[The man walked slowly toward Stelle, approaching with an unhurried and imposing aura.]
["Before Lady Herta's puppet was attacked, the last person who saw it… was her."]
[He leaned forward slightly, his face very close to hers. Stelle could even see the faint light flowing in his pupils — they did not look like ordinary human eyes, but more like some kind of precision instrument silently analyzing her every reaction.]
[He smiled faintly, then stood up and walked to the side. Stelle stared at him in a daze, feeling he looked familiar yet unable to recall where. "You are…?"]
[Asta cleared her throat and introduced him to Stelle. "This is the company's academic representative, Mr. Ratio from the Intelligentsia Guild."]
["After all, she just regained consciousness. Her mind isn't clear yet, so she needs…"]
[The man slowly turned around. A smooth plaster head appeared on him without warning, instantly replacing his handsome face with cold, hard material.]
["Some hints."]
——
KonoSuba.
"Uwaah—! He's way too cool!"
Megumin's red eyes sparkled brightly. If she knew flight magic, her expression suggested she would immediately fly up to the Celestial Screen. "This ascetic aura, this perfect appearance! If he were willing to learn Explosion Magic with me… he would be the most perfect man in the world!"
"You guys…" Kazuma looked at them with disgust, especially at Aqua's infatuated look. He elbowed her. "Hey! Aqua… you're supposed to be a goddess, can you restrain yourself a bit? Your drool is about to drip onto the table!"
"Can't be helped. Among all the isekai protagonists I've been in charge of, there's never been anyone as handsome as Mr. Ratio." Aqua shrugged with a regretful expression.
"Why does that sound so familiar… You said the exact same thing when Dan Heng, Gepard, Jing Yuan, Blade, and Argenti appeared, right?" Kazuma narrowed his eyes at her. "…Aqua, exactly how many protagonists have you been in charge of?"
"I'm the elite employee in charge of reincarnation work for the Japan region!" Aqua snorted. "Before doubting me, Kazuma, why don't you sort yourself out first?"
"Tch." Although displeased, Kazuma couldn't find anything to refute. He glanced at the professor on the Celestial Screen and muttered quietly, "What's so good about this cold man anyway…"
"Kazuma, you don't understand… It's exactly that kind of gaze!" Darkness was once again lost in her fantasies, blushing and fidgeting restlessly. "That condescending, cold, and contemptuous look… It's too perfect! If he pointed at me with chalk and forced me to obey his orders… I'd be willing to do anything!"
"Oh? Really?" Kazuma smiled with interest.
She crossed her hands in front of her chest, rubbing her fingers together shyly. "Mm, mm… of course."
"Then if he ordered you to use your own intelligence to join the Intelligentsia Guild?"
Darkness: "?"
——
["You roughly know the previous situation. Several system hours ago, one of Lady Herta's puppets was attacked for unknown reasons. Its whereabouts are unknown, and the signal cannot be located." Asta explained simply.]
["No surveillance?" Stelle asked doubtfully.]
[Asta lowered her eyes. "None. The attack occurred at the external base platform, which is outside the surveillance range. Lady Herta didn't take the matter seriously and went out on patrol."]
[Screwllum added. "Before the incident occurred, she had received an invitation from the company."]
[Ratio walked over slowly. "It was from the Technology Development Department. Lady Yabuli is a capable person, but her subordinates are all laymen — ambitious, full of enthusiasm, yet completely brainless. Their intelligence level can rival that of primitive humans."]
["They wanted to carry out a series of collaborations with Herta and invited me to accompany them as a technical advisor. I gladly accepted, so I could closely observe how the members of this [Big Smart Club] squandered the company's assets."]
["However… the timing was too perfect. Perhaps someone leaked the information, allowing the attackers to take advantage of it. Herta seems accustomed to such provocations, which makes me quite curious about the hidden details."]
["We have long heard that Mr. Ratio is the leading figure of the Guild. It is our honor that you are willing to assist."]
["Spare me the flattery." Ratio glanced at Screwllum behind Asta and laughed coldly. "Both you and I have precious time. Moreover, discussing the leading figure of mortals in front of a Genius seems rather humorous to me."]
——
Marvel Universe.
Tony Stark leaned against the bar, swirling a glass of amber whiskey. Sensing the barbs in Ratio's words, he immediately smelled gunpowder in the air.
"Both are from the [Erudition] faction. I thought the Genius Society and the Intelligentsia Guild had a good relationship." Tony took a sip, the corner of his mouth rising. "Looks like it's completely the opposite — Mr. Ratio has quite a lot of opinions about the Genius Society."
"But shouldn't knowledge be shared?" Strange frowned slightly. "They are all people at the forefront of cosmic wisdom. Cooperating with each other should generate new knowledge, right?"
"Perhaps we overestimated the Intelligentsia Guild and underestimated the Genius Society. The difference between them is probably not just one or two levels."
Tony smiled and shook his head, setting down his glass. "In the eyes of Screwllum, Herta, and the other Geniuses acknowledged by the Erudition, the people of the Intelligentsia Guild are probably no different from wild monkeys. Just like how you wouldn't ask a monkey to solve calculus problems. Therefore, there is no need for discussion between the two factions."
He pointed at the plaster head on the Celestial Screen. "People like Ratio — smart, but far from qualified for the Genius Society. Setting aside academic issues, these guys should be quite easy to get along with. Compared to the unreachable and closed-off Geniuses, the Intelligentsia Guild is probably the main driver of technology in the universe — otherwise the company wouldn't have contacted Ratio first."
"From what you're saying, Tony… you don't approve of the Genius Society's approach?"
"No, why wouldn't I?" Tony shrugged. "I can understand it. True Geniuses are always lonely because they walk too fast. When they look back, they find no one can catch up to their shadow."
Strange was silent for a moment. "But if knowledge is only held in the hands of a few…"
"Then let it stay that way," Tony interrupted him. "By the time mortals catch up, Herta, Screwllum, Ruan Mei and the others might have already unraveled the secrets of the Aeons and be waiting for them in the next universe."