Chapter 510: Swimsuit Party on the Yacht
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 510: Swimsuit Party on the Yacht
On a certain stretch of sea, a massive private yacht was moored at a pier. Girls dressed in scantily clad outfits came and went, calling out to their sisters as they played and frolicked. Even as Transcendent Witches, there were times when they became nothing more than lively young girls, messing around with their fellow students.
The yacht was enormous—no wonder so many people had been invited—and the interior had been enhanced with Spatial Expansion Arts, making the space inside even more cavernous.
Since the theme was swimsuits, the girls walking about were all wearing refreshing swimwear. There was even a poolside bar inside.
That’s right—there was actually a swimming pool inside the yacht. Seeing this design, I could only say it was truly impressive. Furthermore, some areas featured glass-bottom pools, allowing guests to look deep into the hull and observe the underwater world.
"Thank you~" As a young lady serving drinks passed by, I took a glass of juice and offered a token word of thanks.
I then leaned against the side of the yacht, the full weight of my chest pressing against the railing. In a somewhat lazy posture, I watched the situation down on the pier.
Sister Bai had brought me here a bit early, so everyone hadn't arrived yet. Even so, the place was already starting to get lively. Those working here—like the girl who just served me drinks—were actually students from the new intake. The invitations for this event included opportunities for part-time work. After all, who would refuse the chance to earn some extra pocket money during the holidays? Expenses in the Witch Academy were quite high.
My Ley Line Information Identification Art provided me with this general overview. I heard that they could even receive tips, though they weren't allowed to demand them. But honestly, with everyone dressed so lightly, was there even a place on them to carry tip money?
I subconsciously touched the four-leaf clover hairpin on the side of my head. There should be... well, whatever, I'll give some next time I run into her...
I swirled the tasty juice in my goblet, my gaze fixed on the Witches continuously arriving below. Because everyone was dressed so skimpily, it was impossible to tell who was a Transcendent Witch and who was a prospective student just from the surface. But I suppose the mentor hosting this swimsuit party intended it that way.
If one had to worry about such things even while having fun and relaxing, it would be far too exhausting. Besides, it was already the holidays; students and teachers alike had temporarily set aside their formal identities.
"Is that Xiao Han?"
A figure suddenly drew my attention. Just by the voice, I could tell who it was. "Oh... Lin Yi? What a coincidence~ running into you here."
I greeted her with a smile, my eyes sweeping over Lin Yi’s current outfit. She was wearing a two-piece swimsuit that was somewhat conservative, yet it left her midriff exposed. The flexible fabric clung tightly to her curves, sketching a silhouette that invited imagination.
"I couldn't help it. It was an invitation from a Transcendent Mentor, after all, and I had no reason to refuse," Lin Yi said. A moment ago, she thought she had misidentified me. Looking at the sexy girl before her, Lin Yi’s gaze subconsciously flickered away. "Are you waiting for someone?"
"Yes, I am indeed waiting for someone. What about you? Just wandering around?" I asked with a smile.
As for the person I was waiting for, it was Lucianne. Although my deduction through the Qi Observation Art suggested that Lucianne wouldn't participate in this swimsuit party due to some minor reasons, that didn't matter. Luck is always subject to change.
While my mental power could interfere with shallow threads of Luck, I had no means of interfering with deep-level intersections of Luck—unless I possessed Real Touch on the same level as my Spirit Vision, or some other method.
But it didn't matter. Even if I didn't have the ability to directly interfere with Luck, don't forget that I am an individual within the Luck Script itself. Any of my actions or movements created enough influence to cause a subtle shift in Luck.
The moment I decided to bring the Great Knowledge Seed and give it to Lucianne, that decision alone caused a ripple in the flow of Luck.
This wasn't just an attempt to interfere with Luck; it was a preliminary test to confirm the sequence of causality: does Luck influence the protagonist, or does the protagonist influence Luck?
Once I made my decision and let it be known that I would also be attending this party, I left the rest to Luck.
Now that I had arrived on the yacht, the result of the Qi Observation Art showed... that it was now highly probable Lucianne would come. The influencing factor was the followers around her. Well... Lucianne’s followers were definitely a bunch of amusement seekers. Knowing full well that Lucianne used to be a boy, they were still dedicated to dragging her here. It was truly touching...
However, this was merely a result obtained from macro-observations of Luck and the deduction of observed data.
That was why I was watching from here. I wanted to see with my own eyes Lucianne being dragged and pulled by her followers, arriving at this swimsuit party with a look of utter reluctance. And of course, I was also curious about what kind of swimsuit Lucianne would be wearing.
"I really don't have much to do. I heard the itinerary for this swimsuit party passes through a deep-sea fishing ground where we can do some boat fishing, so I came along," Lin Yi explained her reason for being here.
"So that's how it is. Well, I hope you don't get skunked~" I said with a laugh. Who would have thought Lin Yi was actually an angler?
But... fishing at a pool party? Was my experience too limited, or were Witches just that free-spirited?
"I'll take your blessing. I'll head off then. Let's chat again when you're free."
"Mm, see you later~"
After a brief chat and seeing Lin Yi off, I took another sip of my juice. While it was indeed delicious, I personally felt it lacked the rich mouthfeel of Fool's Dream Drink.
According to what I knew, this departing offshore pool party would last for about a day or two. Given a Witch's lifestyle, relaxing and playing for a couple of days wasn't an issue at all. There were also places to rest on the yacht.
However, as I was watching, I suddenly spotted something unusual!
"Huh?" My eyes widened as I looked down at several girls with wings... Holy Angels.
Wait, why were people from the Holy Angel Academy at a pool party hosted by the Witch Academy?
And... weren't the Holy Angels always at odds with the Witch Academy?
Perhaps my gaze was too intense, as they looked back at me. Meeting my eyes, they smiled and gave me a greeting.
"Good grief..." I muttered to myself, then used the Ley Line Identification Art to figure out what was going on.
After a long while, the Ley Line Identification Art finally gathered some information. Though fragmented, I could piece together a general idea.
These arriving Holy Angels were Transcendent Angels. This was the main reason why gathering information through Ley Line Data was so difficult.
Not every Holy Angel hated Witches. There were individuals who got along quite well—essentially a "don't judge the group by the individual" situation. Furthermore, Holy Angels didn't have genders, but seeing as they still retained some of their former female characteristics, there was a high probability they were once girls. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't be able to hang out with Witches.
As for their purpose in joining this swimsuit party... it was to seek excitement!
Though I hated to admit it, Holy Angels lacked sexual stimulation, which had always troubled them. Thus, they always appeared "devoid of desire." But that didn't mean they didn't need such stimulation; on the contrary, they might care even more about the feedback of excitement and pleasure provided by their external environment.
And what could be more exciting than entering the "devil's den" that was the Witches?
"Tsk... they really know how to play..."
I offered a comment and stopped digging further. I should leave some privacy for the "holy" angels in my heart.
However, I learned from the Ley Line Data that this party hadn't just invited Holy Angels; Afuhemi Academy had also been invited. In fact, many Transcendent Academies had received invitations to varying degrees. All the invitees were girls. Whether they came or not was their own business.
As for why only girls were invited... that was a sort of unwritten rule. To accommodate all Witches, as there was a category of Witches who had a strong psychological aversion to the opposite sex. To prevent any unpleasantness, it was better to just make a clean cut.
Just as I was finishing my glass of juice, I saw a group of girls in the distance heading this way.
At a glance, I spotted the girl surrounded in the middle—it was Lucianne.
Heh~ she really was pushed here by her followers, wasn't she?
Seeing this, a satisfied smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of my mouth. This was just too interesting!
Then, my gaze landed on Lucianne’s swimsuit. It was actually a one-piece!
It featured a cut-out design at the waist. Although it was deep black, it served to accentuate the fairness of her skin.
As expected, it was impossible for a Witch not to be beautiful. This truly was a miraculous race.
While I was admiring the view, a hand suddenly and stealthily wrapped around my waist. Slightly cool fingers pressed against my side, making me shiver instantly. But in that same heartbeat, I recognized the touch. It was Sister Bai’s hand!
One should never underestimate a Body Cultivator's powerful sense of touch. Of course, it was also thanks to Sister Bai’s frequent caresses that I could identify her touch so quickly.
"Hehe~ Sister Bai, why are you here~" I leaned my entire body back, falling into Sister Bai’s embrace. Looking up at her face, I quickly flashed a smile.
"What was Xiao Han looking at just now? Admiring other beautiful girls in swimsuits?"
"I... I suppose that's true... B-but! Sister Bai’s swimsuit is the best-looking!" I felt Sister Bai’s fingers pinch a bit of soft flesh at my waist and quickly spoke up.
"It's fine. If you want to look, then look. Isn't a swimsuit party meant to provide such a scene for everyone?" At this moment, Sister Bai leaned against the railing with me. "It's good to experience this kind of atmosphere more often. Broaden your horizons and witness the diversity of other girls..."
"Uh... Sister Bai?" I spoke up, a bit apprehensive. Why the sudden change in Sister Bai?
It was making me a little scared!
"It's nothing. I'm sincerely advising you. But Xiao Han, you must also remember: while you are admiring this beautiful scenery, you are also a part of the scenery being admired by others, okay?" As Sister Bai spoke, one hand pulled at the leg ring on my thigh. She stretched the elastic and then—snap!—let it hit my thigh. "If I kept restricting you from looking at other beautiful girls, it would surely backfire, wouldn't it?"
"Uh... I can have eyes only for Sister Bai..." I shifted my leg. The snap of the leg ring wasn't exactly painful, but Sister Bai was the one who did it.
"There's no need, Xiao Han. Only by seeing more can you reach a point where you don't blush or get shy at everything. I want you to see me among a crowd of beauties and have your eyes light up with a different kind of brilliance—not because you're forcing yourself to think of me, but because you've seen others and still choose me. If you blush and get shy seeing other women, I'll get jealous, you know?"
"Eh?!"
My eyes widened. I never expected Sister Bai to say something so shocking!
"Did you hear me, Xiao Han?"
"I-I heard you~ But... thank you for being so understanding, Sister Bai."
"I just want you to grow up a bit. If you have no experience at all, I'm truly afraid that some beauty will just crook her finger and lead you away without you even realizing it. Do you understand?"
"That's impossible!" I immediately retorted.
"You saying it's impossible is just your side of the story, but that doesn't mean I won't worry. Since you're so lacking in this area, I might as well introduce you to a few things, hm?" As she spoke, Sister Bai pulled me back to the edge of the yacht. "There's an art to appreciating swimsuits. It's not just about satisfying your eyes. You're a girl now, too; you should learn how to dress and present yourself. That naturally includes swimsuits."
"Wait, Sister Bai, what kind of development is this?"
"I'm teaching you how to appreciate beauty. Only when your discernment improves will your threshold for such stimulation rise. Only when your threshold is high enough will you have the rationality and mindset to appreciate what true beauty is. Appreciation without a high enough threshold is just a thuggish way of satisfying desire. The reason high-end and low-end venues can have similar formats but different atmospheres is because, for the same display, one is about appreciating beauty, while the other is about enjoying the lewdness. Do you understand?"
"Is... is that how it is?!" This was the first time I had heard such an explanation.
"Yes, that's exactly how it is." Sister Bai didn't continue further, and her tone softened. "But humans aren't saints, and neither are Witches. As long as one is driven by desire, the difference between these places is but a single thought."
At this, Sister Bai turned to look at me again before speaking.
"So, Xiao Han, regardless of whether a place is high-end or low-end, don't take the initiative to participate. At most, just follow your own needs. What I said just now was just an external explanation. But whether it's humans or Witches, they won't be bound by rules; what matters most is one's own thoughts. I don't want you to turn to the 'bad' side, even though I know very well that such things are unavoidable."
"Then... what if I accidentally get tainted by the bad side?" I asked, a hint of curiosity on my face.
"Then you can only show that side to me, understand? Xiao Han... you can only belong to me!" As she said this, Sister Bai’s words were filled with absolute possessiveness and left no room for doubt.
Being so forcefully claimed by Sister Bai, my mind was currently filled with the sense of satisfaction and security she provided. Perhaps this was why I loved her so much.
She gave me freedom, yet firmly declared her ownership. Freedom was like the vast, surging ocean; no one could ride it without some form of tether. Sister Bai was like a lighthouse in the night, pointing the way for me and illuminating my path home.
"Okay~" I responded lightheartedly.