The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Things escalated so quickly that by the time Herta and the others noticed, several years had already passed inside the Simulated Universe.

Herta frowned. "The time flow in the Simulated Universe… something's wrong."

Screwllum responded immediately, "The simulation's internal time has been forcefully accelerated."

Ruan Mei added, "The Aeons inside are completely out of control. We're also detecting Imaginary Energy signatures from them."

Stephen, on the other hand, chuckled. "So… did we go too far? Haha~"

Despite his words, there was no trace of worry in his voice. If the simulation could actually draw the attention of real Aeons, then this project had already achieved more than they could have hoped for.

If they could replicate and analyze the behavior of these simulated Aeons, it might finally lead to answers about how Aeons are born and the extent of their true power.

As the group discussed, they also pulled up logs detailing how the Aeon of Propagation Tayzzyronth had been captured.

The simulated version of Tayzzyronth had been modeled after its real counterpart, with its insect swarms posing a level of threat that could even draw other Aeons' attention in reality.

By all logic, the Aeon of Erudition, Nous, should have been able to predict and prevent such an outcome.

But in the simulation, Tayzzyronth had still been captured.

There was only one conclusion they could draw—Pei Guang and his group's actions in the Simulated Universe could influence and capture Aeons.

When they reviewed how Pei Guang actually captured the Aeon of Propagation, every one of them collectively sucked in a breath.

Because the process was absurd: it was so ridiculous that it defied replication in reality!

Pei Guang had simply used his Cheat Engine to lower all of Tayzzyronth's stats to the absolute minimum—then locked them in place before casually capturing it.

Technically, this approach was valid within the simulation's programming, but in reality? It was impossible.

Yet what truly shocked them wasn't Pei Guang's actions—it was the response from Nous.

Instead of rejecting the simulation as flawed, Nous validated it.

In fact, Nous even poured more of its power into stabilizing the Simulated Universe and making the Aeons inside feel even more realistic.

Nous wouldn't do this without reason. The only explanation was that Nous had seen the potential for cosmic truths within the simulation.

And if that were the case…

Herta's mind locked onto a single, terrifying thought—was Pei Guang the embodiment of universal truth?

The idea made her shudder. She instinctively looked up again at the comedic mask floating above her.

It was just a mask, not the Aeon of Elation itself, but even so, the mask radiated unfathomable meaning, silently conveying insights that Herta—despite her genius—might never fully grasp, no matter how long she lived.

Why had the Aeon of Elation chosen to share these revelations?

Was it simply in a good mood? Did it think this would lead to greater entertainment in the future? Or was it because, in some abstract way, it believed this would shape the universe's destiny?

In the Simulated Universe, Aha didn't care that it was merely a program.

It knew it was simulated, yet it relished the experience—feeling joys and thrills that those outside the walls of the simulation could never comprehend.

Whether it was creating or destroying, it found meaning and pleasure in every action.

Even as a program, it embraced its purpose, and in doing so, achieved a level of happiness and satisfaction the four researchers could only envy.

Herta rubbed her temples. Her head was pounding, but she forced herself to remain calm and document every anomaly.

This might be her greatest chance—perhaps the closest she'd ever get to uncovering the truth behind the Aeons.

Meanwhile, inside the Simulated Universe, events continued to unfold.

Pei Guang, having used Cheat Engine to forcibly capture the Aeon of Propagation, stood over his new acquisition with an amused expression.

His reason for capturing it?

Curiosity.

He wanted to see what made this giant insect Aeon different from the alien bugs he knew in games and stories.

But after poking around and failing to understand its biology, Pei Guang shrugged.

It was just really good at breeding and eating things.

And, like any swarm-based creature in a game, it could terraform planets with alarming efficiency.

So he did what any player would do—he took full control of the Aeon of Propagation and integrated it into his strategy.

Pei Guang turned the Aeon of Propagation into nothing more than a birthing machine—one that reproduced through self-division at an astonishing rate, with its offspring closely resembling the original form.

"Nope, this is way too ugly. Here, let's slap on a mod—Moe-fication Mod!"

Pei Guang applied a mod to the Aeon of Propagation, transforming it into a 1.2-meter-tall, white-haired, red-eyed loli!

Although the birthing process remained just as disturbing, Pei Guang—being a player—completely ignored the process and focused solely on aesthetics.

While Pei Guang busied himself with his bizarre upgrades, March 7th and Stelle stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.

They had just witnessed Pei Guang capture an Aeon and then turn it into an adorable loli.

And that wasn't even the end of it—he then modded the insects' habitat, replacing the disgusting slime-covered nests with clear crystal springs and storybook cottages.

Despite the cuteness overload, he didn't hesitate when it came to brutal efficiency.

The moment the insect population reached a set limit, he used the console to wipe out entire swarms, leaving only those that either matched his aesthetic preferences or boasted impressive combat capabilities.

As for Tayzzyronth, Pei Guang didn't let it rest either.

He spawned 10,000 resource-rich planets, threw Tayzzyronth's insect swarms at them, and ordered them to breed endlessly.

The main body?

Pei Guang captured it, locked it inside a glass chamber reinforced with bedrock, and displayed it like a trophy.

Tayzzyronth hadn't abandoned its Path of Propagation—its offspring continued to multiply endlessly. It had simply fallen under the control of a higher force, bound by commands it couldn't disobey.

Pei Guang then issued the simplest of instructions to the swarm: Conquer and occupy all available planets, extract resources, and send everything back home.

While Pei Guang gleefully expanded his insect empire, he didn't forget about his companions.

Under his guidance, March 7th and Stelle gradually shifted from combat-focused gameplay to strategy simulation.

Before they knew it, the two were hooked—managing resources, building infrastructure, and growing their civilizations.

For the first time, March 7th truly understood what Pei Guang meant by "farming."

And she loved it!

Inside the simulation, March 7th watched as resources poured in, her initial outpost at the Herta Space Station growing steadily.

Small ships gave way to larger fleets, and population numbers skyrocketed—each milestone bringing her more joy than the last.

While managing her ever-expanding empire, March 7th noticed Pei Guang walking over.

"How's the game treating you?" Pei Guang asked.

March 7th grinned. "It was a mess at first, but now I'm really into it! How about you? Did you find more resources? We're starting to run low!"

He nodded. He could've easily used mods and cheats to supply unlimited resources, but for the sake of his friends' immersion, he held back.

Going full god-mode sounded fun, but only for a moment. The real fun was in building up from scratch, and Pei Guang saw himself as their guardian, so it was up to him to guide them to the 'right' way.

"I found a few promising systems," Pei Guang said, "but do you have any decent mining equipment ready?"

March 7th nodded confidently. "Yep! But harvesting resources from an entire system might take a few days."

Pei Guang frowned.

Even with the accelerated time flow in the Simulated Universe—where days felt like mere minutes—mining thousands of systems still seemed far too slow.

He fell into deep thought.