Ruan Mei appraised Asta, who stood before her.
Her eyes sparkled like stars, bright with the light of intelligence—courteous, graceful, refined.
She exuded an aristocratic bearing that seemed innate, as if wealth itself were but an ordinary thing to her.
As for this Peppy... well, the Neglect Serum had no effect on her.
Woof, woof! (Madam Ruan Mei! Asta and I are both your fans!! Ten-year veterans here!)
"Ah! Peppy, stop telling such big truths."
Asta lightly lifted her hand and gently brought it down atop Peppy's head with a crisp, soft tap.
She turned abruptly, her expression shifting to one of eager sincerity, and hastily began explaining herself to Ruan Mei.
"Madam Ruan Mei, actually, it's like this—I grew up listening to stories about you."
"Also! Also. Your thesis on creating celestial bodies—I know it by heart. From—"
Woof, woof. (Asta, don't lose your composure.)
Ruan Mei watched Peppy and Asta with an expression of utter detachment. The two of them, one speaking after the other, made it genuinely difficult for her to take her leave.
With a wave of her hand, Ruan Mei dispelled the Neglect Serum's effect, allowing Asta to see her.
"Madam Ruan Mei. You've finally agreed to meet me."
"Mm."
"Madam Ruan Mei, Madam Herta often speaks of you. She always maintains a certain level of praise for you.
Ah, the rest of us—myself included—can scarcely earn a single word of approval from Madam Herta."
"Oh."
No matter what Asta said, Ruan Mei responded only with a faint, utterly unremarkable "Oh."
Seeing this, Asta couldn't help but scratch her head. Communicating with Ruan Mei truly was as difficult as the legends claimed.
To put it nicely: untouched by worldly concerns, cool and aloof.
To put it less kindly: eccentric and detached, interested only in her own research.
She would have to find a way to deploy her wealth-based abilities.
"Madam Ruan Mei, do you have any research projects in need of funding? I could unconditionally support you with my allowance."
"No."
"Ah. Well..."
Ruan Mei's reply was as concise and detached as ever. No trace of superfluous emotion.
Her cool tone and expression formed an invisible wall, keeping others at a firm distance.
Asta forced a smile. She had hoped for more from Ruan Mei. But reality proved that Ruan Mei was, indeed, Ruan Mei.
Asta took a deep breath, steadied herself, and once more carefully observed the mysterious, cool figure before her.
Ruan Mei's cyan qipao only accentuated her frost-like temperment. Her delicate features were carved to flawless perfection, and her gaze always held a depth and coolness that others found difficult to fathom.
What kind of experiences had shaped such an ice-cold genius—one who outdid even the plum blossom by three parts?
Wait. The pendant on Ruan Mei's sleeve?
Summoning her courage, Asta pressed further.
"Madam Ruan Mei, what is that pendant on your sleeve? It's unique and beautiful. May I ask for a purchase link?"
Ruan Mei glanced down at the pendant.
"I embroidered it myself. Next time we meet, I'll give you a starscape pendant. I have urgent matters to attend to. We'll speak again another time."
With that, Ruan Mei's figure vanished in an instant, leaving Asta and Peppy staring at empty space.
Woof, woof. (Asta, Madam Ruan Mei's personality is even more aloof than Madam Herta's.)
Asta nodded in agreement, then sighed helplessly.
"Ah. I was hoping to get Madam Ruan Mei's contact information."
Woof? (Why do you want Madam Ruan Mei's contact info?)
Asta looked down at Peppy.
"Because she said she'd give me a starscape pendant next time. So I wanted to ask what Madam Ruan Mei likes—then I could prepare a return gift."
Peppy had long since learned about Ruan Mei from several of her creations.
Woof, woof. (Planet-destroying warships and your money are useless. Empty promises don't work on Ruan Mei either.)
Asta blinked. A rare flash of indignation crossed her face.
"What do you mean, 'empty promises'?! Peppy, when have I ever made empty promises?!"
Peppy turned away and gave a casual woof.
(Can you produce an Emanator? Something on the level of the Starcrusher Swarm King? That's the kind of return gift Ruan Mei would want.)
Hearing this, Asta found herself momentarily at a loss for words.
Sometimes, wealth truly wasn't omnipotent. A Starcrusher Swarm King—or an existence of equivalent rank—was not something even Asta could simply purchase as a gift for Ruan Mei.
---
Herta's Office, outside the Simulated Universe.
Several Herta puppets had long been waiting.
"Where's Ruan Mei? She didn't come to see me on time?"
Another Herta puppet replied.
"Hmph. So even geniuses can be unpunctual?"
"Enough of that. Something unexpected must have happened to Ruan Mei. Perhaps too many researcher fans stopped her.
Or maybe there's an issue with the Stellaron Warden."
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Herta abruptly cut off her own monologue.
Herta puppets possessed no consciousness. The conversation just now had been nothing more than her own bored rambling, born of waiting.
A wisp of snowy plum blossom scent drifted past. Herta looked up, eyes shut tight, arms crossed, letting out a light hmph.
"Hmph! Punctuality is especially important for a genius's research. Madam Ruan Mei, surely you know this principle."
Clearly, Herta was feeling a tad petulant. She always took things so seriously—which was why Silver Wolf ended up crying and throwing tantrums.
Ruan Mei offered Herta a freshly preserved plum cake.
Herta pouted.
"Puppets don't need these!"
"Are you still upset?"
Herta turned away with her usual proud composure.
"I'm not upset at all! But by the reservation time, even if you met that Stellaron brat, you shouldn't have been ten minutes late!"
"Do you know how precious my ten minutes—six hundred seconds, or 0.0069 days—are to me?"
Ruan Mei set down the plum cake.
"I merely encountered Asta. We spoke briefly. It was our first meeting."
Herta blinked. Speaking of Asta—she had helped Herta out when Topaz came collecting debts.
She turned back to Ruan Mei.
"Since it was Asta who made you late... well, that can't be helped. Don't let it happen again! Geniuses cannot be late!"
Ruan Mei lightly touched her hairpin and nodded faintly.
"It won't happen again."
Ruan Mei turned and walked toward the Sealed Compartment. The Herta puppet hurried after her, half-jogging.
"By the way, what did you and Asta talk about?"
"You're interested?"
Herta froze, then hastily looked away to disguise her expression.
"I'm not interested at all! Honestly... I'm accompanying you to find that Wisteria Cake cat-cake, aren't I?"
"You never paid them any attention before. Why come in person now?"