Following Black Swan's line of sight, there was nothing unusual about Amphoreus...
Yet just as Himeko was feeling confused, the astonishment on Black Swan's face grew heavier and heavier...
"Has something changed?"
Himeko questioned the serious looking Black Swan. She couldn't imagine what kind of change could possibly be worse than what had just happened.
"It's Fuli... THEIR gaze has just swept across Amphoreus."
Black Swan's words were shocking.
Compared to Himeko's shock, the audience outside the screen reacted even more abruptly.
The timeline didn't match up.
...
: Holy shit, is the time flow difference between inside and outside really this huge?!!!
: The Remembrance Aeon glancing at Amphoreus... wasn't that when Stelle went looking for Oronyx?!
: Or was it another point in time?
: But no matter what, the flow of time is clearly completely different.
: Mihoyo definitely used this comparison on purpose to tell us that.
: Inside, the Death and Reason Coreflames have already been returned, but outside they've only just seen Stelle get gazed at by the Aeon.
: A time gap spanning two whole episodes... that's insane.
: What's even worse is that the time difference means it'll be incredibly hard for people outside to come rescue those inside!
....
The viewers discussed among themselves.
Instinctively, they all felt that the situation was going very wrong.
Inside the planet, Stelle and Dan Heng were gradually approaching the truth of Amphoreus.
But the Astral Express outside couldn't provide immediate and effective support.
On top of that was March 7th's condition.
At this moment, it was already the worst situation the audience had encountered in all their years watching Honkai: Star Rail!
They needed reinforcements! And just as that thought surfaced in everyone's minds...
The scene shifted again. The screen showed the Herta Space Station.
Inside the space station... Three mirrors floated in the air, while Herta's face was filled with a smile.
"I never expected a mere Memosnatcher to be actually hiding so much inside her head."
"What's even more interesting is that the word "Amphoreus" has appeared in her subconscious."
As Herta muttered to herself, she had already fallen deep into thought. Not far from her side, Sunday was already completely lost.
Ever since the mirrors swallowed the memory thief, Herta had just been standing there talking to herself.
"This lady... seems to be having fun. Is she usually like this?"
Welt fell silent for a moment before replying, "...It's hard to explain."
Their conversation was overheard by Herta. She turned her head, the corners of her lips curling upward.
"What are you two whispering about? Has it not occurred to you that I can hear everything clearly?"
"Please pardon me, Madam Herta."
Welt apologized before asking, "Would you mind sharing with us what you've discovered?"
With confidence, Herta brushed aside the hair near her ear and said calmly, "By using the Fourth Mirror, I rummaged through the brain of this Memosnatcher and learned a good deal."
"Not only does this person know of Amphoreus, but there are also many Memokeepers who are interested in the place."
"I searched through her consciousness and found the following terms: "The Eternal Land," "The Rejected Land," and "the Private Collection of the Garden of Recollection"..."
"Since it's this mysterious, and no useful clues can be found from the outside, then I might as well just go knock on the front door myself."
This memokeeper rat didn't actually know much.
Most of what was in her head was information that "most memokeepers" already knew anyway, making it rather meaningless.
But Herta had to admit... The mysteriously secretive memokeepers, along with the Astral Express's visit, had completely sparked her interest in Amphoreus.
And when it came to things that interested her, no matter how mysterious or resistant they were, Herta would uncover the secrets behind them.
Hearing this, Old Yang's eyes lit up.
"If you're the one taking action, then the chances of resolving this will increase tremendously."
Herta let out a smug hum. She was clearly quite satisfied with Welt's praise.
Turning around, she pointed at the mirrors behind her.
"See these Herta Mirrors? With them, I can project my "data spirit entity" to any corner of the cosmos through spatial warps, without even needing to leave my room."
"But of course, these "corners of the cosmos" must be within the coverage zone of Interastral Peace Communications. After all, this is collaborative technology."
Sunday had been deep in thought ever since Welt praised Herta.
And after hearing this explanation, he immediately understood. With impressively high emotional intelligence, he spoke up:
"I see. You do seem like the more... "indoor" type."
Sunday really was Sunday. If it were Stelle speaking instead, she probably would've just called her a shut-in.
Yet after hearing that, Herta narrowed her eyes at Sunday without saying a word.
Sunday froze in confusion.
Did he say something wrong? The interaction between the two made the audience burst into laughter.
The tense atmosphere eased somewhat as well.
...
: Sunday still has traces of Wanwick's poison in him or something, I'm dying lmaooo.
: You can tell that after boarding the train, Sunday's really been observing his companions and trying to do something.
: But he still needs more practice.
: Though his EQ really is high, that line still wasn't much of a compliment.
: Herta narrowing her eyes was way too funny.
: I don't know why, but whenever the story cuts to Herta, I instantly relax!
: That's the value of a powerful ally. It's the same feeling as when we saw Acheron.
: I feel like it's coming. The truth that can't be excavated from inside Amphoreus might need to be solved from the outside.
: Herta's personally going to Amphoreus. She's definitely going to uncover something earth-shattering!
: Compared to the Astral Express only observing from afar, we've completely lacked the full process of entering Amphoreus from the outside. Maybe Herta can finally fill in that missing piece for us!
...
The comments swept by.
After laughing, the audience became incomparably excited, staring at the screen without even blinking.
And on the screen, Herta began preparing the magic mirrors.
"Although that starzone is not within the network of the IPC, the Express itself can serve as a signal station. Come, give me the astral chart coordinates."
"Then, sit back and enjoy the show."
Without hesitation, Welt handed over the coordinates of the Astral Express to Herta.
"Thank you, Madam Herta. Companions are the lifeblood of the Astral Express. When things are settled, we will repay you for all your help."
Herta nodded faintly, turned and walked to the mirror, entering the coordinates before assigning tasks to the mirrors one by one:
"First Mirror, input the coordinates. You'll be in charge of the spatial warp."
"As you command, Madam Herta."
Second Mirror, prepare for the Thought Refraction. There's still some distance from the Astral Express to the Amphoreus celestial body. You're in charge of sending me over..."
"This time raise the power to the maximum. Don't be stingy!"
"O—Okay, I won't fail the mission, Madam Herta..."
"Third Mirror, you're in charge of generating the "data spirit entity.""
"Hehehe... I'm happy to help, Madam Herta..."
"Fourth Mirror, you'll be in charge of... It seems like I have nothing for you. Just stand by and wait for orders."
"Ah? Standing by again? That's so boring..."
After assigning the tasks with simple efficiency... The noisy mirrors immediately began to act.
A crimson glow rose from the center of the mirrors, gradually becoming denser and brighter.
"Preparation of the data spirit entity, complete."
"Warp jump preparations complete!"
"Hehehe, your spiritual body has already been sculpted! Just as noble, great, beautiful, and perfect as you are!!"
Amid the mirrors' endless praise... Herta stood within the converging crimson light.
"...Coordinates input complete. Preparing to activate spatial warp. Destination: Unknown celestial body, Amphoreus."
"Spatial warp countdown:"
"Five..."
"Four..."
"Three..."
"Two..."
"One!!"
All that remained in place were Welt and Sunday, who could only watch as scarlet light exploded before them.
Herta's physical body was still standing there, but somehow, Sunday could sense that Herta's consciousness was no longer present in this place.
Then light flashed.
...
From Herta's perspective,
In a single instant, she crossed an unimaginable cosmic distance and saw that bizarre planet.
"Oh... So that's Amphoreus? Its appearance is, well, sure is unique."
"The symbol of infinity?" Even Herta couldn't help clicking her tongue at the sight of the planet.
But the curiosity in her heart only deepened.
"Second Mirror, prepare for Thought Refraction, it's time to send me in!"
"Alright, p—please read the safety protocols carefully..."
"Can't you hurry up?"
"Y—Yes, ma'am!"
Amid the frightened apology of the Second Mirror...
Herta's consciousness stretched out, gradually merging into a body, a body identical to her own.
The scene focused on Lady Herta's tightly shut eyes. As she slowly opened them, the camera pulled back, revealing the place she now stood.
The audience, who had been eagerly waiting for this moment, instantly widened their eyes in shock.
Because the place where Lady Herta stood was unmistakably the Vortex of Genesis!!
Behind the vortex core, near the cliff that resembled a starry sky, the Titan constellations representing the Flame Seeds still floated in midair.
The only difference, every single constellation was extinguished.
Not a single one was lit.
And more than that... In Herta's current vision, the Vortex of Genesis was far from empty.
Before her stood petrified Black Tide monsters, along with memory crystals formed from memoria.
There was Dan Heng. There was Stelle. And there was the Flame Reaver!
These crystals formed from memory matter remained frozen within the Vortex of Genesis, allowing Herta to inspect them at will.
The audience was completely dumbfounded.
This was nothing like what they had imagined, and they couldn't even tell whether this really was the Vortex of Genesis they were familiar with.
And more importantly... Why was Herta's first stop upon entering Amphoreus this place instead?!
...
: Holy shit, she went straight here as the first stop?!
: The constellations are all extinguished...
: And what's with those memory crystals?
: When Stelle and the others first landed, didn't they arrive directly at the Temple of the Three Fates? So why did Herta appear in the Vortex of Genesis?
: Exactly, isn't this place only accessible to those who are qualified?
: I can't understand any of this... holy shit.
: Damn, so all our guesses were wrong?!
...
The comments exploded wildly. The stunned audience became even more desperate to learn the truth.
On screen, Herta carefully examined the scenery within the vortex core.
"Oh... What a magnificent sight. Is this the entrance to Amphoreus?"
"Let's see. Perhaps I'll be able to find a way in?"
Unlike the audience, she held none of their confusion.
Because after a brief observation, she was already certain that the only way to enter Amphoreus from the outside world was through this place.
Not by descending directly onto the planet like ordinary celestial bodies. And those two casual remarks from her sent the audience into utter shock.
What did she mean... This place was the entrance to Amphoreus?
The entrance to a celestial body was the Vortex of Genesis? Wasn't planetary landing supposed to be normal?
But judging from Herta's expression, she clearly wasn't joking...
Which could only mean one thing, many of their assumptions about Amphoreus had to be completely overturned.
As the audience reeled in shock... Herta had already passed the petrified Black Tide monsters and walked directly toward the memory matter belonging to Stelle and Dan Heng.
"Oh, I've finally found your... traces."
"How esteemed must you be for the great Herta to come out personally! When we return, get ready to become free labor for the Simulated Universe for the rest of your lives."
Herta curled her lips in amusement, teasing them casually before arriving before the towering memory construct of the Flame Reaver.
"What's this? How creepy."
She examined its attire, then sharply noticed the tip of its blade twitch slightly. Yet she remained completely unconcerned.
"...Oh, it moves? Who are you trying to scare?"
After inspecting the strange surroundings nearby... Herta walked toward the Overflowing Chalice.
Her intuition told her that if she wanted to truly enter Amphoreus, she would have to pass through this thing.
Just as she was about to begin experimenting, a voice, completely unexpected by everyone, suddenly spoke from behind her:
"My deepest apologies, esteemed lady. I'm afraid that you cannot proceed further."
"Hm? Who's there?" Herta turned around.
A strangely designed mechanical being approached politely.
"Your visit, although not part of my calculations, is a pleasant surprise. It's a pity that the preparations are not yet in place to receive you with the hospitality that someone of your status deserves."
The audience's hearts had already started pounding wildly the moment they heard the voice.
But when they finally saw the newcomer's true appearance, they all fell into brief silence.
Everyone knew this person was extraordinary...
But this scene still far exceeded anything they had imagined...