Chapter 923: Change in the Tides
With Nanu reaching the rank of [Master Smith], it felt like a ripple of positivity spread throughout the Manor, slowly building into a powerful wave. For the longest time, many of the girls had been near the peak of their respective Development Abilities, such as Ais with her [Swordsman:A]. With Nanu as the 'trigger', many of the others began to make breakthroughs while everyone's progress in the study of magic had been making small strides as well. Vahn had found himself with a lot of free time so he had been having small study sessions with the girls, helping them improve while continuing his personal research. He had been working alongside Riveria and Lefiya to study each type of elemental energy and how they could influence, not only the world around a person but their internal structure as well.
Vahn knew that he would eventually leave the record of Danmachi and, in order to increase his basic comprehension and make it easier to adapt his magic in other worlds, it was important to learn how the Laws might influence the basic structure of Magic. After all, even though Eva's magic system still used mana, the way in which it was manifested within Danmachi was fundamentally different than the way it would in Eva's record. This was one of the reasons why the girls' progress in magic hadn't been nearly as fast as even Fenrir's. Because they had to adapt Eva's magic system and incorporate it into the pre-existing framework for how Magic manifested in the record of Danmachi, it took a lot of trial and error to make real breakthroughs. It was almost like they were 'creating' a completely new magic system which, in a way, was the genuine truth of the matter...
This experience would help Vahn a lot in future records as he already knew that most of the skills and abilities he had developed in Danmachi would be lost entirely. Though he wouldn't lose the knowledge of how to use them, it was only because of the World's Laws that he was able to see the actual skills, magic, and development abilities within the system interface. In Danmachi, there were Laws at play that allowed the various techniques that existed to modify the actual phenomenon created by the techniques themselves. For something like [Blacksmith], it genuinely increased the refinement process and greatly increased the chance of the equipment having the Abilities you wanted. Vahn would lose these 'corrective modifiers' in other worlds, meaning he would have to put in a greater amount of effort if he wanted similar results...
The biggest 'loss' Vahn would have to face, other than the fact his Parameters themselves would no longer exist as they too were part of the record, was his 'comprehension' of Laws. Because the same Law could be completely different between records, Vahn knew that he needed to develop his basic understanding of Laws themselves if he didn't want to suffer any setbacks. As peculiar a claim as it might be, Vahn knew that his understanding of Petting Laws, Elemental Laws, and even the modifiers he enjoyed from his various Archery related skills and abilities would vanish. Though he would still be an incredible Archer with his [Eyes of Truth] and his domain, Vahn was a little saddened knowing that it wouldn't be nearly as 'easy' when he moved on to other records...
Of the things Vahn was most worried about losing, however, were indeed the boons related to his Petting Laws, such as [Grooming]. Though he would be able to emulate them with his understanding of [Hands of Nirvana] and using Source Energy, Vahn knew that, unless he developed a genuine understanding of how things like Petting Laws worked, he wouldn't be able to use them easily. At first, it might seem like an inconsequential loss but, being able to even calm the minds of raging and berserk monsters was a benefit in any record. Since it also allowed him to bring comfort to those he cared about, Vahn truly wished to develop his comprehension of the unique energy to the extreme. He had even purchased several expensive manuals from the system shop, allowing him to push his understanding even further...
Because of his strange 'focus' on such things, and the fact that there were generally several girls within the Manor present around him, a second trend had developed amongst the residents. Just as girls like Eina had wanted to study massage techniques and learn [Hands of Nirvana], Vahn's actions had caused some of the girls to take an interesting in 'Petting Laws'. For a while after the trend had started, it wasn't uncommon to find small groups of the girls together just petting each others' heads. Vahn had transcribed several copies of the texts and manuals he had purchased, allowing them to peruse them freely in their leisure time.
It could have been the result of their 'weakness' against petting in general, but a few of the Beast Human girls within the Manor were the first to show the [Petting] Development Ability in their Status Boards. Though it was still in a (sealed) state, it meant they had achieved a basic understanding and could use their next Level up to 'forcibly' learn the rather unique ability. Of course, this didn't mean they 'had' to rely on a Level up to learn it as, a little over a month after the trend had started, Preasia had managed to reach I-Rank [Petting] through her own efforts.
Even before the conflict with Enyo had been 'resolved', Preasia had been something of a Therapist to the various trauma victims Vahn would rescue. Since she had personally experienced the comfort such abilities could bring to victims, Preasia had seriously endeavored to learn many of Vahn's skills. Not only was she studying to be a Physician, but she had made the most actual progress in learning [Hands of Nirvana], reaching the F-Rank after a few years of practice. This had given her the proper mentality to learn [Petting] much faster than the other girls and, as a result, the efficacy of Preasia's therapy sessions had increased greatly. It would still take years for the victims to truly recover but, with the 'Dream Saintess' on their side, there was hope for the future...
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Eventually, though he had put it off for a few weeks out of consideration for the girls' concern, Vahn ended up reforming his avatar once again. The things that had been 'distracting' him from his free time had been steadily increasing and, in order to make sure he could still spend time with everyone, Vahn didn't have much of a choice. With the various incidents occurring in the Iron Hills and the new provincial nation of Westport. Though Rakia's coast was surrounded by whirlpools and exceedingly dangerous to navigate, it still had a rather large port ever since the time of their preliminary invasion. It had been 'literally' carved out of the land by the slaves that Rakia had acquired in the distant past, turning the small inlet that previously existed to now have enough space to accommodate nearly three-hundred merchant vessels...
The Iron Hills had been secretly importing various military goods into Rakia Kingdom for decades but, after Chloe's Shadow Corps swept through the area, most of these supplies had been destroyed. At the same time, though Vahn felt a great deal of guilt about it, even their 'youngest' member, a Pallum girl that was only fourteen, now had a kill count in the triple digits. The corruption of the former Kingdom had run deep, causing several massive criminal organizations to become deeply entrenched within every major city, town, and village. It was to the point that, over the weeks that their operation had begun, Chloe had personally slain more than seven-thousand people.
Though he knew such actions were necessary to secure the future, Vahn still felt like he had 'failed' Chloe somehow. When she would stop by the Manor to make her reports, Vahn would dedicate all of his attention to her, spoiling and pampering her just as he used to back at the Hostess of Fertility. She would lay across his lap as he gently caressed her body, all while feeding her snacks and gently massaged her pointed cat-like ears. She had never once complained about the task she had been assigned and, even if decades were to pass, Vahn knew that Chloe would never allow him to see if she was truly troubled by such things. This gave him a much stronger desire to make the world a more peaceful place, so that kind and caring individuals like Chloe did not have to walk a path shrouded in darkness...
With such thoughts deeply ingrained in his heart and mind, Vahn's focus had slowly started to shift away from the Manor as his involvement in the affairs of the outside world increased greatly after the creation of his new avatar. The reforms being instituted in the Iron Hills and Westport took a lot of his attention while the information gathered by the HDF also found its way to his desk. The small squads that had been sent out to various parts of the Continent had been steadily increasing Vahn's stockpile of information about the countries surrounding Orario. This included the information about the Land of no Sun and, though the squads hadn't been able to track down Shiva, they did discover that there was a large scale civil war that had been occurring for nearly two years between the various clans...
Because of the inhospitable nature of the races occupying the Land of no Sun, combined with the fact that it was a land of perpetual darkness, most merchants outright avoided the region. Most trade was conducted in small villages on the periphery where they would generally acquire slaves captured through small skirmishes between clans. In exchange, the rather bold merchants would provide produce and grain as, due to the nomadic nature of the clans in the Land of no Sun, there were very few ongoing agricultural efforts. As for the races that made such an inhospitable land their home, they were the Dark Elves, Panther Tribe, Mink Tribe, and Black Cat Tribe.
Contrary to expectations, most residents within the Land of no Sun had darker skin tones instead of the expected 'pale' complexion most people would have without exposure to sunlight. Inversely, however, the Dark Elves were known for having lighter hair colors while the diminutive Mink Tribe, having rounded ears and bushy tails, was full of people with pure white hair. Though the Panther and Black Cat tribes typically had black hair, their skin tone was also strangely 'tanned' while the most common eye colors were pale-gold, light purple, or an off-white color that glimmered in the low lit region. Vahn knew that Shiva was likely somewhere in the northern area of the Land of no Sun and, with its close proximity to Orario, he was intending to put a stop to their wars and open the region to trade and progress...
In preparation for his eventual departure to the Land of no Sun, Vahn had issued several other high reward missions through the HDF to acquire more information and compile a detailed map of each Tribe's territory, and the Clans inhabiting them. He also wanted to try and track down Shiva to see what kind of changes she thought were suitable for her homeland. If possible, he would respect the changes she wanted to see but, depending on how they aligned with his vision of the future, Vahn would have to enact a few of his own. The times were changing and, so long as he allowed nomadic tribes that relied on pillaging and war to exist, Vahn knew progress would be slowed.
Vahn had a great appreciation for the unique cultures of the various races, some of which stretched by thousands of years, but that didn't mean he could allow tradition and pride to stimy the flow of progress. All cultures had developed over time and, in most situations, adopted the culture of other races to make their own more comprehensive. There was no such thing as land that inherently belonged to any given race and, so long as the idea that heritage and tradition 'needed' to be respected, even if it caused hardships, things would continue to be cyclic. Vahn wanted to break the cycle completely and pave the way towards a better future, even if the various traditionalist and purist races would condemn him in the short term...
Amongst these groups, and the one most prominent on Vahn's mind lately, were the Amazonesses of Telkyura. Right now, the Amazoness presence within Orario had 'exploded' compared to the past as, instead of being scorned by 'civilized people', they were now readily accepted in the community. Though they had to adapt to a few changes that had been introduced through the CLB, many proud Amazonesses had made the City their home without the tensions that had been present in previous years. This was because, with a few exceptions among the various Beast Humans, the Amazonesses completely dominated the rapidly expanding Sports scene in Orario.
Though the technology was still heavily regulated, it was very easy to view the games that were played on a near-daily basis within the two Coliseums of Orario. The most popular place for viewing was by visiting a tavern where hearty food, flavorful alcohol, and beautiful women were located. This was one of the means by which the Hostess of Fertility had quickly grown into a large franchise that had turned Mama Mia into a Billionaire in a short period of time. She had even started sponsoring one of the Soccer teams, consisting of eleven Amazonesses, two Chienthropes, and, somewhat surprisingly, a Half-Dwarf goalie that was around the peak of Level 4...
With other businesses also quickly jumping on the bandwagon to advertise themselves through sponsorships, the Sports Industry within Orario had practically exploded in a short period of time. The most popular spectator event, other than the intense and exciting Soccer games, was watching teams of five people battle it out within the arena. With Space-Time orbs and some advancements in the projection setup, there was now a rapidly growing interest in watching live and brutal combat against small teams that fought for dominance. Usually, you would only be able to witness such scenes during a War Games between Familia but, after the students had demonstrated the structure by which they polished their own skills, it had become a very popular means for Adventurers to gain real combat experience in a safe setting.
Once again, this scene was also heavily dominated by Amazonesses who, since their youth, had engaged in similar spectator events. Now, however, they could cut loose completely and, as a result of their scantily clad figures and generally beautiful appearances, it was a sight most likened to the blending of Heaven and Hell. Amazonesses could be very brutal in fights without restraint so it created a visceral spectator event where beautiful brown-skinned women practically tore each other apart while hundreds of thousands of spectators watched in both appreciation and horror.
Because of their presence in the Sports scene, and his general popularity amongst Amazonesses, Vahn knew that he would need to address the matter of Telskyura in the near future. This was due to the fact that, with royalties and other fees that were paid out, many Amazonesses were making a 'very' sizeable income. Compared to the past, where they had to rely on venturing into the Dungeon or selling themselves in the Red Light District, Amazonesses made a very large amount of money just by fighting in the Coliseum. This also greatly increased their popularity and exposure, leading to a rather 'peculiar' situation where there was a very high turnover in athletes and combatants.
The cause of this was the result of the fact that, instead of leaving it to chance and selling their bodies to 'weak' men, there were numerous capable men amongst their 'fans' who would solicit them in public later on. Even the Level 3 Amazonesses who would become the Captains of Sports teams would usually end up pregnant after just a few months. The moment they became popular, the number of 'capable' men that wanted to be with them increased exponentially. This had made the previous case of Amazonesses getting pregnant relatively rarely a thing of the past, causing a large 'migrant' population to be moving in and out of the City.
Since this was also becoming a trend, Vahn knew that Orario would essentially become the 'seed bed' of Telskyura in the future and, unless he could reach a compromise with Kali and Hippolyta, there were guaranteed to be several issues in the future. Even now, there were some men who had genuinely fallen in love with the Amazonesses they had sought out. At the same time, a few of these Amazonesses, having enjoyed their lifestyle within the City, were troubled by the fact they needed to return to their homeland to fulfill their 'duty'. Even so, each of the pregnant Amazonesses would leave the City without exception. This had caused a small public outcry that was steadily beginning to gain momentum, calling out against the 'injustice' that was imposed upon these budding families, even though the vast majority of Amazonesses didn't seem to care...
Because it was genuinely a part of their 'instincts', the number of 'deviants' within the Amazonesses community was still very low. Vahn didn't think this was a reason to sit on the issue, however, so he wanted to address it sooner, rather than later. He also had a promise to keep with Tiona, Tione, and Aisha so, with nothing more pressing going on at the moment, Vahn's sights had been set on the South-East. There, on a peninsula located nearly 6,500 kilometers away, on the opposite side of a vast Shreme Mountain Range, through dense jungle terrain and swamps, the home of the Amazonesses, Telksyura, awaited...
(A/N: Sorry for the late release. I had to go help my friend take care of some things and we ended up hanging out for a bit so I wasn't able to start writing until around two hours ago. Today is still my rest day, though, so this will be the only chapter. Tomorrow's should be on time~!)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fluffy Golden Goddess, Preasia-chan~?','Vahn be like, 'Cultures aren't something 'unique' to a species, they are simply another thing that is created by the people themselves. Change and progress should never be set back by culture and tradition','Just imagine the Amazonssess, pregnant, having to migrate 6,500km over mountains, jungles, and swamps, all so they can give birth to children who would be put through a crucible during their formative years...')
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