"Mmm, mmm, so that's how it is... Chen Li, you're actually a genius!"
"You completely misunderstood, didn't you? My point is, it's not because I'm a genius, but because this power of mine attracted the extra attention of Nous," Chen Li said, tossing a small crystal in his hand.
"Don't be so modest. Think about it, not everyone who could potentially destroy a world gets invited to the Genius Society. The fact that you were invited means there's something special about you. And from another perspective, forging Curios is your own skill, isn't it? Why be so humble?" Qingque patted Chen Li on the shoulder.
"Then tell me, who has the potential to destroy the world but wasn't invited to the Genius Society?" Chen Li asked in return.
"The Emanator of Destruction, of course."
"...Qingque, are you secretly a genius?" Chen Li looked at Qingque in astonishment.
The Aeon of Erudition shouldn't have invited me; it should have invited you into the Genius Society.
"Keep it down, keep it down. Just don't let the Master Diviner find out," Qingque said humbly.
"..."
"So... what should I do now? This invitation..." On the other end of the video call, Robin asked, looking at the very plain envelope in her hand.
"Just transmit it to me. Oh, and give these few little gadgets to Screwllum as a welcoming gift." Chen Li took out five mobile phones that represented Friends Circle access and sent them to Robin through The Guide to Forging Curios.
Sending items via The Guide was free, but transmitting them through the Friends Circle cost money.
He really needed to upgrade the Friends Circle.
"Five of them?"
"Screwllum definitely can't use all five, but he can give the access to other members of the Genius Society," Chen Li said.
Chen Li was very interested in Herta. To be precise, he was very interested in the Curios in Herta's possession.
In the world of Honkai: Star Rail, if one were to speak of Curios, the first thing that came to mind would naturally be Herta's Space Station, a place overflowing with them.
Curios were excellent forging materials.
"Aren't you going to give these to Screwllum in person?" Robin asked, looking at the five items that had just materialized in her hands.
"Hmm, that's a good point."
The other party had gone to great lengths to find Robin and have her pass on the invitation. It wouldn't be right for Chen Li not to show his face at all.
"Qingque, I'm going to go buy some oranges. You just stand here and don't move," Chen Li said, turning to Qingque.
"Sure, go ahead. I'll just have two, you can have the rest," Qingque replied casually, fiddling with her phone.
Chen Li's heart skipped a beat. He knew he had encountered a master.
"You'll have two? You can have some water steeped with the orange peels," Chen Li said seriously.
He was met with Qingque's blank face, as if she didn't understand why he would say that.
Wait a minute, that's not right... how does Qingque know that meme?
Chen Li glanced suspiciously at Qingque's phone and then checked the Friends Circle records.
Celestial Jade Master: No idea why Chen Li is going to meet a Genius Society member but says he's buying me oranges. Anyway, let's get back to the rules of Celestial Jade.
Runaway Princess from the Bamboo Forest...: Buying oranges? Alright, here's what you say to him right now...
"I really need to make a Curio that can slap someone through the internet," Chen Li muttered to himself as he stepped into a newly opened portal.
---o---
Although Chen Li didn't know the specific process for how geniuses were invited into the Genius Society by the Aeon of Erudition, he knew that something must have gone wrong with his, otherwise Screwllum wouldn't be delivering the invitation in person.
"So you're saying this invitation was given to you by Herta, Member #83 of the Genius Society and an Emanator of Erudition, for you to pass on to me?" Chen Li asked, sitting in the reception room. He couldn't help but ask as he opened the invitation and saw the elegant, graceful handwriting.
Chen Li figured Herta must have written it herself, because the text on the paper inside simply read: Genius Society Invitation.
That's right, there were no words of welcome, as if it were merely stating a fact.
"Correct. I can sense the flow of Erudition around you. It is quite fascinating. Hello, my name is Screwllum, Member #76 of the Genius Society. Welcome to the club." The sovereign of Planet Screwllum, the Mechanical Duke of the Screwllum race, Screwllum extended his right hand to Chen Li.
"Hello. Chen Li, Curio Forger. It's a pleasure to meet you." Chen Li returned the gesture.
"Curio Forger, is that your profession?"
"It is. A profession that can create miracles. I'm also an outworlder. I imagine you may have already sensed that."
"An outworlder? Indeed. Both Ms. Herta and I attempted to inquire into your past before delivering this invitation, only to find that we could only trace a connection between you and Ms. Robin. It is as if you appeared out of thin air. For this reason, both Ms. Herta and I are quite interested in you," Screwllum said with a nod.
"I knew that if geniuses like you intentionally looked into it, it would be impossible to hide. So... Mr. Screwllum, you didn't seek me out with this invitation just to invite me to the Genius Society, did you?" As Chen Li spoke, he slowly placed the piece of paper, personally written by Herta, into his mouth.
Under Screwllum's watchful gaze, Chen Li savored the paper, and in doing so, he also "read" the curiosity Herta felt when she wrote that line.
That was how eating books worked. By carefully savoring the flavor, one could even discern some of the writer's psychological state and emotions at the time of writing.
Because words often reveal feelings.
Like... the Draft of a Requiem to My Nephew.
Screwllum showed no surprise at this. After all, they were geniuses; anything they did was within the realm of reason.
"Correct. Ms. Herta wishes to know why you are qualified to be invited into the Genius Society, and... she wishes to observe your behavior. To determine whether you are good or evil. Although judging a genius by good or evil is somewhat arrogant, but..."
"I get it. The Genius Society has no weaklings, but it does have some bad apples," Chen Li said with deep understanding.
All those who joined the Genius Society were geniuses acknowledged by Nous, often with outstanding achievements in one or many fields.
Their inventions could benefit the world, but they could just as easily bring it to the brink of destruction.
When geniuses looked for partners, they would of course want to find other geniuses who were at least somewhat sane.
"I am glad you understand," Screwllum said in a gentlemanly and elegant manner.
As a mechanical gentleman, Screwllum preferred to be forthright.
At the very least, he made no attempt to conceal the purpose of his visit.
"Since you're curious as to why I'm qualified to be invited, allow me to show you." Considering that the members of the Genius Society might become major clients of his in the future, Chen Li decided to put on a show.
"Here?"
"Right here."
"Very well. I shall await with anticipation," Screwllum nodded.
The information Screwllum had gathered on Chen Li in a short time was limited, but it included the fact that after an audience with the Aeon of Erudition for some yet unknown reason, Chen Li had caused every person on an entire planet to suffer from insomnia for a day.
Although rumors circulated that this was a divine sign from the Aeon of Erudition, and it was said that one could learn faster by reading during this period of "insomnia," sparking a learning craze, Screwllum obviously didn't believe it.
How could the effect of a genius meeting the Aeon of Erudition possibly be making an entire planet lose sleep?
How bored would that genius have to be for the Aeon to manifest such a "miracle"?
"Um... Screwllum, do you, Herta, and the other geniuses have some kind of group chat?" Chen Li asked.
"No, but we have individual communication channels," Screwllum shook his head.
"Oh... then do you have some kind of public-facing account?" Chen Li asked next.
"I do have one of those. Why?"
"Here, let me borrow it. It would be best if you could enable a mode that allows for custom content," Chen Li said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
He couldn't help but smile just thinking about what he was about to do.
"Here." Out of respect for a fellow genius, Screwllum logged into his social media account—his official one as a member of the Genius Society and monarch of Planet Screwllum—enabled the customization function, and handed the phone to Chen Li.
"Now, just watch. Where's the handwriting mode? Oh, here. By the way, Screwllum, what's your Interastral Peace Corporation account number?" After taking the phone, Chen Li pulled out a Miracle Crystal and used its sharp tip to directly carve words onto the screen.
After giving Chen Li his account number, Screwllum watched from the side. He saw the crystal's tip scrape against the phone screen without causing any damage, instead leaving a strange phrase in its wake.
But before Screwllum could read it, Chen Li discreetly blocked his view.
Once Chen Li finished writing, he immediately hit "send" on the newly edited text.
"And now, it's time to witness a miracle," Chen Li said, handing the phone back to Screwllum.
"A miracle? What miracle?"
"Three, two, one..." Chen Li slowly curled his fingers into a fist.
As Chen Li's countdown finished, a notification sound chimed from Screwllum's phone.
[Ding! 50 credits have been deposited into your Interastral Peace Corporation account.]
"Hmm?" Screwllum tilted his head in confusion.
This could only be called strange, not a miracle.
However, in the next moment, Screwllum understood what a miracle was.
His phone began to vibrate wildly as the sound of countless credit transfers rang out repeatedly. The phone started to smoke, and Screwllum scrambled to salvage his device.
Salvage successful.
Screwllum opened his phone and looked at the message Chen Li had just sent using his account.
In that instant, Screwllum understood the message.
Screwllum: [Rich Bro, V me 50, let's see that strength!]
Then, Screwllum subconsciously opened one of his mobile apps and transferred 50 credits to his own account.
"???"
How bizarre. I'll take another look.
A moment later, Screwllum transferred another 50 credits to his own account.
He felt like he had no control over his actions.
"So... Mr. Chen Li, the miracle you spoke of is making everyone who sees this message transfer 50 credits to me?" Screwllum's voice was no longer calm as he forced his gaze away from the phone.
"Hey, don't worry about whether the miracle is proper or not. Just tell me, is it a miracle or not?"
"..."
Screwllum suddenly felt that if it was Chen Li, it wouldn't be out of character for him to use an audience with the Aeon of Erudition to make an entire planet suffer from insomnia for a day.