"You begging won't help.
My consciousness is only projected into this puppet.
My real body isn't here."
Herta stood up expressionlessly the moment she heard that.
"Send me your space station coordinates.
I'll give you a surprise."
This bastard!
Finally managed to pique her curiosity, and now he just wants to leave?
There's no such cheap thing in the universe!
Send a few missiles over to celebrate his space station's completion— that's reasonable, right?
"You really have to go?"
Ruan Mei brushed the dust off her clothes and stood up.
She had stayed purely because she was curious about Su Ran.
If he was leaving, there was no need for her to linger either.
Well…
except for the insect egg in the restricted section—that alone was reason enough for her to stay.
"At least leave me some access to that teleportation device of yours.
I'm using it."
If she couldn't keep the person, Herta could at least exploit the opportunity.
Otherwise she'd lose out big time.
Can't leave empty-handed!
"Sure. Easy."
The device was made specifically for transporting materials anyway.
Giving Herta partial permissions was no big deal.
Su Ran didn't believe Herta could cause any real trouble.
As long as it didn't affect Teyvat, she could blow up whoever she wanted.
"…Why don't I feel anything?"
Just saying "Given" counts?!
Shouldn't he send a notification or something?!
"Just link any machine on the station to it."
Su Ran waved his hand casually.
"Next time I come, I won't be using your puppet."
He had barely spoken the sentence when—
Herta's attention was instantly hooked.
"Your real body is coming?"
Compared to projecting her consciousness into a puppet, Herta was far more interested in Su Ran's true form.
A biological body even Nous couldn't compute?
That definitely hid many secrets!
"Bingo.
Not only that— I'll be bringing the rich lady I'm raising so she can broaden her horizons.
Get ready to welcome us, Flat Herta."
Herta jumped up and smacked him on the head.
"Flat WHERE?!
My real body is a proper mature onee-san!"
If Su Ran weren't using her puppet, that smack would've hit his knee.
"Ah yes yes yes, of course."
"I'm being serious!"
Herta was fuming.
If not for the distance, she would've gone to meet him in person and show him what true mature-woman pressure looked like.
She was way more onee-san than Ruan Mei!
But the puppet in front of her had already gone still.
Su Ran had logged out.
"Herta, I'll be coming to your space station as well in a while.
You'll welcome me too, right?"
Ruan Mei finally got a chance to speak after being unable to interrupt their back-and-forth.
"Oh?
So that great genius managed to reel you in too?"
Herta knew full well Ruan Mei wasn't coming to see her.
As for Ruan Mei's motives, she couldn't care less.
"Let me warn you though— he's not interested in you."
He didn't even have the desire to bully Ruan Mei.
That already showed how cold he was toward her.
Aster, Topaz, Herta herself— they all bantered with Su Ran, got teased, got bullied,
even got gifted weird nicknames.
Only Ruan Mei's situation was different.
"I can tell…"
But she couldn't understand why.
What did she do to offend him?
Since the very first meeting, he had been cold.
Too cold.
Normally, the first meeting shouldn't give a horrible impression.
Ruan Mei didn't care how most people saw her— but Su Ran was not "most people."
She cared very much about the impression she left on him.
"Heh.
He said it himself— if you want to study him, he'll put you on the lab table as the test subject first.
That's all I'll say.
Figure out the rest yourself."
And with that, the Herta puppet disconnected.
Leaving Ruan Mei alone in the empty laboratory.
She pondered Herta's final words.
"…Is it my personality that makes him dislike me?"
Ruan Mei furrowed her brows.
Understanding it didn't mean she wasn't annoyed.
A person's behavioral style shouldn't be judged or forced into mold by others.
So Su Ran being cold toward her— fine.
He never demanded she change.
In that sense, he was reasonable.
But he disliked her, so he didn't want to bother with her.
"But…
this is who I am."
Change herself for someone she barely knew?
Ruan Mei felt lost.
She wasn't unreasonable.
She never forced people to accept her.
Otherwise she wouldn't have become a reclusive researcher who couldn't socialize.
But then— how could she improve her relationship with him?
She was truly curious about Su Ran.
His knowledge, his talent, his very nature.
"I hope… we get a chance to clear up the misunderstanding."
Ruan Mei finally disconnected her consciousness as well.
The laboratory was silent once more.
Only three Herta puppets remained.
Back in Teyvat—
Su Ran stretched lazily.
Inside Tenshukaku, a giant insect egg sat in the corner.
He had brought the forming Swarm King-copy with him.
And the entire room?
No space to stand.
He had transmitted everything he looted from Herta's space station.
Most important among them:
the insect egg.
Having a Swarm Emanator as a little brother?
Hell yeah.
And the Starcrushing Dragonbug was actually pretty good-looking.
Much better than other swarm bugs.
"Guess I should go check the dreamscape."
He wondered…
After being apart this long—How anxious would Ei be?
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer