“Hua Yi, I’ve decided to grant you a universal Level IV Researcher status, valid across all five research departments.
You can use this authority to access almost all academic and experimental data within those departments.
I hope this will be helpful for your career development.” “I will not betray the Station Master’s trust.” Without a doubt, this was an unconventional promotion from Asta.
Looking back at the station’s limited history, even if there had been one or two rising stars who were promoted quickly, someone like Hua Yi—who had only been at the station for a few days—becoming a Level IV Researcher with special universal access across all five departments was absolutely unprecedented.
He was setting a new precedent.
…Uh, Asta suddenly realized that she herself was the Station Master who had been unconventionally promoted by Lady Herta, a manager who had been parachuted in, bypassing the normal promotion process for researchers.
Fate really does work in strange ways.
Now, both of them were shouldering pressure.
The former had to consider whether such a drastic expansion of a researcher’s authority would bring chaos to the station’s operations, while the latter had to deliver a performance worthy of this leap in rank, once again proving his extraordinary talent.
Otherwise, not only Hua Yi himself but Asta as well would come under scrutiny.
The Bud of Erudition experiment was enough to satisfy the Department of Lumina Archives, but a Level IV Researcher for the Departments of Galactic Jurisprudence, Universal Things, Cosmic Geography, and Star-Field Species ought to have academic achievements to match.
Miss Station Master understood the stakes, but she didn’t repeatedly emphasize them, not wanting to put pressure on the super-rookie before her.
A serene smile graced the young woman’s face.
“Have you had breakfast yet?
I’ll have the ordering bot send some over.
What would you like to eat?” “Anything is fine.” “Then—do you have any dietary restrictions?” “None at all.” “Alright.” Asta operated her terminal.
As the Station Master and a wealthy young lady with considerable personal assets, she could very generously declare that no matter what Hua Yi wanted to eat, as long as it was delicious and available for purchase, she could have a bot deliver it.
Since he had given her full discretion, saying anything would be fine, the young woman had no intention of being perfunctory.
First, she recalled Hua Yi’s personal file, which she had just reviewed carefully.
Which planet was he originally from?
If it was a civilization with some renown in the sea of stars, Asta could search for keywords to find recipes for his hometown’s specialties and have the culinary bot prepare them.
But that section of his file seemed to be garbled text.
Looks like I need to invest more in the security of the station’s database, Miss Station Master thought.
She didn’t believe for a second that Hua Yi had entered a string of garbled text when filling out his file; it wouldn’t have been accepted otherwise.
Quickly shifting gears, she stopped dwelling on the cuisine of Hua Yi’s hometown and began searching for foods she was familiar with that suited popular tastes.
Asta also didn’t forget that Hua Yi was a young man and his appetite was surely larger than hers, so she intentionally ordered extra.
“The department heads gathering at your dorm door earlier must have been noisy, right?
I remember you submitted the experiment log late last night, so you must have gone to bed even later.
While we wait for breakfast to arrive, you can rest your head on the desk for a short nap.
I’ll be quiet to avoid disturbing you.” Saying this, the young woman took a small spare pillow from an office cabinet and placed it in front of Hua Yi.
She then picked up a document from her desk and buried her head in her work.
As the Station Master, her daily workload far exceeded what most people could imagine: managing researchers with their differing opinions, replying to a mountain of mail on Lady Herta’s behalf, and frequently negotiating with the Corporation to purchase new equipment from various channels…
Hua Yi’s situation today was an extra matter that had already taken up a considerable amount of time.
If she didn’t hurry, her own overtime was a small issue, but affecting the stable operation of the space station was a major one.
“Actually, my sleep quality is quite high, so I’m fully rested,” Hua Yi said.
“Besides, the Station Master is working diligently.
If I were to openly take a nap, wouldn’t that be tantamount to a direct provocation?
What would be the difference between that and being a complete fool?” “Pfft.” This time, Asta genuinely laughed out loud.
She could feel that Hua Yi wasn’t flattering her but was joking around like a friend.
This kind of interaction felt wonderful—sincere and amusing.
From across the desk, she glanced at Hua Yi’s handsome face, which wore a gentle smile, free of any false social mask.
The young woman blinked a couple of times.
“What do you plan to do then?” “If the work you have on hand, Station Master, includes any low-clearance documents that I’m permitted to read, perhaps I could help share some of the load.” Just a short while ago, Asta had been thinking of shouldering the pressure for Hua Yi, but now he was offering to share her workload?
Recalling the administrative talent he had displayed in their earlier conversation, the young woman—who would not normally hand over her duties to someone else just because of a personal connection—couldn’t help but feel the urge to give it a try.
“I have a list of equipment requisitions for the space station.
Search for them on the Interastral Peace Network’s shopping platforms and see if you can find any suppliers that meet the requirements.
Don’t worry about the price; the priority is the equipment’s performance, as well as the security, reliability, and delivery time of the courier company.” Miss Station Master was very thoughtful, assigning Hua Yi the lowest-risk and least-demanding task.
Ordering precision scientific equipment for the Herta Space Station was certainly important, but unlike managing researchers, responding to letters, or dealing with the Interastral Peace Corporation, even if Hua Yi bought the wrong thing or got scammed by a dishonest merchant, Asta could afford the loss.
It was nothing more than spending a few Credits.
“I personally recommend you browse ‘Cosmic Finest’, but of course, you can try other shopping platforms to experience the pros and cons of different sites for yourself.” “Understood!
I guarantee I will complete the mission assigned by the Station Master!” It wasn’t just his talent for research; Hua Yi’s words and actions when interacting with people were also very appropriate.
He was serious when necessary and humorous when it was called for, always managing to put Asta at ease, keeping a smile on her face that lingered long after.
The young woman nodded and said no more, adopting a hands-off attitude to let Hua Yi work freely, lest she add to his pressure.
The Station Master’s office fell into a quiet state, with only the soft sounds of files being handled and terminals being operated.
In the past, this sound had only a single source: Asta.
Now, there was Hua Yi as well.
The doubled sound source did not make the room noisy.
On the contrary, it created a strangely vibrant experience.
Her thoughts seemed to flow more nimbly.
The young woman buried her head in her work, quickly entering a state of focused immersion.
—o—