King's brain was still frozen.
In two lifetimes combined, this was the first time.
The first time!!!
The indescribable soft and warm sensation where his hand rested, with amazing elasticity and heat, passed through the thin fabric like a lethal electric current, instantly piercing King's brain.
Every nerve in King's body was screaming, frantically transmitting this unprecedented, cognition-shattering sensation back to his already overloaded cerebral cortex, which was spewing out chaotic knowledge!!
I felt it, I felt it—!!
The truth of the universe!!
The essence of existence!!
The meaning of life!!!!!!
The law of mixing concrete for the number 24 screw is the Pythagorean 28.
Braised pork ribs should be marinated using trigonometric functions.
The sun should rise from the west, because bananas are curved.
The essence of quantum entanglement is two Hajimis playing with a ball of yarn.
Cecilia should be watered on Tuesdays, otherwise they will bloom into Sunsettias.
Paimon's status as emergency food can be proven through calculus.
Furina's tears are composed of 45% sugar and 55% tsundere.
Morax's Mora is actually transformed from dandruff.
The face value of Mora depends on what tea Zhongli drank that day.
When Venti drinks wine, the Anemo Archon's butt is performing nuclear fusion power generation.
The Hydro Dragon King's tears can cure years of rheumatism.
The Raiden Shogun's chest is so soft.
The conclusion is—
Raiden Ei's wisdom is inversely proportional to the softness of her chest!!
...All sorts of unrelated, absurdly bizarre thoughts and fragmented knowledge (?) frantically collided, stirred, and reorganized.
King's mind, capable of seeing through the essence of the world, was now like a top-tier supercomputer infected with a virus, the screen scrolling with nothing but gibberish and emoticons.
(＞_＜) (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Brain overload!
Processor temperature too high!
Heat dissipation failed!
Restarting... Restart failed, unknown soft interference source detected.
Executing format... Formatting rejected by unknown soft protocol.
Final brain command: Keep touching.
And so, King's consciousness completely sank into the world's greatest evil.
"Ngh...?"
A soft hum with a distinct quiver, so sweet it could almost drip water, escaped from Raiden Ei's throat.
That pretty face, usually expressionless and full of majesty, was now like a ripe Sunsettia, flushed red from her cheeks all the way to her ears, even her fair neck dyed an enticing pink.
Her entire body froze.
Her purple eyes widened, filled with unprecedented bashfulness.
As the god who protected Inazuma's eternity, as the warrior who carved out the Musoujin Gorge with a single strike, her body had undergone countless trials; it was the strongest weapon, an eternal vessel.
No one had ever touched her in this way.
This touch was completely different from the impact of battle.
There was no intent to destroy, yet it carried an indescribable aggressiveness?
A strange tingling sensation exploded from the point of contact, like the finest lightning, instantly coursing through her entire body.
She felt a "switch" inside her god-made vessel, one that seemed to have never been activated, make a strange "pssh" sound.
Her body temperature rose uncontrollably, her cheeks were burning, and her entire body was tinged with crimson.
What flustered her most was that her eyes actually moistened uncontrollably, a thin layer of mist gathering.
These weren't tears of sadness or pain, but a spontaneous reaction from her body.
"Can you... take your hand away?"
Raiden Ei's voice was barely louder than a mosquito's hum, carrying a sweetness and a hint of pleading she hadn't even noticed herself, "I feel... a bit strange."
These words were like a thunderclap, splitting through the chaotic mush inside King's head.
!!!
Like an electric shock, King snapped his hand back, his movement so fast it left an afterimage.
His face still wore that calm, indifferent expression; the self-cultivation of a master of pretension was exerted to the limit at this moment.
But the hand he had withdrawn was now trembling uncontrollably.
He hid his hand behind his back, trying to pin down his right hand with his left.
Left hand: "What are you shaking for?"
Right hand: "Never touched one before, have you, bumpkin?"
..."
Right hand: "Mhm, ninety-nine percent new, top-quality goods."
The world suddenly seemed filled with sweetness, and the air turned into thick honey.
If there were BGM now, it would surely be a little love song played on a harp.
If there were special effects now, an entire rose garden bubbling with hearts would probably have risen behind King and Raiden Ei.
Paimon frowned.
His tiny head was undergoing a fierce logical struggle: Was King touching Raiden Ei there just now? He did, right? He definitely did! But why touch her? Was that a battle or something?
Paimon frowned.
His small brows knitted together, his little hands on his hips, he stared fixedly at King with an "there is only one truth" gaze.
"Paimon gets it."
His voice was low, like a primary school detective who had cracked a case of the century.
"King, you weren't stopping Ei from drawing his sword at all!"
"You were—"
He paused, his little face flushing red, finally blurting out:
"Being a hooligan!!"
Lumine's face darkened.
It wasn't exactly jealousy.
After all, she and King didn't have any clear romantic relationship, right?
She silently reached out and covered Paimon's eyes.
"Kids shouldn't watch."
Paimon struggled in her palm: "Mmph mmph mmph! Paimon isn't a kid! Paimon is an adult guide! Paimon understands everything!"
"No, you don't."
Lumine's voice was flat.
"And it's best if you never do."
Clorinde took a deep breath.
He was expressionless.
He gritted his teeth.
He elegantly took off his glove, then put it back on.
Took it off again.
Put it on again.
Over and over.
Clorinde had already ravaged his gloves beyond recognition.
He took a deep breath, then another.
Calm down, Clorinde.
You are fontaines strongest Champion Duelist, you can't lose your composure just because Lord King touched another woman.
Even though you also want Lord King to touch—
Stop!
Clorinde, stop your dangerous thoughts!
Lynette lowered his head, his bangs covering most of his face, his tail swishing behind him like a gust of wind.
At this moment, a question was looping in his mind:
Small is also very cute.
Small is also very cute.
Small is also very cute.
Why.
Not touch.
The small one.
Venti's mouth hung open in a perfect "O" shape.
His eyes were wide, and he forgot to bring the wine bottle to his lips.
"Really? Really??"
He whispered in disbelief, "Is this for real? A one-night stand... no, I mean, love at first sight."
He immediately covered his mouth, pretending he hadn't said anything.
Meanwhile, Neuvillette's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, oh no, what about Furina now?!
Neuvillette was a standard Furina x King shipper.
High purity, firm faith.
In his flawless logic, Furina marrying King = Furina's safety factor skyrocketing = Fontaine's future as solid as a rock = King can never run away in this lifetime = Triple win.
Perfect.
But what kind of development is this?
The Iudex's pupils were shaking.
His gaze toward Raiden Ei changed from indifference to a subtle horror.
This cunning Raiden Shogun... no, this malicious woman, she looks so honest, but her scheming is actually so deep!
No, Furina can't be allowed to lose at the starting line!
Neuvillette gripped his cane, the alarm bells in his heart ringing at the highest level.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"