As the Simulated Universe completely crashed, the clash between the two simulated Aeons came to an abrupt end.
A flash of light later, Kiana's consciousness returned to reality.
She opened her eyes to the familiar ceiling of Herta's office.
And then she saw a completely broken Herta.
"My Simulated Universe... it's all gone! Damn that Silent Lord! I hadn't even asked my question yet like Ptolemy—!"
Well... judging by the look of things, Herta's Simulated Universe was temporarily dead.
Which was only natural. Once Polka had entered the picture, Herta's Simulated Universe simply couldn't bear the computational load of two Aeons.
Just then, Ruan Mei, who had been the first to get kicked out, walked over.
"Herta, what happened afterward?"
"I think... I felt Nous descend in the real world."
Herta was startled enough by that to momentarily forget her grief.
"You felt Tinhead's presence out here too?"
That was very, very wrong.
In truth, according to Herta's original plans for the Simulated Universe, she had meant to invite the data form of Rubert II in as the fifth genius for cooperation.
But today, something unexpected had happened.
Polka Kakamond's data form had become active inside the Simulated Universe.
And given Polka's causal-chain-related traits, there was a very high chance that the real Polka herself had actually shown up.
That realization set Herta thinking.
Just what had once happened between Mystery and Erudition to make both Tinhead and Polka care this much?
That was right—in Herta's view, the Nous that had appeared at the very end must have been the real Nous logging in and taking over.
Otherwise, the Simulated Universe should have collapsed the moment it tried to shoulder the computational power of Erudition, rather than holding out until Destruction arrived.
Herta turned to Kiana, intending to ask a few questions. At this point, she already almost completely believed in Theresa's existence.
"Kiana, how much do you actually know about your aunt?"
"Did she have any other achievements? Any major accomplishments?"
"Huh?" Kiana froze for a second at the sudden question.
Although the outcome had been great—she had used less than a single day to give Theresa's avatar a massive upgrade—she still believed in the principle that the more you said, the more chances you had to slip up.
She really didn't want to start inventing more accomplishments for Theresa right now.
After all, Kiana herself wasn't exactly some Erudition-type genius. If her fabricated history developed inconsistencies and Herta caught the flaw, that would be bad.
"You know, Herta, my aunt lived in a far too ancient era. If you insist on asking me to list her achievements, I really can't think of many off the top of my head."
That answer did not arouse Herta's suspicion.
After all, based on the information they currently had, Theresa was supposedly the second seat of the Genius Society, someone even older than Nous itself.
For a living fossil like that, if she had kept a relatively low profile, it really was plausible that not much had been left behind.
Wait!
Herta suddenly realized something. She remembered the sparse information that existed on Zandar, the other creator of Nous.
As the first member of the Genius Society and the man who created an Aeon, Zandar should by all rights have had countless achievements sung by later generations.
But what was the truth?
The truth was that Herta barely knew what accomplishments the first seat had actually had.
And when placed beside the second seat, whose history had been erased by Mystery, Herta refused to believe that was a coincidence.
And just like that, by sheer accident, Kiana had truly managed to bluff Herta into accepting it.
At that moment, Kiana suddenly asked, "So... the Simulated Universe really is gone?"
Though the Simulated Universe had nothing to do with her directly, the simulated Aeons inside it were extremely good at dropping gold.
Herta didn't answer immediately, but her figure stiffened for a moment.
The answer was obvious enough.
At the very least, Herta's Simulated Universe project was going to be shelved for a while.
Kiana wisely chose to shut up.
"Hah, whatever. Out with the old, in with the new. Once I call Screwllum and Stephen over, we'll just rebuild it," Herta said, waving a hand and pretending not to care in the slightest.
Ruan Mei, on the other hand, remained far calmer. She walked over to Herta's side and gently patted her on the shoulder.
"At least we confirmed certain things."
That much was true.
For Herta and Ruan Mei, they had at last confirmed information relating to Mystery.
Kiana nearly failed to hold back a laugh.
But she didn't continue that topic. Instead, she asked, "Then what about Polka? How is she?"
At the mention of that name, Herta's expression darkened again.
Once upon a time, she had been quite interested in the Silent Lord, even wanting to invite her into the Simulated Universe project.
But now?
"Hmph. She's probably hiding in some corner licking her wounds. As the focal point where Omniscient Domain connected to reality, even if she didn't die, she must have shed a layer of skin."
Honestly, they'd been lucky. If simulated Nanook hadn't suddenly intervened, today might not have ended cleanly at all.
And at the thought of Nanook, both Herta and Ruan Mei turned to look at Kiana.
What Kiana had displayed today had far exceeded either of their expectations.
Originally, Nanook appearing and instantly kicking the two of them out of the Simulated Universe wasn't particularly surprising.
After all, that kind of thing had happened before, and it made perfect sense that he would leave behind Kiana, a Lord Ravager.
But neither Herta nor Ruan Mei had ever imagined that the usually low-key Kiana possessed that kind of combat power.
There was no need to question the strength of the Silent Lord. Even someone as proud as Herta had to admit that even if she and Ruan Mei teamed up, they probably still wouldn't be Polka's match.
But Kiana?
If Nous hadn't suddenly intervened, Kiana really would have one-shot Polka.
And even after Nous personally entered the fray, Kiana had still managed to attract the Aeon of Destruction itself to come save her.
Herta couldn't help wondering whether she had adopted something even more outrageous than she had first imagined.
Feeling the two women's gazes on her, Kiana grew a little embarrassed.
Come on, it was all basic stuff. Not worth mentioning.
Though the exchange had seemingly ended in her victory, she knew very well that even if they ran it back a hundred times, the current Polka still wouldn't be her match.
After all, Kiana's current strength had already reached a level where she could rival—or even surpass—Polka's.
And with that extra 30% Erudition-type bonus damage on top of it, how could she possibly lose?
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 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
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?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
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