Chapter 618: The Auction Items

Two days later.

Luo De lay half-reclining on the bed, ignoring Tally seated before him.

He took a stack of newspapers from the bedside table.

The first thing that caught his eye was a massive headline:

——《Campbell's Black Nest Hit by Lightning Raid of Conscription Knights! Brawl Triggers Unknown Barrier; Survivors Suspected Swallowed by Labyrinth!

"Master, I'm almost—"

Tally rocked Luo De's body, blurring the words on the newspaper.

"Don't stop."

"Master, you're so domineering~~"

Her face flushed, she gritted her teeth, pressing the arch of her foot against Luo De's thigh, straightening her waist for better leverage.

The succubus strained to seduce him, as if dining once a day were a grand performance.

But Luo De paid no attention.

He shook the newspaper, rustling it to obscure her figure, drawing an indignant squeal from her.

Another news headline.

——《The Labyrinth Eats People! Large Labyrinth in Dusk Hills Suddenly Transforms! Great Hero Warden Luo De Fled Severely Wounded, Still Unconscious!

Luo De smirked.

No one likely believed this part.

After all, he had only recently faked his death to incite infighting between the Red Dragon Nas and the Black Dragon Mikhail.

Yet when he returned with Eve, the leader of Hunterwind, and Rosalia, he was indeed battered and broken.

It was mostly for show—to the remaining Conscription Knights.

They hadn't sent everyone; about twenty stayed behind, half of them from Hunterwind.

The Igors had only a few low-ranking members left.

He didn't know their stance, but two days had passed and none dared step out of their rented inn.

No matter what they thought.

Naulin, as the Labyrinth's consciousness, had firmly sealed off the entire Campbell Labyrinth—no one could enter or leave.

That was a perfectly legitimate reason.

"Eeek!"

Tally let out a squeal, her arms slipping from Luo De's abs, collapsing onto the newspaper and smearing her face against it.

She feigned exhaustion, smearing her sweat-drenched body across his face.

Yet she ended up giggling helplessly at herself.

She clutched Luo De's head tightly, gasping loudly.

The scent filled his nostrils.

Luo De arched his legs.

His right arm locked around her slender waist, his left hand gripped her hair, pulling her down for a kiss—he took control.

Tally's eyes lit up with delight, yet she knew exactly how to stoke her master's desire.

Her expression instantly shifted to fragile, sorrowful resentment.

Tears welled in her eyes; her snow-white arms weakly pushed, yet lacked the strength to resist.

Her oral technique was equally precise.

She clenched her teeth, struggling to push him away even as he forced them open—her chastity was theatrically maximal.

Not long after.

Amid Tally's well-acted, tearful cries mixed with moans, it was finished.

She'd gotten addicted to the act; afterward, she didn't care that the mess spread across the bed, curling up weakly and whispering sobs.

"Waaah… you're a scumbag."

"."

"Your son just died yesterday, and today you come to assault your daughter-in-law at Gao C—waaah, if you're not a scumbag, who is? Waaah."

"What kind of character setup is this?"

Luo De kissed her cheek and tossed the sweat-soaked newspaper aside.

He rose to leave, but Tally grabbed his arm.

He turned back.

She turned her face away, cheeks flushed, unwilling.

"Stay with me a little longer… my legs are still weak, I don't want to get up yet."

"I still have to arrange the people I rescued from the Labyrinth. I'm busy."

Luo De had freed all the living slaves from the Campbell Labyrinth—many were beautiful, well-preserved girls of exotic races.

As a collector, Luo De was certainly excited.

But seeing the fear and terror in their eyes, he knew he couldn't act on it.

Enslaving them with a control spell wouldn't work either—they were all kidnapped; most likely wanted to go home.

Doing so would make him no different from the Campbell family.

For now, soothing them was the priority.

Those who wanted to return home, Luo De could provide travel funds or send letters for their families to pick them up.

Those without homes or who'd been sold by their families could work in Coral Bay, earn their own money, and control their own lives.

Luo De didn't have the patience to find homes for everyone—but providing work and shelter was doable.

Here, they must edit the slaves' memories of having belonged to the Campbell family, to avoid exposing Luo De.

This task fell to the elf Kali Site.

But she wasn't a specialist in mental magic, so the process was naturally slow.

If the rabbit-girl mage Oona were here, it wouldn't be so troublesome.

"But your daughter-in-law hasn't been satisfied yet."

"That's a character conflict, Tally. You just called me a scumbag—how can you suddenly say you're unsatisfied?"

"What can I do? My husband is so small, but you… you've reached a place he never could… I, I—"

Tally froze for a moment, then gave a cute, thoughtful expression, gazing upward.

But she couldn't come up with a line, so she waved her slender hand.

No more acting—she purred softly:

"Anyway, your daughter-in-law has been conquered by you… Master, my lord~~ One more time~~~"

Luo De gave her a slow, weary glance.

Tally instantly caved, crawling over the bed with a fawning smile.

Then she cast a transformation spell, becoming a petite flower spirit, snuggling into Luo De's arms.

"My legs aren't weak anymore—I'm coming with you~~"

They moved to Coral Bay.

Part of this port town in the Monster Sea had been completed—enough to be habitable.

Among it was a manor on the western edge, owned by Luo De.

He had no intention of living there.

But as a maritime trade town, it needed some grand buildings to maintain appearances.

For now,

it was used to secretly house the slaves rescued from the Campbell Labyrinth.

Luo De had just opened the door and appeared in a high-domed room.

The slaves inside immediately swarmed around him in a clamor.

There were delicate elf twin sisters with wings, a sweet, multi-tailed fox-girl, a charming female lizard-woman with pink scales, a mantis-woman with wide yellow eyes brimming with excitement, a noble half-dragon girl with six pairs of dragon horns, and more…

Because of their beautiful appearances, fitting human aesthetics,

these girls had been kept as auction goods and hadn't suffered much abuse.

In contrast, a few others were treated as "consumables."

Some were dog-people like Nick and Uma; cat-people, antelope-people, and others mostly bore physical injuries and signs of torture.

Most here were girls, all young.

Men were mostly controlled as combatants by the gray dwarves and died along the way under their command.

"Master Luo De!"

"Master! Master!"

"Our savior has come!"

Looking into their eyes, filled with gratitude, Luo De couldn't help but smile bitterly.

They had watched him kill the tyrants who enslaved them, tear open their cages with ease, eat and drink freely these past two days, and even send letters for free—no need to fear anymore.

They likely already saw him as a savior.

The elf Kali Site walked forward slowly.

Kali Site snorted: "As you wished, human—so many girls gaze at you with worship."

(End of chapter)