Chapter 29: Asta: I'm Not That Stingy
Ruan Mei and Herta indeed shared striking similarities. Both women carried that distinct, socially detached aura utterly unique to the brilliant minds of the Genius Society.
However, compared to Herta's eccentric, bratty puppet antics, Ruan Mei fit the public's stereotype of a careful scientist far better. She possessed a burning, almost obsessive desire to study the Aeons—a drive that vastly eclipsed Herta's own curiosity. As an absolute authority in the field of life sciences, dissecting the mysteries of the universe aligned perfectly with her professional expertise.
If Ruan Mei were handling this matter, Herta mused internally, her colleague would have likely taken a far more direct and ruthless approach. She could almost hear Ruan Mei's calm, clinical voice suggesting, 'Actually, we could just drug them and use surgical tools to extract the tissue samples.'
"Forget it. Since you are so unwilling, I will drop the matter." The Herta puppet rubbed her chin, her mechanical joints clicking softly as she abandoned her pursuit of Leon's cells. "The reward I promised you will not be lacking. You can take one of my Herta Puppets with you on your way out."
Having made her decision, she no longer dwelled on the issue. She needed to discuss the recent Simulated Universe data with her partners immediately.
A second later, the artificial light behind the puppet's eyes vanished. Her posture slumped slightly. She had disconnected from the network.
"Let us go. We need to find Asta and collect our hard-earned cash," Leon said, smoothly moving past the bizarre encounter. He waved a hand, gesturing for Stelle and Caelus to follow him out of the testing room.
As they walked down the sleek, metallic corridors of the space station, Caelus tilted his head. "Actually, what exactly is an Aeon?"
These two newly born receptacles had only just opened their eyes to the universe. They lacked even the most basic common sense regarding the cosmic entities that ruled it.
"An Aeon is literally a god of the stars," Leon explained, his tone casual as he strolled with his hands tucked behind his head. "Simply put, they are existences that ascended from sentient life. As for the exact mechanics of how they pull that off, even the massive brains in the Genius Society are still scratching their heads over it."
He paused to let the concept sink in before continuing. "The birth of every Aeon signifies the opening of a Path, and a Path is essentially the physical manifestation of a philosophical concept."
Leon held up a finger, adopting the tone of a patient, albeit highly unorthodox, teacher. "For example, that giant hunk of amber you just saw in the simulation is the Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth. I personally like to call Him 'Civil Engineering Bro'."
He held up a second finger. "And the one laughing behind that creepy mask is the Aeon of Elation, Aha. Also known as the God of Mirth."
"Then there is the Aeon of Erudition, Nous, whom I affectionately call 'Machine Head'. Oh, and the Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli. I just call that one 'The Voyeur'."
"Oh... I am learning so much today!" Stelle nodded, her golden eyes wide with sudden realization.
Beside her, Caelus had already whipped out a small notebook and a pen. His expression was dead serious as he scribbled down the very useful lore:
Aeon of Preservation, Qlipoth = Civil Engineering Bro
Aeon of Elation, Aha = God of Mirth
Aeon of Erudition, Nous = Machine Head
Aeon of Remembrance, Fuli = The Voyeur
Truly, one was never too old to learn the secrets of the cosmos.
Before long, the trio arrived at the bustling Master Control Zone. Holographic screens floated in the air, and researchers hurried back and forth with datapads. Standing near the central projection table was the Lead Researcher herself.
"Asta, the mission is complete! We are here for the reward!" Stelle shouted happily, jogging up to the pink-haired girl. The prospect of getting paid for her very first completed mission made the usually stoic raccoon exceptionally energetic.
"Oh, excellent. Tell me, how much do you want?" Asta smiled warmly. She was already aware of their successful run and casually invited Stelle and Caelus to name their price. Madam Herta had never bothered to specify a budget for the reward, leaving Asta entirely in the dark about what constituted an appropriate sum.
Stelle and Caelus exchanged a serious, calculating glance. They simultaneously held up five fingers.
'At least this much!' they thought in unison.
The Herta Space Station was a massive facility overflowing with high-tech talents. A standard monthly salary here had to be at least tens of thousands of credits, right? As genuine Stellaron Hunters—no, wait, Stellaron spirits—asking for a flat five thousand credits for a single, highly dangerous Simulated Universe test was perfectly reasonable. It was a humble, honest wage.
"This amount? Five hundred thousand?"
Arlan, who was standing guard nearby, stared at the five fingers held up by the twins. The Head of Security looked genuinely surprised, quietly debating whether he should step in and help the young lady negotiate a fairer price.
Asta blinked, her expression mirroring Arlan's shock. "To contribute to Madam Herta's highly classified Simulated Universe project, you only want a mere five hundred thousand credits? That is incredibly cheap!"
"Ch... cheap?"
Stelle and Caelus froze. Their young, inexperienced souls took a direct, critical hit from the sheer financial weight of a true wealthy elite.
Seeing the two trailblazers suddenly go dazed and completely unresponsive, Arlan and Asta immediately misunderstood the silence.
"Ah, I see. Could it be that you meant five million?" Asta asked, her smile returning. "That works too. There really is not much of a difference between five hundred thousand and five million anyway."
She nodded readily. To her, it was literally just a matter of pressing one extra zero on her datapad.
"Five... million?"
Forgive the two recently born Stellarons. Their brains simply lacked the processing power to comprehend a number that large. The reason they had not responded a moment ago was not because the offer was too low, but because it was so astronomically high that their vocal cords had stopped working.
A sharp intake of breath echoed in the quiet space. Looking at the two youths who still remained frozen like statues, Asta shifted her weight, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed by her own assumption.
"Oh, do not listen to Arlan's nonsense. I am not that stingy," Asta said, waving her hand dismissively. "Fifty million it is. Fifty million credits per person, per test."
"Um..."
Stelle and Caelus slowly lowered their stiff, trembling hands. Their facial expressions had completely flatlined into absolute numbness.
Remembering the measly five thousand credits they had originally planned to ask for, they realized they were practically fleas trying to swallow a whale.
"Sugar mommy, I am starving. Please feed me, boohoo..."
Leon shot a look of absolute disdain at the shell-shocked twins. Without a second of hesitation, he threw away every last shred of his dignity, lunged across the floor, and wrapped his arms tightly around Asta's leg.
"Eh? Eh? Eh?!"
Asta gasped, her entire face flushing a brilliant shade of crimson. She stood completely stunned. In all her years of living in high society, this was the very first time a man had literally thrown himself at her feet to cling to her thigh.
Granted, Leon was using a flawless 'gentleman's grip'. His hands hovered just a fraction of an inch away from her actual skin, ensuring he did not cross any inappropriate boundaries. But the sheer, obvious proximity of a handsome man hugging her leg still made the sheltered Lead Researcher incredibly shy.
Watching Leon shamelessly beg at the feet of wealth, Stelle and Caelus felt as if a grand, golden door to a brand new world had just been kicked open in their minds.
"Sugar mommy, I am starving too! Feed me, boohoo!"
In the very next second, Stelle and Caelus threw themselves to the floor, fully intending to latch onto Asta's legs as well.
However, there was a glaring logistical issue. Asta only had one free leg left, and her slender calves did not offer nearly enough surface area for two desperate trash raccoons to grab onto simultaneously.
"Hey, hey, hey, I was here first!" Stelle argued, trying to pry her brother out of the way.
"It is clearly me who was first!" Caelus shot back, refusing to yield an inch of the rich girl's remaining leg.
"Me first!"
"No, me first!"
Looking down at the three powerful warriors currently groveling on the floor and fighting over her legs, Asta did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Alright, alright, please, everyone get up," she pleaded, her face still burning red. "I will transfer the reward to your accounts right now."
She quickly tapped a few commands into her virtual screen. A second later, three distinct notification chimes rang out in perfect succession.
[Ding! Account received: 50,000,000 credits.]
Stelle and Caelus shot up from the floor like rockets. They stared at the impossibly long string of zeros glowing on their phone screens, their golden eyes wide and perfectly round.
"So... so much money..." Caelus stammered, his voice cracking. "Are we dreaming right now?"
Stelle reached over and pinched Caelus's arm with all her strength.
"Ow!" Caelus grimaced, rubbing his bruised arm.
"It does not look like a dream! It is completely real!" Stelle confirmed, pumping her fist in victory.
Caelus glared at her. 'Dammit, I lost this round!'
Leon calmly put his phone into his pocket. He casually patted the imaginary dust off his clothes and stood up, his posture radiating absolute cool. "Look at the two of you. So easily impressed by a little pocket change."
He spoke with such deep, unbothered arrogance that one would completely forget he was the exact same man who had just been weeping while hugging a woman's thigh ten seconds ago.
Asta finally managed to calm her racing heart and offered a polite smile. "This is exactly what you deserve. Madam Herta's Simulated Universe project is of monumental significance to the Space Station, and your participation has been a massive help to our research."
Arlan nodded from the sidelines, his professional demeanor restored. "If you need to purchase any equipment, weapons, or daily supplies, all of the Space Station's commercial shops are fully open to you."
Stelle suddenly thought of something. Her eyes lit up with the brilliance of a supernova. "Then we should definitely go celebrate!"
"I think that is a fantastic idea." Caelus had already pulled out his little notebook again, ready to document the occasion. "First time earning our own money. This is a historic milestone worth commemorating."
Asta was thoroughly amused by their infectious energy. "Do you need me to have the executive restaurant prepare a grand victory banquet for you?"
"No need, no need!" Stelle waved her hands repeatedly, her smile stretching from ear to ear. "We will just go find something good to eat on our own."
She leaned in close to Leon, playfully nudging his arm, and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Bro, do you want to come along? My treat!"
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