Chapter 661: Dewdrops and Shadows

Layla Star Tongue hooked her arm around Rod's without any sense of boundaries, leaning over curiously.

"Indeed. Such pure energy — I've never seen a potion like this, Rod. Would you sell the formula?"

"Even if I sold it, you wouldn't be able to make it."

"How could that be? We cloud sprites have a natural advantage in crafting magical potions. We'd certainly manage."

Cloud sprites are naturally light-bodied, having long dwelled among the clouds, and their affinity with the elements is quite high, which naturally makes their skill in magical potions stand out.

". Not for sale."

Rod examined the "Blood of Delusion" in his hand.

The rhomboid crystal was still semi-transparent, with a rolling mass of fresh red blood stored in its center.

The blood would, from time to time, project faint red shadows that coalesced into a human face and made faces at Rod.

He tried using a 【Pseudo-Ovulation】 ability like the one of Mothas Moon Shadow.

It had no effect.

Rod could feel that he was missing the moon-related domain needed to drive it.

Medrin drank half a bottle on her side, and the listlessness on her face vanished by more than half at once.

Strangely enough.

Yet there was not the slightest strange change in this Star Spirit's eyes — only surprise:

"The effect is this good! If we could open up sales channels, we'd surely make a fortune. Mr. Rod, how about we cooperate? Money is no object."

Rod hurriedly shook his head.

"The main ingredient is scarce — there's no way to mass-produce it."

His 【Creation Dewdrops】 were abundant.

But only enough to feed the girls in the forest.

If sales channels were truly opened, the demand would no longer be a matter of mere thousands — given the extraordinarily high efficacy of 【Creation Dewdrops】, it was possible that over a hundred thousand people would flock to it.

By then, Rod estimated he would end up as nothing more than a fruit in a juicer.

"I see."

Medrin looked curiously at the cloud sprite girl. "Miss Layla, I heard the Lord of Cloud Weave City is your father — surely that's not true?"

Layla Star Tongue did not avoid the topic, her smile blooming like a flower: "That is indeed my father."

"I see, no wonder that Baron Barnes who was publicly pestering you earlier backed off. He wouldn't have gotten beaten by your father, would he? I've heard Lord Kraft of Cloud Weave City has quite the fiery temper."

"Not at all. Father merely took his whole family on a little tour around Cloud Weave City. Baron Barnes was so scared he couldn't eat for days."

"Ahaha — oh right, that song 'Lingering Ghost' — surely it wasn't written about Baron Barnes?"

Layla Star Tongue smiled without answering, which was in itself a tacit admission.

Both women smiled at the gossip.

On the other side.

Hailey held the empty potion bottle.

Watching the sweetly smiling Layla Star Tongue cling rather intimately to Rod's arm.

She actually felt a twinge of discomfort inside.

Trembling, she rose and went over, casually squeezing herself between the two of them as if by accident, and hooked Rod's arm. "I think I'm still not feeling well, Rod. Please help me restore my magic."

The great star was somewhat thick-skinned, not noticing the Star Spirit young lady's deliberateness in the slightest.

She continued chatting with Medrin about the latest trending gossip.

Rod, meanwhile, noticed that once Hailey hooked his arm, she clung to him like a soft-bodied creature.

Chest pressed against ribs, legs against legs, and her feverish cheek lazily leaning on his shoulder — quite the suggestive sight.

Rod pinched her chin and studied her face.

He immediately frowned.

This kind of dazed, lost expression was most common on Tally's face, and usually appeared in girls who had been overwhelmed by enchantment.

"That shouldn't be — the Miscast girls and Medrin all drank it and were fine."

Rod could only take out another bottle of his standby Awakening Potion, pinch the Star Spirit young lady's lips, and pour it in.

He failed to pour it in.

Hailey was already somewhat dazed by now.

The moment Rod's fingers touched her lips, she went "ah-woof" and bit down, her nimble little tongue twirling around inside.

Her face, carrying just the right flavor of a mature woman, glowed faintly; her eyes lifted upward, a mixture of pity and allure.

Her lashes trembled lightly, her gaze lingered on his lips for a moment, then drifted away in a daze.

"."

Since Tally had accidentally eaten the Desire-Severing Pill, it had been a long time since he'd seen such a coquettish expression.

Tree Spirit Vivian's emotions weren't obvious, and she wouldn't get too worked up even when stirred.

Ghoul Pan Ni could only clumsily imitate — her awkward little-wife vibe was actually rather nice, but she couldn't reach this level.

Elf Kali — needless to say, Rod and she had never once had a normal interaction; either he was pretending to sleep or she was.

Arachne-sprite Yona considered herself of low station and dared not overstep; even during her morning nibble, she forced herself to remain elegant and proper.

Land Naga Eve was a mix of disdain and routine duty.

Dog-person Sharon and Half-deer Miss Xiao Ke were both somewhat tsundere — the former would actually urge you for another round, while the latter would only disdainfully tell you to hurry up and finish.

Tiefling Ceci had developed a taste for it; she had the least exposure to knowledge in this area, her sense of novelty maxed out, and was currently in an exploratory phase — every time she came over, she wanted to try something different.

Banshee Chris perhaps simply had this preference — she only submitted when forced.

Beast-woman Aimy need not even be mentioned — purely a workout.

If we're talking about that kind of mature allure, there's actually one more.

Eve's mother Lady Lilian — beyond that mature, alluring married-woman air, she'd also treat every single part of you like a treasure, kissing and caressing each one with tender devotion.

Ah.

Missing Tally, missing Lady Lilian.

The Hall of Moon-Gazing.

The cracks in the sealing crystal had widened by a fraction; of the twelve silver rune-chains bound within it, one had turned the color of ash.

Obvious enough.

The seal is weakening.

Creak—

A slick eyeball snapped round abruptly, fixing on a figure that had appeared in the white great hall at some unknown moment.

Same outward appearance as that pervert from before.

But it was a mass of ceaselessly flowing pitch-black, like a human silhouette drained of all light.

"Shadow? Are you that Rod's spell? I told you—"

The eyeball Miss Lu Ka's pupil contracted sharply.

When still, the shadow's outline barely held a human shape, but the moment it moved, its body twisted and stretched like melting tar; parts of its torso would even briefly disintegrate into a mist of black smoke, only to coalesce again the next instant.

Its steps were silent; the vigorous pounding of a heart rang out in the Hall of Moon-Gazing, its sound-line abruptly strangled.

Within the shadow, stretched tall like the wind—

A heart and a skull, wrapped in writhing pitch-black, were dimly visible.

"Fool!?!"

The eyeball Miss Lu Ka roared in shock and fury.

Apart from the seal, the four organs' respective temples had also been converted to sustain their own vitality; hundreds of thousands of years of slumber were enough to grind away the vast bulk of their power.

Slowly absorbing the seal's power would have been the wise move — to be so rashly jolted awake and break free like this would only squander one's own strength pointlessly.

Which idiot consciousness came up with this idiot plan!

No matter how you fight over control of the body, you can't weaken yourself like this!

"Which Miss Lu Ka's proxy are you? The skull? Or the heart? Tell it to come out and talk to me!"

Whoosh—

The shadow's form stretched into a blurred afterimage, like a smear of ink drawn out, and in an instant slammed into the sealing crystal.

Its single hand turned to steel, viciously plunging into the crystal's crack; shards flew in all directions.

The eyeball Miss Lu Ka stared dumbfounded at the shadow now inches away, only now grasping that the meaning and the energy were entirely different.

"No, no! You're not Miss Lu Ka! Who are you!?!"

(End of chapter)