The crowd of men below the stage immediately burst into an uproar, shouting their admiration and desire at the top of their lungs.
"Me! Me! I will be the one to spend the night with Holy Maiden Rose, the goddess of my heart! The treasure I found could shake the world!"
"Gwahaha! Keep dreaming! Your treasure cannot even shake my pot belly. I am certain Holy Maiden will pick mine."
"You probably found a fossilized piece of dung and think it is a treasure."
"Heh! We shall see!"
"Get lost, everyone! My treasure is the best! It will revolutionize the world of Alchemy once more! That means even better beautification products can be crafted for our Holy Maiden."
"What? Everyone, he is disrespecting our goddess! Holy Maiden Rose is already perfect, the most beautiful woman in the world! Saying she needs beautification products is an insult to her very being! Kill him!"
"Wait! Wait! That is not what I meant! Holy Maiden, I did not mean it that way! Let go of me! Oi! What are you doing?"
"Calm down, my adorable men~~" The Pink Enchantress Rose spoke, her voice cutting through the chaos like a velvet blade.
The commotion below subsided instantly as every gaze snapped back to their goddess. Her voice was imbued with a mysterious, compelling power that rendered men docile and obedient.
"You may yell all you wish. You may speak dirty words. You may say shameless things," she said, her tone playful yet firm. "But violence is a no, no." She reinforced the statement by wagging her finger slowly from side to side.
"Whoever resorts to violence in my lovely community will be expelled," the Pink Enchantress Rose stated, crossing her arms. The motion tightened the fabric across her chest, accentuating her bosom even more and causing a tantalizing spill of flesh. "Reserve your violence for our enemies. Do you understand?"
A collective gulping sound echoed through the crowd before they roared their reply. "We understand, Holy Maiden!"
"Good men~," she purred. "Alright, you may form two lines and present the treasures you have found to Lily and Liyan. As usual, I will take my time and choose my favorite. But do not worry. Even if you do not get lucky with me, if any of the other ladies are interested in your treasure, you may spend the night with them instead."
"Woohoo!" The crowd erupted in cheers once more.
Currently, the ratio of men to women within the Pink Enchantress Rose's faction was stark, roughly fifty to one, out of a total of two thousand six hundred people. There were not many women.
Among all the major factions, they had the fewest women, but every single one was a great beauty. This was not because the Holy Maiden excluded women of average appearance, but rather because those women often felt too embarrassed to be among such stunning company, like a weed in a sea of exquisite flowers. So, these ladies departed and joined other factions instead.
The men showed no dissatisfaction with how the Holy Maiden conducted this monthly event. This was largely because all treasures not chosen by her were returned to their owners. Furthermore, if a man did not wish to spend the night with another great beauty who had selected his treasure, he was free to refuse and simply keep his offering. Of course, such a refusal had never yet occurred. After all, who could possibly refuse a night with a great beauty?
To them, their goddess was fair and did not seek to exploit them. This fairness only deepened their fanaticism and cemented their extreme loyalty to the faction.
That night, the Pink Enchantress Rose selected a treasure she favored the most and summoned the fortunate man into her personal chamber. A specialized formation sealed the room, ensuring no sound or spiritual sense could penetrate its walls.
The man entered, his mouth agape with anticipation and a painfully obvious erection straining against his clothes. The Pink Enchantress stood waiting, clad in an alluring, sheer pink nightgown. She locked the door behind him and then extended her flawless hand toward him.
The man greedily took her smooth hand and pressed a fervent kiss to it. But as his lips touched her skin, he suddenly froze. His movements ceased entirely, and he stood motionless, his eyes rolling back to show only the whites.
"Fufufu~. As promised, I shall grant you an unforgettable night," she said, her voice a silken whisper. "Come to the bed."
The dazed man obeyed without question, shuffling toward the bed in a vacant trance.
The Pink Enchantress Rose glided to a nearby table and opened the top drawer. From it, she retrieved a spherical object attached to a delicate chain: a luxurious Spirit Beast Bag.
"Madu, come out. It is time for your favorite job," she said with a knowing smile.
In the next moment, a female demonic orangutan emerged from the bag. She was dressed in scandalous lingerie. Without hesitation, she ambled over to the dazed man standing by the bed and began to scrutinize him closely, sniffing and prodding.
"I believe this one is more your type, is he not? He is all yours for the night. Grant him an unforgettable experience on my behalf."
"Uuu ahh!" The orangutan replied with an enthusiastic thumbs up, her expression one of clear delight.
"Fufufu~ Good to know. Enjoy yourself, Madu."
With that, the Pink Enchantress Rose turned and walked toward another, more private door, entering her true personal chamber and leaving the orangutan to her appointed task.
After washing the perceived filth from her hand, she climbed onto her bed and settled into her favorite lounging position.
"Hmph. As if I would let some random man have a taste of my body. Keep dreaming," the Pink Enchantress murmured to herself. "That said, the treasure this man gave me is quite valuable. A Special Ice."
A beautifully shaped block of crystal clear ice materialized in her hand, instantly plunging the temperature of the chamber. Frost began to creep across nearby surfaces. She had already coated her hand with a thick layer of protective Qi, but the intense cold still seeped deep into her bones.
"Huu~ So cold... go back, go back," she whispered, shivering as she quickly stored the ice back into her space ring.
"This Special Ice is the same type of treasure as a Special Fire, but it is far harder to obtain," she mused, her teeth still lightly chattering. "Around the tree, there aren't any places of extreme cold. I wonder where this man found it? Hmm... he probably robbed it from someone who had just arrived at the tree. And now it is mine. Fufufu~" A pleased smile graced her lips.
She then retrieved her array communication device to check all the messages she had received throughout the day.
In this world, the functionality of such devices was extremely limited, plagued by interfering signals and a lack of signal transmitter arrays.
Thankfully, her maid Lily was a skilled formation expert. She had not needed to go through the trouble of recruiting one like the other factions. Lily had simply set up the necessary transmitter arrays for their faction, allowing for reliable internal communication.
Her maids, Lily and Liyan, both knew the same illusion technique she used, so they employed the same trickery, letting eager men believe they were spending the night with a great beauty when they were, in fact, entertaining demonic beasts.
"Oh? Captain Shino plans to leave?" she read, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Don't tell me they have already excavated all the valuable treasures in that region? No, no, no. That is impossible. The shaded area is so vast that there is no way our small numbers could search every corner without decades of effort." She shook her head, dismissing the thought.
"Then why are they leaving? Where are they going? Is this a trap? Is he intentionally vacating the southwest region so that I will compete with Prince Charles for the land, thereby reducing our numbers?" She frowned slightly, though even this expression did not diminish her ethereal beauty.
"Hmm... what to do?" she murmured to herself. "If I compete for the land, I will fall exactly into his trap. But if I don't, that childish Prince Charles will turn his ambitions toward my territory next. Haaa... what to do...? I just want to stay here peacefully, collecting the treasures these men offer me. Can he not just stay still in his own region?" The Pink Enchantress sighed, feeling genuinely annoyed by the incoming political headache.
"Hmph! I don't want to think about this anymore. I will just ask Liyan tomorrow. She is far better at this strategic thinking stuff anyway."
With that, she removed her sheer nightgown and began to touch herself, her movements practiced and deliberate. Her cultivation method allowed for a much faster accumulation of power if she cultivated in a state of heightened arousal first.
---
Meanwhile, far from the opulent chamber, Leyvi and Ava moved deeper into the southwest region. So far, they had not encountered anyone.
"So, how do you plan to gather information later?" Ava asked, her voice cutting through the quiet.
"Hahaha. That is easy. We simply ask them nicely. I am sure they will be happy to tell us everything we want to know," Leyvi replied, his tone making it obvious he was joking, a habit he only indulged in when his spiritual sense confirmed they were alone.
But the flippant answer irritated Ava. Without a word, she kicked his shin and continued walking, leaving him behind in a fresh wave of pain.
"Ow, ow! Wait, Ava! Do not leave your husband behind! A succubus might kidnap me!" Leyvi called after her, hobbling to catch up.