Outside the grand and imposing mansion gates, a city hall official with a neatly trimmed mustache turned to face the elegantly poised blond young man, his expression warm and ingratiating:
"The ecosystem of Viranean — we're counting on you."
Kenneth shook his hand in farewell, his tone unhurried and assured:
"The Mettis family never disappoints its partners, Lord Humphrey."
"I believe in the Mettis family's capabilities, and I look forward to seeing them in action."
Humphrey, the second-highest official in city hall, stroked his mustache, the corners of his mouth curving upward as though something amusing had just occurred to him. "Oh, by the way — Viranean will be implementing a curfew in the coming days. Have your people withdraw before midnight... After all, the roads get treacherous in the dark. Accidents happen."
"No problem."
Kenneth smiled, unbothered by such a trifling matter.
"Then I'll take my leave."
"Until next time."
Kenneth watched the official's silhouette vanish into the night before turning and strolling leisurely back into the mansion.
"Congratulations, my lord."
His loyal subordinate Annan offered the compliment.
"This is only the beginning."
Kenneth smiled with restrained pride, his every step brimming with confidence.
Just now, the Mettis family had reached an agreement with city hall, successfully securing a portion of Viranean's "ecosystem management projects." The deal was practically free money — so long as they adhered to the terms and kept the lower-Sequence Transcendent creatures of certain categories in Viranean at a stable population, a steady stream of city hall funding would follow.
Lord Humphrey had originally only intended to sign a three-month contract, intending to evaluate the Mettis family's performance before deciding on renewal. But Kenneth, through sheer eloquence and personal charm, had won Humphrey's recognition and trust, extending the contract to a full year. As long as nothing went wrong in that year, a stable and ironclad partnership would be all but assured — the whole pie, his to devour.
Of course, the money was only one side of it. The hidden benefits mattered even more.
Ever since the Demoness had come out of the shadows, the nobility had been quietly but steadily suppressed. Take Viranean — that great watermelon of a city. After city hall scooped out the sweetest, most central flesh with its spoon, what remained had been devoured almost entirely by the Magic Academy, the Mercenary Guild, and similar organizations, leaving the nobles with nothing but the rind to gnaw on.
There was no shortage of shameless nobles who had attempted to curry favor by offering their wives and daughters to the Bai Mansion — to little effect. Not that the Demoness had proven resistant to temptation, exactly. It was more that once those women entered the Bai Mansion, they stopped recognizing anyone else...
And yet tonight, a senior city hall official had come knocking of his own accord, seeking cooperation. In Kenneth's estimation, this perhaps heralded the Demoness's intention to loosen her grip and share governance of Loxibrook with the nobility.
And lastly — this partnership had dissolved Kenneth's greatest concern of late: the newspapers trumpeting some friendship between the Solitary Isle Angel and the Demoness was pure fabrication, nothing but lies!
If it were otherwise, why would city hall ever extend an olive branch to the Mettis family?
Riding high on his good fortune, Kenneth returned to his bedroom and swept his gaze over the unsealed envelope on the table. His smile deepened.
That greedy, promiscuous bitch could never have imagined it — Grace was his. Every move she made inside the Folded Space had been reported back to him in meticulous detail.
Kenneth gave the letter's contents one final look, then held it to the candle flame. As the ashes drifted down onto the ornate candlestick, he let out a contemptuous snort.
"Weak in close combat."
"Core combat style revolves around summoning fairies."
"Capable of holding her own against fifty half-orcs solo."
With a level like that — where did she find the nerve to duel him?
His advancement ritual was just one final step away. He, Kenneth, was on the verge of reaching Sequence 6!
Though naturally, it would be preferable to have Grace finish her off inside the Folded Space. Otherwise it might displease Nicole — and there was the Golden Kumquat Tavern's retaliation to consider as well...
As his thoughts turned, Kenneth leisurely polished a teacup that was itself a work of art, his eyes alight with the smug satisfaction of a man who had every piece in place.
"My lord."
Several senior maids filed in carrying champagne, flute glasses, and exquisite refreshments.
"Every night from this one forward will be a night worth celebrating."
With those high-spirited words, the curtains slowly drew closed, concealing the sight of Kenneth lifting his champagne glass — and the senior maids beginning to undress.
"Aren't you done yet."
Bai Mengtian had her arms folded over the back of a chair, her chin resting on them, pestering in a muffled, petulant voice — like a child badgering their parents to go home while the mahjong game dragged on.
As a master of psychological manipulation, Bai Mengtian had quietly erased her own presence, so most of the guests instinctively registered her as part of the furniture — an ability that would make any socially anxious person weep with envy.
And Li Fei, playing the role of the negligent parent too absorbed in her own game to spare a thought for the child, waved her off breezily:
"Soon, soon."
Then she raised her glass:
"Bottoms up — everyone else at your own pace."
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
Another glass down. The flush on the top-tier courtesan's cheeks deepened, her gaze growing a touch hazy.
Nearby, a well-fed and pleasantly relaxed Klein leaned back in his chair, watching Li Fei and Cowell's drinking contest with idle amusement.
Li Fei harbored no particular wariness toward men. Whether back on Earth or here in Loxibrook, she was perfectly capable of greeting male classmates with polite warmth. The trouble was that she'd always been busy with her intimate entanglements, and a few too many words with a man tended to give him ideas — and then came the clinging. Which was why she'd never really had any male friends.
It was a rare stroke of luck to have stumbled across two whose company she actually enjoyed — they gave her a fresh, surprisingly easy feeling. Mainly because her end didn't flutter with any romantic notions, and both Cowell and Klein treated her with an easy, uncomplicated calm. To maintain that composure in the face of Li Fei's formidable Charisma Attribute was genuinely no small feat.
"That hit the spot..."
Cowell was just reaching for another pour when Lilian pinched his arm.
She'd already noticed that Li Fei was nearly drunk, and fixed Cowell with a ferocious glare. "That's enough, or you'll reek of alcohol all the way home. Absolutely disgusting."
"Ugh..."
Cowell set down his glass with visible reluctance, then let out an entirely undignified belch. "Whatever my lady commands."
He shrugged, grinning at Li Fei. "Next time's on me — I'll take you somewhere good, and we won't leave until we're absolutely wrecked."
"Deal."
Li Fei nodded, exchanged a few more words with them, then rose to see them off.
The night had grown quite late. The less familiar guests drifted away in twos and threes, leaving only the sisters, the maids, and a thoroughly sloshed Sofia whom Isabella had plied into a stupor.
"Take Sofia back to her room to rest."
Li Fei hooked an arm around Eve's neck, breathing out a sweetly intoxicating warmth. "Don't forget what I said, little minx — no cuddling before the baby fairy arrives, or you'll be locked in the basement."
Eve heaved a long, mournful sigh and, wearing an expression of profound suffering, helped her fiancée back inside.
"Sisters — the real party is about to begin!"
To a chorus of cheers, a beautiful woman named Agatha — smoky-eyed, exuding a languid, brooding aura — led a line of alluring, sinuous women to the front of the villa.
They were colleagues, invited from elsewhere.
"Have fun, sisters."
With a toast from the top-tier courtesan, those unfamiliar women slipped off their coats, revealing cool and captivating outfits. Arm in arm with the sisters, laughing and jostling, they streamed into the villa.
Even a few red-faced little maids ducked their heads low, hesitant yet expectant, and crept in after them.
Li Fei's new home was, by all accounts, in for a rousing christening tonight.
"Aren't you going in?"
Bai Mengtian tilted her head.
"Not really in the mood."
The surroundings had suddenly gone quiet. A gently tipsy Li Fei leaned back against a tree trunk, lit a cigarette, the flame flickering and dying in the depths of her pitch-black pupils.
Mood was like a capricious little bird — it would alight on the windowsill without warning, chirping and fluttering until your heart was unsettled and restless, and then without a sound it would vanish entirely. The top-tier courtesan had her appetites, certainly, but she hadn't yet reached the point of being perpetually raring to go.
Truth be told, when she'd first been planning the second half of the evening, she'd felt a little nervous, a little excited — but for the sake of appearances, she'd kept all of that firmly suppressed.
And after suppressing it long enough, the feeling had simply... subsided.
"Go on without me, then."
Li Fei gave a little pout.
"If Feibao's not going, I'm not going either."
Bai Mengtian ambled over with lazy ease.
"Tingbao~"
Li Fei's lips curved into a sweet little smile. She pulled her into her arms for a cuddle, resting her slightly spinning head against her shoulder and breathing in the fragrance of her hair.
Their quiet, private little bubble was promptly shattered.
"It seems I've arrived at an inopportune moment."
A rich, alluring purple silhouette drew near on a waft of perfume.
"Lady Gneia."
Li Fei's eyes curved into crescents. Without a moment's hesitation, she peeled herself off Bai Mengtian and threw herself into Lady Gneia's arms like a swallow returning to its nest.
"Don't go taking advantage of being adorable to trouble people too much, now."
Gneia gave the top-tier courtesan a light tap on the forehead with her pipe.
"Hehe."
Li Fei stuck out her tongue, her rosy little face breaking into a slightly bashful smile.
The venue décor, the provision of food and drink — all of it had been arranged single-handedly by Gneia. And later, when Li Fei had simply planted herself at Klein's table and abandoned any pretense of socializing, it had been Gneia who stepped into the elder's role and received the guests on her behalf. She had even made a trip to the Magic Academy that afternoon — while Li Fei was exchanging literary conversation with Mrs. Annie — to collect the stockpile of materials Yusura had been quietly setting aside for Li Fei, and convert them into Witch Points.
The degree of indulgence on display clearly exceeded anything an employer owed a top salesperson.
"Lady Gneia is the absolute best."
Li Fei cooed affectionately, her alcohol-loosened mind meandering into idle speculation.
— The fact that Gneia, a Witch leader, could come and go from the Magic Academy as she pleased... it certainly said something about the dangers of wine and women, didn't it, Lord Dean.
— Speaking of which, a certain Nicole, who harbored a bone-deep hatred of Witches and would personally show up to hunt them down the moment any Witch's whereabouts were exposed — if she ever found out that the places she frequented were Witch dens, that she had a close personal relationship with the Witch leader, that her own daughter had even been shaped into something resembling a Witch... unthinkable. Truly unthinkable.
— What a shame that Sister Irena isn't a Witch. Otherwise there'd be no end of jokes about the Dean's assets, heheh.
"What mischief are you plotting, grinning away like that?"
"My married life with Gneia."
"You and your silver tongue."
Gneia gave a soft laugh. "I collected that batch of materials. It comes to 862 Witch Points."
"Not a bad haul."
Bai Mengtian sidled up from behind, completing a sandwich cuddle, and murmured into Li Fei's ear: "When we strike it rich, don't forget your friends."
"Gneia, Gneia — this person just eavesdropped on our secret."
Li Fei shot her a sidelong look. "Is she a Witch? If not, I'm afraid we'll have to silence her."
"Not quite... her situation is rather unusual."
Gneia paused. "But she can be considered one."
"? Then... my Witch's Blessing didn't come from you?"
Li Fei blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Nope."
Bai Mengtian dabbed at her eyes in a theatrical display of sorrow. "Feibao's soul has been marked by another wicked woman. Boo-hoo."
"I hate riddle-speakers."
From the sly glint in Bai Mengtian's smile, Li Fei understood she wasn't going to get a straight answer about who had actually completed the blessing. So she puffed out her cheeks and announced:
"I'm going to go complete my advancement ritual."
Low-Sequence advancement rituals were rarely outlandishly difficult. The Sequence 8 Witch of Pride, for instance, required having a hundred people with a Charisma Attribute of 100 or above kiss the tips of her toes.
For most Transcendents, simply finding a hundred people of dazzling charisma would be challenge enough — let alone the kissing of toes. Get unlucky, and you might end up beaten to death mid-ritual.
But for the top-tier courtesan — and for the other sisters, for that matter — another hundred would make no difference at all.
Beyond that, based on the advancement rituals at Sequence 9 and Sequence 8, Li Fei had already begun to sense a pattern: the Witch Sequence's upcoming rituals were probably not going to be particularly... proper. And perhaps that was one reason the Witches were such a tight-knit sisterhood.
"Have you considered a custom-crafted class?" Gneia interjected. "The wishing ritual can create a tailored subsequent class for a Witch... like Aurora's [Mad Witch]."
The top-tier courtesan swallowed, visibly tempted. "A custom-crafted class... is it powerful?"
"Not necessarily more powerful than a standard class — but it will suit you more perfectly."
Gneia exhaled a leisurely curl of smoke. "Advancing to Witch of Pride would grant you comprehensive spell enhancement, bloodline strengthening, and an additional pseudo-spell ability to disrupt the emotions of others — quite practical."
"As for a custom class — the effects are unknown, the advancement requirements are unknown... there is an element of gambling to it."
"So I'm simply reminding you that other options exist. The decision is yours."
"Hmm... let me think."
Li Fei shook her head slightly, trying to clear the haze of wine from her thoughts, her heart genuinely torn.
What was there even to think about?
Bai Mengtian's lips brushed her ear, her voice a breath of temptation: "To seek chaos and excitement — it's in a Witch's nature..."
Li Fei gave her a light stomp on the foot and shot her a glare. "Easy for you to say."
Then the top-tier courtesan sank into thought.
But just as it had been when Lady Gneia first invited her to join the PR work — the outcome had been decided from the very start.
Bai Mengtian and Gneia would never lead her astray. One suggestion, one nudge — it was more than enough to tip the scales.
Still, out of habitual caution, she posed the question to herself as she always did:
If she chose the custom class, would she regret it three years from now?
Perhaps.
If she played it safe and advanced to Witch of Pride — would she regret that three years from now?
Without a doubt.
The answer, then, spoke for itself.
So Li Fei blinked, her voice carrying a touch of shy hesitancy:
"How many Witch Points does a custom class cost?"
"For Sequence 8 — one thousand."
Lady Gneia answered, "And it can connect seamlessly to the next standard class after [Witch of Pride] — the [Witch of Envy]."
"Meaning that even if you're unsatisfied with your custom class, you can always switch back onto the standard Witch path."
...Margaretkins, that's expensive.
...Though as long as you were willing to spend the points, you'd get an extra choice at each advancement?
Li Fei puffed out her cheeks, then forced out a strained smile. "Well then... next time I come to the shop I'll bring enough materials to top up to a thousand points..."
"Of course."
Gneia ruffled Li Fei's hair. "Alright — I won't intrude on you young ones any longer. Enjoy your evening."
She cast a brief glance at the intertwined silhouettes moving behind the villa's curtains, and the curve of her full lips held just the faintest trace of something bittersweet.
If the price of growing stronger was having to refuse even a girl you liked when she came to you of her own accord — and standing there watching her press close to someone else instead... was it truly worth it?
"Goodnight."
Li Fei watched Gneia's silhouette melt into the darkness.
And yet the ample, peach-shaped curves traced by the sway of her departing skirt, and the fair, graceful nape of her neck exposed where her chestnut hair was pinned up — these were seared permanently into Li Fei's memory.
The capricious little bird had found its way back to the windowsill.
Li Fei glanced at Bai Mengtian and found her wearing the very same expression of lingering appreciation — clearly just as entranced by that departing view.
Li Fei jabbed Bai Mengtian in the ribs with her elbow. "Shall we?"
"Mm-hm."
Bai Mengtian linked her arm through hers.
The two pushed open the villa's front doors together, and were swallowed whole by the boundless revelry within.
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