The pavilion wasn’t very hard to find once Chun was in the area. It was a massive tower in the middle of the southern district. Thinking back, he had seen the tower several times in the distance, and had even passed by it rather closely when he’d first moved into the Sapphire Port. But he’d never known it was called the Rose Treasury Pavilion.
Surrounding the tower were a variety of market stalls and stores selling all sorts of wares. Crowds of people were milling about the streets, as well as a massive courtyard in front of the tower, where most of the market stalls were gathered.
Chun leapt from the roof to walk around the courtyard before actually entering the pavilion. He didn’t know exactly where Kanta was, but he made the deduction that she was in the tower, near its peak.
He had taken around 15 Imperial coins with him, knowing he would be going to the market. He had no idea what he would even buy, if he would buy anything. But he trusted himself to know what items were useful.
Most of the items at the stalls were all manner of knick-knacks. Some of them were even enchanted items. He’d seen a pair of spectacles that could let him zoom-in his vision temporarily. A handkerchief that couldn’t stain. And even a fine kimono that could change colors at the wearer's will. None of it felt particularly interesting, however.
After an hour of looking around and not spending a single coin, he decided to walk into the tower. Or he would have had a pair of guards in lamellar armor, not stopped him. They were two of many guards stationed around the courtyard and pavilion.
“Do you have permission to enter the Rose Treasury Pavilion?” The guard asked sternly.
Chun dug a hand in his robes for a moment before pulling out the wooden talisman Kanta had given him. It was the first thing that came to mind when the guard asked for ‘permission’.
As the guard saw the piece of wood in the man’s hand, his eyes widened slightly, and he took a step back, returning to his post. “Apologize, sir. Go on in.” He said in a much kinder tone than before.
Chun was slightly confused at the guard’s change in tone, but didn’t think much of it. He put the talisman back in his robes and stepped into the tower.
He felt a rush of cold as he entered the building. The air outside, even at dusk, was rather warm and humid. Not enough to make him sweat profusely, but enough to be annoying. Within the pavilion, though, all that humid warmth was gone. It was as if a perpetual breeze swam through the air. The first floor of the building was a large lobby area. It was well-lit with several lanterns that hung from the wooden rafters of the ceiling. The floor was a massive red and gold carpet embroidered to look like a massive golden rose blooming in a crimson-red background. Its vines, a similar gold color, stretched out to meet and wrap around the edges of the room. The lobby was scattered with several round tables draped in white cloth. At a wall to the left of the entrance was what Chun assumed was a check-in desk. At the far wall was a staircase that rose and split, forming two other staircases leading left and right towards the second floor. Another thing he noticed were the occupants of the pavilion. They were all dressed in fine robes or tunics, or a mix thereof. Most sported jewelry and were considerably above-average looks-wise for what Chun had seen so far. Clearly, this wasn’t some basic establishment for the middle-class. In his cream-colored apothecary robes, he felt underdressed. Chun walked up to the check-in desk.
The person behind the desk, a slim woman with long black hair, dressed in a tight red-and-gold dress, bowed to Chun as he approached. “Hello, sir. Which level of the pavilion would you like access to?” She asked. Her voice was light and higher than most other women. As Chun looked at her more, she seemed oddly young. Hardly 18, perhaps? Regardless, Chun spoke.
“I am just here to speak with Ms. Kanta. Do you know where she is?”
The woman’s trained smile faltered ever so slightly as she bowed again. “I’m sorry, Madam Kanta isn’t expecting visitors right now.”
Chun raised a brow and produced the talisman again. “She’d told me I could visit her at any time. If she is busy, I can wait here on the first floor.” He said.
Now, the woman’s eyes widened, and she took the talisman from Chun’s hand. She turned it over and to the side, inspecting every bit of the talisman’s surface. She mumbled something to herself that the man couldn’t hear before opening a drawer at the desk and taking out a small golden talisman, half the size of the one Chun had. She also produced a pen. She then took the pen and looked towards Chun. “Your name, sir?”
“Chun Hyang,” he answered, somewhat confused as to what the woman was doing.
She began writing on the golden talisman before setting the pen down and handing it to the man before her. “Madam Kanta will be on the fourth floor.” She said with a similarly forced smile. “I will notify her of your arrival.”
He took the golden talisman and looked at it; it was just a golden rectangle with rounded corners, with a blooming rose in the middle. Over the display was Chun’s name written in already dried ink. He was surprised the pen could even write on the gold at all, but he chalked it up to the pen or talisman being special in some way. He bowed to the woman in thanks before making his way to the staircase at the other end of the room.
The second floor of the pavilion had a similar layout to that of the lobby, but now the circular tables were replaced with dozens of display cases. Chun didn’t stick around long enough to get a look at most of the items within, but he could feel the fragments of Internal Energy coursing through each item in the cases. Additionally, Chun saw several guards in gold and red aristocratic robes. However, he could tell they were layered with armor beneath it as well as the outer attire being enchanted in some way. Their eyes were glued on the many upper-class citizens browsing the items within the cases, most being tailed by a staff member or two.
The third floor was different from those prior. A hallway that branched off into several other rooms and doors stood along the walls, leading to further rooms. He assumed this was likely for storage and the staff. As he was about to enter the staircase to the fourth floor, more guards stopped him, only to quickly back off when he showed the golden talisman he’d been given.
The fourth floor was rather simple. A short hallway with a single door at its end flanked by lanterns for lighting. From the layout of the previous rooms, 80% of the fourth floor seemed to be this single room.
He walked up and knocked on the door. This had to be where Kanta was, right? A second later, the muffled voice of Ms. Kanta came through the door. “Come in.”
Chun opened the door and entered. The one room he’d thought was consuming the fourth floor was actually three rooms. Two doors on the left wall of the room led somewhere Chun couldn’t guess. The main room was decorated in a magnificent mix of red carpet and walls, and golden embroidery. A few vases on tables against the walls held crimson roses within them. Near the far wall was a desk backed by a window showing the Sapphire port and the orange sky of dusk. Sitting behind the desk was, expectedly, Ms. Kanta. She was more modestly dressed than when Chun had last seen her, though that wasn’t particularly saying much. She wore her traditional red and gold kimono, but it was actually tightened over her form. Though Chun could still tell the woman had no undershirt below it. Her hair wasn’t in a bun this time; it fell down her back and over her shoulder. Her lips were still the same cherry-red, and a faint blush still rested on her cheeks. Chun was beginning to think that was how she normally looked.
On the table in front of her were several papers as well as a few candles and pens that looked like they cost more than Chun’s entire wardrobe. The papers looked like rather official documents, but he was too far away to properly read them.
A single chair was in front of the desk for guests. To the right side of the room was a small table, as well as a soft-looking couch and cushioned chairs. Seemingly a small area for whatever relaxation one could get in that room.
Chun bowed to Kanta after he closed the door. “Good evening, Ms. Kanta. I didn’t expect you to be at the top of this establishment.” He said with a smile, trying to keep the phrase lighthearted rather than oppressive.
“Well, of course, I’d be at the top. I own this-” she paused for a half second to take a breath and reorganize herself. “I own this establishment. It is rather fortunate timing for you to stop by.”
Chun waved away the odd pause as he approached and took a seat in the chair across the desk. “I was just stopping by for some company and to ask a few questions about some things. One of which is where to get some equipment and resources for my growth.”
“Growth as a martial artist, you mean? Or an apothecary?” She asked. She kept a calm smile on her face, but there were slight shifts in her eyes, and her hands were fidgeting with one of the pens.
“Martial artist,” Chun said. His brow lifted slightly at Kanta’s odd behavior. Then he noticed something. He could feel the lust radiating off of her. Her eyes were glued to Chun, but her mind was elsewhere. For a moment, he wondered if his Aura of Lust modifier was causing some complications, but something in his mind told him it wasn’t that, though he could still feel it having a slight effect on Kanta. It wasn’t the source of her behavior. He was about to simply ask about it when Kanta opened her mouth to speak, but rather than words, a faint moan came out of her mouth.
She bit her lip and looked down at her lap. “Alright enough w-with that,” She snarled. She grabbed something under the desk and backed away in her chair. A second later, a head poked out from beneath the desk. A woman rose to her feet from under the desk. She had brown hair that fell just below her shoulders. It may have been nicely combed once, but now it was rather disheveled. She wore the same dress that all the women of the staff did, although hers was nearly falling off her shoulders. Her face was red with embarrassment as she looked back at Chun. Her eyes were an ocean-blue, and the martial artist noticed her face was different from all else he’d come across. She was a foreigner from the Far Lands. The lower half of her face was damp with what Chun assumed to be Kanta’s sexual fluids.
“Go get cleaned up and give us some room. You did well.” Kanta said to the woman. The foreigner bowed to her superior and started towards one of the doors to the left of the room, taking one last glance back at Chun. The martial artist could practically see the lust flowing from the woman. Chun could feel it pulse as she noticed his eyes on her. She liked the attention; liked the humiliation.
“As I said,” Kanta said, as if a woman hadn’t just revealed herself beneath her desk. “You chose a fortunate time to stop by.” She had a smile on her face. Chun couldn’t sense even a fragment of sarcasm or humiliation in the woman’s voice.
“Most fortunate,” Chun said. He wasn’t being entirely sarcastic either. The sight of Kanta being pleasured right in front of him without his knowledge sent blood traveling south. A few thoughts flew through his head that, had anyone in his past life known about, would have labeled him as some sort of sexual deviant. He quickly shoved the thoughts from his head, though the knowing smile on Kanta’s face told him she knew what he was thinking. “But, back to why I came here,”
Kanta nodded and moved herself back comfortably against her desk. “Of course. You wish for my aid in growing as a martial artist. I assume you mean to increase your stage of martial arts? You are only a first-stage martial artist, correct? Within the first tier?”
Chun nodded along with Kanta’s words. Though he had to admit, a fragment of his mind was still thinking about him being underneath that desk. Even still, most of his attention was on the conversation. “I mostly require equipment like weapons and armor, as well as some enchanted equipment. Resources for alchemy- as well as equipment for such- will also be needed eventually.”
Kanta rested her chin on her raised hand as she set her elbow on her desk. “And why exactly do you think I can acquire such items for you?” She asked, though she didn’t mean the words condescendingly.
“Initially, I was only going to ask your opinion on where to obtain such items. But seeing as you are a bit more important than I had first thought,” Chun gestured around the room for emphasis. “It seems well within your power. As to why you would do such a favor, we can always help each other.”
“In what way?” She asked, raising a brow.
“I’m a martial artist who is stronger than his stage would suggest. As well as an aspiring alchemist, if I can acquire the resources to actually do it, of course. That, and I am quite a quick learner.” Chun explained. He suddenly felt like he was at a job application during his last life.
Kanta scanned over the man in front of her. “From what I heard, you did manage to kill Heiyin without a scratch. But that man is far from what I would consider a true martial artist.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “Let's make a deal for now.” The woman stood from her desk. Only now did Chun notice the lack of clothing beneath the woman’s waist. Her only coverage was her kimono that went down to her calves. Perhaps Chun had been hasty in his assumption that she was dressed more modestly than normal. Something else told him she always dressed something like this. He recalled a modifier his past life had chosen that made most forms of fashion rather revealing. But he put the thought from his mind as the woman continued. “In two days, a tournament is being held in the southern district. Something ‘below the law’ if you understand my meaning,”
Chun nodded.
“You will participate in it. Impress me, and you will get your wish in the form of some equipment. But eventually a new favor will come, but we shall save those details for after the tournament. You impress me and do me a favor; I help you grow. Does that sound like a deal, Mr. Hyang?”
“On one condition,” Chun then stood from his chair. “I need resources for alchemy. Nothing fancy, just basic resources. Give me that first, and I assure my attendance at this tournament. Though I will need a time and a place.”
Kanta nodded. “That can be arranged. Julian!” She shouted.
A second later, the foreigner emerged from the sideroom, her face and attire now more proper than before. She stepped alongside Kanta and bowed to her. “Yes, Mistress Kanta?”
“Grab a piece of parchment and write down the details of the tournament in the coming days, will you?” She asked, though it was less a question and more a softly delivered order.
The foreigner quickly took a blank piece of paper and a pen from the desk and began writing.
“Give it to Mr. Hyang when you are done,” Kanta added.
A few seconds later, Chun was handed a folded piece of paper.
“As for the alchemical supplies, we can secure them tonight. However, at the moment my pet and I are here,” Kanta glanced at the foreigner, making the brunette’s face readen and her lust pulse again. “Must return to our business. Feel free to wander about the pavilion; that golden talisman should get you practically anywhere.” Her eyes flickered between Chun and Julian before she added. “Or you could watch.”
Chun’s lower half thought for him before his upper half could stop himself. “Gladly.” A part of Chun’s mind recalled the ‘increased libido’ modifier he’d given himself. He had yet to decide if it was a blessing or a curse.