Another day passed. The fully automated intelligent AI · Soul Gem factory officially rose from the ground, awaiting only the Fourth Mirror to move in as its core AI.
At the same time, around this factory, a newborn city began to take shape under the hands of the Architects.
The name Herta City started spreading among the people.
Many were puzzled by the decision to name the new city Herta City.
They did not understand why such a strange name was chosen, arguing that in the Blue's thousands of years of civilization, there were far more elegant, refined, and noble words that could have been used to name a new city.
Some even wrote to the Blue Federation authorities, urging them to listen to public opinion and choose a better-sounding name.
The highest levels of the Blue Federation naturally heard these voices and suggestions. Their response was simple—they directly issued an official red-headed document announcing:
Herta City, still under infrastructure construction, would become a new first-tier city of the Blue Federation, with a status no lower than that of the federal capital.
In the future, this city would become a new-era metropolis integrating science, tourism, commerce, industry, science...
At the same time as this important document was released, large numbers of writers were hired and commissioned to produce articles praising the name Herta City and explaining its merits.
With the authorities taking action—and paying generously—editors and writers from all sides immediately went all out. Online and offline alike, narratives began appearing everywhere about how wonderful the name Herta City sounded.
As a result, many citizens fell into self-doubt:
Could it be that Herta City really does sound good?!
Is our aesthetic sense the problem?!
On the other side, the captain of the Architects observed all of this. He could not help but think to himself:
The Blue Federation's upper echelon has a very clear sense of itself. They know they need to cling tightly to the thigh of a genius.
Herta City—named after the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society—was destined for explosive development in the future, soaring straight upward.
After all, whether scholars seeking Herta to study the wisdom of a genius, or cosmic merchants hoping to purchase technology from her... in the future, their first stop upon arriving on The Blue would be Herta City. It would most likely become a tourist destination.
Moreover, since it was built by the Architects, its quality was guaranteed.
Most likely, it would not be destroyed, but would continue to exist in this world for ages to come.
As the Architects captain was thinking this, one of his subordinates suddenly reported that while constructing Herta City, they had experienced a special premonition—a premonition that this city would suffer some kind of calamity.
And not just once.
The calamities would come in many waves—roughly eighteen times, perhaps even more...
The captain of the Architects was startled. His pupils dilated in shock.
Infrastructure premonition...
This was the intuitive ability of Architects Pathstriders. Their construction team had traveled across numerous galaxies, participating in development projects.
In most planetary systems, this premonition never surfaced during infrastructure construction. Only in a very small number of worlds did they sense that the world itself would encounter calamity.
More crucially, the Architects' calamity premonitions almost always became reality. At some point in the future, either the Antimatter Legion would descend, or a Stellaron disaster would erupt.
Therefore, whenever the Architects sensed impending disaster, they would build the city destined to face crisis to an even higher standard—especially maximizing its defensive capabilities.
But here was the problem: Herta City had already been officially designated by the Blue Federation as a core city, equal in status to the capital. Furthermore, it was constructed by the Architects themselves—virtually indestructible. How could there possibly be a risk of destruction?!
Could it be that somewhere in the cosmos, the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society, Herta, would one day confront a Lord Ravager—or perhaps a living planet summoned by the Borisin—or even...
The Architects captain considered many possibilities in his mind. Finally, he took a deep breath and addressed his team:
"Since we have foreseen that Herta City will encounter crises, then we will spare no effort in building this city to an even higher standard—so that when disasters erupt in the future, it will not truly be destroyed!"
"—In the name of Preservation, all for the Amber Lord!"
"In the name of Preservation, all for the Amber Lord!"
"In the name of Preservation, all for the Amber Lord!"
The Architects shouted in response to their captain. At the same time, as they poured concrete and constructed the city, their motivation grew stronger, and their efficiency increased significantly.
As for the Architects captain himself, he sought out Lanvelle and informed her that in the future, Herta City was very likely to encounter some form of cosmic disaster—and most likely not just once, but eighteen times in succession, perhaps even more...
!!
After hearing this, Lanvelle felt her entire body go cold. Cold sweat broke out across her forehead.
Even Herta City, built by the Architects, would face more than a dozen crises in the future—by that time, would the Blue Federation even still exist?
No. This information must be reported!
Thinking this, Lanvelle hurriedly thanked the Architects captain, then immediately called the Blue Federation's Supreme Leader.
The Supreme Leader was stunned and, without hesitation, convened an emergency meeting of all high-level officials. The entire upper echelon of the Blue Federation fell into an extremely foul mood.
According to the Architects captain, Herta City would face more than a dozen disasters in the future... would the Blue Federation truly still be around at that time?
And what exactly would those disasters be?
An invasion by the Antimatter Legion, the expansion of the Annihilation Gang, a Lord Ravager like Zephyro or Luxbane, a living demon star, or even an extraterrestrial Stellaron...
After careful deliberation, the Blue Federation's top officials only grew more troubled. The reason was simple—the universe contained far too many forces capable of destroying the Blue Federation.
No matter how they discussed it, they could not determine the source of the eighteen future crises that would befall Herta City.
At that moment, the only outsider invited by the Blue Federation—a senior intellectual and scholar from the Intelligentsia Guild, Patavia—finally spoke:
"You have mentioned many possibilities. But there is actually another one—that perhaps the crisis Herta City will face will not come from the outside, but from within."
The Minister of National Security immediately thought of something. "The Eastern Federation?"
At once, other officials refuted him. "Impossible, absolutely impossible. The Eastern Federation is already in decline. More importantly, we have produced a dragon on our side—the birth of Herta, the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society."
The Federation's Supreme Leader also addressed Patavia. "Miss Patavia, no matter what, the Eastern Federation cannot be the culprit behind a future crisis for Herta City."
"Even if the Eastern Federation iterates its war technology several more times, it still would not be able to break the future defenses of Herta City... after all, it is being built by the Architects, and they have promised the Federation that they will spare no effort in this construction."
"Who said anything about the Eastern Federation?" Patavia shook her head slightly. "When I said internal, I was not referring to the Eastern Federation—but to the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society you mentioned—Miss Herta herself."
???
All members of the Blue Federation present were stunned.
Miss Herta—becoming a disaster that would threaten Herta City in the future? How could such a thing be possible?!
At that moment, Patavia spoke again:
"As everyone knows, a genius' intellect surpasses that of ordinary people. But for that very reason, a genius' experiments are always filled with risk—and they also experience failure."
"Perhaps one day in the future, Miss Herta's experiment fails. Hazardous materials leak from the laboratory... causing Herta City to face a crisis."
Patavia's words plunged everyone into deep thought.
Then she added:
"Of course, this is an extremely small possibility—smaller even than Emperor Rubert resurrecting once more, living a third life, and destroying Herta City."