Ch 322: Yun Meng Xin.

"Noah is making you do what?" exclaimed Rikka, her eyes wide, and Erica and Liliana sighed in sync.

"You heard correctly." sourly said Erica. "We are technically his slaves for five years. Because we tried to enslave him when he entered our world, and he sees that as fair."

"…Well, I can see his point. Still, he could have been a gentleman and forgiven you, or…" frowned Rikka.

"To be fair, he gave us a chance to shorten our sentence to just one year, while we are bound by magic to obey him." said Liliana. "He could be treating us much worse than he is."

"So, this… game. Why are you telling me about this? If I were you, I'd try to keep it under wraps." said Rikka, confused.

"Because you're living in the dorm with us now, so we're not going to be able to hide it from you. Not for long." replied Erica.

"Our Lord told us he even got the permission of the Principal, and that us having this dorm to ourselves is to keep things more discreet. And now that you know, you must call me Bunny, or Sweet Bunny, for the next eleven weeks."

"Do I have to?"

"This is part of the game." quipped Hikari. "Forgetting once in a while is tolerated, but repeated offenses will result in Bunny's time being extended by three days."

"Who is speaking?" asked Rikka, staring at Liliana's bangle.

"I am Hikari! An artificial intelligence who serves Master. it is nice to meet you, Rikka."

"Uh… likewise. An AI in a bangle so small? That is incredibly advanced."

"Ah, no." chuckled Hikari. "This bangle is just a terminal, a bunch of sensors and a speaker. My real body is in Noah's world, and it's a human body. Or close enough, anyway. If you ask to accompany him next time he goes home, we could meet in person. Anyway, Bunny, Kitten, I need to remind you that you have to roll this morning."

"How could we forget." grumbled Erica.

With a sigh, and wanting to get the worry about what kind of rule she would get over wish, she took her dice form her pocket and rolled them. And her heart sank as she saw the result.

"6 and 6. Double rules, Bondage Intensity and Bondage Duration." said Yui. "Bondage Duration: Once per week, spend two hours in the gear of your highest level between pet, immersion and intensity. Bondage Intensity: Wear an armbinder, collar, gag, thigh-to-ankle cuffs every even-numbered day."

"Just what I needed, more time being tied up."

Liliana gulped as she took her own dice, and with a sigh of resignation, rolled them.

"3 and 4." announced Hikari. "Single rule, Bondage Immersion training: For 3 hours every week-end day, wear ear plugs or noise-canceling headphones, a straitjacket, and thigh-to-ankle cuffs."

"A straitjacket?" asked Liliana, imagining the type of garments used to restrain lunatics.

"It is rather comfortable to wear, if you don't mind not being able to use your arms, Bunny." reassured Hikari. "Much better than the armbinder in that regard. We will inform Master, and he will provide the required restraints in time for you to do your three hours today.

"I'm in crazy town." muttered Rikka with consternation.

"Rikka, if you had the possibility to shorten your sentence by 80%, wouldn't you do it?" asked Erica.

"…I don't know." replied Rikka, blushing slightly.

That was a lie, and she knew it. Rikka had… fantasies, about rough sex. About being claimed by a strong, dominant man. She felt sympathy for Erica's and Liliana's situation… but also a bit of envy.

…

They found their way to the restaurant five minutes before the appointed time.

Noah was dressed in an elegant black suit with a white shirt and blue tie. Origami a blue dress that suited the color of her eyes, and Shuiruo a white dress. Origami, unused to wearing that kind of high-end garment that wouldn't look out of place in a gala, felt nervous, and Noah squeezed her right hand gently.

"You look great, Origami." smiled Noah. "People will look at me with envy for having two stunningly beautiful girls by my side."

Origami nodded gratefully at the praise, and Shuiruo chuckled.

Noah opened the door for them, and a waiter immediately welcomed them.

"Welcome to La Cuillère d'Argent, Ladies, Sir. Do you have a reservation?"

"Thank you. It should be under the "Yun" name, a private room." smiled Noah.

"Certainly. Please follow me to the second floor, Ladies, Sir."

He led them to a luxuriously furnished dining room, about six meters par side, but Noah's attention was on the four young women who stood when they entered, all of them great beauties. One of them had a strange expression as he stared at Shuiruo, but it disappeared so fast that Noah would have believed his eyes were playing tricks if he didn't have eidetic memory.

"Good evening. I am Noah Enfield and these are my partners, Ling Shuiruo, and Origami Tobiichi. Thank you for inviting us." smiled Noah.

"Good evening." smiled Shuiruo with a nod, followed by Origami.

"Thank you for coming. I am Yun Meng Xin." smiled the second girl from the left. She had large purple eyes and long jet-black hair, a flawless skin, and was so beautiful that she could rival Qi Yue and Shuiruo, already bordering on Divine territory. But where Qi Yue seemed a personification of Lust, and Shuiruo of adorable innocence, Yun Meng Xin gave Noah an impression of elegance and purity. She was dressed in a gray dress with a metallic sheen, that hinted at her body curves without exposing anything but a modest cleavage.

"I'm Xiao Qi! But please call me Qi Qi, everyone." exclaimed the girl to her left. She had bright blue eyes and long black hair almost reaching her knees, a snow-white skin, and full red lips, and was displaying an impression of youthful exuberance. Of the four girls, she was the one with the largest breasts, reaching 0.8 on Rias's scale, according to Noah's estimation. She wore a red qipao decorated with golden phenixes.

"Mu Bing Yao." nodded the girl to Meng Xin's right, her black, flowing hair reaching just past her shoulders. She was dressed in a modest but elegant white dress, and her black eyes were somewhat cold, without appearing hostile. She gave Noah an impression of haughtiness, giving him a slight desire to conquer her and make her expression melt.

"Ah! I recognize your voice!" happily exclaimed Shuiruo. "You're Ice Heart Demon!"

"…I am." nodded Mu Bing Yao.

"I…I am Su'er." said the last girl in a low voice, standing very close to Mu Bing Yao, was adorable with clear aquamarine eyes and a bob or shoulder-length black hair of a style similar to Origami's. She was also obviously very shy. Noah found her mellow and cute, and she tickled his instincts the same way Shuiruo did.

"It is an honor to meet the hero who reached the top of the ranking." said Yun Meng Xin, directing the attention away from Su'er like an experienced politician. "Please sit, everyone."

Noah nodded as they sat, Origami to his left and Shuiruo to his right.

"Please call me simply Noah. I keep being referred to as 'Hero this', 'Hero that' by the inhabitants of Mystic World, and it is a bit tiring."

"Okay, simply Noah." teased Xiao Qi. "Can you tell us how you managed to get so far ahead of the rest of us, simply Noah? We're all very curious about it!"

"I do not mind." nodded Noah as three waiters came with the appetizers. This wasn't the kind of restaurant where customers ordered from a menu.

…

For a while, as they ate, they all chatted about their adventures in Mystic Moon, with Noah relating in detail how he fell into the Bottomless Pit with the golden wolf, the secret passage he found inside, and the succession of increasingly difficult encounters he faced until he was teleported out of it. he didn't mention anything about the shattered sword or the Lunar Scourge, however.

"I do not advise any of you to try your luck, however. This area might not exist in your instance of the novice village."

Yun Meng Xin exchanged a glance with her friends and shook her head.

"It is too late for us anyway. We were a bit careless and let Wang Xiaoming be injured during the escort mission, so we didn't get the blue sapphire necklace as a reward."

"I see."

"But that's so impressive, to fight a fairy-grade boss for five hours and only be hit by a handful of AoE's. I would have thought only Eve could pull something like this!" exclaimed Xiao Qi, her eyes shining."

"I have trained hard in martial arts for many years." shrugged Noah. "That helps a lot. There's also the fact that, while I am not a Spirit, I am not your average human, either, and my reaction time is much faster."

"I see. How is the Forgotten Continent? Is it beautiful?"

"I was teleported in the middle of a city made of gray stones. A very empty city, for now. I logged off immediately after to catch some sleep before coming here." smiled Noah.

The waiters came, bringing dessert, an assortment of various seasonal fruits with a small pot of hot, melted chocolate to the side.

When they were all done, Yun Meng Xin decided to start the negotiations.

"I will be honest, Noah, and admit I need all the help I can get. I was astonished when my…" Yun Meng Xin paused with a quick glance at Shuiruo and Origami. "…when the person who contacted you told me a Spirit might be willing to help me, and even more saw when I saw your place in the global ranking. But what did that person tell you exactly, about my situation?"

"Your family is trying to force you into marriage with Long Tian Yun, a womanizing prick with a polished exterior, according to some of my friends. He will likely try to force your hand by sabotaging you at every turn, and even violence in real life against those who would help you isn't impossible. You have approximately 23 months to create an economic or political powerhouse that would exceed your family to get out of this mess. Am I forgetting something?"

"That's about it." sighed Yun Meng Xin. "And despite all that, why are you willing to help me, even if I pay the price you request?"

Noah looked at her for a few seconds, then shrugged.

"I will be just as honest as you, Miss Yun. In my own world, I have more power and influence than Long Tian Yun could ever hope to attain. Money isn't and will never be a concern to me. I am at the point where Heads of State follow my lead. The only thing I can get from others, that I cannot obtain with the ease of snapping fingers, is quality companionship."

"Miss Yun, you are breathtakingly beautiful. You are also intelligent enough not to fall for that man's exterior, and determined enough to oppose your family, even with such a skewed bet. I find those qualities very appealing, and I look forward to learning more about you. What I want, Miss Yun, is yourself."

Yun Meng Xin stiffened. She was half expecting something along those lines. After all, in her current situation, cut from her family's support, the only asset she could offer was her beauty. But still, it didn't feel good to be seen as a piece of meat.

"However, I am no Long Tian Yun, and I will not try to force your hand. What I have in mind is the following: If, and only if, I play a crucial role in helping you cancel that marriage, I want you to spend six hours per week with me for a year, and we will go on dates. But I will not kiss you without your unambiguous consent, and not do anything sexual to you without, again, your consent."

"If by the time the year ends, you do not wish to have any relationship with me, or if we prove to be incompatible after all, then no harm done, your purity will still be intact, and we will part ways with, I hope, good memories of our dates together."

Yun Meng Xin felt a wave of relief spread from her spine.

She had expected to have to pay a huge price to secure his help, maybe even to have to agree to marry him. He could hardly be worse than Long Tian Yun. But this offer to just go on innocent dates for a year, with no strings attached…

"Ah, I should also mention that, aside from Origami and Ruo Ruo, there are three more talented girls who are willing to help, on the condition that they wear masks at all times." added Noah. "They do not wish to risk retaliation from the Long family against their relatives."

"…I see…" mused Yun Meng Xin. "…Would I have some input on the content of those dates?"

"I was thinking about letting you decide every other week, or we can just talk about specific activities until we come to an agreement. I would be a fool to try to impose my preferences on you and make you run away after a year. I'm not that stupid."

"And you really would not try to kiss me or do anything… further?"

"No. Unless you also want it, the very worst you could expect would be something like sitting on my lap. And I wouldn't do even that until we know each other better, and I figure out you wouldn't be opposed to it."

"I wouldn't mind sitting on that lap right now." muttered Xiao Qi, and she flinched, shocked by the words she had just said.

Everyone sent her blank stares, aside from Noah and Shuiruo who smiled gently.

"I…" stammered Xiao Qi.

"I should also point out, but I think you all figured it out already, that I have a harem." said Noah. "If that isn't a problem for you, I am open to the idea of dating more than Miss Yun."

Xiao Qi and Su'er both blushed intensely, while Yun Meng Xin and Mu Bing Yao didn't react.

"Harems are rather common in high society, although people generally avoid talking about it, and there is only an official wife, and secret mistresses." sighed Yun Meng Xin. "I accept your condition. I had expected worse, really."

"I am glad to hear it." smiled Noah. "Now, Miss Yun, I'd like to hear about your plans. You had more time to think about it than me, and more experience in those matters."

"You can call me Meng Xin, since you will join my guild. I originally intended to establish a trading house, buying equipment from other players and selling it at a premium, and to create a network with a group of players specializing in crafting to sell their goods. The main issue is that is takes a lot of time to get the necessary funds, and adequate locations with good visibility and foot traffic will be expensive. With your help, maybe the process can be shortened. Obtaining the guild token to create the guild would also be expensive, and…"

Noah listened carefully as Yun Meng Xin exposed her plans.

They were well thought-out, and he felt confident that Yun Meng Xin would eventually end up leading an economic powerhouse within the game. Really, relying on trade was her only realistic way to win that bet. But this "eventually" might take well over two years, depending on her luck, her ability to claim a premium location in a city without ruining herself, and other people's actions. The Yan Huang Alliance would interfere for sure.

After a few minutes, they decided to call it a day. Or a night. They had exchanged phone numbers and would coordinate to establish their guild as soon as possible and gather funds for the trade business."

Noah had floated the idea of providing Yun Meng Xin with valuable materials in real life, like generating a few tons of gold that she would be able to convert into in-game money, but she rejected it, arguing that her family would see it as interference from a third party and void the bet. Only members of her guild could contribute, and within the VR world.

…

When Mu Bing Yao returned home, or rather, to one of her many homes, she nodded to her long-time friends, Qian Mo and Yao Ying.

"How was your night, big sister?"

"More interesting than expected. I met Noah." said Bing Yao, removing her boots.

"Oh? The Noah? The guy who stole Master's spot?" exclaimed Yao Ying.

Bing Yao nodded.

"What is he like?" eagerly asked Qian Mo.

"He has a handsome face and a fit body, but he's also a pervert who likes to collect women."

"Should we kill him and take his stuff?"

"Master will decide. But he seems rather decent for a pervert, and it would be trouble for my friend Meng Xin to kill someone who can help her. I don't think he's like the other young masters." shrugged Mu Bing Yao, removing her dress without bothering to go to her room first.

Bing Yao, as well as everyone else from HEAVEN, including their Master, didn't care about being seen by each other. They had experienced so much together that they were a close-knit family, ready to die for each other.

"What do you mean, rather decent?"

Bing Yao explained in detail Noah's deal with Yun Meng Xin and his opening toward Xiao Qi. When she was done, the girl's opinions of Noah softened a little.

"As long as he keeps his word with Yun Meng Xin, I agree that he's not like the other young masters." nodded Yao Ying.

"I have sent a message to Master, and she's now available." said Qian Mo as she checked her phone.

Mu Bing Yao nodded, and the girls gathered in front of a computer, starting a highly encrypted connection. On the screen was displayed the face of their Master, her long bright red hair still a little damp from a shower.

"Master, Noah and Yun Meng Xin reached an agreement. He will join her guild and assist her. He said that he would give her the spear Soaring Cloud to sell as soon as he outgrew it."

"I see. What is your evaluation of him, Yao'er?" asked Eve.

"He is powerful, and seem to be a decent person overall, aside from wanting a harem. His condition for helping is that Yun Meng Xin will date him for a year, but it will be the innocent kind of date. I believe he is so confident in his ability to seduce her that she will fall for him without him needing to do anything forceful. And after seeing him in person, he may well be right. He has a natural charisma and charm that affected even me."

"Oh? Will he thaw your heart?" chuckled Eve for a second before growing serious again. "Did you confirm the rumor about him making Shuiruo stronger?"

"I didn't ask in detail to avoid looking too interested, but he mentioned having done it, yes. During dinner, I 'accidentally' caused a glass of water to almost spill on her, but she reacted almost instantly and caught the glass with a precise move. It was faster that I could have achieved. Although, she watched me strangely for an instant when I apologized."

"…I see." mused Eve for a moment… then she smiled.

"I will meet him within Mystic Moon eventually. I want to see if taking the first rank is just a fluke, or if he has what it takes for me to consider him a rival."

…

Noah woke up, but didn't move. Shuiruo was in his arms, sleeping peacefully, and he stared at her face for a while, satisfied. She was so cute.

With the time in the Sanctuary running thirty times faster than normal, he could even afford to sleep in a little.

In those moments, he mentally thanked Seekvaira. She wasn't the most flamboyant member of his harem, but the time-manipulation power he obtained from her had become so useful to him that if he ranked his girls by order of tactical significance, she might well come first.

After a few minutes, Shuiruo stirred, and slowly opened her eyes. her expression turned into a radiant smile.

"Good morning, Ruo Ruo. Even if it isn't actually morning." smiled Noah, pushing a strand of her hair away from her face.

"Good morning, Noah."

"How do you feel?"

"Happy. I feel like my future is safe, that I have no worries in the world."

"Then I am doing a decent job as your lover, I guess." chuckled Noah. "I have a mission for you, Ruo Ruo. An important one."

"What is it?"

"I know you will be busy with playing Mystic Moon, but I would also like you to spend a bit of time every week touring the world and search for victims of the isrock virus and other incurable diseases to heal. I don't feel like I can do it myself, when I need to focus on investigating the threat inside Mystic Moon."

"I'll do it!" exclaimed Shuiruo, instantly fired up.

"Thank you, Ruo Ruo. This has been on my mind since I entered your world, and I am starting to feel a bit guilty about not having done anything about it yet. I'll ask the same from Origami soon, and others later."

"I had started thinking about it, too." admitted Shuiruo. "But I didn't know if it would be a good idea to attract too much attention so soon."

"We'll deal with the consequences. Just be careful about potential assassinations attempts. There's been a few cases, in my worlds. There are always lunatics who just don't think about their chances of success, or the consequences. And make sure to keep doing your daily quest."

"Yes, I'll be careful and keep working on becoming stronger…" nodded Shuiruo. Then she smiled coquettishly and pressed her body against his.

"We still have some time before we have to leave, right?"

"I'll need to get out soon, to help Bunny and Kitten with their tasks before the lack of time makes them win the game by default. But with the time dilation, we can afford about one day here."

"Then, how about we put this day to good use… Master?" winked Shuiruo.

Noah smiled, aware that Shuiruo was basically asking him to initiate her to bondage sex. Not because she liked it more that way, although she had said previously she felt curious about it and was willing to experiment, but mostly because she wanted to please him more, to be the perfect lover for him.

"I love you, Ruo Ruo." smiled Noah before kissing her.

"I love you too, Noah." breathed Shuiruo when they broke the kiss.

They kissed again, and again, until Noah sat up after a few minutes.

"Sit, Ruo Ruo. As I promised you, we'll start with something easy."

Noah created a soft white cotton rope, 10 meters in length. He gently gathered Shuiruo's hands in front of her, and looped the doubled rope a few times around her wrist before making a knot.

Noah created a padded black leather blindfold.

"This will make your sense of touch more sensitive." said Noah, and Shuiruo nodded before he blindfolded her.

He then moved to her back, lifted her bound hands above her head, and folded them so that her hands would be behind her head.

"It is uncomfortable?"

"No." said Shuiruo as she shook her head.

Noah nodded and used the lengths of rope dangling from her wrists, looping it around her torso, above and under her breasts, forming a simple rope harness that secured her hands in position.

"That will be enough for your first time. This is called an over-arm tie. Not the most comfortable way to tie you up, so tell me if it starts to be painful."

"I'm fine."

"It's 'I'm fine, Master' during those times, my sweet Ruo Ruo." smiled Noah as he lightly ran a finger along her collarbone."

"Yes, Master." nodded Shuiruo.

"Good."

Noah smiled as he started touching her all over, at times involving a feather, the tip of a crop, an ice cube, or his tongue. At times, he kissed her, of fed her a strawberry, or a piece of chocolate.

Shuiruo was very responsive to his ministrations, and before long, she was panting, the occasional moan escaping her lips.

Slowly, Noah increased his pace, and Shuiruo's desire increased further.

When he estimated that she would soon go over the edge, Noah licked her ear, and she shuddered.

"I am giving you a choice, my Ruo Ruo. Do you want me to make you cum with my tongue, or with my cock?"

"I need your cock, please!" begged Shuiruo without hesitation. "I need to feel you inside me, Master!"

Noah nodded, placed a cushion behind her to raise her waist, and pushed her down.

Her wet vagina felt like a hot, thigh glove as he entered her, and Noah started trusting as he massaged both of her breasts, leaning above her. He used a Light foothold against his right shoulder to avoid falling on her as he focused on bringing her as much pleasure as he could.

"Aaahh! Master!" cried Shuiruo in ecstasy, the ropes around her torso digging into her flesh as she pulled strongly on the rope.

Noah accelerated the pace, and Shuiruo came, her whole body spasming. Noah didn't stop.

"I'm… Master! I'm still cumming!" cried Shuiruo. She pulled so strongly on the rope that the rope broke, undoing the simple chest harness, her hands still held together by the knot. She instinctively put her arms around Noah's head and hugged him, bringing him close to kiss him.

Noah let himself go as he returned the kiss, then stopped thrusting, fully inside her. Shuiruo shivered, and went limp.

Noah removed her blindfold, smiling.

"How was it? Your first taste of helplessness and sensory deprivation?"

"…I liked this a lot, Master." smiled Shuiruo. "I am ready for more."

Noah nodded, and still inside her, took her into his arms and rolled to the side.

"Let's snuggle like that for a bit. Sex feels great, but I want more moments like this, with girls I do not need to force into submission. I had too much sex and not enough romantic moments this past year."

Shuiruo nodded, then frowned for a second.

"Is that why you make Bunny and Kitten play that game? To impose rules on yourself and take things slowly?"

"No. It was Lilith that required me to play that game with at least one girl, because she found its rules and the random aspect of it interesting, my usual methods too repetitive, and she wanted to see a wider variety of scenes… actually, you're making me wonder… maybe she used it as a pretext to make me slow down…"

"…So you cannot have sex with Kitten or Bunny, until they get a rule for it... But what if they asked for it?"

"If they are taking the initiative, it wouldn't break the rules for me to have sex with them, yes." nodded Noah, looking intently at Shuiruo.

He could almost see the gears turning in her head. Shuiruo's question was leading to something. Noah didn't ask and simply watched her, but Shuiruo didn't made him wait long.

"When you will have more free time, I would like to play that game as well."

"Really?" asked Noah, surprised. "You do remember that you could end up with tasks like sucking a dildo, or wearing a collar in public, right?"

"I am fine with it." smiled Shuiruo. "Well, not quite, but the anticipation, not knowing what kind of rules I would have to follow… It will be exciting. And you would like me to play as well, right?"

"Certainly." smiled Noah. "Once both Kitten's and Bunny's games are over, if you haven't changed your mind by then, I will give you your own dice."

"Yes." smiled Shuiruo.

Noah kissed her, and she closed her eyes, snuggling against him.

They stayed like this for a while, then Noah lifted her and carried Shuiruo to the bathroom.

They needed a shower.