Ethan gently brushed her disheveled hair aside, kissing her earlobe before slowly merging into her, becoming one entity.
His movements grew rougher, every thrust causing Anna’s body to shiver, her mouth emitting moans that stirred one’s blood.
ƥαṇdαs ηθνε| Their bodies were tightly entwined, absorbing each other’s essence.
Anna felt something constantly emerging within her, Ethan’s essence gradually seeping into her.
Her breathing became more and more labored, her cheeks flushed, her eyes in a daze.
Her body tensed uncontrollably, craving more.
Ethan glanced at Anna who was slowly losing herself, and he couldn’t help but smirk.
He opened his attribute panel and selected the newly unlocked Soul Magic category.
“There’s a spell here that piques my interest, perfect for a test run.”
Within Soul Magic, there was a spell named “Heartbane”.
The person affected by the Heartbane spell would see the caster as their beloved, dedicating themselves entirely without any thoughts of betrayal.
But to activate this ability required many prerequisites, the primary one being complete submission of the target to the caster.
“Isn’t this the perfect situation?” Ethan spent five thousand gold coins to unlock the Heartbane spell, choosing Anna as the target.
Anna’s current mental state was too fitting, as if the love potion candle was custom made for this Soul Magic.
A strange black light rose, swirling between them.
Mysterious symbols surfaced on Anna’s forehead and then vanished.
The next moment, Ethan felt a profound connection between himself and Anna, he could even perceive her every emotion.
“So, this is Soul Magic? It’s so handy.”
Anna’s attitude towards Ethan became more submissive and devoted after the pact.
Ethan couldn’t help but moan delightfully while enjoying Anna’s servitude.
It was uncertain how much time had passed.
When Ethan’s lust was finally satisfied, Anna underneath him had completely fainted.𝔬𝗏𝓵xt.𝚌𝒐𝔪
…
Ethan, rejuvenated and refreshed, stepped out of the dungeon, bumping straight into Rose who had been eavesdropping outside.
“I didn’t mean to… I was just…” Rose started explaining with a red face.
She could’ve quietly left before Ethan came out given her perception skills, but the erotic scene inside had somewhat disoriented her.
“No need to explain, I understand,” Ethan smirked, pulling Rose in for a kiss.
Their tongues entwined, and hearing Ethan’s increasingly heavy breathing, Rose quickly pushed him away.
If Ethan’s mood was stirred again, she was unsure if she could satisfy him.
Although Rose was also somewhat aroused, she forcibly suppressed her desires, pushing Ethan away and saying, “Stop messing around, we have serious matters to handle right now.”
“You can do whatever you want after we finish the important stuff.”
“Really anything?” Ethan whispered something into Rose’s ear, causing her face to turn beet red instantly. “You pervert!”
After their playful exchange, they returned to the serious matters.
Capturing a large city like Riverside was just the first and simplest step.
The challenging part was figuring out how to govern it afterwards.
Following the withdrawal of the Dark Lord army, what remained was a giant mess.
Deciding how to arrange for the NPCs originally in the city and whether the Heroes should stay or leave became the most pressing issue for Ethan.
The two carefully discussed and set up a basic framework.
Ethan patted Rose’s head and said, “Let’s proceed with the plan then. Make sure you play your part well in this performance, don’t let anyone see through us.”
“I got it,” Rose nodded.
…
By now, Riverside had completely fallen, and the Dark Lord Alliance began looting wildly within the city.
It was like a swarm of locusts leaving nothing but devastation everywhere.
With a wealth of spoils, the Lizard Dark Lord was the first to withdraw from Riverside.
Following this, the Gnoll Dark Lord and Werewolf Dark Lord also left one after another.
The Succubus Dark Lord, Geisha Dark Lord, and Vampire Dark Lord who had reaped great rewards, also decided to leave after informing Ethan.
In the end, only the Dark Elf Dark Lord and Ethan remained.
Tessa Barron stood on the city wall, her black hair dancing in the wind.
Her icy beauty, along with her demeanor, made her the most fitting female figure for the term Dark Lord.
Dark Elf Dark Lord turned to Ethan, her cold voice slowly sounding, “What are your plans for Riverside?”
Ethan didn’t bother hiding his intentions, saying bluntly, “We’ve finally captured this city. Of course, we can’t simply let it go.”
Dark Elf Dark Lord nodded, “Then you better be prepared. Capturing Riverside and occupying Riverside are two different concepts.”
Ethan understood what Tessa Barron meant.
He had taken advantage of the absence of Riverside’s main force to capture the city, and it wasn’t an easy process.
The casualty rate of his troops was high.
If it weren’t for the Summoning Altar that allowed for timely replenishment of soldiers, he would’ve needed at least half a year to recover from this battle.
If he chose to abandon the city now, and when Riverside’s main force returned to restore the Guardian Barrier, the cost of capturing Riverside next time would be at least tenfold.
But Ethan was not going to easily give up on something he had within his grasp.
However, if Ethan chose to occupy Riverside and turned it into a Dark Lord territory, he would be facing the entire Sunset Empire.
The Empire would never allow a main city to be occupied by the Dark Lords.
To save face, the Empire would definitely send a large army, a force that Ethan currently had trouble dealing with.
However, Ethan had already prepared for this scenario.
“I know what to do. I won’t be so foolish as to occupy Riverside and blatantly trample on the face of the Sunset Empire.”
“I look forward to the good news then.” Tessa Barron nodded.
After bidding Ethan farewell, she also led her troops to retreat.
“I should withdraw too… but it can’t be that simple,” Ethan mused as he watched the retreating Dark Lord alliance, already calculating his next moves. “But there’s something I’m very interested in before I leave.”
Back at the Black Rose, Ethan summoned Anna.
She was now wearing a rather plain outfit that clearly didn’t fit well.
The buttons on her top were straining, as if they might snap at any moment.
“Master Ethan, how may I assist you?” Anna knelt down obediently.
Under the effect of the Heartbane spell, she had become Ethan’s most loyal woman.
Ethan nodded, motioning her to rise, then asked, “I’m interested in this Riverside treasury you spoke of. The Dark Lord alliance practically looted Riverside, and although we gained a lot, I feel like we’re missing something.”
“We captured the City Lord Manor. Even though Riverside’s main force had already left on a campaign, taking a lot of supplies with them, there should still be plenty left in the treasury.”
“But when I opened the warehouse of the City Lord Manor, what was stored inside was quite disappointing. So, I thought of the treasury you mentioned. Tell me more about it.”
“Understood, Master.” Anna nodded and began her explanation.
The massive war effort in Riverside had depleted a lot of money.
The items left in the City Lord Manor warehouse were pretty much all that Riverside had left.
However, the treasury Anna mentioned had little to do with Riverside.
“The treasury I mentioned may not even be known to the City Lord himself… You should know, Master, that I am the owner of Riverside’s Magic Tower, and under its augmentation, I can monitor the entire city… including the City Lord Manor.”
“Under the City Lord Manor, there seems to be a large hollow space. Even though it’s very vague, I still sensed a lot of treasure in there.”
“I’ve secretly investigated that place several times, but always ended up with nothing. So, I began to look into a lot of information about Riverside before it was established…”
Anna paused here, “Master Ethan, aren’t you curious why that Black Dragon is so persistent in opposing Riverside?”
“What do you mean?” Ethan asked, also realizing that something was off after listening to Anna’s words.
Dragons are known for their high intelligence, with cunning and deception being their trademarks.
Given the strength of that Black Dragon, and the lack of any deep hatred between it and Riverside, it was unusual for the two sides to have been at war for so many years.