Inside a grotto heaven...
A man in his bloom of youth sat on a stone slab beside the jade spring, his imagination running wild. His eyes were closed as he gently stroked his goose.
At the moment, he wasn't Larvy Birvanks, but a young master who just happened to be the owner of the grotto heaven.
She was a beastmaiden.
For a long time, she had eluded him, playing hard to get. But now she was on top of him, softly moaning as she pleasured herself.
Her voice was like a flowing river, mesmerising and soothing, echoing off the walls of the cave. She moved faster, and faster, and even faster, her expression turning lewder, her long carmine hair dancing gently on her back.
Larvy's grip tightened — his breath quickening, his hand moving faster.
"Yes, master. Yes. Please, pull my tail. I'm coming."
In his mind, he grabbed a fox tail and pulled it tightly.
'Blessed heavens.'
The image was enough to get him going. As she released, his entire body exploded with great pleasure.
His imagination having completed its task, he let go, unleashing all his pent-up fluids in a torrent.
To the world, he offered his offspring.
To get it done in a grotto heaven, his earthly purpose was completed. How so great it was to have money.
What Larvy did not expect, though, were the golden runes that flared to life as soon as his offspring landed on the cave wall.
For a second, Larvy stood frozen, his hand still coiled around the dripping goose. That did not last long, though, as before he could register anything, blinding light flooded the grotto heaven.
After the radiance faded, there was no sign of Larvy Birvanks. The young tycoon had vanished as if he had never been there.
...
The world was filled with all sorts of colours. The colours twisted and intertwined, coiling around each other, forming unfathomable shapes.
In one swift flow, Larvy's body gained momentum, moving at an incredible speed, the colours becoming a blurry haze.
One moment he was in motion; the next, his feet landed.
Just then, as he beheld the impossible sight before him, his mind shattered, his eyes widening, his mouth hanging open.
Larvy stood in what appeared to be a hall and, at the same time, the cosmos.
The hall was both incredibly vast, seeming to contain an entire galaxy, and at the same time, so small it was no larger than a telephone booth.
In the ceiling... or the sky — he simply didn't know what to call it — there were galaxies and clusters. In real time, he could see stars and galaxies rearranging and forming new configurations.
If he focused at a single star, he could see it as clearly as he was standing beside it despite being worlds away.
The floor was also some sort of sky but of a different kind. There were small twinkling stars of different colours spread all over, each an independent mote in the midnight blue canvas.
And on the wall were murals bearing depictions that appeared to be moving, narrating a story that lasted an entire lifetime in a single breath, but upon closer inspection, they became as static as could be.
And across the hall, inside the incredibly tiny space, just a single step away, there stood a grand mountain. The tallest and most majestic mountain he had ever seen — not that he'd ever physically seen a mountain.
There were a number of creatures inhabiting the mountain. Some that he was familiar with, and others that could only belong in fiction. There also was a variety of vegetation.
And galaxies away, on the snowy peak, perched atop the mountain, an old man sat with his eyes closed. He had a beard so long that it pooled at the foot of the mountain.
A dream? Yes. This had to be a dream.
It was only when his lungs protested that Larvy remembered he could breathe, immediately dismissing the notion that this might ever be a dream.
The breath itself felt like life, bringing with it fragrance he could only describe as divine. It was as fresh as a mountain spring.
And with that single breath, he was content, feeling like he never needed to take another breath again for the rest of his life. And when he finally released, it felt like he'd been deprived of something vital, and at the same time, like he had just exhaled a universe.
The next intake brought about great knowledge, making him feel like he'd comprehended the mechanics of the entire universe.
And there, an eternity passed by. Larvy's breath became that of the world, and the world became him. He had entered a meditative state, his hand still coiled around his goose, which by now had gone limp.
As the world, he saw himself standing across from a mountain inside the otherworldly hall. The old man slowly opened his eyes, looking at the young man before him.
The old man's gaze then shifted to the skies overhead, looking directly at Larvy — or rather, at the world that was Larvy.
He gently stroked his beard, laughing aloud. The whole world laughed with him, and Larvy felt the joy of it, for he was the world, and the world was laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
"Impressive."
No sooner had the word left his mouth than Larvy's mind left the world, returning to his body. Once again, he was this puny being in a body that felt much smaller than usual.
He took in a breath. Then another. And another. But no matter how hard he inhaled, he couldn't experience the same mystical sensation he'd experienced before.
He only had the memory. But even that was slowly fading away. It was like a dream he could barely remember. Like something conjured by his imagination and never existed in the first place.
The air was fresh and cool. And that was just it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Larvy felt like a child who'd been deprived of his mother's milk. But then, he couldn't even clearly remember the taste of the milk.
This was when it came to him that his goose was out. He hastily pulled up his pants, his face flushing.
He looked up. The old man was looking at Larvy with an expression which was a mixture of profound disappointment and amusement.
"Hmm... What do we have here?
"Hahaha."
Again, the old man burst out, laughing, and the whole world seemed to laugh at Larvy.
He then abruptly ceased, his gaze piercing Larvy. It was as if he was gazing directly at his soul. Larvy felt like all his secrets were being unveiled, and that the clothes he wore were of no use before eyes as discerning as such.
He wanted to stare back, but he couldn't muster the courage. Not after being caught with his goose out.
Instead, his eyes flitted around the hall.
"The trial of the 'devoted heart' was designed to test the purity of one's devotion in cultivation in all three aspects of mind, body, and spirit. We expected meditation. Fasting. Perhaps wholehearted dedication to a battle art.
There are simply so many things for one to devote oneself to."
He sighed, gesturing vaguely at Larvy.
"We did not expect... this. The Heaven-Connecting Grand Array was supposed to be activated by a sincere offering. A prayer. A sacred vow. Not... that."
Larvy finally found his voice, though it was a squeak.
"Where am I? Who are you?"
"Hahaha."
He let out a hearty laugh, then waved his hand, as if posing.
"We wear many faces; the face you see is a courtesy.
"We are the Guardian of the Grotto of Sacred Devotion. And you, young man, have just become the first person in a hundred thousand years to enter the sacred realm via... ahem."
The old man harrumphed, then continued.
"... a fertility rite."
The guardian stroked their beard, seemingly lost in contemplation.
Meanwhile, Larvy stood rooted to the spot, his gaze directed at the starry floor. His life, which already felt like a dream, was now much more nonsensical than ever.
It was unbelievable.
Larvy, however, knew that this wasn't a dream.
Thoughts started churning in his mind.
'How did I get here?'
His life's memories came up in his mind as he started reminiscing.
Larvy had just been a penniless orphan when, out of good will, he helped that sickly old man cross the road.
Back then, he was just being a good soul and didn't expect anything in return for such a flimsy act as helping an elderly. After all, even he would be old one day and would probably need help from the younger generations.
Little did he know that the old man was a super tycoon nearing his death. It was only two months later, after the old man died, when Larvy received an unexpected visitor.
The visitor was none other than the old man's steward, Sir Erdington — who was also Larvy's steward, probably standing outside the grotto at the moment, awaiting him — and came bearing a letter.
Apparently, the old man, who lacked an heir to whom he could bestow all his assets, when he foresaw his life coming to an end, had decided to leave him all his legacy. This was after the old man and his trusted butler, Sir Erdington, stalked him for an entire month.
According to the steward, there were several candidates, but the old man decided Larvy was the sole heir after seeing him feed those poor dogs living under the Hanswain Bridge.
As for the reason why he didn't leave it to his loyal steward, or why the steward didn't forge documents to just inherit the wealth after the old man's death, the steward had yet to inform Larvy.
It was only after he had dubiously signed his way through stacks of paper and lived in the stately Lanstein Mansion for an entire week that he slowly started to believe that it wasn't a scam. After all, he had only met the old man once and didn't even attend his funeral. It was natural for Larvy to be skeptical.
So, how did that lead to his current situation?
Back then, he was still getting accustomed to being rich. And not just any rich. To be stinking rich.
After suddenly becoming a super tycoon, and with his butler handling everything, Larvy no longer had to work gigs to survive.
First, he had one of his maidservants take care of those ownerless dogs. He then ordered the steward to make arrangements for the construction of a dog shelter. He started visiting the orphanage he once lived in, donating on each visit.
He didn't know how, but he soon found himself chronically watching anime and reading webnovels and webcomics non-stop.
Soon enough, even those did not interest him. It was true to say that having money elevated his living standards. Though he could attribute his deficiency of attention to brain-rot.
This was about the time when his perverted self started showing up.
Being poor meant that he couldn't afford to have a girlfriend; thus, Larvy was quite familiar with pleasuring himself. And even when he became rich, his old habits remained persistent.
The only difference was that he could afford the fuel. And he was starting to realise it.
'Wait. Now that I think of it, I've never had a girlfriend.'
As soon as he realised he was rich, his mind didn't even register that he could get himself a girlfriend.
First, he bought explicit Japanese comics in boxes and even had a state-of-the-art home theatre system, equipped with an 85-inch screen, installed in his room.
For two months, he didn't leave his room, let alone touch grass.
By the end of that period, Larvy had already discovered his fetishes and started becoming choosy, using only content with beastmaids. Those ears and tails surely got him going.
His taste had evolved. He was becoming more specific, more refined, slowly morphing into a "man of culture".
He couldn't even think about the real humans. He was also starting to find the contents of his fuel disgusting. He was better off with his imagination.
This was around the time when those crazy ideas started popping in his head. After all, he was loaded. He could be a little more adventurous.
At first, he thought it was great to do it at sea. It was only after buying a yacht that he realised what a bad idea it was. Due to the seasickness, he couldn't get anything done.
This was when he remembered the grotto heavens he'd read about in those wuxia webnovels existed on earth. And just like that, here he was, standing in this mystical hall.
Now that he had time to think about it, it was all strange. Was it a coincidence, or did something lead him here?
He wasn't expecting an answer. Nonetheless, as if they had been reading his mind, patiently waiting for him to arrive at the question, someone answered.
It wasn't the voice he expected either.
"Fate works in strange ways, young one."
Larvy looked up only to see an extremely handsome young man with purple robes. There was no longer a mountain but a throne made of gold and various precious gems. He leaned slightly to the side, his hand cupping his face. There was what looked like a curious expression on his face. He no longer had a beard; instead, the head that was once bald now had long black hair.
"For you to have activated the grand array," said he, "it means that you had devoted yourself to the act, putting your mind, soul, and spirit. It was a pure act of devotion, no matter how absurd.
"Also... when you entered this place, you managed to comprehend the essence of this sacred realm in only two breaths. You might not know it, but that is a feat that even Buddha didn't manage to accomplish. It was only after three hundred breaths that he attained enlightenment, and even then, that was quite impressive for a mortal human."
Hearing the mention of Buddha, Larvy was quite shocked.
'Buddha? Buddha also came...'
But before he could complete the thought, the handsome young man continued:
"You are quite the unique one. Albeit deviant, you are still one with a pure heart. And that is quite rare, even in the Primordial Expanse."
Him. A wretch. Unique? Pure heart?
The notion was as absurd as it sounded, not in any way believable. People like him could be found all over the streets and orphanages. He was just a lucky one.
The guardian's voice reverberated in the hall, enveloping everything.
"Irrespective of that, just like those that before you came, you only get a single wish. There shall be no special treatment.
"Now, make your wish, and I shall have you on your way."