Chapter 702 - 702: Don't Talk. Keep Eating.jpg

"Phew—"

After settling the girls inside the pocket universe,

Setsuna opened the holographic interface and adjusted the curvature of spacetime, creating a difference of more than a hundredfold between the flow of time here and in the outside world.

Countless times, he had marveled that time-distortion technology was practically as indispensable to the Starsea Empire as the Bulins themselves.

The latter ensured the Empire's rapid development and construction, while the former guaranteed that he could maintain stability and harmony within his harem.

And then, at last, it was time for a long-awaited vacation.

He had only just walked into his private villa, planning to wash his face and grab something to eat first so he would be ready for the challenges awaiting him that night.

The moment he opened the door,

"Commander!"

"Master!!"

"My husband!!!"

A crowd of shipgirls, Spirits, and Heroic Spirits descended on him in a noisy rush, and he was instantly surrounded on all sides by warm, fragrant softness.

None of them had participated in the Astral Express convoy. They had waited and waited, longing for the Commander's return, so now that he was finally back, they were especially excited.

"Oh—"

A massive pair of breasts pressed directly against his face, giving him an immersive breast pillow experience.

Looking up, he saw Tiamat gazing down at him with an indulgent expression.

"Master, you've traveled through so many worlds. You must be tired."

"You should relax properly, okay?"

Tiamat's figure depended entirely on her own wishes. She could take the form of a little motherly girl or transform into her voluptuous adult form.

Setsuna preferred the latter. Bigger was justice!

"No matter what you ask for, I can satisfy you..."

"If anything has made you unhappy, you can tell me too. I'll help you."

Tiamat's gentle voice made it almost impossible not to sink into her embrace.

"Commander-sama, you promised you'd spend time with Taihou first~~"

Taihou showed no restraint at all, immediately giving him another passionate embrace and deep kiss before pushing him down onto the sofa.

Her hands soon began wandering restlessly.

"Mm... I don't mind even if the other girls are watching. Come on, Commander~"

"You haven't spent time with us in so long. This time, you have to properly accompany Taihou~"

Her seductive, lustful voice combined with the breath against his ear made Setsuna instantly hard.

"Come on. Let's fight until it hurts!"

He decisively decided to warm up with one round against Taihou first.

Taihou had obviously prepared in advance. She wore a red evening gown paired with black thigh-high stockings and garters, perfectly displaying the figure befitting an aircraft carrier while also increasing her attack speed.

And for convenience, Setsuna discovered that Taihou seemed to be wearing nothing else beneath it.

"Wait a moment."

"Commander, I have a question."

Suddenly, an indifferent voice cut in and interrupted the mood between the two of them.

"Who is it?!"

Taihou turned around in displeasure, wanting to see who could possibly be so tactless.

Unsurprisingly, it was Ruan Mei. This mad scientist seemed to have nothing in her head besides whatever happened to concern her at the moment.

"If you want to discuss science with the Commander, wait until we're back in the capital. This isn't the time for you to bring up those boring questions."

She made a dismissive gesture, trying to send Ruan Mei away, then casually added,

"Or if you want to join in too... you'll still have to wait until the Commander and I are finished."

"No. This question is important."

Ruan Mei spoke seriously.

"Commander, that vampire named Kirie claims your blood and bodily fluids possess the ability to make her stronger. Is that true?"

"But last time, I didn't experience anything similar. I want to know whether this is due to an individual difference or a racial trait. Does anyone else in the Starsea Empire possess a similar ability?"

An ordinary girl would inevitably blush furiously upon seeing Setsuna being intimate with someone else, yet Ruan Mei's expression did not change at all as she calmly said something astonishing.

At the same time, she recalled her previous experience. She had personally collected some of Setsuna's DNA and had also produced an emotion known as "pleasure," along with increased dopamine.

It was worth investigating further.

"???"

Setsuna was completely dumbfounded.

"First Shalltear, now you. Why are all of you so fixated on this?!"

"I'm asking from a scientific perspective. I want to understand the mechanism behind the interaction between these two factors."

Ruan Mei answered.

"Huh???"

Taihou had originally been holding the holy spear in her hand, but her movements froze midway.

Origami Tobiichi, Kurumi, Formidable, and the others waiting for their turns were stunned as well.

"It actually has that effect? Seriously?!"

"We've partied with the Commander so many times. How did we never know?!"

The girls looked at one another.

"That's why I want to take this opportunity to study it again. Perhaps it has an effect on everyone."

Ruan Mei looked toward Kirie.

"Can you tell me how you do it? Please don't leave out a single detail."

"Me?"

Kirie blinked.

"I just go to the Commander every day to feed. It's basically the same as eating for you girls, mm..."

"Of course, I can also replenish myself through mana transfer, but that's too formal. It takes longer too, and it's exhausting."

"I see..."

Ruan Mei thought for a while before turning toward Setsuna.

"Is the difference caused by the method? Commander, can you let me try once as well?"

"Huh?"

Setsuna felt the conversation gradually veering in a very strange direction.

The other girls were even more dumbfounded. Why was this research project becoming increasingly indecent?

"Fine. Up to you."

He did not mind letting Ruan Mei cut in line first.

"Kirie, teach her."

"Okay~"

The vampire girl was brimming with enthusiasm. Lifting the skirt of her gothic dress, she knelt down.

She very carefully covered her sharp teeth so she would not accidentally injure him.

The sidelong glance she gave everyone else even carried a hint of pride, almost as though she were showing off.

"Wa-ch clo-sely. Star-t slo-wly, then spee-d up..."

"The-n, after tha-t..."

Like a greedy little cat, Kirie gave Ruan Mei a somewhat muffled explanation while demonstrating at the same time.

"Hiss..."

Taihou, Origami, and the others stared blankly.

It was not as though they had never tried this before, but how should they put it? Kirie was simply far too professional.

Perhaps it was an instinctive talent of vampires. In order to obtain energy as quickly as possible, she used every trick she knew, working both hands at once and employing so many techniques that it left the others dazzled.

"Commander, no wonder you keep her by your side every day..."

Origami narrowed her eyes. She had to admit she was inferior in this particular field.

"Hm?..."

Ruan Mei watched with even greater surprise.

"This shouldn't be necessary for biological reproduction, should it? Could it be that the Commander simply enjoys the sensation? I understand..."

She studied every detail with meticulous seriousness.

Gudako suspected that this science-obsessed madwoman definitely had other intentions toward the Commander. If she truly cared only about research, she would never go this far.

"Here. Your turn."

Kirie generously yielded her place to Ruan Mei.

Following the vampire girl's earlier demonstration, Ruan Mei began imitating her somewhat awkwardly.

At first, her movements were still inexperienced, and she frequently needed to be reminded about small mistakes.

But a genius possessed extraordinary comprehension, whether in academics or anything else.

Very soon,

"Cough, cough—"

Ruan Mei finished her meal just as Kirie had taught her, then sat on the floor and coughed several times.

She closed her eyes and carefully sensed the changes in her body.

She felt somewhat full, but as for becoming stronger... that did not seem to have happened.

"Is it a difference in individual constitution? Hmm... both the Commander and I experienced pleasure and produced dopamine, but I didn't sense any additional energy replenishment."

"No mana, no Honkai energy, no Imaginary energy, and none of the other known forms of power. It's no different from the genetic material I obtained last time."

Ruan Mei was deeply disappointed.

When she turned her head, Kirie was already contentedly digesting her spoils while still staring at Setsuna as though she wanted more.

"Commander, that was supposed to be my personal meal. I gave half of it to her, so I'm still hungry!"

Given the time-distortion effect within the pocket universe, she felt that if she trained diligently and replenished her energy enough, she would become considerably stronger again by the time they emerged.

"First come, first served. It's our turn now."

Origami squeezed Kirie aside.

"Commander, looking at it this way, we can try too, right? I want to become a little stronger as well."

"Hmm... if it doesn't have any effect, maybe there simply wasn't enough? If the quantity is sufficient, perhaps a quantitative change could eventually cause a qualitative one..."

"?"

Setsuna raised an eyebrow.

"You want more quantity? Fine. Come all at once. One anime-sized serving for each of you."

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