"What?" Riku asked.
Rhinedottir replied with an amused tone, "The [Longhuang Universe] has already connected to five universes. According to my research, the people from the two universes you are familiar with, the [Apocalypse] Universe and the [Saekano] Universe, generally possess talent that exceeds those from the other three."
Naturally, this calculation did not include the [Saint Seiya] Universe. Rhinedottir had not ventured there yet. It remained far too dangerous, and she was not one to place herself in harm's way. She felt it was better to wait, as the matters currently at hand were enough to keep her research busy.
"Hmm?" Hearing this, Riku sat up straight, frowning slightly as he fell into thought.
'If that is truly the case, things are about to get interesting.'
It was undeniable that the six girls from the [Apocalypse] Universe possessed astonishing talent. That was an absolute fact. As for Saeko Busujima? That went without saying. Saori had told him that Saeko was self-taught. If she had been properly nurtured from a young age, her level would be among the best, even among all the Gold Saints.
As for Rika Minami and Rei Miyamoto, they were at the level of mid-to-high-tier Silver Saints. One could not compare them to the "Bronze Five," as those were literal bugs. And the Gold Saints? That was even more obvious. They all achieved the Seventh Sense at a very young age. What did that prove? It was not that they obtained a Seventh Sense Cosmo through bitter cultivation, but rather that the Seventh Sense Cosmo was inherent within their bodies, merely manifesting over time.
"Rhinedottir, you mean..." Riku narrowed his eyes, trailing off.
Rhinedottir looked elegant yet amused as she said, "If my hypothesis is correct, based on what you have said, those people from universes whose information can spread across the cosmos possess extremely high talent."
"None of the people from the universes of Ranch No. 2, 3, or 4 can compare to Saeko. No, not just that little girl... none of them can even compare to those two girls, Yuriko and Saya."
"I see." Riku nodded, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "In that case, it proves that the truly talented individuals are those who come from universes with information propagation."
"Mm!"
"Your Big Darling has already gone to find people, so that should not be an issue."
"As for the others?"
"You are not interested anyway."
"When did I ever...?"
"Stop pretending!"
"I..." Riku found it hard to argue. It was not that he was dead set on building a crystal palace... well, okay, maybe... but that look from Rhinedottir? He could not be bothered to look at her. If a person was not thick-skinned, they would not survive.
"By the way," Rhinedottir's lips suddenly curled into an interesting smile, "I have recently conducted some intriguing research by combining it with the 'Universe Gate'."
"What kind of research?" Riku asked, pulling his thoughts back.
'As for the talent issue? That is likely the case.' In three universes, not a single person could compare to Saeko Busujima, or even the Takagi mother and daughter. That proved everything.
Of course, those favored by heaven... well, the favored daughters of heaven... still needed to be screened, and basic personnel still needed to be supplemented. After all these years, Riku had long since realized that there was no need for his own universe to nurture its own civilization. It was meaningless. What was the essence of a universe nurturing a civilization? Was it not for 'Universe Energy' to bring about the elevation and evolution of the universe? That was internal growth. Now, Riku had already stepped onto the 'wicked path.' Since he could plunder from the outside and scrape together resources bit by bit, why would he bother with internal nurturing? It was utterly pointless.
As for talent, why wait for them to grow? He could just recruit them from the outside. Someone of Saeko Busujima's caliber was extremely difficult to nurture, and she was only [SR-rank]. As for an [SP-rank] like Saori? That went without saying. It was even more difficult.
To nurture the [Longhuang Universe] using the myriad universes of the Crystal Wall Sea... this was Riku's plan.
"Finding universes through the 'Universe Gate' is not hard, but what is always hard is breaking the external barriers," Rhinedottir said calmly.
Riku nodded. "True, that is the most troublesome part. We have already found the [Teyvat] Universe, but the problem is that breaking its crystal wall system takes an unknown amount of time."
Rhinedottir's lips curled. "Then, Riku, what if we change our approach?"
"Change our approach?" Riku was stunned and asked curiously, "What kind of approach?"
Would this be embarrassing? Do not be ridiculous. Riku had a very clear self-awareness. He knew he was not an expert in this field. To put it simply, Riku was essentially a 'nouveau riche' with clear self-awareness. Whether it was his Big Darling, Rhinedottir, or Saori, they were all exceptionally capable people. Feeling embarrassed about taking their advice would be the truly laughable thing.
Rhinedottir said playfully, "We do not need to completely break the crystal wall system. Instead, we can perform a 'guidance.' In other words, the [Longhuang Universe] is already like a sieve that people from various universes fall into. So..."
"I see." Riku laughed as he listened to Rhinedottir's trailing words. "I understand. There is no need to act like this with me. You know I am not that kind of person."
"Who can say for sure when it comes to those in power?" Rhinedottir's smile was very light.
Sometimes, that was just how it was. Even if you already had an idea, you had to let the one in power be the one to voice it. However, Riku did not care about such things at all. It was completely irrelevant to him.
Riku rubbed his chin in thought. "You mean to form a connection between the [Teyvat Universe] and the [Longhuang Universe], allowing the [Longhuang Universe], this 'sieve,' to continuously 'restock' from the [Teyvat] Universe?"
"That is more or less it." Rhinedottir nodded. "It is just an idea I have. You can try researching it. Furthermore, it is time to upgrade the [Radiant Jade Machine]. Its current functions are still too few."
---End Of Chapter---
Want more? Read ahead at [email protected]/rinyari
Bonus chapters every 50 Power stones :D