See? She got flustered, didn't she?
Tsunderes really were easily countered by straightforward sincerity.
And that was precisely where this gentlemanly mechanical mind—Screwllum—excelled.
He effortlessly kept Herta firmly in check.
Seeing this, Evan smiled faintly. After a brief moment of thought, something the size of a palm appeared in his hand—
A Plasma Spark Device
(one of the core components of a Plasma Spark Tower).
"My field of research is…"
"Energy–matter conversion, and biological mutation caused by light radiation."
…Huh?
What did he mean by energy–matter conversion and biological mutation induced by light radiation?
Herta.
Screwllum.
Stephen.
And even the projection of Polka Kakamond, seated quietly in the corner—
All of them showed unmistakable confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"I feel like I'm not quite understanding what you're saying," Herta said, leaning forward.
In daily life, she might act tsundere—but when it came to research topics, she never joked around.
The future was full of mysteries.
Exploring the unknown was the instinct of every true genius.
Evan thought for a moment, then altered the Plasma Spark Device in his hand.
A tower took shape.
"The Plasma Spark Tower."
"If we were to use standard academic terminology, it would be called an artificial star."
"At the moment of its creation and activation—"
"The energy it releases causes life itself to undergo fundamental mutation."
"The result is that, within an extremely short time, lifeforms may acquire extraordinary power that never belonged to them."
In simpler terms—
They turn into giants of light.
Even in the Ultra universe, the Plasma Spark Tower was an exceedingly rare piece of technology.
Even the Cosmic Science Bureau struggled to reproduce it.
And its value went far beyond creating the people of the Land of Light.
It could also serve as a controllable, stable energy source.
If Tartarus ever learned of this, he'd be green with envy.
Herta stroked her chin, carefully analyzing the data structure before her.
No—
This could no longer be called a model.
Because the moment it was created, it had already begun operating within the banquet dimension itself.
"An artificial star… What kind of energy does it condense?" Herta asked.
"Hmm—"
"If adapted to our universe, it would most likely condense Imaginary Energy," Evan replied calmly.
Truthfully, Evan didn't know what kind of energy the original Plasma Spark Tower condensed.
The system itself consisted of three parts:
Plasma Spark Devices — which gathered cosmic energy
The Plasma Spark Tower — a composite structure similar to a stellar reactor
The Plasma Spark Core — the true heart of the artificial sun
"But I can't be completely certain," Evan added.
After all, the mutation of the Land of Light's people wasn't caused by the artificial sun alone.
There had been a mutagenic substance involved—
Courtesy of the Baltan aliens.
Evan laid out all three Plasma Spark components before the geniuses.
Screwllum fell silent.
Herta sank into deep thought.
Stephen felt this research direction was wildly unconventional.
As for Polka Kakamond—
She shifted her gaze toward Evan.
The book in her hand flickered, morphing between the shape of a tome and a surgical scalpel… before settling back again.
An artificial star.
A Plasma Spark Device capable of drawing in cosmic energy to form a sun.
This technology had never appeared within the Genius Society before.
Many stellar systems were destroyed simply because their stars went extinct.
This research, on a cosmic scale, could genuinely benefit entire civilizations.
"Interesting," Herta said at last.
"Hey—Seat #85. Want to build this thing together?"
Her interest in Evan's three-component system was obvious.
After all, an artificial sun was something no one had ever successfully created.
"Planet Screwllum is also willing to participate in this research," Screwllum added.
Stephen chimed in as well, eyes gleaming.
"Even more interesting—you created this miniature Plasma Spark Tower so casually. Want to collaborate on… toys?"
All three geniuses were deeply intrigued.
Especially by Evan's casual creation ability.
An artificial star alone was impressive.
But what if it were used as a strategic power source?
…
Before long, news of the Genius Society welcoming Seat #85 spread across the universe.
Countless factions and organizations took notice.
After all, another genius personally acknowledged by Nous was no small matter.
At the Interastral Peace Corporation's headquarters—
Pier Point—
A confidential document from the Strategic Investment Department
was transmitted through the Corporation's highest-level channels.
It reached the hands of the Ten Stonehearts.
Every new genius was a test for the balance of cosmic powers.
If one could be recruited—
Then that faction's future would be impossible to ignore.
To read advanced Chapters, head over to p@treon:
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