NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 139: Welcome
"Look at me, Vahn-oppa! Aren't I pretty~?" asked Seul-bi, performing a cute and graceful pirouette as if she had been walking upright her entire life.
Before Vahn could affirm Seul-bi's statement, Eun-Ji, who had always had a bit of a rivalry with her minutes-older sister, slapped the buxom bunny's bottom and exclaimed, "Put some pants on!"
"Owie...Eun-Ji is a meanie..." whined Seul-bi, turning so that her butt was no longer accessible to her much shorter sibling. By chance or intention, this gave Vahn, Venelana, and Grayfia a full view of her backside as she bent over slightly and rubbed both of her round and perky cheeks despite Eun-Ji only smacking the left.
'Mmm...she's definitely trying to tempt me...' concluded Vahn, recalling how Seul-bi would always call him Oppa(Old Brother) when most of the other bunnies called him Samchon(Uncle). She also liked to wait for him when he returned from the mines, reminding him that he had yet to finish his excavation.
[Hey, listen to your sister and put some pants on. You should be able to.] said Aileen, causing Seul-bi to startle slightly as she had never received a message from one of the legendary Black Dragons that administrated the Tower.
"Y-Yes, ma'am..." responded Seul-bi, cupping her hands over her crotch as a bluish-white light enveloped her torso, neck, wrists, and ankles. When it faded, she was modeling a notably short-skirted Maid outfit that seemed to display her butt purposely, as her tail protruded from beneath the skirt rather than through a slit. Underneath were frilly white panties, while her neck, wrists, and ankles were adorned with a fluffy cravat and fuzzy white cuffs.
'So the summoned object for a Service Bunny is an outfit...' noted Vahn, shifting his gaze to the other rabbits as Hana materialized a sickle, Jun-Soo a spade, Dong-Hyun a pick-mattock, and Eun-Woo and Eun-Ji a pair of matching shortswords that would barely qualify as daggers to humans but were even longer than they were tall.
Nodding approvingly, Vahn expressed, "You all did exceptionally well. To celebrate, Grayfia and Venelana have prepared a feast and snacks."
Hearing Vahn place Grayfia's name before hers, the smile on Venelana's face very briefly cramped. She had believed she had secured the position of his undisputed number one, but it appeared she would need to be even more proactive if she wanted to compete with Vahn's so-called 'personal-use pussy.'
"Oh, oh, oh! I can help set the table~!" chimed Seul-bi, bouncing excitedly with her left hand raised, causing her breasts to jiggle and bounce a great deal. They were ultimately only around the size of grapefruits, but relative to her small stature, she was very near an I-Cup.
"Very well. Come along..." stated Grayfia, exuding grace and poise as she decided then and there to train Seul-bi to be a proper Maid. The Crimson Palace was in desperate need of servants, groundskeepers, and security personnel, so with Vahn preferring to avoid outside hires, the appearance of Seul-bi was an unexpected but welcome surprise...
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[You have harvested a Bountiful Melon imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon.]
[Your Occupational Proficiency increases significantly.]
[Your proficiency with the Harvest Skill increases significantly.]
[Due to the effects of your Harvest Sill, the Grade of the picked fruit increases slightly.]
[You have gained 70 Experience Points.]
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[Bountiful Melon of the Blue Moon]
Description: A melon grown within the Black Tower, making it delicious and full of nutrients. Its taste and effects have been greatly enhanced after absorbing the energy of the Blue Moon.
Effect(s): Permanently increases Health by 0.05 upon consumption. When consumed, it improves plasticity and augments the size of the consumer's bust by 0.5cm.
Restriction(s): Health gains capped at 500.
Producer: Tower Farmer Vahn Mason
Expiration: 45 Days
Grade: E+
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"Issei would kill to get his hands on this..." remarked Vahn, a wry smile adorning his face as Venelana covered her mouth with her right hand and exhaled a faint chuckle at his side.
[I want it] stated Aileen, causing Vahn to raise his brows before he held it up and responded, "By all means."
With the conspicuously shaped melon vanishing from his hand, Vahn shifted his attention to another disconcerting-looking plant, his brussel sprout stalks. Most of them looked ordinary, but a few were dark purple and notably veiny, causing his smile to cramp as he reached out to pluck one.
[You have harvested a Family Jewel Sprout imbued with the energy of the Blue Moon.]
[Your Occupational Proficiency increases significantly.]
[Your proficiency with the Harvest Skill increases significantly.]
[Due to the effects of your Harvest Sill, the Grade of the picked vegetable increases slightly.]
[You have gained 70 Experience Points.]
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[Family Jewel Sprout of the Blue Moon]
Description: A brussel sprout grown within the Black Tower, making it delicious and full of nutrients. Its taste and effects have been greatly enhanced after absorbing the energy of the Blue Moon.
Effect(s): Permanently increases Health by 0.05 upon consumption. When consumed by males, it increases the resilience of the testes and improves virility. When consumed by a sexually mature female, stimulates ovulation.
Restriction(s): Health gains capped at 500. Consuming more than 1,000 in thirty days can result in sterility or infertility.
Producer: Tower Farmer Vahn Mason
Expiration: 45 Days
Grade: E+
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"Oh, wow...read the description of this one..." said Vahn, handing the uncannily squishy Family Jewel Sprout to Venelana for her to inspect. Once she had, her violet eyes widened to their limits as, if the vegetable did as advertised, it could be the solution to the population crisis faced by the Devils, Angels, and Fallen. Fortunately, there were thirteen due to the large number of sprouts that had grown, meaning they had plenty to take back with them, even with Aileen demanding ten. She personally had no use for them yet, but as the number of Great Dragons had been on the decline, resulting in her being the only one under ten thousand years old, the tiny, wrinkled, and veinous sprout could be the most significant crop produced in any Tower, ever...
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[August 18th DxD/April 7th DBT]
"Uoooooooh~" hummed Koneko, her expression an impassive mask, but her lips parted in an awed, monotone exclamation as Vahn escorted her, Rias, Sona, Akeno, Tsubaki, Asia, and Xenovia out on to the balcony of his Crimson Palace with Venelana standing a short distance behind them with a relaxed smile and her hands folded atop her lap.
"We're so high up!" exclaimed Asia, referring to how the Crimson Palace was perched on the edge of an indestructible cliff overlooking the vast, waterfall-fed hot springs below. With each floor of the palace having an average clearance of ten meters and the cliff itself being 300m tall, this placed them at an elevation of 390m, which was far from the tallest peak in the region but provided a breathtaking view of the valley below.
"You created all of this...?" asked Rias, her eyes wider than usual and lips slightly parted as she stood to Vahn's left with crossed arms.
"My power gave it form, but the general layout is procedurally generated using various settings and environments as reference..." responded Vahn, causing Rias to briefly tense as he copped a feel of her bottom. She didn't mind, but since he did it so casually and didn't hesitate to slide his middle finger along her slit, she was a little taken aback.
"Would it be impertinent of me to question how big this place is?" asked Xenovia, noticing Vahn's actions and feeling slightly envious as she had a perfectly round and willing bottom for him to caress.
"Since the original template was the Eurasian supercontinent, it's a little over fifty-five million square kilometers..." revealed Vahn, his smile gaining a hint of smugness as he saw the looks of surprise and awe on everyone's faces.
"Are you going to permit people to venture away from here and settle elsewhere?" questioned Sona, adjusting her red-rimmed glasses as she appended, "Also, what kind of natural resources can be found here...?"
Shaking his head, Vahn responded, "That's for the people who migrate here to decide and discover. I don't like knowing everything there is to know, so while I'm aware there is a wide array of flora, super-fauna, and natural resources, I don't know what they are or where they're located."
"I see..." muttered Sona, her expression thoughtful as she considered gathering people from her family's domain to mobilize an expedition as soon as possible. She understood Vahn well enough to know he wouldn't create a Wuxia-themed world without a few hidden treasures or spiritual lands to discover, so even if she wouldn't want for anything as his fiancee, securing a foothold in the plane was necessary to ensure her family's and people's prosperity.
"It's a shame there are only two days remaining before the Summer break ends..." commented Rias, exhaling faintly from her nose.
"Two days may seem like a short time, but if everyone is willing, I could extend it upwards of ten to twelve years..." stated Vahn, causing Rias to stare at him with raised brows, her slightly widened blue eyes alluding to the many thoughts fighting for dominion within her mind.
"I'm not unwilling..." chimed Sona, crossing her arms as she pointed out, "But if we follow through on such a course, returning to our daily lives as high school students would be difficult. I believe the previous course we decided upon is best, lest we grow detached or desensitized to the issues of the outside and supernatural worlds."
Interjecting before someone like Asia or Xenvoia could insist upon staying with Vahn, Venelana stated, "Sona-chan is correct. You're already able to visit here after school and during weekends. You will also enter the Tower of Ascension for four months starting September 1st and every thirty days thereafter, so focus on your studies and fulfilling your obligations. There's no need to rush things."
"Why do I feel you just want to keep Vahn to yourself...?" questioned Rias, exhibiting her exceptional intuition as she gazed back at her mother with half-lidded eyes and crossed arms.
"I won't deny it," conceded Venelana, nodding and smiling assuredly as she stated, "But it's also true you each have duties and responsibilities to uphold. I will not prohibit you from accepting his invitation, but if you drop everything to insist on spending time with him, you will only pressure and trouble Vahn. He—"
"That's enough, Venelana...but thank you for your consideration..." stated Vahn, his expression a relaxed smile but his tone firm, causing the flaxen-haired, violet-eyed woman to close her eyes and bow before rising to her full height and reverting to silent observation.
With everyone's gazes focused on him, Vahn turned around with his back to the balcony's railing, taking advantage of Rias's and Xenovia's proximity to wrap his hands around their waists and draw them closer as he stated, "This place is much your home as mine. And as it's our first time sharing it, I would like everyone to remain as long as they like and only depart once you've decided to for yourselves. Will that interfere with my ability to work and focus on other things? Absolutely. But nothing else I do in life has any meaning if the people I care about aren't happy..."
"Oh, Vahn..." muttered Rias, exhaling faintly from her nose as she leaned into him and rested her head against his chest and shoulder. If she were being completely honest, she had been becoming increasingly concerned that Grayfia and her mother were gradually stealing him away from them—from her. That concern still lingered, but when she heard the sincerity in his tone and saw the determination in his gaze, it reminded her of his past self, back when he only had eyes for her...
'I should never have pushed him to enter into relationships with others...' thought Rias, a notion she reflected upon quite often. However, as it was much too late to force Vahn to choose only her, especially with how much Akeno, Koneko, and Asia cared for him, she resolved to, at the very least, not lose to her mother and sister-in-law...
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