163: The information has been conveyed.

"First, I delivered the initial report."

After the traditional rifle race concluded,

I returned to normal aboard the ship of 'Sexy Mazuma' and then transferred via teleportation to Seiryō Corporation.

I relayed the facts uncovered during the event to Dr. Mizion.

Additionally, I explained several important precautions related to those facts, and after he quickly reviewed them, I received his thoughts—so it took quite some time.

"Thank you. What did the people from Seiryō Corporation say?"

"The idea and technology are impressive. But the fact that they're creating nothing more than a bomb reveals the true nature of the mastermind. So they said."

"I see."

"Well, in reality, this technology could be used for all sorts of things, and getting recognized publicly wouldn't be impossible. But since what they're making is a bomb and what they bring is only destruction, their character is undoubtedly rotten."

Dr. Mizeon's expression when he gave his thoughts... it was hard to describe, but he seemed utterly amazed.

In any case, if it's Seiryō Corporation, as long as they're cautious, they'll surely develop a general-purpose technology capable of detecting fragmented mods—those used to assemble the complete form from the scattered pieces—and even neutralizing them, all while siding with those who oppose the Siltrilich system.

So, it might take some time, but detecting and eliminating the dangerous mod fragments should ultimately be possible.

"What about Vee?"

"It was delivered safely. I handed it over not to the intelligence unit, but directly to a member of the Vanilla Genroute count's household. That way, it should reach His Majesty the Emperor without delay. As for passing it through the intelligence unit... well, we have to be careful about whom we trust. We simply don't know how far their influence reaches."

"Well, if we give it to someone careless, they’ll figure out we noticed."

It seemed the Vilijanira side had managed to provide the necessary information.

As for the method, I won’t ask.

Knowing it and being aware of it would make me act in ways that could be dangerous.

"Yes, that's right. If there's no interference from the shadow behind the teleportation ability or spacetime leap reaching us here, it's highly likely the shadow is unaware of the old-style rifle race incident. And if they truly haven't noticed, I believe we should make the most of this advantage."

"The ideal would be to remain undetected until the very moment of capture."

"You're right. That said, considering the opponent's size and the amount of preparation required, they'll likely notice us somewhere along the way... Still, we should delay detection as long as possible."

Now that the information has been relayed, what should we do from here?

We should make the most of the fact that we've gained information unilaterally... Hmm, no, I should prioritize Vilijanira's wishes over my own thoughts.

"What do you plan to do from here, Vee?"

"I plan to continue acting as usual, as much as possible. Any change in behavior could easily be noticed by the other party."

"I see."

So our next destination will be the Syblasmiss System, and then onward to the Imperial Planet Vanilla Sid.

I knew that already, but it seems unlikely we'll be heading toward the Siltrilich System.

Well, given the size of the opposing force, they'll probably deploy the Imperial Navy's main fleet... If it's just a matter of suppressing a civil uprising, there won't be much we can do.

Therefore, we'll stay in the Niliani Potts system for a few more days, using tourism as a cover while gathering intelligence. Yes... Satā mentioned the Morlyugrā system during the judging, and given the connection to the Empire's remote frontiers and outposts, it might be worth looking into the Siltrilichi system a little as well.

"In that case, we could just say we're looking into it to decide our next destination after arriving at Imperial Star Vanilla Sid, which would feel more natural, right?"

"Yes, I think that works well."

Still, we should look into what we can.

After all, it'd be odd if we were researching remote planets but skipped the Siltrilichi system entirely.

That goes without saying.

"By the way, what about Johalis and Memokshi?"

"They're currently conducting research at the 'Hetero Mirror.' The results don't seem promising."

"I suppose that's to be expected."

Vilijanira followed the direction of her gaze and indeed saw Johalis and Memokshi examining the 'Hetero Mirror.'

That said, with me just having transferred over, things are probably already in disarray. And since the mastermind is somehow akin to 'Vanilla OS' but still a different OS—due to the peculiarities of the 'Hetero Mirror' system—it's likely a hard-to-detect presence. Finding anything will probably be difficult.

"Right, I remember now. When I went to Seiryō Corporation, I received an upgraded version of Satan's golden ring. Vee, keep it for me."

Understood. I'll keep it for you.

Satan's Golden Ring is the external control module and terminal for my trump card, the Phenomenon Collapse Cannon.

It was nearly destroyed during the battle with Maeglinia, so Seiryō Corporation rebuilt it for me. It seems to have finally been repaired.

"Apparently, its strength and control capabilities have improved. The appearance of the 'Blank OS' after firing the Phenomenon Collapse Cannon has reportedly decreased significantly. Theoretically, at least."

"I see. Still, it'd be best if we could avoid using it whenever possible."

"Yeah."

After all, if something can be managed without using it, that's ideal.

Both I and Virijanila shared that sentiment.