Demi-humans are different from humans. Each different race of demi-humans has its own sensitive spots which, when touched, bring a stimulation several times stronger than usual, instantly sending the body into a highly agitated state. Of course, these spots vary slightly even among individuals of the same race.
However, in the eyes of most demi-humans, these are shameful secrets, not to be spoken of. Only some perverted demi-humans would secretly tell their partners about these spots to seek greater pleasure.
Nova had always been a traditionalist demi-human. Even towards her master, she had carefully hidden this secret, never revealing it to him.
But now…
“Master, can you… can you… place your hand on my… my horn?”
“Horn?”
“Like this?”
“A little lower, right there.”
“Here?”
“Ngghhh…”
This time, the Dragon Maiden didn’t answer Renji. To be precise, she couldn’t speak anymore. Her suddenly tensed body had given the answer.
A series of lofty dragon chant echoed within the altar at this moment.
These ‘chant’ were absorbed by Lena’s handbook at the center of the altar and then, through the rituals on it, after some processing, seemed to spread throughout the entire Dragon Nation.
Every citizen of Dragon Nation involuntarily stopped their activities as these ‘chant’ reverberated in their minds, accompanied by a series of images.
These were images of Nova and Renji’s journey to the southern border, their step-by-step investigation, and their ultimate discovery of the horrifying conspiracy that the Old Alliance had been perpetrating against the Dragon Nation for hundreds of years. The whole story was presented in the first-person perspective, as if they too were part of the investigation team.
As the conspiracy was uncovered, the most shocked were the countless demi-humans in the southern regions. They had previously been indoctrinated with the belief that their own lack of ability had tainted the bloodline passed down from their ancestors, leading to their downfall.
Now, knowing that all of this was a malicious curse inflicted by outsiders, their hearts filled with anger and excitement. This at least proved that the bloodline their ancestors left them was still present.
However, this emotion soon turned into despair and a deep sense of powerlessness. Faced with such a terrifying curse, what could they do? They were helpless. The thought of having to live with this curse for generations filled many demi-humans with desolation, as if they saw their future locked away, where no amount of effort would avail.
But hope shines brightest against the backdrop of despair.
Suddenly, every demi-human felt their body warming up, and wisps of black mist carrying an evil and filthy aura seemed to be squeezed out from within them.
They quickly realized that the black mist was a manifestation of the curse and, evidently, the curse on them was fading away. Realizing this, the demi-humans were instantly overjoyed. But soon, they were filled with confusion. ‘Who was it? Who was helping us, who possessed such terrifying power to lift the curse from every person and the entire demi-human race?’
In the Dragon Nation, there was only one person capable of this.
Combining this with the majestic dragon chant that first resonated in their minds.
The Empress!
It was their Empress!
For those demi-humans who had once harbored hatred towards the Empress, much of their animosity had now shifted to the Old Alliance. The feeling of being watched over by their Empress began to turn their loyalties.
And for those who still trusted Nova, believing in the Empress, this was undoubtedly the best tonic for their hearts. Many demi-humans were moved to tears.
Many of them, following the initial dragon chant, seemed to conjure up images of the Empress still ‘battling against evil’ for their sake.
They could sense the immense power of this evil force, and even the invincible Empress in their hearts was not guaranteed an easy victory, caught in a tense and fierce battle.
All they could do was sit down, close their eyes, relax, and harbor no hostility toward the Empress, fully cooperating with her to purge the curse from their bodies.
At the same time, many demi-humans were silently sending thoughts like “Go Empress you can win!”, “You must not lose!” in their hearts.
It seemed they were hoping in this way to transfer their strength to the Empress, helping her to overcome the ‘evil’.
….
– Sealed City.
As the junction between the north and south of Dragon Nation and once the largest slave market for demi-humans, it was naturally the most affected by the Empress’s “Blessing Ceremony.”
Such a significant change would directly lead to a reshuffling of the situation between demi-humans and humans. The Sealed City, being the human city with the largest population of demi-humans, was bound to be the first to face the brunt of this era’s tide, with the entire city potentially plunging into chaos or even a second major crisis.
However, in reality, these imagined worst-case scenarios did not occur. There were definitely minor disturbances, but the majority of the demi-humans in the city did not revolt significantly.
This was all thanks to three factors. First, Sealed City had already experienced a major crisis before. Many people in the city, including the demi-humans, had not yet recovered from the aftermath of the “Blood Sacrifice.”
Second, both Bal’s curse and Nova’s blessing affected the potential level, akin to the experience gain efficiency in games. Bal’s curse prevented demi-humans from gaining experience, thereby stifling their future, while Nova eliminated this negative effect and, in turn, bestowed a blessing that increased the rate at which demi-humans gained experience.
This meant that the blessed demi-humans did not suddenly gain powerful strength to recklessly disrupt the city. In the short term, their actual strength did not differ much from before. They simply regained the path to improvement and found it a bit easier. However, gaining real power still required their own efforts and cultivation.
As for the third factor…
“Caroline, well done!”
In the Sealed City’s town hall, a pink-haired succubus, who had come from Sin City, praised the blonde secretary beside her.
Lena walked to the window and pulled back the curtain, looking down at the city that had barely recovered from the “Blood Sacrifice” disaster less than half a month ago. The city, once greatly weakened, seemed to have regained much of its former vitality.
The debris and ruins caused by the previous explosions had been cleared, and many streets had been renovated. Even the pedestrians on the roads seemed healthier than before.
All this was undoubtedly thanks to Caroline. Initially sent here by Lena, she first negotiated successfully to obtain temporary administrative rights from Minister Charl. Afterwards, she utilized all the funds Lena had allocated from Sin City precisely for disaster relief, ensuring that every bit of aid reached those who truly needed it.
Under Caroline’s guidance, the “Blood Sacrifice” disaster was transformed into an opportunity for reforming the Sealed City. The internal conflicts between demi-humans and humans were shifted to external ones, setting aside their prejudices temporarily. After all, they were all victims of the same disaster, left with no choice but to work together to quickly restore the city.
Of course, there were numerous obstacles, like the local nobility of the Sealed City, who almost unanimously united to resist Caroline. Some even resorted to sabotage, attempting to hinder the relief and reconstruction efforts.
After all, with the citizens receiving cheap or even free supplies from Caroline, the goods these nobles planned to sell at high prices were left to rot. Not to mention the labor contracts Caroline offered, which far surpassed theirs. The loss of a large portion of cheap labor left the nobles unable to exploit and profit as before.
What the nobles found most intolerable was Caroline’s move, under the guise of disaster relief, to start undermining their core interests. She intentionally blurred and reduced the concept of “slavery,” liberating many demi-humans as so-called temporary workers, causing significant losses to the nobility.
Unfortunately, these pampered nobles, accustomed to bullying the common people using their authority, were inept in facing real challenges.
“Lady Lena, that’s roughly the situation. Also, I apologize for my oversight, which led to a massive exodus of the nobility in the Sealed City. Only four families remain now. I hope this won’t affect your future plans.”
When mentioning the “nobility,” Caroline showed a hint of helplessness on her face. She hadn’t anticipated that the nobility of the Dragon Nation could be so ineffectual. With just a little effort, she inadvertently crushed several noble families, causing the so-called exodus.
The remaining four families were the result of her quick action in realizing the direction things were heading. Otherwise, within just half a month, the Sealed City might have completely refreshed its noble class.
Because the opposition was too weak, Caroline, despite being praised by Lena, felt little pride in her accomplishments in Sealed City. On the contrary, what concerned Caroline more was…
“So, Lady Lena, how did you manage to change the stubborn Empress’s mind? And the curse fading from these demi-humans, was that also your doing? How did you achieve all this?”
Caroline had indeed witnessed the dragon chant that resounded throughout the Dragon Nation, as well as the current anomaly among the demi-humans.
She had been sent here in advance precisely for this moment. Despite knowing Lena’s plan in advance, Caroline couldn’t help but admire her princess’s ingenuity and was curious about Lena’s methods, hoping to learn and improve herself.
Now back at her desk, Lena, sitting in a swivel chair with her legs crossed, looked at Caroline, who was earnestly eager to learn. The pink-haired succubus spoke nonchalantly:
“It’s simple. Just send a trusted person to ‘bed’ the Empress.” .
Hearing this, Caroline couldn’t help but regard this “trusted person” mentioned by Lena with great respect. She wondered if she could have persuaded the Empress if Lena had sent her. The answer was obvious – it was impossible.
Hence, it was clear that though Lena spoke lightly of it, the process of convincing the Empress by this “trusted person” must have been extremely challenging and possibly fraught with danger. This made Caroline, as a secretary and also one of Lena’s “trusted”, she felt inferior, realizing that the other person’s abilities far surpassed her own.
Apart from recognizing her shortcomings and striving to improve, Caroline was also puzzled. She was among the earliest followers of Lena and, as her longest-serving personal secretary, she wondered:
“Lady Lena, when did you have such a capable person by your side?”
Responding to her secretary’s confusion, Lena on the swivel chair raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “Why, do you want me to introduce him to you?”
“If it’s allowed, I would be very eager to meet and learn from such a capable person, to share experiences” Caroline replied seriously after some thought.
Unfortunately, all she received was a snicker from the pink-haired succubus opposite her.
Lena gave Caroline a once-over, her longest-serving and most capable and trusted secretary. Due to her external assignment, Caroline’s attire was much more formal than when she was in Sin City.
Dressed in a standard administrative officer’s outfit, she wore a black suit jacket over a classic white shirt, complemented by a brown pencil skirt, black stockings, and high heels. The attire exuded seriousness and a sense of ceremony. Caroline’s usual blonde hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, adding a touch of efficiency to her look. Unfortunately, all of this seemed out of place when matched with Caroline’s figure.
“Milady?”
Caroline stammered as she saw Lena suddenly move close, almost nose to nose with her. Although Lena often played such pranks back in Sin City, this was not their city lord’s bedroom but the office of the Sealed City’s town hall.
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