A Strange Date

Rias felt her hands shake as she inspected her basket of fresh ingredients. After practicing with Akeno, she had gotten a handle on the art of making curry. If she were making this meal for Issei, she might have felt her hands shake for a different reason. But she wouldn't be able to be with Issei or anyone if she married Riser Phoenix. She needed a dragon in complete control of their powers to win, not a boy with an unawakened sacred gear.

She felt the summon and straightened her dress and checked her face and hair for any blemishes. As to Sona's suggestion, she had dressed in a white dress to accentuate her position as a sacrifice to a great dragon. Hopefully, he'd feel touched by the gesture. But, unfortunately, dragons were volatile at the best of times, and one mistake could easily prove the end for her.

The summoning circle in the occult research club room flared to life, and she vanished.

She appeared in a rather messy living room, and she realized he might expect her to clean as well as cook for him. Of course, Rias hadn't expected such a prospect, but instead of being belligerent, she spread her devil wings and presented herself.

"I am Rias devil of house Gremory here to answer your contract," Rias said with a flourish and twirl, exposing her white cotton panties as practiced. She didn't know if he was even attracted by the human form, but she decided to hedge her bet in this sort of situation.

The dragon stood at his full height, glamour absent. Red stood easily 8ft tall with a shaven head and a beard of black and red braided at the end inlaid with beads of solid gold, each carved with a unique room. She felt power radiating from each of them until they formed a symmetry. Though she didn't know their purpose, she expected it to be profound in some way. As her gaze traveled over the dragon's human form, she found more gold, sapphires, rubies, and diamonds. These gems were inlaid in ten golden rings on the dragon's fingers. An amulet with a dark stone with a chain of yet more gold hung from the dragon's neck. The dragon wore no shirt and chose to expose his bare chest and ridiculous 12 pack abs. As her gaze traveled down to the dragon's toes, she saw sweatpants and crocks. Was the contrast between the dragon's upper and lower body symbolism between his dragon heritage and his human blood?

"Ms. Gremory, I have a pot of coffee on if you'd like a cup. Sorry about my living room; it's my largest room, but I mostly use it to store random junk." Red said.

She looked around and realized she'd been mistaken at her first glance. Piles of golden jewelry littered the ground, along with heaps of golden coins. The room was dark, and blackout curtains had been pulled tight. She hadn't seen what lay all around her.

This room was filled with the treasure of a dragon's horde. Well, that confirms one fact about dragons. Half-breed or not, they have a habit of collecting rare and interesting items. Almost all of the armor, weapons, and accessories produced a light of their own. In other words, here in this dragon's living room were treasures of the heavens. Holy artifacts that were poisonous to her.

Was this a show of power, or Red had referred to this collection as junk. No dragon would refer to his horde as such, which meant it held no real value to him. She could understand that as an heiress of Gremory. Her house was wealthy beyond imagining for even some gods. Without a parent to enforce rules, this dragon might have just tossed his wealth around his home without care. Even his accessories seemed to be things he owned instead of treasures.

"How much gold do you have?" Rias asked.

The dragon's lips twitched. "Too much, Ms. Gremory. Do you want some?" She froze at his words. No matter the amount of wealth, dragons didn't give away their horde. To some dragons, their wealth was literally their life and power. A dragon with a massive horde was stronger than a dragon with a lesser or no horde. Unless they were higher dragons like dragon kings, a horde or a supplement of some kind was necessary like dragon fruit.

"Too much, but I'm having trouble laundering it. You're a devil. Do you know a good way to launder gold?" Red said.

Rias pondered his question for a moment. Laundering treasure for a dragon could prove quite lucrative even for her already wealthy family. Mentioning the fee now would be rude; she'd need to ease him into it. Dragons were touchy when it came to their hordes.

"I'm sure we could work something out," Rias said.

That seemed to be more than enough for the dragon man. He led her into the kitchen. It was clean, which was a surprise. She locked on to the pans she knew she'd need. Rias sucked in a breath and pictured Akeno right beside her. It was just curry; what's the worst that could happen?

While she worked away, Red read through newspapers, checked various stocks, and cursed to himself. It seemed the dragon wasn't very good at turning his gold into more gold. Maybe she could tutor him or have one of her tutors pay him a visit.

She looked back at him. It was strange feeling the power of a dragon so mighty but controlled. Even Tannin felt more volatile.

After her ingredients were organized, she reached into a drawer labeled utensils and found a black knife that radiated demonic energy. Just holding the knife made her feel more confident in her chopping. Rias twirled the blade in her hand just as Akeno had before. But, with ease, she didn't have before she chopped through the ingredients in record time. While holding the knife, she mixed the coconut milk with the curry sauce and moved quickly.

Then she let go of the knife, and all her confidence withered on the vine. Her eyes widened at the difference. The knife had enhanced her natural abilities. Just holding it made her faster and her movements surer.

Rias took a deep breath. Enchanted weapons that enhanced their wielders weren't unheard of. That was the MO of holy weapons, after all. She used the knife to finish cooking and reluctantly washed and placed it on the drying rack.

"Are you new to investing?" Rias asked.

The dragon laughed, and she felt her nerves settle. He seemed more like Tannin the longer she interacted with him. While he could be ferocious to his friends or acquaintances, he expressed his kindness.

"I'm terrible at it in this market. Without the omni, international market, I'd never make a profit. I need to study more, but Japanese isn't my first language." Red said.

Rias nodded; dragons didn't have all speak like devils, so there were bound to be language barriers. But then, it was time to act.

She made a show of inspecting one of the obscenely expensive-looking hardwood chairs. While yes, the chair looked terrific and was obviously well crafted, she wasn't as into furniture as Akeno. Bits of gold lined the mirror shined dark stained wood. Each of the chairs were large enough for Red and made her feel like a child just by being near them. The table, too, was custom made, perhaps local. Tiny spiraling inlaid jewels covered the table ground to a perfectly even surface. Only a dragon would use jewels like that; she couldn't imagine the stress the poor woodworker must have been under.

Rias wanted to take Akeno here and show her the table and chairs, maybe the bed frame as well. This dragon clearly had a preference. It made her want to laugh. Red couldn't even make use of most of his goals due to the Japanese Patriate act.

"You know I could help you out with your gold laundering problem. But I can't go to my mother empty-handed. It's normal to present a gift with deals. If you could purchase a smaller version of one of your chairs for me, it might smooth things over with Lord and Lady Gremory." Rias said.

Her mother would love a set of those chairs, and her birthday was coming up. New furniture and a lucrative deal with a rich dragon might beat anything her brother could come up with. It would also begin a closer relationship with Red and possibly give her a reason to invite him to dinner. That would make him even more accessible.

Red spoke up as she began to make plans to find the perfect time to pop the question. "A few chairs won't be an issue. I have hundreds of smaller ones I made for practice. What kind of table would you like?" Rias blinked. Did the dragon have a warehouse down by the docks filled with handmade furniture?

She backed up away from the table; the dragon was the one who made it. What kind of dragon carves wood? They were creatures of fire.

"My mother would require them freshly made." Instead of growing irritated, the dragon only shrugged.

"The rice is boiling over," Red said.

She rushed to the pot and yanked it off the stove.

…

The meal was adequate but nothing to write home about. To put it mildly, Rias was a terrible cook and clumsy in the kitchen. Of course, she followed the recipe, but the meal wasn't the reason why I had summoned her.

Event Quest Line: The Heiress House of Gremory

Become friends with Rias

Rewards

AG Skill Dice x3

AG Skill Up x5

AG Param Dice x7

That was a lot of loot for a bit of friendship. But, how hard could it be to become her friend? She was a devil heiress looking for a way out of a marriage. But I'm confident she'll be friends with anyone who can get her out of it.

"So what kind of fee can I expect to pay for laundering my gold through Gremory services?" I said.

The girl gasped, much to my surprise, before switching gears to business mode. "I wouldn't presume to know how much my father will initially request, but it can negotiate," Rias said.

"Ms. Gremory, I apologize; I shouldn't have presumed. But understand I have collected many treasures greater than mere gold and jewels. If you can't beat a 20% rate, we can't do business." I said.

Rias seemed to turn pale. "Who would dare to charge such a harsh fee?" Rias asked.

"My brethren have the means to exchange gold for yen. Though that would put me into yet another bind. I'd have to launder yen instead of gold. If house Gremory can help me, I'd be grateful. So many of the less well off of us have lost their entire treasuries in exchange for comfort." I said.

"We would never request such a harsh fee. Noble devils have a code and while there are certain rumors about our business practices, believe me, we are fair." Rias said.

I nodded my head. "Let me show you something."

She followed me to my bedroom, where I kept the majority of my treasures. My nature as a being with multiple maxed-out dragon skills gave me certain habits. I required specific amenities to sleep well. While gold was important, any treasure would do though the rarer, the better.

Items of various worth covered the ground. Large stacks of golden bricks acted as shelves for items of unique value. Sitting high on a shelf was the FFOK sitting on a pillow covered in valuable runes.

Rias had acted true to her devil nature and wandered over to the fruit. I caught her hands before she could snatch the fruit for a bite.

A gasp escaped her lips when she realized what she had done. "This is your true horde, isn't it," Rias said.

I was impressed by her understanding if confused by her verbiage. Did she know I was a dragon? I hadn't transformed or displayed any dragon-like abilities. Death Ray was QI based technique based on my intention to kill. It probably had more to do with her destruction magic than any dragon power. My control over my aura was tight; only an infinitesimal amount escaped my hold on it. I wasn't an Ichigo irradiating the world with soul juice.

Her breath hitched. And I moved her away from the fruit. "That fruit is worth 200,000,000 ounces of gold on the open market. It harbors the original sin, the knowledge of good and evil. While it isn't the only one, you could call it a near finite resource." I said.

Since she wasn't struggling, I released her. The redhead turned around and bowed a full 45 degrees for five full seconds. Of course, if there was room, she might have bowed even lower. While I'd lived here only a few weeks, I knew for sure that the longer and lower the bow, the more serious the matter.

I lifted her off her feet and tossed her on the bed. Then I grabbed a red silk handkerchief and tossed it over the FFOK. "I don't blame you for going after the fruit. You probably didn't have full control over your faculties." I shook my head. "That's not why I brought you in here."

Rias looked at me then nodded. "I understand, you summoned me here to serve you, and the dinner was inadequate." She lifted her shirt and exposed her breasts. Rias's large pink nipples easily contrasted her snow-white near-perfect skin and darkened until they neared a shade of red equal to her hair color. "Will this suffice as payment for my transgressions?"

Well, I didn't see this coming. I brought Rias here to give her a few items that might help her peerage. Then I could give her some armor that might help her peerage against their light weakness with the chair delivery. Afterward, I planned to take my sword nameless out of my inventory and go for another dungeon run. But that clearly didn't work out.

If I denied her, then would that keep us from becoming friends. Rias wasn't drunk or in distress. She shouldn't know the extent of my power, so this was just devils being devils. After that, I began to understand things.

Even Christian girls used the butt hole loophole. But, of course, devils would use something similar, and it had been a while since I'd gotten my rocks off. I checked the time. There was still plenty of time until midnight.

I grabbed one of her breasts as gently as I could. My grip could crush skulls, my fingers could slip through concrete as easily as water, and a punch from me could shatter building. If not for my ridiculously high Dexterity, Rias would be in danger.

Rias blushed and turned her head away from me. I slipped a hand under her butt and picked her up, and carried her to my pillows. "Those heavy breasts must be hard on your back. Why don't you lay back against these pillows and relax while I make you more comfortable?" I said.

Spectral Hands Of Asura had numerous applications. One of them was taking care of Rias's skirt and panties while I played with her breasts. Rias's breathing picked up as I brought her nipple to my mouth and slipped my tongue over her areola. Her breasts were large, luscious, and firmed through exercise. Her large soft nipples perked up as her panties left her to find a spot on a pile of gold.

"Wait, stop; you can't take my virginity; I'm engaged? If you do this, then they might break the contract." Rias protested.

"Would that upset you?" I asked.

"The Phoenix house is prideful; they may try to hunt you down," Rias said. I pulled her legs up and undressed her with spectral hands. Of my numerous skill, this one was perhaps my most sexy one.

I smelled the air taking in the moistening of her sex, her fear, and hope. Rias was a creature of pride, sloth, and desperation. She didn't want to disgrace her house but didn't feel she had a choice. And she clearly had an inkling of my power which meant Sona gained more from her touch than I thought. That was distressing; if someone like Azazel tried to shove me in a sacred gear, I might have to start playing dirty.

"Don't worry, I've dealt with regenerators before. But if you don't want to lose your virginity tonight, there are other ways to pleasure each other." I said.

I moved to her other nipple and placed my meat stick against her clit, and slid forward. Tiny spectral hands adjusted us to ease friction and hair-pulling.

Rias began to get into it and pushed forward. She moved down and tentatively grabbed ahold of me. This wasn't planned, and she was new to it, but she adjusted my member to hit the right places.

Women, even devil women, were all different. Rias liked to have her clit rubbed but only in the places she chose and moved every few seconds, adjusting like a thief listening to cracks a safe. With every shift, she began to grind against me wiggling and moistening, occasionally dipping my head under her labia for a juicy rub.

While I never penetrated even as she rubbed me earnestly against her labia, I began to understand Rias. Even desperate to escape her relationship with Riser, she never let me take her virginity. I could have claimed it if I forced the issue, but I was satisfied to enjoy her.

She began to rub against me pushed me harder against her clit. Her cunny began to gush, and twitch and her breathing grew heavier. I felt a tiny spurt of creamy Rias squirt on me as the devil girl's breathing reached its peak. Her heart hammered hard in her chest, and she seemed a little less stressed. I leaned forward and kissed the red-headed devil. She tasted like soy sauce and strawberry lip gloss.

…

Sona

Four hours late, Rias teleported back with a weird look on her face. She had several wands, maces, and amulets with her and a strange look on her face. Sona noticed a few tears in Rias's clothes, the disheveled hair, and a distinct lack of panties. She hoped the dragon hadn't taken Rias's virginity.

"Well, did he at least join your peerage?" An heiress's virginity for a powerful dragon was a steal in most house's books. Children were great; unfortunately, they took time to develop but a dragon grown and willing to use their full power was a boon. Fortunately, this dragon seemed willing to hide his power or at least use restraint.

Killing only the stray exorcists instead of killing the fallen too was a miraculous show proving the dragon could control his instincts. But, on the other hand, perhaps dressing Rias as a sacrifice had been pushing things too far. A dragon, no matter how well behaved, had limits.

"No, but he gave me treasures from his own horde," Rias said.

Ok, that only further established the dragon's control. Even Tannin wouldn't just give away treasures. That spoke of a level of trust or wooing a mate. Perhaps the dragon's wires got crossed. They'd dressed Rias as a sacrifice to convey an action of service and exchange. Towns gave tribute to dragons in exchange for not only not burning their villages down but also attacking invading armies. If a dragon considered the town their property, they wouldn't think kindly of invaders.

So, her plan to establish herself in the background was somewhat successful. But, still, Sona had an important question, well two.

"What is that white stuff in your hair, and where are your panties?" Sona asked.

Rias blinked and scooped some of the goop out of her hair. Before plunging it in her mouth. Sona hoped that wasn't what she thought it was.

"Dragon sperm and my panties are atop a pile of gold in his horde. So I didn't want to take them back." Rias said.

Sona felt both disgusted and understanding. Anyone who would so brazenly touch a dragon's horde deserved their fate.

"Did he take your," Sona began.

"Nope, he could have, but once we started doing stuff, he let me lead." She looked away. "I have another stage planned to pop the question. He's agreed to make a business agreement with my house and," Rias said.

"You plan to ask when you're at the center of your power and possibly with your brother present to put pressure on him. That's something I'd do." Sona said.

"Noted, but when you're courting a dragon, it pays to be careful. If I lay into him with the advantages of joining my peerage, love bomb him more, and add more of my panties to his horde, he'll give in," Rias said.

"You know it will take quite a few pieces to turn a dragon of his power. But he may already be willing. Dragons don't normally give up pieces of their horde." Sona said.

While her words said one thing, her mind moved on to another. What did the dragon gain by giving pieces of its horde? That was tantamount to surrendering power which was something dragons didn't do. Red was the most un-dragon-like dragon she'd ever heard of except for the way he destroyed. Or could Rias be mistaken. It hit her then.

The dragon was far cleverer than they gave him credit for. He no longer considered gold or magic items as worthy treasures. While the treasures Rias returned with could be considered valuable for any other dragon's horde, this was different. He was a spawn of the Great Red. What if he wanted to add Rias to his horde? While they were courting him, he'd picked them out for his horde.

She had practically handed Rias wrapped in a bow. The dragon sampled her and added her panties to his horde, obviously symbolizing that he had accepted Rias's value as a treasure. What did that mean for their peerages or for other devils?

Sona shook her head; that was dumb. She had been overworked with this nonsense, her daily duties, and the pervert hunts on campus. What she needed was sleep; dragons were more often blunt creatures. He could have just as easily given Rias pieces of his horde he no longer valued.

…

Rias had given me the order and the time of meeting with the Lord and Lady Gremory. I needed wood and lots of it. After eating a bowl of ramen and using what little remained of my wood, I only managed a quarter of the order. However, 720 chairs, each with the symbol for one of the 72 pillars, wasn't difficult. My Wood Carving and Craftsman skills had power leveled until I ran out of materials.

Woodcarving lvl90

Type: DEX +270

Rank: D

Craftsmanship lvl50

Type: DEX +150

Rank: D

My chairs had never looked better, and my next wand would look amazing. Carving runes into wood had become second nature, and I managed more than few monitoring runes into the standard durability set. There was no reason why I shouldn't spy on the house that produced a Mao. Rias couldn't recognize my Runes, even with her language ability. That would come in handy.

I flew over the ocean, pushing my speed faster and faster. Finally, the sound barrier shattered, and my speed continued to increase. Even without Accelerate active, my speed continued to climb. It seemed that the more comfortable I grew with it, the faster I flew.

Somewhere in Iceland, I found my destination. Through the dungeon finder app on my phone, I found a forest elf dungeon in Iceland. I landed hard, shattering the ground all around me. In a few minutes, the enchanted forest dungeon would open.

My plan wasn't to chop down a few trees. That wouldn't just be stupid but a waste. The wood I used wasn't normal, and even an enchanted forest couldn't successfully grow it normally. When the dungeon opened, I stepped through and pulled out a seed of Fallen Gaia.

It was a seed from a raid that I hadn't participated in. But the seed was one of the more plentiful raid drops. So planting it only caused the creation of the same raid boss. Usually, that would be great for farming, but the item grown raid bosses only dropped more Fallen Gaia seeds. So a few users turned them into meat shields through the plant control skills. Unfortunately, most were certain they would be nerfed on the next skill to be patched.

Summoning an army of raid bosses was just too powerful. Fallen Gaia could regenerate endlessly so long as it had lifeforce to absorb. That's where the enchanted forest and elves came in. I watched a few lets plays of the enchanted forest and gained an understanding of the area.

From the drop-in to the capital, there were 9 areas of separation. Each area held more dangerous monsters with far larger health bars. Even the elves become more powerful with heroes mixed in to liven things up. This dungeon was a B-rank. So, I could look forward to a stronger boss and awesome loot. Well, that was if I wasn't here to farm lumber.

I appeared in the dungeon, immediately buried the seed, and flew away as tendrils of green vines latched on to the plants around it. Arrows bounced off my drop-increasing Herald armor set as a flower bloomed and released a sweet scent. I spotted the elf who shot me and watched her eyes glaze over as the pollen hit her. She didn't resist as a vine latched onto her before reeling her into the flower.

Other elves fired their arrows and summoned giant walking trees to attack the Immature Fallen Gaia. Then, on a whim, I opened the market app on my phone and purchased a plant control skill named Cangdi's Imperial Gardener.

Ding!

Skill Obtained

Cangdi's Imperial Gardener lvl1

Type: QI +4

Rank: C

I extended my QI and pushed against the Fallen Gaia. "Hello, cutie." My attention shifted to the Fallen Gaia, and I began to feel a little concerned.

"If you really want to be my master, then give me an order, and maybe I'll follow it, or I won't. You'll have to tell me what to do and find out." The Fallen Gaia said.

I answered with a Death Ray that bisected the walking trees at the waist. "Ignore the Ents and focus on the elf magicians," I said.

"Oh, how chivalrous you'll take care of those dangerous twig boys while I chew on some soft and squishy mammal meat. The flower began to rise out of the ground, sporting hundreds of green vines. The flower opened wide as the vines found the elves and tossed them into the bulb. I heard a strange blending sound and knew for sure they were turned to puree.

Ding!

Skill level up

Cangdi's Imperial Gardener lvl3

Type: QI +12

Rank: C

A face quickly appeared through the vines, and it turned up to me and smiled. It was young, almost childlike, with elven ears. Long wooden arms rose out of the ground as the Fallen Gaia emerged. She looked distinctly feminine with large breasts, a thin green waist, and curvaceous hips.

"How do I look good enough to eat, or is that just you master?" The Fallen Gaia said.

"Eat this," I said and tossed down an FFOL. The softly glowing pink fruit was caught in the Fallen Gaia's bulb. It shivered as the Parameters fused with it. Green energy rushed around its body, and it cried out in joy. I tightened my hold over the creature.

Tigers covered in vines, giant ants, and clouds of beetles charged the Fallen Gaia. Finally, she threw herself back into her hole, closed her bulb, and sunk into the ground. "Sorry, master, but this was the only move I could make, or would you rather I died?" There was a new edge to her tone.

I compared her response to the other Fallen Gaia I had grown. In comparison, she had far more self-preservation. The Wisdom boost from the plant must have played a role in it.

Wasps the size of house cats flew after me while I pondered this new development. First, I had to find out, did Wisdom counter Vitality's effects?

Flame Cloak activated, and my aura spun around me, burning the hornets to ash as my dragon fire QI erupted, silencing the annoying buzzing.

The trees around the Fallen Gaia twisted and deformed. Aspects of animals took over the trees, and they attacked the tigers and the bugs. That seemed to be the power of the Garden Of Eden skill. It allowed the skill user to push life energy into plants and twist them more practically. This allowed the creation of disposable minions.

I watched as creatures of wood appeared and began killing the animals of the forest. "Create a group to collect the carcasses of the fallen separate from your combat units." I pushed my QI down atop the Fallen Gaia until I saw some of the trees shift. A group of elf-shaped wooden golems appeared and began their work.

"Hey cutie, what did you give me? I feel weird?" The Fallen Gaia said.

"I don't answer to you get out of the ground," I said.

"But I will be exposed." The Fallen Gaia said.

"Now!" I ordered.

She fought against my control until I smashed down upon her with my greater QI. I watched the Fallen Gaia screech like a mandrake before ripping itself out of the ground.

Ding!

Skill level up

Cangdi's Imperial Gardener lvl10

Type: QI +40

Rank: C

"You will obey," I said.

The entity struggled against my control as I directed my QI through it. All of this went as planned. The more the Fallen Gaia fought my control, the more XP my skill gained.

"Why are you doing this?" The Fallen Gaia asked.

"I'm farming," I said.

"What are you farming?" The Fallen Gaia asked.

"Use the corpses to further bolster your lifeforce. Then create groups of humanoid golems that work in a squad. Your individual fighters are being picked off by elves with animal familiars." I said.

The Fallen Gaia glared at me before altering the forest around her. Soon groups of wooden elves emerged, partnered together along with giant praying mantis-shaped golems.

"You are what I'm farming. To be more exact, the wood you create from your body once you reach full maturity." I said.

She stared at me in absolute shock and terror. "Am I just a resource to you no different from the mindless trees? I won't let you kill me." The Fallen Gaia said.

I enforced my control over her and forced her to feed. "Why are you doing this?" The Fallen screamed.

Ding!

Skill level up

Cangdi's Imperial Gardener lvl25

Type: QI +100

Rank: C

I remained floating high in the air. As the Fallen Gaia crossed the distance and battled against a B-rank dungeon with an under-leveled B-rank skill. By forbidding her from hiding underground, I took away her ability to hide. If she didn't fight her hardest, then she'd die, and I'd plant another one.

"Create another set of workers to collect fallen loot and have them organize it for me," I ordered.

"Why are you doing this? You created me and gave me understanding, so why do this to me?" Fallen Gaia asked. It would be easy to lie and ease her conscience, but that would be detrimental to my secondary goal.

"Here, use these seeds to grow trees for fortifications," I said.

She took the magic seeds then pursed her lips. "No, I refuse." Fallen Gaia said.

I felt her push back against my QI with her considerable power. Truly she was impressive, and against anyone else, she might have had a shot. I fired back with the full might of my QI until she begged me to stop.

Ding!

Skill level up

Cangdi's Imperial Gardener lvl40

Type: QI +160

Rank: C

From her skill, the seeds grew into trees unknown to this enchanted forest. Blood cedars, ironwood, and magic-filled weird spruce popped up and formed primitive battlements. They quickly mutated, forming mobile installations to house the Fallen Gaia's troops. Through the forest, they moved, depositing legions against the elves.

Through this battlement alone, we crossed three sectors while I gave the Fallen Gaia orders. My levels in Cangdi's Imperial Gardener rose ever quicker as she resisted my orders.

Forest dragons rose from the fifth sector and burned the mobile fortresses. "I can't keep going if I do, then all of my minions will die." The Fallen Gaia said.

I lifted my hand and conjured fireballs of my own, and laid covering fire on the dragons. Explosions and fire covered the enchanted forest. I pushed for control over the Fallen Gaia's minions battling her for control over them.

Ding!

Skill level up

Cangdi's Imperial Gardener lvl75

Type: QI +300

Rank: C

The more we battled for control, the more my skill leveled. Thanks to the setbacks from the dragon attack and the life force she gained from the elves, the Fallen Gaia's own skill wasn't far behind. Her designs became more streamlined, and I was confident that golem, puppetry, and hivemind skills could benefit her greatly. My own Cangdi's Imperial Gardener skill would maintain my control. So, why not give her more skills to play with.

I flew down to her. She glared at me in her prepubescent form. The vast amount of lifeforce, constant use of it, and the wisdom Parameters she gained from the FFOL made her hesitant to grow too quickly.

"What do you want?" She demanded.

"Kneel and hold out your hands." For a moment, she fought against me and even drove her guards to strike at me. Even with the full might of my QI, controlling her was difficult. But, on the other hand, I could feel my skill gain experience constantly from controlling the raid boss. Even if she wasn't even half-grown.

Slowly she fell to her knees under the might of my skill. Then, when she opened her hands, I placed my gifts in her hands.

Golem Mastery, Strings of Shushen, Sage's Ten Breaths, Military Tactics, Administration, Solar Synthesis, Balanced Scales, Resource Management, and Solar Flare, were among the skills I gifted her from my own inventory. Her eyes widened in both shock and mind-boggling confusion.

"You were never farming wood from my body. Or not exactly; you lied to me but why. If you just wanted to dispose of me, you wouldn't give me so many skills. But why lead me astray." She asked.

"I needed help practicing my skill, and you gave me that. You were grown to become my personal assistant." I said and sent over a party invite.

Ding!

What would you like to name your monster?

I selected Camellia after searching for a name matching the pink flower on her head. Her now this close, she was at her most dangerous. The pollen she released to hypnotize her prey was incredibly potent against Perception users.

She gasped at the sudden name. Then she blurred, changing into her adolescent form.

"I see you are a hard but fair master." The mobile fortress had already begun shifting, producing an opening to view the battlefield. But, instead of a window, a film of sap formed a hardened protective layer.

More dragons flew out from the 5th sector as we crossed into it. Armies of mounted elven cavalry, archers, mages, and infantry charge from boats. I pointed at the dragons and blasted them down with Death Ray.

We continued to battle for control silently even as her control grew by leaps and bounds due to her new skills. This, in turn, boosted the experience I gained.

"So, what was the point of coming here in the first place and taking this kingdom. I can sense your power, so why."

"Dungeons of this rank have a slight chance of dropping an A-rank skill," I said.

I walked over to the collected skill pile. Hundreds of F, E, and D were piled together; some were basic, like making arrows, while others were complicated, like removing parasitic beetles. There were tens of C-rank skills and 5 B-rank skills. None were very useful to either of us except Wooden Wyvern's Poisonous thorns of the B rank. Of A-rank treasures, we found one Enchanted Elden Wood Balance Breaker. While the armored form would significantly boost Camellia's already raid boss level power and lower her fire weakness, I didn't trust her to have it yet.

Ding

Ding!

Skill level up

Cangdi's Imperial Gardener lvl100

Type: QI +400

Rank: C

Ding!

New Perk

Cangdi's Blessed Roots – Boost relations with all Wood-based entities +25, x5 XP gain for wood-based skills, and allows the user to learn Wood Type QI skills without system aid.

"What did you do to me?" Camellia demanded.

"Don't worry about it. Take this skill and implement it quickly." I swapped scanned through my inventory for the skills I wanted. Finally, it was time to implement an anti-devil skill set.

Through the angel dungeon, I gained a Qi-based Light Mastery and Light Spear skill. It was time to utilize them to further my aims in this little war.

Nickname Red

Class: Cultivator lvl1/10

Perks: Dragon Lord, Destroyer, Milestone, Tempered, Ultimate Dragon Power, Living Fortress, Bullet Sponge, and Cangdi's Blessed Roots.

STR 265 (3,975) 39,507

CON 79 (1,185) 36,717

DEX 561 (5,610) 41,142

AGL 155 (1,550) 37,082

QI 5076 (50,760)

PER 95 (950) 36,482

MAG 275 (2,750)