Thankfully, Yanqing understood Argenti's devotion to Idrila.
In the universe, it wasn't strange to believe in anything—he even knew people who worshiped the swarm or insects who were followers of Propagation.
Argenti's belief might be in something that had never even appeared in the universe, something Yanqing hadn't heard of, but the sincerity of that belief was unmatched.
Feeling the pain in his body, Yanqing shook his head silently.
Originally, upon seeing Argenti, he had wanted to spar with him. But in his current condition, it was best to wait until he recovered.
--------------------------------------
Herta Space Station.
A massive station orbiting a giant planet.
Here gathered the top geniuses from all over the universe.
Even someone you casually asked for directions might have an astonishing achievement in some field.
"Sigh, where on earth did Lady Herta go?"
Holding Peppy, standing under a huge screen, Asta couldn't help but sigh.
It had already been a while since Lady Herta left.
And she had only been at the station for a few days after her last trip before heading out again.
At that moment—
"Director Asta, we've detected Mr. Screwllum's ship signal—it's entering orbit!"
An excited, clearly cracked voice entered Asta's ears.
"Huh!? So soon? Wasn't he supposed to arrive tomorrow!"
Hearing that Screwllum had arrived, Asta panicked. She tossed Peppy upward and dashed toward the docking bay.
"???" Peppy blinked from the console where he had landed, staring at Asta's fading figure for a long while before finally reacting, already forgetting about Asta throwing him.
....
"Suppose thought always precedes speech—then no words can define this joy."
An elegant gentleman stepped slowly out of the cabin. His proper attire gave a pleasant impression.
He wore a top hat, and his voice was magnetic, rising and falling rhythmically.
Surprisingly, his face was a mechanical head. More precisely, his entire body under his clothes and gloves was mechanical.
King of the Planet Screwllum—Mechanical Aristocrat Screwllum I, or simply known as Screwllum.
#76 of the Genius Club, a gentleman with an extraordinary and complete mechanical mind.
Also a colleague with a good relationship with Herta.
"Very pleased to see you, Asta. Apologies for arriving 26 system hours, 19 minutes, and 8 seconds early. I hope this hasn't caused you any inconvenience."
"Not at all. I was really looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Screwllum. And I just happened to be passing by when I heard the docking officer's announcement. It's great to see you, Mr. Screwllum."Asta smiled.
Just as she was about to continue the conversation with Screwllum, a surprised voice rang out.
"Yo, Screwllum, you're actually this early? Don't tell me you were coming to find me and I just happened to catch you on the way!"
Screwllum and Asta turned their heads and saw Herta walking toward them.
"Ms. Herta, you're back!"
Seeing Herta, Asta instantly perked up.
Herta nodded and responded to Asta, then looked up to meet the gaze of Screwllum, who was looking down.
"Herta, calling me here in such a hurry—could it be that there's new progress on the project?" Screwllum spoke first.
"Of course, why else would I rush to get you? To drink machine oil?"
"...Herta, machine oil is still prosperous and the factory is on track."
"Mm, go ahead, I'm listening."
"I want to shut down the project."
"...Did your head get filled with machine oil?" Herta looked at Screwllum as if he were an idiot... well, that's not very polite.
She looked at Screwllum the same way she looked at other researchers on the space station.
"You suddenly show up to tell me this—what, you're quitting just like that?" Herta put her hands on her hips, visibly annoyed.
Asta quietly stepped back, not wanting to get involved in this clash of geniuses—after all, she couldn't understand what they were saying anyway.
At that moment, Peppy finally arrived and bumped into Asta's leg, clinging to her calf in protest.
Asta quickly picked it up and cautiously left the battlefield.
"Herta, we in the district have been—" the Screwllum began.
"Iron, lots of iron, and screws," Herta declared with complete confidence, not sensing any problem at all.
"...Herta, in the beginning, we defined the Simulated Universe to observe the paths of the Aeons. But now, it's straying further and further from that goal."
"Ah, you! You were the one who said the Simulated Universe needed absurdities. It perfectly fits that now, and you're still not satisfied?"
Herta was furious—not just because Screwllum wanted to shut down the Simulated Universe, but also because he had traveled all this way just to tell her that.
She had rushed back non-stop, and yet Screwllum, who was farther away from Herta's space station, still arrived before her.
This clearly showed that he had been planning this for some time, and was even ahead of her on the road.
"Herta..." Screwllum hadn't even finished speaking before Herta raised her hand to cut him off.
"Hold on, I don't have time to argue with you right now. I just got my hands on something interesting. If I put it into the Simulated Universe, I'm sure we'll gain a lot from it. Want to come take a look?"
Crossing her arms, Herta snorted lightly and invited Screwllum.
"...Fine, let's take a look." Screwllum did not refuse this invitation. His resolve to shut down the Simulated Universe was firm, and Herta knew him well. If there was anything that could change his mind, it would be something from her...
...
The Simulated Universe—a grand project jointly built by several members of the Genius Society, designed to observe the paths of the Aeons.
In past events, it had indeed provided valuable insights into understanding the Aeons.
But soon, disagreements arose among the geniuses. Herta was one of those who opposed suspending the Simulated Universe project, and she was deeply invested in it.
A certain gray-haired individual, whose body hosted a Stellaron, ended up participating in the experiment under Herta's persuasion.
Simulated Universe
At this moment, a frozen planet.
"Stellaron influence, huh? It's certainly an intriguing subject." Screwllum nodded slightly, but that alone wasn't enough to change his mind.
Boom!
The next moment, a massive creature emerged, splitting the earth. Its gigantic body blocked out the sky. Molten lava flowed across the land, tearing it apart.
The ice and snow were gone, replaced by black clouds and blue—possibly unnatural—light.
With another loud bang, a strange energy-emitting substance shot into the sky.
A Stellaron.
Screwllum recognized it immediately. It was a Stellaron that had matured—unlike those that had been suppressed, this one had undergone some kind of transformation.
Before he could examine it closely—
"Raaah~!" That massive creature charged at the Stellaron. Screwllum was stunned to see the Stellaron displaying something akin to human-like urgency, as if it were trying to flee or resist.
But it was useless.
In the end, the Stellaron was swallowed by that massive body.
No further movement followed.
Even the lava stopped flowing.
...
That was the end.
"Well? Surprised?" Herta called out confidently to the silent Screwllum.
"Herta, if that's what you wanted to show me, then I still want to shut down the Simulated Universe."
"Hey! Can't you understand the significance of what you just saw? You saw that big thing too, didn't you? Do you know how much effort I put in—how valuable this discovery is?!"
Herta glared at the iron hunk, Screwllum, itching to grab her hammer and dismantle all his parts.
Especially Screwllum's voice module!