Morpheus knocked on the door loudly, so loudly that the surrounding residents heard it and looked over curiously.
However, there was no response for a long time.
Morpheus's heart slowly sank, and doubts began to multiply.
The location of every warrior in Avalon who possessed battle qi or magic fluctuations could be roughly sensed by the central Demon King Pillar.
This was why he had chosen to visit now, after confirming that Lin Gui and the other two were still inside the post office.
Besides, the post office was very close to his own residence.
It was so close that he could even see the second-floor window of the post office directly from his own window.
When he arrived, he had seen Eve reading a book at the counter through the window.
Yet now, the building was dead silent.
The magic feedback was also blurry, as if partially shielded by some soft yet resilient power.
The anxiety of running out of time wrapped around his heart like cold vines.
The premonition that Lord Gusion's life was hanging by a thread overrode basic etiquette.
“Pardon the intrusion,”
he whispered, applying force to his hand.
With a soft click, the lock was forced open.
Morpheus pushed the door open and walked in.
“Is anyone here?”
he asked, raising his voice without stopping his footsteps.
His gaze quickly swept across the empty business area on the first floor.
No one was there.
He quickly walked up to the second floor, calling out as he pushed open the doors to several bedrooms.
The beds were neatly made, but they were completely empty.
No one was around.
Morpheus's blood-red eyes narrowed slightly.
He carefully released his demon energy, sensing the presence of any other life in the entire post office.
The construction of the post office had been approved by him, so he knew its layout like the back of his hand.
His demon energy gradually permeated the building, but it came to an abrupt halt at the basement.
Something was blocking his detection.
A sliver of vigilance, mixed with a deeper suspicion, rose within him.
Unlike with the other residents, Morpheus had always maintained the highest level of vigilance regarding this group.
This vigilance stemmed from the very beginning, when he first planned to let the residents interact with Lin Gui's trio.
He clearly remembered that no one had ever removed the power-suppressing handcuffs from the three of them.
When he had eventually recalled this and planned to secretly send someone to unlock them,
he discovered upon meeting them again that the handcuffs binding them were already gone.
Those power-suppressing handcuffs were engraved with a complex rune array, combining precise dwarven forging with demon rune craftsmanship.
Not only could they powerfully suppress the wearer's energy flow, but their locking mechanism was also exceptionally complex.
Conventional lock-picking, magical unlocking, or even brute force would trigger the internal countermeasure mechanism.
The most direct “key” was held by the core guard of the City Lord's manor.
As for how to break free from them...
It either required opening them with the corresponding, unique magical key,
or forcefully destroying them from the outside with pure violence that far exceeded the design limits of the shackles.
Morpheus asked himself, even if it were he,
without using the City Lord's authority to summon the “key,”
he wouldn't have been able to remove those handcuffs.
Yet the three of them, weak warriors whose strengths hadn't even reached the Legendary Rank, had managed to do it.
Morpheus didn't know what methods they had used,
but he was certain that they were definitely not as simple as they appeared on the surface.
Guided by his demon energy, his gaze eventually landed on the inconspicuous wooden door leading to the basement.
His aura slowly grew heavy and sharp.
He silenced all his footsteps, blending into the shadows as he crept noiselessly toward the door.
Morpheus's steps were extremely light. As he trod upon the wooden stairs leading to the basement, he made almost no sound at all.
Only the faintest creak, almost drowned out by his own heartbeat, sounded exceptionally clear in the silence.
The further down he went, the more malicious speculations swirled in his mind.
What were the three of them doing, evading all eyes to gather secretly in this hidden place?
Drawing a magic circle to summon demons?
Setting up coordinate markers that could penetrate the barrier of the Demon King Pillar to expose Avalon's exact location to the outside world?
Or... plotting some other conspiracy capable of destroying this city?
At this thought, Morpheus's face grew so dark it looked as if it could drip water.
Avalon was not just a city.
It was the sanctuary Lord Gusion had established for all the outcasts.
It was the home that he, Morpheus, was willing to sacrifice everything to protect.
He held a deep love and responsibility for every blade of grass, every tree, and every resident here.
Anyone who attempted to destroy all of this...
he would absolutely, positively never let them off.
This icy resolve reached its peak when he arrived before the final wooden door of the basement.
However, what seeped faintly through the crack in the door was not the dark or evil aura he had anticipated.
Instead, it was a wave of... pure, gentle, yet incredibly resilient Holy Light magic.
It was a Holy Light barrier.
And its strength was by no means weak.
Someone who could cast Holy Light magic of this level...
A Holy Saint of the Holy Church of Light!
Morpheus's pupils contracted sharply.
The Holy Church of Light.
That bunch of hypocrites who slandered the Demon Race while using half-demons to endorse their own doctrines of righteousness!
They were the enemy!
His face instantly turned fierce as his mind rapidly locked onto a target.
Theia was a half-demon with demon energy flowing through her body, so it was impossible for her to master pure Holy Light magic.
As for the priestess named Eve, he had seen her use Dark Healing with his own eyes.
According to the common sense of magical incompatibility, it was virtually impossible for her to also excel at a Holy Light barrier of this strength.
The opponent's strength had already reached the Transcendent Rank.
In that case, only one person remained.
The human male mage who could use Levitation, whom he had never paid much attention to.
Lin Gui.
Morpheus's heart sank.
The standard of this barrier required at least a Transcendent Rank's meticulous control over Holy Light magic.
Yet the strength Lin Gui displayed to the outside world was merely that of a High Rank mage.
Therefore, there was only one possibility.
He was hiding his strength.
To be able to perfectly conceal his own energy fluctuations and disguise his strength to such an extent...
this required an incredible level of control over one's own power.
Epic Rank? Or... even higher?
At this possibility, cold sweat instantly broke out on the back of Morpheus's neck.
Perhaps there was no such thing as the “Umbral Robe” artifact at all.
Crossing the Wailing Corridor had been achieved entirely through his own hidden, true strength.
If the opponent truly possessed the strength of a High-tier Epic assassin like Shadow Blade Lynn...
intruding rashly would not only fail to capture him but might also alert the enemy, or even trigger an uncontrollable conflict.
Just as Morpheus fell into a dilemma of whether to advance or retreat,
some... bizarre sounds and conversation drifted from inside the room.
Morpheus paused, instinctively holding his breath as he pressed his ear against the rough wooden door.
The voices were muffled and intermittent, but certain words drifted into his ears with exceptional clarity:
“...Like this... Will the rope... be too tight?”
“...No, according to the records, the key to this method lies in securing the joints... Yes, cross them over here...”
“...Rope? What... what is that for?”
“The nun seemed to say her male partner really liked it when she used this.”
“...Then... what about the feet?”
“I think... I read about it in a book... I believe it was called something like ‘The Princess's Handsome Knight Order’.”
“...Well, let me think. The nun didn't seem to explain it in detail, but she was highly experienced... Following what she said should be fine.”
“After all, she was eventually discovered to be pregnant and was sentenced to exile because of it.”
“Since she managed to get pregnant, the things she said about spending time with her male partner should be reliable.”
“Besides, back when I was doing my internship prayers,”
“I also heard some rude fellows pray about their troubles, mentioning how they wanted their female partners to step on them and got excited because of it.”
“Uh, may I ask how you resolved that in the end?”
“Well, he wasn't someone the Holy Church of Light specifically cared about, so according to the rules, I just told him to follow his heart and that the Goddess of Light would bless him, then sent him away.”
“......”
In the conversation, one voice carried a hint of curiosity and eager excitement.
The other voice was completely serious, as if solemnly recalling matters related to that nun.
Outside the door.
Morpheus's body, pressed against the door, froze completely.
His blood-red eyes were filled with utter bewilderment and... bizarreness.
Tortoise shell binding? Whips? Stepping? Nuns?
What kind of... wicked vocabulary was this?
Morpheus remained pressed against the door, his blood-red eyes swimming with absolute confusion.
He understood every single word, but the meaning when they were put together was entirely beyond his comprehension.
Why... did this feel like some perverted game between eccentric nobles?
Rather than an evil conspiracy attempting to destroy everything.
After weighing his options repeatedly,
he took a deep breath and gently placed his hand on the cold doorknob.
Then, he slowly pushed it open.
The dim light of the magic lamp, mixed with the lingering traces of the pure Holy Light barrier that had not yet fully dissipated, spilled out from the crack of the door.
It illuminated the scene inside.
Morpheus stood at the doorway.
The moment he saw the picture before him clearly,
his entire being was utterly and completely...
dumbfounded.
On the bed,
Lin Gui was wearing a set of white pajamas.
He was securely fastened to the wooden bed frame in a complex arrangement of knots.
His cheek was still swollen, and he was clearly still unconscious.
By the bedside,
Theia was barefoot, with one foot lightly stepping on Lin Gui's chest while her other foot hung in midair, seemingly hesitating on where to step next.
Her silver hair was slightly messy, and her blood-red eyes held a mix of confusion, curiosity, and a... bizarre sense of excitement.
She was waving a rope twisted from a bedsheet in her right hand.
A little further to the side,
Eve leaned forward slightly, resting her hands on her knees.
Her violet eyes stared unblinkingly, observing Lin Gui's bodily reactions with extreme focus.
Or rather, his complete lack of reaction.
Her expression carried a seriousness and gravity akin to an academic discussion,
as if she were verifying some monumental theory.
The air was terrifyingly quiet.
There was only the faint crackle of the magic lamp's wick burning.
Morpheus's gaze drifted
from the bound Lin Gui on the bed,
to the waving Theia stepping on him,
and then to the solemnly “observing” Eve beside them.
His brain felt as if it had taken a direct hit from the most powerful mental shock spell.
It went completely blank.
All speculations regarding conspiracies, artifacts, and hidden power,
all his tense killing intent and resolve to protect,
at this very moment,
were utterly shattered and swept away by this absurd, bizarre, and completely incomprehensible scene...
crumbled into pieces and vanished into thin air.
This extremely bizarre scene caused Morpheus's blood-red pupils to contract sharply.
He shrugged instinctively, his movements somewhat stiff,
as if trying to shake off the wave of absurdity washing over him.
An entirely uncontrolled question squeezed out of his throat, his voice dry:
“What... are you doing?”
The moment his words fell,
the air in the basement seemed to freeze entirely.
The expression on Theia's face, a mix of confusion and eager excitement, froze instantly.
She snapped her head around, staring at the dumbfounded Morpheus at the door.
Immediately, a flush of crimson spread from her neck to the tips of her ears at a speed visible to the naked eye.
With a swift whoosh, she pulled her foot back from Lin Gui's body.
She stood barefoot on the cold floor, completely at a loss for what to do with her hands and feet.
Eve slowly straightened her back.
She turned her head to look at Morpheus standing at the door.
That face of hers, which always carried a holy serenity or a gentle smile,
was now shrouded in a distinct, icy chill.
A sharp light gleamed in her violet eyes.
Ten minutes later.
On the first floor of the post office, around the simple wooden table meant for customers to rest near the counter.
The atmosphere remained incredibly strange.
Morpheus sat on a chair, a lingering trace of bewilderment still visible on his face.
Theia kept her head lowered, her silver hair cascading down.
She nearly buried her face in her chest, her ears burning red, as her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.
Clearly, Morpheus's sudden intrusion and his blunt question
had completely snapped her out of that bizarre state of “excitement.”
A tidal wave of shame rushed over her as a delayed reaction.
Theia, of all people, definitely knew exactly what kind of things Eve's suggested “foreplay” actually were!
Meanwhile, Eve sat properly opposite them, her face cold.
Her gaze was like physical icy needles, pricking Morpheus.
She was extremely, extremely angry at Morpheus's actions.
She stared at Morpheus, her eyes sharp as needles.
“Lord Morpheus,” her voice was calm, yet carried a clear undertone of anger.
“Intruding into someone else's residence without permission is already impolite.”
“Moreover, under such... special circumstances where a man and a woman are trying to conceive a child.”
Her tone grew heavier, carrying a protective accusation:
“If you had arrived even a moment later...”
“wouldn't Theia's purity and reputation have been damaged by your recklessness?”
Under her intense gaze and silent condemnation,
resolute as Morpheus was, a trace of awkwardness and shame couldn't help but flicker across his face.
He cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity. “I...”
“Wait.”
He suddenly realized something.
Catching a certain key phrase in Eve's words, his blood-red eyes widened slightly.
“Conceive a child???”
Eve raised her chin slightly, her tone carrying an unquestionable air of righteousness:
“Otherwise?”
“Did you think we were just playing around?”
Morpheus: “...”
He opened his mouth, unable to make a sound for a long while.
Beside them, Theia was so embarrassed she looked ready to crawl under the table.
She quietly tugged on Eve's sleeve, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
“Eve... don't... don't say anymore...”
In the end, through Morpheus's indirect and cautious questioning, and by piecing the details together,
he finally figured out the full story.
From why Theia had tied the man up, to why she had sought help, and then to the source of Eve's “unique” “guidance”...
For a moment,
the expression on Morpheus's usually cold and stern face was complex beyond description.
He wanted to complain, but didn't even know where to begin.
He wanted to facepalm, but felt it would damage his image.
To keep that little mage who might leave by her side, she had knocked him out, intending to force the issue.
Consequently, not knowing how to perform the “key steps” on an unconscious person, she had asked her friend for help.
And this pure friend, guided by completely off-track “knowledge,” had led the process down the bizarre path of a “dominatrix play”...
As for the Holy Light barrier that had put him on high alert... it was merely to prevent the man from escaping.
He remained silent for a long, long time.
Only then did Morpheus find his voice, his tone carrying a deep sense of helplessness:
“If there is a chance...”
“I'll have some elderly, experienced grandmothers in the city... give you a proper biology lesson.”
Hearing this, Eve knit her brows slightly, a look of pure confusion appearing in her violet eyes:
“Hm? Could it be... those things we just did aren't the foreplay required to conceive a child?”
Morpheus: “...”
He fell into a long silence once again.
His blood-red eyes stared at the ceiling, then at the floor.
Finally, he raised his hand to wipe his face hard, his voice muffled:
“I suppose... it counts as some form of it...”
“Forget it... I don't know either.”
He decisively gave up any possibility of delving deeper into this bizarre topic.
Forcing the conversation back on track, his tone still carried a trace of unbelievable strangeness:
“Then again...”
“to make such... uh, beautiful women resort to such... 'unique' methods.”
“It seems that little mage's charm is indeed... extraordinary.”
Hearing someone praise Lin Gui, Theia instantly forgot her shame.
She snapped her head up, her blood-red eyes shining brightly with unconcealed pride:
“Of course!”
“Aside from me, there's even a princess of the empire who can't stop thinking about him!”
“My plan to force myself on him was also given to me by her... cough, cough!”
Midway through her sentence, she realized her slip of the tongue, quickly covering her mouth to cough and forcefully changing the subject:
“A-Anyway! Lord Morpheus, did you come here for something?”
Morpheus watched her poor attempt at a cover-up, his lip twitching once again.
He waved his hand, his tone regaining some of its seriousness, though the strangeness in his eyes had not entirely dissipated:
“My business... can wait until that little mage you tried to 'force' yourself on wakes up.”
“He's the one I'm looking for.”
Rate on N.U.
