Lin Yi continued recruiting people for the banquet.
Chat with Stephen Lloyd
Lin Yi:
This place is basically a permanently sealed space.
And it's a sealed space with food, drinks, and entertainment.
Stephen Lloyd:
!!!
Lin Yi:
Come inspect it in person.
Chat with Herta
Lin Yi:
Herta, you there?
You there?
You there?
You there?
You there?
The message bombardment continued.
Herta replied at last.
You better have a good reason!!!
Lin Yi:
Here's the situation...
Herta:
Not going. No time. Busy.
Lin Yi:
You're coming whether you like it or not.
Everyone's already here except you.
Research never ends.
Why keep yourself that tense?
How long has it been since you actually relaxed?
You went offline?
I don't believe it.
If you don't come, I'll send Ruan Mei to drag you here.
Then Lin Yi sent an image.
Ruan Mei dragging Yu Qingtu by the legs.
It was a screenshot Lin Yi had taken earlier when Ruan Mei had literally dragged Yu Qingtu into the Banquet Dimension.
Such a scene was so rare that even the Garden of Recollection had likely never archived it.
Of course Lin Yi saved it immediately.
Normally, those two would never behave so wildly.
Lin Yi added:
You wouldn't want to end up like the person in this picture, right?
Suddenly, the system responded:
You are no longer friends with the user Busy now and won't talk to you later. Message cannot be sent.
Lin Yi immediately sent a friend request.
Ah.
She predicted that.
Herta had deleted him.
But Lin Yi knew Herta well.
That reaction actually meant—
she would definitely come.
The reason Lin Yi asked Ruan Mei to drag Herta instead of going himself was simple.
Herta might not use her full power against him...
but her puppet hammer definitely would not hold back.
With Ruan Mei, it was safer.
At least Herta would not start a fight.
The friend request was accepted.
Herta said nothing.
Lin Yi wisely stopped provoking her.
Other Invitations
Then he opened another chat window.
Polka Kakamond.
He hesitated.
...Never mind.
Better not provoke her.
Let the banquet remain peaceful.
As for Primitive Doctor?
Lin Yi pretended not to know that person.
Their only interactions had been:
A previous trade.
Occasionally remote-controlling the situation on Ogwak.
Basically, they had been playing a real-time strategy game.
The conflict was jokingly known as:
Plants vs. Banana Masters.
Recently, however, the Primitive Doctor had not appeared.
The monkeys on Ogwak were nearly wiped out.
Without an opponent, the game had become boring.
Lin Yi guessed the Primitive Doctor was currently in trouble.
After all:
His shoes were lost.
His robe had been auctioned off on the IX Organization's dark web.
Lin Yi laughed.
Another idiot who tried provoking IX.
Preparing the Banquet
Meanwhile, the steward Banquet began preparing the true feast.
The event was named:
The Omniscient Banquet.
Banquet manufactured large numbers of service robots.
It activated Elias Salas's special procurement channels and jump devices.
The robots rapidly departed the Banquet Dimension.
They scattered across the universe to gather rare ingredients.
Elias Salas had collected countless treasures during his lifetime.
But many new delicacies had appeared since his death.
Banquet would not allow any imperfection in a feast meant for geniuses.
The robots collected items such as:
Kiliro Fish from Pier Point.
Xianzhou-style cuisine from Atina.
Eutectic sugar from Kunint.
Fine wine from Farok.
They traveled through space directly rather than using the Trailblaze star rails.
Only Trailblazers could freely jump through Domain Anchors.
Others required different methods.
But geniuses always found alternatives.
Imaginary energy might fill the universe—
but it could not stop geniuses.
Guests Arrive
Soon, Ruan Mei and Yu Qingtu returned.
Then Herta arrived.
Shortly afterward, Stephen Lloyd appeared as well.
All seven geniuses attending the gathering were now present.
The banquet officially began.
The robots sent to gather ingredients had not yet returned.
But Elias Salas's existing collection was already vast.
So the feast began anyway.
Ruan Mei's Dessert
Ruan Mei elegantly opened a food box.
Inside was a plate of delicate pastries.
She divided it into seven portions.
Then she apologized softly.
I treasure these traditional desserts.
But I originally prepared them only for myself.
So after dividing them among seven people, there is very little left.
Then she introduced them.
Spring pancake.
Summer cake.
Autumn pastry.
Winter candy.
The four seasons can exist together on a single plate.
I hope everyone will offer suggestions.
She placed the dish before them and invited everyone to taste.
Lin Yi immediately praised it.
A wonderful aroma and a lingering flavor.
Herta rolled her eyes.
Classic flattery.
Then she criticized it mercilessly.
Spring pancake lacks crispness.
Summer cake lacks calm maturity.
Autumn pastry loses its crunch over time.
Winter candy is smooth but too bland.
She listed flaw after flaw without pause.
Yet she finished eating second fastest.
Only Lin Yi was faster.
No one knew how she managed to eat so quickly while still looking elegant.
Ruan Mei merely smiled.
Indeed, it still needs improvement.
Screwllum's Review
Screwllum activated a taste simulation program.
Organic taste simulation loading.
Conclusion:
Ruan Mei's dessert is a rare delicacy.
But sweetness could be increased by 0.37%.
Perfect machine precision.
Yu Qingtu's Drinks
Yu Qingtu then spoke.
Don't focus only on her desserts.
Try my drinks too.
This time, the drinks were not experimental poisons.
They were stable recipes.
She had designed them according to each person's tastes.
These were her standard creations.
She then spoke to the newest guest.
Sorry.
Creating a new drink takes time.
So I couldn't develop a custom recipe for you yet.
For now, have a glass of Tara Poison Flame.
Each genius received a different drink:
Lin Yi — Night StarRuan Mei — Matcha AdventureStephen Lloyd — Caramel CloudHerta — Amber IllusionScrewllum — Steam Old DreamYu Qingtu — Strange Star Dew
And so, the banquet of geniuses truly began.