Madam Herta walked elegantly down the Space Station's mirror-like corridor, her purplish-black skirt swaying gently with her steps, like a dark night flower quietly blooming in the sea of stars.
She appeared to be glancing around casually, but in reality, her perception was fully engaged, wary of a head-on collision with the unexpected visitor.
However, just as she stepped around a corner, a figure of peerless beauty entered her purplish-black sight—Ruan Mei.
The Genius, dressed in a simple, elegant gown with the temperament of a secluded orchid, stood quietly by the corridor window, gazing at the flowing Star River outside. In her hand, she held a small celadon plate containing a few exquisite pastries.
Black Herta's heart skipped a beat. Almost instinctively, she instantly pulled back the foot she had extended, leaning her slender back gently against the cold metal wall.
(Such a coincidence? I ran into her this quickly?)
She pondered internally, her mind racing, considering whether to step forward openly and greet her as "Herta," or to temporarily avoid the encounter.
Just as she was weighing her options, three consecutive pieces of information rippled through her mind like stones dropped into a calm lake.
First was the System's calm electronic voice:
[Madam, the simulated universe core data download and analysis is 100% complete. All target data has been safely transferred to System Space.]
Following that, came the pleasant notification:
[Core repair level has increased. Current progress: 35%.]
Almost simultaneously, a joyful mental message arrived from Baiheng:
[Master! Cyrene said she is willing to try and trust us! She said she is willing!]
The good news came one after another, especially the significant increase in the repair level and Cyrene's initial acceptance, which shook Black Herta's spirit. The sheer volume of information even caused her a moment of disorientation.
(So fast... such a coincidence... all at once?)
Before she could fully savor the joy, a set of regular footsteps sounded from the other side of the corner, steadily approaching the direction where she was hiding!
(Oh no!)
Black Herta was startled.
The perspective switches to Ruan Mei.
She was savoring the delicate sweetness of the Osmanthus Victory Cake on her fingertips, enjoying the subtle pleasure of the sugar dissolving on her taste buds—one of her few private hobbies unrelated to research.
Suddenly, the corner of her eye caught a quick flash of a familiar skirt corner near the bend—was that Herta?
Ruan Mei did not speak. She calmly swallowed the last bite of the pastry, then gently wiped her fingertips with a silk handkerchief embroidered with subtle patterns.
She took a step and walked toward the corner, a hint of inquiry in her azure eyes.
Turning the corner, the one who entered her sight was "Herta."
The owner of the Space Station was leaning against the cold cabin wall, arms crossed over her chest, head tilted slightly back. The shadow cast by her hat brim obscured part of her face, and her purple eyes were tightly closed, her thick eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath them.
She seemed to be immersed in deep thought, not even immediately noticing someone approaching.
Only when Ruan Mei stopped in front of her did "Herta" seem startled, slowly opening her eyes.
Those amethyst-like eyes focused on Ruan Mei, first flashing with a measured amount of surprise, then returning to her usual slightly languid expression.
"Ruan Mei?"
Black Herta spoke, her voice using Herta's crisp yet somewhat careless tone, "When did you arrive? You didn't even give a heads-up."
Her tone was flat, lacking much enthusiasm, which was consistent with Herta's usual demeanor.
"Not long ago."
Ruan Mei's reply was equally brief, her voice gentle and steady. "Just looking around casually. Your Space Station still maintains a very high operational efficiency."
Her gaze swept across "Herta's" face, but she didn't immediately notice anything unusual.
"Mhm, Asta manages it well."
Black Herta nodded slightly, attributing the credit to the capable Station Master.
She struggled to maintain outward calm, but inwardly she was rapidly considering how to deal with this perceptive colleague.
Ruan Mei seemed uninterested in small talk. She cut straight to the chase, efficient and direct as she was with most matters: "I came this time to borrow the 'Restricted Zone' area on the lower level of the Space Station. It is relatively enclosed and has sufficient security, making it suitable for some... biological cultivation experiments."
She did not elaborate on the details of the experiment.
Black Herta understood inwardly.
(As expected, it's for that experiment... to create a temporarily existing Envoy of The Propagation.)
This piece of "plot" was recorded in the information she possessed.
She kept a straight face, even deliberately showing a hint of Herta's impatience—"this kind of trouble again"—and waved her hand casually: "Suit yourself. Just don't dismantle the segment or create a mess that I have to personally clean up."
Having received permission, Ruan Mei nodded slightly, considering it a thank you.
The atmosphere seemed ready to conclude.
However, Black Herta's gaze fell upon the celadon plate in Ruan Mei's hand, which still held a few pastries.
A mischievous thought, along with an impulse to test this emotionally detached Genius, arose within her.
She suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them, so close that she could almost smell Ruan Mei's unique, cool fragrance, like the scent of plum blossoms.
Under Ruan Mei's slightly surprised gaze, Black Herta naturally reached out and picked up an elegantly shaped Lotus Crisp from her plate.
"Hmm... the taste is good."
Black Herta put the pastry to her lips, savoring it carefully, her purple eyes slightly narrowed, revealing genuine appreciation.
This wasn't acting; the pastry genuinely suited her taste.
However, the moment the flavor fully bloomed on her taste buds, an inexplicable emotion struck her without warning—a faint sadness, as if transcending time, originating from the deeply hidden memory fragments of the "Herta" persona she inhabited.
Her movement paused, and a softness she hadn't anticipated flashed in her purplish-black eyes.
She looked up at the cool-tempered Ruan Mei before her, and an indescribable impulse drove her to do something that surprised even herself—
She stepped forward and lightly hugged Ruan Mei.
Ruan Mei's body stiffened for a moment, but she didn't push her away. Only in those eyes, which were usually calm and waveless, did a clear trace of confusion finally appear.
In her memory, although Herta wasn't completely aloof, she rarely made such... slightly intimate gestures.
"What is it?"
Ruan Mei's voice remained steady.
Black Herta gently rested her chin on Ruan Mei's shoulder, inhaling the unique scent on her, a mixture of faint herbs and cool fragrance. The turmoil in her heart gradually subsided.
She released the embrace, stepped back half a pace, and shook her head, her tone carrying a sentiment she herself didn't fully understand: "It's nothing. I just... suddenly felt a sense of regret."
Black Herta's gaze shifted, landing on the edge of Ruan Mei's lips, which were soft as cherry blossoms—a tiny, almost imperceptible crumb of pastry was stuck there.
A playful curve appeared at the corner of her lips. She reached out again, using her fingertip to brush Ruan Mei's lip corner with extreme gentleness. The action was so natural it seemed self-evident, yet the cool touch of her fingertip caused Ruan Mei's body to stiffen momentarily.
"You got something on you."
Black Herta's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of lazy amusement, her gaze locked tightly onto Ruan Mei's azure eyes, which were always calm and waveless.
Ruan Mei slightly furrowed her brow.
It wasn't repulsion, but rather a sense of unfamiliarity.
In her interactions with Herta, the other party had never been this forward.
She retreated half a step, creating a slight distance, her clear gaze fixed directly on "Herta." Her tone was still flat, but carried a hint of investigation: "You seem... different today."
Weighing her words, she added, "You appear very proactive."
Black Herta chuckled inwardly; half her goal was achieved.
On the surface, she merely shrugged indifferently, letting the hand that had just brushed the other's lip corner drop naturally. Her tone held Herta's characteristic nonchalance: "Just changing my mood occasionally. What, are you not used to it?"
Ruan Mei did not answer, merely watching her quietly, her gaze seeming capable of penetrating all pretense and reaching the core essence.
After a moment, she shifted her gaze, looking back out at the Star River, and said softly, "I need to prepare for the experiment. I'll take my leave now."
After speaking, she nodded slightly, then, holding the celadon plate, turned and departed. Her silhouette remained cool and aloof, as if the slightly ambiguous interaction just now had never happened.
Watching Ruan Mei disappear down the corridor, Black Herta slowly dropped her affected expression, a flicker of cunning and amusement crossing her purplish-black eyes.
(Teasing an emotionally detached Genius and seeing her look slightly flustered is quite amusing.)
She gently rubbed her fingertips, as if she could still feel the subtle sensation from that momentary contact.
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