"Mm… then I also have a question. Herta, I'd appreciate it if you could clear something up for me."
Wei Qing spoke up abruptly.
"Oh?" Herta replied flatly. "Go on."
"It's nothing major. I'm just curious—how did you obtain this severed arm?"
He lifted a brow, tone innocent—but the hook was sharp.
"From what I know, Qingzhou isn't exactly weak. Don't tell me you fought him, cut off his arm, and walked away victorious?"
It was a good question. Even Screwllum's interest rose a notch.
He didn't know Qingzhou's exact ceiling, but based on the Ravager's public record, "not simple" would be an understatement.
And Herta?
Yes, an Emanator of Nous was formidable—but she was still, in essence, a researcher. Since when did she go around winning duels against Lord Ravagers?
Herta went silent.
If it was that question, she really didn't want to answer.
"Ahem." She cleared her throat, forcing a breezy tone as if she could wave it away. "How did I get it? He gave it to us. Obviously."
"Gave it to you?" Wei Qing's brow rose higher. "A Lord Ravager who betrayed the Luofu, casually handing over part of his body to two geniuses who aren't even on his side?"
He tilted his head.
"And if I remember correctly, you were cooperating with the Xianzhou not long ago—trying to arrest Qingzhou. Right?"
"So what?" Herta lifted her chin, acting unbothered. "That bastard is a scumbag, but sometimes he does deals like a scumbag should. We traded… hm… some research data he was interested in."
It was a plausible explanation.成果 from the Genius Society could tempt basically anyone.
But her evasiveness was obvious. Everyone could see it.
Wei Qing smiled inwardly.
So she was still holding onto the humiliation from the Luofu—still unwilling to admit, in front of Screwllum and a group of Nameless, that the arm had been tossed to them like spare change after he'd toyed with them… and that he'd even drawn a pig on her face as a "souvenir."
Herta's pride wouldn't survive that confession.
Ruan Mei stepped in.
Her eyes lifted to Wei Qing. "Mr. Yi Qing seems unusually concerned about Qingzhou—and the origin of this arm."
Wei Qing met her gaze without flinching, smiling. "It's hard not to be curious when it concerns someone who may be a dual-Path 'Pre-Aeon.'"
"And besides, I've fought him. I know how frightening he is. For you two to obtain such an important sample from him… the process must have been dramatic."
Herta turned her head away, fuming, refusing to look at him.
Ruan Mei fell quiet for a moment, ultimately choosing not to elaborate.
That matter involved the Luofu, the Silent Lord, and too many delicate secrets tied to "Wei Qing." It wasn't something to unpack here.
She simply nodded and deflected.
"It was… complicated. But in the end, Qingzhou leaving this behind may have had its own meaning."
Screwllum smoothly pulled the conversation back to the core topic.
"Regardless, the existence of this arm is, in itself, an immensely valuable sample."
"It may help us verify characteristics of the 'Pre-Aeon' hypothesis—perhaps even glimpse the feasibility of high-level integration between different Paths."
Herta seized the ladder and climbed down immediately.
"Exactly! The point is research! Who cares how we got it—irrelevant!"
Wei Qing didn't press further. He'd gotten what he wanted: confirmation she was dodging.
Besides, research wasn't going to be completed in an hour.
And the Astral Express hadn't come here only for theory—it had come because the train needed help.
So while Herta sent a few of her puppets to prepare the lab workflow, Ruan Mei spoke.
"You've traveled far, and we've had a rather dense discussion. You must be tired."
"I made some refreshments. Shall we move to the lounge and rest briefly?"
…
The lounge was minimalist but comfortable.
Soft seating. Warm lighting. A faint, clean fragrance in the air—designed to loosen tension without becoming intrusive.
Ruan Mei set out a tea service with practiced elegance: pale, lustrous porcelain that was clearly not ordinary.
She poured each person a cup of clear tea. The aroma drifted upward—quiet, distant, calming.
"This is a calming lotus infusion," she introduced softly. "It should help steady the mind."
Then she placed a plate of pastries at the center of the table.
"A small gesture. I hope it suits your tastes."
"These look excellent," Wei Qing said, glancing at the delicate arrangement. "Do they have a name?"
Ruan Mei smiled. "I made them on a whim. They're unnamed."
Wei Qing didn't say more—he simply tried one.
It hadn't been that long since he'd eaten her pastries last time.
And unfortunately for his pride, her skill was still the best he'd ever encountered.
The only pity was this: he was "Yi Qing," the Astral Express's new navigator—not the Lord Ravager Qingzhou.
Back on the Luofu, Ruan Mei had practically bent over backward to win his cooperation.
Now that "privilege" was gone.
Still… something about the current scene felt off.
Screwllum, being a mechanical lifeform, theoretically had no need to eat—
…Except he was eating.
And not perfunctorily, either. He was sampling the tea and pastries with visible satisfaction, as if carefully cataloguing flavor layers.
Alright. Genius Society geniuses being "special" was hardly surprising.
By contrast, Acheron and Granholm—two orthodox Self-Annihilators—had already lost their sense of taste. Out of courtesy they'd taken a token bite, and then stopped.
And then there was Herta.
Herta hadn't touched anything.
Not a sip. Not a crumb.
Which was strange.
If Wei Qing remembered correctly, she actually liked Ruan Mei's pastries in later records.
So why was she sitting there like a resentful spouse, glaring at him?
"Ruan Mei's baking is unreal," Wei Qing said lightly, lifting a pale-green pastry. "It melts on the tongue—sweet without being cloying, with a faint floral note. Rarely do you find something this refined."
Herta gave a cold snort and looked away.
But her eyes still flicked—betraying a glance at the pastry in his hand.
Ruan Mei, gentle as ever, slid a plate of pink pastries toward Herta. "Herta, this is the new formulation you said you wanted to try. It uses starlace blossom honey. Would you like some?"
Herta stared at it.
Her throat moved.
Then sheer pride forced her to turn her head away again.
"…Not in the mood."
Wei Qing's understanding clicked into place.
Ah. There's a bet.
He deliberately slowed down his chewing, savoring his next bite with insulting patience, then let out a small, satisfied sigh.
"What a shame," he said, shaking his head as if truly regretful. "Such good pastries, and no one's interested."
"Is it really just me and Mr. Screwllum enjoying them?"
A vein jumped at Herta's temple.
She whipped her head back, glaring. "You talk too much, Mr. Navigator of the Astral Express! Eat your pastries and mind your own business!"
Screwllum, perfectly composed, added fuel in the calmest possible tone.
"Crisp texture. Stable caloric profile. Complex flavor layering. Ruan Mei, your culinary work has improved again."
He turned to Herta and appended, utterly flat: "Herta, my sensors indicate your energy reserves have declined slightly. It is advisable to replenish."
"Even if a wager exists, it should not impair basic physiological needs."
"I—who said anything about a wager?!" Herta practically exploded. "And you—Screwllum—what garbage sensors are those?! I'm fine!"
Ruan Mei watched Herta's flustered defiance with a faint, knowing amusement in her eyes.
She set the teapot back on the warmer and gently moved the conversation forward.
"Since you insist, Herta, we can set refreshments aside and speak about something important."
She looked at Screwllum first.
"Mr. Screwllum, there is another reason Herta and I invited you here."
"Have you heard anything about the Silent Lord—Polka Kakamond—appearing near Xianzhou space not long ago?"
"The Silent Lord?" Screwllum replied evenly. "I have heard of it. Since you raise the topic, do you possess additional inside information?"
"We don't know much," Ruan Mei said.
"But before we begin, I'd like to ask one more question—so we can establish a shared baseline."
She lifted her gaze, voice calm, precise.
"Mr. Screwllum—and all of you from the Astral Express—are you familiar with the Omen Vanguard… and the 'Four Ends' doctrine?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 165)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter220)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter125)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter250)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 220
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 185
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/20
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 248
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 230
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/40
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 125
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 145
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 120
I Can Copy Unique Skills 115
Summoning an Evil God, but the 75
Supernatural Multiverse 110
My Harem Is Indescribable 100
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 105
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 67
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 105
Still playing traditional Honk 80
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 85
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 78
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 80
Checking In in Demon Slayer 85
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 100
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 85
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 80
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 90
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 75
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 80
Why did they assign me to Uma 75
MYGO Beauties 70
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 70
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 80
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 80
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 57
The Uma Musume Who Became 55
I'm Definitely Not the King of 60
After Maxing Out Every Class 45
Naruto: I'm Konoha's Local Men 35
Honkai: World Modulation Mode 34
I, the Elden Sword Saint 27
Dio Brando Is Challenging FGO 24
No One Knows Pokémon Better 18
I, Sakazuki, Won't Go Down Tha 20
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