Discussing In The Bath

It was five in the morning when Edrick was finally done dealing with his ravenous wives. His body was left covered in hickeys and even some bite marks…

Having sweated like a pig in the desert, he decided to leave the bedchambers and went to one of the bathrooms present within his residence.

On the way there, he ran into Xiaolie. His crimson-eyed maid went to sleep early and woke up early to be present near her master as much as possible, and it seemed like she had noticed that her master was going to do something.

“Oh. Great timing, actually” said Edrick, his limp serpent out and about as he did not bother to put anything on before leaving the bedroom. The swinging club was something Xiaolie was doing her best not to stare at right now.

“How may I help you, Master?”

“For starters, prepare a bath for me in the central bathtub… Then we’ll talk a little bit”

“Very well, Master!”

Xiaolie turned around to head to the bathroom before the patriarch, getting a small speed boost as Anoteros spanked her butt…

Soon enough, Edrick immersed his bare body in hot water filled with foam from soap. The water was impressively warm. It was probably enough to burn most regular people, but with his tough body, he could handle it just fine.

He rested against a cushioned portion of the bathtub, his arms spread along the edges as he enjoyed himself. Xiaolie put her hands to good use, massaging her dear master’s shoulders and neck.

She was actually quite good at this. Her hands were a bit rough from constant training, but they felt very nice nonetheless.

She had taken off her long, butler-like jacket, revealing a grey waistcoat, a tie, and the rolled-up sleeves of a white shirt. Her muscles weren’t bulky–They were a bit more refined and lithe. She was an athletic and well-trained girl who was a delight to have around…

Xiaolie spent most of her days training ceaselessly. Equipped with her sword artefact, the original Weapon Encyclopedia, the training puppet, the natural constitution of a Chen, and the absurd talent of a former protagonist… She was destined for greatness.

...Greatness as Edrick’s loyal maid–As his personal possession.

“I have spoken with your former master again. I think she is going to accept my offer soon. You two could resume talking to one another when she agrees to submit”

“Really? I was afraid that Miss Chengjie would remain stubborn”

“She is indeed quite stubborn… It only makes her more desirable, though. There is an allure to both resigned prey and feisty prey… Resistance can often be very exciting”

Edrick stayed quiet for a few moments.

In the dead of night, silence was only broken by crickets and hooting owls in the distance... But inside the steaming Bathtub, none of those sounds could be heard.

The patriarch glanced into the mirror that was already foggy.

“Silly girl. Are you already imagining servicing me with Chengjie?”

“Ah… How could you tell, Master?”

“I could feel your slight absentmindedness in how you were massaging me… That is beside the point, however. I wanted to ask you about the script, Xiaolie. You still remember your past, right? Then, you must remember the plot points of the story”

“I remember, Master”

“Good. As you can guess, the items, treasures, and encounters you were promised as the protagonist will certainly all be useful to me. Certain pieces of information could be of great assistance as well”

“Of course, Master!” Xiaolie marked a small pause “But… I have the feeling that since the script has been broken, most of what I know will have become false, or inaccurate… When I submitted to you, it was like something went missing… These plot points are likely no longer properly held in place for me to stumble upon”

“Any illogical aspects of my script will be corrected by the world’s true logic… I am afraid that my knowledge might not be that useful…”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Xiaolie. It is certainly true that the shattering of your script had many consequences on what was supposed to be a part of it at some point, but there are things that can’t simply disappear or be taken away by some lucky fellows, yes?”

The noble smiled.

“We have time to spare... Let’s start from the very beginning–What was the world you came from like? Was there anything supernatural about it?”

“It was a very simplistic world without magic or the likes. Humans were the only sapient species–Unless aliens existed and I just never got to learn of it… Aherm… We had cars, and we did war with rockets, drones, and stuff like that… It was very boring”

“I used to just be a regular person who read books online to kill time”

Anoteros listened without saying anything for a little while before asking a question.

“What year was it before you arrived in this world?”

“2030”

“What country did you live in?”

“Canada”

“Who was the prime minister of Canada in 2020?”

“Martin Clerker”

‘I have never heard of that name before… Seems like we really come from different worlds. Though quite similar ones nonetheless… It is no wonder she didn’t recognise my name during our first interaction back then’

“I see. Do tell me about interesting things you were meant to find”

“Most things are actually resources that are meant to be consumed… The author would stick to just having the protagonist deal with every threat using his sword without much imagination. He would just pick up new sword skills, but… These skills would usually not be used very much outside of their introduction”

“However… There are always the ruins, secret realms, and… A pet”

“Do elaborate”

Xiaolie cleared her throat.

“The First two are mostly a long distance away, and are typically tied to some special event that the protagonist would join in on for one reason or another... The same is true for the discovery of the pet. If I were to follow the script correctly, I should find an egg hidden inside a secret realm that would otherwise be perfectly basic”

“This pet is supposedly very skilled at support. But in the story, it was mostly just a cute little thing. It would also very quickly gain a humanoid form, one that is a Rococoli and eternally bratty”

“What does it look like in its bestial form?”

“It is a lot like a cat. However, its fur is pink and fluffy, and it has antlers that shine a light blue colour”

“How big is it?”

“Mmh… If I remember correctly, it is only a bit bigger than the average house cat…”

Anoteros licked his teeth.

The interest of both his brains had been piqued.

The master and maid discussed for a while longer before the subject shifted to something else.

“Go fetch Yaling for me. I have a job for her”

“At your command, Master!”