Screwllum fell silent as he watched Herta try to recruit Sylvia.
Herta was attempting to persuade Sylvia to visit the laboratory where her real body lived and serve as a lucky charm who could bless her research.
If this had merely involved the four geniuses working together, it might've meant nothing. The project had funding from the Interastral Peace Corporation, and the other Stellaron girl had taken part as well, yet neither of them had encountered such an unlikely crisis.
Screwllum stood to one side, deep in thought. Then Herta began recounting the many times when sudden flashes of inspiration had been cut short by unexpected accidents, and a bold theory occurred to him.
Herta herself froze after bringing up those infuriating memories.
"…"
"…"
Her expression turned dark and menacing in an instant. Even the air around Screwllum seemed to shift.
Sylvia, who'd just been subjected to Herta clinging to her arm and begging in a perfectly flat voice, couldn't keep up with the sudden change.
"What's wrong with you two?"
"Tch…"
Herta clicked her tongue, while Screwllum resumed his role as narrator.
"I've been considering why the Lord of Silence has taken an interest in Miss Sylvia. Madam Herta's experiences have provided me with inspiration."
"Conclusion: Genius #4 set her sights on Madam Herta long ago. Her target remains a genius, and Miss Sylvia may merely be someone whose good fortune she wished to prevent from reaching Madam Herta."
"Yeah. That's exactly what I was thinking."
Herta's expression didn't improve in the slightest. No one could learn that a notorious terrorist had been targeting them for eight centuries and remain unmoved, especially when that terrorist was just as dangerous as they were.
"But that brings us back to the same question. What's the Lord of Silence's motive? I didn't die in any of those accidents, and that doesn't fit her usual methods."
Herta discussed her own possible death without hesitation. Polka Kakamond had become famous long before Herta, and she would've held every advantage if she'd attacked from the shadows.
Herta had confidence in her own intellect, but she'd never underestimated another genius. If Polka Kakamond had truly intended to kill her, Herta didn't believe she could've survived so many assassination attempts while remaining completely unaware.
Unless Polka Kakamond had never intended to kill her in the first place.
"…"
Screwllum sank into thought as well.
Nearly every genius had wondered about the same question: Why did Polka Kakamond hunt other geniuses? No one knew her motive.
"What's this supposed to be? She stopped me from breaking past my limits over and over again just as some twisted prank? Or was she trying to improve her ranking in the Genius Society? The rankings aren't even based on ability!"
In the past, Herta had never considered those accidents deliberate attacks. Now, though, she'd connected them all and realized that the person obstructing her pursuit of the universe's truths had been another genius—Genius #4, Polka Kakamond.
Herta was furious.
For one genius to interfere with another's research was unforgivable. It angered her even more than someone blowing up Herta Space Station.
Sylvia could feel that anger with perfect clarity because Herta's puppet fingers were close to tearing her clothes apart.
"Madam Herta, I know you're angry, but could you please spare my shirt?"
Sylvia tried to pry open the little hand clutching her clothes, but Herta's grip was far stronger than it looked. Unless Sylvia was willing to damage the puppet's finger joints, there was no saving her shirt.
"The next version's getting changed. You'll need to test it more often. I'm going to uncover exactly what Genius #4 wants."
Herta held on to Sylvia's clothes with the clear implication that she wouldn't be leaving the space station unless she agreed.
Sylvia didn't mind. Polka Kakamond had already brought the fight to her doorstep, so refusing to cooperate with the investigation wasn't an option.
"Fine, fine. I get it. Once the new version's ready, I'll come test it every day. Now let go and tell me how you plan to investigate."
"The Simulated Universe, obviously!"
Herta pointed toward the Simulated Universe terminal.
"The Lord of Silence has killed countless geniuses. The most famous among them were #7 Bohdan and #27 Rubert. I'd already planned for the version after Swarm Disaster to cover the two Mechanical Emperor's Wars, but Ruan Mei suggested that I finish the Fall of Permanence version first, so I set it aside."
Herta looked up at Sylvia.
"The Fall of Permanence version's mostly finished, but I might have to switch the order back. You don't have any objections, right? Not that they'd matter."
"…No, I don't. Investigating this first makes more sense."
"Good. Then it's settled. We've uncovered most of Swarm Disaster's secrets anyway. The Stellaron brat can fill in the rest later."
Herta snapped her fingers.
The First Mechanical Emperor's War and the Second Mechanical Emperor's War were both periods that had long interested her. Back then, though, she'd only cared about Emperor Rubert and hadn't given Polka much thought.
Now her focus had shifted entirely.
They'd start with the most famous geniuses and simulate them one at a time. Sooner or later, they'd discover what Polka Kakamond had been doing.
Otherwise, Herta wouldn't be able to eat or sleep in peace, nor could she swallow her anger.
Whenever she remembered those moments when she'd nearly broken through the limits of her knowledge, only for Polka Kakamond to ruin everything, she wanted to take her hammer and pound that damned Lord of Silence into space debris.
"Oh, right—"
Herta suddenly stopped and turned toward Sylvia.
"I'll send you an address later. Come spend more time at my place whenever you're free, or visit Screwllum on Planet Screwllum. Better yet, you could just move in with me. At least my place is safe."
"…"
"…"
Screwllum and Sylvia fell silent.
What was that supposed to mean?
Did she really intend to use Sylvia as a lucky charm?
"That really won't be necessary. I'm part of the Astral Express, and I've already got a home."
Sylvia was curious about what the real Herta looked like—whether she was tall or short, and what age she appeared to be. Still, Herta lived alone in some forgotten corner of the galaxy, and traveling everywhere with the Express Crew sounded much more interesting.
Screwllum watched their exchange with growing amusement. He hadn't expected Madam Herta to cling to something as vague and intangible as "luck."
Stranger still, once he learned that their next opponent would be Polka Kakamond, he'd also become curious about Sylvia's good fortune.
Could something as elusive as luck truly resist the Lord of Silence's manipulation of causality?
"Hmm…"
While Screwllum was still considering the question, Herta loaded the nearly completed Simulated Universe version and beckoned Sylvia over.
"You're already here, so you might as well test this version too. We can also find out whether that genius killer's really making a move against you."
Since Sylvia was already here, Herta had no intention of wasting the opportunity. She'd spent so much time developing the Fall of Permanence version that leaving it completely untested would make all that effort pointless.
Besides, this was the perfect chance to see whether the Lord of Silence had truly targeted them. So far, they'd only encountered two incidents that might've been her doing. That was far too small a sample.
Now that they were prepared, Herta also wanted to see what the Lord of Silence was capable of. There were two geniuses present, and the Simulated Universe itself had been developed by four members of the Genius Society.
Surely all of that was enough to handle a single Genius #4.
Herta looked eager, but Screwllum remained more cautious.
"Miss Sylvia, you may also choose to return another time. The investigation into the Lord of Silence doesn't need to be conducted immediately."
"Screwllum, you—"
Herta looked up at him, clearly displeased by his apparent effort to undermine her confidence.
Screwllum paid no attention to her glare. He knew Madam Herta's personality well enough. She was conceited, proud, narcissistic, and occasionally impatient.
Of course, none of that stopped her from making the right decision when it truly mattered.
"All right. Screwllum has a point too. The choice is yours."
Herta sighed and accepted his suggestion.
The two of them had offered Sylvia different options, and either choice seemed acceptable.
"…"
Sylvia knew they were dealing with an enemy who could manipulate causality. Choosing to confront that head-on was frightening, to say the least.
Still, if she didn't dare test the waters now while two geniuses were protecting her, what would happen outside the station when she only had Mei beside her? The Lord of Silence would have an even easier time catching her off guard.
Running away wasn't the right choice.
After taking a moment to steel herself, Sylvia nodded and accepted Herta's invitation. She might've avoided the risk if there hadn't been any opportunity to investigate, but now that one had presented itself, she couldn't afford to act like a coward.
Then she remembered something else.
She still had a card draw available.
As Sylvia walked toward the Simulated Universe terminal, she opened the system interface and looked at her remaining draw. She might as well try it. Perhaps she'd get a useful skill.
Time to draw—
Sylvia quickly spent the opportunity.
Golden light burst before her eyes, making them widen at once.
No way. A green card could turn gold? Had her luck skill activated again?
--+--
[A Dream Across a Thousand Years — Single Use]
['Memoria is everywhere, and so are the world's memories.']
['Lost memories haven't vanished. The Path you follow has also borne witness to the birth and fall of Aeons.']
['The memories left behind within a shattered Path will allow you to glimpse a fragment of that great existence.']
--+--
The golden light faded. This was the first single-use card Sylvia had ever seen.
Yet although the shining golden card floated right before her, she had no idea how to activate it. She tried using it like an item card, but it wouldn't respond.
If it was a skill, no knowledge of how to use it had entered her mind either.
"…"
By then, Sylvia had already reached the Simulated Universe terminal. Herta's voice sounded beside her ear, and Sylvia pursed her lips.
Forget it. She'd study the card after finishing the test.
Perhaps it would only activate when she fell asleep and started dreaming.
With that thought, Sylvia connected to the Simulated Universe as usual.
--+--
Her vision went black.
The Simulated Universe interface vanished without a trace. In its place stretched a barren, decaying starscape that looked like some desolate planet at the edge of the universe.
'Is this a new environment Herta designed?'
That was all Sylvia had time to think before she realized she'd lost control of her body again.
No, that wasn't quite right. She seemed to possess nothing but a panoramic viewpoint. She hadn't been given a physical body at all.
"Herta? Screwllum?"
"…"
Sylvia called their names, but no one answered. There was only the boundless silence of deep space.
This was bad.
Something had gone wrong again.
Had Polka Kakamond been waiting for this exact moment to attack her?
Sylvia couldn't help feeling uneasy. An ability that manipulated causality was almost impossible to guard against.
Then something was born within that silent void.
It was Permanence.
Sylvia couldn't describe the birth of Permanence in words. Everywhere she "looked," she saw the indescribable Path of Permanence.
One thing alone was certain.
The great existence awakening before her was Permanence.
She felt the incomplete power of the Path within her body resonate with that magnificent existence. At the same time, she sensed the endless breadth of the Path of Permanence in its complete form.
Her instincts urged her to restore what was missing from her own power, but her will was no more than a drop within an endless ocean. There was nothing she could do.
She could only watch as Permanence was born.
The great existence emerged from chaos and took the form of a dragon. Whenever Sylvia tried to look more closely, dizziness swept through her mind. It was like searching for flowers through thick fog or reaching for the moon's reflection in water.
As the sensation grew stronger, the vision before her began to fade.
Lost and confused, Sylvia emptied her mind and stilled her thoughts. She abandoned every desire except one.
To bear witness.
She didn't know how much time passed.
In silence, Sylvia watched the immortal dragon's birth. She then witnessed it question the nature of existence amid the lonely chaos.
Sylvia didn't know how Permanence perceived the universe, nor did she know what THEY had thought.
She witnessed only the very end.
Permanence allowed THEIR own existence to fall so that countless descendants of the dragon might be born anew.
As the body of Permanence became all things and countless dragonkin scattered across the sea of stars, Sylvia saw one final figure.
A dragon with a body as white as flawless jade and two wings upon its back lay curled in slumber.
Then it awoke.
Its azure slit pupils shimmered with golden light as it raised its proud head. Its gaze flashed across countless light-years and met Sylvia's eyes.
"ROAR—!"
The proud cry of the dragon thundered in Sylvia's ears as the white dragon rose into the void.
The roar jolted her awake, but just before her consciousness sank away, her viewpoint shifted.
The dragon became her.
For one brief moment, its vast and complete power filled Sylvia's body, intoxicating her.
Then everything vanished.
--+--
When Sylvia came to again and opened her eyes, she found herself in a familiar corridor aboard Herta Space Station.
The little duck avatar controlled by Herta was waddling in circles around her.
"Sylvia? Why're you spacing out? I know the environment's a little rough, but you'll have to put up with it. This version isn't finished yet."
"…Huh?"
Still dazed, Sylvia noticed that the new card she'd drawn had faded to a dull white. Two new words had appeared after its name:
[Already Used]
At the same time, Sylvia felt terrifyingly powerful.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL