After putting Ji Xuanyuan on "Placement Play," Luo Hong summoned the superior and subordinate duo: Fu Xuan and Qingque.
As for Seele, he had promised Bronya he wouldn't touch her, so she was safe for now. He was saving her for later—the shock of having a conscious Seele appear while he was with Bronya would be legendary.
"These pink-tinted white stockings... whew!"
He let out a breath against the defiant face of Fu Xuan. He squeezed her petite feet, his eyes full of delight. It was a pity the Lady Diviner was only reacting through NPC instincts. She was bound tightly with red rope and suspended; she couldn't even bite him without his cooperation.
He wasn't in the mood for bites today, so he ignored her glare, cut a hole in her white tights, and pulled the nearby Qingque into a kiss.
This slacker's tongue is quite nimble!
Gradually, the kiss felt different. Qingque's eyes cleared from their hazy state and filled with absolute shock.
[Qingque is Online!]
Qingque's mind went into a "pupil earthquake." Where the heck am I? Is this still the Xianzhou Luofu?
Her high-and-mighty boss was currently "busy," soaked in sweat to the point where you could wring water from her stockings. As for herself, she was bound in red ropes and suspended, having just lost her... Wait, my first kiss is gone?!
I was just taking a nap while slacking at work! How did it turn into this nightmare? Thinking about her centuries-old first kiss being stolen, her mind crumbled. Her eyes glazed over, but her face grew redder by the second. Her boss's "vocal performance" made it very clear what was happening right in front of her. For a maiden of several centuries, this was far too much stimulation.
"Running away from reality won't work," Luo Hong said, watching the "slacker expert" try to play dumb. "Face reality, Diviner Qingque."
"Y-You know me?" Qingque gasped, hearing him state her name and rank. A realization struck her. "I know! This is an illusion caused by Mara-struck, isn't it?! Waaaaah! I don't want to die yet! I've only lived a few hundred years, I haven't slacked off enough! Why am I Mara-struck already? Waaaaah..."
Her crying was half-real, half-act. If it were Mara, she had a reason to cry. If it wasn't... she had an even bigger reason to cry! What kind of catastrophe would lead to her and her powerful boss being kidnapped like this? The fall of the Luofu?!
But she had no memory of a battle. She just woke up to this "shocking opening." We must have been sold to some perverted aristocrat! Looking at the luxurious decor, she was certain this man was someone of high status.
With her sharp observation, Qingque noticed that while Fu Xuan's eyes remained defiant, they lacked their usual spark. She was receiving the impacts passively like a doll, even beginning to follow her body's instincts by shifting from passive to active.
However, unless my boss was drugged with 'Computer Accessories' (aphrodisiacs), she would never, ever submit to an enemy!
"Mara-struck, you say?" Luo Hong spoke up, having intentionally disabled the system explanation just to admire Qingque's paranoid little face. "Well, you've certainly come to the right place!"
"I can't guarantee everything, but I'm a specialist at curing Mara. The question is... what are you willing to trade for it?"
"Huh?" Qingque froze. She never expected him to say that. He must be bluffing! Mara-struck is the ultimate problem that has plagued the Xianzhou Alliance for countless ages.
"I must be bluffing, right? Since Mara is a problem that has plagued the Alliance for countless ages?"
Luo Hong used his mind-reading ability to repeat her internal thoughts word for word.
"You can read minds?" Qingque's heart skipped a beat, her face filled with terror. Doesn't that mean he heard all the things I just called him in my head?!
"Relax, I only read that one sentence to prove my ability."
With a subtle thrust, a satisfied Luo Hong turned his gaze back to the suspended Qingque.
"Y-You... can you stop pointing that thing at me?" Qingque stammered, her "megalophobia" (fear of large objects) flaring up as she begged for mercy with a trembling voice.
"Fine." Luo Hong showed a bit of humanity since he was dealing with a conscious being. He pulled up his pants, tilted her chin with his index finger, and said, "I've checked your status. You're a long way off from being Mara-struck. With your personality, falling to Mara would be quite difficult."
The essence of Mara is a concentrated explosion of negative memories. But for Qingque, most of her "negative memories" consisted of the painful experiences of getting caught while slacking off. For her to fall to Mara, Fu Xuan would have to catch her slacking every single day... Wait, that actually sounds like it could happen!
Master Diviner, if Qingque becomes Mara-struck, it's all your fault!
"Phew..." Qingque sighed in relief. Even if she didn't understand the situation, knowing she was far from Mara was at least a bit of good news.
"Since this isn't a Mara-induced illusion, who are you? And... can you let me down now?"
"Don't push your luck~" Luo Hong chirped. "After all, you two are my prisoners of war. I have absolutely no obligation to answer your questions."
"...Figures." Qingque's gaze turned complex. Before she could finish brewing a new set of insults for this invader—
"Don't worry. The Luofu hasn't fallen. You and Fu Xuan just happened to become my captives." Luo Hong finally played the system explanation for her.
Seeing her eyes gradually clear as she processed the info, he spread his arms and smiled. "I am Luo Hong, the Lord of this territory. Miss Qingque, welcome to my domain!"