41: Chapter 41 Serena of the Moulin Rouge

The public hall of the Moulin Rouge was a massive, circular room with a ceiling three stories high.

The dome was painted with a mural depicting the legend of the God of Love and Desire, created with expensive gold powder that shimmered with a luxurious luster under the light of hundreds of candles.

In the center of the hall was a fountain, featuring a life-sized marble statue of the Goddess of Beauty.

Spring water flowed ceaselessly from the seashell held above the goddess's head, creating ripples in the pool below.

Women in silk gowns and male guests in exquisite formal wear sat scattered around sofas and round tables; some were whispering, some were flirting, and others were simply drinking quietly and listening to the music.

No one was drunk or causing trouble, no one was shouting, and everything was so orderly that it didn't feel like a brothel, but rather a high-end private members' club.

Morpheus was clearly not here for the first time.

After entering the hall, he didn't look around but walked straight to an inconspicuous small door next to the bar, which had a small copper plaque hanging on it that read "Staff Only."

He raised his hand and knocked on the doorframe three times—two short, one long—and waited for a moment.

The door was pulled open a crack from the inside, and a pair of eyes scanned the people outside through the gap.

Upon seeing Morpheus, they curved slightly, and then the door opened.

The maid led the group to a room upstairs.

Inside was a spacious suite with a window facing the sea, currently blocking out most of the daylight with a layer of lavender sheer curtains.

The furnishings in the room were more understated than those in the Moulin Rouge's main hall, but also more expensive.

Serina herself was leaning against a long sofa by the window, one leg casually crossed over the other, with a thin silver chain tied around her bare ankle.

She was a half-elf, which meant she inherited both the delicate contours of an elf and the voluptuous curves of a human.

Her ears were slightly pointed, peeking out from her deep brown wavy hair, and her earlobes were adorned with two pigeon-blood red gemstones; her eyes were a captivating emerald green.

She was wearing a dark green silk robe, with the sash at her waist tied loosely.

When she stood up, the robe slipped down a bit from her shoulder, revealing a patch of skin dotted with tiny freckles.

"My dear Morpheus..."

Serina's voice carried a lazy huskiness as her emerald eyes slowly moved from Morpheus to Richard, and then stopped.

"Oh, you didn't come alone this time. And who is this?"

"Richard Baimon, a powerful warrior, and my current captain."

Morpheus introduced him briefly, then stepped aside to reveal the people behind him.

"Lia, Black Cat, and Jinbao are all my teammates."

After speaking, he sat down on the sofa next to Richard, his back straight, knees together, and hands resting on his knees.

His posture was so proper that it didn't look like he was in the room of a top courtesan at a brothel; instead, he seemed overly cautious.

Serina stood up from the long sofa and walked barefoot in front of Richard.

Her emerald eyes scanned down from his face to his chest, and then back up to his face.

She was a good half-head shorter than him, and as she looked up at him, her lips curled into a smile that carried a distinct air of appreciation.

Then she reached out and, with the tip of her index finger, lightly touched Richard's right bicep, tracing a short arc along the contour of the muscle.

"Such a sturdy human boy, truly rare," she said with a giggle, as if she were appraising an interesting piece of merchandise.

"This Petrified Lizard leather armor of yours is well-maintained, too."

"Morpheus has never brought someone of your type to me before; he always deals with a pile of old books and broken stones. Are you sure you didn't walk into the wrong room?"

Richard looked down at the finger still poking his arm, but did not step back.

"Could you please take your hand off?" Richard's tone sounded somewhat awkward.

Serina withdrew her finger, but her smile widened: "Oh~ Shy? Or is it that you don't like half-elves?"

"Uh, of course not..." Richard couldn't help but blush slightly.

She turned and walked back to the sofa, her robe trailing a beautiful dark green shadow on the carpet. After sitting down, she crossed her legs, and the silver chain on her ankle swayed.

"Sit, everyone sit. Morpheus's friends are my friends, as long as you pay."

Everyone sat down separately.

Morpheus took a sealed envelope from his sleeve and placed it on the coffee table, containing a small advance payment, and then explained their purpose.

Wealthy merchant Griffin's youngest daughter, Haiwei, had eloped with a guard to Golden Island and was now missing, with the clues deliberately erased.

The smile on Serina's face didn't vanish, but the temperature in her eyes dropped a few degrees.

She didn't pick up the envelope, but tapped lightly on its edge with her fingers, the cardamom-colored polish on her nails flashing under the candlelight.

"Those two young people..." she said.

"I have seen them; to be precise, several people at the Moulin Rouge have seen them."

"After they arrived, they found a place to stay, changed their clothes, and then the girl found someone to sell a necklace."

She paused, her emerald eyes shifting from Morpheus to the sea outside the window, her tone changing from lazy to cautious.

"I will not take this money, because you might not want to hear what I'm about to say."

"Stop looking. Take a boat back, tell that wealthy merchant his daughter ran off with someone and can't be found, make up a story, take a fee for your trouble—it's better than anything else."

"You know where they are," Morpheus said, not as a question.

"I know where they might be," Serina corrected, then picked up the half-cooled cup of black tea on the coffee table and took a slow sip.

Her tone became calm and serious: "This is not an ordinary disappearance... Golden Island is very safe, yes, safe for tourists, safe for merchants, and safe for adventurers."

"But there are some... entities on this island that are not bound by the rules."

"Even the Pirate Council doesn't really care; after all, they are essentially just a bunch of thugs who rob people all day. If that girl disappeared on Golden Island, I advise you to just assume she is already dead."

Morpheus was silent for two seconds, then nodded at Serina.

His tone was gentle, even carrying a hint of apology.

"Thank you, Serina. I will seriously consider your advice. We will not continue to investigate this matter... We will take a boat back first thing tomorrow morning."

Serina looked at him for a moment, a flash of something crossing her emerald eyes, but in the end, she didn't expose him.

She had known Morpheus for a long time and knew that this white-haired young Mage Apprentice seemed gentle, but was actually very stubborn; it wasn't easy to dissuade him from what he wanted to do.

She put down the teacup, stood up, walked over to Morpheus, bent down, and kissed his forehead lightly.

"Stay safe. If a cutie like you dies on this island, there will be no one left to chat with me."

Then she turned to look at Richard, her lips curling up again: "You too, strong and charming big boy."