Chapter 59: Spoiled little missy
A few days passed in the split spirit realm, Tehmezhya Region.
Leon and his party were now familiar with the bug-type monsters and their patterns. Other than centipedes, worms, bees, and butterflies had attacked their fortress.
Having vast forms and seemingly thick killing intent for all foreign existences, those spirit monsters hacked, hurtled, and tossed various skills at humans and monsters, including Leon's party.
But out of all places, no monster had ever managed to leave Leon's fortress.
It wasn't just because Leon could add monsters to his ranks. He and his partners possessed all system features, with minimap standing out the most. That feature allowed them to coordinate with Leon's enslaved monsters and use his traps to their advantage.
All monsters died and received a second chance to be useful under Leon's banner.
"Master, I've sensed a human party going our way." Celes silently came out from the shadows, voicing out her newest finding.
Leon didn't flinch because he'd noticed her presence before she came out. "Let's head outside then."
He'd already told his partners how they would interact with others. Except for those on Leon's enemy list, Leon would speak with hunters as though they were equals. He'd have a different tone for Heaven Library Guild's members, for he wanted to build proper fame there.
Depending on his guests' decorum, Leon would accordingly shift his stance.
Thus, with Celes holding onto his arm, Leon left the main room in the middle of his fortress, heading straight to the first human party he'd siphon money from.
They left Louise behind so that she'd be a surprise element in case Celes' sensed some other presence from different directions.
The vampiress also told Leon to be bolder on the battlefield. Her reasoning was that a man with high status and strength always had beautiful women around him.
Therefore, Leon gave her his arm, and she latched herself onto him as though they were lovers from many past lives and knew each part of their bodies. Leon acted casually, but he knew deep inside that he loved that feeling and would use her words more from that moment on.
Coincidentally, Celes had achieved her goal, not with blood but with her softness.
Following the quickest route to the new guests, Leon and Celes appeared in an open area, standing at the fortress' main entrance's feet. They saw a party of human hunters making their way toward them. It was a group of six people, with two limping as others supported them.
Their appearances reeked off of tough and bloody experiences of the split spirit realm.
Monsters had certainly strained those people and pushed them off their limits. Blood trickled down their faces, their equipment had been broken, exposing their chain vests, and their skin was too pale. Breath escaped from the adventurers, and they did their best to catch it.
The men at the party's tail dragged seemingly heavy bags of precious loot.
Leon's eyes gleamed at their statuses hanging above their heads. "I'm Ender. I feel bad for your friends, they look so miserable. If you don't have any money, I'll let you stay close to my fortress' border. It ought to be the second safest option for you. Of course, I'll gladly take you in if you have money."
Leon didn't know whether it was exactly like Celes had said, that a strong man with a beautiful girl exerted some kind of convincing and deterring pressure, but the guests had simply scrunched their faces at his words and silently looked into each other's eyes. Then, they murmured something to each other, making a clear and quick decision.
"We don't have money, but one of us doesn't mind giving you his whole equipment. It should sell for some sum since it's level forty stuff. Is that fine?"
"It's not." Leon instantly rejected the man's offer, his words kneading their faces as they looked at him with bitten lips. "I'd rather take your spoils of the split spirit realm. Show me what you've got in those bags."
And as the humans heeded Leon's words, he realized that Celes had been utterly right. Yes, it could be that Leon's status alone was too much for those people, and they desperately required a safe zone, but what kind of a man would be able to come out with a woman clinging to him to negotiate with others?
It'd be utterly foolish if their levels and stats were similar to the guests, yet Leon made sure it didn't appear like that.
Celes exerted a lot of pressure, too.
With her vampire's red eyes vigilantly shining on her noble face, she had revealed her status and allowed others to see through her level. She was past level fifty, yet she wrapped her hands around Leon's arm, whose level was lower, as though they were on a date.
That left many questions in the adventurer's heads.
But while those scratched their hearts, the adventurers came to a common understanding — Leon didn't conquer the fortress out of luck.
"We've extracted many bugs' blood and plucked the spirit butterflies' wings." The man at the helm hauled a bag closer, then revealed what was inside to Leon and Celes.
The appearance of the unique greenish blood had stirred Celes' alchemist senses. "I want it."
Leon blinked as she had voiced out her desire in a sweet and cute voice. It was an instant and fast reaction, which was so unlike her that Leon took his time to look into her eyes.
Those shone brightly at him, reflecting his puzzled expression.
'She's sounded so fake…' Leon rolled his eyes and shifted them to the man. "I'll take one bag. Go straight to the corridor's end, then turn right. Pick one of the rooms for your whole party. They're big enough to accommodate all of you."
"Thank you, Ender!" The man and his party expressed genuine happiness, for Leon didn't take all their loot. Even though he could've pressed for it, he'd decided to not bother with it.
After the first refugees disappeared in the corridor's darkness, Leon peeked inside the bag. "I can see noble ladies fancying those wings and accessories made out of them. But you're a vampire, and you are interested in this."
Leon picked up a bottle of greenish liquid and checked its status.
But since he didn't have a proper class and information about it, the system message disappeared faster than it'd appeared.
[Bottle of green blood(Unique)]
Celes extended her hand for a bottle, too, only to get stopped by Leon.
"What was that voice?" he asked, keeping his partner away from their spoils.
Celes faintly smiled and spoke in her usual, slow voice. "Recall the man with a broad sword and his slut, Master. He couldn't tame his party member, and you insulted him for that."
Leon squinted his eyes. He'd done that indeed.
"Wouldn't you be in a similar situation if I followed you from behind or abreast?" Celes' lips curved into a wider and more mesmerizing smile. "I'll act differently when you use me to show off."
At that moment, Leon realized she'd seen through him.
"In this region, once Masters shows me his arm, I'll coil my arms around him and be a spoiled little missy whose cute voice will always make him gift me with what I desire." Celes' batted her long eyelashes, hovering her pretty eyes on her master.
It was so fake that Leon passed her the whole bag.
In that case, he was utterly hopeless - at least for now.
But he still would be able to enjoy her softness, no excuses needed!
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