Chapter 129: It’s All a Conspiracy of Lust
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: It’s All a Conspiracy of Lust
At that moment, Xie Bai slightly lowered the protection of the Crown of the Empire, allowing her presence to radiate outward just a little.
As the receptionist looked at Xie Bai’s innocent, slightly guileless expression paired with features so exquisite they seemed otherworldly, a soft corner of her heart was instantly struck.
She felt the principles she usually stood by crack just a tiny bit.
"No... there’s no problem."
The receptionist took a deep breath and quickly processed the check-in, handing a metal key tag engraved with a room number to Xie Bai.
"Third floor, the suite at the very end. It has a great view and it’s quite peaceful."
"Thanks, big sister."
Xie Bai took the key and led the two little ones toward the stairs.
It wasn't until the three figures disappeared around the corner of the stairwell that the receptionist slowly sat back down, rubbing her temples with a hint of frustration.
"Strange... what’s wrong with me? People as suspicious as that should have been turned away..."
she muttered to herself, yet the adorable images of those three girls involuntarily floated through her mind.
"Is it because... they’re just too unfairly cute?"
She shook her head, trying to dispel the stray thoughts, and began to tidy her slightly cluttered desk.
Just then, the inn door pushed open again.
Accompanied by a light breeze, a new, even more petite figure appeared at the entrance.
It was a blonde loli who looked to be less than 140 centimeters tall.
She wore a simple pleated dress with white-gold patterns, covered by a plain cloak.
She stood quietly at the door, and though she was even smaller than the three girls from before, she carried an indescribably powerful aura.
"Wait, you’re the Sw—"
Before the receptionist could finish, a gentle force appeared out of thin air, lightly covering her mouth.
"Shh, do not make a scene," she whispered, her voice ethereal and pleasant.
The speaker was Atoris, who had carefully disguised herself and moderately adjusted the sensory-shielding effects of the Crown of the Empire.
Now, releasing a bit of her presence, she spoke to the receptionist.
"From this moment on, I will be secretly stationed at the Lightless Outpost to respond to any potential crises. As the manager here, you should understand what to do."
The receptionist immediately straightened her posture, her expression becoming incredibly solemn as she nodded vigorously.
"Yes, I understand! Sw—Lord Sword of the Empire!"
She quickly pulled out an encrypted ledger and a different style of key tag, one representing the highest level of security.
Atoris took the key tag, her gaze seemingly drifting toward the stairs by accident. A trace of complex emotion, difficult to detect, flickered in the depths of her eyes before she regained her composure.
*
"Mm... Sister Xiaobai, why didn't we just whoosh and sneak in earlier? Like when we go shopping in the city?"
Gamie lay on the suite’s soft carpet, propping her chin in her hands as she looked curiously at Xie Bai, who was currently burying herself in the bedding.
Little Gamie leaned in as well, blinking her matching sapphire-like eyes.
"Yeah, wouldn't it be more convenient to sneak in? That big sister looked like she was having a hard time."
Xie Bai poked half of her small face out from under the covers, her crimson eyes hazy with sleepiness.
"Mmm... sneaking in is bad behavior. We are proper guests."
Xie Bai was trying to convince the two little ones, but as the words left her mouth, she began to have her own doubts.
It was true—she could have used a more discreet, effortless way to enter the inn. Why had she insisted on a normal check-in?
And why... had she subconsciously put on such a harmless and cute act?
That feeling... it was as if some part of her body was secretly longing for human contact, longing to see the other person’s reaction to being stunned or "moe-struck" by her appearance.
Even if it was just a little bit.
Could it be... because of Lust?
Xie Bai frowned slightly.
Ever since she had rejected Lust’s request during the battle with the Chaos Demigod, that fellow’s presence had dropped so low it was almost on par with Envy.
She had originally thought the entity had finally settled down, but now it seemed that might not be the case.
Thinking back carefully, this subtle desire to perform or be noticed had shown signs for a while.
The first time she’d vaguely noticed it was while watching an official trailer. Seeing the players in the comments and live-chat praising her for being cute had sparked a tiny, indescribable sense of satisfaction in her heart.
The second time was even more obvious. When she discovered that the sales of fan-made dolls based on her image were miles ahead of any other game character, a surge of... pride? had indeed welled up inside her.
It was as if, after obtaining the Godhead of Void and leaping to a level of strength where she no longer had to worry about survival, certain suppressed or ignored thoughts had begun to quietly sprout.
Her heart had started to unconsciously seek out the feeling of being noticed, yet she didn't dare to be too flamboyant, only daring to test the waters cautiously.
After all, that Charm stat of 99 on her panel was no exaggeration.
Even when her presence was suppressed nearly to zero, others could still vaguely perceive that a cute little girl was there.
Most of the time, she still had to use Void power to forcibly interfere with people's cognition just to ensure she could move about freely.
But when she released even a tiny bit of her presence—even just 1%—it was enough to make that receptionist instinctively let her through.
However, when facing a Child of Fate with a special destiny, or individuals with powerful wills and strength, this pure charm effect seemed to be greatly diminished... right?
At least, she hadn't seen Thanatos become infatuated with her.
Unless... she actively used that Level 13 Acting Cute skill from her skill list...
"No, no, no! What kind of nonsense am I thinking about!"
Xie Bai suddenly buried her face into the soft, fluffy pillow, trying to dispel these thoughts that were making her cheeks burn.
"Forget it... why think so much? I might as well get some sleep..."
In the face of the extreme comfort provided by the large bed, the weight of Sloth momentarily overpowered Lust, allowing Xie Bai’s mind to gradually settle.
She wiggled expertly a few times, wrapping herself completely in the warm, soft quilts until she became a motionless white cocoon with only a few strands of hair peeking out.
Without realizing it, Xie Bai had naturally pinned the blame for all of this on Lust.
Seeing this, the two little ones looked at each other and tacitly softened their movements.
"Sister Xiaobai seems to be falling asleep... should we..."
Gamie’s breathing was steady, her sapphire eyes sparkling.
"Let’s take this chance to sneak out and go on an adventure ourselves!"
Little Gamie immediately followed up, also lowering her voice, her tone laced with excitement.
"This time we have to find a place without so many people!"
"Where should we go?"
"How about Heavenly Mountain? It looks really mysterious; there should be lots of fun things there!"
"Okay! It’s a deal!"
Having reached a brief consensus, the two little ones tiptoed to the door. They turned the handle gently and, like two little blue cats, slipped out noiselessly, carefully closing the door behind them.
Their goal was clear: get away from the inn first, reach the edge of Xie Bai’s perception range, and then use Spatial Authority to teleport directly to the vicinity of Heavenly Mountain.
Just as their figures disappeared around the corner of the stairs, a petite golden figure brushed past them, heading in the opposite direction and arriving silently outside the room door.
It was Atoris, who had suppressed her own presence to the absolute limit.
Because their attention was entirely focused on Xie Bai, the two little ones had not noticed Atoris in her concealed state.
At this moment, Atoris sensed Xie Bai’s deep, rhythmic breathing and couldn't help but stop in her tracks.
"The Master... is already resting," Atoris whispered in her heart, a hint of softness flashing in her azure eyes. "It seems inappropriate to disturb her now..."
Thinking of this, she looked back toward the direction where the two little ones had scurried off.
"Then again, those two blue-haired girls seem to be quite important to the Master. If they sneak out alone right now, could they be in any danger?"
Or perhaps... while they were off on their own, she could stay behind to keep Xie Bai company?