One system hour later, Screwllum arrived at The Herta Space Station, four minutes and thirteen seconds earlier than scheduled, for which it expressed deep apologies.
Not only the sovereign of Screwstar but also Genius Society #76, Screwllum carried itself with impeccable elegance. As an inorganic lifeform, it exuded the utmost gentlemanly charm.
This was humility speaking. To put it grandly, Screwllum was the leader of the mechanical, a fusion of genius and royalty. It was hard to imagine that the most personable member of the Genius Society was this robot.
Adrian hadn't interacted much with the Society's members, mainly just Herta and a few others who took an interest in him. As for the rest?
Eccentrics, lunatics, lone wolves, socially awkward geniuses, recluses…
What a mess. These geniuses were terrifying. Adrian figured he'd better stick to slacking off.
In Adrian's office, Asta brought Screwllum in and cautiously closed the door.
As a mere acting station chief, she thought it best not to eavesdrop on the geniuses' conversation.
"Screwllum, long time no see." Adrian politely extended his hand.
"Has Mr. Adrian been well? I hope my visit hasn't caused you any inconvenience," Screwllum replied.
"You two are at it with the pleasantries again."
Herta pulled out earplugs. Every time they exchanged formalities, it dragged on for over five minutes, causing irreparable noise disturbance to her puppet ears.
"Assumption: Thought always precedes language, so no words can define this joy. Every time I see you, I struggle to find terms to describe my delight."
"No need to be so formal. Treat me like you do Asta—just use 'you.' You've always said the space station is a hub of knowledge, where we praise the equality of thought."
"What's an Aeon, anyway? Without that title, I believe we'd still be close friends."
With that, Adrian pulled out a crate of rich motor oil.
"Drink? Specially crafted motor oil from the Eternity Church, made just for you."
"No need."
"Speculation: What's it like to be friends with an Aeon? I sincerely thank you, Mr. Adrian, for fostering mutual understanding and advancing my academic research with Herta and the others."
Adrian had made significant contributions to the Simulated Universe. Who else would've provided all those Aeon development logs? Aha?
"I'm just a tester. You guys are the ones doing the real development."
Whenever Herta completed a new Aeon development log, she'd send Adrian a document to review.
"Regarding the experimental materials you provided, allow me to express gratitude and apologies on Herta's behalf."
"With your involvement, our progress on the Simulated Universe project has been undeniably smooth, bringing us many surprises."
"Apology: The blood sample of the Aeon of Destruction you provided… with today's interstellar news, it may bring you unnecessary trouble."
"No worries. Public opinion and news are commonplace in the cosmos. A cosmic superstar draws headlines wherever they go, constantly trending, which is why I hide my identity."
Adrian drank the specially made motor oil in front of Screwllum and Herta. It tasted awful.
"An Aeon drinking motor oil?"
"I think you could try it too. After all, the one standing before us is just a puppet, technically an inorganic lifeform."
"Makes sense, but I'm not drinking it."
…
Some time later, Stelle arrived at Herta's office with Leonard, just in time to witness Screwllum and Herta arguing.
Oh, and Adrian was there, scrolling on his phone.
Seeing the two big shots in a dispute, Leonard chickened out and squeezed into the doorway with Stelle to watch.
"Don't you feel like a peeping creep?" Stelle teased, pulling out her phone to record.
Leonard: …
You're the one acting like a peeping maniac!
As Herta and Screwllum staged their argument, Adrian put in earplugs and checked messages from Silver Wolf on his phone.
[Silver Wolf: LOL, Herta and Screwllum are actually fighting? You're not gonna break it up?]
[System Notification: Silver Wolf sent an image]
[Silver Wolf: Look, a sweating Herta portrait… I'm dying!]
[Silver Wolf: This woman's so full of herself. The whole space station's covered in her face—portraits, sculptures, and a ton of projections.]
[Silver Wolf: Ugh, I was gonna draw a mustache on her face, but it wouldn't stick… ridiculous! The whole station's like it's made of paper, but her photos are untouchable!]
[Silver Wolf: Oh, by the way, what's Kafka adding you for? Don't leave me on read.]
Reading Silver Wolf's barrage of messages, Adrian replied honestly.
[Adrian: Babysitting.]
[Silver Wolf: Wait, you're on the Express?!]
Somewhere on a planet, the bubblegum in Silver Wolf's mouth popped, smearing her face.
Kafka hiring Adrian as a babysitter? That's for taking care of Stelle!
[Adrian: Occasionally, I like being a nameless passenger on the train.]
[Silver Wolf: Fair… you're always idling. Back on the Xianzhou, all you did was sleep or slack off. Man, I'm jealous.]
[Adrian: ???]
His lips twitched. Was this girl throwing shade at him?
But Adrian had no comeback. He wasn't rotting—just pure slacking, avoiding real work entirely.
If he were truly rotting, he wouldn't have retired to the Xianzhou. He'd be aimlessly drifting through the cosmos.
That would've gotten him swallowed by the Nihility ages ago.
"You think you're all that? Right now, you're like… like a fool from the Idiot Club."
Herta's puppet suddenly faltered. Her genius mind lacked any real insults, so she resorted to something Adrian often teased her with.
"That's a brutal burn, Lady Herta…"
Leonard muttered softly outside. Stelle, hearing this, turned to him with a grimace.
"Are you serious?"
That's supposed to be an insult? Who knew a genius like Herta had such a weak spot.
"I've just never seen Lady Herta curse before, so it feels intense!" Leonard clutched his head. "Oh no, oh no… is the Simulated Universe getting shut down? It's her flagship project. If it's gone, how's she gonna lose it? I can't even imagine…"
"Wait, this isn't my fault, is it? If I'd stopped the enemy invasion back then, would Mr. Screwllum be less pessimistic?"
Leonard suddenly blamed himself, filled with regret.
Stelle put on a mature air. "Brother, I get you. So you should just quit already."
"Don't kick me while I'm down…" Leonard was on the verge of tears.
"Hm." Stelle turned serious again. "Don't worry, it's not your fault. Everyone's responsible. Let's focus on what's in front of us."
Stelle started recording a second video.
"Ugh, thanks for the comfort… I'm so frustrated. I feel like I can't do anything."
Inside the office, Herta and Screwllum's argument was wrapping up.
"Screwllum, we've known each other so long. This is the first time…"
"I've thought you're just a cold piece of metal."
With that, she turned and walked to the Simulated Universe loading point, right next to Adrian.
Stelle and Leonard, seeing the geniuses finish their spat, pushed the door open and walked in.
Adrian looked down at Herta, removing his earplugs. "I didn't hear a thing."
"Good thing you didn't." Herta crossed her arms, looking defiant.
Still acting at a time like this? Classic Herta!
"Look at whose name's on the office sign. Why should I leave? Hmph, I'm staying right here."
Ding-dong, ding-dong!
Silver Wolf was laughing her head off, bombarding Adrian with messages. The geniuses' spat was just too entertaining!
[Silver Wolf: Haha… did you hear what Herta just said? She called Screwllum a cold piece of metal! I'm dying—why didn't I record that?!]
"My apologies, Lady Stelle, for letting you witness this," Screwllum said apologetically.
Stelle was itching for gossip. "First time I've seen Herta make that face."
"This matter stems from me. I unilaterally proposed ending our academic collaboration with Herta. Please don't misunderstand—I have no issue with her or the project. The Simulated Universe is a grand experiment, and Herta is a true genius."
"Then Adrian…" Stelle glanced at Adrian nearby.
"Ah, Mr. Adrian is merely here for the show. His presence doesn't affect my dispute with my dear friend."
"I get it. Adrian's not important."
"Heh, an amusing response."
Adrian: ???
Why was everyone throwing shade at him?