The next few days went by relatively uneventful, all things considered. Rex moved from one floating island towards the next, exploring each and every one with all the tools available in his arsenal, jotting down all sorts of notes as he did so, spending his days near the floating islands and the nights back at the inn with Danica and Eve. As he learned with each explored and marked island, the purpose of this whole project seemed to be geared towards a rather simple goal- to understand just how much could one affect the pace and way a landmass could develop by manipulating the wind currents. And while it would seemed rather obvious that wind currents were extremely important in the whole process, for a world far less developed where most intelligent beings would chalk up whatever they could not explain as the way magic worked, such scientific approach was quite outside of norms. A hypothesis was expressed by the maker of this whole project, likely as said creature got closer and closer to the limits of this worlds concepts, explaining the dragonic nature of the perpetrator, and in order to advance its own progress in the discipline, the creature then created this, returning every now and then to observe.

  'Truly, a Newton of this world in their own sense.' Rex mused as he flew over towards the next island on the list to explore. 'I do hope he is more than just obsessed creature, discarding everything else in order to pursue the further comprehension of the concept. That would indeed be sad.' Rex's thoughts went on even as he got to work once above the next floating island. There was plenty for him to observe as well, and while Rex himself was not all that interested in the concept of wind, he had an unfair advantage that was starting to manifest itself in this world more and more. As he was still drinking the soul nourishing water he acquired back in the forest of giants, his soul had been recovering more and more, providing him with ever expanding capacity for absorbing knowledge and comprehending things, among many other benefits that he had yet to capitalize on. undoubtedly, he was moving further and further out of reach of other creatures inhabiting this world, but at the same time his presence was also a boon in it's own right. As much as he was using this relatively new world to grow, so could it grow from his presence, his soul originated from a much more developed world, the concepts radiating from his presence alone. And, this smaller and younger world was basking and growing it's own concepts from this presence alone. It was the reason why he was not met with cataclysmic unfortunate events. Beast tides, earthquakes and other misfortunes might follow in his wake, were he inclined to harm the world as a whole. Yet, for all of his actions, not only had Rex yet to go on what could be considered a demonic rampage, leaving naught but ash and corpses behind, but he was also slowly spreading his roots, like a seed of a tree, fallen to the ground and starting to sprout.

  As Rex was doing his own thing, two, extremely beautiful and confident women were exploring the town they had decided to rest at. They had spent the few days combing through the markets, searching for anything that could spark their own interest, talking about this and that and plotting their own little games as they did so, their conversations moving from topic to topic as they went on. It was due to Danica's lack of shame, or her pride in the things that she did with Rex that the conversation did eventually move towards the more private and spicy themes, eventually resulting in Eve asking a question that had been popping up in her mind lately as Rex had been visiting her fantasies more and more often.

  "Are you guys not worried at all?" Eve asked once they had found a nice little place to have a small snack. They were sitting in a small gazebo, the bright and scorching sun kept away by the beautifully crafted and decorated wooden ceiling.

  "Bout what?" Danica asked back as she took a few sips of a refreshingly cool drink and munched on a few snacks served along with said drink.

  "Well...." Eve slightly hesitated, before continuing. "Well, kids? You guys have been doing it quite often. Is it not only a matter of time until? Well, nature takes its course?"

  "Awwww. You are sooo cute when flustered. Ha ha ha ha." Danica laughed as she observed Eve's slight blushing, eventually calming down to answer.

  "You have seen what Rex can do with blood that is not his own, have you not? How hard do you think it is for him to control his own body? Unless we both want it to happen, there is not chance in hell of anything sprouting in me. We can have all the fun adventuring while enjoying each other to the fullest." Danica laughed, taking a few more sips as her eyes gleamed. "I have to say, it was the greatest luck of my life encountering him when I did. Not only did he save my people, but he is also a magnificent partner. Do not worry though. I have been working hard to prepare him for you and I believe he is almost ready. Him accepting Ria fully was a step in the right direction."

  "And why do you think I want that?" Eve asked, her voice half whisper, as if afraid Rex, where ever he was right now, might overhear should she not lower her voice.

  "Come on girl! Seriously? You have been looking at him with those half lidded eyes, half filled with lust, half with desire. The only question is how much has Rex himself perceived. He finds you attractive enough, as far as I know. He also has some reasons why he does not just expand his possible harem, LORD'S know there is plenty of beauties who would jump at the opportunity. We have both seen plenty try."

  "Have you asked him about it?"

  "Once or twice. He did say something about appreciating each of the ladies he decides to actually pursue. Something about us not being simple trophies and whatnot. As far as I can tell though, not once have I felt as a trophy, a decoration making his home nicer, though I suppose that should be the result of his choices." Danica mused, seeing Rex's point better and better as she actually thought on it. It was somewhat hard to see it from his point of view though, the people of this world finding themselves at the mercy of the strong far too often, skewing their perception of what was a good partner and how should they act. Even the wolfkin placed a large emphasis on the raw might of their partners, often relegating other, possibly productive qualities to a lesser desirability level. Though that was how world worked when the law of the jungle where might makes right is superior to anything else.

  A moment of silence permeated their gazebo as both women thought on the conversation, each having their own things to consider. The moment extended slowly, changing from seconds, to minutes until a while later both sighed at nearly the same time, having come to their own conclusions, proceeding to laugh at their synchronized sigh. Once done, both smile as they looked at each other, Eve's words leaving her lips first.

  "He is an enigma. Whenever I think I have figured him out, he does something unexpected, flipping all but one of my conclusions on their head, making it hard to keep up."

  "I have a glaring suspicion about that one conclusion of yours." Danica smiled as she added, allowing Eve to finish her thought.

  "He does not compromise. Not when it comes to the people he cares about. And he is quite obvious about that as well."

  "Mostly." Danica added, a meaningful expression on her face. "Look at you for example. He is growing fond of you, even if he himself does not quite understand it yet. Once he does though, he will act with single minded determination and focus, doing things to ensure your safety you cannot even dream about."

  "Oh?"

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  "Sorry sister. There are things I cannot reveal, nor explain without his approval." Danica smiled apologetically, her mind as if wandering.

  "It's all right. I just have to work harder." Eve added as she too took a sip from her drink. As they enjoyed their little moment, a servant approached them with a tray, some fancy looking bottle on it.

  "Honored customers." the servant girl bowed once she had reached their gazebo "The young lords over there asked to deliver this fine drink to you two." she spoke as she pointed towards another gazebo where six young men sat, their gazes locked on Danica and Eve, some clear desire and lust obvious in their gazes.

  "You can bring it back to them. We were just leaving anyway." Danica replied, not even looking towards the group. She had been aware of their gazes for a while now though she had ignored them so far. Foolish youngsters and their libido's. "And do tell them to stay away. Our man is rather possessive. Nor would we want to be annoyed by them either. Come Eve, let's go."

  "As you wish." the girl bowed, noticing Danica's A ranker's medallion around her neck. With that said and their tab paid for, Danica and Eve left the establishment, leaving the servant girl to return the offered drink unopened.

  "Who do they think they are, huh?" one of the youths sneered once the servant girl had been rudely sent away. Not even their group dared to actually hurt the employees of the place. There were plenty of rumors around the town about who owned the place and those in power were smart enough not to enrage said owners, ensuring that their offspring and their cohorts were aware as well, making the establishment in question a sort of a neutral zone.

  "Did you send one of your lackeys to tail them?" asked another youth from the group, none aware of the identities of the two beauties, having just noticed them as they had their own fun.

  "Of course, though I have never seen the two. Likely passing through."

  "Are you sure it is a good idea?" yet another of the group spoke, his voice more timid than the rest, clearly nervous about something.

  "Eh? What are you so scared about?" the leader of the group asked. "Did you not see them? It's rare to see such beauties around here."

  "T-that's precisely why I am worried." the timid one spoke up again. "W-what are the odds that they don't have their own admirers already. P-perhaps even partners? The servant did say they are important people."

  "Eh? Since when is a paying customer anything but an important person? You sure your old man is as smart as your mother claims?" another laughed and joked about the timid guy.

  "Oi! That's enough. Can't have them go and disappear on us." The leader of the group interrupted, a smirk still on his face. "And what does it matter if they have a partner, or two already. Once we are through with them, they will be unable to think of anything but pleasure anyhows. What's some old flame or whatever matters then? Still, I will have a few of our guys on the lookout for strong looking guys for a couple of days. Dawning Sun sect is relatively close by after all, even if those treats don't wear their uniforms."

  "Y-yes." nodded the rest of the group, instantly agreeing with their leader. He was smart enough and always shared once he got bored, earning quite the zealous following from the rest of the group. And so, a few moments later a few more errand boys were called upon, their orders clear.

  -------------------

  "So? How goes your exploration? Learn anything of note?" asked Eve as the trio sat around a table, their ordered food arriving plate after plate, reducing the amount of empty room on it every moment. As per usual, they had ordered plenty to cover it all from one end to the other, still surprising the owner of the place with their extraordinary appetites. What was more interesting was the fat that all three of them ate similar amounts, with only Rex surpassing the other two by a rather large margin, though that was to be expected. The level of rune engraving on his body was on a whole another level.

  "Kind of?" Rex replied, pulling out another canteen filled with soul recovery water. "I have a general understanding regarding the whole floating island system as well as a relative understanding of the cycles it works through. As far as I can tell, one cycle goes for a few years and if my current calculations are correct, the dragon will not be back for another decade or so, if the rumors are to be believed regarding it's last visit. Nothing to do about that though. Seems like we will get to play around in that dungeon of theirs sooner rather than later. Had fun in the meantime girls?"

  "We had our little fun, yes." replied Danica as she decided which dish to start with. "Some fools are snooping around, looking for trouble, but I have it all under control, though I would appreciate if you were to plant some extra safety measures on Eve." she added as she glanced at the other woman for a moment, then, trying her best puppy eyes, looked at Rex.

  "You know it does not work on me. You have much better choice of weapons to get what you want."

  "Had to try. One never knows when another weakness appears." Danica replied, a mischievous grin on her face.

  "But sure. I was considering the same for a while now. Did not find the correct reasons though." he then looked at Eve " Come to our room after dinner. I will see what we can do."

  "Mhm." Eve nodded, as they started their meal, the few fools snooping around and keeping tabs on Eve and Danica not escaping Rex sharp perception. With the gradual recovery of his soul, the entire town was under his constant surveillance, the perpetrators of this current stalking already marked and paid extra special attention. And Rex could honestly say that he was already quite willing to clean the place up. It was one thing to pick up girls with ones charisma and skill, living the life of a player, but to resort to drugs and mind break? Treating said women like toys afterwards? No. Rex had a rather peculiar moral code, some might even call him hypocritical at times and he would not even deny the accusation. He was well aware that he was slightly broken, corrupted in certain ways by the power he held in his hands, and yet, for all the corruption, he still valued people at a certain baseline. Crime fits the punishment and whatnot, unless of course said crime endangered or hurt people he cared about. In that case, well, everything was allowed.

  Spending a proper hour on their supper, the group retired to Rex's and Danica's room where Eve received a few extra protection layers, though she herself did not feel any different after another hour of Rex doing whatever he was doing. Though he did assure her that he had placed a few additional levels of protection on her, earning nods of approval from Danica. Once done with that, Danica pounced on Rex from behind, hugging him and playfully biting his neck, followed by a playful whisper in his ear, though loud enough for Eve to hear.

  "So? Are you perhaps finally interested in feasting on our beautiful princess? Don't you think she has been waiting for long enough?" Her hands were already fooling around.

  "Why the rush? Is my slow pace losing her interest?" Rex grinned as he replied, leaning his head against Danica's.

  "N-no!" Eve exclaimed, blushing right afterwards, her eyes shying away from the grinning duo as she bit her lower lip, her hands clutched together.

  "Danica has no doubt told you already, but in case she has not, and because you yourself have not actually asked me, I will be quite direct. I have made a conscious decision to limit myself to as few women as I can, spending more time with them and appreciating them more. And as much as I am aware of your growing attraction to me, I also have no desire to rush ahead. We have plenty of time ahead of us and if you need some sort of an assurance, here it is." The grin on Rex face disappeared as he adopted a serious expression, his eyes locked on Eve's.

  "Evelysandra." he spoke "I have grown to enjoy your company. More than I might even like to admit. I have also noticed your growing affection for me and Danica. If it is your wish, not only I, but also Danica would be more than happy to welcome you as a member of our little family. Do you wish to join us?"

  The serious expression on Rex's face, combined with the warmth coming from both his and Danica's eyes caused an errant tear to escape on of Eve's eyes, a pleasant warmth spreading through her chest. While not quite in the same manner, Eve had dreamed of similar scenarios, though admittedly her versions would usually end with a lot of moans and screams of pleasure.

  "Mhm." She nodded "I would love to." She did not manage to say anything else since Danica immediately pounced on the princess, using her superior speed and strength to pull her in their bed, hugging Rex from one side and Eve from the other.

  "Let's rest and hit up the dungeon tomorrow!" Danica declared, a content smile on her face even as Eve was stealing glances of Rex, who, upon noticing, or to be more precise deciding that he had pretended not to see long enough, smirked and added his own decision.

  "I will still have you stew for a while longer. You are mine now, but some dishes have to be properly prepared for for the best experience." His eyes were gentle as he spoke, even if his grin looked downright diabolical in Eve's eyes.

  "Mhm." Eve could do nothing else but humm in agreement. It would be have to be enough for now.