Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 834 Interesting Stories from the Night Before [7.6k words]

Half a day later, at the World Fortress.

Dreamlike starlight poured down from the starry sky, which was backed by the abyss ocean, and fell upon the contractors in the open-air tavern.

"Whew! That was awesome!!"

A hearty shout, tinged with the smell of alcohol, rang out. A burly, scarred man from the cycle of reincarnation laughed loudly, slamming his large wine glass down and shouting:

"Haha! I didn't expect the Watchers to be so generous, providing such delicious wine for free! It makes me almost want to work my life for them!"

"Pfft! Bard, you're such a spineless coward! You're satisfied with just a few drinks! If you ask me, you should at least send us a couple more girls to have some fun!"

Another burly man dressed like a bandit, with ferocious beast tattoos on his body, chuckled and made no attempt to hide his sarcasm.

"Hehe, all I want is to have some good wine and have a good time. As for women, alchemical puppets and real women don't matter to me. But you, Ghost Dragon, you talk a good game, why don't you go find two of them and have them come and pay you to them!"

Faced with the taunts from his teammates, the scarred man just chuckled, then glanced at the scattered female contractors sitting in the large tavern, and retorted sharply to the tattooed strongman in front of him.

"Hehe~ This Brother Bard is being a bit too harsh on us~!"

A woman in purple gauze, exuding captivating allure, strolled over and teasingly leaned against the tattooed man's back. With a seductive smile, her slender, cold fingers gently traced his chest, her breath hot against his skin.

"The women here might be hard to handle, but they really admire tough guys like Brother Guilong who are full of masculine charm!"

"Who are you…!"

"How was it? Brother Guilong, I heard what you just said. I wonder if I'm satisfactory enough?"

The woman in purple gauze, whose lower abdomen bore the emblem of the Cult of Pleasure, chuckled softly. Her slender fingers clenched slightly, causing the tattooed man's breath to quicken. He abruptly stood up, gritted his teeth, and, amidst the woman's feigned gasp, swept her up in his arms, breathing heavily as he spoke:

"Damn it! This little wench came to me of her own accord! Don't blame me for not being gentle if she gets ruined!"

"Hehe~ Then I'll be waiting to see!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the tattooed burly man, breathing heavily like a wild beast, gritted his teeth, disregarded everything else, and rushed into the spatial portal, disappearing from the spot. The scarred man next to him couldn't help but blink, a look of astonishment on his face.

"Tsk tsk, that Ghost Dragon guy is really brave. He even dares to taste the women of the Pleasure Cult. I don't know whether to envy him or pity him!"

"Seriously, does the Pleasure God Cult have that many top-tier individuals? This is the fourth one already, isn't it?"

"You don't know this, do you? I just inquired and it seems that these girls from the Pleasure Cult inside the fortress are actually 'logistics personnel' specially sent by Paradise. They usually just stay inside the fortress and wait for us to come and find them."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing you've got wrong. There were more than four people who left the Pleasure Cult just now. Even those innocent-looking girls you saw earlier were actually members of their cult!"

"Pfft! Seriously, buddy, are you kidding me? Those innocent girls..."

"What else?! Let me tell you, not only that, if you want, you can even make them turn back into their virgin form and play with you again!"

"Really?! Dude, you're way too knowledgeable!"

"What else? I'm a regular at Pleasure Street. You guys who live in the cycle of death and reincarnation have no idea just how comfortable that place can be..."

A drunken, triumphant laugh echoed from the tavern. Women, strong liquor, life stories... As the alcohol concentration in the air rose, the classic topics that taverns couldn't avoid began to spread from this area, which had gathered a full half of the second batch of recruits.

"Sigh, aren't these guys afraid they won't be able to recover by tomorrow?"

A somewhat helpless sigh followed. On the circular balcony on the second floor of the tavern, a young man with a melancholy air shook his head helplessly, leaned against the railing, took a small sip of his cocktail, looked at the cold, indifferent man beside him who was gazing indifferently at the scene below, and asked with a smile:

"Speaking of which, Brother Mingyu, aren't you going to have a couple of drinks? With the quality of the drinks here, it would be a waste not to go down and have a taste!"

"No need, I'll stay here. This is a good opportunity to learn about the basic information of the people who came this time, and it will also make it easier for us to find teammates."

A voice so calm it was almost inhuman fell as Mingyu, who was observing the contractors below with his demonic eyes, spoke, his eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Hehe, that's really reassuring. Choosing Brother Mingyu as a teammate was definitely the right decision! By the way, besides that Evil Madman, have you picked out two other teammates, Brother Mingyu?"

"The twilight of your paradise, and the old man's leg pain in the cycle of reincarnation."

"Hmm... Twilight? Indeed, his abilities are quite suitable for working with me and Brother Mingyu."

Upon hearing this, the melancholy young man stroked his chin and muttered:

"As for my old leg pain, well... judging from how we were beaten up by that monster, the Death Eater, last time, that guy does fit our needs quite well."

"But speaking of which... Brother Mingyu, you're not choosing people based on how well we got beaten up last time, are you?"

"Is there a problem?" Mingyu glanced at the melancholy youth and said, "The Death Collector's system is very similar to the Abyss system. Anyone who can perform well in her hands will not fare too badly against Abyss creatures."

"...That's really something, no doubt about it." The melancholy young man gently rubbed his right eye and sighed with a hint of helplessness. He then glanced at the scene below, got up, and walked towards the stairs, adding, "In that case, I'll go find Twilight first. You can handle contacting Old Man with Cold Legs."

"Hmm." Upon hearing this, Mingyu gave a simple reply, then opened the communication channel and contacted the 'old cold legs' he had just mentioned to the melancholy young man.

Unlike the Outer Tier, as the second batch of contractors, their activity area within the World Fortress is extremely limited, and their teleportation permissions are only available to their own private rooms and a limited number of public places. Therefore, if they want to find contractors who are in their rooms during their free time, the only way is to contact them and meet them.

……

"Reincarnation Paradise" Old Man with Cold Legs: "Want to team up? Sure, no problem. I was just about to discuss this with you guys."

"Sanctuary Paradise" Underworld: "Hmm, the scheduled meeting time is 10:00 tomorrow, and the location is the training ground."

……

A few minutes later, Mingyu, having successfully finalized the selection of all his teammates, nodded slightly, sent the assembly time, and turned off the communication channel. Just as he was about to continue gathering information on the other contractors—

"Senior Ming... Mingyu?"

A tense voice rang out, and Mingyu shifted his gaze, only then noticing a somewhat familiar figure in the shadows above, cautiously climbing the wall like a thief and moving towards them.

“Al…” Looking at the white-haired boy who looked like a thief, Mingyu’s eyes flickered slightly. He was about to ask what the other was doing when Bell, who was on the wall, suddenly jolted and rushed over, covering the other’s mouth tightly.

"Brother Agor! Are you over here?!"

boom--! !

The next second, the door at the second-floor entrance was suddenly flung open, and a blonde girl with twin ponytails, dressed in a neat short skirt and moving as swiftly as the wind, burst through the door. When she excitedly looked ahead, she only saw an empty balcony.

"Huh? Did they mishear? That's strange, I definitely heard someone mention Argo's name just now?"

The blonde twin-tailed little girl stared blankly at the balcony, which was devoid of anything except a faint smell of cocktails. She blinked her eyes in confusion, looked around for a while, muttered a couple of things, puffed out her cheeks, and clenched her pink little fists fiercely.

"No, I must find Brother Argo before those two wicked women!!"

After uttering a harsh remark, the blonde loli suddenly transformed into a streak of light and vanished from the spot. After she had been gone for a while, the shadow in the corner silently disappeared into the depths of the ground, eventually reaching the private restroom in the tavern before suddenly dissipating, leaving behind the figures of Mingyu and Bell.

"Huff...huff...I'm...I'm saved!" Bell, who was almost having a heart attack in the shadow world, was panting heavily with a pale face and a look of relief that he had survived a disaster. It took him a long time to recover and he apologized to the Underworld before him, "I'm...I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Senior Underworld."

"It's nothing, just something I did on the spur of the moment." Mingyu shook his head, glanced at the white-haired boy, and said, "But if you're so afraid, why don't you just go back to your private room?"

“Well, Senior Mingyu…” Bell’s face showed a complicated expression upon hearing this, and he said in silence, “Actually… I was forced to escape after Miss Saintess blocked me at the door of the room.”

"Where's the training ground?"

"Miss Hunyue is over there..."

"Mooring flat..."

"Miss Star Girl is there."

"..."

After the simple Q&A session, even Mingyu fell silent for a moment, while Bell lowered his head in shame, looking as if he dared not look up at anyone.

“The Hunter’s Mark of Reincarnation has a tracking function, and the Ranger’s Mark of Death also has a certain locational ability. You can’t hide here for long.” After a short silence, Mingyu spoke.

Unlike their paradise, the control over special classes is not as strict in the realm of reincarnation and death. Therefore, many top-tier contractors there have a hunter identity, which means that the white-haired boy who escaped his shadow magic will probably be sought out by one of the four women again soon.

"My personal suggestion is that you go find a thug... never mind, never mind."

Mingyu looked down at Bell, about to suggest that he find someone who could truly resolve the problem, when he suddenly remembered that Bell had locked himself in the training space since the morning, and the brand still showed a "Do Not Disturb" status. He fell silent again.

"That person just now, wasn't that Sia from Death Paradise? I remember she was very easy to talk to." After a few dozen seconds of silence, Mingyu, who was habitually thinking about solutions in his mind, looked at Bell and said, "Being with her shouldn't be too dangerous for you."

"The Ripper" Sia, although the title sounds terrifying, according to the information he has, she is actually an extremely friendly person to her own people and a very easy person to get along with. She is a member of the top tier.

Moreover, judging from her reaction and tone, Sia's attitude towards the other person was clearly different from the other three. In Mingyu's view, even if the white-haired boy felt uncomfortable around the other person, he wouldn't necessarily fall into...

“I understand what Senior Mingyu means, but…” Faced with Mingyu’s confusion, Bell’s face only showed a bitter despair. He looked down at his lower body and said with a complicated and painful expression:

"Miss Sia... wants me to be her older sister."

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he successfully silenced Mingyu once again. Several seconds passed before he asked again, "Physical or psychological?"

"physiological……"

"The other three people have no objections to her?"

"They said they didn't mind..."

"..."

Very well, there's no saving him, just bury him.

"You've really had a tough time." After a moment of silence, Mingyu looked at the white-haired boy with a bitter expression and gave a sincere assessment.

"To be honest, I kind of think so too..." Bell said with a wry smile. For others, being targeted by four top-tier girls at the same time might be a blessing, but for him, it was like swallowing a bitter pill, unable to express his suffering.

"In my personal opinion, you should probably give them a good scolding."

After glancing at the time on the branded interface and setting it at random, Mingyu sat on the toilet seat, maintaining the shadow spell used to shield his senses while organizing today's information on his memo.

"Well, I've actually thought about doing that too, but how should I put it, whenever I think about why Miss Sia and the others ended up like this, I just can't bring myself to be truly angry with them..."

Bell murmured, a complex look in his eyes. Upon hearing this, Mingyu's gaze flickered slightly, but he still asked in a nonchalant tone, "The reason?"

"Yes, Senior Mingyu, am I hopeless? Even in this situation, I still can't get truly angry?"

"I'm more interested in the reasons you just gave."

"This……"

"Don't worry, I have no interest in forcing people I know to cross their bottom line. I just want to verify some information with you." Mingyu said, glancing at Bell, tapping his thigh lightly with his index finger, and calmly analyzing: "Judging from Xia's behavior and what you just said, if I'm not mistaken, the reason you mentioned should refer to the psychological trauma she experienced in the past caused by her blood brother or younger brother, and it's also related to her older sister, right?"

"I……"

"As for the others, let's leave Star Maiden and Saintess aside for now. As for Soul Moon, although there's very little information about her, judging from her words and actions, she must have suffered some kind of betrayal in the past that she can't let go of. Hmm... perhaps it's related to a man?"

"Judging from the fact that she didn't care much about your gender, she must have been saved by the Moon Demon of Reincarnation at that time, which made her have an almost dependent level of trust in the Moon Demon."

"Senior Mingyu, you..."

"Hmm... if we're going to speculate based on that, Argo, you seem to be quite good at being second in someone else's heart?"

"Eh?"

Inside the restroom, Mingyu was making notes in his memo while casually analyzing the situation. Bell, upon hearing this, was slightly taken aback, seemingly surprised by what Mingyu had said, or perhaps wondering about the purpose behind it.

"Senior Mingyu, what are you saying about these things...?"

"It's nothing, I just happened to think of a solution." Mingyu said, glancing at the content on the communication channel. His eyes flickered slightly, and after a pause, he continued:
"Although I don't know much about matters between men and women, since their needs for you are essentially secondary, from a psychological perspective, this matter is actually quite easy to resolve."

"Very...easy to solve? Really?! Senior Mingyu."

"Ah, yes, although I don't know why Black Sword won't tell you, this method can take care of them all at once if we want them to give up this excessive pursuit."

As Mingyu spoke, his eyes lowered slightly, gazing intently at Bell before him, and he began to say:

“Agor, you… go and confess to all four of them at the same time.”

"???"

As soon as he finished speaking, Bell, wondering if he had misheard something, suddenly widened his eyes and stared at Hades in disbelief.

"Senior Mingyu, what...what did you just say?"

"Confess your feelings to both of them at the same time, tell them you can't choose and want them both. According to my analysis, just doing this will most likely calm them down. Is there a problem?"

"This...this...!"

This question is way too big!

Bell stared, too shocked to utter a word, and before she could utter another, a heavy thud of a door opening and a joyful cheer erupted:

boom!
"Found you! Brother Argo!!"

The excited, childish voice made Bell tremble violently. When he saw the situation in front of him, his face turned deathly pale, and his whole body went numb from his scalp to his toes.

One…two…three…four!

Indeed, looking ahead, one could see that apart from the blonde little loli Sia, the Star Maiden Saintess Soul Moon and the other two were also standing in front of the door without missing a single one. As for the Underworld Prison that should have been behind him, it had already disappeared.

[Notification: You have a new message to view, sent by: Mingyu]

……

"Sanctuary Paradise" Underworld: "Oh, there's one more thing, I forgot to tell you. Because I thought this would be more efficient, I've already called them all over for you."

……

'Senior Mingyu!!!'

Looking at the pop-up message, Bell seemed to hear a desperate, piercing wail emanating from his own mind. But before he could express this despair on his face, a new message from the Underworld startled him:
……

"Sanctuary Paradise" Underworld: "Also, although I don't know what your attitude is towards them, I still advise you that if you don't want to spend your whole life following Black Sword around, it's better to face them yourself."

"Sanctuary Paradise" Netherworld: "After all, in my understanding, the kind of person who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Black Sword is not someone who would be dragged down by such a small problem."

……

Brother Black Sword...

Staring at the message that popped up on the communication channel, Bell was momentarily stunned.

"Huh? Brother Argo? Brother Argo! What's wrong?!"

Meanwhile, facing Bell, who seemed to be frozen in place as if possessed, the blonde little girl couldn't help but call out anxiously. At the same time, the Star Maiden and the others beside her also moved their eyes, just about to ask if something had happened to her—

"call……!"

A deep breath, as if a decision had been made, echoed from the well-resonant restroom. The white-haired boy raised his head and, with a resolute gaze, looked at the four distinctive individuals before him.

You're right, Senior Mingyu. If it were that person, if it were Brother Black Sword... they would never be held back by something like this!

"Miss Xiya, Miss Hunyue, Miss Xingnu, and Miss Shengji..."

If he can't even overcome this difficulty, if he can't even muster this much courage, then... then how can Bell Craney catch up with the other party!

"Actually... there's something I've never dared to tell you."

As the resolute words fell, the white-haired youth looked at the four figures before him, his mind uncontrollably filled with memories of each of them, making his gaze even more sincere and firm.

"The time I spent with you all was truly unforgettable for me."

"Miss Sia is very cute. Her long golden hair is as charming as the sun. If I really had the chance to become Miss Sia's family, I think that would be a very happy thing."

"Ah! Ah... Brother Argo, what are you saying! It's... so embarrassing!" The blonde twin-tailed little girl covered her cheeks and let out a shy exclamation.

"Miss Hunyue is very cool. Whether she is chasing me, fighting against a dominant creature, or standing up to encourage me, she is really, really cool. Being able to make a promise with Miss Hunyue is definitely one of the luckiest things in my life."

"I...I was just, just..." The silver-haired, cold-faced woman blushed slightly, her gaze drifting to the side.

"—Miss Saintess is very gentle. When Miss Saintess holds you and gently strokes your head, even in a nightmare, you will involuntarily relax and want to stay by Miss Saintess's side for a lifetime."

"If Mr. Argo is willing to spend the rest of his life with me, I would gladly embrace him as many times as I like!" The veiled saintess chuckled softly, her smile seemingly more joyful than ever before.

"—And Miss Xingnu, you are the most elegant woman I have ever met. Even in dire straits, as long as Miss Xingnu is by my side, it seems to give me a strange sense of security, and I always feel that I can overcome any difficulty."

“It is my honor to receive your praise, Argo. However, I am more curious about what you are planning to do, Argo. Are you planning to give us all friend cards?” The beauty with long, starry-colored hair slightly tossed her hair, revealing a playful smile, but the gaze in her eyes gave people an inexplicable sense of pressure.

The other three standing nearby changed their expressions slightly upon hearing this, but Bell, standing in front of the four, shook his head unusually. His face, which had shed its naivety through countless trials and tribulations, now showing maturity and determination, revealed an extremely serious expression.

"No, what I want to say is that whether it is Miss Xingnu, Miss Shengji, or Miss Hunyue and Miss Xiya, everyone is really outstanding, so outstanding that even if I try my best to suppress it, I can hardly suppress my admiration for them and find it difficult to make a choice."

"therefore……"

The white-haired youth took a deep breath as he spoke, and the four girls, including Xingnu, fell silent, seemingly waiting for his final answer. Finally—

"—I want to ask Miss Star Maiden…and Miss Saint Princess, Miss Soul Moon, and Miss Xi Ya to date me at the same time! I promise, I will absolutely risk my life to be responsible for you all!!!"

Wow!

The sound of a toilet flushing came from somewhere, and bright lights appeared. A white-haired boy bent over and shouted as if he had gone all out. As soon as he said this, the expressions on the faces of the four girls who had been looking at him expectantly froze.

"Argo... what did you just say?"

The next second, a hoarse question, chilling as if one had suddenly fallen into an ice cave, came down.

"I...I want to get along with everyone!" Realizing the atmosphere had suddenly changed, Belle swallowed slightly and mustered her courage to repeat.

"Oh, really? So, Argo, you think the four of us can live together?"

"I...I will try my best to achieve that!"

"I see, um... I understand, Mr. Argo. May I ask you to look up first? I have something I'd like to show you!"

Is there something you want to show him?

Under the lamplight, the white-haired boy, whose brain was already on the verge of shutting down due to his courage, subconsciously looked up ahead upon hearing these words:
Then he saw four slaps coming at him simultaneously, so powerful that they even blew his messy hair into the shape of 'hair gel hands'!

—And, even faster than a slap, four distinct and fragrant aromas...and a frantic warning of impending death!
Snapped! ! ! !

The next instant, a resounding slap, loud enough to echo throughout the restroom and even the surrounding building, rang out, followed by a series of loud, enraged, and melodious curses:

"Pooh!!!"

"Heh heh, it seems Lord Agor hasn't fully woken up yet?!"

"It seems today's journey was a bit too tiring, which is why Mr. Argo said such nonsense."

"Ah... Argo, you big pervert!!!"

……

Meanwhile, at the World Fortress, in the training area.

"Ah sneeze!!!"

"Hmm? Old Hei, what's wrong with you now? Are you having another bad feeling?"

Inside the training ground, which simulated a space environment, Randy glanced curiously at Xin Lailai beside him, his eyelids twitching slightly, as if worried that she might suddenly drop some 'surprise' news on him again.

"No, it's not a bad feeling, it's just that... how should I put it? Well, it's like I've missed something really interesting?"

Xin Lailai stroked her chin and muttered to herself, glancing at the contact list with some confusion, but then shook her head and focused her attention back on the spatial array in front of her.

Well, anyway, it's just that Bell and Star Girl's group have gotten into some kind of messy incident again. Since the nun didn't find them, it means that at most it's just a little bit of a chaotic situation, and it hasn't escalated to the point of affecting the security of the fortress.

"Lai Lai, do you think Bell went and confessed his feelings to Xing Nu and the others?"

"Pfft! How could that be? Given Bell's personality, unless Star Girl and the others threaten him with their lives, he'll at most give them a 'good guy' card."

"Alright, let's focus on optimizing the magic array first. We're heading to other strongholds tomorrow, so let's try to get this thing sorted out before the third phase arrives."

"Hmm, but I'm still very curious..."

"Well, we can just ask again tomorrow. Maybe what we're sensing is actually some other kind of fun?"

……

(End of this chapter)