Chapter 198

Chapter 198

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 198: Bigamy (3)

For any scientist conducting research, two elements are absolutely crucial: time and money.

Developing ideas and designing experiments involves costs. Those who cannot exercise patience in this process demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of research methodology. In this regard, Rustila possessed an exceptional grasp of research principles.

She could wait indefinitely.

However, developments began unfolding sooner than anticipated.

“Hello, is this Stronium? Yes, Chief. Yes, that’s correct.”

Aidel was busy making numerous phone calls to reach out to potential equipment manufacturers.

“This part needs adjustment. Ah, and here as well!”

Nearby, Merlin enthusiastically revised the blueprint, clarifying the details of the design.

She was working diligently to refine the equipment design.

‘Shard of Purity’ observes these proceedings with confusion.

The Constellation of Purity and Love, Virgo, struggled to comprehend the sudden burst of activity. Though she had a general sense of what was happening, the specific intentions remained unclear.

“Would you mind explaining what you’re trying to accomplish?”

Despite this courteous inquiry, Rustila merely smiled, keeping her thoughts private from the Constellation. Unlike the Outer Gods, Constellations could not freely access their contractors’ thoughts.

Rustila maintained her enigmatic smile toward Virgo.

There were two paths to achieving unity with Aidel. The conventional approach involved defeating ‘Doomsday’ and subsequently dissolving the contract with the Virgin Constellation.

The challenge lay in human limitations – both patience and lifespan were finite resources.

The timing of the ‘end’ remained uncertain, and the research nature made it impossible to predict when the Graviton Bomb would reach completion. Endless waiting wasn’t a viable option.

Yet, as they had throughout history, humans would find a solution to this dilemma. They always did.

“Hehehe. I’m really looking forward to this.”

Merlin chuckled, pausing briefly from her modifications to the blueprint.

“Merlin has changed.”

“Aidel finally corrupted someone.”

Welton and Matus exchanged uneasy glances, feeling a chill run down their spines. If things continued like this, they feared they might soon share Merlin’s fate.

Losing oneself in darkness—there was no greater fear.

“I-I don’t want to write any more papers.”

“I heard Merlin said the exact same thing at first.”

“Crazy…”

Matus cursed under his breath just as Merlin finished the final adjustments to the blueprint.

“Do you think this will work? Let’s send it to the company.”

Despite Virgo’s repeated questioning, no one could stop the momentum they’d already built.

“Oh, I got a text from Ceti.”

“What does it say?”

“She’ll provide the materials and money, but we should moderate ourselves.”

He deliberately omitted the added note that read, ‘If you don’t want to die.’

In any case, entrusting research funding to Ceti was undeniably wise.

Her investments never failed. They hadn’t so far, and they wouldn’t in the future, thanks to the blessings of the God of Wealth and Investment. Her worth was astronomical, with people everywhere begging desperately for her investment advice.

Yet, for the Reinhardt family, this legendary fund manager was freely available.

For now, I’ve allocated about 100 trillion credits. Distribute it wisely. I can’t provide more this month since I need to reinvest.

One hundred trillion credits.

From now on, they could receive this amount monthly—perhaps even more—steadily until the day they died.

Aidel wasted no time diving into spending.

“Boss, please finish this as soon as possible. Yes, immediately. I’ll provide a hefty incentive. I think Stellarium would be a better location than Eruyel. Yes, exactly.”

Aidel hung up the phone, his smile serene as a Buddha’s.

“You’re not planning to put me in the resonator like last time, right?”

“Oh, come now, Constellation. How could mere mortals like us be so disrespectful to a Constellation who’s helped us so much? Last time was merely an accident, you know?”

Virgo felt an inexplicable unease but quickly steadied herself.

She was the Virgin Constellation. Even though she possessed only a quarter of her original strength, she remained one of the greatest among the Zodiac’s Twelve Troops. Even if something unfortunate occurred, she could handle it.

Yes. What was there to fear?

I shouldn’t have been so complacent.

“Rustila, would you like to step inside?”

Aidel gestured toward the newly delivered research equipment. It was a large cylindrical structure, spacious enough for a single person to enter, though noticeably smaller than the quantum gravity resonator.

“What exactly is this?”

“A trap.”

Virgo muttered bitterly.

“It took about a month to build this and the other equipment combined. Technology really has advanced lately. In the past, something like this would have taken at least three months…”

As the trap opened, its interior came into view. It was finished entirely in crystal, so the inside resembled a chamber lined with mirrors. Merlin peered inside curiously.

“Huh, the interior’s cleaner than I expected.”

“The technicians did an excellent job on the finishing touches.”

“There’s no safety issue, right?”

“It’s perfectly safe. Just step in and step out. It’s already proven harmless to humans.”

Aidel von Reinhardt smiled contentedly.

Before Virgo could voice a protest, Rustila Kersil leaped gracefully into the trap, moving like a martial artist performing a light-footed technique.

Immediately, the entrance was sealed shut, and the cover slid into place.

In that instant, Virgo felt something deeply wrong.

Though she remained connected to Rustila, the sensation of her drifting further away grew stronger by the second.

It felt as though an Outer God had brushed against her—a chilling, eerie sensation.

Virgo was not alone. ‘Vega,’ who had been with Rustila from the very beginning, and several other constellation entities were experiencing a peculiar sensation—as if they were being sifted through a net.

At that moment, Rustila’s voice rang out urgently.

“Aidel! The connection with the constellations has weakened!”

“Don’t worry. It’ll return to normal once the equipment finishes running.”

Virgo felt a sharp pang of alarm. Could their connection truly be severed?

Why? How? By what means? Such a thing had never happened before, not in all the battles they’d fought against the Outer Gods.

Just then, Aidel brought forth a large piece of equipment—or rather, a component of it. He attached something resembling electrodes directly to the net and quickly logged into the control computer. Immediately, the registered constellations appeared on the monitor, their neural networks vividly displayed.

“Sonia, Erica, give me a hand.”

To visualize the neural network, powerful graphics card were employed. Sonia and Erica sighed with reluctance as they were connected in parallel.

Soon, the Constellation’s ‘neural net structure’ emerged clearly in three-dimensional form. Merlin stared, impressed.

“Wow, this is my first time seeing something like this in real life.”

It was a scene typically reserved for cutting-edge research in constellation biology. For Merlin, who aspired to become an Outer God biologist, it was a fresh and remarkable experience. Aidel turned to her.

“Do you know which part we need to remove to eliminate the constellation’s penalty?”

“Hmm. I’ve heard there hasn’t been much research done in this area yet. We’ll probably need to consult professors who specialize in this topic.”

“But since it’s a constellation, wouldn’t it be fine to experiment by adjusting it directly?”

“That’s a fair point.”

Virgo’s thoughts abruptly halted. It wasn’t merely a metaphor; her consciousness was cut off sharply as if interference had suddenly disrupted her mind.

“Wait a minute! Something’s wrong! Let me out of here!”

“Since the penalty only applies to Virgo, we just need to pinpoint and modify that specific section, leaving the other constellations untouched.”

“Aaaah!”

Merlin and I ran wild, teasing Virgo relentlessly. With vacation underway, there was nothing else to do but immerse ourselves in research.

Internships? Building credentials? They could take a hike. For aspiring graduate students like us, this was how credentials were built.

Whenever we hit a snag, we even reached out to professors from the biology department. Perhaps due to my growing reputation, they readily agreed. Setting appointments with professors from other departments—maybe I was becoming a bit impressive.

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ bursts out laughing.

The God of ‘Wisdom and Curiosity’ watches your current research with immense interest and curiosity.

Received a sponsorship of 5000 Pron as an entrance fee!

And so, another two weeks flew by.

Several people, including Zelnya, came to visit during this time, but I politely declined, using my workload as an excuse.

In truth, I really was busy. The data was exceeding expectations, suggesting I could publish even more papers.

“Aaaah!”

“It seems to be done now.”

After countless attempts and failures, I entered another question into the terminal—I’d long since lost track of how many times I’d done this.

ILOVEPHYSICS (System User): How is your condition?

Virgo (Responder): “I’d rather you kill me…”

Another untouched area. Again.

“Aaaah!”

ILOVEPHYSICS (System User): How is your condition?

Virgo (Responder): “Good. Really good.”

ILOVEPHYSICS (System User): Constellation, this research greatly benefits not only you but also humanity’s advancement and the prevention of the universe’s destruction. Thank you for your cooperation.

Virgo (Responder): “Of course. Hmmm.”

I’d finally managed to subdue it. Afterward, I reconfigured the neural circuits to ensure Virgo’s compliance. Cartesia’s assistance proved invaluable throughout this process.

Apparently, the neural networks of Outer Gods and Constellations were similar enough that manipulating them was almost straightforward.

Thanks to this, what would normally have required several months of trial and error was nearing completion in just two weeks.

ILOVEPHYSICS (system user): I have a few questions for you.

ILOVEPHYSICS (system user): Currently, it is understood that you have made a Holy Spirit contract with a girl named ‘Rustila Kersil.’ If correct, please enter 1. If incorrect, please enter 2.

Virgo (respondent): “1.”

ILOVEPHYSICS (system user): Thank you.

ILOVEPHYSICS (system user): Were there any restrictions during the process of contracting with ‘Rustila Kersil’? If there were, please enter 1. If there were none or you don’t remember, please enter 2.

Virgo (respondent): “1.”

ILOVEPHYSICS (system user): Do you remember what the restrictions were? If you do, please describe them in detail.

Virgo (respondent): “You must try to maintain virginity. The purity of the contractor is the minimum condition for the main star to shine. It’s not absolutely necessary, but if the main star loses its light, there may be delays in transmitting ether.”

ILOVEPHYSICS (system user): Is there anything else? If not, enter 1. If there is, please continue to input into the terminal.

Virgo (respondent): “1.”

To summarize, it was like this:

The source of the ‘Shard of Purity’ is purity itself. This is a fundamental rule that cannot be altered. Virginity can be lost, but the provided ether will decrease accordingly.

However, we successfully adjusted the stance of the other stars, excluding the main star.

ILOVEPHYSICS (system user): Is it institutionally possible for the Constellation’s contractor to marry? If there could be a penalty to the ether provided due to marriage, please let me know.

Virgo (respondent): “There are no penalties for such actions.”

I asked a few more questions. In summary, confession, dating, and affectionate acts were all permissible.

SYSTEM: Saving current results.

“…Done.”

At this moment, I removed my hands from the keyboard. The trap disengaged, freeing the previously captured Constellations. Virgo remained calm, but the other Constellations immediately erupted in protest.

“What a truly insane human…”

Vega clicked his tongue. The sigh of the Constellation echoed clearly in my mind.

“…Well, as long as Rustila is happy, that’s all that matters.”

I turned around. It was late at night, and everyone else had already gone to bed, leaving only Rustila and myself.

Rustila approached slowly, her pupils trembling slightly.

“Aidel… Is it done now?”

I nodded quietly. My head throbbed from exhaustion and lack of sleep, but I couldn’t afford to close my eyes just yet.

“…I love you.”

Because I still had to respond to those words.

In the quiet gloom of early dawn…

“Just try telling me you can’t meet again today…! I’ll crush you.”

Zelnya grumbled as she entered the Natural Science building, finishing yet another late-night work.