Aha, I see you!

After waiting for a long time, Herta was still muttering about the first update of her big project, whether it was Permanence or Propagation.

And how should Permanence be arranged?

"…Then what should we do?"

Stelle didn't want to disturb anyone's thoughts, but waiting here indefinitely wasn't a good idea. For a moment, she was unsure whether she should continue waiting.

Lin Shuang shrugged. She wasn't in a hurry to do anything, so it didn't matter to her.

But the Astral Express was still waiting for Stelle's response.

They really shouldn't be kept waiting too long.

"Why don't you tell Himeko? If there's still no movement after a while, it should be fine to leave first. Anyway, it seems like Herta will be preoccupied with this project for a while."

As for Lin Shuang, she would definitely go and give her a gift, but after that, she would probably return to experience the simulated universe first.

At the very least, she had to fight first—how exciting!

Of course, that was assuming Herta would even wake up.

Lin Shuang looked at the Herta puppet in front of her and felt a burst of inspiration.

To be honest, she felt a little hopeless.

Just then—

Herta suddenly raised her head and looked at Lin Shuang and Stelle, who were resting on the steps.

"Hey, you two, let me explain briefly. You see this massive device? My colleagues and I have created an entire fictional universe within it. It's just like our world, but more streamlined."

"I will simulate the existence of an Aeon inside to study them, and you two will go in to experience that universe and find a way to attract the Aeon's attention. It's that simple."

As Herta spoke, she began fiddling with the enormous device while motioning for the two of them to come over quickly.

"Come and experience it. I'll guide you and make sure you don't suffer any losses. There's even a big reward waiting for you!"

Herta's eyes burned with anticipation as she stared at them, particularly at Lin Shuang.

—

Simulating Permanence was particularly difficult because there was very little information available about its Path in this world.

Most of it was concentrated within the Xianzhou Alliance.

The Vidyadhara strictly controlled this information.

Herta wanted to simulate Permanence, but updating it using conventional methods would take a long time.

There was, however, a quicker method—letting Lin Shuang play the role of the Aeon(youth version).

Then, by using the model of Permanence and Nihility hedging that Lin Shuang had experienced before, she would attempt to construct a model of Permanence from Nihility.

After that, she would find a way to exchange information from the Xianzhou to refine the model.

In short, there were plenty of ideas, but Herta wasn't sure whether they were truly feasible.

As she pondered this, Herta suddenly remembered that Lin Shuang was standing right beside her.

She might as well take her in for a test run.

And of course, Stelle would be going in as well. She had just been gazed upon by Nanook, and now he might be seen again in the simulated universe.

The more data on Aeons, the better.

Lin Shuang and Stelle, who had suddenly been called, turned their heads to look at Herta.

After exchanging glances, they stood up and walked toward the platform.

"Yes, just stand there. The machine will read your brain waves and automatically match you with the immersive simulation system…"

—

The moment Lin Shuang stood in front of the machine, she felt her consciousness being pulled away.

When she came to her senses, she found herself inside a cabin of the space station.

Lin Shuang looked around, but Stelle was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Stelle? Didn't Herta include a matching option when designing this system?"

At the same time, a strange sensation coursed through her body, causing her to frown. She lowered her head and looked down.

She had grown a dragon tail engulfed in flames.

Subconsciously, she reached up and touched her forehead.

As expected, a pair of dragon horns had sprouted.

"Ah…"

Just as Lin Shuang was processing her transformation, Herta's voice echoed around her:

"Don't question my system. I separated you on purpose. You're measuring different things. When you see the message, just click the screen in front of you—"

A light screen appeared before Lin Shuang, displaying subtitles from Herta.

She raised her hand and tapped it, prompting a new message:

"Your bodies are still in the office. This is a test suit with simplified functions. Now, try walking around—"

Lin Shuang followed Herta's instructions and moved around, then asked curiously:

"Why did I become part of the Vidyadhara?"

If she remembered correctly, dragon tails and dragon horns were rare even among the Vidyadhara.

Such atavistic traits had only been seen in the Dragon Lord and the High Elders.

Herta, with no intention of hiding anything, responded directly:

"I'm trying to get you to play the role of Permanence. But the issue is that there's too little information on Permanence. For now, I can only borrow data from the Vidyadhara. You'll probably have to help me gather more information to complete the model."

"...Even your Genius Society doesn't know much about Permanence?"

Lin Shuang voiced her doubts while curiously playing with her tail. The scales were fine and symmetrical, and the flickering flames were surprisingly warm.

This felt quite intriguing.

"We can't help it. There isn't a Vidyadhara genius in our society. Anyway, stop chatting and go fight some monsters first."

Hearing Herta's urging, Lin Shuang sighed and then allowed red flames to engulf her. She raised her sword high and charged at the antimatter legions before her!

—

"Hah… fighting is amazing!"

The joy of unleashing destruction without worrying about collateral damage was more exhilarating than she had imagined.

Still, Lin Shuang exercised restraint. In this battle, she had only used Permanence as an energy source.

And right on cue, Herta's voice rang out:

"Not bad. I've gathered a lot of data on Permanence. To be honest, this is my first time researching its Path. I never considered adding it before…"

As she spoke, Herta's voice suddenly became distorted.

Lin Shuang felt an overwhelming sense of disorientation. The scenery before her shifted from the space station to an unimaginably vast cosmic landscape, so immense that it left her speechless.

[Oh—oh—who do I see? Who do I see—]

A peculiar figure appeared before Lin Shuang.

He had no head, only a clown mask floating in place. He circled around her with erratic movements.

His voice carried an eerie excitement, and the madness in it seeped into Lin Shuang's mind.

Aha—the Aeon of Elation.

Before she could react, his skeletal fingers reached toward her and waved through the air—

In an instant, Lin Shuang's perspective soared as her vision expanded.

She was growing—longer, larger, overwhelmingly so.

Fine, iridescent scales covered her entire body, and her limbs transformed into razor-sharp claws.

The planets turned to dust in comparison, and the stars curled like a mere ripple along the length of her form.