Monster Girl Development Master

Page 28

Meanwhile, standing alone outside the crowd, Anjie realized that her perfect plan had failed. Zhuang Sen had successfully opened up sales channels and even destroyed the three barriers she had spent a lot of money to set up. She could continue to collect tariffs from Zhuang Sen, raising the costs for merchants and putting pressure on him. Then her Blue Raven Merchant Guild would have to face retaliation from these people, and she might even suffer greater losses in the end.

As a businesswoman herself, she naturally knew what a businessman would do for profit. In fact, a large part of the reason she formed the anti-Zhuang Sen alliance was to monopolize the arms in Zhuang Sen's hands.

So, why is it that so many people truly regard Zhuang Sen as the chosen one?

……

Leaving aside the mixed feelings of Bishop Charles and Ange, Zhuang Sen had finished discussing ordinary plate armor and naturally steered the conversation toward magic iron equipment. Rom Harper, who had been near Zhuang Sen all along, naturally took over the topic and led everyone to his own creation.

Two magic iron longswords lay horizontally on an exquisite wooden stand. One had a fiery red blade, the other an icy blue blade. Their fittings were ornate and beautiful, with even gemstones inlaid on the hilts, making them look like some kind of decorative sword. However, these were certainly not decorative items; they were very famous magic iron weapons. Eight out of ten people in the crowd recognized them at a glance: "These are Flame Blade and Frost Edge?"

The Flame Blade and Frost Edge are simply additional fire and ice damage effects, respectively. However, they represent a milestone in the development of Fel Iron equipment technology, being the first artificially manufactured and replicable Fel Iron equipment. Before them, Fel Iron equipment was merely a larger, harder, and sharper version of ordinary equipment.

Therefore, even though the technology of magic iron equipment has now developed to a deeper level and simple additional damage is no longer outstanding, all magic iron blacksmiths will still forge a set of Flame Blade and Frost Edge as proof of their improved skills when they are able to forge magic iron equipment with abilities.

Or, to put it another way, only blacksmiths who can forge Flame Blades and Frost Edges can be considered true masters of magic iron blacksmithing. Someone like Rom Harper before him wouldn't qualify; he could only forge ordinary, unrefined magic iron equipment.

Bishop Charles, who had followed in, saw this scene, and his expression, which had just improved, darkened again. There were very few blacksmiths in the entire Leon Territory who could forge magic iron equipment. There were only three in the War Church of Leon Territory, and one of them, like Rom Harper before him, could only forge ordinary magic iron equipment without any additional abilities.

In other words, the Church of War can no longer monopolize the market for magic iron equipment; at least a third of it will be swallowed up! No, that's not right. Bishop Charles looked at Nia, who was still holding hands with Zhuang Sen and staying by his side. He hadn't forgotten that Zhuang Sen had said before that the armor he was wearing was Nia Harper's work, and that the armor was clearly magic iron equipment!

However, it seems there are no additional abilities?

For some reason, Bishop Charles suddenly felt a little uneasy and vaguely uneasy.

The crowd began to praise Rom Harper, lauding his improved skills. Some even politely inquired about the price, attempting to acquire the expensive magic iron equipment. However, they only targeted the two longswords; as for the scale armor, that was not something anyone dared to buy.

Rom Harper was naturally pleased to hear this, but he didn't forget the main point. Taking advantage of someone's praise, he said, "This is not my effort, but my daughter's help. She pointed out my oversights and helped me to go further. In fact, her work is much better than mine. Those plate armors are her invention!"

This was naturally a pre-arranged plan by Johnson, with the main theme being a three-stage gradual progression. From the new plate armor to Rom Harper's masterpiece, while attracting crowds, it also paved the way for Nia's appearance and built up her reputation.

As expected, following Rom's blunt remarks, everyone lowered their heads to look at Nia, who had been rather inconspicuous. Nia tilted her head slightly, her polite smile tinged with arrogance, showing no stage fright whatsoever, a stark contrast to her usual shy demeanor in front of Zhuang Sen.

While Zhuang Sen found it cute, the others didn't share his perspective and thought Nia was a bit arrogant. Mainly, Nia's age and appearance made it rather unconvincing.

However, this was expected.

Zhuang Sen coughed lightly, drawing attention back to the scene: "As I mentioned before, this set of armor was made for me by Nia, but I forgot to mention that besides mine, Nia's own, and the Priestess Dantalian's armor, they were also forged by her..."

Zhuang Sen paused for a moment, then added with a smile, "These are all magic iron armors."

An uproar arose, but no one questioned the claims. At this moment, no one believed Zhuang Sen had any reason to lie; after all, production capacity couldn't be faked, nor was there any need to. However, his claims of instructing Master Rom were probably just flattery; he probably only knew how to forge the most basic types of magic iron equipment.

Zhuang Sen could see their confusion, so he let go... well, let go of Hana's left hand, and took the helmet from Dantalian: "Everyone should know the classification of magic iron equipment. The most common type relies solely on the material's properties to achieve sharpness and hardness. Another type involves guiding the internal attributes of the material to form additional abilities, such as increasing fire resistance or damage. Finally, there's the type that adds actively castable abilities to the equipment, similar to bloodline abilities, which is the most special category."

The crowd gradually realized what was happening: "Your Chosen One, you mean..."

Zhuang Sen did not answer, but simply raised his helmet and activated the attached ability—Rock Skin!

Visibly, a thick layer of bluish-gray rock had grown on the once-shiny helmet, making it look somewhat bulky and unsightly. But now, no one cared about aesthetics; only astonishment remained. Nia, who had been almost invisible, suddenly became the center of attention, but for a moment, no one knew what to say.

They were simply dismayed to discover that they couldn't appease Zhuang Sen through trade anymore; rather, they now had to consider how to secure arms trade with him. Novel plate armor and legitimate magic iron equipment—both were practical items, even heirlooms.

Not far away, Bishop Charles's expression had returned to normal. There was no need to consider anything else now. They had already lost in terms of quality, and as for quantity... they should think of other solutions.

He looked at Anjie, who was in shock, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Chapter 64: Your daughter is amazing!

Zhuang Sen's arms sales campaign concluded perfectly. Orders for plate armor were booked up for six months ahead. While there weren't as many orders for iron armor, there were still many inquiries, and sales were expected to be strong once further news spread. As for Ange's outburst of anger, refusing to stay for the banquet, it was clear that the anti-Zhuang Sen alliance's tariff blockade had crumbled on its own.

Although this doesn't mean everything will be fine afterward, at least today can be considered a great victory. Zhuang Sen happily waved goodbye to An Jie, who angrily smashed the small window of the carriage and sped away.

Zhuang Sen was even happier.

By this time, the crowd had long since dispersed and rejoined the banquet. Slightly reluctant to leave, he turned to Hana, who stood blankly beside him, preparing to use his manipulative skills on this socially awkward sunflower. From his personal perspective, he naturally wanted to keep Hana, but the Flor family wasn't the Harper family. The Flower Baron, who controlled a third of the material business in Leon Territory, wouldn't become his vassal. Therefore, he had to target Hana, getting her to join voluntarily, so that the Flower Baron couldn't directly refuse.

After thinking for a moment, Zhuang Sen decided to probe first: "Miss Hanna, how are you feeling now? Are you alright?"

"Ah, yes..." Hannah visibly flinched, as if forcing herself to stay away, and answered cautiously, "I feel great now, it's just, uh, it's just a little, um..."

Seeing Hana stammering, Zhuang Sen could only take the initiative to speak, guessing, "A little confused? Don't know what happened?"

Hannah nodded, as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhuang Sen also breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss Hannah, I think you should understand how strange your changes are, and how dangerous it would be if others found out. Even the church couldn't protect you."

Hannah's eyes widened: "No, isn't it a blessing from the goddess?"

"..."

No, you actually believed that?!

Zhuang Sen almost forgot what he was going to say next. If he had known it would turn out like this, he would have just used the church's tricks to fool people... Oh, no, what if the silly kid actually believed it and told the other members of the Vengeance Church? That would be troublesome.

We still have to stick to the original plan.

Zhuang Sen continued, "Miss Hanna, you should already know your identity from your bloodline. I won't hide it from you, Nia, Dantalian, and I are all the same as you. So, join us, we are your true family."

Zhuang Sen's words were not casual. He had investigated Hana through the Church of Vengeance and knew that her situation within the Flor family was not good. Although Baron Flor did not cause a chaotic struggle among dozens of his offspring like Earl Cross, he still had eighteen. As a member who had not awakened her bloodline, Hana was naturally not favored and was even ostracized—it was just unclear whether she was ostracized because of her social anxiety or ostracized into having social anxiety.

But for a socially anxious girl from a dysfunctional family who suffers from a lack of love, approaching her as family and companion is the easiest way to deceive her. Actually, it's not really deception, since Zhuang Sen doesn't need to support another person. Besides, with him, Hana can at least level up to a level three monster girl, and there's no need to worry about her being bullied to the point of having to work as a shop assistant.

He's doing a good deed!

As Zhuang Sen made excuses for his terrible behavior, Hana timidly asked, "Lord Zhuang Sen, are you also a monster girl?"

puff--

Nia, the most lively one, couldn't help but laugh out loud. Faced with Zhuang Sen's glare, she put on an innocent expression, but it was so cute that she let it go.

Zhuang Sen looked at Hana, feeling incredibly uncomfortable. "Girl, can't you get to the point? I'm talking about family and companions, why are you so focused on gender!"

Hana seemed to sense Zhuang Sen's displeasure and shrank back, looking pitiful. Zhuang Sen sighed, "No, I'm not a monster girl, Miss Hana. What I'm trying to say is that you'll be safer and able to grow better if you're with us."

Hana kept her head down, her overly long bangs obscuring her eyes, making it impossible for Zhuang Sen to judge her from her expression, which made him a little uneasy. Mainly, he hadn't expected the socially awkward Sunflower to have such a carefree side, which was quite a surprise to him.

“Miss Hannah, I hope you will seriously consider this, or if you are unwilling to stay, at least keep this a secret.” Johnson said seemingly helplessly, but he was already preparing his backup plan: to go directly to the current Baron Flor and buy his daughter.

This is not difficult, because although Hana has awakened her bloodline, only Zhuang Sen has knowledge of this bloodline. So even if she is left in the Flor family, it will be useless and may even cause internal strife in the Flor family - the Flor family originally only had two bloodline awakeners in the new generation.

Perhaps discussing the trade of potions and weapons could bring Miss Hannah into the picture as an intermediary.

Zhuang Sen was thinking and preparing to leave, but as soon as he turned around, he felt a tug at the corner of his clothes—no, he was wearing armor, so where would the corner of his clothes come from!

Zhuang Sen looked down and saw a green vine pulling him. He turned back and saw Miss Hana looking at him pitifully: "No, not together?"

Nia and Dantalian, who were watching the show, suddenly had their alarm bells ring. However, Miss Nia quickly resumed laughing, while Dantalian took a step forward without making a sound, her tall and voluptuous body pressing close to Zhuang Sen: "Miss Hana, what's going on?"

Despite her jealousy, Dantalian's tone remained gentle.

"No, didn't we say we'd go together?"

Dantalian was taken aback, and Zhuang Sen was even more confused: "You mean you agree?"

"I... I didn't say I disagreed," Hannah said nervously, her tone even carrying a hint of grievance.

I hate being out of touch with social anxiety.

Zhuang Sen closed his eyes briefly and said gently, "Alright, but what I mean is that you stay with me, uh, I mean stay at the manor."

Hana looked disappointed and dejected as she very slowly retracted the vines that had extended from her sleeves. Her movements were so slow that it was as if she was deliberately crawling on Zhuang Sen's body. She was practically saying "I'm so reluctant to part with you." It was only because of the armor that the scene was a bit ambiguous.

But Zhuang Sen really didn't want another tagalong. How could he then get intimate with Nia and Dantalian—cough cough—and discuss secret plans that couldn't be known to outsiders? Besides, Zhuang Sen couldn't remember when he had become so close to her.

However, he could say that one matter was settled. Zhuang Sen, having circled behind Dantalian, gently massaged her firm, round buttocks with his right hand; the perfect touch improved his mood considerably. Just then, Miss Hannah suddenly spoke up worriedly, "But, but, what about the Baron…"

“I’ll speak to Baron Flor.” Zhuang Sen waved his hand. “Besides, you’re already eighteen, which is the age when you can leave the Flor family and become independent.”

That's right, Miss Hannah is two years older than Johnson on the surface.

"Mmm," Hannah responded softly, cautiously moving closer to Zhuang Sen.

Zhuang Sen asked in confusion, "Miss Hannah?"

“Go find the Baron,” Hannah said timidly but firmly, glancing cautiously at Zhuang Sen.

Baron Flor, your daughter is wonderful.

Chapter 65: Mama's Boy (3283 words)

"Baron Flor, your daughter is wonderful!"

Inside the banquet hall, Zhuang Sen spoke sincerely to the current Baron Flor, who was tasting wine. Although the Baron Flor felt that his wording was a bit strange, he didn't think much of it and instead focused on probing: "Thank you for your praise, Chosen One. May I ask what your plans are for the future?"

Baron Flor certainly wanted to control Hana, who possessed awakened bloodline, especially given her extraordinary combat prowess. However, he also rationally knew that the possibility of Zhuang Sen letting go was slim, so he only vaguely inquired about Zhuang Sen's intentions to see if there was any possibility of trading bloodline knowledge.

Zhuang Sen naturally understood the implication and replied with a smile, "The goddess has her own arrangements, and I don't need to interfere. It's up to Miss Hana herself."

If Hannah doesn't agree, Johnson will have to make a dirty deal. But if Hannah agrees and he still makes the deal, then Hannah's agreement will have been for nothing.

Baron Flor was somewhat surprised by the answer, yet not entirely. He wasn't surprised because of Zhuang Sen's refusal; he wouldn't have given up the opportunity to control a level-three bloodline user either. What surprised him was that Zhuang Sen actually said it depended on Hana's own wishes... Was he really such a rebellious young man?

Baron Flor, who was over fifty years old this year, sighed and then said, "What the Chosen One says is true. Then I'll trouble you to take care of Hanna from now on. Just treat her like Miss Harper."

The guests who were quietly observing, as well as the Johnson family, were all shocked by Baron Flor's audacity. "Do you want to hear what you're saying? What do you mean, 'treating her as Miss Harper'?"

Are you treating my daughter the same as my wife?

Even as he spoke, Baron Flor didn't look at Hana or Nia, but kept staring at Zhuang Sen, as if it were just casual conversation. But this was the mentality of traditional old nobles. Bloodlines and lineages naturally distinguished different classes. Baron Flor, a noble of the second-level bloodline, looked down on knightly families with first-level bloodlines, and continued to ignore his own daughter who had just awakened a new bloodline.

Zhuang Sen roughly understood the reason for this idea. The primary reason was that they didn't completely believe in the third-level bloodline Zhuang Sen mentioned, because this thing couldn't be tested and could only be verified over time. Logically speaking, it would take at least eleven or twelve years for a third-level bloodline to complete three awakenings. During this time, they could adjust their attitude and behavior to mend the rift—in simpler terms, they could be opportunistic.

But Johnson didn't like his attitude, so he said seriously, "Baron Flor, Nia is my wife."

This was considered a rather serious rebuttal in aristocratic conversation. Baron Flor was surprised by Zhuang Sen's strong reaction, but still bowed to Nia: "I am very sorry, Ms. Nia 'Leon'."

Nia nodded slightly, accepting the apology. Zhuang Sen's expression softened as well, but Baron Flor immediately added, "Your Chosen One, what I said just now was sincere. I think Your Goddess wouldn't mind having Hana serve her Chosen One."

So you still want to send a girl?

Zhuang Sen could only say, "I intend to hire Miss Hannah as my chief gardener, and she has already agreed."

Hannah tilted her head slightly, shocked but unable to show her social anxiety.

Baron Flor nodded slightly: "Yes, Hana is indeed very skilled in gardening, just as Lady Nia is your master blacksmith."

Unable to continue the conversation, Zhuang Sen could only forcefully change the subject: "Is Baron Flor interested in our armaments?"

Baron Flor stroked his mustache: "Of course, Chosen One, but they're a bit too expensive. I wonder if we could offer a discount? Or, do you need any potion ingredients?"

This is indeed necessary. Not to mention the awakening potions in the future, even making some ordinary magic potions would be a significant source of income, and it is also an essential war reserve.

However, what Baron Flor meant was that he intended to engage in barter, or more sophisticatedly, mutual trade. This made it a bit difficult for Zhuang Sen to say, because it would require professionals to control the price of each transaction, as market prices can change at any time.

Unfortunately, Zhuang Sen didn't have that kind of talent. He wasn't a finance major, and neither were Nia and Dantalian. The female financial officer he initially brought was skilled in finance, but she was already busy with the entire Thorn Manor, and adding more workload would probably kill her.

Furthermore, it's not appropriate to entrust all financial work to one person, even if she has no reason to betray them.

Fortunately, Zhuang Sen can find his dear mother.

……

While Zhuang Sen was deeply entangled in the matter of sending the Baroness, Lady Lydia was sipping her red tea in a corner, occasionally glancing in that direction. Although her face, veiled in black, appeared calm, Lydia, who had served her for over ten years, could sense her displeasure, a hint of resentment in her expression. However, Lydia didn't understand why Lady Lydia seemed unhappy when her young master was busy with important matters. And if she wanted to see him, why didn't she just go directly to him? She was his mother; was she afraid of disturbing him?

The loyal guardian knight was unaware of what was going on, but occasionally he would glance at Zhuang Sen and inevitably see Nia, Dantalian, and Hana, who was always sticking to Zhuang Sen's side.

The young master is really popular with women...

The loyal female knight sighed, feeling nothing else. Although she remembered that the lady had once wanted her to serve Zhuang Sen, it now seemed completely unnecessary. Sister Dantalian, Lady Nia, and even Miss Hanna were all much prettier and more elegant than her, an ordinary person. Compared to these sweet and soft young ladies, she, the female knight, was far too tough and rough.

Hmm? Is the young master coming this way?

The female knight, who had been lost in thought but never let her guard down, became serious and subtly touched Lady Liya's back, startling her from her reverie and making her see Zhuang Sen walking towards her.

"Mother, is the tea here alright?"

Wearing armor, Zhuang Sen didn't sit down. He greeted Lady Liya standing up, his somewhat carefree tone surprising the guests who had been watching him closely, before they smiled knowingly. After all, he was still only sixteen years old; his previous mature demeanor was rather strange. This way of acting like a child with his mother was more reasonable.

Lady Lia paused for a moment, then complained, "Now you know to come to me. Tell me, what trouble is it this time?"

Zhuang Sen scratched the back of his head shyly, but then became smug: "I was just following the Earl's orders, but it's fine now. Mother, you've seen Nia's work, right? The Falau Trading Company should be interested too, right?"

The crowd nodded slightly. They all knew the rules that Earl Cross had set for this "Trial of Succession," and they agreed with Zhuang Sen's words. The involvement of the Falau Merchant Guild in the new armor business was certainly not considered external assistance—unless they were maliciously inflating prices.

Lady Lia was not happy to hear this, but seeing Zhuang Sen's smug expression, she was pleased. Torn between these conflicting feelings, she snorted and said, "That depends on how much you can provide. The Falau Chamber of Commerce has no interest in doing that kind of business."

This guy's words carried a bit of unfounded and unreasonable resentment, but apart from Lydia, who was always watching her master, no one else, including Johnson, noticed it. They just thought that Lady Lydia was indeed tactful and left no room for doubt.

Zhuang Sen, who was already prepared, smiled and said, "Don't worry, Mother. I came to you to discuss a large-scale cooperation. As you can see, I only have so many blacksmiths, so mass production is impossible. Therefore, I hope to cooperate with the Falau Merchant Guild to produce plate armor. I will provide the technology, and you will provide the manpower!"

This was actually planned long ago. Zhuang Sen couldn't completely monopolize the low-end market because plate armor's biggest advantage is its ease of manufacture, making it easy to imitate. After all, it's simply hammering a piece of iron into the shape of armor; it's bound to be copied sooner or later. What Zhuang Sen needed to do was seize the opportunity to establish Master Nia's brand, making the market acknowledge that "Nia's products are always top-notch," and then use the high-grade magic iron equipment that perhaps only Nia could forge in the entire Leon territory to completely suppress the War Church.

To achieve this, one naturally needs to quickly capture market share, which means increasing production capacity and expanding sales channels—and what could be better than one's own legal brokerage? Even if one can't simply get something for free and has to share the profits legitimately, it's still entirely worthwhile.