Lilith was just about to close the interface, satisfied with securing the food supplies, when the chat window flared with a joyful green light once again.
Forest Fairy Izera: "Wait, wait! Don't run off yet! Since you're developing your domains so vigorously, maybe you'd be interested in herb seeds? I have a few truly rare specimens here that might be useful to you!"
Lilith paused, resting a hand on her chin. Although Izera had an incredible talent for seed production, her powers had limits, as shown by the delay with the potato order. On the other hand, a huge portion of the Fields of Spirit Cultivation still lay fallow, wasting its potential. Since the earth was pulsing with magic anyway, she might as well plant something more valuable than mere calories.
Lilith: "Show me your catalog. Let's see what you're hiding in those gardens of yours."
Izera immediately sent over the list, and Lilith began scanning it with growing interest. Two items caught her eye immediately:
Life Herb: Normal growth period is one and a half years. It has phenomenal healing properties and regenerates HP instantly.
Lunar Ginseng: Takes two years to grow. Crucial for MP and stamina regeneration.
Lilith smiled to herself and began to type. This time, the bargaining wasn't a brutal fight over every copper, but an elegant exchange of pleasantries between two professionals who knew they needed each other.
Lilith: "Izera, these herbs take ages to grow. That's a huge risk for a grower. But... I like a challenge. How about 3 Life Herb seeds for 1 gold?"
Forest Fairy Izera: "Oh, Lilith, you're wounding my tiny heart! A year and a half of waiting is no joke. 1 for 1 gold is already a promotion!"
Lilith: "Give me 2 for 1 gold on a thousand-piece order, and I'll add an order for the Ginseng at 1 for 1 gold. That's steady income other fairies can only dream of."
Forest Fairy Izera: "Ach, you're impossible! Fine, so be it. Your aura of persuasion even works through the chat!"
Ultimately, Lilith purchased 1,000 Life Herb seeds for 500 gold and 500 Lunar Ginseng seeds for another 500 gold. A single thought throbbed in her mind: "The more food and medicine I have, the greater my advantage."
In this way, Lilith practically monopolized Izera's entire production capacity. The fairy, thanks to the regular transfers from her "favorite client," earned thousands of gold pieces in a short time, likely becoming the wealthiest Demon King of her race.
A moment later, the golden pipe materialized over the fields again, this time spitting out tiny, shimmering herb seeds.
***
In the distant Valley of a Thousand Flowers, bathed in eternal sunlight, an atmosphere of joyful madness reigned. In the heart of this paradise, above a crystalline pond, hovered Izera. Her blue wings vibrated so fast they blurred into a colorful smear, and she spun in the air, performing a series of euphoric somersaults.
"Oh my, oh my, oh my! This is incredible!" she squeaked softly, joyful sparks of magic showering from her vine-like hair. "Ten thousand potatoes! A thousand Life Herbs! Five hundred Ginsengs! Lilith is... she's just a walking gold mine!"
The fairy landed on the calyx of a gigantic purple orchid, which bent slightly under her weight. She summoned her interface and stared with devout focus at the gold coin counter. The digits were growing at a rate that made her head swim. Thousands of gold pieces. She was rich. Likely the richest of all the Flower Fey to ever walk this world.
Suddenly she grew serious, and her small face took on an expression of absolute determination. "I must tie myself to her," she muttered, clenching her tiny fists. "This Lilith... she isn't an ordinary Demon King. She is a powerhouse. If I become her exclusive supplier, I'll be safe and fabulously wealthy. I must become her favorite merchant. Unconditionally!"
Izera took off from the flower and flew to her green altar, which was now pulsing with powerful energy. She took a deep breath, and her aura flared with an intense emerald light. She began to hum an ancient, melodic incantation of Nature Summoning.
Under her fingers, the air rippled. Dozens of small, luminous orbs began to emerge from the altar, changing with a soft pop into Lesser Flower Fairies. They were smaller than Izera, with simpler wings and hair made of moss, but their eyes burned with an eagerness to work.
Within minutes, a veritible army hovered around Izera - nearly a hundred new workers.
"Listen to me carefully, my little ones!" Izera called out, raising a hand to silence the joyful chatter. "We have the order of the century! From our most important, most wonderful client, the Great Lilith! We cannot let her down!"
The fairy began flying among them, delegating tasks with the precision of a general. "You ten, to the Garden of Life immediately! I need a thousand healing seeds, boosted with sun magic! You twenty, to the Lunar Grottoes! The Ginseng must grow at record speed, understood?! And the rest..." Izera hovered over the largest clearing, where the soil was most fertile, "...the rest get to work on the Giga Potatoes! I want to see a sea of seedlings by sunset!"
The Valley of a Thousand Flowers turned into a bustling hive. The lesser fairies scurried as if in a trance. Some danced around flower buds, accelerating their bloom and seed harvest, while others carried tiny droplets of magical dew to water the most demanding seedlings. All that could be heard was the hum of hundreds of wings and quiet, rhythmic growth incantations.
Izera herself was not idle. She flew from group to group, personally overseeing the quality of every seed that went into special baskets woven from leaves. Every grain passing through her hands gained an extra shimmer - a mark of her personal involvement.
"Everything must be perfect," she murmured, polishing a rare Giga Potato seed. "Lilith will get goods the likes of which this world has never seen. She'll be so delighted she won't even think of looking for another supplier."
Izera made every possible effort to ensure her production was flawless. She knew that in this ruthless world, the loyalty of a client as powerful as Lilith was the most precious capital, more precious even than the gold she so passionately counted. She was determined to become indispensable to Lilith, and her valley - her exclusive, magical granary.
***
Lilith let a long, trembling sigh of satisfaction out of her lungs. She closed the trade interface, feeling the pleasant chill emanating from the obsidian walls of their new fortress. She was just about to turn to Lysandra to comment on their staggering profits when she suddenly felt someone's presence behind her.
Before she could react, Lysandra - in her human form - was right beside her. Her strong arms wrapped around the Monarch's waist, and her hands, with a sure, possessive movement, traveled upward, firmly grasping Lilith's breasts.
"Ah-nnh...!" a short, unexpected moan escaped Lilith's throat, echoing off the high vault of the throne room.
She felt Lysandra gently but firmly squeeze her body, her fingers exploring every curve with predatory precision. Lilith felt her knees grow slightly weak, and her breath became ragged.
"Lysandra... what are you... mmn-ah..." she tried to protest, but another moan betrayed how much her body craved this touch.
The succubus leaned into Lilith's ear, her hot breath fanning the sensitive skin of her neck. "Kala and Mina are nearby, My Lady," she murmured in a low, vibrating voice. "You don't have to worry about the energy you generate crushing me."
Lilith tried to gather her thoughts to maintain a shred of authority, but Lysandra's hands were merciless. "You've worked so hard over the last few days," the succubus continued, her hand beginning to move slowly lower toward her hips. "This castle, these fields, all this power... it's all thanks to you. I think it's high time for the reward you so richly deserve."
Lilith, struggling with the rising heat, choked out: "If not for the help of the three of you... I wouldn't have succeeded... without you I'd just be... ah!"
Lysandra smiled gently, genuine devotion flashing in her eyes. "That is our role in this world, Lilith. To help you soar so high that no one dares to stain your shadow. But now... now focus only on me."
Lysandra's hand was already sliding dangerously low, brushing the Monarch's thighs, and Lilith tilted her head back, preparing for what was to come. And then, at the most critical moment, the silence of the castle was torn by a loud, insistent knocking at the main gates.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Lilith flinched as if struck by lightning. Taking advantage of Lysandra's moment of surprise, she nimbly slipped from her embrace, feverishly shifting into her demonic form. Her face burned red, and her heart was still beating like crazy.
"I'll go... I'll go see what happened!" she threw out quickly, nearly running toward the entrance, just to escape her subordinate's magnetic gaze.
Lysandra was left in the middle of the hall with her hands raised, having held a treasure only moments before. She snorted loudly, her face twisting into a grimace of pure frustration. "Dammit..." she growled under her breath, clenching her fists. "Whoever is at that door better have a good reason."
With a heavy sigh and fury etched on her face, she followed after her Mistress, ready to tear to shreds anyone who dared interrupt them at such a perfect moment.