With that thought in mind, Kiana stopped hesitating.
Feeling the lingering traces of Erudition still clinging to her, she tried to imitate what Herta and Ruan Mei had done and started fiddling with it herself.
But a problem immediately presented itself.
She wasn't Herta. Her understanding of the Simulated Universe was practically nonexistent.
The reason Nanook had shown up earlier was purely because He had sensed her Destruction aura on His own initiative. But if she wanted to actively summon other Aeons now, how exactly was she supposed to do that?
Maybe she could just go into the system shop and buy a Void Archives?
Just like how the Judgment of Shamash had been enhanced by Destruction, perhaps Void Archives would also receive a boost from Erudition.
What if buying a Void Archives would let her analyze the Simulated Universe?
But Kiana quickly abandoned the idea.
The reason was simple: as a hardworking, frugal businesswoman, she absolutely refused to make a loss-making gamble without at least some confidence.
She admitted that when she exchanged for the Judgment of Shamash earlier, there had definitely been an element of gambling involved.
But even if that gamble had failed, exchanging for the Shamash wouldn't have been a total loss. After all, after obtaining the Herrscher of Flames Core, she really had considered that high-attack Divine Key.
But Void Archives?
Honestly, at her current stage, Kiana wasn't very interested.
Because who knew whether this Void Archives would be like the one from the other world—hiding some old schemer inside as the weapon spirit?
So how was she supposed to summon an Aeon?
Kiana decided to use a very rustic method.
Copying what she had seen before, she manipulated her Destruction authority and started projecting her voice outward as well.
[Waiting online. Urgent, urgent, urgent. Anyone at all, anybody, please come!]
And yet, after who knew how long, the only thing that answered Kiana was an even deeper silence.
"No one's coming?"
Standing in the void, Kiana stretched lazily, clearly bored out of her mind.
"What the heck…" she muttered under her breath, not even considering whether the problem might be her own technique.
"Nanook came running over so eagerly, and now the other Aeons are suddenly putting on airs?"
But the moment those words left her mouth, a strange fluctuation rippled through the void—exactly like the one from Nanook's arrival before.
Someone had come?
Kiana instantly sharpened her focus, her invisible perception rapidly expanding outward.
Then, a gigantic mechanical figure appeared before her.
The King of Machines.
Nous.
The Erudition Aeon whom scholars across the universe begged for an audience, yet who had never responded to anyone outside the ranks of genius, now stood silently in front of Kiana.
"Uh…"
Kiana blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
There were still traces of the Erudition disguise Herta and Ruan Mei had forcibly layered onto her body. Though she had already torn most of it apart, a few remnants still lingered.
Could Nous have followed those traces here, just like Nanook had?
"Well… hello?" Whatever the reason, Kiana decided to start with a greeting.
But Nous clearly had no intention of responding to pleasantries. It went straight to the point.
[You are not within My calculations.]
Hearing that, Kiana felt baffled.
This mechanical head really did have a unique way of speaking.
Still, for the sake of her grand sheep-shearing plan, Kiana politely replied.
"Then tell me, Nous—what did you come here for?"
Because now that Herta was no longer helping her, she couldn't pretend to be any Aeon at all. In Nous's eyes, she should only be an Emanator of Destruction.
But Nous's answer was completely unexpected.
"For Enigmata. For Theresa."
Kiana's pupils contracted slightly.
Nous had actually brought up Theresa on its own initiative?
"You know my aunt?" Kiana asked cautiously.
The massive mechanical body of Nous turned ever so slightly.
[Theresa Apocalypse. Second Seat of the Genius Society. One of My creators.]
[Her existence was erased from My calculations.]
Nous's voice remained perfectly flat, simply stating facts without a hint of emotional fluctuation.
And it was precisely that calmness that made Kiana realize just how serious this matter was.
So she immediately deployed her Void authority. Countless Subspace Lances manifested around her, then shot toward Nous in a storm.
In an instant, immense Imaginary energy exploded all around Nous, stirring up wave after wave of magnetic force.
Kiana's voice turned cold.
"You're not Nous. Who exactly are you?"
As the Imaginary energy dispersed, the gigantic mechanical figure remained utterly unmoved.
The bombardment of subspace lances had failed to leave even the slightest scratch.
But Kiana's attention was no longer on "Nous" itself.
Because in the instant her attack landed, she had sensed it—
inside that mechanical shell, there was nothing.
No Path fluctuations. No trace of consciousness. Not even the star-god data that should have existed within the Simulated Universe.
It was nothing but an empty shell.
"Good vigilance."
A voice emerged from within that hollow shell, tinged with a touch of approval.
Kiana's gaze sharpened.
At the core of that "Nous," a figure had appeared at some unknown moment.
It was a woman with blurred features, dressed in a sharply cut black coat and holding what looked like an ordinary scalpel in her hand.
The answer was obvious.
Polka Kakamond. Fourth Seat of the Genius Society.
That was her identity.
So it really hadn't been a coincidence after all. No wonder Herta and Ruan Mei still hadn't reconnected their data.
Clearly, this woman in front of her had something to do with it.
Polka spoke first.
"I'm curious. How did you recognize me?"
"If I do not make a move of my own accord, then unless an Aeon is present, no one should be able to see through my disguise."
Kiana answered calmly, "Maybe because I also have the potential to become a genius?"
Though even Kiana had to admit it—Polka's disguise truly had been flawless.
At least on the surface, she had made it real enough to pass for the genuine article.
But unfortunately for her, the moment Polka opened her mouth, her failure had already been sealed.
What was this nonsense about Nous asking her for information on Theresa, even personally admitting Theresa was one of Its creators?
Please.
Kiana hadn't even finished patching that lie together yet. Even the simulated Nous would never have said something like that.
Sigh. So her crude little method really couldn't attract Aeons after all. It could only attract creeps?
Kiana felt just a bit disappointed.
At that moment, the empty shell of Nous behind Polka dissolved into nothingness. Then Polka slowly began walking toward Kiana.
"Stop right there," Kiana immediately cut in.
"If you keep moving without first explaining your purpose, Polka, then I'll have no choice but to take it as a declaration of war."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 150)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 110)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter69)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter100)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 60
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 50
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 50
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 50
The Way the Umamusume Look at 31
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 26
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 26
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin