(MC POV)
Well... The Dragon Killer wine really lives up to its name since my disciples were all drunk from a single glass of it.
Like I had expected, all the girls ended up crashing at my room after our little drunken orgy, at least I didn't need the whole night to send them into blissful unconsciousness since the alcohol already did half the work.
I'll probably need to cure them of their hangover tomorrow...
I came back out to find Hao Chi still sitting in the dining room with Brendan and Cai Hong across from him, my little dragon already fast asleep with a blanket draped over her.
"I'm terribly sorry about that," I apologised.
Hao Chi stood up quickly, "No, no, not at all Master Lin. It is heartening to know that the wine I've bought was not a complete waste."
Not sure what he meant by that but ok.
"Thank you Hao Chi. Shall I leave it to you for the auction tomorrow?"
"It will be my pleasure, Master Lin. Then I will see you tomorrow morning."
"Yes, good night."
Hao Chi stood up from the table and left the room, leaving me alone with Cai Hong, Brendan and Iris.
Of course Xun Guan is still on me as always and I have her to thank for relieving my shoulder and back aches from the workout session just now.
Hey, the girls were really enthusiastic, ok? Cut me some slack. Not to mention the fact that this body is still mortal too.
"Thank you for looking after her, Brendan," I thanked him, moving to pick up the sleeping dragon in my arms.
He smiled at me, "Oh, it's no trouble Master. Cai Hong is a really good girl after all."
"Umu, if you ever want to spend another night in my bed again, just let me know, alright?"
He actually blushed, "Eh? Ah... Ah... I... I'll keep that in mind... Er... I mean... I'll go to bed now, Master, good night!"
I chuckled as he scampered off back to his room, his ears blushing red.
I carried the sleeping Cai Hong to her room and tucked the little dragon in, smiling when she started mumbling something about cuddling 'marshie mallows with Papa'.
Closing the door to her room behind me, I wondered what I should do for tonight. I didn't really feel like sleeping yet so I turned to Iris.
"Want to go on another walk with me?"
"Ufufufu~ I would never reject such an offer from Master~"
Like before, she moved from following behind me to following by my side, her arm just an inch away from mine.
Unlike yesterday, however, I had a destination in mind so I led the way.
We passed by a few servants on the way but aside from a curt greeting, they did not even question what we were doing nor where we were going, as if we were not guests but masters of the house.
We eventually ended up at the main entrance again and I led us outside and into the front garden, moving towards the pond I remember seeing on our way in. There was even a small pavilion there with several benches arranged facing the pond for us to sit on.
I sat down on one such bench and motioned for Iris to join me, the cosmic being accepting my invitation with a smile hidden behind the veil I created for her to wear.
We just sat there for a while, the two of us saying nothing and staring at the clear pond in front of us.
There was a little bit of distance between the two of us so we weren't exactly touching shoulders, but the silence and distance did not feel uncomfortable in the slightest.
The silence was eventually broken by a gust of wind blowing past us, rustling the leaves and sending ripples across the pond's surface.
"Have you ever thought of going out and exploring on your own, Iris?" I asked.
She turned to me, "Explore where, Master?"
"The universe. I remember us simply wandering from place to place but we were always just... Watching... Never really experiencing it."
"Ara? Why would I need to do that, Master? I already know how everything will End, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"
I chuckled, "I suppose there is that point. You know... Maybe this is why I let myself be struck by those Great Ones back then, so that I could become mortal and experience the universe as one of the creations instead of simply remaining as the creator."
She tilted her head at me, "Is there a point for that, Master? Master already knows how everything would begin and end."
"Yes, but it's not about the ending you know? The journey is also something of an experience by itself and not knowing is half the fun."
"Ara? But even we would know that as well, Master? In fact, if Master were to use omniscience, you would know that the king would--"
"Ah, ah. This is what I'm talking about, Iris. If I were to find a treasure map and wanted to find the treasure, I might gather a bunch of friends to go find it. In the end, the map might be a fake and we end up finding nothing, but on the journey there, we might have experienced many different things and learnt new skills that we wouldn't have learnt if we didn't embark on that journey."
"But if Master already knows the ending of there not being a treasure from the start, then you could have simply used that time to learn all of what you could have learnt."
"Where is the fun in that? If you were to look at the last page of a book before you start to read, you might miss out on all the interesting events that happen in the story."
Iris tilted her head a little more, "Ara? If I know that the Ending of a story is something I would not like, then does it matter what happens in between since it will just lead up to disappointment anyway?"
I chuckled and patted her head, "I know this universe will end sooner or later... But if I were to focus on that, then I wouldn't have met everyone here including you. And I wouldn't be having this much fun living either."
"Ara? Ufufufu~ Is that so, Master?"
"It is so. Actually, why not try it for yourself, Iris?"
"Try it myself?"
"Mmhmm. Let's say... Just suppress your divinity for the next few days or so, that means no omniscience either and definitely no End powers."
"Ara, ara? If this is an order from Master, then I will happily do so."
I considered it for a moment, "Hmm... If that is what I need to do, sure, you can think of it as such."
"Fufufu, I don't believe this will change much but, understood, Master."
She closed her eyes for a few moments and I could feel the aura around her dim, an indication that she was doing exactly as I had told her.
Unexpectedly, Iris suddenly opened her eyes with a panic-stricken face, the cosmic being looking around her fervently until her eyes settled on me.
I didn't get the chance to ask what was wrong before she lunged towards me, hugging me while burying her face in my chest.
"Master! Master! Master! It's... It's so empty... So empty... Was... Was everything so empty?! I lost sight of you! Please don't leave me!!"
Ah... Since she wasn't connected with the rest of the universe anymore, her senses are now limited to what's around her physical self. Perhaps I should have made her do this gradually instead...
Oh well, no point crying over spilt milk so I'll just have to do my best to soothe her here.
There, there, it's alright, I'm here... Pat pat.
...
I can understand the appeal of gap moe because... This might sound bad but... Iris looks really, really cute now...
