Today was the day of offerings, so Chocolate decided to bake three cakes: one for her God, one for her lover, and one for her brother.
Chocolatey hummed as she dressed and looked around for a pantry on her and her brother's farm. She kept a lot of fresh pickled demon meat, and a small demon in an iron birdcage. The demon looked at her with his big eyes. "Kill me," the demon begged. "Send me back to hell, you crazy wolf."
"We'll talk about it later," Chocolate replied happily, looking into the cage. "I need eggs." Savou
euse gave her one of her own, but it was not enough to make three cakes.
The little devil looked into the straw and gave her four black eggs. "Only four?" Chocolate complained, putting the eggs in the basket. “Twice as little as last week!”
"I'm hungry," the imp complained.
"But I keep giving you meat!"
"Devil meat! I would rather starve to death than eat my relatives!"
Chocolate Girl rolled her eyes. Cursing souls and working for lichs is okay, but cannibalism is not? What's the logic behind this? "I'd give you a homeless prosecutor if I found one, but they're becoming rarer and rarer . Or a native. Do you little devils eat dwarves?"
The little devil nodded energetically, and Chocolate made a mental note to ask Juris for the leftovers. She put sugar, baking powder and some strawberries that Rollo had given her last week into a basket, then moved to the pig pen outside the pasture to milk her cow Raisin, harvesting three bottles. She took a second to examine the pig pen; unlike the prickly imp, they happily accepted the demon's flesh, growing fatter and sprouting little horns. As animal husbandry develops further, she will create a new species of demon pig to sustain the village.
People think she's weird, but that's because she cares. As a priestess of Isengum, her duty is to maintain the balance of nature, and a village filled with flesh-eating monsters presents her with unique problems that she must solve. One day, she'll find a way to make this community sustainable, even if she has to keep importing food from Hell.
Vesta then went to the kitchen to bake and found blood everywhere, even in the oven. "Did I forget to clean?" she asked herself aloud. She'll do it tonight. There's nothing better than smelling sheep's blood while cooking.
After an hour of steady work, she finished three strawberry cakes, the most beautiful she had ever made. Each one she shaped like a heart; a symbol, not an organ. She tried it once, but it didn't work.
Congratulations! For using ethically questionable ingredients to create a delicious cake filled with love, you’re on [Mo
ste
Patissie
] got a new level!
+30 HP, +1 AGI, +1 SKI, +1 CHA, +1 LCK!
Another level for that class? At this rate, she'll be reaching level 30 in no time!
She had just finished eating when the enticing aroma of the croissant drew her into the kitchen. "Good morning, sister."
"Good morning, brother." Chocolat put the gift in his lunch bag and gave it to him. "It's Charlene's cake with extra flavor."
"Thank you, sister. Are you sure there will be no side effects? I took a bite of the last piece of cake."
"I told you, that was a birthday mock cake, not my cake!" Ever since her Victor heavily promoted every monster he could find in preparation for Mu
mu
i
Since the war, Chocolat has had no end of trouble with these shapeshifters. "My dessert hasn't killed anyone yet!"
Croissant glared at her but took the cake away. "Why three?" he asked, noticing the other two lunch bags she had prepared. "One is for Icingrim, where's the other one?"
"This is for the person I like." Chocolati
e replied, without mentioning a name. She knew her brother couldn't stand her Victor because he weakened him politically.
"When are you going to tell me who it is?"
"So you let him escape like the last one?"
"I didn't chase him, I ate him," Croissant defended himself. "Judging by the taste, you're too good for him."
"You can't eat my new love, bro" Of course, she knew Victor would laugh it off, but her brother's overprotectiveness annoyed her. "How would you react if I ate Charlene?"
"It's great," Croissant admitted. "At least promise me, this time it won't be a savage."
"No, he's much cleaner." Chocolate said happily, picked up two lunch bags, and left home with his brother. "He's strong, charming, powerful."
"Well, you can introduce him to me after you catch him." Croissant shrugged when they separated. He went to Charlene's office and she went to the temple. "Maybe we'll hit it off."
She doubted it.
Chocolat happily came to the temple where she and Allison lived together and found the fairy who prayed to the goddess with Rollo. The golem brought a sheep and asked Cybele to bless it. "Take the cow." Rollo touched the sheep and activated his Pe
k, the sheep were divided into two, four, and eight.
Chocolate waved to the two before going to satisfy her god's needs. She placed the cake in front of Isengrim's deer statue, knelt down and said a prayer. "God of the Hunt, King of Beasts, I offer you my sacrifice. I ask for your blessing. You are the white deer that walks in the summer woods, the messenger of spring. Oh, Ishim, please Accept my gift."
With the prayer, she sent some SP to her God and the cake disappeared from the altar. Her master had accepted the offering.
"Chocolate, my favorite Vesta, your cake is delicious!" The deer statue's eyes sparkled, and the god Isengrim spoke in his young, cheerful voice. "You have done a good job in maintaining the natural balance of Mervin, driving away the power of the Lich Freebon, and accelerating the extinction of demons. I am proud of you, keep up the hard work!"
"Thank you, sir." Chocolate nodded. "May I ask for your guidance, Issingham?"
"Of course. What troubles you, my boy?"
"There is a boy I want to have a baby with, but he doesn't want to. How do I have a baby with him?"
"Is that the Victor you've been praying about?" Chocolate nodded enthusiastically. "Is he married?"
"No." If that was the problem, Chocolate would have solved it long ago. She had a lot of poison in her pantry. "He's single, even though he doesn't like being single."
"Have you ever offered to sleep with him during mating season?"
"Yes, I did, but he said he didn't want to ruin our friendship."
"Since I am the God of the Hunt, those kinds of animals avoid me. I will ask my friend Cybele, the God of Love, to advise you. Otherwise, try perfume. The sweeter the smell, the more likely you are to be unaware of it. Catch the prey without mercy.”
"Thank you, great Ishim!"
"Good luck, Chocolate!"
The priestess finished her prayer, and the light obscured the statue's eyes. She discovers that Alison and Rollo have finished her own prayer. "Choc, are you free tonight?" the dryad asked her. "We need pest-proof spells to help protect this culture from predation."
"Happy". She owed the dryad a favor. When Victor tries to make a move on her, proving that this "friendship" can be overcome, Allison says she likes girls - which is true, but she also likes boys - to avoid him. The sisters resisted! "Do you think we can support a big city after Longdu is gone?"
"Ten thousand if we finish building the irrigation canal," Rollo replied. “Using my and Alison’s (planting) allowance wisely, we can speed up the landscaping.”
"You want to invite more immigrants," Allison guessed.
"Cousins from other tribes." Chocolate nodded, impressed by Rollo's answer. "While in Gevaudan, I kept thinking about this question: Why do civilized species hate us werewolves, monsters and carnivores?"
"Because you eat them," Rollo replied.
“Because we eat them, we eat them because we don’t have enough meat; in retaliation, humans and their kin kick us out of the cities that can sustain our hunger, and the cycle continues! Mimics, vampires, and others infiltrate civilization by And adapted people, but that’s not enough! We need trade, we need imports! By creating a self-sustaining city of monsters, we can inspire our own kind to imitate us, and a “civilized” species that we can feed in harmony! Or even trade!"
"You mean alive," Allison answered. “Live in harmony with others without eating or drinking.”
"Yes, the same thing," replied Chocolate cheerfully, as the two Sibley admirers exchanged glances.
After the ceremony, the watchman came to Mu with the last piece of cake
mu
i
New building in the north. Under Malfi's guidance, the bug demons built a huge, ivory-covered, six-story building there, with the highest floor right next to the statue of Emperor Winkle. Chocolati
e wasn't particularly fond of the circular building - which the friends described as "modern and stylish" - but the place stood out.
She found a group of monsters gathered in front of it, including kobold rangers and Malfoy himself. A ribbon locked the door, and her Victor, riding the black beast of the Gurgu, prepared to cut it open with his scythe.
Malfi's voice, reinforced by the spell, resonated and the monsters focused their attention on him. "Welcome to Nethe
ma
tGrand opening, the first demonic magic item shop in all of Ortmund, open to all monsters and mortals!" If you can't pay with coins, you can pledge your soul to us for a very low price Price Accounting! To celebrate the upcoming war with Moore, we’re offering 30% off weapons sales! There’s an ax for every home!”
The group of undead, kobolds, natives, and other monsters cheered in unison.
"The emperor couldn't bear to see his servants using his money to buy things, so he sent me to hold the inauguration ceremony for him!" Victor said, raising his sickle. "In his name I declare that Niedermatt is open!"
He narrowed his weapon and cut the ribbon. The monsters immediately rushed towards the door, and the demon Malfoy barely had time to get out of the way.
Only Chocolate, Malfi and Victor remained outside. She immediately starts working on her crush. "Vic!" She jumped up to him. "What a coincidence, I'm looking for you!"
"Oh, really?" He didn't sound half as enthusiastic as she did. Had she gone too far? "What?"
"I know you're exhausted from showing off day, so I packed you lunch." She handed him the cake, but he didn't take it with his free hand. Instead, the person who did it evaluated the gift with caution.
"Is it poisoned?" Victor asked.
"Of course not!" Chocolat replied angrily. "If I wanted to kill someone, I would eat you. It's not healthy to eat poisonous food."
"It's reassuring," Victor replied before lunch. "Thanks, Chocolati
e. "
Her crush started opening lunch boxes and whistling at the sight of cake. It works, it works, it works…
Then, before Victor could even take a bite, he disappeared with the cake, leaving behind his undead mount.
"Unfortunately, this is happening more and more," Malfoy said, walking over to shake the surprised priestess's hand. "Chocolate, you look so beautiful today. Thank you for coming to our opening day."
"You're welcome, Malfoy. You're my best source of import." The werewolf shook the demon's pincers, and when the painful disappointment and shock passed, she returned to her cheerful demeanor. Unlike other followers of Isengrim, she does not hate demons and undead; they are simply easy, generous prey, and her god forgives their hunting. "You look happy too!"
"Nethe
ma
tat Soulwell St
eet's share price has soared. We're going to make a killing on the Soul Stock Exchange because of the goodwill generated by our current partnership. "
"Very well," Chocolate said, although she didn't know what he meant. She looked around in case anyone was listening and asked him for advice. "You sell everything?"
"Almost. With the large number of swords mysteriously missing in the area, we are no longer selling these swords."
Ju
io
Strike again. "Do you have any love potions?"
Bugs looked at her, which Chocolat took as disapproval. "We no longer sell love potions. They are unethical and tantamount to drugging others. We respect our customers' free will, which is the cornerstone of our bottom line."
Chocolati
e pouted. "But you're from hell!" Shouldn't you be offering this solution?"
"We are no longer called Hell." "After decades of benchmarking, our corporate overlords have decided that the name is no longer politically correct. We are now being renamed Happyland."
"Happyla
d?" Chocolate raised his eyebrows. "Sounds like a market. "
"That's exactly the response we want in the marketing department. We want mortals to be able to absorb the new branding within 50 years, which is associated with an increase in soul income. I insist that, whatever the name means, Happyland does not sell mind control devices ."
Why couldn't she find a simple solution? "Who is the victim?" Malfoy asked curiously.
"Vic."
"Ah, Mr. Victor?" I understood the cake part better. "The insect made a sound of interest. "You will have a good influence on his morals. can I help you?"
"Can you?" Chongzi nodded. "Great! Do you know how to catch him?"
"I think the quickest solution is to assassinate your opponent just to win Mr. Victor's favor."
"I can't kill half the world's population!" Chocolati
e protested. "It's unrealistic and goes against my religious beliefs."
The demon summoned a pen and paper, and the first customers left Nethe with weapons, potions, and other items
ma
t. “Let me ask you, what relationship status do you want? A shotgun wedding? A deadly mantis puppet? A cat-and-mouse relationship? The more details, the more appropriate my solution will be. "
"No wedding." Chocolate didn't think that far ahead. "I just want him to break into my temple, tie me with a rope to the statue of my god, and say 'it's time to desecrate this sacred place,' and then—"
"I can't imagine Mr. Victor using mind control without severity in that situation," Malfoy interrupted, jotting down notes. "I can't support that."
"I just want him to use Monster Knight Pe on me at least once a week
k. "Her brother's overprotectiveness left her frustrated and hungry.
"That kind of Pe
k applies to this situation? "Thank you for telling me, I will tell the Succubus Ministry." Malfoy took notes. “So you’re not going to get married? What you want is a purely physical relationship?”
"I want some foreplay, tension, excitement..."
"Yes, but without binding. Good. As a devil, in good conscience, I cannot support marriage." Chongzi considered the matter. "We sell magical items in Nethermatt that can increase your charisma, but Mr. Victor may lose interest in the naked part of the process. A more beneficial and long-lasting method would be to reshape you."
"Reinvention?"
"Before I became a manager, I was the cursed coach of the Banshee pick-up scene. We have fallen from elegance to science. Fortunately, Victor is what we call a "good Samaritan" in the land of joy and is the most One of the guys who scores easily. We have a lot of schemes for him."
"Agreement?" Chocolati
e frowned. "Are you planning to seduce him?"
"Ever since we came to Overmond, we demons have been subject to the angels' slanderous PR campaign. Unfortunately, Mr. Victor has been subject to this divine propaganda, which has slowed our progress in Muttering about the progress; I even found out that he agreed to sign a karma insurance plan with them, which means that heaven is trying to enter our market." The demon trembled with anger before calming down. "We will launch a comprehensive lobbying campaign aimed at promoting Mr. Victor, and through him, the Emperor, to achieve a complete paradigm shift on the topic of a 'land of happiness.'"
Chocolate didn't understand the devil's catchphrase, but she got the gist of it. "You have a plan."
"Yes, I recommend "Redemption Signal" to start the temptation."
Chocolati
e listened with rapt attention as the demon explained himself in a professional tone.
"It's a technique where you send mixed messages about the possibility of redemption to a lethal target. The idea is to make yourself a PRT, a "Potential Redemption Target," and then his heroic instincts kick in. Mortal They're all suckers for crippled birds. Now, you have to carefully balance things like 'I steal, but I fight with worse people', 'I'm not bad, I just don't follow the rules', or 'This is not who I am' It's society's fault.'"
"Does it work?"
"All the time. It would be even better if we could do a Snitch pattern with you. The core of this strategy is to convince the target that they can change you, that you can fall "straight" in love with someone special, They will believe that this person is themselves. Play hard to get, make the mortal believe that he must work for it, and then they will fall into the trap."
"That sounds very manipulative," Chocolati
e pointed out.
"Do you want him?" Then show him your wounded heart beneath your predatory exterior, be vulnerable when he thinks you don't know he's watching, and over time, he'll like you. The devil handed the note to her. "Here's the script for you." "
Chocolate read intently, his eyes wide open. He even drew a tree diagram for each possible answer.
Would she really be desperate enough to follow his advice?
…
"What if you were really nice?" Chocolati
eAsk, this option cannot be found in the chart. "It's not pretending."
"I don't understand." "You mean a double trap?" I don't recommend this, only an expert can do it. "
She was willing to give it a try.
