Chapter 30

Asta had no idea how much time had passed. The moment their lips met, she lost control of her thoughts, drifting between shyness and exhilaration. How could she have any energy left to pay attention to anything else?

Not until even a Pathstrider's physique could no longer sustain such an extended kiss, and the Station Master's exquisite, flawless face had flushed bright red from holding her breath, did Hua Yi finally let her go—lest the breathless girl really faint from his kisses.

Hm, thinking about it carefully, that did seem rather nice. It would let Asta truly fall asleep. He still remembered which cabinet she had taken that pillow and folding Lounge Chair from last time.

Seeing the eagerness in Hua Yi's eyes, the girl shrank back, her face crimson.

"L-let me catch my breath."

"And then?"

"And then, of course, I'll continue... continue managing the Space Station!"

"All departments have already received clear instructions. You can check the terminal if you want. For the next several dozen System Time893, there shouldn't be any heavy work that requires the Station Master personally. By the time that period is over, the post-disaster reconstruction projects should be nearly complete as well. After all, the Legion never truly breached the Space Station, and the damage remains within optimistic estimates."

As Hua Yi spoke, he brought up a Holographic Projection for Asta to see.

The Station Master was thus astonished to discover that the complicated work she had thought would require overtime just to barely sort through had truly been settled by the time she woke up.

Wait, I didn't sleep for a long time, did I?!

The girl hurriedly checked the System Time.

Two System Hours was not particularly long when treated as work time, but when she thought of Hua Yi maintaining the same posture while she slept for so long, Asta could not help extending her fair fingers to knead the shoulder she had leaned against earlier, massaging her beloved who had served as her pillow for such a long time.

"Come on, do you think your little bit of weight could crush my shoulder?"

Catching the Station Master's soft hand, Hua Yi knew the Space Station's affairs involved more than internal cleanup.

"The news of the Antimatter Legion's attack should have reached certain factions by now. Herta is focused on building the Simulated Universe, so you'll still need to handle dealings with the outside world. The relevant messages should have been sent to the Station Master's Email. I haven't overstepped my bounds."

There was no need to dwell on that.

Asta immediately opened her personal email interface, linked it to Hua Yi's account, and granted him full access and usage permissions. Then she directly opened the latest few messages.

"The Interastral Peace Corporation has already assembled security forces. Topaz, a Senior Executive from the Strategic Investment Department who has dealt with the Space Station before and is also my friend, was originally supposed to come provide support. But since you directly eliminated the Voidrangers and the Doomsday Beast, the Company instead decided to send technical personnel to assist with reconstruction. All expenses will be reimbursed by them."

"It seems the Company is offering the Space Station considerable support."

"Because they hope Madam Herta can become a driving force in the scientific community and even the civilization of the entire universe, like that Lielta from the Genius Club once was."

Lielta, the first publicly known Genius Club Member, established universal principles for the wider cosmos, turning the universe from a distant concept into an objective existence that could be sensed, understood, and measured.

He selflessly shared his talents with those who sought wisdom, driving galactic civilization ever onward—people often said that the countless branches of science had been built upon Lielta's shoulders. Mathematicians and engineers across innumerable Amber Eras had continued scaling new heights, yet they had never reached even the giant's earlobe.

Asta knew she did not need to specifically tell Hua Yi about this Genius. He surely already knew.

"Even though Madam Herta has never shown much interest in it, the Company has continued providing long-term support."

"Because the investment pays off. Experts and scholars from across the stars gather at the Space Station, and when they achieve commercially valuable results, they often prefer to cooperate with the Company or let it buy them out outright. Exchanges of interests between factions are perfectly normal. However, Herta probably does not care about any of that. She accepts every benefit the Company offers, yet never deliberately returns the favor. That must make things rather difficult for them."

"Exactly! Especially since Madam Herta often shops entirely based on her interests, and many of the things she buys have little research or economic value. The Interastral Peace Corporation eventually felt that reimbursing everything indiscriminately was against regulations. The last time Topaz came to collect the debt, I was the one who paid the bill."

Even now, Asta remembered how that puppet girl had pretended to be casual while actually hurrying away at racewalking speed, tossing the mess to her to clean up.

Speaking of Madam Herta's willfulness, the Station Master helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead, trying hard to restrain the urge to complain.

"This time, the Company's attitude toward supporting the Space Station's reconstruction is very clear. From the injured personnel's medical expenses to facility repairs and replacements, they're reimbursing everything cleanly and without hesitation. It's a silver lining, at least. Aside from their support for Madam Herta and the fact that the Space Station is an important partner, the Company is also curious about how no one died during this Antimatter Legion attack. They hope to learn the details—I wanted to ask for your opinion."

"Just answer truthfully. You can include some surveillance footage."

Hua Yi understood Asta's meaning, his expression remaining calm.

Given the Interastral Peace Corporation's scale, it was impossible for them to pay excessive attention merely because someone could wipe out Voidrangers and a Doomsday Beast. Just as the words implied, a few people had simply become curious.

The limited surveillance footage alone could not determine what kind of Path power the Godfall Sword carried. That did not hinder Hua Yi from continuing to quietly understand the Cosmic Truth and using Imaginary Energy to draw upon different Paths.

"Overconcealment would only look suspicious. Share the information that ordinary staff already know and satisfy those people in the Company. I don't mind being labeled [Preservation], [Wisdom], or [Destruction]."

Because that would not cause any substantive effect on the level of Paths.

As long as no Aeon personally left a mark on him...

The Best Pillow

Asta herself was the daughter of a great family. She knew that the larger an organization was, the more complicated its internal structure became. Even relatives within a family schemed and plotted against one another. With the Interastral Peace Corporation's scale, even if those at the very top were fanatical followers of the Amber Lord, the thoughts of the middle and lower ranks would still be very pragmatic.

Department supervisors and subordinate employees appeared to have close working relationships, serving the Interastral Peace Corporation together. Yet if one learned more details—if one knew that confirmed [Preservation] Emissaries existed among the Company's upper leadership, while ordinary employees were not even Pathstriders and still exhausted themselves chasing performance targets—then one would understand the gap between them.

It was like the distance between heaven and earth. They were not even on the same level.

If Hua Yi's accomplishments became known to the Company, one could imagine employees hoping to bypass Herta Space Station and obtain the intellectual property rights to the Seed of Erudition, along with all kinds of online promotions, business cooperation proposals, and interview invitations.

Moreover, he had turned the tide during this Legion Attack. If the Company, which followed the Path of Preservation, gave him a little publicity, becoming famous throughout the universe would naturally not be a bad thing. But if that made people focus on him—if the Interastral Peace Corporation and Antimatter Legion, two colossal entities respectively pursuing [Preservation] and [Destruction], clashed even slightly—Hua Yi might be dragged into it.

Saying a single misstep would lead to eternal damnation was certainly an exaggeration. If getting involved meant entering danger, then not so many people across the endless sea of stars would dream of joining the Company. Asta merely wanted to minimize every factor that could negatively affect Hua Yi.

I should contact Topaz later.

The various departments' research into the Key of Inspiration had already begun to show results. Before long, they would create Academic Achievements one after another. Together with the Kaliba formula and the internal intelligence from this Legion Attack, it would be enough for Topaz, as the Company's representative, to serve as Hua Yi's direct contact. Anyone else who wanted to exploit loopholes for profit would have to get past a Senior Executive of the Company's Strategic Investment Department.

As for her remaining concerns, she could also resolve them through discussions with Topaz.

During the battle against the Doomsday Beast, Asta had been unable to charge at the forefront alongside Hua Yi as Star had. But in other fields, where there were no flashing blades and yet matters could sometimes be even more complicated than direct conflict, the girl had considered every possible angle for everyone's hero and for the person she liked.

"In a few days, I'll introduce you to a company executive. She's very shrewd and likes calculating investments and returns, but she definitely isn't a hypocritical, unpleasant person."

"Going straight to an executive-level contact..."

After only a brief moment of thought, Hua Yi roughly guessed Asta's considerations.

"Since I need to demonstrate value, I'll put up a little more as a bargaining chip. The Seed of Erudition Rite still has room for improvement. [Key of Inspiration] is merely a basic product. Going one step further, I can condense a [Key of Enlightenment]."

"!"

Even with the Station Master's composure, she could not help being shocked by those words.

"What level of item is that?"

"An intermediate product of the Seed of Erudition. If the Key of Inspiration embodies a spark of thought, then the Key of Enlightenment is enough to unlock the locks of riddles. It can also offer a degree of help to Walkers of the [Wisdom] Path. It should have enough value to make the Company help me settle the aftermath of eliminating a small Antimatter Legion force."

"There's no need to go that far."

"The Key of Enlightenment is far more difficult to make than the Key of Inspiration. Even if I shared the entire process of using the Secret Ritual with the Scholars of the Department of Secret Scrolls, unless they already walked the [Wisdom] Path, they would have no chance of reproducing it. And even if Walkers of Wisdom barely managed to create a Key of Enlightenment, the price they paid would almost cancel out the returns."

It was something Hua Yi had condensed by combining his understanding of Paths with his control over Imaginary Energy. It was an achievement forged from knowledge and ability. Though it could not be called painstaking work, it was not something others could easily replicate.

"Essentially, I'm displaying an exclusive product to the Interastral Peace Corporation. Its value also happens to complement the combat strength I showed in eliminating the Doomsday Beast, so there won't be any negative chain reactions. The Space Station can also naturally ask this investor to contribute a bit more."

"...If you've already thought it through, the Space Station will protect the intellectual property rights and related interests. How should I put it? I am relieved, but it still feels like you're losing out a little."

"The Secret Ritual is merely a byproduct of my study of Paths. There's no need to dwell on it too much. By the way, how has the Erudition Society responded to this attack?"

"Half of them are laughing at Madam Herta, and half want to offer assistance. They said that as long as the Space Station acknowledges that the Erudition Society is no less than the Genius Club, they'll spare no effort in helping."

Hearing that, Hua Yi smiled.

"Both sides belong to the Wisdom camp, yet the Erudition Society's attitude is rather interesting. How do you plan to respond?"

"I'll tell the truth and say the Space Station was never breached. Otherwise, the Erudition Society could only send messages to the Legion. Since communications have now been restored, there's no need for the Society to worry about the follow-up work."

There was a hint of retaliation beneath the politeness. It seemed Asta had grown accustomed to "friendly exchanges" with the Erudition Society.

Glancing at the email interface displayed on the projection screen and confirming that the marked faction emails had all been handled, Hua Yi smoothly picked up the Station Master's last words.

"You don't need to keep watching over the follow-up work, either."

"Is that so..."

Asta tilted her head, leaving behind her serious discussion of the situation. Her lovely eyes held a mischievous glint, along with a trace of hidden shyness.

She patted her neatly pressed-together thighs.

"Then it should be your turn to rest for a while. Hurry and lie down!"

"Is it possible that we could rest at the same time?"

"Ah!"

The girl let out a cry, not because she had suddenly realized a better solution, but because a certain association had made her exceedingly embarrassed.

Seeing that her head practically seemed ready to steam, Hua Yi kindly added an explanation.

"For example, I could return to my dormitory and you could return to your residence. We could each go to sleep, or else—"

Or else what, sleep in the same bed?

Why did he stop halfway through?!

Hearing his deliberately drawn-out tone, how could the clever Asta not realize he was teasing her on purpose? Embarrassed and annoyed, she immediately grabbed Hua Yi's head and pressed it down onto her lap.

"I've slept enough. Now it's your turn to get some proper rest. Hurry, hurry, close your eyes!"

"Mm."

A beautiful girl's lap pillow was undoubtedly the most comfortable and wonderful pillow in the world...

Childhood Sweetheart, You Pass!

"Have you heard? This Antimatter Legion attack was hundreds, even thousands of times more terrifying than we imagined. The number of Voidrangers Madam Herta's puppets eliminated in the Safe Zone was actually only a tiny fraction. The army of monsters outside was all held back by Lord Hua Yi."

After work, the female staff members who had been busy with reconstruction finally had some free time. They picked up their Smart Terminals and poured into the Fan Group to chat, exchanging the bits of news they had each heard.

"Voidranger: Reavers are the Legion's basic combat units. They may sound like cannon fodder, but they carry Antimatter and Negative Particles. You should understand how dangerous those things are. Yet they couldn't even last a single breath beneath Lord Hua Yi's sword."

"One breath? According to the instruments' observation data, the Legion launched at least a thousand large-scale attacks. If it took a breath to deal with each Reaver, how could Lord Hua Yi have protected all of us in time? It was entire swathes of Reavers that couldn't endure even one breath in the sea of flames."

"I told you, Reavers are merely the basic combat units among the Voidrangers. Stronger than them are Voidranger: Eliminators, then Voidranger: Distorters that withstand the Annihilation Effect, and Trampler that fuse fragments of ancient beasts. Each was more terrifying than the last, yet none managed to break through the defensive line Lord Hua Yi built alone."

Their idol had become a hero. On top of his scientific talent and personal charm, he now possessed enough strength to protect everyone. How could the Fan Group members not be captivated by him?

"I think Lord Hua Yi is a Pathstrider of [Destruction]. That's how he could summon Hellfire and defend the Space Station."

"The Antimatter Legion are followers of Destruction. How could [Destruction] fight [Destruction]? Your argument makes no sense at all."

"How does it not make sense! The Aeon of Destruction, Nanook, saw the supreme truth of Destruction that surpassed the Legion and lowered his gaze for it. That's Lord Hua Yi's charm, okay!"

"It's obviously [Preservation]! I've seen Lord Hua Yi's weapon, a Flame Sword wreathed in blazing fire. Legend says that when Qlipoth, the Amber Lord, swings his great hammer, sparks of fire burst forth. They're both fire, and combined with his act of Preservation in protecting us, he's undoubtedly on the [Preservation] Path. What are you all even thinking? How did you connect him to Destruction?"

"It's [Wisdom], [Wisdom]! Lord Hua Yi's wisdom is unfathomable, his knowledge extensive. He created an entirely new High-level Rite and helped every department involved in different fields of research improve their work. Isn't that something we all know? Why are you all making wild guesses based on such superficial details?"

Everyone in the group was a Space Station member. Although many only held Level II Permission and belonged to the ordinary majority in the Starry Sky Museum, they had passed the selection process. Outside, each of them would be considered an exceptional young woman. When voicing their opinions, they all spoke with confidence and reason.

Wen Shiling, the little girl from the Department of Applied Materials, watched the group chat while putting on the air of a Fan Group administrator. She looked up and down at the gray-haired girl who had previously tried to rummage through Trash Cans around the Space Station, then curiously asked about all kinds of gossip after Wen Shiling stopped her.

"Do you know Brother Hua Yi?"

"I do. I've known him ever since I had memories."

"You're actually that close?!"

Star had originally been listening to Wen Shiling, who looked nothing like a staff member and more like someone's child, explain the function of the Curios [Heart of Total Eclipse].

That was a great thing. It could break down discarded items and convert them into materials usable by laboratories. Didn't that mean every trash can on the Space Station was a treasure chest? Anything could be turned from waste into treasure.

She had been about to ask how she could apply to use Heart of Total Eclipse. Maybe then the Galaxy Bat Hero could collect all the trash on the Space Station and use that Curios to earn her first pot of gold.

Maybe one bin would not even be enough. She could fill several!

However, Wen Shiling said that discarded items on the Space Station belonged to the various departments, and the materials produced by Heart of Total Eclipse would be returned according to shares. They did not belong to any individual staff member.

The trash can treasure chest plan had failed miserably!

"Then let me ask you this. Among the three Paths of [Destruction], [Preservation], and [Wisdom], which one do you think Brother Hua Yi walks? Which Aeon favors him?"

"Uh... does it have to be one of those three?"

Star had fought alongside Hua Yi before. In the time node of The Moment of Eternity, she had also received the gaze of Nanook, the Aeon of Destruction, personally experienced Path power, and used it...

She could naturally tell that Hua Yi had used the power of the [Destruction] Path then, but saying it directly did not seem appropriate. Hua Yi himself had never deliberately publicized it.

Besides, who was the Aeon of Destruction? Nanook! The demon king Hua Yi said would get a huge bump on his head from being struck. Since that Aeon had so generously allowed Hua Yi to wield the Power of Destruction, there was no reason the Aeons of Preservation and Wisdom would be particularly stingy.

Those were Aeons, after all.

"I think the Aeons corresponding to all three Paths probably favor him."

"!"