Silence threatened Ernzu's personal office this time, as she indifferently observed the notes on her desk; in front of her stood four people, waiting for her to speak.
Ernzu smiled as she looked at her guests: Ulrika, Tolrik, Matilde, and Ducanor...
"The information Miss Matilde has given us is valuable, very valuable," Ernzu said with a revitalized expression as she cast a superficial glance at the papers.
"The information we have on Avarion the Demagogue is vague; his identity itself is a mystery," she commented in a tired tone, "but we suspect he is an ascetic."
"Ascetic?" asked a voice with a confused expression.
Ernzu smiled upon seeing that it was Ducanor who had spoken, and with a gentle smile, she said, "Ascetics is the name given to the followers of a specific cult: the Four Dharmic Temples.
This cult, despite not being totally forbidden like the Blood Cults and the Tempest Cults, has been persecuted for some time, which is why its believers have a bad reputation, and of course, they harbor quite a hatred for the Hegemony."
"As I understand it, the demagogue has three lieutenants," she said, looking at Matilde. "Your brother is one of them. The second is a woman named Canossa, who is rumored to be leading a rebellion in Balo, which was diverting the Hegemon's troops away from Tara and is the reason he hasn't returned to the great city. And the third... is unknown."
Everyone fell silent, but then Matilde spoke up. "Do you think he is planning to overthrow the Hegemon?" she asked.
"I sincerely believe he intends to entirely destroy the system imposed by the Hegemony. I'm not sure if he proposes naming himself Hegemon or using the title of High King of Tara like in ancient times; what I do know is that he is dividing the Hegemony's forces like no rebel has ever done before."
"And I suppose we can't expect reinforcements from the southern continent," Tolrik said with a jaded expression.
Ernzu could see that, after his experience in battle, he had gained a certain resentment or disdain toward the Hegemony—a feeling she didn't intend to suppress for now; after all, having a dissenting voice could be beneficial.
"Of course not," Ernzu replied indifferently. "It is the duty of the Shadow Branch Sect to protect Ulheim, remember that, Tolrik, no matter what happens. Besides, there is a new plan now," Ernzu said with a smile. "We have to go to the castle of Viddar, where the current lord of Ulheim lives..."
....
"Guuu, uhhhh, uhhg." A warm, almost guttural moan escaped the mouth of the pale-skinned beauty with crystalline white hair like ice.
This beauty was lying on a bed, completely naked; in front of her was another person enjoying her moans while her hand pressed a crystalline dildo, which was being violently thrust into her vagina.
And that person was none other than her mistress, Matilde, who, with an indifferent expression, was inserting the dildo into her body.
"Do you like it, bitch?" Matilde murmured in a gentle tone, despite her words, smiling warmly as she brought her face close to a completely naked Leona, whose mouth was half-open as she moaned.
"Mmm, uhh, ahh, ahh." Leona's moans and heavy breathing grew louder when her mistress's hands roamed over her breasts and erect nipples, pinching them accordingly.
"Are you thinking about being stuffed like a turkey by that servant? That's right, I know how you look at him, Leona," she said with a look full of pity. "If he were an ordinary servant, perhaps I could give him to you as a reward for your service; unfortunately, he is not ordinary at all."
Leona couldn't answer, but her mistress's words certainly made her remember Ducanor...
But that thought was drowned out when she felt something filling her inside, and it wasn't the dildo in her vagina.
To her surprise, Matilde was inserting another dildo into her second hole, her anus, causing Leona's moans and mindless pleas to become increasingly incoherent and high-pitched.
Her expression was shattered by pleasure as she thought of Ducanor's figure penetrating her directly; she clearly remembered the sounds of the sect leader's moans.
Even though she couldn't experience that exact same pleasure, she could imagine it, and it was the only thing she could do at this point to feel better while being used as a toy by Matilde.
The thrusting of the dildo increased in speed and rhythm as she continued to moan, unbeknownst to anyone else present in the mansion.
Meanwhile, she simulated in her mind, at an extremely realistic level (at least in terms of stimulation), that her vagina was being penetrated in unison with the toy being inserted into her, and the person penetrating her from behind had the harsh, square face and features of Ducanor.
She could remember every detail about him, his smell, even the sensation of his skin touching hers when he healed her with his own blood, and the taste of it.
He had soft eyes, almost small compared to his face, short hair, and a masculine, square face with a large jaw and sharp nose, slightly thick lips of a pale, almost pinkish hue.
"Honestly, I covet him a bit too," she managed to hear Matilde's voice behind her, as she played with her body, caressing and kissing her with her rough tongue, "but I suppose he is a servant, he is not worthy of me. Besides, he wouldn't be a good submissive toy like you; in that regard, I prefer the innocent young master of the Kongqueror Clan."
And while Matilde's fantasy was being acted out, Leona's only took place in her mind.
....
Ducanor stared at the scene in front of him with a strange and somewhat tired look. A couple of days had passed since he had slept with Ernzu; according to her own words, she intended to turn him into a cultivator.
He didn't fully understand what those words meant, but it seemed she didn't intend to have him join the Shadow Branch Sect.
Instead, she had other plans for him. In that regard, the person who had ultimately ended up acting as a sort of guide for Ducanor was none other than Leona, who came down of her own free will.
At that point, he somewhat understood the extent of Ernzu's power, and the rest also began to admire her even more for it.
"Dao," he muttered to himself, repeating that familiar yet strange word as he frowned slightly, as if something in his head or his memory wasn't quite there.
And then he remembered what Ernzu had said.
"We, Benia and I, are Daoists, cultivators of the Dao. We practice the path to eternity through enlightenment and chakra, with the accumulation of spiritual energy," Ernzu commented in a deep tone that even drew Leona in, despite her apparent annoyance with her.
"Unlike normal people, mortals like you who simply rely on your physical strength and innate abilities to defend yourselves in this world, and who also have a fixed lifespan... because of that, cultivators accumulate spiritual energy and transcend, evolving their mortal physique with the intention of achieving transcendence. In my case, I am an existence at the Spiritual Core stage, while Benia is at the Spiritual Condensation stage.
"Meanwhile, what happened to you was that your body unconsciously managed to come into contact with your own Dao. You could say you gained a certain enlightenment at the party, and because of that very thing, your mind entered a state of frenzy in which it sought more of it, which is why your libido increased considerably."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Ducanor couldn't help but feel that the situation was a bit too ridiculous in several ways, but despite everything, he took it quite calmly.
As he carefully observed the book Ernzu had given him before leaving with Benia and Ulrika, along with the little Ek Thor, as they called the small statue-like being that accompanied them.
"The Yellow Path," Ducanor murmured as he read the title of the book carefully. His reading skills were poor at best, which was why he had been reviewing the book, which had no more than thirty pages, for several hours, much to his own irritation.
Cultivation was an art of steps; like an apprentice who becomes a master, one cannot wish to be an expert after just a few moments, although talent was also an essential part. Talent that Ducanor possessed, but not the mindset.
From what Ducanor had understood, the first stage of Dao cultivation was called the Dao Gate.