Five years after they arrived at Distancia, the date for the secret realm that was going to appear near Dolgor City was around the corner.
Yasenia and the girls had flown out of the Sect and stationed themselves in the Astral Sky Shop they had set up in this city.
Because Yasenia would stay here for some time and later go to the gathering area for the Secret Realm entrance, Alaia, Selena, Clara, Leila, Flora, Doriel, and another thirty maids came with her.
The remaining high-level maid and the other thirteen stayed in the Sect and took care of it together with Ghana, Drasha, Finnegan, Ignirean, and the other high-level people.
While Alaia and the others took care of Angel as their personal maids, Doriel substituted Anna and Eve and took care of Yasenia's specific needs.
Yasenia was sitting on a chair in a beautiful garden while Doriel massaged her shoulders. The dragoness smiled and looked at her, gazing deep into those completely black eyes. Doriel chuckled and asked. "Is there something wrong, miss?"
Yasenia shook her head. "Just admiring your eyes. They are truly fascinating."
Doriel laughed softly and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Thank you so much, Young Miss. Now that I think about it, I haven't told the story about them."
Yasenia blinked. "Oh? They weren't like that from the beginning?"
Doriel shook her head and used her expert fingers to caress Yasenia's scalp, making the dragoness delightfully squint. "I had normal brown eyes before with white sclera. However, when I unlocked my innate skill, [Malevolent Devil Gaze], they became as they are now."
Doriel seemed to look at the horizon and sighed. "At that time, most people I knew became scared of me and distanced themselves. Then, I entered a demonic sect and polished my assassination skills. When I was trying to murder one of Lady Tatyana's subordinates, she stopped me and took a fancy of my skills, asking me if I wanted to become stronger. I agreed. This happened a bit over seventy years ago."
Yasenia listened with interest shining in her eyes, so Doriel continued. "Then, I realized that I was thrown into a personal maid training camp. I was naturally dissatisfied."
"Hahaha, I can imagine it." Yasenia chuckled.
Doriel lowered her hands to massage Yasenia's temples softly and continued. "However, to my surprise and horror, the training was so harsh that people began dying from the first day." Even she, a ruthless and trained Demonic Cultivator assassin, couldn't help but shiver slightly remembering those harsh days hovering between life and death.
Yasenia knew more or less that it was extremely harsh, but she asked. "Mom never told me, but how many trainees were there initially?"
Doriel pondered. "I myself killed over three thousand others, and the other maids should have a similar kill count, so a few hundreds of thousands."
"Huh? Killing others?"
Doriel explained. "Lady Tatyana used non-conventional methods to train us. We often had to kill each other for treasures to increase our strength and survive. All three hundred personal maids at your disposal are fearsome warriors that have gone through a blood baptism."
The dragoness was shocked, and then she felt touched. "You all went through such a harsh selection?"
Doriel looked down and smiled softly. "Don't worry, Young Miss. We are more than glad for Lady Tatyana's training method. Although it was ruthless and something many would call evil, the strength, potential, and other benefits we gained from it are more than worth it. Not to mention, being able to serve Young Miss already made us feel content."
Yasenia couldn't help but hug Doriel's waist while looking up with touched eyes. "Thank you."
Doriel caressed the dragoness's soft hair while her pure black eyes shone with deep affection. "Yes."
Steps were heard from their right, and Tatyana approached with leisure steps. Yasenia looked at Tatyana and sighed. 'Sometimes, I underestimate how ruthless she is.'
Not that it mattered much for our dragoness, Yasenia knew that the number of creatures who had died at her dear mother's hands was in the trillions.
Tatyana tilted her head and asked. "Oh? Did you tell her details about your schedule?"
Yasenia felt Doriel stiffen slightly, and then she frowned. "Mom, don't be so sensitive. They've suffered so much to be by my side, so it's normal for me to know. Moreover, even if you've raised them, now they are MY personal maids. I won't let you bully them."
The Death Empress clutched her heart, spun dramatically three times while advancing, and fell into Yasenia's arms with one hand over her forehead. "Oh no! My daughter has scolded me. I'm going to die of sadness…"
Yasenia burst into laughter and pecked her lips. "Silly."
Then, she asked. "Why did you come, Mom?"
Tatyana blinked and smiled. "Can't I come if I want to see your face?"
Yasenia nodded with a serious expression. "That's a very valid and understandable reason."
Tatyana laughed softly and stopped messing around. Of course, she didn't leave her little treasure's comfortable and soft embrace. "The people that have gained slots to enter the Secret Realm from our sect have arrived. Do you want to see them?"
With a nod, she lifted the elegant and beautiful woman between her arms in a princess hug and walked toward the location. Tatyana swung her dangling legs and hugged Yasenia's neck.
Doriel followed behind silently, faithfully guarding her.
After speaking with other powers, Yasenia has gained a total of fifty slots to enter the secret realm. It was not much, but it was enough for her. The main reason was that the Secret Realm only accepted those below the low-level Epoch Core Body Realm. Therefore, as long as there were enough entry spots for her dears, any extra ones were just a plus.
Considering that Sierra and Ebirah counted like individuals, but Valeria and Mirrory did not in the slot allocation, Yasenia had an extra forty-one entries.
She placed them for sale for Astral Sky Points, and the ones who got them were these. First, Laurina, Razar, Gorena, Frisk, and Sirae took one each.
Then, four low-level Epoch Core seniors also got one from Yasenia to act as guardians.
Sarah surprisingly got enough points to get one ticket for each harem member and herself, a total of eleven spots. Yasenia realized that Sarah had been gaining quite a bit of Astral Points via selling recipes.
Yasenia didn't care, though. The system had prices for things according to a value she set, so if Sarah could gain so many points, it meant that she contributed that much to the sect.
For the last twenty-one spots, disciples and elders got them. There was no one Yasenia knew.
The harpies had the most accumulated Astral Points because of their participation since the beginning of the Astral Sky Clan, but they weren't interested in the secret realm.
These kinds of places were dangerous for the always naked harpies. After all, all the horny people would target them, and unless they had peak strength, they usually abstained from these "exploration" events.
Naturally, there were exceptions, but because Astral Sky Sect could be considered a secret realm by itself because of the quality of energy, treasures, and other cultivation locations, they didn't come and risk it.
The strength of these twenty-one people was not that great, with a few even at the Spiritual King Body Realm.
Before she appeared in the room, Yasenia set Tatyana down and then walked inside, changing her facial expression to a calm and indifferent one. Doriel and Tatyana walked two steps behind, on her right and left.
The people waiting for her bowed when she entered, welcoming her. "We greet the Sect Leader!"
Yasenia nodded and saw that a few from Sarah's harem had bowed reluctantly. After all, of the ten lovers Sarah had, only a few had a good image of herself because of Sarah's not-so-hidden feelings for her.
Our dragoness completely ignored it.
Doriel also noticed and looked in that direction, making them shiver as a cold feeling gripped their hearts.
She had communicated with her during the last months and also secretly observed her.
Sarah's actions made her quite speechless, to be honest. Even while having ten at home, there were five others outside that were semi-cooked.
It felt that as long as a beautiful woman lightly flirted with her, Sarah would instantly start trying to deepen the relationship with that woman.
Knowing that the strange treasure she had worked off of relationships, Yasenia didn't say much, but her opinion of Sarah had gone from slightly good to neutral, to indifferent, to being a bit cold nowadays.
She had heard that a few in her harem didn't want the number to grow, but Sarah didn't control herself at all, and this showed a lot of what kind of character she was. To Yasenia, who couldn't even fathom not treasuring her lovers, this kind of attitude was something she secretly despised.
'In a few years, she might have a harem with a three-digit number.'
Yasenia stated. "As you should know, the Secret realm is about to open. All of you have earned one entry slot via contributions to the sect. To make sure that the juniors don't get killed, I took the liberty of using four of those slots on four Sky Elders. They will attend as protectors for you, juniors. However, they won't help with challenges or treasure gathering. They will intervene only if other sects attack you. So, don't take risks thinking you will be saved."
Nobody objected because these things were written in a scroll that came with the Entry Slot when they bought it in the Sect.
Yasenia continued. "During the secret realm exploration, dangers are commonplace, and fights because of interest are bound to happen. Remember that all the treasures you gain in the secret realm belong to you. However, if an item is not clear of who it belongs to, for example, if you gain a sword after beating a trial between two of you, it is harshly prohibited to fight between each other. Those items will be given to the Sky Elders and then auctioned back in the sect with Astral Points between those who participated to gain that treasure. Understood?"
"Understood!"
Yasenia narrowed her eyes and threatened. "If I learn of any of you killing, harming, or setting up any of your brothers and sisters, I will deal with you myself. Is it clear? The Astral Sky Sect values unity before anything else."
"Yes, Sect Master!" They took this very seriously because of the number of people killed in the early days of the sect.
Although Yasenia's rules were very lax, and beating someone would only result in a warning, heavy crimes were still harshly punished if discovered. One thing was promoting competitiveness, and another was not having any rules.
Yasenia turned and ordered. "Follow me."
When they were outside the room, Yasenia waved her arm, and a giant black and white floating ship appeared.
Tatyana blinked. "Oh? You still have this?"
Yasenia titled her head. "Why wouldn't I?"
Tatyana smirked. "You haven't used it in years. You usually use the Sword to move around."
Yasenia laughed. "I mean, although this ship is much faster than even me flying in my dragon form, it consumes Purple Crystals. I won't use it unless it is in official situations like these."
Tatyana rolled her eyes. "A few Purple Crystals are nothing. Unless it enters combat mode, it consumes one per year. You have like five hundred thousand purple crystals."
Yasenia snorted. "One each year ends up accumulating."
Meanwhile, behind her, the Distancia People were stunned. "Lady Yasenia, what is this?"
Yasenia realized that this was Sky Continent technology, but she didn't care and vaguely explained. "A new traveling method created by the high-level craftsmen of our sect called [Soaring Ship]. There will be lower-level ones for sale in a few years when we perfect this technology."
Sarah was curious and analyzed it with her system.
[Low-Level Transcendent Rank Flying Warship named
'Eight million Shop Points!? I haven't gained that many, even if I count all the Points I've gained until now!'
[Correct. The host has earned a total of 546,980 Shop Points until now. Right now, you have 51,370 Shop Points.]
Yasenia ordered. "Jump in."
They all jumped onto it and looked around curiously. They were stunned because the space looked much bigger than what it appeared from the outside.
Looking from the outside, it looked like it could host around fifty or so people. However, now that they were here, they realized that perhaps they missed one zero.
Their eyes looked at Yasenia moving to a place with circular apertures and a magnificently complex formation connecting those holes.
Yasenia placed two Purple Crystals in each of the seven apertures. Just in case they had to start combat. 'Hm, this should be enough to last a few years.'
Then, she waited.
The others were confused until they heard a harmonious Phoenix cry.
QYA~.
They lifted their heads and saw a massive silvery Phoenix diving toward them with forty other people on her back.
When it was nearing, a bright light was emitted from it, and the phoenix shrunk to the size of a human rather quickly.
Then, forty ethereally beautiful women landed on the floating ship.
They were Angel, Cecile, Kali, Andrea, Evelyn, Selena, Alaia, Clara, Flora, Leila, and the thirty maids.
Yasenia smiled. "Now that we are all here let's depart."
Then, the people on the ship saw the landscape around them stretch, and the ship shot across the sky like a shooting star, leaving behind Dolgor City in just an instant.
The people in Dolgor City blinked and lost track of the strange Floating Ship that appeared above the Astral Sky Shop. It had disappeared from their sights in the time it took them to blink.
***************************************************
Yasenia: I'm so excited~. What will we gain from this travel?
Andrea: I hope we are not thrown to another World by the end of it.
Yasenia: …
Evelyn: Andrea, can you not jinx it?
Andrea: Cough, sorry.
Author: Either way. I summon you!
Randomplant: Hello~.
Angel: Hello!
Randomplant: So, girls, when you reach transcendental, have you thought about whether one day you will choose a disciple? And if you decide to have disciples, how attached would you be to them?
Cecile: Attached in what way?
Randomplant: I don't know. You tell me, hahaha.
Cecile: Hmm… I mean, anything closer to being fond in a junior-elder way is impossible.
Yasenia: That's a very broad question. I mean, it depends on how the disciple behaves. Moreover, unless we settle down for quite a while, accepting disciples will be something we won't do.
Evelyn: Oh? Why do you say that?
Yasenia: *Smirk* You'll probably be caring for our children~. Why accept disciples with our little darlings running around?
The girls: …
Kali: Love, are you not planning on having us rest once you have the go-ahead?
Yasenia: I mean, with the reduced fertility, even if I don't hold back when we are in Transcendent Realm, it will be quite difficult to get pregnant, no?
Mirrory: That might not be the case.
Yasenia: Oh?
Mirrory: I mean, your fertility is off the charts. I've been monitoring for fun, and if you hadn't held back and released fertile seed, there would have been 648 instances when you would've impregnated her.
Angel: *Blushing uncontrollably*
The girls: …
Randomplant: I got an exciting answer, it seems…
Author: And with that interesting fact, we'll leave this Celestial Theater here~.