Chapter 16: Vermillion Orb
I walked around the City Lord Manor, searching for Pyromancer Arianne. But after fifteen minutes, I couldn't find her anywhere and panicked.
When I passed the Manor gate, I could see her on top of the manor wall.
Gazing at the darkening evening sky. It was still early in the evening, like 6 or 7 PM. The town citizens all get inside their house for the day has come to an end for them.
That tanned girl wearing Chinese traditional robe was watching at them from the top of the manor wall, smoking.
I climbed the wall with much difficulty.
"Here you are ..." I walked to her.
Trying to catch my breath after doing this torturous task. It has been that long since I did this kind of thing. Running and other stuff.
"...," she just silently smoke her cigarettes, not minding me at all.
I didn't see what expression she was making right now, and I also couldn't see her face behind her mask.
Even though she lowered a part of her mask, the smoke from the cigarettes strangely concentrated on her lower face. As if she could manipulate that smoke. But right now I don't mind what kind of expression she made.
Cigarettes, it's somewhat nostalgic seeing her smoking like this.
Remind me of Earth. I used to be a smoker. It's the best thing to do after doing the deed with other people's wives. The smoke really could help to alleviate some stress.
But I don't think I can ask her for one now. I just finished running this Manor, I need to catch a breath to get oxygen. Not smoke filled with nicotine.
"Is there anything you need, lord?"
"It's Xianli."
It keeps bothering me with how the summoned creatures kept calling me 'lord'. But I realized that I never told them my name. So this time I decided to tell her my name in this world.
"Ah, um." she nodded her head, "what do you need, lord Xianli?"
"I don't need you to do anything, but ..., I feel that you need someone to talk with."
She raised one of her brows. "..., need someone to talk with. What is lord Xianli talking about?"
"Is it your family? Or your close one?" I asked.
This is a bit rude, knowing that we are barely an acquaintance. But I can't think of any way to start a conversation with her.
That reaction when she was in the dining hall was something that comes from grief on her heart. I only guessed it, but if my guess turns out to be true, then this will be interesting.
"What do you even ..., forget it!" she wanted to shout but decided to put the conversation down.
Ah, this is bad. I can't think of any opening sentence. After all, I'm not good when it comes to dealing with a person who has past trauma. What should I say?
"This is a story of a certain pyromancer ..., he was a genius since a young age. He mastered the highest tier of magic and hailed as the greatest Archmage of the era. However, his passion for magic was like a fanatism. He continues to study deeper, trying to reveal the biggest mystery in magic." she sucks a mouthful of smoke and exhales it.
I don't know why, but she starts narrated a story.
I put my ear and carefully listened.
"He married into a beautiful woman and have two children. The wife was a demure and sheltered noble lady that married into him because of her family arrangement. The man didn't even love his wife a bit. His love was dedicated to magic, only magic could satisfy his longing. However, he still continues bearing his responsibilities, to continue the bloodline. The two children ..., the firstborn was a female, while the second was a male. Because he felt that there was no need to produce another heir, the man stopped caring about his wife. Busied himself with his magic research while neglecting his family."
She stopped and inhale another smoke. She narrated a story from a third-person point of view, but in actuality, she talked about her household, right? Even without me being a genius, I could guess it.
"Because of the man indifference, the wife started to change. Unable to contain her lust and frustration, she cheated from him. She betrayed her husband and did it with numerous men. When the daughter brought her fiance home, that innocent boy also fell into her trap. Of course, at that time the daughter didn't know about this.
In the end, the wife's perverseness broke the taboo and she did it with her own son, alongside her daughter's fiance. This, with her daughter forced to watch her and the two of them having sex and do some odd crazy stuff like chrysanthemum penetration and the like ..."
Am I fine hearing all of this? Goddamnit, even though I understand it perfectly because of my mental age, but my body is that of fourteen goddamn motherf*cking years old!
Hey, miss! I'm still a young boy, please don't blow my mind with NTR story. This is so sad ..., my heart may be broken after hearing this.
I don't like adultery stories, it's so sad and tragic. At first, it sounds exciting, however, what after that? What about the consequences after doing the deed? Will you bear the responsibilities? Then how?
Yes, I admit that I have done something like messing with other people's wives, but I have promised to never ever again do that.
Well, I make an oath to myself after doing it for the third time to three different couples. But, please ..., I even stopped myself from smoking because of those.
My religion, or should I say the religion once I followed, teaches the man how to punish the cheater.
I'm not following it anymore because of the whole reincarnation thing. I thought when I die I would surely be sent on Realm of Barzakh to receive my eternal punishment until Judgment Day. But why did I awaken in this body? What's happening to me?
Back to the punishment of the adulterous couple.
If the adulterer is an unmarried couple, then he and she will be buried from the neck bellow, and the two will receive a hundred stone throw. If they survived, then they will be exiled and no longer can live in their original environment.
If they are a married couple, he and she will be buried from the neck bellow, and the two will receive a stone throw until they die.
Stealing other people's wives is crueler than murdering the whole family.
I may be a lustful and crooked person, but I still have my morals and dignity as a person. Although that also not something that I can be proud of.
If I live in a country with Sharia Law, then I will be publicly executed by now. No, I am dead already.
Nevertheless, she continued the story. While I dazedly stared at the moth flying around the lampion nearby. Trying to ignore whatever sex scene she just described.
It was too pervert and dirty for me. Even for me who also a pervert and lusty man didn't feel aroused hearing it. Only disgust. That's how perverted her story is.
"..., the man arrived when his wife was in the middle of enjoying the threesome with his son and his daughter fiance. While he saw her daughter tied on the side, forced to watch the disgusting show. The man spurted blood out of his mouth because of how mad he was.
But the wife not even care about his arrival, she just called to him and asked him if he would like to join with them. Crazily laughing like a maniac. The man for the first time in his adult year broke in tears.
Silently weeping. Not a tear, blood drip from his eyes. He didn't want to believe it, want to think of it as an illusion. Unfortunately, all of the things he saw were all true and there was no deception on it."
Damn it, it's all the man's fault at first, but ..., this is too much. The wife was too much, no ..., I should say, her mother is too much of a slut.
"The man in his rage burns them to crisp, while the three lust beasts still drowning on the pleasure and madness.
The man laughed dryly, he took out a ruby gem and said 'It's really unfortunate, I can't show you the result of my hard work all these years.' and swallowed the gem. He glanced at her daughter and said 'sorry' as his last word.
The man, known as the most Genius Archmage end his life by self-destructing himself with the Vermillion Orb, the result of his research for all this year. After he burned down his wife and his son.
The only survivor from that family was the daughter. She was saved from the wrecking flame that burns down the mansion."
She rolled down the silk gloves she wore and revealed the burn mark on her hand. One that should be healthy tan color was a pale pink and unmatched red color. The smoke around her mouth also dispersed, showing her deformed lips because of the burn mark.
I stared at what behind her mask with a shocked gaze.
Yes, it's only natural for a man to feel disgusted or pity when seeing something like this.
However, I don't know what expression should I make right now. I just dazedly stare at her lips. My breath got ragged because of seeing this.
After calming down myself, I averted my gaze from her and said, "I don't know why you telling me this story, I'm just a fourteen years old boy. What can I understand?"
"Really? I think that you are more mature than you look." she glanced at me playfully.
"That daughter of the Archmage, it's you," I said convicted.
"..." she wordlessly rolled her gloves back up and inhale another smoke. Shrugged her shoulder, she said, "Who knows, maybe yes, maybe no ..."
"..." I fell silent.
It's true that she can tell me a made-up story, but for what purpose? To gain my sympathy? She need not that, right?
"The girl ..., despaired. Losing all of her family weighting her mind. Why I didn't die? Why it was me the only one who survived? She asked about that question to the God she believed.
When she looked up at her father's belongings, she found a familiar red orb. The orb that her father swallowed before he died. She swallowed the Vermillion Orb as her father did at the end of despair. Trying to end her meaningless life."
Arianne continues the story ..., so she has some history with Ruby Gem Fragment. I still couldn't figure it out as to why she reacted strongly back to the dining hall. Is it because her father died because of it?
"However, not only she survived she became stronger ..., this left her with other questions on her mind. Why I am alive? Why can't I die? Why father and everyone died?
Before long, she started to think about what happened from a different perspective. Trying to guess what was in their mind ..., before they died. What would be the son thinking when he was having sex with his mother? What would be the boy thinking when he was having sex with his fiancee mother? What would be the wife thinking when her husband found her in the middle of cheating? What would be the man thinking when he had to kill his own wife and son before committing into suicide?"
There are too many questions there! And I know exactly whether it was the son, the fiance-boy or the mother ..., they think nothing besides pleasure! They were driven by lust after all.
But still, for a girl to watch her own mother betraying her father. And that mother broke the worst taboo ever and f*ck her brother. The worse part was that the one who will be her partner in the future was doing it with her mother. Then, what would that girl think?
If I were that man, what would be in his mind when he killed his beloved, his son? What he was thinking when he decided to end his life here and then?
"Relieved." I suddenly said.
"...?"
I looked at Arianne. She stared at me with creased brows, definitely puzzled with my word.
"The man feels relieved when he finally killed his wife and ended his life. Because he will end his wife's despair and stopping her before doing more sin in the world."
"..." she took a deep sip of the smoke and exhale it.
"While yes, it's true that the one who was at fault first was the man. However, what the woman did was not something to be forgiven. And even if he could forgive her, he couldn't forgive himself. That's why he would feel relieved from doing all of that."
"..."
Arianne stared at me with her ruby eyes. I met her gaze and we interlocked in staring contest.
She was the first to look away. Discarding the almost finished cigarettes and stomp it to put down the fire.
She lit another cigarette and hastily inhale the smoke. The surrounding became smokey like there are some fog happening.
"Relieved ..., huh?" she muttered.
Her gaze was at the distant Crescent Moon.
I followed her line of sight, and yeah it was truly strange. Now there were three moons in the night.
The blue moon and the biggest, Forista. The ash-grey moon, Sekunda. And the red-copper, Carita. Tonight, it was Forista crescent moon and the two other full moon.
"..." I silently look on the dark side of the Forista.
I still don't understand why am I reincarnated in this place. I should receive my eternal punishment in hell. I'm not a believer in reincarnation and stuff after all.
But maybe, this is my second chance to live a better life.
Not the scheming and lusty bastard I was back on earth, but a proper man who holds dignity and responsibility. Maybe that's why I'm reincarnated in this place.
That's right ..., I will not be that bastard who thinks with his lower part of the body. No, maybe just a little bit. But I will hold it back.
But no, I won't do something that I regret. Like breaking the taboo and other forbidden stuff. I don't need anything like that to satisfy my desire.
We just keep silent, watching the same sight until who knows when.
"It's getting cold, let's go back to the dining hall first." I was the first to break the ice.
"Be careful with that mother of yours, lord Xianli. She has the same air as the wife of the story I told you just now." she suddenly said.
Mother? No way!
I don't want to believe it. However, looking at her expression, she is deadpan serious.
I have no memories and recollection with my mother here, but she is the one and true family in this world. I can't believe it if someone told me that she is someone like that.
But this Arianne, she never said something that she doesn't sure of it.
"..., protect me well, then," I stated.
"I ..., of course, I will protect you, lord Xianli." she smiled and nodded her head with a fiery burning spirit.
"Let's go back."
"Okay, lets." now she could smile.
"Oh ..., you're finally back, son!" Mom noticed us and called.
After what Arianne said just before, I don't know why, but I think I started distancing myself from her. I sat in her right and then said.
"Arianne ..., Vermillion Orb you're talking about, how many of gem fragments do you need to create one?"
Arianne already put her mask again. Her visage without mask still lingered in my mind, but I kept persuading myself to not feel disgusted by her.
Right, it's not like her face is disgusting like Mileena with monster-like jaw and teeth. She's a human, probably.
"Three Ruby Gem Fragment, one Quartz Gem Fragment," she said.
I materialize two more [Ruby Gem Fragment(R)] and one [Quartz Gem Fragment(V)] as she said.
This time the stepmothers showed less reaction. Perhaps they already getting used to this.
I handed the four gems fragment to her. "Can you please, transmute these gems ...,"
Arianne stared at me for some time before reluctantly nodded her head. She took out her metal glove from who-know-where and equip it. The fire created from her spell melted the gem fragment like liquid glass.
I know that the melting point for glass is around 1500 degrees Celcius. It should be scorching hot, even I will feel the heat radiation from ten-step around it. But her fire is not hot at all. No, that's not right, the heat of her fire spell is trapped by some kind of barrier ball around her gloves.
I see, using a barrier to trap the heat and hot air pressure of the fire magic. This magic of her is surprisingly scientific. Cultivation is one interesting thing, but her magic or I should say, Myscreat magic is also a marvelous study.
When I wonder about the usefulness of magic, mom asked. "Son, what is she doing right now?"
"She is transmuting the four gem fragment into a Vermillion Orb. I think this will be a better gift to Gu Fengling."
"Vermillion Orb?" she tilted her head.
"Hmmm ..., just think of it as the more precious gem compared to the Ruby Gem Frag- I mean, Concentrated Fire Crystal."
"Ah, let's see ...,"
Arianne finished her transmutation. I never thought that the so-called 'transmutation' was something like this. Isn't this just melting four gem fragments to create a round gem?
"It's done, Lord."
Arianne put the orb on the table. Because of the orb still absurdly hot it leaves a burn mark on the wooden table.
I reached my hand to grab the orb. However, before my hand reached it, a mysterious force pulled the orb and it flew into someone who sat beside me.
"Mom?"
It was my mom. She with her strange hand gesture did some kind of telekinesis. She observed the floating red orb intently.
"Concubine Kang, fetch me the Item Appraiser!" She commanded with her most serious tone.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
amethystore
amethystore Does anyone think this is too forced? Because I think it is. :v
Like she barely knows him, and yet she told him her life story. But yeah, perhaps she did it because he was abusing his authority as her master(summoner). So like it or not, she got to tell him her story.
Okay, this is my personal experience. I have done this before to a girl, yes, I told her my trauma and stuff even though we are just normal friends. And after I did that, she distanced herself from me.
I did it with another girl, who obviously had the right frequency for me, and we were dating. Maybe she took pity on me or something. Though not that long, I broke up with her cuz she started getting annoying.
I don't know, my personal life never went well. I even ignored my classmate who got a traffic accident that happened just right in front of me because at that time my mood was bad.
Weekly Power Status
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