The Tidal Mirror Hall’s Secrets

As Dump had mentioned, Lenia was intimately familiar with the Tidal Mirror Hall.

With a graceful flick of an embroidered handkerchief, the lady summoned a waiter, murmuring instructions in a low voice.

The waiter’s expression instantly sharpened; he retrieved a sky-blue badge from his breast pocket, presenting it to Lenia with both hands.

After a respectful bow, he withdrew, taking a position discreetly beside the group.

“Our seating awaits us upstairs, if you would kindly follow.”

That marked Lenia’s first utterance, her voice a soft, melodious whisper, as yielding as a feather.

Saranya felt an undeniable stir within her, prompting an unconscious murmur of acknowledgment.

‘The aura this person exuded was profoundly peculiar,’ Saranya mused, struggling to find the right words.

‘This individual before me felt ethereal, spectral even, as though they had stepped directly from the fabric of my dreams.’

With an elegant turn, Lenia’s exquisite waistline brushed subtly against Dump.

Yet, Dump remained remarkably composed; even amidst Lenia’s suggestive proximity, he merely steadied her forearm with both hands, never allowing himself a single presumptuous gesture.

Guided by Lenia, the quartet ascended the staircase, their footsteps cushioned by the plush blue carpet.

At the landing, they turned, delving deeper into a narrow, seemingly endless corridor.

Throughout their journey, the corridor’s walls were continuously adorned with paintings and display cases, an unbroken tapestry of art and artifacts.

The luxurious items showcased on the pedestals were astonishingly varied.

While some were conventional—jewels, pottery, armaments—others verged on the bizarre: a pitch-black scale, branches bearing vibrant blossoms, and, most startling of all, a thick, gnarled, club-like object that seemed to writhe and undulate of its own accord.

Saranya felt a flush creep up her neck, swiftly averting her gaze.

Undeniably, these were magical artifacts.

To openly exhibit such forbidden items within their own premises, throughout the entirety of Vero, was a privilege likely afforded solely to the Tidesong Sisterhood.

While the Sisterhood presented a demure facade, content to serve as caged birds for the nobility and those in power, never extending their influence beyond the Tidal Mirror Hall, they were, in truth, the city’s most enigmatic faction.

Behind the scenes, their human and material resources were unquestionably among the finest.

“A moment, please.”

Lenia separated from Dump, approaching a pristine wall on her own.

After a moment of tactile exploration, she produced the sky-blue badge she had just received, fitting it precisely into a subtle indentation on the wall’s surface.

With the badge as its focal point, the entire wall abruptly shimmered with a cerulean magical glow.

Lenia gently rapped the wall with her knuckles; finding her fingers met no resistance, she retrieved the badge, tucked it into her bosom, and stepped forward, her entire form dissolving into the wall until she vanished without a trace.

Dump wasted no time, immediately following Lenia.

Saranya, her arm linked with Kaelan’s, trailed close behind.

As Saranya’s hand met the wall, her vision was momentarily engulfed by a brilliant blue light before she emerged into a private antechamber beyond.

The chamber was surprisingly spacious, roughly the size of a basketball court.

From the vaulted ceiling, teardrop-shaped glass lanterns descended, casting a soft illumination upon the four.

Along the room’s perimeter, shimmering crystal walls curved gracefully, enclosing the hall in an ethereal, egg-shaped embrace.

Adjacent to a grand tapestry emblazoned with rolling waves, a pair of sofas stood in intimate opposition, separated by a frosted round table.

Upon its sky-blue patterned cloth rested a delicate incense burner.

“Ooh, delightful~”

Saranya sank deep into the plush cushions, a contented sigh escaping her lips.

It had been an age since she had encountered such luxurious comfort; her usual seating arrangements were invariably hard and unforgiving, a constant tribulation for her posterior.

Kaelan settled beside her, while Lenia gracefully took the seat opposite them.

The entrance wall once more shimmered with arcane light, signaling the arrival of the external attendants bearing refreshments.

Likely bound by strict protocol, the waiters refrained from entering this private sanctuary, instead pushing a serving cart inward just enough for its handle to protrude from the wall’s inner side.

“Allow me.”

Dump turned and drew the serving cart fully into the room.

It bore an array of blue and green incense sticks, several platters of baked delicacies, and a selection of beverages varying in height and form.

“Oh, please, you needn’t bother—”

A lilting melody of wind instruments gracefully cut off Saranya’s words.

A flicker of confusion crossed her mind as she glanced around, yet the source of the music remained elusive.

Lenia, seated opposite, allowed a faint smile to play on her lips before reaching out to draw aside the large tapestry.

Behind the tapestry lay a ‘window’—or more precisely, a crystal panel capable of projecting images.

It emanated a soft, diffused glow, revealing the vibrant scene of the ground-floor hall, and through this very panel, the music drifted into their private space.

“It seems we have arrived just after the dance segment, a slight pity indeed…”

With a touch of feigned regret in her voice, Lenia accepted a blue incense stick from Dump.

She ignited it by rubbing it between her fingers, then placed it gently into the burner, causing delicate tendrils of smoke to immediately wreathe the tabletop.

“Nevertheless, I do hope you’ll linger for a while; I assure you, you’ll come to adore this place~”

The incense released a subtle, faintly sweet fragrance, intoxicating to the senses.

Beyond the crystal ‘window,’ the grand hall’s center teemed with affluent merchants and nobles, each adorned in lavish attire.

They swayed and twirled with abandon to the soft strains of music, their forms gliding, rocking, and spinning into the shadows.

In what they presumed were secluded alcoves, whispers exchanged, collars were brazenly torn open, and bodies pressed together, fabric rustling with each uninhibited kiss and caress.

Tangible masks concealed intangible shame.

For these aristocrats, decorum and social standing had ceased to hold any significance.

Strangers of mere minutes prior could instantly become entangled as dance partners, swiftly transitioning into clandestine lovers.

The scenes of debauchery unfolding below, softened by a veil of pale blue incense smoke, took on an ethereal, painterly quality.

They seemed no different from the curiosities displayed in the outer corridor—merely another work of art, presented for detached observation and commentary.

“Do you find this sensation appealing?”

Lenia’s voice gently drew Saranya back to the present.

Realizing that her momentary absorption in voyeurism, her stunned gaze, had been fully observed, Saranya’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she offered no reply.

“There’s no need for embarrassment; I quite enjoy it myself… Perhaps this is simply the nature of the adult world.”

Saranya’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Not all adults behave in such a manner…”

“Oh? Then tell me, do the majority of people beyond this hall simply lack the desire for such indulgences? Or is it merely that they possess insufficient power and wealth, thus lacking the prerogative to engage, and are therefore compelled to abstain…?”

“Er…”

Saranya found Lenia’s assertion deeply disagreeable.

Pressing her lower lip, she forcefully quelled the impulse to retort, reminding herself that she was here for a crucial purpose and wished to avoid any confrontation with Lenia.

In response, Lenia offered a triumphant smile, her gaze upon Saranya shifting subtly.

‘For some inexplicable reason, Saranya perceived that gaze as profoundly perilous,’ she thought, ‘a chilling premonition that Lenia might very well devour her alive.’

Lenia fixed her with an unnervingly direct stare, though the unsettling intensity lasted only for a fleeting instant before her expression swiftly reverted to its customary composure.

While Saranya wished to avoid antagonizing Lenia, Kaelan, seated beside her, harbored no such compunctions.

The little witch merely perceived her magic s*ave being slighted by another.

“Indeed,” Kaelan declared, “plunder, deceit, and slaughter—the adult world is inherently savage.

In comparison, these aristocratic breeding games are utterly trivial.

And those who find themselves captivated by such a tedious spectacle are, in truth, no different from the participants themselves, wouldn’t you agree, Miss Lenia?”

The little witch, who moments before had been nestled softly against Saranya, now exhibited an abrupt surge of aggression.

Observing this, Lenia’s eyes widened slightly in obvious surprise.

She offered no further retort, merely covering her mouth with a delicate, conceding chuckle.

“Haha, indeed…”

Having concluded his tasks by the serving cart, Dump then settled into a seat beside Lenia.

“I warned you, Lenia,” Dump remarked, “Miss Haia and her companion possess exceptionally sharp wits.

You would do well not to invite further contention.”

“On another note, Haia,” he continued, “you hardly strike me as the sort of individual to frequent such establishments.

Your unexpected presence here is quite a surprise…”

Dump’s eyes narrowed as he assessed both Saranya and Kaelan in turn, then, after a moment of careful consideration, he offered his next words.

“I assure you, Miss Lenia and I stand firmly on your side.

Therefore, would it be amenable to discuss what’s on your mind? Consider it merely a friendly chat; as allies, we might even be able to offer assistance.”