Six corpses lie on the ground. All of them were important figures in their sect in life, one was retired and the rest would have been the next generation, but death condemns them all equally.

  In front of them stands a woman with golden hair, eyes, ears, and a tail similar to those of a feline.

  "I know you... I know more about you than your own families do."

  Absolute Prominence squints her eyes and a shadow emerges behind her. A qilin whose name in life was Disdainful Tempest.

  "Serve me for eternity in death!"

  A dark aura emanates from her and connects with each of the corpses. For a moment, their connection wavers, showing it is not yet enough, but then the shadow Disdainful Tempest exerts pressure on the corpses. The thread connecting the corpses to Absolute Prominence strengthens, this time depending solely on her for success.

  "Kuh...!"

  The connection with one of them breaks, but it is the only one to do so.

  One after another, the five corpses reveal changes in their shadows. Behaving like a liquid, the shadows rise from the ground and take shape. Each of them assumes the appearance of the corpse in front of them.

  All are level 700. Absolute Prominence has acquired servants rivaling in power to the main wives, but she will not be able to use them. Not unless the worst happens.

  "Congratulations."

  Applause is heard behind Absolute Prominence.

  "It is unfortunate what happened with Elder Red Mountain, but it was to be expected given his level."

  The owner of these words is Serene Will. Absolute Prominence snorts and orders her shadows to withdraw, all of which obey and hide in the shadow of their mistress.

  "Hmph, it won't be long before I make him mine."

  Serene Will does not respond, instead, she approaches the five corpses whose shadows have been successfully summoned and stores them in her storage ring. That Absolute Prominence didn't thank her for the information she had obtained for her, it doesn't bother Serene Will, on the contrary, it amuses her.

  It's interesting to see how close her mental manipulation is to perfection.

  "Will you feed them to that tree?"

  Serene Will stops and looks towards Absolute Prominence. She has read her thoughts, she knows her intentions. "Just because a new Boundless Fruit grows, it won't belong to you."

  Absolute Prominence clenches her fists and her tail bristles, but besides this, she takes no other action. She knows it is not the time to try to climb the hierarchy, so until then, she must not antagonize the main wives. Not when the conflict can be avoided.

  Serene Will smiles and continues walking. She enters the mansion and goes down to the basement, the darkness soon replaced by the light of a portal.

  In an instant, she arrives at the Forbidden Area Cloudsea.

  "How have you been? I brought you food."

  "..."

  She is not able to talk to plants like Sky Petal, but Serene Will feels the tree is happy to see her again. She heads to the protruding roots of the tree and tosses the corpses of the elders of the Sacred Rock Sect. The roots emerge from the ground attempting to consume the corpses, but just before doing so, they stop.

  'It recognized them, eh. Though it has not gained wisdom, its memories still remain.'

  These corpses in life were the enemies of its guardian beast, the same ones who inflicted fatal wounds, wounds that cost the life of its only friend.

  Serene Will strokes the trunk of the tree and it regains its senses. Its roots cling to the corpses and crush them brutally, unlike previous times, these corpses are quickly consumed by the tree, but the manner in which it was done was the most grotesque of all.

  She watches the branches above the tree and, seeing no change, sighs. She was about to head towards the portal and return to the mansion, when she stops and looks back.

  "Boundless Fruit..."

  A small fruit is visibly growing on a branch.

  Its growth completes until it reaches the size of a small marble.

  "It still needs to grow and mature, but this is a good sign."

  Thousands of corpses were needed to foster this progress, and they will not stop until a new Boundless Fruit emerges from that tree.

  +++

  "Too many good news... It can't be that easy."

  Inside the Unquenchable Fire Brothel, Lawrence walks along one of the streets, remembering the words of Serene Will. A new Boundless Fruit has begun to grow, this should be news to rejoice about, but he can't help feeling that this is the calm before the storm.

  He may be guilty of pessimism, but he prefers that to smiling foolishly, shouting his achievements to the sky.

  His walk stops as soon as a mansion comes into view.

  "The sun will shine, decisions you must make. In the end something to regret, but more will there be to celebrate."

  Lawrence closes his eyes and, after a few seconds, opens them.

  "That woman's prediction has already come true..."

  The more indecipherable the words, the truer they are. This is the simple tactic that swindlers use to deceive their clients with their predictions, Lawrence cannot believe he is becoming one of them.

  Because he is really starting to believe in that woman.

  "I want a new prediction."

  After greeting Prescribed Dream and evading her games, Lawrence reveals his intentions.

  "Hm... What could I ask for in return?"

  She smiles mischievously, knowing she has Lawrence in the palm of her hand and wishing to play with him as much as possible. He is one of the few entertainments she has, someone who revealed his true face to someone like her. Someone who sells her body.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  That should be this woman's thought, but Lawrence doubts that's the case.

  Prescribed Dream removes the upper part of her clothing, and he becomes enraged upon seeing this. Does this woman have so little respect for her own body? But contrary to what was expected, she only exposes her back. From start to finish, Lawrence could see nothing more than this.

  "Give me a massage, don't hold back."

  Lawrence frowns, but nonetheless obeys.

  Like all dao protector of this brothel, he is given certain items that can serve all kinds of purposes and that is the case for the oil in his hands. Lawrence spreads the oil across the smooth back of this phoenix girl and when he starts his massage, he understands that this woman was really being serious.

  "You're the ugliest servant I've had."

  "If beauty was of any use I would have done something about it, but that's not the case, it won't be."

  He has lived long enough to understand this fact. Regardless of appearance, it's power that makes the world go round.

  The real problem is that someone like her shouldn't grant such benefits to someone like him. She is a woman who possesses not only beauty but talent. In this brothel, Prescribed Dream has the highest privileges Lawrence has seen in a prostitute, which is why he cannot understand why she would even allow him to touch her.

  The pride of this woman should be as high as the sky, but with him, she behaves differently.

  "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

  If she were to use his Dimensional Rift to leave no trace behind for the brothel to track, none of this would be necessary. This woman seems to be after something far more indecipherable. Something Lawrence is certain he does not possess.

  "Both of us are looking for the same thing, aren't we the answer to each other then?"

  Lawrence stops his massage and tries to truly understand the intentions of Prescribed Dream, but he cannot. When he comes back to his senses, she is sitting in front of him, holding her clothes in her hand.

  Her charm ability unconsciously attacks Lawrence, but he, for this one occasion, allows himself to be influenced by the attraction of a phoenix.

  He moves his face closer to hers and kisses her. She does not resist, consenting to kiss him back.

  Their tongues intertwine for just a few seconds and it is Lawrence who pulls back, but then he sees her there, smiling the same way she always does, and again he approaches her to kiss her.

  They do not know how many times this was repeated, neither was counting.

  Only they know that the one who initiated the kiss was the one who put an end to it.

  "Keep your word. Your prediction--"

  "I already gave you your reward, Lawrence."

  Lawrence reluctantly accepts her response, after all, he is sure this woman is once again playing with him. A proud phoenix would not allow herself to be kissed as a prize to be given, she just wants Lawrence to keep being by her side and fulfilling her requests, entertaining her even more.

  "What do you want this time? Another massage?"

  "No, I'm grateful for the massage you gave me. What I want now... Oh right, I haven't eaten. Tell me you know how to cook."

  He nods and walks to the kitchen. "I'll prepare something for you."

  Prescribed Dream adjusts her dress as Lawrence turns his back to her. Although he is surprised that such a conservative gesture comes from a woman working in this kind of place, it gives him hope that this phoenix girl might be of use outside.

  It means she still values herself.

  When he serves her the food, she praises his cooking ability while he just continues eating. It is enough for Prescribed Dream that Lawrence responds occasionally for her to extend the conversation, which is why hours pass before she agrees to respond to his request.

  "Your life will be peaceful for a while, but it will come at a cost."

  "Isn't that a prediction?"

  She shakes her head in response and then continues: "You will lose your memory."

  Lawrence stands up from his seat, a seriousness seldom seen on his face. He tries to get more answers, but Prescribed Dream again shakes her head.

  "I'm just the messenger, Lawrence. If you're not satisfied with my words, I can make an exception and tell you... tell you about a very distant future."

  "Do it."

  "Alright."

  Prescribed Dream closes her eyes and concentrates. At that moment, Lawrence feels this woman is entering his body, a place no one should enter. This has happened with other predictions, but it has never been so perceptible.

  Minutes later, this uncomfortable feeling disappears, the same instant she opens her eyes.

  "Help and retribution, the prey at its back has a hunter. War and profit, fire will consume everything, absolutely everything."

  Lawrence memorizes the prediction and then stands up from his seat.

  "By the way, it didn't rhyme this time."

  She smiles, not minding this, "The distant future is difficult to know accurately, there might be a large gap of time between each word. Don't be fooled by superficial situations."

  A specific event might be evoked with greater precision, not so events that may or may not be related to each other. Lawrence, understanding this, does not delve into the topic and bids farewell to Prescribed Dream before leaving her home.

  Minutes later, he stops and clenches his fists.

  "Will I lose my memory?"