CHAPTER 237: CHAPTER 174: PLEASE CAST YOUR PRECIOUS VOTE!

First and foremost, Ethan had to emphasize that he wasn’t a demi-human girl enthusiast.

He just felt that Rin Winter’s tail swishing around in front of him was quite eye-catching, and he could imagine that it would feel pretty good to touch.

You know, it’s recently turned winter, and the weather is very cold, and there’s a fluffy big tail right in front of you...

"Is pulling my tail really that fun?"

For the third time, Rin Winter, whose tail was grabbed, turned around and squinted at Ethan with a smile that looked angry. However, given the crowded street, she couldn’t act out but instead logged Ethan’s behavior in her little notebook.

Every witch has such a little notebook, one for the assassination list and another for wrongdoers who won’t go unpunished.

Rowena topped the list.

Interrupting kisses 7 times, pretending to bump into each other on dates 3 times, deliberately spoiling the fun 13 times, evaluation: consider moving to the assassination list, suggested for immediate extermination.

The second was Ethan.

Suddenly pulling her tail on the street 3 times, scratching her ears felt great, offsetting 2 times, evaluation: if it’s still negative when they get back home, he won’t have a good night.

"This is also part of scientific research."

Ethan wasn’t lying, Rin Winter’s reaction proved the tail wasn’t a magical tool, but somehow it connected to Rin Winter’s nerves, evidenced by her clenching her legs, shivering, and leaning forward whenever he suddenly grabbed her tail.

When he stroked her cat ears, she’d involuntarily squint her eyes, looking utterly content.

Thus, a new research topic was born.

What would happen if he stroked the ears and tugged the tail at the same time?

But this experiment might have to be shelved for the moment, as Rin Winter was showing signs of getting fidgety.

Fortunately, this kind of behavior is very common on Paradise Island. Ethan just saw several stalls offering "close contact with demi-humans" — for just 50 blue shells, one could hug and take pictures with various demi-humans. Paradise Island is not only for demi-humans, but also a paradise for demi-human enthusiasts.

Ophira has quite a few demi-human enthusiasts, with the number of demi-humans and humans here being roughly equal.

The blue shell is a unique currency of the Western Continent, exchanged with the Imperial Golden Lion at 100:1. As a world-class commercial city, Ophira excels in the variety of goods and services and the stability of prices compared to the Imperial capital.

The wealth of the Empire is controlled by syndicates and nobles, with a severe disparity between rich and poor.

"You, tell me, what kind of scientific research is this?"

This time, Rin Winter intended not to let Ethan off the hook and began digging for the truth.

If Ethan couldn’t explain it well, it would just pile up his sins; tugging the tail and lying — punishing multiple offenses together. Since he’s so fond of research, she’d let this reverse student experience what it feels like to have his tail pinched back at home!

Ethan, however, was prepared for this. "Teacher, have you heard of the knee-jerk reflex?"

In his view, Rin Winter’s tail-tugging reaction was just like a knee-jerk reflex.

"Knee-jerk reflex?"

"It’s a common physiological phenomenon. When a human’s knee is gently tapped, the thigh muscles contract rapidly, lifting the lower leg forward. Quite magical, right?"

Rin Winter was dubious. Seeing Ave sitting on the stone bench eating ice shavings and staring into space, she leaned over to tap her knee.

"Ouch!"

Ave was startled, nearly kicking off her white boots.

Rin Winter was amazed by this magical phenomenon, noticing that not only did Ave’s lower leg bounce, but also the golden hair on her head.

After recovering, both of them, along with the golden hair, turned around, looking at her with confused and bewildered eyes.

"Ethan said it’s the knee-jerk reflex, and it turns out to be true."

Rin Winter glanced back at her tail.

Perhaps... it really was interesting. She made a decision.

When they got home, she would also have to test if Ethan had a knee-jerk reflex.

Ethan had inadvertently opened a door to a new world, yet he seemed unaware of it. The prosperous Ophira put him at ease. He decided to enjoy the moment, as if he had returned to modern society. Although the various facilities were still lagging, they already had the makings of a thriving future metropolis.

They strolled the streets for about an hour, then sat down on a stone bench opposite the "Yak Roast Meat Restaurant." Although it wasn’t mealtime, the roast meat restaurant seemed quite bustling, with even the outside seats full of customers, who were mostly human. Through the windows, one could see several distinguished guests in black suits.

At the restaurant’s entrance stood a large poster with a middle-aged man on a podium, confidently smiling at the camera with a set of white, orderly teeth on display.

"We care about everyone!"

The poster bore the campaign slogan, with a line at the bottom right corner reading, "Please vote for Lewis!"

The Deep Sea Council’s election of councillors adopted a voting system, with each councillor having their own "constituency." Their advocated political strategies usually related to the "constituency" they belonged to, and the councillor on the poster’s "constituency" was Paradise Island. His primary political strategy advocated for equal rights, promoting that Ophira should treat all residents equally and provide demi-humans with equal opportunities in business, work, and life.

Posters campaigning for Lewis could be seen at regular intervals. Whenever Lewis was mentioned, every demi-human’s face would light up with sincere admiration, becoming incredibly talkative as they enumerated the many contributions Lewis had made to the community.