Su Sheng withdrew his gaze, stopping in front of Luo Ren. Calmly, he said, “Although I really want to leave this place, I will keep my promise to you, so there’s no need to test me like this.”
For a moment, Luo Ren looked utterly stunned, but he quickly composed himself, reverting to his refined and courteous demeanor with a smile. “Then let’s go.”
Following the map’s directions, the two arrived at the fourth demon city-state, also known as the Succubus Dominion.
They drank the transformation potions they had prepared along the way, turning one into a necromancer and the other into a succubus.
There was a small incident regarding Su Sheng’s transformation into a succubus. Originally, he was extremely, extremely unwilling to become such a lewd creature. However, the blood of the fallen elves had already been used up earlier, and along the way, aside from encountering a high-level succubus, there were no other demons!
They killed that high-level succubus as a backup, but in the end, no other demons passed by, even when he went looking, there were none!
And this damned Luo Ren had prepared the blood of a necromancer for himself. Su Sheng had suggested swapping, but Luo Ren’s few words forced him to surrender.
“Do you understand necromancers? If you become one and fail to act the part, you’ll only draw more suspicion from the demons. On the other hand, succubi are known for their capriciousness, so there’s no such constraint…”
“Besides, I think the succubus form suits you better.”
With the last sentence, Luo Ren smiled, his gaze teasing as he looked at him.
Su Sheng’s head throbbed. He tapped his forehead with his knuckles, trying to drive out this nonsense.
In the end, he became a succubus, and dwelling on it now was pointless.
They arrived at the city gate, where a long line stretched almost all the way to the distant forest.
However, Luo Ren pulled him through the crowd of demons, and only then did he notice another line nearby.
Strangely, this line was filled with succubi who looked like handsome men and beautiful women. Why was this line so short?
How intriguing. Su Sheng sneered coldly.
Luo Ren had him cut into the middle of the line and squeezed in himself. Oddly, none of the succubi here raised any objections.
Although the transformation potion temporarily disguised them as the corresponding race based on the blood used, it did little to alter their appearances. Thus, Su Sheng still wore his breathtakingly beautiful face, now as a succubus.
Since his arrival, the surrounding succubi had been whispering among themselves, and some even approached him directly to strike up conversations.
Before becoming the Saint, Su Sheng had no shortage of admirers in the kingdom, so he handled the situation with ease. He chatted and laughed with the succubi while subtly extracting information from them. In no time, he had a clear understanding of the city-state.
Luo Ren stood to the side, watching coldly. After a while, seeing that the annoying creatures still hadn’t dispersed, he pulled out his sword, transformed into a staff, and planted it firmly on the ground.
The chatter instantly ceased. The succubi exchanged glances, and the surroundings fell silent.
Just then, it was their turn to enter the city.
The guard was a tall and robust succubus, a rare sight, as succubi were seldom so muscular.
The guard, initially disdainful, paused slightly upon seeing Su Sheng.
Soon, he adopted a cautious expression and fawned, “Esteemed sir, do you possess a demon certificate?”
From his earlier conversation with the succubi, Su Sheng had learned that demons allowed entry into the city-state all carried a form of identification to verify their status. Demons without such certificates were not permitted to enter, a system quite similar to modern-day ID cards.
A faint glimmer flickered in Su Sheng’s eyes as he offered a gentle smile. “Could you make an exception? We’ve lost our demon certificates.”
The tall succubus froze for a moment, even holding his breath. His tail behind him couldn’t stop tapping the ground, and his voice trembled slightly. “N-no problem. It’s just a lost demon certificate. I believe Lady Sa La will forgive your oversight. Please, follow me inside.”
After smoothly entering the city-state, the two were settled in an inn.
The accommodations were surprisingly well-appointed, so tidy and aesthetically pleasing that it hardly seemed like a place demons would reside.
However, when Su Sheng curiously opened the box by the bedside, his expression soured at the sight of the dazzling array of various small toys inside.
At the other end of the box lay a small vial of potion. Su Sheng picked it up, turning it over and over, unable to discern its purpose.
It wasn’t until Luo Ren snatched the vial from his hands.
“What are you doing?”
Meeting Luo Ren’s half-smiling, half-mocking gaze, Su Sheng felt utterly confused.
Luo Ren sat on the sofa, his slender fingers rubbing the vial as he tilted his head slightly. His eyes were as deep and unfathomable as thick ink. “Norton, have you been holding onto this to hint at something to me?”
“What?” Su Sheng didn’t understand at first, but upon seeing Luo Ren’s highly suggestive gestures, he guessed about seventy to eighty percent of the meaning. His face flushed crimson in an instant.
Quietly turning away, Su Sheng felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment.
He had actually spent all that time examining something like that…
Beside him, Luo Ren lounged lazily on the sofa, his gaze fixed solely on Su Sheng’s retreating figure. His expression was inscrutable, and after a moment, he let out a soft, amused chuckle.
Feeling utterly humiliated, Su Sheng found the room suddenly cramped and stifling. He could even hear Luo Ren’s breathing clearly beside him!
“I’m going out for a bit.”
A moment later, Su Sheng turned and spoke before quickly slipping out of the room. Luo Ren made no attempt to stop him.
Only after Su Sheng had left did Luo Ren let out a low, quiet laugh.
The streets were bustling with demons, most of the vendors being succubi. Su Sheng had left the inn without any preparation and found himself immediately surrounded upon stepping outside.
Succubi were generally attractive, and both male and female succubi crowded around Su Sheng. If he were truly a succubus, he would have sensed the overwhelming atmosphere of courtship filling the entire street.
But he wasn’t. For the succubi, it was like casting flirtatious glances at someone blind to their charms.
Su Sheng couldn’t use magic here without risking exposure, so he had no choice but to push his way through. Yet, no matter where he tried to squeeze, the crowd followed.
Trapped for what felt like an eternity and on the verge of breaking down, a path suddenly cleared through the noisy crowd.
Eagerly, Su Sheng looked over,
A golden carriage stood parked not too far away. A male succubus dressed as a butler approached, and Su Sheng noticed that all the other demons regarded him with deep reverence as he walked by.
The succubus approached and first performed a curtsy before speaking, “Mr. Lori, City Lord Sa La invites you.”
That’s right, to avoid the risk of exposing his original name, he had adopted the alias “Lori” here.
“Lori” cleared his throat, slightly parting his lips to ask a question, but the butler succubus spoke first, “I assume you’re asking about your companion? I believe he has already arrived by now.”
Su Sheng said nothing more and boarded the carriage.
They arrived shortly after. Su Sheng was asked to change into formal attire before being escorted inside by a servant.
The ballroom had two floors. The first floor was crowded with demons of all kinds, though all in human form, indicating that the demons here were of high rank.
The second floor was nearly empty, and he had no intention of going up.
Su Sheng frowned slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable as he moved to the corner between the staircase and the window. His gaze began scanning the crowd.
Where was Luo Ren?
His small yet slender heart-shaped tail unconsciously tapped the floor every now and then. A pair of purple eyes focused intently on each arriving guest, while his slender fingers held a wine glass filled with red wine. The crimson liquid paired with his exquisitely beautiful face made Sa La, who was approaching, pause in surprise.
“How interesting,” Sa La murmured, watching Su Sheng with keen interest from a distance.
An intense gaze burned into Su Sheng like a furnace. Unable to bear it, he turned around and saw a figure dressed in luxurious purple formal attire, the style of the outfit perfectly matched his own.
Just then, the surrounding lights suddenly dimmed, and all the spotlights focused on a single person.
Under the spotlight stood a young man more beautiful than an elf.
“Please welcome our distinguished guest of the day, Mr. Lori!”
The demons below froze in astonishment and shock the moment they laid eyes on Su Sheng.
“My goodness, there’s actually a succubus more beautiful than Lord Sa La.”
“It’s simply unfair for someone to look like this!”
“No wonder Lord Sa La insisted on marrying him. If he didn’t, his status might be at risk, right?”
Hearing the discussions below, Su Sheng found it utterly absurd.
“Marry” him?
He recognized every word, but when combined, they became difficult to comprehend.
Sa La descended from the second floor and approached him.
Su Sheng narrowed his eyes, examining this succubus city lord. The other had deep brown hair, half-draped over his shoulders, with sharp, defined features. His muscles weren’t overly bulging from excessive training but were perfectly smooth and well-proportioned. The purple formal attire clung to his physique, accentuating a flawless V-line. It could be said that this succubus before him exuded the pinnacle of masculine charm.
Most succubi leaned toward femininity, but this city lord not only embodied the grace and elegance of a woman but also encompassed all the strengths of a man. No wonder he had become the city lord.
However, the other’s appearance had nothing to do with him, nor did it mean he would [censored] for him.
Su Sheng’s expression remained impassive, as cold as three feet of frozen ice, striking fear into the hearts of many demons below.
Yet, this succubus city lord was not intimidated in the slightest. Instead, he bowed and extended a hand, inviting Su Sheng to dance.
The music began to play, and the crowd below erupted into a wild dance, the atmosphere gradually heating up. Meanwhile, Sa La remained in her posture, head bowed, body slightly inclined, one hand extended in invitation, as if she would never relent unless he agreed.
The two of them remained locked in this standoff. After a moment, a melodious voice broke the silence: “Don’t you want the token of the Fourth City-State?”
Su Sheng didn’t move a muscle. Seeing this, Sa La sighed. “If you dance with me, I’ll tell you how to obtain the token.”
“I’m afraid I must disappoint you, City Lord. I don’t know how to dance,” Su Sheng replied.
Sa La sighed again. “You really are… never mind.”
“I won’t make things difficult for you. There are only two ways to obtain the token of the Fourth City-State. The first is to gain the City Lord’s approval.” Here, Sa La paused and glanced subtly at Su Sheng. “The second is to defeat the City Lord and take their place.”
Su Sheng’s expression darkened completely.
He understood Sa La’s implication all too well. The rules of the Succubus Dominion were not based on combat prowess but on beauty, the more beautiful and powerful the succubus, the higher their status.
And to defeat a City Lord who could… serve ten men in a single night…
A vein throbbed violently on his forehead. Just the thought of such a scene made him deeply uncomfortable.
Was there really no other way?
Su Sheng pinched his wine glass between two fingers, feeling for the first time that the world could harbor such absurdities.
“However…” Sa La smiled. “You could be an exception.”
“If you can sleep with that necromancer beside you, I’ll give you the token of the Fourth City-State directly.”
“So, have you made your choice?” Sa La asked with a harmless-looking smile.