Rowan stared, unblinking, at that dancing, graceful figure. He found that this woman had become much more pleasing to the eye. But only just.
"Well, that's somewhat interesting."
Rukkhadevata looked at her son, who was staring intently at the woman's feet. She noticed a strange emotional fluctuation in him, and the corners of his mouth were unconsciously turning up. Then, his mind kept repeating three adjectives: *white, fragrant, soft*. She was baffled.
She had heard that some humans had... special interests... in women's feet, but... *how perverse.*
*Is my child mentally unhealthy? It seems he is. This can't be allowed to develop. I must correct his aesthetic tastes.*
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's birthday banquet ended in a joyous and harmonious atmosphere. In the days that followed, Rowan returned to his half-dead state, no different from a salted fish. Greater Lord Rukkhadevata saw this and grew anxious. *Can't you be like a normal child and go find some fun?*
*Why are you so boring?*
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata decided to use stronger measures.
Sumeru City. Citizens gathered around, discussing the newly posted notice. In this era, the Akasha had not yet been invented, so this was the most primitive method available.
"What's going on, what's going on?
Why is everyone crowded around?" a plainly dressed young woman asked.
"Lady Rukkhadevata has announced that tomorrow night at the Grand Bazaar, she is inviting all the young men and women of the city to a ball! His Highness the Prince will also be attending! And Lady Rukkhadevata said that the Prince will give the jade he brought back from the deep desert to the most beautiful girl!"
"Really?
Can I go too?"
"Of course! All the young women in the city can go!"
At this time, a desert-dweller squeezed in.
"Can we... desert-dwellers go too?"
"...I don't know about that. Probably?"
"Only young *women*?
Can a young *wife* go?"
"Get her out of here."
...
Only after the huge commotion did Rowan find out what was going on.
Rowan: ?
?
?
*What is this, Cinderella?!*
*!
!*
*Oh no, I'm the Prince!*
*!
!*
*A girl in crystal slippers isn't going to show up next, is she? Though... that might not be so bad.*
"Mom, are you serious?"
"I am. Since you're interested, you should interact more with girls. Don't just stare at... well, *feet*. Also, who is this 'Cinderella'?
Whose daughter is she?" Greater Lord Rukkhadevata asked her son.
Rowan felt his facial muscles suddenly twist and then petrify. *I forgot this old woman has mind-reading!*
*How do I explain this?*
*I don't even know where it came from!*
*But wait, how did this happen?*
*She can read 'Cinderella'?*
Rowan had discovered before that although Greater Lord Rukkhadevata could read minds, she could never read information about Earth. The higher-dimensional information was incomprehensible to her. How did she understand Cinderella?
*Can she understand fairy tales?*
"Mom, read my mind. Take a look."
"I've been reading it."
"Mom!
You promised you wouldn't just use your mind-reading ability whenever you want!"
"I only do it to you. So, who is this 'Snow White'?
How do you know her?
You've never even been to Snezhnaya, have you?
Speak!"
Alright, so fairy tales had no restrictions.
"Dearest Mother, let me tell you a story."
"I'm already listening."
...
"A good story. Very beautiful. If it were a thousand years ago, I might even have wanted to be Cinderella."
At this, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata felt a little admiration for Rowan's ability to improvise. He spun that story so fast. *So this is the type he likes?*
*A girl like that is indeed lovely.*
*But this is a fairy tale. What is he trying to express?*
*Forget it. I won't pursue it. I can't even pursue the reason for his birth.*
In the end, Rowan reluctantly attended the ball. The young women were ecstatic.
Rowan looked at the passionate girls before him, feeling both comfortable and uncomfortable. The reason he was comfortable was simple: the beauty of young women was like a gift from the heavens. The reason he was uncomfortable was that Rowan didn't know how to "open" this gift. He had never experienced such a scene and had no idea what to do. He felt extremely awkward. And they were all so welcoming.
The ballroom was decorated beautifully, with fresh flowers and colorful silks adorning the atmosphere. The moment Rowan appeared, he was instantly surrounded by the enthusiastic girls. He felt he should probably say a few words.
"Ahem!"
The scene gradually quieted down.
"I'll just say a few words. On this beautiful night, we gather here... As for what to say, I've given it some good thought... We... I hope that we can..."
...
?
*Did I master the authority of hypnotism?*
Rowan looked at the young women lying all over the floor, feeling a bit baffled. He looked to the east. It seemed the sky was turning white...
*Oh, crap. I couldn't stop myself.*
...
"Mom!
I was wrong!
I shouldn't have run my mouth!
Please put down the Dendro Seed!"
"You *know* you ran your mouth?!
Your mother worked so hard to invite all the young women in the city, hoping to nurture your emotions and let you experience mortal life, and this is what you do?! When you *should* be talking, you're like a block of ice! But at a time like this, you start rambling?! Go and reflect on your actions!"
A huge explosion rang out.
Rowan was blasted into the Celestial Arm Pool. His head slowly bobbed to the surface, and he spat out the water that had entered his body.
"This sucks. Sigh!"
Little did he know, his demon god body, soaked in water and just having been blasted by a Dendro Seed, was now causing more Dendro Seeds to pop up all around him at a rate that would make any Bloom player drool.
At that moment, a Pyro-aligned Fungus on the shore saw Rowan. It immediately attacked.
BOOM!
!
!
*You're the one who let me see a flower bloom in the arid desert.* A violent Burgeon reaction occurred.