After receiving the incredibly large diamond gifted by Herta, the two gray-haired figures obediently stepped onto the massive, intricate, sci-fi-esque instrument.
Even after witnessing Stelle's unsettlingly affectionate antics with the puppet and the rather weird comments from both Stelle and Caelus, the great Madam Herta did not go back on her word and take back the dolls she had given them.
Her word was her bond, apparently.
That's Herta for you!
However, while calibrating the Simulated Universe equipment, Herta still spared a sliver of her attention to upgrade the combat programs on the two puppets and apply a few patches.
Even with Herta's disposition, the thought of the puppets being fitted with... reciprocating components sent an involuntary shiver down her spine.
After the patches, the puppet's AI would automatically detect any external "plug-ins" below the waist and immediately activate a hidden power source in its back!
This was limited strictly to male external plug-ins.
Compared to the puppets being modified in certain ways, used as body pillows, or serving as props for that kind of activity, none of it was a major issue for Madam Herta, who had already transcended ordinary human concerns.
In any case, these boring trivialities had already wasted too much of her thought and energy. Enough was enough.
"Link Start~!"
The moment Herta activated the machine, Stelle struck a pose.
The view dissolved as if splashed with ink; space twisted and warped like a coiling serpent. The world plunged into pure darkness, and then…
"Hello? Hello?"
"Why isn't anything happening?"
"Did the connection drop?"
"Herta? A little help here!"
Caelus hammered his fists against the dark void, shouting.
But then, a familiar voice echoed in his ear.
[Um, Host... this might, probably, possibly have something to do with me.]
[?]
Hearing this, Caelus mentally threw up a question mark.
[What kind of stunt are you pulling now?]
[I…]
Before the System could finish, the dark world shattered like glass, the fragments spinning counter-clockwise, forming an invisible vortex.
"What the—!"
Like underwear tossed into a washing machine, Caelus's entire body tumbled uncontrollably with the vortex, pulled by a powerful gravity towards the multicolored center.
After a long while, his vision cleared.
"This... is the Simulated Universe?"
Clutching his forehead, Caelus shook off the dizzying disorientation and surveyed his surroundings. The sight made him gasp in surprise.
Countless stars twinkled like diamonds floating in a dark ocean, emitting a soft, mysterious glow. Galaxies swirled like immense spirals, adorning the abyss of space.
"Galaxies? Star systems?"
"So it really is 'space'."
Caelus floated in the vacuum, looking left and right, feeling a bit like Kars adrift in the void.
Wasn't this instance supposed to be roguelike map-clearing gameplay in the game?
[Bro, like you said, that was the game. This is reality.]
[This is a massive project created jointly by four geniuses to explore the mysteries of the Aeons. To say it's similar to the game content would be wrong; they're practically unrelated.]
[This place is a simulated cosmos that truly exists within a virtual world.]
The moment the System's voice faded, Caelus heard a thunderous rumbling.
It was the sound of a train speeding along tracks.
He whipped his head towards the source of the sound.
The instant gust of wind not only blasted his smooth gray hair into a wild mess but also puffed up his cheeks as the intense pressure forced his mouth open. It felt like sticking your head out the sunroof of a car doing 200 mph.
Accompanying the train's whistling passage was a song echoing through the stars.
"I'm that-that-that-one~ that-that one that-one~♪"
"Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse, drip drip da drip drip da~♪"
Stelle was currently riding the familiar train, though her method was... unconventional.
She was perched atop the lead car, her long, slender, snow-white legs dangling and swinging freely. Her hands were thrown high, waving with her singing.
"Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse~ You're the strongest, the best-est~ The brightest, most shining-est~♪"
The smile on Stelle's face was as joyous as a child on a coin-operated kiddie ride.
But in Caelus's eyes, Stelle currently looked more like a rebellious teen tearing up the streets on a souped-up, flashy ride.
"Yo! Caelus, you finally made it!"
Stelle brought her the spectral train to a halt before Caelus with a flourish, flicking her hair back with an air remarkably reminiscent of a middle school delinquent.
"I thought Herta had harvested your kidneys or something. Was just waiting to get out so I could demand compensation for dependents and emotional damages from her."
"Caelus, what did you do just now? Why couldn't I monitor your status? I even lost your positioning within the Simulated Universe," Herta's voice interjected, laced with two parts urgency and eight parts confusion.
"I didn't do anything!" Caelus declared righteously. If there was a problem, it was the System's fault! "Besides, shouldn't you, the project lead, know what's going on? Why ask me, the tester?"
Herta went silent for a moment. "...Fair point."
With that, Herta's voice disappeared, off to investigate who knows what.
"Come on, hop on! Big sis will take you for a spin!" Stelle patted the spot beside her, scooting over with the swagger of a gang leader.
"How long have you been messing around? And where did this train come from?" Caelus asked, settling down beside Stelle without ceremony, casually resting his leg over her smooth ones.
"Not long, maybe half an hour or so," Stelle replied, kicking her leg slightly to pull it out from under Caelus's, only to place it back on top of his. "When I got in, the train was just parked right here, so I boarded it. Then, I don't know how, but I figured out I could drive it, so I did!"
Hearing this, Caelus frowned slightly. That weird delay lasted a whole thirty minutes?
He focused his senses on the train beneath him. It seemed... he could control it too? But when he tried, he felt a stronger authority overriding him – Stelle's.
Just as Caelus was carefully probing this, Stelle's voice rang out beside him.
"Hold tight! Sis is gonna floor it!"
Caelus didn't think much of it at first, but his expression changed drastically in the next instant.
"Whoa! You!"
It was the sudden, unparalleled, terrifying acceleration!
If an ordinary person were on this train, their body would likely be crushed into paste by the sheer force.
The train, hurtling through the vacuum of space, broke the first cosmic velocity almost instantly.
Then the third cosmic velocity.
The fifth cosmic velocity...
Finally, it reached the very physical limit defined by the universe itself – the speed of light!
"Faster! Faster! Accelerate to an even higher realm!" Stelle cheered, gripping the controls. If the train had a gas pedal, her foot would be welded to the floor!
The deep black vista transformed into a kaleidoscopic darkness. Caelus's expression was slightly strange.
Should he be impressed by the audacity of a newborn Stellaron host, or was this just typical 'other him' behavior?
Exhibit A: A one-year-old drag racing at light speed.
The crucial point was, how were he and Stelle still sitting securely on the front of the train?
Just as Caelus was marveling at the wonders of the Simulated Universe, the 'road' conditions ahead snapped him back to reality.
"Hey, wait! Stop focusing only on accelerating! Turn! Turn!"
Caelus tried to wrestle control of the train.
During his time, Caelus hadn't spent all his energy hunting for treasure chests; he dedicated time each day to the Astral Express's databank, learning about the world.
The universe was filled with mysterious and unpredictable Imaginary energy, isolating one star system from another. Even light struggled to traverse this energy.
This was the Imaginary Void.
Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation, knowing the impending doom of the Great Enemy's devourment, forged barriers spanning light-years to isolate and protect worlds still teeming with life.
These structures, known as Subspace Crystalline Walls, existed within the Imaginary Void.
While they were walls meant to protect worlds, they also further reduced the possibility of inter-universal communication.
But that wasn't important right now~
What was important was that the Celestial Comet Walls, the Subspace Crystalline Walls – whatever you called them – were right in front of them!
The difference in their control over the Astral Express was as vast as the disparity in their physical strength and the Stellaron energy within them. As long as Stelle didn't yield, Caelus couldn't hope to seize control.
"Mere walls! How can they possibly withstand my Trailblazing spirit! Express, smash right through them!"
"..."
Caelus paused, frowning in thought for a second. Then, he silently gave up fighting for control, instead merging his will with Stelle's desire to accelerate.
Heh, gotta admit, this is more fun!
Under the combined force of their wills, the Astral Express mercilessly smashed through the Subspace Crystalline Wall!
"Woohoo!"
"Charge!"
Cheers erupted from the duo.
"Caelus, let's go, let's go~! There are more over there!"
It wasn't just this one wall. Having discovered this new, destructive fun, Stelle and Caelus began frantically joyriding through the Imaginary Void like they were in demolition derby bumper cars, ramming through every Celestial Comet Wall they saw, smashing them to pieces!
They dragged the Astral Express along like a screen-filling snake in the classic game, boring holes through Qlipoth's barriers.
And then.
BOOM!
The universe turned amber.
Countless chunks of copper ore, amber, and opal rained down from nowhere amidst roiling, molten heat. A colossal being, tightly gripping a giant hammer, stretched its spine.
Upon seeing the riddled, utterly destroyed Subspace Crystalline Walls, It froze for a moment. Then, an enraged roar echoed throughout the entire cosmos.
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