Chapter 307: 307: Some Wild Thoughts
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He paused, then crossed the chamber slowly, letting the energy of the room wash over him. He could already feel the subtle resonance forming. The air was rich. Alive.
It reminded him of something old. Something primal. "This mountain used to be a deadly volcano in the ground," he murmured. "Now it is a home."
His voice echoed gently through the chamber. There was no audience. Just stone, glowing light, and the whispering hum of the system’s hidden machinery.
The project was done. The egg chamber stood complete. And Kai, despite all his complaints, could not stop the smile from spreading across his face.
Suddenly, he noticed a change.
Kai stood before the new chamber, its inner walls slick with still steaming moisture. The glow of liquid essence danced across the room in shifting gold and green hues, the heat dense and alive with a strange hum. This was no ordinary chamber. This was where life would begin. Again.
The chamber did look magnificent. Arched walls shaped with his aura and reinforced with layered stone, glimmering from the residual elemental runes still etched into the surface. The main pool in the center was deep enough to fully submerge a million eggs. There were seven recessed cradles around the chamber edge, meant for future eggs, if his wild harem dreams eventually resulted in a nursery riot.
Steam curled gently from the pool, carrying with it the heady scent of condensed aura and faint metallic sweetness. Kai crouched near the edge, dipping two fingers into the changing golden liquid. It pulsed faintly, reacting to his touch like a lazy lightning bolt. Alive. Hungry.
"Nine hundred liters of divine-grade essence... and I poured into this tub," he muttered again. "No pressure at all. Just feeding the most expensive soup in the world to my future babies. Maybe I should start a tourist business. One drop per visit. No refunds."
He sat back, crossed-legged on the carved floor, rubbing his jaw. He glanced toward the high arched entry, where sunlight poured in from the narrow crevice above, bathing the chamber in filtered morning gold. The girls were still at the communal area, likely finishing their second round of breakfast or arguing over who had more bite marks from the night before. Kai had left after half a roasted beast and some fermented moss juice. The forge had been his first task. This chamber, his second.
The forge had turned out better than expected. Thanks to the system, the mountain’s far northern wall now hosted a fully operational aura forge. High heat, cooled vents, fire resistant bracings. All it needed now were tools, raw material, and the hot ant with a hammer.
But this egg chamber...
He stood up and stretched, his muscles still aching from the last twenty days of fighting and pleasure with beauties, often mixed in awkward combinations. As he moved toward the exit, he spoke aloud, not expecting an answer.
"System. Confirm egg hatching function. Can I... actually hatch eggs here? Even from different species?"
[System Notification: Affirmative. The chamber is compatible with hybrid egg species. Aura concentration in the liquid essence is at optimal density. The chamber can support up to seven million concurrent eggs. Hatching time depends on species, size, and parental power level.]
Kai nodded slowly. "Hybrid... That includes Miryam’s egg, right?"
[System Notification: Miryam’s egg is not registered as a developing egg. Miryam is no longer an egg. Dear host, did you have a brain illness?]
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Aren’t you being too chatty? I know that. I meant her future eggs. One day she will grow up and marry someone... If she ever lays any eggs. Or if my other species queens... well..." he stopped, realizing that topic might explode into unexpected territory faster than his anaconda during leaf night’s surprise harem ambush in the southern forest. When he mated with the four leaf wearing hot girls.
[System Notification: Future eggs of all types of females species will be compatible with this chamber. Adaptability score will influence mutation potential. You will need five times more essence liquid to hatch ruler level eggs faster. In the current egg chamber it will take five hundred years to hatch ruler level eggs. If you use remaining liquid it it be 5 years less ]
Kai gave the chamber one last look before sighing and turning his gaze skyward through the slit of light above.
"SIGH!!! That’s a long... long time."
"Great. Now I need to find more essence liquid to hatch ruler level eggs," he muttered. "Nine hundred liters, gone like water down Azhara’s throat. It wasn’t even enough to hatch a ruler egg."
He rubbed his face again, grumbling. "Now I only have a hundred liters left. My daughter needs to grow faster. That wyrmling form is adorable, but her breath weapon looks more like spicy sneezes. For now I will feed it to her."
He began his walk back through the winding stone corridors of Hollow Mountain. As he passed the various chambers under construction, his friend soldier ants bowed or offered greetings. The scent of polished stone and damp moss hung in the air. He paused near the upper alcove where Miryam usually sleeps during day time. She was curled up, her sleek gold scales shimmering under the sunlight peeking through the high windows.
Kai sat down beside her gently. "You awake, little princess?"
Miryam snorted softly, stirring, then cracked one glowing gold eye. Her soul link buzzed weakly, sending him an image of a warm rock, a belly full of meat, and a lazy sunbeam. The universal language of baby happiness.
"You are getting stronger," he said, brushing a hand down her smooth side. "But you are still so small."
She coiled tighter, hiding her face under her tail.
Kai chuckled.
"I saved you one hundred liters of essence soup. Not because I love you. Just because you look like a sleepy caterpillar with ruler breath. And I want to see if your growth form is like your mother’s or not. Or maybe fangs sharp enough to bite through Sha’s cooking. We can only hope."