"Hiss! Couldn't you say something before letting go?"
Caught off guard, our Lady Herta fell to the ground, her soft little bottom making intimate contact with the hard metal floor.
"Meaningless behavior."
In response to Herta's dissatisfaction and complaints, our Lady Ruan Mei merely shook her head slightly, then turned around as if unconcerned, continuing with her own tasks.
On the surface, it seemed so, but in reality…
After Ruan Mei turned away, the corners of this Xianzhou woman's mouth curved upward slightly, revealing a smile as radiant as spring flowers.
"Tch!" Herta clicked her tongue in irritation. Her intuition told her that Ruan Mei had absolutely done it on purpose! But for now, this was definitely not the time to argue with her. No, no, it wasn't because she was afraid she couldn't out-argue her—definitely not!
"Then I'll warp to… huh?!"
Just as our Lady Herta prepared to use the power of the Path for a warp jump, the monitoring hub transmitted another piece of information…
"The battle of the Aeons is already over? How could it be so fast?!"
Our Lady Herta stared wide-eyed in disbelief. This wasn't right. Theoretically, two Aeons should have sparked a Thousand-Day War! The so-called "Thousand-Day War" referred to a battle between two equally matched powerhouses, where their strengths were so close that a fight could last hundreds or thousands of days before a victor emerged. Throughout cosmic history, as recorded in the Cosmic Chronicle, whether it was the Twilight War or the Swarm Disaster, they had lasted for many years.
But this battle between the Aeon of Destruction and the Aeon of Causality—wasn't it over a bit too quickly? Tch, what a pair of quick shots!
"Suggestion: We should continue discussing the topic of perfecting the Simulated Universe."
Screwllum proposed as such. However, Ruan Mei, who was conducting life research nearby, paused her actions and voiced her objection.
"I don't agree. Regarding the matter of inputting data about the Aeon of Causality, Lord of Samsara, into the Simulated Universe, we lack too much information."
"For the construction of the Simulated Universe, we've already invested resources equivalent to several standard planets."
"Herta, don't forget, that money came out of your little apprentice's pocket."
The corners of Ruan Mei's mouth curled into a faint, teasing smile as she looked at Herta.
"Cough, cough… well…"
Hearing this, our Lady Herta's face rarely flushed. She couldn't quite refute Ruan Mei's words. Not only the Simulated Universe's construction but, in fact, the entire Herta Space Station was funded by Asta. She, the nominal owner of the space station, was just that in name.
Seeing Herta's momentum weaken, our Lady Ruan Mei continued, "Moreover, we know practically nothing about the Aeon of Causality's information before his ascension."
"The investigation team formed by members of the Genius Society has still found nothing."
"But the Penacony, the Star of Festivities… they seem to have obtained some information about the Aeon of Causality, Lord of Samsara, before his ascension…"
Ruan Mei said thoughtfully.
Hearing Ruan Mei's words, our Lady Herta coldly scoffed.
"The Harmony Family? Hmph, they're just a bunch of liars. As for information about the Aeon of Causality, I've had it for a long time!"
"You do?" ×2
As Herta's words fell, both Ruan Mei and Screwllum cast surprised glances her way. Of course, it wasn't that they doubted the truth of Herta's words. After all, Herta was someone who never lied—or rather, every genius disdained lying.
"Question: Since you've long known information about the Lord of Samsara, Lady Herta, why bring it up only now?"
Screwllum voiced his doubt.
"Hmph! This information is highly valuable. Why would I casually reveal it to others?"
Herta closed her eyes, crossed her arms, and let out a soft hum, her tone carrying a hint of disdain. However, in truth, if she opened her eyes, we might catch a trace of panic in them.
Yes, our Lady Herta was lying! Regarding Yun Fan, she had only guessed his identity as the Aeon of Causality and had no further information. One could say that, aside from exchanging contact details and some slightly complicated feelings in Herta's heart, there was no other connection between them.
"Then, what price should we pay for it?"
Screwllum and Ruan Mei understood Herta's intentions at this moment. Though they were collaborators on the Simulated Universe, even close brothers kept clear accounts. It was only natural for Herta to demand a price for sharing information about an Aeon, especially the most mysterious Aeon of Causality.
"The price… I'll need to think about it." Herta's eyes narrowed slightly, and after a moment's hesitation, she responded as such.
"How about this: I'll go back and organize the information about the Aeon of Causality, Lord of Samsara. Tomorrow, I'll bring the compiled data to discuss with you."
With that, Herta walked out of the research lab with light steps. The girl seemed in high spirits, hopping along like a cheerful little rabbit.
'Snap—!'
After Herta left, the research lab's door automatically closed. Screwllum and Ruan Mei, still standing in place, exchanged a glance and fell silent for a moment.
"Affirmation: Herta is lying. Question: Why would Herta lie?"
As the leader of the Screwllum species, Screwllum's observational and analytical abilities far surpassed those of humans. The subtle changes in Herta's expression naturally didn't escape his notice. But this mechanical being was puzzled—given Herta's proud personality, she should disdain lying. Why, then, today…
"I don't know." Ruan Mei shook her head, her beautiful eyes flickering with light and shadow, as if pondering something.
"Suggestion: In that case, let time provide us with the answers."
After leaving the research lab, our Lady Herta returned to her room at the space station.
'Splash, splash, splash…!'
In the bathroom, Herta washed her slightly flushed face with cold water, then expressionlessly faced the mirror and lightly slapped her own cheek.
"Tch! How could I impulsively say something like that? What information do I even have about that guy?"