Wait a minute. A new worry surfaced. If we are able to go back, she would not try to follow me, would she? That would be extremely troublesome.
Leyvi sighed inwardly. So far, she had listened to everything he said without fail because of this fake love. But who knew what would happen later? Perhaps those overwhelming emotions would one day make her disregard his words entirely.
"If you go with me, that would attract too much attention," Leyvi voiced his practical concern. "Maybe you can just ask one of your subordinates to bring me and Ava there instead."
"No! Darling, let me accompany you!" Rose begged immediately, her eyes welling up with tears. "My life feels so bleak and empty without you around. If you are worried about attracting attention, I can just disguise myself. No problem at all."
Leyvi did not react much. He had already expected her to resist the idea.
"You can disguise yourself?" he asked, shifting tactics.
"Fufufu~ Of course I can," she replied, her mood brightening instantly.
"We, the beauties of the Love Ecstasy Sect, have all learned the magical art of makeup," she explained. "It allows us to go out and do normal things, like shopping, without causing a commotion. We can't do that with our true appearance. So many stinky men would flock to us all the time."
"I see. That makes sense," Leyvi nodded.
He recalled the handsome Lin Wei being chased relentlessly by his fans back in Holy Cat City. He could imagine how much worse it would be for someone like Rose. She was, without a doubt, among the most beautiful women in the world. The only person he had met so far who could rival her beauty was Protector Alexandra.
However, that was not a fair comparison. Protector Alexandra possessed a high cultivation realm, the peak of the Cloud Continent. Her beauty had been refined and enhanced tremendously with each breakthrough. If Rose ever reached the same realm, she would undoubtedly surpass her.
"Also, as the Holy Maiden, I learned the very best makeup technique in my entire sect," Rose continued proudly. "I can basically transform my face into anyone's with my skill. Alright, Darling. How do you want me to look? I will change my appearance to your liking." She asked, her expression one of excited anticipation.
Leyvi blinked. The first person he thought of was Anda, but he immediately dismissed the idea. How could he let someone else disguise herself as his beloved panda? That felt like blasphemy. No one could replace her.
"You are too beautiful," he stated simply. "Just make yourself look average so you will not attract attention. I am sure you already have an appearance you use for that purpose, right?"
"Ahhh~~" Rose suddenly moaned, her legs going weak as she sank gracefully to the floor.
"Finally... Darling finally says that I am beautiful..." she breathed, a look of pure ecstasy on her face. "I am full... I am satisfied... I could die happy now... All this time, I thought Darling saw me as an ugly woman. I was so worried and insecure about my face. Haaaa~~" She delivered the line with dramatic, theatrical flair.
"..."
Leyvi was utterly speechless.
That is what you were worried about? Did it never cross your mind that I only said that to make you angry? Insecure? If other women heard what you just said, they would probably beat you up.
"Darling!" Rose quickly sprang to her feet. Her holy maiden mounds, covered partially by soft pink silk, jiggled up and down with the movement.
"Am I sexy?" she asked, striking an intentionally seductive pose. Leyvi's acknowledgment of her beauty had instantly skyrocketed her confidence, and she was now openly flirting with him.
Leyvi sighed inwardly and decided to play along. "Yes, yes. You are sexy. Any man would fall for you."
He humored her because he did not want her emotions to swing wildly again. It was not that he disliked this kind of flirtation. Nala was also this kind of woman, constantly flirting and making sexy poses. In fact, she was even more daring. He had no problem enjoying such behavior.
But right now, his mood for it simply was not there. He had a mission he needed to accomplish, and that was to find out whether or not they could ever go home.
"Ahhh ~~." Rose moaned dramatically once more. "I am so glad you think so... Darling, please remember my appearance right now, because I am about to become ugly. Please don't get repulsed by my ugly makeup, okay?"
Leyvi played along again, widening his eyes and nodding earnestly, as if mentally capturing her current image. After that, he gestured with his hand for her to hurry up.
"Fufufu~~ Please wait, okay, Darling? And don't peep." Rose said as she skipped happily into a nearby room.
Leyvi could only sigh inwardly once more.
"Hmph! Sex fiend!"
A sharp voice entered Leyvi's ear. He turned and saw Ava and Liyan entering the spacious living room. Ava wore a distinctly annoyed look on her face.
After bringing Leyvi here, Liyan had gone to fetch Ava. When they arrived, they had caught the tail end of Leyvi and Rose's overly affectionate interaction.
Leyvi offered a wry smile. That was all he could do. He would be labeled a sex fiend no matter what he did, so he did not bother to explain. Instead, he fell back on his usual habit and began to tease her.
Ten minutes later, Rose emerged from the room looking entirely different. She was not ugly, merely plain and unremarkable. Her outfit had changed as well, shifting from alluring silk to modest, practical cloth that covered her from neck to ankle.
"Holy Maiden, is that really you?" Leyvi asked, genuinely surprised.
Her makeup did not look like makeup at all. It appeared to be a real, natural face with no trace of artifice. It reminded him of the flawless disguises Dastan and Tamina used, where he could detect no falseness whatsoever. The key difference was that they relied on Anda's tier four alchemy products, while Rose had achieved this with cosmetics and technique alone.
"Fufufu~ It is me, Darling. I am ugly now," Rose replied, her voice still carrying her unique lilt.
Leyvi's mouth twitched. If this is what you call ugly, then every plain-looking woman in the world would weep.
"Can I touch your face?" Leyvi asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Okay~ Go ahead," she replied happily.
A moment later, Rose froze as the request fully registered. Her mind began to spiral.
Her Darling had never allowed her to touch him before. The only time he had laid a hand on her was to grab her shoulder and stop her from running off. But now, only after she had made herself "ugly," he suddenly wanted to touch her voluntarily.
What did this mean? Don't tell me, Darling actually prefers ugly women? A completely reversed sense of beauty? No wonder he never showed any interest in my true appearance! And his praise before lacked any real sincerity. Ah... what a tragedy. My greatest gift, my beauty, is useless in attracting my dearest. Is this my punishment?
Unaware of her inner turmoil, Leyvi reached out and touched her face, gently pinching her cheek as he inspected the transformation. The sensation of his touch sent her spiraling straight into a blissful dreamland.
"Amazing," Leyvi murmured.
"This doesn't feel like makeup at all. No powder, no texture. Liyan, she is not lying, is she? Maybe she is actually possessing some other girl's body," he turned and asked.
"The Holy Maiden isn't lying," Liyan confirmed, her tone matter-of-fact. "Our Love Ecstasy Sect does not possess any body-stealing methods. Our makeup technique is the best in the entire continent, but we only use it to make ourselves less attractive, the opposite of what most people do."
"Your sect is really something," Leyvi remarked.
"Of course!" Liyan replied, a hint of pride in her voice.
"Ah, Liyan," Rose said, having drifted back to reality. "Call Lily. I will change both of your appearances as well."
An hour later, the group of five departed from Pink Enchantress City, heading directly for the colossal trunk.
"We all agreed that the area within ten kilometers outward from the trunk would be a free zone," Rose explained as they traveled. "It means no faction can claim it, and anyone can move freely within that ring, circling the entire tree."
"I see. That is a good arrangement," Leyvi nodded.
"Also, no conflict is allowed within that zone. This is so those who are working hard to figure out how to return to our world can do their research in peace," she continued.
"No conflict?" Leyvi was skeptical. "Can that even be enforced? What if people decide to fight anyway?"
"Fufufu~ That was already taken care of in the past," Rose replied with a knowing smile.
"A few people did not take the agreement seriously and caused trouble, so all the faction leaders gave the order to have them hunted down and killed. After they were eliminated and the news spread, nobody dared to cause trouble anymore. Well, at least not openly."
"I see. Kill one to warn a hundred," Leyvi acknowledged the simple, brutal effectiveness of the method.
A moment later, he realized something and glanced sideways at Ava.
Oh shit.
She wouldn't randomly have one of her violent episodes over there, would she? No, no, no. She had stopped doing that a long time ago. It should be fine.