"Rubert I used the Anti-Life Equation to launch two Machine Wars."
"In this process, he offended quite a few people."
"Especially the IPC, which possesses numerous mechanical creations."
"It is said that Rubert was either dealt with by assassins sent by the IPC or by Polka Kakamond."
"But no matter who killed him, it is certain that Rubert I has passed away."
Takagi paused, and before Nahida could breathe a sigh of relief, he continued:
"As for the Anti-Life Equation, it is hard to say if it has truly disappeared."
"Some believe that this program will inevitably sweep across the universe again one day."
"Perhaps then, a third Machine War will begin."
"By that time, maybe a certain machine will take over the position of Rubert I."
Hearing this, Nahida immediately showed a worried expression.
"Speaking of machines, that one over there is also a machine, right?"
"He should not become the one who takes over Rubert I's position, right?"
Cloud Retainer looked at another projected image and said.
Takagi smiled and did not answer her directly. He quietly walked to the projection she pointed at and lightly touched it with his hand.
[Genius Society Member #76, Screwllum... He is a truly good person, a gentleman with an excellent mechanical mind...]
[Recently, I am collaborating with him and Ruan Mei on a project! I hope this project can help us get closer to the greatest mysteries of the universe...]
"Is he the Screwllum you mentioned earlier, Takagi?"
"The project he and Herta are advancing is the Simulated Universe, right?"
Cloud Retainer said, then turned her head toward the entrance of the Simulated Universe.
"That is right!" Takagi nodded slightly and smiled.
"Although he is a mechanical lifeform, he is different from Rubert I."
"Whether he possesses the Anti-Life Equation is debatable."
"However, he certainly does not use it to start a Machine War."
"I have met him; just as the voice left by Herta said, he is indeed a good gentleman."
Hearing Takagi's words, Nahida also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Speaking of which, it is thanks to this gentleman being chosen by the Aeon of Erudition as a member of the Genius Society at a crucial moment."
"Otherwise, the IPC would probably have carried out a cruel extermination of mechanical lifeforms throughout the entire universe."
Takagi said with emotion.
Nahida: "Extinguish all mechanical life?"
Takagi nodded and said, "After all, the two Machine Wars made people, especially those from the IPC, deeply resent mechanical life. After those wars, mechanical life suffered severe persecution. Because of this, even when Screwllum became a member of the Genius Society, the gift the IPC sent to show goodwill was only a small oddity, 'Clockie.' Although in that era, the meaning of Clockie was already extraordinary, as it also symbolized peace."
Lisa: "In such a special era, it must have been really tough for Mr. Screwllum."
Due to Takagi's respect for Screwllum, Lisa also developed a sense of goodwill toward him.
[Zandar One Kuwabara, the first seat of the Genius Society...]
The sudden sound of the phonograph made Takagi, Nahida, Dottore, and Cloud Retainer turn their heads to look at La Signora.
"Sorry, Lord Takagi, I accidentally touched it," La Signora said quickly.
"It is nothing, just a small matter," Takagi waved his hand indifferently.
Anyway, he also planned to let the people of Teyvat know about the story between Zandar and the Aeon of Erudition, Nous. La Signora just happened to help him out.
[...To be honest, I do not know what achievements he had. His writings and inventions have not been passed down at all. But there must be a position left for the founder of the society, right?]
"So this person is the founder of the Genius Society! This is truly a remarkable figure. However, why have his writings and inventions not been passed down?" Lisa looked at Takagi with confusion.
"Speaking of which, I have only mentioned the Path of Erudition to you. But I have not told you in detail what kind of Aeon the Aeon of Erudition, Nous, is, have I?" Takagi's mouth curled up as he spoke mysteriously.
"Indeed, but what does this have to do with Zandar?" Dottore raised an eyebrow. He keenly felt that Takagi mentioning the Aeon of Erudition at this moment was clearly not that simple.
"'Everything is a question, everything must have an answer'!"
"This can be called the driving force of the Path of Erudition opened by Nous."
"He attempts to understand the universe and solve the mysteries of all things."
"And this mission, this driving force, is rumored to have been given to Nous by Zandar, the first seat of the Genius Society."
Takagi said.
"A society member giving an Aeon a driving force? Nous is an Aeon!" La Signora looked at Takagi in shock.
Although she had not seen Nous yet, she had seen the Aeon of Memory, Fuli. There was a huge gap between such a great existence and mortals. In such a situation, how could a mortal possibly give an Aeon a driving force? No matter how much of a genius Zandar was, he should still only be a mortal in front of an Aeon.
"Takagi, you also said it is just a rumor. This should just be false information, right?" Lisa asked.
"Yes, even if Zandar is the founder of the Genius Society, it is impossible for him to have the power to do anything to an Aeon, right?" Cloud Retainer added.
"The driving force should be absolute for an Aeon. One person giving an Aeon a driving force... is such a thing possible?" Nahida frowned, thinking about the possibilities.
Dottore propped his chin with one hand, also lost in thought. A moment later, a bright light suddenly burst from his eyes. His body trembled as he looked at Takagi: "C-Could it be!?"
La Signora: "Hmm? Did you think of something, Dottore?"
Takagi looked at Dottore's reaction and chuckled. "It seems you have guessed something, Dottore. I will not keep you in suspense anymore regarding the rumors between Zandar and Nous."
"It is said that a long, long time ago, Zandar dedicated himself to exploring the truth of the universe and solving the mysteries that exist within it."
"However, he also understood that human power has its limits."
"So he built a machine to decipher the universe."
"To be precise, he built a planetary-sized computer."
"The construction of the astral computer was very successful. After it was put into use, it began to solve all things without interruption."
"Then, as it was solving... the planetary computer was elevated to an Aeon, opening up the Path of Erudition."
As Takagi's words fell, La Signora, Nahida, and the others instantly froze. Even Dottore, who had some conjectures, was the same. Not to mention the people of Teyvat watching through the livestream.
(Kaveh: Did my ears malfunction just now? Was Takagi saying that this Zandar gave birth to the Aeon Nous?)
(Alhaitham: You did not make a mistake; Takagi did say that. It is truly astonishing!)
(Mona: Human power creating an Aeon... Is such a thing really possible?!)
(Sucrose: If this Zandar really created an Aeon, him becoming the first seat of the society is also reasonable!)
(Albedo: According to Takagi, Zandar did not create an Aeon; he merely created a planetary computer. Becoming an Aeon was something that happened later.)
(Tighnari: If this is true, no matter how Nous became an Aeon, Zandar's contribution is not a simple matter.)
(Paimon: This is too incredible, isn't it? That is an Aeon! Every Aeon I have seen is so great. How can human power create such an existence?!)
(Jean: Indeed, judging by reason, such a great existence as an Aeon should not be something that humans can create or give birth to. However, since Lord Takagi said this, it is likely not groundless.)
(Lumine: A machine actually ascended to become an Aeon? Will this not trigger a greater crisis than Rubert I?!)
(Scaramouche: Can a machine created by humans really become an Aeon? If that is true, then it is too interesting!)
(Azar: An Aeon... can be created by humans?! Is... is this true?!)
Sumeru.
Grand Sage Azar looked at the screen with excitement, his whole body trembling uncontrollably due to excessive excitement.
"Dottore, you heard it, right? Takagi did say earlier that Zandar gave birth to an Aeon, right?" Grand Sage Azar turned and looked at Dottore excitedly.
"He did say so. I heard it very clearly," Dottore nodded slightly.
Grand Sage: "Then... do you think what he said is true?"
Dottore frowned and finally shook his head: "I do not understand! Takagi only said that legend has it that Zandar created the astral computer that became Nous before it became an Aeon. Since Takagi has not given a definitive answer, I cannot provide a certain one. Perhaps the one over there will know this answer more clearly. After all, he has already seen the Aeon of Memory, Fuli, and knows the power of an Aeon better than I do."
Although the Dottore on the space station had conveyed some of his understanding and imagination of the Aeon of Memory to the segments in Teyvat through the forum, not having seen an Aeon with his own eyes meant he ultimately could not understand their power. This led to the Dottore beside Azar having doubts about whether an Aeon could truly be created.
"However, I do hope that an Aeon can be created. That way, perhaps we can also imitate Zandar's actions," the Dottore looked at the other him on the screen and muttered.
"Imitate Zandar's actions... As expected, you have the same idea as me! If Zandar can give birth to an Aeon, then we can also create an Aeon! The key now is to figure out from Takagi whether an Aeon can actually be created by mortals. Dottore, why do you not have the you on the space station ask Lord Takagi more?" Grand Sage Azar said with bloodshot eyes.
Dottore glanced at Azar and finally nodded. "Okay, after all, I am also very curious about the answer to this question."
Herta Space Station.
"Lo... Lord Takagi, this Nous will not do the same thing as Rubert I, will he? It should not bring about an even more terrifying mechanical crisis, right?" Nahida said tremblingly.
"Naturally not; Nous does not have the time to do such things. In the early stages of its creation, people originally hoped to explore the truth of the universe through the astral computer. But after it was promoted to an Aeon, it fell into the endless driving force of exploring the universe. Nous has no time to share the truth it has explored with mortals; it just keeps exploring. It is just a pity that the mysteries of the universe are endless and ever-increasing. Perhaps Nous will never be able to completely decipher it. Under such circumstances, how could it have time to preside over any mechanical crisis? This also does not conform to the Path of Erudition," Takagi shook his head and said.
Hearing Takagi's words, Nahida let out a long sigh of relief. A Rubert I from the Genius Society could cause the universe to face a crisis; she was truly afraid that Nous, a mechanical being stronger than Rubert I, would create an even more terrifying disaster.
"While solving the mysteries of the universe, it actually ascended to become an Aeon?" Cloud Retainer pushed the glasses on her face and looked at Takagi with an expression of amazement.
Lisa: "Truly amazing!"
La Signora: "Ascended from a machine to a god?!"
Cloud Retainer: "Nous's performance is even more remarkable than that Rubert I."
"Do not underestimate celestial-level computers. Its computing power is far, far stronger than humans. When it comes into contact with enough mysteries in the universe, it is not strange for anything to happen," Takagi smiled.
"Lord Takagi, this Nous you mentioned... Was it really an Aeon brought forth by the genius Zandar?" After receiving inquiries from the other segments, Dottore spoke up and asked Takagi.
"At least the legend says so. As for the truth... why do you not try asking Nous?" Takagi smiled.
"Ask... Nous?" Dottore frowned.
"Can we get a chance to ask Nous questions?" Lisa asked curiously. Since Nous is the pioneer of the Path of Erudition and an existence standing at the pinnacle of wisdom, Lisa felt it would definitely be able to answer everything behind Visions and Teyvat.
"If you can truly see Nous in a meaningful sense, you will naturally get a chance to ask it questions. Of course, not by seeing Nous through my Blessing. Even if you see Nous in the space created by my ability, it would only count as Nous casting a glance at you. Wanting to communicate is naturally impossible. Speaking of which, if you can see Nous without using my ability, that means you have obtained the qualification to become a strong person. Something like destroying a world can probably be done easily then," Takagi said with a smile.
If one truly saw Nous outside of Takagi's ability, that was equivalent to having the opportunity to become an Emanator.
"Seeing Nous with your own ability can gain powerful strength!? To see it, what do we need to pay?" La Signora asked curiously.
Takagi raised his finger and pointed to his head. "You do not need to pay anything; if you have to say, it is probably showing Nous your wisdom. In the vast universe, when a scientific idea that can change the world flashes in someone's mind, Nous will appear and invite that person to join the 'Genius Society.' Of course, even if someone is invited, it does not mean that the idea in that person's mind is truly remarkable to Nous. Such ideas, Nous might have already solved them tens of millions of years ago. Among those invited by Nous, only those who understand their own insignificance and humbly ask Nous questions can truly become members of the Genius Society."
Hearing Takagi's words, everyone present fell into contemplation. Although Takagi said it simply, everyone understood how difficult it was to see Nous without using abilities. After all, there are so many geniuses at Herta Space Station, and only Herta has met Nous.