Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

Gordon and Charlotte officially attended the ball. As they entered the foyer, a wave of heat greeted them.

Luanna's house is truly lavish.

In the center were huge round tables, covered with chilled grapes, pomegranates, and sliced ​​watermelons.

A theater-quality band played upbeat dance music on a platform above ground level. The melodies were so beautiful that they quickly put people at ease.

The men and women all wore masks and danced very close to each other.

On both sides were small rooms with deep red curtains hanging, from which came the sounds of women's laughter and rhythmic vibrations.

A shirtless young man crawled out, ate a bunch of grapes to regain his strength, and then resolutely returned to the front line.

"This place is really..." Charlotte pondered which word would be more appropriate, "Excessive."

"Never mind them, let's dance." Gordon took Charlotte's arm, and the two of them nimbly entered the dance floor.

Everyone else at the ball was very unrestrained.

Charlotte also felt increasingly relaxed.

"Gordon, hold me tight." She and Gordon swayed to the rhythm of the dance music.

Several times Charlotte used too much force and bumped into Gordon's arms, awkwardly and deliberately pressing her lips to his neck, as if she were the beginner.

Gordon wasn't idle either.

The occasion was so enchanting that he longed to embrace Charlotte for a long time.

As the song ended, during the intermission, Charlotte's cheeks were flushed, she was panting, and sweat was dripping from her forehead.

"I'm going to wash my face, otherwise I'll look very unlike myself later." Charlotte wanted to clear her head.

Gordon escorted her to the restroom. As he turned around, Cecilia was already standing beside him with a wine glass in her hand. In addition to her mask, she was also wearing a beautiful top hat with an excessive amount of seven-colored feathers stuck in it.

"Want to dance?" she asked.

"Can."

After the band changed songs, Gordon put his arm around Cecilia's waist and, guided by her, slowly began to dance.

Cecilia seemed more familiar with this kind of occasion than Charlotte.

Her movements were reserved and elegant, and she maintained just the right distance from Gordon. She was slightly taller and more curvaceous than Charlotte.

"So you told Charlotte Hound about it?" Cecilia asked.

"Not yet, at least not in that much detail, but she really likes the sea and wants to go out and relax."

:

"You should take her with you on the voyage."

"We haven't decided where to go yet, and there might not be much scenery she likes to see along the way."

"No matter where we go, she'll be happy as long as you're there, Gordon. She'll be happy because you're happy, and sad because you're sad. I believe you can feel that too. Don't wait until we're at sea to regret leaving someone on shore," Cecilia said gently.

"I understand..." Gordon turned around.

Charlotte was walking towards them, so Cecilia wisely took a step back.

"This song sounds even better than the last one," Charlotte said casually, leading Gordon back to the dance floor.

She snuggled into Gordon's arms for the second time tonight.

Charlotte wrapped her arms around Gordon's neck, pressing her body close to his, her full, soft breasts pressing against Gordon's chest again and again in rhythm with the dance steps.

"Feeling relaxed today?"

"Everyone else is so relaxed, why can't we? I've been so bored these days." Charlotte took Gordon's hand from her waist and pulled it down a little.

Through her pale gold dress, Gordon's hand cupped a fuller curve, his fingers tightening involuntarily.

"Is this in accordance with propriety?"

"You can relax a bit tonight, after all, Luanna's paying for everything." Charlotte sighed, then brought her lips close to Gordon's ear, "I want you to touch me."

The dance music is now entering its fast-paced section.

Gordon changed his pace, and Charlotte stayed close behind.

No matter what Gordon did, she would follow perfectly, and the two became more and more entangled. She was clearly extremely excited now, and no matter how Gordon tried to create distance, she didn't want him to go too far away.

"Do you like this?" Charlotte asked breathlessly.

"good."

"So... a more proactive, even more proactive me? Would that make you happy?" Charlotte's eyes were unfocused.

"Maybe."

"What do you want from me? How can I make you love only me, Gordon?"

"what?"

"I'm serious." Charlotte looked at Gordon, a few tears welling up in her eyes. "I invited you here, don't you understand? I want to know your feelings, whether you truly swear to love only me."

"I……"

:

"Answer me, Gordon, I ask you to answer this question."

Charlotte lifted one leg and placed it against Gordon's waist, while her other hand stroked Gordon's neck, her lips just centimeters away from his.

"You're working too hard," Gordon said, taking a deep breath. "Luanna."

Charlotte paused in her movements.

"What's wrong, Gordon?"

"You can't play Charlotte."

Gao Deng released his grip.

The music continued, and pairs of dancers twirled and swept past them.

Luanna and Gordon stood in the middle of the dance floor. Gordon looked helpless, while Luanna's expression grew increasingly subtle.

Her blue eyes turned back to amber, her lips and nose underwent subtle changes, and her blonde hair gradually turned black. Her facial features overlapped with Charlotte's, creating a somewhat eerie effect.

"When did you find out?" Luanna fidgeted with her face. "Did I say something wrong?"

"The sizes are different."

Luanna savored the feeling of Gordon lifting her from behind.

"So you've examined it thoroughly enough, ah, Gordon Vick! You really are a naturalist, a naturalist of beautiful things."

"I'd also like to ask you how much preparation you did for this trick, even making the clothes and scent exactly the same."

"That was actually the cheapest part of the plan. The dialogue was the hardest part. I kept guessing and thinking about which line would make you fall for it."

"You have no chance of succeeding."

"Why? I have Charlotte's face and Charlotte's voice, but I'm even more alluring than that Charlotte. I can do many things that innocent girl could never have imagined or done in her life. I will be a better Charlotte," Luanna smiled.

"That's the difference. Charlotte would never try to please me on purpose."

"Ah, another romantic remark. You might as well say my size isn't as big as Charlotte's."

That's a lie.

"Gordon! And this woman." At this moment, the real Charlotte stormed towards them, fuming.

"Hmm?" Luanna touched her face, which was now in a state of flux, neither resembling Charlotte nor herself.

"She just tried to imitate you, and I caught her in the act of justice. Believe me, I didn't do anything wrong," Gordon pointed out.

"He touched my butt," Luanna reported.

:

"Change back quickly." Charlotte wasn't buying it.

"Of course." Luanna picked up the mirror, touched her face, and activated her source energy.

【All things are formless; only change is constant】

Her face kept changing, sometimes turning into a strange woman with gray eyes, sometimes suddenly into a female classmate that Gordon recognized, and sometimes into a noble appearance. Gordon even saw himself for a moment.

"It seems like we can't find it again." Luanna changed several faces.

"Wouldn't it have been better not to have come up with this terrible idea in the first place?" Charlotte muttered.

"You don't understand, it's so funny. Who else in this world would lose face besides me?" Luanna picked up a mirror.

She kept searching for who she should be, but after a long time, she still couldn't find her original self.

Charlotte felt a chill run down her spine.

"Let me help you, don't worry." Charlotte raised her hand.

[Pure and Perfect Existence: Ultimate Manifestation]

The power of the source energy flowed into Luanna's appearance.

This time, Charlotte revised her to resemble the most beautiful version of Luanna in Charlotte's memory.

Within seconds, Luanna regained her radiant appearance and beautiful black hair.

"Is this...me?" Luanna stared at herself in the mirror for a long time, unsure of herself.

"At least I feel that's how you should be," Charlotte said.

"Congratulations!" Gordon said with satisfaction.

"Hmph..." Luanna glanced at Charlotte and Gordon.

The two were clearly in love with each other.

When Luanna deliberately disguised herself as Charlotte and approached Gordon, she could clearly feel Gordon's...feelings for Charlotte.

Although Gordon knew it was Luanna in disguise, it was Charlotte's face after all, and he couldn't pretend to be indifferent, so he genuinely projected some of his emotions onto that face.

Therefore, Luanna also briefly enjoyed the feeling of being loved for a few minutes.

The taste was so enchanting that she wanted to experience it again.

"Alright." Luanna beckoned to Gordon. "Now, let's get down to business. That's probably the real reason you traveled all this way to this banquet..."

"Charlotte, come with me." Gordon pulled Charlotte up.

:

"Huh?" Charlotte was wondering where to kill time, because she was used to being left aside by Gordon.

Now, when Gordon talks about it, she still finds it hard to believe.

"This is an adult matter," Luanna said, not wanting Charlotte to come along. "My secret room is for one person only."

"Then I'd rather not go in. I came with Charlotte, and without her, this ball means nothing to me."

"Oh dear... this is really difficult." Luanna looked at Gordon.

She glanced around at the guests who were still dancing vigorously, immersed in pure desire, and then looked at Gordon.

She felt that spending time talking to Gordon was far more meaningful than trading with other mortals.

After much deliberation, Luanna broke the rules for Gordon.

"Then, you two come down together. It's a welcome change..."

……

Ten minutes later, the waiter led Gordon and Charlotte down a staircase, carpeted in black, so that they could walk silently.

Once you get downstairs, the music upstairs becomes dull, leaving only the clattering of countless heels hitting the floor.

"If she talks nonsense again, don't rush to agree. Hold my hand!" Charlotte said, linking arms with Gordon.

"Don't worry, I'm holding on tight. I won't let go of you, never."

Luanna's secret chamber looked quite spacious, with oil lamps lit everywhere, illuminating the place as if it were daytime.

One wall was lined with a liquor cabinet and a fully equipped private bar, complete with cocktail shakers, measuring cups, a huge ice bucket, and a soda dispenser. The other wall was filled with numerous locked filing cabinets of various sizes, the largest large enough to fit an entire corpse inside.

"I thought this place called the Secret Room would be even darker," Charlotte muttered.

"This is where I sign contracts with people. I make sure it's bright so everyone can easily see the terms."

Luanna herself had changed her clothes; a deep red dress clung to her beautiful body, and she wore a black diamond symbolizing the Ravenhurst family on her chest. Her hair was loose and flowing down her back, and her expression still carried a cunning air.

Gordon's attention was drawn to the center of the room, where there was a huge balance scale with a two-headed snake coiled around it, each head looking at the left and right pans.

The Ravenhurst Scales. Presented to measure true value.

In Gordon's eyes, the entire scale radiated an eerie spiritual light, which made him feel an instinctive disgust, and he quickly turned his gaze away.

"Alright, now it's just the three of us. Sigh, the people upstairs are really noisy, hugging each other who don't even love each other, rubbing against each other, and in the end it's just for a couple of seconds of pleasure..." Luanna mixed drinks for them.

"You orchestrated all of this."

Gordon recalled the masks distributed at the ball, the unlimited drinks, the revealing attire of the waiters and waitresses, and the rooms that could be used at will behind carefully arranged curtains.

:

"Is it my fault? Should I be blamed? It's because they're born that way. Compared to me, who provided the environment, those inherently depraved humans should be ashamed," Luanna said dismissively.

"Really?" Charlotte didn't understand.

"Even if my balls are polite and formal, they will still hug and kiss each other, and then carry the person they fancy into the room. I just moved their place of pleasure to the hall and gave them masks that they don't have to worry about the consequences... That's called simplifying the transaction process."

"You always have deals on your mind," Gordon said, sizing up Luanna.

"That's right, everything in the world can be traded; that's the principle of the Ravenhurst family."

She added gin, fresh lemon juice, syrup, and a glass of champagne to the cocktail shaker and poured Charlotte a glass of "Galia No. 75".

Next, Luanna shook the liqueur, Gordon's gin, and white wine together, added a little lemon liqueur and a drop of absinthe, and poured Gordon a glass of "resurrection."

[A resurrection potion. A story that begins sweetly and ends bitterly—you hate stories like this.]

After the three of them had a few drinks, Luanna's cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Come on, Gordon, I'm buying something." Luanna stroked the scales. "I'm not talking about those little tricks with gold pound pricing; I want your big stuff."

What about me looks big?

"What do you think? Of course, it's those big plans. I trade intangible things. Knowledge, memories, emotions, and lifespan! As long as you have a good idea, you'll find that you can actually sell much more than you imagine," Luanna said enthusiastically.

She looked at Gordon, clearly hoping he would be stunned by the news, waiting for him to show shock, awe, or at least some wariness.

Gordon leaned back.

"I own so much that you might not be able to afford it even if you emptied your pockets," Gordon declared confidently.

: