"Do we really have to dress this ridiculously?"
September wasn't quite summer, but the heat hadn't faded yet. The blazing sun hung overhead, hot enough to make you want to strip naked. And here was Lorist trudging along the main street behind Caritoc and Dolores, bundled in a loose, hooded brown linen raincloak. All three of them wore the same getup — the cloaks were completely non-breathable, and Lorist was drenched in sweat. What made it even more unbearable were the looks passersby shot their way, like they were watching three lunatics.
It was all Dolores's fault. He and Caritoc had arrived way too early, and after lunch they couldn't sit still. Dolores had suggested they walk to the address on the invitation, calling it a way to aid digestion. And so the three of them had set off like that…
"My lord — oh no, Locke, the invitation specifically said we had to dress like this so no one would recognize us…" Dolores replied. The three of them had agreed not to use that title.
"Damn it, that's for when you step down from a carriage dressed like this! Who on earth walks all the way there like three idiots the way we're doing? When word gets out tomorrow, we'll be the laughingstock of the capital." Lorist was fuming.
"Well, what do you suggest we do about it?"
"Hail a carriage, ride around the city for a few laps, and head to the venue when the time comes." Lorist made the call without hesitation.
The miserable trio waited an eternity before they finally flagged down a hired carriage. The driver actually thought they were trying to rob him and was about to scream for help. Lorist tossed him a gold Fordis to shut him up, then had the man drive them around the city until two o'clock, when they finally arrived at the address written on the invitation.
The address on the invitation turned out to be a dilapidated mansion. After walking through the front gate, an elderly man dressed as a house steward examined their invitation and said, "Gentlemen, please follow me."
He led the three to the shabby rear courtyard, where over a dozen black four-wheeled carriages with no markings of any kind stood waiting. The old man walked up to the foremost carriage and said, "My lords, please get in. It will still take some time to reach the actual venue. This carriage will take you there."
The three climbed in, and the carriage set off immediately. Only then did they notice that the windows had been painted black on the inside, preventing any view of the outside. Lorist pushed at the door — sure enough, it was locked from the outside. Fortunately, the skylight in the carriage roof was open, letting in gusts of fresh air that kept the enclosed space from becoming too stifling.
"What theatrical nonsense... deliberately making things all mysterious," Lorist snorted.
The carriage traveled for roughly an hour and a half before finally coming to a stop. The lock on the outside of the door was soon opened, and a pleasant feminine voice called out, "Welcome, my lords. This is paradise on earth. Please step out."
Dores was the first to step down, and he froze in place. Next came Karitok, who was equally rooted to the spot.
Lorist said, "What are you two doing? Move aside — I haven't gotten off yet."
He shoved them both aside and stepped out. The moment he did, his jaw dropped too.
The room was extraordinarily spacious, lavishly decorated to the nines. Candles lining the ceiling and corners of every wall bathed the entire room in a dazzling golden glow.
The very carriage that had brought the three of them stood parked in the center of the room, but the fine horses and the driver had vanished without a trace. Standing before them now was a group of stunning young women wearing nothing at all — well, not exactly nothing. Each was draped in a thin gauze of white, and the bare flesh beneath flickered in and out of view through the sheer fabric, all the more tantalizing for it.
Dores was on the verge of a nosebleed, and Karitok beside him was not far behind. Lorist, on the other hand, still had his composure — he clapped a heavy hand on each of their shoulders to bring them back to their senses.
A voluptuous beauty approached and bowed deeply, allowing the three a generous view of the lively little rabbits hidden beneath the gauze on her chest. "Gentlemen, please follow me. The changing room is over there…"
Dores and Karitok's eyes glazed over again. "Yes, yes, of course…" they mumbled, following her without a second thought.
"This, gentlemen, is your changing room. Please leave your clothes and weapons here. Participation in the Garden of Eden requires nudity, though you may wrap a towel around your waist. Choose a mask from these and put it on. All guests, men and women, must wear masks so that their identities remain hidden." The voluptuous beauty held out a silver tray laden with a variety of masks.
Dores picked up an eyepatch-style mask and asked, "Why aren't you wearing one?"
The voluptuous beauty replied, "Sir, we are handmaidens. Handmaidens do not need masks."
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If they were here to participate in the Garden of Eden, they had to follow the host's rules. The three quickly stripped, wrapped towels around their waists, and donned masks. Karitok chose a white fox mask, while Lorist selected a black bat mask.
The voluptuous beauty then brought over three bracelets, each strung with ten gleaming pearls that seemed to have characters inscribed on them.
"Sir, if you feel a handmaiden has served you well, you may reward her with one or two pearls. Each pearl represents one Gold Forde, which will be settled when you leave. If you run out, you may have more brought to you."
The three strapped the bracelets onto their wrists. Lorist noticed his pearls were inscribed with "White Ten," while Dores's and Karitok's bore "White Eight" and "White Nine," respectively.
"Gentlemen, please follow me. I will show you around…"
Dores followed behind the voluptuous woman, his hand already resting on her backside.
She turned to Dores and said, "Sir, there are many empty rooms upstairs. If you're willing to give me a pearl, I'd be happy to take you up to rest for a bit…"
Dores broke into a wide grin. "Sure."
The voluptuous woman waved toward the distance, and another beauty with long golden hair, similarly draped in a light gauze robe, came over.
"Dors, I'm going to take this gentleman upstairs to rest. You can show these two gentlemen around." With that, the voluptuous woman grabbed Dores's hand and led him up the staircase beside them.
The golden-haired beauty bowed and said, "Greetings, sirs. My name is Dors. Allow me to give you a tour of the place."
"This is the main bathhouse — there's a swimming pool as well as smaller individual baths. In the rooms to the side, there are beds where you can rest if you're tired…" They happened to arrive at the doorway of a small room. It had no door, just a curtain of beads strung across the entrance. Inside was a modest space with only a large bed.
Karitok couldn't hold back either. He scooped up the golden-haired beauty in front of him, carried her into the room, and with a laugh, pushed her down onto the bed…
Damn, that was eager. Lorist looked around. There was nobody — probably because the three of them had arrived too early. They hadn't seen any other masked guests yet, which was why the grand bathhouse was practically empty with barely a soul in sight.
In the corner, there was a small private bath. Lorist walked over to it. The moment he stepped into the water, he was surprised — it was a hot spring. Upon closer sniffing, there was even a faint trace of sulfur in the air. Around the small bath, there was a recessed area that was clearly designed as a seat. Lorist tried it out. The spot was like a reclining lounge — leaning back, his head and upper chest stayed above the surface while lying flat submerged the rest of his body in the warm water. It was incredibly comfortable.
This will do, Lorist looked around and noticed a bell nearby. He gave it a shake, and it rang out with a crisp chime. Before long, a maidservant appeared at his side. "My lord, is there anything you need?"
"Bring me some fruit wine and something to eat — the more fruit, the better," Lorist said.
What Lorist had requested was ready in short order. The maidservant lifted the lid off the small wine cask and poured the wine into a silver cup.
"My lord, would you like me to attend to you?" the maidservant asked.
Lorist plucked a bead from his bracelet and handed it to her. "No need. I'd like some peace and quiet."
"Thank you, my lord."
Soaking in the hot spring while enjoying fine food and wine was a pleasure in itself. Within half an hour, masked guests had begun streaming in — men and women alike. Some of the masked women gathered in clusters, chatting about this and that, while others led men into the small private rooms. Certain men spotted the masked ladies and went over to pour on the charm, making the women giggle with delight until they ultimately won one over and carried her into a room. Others weren't so successful, and ended up dragging a nearby maidservant into a room to sate their desires instead.
Lorist lounged in the small corner bath, watching the whole spectacle unfold like a window onto the varied faces of human nature. In truth, the masked female guests — the noble ladies and young misses who had come to attend the paradise party — were not all that much more beautiful than the maidservants standing at attention nearby. Some were arguably less attractive. But the masks lent them an air of mystery, and their high-born status meant they were not simply there for the taking like the maidservants, which only made them all the more captivating to the male guests.
These masked noble ladies and young misses were just as naked as the maidservants, draped in nothing but a sheer gauze wrap. The only difference was the masks on their faces. They flirted with the male guests and allowed themselves to be fondled, yet they would not so easily agree to retire to a private room — not until their partner had been driven half-mad with desire would they feign reluctance and finally give in to his wishes…
Lorist spotted Karitok leaving the small room with that golden-haired maidservant, but his attention was quickly drawn to a few plump, full-figured noble ladies lounging in the pool. Without a word, he leaped into the water with a splash, swam over to the ladies, and struck up a conversation…
A petite girl wearing a butterfly mask and draped in sheer gauze hurried over, only to discover Lorist when she reached the small pool. "Ah, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't know you were here. I was just thinking how lucky I was that no one was around…"
This small pool was tucked away in a corner, the candlelight dim, nothing like the large, brightly lit swimming pool in the main hall. Without paying close attention, it was easy to miss Lorist with his entire body submerged in the water.
"If you don't mind my intrusion, you're welcome to join me. The pool is a bit small, but there's still room for a few more." Lorist picked up the silver goblet resting on the pool's edge.
The girl hesitated for a moment, but she climbed into the pool all the same, submerging herself completely in the water.
"I love the hot spring in this little pool. Every time I come, I always end up soaking here," the girl said. "Is this your first time?"
"Yes. Good evening, miss, my name is Locke." Lorist nodded.
The girl burst out laughing. "No one uses their real name here. You can call me Daisy — though of course that's not my real name either."
"Oh? I had no idea there was such a rule," said Lorist.
"Don't worry about it. If you say your name is Locke, people will just assume it's fake too. But you really are a strange one — isn't a first-timer supposed to go over there and mingle with the noble ladies? Or drag a maidservant into one of the private rooms? Instead, you're sitting alone in the little pool, drinking and eating…"
"Mm, I just wanted some peace and quiet…" Lorist said.
"Who's Jingjing?" the girl asked curiously.
"Uh..." Lorist choked on the spot and quickly sat up. "Cough, cough, cough... I meant I like being quiet, sitting here alone in a daze..."
The girl blushed, realizing her mistake, but then her eyes lit up. "Wow, you're really fit. Those scars are so attractive..."
Standing up had exposed his upper body. Several scars across his chest and back were left from the assassination attempt by that Galinan Great Swordmaster. In the changing room, when Lorist had stripped, he'd noticed several maidservants' eyes filled with fear when they swept over him. He hadn't expected the girl opposite to react to these scars with a look of fascination instead.
The girl swam over vigorously and came to Lorist's side. "Aren't you going to offer me a drink?"
"I'll call a maidservant to bring another wine cup," said Lorist.
"No need." The girl directly picked up the silver cup Lorist had been drinking from, took several large gulps, and drained it. "Ah, that hits the spot."
The girl's long hair was brown, her skin fair and smooth, her chin a bit round, and her cheeks still had a touch of youthful softness. Her collarbones were lovely, and below that, though her breasts were not large, they were perky and shaped like pointed tips.
Seeing Lorist's gaze fall on her chest, the girl didn't show any shyness. Instead, she straightened up proudly. "Nice, aren't they?"
Lorist nodded. "Are you also a follower of Michila?"
"No." The girl reached out and traced the scars on Lorist's body. "These were left from battle?"
Lorist said nothing. The girl continued guessing. "You shouldn't hold a very high rank — a company commander or a battalion commander at most, right? That's why you still have to charge into the fray yourself…"
Lorist looked at the girl. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts. "There, that should be fair enough. You got angry when I touched your scars, so I'm letting you touch me back…"
As Lorist cupped the soft mounds in his hands, he spoke. "You don't understand. Every single scar represents one time I brushed past the Grim Reaper. That's why I don't like recalling how any of them came to be…"
The girl moved closer to Lorist, making it easier for him to fondle her. "These past few times, the princess has been inviting a large number of mid-ranking officers from the army to the Garden of Delights for some reason. They're all so crude, and they prefer those plumper noble ladies. I despise them. None of them have your manners…"
Lorist asked, "How many times have you attended the Garden of Delights?"
"Including this one, it'll be the fifth." The girl's fingers traced lazy circles across Lorist's chest.
"If you don't worship the Goddess of Desire and Pleasure, then why do you keep coming to the Garden of Delights? Looking for a thrill?"
"No. Looking for protection." The girl said, "My father was killed in battle. My younger brother is still small. Though we've inherited the territory, we have no real strength to defend it. If I join the Garden of Delights, the princess will grant her protection to our family, and my brother will have time to grow up slowly…"
The girl's hand slipped beneath the towel wrapped around Lorist's waist. Her eyes lit up once more. "Wow, that's big."
Lorist tried to stop her.
"Don't move," the girl said. "It's rare for me to take the initiative. Just lie there and enjoy yourself."
The girl lowered her body and bowed her head...
(PS: The following scenes fall under the jurisdiction of the River Crab God. Please refer to Japanese indoor romantic action films and imagine approximately thirty thousand characters' worth on your own... We'll continue tomorrow...)(To be continued.)