Can't Pull Off Any Shenanigans, But Can Trade In the Old for New

"Hmm, overall, the results are a bit… interesting…"

Although the space station was currently in a disastrous state, Herta's own research lab was naturally unaffected.

And the great Madam Herta was clearly unwilling to waste her intellect on such meaningless tasks as researching the space station's reconstruction.

Since she had nothing better to do, during the not-so-long period of platform repairs, she simply dragged Caelus and Twilight to her lab and began her examination.

Fortunately, Herta wasn't the Mobius type of terrifying scientist—at least, Caelus and Twilight weren't subjected to any inhumane biological research or vivisection.

After undergoing numerous high-tech scans and live sample extractions that Caelus couldn't even begin to understand, Herta finally obtained the preliminary results she wanted before the platform was repaired.

And today was the day of Caelus and Twilight's last checkup. The two seniors of the Astral Express were also invited to come along, leaving Dan Heng and March 7th to stay on the train and watch the house.

"Alright, little guy, you can go." Looking at the latest test report, Herta casually waved Caelus away. "Remember to make an appointment with me in advance when your train returns to the space station, so I can free up time to study you—but I might not have time, so whatever."

"Huh?" Looking at Herta, who didn't even look up, Caelus blinked blankly. "I don't think I've decided for sure that I want to board the train…"

Hearing this, Herta finally stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Caelus in confusion: "If you don't board the train, you want to—ah, you really want to stay in the space station?"

After saying that, Herta waved her hand dismissively: "Nah, that won't do, you should still leave. Occasionally coming back to visit is fine, but long-term stay is out of the question."

"But didn't you say before…"

"Before was before, now is now. It wasn't the current me who was talking to you before, was it?" Herta shook her head and casually pulled up a document that Caelus couldn't understand at all and tossed it to him.

"The main reason is that you have a Stellaron inside you. I don't mind, but we have to consider Asta and the others. If something happens to this thing, everyone in the space station is doomed."

"But if that's the case, wouldn't it be dangerous for me to board the train as well?" Caelus blinked. Although he could understand Herta's concerns, to be honest, compared to a bomb fixed in a space station, he felt that a bomb running around the universe on an interstellar train was more dangerous…

"Hehe, don't worry, Caelus, the Express crew are professionals at containing dangerous items." Himeko, sitting at a coffee table that appeared out of nowhere, stroked the head of Twilight, who was fast asleep on her lap, and smiled confidently. "There are plenty of things that could explode on the train, one more Stellaron won't make a difference."

"If the train ever does explode, it will definitely become the biggest firework recorded in galactic history." Welt Yang adjusted his glasses, his tone filled with an inexplicable firmness. "That ending is also a kind of Trailblazing romance!"

Seeing their reactions, Caelus nodded thoughtfully—I understand, this Astral Express is a group of terrorists running around with a train full of explosives…

This is too much to his liking!

"Himeko, Uncle Yang—Twilight and I are definitely boarding this train!" Caelus's eyes burned with excitement. "Let's go, I can't wait to see the self-destruct card—I mean, what the Astral Express looks like!"

"Hold on, I said you could leave, but I didn't say she could."

Caelus had just stood up, hadn't even taken a step, when Herta called him back with a single sentence.

"You might blow up the space station, but Twilight won't, so she can definitely stay—no, I should say I recommend that she stay."

Herta pointed at Twilight, who had been woken up by the noise and was now rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "This is, of course, convenient for my research, but it's also good for her."

A Stellaron was indeed a mysterious thing, but it wasn't rare.

Therefore, although Caelus had research value, for Herta, he wasn't something she would become obsessed with at first glance, willing to spend all her time researching day and night—she might be interested for a while, but that was the extent of it.

In comparison, Twilight was much more interesting.

Although it had been a long time since Herta dug out her hibernation pod from an unknown meteorite, it wasn't until Twilight woke up today that she finally showed signs of being a living creature.

Before waking up, she was like a meaningless collection of information with only an outer shell. After waking up, she contained an astronomical amount of information that seemed to be calculated to the extreme…

Herta was certain that Twilight was created, but she couldn't think of anyone in this universe who could create such an excellent being.

Even that genius Ruan Mei with her bold dreams couldn't reach this level.

But if the one who created Twilight wasn't human, then many things could be explained, and even Herta, as the Erudition Emanator, had a subtle sense of familiarity…

Unfortunately, although it was beyond human reach and excellent, it wasn't perfect.

"Good for little Twilight?" Himeko's expression became slightly serious. She was an old acquaintance of Herta's and knew that Herta wasn't the type to speak carelessly.

"She's a cultivated artificial life form, but her body has been optimized to an unbelievable degree, both the body itself and its adaptability to various powers… Even if you said she was created by an Aeon, I would find it reasonable."

Herta looked at Twilight, who, after waking up, immediately started devouring the snacks on the table next to Himeko, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"But she should have some original genetic template, most likely from the Mayfly race… It's a pity, although she has almost reached the pinnacle in terms of power, the flaws of her life haven't been remedied."

The Mayfly race… Does little Twilight only have a short lifespan of ten years? Himeko sighed inwardly. She naturally knew about this short-lived race, but she never thought that the Express's junior she had taken a liking to would be one of them.

Even though she wasn't a long-lived being herself, would she still experience the sense of separation felt by those who were?

"Ah, don't misunderstand, I'm not saying her lifespan is as long as an ordinary (Space) Mayfly."

Herta's words made Himeko and Welt's hearts relax a bit, but her next sentence completely stunned them: "It would be good if she could live for a year. After all, from the time of her creation, it seems like no one considered how long she could live. She's practically like a test subject."

"A year…?" Caelus's eyes widened.

Although he didn't know what the Mayfly race was, Herta's words were so blunt that he naturally understood the meaning.

"This, how is this possible… Twilight is so strong, and she doesn't seem weak at all now?" Caelus subconsciously looked at Twilight, who was still engrossed in eating snacks, seemingly not interested in the things being discussed around her.

"If you see her weak, it means she's about to die." Herta snorted, too lazy to argue with Caelus, who dared to question her scientific research ability.

"Although it doesn't seem like she's burning her life force for power, who knows? Her case, I probably won't be able to make any headway in less than thirty to fifty years… But you can be thankful, because she met me."

"When it comes to rejuvenation, I happen to have some research." Herta raised an eyebrow confidently and held up three fingers. "Don't worry, just leave her to me, and I guarantee that when you come back, you'll see a brand new her."

"A thirty percent chance of making her younger?" Caelus asked nervously.

Welt Yang shook his head. Since even Herta was so concerned about Twilight's situation, it definitely wasn't a simple problem: "Probably three percent."

And Himeko, who knew Herta best, had an even graver expression: "Point three percent…?"

"Ah, no, what I mean is, I can find three more Genius Society members to help me make a puppet exactly like her and give it back to you."

Herta shook her head regretfully.

"Saving her is impossible, cloning is also unlikely, her information is too complex… But imitating her and creating a similar AI plus a puppet is doable! Don't worry, with Ruan Mei and Screwllum, I guarantee you won't be able to tell the difference~"