Motivation

"You sure you don't want to turn back and say goodbye to your mother? Never know what'll happen on the road. For all you know, this is the last chance you'll ever have to see her."

Without looking back at the raven-haired woman following behind him, Paul answered, "If that were true and I turned back now, the last memory I would have of my mother is her tear-stained face. There's also a chance she would try and convince me to stay. If that happened, I would be filled with regret my entire journey..."

"Mmm...well, if you say so. Just don't go calling me mommy if you begin to feel homesick."

Exhaling a sigh, Paul suppressed the image Reida's comment placed in his mind before asking, "Are you sure you want to follow me? Now that I'm no longer a Noble, there are no real benefits to being on good terms with me. I mean, other than the obvious one..."

Understanding what Paul was saying, an amused chuckle emanated from Reida's throat before she suddenly hugged him from behind. She wouldn't say it aloud, but she was even more interested in Paul now that he wasn't a Noble. Without the burden of inherited duty and obligation, each of the actions he took from this moment forward would shape him into the man he made himself. She might not be able to accompany him as long as she would like, but Reida was interested in seeing the man he would grow into without the public backing of his family.

"I said I would accompany you to the Holy Land of the Sword, so that's what I intend to do. Besides, you spent all that time and effort trying to 'conquer' me. Would you be satisfied if I just walked away now?"

Though he had never once mentioned trying to conquer the inordinately beautiful swordswoman, Paul would be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind. Reida was perceptive enough to distinguish the minute fluctuations in a person's emotions, so she had probably sensed his intent during their daily fuckathons. She was currently the only woman he could release his tensions with, so they had been going at it like rabbits for five to six hours a day since she started training him.

"The question you should be asking is if you'd be satisfied walking away before I fully mature. My father is 185cm tall, and I'm pretty sure I'm on track to outgrow him. If you think I'm a 'little monster' now, just wait until I become a 'big beast'..."

"You cheeky little rascal...are you sure you're a Noble...?"

Removing Reida's arms from his neck and shoulders, Paul turned around to face her before surprising her with an embrace that resulted in both of his hands grasping her bubbly yet incredibly toned bottom.

"Didn't you hear? By order of King Enel Anemoi Asura, Paul Notos Greyrat was to have his noble status and title revoked. Now, I'm just Paul Greyrat, Lord of nothing but myself..."

Demonstrating a degree of strength uncommon for a ten-year-old, even if he appeared much older, Paul easily hefted Reida by her ass cheeks as he added, "My most meaningful claim to fame right now is that I'm the fuck buddy of the beautiful and courageous Water God Reida Reia...so yeah, I would be sad to see you go, but I'd love to watch you leave..."

Though it was only for a moment, Reida felt her heart flutter in response to Paul's words and actions. It was to his benefit that she actually had a thing for younger men, or, more accurately, boys on the cusp of becoming men. A lot of her traumas were related to older men having their way with her, so many of her most pleasant memories were from a time long before she became the Water God...

"You cheeky...no...forget it..."

Deciding to see if she could turn the tables, though she seriously doubted it, Reida once again wrapped her arms around Paul's shoulders. This time, however, they were face to face. As a result, she was able to lean forward and plant a kiss on his lips, the first they shared despite an ample amount of what Paul increasingly referred to as fucking.

Despite being tremendously surprised by Reida's actions, Paul didn't react negatively or release her. Instead, he surprised her by slipping his tongue into her mouth and pressing his semi against her crotch. She had on a pair of thick yet form-fitting black trousers, but he could still feel the contours and warmth of what lay beneath if he pressed and ground hard enough...

Surprising Paul this time, Reida's jaw briefly trembled before she slapped his shoulder, pushed away from him, and said, "There's a time and a place for everything, brat. We might 'fuck' like animals, but we're still human. I'm not fond of walking around with semen dripping between my thighs in the middle of the forest..."

Since Paul had been releasing his seed inside of her upwards of ten times a day, it wasn't an embellishment to state that he had cum inside her well over a hundred times. It was partially her fault for egging him on, but she honestly didn't care at this point. She just didn't want Paul ruining her only outfit. At the very least, they should find a stream or something first...

Realizing she was actively considering conditions that would let Paul have sex with her, Reida's thoughts and expression temporarily blanked before she gave him a firm shove and said, "Get a move on. You're supposed to know this Region, so I'm expecting you to get us to a town before it gets too late. If we end having to rough it, I'm using your blanket and clothes as a pillow."

Understanding the futility of trying to argue with a normal woman, much less one that could conceivably turn him to meat paste with a slap, Paul just smiled wryly and said, "The village I'm taking us to, Kroft, is around 23kms from the Estate. At a marching pace, it takes about four hours to reach. Given how long we've been on the road, we should reach it within the next hour, two at the most."

Nodding her head in approval, a somewhat mischievous smile developed across Reida's face as she said, "I see..." She then started to remove her sword belt and loose, open-sleeved jacket as she appended, "We won't be able to train much on the road. To prevent you from slacking off and getting lazy, I'll have you carry me."

Though the actual reason was because she was getting annoyed walking through rough terrain in heeled boots, Reida wasn't lying when she said it was to prevent him from slacking off. He also had an entertaining habit of picking her up, so she figured she was doing him a favor by letting him get accustomed to her weight.

Instead of arguing with the raven-haired swordswoman, Paul allowed her to tie her sword belt and jacket to his rucksack before letting her clamber onto his back. She was only around 47kgs, and the feeling of her thighs in his hands and breasts pressing into his back were pretty solid motivators. He also knew they would be able to engage in their nightly activities once they reached the town, so, after making sure the voluptuous woman was secured to his back, Paul began jogging, rather than walking, toward their destination...

...

..

.

One of the fundamental rules of business, and a good idea in general, was that you never placed all your eggs in one basket.

Despite the efforts she had made to secure her position and improve the Milbots Region, Ninnguang had been preparing contingencies from the moment Paul first placed her in charge. Not because the Kingdom was bound to interfere, but because there was always a possibility that Paul simply wouldn't want to be the Lord.

By focusing on infrastructure and training capable personnel, Ningguang had created conditions that would allow House Notos to succeed even if she and Paul were no longer in the picture. As for her actual plan, she had been eyeing the East even before Paul summoned her.

Though she had to have Zhongli tunnel nearly 270km through the base of a mountain before she could get started, Ningguang had been setting up an underground command center West of what many colloquially referred to as the Strife Zone.

As the name implied, the Strife Zone was a region perpetually at war. It had been a place where the strong gathered to prove themselves for well over 4200 years, and, according to legend, it was the source of the Ranks popularized by Mages and Swordsmen.

Though the Strife Zone occupied a plot of terrain roughly 70% the size of the Asura Kingdom, it had been divided into more than a hundred warring Fiefdoms, Kingdoms, and Countries depending on the individual strength of the people in charge. Saints ruled over Fiefdoms while Kings, as could be expected, ruled over Kingdoms. As for Emperor-Ranked Swordsmen and Mages, they could typically bully Kings and Saints to form countries, but the belief was that a powerful Emperor could one day unify the entire region and make it into an Empire.

Since the notion of handing over between 40-70% of her earnings didn't sit well with Ningguang, she had always planned to cut ties with the Asura Kingdom at one point or another. Not entirely, but enough that she could form an autonomous trade nation similar to the Liyue of her homeworld.

By consolidating personnel, wealth, and resources for the better part of four years, Ningguang was already in a position to establish a nation of her own the moment she stepped into the Strife Zone. Instead, she had Zhongli and the Dwarves she hired construct a fortress in the base of the Red Dragon Mountain Range.

As eager as she was to charge into the center of the Strife Zone and expand outward, Ninnguang knew better than to underestimate even ordinary people. The most powerful faction presently within the Strife Zone was the Markien Mercenary Country.

As the name implied, the Markien Mercenary Country was a nation of mercenaries led by an Emperor-Ranked Earth/Fire Mage known as Eura Wyne Kurr. He was a half-demon who had governed over the region for nearly ninety years, backed by a group of two Sword Kings, six Sword Saints, and a bevy of Saint-Ranked Mages he had raised from a young age.

Though she was confident that Ei and Zhongli could move about freely within the Strife Zone, Ningguang could also imagine the former getting taken advantage of and the latter getting lost. Thus, while Paul was off away on his training voyage, trailed by Rosaria and Lynette, Ningguang aimed to spread her influence into the region from West to East. When she finally reached the sea, that's where she would construct the new and improved Liyue Harbor, a port she was determined to make into the center of trade between the Central, Millis, and Demon Continents...

...

..

.

"Seriously...kid...show...some...restraint..."

Though her hands and the pillow beneath her muffled her words, Reida was confident Paul could hear her. Instead of slowing down, however, he spread her ass cheeks with his hand, pushing her butt up as he increased his speed and continuously adjusted his angle. He could see Reida's toes curling, so there was no way in hell he was going to let up when she was on the verge of a massive climax.

Despite her efforts to resist, Reida began squirting as Paul's glans struck and scraped a few of her more sensitive spots. Paul had learned most of her weak spots by now, so, after nearly four hours, Reida was beginning to get a little teary-eyed due to the pleasure. Her face was red up to her ears, and, no matter how she attempted to suppress them, small moans that only served to motivate Paul further periodically escaped her lips...

Reida would never admit it, but if Paul didn't let up a bit, she really might break. Ironically, the very notion was enough to cause the depths of her vagina to tense like a vice...

...

..

.