"No way, what are you thinking about?" I pinched Rin's cheeks with both hands, making her let out a muffled whimper, though the texture was truly excellent.
"Wu, is it not okay?" Even with her cheeks pinched, Rin still managed to squeeze out these words.
"Of course it's not okay. It would be more like you marrying me."
"O-kay!"
"Hmm, if you've truly thought it through."
I then let go of her cheeks. Although I was a bit reluctant to let go of the sensation, someone had teleported over; it looked like the relevant staff.
After all, Humphrey, that silly cat, was sitting in a basket suspended by a balloon, looking like something out of a comedy cartoon.
"Oh, Jean Stardust-sama, meow, I have arrived!"
Jean Stardust reached out and stroked Humphrey's fur. Although for various reasons I hadn't been able to keep a cat, I had specifically learned how to pet one from videos, just in case I met a cat one day and didn't know how.
Humphrey seemed to enjoy this technique very much, purring loudly. Fortunately, it hadn't forgotten its work and began directing the staff on how to retrieve the giant snake from within the basket.
Jean Stardust also followed Humphrey's lead, confirming how each part could be utilized.
Don't let this cat's obedient appearance fool you; it's actually just like Sir Humphrey, the person it was named after—it never hesitates to seize an advantage. The only difference is that it's a workaholic. As long as it's awake, it's working. Although many people have complaints, ordinary people really can't replace its work.
"Sakura, you also think Jean Stardust is very beautiful, right?"
"Sigh, yeah. You can't really tell usually, but when she dresses up, she really starts to shine."
She then turned her head to look at her silly sister, who was acting quite strange.
"She's become prettier, why are you so proud?"
"Because she's my wife! Of course I'm proud that my wife is beautiful!"
"Didn't you just say that you were the one marrying her?"
"Yeah, isn't it the same? The initial refusal was just shyness." Rin had absolutely no self-awareness at this moment.
"Is that the same? Sigh, forget it... Anyway, when you can't keep up with her, you'll know the difference."
Originally, when she heard Jean Stardust say that her sister's passive skill was dropping the ball at critical moments, Sakura hadn't been convinced, but now the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.
"Oh my, Miss Sakura, I didn't expect you to know so much. Could you tell me how this 'playing' is conducted?" Medea teased with a wicked expression.
"You!" Sakura's face flushed red instantly, and she couldn't say a word for a long time.
FrostNova naturally saw this scene, but she didn't pay it any mind. At this moment, the only thing on her mind was how to close the gap between herself and Jean Stardust.
Having seen this giant snake and the earth-shattering combat fluctuations from earlier, how could she not realize that Jean Stardust was currently standing at a position far beyond her reach?
If things went on like this, standing by her side to help her would just be empty talk.
"Actually, you don't need to be so anxious." Milim patted FrostNova's shoulder, looking like a caring older sister, although the fact that she had to fly up because she wasn't tall enough made her look a bit pathetic.
"Rimuru's purpose in coming this time should be able to relieve your anxiety. Hmm, probably." By the end, Milim sounded a bit uncertain. Although Rimuru had shown that box at the time, her mind had been full of seeing Jean Stardust immediately, so she hadn't paid much attention.
"I'm fine. This little difficulty won't stop my progress. Thank you." Although Milim was speaking in vague terms, FrostNova still expressed her gratitude.
During the days Jean Stardust went to Fuyuki, FrostNova had consulted a lot of information. The most important two names were, one of which was Milim, so she had some understanding of what kind of person Milim was.
On Milim's side, seeing that FrostNova had regained some spirit, she turned her head and gave a thumbs-up to Jean Stardust.
Although Jean Stardust didn't know what Milim had done, it seemed she felt quite successful herself, so she returned the thumbs-up. The two of them reached a mysterious tacit understanding.
The transportation of the giant snake was actually quite interesting. Clearly belonging to the mystical or magical system of the Comprehensive Underworld, the equipment used to transport the giant snake was all sci-fi style machinery.
A group of people who looked like Onmyoji were sticking talismans onto the snake's body. Seeing that the loss of life force within the snake's body had stopped, it was probably for preservation.
Then, a batch of excavators appeared as if by trans-dimensional teleportation, digging a trench under the snake's body at regular intervals.
On the other side, a batch of things that looked like high-tech fighter jets were floating in the sky, casting down chains made of energy. With the help of the excavators, these chains passed through the dug trenches and looped around the snake's body, and then a group of witches riding broomsticks flew out from inside the jets.
Using magic to reduce the giant snake's weight, finally, as the fighter jets increased their power output, the entire giant snake was pulled up bit by bit.
The whole process was incredible. This combination of magic and science technology simply dazzled Jean Stardust.
They even put on a big show for Jean Stardust afterward. I saw the initial few Onmyoji take out things that looked like RPGs from their wide sleeves and fire them into the air in front of the snake's head.
A total of twenty-something Onmyoji fired about five or six rounds, totaling over a hundred shots.
The fired warheads rapidly unfolded and expanded in the air, forming something like a green energy plate, which then began to automatically combine, gradually forming a huge circle.
Next, energy began to converge. Huge fluctuations were transmitted over, and the space visible to the naked eye was torn open, forming a massive space gate.
"This few people can create such a large space gate in a short time with just man-portable equipment? What kind of Zenith Star technology is this?"
"This is the Comprehensive Underworld, meow. Every field is involved, and the top researchers in those fields gather here, meow. No matter what direction hits a bottleneck, new paths are often found through the knowledge of other worlds. Therefore, the most important and powerful department in the entire Comprehensive Underworld is the 'Research Department', meow!"
"Isn't the most powerful department the General Affairs Office of Meido-san?" Jean Stardust questioned the cat's proud statement.
"(⊙o⊙)... Uh, okay, you're right, meow."
However, what the cat said was actually quite right. The Research Department is the most important department in the Underworld, and its research direction is not just what is usually understood as scientific research. In addition to the usual mechanical technology, energy technology, magic, and the like, it also covers things like martial arts, swordsmanship, culinary arts, and even flower arrangement and tea ceremonies. Most importantly, the Research Department is studying the path of existential ascension and analyzing the laws of nature.
In fact, Koro-sensei, who is responsible for teaching Jean Stardust and the others, is also from the Research Department. It is said that his anti-matter tentacle body is a project, and he himself is responsible for researching a subject called 'Education'.
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