My CEO Harem Cultivation System

"Here's the thing Goddess—"

"Aurora."

"Goddess Aurora—I'm not sure for how long you were sleeping, but things have changed in terms of universal-wide entertainment. Humans think they're the ones who thought of the entertainment industry? They're dead wrong. They're usually boring nowadays though, just staring at their little devices—but then again, the same could be said for Heavens."

If Bao had anything to say, it hated being the intermediary between all of this. Its eternity would have been so much easier if it had only kept its mouth shut. 

A spectral version of a large pair of eyes stared at the trapped form of Bao. While the Goddess currently showed no embodiment of a full-face, no brows were needed to show her confusion. "Humans?"

Bao scratched its ears and sighed. "Eh, what do you call the lowest life form in your world?" While differences in languages was easily mitigated by communicating in the universal language, there were still words unknown for each other..

"Telriahns."

Bao glanced at the world separated by what seemed to be a couple more light years away from them and groaned. It was easy to size the entire planet's enormous size and also take note of other conditions it had. "Your people are stuck in a current technological period that's similar to Earth back in its medieval history."

"This… technology you speak of? My people do not need it, they have been blessed with Ao." the Goddess stated with a touch of dismissiveness in her tone. "But why do you wish to visit my world?"

"Some case of a bitc—of a Moderator of the Creators tossing my ordained human to another point in the universe which turns out to be yours. I'm just here to pick them up and return them to earth."

"What?"

That didn't sound so good. While their conversation was only a stream of consciousness, telepathy in a way, one could take note of the annoyance in the Goddess. 

Bao grimaced—this was going to be one of those divinities that liked to call their creation something important to them and kept a possessive handling on the world, didn't it?

"Well, it was all a mistake—"

"Someone not from my world has trespassed in it and mingled with them?!"

"Yes—well, No. I mean yeah, but it wasn't his fault—"

"IT'S A HE?"

If they were talking on the planet, then maybe lightning and thunder would have crackled up the dark skies, but because they were in space, there wasn't much of a shift except for how Aurora's mental thoughts were forced into the creature.

Bao hated these diplomatic times—could it overpower the goddess now and send them back to a temporary sleep again? It had to remove its own bindings, but the other ones in the Heavens would get its ass if it failed to bring back that damn CEO.

Just when Bao thought that the man was actually starting to get decent!

—-

Whatever the reason was for Li Yang to wake up alone in his bed—he didn't question it. Maybe he got too exhausted yesterday after his spar with Mitsuko, and more than that, he was trying to conserve his innate energy and prepare it for his own World Warper usage.

He tried not to be too liberal with his own qi use for that purpose.

There hadn't been any other follow-up messages from Bao, so he thought it was still safe.

Ask for more Beast Cores from Priestess Rei, train with Mitsuko, be nice to Leila and ensure that his bonded partner, Setsuko was doing alright. He had it all easy planned out and proceeded to do so—

Except when he went out of the room, a twin was waiting outside for him. It wasn't Rei, but Kei Kitagawa. It was a little difficult to distinguish between the two of them, but their aura held a distinct difference. Rei tended more to warmer, hotter ao while Kei had the colder one. 

Li Yang raised his brow. "Is there something I can do for you, Priestess?"

"No. But Priestess Mitsuko is unavailable today, so you are free to do as you wish."

"I see." 

So she had decided to avoid him. Li Yang had the feeling if he used the blood-seals he received from before during their blood contract, then he could force the Priestess to come even when it wasn't her wish—but he decided to let it go.

Kei nodded and then proceeded to leave.

Her attitude was different from her sibling. Once the man assured himself that the woman had left, he went up to Rei's room and knocked. Nobody answered right away, and he wondered if Rei was the teacher of the day… but then the door opened up.

A very disheveled Rei looked up at him and yawned, a complete contrast from the restrained, but still proud Priestess. "What do you want?" This time, she wore a pair of robes that seemed to be thinner and looser than the regular ones that Priestesses donned.

He gazed up and met her eyes and said, "Beast cores."

"Can't even say good morning, can you?" she said with a shake of her head—even though she herself had immediately focused on what he had wanted and dropped all niceties. Priestess Rei gave him a look. "But Leila didn't drop by yesterday, didn't she?"

"I can seek her out myself if necessary." Even if he wouldn't leave immediately, the idea of always being ready to leave at a moment's notice was good. It was for this reason that he always kept most of his items with him whenever he was on the run.

Priestess Rei scratched her hair in slight frustration. "You're really making your Lady consume a great amount of Beast Cores just so she could win the upcoming test, huh?"

"Perhaps. Although I don't see how it helps much."

"You're increasing the natural capacity of a Priestess' body in terms of storing Ao. There is also the occasion that you gain a specific type of blessing from the original owner of the beast." Rei said and then coughed. "Some call that cheating, but why don't you ask Mitsuko for it?" 

"I cannot ask her."

Rei scrunched up her nose. "Aren't the two of you close? I always hear from Leila that she's training with Priestess Mitsuko, but that's just her watching as you train with Mitsuko."

"Not in the way that you're looking at me for." Li Yang crossed his arms.

"I didn't say anything." She leaned up against her door frame and smirked. "It seems like you're quick to jump to conclusions."

Or didn't need to hear anything at all to figure out how their relationship dynamics went. Li Yang said, "The expression on your face is all I need."

Rei rubbed her face and then sighed. "At the rate we're going, I'll probably just end up asking some from my sister or Mitsuko herself. It's not easy to collect Beast Cores you know?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that as I was a Hunter before."

"Greedy bastard." Rei muttered underneath her breath.

"I can still probably ask someone else for these Beast Cores, if you wish to withhold them."

"Do you know any other higher-ranking Priestesses who can give away extras?"

"I can possibly ask the High Priestess herself."

Rei looked at him. "You won't actually do that, right?"

"Who knows?"

"Argh, don't you dare mention whatever's happening to Leila." She glared at him before she stomped inside of the room. "And don't follow me inside."

Li Yang held the door open instead. "It never crossed my mind at all."

She threw him a sharp look and then bent over underneath her bed. The Priestess Rei probably realized she shouldn't have said that and instead struggled to bring out a larger treasure box. "I'll give you three and you can go on your own merryway."

"Is there any chance that it's possible to get one hundred pieces—"

"One hundred pieces of Beast Cores—do you think I have that many?!"

"Not from you, someone else."

"What are you trying to pull off?" Priestess Rei asked. "Are you trying to make Setsuko a goddess or something?"

"Is that all the number you need?"

"Of course not—besides, I'm only exaggerating. The thought of divinity has never crossed anyone's mind here except for those egotistical enough for that. While the Sleeping Goddess slumbers, it does not mean that she has forsaken but it is simply because her work is complete."

"Even when other women do not have the ability to use Ao?"

"Other Priestesses can do it in lieu of the Goddess. You can't expect her to take note of every mortal life in our world." Priestess Rei opened the treasure chest. "Would you like something like the last time? Do you know what kind of Ao your Lady has a preference for?"

"Anything is fine—if you have non-medium sized cores, the better."

"Non-medium? I already gave you the largest ones I have—well, I gave them to Leila, but you know what I mean."

"The Beast Cores are obtained from the creatures that you take care of in Mashiro's Sacred Forest, am I correct?"

"Yes…?"

Li Yang sighed inwardly. "Are there any other spots that have far more difficult and dangerous beasts to conquer?"

"Priestesses are not allowed to leave without any permission."

"That's fine."

—-—-

Author's Note: Plot. Smut plot. Plot. Smut plot. Have to focus on the narrative plot while also getting some rest. A friend scared me today by mentioning the need for surgery if Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is aggravated.  Thanks for reading today's chapter!