Jiang Mo remained expressionless at the bizarre choices. Of course, none of them could be called normal, especially after Aha had assigned him the task of corrupting Lady Herta's legacy.
Still, choosing wasn't difficult. As long as he avoided doing anything suicidal, he likely wouldn't be punished after the simulation ended.
He tapped Option 2. The glitchy red-and-white text twisted into a clown mask, then vanished with a distorted laugh.
Of the three, Option 2 fit best with Aha's objective. Conveniently, it also aligned with Jiang Mo's own plan. Raising her little "special toy" matched his idea of molding a future version of "Little Herta" into a uniquely enhanced creation.
As if responding to his choice, the young scholar on the swing shut her book with a soft thud and eyed Jiang Mo with thinly veiled disdain.
"If you're impressed by minor achievements or stunned by trivial things, you'd better leave now. The eighth tutor assigned by my father was hospitalized from stress."
She paused, holding her book like a shield. Her violet eyes studied him with a calm, cold, and analytical gaze, as if she were examining a tool rather than a person.
Jiang Mo wasn't fazed. He gave a small smile and replied,
"This isn't shock, but awe. Miss Herta, this is a normal physiological response when someone sees something beautiful."
"Mhm~ That's right. I think I'm quite awe-inspiring too, both in appearance and intellect."
Herta nodded slightly, accepting the compliment without emotion.
"Your explanation is acceptable, and your taste is tolerable, but I don't need compliments or word games. I need questions. One after another. Without pause."
She flipped open her book, pulled out a thin sheet of paper, and handed it to Jiang Mo with mechanical precision.
"This is a problem from the Intelligentsia Guild. Not the original version, of course. I made a few small changes. Solve it. If you can, that proves you're qualified to be my teacher."
Then she fell silent, waiting and watching.
Thanks to a trait Aha had granted him, the once headache-inducing astral computation formulas now felt like regular equations. The symbols flowed together naturally, as if someone had cleared away fog from his thoughts.
'...Alright, I'll admit this ability is somewhat useful,' Jiang Mo grumbled internally, still annoyed by Aha's interference.
He studied the problem.
Then he noticed something important: the phrase 'in an ideal situation' had been intentionally crossed out.
His lips curved slightly.
"The correct answer is..." he paused for effect, then casually tossed the paper onto the grass, "There is no correct answer."
Herta tilted her head. "Explain."
Instead of giving a direct response, Jiang Mo pointed to the black stockings on her legs.
"It's like how the idea that little girls shouldn't wear black stockings is just something people accept without thinking."
He looked her in the eye.
"Every astral computation model is built around one core assumption, that it operates under ideal conditions. You removed that condition. Without additional parameters to replace it, the model can't function. The problem becomes unsolvable."
Herta stared at him in silence for a moment.
Then she turned toward the mansion and said in a cool, flat tone,
"Twisted logic, but acceptable. You may stay for next Tuesday's Introduction to Imaginary Numbers class."
Just then, a light screen appeared before Jiang Mo's eyes:
[Congratulations, you have obtained the trait: "First Time as a Teacher" · Blue]
"First Time as a Teacher": You have earned the recognition of the indifferent genius girl. Your understanding of educating her has slightly improved. (Note: This trait can be upgraded.)
He blinked at the message, still trying to process it, when Herta's voice drew him back.
"The robotic butler will assign you a room later. Or pick one yourself. It doesn't matter."
Without another word, she walked into the manor and disappeared inside, completely unfazed by the fact that a stranger she had just met was now living in her home.
Watching her vanish behind the ornate doors, Jiang Mo let out a breath and muttered,
"Should I say 'as expected of Lady Herta'? With that kind of personality, she's already halfway to becoming a sadistic queen who'd enjoy stepping on you just to prove a point..."
Turning back to the light screen still floating beside him, he grew more thoughtful.
"This trait might actually be important."
"If I can upgrade it properly, maybe I'll get better tools to deal with Herta."
"But seriously, why does it feel so... tame? So normal?"
He frowned.
"Did Aha just lose interest halfway through?"
Aha would never pass up an opportunity to mess with someone. If anything, he usually made a joke of everything.
"So why the sudden tone shift? Did he get bored? Or maybe this trait is too low-level to attract his attention?"
Still, remembering how the earlier term had enhanced his cognition, Jiang Mo figured the change wasn't entirely meaningless.
He looked at the towering manor in front of him and sighed.
"Let's hope things go as smoothly as that first meeting…"
He stepped toward the entrance, unaware that every move he made was being watched not by Aha, but by the real Herta, silently observing from outside the simulated universe.