34 Chapter 34. Date

With a teasing smile, Helen looked at Michael without saying anything. The young Necromancer smiled back.

"You do know it will have to be you that takes me places, right?"

[Haha! I wouldn't mind.](Helen)

"Then, where to, pretty guide?"

[Hmm... it's your first time visiting Kyovashad. Did Lorath show you anything?](Helen)

"He did have me retrieve a weapon of his from Orzen, so I did end up visiting the Weapon and Armor shop and the Blacksmith Zivek. I also saw the stables but didn't get the chance to talk with the owner."

[Don't bother. Without a proper introduction from a bigshot, you won't get any horses from him. He's a cheapskate. Where else did you go?](Helen)

"After Lorath left, I did visit Sleepy Peaks and met with Raskya. Ended up booking a room and food for a week before I decided what to do further."

[A room?](Helen)

"The best one they had to offer."

Seeing the shameless smile on Michael's face, Helen couldn't stop laughing herself. While such 'jokes' would usually piss her off, this newbie Wanderer had a way of making her smile.

She had no idea where his confidence came from, given that he wasn't even Level 10 yet. As for her, to become a Captain responsible for guarding a big city like Nevesk which housed tens of thousands of people, one had to be over Level 50 and have their Paragon Board open.

Initially, Helen thought that Michael was unaware of her high level due to his lack of knowledge about the workings of a big city. However, it was impossible for Lorath not to mention anything about her.

[Say... you know I'm a Captain of the City Guards, right?](Helen)

"Hmm? Yes. Raskya mentioned that."

[Raskya? Why... actually, first of all, are you not bothered by that?](Helen)

"Uhm... why should I be? Do you need to return to your post soon?"

[What? No, I'll have time off until next month unless there's an emergency. I'm talking about the difference between our levels.](Helen)

"Why would that be a problem? Starting with Gonk, Aylin, Martel, Hoduin, and even Lorath. They are all at a much higher level than I am. Even Zivek, Orzen, and strangely enough, Raskya felt higher level Wanderers than myself. After all, I barely started gaining recognition as a Wanderer about a month or so ago."

Looking with perplexity at the Necromancer before her eyes, Helen couldn't process the information she just heard.

[You know Aylin?](Helen)

"Yes. Met her when she passed through the camp I was taking shelter in. Acquaintance of yours?"

[Acquaintace? More like a roommate. We've been living under the same roof for over ten years now.](Helen)

"Oh, wow! Nice."

Michael was a bit speechless at the sudden knowledge thrown his way and was immensely happy that he booked a room at the inn instead of counting on this pretty Captain to have a place where they could be alone after the 'date.'

Something told him it wasn't just Helen and Aylin leaving in the same house, but rather...

[Yes, as a group of seven women Wanderers that grew up together, we bought one of the biggest mansions in Kyovashad and moved there together. With Aylin and me as their 'backers,' the other five girls encountered less harassment and marriage proposals.](Helen)

"Oh? All seven of you are single? I heard from Hoduin that Aylin is quite sought after since she's both a successful high-level Wanderer, an accomplished cook, and a beauty on top of that. You also meet the same criteria for what an accomplished Wanderer should look like on top of your beauty, so it's understandable if you encounter a situation similar to Aylin's. But what about the other five? Don't tell me that the top beauties in Kyovashad decided to group and live together, breaking the hearts of all young men living in this realm."

[...](Helen)

"The fuck!? For real?"

It was Michael's turn to be rendered speechless. Such a cliche story where seven impressive beauties that are strong and independent live together... that's literally the script for a harem novel.

Remembering how high-maintenance Aylin was and how surprised the innkeeper acted, Michael was starting to regret thinking with his dick.

'Yeah, it sounds amazing when fantasizing about hooking up with seven different chicks at once, but reality doesn't work that way. It's hard enough to keep one woman happy if you're a Wanderer and she's a normal person. If you're both Wanderers, there will surely be extra boxes you need to check to maintain the happiness status quo. Then, what happens if you're lower-level than the woman? If it's just one partner, it might serve as motivation. If there are two... you can stretch it out and say that you can get their advice and help. But if there are seven... it's impossible not to develop an inferiority complex. Plus, if they all are incredible beauties, you need to think if you can keep them happy, what can you provide in the relationship with them, and what's keeping them from leaving for greener pastures...'

Seeing the sudden silence of the man beside her, Helen cautiously peeked at his face. She wanted to see if he would act like all other men who found out this information, getting perverted thoughts about banging all seven of them and reaching the peak of their lives.

There weren't just five or ten men killed by her, Aylin, or her more flighty sisters. As for the people beaten half to death... they probably reached hundreds long ago. With all seven of them being accomplished Wanderers traveling the Sanctuary, there was no short amount of idiotic pursuers.

But Michael didn't show any hints of lust as he previously showed when looking at her. Rather, he looked reluctant and somewhat unwilling to meet the others. It was weird.

[What did you think of Aylin?](Helen)

Michael's brain immediately pulled the alarm, the phrase 'It's a trap!' echoing loudly through sirens. Analyzing what he previously said, fortunately, he didn't go overboard with compliments for Aylin. Speaking too nicely of a different woman while on a date is a really dumb thing to do, even if that woman is a 'sister' of your date.

"She was pretty amazing with cooking. We ended up sharing some recipes since there was some stuff she hadn't seen before, that only I knew how to cook."

[What!? You mentioned that you can cook, and she didn't beat you up?](Helen)

"Funny you say that... Hoduin and Martel had similar expressions."

[Well... most people that court Aylin try to pose as chefs after learning to prepare some half-baked food, hoping to make it seem like they have something in common. It always ends up with them beaten to a pulp.](Helen)

"Hahaha! As painful as that sounds, I find it also hilarious for some reason."

[Weird... Don't you find Aylin attractive?](Helen)

Michael's brain almost short-circuited when he was asked that question. There was literally no right answer! Only answers that would hurt less when she eventually starts beating you up!

"Well, it would be a lie to say that she isn't beautiful. There's also cooking that we have in common. But I'm not as attracted to her as I am to you."

[Why?](Helen)

Just when he thought he smartly dodged a bullet, this hot lady decided to implement the Socratic method. Now, the conversation on that subject must continue, or he would look disingenuous.

"Maybe it's just a matter of preference."

[There's not much difference between the two of us when it comes to our bodies.](Helen)

"*Snicker* I wasn't talking about the body. It's more about personalities. The way you carry yourselves. You appear to be more mature than she is, and maybe I prefer that more. That's the best that I can tell; after all, I only spent a day or two with her and not even an hour with you."

[Fair enough.](Helen)

Seeing the smile on her face, Michael wiped the nonexistent sweat on his brows and cheered in his mind for the small victory. While the women in the Sanctuary are somewhat easier to please than those back on Earth, there's a totally different minefield you need to be careful of when talking with them.

Also, the relationship between the two women seemed good. To disparage the other party, just to compliment the one he was in the presence of, was a big taboo, irrelevant of the world he was in.

[Let's see. You haven't seen much of the city, but there are some important places you should know since you're a Wanderer.](Helen)

"To be honest, I am a bit curious about such places, but since it's a date, I didn't want to make it a work chore."

[Date?](Helen)

"Uhm... it's what we call spending time alone as a man and woman back in my... hometown. It's usually reserved for more intimate interactions, so adding something work-related to the date, might ruin the feeling."

[Interesting. Don't worry about it, though. I don't plan to bring you everywhere today. I can point out some places on our way to the inn.](Helen)

"Today? So, you plan for other similar dates in the near future?"

[Hmpf! If you play your cards right... who knows.](Helen)

Seeing her cute pout, Michael couldn't help himself from appreciating her beautiful visage. Not only that, but the tight leather-like clothes on her amazingly shaped body made his breath quicken.

As a higher-level Wanderer, Helen caught this small change, as well as his roaming gaze. She didn't mind, though, and thought of it as a pleasant compliment instead.

Both she and Aylin were usually spoken of together and often compared by men since they were of similar age. Most preferred Aylin due to her more unruly nature and men's tendency to want something to conquer.

Michael, on the other hand, didn't seem to lie about his preferences and was quite open about it as well. While she didn't doubt that he would not say no if Aylin would crawl into his bed at night, not many men could do that. It was irrational to expect anyone to do so.

The young Necromancer also noticed her raised eyebrow and sultry smile and couldn't help but swallow his saliva. Moving closer to her, he grabbed her left palm into his, interlocking their fingers.

Seeing as she didn't mind, he smiled back and pretended as if nothing had happened.

"So, what's first?"

[Shameless! Well... There are a couple of important places that you need to keep in mind. You have already visited the blacksmith, weapon, and armor shop, as well as the inn. There's also the Alchemist that can help you upgrade the Healing Potions you take once you reach Level 10. There's also the Jeweler, but that's also a place you can visit only after you're Level 10 and saved up enough gold coins. Same thing with the Occultist...](Helen)

"*Sigh* So basically, I need to git-gud before I'm able to visit such spots."

[???](Helen)

"*Cough* Ignore me. Sometimes, I forget I'm no longer back in my hometown. Still, that reduces the number of places we can visit by quite a bit. What do you say we go for some food instead? Did you have breakfast already?"

[I didn't.](Helen)

"That's good. I had Miss Raskya prepare food for both of us, though I did mention initially that it might take us a couple of hours to get there."

[Her husband is a very good cook. Aylin learned a lot from him. He also has decades of experience with preparing food for the Inn's more important clients. It won't take him long to prepare a decent breakfast.](Helen)

"Well, since you agree, let's go grab something to eat."

[What about after eating?](Helen)

Seeing her suggestive smile, Michael knew she was trying his patience and ability to hold himself back. However, neither of them were kids.

"We can test the bed in the room I got. You must be tired after working for so long. Some relaxation might help..."

Unsurprisingly, Helen laughed aloud and punched him in the arm while calling him shameless again. She didn't say no to the idea, almost making Michael want to skip breakfast.

Once they reached the plaza, Michael spotted the Waypoint again, and Helen noticed.

[You didn't register your imprint, did you?](Helen)

"Not yet. Didn't want to be late to our first date."

[Yeah, yeah! Let's go take care of that. You get some gold and experience after you activate it in every city that has it.](Helen)

"Oh? That's nice. The Sanctuary is quite generous in that regard."

[Pff! It's only 120 experience and 210 gold coins. Once you reach Level 10, you'll realize just how little that is.](Helen)

Agreeing with her, Michael activated his first Waypoint. There wasn't anything he needed to do or a fee he had to pay.

He simply had to walk inside the circle and let the Waypoint register his body's signature.

Sure enough, seconds later, the Waypoint resonated slightly, and after a small vibration, Helen gestured to him that it was done.

"Quite lackluster."

[Hahaha! What were you expecting? A light inundating the plaza? A loud booming sound? There are hundreds of Wanderers registering daily. Can you imagine how awful it would be to live in a city with a Waypoint that keeps doing that?](Helen)

"...I guess that makes sense."

Shaking his head and laughing, they made their way back to the inn, where Raskya greeted the duo with a raised eyebrow.

The surprise on her face told Michael that even if Lilith herself showed up next, the woman would still be more interested in them.