The data transfer dragged on.
Long enough that Raiden Makoto, Yae Miko, and Torachiyo returned to the Shogunate—key figures couldn't vanish too long without raising suspicion.
For Reisen Riou and Raiden Ei, it was awkward. Holding hands for hours, seen by many. Shrine mikos and tourists, unaware of Ei's identity, thought Reisen Riou had found a wife. Her refined, Yamato Nadeshiko aura outside combat, paired with a mature charm, fueled the gossip.
After days of knowledge shock, Ei recovered, holding hands with Reisen Riou while observing his administrative and research work. Her learning speed stunned him—less a high-fantasy warrior, more a past-life scientist.
Reisen Anko, seeing them hand-in-hand constantly, knew it was forced but felt queasy, like choking on dog food. She fled to aid the Magistrate's Office with security to escape the sight.
Data, however vast, eventually runs dry, even after Reisen Riou's decades of prep. Handing Ei the One System, Ten Thousand Divine Machines future blueprint, he tried to pull away.
Shame I won't hold this hand again, he thought wistfully. Did he have feelings for Ei? Sure, but their power and status gap was too wide—impractical.
He tugged. No luck—Ei gripped tighter.
He stared, baffled. What's she up to?
"I've processed it," Ei said. "If I forge it myself, I can make the final product."
A concept flooded his mind—thousands of GBs in seconds. Reisen Riou was speechless. Ei had mastered his Transmission ability, surpassing him at LV8 efficiency.
"This precision's achievable through forging?" he marveled.
The blueprint demanded single-digit nanometer precision and advanced spatial tech, shrinking寡人 shrinking the One System's size while solving heat issues.
Ei, silent, released him and began forging. Electro Crystals, Amethyst Lumps, Magical Crystal Ore, and Crystal Ore melded under her hammering, the forge ringing.
In thirty minutes, she produced a Vision-like Thunderous Yougou Divine Machine. Reisen Riou sensed its control lay with Ei, its creator, not him.
She tossed it to him. He fumbled, catching it. A cold, feminine voice said, "Thunderous Yougou Divine Machine at your service."
Stunned by her crafting prowess, he tried to ask how, but Ei was gone.
Scratching his head, he studied the device. Not quite the ultimate One System, but near-perfect. Mastering its tech would take him centuries—Ei's precision outstripped his past world's cutting-edge.
The Thunderous Yougou Divine Machine had all expected functions, plus mysteries he didn't grasp. Its computational power rivaled a small server, enhancing elemental control.
For beginners, it outshone a Vision, unlocking potential without raising life level caps. Its rating system, borrowed from Reisen Riou, matched Vision standards but with higher precision—permille-level skill tracking (e.g., 123.4‰) for finer progress.
It could solidify skills via brainwave memory activation, a core ability of Reisen Riou's—born from his system remnant and phone youkai talent.
Skill growth was like pushing a rock uphill: three steps forward, two back. Without talent, progress stalled. His skill solidification ability eliminated regression—each step stuck.
For mortals, this was solid but limited by lifespan and talent. For a long-lived youkai like him, it was godlike.
Ei had reverse-engineered this ability into the Thunderous Yougou Divine Machine—partially, but still staggering. It could mass-produce prodigies.
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