Herta couldn't have cared less—in fact, she seemed downright delighted by the shifting expressions on 'Ruan Mei's' face.
A cheerful grin played across her lips.
"Anyway, the real Ruan Mei should arrive at the station within a day. When she does, one of my puppets will bring her over. I'm counting on you to receive her."
Lady Herta gave 'Ruan Mei's' shoulder a light pat.
She looked every bit the entertained spectator.
How annoying.
I really want to refuse…
But 'Ruan Mei' truly longed to meet the original—and to earn a nice chunk of emotional points in the process.
That conflicted look on 'Ruan Mei's' face only made Lady Herta chuckle in amusement.
"How fascinating—two Ruan Meis meeting right here. I'm genuinely curious what kind of scene that will be." Herta giggled softly.
And with that, the topic was closed.
--+--
Half a day later.
'Ruan Mei' finally encountered the original Ruan Mei, escorted by one of Herta's puppets.
"Welcome, Ms. Ruan Mei."
"So this is our first meeting. You really are… extraordinary."
The moment Ruan Mei stepped off the starship and saw another version of herself, her gaze locked onto 'Ruan Mei' and didn't stray again.
"?"
'Ruan Mei' watched as the original walked right up to her, closing the distance until they were nearly face to face.
Their eyes met.
"Is something the matter, Ms. Ruan Mei?"
"Just call me Ruan Mei. I'm deeply curious—how did you achieve this? Herta told me your imitation isn't just flawless. You even replicate talent and abilities."
Ruan Mei cut straight to the point, naming exactly what had drawn her here.
Herta had said that Bai Ming's mimicry was every bit the original's equal when facing her in a battle of wits.
That when imitating an Emanator of Destruction, it could even attract the gaze of an Aeon.
And now, here she was, impersonating Ruan Mei herself.
Such an ability had undoubtedly captured Ruan Mei's interest.
Another version of me in this world…Ruan Mei studied the other herself before her, a deeply intrigued smile gracing her lips.
If it's possible to replicate even innate talent like this…then this is a feat even I have never accomplished.
At the very least, Ruan Mei hadn't managed to clone another genius.
"…"
'Ruan Mei' couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
"It's a special ability of mine, I suppose. I don't fully understand it myself, and it's not very controllable. Who I end up portraying is somewhat random."
'Ruan Mei' offered a vague, breezy reply.
"I see. I've also reviewed the data on the Giants of Light you created. A fascinating design. And a… remarkably bold ambition."
Ruan Mei nodded, but made no move to step back.
Instead, she lifted a hand and gently pressed it against 'Ruan Mei's' chest.
A faint glimmer bloomed at her fingertips.
But all it brought Ruan Mei was more puzzlement: "As expected, by every measure you're completely identical to me. But what's even stranger is your consciousness…"
After that brief contact, Ruan Mei found she couldn't quite grasp the other's essence.
No matter how she looked, it was simply another her.
Inside and out, shaped entirely as Ruan Mei.
Only when she brushed against the realms of memetics did she faintly detect something unusual.
That the imitation could reach such a degree left even Ruan Mei astonished.
In this universe, what one might call a "soul" falls within the domain of memetics, inextricably linked to the Path of Remembrance.
Of course, there are also beings like the Wubbaboos, a rather unique form of incorporeal life.
But in essence, they are energy-based lifeforms—their consciousness still anchored to some form of aggregated energy.
Yet this one before her…she felt it was neither a variant like a Memokeeper, nor a subspecies of the Wubbaboo.
But it wasn't entirely without similarities, either.
A peculiar and rare existence.
That was Ruan Mei's preliminary conclusion.
She was starting to feel the urge to study this unique lifeform right in front of her.
But Ruan Mei also knew…she had come today for another matter.
So, for now, she suppressed her curiosity.
Taking a slow step back, she restored a normal social distance between them.
"My apologies, I was slightly carried away. It's just… realizing once again that this universe holds room for any possibility—it's stirring."
Ruan Mei lowered her hand, then extended it toward 'Ruan Mei'.
'Ruan Mei' smiled and clasped it.
"Indeed, this cosmos is far too full of marvels."
The fact that Ruan Mei had grown curious about her…was both good and bad.
The good: it meant 'Ruan Mei' might have a chance of enlisting Ruan Mei's help later.
The bad: she was a little worried about what Ruan Mei might do to her in the process.
Looks like there's one more thing to add to this cycle's agenda, she thought. And that's to cram like mad in the field of life sciences.
At the very least, if I ask Ruan Mei for help, I ought to understand what she's doing.
"Shall we go? Herta's probably growing impatient. Does your ship need to come along?"
'Ruan Mei' withdrew her hand and gestured toward the starship docked behind Ruan Mei.
Ruan Mei shook her head, smiling.
"That won't be necessary. I assume that with you here, and experiments already underway, equipment shouldn't be an issue."
"Very well."
'Ruan Mei' turned, casually glancing at her panel:
--+--
[Role-Playing System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Ruan Mei)]
[Lifespan: 100 years (paused) + 20 days (role-playing)]
[Available Transformations: Big Herta (Charge: 87.6%), Acheron (Charge: 54.8%), Celenova (Charge: 13.3%), Ruan Mei (Active)]
[Gacha Attempts: 0 (67.2%)]
--+--
Excellent. Progress was looking good.
--+--
Arriving at the testing grounds.
Beside the experimental area, beyond a massive pane of glass,
lay a vast training field expanded via spatial folding.
Inside, six Giants of Light were freely exercising their powers.
Herta's puppets moved among them, measuring data, adjusting tactics, and so on.
"You're here~"
Herta turned, eyeing the two Ruan Meis with keen interest. She stroked her chin, studying the pair meticulously—even scrunching her nose to take a subtle sniff.
Only then could she tell them apart.
"You're Bai Ming, right? You smell like me—must've picked it up over the last few days."
Herta lifted a hand and confidently pointed at 'Ruan Mei'.
Just standing there smiling at her, Herta truly couldn't spot any difference. If not for that distinct scent, she might have needed more extreme measures to tell them apart.
'Ruan Mei' smiled and nodded.
"It's really me. But the way you put it… sounds pretty weird. I'm almost afraid you'll turn into a woman with 'weighty affections.'"
"Hah! What a joke. If my affections are the rarest in this world, shouldn't they be weighty?"
Herta crossed her arms, as narcissistic as ever.
Ruan Mei observed the dynamic between her other self and Herta.
A surreal, almost illusory feeling washed over her—as if she'd shifted into a third-person view, watching her own self engage in easy banter with Herta.
Unlike Herta's surface-level understanding, after that hands-on contact, Ruan Mei found it genuinely difficult to distinguish herself from the other "her."
It was almost like facing a version of herself from a parallel world—one with a slightly different personality.
She picked up a nearby screen and pulled up the data on the Giants of Light stretching their limbs outside.
Initially identical in every parameter, after just one day they had already developed distinctly different growth trajectories and characteristics.
A smile touched Ruan Mei's lips.
It was precisely this unpredictability of life that made its essence so captivating. But what fascinated Ruan Mei most was still the other "her" right before her eyes.
Just as Herta had imagined, the minds of geniuses resonated in that moment.
Ruan Mei, too, found herself forming the idea of keeping Bai Ming close by her side.
--+--