The continuously accumulating flower poison transforms the bodies of Gojo Family girls into walking "poison vessels."
The meaning behind this, naturally, is to lure those lustful, foolish males into their chambers, using themselves as bait to make them succumb and ultimately die mysteriously.
It is an extreme method that uses bedroom arts to achieve its goals.
This is not only a necessity for the Gojo Family, whose bodies are stained with defiled blood, but also a measure taken to maintain the family's lineage.
In stark contrast to the girls, the Gojo Family boys continuously take an antidote called Konohana Wine.
This is so they can procreate with the girls, who are poison vessels and can even kill high-level ability users.
This repulsive custom stems from a characteristic inherent in the Gojo bloodline.
It determines the generational inheritance of specific magic and skills.
Just as similar skills are easily manifested among elves due to their inherent racial bloodline.
The Gojo founder possessed a lineage specialized in killing.
Kaguya, now over seven years old, already had blood on her hands.
Of course, due to her age, that extreme method of killing hadn't been assigned to her.
But if this kind of life continued, that day would probably arrive sooner or later.
The mentally twisted elders, who could no longer distinguish who the monsters were, shouted slogans of loyalty to the nation, but in reality, it was only to satisfy their perverse lust for power and maintain their exalted status.
And just as she was expressionlessly preparing to accept the elders' daily task assignment, they remained silent.
Kaguya, puzzled, quietly raised her head.
She saw a seductive woman in black, holding the unblinking head of that elder in one hand, looking down at her with an emotionless gaze.
"If you don't want to die, don't make a move. My Master is kind-hearted and doesn't want to create too much slaughter."
Just a simple glance from those eyes.
Kaguya felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar!
Her mind went blank, and her hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
Her killing techniques, which she had once considered outstanding, now lacked the courage to even be used!
Her instincts were frantically warning her that any slight movement would result in her merciless death at the hands of this terrifying individual!
Although her tone was so flat that it carried no killing intent, this was precisely proof that she was already accustomed to slaughter!
Kaguya gritted her teeth, immediately lowered her head, and remained silent.
The woman in black glanced at her.
"Good, you're more sensible than the older ones. Stand up and follow me to the courtyard."
Kaguya forced herself to stand up on her weak legs and followed the woman in black step by step, her mind racing with thoughts about her identity.
Is it a hidden force from another family? Is this a coup?
Or is it an invasion by external forces? But... why didn't the family receive any intelligence?
To be able to infiltrate the Gojo Family silently and kill an elder without any resistance, she must be terrifyingly strong. Such a person would definitely be one of the few formidable existences among the enemy...
However, when she walked into the courtyard, Kaguya's breathing instantly hitched.
She saw that every corner, eave, and courtyard of the entire Gojo Family was densely packed with terrifying presences, all dressed identically to the woman in black!
The woman in black walked up to a woman with neat short hair and respectfully bowed her head.
"Squad Leader, this is the pure girl I found."
The short-haired woman glanced at Kaguya, and the overwhelming pressure almost caused Kaguya's brain to crash on the spot.
She bit her lip tightly, barely managing not to collapse to the ground.
"Not bad... What's her name?"
"It seems to be Kaguya."
"Hmm... Huh?!"
The short-haired woman's eyes widened abruptly, and she carefully scrutinized Kaguya's face. After a long silence, she turned to look at the woman in black.
"Are you new?"
The woman in black was startled and quickly replied respectfully,
"Yes! I was only recently reshaped by Master in the Far East!"
The short-haired woman nodded knowingly and patted her shoulder.
"You've rendered a great service. Take good care of this girl and bring her to the Royal Palace."
"Master should have already suppressed all the gods by now. At this very moment, I fear... he is already selecting targets that can be kept."
Upon the throne of the Royal Palace.
Rod had one foot propped on the ornate armrest of the chair, his right hand casually supporting his chin, while Metria, blushing and not daring to move, was held in his arms.
He sat in a highly impolite, even provocative, posture, observing with interest the three beautiful Goddesses standing respectfully below him like maidservants.
The supreme ruler of the nation—the Sun Goddess Amaterasu.
The Goddess who presides over night and tranquility—Tsukuyomi.
And the Goddess of beauty, symbolizing beauty and prosperity—Konohana Sakuyahime.
The three Goddesses looked at the excessively young man on the throne with incredibly complex emotions.
It was he who, leading that immortal, undying, seemingly hellish black legion, had, in a mere half-day, utterly destroyed their vast Familia alliance's centuries-long rule with overwhelming force.
The so-called alliance was a complete joke in front of that terrifying army.
Finally, Goddess Amaterasu, dressed in lavish robes, let out a soft sigh and gracefully stepped forward.
"How do you intend to deal with us? And how will you handle... this land of the Far East?"
Rod idly played with Metria's soft, silvery-white long hair in his arms.
Although Metria felt it was somewhat disrespectful to do this in front of the three Goddesses, she shyly and obediently let Rod do as he pleased.
"Before that, answer a few questions for me." Rod's gaze fell on Amaterasu, "Goddess Amaterasu, are you the actual ruler of this country?"
Goddess Amaterasu nodded gently, a hint of helplessness in her voice.
"Although I mostly let the children manage this country themselves, I... can indeed be considered the supreme ruler."
Rod raised an eyebrow. He scrutinized the beautiful and resolute Goddess before him, then suddenly scoffed.
"You gods, your divine power is sealed in the lower world, not your brains, is it?"
"I'm very curious, how could you, who are now omniscient and powerless, possess the means to easily read minds, the supreme authority to bewitch human intellect, and also control the only method in this world to enhance your subordinates' strength... manage to run this country into its current dilapidated state?"
"A tiny place, yet the imperial court is full of sycophancy, constant factional strife, and internal friction; the powerful enjoy luxury and extravagance. But outside the capital, there are widespread conflicts, rampant monsters, and people suffering."
"It's become like this, and you even insist on isolationism. Can you tell me what exactly you're thinking?"
The methods these gods possess, if given to any emperor in a Central Plains dynasty, even Liu Shan would be able to unify the Central Plains. In the hands of founding emperors, unifying the world would be a cinch.
Even if Hestia were in charge, it wouldn't be this bad.
And speaking of Goddesses of beauty, if Freya were in this position, she would have long turned the entire nation into absolutely loyal berserkers.
So he truly didn't understand how these Goddesses, working together, managed to run such a small island nation to the point of being on the verge of collapse.
The Goddesses exchanged glances, speechless, and all showed expressions of shame.
Goddess Amaterasu bowed her noble head even lower, and for the first time, her usually dignified face showed an inexpressible shame and bitterness.
She opened her mouth, but found herself unable to find any words to defend her dereliction of duty.
Beside her, Tsukuyomi, dressed in a black kimono, spoke slowly, complex emotions flickering in her clear eyes.
"Actually... we hoped that the children could grow independently without our interference."
Rhode couldn't help but burst out laughing, his laughter echoing through the empty palace, filled with undisguised mockery.
"Are you kidding me? Don't you know that your very existence is the greatest interference with the human political system?"
"And is this why you, who can see through the loyalties and betrayals, the good and evil, in the imperial court, allow those parasites to run rampant?"
"Is this why you, who know that outside the capital, the starving lie everywhere, still turn a blind eye?"
The Goddess of Beauty, Konohana Sakuyahime, whose beauty could eclipse the moon and put flowers to shame, had long, black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall.
She slowly opened her obsidian-like eyes, which were usually closed, and quietly looked at the young man on the throne, letting out a soft sigh.
"No matter what judgment you pass on us, we have nothing to say in response and will gladly accept it."
"Now, we only want to know, how will you… manage this country?"
Rhode had painstakingly uprooted all the violent institutions of this country, and naturally, it wasn't just to come and mock them.
Rather, his intentions had never been concealed from the very beginning.
"Thoroughly investigate the powerful officials and bureaucrats, judge them strictly according to the law, and publicly declare their crimes on the streets before executing them."
"Abolish the aristocratic system, reorganize the administrative structure, and appoint people based on merit."
"Confiscate the mansions of corrupt individuals, gather funds, and use them to aid disaster victims."
"Measure the fields… count the population… dispatch troops to clear out the monsters rampaging in the wilderness… establish facilities to house homeless orphans…"
Rhode spoke for only half a minute, and these ideas, which transcended the current era, left the three goddesses speechless, dispelling any lingering doubts in their hearts.
Metria, in his arms, even cast him a gaze of worship and longing.
Of course, many people can say these grand words; the difficulty lies in how to execute them.
But when you have a shadow army that grows larger the more you kill and is absolutely loyal, then the complex power game of governing a country naturally switches to the simplest mode instantly.
Goddess Amaterasu looked deeply at Rhode, a complex light flickering in her golden eyes.
"Your origin… never mind, it's no longer important."
"If you can truly accomplish what you've said, then what if this country is handed over to you?"
Tsukuyomi coughed softly beside her, reminding her in a low voice.
"Um… Sister, in fact, theoretically, this country already belongs to him. We… can't resist at all."
Goddess Amaterasu's cheeks flushed slightly, and she glared fiercely at her sister.
You, tell me something I don't know!
Even if I'm criticized as utterly useless, I still want to retain some dignity in front of humans, can't I?!
However, Rhode's indifferent voice echoed throughout the entire palace.
"You seem to have misunderstood something."
"Becoming my subject is a supreme grace, and the benevolent governance I implement will only be for those loyal to me."
"I have no reason whatsoever to painstakingly care for a group of burdens unrelated to me. If you truly want me to take over this country, you should, on the contrary… beg me."
As his words fell, the entire palace fell into a dead silence.
The goddesses, once high above, opened their mouths but couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
Money, status, army… the things a country could offer were precisely what this young man needed least.
Goddess Amaterasu sighed inwardly.
She never imagined that one day, they, the high and mighty gods, would have to beg a mortal and personally hand over their country.
However, they, who fundamentally loved humanity, would ultimately make only one choice from beginning to end.
The three goddesses bowed their noble waists in unison, deeply lowering their heads.
"We… implore you, save this country. Guide it… towards a future where everyone can be well-fed, no longer suffer from hunger, and live without constant worry."
Rhode finally sat up straight this time, looking down from his elevated position at the goddesses bowing before him.
"Will all the dependents of this country unconditionally carry out my orders?"
Goddess Amaterasu replied without the slightest hesitation.
"As long as you can make it more prosperous, we will all be your most steadfast supporters."
Rhode didn't answer immediately, instead tapping his index finger lightly on the armrest.
Metria secretly marveled.
In the past, people most often heard of mortals praying to gods, but now, in front of Rhode, everything was reversed.
Such an absurd and preposterous scene, yet the gods in the room all found it to be perfectly natural.
As expected of my Prince Charming…
Rhode was currently looking at the system panel that popped up, feeling immensely pleased.
[A-rank wish has been issued.]
[Issuer: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Konohana Sakuyahime.]
[Content: Manage the Far East Country into a nation where everyone is well-fed and free from monster threats.]
[Reward: A random ability from one of the three goddesses, and corresponding wish points.]
Heh heh, indeed, I knew it!
Aside from saving Kaguya, Rhode's purpose for this trip was to deliberately guide the situation to its current state, to test whether he could trigger a goddess's wish.
The last time he triggered a god's wish was the beginner's gift package given by Erebus.
However, the task triggered this time (Li De De) was fundamentally different from transforming the City of Sinners.
Transforming the City of Sinners into a normal city was not difficult.
But to manage the entire Far East Country into a prosperous nation, if he didn't forcefully 'transfuse blood' and initiate a 'pig-rearing mode,' it would probably take a lot of time and effort.
Although directly getting a goddess's authority for free wasn't a loss, Rhode currently didn't have an extremely urgent need.
Moreover, in his dominion, his subjects should be supporting him; if he did that, wouldn't he just become a worker again?
Rhode looked up at the three goddesses waiting for his response, and with a wave of his hand.
"As a condition of exchange, you need to sign this contract."
The content of the contract was precisely the wish the three goddesses had just made.
And the price they had to pay was—to become Rhode's subordinate deities.
Goddess Amaterasu, upon seeing this incredible contractual power that surpassed even divine authority, was startled for a moment, then looked at Rhode with burning eyes.
"So you were after us all along…"
Rhode's lips curved into a slight smile; he didn't refute her.
After all, apart from a few goddesses, there were only a handful of people on the entire island nation he would covet.
"If you want me to take on this mess, you naturally have to pay the corresponding price."
Konohana Sakuyahime sighed.
"This ability that can even bind gods… truly worthy of a being from another world."
Tsukuyomi, however, was more curious about something else.
"Have you contracted other gods before us?"
Rhode thought for a moment and casually said.
"Hela, Lavellna, Morrigan… if you're not familiar with them, you should know Izanami."
This name made the three goddesses pause, their expressions becoming somewhat complex.
"I see, so you've been to the City of Sinners."
After not much hesitation, the goddesses signed the contract that would determine their lives.
Even setting aside their concern for the country, the unknown myriad worlds symbolized by the contract had already made them feel a faint sense of eagerness.
With the contract signed, Rhode now had three more beautiful goddesses under his command.