Dragon Raja: Lu Mingfei finds a Freylian

Chapter 517 Fallen Humanity - Frillian (Part 1)

During her first week as Chiyu, Frilian was like a dry sponge, frantically absorbing the rules, personnel, and dark undercurrents hidden beneath the luxurious facade of the Elysium.

Her room was in the maid quarters of the Gokurakukan's east wing, a six-tatami-mat room, simply but exquisitely furnished. The tatami mats were newly laid, the paper windows were painted with delicate bamboo patterns, and the vase in the corner was filled with fresh seasonal flowers every day. Although it seemed like a privileged life, she was actually restricted in many ways: the door could only be opened from the outside, guards patrolled outside the windows, and even the water for washing was supplied on a fixed schedule.

“Gokurakukan does not allow maids to have privacy,” Sakurai Kogure told her clearly on the first day. “Maids are the property of the mansion, from body to soul.”

Frillie's work is divided into two parts.

By day, she studied tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and incense ceremony under Sakurai Kogure, as well as how to serve nobles. From the posture of kneeling and the angle of pouring wine to the point of eye contact when answering questions, every detail had strict standards. These courses, ostensibly to cultivate the qualities of a maid, were in reality to allow Frillie to perfectly immerse herself in the role.

“Chiba is from Kyoto, so she should speak with a Kansai accent at the end, but not too heavily, or she’ll sound rustic,” Sakurai Kogure personally corrected her pronunciation. “When walking, take small steps and don’t let your heels leave the ground completely, so your skirt won’t flutter and you’ll look dignified.”

Evenings are the real working hours.

The Pleasure House's nightlife begins at 8 PM and continues until the early hours of the next morning. Frilian was assigned to the Plum Room, a VIP box reserved for political and business tycoons. Her duties included serving drinks, engaging in conversation, and fulfilling reasonable requests from the guests.

“The definition of reasonable scope is very vague.” Mrs. Matsumoto, the “madam” in charge of managing the maids, a woman in her fifties with makeup as exquisite as a Noh mask, said during training, “As long as the guests do not cause permanent damage or affect other guests, you must cooperate.”

Mrs. Matsumoto used her fan to lift Frillie's chin and scrutinized her closely: "Chiba's appearance is top-notch, but her eyes are too cold. Guests come here to have fun, not to see dead fish eyes. Smile, smile gently, smile humbly, smile so that they feel like they are gods."

Frillie practiced smiling until her cheek muscles ached.

She soon discovered that the maids at the Pleasure Palace were divided into three ranks.

At the very bottom are the "prostitutes," who solicit customers in public areas, offering basic drinking and sexual services. Most are ordinary girls forced into this situation by debt or violence, and they rarely survive more than three years. They either contract diseases, are exploited, or commit suicide.

The middle tier consists of "geisha," who are proficient in at least one traditional art form and serve only in VIP boxes. They outwardly sell their art, not their bodies. They are trained to use their talent and eloquence to attract customers and gather information. Sakurai Kogure started her career here.

At the very top is "exclusive," serving only select VIP guests, and sometimes even becoming their mistresses or goddaughters. They have access to the most crucial secrets, but also bear the greatest risks. Once they fall out of favor or know too much, their fate is often dire.

Frilian is positioned somewhere between a geisha and an exclusive servant because of her "tradition from Kyoto" and her special skills of "knowing medicine".

"Some guests have peculiar fetishes," Mrs. Matsumoto said cryptically. "Injuries need to be treated promptly. Chiba, that's your value."

On her first night, Frilian witnessed this fetish firsthand.

Nine o'clock in the evening, between plum blossoms.

Three men sat in the box: a bald congressman, a jeweler, and a middle-aged man dressed as a priest. These were the same three men Frilian had seen in the main hall on the first day.

Besides Frilian, two geisha, Reiko and Miyuki, accompanied her. Reiko played the shamisen, Miyuki danced, and Frilian served drinks.

"Is this the new Miss Chiyu?" The councilor squinted at Frilian. "I heard she's from Kyoto? I studied at Kyoto University when I was young, and I really liked the atmosphere there."

"Thank you for the compliment," Frillian replied softly in her practiced Kansai dialect, kneeling as she poured wine for the senator, her fingers steady so that not a drop of wine was spilled.

"Your hands are very steady," the jeweler noticed this detail. "Have you practiced tea ceremony?"

“My mother was a tea ceremony teacher and taught me from a young age.”

"No wonder," the jeweler smiled, revealing his gold-plated teeth. "Does Miss Chiyu know how to dance?"

"I know a little bit, but not as much as Sister Miyuki."

Miyuki was performing a traditional fan dance, her body as supple as a willow, her eyes alluring as silk. But Frilian could see the bruises on her wrists, left by a guest from the previous night.

After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation began to veer into taboo territory.

"I heard things have been a bit unsettled in Tokyo Bay lately," the priest said, taking a sip of his sake. "The Maritime Self-Defense Force has blockaded a large area of ​​the sea, claiming it's a military exercise, but I have acquaintances there who say they're salvaging something incredible."

The congressman waved his hand: "Let's not talk about those things. But the stock market has been very volatile lately. Tanaka-kun, has your jewelry business been affected?"

Jeweler Tanaka sneered: "Business? Who does business honestly these days? The real profits are all underground, in those shady places."

He glanced at Frillie: "Miss Chiyu, do you think human nature is inherently good or inherently evil?"

The question suddenly came to mind.

Frilian lowered her head: "This humble woman is of limited knowledge and dares not presume to speak."

"Tell me about it," Tanaka leaned closer, his breath reeking of alcohol. "In a place like Gokurakukan, you must have seen a lot of the dark side of humanity, right?"

Frillie paused for two seconds, then said, "I believe that human nature is like water. It takes the shape of whatever container it is placed in. When placed in a place like the Elysium, it will naturally take the shape required by the container."

Tanaka paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Well said! Absolutely right!" he exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Miss Qianyu is not only beautiful, but also very intelligent. Here, this toast is for you!"

He raised his glass, and Frilian had no choice but to drink with him. The sake was spicy, burning down her throat.

Frillie knew this was just the prelude. The real show wouldn't start until ten o'clock.

At exactly 10 o'clock, Mrs. Matsumoto knocked on the door of the private room and said respectfully, "Gentlemen, the entertainment downstairs is ready."

The three men's eyes immediately lit up.

"We're finally here," the congressman said, rubbing his hands together. "What good stuff do we have tonight?"

"This is a new batch from Southeast Asia, all chicks, with very special bloodlines," Mrs. Matsumoto said meaningfully.

Frillie's heart sank. She had heard the other maids mention the underground entertainment, the darkest part of the Elysium, a secret arena located thirty meters below the building. There, they didn't hold ordinary gambling or performances, but rather life-or-death battles between hybrids, or worse.

"Chiyu, come along too." Tanaka grabbed Frilian's wrist. "You know medicine, so you can treat anyone who gets hurt."

It cannot be refused.

The group left the private room and descended via a hidden elevator.

The elevator took a long time to descend, a full minute. Frillie silently counted, estimating the depth: about 0.5 meters per second, for a total of about thirty meters.

The elevator doors opened, and a strong smell of blood hit us.

Chapter 518 Fallen Humanity - Frilian (Part 2)

The underground space was larger than expected. The circular arena, fifty meters in diameter, was surrounded by tiered seating, and it was already full. The spectators wore masks, but their clothing and demeanor revealed them to be members of high society.

In the center of the arena was an iron cage, inside which two girls were facing off.

They looked no more than sixteen years old, barefoot, and dressed only in thin white prison uniforms. One was blonde, clearly of mixed race, with dark gold eyes that shimmered in the light. The other had dark hair, but her skin had fine, scaly patterns.

"Tonight's theme is 'Angels and Demons'," the host, a man in a tuxedo and clown mask, announced in an exaggerated tone. "Natasha from Ukraine has a bloodline purity of C+ and her Word of Power is 'Healing Light'! Her opponent, Mara from Myanmar, has a bloodline purity of C, a dragonification level of 15%, no Word of Power, but astonishing physical strength!"

Excited whispers arose from the audience.

"What are the odds?" Tanaka asked the waiter beside him.

"Natasha to 3, Mara to 1.5."

"I'll bet Mara, fifty million," Tanaka said without hesitation.

“I’m betting on Natasha, thirty million,” the senator said. “Healing-type incantations are rare; perhaps there will be a surprise.”

The priest bet on a draw, wagering that the two would perish together.

Frillie looked at the two girls in the cage. Their eyes were empty, not from composure, but from despair. This was a typical state after being controlled by drugs or subjected to long-term abuse.

"Begin!" the host announced, striking the gong.

Mara launched the first attack. She pounced on Natasha on all fours like a wild beast, moving with incredible speed. Natasha barely managed to dodge, but three bloody gashes appeared on her arm.

"Heal! Use your power of words!" shouted a member of the audience.

Natasha raised her hand, and a soft white light shone from her palm. The wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

A gasp of surprise erupted from the audience.

But Frilian noticed the problem: Natasha's face paled more each time she used her Word of Power. Her bloodline wasn't pure enough; forcibly using healing abilities was draining her life force.

The battle lasted for five minutes.

Mara's attacks grew increasingly ferocious, and her dragonification level steadily increased during the battle, from 15% to 20%, and then to 25%. Her nails grew longer and sharper, and her mouth split open, revealing sharp teeth.

Natasha was covered in wounds, and the light of healing was growing weaker and weaker. She began to cry, calling out something in Russian, probably "Mama" or "Help."

But the audience was just cheering, betting, and enjoying this brutal performance.

Frillie's fingers clenched. She could stop it. She could use magic to break the cage's lock, create chaos, she could...

But she couldn't. She was now just "Qianyu," a maid who knew medicine. Revealing her identity would mean all her efforts were in vain, and she wouldn't be able to save Lu Mingfei and the others.

She had to be patient.

Inside the cage, Mara grabbed Natasha by the hair and pinned her to the ground. Sharp nails pressed against her throat.

"Kill her! Kill her!" the audience shouted.

Natasha closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face.

Mara hesitated for a second, perhaps struggling with the last vestiges of her humanity.

But just then, the host pressed the remote control in his hand. A powerful electric current surged from the collar around Mara's neck. She screamed, her body convulsing, but her fingers instinctively tightened.

"Pfft." The fingernail pierced the throat.

Blood splattered, Natasha's body twitched a few times, and then remained still.

Mara released her grip, staring blankly at her blood-stained hands. She regained her senses, fear and regret appearing in her eyes.

But the audience was just cheering for their wins or lamenting their losses.

"Winner: Mara!" the host announced. "Three wins in total, qualifying for promotion! The next match will begin in half an hour, stay tuned!"

The waiter entered the cage, dragged away Natasha's body, and quickly washed away the blood. Mara was shackled and taken away; what awaited her was not freedom, but an even crueler fate.

Tanaka excitedly counted his chips: "I won 75 million! I'm in luck tonight!"

The senator lamented, "Damn it, that healing system is so disappointing."

The priest smiled: "A draw is true art. How beautiful it is when both are destroyed."

Frillie lowered her head, concealing the coldness in her eyes. For the first time, she felt so clearly the extent to which humanity could degenerate. And these fallen ones were the very ones who ruled this world.

Tanaka was still eager for more after the underground performance ended.

"Mrs. Matsumoto, I heard you recently received a batch of special goods?" he asked, rubbing his hands together. "I'd like to take a look."

Mrs. Matsumoto's smile remained unchanged: "Mr. Tanaka is referring to living collections?"

“That’s right. I’ve recently become very interested in the physical structure of hybrids and would like to find some specimens to study.”

An alarm bell rang in Frillie's mind.

Mrs. Matsumoto glanced at her: "Chiba knows some medicine, perhaps she can accompany Mr. Tanaka to take a look and help him choose."

"Great idea!" Tanaka clapped his hands. "Ms. Chiba, thank you for your help."