According to Liya, there were only two gods in this world whose authorities involved “procreation.”
One was the Seventh Demon God of the Demon Realm — the Mother of Pleasure — and the other was the Goddess of Love, who belonged to the Light faction.
The former specialized in endless, debaucherous orgies, while the latter focused on “romance economics.”
Did you love her?
Then you should buy her a gemstone ring blessed by the Goddess of Love!
The Goddess would ensure your love remained as eternal as the mountains and seas.
As for why a ring with a gemstone that cost less than 100 Copper Kulun could sell for several silver coins or even dozens of gold coins — it was because true love was priceless.
Both possessed the power to promote fertility and protect pregnancies, so both should technically work on “Pupu.”
However, in Liya’s eyes, both also carried rather unpleasant side effects.
The Mother of Pleasure, for instance, would indeed allow her believers to experience the ultimate joy of procreation, making the process active, passionate, and exceptionally easy.
But at the same time, she would also corrupt the believer’s mind.
They would become increasingly obsessed with procreation while their stimulation threshold rose higher and higher, gradually becoming utterly unrestrained.
In layman’s terms, they would slide all the way from “noble and elegant” to “wild and dissolute,” unlocking more and more deviant attributes.
Then there was the Goddess of Love.
While she didn’t have the aforementioned issues, she had plenty of others.
The biggest problem was the general decline in intelligence associated with being “love-brained.”
Because one’s mind would become entirely filled with the other person, to the point where even the bubbles they blew were heart-shaped, they would instinctively surrender everything.
They would let the other party take whatever they wanted without a single regret.
Their rational judgment would fail, and their emotional state would warp into something like:
‘The weather is so nice today; I really want to do something with them.’
Liya could hardly imagine what a hellish sight it would be if she — the brilliant, sharp-eyed, and incomparably wise Demon Lord — turned into the kind of love-brain she had always looked down upon.
She would rather die than be influenced by the Laws of Love!
But then again, who would be foolish enough to provoke those two entities?
‘Whatever, I’ll just find a way to research some Pupu-strengthening supplements… By the way, do Pupus even have kidneys?’
Liya fell into deep thought.
***
Meanwhile, Gibran was carefully opening a brocade box, taking out a sigil that emitted a faint pink glow.
Inside a side hall deep within the imperial palace, the Second Prince, Gibran, was examining it with great caution.
The patterns of the sigil were complex and bewitching, possessing a strange, eye-catching allure.
It looked like a blooming poppy, yet also like a pair of overlapping, twisted, heart-shaped wings.
“Is this… the Mark of Pleasure?”
Margaret took one look and felt her heart race and her face flush.
She instinctively took a step back, shielding her chest with her hands.
“You… you aren’t planning to stick that on me, are you?”
“How could I, my foolish sister?”
Gibran closed the box elegantly.
His face wore his usual bright and cheerful smile, but it gave off a confident yet chilling sense of being in total control.
“This mark is incomplete. Its owner — the Chosen Greater Demon of Pleasure, Critina — fell long ago. Because of that, the power of the Demon God within this mark has dried up. Right now, it is like an extremely thirsty beast, desperate to replenish its divine power through a ritual.”
He lowered his voice, his tone suggesting something intimate.
“And the way the Mark of Pleasure replenishes divine power is… through love-making. As long as we secretly attach this thing to the Hero, it will immediately begin to warp his reason. Through the laws of the Demon God, it will greatly enhance the bearer’s physical desires and their personal charm.”
“When that time comes, the Hero will lose his mind and instinctively move on the woman closest to him.”
Gibran looked at Margaret with a meaningful gaze.
“So, what we need to consider now is how to do this naturally. It would be best to disguise it as… an irresistible accident.”
“We can start with that Pupu. Joen dotes on it very much,” Margaret suggested thoughtfully.
“A Pupu?”
Gibran blinked.
“Wait a second.”
He waved his hand to interrupt Margaret, gesturing as he tried to confirm.
“Is the Pupu you’re talking about the one I’m thinking of… round, soft, and often used to make perfume?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
Margaret turned her head away in embarrassment, her expression somewhat resentful.
If only Joen were willing to spend even a tenth of the patience he had for that Pupu on her, how could their relationship be so strained?
At this moment, she had completely forgotten how impatient she had been with Joen at the very beginning.
‘Raising a Pupu? My god.’
Gibran never expected the Hero to have such a peculiar hobby.
For a moment, he was speechless, unsure whether to laugh or sigh.
“If there’s a pet, then we can certainly make use of that,” Gibran mused.
“What do you plan to do?”
Margaret asked curiously.
Gibran glanced at her and declined to answer.
“Success depends on secrecy; words lead to failure. You don’t need to know.”
“Second Brother, you don’t even trust me?”
Margaret asked in disbelief.
“It’s your brain I don’t trust.”
Margaret’s gaze grew increasingly resentful.
Why did her brothers always enjoy mocking her?
Gibran ignored her and walked slowly into his study.
He personally ground the ink and wrote a sincere, friendly invitation, asking Joen to attend a private banquet this Sunday.
Fearing Joen might not come, he added a special emphasis at the end: “In addition to myself, the Imperial Privy Councilor and the Minister of Arcane Affairs will also be attending. Everyone is very curious about a Hero of such great merit and wishes to discuss the future planning of the White Wolf Territory with you.”
Once finished, he sealed it in a gold-stamped envelope and placed it into a Jade Box along with a carefully selected gift of jewelry.
Gibran instructed his attendant, “Deliver this gift to the Hero’s residence. Remember to be humble and respectful. Do not show any slight just because of the Hero’s young age. Treat him with the etiquette due to a Duke.”
The attendant took the instructions to heart.
Early the next morning, he arrived at the embassy.
The mansion bestowed by the Emperor had not yet been handed over, and since the Hero had no relatives in the Empire Capital, he guessed the man was still staying at the embassy.
He was right, and the Hero soon granted him an audience.
However, just before entering the room, a priest happened to be leaving.
The attendant caught a subtle glimpse of the man and memorized his appearance.
Entering the room, the attendant saw various gift boxes piled high on the floor and tables.
The Hero, whose exposed upper body was as perfect as a sculpted piece of art, looked troubled.
Meanwhile, an ultra-miniature pink “girl” was excitedly tearing open gift boxes.
“Sorry, it’s a bit messy in here,” Joen said with a wry smile.
“Are you here to deliver a letter too? Just put it down. Though, could you take the valuables inside back with you?”
The attendant performed a very serious bow, keeping his head low and his tone respectful and gentle.
“Lord Hero, I have come on the orders of the Second Prince, Gibran Arenius. There are no precious items inside. My master has admired you for a long time, so please, do us the honor of attending.”
“I see. I’ll… well, I’ll look at it,” Joen said, looking at Liya with a guilty conscience.
Because his learning progress had been delayed recently, he had already forgotten most of the words he had struggled to learn.
He now relied entirely on Liya to read his mail for him.
“What time is it for?”
He asked casually, afraid Liya might misread it.
“Sunday evening,” the attendant replied quickly.
“Sunday?”
Joen paused, looking hesitant.
“But I’ve already promised someone else for Sunday evening…”
“Who did you promise, sir?”
The attendant’s heart sank.
“Saintess Yuna. She invited me to her family dinner,” Joen explained with some helplessness, feeling a bit annoyed.
The massive pile of invitations was causing his initial excitement for “noble banquets” to gradually turn into exhaustion.
After the attendant left, Joen turned and asked Liya, “Lily, which one do you think I should turn down?”
‘Why are you asking me? How should I know if you prefer a brainless hottie or a gap-moe bitch?’
Liya grumbled inwardly.
But she certainly couldn’t say that out loud.
She used an innocent tone and said, “Mm~ Lily doesn’t know~ Both seem fine~”
“Then who does Lily like more? Yuna? The Princess? Or do you hate them both?”
Joen asked seriously, gently scratching Liya’s belly.
‘Are you picking out a stepmother for me?! Why are you asking me!’
Liya was annoyed, but she just gave a casual answer:
“Yuna, then — her chest is bigger.”
Fine, the truth was that she didn’t want Joen getting too close to the princes.
As the Demon Lord, she had seriously studied the current state of the Empire’s politics.
As a long-lived Emperor in a supernatural world, the current Emperor Nigel was extremely centralized and fond of using his children to balance one another.
The First Prince, Caesar, had outstanding military achievements.
His personal strength and military power were top-tier, and he was highly popular within the Army.
The Second Prince, Gibran, served as the Finance Minister.
He held the strings of the national treasury tightly and was closely connected to the Grand Tutor in the imperial court.
The Third Prince was known as a child prodigy.
He was literate by age 3, memorizing prayer poems by age 5, and by age 8, he had mastered all the introductory texts of the four orthodox churches.
He was currently in the phase of building his reputation, with various moving stories that aligned with religious values emerging constantly.
He was well-loved by the people, and his name was synonymous with virtue.
As for the Fourth Princess, Margaret…
Well, she was certainly pretty.