Monster Girl Development Master

Page 65

They too possessed plant lineage and the ability to induce growth, but none of them succeeded in cultivating new Sacred Scale Fruit trees, instead wasting the land's resources. So they began trying to find the cause from the plant properties of the Sacred Scale Fruit, wondering if there were problems with the environment, temperature, or other factors. Then they discovered that they couldn't even recognize what this thing was.

It looks like an apple, but what good apple has a scaly skin? And when Zhuang Sen took them to get the Sacred Scale Fruit, he introduced the Sacred Scale Fruit tree. It clearly looks like a tall tree, but they analyzed the bloodline aura of a coniferous tree from the Sacred Scale Fruit. This is...

Although the members of the Bloodline Cult were furious, the novelty and contradictions of the Sacred Scale Fruit made them believe Zhuang Sen's deception. They thought that this was the reason why Zhuang Sen was rapidly increasing the development of his bloodline, but they just hadn't figured it out yet.

We must intensify our efforts!

The author says:

Author's Note: Today's three chapters included two long chapters, totaling 9984 words, nearly 10,000 words, which should count as five updates, right? Adding the extra 2,000 words from yesterday, it should be six updates, right? But since everyone is so kind, I won't dwell on it. I just can't split the chapters into smaller ones, but please give me some praise! Update progress: Monthly tickets 9/50, urging tickets 13/50, rewards 2900/5000—By the way, considering the extra updates, could you please clear all these accumulated rewards? If you support me, please type 1 ( ).

Chapter 154: An Unexpected Visitor

After all that fuss, Zhuang Sen took a bath. Although he could be restored to normal immediately with [Purification], taking a bath was truly enjoyable, and there was a chance to unlock new CGs. However, that wouldn't happen today. Zhuang Sen had just gotten Lady Lia a new job by patting her butt. The monster girls all had things to do: Nia's workshop, Hana's garden, and the legal reforms in Dantalian. Lydia didn't have to go to the army. She had originally planned to squeeze Zhuang Sen dry, but Lady Lia was going to select her own people, so Lydia naturally had to go and protect her, who was still just an ordinary person.

Miss Mira didn't actually go out; the sun was too strong outside. However, she needed to study bloodline technology and knowledge. If Zhuang Sen had gone, she might only have been able to study "Big Zhuang Sen." As for Ange, needless to say, she's the Minister of Commerce, an incredibly busy person. Not only does she have to manage the Blue Raven Merchant Guild's work, but she also has to coordinate all the commercial affairs of the entire Leon Territory. Usually, Lady Liya helps her with these matters, but today she was all alone, and she even used Shadow Step as her mode of transportation.

They also took away the gluttonous Lem, lest the little guy devour everyone's lunch and dinner by himself at home. So Zhuang Sen was left all alone in his hometown, a pitiful, powerless count... Waaah!

Zhuang Sen cried, but he was faking it.

Soaking in the bathtub, Zhuang Sen was rehearsing his next plan. With the help of the monster girls, the intimidation of absolute power, and Princess Celine's unexpected and strong support, Leon Territory was practically under his control. And Old Man Kross, aside from anything else, had managed his territory remarkably well, leaving Zhuang Sen with a far from a mess.

On the contrary, Zhuang Sen inherited a super-good territory with a full treasury, well-equipped military, strong military power, and popular support. It was something that Qin Er Shi envied and Ming Chongzhen was jealous of. In addition, before his death, Lao Deng took away a large number of powerful local vassals who should have been ruling their own regions and using aristocratic rules and kingdom laws to check Zhuang Sen. This territory could even be considered something that Li Erfeng coveted and Liu Fashi longed for.

Therefore, it was only natural for Zhuang Sen to plan his next course of action, which was to annex Farau territory.

There are several reasons for doing this, but there are only two main ones: one is to get rid of the predicament of food imports and achieve the basic survival requirement of food self-sufficiency; the other is to test a conjecture of Zhuang Sen, namely, whether the so-called "legal territory" of the system must be granted by the king or there is another path.

As is well known, medieval titles and ranks could be combined and split.

For example, the Habsburgs, whose reputation for their sexual misconduct is known worldwide, started as ordinary, remote counts. But through marriage alliances and political maneuvering, they rose to become the Dukes of Vienna and the Habsburg dynasty. Some of these achievements came from titles bestowed by higher nobles, while others came from inheriting the estates of deceased wives and husbands. However, it was not some other king or emperor who united these territories to form the Habsburg dynasty.

In its simplest terms, this series of operations involves occupying a large amount of land in the same region to claim a higher status through actual ownership, thereby gaining legal justification—that is, legitimacy.

So, could Zhuang Sen do the same thing?

Of course, the lower-body route is out of the question; killing widows isn't in Johnson's nature, and that route is far too slow—the Habsburgs took countless years. Johnson's plan is this: first, take over the neighboring Farau territory to gain a solid agricultural foundation, and then randomly select a lucky earl from the surrounding area to try and combine the three earls into a marquis title.

If it succeeds, it means that legitimacy doesn't necessarily require royal appointment; if it fails... it might mean that not enough territory has been annexed.

Now, the territory of Falau is basically under our control. Once the matter of Falau's "malicious murder of Count Leon's mother and sister" is confirmed tomorrow, we will have a pretext for war. With three people who have awakened their bloodlines three times—Johnson, Dantalian, and Nia—and with the rich foundation left by Old Man Cross, taking over Falau will be a piece of cake, if not a sure thing.

Hmm, we can start researching our next opponent. It won't be as easy to find a pretext for war next time. It's a pity that the religions in this world are not good enough to launch a crusade. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so much trouble. We could just open the door and investigate heresies.

As Johnson muttered to himself in the bathtub, a knock came from outside the bathroom door. The maid tried her best to make her voice gentle and seductive: "Your Excellency, Lady Lysander Starr and Lady Piper Starr have come to visit. What do you think?"

"Take them to the reception room and treat them well." Zhuang Sen was surprised that the Starr sisters would come to see him, especially without any other members of the Bloodline Order accompanying them, which made him somewhat suspicious.

"Yes, sir."

The maid left with great regret.

……

In the reception room, Johnson, now dressed in brand-new clothes, approached the Starr sisters, who were already seated, and said politely, "I apologize, ladies, for being late."

“We are the ones who have been presumptuous in coming here and have disturbed you.” Lisander and Piper rose to greet each other, then picked up a small bundle from the table and handed it to Johnson. “It’s a small gift, I hope you don’t mind.”

Zhuang Sen took the bundle, feeling somewhat strange. It wasn't that he had never received visitors or had never been in contact with women, but the former always came with a purpose, and he knew what that purpose was, so he could get straight to the point. The latter, well, it was just a coincidence, and they were all more direct.

So he'd never experienced this kind of subtle feeling before. If he had to pinpoint it, he'd probably had a similar feeling when he first transmigrated and faced Lady Leah...

Zhuang Sen paused for only a moment, then, taking advantage of the moment to sit down, casually placed his bundle on the table: "Miss Lisander, Miss Piper, I wonder what brings you two beautiful ladies here today?"

Although he wasn't sure what was going on, Zhuang Sen didn't change his plan to probe the Bloodline Cult and Duke Starr's side quest by flirting with the Starr sisters. He was genuinely curious, though, since he'd been busy with bloodline technology and preparing to kill the Farau family these past few days and hadn't really made any moves against the sisters, why had they come to him on their own?

Faced with Johnson's question, Lysander hesitated for a moment, and taking advantage of the opportunity, Piper interjected, "Can't we come to Johnson's house if there's nothing wrong? Didn't Johnson say he wanted the two of us?"

Zhuang Sen chuckled. He was always tolerant of such naive little ones. Conversely, he didn't believe Piper was telling the truth; it seemed more like a clever child trying to help her sister out of a predicament. He hadn't even made a serious move yet, and the Starr sisters weren't monster girls, so how could they have fallen for them?

Just as Zhuang Sen was thinking about how to answer, there was another knock on the door.

Then, with Zhuang Sen's permission, a maid pushed open the door and entered, reporting, "Your Excellency, Her Highness the Princess has come to visit."

Johnson was taken aback, and the Starr sisters also froze for a moment.

Chapter 155: The Princess vs. the Duchess

Celine?

Why is she here too?

Uh, also?

Zhuang Sen glanced at Lisander almost unconsciously, noticing a hint of tension on her normally composed and naturally striking face, her red lips pressed tightly together. However, this expression vanished in an instant, and she immediately returned to her proper and polite demeanor upon noticing Zhuang Sen's gaze.

Zhuang Sen felt a slight stirring in his heart, but maintained a normal expression and instructed the maid, "Bring Her Highness the Princess over."

The maid bowed and withdrew: "Yes, sir."

……

When Princess Celine entered the drawing room, she was initially filled with excitement and anticipation, but she forced herself to suppress it. As a result, her slightly flushed youthful face instantly returned to its original fair complexion. Her bright eyes narrowed, and she haughtily swept her gaze over the elegantly rising Starr sisters. With the demeanor befitting a princess, she said, "Your Excellency, I did not expect your progress with the two princesses to be so smooth?"

Following behind the princess, Judy was thankful she was wearing a helmet; she only needed to control the urge to rub her forehead, not manage her expression—Your Highness! The resentment in your words was overflowing!!!

And you haven't returned the gifts to the two duchesses, nor have you bowed to the Earl!

Whether it was hearing Judy's inner scream or not, after Princess Celine finished speaking, she bowed to the Starr sisters in return, then lifted her magnificent skirt to greet Johnson, causing Judy's heart to explode again: Your Highness! If you've asked a question, you should wait for a reply before you speak! Are you making her answer or just bow like that?!

At this moment, Judy was only thankful that Her Highness's etiquette teacher was not there, otherwise that old-fashioned lady would probably have been driven to her death in the Earl's drawing room.

Johnson and the Starr sisters were indeed momentarily at a loss, mainly because they did not expect that the princess would have a problem with such a simple noble etiquette. On instinct, Lysander subconsciously looked at the princess and her guards' hands—they had not brought anything.

So, is it because of political reasons?

Lysander's initial instinct led her to think in another direction, while Johnson looked at Princess Celine, who was forcibly suppressing her dissatisfaction, and felt a little amused.

Is this princess a tsundere?

Zhuang Sen glanced at the chibi-style red dragon burying its head in the princess's hair and shook his head slightly: "Please take a seat, Your Highness. The two princesses are guests invited by me. As for my impetuous invitation a few days ago, it will probably have to wait for the Grand Duke's approval before it can proceed."

Zhuang Sen eased the awkwardness with a few words, and a maid brought over fresh tea and pastries, including Judy's portion.

Hearing Johnson's seemingly resolute and determined declarations of love for the Starr sisters, Celine felt a pang of resentment, even an urge to storm off. But she quickly suppressed this impulse with excuses like "for my sister's sake" and "to win over Johnson," and flashed an elegant princess smile: "I see. Uncle Borodi truly loves his daughters; perhaps he's reluctant to see his two sisters marry so far away?"

The porcelain cup was gently swirled, releasing a fragrant aroma of tea.

Judy narrowed her eyes, inwardly applauding the princess's excellent rhetoric. This statement not only highlighted her own noble status but also emphasized that the Starr sisters had not yet received Duke Starr's permission to be with Johnson. If one thought further, it could be inferred that the Starr sisters were merely Duke Starr's adopted daughters and tools for political marriage, having no feelings for Johnson and only following orders and tasks.

As expected, Your Highness is quite skilled as long as nothing goes wrong!

Lisander narrowed her eyes, elegantly picked up her teacup, and said softly, "Father does indeed dote on us sisters. When my sister and I went out, he told us to keep an eye out for handsome men and beautiful women."

Wow, there are experts here!

Judy inwardly gasped. Lisander's response, seemingly a show of weakness, actually brought up the open royal struggle for the throne, explicitly indicating that getting close to the princess would draw them into a storm; at the same time, she pointed out that Duke Starr allowed them to choose their own marriage partners, countering the princess's implied attack, and even leaving a subtle but almost blatant temptation—Duke Starr had specifically sent the sisters to the Territory of Leon!

This is truly a battle of masters. Seeing such a scene, she would gladly stay here and enjoy the finest tea and honey cake!

Even Judy could tell, and Zhuang Sen, who had watched many "Giegie, your girlfriend won't be angry, will she?" videos in his past life, could also tell. But he couldn't show his attitude at this time, so he could only show a warm smile like a wooden straight man: "You two have a good relationship. Did you know each other before?"

Princess Celine and Lisander both looked at Zhuang Sen, their stunningly beautiful faces displaying meaningful glances. Their clear, bright eyes shimmered, as if conveying some strange signal, making Zhuang Sen nervously straighten his already upright posture. Unfortunately, in his Secretary Angel form, he was even shorter than Lisander and Princess Celine, who were sitting, let alone sitting upright.

Fortunately, it didn't last long. Lisander smiled and said, "Although I've heard about Her Highness's somewhat unconventional ways, this is our first meeting."

Judy inwardly gasped, knowing that the princess opposite her had struck a powerful blow: the little princess implied that Celine was just a princess who was far down the line of succession, lacking strength, wealth, and power. At the same time, the mention of her unruly behavior was an allusion to the princess's frequent rude behavior in the capital—such as blocking the door of a minister's house and cursing people, or personally wandering around the streets and alleys.

Although the princess always had a reason and brought enough guards to ensure her safety, who would help analyze the reasons and point out the details if this got out?

Princess Celine naturally understood the implication from the little sister opposite her. She puffed out her chest and smiled warmly but with an icy edge: "I did see you two at the banquet a few days ago, but it seems you two don't remember me, the little princess. But that makes sense. Noble bloodlines don't hide in the shadows. I suppose you two, who are so loved by Uncle Borodi, would not bother to pay attention to me."

A brilliant counterattack, Your Highness!

Not only did they use objective facts to portray their opponents as arrogant and conceited, but they also pointed out their undeniable royal bloodline—not being awakened does not mean they absolutely do not carry any bloodline. For ambitious and far-sighted people, marrying an ordinary person from the royal family is better than marrying someone from a first or second-tier bloodline family.

In addition, Her Highness launched a fierce offensive, directly targeting her weak points. The Starr sisters were, after all, adopted daughters and did not have the bloodline of the Starr family. Moreover, not to mention the younger one, the older one, Miss Lysander, was already sixteen years old and had not yet awakened her bloodline. It was probably unlikely that she would awaken it. Her attack on Her Highness was an ordinary person's part, and she herself was also included in that.

Judy, who was watching the drama unfold, was thoroughly enjoying herself, but Zhuang Sen was getting a little bored. Although he could sense the subtle tension between the two, he knew that interjecting would only lead to trouble, so he decided to tease the little girl instead.

Just then, the two who were locked in fierce combat heard a silly, coquettish laugh from the side: "Wow~ Zhuang Sen is so amazing~ Is this a bloodline ability?"

The ultimate technique for teasing little girls, Nia the killer, Angel the nemesis, and the warm-hearted older brother—Light Magic Fireworks Magic!

Under the strange gazes of Lysander and Princess Celine, Johnson raised his hands, and countless dazzling lights appeared out of thin air, forming magnificent patterns that made little Piper's mouth widen, his eyes widen, and his face was full of admiration.

The two noble and intelligent princes exchanged a glance, then silently turned to look at the little girl and boy huddled together playing a simple game:

"Pipe!"

"Earl Zhuangsen".

Judy suppressed the urge to whistle, inwardly clapping with excitement: Another expert! No wonder his wife is Earl Johnson, whose wealth is close to double digits. He easily resolved the fierce duel between the two adults and even took advantage of the situation to win over the little princess. He's too powerful!

Zhuang Sen felt that it was fortunate that his monster girls did not have such bad habits, and even Ryme had become acceptable.

The author says:

作者的话：进度更新：月票15/50，催更票25/50，打赏3200/5000

Chapter 156: Zhuang Sen, the One Being Pursued

"Piper, don't be so rude!"

"Earl Zhuangsen, do you really like little girls that much?"

The princess and duchess, who were just fiercely fighting, stood together in the blink of an eye, trying to break up the loli and shota duo who were a perfect match in both appearance and behavior. Unfortunately, although Piper was intimidated by her sister's authority and backed down a bit, Johnson had no intention of cooperating. Instead, he picked up Piper, who had already come over, and pulled her into an even closer position.

Now little Piper blushed and his heart raced. The things Lysander had been repeating these past few days floated into his little head: “Lord Johnson is perfect,” “There’s nothing to criticize,” “Gentle and handsome…” and so on. Under his sister’s stern gaze, the little guy squeezed even closer into Johnson’s not-so-spacious arms.

Although Piper still had Lysander repeating things like "time is running out" and "at least Piper has to be able to get what he wants" in his head, it was too hard to understand. Don't make things difficult for a child who is not even ten years old!

All Piper knew was that Johnson's hands felt so hot and comfortable to touch.

Lisander wanted to cover her face, but remembering that there was a formidable competitor beside her, she refrained from such an offensive move and stopped trying to call Piper out. With a changed mindset, she realized this was actually a good thing; the more Johnson liked little Piper, the more likely he was to help her in the future, which meant she wouldn't have any regrets.

Compared to the relaxed and anxious Lysander, Princess Celine was not so calm. Watching Johnson embrace Piper, she felt a mix of emotions. However, the more complicated her feelings were, the more arrogant and tough Celine's expression became, giving her a villainous look from a distance. But if you looked closely, you could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes—someone was about to cry.

Judy, who knew Princess Riviera best, naturally noticed, but Johnson didn't miss it either. However, he didn't say anything. The classic combination of a haughty princess and a princess was very concerned about her reputation, and he didn't want to be subjected to a series of three consecutive criticisms from Kugimiya Rie.

But how do we sort out this situation now...?

Playing with little girls is fun for a while, but meeting the parents is a nightmare.

While Zhuang Sen was fretting over the consequences of his slacking off, Lisander, having completely adjusted her mindset, launched a new offensive: "Zhuang Sen... are you free tomorrow? Do you remember the mountain tour we agreed on last time?"

Zhuang Sen remembered, of course. It was the agreement he made when he flirted with the Lysandra sisters last time when he traded the bloodline warrior manufacturing technology with the Bloodline Cult. However, it didn't happen because it was getting late and the Bloodline Cult was eager to go back and test the effects of the Sacred Scale Fruit Tree.

The problem is that he has to go to Eagle Cliff tomorrow to deal with the Farau family. After all, he can't really let Lady Lia and Angela be in danger. Even if Angela can theoretically use her shadow ability to take Lady Lia away, this kind of thing must be guaranteed to be completely safe. The other side has a holy bloodline that has awakened three times. What if they have the ability to break through shadow escape?

This is a top priority and cannot be changed: "I'm sorry, Miss Lysander, I have some business to attend to tomorrow and need to go out."

While this was the truth, it seemed somewhat unconvincing given Johnson's usual reclusive lifestyle. At least Lysander was genuinely disappointed, her eyes lowered, her handsome face trembling, and she looked very melancholy.

Princess Celine was also affected, but when she glanced at Paiber in Zhuang Sen's arms, her soft heart hardened, and she resolutely said, "Zhuang Sen, didn't you say before that you could help me awaken my bloodline? Does that still stand?"

The dragon girl has come knocking... but I really don't have time tomorrow.

Zhuang Sen said helplessly, "Of course it counts. Not only Your Highness, but also Miss Lysander and little Piper. After all, by awakening the three of them, I can at least gain the friendship of a future countess and duchess, not to mention the gratitude of His Majesty the King and the Grand Duke. But I really have something to do tomorrow."

Zhuang Sen was really struggling, especially since it happened at this time. This would probably make things even worse for the little goodwill he had already gained... Although turning them into monster girls would solve part of the problem, Zhuang Sen didn't want to hand over his bloodline unless he could ensure that the monster girls stayed by his side, especially since the Starr sisters were related to the Bloodline Cult, which he knew had the strongest and most outrageous bloodline technology.

Heaven knows if the two awakened sisters would be skinned alive and dismembered by the Bloodline Order if they returned to the Duchy of Star. Even if they didn't go that far, the simple act of drawing large amounts of blood or testing their strength would not only expose the monster girl and the secret of Zhuang Sen, but would also be extremely difficult for the two sisters.

so……

"Can't I bring my sister and Piper along?"

Piper nestled in Zhuang Sen's arms, her bright eyes gazing up at him: "Pipper will be very good! And big sister is amazing, she can do everything!"

“Piper!” Lysander interrupted her sister, her tone tinged with anger and even a hint of nervousness and fear.

Princess Celine is still being aloof.

Zhuang Sen suddenly had a flash of inspiration and happily patted Piper's head: "Hmm, Piper, you reminded me. Actually, it's not that we can't bring the two of you, and Princess Celine too—in fact, I would be very happy if you could come."

The grand play to be performed tomorrow is titled "Fara's Army Ambushes the Mother and Sister of the Earl of Leon." However, the audience originally planned for this play, apart from the security personnel on Zhuang Sen's side, consisted of only some "passersby" who were there to spread the word about the play. But these passersby were not very credible, after all, they were just "passersby."

But what if two princesses and a royal princess were to testify?

At that point, Johnson's actions will no longer be the traditional "creating a pretext for war," but a real, undeniable "revenge war" backed by the Grand Duke and the King! Even if Falau disemboweled itself, it would not be able to prove that this was a lie, because the Grand Duke would not allow them to prove it, and the King would not allow them to prove it—after all, Falau was not a vassal of either of them.