In the end, Edrick and Shu ended up in the bar where the noble scion had played a few games of poker in the past. The inner disciple was looking mortified with his own actions. Previously, rationalising his actions was difficult but feasible, but what he had just done with Anoteros was not something he could find any ounce of reason in.
As he had said on the carriage ride, Edrick had decided to target an outer disciple of the Myriad-Arm Sect. The 'action' had taken place during the night, after she had been lured into the city and then pulled into a back alley. Shu had been forced to partake as he and Anoteros took turns with the disciple, the young noble proving especially brutal this time around for some reason. It had ended with the target leaving in fear, clearly not planning on ever going back to the sect or this city…
Shu had no clue why Edrick would suddenly be so violent, or why he suddenly decided to leave one of his victims alive. He didn’t try to think too deeply about it, the reason was probably just because the man wanted to and nothing else.
Whilst his accomplice was busy having a slight existential crisis, Edrick was checking what he had earned from this trip. His actions had allowed him to complete a fair amount of quests, most of which earned him nothing special, just the usual stuff.
But one had turned out to be rather profitable.
Force someone to commit an act of lascivious assault, the more severe, the greater the reward
This quest had been active throughout the whole trip, and throughout it all, Shu had made for a magnificent ally in its completion. Not even once had he, truly, been willing to go through with any of it. He might try to convince himself on the surface, but deep down, he was not all right with it in the slightest. That was to his shame, but to Edrick’s benefit in the end.
The rewards are as follows - The Innate Ability: Perfect Teamwork, A Tonic Of Virility, A Dew Of Reproductive Strength, A Potion Of Increased Size, A Potion Of Carnal Might
Innate abilities were always a welcome sight, and this one was fitting for the mission that had granted it.
Perfect Teamwork - When Engaging In Group Activities, Allows The User To Share The Effects Of Their Innate Abilities, It Also Allows For Normally Physically Impossible Acts
This innate ability was geared toward partaking in what, in this world, they called a ‘Lagneiefest’, or in other words, when one woman was to handle multiple men at once.
It was a bit situational, as Edrick doubted that he would be doing this on the regular. But when he did, it would prove to be grandiose.
As for the consumables, three of them were ones he had already obtained in the past, so he was familiar with their precise effects, but the first was new.
Tonic Of Virility - Increases One's Virile Attributes
It was straightforward, but also not quite. There was no precision of what counted as a ‘virile attribute’. But that was alright, he would know when he drank it.
“Don’t forget what we talked about, Shu- Be prepared and stay on the lookout for any additional intel on the secret realm… If you perform well, I might just consider letting you own Yaling”
“Can you imagine it? If you were to manage to seduce Yin and also get Yaling as your obedient maid?” Anoteros laughed and slapped Shu on the back of the shoulder, rising from his seat.
“Oh, and also, keep an eye on Xiao for me, understand? I want his every movement noted down” with these parting words, the noble scion left the bar and returned to his residence. It was already late at night when he returned, so only Jingyi was waiting for him at the front door, whilst Lisha was busy patrolling the halls.
He then went and checked on Muxing and Deormann. The little blonde sasquatch was already quite large, still a young infant that stuck to his mother, but far more impressive than a human child would be at that age.
The little beast was nestled beside his mother, and despite the infernal heat that the ball of fur was probably emitting, Muxing was also peacefully slumbering with both arms held around her son as though afraid that he might slip and fall.
Since he had started a tour, Edrick also checked up on Yifei, finding the maid still awake and doing some accounting with a tired expression.
Her maid uniform was strikingly similar to the attire she used to wear before. Only that her current uniform was much darker, making the white collar and sleeves stick out far more prominently. And of course, there was the symbol of the one-horned hydra as well.
Ever since becoming obedient, Yifei tended to get a bit too invested in her special mission within the household... Even when it wasn’t necessary to spend so much time checking everything over and over again like that.
So after ordering her to have the sleep schedule of a normal person. Anoteros finally went to lie in bed with his wives, spending a relaxing night as per usual…
In the morning, after going through his training regimen, which consisted of: Physical training, cultivation, and all sorts of exercises, he once again met with Shu. The inner disciple was also part of the routine, serving as the noble’s sparring partner.
“My contacts are limited to the region for the most part, but I should be able to gather some information from other sects with some time. Once the news of the secret realm arrives, I should be able to inform you on which sects will be sending disciples, and perhaps even how many of them will be sent”
As per usual, the inner disciple proved strikingly efficient.
“Mmh, what about information on the secret realm itself? Did you get anything about that?”
“That’s a bit more difficult. It only opens every fifty years or so… As such, most of my contacts weren’t even born the last time it opened, and even those who would have been born at that time don’t seem to know much at all. Though some people did know a few things!”
Shu cleared his throat.
“The shops of Oie have been buyers of some of the goods brought back from the realm since it was discovered. Since disciples can keep some of what they find for themselves, the shopkeepers would typically be sold a bunch of herbs and materials hailing from the realm”
“From that, I was able to make some pretty good guesses… The realm should be mostly made up of forests and plains, is seemingly inhabited by a whole bunch of animals, and thanks to the rich environment, they have developed heightened intelligence and some special capabilities, making them very good food for cultivators” explained Shu, looking up at Edrick.
“But I wonder, wouldn’t that sort of information be told by the elders once the opening of the secret realm approaches? Why are you so eager to know all of this?” the inner disciple understood why he would want to know about other sects as they were competition, but the rest…
“You should know this better than most. Knowledge is power. It allows me to better prepare” Anoteros gave a swift answer before kneeling down. Shu had, as per usual, ended up flat on the sand.
“You did pretty well today... Take it as a reward, but Hui informed me of something concerning Yin”
“What is it?”
“Yin prefers men with longer hair, so try growing yours a bit”
“Is that so?”
“Of course it is, why would I lie to you?”
“Mmh… I guess I can find some sort of potion to grow my hair swiftly, then…” Shu mumbled to himself, not noticing that Anoteros stared directly at him for several seconds without budging.
‘Let’s see how that goes…’