Half an hour later, Veronica’s evolution ended first. Her half-dragon form was similar to Silvia's.

Wayne examined her and confirmed that her faith was in the fake Goddess of Nature that Pale Nest had masqueraded as. Satisfied, he draped a white patient’s gown over her battle suit. Megan then pushed Veronica’s bed away.

The underground base had limited space. As Silvia grew bigger, she showed more and more traits of a green dragon. Three hours later, the great dragon running a hundred meters long had occupied the entire basement. From afar, she was all elegant curves; up close, she looked fierce and vicious like a typical evil dragon.

She resembled Senna’s green dragon form.

Under the skin of the green dragon were traits of an Astral life, and the draconic appearance was a convincing imitation of the real deal.

Wayne was ready to celebrate, but to avoid something from going wrong after a premature celebration, he told Auston to stabilize his thoughts. They had taken ninety-nine steps. This final step would determine Silvia’s fate.

It went smoothly. Nothing unexpected happened. No great dragon came out of nowhere to interrupt the operation and sabotage the evolution.

Silvia was safe!

Rumble!

The underground base groaned as the green dragon rose to her feet, ruining the architecture. Running over a hundred meters in length, the dragon broke through the ground while Auston fled in a hurry.

With Veronica on his back, Wayne watched the show play out with Megan by his side.

The great dragon roared, breathing out torrents of flames at Auston. He had no choice but to transform into the Darkness Knight, but after three exchanges, he still ended up pinned to the ground by the dragon’s clawed hand.

“You’re spoiling her...” Wayne muttered, telling Megan to prepare the first-aid kit, with as many rolls of bandages as possible. Auston was going to put on a grand pity act tonight.

The flirting between the middle-aged couple was too sappy for young people. Wayne carried Veronica back to his mansion.

No one stopped Silvia from exercising violence. For one, Auston was into it and would be the first to stop anyone from stopping her. For another, Silvia had clearly pulled back, only tearing apart the underground base. Another could be built the next day.

They could afford it!

***

The next day, Wayne left the Lando Estate, feeling refreshed. The dragon blood curse had been lifted, and the surgery had succeeded without any hiccups. With the worry lifted, he couldn’t be more relaxed.

He had a newfound appreciation for the value of research. Since a new branch of the Ministry of Magic had been established with Bourne organizing a new research team, and all his laboratory equipment and research materials had been moved in, Wayne decided to pay it a visit for its grand opening. As team leader and Vice Minister of Magic, he could cut the ribbon and give a passionate remark.

The new branch was located in the Southern District of Londan. Since Wayne had more or less exhausted the Grey Space, leaving the mist that emerged at night in Londan increasingly thin, the thick magical mist became a phenomenon of the past. Business boomed at night, and the originally impoverished Eastern and Southern Districts received increased investments.

The impact wouldn’t be visible in the short-term, though. With the shadows of war still looming, the economy wouldn’t become prosperous in the two districts in the next two years. It would be fortunate if the economy didn’t tank.

The newly constructed laboratory was divided into two parts. Zone A was led by Bourne and would continue to study Astral lifeforms, mostly the flesh of Astral Beasts. Resources were scarce since the flesh wasn’t easy to come by.

Zone B consisted of only Wayne, focusing on the study of Hell based on the heritage former Hell expert Frank had left behind. At the moment, Wayne was still organizing the materials, so he had only created a folder at the moment.

He was in dire need of research materials. The most ideal subjects would be demons from Hell or at least demon familiars, but obviously, Wayne couldn’t find a familiar even though he could capture one.

There might be some in Palis, but he couldn’t go there. Who knew how many demons were hiding in the bushes in that chaotic city?

Hopefully, the angels from the Church of Heavenly Father would move faster and clean up the place sooner.

“Vice Minister, we’re going to run out of research materials in the inventory.”

Bourne rushed to Zone B with the news. He was referring to the flesh of Astral Beasts. It was so corruptive that only churches had intact flesh to provide.

Hearing that it would cost more money, Wayne shot him down, “You’re an elite of the Ministry of Magic, and the country has invested much to cultivate you. Don’t just ask for funding whenever you run into a problem. You have to learn to hunt yourself.”

Times were different now. Wayne could burn down warehouses for his own benefit, but seeing others doing the same, he immediately spoke up for the Queen.

The Chosen Land wasn’t Europe. There weren’t many colonies to exploit. With the limited number of gems on the Queen’s crown, she would have to work at nightclubs to make ends meet if the budget got any bigger.

“Vice Minister, I’d like to hunt in the Astral Space, but circumstances do not allow that!” Bourne said in a troubled tone. “You might not know, but now—”

“Hm?!”

“Apologies. My mistake.” Bourne corrected himself. “You’ve only just entered office, Vice Minister, so I haven’t had the time to report to you on this matter. An Astral Worm has been hunkering down near the node where Londan overlaps with the Astral Plane. For some reason, the thing refuses to go.”

“Oh, it’s the same worm!” Wayne came to a realization. No wonder he always ran into the same Astral Worm every time he entered the Astral Plane. It turned out that the worm had been lingering in the same spot.

That begged the question: what was the worm waiting for?

“If the spatial node in Londan is blocked, Bourne, why don’t you just go to another city? Do I have to spell something this simple out to you?” Wayne snapped as a leader would.

“That won’t help. While the Chosen Land appears vast, it’s nothing compared to the Astral Plane. Almost the entirety of the Chosen Land shares the same node. Even if I enter the Astral Plane from the Frozen Land, I’ll still run into the Astral Worm,” Bourne said resignedly.

You’re right!

Wayne slapped his head in exasperation. “What does the worm want? What is it waiting for?”

“I don’t know. There is no solid hypothesis yet. Maybe it’s because of Obed. The Astral Worm has gotten a taste of a legendary mage and become addicted, so it wants more legendary mages.”

Bourne voiced his complaints. The more turbulent the sea, the more expensive the fish. The few churches had been hoarding their Astral Beast flesh and increasing the price since there would always be someone willing to pay for it.

He turned to Wayne with an imploring look. He knew that the Prince had established many informal contacts with the churches through unofficial channels. Now, it was time for the Prince to make use of his longcomings[1].

Wayne huffed. “Ask for the grant through the standard procedure and have Auston and the Queen sign the paper. Once the money is wired, I’ll have a chat with the churches personally.”

“Then, how much... should I ask for?”

“How did you do things in the past?”

“Market price with an added thirty percent.” Bourne smiled like an innocent old crook.

Vermin! This bunch of vermin!

No wonder the Ministry of Magic kept experiencing fire, and even the Queen set fires sometimes. Given how these people had been stealing money, the shortage of funds couldn’t be filled even if the Queen and the Princess worked for the Lando family.

Wayne rolled his eyes and huffed. “I’m new, so I won’t break the existing rules. Market price plus thirty percent it is. Wire me the money, and I’ll talk to the churches.”

“Vice Minister, you’re still thinking about saving money for the country even as you devote yourself to the front line as the future sovereign. We subordinates have been failing our jobs.”

“It’s all for the love of Windsor.”

Wayne patted his chest. He had already built the necessary connections for Windsor, so as soon as the money was in his pocket, he could procure more Astral Beast flesh.

Coincidentally, he was visiting Anastasia’s place tonight to inject the statue of the Goddess of Darkness with the energy of the one chosen by five goddesses. He would take the chance to ask Anastasia if the Church of Darkness sold Astral Beast flesh at a discount.

He would tearfully earn seventy percent in difference.

***

Western District, night.

One of the manors under Wayne’s name was currently Anastasia’s residence. It would make her seem like a lover he kept outside the family, but that wasn’t the case. He was merely expressing his eagerness to support the Church of Darkness as the Lando heir.

Veryl was put in charge of arranging the manor. He didn’t care if Anastasia was a Holy Maiden and if she needed to remain pure. All he knew was that Wayne rarely showed special treatment to women, and every woman he had taken special care of had become a lady in his household.

Thus, the manor was extravagantly furnished. Those who didn’t know the truth would think that Anastasia had fallen.

In the luxurious living room, she welcomed Wayne with a pot of black tea she had personally made, dressed in a long black dress. Her well-groomed appearance showed the care she had put into herself. The faint fragrance tickled Wayne’s nose.

Sensing the unusual tension in the air, he said matter-of-factly, “Lady Holy Maiden, does the Church of Darkness keep Astral Beast flesh? What’s the price at this moment?”

“I don’t know. If you need it, Mr. Wayne, I can give you a few portions on the church’s behalf.”

Holy, won’t I be earning more than a hundred percent difference then? That’d be too slimy of me!

Wayne shook his head slightly. “Don’t. Let’s trade at the market price fairly. Although you’re the Holy Maiden, the Pope holds the administrative power. Don’t owe them anything.”

“The Pope is my father.”

...Geez, so you’re a nepo maiden.

Wayne straightened up. As they said, it was easier to get used to extravagance after a life in poverty rather than the other way around. Anastasia had grown up wanting for nothing, yet she had led an ascetic life even after reaching success, not letting the material indulgences corrupt her pure heart. Her character was evident.

She suddenly became more attractive in Wayne’s eyes. He compared her to everyone else he knew. They all had their shortcomings, while Anastasia alone was noble, holy, and flawless.

If only she were my Holy Maiden! Wayne thought all of a sudden. If Anastasia could not return to Darkness, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take her for himself.

After some consideration, he shook his head. He didn’t plan to start a religion.

People should be self-aware. Given his style, his sect would surely become a cult—and the most radical kind at that. He should refrain from bringing trouble to the general public.

“The black tea is good. Thank you for the hospitality, Lady Holy Maiden. Let us talk business now.” Wayne downed the black tea in his cup, asking Anastasia to help procure the flesh of Astral Beasts. Then he followed her to the basement, finishing his promise to the Goddess of Darkness: She would keep Wayne’s secret, but Wayne had to inject the statue with his energy.

It was the combined mana of the five magic stones in his chest, which he used when he merged with nature. Wayne didn’t know if this was what the goddess actually wanted. It should be nothing to the goddess. Thus, he didn’t hide anything when he injected the mana.

Behind him, Anastasia narrowed her eyes slightly. The Goddess of Darkness had logged in.

Her Holy Maiden was pure and considerate, while Her chosen knight was upright and impartial, uninterested in women. As a result, Her vessel in the human world remained pure.

That wouldn’t do! She wanted Wayne’s information!

Since Anastasia was unwilling to get going, and Wayne had not made a move, She had to give them a push.

Move it, you two!

1. Strength and weaknesses are literally 'long part' and 'short part' in Mandarin, and the author often uses 'long part' as an innuendo. I know longcoming isn't a word, but I feel it intuitive enough a play on shortcoming to convey similar double meanings. ☜