Azure Star.
After a long slumber, the girl named Herta slowly opened her eyes.
At that very instant, a gaze spanning the sea of stars fell upon her.
However, she showed no reaction to it, and she seemed even more oblivious to the overjoyed medical staff surrounding her hospital bed.
She still remembered the warmth of embracing Qi Zhimu.
She still remembered the parting kiss just now.
She remembered the Brother Zhimu who came because of her call, and she also remembered the Mr. Magician who was born and revived through the body of Original Human Qi Zhimu, appearing by her side.
But, but...
Whether it was Brother Zhimu or Mr. Magician, they had both become liars...
You said that no matter when, as long as I called for you in my heart, you would appear by my side.
But for a very, very long time to come, no matter how I call, you won't be able to fulfill that promise...
It's okay, it's really okay...
I have already overcome the two major obstacles preventing humanity's progress: time and space.
When I reach the end, perhaps I will be able to break free from the shackles of the causal paradox.
At that time... you can fulfill your promise again, and you will never be a liar...
How could I bear to let you break your promise?
Tears slowly overflowed from her eyes, yet a brilliant curve rose at the corners of Herta's mouth.
...
azure calendar Year 2501.
A year had passed since Azure Star jumped to the new star system and became a new planet within it.
No new Virtual Substance Lifeforms would ever be born in this world again; people could bask in the warm sunlight to their heart's content and gaze at the brilliant starry sky.
The United Government designated the day of Azure Star's rebirth as a global unified memorial holiday to commemorate the ancestors who sacrificed much, or even everything, for the Jump Project.
Herta did not make Qi Zhimu's deeds public.
There was no need.
Qi Zhimu would always exist in her heart, always and eternally.
That was enough.
She didn't need power, glory, or wealth.
She only needed to become herself, to become the person capable of finding Qi Zhimu again.
To achieve this goal, her current self was still far from enough.
Looking at the invitation that had appeared on her desk at some point, Herta picked it up casually.
Genius Society? Where did this crappy organization come from?
Not interested.
She crumpled the invitation into a ball, threw it into the trash can, and walked toward the research lab.
In the star system where Azure Star had jumped, there was another planet with a civilization.
They had long since integrated with the galaxy, and their technological level far exceeded that of Azure Star.
From the moment Azure Star suddenly appeared, they quickly discovered it and sent messengers while simultaneously transmitting interstellar signals.
Initially, the signals naturally received no response.
However, upon learning the reason for Azure Star's sudden appearance in the system, this civilization dared not show any arrogance, let alone harbor ill intentions.
For a developed interstellar civilization, mastering Spatial Studies and applying various spatial technologies was not particularly rare.
But applying spatial technology—especially jump technology—to an entire planet was, frankly, still beyond their reach.
Integrating with the galaxy meant gaining access to more information, learning what things stood above developed interstellar civilizations and how many there were.
Therefore, the people of this civilization understood that the person who assisted Azure Star's jump was someone they must never easily make an enemy of.
Smart people can distinguish whether there is more benefit in having one more enemy or one more friend.
Originally, the Azure Star United Government was holding internal meetings to decide whether to peacefully disband.
This sudden visit from the new neighbor immediately made everyone drop that idea and proceed with cautious contact.
Upon learning that the other party came with friendship and sincerity, and confirming through subsequent contact that this was not faked, they gradually lowered their unnecessary extra vigilance.
Soon, the two planetary civilizations quickly established friendly diplomatic relations, and Azure Star officially integrated with the galaxy.
A flood of high-density information arrived one after another, constantly refreshing people's perceptions.
Naturally, this included Herta.
She wasn't the type to hide in a research lab all day, not stepping out for months or years at a time.
On the contrary, Herta understood the balance between work and rest and paid great attention to health preservation.
To achieve her goal, the first priority was to take good care of her body.
Once she researched a way to remain unaffected by time, it wouldn't be too late to treat her body however she pleased.
She had heard about Azure Star's recent external hotspots and the arrival of the Interstellar Peace Corporation.
The Corporation brought the Interstellar Peace Network, broadening the horizons for Azure Star's civilization and for her Trailblaze.
Regarding Aeons, Paths, and the Genius Society, she gradually gained a deeper understanding, realizing exactly what kind of existence had cast its glance toward her that day.
Did that Genius Society send the invitation because they thought she was qualified to join, or was it sent as a matter of routine because she had been glanced at by the Aeon named Nous?
Whatever, it wasn't important.
Compared to that, she was more interested in the many difficult problems she learned about after integrating with the galaxy.
Once she applied her mind, Herta's fame quickly resonated among many factions and civilizations in the galaxy.
A constant appeared in the Solitary Wave Algorithm problem that had plagued the universe for thousands of Amber Eras—a constant solved by Herta.
The specific meaning of the Solitary Wave Algorithm problem could be roughly summarized as whether destiny possesses determinism.
Many people wanted to know the answer.
Unfortunately, Herta did not make the answer public; it was only known that the constant she solved was recognized by a certain genius in the Genius Society.
Looking across the entire universe, since the beginning of the Galactic Chronicles and the Amber Era, only 82 geniuses had ever been born.
As the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, even their pets ascend to heaven.
Because of Herta, Azure Star became a long-standing center of new topics in the galaxy in recent years.
Countless people speculated that there was a high probability Herta would become the 83rd genius.
Azure Star established an annual seminar for Herta, creating many topics for discussion.
These included reviews of her scientific achievements, her life anecdotes, or discussions on some of the scientific questions she proposed.
The date was set on Herta's birthday.
But many years passed, and she never attended even once.
If there weren't still signs of her activity, some media outlets, in order to gain traffic and attention, would probably have considered topics related to mourning her...
Herta was not interested in the many words of the outside world; she remained immersed in the sea of Erudition.
Not many years later, she completed a new achievement: the Spark Model Conjecture.
After entering her youth, she discovered the conversion method for Sigma Baryons.
There are thousands of difficult problems, but life is short.
In her middle age, she proposed the Herta Sequence, published a paper on rejuvenation, and then completely disappeared from the public eye.
No matter how much the Corporation or other media outlets dug into Azure Star, they couldn't find anything.
In a flash, several more decades passed, and a temporary topic appeared in the seminar established to commemorate Ms. Herta's birthday.
According to a breaking report from authoritative media, Ms. Herta, being a Short-Lived Species, had passed away due to illness...
But before the news could spread, just as everyone was mourning, a second temporary topic appeared.
—Ms. Herta appears to give a speech!
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