In the cloud-covered Yun Lake and the spherical Crystal Palace, Little Cicada lay sideways on a bed of swan feathers, one hand supporting her head and the other resting on her waist. Her slender and shapely legs were faintly visible under the white dress, tracing a perfect curve on the soft mattress, making her a natural beauty. Her charm had penetrated into her bones, and even in an unconscious movement, she could evoke the deepest desires of a man's heart.
Heinrich was not in the Crystal Palace. Another man was facing the temptation of Little Cicada.
He was unremarkable, far from Heinrich's heroic temperament and male charisma. His slender figure was clad in a gray alchemy robe, and his pale and ordinary face bore no guild certification badge. A struggle was evident in the man's eyes as he gazed stubbornly at the beauty in bed.
"Klaus, is the Disaster Magic Puppet ready?" Little Cicada's voice was soft and tender, which made Klaus involuntarily think of her lips—just as sweet, just as soft, and just as captivating.
Despite trying to resist Little Cicada's temptation, a simple statement from her completely destroyed Klaus's willpower. He sighed and closed his eyes, knowing he could not escape the grip of this extraordinary beauty. Dejectedly, he replied, "It's ready, as per your orders. I have set it up for a test of its power in six remote small cities. I have made the arrangements."
"Thank you, Klaus. I feel guilty for making you do something you are unwilling to do..." Little Cicada's voice was soft, her expression poignant, and tears hung in her eyes, evoking pity from anyone who beheld her. Although Klaus was far more tenacious than most men, after two rounds of confrontation, he was clearly at a disadvantage and couldn't help but walk up to embrace her frail shoulders, comforting and protecting her with his chest. "I don't blame you, it's just that I cannot help but love you endlessly..."
Hiding in Klaus's embrace, Little Cicada once again revealed her iconic dark smile.
Some people believed that the essence of seduction lay in not being attainable. However, Little Cicada did not think so; she believed that the true essence of seduction lay in becoming even more unattainable after being attained.
Little Cicada's control over each man was akin to a process of love. Since it was love, it inevitably involved sexuality. Even after obtaining her, the man's attachment to her would not decrease, but rather deepen.
Only Little Cicada knew the mystery behind it. Those who had not experienced it would not understand.
After a bout of passion, the exhausted alchemist fell into a deep sleep. Little Cicada, on the other hand, was in high spirits. Her supple duvet half-covered her body as she furrowed her brows and pondered a problem. The entire plan was flawless, yet her woman's intuition told her that something was amiss. Every step of her plan was intertwined, and any misstep would lead to irreparable failure. However, she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong.
Suddenly, in the brilliant starlight on the ceiling of the bedroom, the brightest star went out.
The perfect face of the woman crumpled as she waved her hand, and a black mist entered Klaus's brain. As the alchemist began to snore, Little Cicada immediately called in a stern voice, "Xiaosa!" The loyal maid silently knelt in front of her. Without so much as a glance at the naked Klaus on the bed, she appeared as if he were a skinned pig.
"Our intelligence was incorrect; Long Mai must be much stronger than a tenth-level warrior, and the Shadow Witch is already dead," Little Cicada said with a grave expression. Xiaosa exclaimed, "How could this happen?" "Starlight Brilliance—The Moon Goddess Crown is in hand; we must also get the Star Emperor Crown. You must go to the Holy Soci city and make sure to bring back the Star Emperor Crown."
Xiaosa nodded, hesitant. Little Cicada nodded knowingly, "The Shadow Witch has reached the level of an eleventh-level warrior. You must have all eight avatars in order to defeat him securely; to ensure a successful mission, you must gather eight avatars. Well, the surveillance avatars cannot be removed and must be collected from the Wosan city."
"Yes, ma'am." Xiaosa's mind activated, and in the Wosan city, the body of a lean old man turned into a whirling fire in mid-air and turned to ashes. The next day, the innkeeper found that the guest was missing and thought that he had jumped out of the window in the middle of the night to avoid paying for the room, cursing on the street.
"Before you leave, execute the Velapan responsible for gathering intelligence," Little Cicada's voice was cold, like a frozen sparrow in winter. Xiaosa nodded and disappeared in front of her.
...
"If one day, you desire wealth and glory, come find me in the Holy Soci city before departing," Long Mai said to Ge Zheng before parting. Ge Zheng smiled faintly, not taking it to heart. Long Mai appeared cold on the outside but was actually a very practical person. This time, sneaking back to the Holy Soci city, he did not bring much money with him, so he could only repay his savior with a promise.
Ge Zheng had saved him simply because he found him somewhat pleasing. Ge Zheng had the Thunder · Matrix Shift Shield to protect himself, and was already invincible. Saving him was just a small effort, and he had never considered expecting any return.
If Long Mai were to give him a bag of gold coins, Ge Zheng would, of course, accept it without hesitation. However, wealth and glory were off the table.
After crossing the Fatty Bug Desert, the Wosan City was already visible from a distance. It had been nearly a year since he left, and Ge Zheng felt some excitement upon seeing the dark brown city walls of Wosan. "Mister, is that the Wosan City?" asked the Desert Elf. Ge Zheng nodded and casually urged the mount, "Yes, let's hurry; we won't need to sleep in a tent tonight."
The Wosan City was not as exaggerated as the "run to death" horse, but it did require a long time to reach despite appearing so close. The two arrived at the city gate just before dusk, but unfortunately, the gates slammed shut just as they arrived. The desert elf shouted at the gate, and with his familiarity, he tried to bribe the guards behind the gate, "Brother, I'll give you an extra silver coin, be lenient." The guards glanced at the nearby tax box and thought that there was no way anyone would dare to take money privately after having this thing—thereafter, they no longer bothered arguing with Komings. Several of them lifted the heavy bolt and slammed the city gates closed with a dull sound.
Ge Zheng had never expected that his own creation would one day lock him out of the city. He couldn't speak to Komings frankly, so he could only force a wry smile. The two spent the night in the city gate tunnel.
...
Every morning, Honest Dunk's first task was not to open the shop door, but to sneak out from the back door and run to the city walls to look into the distance. The master had been gone for a year, and despite everyone saying that Honest Dunk had gotten lucky—if Ge Zheng didn't come back, the shop would belong to Honest Dunk—Honest Dunk really hoped the master would return.
On the one hand, it was because he was indeed honest and loyal, and on the other hand, it was because he really didn't understand how to run the business. The goods left behind by Ge Zheng had been sold out three months ago, and for the past three months, he only opened the shop door each day as a formality.
During this time, Han's had once tried to teach Honest Dunk how to resell alchemical elixirs to satisfy his own daily desires. However, Honest Dunk had never succeeded. Every time he transported the elixirs, he either broke the bottles or bought elixirs that adventurers did not need. After a few attempts, he had lost all the money he had received from Ge Zheng— he didn't dare touch the store's funds—after facing such a lesson, he no longer had the intention of doing business. Han's also realized that this guy was really not cut out for business and didn't encourage him anymore.
With Ge Zheng around, the store could still survive, but without Ge Zheng, even if the store belonged to Dunk, he would have lost all his money sooner or later. Even if he bought the store, the money he received was limited. If Ge Zheng were to return, Dunk would have a wealth of coins. An honest person has an honest person's wisdom.
In fact, that's how it is—many people feel that business is simple, just buying and selling, but when they actually do it, they'll find that it's not the case.
Ge Zheng was also not cut out for business. He could only open his alchemical shop, but he lacked the determination to develop the Ge House Alchemy shop into the first chain store on the continent. A person's energy is limited, and specializing in some areas inevitably means giving up others. God is fair; every living being has gains and losses, and it is impossible to be an all-round fully-developed genius.
He gave Ge Zheng the extraordinary ability to understand alchemy, so naturally, he would take away something else.
For the old honest Dunk of the past, the sun rose from the peak to the east of Roland Village and then set from the peak to the west.
For the present old honest Dunk, the sun rises from the east city gate and then sets from the west city gate.
Standing on the gate tower of the north city gate, he seemed like the pillar that held up the balance of the sun, with the city wall as the beam. He came there every day, and the city guard got used to him and no one bothered him. However, for the alchemist who improved the tax box, the city guard naturally took pleasure in his misfortune and cursed him never to return to this world.
When the guards on the city gate tower rang the bell for the first time in the morning, the lazy city guards opened the city gate, shouldered their weapons, and let two people throw money into the tax box before they wanted to walk into the city, when suddenly they heard a loud shout: "Sir!"
Ge Zheng turned back and saw honest Dunk quickly running down from the city wall, excited tears welling up in his eyes: "Sir, it's really you!" Ge Zheng was surprised: "Dunk, are you not looking after the shop anymore and have come here to join the city guard?" Dunk hurriedly shook his head, too excited and somewhat incoherent: "No, no, sir, sir, I, I wait for you here every day..."
The desert fairy looked on coldly from the side: this was the "follower" the master mentioned, hmph, utterly uncultured, just look at his clothes and shoes, no taste at all, is he even fit to be the opponent of an intelligent desert fairy?
Combs lifted the collar of his clothes and straightened out his chest with his fingers. Although he was dressed neatly, the fairy clan had never been associated with gentlemanly demeanor, and he and honest Dunk stood together and were quite "well-matched."
"Dunk, this is Combs, clean up the house to the west, and in the future, when I'm not around, you two can keep each other company."
Honest Dunk reached out his hand to Combs amiably. The desert fairy judged it as a softening tactic, knowing that direct confrontation was not the way to win. Combs raised his chin: he really underestimated the wisdom of the desert fairy clan.
The two equally rough hands clasped together, and honest Dunk's simple smile made him seem a bit foolish. Combs puffed out his chest, raised his chin slightly, and tried to put on a polite appearance, looking rather ridiculous. Ge Zheng secretly shook his head, feeling it was really necessary to find a more presentable follower.
After the city gate opened, the city gradually became lively. The three of them walked on the street, and the sound of doors opening and closing kept coming from both sides. The first calls of the morning began, and the entire Watch Mountain City suddenly seemed to wake up, with various sounds entering the morning haze, one after the other.
Honest Dunk ran around joyfully with Ge Zheng's return. The desert fairy was curious about some of the local products of Watch Mountain City and looked around as they walked. Ge Zheng sniffed the scent of the city, feeling a sense of familiarity. In the midst of their euphoria, a sudden commotion arose.
"Kid, stop right there, where do you think you're running?" Along with the shouting, a small figure agilely weaved through the crowd, and about ten meters behind, a middle-aged man pushed through the crowd and caught up.
The small figure, though agile, was still weak, and failed to dodge, crashing into a fat man and falling to the ground with a thud. The middle-aged man immediately caught up and grabbed his clothes, then viciously twisted his ear with his other hand: "You brat, at such a young age, not learning properly and actually stealing things, let me teach you a lesson!"
"Ouch!" The small figure cried out in pain, with a tender voice revealing that he was a twelve-year-old boy. Although the middle-aged man was furious, he didn't actually want to hurt him. There were plenty of profit-seeking merchants, but in the market, there were also many kind-hearted people.
He let go of the boy and grabbed a toy from his hand: "Give it back to me." "Uncle!" The boy held onto the toy and refused to let go: "Uncle, I really like Dorsey, please, can you just give it to me?"
The middle-aged man huffed, "What did you say? You steal from me and still want me to give it to you!" The boy pleaded pitifully, "Uncle, my dad doesn't have the money to buy it for me, but I really like Dorsey." The middle-aged man shook his head, "Kid, this is the latest model of the toy. It costs two gold coins each in wholesale, and I can't afford to just give it to you. You're young, so I won't hold you accountable for the theft. Give me back the Dorsey toy and hurry off."
When the people heard the toy cost two gold coins, they shook their heads. Those who initially pitied the child and wanted to buy the toy for him had to reconsider their own pockets.
At that moment, a splendid carriage pulled up behind the crowd and a melodious voice said, "Kono, hand over four gold coins to this gentleman. I'll buy the toy and give it to this little brother. Children should have countless toys." The people saw the family crest on the carriage and hurriedly knelt down, "Miss!"
The family crest on the carriage was an independent castle - indeed, it was a display of the family crest of Lord Skata Fairkinson, the lord of Watch Mountain City. The voice was young, certainly the daughter of Skata, Miss Irma Fairkinson.
The coachman dressed in magical beast leather armor set up a stool under the carriage door and then opened it. Ge Zheng happened to be standing by the carriage when a rosy fragrance wafted into his nostrils.
The perfumes in this world were made using the oldest methods, with natural ingredients, and its natural fragrance wasn't anything like the pungent chemical smells on Earth. Once breathed in, it felt like gentle hands were tenderly caressing each olfactory cell.
There was a saying on Earth: "a woman's scent reveals her." Ge Zheng closed his eyes as he envisioned an image of a determined, resolute, tall woman.
Roses are the queen of flowers, and women who liked this scent must be as noble as roses. However, it was also known that roses have thorns.
Crystal shoes landed on the pillow, and Ge Zheng noticed the transparent crystal shoes that revealed exquisite feet like jade. Their proportions were exactly what he liked.
Unfortunately, it was just a fleeting glance, as her beautiful noble dress fell and concealed those jade feet.
Everyone was kneeling on the ground, and only Ge Zheng, remaining standing, saw those jade feet.
His gaze travelled up to the noble girl's long dress, outlining her slender waist and highlighting her ample chest. But despite the beautiful and noble appearance, underneath that exterior was an undaunted character.
Irmelda took out four gold coins and handed them to the middle-aged man. The toy shop owner refused to accept the coins, cradling the toy in his hands, "Miss, this is a toy made using alchemy. But I won't accept your money, you've been doing good deeds for the common people of Watch Mountain City. If I took money from you, my wife wouldn't let me into bed tonight, and my son wouldn't let me carry him."
"Ha ha ha..."
Laughter erupted, and Irmelda smiled as well. She then increased the coins to six, making it a total of ten, asking, "May I ask for your full name?" The middle-aged man honestly replied, "Delno Yatuslang." Irmelda nodded with a smile and continued, "In recognition of your honesty and kindness, the Viscount of Watch Mountain City, Irmelda Fairkinson, bestows upon you ten gold coins." She lifted her hand with the coins resting in it. Delno was somewhat surprised, but Irmelda said, "If you respect me this way, are you going to refuse my reward?" Delno's eyes became moist, and he respectfully bowed, "Thank you, my lord!"
Irmelda took the toy and walked over to the little boy. She asked affectionately, "What's your name?" "Golfer," the boy replied timidly. Irmelda played with the toy in her hand, "Let's make a deal, I'll give you this toy, but you can't steal again, alright?" The boy blushed and finally nodded after a long while. Irmelda handed him the toy and gently rubbed his head.
Applause rang out, and even Ge Zheng felt some fondness for this noble girl - it seemed she wasn't like those noble lords he had in mind. But then, how could Skata, that greedy old man, have such a kind daughter?
"Sister!" Golfer suddenly ran out and shouted as Irmelda was about to leave, "When I grow up, I will definitely become a knight, and I will be your guard knight!" Irmelda turned back and smiled, radiating like a flower, "Alright, it's a promise. I will definitely wait for you."
...
When Ge Zheng returned, it was a huge event for old honest Dunk. It was frustrating news for the city guards, aside from them, there was only one person in the whole Watch Mountain City who was concerned about this matter: their neighbor, old Hans.
Old Hans was, of course, very happy that Ge Zheng could return and took advantage of it to have another free meal. Honest Dunk's skills had improved even more...he could already make seven signature dishes. By honest Dunk's standards, these seven signature dishes had already reached the level of a royal chef in the Star Forge World.
The desert fairy finally understood how this fellow, who was lacking in almost every aspect compared to himself, had managed to become the master's follower. He finally felt a twinge of "crisis."
Dunk's black bread was fragrantly baked, and as the desert fairy chewed on it, he quietly decided to eventually remove him from his position as a follower and make him a chef - although, in truth, that's what he was doing right now.
The store's goods had already sold out, and Ge Zheng looked at the empty shop and suddenly exclaimed, "Did the Decapitating Saber sell?" Honest Dunk replied, "It's been sold. For three thousand gold coins. Half a year ago, an adventurer team entered the Flowing Mountain Range to hunt the Steel-skinned Iron Pig King and were in need of a sharp weapon, so they bought that."