Ray was in space. In a sphere made out of glass with a small platform in the middle of it, Ray was spawned. To his left, Earth stood in its full glory; he had heard once the planet from space was mostly blue due to the oceans, and even some forests were visible, but now, after centuries, all that was left was a planet with only a sand color on it with clouds still up there covering some of its surface.
"The view is fascinating, isnât it?"
He turned around to face the immortal on the other side of the platform; nothing was there, just the two of them. "Even after turning into this, itâs still beautiful."
The other woman with long steps walked to his side. "You were reborn from the parasite within your body, and thatâs how your magic got ascended?"
In just hours they had a fully formed grasp of what had happened to Ray; with no point in hiding it, he answered, "Yeah." That thing is alive, and sooner or later it will return after humans."
Ariaâs pink eyes shone with a curious light. "A long time ago, you wanted to join the goddess squad. I vaguely remember your test, so do you still want to do it?"
Without hesitation, Ray said, "No, but we might be able to work for a period of time together."
"Then let me tell you our problem first: the artifact that was discovered on Earth that can kill anyone. The military has owned it; now they can kill any immortals that they want. The catch is it can only kill immortals."
With an admiration toward the militaryâs plan, Ray didnât trust Aria that it only could kill immortals. "I can work on that; I have a few issues with the military anyway. But whatâs in it for me?"
Aria turned around to face the other way; Mars was like a little tiny dot in the distance. "We will fund you, magical crystals, or anything you want."
With a glimpse at her body, Ray didnât hide his looks on her body. "I have something else to negotiate on too."
"What?"
"Let me show you." His mind sent the information regarding his new harem, and as Aria read, he could see the frustration on her face.
"It depends on the ability that this thing gives." Moving her arms folded, she continued, "But we can test if itâs worth it." Everyone in the squad except me had their own harems; if itâs good enough, we might consider it."
"Fair enough." His eyes analyzed her body once more, with a short dress that barely covered her ass, and her soft skin on her legs and thighs stood out. Unlike the rest, she didnât seem to exercise that much; her body was on form, but no muscles stood out, "Not like she needs any training." Ray thought to himself while not hiding his gaze.
"I want 50 kilograms of black diamond, 30 kilograms of red platinum, and ten thousand dark crystals, plus any research that humans have done on crafting weapons and anti-healing magic." Ray pushed to the limits of what he needed; they probably wouldnât give them all to him.
Aria paused for a second; she seemed to check something. "We can give you the first two; bring us the artifact, and we shall give you the other two." She didnât blink as she walked backward to the other side of the platform, "Even immortals with a crafting specialty have not been able to create more complex magics." But anyhow, our research is precious."
The materials were more than enough to start up his crafting station. "Well, itâs not going to hurt anyone."
"And for the other matter, Iâm not interested in any sexual activity with you; to join a kiss should be enough."
Ray shrugged; it was not like getting into her bed was going to be an easy task. "As you wish, my lady."
"Close your eyes."
He did as she told him; after a second, a pair of soft lips kissed his lips. The kiss was short, and both of them didnât feel anything about it.
As his eyes were opened, Ray sent an invitation to the other party. She accepted the offer. A purple light came out of her body; her spirit field got activated on its own, but before it could hurt Ray, she turned it off.
"Not going to lie, the ability is on the same level as my abilities on the higher levels." She looked in the direction of Mars once more. "We want all five."
"Five?" He didnât remember in the description that was told anything about capacity. He went through it again:
Legendary harem
Owner: Blood Angel
Member: 1 out of 5
Aria, Monster of Mars
"I can give out two more spaces; the other two are reserved." He acted like he didnât come to knowledge just now. Jade and Marian being stronger could mean his fights would get easier. "Now can we discuss the research?"
"I think it should be a form of gratitude from you."
She didnât need to say more for Ray to understand the threat behind her words, "Am I an honorable member from now?"
"Yes." She threw him a small necklace with a red stone, "This is our sign; show it to the right people, and you can use our name, but we can both agree that the public doesnât need to know."
"It can get in the way." He looked at the planet Earth once more, "When will I get my materials?"
"By night, and two of our members will come over too."
Ray nodded; if Scarlet came over, he could have some proper fun with her. Last time they only did it like animals. "Can I go?"
"The hand will take you back; from now on, you can contact me through our systems."
With a bow, Ray shook the hand.
In a blink, he had returned to his new room.
Things had gone smoothly; his harem capacity should increase by his level in his guess.
"Well, itâs already morning; time to break into a prison!"