Qin Shi Lei pondered for a moment, then reached out and pointed at Mary's forehead. "Don't move!"
Void Walker (Purple): Possesses keener insight into spatial abilities, doubling their power.
As soon as the attribute was fixed, Mary immediately sensed the abnormality in her body.
Muttering a mantra, she unleashed a dimensional slash.
She carefully felt the dimensional slash coalescing in her palm.
"Did you do something to me?" Mary's gaze fixed intensely on Qin Shi Lei.
"I have a special skill that can unlock a person's potential at a certain cost. Your spatial ability should have improved in power."
Qin Shi Lei spouted nonsense with a straight face.
Mary nodded, delighted. "The power of the dimensional slash has indeed increased by about double."
She paused, then expressed concern. "You said it requires a certain cost to help people unlock their potential. What is this cost, and is it serious?"
Qin Shi Lei knitted his brows, hesitating. "Well, I just need to rest for a while. You don't need to worry."
Since waking up, Mary had maintained a distance from Qin Shi Lei. Seeing his expression now, she assumed the cost must be significant, her heart softened, and the icy demeanor on her face immediately melted away.
Her eyes, misty, looked at Qin Shi Lei. "You scoundrel, are you trying to completely steal my heart before you can rest easy?"
"Heh!" Qin Shi Lei scratched the back of his head.
"How about I become your lover!"
Mary suddenly said, "Yes, your mistress, kept in secret."
Qin Shi Lei felt a headache coming on.
It seemed he had gotten a bit carried away just now.
Keeping a mistress elsewhere, once his three wives found out, wouldn't it cause chaos?
"Aren't you willing?"
Seeing Qin Shi Lei's silence, Mary pressed him with a murderous gaze.
"To have the Empress of the Never-Setting Empire as a mistress is a dream come true for any man. How could I be unwilling?"
Qin Shi Lei said through gritted teeth, "I'm just afraid this would be too much of a compromise for you."
Mary's face lit up with a smile, revealing her devastatingly beautiful features. "Qin An King has three wives, and only me as his mistress. What compromise is there for me?"
"As long as you like it."
Qin Shi Lei said gently, but a voice in his mind warned, "If this continues, the backyard will catch fire, and it won't be pleasant."
They then discussed how to help the Qin An King's Mansion establish an aerial army.
The Griffon army of 300,000 that Mary had established had nearly contracted all the griffons her pets could find.
If Qin Shi Lei wanted to establish an aerial army, he would have to go to Amelia to find other flying beasts, or find suitable flying beasts on Blue Star.
Wind Specters and Illusory Sound Butterflies were flying beasts, but they were not suitable for carrying people.
Giant eagles and great vultures, native beasts of Blue Star, were suitable for carrying people, but their numbers were limited and could not meet the requirements.
"Amelia should be a world of magical beasts. Due to some natural laws, the magical beasts within are more easily tamed by humans as pets. Although most of the griffons have been subdued by my subordinates, there are still many suitable mounts like Dragon Scale Horses, Lightning Dragon Colts, and Gale Wolves. I think we should go in and look for pets."
Mary suggested in an organized manner.
Qin Shi Lei agreed. He realized he shouldn't limit his focus to flying pets but should broaden his scope to include endurance-based beasts suitable for riding.
"Then I'll trouble you, Empress, to open the spatial passage to Amelia again. I'll try to enter it."
"Hmph!" Mary retorted, displeased. "Empress, such a respectful title!"
"I'm just trying to show you sufficient respect in front of your subordinates. If you don't mind, I'll call you by your name from now on."
Qin Shi Lei quickly explained.
Mary rolled her eyes at Qin Shi Lei. Without confirming or denying, she stood up and reopened the spatial passage to Amelia.
"Wait for me."
After speaking, Qin Shi Lei instantly returned to his Grotto-Heaven.
"Oh no!"
As soon as he appeared from the unfinished Qin An King's Mansion within his Grotto-Heaven, he immediately realized that this was not an opportune time to meet An Qian and the others.
However, before he could teleport away, An Qian and the other two women in the room had already spotted him and were walking towards him.
"What's that smell?" Zhang Xiaoli asked suspiciously, sniffing around Qin Shi Lei like a puppy.
"Hmph!" Kong Qingshu snorted. "Where is the cat that doesn't steal food? Your man hasn't returned all night, he must have gone looking for trouble."
"Alas," Zhang Xiaoli lamented. "It's our fault for not being beautiful enough to keep our husband's heart."
"Is this to add a sister to our ranks, or to seek excitement, a one-night stand?"
An Qian asked expressionlessly.
Qin Shi Lei felt his head spinning.
To all you resourceful netizens out there, what should I do?
Waiting online, urgently!
"Alas!"
Qin Shi Lei said shamefully, "Wives, I'm sorry to you. I failed to protect my chastity for you."
"Just make it up, we're listening!" An Qian said coolly and sat down on the sofa.
Kong Qingshu and Zhang Xiaoli followed suit, sitting on the sofa with mocking smiles as they watched Qin Shi Lei.
Qin Shi Lei had no choice but to brace himself and continue. "Alas, I knew I shouldn't have made the transformed Locke so handsome when I entered the Never-Setting Empire.
His handsome appearance, coupled with his extraordinary strength, caught Mary's eye at once. She proposed that Locke and she would create another glorious era for the Never-Setting Empire.
To gather information, I strung her along.
I never expected that she would concoct a purple aphrodisiac pill and put it in the red wine for me to drink.
Wives, I am truly sorry to you all!"
After saying this with a contrite expression, Qin Shi Lei prepared to walk to the sofa to embrace them.
"Stop!"
An Qian asked icily, "Then do you plan to take that Empress into your harem as well?"
"I have absolutely no such intention," Qin Shi Lei said firmly.
Zhang Xiaoli suddenly declared with murderous intent, "How dare she take advantage of our husband! We'll go and kill her right now."
"Yes, she deserves to die!" Kong Qingshu echoed.
An Qian asked indifferently, "Husband, what do you think?"
Qin Shi Lei suppressed the urge to persuade them and pretended to agree. "Whatever you think is fine."
An Qian pouted. "Then, this difficult task of ruthlessly destroying flowers is entrusted to you."
Qin Shi Lei stole glances at the three women, finding them all with cold expressions, as if brewing immense fury.
Could it be that he really had to kill Mary to quell their jealousy?
"What is it?" An Qian said expressionlessly. "You're reluctant?"
"It's not reluctance, but rather, I feel that Empress Mary is somewhat wronged."
Qin Shi Lei sighed. "When she learned I was Qin Shi Lei, she chased me for hundreds of kilometers, insisting I return Locke to her.
Wives, let's just forget about it. We'll leave the Never-Setting Empire now. Let's consider this a misunderstanding created by heaven."