The 76th member of the Genius Society…
So this Mr. Screwllum was also part of the same organization as the one who invented that "Synesthesia Beacon," huh?
Nolan rubbed his cheek. He didn't really know much about this so-called organization, nor what it truly represented.
But since Screwllum himself was clearly someone extraordinary, this "Genius Society" must be equally remarkable.
"Please open the door," Nolan said toward the desk.
"Understood," replied the AI embedded in the table. The room's door slid open automatically.
Standing there was none other than the elegant mechanical gentleman, Screwllum.
"Mr. Nolan, I trust you rested well?" Screwllum tipped his hat politely, his tone light and courteous.
"Good morning, Mr. Screwllum," Nolan nodded. "I have a personal storage space, so I slept in a familiar environment. It was quite comfortable."
"I see."
Screwllum had already guessed as much — after all, one could hardly wander the cosmos without abundant supplies or a star-faring vessel unless they possessed some kind of special spatial ability.
Not dwelling on the point, Screwllum went on,
"The aftermath of the Giant True Stringer has been dealt with, and we've confirmed there are no remaining swarm traces nearby. The ship is preparing to warp back to the Herta Space Station. If you're interested, you may accompany me to the command room."
"Thank you, Mr. Screwllum. I'd love that."
Nolan's eyes brightened with genuine curiosity.
He had never seen a "warship" — something that usually only existed in science fiction — let alone witnessed how such a ship performed a warp jump. Naturally, he couldn't resist.
It seemed Mr. Screwllum had considered that, too. What a thoughtful gentleman!
"No trouble at all. Please, follow me," Screwllum said with a gentle smile.
Nolan nodded and followed him toward the ship's command deck.
He had been there the previous day, so the place felt familiar. The control crew were already at their stations, screens and consoles humming with activity.
On the main holographic display, the image of the Great True Stringer had disappeared — either completely obliterated or simply out of sight due to a change in heading.
Since they were preparing to return, Nolan was curious how exactly this warship would traverse twelve light-years back to the Herta Space Station.
Especially… what would a warp jump actually look like?
"Mr. Screwllum, the engines are fully charged. We can begin the jump anytime," the ship's commander reported, saluting.
"Very well, Commander. Let's begin our return."
Screwllum nodded.
For a high-performance warship like this, twelve light-years could be crossed in a single jump.
"Yes, sir."
The commander turned to the console and relayed the system checks. After confirming all systems green, he initiated the warp sequence.
The holographic screen before them shifted — the starlight in the void elongated into brilliant streaks, like a shower of meteors.
Nolan could feel the space ahead of the ship bending and twisting, a powerful spatial force pulling the entire vessel forward.
The warship suddenly shuddered, and then — darkness. The display went black for a few seconds.
Moments later, the warped space smoothed itself out. The warship emerged from the distortion, and the starfield reappeared.
Before them now hung a massive cerulean planet, with a sleek white space station hovering serenely in its orbit.
Nolan, familiar with the workings of space, quickly grasped the principle:
The warp engine distorted the space in front of the ship, using energy to bend reality so that space itself carried the ship forward — like digging a hole in space, and the ship "above" that hole naturally fell through it.
The more energy supplied, the deeper and farther that "hole" — that is, the wormhole — could extend, letting the ship "fall" to a more distant point.
By controlling the engine's output, one could precisely determine the warp distance.
Nolan could do something similar himself, thanks to his "Void Starsea" dimensional traversal and the "Interstellar Travel" teleportation skill.
He didn't really need to rely on such a mechanical method.
After all, entering a wormhole physically would subject one's body to immense spatial pressure — tolerable for brief moments, but fatal over time.
No matter how durable he was, his body couldn't compare to the hull of a warship.
"That planet is The Blue, and the space station in its orbit is the Herta Space Station," Screwllum explained.
"Oh? The Blue looks beautiful," Nolan remarked, gazing at the vast blue sphere — it looked surprisingly similar to Earth.
"It's Lady Herta's homeworld — quite technologically advanced. You may visit if you wish, though entering requires an immigration permit.
"The specific requirements can be learned at the Herta Space Station."
Seeing his guest's interest, Screwllum added this helpful reminder.
"Understood. Thank you, Mr. Screwllum."
Nolan nodded slightly.
Of course he was curious — this was the first extraterrestrial world he'd encountered apart from Teyvat.
He wondered how different it might be from Earth. Visiting someday would be fascinating.
"Identity confirmed. This is Space Station Herta. Welcome home, White Star."
As they spoke, the warship completed identification with the Herta Station and switched to fusion-drive propulsion for approach.
The display showed their distance — within a thousand kilometers now — so the warp engine was no longer necessary.
Since docking required precision, the ship slowed significantly.
It took over ten minutes to close the last thousand kilometers, most of which was careful deceleration.
Soon, the warship positioned itself beneath the Herta Space Station. The display showed a specialized docking port — unsurprising, since a warship this large required substantial space.
Following the guidance of the virtual arrows, the vessel aligned and docked perfectly with the station.
"Return successful," Screwllum said with a satisfied nod. "Lady Herta's commission has been fulfilled."
Then he turned to Nolan with a smile.
"Come, if you intend to stay on the station for a while, we'll need to ask the station's owner — Lady Herta herself — for permission. Or perhaps… you may speak with the station master, Asta."
The Herta Space Station wasn't a commercial hub but rather Lady Herta's personal facility — a vast repository for curiosities and a center for research.
Most of its inhabitants were scientists.
So for outsiders with no connection to research, money alone wasn't enough to earn lodging rights.
Still, with Screwllum's recommendation, he was confident that Lady Herta — or perhaps that station master — would find Nolan quite intriguing.
Staying here wouldn't be a problem.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Screwllum," Nolan said sincerely. He truly felt grateful toward the mechanical gentleman.
Without his help, meeting anyone else in the vastness of space would have been almost impossible — nothing but a matter of luck.
But being able to meet Screwllum at all was proof that his luck wasn't bad.
"You're a kind man," Screwllum said with a small nod. "Someone like you should put your abilities to use in the right environment, rather than drifting through the stars and wasting your time."
From what he'd observed, Nolan possessed extraordinary power. If someone that strong were to wander aimlessly through the galaxy, then by his calculations, the first factions he'd likely encounter would be the likes of space pirates, the Abundance faction, the Annihilation Gang, or the Anti-Matter Legion — all groups that roamed the galaxy plundering resources.
If Nolan were to join one of them for any reason, it would be like dropping a grain of sand into the gears of interstellar order — small, but still an undeniable disruption.
Since fate had brought them together, Screwllum figured extending a helping hand could prevent a potential threat to order and instead turn him into a force that upheld it.
From that logic, his actions benefited the stability of galactic society — and as a member of that society himself, not a proud isolationist, he naturally preferred peace and order.
To reach the Herta Space Station from the warship, they needed to head to the central docking area and take the elevator.
The ship had its own internal transport pods, and after boarding one, the two quickly arrived at the elevator section.
They stepped inside and Screwllum instructed the onboard AI of their destination. The elevator began its rapid ascent.
Soft background music played during the ride. After about ten minutes, the cabin started to slow, and a few seconds later, came to a gentle stop.
"Main control sector reached. Please mind the doors," announced the elevator's automated voice.
With a hiss, the door slid open.
A passageway lay before Nolan.
The floor was black and perforated with dense patterns of small holes — oddly enough, it didn't trigger any sense of discomfort.
The walls on either side gleamed like polished alloy, and from ahead, several figures approached — apparently waiting for them.
"Mr. Screwllum, welcome back to the Herta Space Station. That mission must have been exhausting," said a cheerful voice.
The speaker was a girl with shoulder-length pink hair, wearing a white sleeveless collared shirt and asymmetrical long arm covers that revealed her pale arms.
Around her waist, layers of well-coordinated skirts framed her graceful figure. Her legs were slender and fair, stepping lightly in black heels that exposed the white skin of her insteps.
She gave off a perfect balance of rebellious charm and well-behaved poise.
"No need for formalities, Miss Asta," Screwllum raised a hand politely and smiled. "Lady Herta is busy with her research projects. As a collaborator, it's only right that I help with a few minor matters while I'm free."
"Even so, it was a mission for the station after all…" Asta looked a little embarrassed — but then her eyes fell on the man standing beside Screwllum, and surprise flickered across her fair face.
He was standing right next to the 76th member of the Genius Society… could he be a member too? But she didn't recall seeing him before.
Puzzled, she turned toward Screwllum and asked curiously,
"Mr. Screwllum, may I ask who this gentleman is?"
Noticing her gaze, Nolan returned a friendly smile, while Screwllum explained,
"This is Mr. Nolan Walker — a traveler who has just 'stepped out from his homeworld.' He was of great help in eliminating the swarm earlier."
"Stepped out from his homeworld" — in galactic terms, referred to an intelligent being who had left their native planet for the first time and had yet to integrate into interstellar society.
Screwllum briefly summarized Nolan's background and his remarkable feats.
Once he was done, Nolan extended his hand at the right moment.
"Hello, Miss Asta. It's a pleasure to meet you."
—Then it struck him that local etiquette might not include handshakes.
"Hello, I'm Asta," she replied, smiling as she lightly shook his hand. "I didn't expect you to be so strong — to think you handled an entire planetary swarm alone."
[Asta Has Developed Good feelings Towards You, Obtained 320 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (20/300)]
Seeing the prompt pop up on his status screen, Nolan let out a small sigh of relief.
So it seemed that no matter the world, as long as humans shared the same brains and the same bodies, their cultures still held something in common.
"Miss Asta," Screwllum said warmly, "would you perhaps be interested in a man of such strength? As you know, he's just 'stepped out from his homeworld' and needs a place to settle down within the galaxy."
If Asta, the station master, agreed, there'd be no need to seek out Lady Herta. After all, the woman known as Herta — to put it in human terms — lacked empathy.
If she wasn't interested in Nolan, she might not agree to anything.
And if she was interested… well, catching Herta's attention wasn't necessarily a good thing either.
"Oh, I see." Asta smiled brightly. "It's rare for Mr. Screwllum to recommend someone. Most of our personnel here are researchers, and our security department really does lack strong combatants.
"Out in open space, we have our fleet of warships to protect us, so there's no problem. But if an enemy ever found a way to infiltrate the station itself, it would be a serious issue.
"With Mr. Nolan joining us, that weakness will finally be covered!"
As the true administrator of the Herta Space Station, Asta knew very well where the station's strengths and weaknesses lay.
Funding was never a problem — anything lacking could be ordered through the galactic network in an instant.
But internal defense was another story. The number of Pathstriders on the station was small, and relying solely on technological weaponry wouldn't be enough against powerful foes with unique abilities.
If Nolan joined the Defense Division, the overall strength of that department would soar sky-high overnight!
After all, according to Screwllum, this was a man capable of roaming the cosmos with nothing but his own body.
Such power was rare even across the galaxy — and since he came with Screwllum's personal endorsement, he was completely trustworthy.
(End of Chapter)
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