MI100 Strife Zone (Patreon)

"This is where Ningguang's secret base is located? It looks more like a refugee camp..."

After a rough but ultimately uneventful journey, Paul and his group found themselves at the outskirts of a makeshift 'city' formed almost entirely of tents. The only building resembled a yurt hut surrounded by a moat and a series of wooden barricades, its perimeter guarded by a group of rugged, clearly demonic men wearing little more than leopard skins and loincloths.

Looking closer, Paul noticed that, among the hundreds, if not thousands of refugees present, the majority belonged to the various demonic, beast people, and magic races. Humans were a minority, and, as far as he could tell, there were very few women present.

Just as Ganyu was about to apprise Paul of the situation, a veritable mob began to form, many wielding simple farming tools such as pitchforks and hoes as they assembled into a rough formation. Only a handful of people were equipped with genuine weapons and armor, but they all stood in the back, cautiously observing the disturbance from a safe distance.

Grabbing the hilt of his sword, Paul was prepared to draw it but didn't. His mastery of the Water God Style had given him a keen sense when it came to things like killing intent, so he could immediately tell something was off about the group forming against them.

Confirming Paul's suspicions, Ganyu placed her hand over the one he was using to grip his sword, assuring, "These people are not our enemies."

Lending credibility to Ganyu's assertion, someone that Paul recognized managed to squeeze their way through the crowd. Her face was covered in black soot, and she was dressed like someone forced to work in a coal mine, but Paul immediately recognized the petite figure as Lamilette, the former slave his father had purchased for him so many years prior.

"Master Paul~!"

Despite her diminutive height and short legs, Lamilette was able to cover the hundred or so meters to Paul in less than five seconds. Dwarves had naturally strong and inordinately dense bodies, so this was an impressive feat for someone whose training revolved exclusively around mining and processing ore.

"Oof-!"

Raising his hands, Paul managed to catch Lamilette but was still pushed back a few steps as her rock-hard cranium impacted his diaphragm. The air was forced from his lungs, but Paul still managed a forced smile as he set the overexcited Dwarf on the ground and groaned, "It's...good to see you...Lam..."

Though she would have ordinarily greeted or apologized to Paul for her actions, Lamilette was feeling dizzy after her head smacked what felt like a block of solidifying concrete. Paul might not have been pushing himself during his stay in Sharia, but he rarely slacked in his training. He was also rather fond of his abdominal muscles, so he would spend upwards of four hours a day working his core. If he included the time he spent having sex, the number would be closer to eight.

Seeing that Lamilette recognized the group of outsiders, the posse that had formed along the perimeter of the tent city began to break up. A few people lingered behind out of curiosity, but most people had better things to do than concern themselves with others. Those that remained were either busybodies or people that had once served Paul back at the Notos Estate. In fact, upon closer examination, Paul actually recognized a few of the people wearing proper equipment...

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Instead of being guided to the rather conspicuous yurt hut, Paul and co were shown to a secret tunnel located within a nearby copper/lead mine. The yurt was the property of a mercenary group that Ningguang had both created and hired as a front, while her actual operations occurred as deep as 300m below the surface.

Though he had seen the tunnels Zhongli had helped construct beneath the Notos Estate, Paul found himself at a loss for words when Lamilette led them into a series of neatly carved, excessively clean corridors. It was well lit with thick carpets covering the ground, art pieces on display, and a veritable army of Maids roaming about in traditional uniforms modified for combat. Of course, the thing that stood out the most was the beyond-regal beauty waiting for them to arrive.

"You've finally arrived, my dearest Master. And my, how you've grown..."

As Paul was checking her out, Ningguang made no effort to conceal her appraising gaze. She had known he would mature into a fairly attractive man, but his present appearance far exceeded even her expectations.

"If I had known you would turn out this handsome, I might have insisted we go forward with our marriage..."

Unamused by Ningguang's remark, Barbara groaned, "You..." while balling her hands into fists. She had never liked Ningguang, not because she was Paul's fiancee, but because of how she always acted like she was 'above' everyone, even the man chosen to be their Master. 

Plopping his hand down on Barbara's head, Paul said, "Calm down. We're all on the same side..." in a soothing tone. 

Inhaling a deep breath, Barbara averted her eyes from Ningguang and did her best to heed Paul's words. It wasn't easy, but she managed thanks to Paul continuing to caress her head.

Waiting until Barbara had released her clenched fists and exhaled a sigh, Ningguang suggested, "I believe a change of venue is in order. You've all just completed an arduous journey, so I'm sure you'd like to rest. We have rooms prepared for each of you and a large bath where you can ease the tensions of your bodies. There is also a fully stocked kitchen, so our chefs can prepare something to eat if you're feeling peckish."

Answering before Barbara could potentially blow a gasket, Paul replied, "Sounds good." before turning to his group and saying, "You girls can go on ahead. I need to talk with Ningguang. Once I'm finished, we can take a bath and blow off some steam together."

Though people like Barbara and Amalie wanted to stay with Paul, nobody protested as Ningguang directed a group of maids to show them to their rooms. The sole exception to this was Ganyu, who, as could be expected, accompanied Paul and Ningguang to the latter's private quarters.

Upon entering the luxurious chamber, filled with expensive furniture and a veritable library of books, Ningguang took the initiative to pull at the cord holding her gown in place. She had the benefit of a Geo Vision and having Zhongli around, but the crest on her abdomen had been aching ever since her separation from Paul. As someone who had absorbed his 'essence' in the past, her body craved the energy that only he could provide.

Though he was briefly surprised by Ningguang's actions, that didn't stop Paul from admiring her perfectly shaped bottom, emphasized by a pair of white, gold-trimmed panties.

Without bothering to remove her shoulder-length gloves, stockings, and heels, Ningguang turned to Paul with a desirous look on her face as she said, "At the risk of sounding imprudent, I thought we could make up for lost time while we carried out our discussion. Though Barbara might scoff if she heard me express this, I have missed you. The moments we shared back at the Notos Estate have become some of my fondest memories..."

Recalling the times she teased or simply cuddled with Paul, the smile on Ningguang's face became markedly more genuine than usual. She could emulate such an expression at will, but this was one of the few times she didn't need to. Paul had enabled her to carry out all of her plans, so even if she didn't love him the same way as some of the other girls, Ningguang both respected and admired him. After all, she half-expected him to break by now...

"Mmm..."

Distracted by Ningguang's flawless, Paul wasn't paying as much attention to her expression and words as he should. She was like a skillfully crafted doll when she was younger, but now that she had matured, only ethereal beauties like Ganyu could even hope to compete. It might sound strange as there were literal Gods among the people he had summoned, but Paul felt like she was a Goddess descended to the mortal world.

Seeing the tempered passion in Paul's gaze, Ningguang's smile gained a touch of lasciviousness as she ran the sold gold, talon-like extensions of her fingers down the central line of her body as she inquired, "I already told you what I thought about your development...perhaps you would like to return the favor~?"

Catching Ningguang slightly off guard, Paul's expressions became severe and focused as he stared directly into her eyes and said, "I'm not a poet, but even if I were, words could never capture the essence of your beauty. Instead, I will show my appreciation with actions..."

Having already removed his coat, Paul grabbed the collar of his tunic and tore it away with all his strength. He had been looking forward to this day since the moment Zhongli first explained the nature of the Intersection of Fate. It might sound unbelievably scummy, but Ningguang was one of the few women he wholeheartedly intended to conquer. To that end, he owed her for four and a half years of constant teasing...

Instead of exhibiting fear, Ningguang simply smiled in response to Paul's words and actions. He might have thought he was being sneaky, but she had seen through his intentions years ago. She wasn't able to prevent a shiver from spreading through her body when he ripped his shirt off, but her gloves and stockings prevented Paul from seeing the goosebumps on her arms and legs.

Simply put, things were developing exactly how Ningguang imagined they would. Her only oversight was that she hadn't accounted for Lisa teaching Paul techniques and weaknesses she didn't even know were a thing...

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While Paul was busy teaching Ningguang the value of practice over theory, news of his arrival naturally spread to others he had summoned through the Intersection of Fate. This included a certain pink-haired cat girl who, upon learning that Paul had returned, rushed over the room that had been set aside for him.

Without bothering to knock, said pinkette kicked open the door to Paul's room, shouting, "You sure took your time!" in a chastising tone that was undermined by the excited smile on her face. Unfortunately, rather than the person she was looking for, the pinkette was greeted by the scene of Barbara and Jean discussing something near the foot of Paul's bed. The others who had accompanied him from the North had temporarily split up, so just the two of them were present.

"..." x3

Recovering sooner than the other two, Jean adopted a friendly, albeit slightly surprised smile as she asked, "Diona? Is that really you? You've grown so much."

Though they had all grown considerably due to Paul's mishap with Touki, most of the girls resembled the versions of themselves Jean was familiar with back in their world. Diona had only been twelve back in their world, so this was the first time Jean was seeing her mature form.

Instead of responding to Jean's words, Diona slumped to the ground and began drawing circles with a depressed look on her face. She had been looking forward to her reunion with Paul ever since she miraculously grew up overnight. It had always annoyed her that she was one of the few girls he refused to touch before his departure, so she intended to get back at him for always treating her like a child.

Before Jean could recover enough to ask if Diona was okay, the latter abruptly sprung to her feet and ran off in the direction of Ningguang's office. If Paul wasn't in his room, that seemed like the most likely place for him to be.

After waiting for an additional three years, Diona's patience had reached its limit...

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