Nyla shook her head. “Don’t you remember how easily Uncle Grey defeated him back when he possessed your body? The difference was hard to ignore.” Staring up at the sky as her gaze drifted northward, she let out a tired sigh. “I wonder if the inheritance my ancestor left behind is even worth it anymore. What with Nia, the Divine Spirit Fountain, Uncle Grey as our mentor—is it even necessary at this point?”
Nolan knew that she felt quite selfish in dragging everyone else along with her on a journey that by all rights had nothing to do with anyone but herself. Still, the task gave him a sense of purpose in this world of aimless wandering, and it also enabled him to happen upon more Otherworlders throughout his travels.
“It’s worth it to me. This world is huge, and thanks to the fact that the inheritance is our current objective, we’ve been able to see a whole lot of it. We’ve made so many connections along the way, and I’ve been able to find a good number of people from my home world, too.”
“I always forget about them. Do you think they’re doing okay?”
In total, he’d saved several dozen people from Earth back in Cutthroat County, and the king of Ridgerock had promised to keep an eye out for any that might wind up in his lands. On top of that, Nolan was positive that there would be plenty of them on North Island, for in this world they were viewed as pets and playthings, and who else would collect such valuable commodities but the largest merchant conglomerate in the world? By the time he returned to the Three-River Valley, he’d surely have hundreds of Earthlings by his side. Just a few trips to Nia—a few months in real time after factoring in the wait period—would transform all of these ordinary people into powerhouses at the early levels of the Integration stage, which would place them at the top of the continent’s hierarchy of strength.
“Even though you say that, I still think it’s best if I seek out the other two parts of my inheritance on my own. Now that I’m strong enough, I don’t want to hold anyone else back for the sake of my own selfishness. After all, reviving my clan is something that only pertains to me.”
He forced a cough. “I’d like to think I’ll have a hand in that.”
She laughed, the tone rich and pleasant to the ear. “Who else would I rely on?”
He began walking toward the tower at a leisurely pace, Nyla quick to follow after him. Trying his best to hide the annoyance from his tone, he said, “Well, you did say that you’d have children with other guys. By the way, where’re you standing on that these days?”
“You took that seriously?” She rolled her eyes. “Does that even make sense? I can only be impregnated by one person at a time. What need is there for anyone else? Besides…” Fixing him with a coquettish look, she went on, “who else could give me stronger children than you?”
Standing up a little straighter, he said, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
What a relief, he thought with a smile. Now I just need to make sure that she doesn’t meet anyone younger and stronger than I am. Yeah…and if she does, then it’ll be my turn to be the asshole young master that puts him in his place. I’ve got the Millennial Ring, after all.
“Speaking of conceiving a child, we happen to be alone right now. Shall we give it a try?”
Definitely not trying to have a kid right now, he wanted to say, but his body and mind were at a crossroads.
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“There’s no rush,” he eventually said, though he subconsciously straightened his pine-coloured uniform and gained a bit of a spring to his step. “Come on, I’ll turn the top of the tower into a cool place to hangout. We can meet up with the others in a few hours.”
She suddenly turned her gaze to an empty plot of air just above the eastern fringes of the clearing.
“What is it?”
He expanded his spiritual sense, but didn’t detect anything.
She smiled. “It’s nothing.” Lightly floating up from the ground, she quickly flew up to the top of the tower.
Following her up, he said, “Hey, can you go collect like a bathtub’s worth of water from the closest cloud? I wanna relax in a hot tub.”
After he’d made such a contraption several times for him and his friends to enjoy, she was well aware of the term.
“Oh, good idea. It’ll be a lot nicer with just the two of us.”
Heh, yeah it will.
While Nyla flew off to complete the task, Nolan spent several minutes remodeling the tower’s top floor. By the time she returned, he’d created a wide, square-shaped balcony that overlooked the surrounding forests and the distant city from high above. The balcony opened up into a room that was about twenty metres across, also a perfect square. With a little ingenuity, he’d created a stone fireplace and filled it with wood, the smoke drifting out of the quaint chimney that he’d fashioned into the side of the western wall face, the plumes ticking the sloping eaves of the building’s roof as they trickled up into the sky to the tune of soft, comforting crackles.
Next, he left the construction of the circular tub to Nyla, who converted several empty barrels into the perfect ski-lodge-type tub, while he produced the thick pelt of a large grizzly bear that he’d killed at some point on his journey through the Dragon’s Tail. The animal had been so big that almost the entire floor was covered in a thick, shaggy rug, the head having been removed for aesthetic purposes.
“Heat it up a little more?” he said after dipping a hand into the scalding waters of the tub. “Honestly, these days I can sit in the middle of a campfire and not feel anything, so this bit of heat doesn’t do much for me.”
“That’s because of your other core cultivation method,” she pouted, a bit jealous that she was limited to the Profound Soul-Splitting Technique. “As long as I don’t rely on my energies, I can still feel it a bit…”
“Fine, fine,” he sighed, finally finding a slight detriment to his growing immunity to fire. “Well, let’s get ‘er going.”
Removing the vest-like overcoat of his uniform, he went on to slip the inner tunic over his head and drop it onto the floor. Nyla also began to undress, and soon they stood staring at one another’s naked figures with approving eyes. While he’d initially been a decent-looking fellow, Nolan was currently at peak physical condition. Not only did his body fit the mold that every self-conscious person might fantasize about having, but his skin was exceptionally clear and his constitution remarkably healthy.
The same went for Nyla, of course, whose long black hair trailed down her slender neckline to partially cover her large, perky breasts, small, symmetrical nipples poking out from behind the luscious curtain in a slightly darker shade than her lightly tanned skin.
As her gaze drifted to his instant erection, he put on a confident smile and climbed into the tub, summoning a floating table a moment later atop which he placed a large jug of golden spirits.
Hot tub and scenic view, large, cushiony rug, slowly crackling fire within an immaculately structured fireplace, an impressive quantity of the world’s most exquisite spirits—Nolan didn’t mess around when it came to wooing his women.
This is what we struggle for, he sighed as the water began to bubble at the behest of a quick arrayment on his part.
Nyla poured him a serving of spirits and handed the golden cup over to him with two hands in a pampering manner. Chamberlain Daren’s estate had been filled with all sorts of treasures, including the cutlery that they’d found within the dining halls. All were made from star gold, and they had quickly become the preferred dishes and utensils for him and his friends. These days, Nolan constantly enjoyed the sensation of living the high life.
“Cheers,” he said as he felt Nyla’s toes beginning to feel around beneath the water. “To times like these.”
“To times like these,” she echoed, inching a bit closer after taking a sip from her cup.