Starting with the defeated female knight

If you don't satisfy me, I might...

"What, aren't you satisfied with this compensation?"

Elise hooked the tip of her tentacle and looked down at him.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to, you disgusting tentacle."

Then don't touch me, and don't put me on your body when you have nothing to do.

The tentacle thought to itself, then slapped her finger away.

Don't change the subject. It's not like you'd give yourself to me just for doing my work.

[And if I fix this up for you, you'll be even less likely to go to Dawn City, right?]

"Yes, I definitely want to stay with my family."

Elise nodded calmly, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

“But I never said that this family cannot be mine, or even yours or mine.”

【...What do you want to do?】

[Let me tell you, I'm a legitimate tentacle, I never do anything bad...]

"But isn't there a lot of bad stuff going on in the capital?"

She reached out and gently stroked the touch.

“I’m not stupid, and unlike others, I can sense what’s happening here—and most importantly, you haven’t been hiding anything from me.”

"To be honest, I don't know what those things will ultimately lead to, but I can sense that something is about to happen."

"It won't be soon, nor will it be very slow. It won't be tomorrow, but it won't have to wait until I'm old either."

"Its area will be very large, and no one will be able to escape, including the Stuart family."

"but......"

She paused slightly.

"Crisis and opportunity always go hand in hand, don't they?"

"Since I can't resist them, and I don't intend to resist them, why not make some preparations in advance so that I can gain more benefits from them?"

silence.

Forget it, just tell me your plans.

"It's very simple."

She lowered her head and looked at the tentacles in front of her.

"I can't command those with superior bloodlines, but I can still make demands on the useless members of the family."

"I'll give them all to you, and you can do whatever you want with them."

"What I need is for you to help me."

“I will not dictate your behavior, because I believe you are wiser than I am.”

"I just want you to help me, I'll do whatever you want."

The tentacle paused slightly before responding.

【not enough】

"What about me?"

That's not enough.

"Hmph, what a disgusting and greedy fellow."

Elise squeezed her tentacle, a hint of coldness appearing in her eyes.

But not the tentacles.

"Then, let's add the Stewart family bloodline as well."

“I know you want to research this. Coincidentally, I know a few guys who are disgusting enough that their disappearances wouldn’t cause any reaction.”

"Don't worry, they're definitely the kind of guys whose flesh you could cut off piece by piece and still not equal the amount of disgusting things they've done."

"After all, the nobility has no shortage of that kind of people."

silence.

What if I say it's not enough?

The tentacle raised its head.

After all, you have a big appetite, don't you?

"Then I'll have no choice but to reveal my trump card."

Elise gently brushed her hair back and chuckled softly, but her gaze grew increasingly icy.

"Whatever you want to do, whether it's to make flames rise or to flood the land, I, and even the Stuart family, will get involved and assist in your plans."

"At the same time, although I cannot directly intervene, I think that as a nobleman, I can help you with your 'scrap' activities in other families better than the church."

"Money, food, clothing, or any other intervention—anything I can do, I'll do."

"All of the above added together."

"Are you satisfied with this price, my dear Mr. Tentacle?"

silence.

Then, it was raised.

Seeing the tentacles extended from the tentacle, Elise also reached out her hand and grasped them together.

【make a deal】

I am very satisfied.

------

P.S.: The screenshot was taken by a friend. Also, although I've already reached 10,000, I'll try harder to see if I can get more later.

Volume 1: Chapter 80: Giving the Country Bumpkin Tentacles a Small Shock in the Capital

The tentacles have taken root even deeper.

Moreover, the scope is becoming increasingly wider.

Especially after the investigation team returned, the seeds brought back from Dawn City gradually sprouted.

In this cold winter, when plants begin to wither and decay, something inexplicable begins to spread and grow.

The chapel grew larger and larger, and under John's influence, some others joined his ranks.

Although it's mostly for racking up achievements, or to resonate with certain miracles through this behavior, or for some other purpose.

In any case, some people took the lead and did a good job, and after promoting it in the church, others gradually began to follow suit.

Of course, some people did it on a whim, only to find that it was much harder than they had imagined and wanted to give up. However, due to certain rules within the church, quitting halfway through would be recorded and could even be judged as a lack of faith, so they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue.

John was pleased, thinking that his old friend's efforts had indeed paid off. Just as he was about to continue, a tentacle suddenly appeared beside him, causing him to stumble.

[Feeling relieved, my foot!]

Still fiddling with your little chapel? Go help out!

You don't really expect them to jump straight into high-difficulty tasks, or that everyone is a saint who has no reservations about such things, do you?

If you really want them to continue, and for them to gradually understand the meaning of these things, at least you have to get them over the initial hurdle, right?

John felt wronged by this.

It wasn't that he thought the tentacle was wrong; on the contrary, after the tentacle finished speaking, he realized that it was right.

Only those who have actually worked on a chapel know how difficult it is to get started and establish one.

Regardless of what other people's motives are, it's a good start. But if this start scares people away or gives them a hard time from the beginning, creating a psychological shadow, then subsequent development will naturally be impossible.

But John still felt wronged.

After all, in the past, as a war priest, he was just a common soldier, and his old friend was in charge of similar tasks.

but......

"You're right, I really should go and help other people."

After letting out a long sigh, John patted his face with a wry smile and then started walking.

After all, things are different now.

His trusted old friend was no longer by his side.

At the same moment John took his steps, in the church garden, the old man, holding a watering can, arrived a little later than usual.

Then, before he could even water it, the tentacles in the garden began to sway.

Alright, you don't need to say anything more.

I have conveyed everything you wanted to say.

I can tell he's not good at this kind of thing.

"Since you've been watering me for so long, I'll lend him a hand."

The old man froze on the spot.

After a long while, a sound was finally made.

"......Thanks."

As the church slowly changed, figures were also gathering outside the capital.

That was a caravan.

Driven by the popularity of goods from Dawn City and fueled by the allure of commodities and profits, the first caravan was quickly formed.

The group was a large-scale alliance of several noble families, carrying all the supplies Green needed, equipped with a considerable number of guards, and even included members of the original investigation team acting as envoys.

However, despite being top-tier, this caravan's purpose was not merely to trade in Dawn City.

Due to the destruction caused by the demonic tide, a sudden vacuum zone appeared on the map of the capital.

Although the nobles are corrupt, this has already affected the empire's territory, and even the old king, who has been inactive for a long time, has spoken out, so we certainly can no longer sit idly by.

We need to find a way to fill this gap, to rebuild the system and defenses. Even if we don't want to return to the original state, we can't just leave it empty.

Caravans are a good way to start.

Not only could post stations be set up along the way, but with more and more people coming and going, roads could also be formed, and through trade, people could gradually gather there, and the area could be restored and developed little by little.

Not to mention, this is not even a loss-making deal. The quality of goods from Dawn City is obvious to all. Even families that haven't been there can learn about Dawn City through certain channels and know that the output of goods there is extremely high, and the variety is not limited to these.

In addition, the power vacuum brought about by the demonic tide means that if this matter can be handled well, it will be a piece of fat meat, and a piece of fat meat that everyone can eat.

Not to mention that, in addition to transactions, land, farmland, and even mines are also resources.

Therefore, the nobles took this matter very seriously. Without being urged by others, they quickly assembled a large caravan at a speed that defied people's stereotypes of nobles. After being loaded with goods, they set off in a grand procession towards Dawn City.

Among them, the family that contributed the most and was the fastest was, of course, the Stuart family, to which Elise belonged.

In addition to some of the goods ordered on the list, some of the Stewart family's wagons also carried some 'special goods' requested by Green.

For example, some poor wretches who were used and then discarded by the Mage's Guild.

Because of their huge debts, this group of people could no longer make a living in the capital.

Either you become a research slave to your "teacher" for life, doing the hardest and most tiring work but not even having enough to eat.

They either have to face the terrifying astronomical figure, or if they can't repay it, they will be stripped of everything as a magician.