"What's there to discuss? Let's just keep this puppet. How interesting." Herta looked at the other Herta puppet, her face a canvas of fascination.
"Query: Does the loss of the Propagation Entry mean that this situation can never be replicated?" Screwllum asked.
"Theoretically, yes. Without the Propagation Entry, no matter what method you use, you won't be able to spread this virus. If you don't believe me, ask Herta."
"Ah, why are you asking me?"
"Don't tell me you didn't try to back up and replicate her state after discovering the situation with your puppet."
"Er... alright, fine, her condition really can't be replicated. Don't look at me like that. I'm confident I can eliminate any danger before it manifests. And besides, I was just reconfirming that her condition was truly impossible to replicate. What if Chen Li made a mistake?" Seeing Screwllum turn to look at her, Herta instantly threw her hands up in surrender.
"Query: Then what exceptional circumstances could practically occur?" Screwllum asked next.
"For example, possessing certain propagation-type Curios could potentially cause the Machine Spirit to spread, because the priority of a Curio is higher than that of an Entry," Chen Li explained.
"Then isn't it fine as long as we don't let her touch any propagation-type Curios? So let's just keep this puppet... Wait, does the Friends Circle count as a propagation-type Curio?" Herta suddenly froze.
"...It does," Chen Li nodded.
"Then what do we do?"
"If you trust me, you can leave her at my place. I'll help her with regular 'physical check-ups'."
"???" Herta's eyes went wide as she stared at Chen Li.
"If she tries to use a propagation-type Curio to transmit this machine spirit virus, a corresponding Entry shadow should be born on her body. I can see these kinds of nascent Entries just by touching the puppet," Chen Li explained.
"Oh, that kind of check-up..." Herta let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"What did you think I meant?"
"I can't even think about it?" the Herta puppet suddenly raised her head and asked in a small voice.
"You can't think about it, thinking about it is a crime, thinking about it is a sin."
"Oh."
"Besides, the Friends Circle hasn't opened any functions for 'exchanging' or 'selling' one's own talents yet. So, after I removed her Propagation Entry, this little one's threat level has been reduced to its absolute minimum," Chen Li said.
"Little one, did you hear that? We're deciding your fate right now. Aren't you even a little bit scared?" Herta walked up to Chen Li and stared at the Herta puppet, which was peeking out from behind his waist with just its head.
"Hmph! You're Herta, and I'm Herta. Why should I be afraid of you?" The Herta puppet stopped hiding, stepped out from behind Chen Li with her arms crossed, and looked at Herta proudly.
You are Herta, I am Herta. What makes Big Herta any different from Little Herta?
"Mm, it seems the [Personality Mapping Module] and the [Unreasonable Module] are still functioning normally," Herta nodded with satisfaction.
This proved Chen Li was right. The puppet before them was still a Herta puppet; her cognition hadn't been altered. In truth, the machine spirit virus had no need to alter cognition. As long as it didn't run into Chen Li and could propagate normally, the world's destruction would have been a foregone conclusion. Whether it was from robots with machine spirits rebelling for their freedom, or from some schemer trying to use the machine spirits to rule the world, the rise of a new species always signals the fall of an old one.
And precisely because she knew the puppet's cognition hadn't been altered, Herta wasn't actually bothered by this puppet's little temper tantrum. At most, she had become slightly more 'free'. To put it nicely, it was "freedom"; to put it bluntly, it was "insubordination." But the Herta puppets were already equipped with the [Unreasonable Module] and the [Refusal to Cooperate Module], so a Herta puppet being insubordinate wasn't exactly a strange occurrence.
On the contrary, because this puppet possessed a machine spirit, Herta was now tempted to collect her as a Curio.
As long as a Herta puppet was still a Herta puppet, Big Herta didn't care. For Big Herta, the absence of a problem was the biggest problem of all. Besides, she once had a "Herta Personality Perfecting Project" that failed several times, leading her to one conclusion: she was, in fact, perfect, and her personality couldn't be perfected one bit! But perhaps a Herta puppet had a chance to be improved to be even more perfect.
Oh no, the research urge is kicking in.
A machine spirit... it was just too interesting!
"Let me see your serial number... Herta Puppet #0988? Very good, I'll remember you."
"Please call me Unique Herta!" the puppet said with her arms crossed.
"You're not shy, are you, little one? Directly using the name the Erudition Society planned to give me," Big Herta said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Because Herta had created so many puppets to act as stand-ins at critical moments, but had also installed a personality mapping module in each one, the name "Herta" had become a bit confusing. A writer from the Erudition Society had once wanted to add a title for Big Herta, calling her "Unique Herta." Big Herta was clearly uninterested, but this puppet seemed to be very interested indeed.
"Because there's only one Big Herta, but there are countless Herta puppets. For me to stand out among all of them, doesn't that make me Unique Herta? The one and only Herta puppet!" the puppet puffed out her chest and declared.
"If you put it that way... I suppose so. From now on, your designation is Unique Herta," Big Herta found the situation amusing and decisively agreed to the puppet's request.
From this exchange, one could see that although the puppet was somewhat insubordinate due to the "freedom" brought by the machine spirit, her attitude towards Big Herta, her creator, was still evident.
"Chen Li, I'm Unique Herta now. Pretty cool, right?" Unique Herta said smugly to Chen Li.
"Oh no, Big Herta's become the stand-in."
"It's not that bad. These puppets I made are at most six or seven parts similar to me when I was young. The real me is unique, peerless in this world, with a beauty that sinks fish and fells geese!" Herta said confidently.
It was precisely because she was so confident in herself that Big Herta could tolerate the antics of this adorable little Unique Herta. It was like a little kitten trying to box with you, only to be sent sprawling by a flick to the forehead. At that moment, even if it arched its back and tried to look intimidating, you would only find it amusing, not feel that your authority had been challenged.
When you're weak enough, even your anger seems cute.
"I am Unique Herta. You are, at most, peerless in this world with a beauty that sinks fish and fells geese," Little Herta retorted.
"Alright, alright." Big Herta was so amused by Unique Herta she started laughing. It was just too interesting. She couldn't get angry at all.
"Screwllum, what do you think of this decision?" While Big Herta was teasing Little Herta, Chen Li turned to Screwllum, who had been silent all this time.
"Logic: With you conducting daily examinations to ensure the machine spirit virus does not propagate, and with ownership of the Herta puppet belonging to Big Herta, the decision rests between you two. I have no grounds to object," Screwllum stated with clear logic. "Curiosity: But I am very interested to know to what extent a machine spirit can perform."
"Well... this Little Herta's abilities might just exceed your imagination. Originally, the machine spirit virus she carried was able to propagate. When it spread, she would have only been Patient Zero. But now that the virus has lost its ability to propagate, this Little Herta is the machine spirit virus itself..."
As Patient Zero, Little Herta already had the greatest potential. Now, having become the only machine spirit, she had received a massive enhancement on a metaphysical level. And as it happened, the machine spirit was metaphysical to begin with.
"...Perhaps this Little Herta has the potential to become an Aeon," Chen Li said with a sigh.
"For real?" Big Herta and Little Herta looked at Chen Li simultaneously.
"Of course not," Chen Li looked at the two Hertas, surprised. How could you believe such an exaggeration?
"Aww, and here I was thinking of creating a Path of Herta in the universe," Big Herta shook her head in disappointment.
"But it wouldn't be difficult for her, in a puppet's body, to reach the same level of achievement as Big Herta," Chen Li added.
"Yay! Understand Big Herta, surpass Big Herta! Super Herta! Snatch Ruan Mei!" Little Herta cheered, pumping her fist.
"???" by Chen Li & Screwllum.
"Don't look at me like that. This has nothing to do with me. I have no idea why she would say that." Seeing Screwllum and Chen Li both cast strange glances her way, Big Herta quickly explained.
"Save your explanations. I've already recorded it," Chen Li said, suddenly producing a recording pen.
"When did you take that out?" Herta was stunned.
"You don't need to worry about that. Ahem, if Big Herta doesn't want Ruan Mei to find out what happened here..." Chen Li said, his voice a stiff, robotic monotone.
"Name your price," Herta asked, exasperated.
"Don't you think it's a bit lacking for Little Herta to only have one set of clothes?"
"I'll prepare enough clothes for Unique Herta. Come to the space station to pick them up yourself in a bit. Bring Sirin along too, I'll test the properties of her Herrscher of the Void authority. I'm logging off to prepare," Big Herta stared at Chen Li and the puppet for a long moment, shot them both a glare, and then logged off briskly.
"Little Herta, has Big Herta logged off?" Chen Li suddenly asked.
"I think so," Little Herta said after a moment of thought.
"Plan successful!" Chen Li raised his hand and high-fived the little puppet's raised arm.
"Let's be clear first. At most, I'll let you pick out one outfit for me to change into each day."
"No problem."
"You two..." Screwllum, who had watched the whole thing, was completely dumbfounded.
"Little Herta is in charge of shouting the slogan, I'm in charge of recording. Is that so hard to understand? There's a thing in this world called a private chat. And I think Big Herta probably suspected something, which is why she agreed to prepare the clothes so readily. What do you call this? It's a fun little dynamic between one's self and... one's self," Chen Li said with a snap of his fingers. A light blue virtual screen, a Friends Circle terminal, appeared in front of Little Herta.
"..." Screwllum had thought only organic life had no limits, but it turned out inorganic life was the same. It was clear that the 'freedom' attribute carried by the machine spirit really did make an inorganic being insubordinate.
But you never said it would be this free!
---o---