Jasper ignored Janice for a moment and replied to Nyx, "Don't be like that. Anyone would've rebelled at your position. No one wants to be a property of somebody and I shall not treat you as one. You've been very helpful to me."
Jasper would love servants with autonomy rather than slaves who would strictly follow orders only when absolutely necessary because they have to. To be fair, no one would want to be a slave in the first place. Only those who accept their fate will have this attitude that Jasper likes.
"..." Nyx turned silent and lowered its head.
"As for her…" Jasper licked his lips, "I have no qualms about turning her into mere property. She should be glad she would be of use as she's akin to trash"
Nyx agreed. The snake didn't care about what happened to other human beings. Whatever Jasper does to Janice, it doesn't concern the beast.
Thus, to give the master some privacy, Nyx slithered out, "I'll excusse myself, Master."
"Huh? Why? Where are you going?"
Nyx replied, "I don't want to get in the way, Master. Please enjoy yourself."
"... e-enjoy?" Janice heard the snake and tightened her fists. Her chest heaved up and down as she looked at Jasper with pleading eyes, "W-what are you going to do?" Subconsciously, her hands covered her private areas.
For the first time, Janice regretted wearing these casual yet revealing clothes.
"I-I'm warning you. I don't fully understand what's happening, but I know that you have full control over me. If you dare touch me, I'll kill myself!"
Jasper raised an eyebrow and thought of something to experiment with. He took a nearby pair of scissors from the kitchen and threw them in front of Janice.
"Janice," Jasper then ordered, "I order you to never attempt to kill yourself."
"..." Janice looked at the scissors in front of her, understanding what Jasper was trying to do.
"Now, how about you test whether you can take yourself hostage or not?"
Jasper's smile widened, but for Janice, he seemed like a devil.
"Uh… um…"
Jasper then kneeled and got closer, making Janice shudder as cold sweat formed on her forehead.
"Test it." his hand traveled to her trembling cheeks while the other went under her shirt on her waist, slowly lifting it.
Janice slowly took the scissors. Would she really kill herself? But she could never let herself be violated, she would rather die.
Even without Jasper's order, she was placed into a cruel dilemma.
When Jasper's hand was about to reach her bosom, it stopped. Suppressed laughter came out of him before he let it out loud.
"Hahahaha, look at your face. You think I'm really going to do it?"
"... huh?" Janice dumbfoundedly looked at him with tears streaking from her eyes.
"Fortunately for you, I'm not into that kind of thing," Jasper explained himself, "I don't get turned on when others are forced. It's fun, but not in that kind of way."
"I understand, Master. I thought it was your fetish, as to how much you're enjoying yourself." Nyx then sneakily returned, realizing it was just a play.
"Eh, umm, no. I don't know," Jasper scratched his face, confused with the answer. "Either way, I'm not a villain. That's crossing the line. I may love dominating others, but it's not a sexual thing."
Nyx nodded, 'Whatever you say, Master,' and kept it in its head.
Jasper's eyes then landed on Janice's body.
"Though I'm lying when I say I'm not tempted."
Janice curled up further as she threw a hateful glare at him.
"That's why if you ever feel like doing it, don't hesitate to ask me, your Master," Jasper chuckled.
"Why would I ever…!"
"Anyway, let's put that topic to the side. From now on, I won't ever be paying rent. You will also act normally as if nothing happened here. Never tell absolutely anyone about what happened to you. Good? Alright, you can move now, and do whatever you want except for the aforementioned orders."
Jasper was about to walk away before turning around, "Oh, yeah, just to be safe. You can never attempt to betray me or anything that will inconvenience me. Those are all my orders for now. Bye, I'll call or text you when I need you."
He then left, leaving Janice in a daze.
"A-all of that…" she murmured as if her soul had just been taken out of her body, "Just for the rent money?"
Returning to his room, Nyx showed up again.
"Was it just for the rent money, Master? If it's money, I'm not a businessman or even a man, but I can think of many ways to generate some."
"That and I have to explore the full mechanism of slavery first. Furthermore, you have to plant people in various areas. Although she is just at the fifth stage of the Body Tempering Realm, she is the strongest in this neighborhood. She'll keep my room safe until I move out to a better house."
Having eyes and arms spread out is ideal.
Jasper found it weird that he's looking down on Body Tempering Realm Cultivators at the fifth stage now, when he almost just got killed by one at the third stage two months ago. Reality is ever unpredictable.
"I see! Apologies for questioning the Master's decision."
"No worries, keep questioning my decisions as it sparks some introspection on my part."
Jasper looked around his room and found it as tidy as he had left it before. It was dusty, yeah, and kind of stinky from the trapped air, but otherwise, in good condition. Well, good condition for a cheap apartment room.
Back in Janice's room, she was currently in a state of shock and disbelief. She curled up in the corner, not knowing what to make of what happened.
Earlier, she tried calling her parents. They noticed her distressed voice, but nothing came out of her mouth regarding the reason, just as Jasper ordered. Hopelessness further sank in, and she gave up, telling her parents she was just having a bad day and ended the call there.
Before she even recovered, her phone rang.
[Trash in Room #4 is calling…]
She almost jumped in fright when she saw it was from Jasper. Conflicted, she picked up the phone.
[Hey, I suddenly have a job for you. Come to my room.]
Her heart tightened upon hearing that. Jasper has become an enigma in her heart in just less than an hour. He has the power to enslave people and has a Golden Core Beast with him.
Jasper may have said that he didn't like crossing that line, but how can she be fully sure? What if there are other lines he wouldn't mind crossing? Could she even fight back?
For now, she knew she couldn't disobey him. Janice went to his room.
"Here's the mop and the broom, clean my room. It's so dusty here."
"..."
Janice didn't know how to react, but her body moved as Jasper ordered. She got to work.
"You… called me here to clean?" she murmured, confusedly, while her body moved on its own.
"Were my words not clear? Clean the bed first, I'll go take a quick bath."
Jasper then left her, returning an hour later fully refreshed.
"Ahhh, nothing beats a relaxing bath at home."
Seeing the room as sparkling clean, Jasper nodded with satisfaction. Cultivators are too efficient with physical labor. Janice didn't even break a sweat.
That was when Jasper realized something, "Ah, how could I forget about that!"
He went to his closet and pulled out a maid's outfit.
"Janice, try and wear this. I hope it fits you."
"... w-where'd you get that?"
Janice felt sick thinking she had to wear a maid's clothes for another man's pleasure. Unfortunately, her body betrayed her and moved to get changed.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Her arms began undressing herself, revealing her undergarments..
"Ah. Go change in the bathroom."
"Aaah…" Janice ran into the bathroom in relief.
Jasper then jumped onto his bed and explored the
[Description]
—
Name: Jasper Langford
Authority: User
Rank: Low Baron
Race: Human
Cultivation: Body Tempering Realm - Perfected Stage
Privilege: 5,004 pts
…
—
'Privilege?' Jasper looked into it.
[Privilege: A currency used in the shop. It can be earned through missions of increasing influence.]
Jasper then tried to access the [Shop].
[Shop is locked. User needs the Viscount Rank.]
'So, that's how it is.'
The system has many things to offer, but most of them are locked. Based on the manual, Jasper's authority also increases with his rank and will consequently have access to more mechanisms of the system.
'Fair enough.'
Ranks are determined by his strength of influence and cultivation base. Jasper currently has two Followers and two Slaves, which gives him the title of a Low Baron.
'Hmm, how to reach the next rank,' Jasper searched through the system and found how through the manual.
[Rank up]
—
Rank Up Condition 'Baron':
Cultivation Stage of Fourth Stage Body Tempering Realm
2 Followers at the Second Stage Body Tempering Realm
5 Slaves
Rank Up Reward:
Follower slots 3 -> 5
Body Tempering Cultivation Technique Wild Card x1
Enslavement Seal x5
Privilege +100 pts
—
"So many Enslavement Seals!" Jasper almost jumped in fright.
This cheat is too good! Wouldn't he take over Earth in the next year?
Wait, I'm getting too excited. There are more than three billion people on Earth, I will only have eleven potential slaves in total once I reach Baron.
Jasper tried to calm himself and not overestimate his situation.
Speaking of slaves, Janice just came out of the bathroom with the maid outfit on. In contrast to her cute get-up, her face was dark and depressed.