How to extract sexual arousal.
This had now become Aililan’s dilemma.
Aililan truly felt that if a Succubus’s abilities were applied to reality, they would have great potential.
Regardless of whether it was through brewing or fermentation, the fact remained that a Succubus could seduce people and grant them pleasant dreams. Meanwhile, Aililan was the ruler of the Virtue of Chastity lineage.
Her subordinates were all single virgins.
They were either “hermit monks” or “perpetual bachelors.”
Just thinking about it felt ridiculous. Suppressing human nature was not the right path.
Aililan thought for a long time. Although she hadn’t come up with a foolproof plan yet, she felt that utilizing the Succubus to provide some benefits for those of her Virtue of Chastity lineage was feasible.
‘Spiritual chastity vs. physical chastity.’
‘This kind of thing is a false proposition. There’s no need to even debate it, right?’
***
A few days later.
Aililan went to the secret room for the first time.
The Succubus Ginea spoke in a seductive, trembling voice. “Aililan! How can someone like you be called the Virgin Saintess? If you have the guts, just kill me!”
Ginea’s interrogation echoed through the secret room.
However, the nature of the Saintess was not for a Demon like her to judge.
As for the Succubus Ginea’s pain, it came from being subjected to one of the top soul-restriction magics in the Great Atis Empire. Before it, even the thought of suicide was a luxury.
Inside the secret room.
Aililan rudely grabbed Ginea’s chin and whispered a sharp rebuke, “Slut. You’re a Demon; what right do you have to question me?”
She reached out and pinched Ginea’s chin.
Her fingertips gently toyed with the Succubus’s tongue.
*Slurp—*
*Drip—*
The Succubus’s saliva trickled down along Aililan’s moving fingers, falling into a small porcelain jar.
Aililan used the power of her Authority of Virginity to slowly analyze the Succubus’s abilities.
But research on such a subject was destined to be long and slow.
Even as a Saintess, Aililan still had to consider her reputation. She didn’t dare recruit a large number of people for the research, but every harvest was better than nothing.
In the garden, Aililan played with a small vial and whispered, “Not enough. This is far from enough, even if it’s purified Succubus Saliva.”
“At most, it can only be called an aphrodisiac.”
This was a far cry from Aililan’s vision of being able to designate the target of a “good dream.”
But the Saintess was not a professional scholar who could conduct long-term research and achieve a breakthrough in a single subject.
As a Saintess, she had many more things to be responsible for.
***
In the Administrative Council.
Inside the meeting room where the Atester City officers gathered, a heated discussion was taking place regarding an Orc conflict.
**[“Aren’t the Orcs fighting each other exactly what we predicted? We should watch the tigers fight from the safety of the mountain.”]**
**[“I agree. Internal consumption among our enemies is the most beneficial thing for us.”]**
**[“You’re talking nonsense! We are currently supporting the War Pig Tribe of the Orcs. We should be helping them.”]**
**[“Support the War Pigs? If the War Pigs grow too large, can you take responsibility for that?”]**
**[“But the War Pigs are friendly toward us…”]**
On the Southern Great Plains of the Orcs.
The conflict between the War Pig Tribe and the Minotaur Tribe had gradually intensified to the point of being irreconcilable.
The War Pigs were famous for their numbers, but the Minotaur Tribe was a powerful force on the Southern Plains.
The Governors responsible for military affairs engaged in a fierce debate.
Some wanted a balanced situation.
Others intended to help the War Pigs rise to power.
Their viewpoints were inconsistent, to the point where even the movement of resources had become difficult.
Facing such a dispute, Aililan gave her final verdict after a long silence. “The War Pigs are our allies. There is no logic in abandoning an ally in this world.”
“If the War Pigs have ill intentions…”
“I will take full responsibility.”
Since Aililan had put it that way, the military naturally had nothing left to say.
With human support, the War Pig Tribe escalated their war against the Minotaur Tribe.
The humans provided money and food, which caused the originally deadlocked tribal war to gradually become clear.
This formed a delicate situation. Although the War Pig Tribe was controversial among Orcs, there was no denying that they were gradually rising on the Southern Great Plains.
The downside: The War Pigs were getting stronger.
The upside: Bitgel became more prosperous.
Bitman had become a land of dreams for merchants. Regardless of whether there were good business opportunities, even if they just transported a cart of silk over, the Orcs, led by the War Pigs, would buy it all.
With such endless trade, the merchants only became more frenzied.
For Aililan, however, this was not a good thing. Unordered market competition would only benefit the Orcs in the end. Even for food, the War Pigs had transitioned from accepting everything at the start to purchasing at a discount.
The War Pigs had actually gained bargaining power?
This was something that absolutely could not be tolerated.
What the humans wanted was to hold the initiative, not to be held by the Orcs, eventually resulting in a situation where a million merchants relied on them for food and clothing, making the Orcs too powerful to handle.
Aililan thought for a long time before finally making a decision. She issued three commands: “First, the military officers shall conduct credit-based negotiations with the War Pigs. If they have needs, the humans can provide a certain degree of military assistance.”
“Second, establish tariffs. Set up multiple checkpoints to collect taxes from merchants in other regions of the Fifth Wing to reduce their rush toward Bitgel.”
“Third, the Atester Finance Department shall allocate special funds for the purchase and stockpiling of bulk goods.”
Aililan ordered the construction of warehouses and storage facilities around Atester.
The purpose of buying up large quantities of civil supplies transported from elsewhere was to regulate prices.
Most importantly.
To control the bargaining power of the goods.
On one hand, it benefited the citizens of Atester, allowing them to always enjoy relatively low prices.
On the other hand, it ensured the bargaining power over the Orcs, preventing the merchants who flocked to the area from causing price collapses.
Among them, the pressure on Finance Chief Grace was undoubtedly the greatest. Losing money or making money was easy, but maintaining a balance of payments—not profiting, not losing, and benefiting the people’s livelihood—was a high-level technical job.
Aililan, however, focused her energy on military actions.
“What exactly are the War Pigs thinking? They want our support, but they don’t want too much of a relationship with us. Are they trying to ‘act like a saint while living in a brothel’?”
Aililan let out a soft huff and sneered. “Let the War Pigs keep dreaming their grand dreams.”
“Pass my order.”
“Immediately stop all aid to the War Pigs.”
“Send a message to the War Pig Tribe. Not a single grain of food will be sent, but the humans have many brave warriors. We will always be the War Pigs’ best friends.”
“Also, notify the diplomats for me.”
“If there is an envoy willing to go to the Minotaur Tribe and successfully provoke a conflict, I, Aililan, will record their deeds in the pages of an Epic. I will have the bards sing of their exploits.”
Interests needed to be weighed.
Sometimes, food and money could be used to avoid unnecessary losses of soldiers.
But other times, it was necessary for soldiers to sacrifice and bleed to carry out the political will required.
Tying the War Pigs completely to the human chariot, making their image among the Orcs that of a human ally—or rather, a running dog—that was where Aililan’s interest lay.
That was why she needed to send an envoy.
In such a world, there was another name for them: a Han Envoy.
She didn’t ask for them to return alive. Even if they died, she would dedicate a page of history to them.
She just needed to give the humans an excuse to go to war.