"Impossible." Heimerdinger's whiskers twitch slightly upward. "He isn't driven by simple programming — he truly possesses the capacity for thought, and has even been gazed upon by a higher existence — 'Nous'."
Jayce furrows his brow, fingers lightly tapping the table. "Theoretically, if machinery can simulate human neural structures, perhaps it could replicate thought. But for him to not only think but also display near-artistic language? Sorry… Professor, I still feel that something beyond 'machinery' exists within Mr. Screwllum."
"That's not the key issue, Jayce." Heimerdinger shakes his massive head. "Screwllum's existence challenges our very definition of 'life.' If machines can possess intelligence, emotion, even aesthetics… then shouldn't we reexamine the boundary between 'life' and 'machine'?"
Jayce thinks for a moment, then suddenly smiles. "Professor, you're not thinking of building a Piltover version of 'Screwllum,' are you?"
"No, Jayce. I'm only wondering… if machines can reach such heights, then how should humans define their own uniqueness? Is it flesh? Is it propagation?"
The laboratory falls into brief silence.
"Professor, I can't answer your question either. But perhaps the answer isn't in comparison — only after we coexist with them will we find it."
——
[Stelle notices a staff member doing something to a portrait of Herta. Curious, she walks over, only to be mistaken for a new employee looking for the front desk.]
["She's really pretty." Stelle points at Herta's portrait.]
["Oh~ Another fan of Lady Herta?" The staff member shows an "I get it" expression, as if seeing a fellow enthusiast. "Alright, feel free to admire it. Though this portrait is about to be taken down soon."]
[But then he recognizes Stelle and has heard of her glorious deeds on the station. He quickly introduces himself — his name is Leonard, a network security engineer on the station.]
[Not long ago, the station was invaded by the Antimatter Legion. His job was to repair various equipment and restore network security. But during the repairs, he discovered a third party — someone besides the Legion — had infiltrated. He doesn't know their identity or appearance, so he plans to investigate.]
[He suspects it's the Stellaron Hunters — after all, that group appears and disappears unpredictably, every single one on the company's wanted list. Especially one super-hacker from Punklorde who humiliated him in front of everyone. Right now he cherishes this chance to redeem himself and turn his reputation around.]
[He designed a detector that can reveal some hidden traces. As he speaks, he wants to show off in front of Stelle and points the detector at Herta's portrait. Soon something emerges on the portrait…]
[A drop of sweat appears on Herta's hat.]
["Uh, this is…"] Leonard looks utterly embarrassed.]
["…She's really pretty." Stelle is still savoring it.]
["No, no — that's not what I wanted you to see!" Leonard never imagined someone would dare doodle on Lady Herta's portrait, but he quickly realizes it's digital graffiti with automatic encryption. A secondary calibration should decrypt it.]
[He hopes Stelle can help him search the station for similar electronic graffiti — it would be very helpful in understanding the Stellaron Hunters.]
[Seeing Leonard plead so earnestly, Stelle reluctantly agrees.]
[Stelle aims the lens at the graffiti on the wall. The blue pattern begins flashing with textures she's never seen before. Suddenly, it collapses inward, sounds and colors around it being drawn in — as if something is about to emerge…]
[A Voidranger appears before Stelle.]
["Ah? No — wait — how is there a Voidranger here?!" ]
——
Saint Seiya.
"Sealing a Voidranger inside a wall? That little girl's ability is truly bizarre…" Aldebaran rubs the stubble on his chin. Though none of them are seeing Silver Wolf's ability for the first time, every time still leaves them amazed.
"By the way, isn't this Voidranger the one that tried to sneak attack Kafka from behind on the space station back then?" Shaka suddenly remembers. "At the time Silver Wolf said she threw it to some random coordinate — could it have been here?"
"Possible. So if Stelle hadn't scanned this graffiti, wouldn't this Voidranger have been sealed in the wall forever? It wouldn't die, but it also wouldn't come out to cause trouble…"
"Aldebaran, I can hear the abacus beads clacking in your head." Aries Shion chuckles lightly. "You're thinking of using this ability on the Specters… or even Hades himself, aren't you?"
"Yeah. If we could seal Hades in a wall — he wouldn't die, but we'd prevent him from reincarnating and causing chaos again. It would be a perfect counter to him — shame we can't meet this little girl. Even if we did, she probably wouldn't be interested in teaching us hacking techniques."
"Why would she need to teach us?"
Shion narrows his eyes slightly, a smile curling at his lips. "Word is the little girl is quite interested in games. Why not offer her a Saint Cloth as reward and ask her to help us seal Hades — or invite Blade instead? With his immortality, I'd love to see how those Specters deal with him."
——
[After dealing with the Voidranger, a phantom of Silver Wolf appears before the two.]
[Leonard, being technically minded, instantly understands the principle behind Silver Wolf's manipulation — in short, she can edit reality like a program. The sheer absurdity is something only a Masked Fool might believe.]
[Also, these graffiti are actually a tradition in Punklorde. Hackers there deliberately leave something behind during intrusions, waiting to be discovered — like a challenge letter. They call it [Punklorde Spirit]: confrontation, victory and defeat; only with stakes is there fun. Life is a game — having fun is what matters most.]
[The two continue following Silver Wolf's graffiti trails. Eventually, after reaching a room filled with all sorts of curios, the clues abruptly end.]
"By the way, does this count as a curio too…"
[Stelle turns her gaze to a display case in front of her. Inside floats a pair of wing-like feathers — seemingly flight equipment from some world.]