Although Ruan Mei's primary purpose for coming this time was to determine whether Bai Luan was qualified to participate in the Simulated Universe Project.
But since she was already here, it was fine to check on the progress of the simulated universe.
Herta invited Bai Luan to join her.
"No, I won't go. I probably wouldn't understand it anyway."
Bai Luan thus declined the invitation to go together.
This surprised Ruan Mei; rarely did anyone refuse Herta's invitation.
"It seems he isn't very keen on joining this project?"
"That's right."
Herta's tone held a hint of understanding, and a touch of amusement.
"On one hand, there's a bit of inferiority complex hidden deep down, making him feel he's not up to par.
On the other hand… he simply wants to be lazy."
"I didn't realize you understood him so well."
"He's been my assistant for quite some time now."
"What do you plan to do?"
"He doesn't want to join? That's not up to him."
Herta's lips curved into a mischievous smile.
"I'm going to drag him in anyway and see if he's capable or not."
"Sounds like…"
Ruan Mei glanced at her indifferently.
"More like you're trying to satisfy your own curiosity."
"Let's not talk about that."
Herta waved her hand dismissively, skipping the topic.
"Let's go see the simulated universe first. Speaking of which, it's been a while since this genius has been back."
After the brief tea party, Bai Luan temporarily returned to his idle state.
He found Inspiration Shroom and got the recorded footage from it.
He had been busy for about two hours in total, and Inspiration Shroom had taken a lot of footage.
Since Inspiration Shroom floats, it could get the camera infinitely close to the ingredients, making it look like a "A Bite of China" style video.
Of course, this raw footage was not enough to be called a video; he still needed to edit, dub, narrate, and add subtitles.
After editing these two hours of video, he estimated about one hour would remain.
This one hour of content couldn't be uploaded directly either.
When he made pastries, it was like playing a fast game of chess, with steps interwoven in a complex manner that he understood, but outsiders would find dazzling.
He still needed to use the pastries as a clue, re-sort the timeline, and cut them into independent short segments to better suit the fast-paced environment of current short videos…
Hmm,
So troublesome.
Maybe I should just upload it without any editing or voice-over…
Hehehe…
Anyway, people will watch it no matter what…
Bai Luan shook his head, casting out the wicked thoughts.
No, when he created the account, he decided to only show his audience the finest content.
He would only get abstract after boarding the train.
Then he would have a reason to say it,
He was integrating into the train crew's atmosphere.
However, if he could do it well, for those fans, it would be like a New Year's celebration.
He could update for several days in a row…
"How was the filming, Shroom?"
"It's perfect! I'll process it later."
"That's great, Shroom."
"Inspiration Shroom, would you like to do the voice-over for my video? Your voice is quite pleasant."
"Of course, Shroom!"
Inspiration Shroom agreed quickly, with a hint of eagerness in its tone:
"Shroom still really enjoys chatting with people; many researchers chat with Shroom to relieve boredom, Shroom."
"So, you're a confidant Shroom, right?"
"Shroom… Shroom still prefers the name Inspiration Shroom, Shroom."
"You can use 'Confidant Shroom' as a title; the two don't conflict."
"Then the name would be too long, Shroom."
"Hmm… Confidant Shroom · Inspiration Shroom, it is a bit long. As you wish."
Bai Luan chatted with Inspiration Shroom while playing with Chizuru.
Wherever Inspiration Shroom floated, Bai Luan wandered.
Bai Luan had no important plans anyway, so he could wander aimlessly around the Space Station like this.
But as he walked aimlessly…
He encountered Ruan Mei and Herta.
Bai Luan was speechless.
Herta Space Station, it's not round.
How could two groups of people walking in different directions accidentally meet?
Don't be so ridiculous!
This was certainly not a chance encounter.
After all, the simulated universe was still undergoing infrastructure construction, so a glance was enough to know its current state.
Once they had seen it, there was nothing more to see in the simulated universe for now.
With nothing left to see in the simulated universe, and no other place on the Space Station to attract Ruan Mei, she naturally returned to the main task of evaluating whether Bai Luan had the ability to join the Simulated Universe Project.
There were plenty of Herta Puppets throughout the Space Station, making it easy to find Bai Luan's location.
"Alright, I've found him for you. How do you plan to test him? Give him a problem, Ruan Mei?"
Ruan Mei didn't reply to Herta, looking directly at the paper crane flapping its wings beside Bai Luan.
A sudden sense of unease welled up in Bai Luan's heart. He was about to explain that this paper crane was a biomimetic drone he had created.
But Ruan Mei spoke first.
"That creature next to you, how did you create it?"
"Creature?"
Herta raised an eyebrow, looking at the paper crane. She seemed to recall her puppet's report mentioning what this thing was…
But too much time had passed, and she couldn't remember.
Although Herta couldn't recall what explanation Bai Luan had given for why this paper crane, which looked like it was folded from paper, could move,
She clearly remembered that Bai Luan definitely hadn't said this paper crane was a creature.
Had her assistant possessed the ability to create life a long time ago?
And, it was an illogical creature?
Furthermore, he had kept it from her for so long?
He had hidden such an interesting thing from her for hundreds of years?
Herta smiled, looking at Bai Luan.
At the same time, Bai Luan broke out in a cold sweat.
On one hand, Herta's gaze made his hair stand on end.
On the other hand, Bai Luan didn't know how to explain Chizuru's existence to Ruan Mei.
Making up stories to fool those who didn't understand might work, but Ruan Mei was precisely an expert in this field, even among the top tier.
If he tried to make something up, Ruan Mei would probably realize something was off before he even finished his first sentence, right?
I told you I shouldn't join the Simulated Universe Project, didn't I?
Facing two geniuses, in just one day, two of the things he tried to hide had been seen through.
Bai Luan sighed in resignation.
Things had come to this; it was clearly impossible to hide it.
But it was also clear that if he told the complete truth, they wouldn't believe him.
So, Bai Luan could only pretend he didn't know why this was happening either.
He could only mix truth with lies.
With a hint of helplessness and self-resignation in his smile, Bai Luan began to explain:
"Actually, I don't quite understand it either. This should be considered a kind of ability beyond my control, I suppose? That day, I just folded a paper crane from a piece of paper, and it came to life."
"If that's the case, why didn't you just say so? Why hide it?"
"I believe I haven't fully mastered this ability, and once it creates a situation like this, it's very difficult for me to explain.
And…"
Bai Luan glanced at Herta:
"I really don't want to be sliced up for research by you."
"No… you still remember that joke…"
Herta helplessly rubbed her forehead.
"Did my words back then have such a profound impact on you?"
"Although hundreds of years have passed for Ms. Herta, for me, it hasn't been that long. But I think I'll remember it very clearly even after a few hundred more years."
Bai Luan tilted his head slightly, as if calculating something seriously.
Finally, he showed a smile, a mix of helplessness, absurdity, and self-mockery, and said:
"If we convert it now… could this be considered a kind of… 'childhood trauma'?"