The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

In the main control sector, Pei Guang and his companions located Rocky, the person who had sent Stelle the message. Although he's a staff member of Herta Space Station, he wasn't engrossed in research at the moment but was instead deeply focused on a poem he was composing.

Beside him stood an elderly man hunched over, his expression a mix of frustration and helplessness as he glanced at Rocky's cheerful demeanor. As Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th approached, they overheard the elder muttering under his breath.

"This fool is at it again, playing with his ridiculous stones. He's throwing away his future! If he keeps this up, other departments will keep looking down on us from Galactic Geography. How can we achieve anything like this? Romance and frivolity are nothing but distractions on the path to scientific discovery."

Originally, Pei Guang and his friends had approached in high spirits, ready to take on a simple mission, but the old man's words piqued his curiosity.

"Why do other departments look down on Geography?" Pei Guang asked, intrigued.

The elder, whose name was Bernard, initially seemed ready to scold, but when he realized who had asked, he froze. Pei Guang had earned the gratitude of many during the antimatter legion's invasion, having saved several young members of Bernard's department. Additionally, Pei Guang was a guest of considerable importance to Herta herself.

Realizing this, Bernard sighed and began to explain. "The space station operates under one of its most foolish rules: talent is categorized into rigid departments."

"And the second most foolish, though unspoken, rule is this: departments are ranked, creating hierarchies of prestige. Those who are eloquent and presentable are seen as shining examples of intellect, while those who are reserved and deeply focused on research are dismissed as outdated and useless. 

It's a flaw in the space station that cries out for reform. But as an old man, I'm no longer capable of bringing about such change, it will fall to the younger generation to make a difference."

Bernard's lament piqued Pei Guang's curiosity further. "Why would a scientific research station rank departments? If I'm not mistaken, you're all supposed to be geniuses, aren't you? Maybe not on Herta's level, but at least among the best of your respective planets."

At this, Bernard let out another heavy sigh. "The best of their planets? Many here are indeed their world's brightest minds, but what does that matter? Choose the wrong focus, and even the brightest star will dim into obscurity."

Pei Guang clicked his tongue. "Your space station seems to have quite a few issues. I may not be a researcher, but I know enough to say that some fields, though they seem mundane, are absolutely crucial. Take terraforming, for instance. Transforming a seemingly habitable planet into one that's truly livable takes vast amounts of time and countless skilled researchers."

His experience with simulation games gave him a deep understanding of such matters—only the right people in the right roles could achieve meaningful progress.

An idea struck Pei Guang, and he couldn't help but grin. "If there's no room for growth here, why don't you come work with me? I recently got an entire habitable, resource-rich star system from Asta as a reward. I haven't visited it yet, but knowing her, it's bound to be fantastic. I'll need people to explore it, and I think a few scientists from here would fit the bill perfectly."

Bernard was left dumbfounded by Pei Guang's bold proposal. Even March 7th looked concerned. "Ah Guang, don't you think this might be a bit... inappropriate? Sure, we're doing tasks for Herta, but openly poaching her staff seems a little underhanded."

Pei Guang pondered for a moment. "Now that you mention it, poaching people like this does seem a bit inappropriate. They're giving us fun missions and rewards: if we hurt our standing and lose some favorability points, it'd be a pain to fix. How about this—I'll message Herta first."

Taking out his phone, he sent a message to Herta. She glanced at it briefly before replying with a single word: "Whatever."

Herta's indifference wasn't surprising. As long as Pei Guang was willing to test her Simulated Universe, she'd be fine with handing over the entire space station staff if necessary. Of course, there were exceptions; diligent and reliable members like Asta would remain off-limits.

What about the researchers' contributions? To her, they were practically irrelevant. The gap between her brilliance and theirs was vast—like comparing a human to a dog, or, in her mind, a human to a single-celled organism. As such, she didn't care much about their research results.

Still, whether intentional or not, Herta had a habit of leaving behind handwritten notes. What happened to those notes afterward was no longer her concern.

Pei Guang read her reply and nodded. "It's settled—Herta said we can do whatever we want."

Stelle added, "That means we have her permission. Whatever we do, it's fine."

March 7th chimed in, "No idea what to say, but if it's 'whatever,' then we're good to go."

Bernard, standing nearby, observed the trio in silence for a long moment before deciding to change the subject. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

This question jogged Pei Guang's memory, and he smacked his forehead. "Oh, right! Almost forgot the task. We're here on behalf of Rocky. He sent us to help reconcile with Lesley."

Bernard froze, stunned. "Reconcile? You think Rocky has a chance with Lesley? Dream on! A toad lusting after a swan. Maybe all the rumors about that girl have blinded everyone to an essential truth!"

Bernard explained that Lesley was a genius among geniuses at the space station. If she were a once-in-a-century prodigy, Bernard would be the equivalent of a dime-a-dozen researcher. In his eyes, there was no way these two could end up together.

Whether he genuinely doubted their compatibility or had ulterior motives remained unclear.

As he spoke of the vast gap between Rocky and Lesley, the young man in question stood behind Bernard, entirely unbothered by his mentor's dismissive comments. Working in such a marginalized department had given Rocky a thick skin; he didn't care about others' opinions.

He sighed as he finished his description. "Ah, such misfortune for my discipline. Please, young folks, try to talk some sense into my foolish apprentice."

After Bernard's tirade, March 7th furrowed her brow. "Talk sense? Why? Pursuing something beautiful is everyone's right. As long as he's not bothering her or refusing to take no for an answer, I think it's nice to have hope for something."

Her words caused Rocky to look up, his eyes sparkling with excitement and gratitude. For the first time, someone recognized his feelings, and it filled him with joy.

"You're absolutely right, miss! Lesley is the most beautiful existence in my life!" he exclaimed, his voice brimming with passion.

Bernard interjected, "Ha! Lesley is the star of Herta's Department of Insight. She's the only emissary to the Abundance segment in the past amber era. Do you really think she has time for someone like you?"

Rocky immediately retorted, "Of course she does! Ever since she left, we've been communicating intermittently through galactic signal relays. Even across tens of thousands of light-years, she's never ignored me. If she hasn't responded, it's because something unusual must've happened. I even wrote her a letter, confessing my feelings—not just talking about the kinds of rocks and dirt we catalog in the Department of Galactic Geography."