Chapter 45: Guinaifen's Choice (Patreon)

Guinaifen knelt on the ground, clutching her head, at a complete loss.

She had killed someone.

Regret, self-blame, confusion, panic—a torrent of emotions assaulted her mind.

Judging by this small courtyard, Victor, just like in the dream, had a powerful background.

The family behind him would never let her go. She would most likely be sent to the Prison of Shackling Souls to rot until she died, and even her family would be implicated.

This was all the price of her impulsiveness!

As for destroying the body to erase evidence, Guinaifen didn't even consider it.

Xianzhou technology was extremely advanced. The Divination Commission's Great Divination Matrix could predict the future using big data; finding a murderer would be laughably easy.

Destroying the evidence would only add to her crimes.

'What do I do!? What should I do!?'

Guinaifen knelt on the ground, frantically tearing at her hair and hitting her own head.

Consumed by remorse and self-reproach, Guinaifen failed to notice that the 'corpse' of Victor beside her was emitting a faint golden glow...

Just as Guinaifen was hesitating between turning herself in and committing suicide,

a blood-drenched hand suddenly grabbed her by the calf.

The moment Guinaifen saw that bloody hand, a chill shot up from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Her scalp tingling, she followed the hand with her eyes.

Victor, his face covered in blood, was staring at her coldly.

Guinaifen's eyes rolled back, and she instantly fainted from shock.

"..."

Seeing Guinaifen faint on the spot without a sound, Victor was rendered speechless.

She was so ferocious when she was poking him with the stick, but now she finally knows fear.

Fortunately, everything was going according to his plan.

He had used the weaknesses he observed in Guinaifen from the dream to successfully provoke her into attacking him.

Guinaifen had lost her reason and struck out in anger, successfully causing his 'Golden Body' to evolve once more.

Now, some of the weaker Pathstriders would no longer be able to harm him.

He could be considered to have the basic power to protect himself.

Of course, in Victor's view, this was still far from enough.

After all, in the major events to come, planet-destroying powerhouses were countless, and Emanators capable of annihilating star systems would become commonplace.

At its current strength, his 'Golden Body' was still too fragile to face an Emanator, and would crumble before even a planet-destroying powerhouse.

He still needed to continue working hard to improve it.

But before that... Victor looked at the unconscious Guinaifen with malicious intent.

To refuse a meal served right to your lips, you'd have to be either impotent or gay.

"Hey! Wake up!"

In a daze, Guinaifen heard someone calling her, and then she felt a light tapping on her cheek.

Guinaifen's eyes flew open to find Victor's face right above hers.

After shaking off the initial grogginess, the memories from before came rushing back like a tide. Guinaifen's eyes widened in terror.

"You... weren't you dead!?"

Victor raised an eyebrow and told a casual lie.

"Don't you know? The people of the Xianzhou are cursed by the Abundance. Our life force is incredibly tenacious. We can even reattach our heads after they've been cut off."

In truth, before obtaining the 'Indestructible Lapis Body,' Victor's constitution was that of an ordinary Earthling.

But now that his 'Golden Body' had evolved multiple times, it was already much stronger than that of a Xianzhou native.

"How could I know that! I've never killed anyone before!"

Guinaifen screamed, on the verge of a breakdown.

The corners of Victor's mouth turned up into a smile.

"Oh~ so that means I'm the first Xianzhou native you've tried to kill, then."

"I... I was..."

For a moment, Guinaifen didn't know how to answer.

Victor's gaze turned sharp.

"You must have heard of the crime of attempted murder. The fact that I'm not dead was just my good luck; it doesn't mean you didn't commit a crime. In a situation like yours, three to five years in prison would be a light sentence.

Besides, I have plenty of credits to slowly deal with your brothers and sisters."

"Don't touch my family!"

As soon as her weak spot was touched, Guinaifen began to lose control of her emotions.

"You're the one who tried to kill me first. Why should I listen to you?"

Victor sneered, completely unmoved.

"I..."

The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly tense.

At this moment, however, Guinaifen calmed down. She quickly replayed their conversation in her mind, trying to figure out Victor's motive.

She soon realized that Victor hadn't called the Ground-Balance Commission or the Cloud Knights right away. Clearly, he didn't want to send her to prison, but had other plans.

Guinaifen took a deep breath.

"What do you want?"

Victor showed a look of approval.

"I like clever women. As for what I want... don't you already know?~"

Seeing Victor's playful smile and recalling his actions in the dream,

two shy blushes suddenly appeared on Guinaifen's fair cheeks.

"This... this is too sudden. I... I'm not mentally prepared..."

"Prepared? What do you need to prepare for? Weren't you quite skilled in the dream?~ Or are you feeling shy? I've seen every inch of your body. I even know exactly where your moles are. What more do you need to prepare for?"

Victor sneered, planting his hands on either side of Guinaifen's head and looking down at her, applying invisible pressure while speaking vulgar words.

He was crushing Guinaifen in a near-humiliating manner, all in order to PUA her.

Even his earlier admission of being able to control the dream was all groundwork for this moment.

Once Guinaifen accepted the outcome of being controlled and thoroughly played with by Victor in the dream,

then in reality, submitting under him again wouldn't be so hard for her to accept.

Just like with crossdressing, there's only 'never' and 'countless times.'

The hardest part of making someone fall is getting them to take the first step. Once that line is broken, the rest becomes much easier.

Going from zero to one is a qualitative leap; going from one to infinity is merely a quantitative accumulation.

Guinaifen's expression was conflicted, a fierce battle clearly raging in her mind.

Victor's series of preparations had obviously played a significant role.

And now, Victor was preparing to add more fuel to the fire.

"Everything in the dream is the life you've always wanted. Your older brother and sister can get safer, easier, higher-paying jobs.

Your younger brother and sister can receive a better education, and your whole family can live a better life.

And all you have to do is serve me just like you did in the dream~"

Victor's words echoed in Guinaifen's ears like a demon's whisper.

The struggle in Guinaifen's eyes became even more pronounced.

After a while, Guinaifen finally made up her mind and said in a voice so soft it was barely audible:

"I... I agree..."

"Louder! I can't hear you!"

Victor deliberately tested her obedience.

Guinaifen gritted her teeth.

"I said... I agree to be your lover!"

"Very good! Then let's start right now."

Victor revealed a satisfied smile.