After greeting Herta, Bai Luan quickly bought a ticket based on the coordinates Jimmy sent him.
Calculating the time, this round trip would allow him to arrive at Penacony just a few days before the grand event.
Before boarding the spaceship, Bai Luan also uploaded two games.
Yes, everything was arranged in an orderly fashion.
Calling him a master of time management wouldn't be a problem, right?
Soon after, Bai Luan boarded the spaceship and left the Space Station; he wouldn't be at the Space Station for some time.
No sooner had Bai Luan left than Lars began leading his team to study the wondrous item where Bai Luan had hidden the DLC.
Lars quickly noticed something amiss, realizing that the wondrous item might be hiding something.
After two days of analysis and decryption, Lars finally found the location of the seal.
"This must be an easter egg the Station Master left for the Staff Member! After decrypting it, there must be an unexpected reward!"
Lars excitedly, with this thought in mind, led his team to begin deciphering the seal.
However, after several days with no progress, Lars finally had to face reality: he alone was not blessed enough for such an opportunity; if he didn't report it, no one would be able to unlock it.
So he first found his former superior, now colleague, and shared it with her.
By the way, her name is Olive.
She was surprised when she heard his idea.
"You discovered this, and you're willing to share it with me?"
"My team can't unlock it, and I'm quite familiar with you, so I told you first."
"Look, this is the consequence of slacking off all the time."
Seeing her expression, full of a smug "I told you so."
Lars scoffed, crossed his arms, and stood to the side, watching her team tinker with it.
No one!
No one understood how difficult this thing was to solve more than him!
How could a test left by the Station Master be solved by someone who didn't slack off regularly?
Given the Station Master's personality, it should be designed so that only those who slacked off could open it.
Soon, Olive realized she couldn't figure it out either, and then she looked up to see Lars smiling meaningfully.
"Don't laugh even if you don't slack off; you wouldn't pass the second stage either~"
"(≖_≖#)"
Olive lightly nudged him with her small fist.
"So what do we do now?"
"Keep asking for help. I originally thought the Station Master would go easy on us, but I didn't expect the seal to be so tight."
The two continuously sought help at the Space Station, and increasingly authoritative Staff Member came, and then... they all stood by the wondrous item, scratching their heads.
It couldn't be solved; it simply couldn't be solved.
Finally, they had no choice but to report the matter to Asta.
Asta picked up the report and read:
"A wondrous item left by the Station Master, a test for the Staff Member? With a seal and something hidden inside?"
Asta looked at the report, frowning in thought for a moment.
Hmm... she couldn't quite guess Bai Luan's intention.
Never mind.
Asta's face showed a relaxed smile that emerged after giving up on thinking.
She'd report it to Ms. Herta; the Station Master's affairs should interest her.
Asta happily took out her phone and reported the matter to Ms. Herta.
These events, from beginning to end, took about a week, during which Bai Luan was in Penacony.
Let's rewind to when Bai Luan boarded the spaceship and see what he was doing while Lars was working on the instant burst for him.
The coordinates Jimmy provided were not close to Herta Space Station, but the more money paid for an interstellar flight, the faster it went.
Clearly, the spaceship's travel speed was directly proportional to the consumption of credit points.
Although after a certain point, further acceleration was limited by technology, this level was usually sufficient.
After negotiating the price and time, Bai Luan boarded the spaceship, waiting for the flight to reach the coordinates Jimmy had given.
And the time spent traveling was Bai Luan's time to slack off.
Bai Luan opened his phone and found that Alpha had sent him several messages about ten minutes ago.
Alpha: Mr. Bai Luan, you are truly a genius.
Alpha: Following your method, the Carlton people have made significant progress.
Alpha: If they can maintain this momentum and steadily progress, one day, I will be able to leave this place with peace of mind.
Bai Luan raised an eyebrow; this was good news.
Bai Luan: I was just discussing something, didn't see the messages.
Bai Luan: Congratulations.
Bai Luan: A quick question, to what extent have the Carlton people progressed now?
Alpha: They can even decide what to eat tonight.
Bai Luan gasped.
He hadn't expected the Carlton residents to progress so quickly, even able to independently solve a problem that had plagued humanity for many years.
Carlton was truly thriving!
Bai Luan: Not bad.
Bai Luan: How are you doing?
Alpha: I now occasionally self-deactivate for a period, citing increased malfunction severity, to rest.
Alpha: Although there was some chaos when I wasn't present, they eventually found ways to overcome or adapt.
Alpha: It seems my past views were too arrogant.
Alpha: The people I wanted to protect were not as fragile as I imagined.
It seemed Carlton was progressing towards the good ending Ark had calculated.
Bai Luan: It's not easy for someone like you to realize this.
Bai Luan: How do you feel after resting?
Alpha: Quite happy (˶ᵔᵕᵔ˶).
Alpha's sudden emoji made Bai Luan lose his composure and laugh.
However, this laugh, besides being unexpected, was mostly filled with happiness.
It seemed emotions were also steadily returning.
Alpha's previous situation was purely being numb from exhaustion without realizing it.
Even the most emotional person, if constantly in an exhausted state, would become indifferent.
If everyone in this world were indifferent, that would be tragic.
So, for a better world, pay more attention to rest.
Not just for oneself,
But also for the entire world.
After a brief chat, Bai Luan opened a short video app to pass the time.
It didn't take long for Bai Luan to reach his destination and meet Jimmy.
Thanks to the Synesthesia Beacon, he could communicate with Jimmy without any barriers.
"Esteemed Mr. Bai Luan, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to participate in the recording of this program."
"It's not exactly busy; I've been quite free lately. Alright, let's cut the small talk and try to stick to work."
"As expected of Ms. Herta's genius assistant, you are indeed very pragmatic. Actually, this program recording is very simple, just a straightforward interview."
Jimmy handed Bai Luan a form with a pile of questions written on it.
"These are the questions I'll be asking you on the show, Mr. Bai Luan. Please take a look, and if anything needs to be changed or if a question is inappropriate, just say so, and I'll revise it immediately."
Bai Luan took it, casually glanced at it, and then tossed it away.
Jimmy immediately became nervous.
Geniuses were difficult to please. Throwing away the form must mean some question had displeased him.
He probably deserved a scolding... "Alright, I won't look at that. You'd get annoyed if I changed too much.
You just ask whatever you want; I'll refuse to answer inappropriate questions. Consider it the 'genius's' capriciousness."
"?"
"Is that not allowed?"
"Ah, no, no, I just didn't expect you to be so easy to talk to."
Bai Luan looked at Jimmy strangely.
Hyperion hasn't watched Yi Mu's videos, and I don't pick on him. Haven't you watched them yet?
"Haven't you watched my videos?"
"To be honest, I have, but I thought you were deliberately performing for your fans..."
"What do you mean 'deliberately'? Those were genuine emotions! You can't slander my pursuit of the art of creating content.
I'm serious about creating great content for the universe."
"..."
Jimmy was at a loss for words; Bai Luan's remarks had left him speechless.
"Let's talk about the program again."
"Yes, yes, let's get back to business."
"Do we need to rehearse?"
"How could I dare ask a genius to rehearse with me? Just improvise."
"Improvise?"
Bai Luan showed a smile.
"Then you'll have to keep up with my antics."
"Are you saying you'll help me create program effects?"
"Hmm... you could say that."
Oh my goodness, what kind of divine client is this?
Can I have him on my show more often?
"Oh, by the way, I have a good idea for my entrance."