Four months had passed since the first raid on a Goblin settlement, and a full 2,800 able-bodied laborers had become the diesel fueling the tank that was Succubus civilization.
Summer, in the cotton fields.
Hundreds of Goblins worked under the scorching sun, cautiously picking cotton and placing it into baskets. If their movements slowed even slightly, a Goblin overseer would crack a whip, leaving a stinging, bloody welt on their backs.
Every time this happened, the overseer would laugh and glance toward the silver-haired girl in the main building on the distant city wall, as if seeking credit—hoping that great lady might witness his diligence.
"As expected of the Mentor, you've easily tamed the green-skinned barbarians."
Xibi A exclaimed with sincere admiration.
She truly admired the method Anna had devised: using high-level slaves to keep low-level slaves in check. Without wasting the labor of the primary Succubus race, the Goblins consumed each other and became increasingly submissive. Looking at their knees—after only four months, they could no longer stand straight. This was a permanent solution.
"I'm just standing on the shoulders of giants. When it comes to exploitation, I'm still just a layman."
"You are too modest."
"No, this is only the lowest level of exploitation; it still requires a whip. The truly impressive way is to make the slaves believe they are building their own home, then take everything away while they continue to work eagerly—thinking they are destined to own a place, only to become slaves through their own hard work."
"I see…"
Anna looked with satisfaction at the assistant officer girl, who seemed to have gained some insight.
A manager gains understanding through practice. Although Xibi A was usually quiet, she was actually very fierce in a fight—her arena tournament results ranked second only to Baka, who frequently suppressed the slaves. This girl had a face as calm as a lake but a heart like thunder; she was clearly someone destined for great things. Facts proved she managed the "property management" of a thousand people in an orderly fashion.
Xibi A was far from her limit; she handled things with such ease that it felt like the more she had to do, the better she performed. Unfortunately, the Succubus race had no new population influx for the time being.
However, thanks to the Goblins' diligent labor, the village had already accumulated enough resources to handle a baby boom.
Exploitation is the absolute truth.
Anna felt no psychological burden; if she was in the basement when it came to oppression, those financial oligarchs and capitalists were in the stratosphere.
*After gathering nectar from a hundred flowers to make honey, for whom is the labor, and for whom is the sweetness?*
In short, taming the Goblins provided Anna with experience she could draw upon in the future.
She streamlined end-to-end labor coordination, seized the momentum to penetrate the entire industrial chain, empowered the cotton textile and livestock industries, and used a combination of strategies to fully mobilize the perception of the Goblin workforce. She introduced middle management, screened excellent cadres, and optimized the organizational structure to form a new round of competitiveness. High-tech investment was directed into health and maintenance fields, focusing on the production and life experience of "employees" to build a sustainable way of draining the pond to catch the fish.
To be blunt, it was just capturing slaves.
On the other hand, to ensure the Goblin population growth rate, the succubi had also developed a certain level of surgical, pharmaceutical, and plague-prevention technologies.
Regardless, the early development of medicine relied entirely on a pile of test subjects—and what they lacked least were green-skinned consumables.
The advancement of medical technology also gave rise to a new concept: personal hygiene. Coincidentally, after half a year of psionic maturation, the first batch of succubi had grown into two-meter-tall beautiful girls and were about to reach sexual maturity.
"Xibi A, let me see how you're developing?"
Anna could now say such provocative things without batting an eye. As long as she was thick-skinned enough, the one who would be embarrassed was the other person.
"I'm sorry, I cannot yet undertake the task of reproduction." The blonde girl slowly lowered her head, revealing two horns; until the tips branched, they were not considered sexually mature, and no matter how intimate they were, they could not produce a Succubus egg.
However, judging by the size and development of the succubi, they were clearly only a step away from adulthood, and a large wave of newborns was expected within a month.
Who would have thought that six months ago they were just little girls waiting to be fed? It could truly be said that Anna had raised them with great hardship. Of course, as long as the population grew, it was all worth it; as everyone knows, population is a vital resource in Stellaris.
You never have to worry about a race with the [Rapid Breeders] trait; all they need is to survive.
"It's time to popularize knowledge about personal hygiene."
"Does that even need to be taught?" Xibi A's eyes widened, and she said dismissively, "The sisters are all intimate with each other in the lily fields at night; we are already prepared for reproduction."
The silver-haired girl's face filled with question marks.
"So I'm just overthinking it? You're all self-taught; as expected of the naturally gifted succubi."
At the thought of dozens of beautiful girls lying in the flower fields, their delicate bodies intertwined, their sweet voices echoing, and their graceful figures bathed in moonlight like gossamer—what a beautiful scene that must be. Unfortunately, she had worked all night and hadn't even known about such things. It turned out the succubi building the new civilization weren't as workaholic as Anna. But even if she had known, she had no interest in participating; they were to be admired from afar, not trifled with.
So precious.
Anna felt like she was in heaven. To be honest, she really was a lesbian; she loved watching girls being intimate.
"Lord Mentor, how exactly does one establish a partnership, as you mentioned?"
"Does little Xibi have someone she likes?"
"You are the most beautiful treasure in the world; there is no sister who does not love our Progenitor."
Their eyes met, emotions flowing between them; everything was understood without words.
"A partnership is a relationship where two people stay together by mutual consent. They form a family and share some responsibility for raising offspring. For the Succubus race, a family is not strictly necessary, which makes it feel even more sacred—it's not a decision to be made lightly. Do you understand?"
Xibi A nodded silently. She was actually asking on behalf of many sisters, and the answer was that she belonged to no one.
Anna had to reject the feelings of others; after all, if she partnered with just one person, it might trigger jealousy. Of course, she didn't rule out the possibility of favoring a certain beautiful girl.
"When you don't intend to possess a single flower, you find that the world is full of flower fields, and life is full of encounters."
"…But I want to have you for at least a moment."
The girl's murmur was as faint as a thread of silk.
"Then I shall grant you this small wish."
Anna brushed aside a strand of silver hair by her ear, which fell like a waterfall and smelled sweet. Her delicate hands gently cupped Xibi A's cheeks, and her red lips parted slightly to leave a touch of warmth on the girl's cheek—a lasting impression.
The sudden kiss left the girl stunned. She had never dared to dream of such an honor; the Mentor was looking at her, responding to her—this was the greatest recognition.
It was a brief, light touch, and the two intertwined figures separated a moment later.
Her mouth was sweet, like she had eaten honey. Xibi A blushed and didn't dare look at the silver-haired girl; hearing the command to "go prepare the Incubation Room," she fled as if relieved of a heavy burden.
A succubus, yet so innocent?
Anna licked her lips, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. The building of civilization was truly becoming more and more promising.