After a few brief pleasantries, Ruan Mei's gaze drifted toward the formal dress Bai Ming was wearing—an outfit that clearly didn't match her usual style.
"Bai Ming, did you stay overnight at Herta City?"
"…Ah, yeah."
Caught off guard by Ruan Mei's sudden question, Bai Ming's face flushed a deep crimson.
Memories of that fleeting, breathtaking glimpse from this morning's dressing session flashed through her mind, making her answer come out a bit choppy and hesitant.
Seeing this reaction, Ruan Mei's eyebrows arched slightly.
It wasn't like this was the first time Bai Ming had stayed the night.
Aside from Bai Ming, Ruan Mei and Screwllum had both spent time resting here before. Ruan Mei herself had even changed into outfits that suited Herta's specific tastes.
Was there really a need for such a reaction at this point?
It looked very much like something had happened during last night's stay.
Otherwise, why the flustered act?
Divine Herta, meanwhile, turned her gaze toward Madam Herta.
She seemed to be wondering if this other version of herself had actually developed those kinds of feelings. To Divine Herta, the idea was truly a rarity.
After all, her past self had never once been moved by romance; she had been far too overwhelmed just researching how to expand the boundaries of knowledge. Who had the leisure for anything else?
Furthermore, while Divine Herta truly admired Bai Ming—finding her almost absurdly formidable—she had never honestly considered whether there were romantic feelings involved.
Still, she had heard that the history between her other self and Bai Ming stretched all the way back to the era when the Herta Space Station first launched.
Looking at Bai Ming's face now… well, she was exactly the type she would find attractive.
Perhaps it wasn't entirely impossible.
Off to the side, Screwllum generally refrained from joining such conversations.
As a mechanical being and a gentleman, it was difficult for him to interject in an exchange between several ladies.
However, he quite enjoyed sitting by and watching. It was fascinating; it allowed him to witness a great deal of the "human touch" within these Geniuses.
Particularly after spending so much time with Bai Ming, both Herta and Ruan Mei—and even himself—seemed to have changed because of her.
Under the collective gaze of Ruan Mei and the others, Bai Ming's mind was a whirlwind of everything that had happened between her and Herta last night.
This was obviously not the kind of thing one brought up in a setting like this.
But she quickly realized that her discretion was useless, because Herta decided it was something worth mentioning.
Seeing Bai Ming acting like a nervous wreck was starting to annoy Herta, though she simultaneously found the behavior somewhat cute in a certain sense. Regardless, Herta couldn't stand the indecisiveness.
Taking a calm sip of her tea, Herta spoke with complete composure:
"Due to a bit of a misunderstanding, Bai Ming slept with me last night. She probably hasn't quite recovered yet. It's understandable, though—sharing a bed with someone as perfect as me is bound to leave anyone in a daze."
Herta tilted her head back slightly, her tone devoid of any bashfulness or discomfort.
Instead, it was brimming with pride in her own beauty. While she disliked it when others acted coy, Bai Ming was only doing so because of her.
Since she was so beautiful, it was only natural for people to be captivated, so she could find it in herself to be a little forgiving.
"…?!"
Bai Ming's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Herta, but Herta merely gave a soft huff and glanced at Ruan Mei.
Her expression seemed to say, 'See? This person is so utterly infatuated with my beauty that she still hasn't snapped out of it.'
A subtle smile played on Ruan Mei's lips. She looked from Herta to Bai Ming, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"Now I'm even more curious. Exactly what kind of 'misunderstanding' leads to Bai Ming lying down in your bedroom, Herta?"
"You'll have to ask this dummy."
"Hey!"
Herta didn't pull any punches, and Bai Ming wasn't about to just take it. "Call me a dummy again and I won't share the secrets of the Aeons with you later."
"..."
Herta pursed her lips and shot Bai Ming a glare. Childish! How old are you, still using elementary school threats?
"Fine, fine. You're not a dummy. Happy?"
Hearing that response, Bai Ming suppressed the urge to use the power of Permanence to stretch Herta out into a 'Long Herta.'
Ruan Mei laughed softly. "It's actually quite surprising that Herta would allow someone else to sleep in her bed."
"I'm surprised too. After all, I've never shared a bed with anyone myself," Divine Herta added with a nod.
No one knew Herta better than she knew herself. Despite the sharp tongue and arrogance, Herta was a total shut-in who maintained a massive amount of personal space.
Staying in a guest room in Herta City was one thing; climbing into Herta's own bed was an entirely different league.
Herta remained unfazed, showing no sign of wavering under the scrutiny.
"It was mostly because she's been working so hard lately. The moment she hit the pillow, she lost consciousness. It wouldn't have been right to kick her off."
At this explanation, Ruan Mei looked at Bai Ming with a warm smile. "You've worked hard. And welcome back safely."
"It was alright. Aside from being exhausting, it wasn't actually that dangerous. Anyway, let's talk about what I've gathered recently."
Bai Ming was still a bit embarrassed, but facing Ruan Mei's gentle smile felt like a refreshing spring breeze. It was definitely time to change the subject.
She had a feeling that if they kept talking, Herta would start bragging about how comfortable she was to use as a body pillow.
Watching the interaction between his companions, Screwllum felt a sense of poignancy.
Madam Herta and Madam Ruan Mei seemed far more approachable now than when they first met. Moreover, the bond between these few seemed to have moved a step forward.
Even though Bai Ming had touched the realm of the Aeons, she hadn't detached herself from the mortal world like the others. This made Screwllum both reflective and curious.
Of course, if Herta could hear what Screwllum was thinking, she would have laughed out loud.
Bai Ming indeed hadn't become like the other Aeons, but in Herta's view, it wasn't because she had some grand philosophy.
It was simply because she was too dense to realize the uniqueness of her own status; she hadn't shifted her perspective at all.
Despite collaborating with these Geniuses for so long, she still lacked the self-awareness and mindset of one.
Even though the name 'Bai Ming' had been famous for centuries, the problem was that she never used her real name while traveling. That habit had persisted to this day.
The girl didn't even have a proper grasp of her own weight as a Genius before she went and rocketed straight to the level of an Aeon.
Herta could bet anything that Bai Ming had no real concept of what being an Aeon actually entailed.
Considering she had the nerve to go charging off to the Xianzhou Fanghu as the Aeon of Elation to perform 'miracles' for the Vidyadhara—solving the reproduction issues of the Scions of Permanence and provoking the Aeon of Equilibrium into showing up personally—she clearly did things without considering the consequences.
That was exactly why she either had to go to the borders of IX or stay here in Herta City. Otherwise, there was no telling how much trouble would come knocking.
Now, Herta was simply curious: how many hundreds of years would it take for Bai Ming to realize she was currently standing at the very peak of the universe?
Bai Ming, the lady currently sitting at the peak of the universe, was naturally unaware of Herta's inner monologue. At the moment, she only intended to share her findings.
"I'll start with the situation on the Fanghu..."
Bai Ming had no intention of hoarding the secrets of the Aeons or the details of her recent experiences.
To put it bluntly, those who were capable of interacting with Aeons would find out eventually. And for those who couldn't reach that level, what good would the knowledge do them anyway?
For instance, the fact that a portion of the Path contains the Will of the Aeon—it was true that people in the past never knew this, making it an incredibly exclusive secret.
But the question remained: what if they did know? Ordinary Pathstriders who could practice their Path to a level rivaling an Emanator were already one in a million.
So, Bai Ming saw no reason to hide any of it. She'd just treat it like telling Herta and the others some fresh stories.
She gave a simple rundown of what she went to do on the Fanghu, the sudden intervention of Equilibrium and its goals, and what she discovered when she attempted to take control of a complete Path under that pressure.
While Screwllum and the others were initially surprised, they soon realized the information was more of a novelty than anything truly practical.
If it had any real use, it was probably just a reminder for Herta and the others that they shouldn't study the "Elation Equation" to 100%.
Divine Herta looked at Bai Ming, rubbing her chin. "But then again, is there anyone else in this world besides you who can master the power of a Path without actually aligning with its philosophy?"
Bai Ming had said that the final 1% represented the Aeon's Will. However, for a normal Pathstrider, the act of walking the Path was itself a process of gradually aligning with that Will.
For a normal person, if they actually reached the 99% mark, their own will and the Aeon's would likely be indistinguishable.
Bai Ming paused, then shook her head.
"I think it's different. That 1% felt less like 'Will' and more like the 'Aeon' itself. Either way, when I touched that part, it didn't feel right."
"But like you said, I've never actually 'practiced' a Path, so my feelings might not be the best reference. Just... keep your eyes peeled if you ever truly reach that step."
"No way to verify it, then..." Divine Herta shrugged helplessly.
This was why the intel was a bit "chicken rib"—unpalatable yet a waste to throw away.
They couldn't even test it; they had to rely entirely on Bai Ming's subjective impression. It was a bit too unscientific.
That said, caution was still warranted. The Path of Elation was certainly useful, but it hadn't improved her opinion of Aha one bit. So, even if it was just a possibility, neither of the Hertas had any intention of truly practicing the philosophy of Elation.
Suddenly, Herta spoke up. "For you, if you're missing that 1%, where do you fall short compared to a real Aeon?"
"You mean compared to Aha?"
Bai Ming rubbed her chin, adopting a thoughtful expression. In reality, she was peering through the Path to look at the Aha that was currently wandering somewhere in the universe.
That was something she didn't quite dare to call just yet.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL