"The spiritual light of the Four Pillars..." Daedalose murmured. "To think a sacred relic of the Four Pillar Gods still exists in reality... Lord Observer, may I touch it? Just for a moment?"
The greatest beauty under the starry sky showed a girl's timid charm, so apprehensive that she looked nothing like the feeler leading the Four Pillar Cult. Yaxiu did not mind in the least and tossed the cube straight over. Flustered, Daedalose caught it and cradled it in her hands to savor the majesty of the Four Pillar Gods. Only after a dozen seconds did she return it to Yaxiu, thoroughly satisfied.
"Lord Observer," Daedalose said cheerfully, "if you ever wish to hold any kind of party... I would be delighted to join."
"No, no, no, I don't," Yaxiu said, shaking his head repeatedly. "This gift I received is called the 'Lesser Door of the Four Pillars.' Its effect is that anyone in physical contact with me will be brought into the Void Realm alongside me."
Sonia's eyes lit up, and the others also realized the strategic value of such an item.
"I could have originally used the Sorcerer Handbook to connect with you, but now that the handbook is disabled, it can't bring you into Hell. That's why I want to see if I can use this treasure to take you inside," Yaxiu explained. "After all, there really are risks in going to Hell this time. Dead Frenzy's allegiance remains unclear, and I'm not used to fighting alone... I hope someone can fight side by side with me.
"However, the danger in doing so is immense. While I might be able to return to reality, the operator accompanying me might not. And if we encounter danger, our lives could truly be forfeit."
The Sword Princess's heart skipped a beat. Regardless of whether Hell was truly dangerous, Yaxiu had never dared to emphasize it so heavily before. It sounded almost like he was setting the stage for something unreasonable to follow...
"So, I want to take one person in first to test it out and see how things go." Yaxiu looked up and reached out toward the maid.
"Vichy," he said calmly, "entrust your life to me."
Everyone turned to look at the demonic maid standing to the side. Not a trace of surprise showed on Vichy's face. Tilting her head in thought for a moment, she walked over and sat at the edge of the bed. The lace trim of her skirt fanned out over the bedsheet, and her thighs, gently cinched by her stockings, pressed into an alluring indentation.
Looking at Yaxiu, she took his hand firmly and wore a proud, dignified smile. "As you command, my master."
The others remained silent. Since Yaxiu had emphasized the dangers of Hell, he was determined not to let the Sword Princess and the rest follow him inside. Sonia pressed her lips tightly together, Diya made no effort to hide her displeasure, and Weise opened her mouth as if to speak, only to remain silent in the end.
Opening *Aurora's Sorcerer Handbook*—Void Exploration, Yaxiu saw the option for "Hell" light up once more. Next to it was a fully charged energy bar labeled "Recollection." Last time, the clue about Igola that Yaxiu had obtained from the Scales sorcery spirit had only filled the gauge a tiny bit, yet Harvey's clue had completely topped it off.
If Igola and Harvey were two dogs, Harvey was considerably better at marking territory than Igola.
Even so, this meant Yaxiu could explore Hell for a longer period. This time, he was determined to extract the full truth from Dead Frenzy.
The only available operator remained Dead Frenzy Sword Princess, though Yaxiu did not dare select anyone else anyway. He wasn't the true Final Observer, after all, and possessed none of the ironhanded dominance needed to manage four lunatics... Forget four lunatics; even managing his normal operators felt like treading on thin ice every single day.
Tightening his grip on Vichy's hand, he initiated exploration—"Hell"!
Yet at the very instant Yaxiu confirmed exploration, Sonia, Diya, and Weise touched various parts of his body in unison. They knew him far too well, and each seized the split second when Yaxiu could no longer abort the process, forcing their way to Hell alongside him!
Before Yaxiu could even react, he opened his eyes to find himself in an unfamiliar world where both above and below were solid earth.
Looking around, he found no sign of the Sword Princess or the others. He saw only Dead Frenzy leaning listlessly against a pillar. Today she was no longer dressed like a mature, commanding beauty. Instead, she wore a deep-black Gothic gown over a white undershirt, paired with commanding high-heeled boots and a ragged cloak that was black on the outside and red within. Combined with her cascading, blood-red hair and ruby eyes, she looked almost like...
"Do I look a bit like a member of the Blood Saint clan?"
Dead Frenzy pulled a cigarette from her pack, lit it, took a drag, and blew a smoke ring right into Yaxiu's face. With an irritated scowl, Yaxiu waved the smoke away and asked, "Have you been to the Blood Moon Country?"
"I've been to every country." Dead Frenzy turned to leave. "When you go to the Blood Moon in the future, buy this outfit for her. She'll love it."
"No thanks," Yaxiu said. "I don't want her dressing just like you."
"Suit yourself." Dead Frenzy shrugged and suddenly unfurled her void wings, bursting into a sprint.
Yaxiu gave chase and called out, "They didn't come in with me, did they?"
"No, the Four Pillar Gods wouldn't dare infiltrate this place," Dead Frenzy chuckled. "Those four little loudmouths only know how to fight when the wind is at their backs. Tens of thousands of years wasted, living worse than dogs—when it comes to guts, they can't even match your Princess of Resplendent Fireflies."
"Then—"
"Watch more, ask less." Dead Frenzy glanced back at him. "Our itinerary tonight is very tight."
--
In the master bedroom, the operators hugging Yaxiu's soul body exchanged glances. Sonia suddenly spoke up: "Felix, Daedalose, you two can leave now."
Daedalose obediently led the reluctant Felix out the door—the second young miss of the Voslodas vaguely sensed that something very entertaining was about to unfold.
Sonia turned her gaze to the remaining women and sniffled. "You all get out too."
"On what grounds?!" Stiffening her neck, Diya tried to resist the Sword Princess's tyranny, but cowered the moment the Sword Princess glared at her. She said aggrievedly, "I'm worried about Yaxiu too..."
"On the grounds that I was supposed to be happy all night from our date!" Sonia held Yaxiu in her arms, her eyes brimming with red rims. "You ruined my good mood! Either you little loudmouths scram, or I throw you out!"
She truly had no patience to endure anything tonight. Yaxiu seemed to have temporarily dragged her tolerance down to rock bottom; she could not stomach the slightest grievance and blurted out whatever crossed her mind. Having already lost all face in front of Yaxiu, she had no mood left to maintain her confident, elegant composure, fully exposing her fierce, possessive side.
Weise raised an eyebrow, knowing full well that the Sword Princess had lost all reason. If they provoked her any further, they might truly end up brawling right over Yaxiu's body. Yet backing down was completely out of the question; if the Sword Princess got a taste of victory and threw a tantrum like this every time, how were the rest of them supposed to compete?
"Sword Princess," Weise said, leaning close to Sonia's face. "You wouldn't want Yaxiu to find us arguing the moment he gets back, would you?"
The red-haired girl refused to yield, still clutching Yaxiu tightly. "In this world, nobody gets to bully me except him!"
"I'm not trying to bully you either," Weise said. "How about this: you can hold him, but we want to keep watch here too. We won't take him away from you, all right?"
Sonia hesitated. Even with terms so favorable, she was still reluctant, but outright refusal would mean tearing down all pretenses. After thinking it over, she could only pout, give a begrudging nod, and lie down on the bed while embracing Yaxiu.
Diya decisively hijacked the fruits of Weise's negotiation and occupied the other side of Yaxiu. Weise did not mind and simply lay down beside Diya. When asleep, Diya took the form of a little girl, allowing the Silver Lantern to embrace both Diya and Yaxiu together.
Vichy glanced at them. Seeing that the spacious double bed had somehow been crammed full, she shook her head helplessly. Turning off the light, she sat down in an adjacent armchair and closed her eyes to sleep, looking every bit like a maid watching over her master.
*He promised to take me, yet he snuck off all on his own in the end. Honestly... hmph.*
Chapter 1059