Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though he didn't exactly require support, Vahn knew the quickest way to break the Lo Po Bia trio's delusions was to introduce them to the existing members of his harem. More specifically, he invited Artoria, Fenrir, and Yoruichi to accompany him, each representing one of three distinct sub-factions that had gradually formed among the residents of the Emerald Grove.As both a Dragon Goddess and his official Empress, Artoria had the highest official status among the women comprising Vahn's harem. She also had to most regal bearing among his women, and, despite the many setbacks she had faced early in life, her leadership capabilities and understanding of Authority were second only to Vahn's. This, combined with the fact she was excessively kind and dutiful, made her the de facto leader of the faction that supported the existence and stability of the Empire. In layman's terms, she was the leader of the Imperial Faction.A close second to Artoria's Imperial Faction, largely due to the fact they didn't care about status and authority, were the members of Fenrir's 'Pack'. This was a group comprised of so-called 'good girls', or, more specifically, women with animalistic features who had embraced their instincts and desires as a result of Fenrir's teachings. In many ways, this was the group most loyal to Vahn, as, rather than caring about more complicated matters, their primary focus was self-improvement, receiving praise, and supporting him to the best of their ability.Due to their animalistic features and the substantial influence their instincts had over their behavior, it was safe to assume that any members of the Lo Po Bia Family, Pram, Iifa, and Nio included, would most likely become a member of Fenrir's Pack. They simply lacked the selfless perspective required to enter the Imperial Faction, so, with the third option being Yoruichi's faction, a group comprised almost entirely of Templates with no particular ambitions, it wasn't difficult to imagine where they would end up.The most important thing was that Artoria, Fenrir, and Yoruichi were all remarkably powerful, and, while they might not care about official status or titles, the members of Fenrir's Pack adhered to a strict hierarchy. At the very top was Vahn, and, due to her standing as his most faithful and beloved companion, Fenrir represented the pinnacle of what every pack member endeavored to become. As a result, she set the example for everyone else to follow, and, unless Vahn superseded her authority, stepping out of line would quickly earn you the label of a 'bad girl'.Though there were no serious consequences associated with the label, it did result in a noticeable decrease in the amount of pampering and praise you would receive. This might not seem like much of a penalty from the perspective of an outsider, but, for the members of the pack, it was one of the most severe punishments they could imagine. Many of them had become irreversibly dependent on the pampering and praise they received, and, while it might not compare to an actual addiction, just the thought of a life without Vahn's affection made them anxious. Fortunately, no matter how great their mistakes, they could be certain their Master would always be willing to forgive them so long as they apologized and made a sincere effort to learn from their mistakes...---Despite being the weakest among the three faction leaders, Fenrir was still more powerful than the average High Ranker. Her unique bloodline and advanced mastery over various laws also provided an absolute advantage against those who relied on their instincts, so, after some expected tension, both Pram and her daughters had begun referring to the former with the suffix 'sama'.Observation of the established hierarchy was one of the most important things taught to members of the Lo Po Bia Family. Thus, after recognizing that even the weakest among Vahn's followers was stronger than them, it was only natural that they lower their heads. Pram even went as far as setting the example for her daughters by defaulting to a support role and offering no resistance even when Yoruichi decided to tease her. This greatly perturbed her daughters in the beginning, but, after a bit of careful guidance from Fenrir and a fair amount of pampering from Vahn, they quickly adapted to the peculiar situation and became noticeably more servile.Truth be told, Vahn wasn't particularly fond of women with servile natures, but, understanding the impossibility of attending to the countless women who would readily throw themselves at him the moment he took over the Lo Po Bia Family, establishing a precedent like this was necessary. Though it might come across as a little scummy, he had no intention of letting individuals such as Pram and her daughters become official members of his harem. They were far from truly loving him, so, while he was more than willing to appease them for the sake of a peaceful transition, he had no desire to become something like a Grand Chieftain or a Great Father.Though it wouldn't actually be that difficult, Vahn had no intention of siring dozens of children just to appease each branch of the Lo Po Bia Family. He might sleep with quite a number of their Elders and chosen representatives, but, unless something drastic were to occur, he would most likely leave Templates behind to advise and protect each respective branch as he continued his ascent up and beyond the Tower. This method had worked with the various Tribes he had consolidated within the Little Garden, and, while it wasn't a 'perfect solution', it provided him with valuable perspectives and experiences that might aid in his future governance of all reality.As selfish as it might seem, the goal Vahn was aspiring towards was, perhaps, the most selfish thing anyone could ever hope to achieve. He was effectively trying to subsume all of reality just to placate his desire to reunite with his family and loved ones. This ultimately put him at odds with the current Order of Creation, and, most importantly, everything responsible for maintaining the current order. Thus, regardless of how guilty it made him feel at times, he could continue pushing himself forward following the notion that any and all experiences he could gain prior to his ascent would make him a better ruler.In the end, Vahn was aiming to become what some referred to as 'Chaotic Good'. He understood that 'balance' was one of the fundamental forces of reality, and, as a result of free will and intrinsic need of the Soul to experience new stimuli, the natural state of creation was chaotic in nature. Thus, the more he leaned towards any particular side of the spectrum, the greater the forces opposing him would become.Simply put, if Vahn decided to become a being of 'Absolute Good', a being of 'Absolute Evil' would naturally come into existence in order to counteract his influence. This would potentially result in a never-ending conflict between good and evil, so, rather than representing either extreme, the least destructive path seemed to be skirting the boundary between the two forces in order to enforce his own form of balance. This would also ensure the relative neutrality of his counterpart as a Tier 7, so, even if he was labeled as scum by some, Vahn would continue accumulating experiences in order to appease his personal desires and ensure the stability of the future...---With Iifa receiving training from Fenrir and Pram departing to personally express his intentions to Lord Lo Po Bia, Vahn was enjoying a bit of leisure time in a suite prepared for him by the Lo Po Bia Family. At his side, purring contentedly like a cat despite the beads of sweat covering her face and body, Nio could be seen staring off into space with a dazed expression on her face. He had agreed to Pram's request to help her prepare for her impending ascent, so, for the past few weeks, most of which had been spent in the Little Garden, Vahn had been training her rather exhaustively.Gently smacking the dazed girl's spats-covered backside, an action that caused her tail to spiritedly flick, an amused smile spread across Vahn's face as he teasingly inquired, "How long do you intend to rest? Your mother wouldn't even struggle to lift a mountain. How do you intend to surpass her when you can barely do more than a hundred pushups without taking a break...?"Groaning in response to Vahn's words, Nio did her best to right herself before adopting a princess-like pout and complaining, "You're so cruel, Vahn-sama...I can't even use Shinsu outside of the Little Garden. How can you expect me to compete with my mother under these circumstances...?"Ruffling the pouting girl's ashen-silver hair, Vahna adopted a stern tone as he said, "When it comes to personal ambitions, never blame others for holding you accountable to your own words. This is a path you decided upon after learning about forms of energy other than Shinsu. If you think it's hard now, you should give up trying to develop your Ki and wait to gain access to Shinsu along with the rest of the 'Regulars'. I won't be there to pamper and encourage you during your ascent, so, if you aren't going to take this seriously, don't expect me to continue pushing you forward..."With Nio's ears twitching in response to the emphasis he had placed on the word 'Regulars', Vahn knew his words had had the desired impact. Emphasizing this, Nio grit her teeth as she forced herself to a standing position despite the strain placed on her by the weighted compression suit covering most of her body. Its total weight was only 500kg, but, without the blessing of Shinsu, it was a substantial sum for a petite girl of only 34kg to lug around. She also had to fight against the resistance of the suit itself, so, despite her heritage, Nio had to strain herself just to be able to move around.After finally rising to her feet, Nio took several deep breaths, an action that was, fortunately, directly supported by one of the suit's functions. Then, with her icy-blue eyes firmly fixated on Vahn, she did her best to perform a series of one hundred star jumps. She had yet to realize his 'fascination' with the backsides of various races, so, in the hopes of appealing to him and receiving a greater reward, she did her best to maintain eye contact as her modest breasts bounced up and down with each of her movements...---At the very center of a massive forest, which, from the outside, looked like a giant briar bush, Pram could be seen bowing before a man with leaf-green hair, cat-like ears, and pale-yellow fur covering much of his body. This was none other than Lo Po Bia himself, the greatest Anima in existence and the man responsible for the name and creation of the entire Lo Po Bia Family.With a distinctly cat-like smile, Lo Po Bia retracted his hand from the head of the blue-haired who had been lying across his lap, waiting for the latter to move before rising to his feet and musing, "It seems the King's suspicions were, once again, correct...unfortunately, it would complicate things if I were to personally seek out the Sage Dragon Emperor. Instead, you will guide him here once he has finished with his business inside of the Nest. If he is unwilling to agree, tell him the entire Lo Po Bia Family will stand against him during his attempt to free the Princess..."Bowing her head even lower, Pram adopted a highly reverential tone as she unhesitantly replied, "I will carry out this duty without fail. Thank you for entrusting my Snow Leopard Family with such an important task..."Though the truth of the matter was that Lo Po Bia had been planning to sacrifice the Snow Leopard Family in order to appease Vahn's wrath regarding the events related to the Name Hunt Station, this kind of outcome was far more preferable than culling an entire branch. Thus, with a 'genuine' smile on his face, the inordinately tall Lo Po Bia approached Pram before kneeling low enough to pat her on the head as he said, "You've done well. Depending on the outcome of these events, the status of the Snow Leopards may become second only to the Forest Cats..."Hearing his father's words, the dark blue-haired man sitting near the base of the throne couldn't help glaring at Pram, his peculiar green and red eyes glimmering with apparent envy. At the same time, however, Pram's own were expressing minor doubts, as, despite looking forward to receiving her father's praise more than anything, his caress felt strangely lacking...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Yourichi's faction sounds lazy...','Nio-chan, fighto~!','Pram be like, *anxious snow leopard noises*')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Making the most of his free time, Vahn was watching the girls perform their morning routine with a relaxed smile on his face. This was easily one of his favorite ways to spend the morning, and, while it might not be particularly intense, seeing the girls stretching in little more than sports bras and yoga pants always improved his mood. It also demonstrated to the girls that he had a bit of free time on his hands, so, if they had nothing, in particular, going on, he was more than willing to make himself available for them.Fortunately, the girls had come up with their own system to determine, in advance, who would approach him during such situations. This was to prevent him from spending days, months, or even years just to pander to each particular person's needs, and, more often than not, the number didn't exceed five. The only exceptions were when the girls were struggling with their training or feeling a little lonely, but, given Vahn's propensity for monitoring each and every one of them, such instances were 'very' uncommon.With this in mind, Vahn always looked forward to seeing who would approach him following the morning routine. He could always find out by simply spying on the meetings the girls had at the end of every day, but, similar to when his original harem had adapted their 'network', Vahn did his best to respect the girls' autonomy when it came to their management of his harem. The was one of the most important lessons Loki had bestowed unto him, and, while it left him feeling left out at times, he understood that the private affairs and interpersonal relationships between women were least chaotic when unobserved by men.As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn was somewhat surprised to see Mikoto break off from the larger group of girls after exchanging a few words with Artoria. Even more surprising was the fact that she was the only one to approach him, a rare instance in and of itself.With Vahn's eyes following her unerringly during her approach, a ruddy hue gradually developed across Mikoto's face as she briefly considered whether or not she should use her [REquip] system to change clothes. Her outfit might be a lot tamer than the other girls, consisting of a sleeveless white top and matching shorts with red trim, but it still emphasized her figure quite a bit...Though he was largely to blame for the girl's quirks, Vahn couldn't help adopting an amused smile as he saw Mikoto stall before she was even halfway to him. She had a penchant for letting her mind wander whenever she was feeling anxious, and, every now and again, she would even begin talking to herself without any consideration for her surroundings.Taking advantage of the hazel-haired girl's absentmindedness, Vahn teleported directly behind her, his hand naturally gravitating towards her head as he mused, "It's rare for you to seek me out first. I wonder what you had in mind~?"Though her first instinct was to release a Thunderbolt, Mikoto ultimately managed to suppress the urge due to anticipating this exact outcome. She knew that approaching Vahn, at least in her case, was the same as asking to be teased, so, after some initial tensions, she managed to bat his hand away before saying, "I wanted to talk with you about visiting an Actualized World. We recently hit a bottleneck of sorts in our research, so, before we start having to do guesswork, I wanted to try and collect information directly from the source. I also have a few resentments to sort out related to my original source material, so, even if it's only for a short while, I wanted to explore that world and see if I can't improve a few things."With virtually all of his Templates sharing similar sentiments, Vahn wasn't particularly surprised by Mikoto's words. Rather, knowing the many tragedies set to occur in her world, it took quite a bit of self-restraint for Vahn not to interfere. Worlds with modern settings and extremes between science, magic, and religion were rarely pleasant once you peeled back the cute and often comical veil used to conceal the horrors hidden beneath. Mikoto's world, in particular, was one of the most atrocious examples of this, as, despite appearing as a romantic-comedy on the surface, it was a place where Scientists would unrepentantly make twenty-thousand clones of a middle-schooler just to sacrifice as part of an experiment...Without even needing to consider his response, Vahn offered a curt nod, saying, "I understand. How did you want to go about it? The simplest method is to adapt a version of the world with the Isekai sub-genre. Being 'reborn' with the memories of the person you wish to replace is significantly easier than trying to live their life from scratch. Of course, with your power, you could always just bulldoze your way through after assuming a different identity entirely..."Shaking her head in response to the last suggestion, Mikoto adopted a serious expression as she said, "Even if I'm my origins are that of a Template, my identity is still precious to me. I feel a little guilty about appropriating someone else's memories, but, for the sake of a better future, I will do what I can to correct the injustices that will have occurred by the time I enter the world. I also want to experience what it's like to have a mother, father, and childhood friends, so, even if it might be a little inconvenient, I will assume the identity of a transmigrator with the identity of Misaka Mikoto..."Unsurprised by Mikoto's decision, as several of his Templates had made similar choices, Vahn just nodded his head a second time, saying, "No problem. My only real question is, what role do you want me to play in all of this? For you to approach me in this manner, you must have thought of something, right?"With a remarkably potent blush spreading across her face, Mikoto averted her eyes to the side, fingers pressed together as she meekly replied, "I was thinking you could either be my guardian angel or a teacher that had just recently transferred into the city..."Though he knew she wasn't overtly suggesting anything, Vahn couldn't help raising his brows in response to Mikoto's words, an amused smile on his face as he mused, "I never expected you to have a preference for forbidden romance...well, at least you didn't ask me to be your step-father or something. Hahahahaha~"With illusory steam exploding from her head, Mikoto didn't hesitate to send Vahn flying into the sky with her variation of a Thunder Punch. Almost immediately thereafter, however, Vahn reappeared in front of her, a wry smile on his face as he scratched the back of his head and whispered, "It was just a joke..." before following it up with asking, "So? When did you want to head out?"Restraining the urge to hit him with a human-form Bolt Tackle, Mikoto took several breaths to calm herself before saying, "I've been meaning to ask since a while ago but you were already spending a lot of time in Actualized Worlds so I could never find a good opportunity. If you're up for it, I would like you to accompany me for the entire duration of my stay. Even if you have the power to control and manipulate time so that none passes while you're outside, I would rather not be left alone in a foreign world. With that in mind, it's really up to you when we depart. I'm pretty sure we can finish up everything within a year or two if we work together..."With Mikoto becoming meeker the longer she forced herself to stare directly at him, Vahn couldn't help adopting an affectionate smile as he immediately replied, "I'm looking forward to it..." in a soft and velvety tone. This caused Mikoto's expression to turn crimson, but, when he extended his hand for her to grab, she didn't refuse it...---After little more than a blink from the perspective of others, Vahn emerged from the Internalized Realm before opening his Unit Management and promptly summoning Mikoto to his side. This left the latter at a momentary loss, as, from her perspective, no time had passed from the moment they said their farewells to the time she appeared outside the Actualized World.Looking around, Mikoto quickly confirmed there were no other people present before looking up at Vahn, arms crossed as she pointedly remarked, "I half-expected you to bring everyone else with us. I guess even you have your limits..."Since the mood had been pretty good just moments prior, Vahn couldn't help scratching the back of his head as he found himself at a loss for words. Fortunately, Mikoto wasn't genuinely upset with him. Rather, after the three-and-a-half-years they had spent together, she could never stay mad at him for very long. He imagined she was just feeling lonely now that it was just the two of them, so, after a moment of consideration, he surprised the perennial youth with a warm and comforting hug as he whispered, "We can always return whenever you're feeling lonely...for now, how about we go and meet with the others?"Having grown rather accustomed to such actions during their time in the Actualized World, Mikoto made no effort to extricate herself from Vahn's embrace. Instead, she nestled a little closer to him, face pressed against his chest as her arms naturally wrapped around his body. Then, upon hearing his words, she simply nodded her head with an "Nn..." before accepting his hand and following him to the dining hall. There, she became quite emotional, but, with Vahn standing close by, she was, at the very least, able to avoid bawling her eyes out every time someone welcomed her home...---With his adventures in the 'Unified Toaruverse' requiring him to face metaversal threats capable of wiping out infinite universes with simple hand gestures, Vahn's interest in the politics of the Tower had waned considerably. He knew this was only a temporary side-effect of spending too much time in an Actualized World, but, with multiple Realms existing between him and the pinnacle, the notion he was spending too much time in the Tower had crossed his mind.Though less than a year had passed since he officially began his ascent, Vahn had aged more than seventy years in that time. When he had first entered the Record, he was a relatively spry 304-year-old. Now, however, he was getting remarkably close to 375 due to the gratuitous amount of time he spent training, researching, relaxing, and exploring various worlds. He had also accumulated the experiences of more than fifty Templates, so, despite his original desire to take things slow, he was already a lot stronger than he needed to be in order to completely dominate the Tower.With such thoughts plaguing his mind, Vahn emerged from the Little Garden to find Iifa and Nio, both completely naked, curled up next to each other in his bed. This immediately brought a smile to his face, not because he had any particular attachment to the two girls, but because their tails had coiled together naturally in their sleep. It was actually quite adorable, so, with more than three years having passed since the last time he saw the duo, an urge to celebrate their reunion swelled within Vahn's chest as fluffy ears and a rather thick tail sprouted from his head and backside. Then, eliciting a surprised yet playful 'kyaaaaa~' from the understandably bewildered duo, he practically pounced on them for the first time since their initial meeting...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'One of the 'Great Wonders' of the Aldrnari Empire...','The real question is: how big did Vahn's harem get in the Toaruverse...?','Vahn.EXE has stopped functioning. Initializing Horn.dog subroutine...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

After clearing the 'misunderstanding' and allowing Khane and Dowon to meet with the residents of the Eighth Layer, Vahn ended up accepting both sisters into his Familia before arranging a place for them in the First Layer.As descendants of the Land of Peach Blossom's Royal Guard, Khane and Dowon's ancestry could be traced back to a race evocative of Dryads. This afforded them an affinity with nature, so, as could be expected, they felt extremely comfortable beneath the canopy of the World Trees. Thus, at least for the time being, they were more than content with living quiet and peaceful lives among the endless field of eternal flowers that had come to dominate the First Layer. As for the remaining residents of the Wall of Peaceful Coexistence, Vahn allowed the members of the so-called 'Revolutionary Party' to take up residence in the Second Layer while those with darker hearts and ambitions were left to clean up the mess left in the wake of Dowon's unsealing.Though he couldn't help feeling a marginal amount of guilt, Vahn's decision to 'abandon' the leave the residents of the wall to their own devices was largely due to the fact that Dowon's sealing and Khane's suffering were the direct results of the Royal Family and their descendants. It was the King of their time that tasked the girls' father with fighting against the forces of Jahad, and, once he had lost his life, they had been forced to serve in his stead.As descendants of a family that had served the Royal Family for generations, Dowon and Khane had willingly entered the service of the Kingdom in order to resist Jahad's rise. In the process, they gave up everything in order to obtain power and fulfill their duty. Despite this, the moment the members of the Royal Family felt their lives were threatened, they promptly yielded to the Empire's demands and chose to seal Dowon, not for the sake of peace, but to preserve their own lives. To add insult to injury, the King of that time even tried to smooth the tensions between the Kingdom and the Jahad Empire by offering up Khane as collateral, effectively forcing her to become a slave or a concubine.It was her desire to protect her sister and fulfill the promise she had made to their dying father that compelled Dowon to modify the memories of her people. The truth of the matter was that she had made an agreement of her own with the Empire. In exchange for letting herself be sealed without a fuss, they would never lay a hand on her sister. The moment this term was violated, the seal would be broken of its own accord, and, depending on the circumstances, she would do everything in her power to seek revenge against the ones who had harmed her only living family member.Unfortunately, Dowon hadn't accounted for the fact that certain sentiments didn't simply disappear with a few memory alterations. Corruption, opportunism, and the fear of death had been so deeply ingrained into the Royal Family that they did not hesitate to try and exploit her sister and the loyalty of their family by redirecting all hatred and negative sentiments her way. Every time something bad happened, they would twist facts to pin the blame on Khane. This had continued over the course of several generations, so much so that it was now 'common knowledge' among the residents of the Wall that she was the source of all tragedies that befell them.Simply put, both the Royal Family and their descendants had unrepentantly treated Dowon and Khane as their personal scapegoats for the better part of ten-thousand-years. The current Chairman of the 50th Floor's Wall, Koer, had even been planning to execute Khane in the near future. As for the reason, it was because negative sentiments had been on the rise as of late so they wanted to renew faith in their administration by being the first leader with the courage to remove the source of suffering at the root.With a disheartening number of people sincerely believing that Khane was responsible for every bad thing that had ever happened to them, Vahn's desire to help them had disappeared like a drop of water in the desert. There was no way he would help them rebuild their civilization when the so-called 'Nobles' treated their most loyal subjects as nothing more than convenient tools. Instead, he chose to spare the handful of people who had seen through the lies of the former Royals and tried to improve conditions within the Wall.In total, Vahn ended up relocating twenty-seven people from the Wall of Peaceful Coexistence to a residential district in the Second Layer. This wasn't even close to the number of people required to try and rebuild a population, but, having come to realize that things like race meant very little in the grand scheme of things, there was no harm in letting one gradually disappear by intermingling with another. The Little Garden was, after all, a miniature Realm governed by the Law of Progress. Trying to preserve something like 'blood purity' was one of the most backward sentiments anyone could possess, so, with the people of the Land of Peach Blossoms originally descending from a completely different species, Vahn felt no qualms about letting them become something else entirely.Fortunately, as was often the case in worlds with extreme racial diversity, interspecies relationships tended to work out with surprisingly few issues. There were even examples of Shinheuh and Spirits obtaining human forms and intermingling with the other races of the Tower, so, while things might not always make sense from the perspective of reproductive biology, similar arguments could be made regarding Innates and Soul Tier in general. In the end, the most important things were always 'intent' and 'willpower'. With enough of both, you could even impregnate the void or inert stone. In that regard, impregnating the member of another species was a relatively simple affair...---Though he had promised Dowon he would visit the other Walls in order to unseal others from her time, backtracking wasn't exactly Vahn's modus operandi. Thus, before he could move on to other Floors, Vahn first needed to take care of his business on the 50th. To this end, he ended up reaching out to a representative of the Lo Po Bia Family; and, as a result, he soon found himself face-to-face with none other than Lo Po Bia Pram, Elder of the Snow Leopard Family, and two of her daughters.Understanding the reason for the duo's presence, Vahn had a difficult time maintaining his smile as all three inordinately fluffy women eyed him like hungry predators who had just chanced upon their favorite prey. To make matters even worse, Pram had made sure to cover her bases by selecting two distinctly different types of girls, one appearing somewhat boyish, complete with short hair and an athletic figure, while the other gave off the impression of a delicate yet mischievous princess. When the three were lined up together, it was almost like seeing the progression of a single individual as they moved through three distinctly different phases in their life...each more promiscuous than the last...Taking the initiative, Pram had each of her daughters bow in turn as she explained, "Though they are still lacking in various ways, these are the daughters I am most proud of. The bigger one, Iifa, has managed to become an Advanced Ranker at only 519-years-old. As for the younger one, Nio, she is one of the most promising members of the younger generation, so much so that I have even considered grooming her as my successor. She has yet to begin her ascent up the Tower, but I have high hopes for her future. To that end, I would be eternally grateful if the Sage Dragon Emperor was gracious enough to extend a guiding hand towards the both of them...rather, I wouldn't particularly mind receiving a bit of 'guidance' myself..."Though she had 'suffered' for quite a while following their previous encounter, Pram didn't resent Vahn in the slightest. His warning had also helped to remind her of the mission she had been given, so, while she hadn't come to terms with the fact her recording would be circulating through various information networks, she had come to realize that it could actually be used as leverage.Despite the previous incident, Pram was confident in her original assessment of Vahn. He gave off the impression of someone that was overly considerate, so, as long as she dealt with him in private, he shouldn't react in such an extreme way. The fact he had instructed her to meet with him on the 50th Floor was proof enough that he wasn't yet willing to cut ties with her family, so, before another branch stepped in, she intended to do everything in her power to secure his favor...Aware of the woman's thoughts, Vahn briefly exchanged glances with the two hungry-looking girls peering up at him whilst lowering their heads to the ground. Their unconcealed lust, combined with the fact all three girls were releasing a phenomenal amount of pheromones, made it feel as though he had wandered into an inescapable trap. Yes, he could leave whenever he wanted, but, unless he intended to adopt a more forceful approach, cooperating with the trio was the most expedient way to get what he wanted. The problem was, while their behavior could be attributed to their instincts and upbringing, even the innocent-looking Nio treated those weaker than herself with remarkable contempt and unrepentant cruelty. If he weren't exponentially stronger than them, this would have been a 'very' different conversation...In the end, Vahn's choice wasn't a simple matter of compromise. Rather, the moment he chose to 'fix' things within the Lo Po Bia Family, his nature would compel him to be as thorough as possible. This meant confronting Lord Lo Po Bia and reforming the branch families using the only means they could universally understand: strength.So long as Vahn could prove himself more powerful, even Lord Lo Po Bia himself would not oppose his decisions. The problem with this was that Lord Lo Po Bia considered Jahad to be the 'Alpha', so, unless he could defeat the self-proclaimed King of the Tower, there was a chance the family would bare its fangs at him in spite of the difference in strength. This would also establish a precedent for him taking over one of the Great Families, so, while it might not matter all that much in the grand scheme of things, Vahn was still a little reluctant to throw caution to the wind. After all, the moment he decided to follow through on the subjugation of a Great Family, his time within the Tower would begin counting towards its end...As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn's gaze returned to Pram, her mercury-like eyes catching his attention as she returned an expectant smile and manipulated her tail to peek out from behind her shoulder. This caused his eyes to briefly shift to the inordinately fluffy appendage, and, as a result, a bell-like laugh could be heard emanating from Pram's throat before she seductively mused, "Didn't I tell you the last time we met? You are more than welcome to touch...rather, the three of us would be more than a little disheartened if you decided not to. You see, we recently switched conditioners and have been eager to hear the Sage Dragon Emperor's opinion...won't you give them a touch~?"Hearing their mother's words, the tips of Iifa's and Nio's tails began to twitch slightly as the thick fur coating their length seemed to become noticeably fluffier. This wasn't just a trick of the eye, either, as, in preparation for this meeting, both girls had spent several weeks enduring extreme cold just to increase the thickness of their coats. They had also received 'special training' from their mother, so, even if they had to reduce themselves to the position of pets, they were willing to do so if it meant receiving the genetics of a strong male. After all, while individual strength was important, it was the duty of all members of the Lo Po Bia Family to ensure their offspring were even more powerful than the preceding generations.In the face of three inordinately fluffy women, Vahn's restraint could only hold out for so long. 'Fluff' was one of his greatest weaknesses, so, with the strength to change both the Snow Leopard and Lo Po Bia Families for the better, it didn't take long for his inhibitions to disappear completely. At one point, he even managed to convince himself that it would have been unnecessarily cruel of him to let the branch families continue fighting amongst themselves. After all, there were plenty of ways in which they could compete without killing each other, and, most importantly, he wanted to provide an environment where the more passive members of the tribe could prosper without suffering the abuse of their own families. Thus, for the first time since his coming to the 'Transcendental Path to Heaven', Vahn decided to reference his memories of the Oyakodon Cook Book for inspiration...(A/N: Sorry for the silence yesterday. I got wrangled into a New Year's celebration and couldn't find the time to release a chapter. On that note, I hope everyone has a much better 2021 than they did a 2020. Last year was a trial for a lot of people, myself included. Though it might not mean that much coming from some random guy on the internet, know that I am praying for everyone's happiness in the years to come. We might not be able to influence much in the grand scheme of things, but, on a personal level, we can at least make life a little easier by showing care and concern for each other. To that end, I wish you all a happy new year, and, most importantly, thanks for being the best part of EPIC~!)https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1958: Conditioning