Today's third update is done!
Dear readers, Pighead isn't asking for much—three updates, just asking for a guaranteed monthly vote!
Shopping is so exhausting. Pighead's local transportation is awful; I can't even hail a cab when I go out! Bought a whole pile of miscellaneous stuff, including a kettle to boil water in. Sob!
Night had just fallen!
The all-embracing curtain of night shrouded everything. The increasingly frigid autumn wind from the Odin Icefield swept the high clouds clean away. Stars glittered across the crisp, clear night sky, their multicolored radiance making the heavens shine brightly.
Alda smugly pulled out a cigar and clamped it between his teeth. Beaming at the girl on the soft couch, he said, "My dear Ailis..."
The girl's body twitched. She bit her teeth and gave a soft snort. "I'm not Ailis. Who is Ailis?"
Alda froze for a moment, then laughed. "Then, lovely Lola!"
The girl's expression turned extremely ugly. "Who is Lola?"
Alda shut his mouth. He took a deep drag on his cigar, then slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke. In a low voice, he muttered, "Then, darling, I won our wager. You and your little sisters, ten of you in all—I satisfied every last one of you, yet none of you conquered me! So introduce me to your cousin!"
The girl irritably glanced at her close companions sprawled all over the room, then shook her head weakly. "Dear Count Turing, you truly are a Magic Beast! Gods, why is there such a bastard as you? Fine, my cousin—but I must warn you, her fiancé is Marshal Beian's nephew, a highly decorated major general of Norman Fortress!"
With a smug grin, Alda narrowed his eyes and began boasting extravagantly. "Marshal Beian? Some people may fear him, but I'm an exception.