Chapter 50: The Mature and Voluptuous Sister-Next-Door

In that era filled with war, fear, and disease, the church, through various manipulative tactics, gained the support of a large number of commoners and developed a powerful military force. In just a few decades, the church's influence had spread across the entire southern continent.

At the same time, the war between the Southern Shenluo Empire and the Northern Shenluo Empire saw significant changes. The Southern Shenluo Empire faced defeat and had no choice but to seek the church's assistance. With the church's help, the two empires barely reached a state of balance and separation.

The church seized this opportunity to infiltrate the upper ranks of the Southern Shenluo Empire's nobility, reaching unprecedented levels of power and influence. The vastly different circumstances between the two empires led to great disparities in their societies.

In the Southern Shenluo Empire, the class divisions between nobility and commoners became rigid. Most of the nobles hailed from ancient aristocratic bloodlines, prominent long before the empire's split. Their ancestors were among the founding elders of the Shenluo Empire, making them conservative and strict, placing great importance on lineage and social status, with a strong bias toward male dominance. Without noble blood, it was nearly impossible to rise into the upper aristocracy. Women had no right to inherit titles, serving only as tools for producing heirs.

Additionally, society at all levels generally rejected witches and magic. Under the church's influence, commoners believed witches were the source of all disasters and plagues. Whenever a witch was found, she would be tied to a cross and burned alive.

The middle and lower levels of society were primarily composed of knights and serfs, harboring hostility toward all non-human races. In the Southern Shenluo Empire, the church held dominant power. Even the emperor needed the church's approval for coronation to be recognized by the people.

In contrast, the Northern Shenluo Empire was open and progressive, with a comprehensive promotion system. Most of its nobility were newly risen. Unlike in the south, nobility here was more focused on personal ability rather than bloodline.

The Northern Shenluo Empire embraced new ideas, with a more complex social structure. Knights were just one of many middle and lower classes, and merchants or witches could rise to nobility if they proved capable. The Northern Empire advocated coexistence with other races and promoted gender equality. The church's influence was weak here, which made it a target of the church's hostility.

The two empires were in constant conflict.

Rod was currently in a small kingdom within the southern continent. His next goal was to travel to the neighboring kingdom to find Little Red Riding Hood's aunt, who was a countess—or rather, the queen consort of a king.

The good news was that the two kingdoms bordered each other, and the distance wasn't far. Traveling in a straight line, it was only a dozen kilometers to the kingdom where Red Riding Hood's aunt lived. With his Night Mare's speed, the journey would only take a few minutes.

The bad news was that a large mountain lay between the two kingdoms. To reach the destination, Rod would need to cross the entire kingdom and go around the mountain, adding dozens of kilometers to the journey. Additionally, the mountainous path was rugged and hard to navigate, likely wasting a lot of time.

"Hopefully, I can get there before nightfall."

"Let's go."

With a light pull on the reins, the Night Mare galloped forward. The rough roads and unfamiliar terrain made the journey slow, and Rod frequently had to stop and ask for directions. As nightfall approached, he finally reached the kingdom's border.

Looking up at the towering hills in the distance, Rod scratched his head.

If he went around the base of the mountain, it would take at least two more hours. Climbing over it might cut the time in half, but it was getting late. Resting first seemed like the better option.

Rod found a quiet spot and opened a portal to the real world.

A crack appeared, and Rod stepped out from the portal.

A lot had happened in the short span of half a day, but at least he had gained much from it.

"The sun's already up."

Rod glanced at the rising sun and muttered to himself. Time had passed quickly. He removed his clothes, freshened up, and changed into his school uniform. He sprayed a bit of cologne—while it wouldn't completely mask his aura, it would at least reduce its range of influence.

The last thing he wanted was to attract every woman he came across. It was fine if the woman was beautiful, but when an ugly, overweight woman batted her eyes and made advances... That feeling was... a nightmare.

As Rod stepped out of his house, he noticed his new neighbors next door driving off. Tasha stood outside, waving goodbye to her husband. She was about to head back inside when she noticed Rod.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, ma'am."

Tasha, dressed in casual homewear, looked at the serious Rod. For some reason, she suddenly thought of what had happened yesterday and smiled with a hint of mischief in her eyes.

"You don't have to be so formal. Just call me Tasha."

"Well... alright, Tasha," Rod replied, though his tone suggested it might not be proper. Yet he easily accepted the new, more intimate form of address. There was something about it that gave him a warm feeling—perhaps the sense of a mature, voluptuous older sister from next door.

"By the way, what happened to the lady from yesterday?" Tasha asked curiously, glancing toward Rod's house.

"I'm not sure. When I left yesterday, she found some excuse and left too."

"I have a feeling she was here for you," Rod said in a meaningful tone.

"Huh?" Tasha looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"For us?"