However, if those giants who would only be born in the future were to become part of Herta's power, certain measures would still need to be put in place. For example, while carrying out righteous deeds, they would have to swear loyalty to Herta and dedicate themselves to preserving peace throughout the universe.
Herman offered his suggestion to Herta.
"Giants of such enormous size would also make excellent laborers. They could be put to use when I construct megastructures in the future."
The Herta pondered for a moment before saying seriously, "In that case, my consciousness will enter the Warp next. I will create an artificial sun and a Plasma Spark Tower within it. I will leave matters outside to you."
After The Herta finished speaking, she handed control of her body over to Herman. She then sent her consciousness into the Warp, where the black sun began drawing upon its vast psionic power to prepare for the construction of the Plasma Spark Tower.
Once Herman regained control of the body, he immediately said to the Galactic Shipgirl Herta before him, "The fact that we managed to construct you successfully in such a short period of time was largely due to the efforts of the little Hertas. How about I take you to meet them?"
"You mean the ones currently standing on the deck of my true battleship body and cheering nonstop..."
"That's right." Herman nodded faintly in confirmation. "They are your elder sisters. You must get along with them. While doing so, remember to control the strength of your true body. Although the materials used to create them are special, they certainly aren't as extraordinary as your own body, which is an entire Xianzhou."
"I understand. My sisters are all very fragile. I will definitely protect them from now on," Shipgirl Herta said earnestly.
"Good. That's the spirit." Herman smiled, crouched down slightly, took Shipgirl Herta's hand, and walked toward the deck.
The instant Herman appeared, one sharp-eyed little Herta spotted him.
"It's Madam Herta!"
"Madam Herta, we've finished all the work you assigned us!"
The Hertas began clamoring for praise. Herman smiled and nodded in response.
In Herman's view, the little fellows were not wrong in the slightest. The Herta Xianzhou could only have been constructed because of the Hertas' tremendous contributions. Although he had remained within The Herta's mind for the past dozen days, he had also been observing their labor.
They had truly worked around the clock without a single moment of rest.
The Hertas' tiny black hands, stained with gasoline and grease, were proof of how hard they had worked.
Herman stepped forward, looked earnestly at the densely packed crowd of little Hertas on the deck, and announced, "I have seen all your efforts, and every one of you has done an excellent job. Therefore, tonight we will hold a Herta victory banquet aboard the Herta Xianzhou. Every Herta must attend. Play as much as you like, make all the noise you want, then take a full day off to rest and relax."
"Then, Madam Herta, may I apply for leave?" Herta 05 squeezed her way out from among the other Hertas and asked anxiously.
At that moment, Herta 05 had already confirmed through observation and her PCU brain that the one currently controlling this body was the Second Madam Herta. Only because of that did she dare submit a request for leave.
In an instant, every little Herta focused on Herta 05 and The Herta. They all wanted to know whether they would be allowed to rest for several days.
After all, working twenty-four system hours a day without interruption for more than ten days had been utterly exhausting. Even puppets were no exception.
Shipgirl Herta listened to Herta 05, then looked at the exhausted Hertas. Unable to restrain herself, she raised her head and asked Herman, who was still holding her hand, "Madam Herta, could you give my sisters a chance to take a vacation? After all, they put an enormous amount of effort into creating me... I mean, into constructing the Herta Xianzhou."
"Of course. It's not as though I'm some kind of demon." Herman smiled at Shipgirl Herta beside him, then turned toward Herta 05 and the surrounding crowd of Hertas. "In fact, I was just about to say that once you've rested, you can take another half month of vacation. I will give you a sum of Credits so you can enjoy yourselves properly."
After saying that, Herman could not help thinking inwardly:
The IPC has been frantically sending immigrants into The Blue star system, so that batch of Credits should have arrived by now. Taking out a small portion would be more than enough for every Herta here to have a wonderful time.
"Yay!"
"Thank you, Madam Herta!"
"I love you the most, Madam Herta!"
The Hertas cheered and celebrated.
Herta 05 even rushed forward, hugged Herman's leg, and said, "I knew it was you, Second Madam Herta! You're the only one who treats us this well."
"All right, all right, Herta 05. Next, you need to discuss the Herta banquet with Fourth Mirror. The purchasing of ingredients and preparation of food will be entrusted to the two of you."
"Yes, Second Madam Herta! I guarantee the mission will be completed." After speaking, Herta 05 immediately prepared to take action.
"Wait... Before you leave, I want to introduce a new little sister to you and all the other Hertas." Herman gently pushed the figure beside him forward, placing her within every Herta's line of sight, then said:
"She is a Herta Puppet who was born at the same moment as the Herta Xianzhou. I believe that makes her a symbol of good fortune, so she will remain stationed aboard the Herta from now on. I have also named her Shipgirl Herta... You should all get along with her!"
When the Hertas heard this, they all focused their gazes on the Herta and revealed astonished expressions.
The first Herta without a serial number. Does the name Herta mean she is a Herta who was born alongside the Herta Xianzhou?
The Second Madam Herta is probably planning to train her as the Herta Xianzhou's captain!
As the Hertas thought this, envy appeared in their eyes. Soon afterward, several of them warmly greeted Shipgirl Herta and asked Herman whether the Herta, who had been born alongside the Herta Xianzhou, could join them during their upcoming vacation.
"Of course. I agree. After all, I just told you to build a good relationship with her."
"Yay!"
The Hertas gathered around Shipgirl Herta, using their large, grease-stained hands to touch her here and pat her there as they examined the shipgirl whom Madam Herta valued enough to name the Herta.
Shipgirl Herta showed no resistance or aversion whatsoever. Instead, she smiled happily. After all, her true body had been constructed by the diligent hands of these Herta sisters.
She only felt that the Herta sisters' hands were incredibly warm.
At that moment, however, Herman became dissatisfied. "Hey, hey, hey! You only just finished working, and your hands are filthy... Go take a bath first, then you can spend time with your little sister, Herta."
After hearing Herman's words, the Hertas lowered their heads and looked at their own palms. They discovered that their hands really were gray-black and filthy.
"Sorry, Herta. We got your clothes dirty."
"We'll go wash up first, then come back and play with you!"
"See you later."
The little Hertas departed noisily. They were heading to the shower area of the Herta Xianzhou to bathe.
The Galactic Shipgirl Herta stared blankly at the departing backs of her Herta sisters. Then she heard The Herta ask, "How did it feel to meet your sisters in the real world for the first time?"
"They are all very interesting and gentle people. Besides, when the Herta sisters touched me just now, I didn't think their hands were dirty at all."
As Shipgirl Herta spoke, a faint smile appeared on her lips. "On the contrary, I thought my sisters' hands were very warm. They reminded me of when my consciousness was still hazy and undeveloped, and my sisters used hammers to build my true body piece by piece."
"If possible, I would like my sisters to touch me even more!"
Shipgirl Herta paused before adding, "Of course, what I love most of all is being patted by Madam Herta."
"What a good girl." Herman smiled and stroked Shipgirl Herta's head. "The Hertas will all have a long vacation next. You can play and have fun with them. Besides, I believe that even if real danger appears, you will be able to protect your sisters, won't you?"
"Mm."
Shipgirl Herta nodded firmly. "I will protect my Herta sisters and Herta Mom."
After saying that, Shipgirl Herta revealed a trace of hesitation. "Also, why did Herta 05 call you the Second Madam Herta just now?"
"That is a long story. You can simply think of me as another Herta."
After hearing this, a thought emerged within Shipgirl Herta's CPU:
My Herta Mom actually suffers from dissociative identity disorder. That matches the information I just received from the interastral network. Genius to the left, madness to the right?!
Still, judging from the way Herta 05 hugged the Second Madam Herta, the Second Madam Herta is clearly easier to approach and more amiable.
At that moment, Shipgirl Herta heard Herman say, "The Hertas will need some time to wash themselves, so you will come with me to meet someone. She provided a great deal of help in constructing you. Those Propagation insect laborers were her doing."
After hearing this, Shipgirl Herta swiftly searched the information available on the interastral network and said, "You mean Miss Ruan Mei?"
"That's right." Herman smiled, waved the Herta Magic Wand, created a miniature wormhole connected to the Soul Gem Factory, and stepped through it.
In an instant, Herman brought the little Herta into the Soul Gem Factory in Herta City on The Blue.
"You're back. Congratulations... You have successfully created another Xianzhou megastructure." Ruan Mei's ears twitched slightly as she turned toward the wormhole's exit and spoke.
"This was also thanks to you. Without your help, I could not have constructed the Herta Xianzhou so quickly."
"I merely provided a negligible amount of assistance. Even without the Propagation insects, completion would only have been delayed by ten days or half a month at most." Ruan Mei shook her head and stated the truth.
Then Ruan Mei focused her gaze on the Herta whom Herman had brought back. Her eyes, among the finest biological instruments in the entire universe, instantly detected something extraordinary.
"A Herta Puppet? No, that's not right... A puppet could not possibly possess such a dense biological presence."
"You noticed something unusual about her." Herman raised an eyebrow slightly.
Ruan Mei nodded gently and looked at Shipgirl Herta in confusion. "I sense life energy within her that is even denser than that of the Taihang star. What exactly is she?"
As she spoke, Ruan Mei seemed to realize something. "Could it be that during the period in which you were constructing the megastructure, you experienced another flash of inspiration? Just as you once performed psionic genetic modifications on the puppets, did you carry out some sort of special modification on the Herta Sequence Puppets?!"
Herman could not help laughing. "Ruan Mei, that genius mind of yours certainly has a wild imagination, but you are mistaken about one thing. I did not perform any modification on the Herta Sequence Puppets. Allow me to introduce her."
At this point, Herman placed a hand behind the Herta and gently pushed her forward. "She is the spirit of the Herta Xianzhou I created, a physical incarnation possessing the essence of the Xianzhou itself. Her name is Shipgirl Herta."
"The reason you believe the presence within her is denser than that of a sun is because her very essence is the Xianzhou itself."
"The physical incarnation of the Xianzhou is Shipgirl Herta, and the shipgirl can even leave the vessel and enter this world." Ruan Mei paused, then said, "Let me guess. This tiny Herta can unleash the full combat power of the Xianzhou itself even from half a star system away, can't she?"
Herman smiled and nodded.
Seeing this, Ruan Mei realized that Herman had acquired an exceptionally devious method of ambushing his enemies.
After all, Shipgirl Herta's appearance was identical to that of a Herta Sequence Puppet. Had Ruan Mei not been a master biologist who had modified her own eyes countless times, even she would have been unable to detect Shipgirl Herta's abnormality.
This meant that if an enemy faction went to war with Herta in the future and mistook Shipgirl Herta for an ordinary Herta Puppet, dismissing her completely, Shipgirl Herta's full-powered killing methods would be waiting for them. She would inevitably give the enemy an enormous surprise.
Ruan Mei continued thinking as she examined Shipgirl Herta several more times. Finally, she raised her head and asked The Herta, "Is Shipgirl Herta's species considered Intellitron?"
"She is not an Intellitron. Shipgirl Herta is a creation I produced by combining psionic power, Soul Gems... and other extraordinarily specialized technologies. She is a miracle of the universe, one that others would find nearly impossible to replicate."
"—I call her the Galactic Shipgirl · Herta Sequence · Shipgirl Herta!"
Ruan Mei could not help exclaiming, "Not an Intellitron, but an entirely new species?!"
"In that case, counting today and the machine-spirit race you developed with psionic power more than ten days ago, you have created two newborn species in barely half a month. Such mastery over creation is truly inconceivable!"
"From a certain perspective, you have already surpassed me in biological research. After all, I cannot create new life-forms and species as quickly as you can."
Herman repeatedly shook his head upon hearing this. "I am not particularly skilled in biological research... After all, as you said, the machine spirits and shipgirls I created are both mechanical. —In the fields of flesh-and-blood life and energy-based life, your scientific achievements far exceed mine!"
Ruan Mei said, "Yet I believe that sooner or later, you will surpass me in the research of flesh-and-blood and energy-based life as well. Your research progresses far too quickly!"
"..."
This time, Herman said nothing.
After all, he could hardly tell her that The Herta had already completed the Plasma Spark Tower technology related to energy-based life and Giants of Light within the Simulated Laboratory, and was currently preparing to construct it in the real Warp...