Monster Girl Development Master.

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.

Looking at Zhuang Sen, who was talking animatedly and eloquently, Lady Liya suddenly felt a little melancholy. She looked at the people who were gradually gathering around her, who were full of excitement and wanted to kick out the Falau Chamber of Commerce and cooperate with Zhuang Sen immediately, and she had a strange feeling.

She shook her head slightly, dispelling these strange feelings, and said calmly, "The Falau Chamber of Commerce is indeed interested in this, and I will send someone to make contact. However, if they want to expand the scale, the blacksmith shop at Thorn Manor will need to be expanded. The price of raw materials, the specific purchase price, and the manpower arrangement all need to be discussed in more detail later. But don't even think about it being free."

"Speaking of which," Zhuang Sen suddenly said, pointing to the suit of armor displayed in the banquet hall, "Mother, how much do you think this suit of armor is worth?"

"This is?"

"This was also made by Nia, and it's at the same level as mine!"

So, it's high-grade magic iron armor?

Lady Lia looked at Nia with some surprise, then quoted a price: "If it is indeed a complete set of level three magic iron armor, then the price should be between thirty and fifty thousand gold coins, depending on the buyer."

Zhuang Sen rubbed his hands together and whispered, "Then what do you think about using it to cover the costs of raw materials, labor, etc..."

Lady Lia listened, her originally serene and sorrowful expression turning into a helpless smile: "So this is where you were waiting for me, you child... Well, it's not impossible. If Leon Territory can't be sold, Holy Light Territory and the Royal Capital can be sold."

High-grade magic iron armor is certainly good and valuable, but the sales cycle is long, and not everyone can afford it. At least nine out of ten customers who came here today didn't even dare to ask the price, and even if they could afford it, they would need time to raise the money.

Moreover, while skill is important for forging high-grade magic iron equipment, precious raw materials are also indispensable. In addition, there are various other expenses. Since he can no longer get money from Lady Lia for free, Zhuang Sen doesn't have much cash left. So he still has no choice but to ask Lady Lia for help.

This cannot be considered as relying on external forces. Zhuang Sen provided a magic iron armor of equal value, which was completely reasonable, compliant, and aboveboard!

The author says:

Author's Note: I've been saving up drafts for the May Day holiday these past few days, but my occupational hazard kicked in—my right pinky finger and the line down to my wrist are hurting. It gets worse after typing a few hundred words, severely impacting my efficiency and making it hard to keep going. And tomorrow there will be some... (lol)

Chapter Sixty-Six: Relaxation

Late at night, in front of Zhuang Sen's door.

The lively banquet finally came to an end. Those who wanted to go back naturally huddled together and took a car home. Those who didn't want to go back had a place to stay at the Thorn Manor. Zhuang Sen, who had been busy all day, didn't need to worry about these things. But there was still one thing that he needed to deal with.

"Miss Hana..." Zhuang Sen looked helplessly at the green-haired girl following behind him, "Is there anything else?"

Hannah lowered her head, her left hand fiddling with the green vines wrapped around her right wrist, and whispered, "N-nothing..."

The faint sound disappeared into the night. Hannah shyly lowered her head and touched her right hand again. There seemed to be a lingering sense of restraint from being held, making her miss someone's large hand, or perhaps it was a hidden inclination in her heart, like an instinct, that made her want to follow Zhuang Sen forever, to be held hand in hand like Miss Nia.

Nia gave Hannah, who was glancing at her, an encouraging smile. She had always supported Johnson; that was just how the dwarf girl was. Dantalian was a little dissatisfied, but her gentle nature was ultimately her true character. She couldn't say anything harsh to Hannah, such a timid girl, and simply said tactfully, "Miss Hannah, it's already late at night. You should go and get some rest."

Hana hesitated, then suddenly perked up as if she had thought of something: "I don't know where the room is, could Lord Zhuang Sen perhaps..."

“Then you can go to my room first,” Dantalian interrupted. “It’s the one next door.”

"Ah, this isn't good, it's too much of a disturbance..." The girl, who just wanted to spend more time with Zhuang Sen, racked her brains trying to delay, but the lustful Lamia couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up again, rejecting Hana's excuse: "It's okay, I'll be sleeping in Lord Zhuang Sen's room tonight anyway."

"Hey?"

The innocent sunflower was stunned for a moment, then saw Zhuang Sen, who had suddenly realized what was happening, put his arm around Dantalian's waist, raise his head and receive Dantalian's soft, red lips that she offered. The undisguised slurping sounds made the girl almost turn from a sunflower into a rose, her face as red as a boiled crab.

Nia looked on with a sense of nostalgia, then hugged Zhuang Sen's hand and stood on tiptoe. Zhuang Sen then picked her up with one hand and kissed her face, leaving it covered in kisses.

"Um, I'm going to rest now!"

Sunflower's instincts ultimately couldn't overcome the shyness of the socially awkward girl. She turned around, took two steps, rushed into Dantalian's room, and slammed the door shut.

This amused Zhuang Sen as well.

Having finally gotten rid of the tagalongs, Zhuang Sen immediately pulled his two wives into the room and began to disarm each other, inevitably involving some groping. However, physical contact didn't stop verbal sparring. While fondling Dantalian's fair and shapely buttocks, Zhuang Sen exclaimed, "Although it was my own plan, I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. We've already recouped our costs in just one day."

Nia stood on the chair, peeling off Zhuang Sen's breastplate while patting his abs: "A set of plate armor consisting of a helmet, breastplate, gauntlets, and leg guards costs about fifty to sixty gold coins, and sells for two hundred gold coins. Ten sets would be two thousand, which is already four times our initial capital."

"And then there's the deposit from those who pre-ordered. One-tenth of a set, and about two hundred sets were ordered, that's four thousand gold coins~ Hmm~" Dantalian murmured, pushing her pert buttocks back again. Because of the height difference, she couldn't reach the big Zhuang Sen that she longed for. Instead, she pressed down on Nia's hand, which was touching Zhuang Sen's abs, provoking a dissatisfied kneading retaliation.

“These are actually secondary. The most important thing is that we broke through Ange’s blockade this time.” Zhuang Sen threw the leg armor aside, lifted Nia off the chair with a clanging sound, sat down himself, and began to peel off Nia’s armor.

Without deliberately exerting any force, Nia, who was very light even while wearing armor, simply turned her head and took the already erect Zhuang Sen into her mouth, swallowing and spitting it out with all her might. As Zhuang Sen skillfully removed his armor, the fair and tender loli body was gradually revealed, exposing the hot, tight but extremely filthy dwarf cave.

Dantalian wasn't in a hurry to see Nia take the lead; after all, she was just a weakling who wouldn't last five minutes. She took off the rest of her armor on her own, and her two huge breasts, which had been held back all day, leaped out with the restraints, leaving dazzling and alluring white trails in the air.

The gentle nun sat sideways on Zhuang Sen's lap, her ample breasts pressing against his face. As she massaged and rubbed him, she uttered harsh words: "The anti-Zhuang Sen alliance, these people must be the ones who framed you before, right? I think they should all be killed, especially that one named Ange."

"Not necessarily." Zhuang Sen wanted to be more rational, because he wasn't the one who was framed and killed. "After all, the sons of Leon who don't want to target me are the minority, but the murderer is definitely among them, we just don't know who it is."

"Isn't it that Angela?" Dantalian asked, releasing one of her hands that was squeezing her large breasts, and together with Zhuang Sen, they turned Nia over, positioning the hot dwarf cave towards the lubricated Zhuang Sen.