"How is it that I don't see even a hint of surprise on your face? That was Fuli!"
Only after the Aeon had fully disappeared did Herta finally ask.
Just seeing Fuli's projection through the glass earlier had already been shocking enough.
But now—
The Aeon had appeared right in front of them.
And Su Ran was still this calm?
If it had been Nous, that would be one thing—
But Su Ran didn't even follow the Path of Remembrance.
So how could he remain so composed after seeing another Aeon?
"What's so surprising about that?" Su Ran replied casually.
"Fuli is basically the universe's biggest camera. It almost never intervenes—just observes everything. Why should I be shocked?"
His tone was steady.
Even in the presence of an Aeon, his heartbeat didn't quicken.
After all—
He had already seen Fuli once yesterday.
The second encounter naturally lacked that initial shock.
"Actually, Fuli showing up proves something."
Su Ran lifted the scale he had just finished crafting.
A scale—
The perfect representation of equivalent exchange.
"Let me see!"
Herta reached out and flicked one side of the scale's plate.
The next moment—
She vanished.
Then reappeared—
Standing on the plate itself.
Her body had shrunk several times over—
Small enough to fit inside the tray.
The tiny Herta blinked, staring up at the now giant-sized Su Ran.
"What is going on?"
She spun in place—
Only then realizing—
She had been shrunk.
"This is equivalent exchange," Su Ran explained calmly.
"You touched the scale, so naturally you became part of the exchange."
He adjusted the other side of the scale.
In the next instant—
A trash can with arms and legs appeared.
"What did I turn into?"
The newly swapped-out Herta looked down at herself.
Thick arms.
Thick legs.
A metal shell.
And—
A faint, unpleasant smell.
She slowly turned toward the glass—
And saw her reflection.
A standard Belobog-style trash can.
With limbs.
"…A TRASH CAN?!"
At that moment—
Herta nearly fainted.
How did she end up like this?!
And worse—
She couldn't even find a logout option.
Was her consciousness now stuck inside this trash can?!
The more she thought about it—
The more she wanted to collapse on the spot.
"Perfect timing. Time to clean up."
Su Ran casually gathered the leftover food containers and trash.
"…What are you planning to do?"
Trash Can (Herta) took two steps back, crossing her arms defensively.
"Shouldn't trash go into a trash can?"
Su Ran lifted the garbage bag.
"…You don't mean me, right?"
Trash Can (Herta) swallowed nervously.
Even if her expression couldn't show it—
She was panicking.
She—
A member of the Genius Society.
One of the most renowned scientists in the universe—
Reduced to a garbage container?!
This was humiliation.
"Turn me back right now!!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
Enraged, Herta lunged at Su Ran—
Only to be sucked back onto the scale's plate.
Back in her tiny form,
She stood on the tray, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at him.
"Turn me back! Or you're going to regret it!"
This experience was absolutely unbearable.
She was definitely going to have nightmares tonight.
Outside the lab,
The researchers stood frozen in shock.
They had just witnessed—
A Herta puppet turn into a bizarre walking trash can.
What kind of invention was this?!
How was it this ridiculous?!
Even Herta herself could be transformed into a moving trash can?!
So this—
Was the level of a creation that attracted an Aeon?
"TURN ME BACK!!!"
Herta stomped furiously on the plate.
"Easy."
Su Ran adjusted the scale again.
In the next moment—
A perfectly normal Herta puppet reappeared.
The instant she reverted,
Herta immediately logged out of the puppet—
And checked her real body for abnormalities.
Only after confirming everything was normal—
Did she log back in.
"You bastard! Of all things, you had to turn me into a trash can?! Is humiliating me that fun?!"
"You tell me."
Su Ran tossed the question back at her.
Honestly—
That tiny trash can version of her had been pretty amusing.
Especially the stomping.
Though it would've been better if it was just a puppet doing it.
"I'll bite you, you know!"
Herta bared her teeth.
This was the biggest loss she had ever suffered in her life.
Staring at the scale in Su Ran's hand,
A wicked idea formed.
She grabbed his arm and tried to shove it onto the plate—
But nothing happened.
Herta: "…"
"What the hell? Why doesn't it work on you?!"
She was frustrated.
Was there some kind of permission restriction?
"So only you can use it? That's too much!"
"Sorry," Su Ran said calmly.
"I set a restriction during design. It doesn't work on me."
"..."
So there was no way to return the favor.
What a petty guy!
"But don't worry—you have usage permission."
Herta paused.
Her anger instantly faded.
"…Now that's more like it!"
Even though she had been humiliated—
At least she could use it too.
And that made her feel much better.
"Ruan Mei, are you there? Do you have time to come over?"
If she couldn't mess with Su Ran—
She'd mess with someone else.
And Ruan Mei was the perfect target.
Outside,
The researchers could no longer contain their curiosity.
They were desperate to get in.
Asta stepped forward and used her authority to open the door.
The moment it opened—
The crowd flooded in.
The once-empty lab was instantly packed.
"Mr. Su Ran! Do you realize what you've just created?!"
One researcher stared at the scale in his hands—
Eyes filled with obsession.
This—
Was an artifact that had drawn the attention of Fuli.
A true cosmic-level invention.
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