Wayne slapped a hand on his butt, waved to heat the water, and dragged Saina into the hot springs with him.
Soaking in the hot springs was not the goal, but a means to trample on Saina’s dignity. Times had changed; Hefei was not just her student but also her master’s teacher.
When facing Hefei, Saina had to learn to show respect, just like to her master.
By the way, it was also a chance to study Saina’s body.
A very serious scientific study.
Saina was Wayne’s first true retainer, very different from Philomena. Wayne tried to find a balance point by studying Saina’s transformations.
He aimed to allow Hefei and Veronica to maintain their human forms, while also easily overcoming the curse.
After a thorough half-hour search, Wayne had checked everywhere with unsatisfying results. Aside from confirming that Saina was indeed a great beauty, he had learned nothing.
Because Wayne had contaminated her without considering the consequences, Saina’s changes were quite complete, making her far less valuable for research than Philomena.
But Philomena had also surpassed this balance point simply because Wayne kept it a secret and she was unaware of the earth-shattering changes she had undergone.
Wayne climbed out of the water; his body melted into his clothes, reshaping itself as his brows furrowed into a frown. He needed a new subject to evolve as slowly as possible, to help him locate that balance point.
Wayne didn’t want to do it. The Ancient Gods’ path to evolution was just a deception, for he didn’t even know what he was. He would stick to his moral baseline and would not actively capture a subject for experimentation unless it was someone like Saina who brought misery upon herself.
But without research, the situation for Hefei and Veronica was almost unsolvable. Saina, as a Legendary Mage, was ignored by the Goddess herself, and it seemed likely that they would have the same fate.
Since he couldn’t rely on the Goddess, it was up to Wayne to find a solution.
"Difficult. I can throw away my heart but not my conscience..."
Nonsense, your conscience has been long gone.
Saina shakily climbed out of the water and, hearing this, she inwardly cursed him as shameless, not daring to say anything but thinking it in her heart.
As expected, both her arms melted away, and two clumps of foam slowly squirmed on the ground.
She grew new arms and reabsorbed the foam back into her body. This first day of not being human left her with an icy chill in her heart.
What terrified her more was that during Wayne’s recent ’correction,’ not only did she not feel ashamed, but she also enjoyed it, tasting a kind of pleasure on the brink of fall that she had never experienced before.
Saina lamented in her heart as her self-esteem deteriorated, feeling that her end was near.
"Don’t be sad. Faith is the same everywhere. If you’re not tormented by me, sooner or later you’d be tormented by the Nature Goddess."
At least the Goddess is female!
"So what? Don’t get so stuck on gender, why not use your imagination a bit?"
"Whoa, what’s with your wild imagination?" Wayne waved his hands dismissively, apparently amused by whatever he had seen, grinning from ear to ear.
Stop looking, don’t look anymore!
Saina stumbled and sat on the ground, overwhelmed by grief and anger, her self-esteem trampled into the dirt. She desired nothing but death.
Wayne offered her the clothes, but Saina swatted them away. Let it be, she saw no light left in her life.
She strongly suspected she must have destroyed the world in a past life; otherwise, she wouldn’t be suffering this fate.
"Saina, look on the bright side. I’m about to leave the Church headquarters. We won’t see each other for years. Thinking about that, don’t you feel the urge to live again?" Wayne pinched a piece of underwear between his fingers, scrutinizing it and shaking his head.
As a fashion designer, Saina’s terrible taste was something he looked down upon.
"The recent treatment was a lesson for you. Stop fabricating stories about teacher Hefei in front of me. I’ll say it again, you can keep your dignity and decency unless you choose otherwise."
Wayne urged Saina to quickly get dressed. Such a grown-up she was, and yet, faced with a small setback, she was seeking death. If everyone had such poor mental fortitude as her, humanity would have been long extinct.
Wayne offered her a moral sermon and fed Saina a dose of ’chicken soup’ for the soul, barely managing to get her to perk up.
The ’chicken soup’ had only a mediocre effect. What really restored Saina’s will to live was the impending departure of Wayne from the Church headquarters, the promise of freedom beckoning her.
A world without Wayne!
"But your body is full of Wayne..."
Saina, as if shot in the heart, shakily took the clothes and dressed herself, quickly returning to her usual cold and aloof demeanor.
She was ready to strike back at society out of self-despair.
Wayne sneered. This woman was indeed crazy. Misfortune would have her drag others down with her, unable to take revenge on Hefei and thus shifting her target to others.
Wayne said nothing as he knew Saina’s daydreams were constrained by her own thoughts, and sooner or later, she’d understand this.
"Saina, during the prior Holy Maiden assessment, I stumbled upon a very interesting Misty Hidden Forest. Figure out a way, I want it."
"The Misty Hidden Forest is Church property, not mine..."
"I’m not discussing it with you, I’m informing you. Sort out any issues yourself."
Wayne said curtly, "You, a high-ranking Church official who’s not quite human, have probably set fire to warehouses more than once. What’s wrong with burning one more? Don’t you understand that, or do I need to teach you?"
"No, it’s not that. The Misty Hidden Forest can’t be burned."
Saina said desperately, "The Misty Hidden Forest is a solidified Life Force Field, formed from the life essence of a Legendary Mage, just a step away from becoming a Philosopher’s Stone..."
"Hold on, explain that bit to me, I didn’t quite get it. First, tell me what the Philosopher’s Stone is?"
In Wayne’s understanding, the Philosopher’s Stone was the pinnacle of Alchemy, also known as the Fifth Element, the Stone of Miracles. According to Saina’s explanation, the Philosopher’s Stone was indeed related to Alchemy, and the ingredient was the precious life essence of a Legendary Mage.