Bai Luan was immersed in disbelief.
Although to other Geniuses, he just looked like he had worked hard for a long time, and was finally thrilled after being glanced at by Nous.
"We had long anticipated this result, we just didn't expect it to happen on this occasion."
Screwllum comforted him in a gentle tone:
"Congratulations, Bai Luan, you are officially the 85th member of the Genius Society."
Even Ruan Mei nodded and said:
"Congratulations."
"You... you... please stop congratulating me..."
After hearing their comforting words, Bai Luan felt even worse.
With this official certification, wouldn't he have to deal with projects at their level every day?
Bai Luan's eyes turned red, and he tremblingly asked:
"In the future... when the simulated universe develops new projects... will there still be a place for me?"
"Question: Allow me to express a touch of curiosity, why do you hold such a view?"
Screwllum had a hint of confusion.
"Even if Nous had not cast His gaze, we would still retain your position in the simulated universe.
Reason: Your wisdom and effort have been permanently etched into the core data of the project, becoming an indispensable part."
Hearing Screwllum say this, Bai Luan was instantly "moved" to tears.
"Wuwuwu..."
Nous... you... you just wait...
When I gain the ability, I will definitely infect you with a high-dimensional panda incense-burning virus, to give you a good time...
『Actually, it's mainly Aha's fault. He forcibly turned Nous's gaze in reality, and then Nous noticed your abnormality. Originally, He didn't intend to pay attention to you.』
The System's tone was flat, exposing the hidden culprit behind the scenes.
And you... Aha...
The Aeon of Elation, born for joy...
I will personally...
I will...
Why can't I do anything about this Aeon of Elation!
Thinking of this, Bai Luan felt even worse.
Seeing Bai Luan so "overwhelmed with gratitude" from excitement at joining the Genius Society, Herta couldn't help but say:
"Does this really move you so much?"
"I... I..."
Bai Luan really wanted to confess that these weren't tears of joy, but realized it probably wouldn't help to say anything.
How could anyone have a mental breakdown because they were glanced at by Nous? This is a good thing, isn't it?
So Bai Luan had no choice but to find an excuse for his own gaffe.
"I just... feel..."
He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and squeezed out a few words.
"I finally caught up to you all..."
His voice was very soft, yet carried a heavy weight, and a hint of relief.
Bai Luan's words, combined with his current appearance, directly silenced the Geniuses.
The Geniuses present suddenly realized that being an assistant to a Genius was a very stressful thing.
He was constantly chasing after the backs of those blessed by the Aeons, bearing unimaginable pressure, and silently toiling.
He performed so well, so well that everyone mistakenly believed that all of this was as easy for him as it was for them.
So...
This wasn't easy for you.
A hint of understanding, accompanied by a faint, indescribable bitterness, spread among the few people.
No wonder...
At this moment, you are so emotional.
At this moment, the three Geniuses present all misunderstood and thought they understood Bai Luan's current emotions.
Herta reached out and touched Bai Luan's cheek, wiping away his tears, then stared into Bai Luan's eyes for a few seconds.
Then Herta showed a smile and pinched Bai Luan's face, saying:
"You really have a pair of beautiful eyes. I know you've worked very hard, so just stay by my side forever."
"?"
Herta's compliment made Bai Luan a bit confused and a little embarrassed.
Bai Luan's cheeks flushed slightly, and he turned his head away, avoiding Herta's gaze. He raised his hand to push away Herta's hand, and incidentally blocked her view.
"Um... I'm a little... embarrassed... could you please stop looking at me like that?"
The fleeting innocence revealed in that moment formed a huge contrast with his usual calm and composed image.
"Oh my."
Herta's interest was completely piqued. This unknown side of her assistant was even more interesting than she had expected.
Herta originally wanted to tease him a bit more, but Bai Luan wiped his face, forcibly hiding this side of himself. Except for the slightly red corners of his eyes, he was almost no different from usual:
"Cough cough, alright, I was a bit emotional just now. Thinking about it carefully, it's no big deal. Everyone here has been glanced at, it's nothing special."
Herta looked at the tense Bai Luan and suddenly wanted to forcibly break through his defenses and bring out that rare side of him again.
This process would definitely be very interesting.
However, this occasion was not suitable.
She would explore this rare side of her assistant later~
Herta's lips curved into a pleased smile.
But then, Herta hid this hint of pleasure.
She returned to her usual demeanor, looked at Bai Luan, and asked:
"What exactly did you ask Nous?"
"I asked Him if He knew if the fourth wall truly existed."
Herta was immediately disappointed.
"That's it? How could such a nihilistic question catch the attention of that mechanical head?"
Such a question, of course, wouldn't catch Nous's attention. His reason for glancing at him was definitely due to something else.
But Aha forcibly made Nous look at him, and then Nous actually developed interest in him at first glance, who would believe such a reality!
Even if these three Geniuses believed him, how would he explain the source of the information?
A prophet's identity?
But his reaction after coming out of the simulated universe already proved that he hadn't anticipated this either.
It's all that damned Aha's fault...
How infuriating!
The first two times Aha didn't do anything! He could blame Aha!
But this time Aha really did something, yet he couldn't blame Him because he was in the simulated universe the whole time and couldn't have known what Aha did!
Damn! It!
This Aha really is silent for a long time, then makes a shocking move!
"It might also be a coincidence. His real reason for glancing here was the advent of the simulated universe, and He just happened to look at me and answer my question."
Bai Luan found an excuse for Nous.
Herta reluctantly accepted this reason and commented:
"He really has a burnt-out neuron somewhere."
At this moment, Ruan Mei spoke:
"What was Nous's answer?"
"He said: 'Does that matter?'"
"Heh, that's His usual style, either pretending not to hear and not answering, or having to beat around the bush."
Herta complained about Nous's style, then asked Bai Luan:
"So, what's your analysis of the answer?"
"Ms. Herta, why don't you solve it yourself?"
"My answer is my answer. Today I want to hear yours. What, unwilling?"
Bai Luan shook his head.
"That's not it."
Then Bai Luan, without any hesitation, stated his answer:
"I think it doesn't matter."
Screwllum looked at Bai Luan and asked:
"Question: If the answer to a question directly concerns our fundamental understanding of the world we inhabit, how can it be considered unimportant?"
Hearing Screwllum's question, Bai Luan smiled and said:
"Perhaps the fourth wall truly exists, and beyond the wall, there is a group of life forms observing our lives through different mediums.
To them, beyond the wall, we might be a piece of text, a video, a string of game data... a product they can casually create."
Herta heard this and said:
"Then isn't it as Screwllum said, the answer concerns our perception of whether we are real?"
"No, the answer isn't important. What's important is how the person being asked the question views it."
Bai Luan slowly spoke, explaining his perspective:
"This is inherently a meaningless question.
To the people beyond the wall, we are text, data, but they can still gain genuine emotions from the stories we form.
And to us within the wall, whether the people beyond the wall are willing to believe that we truly exist, or insist that we are merely fictional stories, we... exist here."
Bai Luan looked at Herta in front of him and said with a smile:
"So, even if someone claims our world is a fake stage, what of it?
At least for me—at this moment, you, standing before me, are incredibly real."
"Heh."
Herta heard this and showed a smile, hands on her hips, looking at Bai Luan, and said with a hint of teasing:
"Why is my assistant talking so mushy today?"
Usually, Bai Luan would easily handle such teasing.
But today Bai Luan was very unusual. The moment his gaze met Herta's, he even stammered when speaking.
Finally, he could only scratch his cheek, not defending himself, just showing an embarrassed, wide grin.
"Hehe."