The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

Previously, the Simulated Universe had been more like a turn-based combat system, where players attracted the Aeons' attention by collecting blessings and interacting with their social mechanics.

But this time, the Simulated Universe was closer to an actual living world.

It included a vast range of civilizations—primitive societies, feudal kingdoms, early industrial tech, and even interstellar empires. Beyond planets, some Aeons had also been simulated as realistically as possible.

Of course, the simulation of the Aeons themselves had been handled by Nous. While it might not know everything about the universe, its understanding of Aeons' behavior and the logic of the Paths far surpassed Pei Guang's.

Still, Nous's contributions ended there. The foundational creation and design of the Simulated Universe had been entirely the work of the four geniuses.

Stephen, in particular, had shown unprecedented enthusiasm. Normally uninterested in such projects, he had gone all in after analyzing Pei Guang's data.

Herta had undoubtedly created the most perfect version of the Simulated Universe to date. Its level of realism was unmatched, and for once, Herta wasn't exaggerating. This Simulated Universe could genuinely be experienced as a real world.

In fact, if someone were to gain the attention of an Aeon within this simulation, there was a significant chance they could attract that Aeon's attention in the real world as well.

Despite how quickly this upgrade was completed, Herta had poured all of her resources into it. Stephen had invested even more—so much so that the appearance of a "player" had driven him to throw in everything he had.

With a little extra support from Nous, the upgrade was finally finished. Herta was, of course, worried about failure, but any true researcher knew that if you feared failure, you'd never get anything done.

Besides, even if the project flopped, this Simulated Universe could still serve as a backup version.

Wait—why use it as a backup if it's already so advanced?

Because the sheer amount of resources needed to run this was astronomical. Herta wouldn't dare activate it unless absolutely necessary. Even as a member of the Genius Society, she had never felt this "broke" before.

The amount of resources required was so extreme that even Asta couldn't cover the costs. Maybe—just maybe—if they sold off Silver Wolf, they might be able to afford one more activation.

That's why Herta was both nervous and excited. She couldn't wait for Pei Guang to test it and see what kind of results he would produce.

Of course, the Simulated Universe wasn't without its flaws.

While it could replicate real events and create a sense of realism, it couldn't simulate emotions or biological reproduction. Many of the planetary details were replaced with data approximations. That said, these approximations were so precise that they could hold up to scrutiny—even aligning with real-world possibilities.

The simulation could accurately replicate the behaviors of factions, enemies, and individuals, but anyone experiencing it firsthand would quickly sense that it lacked emotional depth in its interactions.

Although personal thoughts and emotions could be simulated to a degree, the vast size of the simulation—and the sheer number of virtual lives it generated—meant it could only approximate such details.

Then again, Herta wasn't building this simulation for love stories. It was meant to study the Aeons. Wherever resources could be saved, they were saved.

Pei Guang read through Herta's messages and quickly replied.

Pei Guang: "No problem! I accept your mission. When do I start testing you?"

Herta: "Not me! The Simulated Universe! Ugh—whatever, whether it's me or the simulation doesn't matter. Just come and test it! I'm telling you, this version is fully upgraded and hyper-realistic. It'll feel like an absolutely realistic and immersive gaming experience!"

Pei Guang had been feeling pretty good after clearing the main story, finishing some side quests, and looting treasure chests. The new side mission had only added to his excitement—until he read that last sentence.

He froze.

Then, after a few seconds of silence, he quietly blocked Herta.

But she wasn't one to give up. The moment Pei Guang blocked her, she switched to a new account and messaged him again.

Herta: "Why'd you block me? Don't you want to test it? Is it the rewards? We can negotiate! Please!"

It was rare for Herta to use such a pleading tone. But for her, getting what she wanted mattered more than pride. If begging was what it took to make him run the test, so be it.

Seeing her sincerity, Pei Guang felt a little moved. Although he hadn't met Herta's actual body-controlled puppet many times, he could always sense her distinct personality during their interactions.

But precisely because of that, he also felt the genuineness in Herta's request. Just as he was about to agree, his eyes fell on the last message: "An absolutely realistic and immersive gaming experience."

At that moment, Pei Guang's thoughts drifted back to that day—back when his long-time online friend had introduced him to a beta test game with those exact words.

They had even promised it wouldn't have any of those Sword Art Online-style no-exit mechanics.

Yeah, right! No exit keys—straight into another world.

Even now, Pei Guang wasn't entirely sure if this "transmigration" was real or not, but it didn't matter. Since he was here as a player, he'd treat this world like a player.

And yet, Herta's one sentence brought him straight back to that moment—and that's why he'd instinctively chosen to block her.

With that thought in mind, Pei Guang messaged Herta again.

Pei Guang: "You're really not my old online friend?"

Herta: "You need an online friend? No problem—just come test it! I'll send you good morning, good night, and even midday greetings every day. I'll be your most thoughtful online buddy."

Pei Guang: "Yeah, doesn't sound like him. He'd have said something way more ridiculous. Fine, I'll test it. But let me ask first—does this 'super-realistic' thing have an exit button?"

Herta: "My Simulated Universe isn't some trash-tier story with no-exit tropes. If you could actually travel to another world, it wouldn't be you doing the test."

Pei Guang: "Alright, fine. I'll do it. But not right now—I need to finish looting the treasure chests here first! After that, I'll test it."

Seeing this reply, Herta didn't respond further. Instead, she contacted the other three collaborators to prepare for the test.

After the last experiment, she had learned her lesson and made meticulous preparations this time. She was determined to analyze Pei Guang's "player factor" thoroughly.

And it wasn't just Herta and Stephen who were curious—Ruan Mei was also deeply interested. Based on the data Herta had sent, Pei Guang's appearance had the potential to shatter existing understandings of Aeons and might even challenge the fundamental logic of their universe.

Sure, pouring so many resources into this project might seem crazy. But when the other three geniuses saw that Nous supported the project, their confidence soared, and they invested even more resources.

Those tools and materials? Replaceable.

But someone like Pei Guang—someone who could attract the attention of an Aeon? There was only one in the entire universe.

Even if they could only uncover a fraction of the mysteries surrounding the Aeons—or replicate even a single anomaly from the previous test—it would be enough to push their research goals forward.

Pei Guang watched as Herta logged off. At that moment, his face shifted to a strange expression—neither sad nor happy. Instead, he seemed to enter an almost philosophical state.

Nearby, Stelle and March 7th had stopped as well, waiting while he finished messaging. March 7th casually pulled out her camera and began snapping photos of the scenery—and a few selfies.

Stelle, on the other hand, opened a simple mobile game and started playing to pass the time.

Now that the chaos on the Xianzhou had been resolved, both of them were excited to explore the area further.

But as they enjoyed this downtime, they suddenly noticed Pei Guang's odd expression.

March 7th called out, "Ah Guang~ Ah Guang~ What's wrong?"

Stelle also reached out and patted Pei Guang's shoulder. "Say something! You're scaring us with that look…"

Their voices snapped Pei Guang back to reality. He tilted his head slightly upward, gazing at a 45-degree angle toward the sky, and spoke with a touch of melancholy.

"I was just thinking about the past. If the heavens gave me another chance, I'd definitely take the blue pill and follow the network cables to punch that guy in the face!"

Neither Stelle nor March 7th understood what the "blue pill" was, but Stelle immediately perked up at the mention of punching someone.

"Punching? I'm a pro at that, Ah Guang! Who are we punching?"

Pei Guang sighed. "No one. Let's just finish exploring here first, then get some rest. After that, we're heading to Herta's Space Station. I've taken on a special mission—gotta test something there."

Hearing the words "test" and "Herta," Stelle's eyes lit up.

"I know! I know! It's the Simulated Universe, right?"

Pei Guang asked, "Right? Wait, how do you know? Does this Simulated Universe have an exit button?"

Stelle nodded confidently. "Of course! It even has a save feature. According to Herta, it's designed to uncover the mysteries of the Aeons, and the battles inside are really fun. It's turn-based—you hit once, they hit once—and if you win, you get blessings from the Aeons. Collect enough blessings, and you can even use Path Resonances to unleash simulated Aeon powers. It's super fun! But when we left the Space Station, Herta mentioned she was upgrading it. Is it done now?"

The melancholy expression Pei Guang had been wearing instantly turned into one of excitement. "That's amazing! If it has an exit button, then it's a good game! That scared me for a second."

His previously tense demeanor finally relaxed. As a player, Pei Guang wasn't afraid of games without exit buttons—after all, his current situation was exactly that: trapped in a game-like world without a way out.

What had really unsettled him was how familiar the setup felt. But now that Stelle confirmed this Simulated Universe had an exit and save function, Pei Guang's enthusiasm reignited.

To him, Herta's mission reward sounded fantastic—an opportunity to experience a high-tech, futuristic game while also earning accessories that boosted stats? It was perfect.

With his mindset adjusted, Pei Guang turned to Stelle. "Exit and save—that's all I need to hear. In that case, let's get ready and head out."

March 7th cheered. "Yay~ New adventure time~~~"

Stelle added, "Let's see if we can play the Simulated Universe in multiplayer mode~"

Pei Guang grinned. "No problem! I'll carry you through it!"

While Pei Guang was hyping himself up, Herta was already notifying the other three geniuses about his decision to participate in the test.

After receiving the update, Screwllum decided to personally head to Herta's Space Station to help maintain the Simulated Universe. The other two couldn't assist physically, but they promised to support the simulation's stability through data management.

Of course, Stephen—being the game enthusiast among them—couldn't resist adding a little surprise to the test.

To spice things up, he implemented a small feature into the Simulated Universe: the first time a player looks for the exit button, it won't be there.

This was Stephen's personal "surprise gift" for Pei Guang.