Little Herta in the sky remained blissfully unaware of the cultists below, lost in their wild speculations. Moments later, as the flames and smoke from the recent explosion dissipated, the intact heart came into view.
"So it didn't work after all?" she muttered.
The magic she had just unleashed was formidable, but after all, this was an Evil God—surely it possessed some intrinsic power. How could it be defeated so easily?
Of course, Little Herta's attack had inflicted some damage, but the wounds had already self-healed before the smoke cleared.
In other words, her attack hadn't failed to penetrate its defenses; rather, the Flesh God's HP Bar was simply too massive, and its regeneration rate too rapid. Even if this Herta Puppet expended all her Magic Power, she couldn't possibly kill this deity of flesh and blood with her current abilities.
Magic might seem impressive on the surface, but to Herta, it was frankly underwhelming—merely a collection of tricks she had picked up on a whim.
Take, for example, that nuclear explosion-like spell she had just used. It was Little Herta's most powerful magic, capable of obliterating an entire city with a single strike. While that might sound impressive, it represented the upper limit of magic's destructive potential. Technology, on the other hand, knew no such bounds.
Blasting Africa off the map with a single shot or shattering a star with a weapon were routine feats for advanced technology. One might wonder if magic could achieve such cataclysmic destruction.
Theoretically, it's possible. But such immense power would require equally vast energy reserves. The total Magic Power needed to shatter a star with a single spell might exceed all the Magic Power on this entire planet combined, making it virtually impossible. In contrast, technological methods for harnessing energy are far more diverse.
Of course, despite all this, Herta currently lacked star-destroying weapons. Her research focus wasn't primarily on mass destruction. After glancing down at the heart a few more times, Little Herta departed, flying towards the Dimensional Rift above Tinna.
Meanwhile, Herta Herself had already left the small town with Martin and the others, returning to the sprawling city and arriving at the Secret Keepers' headquarters.
The three-story building was entirely black. As soon as they reached the entrance, Herta eagerly hopped off the Key. Her impatience stemmed not from excitement or curiosity about the headquarters, but purely from the fact that she had been in this world for several hours, spending nearly all that time trying to look cool while sitting sideways on the Key. Now, her butt was aching.
Without a doubt, a clear red mark would be imprinted on her backside. And that was from sitting sideways. She shuddered to imagine how much worse it would have been if she had sat upright. Her... eggs might have gotten crushed—if she even had any.
I definitely need to find a way to make this Key more comfortable to sit on later, she mused to herself, surreptitiously rubbing her sore rear at the back of the group.
After entering the Secret Keepers' headquarters, the others dispersed to attend to their duties, leaving Martin to guide Herta and explain the facility's features.
"This is the main hall," Martin said. "Residents can report incidents here and wait for assistance."
"To the left is the lounge, which includes restrooms. To the right..."
Herta interrupted, "Are there any research labs here? Somewhere they develop secret weapons against the Cultists and Evil Gods?"
Martin froze, stammering, "Ah... uh?"
After all, the people of this world had been battling Evil Gods for a century. Given such a formidable enemy, one would expect rapid advancements in weaponry—their very survival might depend on it.
Yet the standard weapon here was still a flintlock rifle. Wasn't that utterly bizarre? Herta reasonably concluded that the Secret Keepers likely possessed other, more advanced "weapons."
Indeed, Martin hesitated before finally saying, "This is a secret of the Secret Keepers. If too many people knew, it could cause unnecessary trouble..."
Clearly, while Martin saw Herta as humanity's hope against the Evil God, he couldn't possibly reveal all his secrets at once.
Seeing his hesitation, Herta tilted her head slightly, gently tapped her chin with her right index finger, and began to ramble. "Well then, let me tell you about the weapons from my previous world. Have you heard of a Dyson Sphere?"
Martin frowned, looking puzzled. "A Dy... what kind of sphere?"
The concept of a Dyson Sphere first appeared in a 1937 novel. For Martin, living in 1850, it was far too advanced. Hearing the name, he initially assumed it was some kind of leather ball, like a football.
Herta slowly explained, "Fixed stars, like our sun, constantly emit tremendous amounts of energy. A Dyson Sphere is a technology that completely encases a star, capturing all its radiated energy from every angle."
"Huh?" Martin was completely dumbfounded. In his time, humanity had a solid understanding of Earth, the Sun, and the Solar System, which only deepened his shock. "Is that even possible?! Wait, if you completely encase the Sun, there won't be any sunlight left. What would happen to humanity?"
Herta raised an eyebrow, giving him a condescending look. "Of course a Dyson Sphere wouldn't be built around its own home star system. It's much simpler to enclose the stars of other systems."
Martin was speechless. For him, even sailing to America was an unimaginable feat, let alone leaving Earth or the Solar System.
Herta continued, "A single Dyson Sphere could provide a civilization with virtually limitless energy! With that immense power, another superweapon was born—a space-based cannon capable of shattering planets with its blasts. We call it the Star-Destroying Cannon!"
She shook her head with a sigh. "Too bad it's so massive. If I could have brought one here, it might have helped you deal with that Evil God plaguing Africa."
Martin: "???"
After a moment of mental stuttering, it finally dawned on him: Was Herta suggesting they blow up their entire planet?
In Martin's eyes, Herta had always been an enigmatic, powerful, and slightly mischievous figure, so he instinctively trusted most of what she said.
Just then, Herta muttered to herself, not quietly at all, "Sigh~ I'm dying to know what this world's secret weapon really is. I'm so curious~"
Martin: "..."
Herta: "..."
A brief silence fell between them. Herta had no idea what Martin was thinking, but she suddenly realized she might have let her guard down a little too much.
Why did I start talking in Elysia's tone? What kind of dream is this?