"Directly altering biological structure..."

Feeling the composition of her own body,

Ruan Mei felt like the sky had collapsed.

Looking ugly was one thing—

But something even more absurd had happened.

She had literally become a trash can.

No genetic modification.

No gradual transformation.

Just—Instantly turned into an entirely different species.

This unprecedented, unheard-of method made everything she had ever accomplished feel meaningless.

Recreating a Propagation Emanator?

Designing adorable dessert-like lifeforms?

Even cultivating an entire living planet?

None of it compared—

To the sheer shock of having her own structure rewritten on the spot.

Because at this moment—

She was no longer human.

"How does it feel?"

Herta looked at her with great satisfaction.

So this was how ugly she had looked before...

Terrifying.

Thankfully, Ruan Mei looked like this now too.

Balance restored.

"What kind of technology is this?"

Ruan Mei ignored Herta entirely

And turned to Su Ran—

Who had just finished taking a series of photos of her.

This was his creation.

And its function was... disturbingly terrifying.

"An Equal Exchange Device," Su Ran replied.

"It allows the fair conversion of anything—as long as you can afford the cost."

He carefully saved the photos.

Later, he planned to ask Herta for the surveillance footage too.

Photos alone weren’t enough.

"You mean... as long as the price is equivalent, anything can be exchanged?"

To Ruan Mei,

This sounded utterly absurd.

This kind of thing—

Should only exist in fiction.

And yet—

Here it was, in reality.

"My value... is just a trash can?"

She looked into the full-length mirror Herta had brought over.

And saw herself.

Her entire world went gray.

"Of course not," Su Ran said calmly.

"Your consciousness is preserved. As a scientist, your intellect is far more valuable."

"Compared to your intelligence, your physical body holds less value—so being converted into this form is reasonable."

"And honestly, it’s higher-grade than Herta’s version."

He knocked lightly on the metallic shell.

The texture.

The sound.

Both were clearly superior.

Probably because a human body held more value than a puppet’s materials.

"Congratulations," Herta added cheerfully.

"You’re a trash can worth more than my puppet!"

She didn’t hold back her praise.

Though—

It wasn’t exactly comforting.

"...Can I change back?"

Ruan Mei couldn’t accept this appearance.

If this got out—

It would be true social death.

Not that she cared much about socializing—

But still.

"This isn’t nice? In this form, do you know how many people would like you?"

Su Ran looked at her thoughtfully.

Even he—

Who usually found her somewhat off-putting—

Suddenly felt the urge to open the lid and check inside.

"I only know that I don’t like this version of myself."

Ruan Mei replied flatly.

At the end of the day—

She was still a woman.

She had standards.

She cared about appearance.

There was no way she could accept this.

Since it was just a prank,

Herta didn’t intend to keep her like that.

Soon, she restored Ruan Mei to normal.

Back in her original form,

Ruan Mei stood before the mirror—

Admiring herself for quite a while.

Only after more than ten minutes

Did she finally shift her attention.

"So... as long as it’s equivalent, anything can be exchanged?"

"Of course," Su Ran said confidently.

"I even helped Asta exchange credits for a star-destroying battleship."

"This proves it can convert a wide range of things."

Ruan Mei’s eyes sharpened.

"Then... if the cost is sufficient—can it exchange for an Aeon?"

This—

Was what she truly cared about.

If this device could do that,

Their research would become vastly easier.

All they’d need—Was enough resources.

And they could create an Aeon.

This idea wasn’t hers alone.

Herta had entertained it too—

Though less obsessively.

Still—

The thought of creating a god was undeniably tempting.

"But who can afford that cost?"

Su Ran countered.

"An Aeon’s power might as well be infinite."

Their strength came from the Path—

And ultimately from the Imaginary Tree.

Strictly speaking, 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Aeons didn’t "run out" of power.

They only varied in how much of it they could wield.

The broader the Path—

The stronger the Aeon.

But their energy source was effectively limitless.

So if one wanted to create an Aeon—

The exchange would require something equally infinite.

Which made the idea...

Pure fantasy.

"If you want to exchange for an Aeon," Su Ran added,

"the best method would be to use another Aeon as the cost."

"Do you think that’s possible?"

Ruan Mei fell silent.

It wasn’t just difficult—

It was practically impossible.

Aeons rarely appeared.

Even seeing one was passive—

Never something you could initiate.

What she failed to notice—

Was that someone capable of contacting Nous

Was standing right beside her.

At that moment,

She only felt that the opportunity was within reach—

Yet impossibly distant.

"Then what do you plan to use this for?"

Ruan Mei asked.

She knew this technology was beyond her domain.

She specialized in life sciences—

Not anomalous artifacts.

Even Herta was more suited to study it.

So instead of asking to borrow it,

She asked something else—

His intention.

"Make money."

The answer was blunt.

Herta was unfazed—

She already knew.

But Ruan Mei—

Was not.

"...Can I examine your brain?"

She looked at him seriously.

"I think something might be wrong with it."

"You created something like this..."

"...just to make money?"

"That’s not funny."

—------------------------------

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