CHAPTER 92: THE AIR TREMBLES AS IF THE SKY IS BURNING

The next morning, Wayne woke up refreshed and headed to the restaurant to order breakfast, lunch, and dinner to be delivered to his suite.

The grey space was vast and filling, even more expansive than the Lord of the Void’s elemental space. He had gorged himself all night, maxing out his reserve of fire elements, which he had lit up. He was so full of fire that having more would make him sick.

Without fire elements leading the way, the remaining three elements would only avoid him. Fortunately, the Book of Greed wasn’t satisfied yet. The eyeballs at the four corners of its cover welcomed everything, and under fire’s coercion, the earth, water, and wind elements reluctantly entered the tentacle monster’s body.

According to his calculation, he could fill his life essence completely within three days if he hurried, and he could light up the six points of the hexagram in ten days. After that, he just had to maintain balance, and the hexagram would naturally form.

Finally, he was going to move beyond the novice stage!

He was in high spirits. Joining the Free Mage Alliance was the best decision he’d ever made.

“Wayne!”

A loud shout stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see the bearded director, Wallace. Judging from his bloodshot eyes, he was likely to have pulled an all-nighter.

Wayne was in such a good mood that everything looked pleasant to him. The sea was blue, the actress was attractive, and the bearded man looked considerably more handsome. He couldn’t help but tease, “Director Wallace, why are your eyes so red? Did you stay up discussing the script with your female lead?”

“Lily’s a big star brought in by the production company. Her status in the production team is higher than mine. I’m not entitled to a late-night discussion with her. Discussing lines with the second female lead under a blanket is more like it.” Wallace hurried over to Wayne, clearly frustrated.

Wayne’s amusement deepened. “Discussing lines under a blanket late at night? You might as well call it bedside practice.”

“I’m a director, not a doctor.”

...Make a lot of fucking sense!

Wayne admitted that Wallace won the debate—truly a master director in the entertainment industry.

“Where did you disappear to last night?” Wallace demanded. “I looked everywhere for you.”

Wayne immediately turned things around by declaring righteously, “I braved the wind on the deck for half the night. You didn’t even glance at me before taking your people to explore the ghost ship. I’m not getting paid for acting, so I went back to my room to sleep.”

Right, that was what happened. Wallace dropped the topic and said in excitement, “The ghost ship footage I got last night gave me a lot of inspiration. Too bad it sank later that night, or I could’ve shot more useful footage. I decided to revise the script. Delete your sex scene and add a plotline around the ghost ship.”

“Whatever. I thought about it last night, and I don’t want to participate in the filming anymore.”

Wayne shrugged, only slightly disappointed. His sole focus was now on training, and he lost all interest in acting.

Yesterday, he hadn’t yet found the path to get stronger, so he didn’t mind measuring a female star’s sizes personally to kill time. However, his time was precious now, and the woman immediately lost her appeal.

Stunned, Wallace hurriedly said, “Reconsider it! Even without the sex scene, there’s still the kissing scene. This will be Lily’s first on-screen kiss. The audience won’t know about the camera trick. Countless men will envy you, and it’ll be your badge of honor!”

“No thanks, I have a girlfriend. She’ll be angry.”

“Nonsense! You don’t know women. Being able to kiss the lips that have kissed Lily? Your girlfriend will be busy bragging about it instead of getting angry.”

“Still, no...”

“Should I add the sex scene back?”

“Um, well...”

Thinking of Lily Haworth’s looks and figure, he couldn’t help the twitch of his fingers. After a slight wavering, though, he decided against it. Times had changed. His training was more important to him.

He shut the door to his suite, leaving Wallace dumbfounded. How could a man resist Lily’s charm? Even if the kissing was staged rather than a real press of the lips, he would be embracing her for real. If he was smart about it, he could even mess up a few takes on purpose to hold her longer!

Wallace had to admire him for that. He recognized that he was a good man beyond simple carnal desires and truly loved his girlfriend.

“Bah, fool!”

Bang, bang, bang!

“Wayne, open up. Let’s talk some more.”

“Open up now. There’s no turning back time. This is your only chance.”

“Open the door!”

“Fine, fine. You’re the one not opening the door for me. Don’t come begging me later!”

***

“What do you mean he refused?” In another suite, Lily was touching up her makeup for the next scene. She was surprised to hear the response. “Are you sure that he refused rather than trying to negotiate a better price?”

Wallace scoffed. “The moment he heard that the sex scene was deleted, he got upset and refused to act. He’s clearly after your body—”

“Wait, why was the sex scene deleted?” Lily interruped with a frown.

“After getting shots of the ghost ship last night, I became inspired and came up with a brilliant idea to portray your character’s strong will. Considering the runtime, I deleted the sex scene.”

“Add it back!”

“Um, well...”

Wallace looked dumbfounded. Did she like getting topped so much?

“Bring him back. He’s the third male lead. If you replace him, I’ll walk.”

She finished her makeup and pursed her red lips before the mirror, insisting on dedicating herself to art on camera. She would even do the kissing scene for real, and every shot of the sex scene had to be done. Even if the director cut the sex scene in post-production for runtime, it still had to be filmed.

Wallace was so envious that he clenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to take out Wayne to take his place.

“What are you waiting for? Go now!”

“But I just—”

“Go!”

***

Bang, bang, bang!

“Wayne, it’s me again. Wallace.”

“There were too many people outside just now. Open the door, and we’ll have a nice long chat inside.”

“The sex scene’s back. You can kiss her for as long as you want, on whatever part you want.”

The door opened. Wayne looked speechlessly at the bearded director. What did he mean that he could kiss whatever part he wanted? Were they making a legitimate movie?

“Thank you for your kind offer, Director, but I really don’t want to be part of the movie anymore. Please don’t bother me again, or I’ll have to call for security.”

With that, the door closed, leaving Wallace gaping outside.

Came evening, the restaurant’s waiting staff delivered a cart to Wayne’s suite. He wolfed down the food. The taste didn’t really matter. He just wanted to finish eating quickly and get back to training. His old friends were still waiting for him to rescue them.

Knock, knock!

A gentle knock on the door sounded. Wayne’s nose wrinkled as he caught a whiff of an unusual perfume. He glanced outside at the darkening sky. He didn’t know how late it was, but it was for sure time to sleep together.

One person slept. Two people slept together.

He opened the door curiously to find the radiant female star, Lily Haworth. There was no one in the corridor—not even a single paparazzi. She was dressed in a white dress, which she favored. On top of that, she wore a black jacket to shield herself from the cold.

“Sorry to disturb you. May I come in?” she said with a slight smile.

Her perfume was intoxicating, and Wayne’s fingers moved of their own volition. He stepped to the side instinctively. After she entered, he closed the door behind her.

Click!

And locked it.

She didn’t seem to have heard the sound of the door locking. After entering, she removed her black jacket, letting Wayne hang it on the coat rack for her like a gentleman.

He hid his surprise. The woman seemed way too trusting.

When he turned back to her, she was standing by the window. Her silhouette was alluring, her curves graceful. Her slightly tousled blonde curls cascaded down her shoulders in an airy manner, emanating a faint fragrance.

She was stunning, so stunning that Wayne rubbed his hands together unconsciously like a fly. Even though he knew it was wrong, he still couldn’t stop his imagination from wandering. It seemed that he would be getting into trouble tonight. Maybe it would be the trouble’s mouth, or the trouble would take him another way... No, he had to stay strong. He couldn’t surrender to such an easy woman. He still had three college girls waiting for him at home!

He shook his head to dispel the fantasies. She was just here to invite him to be her co-star. Why was he getting all worked up? It was unbecoming.

“The air trembles as if the sky is burning,” Lily said as she stared at the black sea through the window, her expression blank.

???

Question marks popped up from Wayne’s head. He didn’t understand the artistic types. Taking two steps to reach the window, he glanced at the woman’s profile and nodded in agreement. “Right, it is pretty hot.”

“You should say, ‘Yes, the storm is coming.’” Lily shot him a fierce glare.

Baffled, he was trying to understand her when she moved closer. Two pale arms wrapped around his neck, and something pressed against his chest. Her perfume tickled his sense of smell and lured him in. Everything about her made him feel tingly, and he couldn’t help but want to sneeze. Instinctively, he put his arms around her, his index fingers tapping on her back.

What’s going on? Eager much?

“I know you hate what you are and never actively carry out your duty, but it’s too late to regret it.” She looked up at Wayne, speaking in a detached tone. “I’ve recently gathered some intelligence. Remember to transmit it back to headquarters. As my liaison, you work pretty well with me. I don’t want to break in a new person at this critical moment.”

Wayne felt like he had been struck by lightning. He tilted his head to hide his shock, remembering the radio under his bed and the room full of posters. He drew a sharp gasp. The perfume was overwhelming, and accidentally taking too deep a breath, he got into a coughing fit.

Looking at her colleague, who had only bravado and no real courage, Lily shook her head and patted him on the back. “One more thing, when did you get involved with Auston Lando and make him willing to spend big money to send me to your bed?”

“Wait, I didn’t catch that. Please repeat it.”

Wayne could barely contain his shock, his brain a complete mess. The original Wayne had left him a mess, and he had gotten himself into more trouble. But now she was telling him that both were coming together? How absurd! And Two-Face, the old bastard! He actually used a honey trap—and with such a fine lady!

Also, he finally understood why his hands always seemed to move involuntarily when he saw Lily. It was muscle memory. Seeing her meant it was time to send a telegraph.

“Some time ago, Lando found me and threatened me with my career, demanding that I...” Lily slowly explained. “At first, he didn’t say who my target was. Only when the cruise ship was about to depart did he give me your information. I was startled, thinking my cover had been blown.”

His mouth fell open. To drive him away and prove him to be a pervert, Auston had personally played a pimp and started with a popular celebrity. He...

He wasn’t Wayne’s father-in-law, but his real father!

“Surprised? I’m more surprised than you are.” Lily glanced at him. “I planned to approach Lando and become his lover, but you threw a wrench into that plan. Now give me an explanation. Why did Lando tell me to sleep with you at any cost?”

“Um...” Wayne’s eyes twitched. He said dryly, “You may not believe this, but Lando thinks I’m involved with his wife and daughter, so he wants to create a scandal about me. That’s why he arranged for you, a talented and beautiful star, to seduce me.”

The actual story was way too complicated, and he didn’t want to elaborate. He gave a believable answer from the perspective of a victim.

Lily’s eyes widened. After a moment, she said, “Break off your relationship with Mrs. Lando and pursue their daughter. This is a great opportunity to infiltrate the Lando family. Do you understand?”

Wayne rolled his eyes, wondering if he should find a barrel of cement to take care of this trouble. The original Wayne’s identity was too complicated; he didn’t want anything to do with it.

“I’ll cover you this time. I’ll tell Lando that you’re an incredible gentleman who resisted the temptation, and despite all my attempts, I failed to bed you.” Lily strategized for him and then continued, “I’ll use this as a chance to return to Franc. The clouds of war are gathering. Londan is too far from the heart of the continent to be the main battlefield...”

“Franc is different. She needs me, and she alone can stop Prussia...”

Lily had been playing a different person for so long that she couldn’t stop talking to a fellow agent about all the information she had gathered. All that made him realize that the original Wayne was from Franc. As a spy planted in Londan, his job was to help Lily deliver intel.

So he was one of the spies he had been mocking. Wayne made a face. The original Wayne wasn’t him. As an outsider, he couldn’t empathize with the bad blood between nations, and they should stop contacting him altogether.

He’d burn the radio as soon as he returned!

The more Lily spoke, the happier she became, her smile a pure, childlike one. Hugging him, she bounced and planted a firm kiss on his cheek when he wasn’t paying attention. He touched the lip print on his face. Shit, he was no longer pure.

“I miss home...”

Lily rested her head on his chest and murmured, her voice growing softer as if she were falling asleep. As they said, loose lips sink ships. Wayne decided to listen without talking.

He didn’t understand spies. Just as he was wondering if he should find a barrel of cement, Lily took a deep breath and pulled herself together, transforming back to the charming star. She wiped the lip print off his face and raised an eyebrow, saying seductively, “By the way, I quite like you. How about we have some fun before I return home?”

Wayne shook his head. “No thanks. I respect you.”

After a pause, Lily broke into a bright smile. “You were trying to take advantage of me before in every way possible, and now you’re suddenly a gentleman? That’s fine. You’ve proven that the noble lady method is viable. Stealing intelligence isn’t limited to female spies. You can go after the wives.”

Wayne shrugged, reluctantly accepting ‘his’ method. No wonder he was so used to living off someone else rather than working hard on his own. It was a habit from the original Wayne.

“Lando isn’t easy to deal with. According to my investigation, he’s not a casual playboy. It won’t be simple to gain his trust.” Lily formulated a plan for him. “His testing won’t end with my failure. In the future, more beautiful women will approach you. Remember your gentlemanly way and hold firm like tonight.”

That’ll be difficult. To tell you the truth, I would’ve gotten a stiffy if not for the college girls holding me back. He swallowed his comments. As Lily said, even if he rejected her this time, what about the next time? Would Megan the butler be knocking on his door at midnight?

Damn, his father-in-law knew him too well, targeting his weakness so accurately!

“You don’t have time to gradually win his trust. I’ll give you a simple suggestion...” Lily met his eyes. “Get his daughter pregnant as soon as possible.”

...Yeah, no. That won’t work. The Dragonblood girl will pluck off my instrument.