Chapter 57 - Cultivation?

Morning's golden light had turned white as the hours passed; it was almost afternoon. Scarlett and Reiza lay on the ground, asleep. Reiza, with her tall frame, extended one arm, and Scarlett's head rested on it, reversing the typical roles of husband and wife. Reiza slept soundly, having unleashed all her pent-up desires on Scarlett throughout the day.

Scarlett's eyes fluttered open, revealing one vibrant blue eye and one crimson red eye with cat-like, monstrous pupils that glowed faintly even in the bright day. She sat up and glanced around before placing her fingers in her mouth. After a few moments, she pulled out a long neon green hair—no doubt Reiza's.

She looked over at Reiza, who had transformed significantly after becoming an oni. Her formerly angry facial expression had become far more seductive. Scarlett couldn't help but smile at the sight of Reiza sleeping and licked her lips lustfully.

"Zzzz... Wife's ass tastes sweet like cake...zzz," Reiza mumbled in her sleep, a bright smile on her face.

Scarlett blushed deeply. "What the hell is she talking about?" she muttered, turning her face away in embarrassment.

Standing up, Scarlett realized she was still half-naked, her body covered in a dense, water-like liquid—actually Reiza's larva, not just on her but also on the floor. Scarlett used her "Clean" magic to tidy herself and the room before heading toward the corridor.

Already wearing an off-shoulder sweater, she pulled out her usual black stockings and put them on. In front of a large mirror, her glasses, which suppressed the power of her eyes, were placed.

Normally, these sunglasses wouldn't come off easily once worn, blocking both hearing and sight, and removing them was difficult. If someone did manage to remove them, they would stick to the person who took them off. But Scarlett's eyes were so powerful that the cursed item backfired. The glasses were tormented by her eyes' power. So, whenever Scarlett took them off, it felt like a relief to the glasses, and whenever she tried to re-wear them, they struggled not to stick to her eyes.

Scarlett grabbed the cursed sunglasses and prepared to wear them. A sudden force began resisting, but she ignored it and put them on anyway.

"These sunglasses won't last long—barely a month," Scarlett sighed in her heart. "I'll have to find something better than this."

Scarlett left the room quietly, careful not to wake Reiza. As she walked further and was about to cross the entrance gate, Yumi entered. Scarlett's eyes widened slightly at the sight of her but quickly returned to normal.

Yumi's face was a mix of anger and annoyance as she spoke, "Finally done? Anyone passing by could easily hear everything you two were doing," she retorted.

Scarlett's face flushed a deep red as she turned away, her finger touching her face in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "Shit! I forgot to put up a sound barrier," she thought, cursing herself silently.

Quickly regaining her composure, Scarlett responded, "Cough... cough... Did you come here just to tell me this?" she questioned back.

Yumi, still visibly irritated, replied, "I was going to give a lecture, so I thought I should remind you to keep your privacy." With that, she quickly left without looking back.

As Yumi left, a sudden realization struck Scarlett. "Oh, her lecture," she thought.

After Scarlett had acquired Euryale and Stheno, who could turn anything into gold, bronze, and silver, she recruited them to create currency for Dreadhaven. It was like an infinite money glitch, but they had to control the production to avoid devaluing the currency. Fortunately, this was Yumi's area of expertise, she have far more knowledge about Money and taxes than Scarlett.

Scarlett had ordered them to first make wooden coins. Since wood was abundant, the coins could be detailed and mass-produced easily. Once the wooden coins were made, the two sisters would turn them into gold, silver, and bronze coins. This would introduce the concept of money to the village.

But there was still one problem: who would teach the villagers about money? That's why Yumi was giving lectures on how money works, how to use it efficiently, and about taxes—how to pay them and where to pay them. Later on, as we will introduce money, we would also introduce taxes.

As Scarlett wandered through her village, lost in thought, she observed the transformation around her. The houses that were once made of grass and sticks were now constructed from refined wood and cement. Children played games with each other, their laughter filling the air, while the women busied themselves with chores and the men engaged in various types of work. The village was alive with voices and joy, and Scarlett couldn't help but smile as she walked down the road. Though there was still construction left to make an entrance road for future visitors, the progress made her heart swell with pride.

Passing by, Scarlett noticed Yumi giving a lecture to the villagers about the concept of money and how to use it. She ignored the gathering and continued walking, soon coming across Li Feng teaching the villagers how to wield a sword with precision.

"I guess someday I'll have to learn from him too," Scarlett mused, since Avion had never taught her any sword skills.

Seeing Li Feng's handsome, gentlemanly face, Scarlett began to think about her own ideal type. "I always wanted to look like my ideal man—someone like Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali, big and strong. So that whenever I'm out, my mother could proudly tell her relatives or friends, 'Look, it's my son, big, strong, and reliable.' And they would be astonished by my appearance, saying, 'Wow, what a remarkable son you have.'"

But fate had something else in store for her. Instead of receiving admiration, she often encountered bewildering comments like:

"Is that your son? Are you sure it's not your daughter?"

"What? A boy? I was already ready to fix my son's engagement to her."

"If someone asked me who I hate the most, I would say myself without a doubt. But it doesn't mean I hate my appearance; it's my personality that I despise. I still don't know what my true personality is."

When Scarlett saw a cute cat, her heart wanted to pet it, but at the same time, her brain told her to crush its skull and bestow death upon it. Despite these conflicting thoughts, she had come to accept herself for who she truly was. She could feel everything and nothing at the same time. She blushed easily, yet if she decided to, no one could make her show any emotion. It was as if she could control her emotions completely.

"Just like I hate myself the most, if someone asked me who I love the most, my answer would still be the same—I love myself the most."

She recalled a memory from her childhood: the first time she fell from the stairs. Lying on the ground with her head facing the sky and her eyes on the clouds, instead of crying like a normal child, she thought, "The sky is beautiful today."

When other kids her age were afraid of the dark, she deliberately went to a haunted house and spent the night there alone. After that, black became her favorite color.

She remembered an incident at a grocery store. A robber barged in, but luck was not on his side as a police officer was nearby. As the officer tried to protect everyone, Seeing him alone, the robber shot him three bullets in the head and ran off. The officer, who seconds ago was a symbol of protection, lay helpless, and no one dared to touch him. Blood spurted from his face like a fountain. Scarlett was only 11 years old, but that scene was one of the most "beautiful scene" she had ever witnessed.

"Death," she thought, "doesn't discriminate between good or evil, weak or strong, pretty or ugly. Death sees everything as equals, everyone as equals, thus for her, World is equal. No matter how beautiful a woman is, after death, no one cares. A dead genius is no longer a genius. Death is ugly or rather it makes everyone ugly, revealing their true nature in thier last moments.

Seeing that scene, the color of blood—red—became her second favorite color.

"If good deeds could make me male again, I would have become saint or even kinder than saint but unfortunately World isn't that forgiven" Scarlett felt little rage but her heart yet calm and unmoved.

"But that's what makes it even more interesting " Scarlett laughed bitterly As Scarlett continued to walk, her thoughts swirled around these memories and reflections, shaping her complex and often contradictory personality. She knew that, despite her struggles, she was unique in a way that few others could understand. And that, in itself, was a kind of power.

The next sight that caught her attention was Xao Feng teaching martial arts to the villagers. As Scarlett approached, Xao quickly sensed her presence, turning back to bow her head while cupping her hands.

"Greetings, Mistress Scarlett," she said in a formal tone.

"No need to be so formal, it gives me an uneasy feeling," Scarlett replied playfully. "Did you do what I asked?"

"Yes, follow me," Xao responded. She turned to the villagers and announced, "Continue practicing on your own." Obeying her command, the villagers diligently resumed their training.

Xao started walking towards a designated area with Scarlett quietly following behind her.

"So, you prepared a cave," Scarlett said with an appreciative tone, clearly impressed by Xao's efforts.

In front of Scarlett stood a large cave, its entrance and interior covered with a thick layer of ice. The entire structure glistened in the sunlight, reflecting a pale, ethereal glow. It was located about 200 meters from Dreadhaven. Besides her expertise in martial arts, Xao had a great affinity for water and ice magic. Previously, Scarlett had ordered her to create a place filled with heavy ice and the lowest temperature possible. The reason for this request was something Scarlett planned to discuss later.

However, Scarlett hadn't anticipated that Xao would prepare an entire ice cave. The intricate details of the ice formations inside and the sheer cold radiating from the cave's entrance were remarkable.

"Well, this is more than I expected," Scarlett admitted, her tone filled with genuine admiration. "You've outdone yourself, Xao."

Xao bowed slightly, her expression serene but pleased. "Thank you, Mistress. I wanted to ensure it met your requirements."

Scarlett stepped closer, feeling the chill emanating from the cave. She observed the way the ice crystals refracted the light, casting an almost magical ambiance. Xao's mind briefly wandered to the purpose of this cave.

As Scarlett approached the cave, Xao used her magic to manipulate the crystalline layer, opening the entrance. The ice layer, half a meter thick and remarkably sturdy, faded away to reveal the passage inside. Scarlett stepped into the cave, and Xao, using her magic again, sealed the entrance, staying outside to wait.

Inside, the cave was a world of glacial beauty. Ice surrounded Scarlett on all sides—walls, ceiling, and floor. The temperature was perilously close to absolute zero, a lethal environment for anyone else, but Scarlett remained unaffected. She stood in the center of the cave, her breath forming fleeting clouds in the frigid air, and began contemplating the purpose of her visit.

"I wanted to try out three things," she mused, "and I ordered Xao to create this icy place for the third experiment. But before that, I should test the first two."

When Scarlett transformed into a dragonoid, her heart had stopped beating, yet she could still hear the blood coursing through her veins. After her brutal fight with the forces of Darwitz, she had come perilously close to death, blood gushing from her wounds. Yet, when she survived and reached the domain of the first demon king, Avion, something strange happened: the sound of her blood flow vanished, just like her heartbeat. She hadn't had the chance to investigate this anomaly until now.

Scarlett opened her spatial inventory and took out her virtual weighted sword, a greatsword of a deep red color. Malice and killing intent emanated from it like smoke. She held the weapon firmly in her hand, its presence a familiar comfort. Placing her left hand on the icy ground, she pointed the sword at it and swung down. The metallic clang that echoed through the cave was like the clash of two swords rather than flesh and steel.

Her skin, glowing white and feeling squishy soft to the touch, transformed into an unbreakable barrier upon impact. Scarlett had already imbued her sword with mana; otherwise, it wouldn't have even scratched her. Despite this, the heavy blade only managed to pierce halfway through her hand. It was exactly what she had hoped for. If she had cut her hand completely, it would have regenerated almost instantly, giving no time for blood to flow.

Her sword was lodged halfway through her hand, and her body was straining to heal itself, a massive pressure building against the blade. Determined, Scarlett twisted the sword left and right, trying to draw out any blood. Despite her efforts, tearing apart her insides, no blood emerged.

"There's no blood in my body," Scarlett thought in disbelief. Her expression remained calm, as she had somewhat expected this outcome. Yet, the realization was unsettling.

"But how?" She recalled the time after her battle with Darwitz's army, running with all her strength as blood poured from her wounds. "Hmm... At that time, I awakened my second horn, and the blood was not only due to my injuries and the poison but because my body was transforming, becoming even closer to a true dragon. It was banishing all the blood from my body."

Just as she was about to draw a conclusion, another thought struck her. "But wait," she murmured, recalling her first encounter with Avion, the first demon king. "That geezer said that when he witnessed the battle between the first hero and a true dragon, he saw blood coming from the true dragon's body."

Scarlett tilted her head in circles, trying to piece together the puzzle. "Is it only me who doesn't have blood while other true dragons do? No, there's something abnormal. What if what Avion saw wasn't actually blood but something else?"

True dragons are spiritual beings of the sixth dimension, so naturally, they wouldn't have blood in the conventional sense. But this raised another perplexing question: the concept of true dragon blood. "I was injected with true dragon blood. If true dragons don't have blood, how did those scientists obtain it?"

The more she pondered, the more puzzled she became. Her thoughts raced in circles, and no logical answers emerged. Frustrated, she began banging her head on the icy ground, yelling, "Damn it, I was bad at science! Can someone please explain this to me?"

No gods or divine beings came to her aid. Scarlett was left with only one logical recourse: "The third demon king, Asmodeus." If he was the likely leader among the organisation, he might have the answers to her questions.

Determined, Scarlett stood up. She had to find Asmodeus. The mystery of her blood—or lack thereof—needed to be unraveled. With renewed resolve, in the icy cave, her mind set on finding the truth, no matter what it took.

"Let's see if something different about my Status too" With the thought of that, she opens her status window.

Scarlett Nova