Hopeless Resistance, Part Four

"...!!!"

The girl's beautiful body stiffened once more, trembling like a puppy driven to the brink of despair. Her jade-like skin was flushed crimson, and soon she collapsed again, panting heavily. After Angela's repeated torment, Catherine no longer had the strength to move a single finger. She could only let the ropes suspend her, her strength, which she had initially used to resist, completely exhausted. From the beginning, Angela had treated Catherine like a high-class human piano, constantly touching her sensitive areas and forcing Catherine to make all sorts of sounds, which she even called "tuning."

"Only by understanding the timbre of an instrument can one play beautiful music."

Angela withdrew her hand from between Catherine's legs, a smug smile on her face as she looked at the water stains on her fingers.

"There are so many... It seems you have quite a lot of qualities; such a sensitive body is rare."

"..."

Catherine remained silent, her mind made up. No matter how much Angela slandered and insulted her, she wouldn't utter a single word. And, more importantly... she seemed to have lost the strength to speak. Angela's "seduction" was at a completely professional level; compared to her, Catherine, who knew almost nothing about matters of love and sex, was utterly powerless to resist. Although she had considered praying and reciting scriptures to ignore the physical stimulation, Angela seemed to understand her perfectly. Every time Catherine was about to get into the mood, she would intensify the stimulation, instantly ruining Catherine's preparations and forcing her to start all over again. Catherine, however, refused to give up. No matter how many times she failed, she would refocus her willpower to force herself to ignore Angela's actions. But Angela was clearly having more fun; for her, it was only interesting to have an opponent with such perseverance.

It's about time.

From Catherine's physical reaction, Angela could tell that the saintess was already exhausted. However, her eyes still shone brightly; clearly, even after such treatment, she hadn't lost her will. An ordinary woman would probably be completely consumed by desire by now... Hmph, this experimental subject the master found is truly exciting.

However, I wonder if she'll be able to pass the next test as well?

Thinking of this, Angela smiled smugly; the main course was about to begin.

Aren't you going to say anything?

"..."

"That's such a pity."

Angela's malicious smile was so obvious that anyone could see it, and Catherine, who witnessed this, felt a chill run down her spine, wondering what other methods this terrifying woman would use to torment her.

But Angela didn't look at her. Instead, she turned her head and shifted her gaze to the previously empty sofa.

"Her panting just now was quite pleasant to hear, wasn't it, Master?"

Hearing this, Catherine's heart sank to the bottom. Could it be...? Could it be...?

"Indeed."

Sure enough, a man's voice came from the sofa, and then Li Lin's figure gradually appeared. He carefully examined Catherine with a teasing and appreciative look, as if he were admiring a work of art.

"This is the first time I've ever heard that Miss Saintess could produce such an alluring voice."

"No!! No!! Don't look!! Don't look!!"

Finally, Catherine's nightmare became a reality. Her body—her entire body—had been seen naked by a man! And not her lover, but an evil sorcerer! Catherine felt as if venomous snakes were crawling all over her body. She screamed frantically, twisting and turning, seemingly trying to cover herself at all costs. But Angela's ropes had completely bound Catherine, rendering her unable to move an inch. Moreover, the earlier "teasing" had thoroughly exhausted all of Catherine's strength; even if she wanted to struggle, she could only manage a slight sway.

"No... close your eyes, don't look at me..."

Two streams of tears rolled down Catherine's cheeks. As a saint, she had always cherished her body. Not only her lover, but even the female priests had never seen her body. But now, she was dressed in such shameful and indecent clothing, her breasts and buttocks exposed, bound by ropes, allowing a man she hated to see everything clearly! This was not what she wanted! She absolutely did not want it to be like this!

"Snap."

Just then, Angela suddenly lashed out with her leather whip, striking Catherine hard across the face and silencing her scream. Then, Angela stepped forward, pressed the whip against Catherine's chin, and forced her to raise her head.

"No? What right do you have to order your master around? Listen carefully, female, being able to show your body to your master is the most glorious moment of your life... Even if you're being generous, there's a limit. Besides, this isn't the first time your master has admired your body, so what's there to be surprised about?"

"...!!"

Without needing to ask further, Catherine understood the meaning behind Angela's words. Clearly, Li Lin was also present when she appeared here yesterday.

Thinking this, Catherine could only close her eyes in despair. The thing she least wanted to happen had come to pass, causing her immense sorrow. However, Angela's whipping had also jolted her awake. Yes, she was currently just a prisoner, but she absolutely could not surrender, nor could she let them see her vulnerable side. With this thought, Catherine opened her eyes, glaring angrily at Angela, while vigorously shaking her head, trying to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, but without success.

"That's exactly the look in his eyes."

Upon noticing Catherine's gaze, Angela's eyes blazed with a bright red light.

"That's the look in your eyes, that's right. You can't give in so easily... To me, a toy that submits so easily is utterly meaningless. Resist with all your might, Miss Saint, and I will 'entertain' you with the utmost sincerity and enthusiasm."

At this point, Angela stopped looking at Catherine, as if she had lost interest in the girl after each of her missions.

"Alright, now you can take this delicate young lady back to her room."

At Angela's command, Fina and Mina, dressed in priestly robes, immediately stepped forward and untied the ropes. Catherine collapsed to the ground, and although she tried to push the two women away, her completely powerless resistance was ignored by the sisters. They quickly lifted Catherine up and left the room.

"It is because of the indomitable spirit of humanity that I have been able to live a rather enjoyable life until now."

Angela was clearly very pleased with Catherine's reaction, and then Li Lin tapped her on the head.

"Well? I told you, she's a very strong woman. Can you really guarantee that by doing this, you can transform her into the person we want her to be within a month?"

"Please rest assured, Master."

Angela gazed at Li Lin with eyes full of enthusiasm and vitality. If one ignored the surroundings, it was easy to be drawn to her expression, brimming with purpose and confidence (although the purpose itself was somewhat...).

"A month later, I will train her into a slut who would gladly spread her legs to welcome even homeless men. I really want to see what kind of expression the church will have when they discover that their holy messenger of God is swaying her snow-white buttocks in a dark alley, selling her body to a group of filthy, smelly homeless men."

"They will issue a statement saying that this is not their beautiful and holy saint, but merely someone who looks similar, and that they will quickly find a new saint to fill the vacancy... so you need to think about it some more."

"Alright, Master."

At this point, Angela could only shrug helplessly. She naturally understood that if the Temple could be dealt with so easily, it would be far too simple. Moreover, if all her hard work in training the little one ultimately proved useless, it would make him very sad.

"I will continue to think about whether there is a better way... But Master, what are your plans next?"

Judging from the little guy's mischievous gaze, he was clearly hinting at something.

Unfortunately, Li Lin disappointed the little guy.

"I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately, I have other things to do."

As he spoke, Li Lin sat back down on the sofa and then took out a few sheets of paper from his pocket.

"This is what Nia brought me today."

"Sister Nia?"

Hearing this, Angela curiously ran to Li Lin's side, looked at the few sheets of paper, and then raised an eyebrow as she stared at the words on them.

"The Construction Report of the Goddess's Jewelry?"

"Do you remember the satellite project I told Nia about before?"

At times like these, Li Lin always preferred to talk to Angela about these topics. After all, she was also from Earth, and the little guy was quite familiar with them. At least when Li Lin chatted with her, he didn't have to explain the concept itself before he could continue to express his thoughts, unlike with Nia and other mages, which obviously wasted a lot of time. Therefore, he preferred to discuss some issues with Angela.

"I remember it very clearly."

Angela her eyes and quickly retrieved that part from her memory.

Is something wrong?

"It's not really a problem... Nia told me this morning that Suoxiate accidentally discovered a half-finished Pillar of Magic Essence while planning to build Ringwraith City, so I suddenly had another idea that would be very helpful in our battle."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing about the battle, the little guy immediately perked up. Although Angela was quite satisfied with training the strong saintess, what she liked most was slaughter and the pleasure derived from plundering lives.

"And what is that thing called the 'Pillar of Magic Essence'? Could it be that you, Master, are planning to create something like a satellite orbital laser cannon?"

"That's not it..."

Li Lin frowned, tapped the drawing a few times, and then suddenly spoke.

"Angela, in your opinion, what is the most troublesome thing for a country?"

"When it comes to governing a country, nothing is without its troubles."

Angela frowned when Li Lin asked her question.

"The most important thing is the national border."

Li Lin spoke without hesitation. Then, he silently chanted an incantation, and soon, an illusionary map appeared before the two of them. Li Lin then marked all the places that once belonged to the Magic Empire in red, and then turned to look at Angela.

"Did you spot a problem?"

"Certainly."

With just a careful observation, Angela discovered the problem.

"Master, are the Magic Empire idiots? What kind of layout is this? What kind of country would allow its territory to become such a mess?"

Although the Magic Empire's territory appears vast on the map, it harbors obvious problems. It has expanded into areas it shouldn't have, and in some places, simply guarding key transportation routes would have ensured the nation's safety. However, the Magic Empire has extended its territory beyond these routes, even occupying plains that are of no use to it. This will only subject it to the most severe blows, yet the Magic Empire has done just that. Angela frowned, quickly discovering several similar problems in the border regions, and she didn't hesitate to criticize it.

"That's right."

Li Lin nodded firmly, agreeing with Angela's statement.

"Such a territorial division is a strategically flawed choice, but it is quite necessary for us."

As he spoke, Li Lin casually waved away the illusion map and looked at Angela with a serious expression.

"Next, I'm going to tell you something extremely secret about our Magic Empire... although the Magic Empire no longer exists."

Li Lin paused for a moment before continuing.

"I think you, having lived on Earth before, understand very well that if a person wants to be physically strong, then appropriate daily exercise and a proper diet are essential. As long as you stick to the correct order, unless you're born with a poor constitution, you can always achieve some results. Systematic learning may not be suitable for some geniuses, but it can improve the learning ability of the entire population."

"That's true."

Angela slightly, but she still didn't understand what this had to do with the weapon Li Lin was about to talk about.

"The problem with the Magic Empire is that mages can't be trained casually. Unlike on Earth, where anyone can become a mage after three to five years of training, we can't. To become a mage, you need considerable talent. In this respect, magic is similar to art—perhaps sports and academics can be improved through a certain degree of effort, but art is entirely a matter of innate talent. A person with a sense of pitch can play music hundreds of times more beautifully than an ordinary person, and a person with an aesthetic sense can easily create techniques and images that ordinary people cannot master. Magic is the same; a talented person can easily achieve results that a person without talent cannot achieve even with hundreds of times the effort."

Speaking of this, Li Lin thought of the sisters Nisi and Ailinna. The younger sister possessed the talent to become Arcane Mage, but the older sister could only become a high-level mage at most—although, the path of magic is indeed cruel.

"Talent is such a capricious thing. Even if we popularize magical knowledge to the basics, those without talent simply won't learn it no matter what. And I hate things I can't control... So, at the very beginning of the Magic Empire, I began planning an experiment: to use the land of the Magic Empire to influence and modify the inhabitants, making their physiques more suitable for magic— the Arcane Mage approved my proposal and began the operation."

For Li Lin, who detests things beyond his control, nothing is more unbearable than not being able to control how many mages his own country has.

"Of course, such experiments cannot be conducted just anywhere—they only achieve the most noticeable effects in places with the highest concentration of Magic Power. Naturally, the Magic Empire would not tolerate such precious land being outside its territory. After acquiring the land we needed through various means, we modified it, altering both the rivers and the earth. Of course, this was all the result of lengthy experiments, and we only began after confirming it was harmless to the human body. Through these modifications, we made it easier for the people living here to absorb magical elements, and thus, influenced by them, to give birth to more gifted offspring."

At this point, Li Lin paused for a moment before continuing. He realized that while he didn't need to explain to Angela what a satellite was, he did need to explain what Magic Empire was.

"The experiment was a success. We conducted some basic training and popularization within the Magic Empire. As long as you follow the correct methods, even if you can't become a mage, you can still gain certain benefits. Of course, even if you don't follow those methods, there won't be any downsides... at least not until we discovered it."

At this point, a sinister smile appeared on Li Lin's face.

"However, I think you are also well aware that some medications, while harmless when taken alone, can become deadly poisons when exposed to certain specific factors."

As he spoke, he gently patted the plan in his hand.

"Those who haven't studied according to the methods of the Magic Empire cannot appreciate its benefits, and what we create will gradually precipitate within their bodies. Of course, these things won't cause harm under normal circumstances, but it's different under certain specific conditions... The Pillar of Magic Essence, this is the finished product I used to test the potency of the medicine. And through experiments, it can emit a colorless, odorless gas that spreads into the air, and then... stimulates those precipitates. Once these two things are mixed, they can become a colorless, odorless, and extremely poisonous substance."

At this point, Angela finally understood what Li Lin meant.

"So, Master, what do you mean...?"

"Useless to ordinary people, and ineffective against mages—otherwise I wouldn't have left it there for so long. But it's very effective for those who are 'determined'..."

At this point, Li Lin finally revealed his true colors.

"Angela, do you think the people currently living on the land of the Magic Empire would use the Magic Empire's methods to guide our energy and modify their bodies?"