Felix made his way to the southern district of his floating island, with Jiji slithering close behind him. It had been a while since he last checked in on this particular group of residents—horny monster girls, known for their unpredictable nature. Visiting them might have been a questionable decision, but he needed to assess their situation firsthand.
Upon arrival, the sight that greeted him was chaotic. The district was in disarray. Most of the Lamias had abandoned their tasks, retreating to their makeshift tents. So coiled their tails and lay sprawled, sleeping off the effects of their strange transformation. Felix noticed that many had sprouted antler-like horns, clear evidence of mutation from overeating dragon at.
One Lamia had evolved dramatically, shedding her snake-like lower body entirely. She now resembled a dragonewt, with human legs, a shortened lizard tail, and large hands covered in thick, scaled armor. Her fingernails had morphed into black, razor-sharp claws. Others had partially taken on dragon traits, their snakeskin giving way to patches of dragon scales. The majority, however, were stuck in the middle of their evolution, endlessly shedding skin in discomfort.
Felix rubbed his temples, frustrated yet understanding. He couldn't bla them for their condition—he blad himself for overloading them with dragon at. The unintended consequences weighed heavily on his conscience as he mulled over whether to intervene.
"Should I give them a hand?" Felix asked, glancing at Jiji.
"I think we should let nature take its course," Jiji replied. Her voice was calm but firm. "And don't beat yourself up, Master. The dragon at has done them good. They're evolving, and soon they'll beco incredible assets."
"How incredible are we talking?" Felix raised an eyebrow.
"I had a long chat with Jessica while you were sleeping," Jiji said. "It turns out that Lamias like us can evolve into dragonewts or even earth dragons if we consu enough dragon at."
Felix exhaled in relief, though the tiline still concerned him. "That's good to know. But how long will this take? When will this… shredding season be over?"
Jiji shrugged. "It depends on their natural aptitude and talent. So might finish within days, others might take weeks."
Felix sighed deeply. Ti was a luxury he didn't have. He scanned the area, hoping to find soone still capable of working. His gaze settled on a group of around 30 Lamias who were surprisingly productive.
These Lamias were focused on their tasks—building wooden shelters and managing supplies. So were busy gathering eggs and organizing them into a storehouse. Others tended to be newly hatched young or handled cooking duties.
Felix's attention drifted to the eggs. His brow furrowed in suspicion. "Wait a minute... are those eggs fertilized? They don't have a great track record with that sort of thing. Are they going to try and shove those eggs into one of the beastn's bodies to hatch them?"
Jiji snickered. "Relax, Master. Lamias can lay unfertilized eggs, and those are just for food. The ones in the storehouse are ant for hatching."
Felix's eyes widened. "Hold up. Are you telling they lay eggs and eat them?"
"Of course," Jiji said matter-of-factly. "And why not? Humans waste their eggs every month without consuming them. Who's really being wasteful here?"
Felix's face darkened as he spotted a Lamia in the kitchen area cracking a massive egg into a wok, preparing a scrambled egg breakfast. "I don't know if I should be impressed or horrified."
Jiji simply shrugged. "It's practical. Nothing goes to waste. Besides, they're doing well enough for now. Let's focus on what you need them to do next."
Felix nodded slowly, resolving to let the Lamias handle their strange customs. For now, his priority was to ensure their ongoing evolution didn't hinder the progress of the entire settlent.
"Can the eggs hatch naturally?" Felix asked, steering the conversation to safer ground.
Jiji glanced at the egg storehouse and nodded. "Yes, but most won't survive. They'll die as stillborns unless they hatch inside a human or beast host. That's the only way they can safely grow."
Felix frowned. "So, they wouldn't have much of a chance to reproduce, then."
Jiji shook her head with a sly smile. "Not true. If the father is a strong alpha—like you—then the children would have no trouble coming into this world. Speaking of which, would you like to lay eggs and give birth to your children? I can produce about 10 to 20 eggs each season."
Felix's face paled. The thought of rearing 20 monster offspring sent a shiver down his spine. "Uh… maybe not now. But…" He hesitated, his concern shifting to another matter. "Wait a second. Have you been using any sort of contraceptive? We've, uh, been active a lot, and you seem perfectly fine."
Jiji grinned mischievously. "That's because I've been secretly laying eggs and cooking them into als while you weren't looking."
"…"
Felix was rendered speechless. His mind spiraled into chaos, but he decided it was best not to dig further into Lamia's customs. Taking a deep breath, he shifted his focus to the remaining workers and raised his voice.
"Alright, ladies, listen up! I have a favor to ask!"
The Lamias stopped their shredding and building to look at Felix, their snake tails curling with curiosity as they awaited his next order.
"For those currently working on building your new hos, pause what you're doing and gather up. The rest of you, continue with your tasks."
The Lamias exchanged glances but complied, slithering closer to him. Felix watched as they set aside their crude tools and abandoned their patchy construction projects. The sight of their makeshift hos—made from corrupted lumber and uneven, rotting planks—made him grimace. He couldn't let them live in such squalor.
Felix opened his system shop, navigating to the real estate section. He imdiately noticed that the special promotions he had used before, including the renovation plan, had expired. To purchase another house like his, the cost had skyrocketed to a staggering 100,000 years of lifespan per house. Similarly, the dinsional pocket offer was no longer available, leaving him with no current discounts or promotions.
Grumbling to himself, Felix browsed through cheaper options. Most houses under 100 years of lifespan were laughably small, resembling shoeboxes or cramped quarters from a holess shelter. Raising the standard, he filtered the nu to include houses starting at 1,000 years of lifespan and up.
The options were an improvent, albeit still modest. Most of the houses Felix considered were single-story buildings featuring one master bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, and a kitchen. Each ca with a pre-installed water system, but none included furniture. The simplicity wasn't inherently bad, but Felix had greater ambitions.
Given the limited space on his floating island and the need for sustainable expansion, Felix dismissed these smaller hos in favor of taller, more efficient structures. He redirected his attention to four-story townhouses. Each unit was designed as part of an attached row, optimizing space usage while remaining spacious enough to comfortably house a family of 10.
Naturally, the higher the specifications, the steeper the price. Each townhouse carried a hefty tag of 15,000 years of lifespan.
Yet, Felix didn't flinch. His perspective on lifespan had shifted—he no longer saw it as a resource to hoard but as a tool to wield. Without hesitation, he invested a staggering 1.5 million years of lifespan, purchasing 100 units in one go.
As he confird the purchase, a top-down map interface materialized before him. It displayed the layout of his island and prompted him to arrange the new townhouses. Before he could start tweaking the design, a familiar face popped up on the screen: Yao Qiqi, the real estate agent, had returned.
Her avatar bead with its usual energy.
[Welco back, dear custor! It's wonderful to see you again, and for such a large order, no less! I've got fantastic news for you, sir. Because you purchased so many houses at once, we're offering complintary town design assistance!]
Felix raised an eyebrow at the announcent but let her continue.
[And that's not all! As part of this special service, we'll pave sturdy roads, lay robust foundations for every building, and even install basic infrastructure to ensure your town is fully operational. Would you like us to assist you with the planning and setup?]
Felix crossed his arms, deliberating. "What exactly does the assistance include?"
[We'll provide professional advice on optimizing land use and traffic flow, ensure each unit gets proper utility access, and design communal areas like parks, plazas, or even small marketplaces! All you have to do is approve the layout we propose, or modify it to your liking.]
Felix nodded, impressed. It wasn't every day that the system threw in perks like this. "Fine, let's see what you've got. Show the proposed layout."
The map interface transford, displaying a preliminary town design. The townhouses were neatly arranged in compact rows with wide, paved streets running between them. At the center, there was a circular plaza surrounded by shared anities, such as a community garden, a fountain, and a marketplace.
Felix inspected the layout critically. It was efficient and aesthetically pleasing, but he had his own ideas to incorporate. "This works as a town, but I'll need so changes. Can I ask you to extend the road to one of my buildings, the Fate Plaza? And widen the main roads to 6 lanes. Also, I need help allocating a public parking lot for the future population."
Yao Qiqi nodded energetically.
[Excellent suggestions, dear custor! I'll update the design imdiately. Let know if there's anything else you'd like to include.]
Felix looked at the wooden storehouse and recalled the need for a hatching area. He added, "A large warehouse at the center of the town. Make sure it cos with a good ventilation system and strong air conditioners."
[A warehouse? That will cost you extra.]
"Money is not a problem. Quote ."
Yao Qiqi widely grinned, [How large of a warehouse would you like, dear custor? An acre? One square kiloter? The entire Texas State? Or the African continent size?]
Felix broke a sweat when Yao Qiqi ntioned the entire Texas state. He couldn't imagine how a massive warehouse could fit his town.
But Yao Qiqi assured him, [Oh, the exterior of the warehouse will only take about 300 square ters at most. We installed a dinsional pocket system in the warehouse, so you can rest assured.]
Felix was relieved. He then asked for the price.
"How much for the biggest one?"
[A million years of lifespan, sir!]
"I'll buy one for the town and one for myself. Can I install the second one next to the first house I bought from you?"
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