In the main control sector, after arranging for the cleanup and repair work, as well as lodging for Su Mo and the Astral Express crew, Asta didn't rest for a moment. She immediately contacted Herta.
Overall, though the reason was hard to comprehend, Su Mo had indeed refused a seat in the Genius Society. However, he hadn't refused Nous's invitation and would still visit the library to meet with the Aeon.
Therefore, he hadn't turned down Asta's proposal and agreed to stay at the space station to meet with Herta.
Asta naturally took on the task of liaison.
It was worth mentioning that while Su Mo had refused a seat in the Genius Society, Holou, on the other hand, had not. Or rather, Su Mo hadn't let her refuse.
As long as she didn't accept Nous's meager gift of power, she wouldn't be considered an Emanator. Even with a seat among the geniuses, she would still remain a retainer belonging entirely to Su Mo.
Unlike an Emanator who is bestowed power, a Pathstrider's status is, in fact, equal to that of an Aeon.
The so-called Aeons are merely those who have traveled the farthest on their respective Paths.
Under these circumstances, the pair now consisted of one future member of the Genius Society and one who had refused to become a member.
Asta was confident that Herta would be very interested.
"Madam Herta, urgent news! The space station was attacked! Please, you must read this message!"
"Automated reply: Hello, I'm busy right now. I won't be contacting you later either."
As expected, even as the station director, this was the only result she could get from contacting Herta directly.
This was why Asta had never counted on Herta returning to save the space station.
Geniuses all have their quirks, and Herta's was her refusal to waste even a millisecond on anything that didn't interest her.
Even an attack on the space station wasn't something Herta considered worthy of her personal attention.
Asta had anticipated this, so she immediately sent another message.
"Madam Herta, a new member of the Genius Society has been born on the space station."
"?"
After a few seconds' delay, likely having caught the keyword, Herta immediately sent back a question mark.
She didn't care much for the researchers on her station, but she knew very well that none of them were geniuses on her level.
Given Asta's personality, she wouldn't joke about something like this. What was going on?
"Explain!" she added immediately, her interest clearly piqued.
Seeing this response, Asta smiled faintly. Instead of answering Herta's question directly, she sent another message.
"Nous also extended an invitation to another genius, giving him the Key of Erudition. But this genius refused to become a member of the Genius Society."
"!"
This time, Herta's reply appeared on Asta's screen almost instantly, defying the delay.
Even across the astronomical units of distance, Asta could imagine Herta's shocked expression.
More than the news of a new genius, the fact that someone had refused an invitation to the Genius Society was far more noteworthy.
This was especially true for someone as competitive as Herta.
So, without any hesitation, Herta immediately sent a message.
"Keep them there! I'm on my way back now!"
This time, she directly ignored the meeting she was halfway through and cut her trip short to return.
What a joke! Compared to some boring meeting, someone who could refuse an invitation to the Genius Society was infinitely more interesting!
Why hadn't she thought of doing that back then!
As she hastily decided to return and was about to log off from her current puppet body, she remembered something and gave Asta a couple more instructions.
"Arrange a reception. I'll go inform Screwllum and Ruan Mei!"
How could she let those two miss out on the reaction to something this interesting?
"Yes, ma'am!" Asta replied immediately.
Only after replying did she realize what Herta had said, blinking in disbelief.
"Mr. Screwllum, Ms. Ruan Mei, Madam Herta, Mr. Su, and Miss Holou... five geniuses are gathering at the space station?"
This was an unprecedentedly grand occasion. Even when the Simulated Universe project was launched, it hadn't been this spectacular.
"This won't do! Arlan, get your team to work overtime immediately! We will receive this grand event, a rarity in the history of the galaxy, with the highest possible honors!" Asta slammed her hand on the table and issued the order.
If a gathering of this magnitude wasn't handled properly, it would be a regret of a lifetime.
---||---
Half a day later.
Although Asta desperately wanted to make the event as grand as possible, to at least match the status of the geniuses and build a fitting stage, the space station had just been attacked. Much of its infrastructure was still under repair. Even with the help of the Ex-Machina legion, the lack of materials was a major problem.
Even if she wanted to be grand, she lacked the resources.
However, that wasn't the biggest problem.
The researchers on the station were all eagerly awaiting the grand gathering of geniuses. Even the recently recovered injured were willing to lend a hand.
To them, members of the Genius Society were like idols. Just being able to see them up close was a blessing. The vast majority of researchers at Herta Space Station had joined because of Herta's fame.
Even without sufficient materials, the enthusiasm of the staff was enough to make up for the shortcomings.
Unfortunately, the geniuses' ideas for this meeting were completely different from Asta's.
Asta saw it as a rare and momentous event that needed careful planning. But in the eyes of Su Mo and Herta, it was just a normal tea party to get to know new friends.
So, Herta, having transferred her consciousness back to her puppet on the station, completely ignored Asta's elaborate arrangements and all the tedious ceremonies. She went straight to Su Mo's door and extended a personal invitation.
Su Mo, equally unconcerned with such tedious formalities, accepted the invitation directly.
The three of them went straight to Herta's office. Inside, there was only a simple table and some exquisite refreshments, nothing else.
The automatic door to the office quickly closed, shutting out the curious gazes of the crowd.
"In Asta's words, this reception is a bit shabby. If you mind, I can rearrange it," Herta said, glancing around the room as she explained to Su Mo.
For an ordinary person, she would never care about things like etiquette, even if she was called eccentric.
But Su Mo was different. She was very interested in him at the moment and acknowledged his status, so she was willing to be accommodating on these minor matters.
"It's fine. It's just a conversation. There's no need for a deliberate display of authority."
Su Mo glanced at Holou, who was already sitting primly and curiously sampling the refreshments, and shook his head.
Elaborate rituals weren't entirely meaningless. They were tools to display power and regulate hierarchies, with origins perhaps traceable to sacrificial rites.
But at this moment, these formalities were pointless. They were all more interested in the content of the conversation.
Besides, the fact that she was willing to gather all her close friends here was enough to show how much importance Herta placed on this meeting.
"Good. It seems we'll get along well!"
Hearing Su Mo's answer, Herta's eyes lit up. She also disliked such troublesome matters.
After glancing at Holou, she offered a reminder. "By the way, don't eat too many of those refreshments. Ruan Mei should be bringing some of her homemade pastries when she arrives. You can try more of those."
Su Mo nodded. Asta had already informed him that Ruan Mei and Screwllum would be visiting, so he wasn't surprised.
Seeing Su Mo's directness, Herta nodded in satisfaction, invited him to sit, and then sat down opposite him.
"Mr. Su... forget it, can I just call you Su Mo? In exchange, you can call me by my name as well."
Having roughly confirmed that Su Mo's personality suited her taste, Herta became much more direct in her speech. In her view, tedious formalities were less important than efficient communication.
"No problem."
"Good. Ruan Mei and the others will be here soon. Before that, is there anything you want to ask?" Herta asked, getting straight to the point. "Although you refused a seat in the Genius Society and aren't technically my junior, feel free to ask me anything you want to know. Of course, I'll only answer what I'm willing to answer."
Though she wasn't the helpful type, she didn't mind clearing up some of Su Mo's doubts, whether it was out of personal interest or to repay him for saving the space station.
"A question? I do have something I'd like to know, but it's not about the Aeons. It's about you members of the Genius Society," Su Mo said.
"Us?" Herta was a little surprised. She thought Su Mo would surely be more interested in Nous's invitation. Shouldn't he be asking how to use the Key of Erudition and what to ask Nous when he met it?
"That's right." Su Mo nodded, then changed the subject. "But it's a question better asked when everyone is here. As for now, it seems you have more questions than I do. Is there anything you want to know?"
Sensing Herta's curiosity, Su Mo turned the tables on her.
What was supposed to be a Q&A for Su Mo had suddenly become a Q&A for Herta.
Herta was slightly taken aback by this turn of events, but then she spoke without hesitation.
"I do have something I want to know. For instance, how did you come up with the idea of refusing the invitation to the Genius Society?"
Before Su Mo could answer, she quickly explained, "If only I had thought of doing that back then! It would have saved me from being called by that title all the time. I have so many other achievements, but people insist on introducing me by that most insignificant number, 83!"
Towards the end, Herta's tone was slightly complaining.
The title of "genius," coveted by ordinary researchers, was no great honor to her. With her current achievements, she no longer needed such things to define herself.
Whether it was solving the Solitary Wave algorithm or proving the Sparkle model conjecture, she felt her own achievements far surpassed the empty fame of being a genius.
With her competitive nature, she probably wouldn't be satisfied unless she was ranked number one.
"I just didn't want to accept it," Su Mo replied casually, with no intention of elaborating.
Herta didn't press him further. Just as she had said she wouldn't answer questions she didn't want to, she wouldn't nitpick Su Mo's answers either.
So, moving on from that topic, she immediately asked her second most pressing question.
"What is your field of research? Since you received an invitation from Nous, it must be a sufficiently special field, right?"
Whether it was Emperor Rubert's Anti-Organic Equation or Ruan Mei's achievements in the field of life sciences, while geniuses may be born geniuses, they aren't noticed by Nous from birth.
For Nous to extend a personal invitation, there must have been a special trigger.
This question was also something that most researchers were curious about.
What kind of achievement was worthy of the honor of being called a genius?
"Nous's invitation most likely doesn't stem from any achievement, but from my existence itself."
Su Mo gave Herta a puzzling answer, then added, "As for my current field of research, I can disclose that. The area that interests me most right now is the Aeons themselves."
Hearing the first part, Herta was taken aback. She sized Su Mo up, her eyes gleaming with a restless curiosity.
She understood what he meant. He was saying that Nous was interested in him, not his achievements.
She believed Su Mo had no reason to lie about something like this. If she weren't aware of basic etiquette and the fact that Su Mo was a powerful combatant, she probably wouldn't mind getting hands-on to find out what made him so different.
We're both human, so why are you so special?
But when she heard the second part, her attention was immediately captured.
"The Aeons themselves? You're researching Aeons too?"
"Mm." Su Mo nodded.
Having delved deep into the realm of mythology, he naturally couldn't overlook the power of the Aeons.
Based on their power levels, even the seemingly weakest, Lan the Hunt, possessed at least galaxy-destroying capabilities. Judging by the strongest, IX the Nihility, they might even reach the level of a single universe.
If he could grasp the power of the Aeons as he had grasped the personas of gods, his own power would take another quantum leap.
"Could you be more specific? Can you reveal a little more?" Herta's eyes shone as she pressed for details.
As a genius with numerous personal achievements, she had made contributions in various fields, but she also grew bored of them easily.
With Herta's personality, she had no desire to solve problems that didn't interest her.
To this day, the research topic that fascinated her most was the most mysterious existence in this universe: the Aeons.
The Simulated Universe was a project created specifically to study their secrets.
Hearing that Su Mo was also interested in the Aeons, she immediately perked up.
If Su Mo's research and views on the Aeons were valuable enough, she would pay any price to invite this fellow researcher to join her project.
Of course, if Su Mo's views were of no great value, even if he was a genius recognized by Nous, Herta herself would not acknowledge him.
Though many described her as having a difficult personality, when it came to research, her attitude was exceptionally devout.
Halos of fame and glory held no sway with her.
Faced with Herta's question, Su Mo was as candid as ever.
"Of course. It's not something that needs to be kept secret."
With that, he didn't immediately launch into an explanation but built a little suspense.
"Before that, I want to ask you a question. When did the Aeons come into existence in this world?"