Chapter 110: Each Going Their Own Way
The eighth sea lamprey inserted atop the pie spat out a horrifying curse that sounded like it came from hell, reminiscent of teeth scraping against a blackboard.
However, this did not hinder George from savoring the delicious dish. He alternated bites of the sea lamprey meat and the blue pie, his cheeks bulging like a hamster eating seeds.
Jima began to doubt for the first time whether George was purely human, as he managed to eat such dark cuisine (at least in appearance) in front of a sea lamprey that was “singing.”
Noticing that he was the only one eating, George asked, “Why are you all staring at me? It’s really delicious.”
With that, he forked out the noisy sea lamprey, placed it on his plate, and even on the plate, the thoroughly cooked sea lamprey continued to emit its song with its stubborn mouth.
Jenna couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t you think it looks like a creature from hell?”
George cut off the sea lamprey’s head with a knife and said with righteous indignation, “That’s exactly why I feel like I’m slaying demons.”
As he finished speaking, he forked the sea lamprey’s head, its mouth still wriggling, stuffed it into his mouth, and bit down.
After chewing a few times, he praised, “Delicious.”
Jima asked, “Are you still a human?”
“It’s really delicious,” George said, spitting out a few bits of the sea lamprey’s teeth. “You should try it.”
Jima stared at George’s face and reached out to pinch it.
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought you were wearing a human flesh mask or something,” Jima said. “Just now, I thought you were joking and suspected someone was impersonating you.”
“This is what you made with your own hands.”
“You’ve made a huge sacrifice for love, which moves me. Hey, Jenna, what’s wrong with you?”
Jenna was sitting at the table with her head down, a few strands of hair hanging over her cheek, making her face hard to see. Above her head seemed to be a dark cloud raining down, and she was mumbling something indistinctly: “Why…”
Hearing Jima’s words, she suddenly looked up, forcing a smile. “It’s… nothing, Teacher Jima.”
“Why are you suddenly calling me ‘teacher’?”
“I still have a lot to learn from you.” Jenna’s green eyes burst forth with a glimmer. “Please take good care of me.”
Jima thought Jenna seemed strange today; could it be her period?
Jima said, “Alright, I’ll waive the tuition—consider it you owe me a small favor.”
“Thank you!”
George was oblivious to the conversation between the two women and was engrossed in devouring the third “evil” sea lamprey, thoroughly enjoying it.
Seeing this made Jima feel that the banana in her mouth lost its taste. She murmured, “Is it really that tasty?”
With that, she cautiously picked up a piece of sea lamprey with her chopsticks, and just as she was about to take a bite, she thought about how this was her experimental dish and worried it might have some strange medicinal effects.
She had to observe her little white mouse, George.
Jima closely watched George’s face, noticing that he seemed a little flushed, and asked, “George, do you feel anything special after eating this?”
“Anything special?” George pondered for a moment and asked, “I just feel a bit warm in my face; what did you add?”
“I just combined alchemy with cooking to elevate it; this is a groundbreaking invention,” Jima said. “On that note, do you feel any urges?”
“Urges?”
Jima formed a circle with her left hand and brought her right hand’s index and middle fingers together, saying: “It’s this urge.”
George’s expression changed as he said, “Did you add aphrodisiacs?”
At that moment, Jenna looked up quickly at Jima; there was a small piece of the “Nine Dragons Going to Sea” pie cut in half on her plate.
“I did not,” Jima replied. “Don’t look at me with such strange eyes; I’m a succubus; would I need something like that?”
“That’s also true. But why ask about those feelings?”
“I’m afraid of any strange effects.”
“So you’ve been treating me like a test subject.”
“How can you belittle yourself like that?” Jima stated seriously. “You’re merely making a small but great sacrifice for the advancement of humanity. Enough evasion; what do you feel?”
George put down his knife and fork, closed his eyes, and carefully sensed his current state. “I still feel a bit tired.”
“Besides that?”
“Nothing else.”
“Sounds like you’ve discovered a worthless recipe.”
Jima relievedly cut into the boneless sea lamprey.
George asked, “Why did you ask about that kind of feeling from the start?”
Jima shot him an annoyed glance and replied, “Because you’re the chosen one with a strong appeal to women. Who knows, maybe the goddess of fate is once again looking after you, this bastard child, changing the effect of the medicine into an aphrodisiac, and I don’t want to have a breakup fling.”
George asked, “What do you mean by a breakup fling?”
“Just leaving and engaging in mutually enjoyable activities in bed.”
Her lewd words made Jenna blush.
“I understand now; you’re talking dirty again.”
Sitting opposite George and Jima, she raised her right hand shyly like a little girl and said, “George, there’s something I seem not to have told you—I’m going home tomorrow. My family needs me.”
Jima picked up a piece of sea lamprey, stuffed it into her mouth, chewed a few times, and found it merely passable in taste. She asked, “By the way, where’s your home, Jenna?”
“In the Empire’s largest free city, Marin City.” Jenna said, “After you leave White City, you can come to my place if you have nowhere else to go.”
Jima had considered this, especially after being kicked out of the cathedral; she needed to find a good place to settle in, improve herself, and explore ways to level up. Ideally, it should be close enough to the raw materials area so she could obtain cheap but plentiful single materials for potion-making.
As the richest free city in the Empire, Marin City had the Empire’s largest port; its commerce was thriving, offering a wide variety of raw materials. However, the prices were steep, and it would certainly attract the attention of the powerful.
Although the Empire was relatively open and afforded some living space for succubus Jima, she possessed a natural charm. Yet, Jima suffered from mild social anxiety and preferred to avoid socializing whenever possible.
Jima said, “So you are from the Empire; I thought you were from Baton.”
“You’re not the first one to misunderstand me; it’s just that I’ve participated in too many knight competitions, and everyone assumes I’m from Baton,” Jenna smiled. “My father is the president of the local merchant association; we have a decent piece of land in the outskirts.”
“Do you have merchant ships?”
“Two fleets,” Jenna said. “They always make my father frown, praying that the merchant ships won’t be set ablaze by dark elf pirates or face a storm.”
As the daughter of a wealthy merchant, Jenna held considerable status locally and could be considered among the influential figures of Marin City. Staying there would likely provide a good standard of living, but it wouldn’t be convenient for movement, plus there’d be the need for networking… what a headache; I don’t want to sell my body for socializing, letting a bunch of potbellied, bald men admire my legs and exposed skin.
I should just ask her where rare and peculiar herbs grow, but doing so would reveal my ability information.
Wait, I can temporarily stay at her place and inquire about where herbs are abundant.
Jima smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll stay at your place for a while and then leave.”
“Stay as long as you want,” Jenna said. “My family won’t mind.”
George then chimed in, “That leaves me here all alone in the cathedral.”
Jima’s mind flashed to the image of a lonely husband at home, watching his beautiful fiancée embrace another as she went to meet her parents…
“No worries; I can enter dreams and occasionally check in on the lonely old man George.” Right, you can just rub one out against the wall; it might as well be facing Jenna’s house—maybe I’ll be enjoying a sweet two-person world with her.
Jenna yawned and said, “Is the range of Jima’s dream-walking ability infinite? I’m so envious.”
Infinite? I’m just comforting some green-capped guy…
Jima couldn’t help but yawn too, feeling her mind growing weary and slowing down.
What happened? I must wake up.
Jima held on, using her fork to stab a nearly untouched peach pie from George’s plate. Under George’s horrified gaze, she stuffed it into her mouth and took a bite.
A spicy garlic flavor mixed with intense saltiness scraped against her taste buds and surged through her brain.
Jima instantly became more alert, though she also felt a sense of poisoning. She finally understood why George enjoyed eating the “Nine Dragons Going to Sea” pie so much.
George asked, “Jima, what’s wrong?”
At that moment, Jenna’s chest was pressing against the table, her hands wrapped around her breasts, her head resting against the soft mound as she yawned and drifted to sleep.
Jima spat the half-chewed peach pie onto the plate and said, “It’s… it’s the effect of the Nine Dragons Going to Sea pie. I forgot about your high resistance… fate’s bitch… bastard child.”
Having said that, she rested her cheek against the table, her long black eyelashes closed, and soon her breathing became even. Her tail hung limply down, swaying beside her calves wrapped in black stockings.
Both the saintess and the succubus fell asleep without any resistance.
After admiring their sleeping posture for a while, George picked both women up and carried them to the bedroom. The saintess’s bed was large enough to fit three people.
Jima was lost in some dream, embracing the saintess and resting her head between her soft curves, murmuring in her sleep: “…only this pair… has some warmth.”
For some reason, George felt a pang of guilt; this must be Jima’s regret due to her inability to physically grow during her promotion. This regret had been etched deep in her heart, and she usually covered it up with lewd jokes.
The two sleeping women looked beautiful; the saintess Jenna’s slender legs peeked out from under her tight silver robe, crossing over Jima’s black-stockinged legs.
George felt a bit warm. He glanced at Jima’s tail, then at her peacefully sleeping face, leaned down gently, gave her a kiss on the lips, scratched her tail before returning it to its place, turned, and slowly closed the door behind him.
…
…
At this moment.
Laiwu was half-naked, her hands tied with clothes to the headboard, lying on the bed.
Beside her, the elf Litice stretched lazily while sitting on the bed and said, “Not bad, very proactive, but you need to practice more; it was over too quick.”
With that, she picked up her clothes, whistled, and walked out of the room, casually shutting the door behind her.
At the moment the door closed, she turned her head, looking toward White City, and said fondly:
“Jima, though my body has become dirty, my heart will forever be with you.”
Litice was truly amazing, having become thoroughly sullied.
Just thinking that Jima might be holding onto the heart she had sent, waiting for her in White City made Laiwu unable to hold back her tears.
