While monitoring Stelle’s progress in the test, Herta did not overlook Su Yan.
*What is he looking at…?*
A puppet’s visual sensors were top-notch; Herta could easily tell that Su Yan was “looking” at something.
Yet there was nothing in front of him…
Curious, Herta activated the puppet’s detection suite, but it registered nothing out of the ordinary.
*Is he putting on an act?
There’s no reason to.*
*Could it be…
another special Curio?*
Intrigued, Herta decided to ask.
If he really was like a puppet or carrying one, that meant one more Curio worth researching.
“Su Yan, what are you looking at?”
Herta’s voice suddenly cut in, drawing Su Yan’s attention.
He pulled his gaze away from the system’s store interface and looked at Herta, who was watching him with keen interest less than a meter away.
“Guess…” Su Yan deflected, promptly changing the subject.
“Is your research on Stelle over already?”
“Not yet!
The scenes I want to see haven’t shown up.
But when I saw you doing something interesting, I felt like chatting.”
Herta did not press, yet she did not drop the subject either.
“We only met today for the first time.
It doesn’t feel like we have much to talk about.”
Expressing his stance, Su Yan refused to discuss the matter further.
“If you want to know what I was looking at, you’ll have to become my friend first.”
“You want to earn the friendship of a genius?” Herta countered.
A genius’s recognition, a genius’s friendship…
Not just anyone was worthy of having it.
“You’re quite full of yourself.
To me, the friendship of a genius is no different from that of an ordinary person,” Su Yan corrected her, his expression flat.
Whether it was becoming an Emanator, a genius, or even an Aeon, it would all be effortless for him.
He simply hadn’t bothered because there was no need.
After all, he had come here just to have fun and do some sightseeing.
*…Quite arrogant, isn’t he?*
Herta watched him in silence.
From their brief interaction, she had already deduced that Su Yan was completely sane, which meant he had the confidence to back up his words.
*So, what is the source of your confidence?*
Herta grew curious about him, but she did not pursue the conversation.
Inside the Simulated Universe, Stelle had already encountered an Aeon.
Compared to whatever made Su Yan so confident, she cared far more about data regarding the Aeons.
Su Yan also looked toward the light screen.
He had little interest in the Aeons; his concern lay with Stelle…
Under their watchful eyes, Stelle met three Aeons in rapid succession…
With her mental fortitude pushed to the brink and unable to continue, Herta pulled her out.
Su Yan supported Stelle over to a corner of the office to sit and rest.
At the same time, the office door slid open.
A group of staff carried in several metal crates, set them down in the center of the room, and left without saying a single word throughout the entire process.
Herta opened a metal crate and turned to Su Yan.
“The auxiliary research props have arrived.
Let’s start the test…”
“What should I do?”
“First, explain the Curio’s exact effects.”
Herta waved a hand in the air, summoning a floating screen to record the data.
“It can fuse two or more people or objects together, shaping a new person or object according to the bonded user’s intent…”
“The bonded user’s…
intent…”
Filtering through the basic description, Herta seized on the phrase that caught her attention.
“Does that interest you?” Su Yan asked.
“Demonstrate it.” Herta switched the puppet into recording mode.
Su Yan held out his hand.
“Give me two materials to fuse…”
His inventory was completely empty, with nothing that could serve as ingredients.
Hearing this, Herta rummaged through the metal crate for a moment before pulling out two fruits resembling apples and two resembling bananas.
“Place them on the platform.
According to your thoughts, synthesize them into two distinct results…”
“Hold on.”
Following Herta’s instructions, Su Yan synthesized two new “fruits”—one with the “apple” as the base, and the other with the “banana” as the base.
The fusion process was captured by the Simulated Universe’s scanning systems, laying bare its fundamental principle to Herta.
The objects were deconstructed down to the molecular level, then fully reshaped by combining the superior traits of both materials.
Breeding a new plant variety that possessed the best traits of two fruits through genetic modification was something she could easily accomplish.
However, that required cultivating it from scratch.
Directly synthesizing it from mature fruits was beyond her current reach…
As for the future…
Gazing at the data logged on the screen, Herta was confident she would eventually develop a device with identical capabilities.
With that thought, her enthusiasm surged, eager for more data—richer, more varied data.
Yet as the tests continued, Herta’s confidence steadily eroded.
A new fruit synthesized from an alloy and a fruit was entirely edible; two Light Cones with completely unrelated content could be merged into a brand-new Light Cone; unrelated Relics formed new Relics; two Curios merged into a new Curio; and materials tied to Paths could be fused without restriction…
An unknown cut of meat fused with a banana-like fruit; peeling the skin revealed marbled, beef-like flesh inside.
Unknown alloys merged into one, producing a new metal that retained the properties of every constituent component.
An unknown plant fused with a burger, yielding a tree whose fruit was actual burgers, harvestable once a month.
Regardless of the materials used, the Curio could combine them into a new object carrying the merits of both, seemingly without any constraints.
*Could there be an Authority embedded within this Curio…?*
Connecting this with the earlier error in the Simulated Universe, Herta grew intensely intrigued by the concept of an Authority within the Curio.
*…I need to find some higher-tier items to test this Curio’s upper limit.*
The more absurd the Curio proved to be, the more excited Herta became.
Since she had gathered enough baseline data from ordinary items, she needed time to analyze it, as well as time to prepare new materials for the next round of data collection.
With that in mind, Herta bluntly told the two that the testing was over and that they should leave.
“The test has concluded.
Go to Asta for your compensation.
I’ll notify you in advance before the next session…”
After leaving Herta’s office, Su Yan and Stelle headed straight for the Monitoring Zone to find Asta.
Stelle was looking forward to getting paid.
Master Control Zone, Monitoring Zone.
“Asta, we’re here to collect our pay…” Su Yan got right to the point.
“It’s already prepared for you.” Asta picked up two bank cards and smartphones from the desk, handing them to Su Yan and Stelle.
“Thanks.” Su Yan took the phone and card.
Without checking the balance, he tossed the card directly into his inventory.
After tinkering with the interstellar smartphone for a bit, Su Yan looked up at Asta and asked, “Is there anything you need help with?
Free of charge.”
He planned to wander around the space station to see if there were any people not yet registered on his list.
Lending a hand along the way might help raise a few people’s favourability.
“I can help too,” Stelle added.
“Actually, yes.
If you’re willing, please assist the Security Department in clearing out the Voidrangers in the station,” Asta replied without standing on ceremony, immediately naming the station’s most pressing issue.
As for Su Yan’s offer of doing it for free, she naturally did not take it literally.
Equivalent exchange: every effort deserved a reward.
“No problem.” Su Yan agreed readily.
He happened to have a few ideas he wanted to test.
Leaving the Master Control Zone with Stelle, he headed for the Storage Zone.
The Voidrangers were primarily concentrated in the Storage Zone, the Base Zone, and the Supply Zone.
The Antimatter Legion’s initial assault had targeted the Storage Zone, making it the area with the densest concentration of Voidrangers and the staging ground for attacks on the other zones.
Following Su Yan and Stelle’s earlier sweep, not many Voidrangers remained in the Storage Zone, making the mop-up work quite easy for the Security Department and Dan Heng.
They simply overwhelmed them with superior numbers, concentrated fire, and ranged bombardments.
By the time Su Yan and Stelle rendezvoused with Dan Heng, the Voidrangers in the Storage Zone had been almost completely eliminated.
A group of staff was currently debating whether to clear the Supply Zone or the Base Zone next.
“Dan Heng, Arlan.
Asta sent us to provide backup.”
Su Yan first explained why he and Stelle had shown up.
After a brief pause, he added, “I can provide you with some gear to make clearing out the Voidrangers much safer.
Want to try it?”
“Yes.” Arlan accepted Su Yan’s help without hesitation; greater safety was an offer he could not refuse.
Once Arlan agreed, Su Yan went to work.
First, he had a security officer remove a set of basic tech protective gear.
Next, he found a fallen Voidranger and fused it with the gear.
A brand-new, specialized set of exoskeleton armor materialized before the expedition squad.
Synthesized using a Voidranger as the core material, the exoskeleton armor retained the advantages of both the protective tech and the Voidranger’s traits.
“Rather than just destroying them, it’s better to put the waste to good use.”
Hearing Su Yan’s reasoning, Arlan stood speechless.
“…”
The others fell silent as well.
The researchers and staff of the Herta Space Station considered themselves well-traveled and knowledgeable, yet witnessing Su Yan’s method of crafting equipment left them utterly stunned, struck by a sudden feeling that they hadn’t seen enough of the world.