Responsibilities and Rewards (1)
From there, they would go to her room in one dormitory on Street Fifty-Three.
Liam saw the difference between his dormitory and Mary's. While his had fewer rooms and they were bigger, her room was barely big enough for the two of them to be there together.
With only space for a single bed and a small 4 square meter bathroom, it was a room for one person. Two people in there would feel uncomfortable and get in each other's way.
In addition to the small size, there was little decoration or furniture to store objects, clothes, and other things. For people like Liam and Mary, who didn't have spatial rings, this was a big disadvantage.
Fortunately, from what they had both seen in the past few hours, even the weaker members of the sect seemed to have space storage items. As long as they had some patience, they shouldn't have a problem storing resources and items.
Uncomfortable with the size of the room, they made their way to Street Thirty-Seven, both struggling to climb the 1,600 steps between the two streets.
Mary entered Liam's dormitory with ease, no one questioning her or standing in her way. As they had heard before, the sect didn't care about their disciples' relationships.
Also, even though she was of lower rank than Liam, as one of First Officer Cyrus' men had explained, they were all free to come and go throughout City Thirteen. As costly as it was—they both felt it as they climbed the hundreds of steps on their way today—they truly could come and go without restriction.
As they entered Liam's room—much larger, better decorated, and with an interesting view—they both undressed, forgetting their physical fatigue.
Liam took the herbs and spices he had brought from the incubus demon's lair, made a mixture and rubbed it on his lover's body.
He used his incubus powers to heighten his and her natural instincts, and the two could no longer hold back. They moved to the bed as they kissed, touching each other's sensitive parts, thirsty to taste each other's flesh.
After weeks of doing nothing, they didn't just want to mate to cultivate like before, they also wanted to enjoy the good feeling of being together. Mary wanted to feel Liam inside her, while he wanted to feel her embrace him.
But not being so sure about the situation in this room and their safety, they both held back, with her biting the sheets and holding back her moans.
...
Hours later, night had fallen and the traffic on Street Thirty-Seven was quieter, as it would be in any city Liam and Mary knew.
Meanwhile, the two were lying on his bed, their bodies naked, covered only by a gray sheet.
She had her head resting on his right shoulder, one of her legs on top of his, looking at him with an exuberant smile on her beautiful face.
Liam had a satisfied look on his face, along with a lightness of spirit, but also energy. He loved the post-coital feeling, how strong and full of energy he always felt after finishing his cultivation session.
"This city is quite interesting," he said, catching Mary's eye. "Have you noticed how much denser the mana is the higher up we get in the city?"
She looked at him, not having thought about it, but realizing it was indeed the truth. "That seems to be the case. This place we're in is richer in mana than my room."
The advantages for the high-ranking members of the sect were already obvious to the two, who were just outer members. So, if it was like that for them, what were the advantages of being an inner disciple?
They couldn't help but be interested in this topic and set their sights on becoming the sect's inner disciples.
"You'd better sleep and live here with me. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. The sect doesn't prevent disciples from having relationships, so sleeping together won't be a problem." He suggested, not really thinking about sleeping, of course.
"Hmm, I'll bring my things over. It'll help me progress faster." She didn't refuse.
"Anyway, what did you do in the last hours? Did you have any problems?" He waved his smile aside, the corners of his lips curling downward. The jovial atmosphere dissipated as his voice lowered, resonating with a newfound intensity.
Mary had recognized the problem, having also considered the approaches and problems of her senior members. Wasn't it natural in a sect like this for the older members to impose themselves on the younger ones?
Neither of them had any experience with sects and the world of Spirit Masters, but they both had their experiences and visions of human society.
They both expected the worst from their outdoor competitors.
"No, strangely enough, no one approached me."
"Same here," Liam said, gazing out the window at the twinkling stars in the night sky, pondering the reason behind such a response. "I believe it's due to the protection measures we have in place. Once the 48-hour period since our entry into the sect has passed, we'll have to handle potential threats that come our way."
"Do you think we will have problems?"
"Certainly. First Officer Merlin said we would receive awards when we entered the sect, and Cyrus commented on that. We must be prepared for older disciples to try to take advantage of our lack of experience. I wouldn't be surprised if someone is already watching us."
Liam's hand clenched tightly, while the muscles in his face contorted into an ugly expression.
"You should be careful. Unlike the rest of us, you've already entered the sect with a promotion. Depending on what those entrance awards are, try to use them to get stronger as soon as possible." She looked at him with trembling eyes, worried.
Her heart pounded in her chest at the thought of something worse happening to Liam. Without realizing it, she clenched one of his fists as she clasped him.
"I know. Don't worry..." He sighed as he looked at her, recognizing her worry. "Now let's go to sleep. We need to rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."
She agreed, relaxing into his arms and falling asleep minutes after their brief post-coital talk.
They were both tired. As much as Liam felt great and energized, his mind had a lot to process after seeing and learning so much today. Soon, he would also fall asleep.
...
As hours passed, the first light of day began to peek over the horizon, casting a warm glow on the surroundings. The air grew gradually warmer, carrying with it the familiar scents of morning dew and fresh blooms. From Liam's neighbors, the sounds of doors opening and closing, accompanied by the cheerful voices of people starting their day, filled the air.
The black-haired young man groggily opened his heavy eyelids, allowing the soft morning light to filter into his vision. His fingers grazed his cheek as he emerged from the warmth of his bed. A cool sensation tingled through his bare feet, courtesy of the wooden floor beneath him.
Glancing towards the empty space beside him, he noticed the absence of Mary, only to find her in the bathroom, the sound of running water filling the air.
"You're up early," he said as he got up, not bothering to get dressed.
Before long, he would also take a shower, following his hygiene routine that he could not properly adhere to on the Eternal Doom Island. Now, he finally had the opportunity to live with a civilized being once more.
In a few minutes, the two would be dressed in the same clothes they wore when they arrived at the sect.
Outside members didn't have uniforms, so if they wanted better clothes, they would have to buy something from one store in the city.
Without thinking too much about it at the moment, they would soon begin the grueling climb up the 3,600 steps on their way to Street One, the location of the Records Hall.
Their positions, responsibilities, and awards had already been determined; all they had to do was make their way to the Records Hall to find out what it was.
In contrast to the relatively easy descent down the thousands of steps, the ascent would require much more effort. It would take them a full two hours to reach the end of their journey!
As much as they had showered and prepared for this place, they arrived drenched in sweat, mouths agape, hearts pounding in their chests, almost completely exhausted.
After stopping for a few minutes to rest, they would soon enter the temple-like building, from which some inner sect members could be seen on the outside, as well as other outer disciples coming and going from the area.
"Time to find out our future." Liam took one of her hands and moved forward, ignoring the three men who had come to the sect with them and were finishing climbing the steps to Street One.