True, the logic held up.
But if this person's whole journey started with the loss of her kin, how could she now accept intimacy with others so easily?
Bai Ming's doubts regarding Ruan Mei hadn't been fully resolved. So, she decided to throw the question back at her.
Hearing this, Ruan Mei simply smiled and shrugged. "Claiming an Aeon for oneself? That's a difficult question to answer, dear."
"That's hardly the same thing..."
"It's a question you'll have to ponder yourself. More importantly, while you're busy hesitating, have you ever stopped to ask Herta what she thinks?"
Ruan Mei didn't expect Bai Ming to understand or accept her perspective right away.
The seeds had been sown. Sooner or later, Bai Ming would realize that although she still mingled with the mortals of this world, she had long since ceased to belong to it.
And so, Ruan Mei chose to change the subject. For instance, speculating on Herta's thoughts.
To an extent, Ruan Mei felt that Herta was very similar to her. Yet, she couldn't be certain of Herta's stance.
Herta was a creature of whim—when she was interested, she treated something like a precious treasure; the moment that interest waned, she'd toss it aside without a second thought.
While Herta did have a sense of "possessiveness," she was the type who would forgive you for taking her things as long as the act itself piqued her interest.
That was where she and Ruan Mei differed. Ruan Mei rarely collected things, and she certainly wouldn't construct an entire Space Station just to house her findings.
Thus, Ruan Mei wasn't sure if Herta would be fiercely possessive of Bai Ming and shut everyone else out, or if she'd simply see the situation as another interesting development to be accepted.
Listening to this, Bai Ming felt she still couldn't keep up with Ruan Mei's train of thought. Was this really the kind of thing you just asked the person involved? And so casually, too?
Herta was so willful and self-centered; Bai Ming half-expected her to unscrew her head and kick it around like a ball.
"Are you sure? If I ask Herta's opinion on this, won't she be so pissed she'll actually try to kill me?"
Bai Ming was starting to wonder if she was the one with the problem. Perhaps she knew too little about Geniuses to understand their underlying logic. In this room, she felt like the only "weird" one.
Ruan Mei took a sip of tea, her expression suggesting that the answer was self-evident.
"My dear, you've done far more outrageous things and Herta has always forgiven you. Why act so timid now? Do you truly believe that an intimate relationship is more important to Herta than a Path Equation or the Simulated Universe?"
"..."
Bai Ming opened her mouth but found no words. She was beginning to grasp Ruan Mei's logic.
To a Genius, did private emotions truly outweigh the research projects they poured their lives into?
For example, between researching an Aeon and maintaining a relationship, Herta would undoubtedly choose the former and discard the latter.
It was just like Ruan Mei. Though her childhood trauma had left her emotionally stunted, she had never been fervent or intense about intimacy. At most, she would do what she was doing today: calmly stating her thoughts to the person involved.
Anything more? Sorry, not happening.
Lost in thought, Bai Ming nibbled on a snack while mulling over Ruan Mei's words. She looked at the treat in her hand, then at Ruan Mei's face, which glowed with a faint satisfaction from the sugar.
Suddenly, a spark of realization hit her.
Wait. That's not right.
That's not how this works! In the game, when Herta said things like "Please," it was simply because she didn't care or was curious about the Trailblazer. It didn't mean she actually enjoyed saying it.
Herta might not mind the situation, but that didn't mean she felt positive about it. Those were two completely different concepts.
She had almost let Ruan Mei lead her in circles. This woman... she almost "talk-therapied" her into a corner.
As if sensing that Bai Ming had caught on, Ruan Mei noticed the shift in her gaze and launched a follow-up attack:
"Sitting here thinking won't give you answers, dear. Since even I can see it, why do you think Herta hasn't noticed?"
"..."
That hit the mark.
They were all Geniuses. If even Ruan Mei, who had been wandering off-grid lately, could see it, there was no way Herta hadn't realized.
Especially considering Herta and Acheron had met several times over the past few years.
Yet, Herta had never brought it up. Given Herta's personality—she wasn't one to let a grudge sit overnight—if she wanted to do something, she would have done it long ago.
Even if she had been worried about the Nihility Equation before, now that Kakamond had been driven off, she should be at ease.
Thinking about the inevitable "settling of scores" once she was alone with Herta, Bai Ming decided she would have to test the waters.
The rest of the tea-time conversation with Ruan Mei was actually quite harmonious, aside from the occasional bombshell.
Ruan Mei was exactly as she claimed: calm and indifferent. Even after tearing down the veil between them, she didn't become overly flirtatious. She remained as she always was—affectionate, yet keeping a measured distance.
It made Bai Ming feel like the only one acting restless and impatient. Eventually, she followed Ruan Mei's lead, calming down and focusing on the Erudition Equation while she was there.
Ruan Mei, meanwhile, focused on analyzing the data gathered from the Simulated Universe.
Whenever she hit a snag, she would consult Bai Ming. Once they entered "work mode," the strange atmosphere from earlier vanished into thin air.
After staying with Ruan Mei for a few days—just long enough for Ruan Mei to make some breakthroughs—Herta finally seemed to remember she had unfinished business.
Exiting the Simulated Universe, Herta sought out the puppet Bai Ming had left stationed on the Space Station.
"Are you at Ruan Mei's?"
"Yeah. She wanted to study the data Nous left behind in the Simulated Universe. You were so buried in your work you didn't know day from night, so I headed over there."
Herta's brow furrowed slightly, followed by a soft huff. "And when are you coming back?"
"I can head back today."
"Fine."
Herta stared at Bai Ming's puppet and gave another almost imperceptible huff.
While checking the Space Station's surveillance logs, she found that while everyone else's conversations were crystal clear, a specific segment of Bai Ming and Ruan Mei's private chat was a blurred mess.
To say the surveillance system had simply malfunctioned was nonsense. The "glitch" was far too precise and coincidental.
Besides, one mustn't forget that the entire Space Station was now essentially a part of the Simulated Universe's body. To hide data from it required a deliberate hand—and not just any hand.
Screwllum and Divine Herta had been inside the Simulated Universe with her. Ruan Mei, while not ignorant of mechanical engineering or IT, couldn't possibly outmatch a fellow Genius of the mechanical variety.
Process of elimination: the only person who would and could pull this off was Bai Ming.
So. What on earth were those two talking about that required such cautious concealment?
Herta had a rough idea. And it didn't make her happy.
If there was something to talk about, why go to Ruan Mei instead of her? What, am I not the one closest to you? To not talk to me is one thing, but to actively hide it?
This girl... if I could actually beat her in a fight, I'd lock her up in Herta City and give her a proper "education."
Back at Ruan Mei's, Bai Ming felt a sudden chill run down her spine, as if she'd just narrowly avoided a catastrophic event.
Assuming it was just Herta being grumpy, she bid Ruan Mei farewell and hurried to Herta City.
Almost the moment Bai Ming landed, Herta stepped through a wormhole into the room. Their eyes met.
Before a word could be exchanged, the puppets swarmed them. Snacks, tea, chairs, incense, music—every comfort imaginable was presented by the meticulously prepared dolls.
As Bai Ming took a seat in an empty chair beside Herta, the latter remained silent. She leaned back peacefully, savoring her tea and snacks. It wasn't until her first cup was drained that Herta glanced at her while a puppet refilled the tea.
"I was nearly fuming when I first saw that 'Big Head' Simulated Universe, but I must admit, the current evolution is quite impressive. I'm satisfied."
Bai Ming's eyebrows shot up. It seemed Herta had gained quite a lot from her days in the simulation; she'd actually cooled off.
"So, did you change the way it looks?"
"Of course. I fixed it myself. It's at least as good as that portrait in the Space Station now. It'll do."
Herta gave a proud little huff, clearly pleased with the result. Bai Ming blinked, confused. Then what was that chill she felt earlier? Had something else gone wrong?
Just as Bai Ming started wondering where to begin investigating, Herta's tone shifted.
"However, if I just let you off the hook like this, you'll never learn your lesson. No, wait—you never learn your lesson, which is exactly why I can't let this go."
"..."
Bai Ming choked on her words. Even though she was "satisfied," she was still going to drag this out? She really was the type to settle every score.
"Besides, don't you think you and Ruan Mei were being a bit too obvious with your little secret chat?"
Herta's gaze was sharp, pinning Bai Ming down.
Watching the girl slowly grow more and more sheepish, Herta couldn't tell if she had left such a glaring loophole on purpose or by accident. Only an idiot would miss it.
"You were talking about Acheron, weren't you? Even if you won't say it, I can guess exactly what's going on with her."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL