After we stored the mysterious bug, Mei Gui and I went around the forest, cleaning up the various Thistle Walkers. They were all spread out, allowing us to take them out one by one easily with my silenced Ace. We left all the bodies in the forest, since that wasn't the Hunters' problem to deal with. Proper clean-up crews would come into the forest to clear the place after we reported news of our success back to the Guild.

After we eliminated all of our targets, the two of us flew up into the air, and began searching for the portal we had came through from. Luckily, since we were high in the air, we could see the whole forest. The portal was pretty big too, so we were able to spot it after not too long. Entering the portal, we were shrouded in a purple light, and when we opened our eyes again, we were back within the Hunters' Guild, Shanghai branch. I pulled out my phone and checked the time.

8 PM. Took longer than I expected.

I found the same receptionist who had explained to us how this place worked earlier, and quickly walked up to her.

"Hey.

"

"Greetings, Hunter,

" she said.

"I see you are back. Quest go well?

"

"Well...it took longer than expected, but we managed. The Forest of Alpheridian is safe for hiking once more.

"

The receptionist smiled.

"I see. Good work. We'll pay you once we have received confirmation that the area is indeed safe again. Sorry for the delay, but...

"

I nodded.

"I get it. Standard procedure. We can wait.

"

The receptionist sighed, relieved that I understood. I figured other Hunters may have given her trouble over this issue. People wanted to receive money as soon as possible, after all. I wasn't exactly like other people, though.

"How would you like us to contact you to collect your payment? Phone call or text message?

" the receptionist asked.

"Uh...a phone call,

" I replied after some thought. There's a possibility I might miss a text, but not a phone call.

"Alright. We will call you once the payment is ready, then.

"

I nodded.

"Sounds good.

"

"Well then, have a good day, and thank you for your efforts once again, Hunter.

"

"Likewise.

"

With that, we parted ways. The Hunters' Guild had all my necessary contact info in their database, from when I first registered. That included my phone number, so they could reach me easily.

After that, Mei Gui and I headed back to the hotel. Luckily, it wasn't too far away from the Hunters' Guild - around a 20 minute walk. It was in the general opposite direction of the Library of Infinite Beginnings - if the Library was to the east of the hotel, then the Hunters' Guild would be approximately in the hotel's northwest direction.

Upon reaching the hotel, we went up to our room and rang the doorbell. I had the keycard for the room as well, and could've entered that way, but I knew the girls were inside anyway, so there was no point. After a glance through the peephole, Yu An Yan opened the door for us. And when she did, I was shocked.

"Welcome home, Master,

" the girls said in a gentle tone, with a cute curtsy from each of them.

Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Yan, Yu An Xue, Lan Xiao Su, and Amane welcomed me inside, and were all in maid outfits. Quite frankly, they were acting like maids too.

"Uh...what's going on here?

" I wondered aloud.

Xiang Peng, who was also wearing a maid outfit, giggled and pushed herself off the wall.

"How is it, 'Master'?

"

She smirked suggestively as she said 'Master', which made me cringe back a bit.

"Er...

" not sure what to do, I turned to Mei Gui for help. But instead of meeting my eyes, she seemed to be glaring at the other girls.

Wait...is she mad that the other girls are calling me Master? No way, right?

"Um...Xuan Ka- I mean, Master? Are you okay?

" Feng Mian asked, blushing deeply.

"H-Huh? Yeah, I'm fine...

" I murmured, averting my gaze. Then, I turned to glare at Xiang Peng.

"This was...your idea, wasn't it?

"

Flinching, realizing I caught her, she turned away and began whistling Happy Birthday even though it was no one's birthday.

I shook my head and sighed, before taking off my shoes.

"Er...you guys can take off the outfits now. I have something to discuss.

"

The girls seemed disappointed at my words.

"Eh? But why?? Does...Master not like us like this?

" Qing Yue asked with a worried expression.

"It's not that...

" I muttered. It's more like...I'm not too sure how to deal with this situation, and there's something I would like to talk about.

"Then what's the problem?

" Yu An Yan asked, capitalizing on my response.

"Come on, M-Master...take off your cloak.

"

She seemed to be trying her best not to stutter out of embarrassment, but her flushed face gave her away. She moved in to take my cloak off, and I let her. After closing the door, Yu An Xue and Feng Mian then led me over to the couch, and made me sit down. Qing Yue and Amane began massaging me, both with surprisingly good technique. Qing Yue worked on my shoulders, while Amane gently rubbed my legs.

Y'know...this isn't that bad.

"Please rest here while we prepare the bath for you, Master,

" Feng Mian said with a bright smile, before entering the washroom along with the Yu sisters and Lan Xiao Su. Mei Gui glared at them every step of the way.

"Er...okay,

" I murmured in response, still in a bit of a daze.

"By the way, Qing Yue and Amane...where did you learn these massage techniques?

"

"Hehe, does it feel good, Master?

" she leaned in and whispered in my ear. I could feel her breath, and it made my heart thump a little.

"Er...yeah. It does - quite relaxing,

" I replied truthfully.

"Well then, don't ask questions, and just give in to the comfort...

" Qing Yue continued whispering seductively.

"Nya...we're all yurs, Master...

" Amane murmured flirtariously.

I wonder...who taught them these seduction techniques too? Little do they know, they aren't working on me, since I already know them beforehand, especially Qing Yue, but if they uses these on another man, the results could be deadly.

I then saw Xiang Peng, standing nearby with a wide smirk on her face.

...Yep. I think I know who the culprit is.

Well, in any case, seduction skills can be pretty handy at times for girls, so I'm not going to complain. But if she dares to feed Qing Yue or Amane any dirty knowledge...

After a short while, the four girls who went into the bathroom earlier came back out.

"The bath is ready, Master,

" Feng Mian said gently. She seemed to be leading the other three girls, who were still a bit hesitant and embarrassed, especially Lan Xiao Su and Yu An Xue.

I nodded, and stood up, a little reluctantly. The massage was good, after all.

Heading into the washroom, I was immediately hit by the beautiful fragrance of flowers. I couldn't tell what type of flower it was, since I was no expert, but one thing was certain - it smelled really nice.

That being said...aren't flower baths usually for girls? Oh well, whatever...I'm assuming Xiang Peng didn't manage teach them everything before I got back.

Flower baths may be originally meant for girls, but I'm not about to say no to such a well-prepared bath that those four girls worked so hard on.

I began taking off my dirty clot-

"Wait. What are you four doing in here?

" I asked, frowning.

"W-We will take off your clothes for you, Master,

" Feng Mian said, voice quivering slightly out of nervousness.

I immediately backed away.

"Uh, no no no no. I can take off my clothes myself. Please.

"

"A-Are you sure, Master?

" Lan Xiao Su asked.

I nodded quickly.

"Yes. You've already done more than enough.

"

"As you wish then, Master,

" the girls said, before retreating. I let out a sigh of relief, and began undressing once more. Taking off my black hoodie, I hung it on a peg on the back of the door, and put my T-shirt underneath on a hanger, which I then hooked around the shower rod. I did the same with the rest of my clothes.

At last, I sank into the warm bath. It was nice and relaxing. I took a couple deep breaths. The flowers' fragrance was not too strong, yet prominent all the same. The girls really did a good job setting this bath up.

Come to think of it...is Flaria still in hibernation? She was in bed already when I saw her just now, along with Obsidia. But all phoenixes had different hibernation durations, right? So she could be awaking anytime. And where do I go tomorrow? My payment from the quest Mei Gui and I did today should be ready by then. Alternatively, we could go and try to challenge another Floor of the Library of Infinite Beginnings... then there's also the Ross Estate we have to investigate.

Ah, too much thinking. Let's just relax and enjoy this bath for now.