Stelle was still shocked by the information Cirrus had given her.
She looked at Ruan Mei in disbelief. She hadn't expected this beautiful older sister to drug her.
And not only had she drugged her, there wasn't the slightest trace of it. This person didn't seem shaken at all.
The feeling was very familiar to Stelle. Thinking about it carefully, wasn't this exactly how Nero acted when facing Fragmentum creatures?
Meanwhile, Ruan Mei quickly regained control of her expression and said with a smile, "I see. That's quite a cute hobby."
She spoke as if she genuinely believed what Stelle had said.
However, just as Stelle hadn't known that Ruan Mei had drugged her, Ruan Mei also didn't know that Cirrus was possessing Stelle at this moment.
If Cirrus hadn't warned her, Stelle might really have believed the genius in front of her and started looking for excuses to explain her "slip of the tongue."
After all, saying "I like stories about toilets" directly to someone she had just met was both abrupt and embarrassing. It seriously damaged the image of the Galactic Baseballer.
But Ruan Mei didn't seem interested in teasing Stelle any further and soon continued, "In that case, remember this."
"If you encounter something similar in the future, before you understand what's happening, hide your expression first. Otherwise... you'll be full of openings.
"Let's try again. Now, what did you want to ask?"
"What drug did you put in me?" Stelle asked while looking at Ruan Mei.
With Cirrus's help, she successfully expressed what she actually wanted to say this time.
"Hm? You..."
Ruan Mei frowned slightly. The situation had become unexpected.
"Surprised, genius?" Stelle spoke again, but this time it was Cirrus's smug voice.
"I'm giving your own advice back to you. Next time you run into something like this, before you figure out what's happening, hide your expression first.
"Hahaha, this is my first time meeting a genius. So this is what they're like. You don't seem that different from ordinary humans.
"I thought you'd have some more peaceful way of communicating. I didn't expect you to silently tamper with someone's speech center the moment you met them. That's not how you'd treat your own kind."
A faint layer of fire appeared in Stelle's golden eyes. Cirrus was examining the expressionless Ruan Mei in front of her.
The way this human behaved felt very strange to her.
In other words, she seemed a little low on humanity in this regard.
This habit of quietly setting traps for people felt more like something Cirrus herself would do.
"Oh, I see. A Heliobus helped you.", Ruan Mei spoke softly.
"I didn't expect to see a Heliobus at Herta Space Station... And one living so peacefully with humans is also a first.
"But don't be nervous. I mean no harm. And this shouldn't count as tampering with your speech center. That would be too rude... I merely added a small seasoning."
"You've already affected my speech and that doesn't count as rude? Also, how does this not count as affecting my speech center?"
Faced with Ruan Mei's explanation, Stelle couldn't help complaining.
Sometimes she really couldn't understand what geniuses were thinking. Screwllum was much easier to talk to.
Even Herta was only bad-tempered and harsh with her words. This person looked gentle and soft-spoken, but what she did was far more outrageous.
However, Ruan Mei seemed to have no intention of answering Stelle's question and simply continued, "A few days ago, I hinted to Herta that I was interested in you."
"So I wanted you to become my assistant. You are the most suitable candidate. From our limited interactions in the Simulated Universe, I became certain of this."
"But there are no secrets that remain hidden forever. I find it difficult to trust anyone except myself. If even one piece of data is wrong during detailed research, problems will arise. I dislike projects that are out of control."
"So I added an Anti-Truth Serum to the pastry. It is harmless to your body. It simply prevents you from speaking your true thoughts when answering questions related to me."
"I originally intended it as a layer of protection. To protect my research, and to protect your personal safety. Once those troubles were resolved, I would have given you the antidote."
"But now..."
"But now the appearance of a Heliobus created an unexpected situation. The kind of uncontrollable situation you dislike most."
Nero's voice sounded.
The boy curled his lips. To be honest, he really didn't like this behavior of Ruan Mei's.
"So Stelle isn't your best candidate anymore. And if you don't trust other people, then why not just do it yourself?"
As Nero spoke, he walked over to Stelle.
"Come out, Cirrus. I'll fix her. The human body is a very complicated machine, so when something goes wrong, you should..."
Nero reached out and patted Stelle on the back.
Then he continued, "Let's go, Stelle. Let's walk the dog. Ignore her."
Stelle blinked, then nodded.
"That's right. Anyway, I don't just take on any job. You'll have to handle your life's research yourself. Oh, it's back! Nice! Nero is awesome!"
Stelle cheered in surprise.
Then the two of them and the dog left, leaving Ruan Mei standing there alone.
Ruan Mei stared blankly at everything that had happened.
Another unexpected situation had appeared.
That osmanthus-cake-like child had only given her a pat, and the Anti-Truth Serum had already lost its effect.
At this moment, Nero felt completely refreshed.
Actually, he had wanted to do this back when he originally played through this mission.
Although he wasn't the type of person who obsessively needed everything under his control, he also disliked being controlled by others.
Even the happiest monkey wouldn't tolerate suddenly having a golden headband put on it. Fortunately, he had the power to snap the headband in half.
Looking at the departing pair and the dog, Ruan Mei spoke again, "Wait. As compensation for becoming my assistants, I can reward you. I can satisfy any request you have."
Stelle stopped walking.
"There's a reward, Nero... Though I'm still angry."
Behind them, Ruan Mei continued, "Do you still care that much? I think we have a chance to speak openly. It will simply take time."
"Stop saying all that useless stuff. Why don't you apologize first?"
Nero turned around and looked at Ruan Mei.
"If you want our help, then at the very least you should communicate with us as equals. I'm already giving you face as a 'genius' by not asking you to lower yourself."
Ruan Mei, "..."
What she needed done did not absolutely require Stelle.
However, Stelle, as a Nameless she had interacted with before but wasn't deeply connected to, really was the best choice.
And what the osmanthus-cake child said didn't seem wrong either.
If it were someone else, she could have followed her usual habits. But in this situation, she really did have to change that approach.
So Ruan Mei apologized decisively without any psychological burden.
For others, a genius apologizing might be something shocking enough to make jaws drop.
But for the genius herself, for Ruan Mei, it really wasn't a big deal.
After all, she knew very clearly what she wanted.
As for everything else, it was merely part of the process of achieving that goal.
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