114 Prelude

After blowing an additional two loads into the beaker and rubbing a final one out between Albedo's thighs, Paul departed the lab in relatively high spirits. Albedo's personality left a lot to be desired, but quiet and serious girls weren't without their charms.

"Hmmm...where to next...?"

With no official duties or responsibilities, Paul found himself in a situation where he risked inconveniencing or disrupting anyone he decided to pay a visit. The girls that had accompanied him from the North were an obvious exception, at least for the time being, but he had no way of knowing what they had gotten up to since his departure from the showroom.

"I'm starting to get a better understanding of why that place exists..."

Since the showroom was where the girls gathered in their free time, it was the most obvious place to go if Paul wanted to avoid getting in the way of people trying to work. It was also conveniently located next to his room, so, even if he were just returning to rest, he would invariably be tempted to stop by and see who was inside.

"Clever girl..."

Though the showroom was a joint effort of all the girls, Paul didn't have to strain himself to imagine Ningguang roping in the rest. She could be 'very' persuasive when she wanted to be, so, even if it was just setting things in motion, Paul could picture her squinty-eyed smile as everything gradually fell into place.

Recalling his promise to inform Ningguang before he accessed the IOF, Paul asked someone to show him to the nearest clock. It was just after 5 PM, but that was around the time things began calming down as people ate dinner and prepared to retire for the night.

With around an hour before the sun began to set over the horizon, Paul decided he should probably check in on Amalie, Esme, and the triplets. It had only been a day since their separation, but even that was a fairly long time considering the family of felines was completely out of their element.

Fortunately for Paul, Amalie and her children hadn't just holed themselves up in their room all day, anxiously awaiting his return. Ningguang had sent a few Beast People Maids over to help them get settled in. The compound also had educational and care facilities, so Amalie ended up helping out in the kitchen while Esme received lessons in Magic and Swordsmanship. As for the triplets, the care center had personnel who were uniquely qualified to deal with Beast Race children...

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By the time Paul was finished wandering around and checking on Amalie and her kids, it was just after 6 PM. This was a good time to meet up with Ningguang, but Paul decided to get some dinner before heading over. His intuition told him it would be a long night, so he wanted to fill his stomach before anything else.

With the 'luck' he had experienced during breakfast and lunch, Paul would be lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed to find the canteen's VIP lounge empty when he entered for dinner. It was a space large enough to seat around 50 people comfortably, so it felt odd to have such a spacious room to himself.

"Eh, it's probably for the best..."

Since he would be aiming for a new Archon during tonight's summoning, Paul knew there was a good chance the number of his companions would be increasing rather drastically. After all, there were purported to be more than a hundred people lingering within the Intersection of Fate, so the 33 he had summoned thus far was only about a third of the total amount.

With his thoughts wandering to the IOF, Paul tried to recall the names of everyone he was familiar with but had yet to summon. Diluc was the first to appear within his mind, but he also recalled people like Mona, Noelle, Sucrose, Klee, Hu Tao, and Keqing. There was also that pink-haired fox girl that was really popular in the community prior to his death, but Paul had never played through the Inazuma content, so he couldn't remember the specifics surrounding her character. All he knew for sure was that she was 'very' close to Ei...

Realizing it had been a while since he actively asked the girls about their pasts, Paul made a mental note to start updating his journal again as he prepared to depart the lounge. He half-expected someone to show up at the last moment, but that ended up being an unnecessary concern as the buffet was actually closing down by the time he emerged. The facility was open 24/7, but the only food items availably 'after hours' were bread, milk, dried meat, and vegetable stew.

With the compound shifting into night operations mode, the number of staff decreased rather drastically. There were people wandering the halls, but they were primarily security personnel rather than ordinary members of the Service Corps.

Having made the journey from the canteen to Ningguang's office earlier in the day, Paul only got turned around once or twice before finding his way. By then, Ningguang wasn't the only person awaiting his arrival. There was also Ganyu, obviously, Kokomi, Ei, and, presumably after receiving word of his return, Zhongli and Kusanali.

Just as Paul was being allowed into the room by Ganyu, Kusanali, now appearing as a mature, dark-skinned beauty with pale golden eyes and a lithe figure, remarked, "It would appear Ningguang wasn't exaggerating. In just three short years, you practically became a giant."

Adding on to Kusanali's words, an incredibly buxom woman who Paul immediately recognized as Zhongli, adopted a faint smile as she calmly appended, "Giant or no, it's rather impressive how much he has grown. I even felt my heart skip a beat when he first entered the room..."

Seeing the matured Archons, Paul briefly found himself at a complete and utter loss for words. Zhongli had developed a voluptuous figure that could rival Ei's, but she was nearly as tall as he was. Kusanali was comparatively petite, but her sharp, angular, almost snake-like eyes harmonized with her dark skin to give her a very exotic and alluring charm...

Recovering from his momentary stupor, Paul attempted to appear serious as he met Zhongli's gaze and remarked, "The IOF didn't pull any punches when it coded you as female, did it? It almost feels wrong for you to have such a figure..."

Maintaining her smile, Zhongli crossed her arms in a manner that further accented her breasts as she explained, "This is the IOF's way of making it easier for us to fulfill our respective duties. The greater your apprehension towards a particular individual, the more their body will adjust to suit your preferences. I believe we have already discussed this...?"

Nodding his head, Paul flatly replied, "Yeah, back when you were telling me how to produce Seelies. I still remember that particular conversation 'very' clearly..."

Restraining a chuckle, Zhongli squinted her eyes and said, "Speaking of which...it's been quite a while. After all this time, I imagine Lord Kusanali and I have some catching up to do..."

With Zhongli directing her gaze toward her, Ei's body tensed as a faint red hue colored her cheeks. She and Paul had produced several Seelies, but nowhere near as many as they could have. The process of giving birth to them was beyond embarrassing, and she had a hard time separating from them once they were born.

Seeing through Ei's reaction, Zhongli exhaled a faintly exasperated sigh before adopting an encouraging smile and saying, "No matter. As Master Paul grows more powerful and the energy within his body develops, the Seelies we produce will become more potent. The most important thing right now is that we gather each of the Seven. We will need an abundance of all seven Elements to achieve our goal."

Nodding her head in agreement, Ningguang chimed in to say, "That's the reason we have gathered here. Paul intends to acquire at least one more Archon before venturing back home. With any luck, Ladies Murata or Venti will be joining our ranks before the evening concludes. If not, well, we will still be able to increase the number of our allies by a fair amount."

Smiling wryly, Paul pointed out, "You know, not saying their names is an excellent way to guarantee summons you don't want. I understand your concerns about the Tsaritsa, but is Varuna really that bad? Based on what Lynette has told me, she is a very caring and righteous person."

Furrowing her brows, Ningguang retorted, "If by caring and righteous you mean controlling and quick to execute anyone who opposes her idea of a utopia, then you're spot on..."

Supporting Ningguang's assertion, Zhongli explained, "Fontaine presents itself as a nation of beauty, art, and water. However, hidden beneath the surface, it is a nation ruled by a Tyrant who purports the idea of 'absolute justice.' Any who oppose her ideals simply disappear, never to be seen or heard from again..."

"Well, that's ominous..."

Nodding her head, Zhongli replied, "Indeed." before adopting a serious expression and warning, "You should prepare yourself. If you do end up summoning the Archons of Cryo or Hydro, you may have no choice but to use your 'authority' to control them. The Tsaritsa, in particular, possesses the ability to charm men and women alike with a glance. We will intervene if she tries to use her powers against you, but unless we keep her locked away, her influence and ideals would gradually spread through the ranks of the Service Corps and beyond..."

"..."

While Zhongli's words sounded a little extreme, the Tsaritsa was one of the primary antagonists within the game. Her forces, the Fatui, were not against murder, blackmail, mind control, and even human experimentation if it meant completing their objectives. They actively worked to destabilize every other nation, often claiming the lives of countless innocents in their efforts to steal the Gnosis of other Archons and ensure their Empress, the Tsaritsa, reigned over all.

Though Paul knew there was more to the story than the Tsaritsa simply being the 'big bad,' the methods she employed to achieve her objectives were more than enough reason to take Zhongli's warning seriously. The notion of using his 'power' to compel people to obey made him more than a little uncomfortable, but, considering the Tsaritsa readily did the same, it was assuredly some kind of karmic justice to have her endure a similar experience.

"Thanks...I'll keep that in mind..."

Nodding her head in approval, Zhongli said, "That's all I can ask." before pulling out a very expensive-looking pocket watch, checking the time, and adding, "By this time, the sun would have long completed its descent over the horizon. Shall we proceed to the main event?"

Since the decision was ultimately Paul's to make, everyone focused their gazes on him. The pressure naturally exuded by the Archons was enough to make goosebumps spread across his arms and legs, but Paul managed to shrug it off with relative ease as he answered, "Sure. Afterward, we can have a little celebration-slash-reunion party. I've come to a few important realizations these last couple of weeks, so, for once, I'm actually looking forward to clapping your cheeks. I sure as hell gave you enough chances to back out..."

Though Paul's language was a little uncouth, Zhongli just exhaled a faint laugh in response to his words. She had never once been troubled by her change in gender. Rather, after spending more than 6000 years as a male, womanhood had been a rather novel experience. Thus, if Paul wanted to 'clap her cheeks,' she was more than willing to oblige.

Regaining her composure, Zhongli adopted an alluring smile that could give Ningguang and Lisa a run for their money as she said, "Excellent. I'm looking for to it..." in a deep yet irrefutably feminine tone.

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