[Warp Stamp]
Diana splashed cold water on her face to cool her burning cheeks. Looking in the mirror, she saw her flushed face. Even though she had a husband, she had clung to a man her daughter's age and cried her heart out. It might be excusable because of the drug, but it was still an unforgivable memory.
In fact, if it were truly only because of the drug, there might have been an excuse. But at some point, it became unclear whether it was the drug or not. She had simply been swept away by sweet and sticky pleasure, letting out lewd cries.
"Haa..."
It was so embarrassing and shameful she couldn't lift her head. She bit her lip. The memory of her grinning like an idiot while being pierced by that meat rod kept surfacing. Especially the intense climax, something she had never once felt with her husband, absolutely refused to leave her mind.
"Ugh..."
Every time that precious thing deep in her belly was pounded, she felt a brain-melting pleasure. Literally, a whiteout before her eyes. It was the first time she knew that sex could feel so good. Even after washing with cold water, her face still burned.
"Ah..."
Just thinking about it made something flow between her thighs. A primal pleasure completely different from the gentle acts she shared with her husband...
Slap!
She was startled by the wicked thoughts crossing her mind. She slapped her own cheek and bit her lip. It was just an accident.
"Haa... Right. It was an accident."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The merchants who were usually close with Roton rushed over in a crowd. They banged on the door of the Lapis Workshop and shouted.
"Diana! Is it true you reported Roton?! What the hell is going on!"
"What did Roton do wrong?!"
"First she lets her husband rot, now she's doing the same to his friend! Ugh... pretty faces always cause trouble."
Diana's fingertips trembled at the voices ringing in her ears. It was because of the rage welling up from within. They were badmouthing her without knowing a single proper fact. They didn't care who the victim was and who the perpetrator was. All that mattered was that the boss who guaranteed their profits had been taken away.
"Diana! Say something! What the hell happened!"
Fortunately, or unfortunately, what happened yesterday hadn't spread. The merchants were just having a fit over the news that Roton had been arrested. Not only was he arrested, but rumors were spreading that he had been sent to a mine filled with all sorts of heinous criminals. A place you could never leave once you entered. A brutal prison where you just had to mine magic crystals until you died. Even so, their behavior was abnormal.
Diana was beyond anger, feeling hollow.
"This is the worst..."
The entire alchemy district was in cahoots. The rumors about them pulling strings against those not in their cartel were true. It was natural for them to interfere with the supply of alchemy materials, and they secretly spread false rumors.
— That store only uses trash materials. That's why they're so cheap.
— That price is physically impossible. You never know when that stuff will break.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Diana hadn't been targeted that much.
"If it weren't for Roton, you'd have been ruined a long time ago! You don't know your blessings and you dare to report him! What the hell did Roton even do to you! Tell me that!"
Diana let out a deep sigh filled with irritation and fatigue.
"Haa..."
To call it a favor, from the bastard who tried to rape her. Her chest felt tight and suffocated.
"Should I just leave..."
To think the reality of the alchemy district, her husband's dream, was like this. She felt a little sad.
"Step aside. This is official business."
Someone pushed through the merchants and approached. The merchants gathered in front of the Lapis Workshop were shoved aside.
"Huh...? W-What?!"
"Ms. Diana? I am an administrator. Could you step outside for a moment?"
Diana came out with a face that had clearly darkened. The administrator glanced at her, then fluttered some papers and cleared his throat.
"Ahem..! First, let me inform you of the crimes committed by the man named Roton. The total discovered so far is 13 types: illegal collusion, assault, fraud, solicitation of murder, ... , kidnapping. And on top of that, the attempted poisoning of your husband, Mr. Frank..."
Total of 13 crimes discovered by the authorities:
1. Illegal Collusion, 2. Assault, 3. Fraud, 4. Solicitation of Murder, ... , 13. Kidnapping.
And additionally: Attempted Poisoning of Frank (Husband of Diana)
Diana listened to his words with blank eyes, then immediately cut in.
"W-What? Attempted poisoning...?"
"Yes, Ms. Diana. I apologize, but... the reason your husband collapsed was because of Roton. We have already secured the evidence."
"Ah..."
Her mind went dizzy. To think the reason her husband collapsed was because of that bastard. Not knowing that, she had even felt grateful to him sometimes when he helped out.
The merchants, who had been waiting for an opportunity to cut in, clamped their mouths shut. Roton's criminal record was beyond their imagination. They looked at each other, gauging the situation. Most of them probably felt they might be dragged into it as well. Or they might even be sent to the front lines of a war.
"And the manager of Roton's seized assets has been appointed as the Northern Archduke's daughter, Lady Helena. And the manager she has appointed is you, Ms. Diana."
At those words, the faces of the merchants who had been insulting Diana turned pale. It seemed the administrator had come in person to say this. To think the de facto ruler of the district was Diana, whom they had just been badmouthing. They felt like the sky was falling. The merchants who were quick on the uptake rushed forward.
"D-Diana! What a relief. That bastard, I wonder how much he harassed you... I felt so sorry for you."
"R-Right! He told me to spy on you every day to see where you were going. I'm so sorry!"
Diana, who had been staring blankly into the air, frowned.
"What...? Spy on me...?"
"Y-You didn't know...? T-That, it was that bastard's orders, I had no choice! It wasn't just me!"
The administrator, watching them, continued.
"Lady Helena said to tell you that you are welcome to come to the Northern Barrier whenever you wish."
"...I'll think about it."
Truth be told, she didn't want to stay in a place like this anymore. The alchemy district, which had been her husband's dream, was more horrible than she had imagined.
Shiwoo looked at the magic circle with the geometric patterns drawn on the floor and thought of Diana.
'Hmm... I can just visit her the next time I have business.'
No matter how intoxicated by the aphrodisiac she was, she was a married woman who had clung to a stranger and sobbed. He decided to give her some time to calm down and visit later.
He looked at the magic circle glowing blue on the floor of the room and infused it with his internal energy.
Flash.
'Oh...'
The scenery around him changed in an instant. A satisfied smile naturally crept onto his face. He had teleported to his dorm room.
'This is incredibly convenient.'
He fiddled with the stamp engraved with mysterious patterns. It was the artifact Diana had completed. Its official name was the Portable Spatial Transfer Environment Establishment Device. But he decided to just call it the Warp Stamp.
He tested it by stamping magic circles in Amelia's room and his dorm room, and it worked perfectly. The function of this Warp Stamp was simple but powerful. First, it could easily install a teleportation magic circle like a stamp. Of course, installation wasn't free. It consumed materials infused with spatial energy.
◈ Instantly installs a teleportation magic circle on any surface.
◈ Consumes spatial material (Pudding's Feather) to set new waypoints.
◈ Travel between established waypoints consumes only mana.
'As long as I have Pudding's Feathers...'
Moving between already installed magic circles did not consume a feather. Only mana was needed. In summary, adding a new warp location consumed Pudding's Feathers, while moving between designated places only required mana. He took out the remaining Pudding's Feathers.
'One, two... five left.'
Of course, other spatial materials could also be used. But he heard that each material required additional work on the stamp. So he decided to just use Pudding's Feathers. It didn't matter anyway, since the feathers kept coming. Pudding had fluffy cushions placed all over the house now and no longer paid any attention to the feathers. It seemed she had been trying to build a nest.
'If I set one up in Cheongbonghyeon and one in Mokido's Side Room, I'll have three feathers left.'
He had obtained the teleportation magic circle he had aimed for.
When Shiwoo came out to the living room, he heard the sound of a bell.
Jingle.
Pudding and Amelia were rolling around on the floor. When Amelia shook a stick with a small bell attached to it, Pudding followed her around.
"Ng?!"
When he made his presence known, she lifted her head. Immediately, she rushed over and jumped into his arms. Amelia rubbed her soft cheeks against him as if enjoying his body heat. She looked up at him with a happy grin.
"Huuung..! Shiwoo, you're here!"
"Yeah. What were you doing, Amelia?"
"Hehe. I was playing with Pudding!"
Pudding wobbled weakly towards a cushion and flopped down.
-Beep..
It was as if she was exhausted from playing with Amelia. The creature lying on the cushion beeped softly.
"Haha. Is that so? Good job."
"Uhuh!"
He checked Amelia's energy. Her growth was rapid. She had grown from early 4-star to almost 5-star. It was thanks to the synergy between his Mixed Origin Qi and Pudding.
'It's even more remarkable than I thought.'
His Mixed Origin Qi had also become much purer. Naturally, the growth of the women he had relations with would accelerate. Furthermore, Pudding, who had received the purer Mixed Origin Qi, was emitting even purer Mixed Origin Qi. They were literally drawing out each other's growth.
'How adorable.'
He gently stroked Pudding's head with his finger. The creature seemed to enjoy it, rubbing its beak against his finger, its head movements gradually slowing down. Pudding, looking sleepy, nodded off and burrowed into the cushion. She was already asleep.
Shiwoo closed his eyes and sat in a lotus position in the training hall.
Flowing Clouds and Running Water.
The sensation from the moment of mortal peril on the snowy mountain still lingers.
Rather than fading away, it has become clearer and clearer as time passes.
By focusing on this memory, he feels he can take another step forward.
The sensation he had felt in the moment his life was in danger on the snowy mountain still lingered. He thought it would disappear, but as time passed, it became clearer and clearer. He focused on his breathing and traced the memory. If he was lucky, he felt he could take another step forward. At the same time, he stimulated his internal energy.
Woosh.