Although they had gone through the incident of being swallowed whole, the Astral Express still successfully arrived at Car Wash Planet in the end.
Being able to properly clean the train and make it neat and beautiful again was something that made Pom-Pom very happy.
What made Pom-Pom even happier was that, for some reason, the people on Car Wash Planet seemed to have lost their minds this time. What they did to the train could no longer be called cleaning. Instead, they polished it with the same care an artist would give their most beloved masterpiece.
As a result, after the cleaning was finished, even Pom-Pom, the conductor, felt the train was sparkling when looking at it. Whenever it passed beneath a star, it seemed to shine with an even brighter radiance than the blazing star itself.
It was practically just like Passenger Nero!
———
It seemed the source of the problem had been found.
In any case, after leaving Car Wash Planet, the train returned to Herta Space Station to deliver the items Herta had commissioned, undergo some brief maintenance, receive a few upgrades, and replenish supplies.
And after returning here, Stelle also received a message from Herta.
At this moment, she had already arrived at the Master Control Zone and was thinking about the person Herta had mentioned in the message.
"Every time I come back to Herta Space Station, it feels like several centuries have passed... Speaking of which, Ruan Mei... a familiar yet unfamiliar name..."
Although she was curious about this genius who had worked with Herta and the others to create the Simulated Universe yet whom she had never met, Stelle quickly pushed that curiosity aside.
Compared to this genius she had never met, what she was actually more worried about this time was Herta and Screwllum.
The last time she and Nero finished testing Swarm Disaster and left, those two geniuses had seemed quite off.
Their thinking could still be considered normal, but whether it was Herta or Screwllum, the mechanical lifeform, both seemed to speak with faint static mixed into their voices. No one knew what was going on.
Moreover, on the day they said goodbye, neither of them seemed to be in a very good mental state. They had appeared somewhat dazed.
Herta was one thing. She was at least human. Spending too long researching without sleep and becoming mentally exhausted was normal.
But Screwllum...
For a mechanical lifeform, showing that kind of condition was very worrying. Hopefully his processor hadn't burned out.
"Even though those two geniuses kept saying they were fine back then... Anyway, I'll check on their mental state while I'm here... If there's a problem, at the very least, I need to get Asta, Arlan, and Peppy out of here..."
Stelle muttered to herself, saying something that was probably best not overheard by the station researchers.
After casually scanning her surroundings, the route from memory surfaced in her mind. Stelle decided to find Asta first and ask her about it.
She was lucky. Not only did she find Asta, she also found a Herta puppet currently connected to her. Judging from Herta's present state, she seemed to have recovered quite well mentally.
"I thought #4 Polka Kakamond had wiped out most of the club members, so I wasn't expecting much... Oh, look who's here."
Herta had been discussing something with Asta, though Stelle couldn't really understand it.
And before Stelle had even gotten much closer, Herta had already noticed her.
Following Herta's gaze, Asta looked over, blinked, and smiled.
"Stelle, you're back."
Stelle nodded.
"There are so many people at the station today."
"Of course." The Herta puppet crossed its arms in front of Stelle. "This is a gathering of three geniuses."
"It's a special period lately, so every department is preparing for the arrival of an important member of the Genius Society," Asta explained thoughtfully.
"Ms. Ruan Mei is a very low-profile person. She might not be comfortable with a huge welcoming ceremony, so I asked the researchers to follow her preferences and keep everything simple."
Listening to Asta, Stelle scratched her head and looked around.
The researchers were running all over the place, each looking even busier than usual.
This version of "keeping everything simple" looked pretty busy.
Still...
It really was much better than when Screwllum had come before.
Unfortunately, Nero and Tingyun had returned to the Xianzhou at that time and weren't here...
"A few days ago, I took her around to see the portraits of the club members. I asked the researchers to make one for her as well, but she refused," Herta said.
"I really don't get it. Whatever. As long as she's happy."
Asta added, "I heard that Miss Ruan Mei likes pastries, so I had the researchers prepare traditional Blue Star desserts. She seemed to enjoy every kind."
"That's some really good treatment..." Stelle remarked. "So, is Ruan Mei very great?"
"That question is like asking, 'Is Herta very great?' The answer is obvious." Herta rolled her eyes at Stelle.
Asta continued patiently explaining, "Miss Ruan Mei is a true scholar. I've heard that she once stayed briefly on a desert planet, and by the time she left, she had already created a great miracle of flourishing local species there."
"She probably just picked an uninhabited place and tested her 'Life Spiral System' there. Ruan Mei is very talented, but she barely interacts with anyone. She lives like a hermit."
Asta and Herta were clearly describing Ruan Mei from different perspectives. The former spoke with a trace of admiration, while the latter sounded as if she were sharply criticizing her reclusive colleague.
Stelle blinked.
After a brief moment of thought, she felt that Herta's version of Ruan Mei was probably closer to the truth.
After all, both of them were geniuses standing at the same level.
"Alright, if someone can become Herta's academic partner, what more needs to be said? You've heard enough, so get moving. Let's see if you can find her."
As Herta spoke, nearly every sentence included praise for herself.
But that was fine, because she really was pretty.
Unfortunately, Nero rarely praised himself. If that kid spoke like this too, he would probably sound even cuter.
Stelle briefly imagined Nero speaking the way Herta did...
"Anyone who can be my companion...does the Galactic Baseballer's strength still need to be questioned?"
...causing the corners of her mouth to twitch.
Stelle raised a hand and patted her cheeks, throwing all those random thoughts out of her head.
"Where is Ruan Mei?"
Asta shook her head.
"I'm not sure. But Miss Ruan Mei doesn't seem very concerned with everyday matters. She usually goes between the Master Control Zone and the platform. Maybe you can look around nearby."
Stelle nodded and turned to leave.
The platform...
She had actually just come from there.
Though she didn't remember seeing anyone who looked like a genius.
Stelle returned to the bridge area.
She still remembered how everyone had fought the Doomsday Beast here. Nero had even used a piece of this bridge as a weapon and split open the beast's head.
Maybe it was because so much had happened recently and every day had been busy, but it felt as if a very long time had passed.
In reality, it hadn't even been a year yet...
Thinking about this, Stelle stepped aside to avoid a group of researchers walking toward her. Their constant chatter drifted into her ears.
Then she looked up.
At the edge of the platform stood a woman dressed in a style that carried a strong Xianzhou flavor.