"Hmm... So this is the [Emanator] you created?" Lumina asked, gazing up at the massive incubator suspended high above the sprawling chamber in the Containment Zone of Herta Space Station.
"Yes," Ruan Mei replied, her arms crossed as she casually picked up a document lying nearby. She shook her head and said in a flat tone, "But... this creation can hardly be considered an [Emanator]. Its power falls far short of what an [Emanator] should possess."
"According to my calculations, once this Swarm King leaves the incubator and unleashes its full power, it can only sustain itself for approximately fifty-six seconds."
Ruan Mei set down the document and looked up at the towering incubator, stating her calculated findings.
"So, you want me to extend its lifespan or amplify its power?" Lumina's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, hinting at a mischievous idea forming in her mind.
"Hmm... To what extent can you achieve this?" Ruan Mei asked softly.
"To what extent I can achieve this depends entirely on what you want me to achieve," Lumina replied with a faint smile, her expression betraying no hint of her true intentions.
"Is that so?" Ruan Mei didn't doubt Lumina's capabilities, so she offered no rebuttal. She lowered her head to ponder for a moment.
After a moment, she looked up, her gaze locking directly onto Lumina's emerald eyes. "Then... let's go with the fully realized Emanator form."
"How is it?" Lumina asked Ruan Mei after completing every possible adjustment.
"Currently, all the Swarm King's metrics have reached an incredibly terrifying level, roughly dozens of times higher than before," Ruan Mei concluded, after reviewing the recorded data in her hands.
However, a moment later, Ruan Mei shook her head. "However, whether it has truly reached the level of an Emanator will require a live combat simulation."
"I still need an assistant—someone capable of countering an Emanator."
"Can't I do it?"
"No," Ruan Mei replied, shaking her head and offering a brief explanation. "The Swarm King's body is infused with your power. As a result, you're like its mother, and it has an innate fear of you."
"Driven by this fear, it can't unleash its full potential."
Lumina: ...
Hearing Ruan Mei's words, the corner of Lumina's mouth twitched involuntarily.
I can tolerate being the mother of beautiful girls—at least they're fragrant, soft, adorable, and a treat for the eyes. But a bug calling me "Mommy"? No way.
Lumina couldn't bear that title.
Hmm... Of course, if this Starcrusher Swarm King could transform into a fragrant, soft, and adorable blue-haired beauty, Lumina thought she might reconsider...
"Hmm... where should I find this assistant?" Ruan Mei murmured, lowering her head in thought after explaining the situation to Lumina.
At this point, the Starcrusher Swarm King was practically an Emanator, if not one already. If they entrusted this role to an ordinary Pathstrider, the experiment would likely end with the Swarm King obliterating them with a mere glance before it even began.
With Lumina and Ruan Mei present, the assistant didn't need to be a full-fledged Emanator, but they must be capable of briefly unleashing Emanator-level combat power.
Hmm... there doesn't seem to be anyone like that on the Space Station.
Should I ask Screwllum or Herta for help?
Ruan Mei pondered, her thoughts drifting to Screwllum and Herta. But the moment this idea surfaced, she dismissed it outright.
Although Herta and Screwllum possessed the power to help her, they might not be willing to do so. Even if they did, the price would be astronomical.
"So beautiful~" Lumina murmured, her heart filled with a sense of healing as she gazed at Ruan Mei's profile, her head bowed in thought.
As the quintessential embodiment of classical beauty, Ruan Mei's features were beyond reproach. Her delicate profile resembled a serene and profound painting, her slightly furrowed brow hinting at a myriad of thoughts. Each gentle lowering of her eyelids was like the faintest star twinkling in the night sky.
From that moment on, Lumina silently elevated Ruan Mei to the top position in her heart.
Hmm... March 7th is also number one, Asta too, Stelle, Jingliu, Fu Xuan, Qingque... A whole crowd of beautiful girls all held the top spot in Lumina's heart. o(* ̄▽ ̄*)ブ
[Holy mother of all-natural player instincts...]
Even the System couldn't help but sigh upon hearing Lumina's thoughts.
With Lumina's current level of skill, if there were a Cosmos-wide list of scum men and women, she would undoubtedly top the scum woman list!
"Hmm... Thank you for the compliment ♪" Lumina showed no displeasure at the System's remark, accepting it willingly.
[You think I'm actually praising you?]
"Hmm? Aren't you?" Lumina countered, glancing at the message.
[...]
In Lumina's eyes, this was merely a joke. She wasn't a true "scum woman," having never deceived their affections or harbored any romantic feelings for them.
Conversely, they held no romantic feelings for her either. Their emotions were limited to dependency, friendship, and close camaraderie.
Therefore, the whole "scum woman" label was utterly baseless!
Dropping the matter, Lumina smiled and turned her gaze to Ruan Mei, who was still deep in thought. "As for an 'Assistant,' I happen to have a suitable candidate in mind."
"Hmm?" Hearing this, Ruan Mei ceased her contemplation and looked up.
"Alright, Miss Lumina, please inform this Assistant."
Without questioning further, offering additional remarks, or refusing, Ruan Mei softly agreed.
"I'm not the one who's going to tell them. You are."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Lumina's response caught Ruan Mei off guard. Even as a member of the Genius Society, she paused, momentarily stunned.
"Look, your Assistant is here." Lumina, observing Ruan Mei's bewildered expression, didn't name the Assistant directly. Instead, she gazed through the window at a fleeting "shooting star" gradually brightening in the Cosmos.
"Hmm..."
Ruan Mei followed Lumina's gaze and saw a starlight trail materializing, a train resembling a shooting star hurtling toward the Space Station at breakneck speed.
"The Astral Express... Quite a suitable choice."
Ruan Mei wasn't naive. The moment she saw the Astral Express, she knew exactly who Lumina meant by "Assistant."
The Stellaron's wielder, the experimenter of the Simulated Universe—indeed, an excellent candidate.
Of course, that had been the best option previously. As for now...
Ruan Mei gazed at the colossal petri dish above, where the Simulated Starcrusher Swarm King radiated the aura of an Emanator, her mind wavering slightly.
If this were the Swarm King before Lumina's "enhancement," its Stellaron-infused body would likely have sustained it until the experiment's conclusion.
But with the current, Lumina-enhanced Swarm King, even its Stellaron-infused form might struggle to endure.
In that case, I should meet this "Assistant" after all.
However, seeing Lumina's ever-gentle smile, Ruan Mei dismissed her doubts, assuming she had underestimated Stelle, the Stellaron's vessel.
"Alright, let's head back together."
Lumina cast one last glance at the Starcrusher Swarm King soaring high above. Unnoticed by Ruan Mei, a wisp of green light emerged from Lumina's body, slowly approached the Swarm King, and merged into it.
Having completed this task, Lumina offered no explanation, simply followed Ruan Mei out of the area at a leisurely pace.
Ah, Stelle, my dear Stelle, you must be so bored after those trips to Jarilo-VI and the Luofu...
As your devoted bestie, it's my duty to help you stretch your wings!
I hope you like the little gift I prepared for you, Stelle~
-
Short Scene:
When Stelle learned her opponent was an Emanator-level Starcrusher Swarm King...
Stelle: I... I'm fighting an Emanator-level Starcrusher Swarm King? Is this... is this for real?
Lumina: As the vessel of the Stellaron, as the Galactic Baseballer, will you lose?
Stelle: Hmm...Nah I'd win!!!
Feeling Lumina's expectant gaze, the Stellaron Spirit pondered for a moment before finally reaching this conclusion...