Diary of the Improper Monster Girl Transformation.

Chapter 555 Who keeps a diary if they're a decent person? (Bonus chapter for 6K readers!)
The afterglow of dusk, like molten gold, lazily painted the walls of the monastery's long corridor, giving the stories depicted there a warm and gentle edge.

Night fell upon the ancient monastery.

The elderly man, living alone, waited until midnight... but in the end, he still didn't get the audience he had been waiting for.

After demonstrating his skills, Herbert did not push the project any further.

He was afraid Ophidia wouldn't be able to handle it.

In fact, she was indeed finding it difficult to cope.

For an old...veteran monster girl with a wealth of knowledge but zero practical experience, that massage technique, resembling the playing of a pipa, was still too over-the-top.

This is not just physical relaxation, but also a kind of provocation and exploration that goes straight to the depths of the soul.

Herbert's technique, rather than being a massage, is more like a "tuning" based on a resonance with life, attempting to reawaken and recalibrate certain instincts and perceptions that had been dormant for countless years.

That unfamiliar, uncontrollable surge of pleasure had a tremendous impact on her rationality, which had been calm for countless years.

Not to mention, they were already in a rather ambiguous period.

Outstanding effect!

After a while, she began to unconsciously utter some suggestive moans.

At first, Ophidia didn't notice, but after a while, she suddenly realized it.

When she realized that the soft, slightly nasal breaths were coming from her own mouth, she was taken aback for a moment.

Immediately following, as if in a chain reaction, the previously ignored, intermittent, subtle sounds replayed and amplified in my mind.

She could even recall the exact acupoints Herbert's fingers pressed during each soft moan, and the strange warm current that surged up, making even the tip of her snake tail involuntarily curl up.

!!!

When she realized what she was doing, she immediately broke down.

A surge of shame and indignation rushed to my face, and I felt as if I were being steamed alive.

An indescribable heat instantly swept over my entire body, from my ears to my neck, and even the skin covered by my clothes, all of which were probably tinged with a bright red.

If she hadn't still been wearing a hoodie, she would probably have been completely exposed.

Such an indecent sound!
How could I make such a sound?
How could I make such a sound!

I……

At times like these, thinking is useless.

Enraged, Ophidia naturally vented her anger on Herbert.

The snake's tail coiled around it, then it threw it out forcefully.

Herbert, thrown out, traced an unrefined arc in mid-air before being "sent" straight out of the demiplane.

When Herbert was chased away by the nervous Ophidia, he didn't stubbornly resist. Instead, he offered a token resistance and then went along with it and was "thrown out".

This gave her a way out, allowing her time to process things on her own.

He understood this stress response stemming from extreme embarrassment and also enjoyed her shy reaction.

At this moment, any words of comfort or explanation will only add fuel to the fire.

Leaving quietly and letting time cool down her embarrassment is the best solution.

After all, there's plenty of time in the future.
After leaving Ophidia's demiplane, Herbert did not immediately turn around and chat with the archbishop as originally planned.

Anyway, now that he has the "protection" of the Ash Bishop and her guarantee as a shield, he can stop giving Old Deng face—well, that's roughly the idea.

Well, it's not that we don't give them anything at all; we still give them a little bit.

"Let's wait until he contacts me to talk about it!"

Having made up his mind, Herbert happily returned to the Third Discipline Hall.

I've been working so hard out there for so long, it's time for me to come back and enjoy myself!

However, he wasn't specifically going back to sleep with the monster girls; there was something he needed to deal with.

The endless maze was silent. Miss Hungry Dragon was still keeping watch in Elda. With Sophia watching over her, there shouldn't be any problems.

Moreover, that demigod squirrel will most likely come to Eldar to live later. Without an epic-level combatant stationed there, I'm still a little worried.

Although that squirrel lady is only on temporary leave, her demigod-like strength is genuine.

Valentina's presence at least serves as a strategic deterrent, ensuring that Elda is in a relatively safe situation.

Although the demigod had consistently shown considerable goodwill, what if...?

Herbert never placed his hopes entirely on the goodwill of others.

Harmfulness is not allowed, and defensiveness is indispensable.

Having a demigod-level fighter there can buy time should anything happen.

Of course, these are just the stated reasons. The real reason Herbert left Valentina to roam freely in Elda was the message she conveyed to him through the shards of the mirror:

"Mmm, the mushrooms here come in so many flavors!"

Lucaria even included some blurry image clips in her message:

A forest of giant mushrooms, each with its own unique color and shape, stood before Valentina, who was squatting in front of a mushroom that emitted a blue glow and had a cap the size of a wheel, gazing at it with longing.

The mushroom merchant had no choice but to break off a piece for Valentina, who then stuffed it into her mouth, her eyes instantly shining like stars.

"(chew, chew, chew, chew)"

The incredibly clear chewing sound, as if it were right next to his ear, came through the message, making Herbert chuckle.

It's a pure, blissful feeling of being immersed in delicious food.

She enjoyed her meal.

"Wait for me, um, I'll go back after I've eaten my fill!"

"(Chewing, chewing, chewing...)"

It can only be said that there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names.

Miss Hungry Dragon truly lived up to her reputation as an extremely hungry person; her mind wasn't filled with much hatred, except for Herbert, which was filled with recipes.

For her, the slight unpleasantness of being suppressed by Miss Squirrel's power had probably long been overshadowed by the delicious mushrooms.

Revenge? Resentment?

That would take so long to eat!
Yes, Valentina had returned to normal by sunrise the next day.

Has she overcome the awkward feeling of being suppressed by Miss Squirrel's power?

No, she didn't leave.

This statement is clearly biased—because she didn't actually go inside at all.

What's embarrassing? What's shameful?
For the carefree Miss Hungry Dragon, this was no big deal.

For Valentina, nothing in this world matters except Herbert and eating!

Her values ​​are simple and pure, forming a stable and almost impeccable spiritual world.

External challenges, disparities in strength, and complex interpersonal relationships are all negligible background noise, as long as they don't affect her two core desires: protecting Herbert and enjoying delicious food.

Therefore, Herbert was not worried at all that Valentina would be at odds with the demigod squirrel.

Are you kidding me? That's impossible!
Valentina couldn't possibly hold a grudge, much less seek revenge—she didn't have the time or inclination for that.

Instead of wasting time on that, you might as well eat some good food!

He could even imagine that if the demigod squirrel offered a rare and delicious nut or fruit as a gift, Valentina would likely immediately consider it a confidant.

The previous minor "disagreements" vanished in an instant.

When it comes to delicious food, Miss Hungry Dragon's stance can be quite flexible at times... I wonder who she takes after, she's so spineless!
With Valentina's current strength, she can practically roam freely on the outskirts of the Misty Mountains.

She eats whatever she wants, drinks whatever she wants, and does whatever she wants; no one can stop her.

In terms of high-end combat power, after Valentina and Fremee advanced to epic level, Elda already had the strength to advance into the central region of the Misty Mountains. However, seeking stability, they continued to make more perfect preparations.

After resolving the issue of "tranquility," Herbert's awe of the central region of the Misty Mountains did not diminish; on the contrary, it rose to a new level.

What “tranquility” reveals is not a mere suppression of energy levels, but a more bizarre attack method that touches upon the fundamental rules of the world.

That ability to silently drag people into an eternal dream is something that is impossible to guard against.

If it weren't for the intervention of Nenasha, an extraordinary being, none of the people I could currently send out to fight would be able to reliably suppress "Tranquility," a special being.

Although Valentina also has the ability to breathe dragon's breath, her fighting style is more inclined towards physical collisions.

Her dragon breath focuses more on high temperature, corrosion, or impact, and its effect on "Tranquility," a dreamlike existence that exists between reality and illusion, would be greatly reduced.

Close combat is out of the question; how can one attack an enemy that has no fixed form and exists only at the level of consciousness?
Although Freyme is a great mage proficient in water elemental magic, she is new to the epic realm and her mastery of power is not yet comprehensive or perfect.

Water elemental magic excels at purification, nourishment, and control, but when faced with the erosion of the "Tranquility" rule, Fremei lacks sufficient knowledge and means to deal with the specific rules.

Her magic might be able to temporarily resist, but it would be difficult to fundamentally dispel or eliminate that existence.

For them, "tranquility" is an enemy on a completely different level.

Its strength is one aspect, but more importantly, it holds some of the remaining authority of the divine kingdom and excels in battles involving "rules".

It is not a living thing, but more like a fragment of law belonging to a fallen deity that is still stubbornly running.

Within its sphere of influence, its "rules" are the truth.

Facing such a special being in the Kingdom of God is tantamount to fighting a false god directly, or even fighting against a god.

This is no longer a conventional battle against monsters, but a small-scale "war of gods".

The opponent possesses home-field advantage and rule privileges far exceeding those of a typical epic enemy.

Aside from those with epic combat power, the rest would likely be easily dragged into the dream world, utterly enveloped in tranquility. While guiding Steve out of the depths, Herbert also used Steve's eyes to get a general overview of the Misty Mountains, gaining a clearer understanding of the entire landscape.

Unlike the outer mountain range, which is completely ruined and almost nothing remains, the central area contains many ruins of the divine kingdom.

The deeper you go, the better the structure of the divine kingdom is preserved; at the deepest point, it is almost indistinguishable from a normal divine kingdom.

The space there has a stable structure, relatively complete laws, and may even contain a gathering place for heroic spirits or an automatic defense mechanism that is still in operation.

The fog was so thick it was impossible to disperse, not only obscuring vision but also interfering with perception and sense of direction.

And what's worse, in Nenasha's perception, there are at least three more beings of the same caliber as "Tranquility"...

Yes, at least.

With an unusually serious tone, He pointed out several directions to Herbert, each direction emanating a rhythmic fluctuation that required His attention as well.

The reason these three were discovered is because none of them concealed themselves.

Perhaps it is due to the nature of their existence, or perhaps it is because they have no need to hide at all.

They wield different powers, and as if programmed, they carry out the duties that came before the fall of the divine kingdom.

As for how many of these monsters are hidden deep within the mist, we'll have to wait until Nenasha recovers a bit more before we can find out.

The way to deal with this kind of thing is actually quite simple—use rules to fight rules.

Only by truly mastering the laws of the divine realm can one stand on equal footing with such beings.

Herbert originally wanted Nenasha to wreak havoc and take back all the power, but Miss Harmony poured cold water on his idea.

He was able to resolve "tranquility" seemingly easily, but in reality, he still took many risks.

According to Nenasha's explanation, although He is currently in a remnant soul state, He has regained the "statue" that His body was transformed into. With the two combined, His control over the dream world has greatly increased.

But other powers are not so easy to wield; a single misstep could mean the difference between being able to protect oneself and others.

He was confident that he and Herbert would not run into any problems, but he could not be so sure about the others.

Herbert could not accept such an outcome, so he would never even mention it.

The gods who once didn't understand human nature began to understand some aspects of "human nature" after being subtly influenced by mortals.

With their current strength, even if they were to advance inwards, they wouldn't be able to storm straight into the central area.

Instead, after entering the central region, they will continue to advance steadily, establish new bases, and gradually encroach inwards, eventually recovering more lost territory.

Herbert's return to the Discipline Center was not actually to discuss with the monster girls how to cultivate the Misty Mountains.

Plan before you act; haste makes waste. Some things cannot be rushed.

This time, he was actually doing it for something else.

After helping to eliminate the "cancer" that was Mofeon, he could have taken the opportunity to propose confiscating his resources in the Witch's Guild.

But doing that would be too forceful.

This is somewhat disrespectful to the Witch Association, especially to its leader.

The Witches' Guild is, after all, a large and secretive organization with a complex web of internal relationships.

Although Finn's crimes are undeniable, the fact that his enemies accepted the money directly will likely cause some resentment, even if they don't say anything.

Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again someday.

Herbert was not a hasty person; he never liked to push others to their limits.

That would only force them to retaliate in desperation, which would be counterproductive.

Often, the exchange and compromise of interests are far more effective in achieving the goal than forceful plunder, and have fewer repercussions.

But Herbert was not a great philanthropist and could not completely give up that enormous wealth and resources.

Especially the latter, the resources that Fein controlled were what Herbert cared about.

Several mineral deposits that produce gold, iron, silver, copper, etc., territories that produce magical materials... and a very mature private merchant guild system.

For Elda, the value of these resources far outweighs any direct acquisition of wealth.

Especially that chamber of commerce; although they were Finn's personal subordinates, they were unaware of their master's true identity.

To avoid revealing himself, the cautious Finn kept a certain distance from them and did not disclose much information.

Even the top brass of the chamber of commerce only knew that they were serving a mysterious and wealthy "sir," receiving instructions and handing over profits through encrypted communication and specific intermediaries.

They didn't even know whether this "sir" was male or female, human or of another race.

These chamber of commerce members don't know who they are serving, so they can't be considered loyal.

For businessmen, they will naturally serve whoever pays the most money.

The threshold for taking over this chamber of commerce is very low.

These businessmen are happy to change owners as long as they can prove they have become the new owners of these assets and can continue to pay salaries and ensure their businesses run smoothly.

Loyalty? That's something you only need to consider when your interests are guaranteed.

These resources are real and can be quickly transformed into the cornerstone for Elda's growth and expansion.

Ores can be used to forge weapons and armor, magical materials can be supplied to mage guilds and for research, and merchant guilds can facilitate trade and exchange for the necessary resources for Eldar.

In order to obtain these resources, Herbert "entrusted" them to Ms. Astrid, asking her to take care of them.

She was an insider of the Witch's Guild, and the guild leader was aware of her relationship with him, so he simply acquiesced to her actions.

If Astrid manipulates things at the right time, she can smoothly transfer this wealth to herself.

In this way, it was a roundabout way, and it didn't disrespect the witch. Everyone could say that on the surface.

This can also be seen as giving Astrid and her family a chance to repay a favor.

Some things don't need to be said too clearly. Who owes whom? How much is owed? Everyone has their own understanding of it.

Herbert brought it up, and the couple didn't refuse; in fact, they seemed visibly relieved.

After that, Herbert left the North and did not follow up on what happened next.

After returning to the Misty Monastery, before seeking Ophidia's help, he received a magical message.

It wasn't Astrid herself who relayed the message, but rather her father, the Grand Duke of Silverwing—that everything had been completed.

Herbert expected them to act proactively, but he didn't expect them to be this proactive, handling everything in such a short time.

According to Grand Duke Silverwing, they transferred those resources to the Frost Crystal Kingdom under the guise of compensation to make up for the previous covert attacks on the Frost Crystal Kingdom by Fein.

Later, King Reinhardt bestowed it upon the Grand Duke of Silverwing in recognition of his heroic act of standing up in times of crisis.

Now, although those things are nominally his father's, they are actually Herbert's own.

It's troublesome and pointless, but that's the dirty way adults do things.

Moreover, through this series of operations, a resource that the Witches' Guild had already lost was passed through three hands, benefiting four different groups of people.

The Witches' Guild's reputation was justified, the Astrid family repaid the favor, the Silverwing Duke received a reward, and Herbert obtained resources.

It has both face and substance.

Everyone gained happiness.

Oh, except for Finn, he must be unhappy.

If he knew all this, he would definitely be completely disarmed.

The wealth and foundation he had painstakingly built over many years were not only taken away by his enemies, but also became a gift for various forces to consolidate their relationships and make everyone happy... This was probably more painful for him than being killed directly.

However, that unfortunate fellow Finn is probably still adrift somewhere, so his opinion is not worth considering.

The matter that Herbert is now asking someone to inquire about is actually related to Fein.

At the end of Grand Duke Silverwing's account, he added another piece of information: another package that had been given to him.

A diary was found in Fane's mage tower, containing many private matters and secret messages.

It's common knowledge that respectable people don't keep diaries. What they write down can hardly be considered their true feelings.

Clearly, Fein is not like Herbert, this moral exemplar; he is not a decent person.

He was despicable; he wrote in his diary.

He not only recorded his entire life from the bottom to the top, but also meticulously recorded many reflections and summaries afterward.

After making a copy within the Witches' Guild, it was originally given to Herbert as a trophy.

Herbert was quite moved after receiving the original diary.

He never imagined he would learn about the life of an epic figure in this way.

Despite being on opposing sides with Fein, Herbert did not deny the legendary nature of Fein's early life.

If he had unfortunately met Herbert in the end, Fein's life would have been a perfect rags-to-riches story of an ordinary person rising from humble beginnings to great heights.

—Oh, emotionally imperfect.

The woman he likes doesn't like him back, but he stubbornly insists that he doesn't like her at all.

Herbert was so interested in the diary because he glanced at it and noticed that one of the chapters mentioned "misfortune".

In that diary entry, Fein had reflected deeply on his experiences.

He believed that his decline began because he encountered a certain devil who brought him bad luck.

It was all because of that damned devil that he was forced to take a desperate gamble and ultimately embark on a perilous path.

When it comes to "misfortune" and "devil," Herbert naturally thinks of the "lucky" devil in his own juvenile detention center.

Is there any connection between them?
(End of this chapter)