Monster Girl Development Master

Page 62

……

Leon Estate, Throne Room.

The large crater that Zhuang Sen and the monster girls had created a few days ago had been filled in, and it was so bad that you couldn't even tell there was a problem unless you looked closely. However, Count Came's excellent memory made him quietly move away from the spot that had once been covered in Randolph-chan, and he bowed respectfully to Zhuang Sen: "Count, thank you for taking the time to see me. Regarding your suggestion last time, I have already informed the Duke. Although I have not yet received a reply, considering your sincerity, the two princesses are willing to get to know you to some extent first, which will help you make a more accurate judgment."

Has the Duke not replied yet?

That's true, there are no telephones or the internet in this world, and the Duchy of Star is not exactly close to the Territory of Leon, but it doesn't matter anyway, since the focus isn't on Duke Star, but on the two sisters, Lysander and Piper.

So Zhuang Sen nodded slightly: "Of course, this is the proper procedure. I wonder if Miss Lisander and Miss Piper are available now?"

"This one……"

Count Cameron was speechless for a moment. He had originally wanted to take this opportunity to bring up the real purpose of their Bloodline Order's visit, which was to have a "technical exchange" with Zhuang Sen. He did not expect Zhuang Sen to be so swayed by women that he would forget about important matters. Wasn't it you who proposed to cooperate?

But Zhuang Sen's words weren't actually directed at him; he didn't care whether Zhuang Sen answered or not. Instead, he was looking at the Golden Sisters, who were playing with Ange and Nia at a round table to the side. As the nominal "Grand Ministers," the sisters naturally couldn't miss the meeting and had heard Zhuang Sen's words.

The adorable Piper was alright, still acting silly, but the spirited Lysander was thoughtful and picked up where Zhuang Sen left off: "Since Your Excellency has extended such a warm invitation, I am naturally free. I've heard that the mountain scenery in Leon Territory is wonderful. I wonder if Your Excellency could spare some time to take my sister and me on a tour?"

Watching the spirited young woman spout official platitudes, Zhuang Sen found it quite amusing: "Of course, someone, prepare the carriage—"

Count Cameron was dumbfounded. He'd been left hanging for ages since he arrived. When would they ever get down to business? Even those who were supposed to cooperate with Zhuang Sen were after his technology, not to help him seduce women. Ignoring his nervousness, he quickly said, "Your Excellency, I have a question for you. I have two cousins ​​who are said to be working under you. Would it be possible to inform them?"

Count Cameron certainly didn’t have two cousins ​​working for Johnson, but he did have two subordinates working for Johnson—Lizad and Wall.

Zhuang Sen understood what Earl Cameron meant. After Mira's blood test, he was certain that the entire Duke's delegation was a member of the Bloodline Order, so he naturally made that connection. So he smiled and nodded: "Ah, I remember now, they both mentioned you to me, Earl Cameron, but they are currently busy with important matters and probably won't be able to come for the time being."

—Someone who wants to see you? Sure, bring out something important to see.

Count Cameron pondered for a moment, then said, “I see. I thought those two had forgotten their dear cousin. But since they’re busy, I would appreciate permission, Your Excellency, to go and find them. Perhaps I can help those two useless fellows.”

—I can have the things, but I have to see the person first.

Zhuang Sen nodded: "No problem, perfect. We can visit the mountain scenery first, and then go together."

—You want me to pay first and then deliver? Sure, let me finish flirting with the girl first.

Count Cameron maintained a smile on the surface, but was helpless and annoyed inside. He couldn't do anything about Zhuang Sen, and he didn't really care about Lizad and Wall, the two low-level thugs. He just wanted to use this topic to get to the point. He didn't expect Zhuang Sen to be so slippery.

Suddenly, Piper's obedient voice rang out: "Um, Lord Johnson, if you and Uncle Came are busy, you don't have to worry about us. You can go another time~"

The little girl's tone was full of sincerity, like a well-behaved child trying to help a busy adult, and she knew that what she was doing was very good behavior, so she was a little proud of herself.

That's really cute.

Count Cameron felt as if he had met a savior. He thought that little Piper was indeed worthy of being an experimental subject raised to the bloodline of the "Happiness Dog". His personality was indeed well-behaved and sensible. In comparison, Lysander was a bit too indifferent. However, there was nothing that could be done about it, since the direction she was raised to match the bloodline of the rather cold and independent "Centaur Hunter".

Zhuang Sen looked at Lisander, who seemed hesitant to speak, and asked, "Miss Lisander, what do you think?"

Unlike Piper, Lysander wasn't particularly naive, nor was she good at subtle hints. She only vaguely understood the hidden meaning in Johnson and Earl Came's words. To be honest, she was quite worried that Piper would cause trouble, but thankfully, it didn't seem like that now. Besides, she had received a lot of help from the Bloodline Order, so she followed Earl Came's grateful gaze and said, "Since little Piper has said so, I certainly can't continue to trouble you. Please go and attend to your more important matters."

“Very well, since both ladies have said so,” Zhuang Sen looked at Count Cameron with a half-smile, “then…”

With a bang, the closed doors of the throne room were forced open, and a servant stumbled into the room, sweating profusely as he looked at Zhuang Sen: "Your Excellency, these two gentlemen insisted on barging in..."

"It's okay, you can go down."

Zhuang Sen waved to interrupt the terrified servant and turned his gaze to the two men who swaggered in: "Gentlemen, are you ready with your last words?"

Chapter 147: Looking for a fight

In the throne room, the gradually improving atmosphere was abruptly interrupted. Count Came glared fiercely at the two intruders, looking as if he wanted to tear these two scoundrels who had interrupted him to pieces. He had finally gotten things back on track, and now these two had suddenly appeared and angered Zhuang Sen. He didn't care if they died, but if Zhuang Sen had to deal with other matters, then he really…

But the two men who entered were completely unfazed. The thin, middle-aged man in the lead even burst into laughter: "Zhuang Sen, my good nephew, don't you even recognize your Uncle Colm? I used to hold you when you were a child!"

Does Zhuang Sen know him?

In fact, they knew each other. After all, Colm's itinerary had always been under his control, and even Zhuang Sen knew his intentions perfectly well. He wanted to curry favor with Zhuang Sen, an earl from the Falau family, for the grain merchants who had been exploited by Ange, for the trade routes and markets that had been taken away by Ange's Blue Raven Merchant Guild, for the plate armor and other special products invented by Zhuang Sen, and also to deter Zhuang Sen, the traitor who was trying to resist the Falau family's grain harvesting.

That's why it was Colm Farau who came. His Holy Eagle bloodline, which had been awakened three times, gave him a very high status, even though he was not yet Earl Farau. He controlled a considerable amount of power and status within the Farau family and could be considered the third most important person in the Farau family, second only to the current head of the family and the next head of the family—or he could be called the "backup heir".

Despite knowing everything about Colm in his mind, Johnson outwardly maintained a gloomy expression: "Hello, Mr. Colm, if that is indeed your name, could you please show me your noble certificate?"

In this world where information is not readily available, it is true that there are cases of imposters posing as nobles. After all, not every noble has the bloodline, so there are bound to be loopholes. Therefore, theoretically, every noble should have their own document recording important information such as family background, parents, physical characteristics, birth, and lordship. Only documents that match the records can prove that one is a noble.

On the other hand, for a nobleman, especially one with noble blood, except in necessary occasions—such as when nobles from two different regions or countries meet—demanding proof of nobility is essentially tantamount to pointing fingers and yelling, "You commoner don't look like a nobleman. Let me see your ID," which is a very serious insult.

As Zhuang Sen had predicted, Colm was angry. This was not only because Zhuang Sen's insults were precise and effective, but also because Colm wanted to take advantage of the situation and seize upon Zhuang Sen's "mistake and offense" to occupy the moral high ground. Just like his very rude intrusion into the place, Colm was most skilled at this kind of unreasonable and morally manipulative tactics, and his acting skills were superb.

"Zhuang Sen, is this how you treat your uncle? Didn't Liya teach you what manners are?"

Colm shouted, his goatee trembling with excitement, "Do you think that just because you've become an earl, you're superior to your old uncle and can insult him at will?"

Although it was his own plan, hearing Colm mention Lady Leah still made Johnson unable to suppress his murderous intent. Though only for a moment, Johnson's cold attitude infuriated Colm, who strode towards Johnson's throne, muttering curses, "So that's why Leah's profits have decreased so much lately! And our shops were confiscated! I thought there was some misunderstanding and came to clear things up, but now it seems it's all your fault, you ungrateful brat—"

Lydia drew her sword and stood in front of Colm. The man who had come in with Colm also drew his sword and confronted Lydia.

On the surface, Zhuang Sen maintained his gloomy expression, but inwardly he yawned with a hint of boredom. Colm's actions were entirely within his, Mrs. Lia's, and Ange's expectations, even the lines he used to make a scene were almost identical. Yes, Colm's anger was genuine, but his behavior was an act; he was merely using the situation to morally blackmail and pressure Zhuang Sen.

As planned, this guy would then start saying things like the grain price was too low and the Falau family was raising prices, using this real threat to force Zhuang Sen to agree to his conditions—in fact, the fact that the Falau family sent him meant that the Falau family intended to threaten and control this "little brat" Zhuang Sen.

If the intention was for an equal exchange, the current head of the Falao family should have come; if the intention was to curry favor and maintain unity, the next heir of the Falao family should have come. Sending someone like Colm indicates that they are here to cause trouble.

According to the plan, Zhuang Sen was supposed to expose the extent of this idiocy of Shark's, allowing the servants, attendants, and the earl's court officials to spread the word, while simultaneously feigning weakness to seduce him. However, Zhuang Sen decided to slightly modify the plan. Firstly, the Bloodline Cult members were watching, and being too weak would disrupt the plan. Secondly, he didn't like Shark.

So Zhuang Sen coldly said, "Throw these two liars out, Lydia."

The loyal female knight stepped forward, her empty "gaze" emanating from beneath her helmet, enraging Colm. The other man who had come with Colm immediately stepped forward as well, blocking his path and sternly rebuking Lydia: "Step back! Lydia, how can a member of the Ston family wield a sword against the blood of Falau! Do you want to be expelled from the family?"

Lydia scoffed: "North, my surname is now Leon!"

Nia swung the longsword she had specially crafted for Lydia, piercing through the simple scale armor protecting North Ston and stabbing into his stomach. Blood splattered everywhere, and pain surged through him. North Ston stared at his "sister" in utter astonishment, his mind momentarily blank.

What a joke! That rigid Lydia... how could that talentless good-for-nothing Lydia possibly defeat me, the heir to the blood of the [Ice Knight]?! What a joke!

Lydia, who only became a viscount by flattering that brat Zhuang Sen, does she really think she has a third-level bloodline?

In a fit of rage, North Ston, despite the excruciating pain of a sword piercing his abdomen, swung his sword at Lydia. Lydia noticed his erratic attack but did not stop him, allowing it to continue. The sword struck smoothly, spitting out a few sparks from Lydia's armor, which had also been meticulously crafted by Nia.

"waste."

Lydia pushed with her left arm and drew her longsword in the process. Without his "support", North Ston fell to the ground, blood spreading from under his armor and covering the ground.

All of this, though it sounds like a long story, actually only took a second or two. North Ston had just stepped in front of Colm when he collapsed to the ground. The scene Lydia had envisioned—the fear and terror she would feel upon his appearance—didn't materialize for even a second. Lydia didn't even care about the Ston surname. As she had just said, she had changed her surname to Leon, and even at home, she was surnamed Zhuang. Ston? What kind of street urchin would try to ride on Durakhan's coattails?

However, as North Ston fell to the ground, Colm, enraged, raised his hand, preparing to attack Lydia with his abilities. But he froze on the spot. A vast light of judgment gathered above his head, a solid stone wall protected Lydia, and the shadows under the candlelight around them stirred restlessly, clearly conveying Johnson's meaning to him.

If you take action, you will die.

"Get out of here, Colm. If you dare to offend my wife again, I'll hang you on the city gate, just because you're from the Falau family!"

The light of judgment fell on Colm, punching a large hole in the newly repaired floor. Colm's face flushed red, but he dared not utter a single word and slunk away.

Lysander was touched by what she saw. Johnson's domineering attitude and his protection of "Lydia who made a mistake" made this teenage girl a little envious.

Piper was also a little moved and whispered, "So pitiful..."

Johnson looked at Piper, and the little girl quickly covered her mouth. Count Cameron and Lysander also tried to defend her, but Johnson just shook his head: "Little Piper, that bastard is planning to sell a pound of wheat for five gold coins."

Piper's round eyes widened in surprise. The sympathy she had felt for Colm and the other girl, along with the fear of saying the wrong thing, transformed into astonishment and childish anger. She even raised her little fist: "What?! How could he be so mean! He even pretended to be pitiful to trick Piper!! That's so mean!!"

Zhuang Sen smiled and shook his head, then turned to Count Came: "Let's go, Count Came, don't waste time on this kind of person."

Count Cameron, who had thought all hope was lost, was overjoyed upon hearing Zhuang Sen's words and instantly forgot about the Falau family: "Your will, Your Excellency!"

The author says:

作者的话：催更票到了，加一更~进度更新：月票48/50，催更票1/50，打赏2400/5000。

Chapter 148: Three Technologies

Back at Radiant Manor, Ange pulled Piper and Lisander away, leaving Johnson and Earl Cameron alone. Two more people alighted from another carriage: Viscount Kirk, a member of Johnson's alliance faction, and Viscount Brown, who had inherited Randolph's position from Johnson's opponents. Although the opposition to Johnson currently held little influence, it was limited to the delegation; the Bloodline Order had far more members, so Earl Cameron still had to maintain a neutral stance.

Fortunately, Zhuang Sen didn't care. As long as he didn't jump, he would kill him if he did.

With no outsiders around, Zhuang Sen spoke much more freely: "Count Came, do you really have the title of count? I haven't found any record of the Gem Lizard bloodline circulating in this country."

Count Came, or rather Bishop Came, seeing how relaxed Zhuang Sen was, finally let loose, saying, "Our ancestors did have them, but they're gone by my generation. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come to the Falling Star Kingdom. Yes, you're right, our order doesn't only operate in the Falling Star Kingdom, Your Excellency."

“How frank you are, Count Cameron.”

Zhuang Sen raised his eyebrows. It looked quite incongruous for the pink-haired boy to do such a thing, but his temperament seemed quite suitable. This contradictory harmony made Cameron more convinced that Zhuang Sen was of "Chimera bloodline". After all, he had seen so many bloodlines, and only "synthetic beast" bloodlines could give him this feeling.

Count Cameron then smiled and said, "After all, it's not a very important matter, especially for our partners. Of course, there's no need to keep such things a secret. But if you feel bad about it, how about I introduce your lineage?"

“Anyway, it’s not a chimera.” Zhuang Sen chuckled. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to see those two guys first.”

"Your will, Your Excellency."

……

The dungeon, a lone torch illuminates the darkness, the narrow steps stretch downwards as if leading to a deep abyss, the deathly silent space devoid even of insect chirps, only the sound of footsteps echoing as they tread the deepest part.

Count Cameron watched the guards open the heavy iron gate, a slight sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex feeling of mixed emotions, including regret and a touch of melancholy) rising within him. He thought it was commendable that Lizad and Wall had managed to remain rational and discuss cooperation with Johnson under such circumstances…

The iron gate was wide open, revealing the simple and unadorned interior. On the clean tables and chairs were black bread and stew with meat. There was a sturdy wooden bed covered with warm animal hides. Two messy workbenches were piled with papers and instruments. Although he was a bit thin, he was in good spirits and was even very focused on his work, not paying any attention to the arrival of these "guests".

As one of the important researchers of the Bloodline Order, Count Came immediately recognized that the two men's work was "bloodline synthesis and reconstruction technology," albeit a very low-end one with many obvious errors. But that wasn't the point. These two weren't researchers to begin with. The point was that these two had completely sided with Zhuang Sen!

She even helped Zhuang Sen with his research!

Count Cameron's blood pressure rose instantly. With these two traitors around, some of the things he had prepared in advance were now useless, because Zhuang Sen must already know them, and it had even affected other things, making it impossible to mislead or hide them from Zhuang Sen.

Thinking of this, Count Cameron would rather these two be beaten to death in this cell!

Zhuang Sen smiled and said, "Well, Count Cameron, do you feel my sincerity?"

“Yes, Your Excellency, thank you for your generosity and kindness,” Count Cameron replied to Johnson, his eyes fixed on the two who finally realized what had happened and turned around in astonishment, his voice tinged with resentment.

"Lord, Lord Bishop..."

"My Lord Count."

Lizad and Wall stopped what they were doing and bowed nervously to the two men.

Zhuang Sen waved his hand casually: "Alright, get back to work. I just brought Count Came to see you and to discuss cooperation. Count Came, let's end this charade and be frank. What do you plan to use to win me over?"

Count Cameron glared at the two traitors and then said, “Lord Zhuang Sen, since that’s the case, we won’t waste any more words. Since you’ve taken the initiative to invite us, you must have some needs. We can provide you with the bloodline evolution technology that Lord Kross used. Rest assured, it has been optimized based on the data attached to your letter, and theoretically, it will not cause bloodline mutations.”

Count Cameron started with a bloodline evolution, which is the ultimate desire of all bloodline users. Moreover, with the precedent of Kross, the temptation is even greater—regardless of whether it is aberration or not, let's just talk about whether it has evolved or not!

But Zhuang Sen just shook his head: "Forget it, I don't have any children, and I can't have that many in a short time. Besides, even if I did, I don't want to become enemies with my wives. But you're right, I do have a need. I want a way to quickly improve my bloodline development, preferably something simple and cheap."

Count Cameron's answer was somewhat unexpected. He had anticipated that Count Cameron would refuse, but he hadn't expected a reason for the refusal. So he could only revise his prepared statement again: "Your Excellency, given your rate of improvement, shouldn't we be asking you for advice on this technology?"

Zhuang Sen did not answer directly: "So, you don't have it?"

Count Cameron shook his head: "Of course we have it, otherwise how could those two have completed three awakenings? But to get this technology, their lives alone are not enough."

Lizad and Wall shrank themselves a little more.

"Ah, now it's your turn to make the offer." Zhuang Sen nodded knowingly, displaying a maturity far beyond his youthful physique. "Tell me, what do you want me to do for you? Pass on intelligence? Or assassinate your rivals? You can't expect me to start a rebellion, can you?"

Count Cameron nodded and said, “That’s all fine, Your Excellency. The most important thing is that we will only give these perfected technologies to people we can trust, so the question is how you plan to gain our trust.”

"Those two aren't good enough?"

"No."

Zhuang Sen thought for a moment: "Isn't there any other way? As you know, I was just appointed as the Kingdom's Minister of Intelligence, and I haven't even officially made contact with my spies yet. I probably won't have time to make contact during this period. It's the same with killing people. Unless your opponent is right here, it's hard for me to have time to take action."

Zhuang Sen didn't even bother to mention his plot to rebel.

“Then you could also consider exchanging technology for technology.” Count Cameron revealed his true intentions. “You should also know a way to quickly improve bloodline development, right? And the amazing bloodline identification technology that you and that Grand Scholar Mira possess is faster, simpler, and even more accurate than what we have. At least we couldn’t see that Piper and Lysander have any bloodlines.”

"I see..." Zhuang Sen pinched his chin, pretending to be troubled, pondering what he could use to fool these guys. First of all, he couldn't expose the system, secondly, he couldn't talk about the effects of his blood and essence, and besides, it only worked on monster girls. Finally, it had to be effective, and preferably the reason that these guys couldn't figure out.

Zhuang Sen quickly picked out the usable parts and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'm willing to exchange technology with you using a method that quickly improves the development of bloodlines, specifically targeting the divine attribute bloodline. I wonder what you're prepared to offer in return... Oh, and the lives of these two."

Lizad and Walter trembled.

Earl Cameron, too lazy to look at the two traitors, apologized to Zhuang Sen, turned to the silent Kirk and Brown, discussed in hushed tones for a while, and then gave his answer: "Lord Zhuang Sen, based on the information you have provided so far, we can only offer you the following options: 'Bloodline Combination Reconstruction Technology,' 'Universal Bloodline Identification Technology,' and 'Bloodline Soldier Manufacturing Technology.' You may choose one. Which one do you prefer?"

Chapter 149: Technology Choice

In the dungeon, a strange wind stirred the bright candlelight. Zhuang Sen pulled out a chair and sat down: "Could you first explain to me their specific effects and costs?"

Bishop Cameron nodded: "Of course, I'll start. I'm the one leading the bloodline combination reconstruction technology. Its basic concept is to recombine multiple compatible bloodlines, combine the advantages of both, and use the excess bloodline power to reduce weaknesses or lessen the impact of weaknesses."

Based on the 321 experiments I personally conducted, the theoretical feasibility of this technology is 100%, but the premise is that the bloodlines involved in the combination cannot conflict. To verify this, it can be confirmed through bloodline identification technology, but this can only confirm the bloodlines that have already been recorded. Better and faster is to use a pure human body without bloodlines as a base and inject the bloodlines involved in the combination into it.

If there is no conflict, the carrier will survive. If a conflict occurs, mutations will occur. Based on the state of the mutation, the type of bloodline in conflict can be roughly determined. For example, severe conflict in fire-attribute bloodlines may lead to spontaneous combustion or shriveling, while conflict in earth-attribute bloodlines may lead to petrification or skin cracking. Specific details will not be elaborated here. The practical application of this technology requires rigorous practice. It is recommended to first perform human dissection on non-bloodline individuals to gain proficiency…”