Su Cheng lay back on the bed, panting heavily.
She could already feel her body temperature dropping rapidly.
"...Thank you. I'll head back after resting for a bit. Are there any clothes here? Can I borrow a couple of pieces?"
Zane nodded silently, then gracefully stood up and left the room.
He didn't intend to imitate a certain someone's actions and give her his own coat.
After all, at a time like this, such behavior would seem very much like a provocation.
In any case, there were plenty of clerics with a similar build to hers.
Su Cheng originally wanted to take a nap, but this was still the Church's territory. Thinking of the curse mark on her back, she abandoned the idea.
Considering the height difference between them and the posture they were just in, he actually had a chance to see it, but her hair could pretty much cover it all.
Since he didn't mention it, she would just let it go.
Ultimately, the curse should be a secret, but even if the people of the Church really found out, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Perhaps she could even get more ideas on how to solve it.
After the Archbishop returned, Su Cheng changed into a shirt and skirt, and was about to ask how to get out—outside the window was entirely a garden; this place should be inside the temple.
Zane reached out his hand to her. "I will escort you back to where you were before."
He was truly a man of his word, taking her directly back to the alley behind the tavern's back door.
The Archbishop didn't say much, only telling her she could find him anytime if she needed anything.
Su Cheng: "The thing on my face... do you need to report it to your superiors, or what?"
Zane glanced at her. "If you do not wish for me to say anything, I can keep silent."
Su Cheng was a bit surprised. "Really? Then please don't say anything—wait, what are the rules?"
He smiled slightly. "If we follow the Church's rules, if I discover a new Blessed One who is not a cleric, I should indeed report it."
Zane paused for a moment. "But your identity as a Blessed One is already recorded, so you are no longer 'new'."
Su Cheng: "..."
You're quite good at finding loopholes.
Su Cheng: "Then thank you very much."
Thus, the two politely bid farewell.
Su Cheng held the bag of dirty clothes, staring at his retreating back in a daze.
Suddenly, a resentful voice sounded behind her.
"—If you're so reluctant to part, why don't you just go with him?"
"What?" Su Cheng turned around with a dark expression. "I was just thinking about some things."
The vampire stood behind her with his arms crossed, only half a step away, looking down at her. Those crimson eyes appeared somewhat gloomy against the backlight.
"Oh," Sasha said mockingly, "thinking about why he's even more handsome than the Succubus King?"
"That was just being polite," Su Cheng looked at him in astonishment. "Wait, you were there back then?"
"The rest might have been polite words, but that sentence was definitely true," Sasha sneered. "You made quite a commotion. I came out to take a look, and I didn't expect—"
As he spoke, he suddenly leaned down and grabbed her wrist, staring at her delicate fingertips, looking from the rosy nail beds to the slender knuckles.
Su Cheng: "?"
The vampire's long, chilly fingers brushed across the back of her hand, then rested on the tendons at her wrist crease, seemingly feeling the temperature of her flesh and blood inch by inch.
She subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but he held onto it.
Sasha squeezed her knuckles, then felt his way from the crook of her elbow to her collarbone, and pressed down on the young girl's thin deltoid muscles.
His cold, large hand lingered at her shoulder and neck for a few seconds, then quickly pressed down from her cervical vertebrae to her spine.
Su Cheng: "..."
At first glance, this action might seem somewhat intimate.
But as the person experiencing it, it felt more like being examined by a doctor for bruises and injuries.
"Alright," the vampire snorted coldly. "There really aren't any problems. It seems your Lord Archbishop is somewhat reliable."
Su Cheng: "?"
He was really examining her?
Su Cheng: "Did you think he would beat me up? Or does he have some violent tendencies in bed—"
The cold, powerful hand on her waist suddenly tightened.
"...Ow!" Su Cheng couldn't help but gasp. "What are you doing?!"
Sasha let go and roughly ruffled her hair. "I wasn't checking for that, Lord Blessed One!"
Saying that, he walked toward the tavern. Su Cheng followed him in confusion. The two of them turned back through the narrow door in the alley and re-entered the noisy hall.
The other two were still drinking.
Camus was holding a thick ancient tome, flipping through it while drinking. He didn't even look up when he sensed them return.
Kai sat leaning against the wall, empty wine bottles piled up like a mountain on the table. He was already on the last few pages of the Blessed One story collection in his hand.
Su Cheng suddenly realized she seemed to have been gone for a long time.
She wasn't sure if they were waiting for her. "Sorry, I just went to deal with a little problem—"
"No need to apologize," Kai looked up. "Even if you had been here the whole time, I wouldn't have left. I'm here to drink."
Su Cheng: "...I can see that."
"However," the Captain looked at the new member of the mercenary group, "the person you were fighting outside earlier, is that the 'weird guy' you mentioned before?"
Su Cheng: "...You went to look too?"
"No," he closed the book completely. "I just heard you go out with him, and the commotion when you sent him flying was quite loud."
Su Cheng coughed lightly. "Heard? How loud was it?"
Sasha leaned against the opposite side. "Warriors of a slightly higher rank could all feel it—though most of the people here can't do that yet."
"...So it's just that your ears work better," Su Cheng understood. "And to answer your question, Captain, yes, because I guessed he might come looking for me over certain things, and I didn't want to drag anyone else into it."
The tavern waiter came over pushing a cart, taking away the empty wine bottles without batting an eye.
Judging from the expression on his face, he had probably come to collect bottles more than once.
Su Cheng tugged at Sasha's sleeve. "What did you mean just now?"
"What did I mean?" The silver-haired young man chuckled. "A body that has borne the power of a deity often has to pay the price in a rather painful way—"
Su Cheng was taken aback.
Right.
With her own strength, she couldn't even lift that hammer, let alone send someone flying into the sky.
The divine power bestowed upon her by the God of Law seemed to have comprehensively enhanced her for a short period, but in reality, it might have been some kind of overexertion.
"I've seen similar things."
Sasha propped his chin on one hand. "After the divine power fades, muscles are torn, bones are broken, and everything from the hands to the arms is ruined, to the point where one can't even make a fist."
Su Cheng suddenly understood what he was checking earlier. "So you mean that the reason I'm fine now is because Zane healed me?"
When did he do that?
How could she not have felt anything at all?
"Of course," the vampire glanced at her. "I imagine it was when you were showing off your divine might and sending that guy flying. You wouldn't have noticed anything else at that moment."
Su Cheng rubbed her forehead. "Don't remind me."
But if that was really the case, she would have to be careful about using this ability.
—Comparing the manifestations of the two main gods' powers, one could also see the differences between them.
The God of Contracts would directly take the souls of those who broke their covenants; the God's favored did not need to pay anything.
The God of Law was different.
...Recalling the feeling of that moment carefully, when she judged Qin Jing as a lawbreaker, the strongest thought in her mind was to make him suffer punishment.
Simply put, to beat him up.
Therefore, the actions of the God of Law were more like granting her a certain power, allowing her to execute this "punishment" in her own way.
If it were anyone else taking that hammer blow, they would surely be smashed into meat paste. That a certain Grand Inquisitor didn't die was only because he was highly skilled.
After all, the high-ranking clerics of the Holy Church, if nothing else, were inevitably masters of holy arts.
And within the holy arts of the Light power system, restoration and healing were the core.
Su Cheng pondered for a moment and found it very interesting.
This domain was truly fascinating; it seemed there were still more uses of power to uncover.
The three men at the table were all looking at her.
Su Cheng: "?"
Su Cheng suddenly jumped up. "I forgot the alcohol I bought at the bar! That guy surnamed Qin directly took me—"
Camus pressed her back down. "The tavern staff brought it over. Let me see your brand."
"...Oh right!"
After the initial pain, the brand on her back had lost all sensation.
Su Cheng had almost forgotten about it, and upon hearing this, she quickly scooted over.
There were still many patrons in the tavern, and the surroundings were noisy. From time to time, someone would get drunk or take off their clothes after sweating profusely from eating.
Su Cheng swiftly pulled open her bloodstained outer coat, revealing the camisole underneath, and twisted her body to show him her back.
They were in a corner, so the other patrons couldn't see the pattern on her back.
Thus, she boldly and confidently took it off.
The two sat side by side in the booth. Camus half-turned, one hand resting on the table, making it look as though he was already embracing the slender young woman beside him.
The blood mage raised his hand, his fingertips touching her back, which was bare save for crisscrossing thin straps, and stared at the dull red lines spreading across her snow-white skin.
His deep blue eyes took on a grayish hue against the backlight, and a spark of light suddenly burst forth from his dark pupils.
He then stared intently at the curse pattern.
Camus observed it for a few seconds. "Did it flare up just now?"
"Yes, but, cough, I found someone to resolve it—"
"I know," his voice sounded somewhat gloomy. "...Exactly how was it triggered?"
Su Cheng looked down at the cushioned seat, where their overlapping shadows flickered.
The man behind her was much taller than she was.
She was almost sitting in his shadow, right beside his arm resting on the table.
Her bare back was almost pressing against his chest, which was wrapped in a silk shirt.
She could feel his body heat, and his scorching breath almost overwhelmed her.
"It's a long story—"
"I don't need to know your private affairs," the blood mage's tone carried a bit of irritation. "If you mind, you only need to say—"
"The favored of the God of Joy." Su Cheng gave a concise answer, reaching up to tug at the strap on her shoulder. "One bite, and it makes people go into heat."
A brief silence fell over the table.
Kai looked at them with some worry, seemingly afraid that the two would start fighting and blow off the roof.
Sasha rested his chin in his hands, looking exactly like an eager spectator.
"..."
For a moment, Su Cheng heard the sound of Camus gritting his teeth.
It seemed he was very dissatisfied with this answer.
She couldn't help but start feeling anxious too.
Could the power of a deity worsen the curse? Make the situation more complicated? Make the treatment more troublesome?
"To what extent?"
The blood mage's voice came from behind.
Su Cheng was momentarily stunned. "What do you mean, to what extent?"
Camus took a deep breath, squeezing out every word almost through gritted teeth. "His power acted as an aphrodisiac on you. I need to know the extent to which you were affected."
Su Cheng: "......"
Su Cheng: "He directly made me climax once."
The blood mage gave a low grunt of acknowledgment. His fingers dropped down, pulling her skewed clothing strap symmetrical, his scalding fingertips brushing over the protruding contour of her shoulder blade.
"You might not have realized it yet," he said in a low voice, "but your curse has entered a triggered state again."
Su Cheng: "?"
Su Cheng almost jumped up.
Su Cheng: "Are you saying right now? Now? I just cleared it with someone!"
Camus frowned deeply. "So you need to explain more clearly, because your curse has flared up twice in a row. Even if it became unstable due to those potions, the interval shouldn't be this short."
He didn't look like he wanted to discuss this topic, but to figure out the condition of the curse, this was a necessary step.
"Okay, at first it was that kind of feeling, where your whole body is dizzy, but your senses are very sharp. The light and sounds around you are all stimulating you, you feel very happy, and then you reach the peak."
Su Cheng paused, then simply gave a brief description of the battle between them. "If that even counts as a battle. And then, um, I was kissed by the God of Joy."
A dead silence fell around the dining table once again.
Camus frowned at her, his steel-blue eyes seemingly surging with dark undercurrents. "Regardless, I suggest you resolve it as soon as possible, or you will fall into agony once more."
Su Cheng: "..."
Camus pointed at the hourglass in the wall niche. "It's best to start before that hourglass turns over."
Su Cheng took a look and estimated that there were about ten minutes left until time was up.
She couldn't help but stand up. "By the way, where can I buy contraceptive potions? Or do you have any on you?"
Camus's face instantly darkened. "Why would I carry that around with me?"
Su Cheng was just asking casually and wasn't bothered by such things.
Because these were the potions of a magical world, capable of producing all sorts of bizarre and unimaginable effects.
In the realm of potions, anything even slightly challenging had to be linked with magical curses.
Ordinary human illnesses and pregnancies were trivial matters; even a novice apothecary could easily produce excellent remedies.
One hundred percent effective and with no side effects.
Sasha suddenly burst into wild laughter.
His voice was truly not quiet, startling the patrons at several surrounding tables into looking their way.
The people at their table looked like they were not to be trifled with, so the onlookers didn't dare stare for long and quickly withdrew their gazes.
Camus grabbed her outer coat with a dark face and pressed it onto her shoulders, covering the curse pattern.
"Any apothecary shop will have it, and there's plenty of time to drink it tonight or tomorrow. Even later wouldn't matter—"
The vampire spoke unhurriedly, "But I don't think you need to worry. Given the strength of that Archbishop..."
He paused. "You're young so you might not know, but once battle aura is cultivated to a certain level, it is almost impossible to naturally impregnate someone or become pregnant oneself."
Su Cheng blinked. "Really?"
"Moreover, you are an elementalist. As far as I know, among all mages, the constitution of elementalists also falls under the category of being very difficult to conceive or to impregnate others. If they want to have offspring, they have to use specially made potions or—well, I don't know much about it. Anyway, they have to do something specific."
"Oh?" Su Cheng was extremely satisfied. "That's wonderful!"
In that kind of erotic novel from the original story, the concept of pregnancy seemed completely non-existent. No one ever had any worries of the sort.
Perhaps, ultimately, it was because of these things.
"Besides," Sasha said with a smile, "you can also look for races other than humans."
Su Cheng's brain tied into a knot. "Do they have those in the Golden Rose Club?"
That was one of the most high-end pleasure houses in Golden Amber City. All the staff there took magic potions regularly to prevent any complications, though the prices were exorbitant.
Naturally, humans and beastmen made up the majority there, along with a scattered few elf or fairy half-bloods, whose prices were even higher.
But there was no reproductive isolation between them and humans.
It was just that compared to human-to-human pairings, the probability of reproduction between these races and humans was lower. Otherwise, half-bloods wouldn't exist.
But the number of half-bloods was relatively small.
Sasha: "?"
Sasha looked at her as if she were an idiot. "You think that's what I meant?"
Su Cheng was stunned for a moment. "Oh, you mean—"
Her shoulder suddenly sank.
Camus held her down. "I don't recommend you go to that place. First, it might expose your curse. If an expert sees it, it will become a weakness others can exploit. Second, you might kill someone. Do you have any experience cleaning up that kind of mess?"
Su Cheng: "...What? What the hell is that second point?"
The blood mage explained in a deep voice, "First of all, your curse was altered by the caster. I haven't seen an identical one before, so my analysis is based solely on known information; I can't guarantee this is the absolute truth. But in principle, it should belong to the active curse category. After binding with your body, it flares up periodically, manifesting as draining your life force. When you have close contact with others, it confuses the curse's targeting. In fact, if you could use certain symbiotic spells and contracts, that might work too, but that would bring even more hidden dangers—"
He had tried his best to speak in layman's terms, holding back professional jargon several times.
"The previous potion weakened its power and interfered with its targeting. The specific way it works is that when you weaken to a certain extent, it will stop and won't continuously drain your life force."
"Oh," Su Cheng understood. "You mean that during the curse's flare-up, if I do it with someone else, I will drain their life force. Wait—"
Thinking about it carefully, when Lin Yun's curse flared up, none of the people she slept with seemed to be ordinary humans.
Many weren't even human at all.
"If the other person has battle aura or magic power in their body," Su Cheng realized belatedly, "or if they are a non-human race with vigorous vitality, then it's fine?"
"It's best if they have a certain level of strength," Camus said seemingly casually. "Meager magic power and thin battle aura are of little use. If you choose someone with abundant magic power and exchange magic power during the act, you can also calm the curse as quickly as possible."
"Actually, battle aura is the same," Sasha blinked. "You don't have battle aura in your body right now, so accepting someone else's battle aura is less likely to cause rejection. Accepting someone else's magic power might actually be uncomfortable."
Su Cheng frowned. "But Zane?"
Camus snorted coldly. "He is a cleric. Besides battle aura, he also has the power of light. The vast majority of humans and beastmen have a very high affinity for the power of light."
Su Cheng nodded slowly. "Then should I go back? I'll just say there's still some residue—"
The surroundings instantly fell dead silent.
"I can... exchange magic power with you," Camus said in a deep voice. "This will also help me further understand your curse."
Su Cheng was taken aback.
"I'm willing too," Sasha said, resting his chin on his hand. "Earlier, if you hadn't pulled His Grace the Archbishop away, I was thinking I could give it a try."
"You know—"
Kai put down the wine bottle, raised his head, and looked at her with those bright golden eyes. "I'm actually not human either. If you need it, I'm willing to help you using any method you can accept."
Su Cheng: "?"
The three men looked at her at the same time.
