Hannah looked at Lucille, her expression softening slightly but still carrying a hint of warning.

“Don’t play with him,” she said firmly, her voice steady. “And don’t ever try to charm him again.”

Lucille met Hannah’s gaze with an enigmatic smile, her ruby-red eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light of the room.

“Don’t worry,” she replied smoothly, her tone laced with confidence. “If Sokram’s strong enough to resist the charm of a Mistress of the Pavilion, then not even a pure-blooded succubus could manipulate him. Besides…”

She paused, glancing at Sokram with a knowing smirk. “…you and I both know that he isn’t as innocent as he pretends to be. It’s been decades since I’ve felt this uneasy about being outplayed by someone.”

“I would never do such a thing, Lady Lucille,” Sokram interjected, raising his hands in mock surrender.

His silvery eyes sparkled with mischief, and the corner of his mouth twitched upward, betraying the confidence behind his innocent act.

After standing up alongside Lucy, he extended a hand toward Lucille to help her rise from her seat.

As soon as she was on her feet, however, he pulled her closer, a move no one had anticipated.

Their faces were now a few centimeters apart, their noses almost touching.

The air seemed to crackle with tension as Sokram leaned in, his breath warm and caressing her lips.

“Besides,” he murmured softly, his voice low and teasing, “why would I bother playing a woman who will soon belong to me anyway? Haha.”

Sokram’s boldness left everyone momentarily stunned.

For the first time in decades, Lucille found herself blushing, caught completely off guard.

Not only by his words but also by the sheer audacity of his actions.

Her heartbeat quickened noticeably, and it became evident to every feral in the room just how much his unexpected move had affected her.

Even Ayame, who stood silently in the corner, couldn’t suppress a small gasp.

“You’re a dangerous man, Sokram,” Lucille said finally, attempting to regain her composure as she stepped back.

Her voice carried a mix of admiration and caution, though her flushed cheeks betrayed her otherwise composed demeanor.

But Sokram wasn’t done surprising her.

With a hand resting lightly on the small of her back, he stopped her retreat and drew her even closer.

His confident grin widened as he gazed into her wide, startled eyes. “No, I’m a dangerous dragon, Lucille,” he corrected, his voice dripping with playful arrogance. “And by the way…” He tilted his head slightly, his daring grin flashing briefly in the lamplight. “…I love the sound of your heart racing like that. Honestly, I’ll look forward to making it happen a lot more often from now on.”

As he spoke, Sokram let his fingers trail gently along her waist before lifting one of her hands to his lips.

He planted a soft kiss on her knuckles, his touch lingering for a moment longer than necessary. “And don’t worry,” he added, his tone warm and reassuring.

“Instead of only surprises, there will be plenty of joy too.”

“Damn, kiddo. That was smooth,” Leona said, her deep voice laced with amusement as she broke the tension with a low chuckle.

Her sharp teeth flashed briefly, adding a playful edge to her grin.

Her words elicited a giggle from Lucy, while Hannah and Margiory exchanged flabbergasted looks, clearly unprepared for Sokram’s sudden display of charm.

Lucille, finally stepping away, glanced back at Hannah with a knowing smile.

“See? I told you there was nothing to fear,” she teased, her earlier embarrassment fading beneath her usual poise.

Hannah nodded tiredly, her voice tinged with resignation. "Yes, I can see that clearly now."

But Sokram remembered something and quickly summoned a stack of paper sheets.

Handing them to Lucille, he explained, “Well, before we leave, Nana Marg wanted to speak with you. And I’d also like you to take a look at Lucy’s contract to ensure it doesn’t conflict with her oaths to you or the Pavilion.”

“Sure,” Lucille replied, accepting the documents with a curious glance. Returning to her desk, she began reading through the contract carefully.

But while Lucille read, she gave Margiory an inquiring look, saying, “Go on. What can this humble mistress do to help the famous Lady Androny?”

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Margiory ignored Lucille’s teasing tone as she answered, “Oh, dear, there’s so much you can do. As for what I want, we can speak after they leave.”

Lucille smiled knowingly, “A merchant at heart, hm? Always making the most of every opportunity.”

Lucille leaned back in her chair.

As a fast reader, it took her only a few minutes to go over it.

However, her brow furrowed deeper with each passing second, and occasionally, she cast suspicious glances at Lucy, though these quickly vanished.

When she finished, Lucille looked at Sokram, then at Margiory, her expression unreadable.

But before she could say anything, Margiory cut in.

“It was all him,” she admitted, holding up her hands innocently. “I never even read that contract, so don’t ask me.”

Hannah and Leona nodded in agreement, confirming they had no involvement in its creation.

Lucille turned her attention back to Sokram, who smiled confidently at her. “There’s no point of conflict,” she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. “What I’m wondering is… how?”

“Simple, but first...” Sokram replied, extending his left hand.

Without hesitation, he made a small cut on his palm, letting droplets of blood fall onto the crimson carpet below.

His voice rang clear and unwavering as he declared, “For my blood, heart, and power! Before all of you as my witnesses, may Nhiria’s wrath strike me down if anything I say about how I’ve written this contract is a lie.”

The crimson carpet remained unchanged beneath the fresh drops of blood, absorbing them without a trace.

Lucille stared at him, momentarily astonished by his eagerness to prove his sincerity.

After a brief pause, she revisited his choice of words and nodded for him to continue. Sokram’s smile grew wider, knowing he had made the right decision.

“Pure coincidence,” he explained calmly. “I simply tried to guess what your organization might require of someone, assuming you’d take Devotion into consideration.”

Summoning another contract from his glove, he held it out toward Lucille. “This is a contract in case you didn’t consider Devotion something important. Would you like to read it?”

By the time Sokram finished speaking, the heavy silence in the room spoke volumes.

The air seemed to hum with unspoken tension as everyone processed his words.

When his soul wasn't sucked into the void and his body didn't drop lifeless on the floor, it became clear: he hadn’t lied.

Hannah glanced at him disapprovingly, her thoughts echoing silently, 'You’re just like Miralyn, doing unnecessary things like that.’

“Hahaha,” Lucille laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

“The more time we spend together, the greater the mystery you become, Sokram.”

Her smile returned as she extended the contract in her hands toward Lucy.

“You can sign it, but remember: the moment you do, you’ll belong to him entirely while remaining an honorary member of the Purple Pavilion. So think wisely.”

Lucy accepted the contract from her mother, her eyes shining with determination.

Looking up at Lucille, she spoke with conviction. “I’m already his, Mom. There’s no coming back from Devotion. But it was you who said, ‘if Fate ever offers you the unknown, leap.’”

Then, matching her mother’s teasing smile, she added, “But I’ll save a warm spot for you beside us.”

“Hahaha, sure, Lulu,” Lucille replied, her tone light but tinged with concern. “Just hold your horses until he comes of age, alright?”

With that, Lucy signed the contract, allowing a drop of her blood to seal the pact.

From that moment on, she was bound to Sokram, free to share whatever secrets he chose to entrust her with without any interference from the Purple Pavilion.

Afterward, Sokram, accompanied by Hannah, Lucy, and Leona, bid farewell to Lucille.

Margiory informed them not to wait for her, implying that whatever negotiations she needed to conduct with Lucille might take some time.

Ayame led them back through the winding corridors of the underground brothel.

As they approached the elevator, Sokram noticed a familiar figure among the crowd of men being entertained by the courtesans; it was Lycius. Sokram quickly glanced at Leona, hoping she hadn’t seen him.

But the deep frown etched onto her face told him otherwise.

Meeting his eyes, Leona spoke softly as they reached the elevator.

“Don’t worry, kiddo. This isn’t anything new,” Leona reassured him, her voice calm and measured.

Then, winking playfully, she added, “Just make sure to grow up fast, alright?”

But Sokram could see the disappointment she tried to mask behind her strong façade.

Only after leaving the building did Sokram realize that the meeting had only taken a couple of hours, as it was still noon.

The walk home was uneventful after that, and soon Sokram was seated in his backyard with Amber, Savannah, and Lucy, guiding them on how to cultivate Chaos Energy.

He showed them his title, Pioneer of Chaos.

Confirming they deduced correctly, and that he hasn’t lied.

"I've perfected this cultivation technique a lot since then, thanks to the help of my family. Now, most of them are no longer stagnant because of it. Moira and my mother are both middle-tier Reformed Existences, while Astrid and I are low-tier True Existences."

Sokram explained openly, not only because of the contracts binding them to secrecy but also to gain their trust.

"True Existence at thirteen... This is insane..." Amber started mumbling, her mind spiraling, but the other two weren't much different, either.

Sokram let them process the information until Savannah looked at him worriedly.

“Do you plan to share this with the others in our group?” Savannah asked cautiously, concern flickering in her eyes about his secrets potentially spreading.

Sokram shook his head thoughtfully.

“Not yet,” he replied. “But I might extend the same offer to them in the future if I ever need more personnel.”

Pausing for a moment, he allowed his words to sink in before continuing. “Besides, although they’re talented, they’re not as gifted as the three of you.”

Lucy perked up at this, her ears twitching eagerly.

“Even me?” she asked, sounding slightly unsure. “Because you didn’t seem that impressed with me before.”

Sokram chuckled, understanding the source of her uncertainty.

The truth was, he hadn’t fully grasped her potential until discovering she was Lucille’s daughter.

If she possessed even half of her mother’s talent, he knew he had gained another powerful ally.

Sokram was hit with a barrage of questions and began answering each of them while thinking of the best way to guide their cultivation.

Since he believed they had only cultivated a single form of energy so far, mastering Chaos Energy could take anywhere from weeks to months.

His focus would be twofold: teaching them the fundamentals of cultivation and opening the door to improving their classes.

This guidance would benefit Amber and Lucy the most, as they had significant room for growth in that part.

For Savannah, whose class was already rare, Sokram planned to share his knowledge of runic magic and future discoveries.

After addressing their questions, Sokram took a deep breath, his silvery eyes glinting with quiet wisdom.

He gestured for them to gather closer, and as they sat staring at him expectantly, he began...

“Alright, let’s start with the basics. Chaos energy isn’t just another form of cultivation; it’s a fusion of the three primary energies: Magi, Aura, and Vitha. In fact, we can say that these three are fragments of Chaos itself, empowering change on the Path of Evolution.”