LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 32: Deal
"With this, we officially have a contract."
After a while, the black light began to fade, just as Ebonique’s voice was heard, to which Erik responded.
"That’s great. Do you want some Myst with mana? Ignis really liked it, and just call me Erik; it feels better."
"Alright, Erik, I’d love some."
With a smile, Erik quickly placed his hand on Ebonique’s head and began to transfer the mixture of mana and Myst that always flowed through his body. In recent years, Erik’s ability to control Myst has improved on several levels, allowing him to maintain the mixture of Myst and mana running through his body, which made him feel more comfortable. He could now share it with his wolves and, at this moment, with Ebonique without any problem, whenever he wished.
The moment Ebonique felt Erik’s mana combined with Myst, she closed her eyes in pleasure and began to emit sounds very similar to contented purring. This made Ignis smile with amusement, though a hint of envy was visible in her eyes until Erik eventually lifted his hand.
"That was incredibly delicious, Erik," Ebonique commented with pleasure, to which Erik responded with a smile.
"Hahaha, I’m glad you liked it."
Noticing the strange look Ignis was giving him, Erik quickly understood the message and asked with a smile.
"Do you want some too, Ignis?"
"If it’s not too much trouble."
"Not at all."
Erik quickly approached Ignis and shared a good amount of the mixture with her, and she, like Ebonique, closed her eyes and emitted content and satisfied sounds for a while until the transfer was complete.
"That was delicious; thank you, Erik." Ignis thanked him with an obviously satisfied tone, as she seemed to savor the taste.
"Don’t worry, it’s no problem. By the way, Ignis," Erik’s face showed an awkward and embarrassed expression, but he continued, "I was wondering if you might have another spirit friend who doesn’t have a contract and would like to make one with a great master-level genius, hehe."
Erik’s words greatly surprised Sigrún and Eleonora, who were enjoying tea at their glass table, so much so that their hands froze in midair, apprehensive about what Erik’s question might provoke.
A similar feeling arose in the heart of Seraphina, the Victorian maid who had just served tea to the beautiful Masters. She quickly focused all her senses on her young lady’s first disciple, preparing to react immediately if the worst happened.
"Are you referring to the woman over there?" Ignis pointed with one of her wings toward Eleonora, who inevitably turned to look at her, then added, "Although she is talented, it won’t be easy to convince someone to contract with her. But maybe if someone were to feed me for, I don’t know, a century, I might..."
"Deal."
Ignis’s words were quickly cut off by Erik, causing Ignis to tilt her head slightly, but Erik quickly continued, fearing the beautiful blue phoenix might change her mind.
"It’s a deal. I’ll give you mana for a century if you manage to secure a contract for my master. How does that sound?" Erik asked, a big mischievous grin on his face.
For their part, Ignis and Ebonique stared for a moment at Erik’s wide grin until, after a moment, Ignis gave in and, after a long sigh, replied.
"Alright, I’ll look for someone then."
"I’d appreciate it if it were someone powerful. My master Eleonora has been very good to me and is very powerful. And if you want, I can extend the time, since, for now, according to my masters, I’ll live about 600 years. Or you can ask for anything else. As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll do it."
Erik’s smile grew even larger as he spoke, which brought a sort of ironic smile to the blue phoenix’s face. Even though she really wanted to ask for more, she felt that doing so would somehow make her look bad. Besides, there was competition for the job right next to her, so if she raised the price, she might end up with nothing. In the end, she could only give in and respond.
"I'll see what I can do then."
"Hehehe, thanks, Ignis. If you want anything from me, just ask. I'm truly grateful to you."
"Well, then give me more mana, a good amount."
"Of course."
Meanwhile, Eleonora, Sigrún, and Seraphina exchanged utterly astonished looks, doubting whether what had just happened was real. Sigrún couldn’t help but pinch Eleonora, who, instead of getting angry, simply looked at her arm with a dazed expression, confirming she wasn’t dreaming.
For her part, a beautiful smile formed on Seraphina’s face as she couldn’t help but look at her young lady’s first disciple—her new young master—with eyes full of interest and approval, pleased with the gesture of the star-haired young man. At the same time, she felt that the young man seemed increasingly likeable in her eyes.
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In the ethereal unreality of a different dimension stood a majestic mansion, which appeared to be an exquisite display of sophisticated and ancient architecture. The curved roofs spread out like bird wings, covered with tiles that shimmered under the glow of a spectral sun, while the immaculate white walls emitted a soft luminosity, beautifully contrasting with the dark wood-framed doors and windows.
The gardens flowed around the house like rivers of greenery, with crystal-clear ponds reflecting the mansion’s celestial elegance, adorned by stone bridges arching over them, connecting islands of blooming lilies and lotuses.
Inside, the corridors and halls had their walls adorned with scrolls depicting delicate natural scenes and supernatural creatures, while carved wooden columns rose from the floor to the ceiling. The polished wooden floors gleamed under the light filtering through the intricate lattice windows, and silk cushions and straw futons offered rest in every room.
In the middle of the main hall of the imposing mansion, bathed in the filtered light from wooden lattices. Two women of supernatural beauty sat on a woven straw tatami in what seemed to be a serene tea ceremony of Asian tradition.
One of the women had blue hair that seemed sculpted from azurite, with skin as pale as shining mother-of-pearl with an ethereal glow and eyes of deep blue. These harmonized wonderfully with her pale blue dress, adorned with stylized birds in a range of darker blue tones.
Opposite the beautiful blue-haired woman was a black-haired woman radiating equally impressive beauty, with her hair cascading around her shoulders, as dark as the abyss, a color shared by her eyes, and her Chinese-style outfit with dragon motifs. It consisted of a silk blouse with a high collar and long sleeves, contrasting with the softness of her white pants.
Both women held ceramic teacups in their hands, savoring with careful attention to detail, but suddenly, the voice of the gorgeous black-haired woman echoed in the room.
"Who would have thought that your desire to play in the mortal dimension would bring about something so good, Ignis."
"Fufufu, I told you, Ebonique, miracles happen all the time in the mortal dimension," the beautiful blue-haired woman replied with an elegant smile on her lips, which also seemed to contain a hint of smugness.
"I really have to apologize to you. Everyone, including myself, thought it was complete madness for one of the eternal spirits to lower herself to pose as a mere ancestral to accompany a weak human.
Even I thought you had lost a couple of screws, but who would have believed you’d find a true miracle? Did you have some prophecy or something, Ignis?" Ignoring the blue-haired woman’s smile, the black-haired woman responded in an elegant tone, full of majesty and authority.
"Fufu, not at all. That was a beautiful coincidence. It’s just that you don’t understand the beauty of the mortal world, but I think you’ll begin to understand it little by little alongside young Erik."
"But there’s something I don’t understand. Why didn’t you stay with Erik yourself and instead take the trouble to come find me and convince me to do it?"
"It’s actually very simple. I’m very fond of my little Sig. Besides, Erik is her disciple, and he would never have accepted me. And since he also seemed truly interested in lightning, I decided to come to you and give you the opportunity."
"Thank you very much, Ignis." Ebonique licked her lips in an incredibly seductive manner and added in a tone full of delight, "His mana is truly the most delicious thing I've tasted in eons."
"Without a doubt, it’s a real delicacy..." Remembering that exquisite flavor, Ignis couldn’t help but lick her lips in a similar way while placing a hand on her cheek, trying to hide the slight blush coloring her cheeks.
Recovering from the memory of that exquisite taste, Ebonique recalled Erik’s request, so she quickly asked Ignis, pulling her out of her thoughts as well.
"And what spirit will you give the girl? Do you need me to send one of my boys? The girl has a good affinity for lightning, after all."
"Not really; I’m thinking of sending a little boy who was causing trouble in my territory some time ago and whom I had to discipline," Ignis replied with an elegant smile on her face as she took another sip of her tea.
"Tsch..."
At Ignis’s response, Ebonique could only click her tongue in annoyance while glancing at the bag Erik had given to that annoying phoenix. Something that provoked a beautiful smile from the blue-haired woman, who began to put things into it while speaking.
"Fufufu, you don’t have to be so envious of my bag. Maybe one day Erik will make one for you too..."
"Hmph."
At Ignis’s obvious gloating, Ebonique could only snort in irritation before taking another sip of her tea. She then began planning how to get one for herself and where in her mansion she should display it so that all her visitors would die of envy.