"Why didn't you kill me? Letting an enemy live is foolish."
"Then why didn't you kill me? Don't say it's because I'm too handsome and you fell in love with me." I gave a bitter laugh, lightly tapping the white flesh between her breasts and silently chanting a spell. Crimson curse marks from phantom ink appeared on her breasts. This was a fire-element self-destruct curse—once engraved, it could detonate automatically even if she was restrained, powerful enough to obliterate the entire torture chamber. She was practically a terrorist.
The Semen-Sucking Lady—she was the strongest and most terrifying assassin I'd ever encountered. No joke.
"… Even I don't understand… I've never been able to see through what kind of person you are. You seem like a lustful, greedy bastard, but in reality, you're not quite like that…"
"Ha, are you praising me or stepping on me?"
"Heh heh heh… My story isn't finished yet. The first person to enter my body was my father emperor, and the first person I killed was also my father emperor—the same year I turned eighteen."
"Quite a memorable milestone." Only now did I understand—her lewd nature might be a form of release, or perhaps atonement.
"Heh heh heh… I think so too… Hm?! What are you doing?"
The Evil Book opened again on the back of my hand. A surge of heat transferred from my palm to her neck. After completing the spell, I pulled my hand away—but I still didn't dare sheath Maki. A vivid crimson mark, like an artistic sculpture, was left on the Semen-Sucking Lady's neck: the Evil Book's high-tier prohibition—Blood Collar Technique.
The Blood Collar Technique was an extremely special lewd art. It could control a person's life and sexual desire. Under certain conditions, the prohibition could upgrade into a permanent contract. The only drawback: the prohibition lasted only one hundred days before the contract took permanent effect.
"I'm starting to get interested in your cooperation proposal—but the premise is that you temporarily serve as my servant. I've placed a prohibition on you. Even if you flee to the divine or demon realms, I can kill you easily. If anything happens to me, you won't have an easy life either."
"You think a single prohibition can control me? Sorola, you're too confident."
"I have no intention of making things difficult for you. This is just insurance. For now, stay in my home. After winter, I'll go with you to find the treasure. Mm… I still don't know your name?"
"Didn't you already change it? Just call me Da Sha, Master."
*(Treasure Map acquired.)*
The Harvest Festival finally concluded. Travelers from all directions began leaving the city, and the once-bustling shops returned to normal operations. According to rough estimates from the Old Master and Alice, after deducting expenses for fireworks, parade floats, hiring mercenaries, and the songstress, the festival cost around 8,500 gold.
But for Febenli City and multiple northern counties, it generated over 20,000 gold in economic benefits. Fina alone had secured four 1,000-gold contracts—without counting profits from various specialty goods.
When the city returned to calm, I quietly visited the Perverted Old Man's shack. But at the door was a yellowed, moldy notice: "Master is celebrating—closed for seven days."
The old man is celebrating? Who's the lucky one?
From inside the door came faint laughter—male and female, old and young.
"Old man, I came to find you…" Of course I was shameless—knocking twice on the door.
The door creaked open slightly. The old man poked his… head out. But seeing his face, I couldn't help laughing. What the hell was this guy doing—writing "Daddy" in big red letters on his own forehead??
"Hey old friend, I'm very busy. Chat and bullshit another day."
"I came for something important. Open the door, 'Daddy.'"
"Huh… how did you know…"
"Piss in a puddle and look at your forehead—you'll get the answer."
"Oh, thanks—I'll try later… Come in."
When I stepped into the sister shack, I could hardly believe my eyes. The place once filled with magic and alchemy materials was now crammed with adult toys. In the hall sat ten women in "sexy" outfits. The old man returned to his throne, pulling a white-haired girl in a black sheer dress—about eighteen—onto his lap.
"Hey hey—quick, call him Uncle."
"Stop—call him Brother."
The ten girls chorused: "Brother!"
"Good girls. Old man, really—Febenli has a women and children protection law. You're making it hard for me to turn a blind eye with such obvious behavior."
"Don't slander me. They're all my old man's good daughters. I'm just appreciating them from an aesthetic perspective. Let me introduce you—this baby is Sharo, and there's Yanijias, Iyana, Tier, Shiya, Lansiti, Lins, Yulina… HAHAHAHA… Nice names, right?"
"Appreciating? But from my observation, their walking posture seems a bit off."
"Re-really? You must be seeing things…"
"Forget it, old man—I came for serious business…"
"Eh, I'm busy right now… Little Sharo, be good—Daddy's feeding you milk…"
Damn it!
"You can't play a little less? I need you to look at these two things." I handed the old man the treasure map Da Sha gave me and her mask for study. The map was very special—not made of metal, wood, paper, or parchment, but embroidered on thin yellow silk. At the top was the Shaga Empire's crest, with an unexplained moon in the upper right. Da Sha and I had studied it for a while with no discoveries—even ancient maps yielded nothing.
"Ah, good stuff. This is the Shaga Empire's treasure map—called the Wudela Mask, also known as the 'Ivory Mask.' As for this… it's an incomplete map… completely useless."
As expected from an old pro in appraisal—though his morals and tastes are far from respectable. The old man suddenly seemed to think of something and looked at me with an ambiguous smile—scaring me into nearly wanting to run.
"I have the usage spell for the Ivory Mask, and the Shaga Empire's founding ancient map. If you're interested, I can lend them to you to copy—but…"
"Sigh… how much? Just say it."
"Don't make me sound so mercenary. We're friends—talking money over such small things ruins the relationship."
"Tch! What do you want? Stop beating around the bush."
"I… I want to borrow your Evil Book for one night."
"I thought you wanted something big. If the Evil Book were a physical book, I'd lend it to you no problem—but unfortunately, it's not something that can be borrowed…"
"Then… what exactly is the Evil Book? Is it powerful? Can I at least take a look?"
I glanced at the ten girls surrounding me—their sheer clothes faintly revealing their bodies—and sighed: "The Demon Moon Evil Book is quite powerful. If you want to broaden your horizons, no problem—but I'm afraid after seeing it, you'll feel inferior for life and end up impotent. That would be a pity."
"So… so serious? Then I must see it even more."
"You said it yourself—don't regret becoming impotent. In Sorola's name—summon Demon Moon Evil Book!" If this guy goes impotent, his sister legion will… heh heh heh…
The crimson eye opened on the back of my hand. The girls crowded around curiously with the old man to watch—making me feel like a zoo animal.
"I see… but it's not impossible to borrow."
"Like this you can borrow? Hey, bastard—you're not planning to chop off my hand, are you?"
"I'm known for my kind heart—I never write dark articles. How could I do something so cruel? I'll teach you a fun trick—for free. Place your hand on my hand, then repeat after me."
Following the old man's instructions, I placed my left hand on his and echoed his words: "I, Sorola, in the name of the contract master, transfer the power of the Demon Moon Evil Book to the Perverted Old Man."
Sure enough, the Evil Book changed. It suddenly closed its eye and hid from my hand. Strangely, I still felt its presence—but on the old man's hand, an identical eye opened. So summoning and contracts could be transferred? First time I knew.
"Don't worry—this is a transfer contract spell. Unless you summon the Evil Book again, it will temporarily stay on my hand." The old man spoke while staring obsessively at the eye on his hand with lewd excitement—his gaze gave me chills.
Perhaps an illusion, but in that instant the old man's eyes sharpened—extremely sharp. His right hand pressed his left arm, rapidly chanting while forming hand seals. The Evil Book's pupil blazed crimson, illuminating the entire room red.
"In the name of the Perverted Old Man—summon Demon Moon Evil Book: Tentacle Technique!"
The old man's left hand grasped empty air, condensing a semi-transparent ball of power. He slammed it to the floor—pulling up a gust of wind that lifted the girls' sheer clothes, letting me feast my eyes. I never knew the old man hid such powerful magic. The Evil Book's power spread through the floor—pink light threads surged up, binding the ten girls and suspending them in mid-air, slipping inside their clothes.
Besides the girls, he even pulled me up.
"Wah, old man—what are you doing, rape?! Help!"
"Heh heh heh… Don't worry—I just want to send you home first. I'll have someone deliver what you want in a few days. Goodbye~"
"Old… old man… wait… remember this~~"
The light tentacles opened the door and threw me out like garbage. As the door closed, I saw several girls held by tentacles waving "goodbye" at me—moaning as they began to be pleasured.
Damn it—being thrown out isn't bad, but the worst part is he's playing an 11P and didn't include me. Poor me—never even tried an 11P. Old man, you're heartless!
Back at the mansion, a crowd was looking for me—unfortunately, not a single beauty among them. First Andre and his two retainers, then Riando and the Old Master. I called Andre's group and Riando into the study to discuss forming the personal guard.
"My lord, Andre has considered it and is willing to accept your offer—but there's one small request. I hope you'll agree."
"Go ahead."
"Andre hopes that after two years—besides the recommendation letter you mentioned—he can also receive your acknowledgment of ability."
"A small matter. If you perform well, I'll acknowledge your ability in the letter." Andre was meticulous. As a new-generation famous general in the imperial military, if he stayed by my side two years and earned my recognition—it would be like being my disciple. Sorola's disciple—few armies wouldn't welcome him with open arms.
"Then let's discuss forming the unit. Riando—you explain."
"Yes, my lord. In the Empire, princes, marquises, and the king all have personal guards. The king has the most—three thousand. Princes and prime ministers are allowed one thousand.
Dukes can form seven hundred, decreasing by one hundred per rank. So we'll start with three hundred—Andre in charge of training and organization.
You can select from my cavalry or Aiyela's infantry. I'll assign a veteran as your deputy to help you learn army operations."
I added: "Mm, one more thing—two months from now I return to the capital. You have only two months to form the unit. Besides, the capital trip may not be simple—possibly real army battles. Prepare mentally."
"We understand. Please guide us well, Lord Baron."
"You can go with Riando to the barracks for procedures. Also—pass for Saruanli to come see me."
"Yes, my lord."
After the four left, Saruanli arrived—with a pretty four-eyed girl with light blue hair beside him. The Old Master glared at me like I was a starving wolf. Damn it—I'm surrounded by free-to-fuck beauties.
"My lord—this is Yan, my grandniece. She just arrived to assist at my office." The Old Master emphasized "grandniece"—seriously.
"Hello, Miss Yan."
"Yes—hello, Lord Sorola!"
"Yan…"
"S-sorry… seeing the renowned Baron Sorola… so…"
"HAHAHA… don't mind. I'm just an ordinary person."
"Mm… let's begin. My lord—besides introducing my grandniece, Saruanli came to discuss Febenli's economic issues."
Looks like Saruanli finally found a successor. He's old—if he suddenly kicks the bucket, losing the chief civil officer could cause chaos in Febenli.
"Febenli's economy is growing steadily—what's the problem?"
"At present, yes—our economy improves daily. But over the past five years of rapid growth, the last half-year shows slowing. My lord—do you know why?"
"Education." I tilted my head casually, as if it were nothing. But the Old Master and Yan looked shocked.
The Empire's economy had become a north-south rivalry. The south's advantage was long-term prosperity, advanced tech, and academics. The north had vast land and manpower. But when northern industry hit a bottleneck, it needed massive talent to advance—yet the north, long落后, invested nearly zero in education. That's why the Old Master saw slowing.
"So my lord already had it figured out. Seems Saruanli worried for nothing."
A four-eyed Ibesha holding books flashed in my mind—but the next moment became a naked Xiao Sha biting a bone, wagging her tail—my Demon Lance hardening a little.
"No—I only thought of a little. Implementation needs other factors."
Yan beside us curiously asked: "Why not import talent from the south?"
The Old Master looked embarrassed. I smiled and nodded at Yan: "I believe Yan studied in the central or southern regions. Importing southern talent is like drinking poison to quench thirst—because the south is our greatest rival. The huge salaries would flow back south—ultimately more loss than gain."
"Sorry—Yan spoke too much. Please forgive me, Lord Baron."
"Heh heh heh… Old Master must often badmouth me—painting me as a villain."
"This… this…" From Yan and Saruanli's expressions, I knew I hit the mark.
"This can't be rushed. Everything waits until after the capital trip—I'll have plans."
"Yes, my lord."