Monster Girl Development Master

Page 71

—This is very much in line with the political education she received.

Therefore, Count Came did not object and even readily agreed. Of course, he would not be summoning the people of Grand Duke Starr, but the people of the Bloodline Order! In the end, it was indeed not possible for just a few of them to establish a branch base in the territory of Leon. After all, in addition to researchers, they also needed thugs, logistics personnel, and even various materials and material breeders.

Lysander's request was exactly what he wanted!

Lysander, seeing Count Came's delighted expression as if he were genuinely happy for her, also smiled with a reserved elegance, her heart filled with the same joy—the first step of the plan had been accomplished, and the endless stream of credit… She meant that the members of the Bloodline Order were about to arrive, and all that remained was for her to make minor adjustments. If she was even too lazy to do anything, she could simply abandon these troublesome matters and focus on spending time with Johnson—hmm, that idea was rather tempting.

Lysander shook her head slightly, temporarily putting aside the tempting idea of ​​giving up: "Then it's settled, Earl Cameron. Although the journey is long and manpower can't get here in a while, the Black Gold Merchant Guild should have business in this area. Let them provide some supplies first!"

The Black Gold Merchant Guild, like the Falau Merchant Guild in the Falau Territory, is an official merchant of the Duchy of Starr. Of course, it is only one of the official merchants. After all, the Duchy is different from the Earl Territory. The market is large enough, and the Starr family is not a profit-driven merchant family like the Falau family. They do not personally intervene, and naturally, they do not allow monopolistic merchants to emerge.

Now is the time for the Black Gold Merchant Guild to make a contribution to Her Highness.

Count Cameron had no objections. The Black Gold Merchant Guild's money wasn't his money. On the contrary, he decided to help Lysander squeeze the Black Gold Merchant Guild, speed up the resolution of the Farau territory, and also provide some small subsidies for establishing a branch base.

Thus, a perfect, enjoyable, and mutually satisfying small meeting came to an end. Count Cameron left with a beaming smile, preparing to reply to Grand Duke Starr and his superior, Archbishop Brad, in order to obtain the power to exploit the Black Gold Merchant Guild.

……

Falau, Saint Gold City, Brilliant Crystal Estate.

Constructed entirely of luminous crystal, the Hall of Radiance, handcrafted by those with the [Crystal Body] bloodline, remains as bright as day today. Sunlight, cleverly designed, fills the crystal, transforming into a sacred and pure radiance. This design both prevents the interior from being exposed by the transparent crystal and ensures an unparalleled expansive view, allowing everyone inside to have an unobstructed view of the outside world.

Even under the nourishment of this holy light, the body can slowly recover its physical strength and spirit, and has a certain healing effect. It is said that long-term nourishment can also increase the chance of awakening a divine attribute bloodline. You can imagine how expensive such a hall is. Saying that it is priceless is just an exaggeration.

Therefore, only core members of the Farau family can be summoned to enter this hall, and the only person who can use it at will is the current head of the family, who is currently sitting on the crystal throne deep inside the hall.

His pure white fur was disheveled, like a lion's mane. His aged face was still as deep and three-dimensional as if carved by a knife and axe, with every wrinkle so clear and heavy. Undisguised anger lingered on this majestic face, exerting heavy pressure on the group of Fara family members standing below. The sky seemed to turn from bright to dark, and the air seemed to freeze, as if before a storm.

The current head of the Farau family, Lady Lia's father, Orco Farau, surveyed his children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters-in-law, and other relatives with his arrogant, dim, hawk-like eyes. Seeing their trembling, fearful, and tense appearance, his disappointment deepened. He slammed his hand on the armrest of the crystal throne, leaving a clear crack. But this issue, which would normally cause a huge uproar, was now ignored; even their voices were drowned out by Orco's roar: "You useless trash! Fools! Brainless idiots! You can't even see through such a simple conspiracy? Have your brains been soaked in holy water?!"

"Huh?! Answer me! Who gave you the courage to send troops to attack my Leah, who is eighteen streets ahead of you trash except for not having blood, while the princess herself is on a mission and the Grand Duke of Starr's delegation is staying in Leon?"

"Angry Eagle" Olco Farau has always had a bad temper, especially hating stupid people—in his opinion, of course, people who dare to compete with him in business, or farmers who dare to refuse to pay a mere ten percent of their taxes.

Therefore, he is really angry now!

Whether the anger stemmed from his words or from the fact that his nominal grandson, Johnson Leon, dared to bare his fangs at him, is a matter of individual judgment.

In any case, the members of the Falau family wisely remained silent and did not offer any reply.

An enraged Olko showed no sign of backing down: "Pym! What exactly did Leah tell you?!"

The middle-aged woman who was mentioned shuddered, forced a smile through her pained expression, and said cautiously, "Miss just wanted to talk to me about a grain trade and asked me to meet her at Eagle Cliff..."

"Why would you go to a place like Eagle Cliff to discuss business?! Are you an idiot?!"

Pym's face stiffened. She wanted to say that she couldn't refuse Lia Farrau's orders, and besides, the grain business was a family tradition. How could she have imagined there was a problem? Besides, Lilith Farrau had actually taken her in and explained the plan to her in detail, even saying that Lia herself had suggested it!

But she didn't dare interrupt Olco, and could only awkwardly smile and wait for Olco to finish venting his anger. However, the dissatisfaction in her heart naturally accumulated, just like countless times before.

Finally, Olco stopped, ignoring Pym who was still awkwardly laughing. The wrinkles that had relaxed from his angry roar contracted again, turning into cold, luminous feathers: "Tell me, what problems have arisen and how have they been dealt with?"

The seemingly schizophrenic shift warmed the atmosphere, and finally someone stepped forward to answer. Everyone present had grown accustomed to this change.

Including Pym Farrau.

Chapter 173: The Faraus Family's Response

"The biggest problem right now is the attack on Count Leon's mother. With Princess Celine and the two Golden Daughters of the Duchy of Star as witnesses, the surrounding nobles have now expressed their condemnation to us... Some territories have even cut off trade with us."

The speaker was a man who looked very much like Olco Farau, around thirty years old, tall and with a resolute demeanor. He was Mann Farau, the eldest son of the Farau family. Unfortunately, although he was the eldest son, he had awakened the secondary bloodline of his mother's line, so his place in the line of succession was already beyond the thirtieth.

Upon hearing Mann Farau's reply, Olco's dim, vertical pupils blinked: "How much was lost?"

Cutting off trade routes between noble territories is not a peaceful trade sanction, but a serious falling out. To put it simply, goods and cash that have already reached those territories can forget about being returned; they will simply be wasted.

Mann paused slightly, flipped through the ledger in his hand, and replied, "The initial estimate is around 600,000 gold coins, but considering that there are quite a few luxury items and rare treasures among them, I'm afraid..."

The moment the figure of 600,000 gold coins was announced, the slightly relaxed atmosphere in the Hall of Radiance immediately froze again. Although the Farau family handled more funds each year than that, cash flow and book figures are two different things. Now, with such a huge loss in one go, this year's work was essentially wasted! Therefore, even Olco couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, feeling a pang of pain in his heart, but there was nothing he could do.

He knew very well that this situation was not caused by the Falau family attacking Count Leon's mother; that was just a prelude. What truly provoked the nobles to launch a united attack on the Falau family was the princess and duke behind Zhuang Sen, the authority of the royal family and the Grand Duke, and the possibility that their Falau family had offended these two powerful figures!

—It is definitely not because of the Farau family's hoarding, bullying, and forced buying and selling over the years!

Even if he understood the situation, Olko couldn't come up with a solution. After all, he didn't know why the royal family and the Grand Duchy of Starr were suddenly targeting him, and he hadn't offended either of them. Without even knowing the root of the problem, how could he possibly deal with it?

Now that things have come to this, his only option is to deal with the newly appointed Earl Leon, who has stirred up the conflict!

Olco looked up, and Mann, understanding, continued, "The official demand from the Leon Territory requires us to compensate for a total of fifteen territories, including the Fragrant Leaf Territory, the Yellow Tree Viscount Territory, the Long River Baron Territory, Twin Bridge Town, Eagle Head Harbor, and more."

Mann spoke fluently, rattling off a long list of place names without a single mistake, making it clear to Olko that Johnson had no intention of reconciliation. These fifteen territories combined already accounted for a third of the territory of Falau, and were either economically prosperous and wealthy or strategically located military fortresses. If they were given away, Falau could simply be renamed Leon Territory.

Why doesn't he just take Saint Golden City?

Such a request was something that even Lady Lia, let alone the head of the family, thought was impossible to agree to, which is why she made it on purpose.

Mann paused for a moment, and seeing that Olco did not speak, he continued, "In addition, Count Leon also stated that if Lilith and Colm are to be redeemed, each person must provide a ransom of 100,000 gold coins, as well as a daily food allowance of 1,000 gold coins. Moreover, if the ransom is not paid within three months, he will make the two of them pay off their debts in the manner of nobles."

What does it mean to repay debts in the way that nobles do?

That brings us to the question: what is the most valuable aspect of a noble bloodline? Clearly, it's the bloodline itself. Families covet bloodlines with divine attributes. Lilith, who can only conceive once a year, might be alright; once she's pregnant, she's free. But Colm… there are 24 hours in a day. Even assuming he conceives every ten minutes, that's 144 times a day, or 4320 times a month. Assuming he conceives once every hundred times, and only one in a hundred children awakens a bloodline, then after a month, the Fallen Star Kingdom could have approximately 43 more bloodline individuals, even if none of them are of the Holy Eagle bloodline. But it's not like Colm only has to work hard for a month.

Furthermore, it's not said that Colm is lucky enough to maintain a speed of once every ten minutes. Making a man's erection last is troublesome, but making him as fast as lightning is very simple. If we don't consider the psychological and physiological damage to Colm, nor the longevity, Colm can achieve ten shots per minute, which is... 14,400 shots a day.

Why does Olco know this so well? Because the Falau Merchant Guild sells these items, meaning that Lady Lia, who controls the Falau Merchant Guild in Leon Territory, has them.

Of course, this means Colm might not live for more than a month—considering all the blood-replenishing and kidney-tonifying potions—but what does that have to do with Leon's territory? You yourselves didn't pay the ransom, so you can't blame others for making their own money.

Olco's heart skipped a beat. Despite Colm's humiliation with Johnson, as a bloodline user who had awakened three times and was a Holy Eagle bloodline user, he held a high position in the Farao family and was highly respected in the entire noble circle. In other words, the Farao family couldn't possibly refuse to help, and he had many "potential guests."

If Colm is so important, then Lilith, who is already the confirmed successor, is even more so. Saving her is absolutely necessary, but a ransom of 100,000 gold coins per person—damn, even a marquis's ransom isn't this outrageous!

Unfortunately, the Falau family actually had the means to produce it.

Olco's eyes twitched for a while before he managed to squeeze out a voice, which was hoarse and unnatural, making it frightening: "Arrange for Lia's people to talk to her, up to 80,000 gold coins per person."

Mann paused for a moment, then delivered another piece of bad news: "Father, Lia has announced the merger of the Falau Merchant Guild and the Blue Raven Merchant Guild in Leon Territory, forming the Zhuangsen Merchant Guild. All of her capable assistants left the territory before this happened."

In other words, there's no one left to appeal to Leah Farau's emotions.

Olko closed his eyes, trying hard to calm himself. His bobbing Adam's apple became the focus of everyone's attention, making their hearts race with anxiety and fear, until he opened his eyes again. The frustration and anger from before had vanished once more, replaced by a cold, authoritative aura emanating from his dim, eagle-like eyes, and a familiar sense of security rose in the hearts of the Farau people.

"Mann, go and get 250,000 gold coins. Bring Lilith and Colm back safely. While you're at it, go and find those old friends to gather information, especially about the princess and the duchess. If you don't have enough money, you can ask for more."

"Sheldon, issue an order to summon vassals and the army, and to conscript peasant soldiers to begin training."

"Noah, go and collect all this year's taxes ahead of schedule!"

"Fett, go contact those mercenaries. We need anyone who can use a sword, and double the price!"

“Eren…”

Orders were issued in an orderly manner, and members of the Farau family were ordered to leave. The eagle, which had been entrenched in the heart of the kingdom, spread its golden wings and faced the black crow that had launched the challenge.

The author says:

作者的话：今天四更，早喵大佬真猛哇~进度更新：月票25/50，催更票28/50，打赏2000/5000

Chapter 174: The Time of Inheritance

"It seems my cheap grandfather really is a 'raging eagle'. I only used my first move, and he couldn't help but get carried away."

The Farau family's extravagant mobilization couldn't be kept secret, nor could it be concealed from the territory of Leon, which had Lady Lia as a top-tier mole. Johnson wasn't surprised, after all, for Orco, fighting was practically their only option now. Otherwise, with most trade routes cut off, the heir and high-ranking family members captured, and suspected of being attacked simultaneously by the royal family and Grand Duke Starr, the Farau family, who relied mainly on commercial profits for survival, would have had no other choice.

Either crush the provoking Johnson to prove that the Sacred Eagle is not old, or suffer a complete defeat, and a short, sharp pain is worse than a long, drawn-out one.

Submitting to Zhuang Sen is the most foolish choice. Being bullied like this without fighting back will only make the nobles of the Falau Territory, and other nobles who might still support the Falau Territory, think that they have lost the will to resist, causing their morale to plummet and possibly even leading them to switch sides to Leon's camp. Moreover, without trade routes, the Falau Merchant Guild's enormous operating costs will cause the Falau family to bleed out, and if this drags on for too long, they might just destroy themselves.

Moreover, it's already September, and winter is just around the corner. Logically, this isn't a good time for war. Even if the Farau family provokes them further, the Leon Territory shouldn't be able to launch an immediate attack; they'll have to wait. So, adopting a tough stance now can both preserve their reputation and buy time. Even if war does break out, they won't be caught unprepared. Therefore, no matter how you look at it, this tough response is the best option.

However, the Falau family's reaction didn't really bother Johnson.

The Fala family can start a war, but when it ends is not up to them. Winter is generally considered unsuitable for warfare; armies equipped with runic and magic iron gear don't need to worry about the cold, and those with the same bloodline as Zhuang Sen certainly don't! The fanatical researchers of the Bloodline Order, preoccupied with the "hidden knowledge" in Zhuang Sen's possession, are even less concerned about the cold!

Perhaps this year, Johnson can spend the New Year in the Falau family's famous Radiant Hall.

As Zhuang Sen was lost in thought, a sudden weight lifted from his head. The familiar feeling brought a smile to his face: "Ledya, you've gone bad too."

Today, the female knight, unusually not wearing armor, embraced her tiny master and smiled, "Master, don't you like it?"

"I love it so much."

Zhuang Sen turned his head and rubbed against the knight's beautiful breasts encased in a white printed shirt. Just then, the door was pushed open, and Lisander, Piper, and Celine walked in. Along with Lady Lia, who was already sitting opposite Zhuang Sen, displaying her long, slender legs encased in white stockings, all five of them were present. However, today was not for a silver party, but to help them pass on their legacy.

Lady Leah and the other three had just awakened their bloodlines, and Johnson deliberately let them get used to the state. Lady Leah was fine, but Lysander, Piper, and Celine still needed to learn how to deal with the inheritance, so it was delayed until now. Lydia, on the other hand, had just broken through to her second awakening, so they just happened to coincide, and thus, they were all affected together.

"So, who comes first?"

Zhuang Sen leaned against Lydia's chest, his head nestled against the female knight's firm, elastic breasts, as if resting on a high-end velvet-lined, silk-sausage pillow. He would occasionally twist his head, letting his face and lips savor the sensation. The usually serious and composed female knight felt a tingling sensation run through her. She quickly pulled Zhuang Sen down to sit, smiling somewhat embarrassedly at the teasing expressions of her sisters, especially Lady Lydia, but she showed no intention of letting go of him. Instead, she subtly puffed out her chest.

"Let Lydia go first, the little hooves can't wait any longer."

Lady Lia slightly raised her hand, and a strand of spider silk shot out, picking up a piece of pastry and placing it in her mouth. Since awakening her bloodline abilities, Lady Lia had enjoyed using them, especially Arachne's spider silk, which was indeed very useful, both in combat and in daily life. She had even begun to consider how to use Arachne's spider silk to generate profits, as it was far superior to ordinary stockings.

Lady Lydia, the "mother-in-law," had spoken, and the others naturally had no objections. Lydia, however, was somewhat nervous, recalling the disastrous situation of the last inheritance. Zhuang Sen grabbed her chest and climbed up a little, kissing the headless knight's head, which he was wearing properly today, using his warm body heat to dispel the cold fear. Then, he smiled and looked at Lydia, activating the inheritance.

Black screen transition.

In the deathly silent hall of the Headless Horseman, the icy female knight, seated on the dark throne, grabbed Zhuang Sen and pulled him into her arms. With a sweeping gesture, she declared, "Stop this traitor who colluded with the angels! I'll make her watch me sleep with her man!!"

The headless horsemen swarmed forward. Lydia, with mixed feelings of anger and helplessness, drew her sword and began a fierce battle with her orderly "comrades." Meanwhile, Zhuang Sen sighed, resignedly lay down, and allowed the large Zhuang Sen to enter his cold and stiff cavity.

After some time, Lydia narrowly lost in the series of matches.

Zhuang Sen opened his eyes and pinched Lydia, who was still somewhat dazed: "Are you alright?"

Hearing her master's voice, Lydia quickly came to her senses and couldn't help but kiss the "humiliated" Zhuang Sen: "It's nothing, it was quite fun to fight, but I didn't gain much. There were no new abilities, only some knowledge of swordsmanship and spearmanship, as well as knowledge of troop deployment, and of course, the inevitable increase in bloodline development."

Zhuang Sen returned the kiss and encouraged his female knight: "That's great! We're about to go to war, so I'll make you the marshal!"

The two were being affectionate and tender, which made the proud and jealous Celine pout: "Zhuang Sen, don't waste your time."

"Yes, yes." Zhuang Sen pinched Lydia's cheek one last time, forcing a bright smile. "Then, Celine, would you like to go first?"

The princess instantly backed down: "Let Ms. Liya go first."

Zhuang Sen sighed helplessly, "You've already heard Dantalian and the others' introductions and experiences... By the way, is that why you're scared?"

"Who, who's scared! I just need to make some preparations! Hmph, just watch! This prince will definitely get the highest reward in one go!"

Celine slammed her fist on the table at Zhuang Sen as if she had exploded, fully displaying the proud and arrogant nature of a princess. In fact, she was even more alluring than when she was calm and composed at the beginning.

Zhuang Sen and the others exchanged glances, finding a pleasant smile in each other's eyes. This tacit understanding made Celine unable to hold back her "anger" and she timidly sat back down in her seat, but she still glared at Zhuang Sen defiantly, her cheeks puffed out.

So cute and tsundere~

But if we keep teasing her, she'll just embarrass herself and go berserk, so let's get back to business.

"So, who's going first?" Johnson looked at Mrs. Lydia, then at Lysandra and Piper.

Chapter 175: Let's Each Talk Ourselves

"Then let me go first."

Lady Leah smiled and said, "I'm quite curious to see what kind of hallucinations I'll encounter."

Zhuang Sen had no objections, since he would be treated the same no matter what kind of illusion it was; the only difference was the posture.

Then, a black screen transitioned.

The dark cave then unfolded, with multicolored spider girls crawling on equally multicolored webs, casting indifferent glances at the voluptuous beauty who appeared at the cave entrance. Whispers rang out in the darkness, but Lady Lia listened carefully and couldn't make out a single sound. Instead, she could see everything clearly with her [Dark Vision].

The interior of this "cave" is actually quite exquisite. Various architectural styles, constructed using spider silk as a binder and anchor, are different but all very beautiful and hierarchically ordered. The deeper into the cave, the more exquisite the spider silk becomes, and the taller and more complex the buildings are. In the deepest part, an enormous Arachne, with intricate patterns on its spider shell, perches atop a nine-story tower constructed entirely of spider silk, coldly watching this scene.

Lady Leah smiled slightly, unconcerned about the oppression. She calmly stepped forward, spitting out a strand of spider silk from her abdomen, which flew straight towards a fortress made of spider silk, planks, and stones. She prepared to learn from the "Spider-Man" that Johnson had specifically told her about and use the spider silk to swing across.

As she moved, many of Zhuang Sen's phantoms appeared around her and rolled directly into the Arachne nets, where they were bound and severely humiliated and tortured.

Seeing this scene that had once filled Dantalian with both shame and anger, Lady Lya calmly nodded, even taking the time to appreciate it amidst the high-speed flight: "So spider silk can be used like this, I've learned something new. Hmm, having a flat chest has its advantages after all..."

In the blink of an eye, she arrived at the fortress she had just been on, shot a spider web at the tallest clock tower in front of her, and flew over there again.

This time, however, Zhuang Sen, who had been watching the show from the void, felt a pull. He was used to it, so he relaxed his body and appeared in front of the Spider Queen in the deepest part of the world in the blink of an eye. She then bound him with her spider silk and pulled him under her terrifying spider abdomen.

Is that all?

Lady Leah commented leisurely. She didn't mind her beloved Johnson having other women; in fact, she hoped he would have many, ideally taking in all the beauties in the world. Because she was, after all, his mother!

Lady Leah landed atop the clock tower and looked out at a magnificent palace in the distance. Five-colored spiderwebs intertwined in pure white marble made it look extremely luxurious, and it stood out even more in the dark cave.

"Hmm, speaking of which, Zhuang Sen should have his own castle. Although the Hall of Radiance is nice, it's not suitable for this spoiled child. Very well, let's make that our goal from now on."