CLAP! CLAP!
"Alright, listen up you bastards!"
I roared, clapping my hands, gaining the attention of the hundreds and thousands of people of every race in front of me. After a nice warm bath, I called for all of my offspring, lovers, and the rest in the main square of my city, where I had very bad news for them.
"From this day on," I announced, taking a good look around, "no free food will be given."
I purposely waited a few seconds for the chaos to start. And I wasn't disappointed, instantly the noise grew louder.
"WHAT!"
"Mother! Are you serious?!"
"This has to be a joke?!"
"Why all this out of nowhere?"
"Booo!....This is bullshit...Booo!"
The response was everything I expected. But what I didn't like was for my firstborn to hide in the crowd and boo at her mother.
"BOOO– Eh?" Just as Ember was about to start a protest she blinked and found herself in front of me, just an inch away from her face.
"Hello Dear." I flashed a gentle smile, taking from my inventory the same flat stick I used to punish her last time.
"Hi...Mom?" her voice cracked, sweat ran down her cheek. She wanted to escape but just looking at my eyes was enough for her to gulp and surrender.
"Good girl." I patted her head with my left hand, while my right one carried the flat stick gently rubbing the flat end on her exposed furry ass cheeks.
Ember's tail, which had been definitely twitching just moments before, now drooped between her legs. Her ears usually perked with mischievous energy, flattened against her head. The gentle rub of the stick on her backside sent shivers down her spine, but not the good kind. It was a shiver of dread, a clear memory of the last time this particular 'discipline tool' had made an appearance.
"Now, Ember," I continued, my voice still deceptively sweet, "we've talked about this, haven't we? About showing proper respect to your mother."
"And booing? Really, dear? It seems you've forgotten that particular lesson already."
I shook my head as the flat end of the stick gently circled across the surface of her ass cheeks, grazing the tufts of her fur and making her skin crawl. It was going to be such a shame having to teach her again, but somebody had to learn their lessons.
Ember swallowed hard, her eyes darting nervously toward the hundreds of thousands of faces in the crowd, all now utterly silent, watching the unfolding drama with a mixture of fear and morbid fascination. A few of her siblings even snickered, quickly stifling it when my gaze flicked their way.
"N-no, Mom," Ember stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "I-I didn't mean it. It was just... a reflex! A protest reflex! You know how I get when there's no food!"
True, Ember loved food above almost anything, save myself, Luna, or sex. She consumed a large quantity of food every day. But that's not my problem anymore, she needs to learn how to get her own food now, and everyone needs to learn. I love them all and I'll do anything for them but not like this. They need to grow up.
SMACK!
"Awwo!" Ember yelped, her tail shooting up as the flat stick made its firm introduction. The soft fur on her butt jiggled pleasantly and a red imprint soon came into view.
I let the moment hang in the air, every eye glued to the square, every throat too dry to speak.
"Let this be a reminder," I said, slowly circling Ember, who now stood frozen in place, cheeks puffed and red from embarrassment—and not just the ones on her face. "Even my beloved children aren't above the rules."
A hint of satisfaction crept into Ember's face and I could smell her deliciously wet folds from where I was. Clearly, she had gotten the wrong idea about the whole punishment.
Such a naughty wolf.
"As I said," I turned facing the crowd, "No free food from here on. If you want to get food then earn it!"
"Can I ask how Mother?" The one who asked the question was Luna, standing in the front lines of the crowd.
"Very simple, you buy it with this." A grin slowly formed on my face as I pulled out from my inventory three metal coins: copper, silver, and gold.
"A hundred copper coins is one silver, a hundred silver coins is one gold," I spoke, lifting a palm full of shining golden coins high, catching the light perfectly. "You can earn these coins in the Nightmare Tower by slaying monsters inside."
In the crowd, many widened their eyes in realization, and quickly opened their inventories, pulling out the coins they earned inside the tower.
Now with my city nearly finished, it was time for my other plans to take form and the first important one is to establish an economy. Food is my starting point, it would push more people into the Nightmare Tower, the battles are brutal and risky but with high rewards for those who are brave and willing enough.
As for the non-combat types like the rabbit-kin or the holstaur, this won't be a problem as we have already built mills, farmlands, and livestock, which will help in getting more food and help introduce everyone into the system.
Of course, we can't forget about the pleasure economy as BarterBro described it: brothels and breeding houses will be open and running. As the goddess of breeding, my city's main goal is of course breeding.
I will make this city a beacon of debauchery, depravity, and lust. People from all over the world would come here for a night of pleasure and leave with a big smile and a big belly.
"..."
A ripple of activity spread across the crowd as more people checked their inventories. Glints of copper and silver shimmered in the air, held aloft by hopeful hands.
"See?" I said, gesturing at them. "You already have the currency. You just didn't know it had value—until now."
"One more thing," I said, silencing the crowd. "The armory will be open tomorrow and everyone can go and grab a free weapon and armor as a startup. This will help your journey."
"Any questions?" I asked, scanning the crowd.
"What about the city?" From within the crowd, a big fluffy werewolf stepped forward, my adorable—only in my eyes—Fenrir. "If everyone entered the tower, who would stay to defend the city, Mother?"
"Good question." I smiled, admiring how smart my wolfy grandson was. "The city defense is important, however, you don't have to worry about it for now. My barrier will protect us for the time being. You just have to focus on leveling up in the tower."
"I see." Fenrir nodded and bowed back, taking his spot in the crowd.
"Excellent," I said, my voice filled with satisfaction. "I'm glad you understand, Fenrir. Your concern for the city's defense is noted and appreciated. But for now, your focus should be on growing stronger. The more powerful you become, the better you'll be able to protect not only yourselves but also our beloved city."
I turned to address the crowd once more, my voice booming with authority.
"In three days we'll set off for the first goblin village. There we will teach them a lesson and burn their settlement. After that, we will do the same to the next settlement, and the one after that until every goblin in the land is dead."
The crowd cheered, pumping their fists and howling at the sky. Even my goblin kids were happy to hear it—well, their loyalty to me is beyond any doubt, and they have no problem slaying their kin.
"Now go and prepare, this will be a long fight," I concluded, and the crowd quickly dispersed.
Using my mental link, I sent a message to certain individuals to gather inside of my castle, for the first official meeting.
...
"Greetings Mother." Luna, Ember, Azura, Scarlett, and Fenrir bowed before me, showing respect. Rhea, Celeste, Leaf, and Sukal also bowed, although they did so after a little delay.
"Come," I waved at the large round table in front of us, "let's take a seat."
My children were the first ones. They sat down next to each other on the right side of the table. The rest sat down opposite, with Rhea and Celeste fighting for the chair next to mine on the left.
I only chuckled, finding the scene funny. Soon Eir stepped inside the room, and her giant wings almost smashed a chandelier. She stood behind me like a guardian, but I shook my head and gestured for her to sit. The last one to arrive was Arwen and the moment she stepped inside her eyes immediately landed on the only other elf in my city, Leaf.
'Oh... they look different.' I thought about how different Arwen, a High Elf, and Leaf, a Wood Elf. Aside from the hair color, and the magical aura, the most noticeable difference was the ears.
Leaf's ears were thin, pointy, and going up. As for Arwen's, they grew sideways almost horizontally.
"Good, everyone is present," I spoke, looking at each one of their faces. "Let us begin."