The Herta

Genius Society #83, Madam Herta, resides deep within the Clock Tower at the edge of the cosmos, pursuing the ultimate mysteries of the universe as a sorceress.

Thanks to de-aging technology, she maintains a youthful appearance. Disliking mundane affairs, she typically delegates such tasks to her puppets.

Profile Number ██████

Curio Name: Genius' Childhood Kaleidoscope

Warning: Do not look into it! Do not look into it! Do not look into it!!!

Do you really want to see?

Are you sure?

Nevermind. You've already scrolled this far down. I won't take responsibility for what happens to you.

Curio File

Genius Society #83, Madam Herta's private collection, with the Garden providing technical support. A memory slice only designed for the person involved to relive a beautiful time in a first-person POV.

Warning: Dangerous item. Do not gaze into it if you are not the one in the memory. Otherwise, you have a high chance of suffering an intense psychological assault.

Case studies: Two reviewers have privately looked into this. One of them started saying nonsense and no longer knew their own identity, while another could only repeat the words "Glory to Madam Herta!".

Researcher Comments

"'The fixed point is the cream-white bow of ribbons, the divergent series is like a necklace of daggers shining with a cold light. Convolution is like the wave of brunette hair, and fractals are the influence of bad mood. Infinity and infinitesimal are in a heated argument, so put them in diagonal's dress then pull them apart: Look, the most beautiful thing in all combinations is me...' — That's right. That's what that little girl said. Isn't it amazing? Ahahahaha. So amazing! Who am I? Where am I..."

— Statement from a reviewer

"The large room full of dolls has equations and symbols I've never seen before floating in it. They grow limbs, pull faces, and dance around her. She will open a wardrobe as tall as a castle and pick clothes for them. They all have their own characters and appear in different programs... When she finished calculating, my spirit instantly received a complete baptism — Glory to Madam Herta! Glory to Madam Herta! Glory to Madam Herta! Glory to Madam Herta..."

— Statement of a reviewer

Note

I saved this Curio so it's easier to review my beauty as a young woman. If you want to see it so much, then it's not my fault. I'll give you some advice: Find some Intelligentsia Guild books to counteract the stuff in their heads for these two unfortunates. They'll recover in no time.

The Herta

Memorial Symposium: Celebrating Madam Herta's ██th Birthday

Meeting Minutes, Topic One: A Retrospective of Madam Herta's Scientific Achievements

Meeting Minutes, Topic Two: Anecdotes and Stories from Madam Herta's Life

Meeting Minutes, Topic Five: Panel Discussion on "Exploring the Boundaries of Science and its Profound Implications"

Meeting Minutes, Provisional Topic: Moment of Silence. Breaking news from reliable media sources, Madam Herta has passed away...

Meeting Minutes, Provisional Topic 2: Madam Herta Makes an Unexpected Appearance and Delivers a Speech!

Madam Herta's Speech:

"Thank you all for your heartfelt condolences. Unfortunately, it seems I must disappoint some of you yet again."

"Are you... Madam Herta?"

"Is this a puppet of Madam Herta?"

"Did your paper on de-aging... actually work!?"

"Madam Herta, we need an explanation!"

Madam Herta cleared her throat and lifted her scepter aloft —

"It's all thanks to Magic."

"Madam Herta, hold on a moment!"

"It's impossible! The de-aging concept is purely theoretical. We're light-years away from actual application..."

"Science? Can she even be called a scientist anymore? That's just absurd!"

"Not to kill the vibe, but how do you always manage to make such a stunning entrance?"

"Pretty amusing, isn't it? The press loves to churn out fake news for headlines, while the old timers can't wait for me to bite the dust, hoping to prove my anti-aging theory is just a pipe dream."

She switches off the conference video and calmly resumes her afternoon tea.

"All your theories have been shown to have potential, yet... future scholars have never truly captured your essence, making replication impossible." The calm woman sips her tea.

"Logic: The so-called 'magic' of youth Madam Herta mentions is her biting satire. Deductive: The theory's core principles involve reversing energy and manipulating time, which requires exacting conditions. Computation: ..."

Her smile broadens as she slides a plum pastry across to the Intellitron, cutting off his monologue.

"Some truths don't need to be spoken. Here, have a treat."

On the edge of the galaxy, within a desolate, lifeless star system, a mysterious tower flickers in and out of view amid a swirling vortex.

"I refuse to wear myself out in this sprawling mansion."

She surveyed the vast, empty room, signaling the puppets to approach.

With a series of cheerful clicks and whirls, they danced toward her —

"Madam Herta is a peerless gem!"

"Madam Herta is an unrivalled genius!"

"Madam Herta is an inimitable beauty!"

"Enough already, back to your tasks." She dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

Three to scrub the floors, two to tend the gardens, and one...

"Brew some coffee. It's chilly today, and I need something warm."

The brown beans crunched under the grinder, hot water washed over them, and the dark liquid joyfully bubbled.

"Madam Herta, you've received an inquiry from the Intelligentsia Guild. They're challenging your..."

"Are they still fussing over my 'evident proof'? Just send them a few canned replies from the list."

"Madam Herta, Interastral Peace Corporation has sent an invitation..."

"Tell them their gadgets don't interest me."

"Madam Herta, the University of Veritas Prime wishes to name you an honorary professor..."

"Which institution is that again?"

Gradually, the puppets handled all mundane affairs, allowing her to vanish from the public eye.

Secluded at her tower's apex, she dismissed the external world to unravel the puzzles lingering in her thoughts.

"I wish to know, ████ ███ ██ █████ ██████?"

Thus, the First Mirror came into being.

"I wish to know, ████ ██ ███ ███████ ██ ████?"

Thus, the Second Mirror gleamed into existence.

"I wish to know, ███ ███ █ ███ ████ ███████?"

Thus, the Third Mirror chimed succinctly.

"I wish to know, ███ ██ █ ███ ██████?"

Thus, the Fourth Mirror was formed with reverence.

Her whereabouts remained a mystery, as did her reasons for shunning the limelight. Yet, her provocative theories and speculations continued to stir endless discussions.

A long time passes. After she has completed her extrapolations, she seems unsatisfied.

"There are no more problems left to solve — this, in itself, is the greatest problem."

"Are you saying..."The mirror understands perfectly.

"Why don't we create more problems?"

Herta: The Simulated Universe has always been simulating the Aeons and asking THEM questions. This time, we might as well let the Aeon ask me instead... It'd be great if THEIR question have me at a loss of words.

Herta: ...I need to get THEM out first.

Simulated Universe: Madam Herta broadcasts to the entire Simulated Universe the answer to the Imaginary Overflow Question. Fail.

Simulated Universe: Madam Herta pinches her nose and broadcasts to the entire Simulated Universe a speech praising the Aeons. Fail.

Herta: Boring. I'm leaving.

Simulated Universe: THEY appear in the blink of an eye. THEIR form looms vast like a deity, with gears and cables intricately entwined in sublime complexity. THEY observe, calculate, and seek to know everything. THEY give questions, conduct proofs, and obtain answers. THEY do nothing else.

Simulated Universe: THEY know too much — You can ask THEM anything. Humans are so ignorant before THEM. Those tiny amounts of experience and knowledge in your head... They are pitifully small in volume.

Herta: So, only Nous would give me some respect.

Herta: Other humans view my thinking process as incomprehensible magic, and I view your thoughts in the same way. So, all-knowing being, ask me —

Nous: ██!

Herta: Please speak human.

Nous: THEY do not respond and remain silent.

Herta: ...

Herta: I have nothing to say, either.

Simulated Universe: You are instantly expelled by some force. The deepest secret of this universe is like an abyss with tentacles, dragging you into inescapable fear.

Simulated Universe: Herta has been forcibly logged out.

Simulated Universe: Herta has re-logged.

Herta: Aha! I knew it was you

Nous?: THEY said "HAHA!" Hahahahaha!

Nous?: You bought that? Look. The computing power of the Simulated Universe is swarming here like the patterns of a rainbow lollipop.

Nous?: What? You are so sure that THEY won't reply with HAHA?

Herta: Heh, because Droidhead would never answer! Questions and doubts are the essence of thought. There is nothing that is forbidden, nothing serves as a boundary, and nothing is regarded as its end —

Herta: Unless THEY quit.

Herta: But you can't just leave like this. As compensation, ask me a question — but no jokes allowed.

Aha: Whenever mortals think, Droidhead would laugh! Would you like to become a Masked Fool for me? Let me glance at you?

Herta: Get out. I want Idrila.

—An ancient Simulated Universe operation record

First Meeting: You don't recognize me? I've told you who I am already — human, female, young, beautiful, attractive.

Greeting: Oh? So we meet again. You are the 345th person in the cosmos who's been able to meet me twice. That shall be your Herta Number. Remember it. Someone might test you on it.

Parting: Bye-bye.

About Self: Title: The writers from the Intelligentsia Guild wanted to give me an extra title. Something like "Herta Prime" to separate me from my puppets. How banal. Are the puppets not "me" as well? So, I gave them a suggestion — if they dared to write that, then I would call myself THE Herta. It's short, simple, straight to the point, and elegant.

About Self: Life: You have time to talk about "life" when you don't even know the ultimate truth of the universe?

About Self: Habits: When writing up a proof, I only use three words: "obviously," "evidently," and "naturally." Isn't everything self-evident anyway?

About Self: Research: Someone had once questioned my research and said it was not science. Well, I replied: "Who said this is science? Have you ever seen magic?"

Chat: Outfit: I looove this hat. I like to wear it, and it makes me happy!

Chat: Thesis: You can write no thesis, or only one thesis in your lifetime — as long as you're brave enough, that is. Thoughts that aren't brave enough aren't fit to be called thoughts — Even Masked Fools know that.

Hobbies: My wardrobe? It's probably close to twice the size of the space station. Ah, the world lost an Emanator of Beauty the moment Nous cut in line and gazed upon me first!

Annoyances: Where am I going to find another genius as mentally well-adjusted as me? In the mirror?

Something to Share: I have lots of storerooms. How many? I don't remember. Where are they? All over the universe. I keep things only because I like them — and I like anything that's interesting.

Knowledge: What represents the boundaries of mortal knowledge? Many people think it's the Genius Society, but I think it's myself.

About Trailblazer: You always manage to pull out something new every time I'm on the verge of losing interest in you. Are you doing that on purpose? Maybe, just maybe, you know what makes me tick.

About Ruan Mei: Every time I heard that her experiments failed, I'd rush over ASAP and congratulate her with the utmost sincerity — there's nothing more precious than failures for a genius.

About Screwllum: He's better than me in logic and finesse. I'm better than him in talent and achievements. We stand toe-to-toe in taste and dress. Therefore, in conclusion, we're equals.

About Asta: Asta is an outstanding manager. Someone less skilled would have already let us geniuses ruin more than ten space stations.

About Silver Wolf: Who? Oh, that young lady who loves to prank. I'll remember her name when she finally understands the game that adults play.

About Himeko: I've always thought that the coffee I make is fitting for high-intensity scientific research, but Himeko really trumped me on that front — I admit defeat in terms of innovative coffee brewing.

About Welt: He has sharp eyes. He's not actually near-sighted, right? Those who like to wear glasses often conceal themselves behind those lenses. Pity I don't have a lot of free time — otherwise I'd like to pry into his past, too.

Eidolon Activation: Science knows no boundaries — and neither do I.

Character Ascension: The good stuff is further ahead. Don't stop now.

Max Level Reached: This is it? You don't want anything else?

Trace Activation: Just light everything up.

Added to Team With Trailblazer: Play like how you usually do in the Simulated Universe~

Added to Team With Ruan Mei: What could possibly pique your curiosity here? Don't tell me... it's me?

Added to Team With Asta: Isn't this telescope impressive? I told you to trust my tastes.

Added to Team With Arlan: Come on~ Guess who I am~

Added to Team With Herta: Ta-Da! How's this splitting magic?

Added to Team With Silver Wolf: Did you get your accounts back, young lady?

Added to Team With Himeko: Wanna guess how many more cups of coffee you need to down before we finish this fight?

Added to Team With Silver Wolf LV.999: You've really leveled up this account nicely, little girl.

Battle Begins: Weakness Break: Still as hopeless as ever.

Battle Begins: Danger Alert: I'd say you look tough... but who am I kidding?

Turn Begins 1: What's wrong? Never seen perfection up close before?

Turn Begins 2: All at once. I don't have time for games.

Turn Idling: If I wait any longer, the universe might just implode.

Basic ATK: Here I come, ready or not!

Skill 1: The door to a whole new world~

Skill 2: You've just got to expand your thinking~

Enhanced Skill 1: Glimpse the unknown for a moment, and let it captivate you.

Enhanced Skill 2: Raise barriers of the unknown, and watch them crumble.

Hit by Light Attack: Impressive... almost.

Hit by Heavy Attack: Feeling bold?

Ultimate: Activate: Curiosity... is a dangerous thing, you know.

Ultimate: Unleash: Endless riddles, but the answer... is nothing but a void.

Downed: I'll return...

Return to Battle: Really? A genius? Here?

Health Recovery: Impressive. This is worth learning.

Technique: Take a look — this is pure genius in action.

Battle Won: Amazing, but then again, it's me we're talking about.

Treasure Opening 1: Ah... You want this? Fine, take it and amuse yourself~

Treasure Opening 2: Oh...

Precious Treasure Opening: This thing? What I've got is leagues beyond.

Successful Puzzle-Solving 1: Meh... Pretty underwhelming.

Successful Puzzle-Solving 2: Who came up with this? Seriously, go rewrite it.

Enemy Target Found: Is that it? I was expecting something... bigger.

Returning to Town: Need something? If not, then I'll be leaving.