The Pleasure Districts of the Timeless Realm existed because desire had value here.
In the Immortal Anchor, comfort was scarce enough that anything able to soothe the soul became a commodity. The Pleasure Districts were built around that truth. Body pleasure sold well. Soul pleasure sold even better. In a realm where most immortals spent their lives under pressure, faction control and constant fear of Decay, the ability to feel deeply, safely and willingly was treated like luxury. The Pleasure Faction sat near the top of that system.
They are one of the ten strongest factions in the Immortal Anchor and they did not pretend to be a noble organization in the traditional sense. They cared about beauty, charisma, talent and usefulness. They also cared about standards. Not everyone got in. Not everyone stayed. However, if someone had the face and the ability to stimulate soul pleasure, then the Faction would use them well enough that they would never want for anything again.
That was the ugly truth behind the glamour.
The Love Pentarch walked through the district with Aira beside them. The streets were cleaner, richer in scent and more radiant than the rest of Shenlu Cheng. It wasn't just incense either. Lanterns were brighter here. Music was quieter. The buildings leaned more toward elegance than commerce.
Aira, in her courtesan life on land, knew the district well. Apparently she had a life outside being a siren on a ship. This was one of the reasons why Veneri planned to get the Love Pentarch.
As they walked, she explained the faction's structure. The Pleasure Faction was led by both Immortals and beings from the Divine Anchor. At the center of it all were the Four Beauty Goddesses, who ruled the faction's highest standards and broader influence.
Aphrodite, or Venus depending on which pantheon's name people used. Freya. Isis. Psyche.
Aira turned to glance at him while they walked.
"You're not shocked?"
Veneri, now under the name Peony, kept his pace easy.
"Not really. Mythology keeps showing up so I'm not really shocked by it anymore."
That earned the faintest smile from her.
She went on. The Faction had influence beyond Planet-4697. If the Four Beauty Goddesses wanted to send people elsewhere, they could. The realm's pleasure economy did not stop at one world. It reached across the Timeless structure itself. The people who worked under the Pleasure Faction were often beautiful, young, carefully selected and well trained. Some entered as adults, some were taken in younger and some were slaves in the loose political sense of the Immortal Anchor, though the faction still had its own principles and internal standards. They were not gentle in a moral sense but they were organized enough to avoid being seen as malicious.
"Sex sells extremely well here," Aira said as they turned down a side street lined with curtains. "Especially if someone can induce soul pleasure. If you're good at that and the Faction takes you in, you're set for eternity."
"And everybody wants in."
"Of course they do. The problem is demand is always higher than supply and the supply that does exist is usually too selective to care about average faces."
Peony's calm expression didn't change much. Aira noticed the way the district reacted to them too. People glanced, then glanced again. That happened whenever a beautiful siren walked through a pleasure district with an even more beautiful, androgynous man beside her. Some looked at Aira but more looked at Peony. The white robes, the long pink hair, the androgynous body, the composed posture, it all made sense that they were lusting for him... or her.
Aira did not seem bothered by that. If anything, she seemed entertained.
They finally reached the main house of the district, which was a large and elegant building with balconies, soft red lighting and a front entrance that felt more like a private estate than a business. A woman at the entrance lifted her head and immediately frowned at Aira.
"Where have you been? Your customers have been asking for you nonstop!"
Aira looked faintly apologetic, which somehow made the whole thing seem like a routine.
"I was busy."
The woman was clearly about to scold her again when her gaze landed on Peony. Her expression broke. Peony stepped forward and smiled politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you."
The woman stared for a second too long, then recovered herself. She pulled Aira aside immediately, still watching him out of the corner of her eye, and asked in a lower voice.
"Has he been taken by anyone? Or is she female?"
"No. I brought him here to recommend him."
"Recommend him for what?"
"He can make one experience soul pleasure."
That got a far more serious response than ordinary beauty ever would have. The woman looked Peony over from head to toe, and then turned back to Aira with a look that was suddenly businesslike and interested.
"Take her to the testing grounds. I'll make an exception since you're the one who recommended her."
Then she looked at Peony again, more closely this time. She was speechless once again. Peony stood there in his feminine-pink form. The woman seemed to realize very quickly that he was extremely good for business.
"If you pass the test," she said, regaining just enough composure to sound professional, "you'll be able to serve as a waitress."
Peony gave a small, graceful nod.
"Understood."
And just like that, the district's gate had opened.
Aira glanced at him once as they were led inward, clearly curious to see how this would go, while Peony followed her.
The testing chamber was already crowded when Peony and Aira arrived.
There were at least fifty applicants inside. All of them were standing in loose rows while the woman in charge of the district's intake paced at the front with a cool, appraising expression. The chamber itself was deliberately enclosed with soft lighting built into the walls and a floor decorated with pale floral designs. The woman in charge turned to the gathered applicants and spoke without wasting time.
"You're all here for one role first and that is being a waiter or waitress. Nothing else matters yet. If you can't pass the first test, you don't belong in this district. The only thing you need to do is withstand an aphrodisiac."
That got a reaction instantly. Several women exchanged glances that said they had expected something like this but were still annoyed by it anyway. The woman raised one hand and a pink mist began to spread from the center of the chamber.
It covered the room in a fragrant, heavy cloud. The effect hit the others at once. Faces flushed. Postures wavered. Eyes went hazy. Some of the men began staring at the women beside them with dazed intent. Some of the women glanced back at them. The mist did exactly what it was supposed to do. The room quickly became a mess of sensual confusion.
A pair of applicants leaned too close to each other. Another stumbled into a nearby shoulder and did not move away. Someone laughed breathlessly and then stopped laughing because the sound itself seemed to set off a chain reaction of desire in the room. Several people were already acting on impulse. Peony did not move.
He stood in the center of it all, perfectly composed. His expression stayed calm. His breathing never changed. He looked out over the room as if the aphrodisiac had missed him entirely. The woman in charge noticed immediately.
Her eyes narrowed with interest. She watched the others dissolve into distraction, then looked at Peony again and saw nothing.
"You passed."
"That's all?"
"For the first test, yes. You'll be working as a waitress."
Peony gave a slight nod. That part did not bother him. The role itself was irrelevant. Then the woman's eyes lowered to his height. That was where the problem began.
He was still three meters tall. Even with his androgynous body and feminine face, the sheer beauty of his made her hesitate. He did not fit neatly into the district's usual assumptions. She was too tall to be an ordinary woman and too graceful to be easily read as a man by people glancing from a distance. The combination seemed to irritate the woman in charge.
"You're a woman?"
Peony looked at her calmly.
"Yes."
"That's a lie."
He gave a very small shrug.
"Then it's up to you whether you believe it or not."
That answer made the woman's mouth fall flat. She clearly disliked him already. Peony did not bother to push further. The important part was done. He had passed and was in the Pleasure Faction.
°°°°°°°
Somewhere else, Veneri was lying in bed in his hotel room with Biolumine asleep beside him in cat form. He had been half-awake when the telepathic message reached him.
The Love Pentarch was accepted. That was enough to pull him fully back into awareness.
He sat up a little and looked over at Biolumine, who was still curled on the floor. Veneri watched her for a moment, reached out and nudged her shoulder.
"Wake up."
Biolumine made a low sound and opened one eye.
"What?"
"Love Pentarch got accepted."
That got both of her eyes open immediately. She lifted her head and stared at him.
"You need to make another part of yourself and go join Peony."
"You want me to do what?"
"Join the Love Pentarch."
"You're serious."
"Yes."
Biolumine sat up, still in cat form, and looked at him like she was trying to decide whether this was a good idea or just another one of his specific catastrophes.
"Why?"
"Because the Love Pentarch is going into the Pleasure Faction. If there's going to be a separate body working there, it might as well have a companion who can support it."
Biolumine's sighed, apparently deciding that the question was not worth fighting over. She was his master after all.
"Fine."
She summoned another part of herself.
The copy emerged. It was distinct enough to be a separate body but it was still Biolumine. It was not an illusion or a simple projection. It was another functioning self, just as real in its own body as the one sitting on the bed. Her Creature Power, Companion Copy, had always been strange that way. It could imitate nearly any skill their companion possessed and in her case, she copied the Pentarch Technique that allowed her to split herself across more than one form when needed. The original Biolumine remained connected to the Water Pentarch in Atlantis, while this version would accompany the Love Pentarch in Shenlu Cheng.
The new body shook itself once, then lifted its head and looked at Veneri. He pointed towards the window.
"Go join Peony."
Biolumine gave him a flat look that would have been more effective if she were not a cat. She leapt off the bed and slipped out the window without hesitation. Veneri watched her go, then lay back down on the bed with a tired breath. The other Biolumine continued sleeping.
He stared up at the ceiling for a while. The Love Pentarch was accepted. Biolumine had gone to join him. The Pleasure Faction was now part of the Pentarch Path. That meant another stage had begun and there was no point trying to pretend this would be a calm process. He closed his eyes.
"Tomorrow is going to be a long day."