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"You've given yourself four options."
Herta looked at Sol with an indescribable gaze, sighing, "I don't even know if you're showing off on purpose or seriously discussing this with me."
Four paths to becoming an Aeon—she didn't even dare to imagine it.
Right now, there weren't that many Aeons in total. Four paths would account for a third of them.
She was still studying the Aeons' private affairs, and Sol was already making rapid progress, with so many options to reach Aeon-level.
If ordinary mortals craving power could see this, how could they bear it?
"Of course, it's serious discussion."
Sol didn't like bragging to girls—bragging was for the bros.
Compared to that, he preferred showing off.
"Alright then, I believe you."
Herta nodded.
He'd already shown something this significant; he obviously wasn't lying.
The theory he proposed—manifesting the Giant of Hope and the galaxy-scale Emperor Armor—was indeed feasible.
Compared to the chance of reviving the Aeon of Order in Penacony, this was far more likely, enough to make her willing to invest her own effort.
"I'll take on this project."
Herta touched the summoning device embedded with the Five Elements chips before her and felt a surge of joy. "And the Giant of Hope—I'll take that too!"
Each research project was astonishing, equal to throne-level power.
Though the difficulty was great, the reward of creating an Aeon with her own hands was sweet beyond measure.
For a genius, being able to personally create an Aeon was an incredible achievement!
It was like long ago when Zandar created an astral computer to solve all things. Later, the astral computer iteratively upgraded itself, eventually ascending to the Aeon of Erudition, Nous.
Even she had to admit deep down that Zandar's intelligence was slightly greater than hers.
Of course, it was only because he was born years earlier. Otherwise, who could say who would become the Aeon of Erudition?
If she could participate in creating an Aeon and succeed, she could proudly shout: Herta's life—is not inferior to anyone!
As for bypassing Sol to become an Aeon herself, that wasn't her style. She was the Genius Herta, not a petty one—she had no interest in stealing others' achievements.
Even if she shared a bed with Sol, she was fundamentally different from those academic succubi.
Hmph—that's Herta!
"You do have quite the ambition. But what about your Simulated Universe?"
Sol didn't doubt Herta's ability—he doubted whether she had the energy for it.
At this point, she should have completed the Swarm Disaster and Gold and Gears explorations and been focusing on the Unknowable Domain, pushing the boundaries of knowledge.
Moreover, the research on the Unknowable Domain should be at a critical stage. Abandoning it now would be a waste.
"No problem. My Simulated Universe is being steadily developed by four geniuses together. Right now, I only need to fix bugs—no major revisions—so it doesn't take much energy."
"The energy spent on the Simulated Universe will decrease over time. I'll gradually shift my focus to your projects."
Herta lifted her chin proudly.
Even for her, excavating the secrets of Aeons through a Simulated Universe wasn't particularly difficult.
Indeed, just like the other three geniuses—Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and Stephen—who continued their own research while contributing to the Simulated Universe.
For geniuses, handling multiple projects simultaneously was basic practice.
"Perfect, the sooner we start research, the better." Sol smiled lightly. "But to ensure smooth progress, I'd like you to share some of your computing architecture data."
"Yes, the kind that can rival half a Scepter System."
His [Stellar-Grade Cognitive Computer] was excellent, but the current workload was still too much for it.
New computing resources had to be integrated to increase speed.
"You want to replicate my computing system?"
Herta's eyes immediately lit up, deeply tempted.
Computing power—one could never have too much. A genius's mind shouldn't be spent on tedious repetitive calculations but on generating continuous, crucial inspiration.
For years, she had been steadily increasing her computing reserves.
From the era of supercomputers on The blue, to quantum computing, and now the Herta Space Station consuming massive funding.
Her thirst for computing power had never been satisfied.
If Sol could manifest multiple copies of his computing system, it would be a tremendous improvement.
"Exactly. More computing power makes things easier." Sol nodded slightly. "This shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Hmm…" Herta pondered. "Cooperation with the company isn't an issue; I have the final say."
"But for collaboration with Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and the others, we need to discuss it. They contributed a lot to building the current Simulated Universe."
"But with my authority, it should be fine."
Right—indeed, with Sol's backing, it would be fine.
But she didn't want to reveal Sol as an ultra-rare evolving Aeon, which might attract Ruan Mei.
That seemingly gentle, beautiful woman's obsession with the secrets of life was extreme. She had even created replicas of Pathstriders to explore life's mysteries.
Herta couldn't imagine how wild Ruan Mei would go knowing Sol existed—directly tapping into the source of life?
That would be highly unpleasant; Herta and Ruan Mei were actually good friends.
"Then it's in your hands."
Sol had no doubts.
Judging by Herta's current demeanor, she worried more than he did about his inability to reach Tier IX.
With the help of his Goldfinger, he knew he would ultimately be invincible. If he couldn't reach Tier IX in this world with Aeons, he could always return to the untouched New Eridu to achieve it before coming back.
Herta, however, wanted to seize what could be the only opportunity in her lifetime.
"Then, the Giant of Hope sample—give me one."
Herta extended her slender hand toward Sol, curling it lightly.
"Here."
Sol handed over a brand-new Sparklence.
"Swap it, this is too big." Herta pushed it back, speaking seriously, "I want the original sample, plus the evolved Light of Hope sample."
High energy wasn't necessary for research—at least in the early stages, a seed was more suitable.
What if they studied the massive Sparklence and accidentally blew up the space station?
Property wasn't a concern; even a little damage would instantly be covered by the Interastral Peace Corporation.
But losing assets like Asta's? Recovering them would be extremely difficult.
"No problem, it's easy."
Sol created two different light clusters and handed them to Herta.
Each cluster could be divided into ten portions, allowing for multiple test samples.
"Hmm, this is excellent."
Herta carefully stored the two light clusters, extremely satisfied.
At this point, with business concluded, the atmosphere between them became awkward.
They were lovers who had known each other for only a day, quickly bonded through research on the path to godhood. Though compatible, there wasn't much casual conversation.
Herta touched Sol's hand, a faint blush on her face, saying proudly, "You want to do it again… tonight? I'm leaving tomorrow. Otherwise, if you want me to fulfill my girlfriend duties, you'd have to wait a bit longer."
If she left quietly now, it would feel like she was a fraud.
So, she had to show responsibility.
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