Herta honestly did not expect Lucian to suddenly bring up the past.
Fortunately, she was self-absorbed enough to believe that as long as she was not embarrassed, it would be someone else who felt embarrassed.
"Ahem, a genius like me has so many things to remember every day, there's no way I'd recall who said that." Herta pretended to be serious, wanting to brush off the topic as quickly as possible.
"I remember it was a member of the Genius Society, a scholar who solved the mystery of the Imaginary Leakage Phenomenon." Lucian said calmly, looking as though he truly did not understand what she meant. "I also remember she said that if she begged me to be friends, she'd be an idiot."
"No idea." Herta waved her hand, refusing to admit it at all, smoothly acting shameless. "You know, there are so many people in the Genius Society. I don't know who solved the mystery of the Imaginary Leakage Phenomenon either."
As soon as these words fell, however, the Fourth Mirror suddenly started playing a recording.
It seemed that because Herta had thrown her staff and pierced it, it had malfunctioned and was now playing back a recording from just a short while ago.
"You—who do you think you are?"
"Do I need to remind you again? I'm Genius Society #83, Herta—the scholar who solved the mystery of the Imaginary Leakage Phenomenon and the Solitary Waves Theory."
"Besides, you just tried to act like a creep with me! Even if I had to jump out this window and die, I'd never be friends with you!"
"Beg you? You must be crazy. If I ever have to beg you, I... I must be an idiot!"
Herta's previous statements echoed one after another in the laboratory loud and clear—it was as if the recording was slapping her in the face over and over.
"Fourth Mirror..." Herta muttered in a deep voice, her face darkened with rage.
She had just wanted to play dumb and brush off the matter, then find a way to change the subject and move on, but who could have predicted that her own creation would betray her at a time like this, leaving her with no way out.
"Huff..."
Suppressing her frustration, Herta let out a breath and forced a smile.
"Yes, yes, I said all of that—satisfied? I admit I underestimated you, okay? Alright, how do you want to cooperate?"
It could be said that Herta was already being quite generous—even after losing face and with no way to save it, she could still smile and was willing to negotiate.
"Nah, I'm feeling wronged now. I don't want to cooperate with you anymore. Goodbye." Lucian said with a smile, then turned to leave without the slightest hesitation.
He was not joking.
After Herta had mocked him so gleefully before, how could he not get back at her a little now?
As soon as Herta saw Lucian refuse her so decisively, without even considering it for a second, she was thrown into utter turmoil inside!
How could he refuse?
She was Madam Herta, the genius admired by everyone!
How could he possibly not care?
Her beauty, her status, her abilities—weren't all of them top-tier, things everyone dreamed of pursuing?
"You! You really want to give up the chance to be friends with me?!" Herta leaned forward and shouted in a hurry.
"No." Lucian shook his head. "I just think the other geniuses in the Genius Society probably also wish to meet Nous, no? At the very least, they won't let me be treated unfairly."
Just like that, he took a step forward.
"Hey! Wait!" Herta panicked and rushed forward to grab Lucian's arm. "They don't wish to meet Droidhead! In that lousy society, nobody talks to each other, and everyone's hard to deal with! I'm the friendliest one here, y'know! I admit, I might've spoken a little harshly just now... I'm sorry..."
Honestly, she truly was afraid Lucian would run away.
If that happened, her wish to meet Nous would take forever.
Moreover, if he really had a way to draw Nous's attention, and every other member of the Genius Society got to meet THEM except her, wouldn't that make her look pathetic?
It would be better to secure him herself, so she could ask Nous questions any time she wanted.
Just imagining being one of the only two to ever meet an Aeon was already thrilling.
For this reason, Herta admitted her own fault for the first time in her life.
Her first admission of guilt was halfhearted, but the second one was somewhat more sincere. If anyone who knew her saw her admitting her mistake, they would definitely be dumbfounded and rub their eyes in disbelief.
"Uh-huh..." Lucian casually dug at his ear. "In the future, please say nicer things. My eardrums are pretty sensitive, y'know. I can't handle harsh words."
Seeing how eager Herta was, his mischievous side was finally satisfied.
"But friends, huh~" Lucian deliberately dragged out his words, enjoying the way Herta held her breath in suspense. "Well, I suppose I could consider it, but..."
"But what? Go on, just say it!" Herta's eyes lit up in an instant, her whole body tensing even more. "My space station resources? Database access? Top-tier experiment samples? Or credits? Whatever you want, just pick!"
"Nope—none of that interests me." Lucian shook his head lightly, his smile deepening, exuding a calm that seemed to see through everything.
"What do you want then?!" Herta asked urgently, already bracing herself for some outrageous demand.
It was only natural.
Buying a chance to meet an Aeon was enough to make countless people go bankrupt, so she was already expecting Lucian to look down on the typical offers.
However, if he wanted to use the chance to meet an Aeon as a bargaining chip to become friends with her, it was obvious he was after something of hers... or maybe, he was after her—or more specifically, after her body?
In the next moment, Lucian pointed at Herta.
"I want you—"
Before Lucian could even finish, Herta's expression changed instantly as she realized that her guess was right—Lucian was after her body!
"Don't even think about it!" Herta exclaimed, instantly took a step back. "I'm not that kind of woman!"
"What do you mean by 'that kind of woman'?" Lucian stared at her, expressionless. "I want you to help me build a planetary network defense system, aka firewall."
"Huh? Firewall? THAT'S IT?!!!" Herta's voice shot up an octave, her eyes widened. "You got Droidhead's attention just for... for a damn firewall?!"
Her beautiful eyes widened, filled with disbelief, absurdity, and a strong sense of 'you're wasting something precious.'
"Do you even know what kind of phenomenon that was just now?! It was the will of an Aeon descending personally—the key to the source of the universe!"
Herta spun halfway in place, her slender fingers rubbing at her temples as she tried to process the shock and disappointment.
"And you... You wanna trade it for a mere firewall? Are you out of your mind?!"
At this moment, Herta looked exactly like a miser watching someone trade a priceless heirloom for a piece of bread.
"So what?" Lucian raised an eyebrow, leisurely watching Herta lose her mind with a nonchalant smile. "Does Madam Herta think this deal isn't worth it? Or do you mean you can't do it? Should I go ask Screwllum for help instead?"
He deliberately put some subtle emphasis on the words 'can't do it.'
"Worth it? Worth my a—"
A curse nearly slipped out of her mouth, but Herta quickly swallowed it at the last second.
Gazing at the nonchalant Lucian, Herta took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling sharply.
Now, that passionate, fervent look in Herta's eyes was finally replaced by a complex mix of grievance, unwillingness, and resignation as she bit her lip and glared fiercely at Lucian, like she wanted to eat him alive.
It couldn't be helped.
If Lucian used the chance to meet an Aeon as a bargaining chip for just a lousy firewall today, tomorrow he'd be trading it to the IPC for a mere drone!
If she, Herta, could be taken advantage of today by him, tomorrow others could be the same.
By then, just any cat or dog would get to meet an Aeon—and when that happened, what value would her achievement of 'meeting an Aeon' even have?
Needless to say, the thing that billions saw as the hardest and most valuable was, in Lucian's eyes, not even worth mentioning—something that could be obtained on a whim.
"It's worth it, okay! Anything I agree to is worth it! And there's nothing I can't do! I don't need anyone's help!"
In a loud and determined voice, these words were forced out from between Herta's gritted teeth, brimming with the tragic resolve of someone making a heroic sacrifice.
Lucian, in response, gave Herta a skeptical look.
"But what if your firewall gets breached by the Stellaron Hunters?" Lucian asked with a frown, pretending to be worried. "I heard that wanted criminal, Silver Wolf, stole hundreds of billions of credits from the IPC."
"What do you have that's worth the Stellaron Hunters' attention?" Herta shot back, looking unconcerned. "Besides, that little girl isn't nearly skilled enough to get past my firewall."
Of course, in Herta's mind, aside from Silver Wolf's mysterious helper, she alone really wasn't enough.
"Yes, but what if?" Lucian pressed, still skeptical.
"No what ifs." Herta waved her hand impatiently. "If the Stellaron Hunters really break through my firewall, I'll work for you for a hundred years for free. How about that?"