Soon, in Alistair's special vision, the clump of blue-tinged black energy entered a building.
Are they building a shrine in the school?
The building was only one story high, but its footprint was quite large, and it was taller than ordinary houses. Alistair didn't know what it was intended for. Its style was old, unlike modern bungalows; it resembled a traditional Japanese structure, looking mostly wooden and decorated with strange paper talismans.
Approaching the building, Alistair saw that it had about ten steps leading up to it. Although each step wasn't very high, it certainly made the building much taller than the surrounding structures.
But why is it so isolated? The surrounding buildings were all ordinary, yet this one looked like a shrine or a house for blessing ceremonies. Did they actually put something inside as a prop?
Alistair circled the building. Behind this "shrine," there was a simple, fenced-in small courtyard containing only one tree. Everything looked normal.
However, Alistair didn't know the layout inside. If he ran in haphazardly and encountered Coach Tōgō, there would be no element of surprise. Moreover, if he took out this guy prematurely, he wouldn't be able to naturally claim the girl, Nanao, later. The role of the ultimate villain should be left to Coach Tōgō for now.
So, Alistair climbed onto the fence and jumped onto the rooftop. While using his phone to kill time and wait for Coach Tōgō to emerge, he also messaged Mina and Kasumi to meet him at the Baseball Club's rest area later. Mina and Kasumi were already his, so it was time for them to witness the bigger events.
Although Alistair didn't know what Coach Tōgō was doing, it clearly didn't take much time. After about thirty minutes, Coach Tōgō exited the house and returned the way he came.
He's finally gone. Speaking of which, I heard those two guys say that Coach Tōgō concocted a body-enhancing drug for them this year. Could this be the place where he mixes the drugs?
After Coach Tōgō walked away and Alistair was sure he wouldn't be disturbed, he jumped off the roof, dusted off his pants, walked up the steps, and pushed open the doors on both sides.
Click.
The house did not contain any strange statues or idols as Alistair had imagined. Instead, there was only a vast, empty main hall and a side room with a few sofas and a table.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
The sound of Alistair's shoes hitting the wooden floor echoed in the silent house. The interior of the house was pitch black, but it didn't hinder Alistair's vision. The Demonic Eye Ring's granted night vision allowed him to see clearly in the darkness as if it were day.
Moreover, unlike the night vision of cats and other animals, which maximizes light utilization, this was a fundamental form of "night vision." It didn't need any subtle light to clearly see the environment in the dark. If there was a drawback, it would be the faint, glowing pink-purple aura it emitted, which was quite noticeable in a completely dark environment.
The layout of the house wasn't complicated. Alistair quickly walked a lap around the interior. The overall condition could only be summarized with two words: empty and clean.
Honestly, even buildings that aren't abandoned accumulate dust, let alone one that has been abandoned for many years. Even if Coach Tōgō cleaned it, it wouldn't be this clean. Alistair had touched everything, yet not a speck of dust clung to his hand. It was almost suspiciously clean.
Also, while the purpose of this place was unclear, why were there only furniture in the side room near the entrance, and nothing else? And even that side room only contained furniture. What did Coach Tōgō come here for?
Alistair scratched his head, sat down on a sofa, and leaned back. He didn't know the purpose of Coach Tōgō's visit.
Alistair turned off his "night vision" and stared blankly into the darkness. The building seemed to have no windows. It was only about 4:00 PM, and it was only April, so it was barely evening, yet the interior was almost pitch black.
Alistair stretched out his hand and waved it a few times. When his "night vision" was off, he truly couldn't see his own fingers.
What the hell?
Alistair randomly waved his hand in the darkness and suddenly felt his finger brush against something. He instinctively drew it back and simultaneously activated his "night vision" to observe his surroundings.
Surprisingly, he still couldn't see anything. The room was just as empty as before.
An illusion? No, it definitely wasn't. My finger definitely touched something just now.
As Alistair thought, an idea suddenly popped into his mind: Activate the special vision.
Holy shit! What is this?
A potted plant suddenly appeared on the square table in front of Alistair. No, it shouldn't be called a potted plant because it was growing out of the wooden table.
Alistair, realizing something, stood up, gripped the edge of the table with both hands, and tried to lift it. But the table didn't budge, not even when Alistair used the power of the Ox Talisman.
It looks like this thing is truly all one piece.
Alistair shook his hands. In his special vision, the plant looked like a vastly scaled-down tree and was already flowering. Alistair didn't know its species, but it was a tree nonetheless.
Perhaps influenced by the sight of flowers on the tree, he thought he could smell a fragrance, and it made him feel slightly restless and agitated. Was it an illusion?
Alistair looked around and noticed another issue: every part of the building was emitting a blue aura. To describe it visually, the place looked like a sauna filled with mist, only the mist was blue. Except for the small tree, the blue mist everywhere else was very sparse.
Eat it! Eat it! Eat it!
As if someone was speaking in his mind, these words suddenly popped up in Alistair's head. Alistair quickly looked around in panic but found nothing.
Eat it!
The word popped up in Alistair's mind again, and this time, it was accompanied by a feeling of intense hunger. The small tree in front of him seemed to transform into some kind of delicacy. A fragrance suddenly rushed into his nostrils, and Alistair, as if losing control, lunged at the small tree, tearing, breaking, and stuffing it into his mouth.
One bite, two bites... only after completely consuming even the trunk did Alistair recover his sanity, collapsing onto the sofa.
Did I just eat that thing? And it tasted pretty good, crunchy and refreshing...
Alistair's mind was a mess until he completely recovered after a long while. Then, a surge of information appeared in his mind, causing him to feel dizzy. He only recovered completely after about ten minutes.
"Holy cow, no wonder I couldn't control myself. It was you, you bastard." Alistair mumbled, half-helplessly and half-happily, looking at the Demonic Eye Ring on his hand after sorting out the information in his mind.
The "tree" Alistair just ate only looked like a tree on the surface. In reality, it was a Mystical Object. Based on its function, let's call it the [Mystical Pheromone Tree].
The "flower" of this thing could produce a liquid that had only one ability: it enhanced the effect of any substance in a liquid state. Regardless of the effect, adding one drop would double the potency, and this could be stacked ten times. That's insane! If he stacked it to the limit, the effect would be multiplied by over a thousand times. A single health potion could turn into a resurrection coin.
However, this wasn't why Alistair named it the [Mystical Pheromone Tree]. Pheromones usually refer to the chemical signals released by men and women that attract each other and incite the desire to reproduce. In short, they are Aphrodisiacs.
Alistair named this object for this specific effect. The thing itself came with an aphrodisiac effect. It wasn't merely about causing lust, but the details were complex; those two words basically summarized the effect.
The information Alistair received when he first got the Demonic Eye Ring mentioned that he needed to acquire Mystical Objects to further the fusion, but it didn't elaborate. This time, it told Alistair that there were eleven nodes in total—zero, ten, twenty, thirty... up to one hundred—and each node required the fusion of one Mystical Object to continue to the next step.
The information from this object explained that it gradually transformed Alistair's mortal essence into a transcendent essence. Furthermore, the breakthrough of this node also returned what the ring owed Alistair from before.
For example, fusing a Mystical Object transforms his essence and grants him the object's effect as an applicable ability. Unlike abilities drawn using the [Acquisition] feature, these abilities are integrated into his essence and are akin to innate powers.
He currently had two abilities from fused Mystical Objects. One came from the [Stone Mask], which he initially thought was a toy. The reason it wasn't useful was that Alistair had absorbed it, which was the key to starting the Demonic Eye Ring's fusion. This object granted him two abilities: a body with extremely strong regenerative power and the ability to restore his own injuries by drinking blood.
Alistair's verdict: useless. Why would I need this when I have the Horse Talisman?
The second Mystical Object, the one he just ate, granted a powerful ability. It was simple, direct, and perfectly suited Alistair's needs: Aphrodisiac. It makes Alistair himself emit a special "Pheromone," which cannot be detected by any ordinary means but definitely exists.
This substance creates a "Need" in women for Alistair, including but not limited to touching his body. When this need is satisfied, they experience unimaginable satisfaction. Furthermore, this "Need" gradually intensifies, and when unsatisfied, they experience mild psychological anxiety and have wet dreams.
In addition, Alistair's personal belongings, including but not limited to clothing, can also alleviate their need, but the ultimate solution still requires Alistair's searing magma for true satisfaction. Whether taken by the upper mouth or the lower mouth, only these methods can fully satisfy the need. There is no other way.
Finally, the "Pheromone" affects different people differently, and if they stay away from Alistair for an extended period, the effect will automatically weaken until it disappears.
All in all, Alistair's body is now a walking aphrodisiac! The longer a woman stays with Alistair, the more dependent she becomes on him.
With this ability, the matter concerning Nanao will not just be easy to manage; it will be effortless.
Alistair walked out of the house, thinking confidently.
After Alistair left, if one were to look through the special vision, they would see a circular pattern slowly appearing on the floor of the empty main hall. Deep purple flames ignited on the pattern. Soon, the lingering blue mist seemed to catch fire like firewood. Finally, the entire interior of the house was engulfed in a blazing fire, yet the structure remained completely unharmed.
The burning didn't last long, extinguishing in just a few minutes. What remained was the still-undamaged house, only now, faint dust had settled within...