Chapter 382: New Year and Candied Hawthorns

But unfortunately.

Karist was not the type to demand endlessly like Tally and Vivian; perhaps elves simply had weaker desires.

Or perhaps she herself adhered to a philosophy of restraint.

In any case, after a full week passed, she never once called Luo De to "catch frogs."

Luo De could only sneer.

I get it.

Playing hard to get, huh.

Trying to control me, are you?

The elf lady wants to hold absolute control—"I want you, you come; I don't want you, don't even touch me."

I have no idea where she got this dominant mistress vibe from.

Luo De didn't bother with her.

Without you, I can still do just fine—there are so many girls in the forest, I could throw a party every night.

And after this week passed.

December of this year had fully ended, ushering in a brand-new year.

Year 866 of Aibolong, January 1st.

The Death Desert seemed to sense the arrival of this season, and sandstorms howled fiercely.

Gravel pattered incessantly against wood and glass.

But this did not dampen the townspeople of Shi Ying's joy in welcoming the new year.

This year saw a massive influx of outsiders; to soothe and demonstrate their effortless control, the city hall lifted restrictions on all permitted events.

Such as the Radiant Blessing ceremony, held from dawn and eagerly awaited by newborn families;

The largest square near city hall, transformed into a magic market, already decorated a week in advance;

A three-day tournament featuring traditional archery and swordsmanship, alongside challenges specially designed for adventurers;

Fireworks displays, dances, tavern drink discounts, tea house storytelling gatherings around hearths, and more.

Luo De had visited city hall two days ago and found everyone utterly swamped.

Even the witch Dimeya from Zhua Valley had been dragged back to work.

Actually, the situation there had eased since the beginning.

The fungus beings Bin and Toru—a seventh-rank boxing champion and a love-struck mage—were stationed there, along with a tribe of Wendigos, enough to maintain control.

Luo De simply summoned back the banshee Krist and the ghoul Pan Ni for vacation.

But then again.

The girls in the forest seemed to have no sense of holiday observance and didn't regard it as any meaningful festival.

This stemmed from differing racial perspectives.

For instance, the treant Vivian and the half-deer Xiao Ke, who had spent long periods in the forest, paid no attention to calendar dates.

The mare-girl Bond and the rat-girl No. 3, being entirely new species, understood even less.

The elf Karist and the arachne elf Yuna were long-lived races; an annual festival meant nothing to them.

Karist even claimed she only cared about festivals occurring once every ten years or more—so arrogant.

The ghoul Pan Ni, the zombie Selina, and the tiefling Saixier were somewhat better; they had once been human and retained some interest.

"New Year? I've always wanted to celebrate one!"

Tally said.

Morning sunlight could not pierce the sandstorm's veil, only a faint layer touching the skin.

The upgraded forest rapidly digested the invading sand and dust, feeling anything but stifling—instead, it brimmed with fresh, natural vitality.

Luo De walked step by step through the sentient woods, gaining substantial 【Growth Spirit】 with nearly every area he passed.

"Do succubi celebrate the New Year?"

"Of course. A month after New Year comes the Festival of All Souls, another month and a half later the Festival of Order, and three months after that the Festival of Innovation—I know every holiday on the continent inside out~"

Today, Tally's persona was the younger brother.

She transformed into a slender "boy" resembling Luo De but far more refined, planning to introduce herself publicly as Luo De's younger brother.

Previously, her transformation magic had flaws and could not truly become a man.

Now, at seventh rank, with Luo De's infusion, her transformation magic had reached +8 and naturally overcome this flaw.

But Tally knew her master disliked men, so she didn't fully transform—her appearance was convincing, but beneath the clothes remained a girl's body, brimming with sensuality.

"I never thought of that. I thought you only knew about sensual things."

Tally flicked her slicked-back hair and grinned, wagging a finger:

"My foolish brother, that's exactly sensual knowledge! Festivals mean crowds gathering, and crowds gathering means our succubi can unleash our charms—my relatives especially love luring men in outlying towns like Shi Ying; if luck's on our side, we can gather a month's worth of essence in a single day!"

"."

If you put it that way, I'll have to warn Dimeya and the others that succubi might be lurking in Shi Ying.

As he spoke,

Luo De reached the edge of the Sand Willow district, the small area known as the Cutting Maze.

Almost at the same moment, a soul-bodied girl with dragon horns, wearing a white dress and lazily draped with a thick dragon tail, leapt up, beaming with excitement.

"M-Master!"

"Naulin, long time no see."

Luo De reached out and patted her small head in midair, making her so delighted she clenched her fists and shook them vigorously.

Then he pulled out a large string of heads tied together, dripping blood—like a giant candied hawthorn.

Each head bore expressions of terror and hatred, looking distinctly horrifying.

Naulin's eyes lit up with delight as she bounced over to take the head candied hawthorn.

"New Year gift."

"New New Year gift? What's… New Year?"

Tally walked over smiling: "It's a festival where lots of men and women entangle together."

Naulin blushed.

Lowering her head, she shyly swayed her hips: "So Master wants to entangle with Naulin…"

"Of course. Every night, I imagine Tally's face as yours."

The succubus's smile froze.

The smile didn't vanish—it transferred to Luo De's face.

"Hey! What do you mean, Master?!"

"Really?! Hehehe—oh come on, Tally, don't be mad… as my substitute, you should be happy too!"

"I'll kick your mom's head in!"

Luo De pushed Tally aside as she stormed forward to fight, then smiled at Naulin:

"Do you like the gift?"

"I love it!"

Then, right before Luo De's eyes, she kicked each head one by one, crushing them like blood-filled balls.

For reasons unknown, the splattered blood and brain matter coated Naulin's face and white dress, yet with her pure, joyful smile, Luo De didn't know what to say.

No choice.

As a cursed dragon, hatred was her most delicious food.

These heads were specially selected by Luo De from the condemned prisoners in the underground prison.

Everything used to its fullest, that's all.

"How's the dragon body construction going?"

Luo De wrapped his palm in spirit energy and wiped the splattered fluid from Naulin's face—the stuff from burst eyeballs.

Naulin giggled, savoring the touch; after he finished, she wouldn't let him go, pressing his broad palm against her cheeks and rubbing it back and forth.

"Thanks to Master, progress is excellent! The first dragon body material has been fully digested! I've already found the location of the second dragon body material!"

(End of Chapter)