After Sariel was born, Obsidianis made a deal with the girls and monopolized Liu Shu for an entire week. During this week, both spent time much like a honeymoon. If their eyes even did as little as cross together, Obsidianis would pounce and make sure Liu Shu was moisturized deep inside at every single hour of the day.
With Liu Shu's ridiculous fertility, just the first day was enough to make her precious seeds surrender to the vigorous release of her lover. Even then, Obsidianis made 200% sure that Liu Shu would get pregnant.
After that week, Obsidianis reappeared with a tired, haggard, yet very satisfied face, while our little and adorable Liu Shu bounced back with a big, radiant, and energetic smile.
Harmonixia laughed and asked. "Are you alive?"
Obsidianis answered with a raspy voice. "I'll go to sleep… Don't wake me up tomorrow."
The woman slipped into the shadows and returned to her room within Black. Meanwhile, Liu Shu trotted over to Seraphina, poking the cheeks of her new baby and kissing her face with endless love. "How is my little Sariel doing~?"
Sariel, still an infant but much grown than before, smiled and giggled. Her face was angelic, but the messages popping up in front of them were far from those of an angel.
[You've resisted mental influence!]
[You've resisted emotional draining!]
[You've resisted mental influence!]
[You've resisted emotional draining!]
Liu Shu blinked and chuckled. "You little thing~. If you are hungry, you just need to ask mommy."
She took her from Seraphina's arms and began feeding her. Of course, our Liu Shu sat on Seraphina's back, being hugged by her as she did so. A sigh full of comfort escaped Liu Shu. "This is nice."
The rest of the girls shook their heads, their eyes somewhat complicated. The
"So…" Liu Shu glanced around and asked. "Did you all come here to get the starships?"
After all, the girls should've been on the frontlines. While the enemy had yet to advance, there were small conflicts at the edges of the domain. The mercenaries Liu Shu took over were doing most of the work together with Liu Shu's vanguard army, but that didn't mean that top-tier fighters like these six were not needed.
At their current distance, the girls would need about two and a half years to return to the front lines.
Cinderielle spoke with a nod. "As we told you, we are waiting for them to reach Level 100 and take them with us. Your domain effects reach out everywhere, so they don't need to be planted here. We can teach the first few
Liu Shu hummed and nodded. Among her Lignified children, these would most likely be the ones that perish the most. Even though, as Lignified Structures, they had plenty of buffs and durability enhancements, these dears would be the ones leaving her domain the most often.
Once outside her range, few buffs would remain on them. So, in wars outside, starships would be targeted first. Liu Shu sighed softly. Sadly, there was absolutely no way around this. The only path was building normal starships as well and using the
However, in terms of resources needed, normal starcrafts needed several times those of a
As a Lignified Structure, her starcraft babies could Level Up, Ascend, and grow with time. While a normal starcraft was ready to use right after completion, these darlings would need quite a bit of time to reach high levels.
Nevertheless, the source of those Levels was mostly Experience Points. Other materials would be needed to make their
"Hm…" Liu Shu pondered, her fingers gently stroking through Sariel's smooth, white locks.
Cinderielle spoke softly. "We will eventually build normal starships."
"Hm?" Liu Shu frowned. If she considered things objectively, that decision was faulty and unnecessary. Although Liu Shu loved all her babies, she was also a World Tree and rational in many aspects.
This situation was similar to that of her ant sisters. While she loved them dearly, it was the truth that the ants were the perfect fodder soldiers. Ignatia accepted it, Liu Shu accepted it, and even with their precautions, their role probably won't ever be changed.
After all, the time and resources needed for a single Level 200 ant were several times less than those used for a Level 200 human. Their numbers were also monstrous, comparable to even the surface population.
If one were to look at Ceperet, the Moon, and even the space around the worlds with a "section view," they would notice countless, complex intersecting tunnels, ant cities, and paths. Ants mastering space attributes were rare, but not low. Moreover, Liu Shu's buffs could give affinities toward basically most elements. Finally, and most importantly, Liu Shu didn't need to hold back any buffs with them.
Her adorable ant sisters were all firmly loyal, and even when they had started to gain "normal intelligence," the very idea of an ant betraying her was so foreign and unreal that Liu Shu never even thought of it. Liu Shu would, without a second thought, present her very core to any of her ant sisters and not feel danger of it being destroyed.
That was the level of trust she had in them.
"Reasons."
Cinderielle's words should not have been based on emotion. Liu Shu understood that her lovers were not at the very top of the Golden Sap Empire because they were her wives. On the contrary, their competence was… monstrous. Knowing how the law and culture worked, many had tried to steal their positions. The fact that they were Liu Shu's wives was a personal matter that could not be brought up when discussing government positions.
And yet, not a single individual who challenged them had ever come close to achieving anything even remotely resembling a victory. Cinderielle and the other five crushed their competition with raw talent, competence, and results.
Cinderielle spoke. "It is true that crafting starships is more costly than your children. However, what about those Star Reaching starships that go through uncommon or jackpot evolutions? The fact that they can
Liu Shu nodded, but that didn't mean that building starships would be profitable. However, Cinderielle's next point made Liu Shu reconsider. "Those starships can become elites. You won't treat a general the same as you treat a foot soldier. A structure like that needs to appear within them as well. They will be, after all, the very foundation on which our armies stand in any interstellar war."
Liu Shu hummed, and Cinderielle drove the point home. "Therefore, while building those starships is cheaper, we need
The reasoning was sound, and while it did have a slight bias just for the consideration, it didn't negate the points Cinderielle made. Therefore, Liu Shu nodded. "Alright, I'll try to develop a more… disposable starship that can act as equipment."
Her eyes shone with many thoughts, and then, her mind imagined the Star Reaching Lignified Starship surrounded by "adaptable" starships. They could act as pure technological armor. Moreover, if Liu Shu used woodcrafting, perhaps creating starship armor was not a complete impossibility.
Her Avatar's eyes became slightly dull as the thoughts were transmitted to her main consciousness. The Avatar smiled at them. "That's a good idea. I'll take it into account."
However, even when she was acting as usual, the girls instantly noticed that her eyes were slightly less lively. They chuckled. Verdantia smiled. "It seems you liked the idea."
"Yes. It is a very good idea. Hehe. Thank you, Cinderielle. Although it might take several years to develop, I believe I can eventually do it."
Seraphina patted her head. "You can. You are a crafting genius."
Just the
So, time passed while the starships grew, and the girls visited the
During this time, another important event occurred. After five months, Liu Shu came to term, and the girls once more gathered within her
Liu Shu was sweating quite a bit this time. The pain she was feeling was not only physical, but also strangely emotional. She knew that this was the effect of the child, so she didn't feel resentful and fully accepted her.
Her motherly heart to accept her children's faults as they were would not falter because this deep pain was inflicted on her. On the contrary, her mind became several times more resilient and focused on safely delivering the child.
"Aaaahh!"
A scream escaped her throat, unable to contain it anymore. The baby had gone past her cervix already and began crawling out. Obsidianis noticed the deep malice pouring out, but she was not fearful, only worried. She had learned about all Darkness-type Alraune, and almost all of them were quite… a handful. Even in terms of appearance, few were considered conventionally beautiful.
So, while she wouldn't mind, she was hoping that one of the beautiful species would be born so that her children would have a better time in the future. What poked out of Liu Shu first was not the head, but a long, pale arm surrounded by a few black tentacles.
The arm gripped the bedsheet and then pulled, forcing the rest of her body out. Liu Shu's back arched in pain as she screamed once more. "Aaaaahhh!"
Obsidianis saw that, and while it looked horrific, her heart settled somewhat. It was not the best option, not by far. However, in terms of appearance, it was, outwardly at least, a species that was not completely monstrous.
The newborn looked like a pale, ghostly infant with pulsing black veins across its body. From her shoulders, back, and even lower half, several black tentacles wriggled about looking like twisted flowers.
The infant's eyes were pitch black with clear whites, and the deep black hair looked like a curtain of darkness. But among those terrifying features, only her lips looked deep red. So, if she had her mouth closed, she looked like a beautiful yet terrifying ghost doll.
"Wahhh!"
The alraune cried with the tone of a wailing banshee, and her mouth opened well past the edge of her lips, showing a monstrous mouth full of sharp teeth and tentacles wriggling at the back of her throat.
[Your mind is being attacked!]
[Your sanity is being eroded!]
[You've been affected by
[You've resisted!]
[You've resisted!]
[You've resisted!]
Liu Shu, drenched in sweat, looked at Obsidianis. She heaved tiredly. "G-Give her to me."
Obsidianis quickly nodded and placed the alraune on her chest. As if smelling something good. The tentacles at the back of her throat coiled around Liu Shu's nipple, and her mouth chomped around her breast gently. The wailing cry disappeared, followed by the sound of the alraune's gulps.
The girls looked at everything with blank faces, trying their very best not to show any rude expression toward Obsidianis's child. Verdantia sighed deeply. "So, it was a
Obsidianis chuckled, looking at her child lovingly and caressing her tentacles softly. "At least it's not one of the worst options. Difficult to handle, but not impossible."
Cinderielle and the others became deeply curious about Darkness-type Alraunes. They wondered… if this little living nightmare was not considered one of the worst, what was!?