For ordinary people, abstruse papers and research in academic fields had little to do with them.
But the romance or scandal involving Ruan Mei, member #81 of the Genius Society...
That was a topic capable of drawing widespread attention.
Now this was truly making journalism work.
When the reporter asked that question, everyone present turned their eyes toward the cool beauty at the center of the venue.
Among these scholars, some had dealt with Ruan Mei before and knew full well that she had no interest whatsoever in romance between men and women.
Others had once tried to pursue this stunning beauty of the Genius Society.
Unfortunately, after repeatedly hitting walls, those self-important scholars publicly claimed that Ruan Mei suffered from misandry and felt sick at the sight of men.
In their eyes, their romance had been treated like dirt and their charm casually ignored. How could a woman like that possibly have a lover?
In the VIP section, Bai Heng swallowed.
Seeing this, Herta said coldly,
"The one being questioned is Ruan Mei. Why are you nervous? Are you worried she won't acknowledge your relationship, or worried she'll kick you to the curb?"
"If I said I was worried she would acknowledge our relationship, would you believe me?" Bai Heng said sheepishly.
He was exceptionally nervous right now.
This academic forum, held on the interastral internet, was open to every faction across the cosmos, and the Interastral Peace Weekly would be giving it extensive coverage.
If Ruan Mei acknowledged her relationship with him under these circumstances...
Then perhaps Jingliu would come charging over from the Xianzhou the very next day, press a sword to his throat, and ask him for his last words.
He watched Ruan Mei anxiously.
At that moment, she happened to look in Bai Heng's direction as well.
The two smiled at each other in tacit understanding.
Only, Bai Heng's smile looked painfully stiff no matter how one looked at it.
The next moment, Ruan Mei, the focus of everyone's attention, spoke.
"I already have a lover."
Silence. A deathly silence.
But immediately afterward, the entire venue erupted.
Ruan Mei, member #81 of the Genius Society, had a lover.
That was a bombshell big enough to shake half the academic world.
When Herta had announced her cooperation with the Interastral Peace Corporation, the Interastral Peace Corporation had written extensively about it, practically wanting the entire cosmos to know.
And now, a genius of the Genius Society had publicly announced that she had a lover.
No matter who that person was, the major factions watching the livestream would do everything they could to win him over.
"Oh, I get it. You're worried that once your relationship with Ruan Mei is exposed, someone will assassinate you, right? In this situation, it could very well be a love rival. I have my anti-fan association, after all, and Ruan Mei naturally has her own fan group too. I think it's called the Ruan Fan Association? They're all fanatical supporters of Ruan Mei who believe that Lady Ruan Mei is sacred and inviolable. Of course, there's another possibility. Certain factions might harm you and use you to threaten Ruan Mei in order to recruit her." Herta breezily glossed over such a serious subject.
Bai Heng felt a chill run down his spine.
So once his identity was exposed, he would have to face threats from three different directions.
If the people from that Ruan Fan Association found out that he was a bastard two-timing their idol, they would probably embark upon The Hunt and chase him to the ends of the universe.
At that moment, the Interastral Peace Weekly reporter struck while the iron was hot.
"Lady Ruan Mei, may I ask whether your beloved is here tonight?"
"He is here," Ruan Mei replied, her expression still calm.
As soon as the words fell,
everyone at the venue began looking around.
Especially the scholars who had interacted with Ruan Mei before, as well as those who had pursued her.
They could not understand it. Had that man saved the world in his previous life? How else could he have such outrageously absurd luck!?
To follow the crowd, Bai Heng also shook his head around and looked at the people nearby.
Herta watched him speechlessly from the side.
The Interastral Peace Weekly reporter continued at this point.
"Then, Lady Ruan Mei, could you let him greet everyone here?"
When he asked that question, the scholars at the venue all turned their gazes toward Ruan Mei again.
But upon hearing it, Ruan Mei shook her head and said,
"Sorry, but I do not wish for you to disturb him."
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Though somewhat disappointed, the reporter still gave a slight bow and said,
"Thank you very much for your answer, Lady Ruan Mei."
"Heh, she's pretty protective of her man," Herta commented.
After hearing that answer, every scholar present showed immense disappointment.
Some were simply curious about what kind of person could possibly be worthy of a genius like Lady Ruan Mei.
Others were unconvinced. They did not believe anyone in this world could make this lofty flower yield, or warm that coldest block of ice.
As for Bai Heng,
he had just experienced the most thrilling roller coaster ride of his life, and the heart he had been holding in his throat finally settled.
After Ruan Mei left the center of the venue, she did not return to the VIP section.
As one of the Interastral Peace Weekly's headlines today, plenty of people were still watching her every move.
To avoid suspicion, she naturally would not return to Bai Heng's side.
The academic exchange continued as usual, but many people had already become distracted.
One reason was the huge revelation about Ruan Mei, member #81 of the Genius Society. The other was that the upcoming auction was the real main event.
Time passed second by second.
Only after the final scholar had presented his paper did the venue announce a ten-minute intermission.
Bai Heng noticed that during this time, almost no one left their seat. Everyone remained sitting upright and proper.
During the academic exchange, Herta had still been sampling the desserts before her one by one, but now she put down her knife and fork.
In the corners of the venue, where there were no seats, several data projections also appeared.
Clearly, these people had not received invitations from the organizers, yet they had successfully hacked into Punklorde's internet and projected themselves into the venue.
Time was like a golden hourglass, its flow seemingly becoming tangible.
Ten minutes later.
Dong, dong, dong.
With not a second's deviation, three dull chimes rang out and echoed through the spacious venue.
All the lights went out, and the venue fell into a prolonged silence.
Herta handed Bai Heng a tablet and said,
"As VIPs, we can buy the auction items tonight through markups. You can take a look."
Taking the tablet, Bai Heng browsed the items listed on it.
As a P40-level executive of the Interastral Peace Corporation, most of the auction items were within a price range he could bid on.
Bai Heng did indeed find several collectibles and curios that interested him.
"By the way, Herta, do you know what tonight's finale items are?" Bai Heng asked.
"There are two." Herta seemed somewhat bored, but she was not impatient with Bai Heng's question.
"One of them is a top-tier curio. It came from Punklorde's 'The Sage,' the creator of Aether Editing technology—a weirdo who named himself after The Deceased. To leave the planet, he willingly abandoned his physical body, broke into the Dark Domain, and became a ghost forever wandering the interastral internet. This curio is the first Aetherium Chip he left behind, called the 'Origin Chip.' It contains all the code left behind by The Sage, and its value is immeasurable."
"And the second is a star..."
Before Herta could finish, a bodyguard suddenly rushed in, approached her, and whispered several words into her ear.
After hearing them, Herta's expression changed slightly. She instantly rose to her feet and said,
"Bai Heng, leave with me."
At the same time, an elegant yet eerie cello melody sounded through the venue. Its tune, like a final death knell, entered everyone's ears.
The crimson curtain slowly parted, revealing a thin man with a Wendigo-like head. Dressed in a black-and-white suit, draped in a black leather cape lined with red, and clutching a scepter in both hands, he stood there.
He elegantly took a step forward. Burning flames emerged from his nostrils and hollow eyes, before finally forming a crown forged from blood and fire atop his skull.
His majestic, hoarse voice rang beside everyone's ears.
"Everyone, why rush to leave?"
"On such a wonderful night, why not stay and admire Destruction's magnificent moment, and enjoy tonight's feast?"
"Enjoy Duke Inferno Afrit's invitation."
Let me clarify something here: the current timeline of this book takes place after the Stellaron crises in Belobog and the Xianzhou Luofu have been resolved, but before Topaz goes to Belobog to collect the debt.
Belobog's storyline will be written later as well, and the protagonist's group may meet there too.
Also, this book is currently in its debut verification period. Please, please do not let chapters pile up unread. Remember to keep reading, or the book might die from being neglected. Thank you.
Before you continue