"Still, it's a good thing that was only a data construct."
"Otherwise, every one of you would've been in danger."
"Rupert II really was a genius."
"It's a shame he was never invited into the Genius Society."
Herta shook her head before continuing.
"Whether something is real or fake isn't what matters."
"The Silent Lord appears to possess the ability to manifest anywhere along a chain of causality."
"Whether it's recreating her data construct... or researching her archives..."
"I'm afraid even speaking her name aloud is enough for her to notice."
"Tch."
"She's starting to sound like one of those ancient immortal witches from Xianzhou cultivation novels."
"Forget it."
"We'd better drop the subject."
Just talking about her sent chills down everyone's spine.
Polka Kakamond...
She really was like those terrifying legends.
Speak my name, and I shall sense you even across the River of Time.
It was absurd.
Even Evan couldn't detect it if someone was talking behind his back.
Was that...
The true power of the Omniscient Domain?
Damn.
Looks like the version he possessed still had tremendous room for growth.
"So here's a question."
"If Lady Polka had no intention of joining the Simulated Universe, why willingly step into our trap?"
"Curiosity?"
"Maybe she just wanted some entertainment."
"Or maybe she came to get back at us for gossiping about her age."
"Honestly, how many people in that club are mentally normal?"
"Hey, Herta."
"Making fun of Polka is one thing."
"Don't lump me in with her."
"I'm perfectly sane."
Evan rejected Herta's accusation outright.
Appeal denied.
"Perfectly sane?"
"If you were sane, would you have built the Plasma Spark Tower?"
"I'm telling you, I studied your design."
"Besides being an infinite energy source..."
"It's missing something."
"You're still hiding part of the technology, aren't you?"
As expected of a genius.
She had instantly pinpointed the most critical issue.
She was right.
The Plasma Spark Tower wasn't merely an infinite energy collector.
It was also an energy amplification device.
Seeing Evan remain silent, Herta simply clenched her tiny fist.
Hmph.
Fine.
If he didn't want to tell her...
She didn't care.
Not at all.
"So..."
"Our fifth collaborator..."
Screwllum looked toward Evan.
"Don't look at me."
"I don't have time to do research."
"You'll have to find someone else."
"Ruan Mei~"
Herta's tone suddenly softened as she looked at Ruan Mei with pleading eyes.
"Ruan Mei~"
"How about we invite Yu Qingtu?"
"Yu Qingtu..."
Ruan Mei fell into thought.
In truth...
Yu Qingtu had already appeared in the Simulated Universe before.
Only then, she had existed merely as a special card event.
Countless wine glasses would appear before the player.
The Fifty-Fifth Member of the Genius Society.
To this day, no one knew her true identity.
But from Herta's tone alone, it was obvious that if Yu Qingtu joined...
The Simulated Universe project would finally have five collaborators.
Evan, however, knew very little about her.
Only that she was a genius...
A master bartender...
And Ruan Mei's close friend.
Yu Qingtu's cocktail recipes had once spread across the universe, though most had long since been lost.
As for her age...
Well...
The Genius Society's ranking wasn't based on strength.
It followed the order of admission.
Yu Qingtu ranked above the inventor of the Synesthesia Beacon, the Fifty-Sixth Member.
Meaning...
She was almost certainly another long-lived species.
Of the recipes currently known to have been created by Miss Yu...
The first was called Pink Impact.
Laboratory testing proved it completely non-toxic.
Even so...
One bartender spent day and night trying to prove it had hidden side effects.
Which said quite a bit about Yu Qingtu's reputation.
The second cocktail was another story entirely.
Its name was Tar Poison Flame.
This deadly cocktail held an astonishing 100% customer satisfaction rate.
After all...
Its customers never lived long enough to leave a bad review.
As Yu Qingtu's closest friend...
Ruan Mei had also mentioned her in her research journals.
Though the ingredients she used...
Still came from Yu Qingtu's poisonous cocktails.
"I'll try talking to her again."
"She's always been quite interested in the Simulated Universe project."
Ruan Mei spoke softly.
But as soon as she finished...
Her gaze settled entirely on Evan.
After all...
This was the first time she had ever met this young genius in person.
Had it not been for him...
She never would've had the opportunity to begin researching Life Solidification Technology.
Although the project hadn't officially begun...
She felt there was still much the two of them could learn from one another.
Evan paid little attention to her gaze.
Instead...
Screwllum spoke.
"I am pleased to see that you returned safely."
"Conclusion: This may well be the greatest achievement of this project."
"To borrow the expression used by organic life..."
"We admittedly got a little carried away inside the Simulated Universe."
"However, that experience was by no means without value."
"Logical conclusion: A valuable collaborator carries significantly greater weight than individual safety or operational efficiency."
"By the way..."
"Where's Stephen?"
"This is my first time visiting the Space Station."
"Why haven't I seen him?"
Evan asked curiously.
He had been wondering whether gathering all four geniuses together might trigger another treasure chest.
Unfortunately...
Stephen wasn't here.
"Stephen said that after witnessing the Silent Lord's technology, he was deeply inspired."
"He intends to create a facial cognition filter identical to hers."
"Quote: 'Then I won't have to worry about people recognizing me anymore.'"
"Oh."
"That makes sense."
"Stephen's always been a hardcore shut-in."
"I was planning to hand him Grammer's mech manufacturing technology."
"Have him build a few toys for me."
Too bad Stephen wasn't around.
Otherwise...
They could've had a serious discussion about Grammer's mech engineering.
That field was probably Stephen's specialty.
Unfortunately...
Four geniuses, but one was missing.
And Evan's treasure-hunting ability detected no unopened treasure chests nearby.
Just as Ruan Mei continued quietly studying him...
Evan suddenly turned around and looked directly at her.
"Miss Ruan Mei."
"It's a pleasure."
"This should be our first meeting."
"Mr. Evan."
"I heard that not long ago, you rescued a Foxian from the Xianzhou named Tingyun."
"I'll be returning to the Xianzhou soon."
"I was wondering..."
"Would it be possible for me to bring her back with me?"
"...Alright."
"Come with me."
...
Ruan Mei's laboratory was located in the lower section of Herta Space Station.
Other than a handful of geniuses...
Not even Asta, the station's director, had clearance to enter.
As for Tingyun...
Evan immediately understood why she was still here.
Originally...
She had intended to travel to Penacony.
To heal the emotional scars she'd suffered before returning to her normal life.
"Tingyun wasn't rescued by me."
"The one who saved her was a blonde traveler."
"When I found her..."
"She had already been corrupted by Destruction."
"If not for her incredibly strong will..."
"And because the Lord Ravager still had some use for her..."
"She would've died long ago."
As they walked...
Ruan Mei explained everything that had happened to Tingyun.
"The corruption of Destruction cannot simply disappear."
"It can only coexist."
"Your research into life has truly reached its peak."
Rumble—!
Just as they were talking...
A loud buzzing sound echoed through the laboratory.
The next moment...
Evan sensed an overwhelming presence.
A power no weaker than that of an Emanator.
"Damn!"
"You actually created the Starcrusher Swarm King?"
"...?"
Ruan Mei looked at him in confusion.
Wait.
I never mentioned that.
How does he know I created the Starcrusher Swarm King?
"Herta told me."
"She said while you were researching the Nine-Tailed Fox, you also worked on the Starcrusher Swarm King."
"An artificial Emanator."
"That's impressive, Ruan Mei."
"If that's the case..."
"Your Life Solidification Technology project really has a chance."
As he spoke...
Evan casually patted her shoulder.
Ruan Mei immediately gave him an odd look.
"...Never mind."
"Let's go see Tingyun."
...
Truthfully...
Evan already knew what to expect.
Who was Tingyun?
She was nothing more than an ordinary Foxian from the Xianzhou.
With a lifespan of barely two hundred years.
Still in the prime of her youth.
At such a young age, she already controlled immense authority within the merchant guilds.
Should Yukong one day retire...
Tingyun would be the most likely successor to lead the Sky-Faring Commission.
But regardless...
She had never been a fighter.
She was simply an ordinary little fox girl with exceptional talent for calculation and commerce.
Encountering a Lord Ravager...
Surviving at all was already a miracle.
Ruan Mei wasn't an Emanator.
She couldn't erase the power of Destruction lingering within Tingyun.
If Foxians hadn't also possessed the vitality of the Abundance...
Tingyun would've died long ago.
Sure enough...
When Evan followed Ruan Mei into Tingyun's recovery room...
He immediately saw the golden scars covering nearly every inch of her body.
Hideous burns.
As though seared by scorching flames.
Although Ruan Mei had managed to stabilize and save her...
Her opponent had been a Lord Ravager.
Her body looked outwardly healed.
Yet those marks still remained upon her shoulder.
"Miss Ruan Mei... and..."
"Evan."
"A Nameless of the Astral Express."
"And a partner of Miss Ruan Mei and Lady Herta."
Evan quietly looked at the young Foxian before him.
It was difficult to imagine just how much suffering the power of Destruction had inflicted upon someone like her.
It went far beyond mere injury.
For Tingyun...
It was endless agony.
Unless the Aeon of Abundance, Yaoshi, intervened personally...
That pain could never truly be erased in a short time.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
patreon.com/nani_kaito