Watching the projected image on the screen in front of her, Herta crossed her arms, observing the interaction between her simulated self and Jiang Mo with great interest.
"Mhm~ Not bad. That does feel like how I handle things. As expected of the 'me' from my childhood."
Long before she sent the puppet to fetch Jiang Mo, she had known something unexpected would happen in this experiment.
Compared to situations like a simulated universe crash causing data loss or Aha hijacking the space station's servers and triggering a self-destruct sequence, this was relatively simple.
Still, the moment this scene appeared, her long-dormant curiosity stirred once again.
She wanted to know how this simulation functioned and whether her simulated self would walk a completely different path.
Of course, those were secondary concerns. What truly mattered was the attitude of the Star God, also known as Aeon's.
Herta slightly turned her head, glancing at the orange clown mask floating beside her.
"Aha, I know I look great, but could you stop staring at me like that?"
"Aha no no no, I just wanted to see your reaction the moment it changed, ahahahahahahaha~"
The clown mask spun beside her, releasing its signature grating laugh.
"After all, that's 'you,' isn't it? I can't wait to see the moment you watch 'yourself' fall! That must be hilarious!"
"Then you'll be disappointed. I'm only curious how 'I' will 'fall,' because none of it reflects back onto me."
Herta shrugged. Her face was blank, just as she claimed, she didn't care.
At her words, the clown mask stopped spinning and burst into a sharper, higher laugh.
"Ahahahaha, interesting! That's so interesting! Just hearing you say that makes me think... my favorite scene will happen!"
"This is delightful, don't you think? Rusty-brain's Emanator?"
"Oh right, didn't you want to know how this thing functions? Become a 'Masked Fool' for me?"
Herta narrowed her eyes and stared at the floating mask as if seriously considering it.
Then, without hesitation, she reached out, grabbed it, and tossed it into the corner of the office.
"Scram. I want Idryla's blessing instead."
"Aha has no dignity..."
.....
"Welcome, Mr. Jiang Mo. I am an AI butler robot manufactured by the Interastral Peace Corporation, model number 9527."
"For your room assignment, would you like to choose for yourself or let me handle it?"
Almost the moment Jiang Mo stepped into the mansion, a gentle synthesized voice greeted him, accompanied by a robot that resembled a floating lightbulb.
Looking at the silver "lightbulb" in front of him, Jiang Mo immediately thought of the "Shush" bot from the Astral Express, the one who always told lame jokes.
"Can you tell cold jokes?" Jiang Mo asked.
"This unit is not equipped with a cold-joke module. If you need one, I can search online and install it-"
"Okay okay, I was just asking. Never mind. Help me arrange a room. I'm not fond of places others have stayed in."
Seeing the robot about to go into full feature mode, Jiang Mo quickly interrupted. He didn't want to hear a barrage of awful puns and joke routines.
"Understood. Based on the personality of Master Herta and your identity as the first live-in home tutor, your optimal accommodation would be the room next to Miss Herta's. Specifically, the third room on the right side of the second floor."
Jiang Mo was stunned.
He had assumed there were previous live-in tutors, but it turned out he was the first?
Could it be that the way he answered piqued Herta's interest, so she let him stay?
Or was there something else behind this?
"Mr. Jiang Mo, dinner will be served shortly. Please wait here while I call Miss Herta."
Saying that, the lightbulb-like robot placed a plate of seemingly delicious Grand Cosmic Fried Rice in front of Jiang Mo, completely unaware of his horrified expression.
In that moment, Jiang Mo remembered the terror of "Fried Rice Genius No. 123."
It was well known that Herta Space Station had top-tier conditions, including in the cafeteria.
But for some reason, the food always ended up as "looks great, tastes terrible."
Even Asta's newly acquired fried rice bot only managed something barely edible.
And this antique robot, which didn't even have a joke module... was it safe to eat?
Jiang Mo took a deep breath and tried to convince himself.
Maybe he should try it. After all, this was a memory bubble, not reality. Surely they didn't replicate everything perfectly, right?
Otherwise, Herta's childhood was just too tragic.
He encouraged himself, then took a bite of the fried rice and chewed slowly.
The next moment, his previously calm expression went blank.
From just one bite, it felt like he witnessed the universe's birth and death, he even saw his great-grandmother waving at him from beyond the stars.
Fortunately, it was only one bite. Jiang Mo quickly snapped out of the psychedelic daze, as if he'd just eaten raw mushrooms.
He grabbed the glass, rinsed his mouth, and muttered,
"I knew it... you can't trust food made by robots. Even in here."
"I'm not asking for a gourmet heaven. Just give me something edible..."
Jiang Mo rubbed his temples, already dreading his future life as a home tutor.
"What's wrong? It doesn't suit your taste?"
Herta's voice suddenly rang in his ears.
At some point, the doll-like girl had quietly sat beside him, emotionlessly eating her own plate of Cosmic Fried Rice.
Watching her calmly consume this culinary horror, the corner of Jiang Mo's mouth twitched.
"Inde-indeed, it's a bit off... So, Miss Herta, starting tomorrow, can I do the cooking instead?"
"Why bother? Just let the robot handle it. If you don't like it, record a new recipe yourself."
"No... Miss Herta, the issue isn't the recipe. It's that... the butler's cooking is simply inedible to me."
Herta slightly slowed her eating, then continued nonchalantly,
"You're making a fuss. As long as it's edible and gives energy, it's fine."
"Besides, with the same ingredients and same seasonings, you won't cook something that tastes better."
"Instead of wasting time on this, you should focus your energy on researching questions."
"As your employer, I'm requiring this."