Chapter 305 : Lust energy

    ''So how does it work?'' Alex wondered as he concentrated.

    Right now, he was back from visiting the auction market and was waiting for Freya.

    Perhaps it was because the sun was about to fall and many auctioneers were preparing to leave, Alex only managed to get his hands on a few interesting items after acquiring the piano.

    One of the items he had gotten his hands on was a silver ball that was made of an interesting material. This material in question was as solid as steel, but the interesting part was that once imbued with mana, its characteristics changed, becoming a viscous liquid. What was even more extraordinary was that Alex could control it as he wished just by channeling his mana inside—it was as if his own mana had become the silver liquid!

    The more he stretched the material, however, the more mana he needed to expend to keep it in a liquid form; otherwise, it would lose its liquid properties and revert back to a solid.

    From what the auctioneer of this item explained, this silver metal was one of the rare rewards found after clearing a grade 4 dungeon.

    Curious about the strange characteristics of this silver metal, Alex decided to buy it.

    Beside that, he had also bought a painting set with enchanted pigments and brushes. The pigments, infused with mana, could shift color or brightness depending on the user''s intent, while the brushes, made from the fur of a magical beast he had never heard of, adapted to different surfaces, allowing one to create textures and subtle movements in their paintings. With a light touch of mana, one could make elements of their work seem almost alive, adding a mesmerizing, magical quality to the creations.

    Many people were vying for this treasure, forcing Alex to buy it at a steep price—at least a quarter of what he had paid for his piano. He hadn''t bought this painting set for himself, though; it was a gift for his eldest daughter, Viviane.

    During his stroll through the auction market, he had bumped into Talia a few times and soon realized that she wasn''t alone. Celine and Marina, two of his other cousins, accompanied her. When he made that discovery, he couldn''t help but chuckle, thinking that the only one missing was his sister or their "gang" would have been complete.

    Since he couldn''t find anything else of interest, he walked back to the Drazen auction house and settled near its entrance. Not wishing to waste time sitting idly, he decided to resume his tests on lust energy, experiments he had wanted to carry out before Freya had interrupted him that morning.

    As his concentration peaked, Alex called forth the lust energy. It was his first time doing so, but he quickly realized that it was as easy as drawing ambient mana to himself; theoretically, there was no need for him to focus so intently. Nevertheless, he maintained his concentration, and as the seconds ticked by, particles of lust energy swirled toward him, like moths drawn to a flame. As their concentration increased, Alex''s hand became surrounded by a pinkish glow—though he was the only one able to see this light, as others had no particular affinity for lust energy.

    From what the goddess of lust had explained to him, only creatures naturally born with an affinity for lust energy, such as succubi, could feel and manipulate it.

    Another thing the goddess had also explained to him was that lust wasn''t an inexhaustible energy. It was an energy that only existed as long as sentient and living creatures were in a zone; the fewer people there were around, the less lust energy there would be. While it''s true that this statement wasn''t absolute, it was, for the most part, accurate.

    Of course, this was not a problem here in Drisidd, where tens of thousands of people lived, which was why Alex could attract lust energy even where he currently was.

    ''Unfortunately, it seems that I can''t control more than this much energy,'' Alex thought as he watched his two glowing hands. If he tried to increase the lust energy under his control, he would actually lose control of another portion he already had control over.

    ''Let''s go at it gradually; there''s no need to waste time trying to control more energy. I should rather try to intimately understand how this energy functions,'' Alex decided.

    Of course, the instant he received the lust energy blessing, Alex already had knowledge of how it worked and what it could do, but he still wished to see for himself what would happen if he used the energy on someone.

    ''It also has a charming effect on people that I want to test out,'' Alex considered.

    The charming effect was none other than the very reason his handsomeness had been elevated several folds when he received the lust energy, and its role was to make him appear desirable to the opposite sex.

    Just as Alex was wondering who he should use as a guinea pig, the doors of the auction house opened, and a woman sporting orange hair walked out.

    However, to Alex''s disappointment, this woman wasn''t Freya, but Frieda.

    Frieda''s eyes scanned her surroundings, and when her gaze settled on Alex, her eyes seemed to sparkle.

    ''I should apologize for my earlier actions and try to make amends,'' Frieda thought as she walked in Alex''s direction. ''Perhaps I can even convince him to ditch that bitch Freya and win his favor, as well as that of his organization.''

    If she had been able to sense just how deeply Alex desired Freya at that moment, she would never have entertained such thoughts. Alas, she would remain blissfully unaware until much later.

    For now, however, she would merely serve as a guinea pig for Alex to test his new powers.