Page 10
Page 10
Ange shook her head without hesitation: "I refuse!"
She wouldn't take a gamble where there was no benefit to winning or losing! Although the Falau Chamber of Commerce was the largest in the area, precisely because of that, even if she took Zhuang Sen's small share, she wouldn't have much decision-making power; at most, she'd get an extra share of dividends. On the contrary, if her own chamber of commerce were to lose half its shares, it would be hard to say whether it would belong to Zhuang Sen or An Jie in the end.
That despicable Zhuang Sen, does he think she's an idiot?
Anjie gritted her teeth and looked at Zhuang Sen, who had a regretful expression on his face, as if she were chewing on his skin.
Although it was a pity that he couldn't fool Haki, Johnson didn't want to drag it out any longer. He turned around and stood in front of Nia Harper again, looking at her seriously and saying, "Miss Nia, would you like to accept my invitation?"
Perhaps due to her dwarven bloodline, Nia was remarkably petite. At fifteen years old, the same age as Ange, she was only 1.3 meters tall, with fair, delicate skin like a baby's, even possessing a touch of baby fat. Her rosy cheeks made one want to take a bite. Her simple white dress had few embellishments, or rather, the embellishments paled in comparison to the enormous breasts on her small frame.
Although she is far smaller than Dantalian, who dominates the entire city, she has an exceptionally breathtaking presence in this size, as if all the essence of her being, except for her height, has been concentrated here.
At this moment, the legally-made loli with a baby face and large breasts faced Zhuang Sen's serious expression, and a shy look appeared on her face. Her personality was naturally gentle, or rather, this was the normal attitude of a fifteen-year-old girl when facing a serious conversation, rather than being as timid as some harpy girl.
Dantalian also half-squatted down, gently patting Nia's head with the aura of a kind older sister: "Don't worry, Miss Harper, everything will be alright. Even if there is an accident, I will help you get better."
As the soft, warm light shone down, Nia visibly relaxed, and an innocent smile returned to her face: "No, I'm not doubting Brother Zhuang Sen, it's just that this is very expensive, isn't it? Let Father decide."
Naïve isn't stupid, and Nia isn't truly an ignorant child; she was merely yielding to Zhuang Sen earlier. Therefore, she clearly understands the value of the Level 3 bloodline awakening potion, and she's also aware of her family's situation. She doesn't want to cause her entire family to go into debt because of her.
Nia's smile seemed to glow, healing everyone present.
Zhuang Sen immediately pinched the little guy's cheek and added, "Then this bottle will be free, consider it a gift for our first meeting."
In any case, if the Harper family wants to develop their bloodline and continue to awaken it, they can only come to Johnson. In fact, Rom Harper has been silent for a long time, clearly deep in thought. As for the others, including Ange, they have basically given up on vying for the Harper family's loyalty. They are staying here more to see what kind of bloodline Nia really has.
Nia blinked her big eyes, caught her mother's gaze, and finally reached out to take the awakening potion from Zhuang Sen, saying very politely, "Thank you, Brother Zhuang Sen."
Zhuang Sen glanced at An Jie, and unsurprisingly received a glare in return.
Sigh, harpy girl.
Nia pulled out the stopper, and a fragrant aroma immediately filled the air. The scent reminded Dantalian of what had happened not long ago, and her gaze towards Zhuang Sen softened even more. The others stopped their thoughts and focused their attention on Nia. Being the center of attention for the first time, Nia blushed again, but she still held the glass bottle steadily and drank the potion.
As the potion transformed into a warm current and entered her body, Nia's anxious heart calmed down. She could clearly feel her body changing. Her limbs became strong and powerful, as if she could shatter iron armor with a single punch. Her mind became clear and agile. The forging skills and metal knowledge she had learned before became incredibly clear, and she gained many new insights!
But what's even more noticeable are the various new abilities she's gained—[Great Strength], [Forging Mastery], [Mineral Identification]... The girl is addicted to the thrill of rapidly becoming stronger.
To others, Nia, after drinking the awakening potion, suddenly shrank. Her original height of 1.3 meters dwindled to 1.2 meters, and the reduction was proportional. Therefore, her rosy cheeks remained unchanged, but her previously soft arms now showed obvious muscle growth—not the kind of explosive mass of flesh, but rather a well-defined, streamlined shape. The difference was still quite noticeable!
In this world, such rapid and constant physical changes usually have only one possible explanation—bloodline awakening!
It's truly awakened!!
One bottle, just one bottle of awakening potion and awakening was achieved?!
The author says:
Author's Note: This chapter, combined with the previous one, contains 4620 words, making it difficult to divide into separate chapters. Also, it seems yesterday's pace was fine; I might loosen up a bit later, maybe~
Finally, the legitimate big-breasted loli is the true orthodox one~(≧▽≦)/~
Chapter Twenty-Two: The Marriage Alliance
Although Leon and his companions had all awakened, they had all been consuming awakening potions since they were ten years old, drinking at least four or five bottles before achieving their awakening, which had cost them a great deal of resources. Now, seeing someone awaken instantly after drinking just one bottle, they felt a pang of envy.
This made Rom Harper make up his mind.
Before Zhuang Sen could ask any more questions, he took the initiative to walk up to Zhuang Sen and kneel down on one knee: "Rome Harper is willing to serve you, young master Zhuang Sen."
Zhuang Sen does not yet have a title, so this is the only way to address him.
No one else could say anything, after all, this was a level three bloodline! No, even if it wasn't a level three bloodline, just having a completely new bloodline was enough! This was at least much better than being a steel-devouring rat for the rest of one's life!
Zhuang Sen was not surprised. He just glanced at Ange with a smug look and smiled with satisfaction under her red-hot gaze: "I accept your loyalty, Sir Rom. As for the treatment and obligations, let's follow the advice of my dear sister Ange."
Anjie glared at Zhuang Sen, grinding her teeth incessantly.
Dantalian watched this scene and thought that Zhuang Sen was indeed still young and had a childish temper.
Rom Harper was naturally very grateful. He had been prepared to be welded to the blacksmith's shop. What Johnson had done was absolutely worth the reward, and even far from enough.
He mustered his courage and spoke again: "Master, please allow me to overstep my bounds. I have another request that I hope you will grant."
Zhuang Sen was surprised. Based on his understanding, Rom Harper was not a greedy person: "Tell me, is it because you think the workload is too heavy?" After all, Ange was a shrewd businesswoman and might have pushed the working hours to the maximum.
However, Rom shook his head: "No, I want you to take Nia as your wife..."
Knight Harper suddenly sensed a murderous aura. After glancing at Dantalian, who had somehow shifted her gaze over, he quickly added, "I mean, as one of your wives, Nia is of marriageable age. If you don't mind, please accept her. You can simply choose one of your children to inherit the Harper family name."
Rom Harper's thoughts weren't hard to guess. As a first-level bloodline knight family, even if someone in his family produced a third-level bloodline, they might not be able to protect it. As a middle-aged man, he was well aware of the destructive power of jealousy. But if he became relatives with the Earl's family and added the Black Raven to his family crest, the danger posed by this jealousy would be greatly reduced.
Furthermore, he also needed to consider future development. Even the strongest level-three bloodline required corresponding development knowledge and awakening potions to transform potential into power. This precious knowledge was not easily acquired, especially when the person who possessed it was merely a level-three bloodline user. If he didn't want to remain a level-three bloodline user with only a second awakening for the rest of his life, it was necessary to cultivate a good relationship with Zhuang Sen.
So, what is a more convenient, faster, and closer way than marriage?
No!
Rather, if you're not even willing to arrange a marriage, how can I believe you'd be willing to be my ally?
Rom Harper had used all his political wisdom to come up with such a clever plan and opportunity, even considering his daughter's happiness—Nia didn't seem to dislike Johnson, and the two were about the same age, which was an excellent condition for a marriage alliance.
At the same time, as a level three bloodline user, Nia's bloodline level is the same as Zhuang Sen's. So even if she is not the first among Zhuang Sen's wives, she will never be bullied or coveted. It can be said to be a perfect marriage.
Furthermore, Zhuang Sen is obviously a lecher. What normal person would have a girlish face the moment they meet someone? He's not some elder! If it weren't for the barrage of information he'd received earlier, Rom would have angrily accused Zhuang Sen of indecent assault.
But now, this is called fate decreed that the two will become husband and wife, a love bestowed by the great goddess, praise the goddess!
Looking at Rom Harper's excited and determined face, Johnson realized for the first time what it meant to shoot yourself in the foot, because he really couldn't refuse Rom Harper's request now. After all, his request was already very generous, giving away a daughter for free, only asking that one child be chosen to inherit the family name—this was practically giving Johnson a pretext to claim a takeover.
So, as I said before, if you won't even agree to a marriage alliance, how can I believe you'd be willing to be my ally? But the problem is, he hasn't even won over Dantalian yet. Bah, even if he did, he wouldn't want to lay a hand on a fifteen-year-old girl! He's not actually 16!
……
Dantalian looked at Zhuang Sen. Although he was still smiling, Dantalian could tell that he was probably very flustered, just like how he usually stared at her chest with a serious face, but what he was actually thinking... Hmph.
Dantalian smiled slightly, the bitterness in her heart dissipating somewhat. She had long anticipated this situation. Given Zhuang Sen's excellence, this kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later. One of the great obligations of noble bloodlines was to leave behind enough offspring to ensure the continuation of the family bloodline. Moreover, intermarriage between nobles had almost become a basic social practice. With Zhuang Sen's excellence, when he grew older and reached his prime reproductive years, the number of people coming to offer women would probably fill his manor.
In that case, it would be better to take in a few good children to train... Lamia's true nature stirred, and the snake woman, ostensibly driven by jealousy, tasted bitterness as she reached out and enveloped Zhuang Sen's right hand: "Zhuang Sen..."
……
Zhuang Sen met Dantalian's gaze, which remained as gentle as ever, as if advising Zhuang Sen to accept. But this gentleness only strengthened Zhuang Sen's resolve. He admitted that he wanted to have a harem, especially since having a harem was considered normal in this world, but that didn't mean he had to be so hasty. He didn't need to, and didn't want to, wrong his women.
So he spoke first to Rom Harper, saying, "Sir Rom, I will consider your suggestion, but I think we should also consider Miss Nia's own wishes. And as Ange said before, I also need to prove that I am not lying. Miss Nia is indeed a third-level bloodline. How about we wait for her to complete her second awakening?"
Rom Harper hesitated, even harboring a slight resentment. Being rejected for a marriage proposal was incredibly humiliating; it was tantamount to insulting his bloodline as unworthy. Of course, a first-level bloodline was indeed unworthy, but wasn't Nia a third-level bloodline?
At this moment, Dantalian suddenly spoke up: "How about this, let Miss Nia first learn from Zhuang Sen how to develop her bloodline, which can also help them develop feelings for each other, and then hold a formal wedding when the time is right."
Dantalian's proposal dispelled all of Rom Harper's dissatisfaction and hesitation. Instead, he worried that Johnson would disagree, after all, it was precious bloodline knowledge!
Zhuang Sen looked at Dantalian in surprise, and she leaned close to his ear affectionately: "Even though it's a snake, I'm not that jealous~"
This was the first time Dantalian had ever interacted so intimately with Johnson in public.
What else can Zhuang Sen say? Cute, I want to do it.
It was only after spending so much time together that Zhuang Sen's composure had greatly improved; otherwise, Ange would have already started mocking him. Even so, Zhuang Sen still turned to look at Nia to divert her attention.
Nia had just finished awakening and opened her big, round eyes: "Brother Zhuang Sen?"
The cute little girl's head tilt dispelled Zhuang Sen's evil thoughts.
Bliss!
Unfortunately, during this enjoyment, someone always interrupts: "Wow, that's so perverted."
Zhuang Sen turned to look at Ange and Leon with a blank expression, and asked in confusion, "Why are you still here?"
Ange's mocking expression froze, a question mark seemingly appearing above her head. You used my plan to recruit the knight I wanted, and now you're asking me why I'm still here?
If I weren't outmatched by you adulterous couple, I—
Anjie took a deep breath, suppressing her explosive temper, forced a smile, and said in a sweet tone, "Brother Zhuang Sen~ I want to talk to you about the sale of magic iron equipment~"
vomit--
Zhuang Sen's simple movements easily pierced through An Jie's mental defenses, which she had built with all her might. She clenched her small fist and punched Zhuang Sen in the chest, but before she could get halfway there, another fair hand blocked her in front of her, easily deflecting the attack, which she hadn't even used her full strength for.
Dantalian looked down at Ange with the murderous intent of a giant snake staring at a fallen raven.
“Dantrian.” Zhuang Sen put his arm around Dantalian’s arm, dispelling her murderous aura, and patted Ange’s head with his other hand: “You’re actually cuter like this, but let’s discuss sales next time.”
Ange snorted and ran away without looking back, while the rest of Leon also took their leave, leaving only Tim Leon.
Facing Zhuang Sen's questioning gaze, Tim Leon said expressionlessly, "This is my home, Brother Zhuang Sen."
Oh, yes.
Stan Johnson scratched his head and said to the embarrassed Rom Harper, "Then, Sir Rom, I'll be waiting for you at Glory Manor."
Rom Harper quickly bowed and pushed the bewildered Nia next to Johnson: "Lord Johnson, please take Nia with you. I'm busy packing things and don't have time to take care of her."
Ah yes, yes, a nobleman has to pack his own luggage.
Could you come up with a better reason?
Tim Leon thought to himself, but when he noticed Johnson's gaze, he immediately smiled.
Zhuang Sen, who was holding Dantalian's hand with one hand, hesitated for a moment before taking Nia's hand as well: "Okay, then we'll be going now."
Rom Harper held his wife's hand with great satisfaction, watching his only daughter board the carriage emblazoned with black crows.
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Cunning Little Dwarf (with picture of Nia)
"So, what does Brother Zhuang Sen think? Does he want me to be his wife?"
Dantalian's eyes sharpened.
Zhuang Sen was dumbfounded. Wasn't this little girl quite cute before? How come she's suddenly so good at stirring things up? And at times like this, a smart kid should learn to tacitly ignore such agreements and then slowly test things out on their own. Who would directly challenge the final boss right from the start?
These kids these days are really—
Nia looked at Zhuang Sen with a grin, finding it quite strange. It was the first time she'd ever seen a nobleman so embarrassed by such a question. Although she hadn't yet had a marriage or romantic partner, she was already at the stage of attending noble social events. As the daughter of a knight, and without awakened bloodlines, she was basically ignored. But precisely because of this, she could see many nobles' genuine emotions; almost no one was as... well, shy as Zhuang Sen.
Yes, shy.
Looking at Zhuang Sen, Nia finally found a suitable adjective in her mind, and her mood brightened. Although she understood the chaotic and unrestrained emotional ecosystem among the nobility, it didn't mean she wanted to join in. Someone like Zhuang Sen was exactly what she desired.
As for rejecting marriage alliances? Having awakened a level three bloodline under their tutelage, and with all subsequent knowledge still held by them, are they going to make money by blacksmithing instead of through marriage? If blacksmithing were that profitable, the Harper family would have been barons long ago.
Well, ultimately, it's because Nia doesn't reject Zhuang Sen. Young, handsome, rich, gentle, knowledgeable, mysterious, powerful… he's got all the advantages combined, what more could Nia ask for? The only question is probably whether Zhuang Sen actually likes her. After all, a young girl still wants mutual affection; that would be perfect.
While Nia stared intently at Zhuang Sen, Zhuang Sen was looking at Dantalian. The nun sat behind Nia, one hand on her shoulder and the other stroking her cheek, her alluring eyes half-closed, her expression a half-smile.
Feeling guilty, extremely guilty.
Dantalian looked at Zhuang Sen with amusement and said slowly, "Zhuang Sen, a distinguished nobleman cannot ignore the issue of ladies."
Zhuang Sen and Nia were both taken aback.
The latter suddenly realized that what Zhuang Sen had been looking at all along was actually Dantalian behind him.
So, does that mean Brother Zhuang Sen actually likes Sister Dantalian, and the person he's shy about is her, not Nia? The little guy looked a bit dejected.
Zhuang Sen was taken aback by Dantalian's words. Although she had previously displayed an attitude of "tolerance" and even "indulgence," this was somewhat contrary to Zhuang Sen's worldview. He had only ever seen men with XXN levels in his past life like this.
Dantalian waited a few seconds and, seeing that the two little ones were still looking blankly, her expression turned somewhat helpless. Then she suddenly lowered her right hand, which had been touching her face, and made a fist in the air, gently raising her pinky finger and wiggling it twice.
These two simple movements had a significant effect, not only waking Zhuang Sen and Da Zhuang Sen, but also activating Dantalian's own memories. She felt a sticky sensation on her hands, and her eyes became even more moist. The impulse brought on by her bloodline, which had subsided for a moment, surged back, far stronger and more intense than before. It was like… being full and well-rested, with even more energy.
Zhuang Sen keenly noticed Dantalian's change; after all, that look in her eyes, as if she wanted to devour him completely, was hard to ignore. He couldn't figure out why, but he roughly understood Dantalian's meaning. It seemed she really didn't mind him taking Nia, but why?
A time for virgins to daydream.
Fortunately, Zhuang Sen didn't have this indecisive problem elsewhere, and he readily responded to Nia, saying, "To be honest, I like her, but right now it's more like I'm looking at a cute little sister. After all, we've only just met, and feelings like this need time to develop."
Nia, who had been feeling down, immediately perked up: "Lord Zhuang Sen, really, cultivating feelings is something you do after marriage, isn't it?"
"Huh?" Zhuang Sen tilted his head forward, a question mark almost appearing above his head.
Dantalian finally laughed and pinched Nia's cheek with her left hand: "Miss Nia, you should be called Zhuang Sen now."
As she spoke, she waved her right hand at Zhuang Sen again, her eyes fixed on his face, so moist that Zhuang Sen felt as if he were being licked.
Wait, sis? Why are you getting all excited?!
Zhuang Sen didn't understand, but he was deeply shocked. He finally realized the profound generation gap between himself and the people of this other world, and even had an impulse to directly pin down the two female demons. However, reason controlled him. First, if he acted now, he wouldn't know who would pin whom down. Second, Nia had only mentioned cultivating feelings after marriage, not that she could immediately accept group sex, right?
N-A-A