"By the way, I heard about your human-collecting… trait. Do you like collecting them so much when your mother is one?"
Yasenia looked at her from Tatyana's arms with actual confusion. "What does Mom being human have to do anything with me liking to collect human slaves?"
Even in the Sky Continent, she didn't care or support beast-human slavery. She has always been indifferent in this matter, which was clearly out of her control. 'Although, there at least there was a semblance of rules.'
Moreover, her real intention behind collecting the human "slaves" was one of her hidden secrets she didn't tell anybody from this continent.
They only knew that Tatyana was her mother and that she had a few human females "warming" her bed at night, but nothing more about her relation to humans.
Tengliu glanced at Tatyana and asked. "You don't mind it?"
Tatyana smiled lazily while she focused on petting her little treasure. "I've killed more humans than you've seen during your entire life."
They laughed it off only because believing it would be a pretty scary truth.
Yasenia sighed. "By the way, if you have any to sell, I'll pay generously a low-level earth-grade treasure for each slave that convinces me."
Everyone that didn't know about the price she was offering was stunned.
"Huh?"
Coraline turned to look at her and was bewildered. "An Earth-level treasure?"
Yasenia nodded. "That's right. You've heard it correctly. It would help if you spread my name and price between the other leaders."
Tengliu squinted and smiled. "You sound rushed. Why the haste to spread your offer out there?"
Yasenia shrugged and sat on a chair beside Tatyana. "I just don't want to miss the best slaves before they rot away in who knows what conditions. After all, although beast humans say they despise humans, they use them quite a lot in bedrooms. The hypocrisy is interesting to see, but I don't want valuable slaves coming here like Luna."
"Luna?"
"The slave I bought in the tournament. She has spoken one complete sentence to me without stuttering since she came here."
"Why are you so focused on buying them?"
Yasenia smiled calmly. "Interest. There really isn't anything deeper that pushes this craving of mine."
Yasenia looked directly into Tengliu's violet eyes for a moment, unflinching.
The harpy Matriarch nodded, convinced. "I remember reading a report of capturing a few. I'll tell them not to touch them, but… What if they've already been used? Are you still interested?"
"As long as they are female, talented, and beautiful, I have no problems. If they were formerly talented, I would also buy them. I've heard about a strange surge of high-level humans, so I want to collect as many of them as possible."
"Oh? You know about this?"
Yasenia nodded. "Yes." She didn't explain further. Sometimes explaining reasons was like admitting something was wrong with that knowledge.
If she just confirmed it without giving it importance, it would show that knowing about it is only natural.
Yasenia commented. "By the way, how long will you stay here, Tengliu? If you plan a longer stay, I should prepare proper living quarters for you. Even though I don't really like you wandering around, since you are already here, it's pointless driving you away."
Tengliu pondered. "Probably for a few days. I want to participate in tomorrow's auction. We'll be rivals for a while, little Yasenia."
Yasenia stood up and towered over her, smiling provocatively. "The word little does not really match with me, Senior Tengliu."
Then, the dragoness turned and ordered as she left. "Ghana, take care of Tengliu's necessities. Relent your work to the subordinate appointed by Drasha until she leaves."
Ghana answered firmly. "Understood."
Internally, however, she felt a sense of crisis. 'She has never allowed others to touch my position. Isn't I being placed to watch Tengliu the same as saying that I won't be working as long as Tengliu is here?'
Ghana knew that the trust between them was severely damaged, but she didn't expect Yasenia to be so resolute.
Tengliu called Yasenia. "Yasenia."
Yasenia turned around and asked. "Yes?"
Tengliu sighed and commented. "Don't blame Ghana too much, okay? She acted as she did because of me, not because it was her will. She can basically not refuse an order I give."
Yasenia smiled thinly. "That's not a good excuse. She could at least try to delay you. However, she didn't consider it strange for you to enter my most private home without asking me first and leaving you, a person strong enough to erase this whole place with a wave of your wing, without supervision."
Yasenia turned around and commented. "That action shows much of what Ghana really thinks in her heart. However, don't worry."
Yasenia opened the door and looked back. "I was too naïve to think I could trust someone I met for just a month so much. Honestly, thank you for the little slap, Senior Tengliu. I'm now fully awake and will be more careful."
Then, she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Ghana didn't say anything because what Yasenia said was the truth. She unthinkingly trusted Tengliu, which is expected since she had raised her for over a century and Tengliu was someone of immense influence for the harpies.
Their harpy race had gone from ranking in the low twenties inside the Thirty-Three clans to tenth under Tengliu's leadership.
The conditions for all harpies across the continent had been better than ever.
Moreover, they couldn't rank further up because their culture was too alienating with the accepted and more reserved moral standards, creating many challenges for Tengliu to overcome.
Her wit, influence, and strength were all role models for all harpies.
Yasenia didn't know about all of these details. However, even if she knew, her answers would have been identical.
She was too hasty when bonding with the group of harpies.
How much time is a month? How could these one hundred-, two hundred-, or three-hundred-year-old harpies be more loyal to her than the leader of their race?
Only the seniors were left inside the room after Yasenia left the room with Cecile and Ebirah.
Tatyana sat in Yasenia's previous position and changed her white dress to an elegant red Royal dress that looked similar to her Empress Dress back in the Sky Continent.
She adorned her neck with a glowing green gem, and the elegant, revealing, but imposing red dress gave the previous beautiful Tatyana the momentum of a ruler.
It was similar to a bikini, attached with wide straps that lined her waist and connected with a huge, imposing skirt.
Evelyn created this dress, and although the shape was similar, this dress was just a mid-level Earth-level cloth.
After changing into her formal attire, Tatyana crossed her legs and relaxed her body, releasing her natural Empress-like aura.
"Let's talk."
Meanwhile, Yasenia went to her office to sort a few documents and plan things again. Cecile accompanied her.
She sat on her chair, and Cecile sat on her lap, looking at Yasenia's work.
Cecile asked. "Aren't you worried she will do something while staying here, my love?"
Yasenia commented. "She is inside a formation that took Mom a few weeks to complete. I believe that Tengliu is currently like a bird inside a cage. If Mom wants, she can squash them with ease."
Cecile nodded and leaned on her lover's body. "What are you going to do now?"
Yasenia used one arm to secure her as she worked. "I need to see what plans the harpies have created, and if they have much influence, add people from other races that are capable. I'm going to create a merit-based hierarchy, not a seniority one. Although the harpies are very skilled, the lamias have surpassed them in a few areas since they started arriving."
Yasenia looked at a few documents and commented. "Right now, there are fifty-three lamias and three hundred and forty-one harpies. However, numbers mean nothing if a lamia is in the superior position."
Yasenia pointed at a document for Cecile to read, and she commented. "There are no Epoch Core Realm harpies. But there are five Epoch Core Realm lamias: Drasha, Fascia, Luscia, and another two. I'm going to change the heads of department and take power away from the harpies, equalizing the playing field."
Cecile nodded with admiration and saw Yasenia process and work on everything quickly and efficiently.
Yasenia's serious face when working was charming to the extreme, so even just looking at her was a delight for Cecile.
It was peaceful, and they weren't bothered.
After sorting everything she had to, our dragoness stood up and visited her dears.
When dinner hours came, Yasenia cooked a scrumptious meal and asked Tatyana about her conversation with Tengliu.
Only Yasenia and her dears were present tonight.
Tatyana explained. "We talked about a few ways to help your clan spread without push back from other powers. We've listed which powers are allied, neutral, and enemies with the harpies, lamias, and lobsters. Then, I've also received a political world map to know which parts are under which power."
Yasenia asked for the map, and Tatyana gave her a jade slip.
Using energy, she sank her mind into the jade slip and looked at it.
An enormous map with layers and layers of colors, text, and an extensive list to guide herself appeared in her mind.
There were large patches of places without color, and those were dominated by nature.
After all, communication between cities was possible, but taking terrain from nature itself was not really possible.
In a cultivation world, forests fought back from being chopped, and the creatures living in them also protect their terrain.
Hence, although Intelligent creatures can gather in cities, expanding too much could easily result in a beast tide that flattened whatever people built.
Of course, this didn't mean things like Empires or countries didn't exist.
Yasenia was utterly overwhelmed by the amount of information in the jade slip. Still, she expected something like this, so her face didn't change besides showing honest surprise and appreciation for the intricate map. "Talk about complicated politics… There is a lot of work to do."
Evelyn asked. "Is it that bad?"
Yasenia threw the jade slip at her, and Evelyn quickly caught it.
Evelyn muttered. "Fuck me."
Tatyana laughed. "Too complicated?"
Evelyn shook her head and then nodded. "It's a lot, but I cursed because of how detailed and well-done it is. Cecile, take a look. You have cartography skills, right?"
Cecile looked, and she showed awe in her usual indifferent face. "Impressive. The creator of this map is leagues ahead of me."
Tatyana agreed. "It is made by someone from Tengliu's group."
Yasenia lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? It was her who gave it?"
Tatyana nodded. "Yes, she wants to compensate the damage she has done to you slightly."
"Damage? Well, I wouldn't consider that damage."
Andrea asked. "Where are they, by the way?"
Tatyana closed her eyes for a second and commented. "Tengliu is having fun with a few harpies in the entertainment area."
Evelyn smirked. "What kind of fun?"
Tatyana shrugged. "All kinds of fun."
Yasenia asked. "Is it consensual?"
Tatyana nodded. "She was dragged there by a few of your little birds."
Yasenia relaxed. "Then, it is okay."
Angel asked while sitting on the dragoness's lap and looking at how Yasenia fed Kaleina. "Yasenia, can I go with you tomorrow?"
Yasenia hugged her baby and picked a fork and a knife to feed her. "Open your mouth, baby."
Angel opened and munched the juicy and delicious meat with a savory cream.
While Angel masticated, Yasenia answered. "You can't come, baby. We made a promise, right?"
Angel swallowed the food and pouted. Yasenia laughed and kissed her pouty lips. "Tonight, I'll pamper you extra time, okay?"
Angel smiled and hugged Yasenia.
"Mommy, more!"
Kaleina's crisp and beautiful voice reached the dragoness's ears, making her smile softly and continue to feed her the meat.
Then, after feeding her a few bites, Yasenia breastfed her for dessert. Her milk was very nutritious for her, after all.
Angel was in her lap, and seeing her eyes looking at Kaleina with a bit of envy, Yasenia ended with her big and small baby suckling each of her breasts.
Meanwhile, their conversation revolved around the map they got, and they discussed where to expand first.
The conversation went on for a while until Yasenia carried them to her bedroom one by one.
*******************************************
Kali: Everything ended nicely.
Author: It's not bad. Now… Let's begin the warming up toward Tengliu!
Yasenia: I'm going to warm up to her?
Author: I don't know.
The rest: …
Author: Well, I summon you!
Lost_Universe: Here I am!
Tatyana: Welcome.
Lost_Universe: Tatyana, I was wondering…
Tatyana: Yes?
Lost_Universe: How did you feel when you embraced Yasenia when she was 5-6 years old? And now, how do you feel when 44-year-old Yasenia embraces you?
Tatyana: Oh? How did I feel? Hm… Let me recall.
Tatyana: When her little arms went around me, I felt warmth. I couldn't help smiling when the little life that I nurtured inside me for ninety years looked up at me and smiled. I wanted to pamper her, to give her the world.
Tatyana: A very magical feeling, to be honest.
Lost_Universe: And now?
Tatyana: It actually hasn't changed much. It's just that when my tall little girl hugs me the feeling of being engulfed in her embrace when only a few years ago I was the one wrapping my arms around her is… nostalgic?
Tatyana: It's difficult to explain. I feel happy and relaxed, I feel love, and I also feel that my little treasure is growing up so fast that before I knew it the "little" only could be described as "big." Hahaha.
Lost_Universe: That's lovely.
Tatyana: En.
Author: Well, this is all~. Have a nice day!