Asta was completely stunned, frozen in place like a wooden chicken.
Zeig actually, in front of everyone's eyes, walked over, lifted Screwllum's hand, and with a slurp, licked it!
What kind of comprehension ability is this?
When she told him to "lick," it was a figure of speech, not a literal verb!
Peppy saw Zeig go up and lick once, and then she too happily scampered over to Screwllum's feet, stuck out her pink little tongue, and gave it a lick.
Then she looked up at Screwllum with a face full of anticipation.
"6." This sight made the group of staff members who had come to welcome them behind Asta all have waves crashing in their hearts!
Holy crap! How does Brother Zeig dare to do that?
"Click——!!"
"Click click——!!"
The sound of camera shutters rang out nonstop.
At this moment, Wen Shiling was holding a camera, circling around Zeig and Screwllum continuously.
Capturing this beautiful moment forever in photographs.
After seeing Zeig and Peppy each lick the back of his hand and the tip of his shoe, then looking at him again with faces full of expectation.
Screwllum's brain was now operating at high speed.
What… does this mean?
Could it be some planet's welcoming ceremony for honored guests?
Thinking of this, Screwllum, under everyone's gaze, elegantly knelt on one knee, took hold of Zeig's hand, and politely rubbed his face against it gently.
Amid the shocked looks of the crowd, he said apologetically:
"I'm sorry… Mr. Zeig, I lack the ability to lick, so I can only return the courtesy in this way. I hope you won't mind."
Zeig looked at Screwllum, who was holding his hand, and politely smiled as well:
"The honored guest's sincerity, Zeig has received. Thank you very much for your regard."
"It's only proper… Being able to get acquainted with Mr. Zeig brings me great joy. I've heard about your clashes with the Aeon of Destruction and the Aeon of Elation, and it truly opened my eyes."
After saying this, he gently released Zeig's hand, then slowly lowered his head to look at Peppy, smiling:
"And thank you for your welcome as well, Peppy."
He rubbed Peppy's little paw in the same way, treating her equally.
This level of cultivation made the space station crowd admire Screwllum even more.
Returning the courtesy to Brother Zeig was normal, but he even included Peppy without distinction—truly the ceiling of gentlemen!
Zeig turned back to glance at Asta, giving her a "see how well I performed" look of claiming credit, then took Peppy and stood to the side, continuing to maintain a faint smile.
Leaving the subsequent conversation to Asta.
Asta swallowed hard, nervously glanced at Zeig, and secretly swore in her heart—never again say anything ambiguous.
Then she forced out a smile and said to Screwllum:
"Mr. Screwllum, we're very pleased that you've come to Herta Space Station."
Screwllum smiled:
"I'm sorry, I arrived 4 minutes and 11 seconds earlier than the appointed time. I hope it hasn't caused you any inconvenience."
"How could it? Mr. Screwllum, your presence here is our honor."
"No need to be so formal, Asta. Just use 'you' with me. Herta Space Station is a place where knowledge converges; here, we praise the equality of thought."
This manner of speaking left the staff behind Asta in awe.
This is a true gentleman!
Whether it was the former celebrity Capote or the current new contender Zeig, the cultivation they put on, when compared to Screwllum right in front of them, was worlds apart.
Posers can't fake being gentlemen.
A true gentleman exudes his unique aura in every move and gesture, full of meticulous details from head to toe.
Screwllum looked at the crowd and praised:
"The collaboration of organic lifeforms is wonderful and highly efficient. The speed at which you've rebuilt the space station truly far exceeds my calculations."
Receiving praise like this from such a gentleman filled every staff member with genuine inner joy.
Asta smiled:
"Thank you for your affirmation, Mr. Screwllum. Would you like me to show you around? After the last summit, we've opened several new research projects based on silicon-based matrices."
Screwllum laughed:
"Emotionally, I'd gladly accept. But since I have a prior appointment with Herta, please let these surprises wait a little longer."
What elegant speech.
Truly a model in the world of gentlemen!
"Lady Herta should be in her office. Please come this way; I'll lead you."
Screwllum nodded, then looked toward Zeig nearby and said:
"Mr. Zeig, Herta is full of curiosity about you, and so am I. What does it feel like to coexist with a Stellaron? I hope there will be enough time later for us to get to know each other and find the answer to this question."
"I hope so too." Zeig smiled.
After watching Screwllum leave following Asta, Arlan then said to Zeig:
"Mr. Zeig, thank you very much for your cooperation. Now, I need to head to the young lady's side first. See you later."
"Go ahead, go ahead."
As Arlan left, a group of female staff members followed along, just to catch one more glimpse of Screwllum.
The male staff members all breathed sighs of relief; most of them had nothing left to do after this, so they returned to their respective posts.
But Wen Shiling did not leave with the female staff members. Instead, she stood beside Zeig, sorting through the footage she had just shot.
"Hmm… 156 photos of Young Master Zeig, 3 photos of Mr. Screwllum. Mission perfectly accomplished!" Wen Shiling said happily.
"Huh? You're not going with those female staff to see Screwllum?" Zeig asked curiously.
In terms of class, even he admitted he couldn't compare to Screwllum.
After all, the other was a real gentleman, while he was just a temporary contender who couldn't really step up to the stage.
But Wen Shiling smiled and replied:
"No need. Mr. Screwllum is certainly very gentlemanly, but Young Master Zeig, you're amazing too, and you're willing to chat with us little staff members, aren't you?"
She stared at Zeig, her innocent little eyes blinking:
"These big shots at the top have so many things to handle every day, and they carry so much baggage. To be like you, willing to disregard your image completely in front of us, sitting casually on the floor without a care, and even openly declaring yourself a loser—I'm afraid they could never do that in their entire lives."
"Besides, Young Master Zeig is genuinely willing to chat with us. Pretty much whoever comes to talk to you, you'll chat with them for a long time, regardless of their status, high or low, noble or humble. Even Peppy can join in, and at critical moments, you'll step up to protect everyone. Don't you think that's what makes someone truly worth admiring as an idol?"
Zeig's dark golden pupils silently looked at Wen Shiling for a while.
Then he laughed:
"General Wen, you're overestimating me. Actually, I'm just a psycho, haha."
This was the first time Zeig had ever admitted he was a psycho.
…