"...?"
Staring at the suddenly appearing... dialogue options, Jiang Ling's already-overworked brain came to a complete halt.
Leaving aside the fact that this supposed "appointment with Herta to discuss cooperation" did not exist anywhere in his memory, there was one far more immediate problem—
What the hell were these three absurd, off-the-wall options supposed to be???
Did he look like the kind of person who would suddenly shout Ciallo~ (∠・ω< )⌒★ in public?
Obviously not!
Sure, this sudden abnormal phenomenon could absolutely be classified as a cheat ability...
But wasn't the content and presentation of this cheat just a little too abstract?
So... all it did was toss him to some point in the future and give him a few choices?
As if in answer to Jiang Ling's doubts, a shard of mirror glowing with silver light appeared before him without warning.
This time, however, the mirror reflected not that worn, exhausted face—
but lines of text.
[Persona Extraction #1 — The Universe's... Last Genius?]
[Turning Points: 0/3]
[Remaining Extraction Attempts: 3]
[Persona Talent: "Blue · Researcher"]
["Researcher": Any project you participate in will have its development speed increased by 1.5 times.]
[Note: "Persona Extraction" is a form of simulation that uses the target individual's possible futures to calculate outcomes and avoid incorrect answers. It does not affect the real universe.]
[At the same time, every choice made by the participating individual during the simulation will become material for shaping the persona, and after this extraction ends, it will transform into an "extractable talent."]
Reading the words appearing across the mirror's surface, Jiang Ling blinked, a thoughtful look rising on his face.
So...
judging from the current situation, this thing really did count as his cheat.
And not just any cheat, either—it was an authority-grade, zero-cost trial-and-error mechanism, even better than Return by Death.
He could ignore all the stuff about talents and traits for now. Just the fact that he could test things without worrying about the consequences of negotiation failure...
This thing came at exactly the right time!
Jiang Ling's eyes lit up slightly, and the corners of his mouth even began to curl upward.
Ever since seeing that proposal and realizing what he had been assigned to do, he'd felt like his life was basically over.
But now it seemed...
this was turning from localized necrosis into a full-scale miracle.
"M-Mr. Jiang Ling?"
While Jiang Ling was still basking in his own relief and delight, Asta was staring at that inexplicable smile on his face and cautiously asked,
"...Did something happen?"
"Huh? No, no..."
Jiang Ling shook his head repeatedly. He glanced at the light screen in front of him, then, after a brief moment of consideration, made a bold decision.
"To be honest, rather than discussing things with that old woman who uses puppets to pretend she's young, I'd much rather go over the details with you and have you pass them along for me."
More accurately...
it was a suicidal decision.
Even if geniuses were difficult to predict, the phrase old woman pretending to be young was very obviously stomping all over Herta's minefield.
Never mind Herta herself—even Asta, who had always placed herself in the role of "Herta's student," should have found those words intolerable.
By all logic, speaking this way ought to have run directly counter to his goal.
But Jiang Ling was gambling.
Gambling that Herta, who had complete control over the space station, would hear his outrageously disrespectful remark.
Gambling that it would make her curious about the cooperation proposal he had come to present.
After all, no one had dared speak to Herta like this in years. If he did, then surely it would seem as though he had some kind of backing.
Of course, even if he lost the bet, it didn't matter.
He still had two more attempts left—enough to try every option.
If this life was over, then he'd just start again in the next one. Simple.
"Y-You... what did you just say?"
Asta froze. Her gaze toward Jiang Ling now carried an indescribable mixture of shock and confusion.
For a moment, she almost thought she'd misheard him.
The Technical R&D Department and the Intelligentsia Guild were the ones asking Herta for help—so how could the man in front of her say something so naturally... so blatantly disrespectful?
At that thought, Asta parted her lips, clearly wanting to say something—
but before a single word could leave her mouth, a woman's voice rang out beside them without warning, impossible to read for anger or amusement.
"Hm? Who exactly did you just call an old woman trying to look young with puppets?"
"?!"
The sudden voice made both of them whirl around at once.
There, standing before them, was a doll-like girl in a beret and Gothic dress.
At that moment, the petite girl—small in stature, but overwhelming in presence—stood with her arms folded, silently watching Jiang Ling, who had just spoken so rudely about her.
"L-Lady Herta?!"
Seeing that small yet imposing figure, Asta couldn't help but cry out in shock.
And yet...
Herta seemed to have no interest in Asta's reaction at all. She merely spoke in an indifferent tone:
"I've never cared how other people judge me. Judgments are meaningless. They don't affect me in the slightest."
"Compared to that, what interests me more is just how amusing this thing you came to discuss must be—if it gave you the nerve to stand on my turf and openly insult me."
At this point, the Herta puppet paused slightly. After giving Jiang Ling a long, deep look, she turned and began walking toward the Master Control Zone.
"I'll admit it—you've succeeded in getting my attention."
"So next, let me see whether your proposal and your technology are really as capable of intriguing me as you seem to believe."
Her crisp footsteps gradually faded with her words.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, the expression on Asta's face transformed into pure disbelief.
Lady Herta had actually responded to someone who insulted her—and on top of that...
the reason was something as simple as such a crude provocation?
"...I must still be asleep. Otherwise how could I be having a dream like this?"
Asta pressed a hand to her smooth forehead and muttered under her breath.
Meanwhile, the "chief culprit" behind all of this, Jiang Ling, stared blankly in the direction Herta had left, his expression turning a little strange.
On one hand, he truly hadn't expected such a risky, unconventional strategy to actually pay off.
And on the other...
I got a talent this quickly...?
Staring at the light screen that had appeared before him, Jiang Ling blinked, clearly not having expected events to take this turn.
[Obtained Persona Talent: "Blue · How to Use a Genius"]
["How to Use a Genius": If you want a temperamental genius to cooperate with you, you need unconventional methods. When negotiating with individuals belonging to the "Genius Society" faction, your success rate increases by 50%.]
He had originally assumed that something like a talent—something that could become part of his own strength—would be very difficult to obtain.
But now it seemed...
it wasn't nearly as outrageous as he had imagined.
A fifty percent increase in success rate... Sure, there's still a chance they'll refuse, but if I can bring this talent back with me, my odds will definitely be much higher than they are now. After all, I'd never dare use this kind of provocation in real life...
Yet just as Jiang Ling was silently calculating in his heart, Herta's slightly impatient voice rang out again from not far away.
"Why are you still standing there? Don't tell me I need to come personally to invite you? Get to the meeting room. Now."
Hearing that, Jiang Ling laughed awkwardly, then hurried off toward the meeting room without a second's delay, leaving Asta alone in complete disarray.
-------
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