Chapter 630: Genius Society

A sleek, house-sized beast of a spaceship floated over to the docking bay’s outer entrance. Above Sunny and Seishan, a researcher overseeing the docking bay watched from their platform behind a glass window, speaking into a microphone. After a few moments, they pressed something on their console.

At the same time, the outer hatch smoothly slid open, allowing the ship to park itself in the isolated airlock. Multiple sliders and latches attached themselves to the spaceship as its thrusters deactivated, and the outer hatch closed. The space inside the airlock was decontaminated.

A few moments later, the inner hatch was opened, allowing the ship to move from the airlock to the actual docking bay. It rolled in, then stopped. Two mechanical bridges extended outwards — one from the ship, the other from the docking bay. They met in the middle, as if perfectly aligned. Railings folded up from the sides of the connected pathway.

Seishan stared at the ship, an elusive glint in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Sunny stared at Seishan from behind like he was looking at an alien species.

[I resent that, Benefactor.]

He ignored Tingyun’s complaint — actually, now that he thought about it, she had been strangely silent during that conversation. She allowed him to make a fool of himself!

[Don’t blame me for your own oddities...]

’Odd? Me? Never...’

Somehow, he just couldn’t figure out what Seishan’s deal was. She was mad about something, but she expected him to know? Did she just pat a stranger’s head? Was this her way of asserting dominance over the lowly sheep?

Did that make him a pet?

He wasn’t too sure how he was supposed to feel about that.

And what exactly was she implying when she commented on ’someone choosing a space train over her family’s favor?’ What was he supposed to make of that? He didn’t even know he had a choice — then again, he’d never join a Legacy Clan unless it was the last of his options.

[Isn’t it obvious?]

Sunny inwardly raised a brow.

’It is?’

[Those years you cannot remember don’t exist in a vacuum.]

Sunny frowned deeply. Was she implying that [Sunless] knew Seishan?

[I am.]

Not humoring Tingyun’s mind-reading shenanigans, Sunny thoroughly considered the possibility... a possibility that made all too much sense.

Seishan knew him?

’...’

[Benefactor?]

’...’

[Sunless]! That miscreant! Why did Sunny have to be the one to run into his messy relationships with women!

Firefly was his master, Silver Wolf was, uh... actually, pretty normal despite being ass at video games. Kafka made shitty jokes, Sparkle made even shittier jokes, and Huohuo was just a loser!

What next? Was it going to be revealed that [Sunless] was actually the second Prince of Song, but ran away from home in search of true love? That must be how he ran into the Stellaron Hunters!

It made sense! Seishan was mad because her adorable little brother ran away from the family, but couldn’t help but understand why he couldn’t endure the burden set upon his shoulders. The weight of expectation!

[Uh...]

Yes, the strange itch on his left shoulder, right around where it curved into his back... that must have been the sacred birthmark of Song! And that itch was reacting to the lack of Beast God’s Divine Lineage in his blood, marking him as a bastard child!

’[Sunless], you reprehensible bastard! You would dare anger your beautiful older sister in such a way! No, wait, you must have been harboring lustful thoughts, and you ran in shame?!’

[Forbidden love?!]

’Exactly! That means the memories I have now are fabricated! I was never an Outskirts rat! I was a prince. I was royalty. I was... incestuous.’

Sunny clenched his fist.

’No longer! I will not make the same mistakes as you, [Sunless]. You scumbag. Because I have Tingyun, and you don’t. Tingyun will keep my dick in my pants, and your sister will remain untouched.’

[I-I never quite agreed to that... Wait!]

Sunny paused.

’What?’

[Isn’t it more likely that you just ran into her once? Then, she decided she wanted to recruit you?]

Sunny blinked a few times.

’B-But, my complicated dynamics...’

[Can’t they be noncomplicated?]

...Can they?

No, that was impossible. Everybody was weird with him. Or was he weird with them? Either way, things had to be stupid or unhealthy. Ideally, both.

[You can always ask.]

’And reveal my amnesiac status? No thanks...’

An information advantage made it easier to take advantage of someone. It wasn’t ideal for someone else to know more about him than he knew about them.

It was better for the other party to be unaware of their information advantage. Telling them that he didn’t remember them would make things tilt in their favor.

It was also completely possible that Seishan did not know [Sunless], and she was just weird.

...Well, he can worry about that later. Seishan was sauntering towards the bridge, hips swaying alluringly.

Of course, Sunny was staring.

[Benefactor!]

Tingyun did not appreciate that, if her embarrassed cries were of any indication.

Sunny snorted as he quickly caught up to Seishan. The two of them stepped onto the bridge, walking forth as the door to the ship began to slide open.

Suddenly, Seishan spoke:

"Please act normal, will you?"

Sunny was only half paying attention. Despite his resolve to forget about the implications of anything and everything, he couldn’t help himself. He was a confused wittle boy.

And what do confused wittle boys do?

They misunderstand stuff.

"There is nothing normal about our relationship."

[...What? Just... what?]

Seishan looked at him from under her hood for a few moments, her expression unreadable.

"Oh... alright."

There were a few seconds of silence, but those seconds felt like very agonizing hours. So, Seishan decided to fill them.

"Is that a good thing, or...?"

"Bad. Very bad."

’...What’s happening right now?’

Seishan had no clue. She just knew that she didn’t really like it all that much.

The ship’s doors finally finished sliding apart, revealing a brightly illuminated interior beyond the threshold. Almost immediately, researchers began scurrying around in the background, some carrying tablets and others hurriedly checking equipment mounted along the walls of the docking bay. A few stopped to stare at the arriving vessel, while others seemed far more interested in the two figures approaching the exit.

The first was a woman.

Ruan Mei stepped foot on the bridge teal eyes apathetically reflecting the shining lights illuminating the docking bay from above.

If elegance and fertility had a child, it would be her.

Ruan Mei’s raven hair was tinged with hints of blue, form wavy as they curled around a face that would make hearts stop and monks swoon. Whether the hair was natural or not was irrelevant, done up in a waist-length braided off-center bun, delicate locks trailing down to her waist, a white flower ornament pinned near her temple. Snow-white, unmarred skin blanketed the voluminous curves of her flesh.

She wore a floral qipao, revealing her bare shoulders and long legs. It was dyed white and blue, giving her a certain untouchable demeanor.

But not unseeable, considering that Sunny was very interested in her deep neckline.

[Solvane.]

The moment those words were uttered from Tingyun’s nonexistent lips, Sunny felt all interest die and burn in a wildfire.

’...Where did you hear that name?’

[Your mind. Took me a while to find it, but it looks like it completely kills your lust.]

’Oh.’

Sunny supposed that was a good thing.

After all, Ruan Mei was staring directly at him with her piercing teal eyes, somehow seeming both uncaring and intrigued at the same time.

If he had stared any longer, she’d totally figure out what it was that he was so interested in.

Ruan Mei was an Ascended, it seemed. Well, he already knew that from his conversation with Herta, but it was always good to confirm. Still, Sunny felt like everyone was a Master nowadays.

He still remembered how Belobog only had two Masters around. Now that he was one himself, he wished that he could lord his power over people better.

Next to Ruan Mei was a distinctly masculine, gentlemanly figure.

Screwllum was, in simple terms, a robot. He had a round, human-shaped head, along with a typical humanoid body. His skull was completely blaack, with a silver faceplate around his glowing blue eyes. Despite not needing clothes, Screwllum was dressed in a brown coat with an insect-like cape. A black fedora with gears imbedded into its design rested on his head as he walked with a mechanical cane.

Sunny, who could see more than meets the eye, saw the telltale radiance of an Ascended Soul Core within Screwllum, revealing that he was not just a machine.

To be more precise, he was an Intellitron, a species of inorganic life that used mechanical bodies, rather than flesh and blood.

Sunny had asked Herta about where they came from, but she was particularly dismissive about the matter. Suspicious, if he did say so himself.

He glanced at Seishan before looking away. A moment later, his head turned back.

She was staring at Screwllum with a wonderous look in her eyes.

For some reason, Sunny was feeling a little smug.

’What, never seen a robot before? Stupid Legacy.’

Nobody shall bring up that Sunny has never seen one before Svarog.

Sunny inwardly sighed. He was to be a bodyguard for the Herta Space Station in general, but Herta wanted him to pay extra attention to these two. There were only five beings on the Space Station who were Nightmare Spell carriers; Sunny, Seishan, Ruan Mei, Screwllum, and Arlan. There was an obvious lack of Awakened researchers as to not attract Nightmare Creatures — some of them could move through space.

So, he found it a little funny that he had to prioritize two other superpowered individuals over the weak and defenseless researchers. Was this what they called favoritism?

In any case, he had to do his job properly. That began with introducing himself to the two VIPs. Maybe this time, he wouldn’t look stupid...

...Where did Seishan go?

Sunny blinked, eyes travelling down the bridge. Where the two researchers were, Seishan was shaking Screwllum’s hand enthusiastically.

’...Damn it.’

She completely messed up his flow!

There were little stars of wonder in her eyes as she grasped Screwllum’s mechanical hand with both of her own.

"Song Seishan. I’m pleased to meet you, Sir Screwllum, but before anything else... is it true that your consciousness is the same as humans?"

Screwllum tilted his fedora forward in respect.

"No, it is my pleasure to meet you, my lady. Affirmation: Yes, us Intellitrons can be considered relative to genuine humans in terms of thought."

"And that leads you to develop a soul?"

"Not quite..."

Sunny made a face as they continued with their back and forth. Seishan would ask increasingly excited questions that were borderline intrusive, and Screwllum would answer without qualms.

’Is she fangirling?!’

[...It is an odd topic to be interested in. Surely her education would have covered such subjects.]

"Hello."

Sunny literally jumped as Ruan Mei somehow magically closed the distance between them without him knowing.

And, just as his luck would have it, he jumped off the bridge.