Under the cover of the tablecloth, Misteln used her foot to vent her emotion called "jealousy" onto Jun An, making him experience unprecedented tension. Fortunately, Anna promptly knocked over a drink, wetting Jun An's pants, which allowed him to escape. Of course, he took Misteln with him, dragging this Misteln who dared to assault him in public directly into the changing room to thoroughly study the physical structure of this Stigma-turned-sentient.
In the end, Jun An couldn't help but sigh in admiration. As expected of the crystal of the Schariac Stigma, the Ideal formed from the condensation of human history. Whether it was body temperature, internal structure, moisture level, depth, or width, it was extremely similar to an ordinary Schariac. Even that membrane was perfectly replicated. Beyond that, she also seemed to have replicated techniques used by Schariacs from memories within the family.
Although like Vita, she knew a lot theoretically but was applying the knowledge in reality for the first time, Misteln's learning ability was far superior to Vita's. Not only did she quickly keep pace with Jun An relying on these techniques, but Jun An also experienced fighting someone with equivalent "experience" for the first time.
Naturally, Jun An was very happy at the end of the research, but Misteln suffered. Due to it being her first time, she was naturally injured.
Jun An looked at Misteln walking strangely. She was currently wearing a beautiful white formal dress. The slit revealed a pair of fair, long legs, and on her feet were sandals with long straps, revealing pretty feet with dark blue nail polish. She perfectly resembled a middle-aged beauty. This appearance was indeed indistinguishable from his mother-in-law; Jun An could finally understand his father-in-law's feeling of love at first sight.
But seeing her limping appearance, Jun An couldn't help asking, "You should be able to repair this injury quickly, right?" Misteln was an Ideal. Although she felt pain, her so-called injury wasn't bleeding or cessation of bodily functions, but rather consumption of her own "Stigma Space" as material. Before her Stigma Space ran out, she could basically recover instantly. Just like in the plot, even after taking a hit from Sa, she could still maintain a complete body. Let alone the small injury Jun An's impact caused her – just a membrane, easily restored immediately.
"Does the Captain prefer virgins then?" Misteln still maintained her elegant smile. "If the Captain likes it, then I can be one every time. But for now, just let me feel some joy amidst this pain."
"Suit yourself." Jun An supported Misteln. Suddenly, an idea struck Jun An. "Speaking of which, your body is a one-to-one replica of mother-in-law's, right? But why are you still a virgin?" Jun An remembered that Hare's birth was due to Cecilia using Black Orchid & White Lily's Zeroth Power, causing the Schariac family's Stigma Space to link with reality, thus forming the Stigma's Ideal. And because Cecilia caused the connection between the Stigma Space and reality, Hare also instinctively copied the nearest Schariac.
Misteln said, "Because I am not Hare. Hare was already transcribed into Misteln during the Stigma Project. My memories of her are no different from other Schariacs."
"Although it wasn't my original intention, I still wished to gift the purest body I chose to the person I like the most." Misteln smiled at Jun An. "Or is the Captain more interested in a body like 'Cecilia's', one that has given birth?"
"Not necessarily." Although Jun An didn't mind whether Misteln's body was a one-to-one replica of his mother-in-law's body, if it truly were, that would certainly add a layer of interest. After all, thinking that it was the birthplace of the strongest Valkyrie, Durandal, was enough to excite Jun An into going another two rounds. And if not, then being a virgin was also good; after all, Jun An possessed a strong pioneering spirit.
Jun An continued discussing research on Ideals with Misteln as they returned to the wedding.
—Two minutes earlier—
Anna's chaotic mind hadn't yet recovered. Although she had deliberately knocked over the glass to help him out, what did he mean by dragging Misteln away? Wasn't using feet under the table enough? She initially thought the Captain was being forced, but didn't expect them to play so wildly. But, but her own phone had also accidentally fallen down there just now...
"I'll just pick up the glass." After the two left, Anna hesitated for a long time before saying this.
Anna crouched down, pretending to pick up the glass, then lifted the tablecloth and, as expected, saw Misteln's sandals, as well as a small puddle of white liquid dripped onto the floor.
"This is the Captain's..." Anna was first surprised by the terrifying amount, then sighed helplessly. She used a handkerchief to wipe away the puddle, like a resentful little wife cleaning up evidence of her husband's infidelity. The thick, fishy smell stimulated the young girl's nostrils, inevitably giving rise to some bold thoughts in her mind. Anna looked at the handkerchief, now slightly sticky, and couldn't help swallowing. "This smell is the Captain's..."
"Anna, Susannah, we're back!"
"Wah!" With a clang, the startled Anna hit her head on the dining table, sending dishes flying.
"Anna, what's wrong?!" Jun An was startled by Anna's actions. He saw her pick up a glass, stuff the handkerchief into her pocket, and awkwardly avoid looking at him and Misteln.
"N-Nothing..." Anna immediately switched from defense to offense, "I just noticed Miss Misteln's shoes are still under the table."
Susannah looked at Misteln疑惑地 (yíhuò de - doubtfully), "Miss Misteln, why did you take off your shoes?"
"The Captain was eager just now, so they were left behind." Misteln still maintained her composed appearance. "Apologies, I just felt a bit hot earlier. I hope this doesn't cause you any trouble."
"Ah, it's fine. After all, you're wearing sandals." Susannah shook her head. An Ideal wasn't human, after all; she could completely control her own body odor, and normally, she had no scent.
Not long after returning to the wedding, the bride and groom came around to toast their table. Chen Tianwu and his wife had heard about Jun An from Susannah and thanked him. After all, it was Jun An who had rescued Chen Tianwu, the Snow Lotus squad, and Chen Tianwen during the Manila Great Eruption. Later, it was even Jun An who freed him from the Herrscher's control and gave him this job, allowing him to meet Susannah's father. It could be said that Jun An was not only Chen Tianwu's life savior but also the matchmaker for his father-figure connection.
Jun An chatted casually with Chen Tianwu for a few sentences, but Jun An hadn't forgotten his primary task for this outing, so he also inquired about how he planned the wedding and what the procedure was like.
"Actually, this aspect isn't a big problem. The wedding process can be completely handed over to a wedding planner. There's basically no need to worry; we just follow the procedure." Chen Tianwu explained, "The only things we really need to worry about during the wedding process are the venue and who to send invitations to. As long as you can afford it, building your own hotel for the wedding isn't an issue." Like this hotel for Chen Tianwu's wedding, it was a red envelope gift from Susannah's father to the couple.
"So the key is still money..." Jun An instantly became troubled. For a wedding planner, Jun An naturally thought of Eden. As an artist who graced an entire era in the Previous Era, she understood far more than just singing; her abilities in all art-related fields were top-tier. Having her prepare a grand wedding for him would naturally be no problem. The problem was, Jun An hadn't even paid for the wedding dresses he asked her to make yet.
Seven Little Vitas, plus two mothers (Himeko/Theresa), one cat (Pardo?), one snake (Mobius?), a mother-daughter pair (Cecilia/Kiana? Or Anna/Nana?), plus one O-slave (Vita?), one younger sister (implied, possibly Griseo?), and one master (Fu Hua) – a total of fifteen wedding dresses, one phoenix coronet and robe, sixteen rings, and an unknown number of weddings. Jun An felt that even selling himself wouldn't be enough to pay off the debt.
After the wedding ended, Jun An prepared to bid farewell to everyone, specifically instructing Susannah, Anna, and Chen Tianwu not to reveal his whereabouts.
"Leaving already?" Anna was somewhat reluctant. "I still have a lot I want to talk to you about."
"But I have important matters to attend to." Jun An sighed helplessly. "I don't have a single cent in my pocket right now. I still need to find ways to earn some." Given Eden's craftsmanship, even a friendship price covering only material costs wouldn't be solved by a simple million or two. To make the wedding rings, she might even directly buy the most expensive gemstones as embellishments. If only he had specified a budget on the list earlier.
"If you need money, I can... Mmph~" Just as Susannah, the rich lady, started to speak, Misteln immediately covered her mouth.
"Susannah, that won't do. Giving money directly not only hurts feelings but also wounds the Captain's dignity as a man."
"Um, actually, about dignity..." Jun An raised his hand, feeling this was negotiable. After all, Jun An deeply understood the principle of suffering for the sake of saving face.
However, Susannah was pulled away by Misteln, who whispered several sentences in her ear. After listening, Susannah's reaction was exceptionally intense.
"B-B-But, is it really okay to do that!!" Susannah panted heavily, drooling slightly in anticipation. "It feels like using money to insult Senpai~ Hahh~ Is something like this really okay?"
??? Jun An instantly felt a bad premonition. Why could he sense a sense of pressure from Susannah?
Misteln said, "If you're unwilling, I can also help the Captain solve this urgent need. After all, when I was an executive in World Serpent, I didn't spend a single cent of my salary."
Anna looked at Susannah's excited state, looking helpless. "Captain, if you need to borrow money, I can lend you some. I..."
Jun An looked at the dangerous glint in Susannah and Misteln's eyes and decisively retreated to Anna's side.
"Captain should come work for me!!!" Susannah grabbed Jun An's hand excitedly. "Ten thousand per minute!"
"Yen?"
"Dollars!"
Holy crap?! Jun An felt that even selling kidneys wasn't that profitable. After all, selling a kidney would take at least ten minutes or so.
"Of course, it's true!!" Susannah said, "No matter how much Senpai lacks, I can give it!"
"That sounds great!" Jun An borrowed a phone from Susannah and called Eden. "Hey, Eden, about those things I asked you to help design, roughly how much will they cost?" Jun An planned to earn another million or so on top of this amount, then the money for planning the wedding could also be gathered directly.
————
Meanwhile, on the other end, Eden, after hearing Jun An's words, also took out her notes and started looking.
"Let me see, these items..." Eden looked at the rings in her hand, shining with golden light and inlaid with precious gems, estimating a number. "About one hundred million."
"Zimbabwe dollars?"
"US dollars."
"Er..."
"What's wrong, Captain?"
"N-Nothing." As Jun An's voice fell, Eden felt a little disappointed. Eden sighed, looking at the rings and gems she had meticulously crafted. "The Captain is truly a capable man, bringing me so many orders."
"...If only one of them was an order placed by the Captain for me."
On the other side, Jun An also estimated the calculation. Ten thousand US dollars per minute – even with such terrifyingly generous treatment, Jun An would still have to work hard for seven whole days and nights...
And at this moment, Misteln was still whispering in Anna's ear, "Want to join? Miss Susannah is paying for today's consumption."