Thanks for the Invite, I'm in Honkai Grinding Stats to Level Up

"Which way?

Lead the way…"

Abandoning his previous thoughts, Rita sent Gwen an emoji indicating she was temporarily busy. She put down her terminal and stood up, returning to her work.

Meanwhile, at Destiny's headquarters, Gwen smiled as he put down his terminal after seeing the chibi-style You Lan Dai Er waving emoji Rita had sent.

The casual chat had concluded, but Gwen didn't idle. He began reciting the Heart Resonance, also known as the Divine Melody, that Fu Hua had taught him.

Gwen, who was accustomed to considering the worst possible outcomes, hadn't believed he could learn the Heart Resonance, a technique that demanded a high level of mental tranquility. However, since he had succeeded, Gwen wasn't about to reject this unexpected boon.

Even if he couldn't ultimately cultivate the Sword Heart or become a Sword God, simply improving his body's tolerance to Honkai Energy to the most basic degree would be beneficial.

As for why Gwen always put himself in disadvantageous situations for contemplation?

Suddenly arriving in an unfamiliar world fraught with peril, the only beings he could rely on—or rather, the only ones he had to rely on—were two systems whose origins and capabilities were unknown. Gwen could only approach his thinking from this angle, preparing for the worst-case scenario to ensure he wouldn't panic or make critical mistakes when the time came.

Moreover, while this perspective could easily lead to immense pressure, it wasn't without its advantages.

At the very least, it brought many pleasant surprises into his life. For instance, achieving the Heart Resonance today and having the hope of cultivating into a Sword God was a pleasant surprise for Gwen.

His earlier concern about the Invitation Letter potentially being delivered by the system to a Star God like Aha, thus revealing the system's existence, was also a worst-case outcome derived from this line of thinking.

If such a thing had truly happened, Gwen might still have suffered a cardiac arrest, but he wouldn't have been overly flustered.

Furthermore, after considering the worst-case scenario, anything less dire than that would be a pleasant surprise.

Just as Gwen was silently reciting the Divine Melody, his mind gradually entering a state of tranquility, a strange fluctuation washed over him, instantly stirring the calm lake of his consciousness.

"What is this..."

Gwen immediately broke from his cultivation of the Heart Resonance, his mind filled with a mix of surprise and uncertainty as he opened the system.

Over the past few days, Gwen had chatted with the netizen who he suspected was a follower of the Preservation from the Honkai: Star Rail world a few times, gradually becoming familiar with the sensation of receiving system messages.

However, this current sensation was something Gwen had only experienced the very first time he connected with that stranger online.

So... had another one of the previously sent Invitation Letters been triggered?

With this question in mind, Gwen looked at the system.

As expected, another red exclamation mark appeared on the private chat icon.

Gwen clicked it open and saw that below the unknown Preservation follower, another communication object had appeared with a blank avatar and an unknown nickname.

Upon opening it, Gwen saw the first message from this new "netizen":

"What kind of technology is this?"

"..."

Looking at the question, Gwen blinked. He realized that, much like before, the Invitation Letter had likely transformed into a familiar communication device, such as a mobile phone, after being contacted.

However, since Gwen himself didn't know the exact mechanism of the Invitation Letter, nor what form it had taken in the recipient's possession, he could only play coy.

"A technology that has broken the conservation of mass-energy, with an unknown principle."

"..."

On the other side of the starry sky, in a biological research institute established on a desolate, uninhabited planet, a woman in a dark green qipao, resembling a classical beauty from the Jiangnan water towns, looked at the answer, which was as good as no answer at all. Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

A year ago, Ruan Mei, who was conducting her experiments on this planet, discovered this Invitation Letter of unknown origin.

Based on her fundamental self-preservation instincts, she did not touch the Invitation Letter of unknown origin at that time.

Although Ruan Mei was renowned in the universe and admired by many scholars, she also attracted considerable unwelcome attention, and thus she had always taken care to conceal her whereabouts.

Naturally, Ruan Mei would not rashly touch an Invitation Letter that was clearly directed at her.

Every member of the Genius Club received a Club Pass, which allowed these geniuses to enter a relatively safe banquet dimension.

Ruan Mei could not be certain if this Invitation Letter was a trap with a similar function, a trap designed to capture her.

Therefore, after this Invitation Letter inexplicably appeared, Ruan Mei quickly left the planet, which seemed to no longer be safe.

Until today, according to the contingency measures she had left behind, it seemed no one had visited this planet after her departure.

Furthermore, based on her investigations during this period, similar technologies or creations had not reappeared in the galaxy, which somewhat alleviated her doubts.

Before returning, she had also asked a collaborator to purchase some specialized testing instruments to finally confirm whether the Invitation Letter was a trap.

Ultimately, after repeatedly confirming that no one had visited the laboratory after her departure and that the Invitation Letter was not a trap, she touched the Invitation Letter, which had suddenly appeared on her desk in the surveillance footage.

The moment her fingertips touched the Invitation Letter, the letter, which had appeared unremarkable except for remaining dust-free for over a year, instantly emitted a burst of light, causing her heart to sink.

However, the anticipated trap did not activate. Instead, the Invitation Letter transformed into a communicator that she found somewhat familiar.

Ruan Mei, feeling no energy fluctuations, inspected it thoroughly. She discovered it seemed to be merely a communicator of exceptionally high quality, with nothing else noteworthy about it. She couldn't even detect the slightest fluctuation of Imaginary Energy, which surprised her.

The Invitation Letter had transformed into a communicator of greater mass without absorbing any energy, and even after releasing energy in the form of light.

Although Ruan Mei, specializing in the biological field, was not as broadly interested as her collaborator, she couldn't help but feel a spark of interest.

After all, what she was currently preparing to do also involved this field.

Moreover, compared to her previous suspicion of a trap, Ruan Mei now leaned more towards the idea that this was a prank or a greeting from another member of the Genius Club.

Chapter 89: Ruan Mei's Conjecture and Trial

Based on her understanding of her "kin," the way she greeted them was definitely something they would do, and it could even be considered a rather gentle way of greeting.

Since it was a joke from her "kin," Ruan Mei chose a more direct way to respond—

According to her existing experience, the feedback derived from human emotional expression was not effective on these "kin."

Although a more direct inquiry also yielded no effective response, Ruan Mei felt no disturbance in her heart. The furrow of her brow smoothed out, and she replied:

"It is indeed an interesting technology…

So, what do you intend to do now that you've found me?

If it's about cooperation, I must decline. I already have a suitable partner, and I have no plans to increase my projects at the moment.

Of course, if you intend to use me to prove something, feel free to do so."

Although Ruan Mei herself had no desire to compete or prove herself stronger than others.

However, Ruan Mei did not assume that everyone else was the same just because she was.

On the other side of the universe, seeing the message sent by Ruan Mei, Gwen, who had already brewed himself a pot of tea, raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Judging from the other party's reply, this second 'netizen' seems much more assertive than the first.

And they also seem to be a scientist… or perhaps a holder of some special technology, mistaking the invitation letter for a cooperation proposal… or a probe from someone with ill intentions eyeing the technology?

Judging by the tone of the reply, the other party seems to have been subjected to many similar probes and is in a state of high alert…"

Sketching the other party's image in his mind based on the available information, Gwen carefully considered his reply:

"It seems the method of sending the invitation letter has caused you displeasure. I am very sorry for that.

However, please believe that I have no ill intentions towards you—

In fact, even I myself cannot control where the invitation letter is sent…

In a sense, you can consider this a technology still in its experimental phase, aimed at attempting to cross world barriers and separations, allowing people from different worlds to communicate across those worlds—

If you are unwilling to believe it, you can try replying to me in the written or spoken languages of different planets, continents, countries, regions, or eras.

Based on existing experience, these texts and languages should all be converted into the texts and languages familiar to me, and translated in a relatively accurate manner."

"..."

Ruan Mei, already seated in a chair by the table, looked at Gwen's reply and raised an eyebrow, casting some doubt on her previous assumptions—

From Ruan Mei's understanding, among the members of the Genius Club, apart from Screwllum, who seemed genuinely like a person, few would communicate with others in such… humble tones.

In fact, Ruan Mei had the illusion that she was chatting with a salesperson from the Interastral Peace Corporation or a scholar from the Xianzhou Alliance seeking sponsorship.

However, her speculation about Gwen's identity was fleeting. Ruan Mei glanced at the avatar of the white-haired, blue-eyed youth, which was different from her own blank avatar. As Gwen had said, she began to test it, even using some lost scripts she had discovered while traveling through some destroyed worlds—

She wasn't particularly busy anyway, and it was rare to encounter something interesting, so she didn't mind spending a little time.

Moreover, Ruan Mei also interspersed some scripts that she herself couldn't understand or translate, but had simply recorded, wanting to see if the technology Gwen mentioned could translate them—

Although the Xianzhou Alliance had introduced the "Synesthesia Beacon" technology, which eliminated language as a barrier to interstellar communication.

However, the technical principle of the Synesthesia Beacon merely omitted the process of converting thoughts into language, allowing biological thoughts to communicate directly through language.

Written text, however, was not within the scope of the Synesthesia Beacon's function.

Furthermore, their communication was still separated by a communicator, making Ruan Mei willing to try this verification method.

Meanwhile, Gwen on Earth was also trying to verify the functionality of the chat system in this manner—

"This is..."

Looking at the large block of documentary text sent by the other party, interspersed with some unfamiliar characters and symbols, Gwen chose to take a long screenshot, pondering in his mind—

"Based on the large amount of documentary data, the chat system does indeed translate the text sent by the other party into the language familiar to the user.

However, these scribbles…

Could it be that this person sent something they themselves don't recognize, using me as a translation software?"

Muttering to himself, Gwen sent a screenshot containing the literature translated into simplified Chinese characters and a small number of unfamiliar symbols to the other party, along with his speculation:

"Currently, most of your statements have been translated into a language familiar to me.

As for these untranslated parts…

Could you please help translate them?

We will attempt to upgrade this part to improve your user experience."

Since the other party was suspected to be a scientific researcher, Gwen didn't mind adopting the persona of a technical developer for himself and obtaining information about the chat system from the other party's response.

After all, Gwen, who was exploring the situation of the chat system, was, in a way, a technical developer.

As for whether this would lead to him being underestimated and losing out on more substantial gains?

Gwen was quite open about it—

After all, this wasn't a group chat, so he didn't have to worry about revealing himself to one person and causing distrust from everyone else…

With that thought, Gwen suddenly froze, realizing he might have been too presumptuous. He quickly switched to the chat interface of the first netizen and asked if they had seen any new friends.

In the laboratory on the other side, Ruan Mei looked at Gwen's reply and the literature that had been translated into simplified pictographs, raising an eyebrow slightly—

Some of the things she wrote in lost languages that she had discovered and translated herself were also translated. Only the characters whose meanings she herself didn't understand were left as they were...

"Mhm, those are all characters whose meanings I don't understand either.

From what I can see, your technology can translate all the characters I subjectively understand and send into the languages you are familiar with."

Ruan Mei didn't hide her probing, openly stating it—

After all, it was Gwen himself who had prompted her initial investigation.

However, even as she said this to Gwen, Ruan Mei's gaze shifted slightly as she looked at the communicator in her hand—

Chapter 90: Both Acting and Cocolia's Troubles

Although the vague persona Gwen had presented seemed to match the questions asked, Ruan Mei felt that the questions Gwen posed were less like those of a researcher testing their technology and more like those of a lucky individual probing the function of an unknown item?

Ruan Mei, who often hid her tracks and ventured alone to explore uninhabited planets, frequently encountered such situations.

From Gwen's questions, she discerned some familiar patterns.

However, Ruan Mei didn't jump to any conclusions based on this faint sense of familiarity, merely noting it as a possibility.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Gwen saw Ruan Mei's reply and understood. He then responded as if he were a technical developer looking for a volunteer to try out their product:

"I apologize, but our creation can only translate what you intend to say into a language the other party understands. Unfamiliar characters are not within the translation scope.

Furthermore, thank you for the feedback and support you provided during the test."