Monster Girl Development Master

Page 20

[The bloodline of the Holy Lamia has reached the lower limit; the recipe for the Second Awakening Potion has been updated.]

As mentioned before, bloodline level determines the upper limit of awakening times, but that's only one aspect. Secondly, different bloodlines have different subsequent awakening times. If we set full bloodline development to 100%, then a level 5 bloodline only needs 20% development to undergo a second awakening, while a level 2 bloodline requires at least 50% development.

According to bloodline theory, this is because higher-level bloodlines possess more power, so 20% of the bloodline power of a lower-level bloodline is equivalent to 50% of the bloodline power of a lower-level bloodline.

However, developing a high-level bloodline is far more difficult than developing a low-level one. Reaching 20% ​​of the target for a level 5 bloodline takes about two years, roughly the same as reaching 50% for a level 2 bloodline, unless one brute-forces it with resources. But even then, success is impossible in just one or two months, because one must consider the body's capacity; rare and precious materials are not entirely harmless.

In short, what I'm trying to say is that Dantalian's progress has overturned the existing bloodline theory, and the reason seems to be... Zhuang Sen's blood.

However, Zhuang Sen was unaware of this at the moment. He only knew that his strength was about to increase again, and he just wanted to see what materials were needed for the second awakening potion.

[Sacred Lamia Bloodline Second Awakening Potion: Main ingredient: 400 ml of Zhuang Sen's Blood; Auxiliary ingredients: 3 mature Snake Whisper Flowers, a handful of St. John's Grass powder, 300 ml of Starlight Solvent...]

Chapter 44: The Wall of Earth Elementals (3082 words)

"What's wrong, Zhuang Sen?"

Dantalian asked Zhuang Sen, who was suddenly looking at her with burning eyes, with concern, "Is he feeling it again?" She subconsciously glanced at Nia, who had already finished drinking and had been watching the show, and her pink tongue involuntarily licked the bloodstains on her lips, making her already full red lips even more vivid and alluring.

But Zhuang Sen felt a bit silly. He had never even seen someone who didn't realize that his bloodline had improved. Bloodline practitioners are very sensitive to changes in their bloodline concentration, otherwise they wouldn't be able to pinpoint the percentage.

He cast a healing spell, and at the same time reached out to wipe the blood from Dantalian's lips: "Dantalian, don't you feel any changes in your body?"

"Really?" Dantalian hesitated for a moment, released Zhuang Sen's hand, closed her eyes to meditate, and then opened her mouth slightly in surprise: "My bloodline has reached..."

"Congratulations, Dantalian, you're about to awaken for the second time." Zhuang Sen withdrew his hand. "I'll prepare the potion. I didn't expect you to be here so quickly, and I've been quite busy before."

"Yes, thank you for your trouble, Zhuang Sen." Having drunk her fill of Zhuang Sen's blood, Lamia's domineering nature subsided. The gentle and shy nun looked at the bloodstains on Zhuang Sen's hands, pursed her lips, and lowered her head, suppressing the urge to suck on those fair, slender fingers, which were not even as thick as hers.

Nia cupped her round face in her hands, smiling with narrowed eyes, finding it all quite amusing. Dantalian was clearly so obsessed with Zhuang Sen's blood, even refusing to use a cup, yet the slightest change in Zhuang Sen's expression caused her to react, and even become so nervous. Why had these two been dragging this out until now?

The dwarf, inheriting the fine traditions of her race, watched the two silently tugging at each other with amusement. She was starting to understand those older dwarf sisters in the inheritance ceremony—ha, little virgins!

However, she actually awakened a second time. Level 5 bloodline is really good... Although she doesn't envy Dantalian for licking Zhuang Sen's hand, Nia envies Dantalian's strength. She also wants to help Zhuang Sen more!

The mature and composed older sister, Nia, felt a pang of envy and melancholy.

Sensing the sudden change in atmosphere, Zhuang Sen didn't know how to resolve it, so he could only bring up the important matter: "We don't have the materials for the Second Awakening Potion here, so I plan to go to Starry Night City to buy them now."

Dantalian frowned slightly and said gently, "There's no need to rush, Zhuang Sen. We can buy them together next time we go to the city."

Zhuang Sen shook his head: "No, in the current situation, I think it's better to become stronger as quickly as possible, and I can also take a look at the levels you mentioned so that it will be easier to pass them later."

Nia tactfully stood up: "Then I'll go back to work—oh!"

The sudden feeling of weightlessness made the dwarf gasp and hug Zhuang Sen tightly.

"You're coming too." Zhuang Sen put one arm around the little dwarf's pert bottom. He had no intention of really exploiting his wife like a beast of burden, even if she liked it. Besides, did the little guy think he was hiding it well? His eyes were practically turning into sour plums.

No matter how much they are influenced by the racial traits of dwarf girls, it doesn't mean they don't have their own little thoughts. Isn't Dantalian the best proof of that? In the end, race and individual are not the same. There are paladins among succubi. So what if a dwarf girl is jealous?

"Humph~"

The little dwarf gave a haughty snort, but immediately hugged Zhuang Sen's neck again, her two breasts, which were no less proportionate than Dantalian's, stuck to Zhuang Sen's face, which could be considered a face wash achievement.

Dantalian watched from the side, feeling a pang of jealousy. If it weren't for the limitations imposed by her bloodline, she too would have wanted to be so uninhibitedly intimate with Zhuang Sen. But she also knew that if her bloodline and personality weren't like this, she would probably still be reserved, and wouldn't even have held hands.

Ugh.

Dantalian sighed softly, lowered her eyelids for a moment, then casually raised them again, meeting Zhuang Sen's dark eyes.

“Let’s go, Dantalian.” Zhuang Sen’s free right hand took Dantalian’s soft, boneless hand in his. His cool, slightly damp hand was pulled by her warm little hand, and they walked confidently through the manor to the stables.

"Lord Johnson."

The vengeful female warrior guarding the important stables bowed to Zhuang Sen, but her tone was noticeably different from usual, and her eyes kept drifting towards Dantalian.

It was as if she were saying, "I never expected Dantalian to be so bold! Holding hands with Lord Zhuang Sen in front of someone else's wife, it's truly unbelievable!"

—The above is Dantalian's own imagination; the vengeful warrior simply led out two warhorses as usual.

Zhuang Sen regretfully released Dantalian's hand, first placing Nia on the saddle before mounting himself. After he finished, Dantalian remained rooted to the spot, her slightly reddened ears visible beneath her flaxen hair.

Zhuang Sen didn't know whether to be happy or not, and in the end he could only solemnly call out, "Dantrian, let's go."

"Ah, um!"

Dantalian was startled awake. Her first glance was at Zhuang Sen, then her eyes swept over the vengeful female warriors in the corner, who had turned their heads away at some point and whose shoulders were trembling slightly.

She glared fiercely at her good sisters, mounted her horse, and already anticipated that this matter would spread rapidly throughout the Temple of Aranta.

Dantalian, oh Dantalian, what are you thinking?!

In her embarrassment, she even forgot to ask why Zhuang Sen wanted to ride a horse with Nia. Once they were on the road, she couldn't bring herself to ask and could only watch silently as Nia nestled in Zhuang Sen's arms, her smile so bright it outshone the sun in the sky.

The journey was uneventful. Before the sun had completely set, Zhuang Sen and his party rode swiftly across a distance that would have taken a whole day by carriage, and arrived at a place that should have been a rammed earth road, at least when Zhuang Sen had come here before.

Now, the road is still the same road, with even many tire tracks. But there's a stone wall at least three meters high in the road, with antlers, barricades, and other barriers placed in front of it. Several soldiers wearing cotton armor and helmets are hiding behind it, holding spears and watching Zhuang Sen and his group nervously.

"What is this stuff?"

Zhuang Sen even doubted that he had taken the wrong path, but there was only one road leading out of Thorn Manor.

Dantalian was also very surprised. She remembered that when she came here before, there were only barricades and other roadblocks. After she directly dismantled them, she was able to pass through smoothly. What was going on with this wall?

Nia suddenly tugged at Zhuang Sen's sleeve: "Zhuang Sen, that wall isn't an ordinary wall; it smells like the earth."

“I see, that explains it.” Zhuang Sen naturally believed Nia, but this was not good news. It meant that the wall was not just for show, but was built using bloodline abilities—which explained why it wasn’t there when Dantalian came.

Just as Zhuang Sen and his companions were surprised, a figure appeared on the wall. He had black hair and blue eyes, wore a yellow embroidered brocade robe, and a green hat. He looked down at Zhuang Sen and his companions and shouted, "Zhuang Sen, I'm sorry, but you have to pay a toll to pass through here now. Also, Priestess Dantalian, you can't just let bygones be bygones about what happened to you this morning."

Zhuang Sen looked up and recognized the person above: "Admirer? What's wrong with you?"

Admiral Leon, eighteen years old, was born two years earlier than Zhuang Sen, but firstly, his maternal family was just an ordinary baron, and secondly, he had not yet awakened his bloodline, so he was basically destined to be just an ordinary person. Unexpectedly, he dared to cause a scene here.

Admiral stood on the wall and said loudly, "Sorry, Johnson, but this is my right. If you're not going to pay, then please take another route. Anyway, you've awakened your bloodline, so you're not afraid of danger in the forest."

They weren't afraid of the dangers of traversing the forest, but the problem was how to transport goods by horse-drawn cart later. Did they have to build another road themselves? But even if they did, it wouldn't matter. As long as the wall extended to this area, Admiral could simply continue to expand it! Because this area was now his "territory."

Zhuang Sen glared at Admirer with displeasure. Admirer initially shrank back, but then looked up again, saying, "Zhuang Sen, you're not planning to do something illegal again, are you? Father's informants might be right here."

If it weren't for this layer of protection, Admiral wouldn't have dared to face Johnson alone.

Zhuang Sen had no intention of challenging Old Deng at this moment, so he ignored Admiral and turned his attention to the wall. To be honest, a three-meter wall wouldn't stop them; Nia could easily climb over it, but as mentioned before, a carriage couldn't get through.

Nia was eager to help Zhuang Sen: "Zhuang Sen, let me go and knock down this wall!"

Zhuang Sen had the same idea, but he didn't intend to let Nia run down to the wall. He looked at Dantalian, who was feeling a bit regretful because Nia had beaten her to it. Noticing Zhuang Sen's gaze, she immediately puffed out her chest: "Zhuang Sen, let me try first."

Nia didn't really care. She didn't really want to leave Zhuang Sen's arms, but she also had the ability to use stone projectiles, although it wasn't as strong as her fists.

Dantalian raised her hand, and a dazzling light gathered at her fingertips before shooting towards the stone wall.

Bloodline Ability: Holy Ray!

It requires charging up, but it has penetrating power and can easily pierce through ordinary iron armor. The high-heat ray flies straight, but when it hits a stone wall, it only creates a small crater about half a finger deep.

The tense Admiller immediately laughed: "Johnson, don't waste your energy. Even if you can get past me, there are still Struth and Agnes behind you. You should take a detour."

Dantalian frowned, about to try a different ability, when Zhuang Sen stopped her. Dantalian had already demonstrated healing and poison mist abilities, and now she had used the Holy Ray, making it three abilities in total. According to the bloodline theory of this world, this was the mark of a super genius.

Even if it's attributed to an increase in bloodline concentration and the awakening of new abilities, having one in such a short time is already quite remarkable.

We can't expose any more.

Zhuang Sen cast a Flash spell on the smug Admiral, then turned his horse around and rode into the woods amidst his scream.

Chapter 45: The Chosen One, Zhuang Sen

After traversing forests and mountains, Zhuang Sen and his group returned to Starry Night City on the morning of the third day.

As Admiral had said, the two manors behind him, belonging to Agnes and Stroud respectively, also had the same stone walls erected, forcing Johnson to once again take a detour through the woods. Fortunately, these stone walls were not too long, and it was not difficult to go around them, but the carriage could not.

It's not that it's impossible to break through, but it will significantly increase costs. Taking a detour will take more time, and entering the forest will present greater risks, thus requiring more manpower... No, it should be that only those with bloodlines can lead the team, otherwise, bandits with bloodlines might emerge from the forests of these places.

Zhuang Sen deeply understood what it meant to be held hostage, but perhaps he could learn something from it, such as hiding in the woods and robbing them back.

This approach has many problems, so Zhuang Sen is keeping it as a backup option for now.

"Zhuang Sen, are we going to the temple next, or to your house?"

Dantalian rode alongside Zhuang Sen, asking softly. She guessed that he was probably going back to Zhuang Sen's house. Lady Lia and he had a very close relationship, and since he rarely came back, he should go back. Moreover, when it came to buying potion ingredients, the Falao Merchant Guild was a better choice than the Church of Vengeance.

"Let's go to the temple."

Zhuang Sen snapped out of his thoughts and answered Dantalian's question, "Although the Chamber of Commerce has a wide range of things, it is also easy for secrets to be leaked. The Falau Chamber of Commerce is not controlled by my family alone."

Moreover, no matter what, the loyalty of the members of a profit-driven chamber of commerce is unlikely to be higher than that of a religious organization.

Dantalian nodded slightly and quickened her pace with Johnson, arriving at the Temple of Aranta. But as soon as they dismounted, they—or rather, Johnson—felt many intense gazes.

The nun guarding the gate and the worshippers coming and going all stared at Zhuang Sen with strange expressions, as if they were looking at something rare.

Zhuang Sen was somewhat puzzled, but didn't pay much attention, because he didn't sense any malice, and there couldn't possibly be anything wrong with the Temple of Aranta.

Upon entering the Temple of Aranta, Zhuang Sen, under even more scrutiny, found Bishop Rosa: "Good day, Your Excellency."

"Good day, Johnson, Dantalian, and Miss Nia." Bishop Rosa still had that cheerful and kind look on her face. "Judging from your appearance, is something urgent?"

After traveling for three days, Zhuang Sen and his companions were covered in dust and grime.

Zhuang Sen nodded: "Dantrian can awaken a second time now. I came back to buy materials for the awakening potion. It would be best if the church had them."

Bishop Rosa was quite surprised, but the situation kept her calm. She said in a low voice, "Congratulations, Dantalian, and thank you for your generosity, Johnson."

Taking materials from the church is tantamount to revealing the recipe for the Awakening Potion to the church. Although there is no potion for the first awakening, it is useless to get the one for the second awakening. However, this shows that Zhuang Sen trusts the Church of Vengeance more. Bishop Rosa is very pleased with Zhuang Sen's feedback.

"But before that, let's take a break and have a cup of hot tea."

Zhuang Sen didn't care about this problem, but after looking at Dantalian and Nia, who looked a bit disheveled, he nodded and said, "Then, thank you for your help."

……

After a quick wash, Zhuang Sen and the others went to the reception room and sat down at the round table. Zhuang Sen was flanked by Nia and Dantalian, while Bishop Rosa sat on one side.

Bishop Rosa watched this scene with great pleasure: "Johnson, what do you need?"

Zhuang Sen listed the materials needed and added, "If possible, please bring a few more copies."

Although the second awakening is theoretically unlikely to fail, the creation of potions may fail, so it's still advisable to prepare extra.

Bishop Rosa naturally had no reason to refuse, but after thinking for a while, she frowned: "We don't have Serpent Flower or Starry Night Solvent here. We don't usually need either of them."

"Then I'll have to buy it outside. By the way, I'll also pay for the church's services, so I don't want to be accused of relying on external forces."

This refers to Count Cross's requirements for the successor's trial. We should still be careful, although Count Cross can always find an excuse if he wants to act recklessly.

"No, these materials are for the Thorn Church, not for you."

Bishop Rosa spoke with an air of seriousness, but there was nothing wrong with what she said. She was unaware that Johnson was already plotting to eliminate Kross, and she wasn't in a hurry for a year or two. What she wanted most right now was for Dantalian to grow stronger; once she had completed at least three awakenings, her future would be practically secure.

Thinking about this, she felt even more favorably toward Zhuang Sen. The Temple of Alanta didn't have many sacred treasures to offer Dantalian, yet Dantalian was able to reach the second awakening so quickly. In her opinion, the only explanation was that Zhuang Sen had gone to great lengths to achieve this.

Sure enough, although he was a bit lecherous, Zhuang Sen was a good boy.

"Thank you for your trouble," Zhuang Sen said politely, then got back to the main topic, "There's another thing I'd like to ask you. On our way here..."

Zhuang Sen brought up the matter of the three stone walls, not to encourage Bishop Rosa to demolish them by force, but to ask who was responsible for them and if there was a better way to break through them.

Bishop Rosa quickly replied after listening: "It sounds like the ability of the Stone Otter. It's normal that you haven't heard of it. It's a small family with a first-level bloodline whose main business is building cities. They can indeed build city walls very quickly, and they are indeed durable enough. I'm afraid there's no good way to counter them."

"Isn't this considered external force?" Zhuang Sen asked, then shook his head. Whether it counts as external force or not is up to Count Cross to decide; if he doesn't say so, it doesn't count. Besides, it's easy to find an excuse. Zhuang Sen can have the Church of Revenge as a powerful ally, so there's no reason why others can't have one too.

Although it is essentially still about Count Clos's dictatorship.

"It seems we can only wait for the second awakening."

Hearing Zhuang Sen's sigh, Bishop Rosa considerately changed the subject: "Speaking of which, Zhuang Sen, your return now is just in time. Do you remember what we talked about before about the Goddess's revelation?"

Zhuang Sen was somewhat prepared and wasn't too disappointed. Hearing Bishop Rosa's question, he composed himself and replied, "Do you remember? Is there anything I need to do?"

“Indeed, many people want to meet you, hoping the learned Chosen One can determine if they have any hidden bloodlines.” Bishop Rosa picked up her tea and took a sip. “I think this might be helpful?”

Zhuang Sen paused for a moment, then his eyes gradually lit up: "This will be a great help, Your Excellency the Bishop."

Chapter 46: Socially Anxious Sunflower

"Bishop Rosa, could we arrange to meet at Thorn Manor?"

Zhuang Sen was in high spirits and added to Bishop Rosa, "By the way, if we can get them to bring some potion ingredients and minerals to Thorn Manor, we can try to get some carriages."

At this point in Zhuang Sen's speech, Bishop Rosa naturally understood: "You intend to have them force Admiral and his men to release the checkpoints?"