"Cute? That hardly counts as cute." Jade gazed at Mars, where endless swarms of densely packed Honkai Beasts stretched as far as the eye could see. She spoke slowly, "Miss Herta, the pets you're referring to are simply too large. Each one is dozens of meters—some even hundreds of meters tall. And are you certain they pose no danger?"
"Of course not. Trust my technology. I've already handled them safely." Herta's voice brimmed with confidence.
In truth, when Herta previously developed the castration procedure for Honkai Beasts—removing their innate biological erosion properties—she had not only altered their nature but even reshaped their personalities, turning them into docile, adorable pets.
"Come here."
Herta pointed at a nearby Seraph-class Honkai Beast and finished speaking. Immediately, the Seraph-class Honkai Beast flew to her side, circling around her obediently without displaying a single trace of hostility.
Seeing this, Jade evaluated, "This little one could serve as a flying mount. I imagine many across the cosmos would be willing to purchase such an airborne pet!"
"By the way, Miss Herta, what is its name?"
"Seraph-class Honkai Beast. As the name suggests, it possesses an ability known as Flying Charge."
"And what about that Honkai Beast over there—the one that looks like a knight?"
Herta introduced it matter-of-factly. "Its name is Knight-class Honkai Beast."
Jade paused slightly. "The naming style truly is very much in line with you, Miss Herta. By the way, you've developed so many Herta Puppets, and more importantly, they all call themselves Herta as well. Won't that create confusion in how people address you?"
"How could it? Although we are all Herta, there is an obvious difference between us, isn't there?"
After saying this, Herta straightened her posture and puffed out her chest.
Jade glanced at Herta herself, then at Herta 09 in the distance. "You mean... the height difference?"
"Height? I'm talking about the difference between big and small." The Herta puffed out her chest again.
"I see!"
Jade nodded in understanding, though inwardly she had already begun to complain.
The difference between big and small? Between Miss Herta and little Herta, that particular area doesn't seem all that different. At least, not unless you look very carefully.
Of course, Jade would never say such thoughts aloud. Nor would she let the slightest hint of them show on her face. Her expression management remained flawless.
At that moment, The Herta continued, "Since you've already noticed the difference between big and small, if others can't tell which Herta is the original, then the one called The Herta is me."
"Putting that aside, Miss Jade, what do you think about selling Honkai Beast pets?"
"Very promising. It can certainly be developed. The IPC can provide distribution channels."
Jade nodded seriously. "There are quite a few places within the IPC that require deterrence. These Honkai Beasts are enormous—just looking at them is like facing a moving city wall!"
"Especially that one." Jade pointed at Chiyou. "Its size is immense. It would be perfect as a Preservation pet."
Chiyou lifted his head, his expression blank. "M-Me?"
When Chiyou was first born, he had heard the whispers of the Will of Honkai murmuring in his ears.
To slaughter everything. To massacre all life.
Even his instincts had driven him toward destruction.
Of course, all of that had vanished after Herta 09's castration procedure—both the influence of the Will of Honkai and the innate impulse for slaughter.
Even so, this Judgment-class Honkai Beast—Chiyou—had never imagined he would qualify to become a beast of Preservation.
During this time, Judgment-class Honkai Beast · Chiyou had subtly gathered quite a bit of information about the outside world from Herta 09, including knowledge related to Preservation.
That Path represented the order of the universe... and yet a faction tied to cosmic order wished to select a Judgment-class Honkai Beast—one born for destruction and slaughter—as its public symbol?!
Jade continued speaking, "Also, this one—Parvati. Its market prospects should be considerable as well. After all, somewhere in the cosmos there exists a star system surrounded by three suns. They would require pets capable of releasing low temperatures and regulating climate..."
Herta was slightly taken aback. "Life can still emerge on a planet surrounded by three suns?"
"Yes. The lifeforms born there are called Trisolarans. They possess the ability to dehydrate themselves, turning into dry fibers to endure the scorching apocalypse when the three suns bake the land."
"Even with that ability, many Trisolarans still perish each time the three suns rise simultaneously."
"The universe truly is astonishing," Herta sighed. "Even such dehydrating lifeforms exist."
Inside Herta's mind, Herman listened to the conversation between Herta and Jade. A strange expression spread across his face:
Three suns orbiting a single system!
Dehydration. Dry fibers!
Trisolarans!
Is this still Honkai: Star Rail? How did the Three-Body universe show up here too?!
This is utterly absurd!
After frantically complaining in his mind, Herman silently concluded.
The cosmos is vast. Nothing is impossible.
At that moment, Herta asked, "In such a harsh environment, haven't the Trisolarans sought assistance from the IPC to leave their three-sun world?"
"They have. After taking out a substantial loan in Credits, the IPC provided assistance and helped many of them leave that star system—escaping that blazing three-sun hell."
Jade spoke calmly. "However, some Trisolarans chose not to leave their homeland. They still reside on the Trisolaran planet. They miss their home."
Herta looked puzzled. "They miss their home? In such a hostile planetary environment, they still want to stay?"
"Yes. Well... the primary reason they remain is because the IPC needs to purchase special minerals forged by the scorching of the three suns. Many within the IPC believe those flame-colored ores may appeal to the Amber Lord."
Hearing this, Herta immediately understood. Those Trisolarans who had "voluntarily" remained in the three-sun world were mining to earn money—repaying their IPC loans through labor.
And most likely, the attrition rate among those mining Trisolarans was extremely high. That was why the IPC intended to order some Parvati—Honkai Beasts capable of generating ice—to improve their living conditions.
After thinking this through, Herta said, "Parvati has a market. Then what about Garuda? Unlike Parvati's eternal frost, it can produce inextinguishable high-temperature flames."
"Garuda naturally has a market. A firebird Honkai Beast that stylish—once it launches, it will absolutely sell out. Its price could even be driven sky-high—to astronomical levels!"
"As for the rest..."
"The IPC can help sell all of them. Every one of those products has market potential," Jade said. Then her gaze settled on Benares. "As for this giant dragon... it might be difficult to sell. The Vidyadhara are still flourishing and remain a core race of the Xianzhou Alliance. If we start selling dragons and the Vidyadhara come knocking, that would be troublesome."
Upon hearing this, the enormous dragon Benares revealed a frightened expression, her massive body trembling as though afraid of being sold off.
At that moment, Herta spoke calmly. "I'm not selling Benares. She is my mount now."
Hearing this, Benares let out a huge sigh of relief and lay down on the ground.
"Not selling her is fine," Jade nodded. "Then shall we formally discuss the sale of Honkai Beasts next?"
"No. You won't be negotiating with me directly. I have an envoy," Herta said indifferently. "Pearl, who is currently on The Blue, will be your negotiation partner. And Ruan Mei will also join the talks regarding this Honkai Beast sale."
"After all, many of the existing technologies related to Honkai Beasts are connected to Ruan Mei."
"Ruan Mei... the 81st Seat of the Genius Society?" Jade asked.
"Yes."
Jade nodded. "I understand your meaning, Miss Herta. I will negotiate with Pearl and Ruan Mei next."
With that, Jade stepped aboard her spacecraft. The vessel launched, its destination: The Blue.
Vroom—
Long plumes of exhaust flared from the ship's tail as it blasted through Mars' atmosphere—formed of ultra-high concentrations of Honkai energy—and rapidly arrived at Herta's dormitory on The Blue.
Inside the dormitory, Pearl—who had already been informed she would be working—stood waiting in formal attire, documents in hand. When she saw Jade disembark from the ship, she stepped forward and greeted her. "Miss Jade, we meet again."
"Indeed. It has been some time."
With a faint smile, Jade returned the greeting. The formal business negotiations began at once.
During the meeting, a wand flew into Herta's dormitory and joined the talks.
It was Ruan Mei's wand—representing her will—as it participated in negotiations with Jade and Pearl.
One Intellitron.
One wand.
One human representative of the IPC.
The three discussed and negotiated in harmony.
After roughly one system hour, they concluded the business talks, signed the contract, and finalized the plan to sell Honkai Beasts across the universe.
At the same time, on Mars, where Herta herself remained, she received a message from Yao Guang, General of the Xianzhou Alliance.
"Have the Honkai Beasts started selling?"
Seeing the message, Herta blinked and thought to herself.
The Xianzhou Alliance clearly has people inside the IPC. They learned about the completed sales contract for Honkai Beast pets this quickly.
"Yes," Herta typed in reply, then added seriously, "Rest assured. Soon, according to our prior agreement, a batch of Honkai Beasts will be sent to the Xianzhou Yaoqing. And they will be the uncensored versions—untampered, exceptionally ferocious."
"Good, good, good. Recently, using the Fortune Hexagram, I have calculated that the Xianzhou Yaoqing will soon battle Abominations of Abundance. We are in urgent need of combat strength. If we have a controllable batch of war-beasts, even better."
"Understood. I will have the IPC handle the escort. The Building Material Logistics Department should deliver the Honkai Beasts swiftly."
After sending this message, Herta immediately contacted Jade and informed her of the transaction with the Xianzhou Alliance.
Jade quickly replied, "Rest assured. The IPC's logistics are the best in the universe. The Honkai war-beasts will arrive promptly."
However, Jade soon added another question. "Since there are castrated and uncensored versions of Honkai Beasts, can the IPC also order a batch of the uncensored ones—those that retain their wild nature?"
"Of course. The IPC would not be purchasing them for slaughter," Jade continued. "As you know, Miss Herta, the IPC has always upheld order across the cosmos. To maintain that order, we must also possess stronger military power. Uncensored Honkai Beasts that retain combat capabilities... they would undoubtedly become excellent partners and assistants for many IPC personnel."
"That's acceptable," Herta nodded.
"Then I will immediately contact the Building Material Logistics Department to arrange transportation and begin selling the Honkai Beasts—distributing them throughout the cosmos."
After saying this, Jade added, "By the way, Miss Herta, the first revenue share from the Soul Gem sales will be arriving soon. You may want to review whether there are any discrepancies."
"How much is the revenue share?"
"Approximately five hundred billion Credits," Jade replied, then added, "Of course, that only covers the past ten-odd days—less than half a month of sales. Even if next month's Soul Gem performance merely remains steady, your revenue share should reach one trillion Credits."
Half a month—five hundred billion.
One month—one trillion.
Twelve months—that would be twelve trillion Credits.
It was already an enormous figure. Although it still could not compare to Ruan Mei's annual income of over one quadrillion Credits from biological research patents, once her Honkai Beast sales expanded and revenue sharing increased, her income would surge even further.
In the future, when she developed certain super-technologies that personally interested her, her annual earnings would inevitably surpass even a senior member of the Genius Society like Ruan Mei.
As Herta was thinking this, she noticed a massive battleship appearing in the distant starfield. It passed through a Star Rail transmission and arrived in The Blue's star system.
With a single glance, Herta recognized it as Screwllum's Screw, the warship whose hull resembled an enormous screw. In sheer size, it rivaled a planet. The design style could only be described as distinctly Intellitron.
In the next instant, Herta's phone screen lit up with a message from Screwllum—the 76th Seat of the Genius Society. The message was brief:
"Miss Herta, I have arrived. Let us formally discuss traveling to that mysterious world reflected only in the Garden of Recollection's Mirror—a world where even Trailblaze has yet to reach."
"Understood. I will call Ruan Mei as well," Herta replied.
She quickly messaged Ruan Mei, who responded in acknowledgment.
Soon, the three geniuses of the Genius Society gathered upon Mars.
When Screwllum saw Herta and Ruan Mei, he maintained his usual elegance, politely addressing them as "Miss" before turning to the matter at hand—the journey to Amphoreus.
Both Ruan Mei and Herta grew serious.
Especially Herta.
She had already received crucial information from Herman.
The world reflected in the Garden of Recollection's Mirror was Amphoreus. More precisely, it was a world calculated by the Emperor's Scepter.
And within that place lurked a hidden mastermind—the creator of the Aeon of Erudition, the first Seat of the Genius Society—Zandar One Kuwabara's fragment...
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