Kabellin, believing she had captured the tastes of the Water Silver Witch, had no idea what she was about to face. She bid a brief farewell to Ailaira and hurried away.
Ailaira sat in her office and briefly organized her thoughts. Then, she rang the bell, summoning Jody to bring in her next guest. She had a different business plan for every member of the visiting delegation.
However, the other races did not receive the same generous treatment as the Elf Race.
They did not possess anything Ailaira desperately needed, so she would not throw out a decisive bargaining chip like the Growth Acceleration Potion. For them, it was a matter of simple business transactions.
For instance, she sold the Mountain Dwarves her exclusively developed **[Magic Cabinet]** capable of refrigeration.
Even in the high-temperature regions where the dwarves lived, such as volcanoes and caves, these cabinets could effectively maintain a cold environment. Their simplest function was to allow the alcohol-loving dwarves to drink chilled beer all year round.
At the same time, Ailaira provided them with maintenance services and covered a portion of the transportation costs. In exchange, she secured low-priced sales channels for the rare ores the dwarves mined.
In another instance, she created a **[Moisturizing Potion]** targeting the biological Trait of the Fishfolk, who could not leave seawater to move freely on land.
Its basic effect was to coat the Fishfolk’s body in a thin film generated from seawater, keeping their bodies moist without hindering their movement.
Ailaira’s requirement was the priority right to purchase materials collected by the Fishfolk from the deep sea at low prices. She also took over as the distributor for the Fishfolk’s external sales, assisting them in handling the specialty products they produced.
In truth, Ailaira had originally prepared a **[Human Transformation Potion]** for the Fishfolk, as the Fishfolk themselves did not possess the innate Magic to maintain a human form.
However, the Fishfolk felt an extremely strong repulsion toward the idea of transforming into humans. Ailaira did not pry and quickly proposed the alternative solution instead.
All of the above were merely commercial exchanges. Ailaira had also reached an agreement with them to perform some harmless small experiments.
She wanted to use this opportunity to quickly advance her **[Development Progress]** and obtain the Bloodline rewards from the **[System]**.
The powerful life Magical Power contained within the Elf Bloodline, the tough skin of the Mountain Dwarves tempered by volcanic fires, and the physiological drug resistance of the Fishfolk would all be immense aids to Ailaira’s current situation.
According to her theoretical design, if she could achieve **[Bloodline Fusion]**, she could at least suppress the occasional thirst for Life Force caused by **[Mercury Touch]** while simultaneously compensating for her weak physical constitution.
By the time she sent off the last guest, it was already afternoon. The setting sun spilled across Ailaira’s profile, appearing like an orange-yellow veil carrying a soft warmth. Ailaira leaned back on the sofa and covered her eyes with her arm. The exhaustion accumulated throughout the day finally burst forth at this moment.
Ailaira’s heart was also a bit cluttered. She felt as though she had been getting sick lately. In the past, to earn money, she could survive for three days and three nights without sleep by taking potions, her spirit remaining ecstatic over the prospect of wealth.
But lately… she would always feel tired for no reason.
Even though her body was far from its limit, her consciousness was gradually flagging. It felt as if someone were chasing her with a whip from behind; she was no longer moving forward solely by her own will.
This vague sensation was hard to summarize, but Ailaira always felt that some major event might be waiting for her in the future.
‘That damned Bitch Goddess, she didn’t set some kind of timed explosion for me, did she!?’
Worrying about a distant future was meaningless. Ailaira could only helplessly continue to improve herself. At the very least, she would not be completely defenseless if she ever had to face the Gods.
Ailaira lowered her arm and turned her head to gaze at the scarlet sky. The setting sun reflected off the fiery clouds, igniting her emotions like rising flames.
Ailaira thought of Andrea’s fiery red hair and remembered how those red strands had been scattered messily across the white bedsheets the night before, much like the scenery outside her window.
‘She seems angry? I don’t get it, how mysterious.’ Ailaira remained silent for a long moment before standing up and walking toward the door. ‘I should go check on her. Hopefully, she got some useful information out of Kuchierkan.’
Ailaira climbed the stairs to the second floor and suddenly stopped. To the left was the master bedroom she had prepared for Andrea, while Ailaira’s own bedroom was to the right. Andrea had only said she would wait in the room, but she had not specified whose room.
Usually, that phrase meant her own room, but Andrea’s thoughts obviously could not be judged by common sense. Therefore, Ailaira decisively chose the right. After pushing open the door to her own room, she indeed found Andrea sleeping soundly on her bed.
Andrea’s small figure was curled up under the covers, clutching the pillow Ailaira had used and biting its edge. She was muttering under her breath:
“Bad woman… I’ll bite you to death…”
“So you like Elves…”
“I’ll bite you…”
Ailaira leaned close to Andrea’s mouth, feeling the damp breath brush against her earlobe before she finally heard the mutterings clearly. Her fingers instinctively stroked her neck. She was wearing a black turtleneck today, not because the weather was getting colder, but to hide certain… well, conspicuous marks.
“Scolding me even in your sleep. And here I am, exhausting myself to help you improve your strength.”
Ailaira showed no mercy as she pinched Andrea’s nose until the girl woke up, her face flushed red from the lack of air. As soon as she opened her eyes, she glared fiercely at Ailaira and slapped her hand away. With a cold snort, she turned her back, even using her small rear to nudge Ailaira as if trying to push her off the edge of the bed.
“Aren’t you going to find your favorite Elf to chat with? While I’m out there fighting for my life to complete your task, you’re actually leisurely chatting with an Elf!”
Andrea did not even notice the sourness in her tone. Either way, she did not know what to call this uncomfortable feeling in her heart. Ailaira, for her part, certainly would not think in an ambiguous direction. In her mind, her relationship with Andrea was still a partnership where they both got what they needed — at most, it involved a few extra methods a creditor used to coerce a debtor.
“Is little Andrea throwing a tantrum? I was just talking business with Kabellin.”
“Didn’t you already make a fortune by crafting a bunch of things using the materials I provided?”
Andrea felt a bit miserable. Previously, there had been only one member of the Non-Human Races by Ailaira’s side: herself. She had not noticed it then, but seeing Ailaira chatting happily with women from other races today, Andrea suddenly felt that she might not be special. She had just arrived earlier than the others.
Ailaira’s response focused entirely on her business. She said smoothly, “A single product has no future. The idea of Humanity using materials from Non-Human Races to craft potions hasn’t become widespread yet. I need to quickly use a large number of new products to seize this market opportunity.”
Miss Red Dragon did not understand the complexities of business. She only knew that she was no longer Ailaira’s only choice.
Perhaps, she never had been from the start.