.....
: ????!!!!
: Damn.
: No way, bro!
: I knew you weren't ordinary, but this is way beyond that!
: You actually managed to find Herta?! Damn you…
: The moment I saw those scenes at the Civic Assembly, I knew this kid was something else!
: So there really are people on this world who know about things beyond Amphoreus!
....
The shocked audience vented wildly through the comments.
But they didn't know, this was only the beginning.
On screen, Herta looked at the strange mechanical being before her and narrowed her eyes slightly. Instead of answering, she asked back, "Are you not going to answer my question? Who are you?"
Lygus remained as polite as ever and replied with a smile, "I have many identities, and I'm only going to have even more in the future. But if you just need a form of address, you can use my common alias..."
"Lycurgus, Lygus."
What a strange fellow. That was what Herta thought to herself.
But she wasn't a woman who could be satisfied with just a few vague words.
"Alright, Lygus. But you can't possibly think that I'm just asking for a name, can you?"
Herta crossed her arms and pressed forward step by step.
"Regrettably, I do not have the authority to share more information."
Lygus answered, but then changed the tone slightly.
"However, standards are always flexible. While not violating the ultimate protocol, I'm able to disclose this piece of information: As you thought, this is the entrance to Amphoreus."
"Now, please kindly turn back. Amphoreus is not a world that you should be involved with. Regardless of what kind of magnificent achievements you have accomplished, this place will not open its doors so easily."
After hearing Lygus' words, the audience's emotions became extremely complicated.
First of all, he was as arrogant as ever. But the problem was, the person standing before him was Herta.
Was this guy seriously not afraid of death? He was actually still speaking to Herta in such a pretentious tone!
And beyond that… The audience could clearly tell that Lygus definitely knew about things beyond Amphoreus.
Perhaps he truly knew who Herta was, or knew other things about the universe. Yet he still refused her in this manner.
That only made the audience even more curious about Lygus, so curious it drove them crazy.
....
: BOOM BOOM BOOM!
: Who the hell is Lygus exactlyyyyy?!
: Is he part of the Genius Society?
: I think he looks more like someone from Equilibrium. Even his design feels balanced!
: I don't think he's from the Genius Society. Otherwise Herta would've recognized him immediately.
: Think bigger! Maybe he's a creation of the geniuses, or related to Rupert!
: I'm scared he'll suddenly say he's Rupert III. That'd be completely insane.
: Before Amphoreus aired, didn't they release that Myriad Celestia Trailer about Rupert?! I bet he's connected to Rupert somehow!
: That doesn't seem right. Could he just a normal Intellitron?
: Damn, I really want Screwllum to have a conversation with Lygus.
: Yeah, this guy talks with the same vibe as Screwllum.
: AHHHHHHHHH!! I want to know who Lygus really is!! I'm going insane!!
....
The comments exploded endlessly. The audience passionately debated Lygus' identity.
From Equilibrium to Erudition. From Aha to the Fictionologists. And eventually the theories became more and more ridiculous.
But there was no helping it. For the audience, pursuing the unknown was itself the most thrilling experience.
Still, one thing was certain. Lygus knew something about Herta, and about the world beyond Amphoreus.
Herta felt the same way.
She sized Lygus up from head to toe and said, "You seem to understand me very well. Then you should know that I have no reason to listen to you."
Lygus appeared completely confident, as though he had already predicted Herta's reaction.
"Your reaction is completely within my calculations. Despite my long years as a watcher, it seems like my assessment of human nature still remains accurate. From you, I am able to sense a beautiful desire for knowledge."
"But my answer remains unchanged. Madam, it is with the utmost goodwill that I suggest you return to where you came from."
It exploded again!
Although Lygus always spoke slowly and politely, to the audience it all translated into just two words: Pretentious as hell.
If he truly knew Herta was an Emanator of Erudition and still dared speak to her like this, wasn't this tiny intellitron afraid of being dismantled and turned into a toy by Herta?
And Herta clearly had that kind of temper too.
"Let's assume for a second that I'm not so well-mannered and that I insist on uncovering the secrets hidden behind you, Mr. Lygus..."
"...How do you plan to dispel this notion of mine?"
Herta sneered.
And the audience stared intently at the screen waiting for Lygus's response.
"…" Lygus fell silent for a moment before smiling.
"Within the scope of the ultimate protocol, there are 178,244 logic chains at my disposal to convince you."
"After filtering through them, I have determined that I only require three to attain the results that I desire."
Herta slightly raised her head and nodded.
"Oh? I'm all ears."
Without the slightest panic, Lygus replied, "First: For reasons that cannot be disclosed, Amphoreus is a completely isolated celestial body. Apart from me, no one else will be able to help you enter."
"That's not a good argument." Herta mocked.
"Second: If your plan is, as you've alluded to previously, to force me into cooperating by showing hostility, do know that.."
"Just like you, I have basked in the gaze of the Erudition. I stake my honor and assure you that in the worst-case scenario, our mutual destruction will be inevitable."
!!!
....
: Ah ????
: You're an Emanator too?!
: You brat! You've been hiding it that deep?!!
: Lygus is one of Amphoreus's Emanators?!
: Wait, just being gazed upon doesn't necessarily make someone an Emanator, right? Fu Xuan was also gazed upon by the Reignbow Arbiter before!
: But this guy's so confident, "our mutual destruction is guaranteed!" Damn, that's insanely arrogant. I actually believe he has the combat power to back up what he's saying.
: Fifty-fifty against Herta? Holy shit, that's crazy strong!
: At the very least, that's Emanator-level combat power, absolutely. He even forcibly suppressed the limit of the theater itself!
: That line sounded polite, but showing off strength through courtesy like that is honestly such a flex!
: Didn't expect Lygus to be this confident and arrogant?!
: Even if he really is an Erudition Emanator, or gained Emanator-level combat power through some other method, I still don't believe Herta would lose!
: That's the sense of security Herta gives us!
: There are differences even among Emanators. Herta can meet Nous whenever she wants!
.....
At this moment, the entire screen was covered in comments, densely packed with the audience's discussions.
A mysterious Intellitron of unknown origin. An Erudition Emanator.
The clash between the two of them pulled the audience away from the lands of Amphoreus and back into the magnificent turbulence of the Honkai: Star Rail universe.
And the greater the secrets hidden behind the two of them were... The more they ignited the audience's anticipation and yearning for the unknown.
On screen, Herta wasn't angry after hearing those words.
Instead, she smiled and nodded in acknowledgment.
"No wonder I couldn't find a backdoor when I did a scan of our surroundings. The safety protocols on you... are comparable to Screwy's. How interesting."
Herta had also realized this guy was far from simple.
Who was Screwllum? The king of Planet Screwllum.
A being who, by his own power alone, forced the IPC into signing a peace agreement with mechanical lifeforms.
Of course, he also possessed the common weakness shared by Intellitrons, ordinary Intellitrons, with incomplete logic systems, could easily be controlled by higher-level Intellitrons.
Just like how Rubert once spread the Anti-Organic Equation.
Because of that, sufficiently powerful Intellitrons would use their own knowledge to add security protocols to themselves, preventing such backdoors from appearing within them.
And the pinnacle of this approach, was undoubtedly Screwllum.
Otherwise, the IPC would've long since attempted to control Screwllum to achieve their goal of controlling Intellitrons.
And now, an Intellitron of unknown origin possessed protection protocols no weaker than Screwllum's, which also indirectly proved that this so-called "mutual destruction" likely wasn't an empty threat.
Now this was getting interesting... Herta smiled as she sized up Lygus, clearly already plotting whether she should drag Screwllum into this mess.
Against an Intellitron, another Intellitron was still the best countermeasure.
Previously, the Amphoreus she knew wasn't worthy of that kind of attention.
But now that Lygus had appeared, this place finally had enough value for Herta to invite Screwllum.
Just as Herta was deep in thought, Lygus spoke again.
"I assume that you still wish to hear the third logic chain?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
Herta snapped back to reality and nodded.
"Third: Even if you exhaust all your means and find a way to break through..."
"After learning the consequences that would inevitably follow, you would still abandon the attempt."
"You will surely give up once you understand the consequences of your actions. After all, throughout your long life, as much as you'd hate to admit, your conscience has played a crucial role."
After Lygus finished speaking, it was practically confirmed.
Herta didn't know Lygus, but Lygus absolutely knew Herta. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken with such understanding of Herta.
······
: Damn, this guy understands Herta way too well.
: Starting to bully soft-hearted-but-tsundere Lady Herta now.
: You can tell from a lot of storylines that Herta's actually a good person. That's why Chadwick entrusted his research to her.
: Geniuses like Dr. Primitive would treat life itself as an experimental field, but Herta wouldn't. Once she realizes her research could bring disaster, she'll stop.
: Beautiful and kind Miss Herta!!
: As expected of the genius who saved her home planet nineteen times! Her reputation's even spread to Amphoreus!
: Don't bully beautiful and kind Miss Herta!
....
The comments flooded past.
And after having her inner thoughts exposed in a single glance, Herta burst out laughing.
"Haha! What a brazen robot. You think that you can actually understand me through your paltry calculations?"
After laughing enough, Herta shook her head and said indifferently,
"But since you've put it that way, why don't you tell me what these consequences will be?"
It had to be admitted. Lygus really knew how to talk.
And she truly was exactly the kind of person Lygus described.
But at the same time, Herta's curiosity had also been thoroughly provoked.
She wanted to see for herself what kind of consequence could make her voluntarily back down out of conscience.
And if his answer failed to satisfy her... She was going to teach Lygus a lesson.
"It concerns the third Path that is entangled with Amphoreus."
Ignoring Herta's gaze, Lygus turned around and looked toward the twisted halo at the edge of the cliff.
"A Path that you and your friends still very much lack understanding of..."
The audience had speculated about this third Path for a long time.
The moment Lygus began speaking, various answers had already surfaced in their minds.
Equilibrium.
Finality.
And Equilibrium was undoubtedly the most popular guess.
Whether it was Castorice's ideals or Lygus' appearance, everything seemed to hint toward it.
Lygus revealed the answer.
"The Destruction."
Countless viewers were instantly stunned. But his words struck like a bolt of lightning, instantly waking everyone up.
Golden blood, the black tide, and Amphoreus's apocalypse...
It was just that previously. Because the symbolism of the golden blood had been so overwhelming.
Very few people had actually guessed the third Path was Destruction.
But in the end... The answer had really been hidden in plain sight?!
Before the comments could explode again.
On screen, Lygus turned back around and spoke seriously.
"If you ignore my warnings and persist in your ways..."
"You will break the shackles of a Lord Ravager, and when that happens, their fury will engulf the Cosmos."
Herta was stunned. And the audience outside the screen completely exploded!
It wasn't just Destruction?? There was also a Lord Ravager?!!
An Emanator of Destruction?!!
.....
: How... how could it be Destruction!!
: HOLY SHITTTT!!
: This information is seriously insane!!
: Totally caught me off guard! I thought it'd be Finality!
: Yeah! Those prophecies looked completely Finality-themed!
: Wait... damn, I need to go listen to "Who Is It" again!
: Those lyrics suddenly make so much fucking sense now!