"Ugh..." Rhinedottir had departed.
Meanwhile, Riku's mouth twitched slightly as he could not help but mutter, "Why does it feel like she only came here to assign me work?"
Rhinedottir was gone, but Riku's workload had skyrocketed.
Researching the 'Universe Gate' fell to him. Upgrading the [Radiant Jade Machine] fell to him. He even had to personally evaluate the individuals from the neighboring [Saekano] Universe.
Uh... not *that* kind of check. It was an assessment of their talent and potential to confirm their status.
Aside from that, there were countless other responsibilities. Rhinedottir had dumped a mountain of problems and tasks on him before vanishing.
"Tsk!" Riku clicked his tongue and grumbled, "What else can I do? Time to get to work. The tasks are all here, and it is not like I can just ignore them."
For a moment, everyone became busy, except for the "big" cutie looking for fun and the "little" cutie who played all day.
There were simply too many things to do.
The [Longhuang Universe] was essentially just starting out. As the 'Great Voyage of the Crystal Wall Sea' began, more 'Ranches' were being established, and more 'Universe Energy' was being absorbed.
Now, the [Longhuang Universe] was truly beginning to develop. Extinction was being purged, but the workload was increasing proportionally.
One could only say this was just the current phase. Once this stage passed and everything moved onto the right track, things would become much more relaxed.
***
**[Saekano] Universe.**
"..."
Three figures, each with different but equally exquisite features, sat together. They were like goddesses, yet at this moment, they were as well-behaved, sensible, and obedient as elementary school students.
"Oh my!" Alice giggled and waved her big... little hand. "There is no need to be so nervous, Utaha-chan, Eriri, and Megumi-chan."
One was a tall, mature beauty who did not look like a high schooler at all, but rather a mature *onee-san* type, Utaha Kasumigaoka.
One was a blonde, twin-tailed, tsundere, and petite "unlucky-in-love loser," Eriri.
And the last was a girl who seemed the most ordinary, yet possessed refined features and a very calm demeanor, Megumi Kato.
In reality, the three girls did not dare to be anything *but* nervous.
The [Longhuang Empire]! They all knew exactly what that name represented.
In just a few short days, this empire had taken control of the entire 'Earth' and begun various arrangements. Those girls, who were not human at all but more like monsters, had forced every nation on 'Earth' to obey.
There was no choice. They were completely outmatched and could only comply.
Under the power of the [Longhuang Empire], the entire 'Earth' began to integrate. As for those who refused to listen? Well, Rhinedottir's side had plenty of experiments that needed subjects. Rest assured, they would not go to waste.
Because of this, now that this stunning beauty, who was clearly a top figure of the [Longhuang Empire], had summoned the three of them, it would be strange if they *did not* have thoughts about it. Each of them was incredibly tense.
They sat in perfect, stiff "elementary student" postures.
"Um..." Utaha Kasumigaoka hesitated for a moment before speaking softly, "Lady Alice?"
Her tone was filled with respect. She appeared relatively calm, but her long, shapely legs clad in black tights were trembling slightly, her toes twitching against the floor.
Clearly, her heart was not as composed as she looked.
Eriri was even more nervous. She had no idea what to say. Her prestigious upbringing made her role as a young lady second nature, but the problem was the being she was facing.
Who would dare to speak out of turn?
Megumi Kato also looked toward Utaha Kasumigaoka with a faint, unreadable gaze.
"Utaha-chan~" Alice said with a beaming smile. "Do not be so nervous. I am not going to eat you. Oh well, forget it. Even though I do not have any scary intentions, everyone still calls me that."
Alice was quite helpless regarding the situation. She was lively and loved to play around. However, the problem was that when everyone treated her with such overwhelming reverence, it became difficult for her to just fool around as she pleased.
"Yes!" Utaha Kasumigaoka sat up straight obediently and asked in a small voice, "May I ask why you summoned us?"
Regarding the [Longhuang Empire's] selection process, it was happening in every country. However, these selections had nothing to do with birth or status. They were completely random, and no one knew the criteria.
In short, the people selected came from all walks of life, some were of noble birth, some were commoners, and some were...
Originally, this had nothing to do with them. They were just ordinary people. No matter how the world changed, as long as it was not the end of the world, they would just go about their daily lives.
In fact, for ordinary people like them, life had actually improved. With all nations under control and the entire 'Earth' unified, the results were obvious. With a higher level of oversight, even a tiny bit of attention paid to the bottom tier resulted in a massive quality-of-life upgrade.
And now, this high-ranking figure had actually come looking for them?
They had seen it with their own eyes, a girl who had destroyed countless conventional weapons with a single casual punch, and with a wave of her hand, made all the "mushroom bombs" vanish without a trace.
And those girls all addressed this woman before them with the utmost respect as 'Lady Alice.'
"Because you are all very outstanding!" Alice said casually. "The three of you are the children with the best talent in this entire universe."
"So..."
"Little girls, do you want to go see a broader, more glorious future?"
"Hmm~"
"I will give you one day to think about it!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka and Eriri felt their brains throbbing as they left. They did not even know how they made it back home.
Only Megumi Kato remained. After the other two left, she spoke softly.
"Lady Alice, I agree."
"Eh?" Alice blinked her big, cute eyes and immediately pulled Megumi Kato into a hug, saying happily, "Megumi-chan, Megumi-chan, why did you agree so quickly?"