Chapter 306: 306: The Egg Chamber.
---
The system chimed again, as if sensing his thoughts.
[Ding! System Notification: The host possesses sufficient materials to create an Egg Hatching Chamber.]
Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Egg Hatching Chamber? Really!!!"
[Ding! Yes. The essence liquid acquired from the Rift Gate can be used to accelerate and stabilize the hatching of your colony’s eggs. By infusing the liquid with aura and integrating it into a specialized chamber, hatchling survival and growth speed increase by 25%.]
Kai considered the implications. A strong, thriving generation of ants would mean faster expansion, more subordinates, and more security for his home.
"How much essence liquid will it take?"
[Ding! Required: 900 Liters of Essence Liquid. Current Inventory: 1,000 Liters.]
"Damn," Kai muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nine hundred? That is ridiculous. This thing better shine like a goddess and hatch eggs like a queen in heat."
Kai paused then added. "It will cost everything. Show me the design."
In his mind’s eye, the system projected the blueprint: a deep, circular chamber carved into the mountain floor, with an embedded pool of essence liquid and softly glowing runes for aura circulation. It was elegant, functional, and alive with potential.
Kai exhaled. "Good. Once the forge cools, I’ll start the hatching chamber next."
He stood on the windswept ledge, watching the colony below as the mountain hummed with chatter. His family was growing. His home was thriving. And with every passing day, his power and his kingdom were becoming something the world could no longer ignore.
A few moments later...
Kai stood before the wide cavern wall on the east side of the mountain, the one he had marked earlier for specialized projects. His eyes twitched slightly as he examined the blueprint floating in front of his eyes, projected by the system. The glow of the system’s interface illuminated the cave around him with a soft flicker, outlining the specifications of what he was about to build.
[System Notification: Host has selected [Egg Hatching Chamber Blueprint].
Resource cost: 900 liters of Essence Liquid.
Confirm construction?
Yes / No ]
He glanced at the sealed aura containers lined along the system / storage interface, each brimming with glowing pale blue Essence Liquid. The fluid shimmered like liquified starlight, its aura potent enough to make even hardened warriors salivate. It had taken everything —luck, effort, death fights— to secure that Rift Gate reward.
And now, he was about to pour almost all of it into one room.
"Confirm construction," Kai said out loud.
[System Notification: Construction Confirmed. Deploying internal constructs. Initiating Hatching Chamber Creation Protocol.
Time Remaining: 60 minutes.]
With a deep rumble, the ground shivered. Stone cracked and warped as the system began rearranging matter under Kai’s command. The forge he had built earlier had already impressed the ant blacksmith, but this... this would surpass it.
It will become the foundation of his kingdom’s population. His army and his ant children.
Pillars of carved obsidian rose from the stone floor, shaped into the curved ribs of an enormous dome. Dozens of glowing runes embedded into the surface flickered to life, forming a net of hatching fields that could regulate temperature, aura density, moisture, and aura diffusion. At the center, a shallow pool began forming, glowing with swirling liquid light as the system funneled in the essence liquid directly from the system aura containers.
Kai’s compound eyes narrowed. "That’s it. There goes nine hundred liters of hard work. Just like that."
The system answered in its usual tone.
[Reminder: The Egg Hatching Chamber will accelerate incubation rates by 250 percent. The survival rate of life embryos increased by 80 percent. Affinity resonance functions are active. Multi species compatible. The host’s monarch aura has been automatically imprinted for authority control.]
Kai scoffed, arms crossed as the final pieces settled. "Better hatch me some predators. I feel like I just drained a full fortune for this."
The essence pool in the center shimmered a deep blue, its glow radiating a soft warmth. Around the chamber, egg holders formed naturally. It was cushioned recesses shaped by the system, lined with soft glowing moss and heat retaining platform pads. Each slot pulsed gently, awaiting future occupants.
He stepped closer to the main pool and crouched, trailing a hand lightly through the warm surface. The sensation was rich, like dipping into a womb of raw power and life. Every drop of that liquid had been fought for. He remembered the rift’s collapsing edges, the enemies, the cost. Now most of it was here.
"Just one use and gone. Nine hundred liters. Poof," he muttered. "I am never letting anyone bathe in this thing. Not even Azhara. Especially not Azhara. She will throw in a few candles and call it a spa."
He glanced to the side where a smaller container remained unopened. "One hundred liters left," he whispered.
He stood and rubbed his chin. "Miryam comes first. She is still growing. Her body’s adapting, and this might help speed it up. If there is any left after that, maybe I’ll drink some. Or feed it to someone worthy. I sure as hell earned a sip."
His thoughts flickered toward Miryam, the wyrmling who had already shown signs of abnormal development. She was tough, hungry, curious, and had inherited the power of the desert ruler, but also the soul imprint of Kai himself. If this essence liquid could push her toward a full bloodline awakening or early evolutionary growth, it was worth every drop.
Still, he grumbled under his breath. "Should have asked the system for coupons. Or a reward like: buy one egg chamber, get a special hot mate for free."
He turned toward the system again. "Show me my remaining inventory. How much do I have left of everything?"
[System Inventory Summary: Essence Liquid: 100 liters. Two nine star rank star cores.]
Kai narrowed his eyes at the Crystal star cores. "Might combine that with the essence liquid for Miryam. She’s growing fast, but her control is still shaky. I do not want her blasting the colony in her sleep again."