Herta couldn't have cared less—in fact, she seed downright delighted by the shifting expressions on 'Ruan i's' face.
A cheerful grin played across her lips.
"Anyway, the real Ruan i should arrive at the station within a day. When she does, one of my puppets will bring her over. I'm counting on you to receive her."
Lady Herta gave 'Ruan i's' shoulder a light pat.
She looked every bit the entertained spectator.
How annoying.
I really want to refuse…
But 'Ruan i' truly longed to et the original—and to earn a nice chunk of emotional points in the process.
That conflicted look on 'Ruan i's' face only made Lady Herta chuckle in amusent.
"How fascinating—two Ruan is eting right here. I'm genuinely curious what kind of scene that will be." Herta giggled softly.
And with that, the topic was closed.
-- --
Half a day later.
'Ruan i' finally encountered the original Ruan i, escorted by one of Herta's puppets.
"Welco, Ms. Ruan i."
"So this is our first eting. You really are… extraordinary."
The mont Ruan i stepped off the starship and saw another version of herself, her gaze locked onto 'Ruan i' and didn't stray again.
"?"
'Ruan i' watched as the original walked right up to her, closing the distance until they were nearly face to face.
Their eyes t.
"Is sothing the matter, Ms. Ruan i?"
"Just call Ruan i. I'm deeply curious—how did you achieve this? Herta told your imitation isn't just flawless. You even replicate talent and abilities."
Ruan i cut straight to the point, naming exactly what had drawn her here.
Herta had said that Bai Ming's mimicry was every bit the original's equal when facing her in a battle of wits.
That when imitating an Emanator of Destruction, it could even attract the gaze of an Aeon.
And now, here she was, impersonating Ruan i herself.
Such an ability had undoubtedly captured Ruan i's interest.
Another version of in this world…Ruan i studied the other herself before her, a deeply intrigued smile gracing her lips.
If it's possible to replicate even innate talent like this…then this is a feat even I have never accomplished.
At the very least, Ruan i hadn't managed to clone another genius.
"…"
'Ruan i' couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
"It's a special ability of mine, I suppose. I don't fully understand it myself, and it's not very controllable. Who I end up portraying is sowhat random."
'Ruan i' offered a vague, breezy reply.
"I see. I've also reviewed the data on the Giants of Light you created. A fascinating design. And a… remarkably bold ambition."
Ruan i nodded, but made no move to step back.
Instead, she lifted a hand and gently pressed it against 'Ruan i's' chest.
A faint glimr blood at her fingertips.
But all it brought Ruan i was more puzzlent: "As expected, by every asure you're completely identical to . But what's even stranger is your consciousness…"
After that brief contact, Ruan i found she couldn't quite grasp the other's essence.
No matter how she looked, it was simply another her.
Inside and out, shaped entirely as Ruan i.
Only when she brushed against the realms of tics did she faintly detect sothing unusual.
That the imitation could reach such a degree left even Ruan i astonished.
In this universe, what one might call a "soul" falls within the domain of tics, inextricably linked to the Path of Rembrance.
Of course, there are also beings like the Wubbaboos, a rather unique form of incorporeal life.
But in essence, they are energy-based lifeforms—their consciousness still anchored to so form of aggregated energy.
Yet this one before her…she felt it was neither a variant like a mokeeper, nor a subspecies of the Wubbaboo.
But it wasn't entirely without similarities, either.
A peculiar and rare existence.
That was Ruan i's preliminary conclusion.
She was starting to feel the urge to study this unique lifeform right in front of her.
But Ruan i also knew…she had co today for another matter.
So, for now, she suppressed her curiosity.
Taking a slow step back, she restored a normal social distance between them.
"My apologies, I was slightly carried away. It's just… realizing once again that this universe holds room for any possibility—it's stirring."
Ruan i lowered her hand, then extended it toward 'Ruan i'.
'Ruan i' smiled and clasped it.
"Indeed, this cosmos is far too full of marvels."
The fact that Ruan i had grown curious about her…was both good and bad.
The good: it ant 'Ruan i' might have a chance of enlisting Ruan i's help later.
The bad: she was a little worried about what Ruan i might do to her in the process.
Looks like there's one more thing to add to this cycle's agenda, she thought. And that's to cram like mad in the field of life sciences.
At the very least, if I ask Ruan i for help, I ought to understand what she's doing.
"Shall we go? Herta's probably growing impatient. Does your ship need to co along?"
'Ruan i' withdrew her hand and gestured toward the starship docked behind Ruan i.
Ruan i shook her head, smiling.
"That won't be necessary. I assu that with you here, and experints already underway, equipnt shouldn't be an issue."
"Very well."
'Ruan i' turned, casually glancing at her panel:
-- --
[Role-Playing System]
[Na: Bai Ming (Ruan i)]
[Lifespan: 100 years (paused) 20 days (role-playing)]
[Available Transformations: Big Herta (Charge: 87.6%), Acheron (Charge: 54.8%), Celenova (Charge: 13.3%), Ruan i (Active)]
[Gacha Attempts: 0 (67.2%)]
-- --
Excellent. Progress was looking good.
-- --
Arriving at the testing grounds.
Beside the experintal area, beyond a massive pane of glass,
lay a vast training field expanded via spatial folding.
Inside, six Giants of Light were freely exercising their powers.
Herta's puppets moved among them, asuring data, adjusting tactics, and so on.
"You're here~"
Herta turned, eyeing the two Ruan is with keen interest. She stroked her chin, studying the pair ticulously—even scrunching her nose to take a subtle sniff.
Only then could she tell them apart.
"You're Bai Ming, right? You sll like —must've picked it up over the last few days."
Herta lifted a hand and confidently pointed at 'Ruan i'.
Just standing there smiling at her, Herta truly couldn't spot any difference. If not for that distinct scent, she might have needed more extre asures to tell them apart.
'Ruan i' smiled and nodded.
"It's really . But the way you put it… sounds pretty weird. I'm almost afraid you'll turn into a woman with 'weighty affections.'"
"Hah! What a joke. If my affections are the rarest in this world, shouldn't they be weighty?"
Herta crossed her arms, as narcissistic as ever.
Ruan i observed the dynamic between her other self and Herta.
A surreal, almost illusory feeling washed over her—as if she'd shifted into a third-person view, watching her own self engage in easy banter with Herta.
Unlike Herta's surface-level understanding, after that hands-on contact, Ruan i found it genuinely difficult to distinguish herself from the other "her."
It was almost like facing a version of herself from a parallel world—one with a slightly different personality.
She picked up a nearby screen and pulled up the data on the Giants of Light stretching their limbs outside.
Initially identical in every parater, after just one day they had already developed distinctly different growth trajectories and characteristics.
A smile touched Ruan i's lips.
It was precisely this unpredictability of life that made its essence so captivating. But what fascinated Ruan i most was still the other "her" right before her eyes.
Just as Herta had imagined, the minds of geniuses resonated in that mont.
Ruan i, too, found herself forming the idea of keeping Bai Ming close by her side.
-- --
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