Chapter 118

In the blink of an eye, the once-cute little thing had grown up.

Though he occasionally diverted a thread of his will to Little Larvitar, he had never witnessed the little one’s growth firsthand.

“The Lord of Cosmic Order’s time is exceedingly precious.”

But Buel softly spoke to comfort him, “It is not your fault.”

Hermes, the Lord of Cosmic Order, was indeed as busy as Buel had seen with her own eyes.

Since meeting him, the Lord of Cosmic Order had never truly rested.

The Court of Star Crowns is a great achievement painstakingly built by the Lord of Cosmic Order, bit by bit.

From a tiny star system in the past to the current embryonic form of a grand universe, Buel had watched every sacrifice the Lord made.

“Enough. I’ll make it up to the little one later.”

Hermes sighed, shook his head, then pulled two glowing orbs from his hand and handed them to Buel. “Deliver these two items to Ruan Mei and Screwgum.”

“Tell them I look forward to their futures.”

These two orbs were crystallizations of Hermes’s work on the digital technology tree.

Ruan Mei could observe the evolution of life from another perspective—digital life.

Screwgum could gain immense benefits from this system, similar yet fundamentally opposite to his own mechanical intelligence.

This was Hermes’s investment in two geniuses.

He still harbored a sliver of hope.

Hope that they might, before the grand universe took full shape, become cosmic truths and stand as pillars of existence.

If they could reach that level, what harm would it be to grant them a share of the grand universe’s original equity?

“The two geniuses who stand alongside Lady Black Tower?”

Buel recalled Black Tower’s unfathomable wisdom and let out a sigh of awe.

It was hard to imagine that there were still over eighty others who stood on equal footing with her.

How terrifying was that?

Thinking of this, Buel also marveled at the resilience of the Honkai: Star Rail Grand Universe.

To accommodate so many geniuses of this caliber and still endure intact to this day—Buel could not help but feel deep respect.

Perhaps, only because countless Star Gods loomed above, could the Honkai: Star Rail Grand Universe remain so inclusive and unyielding?

“By the way, give this Star-Devouring Whale to Ruan Mei too.”

“Perhaps Ruan Mei can extract something useful from it.”

As if recalling something, Hermes finally remembered the little whale he had tossed into a storage corner.

“Is this the beast that devoured the primordial sea’s waters?”

Buel nodded, frowning slightly as she gazed at the tiny figure frozen within the amber-like substance.

Teyvat was now a thing of the past…

“With Ruan Mei and Screwgum, I truly feel some of the burden lifting…”

Watching Buel’s retreating figure, Hermes murmured softly, “Perhaps I should go poaching again?”

“Perhaps Lady Black Tower should reach out to Stephen Lloyd?”

“And Yu Qingtu might be worth a try. Oh—”

“What about that poor soul, reduced to a single reflection, sealed away in Penacony? Should I try pulling him in?”

“Could even Phanes be worth fishing for?”

The arrival of Black Tower, Ruan Mei, and Screwgum had truly given Hermes a taste of sweet success.

These are the kind of figures who, even across infinite realms and countless dimensions, remain among the rarest and most remarkable.

When Black Tower evolves into the Super Black Tower, her talent may yet undergo another transformation, ascending further.

By then, even if she still falls short of legendary conceptual entities like Gray Wolf, she would still be terrifyingly powerful…

Ruan Mei and Screwgum each took on the task of refining and researching Hermes’s boundlessly promising digital technology tree.

They, too, gained new opportunities for advancement by exploring this path—closely related yet fundamentally opposite to their own fields.

Every genius, truly, held limitless potential.

“Istalur, if I were to bring Phanes back…”

Before today, Hermes had occasionally entertained this thought, but never made a decisive move.

Because Phanes, the former ruler of Teyvat, was, in some ways, truly…

Hmm, stubborn?

Straightforward?

Or perhaps… abstract?

There was no help for it.

Phanes’s methods were genuinely baffling to Hermes.

But no matter what, the legendary King Phanes held value not much less than any member of the Genius Club.

Just look at the four reflections she had split off—clear proof of her worth.

The power of the Human Realm she wielded was also immensely promising.

More importantly, Phanes, the former Lord of Teyvat, was hardly a villain—she had poured her heart and soul into ensuring the world’s survival.

“Lord of Cosmic Order, do Itachi truly intend to bring the Master back?”

In the next instant, ripples of time stirred, and Istalur appeared before Hermes, her eyes blazing with intense emotion.

Phanes was their Master.

She was their origin.

With Phanes’s death, the four of them had, in essence, lost the foundation of their existence.

Had Phanes not left behind safeguards to grant them independence, they would not exist today.

“Yes.”

Watching Istalur’s excited expression, Hermes paused in thought.

Just by observing these four former Custodians of Cosmic Order, one could indirectly gauge the value of Phanes, King Phanes.

How much time had passed?

Already, Istalur’s power had surged to this level?

Frankly, General Jingyuan of the Divine Strategy might not even be a match for Istalur now.

“Enough, enough!”

“Itachi four will work overtime first—clear the backlog of tasks, then await my orders.”

“I will attempt to reach out and draw Phanes back.”

The existence of Istalur and the others had finally solidified Hermes’s resolve.

Phanes truly deserved the time he would spend pulling her back.

Could the power of the Human Realm also have the potential to evolve into another pillar of the Court of Star Crowns?

“Yes, Lord of Cosmic Order! I will immediately notify Asmodeus and the others!”

As Istalur’s emotions surged, the radiance of sun and moon revolved, revealing a majestic aura—her rate of advancement surpassed even Buel’s, who had been blessed with unparalleled fortune!

This pace was outright cheating!

Moreover, the Four Celestial Shadows were born as one.

As Istalur used the power of time to rapidly ascend, the other three shadows, born from the same source, could also rapidly strengthen through their intrinsic connection.

And as Asmodeus and the others grew stronger, their growth would further amplify Istalur’s power…

How terrifying!

These four were born as true cheaters.

Simply by stepping onto a broader stage, they had achieved such terrifying, cheat-like growth…

Then, when Phanes—the core—returns…

When this complete, five-member cyclical system is formed, how terrifying would it be?

In a sense, the combined value of these five might rival that of two geniuses joining the fold.