The man was interested, and the woman was willing.
After a brief exchange of verbal sparring and mutual testing, Liya, in her role as Zulu, accepted Zyra’s political surrender.
For Liya, there were two main reasons to accept.
With the Shadow-Controlling Gem in hand, she could place a soul restriction on the Shadow Demon Zyra, ensuring she wouldn’t leak the truth to the Hero.
Second, once her identity was clear between them, she no longer had to hide.
She could use the Shadow Demon’s power to handle certain shady personal matters.
For instance, secretly trapping succubi.
Or perhaps contacting her old network of connections.
Regardless, the bombshell news that “Demon Lord Lia has been resurrected” was already a settled fact in the eyes of others.
The most brilliant part was that no matter how wildly the rumors spread outside, the Hero would assume it was all “fake news” or “nonsense rumors.”
He wouldn’t believe it, let alone come to search for her.
“There are many, many more succubi within the Empire.”
Liya looked up at the sky and fantasized.
“If I turn them all into batteries… *Slurp~* Heh heh. No, I must be cautious. If succubi start disappearing on a large scale and trigger an investigation, Pu Town won’t be able to stay hidden.”
“I’ll wait until they are at their absolute lowest, then arrange a reasonable exit for them.”
“Should we give them a little push?”
Bored, Zyra jumped into the water and began to mimic the surrounding Pupu, letting her body float aimlessly.
It felt surprisingly good—very cozy and relaxing.
“No need.”
Liya let out a soft giggle.
“I know those succubi very well. Without my rules to restrain them, they won’t be able to resist seeking their own deaths soon. Succubi… they are fierce of countenance but faint of heart, possess great chests but small ambitions, cherish their lives when tasked with greatness, yet throw them away for petty gains. They are doomed sooner or later!”
“Oh…”
Zyra nodded, only half-understanding.
For some reason, she felt as if she could see a familiar shadow within this Pupu—the shadow of Grand Sorcerer Antonia.
***
After dawn, Liya kept her word.
She collected the well-deserved ransom and released the nobles who had “thoroughly experienced” the local customs of the Demonkind, sending them back in one piece.
After all, “draining the pond to catch all the fish” was not the style of a ruler; she still intended to “do business” with these nobles.
Upon obtaining the long-coveted **[Magic-Patterned Fine Steel Recipe]** and **[Mana Burst Potion Recipe]**, Liya immediately dove into intense and exciting research and development.
First, she bought a large sealed vat.
Then, she invited a professional explosion mage to mix 2 full vats of **[Mana Burst Potion]**.
Finally, she tossed in dozens of high-grade Fire Demon Crystals and waited quietly for a new Pupu to be born.
As far as Liya knew, there were two primary ways for a Pupu to be conceived.
The first was the “ten-day pregnancy” of the Dumplings.
When a Dumpling was touched by another Pupu, a bit of the other’s gel would remain inside.
The Dumpling would then absorb its own moisture and magic power, growing bit by bit until, with a *puji* sound, the new Pupu was expelled.
The second method was the natural formation of Pupu in places with dense magic power and abundant liquid.
For instance, in places like the Dry River Territory, which was close to the Gate of the Abyss and rich in mana, the riverbanks would often be covered in hopping Pupu whenever heavy rains caused flooding.
As for how to accelerate the process… Liya really didn’t know.
Fortunately, after waiting for 2 full days—just as the Hero was about to make his succession—the “Exploding Pupu” was finally born.
The efficiency made Liya fret.
After all, the cost of the Mana Burst Potion wasn’t low.
Filling hundreds of pools with it like bathwater was clearly unrealistic.
*Guji~ Guji~*
At that moment, a peculiar Pupu with a translucent surface and a core glowing with a bright red light struggled to climb out of the vat.
“Oh!”
Seeing this, Liya was overjoyed.
“It’s out! It’s out, it’s out! It finally came out!”
The Exploding Pupu that climbed out of the potion vat immediately started jumping around, searching aimlessly for a place to rest.
Liya quickly merged it into the Pupu mental network.
Moving outside, Liya began to test the Exploding Pupu’s abilities, and Zyra followed along curiously.
The two demons surrounded the Pupu.
An order was given, and the Exploding Pupu stood still.
The gel inside its body first expanded, then contracted, leaving behind a clump of bright, sticky orange gel—suspected to be discarded body tissue.
For some reason, after leaving that lump behind, the Exploding Pupu began to wiggle forward at full speed.
This made Liya a bit unhappy, and she picked it up and carried it back to the test site several times.
“What are you running for? Hurry up and show me!”
The Exploding Pupu struggled frantically in Liya’s arms.
More than 10 seconds later, Liya finally understood why.
*BOOM—!!!*
A deafening roar was accompanied by soaring flames and a massive shockwave.
Liya and Zyra, who thought they were at a “safe distance,” as well as the Exploding Pupu at the very center of the blast, were all sent flying.
“Cough, cough, cough… Ptui!”
Liya crawled out of the ruins, covered in dust.
She spat out the dirt in her mouth, her expression a mix of being unable to laugh or cry and pure excitement.
“That magic! The power is so great! The range is so wide! It’s much more useful than I imagined!”
She had originally thought the Exploding Pupu would self-destruct.
Now it appeared that it concentrated its magic power into a small piece of body tissue, expelled it, and then triggered a timed explosion spell.
The advantage was obvious—it was much more convenient to use.
The downside was that the Exploding Pupu itself was not immune to the explosion.
‘It’s a minor issue. It just means changing from air-dropping Exploding Pupu to air-dropping exploding poop.’
Liya picked up the Exploding Pupu, which was dizzy and rolling its eyes from the blast, and quickly had Zyra provide basic treatment.
Before long, the Exploding Pupu was lively again.
But this time, it clearly avoided Liya, seemingly terrified that she would pick it up again and throw it next to its “exploding poop.”
Instead, it preferred to huddle close to Zyra, who was also a “black blob” suffering the same fate.
During the advancement test, Liya fed the Exploding Pupu dozens of Demon Crystals of the same attribute, but it did not advance again.
This led Liya to speculate that it was likely born as a Stage 3 or even Stage 4 creature—a rare “Pupu noble.”
It made sense.
After all, the **[Mana Burst Potion]** was a Stage 4 potion.
A Pupu bred using it couldn’t possibly be a Zero-rank.
“Young one~”
Liya picked up this “Pupu noble” with a beaming smile and carried it to a pool that could be considered “paradise” for other Pupu.
It was the central pool of Pu Town, possessing the densest magic power, the most spacious environment, and… the most Dumplings.
“For the sake of the revival of the Exploding Pupu clan, stay here and be a harem king with peace of mind~”
As soon as she finished speaking, over a dozen Dumplings whose **[Link]** had been cut by Liya surrounded the Exploding Pupu.
The last command they had received was to make the Exploding Pupu clan flourish.
Without a moment’s rest, Liya hurried toward the construction site of Pu Town’s First Steel Mill.
She had to finish the general framework of Pu Town before the Hero returned to the Empire Capital, ensuring the development of the Pupu clan was on the right track as soon as possible.
the pupu are slowly being turn into weapons of mass destruction lol