Monster Girl Development Master.

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

"Practice more, next one."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 52: Torture

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

Dantalian

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

"Bring the person out."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The author says:

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

Chapter 53: The Meeting of the Big Shots

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

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

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

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

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

Leon Territory is located in the central part of the Fallen Star Kingdom, not far from the south, but the climates of the two regions are quite different. Although Baron Roth is a strong man and a second-level bloodline user who has undergone a second awakening, he obviously does not want to go to the hot and humid place to fight the mercenaries of White City.

Count Cross shook his head and said in a muffled voice, "The king is preparing to divide his forces into two groups. He will personally lead the troops to attack from the south, while the king's eldest son and eldest daughter will lead troops down the waterway from our territory of Leon to directly attack White City."

Baron Roth and the others were speechless.

Well, this is worse than the whole country attacking the south together! The Falling Star Kingdom is not located by the sea and has no navy. Now you're telling me to attack White City, which has a large fleet, by sea? And it's not even the king himself who's commanding it. Instead, you're throwing the eldest son and daughter, who are vying for the throne, into commanding the troops?

What's the difference between this and having Johnson Leon lead troops alongside Jem Leon?

The silence lasted for a while, and no one knew what to say. Opposition was out of the question; as a direct vassal of the king, Earl Cross could not refuse his lord's request for war. Baron Roth and Baroness Miss were naturally unable to refuse Earl Cross, who was their lord.

As for the three churches, the king must have obtained permission from the church headquarters in the capital to wage war, so the church in Starry Night City naturally could not refuse.

Bishop Rosa sighed and said, "Count Cross, please tell me what exactly we need to do?"

A vague statement like "all-out preparation" is not enough to conclude the meeting.

“Bishop Rosa, I hope you can do your best to raise the people’s expectations for the war and remind them of their hatred for White City.”

Count Cross's swift response was clearly pre-planned, and the others were not surprised.

Of the four churches in Starry Night City, the most popular among ordinary people is not the Healing Church, but the Vengeance Church. This is because the Healing Church cannot cure all ailments, but the Vengeance Church can truly help you achieve revenge—provided you are genuinely a victim.

Bishop Rosa did not want to get involved in the war, but it was not something she could control, so she could only nod slightly: "I understand, but we don't need to make it too obvious now, do we?"

“Of course.” Earl Cross nodded and looked at the next person: “Bishop Charles, I need enough weapons, spears, shields, and armor, the more the better, the finer the better, but at least enough to arm six thousand men.”

The biggest arms dealer in Starry Night City grinned, his beard, which covered half his face, trembling with delight: "Of course, sir, even without Master Rom Harper, the war church's weaponry is still the best! But regarding the price..."

Bishop Rosa glanced at Charles, realizing that the man had likely already begun targeting Zhuang Sen. After all, regardless of Nia's situation, Rom Harper, as the most outstanding blacksmith in Starry Night City, could indeed influence the War Church's business. However, it seemed he was merely taking a jab, not anticipating that Zhuang Sen was truly preparing to strike at him. After all, logically speaking, one blacksmith couldn't influence the entire market—and Rom Harper wasn't exactly a high-level bloodline individual.

At this moment, Bishop Bivoro, dressed in the most magnificent attire and with all ten fingers adorned with jeweled rings, touched his bald head and interjected, "Lord Cross, I am also willing to share your burdens."

Bishop Charles, his expression of delight faltering, turned to Bishop Bivoro with a look of displeasure: "Come on, Bivoro! Your junk isn't even good enough to chop wood, it can't even hold a fire stick, and you have the nerve to give it to the soldiers!"

“But they’re cheap.” Bivoro’s jewels reflected the candlelight, making him the brightest star in the room.

Count Cross shook his head, stopping the two merchants from competing: "We'll discuss the specific prices later, Bishop Charles. I also need your knightly order. Bishop Bivoro, let's leave the arms aside for now. You can also make a price list for oil, food, and potions later."

"At your service, sir."

"As you wish, I will give you the best possible discount, sir."

With the two bishops silent, Count Cross turned to the next person: "Bishop Ottel, I need a sufficient number of doctors. I wonder how many you can provide?"

Bishop Autel, dressed in brocade robes and with a large, drooping mouth, said, "At most thirty, sir. You know, that's all we have."

Count Cross shook his head helplessly, but knew there was nothing he could do: "Alright, do your best, at least make sure you have enough potions and ointments."

Bishop Autel nodded repeatedly: "My lord, I will do my best, and I think you don't need to worry so much. Didn't the Church of Vengeance just awaken a holy bloodline with healing abilities?"

Bishop Rosa was not surprised and said calmly, "My lord, she has only recently awakened and her bloodline power is not yet sufficient for the battlefield. I think it would be more appropriate to invite a Faro. I think the kind-hearted Bishop Ottel should be willing to bear this expense, after all, he is the one who has the obligation to provide a healer."

Ottel gritted his teeth and glared at Bishop Rosa, but Bishop Rosa didn't even bother to acknowledge him. He was just a level two bloodline user; if it weren't for his status as a bishop, Rosa would have killed him like a dog.

Charles's heart skipped a beat. He was about to support his ally, Ottel, and continue to belittle his potential rival, Johnson, when he heard Earl Cross speak up: "This matter is not urgent. Anyway, we still have almost a year. So please do not leak the news, lest it affect His Majesty's plans."

—And my plans.

Count Cross silently added the second half of the sentence in his mind, recalling the pleasure of his bloodline becoming clearer and stronger. He silently immersed himself for a while before speaking, "By the way, remember to keep this a secret."

Bishop Rosa's eyes flickered, but she remained silent.

Chapter 54: The Second Inheritance

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Zhuang Sen poured the last bit of green liquid into a glass bottle, ending this long potion-making process—he would definitely need to find a trustworthy apothecary in the future!

But now, we should go check on Nia and the others first...

"Honey, are you done?"

Nia peeked in from outside the door, followed closely by Dantalian. Their cuteness and sexiness combined to create a stunning effect, making Zhuang Sen's heart flutter.

"Oh, it's done. You guys got it sorted out too?"