"Your position is about to be taken by someone else"
Yelan knew very well why Ningguang had been able to gain a foothold beside Su Ran.
The most important reason was her bearing, and her future potential.
It was as if Ningguang was simply destined to become rich.
So Su Ran choosing her wasn't random at all.
Ningguang had already achieved great success in Liyue.
Now, with Su Ran supporting her beyond Teyvat, she was bound to become even more successful in the wider universe.
"It doesn't matter. After all, that's Herta. As fellow geniuses, they naturally have more common ground."
Even though Asta's theories and hypotheses were completely beyond her understanding,
Ningguang at least knew what rejuvenation meant.
This woman called Herta was a genuine genius.
Was it really strange that Su Ran valued her?
"Then you're really just going to stand by and watch someone steal your patron? Who knows—if you fall out of favor, you might even lose your position as space station director."
Yelan reminded her again of the potentially serious consequences.
In the past, Ningguang never underestimated weaker competitors.
So why did she seem completely unconcerned when it came to Herta?
Had she already accepted defeat?
"What I excel at is management, operations, and commerce. Do you really think a genius like her would lower herself to deal with things like that?"
Ningguang gestured toward Herta, who was currently standing there with an air of smug pride.
"To people like them, money is something that comes with a wave of the hand. As long as they speak, there will be endless people offering it up. They don't need to lower themselves at all."
That was where Ningguang's confidence lay.
Geniuses had their own pursuits.
Any one of their inventions could bring about world-shaking change.
Having such people chase after currency?
That was putting the cart before the horse.
Utterly foolish.
So Herta was never Ningguang's competitor.
They weren't even on the same track.
"You really are broad-minded. If it were me, I wouldn't just stand by watching my patron get chased by someone else."
Yelan could only admire Ningguang's composure.
She herself would never allow any threat to exist, even if the other party wasn't technically competing in the same field.
Protecting one's interests always came first.
And based on Yelan's understanding of Ningguang, she should have been the same.
All she could say was that Ningguang had truly grown.
She was now far more mature than before.
"For geniuses like them, fighting for favor is a foolish act. Su Ran may seem carefree, but if you want to prove your value to him, you must show your ability."
Ningguang knew her position was secure.
As long as she could bring Su Ran the most vulgar thing of all—
money—
her standing would never change.
That was why she had set a goal long ago:
Become a sugar mommy.
A very rich sugar mommy.
At the very least, rich enough to supply the materials for a space station every month.
Reaching that level was already an immense challenge for her.
More importantly—
She still needed to learn.
Learn the business logic of the universe.
Liyue's methods were clearly outdated.
She had no doubt that if she applied cosmic business concepts back to Teyvat, she would reap an astronomical fortune.
Yet watching Herta and Su Ran bicker back and forth, Ningguang couldn't help feeling something was… strange.
It looked just like casual banter between ordinary friends.
Was this what returning to simplicity meant?
These geniuses, incomprehensible to ordinary people—
Their friendships were surprisingly plain?
"So, do you have any concrete ideas?"
Herta was very interested in the so-called equivalent exchange machine.
She wanted to know how it worked.
Put in something of equal value, and get what you want?
What kind of mad genius could come up with something like that?
If you put in a Star God, would you get an equivalent Star God in return?
"Not yet…"
How could Su Ran have a principle worked out already?
At this stage, it was nothing more than a concept—
And a name.
"You don't even have the theory, and you're already saying you can build it?"
That level of confidence was absurd.
Herta herself didn't have that kind of arrogance.
She would never claim she could build something before understanding its principles.
Yet Su Ran had done exactly that before.
He wanted to take space station materials—
So he casually built a teleportation device with principles she couldn't even comprehend.
Out of curiosity, he made a crystal that could store an entire star system.
And then there was that Emissary of Propagation.
"Oh right—what about that bug? Did you deal with it?"
Thinking of the Propagation Emissary, Herta became intensely curious.
How far had he gone with it?
"It's already hatched. A stable, long-lasting existence. A perfected product—countless times better than Softie's failed specimen."
Su Ran had once considered bringing the Star-Devouring King Insect to Herta Space Station for a stroll.
But after thinking about the potential casualties from sheer terror, he decided against it.
"You even cracked the problem of creating an Emissary?"
Herta had personally followed the creation of that insect egg.
Yet hearing that it had truly been born still left her deeply shaken.
An Emissary wasn't just an ordinary Pathstrider.
After Tayzzyronth's death, the Path of Propagation should not have produced any new Emissaries at all.
And yet Su Ran had done it.
Even Ruan Mei's replica on the space station was a failure.
Didn't this mean that in the field of life sciences, Su Ran was now ahead of Ruan Mei as well?
Perfect.
Now she could really hit Ruan Mei where it hurt.
If she couldn't beat Su Ran herself
Then she'd use Su Ran to beat other geniuses.
Using one genius to bully another—
How delightfully amusing!
Herta: I really am a genius!
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