Chapter 393: Moonlit Desires

Stella had learned her lesson from the baker. While her Phantom Veil Pendant made her appear mortal to other cultivators, that didn't mean she would seem a simple mortal to other mortals. Since they lacked the spiritual sense to discern her cultivation level in the first place, they were more focused on her looks and mannerisms.

If a mortal threw large amounts of money on a table or was dry during a storm, I wouldn't have thought anything of it. But it's so apparent now that the baker pointed out how much I stand out.

Stella jumped down from Guppy, and a tattered black cloak appeared around her body in a flash of silver light. She landed with a squelch as her feet sunk into the street mud.

Mortals would probably wear shoes in this weather, wouldn't they? Stella frowned as she dug through her spatial ring. She had never liked shoes as they restricted her movement, and most would get destroyed in battle anyway. Ah! Here they are.

Stella pulled out the high heels she had worn to the banquet. Burning off the wet mud that clung to her feet, she slipped them on. They didn't seem practical in this weather, but this was the best she could do.

Who would look at someone's shoes anyway? It should be fine.

To finish her outfit, she summoned a half mask to cover her eyes as she deemed a full one to make her look too suspicious. Pulling the hood over her head, she canceled out the thin layer of aether Qi surrounding her body that had been shielding her from the rain. The cloak became heavier with water, and a chill seeped into her bones.

"No wonder the mortals don't wish to go out in this weather. This sucks," Stella muttered as she pushed the door to the brothel open. It creaked on its hinges, and she had to hold onto the doorknob to stop the door from slamming open due to the intense wind. Shuffling inside, she closed the door, and a small bell chimed.

As a cultivator, it didn't take long for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting.

Woah, this looks a lot better inside than I was expecting. A lush red carpet led down a wide hallway. The walls were a dark wood with flickering candles held by golden cradles. Black leather couches lined the walls in intervals, with small coffee tables between them.

Stella wandered over to one of the tables and picked up a binder. It was rather hefty and seemed well-made. Is this a menu of some kind? She wondered as she opened it, and her eyes widened. There was a detailed drawing of a naked woman. Stella studied the drawing for a while before looking at the details listed below. There was her name, where she was from, height, and weight...

Sydney, huh? She has quite a suitable form for swordfighting. Her arms seem long for her height, giving her better reach, and her abs are more defined than most mortals. Stella mused as she flicked to the next one. She looks friendly, though isn't she rather short?

Based on the information in the binder, Stella tried to measure up against herself to guess how tall this girl would be. Maybe to my chest height at best? I wonder what the world looks like from that height.

Stella moved on to the next one and then the next as her curiosity got the best of her. She wasn't sure why they were drawn in such a revealing manner or why this information was relevant.

Wait, is this for the intense cuddling thing? Stella scratched her head. It didn't make any sense. While she could see that height and weight could be important in finding a suitable opponent for the cuddling, what did land of origin matter? Also, what does this preference thing mean? This girl says she can do either?

"Ahem, miss?"

Stella was broken from her trance and glanced at a man standing a polite distance away down the corridor. He wore a tidy black-and-white suit and seemed middle-aged, with hints of grey hair. Only now did Stella notice a faint smoke lingering in the air as it gently swirled around his figure.

"Yes?" Stella asked, unsure what to say.

"Find anyone you like?" He eyed the binder in her hand.

"Erm..."

"I have to warn you we are fully booked for today," the man said apologetically, "But you are free to follow me to a side room to make a reservation."

"For the cuddling thing?"

The man paused before smiling, "Yes... the cuddling thing. Right this way, miss." He turned and left down the hall.

Stella put the binder back on the table and followed the man. Water dripped from her cloak onto the rug, adding to the strange smell of the place. Entering a side room, the man clicked the door closed behind them and took a seat. Stella sat opposite and removed her hood as her hair was getting damp from the rain-soaked cloak.

The man studied her face for a moment before clicking his fingers. A side door slid open, and a woman poked her head through.

"Get Sullivan," the man said simply, and the woman silently bowed before leaving. The door slid shut, and the man turned his focus back to her with a smile, "Please, enjoy the tea while we wait."

"Who's Sullivan?" Stella casually asked while picking up the hot tea and taking a sip. She wasn't worried in the slightest about anything these people could do to her. She was a Star Core Realm cultivator, and from her spiritual sense, she couldn't feel anyone above the Soul Fire Realm for miles.

"The person you came to meet, is it not?" The man raised a brow.

Stella tilted her head in confusion.

"Oh," the man chuckled. "Either way, he is the man who can tend to an esteemed guest such as yourself the best."

"Esteemed guest..." Stella frowned. His demeanor had changed, and she didn't like it. What did I do wrong this time? Did they figure out I'm a cultivator?

She didn't have long to ponder as the room's main door opened, and a man who looked like the boss strode in. The suit barely contained his broad shoulders and toned figure. He had slicked-back gray hair and a nasty scar that ran down the left side of his face from the base of his ear to the middle of his neck.

He was also a cultivator. A weak one, only in the Soul Fire Realm, but it was certainly enough to stand above mere mortals.

"Hendrick, are you not going to introduce us?" the man said in a husky voice, his presence dominating the small meeting room.

***

Hendrick only ever called for him in such a subtle way when an esteemed guest who hadn't made an appointment had shown up. They had been brothers in crime for as long as either could remember, so he trusted the man's judgment.

Sullivan eyed the esteemed guest with interest. He had been in this game long enough to separate the riff-raff from the true blue bloods with but a glance. They always tried to come here undercover to protect their reputations, but there were always little signs that he picked up on.

As expected, this girl before him was one such example. A tattered black cloak that wouldn't look out of place on a diseased-ridden beggar failed to hide hints of pristine white cloth below. Her flawless lips aside, two expensive-looking earrings hung from her ears, and multiple silver spatial rings adorned her fingers. Her shoes were also high heels, unsuitable for this weather, yet seemed only lightly coated in mud, suggesting she used a horse-drawn carriage to reach this building and only had to take a few steps to the entrance.

A noble daughter looking for some fun? Sullivan flexed his Soul Fire Realm nature Qi to test her. She has no Qi yet seems so relaxed. Either she is simply arrogant, or this place is surrounded by her guards. I'll have to be careful. The Eyepatch group hasn't yet won the support of every powerful noble in Darklight City, and I haven't exactly been quiet about my involvement with them.

"Human nature?"

"Sure," Sullivan puffed and blew off the side, "You should know this better than others. Humans and beasts have an innate desire to stand above others, whether with power, money, or influence. We want it all and to have more than those beneath us. The All-Seeing Eye came in and wielded his immense power to give power to the people and level the playing field. The mortal nobles who remained in power because they had the money and influence to employ rogue cultivators as servants no longer have an edge over others. That is why they rage. Their power is slipping from under their feet."

"What about the rogues?"

Sullivan took another puff as he contemplated. "There is a clear divide. Many adore the All-Seeing Eye and are actually his most devoted followers. The high-quality pills they provide at a reasonable price allowed them to overcome bottlenecks and finally advance their cultivation. Then there are those like me who were talented enough in cultivation to reach the Soul Fire Realm without the need for handouts."

"But now you feel threatened," Roselyn smiled through her fingers as she leaned on her palm.

Sullivan scowled. It wasn't like that. He just didn't believe everyone deserved to reach the Soul Fire Realm like he had, so for the All-Seeing Eye to show up and gift people the capability to easily surpass him made his blood boil.

"It's a joke," Roseyln said, studying his expression. "Now, tell me about the Eyepatch group. What's their goal. If I find it aligns with my own, I have enough money to make that earlier donation seem like pocket change."

Sullivan smiled, "For now, we are trying to rapidly expand our membership with the ultimate goal of standing against the All-Seeing Eye," he said, leaving out any information on the fast-approaching night of reckoning. He brought out a box and presented it to the noble girl. "This is the welcome package."

"These bastards copied my marketing strategy," Roselyn muttered as she took the box and opened it.

Marketing strategy? Is this young lady working in their parent's industry? Sullivan mused as Roselyn dug through the box. She intently read the Eyepatch group's mantra before fishing out one of the blood pills. She held it up between her fingers toward the light.

"Is the group founded on this blood pill?"

"That's right," Sullivan relaxed in his chair, his pipe held loosely in his hand with smoking wafting up from the still-lit end. "Once you take it, I can officially say you are part of the group."

"What does it do?"

"It fills you with vigor and cultivation." He recited what he had been told. There was no way he would ever eat one to find out if it was true. "One pill will give you a boost in strength to reach the peak of the Qi Realm. Unlike the pills you can buy from the Ashfallen Trading Company, this pill gives instant results. No need for wasting time cultivating."

"That sure sounds enticing," Roselyn sniffed the pill and frowned. "But I have to say I'm skeptical. Can this pill really raise me all the way to the peak of the Qi Realm?"

Sullivan nodded, "You have to take one a day, but they are free for members. There are many distribution places, with my establishment serving as one such place."

"Okay, this sounds good," the girl opened her mouth, popped it in, and gulped the pill down. "I'm an official member now, right?"

Sullivan smiled slightly. Heh, the boss will be elated to learn that I have reeled in such a fat fish. She seems to have more money than sense. With this gold, I can buy more slaves and open another brothel on the city's east side.

"Of course, you're a member now. Feel free to test out your new strength."

***

Stella didn't miss Sullivan's pleased expression as she pretended to eat the pill. Since there was a chance this was made by Vincent Nightrose, there was no way she would take such a risk. Instead, she had the pill vanish to the aether before it even hit her tongue.

But she had to pretend it worked. Hendrick walked in with a fresh table, which gave her a moment to think of something. Since it was within reach, she chopped the new table with her palm, trying to control her strength the lowest she could. After all, she hadn't been lying earlier when she said these mortals wouldn't last against her in an intense cuddling session.

The table cracked in half, cleanly down the middle, and she pretended to be surprised.

"Woah, it really worked," she flexed her hand as if that was some impressive feat of strength and held back a chuckle at Hendricks's exasperated expression. "I'm utterly impressed, Sullivan. I want to meet the mastermind behind all of this and give him my appreciation."

Sullivan chuckled, "I'll be sure to pass on your kind words."

Stella narrowed her eyes at him, "I'm serious. I want to meet them."

Sullivan's fake joyfulness vanished, and he looked at her seriously. "Listen, miss, that's not happening. Even with a donation as big as yours, nobody can simply meet the boss because they want to."

"Really?" Stella absentmindedly picked at her nail, "There's something you should know about me, Mister Sullivan. I'm not good with people telling me no. If I can't meet him, I will be taking my money back."

Sullivan rose from his chair and towered over her. His eyes narrowed to a point, and his pathetic Soul Fire Realm Qi danced dangerously across his shoulders. He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed tightly, "You're far from home, little noble. Just because you got a little strength, I wouldn't get over yourself—"

Stella clicked her fingers and pointed at Hendrick, who was standing off to the side. The wall behind her exploded as a being of twisted darkness surged through, taking Hendrick with it in a shower of wood. The room became filled with the roar of rain as Guppy continued through the building, leaving a tunnel to the outside in his wake.

Sullivan took his hand back and stared at the hole in the wall with horror.

"Now, what do you think?" Stella asked with her hands on her hips.

"M-Monster," Sullivan looked as white as a sheet as he rushed past her toward the hole in the wall. "Stay away from me!" Using his nature Qi, he controlled the weeds growing in the mud outside to surge upwards and haphazardly cover his escape into the storm.

"Don't worry, I will," Stella called Guppy back into the room. The Darktide Devourer deposited the half-eaten corpse onto the ground, and she plucked the spatial ring containing some of her money from his finger. Storing it away, she patted Guppy on the nose. "Go and chase him, but don't get too close. I want him to fear for his life, so make your presence known, but don't kill him, okay? I will be following closely behind, so no mistakes."

Guppy let off a soft cry before surging off into the storm, leaving her alone in the destroyed room. Before she left, she grabbed the welcome box and the binders containing the guys and the other containing the girls for research purposes. After that, she removed her high-heeled shoes and the damp cloak. She was done playing around as a mortal.

Sullivan likely only has one person to turn to for help: the mastermind behind this rebellion against the All-Seeing Eye.

Phasing into the aether, she went after them. It had been a while since she had been on a hunt, and she was excited.

Maybe this was her hobby after all.