Harem Master: Seduction System

Chapter 359: Deal With Ya Su

The VIP suite of the Gilded Lotus Auction House was silent, save for the rhythmic, heavy breathing of the occupants and the faint, high-pitched hum emanating from the crystal box on the table. Inside that box, suspended in a stasis field of unparalleled complexity, floated the single drop of Golden Spirit Roc blood. It didn’t look like liquid; it looked like a molten star, swirling with violent, golden storms, radiating a pressure that made the very air in the room feel heavy and metallic.

Alaric sat on the plush velvet couch, his naked body glistening with a sheen of sweat that wasn’t entirely his own. He stared at the drop of blood, his ruby eyes narrowing in calculation. His Azure Spirit Lion bloodline was roaring within him, a primal hunger clawing at his insides, demanding he smash the glass and consume the power right then and there. It wanted to evolve. It wanted the wind and the speed and the sovereign authority of the Roc.

But Alaric was not a beast. He was a mage. A scholar. And above all, a greedy, calculating tactician.

"It’s too potent," he murmured, his voice rough. "And too wasteful. If I swallow this now, raw and unrefined, I’ll absorb maybe thirty percent of its essence. The rest will burn off as waste heat or tear my meridians apart. It would push me to the Half-Step Emperor realm physically, perhaps, but it wouldn’t maximize the bloodline evolution."

He looked up at Lin Ruoli, who was currently kneeling on the floor, organizing the other treasures they had won. She was naked, her Guildmaster robes discarded hours ago, her body marked with the red handprints of his earlier enthusiasm.

"Ruoli," Alaric said. "You’re the merchant. You know the legends of this empire better than I do. How do I multiply this? How do I refine it without losing the chaotic will of the Beast Emperor inside?"

Lin Ruoli paused, holding a jade box containing the Ice Soul Herb. She looked thoughtful, her brow furrowing. "Master... there are alchemical methods, of course. To turn it into a ’Nine-Transformation Golden Body Pill.’ But that requires a Grandmaster Alchemist of the highest tier. The only one in the Northern Prefecture with that kind of skill..."

"Is Feng Xiao," Alaric finished for her, a sneer curling his lip. "My dear ’friend’ the Flame King. And I’m certainly not going to hand him the keys to my ascension. He’d likely swap it for chicken blood and eat the real thing himself."

"There is another way," Lin Ruoli said slowly, her eyes widening as a memory surfaced. "But it is... legendary. A myth, really."

"I like myths," Alaric said, leaning back and spreading his legs, gesturing for Ya Su, who was currently curled up at his feet, to crawl up and make herself useful while they talked. "Myths usually lead to the best loot."

Ya Su, broken and exhausted but driven by a desperate, terrified need to please, crawled up the couch. She rested her head on his thigh, her hand moving to stroke his resting length. She hated him, she told herself. She hated this. But the warmth of his skin was the only anchor she had left in a world that had suddenly turned upside down.

"Speak," Alaric commanded Lin Ruoli, his hand tangling in Ya Su’s mahogany hair.

"The Spirit Saint Pool," Lin Ruoli whispered, the name carrying a weight of reverence. "It is said to be a natural wonder, a pool of liquid spiritual essence so dense it can clone organic matter. If you place a thousand-year-old herb in it, within a week, it becomes ten thousand years old. If you place a drop of beast blood in it... the pool resonates with the bloodline, expanding it, purifying it, and multiplying the essence without diluting the power."

Alaric’s eyes lit up. "A duplication glitch in reality. I want it. Where is it?"

"That is the problem, Master," Lin Ruoli said helplessly. "It belonged to the Crimson Purgatory Emperor. A Martial Emperor from the era before the last great war, nearly a hundred thousand years ago. He was a fire-attribute cultivator who conquered the continent with flames that could burn the sky. He used the Spirit Saint Pool to cultivate his garden of god-tier herbs."

"The Crimson Purgatory Emperor," Alaric mused, the name rolling off his tongue like smoke. "Fire attribute. Ancient legacy. Massive inheritance left behind in a secret realm that hasn’t been opened in millennia."

He laughed. It was a dark, knowing sound.

’Of course,’ he thought. ’It fits perfectly. Feng Xiao is the Flame King. He hunts Heavenly Flames. An ancient Fire Emperor’s tomb is practically written in the stars with his name on it. He’s destined to find this place. He’s destined to find the pool, use it to upgrade his own flames, and probably find some ancient weapon to kill his enemies.’

Alaric squeezed Ya Su’s head, his fingers digging into her scalp. "The Crimson Purgatory Emperor... I’m willing to bet my left nut that our friend Feng Xiao is currently hunting for keys to that very realm."

"It is... likely," Ya Su whispered against his thigh, her voice trembling. She knew Feng Xiao better than anyone. She knew he was obsessed with ancient fire legacies.

"Then we have a race," Alaric decided. He picked up the crystal box containing the Roc blood and stored it away in his highest-grade spatial ring. "I’ll save this. When we find the pool—and we will find it, likely by following your boyfriend—I’ll turn this one drop into a bucket. Then I’ll bathe in it."

He looked down at Ya Su. The auctioneer looked up at him, her eyes red-rimmed, her makeup smeared, her beautiful face a mask of tragic beauty. She was wearing the ruined remains of her purple dress, the midriff torn away to expose her soft belly, the top straining against her massive breasts.

"But first," Alaric said, his voice dropping to a seductive, dangerous purr. "We have a more immediate target. Yun Lan."

Ya Su stiffened. "The... the Frozen Cloud Asgard’s former master?"

"The very same," Alaric said. "The woman who is hiding in the mountains. The woman who needs... comforting."

He needed Ya Su to be proactive. He needed her to stop dragging her feet. He needed an agent who was motivated, not just a broken slave who obeyed out of fear. He needed to give her hope. False, poisonous hope.

"Ya Su," Alaric said gently, lifting her chin. "You want to be free, don’t you? You want to go back to your precious Feng Xiao. You want to pretend this nightmare never happened."

"Yes," she choked out, tears welling in her eyes. "Please... I will do anything. Just let me go."

"I can’t let you go yet," Alaric said, his thumb stroking her bottom lip. "You know too much. And... I’m not done with you. But..." He paused for effect. "I am a reasonable man. I make deals. That is the language of merchants, is it not?"

"A... a deal?" Hope flared in her eyes, bright and desperate.

"Find Yun Lan for me," Alaric said. "Use your network. Use your connections with Feng Xiao’s associates. Find where she is hiding in seclusion. Lead me to her. Help me... acquire her."

"You want to... to do to her... what you did to me?" Ya Su whispered, horrified. Yun Lan was a figure of respect, a righteous leader.

"I want to make her mine," Alaric corrected. "If you help me seduce her... or at least, help me get her into my bed... I will consider your debt paid. I will release you. I will erase the memories of our time together from your mind, and I will never speak of this to Feng Xiao. You can go back to him, pure and untainted in his eyes."

It was the perfect lie. It offered her everything she wanted: salvation, secrecy, and a return to her hero.

"You... you swear it?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"I swear it on my magic," Alaric lied smoothly. "In fact, let’s make it binding. A Soul Contract."

He raised his hand, and violet mana swirled in the air, condensing into a floating scroll of glowing text.

"Read it," he commanded.

Ya Su squinted at the glowing runes. To her eyes—eyes that were currently being manipulated by a subtle, high-tier illusion spell Alaric was casting—the contract read exactly as he had described. Upon the successful acquisition of Yun Lan by Alaric, the servant Ya Su shall be released from all service, her memories modified to remove trauma, and her freedom restored.

It looked fair. It looked like a lifeline.

But underneath the illusion, the real runes, visible only to Alaric and his system, told a very different story.

The servant Ya Su acknowledges Alaric Steele as her eternal Master. She agrees to serve him in body and soul without hesitation. She agrees to betray all former loyalties. She agrees that her freedom is a gift solely at the Master’s discretion, and that this contract binds her lineage and soul to him forever.

"I... I agree," Ya Su whispered. She reached out and pressed her bloody thumbprint onto the spectral scroll.

The scroll flared and vanished, sinking into her chest.

Alaric felt the connection snap into place. It was heavier than the simple branding he had used on the others. This was a Soul Bind. She was his now. Completely. Even her subconscious would start to warp to please him.

"Good girl," Alaric grinned, the triumph tasting sweet on his tongue. "Now, we are partners."

"I will find her," Ya Su vowed, a newfound determination in her voice. "I will find Yun Lan. I know she is in the Cloud Mist Mountains. I know the general area. Feng Xiao... he mentioned it once."

"Excellent," Alaric said.

He decided to twist the knife a little deeper, to ensure her motivation was fueled by jealousy as well as desperation.

"You know," he said casually, his hand sliding down to cup her breast, "it’s funny that you’re so willing to sacrifice her. Do you know why Yun Lan stepped down? Why she protected Feng Xiao?"

"Because she is righteous," Ya Su said. "She saw the injustice of her sect."

"Righteous?" Alaric laughed. "Is that what you call it when a woman throws away her entire life, her reputation, and her sect for a man? No, Ya Su. She didn’t do it for justice. She did it because she wants him."

Ya Su froze. "What?"

"She’s in love with him," Alaric lied—or perhaps told a half-truth. "Why else would she go into seclusion? She’s pining. She’s waiting for him to come back and claim her. She is Feng Xiao’s woman, in heart if not in body. Just like you."

"No..." Ya Su whispered. "She is... she is his elder... his fiancée’s teacher..."

"Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest," Alaric purred. "Feng Xiao collects women, Ya Su. Did you really think you were the only one? He has the Snake Queen. He has the Ice Master. He has you. He’s building a harem, and you’re just... one of the trophies."

Jealousy, hot and ugly, flared in Ya Su’s chest. She had suspected it with the Snake Queen, but Yun Lan? The high and mighty Ice Master? The woman who was supposed to be above such things?

"She... she wants him?" Ya Su asked, her voice hard.

"She loves him," Alaric confirmed. "And if she finds him... she’ll take your place. She’s stronger than you. More beautiful. More useful."

"No," Ya Su hissed. "She won’t."

"Then help me take her," Alaric whispered, biting her ear. "If I take her... she can’t have him. If I break her... she’s no threat to you. You’re saving your relationship, Ya Su. You’re removing a rival."

It was a masterful manipulation. He had turned her morality against her. He had given her a selfish reason to destroy a righteous woman.

"I will find her," Ya Su said again, but this time, there was venom in her voice. "I will bring her to you. And you... you will fuck her?"

"I will destroy her," Alaric promised.

"Good," Ya Su breathed. "Good."

The slave contract pulsed, feeding on her negative emotions, solidifying its hold. She didn’t even realize she was shifting. She crawled higher up his body, straddling his lap, her torn dress bunching around her waist.

"Master," she whispered, the word slipping out easier this time. "Seal the deal. Give me... strength."

She kissed him. It wasn’t the forced, fearful kiss of before. It was hungry. Desperate. She needed him to validate her, to fill the void he had created.

Alaric grinned against her lips. "As you wish, my little traitor."

He grabbed her hips and lifted her, impaling her on his cock.

"Oh god!" she screamed, her head falling back. "Yes! Use me! Use me to catch her!"

For the rest of the night, they celebrated their new "partnership." Alaric didn’t hold back. He fucked her with a brutal intensity, reinforcing the ownership with every thrust.

He called Lin Ruoli over. "Join us," he commanded. "We need to coordinate the search."

"Yes, Master," Lin Ruoli said, dropping her robe.

He made the two merchants work together. He sat on the couch, Ya Su riding him, her massive tits bouncing in his face, while Lin Ruoli knelt on the floor, sucking his balls and licking Ya Su’s juices as they ran down his shaft.

"Tell me about the finances," Alaric grunted, slapping Ya Su’s ass. "The ten billion coins. Can the Gilded Lotus cover it?"

"We... ah!... we cannot!" Ya Su gasped, bouncing harder. "The elders... they will... oh god!... they will flay me!"

"Don’t worry," Lin Ruoli said, pulling off Alaric’s balls to speak, her face slick. "The Jade Serpent Guild... will cover it. I have... slush funds. Secret accounts. I will buy the debt."

"You’re rich, aren’t you, Ruoli?" Alaric laughed, reaching down to pet her head.

"I am yours, Master," she said simply. "My wealth is your wealth."

"See, Ya Su?" Alaric taunted, grabbing Ya Su’s nipple and twisting it. "That’s loyalty. That’s how a good slut behaves. She pays for her Master’s toys."

"I will... I will pay too!" Ya Su cried out, competitive and desperate. "I have... personal savings! I will give you everything! Just... just fuck me harder!"

"Music to my ears," Alaric growled.

He flipped Ya Su over, bending her over the arm of the couch. He grabbed Lin Ruoli and pulled her up, positioning her in front of him.

"Double time," he ordered.

He fucked Ya Su from behind while Lin Ruoli rode his face. He was surrounded by soft, willing flesh, by women who were some of the most powerful figures in the Empire’s economy, and they were reduced to this.

It was glorious.

As he pounded into Ya Su, watching her ass redden under his slaps, his mind drifted to the future. To the mountains. To the Ice Master hiding in her cave.

’Yun Lan,’ he thought. ’You have no idea what’s coming for you. Your own lover’s financier... she’s coming to drag you to hell. And I’ll be waiting at the gates.’

He climaxed, a roar ripping from his throat, filling Ya Su deep. She clamped down on him, milking him dry, sobbing with gratitude for the release.

"We leave at dawn," Alaric announced, panting. "To the Cloud Mist Mountains. To find a lost sheep."

The women collapsed around him, a tangle of limbs and devotion.

"Yes, Master," they whispered in unison.

The hunt continued.