The Herta gazed seriously at Pearl before her. "Your trip to Penacony will be postponed for now."
Pearl blinked. "Miss Herta, do you believe Penacony is currently unsafe?"
"Yes. Even the Family steward responsible for Penacony—Gopher Wood—has already been assassinated."
"But I am merely an unremarkable Intellitron," Pearl said earnestly. "According to logical deduction, my value is not particularly high. Even if I were damaged in Penacony, you could simply select another robot from Screwllum Star and cultivate it into an Intellitron. Moreover, there are already multiple Herta Puppets serving you on The Blue."
Hearing this, The Herta's expression grew even more solemn. She fixed her gaze on Pearl and said, "Your value is very high. On The Blue, you belong to the highest tier in terms of worth. I will not send you into dangerous Penacony without preparation. At the very least, you must be given the power to protect yourself."
"Thank you, Miss Herta. Thank you for valuing an Intellitron like me so highly. When I go to Penacony, I will devote myself fully to managing the Reverie Company to repay you."
Pearl bowed deeply, then revealed a distinctly human-like expression of curiosity.
"Miss Herta, will you tame the Honkai Beasts on Mars and have them accompany me to Penacony to ensure my safety?"
"Honkai Beasts? You can bring some, but they won't be enough." The Herta shook her head. "I plan to equip you with something I recently developed after gaining new inspiration."
"You have developed something new again?" Pearl's mechanical pupils trembled violently. "But it hasn't been long since you researched Honkai Energy."
"According to logical analysis, your research efficiency is approaching that of the 29th Seat of the Genius Society—Madam Sserkal... If within the next month you produce several more cosmos-level projects, you may even surpass her research efficiency."
The Herta smiled faintly. "After all, I am Herta. And I believe the future me will accomplish even more research—surpassing the 29th Seat."
Pearl responded, "Logical projection indicates that if your research efficiency truly surpasses Madam Sserkal, 29th Seat of the Genius Society... you may fall into considerable danger."
"According to large-scale data, many across the cosmos believe that Madam Sserkal was able to advance civilization's science by thousands of years within twenty-nine days by burning her own life to conduct research."
"Don't worry." A slight smile curved Herta's lips. "From the day I solved the Solitary Waves Theory and became a genius until now, I have never once felt fatigue—neither mentally nor physically. That means I am perfectly healthy."
As The Herta finished speaking, a voice from outside the door rang out—it was an employee of the Interastral Peace Corporation.
"Miss Herta, your delivery has arrived. Please sign for it."
"Very well, I'm coming."
The Herta strode briskly to the door. A group of logistics robots entered the room and carried all the dark matter inside.
Soon, having completed its delivery, the IPC vessel launched once more at extreme speed, flying back into the cosmos along the star rails.
From that moment on, inside her residence, The Herta officially began engraving chip data diagrams onto the unstable structure known as dark matter.
Because she had mastered Honkai Energy and had performed gene-level microscopic surgery on herself, engraving chip data onto dark matter came naturally to her.
Very quickly, intricate patterns covered the dark matter—matter that emitted no light, absorbed no electromagnetic waves, interacted primarily through gravity, and possessed extremely high energy density. Those patterns etched formulas meant to open the Dark Plane.
The formulas were incomparably complex. Ordinary people would grow dizzy at a glance. Even geniuses would struggle to comprehend them immediately.
More importantly, dark matter was unstable. Under external stimulation, it could dissipate—or explode—at any moment.
If all the dark matter inside Herta's residence were to detonate simultaneously, it would be enough to blast an entire city into the sky. Even continental shelves would tremble.
Yet Herta was a genius. Within a controlled system, she engraved molecular-level Dark Plane chip formulas and algorithms onto portions of the dark matter in her dormitory.
After completing this, The Herta raised the dark matter in her hands. Her arms began moving wildly. The already unstable substance was flung about until it started smoking... on the verge of exploding.
And at that very instant, the formulas and algorithmic runes upon the dark matter were charged with energy. They began absorbing the dark matter's power and initiated propulsion.
Soon, the tail end of the dark matter began spiraling, as if accelerated by a centrifuge. When it reached an extreme point of acceleration, it projected outward into the void.
Crack.
A sound like shattering glass echoed through empty space.
It was the sound of dark matter and dark energy being projected into a dimension different from reality.
Hearing this, a sharp gleam flashed in The Herta's eyes. She immediately realized that the prototype of the Dark Plane had been successfully opened. The next step was to refine and expand it.
She quickly called out, "Fourth Mirror."
The mirror beside her began to glow. "I am here, Madam Herta."
"Enter the void anchor point before me. Integrate into the Dark Plane chip. Stabilize the planar structure and prepare for expansion."
"Understood, Madam Herta."
Streams of 0 and 1 data flashed within the mirror. In an instant, the consciousness of The Blue's foremost AI Intellitron—the Fourth Mirror—entered the dimension within the void and stabilized the operation of the Dark Plane chip.
Seeing this, The Herta did not hesitate. She cast even more dark matter into the void.
Receiving vast amounts of material energy, the Dark Plane chip gradually exerted its power, expanding the Dark Plane within that alternate dimension.
Soon, an interdimensional platform took shape.
This platform existed in another dimension. From the fourth dimension, it could modify living bodies—implanting super genes.
Gazing at the hollow aperture suspended in the void, The Herta closed her eyes without hesitation. She sensed, beyond the Stigmata Herta space, a second platform. At that moment, she knew the Dark Plane had been successfully created.
Without delay, she connected her consciousness to the platform. Immediately, she heard the voice of the Fourth Mirror.
"Super Herta Dark Plane Platform activating... Activation complete!"
"Madam Herta, welcome. Within the Dark Plane Platform, you may manufacture the previously preset super gene projects encoded into the chip. You may also implant the super genes into yourself."
"Good. Very good."
A faint smile appeared on Herta's face.
And in the distant reaches beyond, Nous—the Aeon of Erudition—seemed to sense something. They cast Their gaze toward The Blue...
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