Chapter 79: Selecting a Demon Soul

Lei En hardly hesitated.

To be honest, he was indeed somewhat tempted to get it done tonight.

But that was not a wise choice. Though Viola was willing herself, there would still be some loss. If she failed to receive a Divine Technique during the prayer ceremony, the loss would outweigh the gain.

Taking a step back, even if he considered only Viola, he shouldn't be so selfish.

What was rightfully his would eventually come to him anyway, and no one else could take it away.

Lei En immediately made his choice and said firmly, "The prayer ceremony is so important to you, so of course I'll support you. If you can receive a Divine Technique and advance to become a high-rank Wizard, that would be for the best."

A high-rank Wizard plus a Divine Technique—Viola's strength would soar, and few extraordinary beings below the legendary tier would be her match.

Lei En also hoped she could succeed.

"You're willing to hold the ceremony together with me?" Viola looked thrilled; in truth, she had been very anxious after saying it.

She was well aware of her own charm and how great her allure to men was, and she had mentally prepared herself.

She hadn't expected Lei En to make his decision so quickly.

Viola cheered and threw herself against Lei En, hugging him tightly, and said happily, "I really don't know how to thank you."

Lei En felt the astonishing softness and quickly pushed her away, saying with a wry smile, "If you get any more excited, I'll change my mind."

"Alright." Viola didn't move around anymore, just stayed close to him, feeling his presence.

The two shared a tender moment, then Lei En suddenly asked, "That prayer ceremony—besides us, there won't be anyone else present, right?"

"Of course not." Viola quickly explained, "This is a prayer ceremony to the Longhaired Lady. Did you think it was one of those parties of the Queen of Pleasure? The ceremony must maintain a secretive atmosphere. Aside from the Longhaired Lady, everyone else must leave and cannot be disturbed by others."

Lei En's expression turned a bit odd; he had indeed thought of the Queen of Pleasure earlier.

This was an evil god, and a very powerful one at that. Her true name was Meikanweita, and believers often called Her the Queen of Pain.

The Queen of Pleasure's followers were mostly female, using beauty and threats to develop believers.

Her teachings were quite unique: while enjoying the pleasure brought by lust, one must not forget the pain brought by torment. Followers often gathered together to hold certain parties, and would also flog each other, using various methods to torture and abuse themselves, all to please their god.

Of course, Her followers were even more ruthless toward enemies—insane torment and whipping, countless tortures that could make one wish for death.

Lei En had heard a classmate talk about this evil god back at the academy, so his impression was very deep.

Although the Longhaired Lady Freya wasn't that perverse, the fondness for watching followers perform during prayer ceremonies was still quite abnormal, wasn't it?

Lei En felt a bit creeped out at the thought of putting on a show before a god.

Fortunately, Freya was a female deity.

If it were a male one, he definitely couldn't accept it. Then again, deities didn't seem to have a gender; their images were shaped according to the characteristics of their divine domains merely to facilitate proselytizing and make it easier for followers to accept...

Lei En's mind wandered with random thoughts, and he asked, "When will the prayer ceremony be held?"

"I've scheduled it for next month."

Viola seemed to have planned it long ago. "I intend to submit the piece you gave me to the Church, and have people perform it at taverns, theaters, and concerts everywhere, spreading it to more listeners. That will count as my contribution to the Church. If the Longhaired Lady herself can hear it, even better."

"Is one piece enough for a contribution?" Lei En thought to himself that if it wasn't enough, he'd copy a few more.

"Still far from enough." Viola shook her head slowly. "Music is only one form of art, and it won't produce results that quickly. Even the most beautiful music won't make someone immediately become a follower of the Longhaired Lady. It takes a long accumulation of influence to change someone's faith."

It seemed copying more pieces wasn't a viable path.

Lei En asked again, "Do I need to prepare anything?"

Viola's gaze swept over him, and she chuckled lightly, "You don't need to do anything. Just show up when the time comes."

"Haha, I definitely won't be absent." Lei En teased.

Viola's face turned slightly red, her expression quite enchanting.

The sky soon grew light.

Lei En woke up as usual, and seeing the half-elf beside him, a smile appeared on his face.

He got up, stretched, and loosened his muscles a bit. Even though he had only slept two or three hours last night—and a chaste sleep at that—he still felt refreshed and clear-headed.

Viola woke up at the noise, hurriedly said "Good morning" to Lei En, and fled back to her own room.

Lei En chuckled and sat down to meditate.

After meditating, a maid came up and invited Lei En downstairs for breakfast.

Viola, seated at the head of the dining table, had changed clothes and showed not the slightest abnormality. She stood up and greeted Lei En.

Attended by the butler and maids, the two shared an intimate and abundant breakfast.

After the meal, Viola and Lei En strolled through the estate together. She showed him around everywhere, letting him see what a true noble household looked like.

In the estate, which was like a small castle, a large expanse of neatly trimmed lawn lay in front of the entrance. The villa was surrounded by an elaborately designed grand garden. Gravel paths led to various places, and there were also a mill, wine cellar, stables, garage, swimming pool, a small building specifically for servants, and hired guards, servants, cooks, gardeners, and drivers—over twenty people in total.

All these people served Viola alone, tending to her meals, daily routines, and everyday life.

Under the management of the housekeeper Abigail, everyone was well-trained, and everything was handled in an orderly manner.

Lei En clicked his tongue inwardly. The cost of maintaining a noble lifestyle was truly substantial. Just the monthly wages paid to these people alone was a significant expense.

In addition, there was a magic laboratory for cultivation, as well as a martial training ground.

Lei En went in and looked around; it was much better than the courtyard at the Basil Inn.

Viola took the opportunity to suggest that Lei En stay at the estate. After all, there were plenty of rooms in the house, so there was no need to rent elsewhere.

Lei En didn't refuse her kindness—first, because this place was indeed nice, and second, because he could protect Viola nearby.

Viola herself was very strong, but the guards at her home were quite ordinary. The housekeeper Abigail was a third-level ranger who hadn't fought anyone in years, and her strength had seriously declined.

Although Weige Estate was very close to the Wu Shi Ta, almost right beneath it, and normally no one dared to break in, there was always the fear of the worst case. That Ga Luo Wei Na, in his madness to obtain the county, might just take desperate risks.

The two spent a leisurely morning in the estate.

After lunch, Viola took a carriage out.

She had to go to the House of Violets every day, and today she had an additional task: to dispose of the spoils left behind by those elemental envoys, converting them all into Gold Shields.

Furthermore, preparations for the prayer ceremony had to begin as well—visiting and exchanging with the priests of the Beauty and Goodness Church, submitting the sheet music, and making the request regarding the use of the temple.

Viola had long had a plan, deciding to use Gold Shields to pave the way in exchange for the priests' agreement.

Lei En wasn't idle either; that noon he went back to Keshom Street to surrender his apartment, the landlord was displeased, but upon hearing that Lei En wouldn't take the deposit, he immediately agreed.

Then he went to the Basil Inn and sold the female gunman's Soul Gun to Zuo Ertan.

That Soul Gun was also an enchanted weapon, but it was damaged in battle, hard to repair, its value heavily discounted, and Zuo Ertan was only willing to pay twenty Gold Shields for it.

Lei En felt very helpless.

A pristine Soul Gun is worth at least three hundred gold, what a loss.

He was actually quite interested in the Soul Gun; if it hadn't been broken, he wouldn't have wanted to sell it and could have kept it for himself.

After drinking two beers with Zuo Ertan, Lei En got up and took his leave.

He didn't cancel his room at the Basil Inn, as he will need to borrow Zuo Ertan's mechanical workshop later to study mechanical technology, but he can't come this often anymore. He had originally wanted to meet Master Luo Jie, but couldn't find him and didn't know where he had gone hanging out with that legendary witch.

"We'll have to wait for next time," Lei En said as he boarded the public bus heading to the Magic Soul Market.

He is now a Level Two Wizard, able to fuse new magic souls and doesn't want to waste a single day. With each increase in his strength, his safety net grows a bit, allowing him to better protect Viola.

The only concern is that the Magic Soul Market might harbor followers of Luo Xi.

Lei En had no intention of evading; he thought that by being cautious, he should be able to spot enemies in advance.

Perhaps he could even take the opportunity to kill the opponent and recharge himself.

Upon arriving at the Magic Soul Market, Lei En immediately activated his Soul Eye, cautiously scanning every person who approached him.

With his current energy, the Soul Eye's consumption wasn't much, enough to last the whole day.

The last time he killed that Level Two Fighter, Lei En roughly figured out the cultists of the Dark God's sensing distance for the Conflict Mark, which was about ten meters.

As long as he watches for transcendants within ten meters and discerns their beliefs, there should be no problem.

Walking into the Magic Soul Market, the cries of various magical beasts filled his ears.

Just like his previous visit, nothing had changed here; countless transcendants roamed from shop to shop, selecting magic souls, trading gear, a bustling scene.

Lei En avoided the crowded areas and instead chose a slightly secluded shop to look for a suitable magic soul.

However, after wandering the market for three or four hours and examining several hundred magic souls, none caught his eye.

The overwhelming majority of basic magic souls had only one or two Elements, and they were ordinary Elements; for many transcendants they were more than enough as secondary souls, but Lei En found them somewhat lacking.

Of course, he didn't have to seek a magic soul of the same caliber as the golden ant he consumed last time; superlative Elements might not appear even once in several years.

He only needed a magic soul that carried one or two spells; it didn't have to be rare, just compatible.

Seeing that night was falling and he had only explored less than a tenth of the market that afternoon, Lei En wasn't in a hurry and headed back to Vige Manor.

In the following days, Lei En spent three to four hours at the Magic Soul Market each afternoon.

After careful selection, he finally found three magic souls as candidates, deciding to fuse one of them: the insect-type "Phantom Mantis," the beast-type "Thunder Lizard," and the avian-type "Wind Roc."

(End of Chapter)