It's been a few days since the Stellaron Hunter incident, and things have been peaceful…or at least as much as they could in the space station.
I've been focused on developing the source code for the armour's AI. The goal was to create a lesser version of the Great Sage, and its purpose would be something akin to what Jarvis was to Tony Stark.
Naturally, the worst part was setting up countermeasures and defensive systems. It was a constant headache. In a universe where technology is so advanced to the point that reality itself could be hacked, I needed a security system that could match and go beyond their level.
With a sigh, I leaned back in my chair and rubbed the bridge of my nose.
Then I heard the automatic doors open, but I didn't need to turn around to see the visitor, as there was only one person who would come here.
"It's been 13 system hours since I left, and you're still working on it?" Herta said as she approached from the side. "By the way, you look like a raccoon with those eye bags, Royce."
"Yeah, I know. You've said that yesterday."
"And I know that you know." She gave a faint 'smile' and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Then you should also know what I'm going to say next, right?"
"...I understand. I'm going to take a break..." I yawned and stretched my arms. "Right after finishing this section–!"
"Just go to sleep already." She bonked my head lightly, and I raised my arms in surrender.
This was one of the few changes on the space station. According to the residents, unless Herta has an important guest, she never stays for long and quickly logs out after completing her objective.
Herta claimed she was staying to clean up some back doors that Silver Wolf had left behind in the system, but I feel that wasn't the whole truth. I can't just prove it yet.
Under her gaze, I packed up my stuff and said my farewells before heading to the cafeteria. I wanted to eat something before I collapsed onto my bed.
As I expected, it was late, and only a few people were around in this section.
I grabbed a tray and walked up to the robot chef.
'Synthesized food…My brain insists this is wrong, and the taste isn't even that good either.' I thought as I watched the robot prepare the Cosmic Fried Rice. 'I might have to renovate this department someday…'
"Hoho, you don't look too good, kiddo. Did Madam Herta scold you again?"
I turned around to see an elderly man sitting nearby. His back was curved with age, and only thin gray strands of hair remained on the sides and the back of his bald crown.
He was Wen Tianweng, a mechanic and one of the space station's maintenance staff.
We had met on my first day here, in this place.
The rumours about me being Herta's assistant seemed to have spread quickly among the researchers, and their reactions were mixed: some good, some bad, or neutral…but they mostly kept their distance. Until I met this old man, that is.
He had invited me to sit with him for lunch, and it was hard to refuse someone with such a friendly, grandfatherly aura. I didn't expect how talkative, though. He chatted and shared gossip as if we had known each other for years.
I even learned that he had once worked with Hosea Lazaro, who was once part of the Nameless and also responsible for blowing a hole in the space station, and then escaping in a spacecraft.
'Astral Express and their explosions, am I right?' I shook my head as I carried my tray over and sat across from him.
"I was just about to finish coding a section, but she forced me to take a break." I said, shovelling a spoonful of fried rice into my mouth. It sorta became my comfort food during my stay here.
"You can't blame her." Wen shook his head and pointed at my face. "I mean, look at you. You look like you're about to faceplant right into your plate at any moment. Besides, you know a lot of people here would kill just to have a fraction of the attention that she gives to you, right?" Then he leaned forward and whispered. "There are even whispers saying that you will be the next Lead Researcher."
'Lead Researcher…If I recall correctly, that role will eventually go to Asta, right?'
If the space station's hierarchy were explained in feudal terms, Herta would be the king. The Lead Researcher would be the prime minister, Head Researchers would be nobles, and the researchers would be peasants.
And yet, even after Asta took the mantle from Herta's puppet, not everyone was supportive of her.
"I'm not interested in taking that position, or any position, really." I said, shrugging. "My hands are already full with my current project, I don't have time to play politics."
"Even if you said that to them, they still wouldn't believe you." Wen Tianweng sighed. "Just watch yourself, alright? Now go get some rest, and don't let this old man's rambling get to you."
"You be careful too, old man." I waved as he stood, returned his tray and left the cafeteria calmly, with hands clasped together on his back.
'Shit.'
Time was running short, and now I may have to deal with political stuff whether I want to or not. And for various reasons, I didn't want to rely on Herta's help if possible.
'What am I thinking?' I slapped both of my cheeks and got up from my seat, earning a confusing stare from others. 'I can't let them distract me, I need to focus on the project and nothing else.'
'But the king's orders are supreme.'
I returned to my assigned room, brushed my teeth and collapsed on the bed, feeling my muscles melt as I relaxed.
'Great Sage, resume the 'Source Code Simulation'.'
[Resuming…]
o0o0o
*Bzzzt!* *Bzzzt!*
I was awoken by the noise of my phone vibrating.
"Huh? I don't remember setting an alarm…" I muttered, still half asleep, and slowly reached out my hand for it. "Who's messaging this early in the morning…?"
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Herta
This account is disabled | Business Contact: Take a ticket and wait in the line
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Herta: Hey, Royce. Your packages have arrived
Herta: They are quite heavy, so I have them sent to your laboratory
Herta: Go there once you see this message
——————————————————
"Oh, my orders from Hertazon and IPCExpress!" I was jolted awake and stretched my body. "Better not keep her waiting."
After a quick shower and a change of clothes, I immediately headed to the lab. There, I saw Herta logged in Herta #3's body, standing beside the stack of boxes.
"Good morning, Madam Herta."
"Good morning, Royce." She replied, scrolling through her tablet. "You've made quite an eventful purchase."
I walked up behind her and saw that she was checking the receipt.
"Well, this arrived at a good time." I said, patting one of the boxes. "The source code is nearly complete, and I've gathered all the data I needed about the Stellaron. Now, it wouldn't hurt to move on to the next phase and focus on the hardware for a while."
'After all, it's the easiest part.' I thought as I tried to lift one of the boxes, and nearly stumbled due to its weight. Fortunately, I managed to steady myself in time and, ignoring the snickering beside me, placed it onto the experimental table.
Despite internal storage expansion and weight-reduction tech installed on each box, the sheer mass of the ores, minerals, and metals inside still couldn't be fully negated.
I'd used Herta's credentials to secure a discount and free shipment from IPCExpress, but even so, the price tag on those materials exceeded their weight by a lot.
I had studied their properties before selecting, and the Great Sage calculated the necessary quantities for the Godsbane Armour Mk2 and another set for myself, with an additional margin of error, of course, making the total cost reach 16 digits of Credits, mainly due to the scarcity of some materials.
As anyone with a good conscience would do, I brought my concerns to a trusted adult. After all, it wasn't my money that I was spending.
At that time, Herta had glanced at the screen, raised an eyebrow, shrugged, and hit Confirm Order without hesitation.
Truly terrifying, the mightiness of a Genius' wallet.
"What are you planning with all of this?" Herta asked, arms crossed on her chest, and her chin resting on her hand.
"All of these are materials that I've carefully selected because of their specific properties." I said, opening the box and placing a yellowish ingot on the table. "For example, Yellow Dwarf Star metal. It has excellent thermal and mechanical resistances while being one of the best conductors of Imaginary energy, but its high density makes it difficult to work with."
"And on the other hand." I shoved my hand into the box and pulled out a silvery blue ingot, which was significantly larger than the previous one. "Silver Moonlight Teardrop metal. It is extremely light and flexible, but it's rather vulnerable to fractures and otherwise unremarkable."
"Both of them have characteristics I desire, but also have aspects that I don't. They can't be made alloyed because of their structural and other differences." I said, stacking the ingots on top of each other. "However, there is a way to combine both of them and keep their desired properties and discard the undesired ones, essentially creating a whole new metal."
Imaginary energy flowed out of my body, condensing into the shape of a magic circle, actualizing the Creation Magic engraved deep within me.
The effects were immediate. The ingots liquefied instantly, merging into a swirling mass before solidifying into a single ingot. It lost its previous colours and was now replaced by a brilliant light green colour.
I handed it to Herta, who immediately started inspecting it, her fingers morphing into different measuring instruments.
This was my first time showing magic to her, a power that didn't belong in this universe, to a resident genius 'Magical Girl'. So I was kinda anticipating for her reaction.
"Fascinating…" Herta murmured, "That unfamiliar power, unknown method, and formula…But you had managed to fuse their properties perfectly. It has the durability and resistance of the Yellow Dwarf Star, except it's light and flexible as the Silver Moonlight Teardrop…some of these properties aren't even possible to physically coexist, and yet here they are, displayed in a perfectly stable state."
"This is just the beginning." I smirked, feeling prideful inside, and raised a finger, activating the Creation Magic once again.
The remaining boxes burst open. Their contents liquified and surged into the air, forming a multicoloured sphere that twisted and condensed into something entirely new.
"Allow me to present you, Madam Herta, this is the—!"
Without any warning, my thoughts had accelerated to the limit and the world was plunged into silence.
In the corner of my vision, I saw Herta's eyes wide open, reaching her hand towards me, ready to summon her hammer as she opened her mouth to shout something. I knew what she wanted to warn me about.
After all, there was a phantom figure in front of me who was about to plunge a scalpel right into my throat.