Alien Slaves (Two in One)

But even so, there are still issues to discuss.

Inside the tent, the atmosphere had shifted from previous probing and gamesmanship to something more pragmatic and efficient.

Yet, with aligned intentions, the remaining matters were minor. Vivian and Angeist quickly hammered out the details.

“Regarding the deployment timeline for the engineering technical advisors, I believe the first three months are appropriate. It allows for initial surveys and guidance without fostering excessive dependency in the Evernight Territory…”

Angeist tapped a clause with her fingertip, her tone professional.

“Acceptable, but after three months, we evaluate effectiveness. If extension is needed, fees will be renegotiated, and the Evernight Territory reserves the right to request replacement of incompetent advisors.”

Vivian responded swiftly, her terms clear and leaving no ambiguity.

“That’s only natural.”

Angeist nodded.

“Then, about the command authority for that two-thousand-strong goblin mercenary force…”

“Wartime command falls to me. Daily management and discipline will be handled by overseers dispatched by the caravan, but they must comply with Evernight Territory regulations. In case of conflicts, my final decision prevails.”

Vivian’s tone brooked no argument.

“Very fair.”

Angeist seemed to have no objections, marking the parchment neatly.

One detail after another was raised, discussed, revised, and finally confirmed.

Vivian was a reborn Demon Lord; Angeist, a shrewd and seasoned merchant with deep backing. Both strove to maximize their interests, yet maintained a peculiar mutual respect and restraint built on equal strength and need.

With wills aligned, these discussions—though tedious—progressed unusually quickly.

When the final addendum bore both parties’ mana seals, Angeist stretched elegantly, her curves on full display, a satisfied smile on her face.

“Then, Demon Lord, pleasure doing business.”

“Pleasure doing business, Steward Angeist.”

Aside from the specially expensive and pre-reserved 【goods】, the other slaves from the caravan could be transferred on-site—a considerable workload, given their numbers were at least one or two thousand.

These people differed from previous soldiers and subjects. Though kept in basically good condition under the caravan’s care, Vivian knew at a glance the task would be substantial.

Most slaves had vacant eyes, devoid of any enthusiasm or will—like walking corpses. Among them were even batches of humans and dwarves!

That was normal, though. Weren’t slaves always like this? Hopeless for the future, living day to day—especially the alien slaves, who knew their fate was nothing but hard labor until squeezed dry, with no chance of rising.

But Vivian had ways to motivate them.

First, this batch brought by the caravan, like the previous slaves and serfs, could accumulate points through work to repay their worth and gain free citizen status in Evernight City—even the alien slaves.

Of course, this brought another issue.

“Should we grant the other races, like humans and dwarves, the same free citizen status?”

Or rather, could demons and other races truly not coexist harmoniously?

While inspecting the caravan’s s*ave cages, seeing those humans—not filthy but not clean either—huddled in their cages, heads down and trembling, Vivian couldn’t help but think.

Humans, or human slaves in demon eyes, were hardy, obedient workers. Many demon territories 【raised】 considerable human populations as multi-purpose laborers.

Some even treated them as 【emergency rations】.

Previously, with the Evernight Territory in crisis, Vivian had no time for racial harmony and unity; survival came first. But now, past the initial hardships and entering a development phase, Vivian began…

For other Demon Lords, this was no issue. Demon slaves remained slaves for life—no discussion.

But Vivian was different.

She was not a native-born, pureblood demon Demon Lord.

…Even if her current and future identity was Demon Lord, her interests deeply tied to demons.

Vivian still felt she was human.

Racial conflicts, in her view, were not insoluble dead ends, but that would be a much longer process.

After thinking, Vivian decided temporarily: ordinary demon slaves would be dispersed into suitable posts, with standout slaves taking management roles.

Those already more active, loving their new lives as slaves and serfs, would be led by Vivian to rekindle hope. As for alien slaves, they would be grouped separately for work and living, with unchanged treatment otherwise.

“Aria, convey my order: no special treatment for alien slaves—they are all valuable assets of Evernight City. Under me, there is no distinction of status.”

Vivian said slowly.

“After all, s*ave is a temporary identity. Anyone who works hard can regain free citizen status, including alien slaves—this rule applies to all.”

“Yes, I understand, Demon Lord.”

A flicker of confusion passed through Aria’s eyes, but she responded respectfully, nodded, and withdrew to arrange the work per Vivian’s wishes.

“Hm? Demon Lord?”

A soft voice thick with confusion sounded nearby.

“Hm?”

After Aria left, Luna Te—who remained by Vivian’s side, cradling Luna—spoke in puzzlement.

“What’s wrong?”

Vivian looked toward the little succubus and asked gently.

“You… are you planning to give those alien slaves the same free citizen status?”

Luna Te blinked her charming yet equally confused crimson eyes, hesitated, then couldn’t help asking curiously. In her arms, Luna squirmed restlessly.

“What’s the matter?”

Vivian chuckled lightly.

“Your question is the same as when we gave the other serfs and slaves free status.”

“B-But this time is different, right?”

“Where is it different?”

Vivian didn’t answer directly but countered, her tone guiding.

“B-But those are humans and dwarves!”

Luna Te blurted out, as if it needed no explanation.

“Th-They’re enemies! Food! How can… how can they be like us?”

Luna in her arms seemed startled by her tone, stopped wriggling, and stared curiously at her and the little succubus holding her.

Then, Luna Te scratched her head with her free hand to show confusion—her words clearly representing most demons’ thoughts.

Humans? Dwarves? How could slaves and captives deserve the chance at freedom?

Equality?

Other demons would find this unacceptable, even incomprehensible. They could accept kin gaining freedom but struggled to understand giving sworn enemies the same opportunity.

That’s why Vivian had emphasized “assets” when instructing Aria.

Though expected, Vivian still sighed softly.

See, these ingrained beliefs.

“It’s just a temporary tactic to incentivize their survival.”

Vivian looked at the puzzled little succubus and explained patiently, as she had several times before—though Luna Te was a bit dim, she was among the smarter and more perceptive demons. So for Vivian, if even Luna Te couldn’t understand or accept her reasoning, forget the others.

Plus, with the idea of cultivating her leadership team, Vivian was extremely patient and careful in explaining her philosophy and ideas to Luna Te’s confusion, hoping she would understand and gradually follow her thinking.

“You saw during the inspection; that group of slaves is in even worse spirits than before. As walking corpses, they can’t accelerate territory construction and production—do you think, in that state, they can work well for us? Speed up city repairs, farmland reclamation?”

Luna Te shook her head vigorously at her gaze and answered softly, “No.”

“…So, I need to give them a glimmer of hope.”

Vivian said quietly.

“Even if it’s just a slim chance, tell them that with hard work, they have a shot at surviving, even… possibly shedding s*ave status.”

“It’s like giving a parched mule a sip of water so it keeps pulling the cart—it’s a… strategy to motivate them to live and work hard.”

She used a metaphor Luna Te could easily grasp.

Luna Te nodded in half-understanding.

“To… make them more useful?”

“Exactly. At this stage, you can understand it that way.”

Vivian affirmed.

“Making them useful is the primary goal.”

She paused, her voice lowering slightly with a personal expectation.

“And though demons and other races are irreconcilable, I still want to try some possibilities.”

“Mm… I understand, Demon Lord.”

Vivian said slowly, and by then Luna Te somewhat grasped her explanation; no need to elaborate fully.

She didn’t go too deep; too many era-transcending ideas would only confuse Luna Te more.

At this stage, explaining via “pragmatism” and “management strategy” was easier to accept.

“Alright, hand Luna to me and go about your duties. You should rest a bit too.”

“Mm, yes, Demon Lord.”

Vivian exhaled deeply, then opened her arms and took her daughter from the little succubus’s embrace.

Cradling her daughter’s soft, warm little body, feeling that vibrant life force, Vivian took a deep breath and temporarily set aside thoughts of race, slaves, and future plans.

The instant little Luna settled into her mother’s arms, she let out a contented, milky coo. She still carried the faint warm scent from Luna Te’s embrace and a hint of milk, her tiny body warm and soft.

Vivian lowered her head and gently tapped her daughter’s pink little nose with a fingertip, eliciting giggles from the little one.

She adjusted her posture so Luna could nestle more comfortably in her arms. Luna seemed to love the unique blend of crisp mana and cool authority on her mother; her little head instinctively nuzzled into Vivian’s neck, seeking the most familiar scent and source of security.

“Ee… ya!”

Luna stared unblinkingly at her mother’s face inches away with those clear, translucent pale purple eyes.

Her little mouth opened and closed unconsciously, producing meaningless yet exploratory syllables.

One chubby hand with dimples broke free from the swaddling, reaching upward as if to touch Vivian’s elegant jawline or the strands of purple hair cascading down.

Vivian lowered her head slightly, her eyes filled only with tenderness. Very lightly, with careful delicacy, she touched the tip of her finger to her daughter’s outstretched one.

The moment their fingertips met, Luna acted as if she’d discovered a fascinating new game; her pale purple eyes lit up instantly, and she let out crisp “giggle” laughs.

She immediately grasped her mother’s slender finger—that faint strength negligible to Vivian, yet it held some strange magic, making Vivian feel her heart clench, softening it utterly.

“Just that fun?”

Vivian’s voice unconsciously dropped to its softest, laced with indulgence she hadn’t noticed.

She let her daughter hold her finger, even curling it slightly in response to the tiny grip.

Luna seemed to understand her mother’s question and grew more excited. Not only did she hold the finger but tried shoving it into her mouth—her most direct way of exploring the world.

Vivian couldn’t help chuckling lightly, carefully withdrawing her finger to avoid truly becoming a teething toy.

“You can’t eat this.”

She tapped Luna’s dainty nose again, earning pouty, coquettish babbling.

Vivian slowly walked to the resting area on one side of the tent—thick carpet laid out, with several soft cushions.

She sat carefully, placing Luna on her lap facing her.

Luna seemed to love this face-to-face position; she could see her mother’s expressions more clearly.

Her legs kicked restlessly in the swaddling, continuing her self-only “language” babble, occasionally waving her hands as if adding emphasis to her “speech.”

Vivian watched and listened intently.

She noticed Luna’s sounds were richer than a few days ago—no longer just vowels; occasionally, consonant-like “ma” or “ba” slipped out, clearly unintentional yet stirring Vivian’s heart.

She responded with extreme patience, repeating those simple syllables in a gentle voice, sometimes pointing to objects around them and saying slowly and clearly: “This is a candle…”

“That’s the tent…”

“I am Mama…”

She knew Luna couldn’t possibly understand the meanings now, but she believed this ongoing, love-filled language environment was the cornerstone of a child’s cognitive development. A subtle immersion.

Luna seemed to enjoy this “conversation” too.

Though she didn’t understand, she clearly felt the tenderness, attention, and love in her mother’s voice.

It made her feel safe and happy; her purple eyes stayed bright and sparkling, her mouth producing joyful laughs as she tried mimicking her mother’s lip shapes for more complex sounds.

Here, there was only a mother and her daughter, newly arrived in the world.

No Demon Lord, no conflicts, no heavy responsibilities.

Only gentle fingertip touches, babbling infant sounds, and those clear eyes reflecting each other’s forms.

Vivian lowered her head, gently pressing her forehead to her daughter’s small, milk-scented one, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply.

Her daughter’s pure, vibrant life breath was the best purification and relaxation, washing away her weariness and anxiety.

“Just like this… a little longer.”

She thought silently.

Let me steal a few more moments of this pure, maternal tranquility.

Luna seemed to sense this quiet intimacy too; she stopped babbling, just gazing curiously at her mother’s face so close, her little hand unconsciously grasping a few strands of Vivian’s dangling purple hair, clutching the whole world.