I'm Not Just An Impostor! (Honkai: Star Rail) Chapter 158 158: Star Rail Impostor! - 158

Ruan i was never one for many words to begin with.

The reason she spoke directly to 'Cyrene' this ti was simply because she found it quite novel to see Herta displaying such emotion.

While it was true that Herta's emotions ran rich, her pride and confidence ran deeper still.

A sentint like this… it hardly seed like her at all.

Through the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the cabin, the figures of several people could be seen discussing sothing on the other side.

Probably a eting to optimize the link system, she guessed.

Whether it was just her imagination or not, 'Cyrene' couldn't tell.

Under Ruan i's ministrations, the discomfort she'd felt earlier seed to fade rapidly.

anwhile, the subtle, elegant fragrance of plum blossoms lingering at the tip of her nose constantly reminded her just how… intimate her current position with Ruan i was.

"Ruan i, thank you for coming so quickly. I feel much better already."

'Cyrene' tried to sit up from Ruan i's lap, but the motion was interrupted by a gentle hand.

Fingertips pressed against her forehead, easing her back down.

"Be good. Let examine you a bit more thoroughly. Your synchronization with the Light has increased significantly. It might be an effect of the campaign against the Irontomb."

It hadn't been long at all since the last check-up—just the day before the final battle.

Yet, her synchronization with that beam of light from Nexus had risen by a notable degree.

Ruan i theorized it might be due to her encounter with the future Noa.

"Is that so?"

To be honest, although she'd fashioned herself a Giant of Light, she hadn't actually transford in any proper, formal setting.

Most of the ti, she just sneaked off alone to strike poses and feel cool by herself.

"Mhm. There are traces of transformation into a tic Entity on you, but the process was halted."

"So I almost beca a mokeeper?"

Hearing this, 'Cyrene' didn't feel particularly bothered.

After all, she still didn't have a proper body of her own. Becoming a mokeeper didn't sound all that bad.

Ruan i, however, shook her head.

"No. The influence was minimal. Even if it hadn't been stopped, you couldn't have beco a mokeeper. Regardless, that was only the Aeon's original body from the Simulated Universe, not a true Aeon."

At this point, Ruan i paused briefly, then added with a hint of uncertainty, "Hmm… if we maintain the current state without modifications, and allow the Simulated Universe to develop to a certain stage, while you continue entering it long-term in the guise of Fuli… perhaps you really could beco a mokeeper."

Truth be told, Ruan i was rather keen to observe how 'Cyrene' might transition from this peculiar soul-like state into a tic Entity.

A change in fundantal nature like that would reveal far more about the essence of her existence.

Her continued observation of 'Cyrene's' synchronization with the Light was driven by this very reason.

-- --

On the other hand, Herta was discussing optimization plans with the other two mbers.

But anyone with eyes could see—Madam Herta was not in the best of moods.

Divine Herta found this utterly amusing, while Screwllum wisely chose not to comnt.

After all, Herta wasn't the type who needed comforting.

And setting aside this unexpected incident…

The developnt of the Simulated Universe itself had been trendously successful, even wildly beyond expectations.

Of course, being able to reach this point in such a short ti…owed a great deal to the Simulated Universe source code from Divine Herta's mories.

Without that, they'd probably still be stuck in the earliest coding and testing phases.

Getting it to run as it did now would have taken at least a year or more.

In short, disregarding this minor hiccup, their project's progress had far exceeded expectations.

"Screwllum, have you found anything?"

"Deduction: The issue with Lady Bai Ming may not lie with the linking program, but rather with the peculiar nature of Fuli. A Pure Child of Anāsrava can rely on a causal loop to briefly beco an independent 'Fuli.' Lady Bai Ming's actions happen to satisfy these conditions."

"Furthermore, to maintain the stability and potential of the Simulated Universe, we proactively strengthened and stabilized the connection between this tic world and the real one."

"This may have enabled Lady Bai Ming to genuinely beco the Aeon of Rembrance, Fuli, within this miniature world."

This was the bold hypothesis Screwllum had arrived at after examining the entire system and its logic.

Of course, this 'Fuli' would be exceedingly weak—so weak that the process could be forcibly suspended and the user logged out.

Because its causal footprint was too small.

This nascent tic world held too few mories. Even if one truly beca Fuli here, it wouldn't affect the outside.

But the issue wasn't about strength or weakness.

It was about authenticity.

If 'Cyrene' were to complete this process…

If she truly acted as Fuli within this closed loop…

The impact it could have on her would be far too unpredictable.

Each Aeon was fundantally, vastly different from another.

Followers of different Paths could exhibit entirely disparate traits—let alone the Aeons themselves.

That Herta could briefly beco Nous and return safely was a testant to Nous's benign nature.

Who knew if one could return after becoming Fuli, even just once?

Normal Pure Children of Anāsrava that fulfilled causal loops remained trapped in the past.

What if this aspect also adhered to the original setting?

"Tch, this is troubleso…"

Herta frowned, a wave of irritation washing over her.

Because the current situation implied that such an event could only occur if they had done an exceptionally good job.

The simulation fidelity of the Simulated Universe was absurdly high.

Its accuracy and precision in future cosmic simulations would be incredibly reliable as a result.

But the problem was, this very high fidelity…also ant 'Cyrene' could potentially run into trouble.

Right now, Herta's curiosity about the truth was wrestling with her sense of morality.

She didn't want Bai Ming to gamble on those odds.

If she were truly lost because of this, Herta knew she would regret it deeply.

But if a Pure Child of Anāsrava didn't complete this causal loop…the logic of the Simulated Universe couldn't be perfectly established.

The final result would be significantly diminished.

It would beco rely a high-definition, upgraded version of the original Simulated Universe—not a true iterative leap in performance.

"What if we reduce the imrsion level of the link…"

Herta tried to grasp for alternatives, but Divine Herta cut her off without ceremony:

"You should understand best of all. To an Aeon, 0.1% and 100% hold no aningful difference."

"…"

Yes. Having briefly been Nous, she understood that all too well.

Reducing imrsion was pointless.

Divine Herta looked at her other self. She never imagined a face identical to her own could wear such an expression.

"This is your project. Think carefully about how to proceed. I'm going to rest."

-- --

In the lounge on the other side.

'Cyrene' watched for a while, then began to sense sothing was off.

Though Herta had her back turned, making her expression hard to read…

Divine Herta's face showed clear surprise and sothing like wonder.

Then she seed to toss out so remark before walking away.

"…They didn't get into an argunt, did they?"

"Who knows? If you're curious, why not go ask yourself?"

It wasn't that Ruan i was unconcerned about her colleagues.

She simply didn't believe a conventional argunt was sothing that would ever involve Herta.

-- --