A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Ansel stood atop a small hill, gazing out over the boundless desolate land, while also taking in the sight of the gathered adventurers.

This was a wasteland approximately four kilometers from the Dispute Fortress, still within its territory. The reason Ansel had come here was naturally the same as that of the adventurers gathered here—a Zero Realm Enigma gate was about to open.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The method to reliably locate the entrance to the Zero Realm Enigma had been developed as early as the era of the Sky Conquering Dynasty. Although the remnants of the dynasty were almost entirely lost after the Great Cataclysm, new methods of positioning had gradually been perfected over time.

Apart from those highly random gates that opened for a very short time and were almost impossible to return from, most gates could be confirmed three to five days in advance. During this time, adventurers would make the necessary preparations to step into that infinite world, risking eternal loss in search of further possibilities.

According to the original plan, Ansel should have already begun preparations to tame the remaining two protagonists. But now, he had to focus his energy on another potential trap laid by fate.

"Evora, Ephesande..."

The young man, with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, murmured softly, "What is their role at your fingertips...?"

Setting aside Ephesande, who was likely lost in the Lost Sea, Evora, who might be causing the frequent opening of Enigma gates in the Western lands, if she was indeed alive, how had she survived?

A rational fate would not grant the protagonists invincible blessings, nor would it send a meteor to kill Ansel, the greatest distortion point. Evora, who did not play a major role in this story, was even less likely to receive special treatment.

So how did she escape Ephesande's eternal burning? What does fate, who insisted on her living, intend to do with her?

The etheric fluctuations on the vast wasteland suddenly became extremely violent, like a calm sea suddenly surging with towering waves.

"At this point, many things have already become unrecognizable..."

Ansel sighed softly, staring at the distant, violently distorting space that was swallowing both air and light, and his figure flickered forward.

The reason he had set that plan in motion was not only because achieving the sixth stage would grant him absolute dominion but also for a more important reason—or rather, the desire for absolute dominion itself stemmed from this reason.

That was, once Ansel's heroines taming plan reached this stage, the information about the predetermined future would no longer hold much value for him.

The future he was heading towards was already shrouded in mist, and he needed greater power to fight against fate. Although in the end, Ansel still lost the best opportunity.

But he did not regret it, only occasionally lamenting the inevitability of fate.

Now, a new game was once again laid out before Ansel. Unlike before, he knew nothing about fate's moves. If the previous battles had been meticulously prepared strangulations, now all Ansel could do… was respond to each move as it came. Discover more stories at empire

In a few flickers, Ansel had already arrived behind the gathered adventurers. He gazed at the increasingly expanding distorted space, preparing to venture into the Enigma realm through this gate to search for Evora's whereabouts.

According to Ansel's deduction, after Evora fled into the Zero Realm Enigma, she might have been unable to control her power due to severe injuries or other reasons. She wanted to return to the original plane but couldn't stabilize the gate, leading to the frequent opening of unstable Enigma gates.

As the distortion gradually stabilized, the space, seemingly peeled away from this world, formed a rift resembling a giant vertical pupil. The adventurer closest to the entrance cautiously threw something inside. After five minutes, he began to beckon the other adventurers to step into the rift.

Ansel, leisurely following behind them, was stopped after only a few steps.

"A new face, huh?"

The man who stopped Ansel raised an eyebrow. "Exploration permit, hand it over."

The adventurers had already established a comprehensive exploration system. If an Enigma gate had not been preemptively discovered and claimed by any faction, then what one could take and whether one could return depended on individual skill.

However, if a gate had been pre-booked, other guilds, factions, or individuals wanting a share had to obtain an exploration permit from the Zero Explorers, promising to hand over a portion of their findings to the guild or faction controlling the gate.

The higher the portion handed over, the more assistance one could receive from the gate controllers. Among the adventurers participating in the exploration, a small group would station near the Enigma gate, waiting for the returning adventurers.

So, whether one sought help or not, a basic twenty percent had to be handed over as a protection fee for the stabilization of the anchor point and the return path by the controllers.

But did our legendary, mysterious, formidable Mr. Faust need to pay such a protection fee?

The answer, of course, was...

"The minimum share?" The man, taking the permit, glanced at the rectangular thin crystal chip Ansel handed over, then looked up at him. "Hey, you're alone, right?"

"Is that not allowed?"

The man shrugged. "Suit yourself, just don't blame our legion for being unsympathetic if something happens, lone wolf."

He handed the chip back to Ansel and stepped aside to make way.

Ansel carefully stored the exploration permit that Nerilia had secured for him and joined the queue quite obediently.

Among adventurers, strength was paramount, and Ansel certainly possessed the ability to disregard these rules. If he wished, he could expel all the adventurers back to the Dispute Fortress and forbid them from approaching this gate even by a single step.

In truth, when Faust confronted other fifth-stage adventurers, they wouldn't have much to say either.

However, Ansel had no interest in breaking the rules—as long as the rules were reasonable.

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