chapter 6: jealous zen

In front of a giant building, a girl in a waitress dress and a young boy stood. After some observations, they headed toward the building's entrance.

"Stop! Where are you going? Don't you know that underage individuals aren't allowed?" Two men wearing black security uniforms blocked their path.

The girl responded, "Who is underage? I am 29 years old. Even your father would call your aunt if you met me." She proudly revealed her identity card.

Zen and the guards were bewildered at the sight of the girl's youthful appearance, considering her claim of being thirty years old, but it was something Zen found digestible.

The security guards ignored her, their attention fixed on Zen.

Zen, in turn, disregarded them and took out a gold coin. "I believe something has fallen on the road. Oh, it's a king coin. I wonder to whom it belongs, sir."

Both security guards reacted like bees drawn to honey, instinctively lunging for the coin. Zen paid them no mind and continued walking toward the entrance.

"Why did you toss such a large sum? Your identity should have sufficed to make them yield," she asked, her eyes locked on the coin on the ground.

Zen replied, "Bothersome. It's just a small amount. I used to punish count royals with a coin of full three warehouses."

Jenny, the waitress, didn't even touch a single royal coin throughout her life, trying to comprehend the value. "One king coin equals one hundred SL coins and ten million bronze coins, while equal to... considering the number of coins in the four warehouses... 1, 2... no, there are too many trillions." She sweat out while counting.

As they stepped inside the club, the world outside seemed to fade away. The interior was a symphony of dimmed, pulsating lights, casting an ethereal glow on the eclectic crowd. The thumping bass from the DJ's booth reverberated through the room, shaking the very floor beneath their feet. The walls were adorned with a mix of modern art and vintage posters, creating an intriguing juxtaposition of old and new.

The bar, a long, polished mahogany counter, was a centerpiece where mixologists crafted elaborate cocktails, each a work of art in itself. The dance floor was a sea of bodies in perpetual motion, a diverse assembly of people lost in the music. Couples swayed to the rhythm, and individuals danced with wild abandon.

It was a place where one could lose themselves in the music and the anonymity of the crowd. The club had an air of decadence and excitement, a place where secrets were whispered, alliances formed, and romances ignited. It was a world within a world, a microcosm of life's thrills and temptations, where every visit promised a new adventure.

Zen was eager to explore this scene, but as he approached the spiral stairs at the center, he was abruptly blocked by a man in a black hood.

"Child, stop! This place is not for beggars," the hooded man declared, his vocal pressure pushing Zen several feet back.

"Gene power, you can't just be a guard here. Am I right?" Zen remarked.

The hooded man responded, "Quite interesting. You didn't flinch at my sound burst. Need I remind you, I'm the owner of this place. It is not the birth of an ordinary family child can do. I apologize for my rudeness. May I know your name?"

"I don't think my identity is necessary. This should be enough to allow me to pass," Zen said, producing a black token he had stolen from his mother's waist during a previous fight. It was his real purpose after many years of endurance, daring to retaliate against the ghost monster.

"Very well, sir. I've seen members of the royal family kneel before this token," the hooded man acknowledged, recognizing the Nightmere family symbol. Most of the restaurant and cafes, including Newday Cafe, were property of the Nightmere family. Their word was enough to destroy the life of an ordinary cafe owner.

"Clear the way," Zen commanded, ignoring formalities. He grabbed Jenny's hand and proceeded up the stairs.

The upper room was three times the size of the one below, with each table occupied by high society members. In the center, a woman in a thin white robe surrounded by floating rainflowers moved in harmony with the song. The beauty of her green eyes was a captivating sight. Her emerald eyes, shimmering like precious gems, held a hint of ancient wisdom. Her delicate face was partially veiled, adding an air of mystery to her presence.

As she sat gracefully in the heart of a colossal rainbow-rooted tree, her fingers danced upon the strings of a violin, conjuring a symphony of notes that seemed to echo the very essence of the natural world. The enchanting colors of the rainbow roots wove a surreal tapestry around her, creating a scene of unparalleled magic and wonder.

"Unbelievable, parallel beauty. In spite of the veil hindrance, her rosy lips' seductiveness is too enchanting, as if the appearance of an elf hybridized with the texture of an angel," Zen exclaimed.

"Yes, she's an elf from the Petal Moon Kingdom," the club owner confirmed.

Zen asked, "Why is she working in your club? Don't you know that Utopia and the Petal Moon Kingdom have a pact of harmony?"

The owner's legs trembled under the weight of Zen's questions.

"Sir, please forgive me, but she's not a slave. She's the girlfriend of a member of the royal family. She performs here for her own wish. We don't know the reasons, but a week ago she suddenly came and requested us to give her the opportunity to perform in our restaurant. How can a mere restaurant owner deny a person related to the royal house?"

Zen's eyes widened upon hearing about a royal family member. "Shit, I was imprisoned for seventeen years, and another child of the royal family enjoys a great feast. Who is that bastard that caught a rare fish from the elf town?"

The Petal Moon Kingdom is situated at the east border of the Warlight Kingdom. During the evolution, they abandoned the human race for love of their nature. Even with a small population, the Petal Moon Kingdom was not something the Warlight Empire could casually go against. The power of nature inside their genes gave them the appearance of the most beautiful and, at the same time, strong magic users.

Suddenly, the music stopped.

The elf woman opened her petal-soft eyelids, revealing glimmers of emerald stone irises. Moving her rosy jade slender hips, she gradually stepped in Zen's direction with an enchanting curl of a smile at the corner of her lip, stepping on a bed of rose petals plucked from the rainbow tree, each graceful step causing every man to drool uncontrollably. From the corner, the boiling blood rush almost caused their perineum to prolapse.

When their eyes met, an unfamiliar surge of energy coursed through Zen's body. The club owner knelt before her, sweating nervously.

She leaned in, her face inches from his. Her soft fingers touched his shoulder, and the aroma of ethereal petals almost rendered Zen defenseless.

Her rose lips gave soft bites on Zen's ear, while each blow of her exhale boiled Zen's blood.

"Chuckles. I'm"Chuckles. I'm not a small fish that your brother could catch. This cuckoo of the forest tree chooses its prey," she declared, her words sending a shiver down Zen's spine.

Her next move left him momentarily blacked out. Her body pressed against his, a mixture of pleasure and pain engulfing him below the neck.

Drawing from a lifetime of experiences, Zen steadied himself. "Hold on, Zen. Don't let hormones control you."

"Are you done?" Zen asked firmly, breaking free from her grip.

She removed her mouth from his neck and pinched his nose, eliciting an "ouch."

"It's impolite to raise your voice at a woman," she scolded.

"I'm sorry," Zen apologized, either spontaneously or due to her manipulative charm.

"Good boy," she praised, waving her hand.

Zen himself was confused by what kind of magic made him behave so obediently in front of a woman wanting to pet him with her soft hand.

The rainbow tree at the center transformed into a giant flying tree monster. She leaped onto it, the monster disappearing into the air and dropping a fruit into the hands of the restaurant owner.

Zen gazed at the monster, his breath struck for a second. "Ancient elefa gymnosporous, monster level at least at level 50, in its juvenile state," he noted, recognizing the creature's species.

The owner caught the fruit and rejoiced. "Thank you for this gift."

"Is this an 'orthidic genra' fruit, capable of curing bone diseases?" Zen inquired, recalling a magical fruit from his readings.

"Yes, my lord. My daughter suffered from a rare bone disease, and thanks to this fruit, she doesn't have to anymore. Please thank your girlfriend for her kindness," the owner explained.

Zen murmured, "I hope your words were real, but she is not my girlfriend."

Before he could ask anything else, she flew away, leaving Zen in a state of confusion.