Chapter 282: Creators, Gods, and a Rather Massive Problem...

That was exactly why she had spoken up to threaten the entire Supreme Council.

Of course, aside from that, it was also because the witches would need materials to improve themselves as the Witch's Tea Party expanded.

Only then would the witches' understanding of Alchemy reach a sufficient level, making it easier to exchange ideas in the future, right?

Was it because it was lonely at the top?

No.

It was because she knew the dangers of building a cart behind closed doors.

Furthermore, Lan Qingyou completely disagreed with the Supreme Council's practice of demanding that the witches spend thirty years paying off their Witch's Potions.

If it were around ten years, she could have understood, but thirty years was simply going overboard.

In her eyes, this was absolutely not an Equivalent Exchange.

Most importantly, witches possessed ageless attributes. That meant thirty years was practically nothing to them.

Once they grew numb to the passage of time, who knew if the witches would end up falling into depravity?

Therefore, as their Clan Head, she decided to simply extract some interest on their behalf from elsewhere, putting it into the group to help them improve themselves.

Admittedly, compared to the Supreme Council's base of ten thousand witches, ten tons was a bit lacking.

It came out to roughly one kilogram of materials per person each week.

However, for these witches who were just beginning to learn Alchemy, it was more than enough.

"The Tower seems so cold and aloof. I never expected her to be so fiercely protective of her own,"

Jiang Lan, standing off to the side, remarked with a light chuckle.

"Protective... protective of my own!?"

Lan Qingyou turned her head, staring at Jiang Lan with her mouth slightly agape in shock.

"Is that not the case?"

"It shouldn't be. Being fiercely protective doesn't fit my character profile at all."

Lan Qingyou immediately shook her head, vehemently denying the notion.

'Fiercely protective? How is that even possible!'

'Strictly speaking, I am a rather selfish person. Going out of my way to protect others? That is completely impossible, okay.'

"No, I also think you are quite protective, perhaps even blatantly biased."

Nemo, The Pope, chimed in from the side, leaving Lan Qingyou feeling utterly baffled.

"Perhaps your subconscious hasn't realized it yet... but fundamentally, you are someone who simply refuses to let anyone take advantage of you or yours."

Seeing Lan Qingyou's seemingly dim-witted expression, Nemo waved his hand dismissively.

"While it could be interpreted as selfishness, your actions are actually better understood as sheer dictatorial dominance."

"This is evident in your previous transactions with The Moon and Judgement, and even in your dealings with the Supreme Council."

"Your word is absolute law, and you never give the other party the slightest opportunity to argue."

"Just like a moment ago. When you demanded an additional ten tons, you very naturally brought out the entire Witch Clan—or rather, the Witch's Tea Party, as it's called now—as leverage."

"You certainly couldn't use over ten tons of materials a week all by yourself, so it stands to reason that they are meant for the members of the Witch's Tea Party."

"While it seems like you are providing tangible benefits to your subordinate witches, this is actually the result of your subconscious treating every witch who consumed your Witch's Potion as your personal property."

"You refuse to let the people from the Supreme Council bully the witches because they belong to you. Thus, even if you hadn't used them as leverage this time, you definitely would have stirred up some other commotion to put the Supreme Council in their place later."

They say having an elder in the house is like having a treasure. The fifty-something Nemo spoke with practiced ease, completely oblivious to the sheer shock and bewilderment plastered across Lan Qingyou's face.

No, he had actually noticed it.

He just didn't care.

Lan Qingyou had presented him with a world-class ship, revealing her cold exterior hid a warm heart. Therefore, he felt obligated to help her grow in certain aspects.

Meanwhile, Lan Qingyou remained frozen on the spot after being bombarded by Old Man Nemo's lengthy lecture.

Prompted by his words, she carefully re-evaluated her recent attitude toward the witches.

Whether it was selecting random lucky winners in the world channel to gift Witch's Potions, or her actions and decisions after meeting Susi, she truly had done everything with a rather relaxed and casual mindset.

While she wasn't sure if she had subconsciously treated these witches as her 'personal property,' she genuinely harbored some dissatisfaction regarding how the Supreme Council utilized them.

'The old Pope is right.'

'I suppose I really am protective and biased; otherwise, I wouldn't have threatened the Supreme Council.'

She never imagined she would actually possess a fiercely protective trait.

Life truly was full of bizarre twists and turns.

As for being dictatorial... Lan Qingyou genuinely never expected such a term to be associated with her.

But when she thought about everything she had done, it did seem to fit...

Just as Lan Qingyou wanted to do some deep, serious soul-searching, Vivian, who was still being held by her, curled her lip.

"The vampires under my command are my personal property. There is no doubt about that. After all, my original intention in distributing the Evolution Items to them was simply to ensure my own safety."

"They belong to me. They are entities I can casually throw in front of a blade to protect myself whenever I'm in danger."

"Because without me, they would be just like everyone else—mediocre Blue Star Earthlings. They wouldn't have been able to achieve evolution and Attribute Correction, let alone awaken any innate talents or skills."

"I know it sounds a bit grandiose, but I am their creator. In their eyes, I am their unquestionable god."

"That is why they all address me as 'Your Eminence' now. It is a respectful title born of their reverence and awe."

"By the same logic, the Origin Witch is the creator of the witches, and the original Forest Elf is the creator of the Forest Elves. Therefore, being their god seems perfectly natural, doesn't it?"

Although Vivian looked somewhat comical at the moment, her words were absolutely deafening.

Many of those present were the founders of a specific race, so Vivian's 'creator' theory immediately shocked them to their core.

To be entirely honest, if it weren't for Vivian's speech, they wouldn't have even realized this issue.

Why was it considered an 'issue'?

Because it was genuinely severe.

It wasn't about whether titles like 'god' or 'creator' sounded overly mystical or brimming with edgy delusions of grandeur.

Nor was it about the potential underlying worship their clansmen might hold for them.

Rather, it was about what this could evolve into if someone with ulterior motives were to exploit and sensationalize the matter...

Racial conflict!

Without a doubt, it would lead straight down the path of racial warfare.

Just how many new races existed now?

Witches, vampires, Forest Elves, Merfolk, giants, and the list went on. They already knew of more than a dozen themselves.

If a conflict were to break out among these new races—all of whom had received Attribute Corrections and racial talents—it would absolutely devolve into a savage bloodbath of extreme violence, fighting so fiercely they would beat each other's brains to a bloody pulp.