Interlude

Today's camp was the Transcendence Building, formerly the stronghold of the Transcendent Cult. Because the Transcendence Building was buried deep underground, it had fortunately escaped Senluo's doomsday. Although all its interior facilities were ruined and many floors had collapsed, at least the top few levels closest to the surface remained intact and habitable. Yesterday, before entering Hell, Yaxiu had briefly searched the Transcendence Building, and he planned to venture deeper into the collapsed floors this afternoon to keep looking for traces of Igola and Harvey. The traces he had accumulated over the past two months had been completely exhausted during last night's exploration. Even though Yaxiu was itching to plunge right back into the Fantasy Hell to find those two bastards, he still had to patiently build up his quota for exploring Hell again. Taking three minutes to finish a shower, Yaxiu dried his hair with a towel and came into the lobby, only to see Felix tinkering with experiments using several conical flasks. The liquids inside bubbled pink in one, gave off a lemon-yellow sheen in another, and looked just like orange juice in a third. Yaxiu walked over out of curiosity and asked, "Are you brewing potions?" "Yeah." He picked up the conical flask that looked like it held fruit juice and leaned in to sniff it. "What potion is this? Does it taste good?" "A potion that forces a person to excrete uncontrollably until they die," Felix said. "It probably doesn't taste great. I added urea to it." No sooner had the words left her mouth than Yaxiu backed ten meters away, covering his mouth with his towel. "I think you'd better not do such high-risk brewing in the lobby," he said nervously. "Just kidding," Felix laughed. "I always make real poisons outdoors. What you were holding just now was an orange-flavored drink. Haven't you been complaining these past few days that we ran out of drinks? I'm trying to figure out how to make lemon tea and orange juice." "Your joke successfully ruined my craving for orange juice." "Your love life ruined my beautiful ideals of romance, and I haven't said a thing, so stop complaining," Felix shot back. "Come drink the orange juice and give me your review." "You haven't said a thing? You've broken my defense multiple times with your remarks, and you dare claim you haven't said a thing?!" "All right, all right, don't hold grudges like a kid. Hurry over and taste it." Seeing Yaxiu's hesitant look, Felix rolled her eyes, picked up the flask, took a sip herself, and shoved it into his hand. Yaxiu looked at the rim of the flask and hesitated. "Maybe give me a cup? Just so we don't end up having an indirect kiss..." With that, Yaxiu saw Felix flash a thoroughly disgusted expression that screamed, 'Even I don't care, so what the hell are you minding?!' He felt his dignity as the Observer chip away a little further in her heart. He took a sip and evaluated, "If it were iced, it'd be pretty close." "Try this lemon tea." "A bit bitter. I prefer it sweeter." "Then I'll try switching to black tea..." Yaxiu glanced at the conical flask bubbling pink, picked it up, and took a sniff. "What kind of drink is this? Smells like flowers." "An aphrodisiac." "Oh, so it's... Wait, what?!" Startled, Yaxiu hurriedly set it down and blew out the breath he had just inhaled. "Why are you brewing aphrodisiacs?" "Someone needs it." "I don't need that!" Yaxiu said indignantly. "You look down on me way too much! I can please them just fine without aphrodisiacs!" Felix looked at him, opening her mouth as if to speak, stopping, then wanting to speak again. Yaxiu froze, an unbelievable thought popping into his head. "This aphrodisiac... someone placed an order for it?" "I'd advise you not to look into it too closely," Felix said placidly. "Life is much happier when you know nothing. But I can assure you that the aphrodisiac I make is healthy and positive. Even if you drank it all, you wouldn't experience any uncomfortable symptoms. When used in moderation, it effectively improves the quality of one's romantic life." Depressed, Yaxiu set the flask down and asked, "Is there anything you need my help with?" "You haven't given me your report yet." Felix added various powders to a test tube. "Didn't you like yesterday's photos?" "It's not like you didn't see what was happening in my tent first thing this morning," Yaxiu said exasperatedly. "How could I have the energy to review your photos?" "Yeah, this morning's scene really is hard to forget," Felix said faintly. "The impact it had on an innocent young maiden like me was simply immeasurable. It's not that I didn't know what you were up to last night, but my mistake was wishful thinking—assuming that after an entire night, you'd be finished. Who could have guessed your indulgence would exceed my wildest imagination? Even if the Silver Lantern is your god, I still think you crossed the line. Doing that first thing in the morning—" "I'm reviewing your photos right now." Yaxiu immediately opened the light screen of his miracle bracelet. "I deeply regret ever discussing my love life with you. I'm cringing so hard right now my toes could dig out a three-bedroom apartment." "How are they?" Felix asked. Yaxiu's expression was somewhat conflicted. The two photos displayed on his light screen showed: in one, a pure white saintess wearing a blindfold, collapsed on the ground and splattered in mud; in the other, what looked like a heavily injured female warrior on the run, her clothing mostly in tatters, likewise smeared with mud and her skin stained with grime. It was obvious that the theme of both pictures was "soiled" and "battle-damaged"—placing beautiful things in filthy environments. Yaxiu swore that he had never possessed such a fetish before, yet looking at the selfies Felix had sent over, he felt as if a certain region of his brain had been unlocked, his heart thumping wildly. "...They're very good." "I know they look good, it's me after all," Felix said as if stating the obvious. "The point is, did they arouse any desire?" "...Yes." "On a scale of light, moderate, and intense, about what level?" "...Intense." "Mm-hmm." Felix tapped her miracle bracelet to record the data, remarking offhandedly, "The frequency of you rating 'intense' has been getting higher and higher lately." That's because your exploration of my fetishes has gotten sharper and sharper! Yaxiu felt like a lab rat whose physiological mechanisms were being completely mapped out by Felix through lewd photos, which felt inexplicably humiliating. Over the past two months, Felix had made him realize that he actually harbored so many hidden kinks. He hadn't known he was a pervert before, but now, the next time someone called him out on it, he wouldn't even be able to defend himself with a straight face. In truth, after that long night, Yaxiu had assumed the Sword Princess and the others would have a word with Felix about the selfies. While Felix's original intention had been good, her method was simply too bizarre. Yet whether the Sword Princess and the others had forgotten or for some other reason, Felix's selfie project continued as usual, sending him all sorts of selfies in various styles every day. Yaxiu had also sternly refused at first, stating that he and his operators already had a well-established reward and punishment system and had no need for extra casting fuel. But Felix had retorted: "It's not like you get reward time every day. Besides, every time you use my photos, it means they're spared from suffering the agonizing toll of you losing your head." She really had a knack for seizing every opportunity to deliver sarcastic barbs at Yaxiu. "Are there any specific outfits or poses you'd like to customize?" Felix asked. "I'm guessing you might like me dressed up as the Divine Lord of Stars..." "I am begging you, absolutely not," Yaxiu pleaded sincerely. "Are there any chores you need me to do? If not, I'm heading down into the ruins." "Mop the floor," Felix said, pointing at a mop. "Who knows how many days you'll be staying here. It's better to keep the floor clean." "All right." "Wait, come here for a second." Once Yaxiu walked over, Felix glanced around to make sure no one was looking, unzipped her jacket, and revealed her chest, clad only in lace lingerie. Even though Yaxiu tore his eyes away immediately, Felix had gotten the reaction she wanted. Unhurriedly zipping her jacket back up, she said cheerfully, "Great, I understand now. Go mop the floor." Yaxiu shot her an exasperated look, picked up the mop, and went to clean. He had never put a stop to Felix; wanting to look himself was only a secondary reason. The real reason was that he had noticed Felix seemed to genuinely enjoy this hobby. She was engrossed in researching outfit pairings, ambient decors, lighting, and poses, loving the process of capturing her most breathtaking moments. Naturally, her selfie skills had improved at a visibly rapid pace. Ever since picking up this hobby, Felix's mood had remained healthy and vibrant, a total transformation compared to the melancholic little creature she had been before. Betraying her nation, opposing the Stars, and toiling for days across an already ruined world—such circumstances had piled considerable stress even onto Yaxiu, let alone a Sanctuary sorcerer like Felix. Since she had found an outlet to relieve her stress, Yaxiu had no reason to ruin her modest joy. Even if she constantly used the excuse that "the Observer likes to see it," Yaxiu accepted it. Besides, by this point, Yaxiu genuinely looked forward to what surprises she would have in store for him. Mopping his way to the kitchen, Yaxiu pushed the door open and was immediately greeted by the sight of the pink-haired maid's back. Weixi was chopping vegetables and prepping ingredients on the kitchen counter. Hearing the noise, she glanced at him sideways before continuing to prepare today's lunch. The team currently took turns cooking among Weixi, Felix, and Daidalos. Each had different culinary preferences, and rotating daily kept things fresh. As usual, Weixi wore a backless maid outfit, her curly pink twin ponytails draping down both sides, and her slender, straight legs, clad in over-the-knee black stockings, pressed tightly together without leaving a gap. Yaxiu watched her for a moment, then went about mopping the kitchen floor. As he mopped, he suddenly stepped over, turned Weixi around, set down the kitchen knife in her hands, and under her bewildered gaze, lifted her onto the kitchen counter. Positioned like that, her bust was naturally level with Yaxiu's face; with just a slight lean, he could bury his face in her soft, supple charms. Under Weixi's slightly nervous watch, Yaxiu walked back, picked up the mop, and cleaned the spot where she had just been standing. "..." Weixi bit her lower lip in mild fury, wishing she could kick this bastard's skull right off his shoulders. "Wait, don't come down yet. I'm not done," Yaxiu instructed. Once he finished mopping the kitchen floor, he set the mop aside and closed the door. Placing both hands on the edge of the kitchen counter, he looked at Weixi sitting atop it. "You were watching on the sidelines the whole time last night." "It's not like I'm lovesick," Weixi pouted. "I have zero interest in fighting for your affection." "Yet why does it look to me like you were ostracized by them, unable to find even a sliver of an opening to make a transaction?" Yaxiu sighed. "It's been two months. How has the illustrious Spectre Prophet still not managed to get on good terms with them?" "If you dropped dead right now, I'd definitely get along great with them," Weixi said, crossing her legs petulantly. "Or you could unbind me and let me use a few soul miracles on them to improve interpersonal relationships..." "Don't even dream about it," Yaxiu retorted. "Some soul and prophecy demigod you are—you can't even see through what people are thinking. I think you'd better just stay an honest maid." "Who says I can't see through people's minds?" "Oh really? Then why did I lift you onto the counter just now?" Wasn't it just to tease me...? Weixi blinked. She saw Yaxiu looking at her with a gentle smile in his eyes and his lips slightly pressed together, looking both a bit bashful and apologetic, as if trying to make things up to her. "...Lunch is in forty-five minutes." "How fast you cook," Yaxiu said with feigned nonchalance, "will determine how much extra celebration transaction time I add." "It'll probably take thirty minutes," Weixi whispered close to his ear. "But if I'm in a good mood, fifteen minutes might be plenty."