Persuasion?

July 23, 1346, early morning

Just finished with her morning exercises, Vivian, her face flushed, leaned against Altair and looked at the bound Freya. "So you were easily persuaded by your own servant to let her become an Extraordinary?" she asked, confused.

Altair nodded helplessly at Vivian's question and said, "Let her go."

Hearing this, Vivian didn't release Freya immediately. Instead, she chided Altair, "She's a troublemaker right now. The Witch Cult is very 'hostile' towards such 'special' witches. To minimize trouble, we should kill her now."

As soon as Vivian finished speaking, she reached out and began manipulating her Spirituality, gradually tightening the "spider silk." The bound Freya began to cough and looked at Altair for help.

While Vivian was enjoying Freya's pained, desperate expression as she was strangled by the spider silk, she felt the displeasure of the person beside her. Helplessly, she could only release her.

As the spider silk control loosened, Freya dropped to the floor like a puddle of mud, making quite a noise.

Freya, having narrowly escaped death, began to gasp for air, her usual ladylike demeanor completely lost.

Vivian, helpless, could only say sternly to Altair, "Try not to let her advance again in the future. I'm afraid she'll bring you trouble."

Altair could only nod in understanding.

Afterward, Vivian began to "educate" Altair on why the Witch Cult disliked female witches.

The essence of her words was that the current leaders of the Witch Cult were all "male" witches, jealous of "female" witches. Their doctrine also leaned towards the "Primal," so they all believed "female" witches shouldn't exist.

After the morning's interlude, Vivian took Altair to the shopping street in the West District for some retail therapy after breakfast. This area boasted not only clothing stores beloved by ladies but also shops for jewelry, cosmetics, and more.

The shopping was funded by "George III," whose allocated funds Altair had extorted and never used. Combined with recently inflated expense reports, the total had grown to nearly 3,000 pounds.

This sum was a fortune for ordinary or middle-class families, but for Altair, who frequently attended banquets, it was a meager amount.

She now needed a new gown befitting her status for each banquet. The most basic dresses cost between 80 and 150 pounds, and those adorned with jewels could exceed 300 pounds.

It could only be said that to maintain their noble status, every noble was constantly spending money.

Shopping time always passed quickly. At noon, Altair found a restaurant specializing in Intis Cuisine nearby for lunch.

Upon entering the restaurant, Altair and her companions were led by a waiter into a sumptuously decorated hall. The surrounding ornaments exuded wealth, with famous paintings and lifelike sculptures merely adding to the hall's splendor.

Choosing a corner table, Altair and Vivian sat down and began selecting dishes from the menu provided by the waiter.

As for Vera and the others, they left on their own after Altair and Vivian were seated, finding their own places to dine.

Vivian, being an Intis native, was the one to choose the dishes to ensure they tasted "local" specialties. Looking at the menu, she said, "Beef Stewed in Red Wine, Beetroot Soup, Cream Fried Cod, Ormir Wine, Cream Soufflé..."

"Do you require any other types of food?" the waiter asked with a smile.

Vivian replied directly, "No, that's all."

After hearing Vivian's order, the waiter said as he finished writing the bill, "You're the best at pairing Intis dishes I've seen since I started working in Loen."

After the waiter left, Altair curiously asked, "How did you discover Freya had become an Extraordinary of the Assassin pathway?"

Seeing Altair's inquisitive gaze, Vivian rolled her eyes and calmly replied, "It's simple, because of the Extraordinary Traits."

"Higher sequences have an instinctive resonance with lower sequences. It was also her bad luck; she had just advanced to Sequence Nine and hadn't stabilized yet when I found her. Coincidentally, I'm two levels higher than her, so observing her was easy."

"Now, looking at you, I can't determine your sequence. It's just her bad luck."

Listening to Vivian's explanation, Altair awkwardly changed the subject and began to make small talk.

After the waiter served lunch, Altair and Vivian began to savor the specialty dishes accompanied by music.

Beef Stewed in Red Wine: A classic Intis dish, the beef became tender and flavorful after being stewed in red wine.

Ormir Wine: An ancient, renowned wine rumored to be favored by the Giant King, named after its region of origin, with a complex aroma.

Of course, this lunch wasn't entirely smooth due to Vivian's unique nature, as people couldn't resist her allure and frequently came to disturb them.

Leaving the restaurant and getting into the carriage home, Vivian smiled and asked Altair, "What, are you angry?"

Altair didn't feel uncomfortable with this teasing remark. Instead, she held Vivian's waist and replied, "Not at all. In fact, I'm very happy. After all, their goddess is someone I can use anytime now."

Vivian leaned close to Altair's ear and whispered, "Is that so? I'll be waiting for your revenge."

Altair's face turned red at these words, and she shot a fierce glance at the witch before her.

She casually asked, "Has the Witch Cult assigned you any missions recently? You haven't been 'home' much lately."

Vivian thought for a moment and then said to Altair, "Recently, I've been preparing consumables. The core of the Witch Cult is in the Republic of Intis, so there are few members in Loen. We're in urgent need of people, so we've started cultivating consumables."

"You might need to help me later."

After speaking, Vivian extended her foot, clad in thigh-high black silk, and slid it under Altair's skirt from her ankle.

Altair's expression instantly became strange as she felt Vivian's subtle movement, her face gradually turning red.

Vivian, not satisfied with the current situation, said in a seductive voice, "Can you? I'll let you do whatever you want with me then."

Altair felt her body growing hotter and hotter. Helplessly, she could only agree to provide some basic assistance.

Having received the desired answer, Vivian moved closer to Altair and said, "Remember to eat more later. I don't want to leave the room for the next couple of days."

When the carriage arrived home, Vivian went straight to her room, with Altair following closely behind. The remaining few who were tidying up exchanged bewildered glances.

Altair had just opened the door when Vivian directly grabbed his hand and pulled him inside.

As the sun set, Vivian was drenched in sweat.

Her swan-like neck let out a high-pitched sound.

She lost her strength and fell into Altair's arms.

"I've fallen for you now. I think of you every moment, and it seems I can't leave you anymore."

Vivian endured the strangeness in her body, hugging Altair's head and pressing it into her chest, saying, "I finally understand the meaning of the phrase, 'Extreme joy is followed by extreme emptiness.'"

After the two recovered, they became intimate again.

Perhaps it was because their bodies intertwined more and more often.

Every time they met, they would unlock brand new ways to play.