Guinaifen’s Livestream
"Every petal in life..."
"No matter when it blooms, will one day be scattered by the wind."
Though still farming breakthrough materials for Ruan i, Guinaifen couldn’t resist slotting her into the team.
After a few battles, she couldn’t help but marvel: "Ruan i’s support capabilities are kinda broken, right?"
...
"She’s the first limited 5-star Harmony character, after all!"
"Her buffs are insanely versatile, and they apply to the whole team!!"
"Folks, my advice? Pull for her—no regrets!"
"If Ruan i’s ultimate doesn’t summon a Swarm King Sting, I’m not acknowledging it..."
"Pulled her-, and all I can say is: ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT."
"Her skill in Simulated Universe is busted! Insta-kills mobs, chunks bosses to half HP in one phase—how is this balanced?!"
"No wonder she’s one of the Simulated Universe devs—she must’ve coded herself in as a cheat."
"Harmony characters are officially power-crept!"
"How are future Harmony units even supposed to compete with Ruan i...?"
...
After finishing material farming and hitting Ascension 6, Guinaifen imdiately leveled Ruan i to 80.
Fully satisfied, she resud the story.
Following the "When the Stars of Ingenuity Shine" quest, the next objective was to inform Asta about Ruan i’s departure.
Upon teleporting to the Master Control Zone, Asta was nowhere to be found.
Then, a notification popped up:
Group Chat: [Herta’s Patrol Team]
[Alright, back on topic—what do we do about this?]
[Demand accountability! This can’t go unanswered!]
[Face-Tanking Ultimates: What are you all mad about?]
[Wait, you don’t know?]
A short video was shared.
Guinaifen munched on snacks as she clicked it open.
The screen flashed with a sleek Space Station logo.
A broadcaster’s voice rang out:
"Breaking News for Herta Simps—good evening, haters! We interrupt your programming with urgent developnts."
"Recently, the esteed Genius Society #83, Herta, went missing after an attack on the Space Station. As of now, no organization has claid responsibility."
The screen shifted to a news-style graphic, with Herta’s photo in the center—her eyes censored by black bars.
"Outraged fans have condemned managent’s negligence, demanding answers."
The footage cut to an interview with an agitated "Herta anti," finger pointed skyward as if accusing: "It’s gotta be [REDACTED]’s doing!"
The video ended.
...
A new quest appeared!
Guinaifen frowned. "Wait, the preview showed Asta getting ambushed by the Duke Inferno, not Herta. Was that fake footage?"
"Is the Duke trying to pick a fight with the Genius Society now?"
Regardless, she teleported to Herta’s office.
The usual Herta puppet stationed near the Simulated Universe entrance was gone.
Just as Guinaifen puzzled over this, the screen glitched into static—then cut to black.
When the image returned, Stelle found herself seated in a chair.
Asta’s voice spoke beside her: "Mr. Screwllum, this was a preditated assault..."
Screwllum replied: "Conclusion: The Space Station was the target. But the thod... remains unclear."
A third voice interjected: "Correct."
"Which is why we need her."
"The last person to see Herta’s puppet before the attack... was her."
The scene revealed a dimly lit conference room.
A man stepped forward from the shadows, gaze sharp as a falcon’s.
...
Guinaifen blinked in surprise, but the chat erupted:
"Villain vibes!!"
"Ohhh, listen to that voice—PURE POWER!"
"Dr. Ratio’s here! And he’s GORGEOUS!"
"That stare! He’s perfect!"
"Why isn’t the MC tied up? This is a cri scene!"
"First ti seeing a man whose 3D model outshines his art..."
Duke Inferno’s attack had inadvertently made Stelle the pri suspect.
Dr. Ratio, originally visiting to collaborate with Herta as a technical consultant, now assisted in the investigation.
Before cooperating, the protagonist had to reconstruct their mories to prove innocence.
Guinaifen grinned. "A mystery segnt? Nice!"
"I’ve always dread of being a detective!"
---
Veritas University – Dr. Ratio’s Office
Aventurine suddenly clapped. "Congratulations, Professor. You’ve won."
"Turns out, the final limited character... is you."
Aventurine smirked, genuinely curious how Ratio’s kit would be designed.
Ratio, however, remained outwardly impassive, chin resting on his hand like The Thinker.
Aventurine prodded: "What’s on your mind, Professor?"
Ratio lifted his head. "From a player’s perspective, the mastermind behind the Space Station attack is clearly the Duke."
"This was ant to be a future event."
"But since the plot exposed it prematurely, the Duke would logically avoid striking now."
"Thus, this future... has been altered."
"What intrigues is the Duke’s current predicant, now that he’s been cast as the ga’s villain."
Aventurine chuckled. "Rest easy, Professor. After the ’Everfla Night: Act 33’ PV dropped, the IPC dispatched fleets to his stronghold imdiately."
"We can’t let that pyromaniac disrupt our Penacony mission."
"Between that and his war declarations against other Paths, he’s now public enemy #1."
"Doubt he has bandwidth for sches."
Ratio nodded. Objectively, the Duke’s infamy had skyrocketed—but so had his enemies.
Barring anomalies, the situation was contained.
Yet... sothing felt off.
Ratio couldn’t shake the premonition that the Duke might still deliver a pivotal twist.
"...Hypothesizing low-probability events is the pasti of fools," he mused inwardly.
As he refocused on the livestream, a notification flashed on his phone:
[Dear Veritas Ratio: Do you consider your current Warp chanics equitable?]
[Attached: ’Dr. Ratio’ – Attributes & Skills Preview.]
Ratio’s eyes narrowed.
The sender’s na made his breath hitch:
[Yu Ling]
Aventurine peeked and gasped. "No way! Professor—Yu Ling personally contacted you?!"
"This has to be the real deal!"
Ratio tuned out Aventurine’s shock, mind racing.
"Is my Warp arrangent fair?"
"Is Yu Ling asking to propose an alternative gacha chanic?"
Characters like Ruan i, despite being Genius Society mbers, followed standard pull systems.
But if Yu Ling granted him agency...
"As a ’fool,’ I refuse to conform to genius conventions."
A spark lit in Ratio’s eyes.
He typed a response:
"Knowledge should circulate and be shared. Truth is no exception. I demand all Trailblazers receive equal access to enlightennt."
He trusted Yu Ling to grasp his intent.
"...Well, Yu Ling? Do you dare honor my vision?"
Ratio gazed upward, as if locking eyes with the developer across the cosmos.
To be continued...
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