herta only cares about the Herta Xianzhou's construction progress."
That final remark came from Herta 05.
"Wait!" At that moment, one of the Hertas cried out in alarm. "Everyone, look! The materials on the asteroid mountains are moving."
"Is that strange? The Honkai Beasts are using Honkai energy to transport materials... Every one of those Honkai Beasts is an excellent construction worker, especially Chiyou. That Judgment-class Honkai Beast can move the materials of several mountains at once."
"I also heard that when Chiyou is listed for sale through the IPC, the company immediately receives orders. Apparently, many people in the IPC believe that because Chiyou is so enormous and has such a docile temperament, it must be a Beast of Preservation."
"Docile...? Chiyou is not docile at all. According to Herta 09, before undergoing surgery, Chiyou was a continental-scale calamity, a natural disaster."
"Stop discussing Chiyou for a moment. I am serious. I genuinely cannot sense any Honkai energy coming from those moving materials. They are moving on their own!"
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