Without wasting a moment, the two headed straight for the Master Control Zone.
The space station’s lockdown had not yet been lifted.
Aside from the Security Department, staff from all other departments remained gathered in the Master Control Zone, and the temporary medical station was still operational.
Upon finding a doctor, before Stelle could even explain the situation, several medical staff members had already pulled Su Yan over for an examination.
The two had drawn attention on their way here.
A small crowd of onlookers, driven by curiosity or concern, followed them to the temporary medical station, waiting for the results…
“…”
The medical researcher stared at the control screen of the examination pod with a grim expression.
Energy anomaly; unable to analyze…
*Isn’t this supposed to be the Interastral Peace Corporation’s latest model, the finest medical pod in the cosmos?*
*How can it not even complete a basic physical exam…*
Wide-eyed, the researcher felt utterly speechless.
The IPC sales reps talked a big game, but couldn’t they make their equipment a little more reliable?
After several retries yielded the exact same result, the researcher looked up at Stelle and Su Yan.
“I’m sorry.
The pod indicates an energy anomaly, but the exact cause cannot be determined.”
“Thank you.” After expressing her thanks, Stelle led Su Yan away.
“Should we go to Herta for a checkup?” Stelle asked.
“No need.” Su Yan felt perfectly healthy and saw no reason to trouble Herta.
After all, asking Herta for help meant owing her a favor.
And for some, favors were the hardest debts to repay.
“I think it is necessary—unless you can prove you’re completely fine,” Stelle countered.
“I actually can prove it…” Su Yan said, opening his system to craft an item.
A personal data scanner, capable of detecting basic status information.
It took the shape of a slender metallic cylinder with straight, glowing blue crystal veins running across its surface, giving off a sleek sci-fi aesthetic.
Holding the freshly minted tool, Su Yan scanned himself.
A holographic screen popped up from the side of the cylinder, displaying the scanned data:
[Name: Su Yan] [Race: Human] [Status: Energy Overflow (Continuous Burning, Increased Resistance, Increased Affinity)] [Energy Level: Elite Pathstrider (B+)] [Information: Pathstrider (Destruction), ???, ???]
Quickly skimming through the screen and confirming there were no issues, Su Yan handed the scanner to Stelle.
Stelle took the device and reviewed its contents…
*…A bunch of useless info.*
*…Continuous Burning?
You ARE injured!
And you told me you were fine!*
Spotting the crucial detail, Stelle didn’t hesitate for a second.
She grabbed Su Yan and dragged him toward Herta’s office.
“Come on, we’re going to Herta!
She should be able to treat you…”
Meanwhile, inside Herta’s office…
Herta had not yet left.
The Simulated Universe was the finest calculation apparatus in the cosmos, capable of generating a virtual universe nearly indistinguishable from reality.
Naturally, simulating experimental equipment according to her designs was child’s play.
From the previous round of tests, Herta had gathered a wealth of fascinating data.
Working backward from process and conclusion to deduce the “origin”…
Herta already had several working theories and was testing them one by one…
“Su Yan was injured after an audience with an Aeon…”
Standing beside the Simulated Universe, Herta’s attention was instantly pulled away from the screen as she received a message from one of her puppets.
Intrigued, she began analyzing the situation…
Generally speaking, an audience with an Aeon posed no danger; under special circumstances, it could even bring immense benefits.
Basking in an Aeon’s gaze undoubtedly elevated one’s standing within their Path.
It granted greater authority, more energy to command, and occasionally even special blessings…
Yet alongside the ordinary cases, exceptions existed.
There were documented instances of people suffering injuries from an Aeon’s gaze.
This largely depended on the nature of the Path—such as the Path of Destruction.
A gaze from Nanook was brimming with pure destruction; there were indeed those who had been driven to self-destruction, unable to withstand the Aeon’s gaze…
Thus, what piqued Herta’s curiosity wasn’t that an audience with an Aeon could cause injury, but that Su Yan—who had spoken with such supreme confidence earlier, treating even geniuses as ordinary mortals—had actually been injured by an Aeon’s gaze.
Fascinating…
Her opinion of Su Yan remained unchanged; she still considered him extraordinary.
For someone extraordinary like Su Yan to get hurt, the circumstances had to be unique.
Unique…
perfect!
The more unique, the better.
Commonplace cases did nothing to enrich her research database.
Consequently, Herta did not reject Stelle’s request.
A moment later, the office door slid open, and Stelle walked in with Su Yan.
Herta’s gaze immediately locked onto Su Yan, sensing the dense aura of Destruction swirling around him…
Having met an Aeon twice herself and being familiar with their presence, Herta detected a lingering, dissipating aura of an Aeon clinging to Su Yan.
Or rather, it was a high-density Path energy signature belonging directly to an Aeon.
An ordinary gaze could never leave behind such a distinct presence.
With keen interest, Herta said, “Tell me how you met the Aeon.”
“I don’t mind telling you, but information has value.
What are you offering in exchange?”
Standing on the platform in front of the Simulated Universe, Su Yan quietly submitted to the scan.
An equivalent exchange,” Herta said after a brief silence, emphasizing the term.
“The values clearly don’t match.
Calling that an equivalent exchange is a bit of a stretch,” Su Yan replied flatly.
“Besides, I’m perfectly fine.
I don’t need your treatment.”
“Tch!” Herta clicked her tongue, saying nothing further as she turned to inspect the scan results.
Comparing the readout with the Aeon data in the Simulated Universe, it was indeed Nanook’s energy signature.
It confirmed her hypothesis: something truly unusual had occurred…
According to the Simulated Universe’s calculations, the condition resulted from a direct energy infusion from the Aeon.
A direct energy infusion…
Herta was familiar with the concept.
The Aeon of Elation had pulled a similar stunt back then, directly infusing a worm with energy and blessings to elevate it to the level of an Emanator, attempting to sneak it into the Genius Society…
Naturally, the scheme failed; the machine head wasn’t so easily fooled…
That brought up a new question: why would Nanook do such a thing?
Herta turned her gaze back to Su Yan.
Her intuition told her that he definitely knew the reason.
However…
She doubted he would give it away easily.
“If I want the full story, what’s your price?”
Listening to the conversation between Su Yan and Herta, Stelle felt relieved and stopped worrying about him.
If he had the leisure to negotiate a deal, it meant he really was fine.
Judging by his state, the continuous damage didn’t seem to pose any real danger…
“Owe me a favor.
When I need your help, you must agree.
As for what I ask of you, it will be strictly within your moral boundaries.”
Hearing this, Herta stared at Su Yan for a while, as if trying to read something from his expression.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t discern a thing.
“I can agree to your terms, but whatever you ask of me must also be equivalent in value to the information you provide…”
“No problem.
I guarantee it’ll be worth your while…”
With the deal struck, Su Yan began explaining his bizarre stunt: his miraculous tool, how he met Nanook, and how Nanook had subsequently chased him down to blast him with energy.
To be fair, he genuinely hadn’t expected Nanook to follow him back.
As for why the Aeon had infused him with energy afterward, Su Yan had a few guesses.
He just couldn’t be certain whether his theories were correct.
Beside them, Herta listened quietly to Su Yan’s explanation.
She froze in disbelief for a moment, then fell into deep contemplation.