"Those materials came bouncing over. They're following the blueprints and assembling themselves..."
"What a mystical sight. It looks just like magic!"
"Isn't that perfectly normal? Miss The Herta, who created us, knows magic herself."
"Madam Herta is unparalleled, supremely intelligent, and possessed of beauty without equal.."
By the end of their discussion, the Hertas realized that the materials moving and assembling themselves into components of the Herta Xianzhou were the work of the great Miss The Herta.
At the same time, they also realized one fact: now that Miss The Herta had personally intervened, the Herta Xianzhou would be completed even faster. It might not even take half a month.
"Keep it up, partners!"
The Hertas encouraged one another.
Meanwhile, the machine spirits residing within those self-moving materials also raised their voices:
"Keep it up, brothers and sisters!"
"We must complete the task bestowed upon us by the great Herta! We must finish constructing the Herta Xianzhou, this cosmic-class megastructure! May Herta forge and temper us!"
"Keep it up! Keep it up! Keep it up..."
The machine spirits roared. Gears, pistons, levers, and other components clattered before finally combining into engines, mechanical core structures, and more.
As a result, the Herta Xianzhou's progress bar once again rose at a speed visible to the naked eye, soaring rapidly.
At that moment, Ruan Mei, who had previously said she would help Herta construct the Xianzhou, arrived at the site as well, plucking her pipa to control the swarm as it joined the construction workforce.
The swarm, Herta Puppets, machine-spirit components, and Honkai Beasts... each performed their own duties as they built the Xianzhou together.
The sight was a wonder of the universe. After the major factions observed it, many people were stunned.
Giovanni sighed. "A genius' mind truly is useful. She actually thought of making the materials construct themselves."
Sampo said, "And making bugs build a Xianzhou... I've never seen anything like it. This is the greatest spectacle I've witnessed all Amber Era."
Argenti, the Knight of Beauty who had arrived in The Blue star system not long ago, possessed long red hair and wore a suit of imposing armor. At that moment, he too was watching the scene and repeatedly exclaiming in admiration:
"Even insects have joined in the construction of order. What a beautiful sight! This must be the Goddess of Beauty, Idrila, revealing Her divine presence. Ah... Praise the Goddess of Beauty, Idrila!"
Black Swan said, "This is a cosmic wonder worthy of remembrance."
Lord of Silence Polka Kakamond, whose figure remained concealed, also saw that more than half of the Herta Xianzhou had been constructed. She had already activated her Knowable Domain to observe it, yet she still could not determine whether the cosmic-class megastructure project involving Herta would succeed or fail. It was as though everything concerning Herta had been shrouded by the Path of Enigmata.
However, her intuition told her that this half-completed Xianzhou, whose appearance already exuded perfection, would inevitably succeed.
At that moment, Screwllum emerged from a laboratory in The Blue star system. He also observed the Xianzhou's construction, then froze for no other reason than this:
His status as the mechanical monarch of Planet Screwllum, combined with his Synesthesia Beacon... allowed him to hear the roaring voices of the machine spirits within the materials:
"Those voices come from Intellitrons?"
"No. Intellitrons can only emerge after a machine's CPU spends a long time processing and thinking in binary. Pure materials cannot possibly become Intellitrons."
"In other words, Herta used some new technology to create an entirely new race, one capable of developing self-awareness while still in the material stage."
"This will have an enormous impact on the Intellitron race."
Screwllum fell into thought.
...
As time passed, another seven days went by. After those seven days, Herta's Xianzhou was finally completed. A megastructure even larger than the sun stood amid the starry sky of The Blue star system.
Such an enormous mechanical creation, such a colossal behemoth... merely observing it from afar was enough to make others understand the greatness of a genius' wisdom and the insignificance of their own existence.
This Herta Xianzhou incorporated Xianzhou Delve technology. On the outside, it appeared only somewhat larger than a star, but its internal world was actually ten times the size of the sun.
More importantly, when Herta constructed this Xianzhou, she integrated numerous technologies she had personally developed.
Warp technology and psionic engines allowed the Xianzhou to travel swiftly through the Warp while simultaneously extracting psionic energy from it to power itself.
Artificial Solar Radiance technology was countless times more advanced than nuclear power. It was a stellar energy propulsion technology Herta had created with the Super Gene · Solar Radiance Gene, giving the Xianzhou an internal star as its energy source.
Finally, there was Honkai energy.
Countless trillions of Honkai Beasts entered the Herta Xianzhou's core, merged with the power grid, and lost consciousness... becoming living generators that continuously supplied Honkai energy to the Xianzhou itself.
Energy extracted from another dimension, stellar energy generated internally, and bioelectric power... these three energy sources gave the Xianzhou a perfect internal cycle.
At that moment, the three core cycles began operating for the first time. Boom!
The Warp engine began to turn, the artificial sun began to revolve, and the Honkai Beasts were electrocuted—or rather, generated electricity.
Countless torrents of high-energy particles erupted from the Herta Xianzhou's stern, propelling the star-sized megastructure forward. As the Herta Xianzhou operated for the first time, all its internal facilities activated as well. The entire vessel began to glow, becoming the second sun of The Blue star system.
At that moment, every faction and powerful expert staying within The Blue star system understood one fact:
Herta had successfully constructed a Xianzhou!
She now possessed a top-tier mobile vessel capable of carrying her anywhere in the universe.
She could now travel to the supercluster where the true body of Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation, resided.
She could even explore worlds covered by the Path of Enigmata, survey Amphoreus, or venture beyond the edge of the known universe into the unobservable cosmos, where trillions upon trillions of galaxies drifted in eternal silence—a forbidden frontier left untouched since the fall of the Aeon of Trailblaze.
In any case, the existence of the Herta Xianzhou gave her the confidence to unleash her greatest combat power while retaining the ability to withdraw at any time.
At that moment, Herta's popularity within the Blue Federation climbed to its absolute peak:
"Look! A second sun has appeared in the sky!"
"The Xianzhou has already been completed, but how long has it been since this cosmic-class megastructure project truly began? Fewer than fifteen days!"
"The wisdom of a genius is truly absurd."
"Only now do I realize the difference between ordinary people and geniuses. Now I understand why everyone says the Blue Federation is Herta's homeworld and that she is our federation's greatest stroke of fortune."
"Madam Herta, we love and revere you!"
Elsewhere, Black Swan and Dahlia used the power of the Path of Remembrance to preserve the meaningful and commemorative scene of the Herta Xianzhou's completion.
At that moment, nearly every faction believed the Xianzhou had been completed and the creation was finished.
Even Lord of Silence Polka Kakamond was no exception. The same was true of Ruan Mei, who had accompanied Herta in constructing the Xianzhou.
Only The Herta herself, who had personally drawn every blueprint for the Herta Xianzhou, knew that one final step remained before it could be considered truly complete:
She needed to create a Mind Cube and fully integrate it with the Herta Xianzhou. Only then could she create a gigantic Galactic Shipgirl Herta, capable of unleashing star-destroying power with nothing but her fists and feet.
Once equipped with a weapons system, unleashing galaxy-destroying combat power would be effortless.
In that way, The Herta would possess a galaxy-level combat shipgirl.
An Emanator-level combatant would accompany her at all times!
Just as Ruan Mei currently carried the Starcrusher Swarm King with her everywhere.
Tap, tap.
Herta, who was inside the Soul Gem Factory, began to move. Holding her magic wand, she took a single step and passed through a wormhole into the Herta Xianzhou. She then raised her hand and took out a Soul Gem that had just been produced by the factory.
The gem was dark purple and emitted a hazy radiance.
Next, Herta would use this gem as the foundation to personally forge a Mind Cube.
Mind over matter, transcending the mundane and entering the divine. Psionic power poured into it.
The foundation of matter, shaping all things... The energy of the artificial sun that bestowed warmth upon all creation flowed into it.
Hummm...
The Soul Gem began to glow. A flicker of consciousness seemed about to emerge within it. At that critical moment, Herta went one step further and opened the gateway to the Warp, connecting the black sun within it to the Soul Gem.
Herta's traits and Herta's memories began to pour inside, causing the newborn consciousness within the gem to identify itself as part of the Herta Sequence from the moment of its birth.
"Go."
As Herta tossed the Soul Gem from her hand, it instantly merged with the Xianzhou's core. At that moment, the Herta Xianzhou seemed to truly come alive.
A figure was born from the void and stepped into reality.
From the outside, she appeared to be a Herta Puppet, but in truth, she was a shipgirl named Herta. Although she was not yet equipped with a weapons system, she still possessed star-level output.
"Miss The Herta, thank you for creating me." Shipgirl Herta bowed to The Herta and expressed her gratitude.
"Mm." The Herta nodded slightly, stroked the shipgirl's head, and asked, "Can you make the battleship transform now?"
"Yes. Do you wish for me to merge with the battleship and transform into my shipgirl form?"
"That won't be necessary. It would be better to save this surprise for when we encounter an enemy in the future..." The Herta paused, then added, "Besides, the Herta Xianzhou has not been equipped with weapons yet. It is not in its complete form."
"Yes, Madam Herta." Shipgirl Herta agreed with a smile, then reported her other abilities:
For example, because she had been born from the battleship, she could store the entire vessel within her body.
Furthermore, after weapons modules were installed in the future, she would gain access to the corresponding weapons. Those weapons would be miniaturized for her personal use, yet their power would not decrease in the slightest.
The Herta nodded faintly, unsurprised. As the creator of Shipgirl Herta, she naturally understood the shipgirl's abilities perfectly.
Within The Herta's body, Herman repeatedly sighed in admiration:
The abilities of Herta, the Galactic Shipgirl, were far too insidious. On the outside, she clearly looked tiny and harmless, but once she unleashed her full output, she possessed star-level power. After a weapons system was installed, she would even reach the galaxy level.
More importantly, the ability to miniaturize her weapons without reducing their power was exceptionally devious.
In the future, Herta's enemies would mistake Shipgirl Herta for an ordinary Herta Puppet. At that moment, Shipgirl Herta would unleash her true power and inevitably give them an endless surprise.
After Herman finished marveling, he heard The Herta's inner voice: 'From now on, the Herta Xianzhou will serve as my laboratory and residence... In addition, because I established so many production lines at the Soul Factory on The Blue, the number of little Herta Puppets is approaching one hundred million. I will leave the arrangements for them to you as well.'
'All right. Leave it to me. I will arrange suitable accommodations for the Hertas.'
'I trust you to handle it... Also, do not allow outsiders aboard the Herta Xianzhou. From now on, the Xianzhou will be a base for you, me, and the Hertas.'
'Mm.'
Herman continued agreeing within his mind.
'Right, there is one more thing I haven't mentioned... Half a month ago, after my research points rose to 4,500, I didn't only develop the Herta Xianzhou. I also developed the Plasma Spark Tower. I have already mastered the technology required to construct it.'
Hearing this, Herman's eyes widened and his pupils contracted slightly as he thought to himself.
She can even build the Plasma Spark Tower now? Doesn't that mean she could create the Land of Light, complete with warriors of pure justice and an Inter Galactic Defense Force?
However, this newly created Land of Light would possess only the Plasma Spark Tower. It would not have the King of Ultra, nor would it have Noah or any other Ultra Warriors who transcend conventional standards. If they went out to uphold justice immediately, they would probably be beaten into paste.
After all, there are far too many lunatics in Honkai: Star Rail, and the crazier they are, the stronger they become... The Emanators of the various factions alone would not be opponents the giants of a newborn Land of Light could easily handle.
No... Before that, I should consider which race should be transformed into giants once the Plasma Spark Tower is completed.
Herman then voiced the question in his mind.
Herta froze as well:
'Which faction should be transformed into giants? That truly is a problem... After all, with the Plasma Spark Tower I designed, only those who possess a conviction of justice can embrace the light and become Giants of Light. Those who are not sufficiently righteous... will be burned to ashes by the light.'
Herta fell into deep thought. Only after a long while did she say to Herman inwardly, 'Perhaps we do not need to use it on any living race. What about using it on those within the Warp who have died once but still possess righteous convictions?'
Herman considered it carefully and found no issue with the idea.
After all, within the Warp, positive and negative emotional energy had already been clearly divided and separated by HooH, the Aeon of Equilibrium.
Under those circumstances, anyone who willingly remained in a place surging with positive emotional energy after death and found it comfortable must surely have been a good person.
Naturally, a soul that remained amid an environment filled with negative emotions and still felt wildly exhilarated would belong to an evil person.
In that case, there would be nothing wrong with constructing a Plasma Spark Tower within the Warp and illuminating it with radiant light. As for where to place the Plasma Spark Tower, it could be positioned beside Herta's soul projection.
That way, the radiance of the black sun would change from cold to warm, bringing warmth to the entire world.