Chapter Sixty-Six: Clarisse's Gift

Seeing the attributes revealed by the Evil Eye, Jenn narrowed his eyes, a hint of amusement curving his lips. As expected, the Evil Eye more than lived up to its name; each of its five abilities was aptly titled. The fifth function, in particular, had such stringent requirements—it seemed that only true physical intimacy could trigger it, which explained why Jenn had failed to unlock it despite so many attempts. Though the women surrounding him in the dungeon were all female, he had yet to truly engage with any of them.

Velna was out of the question. The dark elf, despite her inherently wanton nature, harbored considerable hostility toward him. If they ever shared a bed, Jenn suspected he would be the one pinned beneath her rather than the other way around. He had no interest in such a scenario. As for Bix—Jenn had never once felt such desires toward a gnome.

Naturally, Enoia would be the best choice: young, beautiful, and utterly loyal to him. The problem, however, was that Enoia was undead. While she would have no objection, Jenn had to consider the dire consequences of being poisoned by corpse toxins after the deed. Enoia, strictly speaking, was a walking corpse. Jenn wasn’t exactly particular—so long as she was young and beautiful, a little warmth left in the body wouldn’t bother him. The trouble was, as a powerful undead, Enoia was far from a newly deceased being. The negative energy coursing through her body was not something any ordinary person could withstand. If Jenn insisted on trying, he’d likely meet the same fate as those scholars in “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio” who found themselves entangled with female ghosts—pleasure followed by a swift demise.

There was a solution, of course. If Enoia accumulated enough experience and evolved from a “Necromancer” to a “Wraith,” the corpse poison within her would be neutralized. As a high-ranking undead, her physiology would be indistinguishable from the living, though she would still retain the “undead” attribute. Then, Jenn could indulge with her without a care.

Regrettably, that was a long process.

For now, the only person he’d had any real physical contact with was Elise, and even then, it had never gone beyond simple, superficial gestures—never truly intimate. Fortunately, Jenn had decided to tease the earnest and innocent half-vampire today; otherwise, he might never have discovered the Evil Eye’s hidden effect.

Almost as soon as Jenn glimpsed Elise’s attributes, a soft chime sounded in his ear. He didn’t even need to look to know: the task was complete.

He withdrew his arm from around Elise’s shoulders.

As that tingling, warm, and pleasant sensation left her, Elise instinctively reached out, trying to grasp Jenn’s departing hand. But her movement faltered, her arm dropping back to her side.

Self-control.

Watching Elise’s reaction, Jenn nodded to himself. The Evil Eye’s evaluation had been spot-on—this girl’s self-control was truly extraordinary. Even in such circumstances, she could restrain her desires. No wonder she had become a high-level mage in such a short time; she truly was remarkable.

Unfortunately, Elise’s struggle was not with external enemies but with herself. The thought brought a trace of a smile to Jenn’s lips as he spoke.

“I suddenly remembered I have some matters to attend to, so I must take my leave, Miss Elise… We’ll continue our discussion on this topic another time.”

With those words, Jenn turned and strode away. He could keenly sense Elise’s gaze upon his back, heavy with shame, anger, and a reluctant longing. Yet he did not look back. On the contrary, his lips curved in a faint smile as he walked out of the grand library.

The strongest fortress is often breached from within.

Such is human nature.

Clap, clap, clap…

Applause rang out. Jenn halted, the smile fading from his face as he turned toward the source of the sound.

“As expected of Your Highness—the way you toy with hearts is always so masterful. It seems my decision back then was the right one.”

With a voice both charming and melodious, Clarice, president of the Infernal Chamber of Commerce, emerged from the shadows once more, a smile on her lips. She moved with the grace of a model parading down a runway, the shadows at her feet twisting and weaving themselves into a carpet to welcome this merchant’s distinguished arrival.

“As a venture capitalist, you may be a bit too arrogant, Miss Clarice.”

Jenn regarded the young woman before him, pushing up his glasses so that a cold gleam flashed across their surface.

“You should know: the shares you get depend on the money you put in. Trying to get something for nothing is a daydream at best. Since you believe in me, you shouldn’t mind giving me a little loan. Here’s my offer: give me five percent of the Culiskayne Chamber of Commerce’s annual profits as venture capital. If I emerge victorious from this ritual, I’ll designate your chamber as my top-priority partner. What do you think?”

Clarice’s eyes narrowed in amusement, her lips curling in a seductive smile as she gave a soft laugh.

“Your Highness, if anyone’s trying to get something for nothing, it’s you! With a single sentence, you want a five-trillion-blood-coin investment… Isn’t that a bit much?”

“There’s always risk in gambling.”

Jenn didn’t spare her a glance, heading straight down the corridor as Clarice performed her little act.

“You get as many chips as the money you put down—if you have no chips, don’t bother betting. Surely you understand that. Enough nonsense; you’re not here for idle chit-chat. What do you want this time?”

“I’m a merchant. Naturally, I anticipate my client’s needs and desires.”

Clarice chuckled, stepping forward to walk alongside Jenn.

“It seems your dungeon has been rather unsettled lately, Your Highness. Would you like our Culiskayne Chamber’s assistance? For an old customer, I can offer you a twenty percent discount. By the way, that Miss Elise seems quite taken with you. If I were to tell your two sisters about this, I wonder how they’d react?”

“She’s just a pet to warm my bed—say whatever you like. But I’m much more interested in you. Why not get to know each other a little better? I’m sure my sisters would be very intrigued by that news.”

Clarice’s little threat didn’t faze Jenn in the slightest. Demons prided themselves above all others; in their eyes, every non-demon was an insect, not worthy of comparison. Even if Jenn filled his dungeon with women of every race, bedding dozens and leaving a trail of pregnancies, his sisters would not care. To demons, any offspring with a non-demon were no more significant than kittens or puppies—a triviality. Even if Jenn fathered a hundred children with a hundred women, other demons would see those children as no different from animals, not worth mentioning.

“Come now, Your Highness, we’ve always worked so well together. There’s no need to make things difficult for me.”

As expected, Clarice’s smile froze at Jenn’s answer. This was a classic case of hurting the enemy a thousand times at a cost of eight hundred to oneself. She knew all too well that with his sisters’ feelings for Jenn, if they heard rumors of his “infidelity,” they’d swoop in to give their brother a thorough lesson—but she herself would not escape unscathed. As president of the Infernal Chamber’s branch, Clarice was keenly aware of the intensity of the two princesses’ devotion to Jenn. She could be certain that the moment Jenn released such news, the princesses would descend upon the demon realm to tear her apart. Their history of “better to kill the innocent than let one go” in such matters was notorious, and Clarice had no desire to become their next victim.

After all, even the Queen of the Succubi had been nearly driven back to the Abyss and had her lair torn apart after trying to seduce Jenn. Clarice didn’t fancy herself more formidable than the queen.

“If you value keeping your head on your shoulders, I suggest you stop stirring up trouble. Gossips seldom meet a good end.”

Jenn glanced at Clarice once more.

“Perhaps a tongue-removal procedure would make things easier for you. Enough nonsense—what are you here for?”

Clarice, perhaps taking his warning to heart, finally dropped her playful façade.

“Here’s the thing. I imagine these recent troubles have given you quite the headache, Your Highness. As it happens, I have some intelligence from the Temple system. Would you be interested?”

Jenn paused, a look of contemplation crossing his face.

“You mean…”

“The Temple, the Underdark, the portal… This is quite the grand undertaking. It seems the Children of Light have grown bored of conquering the barbarians and now wish to explore the beautiful new world of the Underdark. So, are you interested in my little gift?”

“Gifts aren’t free.”

Jenn cast her a sidelong glance.

“Still, I am indeed interested… Perhaps we should find somewhere to talk.”

“But of course, Your Highness,” Clarice replied, the special warmth of a merchant’s smile lighting her features.

“I’m sure you’ll be very satisfied.”