Monster Girl Development Master

Page 23

Chapter 50: The True Nature of Monster Girls

As the sun set and a gentle night breeze stirred, Zhuang Sen lifted Nia, who had been pressed against his chest, and moved her to the bed beside him. He then withdrew his left hand from Dantalian's ample vulva, causing her two mismatched breasts and plump buttocks to sway gently, splashing water in a seductive and alluring manner. Zhuang Sen then touched his own kidneys, deciding that the first thing he needed to do later was to refine his own second awakening potion.

Nia is easy to deal with, but Dantalian is a different story. Although he finally defeated her after a great effort, if this continues every day, he's afraid he'll die of dehydration before he even becomes a count.

We're still not strong enough!

However, the intense battle wasn't entirely a loss. Besides the exhilarating experience, it also boosted Dantalian and Nia's bloodline development to 25% and 40% respectively. Thanks to this, Zhuang Sen's bloodline also reached 45%, which is not far from the third awakening.

However, Zhuang Sen also discovered that as the bloodline concentration increased, the effect of his essence gradually decreased—at first, one dose of cream puff would increase it by 1%, but it would take several doses to achieve the same effect. Otherwise, he could have used up Dantalian's three awakenings in just one day.

This result left Zhuang Sen unsure whether to be disappointed or relieved, but he decided to remain calm.

Forget it, let’s get to work.

Zhuang Sen had originally intended to do this, but his clothes had been destroyed during last night's battle, and he couldn't very well go out naked. Having no other choice, he returned and patted the dwarf's pretense of sleep on the bottom: "Nia, go get me some clothes."

Nia, who had been nervously anticipating another attempt by Zhuang Sen, burst out laughing upon hearing this, as did Dantalian, who was also pretending to be asleep.

Zhuang Sen was already awake, and those with even stronger constitutions than him couldn't possibly still be asleep. The only reason they weren't up was because Da Tou was shy after reclaiming the high ground. As for Dantalian, impulsively pushing Zhuang Sen... she didn't regret it, but she was genuinely shy, especially since she was with Nia afterwards. Having a third party involved in her first experience was really quite a challenge.

For Nia, it was simple. No one would be happy to be discovered as a weakling who would be defeated in a few minutes, especially if the person who discovered her was an extremely patient fisherman who could work from midday until sunset.

Unfortunately, even their last resort of feigning death failed due to Zhuang Sen's cunning scheme. The two beauties, one tall and one short, sighed simultaneously, shifting the blame onto Zhuang Sen. Zhuang Sen, however, didn't seem to care, embracing and kissing them both: "Coming here is fine too. Whether at the church or at Glorious Manor, it's not good to cause such a commotion."

Dantalian rolled her eyes at Zhuang Sen, but the nun's gaze, still lingering in the afterglow, looked more like a seductive, coquettish glare: "I have clothes here, don't bother Nia."

Snake Tail opened the wardrobe and took out a large nun's habit and a set of casual clothes in Zhuang Sen's style. The nun raised her alluring, voluptuous body, preparing to change her clothes.

Nia was happy she didn't have to leave, and gave Zhuang Sen a kiss on the cheek: "Please pass this on to Sister Dantalian~"

Zhuang Sen nodded seriously, patted Dantalian's ample breasts, and the latter blushed slightly, but still bent down and brought her face close to Zhuang Sen's face again, leaving a wet mark on her.

So they got dressed and dried themselves off, dawdling along.

Zhuang Sen was finally satisfied and remembered the important matter: "Then I'll go and refine some potions next, mine, Nia's, and Miss Anawen's. Although she may not come, it's always better to be prepared than to not have them when you need them. I'll leave everything in the manor to you."

Nia nodded: "Don't worry, darling, I'll definitely produce my best work."

Zhuang Sen squatted down and patted the little cutie's head: "I was worried about you being like this. Now you don't need to suppress your desires by forging anymore, right? Then don't work so hard. Take a rest. If you really can't sit still, go and see what other blacksmiths are doing."

Nia squinted her eyes contentedly: "I know, I'm really full today. Okay, let's see if Dad has learned how to make plate armor yet~"

After giving Nia his instructions, Zhuang Sen stood up and looked at Dantalian, who was looking at him expectantly, his smile widening: "Dantalian, you too."

"Hmm..." The nun puffed out her cheeks at the perfunctory instruction. The unexpected contrast between her mature and gentle face and this expression was endearing, instantly striking Zhuang Sen's heart. He recalled how the nun had effortlessly switched between allure and holiness, and felt a thrill of discovering a secret.

"Alright, just kidding. While preaching is important, you also need to take care of your own safety and health. Don't exhaust yourself while just healing others." Zhuang Sen hugged the nun who had returned to human form. The nun had grown even taller after her second awakening, and Zhuang Sen's head could only be buried in her chest.

However, Dantalian very understandingly knelt down and offered Zhuang Sen a "face wash" (a gesture of respect or encouragement): "Understood~"

Although Dantalian, as a level 5 bloodline user who has undergone a second awakening, would not be tired by a small manor, the care and affection in Zhuang Sen's words were what she wanted and valued.

She knew she hadn't misjudged him.

Dantalian licked her lips, suppressing the urge to unleash her desire again—not the hunger of before, but a more intense, primal urge—but now she wasn't in a rush; there would be plenty of time later. And for greater pleasure in the future, she had to diligently help Zhuang Sen.

Zhuang Sen lingered with the two for a while longer, but finally gave each of them a purification spell to remove the filth from their bodies before turning and walking towards the alchemy room.

Nia and Dantalian watched him leave until his figure completely disappeared around the corner, at which point they stopped smiling and turned their gazes to each other.

"I'll handle the blacksmith's job. I'll definitely get fifty sets of qualified plate armor before our meeting. As for the magic iron equipment, I'll try my best to make five sets—don't think it's too few, I still need to make them for you and my dear first."

“Then I’ll deal with that Mr. Neil. He’s been in Thorn Manor for so long, but he’s only embezzled less than ten thousand gold coins? My dear probably doesn’t believe it either, but I just haven’t had time to deal with him.” Dantalian’s fingertips lit up with a dark green light, making her smiling face look incredibly frightening.

“Indeed, my dear, you’re wonderful in every way, except that you’re too kind.” Nia nodded in agreement.

Yes, although Zhuang Sen murdered his brother, plotted to usurp the throne, abducted an innocent girl, defiled a holy nun, and impersonated a nobleman, he was a kind and good boy.

“Speaking of which, do you think our dear knows what we’re like?” Dantalian smiled and tapped Nia’s head. The naive girl, who had received aristocratic education, shrugged. “Do you expect us to treat everyone the same way we treat our dear? That’s not what my etiquette teacher told me, Vengeful Sister.”

"I don't have an etiquette teacher, but how dare they steal my Zhuang Sen's money? I can't let this go unpunished."

The nun of the Church of Vengeance, the head of the Bloodline, gentle, kind, holy and beautiful Dantalian made a prayer gesture in front of her and smiled at Nia.

Kindness and naivety do not equate to foolishness and pedantry. Whether it's Dantalian or Nia, they will reciprocate kindness with kindness and love with love, but that doesn't mean they will treat strangers and enemies the same way.

Praise the goddess.

Chapter 51: Forging

Nia arrived at the blacksmith's shop.

The place has been completely renovated. Besides Nia and Rom each having their own independent work area, the other four blacksmiths brought in from Starry Night City, along with the two original blacksmiths from Thorn Manor, all work in one large area. It's a large courtyard with a central atrium, containing three high-temperature forges, cooling pools, forging hammers, and other equipment. These facilities accounted for 400 of Zhuang Sen's 500 gold coin budget, but it was well worth it. They significantly improved the blacksmiths' productivity, and without this equipment, ordinary people couldn't mold plate armor like the dwarf woman.

Nia entered through the main entrance, and a wave of heat hit her instantly. However, it was nothing to her; she didn't break a sweat, a stark contrast to the others in the area who were drenched in sweat. Her arrival also caused the blacksmiths, who had been working feverishly, to stop and look at her with fervent and respectful eyes.

The four blacksmiths that Zhuang Sen brought from Starry Night City were all master craftsmen who could be called armorers in Starry Night City. The reason they were willing to come to a godforsaken place like Thorn Manor with Zhuang Sen was not only because the wages were high, but also mainly because they could follow Rom Harper, the strongest blacksmith master in Starry Night City, and maybe learn some better skills.

Their dream came true, and with advanced technology that far exceeded their expectations!

A completely new type of armor! Multiple new forging methods! They didn't even have to pay tuition; they were taught the techniques directly! And as skilled old blacksmiths, they could naturally see the superiority of plate armor over the existing scale armor and chainmail, and they were even more certain that this type of armor would become the most valuable and sought-after armor in the future!

Therefore, it is not hard to imagine the gratitude and admiration these blacksmiths have for Nia. In their eyes, Nia is no longer a fifteen-year-old girl, but a young and genius blacksmith master. No, she is not just a blacksmith, nor just a master, she is the queen of blacksmiths!

These four blacksmiths were all honest men carefully selected by Lady Lydia, and their character has been widely praised for over a decade.

Facing the gazes even hotter than the forge, Nia calmly arrived at the courtyard that captured the sunlight, stepped onto the pre-designated platform, and spoke in a gentle voice: "The delivery date is approaching soon, so I've come to inspect your work. Who wants to go first?"

At this moment, Nia was nothing like the innocent and naive girl she had been in front of Zhuang Sen. Although she didn't deliberately use a coercive tone and even had a polite smile on her face, her demeanor was completely different. The blacksmiths below felt a heavy pressure sweep over them, and the beads of sweat on their foreheads were even more abundant than when they were working hard just moments before.

The blacksmiths, the youngest in their thirties and the oldest in their fifties, looked at each other. Finally, the oldest one gritted his teeth, turned around, took out a breastplate from his workstation, and handed it to Nia: "Master Nia, please give me your guidance."

An old man with a white beard bowed respectfully to a girl whose figure resembled that of a ten-year-old child. This seemingly paradoxical scene did not seem wrong to anyone. After all, she was Master Nia, and kneeling was not an overreaction!

Nia nodded: "Thank you, Master Karl, please wait a moment."

The old blacksmith named Karl was flattered and wanted to say that he didn't need to be addressed that way, but seeing Nia's focused expression, he didn't dare to speak and could only stand obediently to the side, bowing and waiting.

After a moment, Nia reached out and tapped the curved surface of the plate armor's side: "Master Karl, this, this, and this are all too thin. The part with the biggest error is at least 0.3 millimeters thinner. Selling this thing will ruin our reputation. Were you distracted when you were shaping it?"

Karl's face turned pale and then red, but he had no intention of refuting it, let alone getting angry. Instead, he obediently lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry, Master Nia, I will continue to improve!"

“I’ll demonstrate again then, Master Karl, please go down.” Nia politely watched him go for two seconds, then called out to the crowd, “Next.”

Another breastplate was delivered. Nia casually greeted it, then focused on her work again. After a moment, she frowned and tapped the umbrella-shaped protrusion in the middle of the breastplate: "The curvature is wrong, the cushioning effect isn't good. If it hits here..."

With a slender finger poking into the plate armor, the two-millimeter-thick steel plate was pierced straight through.

"Practice more, next one."

The remaining two blacksmiths, trembling yet filled with anticipation, handed over their work, both of which were breastplates. And without exception, they all had serious problems—serious problems in Nia's eyes.

In her opinion, these plate armors were either uneven in thickness or structurally deformed, and could not be considered qualified products at all. Selling them would be tantamount to murdering customers!

Moreover, her passion for forging wouldn't allow her to produce such a shoddy work, especially since it was for an important occasion related to Zhuang Sen's development! She absolutely wouldn't tolerate any problems with the military equipment that day!

She couldn't tolerate these blacksmiths continuing to produce this junk; their craftsmanship shouldn't be at this level... unless they were doing it on purpose.

Nia didn't want to speculate about these blacksmiths. Their enthusiasm was genuine; Nia, who had understood and loved forging since childhood, could see it. But perhaps that was precisely why they deliberately made mistakes in order to gain more knowledge. Although Nia had made all the key points clear, in an era where the craft of forging horseshoes was considered a family heirloom, perhaps they didn't believe in Nia's selflessness.

We'll find out soon enough whether it's true or not.

Nia stepped down from the platform and went to the nearest forge: "Master Karl, could you please demonstrate the forging process so I can see where I went wrong?"

Karl nodded, concealing the paleness on his face, and nodded very seriously: "Yes, Master Nia!"

Next came the standard procedure. Master Karl took out the steel plate forged with a water-powered forging hammer, skillfully heated it, and began to hammer rhythmically. Under the hammering, the plate gradually bent, revealing an arc shape. Nia watched and nodded. This level of skill was what a seasoned blacksmith should have. So why did that mistake happen before?

After the breastplate had been hammered through and taken shape, Nia raised her hand to stop Karl: "Let me see."

Master Karl wiped his sweat and handed the still-warm breastplate to Nia. As soon as Nia touched it, she sensed something was wrong.

“This thing…” Nia touched it, her face flushing with anger. “Damn it, this steel plate is no good! Who made this!”

Although it was a question, her gaze had already fallen directly on the two blacksmiths who originally worked at Thorn Manor. As soon as one of the blacksmiths met her angry gaze, his legs went weak and he knelt down on the ground with a thud.

Chapter 52: Torture

While Nia headed to the blacksmith's shop, Dantalian had already arrived at the dungeon located just below the main building. Accompanied by two vengeful female warriors, she met a noticeably thinner Neil Leon.

Dantalian

The dungeon was dark and gloomy, with only a few dim candlelight illuminating the rough wooden cells. Neil lay on the messy hay, utterly dejected, as if he had given up completely. But Dantalian didn't think that was enough. For a man whose infamy had spread throughout the entire Thorn Manor, who was corrupt and utterly dishonest, simply locking him up and starving him was too lenient.

"Bring the person out."

Dantalian gave the order, and the female warrior immediately carried it out, opening the cell and dragging out Neil, who still weighed about two hundred pounds.

Startled awake, Neil shouted, "What are you doing! I am a member of the Leon family, you have no right to do what you want to me!"

Logically, that was true, but Dantalian wasn't there to reason with him, and the vengeful warriors had no such intention. The instant Neil finished shouting, one of the warriors punched him in the face, the steel gauntlets leaving deep marks on them without mercy and taking away several of his teeth.

Dantalian watched this scene with a smile, took the Morningstar hammer from her waist, and calmly said, "Good day, Neil Leon. May the goddess of vengeance have mercy and bless our conversation."

Neil was pinned against the wall by the two vengeful female warriors and handcuffed to the wall. The lingering pain on his face finally brought him to his senses, and he stopped spouting useless nonsense, instead turning his eyes to survey his surroundings. The dungeon wasn't anything special; he had built it himself to deal with unruly civilians, but today it was being used on him.

It's all that bastard Zhuang Sen's fault.

Unrepentant and seething, Neil glared at the two armored, vengeful female warriors, his head visibly shrinking back; the iron fists truly had a sobering effect. But when he looked at Dantalian, her gentle smile and graceful demeanor instantly filled him with smugness.

He recognized Dantalian's clothes; she was a priestess of the Church of Vengeance. In his mind, the Church of Vengeance was a hypocritical church that only knew how to adopt orphan girls and spouted empty words of kindness. He especially thought that the priests were the weakest and most easily bullied.

Of course, under the iron fist of discipline, he didn't immediately become arrogant again, but he inevitably relaxed a bit. After all, a priestess couldn't be more outrageous than those female warriors, could she? He was probably just here to say some persuasive platitudes; who knows if Zhuang Sen was out of money and resorted to a softer approach to extract information…

Dantalian ignored what Neil was thinking and casually asked, "Neil Leon, do you know why I'm here to ask?"

“You just want money—” Neil was only halfway through his sentence when the female warrior next to him punched him in the left cheek, knocking out a few more teeth.

They're all sisters from the same temple, so their teamwork is excellent.

Dantalian smiled and said slowly, "It seems you don't understand our Church of Vengeance, but I think you at least know what revenge is, right? Kindness, justice, fairness, these are not what we pursue. Only by completely destroying and annihilating the enemy, and utterly humiliating them, can we call it revenge. Of course, we have no personal grudges, but who told you to offend our Church's Son of God, my dear Johnsen?"

Dantalian's voice was clear and unambiguous, and the dark green light emanating from her right hand sent chills down Neil Leon's spine, making him tremble. He forced himself to remain composed, attempting to intimidate: "Does your Church of Vengeance intend to disobey Lord Cross's orders and aid Johnson without authorization?"

Dantalian raised her hand towards Neil Leon, a hint of amusement in her voice, as if she were eagerly anticipating what was to come. The dark green light illuminated her face, making her polite smile appear incredibly eerie and sinister: "Would the Lord of Shadow Ravens be in this dungeon? Even if he were, would he risk offending the Church of Vengeance for someone like you who embezzled his taxes and insulted the Leon family name?"

Dantalian's words were like sharp swords, piercing directly into Neil's heart and stripping away his already weak psychological defenses. He slumped his head in despair and sighed, "Fine, fine, I'll talk... I'll say I'm willing to cooperate, what are you going to do?!"

A dark green light streaked across the air and landed on Neil's chest. Immediately afterward, an itchy sensation struck, leaving Neil, whose hands were cuffed, helplessly writhing like a fat maggot being hung up.

Dantalian felt a little reluctant. This was the first time she had actually interrogated someone. Nine times out of ten, her performance just now was just an act based on her training. However, combined with poison magic, it was quite effective.

The nuns of the Vengeance Church are indeed skilled in "clerical" work such as torture, but that doesn't mean they actually enjoy torture. For them, it's just a way to punish evildoers and vent their hatred. Nine times out of ten, it's at the request of their employers. And just like accepting a task requires confirming that it's revenge by a good person, the use of torture also needs to be verified.

However, Neil perfectly met the execution criteria, so Dantalian quickly overcame her psychological barrier, and the dark green light on her hand shone again. Seeing this, Neil, writhing like a fat maggot, ignored the itching that had spread throughout his body and shouted repeatedly, "What do you want to know? Just ask!"

Dantalian maintained that polite yet chilling smile, and cast another poison spell on Neil. Watching him writhe in agony from the sudden pain like a fish out of water, she slowly said, "You know what I want to know, or you don't, that's fine too, we can play a little longer."

Amidst the dual torment of excruciating pain and itching, Neil had an epiphany: this woman, this madwoman whose name he still didn't know, wasn't seeking revenge for Zhuang Sen as she claimed! She was just a madwoman! She simply wanted to torture people!

Zhuang Sen might not even know she's in the dungeon!

Neil, who had spent almost his entire life as a country bumpkin in Thorn Manor, clearly didn't know anything about the "breaking down windows and tearing off roofs" theory, let alone the concept of applying maximum pressure. When he saw Dantalian maintain that sinister smile and her hand glow with a dark green light for the third time, he completely broke down.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! It was the Church of War! The Church of War sent me to fight against Zhuang Sen!"

Dantalie paused for a moment, then unleashed the third poison spell. After using it a few times, she vaguely grasped something.

This third spell convinced Neil that Dantalian was a psychopath, a madwoman who wanted to torture him. In his desperation, he spilled all the information: "I swear! It was the Church of War who made me oppose Johnson. I still have all the letters they sent! I hid them with my money in a cave on Left Mountain. There are three birch trees growing side-by-side in front of the cave, blocking the entrance. My account book is in a hollow of one of those trees..."

Amid Neil's wails, Dantalian dispelled the magic in her hands and, for the first time, asked a precise question: "What is the Church of War's plan?"

The author says:

Author's Note: From Chapter 42 to Chapter 52, there are eleven chapters in total, fulfilling the promised ten chapters. Including the bonus chapter for donations, that's a total of 29,343 words. If we calculate it as one chapter per 2,000 words, that would be fourteen or fifteen chapters. However, I'm not calculating it that way today, as a way of thanking everyone for their support. Also, if we reach our first-day subscription target today, I will continue to add more chapters after I get off work tonight. Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Chapter 53: The Meeting of the Big Shots

While Johnson and his companions went about their own business, Count Clos convened a small meeting. The meeting was attended by only seven people: Count Clos Leon himself, the Count's Minister of War, Baron Rott House, the Count's Minister of the Interior, Baroness Miss Bello, Bishop Charles of the Church of War, Bishop Bivoro of the Church of Commerce, Bishop Ottel of the Church of Healing, and Bishop Rosa of the Church of Vengeance.

The meeting was held in the Earl's castle, ensuring that no one could eavesdrop or infiltrate.

Bishop Rosa took her seat, ignoring the provocation from Bishop Charles of the Church of War, and calmly looked at Earl Cross. The latter did not delay, just like at that banquet, and directly stated the reason for this secret meeting: "His Majesty is preparing to declare war on the White City Federation next year, and I need you to prepare for war with all your might and stockpile supplies."

Bishop Rosa suddenly understood why Count Cross, as the Kingdom's Minister of Intelligence, had stayed in Leon for a whole year, and why he had orchestrated this so-called successor trial. It was all because of this war; Cross, as the Kingdom's Minister of Intelligence, was deliberately feigning laxity to mislead the people of White City.

The others roughly understood as well. After silently digesting the information for a while, Baron Rott House spoke up: "Lord Cross, White City is not adjacent to us. Are we supposed to go south to fight?"