A faint smile graced Ruan Mei's lips.
"I have some research here on the Abundance's blessings—I'll send it over to you."
"That would be a huge help, thank you!"
'Jingliu' looked toward Ruan Mei, her expression bright with surprise.
After all, she too was someone who had emerged from a world touched by the Abundance's blessings.
Even if it wasn't certain whether it originated from something similar to the Ambrosial Arbor, there were bound to be some similarities.
"One good turn deserves another—I must admit, I'm quite interested in Dr. Primitive's research records as well."
For a moment, the chat room fell into a brief silence.
Research data from a genius, even if only partially shared, was by no means small in volume.
Of course, except for 'Jingliu', the half-baked genius.
The other three skimmed through the materials at an astonishing speed.
And they soon discovered that, aside from his atavism experiments, Dr. Primitive had actually produced many fascinating research findings.
It was just that the man was so obsessively devoted to making civilizations across the universe start over from scratch that outsiders mostly associated him with just one keyword: monkeys.
As for 'Jingliu'—she too stumbled upon some pleasant surprises.
While studying atavism, Dr. Primitive had examined the genes of nearly every major species in the cosmos, including a wide range of classic Abundance-touched peoples, Xianzhou Natives among them.
Clearly, this was exactly the kind of material 'Jingliu' needed.
What's more, since Dr. Primitive's atavism experiments also targeted consciousness, he had conducted separate, specialized research on the Mara-struck state of Xianzhou people.
Combined with the information Ruan Mei had sent over, 'Jingliu' now felt confident she could resolve Jingliu's Mara-struck issue.
Heck—maybe she could even eliminate the Mara-struck affliction for all Xianzhou people.
It didn't seem entirely impossible.
But just as 'Jingliu' began to entertain that thought, the Chessboard resting nearby shuddered slightly.
She couldn't help but glance over, then clicked her tongue in mild annoyance.
"...So petty, aren't you?"
"What's petty?"
Herta looked up and shot 'Jingliu' a questioning look.
"I was just thinking that maybe I could cure the Xianzhou people's Mara-struck condition—and then The Equilibrium gave me a warning."
"Ohh~ so that board really is here just to keep an eye on you, huh."
Herta let out an entirely unapologetic laugh.
Before the video call ended, 'Jingliu' swallowed her pride and asked her master for advice on treating Mara-struck symptoms.
Meanwhile, Screwllum and Herta were discussing other matters, vaguely touching upon technology related to the Simulated Universe.
It really felt like the Simulated Universe project might debut decades, maybe even a century ahead of schedule.
Ruan Mei listened in on both conversations.
After all, Herta had extended an invitation to her as well.
Researching Aeons…even though they now had a remarkably generous subject in Noa, who allowed them to study them freely, that crystal wall forged by the Amber Lord was just too tough.
There were always limitations.
So, the idea of using the Simulated Universe to simulate a future where gods fall and Noa emerges—now that sounded intriguing.
After hearing 'Jingliu''s proposed plan, Ruan Mei gazed directly at her, her eyes filled with deep meaning.
It wasn't for any other reason—but because the solution 'Jingliu' proposed was so distinctly reminiscent of Ruan Mei's own style.
Clearly, Dr. Primitive's data offered a far more thorough analysis of the Abundance's blessings, while Ruan Mei's own material was relatively sparse.
Yet, the final approach 'Jingliu' devised leaned heavily toward Ruan Mei's signature style.
Now that was interesting.
Was it intentional? It didn't seem so.
Then, was it unintentional?
Even so, 'Jingliu' clearly seemed closer to Herta.
So why did she carry so much of Ruan Mei's personal flair?
"What is it? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"It's nothing. I was just thinking there's still room to refine your approach—for instance, here..."
'Jingliu' couldn't help but feel grateful that during those twenty days she had spent impersonating Ruan Mei, she hadn't slacked off even a bit.
Otherwise, she might not have understood what Ruan Mei was explaining right now.
In any case, with Ruan Mei's input and Dr. Primitive's research, 'Jingliu' finally finalized a plan to cure Jingliu's Mara-struck state.
At the same time, Herta and Screwllum settled on a preliminary plan, aiming to find some free time to kickstart this new project.
"So, Bai Ming, when are you going to play the role of a genius again?"
"What for?"
"What do you mean, 'what for'? That Simulated Universe project you mentioned—you're not joining?"
Herta's utterly unashamed, bold statement left 'Jingliu' momentarily speechless.
"You know my genius act has a time limit—what use would I be on this project anyway?"
"Don't worry about that. If you dare say you won't join right now, just you wait!"
Aren't you just outright threatening me now?
'Jingliu' twitched her lips, feeling somewhat exasperated.
"Let's talk in a little while—I still have some other things to take care of."
"You'd better show up in front of me soon for real!"
With that, the gathering of geniuses came to a close.
Once 'Jingliu' returned her focus to reality, she began preparing for Jingliu's treatment.
Once Jingliu was cured, she could use the extra time to rest and prepare for her upcoming role as Sparkle.
[Nameless: Elio?]
[Elio: You need materials, right? Send me the list.]
[Nameless: …]
[Nameless: [File attached]]
[Elio: I'll bring them to you tomorrow.]
Looking at this extremely minimalist exchange, 'Jingliu' was practically at a loss for words.
So this is how it is when you can see the future, huh.
He really doesn't waste a single word.
While Elio was off gathering the materials,
'Jingliu' looked into how she could produce the PV she had in mind.
She hadn't looked into it much before, but after a quick search, she found that in this age of technological convenience, creating your own content was surprisingly simple.
Of course, the competition was also insanely fierce.
There were plenty of game engines, both paid and open-source, that would allow 'Jingliu' to faithfully recreate the scenes in her mind.
The only tricky part was the voice acting—but she could always do that herself.
With Sparkle's acting skills, dubbing would be a piece of cake.
She spent the evening familiarizing herself with some free software and found it quite easy to get the hang of.
Once Jingliu was healed, she'd have plenty of time to make a few videos and release them.
The next day, Elio returned with the materials.
Only then did 'Jingliu' set aside what she was doing and step into Jingliu's room.
Jingliu, clutching the Evoltruster, showed a flicker of struggle in her eyes as 'Jingliu' entered.
An expected reaction.
Opening the case containing the materials, 'Jingliu' changed into her lab coat, then offered Jingliu a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, Jingliu. I'll have you cured very soon. And when that happens, I'll listen carefully to everything you have to say."
There was no response, but 'Jingliu' stepped forward and began the treatment.
--+--