Dawn City, West District.
Compared to the bustling streets they had left behind, this area was noticeably quieter.
The houses here were spaced farther apart, not the kind of row houses, but individual courtyards and villas. In gardens enclosed by iron fences, roses and violets swayed gently in the breeze, wafting faint fragrances into the air.
"I smell wine," Liyana said, sniffing the air.
"Do you?" Mo Lini imitated her, taking a deep breath. "I don't smell anything at all."
"That's because my sense of smell is sharper," Liyana said proudly, her golden hair glinting in the sunlight. "I'm a professionally trained elven archer. Every elven archer has to learn to identify hundreds of scents."
"Got it. Liyana is a dog," Mo Lini said with a straight face, nodding solemnly. "That's why her nose is so keen."
"Eeeek! Mo Lini, you're asking for it!" Liyana couldn't hold back, flailing her hands and making a fierce face at Mo Lini. "Even your ancestors wouldn't dare talk to me like that!"
"Moke would," Xia Lun casually cut in, undermining Liyana. "Moke used to say some pretty nasty things when he teased Liyana."
"Xia Lun!" Liyana let out a wail, staring at Xia Lun in disbelief, as if she had been betrayed in the worst way.
"Because I'm a girl. My father taught me to be ladylike and not use coarse language," Mo Lini said, feigning composure as she smoothed her skirt. "But I do curse in my head."
"Oh, so you secretly talk trash about me in your thoughts, huh? Just wait till I teach you a lesson!" Liyana lunged again, determined to pinch Mo Lini's cheeks into dough.
"Little Lan, go!"
At Mo Lini's command, the slime splattered straight onto Liyana's face.
Liyana reached out to grab Little Lan... but Little Lan slipped through her fingers like flowing jelly, impossible to catch. Worse still, it tried to wriggle into her mouth, leaving Liyana frantic and nowhere to turn.
"Alright, that's enough," Xia Lun said with a laugh, putting an end to the girls' roughhousing.
"Everyone who lives here is either filthy rich or nobility—merchants or aristocrats. Many homes have wine cellars, so it's normal to smell alcohol," Aina said slowly. "Those cellars are built underground."
The earth dragon let out a low hiss and stopped. They had reached Aina's destination.
Before them stood a four-story standalone villa built from pale gray stone, elegant in design. It had a sizeable, meticulously kept yard with a white marble fountain burbling away inside.
"Wow, what a beautiful house," Liyana exclaimed, even she, with all her experience, was impressed. One side of the courtyard wall was covered in blooming wisteria, blending perfectly with nature. She was quite pleased.
"Your house?" Xia Lun turned to Aina beside him.
"Or what, did you think it was yours?" Aina tilted her chin slightly, teasing him with a playful question.
"Yours is mine," Xia Lun said, pulling Aina close in a possessive gesture, his fingers brushing her smooth, silver hair.
"That's not wrong," Aina replied, a tiny smile curving her lips.
The door opened.
Dorian, dressed in a butler's uniform and with his silver hair combed perfectly, stepped out of the house.
"Long time no see, Lady Aina," Dorian said, placing his right hand on his chest and bowing slightly. "Everything you arranged earlier is ready."
"You've worked hard," Aina said, her tone toward Dorian gentler than with others.
"Shall I have Feina and the others come to attend to you? They've been eager to see you as well."
"No need. They have their own work. I'll visit when I have another chance," Aina replied, casting a slightly reproachful glance at the old butler.
He must have known she didn't want to be disturbed, yet he asked anyway.
"You have plenty of things to do yourself. No need to stay here with me. Go attend to your duties," Aina said, waving her hand, her tone returning to its usual calm.
"As you wish, Miss. I'll take my leave now." Dorian's figure gradually blurred, dissolving into countless blood bats that faded away on the spot.
A trace of a smile lingered on Aina's lips. She really did prefer that title.
"What's wrong, Miss?" Xia Lun patted Aina on the shoulder, leaning in from behind until his face was close to hers, his warm breath brushing against her ear.
He instantly shattered the mood she had been building.
Aina's puffed her cheeks slightly, looking a bit miffed. "Nothing."
"Aina, is it really okay for you to hand off all your work like that?" Xia Lun glanced at the spot where Dorian had vanished, thoughtful. "You're practically the progenitor of the blood clan..."
"Oh? So you're saying I should keep myself busy with work, just so you can have time to sneak off and meet other girls over drinks, is that it?" Aina narrowed her eyes, her crimson pupils glinting dangerously.
"Ahem! Of course not! That's impossible! If you have work to do, I'd definitely stay by your side," Xia Lun quickly defended himself. "I swear, I won't leave your side."
"That's more like it," Aina sniffed lightly, then explained slowly, "Actually, when I'm with you, I still handle official business. For important matters, Dorian and the others contact me through the blood bats... Xia Lun, you're the only one who lazes around all day, your head full of nothing but nighttime activities."
"Uh..." Being called out like that, Xia Lun felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed his nose unconsciously.
Maybe he should find a job?
Since being resurrected, he hadn't reapplied for a new identity at the adventurer's guild. He wasn't even a proper adventurer anymore—just a bona fide freeloader.
That would just be ridiculous...
"It doesn't matter, Xia Lun." Seeing the change in his expression, Aina smugly patted him on the shoulder, putting on a bossy air. "You just let me take care of you. Be obedient, and I'll give you as much spending money as you want."
"Ha, I'm not..." Xia Lun started to retort stubbornly.
"You already are, Xia Lun." Aina arched her eyebrows, suddenly leaning close to his ear and lowering her voice. "Oh, or you could think of it this way—every single expense you have now is earned by working hard at night."
Xia Lun: ...
This was... absolutely outrageous!
He was once a brave hero, reduced to being treated by a demon lord as a male sex worker trading his body for money.
"Make sure you earn well tonight, Xia Lun," Aina taunted, giving him a challenging look. "Do a good job, and maybe I'll even tip you..."
Xia Lun's anger turned into bitter laughter. "I'll make sure you're satisfied, Demon Lord."
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
