Lin Yi casually edited the note he had forgotten to fix earlier, then logged off.
Asta:
"Eh!? I think I'll pass, Mr. Lin Yi.
Lady Herta treats me very well. If I left, she'd probably be sad."
(Peppy tilting head JPG)
Of course, Asta knew Lin Yi was joking.
But after staring at the chat log for a moment, she suddenly got an idea.
She opened another chat window.
Chatting with several people at once was basic multitasking, after all.
Asta:
"You there?"
"You there?"
"You there?"
She initiated a video call.
The call was immediately rejected.
???:
"Why are you acting crazy? I'm busy."
Asta cleared her throat.
"Ahem. You owe me a huge favor this time. From now on, call me big sister."
???:
"Dream on. We still haven't figured out who was born first between us.
So what exactly are you going crazy about?"
Asta sent a screenshot.
Asta (nickname: Unknown Person):
"Your opportunity has arrived."
"Your chance to escape the family."
Dongfang Qiqing (nickname: Pray for Rain and Sunshine):
"SISTER!!!"
(If I can't steal Asta from Herta, I'll just create my own rich sponsor.)
Meanwhile, on a private vacation planet with only a serial number and no official name—
Dongfang Qiqing suddenly sat upright on the bed.
Her previously elegant and gentle demeanor vanished instantly.
She hurriedly ordered the attendant beside her.
"Quick, get everything ready. I'm going back to the company."
The attendant blinked.
"Miss? Aren't you avoiding the Master and Madam?"
Dongfang Qiqing grinned.
"I am avoiding them."
"But this time I'll do it in a different way."
Dongfang Qiqing was the direct descendant of Dongfang Qixing, part of the main bloodline of the Dongfang family.
The youngest daughter of the current generation.
She had two older brothers.
Because she and Asta were born almost at the same time—and both belonged to corporate families—they had been arguing since childhood over who should call the other "big sister."
This was the first time Dongfang Qiqing had ever conceded.
For a massive family that controlled immense power across the universe, internal conflicts and power struggles were normal.
But if she could follow Asta's example—using a Genius Society member as a stepping stone to escape the family's control—
Then the favor she owed Asta would indeed be enormous.
Imagining a future where she could finally live freely, without restrictions or interference—
Dongfang Qiqing's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Asta and Lin Yi's Chat
Asta:
"However, if you really need someone, Mr. Lin Yi, I might have a recommendation."
She sent a file and several photos.
"She's my closest friend, and extremely capable. She definitely won't cause you any trouble."
After sending the message, Asta noticed that Lin Yi hadn't replied.
Suddenly she worried she might have overstepped.
Her intentions had probably been too obvious.
Asta felt slightly regretful.
But in reality—
She was overthinking.
Lin Yi had simply closed the chat after sending his last message.
It was a habit he developed after becoming a genius.
"Messages are automatically marked as read, but notifications are disabled."
At first, he had assumed Herta's message—
"Hello. I'm not here right now.
And I won't contact you later either."
—was just a genius being antisocial.
Later he realized the truth.
There was simply too much meaningless social interaction.
So Lin Yi configured his phone so that all messages were read automatically without notifications, except for a few people on his whitelist.
Group chats only notified him when someone @mentioned him.
Since Asta only interacted with Lin Yi during his brief visits to the Herta Space Station, she obviously hadn't made it onto that list.
Soon after, Ruan Mei finished handling her tasks.
She and Lin Yi boarded the Rainbowlight Ship, Lin Yi's personal vessel.
"The closest Xianzhou ship is the Luofu. I'm fine going anywhere. What about you?" Lin Yi asked.
Ruan Mei thought for a moment.
"Luofu… Yaoqing… Xuling… Zhuming…"
"I need to visit all of them."
Lin Yi sighed.
"Looks like our traveling companionship will be short."
"We'll still need three warp jumps. That will waste several system hours."
"The efficiency is too low."
The Star Rail routes left behind by Akivili were extremely useful.
But the problem was—
No technology currently existed that allowed ships to quickly reach the warp points along the rail.
Ironically, the most time-consuming part of the journey was the tiny distance before the warp point.
It was like taking a bus.
The bus could get you close to your destination—
But the bus had fixed stops.
And the final short distance between the bus stop and your actual destination was often the most inconvenient part.
Except for Pathstriders of the Trailblaze.
They weren't restricted by these rules.
Their warp travel was…
Well.
A bit too free.
Almost Aha-like.
"The Imaginary energy that fills the universe blocks communication between civilizations," Lin Yi said.
"People can only travel along the trails left by the Trailblaze."
"It's the cheapest method, but not the most efficient."
"If we used the highly efficient alternatives, it would be far too expensive for everyday travel."
"But if Stephen's proposal works—using Imaginary energy directly—everything changes."
"The Imaginary energy filling the universe would stop being an obstacle."
"It would become an advantage."
"Communication between civilizations would flourish."
"It would be a scene as vibrant as life itself."
Ruan Mei leaned against the bridge window, gazing into the starry sky.
She looked like a painting.
"That day will come."
"And it may not be far away."
Lin Yi thought of Vill-V from Honkai Impact 3rd.
Researching something after you already know it's possible is completely different from researching something with an unknown result.
Although he had never played Honkai Impact 3rd, he knew a little about it because of Welt Yang.
After all, jokes about Welt were everywhere.
He had heard that imaginary energy technology existed in that universe.
Since the two universes shared the same origin—
This one should eventually achieve it too.
Ruan Mei turned toward him.
"Can you explain this Chibaku Tensei proposal?"
"I'm curious."
Lin Yi shrugged.
"It's not a secret."
"But I'm also curious about what you're doing on the Xianzhou."
"You clearly don't want me to know."
"If I explain my idea while you keep your secret, I'd be losing out."
Ruan Mei replied calmly.
"I made an agreement with the Xianzhou not to reveal everything."
"But I can tell you part of it."
"As long as I hide the most important details."
She began listing items.
Crimson Spring water
Tang Sea water
Branches of the Ambrosial Arbor
Vidyadhara marrow
Feather of immortality
Fusang leaves
Biological tissue from a living planet
Remains of ancient beasts
Lin Yi inhaled sharply.
She's basically dancing on the Xianzhou's bottom line…
This is like selling illegal substances in some countries.
Oh… wait.
The Xianzhou allowed it—and even provided the materials.
Never mind.
"Everything else is understandable," Lin Yi said.
"But Vidyadhara marrow?"
He didn't finish the sentence.
But Ruan Mei already understood the question.
"Sometimes the Xianzhou encounters… things that are too troublesome to deal with directly."
"It would be a waste to discard them."
"Your turn."
Lin Yi thought for a moment.
"The detailed technology is complicated."
"But the principle is simple."
He projected a holographic presentation.
(Basically a PowerPoint.)
"This is the Xianzhou micro-pocket realm technology."
"You could describe it as 'a world within a flower, a universe within a leaf.'"
"Of course, that's an exaggeration."
"Right now, the smallest scale is about the size of a stone."
"But the potential is enormous."
"With improvements, it could theoretically shrink to the size of a single particle."
"This is the core foundation."
"Next is the Xianzhou's calculation technology, especially the systems used to track Lan, the Aeon of the Hunt."
"They can often determine Lan's location with extreme precision."
"Finally, there's my upgraded version of the Mystic Light Mirror, based on the Cloud-Gazing Mirror."
He noticed Ruan Mei giving him a strange look.
"Don't look at me like that."
"I named it that to match the aesthetic."
"The important part is its function."
"It can encode information into the cosmic microwave background radiation and accelerate its spread across the universe."
Ruan Mei tilted her head slightly.
"So?"