Готовый перевод История Королевы Эльфов / The story of the Elf Queen: Интерлюдия пятая. Новые проблемы Архиврага Героя Королевы Эльфов

Interlude Five: New Problems of the Archenemy of the Hero of the Elven Queen

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In the huge palace, once home to one of the most powerful Houses of Dark Elves in Diyarten, on the top floor, which had previously belonged entirely to the matriarch of this House, in the office where important meetings had once been held, there was a very tense and nervous silence. All the new inhabitants of this palace were now there. Most of them, weak-willed puppet servants, were in a trance and lay motionless on the floor, with some clothing spread out beneath them. The rest of the new inhabitants of the palace were either sitting at the huge conference table, standing next to it, or standing by the doors. And now they were conscious. Five of them were fully conscious.

And two of these five had only just come to full consciousness. Because of this, Violet Edelhart's son and daughter looked very pale and did not even try to hide their horror at the realization of the situation they were in. Their mother was holding up noticeably better, but if you looked closely, you could see that she was far from completely calm. Shira, who stood guard at the entrance to the office with the other dark elves, having changed from the openly vulgar white dress of a slave maid to a full set of Underworld hunter's gear, was holding up better. Outwardly, she showed almost no sign of anxiety. Her upbringing and training had taken their toll. But that was only on the surface.

The other conscious new inhabitants of the palace were also far from calm, but thanks to the foreign will that bound their minds, they were more tense and focused than frightened. The cause of the general nervousness had been sitting at the head of the table for almost an hour, leaning forward slightly, resting her elbows on the tabletop, and pressing her forehead against the “Guarantee of Execution” clutched in her palms. Master's eyes were closed, he was practically motionless, and from the outside it might even seem that he had fallen asleep sitting up. But in reality, his mind was extremely far from the state of sleep, and even from normal wakefulness, having been pushed to the limit by mental practices to the point where there was a risk of injury.

Moreover, at that very moment, this very mind was, in fact, outside the body. Because of this, the body was surrounded by three layers of protective fields and barriers. And next to it stood his two most valuable dolls, fully armed and ready to repel any threat. The palace of the dark elves was not quite in full siege mode, but all the defenses that could be activated without attracting attention from outside were in place. The matriarch's upper floor was completely isolated from the rest of the palace and, in fact, sealed from the inside. The meeting room where everyone had gathered was isolated from the rest of the rooms on the late matriarch's floor.

No one really understood the reason for such precautions, including the indirect culprit of what was happening, who, sitting at the table, tried with all her might to keep up appearances and not show her tension and, to be honest, her fear. Overall, Violette managed to do so, as her years of experience managing a very serious organization involved in military-commercial enterprises and her natural business acumen came into play. Therefore, in order not to waste time, she literally ordered herself to pull herself together and start thinking. To analyze the situation. And try to understand what was going on!

It all began almost immediately after Master received a mysterious message from another owner of the Tablet of Souls, which greatly disturbed him. Violet herself was shocked by Master's revelations, while involuntarily admiring the elegance of the elves, who had managed to turn the whole world upside down, but had kept silent about the most important thing. But before she could properly question Master, who had calmed down, and find out the details, he suddenly became agitated again. After that, without explaining anything, he urgently gathered all his subordinates on the matriarch's floor, where they all sat down in a natural siege, except that they did not block the passages with barricades.

After locking the conference room from the inside and surrounding himself with additional personal protection, Master, who had not really explained anything, ordered everyone to stay where they were, be on alert, and forbade anyone to disturb him until he had ‘checked something.’ Before that, however, he took a minute to restore Datsius and Lenore's free will. This caused both of Violetta's children to almost have a hysterical fit mixed with panic when the initial shock wore off and they began to realise what was happening. Lady Edelhart had to work hard to bring them to their senses and literally force them to calm down. The fact that she had kept her offspring on a tight leash before helped her quite a bit in this regard. Once she had managed to calm them down more or less and explain the situation to them, Violetta focused on the main pressing problem.

What had so alarmed Master? The most obvious answer was the message from this mysterious other possessor of the Tablet, who, as it turned out, was the very guest from another world. But what could he have written to Master that caused him to be so alarmed? It is understandable why he was very upset that this foreigner, from whom, according to his own words, he had received his power, had survived. Who would be happy to have such a rival? Violetta herself did not have the warmest feelings toward competitors who interfered with her business. And if she had the opportunity, she would gladly get rid of them one way or another. But still... But still... Wasn't that reaction a bit too strong? Perhaps he was afraid that this surviving foreigner might reveal their new hideout? No, Master said that if the elves knew where he was, assault troops would already be storming in. So it must be something else. But what?

Still pondering what had so frightened Master in the message he had received, Violetta felt Datius tug at her sleeve. Sighing inwardly, Lady Edelhart slipped on the magnificent dark blue dress she had been given from the wardrobe of the dark elf who lived here with a couple of smooth movements of her shoulders. Although it was a somewhat unusual cut for a native of the Free Cities, the material was beyond praise, literally caressing the skin. However, it was a little too big for Violetta in the chest, even though she had never complained about her figure.

However, this was for the best, as it allowed her to free her ample breasts with minimal effort. Moving slightly away from the table, she made room for Dacius, who immediately knelt in front of her, leaned forward, and latched onto her breast, just as he had done in his distant childhood. Placing her hand on her son's head, Violetta leaned back in the sturdy chair, closing her eyes in pleasure that spread rapidly throughout her body. What had upset him so much... What? Surely the message... But what had they told him... What... Mmmmm... Good... question...

Actively working with his tongue and helping himself with his hands, Dacius made Violetta lose touch with reality for a few seconds, overwhelmed by pleasure. Throwing her head back towards the ceiling, she bit her lip, clutching her son's hair with her palm as he continued to suck her breast. Pressing his face into her breasts, Lady Edelhart brought her legs together, tensing her thighs. How... good...

"We fucked up..."

Master's quiet voice, tinged with doom, instantly brought the woman to her senses, causing her to open her eyes wide and sit up straight in her chair. Lenora jumped up in her seat, looking at their kidnapper and recent master with obvious fear. Dacius also looked up from his mother's breasts for a moment, casting a frightened glance at Master. But almost immediately, his face became indifferent, and he returned to his previous activity, paying no attention to anything. However, Violetta did not pay any attention to him either, turning to her new... business partner, who looked as if he had been hit over the head with a dusty sack. Coughing, Lady Edelhart asked:

"May I ask, venerable Master, what did you mean? And what is the reason for all... this?"

Violet attempted to sound as professional as possible, but to her annoyance, she was unsuccessful due to the renewed waves of pleasure caused by Dacius' lips and tongue tormenting her breasts. Turning to her, Master glanced strangely at Violetta, then let out a loud sigh and leaned back in his chair. Or rather, it was the former chair of the matriarch, a luxurious piece of furniture with comfortable armrests and soft upholstery. Throwing back his head, he closed his eyes and massaged them with one hand, while continuing to hold the ‘Guarantee of Fulfilment’ in the other, as Violetta and the rest of the assembled crowd waited patiently for an answer. A dozen seconds passed, and then Master suddenly straightened up and unexpectedly spoke in a strangely cheerful voice, looking straight into Lady Edelhart's eyes:

"You know, Violetta, at the moment when you found a way to give our relationship a second chance, I cursed myself for having decided to give it to you on a stupid whim. After all, by doing so, I deprived myself of the pleasure of turning you and your children into adorable living toys."

At these words, Lenora paled even more, literally clutching her mother's hand, which she had been squeezing all this time, afraid to let go. Violet also shuddered inwardly, but still, as she had hoped, managed to keep her composure, and then said in a firm, businesslike, but at the same time polite voice:

"I can only imagine your disappointment, but I sincerely hope our cooperation will eventually convince you that this was not a mistake, but..."

“What are you saying, what are you saying, my lovely Violetta,” Master interrupted her, stopping her with a movement of his free hand.

He leaned forward and smiled strangely. The expression on his face and his voice made Lady Edelhart feel uneasy, and Lenora even began to tremble.

"I ALREADY don't regret that I decided to follow my whim and gave you that chance, and you, in turn, were able to take advantage of it."

Swallowing, because Dacius continued to literally squeeze milk out of her breast without paying attention to anything, Violetta asked, trying to maintain the same polite and businesslike tone:

"It is pleasant to hear such words, but may I ask what made you change your mind so quickly, venerable Master?"

He chuckled strangely and, leaning back in his chair again, said in a strangely cheerful voice:

"Of course you can, my dear Lady Edelhart! And I'll even answer you! I completely changed my mind about the new beginning of our relationship with you because if it hadn't happened, I, with a high degree of probability, would never have noticed what a huge ass I got into! What an ass we all got into! And, most likely, sooner or later, we would have repeated the sad fate of the inhabitants of this beautiful palace."

Hearing these words, Violetta became even more alert. What did he mean? Turning her head slightly, she glanced quickly at the dark elf standing frozen at the entrance, who, as she had learned, had also been freed from mental control by some whim of Master. The elf, apparently, understood no more than Lady Edelhart herself. And Master's other toys, who remained under his complete control, judging by their puzzled and wary faces, did not understand where their master was leading them. He glanced mockingly at the assembled group and, turning back to Violetta, asked in the same strangely cheerful voice:

"Don't you understand what I'm talking about? Even you, my lovely Lady Edelhart?"

Something in his voice really bothered Violetta. It reminded her of her own voice when she talked to her subordinates who had messed up but didn't know about their mistakes and the punishment coming their way. Frowning, she honestly tried to understand what kind of ass Master was talking about, and what did the dead inhabitants of this cursed underground city have to do with it? After all, the monster that had devoured them had itself sunk into the abyss thanks to the Sun-faced Herald, as Master himself had said.

At the thought of the monster from the depths, the images of the battle she had seen, Violetta felt a vague uneasiness. It was as if she had overlooked some small detail, but a very important one. Frowning even more deeply, Lady Edelhart tried to understand what was troubling her, but to no avail. Apparently, her thought process was too clearly reflected on her face, because Master, with a sympathetic sigh, said in a thoughtful voice:

"Well, as I thought. Although it was expected..."

"Venerable Master..."

Pausing for a moment as Dacius squeezed her breast especially hard, Violetta exhaled heavily, but still found the strength to continue in an almost unshaken voice:

"...may I ask...what threat...are we talking about?"

"Of course you can!" Master smiled sadly.

"Although, you know, it’s quite funny to hear this question from you, considering that you pointed it out to me!"

Frowning, Violetta tried to comprehend what Master had said. What was she pointing at? What was he talking about? Biting her lip, Lady Edelhart tried with all her might to understand what Master meant, and for a moment it even seemed to her that she had almost grasped some elusive detail. But a new wave of pleasure caused Violetta to lose touch with reality again for a few moments. When she caught her breath and the sated Dacius left her alone, the feeling of having missed something completely disappeared. No matter how hard Lady Edelhart tried to find it again, honestly straining her memory, it was all in vain. Pulling her chest back, she shook her head and said in a restrained, polite voice:

"Frankly, venerable Master, I don't quite understand what you're getting at..."

He smiled sadly and raised his finger meaningfully, like an Academy teacher at a seminar:

"That's the point! True, only partly... Well, come closer to me... Although no, you can all stay where you are, I'm quite enough for one office without preparation. Now..."

With these words, Master began to perform some kind of magic. Violetta was unable to understand what kind of weaving he was creating because of his personal protection, multiplied by his own masking of subtle bodies. But even if they weren't there, she would hardly have been able to figure it out, as the difference between them turned out to be too great. The process took about ten seconds, after which a thin wave of light rushed out from Master in all directions, rolling across all the walls, floor, and ceiling, covering them with a thin translucent film. Some kind of barrier? It didn't seem so. It was too thin, and the weave was unfamiliar and practically imperceptible, unlike the usually rather heavy protective magic. While Violetta, who had switched to magical vision, was trying to understand what Master had done, he, assessing the results of his work, spoke thoughtfully, thinking aloud:

"That should be enough... It would be possible to close it more tightly, for reliability... Although no, it's not worth it, then the loss will be too obvious, it could be noticeable..."

Turning to Violetta and her children, who continued to look at Master with fear, he asked again in a cheerful voice:

"Well, shall we try again, Lady Edelhart? I'll give you a hint: how did our new relationship begin?"

Frowning, sensing an obvious catch, Violetta slowly began to answer the obviously obvious question:

"Since I warned you about..."

She stopped mid-sentence and opened her eyes wide. She even opened her mouth in shock. Master, who was watching her, smiled grimly:

"Got it? Realized it?"

"Damn... But... How... How... Why... I..."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!"

Dacius, who had been casting glances now at his mother, now at Master, could not resist asking, trying to speak as politely as possible:

"May I ask, sirs, what is this all about?"

Laughing nervously, Master leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands:

"Well, of course you can! We are talking about a threat that none of us, including me, noticed. But what your venerable mother did thereby was to buy you three freedoms. And she also saved for you every boy's favorite toy, which I planned to turn into its complete opposite."

Dacius visibly flinched at these words. The others, including the Master's puppets, looked at each other in bewilderment or glanced at Lady Edelhart, who had turned as pale as chalk, trying to understand what they were talking about. Meanwhile, Master continued.

"And, as you may have noticed, the lovely Lady Edelhart herself has not remembered this threat, which she warned me about. Even though she warned me about it literally a couple of hours ago."

After waiting a couple more seconds, looking around at everyone around him, who were quite tense, he explained:

"For those who don't know, Lady Edelhart pointed out to me that the signal threads that literally covered the entire city didn't quite fit with the monster that had emerged from the depths of the earth."

With a wave of his hand, Master projected a three-dimensional image onto the table, captured with his magic mirror. In it, a gigantic figure shrouded in black smoke, with flashes of crimson flame visible through it, emerged from a crack that had split the city, literally tearing apart the side wall of the underground hall. It was the very place through which Master and his companions had entered the city. At the same time, it completely destroyed the mansion adjacent to the wall at that point. With another wave of his hand, a second image appeared next to the first, showing the place where the Terror of Diyarten had passed. Mountains of all kinds of debris, mostly stone. And many of these stones were melted. And in a couple of places on the surface of the underground hall, huge footprints of terrifying paws were visible, pressed into the thickness of the stone.

After waiting for everyone to appreciate these images, Master continued:

"Well, what do you say, my dears? Do you think THIS could have entangled the entire city in a web of the finest, barely visible threads, which would do credit to any experienced master of the Silk Thread School? I'm not even mentioning the fact that the city looks like this!"

Another wave of the hand, and a little to the side of the first two projections, a three-dimensional image of almost all of Diyarten appeared, as it would look from a bird's eye view. After waiting a few seconds for everyone to appreciate the new image, Master asked:

"Tell me, do you see many traces of the rampage of that monster that came from the depths of the earth? I don't! There are literally a couple of places, here and here, where you can definitely say that it was he who did it. There may also be here, but that's not certain; it looks more like the aftermath of a regular magical battle. But otherwise, the city is practically untouched!"

After waiting a second, Master asked in an ominously insinuating voice:

"Of course, THIS, in theory, could swallow up an entire city, even such a large one. But do you think IT could swallow up the inhabitants of an entire city without destroying it to the ground?!"

The response was tense, surprised silence. One might even say shocked silence. Everyone except Violetta tried to comprehend how such an obvious thing could have escaped their attention. Even though they all knew about the threads. They knew what the Terror of Diyarten was, because Master had shown everyone the images captured by the mirror of the monster's appearance and battles. And they had seen the city. Lady Edelhart tried to understand how she could have forgotten what she had bought her freedom with! How? HOW?!

She voiced the last thought out loud without even noticing it. To which Master, smiling unkindly, replied:

"Good question. And you probably won't like the answer."

After waiting for everyone to turn to him again, he continued:

"Remember, Lady Edelhart, I told you that there must be some kind of distraction or normalization field around this damn web?"

Violetta nodded slowly, truly remembering Master's words. Remembering them, even though that conversation had taken place literally a couple of hours ago.

"Yes, now I remember your words."

Nodding contentedly, Master said:

"Well, I was wrong. Alas. This is not a field. And it is not around the web. This is something much, fucking worse, and it is around the whole fucking city!" suddenly Master switched to almost a natural scream, causing everyone in the office to shudder.

With his face twisted in anger, Master waved his hand, and the images of the Terror of Diyarten faded, their place was taken entirely by the image of the city, which had increased in size so that it stretched almost over the entire table. Another wave of his hand, and it was transformed, illuminated by many lights.

"This is what Diyarten looks like in magical vision, in its classical spectrum. Nothing unusual, right?"

Glancing quickly at those around her, then at Master, Violetta stared intently at the image. She was not a great master of magic, but her education at the Neirat Academy was evident. Looking closely, Lady Edelhart easily discerned the currents of natural magic scattered in the air, the glow of the remaining weaves in various buildings, several feral sources... Overall, nothing unusual, a fairly typical picture of a large city, adjusted for the specifics of the Underground. Neirat itself, from the height of one of the Seven Beauties, where she had managed to visit a couple of times during her studies, looked much more impressive, literally glowing with magic. Turning to Master, who was scanning the surroundings intently, she said cautiously:

"I don't notice anything unusual..."

Nodri, who was sitting opposite Violetta, slowly nodded her blond head:

"The general magical background is almost twice as high as in Normgrave, but that's normal for the Underworld... Otherwise, I don't see anything unusual..."

"And you won’t see it,” Master said gloomily.

When everyone turned to him in surprise, he continued:

"I didn't notice anything at first either. I had to try really hard to find what was covering this fucking web! And even then, if I hadn't known roughly what and how to look for, I probably wouldn't have found it."

Another short wave of the hand, and the image was transformed again. Everyone stared at him, eyes wide. Opening her mouth in surprise, Violetta voiced the general thought in a shocked voice after a couple of seconds:

"What... is this?"

"Cocoon. Three times, bitch, fucking cocoon, which covers this whole damn city completely and utterly. Woven from the finest threads, practically invisible and completely intangible. A real fucking masterpiece of the School of Silk Thread! Although, in this case, it would be more appropriate to call it, in the manner of the dark pointed-eared ones, the School of Silk Web... But that's not the point! What matters is that this fucking masterpiece covers this whole fucking city!"

Looking in shock at the projected image of Diyartan above the table, Violetta looked at Master with disbelief:

"Are you sure? This is... How is this even possible... How much effort and time does it take to... create something like this?"

"Let me think... Hmm... Personally, as someone who is not the least knowledgeable and experienced in the Silk Thread School's creation of such a cocoon... if no one interfered with me, I had everything I needed at all times, and I was only engaged in this... Then... Fifty to sixty years. Most likely seventy, considering that everything had to be done in secret. Although that wouldn't have been a problem, as the Silk Thread School is famous for its stealth..."

Everyone stared at Master with their mouths agape. Then they looked back at the image of the city, which was now surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, of the finest threads, merging into a single canvas. They covered the surface of the ceiling and all the side walls of the underground hall, spread out under the slabs of the city's streets and squares, along the bottom and banks of the canals, and finally flowed down the edges of the crack into the abyss of the earth's interior.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Shira, who had turned grey with fear, turned to Master and asked:

"Si... Master, are you absolutely sure?.. How... How is this even possible..."

"I'm absolutely sure!" Master snapped in a gloomy voice.

"This fucking cocoon covers the entire city, I checked. And it's woven so skilfully, damn it, that if you don't know what and how to look for, at least roughly, then try to find it! And not only because this crap is damn hard to spot and blends in with the natural background of the Underground! It's much more complicated than that!"

Leaning back in his chair, Master began to explain in a gloomy voice:

"From the outside, from the neighboring halls, this cocoon is basically impossible to notice through the thickness of the Underworld. At least, I can't imagine any way to do so. But once you find yourself inside this underground hall, you immediately fall under the influence of the cocoon, which, as you might have guessed, is woven for reasons other than beauty! This nasty thing literally catches any attention directed at it. Just thinking about it is enough for your thoughts to get caught in this web, like flies in a spider's web! They meet a similar fate, and very quickly at that. So even if you notice part of the cocoon, or, as in our case, find one of the signal threads scattered throughout the city, without good, I would even say VERY good protection of your mind, you will almost immediately forget about your discovery!"

After a pause, Master looked at his listeners with a keen gaze, and then continued:

"More precisely, at first, under the influence of the cocoon, you will decide that this is something completely normal, absolutely ordinary, and not dangerous at all, bitch! Not worth your attention at all, like trash in a ditch or road dust. And after a while, you will completely forget about your discovery and never remember it again. Even if the fact of this discovery is damn important to you!"

Grimacing as if from a toothache, Master said angrily:

"Even I, with my defences, even though I KNEW about those fucking threads, even though I USED them, still didn't pay enough attention to them! And then, once I was in the palace, I stopped thinking about them altogether and didn't even bother to remember them! Me! And if a little more time had passed, I probably would have just forgotten about them, you bitch!"

Taking a few deep breaths and closing his eyes for a moment, Master continued in a calmer and even thoughtful voice:

"To be honest, I'm even jealous... It's truly a masterpiece... And not just from the Silk Thread School. After all, it's not really suitable for controlling territories... There's clearly something witchcraft-related going on here, and of the highest order, with the cocoon acting as the foundation... Yes, definitely... ."

Taking another deep breath, he said in an absolutely calm voice, turning to Violetta:

"So, my lovely Lady Edelhart, I no longer regret I gave in to my whim and gave you the chance to start our relationship from scratch, which you took advantage of."

Visibly pale from the realization of the threat that had been hanging over them all this time, Violetta nodded slightly and said:

"Under other circumstances, venerable Master, I would be pleased to hear these words from you. But now I feel no joy at all."

Swallowing nervously, she licked her dry lips and voiced the general thought:

"What are we going to do?"

“And that, detective, is the right question,” Master said thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs.

"What, excuse me?" Violetta did not understand what he said.

What kind of detective? Or detetiwe?

“The right question, I say, my dear Violetta,” Master waved it off, staring intently at the projected image and thinking about something of his own.

"We need to get out of here, and as quickly as possible, that's what we need to do!" Dacius, noticeably shaking and literally looking around, intervened in the conversation.

As if expecting the unknown enemy to break into the palace right now. Throwing an expressive glance at him, Master grinned darkly and nodded in agreement:

"Good idea. You can leave. Right now. I'm not holding you back. You know where the exit is. I'll open the doors. Go wherever you want."

The dumbfounded young man's eyes widened. He was about to open his mouth again, but Violetta, with a lightning-fast movement, elbowed him in the side, causing her son to choke and shut up. Lady Edelhart herself, trying to keep her voice from shaking, said politely:

"I am sure, honourable Master, that Dacius did not mean an immediate and rash escape, which would be incredibly foolish, she emphasised the last phrase and looked meaningfully at her silent son, but simply suggested that we leave this place in an organised manner as soon as possible. Taking, of course, everything necessary and valuable. And to be honest, I fully support his idea."

"Hmm, is that so? Would you like to escape from here as soon as possible? That is a good idea, indeed," Master's voice clearly conveyed sarcasm mixed with mockery. "Perhaps you know where we could go, Lady Edelhart? Considering that the whole world is looking for me, just a little bit, just a tiny bit? Let me tell you right away, your family home is out of the question; they're definitely waiting for us there."

Ignoring Master's sarcasm and mockery, Violetta responded in an extremely businesslike and collected tone.

"I'm sure there are plenty of places we can all take refuge. We just need to think carefully about what and how we can offer in exchange for help."

"You would like to put me in a golden, or rather gilded, cage so much, Lady Edelhart. You are even ready to climb into it with me..." The sarcasm in Master's voice grew even stronger.

"I am well aware of my mistakes, venerable Master, and I am in no way suggesting that you completely follow someone else’s lead,” Violetta immediately corrected herself.

Feeling herself in the familiar element of difficult negotiations, Lady Edelhart immediately became much more confident, and her fear seemed to recede into the background:

"I am merely suggesting that we carefully consider the possibility of mutually beneficial cooperation with someone who can provide us with reliable shelter. There are individuals and entire organisations among the enemies of elves and sun worshippers with whom it is quite possible to come to an agreement. Especially since you, honourable Master, can offer them a truly UNIQUE product. And such things are always highly prized!"

"I have no doubt about that. Just as I have no doubt that every first one of them will try to cheat me, and every second one will try to sell me to either the elves or the sun worshippers. The most cunning ones will try to sell me to everyone at once, after first trying to get some kind of favour from me for their help." The sarcasm and bitterness in the Master's voice exceeded all possible limits.

Violetta sighed patiently and continued in an extremely polite voice:

"I agree with you that this is more than likely. But such risks are always present in any serious undertaking. Therefore, we need to prepare properly for difficult negotiations, assess all the risks, understand what we can offer, and conduct reconnaissance if necessary..."

“Why?” Master asked in an unexpectedly philosophical tone.

Mentally suppressing, literally strangling the flared irritation, Violetta patiently answered:

"Look, I understand that you don't want to leave this palace, especially after all the time and effort you've spent. This really is a very good place. It was! But now we can't stay here!"

"Why not, actually?" asked Master, his voice still tinged with philosophical undertones.

At the same time, he continued to sit slumped in his chair, staring at the image of the city with a pensive expression on his face. For a moment, Violetta was taken aback, not understanding whether he was joking, fooling around, or speaking seriously. But before she could say anything, Shira, still standing at the door with her relatives, interrupted the conversation. Bowing her head modestly, she said in a polite and humble voice:

"Please forgive me, my lo... Master, but I support Violetta's proposal."

Lady Edelhart flinched internally at such an unusually familiar address, casting a glance at the dark elf.

"Staying here is mortally dangerous even for you. As soon as the one who wove such a huge cocoon..."

Suddenly, the dark elf stopped mid-sentence and widened her eyes:

"Wait... Who created this cocoon? If it wasn't the Terror of Diyarten..."

Casting a satisfied glance at his slave, Master nodded slightly and said in an instructive voice:

"There! This is also a correct question, my dear Shira!"

Looking around at everyone with an attentive gaze, he continued:

"Considering everything we know, I would guess something spider-like spun this cocoon. Some particularly outstanding representative of the underground species of acromantulas, but I can't say for sure. It may well be that we are dealing with one of the other magical giant spiders, or even a unique mutant. But I'm willing to bet that our spider doesn't rely on venom and fangs, but rather on its web, being a natural adept of the School of Silk Webs. And judging by the size and quality of the web, this creature is definitely old and very experienced..."

The hefty orc woman standing next to Master grimaced with displeasure and grumbled in a heavy voice:

"So, apart from that smoky, fiery monster, there's another creature lurking in the depths of the earth?"

"I'm not sure if she comes from the depths like Horror, but I have no doubt that she exists," nodded Master.

"Just awesome... As if one wasn't enough... How did those two creatures get along with each other?" Grumbled the green-skinned giant, scratching his chin.

"Good question, Bazita, but right now I'm much more interested in what kind of creature it is, and how intelligent it is..."

Violetta coughed and tried to get the conversation back on track:

"Venerable Master, since you say that this cocoon was woven by some kind of spider-like monster, which may also be intelligent, then we all the more need to leave here as soon as possible!"

"Why?" Master asked again, somehow casually and philosophically, looking strangely at Violetta.

She, already beginning to lose patience, opened her mouth but stopped mid-sentence. Glancing at her new partner, Lady Edelhart's eyes widened and bulged, struck by a sudden realization of the reasons behind Master's behavior. No... It couldn't be... Shira seemed to be just as surprised as Violetta. With a look of disbelief on her face, she asked cautiously:

"Sir... Excuse me, Master... I admit that the tactic of ‘hiding in the dragon's lair’ can be very effective. But you said that this cocoon is the basis for some kind of witchcraft that affects the minds of those inside it... Isn't the risk of staying here too great? Even for you..."

Suddenly she opened her eyes again, struck by a guess, and quickly added:

"Or do you know how to protect yourself from the effects of the cocoon and remain unnoticed by it?"

Master smiled, shook his head, and said:

"Good guess, Shira. Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I do not doubt that I can protect us from the cocoon's influence. In fact, I've already done so. The main problem is to protect us in a way that won't attract the attention of our dear spider, but I can do that too... However, hiding with such a friendly spider neighbor nearby... would be, at best, a temporary solution, since we would have to constantly keep quiet and lie low... No, I have another idea..."

Violetta shook her head and whispered quietly, refusing to believe that her guess had turned out to be correct:

"No... No... Just don't tell me that you want to try to somehow deal with this creature?!"

In response, Master looked at her in a surprisingly casual manner and nodded affirmatively:

"Exactly."

"Are you crazy?" Violetta cried out involuntarily, causing Master's puppets to even twitch in her direction.

He remained absolutely calm and even indifferent. But Lady Edelhart could not contain the emotions that overwhelmed her; she even jumped to her feet:

"You said that this creature, this spider, has woven its cocoon around this entire city! And through it, it has lassoed the brains of the residents before devouring them!"

"Judging by the fact that most of the city is relatively intact, that was the case. At least, most of the inhabitants, including the inhabitants of this palace, apparently died without a fight, Master nodded affirmatively."

"And you want to try to fight him?! A monster that devoured a whole city, a huge city?!"

In response, Master nodded again affirmatively and said, surprisingly calmly:

"Exactly."

Violetta opened her mouth, but stopped short. For a few seconds, she looked straight into Master's eyes, and then collapsed back into her chair and asked resignedly:

"Why? Why? Do you want to keep this mansion so much?!"

A strange smile appeared on Master's face, and he answered in a completely calm voice:

"Why? Because I think we have a chance. Why? To actually preserve the extremely convenient new shelter, which, as it turns out, is even better protected than I thought."

For a few seconds, Violetta looked at Master in confusion and disbelief, trying to figure out if he was serious or just messing around again. But then his big orc woman jumped back into the conversation, frowning with her not-so-orc-like pretty face:

"Master, I know you're a wizard, but you saw what kind of crap came out of that crack! Even with all your gifts, I can't get rid of such junk... Well, maybe another twenty steps... Or better yet, thirty, with your help... If there's another one like that sitting there... Oh, I'm afraid we won't be able to handle it..."

With a smooth gesture of his hand, Master stopped his puppet, smiling unexpectedly:

"You think surprisingly sensibly, my dear Bazita. That is why I am not going to engage in combat with this creature, as befits a good mind magic specialist. But even if it comes to direct combat, I suspect our chances will be significantly better than zero."

Stopping everyone who was about to say something, Master continued:

"Let me explain my train of thought. If our spider were like the Terror, it would simply roll over this city like a stone, devouring its inhabitants. But instead, for years, no, definitely decades, it quietly, persistently, and unnoticeably wove its web until the whole city and its inhabitants fell into it without even noticing. Well, or almost all of the inhabitants; some, as we can see, tried to resist on that fateful day, and it was perhaps they that Terror destroyed."

Leaning back in the luxurious chair at the head of the table, Master raised his index finger instructively, like a lecturer at the Neirat Academy:

"This indicates that our spider is relying on stealth and careful preparation rather than direct combat. It is an approach that I personally endorse and even practise myself. In our case, this approach is currently working exceptionally well for us. After all, we now have a huge advantage over it! Two, in fact. First, we know about its existence and its main strength — the cocoon! Second, it doesn't know about us!"

"Are you sure about this, Master?" Saya, who had been silent until then, spoke up, listening to her master with an extremely serious expression.

"Absolutely, my dear. After all, if he knew about us, we wouldn't all be sitting here now," Master answered categorically.

"It's just strange..." the slanted-eyed killer said thoughtfully, "If he has covered this entire city with his nets and has been hunting here for many years... how could he not have noticed us... We must have crossed the border of the cocoon... how could he have missed that?"

"I also had time to think about that," nodded Master, "and I can assume that two factors played into our hands. First, we entered the city very cautiously, under complete cover. And the second is the place where we entered. As you remember, part of the side wall had collapsed there. It is quite possible that the collapse at least partially disrupted the integrity of the cocoon, so that our crossing it went unnoticed."

Leaning back in his chair again, Master continued his thought:

"Besides, we shouldn't forget that we were constantly protected, and still are, by my two wonderful artefacts, which divert any attention away from us. That too, no doubt, played a part... In any case, as I said, since we are still alive after all this time, it means the spider does not know about us. Thus, we have a huge advantage over it..."

Letting out a resigned sigh, Violetta, who had already realized that it would not be possible to convince her new “partner,” nevertheless asked:

"Are you so reluctant to leave this place, Master? We can try to find another shelter, you can even create one yourself..."

With an extremely serious face, Master looked meaningfully at Violetta:

"Lady Edelhart, where are your ambition, enthusiasm, and business acumen? We have an entire city before us! A huge city, full of virtually untouched riches! Countless riches have been waiting for centuries for those who can claim them! And all it takes is to get rid of one single creature! Are you really going to back down?"

Pressing her lips together, Violetta really thought about it. She thought seriously, analysing everything she had heard earlier. And everything she already knew. Then, in an extremely serious voice, she asked, looking straight into Master's eyes:

"Are you sure we have a chance... a serious chance... to deal with this... this spider?"

He smiled unexpectedly, smugly, and nodded:

"I am sure. After all, we, or rather I, have something no one else has!"

With a surprisingly smug expression, Master leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and demonstratively raised both hands:

"The Power of the Soul Tablet!"

But a moment later, his face contorted sharply, as if from a toothache, and he corrected himself, his words coming out in a gloomy voice:

"Well, almost no one..."

Making another mental note to clarify this point in as much detail as possible soon, Violetta nodded, realising that there was no persuading Master.

"All right, so be it. And what are you... I mean, what are we... going to do with this spider? How are we going to defeat it?"

"And that, detective, is also the right question!" Master again uttered the word that was incomprehensible to Violetta.

Sitting back down in his chair, he said:

"The first thing we need to do is make sure that our spider remains unaware of our existence. This shouldn't be a problem, thanks to my foresight and caution. We have concealed our presence in this mansion very well, leaving no traces outside, and my artifacts are covering for us. We just need to strengthen and modify our camouflage a little, taking into account the protection from the constant influence of this accursed cocoon... It won't cover the entire palace, but it will be possible to stretch it over part of the central sector... Although if we try hard enough... no, it will be too difficult to hide such a large area outside the field of influence, we will have to limit ourselves to only part of the rooms... Hmm... we will have to work hard to make sure that the excluded areas are not noticeable... Maybe we could divide them, but how to move between them... Hmm..."

"Master?"

Saya's voice made her boss, deep in thought over a tricky problem in his field, flinch a little. For a moment, he looked at his slant-eyed assistant in surprise, then nodded a few times:

"Please excuse me, an extremely interesting and difficult task has absorbed me completely, even dividing my consciousness into several streams did not help. Let's continue! Second! The second thing we need to do is to establish constant surveillance of the city! Specifically..."

With a quick movement of his hand, Master enlarged the image of the place where they had first entered the city, and where the Terror of Diyartan had left the city.

"... behind this damned crack and this section. Anticipating the question of why exactly behind it. Because Terror damaged the threads of the cocoon in the place where it emerged from the abyss of the earth's depths. I noted this when I was examining the city..."

"Excuse me, Master, but how did you examine it?" Lady Edelhart cut in, frowning. "An active magical search is very easy to detect..."

Raising his hand, Master stopped her mid-sentence, smirking contemptuously:

"I'm not stupid enough to use such obvious search techniques! For the inspection, I used a skill that allows my mind to leave my body. I must say, it's a very convenient technique."

Clearly pleased with the surprise on Violetta's face and that of her children, who realised how difficult such a trick is even for experienced mentalists, Master continued:

So, Terror damaged the cocoon in this spot and burned part of the signal threads that ran through it. Fire and cobwebs... don't mix well. It's such an obvious point, yet it completely escaped even me... So, if you look closely, you can see that the cocoon has been badly damaged here. That means the spider will have to repair it! To do so, it will have to crawl out of its burrow. And at that moment...

"We'll kick its ass!" The huge orc woman growled with grim determination and even anticipation.

Compared to her companion, who was dressed in a tight-fitting black silk suit that left only her face exposed, Bazita was practically naked. She wore short trousers that didn't even reach her knees, a simple short-sleeved shirt that barely covered her enormous chest, and sturdy boots specially designed for the Underworld. She wore no armour, except for a set of protective amulets. The sturdy two-handed sword in her powerful hands looked all the more strange, a weapon that would do credit to any warrior, even the most noble of the Free Cities.

Seeing the enthusiasm that flashed in his puppet's eyes, Master rolled his eyes demonstratively and explained condescendingly, as if to a small child:

"No, my dear Bazita. The moment he emerges from his burrow, we will understand what kind of spider we are dealing with. And we will begin to devise a careful plan to destroy him with one well-aimed and precise blow."

A faint but clearly smug smile appeared on the face of the slanted-eyed puppet, dressed in black silk, as she spoke these words. And the look she gave her companion, and the look her companion gave her in return... Violetta made another mental note about these two. Out loud, she said in a polite and businesslike voice:

"I fully support this approach, venerable Master."

Seeing the displeased look thrown in her direction from the orc woman, Violetta added:

"No, I do not doubt your strength, honourable one, and I remember well how you dealt with various underground beasts. But still, rushing straight into battle against an unknown but clearly very strong opponent... It's too risky. Even for you, honourable Bacita..."

"Bazita," the orc corrected Violetta, who accidentally pronounced her name in the manner of the Free Cities of the northern coast of the Middle Sea.

"I beg your pardon, honorable Bazitha, I did not mean to offend you. It is simply that you have a rather... unusual name. It does not resemble any female names of the green kind I have heard."

Unexpectedly laughing, Master rose to his feet and slowly approached the orc woman, who, at Violetta’s words, snorted strangely and rolled her eyes.

"And that's not her real name. She used to be called... Drakhr... Drhrtr... Drrtra... Dra-something-or-other, daughter of Ur-Der-who-knows-who-else. You'd break your tongue trying to pronounce anything properly in the green dialect."

Standing to the side and slightly behind the orc woman, Master embraced her from behind, placing his hands on her chest, which stretched the fabric of her shirt to the limit. Lifting and squeezing her in his palms, he explained:

It was I who named her Bazita. Because of her big green tits.

He accompanied his words with a demonstrative lifting and lowering of the aforementioned part of the orc woman's body. She snorted again, but a satisfied smile appeared on her not-so-orc-like beautiful face. Violetta felt a chill run down her spine. The realisation that she could very well be in the place of these two puppets of Master... Thinking, capable, without exaggeration intelligent, but at the same time completely unaware of their slave status... That she was ALMOST in their place... This made Lady Edelhart feel uncomfortable, and she shuddered involuntarily. Finally, Master squeezed his protector's chest once more, pinching her through the fabric at her clearly visible nipples, which elicited another satisfied grin from the orc, and sat back down in his chair. Settling himself comfortably, he said in a cheerful voice:

"The name, it seems to me, suits her quite well. By the way!"

Turning to Violetta, who involuntarily shuddered, Master suggested with undisguised joy, winking slyly:

"Lady Edelhart, if you would like the same ones, or perhaps slightly smaller ones, please do not hesitate to ask! I will be happy to help you."

Violetta swallowed and replied in a polite but firm voice, shaking her head:

"Thank you for your generous offer, honourable Master, but I am quite satisfied with my appearance."

Master smiled strangely and shrugged:

"As you wish. And what about young Lady Edelhart?"

Lenora, like her mother, shuddered slightly at this proposal and quickly shook her head:

"Thank you, but I am also satisfied with my appearance."

"Got it. Dacius?"

Violetta's son choked on Master's question. Casting a frightened and angry glance at him, he nevertheless managed to pull himself together immediately, regaining his composure, and shook his head.

"I will refuse."

"Oh well..."

Smiling even wider, Master turned to the dark elves standing at the door:

"What about you, Shira?"

The dark elf stood at attention and immediately responded:

"My body is entirely yours, Master. You are free to change it as you wish."

He chuckled, narrowed his eyes slyly, and nodded slightly:

"A good answer from a good slave. Well done!"

Coughing, Dacius, who was trying his best to look businesslike, said:

"Revered Master, can we stop discussing women's breasts and return to our more pressing problem?"

He demonstratively sighed sadly and said:

"It's always like this: you want to do something good for people, and for free, but they don't appreciate it... Okay, let's get back to our spider... But just so you know, without false modesty, I am an excellent specialist not only in various Schools of Mind Magic, but also in the School of Flesh Transformation. So I guarantee quality..."

"Master..."

"Yes, yes, Lady Edelhart, let's get back to our spider. So, once we understand what we're dealing with, we can come up with a clear plan on how to get rid of it. Until then, we'll sit quietly and wait patiently..."

"Why didn't he fix his cocoon earlier?" Suddenly, it dawned on Violetta, "After all, a considerable amount of time has passed..."

"Good question, Lady Edelhart! I can assume that our spider hid out of fear. Even though we don't know his relationship with the Terror of Diarten, the key word here is ‘was.’ Thanks to the Sun-face Herald and his clique, we can imagine how it looked from his perspective: suddenly, some obviously new prey appears, because the local beasts couldn't have regained their strength so quickly. The Terror emerges from the bowels of the earth to devour it. But instead of an easy snack, it encounters resistance and disappears, possibly even perishing! What could our spider have thought, if it was indeed at least partially intelligent?"

"That someone as dangerous as Terror, if not worse, had come to his lair," Dacius said thoughtfully.

"It's quite possible. And in this situation, he could, quite logically in my opinion, lie low and now listen carefully to his spider web, sitting in his lair and taking his time to come out," nodded Master.

"Or maybe we should just burn his cocoon, since it burns so well? And solve the problem of his influence?" said Violetta's daughter, who had been silent until then.

Turning to her, Master thought for a moment, but then shook his head:

"If we had a way to reliably seal this damn crack split the city, I would do so. But as it is, we'll only let the spider know that, first, we're here, and second, we knew about its cocoon. Maybe it will go away after that. Or maybe it will lie low and start plotting new schemes, sitting somewhere deep inside. So no, that option is out. Especially since..."

And then a hunting passion appeared on Master’s face:

"To destroy such a masterpiece of the Silk Web School would be sheer barbarity. So much effort, so much work... No, I simply must seize this web for myself!"

Casting an anxious glance at him, Violetta asked in a wary, but extremely polite and businesslike voice:

"Isn't this too risky and presumptuous even for you..."

Master smiled strangely and darkly, chuckling:

"You forgot that I almost managed to subdue an entire celestial being, along with his entire clique of minions! I'm sure I can handle stealing a spider's web, even if it's a very large spider. Oh, if only, if only everything hadn't turned out so badly..."

Master's face took on a melancholy, pensive expression for a moment. Making another mental note, Violet tried again to steer the conversation back to business:

"Good. The general idea is clear to me. Then tell me, venerable Master, what should we do right now?"

Master, who had become serious again, thought for a moment, and then said:

"Specifically, nothing for you all yet. You can't help me create protection from the cocoon; I'll do it myself. However, until I finish the work... There is one small problem..."

Hearing these words of Master, Violetta and the others immediately tensed up, expecting more bad news:

"Which one?"

"The cocoon of our dear spider. Or rather, how it catches any thoughts directed at it inside this underground hall. Based on my experience and knowledge as a specialist in Mind Magic, I readily believe that our spider may not have noticed our appearance in its lair, given the circumstances listed above. I fully admit that he may not have noticed that we discovered the signal threads... But the appearance of those who KNOW about his cocoon... There must be a separate notification for this... It cannot be that during the entire time he was weaving his cocoon, none of the local inhabitants noticed anything! Even if by accident, someone should have noticed him! And since the alarm was never raised, it means the spider discovered and neutralised them all in one way or another..."

"Wait... But you... You said you could protect yourself from this... that you had already protected this place, hadn't you?" Datius instantly turned pale, his eyes wide open.

Stopping him with a gesture, Master nodded, pursing his lips in displeasure:

"That's right! And the keywords are place. This is a specific place."

After looking at everyone closely and realizing that most of them did not understand him, Master sighed patiently and explained:

"Right now, I have specifically protected only this particular office from the cocoon's influence. And the entire time we were talking, I was supplementing and strengthening the protection I had created to eliminate even the slightest chance of ‘exposure.’ We are safe here. But if anyone steps outside these boundaries..."

"We will immediately fall under the effect of the cocoon. And it will react to what we know about it," Violetta whispered.

“Absolutely right,” Master nodded.

Lady Edelhart pursed her lips and asked:

"But you said you could protect the rest of the premises, too?"

"I can. But it will take much longer than creating the protection I have shielded us with now. I will have to not only protect the space from the cocoon's influence, but also mask the protection's action. From the outside, it would appear that it is still under the influence of the cocoon. The disappearance of one relatively small office might go unnoticed. But a larger volume is already a risk. And we don't want to allow even the slightest chance that our spider will notice the ‘disappearance’ of part of the space it controls, do we?"

"Do you think he's capable of paying attention to something like that?" Violetta asked warily.

"I fully admit this possibility," nodded Master.

"It turns out,” Dacius said slowly, “that we cannot leave this office until you create a normal defense..."

"Exactly."

"And how long will it take you?"

"Hmm... I reckon it'll take no more than a couple of days for my floor... Maybe three days, with full checks and double-checks."

"Can you move this protection that has already been created?" suggested Violetta's son. "Let's just move along with it, as with ordinary dynamic protective barriers, until you finish the rest..."

Looking meaningfully at the young man, Master said:

"I find it extremely offensive to compare my complex weaving, which protects us from the influence of the highest mental-witchcraft techniques, with some simple protective barriers."

Before the startled young man could say anything, Master continued:

"As for your question... Yes, in theory, I can move our mental defence. But I won't do that. This is because any static structures are, by their very nature, much less noticeable than dynamic ones. In addition, relying on specific material structures such as walls, ceilings, and floors makes it somewhat easier to work with and makes it a little more reliable."

"What if you simply erase our memory of this cocoon? And when the protection is ready, will you restore our memories? You can easily do that yourself with the help of your artefact, can't you?" Violetta suggested.

"I can," nodded Master, "but to guarantee safety, I will have to not only hide or blur your memories, but completely erase them. But completely erasing specific memories is a somewhat more complicated procedure than pulling out a bad tooth, even with the help of such a magnificent artefact as my Memory Collector. It requires time and at least minimal preparation and subsequent processing of the consciousness. Otherwise, there is a risk of mental trauma and disorders of the mind, even very serious ones, if the mind falls into a ‘memory gap.’ Believe me, I have a wealth of experience in this matter. So it will be easier and faster to wait until I create the appropriate protection."

"What will we eat and drink then? All the supplies are still in the kitchen storage rooms several floors below," Dacius said in a gloomy voice.

And judging by the gloomy expressions on the faces of everyone else around him, they too realised the problems looming over them. All the more surprising was the smile that suddenly appeared on Master's face. Slowly rising to his feet, he demonstratively straightened his shoulders and said in a deliberately pompous voice:

"I can assure you that in our case, this is not a problem! For the Greatest Ones have gifted me with the Tablet of the Soul! Behold its power!"

With these words, he demonstratively raised his hand in front of him and snapped his fingers. In an instant, several dozen white porcelain dishes painted with bright patterns of different colours appeared on the negotiating table. And filled with various foods. Fruits and berries, ranging from apples and cherries familiar to the inhabitants of the Middle Sea coast, to large apple cones with sweet and juicy yellow filling that grow on the Southern Continent, and sour-sweet apples of the Eastern Empire with bright orange skin. A large platter with slices of meat from various animals. The same platter with juicy slices of red and white fish. A large bowl filled with fried small fish, mussels, and shrimp. A pair of large, pot-bellied porcelain soup tureens filled with steaming soups, one of which was clearly fish soup, and the other, meat soup. A plate with various cheeses, sliced or diced. Next to it were a pair of porcelain bowls filled with honey and jams. A pair of plates with various baked goods, ranging from ordinary bread to steppe flatbread.

Another snap of her fingers, and five large crystal decanters appeared on the table. One contained red wine, another white, and the other three contained other beverages, one of which, the same colour as the apples of the Eastern Empire, was also filled with ice. Along with them appeared a dozen crystal glasses. Silence fell in the conference room. Violetta and her children dropped their jaws in amazement, as did Shira, standing at the door. The puppets reacted much more restrainedly. Clearly extremely pleased with the effect he had produced, Master sat back down in his chair, picked up a slice of juicy apple, and popped it into his mouth.

"Please, help yourselves! Shira! This applies to you and the others too; you don't need to guard the door anymore. Have a seat!"

Shaking her head several times, Violetta stared incredulously at the delicacies and dishes that had appeared out of nowhere. Reaching out, she cautiously picked up an empty glass, as if afraid of burning herself. She brought it up to her eyes. She looked at Master, who was using simple telekinesis to pick up one red grape after another from the dish and put them straight into his mouth. She looked at the glass in her hand again. Then she carefully took a slice of cheese and, under the tense gaze of the children, put it into her mouth. Chewing it slowly, she turned to the Master, whose eyes showed obvious amusement, and asked in shock:

"How... is this... how is this possible..."

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed her eyes, and Violetta, regaining her former businesslike, reserved expression, nodded politely:

"Allow me to express my admiration once again, honourable Master. I never imagined that, thanks to the Tablets of the Soul, you would master the School of Spatial Magic to such a high level that you could create your own personal spatial lacuna. However, keeping food there already prepared and served seems a bit wasteful to me..."

"According to the chronicles I read during my studies, Reistar the Apostat was a master of this technique and loved to impress his guests by clapping his hands and covering dozens of tables with hundreds of different dishes at once," Dacius supported his mother.

Master froze in surprise for a moment, then laughed loudly, so much so that he choked on a piece of apple. Gesturing to stop Saya and Bazit, rushed towards him, catching his breath, then shook his head, smiling broadly as he looked at the alarmed Edelhart family and Shira, who had sat down at the table with the other dark elves:

"Indeed, if we are to believe the chronicles and memoirs of surviving contemporaries and eyewitnesses from that time, the Apostate loved to demonstrate his incomparable mastery of Spatial Magic in this way. However, although I am also quite knowledgeable in this field, my knowledge is mainly concerned with its portal branch. So your assumption, although very reasonable, is nevertheless incorrect. I did not prepare these dishes and delicacies in advance, and did not store them in my personal spatial pocket. Although I do have one too..."

Violetta raised her eyebrows in disbelief and spread her hands:

"Where did they come from? Even magic can't create all this out of nothing..."

"Magic? No!" interrupted Master with a frankly smug smile. "But the gift given to me by the Greatest. The Tablets of the Soul? Yes!"

"But... how is this... how can this be?"

"The Tablet of the Soul can bestow many gifts, my dear Lady Edelhart!" Master's smile grew even wider.

"Not only to enhance magical abilities or provide new knowledge and skills. It can also bestow truly unique gifts that are beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. And, I strongly suspect, beyond the comprehension of the local celestials, who think too highly of themselves." Master uttered the last phrase with frank contempt and sarcasm.

"In particular, one of the gifts I have acquired is the ability to directly buy almost anything from the Greatest. Including truly amazing and, dare I say it, unique things. In particular, my beautiful mirror, which protected us all from the watchful eyes of our pursuers, I acquired in this way."

For a few seconds, Violet tried to comprehend what she had just heard. She remembered the description of Master's power, which the elves had trumpeted literally all over the world. She had managed to convince herself that this power was truly incredible. But... But... But... This... How is this possible...

"Wait!"

Raising both hands with her palms facing forward, Violetta slowly spoke, still trying to fully COMPREHEND:

"I mean... how... how is this even possible... It must be somewhere... Well, you can't create something out of nothing?!"

"If you are asking how this is possible in principle, and what powers are needed to do so, then that is beyond my understanding. If you are interested in the process itself... hmm... It is not so easy to describe to those who do not possess the Tablet... Let's put it this way, at my will, a truly endless list of various goods, literally any goods, appears in my mind! Each of them comes with a detailed description and image. And also the price. After that, I only need to confirm the purchase with the power of my mind, and it will be immediately granted to me."

Listening to Master with her mouth half open, Violetta froze in place. For a few seconds, her mind struggled to comprehend what she had heard. The result was a single word that she managed to squeeze out with difficulty:

"Impossible..."

Literally glowing with satisfaction, Master grinned and shook his head:

"Truly. But such is the power granted to me by the Greatest! Do you still believe? Hmm... What do you think... Oh, that's a great option!"

Another demonstrative snap of her fingers, and a small pot covered with a thin glass dome appeared on the table out of nowhere. Inside grew a small but very beautiful red and yellow flower. Opening her eyes wide, Violetta recognised it as a Glamaria. Or, as it was poetically called in the Eastern Empire, the Lotus of Dawn Beauty.’ It was a flower in high demand in cosmetic and rejuvenating alchemy. It was also extremely capricious and demanding of its environment. It grew exclusively in its natural form in the delta of the Dzerta River, which flowed out of the Great Jungle on the south-eastern coast of the Southern Continent. This made the reptiles inhabiting Azlant, which was located in the Dzerta delta, the de facto monopolists in its cultivation and processing, with the subsequent sale of ready-made mixtures.

Of course, it can also be grown artificially. But the cost of creating the right soil, suitable magical background, temperature conditions, and other conditions necessary for this capricious plant made the process too expensive and troublesome. It was much easier to simply buy it from the Lizards. And now a pot with this flower appeared right in front of Violetta. A pot with a blooming Glamaria. In its prime, literally in perfect condition for harvesting and processing. With a monstrous creak, Violetta's mind accepted Master's words as truth, somehow fitting the new knowledge into the picture of her familiar universe. Because to believe that Master had spent an incredible amount of energy and time just to show off and confuse her... Not in the current circumstances, definitely not, he couldn't have! So that means...

Having accepted the new information, Lady Edelhart's mind immediately set to work, for if there was one thing she was never accused of, it was slowness of thought. Turning to Master, who was clearly enjoying the effect he had produced, and seeing that not only Violetta and her children, but also Shira, were stunned by the appearance of the rare and precious flower that had appeared out of nowhere, she spoke, choosing her words carefully:

"Venerable Master, I admit, I am deeply impressed by what I have just seen..."

A satisfied smile appeared on the face of her new ‘partner,’ who popped another slice of fruit into his mouth without using his hands, and Violetta continued:

"And since we started our relationship with a clean slate and agreed that I would be your assistant in financial and material matters... May I ask for more details about how much you paid for this meal and a flower? And how exactly did you pay? And, please don't take this as impertinence, but how much do you have left in your wallet? And how do you obtain the funds to pay for purchases from these Great Ones? And may I somehow familiarise myself with the list of available purchases?"

As Violetta asked one question after another, Master's expression gradually changed. From openly smug to surprised, then pensive, and then openly wary. At the end, there was even something suspiciously resembling uncertainty and... apprehension in his eyes? When Violet finished asking her questions, he sat back in his chair and said in a thoughtful voice:

"Well... Let me start with the last question... Without the Tablet of the Soul, it is possible to view the list... hmm... in general, but it would require a direct mental connection, and preferably physical contact... As for the means, it is not the silver or gold money you are familiar with, which you can touch, it is... hmm..."

Scratching his chin, Master wondered how to explain to the others what was intuitively clear to him:

"Let's put it this way, they have no physical manifestation, but are simply displayed as a certain amount specified in the lines of my Soul Tablet. As for how to obtain them, a certain fixed amount is credited to me every day. I also received a very substantial amount for managing to so cleverly pit our pursuers against the Terror of Diarten. What else... An additional amount will also be credited to me for each new step I take... There are other ways to get money from the Great Ones, but to obtain them, you need special gifts from the Tablets of the Soul... Which I don't have yet. And which I won't be able to obtain until I reach the next level."

Violetta, who had been listening to him with the utmost attention and, if she had had the opportunity, would probably have written everything down, nodded reservedly:

"I heard you, venerable Master. But still... May I ask how much you spent on this food and the Glamaria flower?"

Master frowned, thought for a moment, and then slowly answered:

"For this food and drink, which came as a set along with the tableware... approximately one day's worth of supplies... For this one particular flower... about one and a half days' worth... And the same amount again for the enchanted pot and dome-shaped lid, under which it can be stored in this condition for up to six months... However, if the lid is removed, it and the pot will immediately lose their stabilising properties..."

“I see...” Violetta said slowly, completely forgetting about food.

For a few seconds, the woman thought very hard, and then finally made up her mind and asked:

"Master, please don't take this as impertinence on my part, but may I ask you to let me take a look at the list of goods available to you? Just so that I can better understand what amounts we are talking about and what I... we can expect in the future," she hastily added, seeing a shadow flash across Master's face.

He was silent for a few seconds, then shrugged, sending another slice of fruit into his mouth with the power of his mind.

"Okay. Come here."

Waiting until Violetta moved from her seat closer to him, he extended his hand to her, which she carefully squeezed. Having settled himself more comfortably, Master nodded to her and said:

"Relax completely, do not resist in any way, and open your mind to me. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, it will be easier that way... Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to your consciousness, we have an agreement... And I'm not going to look at your memories, why would I do that again, I've already seen everything that interested me a long time ago..."

"Master!" Unable to bear it, Violetta opened her eyes.

At this, she even blushed a little. He quietly snickered in response, like a boy who had committed some funny prank, and raised his free hand:

"Please forgive me, it's professional, I couldn't help myself. That's it, that's it, I promise not to joke or scare you anymore. Let's do it again... Relax... Like this... See?"

Violetta exhaled sharply and opened her eyes wide in amazement. She was looking straight ahead and as if into nowhere.

"Unbelievable... This is..."

"Yes, this is the Tablet of the Soul. Or rather, those lines allow you to make purchases from the Greatest..."

"And how... ah, I get it... Oh... Oh..."

Lady Edelhart opened her eyes even wider, although it seemed impossible to do so. At the same time, she continued to stare blankly ahead. Master, still holding her hand, smiled:

"I told you that the Greatest can offer literally everything..."

"Truly..."

For several minutes, Lady Edelhart sat motionless, staring into space, only occasionally blinking and licking her lips. Master, who was holding her hand, settled comfortably into his chair and continued to use magic to pull various foods towards him, fortunately, most of which had been cut into pieces or slices. His most valuable puppets had already begun their meal by this point, paying little attention to their master and his new ‘partner.’ Bazita devoured her food at an incredible speed, her face extremely satisfied as she worked diligently with her powerful jaws. Nordi, who barely reached her waist, kept up, filling her plate with everything at once. She ate more neatly, but also with obvious pleasure.

Master's other puppets behaved much more restrainedly. Saya demonstratively took one piece of food at a time, using a pair of long, thin chopsticks made of some kind of dark metal, which she had taken from who knows where. And for some reason, just looking at how she held and wielded them immediately raised the suspicion that they were not only kitchen utensils, but also quite deadly throwing weapons. The four remaining dark elves also began to eat in a very dignified manner, but with obvious pleasure. For them, food from the surface, especially food of such high quality, was a rare delicacy. Violetta's children did not touch the food at first, but only glanced warily at their mother, and then they too gradually got involved. Lady Edelhart continued to sit almost motionless, her eyes glancing over invisible lines in front of her.

By the time she had finished studying the invisible lines of the Tablet of Souls and let go of Master's hand, the others had already eaten at least one portion each. Bazita had managed to eat enough for three people, and now, sprawled comfortably in her chair, which somehow managed to support the orc woman, she stroked the back of Noldri, sitting on her lap. The blonde half-breed, despite having also eaten a portion of food that would have been enough for two adults, lifted the orc's shirt and diligently sucked on her breast, causing the latter to squint and grin.

"Venerable Master..."

Violetta's voice was extremely polite and calm, but it was clear that this calmness was not easy for her. Her new "partner" turned to her, distracted from watching one of his puppets feed another, and raised his eyebrows questioningly:

"...may I humbly... for your personal... and our common good... not spend the funds available to you on food... at least SUCH funds."

“Really, they’re not that big,” Master tried to wave it off, but Lady Edelhart suddenly resolutely interrupted him, barely holding back from starting to scream.

"Honourable Master, do you realise that this gift of yours alone could buy us, if not protection, then at least the loyalty of practically any of our current enemies? The ability to buy truly any materials, even the rarest ones, at any time! Unique artefacts or parts for them... Yes, you... If I had access to even half, or even a third of this list, and let's say a quarter of the funds you receive every day... In a year, half of the Free Cities would remain so only in name! And in two years, the entire Confederation would be at my feet!"

Completely taken aback by Lady Edelhart's unexpected outburst, Master unconsciously moved away from her, and his puppets even became slightly alert, turning in their direction. Flushed and breathing heavily from her overwhelming emotions, Violetta continued, but now with almost a plea in her voice, clasping her hands in front of her:

"I beg you. If you wish, I am prepared to kneel, but I implore you, please do not waste these resources, which are more valuable than any gold, on such meagre food."

Master, long since unaccustomed to such treatment, was, without exaggeration, simply stunned for a few seconds by such a violent display of emotion. But he quickly pulled himself together and stopped Violetta, who was ready for further pleas and persuasion, with a gesture of his hand:

"All right, all right! Calm down, Lady Edelhart, or your heart will need healing magic! Listen... I can't give you any guarantees, but... But! Listen! I promise that in the future I will do my best to coordinate with you on how these funds are spent and... All right, all right, I promise not to spend them on ordinary food..."

Exhaling, Violetta also pulled herself together with an effort of will, nodded slowly, and said in an almost calm and businesslike voice:

"Thank you, Master."

She then returned to her seat next to her children, sat down calmly, and immediately reached out with one short movement of her hand to pull the carafe of red wine and an empty glass towards her. Filling it to the brim, Violetta practically drained it in one gulp. A moment later, she filled it again, causing her children's jaws to drop. Looking first at his mother and then at Master with a stunned expression, Dacius said in a quiet but clear voice:

"I'm already even interested in what this... has to offer."

"Everything!" Violetta interrupted him sharply, still breaking into a scream, which made almost everyone involuntarily shudder.

"This power... The list that was revealed to me... It has everything! Literally everything! Whatever I asked for, he had it! Fabrics? You got it! Any kind, from cheap burlap to spider silk woven by dark elves! Weapons? Yes, please, from the simplest swords and axes, devoid of a drop of magic, to blades that would make the masters of Undermountin shave their beards! It literally has everything!"

Downing her second glass of wine in one gulp, Violetta, now even more flushed and breathing heavily, closed her eyes, clutching the glass, and with tremendous willpower forced herself to calm down. She had to pull herself together. Think everything through properly. And...

"I doubt that the list presented to you really contained everything..." said Master thoughtfully, looking at Lady Edelhart with a strange expression on his face.

Seeing the confusion in her wide-open eyes, he explained:

"The gifts of the Tablets of the Soul mostly have a series of levels, starting from the first and... hmm... I don't even know if there is a limit... It doesn't matter! So, this also applies to the gift of acquiring the goods of the Great Ones, which I have demonstrated to you. Right now, I have only reached the fourth level. But each of these four levels has opened up more and more valuable goods to me. I'm even afraid to imagine what will be offered at the next levels..."

Violetta froze for a moment, opening her mouth as if to say something, then suddenly slumped in her chair, leaning back against the backrest. Closing her eyes, she asked quietly:

"Do you still want me to require the help of a healer mage?"

Master smiled and shook his head:

"Not at all, Lady Edelhart. I simply want you to better understand at least some of the abilities that the Tablet of Souls has granted me. For our mutual benefit, now that we have started our relationship with a clean slate."

"Indeed..."

For a few seconds, she sat slumped in her chair, then suddenly straightened up, regaining her businesslike and composed appearance. Refilling her glass, Violetta pulled one of the plates with slices of meat toward her. After eating one of them, she took a sip of wine, turned to Master, and asked in a completely calm and businesslike voice:

"Honourable Master, since we have begun discussing your truly remarkable gift, perhaps you could elaborate on it further? Even now, I can only imagine what it might be in general terms. Also, please tell us about the young man from another world from whom you received this gift..."

"I received it from the Great Ones, not from him! I earned it with my labour, sweat, and blood! Suddenly, as if stung, Master jumped up from his chair and cried out."

Everyone at the table shuddered and froze, and Lady Edelhart quickly corrected herself:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

Gesturing to Violetta, who was clearly frightened, Master took several deep breaths, then spoke in a noticeably calmer voice:

"Please forgive me, it's just that this... This worthless... Ugh..."

Taking another deep breath, he looked intently at everyone at the table. Specifically, those who were fully conscious. Then, smiling strangely, Master leaned back in his chair, making himself comfortable, and asked in a slightly cheerful voice:

"Would you like to know how and where I got my power, Lady Edelhart? Well, since we're in the same boat now, why not? I suppose your children would also be interested in hearing about it?"

Lenora and Dacius exchanged glances and nodded briefly and slightly hesitantly almost simultaneously.

"Well, what about you, Shira? Do you want to hear the story of your Master?"

The dark elf, sitting with her kin throughout the feast and having not attracted any attention, froze for a moment. Then, turning to Master, she spoke, choosing her words carefully:

"I would very much like to hear your story, Master, and learn how you acquired your powers. However, please forgive my audacity, I do not believe such secrets should be shared with anyone. It is for your own good, Master. If you do decide to share this knowledge with someone, I beg you to use your power to seal the lips and minds of those to whom you entrust it as securely as possible."

Master, who had been listening attentively and with interest to the dark elf, could not hold back his quiet laughter and, with one smooth movement, rose to his feet, heading towards her:

"Oh, how lovely, I'm just absolutely delighted!"

Standing behind Shira, standing motionless like the other three dark elves, he placed both hands on her shoulders and gently stroked them.

"She honestly said that she wanted to know my secrets, but then immediately tried to dissuade me from doing so, for my own good. She's a model slave, even though she's a dark firstborn. And yet I can clearly see how much you want to know more about the Tablets of the Soul..."

As he spoke, Master slowly unbuttoned and opened the upper garments of the Underworld Huntress, which he had ordered Shira to put on because of the declared alarm. Lifting her thin, light grey undershirt, he exposed her breasts and immediately squeezed them with both hands. Leaning forward slightly, the Master kissed Shira gently on the top of her head, which elicited an openly envious look from Bazita, who continued to breastfeed Nordi, and an inscrutable look from Saya.

"Good girl, continue to suppress your former pride and arrogance just as diligently. The role of a faithful slave suits you very well, I like it..."

"Master..."

"Mmm?"

Turning to Violetta, who demonstratively turned away slightly so as not to look at how he was playing with Shira’s naked breast, Master grinned:

"Oh, please forgive me for this flagrant breach of decorum, Lady Edelhart. Over the years, I have become accustomed to being surrounded almost constantly by my faithful and beautiful puppets, whose bodies I can enjoy at any time and in any way, without feeling embarrassed. Who would be embarrassed by their own toys?"

As he spoke, Master continued to stroke and squeeze Shira's breasts as she sat motionless. From the outside, this scene must have looked quite surreal. Two dark elves and two dark elf women are sitting at a table, completely unresponsive to the fact that one of them was being groped in the most vulgar manner by a human.

"So I can't do anything about it," Master continued, "habit, as we know, is second nature. Or rather, I can very well rid myself of it, but I don't intend to. And in the end..."

Straightening up and leaving Shira's breast alone for a moment, Master spread his arms and, as if it were something self-evident, asked:

"What is the point of becoming a reasonably competent Mind Mage if one cannot collect a collection of charming puppets?"

Violetta and Lenora glanced at him and Shira, but almost immediately looked away. Daсius looked at Master and the dark elf, whose bare breasts sparkled, a little longer, but then he also looked away and said quietly but clearly:

"Indeed, only for this reason does it make sense..."

"Oh, don't give me that hypocritical showmanship!" Master rolled his eyes demonstratively, placing his hands back on Shira's chest and gently squeezing her, pinching her nipples between his middle and index fingers.

"Look me in the eyes right now and try to say out loud that if you had even a fraction of my power and the opportunity to acquire a harem of pretty and completely submissive girls, you would behave differently?"

Twitching his cheek, Daсius glanced at Master and Shira again, then turned away without saying anything, his face as impassive as possible. However, this did not help him at all, considering he was talking to the Mage of Mind.

"That's it! And don't lie to yourself, you know it's not true. Oh, and don't be so judgmental about your son, Lady Edelhart. You treated your boy lover pretty much the same way I did. The only thing that held you back was the strict terms of your marriage contract..."

"Since you don't care about propriety, Master,“ Violetta interrupted him hastily, her voice tense, ”why don't you just order your toys to walk around naked all the time?"

She completely ignored the surprised and questioning looks the children gave her. Or rather, she pretended to ignore them.

"Sometimes I did that in my previous lair,“ nodded Master, ”but not often. You see, I believe that the right outfit can make a woman much more desirable than complete nudity. Well, since we're having such a heart-to-heart conversation..."

Leaving Shira's breast alone again, Master pressed his index fingers several times on the backs of her long ears, thus flapping them like wings. An act that would be extremely insulting to any elf.

"... you just can't imagine how funny it is to read her thoughts and feelings right now. She's trying so hard to suppress her former pride and arrogance because she has to be a good slave. And honestly, considering that she realized her situation a little earlier than you did, Lady Edelhart, she's doing very well."

At these words, the dark elf girl shuddered slightly, causing Master to chuckle quietly and smile contentedly. He gently stroked her cheek and pinched her like a child, then headed for his chair and gave a short order:

"You can cover yourself, my dear, so as not to embarrass poor Dacius. He’s already completely envious of me..."

At these words, the young man flinched again, but said nothing. Shira, maintaining a virtually impassive expression, began to slowly button up the clothes of the Underworld Huntress. Master sat down in his chair, crossed his legs, folded his arms over his stomach, and said:

"As for your warnings, my dear Shira... That is indeed very sensible. I had no intention of revealing any secrets, but here is part of my story... I can tell you, since there's no point in hiding it anymore, because your light kin already know it, or at least guess most of it. And we're all in the same boat now, aren't we?"

Smiling darkly and crookedly, Master looked at everyone with an attentive gaze and said thoughtfully:

"Well, where should I begin to answer your question, Lady Edelhart... Perhaps with a little explanation for your children and my dear Shira, because they've been racking their brains trying to figure out who made me so angry... You are all familiar, in one way or another, with what the elves have been trumpeting about me to the whole world, aren't you?"

Master's response was three almost simultaneous nods.

"So, as I said earlier today to Lady Edelhart, everything said by those sharp-eared assholes is true. But, as is customary with elves, it's not the whole truth. With true elven sophistication, in revealing the truth about me to the world, they presented it in such a way as to make it seem as if I were a guest from another world, gifted with the Tablet of Souls. But that is not the case!"

Having assessed the surprise in the looks of Shira, Dacius, and Lenora, Master pursed his lips, grimaced with displeasure, and continued:

"I was born and raised here, in this world. And I met the guest from another world completely by chance, when he had just arrived here!"

Suddenly stopping short, Master shook his head sharply and said:

Or rather, no, nooo, no-no-no! Our meeting was not a coincidence! It was the will of Destiny itself! It was She who guided me that day, there is no doubt about it!

Having looked around at those listening to him with a gloomy gaze, Master grinned and asked bitterly:

"Don't believe me? Do you think I'm proud or presenting some of my fantasies as reality? You don't have to answer, I see everything anyway!"

Master waved his hand briefly, and a small glass ball appeared in it, ringed with three golden stripes. Throwing it up and catching it, he continued:

"Think about it, what were the chances that I would be in the right place at the right time? That it would be me and not someone else? Negligible! But it turned out to be me! I was practically the first to meet this guest... this little idiot! This brainless moron! Nothing but the whim of the Great Ones, that they would even give such a nobody the Tablet of the Soul and send him here! Do you know what he was doing when I happened to meet him? Take a look!"

Clutching the Memory Gatherer in his hand, Master conjured up a three-dimensional image-memory above the table. In it, a young man, naked from the waist up, wearing strangely cut outer clothing, quite worn and covered in dirt, in the middle of some forest clearing, roughly having sex with an Orc woman kneeling in front of him, holding her by her tangled dark hair with one hand and clutching a glowing glass ball encircled with gold stripes in the other. The same one that Master was now clutching in his hand. The Orc woman, who was apparently only a head shorter than Bazita, was completely naked, except for some wrappings that could not be called normal footwear, and did not resist in any way, although her face was literally contorted with rage. Her hands were free, but hung motionless along her body.

Next to the young man and the female orc, at the edge of the same clearing, lay several more orcs and female orcs, leaning their backs against a fallen hundred-year-old tree. Like their companion, the latter were partially naked. It was clear that they had been positioned so that they could watch the act of copulation. Moreover, judging by the drops of semen on the face and chest of the female orc being fucked in the mouth, this was not the first time they had copulated.

Having pointed out the indecency that was happening, Master, with a naturally distorted face, said through gritted teeth:

"This young idiot is a visitor from another world who, having just arrived here, managed to fall into the trap of the green-skinned folk almost immediately. It was only by a miracle of the Great Ones that he did not perish, impaled on stakes, and destroy their gift along with himself! And no sooner had this fool managed to climb out of the trap than he fell into the clutches of those who had dug it, who were just making their rounds and caught the signal from the amulet. This idiot didn't even have time to use the Tablet, choosing one of the paths it offered, let alone its gifts!"

Master crossed his arms over his chest and continued his story:

"But while this savage's gang was discussing what to do with this 'sweet hummas,' he still had some brain cells left. He took advantage of the second of his undeserved gifts."

At these words, Master demonstratively waved the "Memory Gatherer".

"He used it to deprive the entire gang of their memory of how to walk, and then how to move at all. I am willing to admit that this is a rather unusual and clever use of an artifact in battle, one that is not intended for combat at all. But! BUT! What do you think this idiot did next? Well, exactly what you see before you! Instead of killing all these leaders, or at least some of them, and thereby ridding himself of the threat they posed, gaining one or even two levels of elevation in return, he decided to take revenge on them and use the bodies of the female leaders! Especially their senior!"

With genuine amazement, Shira cast a skeptical glance first at Master, then back at the image above the table. She pursed her lips and asked incredulously, pointing to the young man who was having intercourse with the senior female in the orc group.

"He was... so desperate for love that he didn't even disdain to take advantage of these... savages right in the middle of the forest and mud?"

She completely ignored Bazita's disapproving glance. Although, to be fair, her fellow tribeswomen in the memory projection were indeed much less attractive than she was. And clearly from a less civilized tribe. Master, with a contemptuous grimace, said:

"He was deeply hurt by the mockery of the chieftainess. Especially her suggestions, in the glorious tradition of the Orc women who had chosen the path of the spear and the axe, to bite off everything “superfluous” and turn him into a bedgirl. So he decided to take revenge on her in the most humiliating way, from his point of view. To this should be added the fear of death he had experienced, his wounded pride, and his complete stupidity. After all, he considered himself “chosen,” Master uttered the last word in a mocking, squeaky voice, "and here some savages had almost killed him, the future great hero, damn them..."

"What are you talking about?" Violetta asked, not understanding, turning her gaze from the image to Master.

"I am talking about the words that the Greatest One who sent him to our world said to him, choking on internal laughter," Master said through gritted teeth and waved his hand briefly.

At that moment, the image changed. Instead of the forest glade and orcs, a young elf girl appeared, dressed in snow-white robes, golden sandals, and a golden crown on her head, sitting on a huge stone throne. She was saying something incomprehensible to the same young man, who was looking at her with a completely dumbfounded and foolish expression on his face. True, this time he looked much more presentable. Pointing at her, Master said:

"She named him her Chosen One and said that he had to fulfill some great mission, restore balance, and so on, but nothing specific. And this fool, who thought of himself as nothing less than a hero from legends, almost died right away, only surviving thanks to her gift! How could he not take revenge and vent his anger on the savages who had humiliated him?"

Smiling crookedly, Master folded his arms across his chest and continued in a slightly more cheerful voice:

"It was during this activity that I discovered him, guided that day by Fate itself! It happened... Let me think... About half a century ago... Actually, a little more than that... It's amazing how quickly time has flown... Just think, I was still very young, having just passed my exams and received my first adept's certificate..."

After a moment of reminiscing, Master continued his story:

"At first, I didn't even understand what was happening. But I almost immediately realised that something was wrong. After all, no ordinary person, clearly lacking even the slightest gift, could defeat a small but still formidable group of green-skinned hunters. Even a fool would understand that the artefact he was holding was involved! Fortunately, this idiot didn't even notice my appearance, so absorbed was he in his revenge. I easily managed to put him to sleep with the simplest of spells, and then immobilised him with binding spells."

Smiling strangely, Master closed his eyes for a moment:

"I will never forget the moment when I dared to pick up the Memory Gatherer. At first, I was afraid to do so, suspecting that this strange boy, dressed in bizarre attire, had accidentally found some cursed artifact left over from before the fall of the Northern Kingdoms. But finding no traces of hostile magic, I decided to go ahead. And the moment I touched it... That was the beginning of everything!"

Master's voice contained distinct notes of triumph:

"I quickly realized what an incredible artifact I had gotten my hands on, but at first I couldn't believe my luck! A true masterpiece of magical art, allowing you to control other people's memories and your own with incredible ease! At the time, I couldn't even imagine such a thing could exist. Of course, as soon as I realized what I had in my hands, I immediately used it on this nobody to find out where he had found it. But instead of a road to ancient ruins or a treasure trove from the time of the Great Horde's invasion discovered in a secluded place, I learned something completely different. At that moment, I was shaken to the core by what his memory revealed to me. A stranger from another world... Gifted with incredible power and a priceless artifact... Laying in front of me on the ground, naked and unconscious. It was... simply unimaginable..."

After pausing in his story to allow his listeners to process his words, Master laughed quietly and continued in a strange voice:

"But then... Then I understood everything! Not immediately, but over time, I realized everything! It was so obvious. This gift, this greatest power, was sent to me! Fate itself put it in my hands, through this fool! But, as my first mentor said, everything worthwhile must be earned! I had to undergo a real test, next to which the exam to obtain the adept's patent, which seemed so desirable to me at the time, was insignificant and laughable! To prove whether I was worthy of these gifts!"

Master, absorbed in his memories, said with a flash of his eyes:

"Oh, you can't even imagine how tempting it was to get the Tablet of Souls right away, using this nobody! It would have been so easy. To stupefy this fool, subjugate his feeble mind, allow him to reach one or two levels, and then use his hands to bestow upon myself the Power of the Tablet. Just as I have now bestowed it upon Bazita and Saya..."

Gritting his teeth, Master sucked in air through them and literally growled, his eyes flashing:

"And condemn myself to eternal servitude to him, even if he were three times in my power! To become infinitely dependent on him! To bind myself to him with the most reliable of all possible chains! For the Tablet of the Soul, granted in this way, could just as easily be taken away, if anyone were able to get to this boy! No, no, I didn't need anyone else's handouts, even such luxurious ones; I wasn't going to take such a chance and become someone's servant again! I had to get it myself, if necessary, carve it out, gut it out of this nobody, but myself!"

Overcome by emotion, Master blushed noticeably and began to breathe heavily. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he said in a noticeably calmer voice:

"And I succeeded! I managed to do it! For many decades, I went towards my goal, step by step, and I built up my power, accumulating more and more knowledge. All thanks to it..."

He stroked the artifact he was holding in his hand almost with fatherly love.

"This gift from the Great One became the key to my triumph! With its help, I was able to change my destiny and take my first truly serious steps toward the heights of magical mastery. I gained knowledge that I would never have been allowed anywhere near otherwise. With it, I achieved more than I could ever have hoped for before... But my main, most cherished goal remained as unattainable as ever. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find the power that had been bestowed upon this fool. I couldn't find a way to it. At times, it seemed that what I had planned was impossible in principle... But my patience and hard work finally paid off!"

Smiling broadly, Master tossed his artifact in his hand:

"And once again, he was the key to success! Through long trial and error, I managed to... let's say, merge my mind with the mind of this insignificant idiot, even though all this time, all these years, I kept him unconscious, immersed in sleep... How much trouble he caused at first... I had to hide him, take care of him, feed him... Ugh... Never mind! The main thing is that as a result of another merger, the lines of the Tablets of the Soul appeared before my inner eye! Oh, how I rejoiced at that moment, how indescribably happy I was! She appreciated me, saw my work and achievements! Oh, how excited I was to distribute her gifts, to absorb the knowledge I had gained..."

The dreamy expression on Master's face was replaced by a grimace of annoyance and pain:

"But as soon as I broke the connection with that... idiot... everything was gone! The power of the Tablet disappeared, and with it all its knowledge! It was as if it had never existed! Oh, how angry I was, how desperate, I was ready to tear everything apart... But then I realized that I could preserve the memory that had been given to me during the merger with the mind of this insignificant idiot! Yes, it wasn't easy; I had to manually master the knowledge I had received during the merger! But I had plenty of patience! Step by step, the secrets of various Schools of Magic were revealed to me! Secrets that no one would ever share with me!"

Pausing to take a sip of wine, Master followed it up with a slice of dried meat and continued his story:

"I mastered a wide variety of Schools of Mind Magic. Yes, there were and are those who mastered each of them much better than I did! But there is no one who knows as much as I do! If I wanted to, I could seize power in any of the Free Cities without anyone even knowing about it. Or become the most secret and trusted advisor to the Most Illustrious Caliph. Actually, at one point, I was going to do just that. Because my main goal remained as distant as ever, I couldn't find a way to fully obtain the power of the Tablet of Souls. Further searches and research required more and more resources. Including those that were very difficult to obtain, even for my partners or puppets. The only question was which Free City to secretly subjugate? But unexpectedly..."

With a wave of his hand, Master changed the image above the table. Instead of the mysterious elf girl in golden sandals and the fool he hated, there appeared a tiny baby wrapped in snow-white swaddling clothes. With light hair and eyes, it literally glowed from within.

"Very interesting news has arrived from the North. One of Sun-Face's minions distinguished himself so much that he was allowed to impregnate one of his master's Heralds. The result was the birth of their precious holy maiden..."

The image of the baby was replaced by images of a little girl, then a teenage girl, and then a young woman. A very beautiful young woman in her prime.

"That's when I had the idea: why subjugate one town when I can subjugate an entire god, and through him, all his followers? My plan was incredibly bold, but with proper planning and preparation, it was entirely feasible, thanks to the knowledge I had accumulated. I set to work. Long years of preparation. Planning operations. Planting agents. I had every chance of success! Victory was practically in our hands! But it all went to hell because of brainless idiots who couldn't be trusted with anything, and those damn sharp-eared assholes, damn them... I should have turned all my “partners” into obedient puppets... But because of their publicity, the risk was too great that even my influence would be accidentally discovered... Oh well..."

With a wistful sigh and a few unkind words about his former partners, especially the fool Curator, who had failed to destroy the sharp-eared doll, and the idiot Vinatir, who had stolen the elf girl without permission, Master said:

"You know what's most annoying? Even despite the elves' interference, I would have succeeded in my plan. If I had intervened, I could have turned the tide of the operation in Iyastar. You may ask, why didn't I do it? Because, as if by the whim of Fate, at the very moment when the decisive moment arrived, my search was crowned with success! Right on the eve of the operation in Iyastar! Not a day earlier, not a day later! The complex ritual I had developed for a single purpose, which for years had literally penetrated all the subtle bodies of this insignificant alien, finally found her on that very day! The Tablet of the Soul!"

Taking another deep breath, the Master continued, his voice filled with longing:

"Perhaps I should have waited another day. To monitor the operation. But it was beyond my strength! Decades of work, decades of searching, here it was, the cherished goal, I just had to reach out... How could I resist?! Alas... I couldn't wait and began another merger with that fool. I managed to get the Tablet of Souls! A complete one, not one granted by the mercy of some nobody who didn't deserve it at all! But the moment I came to my senses, the operation in Iyastar was already ruined, and the elven warriors were storming my hideout! I had to flee, sacrificing almost all of my dolls... But that's not the worst of it!"

Master's face was again distorted with undisguised anger.

"The loss of a safe haven, a laboratory that took years to set up, loyal puppets — all of this is nothing compared to the worst thing! Those damn forest assholes got their hands on this piece of trash! I didn't have time, I couldn't give my girls the order to kill him during the escape, the operation to obtain the Tablet was incredibly difficult and... extremely painful. Saya and Bazita literally carried me to the portal room; I couldn't even stand on my feet. And now, my greatest secret, which no one knew about, not even my puppets, let alone my partners, has fallen into the hands of those damned elves, damn them!"

Exhaling through clenched teeth, Master said through gritted teeth:

"But I offered them an amicable settlement. We even made a deal! By the Great Ones, I would even have returned all the pointy-eared dolls to them! But no, they had to ruin everything for me! Never mind, never mind, they'll pay for this, especially Her Majesty... Ugh..."

Taking another sip of wine and eating another slice of meat, Master continued his story:

"Of course, they quickly realized what, or rather who, they had captured. And while I was recovering my strength in a temporary refuge and mastering the Tablet of Souls, they trumpeted the news about me to the whole world! Oh, the horror, the evil, and the terrifying Mind Mage with his incredibly dangerous power threatens us all. We must find and destroy him immediately, oh dear, how terrible he is! And the fact that we now have someone with the same power in our midst, we won't tell anyone, why should we?"

Turning to Violetta, who was listening to him attentively, Master looked at her expressively and asked:

"What did you say, Lady Edelhart? Give me at least partial access to the Great Ones' goods, and in two years the entire Confederation will be at my feet? Now imagine that Forest has not partial, but full and permanent access to these goods! And surely not only to them! The Tablet offers many gifts, and helping this nobody climb ten or even twenty steps is no problem for the elves. That will be enough to multiply the Forest's already considerable influence. But why tell the whole world about it? It's completely unnecessary! Let's all run after the poor Master like a mob, you sharp-eared bastards, damn them!"

After taking a few more sips of wine, Master noticeably darkened and literally muttered:

"Of course, I'm not some brainless idiot, and I had everything ready in case someone somehow stole this fool from me! I created a perfect doll of this nobody, a magnificent masterpiece of the Puppet School that even the experts from the black tribes would envy. I used the last puppets I had left in the Forest to find him, which wasn't difficult, knowing what to look for. Although, to give credit where credit is due, Sivila and the other rulers of the Forest hid him well. Take a look!"

Another wave of the hand, an image of a young and rather attractive half-elf appeared above the table, with light hair and bright blue eyes, dressed in magnificent clothes tailored according to the latest fashion in the Forest.

"Before you stands the most honourable Kiriel, son of a mortal maiden and a certain firstborn husband who hides his paternity in every way possible, but who sent his intelligent half-blood offspring to be trained by one of the most gifted mentors of the Forest Guard and paid for his accommodation in the Royal Palace. Well, could anyone possibly think that this is not Kiriel at all, but Nasaraf Kiril Aleg-Avis?" Master spat out with undisguised disgust, glaring at both images.

"An unremarkable little man, the son of equally unremarkable people, except for the fact that he came from another world. But I wasn't so easily fooled; I recognized this nobody right away! Even though the elves not only changed his appearance and disguised him properly, but also helped him climb a few steps up the ladder! As soon as I was sure it was him, I got rid of the problem by using his puppet. To be sure, I had to deliver it directly to the Royal Palace so that the blow would definitely be fatal. For this, I had to sacrifice the revelation of my last puppets in the Forest, but it was worth it."

Master's face suddenly twisted, and he literally growled:

"That's what I thought! But it turns out that this nobody survived! And just today, he sent me a message through the lines of the Tablet of the Soul! He even sent a gift, the bastard! Well, of course, he didn't send it himself, but rather the dearest queen, or someone from the Secret Guard of the Forest, who keeps this puppy on a leash. That's how the sharp-eared ones found out that I had survived after all, because the boy should have received a notification that his message had not only been delivered but also received. Clever, clever, no doubt about it, very elvish!"

After taking a couple of sips of wine, Master, in a completely common manner, wiped his lips with his sleeve and said maliciously:

"But they did it in vain, oh, in vain! Because now I also know that their new pet is alive. And as I wrote in my reply to Sybil, the game “Tell the whole world about the owner of the Tablet” can be played by two people..."

"What?.."

Until then, Violetta had been listening silently to Master, but now she jumped up from her seat, her eyes wide, and asked in a shocked voice:

"What answer?"

Master chuckled and shook the glass of wine in his hand:

"I sent a reply to the little beast Sivilya just before I began to realize the full extent of the problem associated with our neighbor's spider web. I had to spend a couple of Soul Tablet gifts to do so, but now Her Majesty and the rest of the sharp-eared ones are hardly so happy to know that I..."

As Master spoke, Lady Edelhart's face changed more and more. By the end, she sat with her mouth half open, pale, and with her right eye beginning to twitch. At one point, Violetta trembled slightly, then suddenly grabbed her head, clutching her hair with her fingers and letting out a loud moan, forcing Master to pause and look at her in bewilderment. She, looking at the table in front of her, moved her lips silently with a half-mad expression on her face.

"What do you..."

"WHY?!"

Lady Edelhart's sharp cry made everyone, including Master, literally jump. And Violetta, her face filled with despair, turned to him and literally screamed:

"Why, oh why did you answer them?! What the hell did you need that for?! Now they know for sure that you are alive..."

Momentarily taken aback by such a violent display of emotions, Master quickly pulled himself together and said with an angry expression on his face:

"They already knew it the moment I received their message..."

"Are you absolutely sure about this? Did you learn this through the Tablet of the Soul?"

"Yes... I mean, no, it's... I told you, I checked the gifts she offered, there is such a way to find out that your message was delivered..."

Groaning loudly again, Violetta filled her glass with wine and took a few sips. Exhaling, she said resignedly:

"So, you don't know for sure whether the sender knows about the receipt of the message or not... And you still answered... Oh... Why?!"

Pursing his lips, Master said angrily and stubbornly:

"If only to make Sivila and the rest of the pointy-eared ones nervous about the fact that I will also reveal their little secret to the world!"

"And now they not only know about your response, but they will also have time to take and prepare countermeasures," Violetta commented on what she heard.

"This is not..."

Interrupting Master, she asked:

"How much did you pay for this message? Per diem? Two? Four per diems?! Five, Ten?! How much did your whim cost us!?"

"Not at all! I didn't use trading currency for this, but Tokens!"

"What Tokens?.."

* * *

Pressing his lips together and clasping his hands in front of him, Master stared grimly and silently at the surface of the table. No one dared to break the silence in the meeting room on the former matriarchal floor, now his personal floor. And, for some reason, this silence was even more annoying than any shouting or reproaches directed at him, although those had also taken place quite recently. To be honest, he had grown quite unaccustomed to them. But something else angered Master even more. Understanding. Understanding that this red-haired bitch, whom he had actually planned to finally fuck in every hole today, thoroughly enjoying her body, was right.

To give in to emotions... To send a reply, and at such a price... It was indeed a mistake. But the Great Ones see how he... Ugh... Master really wanted to kill someone or break something. And there were options, who would stop him? But his mind understood that any of these actions would not solve the problem, but would only make things worse. He had already shown himself in a bad light, and in front of whom? The one he was going to make another puppet this morning, which is especially annoying... Ugh... That's who made you talk... No! No! It would be a sin to complain about it, a momentary whim that made him give Violetta a chance, which had already completely justified itself, turning into a manifestation of the mercy of Lady Fortune herself. Or her friend, Destiny. But damn it, how...

There was even a desire to take advantage of this nobody's ‘gift,’ but... No, no, that would be too petty! Taking a deep breath, Master closed his eyes and, trying to speak as calmly as possible, slowly said:

"Okay. As much as it pains me to say it... But I admit you're right, Lady Edelhart. It really was a mistake on my part."

His question was met with silence. Which was not surprising, really. Violetta had already said everything she wanted and needed to say. Her children sat quietly during the argument, not participating in it in any way. Shira also pretended to be a piece of furniture, although he could clearly see in her thoughts that she supported Violetta when she, having received explanations from Master about the Tokens, gave him a real dressing-down on the verge of hysteria. And if they only knew WHAT tokens he had spent on it... True, the dark elf desperately suppressed all these thoughts, realising that he could read them, and tried in every way to convince herself that she was a good slave and that the will of her master, that is, Master, was law. Which was very funny, except not in his current situation.

The puppets hardly participated in the conversation, and who would allow them to? He didn't need to hear criticism from his own puppets as well; Violetta alone was enough! And you can't even shut her up, so that she... All right. Alright. Sighing, Master leaned back in his chair and massaged his nose, then said:

"Unfortunately, I cannot fix it. There is no way to return the message. Therefore, we will have to proceed based on the new circumstances. But right now, this particular mistake of mine is irrelevant, as we need to solve a much more important and pressing problem that cannot be put off."

Under the questioning glances of the Edelhart family and Shira, as well as the most valuable dolls, Master explained:

"There is no restroom in this office..."

In any other situation, solving this problem would have taken Master exactly as long as it would have taken to buy a chamber pot and other personal hygiene items using the Tablet. But at the mere hint of spending Tablet Currency, Violetta nearly had another hysterical fit. Fortunately, a solution was found very quickly and, what was particularly pleasing, it was Master himself who came up with it. It took a couple of hours, but in the end, he managed to supplement the protection of Saya and Bazita, based on the patterns woven into their bodies, so that it would hide them from the effects of the cocoon. This was not an easy task, even considering he now knew what he was dealing with.

If it weren't for their magnificent patterns, they would most likely have to ignore the risk of Lady Edelhart's heart stopping and stock up on everything they needed. Because creating protection from scratch, capable of hiding the presence of knowledge from this accursed cocoon, would require at least a day's work and not the cheapest consumables. And ideally, a laboratory, rather than the makeshift tools and materials he kept in his personal spatial pocket.

And so, in essence, they managed to get away with minimal blood loss. After that, Bazite, who was not particularly pleased, had to work as a porter and carrier, lugging everything necessary for temporary accommodation to the meeting room. Saya was given another, no less important task. Hiding with all the camouflage means at their disposal, in addition to the powers granted by the Tablet of Souls, she took some of the tracking crystals found in the palace of the dark elves and went to place them near the rift. To be honest, Master was a little afraid to let his slanted-eyed doll go outside. It would be impossible to replace such a loss now. But it would be even worse if the accursed spider decided to come out right now! At this very moment, while they were temporarily locked in one particular office, they were solving the problem of the lack of a toilet and sleeping places.

Therefore, it was necessary to take a risk, relying on the abilities and skills of one's own slanted-eyed doll. And Saya did not disappoint, completing the task in less than two hours, placing a dozen crystals so that most of the crack could be monitored and, most importantly, the section of the cocoon damaged by the Terror. Praise be to the dark, paranoid bitches that the crystals were of excellent quality and, even after centuries, had not lost their properties, working reliably and, more importantly, extremely discreetly.

While Saya ran around the dead city, Bazita, unable to hide her discontent, ran back and forth around the palace, dragging camping beds, remaining food supplies, everything necessary for personal hygiene, and other household items into the study. Fortunately, the former matriarch's floor, now Master's private floor, had its own bathroom, so there was no need to fill water containers on the lower floors.

In the end, by moving the huge table to the side of the wall and rearranging the chairs on it, they managed to fit more or less into the meeting room. Fortunately, it was larger than the entire dwellings of others, even relatively wealthy commoners. When this was done, Master brought the puppets from among the servants, who had been sleeping peacefully until then, back to consciousness so they too could eat and stretch their legs. He began to adjust the control network, which was supposed to control the tracking crystals set up by Saya and display the images received from them on a rather large oval wall mirror brought by Bazita. This process took an unexpectedly long time.

No, it was easy to tune into the tracking crystals. It was also easy to hide the images coming from them. After all, dark elves, to their credit, were quite skilled at such things. But tuning the control weave so that it would automatically react to the appearance of a new threat and notify Master — that took some work. It wasn't really his area of expertise... Of course, he could have simply placed a couple of puppets in front of the mirror, additionally processing their minds so that they would not be distracted and would continuously monitor the crevice, taking turns. But there were already too few puppets to maintain such a palace! In addition, a well-configured weave was, in his opinion, still more reliable.

In the end, Master finished setting up the fault monitoring system by the evening, announcing to everyone they were done for the day. They would take care of the rest tomorrow, after they had rested. Or rather, he would take care of it, since only he could create protection from the cocoon. No one argued with him. While Master was busy setting up the tracking crystals, Violetta and the other puppets had done a good job of arranging their living quarters. Lady Edelhart and her offspring occupied one corner of the office, while Master and his most valuable dolls were given another, separated by simple barriers. It wasn't much of a defence, but because they were opaque, they created at least some sense of privacy and absorbed sound. The latter was even more important, as Master could easily see everything happening in the office with his magical vision if he wanted to.

But waking up at night to the cries of Violetta or Bazita when their “babies” want to drink their mother's milk again—no thanks! For the same reason, Master put his orc girl in a corner next to his, but still separate, with Nordi, which Bazita was not too happy about. Master himself settled in with maximum comfort. His green-skinned puppet brought him not a camping cot, but a full-fledged double bed that had belonged to one of the former inhabitants. It wasn't a wonderful matriarchal trachodrome bed, but it was still very good. In addition, Bazita brought some more furniture and three huge pots filled with water, so that if desired, it was even possible to wash. Together with the extremely satisfied Saya, as well as Shira and Naidira, the master entered his temporary room, closing the passage through the barrier partitions behind them and making them completely opaque. He put the rest of the puppets back to sleep in the common area, first instructing each of them not to leave the office. Just in case.

When the barriers became opaque, hiding them from the view of others, Master allowed himself a weary sigh. Such a day it had been... He had hoped to relax properly today, but instead... Well... He needed to think everything through properly. Taking off his outer clothing, Master washed himself thoroughly, refreshing his face. Ah, that's better! Saya, having received a mental command, had already prepared a massage table for him, which she had brought from the Beauty Chambers, and at the same time carefully removed her costume and assassin's equipment, remaining completely naked. She also wanted to freshen up, but Master stopped her with a gesture. He really liked the scent of her slightly sweaty body. Gathering her hair into a bun on top of her head so that it wouldn't get in the way or fall into her eyes, Saya waited until Master had completely undressed and settled comfortably on the table face down, then picked up a small bottle of aromatic oil. Pouring it on her master's back and rubbing it on her hands, Saya straddled him in one movement and began the massage. This immediately brought a satisfied smile to Master's face.

The skilled fingers of his pet assassin did more than just pleasantly stroke his back. Saya used literally drops of her magic, directing them to the tips of her fingers. By moving them across his back in a certain way, she stimulated Master's energy channels, which was extremely beneficial to his delicate body. But she could have killed him with one precise blow. And she would have killed him. The old Saya-whatever-her-name-was. But not his sweet and absolutely loyal Saya. Smiling briefly at his own thoughts, the Master immediately darkened because of the events of the past day. Hmm...

That damn spider neighbor ruined all his plans. As if he didn't have enough to worry about! He needed to figure out where the portal keys he found led, check the trophies, especially those that retained their contractual power, start thinking about his next steps, and, finally, master the Power of the Tablet! But instead... Okay, okay, solving the spider problem could be seen as another step on the ladder of his Ascension. Although personally, he would have preferred other methods... All right, enough thinking about business. He needed to rest, as he had planned. Especially since he had someone to rest with. Turning to the dark elves standing a little to the side, Master smiled contentedly.

Shira stood almost at attention, staring intently into space. Naidira, on the other hand, stood much more relaxed, casting openly envious glances at Saya, who was giving a massage, her arms folded across her chest. Concentrating, Master easily read her thoughts. Well, yes, who would doubt it? Although the dark-haired woman did not possess even average skills of the masters of the Chambers of Beauty, she sincerely believed that she could give her master pleasure no worse than this slant-eyed female humas. Glancing at them, Master smiled and gave a short order:

"Take off your clothes."

Both elves immediately obeyed his command, beginning to remove their Underground Hunters' attire. Or, in their case, would it be more accurate to call them Huntresses? Ah, it doesn't matter! Watching his firstborn puppet and slave, Master couldn't help but smile again. Shira undressed quickly and efficiently, almost military-style, neatly folding the clothes and equipment she had been given onto the dressing table brought by Bazita, leaving herself wearing only a collar. Naidira, on the other hand, put on quite a show, undressing as dramatically and seductively as possible, but without unnecessary delay. For a moment, Master even wondered if he had put such behavioral patterns into her head. Another quick check of the mind of the older of the two dark elves showed that no, this behavior was caused by Naidira's own desire to show off her trained body to those she considered worthy of seeing it. It was quite in the spirit of the women of her kind — look, you pathetic male, what a magnificent reward I have bestowed upon you, and fall prostrate at my feet. Master was, by default, worthy of not only beholding but also enjoying her body, according to the patterns and settings instilled in her.

Realizing that his thoughts had once again strayed in the wrong direction, Master forced them back on track with an effort of will. Still, the ability to divide his consciousness into several streams of thought had its drawbacks; at times it was very difficult to focus them in one direction, unless he used... Damn it! Giving himself a mental kick, he finally directed his thoughts back on track. Glancing intently at the naked bodies of the dark elves, Master said:

"It's funny, isn't it, Shira?"

"Master?"

His new slave girl flinched slightly and looked at him questioningly. She continued to stand at attention, not even thinking of covering her nakedness. Naidira demonstratively folded her arms across her chest, which was a size and a half larger than her companion's, and stared intently at Saya sitting on Master with a haughty look. In which, however, a hint of envy could be seen.

"I say, it's a funny feeling, isn't it? Having the freedom of mind to see weak-willed puppets who are capable of thinking for themselves but stubbornly refuse to realize that they are just puppets. Even if you tell them so directly."

Turning his head slightly and glancing sideways at his slanted puppet, who was diligently massaging his shoulders, Master asked casually:

"Yes, Saya? You do understand that I kidnapped you and turned you into my loyal and weak-willed doll?"

The only response he received was a faint smile on her slanted face, as if the assassin had heard an extremely amusing joke. Glancing quickly at Naidira standing next to her and Saya continuing to massage Master, Shira swallowed and answered honestly:

"It amazes me, but it also terrifies me, Master."

"Really? What exactly?"

Nodding, the dark elf explained:

"I have seen various examples of the work of Mind Sculptors and Branders. Most were extremely reliable, but also extremely crude and limited, turning slaves into nothing more than living tools. I have never seen examples of work like yours. At least, not personally. Only the most valuable slaves were treated by the House's upper echelons in such a way that they retained a great capacity for thought and even creativity, but were completely unaware of the chains that bound their minds. And the older relatives did not allow anyone else to get close to them."

“Very wise of them,” Master nodded, enjoying Saya’s skillful fingers.

"And looking at them now,“ Shira continued, involuntarily licking her lips, ”I can't help thinking that I, too, am still a weak-willed puppet, only thinking that I have regained my free will and ability to think..."

Master smiled and nodded as much as the situation allowed:

"Such thoughts, one way or another, arise in everyone constantly surrounded by a good mentalist. I will say even more: every truly intelligent student who comprehends the Magic of the Mind wonders more than once or twice during their studies whether their mentor has turned them into a submissive servant without them even knowing it..."

Pressing lightly with her index fingers at the base of the neck, Saya ran them along the spine, sending a weak wave of her energy through the spinal energy channel. How wonderful... The masters of the Eastern Empire certainly know their way around massage techniques that are beneficial for both the physical and subtle bodies... Glancing once more at the motionless slave, Master asked:

"How are your agility and flexibility, Shira?"

"As befits a Catcher, everything is in order, Master," the dark one immediately said.

"Show it."

Shira flipped over in one swift motion and stood on her outstretched arms, completely straightening up. She remained motionless in this position for a few seconds, then smoothly spread her slender legs into a longitudinal split. After waiting a few more seconds, she straightened up again, standing on her hands, and then spread her legs into a cross split. Straightening them again, she deftly bent almost in half, placing her feet on the floor, and straightened up in one movement.

“Not bad,” Master assessed.

"But nothing more,” added Saya, sitting on his back, allowing herself a barely noticeable smile and casting a look full of superiority at both dark elves.

And while Shira hardly reacted to the words of the Master's slant-eyed doll, Naidira visibly grimaced but remained silent. However, the Master easily read her thoughts about Saya. Well, yes, she is not yet familiar with the abilities of his doll... But why not? Smiling at the idea that popped into his head, he said:

"Do you think my slanted puppet thinks too much of herself, Naidira? That the deadly Underworld Catchers are no match for some upstart from the Rising Empire? Would you like to prove it? Right now?"

Momentarily taken aback, the older of the two dark elves stretched her lips into a satisfied smile:

"I would be extremely glad, my lord!"

"Master... Okay, then I'll give you the necessary suggestion... Saya, what do you say?"

Casting the same superior glance at the dark one, the slanted puppet literally sang:

"I would rather please you, Master, than waste my time training an upstart who doesn't know her place..."

These words made Naidira's face twist.

"But if you wish, I will gladly teach her a lesson in good behavior and respect, which is so lacking among the haughty inhabitants of the Underworld..."

"Excellent. Then, how about a little duel? Right here, right now. No weapons or armor. Naidira. If you can defeat Saya, consider yourself worthy of receiving the greatest gift from me, the Tablets of the Soul. And of course, you can show Saya her true place. Yes, yes, exactly what you're thinking. Saya, if you win, I'll allow you to raise her properly, just as you like. And train her, too. Agreed?"

Both puppets nodded at the same time. As soon as Naidira heard the cherished words "Tablet of the Soul", a simply insane excitement and anticipation lit up in her eyes. In Saya's eyes, there was only a slight mockery.

"As you wish, Master."

With one deft movement, the slant killer slid off him and headed toward her new rival. Or rather, the latter thought she was a rival. With a single movement, combined with a simple but effective technique, Saya freed herself from the remaining oil and froze in the center of the space set aside for Master, where there was relatively free space. Naidira stood opposite her, assuming a fighting stance. Sitting on the massage table, Master stared for a few seconds at the naked puppets preparing for battle. They looked extremely seductive, but unfortunately, there would be no spectacular fight.

The forces were too unequal. It was a different matter with his fallen puppets. The battles between them, especially those who, like Saya, did not rely on magic, were a completely different matter. Watching them was a pleasure, both physically and aesthetically. And how it fueled their rivalry for his attention. Ah... Thinking about his lost collection of loyal slaves, his mood began to sour again, and so Master gave a short command:

"Start."

And they started. Or rather, Saya finished everything almost immediately. Here are two naked women standing opposite each other. A dark elf, gathered and standing in a stance, not taking her eyes off her opponent, and ready to attack. And the demonstratively relaxed daughter of the distant Eastern Empire, stretching lazily and even wearily, as if she were about to perform some boring routine. And in the next moment, Saya literally disappeared. She just vanished. Now she was standing a few steps away from Naidira, who was ready for hand-to-hand combat. And now the dark elf almost fell forward, her left leg completely gone. Neither she nor Shira, who opened her mouth in surprise, noticed the pinpoint strike with the index finger, which hit the right spot in the middle of the thigh.

As did the second blow that followed, causing Naidira's right arm to hang limply. The dark elf realized that the fight was not going according to her plan, but she couldn't do anything about it, receiving several more precise blows out of nowhere that paralyzed key energy centers and blocked the main energy channels in her body. It was a very difficult fighting technique to master, but it made those who managed to master it at a high level extremely dangerous opponents, even for well-protected targets. Opening her mouth in a silent scream of horror mixed with amazement, Naidira fell to the floor face down like a limp doll. The entire fight took less than four heartbeats, and that was only because it was not a fight to the death. In a real fight, Saya, who had appeared out of nowhere above the body of her defeated opponent, who was no match for her, would have ended it with a single blow. A deadly blow.

With the same haughty, faint smile, the slant-eyed doll turned over the paralyzed Naidira with her bare foot, who was helplessly gasping for air with her mouth open. Stepping on her face, Saya, who knew perfectly well of this shtick of firstborns, both dark and light, stuck her toes into her mouth, looking down from above. Master turned to the openly stunned Shira:

"Surprised?"

His new slave nodded slightly stiffly, not taking her eyes off the defeated tribeswoman and Saya.

"I have seen the Supreme Huntress of my House give lessons to the Senior Hunters several times. And once I watched her harshly subdue the one who wanted to take her place."

Nervously licking her lips and continuing to watch Saya move her slobbery foot across Naidira's face, Shira continued:

"But the Lady in the Dark sees... I don't think that in this battle she would have been able to avoid Naidira's fate..."

Master smiled again and nodded contentedly:

"It could very well be. Saya was a smart girl even before I gave her the Tablet. And now with it, she's simply priceless. Agile, strong, invisible, deadly... A truly ideal daughter of the Invisible Assassins clan."

Instead of a haughty smile, a clearly satisfied smile appeared on the slanted doll's face.

"Thank you, my Master."

She accompanied her words with a brief bow and her palms pressed together in front of her. This did not prevent her from placing her right foot on the helpless dark elf's heavily heaving chest. Pressing her thumb precisely on the nipple, she moved it slightly from side to side.

Smiling even more, Master added, turning to Shira:

"And at the same time, my completely submissive puppet... Just the perfect combination."

A short mental command, and Saya rolled her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and pinched her nipples with her index and middle fingers, her face looking completely silly and obscene. Smiling contentedly, Master climbed down from the massage table and nodded to his doll:

"Have fun, my dear. But don't get too carried away."

"Yes, Master!"

Turning to Shira, Master pointed to the bed Bazita had dragged over. The dark elf immediately headed toward it. Receiving a mental command from Master, she carefully removed her collar, placing it on the bedside table, and silently got down on all fours and froze motionless, arching her back slightly and sticking out her firm buttocks. Standing behind her, Master slowly ran his hands over them, then along her sides and up to her breasts, squeezing them several times. Hmm... Leave them like this, or make them bigger? Okay, I'll decide later! For now...

After playing with Shira's breasts a little more, Master smoothly entered her. Wow, she was all wet, and without any artificial assistance on his part. Ah, I see, she was so turned on by the sight of her tribeswoman, whom she rightly considered stronger and more experienced, being quickly defeated, and by a human woman at that... Damn it! Realising that he had once again begun to delve into the thoughts and sexual preferences of his new slave instead of using her for one of her intended purposes, Master gave himself another mental kick. Professional deformation was making itself felt after all...

Grabbing Shira by the hips, he began to move smoothly, gradually picking up speed. Nearby, Saya, with a satisfied look, had already dragged the still-paralyzed Naidira onto the massage table. Laying her on her back, the slender doll began to whisper something into her long ear, while at the same time oiling her palms again and beginning to stroke the body of her defeated rival. Against the dark skin of the elf, Saya's white skin stood out particularly brightly and looked extremely impressive. As did Master's own skin against Shira's. Slightly quickening his pace, at some point he reached out his hand, burying his fingers in the slave's hair, and forced her to straighten up, kneeling.

Leaning forward, he wrapped one arm around her chest, pulling her close, and held her waist with the other. At the same time, Master wrapped his lips around her long ear, biting the tip slightly. This elicited a quiet moan, and he knew for sure it was genuine. Heh, all the sharp-eared ones he had worked with were the same in that regard. How long had he wanted to have at least a couple of firstborn puppets, but caution had always stopped him. After all, an elf slave, especially a light one, carried certain risks... Never mind, now he would fix that, just give him time...

With these thoughts, Master poured himself into the slave girl, exhaling loudly with pleasure. A moment later, Shira also let out a quiet moan. Very natural indeed. Regaining his breath, Master cooed affectionately in her ear:

"Not bad. But..."

Sliding his hand between her dark legs, he touched the pearl of her flower with his index finger and applied a precise pressure, long practised to perfection. A moment later, Shira involuntarily opened her eyes, arching her back, and, unable to hold back any longer, moaned loudly as a wave of pleasure washed over her. That's better! She was used to only oral pleasures with one of her subordinates!

After giving the dark one a moment to catch her breath, Master lazily caressed his new toy for a while longer, then lay down to sleep with her in his arms. Settling himself comfortably, he closed his eyes, tuning in to the settings and prohibitions embedded in her mind, which were designed to prevent any attempt to violate their agreement. Just to make sure everything was in order. At the same time, he glanced at Shira's thoughts. What do we have here? So... As expected... Quiet malice towards Naidira, and at the same time, not-so-quiet envy and fear towards Sai... I see... Hmm... Maybe I should really order Sae to start training her together with Naidira? Why not? It would also give her someone to look after.

With these thoughts, Master quietly fell asleep...

* * *

"Stop this immediately and pull yourself together!"

Violetta spoke quietly but decisively and angrily, looking sternly at her offspring, who, after they were left conditionally alone, again began to have a quiet hysteria from the realization of the situation they were in. Especially Dacius. Lenora, although a little calmer than her brother, still tried not to show her fear. She did not succeed very well, though.

"Pull yourself together?! Pull yourself together?! Do you even understand what you've gotten us into..."

"I understand perfectly well!" Violet interrupted her son. "Including the prospects that have opened up before me! Before us, if you two finally get your act together! Were you even listening to me? This power, the Tablet, even a small part of it, will make up for everything we've lost!"

"If we stay alive," Dacius grumbled, but in a slightly calmer voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that. If he hasn't been killed yet, even though literally the whole world is hunting him, then there's still a chance. So, I repeat, pull yourself together and don't think about what we've lost or could have lost, but about what we can gain."

“What have you lost?” Violetta’s son muttered under his breath.

"Watch your language! And don't forget that it was with me, Master made the contract, not with you!" Lady Edelhart literally hissed, infuriated by this slip of the tongue from her offspring.

Upon hearing the threat, he immediately fell silent and lowered his gaze. That's more like it! He had forgotten his place! Giving her son a stern look, Violetta headed for a small desk, which, at her request, had been brought by Master's burly Orc servant. Lady Edelhart's thoughts swarmed in her head like wasps in a disturbed nest. This was not surprising after what she had been through in one day. But Violetta knew how to put them in order. Work. Familiar and understandable work. Sitting at the table, she took a stack of parchment sheets with her notes. Lists of what had been found in the palace of the dark elves. They needed to be analyzed properly.

And they need to think about our future plans. She was serious when she said that many people would be willing to reconsider their attitude toward her new partner just for the chance to obtain the necessary resources or artifacts. This means they need to think in advance about who they can offer what, and how. And on what terms? She wonders if it is possible to remotely provide a list of goods offered by the Tablet to potential buyers. Hmm... They must definitely clarify this question with the Master. If it can be implemented, it will open up such prospects...

Violetta was distracted from her thoughts about future business deals by Dacius, who was still frowning. Rolling her eyes, Lady Edelhart rose from her desk and headed for one of the three single beds that Master's orc had dragged into the office. With the help of her impatient son, she managed to take off the dress she had been given. Hanging it on the back of a chair, Violetta made a note to ask Master to provide her with a servant from among the puppet maids. Or better yet, two.

Taking the nightgown, she was about to put it on, but then realized that there was no point in doing so yet, as it would just get dirty anyway. Lying on the bed, Violetta threw one arm behind her head and stared at the ceiling. With her other hand, she buried herself in the hair of Dacius, who lay on top of her, instantly sucking on her breast. Just like when he was a child...

Violetta closed her eyes and bit her lip from the pleasure that began to spread throughout her body, and for a few minutes she tried to think about business, but then she completely gave in to the pleasure...

* * *

The dream was both incredibly realistic and at the same time vague, as if everything around was shrouded in a barely noticeable haze. Understanding that it could have been. But it didn't. Or maybe it did, but not where it should have been...

A spacious green plain, merging into a dense forest in the distance. A wide and clearly deep river. On its gentle bank stood a multi-metre-high machine made of sandy-yellow metal. A real steel monster, exuding enormous energy. Around it, dozens, if not hundreds, of people and non-humans were relaxing and having fun. Some were swimming. Some were cooking food over campfires. Some were having a good time in the company of two dozen young girls and women, whose outfits suggested a very specific profession. About the same number of girls, dressed very modestly, or rather, generously undressed, were diligently washing the bright blue inscription off the steel machine's frontal armour with scrubbing brushes and brushes. Part of the lettering had already been erased, so only ‘...URK’ and ‘...OLE’ could be made out.

Master's gaze involuntarily lingered on a couple of individuals. A large, imposing man armed with a pair of lead leadguns resembling dwarf weapons was firing at clay pots placed at a distance, knocking over a stack of what was clearly alcoholic beverages after each hit. He, like most of the vacationers, exuded the same power as the steel machine. But there was more of it. Noticeably more.

Another man, with tangled hair down to his shoulders, a vest over his bare chest, dark glasses, and a silver metal hand. Leaning back in his chair, he held some kind of musical instrument in his hands and strummed the strings, playing an unfamiliar melody. He played it quite well. On either side of him were a couple of half-naked girls, and on a stump next to him were several bottles and a couple of mugs. There was also a small saucer with some kind of magic powder. For some reason, Master immediately understood that it was some kind of intoxicant. A powerful and expensive one at that.

But what caught Master's attention most was a girl with bright pink hair and a magical tiara on her head. At first glance, he immediately became alert, recognizing a colleague. She did not participate in the general merriment, standing not far from the silver-handed musician and watching those around her with slightly glowing eyes. Her lips moved silently and almost imperceptibly.

//‘Processing? No, consolidating... Subjugated? No, doesn't seem like it... Ah, I see, she's integrating into the team. Although... No, she's more likely consolidating her integration so that everyone thinks she's been here for a long time and is one of the gang. Interesting...’

"It's funny, isn't it, Ve?" the long-haired musician asked the pink-haired girl.

"What exactly?" She didn’t even turn to face him.

"That even in another world, where there is no fucking Arasaka and other rotten corps, it's about the same bullshit. Only with fucking fairies and unicorns."

"Johnny, don't start..."

"Fuck, don't you understand, this fucking Yoke is the same as..."

"Quiet! Everyone be silent! QUIET!"

The sudden cry of Master's pink-haired colleague, amplified by mental influence, made the entire huge company freeze in surprise and turn to her.

"What the..."

"Quiet! Do you hear?"

Everyone really froze and began to listen. Including Master. But nothing could be heard. Although... Some kind of stomping? Or...

"...start..."

"What the?"

"Over there! Look! Near the forest!"

Turning around with everyone else, Master didn't notice anything at first, but then, looking closely, he saw a figure. It looked human... Only completely black, except for its white face. And this figure was running at tremendous speed toward the vacationers from the forest.

"...start..!"

"Who... What is that... No, it can't be..."

"START, DAMMIT!!!"

It was as if someone had removed a barrier, and the strange man's cry, which had been almost completely muffled until then, clearly amplified by magic, struck the ears. And his tone, which conveyed eternal hunger and unquenchable longing, mixed with anger towards everything and everyone, even Master, touched him to the depths of his soul. And then he heard footsteps that shook the earth. What the...

Amidst the cries of the holidaymakers, the trees at the edge of the forest from which the unknown creature had emerged were crushed and trampled into the ground, like blades of grass under the feet of an adult. And from the forest emerged, with a deafening roar, a huge monster, almost as tall as the trees themselves. A dragon?! No, it had no wings. Some kind of lizard?! Fuck, where the hell do creatures like that even come from?!

These were the thoughts that crossed Master's mind when an unknown monster, from which even the Terror of Diarten would flee to its native hole, rushed across the plain after a strange black man. Because there was so much power and magic in him that one glance was enough to make you feel sick. How was it that this monster had not yet caught up with the strange man in black, who kept shouting for the holidaymakers to take something somewhere? Master did not have time to understand where and what he needed to take, as the dream suddenly changed...

* * *

Several hundred, if not thousands, of people gathered in the vast square of some unimaginably gigantic city were engaged in blatant debauchery, even by his standards. Or rather, they were no longer quite human. One glance was enough for Master to notice numerous changes, clearly of a magical-mutational nature, in most of those gathered. Tentacles instead of normal limbs, tails, extra mouths in inappropriate places, additional eyes — Master was not even close to being an expert in exorcism, but even he understood that it would be a good idea to burn this entire crowd, and preferably this entire monumental city, with fire. Preferably with God's grace.

A sudden bang behind him made the Master turn around abruptly. A moment later, he raised his hands in front of him in a reflexive attempt to protect himself. Behind him stood a strange group of obviously very powerful beings, both human and non-human. Elves, dwarves, a couple of beastmen, but mostly humans. And at the front of the group stood a vaguely familiar and rather well-fed young man clad in chain mail armor. Before Master could figure out where he had seen him before, the young man looked around in confusion and asked:

"Villie, where the hell did you send us with your portal... Oh, fuck! This is... No, come on... it can't be... JACKPOT!!! SLAANESHITES, I'M COMING!!!!"

Before Master or any of his companions could comprehend what was happening, a well-fed young man with a distinctly unpleasant expression rushed past him and into the crowd of clearly corrupted individuals. Turning around, Master's jaw dropped at the sight. Crowds of people seduced by some demonic creature fell as he approached, as if mowed down, and began to convulse. And some of them began to rapidly lose their mutations...

The next moment, the dream changed. The same square. Only now there were practically no people, except for a few dozen huge figures clad in bright blue plate armour. One of them, a giant who towered over even the other warriors, was holding a very unhappy and well-fed young man by the collar of his plate armour. The boy's companions stood nearby, armed and clearly having just emerged from a fierce battle. However, the giants in bright blue armour did not look too cheerful either, many of them being quite battered.

"... I'm telling you, I had nothing to do with this, I didn't organise this global orgy! We ended up here by accident, and I just wanted to join in, but this creature refused me! And then she ran off with the rest of her followers! Not only that, but she also issued a statement saying that I am officially not allowed to join her cult, that I am anathema, and that I have nothing to do with her at all. Plus something else, here..."

To prove his point, the boy took a piece of paper out of his pocket, which literally burst with such powerful demonic energy that everything within a radius of a hundred metres would have been immediately corrupted. But the boy held it as if nothing had happened, and did not even pay attention to the knights in bright blue armour who had scattered to the sides, hastily making some kind of signs over themselves. Even the giant holding him almost dropped the boy at the sight of this ‘piece of paper’.

"And she is called themself the Goddess of Debauchery..."

* * *

Another change of dream. Another city. Similar to those he had seen in his memories of insignificance. Only dark. Gloomy. And wrong. A square littered with debris and the charred remains of metal self-propelled chariots. Several people stood at the edge of the square. An elderly gray-haired man in strange armor with an incomprehensible white inscription “GCPD” on top of dark material, the image of which was cast in silver. Two young men in even stranger-looking tight-fitting armor that mimicked the contours of their muscles, with masks on their faces. Despite the dark color of the armor, their images were clearly cast in gold. And they were struggling with all four hands to restrain another person who was in a state of hysterics. A thin man with an abnormally white, eerily contorted face and green hair, dressed in a badly crumpled and worn purple robe. His image also radiated gold. And pure madness. Master had definitely seen him somewhere before. But where? As he tried to remember, the eerie clown screamed at the top of his lungs:

"What have you done, Bats?! Why?! Why?! Are you completely nuts!?"

A little apart from the hysterical clown and the rest of the company stood a burly figure in dark armor and a cloak that looked suspiciously like folded wings. Despite the darkness that literally surrounded her, she too glowed with gold... Or did she? No, it looked like gold... Although... Master did not have time to figure it out, as the figure, without turning around, boomed in a powerful bass voice:

"I only use my Batmobile! I don't need any stagecoaches."

Only after these words did Master notice that next to the strange people stood a huge and frankly frightening black self-propelled chariot, which at first glance brought to mind associations with flying bats. And beneath it, he could see the wreckage of some other self-propelled chariot, in which Master detected rapidly fading magic. Clearly very powerful magic...

"Aaaah! Let me go, let me go! Can't you see that he's gone crazy?! When did I become the most sane one among you?!"

"Stop being hysterical. We still have a lot to do. We need to get back to Arkham and clear out the island before it gets out into the city again."

"What?! No, he's definitely crazy, can't you see?! No, no, I'm not going back there, Bats, damn you, Bats!!!"

Despite desperate protests, the strange clown was still seated in a creepy self-propelled chariot, which then took off with a terrible roar, leaving a fiery trail behind it.

* * *

The new and rather arbitrary day in the Underworld began very pleasantly for the Master. Specifically, with the unexpectedly skilled mouth of his new slave. Moreover, the dark elf girl, who had woken up a little earlier, did this on her initiative, waiting for her master to wake up as well. Well, well, how she tries to be a good slave. If she continues to maintain such enthusiasm, he might consider rewarding her. After gently stroking Shira's head after she had satisfied his morning desire, Master got out of bed.

As it turned out, Saya had already woken up and gotten dressed. Right now, the slender doll was busy slowly combing the hair of Naidira, who was sitting motionless on a chair in front of her. The dark elf was completely naked and stared blankly ahead with a tired expression on her face, her hands resting on her knees. Frowning, the Master walked over to them.

"Aren't you overdoing it with her?"

Smiling radiantly, Saya shook her head and sang with almost maternal tenderness:

"I just helped her realize how wrong she was about me and, more importantly, about herself. And I was very kind to her for the first time. Right, sis?"

Only now did she notice Master Naidir and hastily stood up, bowing deeply. This caused her breasts to sway seductively. Standing at attention, just as Shira had done the day before, the dark elf spoke in a voice devoid of any hint of arrogance:

"That's exactly right, my Master. My elder sister, Saya, kindly explained to me that I thought too highly of myself and behaved in an unacceptably bold manner. This will not happen again. I will behave appropriately and will try very hard to become as good a servant to you as my elder sister Saya."

Running her hand down Naidira's frozen back, Saya sang with a smile that was both gentle and slightly frightening:

"Good sister."

Well, well, how charming. Master merely smiled to himself. Saya had always claimed the leading role among his dolls, without any interference on his part, but rather due to her character and, equally important, her upbringing. In this respect, the inhabitants of the Eastern Empire were somewhat similar to the firstborn and the lizards. They also considered themselves better than, if not everyone, then at least most other people. At least their elite did.

Saya was no exception in this regard and was not shy about proving it to the other puppets, including by using her skills. She was not even close to being a professional mentalist, but she knew perfectly well how to put her target into a trance, making her extremely suggestible. And she simply loved using these skills on other puppets to keep them in their place. She was particularly annoyed by those Master had left with a semblance of stubbornness and disobedience on a whim. There is no doubt that the night was painfully long for Naidira. She would have to check later what exactly his cross-eyed puppet had suggested to her. She couldn't have said anything dangerous to her, Master's suggestions wouldn't allow it, but Saya still got carried away a couple of times, especially in relation to those puppets who managed to surpass her in her core skills. Oh well...

Having driven away the gloomy thoughts about the dead puppets, the time for revenge will still come, Master said.

"In that case, I fully rely on your skills as a mentor. But don't overdo it."

In response, Saya gave him another radiant smile and cooed affectionately, hugging the frozen Naidira around the waist:

"The will of Master is the law for me."

Nodding approvingly at the slanted-eyed doll and her new living toy, Master turned to Shire, standing frozen behind him. The dark elf stood silently at attention, as did her companion, who was completely naked except for the collar she had put back on. After thinking for a couple of seconds, Master pointed to the Underworld Hunter's robe folded on the dressing table.

"You can wear it. Until we deal with this spider, dresses... Oh, come on! Your..."

"Sir? Master?!"

“You remembered about the shit, here it is,” Master literally growled, running past his dolls, grabbing his robe at the last moment on the way.

Running through the open passage in the barrier, he rushed to the conference table. To the part where the mirror was installed. The images from the tracking crystals were displayed. And where the alert from the weave controller had just gone off. Hastily pulling on his robe, the Master stood before it, tuning in to the right image. So, the one that... Ah, I see... So, where is it? There's nothing there... Damn, wrong spectrum... Ah, there you are... Oh... so that's it... Clever...

"What happened? What's going on?!"

Tearing himself away from the mirror, Master looked around at the puppets who had rushed to him in alarm and the Edelhart family. Bazita stood in a crumpled shirt, disheveled, holding a two-handed sword by the base of the blade in one hand and Petty squealing loudly and indignantly, under the arm of her other hand. Violetta, like Master, was wearing only a robe, clearly from the wardrobe of the deceased matriarch, over her naked body, and not even properly buttoned. Her daughter was dressed in only a nightgown, also over her naked body, as was her son. Against this backdrop, the two dark elves, who had also managed to throw on only their undershirts, did not stand out too much. All the Edelharts looked disheveled, sleepy, and confused.

Looking at them, as well as the other worried puppets, with a tired look, Master raised his hand, stopping the flow of questions:

"Calm down, nothing terrible happened. For now. It's just that our dear spider..."

Taking a step to the side, he pointed to the image displayed on the entire surface of the mirror:

"... turned out to be really extremely cautious. And before climbing himself, he sent scouts. Admire it."

Approaching cautiously, as if some unknown threat might emerge from the mirror's reflection, they all stared at the image, which showed in one of the spectra of magical vision the very part of the rift near which they had entered the cities, and where the Terror of Diarten had later emerged.

“What is this...?” Violetta asked in surprise, her eyes wide open.

"Spiders. A little bigger than cats. I can't identify the exact species, I'm not very knowledgeable about them,“ Master shrugged. ”Shira, Naidira, do you know anything about them?"

"I haven’t seen it before..." Master’s slave shook her head.

“You can enlarge the image,” Naidira said, taking a closer look.

"Now... Here... the bastard, they can't sit still... So, here's one who froze..."

"Mmmm... No, I've never seen anything like these before, Master."

"What are they doing?" Dacius interrupted the conversation, wiping drops of what was clearly his mother's milk from his mouth.

"It's obvious that they're conducting reconnaissance. And how cleverly they disguise themselves, the bastards! Have you noticed that they're scattering everywhere strictly along signal threads?"

"Is this so that they are additionally covered by the effect of the cocoon?" Violetta guessed.

"Exactly," Master nodded. "Without very good protection of the mind, even if you notice such a spider, you can simply not pay attention to it. Your gaze will simply slide off it, like some blade of grass or a roadside bump.

"They can get into our mansion?" Dacius immediately became wary.

“Quite so,” Master smiled unkindly, “and I even really hope so.”

In response to questioning looks, he explained:

"After all, it will be possible to use one of these scouts. Of course, I am not an expert in working with animals, or rather, insects, but I think I can easily handle one of them..."

“Are you sure?” Violetta asked warily.

“Quite,” Master nodded

"What if they don’t come to us?"

"Well, then we'll wait until the spider that sent them comes out. Because I highly doubt these little ones will be able to repair the cocoon. Although... No, the threads are too complex; they simply can't form them, they don't have enough strength. They're obviously insignificant, like worker ants; they can't have any highly developed magical abilities. Therefore..."

Turning to the puppets and "partners" gathered around the mirror, Master said meaningfully:

"I suggest that everyone get themselves in order and have breakfast."

Everyone supported Master's proposal, especially after he said he would stay by the mirror and continue watching. Fortunately, the puppets brought him food and clothing. During this time, according to Master's calculations (after all, there are huge advantages to the ability to split consciousness), a total of almost a hundred spiders crawled out of the crack and spread throughout the city. A couple even crawled to the mansion occupied by the Master, but, to his slight annoyance, none of them ventured inside. The majority of them were milling around the place where the Terror of Diarten had emerged.

By the time everyone had finished breakfast, tidied themselves up, and gathered around the mirror again, almost all the spiders had returned to the crack and were now scurrying around the debris left at the entrance. This went on for over an hour, and at one point, Master even began to fear that they might notice one of the crystals closest to them, but fortunately, Saya had covered it properly. And then...

"Look! In the rift!"

"I see! Sooo, what do we have here... What the hell..."

Pressing their lips together, Master and the others stared at the reflection in the mirror, which showed a magnified image of the creature that had crawled out of the crack on the threads of its cocoon. From the body of a spider, only the size of a good horse, and with powerful legs, a humanoid torso grew where the cephalothorax should have been. Zooming in as far as possible, Master stared at it and silently cursed under his breath.

"What... is this creature?" Violetta whispered, as if afraid that she might be heard.

Master sighed heavily and said in a gloomy voice:

"I think I won't be wrong if I assume that THIS used to be a dark elf."

"What?!"

"Take a closer look."

Zooming in as far as possible, the creature that had crawled out of the bowels of the earth froze at the edge of the crevice, looking around, and Master pointed at it with his hand.

"See?"

"Save me the Lady in Darkness..." Shira whispered.

The humanoid part of the creature's body had indeed retained the features of the dark firstborn it once was. Dark gray skin, long ash-gray hair reaching down to where the spider's body began. Even the chest remained intact. But the head... From a distance, it could still be mistaken for an elven one. But when you got close enough, you could see the main eyes, which had changed, become too large, and lost their irises, complemented by two pairs of smaller eyes on the forehead. The lower part of the skull had turned into something resembling a spider's mouth. And there were tufts of long, thin hair sticking out all over the once-elven body.

"This... This is it... she ate the city?" Violetta breathed out.

Taking a closer look, Master slowly shook his head:

"I don't think so... This creature has the powers of a master of magic, if you believe the crystal... Somehow it's not enough for that..."

"Look!"

"Damnit..."

After zooming out, Master couldn't hold back his curses. While they were checking out the first weird creature that crawled out of the crack, a few more came out. One was slightly smaller than the first, and its humanoid part bore the features of a dark elf. A couple of others were half the size, and upon closer inspection, Master recognized what appeared to be a dark gnome. After climbing out of the crevice, the creatures slowly made their way toward the ruins left behind by the Horror, carefully stepping with their spidery legs. The spider scouts that had climbed out before them scurried around them.

"What... what kind of creatures are these?!" Violetta whispered, her eyes full of horror and disgust.

"I can assume," Master said very slowly, "that these are former inhabitants of Diyarten. At least these two, who were formerly dark elves."

"But... how did this... How did they turn into... these... monsters?"

"The correct question is: WHO turned them into these monsters. And that, Lady Edelhart, is a good question," Master said gloomily, not taking his eyes off the image in the mirror.

Meanwhile, several more similar creatures emerged from the crack.
* * *

Master Status:

Name: FORGOTTEN "Master"

Level: 63

Class: Wizard

Specialization: Mind Sculptor/Body Sculptor

Characteristics: 0

Talents: 0

Constitution: 2

Sensitivity: 7

Power: 16

Control: 23

Source: 17

Spirit: 4

Resistance: 3

Knowledge:

CORE/ROOT: "Advanced Mastery of Mind Magic:

Methods of consciousness/personality adjustment (subtle/imperceptible, ordinary, coarse); methods for creating a new personality/consciousness + a wide selection of ready-made templates; methods for combining/mixing individual fragments and/or entire parts of a personality/consciousness; dividing a single personality/consciousness into separate fragments, entire parts, or complete personalities/consciousnesses; methods of working with memories (subtle/imperceptible, ordinary, coarse); methods of degradation/destruction of personality/consciousness (subtle/imperceptible, ordinary, coarse); methods of strengthening consciousness/personality (subtle/imperceptible, ordinary, coarse); methods of direct and remote control of consciousness/personality; methods of partial or complete transfer of one's own or another's consciousness/personality to a new host body or material storage device; methods of transferring one's own mind beyond the limits of one's own body;

AUXILIARY:

"Mastery of control and management of internal energies

Methods of cleansing subtle bodies from extraneous energies; methods of healing damaged areas of subtle bodies; methods of direct application of internal energy (concentration/projection/dispersion/extinction);»

Silk Thread School Mastery:

Methods of creating weaving threads (very thin/small/medium); methods of creating nets/webs (very thin/small/medium); combat techniques of using attacking threads (entangling/cutting/piercing); methods of weaving threads into the target's subtle bodies (inconspicuous/aggressive/neutral);"

Puppet School Mastery:

Methods of creating Puppets (techniques/materials/forms); specializations of Dolls (positive/destructive/protective/controlling/masking/universal);»

Mastery of the Tattoo School:

Application methods (techniques/materials/methods); pattern specialization (protective/attacking/enhancing/healing/controlling/masking/universal/specific);»

Mastery of the School of Branding:

Application methods (techniques/materials/methods); brand specialization (control/punishment/surveillance/liquidation);»

"Master Artifact Skills:

Methods for creating broad-based artifacts (techniques/materials/forms); methods for creating narrow-based artifacts (techniques/materials/forms); skills in working with specialized tools for creating artifacts; an expanded set of ready-made templates and concepts for creating artifacts.»

Mastery of the School of Space:

Methods of working with portal arches of short, medium, and long distances (activation/setting/stabilization); methods of creating portals without a material base at short and medium distances (formation/setting/stabilization); methods of direct movement of objects at short distances.»

Advanced Weaves of the School of Flesh Alteration/Biomancy):

Methods of working with individual organs, major parts, or the whole body (enhancement/change/destruction); methods of transplantation and engraftment of organs, major parts, or the body; methods of restoration of organs, major parts, or the whole body.»

Advanced Alchemy of a wide range:

Methods of working with a wide range of alchemical reagents (common/rare/exotic); a set of alchemical recipes of a wide range (common/rare/exotic); methods of working with alchemical tools;»

SECONDARY:

"Master methods of magical hacking", "Advanced methods of working with artifacts and amulets", "Advanced methods of working with external sources of magic", "Advanced methods of conspiracy", "Advanced weaving of a wide profile"

Oral and Written: Free Cities, Academium Neirat, Northern Kingdoms, Classical Elvish (Dark/Light), Dwarven Undermountain.

Minor knowledge:

"Small Space Dissection" (Elite)

Properties:

"Separation of Thought Streams IV", "Weightlessness of Magic III", "Stability of Magic III", "Strengthening of Subtle Bodies IV", "Blessing of Health and Longevity IV", "Sense of Danger IV", "Mind Without Boundaries I" (Elite)

Soul Tablet Modifiers:

"Access to the Goods of the Gratest IV", "Creation of Group III", "Territorial-Spatial Orientation III", "Spatial Pocket II"

Tokens: "Mind Imprint 1/1", "Ignored Orgasm 100/100"

SPECIAL:

Recognition of the Greatest.

A select few among countless intelligent beings are granted the Power of the Greatest, known as the Tablet of the Soul. You were not one of those chosen ones, but you worked hard to prove otherwise. With your mind, talent, and perseverance, you found a way to gain knowledge hidden in the lines of the Tablets through indirect means. As a reward for finding this path, which will now be closed, and for your perseverance, the Great Ones have recognized your merits and granted you a full Tablet of the Soul.

Awards: Tablet of the Soul, “HIDDEN.”

* * *
Autthor's Note:

63 pages... I admit that Interlude turned out to be mostly LORe and dialogue, but I couldn't help it; Master needed to dot his i's and cross his t's with his new partners. But I managed to squeeze in some bread and pastries, which I couldn't do in the previous chapters from Kiryusha's perspective. But that's okay, he (and not only him) will get his share in the epilogue.

As usual, thank you all for your comments, questions, and spell check corrections. I don't have the energy to proofread. Please understand and forgive me, I tried very hard to finish the interlude over the weekend. That's it for now, see you tomorrow. All the best.

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http://notabenoid.org/book/86674/587885

Переводчики: Camrad_RIP