When Herta spoke and mentioned the report about the Xianzhou Luofu hunting the Mirror Holders, the other geniuses didn't say anything.
Ruan Mei seemed to lower her head. Stephen had no idea what he had gone off to tinker with. Even Screwllum, who had been the first to bring up Nero, fell silent.
The elegant, gentleman-like mechanical genius had a faint flicker of light in his eyes, as if he were querying some materials.
Clearly, these geniuses were deeply absorbed in research and hadn't paid attention to this matter.
As for Herta, she was most likely informed of this because she had cooperation with the IPC and also had contact with Nero.
And with her personality, when she told others about it, she obviously wouldn't think too much about anything else.
As for the follow-up of this matter, Herta didn't pay much attention to it, she only had a vague impression.
Those Mirror Holders seemed to have already stopped sinicization. The Xianzhou Alliance didn't know what they were busy researching, but surprisingly they hadn't gone to hunt down that group of Mirror Holders.
However, judging from Nero's situation, there shouldn't be any major trouble on the Xianzhou Alliance's side.
On the contrary, the IPC seemed to have quite a bit of spare time this time.
They made a move to surround and capture those Mirror Holders who were shouting, and during the process, it seemed that some Pure Beauty knights also joined the ranks attacking the Mirror Holders.
After that, some small fish that slipped through the net fled toward Penacony, which was preparing for the Charmony Festival, hoping to gain acceptance from the Family and the protection of Harmony.
However, just like how the Xianzhou Alliance's absence in the hunt this time was surprising, the Family actually refused to take in those Mirror Holders with an extremely firm attitude.
They even turned around and captured them, handing them over to the Pure Beauty knights who were chasing after them...
These impressions gradually became clearer in Herta's mind, and then the genius lady belatedly realized that it seemed that in the real world, things just as unbelievable as what was happening in the Simulated Universe had already occurred.
That's how cutting-edge research is. It makes people miss some… strange things.
The Astral Express, she herself, the genius Herta, Belobog, the Xianzhou Alliance, the Knights of Pure Beauty, the Family of Harmony… and above them, there were also Aeons like Aha and Lan…
Thinking about it carefully, Nero that kid's background seemed terrifyingly vast.
Connections like that would stand out even in this universe, so much so that it had reached a bizarre level.
That kid had practically become a super high-yield imaginary bomb. Whoever touched him would have bad luck.
Herta's genius brain had basically confirmed Nero's identity at this moment. Even as an Emanator of Nous, she almost couldn't help blurting out, "My god, Idrila… Pure Beauty, is it really this magical?"
Of course, that inexplicable and sudden impulse was quickly suppressed by Herta.
She was very clear that she must have been affected by something.
"So that's what happened."
Screwllum's voice sounded again. He seemed to have already gathered the information and finished reading it.
"If that is the case, then it can basically be confirmed that the one influencing the Simulated Universe's information model is precisely Mr. Nero, and this influence is passive."
"Logic: During my monitoring process, Mr. Nero has never made any direct or indirect contact with the Simulated Universe's information model with the intention of influencing it, nor has he ever formed a subjective intent to cause such influence."
"Additionally, at the end of Mr. Nero's exploration this time, a scenario appeared that closely matches the descriptions of the Mirror Holders."
"This scenario presents another speculation: the so-called Luofu hunt mentioned by the Mirror Holders this time may not be the traditional Xianzhou hunt of the past, but rather a targeted hunting operation initiated consciously and autonomously by the Luofu flagship itself."
With limited but clear information, Screwllum had obviously thought of something very quickly.
This time, the hunting operation described by the Mirror Holders might have nothing to do with the people on the Xianzhou.
This was not a hunt where organic life commanded inorganic constructs, but rather a hunt carried out by inorganic life.
But there had never been any rumors before that the Xianzhou Alliance's giant ships were inorganic life.
Moreover, if the Xianzhou Alliance's giant ships were inorganic life, then the actions of the organic life on the Xianzhou might be considered enslavement, which would not conform to current interstellar law.
However, such matters required more discussion. Different races, different factions, different beliefs, and different individuals all had different understandings and interpretations of the world.
Compared to that, what Screwllum cared about more was whether the Xianzhou giant ships had truly become inorganic life, had become his "brothers."
This made him involuntarily recall what Nero had done at the end of this exploration.
Of course, he would also recount this matter to the other geniuses.
———
The galaxy was dim, the deep space without light.
In the exploration of the Swarm Disaster, Nero personally witnessed how the progenitor of the swarm scourge and Its descendants swept across the entire universe like a plague.
The endlessly multiplying swarm surged through the cosmos like a storm, drowned the star paths like massive waves, devoured living beings like locusts.
But…
Something different from this historical slice, something that should not have existed in this segment of history, was happening.
The surging swarm knew no fear and kept advancing, until a dazzling light lit up from afar, then submerged them all with terrifying heat.
In the next moment, wings no longer beat, carapaces were no longer solid, life was about to vanish. In the end, only a handful of ashes floated in space.
The light flickered continuously. Cannon fire roared. A destructive force suddenly descended, falling upon this expanding swarm.
Ancient and majestic giant ships were advancing. Their towering and solid prows pierced through gorgeous and dreamlike nebulae.
The giant ships belonging to the Xianzhou Alliance passed through a curtain of starlight and arrived at this battlefield.
Nero had never thought that he would encounter the Xianzhou in the Simulated Universe, nor had he expected that after a brief exchange, the Xianzhou would be willing to help.
Here was the familiar Luofu, and also the unfamiliar Yaoqing. The ancient giant ships of the Xianzhou Alliance were arranged in formation, emitting the rumble of steel.
The continuous sound of artillery fire was like roaring, or perhaps the cheers of a hunt.
Not a moment of pause.
After the exchange, the Xianzhou were more than willing to help Nero, forming a vast fleet and following him across an incomparably long span of time.
In the Swarm Disaster, Herta divided this historical slice into three stages according to time: the rise of the swarm, the spread of the disaster, and the fall of the Swarm Emperor.
In the final stage, the war of gods began. And in this segment of information within the Simulated Universe, a strange yet powerful force suddenly rose.
Artillery roared.
The giant ships of the Xianzhou never stopped firing. In this universe filled with swarms everywhere, the fleet that hunted across the cosmos finally unleashed its full firepower.
The Xianzhou Alliance displayed a terrifying power that had never been seen before.
No matter how the swarm stirred the tides, they simply could not stop this annihilation operation. They couldn't even get close to the giant ships at all.
Light cannons filled with the power of the Hunt continuously spewed forth. Self-destructing mayfly-like star skiffs guarded the surroundings.
Mechanical arms extending from ancient warships swung with unstoppable force. The scene before them even gave rise to an illusion, as if these giant ships could combine into a massive mech.
And the Cloud Knights roared as well, displaying their strength in this battle. Apart from charging outward, openings extended from both sides of the ships' hulls.
Firearms crafted by the Artisanship Commission extended from within, tearing apart one True Sting Insect after another with overwhelming firepower.
Nero had never thought he could enjoy such an intense star war inside the Simulated Universe.