Book 8: Chapter 81: Ambiguous Feelings |
“Milleras, I will keep my promise. You still have time, you really don’t have to do this!” Qin Lun sighed looking at the Elf Prince’s rabbit-like eyes, red and dark purple from exhaustion. He turned and glanced at the pile of untouched food in the corner, frowning as he said, “At least you should eat something!”
“I know what I’m doing, Firal. You’ve wasted fifteen minutes of my time already. Now please leave!” Milleras said, his face expressionless. “Unless Kelly and Robin are back, don’t disturb my work again!”
“Alright, it’s your call!” Qin Lun rubbed his nose sheepishly, forced a dry chuckle, and turned to leave the room.
“Damn it, why is this one damaged too? What does this part even mean?!” The muffled sound of Milleras’s furious roar came through the door just as Qin Lun closed it behind him.
Qin Lun ducked his head instinctively and quickly tiptoed away.
After that big battle, the Obelisk had indeed suffered damage in multiple places. Cerberus’s claw marks and Qin Lun’s own bullet impacts had left irreparable scars on the Obelisk. This ancient structure relied on precise rune arrangements; damage inevitably meant some page contents couldn’t be displayed.
Moreover, the Uvellen Obelisk was far too precious. Neither Milleras nor Qin Lun dared let Duke Birenda find out about its existence. With no other Elven Rangers around now, and Qin Lun unwilling to help, the task of transcribing and translating fell solely on Milleras’s shoulders.
…
“Just back from Milleras’s place?” A lazy voice greeted Qin Lun as he pushed open the door to his room.
Iristin lay reclined against the headboard, one smooth, pale arm pillowing the back of her head. Her gleaming silver hair cascaded free over her full, graceful curves. She gazed at Qin Lun with sleepy, half-lidded eyes. Though slightly disheveled, her exquisitely carved features offered a uniquely charming picture, like a sleep-disheveled maiden.
“What?” A woman’s sharp intuition quickly alerted Iristin to Qin Lun’s openly appreciative stare.
“You jerk!” Flushing bright red, Iristin fumbled hastily and pulled the blanket up over herself, shielding the enticing view suddenly visible at her chest.
Staring at the Elf beauty’s flushed face, Qin Lun felt a pang of thirst scratch at his throat. Ever since changing his mind back at the Tower of Durlag and turning back to rescue Iristin and the others, he’d felt less in control of his emotions. Unwanted feelings would often bubble up inside him.
But this time, he didn’t immediately hand things over to Joey. Qin Lun was starting to realize that even if he asked Joey to take care of it, traces of these feelings remained buried deep within the core. It felt like traces of smell stubbornly lingering in the garbage bin itself, even after the trash is removed. And remembering these traces just made the sensations come flooding back, even stronger and more difficult to manage.
Besides, Joey seemed to have changed somewhat too. The previous “Dissector” hadn’t been this passionately obsessed with art, nor possessed such varied pursuits. But now…
This shift was growing ever more forceful. Qin Lun sometimes felt, almost subconsciously, that even if he discarded these “unwanted feelings” repeatedly, his transformation was unavoidable. And happening faster and faster, like a train picking up speed, impossible to stop. It was perhaps better to take hold of the situation now, manage it within controllable boundaries, and learn proper handling.
Of course, the consequence of not letting Joey process things instantly was this confusing emotion he now felt towards Iristin. He had deliberately studied two females before: Katharine and Baise.
In the Orphan World, Katharine had given him his first experience of being intimate as a man. But now, his feelings for Katharine had become vague. It was uncomfortable sometimes, though he didn’t know why. This was also one reason he chose not to erase the emotional memory again.
As for Baise in the Hunter World, that had been nothing more than a fleeting encounter. The Hunter beauty helped him vent the pressure accumulated from the adventure world. He, in turn, had saved her life, allowing her to survive the Troupe’s assault.
But this feeling he had now for Iristin puzzled Qin Lun. He wasn’t sure if this was what people called love, or if it was the Elven Druid’s dependence on him that stirred protective instincts within him.
“You… rest well!” Qin Lun offered two awkward laughs and hastily turned to leave.
Watching Qin Lun’s somewhat flustered retreat, Iristin blushed again, unable to suppress a small, delighted smile. Her expression turned dreamy as she looked out the window, winding a strand of silver hair around her finger again and again.
“You’re back.” The moment Qin Lun pushed open the door to his own room, a cool, clear female voice greeted him.
“Pakunoda, isn’t your room next door?” Qin Lun sighed helplessly and rubbed his temples.
“You know already that the closer I am to you, the faster I can absorb Energy Points,” Pakunoda stated coldly, her pretty face expressionless.
Ever since their agreement at the Tower of Durlag that granted her freedom during this world, Qin Lun hadn’t intervened in Pakunoda’s actions. However, as an Apostle tool, despite having independent consciousness, she couldn’t stray too far from Qin Lun. If she did, she was automatically transported back to her master’s location.
Fortunately, Pakunoda, a capable figure in her former life and sharp-witted, quickly devised a temporary solution. The Nen system from the Hunter World had the ability called Conjuration. Conjuration masters could conjure anything, including a human body. Of course, a conjured human body would be simply a soulless corpse.
The “Blood of Dissection” that Qin Lun obtained in the Hunter World actually possessed certain principles of Nen and could be used for Conjuration. Pakunoda herself was a Specialization type. Though not well-versed in the Conjuration system specifically, conjuring a “corpse” matching her own features wasn’t beyond her ability.
By using Qin Lun’s “Blood of Dissection”, the Troupe beauty managed to obtain a physical body for herself. This way, the Artifact Spirit combined with a conjured flesh body made Pakunoda somewhat similar to the puppet doll Qin Lun once made using Shalnark’s method. She could now move independently from Qin Lun.
However, the conjured body Pakunoda possessed couldn’t generate its own life force. If she strayed too far from Qin Lun, and the Blood of Dissection wasn’t replenished, the body would decay rapidly.
Therefore, the Troupe beauty only temporarily freed herself from Qin Lun. She still needed to return periodically to “absorb blood” from him.
The duration before she needed another “blood absorption” was tied to Qin Lun’s maximum Energy Points. Based on his current energy reserves, Pakunoda’s freedom lasted only about half a day. After that, she had to return to Qin Lun’s side.
Still, for Pakunoda, having the freedom to move within a half-day’s distance of Qin Lun was, in a sense, true freedom.
And for Qin Lun, Pakunoda’s memory recall ability was a crucial support function, irreplaceable for gathering world intelligence. Giving the Troupe beauty this small degree of freedom was a minor price to pay; he would gladly endure more for that advantage.
The relationship between the two was now… delicate. Pakunoda made no secret of her disdain for Qin Lun. Yet, to replenish her body’s Energy Points, she inevitably had to get close to him.
The closer she was to her master, the less “blood absorption” time she needed. If there was merely a wall separating them for instance, even just one room away, she would spend most of the day just replenishing the energy needed to sustain her form. Of course, if the Troupe beauty were willing to embrace Qin Lun, skin to skin, with nothing between them, she could be saturated in minutes.
Qin Lun sighed helplessly, flopped onto the bed, closed his eyes, and pretended to rest, treating the beautiful woman in his room as air. However, his quiet didn’t last long. He felt the bed dip beside him and caught a faint, delicate fragrance wafting past his nose.
“You…” Qin Lun opened his eyes in surprise, looking at Pakunoda sitting by the bedside.
“I have an appointment this afternoon. Can’t waste time,” the Troupe beauty said flatly. Then, in an unusual interpretation of “skin contact,” she simply grasped Qin Lun’s ankle with one hand.
No sooner had she spoken than Pakunoda noticed Qin Lun’s expression turn strange. Following his line of sight downwards, she realized he was staring dumbly at her chest.
Pakunoda’s appearance wasn’t conventionally soft or delicate. Her high forehead and prominent nose gave her facial structure a more pronounced sharpness compared to Elf beauties like Iristin. Growing up in Meteor Street, killing countless individuals even in her youth, her eyes held a cold ferocity that repelled others.
However, the Troupe beauty habitually dressed provocatively – sharp-tailored women’s suits paired with miniskirts revealing ample leg. Her outfit drew particular attention to her chest. A pair of truly massive breasts strained against the fabric, lifting the tailored suit high to expose a generous expanse of smooth, creamy skin beneath. Her cleavage plunged shockingly deep, like the Mariana Trench. It seemed almost as if, with a slightly vigorous movement, those ample mounds would tumble free from the high V-neck.
“Humph. Didn’t think you had a man’s baser instincts either,” Pakunoda remarked coolly, her expression unchanging though her lips formed a slight, mocking curve. Instead of backing away, she placed a single restraining hand against her chest, deliberately lifting the already prominent curves. Almost half of each globe bulged precariously above the suit’s neckline, straining against the fabric. “Staring intently, are you?”
“Very…” Qin Lun’s throat moved as he swallowed silently. He got the first syllable out before snapping back to reality. Anger flashed in his eyes. He yanked his ankle free from Pakunoda’s grasp and pointed stiffly at the door. “Out!”
“Hmph,” Pakunoda replied with a cryptic little smile. She rose smoothly and walked deliberately towards the door, her hips swaying with provocative confidence. The tight black mini-skirt molded itself around her rounded, incredibly firm bottom, accentuating each rolling curve with movements that sent disturbing ripples through any onlooker’s composure and imagination alike.
Qin Lun lay motionless and scowling on the bed after the Troupe beauty exited, staring up at the ceiling. He knew exactly why he’d slipped up earlier in front of Pakunoda. Truthfully, it had been the unresolved sensual tension ignited by Iristin still simmering within him.
“Perhaps I should just solve it the old-fashioned way? Go find some female at a tavern?” Qin Lun thought reflexively, his eyes unconsciously flicking towards the room’s wall – Iristin’s room was on the other side.
“Joey, is this what you’d call the backlash of leaving ‘unwanted feelings’ unresolved?” he asked his brother.
Of course, the Serial Killer had no time for Qin Lun’s psychological queries. Getting only silence from Joey, Qin Lun gave up. He retrieved a small metal case from his Storage Space to inspect.
This was the reward Angelo had given him for agreeing to take Emily away. Once they reached Baldur’s Gate, Emily had disabled the magical traps protecting it.
