Chapter 256: First Encounter with Fate
Kailun left the dungeon after only half an hour. Taking control of Rose was just a side task.
After she signed the new contract, he brought her back to the surface.
He had a premonition that something would happen tonight, so he had no intention of sleeping.
Kailun gathered everyone in the courtyard. He first warned them about what might happen and then set up several tables for chess and card games.
Under these special circumstances, he had to keep everyone within his sight.
Anna, Vivian, and Winnie were sitting at the same table as Kailun. Rose, who had just been brought out by Kailun, went to where Shirley and the others were.
The farther away from Kailun, the better. This was the lesson she had learned.
Chrissy and Phils didn’t participate in the card games. They sat beside Kailun, squeezing against him.
For them, no entertainment was more interesting than Kailun. However, their biggest regret was that Bella occupied the spot on Kailun’s lap.
“Three of Bamboo,” Winnie said softly, playing a card.
Vivian, her legs crossed, looked at Kailun. “Pong, Five of Stripes.”
“You’ve all worked hard recently. Nine of Characters.”
Kailun didn’t play the card himself. One of his arms was around Bella’s waist, and the other was stroking Phils’ head. Bella was in charge of playing the cards for him.
Anna also glanced at Kailun. “Will you be back after you’re done with all this? Nine of Characters.”
Only Winnie was seriously studying the game. She hesitated for a moment before playing her card. “Nine of Bamboo, anyone want it?”
Vivian, her expression blank, said, “Pong.”
Winnie looked at her. “…..”
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but Vivian always seemed to “pong” her cards on purpose.
“Of course, I’ll have plenty of time to spend with you all after today. But now isn’t the time to celebrate prematurely, so I won’t jinx it.”
Kailun chuckled and pinched Bella’s waist. She understood and played a card.
Chrissy, the Saint sitting to Kailun’s left, looked envious. “Can I play next round?”
“Sorry, today’s a bit special. I have to look after this little one, Bella. I can spend a day with you alone next time.”
Kailun smiled at Chrissy.
Among everyone present, Bella was the most likely to encounter danger. To ensure her safety, he would keep her within his sight.
This was the safest method for Kailun. Because he had been a gambler, he didn’t want to gamble on anything else.
“That’s settled then, a day alone with me.” Chrissy leaned against Kailun’s shoulder and sighed helplessly.
Phils, sitting on the other side, immediately said, “What about me? What about me? You promised to punish me before. Did you forget?”
Kailun turned to her. “I already punished you. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t dare to ask again after that?”
Phils replied bluntly, “My skin is itching again.”
Kailun: “…”
Anna: “…”
“As expected of you.”
Everyone said in unison. Only Kailun could match Phils’ “perversion.”
“Hmph, indulging in pleasure all day long. You’ll be drained one day.” Vivian snorted.
In just half a month, she felt her position had declined significantly. Even the newcomer, Illusion, had surpassed her.
The most frustrating thing was that she was kept in the dark. Everyone had secrets they were hiding from her.
She was unhappy. She wanted Kailun all to herself.
“I enjoy indulging in beauty. What’s warmer in this world than beautiful girls?”
Kailun sighed and buried his face in Bella’s chest, enjoying the softness and warmth. His mood relaxed.
He didn’t need to hide his true nature in front of his family, and Bella wouldn’t dislike him for it.
Although a bit shy, Bella gently embraced Kailun. Holding him like this inexplicably gave her a sense of peace.
Seeing this, Vivian felt even more jealous. She had been the first one, after all.
She pointed at Rose at the next table with resentment. “Not just beautiful girls, you haven’t even spared the beautiful older women.”
Rose, who was drawing a card, froze.
If she weren’t at the bottom of the “hierarchy,” she would have challenged Vivian to a duel.
She had finally regained her freedom and didn’t want to be imprisoned again because of some accident.
Kailun found Vivian’s expression amusing. Just as he was about to say something, three giant beams of light shot into the sky. He looked closely and realized they were coming from different directions.
One from the Empire, one from the Abyss, and one from within the White Jade Alliance’s territory, probably Portland.
The beam from Portland was the dimmest, tainted with a faint blackness compared to the other golden beams. This blackness was Carol and the others’ doing.
“Snap!”
Kailun snapped his fingers, activating the magic formation in the valley and increasing his mana output.
No one spoke. They all looked at Kailun, a sense of tension filling the air. Chrissy and Phils, sitting beside him, clutched his arms tightly.
“Crack!”
The sound of something shattering echoed in everyone’s minds. They looked up at the sky and saw a giant crack tearing through the world, countless golden rays of light escaping from it.
As the crack expanded, the magic formation in the valley erupted, sending a massive mana torrent sweeping across the world.
Many weak individuals fainted instantly, while a few stronger ones managed to hold on for a bit longer.
When the three golden beams of light completely merged, everyone lost consciousness. The world seemed to have been paused, everything coming to a standstill.
When Kailun opened his eyes again, he was in the valley outside the Royal City, Bella unconscious in his arms.
There was no sound of wind or birds chirping. The falling petals froze in mid-air, and the moonlight was locked in a specific moment.
“Clap, clap, clap!”
The silence was broken by a round of applause. Kailun turned around and saw a veiled woman.
She had a slender figure, hair that shimmered with gold and silver, and eyes that sparkled like gems. Golden threads of light converged around her, threads of fate.
“You always surprise me. Can you tell me how you did it?”
She walked towards Kailun barefoot, a few golden threads covering her vital parts.
Kailun looked at her with amusement. “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?”
Fate’s expression stiffened. She used more fate threads to weave a garment and draped it over herself. “It’s not that I didn’t want to, but I consumed too much mana dealing with your little trick. Fortunately, I’ve recovered most of it in the past few seconds. I didn’t expect you to be so unromantic. My opinion of you has dropped again. Do you regret it?”
[Fate’s interest in you has increased. Goodwill +1]
Kailun: “…”
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