While the Solitary Soul Avatar was talking with Alexi Ethren and his family, Davis arrived at a certain location within the Grand Alstreim City. It was the central district, and the area he landed in was popular for the residences of Alchemists.
He arrived in front of a grand mansion that stood forty meters tall and a hundred meters long and wide.
The pathway to the mansion was adorned with jade tiles, while the gates and walls were made up of Low-Level Emperor Grade Blocks created from ores. They were sturdy enough to withstand attacks from early Law Sea Stage Experts, and there was also the presence of a formation that surrounded the entire mansion.
This was one of the most luxurious mansions in this area, and recently, it was taken by a father and two daughters, with two of them being alchemists. They were beginning to become more famous with their pill-making skills, along with the bunch of unique recipes they bought with them that allowed people to enjoy pill efficacy far more effectively than the norm. It was evident that their skills were better than the alchemists in this city, while it was even rumored they came from the Thousand Pill Palace.
Nevertheless, no one seemed to be allowed to come here as their main activities were at the Alchemist Hall in the city.
Before Davis could even politely alert the people inside, a purple-robed came running from as the doors shot open. Her figure rushed towards him, quickly arriving before the gate before she opened it.
"Davis, you came to see me..."
The women sounded so moved that he couldn't help but feel his heart inevitably feel moved the same.
'Sigh, those strange feelings are still there... How do I get rid of it?'
Davis couldn't help but sigh inwardly before he wryly spoke.
"Tina Roxley, how are you finding this place?"
"Please come inside..." Tina Roxley gestured, her adorable amethyst eyes blinking, "I find this place good and am doing fine, but with your presence, my heart feels more content."
Davis walked inside as a smile subconsciously appeared. Tina Roxley turned around and walked while he followed her inside the mansion and saw her butt sway, maybe for him. He took in the scenery and looked around the garden with herbs before entering the hall and seeing two other people.
It was her adoptive father, Brandis Mercer, and her little sister, Rina Roxley. The former smiled with a complex expression while the latter looked slightly scared, likely knowing what kind of existence he was, a Soul King.
"You all moved as you say you would..." Davis looked around as his gaze fell on Brandis Mercer, "I muse that you have kept your promise and did not leak any kind of information about me, no?"
"I did not, and I do not want to die, so you can rest assured." Brandis Mercer reiterated.
"What about the little sister...?"
Rina Roxley instantly shook her head, her expression panicking.
"Heh." Davis chuckled before his lips moved, "You are all stiff with nervousness except Tina Roxley, who's convinced that I would not harm anyone of you."
'Of course, she's crazy for you...'
Brandis Mercer and Rina Roxley almost rolled their eyes, but they didn't say it either. Instead, they just awkwardly smiled, not replying.
Silence filled in the hall, and Davis felt awkward along with them, those strange feelings interrupting him by wanting him to look at Tina Roxley. He turned to look at her, "Well, I just came to see to look if you have safely arrived. See you later..."
"Wait...!"
Tina Roxley's voice echoed, her rosy lips pursing as she cast an imploring gaze.
"What...? There's nothing to talk about...?" Davis blinked as he spurred himself to leave.
He had come here to see if those strange feelings could still be felt, and it was still there to his headache. It became a solid fact that he felt strange whenever he was with her, so he decided to scram for his own good.
However, her pleading voice made him want to reconsider like it was a spell cast on him.
"Please just stay for a while... Even if we do not talk, it's fine. Let me cook for you..."
Davis secretly clenched his fists that he had over his back that he couldn't help but force a smile out.
"Don't you feel like this is desperation...?"
"Desperation?" Tina Roxley looked rather happy that he would start a conversation, "I am indeed desperate for your love, but is there anything wrong with it...? I am not robbing you of your wives as I simply want to gain your love. If you permit me, I'll meet your wives and work hard to gain their recognition as well."
Davis became amazed by her tenacity. She was unrelenting and stubborn, and in his heaven forbid complex soul, his strange feelings wouldn't let him go of her either.
At this point, when he imagined her being with another man, it actually hurt like crazy in his heart that he immediately stopped from imagining it, verifying once again that he would hate to leave her, but also find it annoying to be under the influence of strange, unnatural emotions.
"As I said, Tina..." He sighed, "I don't want to take advantage of your feelings towards me. I-"
"I insist..." Tina Roxley pursed her lips, looking expectant with her glazed amethyst eyes.
Davis closed his mouth and opened it as it remained agape before he nodded his head.
"Fine, I'll stay for dinner..."
"Great!~"
"Please wait for some time. My father and sister will entertain you with conversation in the meantime..."
'Hey...!'
They both inwardly screamed, wanting none of it. Wanting to entertain a Soul King on her behalf? She couldn't be joking!
"No," Davis shook his head, "I'll watch you cook, and perhaps, I might start feeling something for you in my own heart..."
Tina Roxley's expression froze before her cheeks blushed with a red hue.
"Okay..."
They both walked away, leaving the dumbfounded people in the hall.
"Father, is this okay?"
Rina Roxley spoke, and as soon as she said that, she closed her mouth while her expression became awry.
The Soul King didn't hear her, right?
"I think it's okay... I mean, he didn't do anything before and remained unmoved by your elder sister's advances. So actually, your elder sister would be happy if he made a move. But, unfortunately, it can't be helped. She is blindly in love and could only hope that she doesn't hit a wall because of it."
Brandis Mercer couldn't help but awkwardly reply, to which Rina Roxley could only shyly lower her head, worrying for her elder sister.
After some time, Tina Roxley was already halfway done with the cooking.
Davis looked at her use of the big utensils and formations used to increase the power of the flames to cook the food. She was cooking as good as Evelynn did, making him inevitably smile while he leaned over the ice crystal wall that did not let down the whole mansion burn down.
His eyes occasionally fell on her curvy butt as he watched her cook while her eyes also randomly caught glimpses of him. She moved around, ingredients and spices floating over to her while she put them all sequentially on the big vessel and cooked from the flames emanating from the formation.
It was almost as if they were like enjoying each other's presence.
Davis even suddenly found himself approaching her to wrap his arms around her from behind. However, before he could, he clenched his teeth and walked back to the icy wall, wondering what the fuck was wrong with these strange feelings that wanted to make love with Tina Roxley.
He descended into contemplation, and after some time, Tina was done cooking, turning to look at him with a cheerful smile on her face.
Davis noticed her, deeply inhaling the wonderful aroma before he responded.
"Tina, what If I couldn't love you after we spent so much time trying to work this out...?"
Tina Roxley's smiling expression faded.
"Then," She looked as if she was pondering seriously, "I can only lament my unlucky fate. I tried hard and struggled, but if that wasn't enough, then I can only stop struggling and enter the reincarnation cycle because I had enough suffering in this life. Then, maybe, my next incarnation will live a better life..."
"Whatever happens, know that I will not blame you for not loving me. If I could blame, then I only want to blame the heavens that united us in the first place but later parted..."
Davis couldn't help but feel a pang of hurt as he thought.
'It was I who changed the trajectory of fate, though...'
However, he didn't say it through speaking out.
One may think she was crazy, but she was not, at least not to him. She was intent on obtaining his love and chose to work towards that, and if she doesn't get it, she feels as if though her life was a loss.
Davis had thoughts like that once. He felt that if he didn't gain a lovely wife, he felt that his life was also a loss because he would be staining himself if he got the wrong woman.
That was why he didn't bother to interact with women with loose values as he held high standards for them and also himself, those high standards being character and virtue, and not strength, beauty, or power.
The latter was just a plus to him, and the former was the foundation he was looking for to have a relationship, which was rarely found after the internet and political movements corrupted the women of modern times with masculinity in the name of empowerment, but it affected both ways as men became feminine as well.
Nevertheless, the women he dealt with here were mostly feminine, virtuous, and loyal, making him fall into the slippery slope of having a harem as it was actually allowed here and not really frowned upon. Here, monogamous relationships were the most romantic, while polygamy was the norm, at least for the most part. He initially rejected it because of his values but eventually became molded or corrupted into it, if he might say.
Even then, women found him attractive and desirable, mostly because of his strength that was the main factor in the cultivation world, but in the women he liked, they looked at his character, not strength, and still found him desirable even if he was married.
At this moment, Tina Roxley appeared extremely delectable to him because of her utter devotion and determination towards him.
"Let's eat~"
Davis nodded his head to Tina Roxley's melodious voice.
Of course, it was the cooked food they were going to eat.
========
*Burp!~*
Davis licked his lips, feeling that he had some delicious food. The meat was at all King Grade and made it worthwhile and nutritious for him to eat. He raised his head and looked at the bright full moon shining over him as he flew back to the Purple Guest Palace.
"Man, I'll never understand women and how their thoughts work, especially Tina Roxley. She is completely obsessed with me while I cannot resist her when I am with her..."
He uttered in a sad tone because he realized that he didn't feel those strong emotions for her when he left from her side. It only stayed while he was with her or thought of her in his mind, the latter only managing to influence him a bit to a negligible level while the former possessed even a certain bit of control over him.
It was as if she had a 'Charm: Hundred' stat with her, but it only worked on him.
"But... she's so damn sweet..."
Davis recalled her friendly mannerisms and lovable character. She was certainly the type that did make him want to make her his, but when those strange emotions influenced him, his own character repelled those thoughts as he didn't like being forced.
Never had he been in his life so indecisive that it actually made him feel desperate to do something about these strange emotions, but not being able to find the source, he was left helpless in this matter.
At this moment, he looked at himself, who was waiting for him at the entrance of the Purple Guest Palace. Of course, it was the Solitary Soul Avatar that had returned from Alexi Ethren's place, stacked with those three valuable scrolls from Old Man Garvin.