The Master Merely Appreciated Beauty, with No Desire to Possess It? (Please Subscribe and Vote with Monthly Tickets)

Darya looked troubled. "But what do we have to persuade someone so important to help us? We have nothing."

Anastasia gave Darya a complicated look, as though wondering whether she truly did not understand or was merely playing dumb. At last, she said softly, "We still have ourselves."

Their greatest asset was their heaven-bestowed beauty, which could bring countless men to their knees.

Darya instantly understood Anastasia's implication. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she fell silent.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard on the other side, Li Chen, who was playing the role of Master Urge, had indeed encountered a small "surprise."

His original plan had been to demonstrate his ability to "heal" Grand Duke Andrei, then have Yekaterina drop hints to Vasily's wives and concubines. They would naturally come seeking his aid of their own accord.

Unexpectedly, before the plan had even properly begun, the cold beauty named Katrian, who possessed Northern Elf blood, had come to him herself.

She approached with graceful steps and offered Li Chen an impeccably proper wizard's salute, one that even carried an ancient air. Her voice was cool as an icy spring, yet held precisely the right degree of reverence. "Katrian pays her respects to the great Saint. Within you flows the same spiritual essence of nature as that of my distant ancestors, inspiring both kinship and awe."

Beneath his mask, Li Chen raised his brows slightly, inwardly surprised.

This was his first time posing as a Shaman, and he did not fully understand many of their practices and rules. Could her elven blood actually sense the aura of nature he was imitating? That was a new discovery.

Without betraying anything, he replied in a hoarse voice, "Oh? You can sense the fluctuations of nature's spirits?"

He followed up with questions, hoping to draw more