Chapter 425: Men

"Demons lurking? Given the current situation on the continent, that's not strange."

Lillian's tone turned flat again.

With the sound of Naga shifting on the thick wool carpet, Rod could perceive a certain image:

She came to the spot where Rod had sat before, touched the warm fresh milk tea pot, then pretended not to care as she examined the half-empty teacup.

After a moment of hesitation, she chose to drink the remaining salty milk tea.

After a long while of savoring it, her brows relaxed slightly.

What is she doing?

Rod couldn't help but wonder.

Tally, who was always watching her master, poked half her head out from the shadows and smiled:

"She thought you brought a woman in. After confirming only your scent was on the teacup, she felt a bit relieved."

"She can use the teacup I drank from to confirm it's only me??? Is Naga that powerful?"

"This isn't a powerful skill; Tally can do it too. I can tell just by smelling your clothes, cup, and toothbrush, Master. Since you played with her all night, the 【Charming Fluid】 has already deeply engraved your scent into her mind."

"I see. Wait, why were you smelling my toothbrush?"

Tally's face flushed slightly, and she raised her eyes shyly:

"Holding Master's toothbrush always feels like holding Master. When Tally gets clingy, she loves to taste it."

"Disgusting."

"Ah—disgusting? Tally just wants to disgustingly stick to Master forever~~"

She tried to lean in again, but Rod ruthlessly pushed her back into the shadows.

Don't interfere.

I'm eavesdropping.

He focused his attention on 【Spider Sense】 and continued eavesdropping on the conversation between the two mother and daughter outside the tent.

"It's slightly different."

Eve's slightly hoarse voice rang out. "The flooding of the Hellish Passage has caused a massive increase in the number of demons on land. Even some low-level scum that previously had no qualification to reach the land have gotten their chance. So recently, there have been some bizarre news reports of trash demons attacking towns single-handedly."

"And the demons surging in Axe Beach are clearly distinct from these scattered scum. They have even learned to cooperate with organizations on land. Not long ago, the former lord of this place, Count Miss Puwei, was killed by these demons and an evil organization named Xantarin."

Lillian said:

"Xantarin, huh? So the ones cooperating with us are them. I remember this group is active near the Sea of the Moon. They actually dare to spread their influence to the Sword Coast region."

Her voice sounded somewhat heavy.

As a land-dwelling Naga who makes a living from shady trades, she must have come into contact with such evil organizations.

"The nation of Athal is weak. The Ruin Brotherhood in the west and Xantarin near the Sea of the Moon both show signs of expansion. Even some cults worshipping cosmic beings and devils are beginning to shift from hidden to open."

"Indeed, it is a rare opportunity. If we hadn't lost much strength due to the rebellion, perhaps we could have used this to unify the Mirror Desert. Alas—it was my fault for choosing the wrong people. I never expected such a thing to happen. Fortunately, you managed to recover some of the precious treasures afterward, Eve."

"It was all thanks to Mother's magic pointing out the direction. Otherwise, I wouldn't have discovered that those traitors ran to the Twilight Hills."

"... You worked hard, Eve. Perhaps you don't need to stick to the path of Priestess magic. Enduring desire is especially painful for Naga. I suffered through it back then, and I don't want you to go through it again."

Lillian advised gently.

Her tone was tender and compassionate, reminding Rod of last night when she used that same voice to teach him how to charge while buried in her body.

Damn.

It seems to be standing up.

Eve's voice was somewhat stiff and unnatural:

"Daughter discussed this issue before. Before learning Priestess magic, I do not wish to touch men."

"Actually, the difference between Priestess magic for a virgin and a non-virgin is only about twenty percent. It is still powerful; such strictness is unnecessary."

"Twenty percent is enough to affect the outcome of a battle. I... I won't give up even one percent."

Her tone was full of guilt.

After all, back at the Open-Air Maze, Rod had already taken Eve by force for a full three hours. Since meeting again, they had tried all sorts of styles in the forest.

One could say she had already experienced the beauty of desire long ago.

But Lillian didn't know; she only thought her daughter was making excuses and had once again thrown herself into the clan's affairs.

This made her heart ache even more.

Along with that came regret and shame.

She had actually taught in bed the very gift she intended to give her daughter.

At this moment, her reluctance and attachment to Rod began to fade, turning into affection for her daughter.

"Eve, yesterday we caught a very fine man on the road. His appearance and physique are top-tier among the top-tier. You... why not meet him?"

"No!"

Eve refused firmly, her words very harsh.

"Mother, just give Betty to enjoy. I don't need any man. Being born with the noble four arms proves I can control desire far better than ordinary Naga!"

"Alas, my child. That man is truly a rare masterpiece. Even if you just see him once, it would be fine."

"I don't need to! I have wandered the continent; I know in my heart what a truly handsome man is like... My meaning is, I don't need to!"

"Then I'll keep him and raise him for you. I absolutely won't allow other Naga to touch him. Anyway, he is still young, like a strong leopard that never gets tired. Uh... nothing."

"Let's get back to the matter at hand! Mother!"

Eve continued to refuse firmly.

She then steered the conversation to the relationship between Xantarin and the demons.

Afterwards, they spoke of the contents of the White Dragon Tomb, the tomb-guarding rituals, the generous rewards, and the matter of manpower.

The two mother and daughter discussed for a long time.

Learning that this matter was entangled with an evil organization and demons, the danger was certainly not low.

But considering the reward and the tomb's contents, the land naga's innate greed and gambler's spirit still made them decide to take on this mission.

The next day, they would proactively contact Burge Torres to set a formal schedule for breaking into the tomb.

And while they were chatting.

Rod did not have Tally stop Miss Miss Puwei from listening in the shadows.

He didn't see what expression she wore, but she hadn't been able to speak a word until now, so he guessed she wasn't feeling too well inside either.

Let her listen if she wants to listen.

This girl is quite pitiful.

All along she had been muddled, not even knowing why her father died, but now at least she could know who her enemy was.

"Miss Wen Na, now you know how powerful the enemy you face is, and you should know how good a deal the transaction between us is, right?"

Rod said in a low voice toward the empty space beside Tally's head.

What kind of organization is the Scarlet Brotherhood?

Don't know.

Just being able to be ranked alongside the Ruin Brotherhood, and cooperating with demons, they're definitely some sickening bastards, no doubt about it.

Tally glanced at the bottom of the shadows and shook her head.

"She's curled up in a corner crying, so pitiful. I heard there's a method of fighting poison with poison that can heal a person's soul. Master, do you think if I turned into a sleazy fat uncle and tore her clothes off, would it make her feel better?"

"Don't mess around. If you scare her silly, I can only swallow her head. Let her cry—she has no choice."

"Alright."

(End of this chapter)