Chapter 401 - Double Teaming. R-18
Amelia reached between her legs and grabbed Hal's head to pull him even harder against her pussy which she even took to grinding against his delectable lips to help get her off even more.
Her body occasionally spasmed as Hal continued to make use of his tongue against the spot inside her pussy that was making her go crazy and that was saying something considering, her entire vaginal area was already aflame with lustful passion.
Hal's cunnilingus got even more aggressive and Amelia was more than happy to enjoy it as she continued to arch her back and thrust her pussy even more at him and Hal continued to enjoy her enthusiasm.
Emily was coming down from her orgasmic high and then she noticed her daughter twisting with pleasure and she inched closer to the two and grabbed one of Amelia's perfect nipples into her mouth and sucked hard.
Amelia groaned at the feeling and Emily feeling quite the thrill from this reached over to her daughter's other breast and began to knead it.
Then she began to alternate between both perky tits while Amelia moaned to both the feeling of her mother nursing on her breasts as well as Hal's incredible tongue inside her.
As well as his continuous and never paused teasing of her erect and sensitive clit.
Eventually, she reached the limit of what she could take and began to shake and soon transitioned into the familiar spasm of Orgasm while she yelled out her passion to any who could and would definitely hear,
"Ohhhh, Yesssss, I love it... Ohhhh, I'm cummminnngggg..."
And then she flopped on the bed and only occasionally twitched from residual orgasmic passion.
The whole thing had been quite a turn on Hal and he was more than ready to thrust his cock into any of the two welcoming pussies.
He decided, however, not to go for Amelia who was still hypersensitive right now, and instead went for Emily whose perfect ass was thrust up as she continued to nurse on her daughter's breast despite the orgasmic episode.
However, since she saw Hal rising from Amelia's pussy after he had licked the whole area clean of her juices, Emily let the nipple in her mouth fall loose as she grinned at Hal who grinned back at her before his eyes went Dark and he released Devil energy to initiate {Mind-meld}.
Once it was initiated, Emily's grin, if possible got even winder as she recognized the feeling and remembered it as the one that put a stop to her inability to dual cultivate properly in the process of which Hal quite literally fucked her mind.
Hal then turned her so she was in an opposing direction to her daughter and facing the wall. Then with her on all fours, he placed his cock at her entrance, and in one sudden forward thrust, he buried the entire length inside her all at once.
"Nnggghhhh"
Emily moaned at how incredible it felt and even more so as {Mind Meld} caused a multiplication of pleasurable sensations of sorts.
She arched her back and thrust back against Hal who met her thrust with a bright smile on his face.
However, with his Dark devil eyes as well as the mild Devil energy he was oozing, the smile looked quite malevolent.
Emily, of course, could not see the smile and even if she could, she would have probably found it attractive and she could not be blamed.
If there was someone who could pull off a Malevolent look, it was Hal.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
The thrusts were always consistent and always resulting in the faint and almost imperceptible increase in the volume of Emily's moans. While she could still comprehend details and events, she was still mostly oblivious to anything that did not involve Hal thrusting into her as hard as he possibly could.
"Oh, that's it. Fuck me, Fuck me hard..." She requested and even began to bounce her ass with Hal still in her and he groaned to show he quite enjoyed it.
But her words caused him to chuckle as he paused his thrusts. Once he was no longer pounding her, Emily groaned from the neglection,
"Why did you stop?" She whined and began to attempt fucking herself on his cock but somehow it was not the same. She wanted... No, she needed him to be the one doing the pounding and so she became vocal about it and Hal being the roguish bastard he was said,
"Beg for it"
Emily did not even think of it and was already pleading with him while still thrusting herself on his cock,
"Please... Please... Please fuck me" she said and immediately,
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
The thrusts were back in intensity and Emily took to a vocal expression of her appreciation,
"Oh yes, thank you... Yessss, right there... Fuck me" she moaned just as Hal leaned forward on her back and grabbed her breasts to begin kneading the two large fun bags and pinching her nipples while his thrusts never lessened in intensity.
And then he leaned away and released her breasts and grabbed her hips while he continued driving into her pussy,
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
And then he was replaced at her breasts by Amelia who has now recovered from her orgasmic blissful spasms and was now paying. Emily back.
Even in the all-fours position that Emily was in, Amelia still found a way to nurse on her mother's erect nipples while she kneaded the large and ample breasts as though to milk them.
In fact, her sucking was hard enough to suggest that that was what she was after with the nipples as well.
Of course, this saw to the increase in Emily's moans as she moved ever closer to Orgasm and edged closer towards it at an even faster speed now on account of the double attack she was feeling.
And yet, she found the strength to remain in position.
However, just then, Hal lifted her so that while he was still thrusting into her, she was now only her knees and not on all fours.
In this position, Hal continued to enjoy the feeling of having his pelvis smacking against the sexy lady's pliant ass.
The position also made it even easier now for Amelia to nurse on her mother's breasts and eventually, there was only so much Emily could take.
What with the double-teaming of her lover and her daughter, as well as {Mind Meld} multiplying and enhancing the pleasurable sensations, she moaned out loud and fell victim to Orgasmic fits as she twitched and climaxed.
Her pussy tightened around Hal as though a vice and he groaned in pleasure before spewing his seed deep inside her pussy which milked it hungrily.
Even in her delirious mind, Emily grinned as she felt the warmth as well as the volume of seed he shot into her and it only served to enhance her Orgasmic experience.
Then Hal laid Emily on the bed where she began to rest. She was not asleep of course... No, she was more than aware that this was only the beginning.
Amelia seeing as Hal's cock was now vacated and was slick with the combination of his cum and her Mother's juices, took the still-erect member into her mouth and began sucking it off.
Cleaning it of all juices and cum and also getting it slick enough for immediate entry into her pussy.
Of course, considering how wet her pussy already was, there was hardly any need for further lubrication.
Hal pushed her off his cock and flat on the bed before he placed his cock at her entrance, looked into her eyes, and smiled as he initiated {Mind meld} with her.
Now all three of them, Emily, Amelia as well as himself were connected and the enhancing of pleasure skyrocketed.
Even Emily who was recovering from her orgasm and getting prepared to get back on Hal's cock would be feeling pleasure from the act the two would be engaging in soon.
And then, holding that gaze, Hal thrust into Amelia's pussy hard and fast. Eliciting a moan from the lips of the young lady who immediately wound her legs around Hal and pulled him even deeper inside her even though he was inside her as far as he could possibly go.
Driving her crazy with his contact with her cervix.
Amelia was not new to {Mind Meld} and had actually been the first Hal had ever used it with but she had not been prepared for the level of pleasure it brought her this time around.
This was so much better than that time and she reveled in that fact.
*Pah* *Pah* *Pah*
As Hal thrust, quite better now that Amelia had loosened her leg from around him, his heavy balls were smacking her ass and she absolutely loved it.
Then Hal leaned down and took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked.
He placed both of his hands on both of her breasts even as he continued to pound into her.
And then Emily was no longer lying down and recovering,
Instead, she was now behind Hal, with one hand heading down to his balls and massaging them which elicited a groan of pleasure from the handsome Devil, while the other wound around him and caressed his rock-hard abs while she sucked and kissed his neck.
Quite eager to leave a hickey while also ensuring he came quickly so she could get back to him pounding her senseless.
Needless to say, this was not over...
... Not by a long shot.
Chapter 402 - Shrinking Serpent.
Hours later,
Hal opened his eyes and smiled fondly at the two ladies who were hugging him and sleeping peacefully and he kissed the top of their heads before pulling them, carefully off his body.
Then he stood up from the bed and put on a casual done before he walked out of the room and headed towards the one room in the Mansion he would call his own.
It was easily the biggest room and quite luxuriously furnished with a bed even larger than the one in the room he had just left Emily and Amelia in.
In the corner of the room, Sassy was slumbering peacefully and the activity in her body by virtue of the blood energy he had fed her the last time was very evident.
It could even be observed from the outside of her body.
She seemed to be illuminated from the inside out.
Hal smiled to himself and placed his hands on his hips as he watched the serpent and was quite pleased with himself that he had arrived just in time.
This was what had woken him up from the hold of the two beauties he just spent hours copulating with. Through his connection with Sassy, he could tell his familiar was on the brink of another evolution and he did not particularly feel like missing it.
Suddenly, Sassy's large serpentine body shivered, and then she glowed. Bright enough to obscure vision and when the light faded out, her body was lying there but now it was slumped off to the side as though dead.
The green eyes were now glassy and lifeless but Hal, still feeling his connection with Sassy intact, was not worried and soon a small serpent with even more intricate scales than the body on the ground slid out.
The serpent was no more than 12 inches in length and half an inch wide.
Sassy looked back at her old body which she had shed in the process of her evolution and shivered, this time not from the influence of evolution-inducing Bloodline energy but because it put things in perspective for her.
And then her tiny body swelled to a size just like the body on the ground and Hal knew she could grow bigger if she wished. In fact, he was now sure her max size was going to be much larger than before.
Also, she had more skills at her arsenal now, and even as she checked out her body, she was also mulling over them and the many new ways she could end the life of her victims.
"You really get your jollies from killing people don't you?" Hal said with a small chuckle before he cast a Rune on the lifeless husk on the ground and reduced it to ashes in seconds.
Sassy, still admiring her body said,
"No. I get my jollies from sucking on your blood" and then she sighed,
"What's it?" Hal asked her as he moved over to the bed to sit cross-legged.
Sassy looked at him with her green serpentine eyes before looking away and her emotions showed that she was embarrassed.
"Nothing" she said in a weird voice.
While she could not say what was on her mind, it was still in her mind, and being his familiar, she could not really keep it hidden and Hal had to say, upon learning what it was, he was a tad hit speechless.
She had thought for a brief moment about how for a split second she thought she would gain a human form.
That in itself was not what made Hal speechless as this was quite common among demon beasts because human form gave them even more mobility and a wide new array of abilities and better ways to use those abilities.
What made Hal speechless was the fact that Sassy did not want a human form for those reasons alone but also because she wanted to know what was so wonderful about the action going on between Hal and his women.
Most recent of which was the screams of joy she had heard while her bloodline was evolving.
She was not an idiot.
She knew if she wanted to experience it then she needed a human form, however, getting one was completely reliant on Hal whose monstrous cultivation speed was facing stagnation at the moment.
Eventually, Hal chuckled,
"You are being way too impatient" he said before he closed his eyes and began to refine the essence he had gained from his session with Emily and Amelia.
Sassy looked back at him and then coiled her body to close her eyes and wait for him to be done.
She wondered if he would let her stay in here and not make her return to the Beast Habitat where the Devil Beast's were getting more rowdy and annoying by the day.
Soon, Hal opened his eyes after completely refining the essence. He was already used to how slow his cultivation was now, so the result was not so disappointing him.
If anything he was actually pleased to see he was inching forward and there was surely an escape to this stagnation: Constant copulation... Which, let's face it, had always been his motto.
Once Sassy saw him stepping off the bed, she reduced her size to 12 inches in length and then leaped up with incredible leaping power onto his arm before she disappeared into his robe's sleeve.
She coiled herself around his arm, hidden away from sight and gripped so tightly, Hal knew it would be impossible to shake her off.
He furrowed his brow and then sighed as he took this as Sassy's attachment phase and decided not to really bother with it since, after this recent evolution, Sassy had gained the ability to conceal her presence.
It was more effective the smaller her size and in this tiny size, she could hide herself completely that even if Hal was completely scanned, she would only be seen as a very life-like Arm piece.
So he went to the room he had left Emily and Amelia in and saw that they were also already awake and refining his essence.
They were about done and he was laying down on the bed behind them with his hands behind his head and looking up at the ceiling breathing evenly when the two opened their eyes.
Amelia never slacked off in her cultivation and had already formed her cosmic Armament before today and with his essence which she now refined, she had advanced to the mid-stage of the cosmic Armament realm.
Hal sensing the advancement smiled at her,
"Good work" he said and then sighed,
Emily also saw advancement as she moved ever closer to the mid-stage of the Cosmic Pagoda realm.
An advancement she was more than pleased with as her cultivation speed were well above all others she knew who had not dual cultivated with Hal.
She believed that if Hal ever thought her cultivation speed was slow, then he had no idea how difficult it was to advance once a cultivator reached a realm as high as hers.
The difficulty only increased the higher up a person goes.
Someone of his monstrous talent and monstrous cultivation speed only made even better with the Time warping factor of the Harem space could not possibly...
"Reminds of the good old days before my stagnation" he said, cutting Emily off, mid-thoughts and she looked over at him incredulously,
"Stagnation?" She asked to double-check. Maybe she had heard wrong,
Hal nodded,
"Yes, stagnation. It's not just me of course. All those who reach the mid-stage of the Cosmic phenomenon realm and cultivate with Techniques gotten from me will face this."
Amelia's eyes widened slightly and she looked down at him still laying on the bed,
"Including me?" She asked but Hal chuckled,
"Actually, I think you'll probably be fine. By the time you are at the mid-stage of the cosmic phenomenon realm, I should have at least overcome the stagnation enough to help you overcome it as well.
The Techniques might be trying to reconcile our tremendous speed with the reality of the difficulty in advancing realms.
Of course, it will probably mean we will be holed up in here for months but the result should be well worth it." Hal said with a wolfish smile and reached over to grab one of her breasts.
Amelia moaned and reached up to hold his hand to her breast while Hal looked over at Emily,
"Are you not going to ask if you will face it as well?" He asked her and she smiled,
"I have been cultivating for centuries. The stages you are all going through as easy as though you were strolling are stages I have gone through with the sweat of my brow.
I did not even get to have fun with it due to my condition.
Now I'm not saying you all did not work hard to advance but I am saying that if the techniques are attempting to reconcile the speed with the difficulty, I should be safe.
At least until I cross two or three realms with considerable ease and by then I will have a lot of lifespan to spare to overcome it."
Hal then grinned,
"So, is that a no or a yes?" He said in a lighthearted attempt to bring her attention back to his question.
Emily chuckled,
"What do you think it is?"
Chapter 403 - Garden Of Perils.
Effectively, they had spent ten hours in the harem space and that had only amounted to one outside and it was about time to leave.
Emily had a destination in mind,
"Come to the Sensual Palace" she said to Hal.
The two ladies were seated on the bed while Hal stood in front of them.
He said nothing and only looked towards Amelia who was smiling mildly.
To make things easier, she allowed him access to her memories in which his absence and how she did not like to be away from him was highlighted. Even though they had only spent a week apart.
At least to her it was only a week while to Hal it was about two weeks because he had not been traveling with a teleportation circle.
Anyway, he saw through her memories that she had been welcomed happily into her mother's side of the family who completely ignored the fact that she was born to a father from the Silva Duchy.
As far as Anton Antonov, her mother's father and therefore her grandfather was concerned, the fact that she was his daughter's child, born of her while she was away from home and finding herself, she was a pure Antonov to him.
He could not care less how unimportant her father was.
Also, he was already witness to how much Emily cared about her daughter as well as her son who was still back in the Silva Duchy and he would still love to meet, and the last thing he wanted was to give her any reasons to leave.
Her uncles were just as welcoming. Even more so. They saw her as a package deal along with the reunion with their baby sister.
The only real problem Amelia could probably point to as a hindrance was her cousins.
First off, they were much, much older than her, and yet her talent and cultivation already showed clear signs of leaving them in the dust.
Don't forget that Amelia is only Eighteen and close to turning Nineteen.
She and Marla were practically agemates and she had showcased her considerable and impressive talent even before Hal came into her life as when he first met her, she was already at the Cosmic Pearl realm and a disciple of the Fiery Lotus Sect under a friend of her mother's.
Now with Hal's influence (his essence which was always at her beck and call as long as they were together as well as the cultivation technique he had given her which would always outclass even Purple grade techniques as long as it was regularly upgraded) that talent shone even brighter.
Also, while Emily had made it expressly clear that no one in the family or out of it was allowed to suggest a Dual cultivating partner for her daughter, Amelia was by default a member of the Sensual palace already by virtue of family and as such, the competition between her and her cousins was a lot more... Personal.
There was only so much Emily could do.
Besides, she felt it was much better Amelia take care of certain matters for herself and not be reliant on her.
"What's the Garden of Peril?" Hal asked.
He was tossing the question to the two as it was a concept he had only barely gleaned before he stopped looking into her mind before he went too far.
He had always preferred to leave a little mystery between him and his ladies.
Emily smiled,
"Well, it's a garden and it's full of perils" she said and Hal rolled his eyes at her.
"Is that your attempt at being sarcastic?" He asked her before looking over to Amelia.
"My knowledge of the garden is a tad bit limited but the gist of it is that it's an herb garden that's rich in cultivation resources. Cultivation is hard enough and the herbs needed for the pill refining that are aimed at making it easier are also expensive.
However, if a person is brave enough, they can be greatly rewarded if they venture into the Garden of peril"
Hal held his chin on his right thumb and index finger as he took on a contemplative look,
"I see. And you're interested in this Garden?" He asked her and she sighed,
"To be honest, not really. But, apparently as an Antonov, I hardly have a choice. It does not matter if I am in need of it or not, those in my family need it and I have to participate"
Hal now looked over at Emily who shrugged,
"She has to" she said.
"That hardly seems right" Hal said and it was no wonder why he would think so as he would never see the point in joining an expedition that he had no real interest in.
Or more accurately, he took offense to his woman going somewhere she had no interest in going to in the first place
After all, he knew why she was not interested which was the fact that she did not really need pills to cross bottlenecks and she was not yet at Hal's level and in need of semi-violent resources to overcome it like Hal did.
"I went to the garden at her age as well. I have to say that while it is indeed dangerous, it is quite possible to survive as long as one does not go alone.
That is mainly the point in involving every eligible member of a family in it as that increases a sense of camaraderie between them. They learn to watch each other's backs and fight alongside each other.
Especially this particular outing"
Hal frowned,
"Does the Garden only allow entry at some specific moments?" He asked.
Emily shook her head,
"No. The garden can be entered at any time. Groups of daring Alchemists occasionally venture in to gather herbs and those who wish to sell them do the same.
Of course, they increase the price of it when it's time for sale on account of how dangerous it was to get it. The quality of goods gotten from the Garden are much better and as such appraisers are always able to tell the difference."
"So what's special about this time?"
Emily grinned,
"This will probably interest you. A couple of months ago, a group went over to the garden and in there they discovered a bud. A bud of a primal fruit and it was not yet ripe.
Ordinarily, the bud is right at the center of the garden where it's most perilous, add that to the fact that the primal fruit was not yet ripe and you get a potential suicide for a considerably weak group like theirs which could already count themselves lucky for being able to scout it.
Even the scouting did not come without casualties though."
Anyway, they returned to the capital and soon tales of their adventure and what they had seen, eventually spread around and everyone began to prepare.
Expeditions to the garden were unofficially suspended as they all prepare to go in once the fruit is ripe."
As soon as Emily mentioned the Primal fruit, Hal. already purchased all information concerning it from Grimoire and the knowledge quite intrigued him and that could be seen from the brightness in his eyes
The Primal fruit was related to Primal seed which she once thought his seed was before she eventually realized on a personalized note that it was leagues above that.
Anyways, a primal fruit when taken, grants a boost in the body of a man and he would then have to dual cultivate with it to not be overwhelmed and be rendered victim to the destruction of his most important tool.
Chapter 404 - Another Mission.
The statement of a man's 'most important tool' was even more true for men in the Doxon duchy who needed this tool even more in regards to their dual cultivation
The damage would also prove permanent and impossible to heal or restore.
Anyway, the energy within a Primal fruit was kind of similar to the gem flower Hal had won in the auction back in Black lagoon except that while the gem flower needed to be supplemented with other herbs before it could be consumed by any cultivator who was not Hal, the primal fruit did not need any such supplements.
However, the one taking it must be ready to engage in Dual cultivation right after consumption and in the process, share the energy with their partner which was the only way they could survive taking it.
However, while the Garden of perils was a resource unique to the Doxon Duchy, that did not mean it was the only place the Primal fruit could have found.
In fact, there have been sightings and harvesting of the fruit even though the rarity could be related with once or twice in a cultivator's lifetime and there were attempts to plant it and grow it.
Whether for commercial purposes or to simply monopolize it for the particular individual or family was irrelevant as they were always unsuccessful.
No matter how they tried, the fruit could not be grown by man and would only pop up like a weed in unplanned locations.
Anyway, in situations where it was spotted in other Duchys, not like the Doxon Duchy and did not put much stock in dual cultivation, it was practically useless to them and they would then decide to sell it to those who could actually make use of it but they would do so at a very high price.
And then there was once a situation where certain alchemists in those none Dual cultivating Duchys attempted to suppress the energy of the violent fruit by supplementing it with choice herbs but always fail nonetheless.
Needless to say, Hal was interested. Very interested in fact.
These were the kinds of resources he needed to overcome his stagnation at an even faster rate and this Primal seed could potentially be the best of any he would ever get.
After all, while he could find a way to weave the resources into a Dual cultivating shared resource like he had done with the gem flower when he slept with Melinda, the advantages he got were nothing when compared with what he stood to gain from the primal fruit.
Then he spoke to Emily telepathically,
"Do you really think they are bringing her along to strengthen camaraderie?' He asked her and she sighed in her mind,
"I don't. But I also know it won't help Amelia to be holed up somewhere without actually going through things on her own. I can't shelter her for the rest of her life. Besides, those brats won't dare to hurt her."
"Maybe not, but they are not going to some forest Funland, They are going to a place that quite literally has perils in its name. What better location could there be for accidents to happen?"
Hal could tell she had thought of all this herself but was still staunchly in support of Amelia going. That said, she was about to reply to Hal when Amelia interrupted them by speaking out loud,
"I know you're talking about me and if you won't say it for me to hear, then don't say anything" she said with a pout.
Hal chuckled,
"Okay then, we'll stop. But the Garden of perils is really sounding quite interesting so I will be accompanying you. It's going to be so much fun"
...
Along with Karmen and Rita, Hal and the Mother-daughter pair went out of the Harem space and into the carriage as Emily called for the designated driver who hurried over and took control of the carriage and steered towards Sensual Palace.
Hal had been quite pessimistic about visiting Sensual Palace especially since he was not actually going there on a fun tour but to speak with Emily's father.
She claimed she wanted to introduce them and could not and would not wait while guaranteeing Hal that all would be well.
It was while they were riding towards Sensual palace that the communication talisman he had been given specifically by the princess alerted him.
He cast a noise-canceling rune around the inside of the carriage to be sure the driver would not hear the conversation before he retrieved the communication talisman from his Inventory only to hear Ehrlich's voice sound out if it,
"You bastard, running off to the Doxon Duchy without a word to me or to the princess. Where are your manners?" He asked in an angry tone of voice out of the Talisman.
Hal frowned slightly as he wondered how she had known he was in Doxon but then he discarded that thought when he reasoned that being who she was if she really wanted to find him and know where he was, all she would really need was a little research.
Particularly into the Teleportation circle buildings for the one he had made use of.
At the very least, there was no real point in worrying annoying about that right now.
He smirked,
"So, is there a message you were told to pass across, or did you just want to hear my voice?" He asked in a snide tone after which he could have sworn he heard the other man blowing up in the other side,
"Bastard. You have no courtesy whatsoever and I keep wondering why the princess would not just do away with you already.
Oh well, this time it might not be that bad that you are in the Doxon Duchy... are you in the capital right now?"
"Yes, I am" Hal said in a careful tone.
"That's good for you. It just so happens that there is something the princess wants in the Doxon capital and would prefer if someone who could not be linked to her goes over and get it." Ehrlich said.
"How much will this pay?" Hal asked.
"I don't see why you're asking me. After all, I'm not your employer or the one who deals with your payment. I'm just the messenger.
Anyway, I'll contact you later concerning the full details and once I have, you will have to move quickly" Ehrlich said and before Hal could say anything or inquire further, the connection was broken.
The ladies were looking over at him and Hal filled Amelia and Emily in on the matter while they all frowned and wondered what it was he was required to retrieve.
Then they were at the Sensual palace territory and it was indeed very grand.
The palace's size was incredibly large as well and Hal could only imagine the sheer number of individuals in there.
It was beautiful and just as Hal had resonated with the Duchy capital upon his arrival, he resonated with the Sensual palace on a much more subtle level.
If there was one thing the sect was sure to be rich in, it would be its culture. The territory itself was immense with the Palace looking isolated in such a wide place that completely lacked all the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Duchy capital.
This gave the whole terrain a peaceful feel in which there seemed to be complete serenity and no one dared wander into that territory and cause a ruckus without facing grievous consequences.
No one was allowed to disturb their illusion of seclusion and the peace outside their immediate walls.
No one dared to cross the Sensual Palace.
Chapter 405 - Anton Antonov And His Partner.
Just looking at the carriage they were in was more than enough for the guards at the Sensual Palace gates to at the very least lessen their guard and once the designated driver showed a special seal, the carriage was allowed entry unto the palace grounds.
As they rode along down a broad path that led to the amalgam of buildings, Hal stretched out his Astral sense to observe the great number of disciples in the sensual palace and it brought a smile to his face.
Of course, being a pervert, Hal could care less about the structure and was instead sighting the beautiful ladies this magnificent structure contained.
Looking at his smile and the relaxed manner in which he had his cheek resting on his fist as he looked out the window, the ladies knew what he was thinking about.
"My, my. You can never be satisfied, can you?" Emily said and folded her arms beneath her breasts but Hal only smiled wider while he acted as though he had not heard her.
"Rogue" Amelia said and turned her head away from him.
"He's always looking out for new prey" Rita said with a cheerful scoff.
At this point, Hal could hardly ignore them,
"My goodness. You all say this as though I only just started acting this way." He said with his eyes widened mockingly.
Karmen perked up,
"Well, I don't know what the attacks are all about? My master is so wonderful and it would be a sin if he doesn't spread those wonderful qualities about."
With her sitting beside him when she said this, Hal reached over and patted her on the head,
"Well said, Karmen. At least I still have someone on my side" then he looked over at Emily who was now smiling lightly at him,
"Why don't we suspend my meeting with your father? I mean as the head of such a magnificent structure such as this, he must be very busy. Let me just take a quick tour." He said in a monotonic tone of voice as though it hide his excitement at the very thought.
"There's no time for that. Besides, Father is always delegating and has a lot of free time. How else would he have enough time to spend with his partner?" Emily said.
She had already explained certain things regarding her family to him and so Hal was not surprised with her using the word partner as opposed to mother which was that the ones who gave birth to her and her brothers were maids.
Think of them more as surrogates.
They had hardly any cultivation talent and their life span was very low. The same surrogate was used for the conceiving of her two brothers and another surrogate gave birth to Emily and both surrogates were long dead.
Of course, the children were born through intercourse but the process came with an agreement that made sure the surrogates had absolutely nothing to do with the children and could never call them theirs.
Anton Antonov was the first in the long line of Antonovs to make use of surrogates to have children and that was because his partner did not wish to have children. In fact, her Dual cultivation technique made it completely impossible for her to have children.
His partner had already proved herself capable enough to become an Elder on the Sensual palace and even then the two did not consummate their relationship with a marriage.
"The only issue is that while meeting with him, she's likely to be there as well." Emily said and was carefully studying Hal's eyes.
Hal, knowing what she was looking for, rolled his eyes,
"I won't make a move on her." he said.
Honestly, why did they always act as though he found not control himself? Greedy and lustful as he was, he knew certain areas to draw the line. Besides, who was to say Anton's partner would even be someone he would be interested in.
"Oh really? Even if she came on to you?" Emily said.
"Even if she begged me" Hal said and pushed his face closer to Emily.
Rita and Amelia rolled their eyes at those words as they felt it was as empty as a statement could ever be.
Soon, the carriage deviated from the road that led to where disciples were congregated and instead followed a path that would lead to the core of the sensual palace which served as the main home of the Antonov family while also being the headquarters of the sect itself.
Soon, they were alighting the carriage and Emily led the way with Amelia close behind as they went to where she expected her father to be. If he was not there, then he was indisposed and could not be spoken to for now.
Hal was really hoping he was not available as he had an ominous feeling about the whole meeting.
The guard at the door bowed to her and Amelia,
"Lady Emily. Lady Amelia"
"Is my father in?" Emily asked and the guard nodded,
"Yes he is and so is Lady Noelle" he said and made way for her to pass.
Emily and Amelia walked forward as the door was opened for them by the other guards while those guards observed Hal and the ladies with him.
First, his eyes were peculiar. Who would not know that the sapphire blue eyes were a trait of the Doxon family? Was this young man a Doxon?" And who were the ladies with him?
Hal ignored it all and followed after Amelia into a beautiful high ceiling lounge with designs quite similar to the ones in the fictional throne room which had been in Emily's Mind space the first time they slept together.
In a large sofa to the right upon entry was a black-haired grey-eyed man who was smiling at the entry of Emily and Amelia.
He looked like a fit, middle-aged handsome man, and with him was a beautiful woman dressed according to the Doxon customs and it accentuated her curves.
The middle-aged man who was clearly Anton was spotted while the lady had her head on his shoulder and her legs lying on the sofa.
She was beautiful and there was something warm about that beauty of hers. A motherly warmth which Hal found peculiar since she did not want children.
"I heard you left in a rush and with my dear granddaughter as well... You must have gone to bring these visitors."
Noelle acknowledged the presence of Emily and Amelia and then her whole attention was focused on Hal and then the women with him. She took in his handsome face but what really intrigued her as was now becoming common among those who reside in the Doxon Duchy capital was his eyes...
"Interesting eyes you have there..." She said.
"True. Sapphire blue... Very interesting" Anton said.
It was as though her noticing it and saying something about it was what caused him to notice it but the truth was that it had caught the Sensual Palace head's eyes the moment he was in the room.
"But... You're not a Doxon" He said in an affirmative tone that caused Hal to smile inwardly before he nodded,
"I'm not. I was born and raised in the Silva Duchy so how could I be?"
Anton was about to speak but someone else spoke first,
"Oh really? You're Silva-born and yet you made quite an impression on my niece." Noelle said.
"Your niece?" Hal asked confused,
"Oh yes, Delaney. You met her today so don't tell me you've already forgotten who she is"
Chapter 406 - Constant Practice.
It barely showed in Hal's visage that what Noelle said drew any reaction from him.
He did wonder how Noelle already knew of what had happened even though it had only happened an hour ago. The only explanation would be that the aunt and niece were really close to each other.
Delaney was most likely Noelle's personal disciple which was impressive in itself as Noelle was an Elder.
Meanwhile, Anton was a little preoccupied in his thoughts,
'Silva Duchy huh? No, there is no way he got those eyes from the Silva Duchy but why would he hide the fact that he was a Doxon from me? Maybe he does not know?
No. If he's a Doxon, then he knows.
Also, his reply seems far too casual for someone who is told he shares a trait with the rulers of the Duchy.
Besides, his looks... There are similarities between his looks and that of Svetlana. The similarity is minimal but it's there.
At the very least, it's enough to make the connection once someone knows there IS a connection there.
A son of the Blue-eyed witch who grew up in the Silva Duchy... Very interesting.
His cultivation... I can barely sense it. That shouldn't be the case considering my strength.'
"Father, this is Hal and I met him while I was in the Silva Duchy." Emily said with a smile, drawing Anton out of his thoughts...
"I see." Anton said but he would not ask what relationship was between his daughter and granddaughter and this supposedly Silva-Born man.
When Emily returned to the Duchy a week ago along with her daughter, Anton had been ecstatic with joy. He was already making plans to storm the Silva Duchy city named after a Salmon and bring his daughter back home.
However, he knew that there was a reason she had left and while he would still bring her back, he understood that he would be hindering her from finding whatever she left to look for.
Which was most likely solitude from all things Dual cultivation.
Anyways, upon her return, he felt she was freer and far more cheerful than she had been when she left. A huge weight seemed to have been lifted off her shoulders. Her condition was cured.
How that had happened she refused to say but she did admit that it had nothing to do with Amelia's father and her relationship with him.
If her condition was cured, then the Sensual Palace head knew how it could have happened and did not need to be told to know what relationship was between the two.
He also did not need to be told to know the relationship was between the young man and his granddaughter as well.
That was probably the part he did not understand. First off, just as he had used surrogacy to have his children, there were women who did the same by having a lowly and weak man impregnate them.
In cases of preserving talents, there were certain techniques that would be used to make sure the quality of the child's innate ability would not be affected by the surrogate's real attribute.
Anton had used those techniques while he was siring his children.
Clearly, Emily had used a form of surrogacy with Amelia's father in the sense that he was used just so she could experience the joy of motherhood but it was this young man that was responsible for the joy he could now feel emanating from her.
How was that possible?
From what he could sense, Hal was definitely a cosmic Phenomenon realm expert and yet he could solve what no one else could. He could put an end to a condition the so-called Primal essence was powerless against.
How... Was that possible?
"A Silva-born who Dual cultivates? And to an impressive level as well... Impressive" Noelle said as she eyes Hal from head to toe while he inwardly commended her perceptiveness.
"You flatter me" Hal said with a small bow.
Noelle only smiled lightly,
"How did you get so good?"
Hal smiled wolfishly,
"Constant practice" he said and both Anton and his partner paused and then started laughing.
Anton's was loud but Noelle covered her mouth and laughed elegantly,
"Good answer" Anton said once he was no longer laughing and then looked over to Rita and Karmen.
"And who are you two?" He asked and they both introduced themselves with Karmen stating she was also Silva-born while Rita admitted to being from the Doxon Duchy but having left to live in the Silva Duchy years ago.
"Well, if my daughter and granddaughter vouch for you, what is my business in making things difficult for you. That said, I did not have a say in their choosing of you but should you hurt either of them, I will have a say in your death.
Even if you are Svetlana's son" Anton said.
When he said the last part, there was a twinkle in Noelle's eyes and her smile got a tad bit wider,
"The Duchess' son huh? Now that you mention it, I am starting to see the resemblance. Didn't know she had a son though." She said.
Hal gave a small bow once again as he said,
"I would never dream of hurting them. But I do have to say you are a little mistaken. I am not Svetlana's son. I have no ties to the Doxon Duchy... Apart from the ties I have formed with your daughter and granddaughter that is.
Anton furrowed his brow,
"Is that so? Then who's your mother?" He asked.
Hal shrugged,
"I have no idea"
"And yet you deny being the Duchess' son?" Noelle said.
"Of course. Just because I don't know who my mother is, does not mean I attach the role to just anyone." Hal said.
Noelle's face went a little red with annoyance,
"Just anyone? We are talking about the Duchess of the Doxon Duchy, the one everyone looks up to and admires in the Duchy... We are talking about the Blue-eyed witch"
Inwardly, Hal sneered.
'Oh, looks like we've met a fan'
Then he shrugged once again,
"That's all very impressive but it does not make her a mother. At least it does not make her my mother"
Emily wondered how long this whole thing was going to be. She had already made the introduction which had been the whole point of this meeting.
Anton looked at Hal for a while and then sighed,
"Very well. If you insist she is not your mother then I guess she's not..." Before he could complete his words, Noelle interrupted,
"It's not very well. You are being disrespectful to the Duchess. Is it so bad to have the Duchess as a mother" she said with a frown nodded with seriousness,
"Oh yes, it's really bad. I prefer how life has been for me so far and would rather not add the burden of being the child of someone important. You can't even begin to imagine how much fun it is to be underestimated because I don't have a powerful last name."
Status was very important in the Nexus world, especially the Duchy capitals where the most powerful and important families reside. A strong last name could provide protection in a situation where your strength is not enough but it also means enemies who are determined to end you take you seriously from the get-go once they know who you are.
After all, they already know what they are facing.
However, he loved the fact that they were always so stupid to let their guard down or assume he was without support when he said he had no last name.
It made killing them all the more satisfying...
Chapter 407 - What's So Good About You?
Anton nodded,
"Well, it can't be helped. If you say she is not your mother, then she is not your mother. But let me give you this advice, those eyes will draw attention to you and not just attention from those who wonder if you are a Doxon... But attention from true Doxons themselves.
Should you ever meet them, I can almost a guarantee an altercation" the Sensual Palace head said and Hal frowned slightly but still smiled,
"Thanks for the advice"
Noelle however was not willing to let things rest just yet,
"No, no. I want you to apologize. Apologize for being so casual with the greatest gift of all. The gift of potentially being related to the great Duchess of the Doxon Duchy"
Hal shook his head with a light smile,
"I won't"
Noelle frowned and her eyes flashed as she began to release her pressure. It was stiffling and even Emily could not remain undaunted in the face of it as the pressure showcased Noelle's cultivation to be at the peak stage of the Cosmic semi-Saint realm which in itself was quite impressive.
But what Hal felt was most impressive about the whole situation was that despite how indiscriminately oppressive the pressure was in the sense that it affected everyone including Anton beside her, the Sensual Palace head was unfazed.
Which meant Anton was at the very least a one-star saint.
(Remember the Cosmic Saint realm ranges from one to nine stars. Mentioned in the auxiliary chapter).
The Sensual palace head stretched his hand and patted Noelle's shoulder, bringing the woman back to her senses such that she reined in her pressure but even then she still looked upset,
"I think you're going a little overboard. You're oppressing my dear daughter and granddaughter" Anton told her with a light smile.
Even then, Noelle's annoyance remained evident as she pointed at Hal angrily,
"He's the one who's going overboard. Such an arrogant brat. What's so good about you anyway that makes the Duchess unworthy of being your mother?" She asked him.
"It's weird" was all Hal said in response and it confused Noelle who asked,
"What's weird?"
"This obsessive complex you seem to have with the Blue-eyed witch despite the fact that she is so much younger than you" he clarified and Noelle gritted her teeth but it was Anton who spoke while Emily shook her head at how things seemed to be escalating so fast.
Amelia however felt it was to be expected.
"Brat, don't you know it's disrespectful to talk about a lady's age?" The sensual palace head said but there was a backtone to his words that told Hal he could continue down this path of jocularity,
Hal shrugged,
"I only think she's old judging from your looks. I mean she is still as beautiful as those centuries younger than her but if she is with you as old as you are, then surely she is in your age group"
Rita's eyes widened and she tugged at Hal's clothes while Karmen tried her best to hold in her laughter,
"What, do you have a death wish?" Rita could not help but ask but just then Noelle burst into elegant laughter with her hand covering her mouth before she looked over at Anton who's face was a little hard to read,
"I know right? I tell him it's his good fortune that I continue to stay with him." She said in between hysterics.
This was all in good fun of course as, despite his middle-aged look, the Sensual palace head was a looker. He did himself justice in a location and cultivation style where looks were incredibly important.
"Well, it can't be helped if you're the good looking one in the relationship" Anton said with a bright smile before the two paused and looked into each other's eyes for a long while before Noelle was back to looking at Hal in anger,
"Don't think I've forgotten or forgiven your imprudence. You seem to have been a good influence on Emiliana's mood and are the reason she returned home with her condition cured so I will let you off the hook just this once." Noelle said.
Hal inwardly rolled his eyes,
"Thank you" he said with his voice dripping with sarcasm but then Noelle was already on her feet and suddenly mere inches away from him.
His eyes widened as he could not believe the speed but then he thought that was to be expected. This woman was a Semi-saint not to mention at the peak stage.
There was no way he could follow her movements.
Funnily, it took her moving to his front in such an instantaneous manner for him to actually give the Expedition he was going on with Melinda's father more thought than just being a ploy to know what he was hiding.
The battle itself was bound to be intense and he was bound to face or at the very least meet people with this sort of strength.
He could not explain it but even though it was potentially dangerous and he could very well end up in a life-threatening situation, he was actually anticipating the expedition now.
It was still mostly something he was being forced to do because his father-in-law did not like him but even more than that, it was his chance to see all those high-powered fellows in action.
That said, it also brought to mind how weak he was at the moment and even more so when he was in the midst of those who were not actually close to him and would hinder him from making use of his Bloodline.
The stagnation he was facing was an issue which he was not yet sure how to overcome except to simply push through and gain possession and make use of resources such as the Primal fruit.
But while he awaited overcoming the stagnation, he needed an ability he could use in public, and without worry, he needed an Ordinance. He could not care less if it was Elemental or Abstract, he just needed one.
Fortunately, he had the Orb he had gotten from Red Beard and planned to use it to attempt comprehending the ordinance of fire but according to Grimoire, there was a possibility he would not be successful.
"I am not saying you will definitely fail, I'm only saying you should not be too disappointed if you don't succeed" it had said.
And when Hal asked why that was the case, the Grimoire would not say.
Anyway, Noelle stared right into his eyes, hard enough to intimidate,
"I will forgive you this once but any further disrespect against the Duchess and I could get... Very mad"
Hal furrowed his brows and was covered in cold seats as her intimidating factor clearly had an effect on him.
She stepped back quickly though and just as fast as she had appeared before him, she was back on her seat while Anton burst into loud boisterous laughter,
"Don't be too worried, kid, Noelle just has a temper problem. Well, this had been quite the lively first meeting. You, visitors, should join us for dinner tonight" he said and Hal bowed slightly,
"We would be honored"
-Anton's thoughts-
'There's no doubt about it, you are Svetlana's son. That accounts for her strange order to not be seen physically for months after she became Duchess. You are not Silva born at all, you're just Silva raised.
You reached this level of cultivation at such a young age even without the resources of the Doxon family, I wonder if you have some sort of support.
Emiliana says she met you in that rundown city but that does him you were not being supported and groomed in secret.
Judging from your reactions to Svetlana's name, I doubt your growth can be accredited to her at all.
I wonder if she knows you are now in the capital... Knowing her, she must already be aware of your arrival.
It's just as Noelle said, what's so good about you?
What makes you special, Hal from the Silva Duchy?'
...
Pending that night, Hal stayed in Emily and Amelia's joint residence which was large and with numerous rooms and it was in one of those rooms that Hal now sat with his Communication Talisman in hand and listening to Ehrlich's instructions regarding what Tanya wanted in the Doxon Duchy capital,
"The family in question is the Kruger family and I will be upfront with you, they are part of the top echelons in the Doxon Duchy. Their patriarch is a member of the Doxon Duchess' court.
They have powerful experts and the weakest of their guards is at the Peak stage of the Cosmic Armament Realm. Any lower than that is either a member of the young generation and is in training or is simply considered unworthy.
While definitely lower in status to the Antonovs and the Sensual Palace as a whole, they still have a say in matters of the Doxon Duchy and it would appear that they have business with an Organization the princess is staunchly against.
The business involves a map and it is that map the princess wants... It is that map that you are required to steal..."
Chapter 408 - Roxy. Part 1
"A map huh, where does it lead?" Hal asked.
"That is none of your concern. You are required to steal it from the Kruger family and that is what you should be focussed on." Ehrlich said.
Hal smirked,
"In other words, you don't know" he said.
"What did you say, Bastard! The point here is that it is going to be incredibly dangerous. For reasons that cannot be revealed to you, the princess cannot go and get it for herself, especially since she cannot arrive at the Doxon Duchy in time to stop the Organization she is against from getting their hands on it.
Which they are likely to do by tonight"
Hal frowned,
"This seems very urgent so why doesn't the princess just contact her contacts in the Doxon Duchy. I know she must have them" he said.
"Oh quite smart of you, idiot. Am I not contacting you now? Are you not one of her contacts?
Anyway, she realizes this is a dangerous task and tells me you are free to say no. Especially if you have no ways of accomplishing this"
Hal grinned,
"Are you kidding me? A chance to rob a family of such importance, of course, I'm going to at least try" he said.
To be honest, he did not need reiteration on how dangerous this was bound to be because he was well aware of the danger. But he felt he could probably accomplish it.
Besides something of this importance was bound to attract a lot of wonderful rewards.
The Blue gems he stood to earn were his focus but the merits were not too bad either.
Also, he already had the {Invisibility} ability he had gotten from Grimoire which could render him untraceable to anyone two realms above him as long as he did not make use of any abilities. Be it cosmic or Bloodline. Or even Astral energy.
He also now had the Shadow demon Bloodline abilities which were going to be perfect for a mission such as this.
Then there was the map itself which he found intriguing. He wanted to know what it led to. Who knows, it might very well lead him to another rare resource for the further increase of his cultivation and swift overcoming of his stagnation.
Ehrlich paused,
"I was hoping you would say that. I feel this mission is perfect for you, if you succeed, the princess will be happy and if you fail, you die which will be a definite plus.
But I can't say I like your enthusiasm. It's a tad bit eerie.
Well, the princess is not just going to let you go without any support, and even though she cannot make it in person and neither can I, there is a contact of hers in the Doxon Duchy capital that can help.
He has already been contacted beforehand. His name is Roxy and he is a Runemaster incredibly skilled in the making and mechanics of Teleportation circles.
His location details are as follows..."
Once he was done telling Hal how to meet Roxy, Ehrlich came to the end of his message with an eerie warning,
"And Hal, should you be caught, you never met the princess and she has absolutely nothing to do with this. You only went after the map out of your own greed.
That is all..."
With that, Ehrlich cut off the communication with Hal's frown deeper than ever.
-At the other side of the communication-
Ehrlich had actually spoken to Hal with Tanya right beside him and the princess smiled while her green eyes flashed,
"Good work, Ehrlich. Though I feel you were a tad bit intense."
Ehrlich frowned,
"Thank you for the praise. But your highness, there are others you could call to your service in the Doxon Duchy. Your influence reaches that far so why this punk?" He asked.
Tanya chuckled,
"You are right, there are many who I could call but I want him. I want to use this to know just how capable he is.
Of all who I have my service, I what to make him my most valuable pawn. He clearly has the potential... As well as many secrets."
"But he could very well fail. That is much more likely than him succeeding"
"Well, I gave him a chance to say no. I gave him the chance to turn me down and as he does not work for me out of loyalty and instead for his own selfish needs, then he should always vie for his own survival.
But yet, he said he would do it. He was even enthusiastic about it before I told him of Roxy which means he is confident in his thieving skills.
And if it turns out he was bluffing and is actually incompetent, then he does not deserve to be in my service.
Someone who does not know his own limits does not deserve to be in my corner as I set out to accomplish my goals.
Now let's just wait. I feel this will all be over in the next few hours or so."
...
Emily and Amelia's joint residence...
"My my. I guess it's going to have to be now." Hal said and stood from his seat.
Emily and Amelia were not in the residence at the moment and he contacted them through the telepathic link to inform them that he would be heading out for the night and he would return as soon as he could.
He told Rita and Karmen as well and the two immediately offered to come with him even if it was just a casual stroll which they knew it was not, but Hal told them to stay behind.
'It's better they sit this one out. If things get hairy, I'll just have to resort to my Devil beasts' He thought just before Sassy made her presence felt.
As though he could forget her clinging to his arm.
"And you have me" she said.
Hal nodded and patted her lightly through his sleeve,
"Yes, I have you" he said.
He brought out the golden chariot, got inside, and drove himself out of the Sensual palace. His Astral senses guided him the whole way.
Even though he was going at full speed, or at least the full speed he was permitted by his cultivation, it still took him quite a while to get out of the immense structure and even more time to make his way to the shop of Runemastering expert called Roxy.
He stopped outside the shop who's streets were quite deserted and put the golden chariot back into his Inventory before walking to the door and giving it a knock.
However just one knock after and the door swung open,
"Roxy?" Hal called as he walked into the store which was completely dark apart from the glow of the lights outside the shop that were casting a glow through the doorway.
"Is anyone here? Roxy?" Hal called as he spread his Astral perception to check for any other occupant in the shop beside himself,
"Arrgghh" he yelled in pain as he felt an attack on his Mind space. An attack coming from a collision of his Astral sense with a much more powerful one.
And then...
*Bang!*
The door slammed shut just as a purple Rune circle shone on the floor right where Hal was standing.
His eyes widened and he tried to leap away just as it exploded beneath him,
*Boom*
Chapter 409 - Roxy. Part 2
Hal had only managed to leap away in time and felt had he been later, he would have been turned to ash,
"Roxy. Are you insane? I was sent by..." Before he could complete his words, he realized he had landed on yet another circle and this one was crackling with Electricity.
Clearly, there were multiple traps in the shop, and jumping somewhere else would just be the same as staying here.
Especially since he had no idea where the rune circles were drawn.
With little choice, Hal leaped up, cast multiple runes and converged it all into a circle in a matter of seconds, and sent it to the Rune Circle on the ground to create a safe landing for himself.
"Impressive Rune casting. You must be some sort of Runemastering genius. But that will not be enough to survive my traps, intruder" a voice said out of the darkness, and as Hal tried to pinpoint where it had come from, the crackling of the electricity in the Rune circle below his own got even stronger and then,
*KrakaBoom!*
It blew apart Hal's rune circle and sent him rocketing him into the ceiling only to fall hard on the ground.
However, what really caused Hal's shock was that following the powering up of the rune circle, he could determine their rank and they were all at the sixth rank.
When he had stepped on the first, the Astral energy it had been giving off was of Rank 5 quality, and even though Hal was still a Rank 4 runemaster he felt he could at least still evade and use compound rune circles to defend against them.
He could afford to do so only because he had Astral energy in his body but even this was not going to help him overcome the Runes and it was only to give himself time to talk some sense into the bastard that was attacking him with said Runes.
But now...
"What are you falling into a daze for? Given up already?" Roxy asked.
"Idiot! I was sent by the princess!" Hal yelled.
"I don't believe you" Roxy said as more Rune circles shone on the walls and soon a compounding of flames, ice and lighting were gathering to strike him.
Hal gritted his teeth and gave up hope on countering the Runes. He also did not bother to attempt to use Cosmic energy to defend himself as that would be useless and weak against Rank 6 runes.
He could of course simply target the man himself with his cosmic energy by pinpointing his location with either risky Astral perception or just plain old guessing but he doubted that would be enough against a Rank 6 Runemaster.
So instead he used his defensive Runes on himself and compounded them so much that he looked like a rune orb.
Roxy watching this display from the shadows was shocked,
"They sent a special one this time" he said just as the attacks hit... And broke through all of Hal's defenses in seconds.
*Bang!*
The blast sent him smacking into the locked door but his Rune defenses had paid off and he only sustained minor injuries. But knowing another attack like that could very well end him unless he decided to make use of his bloodline, Hal pulled the Jade seal he had gotten from the princess out of his inventory and presented it to Roxy in the shadows,
"There, you idiot. The Princess really sent me" he yelled and there was a pause.
"It would seem so. Well, why didn't you say that earlier?" Roxy said just as the rune lamps sparked to life and cast a bright glow in the shop.
Roxy was a man in a faded brown hat with a stubble and an unkempt appearance even though he looked to be in his thirties.
What little of his brown hair Hal could see with his hat on was streaked with grey and his black eyes were wild with thirst.
An ingenious thirst.
Hal was angry beyond belief,
"I did!"
"You did? I honestly don't remember you saying anything" Roxy said.
Hal frowned deeply and rose to his first while {Regeneration} healed all of his minor injuries,
"How could you not remember. You said you did not believe me"
"Doesn't ring a bell" Roxy denied shamelessly before he continued,
"It's a good thing you said something quickly though cause I was about to get serious" he said.
Hal looked into his eyes and from the manic glint, he knew the Runemaster was not bluffing and what he had just experienced was a teaser compared to the full capabilities of a Rank 6 runemaster and that was to be expected as a Runemaster of that level was sure to have gained an incredible level of control and understanding of Astral energy that was sure to prove troublesome should they go all out.
"Alright now that we have cleared up that misunderstanding, let us adjourn to the basement where we can better discuss matters. Besides... We don't know who could be listening" he said with a smile and suspicious eyes.
"Huh?" Hal was confused,
"Well, there are spies all around us. Can't you see them? Look over there" Roxy said and pointed and Hal looked over at what the Runemaster was pointing to,
"That's a lamp" Hal said.
Roxy nodded and then frowned,
"It looks like a lamp but it could very well be a listening device" he said and right after that, he sent a blast of Cosmic energy at the lamp and destroyed it.
"There. One down, nine hundred and ninety-nine unknown ones to go.
You see, I received intel from a very sure source that a lot of equipment in my shop, not the basement mind you, I mean the main shop which we are in right now has been bugged with spying equipment." Roxy said with the manic glow in his eyes shining ever brighter.
"Then why not just get rid of everything in the shop and buy new ones?" Hal asked.
Roxy looked at Hal as though he had just said or done something sacrilegious,
"They all have so much value to me. There is nothing in this store that does not have sentimental value," he said.
"What about the Lamp you just destroyed?" Hal pointed out.
"Alas, that was a sacrifice needed to make a point" he said.
"You're crazy" Hal realized.
"Crazy is just another word for genius" Roxy said and led the way to his basement,
"No, crazy is another word for crazy. You crazy bastard." Hal said and followed after him.
Soon they were inside the basement and it was quite an elaborate structure.
Anywhere Hal looked, there were signs of experimentation and the constant pursuit of success and ingenuity. This proved to him even more than all that Roxy had said upstairs was nonsense. If there was any place that would have sentimental value to the crazy bastard then it was this basement.
This was Roxy's true workshop. He had really let his creativity run wild in here and everywhere Hal looked, he could sense vestiges of the Runemaster's experiments.
In fact, he found feel subtle distortions in space that were bound to be synonymous with working with Teleportation.
"Welcome to my abode" Roxy announced with enthusiasm,
"You live here?" Hal asked.
"Of course not, I just sleep here seven nights a week" Roxy said and then pushed his face up close to Hal's,
"Anyway, I've been meaning to ask, Boy, are you a Doxon?"
Chapter 410 - The Way Of The World.
Hal sighed as he felt the question was to be expected and shook his head,
"No, I am not"
Roxy furrowed his brows,
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure" Hal said and Roxy sighed,
"I have to say, it's a bit strange to have those eyes and yet not be a Doxon" he said and there was something about the look on his eyes that caused Hal to say,
"Don't tell me you are some big fan of the family" he said and the Runemaster shook his head,
"A fan of the family? No I just like the Duchess" he said and Hal resisted the urge to facepalm himself but Roxy was not done,
"No self-respecting, talent-loving Runemaster would not like the Duchess, so why wouldn't I?"
Hal then asked,
"Between the Princess and the Duchess, who would you say is more talented in Runemastering?"
Roxy went into deep contemplation,
"It might be a little presumptuous of me to pick but I would lean on the Duchess. There's something about her when she cast Runes that makes her feel unparalleled.
And that was before she got the Orb that she is now famous for" Roxy said.
Hal's eyes widened a little bit,
"Wait, you're talking about before she became Duchess?" Hal asked. It was his opinion that all Roxy had said so far was an assessment based on Svetlana coming into power which was nineteen years ago when she annihilated the family that wished to take over the Duchy.
Roxy nodded,
"Oh yes. I knew her long before she became a Duchess. She never spent too much time outside of the Doxon Duchy palace and on the rare occasion that she did go out, it was to further her knowledge in Runemastering.
After all, my master might have been old but he had a lot of pride which was to be expected as he was considered the best. If Svetlana truly wished to learn from him, then she needed to meet him outside of the palace and not the other way around." He said.
"And where is your master now?" Hal asked.
Roxy shook his head,
"Talented as he was, my master reached the end of his lifespan years ago after being unable to advance to the Saint Realm. Although, to be quite honest that was mostly because he was more focused on developing and improving his Astral sense instead of his cultivation.
Svetlana was his favorite student while I was the most troublesome."
Roxy took a few moments to reminisce before he seemed to snap back to his senses,
"Alright, enough talk of the past" He said and made his way over to his workable which was littered with Runesheets and Rune scrolls with none of them blank.
Hal on the other hand was thinking of something and he asked,
"Roxy, what was your master's area of expertise?" He asked.
He knew that at some point, the stronger and more adept an individual's Astral sense becomes, the range of Astral runes became much too wide for one Runemaster to study in its entirety despite their potentially long lifespan.
And that was why a lot of people specialized. Take Roxy for example. He was focusing on teleportation which was the combination of spatial and void runes and despite that specialization and the many years he had spent studying these, he could not say he had learned it all.
It was why his workbench was so littered with his research and why the manic glow still burned brightly in his eyes.
Of course, a Runemaster could still attempt to be adept in all aspects and might actually be successful but it was much more likely he or she would end up as a jack of all trades, master of none.
Should they meet someone who specializes in a particular aspect and attempt to battle with said Runemaster's specialization, they were almost certain to lose.
Of course, the advantage of attempting to learn it all was that there would be so much more to choose from and they were lore versatile in different situations.
"He was an Inscriptionist. The best of the best." Roxy said.
'I see' Hal thought and as though he had read his mind, Roxy said,
"He thought Svetlana all he knew. She was adept at inscribing and it was probably why they bonded so well and she became his favorite student. Of course, the fact that she was much more elegant than I was couldn't have hurt."
Hal frowned lightly and decided to probe further,
"The orb Svetlana is known for, do you think she inscribed it herself?" He asked.
Roxy shook his head immediately,
"No, I don't. I feel it's far more likely she found the Artifact while on the run.
There are so many things involved with the creation of such a powerful Artifact that I highly doubt she could have done it. Even my master couldn't." He said.
Hal smiled inwardly as he was sure Roxy was wrong but said nothing about it anymore. Instead, he asked,
"Did you help her? When she was on the run, I mean."
Something changed about Roxy expression but he then focused on the scrolls on the desk,
"Not enough" he said quietly before perking with a bright smile,
"So, you're going to rob the Kruger family? You must be insane to even consider it" he said.
Hal feeling that there was nothing else he would get out of the Runemaster returned his attention to the matter at hand,
"The princess assigned me to it."
'But I could have said no' he added in his mind.
"She must be crazy as well. But oh well, I guess I will help you as best I can."
Then he waved his hand towards the wall where so many scrolls were shelved and one of them was lifted with cosmic energy to his hand and then he rolled that one open on the desk,
"This is a map of the Kruger Estate. The Princess contacted me this afternoon and I had enough time to get this beforehand. Let me just tell you it was not easy."
Hal, knowing the Runemaster was fishing for compliments said nothing.
Roxy continued with a disappointed sigh,
"Normally, the map will be kept in a vault but we are not the only ones interested in it and the other party is going through the front door for it so it would be taken out pending the transaction.
It's going to happen tonight and as it is common among high society, there would be dinner.
You will need to get it while it makes its way from the vault to the dining hall."
Hal frowned,
"What's the strength of the guards and all others I am bound to meet on my way?" He asked.
"The guards at the front gate are at the peak stage of the Cosmic phenomenon realm and the further in you go, the more powerful they become. The guards closest to the patriarch of the Kruger family are all at the Cosmic Pagoda realm.
Boy, you are at the Cosmic phenomenon realm aren't you?" Roxy asked and Hal nodded,
"Yes, I'm at the mid-stage." He said while studying the map and was half expecting the runemaster to go hysterical but Roxy simply nodded and then sighed in contemplation,
"I see. You must have some techniques to get past the guards then" he said.
"In a sense" Hal said.
Roxy then took a deep breath,
"Very well. Getting you inside is not really any of my concern. Since it's a private residence, you won't be able to use a Teleportation circle to get inside. And even after entry, you can't attempt to use the ones inside the estate or you will only make it easier for them to catch you.
My job is to get you out" Roxy said with a wide smile and then rummaged through the scrolls on his desk to pull one out and he showed it to Hal,
"Do you know what this is?" He asked.
Hal shook his head,
"This is a Teleportation scroll. Or more accurately, it's a temporary teleportation scroll. which only has one use but it is portable and could be used for a quick getaway.
Of course, in a volatile situation, there is no time to input coordinates and so the scroll already has coordinates imputed and it will bring you here"
As Roxy said that, he went over to a part of his workshop covered by a tarp and pulled off the tarp to reveal his own personal Teleportation circle.
Hal took the scroll from him and then the Runemaster pulled another one out of the rummage.
"However, the Teleportation scroll while drawn by me was not discovered by me. Someone else came up with the use and was stupid enough to spread it out so he could make money. He was a complete Idiot"
Hal could not help but smile,
"If he had not put it out, how would we have been able to use it?" He asked but Roxy dismissed his words,
"Runemastering is open to all. If he could come up with such an ingenious use for Teleportation technology then someone else would eventually discover it as well. I would have discovered it myself.
In fact, I am sure there were others who came up with the idea but used it sparingly and secretly to help further their cause.
As for that idiot, his 'invention' was used to ambush and rob him of all his wealth, and then he was killed. In quite a violent manner,
*sigh* It's the way of the world I guess.
Me though..." Roxy said and cradled the scroll in his hand,
"... I'm not so foolish"