Chapter 1 Suren's Troubles

Suren felt rather helpless as he watched Shabina brazenly sit in his lap and act coquettishly.

Although she was his contracted maid, she had become increasingly "outrageous" since they first met, except for the initial cautious service.

She really had figured out her master's temperament and always teased him just right.

Yet, Suren didn't find anything particularly wrong with it.

After all, his succubus maid was an unparalleled beauty who was practically flawless.

However... this was a public café!

Even though their seats were in a corner, there were other people in the café.

Shabina saw Suren glancing around and immediately understood. With a wave of her hand, a waiter immediately brought out a folding screen to shield the corner. The screen was engraved with a soundproofing enchantment, instantly turning the corner into a small, isolated room.

She explained with a smile, "Master, I'm also one of the shareholders of this café."

Suren wasn't surprised to hear that.

As a professional intelligence agent, she would prioritize security when arranging a meeting place.

After speaking, Shabina wrapped her arms around Suren's neck and rubbed against him affectionately. Despite her mature appearance with bright red lips, she acted like a spoiled little girl, "Did Master miss his most gentle and considerate maid~?"

There was never any doubt about Shabina's taste in clothing. Today, she wore a dark silver pencil skirt that exquisitely outlined her sexy and fiery figure.

She wore high-end stockings that felt amazing to the touch. These retro garter belts with leather buckles were very popular among the wealthy women of Lingdun. Combined with her slightly voluptuous figure, her mature charm was both alluring and elusive.

Glancing sideways, she looked like a ripe peach, so moist that it seemed ready to burst.

Because there was no one else around, she didn't care about whether her posture would reveal too much. Whether intentional or not, her pencil skirt had ridden up, revealing her hip line, and the suggestive lace trim was exposed just right at the edge of the skirt.

Showing a bit more would be too vulgar,

Showing a bit less would miss the mark.

It was truly a perfect tease.

Suren and Shabina's relationship was not distant. His fingertips touched her, unreservedly enjoying the delicate sensation. He treated it as a response to her earlier question.

"I knew Master missed me."

Shabina responded affectionately, her complexion rosy and her expression happy and dreamy.

Having not seen each other for so long, she had so much to say, practically biting Suren's ear as she spoke, "Oh, Master is getting more and more handsome~ I saw the newspaper's description of the battle at Moros City-State, and oh my god, you have no idea how excited I was! I almost wore the newspaper out, and I guarantee I can recite every paragraph about you..."

It was more like a flirtatious conversation than catching up.

Suren only felt his ear tickled by warm breaths.

Hearing the exaggerated descriptions from the newspaper, he smiled wryly.

He had already heard it all in great detail from Reina,

And he had also heard quite a bit from Mr. Black.

Knowing that they had serious business to attend to tonight, Suren didn't dwell on the topic and asked directly, "Are we getting ready to go to the ball now?"

Hearing this, Shabina showed no sign of rushing. "There's no rush. It's still an hour away. I rushed over here so eagerly just to see Master first."

Suren raised his eyebrows at this. "Oh."

Shabina then asked, "Did Master bring me a gift~?"

As she spoke, a sly glint flashed in her charming eyes, and she feigned jealousy, "Reina said she got one too. When I asked her, she said you left the apartment early this morning..."

Hearing these obviously suggestive and teasing words, Suren shook his head. Without hiding anything, he took out an emerald ring that sparkled brilliantly in the light.

It was also a choice from the spoils of war in the Sea Ruins, and it was very beautiful.

Suren had prepared to give each of the people around him a gift, so that he could use directional teleportation to find their locations at any time.

He said, "This is for you. It has spatial inscriptions on it. When you wear it, I can sense where you are at any time."

"Oh, this is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen!"

Looking at the ring, a genuine joy welled up in Shabina's eyes.

Not only was the emerald a rare treasure, but the fact that it was a gift from her master made her extremely happy.

Suren didn't intentionally choose such a large gem, but after trying it out, he found that a gem of this size was the minimum required to inscribe complete spatial coordinate inscriptions.

Shabina didn't mind.

Even if Suren gave her a rock, she would see it as priceless and be extremely happy.

At this moment, she didn't take the ring. Instead, she stretched out her fair and delicate hand, opened her fingers, and said softly, "Master, can you please put it on for me?"

Looking at Shabina's expectant expression, Suren shook his head helplessly. But he didn't mind and put the ring on her right middle finger, saying, "Alright, the gift is given. Now, let's talk business."

Some things were not convenient to discuss in detail over the communicator, so they naturally had to be said in person.

Suren knew very well that if he let her mess around, things would definitely get out of hand.

After the ring was put on, Shabina looked at her hand over and over, her eyes enchanting and charming, more and more pleased.

She was happy that her status in her master's heart was very high.

It was the feeling of being valued.

She didn't forget to talk business, saying, "My current identity is 'Countess Demacula,' a widow of a small lord at White Stone Castle in the southern Anlogos County. Oh, my master, your identity is my personal physician. Of course, a very intimate relationship..."

"Oh."

Suren smiled slightly at the suggestive hint.

Shabina continued to explain in detail, "There are some things to pay attention to with this identity..."

Listening to her explanation, Suren understood the whole process.

The "Full Moon Ball" tickets were hard to come by and required three old members as sponsors.

This introduction system also eliminated almost all those with ulterior motives or those without family ties.

Usually, it was only the upper-class figures of the Ruing Empire with fixed assets, traceable ancestry, and a clear history who could join.

Once a member had an accident, his sponsors and their families would be implicated.

This was also the reason why the Full Moon Ball had been around for so long, not only without incident, but also growing stronger.

Even with her high intelligence talent, Shabina was originally unlikely to get a ticket on her own.

Fortunately, Mr. Mirror's bloodline had been operating an intelligence network for hundreds of years.

As soon as Shabina joined, she immediately had an idea.

The best identity was not a disguise, but a replacement.

The identity of "Countess Demacula" was a persona that Mr. Mirror's bloodline had been cultivating for many years, and now it came in handy.

It was well-founded and traceable.

Because of this identity, Shabina quickly integrated into Ruing's high society and obtained a lot of useful intelligence.

Suren also knew very well that Shabina was taking a big risk by taking him to the ball this time.

Once there was an accident, she and her entire intelligence chain would be devastatingly implicated.

Therefore, Suren also felt that he should be more cautious and try not to reveal any flaws.

Oh, yes, the intelligence organization Mr. Mirror's bloodline and Shabina belonged to now used the name it had in Old Lingdun—the Mirror Organization.

......

After Suren had more or less understood the intelligence needed for this operation, there was nothing else urgent to discuss.

He looked at Shabina again and asked about some personal matters, "Have you encountered any danger after coming to Lingdun? Or any special experiences?"

"Yes."

Shabina thought about it and said calmly, "When I first came, my foundation was unstable, and I had a few run-ins with people from Ruing's Military Intelligence. Those old intelligence groups have a lot of resources and many experts, and I almost got exposed several times..."

Suren's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened.

Shabina always had a relaxed smile on her face, but the content of her words was not relaxed.

Intelligence work was always full of dangers, and exposure meant a threat to one's life.

With a few casual words, Suren knew that she had put in a lot of effort in secret.

Catching a glimpse of Suren's momentary expression, Shabina knew that her master really cared about her and suddenly felt that everything was worth it. She smiled and said, "But later, Mr. Suren, after you agreed, the leader took special care of me. I also found an alchemical colony, the [Ancient Succubus Tail], in the castle of the 'Blood Duke' Wordsworth. After merging with it, I was lucky enough to awaken a second-stage talent. So you don't have to worry too much, the probability of me being exposed now is very low..."

Hearing her say this, Suren felt a sense of relief.

He asked curiously, "What is the succubus's second-stage ability?"

"It's..."

Shabina almost blurted it out, but suddenly thought of something, and a sly glint flashed in her eyes, "I can't say for now. Because that's the surprise I've prepared for you, Master. I'll tell you after the ball tonight~"

"..."

Suren didn't think much about it.

Looking at her expression, he probably guessed that the second-stage succubus might have unlocked some very special abilities.

While she was speaking, Shabina probably felt that sitting sideways on her master's lap was not convenient, so she simply changed to a more ambiguous position. She was not shy at all, straddling her legs and facing Suren, kneeling on the sofa.

At this time, she thought of something and muttered, "I thought I was working very hard to become stronger. But compared to Master, my current strength is still too weak."

This position was indeed much more convenient for Suren, and he had a place to put both his hands.

He praised sincerely, "You're already very good."

"Not at all."

Shabina looked very serious and blinked her eyes. "I want to become stronger so that I can keep up with Master's pace. So, Master must also spur me on to cultivate hard~"

Suren smiled slightly and didn't say much.

He knew there was no need to worry about this issue. Shabina knew her position very well.

He would become stronger and stronger in the future.

And there would be no need for useless vases by his side.

Only by becoming stronger would she have the value to follow him.

Besides... there was a shortcut for succubi to become stronger.

Looking at Shabina's suggestive smile, Suren understood.

Shabina had said that succubus talent users had a shortcut to improve their strength: Legend has it that the succubi of ancient times were originally abyss races. They usually chose powerful demon lords to recognize as masters, served them loyally for life, and also had some secret methods of improving their strength. And the stronger the demon lord, the stronger the servant would become.

Her opportunity to advance to the third rank came from Suren, her master.

Although Suren felt that it had been a long time since they had seen each other, he was in the mood to communicate with his maid.

But... serious business was important.

He said with a wry smile, "Stop it, we have serious business to attend to later."

Shabina responded nonchalantly, "But... there's still an hour."

Suren looked around again and said, "This is a café."

Shabina raised her eyebrows and said with a charming look in her eyes, "Do you mind? Hehehe..."

That chuckle seemed to see through everything.

Suren finally shook his head helplessly and could only give up.

......

Fifty minutes after the meeting.

Suren and Shabina appeared on the streets of Lingdun at night. They strolled along the walkway by the Loko Warren River, admiring the riverside scenery.

The night was enchanting, the surging river flowed in the darkness, and occasionally a ship with lights on would pass by on the river.

The orange light of the gas lamps stretched their shadows long, then shortened, then lengthened again...

After nightfall, many people were strolling by the lake, enjoying the cool breeze from the river.

Suren and Shabina were both wearing black trench coats, and they were inconspicuous in the crowd of people dressed in dark clothes. The trench coat covered Shabina's exquisite figure, preventing others from seeing her charm. She held Suren's arm, her expression very affectionate, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Master, you've really become amazing."

"Hehe."

Hearing this double entendre, Suren narrowed his eyes and smiled without saying anything.

He had done his best in several battles in the North Sea, stripping away the law insights of several Tier 6 professionals: the Law of Space, the Law of Power, the Law of Water Elements, and so on.

It could be said that his current level of law comprehension was no less than that of most Tier 6 professionals, and he also had various other law insights. Whatever he needed, he almost had it.

Shabina's succubus secret method would also draw on some of the master's insights and turn them into her own understanding. This series of operations was probably like a century-old master's perception being instilled into her, allowing her to take much fewer detours.

But obviously, Shabina was referring to more than just that.

At this moment, she still had an intoxicating blush on her face, as if she were slightly drunk, and said, "I've been stuck at the threshold of Tier 4 for a long time. Now I suddenly feel that I understand the missing perceptions, and I should be able to advance soon. No, not just Tier 4, Tier 5, and even Tier 6... I feel like I've touched something."

This was the succubus's talent: She was not fast in her own cultivation, but if she had a powerful demon lord as her master, she could take off immediately.

Moreover, she herself had worked very hard and had a solid foundation.

Suren also said, "It's good to have insights. If possible, try to comprehend your own 'Haki' as much as possible. You have now awakened a second-stage talent, and there is a high probability that you will advance to Tier 6. And Haki will be an essential ability for you to reach the top-level professional..."

He told her some of the professional advancement conditions that Mr. Mirror had told him.

He also talked about some of his own experiences in comprehending Haki.

"Oh."

Shabina listened carefully.

After listening, she looked at Suren with loving eyes and said, "Master, will you be in Lingdun for the next period of time? Then would it be okay for your slave to follow you and serve you? After all, my cultivation still has to rely on your guidance..."

Suren chuckled at this.

Shabina's charm technique was becoming more and more refined, and her ubiquitous teasing made people's hearts burn.

He didn't dwell on this topic and instead said, "Just cultivate well. I've also prepared a [Void Potion] and a void colony suitable for you. After the Tier 4 fusion, your shifting ability will be greatly enhanced."

The succubus talent originally had some void abilities. After advancing this time with void materials, he couldn't say that her combat power would increase much, but at least her ability to protect herself would be very strong.

Hearing that there was also a gift, Shabina's whole body stuck to Suren's arm, and she acted spoiled, "Thank you, Master~"

Suren was a little overwhelmed by this intimate gesture and controlled the secretion of hormones.

He hinted to himself that serious business was important and then said, "Are we just waiting on the street like this?"

"Yes."

Shabina nodded and said, "The request to participate has been sent out, and someone will come to pick us up in a while."

"Oh."

Suren nodded, his mind also thinking about the intelligence of the Full Moon Ball.

The two strolled by the river.

From the first moment she saw Suren, the bright smile on Shabina's face had not dissipated.

She looked at Suren with a dazed look, and suddenly brought up the topic, "Master, I said the cafe was good, right?"

"?"

Suren was stunned for a moment, recalling it for a moment, before realizing that she was obviously not asking how the coffee in the cafe tasted.

It was something else.

He felt that he didn't really have any special hobbies.

But he tried it just now, and it seemed... not bad?

Suren didn't have anything to admit, raising an eyebrow and saying, "Yeah. It's pretty good."

Shabina was very happy to hear this, and her eyes looked at the dark riverside path, and she said playfully in a low voice, "Actually... the environment here is also pretty good."

Hearing this, Suren couldn't help but glance at it. There were deep bushes by the river, which were just right for doing some very romantic things under the dim moonlight.

Oh, my goodness.

He was surprised to find that he was seriously considering her seemingly... a little... absurd suggestion?

Suren suddenly felt that he was about to be taken on a "outdoor xx" path of no return by his succubus maid.

He coughed lightly and said solemnly, "Serious business is important!"

Shabina covered her mouth and chuckled, saying obediently, "Oh~"

Her eyes twinkled with agile and charming smiles, "Then next time?"

Not enough time, what a pity.

"..."

Suren wanted to refuse righteously.

But the words got stuck in his throat...

There was no then.

In some ways, Shabina understood Suren better than he understood himself.

......

After nightfall, the streets and alleys of Lingdun gradually began to fill with fog again.

As Suren and Shabina walked along the river, just as the agreed time arrived, the lights of a car appeared in the hazy fog on the street.

A shiny black steam car parked on the side of the street.

Shabina took Suren's arm and said, "Master, the car is here."

Suren nodded, showing no unusual expression, and looked at the car.

As soon as the car stopped, a driver in a black suit and white gloves got out of the car and opened the door.

The two walked over and got into the car directly.

The two sides did not exchange a single word throughout the whole process.

Sitting in the car, Suren realized that the car was also specially made, limiting almost all external perception. There was no sound, and no reference points could be seen. The glass that looked like car windows was hazy and misty, making it impossible to see what was outside. In other words, most professionals who got into the car could not tell which direction they were going at all.

Suren scanned it with his All-Seeing Eye and found nothing unusual.

Although it limited audio-visual perception, it had no effect on spatial perception at all.

Suren's current understanding of the Law of Space was already very high. This ability made it very clear that they were heading south along the riverside street...

Oh no.

Now they turned onto Baker Street.

Shabina took Suren's hand and explained, "The location of each ball is different. None of the guests know where it will be."

"Okay."

Suren didn't say anything else.

If he were the organizer, these security measures would indeed be necessary.

After all, the power holders of Lingdun would definitely not want such a huge underground force to exist.

The steam car drove very smoothly all the way, as if it were not moving at all.

Suren himself was proficient in mechanical technology, and he found that the car looked similar to ordinary motorcycles on the outside, but in fact, it had a lot of black technology that was not available on the market.

To prevent people from identifying the direction, the car had to turn very smoothly first.

At least the inside of the car had to feel no obvious shaking.

This was almost impossible on Lingdun's not-so-good road conditions if it was an ordinary rigid-suspended steam car.

Suren also guessed from this detail that the "Shadow Lord" seemed to have mastered some secret military mechanical technology, or some kind of ancient technology.

However, this did not affect his judgment of the steam car's driving route.

The car circled the streets and alleys in the city, passed through some special tunnels, and then went straight out of the city.

......

More than an hour later, the car stopped.

"The western suburbs of Lingdun?"

Suren sensed his exact location and murmured in his heart.

At this time, Suren and Shabina both put on the masks prepared by the ball organizer.

Hearing the door handle "click" open from the outside, a female servant dressed in a sexy bunny girl costume stood respectfully by the car door and said respectfully, "Welcome to the Full Moon Ball."

Suren glanced at the woman and suddenly felt a little familiar.

She was not wearing a mask, she had blonde hair and blue eyes, an excellent figure, and a sexy beauty mark on the corner of her eye.

In an instant, Suren immediately determined that this was not the popular Lingdun singer, the pure female singer known by fans as "Little Sweetheart," Susanna MacFerne?

When he went to Rolling Stone Bar with Reina before, he had seen this woman's advertisement on the street billboard, so he had some impression.

The legend was actually true?

This kind of female star with a net worth of over 100 million Liso was also considered a member of the upper class in Ruing. He didn't expect that she was just a welcoming female servant at this ball?

"Tsk tsk... the noble circle really knows how to play."

Suren sighed in his heart and didn't look at her any more.

He was more interested in what this place was.

Looking around, the place where the car was parked seemed to be a closed underground garage.

At this time, the bunny girl pointed to the stairs on the side and said respectfully, "Two distinguished guests, this way please."

Shabina gracefully took Suren's arm, indicating that he should follow that person.

The three walked up the stairs, and the decoration suddenly became luxurious.

Before them was a corridor covered with high-end carpets worth tens of thousands per square meter, gilded and extremely luxurious in its materials.

Every few meters, a painting that looked like it was made by a master was hung on the wall, and a look at it confirmed that they were all genuine!

These were all high-end works of art that could be auctioned for millions of Liso in Lingdun's auction houses. In other words, the decoration of this corridor was worth hundreds of millions!

After walking a few steps, the bunny girl led Suren and the two into a similarly luxurious small room in the corridor and said, "Please wait here for a moment, two distinguished guests. The ball will begin in half an hour. If you have any needs, you can tell me. I am the exclusive female servant for the two distinguished guests tonight."

The girl led the two into the house, she herself also stayed inside, and then she gently closed the door.

Shabina had been here once before. Seeing Suren look at the girl a few more times, she introduced, "If Mr. Nicholas is interested in her, you can have her serve you here. You can even try any of the female servants you see at the ball later. This is a benefit that the organizers give to the members..."

She said this in front of the bunny girl, who showed no different expression on her face as she listened, but instead showed a professional smile, "It is my honor to be able to serve you."

Suren was not surprised to hear this, but he had no interest.

He was more concerned about how to get the intelligence he wanted at this ball.

Otherwise, the next time would be in half a month.

With the outbreak of the "Red Death Disease," and that parasitic worm potion, who knows what would happen if he waited for half a month...

......

Suren and Shabina chatted idly, and half an hour passed imperceptibly.

Although the room was isolated from perception, soul perception and space perception were not restricted at all.

Suren knew very well that during the time they were waiting, several more groups of guests had arrived in the next room.

Each group cleverly avoided each other, avoiding any encounters and waiting in different rooms.

Just at this time, the whole room suddenly trembled slightly.

It was a bit like an earthquake.

Shabina obviously didn't know what had happened, and a slight look of surprise flashed in her eyes.

But Suren had already guessed that this was the movement of the airship taking off.

Because, they were on a super-large airship!

"Tsk tsk, that 'Shadow Lord' really has an outrageous amount of energy. Money, strength, technology, connections... who on earth is he?"

Suren didn't move his face, but he was finally thinking in his heart.

He had been perceiving the surrounding space all the time, and the scale of this airship was larger than any steam airship he had ever seen.

Suren was very sure that something with this exaggerated volume was definitely not a civilian airship.

And of all the information about airships, there was only one that fit, and that was the legendary Gusmao airship, which the Ruing military called a top-secret weapon!

A kind of "sky mechanical castle" that was said to fly by magnetic force and was lighter than air!