Once the matter had been settled.
Asta first greeted Ruan Mei, then took the initiative to greet Bai Heng:
"Hello, I'm the station master of this Space Station. You can just call me Asta."
"Hello, Bai Heng."
Bai Heng gave her hand a simple shake.
But upon hearing that name, Asta, who had grown up in a well-off family and had access to all manner of books from a young age, felt that it sounded familiar.
Bai Heng... Bai Heng... Why did it feel like she had seen that name somewhere before?
But she couldn't recall where she had seen it for the moment, so she could only put the thought aside.
"You all seem to be having quite the lively chat."
The bill had already been paid, and Herta, who had just finished making her escape, naturally returned to Asta's side.
Perhaps because she had been busy enjoying tea and snacks in the meeting room earlier, then helping Ruan Mei distract the other two, she had yet to properly observe Bai Heng.
So after returning to his side, Herta rested two slender, well-defined fingers against her chin. Her deep violet eyes swept over Bai Heng from head to toe before she said in a casual tone:
"You do look like a decent experimental subject."
"I'll take that as a compliment, then," Bai Heng replied with perfect composure.
She turned to Ruan Mei, her words teasing.
"Ruan Mei, is this guy yours now?"
"I advise you not to get any ideas about him, Herta." Ruan Mei's tone was gentle, yet it carried a faint hint of dominance.
"Don't be so tense. Even outside the Simulated Universe, I won't act recklessly." Herta flicked her long silver-brown hair, her presence not inferior to Ruan Mei's in the slightest.
"Oh, you gave him that sword."
As she spoke, Herta noticed the silver cube collapsed within Bai Heng's hand.
Although this ancient sword, modified by Ruan Mei, appeared to be nothing more than a weathered broken blade.
In truth, after obtaining Ruan Mei's consent, Herta had studied it for some time.
During her research, she discovered that the broken sword seemed to have received the blessing of "Preservation," and that it still contained traces of power related to Stellarons—
"Destruction" power.
Even among the countless precious curios gathered at Herta Space Station, such an existence was exceptionally rare.
"I previously offered to trade other curios from the Space Station for it. I was even willing to take a loss, yet you still refused to give me this sword. But the moment he shows up, you hand it over to him directly?" There seemed to be a hint of grievance in Herta's voice.
Ruan Mei spoke calmly:
"This was his sword to begin with. I merely returned it to its rightful owner."
"Oh?" Herta narrowed her beautiful violet eyes, her gaze falling on Bai Heng again. "Hey, I want to make a deal with you. Give me the sword in your hand, and you can choose any three weapons from the Space Station's curios. How about it? That's not a losing deal for you, is it?"
The silver cube floated above Bai Heng's palm. He looked at Herta, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
"Beg me."
"Please, trade it with me," Herta said without the slightest hesitation.
"No."
"You..." Herta had no resistance to asking someone for something, but she hadn't expected Bai Heng to be just as shameless as she was.
The look in someone's eyes when they wanted to stab a person couldn't be hidden. Herta's gaze at Bai Heng now carried precisely that meaning.
Of course, the expression displayed by Herta's puppet looked more like she desperately wanted the sword but couldn't have it, so angry that she was on the verge of breaking down, crying and throwing a tantrum. So pitiful!
But Bai Heng knew when to stop, so he spoke again:
"If Ms. Herta is also willing to cooperate with the Interastral Astronomical Society, then this sword can be lent to you for research at any time."
Hearing this, Herta paused slightly. The anger in her eyes gradually faded. She tapped her fingers lightly and said:
"If I can study both the man and the sword together, then I can accept that."
"Deal—"
Before Bai Heng could finish, someone stepped on his foot.
He slowly lowered his head and discovered a pair of delicate jade feet, clad in high heels, resting atop his foot.
The tips of the high heels were carved with plum blossoms, and from behind the heels, he could see the pale ankles left exposed.
"What is it, my dear assistant?" Ruan Mei tilted her head slightly. Her willow brows slanted, and her expression was utterly innocent.
"Uh..." Bai Heng was speechless. After a moment of silence, he said:
"Ms. Ruan Mei, there's something I need to tell you. For certain people with special preferences, what you're doing is actually a form of reward. Unfortunately, I'm one of them."
Her expression stiffened slightly. Ruan Mei pressed her lower lip together and withdrew her foot, while the way she looked at Bai Heng became somewhat strange.
Having dealt with that side of things, Bai Heng turned back to Herta.
"Ms. Herta, I'm now Ms. Ruan Mei's experimental assistant. If you can persuade Ms. Ruan Mei, then naturally I can agree to your request."
When it came to this sort of problem, Bai Heng decisively chose to pass the buck.
After receiving this answer, Herta narrowed her eyes slightly. Her violet pupils blinked as if she had figured something out, then she readily agreed:
"Then it's settled. I, Herta, one of the creators of the Simulated Universe, agree to establish a cooperative relationship with the Interastral Astronomical Society."
This visit to Herta Space Station had been highly rewarding for both the Interastral Astronomical Society and the company.
When Charles, who had been conducting research in the Curio Collection Room, learned that both Ruan Mei and Herta, members of the Genius Society, had decided to establish cooperative relations with the Interastral Astronomical Society, he couldn't help but revise his opinion of Bai Heng, whom he had previously thought too young.
On the way back to the starship.
Faced with another parting after their brief reunion, Ruan Mei saw Bai Heng off.
Standing outside the starship, Ruan Mei handed Bai Heng a packet of salted plum blossom cakes she had prepared in advance and said:
"For a while after this, I won't be at the Space Station. If you want to contact me, log into the 'Hyperfrequency Remote Sensing' chat channel. This is my account. Remember it."
"Mm, so your foot..."
"Of course, I'll also return to the Space Station regularly or visit the Interastral Astronomical Society. When that happens, you can come to me for physical examinations anytime, my dear assistant."
"I know, so could you lift your foot..."
"I can tell from your expression that you stayed up late last night. Get some proper rest. Don't work too hard."
"Thank you for your concern, so A Ruan, your foot..."
Ruan Mei lowered her eyes slightly and raised the tip of her foot a little.
"Didn't you say this was also a form of reward?"
"A little reward is good for the heart; too much is bad for the body," Bai Heng said with a straight face. "Also, I suggest not wearing shoes next time."
Before you continue