Chapter 59
Ji Ma watched as the round belly of a middle-aged man disappeared through the door leading to the upper table. His bald head was adorned with a thin layer of black hair, and on the back of his head was a black dot only Ji Ma could see, the edges blurred, resembling a solid period.
That was a dream seed, Ji Ma’s new extraordinary ability. After marking the target with the seed, she could enter the dream world and directly influence their dreams.
It consumed a considerable amount of magic power, and maintaining it required her magical energy. Ji Ma estimated that she could only maintain two dream seeds at the same time.
Just now, Ji Ma agreed to that deal not only to help George dissolve her slave contract. Nor was it about leveraging the advantages of her succubus nature.
Primarily, she wanted to experiment with her abilities on the underground ruler of Shalin City and gather some intelligence along the way.
Indeed, that seemingly polite lecher was not an ordinary man but the underground ruler of Shalin City, known as “Boss Fulis,” who had controlled various underground gangs for the past decade.
He made a pact with the Great Benefactor, where Boss Fulis was tasked with managing the underground gangs, prohibiting thieves from attacking nobles. In return, the Great Benefactor turned a blind eye and protected him.
Ji Ma recognized Boss Fulis. He certainly didn’t expect that the demon lord he had been respectful to and trying to curry favor with half a year ago would now appear before him in a different form and gender.
Ji Ma withdrew her gaze, letting out a private sigh. Without attending the party, she couldn’t receive feedback from her test subjects. She considered retracting the seeds, but remembering that she was in Shalin City, where she was unfamiliar, she needed the intelligence and thus did not retract the seeds.
“Ding ding ding♪”
The sound of drums, flutes, and strings composed a pleasant melody coming from the upper table.
A group of maids dressed in knee-length black and white dresses, carrying silver trays, pushed the dining tables past her.
They were all beautiful, youthful, and wearing leather collars around their necks. Hailing from different regions, they displayed various beauties—some with milk-white skin, others like porcelain, some like chocolate, and others with golden hair… all in glorious variety.
As the old patron said, “In Shalin City, you can at least experience women of different ages from three continents… as well as men.”
The blend of various beauties produced an incredibly strong allure.
The gaze of the male guests almost entirely fell upon the Great Benefactor’s maid squad. Envy, jealousy, infatuation, and lust were all present.
“I heard the Great Benefactor spent a huge sum of money and power to gather these women.”
“He even said that these maids are not even worth a fingernail of the flower of Shalin City.”
“The Great Benefactor must have found the Demon Lord’s treasure.”
Ji Ma’s gaze lingered on the shapely behind of a tall, attractive brown-skinned maid.
George called her softly several times, but she didn’t respond.
“Ji Ma, Ji Ma.”
“Oh, oh.”
It wasn’t until the last maid’s elegant figure disappeared behind the door that Ji Ma reluctantly shifted her gaze away.
“What’s wrong?”
George’s eyes passed over with a hint of sadness as he said, “They are all trapped.”
“Is that so?”
“The Great Benefactor has the profession of Flesh Craftsman, transforming slaves’ bodies and training young women.”
“So?”
“You don’t need to worry.”
Ji Ma was slightly taken aback, then understood that George misunderstood her daily attitude and concocted some touching scenario. She nodded but said nothing.
A plate of grapes was presented, served on a simple iron tray. There was also a plate of spiced roasted chicken, a fish soup with floating fish heads, and a large piece of soft bread.
Not white bread, but bread made from flour mixed with some pea flour. Only those sitting at the upper table could eat the white bread made from refined flour.
The plates holding the food were also made of iron.
Ji Ma usually enjoyed the highest treatment in Shalin City, but at this moment, she felt no discomfort. She used a spoon to hollow out her bread and poured in the freshly served meat and onion soup, mixed with the meat juices, and happily began to eat.
The moist, soft bread squeezed out delicious meat juices in her mouth.
“Delicious,” she said. This was her favorite food during this period.
The only regret was that the serving at her lower table was not done by beautiful, obedient maids, but rather by an ordinary maid in plain black and an ordinary male servant.
George said nothing more. He picked up a glass of sweet red tea and drank it down, letting out a comfortable sigh. It was his fourth glass.
At this moment, a conservatively dressed maid approached. She wore a jeweled collar around her neck, signifying her “noble” status.
“Good morning, my lord.” She stood before George, slightly bowing, with her right hand holding a silver tray containing a letter, “A letter from my mistress, Miss Lisi.”
George took the letter with one hand, tore open the envelope, and pulled out the letter to read. Ji Ma covered her hat and leaned in, her soft ear brushing against George’s side.
The content of the letter was simple. As long as George was willing to apologize and be more sincere, Lisi was generous enough to seek “the treatment a warrior deserves” for George, the brave and handsome knight, from her father.
The wording was full of smugness. Ji Ma could almost see Lisi standing proudly before her, looking down at George clinging to her thigh, saying, “Well, didn’t expect this, but now it’s too late, though if you beg hard enough, I might still consider it.”
Naïve girl… if only you saw your father, that virgin would probably rush forward to give it a sword through the heart.
Ji Ma bit into the meat juice bread, chewing.
“Finished reading?” George put the letter back and continued eating.
Lisi’s maid stood there for a moment before asking, “Is your meal enjoyable?”
“Very good.”
“And how do you find the banquet?”
“Pretty good.”
“Don’t you have anything to say to my mistress?”
George shook his head.
“Are you just here to attend the banquet?”
Lisi’s maid asked curiously.
George nodded.
Lisi’s maid looked somewhat disappointed. She felt that this young man had missed a great opportunity due to his pride.
She could see that Lisi definitely had a fondness for George. It was rare for a man to catch the attention of her mistress.
Moreover, George had impressive martial skills, a true young talent; if he could make Lisi happy and be introduced to her, he would surely soar to great heights. Conversely, if he irritated her, no matter how skilled he was, it would be meaningless in Shalin City.
Lisi’s maid let out a sigh of regret, “It seems you are not fully aware.”
“Unaware of what?”
“Goodbye, Sir George.” She said, without bowing, and turned to leave.
Her figure vanished behind the door where the melodious music floated.
“George, what’s your next plan?”
“To find Chamberlain,” he said, picking up a fork and stabbing at the roasted meat.
…
…
A fork pierced deeply into a lamprey. Lisi chewed the fish bones fiercely, and even with her mouth tightly closed, the sound of crunching bones was clearly audible.
“Master, that’s it.” Lisi’s maid twisted her skirt, bending slightly, “He eats happily, plays happily, and rejected your request.”
“Hahaha.” Lisi’s friend covered her mouth with a fan and chuckled, “Looks like that knight doesn’t even think highly of the princess of Shalin City.”
“I want to see how strong his arms are, to be able to chop off such a big bear’s head,” another friend said.
Lisi was sulking, feeling completely ignored. She even began to doubt whether she had been slacking off in her workouts lately, causing her figure to become unattractive. She couldn’t help but ask, “Have I gained weight?”
One of her friends pinched her belly and said, “No, I’m really jealous. No matter how much you eat, you don’t gain weight.”
“He actually ignored me.” Lisi said, “Not at all like a knight; I think he’s pretending.”
“Maybe he thinks you’re not a real princess?”
“I know you want to say I’m not pretty enough.”
“You’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?”
“How could that be?” Lisi retorted.
Lisi felt looked down upon; holding onto a glimmer of hope, she asked, “What else did he say?”
“He admitted he was only here to attend the banquet,” the maid replied.
The two friends again covered their mouths with their fans and chuckled softly.
The more Lisi thought about it, the angrier she became.
Originally, she wanted to show him her true colors, to take revenge for her last failure, but unexpectedly, he flaunted his skills at her banquet and enjoyed himself thoroughly.
And she had foolishly given him a chance!
“Hmph! Bad man,” Lisi said, “Can we throw him into the water? Such a morally bankrupt person, really has no shame.”
“That wouldn’t be too good.”
“I was just saying.”
After saying that, Lisi looked toward her grandfather, the Great Benefactor of Shalin City, who sat at the highest place at the center of the long table.
From appearances alone, it’s hard to believe he has a poised granddaughter. At over fifty years old, he looked like a man in his thirties.
He was slender, with neatly styled brown hair, a clean beard, and wore a polite smile. Time had settled on him, and his demeanor was steady, providing a sense of calm.
At that moment, a chubby man with a wide grin waddled up the steps, his round belly shaking like a dog. Compared to the Great Benefactor Blanci, he seemed ugly and greasy.
Lisi frowned slightly, feeling disgusted, and asked, “Who is he?”
The maid replied, “That’s the Fulis you just asked about, not sure where he came from, seems like a wealthy merchant.”
“Your grandfather looks quite young,” a friend commented.
Lisi chatted a bit more and then asked her maid, “Where’s my mother? Did you ask Grandpa?”
The maid replied, “I asked, your mother said she doesn’t like noisy environments, and she was feeling unwell, so she went back to the garden.”
“I’m feeling a bit unwell too, I want to take a walk by myself,” Lisi said, standing up.
Just a few steps into her walk, Shua, with a beaming face, emerged from behind a pillar and said, “Lisi? What a coincidence to run into you.”
“Braggart, are you creating coincidences again?” Lisi said crossly.
Red-haired Shua’s face stiffened, “I’m not bragging, I really did happen to see you.”
“I only saw the famous adventurer from the North being chased around by a group of goblins,” Lisi said, “Letting a crude knight from Barto show off at my banquet is infuriating.”
“What? Did he bully you?”
“Yes, he even returned my letter,” Lisi pretended to look at his gradually reddening face.
Red-haired Shua looked as if he had been struck on the forehead, his entire body wobbling.
“I… I will show that barbaric knight from Barto what for.”
“Wait, you don’t want to get killed, do you?” Lisi said with a smile, “He can chop off a bear’s head with one sword, and you’d be pushed aside and unable to move.”
“I’d risk death for you,” Red-haired Shua said, “I have my ways, wait for my good news.”
With that, he turned and strode out through the door.
