The Sisters of Pleasure and Sister Superior Serphine

After leaving the Cloudmist Nightclub and passing through Rat Alley, with its rows of little stalls, Su Yi reached the comparatively quiet Rusty Backstreet.

Compared to the bustle of the main street, it was much quieter here. Most businesses were restaurants and inns.

A few people staggered around in small groups, while others leaned against the walls and vomited.

The whole street reeked of acidic stomach bile.

Fifty meters to the left, beside an inn called the Three-Headed Dragon, stood a rather out-of-place general store called Oak Tree.

Opening a general store in this chaotic district full of drunks hardly seemed wise.

The shop was small. Su Yi pushed open its single door and stepped inside. Daily necessities hung on the left wall: underwear, socks, hair clips, mirrors, and more.

Shelves behind the counter on the right held nutrient beans at various prices and bottled seasonings to make them easier to swallow.

Below them were tobacco, alcohol, and everyday repair tools.

An old woman in a white headscarf sat behind the counter with a pipe in her mouth.

She looked at least sixty, hunched and frail behind her reading glasses.

"At your age, running a general store here, doesn't anyone just take things without paying?" Su Yi asked with a smile.

The old woman turned slightly toward Su Yi. "Perhaps the youngsters around here take pity on an old woman like me," she said hoarsely.

Su Yi took down a towel and set it on the counter.

As the old woman was about to ring it up, she saw Su Yi hand her 100 Void Abyss Coins.

"Sir, I can't make change for that much."

"Then I'll buy something else," Su Yi said casually.

The old woman looked up. "Tobacco or alcohol?"

"I need something special that can improve me," Su Yi said.

A sharp glint flashed through her cloudy eyes behind the glasses.

"Sir, what did you say?"

"Your disguise is quite good," Su Yi said, "but there are still a few flaws."

"You're too old. That's bound to draw unwanted trouble."

"Your stock is off, too. It's too comprehensive, almost deliberately so."

"An old woman like you shouldn't have access to such a complete range of goods."

"Never mind the rest—even your tobacco and alcohol suppliers are unusual."

"And general stores aren't allowed to sell hardware."

"Most importantly, you run a shop here and don't sell contraceptives or sex toys?"

The old woman's expression shifted. "What are you getting at?"

Su Yi pushed the money toward her. "Just showing goodwill. I hope you'll help me open the door to pleasure, Sister Superior."

Creak...

The door beside them swung shut under an invisible force.

The old woman took off her reading glasses. Her murky black eyes had turned a piercing green.

"Company dog. You're not welcome here."

Su Yi smiled. "But money is welcome, isn't it, Sister Superior Serphine?"

Her ears twitched. She stared at Su Yi. "You didn't bring anyone. Seems you're a Company dog with plans of your own."

"The Company's thousand-Void Abyss Coin bounty on you really undervalues you," Su Yi said with a smile.

[Name: Sefni Plos]

[Faction: Sisters of Pleasure (Spiritual Cultivation Faction)]

[Rank: Sister Superior]

[Void Abyss Projection: Two-Headed Void Abyss Bat Lv. 3]

[Level: 21]

[Health: 4000]

[Void Abyss Flow: 1800]

[Skills: ???]

(A diligent, disciplined Sister Superior who cannot afford to heal her companion's injuries.)

Sefni sneered, her voice gradually changing from frail and raspy to mature and steady.

"You went to all this trouble to find me. What do you want?"

"As you can see, I intend to receive the Great Twins' blessing," Su Yi said.

Sefni looked at the 100 Void Abyss Coins. After a few seconds of silence, she asked, "That isn't enough to earn a blessing from the Twins."

Su Yi waved a hand. "I don't want a higher blessing. I only want the one called Self-Gratification."

"I think this price will persuade you."

Serphine froze. Even among the Sisters of Pleasure, nobody bothered learning such a useless blessing.

She studied Su Yi. "You seem to know quite a bit about us."

"Not really," Su Yi said without a flicker of expression. "I've just read some historical records."

"You know our history, yet you still dare approach us as a Company man?" Sefni sneered.

Historically, the Sisters of Pleasure had sparked three world-shaking upheavals on Rhode Star.

Once, they corrupted every senior official in the Black Sun Group's Rhode Branch. Twice, they seized control of the Rhodes Alliance's council of nobles.

The Sisters’ Society had played no small part in the bitter hostility between the Black Sun Group and the Rhodes Alliance today.

"I do know something of the Sisters’ Society's history," Su Yi said with a smile.

"The Desire Cultivation Faction caused those upheavals. You, however, firmly belong to the Spiritual Cultivation Faction."

Sefni's expression softened at that.

The Sisters of Pleasure's Desire Cultivation Faction prized physical desire, while the Spiritual Cultivation Faction sought fulfillment of the soul. The two were mortal enemies.

But the Desire Cultivation Faction's reputation was so foul, and it had committed so many crimes while posing as the Spiritual Cultivation Faction, that neither the Company nor the Alliance bothered distinguishing between them anymore.

They killed every Ecstasy Witch on sight.

The major Pleasure event in version 0.5 began when these Spiritual Cultivation Faction sorceresses, driven into a corner, suffered mental breakdowns and unleashed a widespread psychic virus.

Sefni looked at the hundred-Coin note. After several silent seconds, she turned her palm upward, and an orb of light appeared in her wrinkled hand.

"Deal."

Su Yi smiled, took the orb, and pressed it to his forehead.

As the light sank in, strange knowledge appeared in his mind.

[Name: Self-Gratification]

[Grade: D]

[Requirements: None.]

[Type: Active.]

[Overall Destructive Power: 0 entropy]

[Cost: 5 Flow.]

[Cooldown: 24 hours.]

[Effect: Increases maximum Flow by 1 point for 24 hours.]

(First thing in the morning, shout: "I'm going to treat myself!")

Seeing its effect, Su Yi sighed inwardly. Those stats are ridiculous. Anyone who uses this skill every day is a total idiot.

Sefni's gaze turned strange when Su Yi used the skill without hesitation.

"You don't look like you have trouble finding women, so why would you..."

Su Yi cleared his throat. "I have my reasons."

With that, he turned to leave.

Seeing Su Yi walk away just like that, Sefni, who had expected him to ask for something more, froze for a moment, then suddenly called out.

"Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the Company?"

Su Yi turned back with a smile. "Trust me, nobody turns down money."

"If you need money in the future, come find me at Strongarm Company. I have plenty of opportunities to make it."

He opened the door and left.

Watching Su Yi's retreating figure, Sefni was deep in thought.

A few seconds later, she quickly pocketed the money and picked up her communicator. "Annie, come watch the shop."

"We have money now. I'm taking Michelle for treatment!"

She paused, recalling Su Yi's advice, then added,

"Also, get rid of all the tobacco, alcohol, and hardware! Stock some contraceptives and sex toys."

"And just in case, have Emma follow him and see where he goes."