When the group reached the bottom of the short flight of stairs down to the basement, their noses were instantly hit with the fragrance of fresh roses that were carried with a warm wind.
In front of them is a hallway with a stone ceiling and wood flooring. The hallway had shelves containing baskets full of things like soap and towels. There was even some soapy liquid in a glass bottle that Daren had learned was what the upper class used to condition their hair. It was a very light and low-quality shampoo.
It was low quality for Daren who had always used the highest quality of hair treatment products in the galaxy. One use would make his hair very soft while also thickening its constancy through prolonged usage. Unlike most shampoos that contained harmful chemicals, he used products that had 0 negative effects, both in the short and long run.
Even though it had not been long since Daren had started his shop ( about 2 months ), he had made quite a lot of money from his umbrellas. His soap was also very popular as he sold it at a very cheap price compared to its high quality. It is considered average quality in the interstellar era is valued to be of high quality in this world.
This is why, even though his umbrellas had made over 90% of his profits, it costs him way too many souls for long-term business. Soaps did not cost as much though and are very sustainable. He could price the soap higher but that would deter the huge customer base of the common folk.
The profits may be low but Daren could always make up for that by pulling out much more advanced things like high-quality perfumes or some health products. Medicine was also behind so he could dabble in that too. He had limitless ideas for businesses as long as he could find stable ways of getting more souls.
Snapping away from the small distraction in his mind, Daren looked oversaw that there were two large curtains on the right side of the wide hallway. The curtains came in the color of blue and red.
Each curtain had a different symbol on it that seemed to be written using a thick brush and very dark, black ink. For some reason, he felt like he recognized the symbols.
'Wait..... that's Japanese?!' Daren said to himself. He instantly recognized the symbols containing many strokes of straight and curved lines. He himself had been raised on a planet that was settled by the ancient nation of Japan. He knew the main countries that established many of the first planets outside of the solar system.
Japan, the United States, Germany, Russia, and Korea were the 5 main five nations that established the first generation of settlements on planets outside the original solar system. This was due to these countries being the only ones that had access to a special fuel source necessary for the travel. Other countries also established settlements in other solar systems in later generations but only because these five nations were willing to sell them to them.
Daren had ready been befuddled by how diverse the naming system was in this world as he had seen many types of names that came from various cultures. The spoken and written language in this world is basically English with differences here and there but they are negligible.
This had already ticked him off when he first came into this world as he realized that this world past may have had something to do with his last world. After coming in contact with people with names belonging to languages other than English but being produced and written in English the way he remembered them, he had confirmed that this world's origins might be a mystery that he could take his time-solving at a later date.
'It would be fun to have a side quest where I just explore the world, trying to find out the secrets behind these languages' establishment in this world.' Daren knew that he would always go around killing and building up a secret organization which he hasn't started yet of course but things like that take lots of time and resources. Daren does not have what's necessary to build something like that yet.
Plus, his experiences in this world have been too short. The world is much larger than this single human-ruled realm that he is currently in. He would have to explore, learn political climates and develop resources in other countries or even realms ruled by other races.
'There will be quite some time before I even start the foundations for my group.' Daren wanted to be sure that he was in control of various factors before he would build his organization to secretly rule the world.
"Behind the red curtain is the women's bath and the blue is one is for men," Daren said out loud.
Hearing this, everyone in the group was stunned except for Celina could read his mind so she knew already. Everyone looked at him with a questioning look. The most stunned was the maid who led them here.
"Um.....sir?" The maid that put her head down again called out to Daren in a shy voice.
"Yeah?" Daren was surprised to see this maid wanting to talk to him. He was sure that the maids would try to talk as little as possible to avoid any potential conflicts with important guests like them.
"Can I ask where you learned the royal family's ancestral language?" The young maid's voice was very low as her words got quieter every second. It was like she really dint want to ask this question but was being forced to ask out of necessity.
This bugged Daren. He could feel like someone was making this girl ask this as he could see the uncomfortable movement of her shoulder and the eyes that were darting around. Her body language displayed extreme anxiety.
"It has nothing to do with you." Daren did not hesitate to turn her down as she had nothing t do with this. Marquess Andrew had already told him that there was a language that only members of the imperial family were allowed to learn and use but he now knew that it's Japanese.
This response is only appropriate as he could tell that someone is keeping an eye on them without him being able to tell how. If someone wanted to know how he can read the imperial family's secret language, they should just ask him directly.
After hearing this, the maid let out a small sigh of relief as she said "I understand. You may punish me for overstepping my boundaries."
"That's not my job. I really want to take a tib in the bath. We already know how to use one of these, Send people to bring us a change of clothing and leave it in the baskets."
"As you wish. Is there anything else?"
"No. Just go back upstairs. We will come back ourselves and it would be preferable to have lunch ready in about 20 minutes."
"As you wish." The maid then turns around and leaves the basement using the stone stairwell. She closes the door behind her.
Daren had asked to have their clothing sent from their luggage to these places they did not bring their bags with them. It was left in the carriage. he also asked for lunch as he always got hungry after lunch.
The group also did not have breakfast since they skipped it to not waste their time stopping at a town. They had just wanted to get the journey over with.
Since the head maid said that the girls were for their use, he would make whatever demands he wanted and live pretty much like a king for however long he gets to stay in the palace. As long as he doesn't ask the maids to do anything too ridiculous, it's all good.
The girls hurriedly took a basket of towels and soap each. They rushed towards their part of the 'onsen' and heard an excited voice as soon as they went through. As the curtains didn't do much to hide the noise, Daren could hear it too.
"Mommy! Aunty! Get in quick. This bath may not be as large as the one back home but its beauty isn't that bath. It also does not feel any worse."
Chloe was urging her mother and aunt to join her as Daren could then hear the girls screaming and water being splashed.
"Don't do that! How many times has aunty taught you to not play in the bath?" Chanela complained to Chloe for tossing water at her. No one likes to be prematurely wet.
"Hehe. I can't help it. Seeing mommy's and aunty's expressions is fun." Chloe then went on to splash water at the women. The girl had only dipped her feet in so far and hadn't taken off her dress yet.
Daren had a nice chuckle when he heard the girls having fun even before they got in.
'It is nice having an actual place to bath. It's even more nostalgic for me since I used to go to hot springs all the time. I even built my house over one. The water from it felt so nice to relax in.' Daren then remembers the days he felt exhausted after having to toil days straight without any sleep.
Maintaining a shadow organization that spanned hundreds of galaxies was not easy. On top of that, he also had heaps of work to do to keep his company afloat. All of this would make it hard for him to rest.
Baths like these were where he relaxed and found comfort. Daren takes a basket with a towel and some soap and enters the male section.
"Hey, system! You know that someone's watching us right?"
[ Yeah. What about it ]
"You know. The girls are going to take bath so I wanted to ask if there's something I could do about it so no unsavory characters can peek at them."
[ Oh. That's simple. Just give me a second. ]
Daren then feels an invisible wave of energy appear around the bath that the girls were in.
[ Done. No one can now see or hear anything from the bath next door. ]
"What about me?"
[ There is nothing to look at. I don't need to waste one of the secret barrier skills on you. Give me souls and unlock it for yourself using souls. ]
"You...."Daren wanted to argue but the system never gave have anything for free really. That was only in the begging to get Daren started. It had told him that nothing for him will come for free ever again.
he would need souls if he wanted something that involved him. It gave the girls preferential treatment though as it would always be willing to do small favors for them.
Daren talked of his shirt and then tosses it aside as he does the same for the rest o his clothes. He then tests the water by putting his feet in first. He felt that the water was just the right amount of warmth. The kind that heats you but makes you feel relaxed and comfortable at the same time.
Daren dripped himself up to his chest and then closes his eyes. he cleared his mind of worries and just relaxed. Having his guard up at all times was too exhausting. Having time to just clean himself both physically and mentally is important.
-----------
Within the main building palace building that was built using the fanciest of decorative wood and brightest stones, a tall and slender woman was standing at the edge of a small, round table.
On the table is a small crystal tablet that looked basically like a computer screen. It originally displayed two scenes in split-screen mode. One showed the video and audio feed of Daren's bath while the other featured the women's bath.
The women's side suddenly went black. There was no more sound of water being splashed and girls having fun. There were no more images. It was just pitch black.
This caused the woman to raise her eyebrow in surprise. She then started to play around with her silver, waist-length hair as he twirled the shorter strands around her finger.
Her white skin seemed as smooth as jade and as radiant as gold. She basically glowed in this room that had no light sources except the tablet. Her cherry red, glossy lips reflected the light from the tablet and gave itself a polished look.
Her silver eyes were filled with curiosity and a strong sense of energy. She was giving off the vibes of an ambitious youngster that is filled with vigor. Striking facial features and curvy figure made her seem like a goddess among mortals.
"Interesting. They had an advanced barrier skill but only used it on the girls." said the woman. Her sweet yet noble voice had a serenity to it that could not be found anywhere else. She was wondering why the man only covered the girls and not himself.
The room was then suddenly lit up as the curtains on the windows went aside and golden glowing stones on the ceiling and the walls gave off a mysterious and soothing light.
Now, you could see there was another woman right behind this stunning one. This new lady wore the classic maid outfit that was black and white except for the fact that, unlike the regular maids who had very revealing, short skirts, she wore a skirt that covered her entire lower body.
Only the normal maids were forced to wear these very tight and revealing maid outfits. Higher class maids like the head maid that was assigned to Daren's group had noble backgrounds so they wore more reserved clothes.
This maid though, had her head down as any normal maid would do when serving an important person. She had red hair that was tied back into a bun and wore a diamond necklace and earrings set that had star-like shapes in its design.
Her face was also very pretty but not as stunning as the tall woman's. Her orange eyes were calm and looked at the video intently.
"He might be one of those exhibitionist-type men who like to show off their assets. These types are men have very disgusting and appalling mindsets." the maid said. Her voice was stern and contained some hostility to Daren who was now stripping.
The gorgeous woman then looked towards her maid and then back to the video feed.
"You might be right. Well. I think that deserves to show off. Look at those muscles. Especially those abs and pecs of his. His ass is also very nice." The woman sounds like she's fawning on Daren's looks as she scans every inch of her exposed body. Her eyes were wide open and no longer did she seem like a noble goddess but rather a thirsty girl who hadn't felt a heavenly rod up her holy cave in a long time.
The maid was stunned for a second but quickly recovered as she remembered that this was an old, recurring habit of her master. "Your highness! Snap out of it. He even has a wife and a daughter. I thought you weren't interested in married men."
"How can I not be interested in someone with a package like that?!" rebuked the master.
The maid then looks at Daren's dong and sees the god-like length and girth that gave the dong an irresistible feeling. The master who was staring at that heavenly meat was basically now drooling and had heart eyes. She was even panting as her breath became uneven.
"I see what you mean your highness but now isn't the time for that. You have to oversee the banquet preparations. You can get a taste of him later. I wouldn't mind joining you either." The maid that was not supportive of her master's interest towards the man now thought differently.
She had seen an incredible rod and knew she had never come across anything like it. She might join her mistress for a good 'exercise' soon.
The mistress then shook her head as she grasped a glass of water and chugged it down in a flash.
"Ahh. This new water from the glaciers tastes pretty clean." The mistress then wiped her wet lips and walked out of the practically furniture-less room. Her maid follows behind her as she gives out a chuckle.
This is what her mistress did. She would show visible lust over someone for a short while and then out of nowhere turn that disgusting expression of a hungry dog back to her calm and noble face of an angel.
Back in the underground Hotsprings, Daren felt an eerie shiver up his spine as if someone was looking at him with indescribable thoughts.
"Are you sure you cant put up a barrier around me?"
[ We both know it's too late for that. ]
Daren let out a sigh as he wondered what kind of intentions someone was looking at him with that was able to turn his warm bath into a cold one.
( Will there be R18 scenes? Hehe! The answer will not be disappointing.)