New Specialty, New Function

As she washed, Ailian's movements grew increasingly sluggish.

Her fingertips traced restlessly over Ye Wei'an's solid pectoral muscles, feeling the powerful heartbeat beneath, and she even lingered for a few extra seconds when brushing against those sensitive curves. Looking down at the silhouette shimmering beneath the water, she felt her entire body go limp; a strange, intense heat surged between her legs, and even her breathing turned scorching.

Because they were so close, the snowy rise of Ailian's chest nearly pressed against Ye Wei'an's shoulder, occasionally brushing against his warm skin with every one of her ragged breaths.

"Young Master..." Ailian bit her lip, her eyes brimming with liquid longing, her voice carrying a coquettishness and resentment she would never have dared show before. "Young Master... you really... are different from before."

"Oh? How so?" Ye Wei'an closed his eyes, leaning against the rim of the tub, savoring the relaxation brought by the hot water.

"You... you've just grown up." Ailian's voice dropped lower, nearly buried against her own chest. "Before... you were always so shy, never allowing me to serve you like this during your bath... you would always chase me out, let alone let me... do what I am doing now."

Ye Wei'an kept his eyes shut, feeling the almost provocative pressure of the young girl's fingertips, and understood everything.

The original owner was, after all, just a boy; a bit of awkwardness and shyness was perfectly normal.

But the one inhabiting this body now was a transmigrator with a mature soul.

Of course, he, as a transmigrator, had no experience being served in a bath by a beautiful girl in his previous life either.

But since he had transmigrated into this feudal world, becoming a descendant of nobility and a master sorcerer, he naturally intended to indulge in some decadence.

Thinking of this, he suddenly turned around, his eyes, deep as the starry sky, staring straight at Ailian.

Gazing at the familiar yet strange, handsome face before her, Ailian felt as if her heart had been gripped by an invisible hand.

Recalling scenes he had learned from certain cheesy dramas in his past life, Ye Wei'an reached out, gently pinching Ailian's delicate chin, his thumb slowly rubbing against her lips, which had become moist from excitement.

"That was the past." Ye Wei'an's voice was low and magnetic. "Since I've grown up, I naturally have adult ways of playing. Don't you agree, Ailian?"

If these kinds of cringey actions and words had been used in his previous life, he surely would have been scolded for being greasy.

But for the current Ailian, it landed a critical hit.

The girl hesitated for only a moment before blushing and trembling as she untied her ribbons.

This left Ye Wei'an dumbfounded, his heart howling toward the heavens—as it turned out, whether a line was "greasy" or not had nothing to do with the action itself; it all depended on who was doing the speaking.

And as for his current self, he was someone who could rely on his looks to get by.

Under his gaze, the thin fabric slid down the girl's smooth skin, piling onto the carpet.

The candlelight and the steam rising from the tub cast a soft glow over her. Biting her lip, she shyly yet firmly lifted her leg, stepped into the warm water, and sat down close to Ye Wei'an, creating a ripple.

The space inside the wooden tub suddenly became crowded and even more scorching.

Ye Wei'an reached out to wrap his arms around her soaked waist, feeling the softness and tremors in his embrace. Ailian leaned in submissively, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her burning cheeks into the crook of his neck, letting out a whimper like a small animal.

She was as tense as a startled deer at first, but under his patient guidance, she eventually relaxed bit by bit.

"Lady Firehair..." Ailian murmured.

However, just as the scalding emotions were about to shatter his reason, Ye Wei'an stopped abruptly.

He buried his face deeply into the crook of her neck, their foreheads pressed together, but he went no further.

He could feel the girl's anticipation, and he could also feel the trepidation that belonged to a first time.

It is not yet time, he thought.

Although this silent consent was constantly eroding his self-control, he realized with clarity that in this environment—in such a crude tent in the wilderness, on a night following a life-and-death struggle with an uncertain future—all of this felt too rushed.

For this girl who relied on him with her whole heart, he did not want this precious moment to become a mere release of stress.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging desire, and instead pressed kisses to her forehead and the corners of her eyes, his movements becoming gentle and filled with tenderness.

The exploration did not cease, but it shifted direction, becoming more like an intimate soothing, until Ailian completely melted into a pool of water, her eyes unfocused, able only to lean against him and gasp for breath.

Ye Wei'an also let out a long sigh, feeling a profound sense of pleasure and relaxation; the mental exhaustion he had been carrying dissipated along with the release.

Just then, a line of system prompts appeared:

[Achievement Unlocked: First Contact]

[Obtained Perk: Charm Talent]

Immediately following, a stream of information regarding this perk flooded his consciousness:

[Charm Talent]: You are well-versed in how to utilize gender appeal to achieve your goals. When you exert influence over members of the opposite sex based on your Charisma attribute, you can achieve more potent effects.

A subtle flow of knowledge and instinct followed, as if he were naturally gifted at knowing how to adjust the curve of a glance or how to maximize the magnetism of his voice.

Ye Wei'an's heart stirred. It seemed that besides regular leveling, this system had other ways of strengthening him through achievement rewards, though he did not yet know what those achievements were or how to trigger them.

The water was gradually cooling.

He helped Ailian, who was limp and barely able to stand, out of the tub. A simple [Prestidigitation] conjured a warm breeze, quickly steaming away the water droplets on their bodies.

He couldn't be bothered to dress the girl, so he simply pulled over a bath towel and wrapped her in it.

Ailian's eyelids were fighting to stay open, her steps unsteady, and she even subconsciously tried to turn back to tidy up the bathing supplies and the tub.

Ye Wei'an pressed down on her shoulders: "If you're tired, just sleep. These chores can wait until tomorrow."

He half-carried, half-supported her to the cot.

The moment the girl sank into the soft mattress, her strength was drained away. Yet, before her consciousness sank into darkness, she still fumbled to reach out and grip the hem of Ye Wei'an's robe, refusing to let go.

Ye Wei'an did not leave, instead reaching out to pull the half-elf girl into his arms.

Only after being cradled in his embrace did Ailian nuzzle against him with a sense of relief, letting out a satisfied sigh as her breathing quickly turned steady and deep.

Ye Wei'an felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him as well. He leaned against the headboard, a thought flickering through his mind that he should change into his pajamas—he was not in the habit of sleeping in the nude.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than he felt a subtle change in sensation across his body; the chill of his skin exposed to the air vanished, replaced by the comfortable, dry embrace of soft fabric.

He looked down to find that the pajamas were already on his body, though he had no idea when they had appeared.

"Is this... auto-equip?" Ye Wei'an felt a flicker of surprise, followed by immediate understanding.

In the game, equipment could be swapped with a single click, and it seemed the same mechanic had been carried over here.

This was far more convenient than fumbling to change out of formal wear or robes, and in an emergency, this function might prove unexpectedly useful.

As a spellcaster, the task of keeping watch naturally did not fall to him, but Ye Wei'an still habitually checked the mini-map.

The area around the camp was tranquil, with only the green dots representing his teammates occasionally shifting—those were the sentries on patrol—while a few harmless yellow dots drifted by in the distance.

No red dots; it was safe.

Only then did he truly allow himself to relax.

It was not until this moment that Ye Wei'an finally had the time to calm his mind and carefully examine the game system that had traveled with him.

Everything that happened today had been too fast and too frantic—the transmigration, the combat, the escape, the interrogation, the journey... he had been pushed along, barely managing to use the most basic functions of the system.

Now that he finally had a moment, it was time to study it in detail.

The interface in his consciousness was much the same as he had first seen it; the character card, spellbook, and inventory slots were all displayed quietly, nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as he was about to exit, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a "+" symbol next to his avatar.

When he had first opened the interface, this thing did not seem to be there.

He tried tapping it, and a sub-menu unfolded.

What was displayed inside was not items or skills, but a row of... miniature avatars?

What kind of new feature was this?