o— If one were to name the most prestigious and respected person at the space station, it would undoubtedly be Ms.
Herta.
However, the genius rarely made an appearance.
The person who served as the station master, Asta, was the actual manager of this museum-like starship.
A hairpin adorned her pink, shoulder-length hair, from which a single braided lock hung down.
She was exquisitely beautiful, her crystal-blue eyes bright and captivating.
Even the standard station uniform couldn’t conceal her youthful vitality.
Asta was young, not only compared to the veteran senior members of the various departments but even when compared to the ordinary researchers.
Yet, she was young but capable, and utterly dedicated.
Wen Huairen and Guen, both worldly and experienced, were not blind to the contributions the young station master made to maintain the station’s operations, nor the mental energy she expended on matters both large and small.
The old men saw it all and knew that Asta was a good child.
The simple act of changing the introductory manual, and the difference in content between Herta’s version and Asta’s, was enough to demonstrate her empathy.
A superior who could make their employees feel a sense of belonging would naturally earn their subordinates’ support.
On any other occasion, the crowd would have dispersed without a fuss as the station master instructed, returning to their respective workstations.
But this time was different!
Hua Yi was no longer just a simple researcher.
He represented a future that was destined for glory.
If they could recruit him into their own department, it was almost certain that their future database would contain a bold entry: “[So-and-so] possessed a unique eye for talent, discovering the world-shocking genius of Hua Yi, and became a pivotal figure who brought about a major turning point in the department’s destiny.” The mere thought of the young man before them achieving even greater, more brilliant accomplishments on top of what he had already done was a beautiful scene that left all the senior members spellbound.
The opportunity was right in front of them.
How could they give up so easily?
The crowd fell silent but did not immediately disperse.
The shrewd and seasoned scholars quietly mulled over their words, considering how to request Hua Yi’s transfer without incurring the station master’s displeasure.
If they could get Asta’s nod of approval, then besides Ms.
Herta, no one in the entire station could change the outcome.
“You, come with me.” However, Asta gave them no opportunity to flex their intellects or compete with their eloquence.
She immediately led Hua Yi out of the crowd and headed toward her office.
The senior members of the various departments couldn’t forcibly stand up and block her way.
To say anything more at this point would be no different from deliberate provocation.
If they angered the station master, their own department would be at an immediate disadvantage in this competition.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they would lose their qualification to even extend an olive branch to Hua Yi.
—o— Asta’s office was located in a corner of the Master Control Zone.
The surrounding area was devoid of any research departments or other sections, making it exceptionally quiet.
“Thank you, Station Master, for getting me out of that bind.” Hua Yi’s sudden thanks made the young woman turn her head in surprise.
She stopped observing him from the corner of her eye and looked directly at this super-newcomer, this star researcher.
“Just now, the heads and senior members of the major departments surely offered you extremely generous conditions to win your favor.
In the process of competing, they would have naturally kept raising their offers.
Don’t you feel that I interrupted a good opportunity for you?” “Unless I was dismembered and split equally among the five research departments, accepting any single department’s invitation would be the same as rejecting the other four face-to-face.
Even if I stayed in the Department of Lumina Archives as normal, it would be difficult for the others to let it go.” The term “dismembered” made Asta find the situation amusing, and she quickly suppressed the smile that threatened to form.
“It’s not that exaggerated.” “Indeed.
I wasn’t facing an exaggerated risk.
Just now, I only needed to use the ‘Calyx (Simulated): Bud of Erudition’ as a starting point, elaborate on my experiences during the ritual, and perhaps even suggest we all observe the materialized [Key of Inspiration] together, turning it into a live report and academic exchange.
That would have allowed me to take control of the situation.” Hearing Hua Yi’s tone, which remained calm and gentle, neither intimidated by the grand scene of all the department heads gathering nor made conceited by their various offers, the surprise in Asta’s eyes intensified.
Not only had he remained composed, but he had also quickly thought of a proper solution?
She knew that Wen Huairen and Guen had been serious.
Even if Hua Yi had accepted one department’s offer, the others might not have given up so easily.
They might have claimed, “The young man’s considerations are still too simple.
Since it has come to this, we will have to play the villain for once and take you back with us first.
In the future, you will surely understand our good intentions,” and started physically fighting over him.
The resulting chaos would have been immense, and who knows how many people would have been injured.
Even if scholars who conduct scientific research weren’t prone to physical fights, with so many people crowded together, a stampede would have had unimaginable consequences.
Yet Hua Yi had thought of a highly effective method that would have certainly shifted everyone’s attention—and in such a short time, in that noisy environment where it was impossible to think clearly.
And his next words were something the young woman had never expected.
“Your appearance just now, Station Master, not only brought the situation under control but also shouldered some of the pressure for me.
Now, no matter what decision I make, the various departments will believe it was influenced by you.
When I read the station’s introductory manual before, I felt that the station master was a gentle and kind girl.
It seems I was right.
To have arrived at the space station during Miss Asta’s tenure is my good fortune.” Asta, who came from an extraordinary background, had heard countless praises and compliments and had seen sycophantic expressions on innumerable faces.
But praise like this—so logically sound, so perceptive of her thoughts and intentions, delivered after a reasoned analysis—was something she had never experienced before.
She opened her mouth, but for a moment, she was utterly speechless.
It felt as though it wasn’t she, the Station Master, taking care of a talented newcomer who had just arrived and was already making a name for himself.
Instead, it was as if he was an existence who had already seen through everything, effortlessly deciphering the drama unfolding around them and explaining it to her, who was also a part of it.
What kind of existence was he?
There was no trace of youthful arrogance or pride.
The lake of his heart was as clear as a mirror, yet it was not a pool of stagnant water.
He seemed perfectly complete.
Transcendent, handling everything with effortless grace, yet he didn’t make ordinary people feel that he was lofty and unapproachable.
“You…” What planet are you from?
What have you experienced?
How did you come to possess such a mind?
—o—