VAP - Chapter 46
Chapter 46: The Supreme Sage Hopelessly Obsessed with Beauty (5)
Nai Yin Galor liked to collect beautiful people, both men and women. Anyone in the upper echelons of the Empire with even a passing knowledge of her knew this.
Within the castle complex of the continent's number one Dharma Saint and the human race's strongest individual, hundreds, even thousands, of handsome men and beautiful women were kept. It was a sight that would make any nobleman in the Empire, with their many lovers, gasp in admiration and feel inadequate.
This quirk, which would be considered a stain on one's character by ordinary people, was nothing in their eyes. In fact, it was a source of relief.
…After all, a Dharma Saint with desires was easier to please than one who was interested in nothing.
People are always more tolerant of a powerful person's eccentricities, aren't they?
In reality, however, only the maids and male attendants in the castle—the "forbidden pets" and "playthings" in the eyes of outsiders—understood how undeserved Lord Galor's reputation for being "lustful and debauched" truly was.
Her situation was different from that of those promiscuous playboys, those men who used their power and status to keep beautiful young women, or those noble ladies who enjoyed dallying with handsome lovers.
The number one Dharma Saint looked at them as if admiring a fine artifact, something pretty to display, regardless of their gender, race, or even whether they were living beings.
There was a process that nearly every attendant, and even subordinate, went through:
Being sent to the castle—assuming they were being sent to her bed;
Feeling indignant and apprehensive—then being awestruck by Lord Galor's divine beauty upon meeting her in person;
If it was to warm the bed of such a master—it seemed there was even a little bit of anticipation!
And then they would discover they were just being treated like a vase.
A literal vase. The kind that was nice to look at but useless, not even fit to hold a bouquet of flowers.
The sense of frustration and loss was indescribable.
Some beauties sent by other powers in the Empire schemed and plotted to climb higher, while some initially unwilling servants had a change of heart and tried to offer themselves to her bed.
But Nai Yin couldn't care less. Or rather than not caring, it was more like indifference… even disgust.
Afterward, those people were never seen again.
The chief attendant, Tina, lowered her beautiful face even further. She, too, had once been one of those who felt a sense of loss.
When Tina was a young girl, she had also held a vague infatuation for the Lord Galor she would serve for life. It had nothing to do with sexual orientation; few could resist that woman's uniquely stunning and seductive aura.
But now, she had completely come to terms with it.
Because the Lord Dharma Saint was a hopeless pseudo-face-con, a total neurotic, and a collector, who also blatantly treated people differently based on their looks!
Just like the question, "Is she/he good-looking?" Lord Galor had already asked it countless times—before all sorts of non-essential meetings.
If the answer was no, she would refuse with a lack of interest. One could say she was quite willful.
What could Tina do? Tina was also in despair. She was just an employee, after all!
With that thought, the chief attendant took a deep breath and answered respectfully, "She is a new trainee maid recruited this year. She will certainly meet your standards, you needn't worry about that."
"Oh," Lord Nai Yin, who had been leaning back in her high-backed chair, seemed relieved. She lazily straightened up and crooked a finger. "Bring me her file. Let me see."
Tina: "Yes, my lord."
She knew it!
A thin sheet of parchment was presented.
Pale fingertips brushed across the page, and a sigh-like tone escaped the silver-haired woman's lips. "…Yue. I like this name."
"Summon her. Now."
This meant she was very interested. Tina bowed in acknowledgment and added, "There is another matter. The knights have captured an intermediate mage named Alex who was attempting to infiltrate your castle. He had an invisibility scroll and disguised himself as a trainee male attendant to get in."
"An intermediate mage? Who gave him the confidence to sneak into the territory of a Dharma Saint?"
Tina was clearly just as baffled, but: "He claims to be the grandson of Grand Magus Urissa."
Nai Yin commented bluntly, "No wonder. Another self-important fool relying on his elders."
After saying that, she asked her usual question, "What does this fool look like?"
Tina answered objectively, "He's passable, but not outstanding. He has a few freckles on the bridge of his nose."
"Throw him in the dungeon and wait for Urissa to come ransom him," Lord Nai Yin ordered decisively.
If Alex had met the Dharma Saint's aesthetic standards, he might have at least earned a better temporary lodging instead of the gloomy dungeon.
But now, that was clearly impossible.
Lord Galor was just that full of double standards.
After a short rest, Yue Du met the First Dharma Saint's chief attendant, Tina.
This was the first person she had met in this small world who could be called powerful—Tina was currently at the Archmage level, just one step away from becoming a Grand Magus.
In the Empire, a Archmage was already a major figure who could oversee a region, yet Tina remained unfailingly loyal to Nai Yin, which was rare.
The chief attendant led Yue Du into the deepest part of the castle. The sound of their footsteps echoed clearly on the spiral staircase.
"My lord is easy to get along with, as long as you don't do anything impolite."
"Yes, I understand."
Yue Du behaved like a genuine, ordinary little maid, a young girl who had once struggled to survive at the bottom of the Empire's society.
Tina had no suspicions at all.
When the tall, golden-grained wooden door at the top floor opened, the maid stepped back, gesturing for Yue Du to enter on her own.
She did so, and the door slowly closed behind her.
Before Yue Du was a spacious but dimly lit room.
Everything was as lavish as one might imagine: a carpet made from the pelt of a giant magical beast, a large four-poster bed shrouded in layers of drapery, a matching set of a round table and high-backed chairs carved from a single piece of black crystal and topped with exquisite velvet cushions… but all of it was enveloped in a drowsy dimness.
It was the top floor, the perfect place to enjoy the sunlight, yet it was completely blocked out by heavy curtains.
If Qi Jiu were here, she would surely lament how someone could be so ignorant of the joys of sunbathing… Yue Du's thoughts drifted for a moment before she realized what she was thinking.
She immediately reined in her thoughts and quietly lowered her eyes.
The master of the castle sat in the darkest corner of the room. Logically, the light should have been insufficient for them to see each other's faces, but a Dharma Saint could not be judged by logic.
A gaze with a powerful presence rested on Yue Du for only an instant before it suddenly grew fervent.
With an urgent rustle, the velvet curtains were yanked open, and everything in the room was bathed in ample light, creating the illusion that it was all sparkling.
Yue Du saw the person who had opened the curtains. She had just risen from her comfortable armchair, her magnificent, long, silver curls cascading over her shoulders.
Yue Du's eyes widened slightly.
Before she could react, the woman had appeared before her, light and swift.
Pale, slender fingers caressed the side of Yue Du's face. Lord Nai Yin's deep black eyes filled with delight, and the red mole at the corner of her right eye was so vivid it seemed to come alive.
"I've fallen in love with you at first sight, little cutie," she announced in a tone like a hymn.
Yue Du: "..."
Yue Du: "???"
She no longer knew what to say or do. A certain emotion that should have been sealed away temporarily suppressed her reason and calm.
Reflected in her eyes was the face of an absolute beauty, a face that bore an eighty percent resemblance to Qi Jiu.
There could be no situation more bizarre than this.
I'm sitting in another black-and-gold high-backed chair, holding a steaming cup of black tea, Yue Du thought.
A minute ago, she was still contemplating how to dispel her future host's wariness and gain her trust. This was actually quite difficult, as Nai Yin Galor was a person of high status and power who had lived for over six hundred years—Yue Du knew her own limits; she understood she was far from being a match for her.
But Yue Du also had an advantage. After all, she held the facts, and her task was to make the other party believe the truth, which was much easier than trying to deceive someone.
Even so, it was tricky enough.
That was why Yue Du had long since devised a solid speech, rehearsed it several times, and was fully confident.
And now, none of it was of any use.
Yue Du stared blankly at the powerhouse across from her. Lord Nai Yin was propping her chin with one hand, admiring her appearance, her eyes shimmering with what could be described as an entranced glow.
It was incredible how eyes that black could seem to shine.
Of course, that wasn't what was troubling Yue Du. What she cared about was Nai Yin's face.
It wasn't because her beauty was so shocking; Yue Du had been a system with Qi Jiu for over four years, after all, and had long since built up an immunity.
They were too similar.
Anyone who had seen Qi Jiu would not deny the resemblance between her and the silver-haired woman before her. They looked almost like sisters, with the main difference stemming from their ethnicity.
Nai Yin's features were more defined, and she exuded an alluring, active tension, a power expressed even by the mole at the corner of her eye.
Qi Jiu, on the other hand, displayed a languid, quiet beauty, as if her entire being was the very essence of a koala—oh, no, she meant Sleeping Beauty.
Yue Du: "...Sigh."
After the initial shock, she quickly recalled the words Qi Jiu had once said.
"When I die, there will be other me's." That's what that eccentric girl had said, yes.
Perhaps the one sitting across from her now was one of them.
It seemed a bit rash to make such a judgment based on physical resemblance alone, but Yue Du had an inexplicable feeling that her association was correct.
How could there be so many coincidences? Her last host and future host looked exactly the same. Was she supposed to believe it was just a fluke and not overthink it?
Now that was a joke.
"Yue, would you like anything else? How about a Bidolin cake? I'm sure you'll love its light, sweet flavor," the previously inscrutable Lord Nai Yin eagerly recommended. "Or a Mingo pie?"
Yue Du: "No, thank you. I'm not hungry."
The most important thing to discuss right now wasn't what to eat, but everything related to the system and the mission.
But she suspected that no matter what she said now, the person opposite her would just nod and say, "Uh-huh, uh-huh."
Probably not. She's a Dharma Saint, after all…
Right???
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