The Gamer Chapter 1657 – Days until the Wedding 6 – Dragons and an Angel (Patreon)

Lu Zhi wore a dress that truly was of imperial fashion. That was to say, it was so utterly impractical that no one outside of a position of luxury could have ever justified even commissioning it.

Three layers of fabric, blue, then gold, then green, covered her petite form, each of them silk. Besides her enormously wide sleeves and the part of the chest where the dress closed in an overlap, John would have only been able to see the outermost, green part, had it not been for the various cut-outs. The dress was a whole topography of painted mountains and lakes surrounded by golden shores. Depth was provided by the cut-outs, elevations occasionally emphasized by metal ornaments.

Seated on a pillow, only Lu Zhi’s knees and the curve of her midriff could really be made out, courtesy of the way she sat and the sash that kept everything in place. The skirt of the dress expanded like the map of a province around her. When she moved, the mountain ranges and waterfalls on her sleeves stretched. The sheer length of the fabric prevented anything from getting dragged along though.

John and Nathalia sat on the other side of a wide, reddish-brown table. The Gamer wore his usual suit and the dragoness was covered only in her scales. The busy handmaidens that droned around the large throne room minded neither the foreign goddess’ get-up, nor the angel that leaned against one of the ancient jade pillars that held up the various structures of knotted patterns.

Tea and snacks were constantly offered to them. John barely ever found his hands empty of either cookies or a cup. “I am greatly pleased to be in the presence of your heavenly radiance once more, empress,” John said.

“We equally are pleased to witness you once more, President of Fusion. Our great nations have much still to gain from one another.” Lu Zhi drank from her tea with the elegance of a swan drifting down the river. “It must please you to hear that arrangements with those that we call the Outer Mandate are being finalized. They speak of a willingness to join your Federation as soon as your borders touch one another.”

“That is pleasing to hear,” John agreed. “For the friendship of our great nations, it ought to be said that I shall not stop paying my tribute to this old and venerated empire that you govern. Especially not since it keeps enabling me to gaze at your gorgeous face.”

A fan suddenly unfolded in Lu Zhi’s hand, covering her pink lips in the same moment as her cup touched the table. “A charmer you were and a charmer you remain,” she answered evenly, mild amusement in her voice. “Perhaps you should double your tribute and we would see it appropriate to see you more frequently?”

The Gamer considered for the audience, then sadly shook his head. “For all the respect I have for the Mandate of Heaven and you, empress, you must understand that I have a duty to my own people. These metals were mined by their hands and to give too much away in the name of diplomacy would be improper.”

“Although,” Nathalia chimed in, “we could discuss the possibility of buying cookies from you.”

Another one was swiftly offered to her on a tablet by one of the many handmaidens. All of them were gorgeous, all of them women, all of them covered in jade dresses of the traditional Chinese style. At the edge of the long hall, the Dragonspears joined the pillars in their rigidness. Up a flight of stairs was the throne Lu Zhi would take if she ever held court in this, the middle of the Palace of Centre, East, and West.

“The imperial bakers will be flattered to hear, but such would be inappropriate,” Lu Zhi answered.

“John, add her to your harem, then her bakers are ours,” Nathalia stated.

Lu Zhi laughed behind her raised fan, John chuckled eagerly, Ehtra grunted, and the handmaidens kept busily swarming around. Their primary duty appeared to be making sure the Heavenly Jade Empress’ skirt was fanned out correctly for Tianlong to use as its personal playground. Occasionally, John could almost see water droplets fly from the lakes it dived into.

“I think that might be a bit much,” John suggested, then looked at Lu Zhi as if asking her to support him.

“History has created stranger things – but I am no simple harem girl and will not join such so readily,” she declared. “Enough of these frivolities.” She snapped her fan shut, and, in a serious tone, addressed her servants, “Leave us.”

She did not have to spin any justification. Her authority was absolute and proper protocol for reception had been observed. First the handmaidens, then the Dragonspears poured out of the room, leaving John with his three haremettes.

Lulu groaned and tugged at the sash of her dress. It loosened enough that she could wiggle her way out of it, emerging from the gap of the top like a butterfly from its cocoon. The dress remained upright, even without her in it. “I hate that thing,” she complained. “Why do you make me wear it – I am plenty cute!”

The question was obviously directed at Tianlong, who remained within the dress. John wasn’t entirely clear on how far the two could distance themselves from one another, although he had the suspicion that it was less than a standard elemental contract.

Thoughts on the matter were suppressed by the view before him. Lulu had worn nothing under that dress and so she now stood stark naked in her own throne room. “I hope we didn’t come on too strong?” John asked.

“No, that felt about right for keeping the rumour mill going regarding us,” Lulu stated and tapped around the table. “The handmaidens have always been the instrument of a ruler that wishes to spread gossip.”

“And the Dragonspears?” John wondered.

“The instruments of a ruler that wants to hear less gossip.” Lulu’s smile glinted like a dagger in the dark for a short moment. Then, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to his feet.

John was too interested to see where this was going to question anything. Up the staircase, they went, to that throne that waited there. A European and an East Asian throne were quite different things. Both were a seat, of course, but this one was much wider, more ornate in its details but less ornate in its materials. John considered a throne to be primarily the seat itself, but the entire platform with its incense holders, vases, and decorated carpet could be said to be an extension of the throne itself.

Just as he was about to ask what they were doing up there, Lulu gave him a shove. He landed butt first in the seat, then became the seat for the Heavenly Jade Empress in turn. The dark-haired woman settled across his lap like a stretching cat. Unlike a stretching cat, she put her arms around his neck. “How do you like the seat?”

“Not a whole lot,” John confessed immediately. “Someone forgot to put cushions on it.”

“Sucks to be you,” Lulu joked and kissed him on the chin.

John let his eyes drift over the empty court. The view was not terribly different to the one he got from the top of the podium in parliament. The ornaments poked his back. There was a lack of significance to sitting in this chair, likely because he knew he would never hold it in earnest. He was just sitting here because Lulu wanted to tease him.

“Isn’t this highly inappropriate?” Ehtra asked, as she and Nathalia ascended the steps themselves.

“Depends on who you ask,” Lulu answered, shuffling over so Nathalia could also sit in John’s lap. The broader seat helped considerably with that. “I would never do this on the thrones of the empire that have genuine symbolic value, but this palace is, at best, a summer vacation home. Nothing important happened here for almost 200 years before you decided to set up shop in the east wing. I would be surprised if the retainers didn’t sit down here at least a few times.”

“Which makes it an acceptable place to fool around on?” Nathalia was asking for permission, first and foremost.

Lulu nodded and a moment later John had two naked women in his lap. At that point, his hands were tied. He practically had to put his pants away.

Things didn’t get sexual immediately, mostly because Ehtra intervened. “Don’t you have something you need to discuss, Master?”

The Gamer sighed, reminded of the importance of information he brought with him. “I made contact with one of the people that are unifying Japan – and likely one of the Twilight Twins.”

Lulu straightened up instantly. She thrust out a hand and Tianlong flew on over from the landscape in dress. The jade dragon wound up her limb, then came to a rest under the skin around her neck, glancing at John with the same interest as its chosen regent did. “Inform us, future husband.”

The report was given swiftly. He summarized why he had been down there and then described the confrontation and the exchange in detail. In the end, Lulu nodded thrice. “We remember this weapon. We took it off them as part of the punishment for the interference in the prosperity of our realm.” Lulu tapped at her chin with the side of a newly manifested jade fan. “This makes the matter most interesting. The Twilight Twins still are and yet they are not.”

“I would request that you double your oversight of Japan,” John told her, “but pull back to the border areas. Let them do what they want, just assure that they are contained.”

Lulu tilted her head, then smiled. “Sly one that you are, would you use our resources to keep the deal you made without violating its terms?”

“I know that your spies are more subtle than mine and – to say it like it is – they don’t stand out as much.”

John had access to only a few Asian Americans. For the most part, Fusion reflected the demographics of the USA and that meant he primarily worked with Europeans and Africans, descendants wise, and neither blended easily in Japan. Chinese people from that same longitude could, with the proper accent training, pass much, much, much easier than it was for John to arrange for all of the enchantments and transmutative brews required to change someone’s ethnic appearance in a thoroughly convincing manner.

“We shall consider. Now, cuddles.”

Ehtra was about to turn away, when Nathalia grabbed her by the wrist. “Where do you think you’re going?” the dragoness asked.

“Anywhere else?” the First of Hatred answered, then cried in protest when she was dragged onto the throne and into the deep embrace of naked bodies.

For a few solid minutes, there was nothing to John’s perception except for the overlapping scents of their perfumes and the smoothness of various shades of skin. All was roaming hands and seeking lips, giggles, laughter, and sighs of adoration.

“I love you,” he whispered to Nathalia, making the dragoness purr with contentedness. “I love you,” he whispered to Lulu, making the empress squirm like a child on a sugar rush. “I love you,” he whispered to Ehtra, and got a face full of fluffy grey feathers as his response.

“Idiot creature,” the grey angel grumbled, while finally making her way out of the cuddle pile. She did not back away swiftly enough to hide the smile on her face, but she did jump down the stairs before she could get dragged back in.

“She’s an abrasive one,” Lulu observed, as the remaining three of them settled back down. “She does not make it easy for me to consider her one of yours – and yet she’s a true haremette, where I am not.”

“That’s an issue entirely of your own making,” John pointed out. At this point, Lulu would have the vote of confidence to have her join whenever she wanted. It was her adherence to tradition that had her beat around the womb tattoo.

“It would be improper to just go ahead with these things.”

Nathalia blew little flames out of her nose. “As if this is proper,” she gestured at their naked selves.

“It is within the accepted parameters of courtship,” Lulu answered plainly.

“You humans and your courtship rituals are so confusing. Why don’t you just take what you want?”

“With all due respect, Flame of Destruction, but you had an epiphany on the matter shortly after we met, did you not?” Lulu asked.

That made Nathalia shut up for a solid few seconds. John could feel the anger pull her muscles taut and the growing patience force them to relax. “Nathy,” she pressed out. Lulu tilted her head in mild confusion. “My fellow haremettes may call me Nathy.”

“Awww, that’s adorable.”

“Do not stretch my patience, young one, or I may test how well I fare against you without Eliana around.”

“Don’t threaten me with a fun time!”

“Don’t give me an excuse to put this lavish building at the centre of a brand-new caldera.”

Lulu smiled and went silent. In the silence, the two women were playing footsies. It was incredibly cute, like a small puppy playing with a grumpy old dog, except neither of them were either of those. No matter how much Nathalia frowned, she still played along. It ended with Nathalia just grabbing Lulu and suddenly kissing her.

John laughed and tightened his embrace around the two of them.

Scenes like this made life worth living.