《Boosted Continuation – A new world (GL)》 Prologue – A day at the beach It was a beautiful summer day with lovely weather, perfect for a day at the beach to play with friends. Everyone had been a big fan of that idea and decided to do just that for today¡¯s activity. ¡°Wow, it is so beautiful out here!¡± Sophia, a mostly humanoid blonde tiger-girl hybrid of the beastfolk race with fitting ears, feline eyes, and a tail, was looking at the scenery before her. It was a picture-perfect beach with almost pure white sand, beautiful palm trees, crystal-clear water, next to no clouds in the sky, and just about everything else one could ask for. Fitting for the occasion, she wore a light-yellow bikini with a somewhat revealing top, which managed to go well with her medium build and flattered it exceptionally well. On top of that, she also decided to opt for hotpants over her bikini bottom to add a bit of a twist to it. ¡°It really is!¡± Maya, a white-haired cat-girl, which was styled into a big, braided ponytail over her shoulder, appeared behind the tiger. Just like the blonde, she was a feline hybrid of the beastfolk, only that she was part cat with ears and a tail in the same snow-white color as her hair. Cat-like eyes and fangs could also be found on her. ¡°I would even go as far as calling it breathtaking.¡± She wore a mostly white bikini with dark red highlights, and her bottoms were designed to look like two different sets combined. A wider white one over a smaller, more suggestive dark red one. ¡°Are you talking about the beach or your girlfriend on which your eyes are obviously glued onto?¡± Ari, a black-haired jaguar hybrid of the same general feline beastfolk race, slowly shook her head after noticing how shamelessly the cat-girl was staring at Sophia''s mostly bare backside from behind. ¡°Yes!¡± Maya had no intention of settling for one or the other. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The jaguar with the yellowish-golden rosette pattern shimmering through her black hair and tail let out a short sigh. ¡°You really never change, huh?¡± She seemed used to her antics. ¡°Well, she does look quite nice from behind, so there¡¯s little I can blame you for.¡± Ari, too, was able to appreciate a nice back. Her rather thick and bushy tail, for a feline, also started swishing from side to side during her observation. Ari, too, wore a two-tone bikini that looked like a combination of two different styles over each other. Still, the cut was a little less revealing, and the main color was black, with the secondary color being a darker orange for accent. ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± The blonde in question turned around and smiled at her as she was happy about the compliment. ¡°Right back at you, too. Very nice to look at~.¡± ¡°As usual, you two get along slightly too well¡­¡± Anna, another tiger-girl with the same animal parts as Sophia, just with a darker orange color scheme rather than blonde, joined the conversation. Her humanoid features were rather different, though, as she was roughly 20cm taller and quite a bit more developed in other areas, as well. ¡°Ari¡¯s mine!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still that hung up on it?¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°There¡¯s really no need for that anymore, is there? Not after everything that happened~. Anyway, speaking about nice to look at,¡± Her eyes started wandering on the tall orange tiger and her black bikini that had a hint of a very dark orange to it. More than the bikini, the cat-girl paid extra attention to the parts it didn''t cover, though. She especially liked how her bikini top seemed to be not getting paid enough to do its job. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°W-What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± Anna instinctively covered her chest with her arms. "I agree. Thank you very much!" Steph walked over to the cat-girl and nodded a few times. Contrary to the other three felines, she had a few features of a dog. A very fluffy tail, similar to a husky, and ears that were a mix between a husky and a shiba, with one of them being kinked. Her color scheme was quite different from the norm, though. Her short hair was violet, with some strands having white tips, while the insides around her neck were a little darker. Her fluffy tail was similarly colored, only with the whole underside being white. She was a little shorter than the blonde tiger, and her other sizes were also on the more modest side of things. The girl¡¯s bikini resembled that a lot, as well. It was rather playful and could be described as cute rather than revealing. A mixture of pink, violet, white, and lots of frills. "Why did you get to wear such a cute bikini but made me wear this?!¡± Another girl joined their conversation. Chloe, a fox-girl with long and curly pink hair, looked at the dog with a slight blush on her cheeks. Her hair wasn¡¯t the only fluffy part of her, though. Together with her long and pointy fox-ears, a massive and extremely fluffy tail came out of her back, which actually seemed to be bigger than the actual girl attached to it. Just like the dog-girl, she also had odd eyes, one being pink again and the other having a light-violet hue. ¡°I mean, look!¡± She pointed at her rather skimpy bikini top. She was the shortest one out of the bunch, but she was far from the smallest and only narrowly beaten by the tall tiger. Her bikini was colored mostly pink and white and had many frilly applications, but it was much more revealing. Especially her top covered only the very basics that needed to be. ¡°Okay.¡± Listening to her demand, everyone did just that and focused their gazes on the fox-girl''s chest. "H-Hey!" Just like Anna before, Chloe quickly covered her breasts with her arms. ¡°Seriously, why did you make me wear something like this when you don¡¯t do the same?!¡± ¡°Well,¡± Steph looked down at herself. ¡°I¡¯m not compatible with a top with a cut like that. Also, as your girlfriend, it makes me very happy to be able to see you looking like this~.¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± The fox-girl hung her head. ¡°So unfair! I chose this bikini for you because you look adorable in it, but it seems like I had the wrong priorities!¡± She regretted her decision. ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°Those girls are as tight as ever, aren¡¯t they?¡± A little further away from the six, Mira was watching them with a smile on her lips. Similar to Chloe, she also had some fox animal parts attached to her humanoid body. She was a bit of a special case, though. Contrary to everyone else, she had nine individual tails. Her hair, ears, and tails were mostly white, but she had many teal accents, like strands of her hair, or the tips of her ears and tails. Her level of fluffiness, thanks to her tails, was on a completely different level. She was wearing a mostly teal bikini with a couple of white accents and a few flower applications. She had combined the bikini with a white sarong wrapped around her hips and legs and a straw hat on her head that came with holes for her ears. ¡°Is tight really the right word here, though?¡± Next to the nine-tailed fox, a speaking real or full fox with the name of Feyanis, or Fey, looked back at her. She was much larger than a normal fox, though, her shoulder height almost reaching Mira''s hips. She, too, was mostly white, but her accents, like the tip of her ears and tail, or some sprinkles in her fur, were red. She also only had one tail, which was quite similar in size to Chloe''s, maybe slightly bigger and at least as fluffy. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°As tight does not equal one solid entity, it certainly is not the right word if you ask me.¡± Fen, who resembled a full animal like Fey, replied to her. Other than her, he was a darker grey wolf with a few brown accents in his fur. He was a bit bigger than the fox, too. Sitting on his hind legs, he was roughly at the same eye level as Mira next to them. ¡°Mhm, I would say it''s somewhere in between." Fen wasn''t the only full wolf around. Another one, a female wolf, was sitting right next to him. Her size was similar, but she was much lighter colored. Her fur was a mix of mostly white and greyish blue with some darker spots here and there. ¡°Okay, that admittedly depends on their mood for the day. Sometimes it''s closer to one, and on other days, Fen has a point.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia glared at the four from afar. ¡°We can hear you!¡± ¡°So?¡± The male wolf tilted his head. ¡°Come here and say it to my face if you think your group dynamic is straightforward and easy to explain.¡± ¡°Nothing about me is straightforward!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°Especially the straight part!¡± ¡°Thank you very much for confirming my claim.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She got a little embarrassed after noticing she had walked right into that. ¡°Heh.¡± ¡°Anyway, enough of that!¡± Sophia decided that she wanted to change the topic. ¡°We¡¯re at the beach! Beach, I say! Let¡¯s play!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Steph, Chloe, and Anna, heartily and loudly, agreed with her plan. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Though sounding slightly less enthusiastic than the other three, Maya and Ari also were a fan of it. ---------------- Mira, Fey, and the wolves weren¡¯t that interested in playing, so they decided to just get comfortable by sitting on the sand while watching the girls enjoy themselves. The six went all out, though. They ran around a lot because everyone had way too much energy. Played around with a beachball, which Steph, the dog-girl, really enjoyed, and the group even had a contest on who could build the most impressive sandcastle. The competition quickly turned into something else, though. Rather than using their hands and a few tools, some of the girls quickly started using their magic and ended up creating actual castles by controlling the sand directly. It got so out of hand that Feyanis had to jump in between to stop the worst of them from terraforming the entire beach. They had way too much energy, after all. Once their innocent building activity was so rudely interrupted, Sophia, Steph, Chloe, and Anna pouted for a little while, but Ari and Maya talked them into going for a swim instead to cool down. They were at the beach, so a dip in the sea was obligatory. Which was a mistake. Everything started out rather peacefully. They relaxed a little by trying to float on the water and simply waft around, though a few of them had more success than others for some reason. After a little while, the sisters, who didn¡¯t look like they would be, Sophia and Steph, got playful again. Contrary to their looks, their relationship definitely matched that of siblings, after all. In the beginning, the two were just harmlessly splashing each other with water, which quickly escalated once they started using magic to control the water around them. At first, there were some waves that started getting bigger and bigger, but it soon enough began to look like a storm was forming in the sea. The little sister, Steph, liked the idea of that very much, and losing against her older sister wasn''t an option, either. Because of that, she felt like trying to recreate a tsunami would be a fun idea. Fey thought otherwise. Having to intervene and keep them from destroying the place again, she decided to for a less gentle approach this time. She decided that playtime in the water was over. Unfortunately, she could also use magic, and her control over it was excellent. ¡°Calm down already, idiot!¡± Saying so, the fox looked at the violet dog-girl before catapulting her out of the sea by changing the water around Steph into a whirlpool, which then shot her to the beach. ¡°O-Ouch!¡± Landing face first in the sand, she first rubbed her bruised nose a little before glancing at Fey. ¡°T-There was no need to overdo it that much!¡± ¡°Oi.¡± The fox''s voice changed. "That is the last thing I want to hear from you." ¡°I-I am very sorry!¡± She immediately backed down. ¡°That was amazing!¡± The other girls had also left the water, on their own accord, and Chloe looked at the violet dog with sparkling eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t encourage her behavior!¡± The full fox faced the pink one. ¡°I want to, though!¡± Chloe¡¯s expression turned into a pout when she looked back at her. ¡°¡­¡± Fey wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to that. ¡°Since when has your magic gotten so strong?!¡± Sophia walked up to her little sister while tilting her head. ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite good at your control, but not to that degree! You almost had a chance of getting slightly close to my power!¡± ¡°I was totally beating you before the referee ended the game!¡± Steph didn¡¯t agree with her assessment of the situation. ¡°Debatable~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. "Still, where did that boost in power come from?" ¡°That would be because of me.¡± Mira joined the conversation. ¡°Or rather, the place we¡¯re in right now. Don¡¯t challenge Steph to a magic duel when we are in my domain. This is my place, filled with magic attuned to me. The same magic your sister uses, too. Her authority inside my domain, the one I rule over, is many times higher than usual.¡± ¡°Come at me, sis~.¡± Steph smirked at her. ¡°So unfair!¡± Sophia started pouting instead. ¡°I want a beach in my dimension, too!¡± ¡°No one¡¯s stopping you from getting one.¡± The teal fox gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Seriously?!¡± Her eyes grew wide. ¡°How do I do that?!¡± ¡°Well, you need a substantial amount of basic materials, like water, soil, plants, and the like, in your domain. You know, to use as a starting point and reference for magic. Afterward, it¡¯s all a question of your imagination.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°You could also borrow places from the world.¡± Mira added another example. ¡°Like, if we visit a nice beach that tickles your fancy, you could literally copy it to your domain.¡± ¡°S-SERIOUSLY?!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°You mean that I can go around and recreate the best places of the world inside my own dimension?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The many-tailed fox nodded. ¡°This beach here is a replica of a place that I loved, too~." ¡°That¡¯s so amazing!¡± She got even more excited. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go exploring the world IMMEDIATELY! I want to see all the interesting places and copy them! I want my domain to be the most amazing one that ever existed!¡± "Are you for real right now...?" The atmosphere around Steph and Chloe suddenly changed before the dog-girl glared at her sister. "The two of us have been bugging you to go exploring for months already! You''re the one who couldn''t be asked to leave your house because your stupid cat brain couldn''t deal with the cold and the snow!¡± She sounded slightly upset. ¡°Well, it was cold! It¡¯s not like that was my fault!¡± ¡°There were many solutions and workarounds for that, though!¡± Steph¡¯s glare intensified. ¡°You can literally use magic to warm up your surroundings!¡± ¡°It still would¡¯ve looked cold, though! That¡¯s enough for my tiger brain to become uncooperative. Just like here, my domain will be permanently summer even if the outside is not, too!¡± ¡°You¡¯re insufferable...¡± She let out a sigh in response. ¡°You should be well aware of that by now!¡± ¡°Haa... Mira,¡± Steph faced the fox. ¡°With the extra magic power from being inside your domain, it means that I¡¯m currently stronger than my sister, right? Do you have an arctic-like region around here? I think I want to persuade my dear tiger to get used to the cold.¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds fun!¡± Chloe seemed to like the idea. ¡°Just like Steph, I, too, am quite fond of the cold, after all~.¡± ¡°T-There is no need to go to such extreme measures!¡± Sophia started panicking. "I am deeply sorry for everything!¡± "Y-Yeah..." The other three cats, Ari, Anna, and Maya, also turned pale. ¡°We¡¯re all friends, right? That means we should forgive each other..." ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because you lot were just as useless during the winter as her!¡± The dog-girl wasn¡¯t in the mood to forgive. ¡°How many times were all of you just huddled up in front of the fireplace without moving a muscle? All the time!¡± ¡°...¡± They went silent again. ¡°It¡¯s not like you and Chloe didn¡¯t join them a lot there, though.¡± Fey, once again, was the one to defuse the situation. "A-Ah.¡± The two had nothing to add. Afterward, once the topic was over, the group finally returned to enjoying the beach. They played a bit more, relaxed on the beach chairs, and had some ice cream, for which Sophia was teased a lot after the previous topic. Everyone just had a great time with each other. Click here for the full/high-resolution, including an alternative bikini style for some of the girls!! Character Sheets
Sophia
-- General: Birthday: March 15th Age: 23 (During/After the prologue) Type/Species: Hybrid (Humanoid) Tiger Height: 158cm Sizes: Variable~ (Depending on what the situation/Maya calls for) Color scheme: Blonde and Black Personality: - BC (Before Canir): Shy, introverted, negative, depressed (Gone for good) - AC (After Canir): Outgoing (but gets embarrassed easily), friendly, curious, chaos incarnation, teasing (but likes to get teased even more), loves to be the center of attention (but claims to hate it), easygoing, very caring and protective about people she loves, slight anger issues, but only if pushed above a certain point, else she''s very indifferent to most things. Magic Authority: 100% of Sophia (Benchmark) (Obviously~) Family: Lydia and Pete (Mother and (Step-)Father, still on Earth), Sari (little sister, still on Earth), Steph (little sister) -- History -- Sophia''s life on Earth was a complicated one. Far from enjoyable, as well. She hadn''t coped well with being a lesbian and being different, so she ended up secluding herself from others, even to the point of being afraid of just talking with other women. She wasn''t even capable of dreaming of having a social circle, friends, or a partner. Things got a lot better when she died, though (Don''t ever take that out of context~). Or rather, as she was about to die when a being called the "Overseer of worlds" with the name of Canir decided to save her. Not only did he give her the option to continue living in another world, but he also gave her magic and all sorts of boosts. Boosts to her physical and mental abilities. Everything about her was improved. Sophia got stronger beyond the capabilities of regular humans, and her cognitive skills got heightened to levels that enabled her to get over the shortcomings accumulated in her life so far. Not every boost was an improvement, though. As Canir was not one to discriminate, everything about Sophia was affected. Positive feelings like being confident, as well as neutral ones like indifference, or negative emotions like anger or even pure hate. Luckily, while it had taken quite a toll on her and caused some bad things, as well as taking a big toll on her, the girl was eventually able to reign in those negative boosts of hers, as they only show their ugly heads nowadays when a situation turns really sour. Sophia much rather focuses on the boosts that improved her. After setting foot into her new world and getting over the fact that Canir had turned her a couple of years younger, as well, she excitedly started exploring the place she was in, Sophia quickly met Fen and befriended him. On top of becoming her friend, the male wolf also started teaching her how to use magic. Overpowered as he is, Fen only taught her the most ridiculous ways of using it, destroying her common sense before it could even have formed. He skipped right past chants and activation words, which are used by 99.992% of the world''s population, and only showed her how to use chantless magic, which only a select few training their entire lives were supposed to ever learn. He didn''t stop there, either. The common belief was that one is only supposed to know one, maximally two elements, like fire or water. Still, he went ahead and taught her every single element, including those magics that aren''t categorized in the first place, in a matter of weeks. All this made her a supposedly impossible exception before meeting a single other soul. While continuing her travels, she met some humans and decided that the beastfolk was more interesting. They''re fluffy, after all. Everything is better when it has fluffy extras. In the first beastfolk village they found, Sophia met Maya, who was instantly interested in the blonde because of her exotic and high magic. One thing led to another, and the cat-girl managed to become a part of the group, turning it into a trio. In exchange for learning advanced magic, Maya helped Sophia overcome her remaining shortcomings from her time on Earth, like being shy around girls and generally not being used to them. The two girls grew very close over a short amount of time. Initially, Sophia only thought Maya was pitying her, thanks to the lingering negative feelings from her old life. Still, as she became more confident about herself, she more and more noticed her own genuine feelings, as well as May''s earnest advances. Once the cat-girl flat-out confessed to her, Sophia also sorted out her feelings and saw that she had been in love with Maya for quite a while, as well, she returned the confession in kind, and the two became a couple. Not that much changed in the beginning because they had been acting like a couple since forever already. One day, guided by the feeling of wanting to be even closer to Maya and the beastfolk, as well as avoiding more misunderstandings, Sophia played around with changing her style and adding tiger ears, stripes, and a tail to herself. "Unfortunately", thanks to advanced magic being a little finicky at times and her sloppy usage, she got much more than bargained for. Instead of looking like a tiger-girl from the beastfolk, she became one. The ears and tail had become permanently attached to her and were impossible to remove because they were hardwired into her brain and caused phantom pain when she tried to remove them. Her hair turned lighter and gained black stripes, and she even got actual animal instincts like the urge to hunt and be a first-class predator. Her new ears and tail had become incredibly sensitive, as is custom for felines in her new world, and her overall character, likes, and feelings had become even more cat-like than they already were. Once she quickly got over the small detail of having accidentally stopped being human, Sophia was really happy about her change because she loves her new form. Things turned out quite complicated immediately after, though. Sophia couldn''t have known back then, and the other two unfortunately forgot, but being a member of the tiger beastfolk is something very out of the norm. No matter the origin, every tiger is part of the high nobility and royalty from birth. Thanks to this, things turned out beyond complicated when the group arrived in the capital of the beastfolk, where everyone got curious about the new tiger. Sophia managed to somewhat fool them and stopped the royal family from asking questions she couldn''t answer, and in the progress of spending a lot of time with them, she basically became a member of the royal family herself. Not that the blonde wanted to deal with any of that, and she made it very clear that she was not taking any responsibilities, especially not marrying Anna to create an extra pure tiger bloodline in the future. However, throughout that, Sophia learned that, with the use of magic, it''s possible for two girls to have their own child in this world. This revelation she enjoyed very much. All that aside, she stayed in the capital for a long time because she liked the place and people, befriending the king, queen, the two princesses, Anna and Ellie, and the maid Ari. While exploring the areas around the capital, Sophia eventually met Chloe, and the two became friends instantly because of their shared love for magic and exploration. Chloe being the fluffiest girl she had ever met, definitely helped, as well. Later on, the blonde also learned that Chloe has come from Earth, only that she actually reincarnated instead of being transported over. Some while later, thanks to a small mistake on Canir''s part, Maya and Sophia were accidentally sent to Earth, where the tiger had a small breakdown thanks to being overwhelmed. Once she recovered and the couple hid their animal parts, Sophia showed her girlfriend the world she used to live in and also went on a massive shopping trip. During that time, they accidentally ran into Steph, her little sister, which caused quite a scene and a tearful reunion after almost a full year apart. Once Steph knew what was going on, she immediately decided to switch worlds to stay with her sister, and the group grew by another member. Back in the new/world (depending on how to look at it), Chloe reunited with her mother, who had been on a mission the past couple of months. As her daughter, especially after she started dating Steph, had no intention of leaving the group around Sophia, Fey had little other choice and also joined the group. Basically at the same time, Mira, the world''s "Overseer of magic", showed up and was revealed to be Chloe''s other mother. Because of her position in the world, she believed it would be best to keep out of Chloe''s life, which she later accepted as a massive mistake. Dedicated to making up for her mistake and lost time, she, too, joined the group to spend as much time with Chloe as possible. Moved to tears by their reunion, Sophia decided to head back to Earth again to tell her mother about what was happening. Taking Steph with her, the sisters then briefly returned to tell their family everything. Giving them the option to join them in the objectively better world, the sisters gave them some time to think about the offer before returning to their new home. Immediately after, as winter was in full blast by now, Sophia decided that she''d like to hibernate and do absolutely nothing until spring returned. As any good cat would do.
Canir General: Birthday: January 1st Age: -- Type/Species: Canir Height: 175cm Personality: Teasing, playful, lazy, barely knows the definition of personal space, loves to push things too far. Magic Authority: ¡Þ (Basically, at least) Family: Unknown -- History -- Not much is known about Canir''s history other than that he wields the title "Overseer of Worlds" and is known for that in the world Sophia and the others now live. He also oversees Earth, though. There, he also found our protagonist as she was walking around while complaining about her current situation. All while not caring about her surroundings, leading to her soon-to demise as she walked right in front of a moving bus. Canir had taken some interest in the girl and decided to save her. Not wanting Sophia to be/feeling as miserable as she did on Earth, he gave her magic and several boosts for her new life to the world he transmigrated her. Unfortunately, Canir''s also quite lazy and prefers to be entertained rather than doing what''s best for everyone. Rather than carefully selecting which parts of the girl to boost and/or improve, he simply added a flat multiplier to everything of Sophia. That would be, in his words, more entertaining, after all. He also admitted watching Sophia and the group on multiple occasions for entertainment purposes, for which the blonde had given him the title of a stalker. Canir has been punched by her many times, as well. Partly for the stalking activities and partly for messing up her boosts. Weirdly enough, she didn''t seem to enjoy having her negative feelings boosted. Canir does have more positive sides besides having saved Sophia, though. He helped her out many times since then, fixed some mistakes, and even saved her again when she messed up with her magic, almost killing herself and half the continent in the process of it. All in all, his positive accomplishments slightly outweigh his desire to be entertained and various other negatives.
Fen General: Full name: Fenrir Birthday: June 11th Age: Old Type/Species: High wolf Height: 250cm (Full size), 100cm ("Regular wolf" size) Color scheme: Dark shades of grey, white, and brown. Personality: Stoic, often grumpy, gets very playful when magic is involved, though (Typical dad power with a hobby he loves) Magic Authority: ~95% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Aura (Partner), unknown -- History -- Fen never was the biggest fan of humans, which made him befriending Sophia (who still was a human when they met) quite an exception to his rules. In the past, he used to be hunted by humans for some reason or another, but as humans are not the most powerful race in this world, it was more than a nuisance to him. He was angered by them a lot, but it eventually turned into indifference for him, as if it was basically impossible for him to get hurt by them. Thanks to that, he relocated to an area called ''monster country'' where the humans simply couldn''t reach them. This was also the place where he would later meet Sophia. Aura''s disappearance back in the past, even though he refuses to admit it, had hit him greatly. Causing him to be very sluggish, even more indifferent, and near depressive until Sophia was able to brighten his mood again. She was that interesting, after all. He took up the role of her mentor and teacher and made sure that Sophia would never learn of this wretched thing called common sense. He taught her every advanced magic he knew and was overjoyed to have such a talented pupil. Sophia was so talented at using magic that she soon started coming up with her own creation, which Fen was eager to learn, and their relationship became more of a give-and-take type. Even after Sophia met Maya and the others, they''re still as inseparable and have no intentions of parting anytime soon. They often take their time to go out together to play with magic unsupervised by anyone, just like in the old days. For which they often got scolded afterward, especially after that one time when the duo almost destroyed the entire world by accident. Aura''s sudden reappearance had taken him in complete shock, as well. It took him some to even wrap his head around the events. Still, once they got to know each other again, it soon was like they had never been separated in the first place. More even, their actual feelings became more prominent with each passing day and week, so that they soon became hard to ignore. Being the coward he is, Aura needed to take the first step, though. Even so, they became a happy couple afterward.
Maya
--- General: Birthday: October 32nd (Not a typo) Age: 23 (During/After the prologue) Type/Species: Hybrid (Humanoid) Cat Height: 167cm Sizes: Curvy~ Color scheme: White Personality: Teasing and playful, but also serious because she¡¯s one of the group¡¯s babysitters Magic Authority: ~50% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Theo and Eve (Father/Mother), unnamed (at the moment) brother -- History -- Maya used to live in a small remote town where the only thing she ever cared about was magic and getting stronger. Her magical powers might be average within the group, but in absolute terms, she was exceptionally gifted beyond common sense. Her love for magic and being a bit of a muscle-brain with a fondness for challenging everyone only made her stand out from others even more. Speaking of common sense, Maya often claims she¡¯s one of the few in the group with it. Still, because she only cared about magic in the past, on top of living in a small place with little outside interaction, it¡¯s actually rather limited. She¡¯s ignorant of many things that are supposedly known by everyone. She also hadn¡¯t been interested in love and relationships for the longest time, either. This quickly changed when she met Sophia, though. At first, the cat-girl thought she was interested in the blonde¡¯s unbelievably overpowered and exotic magic, but it was soon more than clear that she was interested in everything about Sophia. It took a while and caused many misunderstandings along the way, but she eventually learned the secret of Sophia being from another world. It was quite a shock, and it took her a moment to wrap her head around it, but her feelings were strong enough to push past that revelation, and Maya confessed her love to the blonde immediately after. As Sophia¡¯s feelings, once she became aware of it, were the same, the two became a couple on that day. Maya loves to let loose and play around, but as the group grew and became more chaotic with each new member, she realized that the world would be doomed if no one could keep them in check. Determined to be that person for the greater good, the cat-girl became the babysitter of everyone to make sure they didn¡¯t go too out of control. With varying amounts of success. She¡¯s also the sassiest girl anyone could ever meet, and she mastered the art of teasing. No one¡¯s safe from her as she doesn¡¯t discriminate. Even the king of the country and the highest overseers had already been a victim of her cheekiness. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Aura
General: Full name: Aurora Birthday: August 22nd Age: Good question Type/Species: High wolf Height: 220cm (Full size), 95cm ("Regular wolf" size) Color scheme: White, light grey and blue Personality: Playful, teasing, friendly, caring Magic Authority: ~150% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Fen (Partner), unknown -- History -- Aura and Fen used to be together all the time in the past, thanks to their shared love for anything related to magic. One day, though, she experimented with teleportation magic, which went horribly wrong. She accidentally ended up on the other side of the world. Not only that, but she also suffered from memory loss resulting from a hard crash afterward. Thanks to that, she forgot all about her old life and Fen. It took her hundreds of years and another accident to remember. Once her memories were back, she immediately returned to the location she disappeared from and searched for Fen. She eventually found him traveling with Sophia and Maya and decided to become part of their little group, too. Reunited again, Aura and Fen were getting along better than ever. It took a little while longer, but the two eventually decided to take the next step and became a couple. It''s not like much has changed, though. They had been acting like one for decades already, after all, as mentioned by Fey, who hadn''t seen them for many hundreds of years.
Anna
-- General: Birthday: November 16th Age: 18 (During/After the prologue) Type/Species: Hybrid (Humanoid) Tiger Height: 177cm Sizes: Yes~ Color scheme: Orange and Black Personality: Outgoing and friendly, a little tomboyish, kinda stubborn, and very dense Magic Authority: ~15% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Menzor and Kira (Father/Mother, King and Queen of the country), Ellie (little sister), Nathan (older brother) -- History -- Anna is part of the royal family and the first princess of the nation. Due to her upbringing, she has turned out to be pretty spoilt and loves to be a pain for her parents. That doesn''t mean Anna''s incapable of being the presentable princess she should be. She''s actually quite good at it. When she wants to, that is. She''s also very friendly and gets along with everyone very quickly, too. How quickly she gets along with others became clear when the princess first met Sophia. The king was very interested in the blonde tiger and tried to scheme to let her marry into the family by using Anna as the proxy. Naturally, Maya absolutely wasn''t a fan of that plan, but the princess was absolutely okay with it. Sophia''s quite the personality, after all, and Anna liked that. The blonde tiger wasn''t in favor, either, though, and turned her down. It took a little while, but she was able to accept and even managed to befriend Maya afterward, as well. The rejection also came with other benefits. Ari, her childhood friend, had been in love with the princess for the longest time already, and thanks to the help of Maya, Anna realized that her interest in Sophia was nothing more than a mere crush and that her feelings for Ari were much stronger. It took a LONG while, because both were incredibly dense, but it all worked out in the end, making Ari and Anna an official couple. All that aside, she''s also a big fan of exploring. So, after annoying her parents a lot, she managed to get permission to accompany Sophia and her group during their upcoming travels. Obviously taking Ari with her, as well.
Ellie
-- General: Birthday: May 25th Age: 3 (During/After the prologue) Type/Species: Hybrid (Humanoid) Tiger Height: 99cm Color scheme: Orange and Black Personality: Personification of adorableness, slightly rebellious with her parents and sister, though. Magic Authority: Has yet to manifest Family: Menzor and Kira (Father/Mother, King and Queen of the country), Anna (older sister), Nathan (older brother) -- History -- Mascot character and best girl. More? Okay. Ellie is Menzor and Kira''s youngest daughter, making her the kingdom''s second princess. She''s usually well-behaved but can also be a little selfish at times, thanks to her young age. Her being so adorable that no one can say no doesn''t help with that, either. Like most kids, she''s also started to get a little rebellious, which Anna, and especially her father, must deal with the most. She immediately became attached to Sophia when they met, and the two can be found playing and/or napping together nine out of ten times they''re near each other. Sophia fell in love with her just as much and has to spoil her at any given opportunity. The little tiger had also awakened many maternal instincts and motherly feelings in Sophia, much to the dismay of Maya. The cat-girl has absolutely nothing against kids, but seeing her girlfriend acting like such a textbook mom all the time, constantly makes her imagine a future where Sophia becomes an actual mother, which would mean her becoming one, too. It''s something she isn''t quite ready for yet, so it caused her great embarrassment on many occasions already. She did bond with Ellie a lot later on, too, though. It only made things worse because the trio had been mistaken as a family on many occasions. Including when they accidentally ran into the cat-girl''s parents, which had caused quite some chaos. While it hasn''t awakened yet, it seems like Ellie will have high magical authority once it does, as Sophia has already felt her potential, which Mira then later confirmed. As the little tiger idolizes Sophia, things will be guaranteed to be interesting once Ellie can use magic and will be taught how to use it by her.
Ari
-- General: Full name: Arianne (Used exactly three times~) Birthday: November 13th Age: 18 (During/After the prologue) Type/Species: Hybrid (Humanoid) Black Jaguar Height: 160cm Sizes: Medium is premium~ Color scheme: Black and Gold Personality: Serious and levelheaded, but also easily influenced (especially by tigers). Shy with strangers but playful with friends Magic Authority: ~16% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Daria and Stella (Mothers), unnamed (at the moment) sister -- History -- Ari''s the daughter of two of the head maids in the royal castle and grew up there together with Anna, who had been born in the same week as her. In fact, the king, queen, and Ari''s parents had set up this to happen so their children were born together. Taking after her parents, she also wanted to become a maid and was put solely in charge of caring for Anna. After all, Ari was the only one capable of dealing with the rebellious princess. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that, in later years, the girl''s love for Anna became more than obvious to everyone in the capital and how the entire castle was rooting for her. Being in love with the princess also made for a complicated first meeting between her and Sophia. Thanks to Anna''s fleeting crush on the blonde tiger and how there even was a brief mention of marriage between them, Ari had not been a fan of hers, to put it lightly. In fact, during their first meeting, she openly stated hating Sophia for it and also breaking Anna''s heart afterward because of her reaction. Still, after the misunderstanding of Sophia being at fault, all animosities were immediately gone, resulting in the two becoming best friends. Ari''s outward personality had been heavily shaped by her hair and fur color, which made her incredibly insecure. As the only black jaguar around, she had become extremely self-conscious about her looks. She was under the impression everyone around her was secretly making fun of her for being different. Naturally, this only happened in her head because everyone was in awe of her stunning looks, and Ari only completely misunderstood their reactions. It took until Sophia for her to change because she was another unique being, a blonde tiger who loved her own special looks, as well as Ari''s amazing color scheme. Getting along with Sophia also made her get swept away by her antics rather often, as she gets influenced easily, which ended up getting them the title of the "troublemaker" duo. Oftentimes, according to Anna, they get along a little too well and cause all sorts of misunderstandings. While the princess certainly has a point, she also couldn''t be further from the truth because Sophia was her biggest ally in making Ari act on her feelings for the princess, which led to them becoming a couple in the end. Ari also allied with Maya to keep the group in check when it came to overdoing things. Lately, it was becoming too much for her, though, and the thoughts of giving up on the task are getting stronger because she isn''t getting paid enough to deal with that many individuals who don''t have the word "restraint" in their vocabulary.
Chloe
-- General: Birthday: March 10th Age: 20 (During/After the prologue) Type/Species: Hybrid (Humanoid) Arctic fox Height: 155cm Sizes: Short but big~ Color scheme: Pink and white Personality: Outgoing and sweet Magic Authority: ~80% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Mira and Fey (Parents/Mothers) -- History -- Reincarnated as the daughter of Fey and Mira ~20 Years ago. Lived in the same world as Sophia and Steph before and died when she was 14, after having been sick and weak for a while. She used to be human but reincarnated as a humanoid hybrid with long fox ears and a very fluffy tail. The animal bits are borrowed from an arctic fox, which also makes her very weak to warmer temperatures. She prefers colder places because of that. This fact made getting along with Sophia and he other cats a little harder and caused a lot of bickering already. Loves adventures and traveled the continent together with Fey as soon as she could walk to make up for her previous life, where she hadn''t been able to go out much at all. Just as much as she likes to explore, she''s also been fascinated by magic and its possibilities ever since Fey started teaching her when she was little. Chloe didn¡¯t know that Fey was her biological mother for the longest time, and it was only revealed when it came to light that Mira, the overseer of magic, was her other mother. When it came out, Chloe was quite upset because of it. Not because she didn''t like being the daughter of Mira, but because of their decision that it was the best to keep this fact a secret. Something she very much disagreed with. No matter how complicated it would''ve become to be out in public as the daughter of the overseer, Chloe was sure that being denied of her other mother was far worse. She met Sophia and the others by chance and immediately befriended all of them thanks to her friendliness and similar tastes to Sophia. She''s also the reason why the blonde started calling using the nickname Fennyfenny for the male wolf. When she was little, the pink fox had issues with pronouncing the name Feyanis and began to call her mother Feyfey. Upon meeting Fen, she immediately started calling him Fenfen as his name''s very similar. Sophia liked that a whole lot and decided to start using her own version. Fennyfenny was not a fan of this nickname, but he soon gave up because once Sophia decided on something, it was over. Later, when the blonde went back to her old world and returned with her little sister, Steph, the fox-girl quickly fell in love with her. As this was mutual, she and Steph started dating in record time.
Steph
-- General: Full name: Stephanie Birthday: February 5th
Type/Species: Hybrid (Humanoid) Dog Height: 157cm Sizes: Some~ Color scheme: Violet and White Personality: Playful, friendly, caring, and very active. Can also be rather obsessive and the most stubborn person in existence. Magic Authority: ~80% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Lydia and Pete (Mother and Father, still on Earth), Sari (little sister, still on Earth), Sophia (older sister) -- History -- Not only is Steph Sophia''s (half-)sister, for the longest time, when they lived back on Earth, but she also was her only friend. Her older sister was suffering from many social anxieties, among other things, which made it near impossible for her to form bonds, but Steph didn''t care about that and brute-forced her way into her life. Something for which Sophia was indescribably happy and thankful later on. Steph didn''t do that just because she wanted to help her sister because she likes caring for others, but mainly because she really loves her (in a sisterly way!). Maybe a bit too much, though, because things took a turn once Sophia disappeared when she (unknowingly to everyone) got transported to a different world. Steph was unable to accept her sister''s disappearance and became so obsessed with finding her that she lost her social circle, dropped out of college, and negatively affected her relationship with her parents. The only thing that mattered to her was finding Sophia. Once she did, after Sophia accidentally ended up on Earth again, she immediately returned to her usual cheerful self. Learning what her sister had experienced in the year she was gone, living in another world, she instantly decided to give up on Earth and follow her to the new world. Not only because she''d never let go of Sophia again, but also because exploring and traveling are her favorite activities. After she also had been gifted magic in the new world, she instantly changed herself to a dog-girl with violet and white hair/fur because she wanted to blend in with the others. And to be fluffy, of course. There, she also met Chloe and got along with her well from the very beginning. In fact, they got along so well that the two started dating not even a week after meeting. Just like the pink fox, Steph also prefers colder temperatures and climate, which makes the clash with the feline faction of the group many times.
Mira
-- General: Birthday: January 1st Age: Yes Type/Species: 9-Tailed Fox (Multiple forms) Height: 168cm Sizes: Curvy~ Color scheme: Teal and White Personality: Playful, friendly, likes to tease. Magic Authority: She is magic authority Family: Fey (Partner), Chloe (Daughter) -- History -- Mira is the "Overseer of magic" and, as the name suggests, watches over magic in the world they live in. That being said, her title is slightly misleading, as she does much more than just oversee it. The teal fox also actively manages it. Making sure everything is working as intended, doesn''t go out of control, and behaves/works like the system she created/manages should. Thanks to her position and importance, Mira''s well-known in the world, has many shrines dedicated to her, and is generally treated as a goddess by most. The latter is something she doesn''t enjoy overly much, though. Just like every other overseer, she doesn''t like to be called a goddess for reasons (that haven''t been disclosed yet). She also helped out Steph when she changed worlds to be with her older sister by gifting her a portion of magic to play with. There were many reasons for this, but one of the main ones was a sneaky plan to boost Chloe''s powers as well. She noticed how well the two got along instantly after meeting, using the chance to give her daughter a little gift. After all, it was easy to see that it would be a matter of course for Steph to share some of her magic with her girlfriend so that both would be equal. It had been a secret that Chloe was her daughter for the longest time, and only came to light after Fey made a slight mistake and blurted it out. She and Mira thought it would be best for Chloe to grow up without the knowledge because being the daughter of an overseer, who''s treated as a goddess, would be quite a burden for a little kid. Because of that, while she did spend every moment possible with her when she was a baby, the many-tailed mother distanced herself from her daughter once she was growing a consciousness. Naturally, this was a massive mistake, and after receiving a long and thorough scolding from Chloe, Mira decided to stay with her daughter, promising to try and make up for the lost time. Mira is also very interested in the continuous growth of Sophia. After Canir boosted her and gave the blonde a portion of his magic, she was constantly playing with it and created many curious new magics, which greatly pleased the overseer of magic. On top of that, as Canir is the overseer, Sophia''s gifted magic has many of those special properties, too. Things like stopping time, going above the limit, or creating one''s own domain, all things considered to be exclusive to real overseers, had also become possible for the tiger. The teal fox enjoys watching her magical exploits a lot and is looking forward to her future growth.
Fey
General: Full name: Feyanis Birthday: September 21st Age: You shouldn''t ask a lady about her age Type/Species: High fox Height: 200cm (Full size), 90cm ("Regular fox" size) Sizes: Humanoid/Hybrid form yet to be seen Color scheme: Red and White Personality: Serious, strong sense of justice, stubborn Magic Authority: ~90% of Sophia (Benchmark) Family: Mira (Partner), Chloe (Daughter) -- History -- Fey, Aura, and Fen go way back and used to travel together for a while until Fey decided to do her own thing. While she was on her own, she met Mira, and the two got along very well. So well that more than becoming just a couple, the two decided to have a child, Chloe, together. They already knew, thanks to Mira being an overseer, that Chloe would be a reincarnator from Earth. Because of that, Fey being a full animal was a bit of an issue as they wouldn''t want a former human to become a full, too. To make sure this wouldn''t happen, Mira taught her how to turn herself into a hybrid (humanoid animal) using magic to even the odds of Chloe being too much animal for the consciousness of a former human to handle. A while after Chloe was born, her parents decided to make the mistake of thinking it would be best to keep her being the daughter of an overseer a secret. As a result of that, Fey took Chloe, and the two explored the world together as the now pink fox used to be very sick on Earth and was unable to go outside most of the time. She wanted to make up for the lost opportunities and decided to explore everything at a young age already. One time, the duo met a few regular humans, which didn''t end overly well. Long story short, Fey went on a quick trip to the human capital, dethroned the current royal family, drove out all nobles and people disliking the beastfolk, set up a new ruling party that had no bias against them, and recruited a few members of the beastfolk to observer her new order. Reuniting with her daughter again, she also met her many new friends, Sophia, and the group. Shocked to learn that Chloe even met Mira during her absence, she accidentally blurted out that Mira was her mother, and things got a little chaotic. After the teal overseer also joined the group, the two decided to watch over Chloe together again after a long time. There, she also found out that Chloe and Steph started daring. Being the overprotective mother she is, she didn''t enjoy this revelation very much and started to constantly test Steph to see if she was worthy of her daughter. She''s also the least crazy member of the group, trying to make sure they don''t do anything stupid. That being said, she shows absolutely no mercy for injustice and even tops Sophia regarding revenge tasks. Chapter 001 – Let’s go! ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get going already!¡± Sophia, the blonde tiger-girl, Maya, the white-haired cat, and Chloe, the pink-haired fox, were all together when Steph, the violet-haired dog, excitedly addressed them in an impatient manner. "We wasted enough time already!" ¡°Calm down a bit.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush like that." ¡°We waited long enough already!¡± She had no intention of listening to her. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since you brought me with you to this world after you accidentally ended up here, sis, and I finally want to go on a real adventure! The winter was long enough! Let¡¯s go! NOW!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we are leaving today, just as I promised, but before that, there¡¯s still a lot we have to do.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s ignore all that and just go! Go, I say!¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Steph sure has become quite moody.¡± Maya smiled at the whiny girl. ¡°That¡¯s the privilege of the younger sister!¡± Saying so, Steph hugged one of Sophia¡¯s arms and started clinging to her. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely stop being such a pain once we¡¯re on the go, sis~.¡± She showed her the biggest smile she could do. ¡°You using the magic you had been gifted when coming to this world to turn yourself into a dog hybrid of the beastfolk here really was the best decision you ever made." The tiger looked back at her while petting her head. "Your puppy eyes are way too powerful.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked her response. ¡°It was only the second-best decision, though.¡± Steph then faced the pink fox-girl. ¡°The best one was asking out Chloe!¡± ¡°Whiny and smooth.¡± The cat-girl sounded slightly impressed. ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Chloe nodded a few times while a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. ¡°Come on already!¡± Steph squeezed the arm of her older sister she was clinging to. "If we aren''t out of the capital here by the end of the day, I''ll show everyone how whiny I can really be! I¡¯m using but a fraction of my power right now!¡± "And you called me insufferable when we went swimming in Mira''s domain the other day." Sophia let out a small sigh in response. ¡°This and that are different!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She didn¡¯t feel like arguing. ¡°Well, I¡¯m good to go, soo¡­ Maya, Chloe, what about you two?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t matter even if we weren¡¯t.¡± Their voices overlapped while they glanced at the overly excited and impatient puppy clinging to Sophia¡¯s arm. ¡°I''m glad you understand!" Steph didn''t feel bad about it in the slightest. ¡°Let¡¯s leave this place and go exploring!¡± ¡°You do know that we have to head over to the castle first, right?¡± The blonde immediately crushed her dreams again. ¡°WHY?!¡± She apparently didn¡¯t know. ¡°We¡¯re going to collect Anna and Ari. They¡¯re coming with us to explore the world, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± Steph hung her head. ¡°You¡¯re lucky I like them a lot because else I would''ve gotten even noisier now!" ¡°Chloe, do you have one of those squeaky balls on hand that makes our puppy calm down?¡± ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Sorry, she destroyed the last one I had a few days ago.¡± She shook her head. ¡°They never last long with her." ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°I-I hate you all!¡± Slightly embarrassed-looking, Steph averted her face. ¡°Dating these sisters sure is an experience, huh?¡± Maya smiled at the pink fox after having stolen a glance at Sophia. ¡°I would know from my tiger there, after all.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Chloe could only react with a chuckle. ¡°Let¡¯s get going already!¡± As the dog wasn¡¯t able to play with her therapeutic ball, she only got more impatient. ---------------- The four left their home in the capital of the beastfolk race and walked over to the castle of the royal family. After all, Anna, a tall, orange-haired tiger-girl, one of the girls they wanted to take with them on their journey, was a rather important one. Namely, the first princess of the nation. Ari, the girlfriend of said princess, a black-haired jaguar-girl, also lives in the castle, as the two were also childhood friends, on top of Ari¡¯s parents being the head maids of the royal family. Ever since Sophia had arrived in this world after having had an accident on Earth and turned herself into a tiger-girl without knowing that the tigers are the royals of the beastfolk race, she had gotten quite close with the ruling family of the nation. Having befriended the first princess, who was a big fan of exploration and being free in general, it quickly was decided that she and Ari would accompany them whenever the blonde and her friends left the capital again to return to their travel plans. It took a while, but it was finally time for Sophia to fulfill that promise to her as they were about to do just that. ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± The moment the group entered the entrance hall, they were immediately greeted by a tall, orange-haired, and impatient-looking tiger-girl. ¡°I know, right?!¡± Steph immediately walked over to stand next to Anna so the two could glare at the other girls together. "We''re finally about to go exploring, and they were just idling around! It took me forever to get them out of the house!¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your service!¡± The tall tiger smiled at the dog-girl before focusing on Sophia again. ¡°I was about to get you, you know?! I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for way too long already! Let¡¯s go!¡± She was very excited. ¡°You and Ari were huddled up with us in front of the fireplace, not wanting to move a single muscle, just two days ago.¡± The blonde had no intention of dealing with this again. ¡°A-Ah.¡± The princess immediately turned silent. ¡°I told you to stay calm." Ari, the black-haired jaguar-girl, was beside her and lightly rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Impossible!¡± She wasn¡¯t able to stay silent for long. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this since forever, after all! It just was too cold before! There was nothing we could¡¯ve done!¡± ¡°You could¡¯ve simply dealt with it!¡± Steph¡¯s union with Anna only held for a short while. ¡°Everyone sure is lively, huh?¡± Another tiger joined their conversation. She was a good bit older than the rest of the group, seemingly in her late forties. Other than that, she was the perfect copy of Anna. Quite tall and well-developed, together with the same orange hair, tiger tail, stripes, and ears. To be more precise, Anna was more of a copy of hers, though. It was Kira, the nation''s queen, and mother of the princess in question. ¡°Some of us are, at least!¡± Steph was getting slightly pouty again. ¡°Wait!¡± She got even louder. ¡°D-Don¡¯t tell me we still have to go through half a day of saying goodbye and stuff because Ari and Anna are leaving the nest!?¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear overly excited puppy.¡± Kira smiled at her. ¡°Ari¡¯s parents, Menzor, and I had already had lots of that the last few days. We''re as ready to let them go as we can be." ¡°Not at all, I presume?¡± Sophia took a wild guess. ¡°Not at all.¡± She nodded. ¡°Mom!¡± Anna looked at her mother. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re letting you and Ari go on your trip. Sophia¡¯s magic and the ability to use it to return at any time was a great help for the decision.¡± ¡°I love you!¡± The princess immediately jumped at the blonde tiger and tightly hugged her. She was really glad to be able to go on this trip. ¡°Do you love me or my magic?¡± She raised an eyebrow in response. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I never should¡¯ve made this reply popular around here¡­¡± Sophia had some regrets about having used that sort of non-reply so often before. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Giving the shorter tiger another quick squeeze, she let go of her again while showing the blonde a big smile. ¡°Well, whatever~.¡± It was impossible to be upset at her. ¡°Speaking of, though.¡± Kira changed her attention to the blonde. ¡°The two are ready to go, but you are not.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The shorter tiger tilted her head in confusion. ¡°What did I do? We already decided not to tell Ellie about our plans because we''ll be back many times, so not much would change when it comes to seeing her compared to how things are right now. After all, I don''t want to make my favorite tiger needlessly sad." She paused for a moment. "Sorry about that, Kira and Anna, but the youngest princess wins in my book~." Ellie was Anna''s 3-year-old sister and the youngest daughter of Kira, who was very loved by Sophia especially, but there was no one who didn''t adore her. "She''s the cutest, after all." "No, it''s not about that." The queen was okay with the clear preferential treatment. ¡°Menzor wants to see you before you leave. He¡¯s at the capital¡¯s south gate right now. Together with the planning committee that got founded because of your plans.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad the royal headaches will become fewer once I¡¯m gone?¡± ¡°I seriously doubt there''ll be any fewer of them.¡± Kira just stared at her again. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia went silent for a moment. "A-Anyway, let¡¯s go to the south gate!¡± She decided to ignore her reply. ---------------- Wasting no time, especially because Steph was quickly becoming even more impatient and Anna wasn''t helping with that issue, either, the group made their way toward where the king was currently. ¡°Oh, there they are!¡± Everyone had just exited the capital through the south gate when Steph pointed at some familiar faces. Mira, the nine-tailed white and teal-colored hybrid fox. Feyanis, the red and white full fox, and the two wolves, Fen and Aura, were waiting for them already. ¡°Finally! You sure took your sweet time." Noticing them, the male wolf immediately sent a complaint to the group. ¡°I know, right?!¡± The violet dog got loud again. ¡°It¡¯s great that at least some members of this group understand that we have no time to waste!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Fen gave her a cheeky reply. ¡°Fen was still asleep on the sheepskin rug in the living room when we left for the castle, you remember?¡± Sophia still had no intention of dealing with this. "He only arrived here a few minutes before us, probably." ¡°¡­¡± He went silent. ¡°Idiot.¡± Fey slowly shook her head. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen that one coming. "Cut him some slack." Aura looked at her. "He just woke up, and his brain isn¡¯t fully working yet.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± Fen did not like their exchange. ¡°Oh, there is the guest of honor!¡± A somewhat dignified but also tired-looking hybrid tiger-man in his early fifties with orange-greyish hair walked over to the group and looked at Sophia. ¡°What can I do for you, my dear king?¡± She smiled at Menzor. "The sass might be one of the things I won''t miss when you''re traveling." He let out a sigh. ¡°That, and the hope that my hair continues to grey with the same speed as it does after meeting you.¡± ¡°Mhmm,¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I kinda like the look. It makes you look tougher.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Some of the other girls joined in. ¡°It looks great!¡± ¡°¡­¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°That does not make me happy! Especially because none of you even like men!¡± ¡°That only adds more weight to our opinions!¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°If we already like it, what do you think how women that like men would think of you!" ¡°¡­¡± He went silent again. ¡°My, don¡¯t you look happy now?¡± Kira also was still with him and had now proceeded to stare daggers at her husband, the king. "A-Ah.¡± Menzor¡¯s expression immediately changed. ¡°I forgot about the headaches you keep causing me!¡± ¡°I do have a talent for that~.¡± Her mood was great. ¡°So, Kira said you wanted to see me. Do you need help with something before we leave?¡± "We need to review your portals a last time before you leave." ¡°Seriously?!¡± Steph immediately got loud again. ¡°That¡¯ll take forever!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take that long.¡± Menzor briefly glanced at her before facing Sophia again. ¡°It¡¯s your last chance to change your mind. The ministers and I planned a lot these past months and are beyond happy with your absolutely generous offer to use your magic to connect various places of interest throughout our kingdom with the help of the portals you invented. We¡¯re about to start the building phase of the place we intend to use as a sort of hub to deal with all the portals and the places they lead to. We need to make sure this is no wasted effort.¡± ¡°This again?¡± The blonde let out a short sigh. ¡°How often do I have to reassure you about this? It sounds like so much fun! I¡¯m, of course, going to do it! I want to return to the capital every now and then, anyway. Because of that, I might as well use my magic to create a permanent portal that links the places together. Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± He sounded honestly relieved. "Once again, on behalf of pretty much everyone, you have no idea how much this will change the kingdom." "Also, the payment we agreed on is amazing!" ¡°Ah.¡± The king almost stumbled over his own feet after hearing her real motivation. ¡°Anyway~,¡± Sounding extra smug, Sophia smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. Where are you going to build it? It¡¯s all just fields around here. On one of them?¡± She started looking around while saying so. ¡°No.¡± Menzor shook his head. ¡°We are looking to increase our area of arable land around the capital, not decreasing it.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Do you see that farm cottage near that line of trees over there?¡± He pointed to a building a few hundred meters right of them. ¡°Yeah!¡± She looked right at it. ¡°It¡¯s super cute! I love that style!¡± It was a rather big building with greyish-brown brick walls, white window frames, and anthracite shingles for a roof. ¡°Well, we¡¯re going to tear it down.¡± ¡°Ehhh?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Why? It looks perfectly fine!¡± "Well, it''s not needed anymore." The king shrugged. "The head farmer responsible for these fields around here actually married into the head family next to them, and they decided to combine farms and homes. We decided to buy the cottage and the land around it from them because the location is ideal for the hub. It even has a good road leading directly to the south gate here. Building a new road would''ve been more expensive than buying and tearing the cottage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so cute, though!¡± ¡°Do you have any better suggestions?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Ah!¡± Her eyes suddenly started sparkling. ¡°Can I have it instead?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Naturally, Menzor was quite confused about her reply. ¡°What part about tearing it down because we need the space did not reach you?¡± ¡°I understood everything. I don¡¯t want to live in it here. I want to take it with us when we¡¯re traveling!¡± ¡°The farm cottage¡­?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The king''s face was going through many emotions while trying to understand her before eventually looking at Maya. ¡°Could you explain what she means?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know?!¡± The cat-girl just shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re her girlfriend, are you not?!¡± ¡°How¡¯s this and that related? It only means that I get confused by her the most because I''m together with her all the time!" ¡°Haa¡­¡± He hung his head. ¡°She¡¯s pretty easy to understand, actually.¡± Steph came to the rescue. ¡°No, she is not!¡± Many voices retorted the same. ¡°Everyone knows about her storage magic that¡¯s somehow related to the portals, right?¡± The dog-girl continued. ¡°Indeed.¡± Menzor and the others nodded. "I still get surprised every single time she uses it to get something out of seemingly nothing.¡± ¡°Well, wouldn¡¯t it be something to have a whole house inside that storage?! I think that would be amazing!¡± Steph was getting excited. ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia felt the same. ¡°It would be a portable home and rest stop!¡± ¡°Sometimes, I have trouble believing you two are sisters because you look so different." The king stared at the duo. "Then, the two of you start talking, and all doubts are immediately blown away." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Is that even possible, though?¡± ¡°Sure it is!¡± Sophia gave him a thumbs up before she started walking along the road toward the cottage while everyone else followed. ¡°And now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see~.¡± Arriving at the cottage, she took a better look at it. ¡°It really looks cute and cozy! I want it!¡± She liked it. ¡°How much of the area needs to be cleared for the planned hub?¡± ¡°Well, everything around the cottage. All the way from the edge of the fields to, and including, the range of trees in the back.¡± ¡°Ohh! That¡¯s perfect! Are there plans for something like a basement area, too? I can also remove part of the soil if you want!¡± ¡°Well,¡± The king turned around to address some of the other people, some of them being tiger hybrids and his age, as well. ¡°Do we?¡± ¡°It would certainly be useful for temporary storage and the like." ¡°Perfect!¡± Having gotten the permission, or at least not having been denied, Sophia immediately got to work. Soon after, purple sparkles and reflections began to appear in the air around the mentioned area before nothing else was visible there anymore. It was all that could be seen there for a moment before the purple sparkles started to subside again. Once the magic distortions were gone, everything else had disappeared, too. The cottage, the trees, the lawn, gone. Only a giant crater roughly 150 by 150 meters wide, long, and about 4 meters deep could be seen. ¡°Cottage get!¡± The blonde was happy about the result. ¡°Eh?¡± Most people outside of Sophia''s core group had the same reaction. ¡°Alright, time to go exploring!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The sisters decided they didn''t care about the shocked faces of Menzor and some of the others. Chapter 002 – The start is always the hardest part Spring had finally come around, and so Sophia and her friends were getting ready to finally resume the exploration of the new world she had ended up in. Before that, they met up with King Menzor and a few other people from the castle to review some things again. After all, Sophia had offered to use her portal magic to connect various places of the beastfolk kingdom to make traveling much easier. In preparation for that, the king, or his planning committee, had decided to tear down a farm cottage that wasn¡¯t needed anymore to build a portal hub there instead. She didn¡¯t like that idea because she immediately fell in love with the cute design of the cottage and suggested a better plan. Though, the word plan maybe was a bit of a stretch. Sophia simply snatched the building and put it into her storage dimension, together with a big portion of soil around it. Once Menzor and his wife, Queen Kira, got over the fact that the blonde tiger had just made a piece of land disappear, the two moved closer to their daughter. ¡°It¡¯s time, huh?¡± Her father spoke up. ¡°The capital will finally be freed from the chaos princess.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Said princess got loud in return. ¡°It will definitely be much quieter and more peaceful around here." Kira had to do it, too. ¡°That¡¯s really not- Ah.¡± Anna could not finish her sentence because the two suddenly hugged her. "..." She simply opted for returning the hug, and the three stayed like that for a little while. ¡°Sophia," Once they parted again, the king immediately faced the blonde tiger. "I don''t need to make myself clear that I''m going to send the entire kingdom army after you if anything happens to our daughter, right?" ¡°More than that, I¡¯ll be coming after you, myself!¡± Kira sounded even more serious. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m actually scared about the second one.¡± Sophia took a step away from the queen. ¡°No, there is no need to worry. With me around, none of my friends will ever get hurt!¡± ¡°Good.¡± The royal couple sounded relieved. ¡°Well, minor injuries used as a learning exercise excluded.¡± She lightly corrected herself. ¡°That much is fine.¡± The queen accepted that exception. ¡°She could use one or 23 of those learning moments.¡± ¡°Oh, and I won¡¯t take responsibility for emotional damage from Maya¡¯s teasing. That¡¯s beyond my capabilities.¡± ¡°That¡¯s beyond everyone¡¯s capabilities~.¡± The white cat reacted with an extra smug grin. ¡°We know.¡± Many people had the same response. ¡°Heh~.¡± "What a girl." Kira sounded quite impressed by her momentarily before eventually changing her attention to her daughter¡¯s girlfriend. ¡°Ari, you do know that you have to act as the royal family''s representative, right? I put my trust in you, okay?" ¡°Why me?!¡± She lightly raised her voice. ¡°We have two actual tigers in our group!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want us to be the representative of anything.¡± Anna and Sophia, said tigers of the group, were in complete sync. ¡°Why are tigers so self-aware¡­?¡± The jaguar let out a sigh. "Don''t worry. I''ll help you when it becomes too complicated." Maya put a hand on her shoulder while showing the girl a sympathetic expression. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure those two learn how to behave.¡± Fey glanced at the two striped girls before facing the queen. ¡°Admittedly, after having gotten to know them better over the past couple of months, I realized that this will be a hard task, but I¡¯m quite confident about my expertise in that field.¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Kira smiled at the full fox. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡± ¡°Good luck~.¡± The blonde and the tall tiger still were in a good mood while they smiled at Fey. ¡°I don¡¯t need luck.¡± She stared back at them. ¡°I have my skills to back up my claim.¡± ¡°...¡± The duo quickly stopped looking cheeky. ¡°I see that our daughter will be in capable paws.¡± Menzor reacted with a slight nod in her direction. ¡°Grrr!¡± The tall tiger growled at her father. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to be even more of a menace than usual whenever we come for a visit!¡± "Totally fine by me." Menzor saw no issue with that. ¡°Yep.¡± Kira also nodded. ¡°As long as you do come and visit us.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no winning with you, is there?!¡± Anna started pouting. "That feeling is the worst, isn''t it?" Her parents stared right back at her. "A-Ah...¡± ¡°You know, I absolutely love this kind of family bantering and bonding, but it''s getting late! LATE! L-A-T-E!" Steph, once again, was getting impatient. ¡°I want to go, too!¡± Anna also showed her parents an excited expression. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t take any more of your time.¡± The king smiled at her. ¡°Oh, but before you all leave,¡± He then looked at Sophia and handed her an envelope. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to go to these places, but that¡¯s a list with cities and areas of most interest to be linked with your portals. There¡¯s also a letter with my sigil and sign inside to show the mayors there. If you end up in any of these places, we would be pleased to have them connected with the capital.¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± The blonde took the envelope and immediately handed it over to Maya. "Please remind me whenever we''re near any of these places." ¡°Of course.¡± She knew it was an impossible task for her tiger. ¡°Alright!¡± Having dealt with that, Sophia faced the others in the group. "Let''s head out!" ¡°FINALLY!¡± Her sister liked the sound of that. ¡°By the way, where do you plan to go first? Which direction?¡± The queen got a little curious about their itinerary. ¡°South because it would get warmer faster!¡± ¡°North because it would be colder for longer!¡± ¡°This way.¡± ¡°That way.¡± ¡°Along there.¡± ¡°I want to go there first!¡± ¡°That direction seems nice.¡± ¡°The best route would be over there.¡± ¡°This way would be the easiest route.¡± ¡°I think this way would be fun.¡± In no particular order, everyone in the group, Sophia, Maya, Steph, Chloe, Ari, Anna, Mira, Fey, Aura, and Fen, were pointing or gesturing in a different direction. "¡­" Noticing how there was not a single match in their suggestions, the group turned silent. ¡°Let¡¯s leave, dear.¡± Kira decided that it would be best to vacate the premises. ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± Menzor, too, wanted to avoid getting roped into this. ¡°Well, I guess there¡¯s only one thing we can do now.¡± Sounding extremely serious, Sophia turned sideways to look at her sister, who was pointing in a direction with a roughly 90-degree angle of hers. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Looking equally serious, Steph looked back at her. ¡°It¡¯s beyond unfortunate that it had to come to this, but there¡¯s just no other way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s deeply regrettable, yes.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°This will change things forever.¡± ¡°Nothing will ever be the same.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Ari, Maya, and Chloe started to look concerned about the ominous feeling around the sisters. ¡°Let¡¯s get over with it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The two exchanged another glance before both lifted their arms. ¡°Rock! - Paper! - Scissors!¡± The serious mood was instantly gone. ¡°EHH?!¡± Everyone around couldn¡¯t believe this turn of events and simply watched the sisters throwing symbols at each other in rapid succession. Once everyone had gotten over their goofiness, the other members actually went ahead and joined in, as they all had their own preferred route. Ultimately, it turned into a full-blown rock, paper, scissors tournament that went on for many rounds over the next hour. Even Fey and the wolves took part by placing their paws on symbols drawn on the ground. ---------------- ¡°Eh, how did I win this¡­?¡± Once the tournament was over, and Ari emerged victorious, she was the most surprised about it. ¡°I was the least passionate about it! I just wanted to play along!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be smug about it now!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like her victory speech. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡­ Well, whatever,¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t feel like arguing. ¡°Anna, which direction did you want to go? I might as well use it to score some girlfriend points. Which way should we pick?¡± ¡°Really? Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Booo!¡± Everyone except the princess hated that decision because it made them look bad. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± The tall tiger tilted her head. "Alright, I want to go in the direction you chose instead!" ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Anna smiled at her jaguar. ¡°Booooo!¡± The rest of the selfish group liked that even less. ¡°Does anyone have anything against the decision to finally have a starting point and be ready to go?" Ari looked at everyone. ¡°Especially you, Steph.¡± ¡°No!¡± The dog-girl rapidly shook her head. ¡°See?¡± She smiled at her. ¡°So, who cares that Anna and I are, objectively and factually speaking, the best couple here?¡± ¡°HEY!¡± Everyone seemed to care. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The mood of the princess was excellent. ¡°¡­¡± The other¡¯s needed a moment before they weakly nodded. ¡°Fine.¡± After they agreed on a course, in one way or another, the group finally got going and left the beastfolk capital to return to and/or start their exploration of the continent and, later, the rest of the world. Chapter 003 – Directionally challenged After a lot of back and forth, much bickering, and a full-blown rock-, paper-, scissors- tournament, the group finally left the capital and started their grand exploration of the continent and further beyond that. ¡°Alright, boss, where are we headed to first?¡± The group had been walking around for an hour when Sophia eventually faced the jaguar. "Why am I the boss here?" Ari was immediately confused about her new title. ¡°You chose the route. You are the boss." She had an easy explanation. ¡°Anna chose the route!¡± "Yes, your route." The princess sided with her fellow tiger. ¡°Also, you won the tournament.¡± Maya joined in on it. ¡°You¡¯re definitely the boss, boss.¡± ¡°I hate all of you¡­¡± She hung her head in response. ¡°I had absolutely no thoughts behind my suggested direction!¡± ¡°How irresponsible of you!¡± The blonde was shocked. ¡°As if you had any idea where you were pointing at!¡± Ari got loud while she glared at Sophia. ¡°Your sense of direction is so bad that you can¡¯t even tell up from right!¡± ¡°How rude! My suggested direction was very carefully thought of!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± She raised an eyebrow in interest. ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia gave her a big nod. ¡°I wanted to go perfectly south because that meant it would get warmer faster!" ¡°You stupid cat.¡± Steph rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, I wanted to go north for the exact opposite reason, so¡­ Well, we are sisters~.¡± She quickly changed her opinion. "Wait a moment¡­ Sophia, your direction was at a roughly 90-degree angle of mine, and I¡¯m fairly confident about having pointed north.¡± ¡°You definitely pointed east, my dear directionally challenged friend.¡± Ari stared right at her again. "A-Ah.¡± Her face turned red. ¡°Also,¡± The jaguar continued. ¡°We left the capital through the south gate, you know¡­? Why do you think it¡¯s named like that? Surely not because you have to turn left to go south, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°By the way, we¡¯re headed south right now.¡± She was slowly shaking her head the entire time. ¡°Seriously?!¡± "Yes." Ari nodded slightly. "I had nothing specific in mind to explore in this direction, but I also liked the idea of it getting a little bit warmer just ever so slightly faster.¡± ¡°I love you!¡± Overcome with emotion, the blonde jumped at the jaguar and hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s really not that much of a big deal.¡± Not entirely sure how to react, she simply patted the back of the tiger a couple of times. "Hey!" The other tiger, the tall one, was not a fan of this exchange. The princess tends to get jealous quite fast, after all. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m even more motivated now!¡± Sophia had let go of Ari again and energetically raised her fist high in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going, boss!¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± The jaguar gave up and decided to play along for the time being. She knew from experience that letting tigers have their way with those sorts of things was the easiest route for everyone involved. It wasn''t worth the effort. "So, all that aside," Maya scratched her cheek. "Did I understand everything correctly if I say that we have no idea where we''re going?" ¡°Pretty much.¡± Sophia and Steph smiled at her. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°Was there anything interesting in the direction you suggested?¡± Chloe got interested in the cat-girl¡¯s plan. ¡°¡­¡± She averted her face. ¡°You also simply pointed in a random direction just for the sake of it, didn¡¯t you?¡± The pink fox saw right through her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to answer this.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s also an answer~.¡± It worked for her. ¡°Mira, you¡¯d know what¡¯s in the direction Ari chose, right? Are we headed somewhere fun?¡± She faced the many-tailed fox. ¡°I sure do~.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Do you want to know, though? Or would a surprise be more fun?¡± ¡°Surprise, please!¡± The sisters immediately replied before anyone else had the chance to. ¡°Also,¡± Mira looked at the pink fox again. ¡°Every direction and any path will eventually lead to something interesting." ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Also, yes, a surprise sounds like much more fun~.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± While the group continued to chat and walk, Anna started looking around alongside the cobbled road the group had been following for a while. ¡°What are we going to do once it¡¯s time to stop for the night? Camping? Looking for a village with an inn?¡± ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Sophia faced her. ¡°Whatever is fine in my eyes. Though, if we¡¯re going to camp outside, I want a few trees around, a massive campfire, and I''m going to raise the temperature around us by a good bit, or else I''m going to freeze!" ¡°Oh, that sounds great!¡± The princess liked the idea. "Chloe, we''ll sleep a few meters away from our cats!" Steph addressed her pink fox. ¡°That temperature thing sounds horrible!¡± ¡°A good idea.¡± Both preferred colder temperatures because their animal bits were partly based on a husky and an arctic fox. ¡°Oh!¡± The blonde raised her voice a little. ¡°There¡¯s also the cottage I stole and put into my extra space earlier. We also could use that, I guess.¡± ¡°I like how you can casually admit having stolen a whole building.¡± There was more than a hint of sarcasm in Fey¡¯s voice while the full fox stared at her. ¡°Did I, or did I not ask for permission beforehand?¡± She looked right back into her eyes. ¡°You are not wrong, but still¡­¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Her expression turned extra smug. ¡°Well, if it makes you feel better, just treat it as a birthday gift from the king for me~.¡± ¡°You sure are greedy.¡± Fey did not approve of her reason. ¡°Sophia, my dear.¡± Judging by the tone of her voice, neither did Ari. "Do I need to remind you that we are in the middle of April already? Your birthday was over a whole month ago already.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care!¡± The blonde did not acknowledge her complaint. ¡°What do you think about my reasoning, Chloe?¡± ¡°Perfectly valid!¡± The pink fox was on her side. ¡°That¡¯s just because your birthdays were in the same week!¡± The jaguar stared at her. "You two even celebrated them together!" ¡°This and that are unrelated~.¡± The duo smiled at her. ¡°Is it now?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± "Whatever," She gave up on arguing. "I call dibs on a room for Anna and me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I want one for Chloe and me, too!¡± Steph immediately jumped in on the topic. ¡°Sure thing~.¡± ¡°Well, it looked like the cottage had a bunch of rooms.¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°As Sophia¡¯s the one who stole it, she has the right to claim the biggest and best bedroom, so everyone else comes after!¡± ¡°With Sophia, you mean you, right?¡± It wasn¡¯t hard for Steph to guess her true objective. ¡°Privileges of the official girlfriend~.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°What is Sophia¡¯s, is also mine!¡± ¡°The little sister has the same privileges, though!¡± The violet-haired girl didn¡¯t let it count. ¡°That is, hmm¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Sharing a bed with you and Sophia, though¡­ Not my favorite combination of choice. For reasons, Reasons of sisterly origin.¡± ¡°Good counter!¡± Steph had not much to add there. ¡°At least as long as we¡¯re talking about that kind of sleeping together, you would have to make sure to stay in the middle between us the entire time! Even so, cuddling is a different matter!¡± ¡°Wait, what¡­?¡± Sophia looked quite confused for a moment. ¡°Ignore that, we''re just messing around.¡± Their voices overlapped perfectly. ¡°You two were half-sisters in the old world, right?¡± Mira looked at the two. ¡°Yep.¡± They nodded. ¡°If you combine that with the changes to your bodies in this world, your different magic, and having become part tiger and dog respectively, I doubt it would even still classify as a problem. Biologically speaking. Also, there are no accidents that could happen, anyway.¡± ¡°THERE ARE MANY PROBLEMS!¡± The sisters disagreed with her. ¡°MANY! NUMEROUS!¡± ¡°Leave them alone, Mira.¡± Fey faced the many-tailed fox while trying to lightly glare at her. Trying, because it was rather hard for someone that looks like a full animal to do. Her voice easily carried her intention, though. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Come on, you know that I need to mess with people every now and then. I¡¯ll die if I don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to hear the name of this terrible affliction.¡± Fey''s voice turned incredibly sarcastic. "We have to raise awareness of it." ¡°It¡¯s, uhh¡­ very technical and impossible to pronounce, so¡­¡± ¡°Ah, if that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°Anyway, yes, I was just playing around a little.¡± She faced the sisters again. ¡°It is not exactly wrong, though. Biologically speaking, you are much less related to each other than before." "While interesting information, I don¡¯t care! It changes nothing!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia agreed with Steph. ¡°We¡¯re sisters.¡± ¡°Full stop!¡± The violet dog put some extra emphasis on it. Directly after, the conversation was put to an immediate stop, and the group continued to walk for a couple of hours, using the remaining daylight to get a bit further away from their starting point, the capital. Chapter 004 – Overseer peculiarities The group had been walking for a couple of hours since leaving the capital, but as they were still relatively close to it, they had yet to find anything new and interesting to explore. It started getting dark before long, and because it was still just the middle of April, the temperature dropped quickly once the sun started setting. A fact that upset a big portion of them very much. The feline portion, that is. ¡°Alright, let''s go and explore the cottage I stole this morning!" Sophia looked at the sunset, shuddered briefly, and then faced the rest of the group. ¡°Is the cat starting to get cold?¡± Steph rolled her eyes while she looked at her sister. ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Are you really okay with the pride of a tiger being ridiculed to this level?¡± The dog-girl changed her attention to Anna. ¡°You, as the tiger princess of this nation, should do something about this, should you not?¡± ¡°When we¡¯re cold, we¡¯re cold.¡± The tall tiger was not on her side. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She hung her head in response. ¡°It¡¯s really always the same with you all.¡± "Just like Chloe, you are not fond of hot temperatures, right?¡± Fey looked at the dog. ¡°I hate it!¡± She had a strong opinion on it. ¡°You girls also plan to explore places like deserts or volcanic regions, right?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia and Anna immediately replied to her. ¡°Do you really think complaining about the felines¡¯ dislike of the cold is a good course of action, my dear?¡± The voice of the full fox turned sarcastic when she glanced at Steph again. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent for a while before eventually scratching her cheek. ¡°Soo¡­ About that cottage you stole this morning¡­ I really want to see how it looks inside!¡± ¡°Tell me they¡¯re sisters without telling me they¡¯re sisters.¡± Aura said out loud what everyone was thinking. ¡°I¡¯m not okay with how we ended up on the topic, and I will remember this once we arrive in a desert or similar region, but for now, yeah, let''s explore the cottage!" Saying so, Sophia raised her hand and used her magic to create a flurry of pink distortions in front of the group. Soon after, these distortions banded together before forming into something loosely resembling a door. A pink and sparkly door. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She then immediately entered the portal while the others followed after her. ---------------- ¡°This place is as weird as ever!¡± After going through the portal, they found themselves in a seemingly never-ending all-white space, and it fascinated Anna. ¡°No, I think the weirdness has improved since the last time we were here.¡± Ari tapped the shoulder of the tall tiger while indicating that she should turn around. There, a new attraction, in stark contrast to the all-white nothingness, could be found. ¡°That¡¯s sooo cool!¡± Steph looked at the cottage that was outside the capital just this morning with sparkling eyes. The house wasn''t there on its own, though. It was sitting on a few meters tall pile of dirt, covered in grass, and even a small range of trees behind it had been transported over to this place. ¡°I¡¯m so envious that you can do this, sis!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± The blonde got a little extra smug in response. ¡°I can¡¯t wait until my overseer powers unlock!¡± The dog-girl started pouting. ¡°I want to have my own place to play with, too!¡± ¡°Ehh?¡± Anna and Ari suddenly looked quite confused. ¡°Overseer powers?¡± ¡°Good job...¡± Sophia rolled her eyes while she glanced at her sister. "A-Ah.¡± ¡°What is this about?¡± Ari faced the shorter tiger and stared at her with big eyes. ¡°It¡¯s quite easy to explain.¡± Mira took over and smiled at the blonde before facing the confused-looking royal couple. ¡°As you already know, our Sophia has been gifted most of her extensive magic from Canir, while I gave a portion of mine to Steph. As he and I are overseers, our magic comes with special privileges. One of them is being able to create your own domain.¡± She tried to explain it to them. ¡°You already saw mine when we went to the beach inside it the other day. Steph hasn¡¯t unlocked hers, and Sophia¡¯s is all this.¡± She gestured around in the white void. ¡°She has it already, but it¡¯s still barren.¡± ¡°Barren?!¡± Sophia sounded deeply upset. ¡°Look at the cottage I stole! All the land around it, too!¡± ¡°Dear, the established part of my domain is about¡­ Actually, I don''t even know how big it is right now." Mira tilted her head. "It''s much bigger than this world, though." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Fair.¡± There was nothing the blonde could say. ¡°Let¡¯s have this conversation in another year again!¡± She had big plans for her domain. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it~.¡± "Huh¡­ W-Wait a moment!" Ari wasn''t done with the previous topic. ¡°D-Does that mean those overpowered sisters are effectively overseers, too?!¡± ¡°I wish!¡± Steph seemed to like that idea. ¡°DO I LOOK LIKE ONE?!¡± Sophia, on the other hand, did not. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve only met one so far, but you sure act like a being on a different plane of reasoning a lot of the times.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde tiger went silent. ¡°Thanks to her having been blessed by the magic of an existing overseer, she¡¯s cleared one of the most important prerequisites to become in the future.¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± The voices of Ari and Anna overlapped while they stared at Sophia with baffled expressions. ¡°By the way,¡± The teal fox smiled at the royal couple. "Did you know that Sophia used Canir''s magic when she blessed the two of you with bigger powers? It¡¯s a little different for the two of you because his power fused into yours, rather than you having become able to use the same kind as his, but¡­¡± ¡°EH?!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Mira liked their shocked reaction. "Don''t worry, though. There''s more to becoming an overseer. Much more. Also, even Sophia needs to have around 1000 times the magic she currently has at her disposal to be considered an overseer in name.¡± ¡°Phew!¡± The jaguar looked visibly relieved. ¡°I have no motivation to ever have that much magic! Also, that means Sophia and Steph will never become an overseer, either. That''s very reassuring!" ¡°I mean, it will take a lot of time, but it¡¯s not impossible.¡± Mira didn¡¯t share her opinion. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean.¡± Ari shook her head. "If either of those would get even close to that much power, they would have long destroyed the world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The group looked at the sisters for a little while. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°HEY!¡± The two didn¡¯t like that accusation. ¡°By accident, at best!¡± ¡°Same result!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia and Steph went silent again. ¡°Soo¡­¡± Anna started looking around. ¡°Is this place something you can only attain if you have pure overseer magic in you, or are traces of Canir''s inside of yours enough? I want it, too!" ¡°It¡¯s highly unlikely.¡± Mira scratched her cheek while facing the princess. ¡°Everyone, myself included, was outright shocked when we learned that Sophia had unlocked this domain. No one thought it was possible. Especially not that easily and quickly. It¡¯s definitely not what she wants to hear, but I highly doubt Steph will be able to have access to her own place any time soon, either. Having shared half of her magic with Chloe certainly didn¡¯t get her closer to it, either.¡± "I REGRET NOTHING!" The violet dog interrupted her. ¡°One of the best decisions I made!¡± ¡°Aww, too bad!¡± Anna looked a little disappointed. ¡°Why is it so different for the sisters, though? I mean, of course, Canir is the highest god, ah, I mean, overseer! I¡¯m sorry about that¡­ Still, you¡¯re Mira! The overseer of magic! You¡¯re responsible for the thing we all love! Shouldn¡¯t our dog here be able to create a place like this even easier than Sophia?¡± ¡°She¡¯s asking all the right questions!¡± Steph nodded a couple of times. ¡°Answers, please!¡± ¡°It might be precisely because of the differences between Canir and me." Mira tilted her head because she wasn''t entirely sure about it herself. ¡°In regard to the planet you all live on now, you could say that I¡¯m rather important. In fact, calling me an overseer is not even entirely correct. I do much more than watch over magic. I control it. Make sure everything around it is working alright. That there are no anomalies. Keeping the balance, and much more. In fact, it would not be wrong to call me the administrator of magic. Overseer has a better ring to it, so let''s continue with that, okay~?" ¡°Are all overseers so easygoing¡­?" Ari wasn''t sure how to feel about the explanation of her title. ¡°It¡¯s one of the other main prerequisites to becoming one.¡± "OH, NO!" The jaguar looked at the sisters in shock. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophia did not. ¡°Canir¡¯s different in that regard. He fits the theme of an overseer much better as he mostly watches and only intervenes in case of catastrophes.¡± Mira glances at the blonde towards the end. ¡°Why are you looking at me? Because he brought me over to this world, and I am a catastrophe, or because he had to intervene in some catastrophes I caused by accident?¡± ¡°Other than that, Canir''s actually the biggest exception amongst overseers." The teal fox completely ignored her. ¡°Normally, we¡¯re only in charge of one world, and then we¡¯re also grouped into different subjects, like me overseeing and managing magic in the world you all live in, for example. He has many worlds under him. Not only that, but he also oversees those places as a whole and not just a certain part or attribute of those places.¡± ¡°Am I the only one who¡¯s missing the part where this explains why Sophia can use her extra dimension already while I can not¡­?¡± Steph got confused over the topic. ¡°Patience, my dear puppy.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°I was getting to that just now. My magic is attuned to the specific magic of the world you live in. It is my magic, after all. Canir¡¯s magic isn¡¯t. It isn¡¯t attuned to anything. It¡¯s blank. It¡¯s compatible with every world in existence and can be used there freely as long as magic exists. I can¡¯t do that and only have access to the powers inside me if I''m not in my domain or the usual world.¡± ¡°Still confused!¡± ¡°It¡¯s easier to establish a connection to a different dimension, which could also be described as a different world on a smaller scale, with magic that isn''t attuned to a specific place. Canir¡¯s, and thus Sophia¡¯s, magic is just very compatible with stuff like that. It¡¯s compatible with pretty much anything, after all.¡± ¡°Unfair!¡± Once she understood the reasoning, Steph directly didn¡¯t like it. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Sophia was more of a fan, though. ¡°In exchange for that, you have a much easier time using magic in the normal world because no one¡¯s more compatible with that than you and I are." Mira smiled at her. "Weird accidents are much more unlikely to happen for you, too, because magic better understands your intention." ¡°UNFAIR!¡± This time, the shorter tiger got loud. ¡°There¡¯s no winning with those sisters, is there?¡± Fey had been listening to them until now and just had to ask. ¡°No.¡± Maya, Chloe, Ari, Anna, Fen, Aura, and even the girls in question replied simultaneously. As the topic was somewhat exhausted afterward, the group put it on hold for the time being and decided that it was time to explore the cottage Sophia had stolen before. Chapter 005 – Skills of a professional The group decided to take a break from walking as it had started to get dark and cold, so everyone entered Sophia''s domain, where she had also put the cottage, she stole from the capital earlier in the day. While they were at it, Mira also gave them a quick explanation of how overseer and their magic work. In a very abridged way, at least. ¡°By the way, did you also borrow the key to the cottage?¡± Maya glanced at the big entrance door of the building they were walking towards after climbing on top of the layer of dirt. ¡°Ah.¡± Judging by Sophia¡¯s reaction, she did not. ¡°Do you have any lockpicking skills, Anna?¡± ¡°Why me?!¡± The orange tiger raised her voice. ¡°I thought a princess is being taught in just about everything to show how skilled the royal family is?¡± ¡°Lockpicking isn¡¯t a part of that!¡± She got even louder. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°What about you, Ari? I¡¯m sure it¡¯s an essential skill for every maid and maid-to-be!¡± ¡°Why would it be!?¡± The black-haired jaguar, whose parents were the head maids in the castle, stared at her with the same expression. ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± ¡°How boring!¡± Sophia looked genuinely disappointed. ¡°What about you, then?!¡± Ari snapped a little. ¡°Why would I know how to pick a lock¡­?¡± She tilted her head while looking at her. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°I thought you love me?¡± The short tiger smiled at her. ¡°Those are two sides of the same coin with you.¡± Maya was the one who answered her. ¡°Tigers, huh? You can¡¯t love them without hating them.¡± She glanced at Anna during the last part. ¡°I hate you~.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± She immediately got loud. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± The cat-girl liked her reaction. ¡°Where were we again?¡± It was enough for Ari to have lost track. ¡°You were confessing your love to me.¡± Sophia had to use the chance. ¡°Right!¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°I mentioned how much I hate you.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± She nodded. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde then looked a little confused, especially after Maya''s tangent. ¡°Anyway! Has anyone else here had some shady side hustle in the past? Fennyfenny?¡± Sophia faced the male wolf. ¡°None that involved lockpicking.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I mean,¡± He then lifted one of his paws. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She could understand his reasoning. ¡°Wait, what?¡± His wording had caught her interest. ¡°I have other ways to get inside, though. Should I give it a try?¡± ¡°How many of those keep the door intact?" Sophia had a bad feeling about it. ¡°Four.¡± ¡°And how many of those keep the rest of the cottage in one piece, as well?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fen went silent. ¡°I figured as much.¡± The short tiger shook her head. ¡°Mainly because I, too, can think of about 28 ways to get in there. None of them are of the reversible kind, though.¡± "I could dig a tunnel!" Aura sounded strangely excited when she tried to suggest a plan. "I''m good at that!" ¡°I wanna help!¡± Steph, the dog-girl, seemed to be a big fan of the idea. ¡°Hmm,¡± Sophia gave it some thought. ¡°I mean, we could dig right through the elevated dirt and then hope it maybe comes with a basement we could break into?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The little sister got really motivated. ¡°You all sure are hopeless, huh?¡± Sounding extra playful, Mira smiled at the group before she started walking towards the entrance door. A few moments after arriving there, the lightly audible clicking sound of a door being unlocked could be heard. ¡°Open~!¡± "Eh?" Most had the same reaction. ¡°Mira was the one with the sketchy past?!¡± The blonde sounded surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t see that one coming!¡± ¡°Here, you dork.¡± Saying so, the teal fox threw a small object toward Sophia. ¡°Hmm?¡± Catching it, she noticed the key she was now holding. ¡°Huh? Where did that come from? Did Menzor give you the key when I wasn¡¯t paying attention?¡± ¡°I made my own key just now.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The short tiger was impressed. ¡°How? A skill you learned during your shady past?¡± ¡°Would you stop it with the shady past already? Nothing shady ever happened.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Fey joined the conversation. ¡°D-Don¡¯t you dare to say whatever you plan to say!¡± Mira¡¯s expression suddenly changed, and her cheeks turned a bit red. ¡°Oh?¡± Steph, Sophia, and Chloe got quite interested in her reaction. ¡°We¡¯re all ears!¡± ¡°You are not!¡± The many-tailed fox thought otherwise. ¡°Anyway, I used magic to open the lock and recreate a key.¡± ¡°Magic can do that?!¡± The blonde¡¯s attention was quite easy to divert. ¡°Of course~.¡± ¡°Details!¡± Sophia, Steph, Chloe, and Anna, too, wanted to know more about it. ¡°Well, there¡¯s really not much to explain here.¡± Mira smiled at the girls. ¡°I simply flooded the insides of the lock with unattributed, raw magic and had it solidify in the shape of a key that matches the coding of the cylinders inside.¡± ¡°Magic can do that?!¡± Ari was the one with the strongest reaction. ¡°Magic can do almost anything if your control over it is good enough.¡± The teal fox smiled at her. ¡°Ah, but maybe not tell anyone about being able to pick locks with magic. Or that the overseer of magic told you about it.¡± ¡°As if anyone would believe me in the first place!¡± The jaguar raised her voice a little. ¡°Not to mention that no one in this world, except maybe half of this group, would be able to do this!¡± ¡°Everyone in this group could do it with ease after training for about 15 minutes.¡± Mira¡¯s smile turned slightly cheeky. ¡°TEACH ME!¡± Sophia, Chloe, Steph, and Anna directly jumped on the opportunity. "I thought a princess isn''t supposed to have these kinds of skills?" Maya looked at her. ¡°This and that are different!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She didn¡¯t feel like playing, after all. Anna looked too happy to be teased by her. ¡°By the way,¡± Mira faced Sophia again. ¡°I want the lovely corner room on the right on the upstairs floor.¡± "How do you know that there''s such a room?" The blonde tilted her head. "And that it''s lovely?" ¡°Magic~?¡± ¡°Is that your answer to everything?¡± The short tiger stared at her. ¡°You¡¯re the last one who¡¯s allowed to complain about that!¡± Multiple people glared at her. ¡°What do you mean?!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m the second-to-last now!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The group went silent. The blonde had a point, after all. ¡°You¡¯re the best, Mira! Thanks to you, I''m officially no longer the one with the worst common sense!" ¡°I¡¯m not entirely convinced that this is the message you were supposed to get here. Though, I¡¯m always happy to be of help~.¡± The many-tailed fox had some mixed feelings about it, though far from enough to be upset about it. ¡°Also, when it comes to the common sense of magic¡­ well¡­ Common sense does not always equal the truth behind things. It absolutely does not in this case, in fact. So, having no common sense in that area is a good thing. The overseer of magic approves!¡± ¡°I love you!¡± Sophia was a big fan of her assessment. ¡°Did you hear that, Maya?¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Next time we¡¯re in a city, I¡¯ll have you a t-shirt with the slogan ¡®Approved by the overseer of magic¡¯ on it made.¡± She sounded quite sarcastic. ¡°I¡¯D LOVE THAT!¡± ¡°I want one, too!¡± Chloe also was a fan of the idea. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t yours say ¡®Made by the overseer of magic¡¯?¡± Steph looked at the pink fox-girl with a confused expression. ¡°She¡¯s your mother, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, too!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head to the next city immediately!¡± Delighted that her daughter would like to wear something like that, said mother, Mira, got really motivated about the idea. ¡°¡­¡± It looked like Fey wanted to say something, she seemed a bit twitch for a moment, but she never mentioned anything. ¡°Should we get her a ¡®Made by Fey and Mira¡¯, too?¡± The teal fox smiled at the full one. ¡°T-That would be a be a bit much!¡± Chloe got embarrassed. ¡°The other one already was, but this tops it! BUT!¡± She then raised her voice. ¡°Speaking of that, Feyfey, you still owe me to show me your hybrid form! Mira shows us her full form all the time, but I only saw this you when I grew up!¡± She gestured all over the four-legged fox. ¡°You promised to show me! After I got so angry that you hid the fact that Mira is my mother, just as you are! I wanna see the Feyfey that made me!¡± ¡°Urgh,¡± The full fox hung her head. ¡°I hoped you had forgotten about that.¡± ¡°I would never!¡± ¡°Fine¡­ I have actually been training with Mira for it lately. As I mentioned before, it''s quite difficult for me to do because I haven''t used that form in a long while. I¡¯ll show you eventually, unless you forget about it, but I need more time.¡± She really did not sound enthusiastic about the plan in the slightest. ¡°That won¡¯t happen!¡± Chloe started pouting. "Steph! Remind me to remind her about remembering her promise!" ¡°I¡¯ll remember reminding you reminding her!¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Those two dorks are really made for each other.¡± Ari had nothing else to add to their exchange. ¡°And I dislike this.¡± Fey wasn¡¯t a fan. Afterward, the full fox decided that the topic was over for the time being and walked past Mira to enter the now-unlocked cottage. Chuckling once, the teal fox then followed after her before everyone else did the same. Chapter 006 – The rules of the homeowner are absolute After a bit of back and forth, some bickering, and a healthy dose of overpowered magic, the group was finally able to enter the cottage Sophia had stolen in the capital before they left. Naturally, most of them were very interested in how it looked like inside, and they immediately wanted to explore it. ¡°Alright!¡± Once the whole group was in the entrance hall of the cottage, Sophia lightly clapped her hands while smiling at all of them. ¡°First, the biggest, comfiest, and fanciest master bedroom belongs to Maya and me." ¡°I approve of this.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Other than that,¡± The blonde continued. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care what you do with the other rooms. Mira wanted the corner room upstairs, and as long as that isn''t the master room, I don''t care. If anyone else is also interested in that room, you have to fight our dear overseer of magic for it.¡± "Come at me~." The teal fox in question made a cheeky hand gesture to everyone surrounding her. ¡°¡­¡± No one dared to. ¡°Okay!¡± Sophia clapped her hands again to get everyone¡¯s attention once more. ¡°I''m not exactly sure yet what we''re going to do with this place in the long run, but it''s definitely a great option to use when the weather to camp outside is no fun! Also, maybe for some, uhh¡­ more private reasons!¡± ¡°Things we usually don¡¯t do as a group, she means!¡± Maya added some details. ¡°We figured as much even without your help.¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°Also, what do you mean by usually?¡± ¡°You know exactly what I mean.¡± The cat-girl¡¯s expression turned into a smirk. ¡°Ah.¡± Ari seemingly had nothing more to say. "Wait, we never went as far as your stupid smirk is trying to imply!" ¡°Anyway!¡± The shorter tiger rolled her eyes before continuing. "Especially while it''s still spring and the evenings get cold, we might use this cottage several times, so make sure to choose a good room!" ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone reacted with a big nod and immediately wandered off to inspect the rooms. ---------------- Roughly an hour had passed since the group had started exploring the inside of the building before everyone eventually met up in the place¡¯s living room again. There wasn''t much going on in terms of decorations, the previous owner likely took those with them when they left, but it still came with two massive sofas, a big table between them, and a sizeable and fluffy rug in front of a fireplace. ¡°This is not over yet!¡± Anna, Ari, Chloe, and Steph, in that order, were sitting together on one of the sofas when the princess glared at Steph across the two girls in the middle of them. ¡°Try me!¡± Full of smug, the dog-girl looked back at her. ¡°Do you think I want to know?¡± Sophia, sitting between Maya and Mira on the sofa across the four, tilted her head while she glanced at her cat-girl. ¡°I definitely do not.¡± She shook her head in response. ¡°Steph stole the room I wanted to have!¡± Anna raised her voice even more. ¡°I beg to differ!¡± Steph disagreed. "Just because you entered it first doesn''t mean you get first dibs! I said I want it first!¡± ¡°It does!¡± ¡°It does not!¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Ignoring the two bickering girls, Sophia looked at Chloe and Ari in the middle of them. ¡°What do you two have to say about this?¡± ¡°I literally couldn¡¯t care less.¡± The pink fox looked ever so slightly tired. ¡°They¡¯re the exact same rooms!¡± The jaguar¡¯s expression was even worse. ¡°They are not!¡± Even though they were fighting, the duo could still synchronize quite nicely. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Is it, or is it not?¡± The shorter tiger kept focusing on Ari because she was the best source of non-emotional information there. ¡°It has the exact same layout, just that it is mirrored because it¡¯s on the opposite side of the hallway upstairs.¡± ¡°Nothing¡¯s different whatsoever.¡± Chloe had the same opinion. ¡°You just said that it¡¯s mirrored yourself!¡± ¡°That makes it something else entirely!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The blonde hung her head. ¡°It¡¯s your house, so you have to deal with it.¡± Maya showed her no sympathy. ¡°Why is it my house?!¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re the one who stole it.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She did not appreciate being confronted with logic. As much as someone could apply logic to the situation at hand, at least. ¡°Does that mean my words are absolute?¡± ¡°It depends.¡± ¡°On what?¡± Sophia faced the cat-girl next to her. ¡°Whether I like your words or not.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Just me, though. The others have no right to go against your decisions regarding the cottage.¡± ¡°Oh, I like that!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± Anna disagreed. ¡°Steph¡¯s your sister, so you¡¯ll obviously give her preferential treatment!¡± ¡°She would never!¡± The dog-girl was deeply offended by this baseless accusation. ¡°Right, I would never!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Eh?¡± Steph''s expression changed. It seemed like she had hoped for something else here. ¡°Would you mind if I go for the chaos route here?¡± The blonde smiled at Maya. ¡°Why would you stop now?¡± ¡°Good point!¡± After all, it would be alarming for her not to choose the chaos route. ¡°Alright, just to make sure. Anna, Steph, you two want to be in the same room?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Okay, Ari, Chloe, you are okay with the other room?¡± "Pretty much." They nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯d say the solution¡¯s pretty easy~.¡± Sophia''s smile turned cheeky. "Anna, Steph, you¡¯re going to share the room you¡¯re fighting over. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to reconcile after spending the night with each other. Ari, Chloe, you two can have the other room.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± All four had the same reaction. ¡°What¡¯s that eh for?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s the most sensible decision here.¡± ¡°I agree!¡± Maya was a big fan of her tiger¡¯s idea. ¡°How¡¯s that arrangement going to solve anything?!¡± Anna and Steph continued to show great combability when it came to matching up their words. ¡°How¡¯s your fighting going to solve anything?¡± Sophia threw the ball right back at them. ¡°...¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you three options. One; You decide right now who¡¯ll get the room. Two; You two duke it out during the night. Three; No one gets the room, and I''ll use it for whatever I want!¡± ¡°None of these are viable options!¡± All things considered, the two got along splendidly. ¡°If you disagree with my way of doing things, feel free to steal your own cottage!¡± ¡°That¡¯s so unfair!¡± ¡°Chloe, Ari, how do you feel about my suggestion?¡± Sophia faced the other two. ¡°Your opinions are the ones I actually care about right now.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Her sister and the princess didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± The pink fox tilted her head before glancing at the black-haired girl. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± "Well," The jaguar scratched her cheek and eventually smiled at the fox. ¡°I would prefer to sleep with Anna for reasons, but sharing a room with Chloe doesn¡¯t sound bad at all. Especially because that would mean I won''t have to listen to Anna''s complaints about the room all night! Alright, sure, I¡¯m in with the idea!¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°Not perfect at all!¡± Steph and Anna, once again, did not like this development. ¡°Alright, with this topic taken care of, have you two found a nice room, as well?¡± Ignoring the complaining duo once more, the blonde faced the wolves. ¡°Yes!¡± Aura answered her. ¡°There¡¯s a small lounge-like room upstairs filled with many cushions and a big sofa in the middle! It¡¯s great!¡± ¡°It is quite comfortable.¡± Fen tried to sound unimpressed, but his wagging tail exposed him. ¡°That sounds amazing!¡± Steph¡¯s tail was wagging even stronger. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare try to unrightfully claim that room, too!¡± The female wolf growled at her. ¡°Yeah, you have to watch out for that!¡± Anna nodded a couple of times. ¡°She likes to do that!¡± ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°Happy you two found a comfy place. What about the fox faction?¡± She then looked at Mira next to her. ¡°Ah, about that!¡± The teal fox clapped her hands. ¡°Would it be alright to convert a broom closet upstairs into a room where I put a portal to my domain? Like, instead of entering a room, you open the door and end up in my home at my place. I can¡¯t teleport out of your domain on my own, so it would be great to have an easy way to come and go. Don¡¯t worry, we can set up the portal so that I can only return here when you allow it and not whenever I please." ¡°Ohh! A portal closet sounds like a fun idea!¡± The shorter tiger liked the idea. ¡°In return, I want some help with decorating my domain, though!¡± ¡°I¡¯d say that can be arranged.¡± Mira smiled at her. "Is there anything in specific you want? A certain biome? Maybe a nice plain around the cottage or a dense forest behind it?" ¡°That sounds lovely!¡± Sophia was getting excited. ¡°I was thinking about something more elemental, though.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Well,¡± She pointed at one of the windows in the living room they were in. "I don''t know how everyone else feels about it, but I think the bright all-white nothingness is a little hard on the eyes. I want a blue sky! Clouds! Wind! A day and night cycle! Just like it happens in your domain.¡± ¡°Quite ambitious, aren¡¯t we? ¡°Always!¡± ¡°Some of those requests are actually a little complicated.¡± The many-tailed fox scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll happily show you, but I guess that would need some demonstrations in my domain for you to understand.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She was very motivated. ¡°Right now? To be perfectly honest, I¡¯d first like to eat something. I¡¯ve gotten a little hungry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an even better suggestion.¡± The tiger was always hungry, after all. ¡°Food first!¡± Afterward, they focused their attention on acquiring dinner before eventually returning to the topic of decorating Sophia¡¯s domain to make it more hospitable. Chapter 007 – A talkative overseer The group had explored the cottage Sophia stole before, and everyone chose a room to stay in for the time being. Yes, there were no issues around it whatsoever. Afterward, Sophia started asking Mira about some essentials to make her domain more hospitable by adding a sky, day and night cycle, and many other things to get rid of the all-white nothingness. ¡°Okay! Teach me everything!¡± ¡°Are you alright with just the two of us?¡± Mira glanced at the overly excited-looking blonde tiger next to her. ¡°Why would I not?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Also, everyone else seemed busy. Steph and Anna were still bickering over the rooms while Ari tried to act as an intermediary between them. Chloe and Fey wanted to do something, too, and the wolves wanted to take a nap. Maya simply didn¡¯t want to deal with whatever would happen if the overseer of magic tried to teach me something." ¡°Fair enough.¡± She nodded a few times before looking around in the area. The two were in Mira''s place right now, in front of a small house in a little clearing in the middle of a massive jungle. ¡°Where do you want to start?¡± ¡°The sky!¡± The blonde looked up and pointed at the starry night sky. Here, too, the sun had long since set. ¡°It¡¯s all fake.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The many-tailed fox nodded. ¡°Created with magic, that is. Obviously, there are no actual stars or planets inside my domain.¡± ¡°That makes sense. I would¡¯ve thought it¡¯s somehow linked to the real world, though.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s an artificial recreation. In the grand scheme of things, it¡¯s basically a drawing painted on the ceiling of my domain using magic. A huge drawing, I guess. It slowly rotates across the ceiling and simulates the day and night cycle with the help of light-based magic.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia sounded quite impressed. ¡°How do I do that?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you or your domain are ready for that just yet.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± She did not like that reply. ¡°It¡¯s doubtful your authority is high enough to maintain it. The levels of raw magic inside your domain aren¡¯t high enough, either.¡± ¡°Admittedly, my powers are nothing compared to you, but Canir was quite generous, no? I should have enough authority to put a painting on the ceiling of my domain, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°This world isn¡¯t a planet, but a flat plane of infinite length or dimensions. There¡¯s no curvature of the land.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seemed like the blonde wanted to make a comment about something. ¡°No, that¡¯s too cheap even for me.¡± She decided against it. ¡°Wait, what does the flat-earther¡¯s wet dream have to do with my lacking authority over magic?¡± ¡°The painting has to be hundreds of kilometers long in every direction for the illusion to be convincing. If you add the day and night rotation, it has to be many thousands of kilometers. That will need a lot of authority, and it''s not even including the movement and the added changes in lighting and temperature. It doesn¡¯t quite matter right now, but once you introduce more flora and fauna to your domain, this circle also has to be running when you aren¡¯t there to see it. Otherwise, the plants and animals will quickly die off.¡± ¡°Wow, I hadn¡¯t thought that far! I definitely would love to get a ton of animals and a jungle that would make yours here pale in comparison!¡± ¡°I like the levels of motivation!¡± Mira gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Still, isn¡¯t there a light sky I can use in the meantime? How do I even increase the magic in my domain in the first place?¡± She started looking around. ¡°Here, there¡¯s so much raw magic that I can see it sparkling everywhere. I love the purple color~.¡± ¡°Filling your domain with raw magic is fairly easy, but it''s quite time-consuming. Especially in your case, as your authority over it, in overseer terms, is quite low. Long story short, you flood your domain with the raw magic inside you and then let your authority reset outside of it. Rinse and repeat.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°That¡¯ll take forever!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the sound of it. ¡°Well, there¡¯s a lot of work involved in creating and managing your own domain.¡± The teal fox smiled at her before gesturing around. ¡°It¡¯s quite rewarding, though.¡± ¡°I can see that!¡± She also started looking around again. ¡°Is there any way to speed it up a little?¡± ¡°The best thing to start would be increasing the flora, I guess.¡± Mira gestured at the jungle around them once more. ¡°You¡¯ve grown a few trees with the use of raw magic before, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been quite a while, but the group and I ended up creating a small magical forest thanks to it. It¡¯s amazing there!¡± ¡°You should do the same in your domain. Plants are amazing at sponging up and distributing elemental magic.¡± ¡°Elemental?¡± Sophia tilted her head. "Depending on the situation, it''s a better description for raw magic. Don''t worry about it." ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Flora infused with elemental magic also constantly generates more of it while changing and influencing its surroundings.¡± ¡°Ohh, is that how our few trees turned into a full overgrown forest?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The teal fox nodded. ¡°The more flora you grow, the more elemental magic will be generated. If you and your friends expend your authority a couple of times to create some trees each time, it will soon become a decent starting point to shape your domain. As an added benefit, if you supply flora with enough magic, it doesn''t require natural light to survive. It will just work fine with your all-white background right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s perfect!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling before she focused on Mira and showed her a great smile. ¡°The amazing overseer of magic is my friend, too, right~?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that nice?¡± ¡°Very!¡± ¡°Haha, you sure are a sly one.¡± She had to give it to her. ¡°Well, if I later get to boast that I was of significant importance in starting your legendary domain, I guess I can spare a square kilometer or two of my jungle here.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The blonde was very happy about that. ¡°I¡¯ll even ignore the other part you just said because I can¡¯t wait to improve my place!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia started looking around again. ¡°What is going on with the raw¡­ or elemental magic around here?¡± She focused on the highly concentrated pink and purple magic particles around her. ¡°Why does it seem excited? In a way, it almost looks like it has a rhythm and is dancing around us." ¡°They¡¯re happy that you want to play with them so much, and in interesting ways, too.¡± ¡°Ohh! Wait, what¡­? Who are they?¡± The blonde looked confused. ¡°Magic, of course~.¡± ¡°Ehh? Huh? Don¡¯t tell me magic has an actual consciousness?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira paused for a moment. ¡°I think I shared too much information just now. Please forget about it~.¡± ¡°No way!¡± She got very excited. ¡°Magic, if you understand what I¡¯m saying, do something!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not how- Ah.¡± The teal fox wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence because the pink and purple magic particles became even more active and began swirling around Sophia, almost encasing her in a whirlwind. "This is amazing!" The tiger held out her arms and hands, and the magical particles immediately flew around them, too. ¡°Does that mean they like me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira did not answer her. ¡°I loved magic since the first time I witnessed it, so if it really can feel and express some sort of emotion, that would be the best thing ever!" Her excitement was rising even more. "I wanna be friends! Can I befriend magic?!" ¡°¡­¡± The teal overseer continued to stay silent, but something or someone else wasn¡¯t on her side. Even more purple magic particles came out of the surrounding jungle and also gathered around Sophia. Her entire surroundings had turned pink and sparkly. ¡°This is the coolest! Is there a way to talk with them?! It¡¯s obvious that they understand me, but I want to be able to have an actual conversation with magic?!¡± ¡°Sophia,¡± Mira eventually looked right at her. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that. My playful little reply earlier already led you to discover way too much. Not even Fey, my partner I have a child with, knows that part about magic. It¡¯s also not quite as you¡¯ve pictured together, but¡­ No, I¡¯m not giving you even more pointers here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no fun!¡± The tiger started pouting. ¡°I wanna befriend magic!¡± ¡°Haa¡­" She sighed while glancing at the pink and purple particles dancing around the blonde. ¡°If it is possible, it¡¯s for you to find out on your own.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia seemed to be okay with that. ¡°Challenge accepted!¡± ¡°Also,¡± Her expression turned serious. ¡°Keep this to yourself for the time being.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°From everyone in your group included.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°The world isn¡¯t ready for the implications this possible revelation could have.¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s absolutely amazing, but is it really that much of a big deal?¡± ¡°Even Canir does not know about this.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± ¡°He is aware of the basic concept and how it resolves around authority, as that is how magic works everywhere. This magic goes some extra steps, though.¡± She pointed at the pink particles that were still swirling around the tiger. ¡°Even so!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°How come he doesn¡¯t know something this important?!¡± ¡°Because I never told him.¡± She shrugged. ¡°He doesn¡¯t actively use the magic of this world because he doesn¡¯t need external influence because of the massive amount of magic inside of him. He has no need to use his authority, which works well for him as that keeps his footprint in this world low.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure she could entirely follow her. ¡°My dear friend, the overseer of flora and fauna, knows about this specialty of this world''s magic because our fields of expertise are quite interwoven and reliant on each other, but other than her, no one knows about this. It¡¯s that much of a secret.¡± ¡°W-Wow.¡± As Sophia needed a moment to wrap her head around what she just learned about magic, the duo decided to take a quick break to reflect on some things. Chapter 008 – Starter set Sophia and Mira went to the many-tailed overseer¡¯s domain so that the tiger could learn how to decorate and improve her own because she was getting tired of the all-white nothingness. She learned much more than she had initially anticipated, though. The teal fox said slightly too much during their chat, revealing that magic is capable of showing feelings, indicating that it might be sentient or conscious. ¡°How hard do I have to keep magic being at least 17 times as amazing as I had already thought a secret from everyone else?¡± ¡°To your best abilities.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t overly confident in her skills of keeping secrets from others. ¡°Just try very, very, very, VERY hard, okay?¡± ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll try much better than doing my best, then!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯ll still do further research about it, though! There¡¯s just no way I won¡¯t befriend magic! I¡¯ll just do it when no one else is around!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira decided against saying anything. ¡°I won¡¯t keep it a secret forever, though.¡± The blonde lightly shook her head. "Everyone else, Chloe and Steph especially, also love magic a whole lot, soo¡­¡± It felt wrong to her to never tell her friends about it. ¡°Though, that being said, as this seems very important to you and also sounds like a big deal, I¡¯m willing to wait to make my decision of telling them after having learned everything there is. If I agree that it¡¯s better to be kept a secret afterward, I will reconsider.¡± ¡°Well, yes, I¡¯d act the same in your position. In fact, you might even be more reasonable than I would be in this situation.¡± "Wow! Secret or not, I''ll definitely tell Maya that you confirmed that I''m more reasonable than the overseer of magic!" ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The teal fox looked a little tired. ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m rarely called reasonable, so I have to use every chance to rub it under Maya¡¯s nose. Anyway, how about we put the whole topic on hold for the time being? I¡¯m still super excited and want to learn more, but I also want to improve my domain, which is affecting everyone in our group right now, so that takes priority at the moment." ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Okay, so... For a proper day and night cycle, I, and more importantly, my domain, needs to have more elemental magic, right? Magical plants and trees, flora in general, will help with that because they sponge up, distribute, and increase it?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s more or less it.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°Changing to other static colors might be easier, though. Like an all-black alternative for nighttime.¡± ¡°That might be a good start.¡± She could get behind that idea. ¡°Though some of the girls in our group get scared easily, so being surrounded by all-black nothingness while trying to sleep might be a tough order." ¡°Really? That¡¯s unexpected. I never would¡¯ve guessed anyone there be affected by silly things like that.¡± ¡°Also, by some, I mean Maya.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± That was enough to honestly shock the overseer. ¡°Our sassy cat? Scared of the dark?¡± ¡°Ah, no, not that much, but she¡¯s really bad with anything even remotely spooky or scary.¡± ¡°She definitely would¡¯ve been the last where I expected that!¡± ¡°You should be on more movie nights with us~.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned sassy. ¡°Watching horror movies from my old world on the big TV I brought with me is an absolute delight!¡± ¡°It really sounds quite entertaining.¡± ¡°Perfect! The next movie night will be horror-themed!¡± The blonde¡¯s mood increased by a lot. ¡°Ah, but don¡¯t tell Maya beforehand because she¡¯ll run away if she knows!¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Only if you keep the things you think you learned today a secret, too.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Giving Maya a good scare and the very everything of magic not being what we thought it was, is about equal in importance." ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± The tiger dropped the topic once again. ¡°More domain stuff, please! I¡¯m still super curious about stuff like the weather or the general climate! How does that work?!" ¡°Most of that will start naturally once you have a working day and night cycle, forests, and lakes for the most part. Wind mainly occurs due to temperature change or differences between land and water masses.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see! I really should focus on basic landscaping first and then add details, huh?¡± ¡°That would be the fastest and easiest way to start, yes.¡± ¡°Perfect! By the way,¡± Sophia then looked at the ground. ¡°Can you manipulate the ground level of your domain? Yours is all nice and nature-y, but my domain has the polished pure white boringness¡­ If I want to have a nice lake or ocean even, I would first need to get hundreds of meters of dirt, no?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can form it however you want. You can even portion off the space to make multiple different biomes or stuff like that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great! Ah, now that I think about it, I reshaped it a couple of times already to create storage rooms!¡± ¡°Is there anything else you want to know about our domains?¡± Mira lightly tilted her head. ¡°Mhm¡­ Like a million things, I¡¯d say! Still, I¡¯ll ask those questions on the fly when I¡¯m shaping my place! For now, I just want to start!¡± ¡°Shall we head back then?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde sounded very motivated. ¡°Ah, but I¡¯m still getting a little bit of the jungle here as a starting gift, right?¡± Motivated and selfish. ¡°Of course.¡± She nodded. ¡°And for every month you keep the other topic a secret, I¡¯ll give you another square kilometer from a biome of your choosing.¡± ¡°You¡¯re good!¡± Sophia was impressed by her bribe. ¡°Well, I¡¯m starting to understand how you work.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, isn¡¯t it?¡± The tiger knew that getting on her good side wasn''t hard. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She had to chuckle. ¡°So, do you want a specific part of the jungle, or is anything fine?" ¡°Beggars can¡¯t be choosers, but if they could, something with a bit of diversity in the plant life would be nice~.¡± ¡°You are a little shameless, aren¡¯t you?¡± "A lot, actually.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I do like your confidence. Anyway, shall we get you a nice plot of land?¡± Saying so, Mira let a purple portal appear right next to her. ¡°This leads to the edge of the jungle biome and slowly blends into a regular forest. That should be good for a diverse fauna.¡± ¡°This humble beggar would be delighted about this arrangement.¡± ¡°What part about you is humble?¡± ¡°My height?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯d say, thanks to me playing around with magic, my chest isn¡¯t quite in the humble category anymore, but I¡¯m still kinda short.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even want to acknowledge that.¡± ¡°F-Fair.¡± She got a little embarrassed over her own reply. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia immediately stepped through the portal afterward. ¡°What a dork~.¡± Chuckling a little, the teal fox followed after her. ¡°Ohh! It¡¯s pretty here!¡± The duo arrived at the edge of the jungle, where the trees were becoming slightly less dense, and more and more different plants and trees starting to blend into each other. The tiger seemed to like it a lot. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re a fan~.¡± Mira gave her a thumbs up. ¡°So, do you want a piece for your domain?¡± ¡°Pretty please!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Thank you VERY much!¡± ¡°No problem~.¡± ¡°How do we get it to my place, though?¡± ¡°With your handy dandy portals, of course.¡± ¡°Ahh, right.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Afterward, Mira created a massive portal encompassing the jungle and bits of the lighter forest next to it. It was so big that it wasn¡¯t even possible to see how far the portal reached. Once the overseer gave her the signal, Sophia also poured some of her magic into the portal, and a moment later, only a massive crater was left behind. It was hard to guess from their position, but multiple kilometers of flora in every direction had disappeared. ¡°Woah!¡± The blonde¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Is it really alright for you to give me this much?!¡± ¡°Absolutely~.¡± The teal fox turned smug. ¡°In fact, with only that much, everything will have grown back long before the next time I¡¯ll be here. Also, the deeper part of this jungle here is especially interesting, and I''m sure you''ll like it very much~.¡± ¡°What a showoff!¡± ¡°You and I aren¡¯t so different, after all, huh?¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Mira liked her reaction. ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you worried that the jungle landed somewhere in your domain where it could do damage? You just accepted it just like that without checking, after all.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s alright. As you mentioned, I portioned off an unused part of my domain and opened a portal to that isolated place there.¡± ¡°Not bad!¡± She seemed impressed. ¡°I look forward to your future domain.¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± Sophia looked very excited. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and surprise the others! I can¡¯t wait to see everyone¡¯s dumbfounded expression when I make the jungle appear in front of the cottage!¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan, miss I don¡¯t like to be in the center of attention.¡± Mira started chuckling again. ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy the sass, either!¡± ¡°Then you maybe should stop acting so tease-able 24/7.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Without saying a word, Sophia opened another portal and immediately disappeared through it. ¡°What a lovable dork.¡± A quick chuckle later, the teal fox followed after her. Chapter 009 – New additions After the overseer of magic had gifted the blonde tiger a sizeable chunk of jungle biome for her domain, Sophia and Mira reunited with the others, and she couldn''t wait to show everyone the new addition to the place. "I don''t like that expression." The two entered the cottage, and Maya immediately got a bad feeling when she looked at her girlfriend. ¡°Same.¡± Ari had a similar opinion on the matter. ¡°So terribly rude!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°I just had fun with Mira!¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s more!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Yes.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°You only have this kind of expression when you did something ridiculous!¡± "I am not entirely sure if I should be happy that my friends know me so well or upset because I''m so easy to read¡­" ¡°Yes.¡± The group had no intention of resolving her confusion. ¡°All of you really are the best at being the worst!¡± The blonde let out a short sigh before she started smiling. ¡°I¡¯m so proud!¡± ¡°So, again, what kind of ridiculous stunt did you pull?¡± Ari had no intention of letting her off the hook so easily. ¡°Nothing!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Tell her, Mira!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The teal fox nodded. ¡°Everything we did and talked about was perfectly normal overseer stuff.¡± ¡°Oh no, it¡¯s even worse than I had anticipated!¡± It had the opposite effect on the black-haired girl. ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia noticed her mistake. ¡°Well, it was regular overseer business, no matter if one party isn¡¯t an actual overseer.¡± ¡°Still not helping! Anyway, Mira taught me a lot about my domain! Things will become AMAZING in here really soon!¡± ¡°And there¡¯s the ridiculous part.¡± The jaguar almost sounded relieved. ¡°So, what¡¯s today¡¯s headache going to be?¡± ¡°Maya, please make sure this sassy jaguar goes to bed without dinner tonight!¡± ¡°Noted.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare an extra big helping for her later.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Ari smiled at her. ¡°What made you think I¡¯m on your side?¡± Maya then looked at the blonde tiger again. ¡°...¡± "Tell us what you''ve learned already!" Fortunately, Steph, Chloe, and Anna were much more excited about it. ¡°We want to see something fun!¡± ¡°I knew I could count on my favorite members in the group!¡± Sophia was delighted that those three were on her side. ¡°Hey!¡± Maya and Ari didn¡¯t like that. ¡°No complaints allowed!¡± She lightly glared at the two before pointing at the door leading out of the living room they were in right now. ¡°We need some more space for that~.¡± ---------------- ¡°Oh, welcome back.¡± Outside the cottage, the group ran into Fey and the wolves, and Aura lazily greeted the blonde tiger. ¡°Hey~.¡± She waved at her. ¡°What were you three up to?¡± ¡°We were looking for a nice place to nap in the range of trees behind the cottage.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you already napping in the living room when Mira and I left?¡± ¡°So?¡± The female wolf tilted her head. ¡°Napping is important.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Sophia, too, was quite fond of it, after all. ¡°And? Any good spots?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± She shook her head. ¡°The trees are still too small to comfortably lie under, and it''s also way too bright outside... Can''t you do anything about the eye-searing all-white nothingness?" ¡°You¡¯re in luck! I was just about to present my newest learnings around my domain!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Aura also started to sound excited. ¡°Mira, how much space do I need for your gift?¡± The tiger then focused on the overseer. ¡°It¡¯s about five by five kilometers.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I added a little extra~.¡± ¡°Thank you! Let¡¯s see... My storage stuff is in a different area, and everything else is here, so... Yeah, let¡¯s place it right in front of the cottage!¡± Immediately after, their entire surroundings started to sparkle in the same pink and purple colors as her portals. That was all the group could see for a little while, as nothing else other than the magic was in their field of vision. The area had changed considerably once the particles finally started to subside again. ¡°WOW!¡± Everyone besides Mira and Fey had the same reaction while staring at the massive forest that was slowly changing into a full jungle in the back that had appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Good work, my dear.¡± The teal fox gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Thanks~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Though, something feels odd about that forest¡­ Is it being filled to the brim with raw magic on purpose?¡± She pointed at the forest while looking at Mira. Though not nearly as dense as her portal magic, every empty space between the trees in the forest and jungle was sparkling in a similar purple color. ¡°¡­¡± She did not reply. Judging by her impression, it was not on purpose, though. ¡°Ahh~!¡± The blonde¡¯s expression turned even happier. At the same time, a swirl of magic came out of the woods and circled around Sophia a couple of times before returning to where it came from. "Ehehe~." She liked that. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Steph and Chloe immediately got curious about the event. ¡°I tried to see if I could control the magic that came with the flora from Mira''s domain." She went with the first excuse she came up with. ¡°It¡¯s looking good~.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± The two bought it. ¡°Nice one!¡± Aura sounded rather impressed and was already walking closer towards the forest. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be many great places to nap in there!¡± "This really is quite something!" Fen was next to the female wolf while he also took everything in. ¡°Aren¡¯t you spoiling her a little too much?¡± Fey didn¡¯t sound quite as impressed and looked at the teal fox instead. "A-Ahaha¡­¡± Mira had nothing to say in her defense. It was 50% spoiling and 50% bribe, after all. ¡°I AM SOOO FREAKING JEALOUS!¡± Steph was staring at their new surroundings with wide-open eyes. "So unfair! I want to be able to do that, too!" ¡°YES!¡± Anna and Chloe felt the exact same. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya and Ari weren¡¯t quite sure how to react or what to say. They, too, did look quite impressed, though. ¡°Overdid it again a little?¡± Sophia looked at them with a wry smile. ¡°Well, obviously!¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°But,¡± She then glanced at the forest and jungle in front of her again. ¡°It is quite cool.¡± The jaguar finished her sentence. ¡°Very cool, actually.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°Approved by Maya and Ari?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t act that surprised!¡± The two didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°It¡¯s the most amazing thing that has happened in months!¡± It definitely was a big deal for the blonde. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was even possible!¡± Steph had a similar opinion as her sister on the matter. ¡°I think that¡¯s even the first time this ever happened!¡± Anna, too, seemed surprised about it. ¡°¡­¡± The duo exchanged some worried glances, seemingly upset over their alleged standing inside the group. ¡°Alright, what do we have to do to stop being the party poopers here?" They really took it personally this time. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not like that!¡± Sophia smiled at the duo. ¡°Also, what would happen if you two joined our side, as well? Poor Fey here would have to do overtime to keep all of us in check.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care!¡± The cat and the jaguar were properly grumpy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± The full fox joined the conversation. "I wouldn''t care. Even if those two let completely loose, it would make things only a little worse when put in relation to you, Steph, and Chloe." She glanced at the three troublemakers in question. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°So, what can we do to shut you up?¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± The blonde was a little confused over why they were so upset. ¡°Well, it sounds like it could be fun? Also, yay for chaos?¡± After all, she didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°Mira told me how to grow my domain and make it more like hers. How about you two let loose first and be the kickstart this place needs to become ridiculous?" ¡°What do we need to do?¡± The duo seemed interested. ¡°Do you remember the magical forest we created in the fox village last year? By feeding tree saplings a lot of raw magic and letting it grow beyond reasonable size.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°I have to increase the density of magic inside my domain for it to become truly great in here. I¡¯m already starting to feel a difference caused by Mira¡¯s jungle, but it needs to be more. Much more! Flora, grown with the help of magic, apparently gains the ability to distribute and even generate additional magic. The more boosted trees and stuff around, the faster and better my domain can grow!¡± ¡°Soo¡­¡± Ari looked at her. ¡°Basically, you want us to create massive magical trees to make your playground here even more ridiculous?¡± ¡°Pretty much!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°So selfish!¡± ¡°You should know me by now!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Mira faced Sophia and the upset duo. ¡°The part of the jungle here is still rather young and is filled with saplings that can''t wait to grow tall and healthy.¡± After hearing this, Maya and Ari immediately started walking toward the jungle. While Sophia was still a little confused, she quickly followed after them while the rest of the group did the same. Chapter 010 – Don’t upset the serious ones Ari and Maya got quite upset over the fact of being labeled as the party poopers of the group by everyone, and they wanted to change that. After learning that Sophia needs massive trees grown with the help of magic to further develop her domain, they entered the jungle Mira had given the tiger from her own place to do just that. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s amazing in here!¡± The group had ventured a little deeper inside the small jungle to find a fitting place to play around, and Sophia was taking in the sights with big eyes. ¡°I love it already!¡± ¡°Jungles are great!¡± Anna''s opinion on the matter was the same while she, too, was looking at the overgrown undergrowth they were walking through with great interest. ¡°It is indeed a very fascinating place.¡± Ari enjoyed it, as well. ¡°The thickly grown plants, the tall trees, the humidity and warmth, and the dark lighting that barely makes it through the canopies. Very nice and calming.¡± ¡°YES!¡± The two tigers vigorously nodded a couple of times. ¡°Big cats sure like their jungles, huh?¡± Steph lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s too hot and humid.¡± The part husky wasn¡¯t a fan. ¡°Same.¡± Chloe, the part arctic fox, felt the same. ¡°I think I have to agree with my fellow canine.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fen and Aura, the wolves with a lot of fur, sided with them. ¡°It is quite nice, and I do prefer the warmth over being cold, but the humidity kills it for me.¡± ¡°Mhmm,¡± Maya, who was closer to a regular cat, tilted her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s an alright place.¡± She was more neutral about it. ¡°It might not be my favorite area, but it¡¯s definitely great!¡± ¡°How dividing the topic of a jungle can be, huh?¡± Mira enjoyed their exchange and smiled at Fey next to her. ¡°Also, everyone always has to whine about something.¡± The full slowly shook her head. ¡°True.¡± She agreed. ¡°...¡± The rest of the group went silent. No one could defend themselves. All of them liked to complain about all kinds of things, after all. ---------------- They explored the area for a few more minutes before eventually arriving at a small clearing in the middle of the jungle. It was brightly lit from the all-white of Sophia''s domain, as there were no high-grown trees above them to block it. Only a few saplings were spaced over the ground between many bushes and ferns. ¡°My, doesn¡¯t that seem like a lovely place to experiment?¡± Mira was looking forward to seeing how this would turn out. ¡°Will any of what we do inside Sophia¡¯s place here affect the outside world?¡± Ari looked at the overseer. ¡°Impossible.¡± She shook her head. ¡°They are completely separated from each other. ¡°Good.¡± "Yeah," Maya nodded. "I don''t care if Sophia''s domain gets destroyed, but it affecting the other place would be regrettable." ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde seemed to have a different opinion on the matter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± The teal fox then smiled at her. ¡°Not even I have the power to destroy a domain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very reassuring to hear.¡± ¡°What if we try really hard?¡± The voices of Ari and Maya lined up. ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia got even louder. ¡°Do you want to go first?¡± Maya ignored her tiger and focused on the jaguar. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll do just fine, but I do have quite a bit more magic at my disposal, so I don¡¯t want to steal the show.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°I am a good bit weaker than you.¡± She wasn¡¯t upset about it. ¡°Oh, how about we try and combine our powers to create one massive jungle tree?¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The cat-girl seemed to like the idea. ¡°NO!!!¡± Fen and Sophia did not, though. Judging by how much they raised their voices, this seemed to be the last they wanted to happen. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± The blonde looked incredibly serious when she stared at the duo. ¡°Fen and I almost died when we tried that last year! Without Canir''s help, the continent would''ve been gone, too! You should know that, Maya! Remember how much you yelled at me afterward?!" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°R-Right¡­¡± The cat-girl looked quite awkward. ¡°It¡¯s good to worry about that, but the circumstances here are different.¡± Mira smiled at them. ¡°The catastrophe Fen and you caused happened because your combined power levels are beyond of what the framework of magic can handle. The concentration had gotten too high, and it collapsed. Even when combined and boosted, Maya and Ari will not be able to reach this critical level.¡± ¡°T-That is reassuring¡­¡± Sophia calmed down a little. ¡°You will still severely injure your neck by trying to find out how tall of a tree the two created together. It will be massive.¡± ¡°Can you guarantee that no one will get hurt if they go all out?¡± ¡°As long as everyone takes enough distance from the sapling or soon-to-be tree, sure. This magic is all about creating life in one way or another. Endangering it is not a valid operation. Especially not when the used power is limited.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The blonde still didn¡¯t seem entirely convinced. ¡°Well, if the overseer of magic says so¡­ Just be aware that I¡¯ll get angry if anyone gets hurt, okay?¡± ¡°S-Sure!¡± Mira looked slightly intimidated. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of how unhinged she is, but I do like her overall personality and ability to get angry for the ones dear to her.¡± Fey was impressed by her dedication. ¡°Even if I¡¯m the opponent?!¡± The teal fox started pouting while she looked at the full one. ¡°Especially when it¡¯s you.¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± ---------------- Once Mira had been thoroughly intimidated by Fey and Sophia, the group focused on the previous topic again. ¡°So, can we do it now or not¡­?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t exactly sure what the final verdict was. ¡°Mira said it¡¯s fine, soo¡­¡± The blonde slowly nodded. ¡°Just immediately stop if anything feels even the slightest bit odd!¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Ari slowly raised her hand. ¡°You acting so worried and sensitive is pretty odd! Outright weird even!¡± ¡°She has a point.¡± The cat-girl felt the same. ¡°Shush!¡± She glared at the duo. ¡°This is not the time for sass!¡± ¡°It¡¯s always time for that~.¡± They disagreed with her. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sophia let out a sigh before facing the pink fox. "Chloe, how would you feel about a change to our sleeping arrangements for the night?" ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilted her head in response. ¡°Originally, I wanted to have these two idiots sleep together so they could deal with their room disagreement.¡± She pointed at Steph and Anna. ¡°Somehow, I suddenly don¡¯t want to deal with these two idiots anymore, either.¡± The blonde then gestured at Maya and Ari. ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± Chloe seemed to have understood her. ¡°You want to ditch Maya for me because she¡¯s too much of a pain?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The pain in question didn¡¯t like the wording. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really mind,¡± The pink fox ignored her and smiled at the blonde. ¡°I mean, I was kinda looking forward to spending some time with Ari because we haven''t done much of that yet, but I''m sure we can do that another time, too.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Sophia raised her hand. ¡°It¡¯s decided, then! Today¡¯s sleeping arrangement will be the two fighting idiots, the two sassy idiots, and us two reasonable non-idiots!" ¡°No.¡± Everyone except Chloe shook their head. ¡°That¡¯s not how anyone would describe either of you.¡± ¡°We are deeply offended by this!¡± The blonde tiger and the pink fox started pouting in return. ¡°It¡¯s completely uncalled for!¡± ---------------- ¡°Let¡¯s finally start!¡± after all this back and forth, Maya had gotten quite impatient while she looked at Ari next to her. ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°Also, I hope it destroys something!¡± ¡°That would be amazing!¡± Both lightly glared in Sophia¡¯s reaction. ¡°By the way,¡± The blonde ignored them and looked at Chloe. ¡°I just decided that the two of us will sleep in the master room with the super comfy bed. It¡¯s my cottage, after all.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She liked the sound of that. ¡°Mira, how do we make the most impressive tree possible?!¡± Maya, sounding a little upset, faced the teal overseer. "Preferably something that does actual damage to the domain!" ¡°I¡¯m staying out of this.¡± She had no intention of taking sides here. ¡°The overseer is a wise one, after all.¡± Fey praised her for her decision. ¡°Whatever!¡± The cat-girl had hoped for something better. ¡°Ari, hand!¡± Even though she said it like that, Maya immediately reached for it and grabbed the jaguar¡¯s hand. ¡°H-Hey!¡± Anna did not like that. ¡°Shush! There¡¯s no time for your jealousy right now, princess!¡± Maya then smiled at Ari. "Do you want to take the lead, or should I?" "As I have no idea what the plan is, and your control over magic is better, please be my guest." ¡°Fair enough.¡± The cat-girl could see the logic. ¡°I mean, though on a smaller scale, I did it before already, so let¡¯s go!¡± She lifted the arm she used to hold hands with Ari. ¡°You know how to release your magic without actually using it for something, right? That¡¯s basically all we have to do. Bathing a sapling in raw magic, that is.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± She nodded. ¡°I learned how to do that a little while back.¡± ¡°Perfect~.¡± Happy with her answer, Maya started walking towards one of the saplings in the middle of the clearing the group was in while dragging Ari with her. ---------------- ¡°Ha.¡± Roughly half an hour had passed, and Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to react when she saw the product of the duo¡¯s combined magical powers. ¡°Hah.¡± Chloe had the same reaction while she was straining her neck to see how tall the tree Ari and Maya had created together really was. Unfortunately, this proved near impossible as it had turned completely dark after the massive tree had grown. The small clearing was no more, either. It had been replaced by the trunk of an enormous kapok tree with a 200 to 300-meter diameter. Judging by this unbelievable size alone, one could only guess the tree''s height, which surely had to be at least ten or twenty times as tall as it was wide. ¡°Hah.¡± Steph, Anna, Fen, and Aura, too, weren¡¯t able to say much else. Everyone was a little flabbergasted. ¡°Hehe.¡± Ari and Maya seemed quite proud of themselves. Chapter 011 - Everyones favorite playground The small jungle in Sophia¡¯s domain had gotten a new main attraction. After having let loose for a bit, Maya and Ari used their magic to create a massive tree that easily overshadowed everything else in the area. Literally, as well, as it had turned out so big that the entire clearing they were on before had been replaced by the trunk, and almost no light was able to reach the group any longer, either. ¡°Satisfied?¡± While everyone was staring at the massive tree the duo had created, Fen got closer to Maya. ¡°I am not unsatisfied.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°I wonder if you still are in about ten seconds.¡± Sounding slightly smug, he gestured at Sophia, who had possibly the biggest grin ever on her face. "A-Ah.¡± Maya suddenly got a bad feeling about this. ¡°How does your face look the way it does?¡± ¡°How terribly rude!¡± ¡°I mean your expression, idiot.¡± ¡°Not much less rude!¡± The blonde started pouting nonetheless. ¡°Well, that looks better.¡± The cat-girl preferred that over the previous grin. ¡°I¡¯m just sooo happy that the dynamic in the group has been forever changed now!¡± Sophia returned to her uber-smug expression. ¡°W-What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Her bad feeling got worse. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll ever accept any complaints from you or Ari about overdoing something again? After this?¡± The tiger pointed at the massive trunk. ¡°Even I think a frigging five-kilometer-tall tree is overkill!¡± "¡­¡± They didn¡¯t know what to say at first. ¡°W-Wait, there¡¯s no way that thing is that tall! It¡¯s impossible to tell from here, too!¡± The two unionized immediately. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Mira walked closer to it and touched the trunk with her hand. ¡°Five thousand and 69 meters. Quite a nice specimen you have created here. I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°See? I just rounded the number a little!¡± ¡°How do you two even know?!¡± Ari and the cat-girl raised their voices. ¡°Magic~.¡± Sophia and the teal overseer smiled at them. ¡°Why and how is that your answer to everything?!¡± The two got loud. ¡°Have you forgotten my title?¡± Mira answered them first. ¡°I can feel the concentrated magic inside the tree and how far it spreads.¡± ¡°This is literally my domain,¡± The blonde continued. ¡°I can feel every particle of magic that is in here.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Chloe got interested in that part. ¡°Yeah,¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s actually gotten a little overwhelming ever since Mira¡¯s jungle and some of her magic arrived here¡­ I need to find out how to fade out some of that.¡± "Don''t worry. You''ll get used to it." Mira looked at her. ¡°Soon enough, you won¡¯t even notice it anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very good to hear.¡± ¡°Why are those two so overpowered?!¡± Maya and Ari still were quite loud. ¡°Is our tree really that tall?¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Why do you sound proud now?¡± Steph noticed a slight change in their voice. ¡°I mean, I would 100% be proud as heck, but¡­¡± ¡°That is indeed quite curious!¡± The pink fox agreed with the dog-girl. ¡°Actually,¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Maya did love to go crazy with magic before she became my babysitter, so I can see why she would be proud.¡± ¡°And my poor Ari has been steadily corrupted by this group, so¡­¡± Anna added her own part. "You''re the one who corrupted me the most!" The jaguar glared at the princess. ¡°I¡¯m your girlfriend, not babysitter!¡± Maya also glared at her blonde. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Anna seemed strangely happy about it. ¡°You¡¯re definitely both.¡± Sophia smiled at the cat-girl. ¡°Tigers are the worst¡­¡± Maya and Ari hung their heads. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Wait, what is it now?" Steph looked at them. "Are you seriously proud about having completely overdone it, which would be super fun, and I''d love it, or are you just slightly smug about having shown Sophia? Which is, well¡­ also a completely viable reason.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like the last part. ¡°Yes.¡± Maya and Ari replied at the same time. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The dog-girl couldn¡¯t blame them for that sort of answer. ¡°That¡¯s great, though! I look forward to seeing more ridiculousness from the two of you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Even so, you two still have to think about my domain when you overdo it so much!" Sophia tried her best to sound upset. "Do you have any idea what my beautiful jungle will now seem like when you look at it from further away?! With that massive tree, everything else will now look beyond puny!¡± ¡°We should¡¯ve made it bigger.¡± Ari and Maya just looked at each other. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about their tree standing out too much.¡± Mira then smiled at the blonde. ¡°Why?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Because everyone else in this group except maybe Fey is itching to create their own oversized tree? Myself included, of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯m totally going to top their tree!¡± Steph, Chloe, Fen, and Aura had the same reaction. ¡°I¡¯ll try my worst, too!¡± Anna knew that she wasn¡¯t on the level of the others, but that wouldn¡¯t stop her from having fun. ¡°Well, that¡¯s one part, but that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± The teal fox shook her head. ¡°With such a massive master tree inside the jungle, the entire flora will literally explode in size. You won¡¯t even recognize this place in a week anymore. Their creation will still tower over everything else, but it won¡¯t nearly stick out as much anymore. You must also think about what to do with your cottage now.¡± She turned a little more serious. ¡°The additional highly concentrated magic inside that tree not only makes it possible for such a massive specimen to support itself and exist in the first place, but it will also cause the jungle to expand significantly. It will quickly reach about 100 kilometers in diameter. Your new holiday home will end up being surrounded by it.¡± "A cozy place in the middle of a massively overgrown jungle?!¡± ¡°Sounds great!¡± Some type of instinct in Sophia, Anna, and Ari flared up. The tigers and the jaguar seemed to like the idea a lot. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± The blonde then focused on Mira again. ¡°Just one tree is capable of doing that much?! Yes, it¡¯s an impressive tree, but if all of us create something similar once a week, won¡¯t my domain grow at an unbelievable rate?¡± ¡°In the beginning, yes.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you it¡¯s the perfect start to get your domain started. The more it expands, the more magic is needed, though. It will significantly slow down over time.¡± ¡°Aww, too bad.¡± She sounded rather disappointed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s still amazing that I can get so much area in so little time in the beginning!" ¡°You¡¯re welcome~.¡± Maya and Ari decided to take all the credit. ¡°You two smug little¡­¡± Sophia opted against finishing her sentence. "I can''t wait to be a nuisance for both of you in the regular world again!¡± ¡°Whatever you do there, we¡¯ll be wreaking at least twice as much havoc in your domain from now on!¡± ¡°I prefer the idea of three times a little better.¡± Ari didn¡¯t completely agree with Maya. ¡°Oh, I like that suggestion more!¡± ¡°Sounds like a win-win to me.¡± Steph whispered these words as she leaned closer to Chloe. "Ah, so I wasn''t the only one thinking that." She nodded a few times. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Sophia pondered over it for a moment. ¡°Wait a moment¡­ How does this three times payback work? If I create a one-kilometer-tall tree, will you make a three-kilometer one? Or three, with each being one kilometer tall?" ¡°I will make one that is three kilometers tall, and Ari will make three one-kilometer ones.¡± The cat-girl showed her a sassy smile. ¡°Exactly.¡± The jaguar¡¯s expression was the same. ¡°It¡¯s for each of you?!¡± ¡°Of course~.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Sophia suddenly raised her voice. ¡°What happens if I accidentally burn down a forest or something like that?¡± ¡°That will be a sad day for your domain.¡± Maya¡¯s voice turned a little sinister. ¡°It will be most unfortunate, yes.¡± "I hadn''t thought about that!" Steph leaned over to Chloe again. "They''re good!" The pink fox nodded a few times. ¡°Wow, I am thoroughly impressed!" Fey looked at the duo. "That''s a tactic even I hadn''t come up with yet! Good job!¡± ¡°D-Does that mean I actually have to behave now¡­? To save my domain?¡± The blonde sounded devastated. ¡°Actually,¡± Mira smiled at Sophia. ¡°An occasional, let¡¯s call it¡­ natural disasters can be quite beneficial. Even something as destructive as a forest fire has positive effects, as it changes the nutrient composition, which can lead to more flora variety if used correctly. Flooding can help to create rivers and lakes, for example. Storms can carry the seed of plants further than normal, and so on. A disaster isn¡¯t necessarily always a disaster.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Hearing that explanation, the blonde immediately cheered up again. ¡°She can¡¯t keep getting away with it!¡± Fey did not agree with this turn of events. ¡°She¡¯s never going to learn to take responsibility this way!¡± She looked at the overseer during the last bit. ¡°Oh, w-well¡­ uh¡­¡± Mira needed a moment to come up with an excuse. "Okay! As I said, an occasional disaster can be good. Constant ones will surely make this domain a desolate place no one wants to be in. As usual, everything is best done in moderation.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m bad with that.¡± Moderation wasn¡¯t one of Sophia¡¯s specialties. ¡°True.¡± Everyone agreed with that. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Maya tilted her head while she looked at Ari next to her. ¡°It seems like our plan is more of a reward for our favorite blonde idiot.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°Unless we overdo it, that is.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± The teal overseer interrupted them. ¡°Together with the jungle we transported from my domain, many animals have also been brought over. Mostly birds for the time being. I''m certain Sophia plans to add many more fauna, as well. Those would be affected by those disasters, as well.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The two naturally had no intention to engage in a mass killing of animals just to mess with Sophia''s domain. "We first need to form a better plan.¡± ¡°Phew, saved!¡± ¡°We¡¯re still going to mess with this place a lot!¡± The cat and jaguar immediately looked at her again. ¡°The tree was fun! We wanna do more!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯m okay with that!¡± ¡°We¡¯re totally going to join in on that!¡± Steph, Chloe, and Anna had no intention of leaving the fun to them alone. ¡°Yes.¡± Fen and Aura were looking forward to it, too. Once almost everyone had agreed that Sophia''s domain shall be turned into a playground for them, they decided to head back to the cottage because it had been a rather long day, and they were getting hungry. Returning had become a slight challenge, though, as the jungle had already become much denser and overgrown in the short time since Ari and Maya made their gigantic tree. Chapter 012 - Biome projects Maya and Ari overdid it a little bit and ended up creating a jungle tree over 5 kilometers tall with the help of their magic. The duo also decided to pay Sophia back from now and wreak about three times as much havoc in her domain as the blonde would cause chaos in the regular world. Though, they first need to iron out some details because they didn¡¯t want to harm any of the innocent animals that would start living there. ¡°Okay, you two are definitely insane.¡± It had taken them around an hour to navigate through the jungle and return to the cottage when Sophia addressed Maya and Ari. ¡°Hey!¡± The duo didn¡¯t like that. "A-Ah...¡± Still, the two quickly turned silent once they looked in the same direction as the blonde, away from their house and towards the forest. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they beat me to something that could be called a world tree!¡± Steph sounded envious while looking at the massive tree in the distance. ¡°Now I know why it has become so dark!¡± Chloe was fascinated by the massive crown of the kapok tree that was wider than the entire forest and jungle it towered over. ¡°Wait, are the plants going to be okay? Nothing is getting any light anymore, after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°I mean, the artificial light inside the overseer domains can¡¯t be used for photosynthesis, anyway.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that just make it worse?! How is that alright?¡± ¡°Magic, my love~.¡± ¡°I love to use that explanation, but I hate to hear it!¡± The pink¡¯s feelings on the matter were complicated. ¡°Magic plants use magic light to grow.¡± The overseer gave her an easy explanation. ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± She nodded. ¡°Wait, that still means everything under the massive one is doomed. Doubly doomed, even!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s doubly fine~.¡± Mira let out a small chuckle. ¡°Thanks to the new master tree generating and distributing magic, the entire flora around it will soon gain magical properties, as well. Not only that, but they¡¯ll also form a connection with the master tree. As long as it has access to light, it will provide for the rest. On top of this symbiotic relationship, the little light that makes it through Ari and Maya''s tree is still enough, as magical plants operate way more efficiently.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°So, bottom line, the bigger the tree, the better it is for everything around?¡± Steph''s eyes started sparkling while she tried to summarize her explanation. ¡°Ignoring some finer details, yes, you are not wrong.¡± She could live with that. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The dog-girl got very excited very quickly. ¡°I need to find out if there¡¯s a limit on how tall a tree can grow with magic!¡± "A brilliant idea!¡± Chloe liked her plan. ¡°Not today, though.¡± Sophia looked at the two. ¡°I¡¯m scared of Maya and Ari when it comes to retaliation, so they can do whatever they want in here, not to mention that I enjoy certain other benefits I get with Maya, but there will be rules for everyone else playing in my domain!¡± ¡°Boo!¡± Steph, Chloe, Fen, and Aura did not like that announcement. ¡°Very loose rules, okay?!¡± She got loud. ¡°Why do I always have to be the voice of reason in this group?!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The jaguar and cat-girl did not agree with her. ¡°Shut up!¡± The blonde just pointed at the massive tree in the distance. ¡°...¡± ¡°I want my domain to be pretty, too! Exciting, as well! Admittedly, a contest over who can create the biggest tree sounds fun, but I¡¯m pretty sure the final result would be a massive forest so dense not even a fly would fit between the plants and trees in it. Interesting for about five minutes, but there¡¯s very little long-term appeal!¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°But I want to make the biggest tree in existence!¡± Steph started pouting. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can.¡± Sophia had no intention of keeping her from it. ¡°Just not here.¡± She pointed at the jungle again. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, then?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The blonde tilted her head while looking at her little sister. ¡°I want it to be more spread out, so¡­ Oh, how about I give everyone an area they can play with really far apart? The goal then is to connect them only by using magic to grow things!" ¡°That sounds super fun!¡± The dog-girl¡¯s mood drastically improved. ¡°Oh! There will be an additional rule!¡± Sophia was planning while she was explaining her idea. ¡°Everyone has to do a different biome to participate in the event!" ¡°Icy tundra!¡± Steph got even more motivated. "Wait, tundras have no trees¡­¡± Too motivated. ¡°Hmm¡­ Taiga! Extra cold boreal forest, here I come! Conifers for days! They grow tall from the get-go! Mine will be the most impressive ones ever!¡± ¡°How are you two sisters?¡± Maya looked at her tiger with a complicated expression. She knew all too well just how much the blonde hated the cold. ¡°I have no idea.¡± Sophia simply shook her head. ¡°Anyway, sure, why not?¡± She then faced Steph again. ¡°You will be placed extra far away from here, though. No need to have hell close!¡± ¡°No problem!¡± She didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°Alrighty!¡± The blonde clapped her hands. ¡°Everyone else, also feel free to make a biome if you like it. The warmer and more colorful it is, the closer to the center of the domain it¡¯s allowed to be~.¡± ¡°Ehh, but the best biome is already taken!¡± Anna pointed at the jungle in the distance. ¡°Fair point.¡± The fellow tiger nodded. ¡°Then again, thanks to the two¡¯s massive tree and the canopy towering over everything, it turned into more of a regular rainforest? Once rain becomes a thing, at least. A jungle usually has little in the canopy department going on, but the undergrowth is much thicker. Almost impassable dense even. It''s brighter in there, too, because less light gets blocked." ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess liked that. ¡°Mangroves would be great, too!¡± ¡°Ohhhh!¡± Anna was a big fan of that, as well. The two tigers were thinking very alike. "A good old deciduous forest would be nice, too.¡± Fen joined the conversation. ¡°Not as dense, and I like the mossy type of underground." ¡°Mhmm~.¡± Aura nodded a few times. ¡°Very enticing, but I think I¡¯m more partial towards a needle leaf forest. Imagine the smell inside a forest with thousands of massively overgrown pine trees!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The male wolf paused for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with facts.¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± She liked his response. ¡°I¡¯m sure these two types of forest would also blend into each other really well!¡± Sophia, too, liked their ideas. ¡°You two could start next to each other and then build outwards. Or the other way around, and then slowly blending it!¡± ¡°You¡¯re having fun, huh?¡± Mira smiled at the blonde. "Absolutely!" She smiled back. "I can''t wait to see how everything will turn out!" ¡°Good to hear~.¡± The overseer liked her enthusiasm. ¡°How are you going to do that, though? Some of these trees are quite easy to get, but good luck getting a hold of mangroves around here. I mean, I actually have some in my domain, they are super cool, after all, and I don¡¯t mind sharing them with you eventually, but that¡¯s not really your goal, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in no particular hurry~.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°I still would like to get some help from your domain every now and then, but more for basic materials and plants. If that¡¯s okay, at least.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°For the fancier stuff, I would love to find it myself!¡± She sounded quite determined. ¡°The ideas of the others seem fairly easy, so we can focus on that. We can get some plants from Ari and Maya¡¯s experiment to make a more traditional jungle. Fens preferred forest type is all around in the area we''re in. Steph and Aura also are somewhat similar, lots of needly trees~. Mostly the climate is different, I think? My sister is a lunatic, but Aura¡¯s forest is much more temperate, if I remember right? Pines, spruce, and the like aren¡¯t hard to come by, either. I¡¯m not sure what exactly Chloe wants to do, probably something as freaky as Steph, another colder biome, but I¡¯m surely not going to help with that. Sorry about that, my dear~." She smiled at the pink fox during the last part. ¡°Understandable.¡± She wasn¡¯t mad. ¡°I¡¯m not going to help you with anything jungle-related, either. Or something stuffy, humid, and hot, like mangroves. Nu-uh.¡± Chloe shook her head a few times. ¡°I might join in on Steph adventures because it sounds lovely until I find my own project. I wonder if growing an icy tundra might be possible in other ways.¡± After all, just like her, the pink fox, too, was an enjoyer of the cold. ¡°Yeah, you two and your biomes will definitely be placed a couple of thousand kilometers away from the center!" The blonde supported their creativity but just not anywhere near her. ¡°Sure thing~.¡± Her little sister didn¡¯t have anything against it. ¡°More space to totally overdo it!¡± "A fair tradeoff, I guess.¡± There was little she could say. ¡°Fey, uhh¡­ do you also want to do something?" ¡°For now, I don¡¯t think I want to have any joint responsibility in shaping this place.¡± The full fox didn¡¯t seem to be that enthusiastic about it. ¡°I will check in on Aura¡¯s pine forest a couple of times, though. That indeed sounds rather lovely.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome to visit anytime~.¡± The female wolf was happy about the interest in her idea. Once most of their plans were taken care of, the group finally entered the cottage they had been standing in front of for the last half hour. Everyone, especially Sophia, had gotten properly hungry after a long day. Chapter 013 – Sleeping arrangements The group learned a lot of new things about magical plants and how they change after having been subjected to an unusual amount of magic. Everyone also decided on side projects to design their very own biome inside Sophia¡¯s domain in the future. ¡°So, what now?¡± After they finished eating dinner, everyone returned to the cottage''s living room and got comfortable there when Sophia addressed everyone. "A bath! Then, right to bed to get up early tomorrow for more traveling! Let''s go!" Steph couldn''t wait to get going again. ¡°I like two of these three things.¡± The blonde was not a fan of getting up early. ¡°The third thing is not going to happen. House rules.¡± ¡°I highly support those rules!¡± Anna wasn¡¯t good with mornings, either. ¡°By the way, what will we do for bathing time? I was so preoccupied with Steph''s shameless occupation of my room that I didn''t even check the bathroom situation here." ¡°Hey!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°My room!¡± ¡°Shut up, idiots.¡± Maya didn¡¯t want to deal with it. ¡°Anyway, if I haven''t missed one, there are three bathrooms in the cottage. They''re not overly big, but the tubs in them are a good fit for two people.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Steph looked a little disappointed. ¡°So¡­ No group events like the hot springs we visited so often during winter?¡± ¡°Stop being so horny.¡± Chloe rolled her eyes while she looked at her. ¡°You had just as much fun as I did when we were able to get a good look at everyone!¡± ¡°N-Not as much, okay?!¡± ¡°Not a strong defense.¡± Ari lightly shook her head. ¡°ALSO, if anyone makes a comment about me now, they¡¯ll regret it!¡± ¡°Because it would expose you?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t scared of her. ¡°S-Shush!¡± ¡°I do like Anna¡¯s idea a lot, though!¡± Maya was a fan. ¡°We should definitely have our own hot springs!¡± ¡°Why am I not surprised you like that plan?¡± Sophia lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike the suggestion, though. Okay, construction will start soon!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Steph and Maya got excited. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, though.¡± The blonde returned to her topic from a moment ago. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s obviously bath and then bed later, but I wanted to make some more plans for our traveling in the regular world.¡± ¡°Oh, do you have any suggestions?¡± Chloe looked at her. ¡°Nope, you?¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± The pink¡¯s expression turned into a smile. ¡°Your plan is for others to make plans for you, huh?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­ I mean, we¡¯re still rather close to the capital, so it might take a while for something interesting or new to happen.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Sophia agreed with her evaluation. ¡°Even I, who loathes the cold, left the city every single day for my daily running sessions. Cold or not, I¡¯ll go crazy if I can¡¯t run, after all. I¡¯m pretty sure Fennyfenny and I already went much further than this when we were really antsy for a good run.¡± She looked at the male wolf for confirmation. ¡°Much further.¡± He nodded. ¡°I guess we just have to keep going then, huh?¡± She wasn¡¯t bothered by it. ¡°Maya, are there any of Menzor¡¯s cities along the way of our current direction?¡± ¡°On the list of places where one of your portals would be beneficial?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a little hard to tell¡­¡± The cat-girl awkwardly scratched her cheek. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°My hometown is on the list, funnily enough, but I have no idea where any of the other places are¡­ I have heard of a couple of them, but I don''t know where they are, geographically speaking." ¡°Makes sense.¡± Sophia nodded and then looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°My dear princess, where are those places?¡± "Let''s see," Anna glanced at the list Maya was holding. "I see. The third one from the top is right on the path we¡¯re currently headed. It takes about two weeks to reach with a horse-drawn carriage. No idea how that translates to our group, though. Especially because we tend to get sidetracked quite often.¡± She simply gestured all around her during the end. ¡°Not that I¡¯m complaining about that. Far from it.¡± The tiger was a big fan of their usual distractions. ¡°Two weeks by carriage, huh?" Fen tilted his head. "That is somewhere between three days and three months with this group. Judging by how long it took us to reach the capital.¡± "Why would you even want to travel if not for getting sidetracked?!" Sophia raised her voice. ¡°To reach your destination, idiot.¡± Fey sounded a little harsh. ¡°The journey is the destination!¡± She got even louder. ¡°Exactly!¡± Steph, Chloe, and Anna had the same opinion. ¡°I¡¯d like to agree with them, as well." The times she had to babysit the others aside, Maya also liked exploring a whole lot. ¡°It depends a little on the situation, but I, too, am not against that way of thinking.¡± Even Ari could see the fun in it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± The full fox hung her head. ¡°Well, yes, it¡¯s not necessarily wrong, but¡­ What good will happen if we enable Sophia?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar and cat-girl went silent. ¡°True.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that. "I have good news, Fennyfenny!" ¡°Hmm?¡± He tilted his head. ¡°We¡¯ll be running all day tomorrow! Those two need to get their sass out of the system.¡± She glanced at Maya and Ari. ¡°They might be a little too excited about finally being on the move again and need to be powered out to calm down.¡± ¡°Sure." Fen had no intention of making any deeper comment here. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Steph, the overly active dog-girl, was an instant fan. "A-Ah.¡± This time, Ari really looked concerned. She was far from lazy, but keeping up with Sophia was impossible. ¡°Why am I getting punished now, too?!¡± Anna raised her voice. ¡°Short sprints are fine, and I''m good at them, but I can''t run fast for a long time! My stamina is super bad!¡± ¡°Perfect chance to get more training into you!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t going to give her an easy way out. ¡°Time to get you in shape!¡± "A-Ah.¡± She had the same reaction as her girlfriend. ¡°Good thing I¡¯ve been training the last months!¡± Maya sounded a lot more confident than Ari did. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m nowhere near as fast as my tiger, so there will still be suffering for me, but I¡¯m far from the slowest in the group now~.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Chloe seemed quite concerned. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of this development!¡± She was fairly sure to lose the race. ¡°Feyfey, I¡¯m counting on you to return to your original size and give me a ride! Thank you very much in advance! I¡¯m counting on you~.¡± ¡°Mhmm," The full paused momentarily while she looked at her daughter. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of enabling Sophia," Fey glanced briefly at the blonde before continuing. "But when she has a good idea, she has a good idea.¡± "What''s that supposed to mean¡­?" The pink fox didn''t like this. "I''ll gladly carry you when you''re actually tired or when we''re traveling through an area you¡¯re unable to deal with, like a desert, but don¡¯t you think you should get some power into those legs of yours?¡± "A-Ah.¡± Chloe had nothing to say in her defense and just hung her head in defeat. She knew full well that she wasn¡¯t physically strong or anything like that. ¡°Your endurance should¡¯ve improved significantly ever since Steph shared her magic with you, though.¡± Mira looked at her. ¡°After all, high magical powers tremendously affect one¡¯s physical abilities.¡± ¡°That is definitely the case!¡± The pink fox nodded a few times. ¡°I can absolutely feel it!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem, then?¡± The overseer seemed a little confused. ¡°She wasn¡¯t used to walking a lot because she¡¯s lazy.¡± Fey looked at her daughter while slowly shaking her head. ¡°And now, she¡¯s still lazy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It didn¡¯t seem like Chloe wanted to say anything in her defense. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Sophia suddenly clapped her hands. ¡°It¡¯s decided! With this many slackers in our group, tomorrow will be marathon day!¡± ¡°Sounds great!¡± Steph and Fen liked the plan. ¡°It does not!¡± Some others disagreed with them. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m heading to bed!¡± Anna sounded defeated. ¡°I need every second of sleep I can get to survive this!¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Ari agreed. ¡°I¡¯d like a bath or at least a shower first, though.¡± ¡°True!¡± The princess felt the same. ¡°Wait! Are we still doing these weird sleeping arrangements Sophia came up with?! I want to sleep with Ari!¡± ¡°Well, you can also give up on the room you were fighting over with Steph.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°NEVER!¡± ¡°Well, then you are going to sleep with Steph tonight~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°I will be the one taking a bath with Ari, though!¡± ¡°Sure, this and that are completely unrelated.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Are Ari and I still going to share a room today, too?¡± Maya faced her tiger. ¡°Yup~.¡± She nodded. ¡°I mean, your sass levels are back to normal already, and I don¡¯t really care about it any longer, either, but... Lessons need to be learned! I don¡¯t exactly remember what lessons, but that doesn¡¯t matter! Also, it sounds like it could be fun!¡± ¡°Well, sure, I guess? Let¡¯s have some fun tonight, Ari~.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t mind. ¡°NOT TOO MUCH FUN!¡± Anna did, though. ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about that kind of fun, pervert.¡± ¡°Good!¡± The pervert in question didn¡¯t mind being called like that because that wasn¡¯t important to her at the moment. Afterward, once the rules for their sleeping arrangements were set, everyone started getting ready to end the day. Chapter 014 – Steph and Anna Everyone had dinner together, chatted some more, and were slowly starting to get ready for bed, but things weren''t calming down quite yet. Their sleeping arrangements with the mixed-up couplings had yet to be executed, after all. ¡°So, what do I have to do to get this room?¡± Anna and Steph were together in the room they were fighting over, and the princess looked right at the dog. ¡°How about a magic contest?¡± She smiled at her. ¡°There¡¯s no way I can win that!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°You have many times my power!¡± ¡°Exactly~.¡± ¡°What about testing the knowledge about this kingdom instead?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the PRINCESS of this kingdom!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like her idea. ¡°Exactly~.¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± ¡°My words exactly!¡± They were getting along well while not getting along. ¡°Seriously, though, how are we going to settle this?¡± Steph looked right at her. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s obvious that I should get it because I said I wanted it first!" ¡°But I found the room first! That should give me first dibs!¡± ¡°It only counts if you voice out your claim!¡± ¡°What if I already did that before you entered the room?!¡± ¡°Did you?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°M-Maybe¡­¡± Anna couldn¡¯t maintain eye contact. ¡°I take that as a no, so that means I win!¡± Steph¡¯s voice and expression turned smug. "Grrrmmn!" The princess didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Do you think a cat growling at a dog would do any good?¡± ¡°I am fairly sure that a tiger would do some very unspeakable things to a dog!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent for a moment. ¡°Okay, fair enough. That point goes to you.¡± ¡°Not that Steph wouldn¡¯t be able to do some unspeakable things to Anna, though¡­" Her voice turned into a mumble towards the end. ¡°I would never do anything to you!¡± ¡°Happy to hear!¡± The tiger looked relieved. ¡°I still want this room, though.¡± ¡°So do I!¡± ¡°Time-sharing the room would be a bad idea, too, right?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Like, you a week, I a week?¡± ¡°Something like this, yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Sounds kinda bothersome.¡± Steph didn¡¯t seem to be a fan. ¡°Yeah, I thought so, too.¡± ¡°How about... Nah, that¡¯s also stupid.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Anna wanted to hear her idea. ¡°Rock-Paper-Scissor.¡± ¡°Ahh,¡± The princess looked a little awkward. ¡°I can see why you thought it would be a bad idea. That being said, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever come up with something actually viable, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the only fair thing I can think of.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Rock!¡± ¡°Paper!¡± ¡°Scissors!¡± ---------------- Their contest went on for almost an hour. Obviously, after the first victory, it turned into a best out of three. Afterward, it naturally became a best out of five. It didn¡¯t stop there either, and it took many more rounds before they finally gave up. ¡°YES!¡± Anna victoriously raised her fist. ¡°I knew justice would win! It was my room from the very beginning, after all!¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Urgh.¡± Steph only hung her head. ¡°You¡¯re not going to contest it now, are you?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± The dog-girl shook her head. ¡°Rock, paper, scissors is absolute!¡± ¡°Even if we went all the way to the best out of-¡± ¡°Especially if we went that far!¡± For Steph, it only added to the importance. ¡°I will still be slightly upset for the next two weeks, though!¡± ¡°I can live with that.¡± Anna let out a small chuckle. ¡°Hey!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Hehe~.¡± The tiger¡¯s smile got bigger. ¡°What are we going to do now? Sophia said we have to share the room if we can''t decide, but we now did.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to spend the night with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather spend the night with Ari.¡± The princess had a clear preference. ¡°There are more fun things I can¡­ or am willing to do with her.¡± ¡°Ah, right,¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°I sometimes forget that you¡¯re a massive pervert.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Her face turned red. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± ¡°T-There¡¯s no need to say it!¡± She dodged the question. "I''m sure you''ll survive one night without getting horny." ¡°S-Shush!¡± ¡°Unless you already are horny?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m rather partial to Chloe. I would need her to be around to entertain you or something like that? To tell me the limits. It wouldn¡¯t be any fun without her in the first place! What would even be the point without my beloved fox?!" ¡°W-Would you shut up already?!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± She was in a good mood. "I''m just messing around, anyway~." The dog-girl smiled at her. "How about we just have a good old regular girls¡¯ night? I''ll keep it family-friendly, too! Let¡¯s just chat a lot!¡± ¡°That could be fun!¡± Anna recovered quite quickly and warmed up to the idea. ¡°Do you have any topics in mind already?¡± ¡°Do I look like a person who plans ahead before suggesting things?¡± ¡°It¡¯s always nice to get the occasional confirmation that you and Sophia are sisters.¡± The blonde tiger was the exact same, after all. Act first, think later. If thinking will be involved at all, that is. "Oh!" Steph raised her voice a little. "I''ve got an idea! Might you be interested in a slightly shady deal?" ¡°I¡¯m a princess! Shady deals aren¡¯t my style!¡± ¡°Even if they¡¯re beneficial for you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the whole reason for shady deals to exist in the first place?" The tiger looked at her with a confused expression. "Why else should you consider them?" ¡°Fair¡­ Just hear me out, though!¡± The dog-girl looked back at her. ¡°You¡¯re also excited about traveling and seeing all kinds of different places, right?¡± ¡°ABSOLUTELY!¡± Anna really was. ¡°How about we band together whenever there¡¯s a vote for the next destination? That way, we have a MUCH higher chance for our choice to be picked!¡± ¡°But don¡¯t we like very different places?¡± The princess wasn¡¯t sure what to think about her suggestion. ¡°I¡¯d like to see warm and overgrown places while you are more into colder and less dense areas, right?¡± ¡°True.¡± She nodded. ¡°Still, I¡¯m sure there are some overlapping biomes we''d both enjoy!" ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Also, we can also alternate between the two of us!¡± ¡°Like, you chose a place I vote for, and then I chose a place you help me with?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Steph was getting excited. ¡°For good will, I¡¯ll even give you the first pick!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°It, uhh¡­ does sound quite enticing.¡± ¡°So, let¡¯s do our shady deal!¡± ¡°Could you come up with a different name for it¡­?¡± Anna still wasn¡¯t a fan of her wording. ¡°Our secret fun pact for mutual satisfaction?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger just looked at her. ¡°Not good?¡± ¡°Not good.¡± She shook her head. ¡°You sure are hard to please!¡± Steph scratched her cheek. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ A secret fun pact between friends to get the most out of their travel plans?¡± ¡°I can live with that!¡± Anna started smiling. ¡°I might need a little while to decide on something if I really can go first. I mean, wasting it on a jungle is kind of useless. We already decided to go, we kind of have one outside, too, and Sophia and Ari would agree to it, anyway.¡± ¡°No need to rush~.¡± The dog-girl wasn¡¯t pushing her to anything. ¡°We first have to get away further from the capital in the first place to see something more interesting.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true! Ah!¡± The princess then raised her voice. ¡°What if the others also come up with such a pact? Won''t they cancel each other out?" "Well, on the one hand, it would mean it''s more important than ever to band together to not fall behind.¡± ¡°Right!¡± "And on the other hand, I also think it''s pretty unlikely with the other two duos." ¡°Really?¡± Anna looked confused. ¡°If anything, I would¡¯ve said that it¡¯s much more likely with them. Chloe and Sophia get along dangerously well, and Maya and Ari have much in common. The two of us actually haven¡¯t done really much together before¡­¡± ¡°We definitely need to change the last part!¡± Steph looked right at her again. ¡°We should do more together from now on!¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t try to make me like cold biomes, which is not happening, I wouldn''t mind at all!" ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep it to an absolute minimum!¡± She wasn¡¯t able to promise it. ¡°Anyway, back to the other duos. Chloe and Sophia love to explore and have adventures, but the types of places and things to do between couldn¡¯t be more opposite. Chloe is even more partial to colder places than I am, and Sophia is even more of a cat than you are. I highly doubt they can settle on a common interest or make an arrangement like we plan." ¡°Ah, I can see that being the case.¡± Anna could follow her logic. ¡°Ari and Maya are quite similar and have matching tastes, I guess, but I can¡¯t see them making such a plan, either.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll spend all night complaining about the rest of us being hyperactive idiots.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The princess paused for a moment. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why it¡¯s our win~.¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Anna liked that. ¡°That aside, what are we going to do with the rest of the night?¡± She then pointed at the bed in the room. ¡°It¡¯s the only one here, and as you¡¯re the guest in my room, I can¡¯t make you sleep on the floor, but¡­ I really don¡¯t want to, either!¡± ¡°Did you really have to put so much emphasis on my room?¡± ¡°Yes~.¡± ¡°Urgh,¡± She took some damage from that. ¡°I don¡¯t mind sleeping in the same bed as you. You just have to keep your horny levels relatively low. I don¡¯t want to get in trouble with Chloe or Ari.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ not¡­ any hornier than you are!¡± She wasn¡¯t able to deny it. ¡°And that¡¯s why you must keep yourself in check~.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no winning with you, is there?¡± ¡°Of course, there is!¡± The dog-girl thought otherwise. ¡°Really?¡± "Who''s the one who won the right to use this room?" ¡°Oh, right!¡± After that topic was taken care of, the two chatted for a little while longer, but it was soon enough time to sleep as it had gotten quite late. It was a little awkward at first, but as all they did was sleep, they got over it immediately. Chapter 015 - Maya and Ari Steph and Anna stopped fighting over the room they both wanted with the help of an extended match of rock-paper-scissors, which the princess won. Afterward, the duo continued to bond with each other for the rest of the evening while also hatching a plan to manipulate the group¡¯s voting system of visiting interesting places during their travels. Something they were sure none of the other girls could come up with. ¡°I just had a brilliant idea!¡± While that was going on, Maya and Ari were also getting comfortable in their room for the night when the cat-girl addressed the jaguar. ¡°Oh?¡± Ari tilted her head in return. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Everyone decided that we should vote on places or biomes to visit, right?¡± ¡°Either that or if it doesn¡¯t work out, the god old rock, paper, scissors, yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°We need to band together and vote on the same destinations!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°THAT¡¯S BRILLIANT!¡± Ari liked the idea. ¡°That way, we can stop the idiots from visiting too ridiculous places!¡± ¡°Or too cold areas!¡± ¡°I just said ridiculous places, did I not?¡± The jaguar looked right at her. ¡°You¡¯re great!¡± She reacted with a smile. ¡°Also, yes, to keep them from visiting areas that are too dangerous for their own good. I mean, not that there are places that could be dangerous to Sophia or most of the others, but you know what I mean!¡± ¡°Dangerous for us.¡± Ari smiled back. ¡°Mostly for our mental health, as well.¡± ¡°EXACTLY!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°We, the two of us, and Fey, we need some peace and quiet every now and then.¡± ¡°I very much agree!" ¡°Well, I also think we should use it to cheat our way into some places we would find interesting but wouldn''t have a chance of getting elected without us banding together," Maya added a selfish bit to her suggestion. ¡°I like the way you¡¯re thinking~.¡± The jaguar did not even think about protesting her addition. "We must use this to our advantage as much as possible!" ¡°I¡¯m happy you agree.¡± ¡°Ah, but what if the other duos have the same idea? Our efforts would be useless then!¡± Ari suddenly sounded a bit more serious. ¡°Steph and Anna, who can¡¯t even agree on a stupid room?¡± The cat-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°Or are you talking about Sophia and Chloe, who both are the same when it comes to the general idea of traveling and exploring but are polar opposites when it comes to the things they like. Do you really think our blonde warmth-loving cat would ever find a common interest with our arctic fox?¡± ¡°You do have some very sound arguments.¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°We¡¯ll sooo have the upper hand during the next vote for our destination!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ari had the same smug expression as Maya. ¡°Oh, do you have any places you¡¯d like to visit?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see my hometown again, but I think that would be a really bad idea.¡± ¡°How so?¡± "For starters, a friend of mine had a big crush on Sophia when we left¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s going to be awkward!¡± Ari nodded. ¡°Also, our blondie sure is popular, huh?¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She looked a bit tired. ¡°Also, my hometown is right next to the monster country. What do you think would happen if Steph finds out something with that name is right next to my home?¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t need more information. ¡°It sounds like the thing and place we¡¯re trying to avoid with our pact.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Anything else?¡± Ari looked at her again. ¡°Mhmm... You know, I kinda do enjoy fighting, playing around with magic, and stuff, but maybe not on the level of the monster country where the strongest monsters of this continent live. Some places with, uhh... medium strong foes would be nice?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t exactly say I share your sentiment, but I would prefer that over whatever the others would like to encounter and or fight.¡± ¡°What about you, though?¡± Maya returned the question. ¡°Are there any places you want to see? Things to explore?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good question.¡± Ari scratched her cheek. "I think I''m more interested in the traveling part itself rather than specific places. Though, my jaguar bits wouldn''t say no to tropical areas and more rainforests~.¡± ¡°Even after we made our own literally right in front of the cottage here?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°You big cats sure love jungles and rainforests, huh?¡± The smaller cat didn¡¯t dislike those places but didn''t share the same excitement about them. ¡°They¡¯re great!¡± Ari had no issues admitting it. ¡°Are your cat bits not craving a specific area or biome?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Maya gave it some thought. ¡°I somehow doubt it¡¯s related to my cat side, but I think I¡¯d like to see a desert. A massive one, I mean. Nothing but sand and dunes, as far as you can see. Finding an oasis would be fun, too~." ¡°Ohh!¡± She seemed to like the idea. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no to that!¡± ¡°Happy to hear!¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°I think it might be slightly difficult to convince Chloe and Steph about it, though.¡± "Right! Our cold-loving friends wouldn''t be fans of deserts!" The jaguar could see the issue. "Then again, deserts get really cold at night. We could keep them here in Sophia¡¯s domain during the day and bring them out to play in the evening!¡± ¡°That sure sounds weird out of context.¡± Maya rolled her eyes. "It seems like it could work, though!" ¡°You should suggest it during the next vote!¡± The jaguar gave her a thumbs up. ¡°You have my vote!¡± "Ahaha, though it might be best to get near one first.¡± ¡°True enough!¡± Ari nodded. ¡°We probably have to travel quite far before finding one. As far as I know, there¡¯s no desert anywhere near the capital.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask Fen about it later. I¡¯m sure he knows where one could be¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°Wait, if I remember right, Chloe actually visited a desert before and hated it! For obvious reasons. She might tell us if we suggest the idea of playing together during the night." ¡°Sounds like a plan!¡± ¡°Speaking of plans,¡± The cat-girl then looked out of her window from where their jungle was possible to see. ¡°I was mostly just teasing Sophia, but are we really going to mess with her domain three times as much as she does with the normal world?¡± ¡°Ahh...¡± Ari also looked at their creation for a moment. ¡°It depends a bit on what she does, I guess. I don¡¯t think I want to destroy anything anyone created in here. That would be too sad. Doing something that would terribly bother our blonde friend, on the other hand, I think that would be more than fair.¡± ¡°And fun.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The jaguar reacted with a big nod. ¡°Next time, let¡¯s make a forest so dense and overpopulated that it¡¯s impossible to cross for people. ¡°T-That¡¯s a pretty cute revenge.¡± She tried to stay serious while saying it. ¡°Good point...¡± Ari¡¯s cheeks turned slightly red. ¡°I might need a while to get on the level of ridiculousness as everyone else.¡± ¡°Ahaha,¡± Maya let out a small chuckle. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine! To be a bit more mischievous, rather than creating a forest like that on our own, we should do that to whatever Sophia is trying to create. Extra points if we do it behind her back to make her think it was her own fault~.¡± ¡°I have much to learn from you!¡± ¡°Happy to be of use~.¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s decide on something specific when the time comes. Making plans beforehand rarely works out in this group, after all.¡± Ari knew that all of them were quite impulsive. "It''s gotten late, and I''m actually rather tired, too." ¡°I like that plan.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Are you okay with sharing a bed, or should we try and look for a second one in the other free rooms?" ¡°How horny do you get during the night?¡± The jaguar raised an eyebrow while she looked at her. ¡°With just you?¡± Maya looked back at her. ¡°Slightly less than usual, I guess? Sophia not being here with us puts a bit of a damper on my mood. Why? Were you hoping for something?¡± ¡°I was not!¡± She raised her voice. "I just wanted to know if sharing a bed with you is safe." ¡°How rude!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°It¡¯s not like you and Anna are being known in the entire castle in the capital for being horny, right? Loudly horny at that.¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re still rubbing that in?!¡± Ari¡¯s face got redder. "Y-You¡¯re as safe with me as I¡¯m with you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Okay, yeah, let¡¯s leave it at that. I¡¯m too tired to keep going with this.¡± ¡°We should tire you out more often.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Good night!¡± The jaguar noticed her usual ambiguity and decided to stop talking. Once they agreed to end the topic, the duo got ready to go to bed and managed to quickly fall asleep afterward. Chapter 016 – Chloe and Sophia Maya and Ari had a long chat about banding together to manipulate the voting system of the group to decide on places to visit. After all, the two needed to make sure they didn''t do anything too dangerous. Not that they didn''t also make some plans to use it to be able to visit some areas they¡¯d like to explore. ¡°What a day~.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Just like the other two duos, Sophia and Chloe also decided to chat a little before getting ready to sleep in their room. ¡°Should we bug Mira about interesting places to visit tomorrow? I¡¯m sure an overseer would make a great tour guide!¡± ¡°She probably knows the entire world, huh?¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°Would that be the most fun thing to do, though?¡± She then tilted her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t finding interesting places half the fun in traveling?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very fair and true argument!¡± Sophia could follow her train of thought. ¡°I don¡¯t want to miss out on anything, though!¡± ¡°That is indeed a valid concern!¡± She heartily agreed with that. ¡°Maybe we could talk her into making sure we don¡¯t overlook anything?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll continue traveling on a whim and vote on places we''d like to see on the way or actively travel towards to, but without Mira spoiling us. Only, when we overlook something, like walking right past anything fun we wouldn''t see without her, she could draw our attention to whatever it could be.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia seemed to approve of the idea. ¡°That¡¯s the perfect solution! I love it! A failsafe for the perfect exploration trip!¡± ¡°Exactly~.¡± ¡°I think we need to reevaluate the voting system again, though.¡± The tiger suddenly sounded a bit more serious. ¡°I have the feeling that there will be too much bias involved.¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± Chloe raised her voice. ¡°We have too many cats that dislike the cold! Steph or I will never win a single vote on places we¡¯d like to see!¡± ¡°No, that part is a good thing!¡± The leader of the cats shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s also not what I meant.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The leader of the cold fraction didn¡¯t like her reply. ¡°What do you mean, then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m like 96% certain that the other two duos will form alliances to manipulate the voting of places to explore!¡± ¡°You think so?¡± Chloe looked confused. ¡°Neither of the couplings seem like they would work that way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite the opposite, my dear~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. "Anna and Steph, as well as Maya and Ari, are the most likely duos for that to happen!" ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± She only got more confused. ¡°How did you manage to come to that conclusion?¡± "I don''t know why they haven''t hit off quite yet, but Anna and Steph have quite similar personalities when it comes to how they are around people. Nice, outgoing, and caring, but also kinda way too active, and a bit tomboyish. Both are beyond stubborn and impatient, too.¡± ¡°Yes, I noticed¡­¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°Their room fight was beyond petty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty much guaranteed that those two will band together to achieve a common higher goal. It¡¯s in their nature to have the most fun possible as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Well, I can see Steph trying to talk her into it, yes. If the princess really is that similar, the chances for it happening really are rather high." The fox-girl was starting to understand. "It makes absolutely no sense for Ari and Maya, though! They¡¯re way too strict for that!¡± ¡°Y-You really need to spend more time with them alone!¡± Sophia tried to hold back a chuckle. ¡°W-What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Chloe didn¡¯t like hearing that she didn¡¯t know her friends well enough. "Okay, fair enough. You didn''t meet magic-obsessed and muscle-brain Maya at her peak before she decided to save the world by becoming the group''s babysitter, so I can''t really blame you.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯d also like to say that my bond with Ari is almost maxed out, too, so I know just how playful and mischievous she can be.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Maya¡¯s sass that¡¯s an exception to her usual personality, it¡¯s her being the serious type that isn¡¯t her real self. Ari¡¯s also much less of a good girl, as well. I mean, look at what they did to my domain!" She then pointed out the window in their room. ¡°Ha, if you put it that way, it makes a lot of sense. Rather obvious, too.¡± ¡°In your defense, you did spend a LOT of time with Steph the last half year.¡± Sophia¡¯s smile turned a little mischievous. ¡°I can see how you¡¯d overlook some details about the others~.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°That¡¯s just as much yours and everyone else¡¯s fault!¡± Chloe got a little louder. Everyone was just lazing around because it was too cold! It was just Steph that wanted to go outside with me!¡± ¡°Ahaha,¡± The tiger scratched her cheek. ¡°I can¡¯t really say much there. Though, I went outside at least once a day!¡± ¡°To go running at a speed that should be impossible to achieve for bipedal beings! No, thank you!¡± ¡°You sure are hard to please!¡± ¡°You are not allowed to call others hard to please!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t like her reply. ¡°Why?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m incredibly easy to please! Just ask Maya!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox-girl went silent for a moment. ¡°Did we just change the topic to something else?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The blonde¡¯s expression turned cute while she tilted her head even more. ¡°You¡¯re insufferable¡­¡± ¡°I love you, too~.¡± ¡°Okay, you might be easy to please, but you surely aren¡¯t low maintenance.¡± ¡°I never claimed to be. I try my best not to lie, after all.¡± ¡°Self-aware as usual, at least.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Sophia thought it was time to change the topic for real. ¡°Steph and you, now that it got mentioned, how is it going?¡± ¡°W-What do you mean?¡± ¡°Exactly what those blushing cheeks of you mean.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°As Steph¡¯s older sister, I must ensure she¡¯s treated well! If not, things will get ugly very fast! Because I will make them ugly!¡± "Do I look like someone who would hurt or treat anyone badly?¡± Chloe sounded upset. ¡°Or like I am even capable of something like that?¡± ¡°No, you are the very definition of lovely, but who knows what happens behind closed doors!¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± Hearing that, the fox-girl quickly turned her head to the side. ¡°What''s with that reaction?!¡± ¡°L-Look, it¡¯s not my fault that Steph¡¯s a complete bottom, okay¡­?¡± ¡°Eh¡­?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent again. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Sophia got a little louder instead. ¡°My sister is a bottom?! The loud and energetic violet dog you¡¯re dating? No way!¡± ¡°Well, the saying always goes like the silents types are often the, uhh¡­ active ones, right? That would mean the opposite for the loud type, no?¡± ¡°Is that really how that works?¡± The tiger looked confused. ¡°Well, dogs also have a bit of a reputation of being obedient and if you continue that play in bed, then¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°W-We aren¡¯t taking things that far!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not?¡± ¡°N-NO!¡± ¡°Why not?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°B-Because,¡± Chloe had a hard time saying anything. ¡°Wait, how did we get here in the first place?¡± Sophia wanted to avoid pressing the topic any further. ¡°Because you wanted to know how I treat Steph behind closed doors!¡± The pink fox looked even more embarrassed. ¡°A-And that made me remember the times when she¡¯s too indecisive for¡­ everything, and I have to be the one taking the¡­ lead.¡± ¡°Kinky~.¡± "Not a literal lead!" "I see." "I mean," The fox looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against finishing her sentence. "Huh?" "Nothing!" "I see~." ¡°S-Shush!¡± Chloe lightly glared at her. "ANYWAY! I¡¯m treating your sister with the utmost respect possible! Even if she wants me to do things that don''t seem like it at first glance!" ¡°That¡¯s great to hear! Also¡­ wow.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Things I did not expect to learn about Steph today.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She did not know what to say. ¡°Soo¡­ It does seem like Steph¡¯s in good hands! Glad to hear that as the big sister~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°What about the other way around?¡± ¡°Being the top is super fun!¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± The tiger needed a moment. ¡°I was, uhh¡­ That¡¯s good to know, but I wanted to know if she¡¯s treating you well, too.¡± ¡°I need to start thinking before opening my stupid mouth already!¡± Chloe used her hands to cover her face to hide her embarrassment. ¡°It¡¯s the worst, right?¡± She could sympathize with her. ¡°I¡¯m suffering from the same affliction.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­ Yes, Steph is treating me very well. There¡¯s absolutely nothing I can complain about!¡± The fox dropped the topic. ¡°I¡¯m extremely happy to be with her, and every second with her is the best!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to jump right into bragging there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re constantly bragging about how amazing Maya is!¡± ¡°Fair point, go on.¡± Sophia had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°How about we not go on and do something else?¡± She had enough embarrassment for one evening. ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°Oh, about the topic from before! If the other duos really are banding together to push their favorite places to visit, should we do the same?¡± ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± She then nodded. ¡°I have three very good reasons for it, too.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± "First, we both want to see as many places as possible, right? Exploring for exploring¡¯s sake! Does it really matter what to see first?¡± ¡°True!¡± ¡°Second, there¡¯s absolutely no way we could ever settle on something we¡¯d like to see equally because our tastes are way too different. Taking turns wouldn''t work, either. You''d want to see cold places, and I prefer warm ones. We''d have to constantly dart all over the place!" ¡°Also very true.¡± ¡°And then there¡¯s by far the most important reason!¡± The tiger made a short pause. ¡°Imagine the two of us, who are treated as the most illogical and unhinged ones in the group, being the only ones who didn¡¯t cheat by making such an underhanded deal!¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± Chloe liked the way she was thinking. "I won''t stop being smug about it for at least a month!" ¡°Hehe~.¡± The pink fox let out a small chuckle. ¡°I love it! We have nothing to lose but so much to win!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do it like that!¡± She smiled at the tiger. ¡°With that being sorted, shall we head to bed? I¡¯ve gotten pretty tired!¡± ¡°I can always sleep!¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t against the idea. ¡°Though, I¡¯m not entirely sure anymore if sharing a bed with you is a good idea. ¡°She glanced at the double bed in the room they were in. ¡°I know myself and my sleeping habits pretty well and¡­ and it¡¯ll take exactly two minutes and four seconds for me to be all over your tail after I fell asleep. It¡¯s guaranteed. No chances of it not happening.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Chloe got a little awkward again. ¡°Well¡­ As long as you don¡¯t get forceful with it during your sleep and squeeze all the way down to the base of my tail¡­ It, uhh¡­ should be okay.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Steph and Maya will be your problem, though.¡± "A sacrifice I¡¯m willing to make!¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± ¡°YES!¡± Afterward, even though Sophia was more excited than ever, the two got ready to sleep and became comfortable in the bed together. Just as predicted, it took the tiger exactly 7 seconds after falling asleep to hug and cuddle into Chloe¡¯s fluffy tail. The owner of said tail wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it, but as there wasn''t even a shred of impure feeling radiating from Sophia while she was gently clinging to her, the fox-girl also quickly fell asleep. Chapter 017 – The next day The first very long day of the group¡¯s resumed travels had finally come to an end after many interesting events, which even included the girls having swapped their partners for the night. Even though it only was about sharing a different room and only involved sleeping with each other in the literal and all-ages way. "I am SOOO very envious of Steph for being able to do that every night!" Sophia and Chloe had left their room and were on the way downstairs to the living room when the blonde kept glancing and the fluffy tail of the girl she had spent the night with. ¡°I find it very interesting that you and your sister have the exact same reaction when waking up and letting go of my tail.¡± The fox-girl smiled at her. ¡°You open your eyes, give my tail a good squeeze, let go of it, and show me the biggest grin possible while saying ¡®Thank you very much for the treat!¡¯. Exact same intonation and spring in your voice, too." ¡°It would be a crime against the universe to react in any other way!¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± Hearing that, Chloe started laughing. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Steph, again, said the very same thing when I asked her one day why she does the same ritual every morning when we wake up." ¡°I¡¯ve never been prouder of my little sister!¡± ¡°You two really are some very loveable dorks.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger liked that. ¡°By the way, was it really okay for me to use your tail as a hug pillow? I know your outer fluff isn¡¯t that sensitive, but it¡¯s still something very intimate, no? I mean, for us¡­ cats, only your lover is usually allowed to do it." ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you ask yourself if it was an okay thing for you to do, then?" "A-Ah.¡± The blonde got a little awkward. ¡°I-I¡¯m from a different world and only turned into a hybrid cat a year ago! It¡¯s not that heavy of a rule for me¡­¡± ¡°Will Maya be okay with that argumentation of yours, too?¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She looked even more awkward. ¡°Personally, I¡¯m fairly okay with it.¡± Chloe looked at her again. ¡°Strangers would be a different thing, but I like you quite a lot, on top of being Steph''s sister. Again, my tail is also fairly insensitive because of the thick layer of fluff. I barely felt you hugging it, that helps a lot. Compared to Steph, who more than once had buried her entire head and half her body into it, you were nice and gentle~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m SOOO envious again!¡± ---------------- The two finished their conversation soon after and finally made their way into the living room, where another duo was already present. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna and Steph were sitting next to each other, but they had their heads turned in the other direction, seemingly not wanting to look at the girl next to them. Both also had a very displeased expression for some reason. ¡°Are you two still fighting over that stupid room?!¡± Sophia shook her head a couple of times. ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡± ¡°We obviously are!¡± The princess looked back at her. ¡°It¡¯s just because Steph doesn¡¯t want the room!¡± "You won the privilege to use it fair and square!" The dog-girl glared at the blonde tiger. "It''s yours, and it''ll stay that way!" ¡°But I don¡¯t want it anymore!¡± ¡°Neither do I!¡± It almost seemed like sparks were flying between them. ¡°And you called me insufferable¡­¡± Sophia took a short glance at Chloe next to her. ¡°Wait, what?¡± She only then noticed that the issue between the duo had ever so slightly changed. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°The room is the worst!¡± ¡°Yeah, I hate it!¡± Both of them got loud while staring at the blonde. ¡°Can we go back to bed¡­?¡± Sophia seemed quite tired when she faced Chloe once again. ¡°I like that plan!¡± She looked back at her with an exhausted-looking smile. ¡°No, you won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Not a chance.¡± Maya and Ari appeared behind them and blocked the door leading out of the living room. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to deal with this!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia and the pink fox immediately began to protest. ¡°Tough luck.¡± The other two merely shook their heads. ¡°We had to deal with that for two hours already." They pointed at the bickering duo. ¡°It¡¯s your time now!¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡± The short tiger let out a prolonged sigh before facing her sister. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°Why me?!¡± The dog didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°This time, it¡¯s really and absolutely 100% Anna¡¯s fault! We had a contest, and she won the right to use the room! I was upset about it, but I let her have it! Just because she no longer wants it doesn''t mean I must take it now! I don''t want it anymore!" ¡°Neither do I, though!¡± The princess vehemently shook her head. "Listen here, idiots,¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°There are still like 5 unused rooms in the cottage. Just take one of them each! It''s too early for this! I haven''t had breakfast, either!" ¡°Great!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Chloe tilted her head while looking at the two. ¡°Yesterday, you were fighting to get the room, and now you¡¯re fighting to get rid of the room?¡± ¡°They¡¯re just stupid.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Maya and Ari¡¯s explanation was rather harsh. ¡°Hey!¡± Obviously, the girls in question didn¡¯t like that. ¡°I get the feeling they might be right, though.¡± Sophia sided with her cat and the jaguar. ¡°We are not stupid!¡± The duo got even louder. ¡°Well then, let me hear the reasons why the room suddenly is no good any longer.¡± Sophia intensified her stare at them. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to sleep in there!¡± The voices of Anna and Steph overlapped perfectly. ¡°BURN THE ROOM!¡± The blonde was convinced quite easily. ¡°Right, there are more idiots in this group.¡± ¡°HEY!¡± This time, three girls glared at Maya. ¡°What was the reason you couldn¡¯t sleep?¡± The fox-girl stayed a little more neutral while she addressed the princess. ¡°No idea.¡± She just shrugged. "I don''t know why, but I woke up at least once an hour, and it took forever to fall asleep again.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Chloe tilted her head before eventually glancing at the violet dog. "I have the feeling that''s your fault, my dear.¡± She then concentrated on the tall tiger again. ¡°Our dear Steph here has the worst sleeping posture. She probably did something to wake you up. Repeatedly. Trust me, I have some experience with that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a peaceful sleeper!¡± Steph was deeply hurt by this unfounded accusation. "Do you still remember last month when you somehow managed to make a 180-degree turn in bed, wrapped your legs around my neck, and almost choked me with your thighs?" ¡°¡­¡± She immediately went silent. "While I would imagine that choking is a horrible death, if I had to die by it, I want it to happen like that." ¡°True!¡± The tiger duo seemed to be pretty okay with it. "Anyway, I also woke up during the same time, too!" Steph ignored them and looked at her fox-girl with a serious expression. ¡°Okay, that has to mean something!¡± Her eyes opened wide. ¡°For you to wake up, it has to be serious!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°Steph¡¯s sleeping posture is indeed pretty, uhh¡­ wild, though.¡± Anna scratched her cheek. ¡°Her tail ended up in my face many times. It was very fluffy, so it didn''t exactly bother me, but tails should be used with more reservation!¡± She started to blush a little. ¡°It¡¯s way too intimate, after all!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The dog-girl had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°I get the point, but we should be more open with the tail caressing!¡± ¡°EXACTLY!¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°I knew I could count on you!¡± Steph smiled at her sister. ¡°You were all over Chloe¡¯s tail during the night, were you not?¡± Maya stared right at her blonde while shaking her head a little. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t all over it!¡± Sophia awkwardly looked back at her. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°R-Really!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Chloe tried to help the tiger. ¡°She did use it as a hug pillow, but she was so gentle that I barely felt it." ¡°Impressive. In one way or another.¡± Maya still had somewhat mixed feelings. ¡°Well, Ari was also way clingier than I had expected, which I didn¡¯t mind at all, so I¡¯m hardly in a position to complain. ¡°I was?¡± It was news to the jaguar in question. ¡°She was?!¡± Anna didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of this revelation. ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°What did she do?!¡± ¡°I wonder~.¡± Maya smirked at the couple. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that even I was surprised. Thanks for the treat, by the way~.¡± ¡°E-Eh?!¡± ¡°It seems like everyone bonded quite well last night, huh?¡± The pink fox simply smiled at everyone around her. ¡°That¡¯s not the takeaway here!¡± Even though it was still morning, Anna was already going strong with her retorts. ¡°Are you not getting along better with Steph, too?¡± Chloe stared at the princess. ¡°Sure, you were fighting again first thing in the morning, but it sounded very playful and not at all serious to me once it was clear what was going on.¡± ¡°T-This and that is different!¡± The tall tiger stole a glance at the dog-girl before she decided to be upset again. "Getting along and getting along are two very different things!¡± She then glared at Maya again. ¡°How does breakfast sound?¡± She wasn¡¯t phased by it at all. ¡°Great idea!" Sophia, Chloe, and Steph were big fans of the plan. Afterward, as the hungry trio had gotten very excited about the food, any more complaining from the princess fell on deaf ears. Well, even deafer ears. Chapter 018 – Domain base changes The morning after their partner-swapped sleepover started on a somewhat hectic note, as all six girls weren''t exactly known for being calm and composed. All the suggestiveness and innuendos didn¡¯t really make it any easier, either. "Seriously, what did Ari do?!" While having breakfast together, Anna was getting loud again while staring at Maya the entire time. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± She smirked back at her. ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Really~?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s expression turned even more mischievous. ¡°Uhh¡­¡± The tall tiger backed off a little. ¡°I-I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯re looking at me!¡± ¡°Also, earlier, you openly admitted having enjoyed Steph¡¯s tail being all over your face the last night. Are you really in any position to be upset and or jealous?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Anna went silent rather quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ari didn''t do anything that would be above you munching on Steph¡¯s fur~.¡± ¡°C-Could you word it any worse?!¡± The princess started to blush. ¡°I¡¯m sure I could.¡± The cat-girl was up for the challenge. "Do you want me to try?" "No!" ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Steph then also smiled at the tall tiger. ¡°There is no fur you could munch on in the area Maya''s trying to make an innuendo here." ¡°You¡¯re not helping!¡± Anna glared at her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to~.¡± The dog-girl gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I just wanted to clarify the fur situation on my body.¡± ¡°No one asked!¡± She got even louder. ¡°Also, we know because of all the time we spent in the hot springs together!¡± ¡°And where were you looking when we did that?¡± Ari joined the conversation. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true!¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°I guess that clarification was unnecessary, then.¡± ¡°It was!¡± More than one girl retorted. For more than one reason, too. "Anyway," Maya''s smile turned somewhat gentle when she faced the orange tiger again. ¡°I was mostly teasing you. Really, nothing much happened with Ari. Her tail is quite active when she sleeps, and it¡¯s surprisingly fluffy, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Every duo got some tail action, huh?¡± Steph gave another unasked-for summarization. ---------------- Once the girls finished their peaceful breakfast, they decided to leave the cottage as Sophia eventually noticed that the wolves had been outside for a while. ¡°What are you two up- Ah.¡± Sophia addressed Fen and Aura, who were just outside the cottage but quickly turned silent when she glanced in the same direction they were looking. ¡°Ah.¡± Ari and Maya had the same reaction. For a very special reason, too. ¡°WOW!¡± The eyes of Steph and Chloe immediately started sparkling when they saw the massively overgrown rainforest, with an uncountable number of trees that made one''s neck hurt trying to look at their crowns, that stopped just around a hundred meters short of the cottage. ¡°Someone really did a thorough job on empowering the jungle I gifted Sophia." After a little while, Mira and Fey appeared behind the group and exited the cottage while looking at the creation. "Well, it¡¯s closer to a general rainforest, I guess? With all the high-grown trees.¡± ¡°And here I thought you two were the reasonable ones.¡± The full fox glanced at Ari and Maya before shaking her head. ¡°I guess I was wrong.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°¡­¡± The duo had nothing to say in their defense. "It actually supersedes my expectations of how it would turn out to be." The many-tailed fox tilted her head. ¡°I assume the traces of Canir¡¯s magic inside of you, from the times Sophia boosted your own powers, had a greater effect than I had anticipated. It''s most interesting!¡± ¡°Most concerning, you mean.¡± Fey corrected her. ¡°I do not.¡± The overseer reacted with a cheeky smile. ¡°Uhh, is the cottage going to be okay?¡± Sophia looked at Mira while pointing at the nature in front of them. ¡°If it got that far overnight, this place will be swallowed soon, too, right? I can see and feel more magic than ever radiating from it, so the forest will definitely grow even more!¡± ¡°How much do you like the cottage?¡± The teal fox awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I love it!¡± ¡°The room you can¡¯t sleep in sucks, though.¡± Anna felt the need to add her own evaluation. ¡°That aside, yeah.¡± The blonde agreed with her fellow tiger. ¡°Other than that, it¡¯s most amazing!¡± ¡°You might add some precautions, then.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°You totally overdid it!¡± Sophia then glared at Maya and Ari. ¡°I¡¯ll go and create a whole mountain range right in front of the capital if your forest destroys my cozy cottage! I don¡¯t care about your three times payback! I¡¯ll get 20 times as crazy in return!¡± ¡°She really loves that house, huh?¡± Chloe nudged Steph¡¯s side while saying so. ¡°Well, it is a great place, so I can understand it.¡± ¡°Except for that stupid room, I do agree.¡± The dog-girl felt the same as Anna. ¡°Is there anything we can do about it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t want to have to explain to the king why the view out of his capital has changed!¡± Maya and Ari faced Mira with troubled expressions. ¡°Sophia¡¯s the only one who can do anything at this point.¡± She lightly shook her head. ¡°What can I do?¡± The blonde also looked at her. ¡°And how?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather complicated, and I''m unsure if you''re ready for such advanced magic yet.¡± ¡°I have to try!¡± She took the overseer¡¯s challenge. ¡°Sure thing, my dear~.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°Alright, close your eyes and imagine the perimeter around the cottage that should be exempt from magic-accelerated growth and generally be a neutral zone.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Doing just that, the tiger closed her eyes and seemingly concentrated for a few moments. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°What about complicated or advanced?¡± ¡°That was a good one, wasn¡¯t it?¡± She just chuckled in response. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t upset in the slightest. ¡°Alrighty, with this having been taken care of surprisingly easily, how about we return to the normal world and continue with our travels?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Steph seemed to be a big fan of the suggestion. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Time to- WAIT!¡± It seemed like Sophia suddenly remembered something. ¡°No, it¡¯s not time to wait!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°It¡¯s time to go!¡± ¡°In five minutes, okay?¡± She smiled at her little sister before focusing on Mira. ¡°You said that it¡¯s best to empty our magic into my domain before leaving so that the saturation of it in here increases, right?" ¡°I didn¡¯t say you should, but that it would help the development of your domain.¡± The overseer slightly corrected her. ¡°Same difference!¡± She didn¡¯t accept the correction. ¡°Alright, girls, it''s time to pay the fee for staying in my place! Dish out some spare magic!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not staying here.¡± Fey sounded a little smug. ¡°Mira and I spent the night in her domain, after all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still here right now!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯m not a girl.¡± Fen also decided to talk back. "Don''t worry, you''re our honorary girl." She didn¡¯t let his excuse count, either. ¡°That¡¯s not a title I want!¡± He wasn¡¯t happy about his honorary position. "Tough luck!" ¡°What is this about?¡± Chloe interrupted the bickering duo and addressed the blonde. ¡°Ah, right, you all weren¡¯t there when Mira explained to basics about domains to me. Basically, right now, I have to do everything I can to increase the concentration of raw magic in here before I can do the really fun stuff. Like weather and climate, or even be able to make a replica of the sky, just like Mira has in her domain!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The pink fox liked the sound of that. "Like the magic forest that sponges up and increases the magic?" ¡°Exactly.¡± She nodded. "Releasing our own authority in the form of raw magic also would be a tremendous help to get an ever-growing baseline the plants could feed on in the beginning until a self-sustaining ecosystem forms¡­ Or something like that!¡± Sophia still wasn¡¯t entirely sure about the details. ¡°Close enough.¡± Mira nodded a few times. ¡°The¡­ raw magic you release inside Sophia¡¯s domain will stay here for good when you recover to your usual power outside in the regular world.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Chloe kept nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll just pretend I understood how all this works, okay?¡± ¡°Story of my life!¡± The blonde saw no fault in her words. ¡°Anyway, with that being explained, it¡¯s time to pay!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit selfish?¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it. ¡°Of course!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I am selfish, after all! That aside, think about just how much fun we can have in here once the magic levels are adequate! Optimal temperature and weather whenever we want, hot springs under a starry sky only limited by our imagination are but a few things we¡¯d be able to play with!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar paused for a moment. ¡°Well, it does sound not not fun¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t able to fully admit it. ¡°Especially when the regular world stays unaffected.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Afterward, everyone except Mira and Fey decided to pay the Sophia Tax to increase the magic inside her domain. The blonde went all out and left all of her magic while the others donated roughly half of theirs before the group finally returned to the regular world to continue their travels. Chapter 019 – High-speed exploring The Sophia Tax has been established, which made everyone who uses her domain pay with a portion of their raw magic they must leave behind when leaving the place. Naturally, this was only to better her domain and make it more fun to play in there. More magic equals more fun, after all. It had no downsides, either, as their full powers would recover during their travels through the regular world. A win-win for everyone. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time for exploring!¡± Back where they left off outside her domain the day before, Sophia energetically raised her arm. ¡°High-speed exploring!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph had the exact same reaction. ¡°High-speed exploring¡­?¡± Anna looked confused. ¡°Punishment for something or another¡­ Kinda forgot why, but I decided that we''ll be traveling at full speed today because I was greatly offended by something and or someone yesterday!" ¡°How offended can you be if you don¡¯t even remember the reason?¡± Fey rolled her eyes while looking at the blonde. ¡°VERY!¡± ¡°I see.¡± The full fox didn¡¯t feel like arguing any further. "Right!" Sophia then clapped her hands. "I was angry at Maya and Ari for being way too sassy to me! Even for their standards! Also, we found out that Chloe is too lazy and prefers to be carried around! Not acceptable! Also, I think Anna was in need of some stamina training!" ¡°¡­¡± The girls in question went silent. ¡°As Fey actually accompanied me on some of my morning runs in the past, and I know that our wolves love it, too, I assume they¡¯re fine with my decision.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± The trio nodded in agreement. ¡°Mira, are you fine with it, too? I would assume that you could be the fastest if you want to?¡± ¡°Absolutely~.¡± The overseer smiled at her. ¡°Also, if this helps to make my beloved daughter less lazy, I¡¯m all for it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ that lazy!¡± The girl in question started pouting. ¡°Walking, if not too much, is fine, but running is no fun! Too exhausting!¡± ¡°Sounds pretty lazy to me.¡± Multiple voices had to make a retort. ¡°Ah.¡± Chloe noticed her mistake a little too late. ¡°It¡¯s decided then!¡± Sophia joyfully clapped her hands. ¡°How far should we run? 100km sounds like a nice warm-up, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Seems good to me.¡± Fen nodded a few times. ¡°Count me in!¡± So did Steph. ¡°That works for me.¡± Aura and Fey weren¡¯t against it, either. ¡°SOMEONE STOP THOSE FREAKS!¡± Chloe''s and Anna''s opinions on the matter were very different as their voices overlapped. "What they said! Just in nicer words." Ari, too, wasn''t a fan. ¡°Not that any nicer words come to mind right now.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we''re going to make a short break at the halfway point." The blonde smiled at the concerned girls. ¡°THAT ISN¡¯T GOING TO MAKE IT ANY BETTER!¡± The princess and the pink fox were still in perfect sync. ¡°NOT EVEN A LITTLE, IDIOT!¡± ¡°What they said!¡± The jaguar lagged a little behind still. ¡°Not in nicer words either, idiot!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sophia let out a sigh. "Mira, are they just whining, or am I asking for too much? Factoring in their boosted magic and increased physical powers.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°If we take Anna and Ari as the baseline, as those two have the smallest authority and magically boosted bodies in the group, 200 kilometers should be possible with ease. You have to remember that they paid 50% Sophia Tax today, so their bodies are already a bit tired. Your suggested 100 kilometers are the perfect middle ground here.¡± ¡°THEY ARE NOT!¡± Mira¡¯s popularity was also plummeting. ¡°Enough excuses!¡± The blonde finally had enough. ¡°Everyone who keeps complaining will be left behind!¡± ¡°Such a tyrant!¡± ¡°Tough luck! Everyone made me the leader of the group for whatever reason, so you have to deal with the consequences of such a stupid decision!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ---------------- As there was absolutely nothing they could do anymore at this point, everyone got ready for today¡¯s exploring slash training session. ¡°M-Mercy¡­!¡± Roughly an hour had passed since the group started running, and the result of it was Sophia having two girls kneeling in front of her while pleading to her with teary eyes. Chloe and Anna had not taken the training session overly well. ¡°I-I¡¯d like to agree¡­¡± Ari, also looking quite tired, agreed with the duo while leaning against Maya next to her for stabilization, as her legs seemed a little shaky. ¡°I am sooo happy that I¡¯m not the slowest of the group anymore!¡± The cat-girl was faring a lot better than the three. ¡°So weak.¡± Sophia slowly shook her head while looking at the two girls on the floor before her. ¡°There will be lots more training in the future!¡± ¡°N-No!¡± Their despair only grew. ¡°There are times when Sophia is almost impossible to deal with, and there are days when you just love her. The duality of this girl is something else!¡± Fey was impressed by the blonde. ¡°W-Which day is today?¡± The pink fox looked at her mother with pleading eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to know.¡± The full fox stared right back at her. ¡°Ah.¡± She hung her head. ¡°Anyway,¡± Fey then faced the blonde. ¡°I applaud, figuratively speaking, your enthusiasm on the matter, and they definitely need more training, but we might should think about finetuning our approach a little.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± She looked back at her. "Pushing them too far too quickly would only make them hate it." The full fox shook her head a couple of times. "Not to mention that, because of the extra breaks we need for them to recover, we actually aren''t any faster." ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Then again, for half of them, it was a punishment.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Fey could agree with that. ¡°My goal is for my dear lazy daughter to tackle more demanding and straining tasks, though.¡± ¡°Valid.¡± ¡°Can I remind you that we traveled across half an entire continent already?!¡± The lazy girl got loud. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m in the top 1% of distance traveled in this world! There are many people that are way lazier!¡± ¡°How much of that was spent walking very leisurely or entirely on my back?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She had the same reaction as before. ¡°Walking is more fun, anyway! You¡¯re less likely to miss anything important, as well!¡± "EXACTLY!" Anna agreed with her new best friend. In that matter, for now, at least. ¡°It¡¯s hard to fault them for that.¡± Steph joined the conversation. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t agree at all, because I love running at high speed, but it¡¯s not something you have to enjoy." ¡°T-Thank you very much!¡± Chloe was touched that her girlfriend defended her. ¡°That being said, you really are quite slow.¡± Steph awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Ah.¡± After having been betrayed by her, the pink fox once again hung her head. ¡°On top of that, Anna was literally out of breath after not even five minutes.¡± The dog-girl then glanced at the princess. ¡°No matter how much you prefer a leisure walk, that¡¯s too much.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± The tall tiger had hoped she¡¯d be spared. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression got a little scrunchy. ¡°Okay, I get it! BUT!¡± ¡°But?¡± Fey tilted her head. ¡°Today is punishment day! While there will be breaks, we will keep running at max speed until the day is over! Tomorrow will be a lazy one because of sore muscles, and then we''ll be doing reasonable training sessions the day after!" ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± The full fox liked her plan. ¡°Good~.¡± ¡°NOT GOOD AT ALL!¡± Anna and Chloe, again, did not. ¡°The two of us, who are suffering the most, didn¡¯t even do anything to warrant a punishment! Ari and Maya were the sassy ones that upset you!¡± ¡°I am suffering a bit, though!¡± The jaguar glared at them. ¡°My legs feel like pudding!¡± ¡°Good!¡± It was a small consolation for them. ¡°Maya¡¯s totally fine, though!¡± ¡°I sure am~.¡± To rub it in even further, she gave them a smug thumbs up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to punish her this night.¡± Sophia smiled at them in return. ¡°Oh?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°THAT¡¯S NOT A PUNISHMENT!¡± Anna got even louder. ¡°Don¡¯t reward her!¡± ¡°Why am I not surprised you¡¯re into that?¡± Sophia glanced at her fellow tiger before facing Maya. ¡°My punishment will be nothing. We won¡¯t be doing anything tonight!¡± ¡°NOOOOO!¡± The horny cat fell to her knees. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair, then.¡± ¡°I¡¯d argue that¡¯s an even harsher punishment.¡± Anna and Chloe started to feel better. ¡°For Maya, at least.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl looked rather upset about this turn of events. ¡°So, it will just be me and my beloved toys¡­¡± ¡°What was that?¡± Sophia looked right at her. ¡°N-NOTHING!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Once that topic was taken care of, the group relaxed for a little longer before Sophia¡¯s punishment run continued. This, running, taking a break, running, taking a break, running, and so on, went all the way until the evening before the blonde called it a day and let them be free. Chapter 020 – Versatile magic After a day of continuous high-speed exploring as a punishment from Sophia for having been teased so much the day before, the group finally stopped after the sun had set. However, rather than immediately heading back to the cottage in the blonde¡¯s domain, they found a nice little spot next to a river together with a few trees and decided to stay there for a while. "Alright, that should do it!" Sophia had just finished lighting the campfire with her magic and the wood they gathered before. ¡°It¡¯s been way too long since we last did this! Well, it¡¯s still too cold for camping, but relaxing around a fire is a good start!¡± She then smiled at everyone gathered in a circle around it. ¡°I¡¯d like to disagree with the cold statement, but I guess your cat-brain tolerating even this is all I can ask for at the moment.¡± Steph lightly shook her head. ¡°What do you thin- Ah.¡± She looked at Chloe for confirmation, but the fox wasn¡¯t able to answer. ¡°¡­¡± She, as well as Anna, had gotten comfortable under a tree and had already fallen asleep with their back against it. Not only that, but the girls were also leaning against each other, with the princess having put her head on top of Chloe''s from the side, thanks to the massive height difference. They were the tallest and shortest in the group, after all. The two most likely ended up in that position because they relaxed and fell asleep the moment they sat down. ¡°Someone ran out of steam, huh?¡± The blonde looked at the calming sight with a warm expression. ¡°They ran out of steam seven hours ago.¡± Maya lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°I, too, am quite tired at this point.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m dead!¡± Ari got loud, and while looking extremely tired, she sat down next to Anna and leaned against her free side. ¡°Good luck making any progress tomorrow! I¡¯ll be sleeping all day long! Just as much as these two will!¡± She pointed at the two already sleeping girls to her right. ¡°Ahaha,¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I guess it¡¯s domain day tomorrow. Perfect time to start my own little projects in there!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to burn it once you¡¯re done.¡± The jaguar¡¯s mood was a little sour. ¡°Note to self, don¡¯t tell Ari where I go.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll find it.¡± ¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go far enough for you to only reach it with a week¡¯s worth of constant running. ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar glared at her. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Always love to hear it~.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Hearing that, Steph perked up and pointed at a larger forest not far away from where the group was resting. ¡°Can we, uhh¡­ borrow some fir and spruce trees from over there? I wanna do some experimenting, as well!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°I want some, too!¡± Aura joined in on the fun. ¡°I noticed some pines in there, too!¡± She also looked at the forest the dog-girl was pointing at. ¡°I want to make the most massive and best-smelling forest ever!¡± ¡°Of course~.¡± Sophia was a fan of their enthusiasm. ¡°The biome ideas are a little too temperate for, especially whatever Steph is going to create, but diversity is great, and I do love the smell of pine!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The duo was very motivated. ¡°Hehe." The blonde smiled at them but then changed her attention to Mira. ¡°How does that even work?¡± ¡°How does what work, my dear?¡± The overseer tilted her head. ¡°You need to be a bit more precise.¡± ¡°I get how trees and other plants grow with magic. Well, sort of, but let¡¯s not go there for now. What about the soil, though? I noticed that the forest Maya and Ari had grown massively in size this morning. It even covered areas that were previously only the all-white nothingness of my domain. Where does the ground come from?¡± You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Magic~.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m more and more seeing why you get upset when I use that reply.¡± Sophia looked at Maya with a slightly apologetic expression. ¡°As long as you understand.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°You need a bit more precise, my dear.¡± The blonde threw Mira¡¯s words right back at her. ¡°Good comeback.¡± The teal fox had to give it to her. ¡°It¡¯s one of the many specialties of overseer domains. Magic can be controlled down to the elemental level, and I don''t mean fire or water here. Raw environmental magic combined with the magic-infused flora is somewhat symbiotic. Excess magic will be turned elemental and converted into soil and other important things to nurture even more trees and plants in return, which will lead to a higher magic concentration. It¡¯s a never-ending circle.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia, Steph, and the wolves had the same reaction. Chloe probably would¡¯ve, too, but she was fast asleep and hadn¡¯t heard a single word. ¡°You understood that?!¡± Maya and Ari, who was still awake while leaning against her tiger, also reacted similarly. ¡°Not at all!¡± The sisters shook their heads. ¡°It sounds super cool, though!¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± ¡°Long story short, more than just adding outside stimulation in the form of plants, landmarks, and general environment, with enough environmental or raw magic, your domain itself will turn alive over time. Everything flora and fauna require will eventually be produced by magic by turning elemental." ¡°Ohh!¡± The sisters nodded in understanding. ¡°You still don¡¯t get it, do you?¡± Fey slowly shook her head while looking at the two. ¡°More than before, but still no!¡± ¡°About what I expected.¡± The full fox lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, this is something else entirely, so it''s indeed rather unbelievable." She couldn''t blame them for it. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°If elemental magic can create everything that is needed, can it create or turn into diamonds, too?! That''s just carbon, after all.¡± ¡°For what would diamonds be needed?¡± Mira couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°To sell and fill my pockets!¡± The greedy side of the blonde showed. ¡°What a shrewd girl you are.¡± ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± She took it as a compliment. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not impossible, I guess¡­?¡± The overseer scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s quite complicated, though. Elementals act and form after their surroundings. You know when they¡¯re needed to further improve the magical satiation, not the contents of your wallet.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Completely ignoring the moral aspects of it, as well.¡± Fey added her own bit. ¡°True¡­¡± Sophia sounded ever so slightly disappointed. ¡°Well, I guess if magic is being so kind to create a new world in my domain, I can¡¯t really complain, can I? Thank you very much, magic~! I look forward to whatever you have in store for my domain!" Her thanks was directed in no particular direction. ¡°So, long story short, we only need a few samples of a biome to grow it bigger as magic nurtures any expansion needed to make it as big as possible?¡± Steph tried to understand it, as well. ¡°Mainly for the flora to generate even more magic in return?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°For the most part.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± It was all the dog-girl needed to hear. ¡°I¡¯m going to go so overboard that the magic in Sophia''s domain can''t even comprehend what''s happening!" ¡°I look forward to seeing your exploits~.¡± The teal fox smiled at her. ¡°I have to warn you about the downsides of your plan, though.¡± ¡°Downsides?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°The higher the magic concentration, the warmer a place usually is. It¡¯s faint, but an abundance of it has that effect on its surroundings. That¡¯s why the main areas of my domain are extra cozy, too.¡± ¡°And here I thought it was impossible to like my beloved magic even more!¡± Sophia was a big fan of this information. ¡°There might be a chance I like magic 1.2% less now¡­¡± Steph thought otherwise. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure there are countermeasures for that, right? I mean, I can use magic to make it colder, so it can certainly be used on a larger and automatically, can¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out~.¡± Mira smiled at her again. ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± She liked the challenge. ¡°Yeah, Steph¡¯s playground will definitely be placed as far away as possible from the center of my domain.¡± The blonde had a bad feeling about her energy. ¡°More space to go wild!¡± The dog-girl, if anything, was happy about it. The group kept relaxing around the campfire for a good while longer, but once Ari followed after Anna and Chloe, namely also succumbing to her exhaustion and falling asleep, everyone decided to return to the cottage. Before that, while Maya, Mira, and Fen, on his back, carried the sleeping girls through the portal, the sisters and Aura made a short trip to the nearby forest. After all, Steph and the female wolf wanted to get some needle leaf trees like pines, spruces, and firs for their domain projects. The blonde still wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of their ideas, but she liked the idea of having as much diversity in her domain as possible. That, and she, too, was an enjoyer of the way pines smell, so she could especially accept Aura¡¯s plan of creating the biggest and best-smelling forest in existence. Chapter 021 – Go big or go home The group had spent the entire day running around at high speed, which had taken quite a toll on Anna and Chloe especially. The two weren¡¯t used to running around so much and were either quite lazy and/or had next to no stamina, which caused the duo to immediately pass out when everyone decided to end the day around a campfire in the middle of nowhere. "Whoa, why is it so dark here?" Sophia, Steph, and Aura arrived a little late in the cottage inside the domain as they were collecting some tree samples for new biomes when the blonde noticed that their home was nearly pitch-black. ¡°Err¡­¡± At the same time, Maya came walking down the stairs while awkwardly scratching her cheek. She looked a little guilty for some reason, too. ¡°What did you do?¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like her expression. ¡°Sophia,¡± Mira followed slightly after the cat-girl. ¡°I think you made the safe zone around the cottage a little too small." Saying so, she walked towards the entrance door and opened it. ¡°Oh.¡± The tiger joined her and quickly noticed the issue when looking out the door. The rainforest had completely swallowed the cottage, and only a small dome around it was not covered in thick and overgrown plants. It was, at best, 15 meters in each direction before one needed a machete to keep going. Or magic. The same was for above the house, as the massive trees had also grown over it. ¡°Well, I only thought about the mansion alone not getting destroyed." She looked a little awkward. ¡°We really should teach magic how to interpret things more on its¡­ their own! I don¡¯t like thinking in a detailed manner to make it work!¡± ¡°We should really not.¡± The overseer shook her head. ¡°Things would get out of hand basically in an instant.¡± ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Sophia liked the idea. ¡°The same also happens if I don¡¯t add enough details, so the result would be the same, anyway!¡± ¡°How about you put more effort in, then?¡± ¡°Not what I wanted to hear!¡± She was not a fan of Mira¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll be doing some extensive gardening tomorrow.¡± Sophia looked outside again. ¡°I like the idea of being surrounded by an overgrown forest, but this is a bit much.¡± ¡°I can still go wild on my project, right?!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the direction the conversation was going. ¡°Sure!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Your biome will be thousands of kilometers away, so it will be impossible to affect the cottage here.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to prove your assumption wrong!¡± Her little sister was very motivated. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± ¡°I absolutely dare!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send Maya and Ari after you if you don¡¯t behave, you know?¡± ¡°Anything but that!¡± The dog-girl started panicking after hearing the threat of her older sister. ¡°Those two lunatics have no idea how to hold back and will destroy my precious work!¡± "For that alone, I''ll do exactly that, whether you overdo it or not.¡± The cat-girl was not amused and glared at Steph a little. ¡°I¡¯ll burn everything to the ground!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± "I think I''ll start with my biome a little further away from Steph''s." Aura didn''t want to be caught in the crossfire. "Just to be sure." ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°I have no idea how to hold back, after all.¡± ---------------- After the topic was over, in one way or another, the group took it easy for the rest of the evening. As Anna, Chloe, and Ari were already out for the count, and Maya felt quite tired after having run all day, as well, they kept it short and went to bed in a timely manner. The following morning started a little late, but once Sophia, Steph, Aura, and Chloe finished breakfast, the four immediately got going to play around in the blonde''s domain. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Anna¡¯s still in bed because she can¡¯t move!¡± The pink fox sounded rather smug when she said that. ¡°So weak!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Aura and the sisters just looked at her while slowly shaking their heads. ¡°What?¡± She didn¡¯t like their reaction. ¡°You sure are happy about your heightened healing and recovery that you were gifted by Mira and Fey when you were born, which has been boosted even more when my dear sister increased your magic by many times, huh?¡± Sophia put a hand on Chloe¡¯s shoulder and smiled at her. ¡°You know, I¡¯m planning to let Steph with her biome a few thousand of kilometers away from the cottage here in my domain. How about we run there rather than using my portals to go there instantly? Let''s see if you can still recover from that overnight." ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Steph and Aura had nothing against the plan. ¡°I AM DEEPLY SORRY!¡± Chloe immediately started panicking. ¡°I won¡¯t be so smug about it again! I won¡¯t be able to recover from that at all! I¡¯d be dead long before we arrive!¡± ¡°Ah, well, I can¡¯t let that happen.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek while glancing at her sister. ¡°I have the feeling that Steph here would be slightly upset with me, then.¡± ¡°Slightly, yes.¡± Her expression indicated that it would be more than just slightly, though. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll live for another day.¡± The blonde smiled at Chloe. ¡°Not that I¡¯d ever let that happen, anyway. I like you way too much, after all.¡± ¡°G-Good.¡± The fox still wasn¡¯t entirely sure how to feel. ¡°Let¡¯s just go! And with that, I mean taking one of your portals!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± She had nothing against the plan and quickly opened one of her purple portals in front of the four. ¡°It definitely is nice being able to use them by just thinking about the destination inside my domain. Let¡¯s go to Aura¡¯s place first.¡± ¡°Great idea!¡± The wolf liked that. ---------------- ¡°And here we are~.¡± After they stepped through the portal, Sophia held out her arms while overlooking the usual all-white nothingness of her domain. ¡°Where are we?¡± Aura tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to orientate yourself in here.¡± ¡°The cottage is exactly 500 kilometers in this direction.¡± The blonde pointed to her right. ¡°How do you know?¡± The fox sounded slightly dubious about her claim. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be rude, but your directional sense is in the negatives.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been this attacked in my life before!¡± She was deeply hurt by Chloe¡¯s accusation. ¡°Shut up, sis.¡± Steph just slowly shook her head while looking at her. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Sophia let out a chuckle before continuing. ¡°Anyway, I can feel everything inside my domain. I just know where it is. It''s super weird but also pretty handy.¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± Aura sounded impressed. ¡°I hope 500 kilometers is enough!¡± The blonde got a little more serious when she faced the wolf. ¡°I like the idea of a massive pine forest and just how amazing it would smell, but the usual climate of these places is a little too temperate for me to be too close to it!¡± ¡°Sure thing, my dear.¡± Aura nodded a few times. ¡°I want it to be as big as the eye can see and then some, but 100 kilometers in each direction should be more than big enough for that. Even if not, I could still expand it in the direction away from the cottage.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me!¡± The tiger gave her the okay for the biome. ¡°Here you go~.¡± While saying so, the area started to fill with purple sparkles before a 50 by 50 meters big area with two big pine trees, a few saplings, and some other greenery on a ten-meter-high patch of dirt appeared.¡± ¡°Perfect! Thank you very much!¡± The wolf was raring to go. ¡°Okay~.¡± Sophia liked her enthusiasm. "Alrighty, I''ll leave the portal to the cottage open so that you can return whenever you¡¯re done playing!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°With this stage being prepared, let¡¯s head out, girls!¡± She energetically raised her arm while smiling at Steph and Chloe as she opened yet another portal. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The duo did the same, and they stepped through the portal. ¡°Okay, dearest sister of mine, how nuts do you want to go?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Steph was very motivated. ¡°Why did I even ask?¡± The blonde rolled her eyes in return. ¡°Anyway, we are pretty much exactly 3,000 kilometers away from the cottage, which is in that direction.¡± She pointed to her left. ¡°That should be far enough to keep you away, right?¡± ¡°Well, if I hold back and focus on the other direction, it might barely work out¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to create a whole continent?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Go big or go home!¡± ¡°Fair point, I guess.¡± There was little she could say. ¡°Though, massive biomes are great and all, but just one biome the size of a whole continent, I don¡¯t know. Kinda monotonous, if not outright boring, don''t you think?" ¡°Sure, but a whole continent with many different cold biomes would not!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst!¡± Sophia was not a fan of her plan. ¡°I love you, too!¡± ¡°Anyway, here you go¡­¡± She gave up and took out the patch for Steph they borrowed from the forest the day before. In fact, it was three of them. Each was the same size as Aura''s, but it was just one for fir trees, one for spruce, and another for pine. The dog-girl wanted to have different needle-leaf trees, after all. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Chloe, what about you?¡± Looking tired already, the blonde faced her instead. "I''m still not sure what I''m going to do. I mainly wanted to come with you because I''m a big fan of Steph''s continent of eternal coldness and wanted to help her out a little at the start.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± The dog-girl was happy about the support. "Ah, I see. You two go big. I go home." It was too much for Sophia. ¡°Okay!¡± Afterward, the tiger opened another portal leading back to the cottage and left without saying another word. Chapter 022 – Changing the approach The day of high-speed exploring left some marks on Anna and Ari, while Chloe cheated her way out of the sore muscles by abusing her healing magic, and the group decided to stay in Sophia''s domain for the day to let them recover. Aura and Steph didn''t want to be idle, though, so the blonde took them to faraway areas in her domain to let them create their own biomes there. ¡°Haa, and they call me the hyper one.¡± Looking visibly tired after having had to deal with the other¡¯s extreme enthusiasm about the biomes, Sophia returned to the cottage with a sigh. ¡°You are the hyper one.¡± Maya immediately had to retort her claim. ¡°You don¡¯t even know¡­ why?¡± The blonde wanted to accuse her of not knowing what she was talking about, but she stopped once she noticed where Maya¡¯s voice was coming from. ¡°Why are you in a tree¡­?¡± She looked right at the cat-girl, who had apparently decided to climb one of the few remaining normal trees around the cottage and was currently relaxing on a branch roughly ten meters above the ground. ¡°Why not?¡± She simply tilted her head. ¡°I used to climb trees all the time in the past~. It¡¯s great!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a cat!¡± Sophia just had to do it. ¡°Yes?¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°Fair point.¡± The was nothing she could say. ¡°It¡¯s very relaxing, too.¡± Maya smiled at her before patting the place on the branch beside her. "Want to come up?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Nodding once, the tiger ran towards the tree trunk, jumped against it, and used the momentum to shoot herself up. Using a small protrusion on the trunk halfway up for another jump, she landed on the branch the cat-girl was on with one foot while maintaining a perfect balance in no time at all. ¡°And you called me a cat.¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°It took me an extra jump to get up here, you uber cat.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a tiger, after all~.¡± Giving her a cheeky smile, Sophia then plopped down next to her. "I mean, I technically could''ve jumped all the way up here without doing anything at all, but I at least want to pretend to be a somewhat normal girl." "You do?!" "I never said I''m good at it!" ¡°What a dork.¡± ¡°I know!¡± ¡°So, why did I offend you by calling you the most hyper one and not the others?¡± ¡°Steph and Chloe want to create a continent of eternal coldness in my domain!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent after hearing that. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly a lot more reasonable, am I not?!¡± ¡°It would set a dangerous precedent if I were to agree here now.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Hehe~.¡± The cat-girl reacted with a small grin before she pushed against the blonde¡¯s side and leaned her head against Sophia¡¯s to cuddle a bit. ¡°Is it okay to leave them alone then, though?¡± ¡°They¡¯re about 3,000 kilometers away from here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite something.¡± "Also, if they overdo it, I''ll just send you and Ari to burn it down." ¡°I doubt Ari and I have enough powers to burn down a whole continent.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the part where you¡¯re supposed to make a retort here!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who told me to let loose more?¡± Maya lightly rubbed her head against Sophia¡¯s while saying so. She seemed to be in a cuddly mood. ¡°You¡¯re so cheeky!¡± The blonde was a little upset that she had no comeback for that. ¡°You make it sound like that¡¯s a new discovery. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Sophia started laughing. ¡°Well, your babysitter job did dampen that part of you a bit.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Whose fault do you think that was?¡± Maya¡¯s voice got slightly sterner, and she used her tail to hit the tiger¡¯s back. ¡°Fennyfenny.¡± Sophia did the same with her tail, just much lighter. ¡°100%.¡± ¡°He certainly didn¡¯t help, but¡­ Sure, yeah, it was Fen.¡± She decided to play along. ¡°I should¡¯ve started exploring my domain much sooner if it meant for you to truly let loose!¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t any effect on the outside world, after all!¡± Maya then pointed at the rainforest right in front of them. Luckily, thanks to them being cats and having excellent night vision, it wasn¡¯t much of a bother that there was next to no light illuminating the overgrown flora. ¡°This isn¡¯t something you can do with others around, no matter how fun it would be. It could affect innocents, after all.¡± ¡°I guess you have a point.¡± The blonde could see the issue. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that hung up on keeping me in check, though. I learned a thing or two when Fenny and I almost destroyed this world! Also, thanks to my detection magic, I know when people or other living beings are around. Some edible animals might be turned into barbecue for dinner, but I¡¯d never harm anyone who shouldn¡¯t be.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s also Fey with us now. She¡¯ll definitely kick my rear the moment I overdo it. She¡¯s very trigger-happy with Steph in that regard, after all. I¡¯m certain she can handle both idiot sisters~.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Maya sounded more than a little dubious. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia was convinced of it. ¡°I mean, even if, you could still join in on her beating me up, just wait until she steps in before playing my babysitter. Before that point, let¡¯s go wild together!¡± ¡°I do like getting wild together with you a lot~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m well aware of that!¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°Not what I meant, though.¡± ¡°True.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want Fey to stop you there, either.¡± ¡°Are you horny again?!¡± The tiger twisted her body a little to look right at Maya. ¡°I¡¯m always horny~.¡± Her expression turned cheeky. ¡°You should know that.¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± Sophia had nothing to add there. ¡°Especially after you didn¡¯t let me do anything with you last night!¡± Maya¡¯s expression turned into a pout. ¡°Just because your stupid punishment because Ari and I were a little too sassy towards you¡­¡± "A little?¡± The blonde tilted her head while maintaining eye contact with her. ¡°Also, it didn¡¯t sound like you needed me last night in the first place. You started a little early, you know? Some of the toys, especially the high-power ones, are quite noisy, after all. You were far from silent, too.¡± "A-Ah.¡± Maya turned her head away. ¡°You should¡¯ve said something!¡± ¡°Nah, I was having a good time listening to you, myself.¡± This time, it was Sophia who had the cheeky expression. ¡°You were so busy that you didn¡¯t notice what was happening behind your back~.¡± ¡°YOU SHOULD¡¯VE JOINED THEN!¡± The cat-girl got loud. ¡°Well, I was punishing you, so that wasn¡¯t possible.¡± ¡°I hate you!¡± ¡°I love you, too~.¡± The blonde¡¯s expression got even cheekier. ¡°Maybe I should punish you this night!¡± Maya tried to turn it around. ¡°You can definitely try~.¡± The tiger was still able to get even smugger. ¡°Admittedly, I¡¯m much hornier than I¡¯m willing to admit, but compared to you, will you be able to go on for another night without doing anything together?¡± ¡°I really hate you.¡± The cat-girl got upset, but she also couldn''t refute it. ¡°How about we just have a lot of fun tonight and ignore everything else in that regard.¡± ¡°I like that idea!¡± Maya didn¡¯t feel like arguing about that. ¡°Great~.¡± Sophia seemed to be looking forward to it, too. ¡°Speaking of fun, back to the original topic, how about we try a less babysitter-y approach for me when we travel? You can absolutely punish and beat me up if I step too out of line, but how about you leave the general, uhh¡­ education to Fey? Judging by how she seems to even have fun dealing with Steph, it¡¯s her calling to preserve minimal levels of common sense, not yours.¡± ¡°I can punish and beat you up?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°Why is that the thing you react to?!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like her excited expression. ¡°Are any types of punishments okay?¡± Her eyes started sparkling, as well. ¡°What do you mean?!¡± She had a bad feeling all of a sudden. ¡°Ari told me some of the things she and Anna do during their private time, and I¡¯m very intrigued to try out some of those!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use the preferences of the M-Princess as a reference for my punishment!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll continue to play the role of your babysitter, then.¡± Maya shrugged. ¡°I hate you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it so romantic that our feelings are mutual?¡± The cat-girl was happy she finally got the upper hand with the teasing at the end after Sophia had been going so strong before. ¡°¡­¡± The blonde just looked at her for a while. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not not interested, but¡­ No whips and stuff like that, okay? I¡¯m not into that.¡± "¡­" Maya paused momentarily before her expression eventually turned slightly disappointed. ¡°Fine¡­¡± ¡°Oi!¡± She got loud again. ¡°Even if some of my actions deserve a whipping, I don¡¯t want it, okay?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The cat-girl reacted with a firm nod. ¡°I may be pushy, but if it¡¯s a no-go, it¡¯s regrettably a no-go. Well, actual beating up sounds bad, anyway, not interested. Some light spanking, on the other hand... Getting spa- No, it''s alright! You''re right!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Luckily, that means that I don¡¯t have to watch out too hard in the future. If you hadn''t budged on that, I would''ve needed to make sure to never step over the line.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Wait, does that mean the other punishments are possible?¡± ¡°If I overdo it, yes.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Maya was happy with the outcome. ¡°WAIT!¡± Until her expression changed, though. ¡°Did you just trick me into accepting your terms by promising me a kinky punishment for you if you go overboard? Effectively making this an absolute and total win-win for you?!" ¡°I would never~.¡± With the most smug expression yet, Sophia briefly smiled at her before she leaned closer and kissed Maya on the lips. ¡°With that, it¡¯s sealed!¡± After parting, she managed to look even cheekier. ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl was at a complete loss for words. Afterward, the couple continued to relax on the branch high up in a tree next to the cottage, with one girl looking like the definition of smugness while the other was contemplating life for a while. Chapter 023 – Playing with fire Sophia and Maya had a conversation over how to change their dynamic a little during their travels, so that the cat-girl becomes less of a babysitter and more part of the problem. The blonde didn¡¯t like how her girlfriend gave up on her fun in order to keep everyone in check when they had Fey, who genuinely enjoys being the keeper of common sense. After Sophia definitely did not trick her at all, Maya agreed to her suggestion to take it easier and only intervene when the tiger steps over the line together with the promise of punishing her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m happy with this outcome!¡± The duo was still relaxing on a branch in a tree about ten meters over the ground when Sophia suddenly jumped up to stand on it. "I have mixed feelings." Maya was still trying to figure out whether or not she was tricked into accepting some very unfair conditions. After all, the blonde could go wild, and the agreed punishment would be of the kinky kind. Maya also knew that she was the way hornier one, though, so she wasn''t 100% sure if the punishment really was a punishment. That¡¯s what she tried to talk herself into, at least. ¡°I¡¯ll still seriously mess up your domain together with Ari if I¡¯m too unhappy with your behavior.¡± She needed to add that for her confused ego. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± As the tiger knew she''d won already, she was okay with it. ¡°Before that, because I was a good girl today, how about you help me clean up your mess a little?¡± ¡°My mess?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°What mess?¡± ¡°This.¡± Sophia simply pointed all around them. ¡°I like being surrounded by an overgrown jungle and or rainforest, but it''s a little much right around the cottage, no?" ¡°Ah.¡± She could see the issue. ¡°Quite dark, too.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Nodding a few times, the tiger jumped off the branch they were still on. ¡°Come on, help me get some light around the cottage." She then stretched her arms and looked at Maya on the tree above her. "Well, I guess I can offer some moral support, at least." Smiling back at her, the cat-girl also jumped off the branch and right into the blonde¡¯s arms. ¡°Do some actual work!¡± Sophia spun her around once after safely catching her. ¡°It¡¯s mostly your fault, after all!¡± ¡°Ari was just as responsible for it, though.¡± She started complaining once she stood on her own feet again. ¡°I wanna spend time with just you, though!¡± The tiger reacted with a pout. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the cutest?¡± Maya was a big fan of her reply. ¡°I am!¡± She was still pouting. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help~.¡± The cat-girl couldn¡¯t say no here. ¡°What should we do to let in some light? Burn it all down?¡± ¡°Were you always this trigger-happy to play with fire?¡± ¡°Absolutely~.¡± ¡°Well, I can get behind that.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t blame her for it. ¡°It is pretty fun.¡± ¡°So, let it burn?¡± Flames could already be seen in Maya¡¯s eyes when she glanced at the jungle around them. ¡°Hold your horses, girl!¡± The blonde jumped in between her and the trees. "Yes, I want more light around here, but it should still look nice! The area covered in ash and burned tree stumps would not be cute at all!¡± ¡°You sure are hard to please.¡± ¡°I am?!¡± Sophia glared at her. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m happy with a little fire, and you over there want to make something cute and all.¡± ¡°When have I become the reasonable one?¡± The blonde looked quite confused. ¡°When you told me to let loose 30 minutes ago.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s my fault?!¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°It¡¯s always your fault.¡± The cat-girl smirked at her again. ¡°¡­¡± She just looked at her for a while. ¡°Hehe~.¡± Her reaction only caused Maya to smile even more. ¡°So, how do you want to make it look cute?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Alright, fire it is!¡± Saying so, the cat-girl held out her hand, and a ball of fire appeared above her palm. ¡°Just calm down on the arson already!¡± The blonde once again blocked the path between Maya and the jungle. ¡°Could I talk you into settling for wind-based magic? Trimming the overgrowth or blasting some holes into the crowns of the trees?¡± ¡°Boo!¡± She didn¡¯t seem very enthusiastic about the alternative suggestion. ¡°Not even a little fire?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to stop until something is burning, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± "Fine¡­" Sophia gave up. "Try not to overdo it, though, okay?" ¡°Well, well, well, look at how the turns have tabled.¡± ¡°I hate how much I love you right now.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Maya was rather proud of herself for that. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s play with fire!¡± Saying so, she lifted both arms and created an even bigger ball of fire on top of them. ¡°Let there be light!¡± Immediately after, the cat-girl shot the fireball toward the massive crowns of the trees above the cottage. It burnt through the layers of leaves instantly and only left behind a glimmering hole with a diameter of around 50 meters. At the same time, the whole area beneath was bathed in the bright-white nothingness of Sophia¡¯s domain. ¡°My eyes!¡± Sophia''s cat eyes didn''t enjoy the sudden change of lighting. ¡°S-Same¡­¡± Maya had a similar opinion on the matter. ¡°Also, not cute at all!¡± Once her eyes had adjusted, the blonde pointed at the massive hole that still had some burning leaves and branches falling down while turning into ash down the way. ¡°It¡¯s cool, though!¡± The cat-girl had different priorities. ¡°Not wrong, but still!¡± She started pouting again. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to make it look a little nicer.¡± Maya smiled at her before facing the burnt hole in the trees above them again. ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Tilting her head for a moment, she then used some more of her magic and sent a couple of wind-based air blades upwards. She focused on the outline of the hole, removed the burn marks, and made it less round to look a bit more natural. The cat-girl also worked on the crowns of the trees in general to create some more places where the light could shine through. "Better?" ¡°Debatable.¡± Sophia had a hard time deciding whether or not she liked her work. Mainly because she couldn¡¯t see it. Thanks to Maya using wind-based magic and cutting the crowns of the trees, it was raining leaves in an overwhelming quantity, making it impossible to see what she had actually done. ¡°You¡¯re such a pain!¡± ¡°Why!?¡± The tiger was offended by the accusation. ¡°I just want this place to look nice and cute! Not burning and or covered in three meters of leaves!¡± ¡°Take it easy, my dear~.¡± The cat-girl just smiled at her again. ¡°There are more steps to my beautification program!¡± ¡°Are there?¡± Sophia was ever so slightly dubious. ¡°So, what¡¯s the next step?¡± ¡°You need to close your eyes for that.¡± She waited for the tiger to follow suit before continuing. ¡°Okay, now think about the place where Steph and Chloe currently are.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just do!¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Now comes the important part!¡± Maya raised her voice a little. ¡°Imagine all the leaves on the ground here disappear and move to the area those two are. Out some real power into your thoughts, too!¡± ¡°You sly little¡­¡± The tiger understood the plan and started smiling while her eyes were still closed. A moment later, the entire mess Maya had created before was gone. "Am I the best, or am I the best?" "One of those." Sophia smiled at her. "I can''t really decide on which one, though. Anyway, how did you come up with that, or rather, how did you know this would even work?" ¡°It was just a guess after having seen what Mira told us about your domain and what other things you already did. Combine that with wanting to mess with your sister, and here we are~.¡± ¡°Good thinking!¡± ¡°And messing with others!¡± That was the most important part for her. ¡°That, too.¡± The blonde had nothing against that, either. ¡°Anyway, it really looks much better here now!¡± After the leaves were gone and she could look at what was happening above the cottage, she was happy with the result. ¡°Good job! There¡¯s finally some light again.¡± ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± Maya happily accepted the praise. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s much brighter, but the cottage being that encased by the jungle is still a bit much, isn¡¯t it? The trees and undergrowth have gotten way too close.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t get to burn that, too!¡± Sophia immediately got a bad feeling. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to!¡± She raised her arms in defense. ¡°I just wanted to comment on it. I have no idea how to fix that. Sure, fire would work and quite fun, too, but I wasn¡¯t going to suggest it.¡± ¡°Good!¡± The tiger let out a relieved sigh. "Maybe I could just send them away, as well. Like I did with the leaves a few minutes ago.¡± ¡°Being more of a menace to Steph? Let¡¯s go!¡± Maya was a big fan of the plan. ¡°You two get along well, huh? Always wanting to mess with each other and all.¡± ¡°Absolutely~.¡± ¡°I was thinking about doing something useful with those trees, though.¡± ¡°Messing with Steph is useful!¡± The cat-girl couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with you on that, but let me finish. I¡¯ll place them a few hundred kilometers away from the place where she is and let them grow from there. That way, her stupid continent of coldness will eventually be surrounded by a rainforest!¡± "Playing the long game, huh?" Maya gave it some thought. "I like it!" Having decided on that plan, the blonde immediately got to work and removed a few trees and some of the undergrowth in the immediate vicinity around the cottage. Once they were gone and placed in other places inside her domain, their home instantly looked a lot nicer now that there was some room to breathe again. Chapter 024 – Let’s burn and go! Maya had a great time cleaning up the area around the cottage inside Sophia¡¯s domain. Being the unhinged girl she is, she decided that the best plan to use in order to let more light shine through the jungle was a generous helping of fire. Afterward, she finished it off with some wind-based magic to let in even more light. Once Sophia managed to clear up her mess, she removed more trees so they had space to breathe around the cottage. ¡°Not bad.¡± A few moments after the couple finished gardening, Fen exited the cottage and greeted the two. ¡°It was also nice to see the unhinged cat-girl from the past again. I had a great time watching you from inside.¡± He looked at Maya while saying so. ¡°This lunatic is beyond saving, isn¡¯t she?!¡± Sophia jumped at the chance. ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°She¡¯s a menace to society.¡± ¡°I hate you two so much.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t happy about this. ¡°We love you, too.¡± It had already become a staple exchange Fen was taking part in. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°In all seriousness, though, I like easygoing Maya.¡± The wolf looked at the cat-girl again. ¡°It looked like you were enjoying yourself, too. Babysitting our idiot looked more like a job and not enjoyment for you in my eyes.¡± He then glanced at Sophia. ¡°She¡¯s not the only idiot I had to babysit.¡± Maya slowly shook her head while she looked back at Fen. ¡°I have no excuse.¡± He wasn¡¯t able to maintain eye contact with her. ¡°Anyway, were you just messing with Sophia, or did you have a change of heart with your babysitter position?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The cat-girl smiled at him. ¡°A bit of both.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Fen was slightly confused. ¡°Messing with Sophia is always a viable answer. No matter the question.¡± ¡°I can get behind that.¡± The wolf nodded a few times. ¡°Hey!¡± The blond felt otherwise. ¡°It has a genuine side, too.¡± Maya ignored her and continued to look at Fen. ¡°Sophia has a point when she says that babysitting shouldn¡¯t be my job.¡± ¡°True.¡± He agreed. ¡°Also, with Feyanis around us, there¡¯s no need for you, either. She enjoys being that kind of character, after all. Just look at how much fun she has with Steph all the time when she overdoes it. She can handle both idiot sisters, too.¡± ¡°Exactly my saying!¡± Sophia also said the same before. ¡°Our tiger here also promised that I can punish her when she misbehaves too much. I got a little intrigued by that.¡± ¡°Ever the horny cat, huh?¡± He saw right through her. ¡°The very one~.¡± It was common knowledge in their group, so she had no reason to deny it. ¡°So, long story short, I¡¯ll try being more playful again. During adventure times, I mean. I can¡¯t get much more playful otherwise, after all. Oh, and with adventure times, I don¡¯t mean the nightly ones, by the way.¡± ¡°I know, idiot¡­¡± The wolf only rolled his eyes. ¡°Anyway, hopefully, I can be less of a party pooper from now on and only intervene if Fey deems it too much. Before that, I¡¯m in with whatever is the plan.¡± ¡°My, it seems there lie exciting times ahead." Fen liked her change of heart. ¡°How about we give it a test run?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go on a little adventure! Just the three of us. Like in the good old times.¡± ¡°OHHH!¡± Sophia was a big fan of the idea. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Sounds fun.¡± The cat-girl also was in favor. ¡°What do you suggest?¡± Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t do too much because I don¡¯t want to get yelled at by Steph and Chloe for a day if we don¡¯t tell them about something big, so how about something local?¡± He then gestured towards the massively overgrown mix between a rainforest and jungle right in front of them. ¡°The very core of it was a gift from Mira, right? Knowing her, there might be a chance she chose this very bit of jungle for a reason. I would not be surprised if there¡¯s, well¡­ a surprise in there.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The couple had the same reaction. ¡°Well then, lead away, my dear!¡± Fen looked at Maya again. ¡°Why me?¡± She hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°It was your idea.¡± ¡°That it may be, but I suggested it for you.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Well, it sounds fun, so I might as well~." She warmed up to the idea. ¡°There will be a lot more fire happening during the exploration, though!¡± She then faced Sophia with a mischievous smile. ¡°Why?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Just look at it.¡± Maya pointed at the massively overgrown jungle. ¡°I can¡¯t even see past five meters in there. I¡¯m no expert, but I assume walking in there will be even more complicated than looking through the overgrowth unless we make a path.¡± ¡°You want to burn your way through it?!¡± ¡°Exactly~.¡± The cat-girl just smiled at Sophia. ¡°I¡¯m becoming a fan of the new old Maya.¡± ¡°Why fire, though? Look!" Saying so, the tiger raised her hand and shot a massive gust of wind toward the jungle. It had so much power that it carved a perfect circle into the undergrowth and cleared a 100-meter-long path. ¡°See? That works much better!¡± ¡°Boo!¡± The other two apparently didn¡¯t like it. ¡°WHY?!¡± ¡°Fire is more fun!¡± They were in perfect sync. ¡°Seriously, why and how have I suddenly become the reasonable one?! I don¡¯t like it!¡± ¡°Come on, you¡¯re the biggest pyromaniac I know.¡± Fen just stared at the blonde. ¡°I¡¯m a fire enthusiast, okay?!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like his word of choice. ¡°I¡¯m just very invested in my domain, okay?! There¡¯s this strong urge of wanting to protect it, too!¡± ¡°Another overseer-in-training side effect?¡± ¡°Maybe, but I don¡¯t want to know!¡± The tiger shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know that I might be turning even more into a candidate!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± He nodded a few times. ¡°Still, it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll burn down the entire jungle here. Even if a fire would get out of control for a little while, there¡¯s no way it would deal any serious damage to this vastly overgrown place.¡± ¡°Also, Mira said that occasional fires are good for more diverse nutrients and stuff!¡± ¡°That, too!¡± Fen liked Maya¡¯s argument. ¡°You two are the worst.¡± Sophia could only sigh. ¡°We know~.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting a massive tribute to the Sophia Tax when we leave my domain again from the two of you!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s burn and go!¡± The blonde was finally converted. ¡°Let¡¯s burn!¡± Maya and Fen were very motivated. ¡°And go!¡± Sophia glared at them again. ¡°Yeah, sure¡­ that, too.¡± They were a lot less enthusiastic about that part. ¡°Just go!¡± The tiger pointed at the jungle while looking at the cat-girl. "Hehe~." She smiled at her before entering the passage Sophia had created with her wind-based magic while Fen followed right after her. ¡°My position of the crazy one is in serious danger¡­¡± Letting out a small sigh, Sophia then also entered the jungle. ------------------ The trio reached the end of the path in no time, and Maya was already getting ready to create a new one. ¡°Fen, my dear, do you have a favorite destination in mind?¡± The cat-girl smiled at him. ¡°Mhmm,¡± He looked around for a little while. ¡°I do not.¡± "I see." She nodded. "Let''s just keep going in the same direction for a while." ¡°That might be the best course of action for now.¡± Fen nodded back at her. ¡°Having fun?¡± Sophia rolled her eyes while listening to their exchange. ¡°A lot.¡± ¡°Great to hear.¡± The blonde¡¯s expression clearly showed her mixed feelings on the matter, though. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s go!¡± Saying so, Maya lifted her arm and pointed it in the direction they wanted to go. Immediately after, a massive ball of fire formed in front of her, and a moment later, she shot it toward the undergrowth blocking their path. The ball quickly turned into a massive column of fire that ate its way through the jungle. Once the cat-girl stopped pouring her magic into it, the flames soon disappeared. The undergrowth had disappeared, as well. Most of the bigger trees in its path were still there, though with their barks slightly charred. It hadn¡¯t dealt absolute damage, but it cleared enough to create a path that could be easily walked along. There were still some embers left, and a few smaller plants continued to burn for a while, but there were absolutely no signs of the fire having spread further than intended, either. It all was contained into the couple-hundred-meter-long path the cat-girl had made. ¡°That was some great control over the fire intensity, to only burn away the undergrowth without actually destroying the trees.¡± Fen sounded quite impressed when he looked at the result. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Maya was happy about the praise. ¡°Though, I had hoped for a little less damage to the bark of the trees.¡± ¡°Magic always needs a lot of fine-tuning. You can just try again next time." The wolf was well aware of the issue. ¡°I will!¡± "Well, this turned out to be much more wholesome than I had anticipated." Sophia sounded a little relieved. ¡°The damage is also totally alright! If that¡¯s how it is, let¡¯s go!¡± She finally was really in on the exploration. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The other two loved to hear it. Once all three were looking forward to it, they started walking through Maya¡¯s newly created path to see more of the jungle and maybe find a secret or two. Chapter 025 – Trio exploration Fen had joined the couple, and liking Maya¡¯s new approach of being less of a babysitter and having more fun on her own made him quite happy. To celebrate the occasion, he suggested exploring the jungle that had grown around their mansion, especially the very core of it that Mira had gifted Sophia, because he felt like there might be a surprise. After all, Mira rarely does anything without a hidden meaning. ¡°I still think wind magic would¡¯ve been better, but the charred plants, and all that, does add a certain feeling that can¡¯t be compared to anything else.¡± Sophia lagged a little behind the other two when they were traversing through the swath Maya had burned into the jungle and was curiously looking at the new path. ¡°It¡¯s like a destructive force beyond imagination plowed through this place.¡± ¡°I am a destructive force beyond imagination.¡± The cat-girl turned around to look at her with one of the smuggest expressions she ever had. ¡°¡­¡± The blonde went silent for a moment. ¡°I¡­ you win this round.¡± There was no point in arguing here. ¡°Impressive.¡± Fen, too, had to give it to her. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Maya liked their reactions. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make the next step of my passage!¡± She had arrived at the end of the current tunnel and was getting ready to burn down more of the jungle. ¡°Do you want a tip?¡± Fen stood right next to her. ¡°Sure!¡± The cat-girl gave him a big nod. "I think you can put some more power into your flames, up the heat, but don''t let it burn as long as the last time. Smaller plants and the undergrowth will still be turned into ash, but the thicker trees might be able to deal better with a short bust of heat rather than prolonged exposure to it.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Thanks, I¡¯ll give that a try!¡± ¡°You¡¯re also having a good time with this, huh?¡± Sophia smiled at the wolf, who was enthusiastically giving Maya tips. ¡°Yes.¡± He looked back at her. ¡°Sleeping all day and night during the winter, in front of the fireplace in your mansion, was nice and relaxing, but being on the go like this and playing around with magic is much more exciting." ¡°Fair point.¡± The tiger could get behind his reasoning. ¡°I regret nothing, though!¡± ¡°Oh, no, absolutely not!¡± Fen also had a big lazy side to his, after all. ¡°Less talking, more burning!¡± Getting impatient, the cat-girl lifted her arm again to direct her magic. Immediately after, another ball of fire formed in front of her. This time, the flame was way brighter and hotter than the last time, too. A moment later, Maya sent it forward, and the flames instantly burned its way through the undergrowth. The fire was gone even faster than it appeared and left behind yet another path through the jungle. It seemed to be even longer this time, and the trees had also taken less damage. ¡°Not bad!¡± The wolf seemed impressed by her work. ¡°Not bad at all!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Maya smiled at him. ¡°Your tip helped a lot!¡± ¡°Glad to hear.¡± ¡°I wonder if I should make it so that magic doesn''t cause new overgrowth on the path here, too. Just like around the cottage.¡± Sophia was in planning mode for her domain again. ¡°Hmm?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? It might be nice to have a permanent path through the jungle for future use.¡± ¡°What kind of future use?¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°How am I supposed to know?! I just feel like it.¡± The blonde had no explanation on hand. ¡°I suppose it could be handy having a path or passage lead away from the cottage in one way or another.¡± Fen added his own assessment. ¡°To make it a more natural world, I guess. Though, speaking about natural,¡± He then glanced at Maya¡¯s burned creation. ¡°I have the feeling that that might not be the most fitting word here.¡± "That''s not really an issue." Saying so, Sophia sent a strong gust of wind through the tunnel, immediately removing the burned and damaged plants. "And we''re good on that department." ¡°Fair enough.¡± He had to give it to her. ¡°I think it might be fun to make multiple paths away from the cottage through the jungle and then eventually leading to other biomes!¡± The tiger was getting into her idea. ¡°More burning?!¡± Maya was, too. ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting bored from setting things on fire?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± She shook her head while looking at Sophia. ¡°Yeah, no idea why I even asked.¡± The fellow fire enthusiast scratched her cheek. "If you make more paths leading away from home like that, you''ll have to clean up after yourself once you''re done, though! No burnt remains around the cottage!¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She didn¡¯t seem so happy about having to do that, though. "How does being the responsible girl for a change feel?" Fen sounded rather sarcastic when he glanced at the tiger. ¡°You have no idea how much I hate it!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°I do not approve of it, either!¡± ¡°Then just stop caring about it so much~.¡± Maya reacted with an extra cheeky smirk in her direction. ¡°Be more easygoing and wilder.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Fen nodded a few times. ¡°¡­¡± She did not appreciate this, either. A moment later, the tiger turned a little to the side, away from the cat-girl''s new path, and lifted both her arms. Glaring at the duo, she then pushed her arms away from each other in the same way as when opening a sliding door with both hands. Following the motion of her hands, the entire jungle also parted. A perfectly straight gap around 5 meters wide went on for as long as the eye could see. It parted all the way to the default all-white nothingness of her domain on the ground. ¡°We¡¯re going this way for a while.¡± Afterward, Sophia just started walking without saying another word. ¡°¡­¡± Maya and Fen silently looked at each other for a while. "Don''t ever challenge the queen, huh?" ¡°Yes.¡± Having come to this mutual conclusion, the two followed after her.¡± ---------------- The group kept walking for around 30 minutes along the path the tiger had cut into the jungle before Sophia returned to her normal playful self again. ¡°Okay, I think I got my point across!¡± She turned around and smiled at the other two. ¡°It¡¯s time to make this exploration more fun again!¡± At the same time, she made a similar motion with her hands as before, and the gap in the jungle closed around them. ¡°How did you even do that?!¡± Fen got very interested in the stunt she pulled there. ¡°My domain, my rules~.¡± She replied with a cheeky smile. ¡°The more it¡¯s starting to become alive lately, the more control I¡¯m getting about it. Moving stuff is super easy~.¡± ¡°Stuff?¡± The wolf tilted her head. ¡°You rearranged a whole jungle!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I just scooched everything a little to the sides!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any less impressive.¡± He just looked at her. ¡°Far from it!¡± ¡°Well, you told me to let loose, and I did! I could¡¯ve made the whole jungle disappear in an instant, you know?¡± ¡°You really are on another level.¡± Maya spoke out what the wolf was also thinking. ¡°And don¡¯t ever forget about that again!¡± She was still upset about the teasing earlier. ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°For today, at least.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia did not like her mumbling towards the end. ¡°Anyway, back to you two! Lead away through the jungle!" ¡°Fen, would you like to go for a while?¡± Maya faced the wolf. ¡°I want to see if I can learn something!¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, sure!¡± He nodded at her. ¡°I assume you want to learn more about fire?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°This will be fun~.¡± Fen started to sound excited. ¡°By the way, I can teleport just about anything to anywhere.¡± Sophia suddenly faced him. ¡°You might end up in the path of your own flames if you overdo it, okay?¡± "Y-You''re the one who parted this entire jungle just to get the point across!" Visibly nervous-looking, the wolf took a step backward. "And it took me two seconds to fix it.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°How long will it take you to replace half a burnt-down jungle?¡± ¡°I-I understand.¡± He retreated a few more steps. ¡°Have fun~.¡± Her smile got even brighter. ¡°Your girlfriend is scary.¡± Fen looked at Maya instead. ¡°We knew that already.¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek in return. ¡°Only if I get upset by something~.¡± Sophia still hasn¡¯t fully gotten over the teasing from earlier. ¡°By the way, the core of the jungle is this way.¡± She pointed to her left. ¡°The ambient magic feels the strongest around there. I can¡¯t say if there¡¯s anything special, though. It doesn¡¯t have to be of magical origin, after all. We can also go a different way, though. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re in a rush.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Fen was happy that Sophia seemed to be normal again. Luckily, her mood swings are rather extreme in both directions. Quick, too. Afterward, the wolf got ready to prepare his magic so that the group could continue their impromptu exploration trip. Chapter 026 – Complicated magic Sophia, Maya, and Fen were still exploring the jungle around their cottage together. Things had gotten a little heated when the blonde got a little upset by the constant teasing of the other two, and she decided to part the whole area as a demonstration of real ridiculousness, but everyone managed to calm down again. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go this way for a while!¡± Fen slightly repositioned himself and looked at a particularly dense and overgrown part of the jungle they were in. ¡°It has to be worth something, after all, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Maya felt the same. ¡°I wonder if I really can teleport people against their will inside my domain.¡± Sophia''s voice turned into a bit of a mumble. ¡°I guess I have to try and find out.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The wolf paused for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re not going to find out today!¡± ¡°That¡¯s entirely up to you~.¡± ¡°Do you want to go instead?¡± He glanced at the cat-girl next to him. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, big guy.¡± Maya slowly shook her head. ¡°I figured as much.¡± He hung his head. ¡°Well, might as well have some fun before I go out!¡± Resigning to his fate, Fen started to concentrate again. The wolf chose a different approach to the cat-girl, though. He went silent for about a minute, but things soon took a turn. Rather than a ball of fire plowing through the undergrowth, it seemed like the jungle had suddenly combusted before him. The raging bright-white fire burned for exactly two seconds, and once it was done, a roughly five-meter-wide gap got revealed where the thick undergrowth previously was. It was way longer than they could see in the dim light, as well. "You can''t teleport me into my fire if it doesn''t travel, as I ignited everything at once and only lasted two seconds!" His voice was full of smug. ¡°You win this round.¡± Sophia had to give it to him. ¡°Also, you get bonus points for using that type of fire. Were you trying to get on my good side?" ¡°I had to use every chance I had.¡± He just nodded. ¡°That was so cool!¡± Maya faced the wolf with sparkling eyes. ¡°How did you do that?!¡± ¡°I flooded the path I wanted to form with a portion of my raw magic and also changed the composition of the air itself so it burns better.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The cat-girl was impressed by his feat. ¡°The greatest pyromaniac in history taught me how to use it.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The pyromaniac in question got loud. ¡°It¡¯s fire enthusiast, okay?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like his wording. ¡°He learned it from you?¡± Maya easily connected the dots while she stared at her tiger. ¡°It¡¯s actually the first magic I taught him.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I think it was after I was upset over something and incinerated a herd of cows to get rid of some frustration.¡± She got even more awkward. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no food was wasted, and we had a feast afterward.¡± ¡°Why am I not surprised that you¡¯re the origin?¡± The cat-girl lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Because it¡¯s cool!¡± Sophia looked back at her. ¡°Today¡¯s not my day because I¡¯m overprotective about my domain, but just as Fennyfenny said, I¡¯m the biggest fire enthusiast!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± She was okay with her reasoning. ¡°Also, I want to learn that, too!¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll teach you!¡± Fen really liked Maya¡¯s current enthusiasm. ¡°Well, we¡¯re far enough away from the cottage, so I guess it¡¯s time for a catastrophe. The damage around here shouldn¡¯t matter too much for the aesthetics.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Hey!¡± The cat-girl glared at her. ¡°Have some faith in me!¡± ¡°Do you still remember Canir¡¯s joke dungeon on our way to the capital about a year ago?¡± ¡°The one you blew up?¡± Maya tilted her head. "That left behind a ten-kilometer-radius wide hole so deep people found new and rare materials in it?¡± ¡°That very one.¡± She nodded. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°That was the same magic as what Fenny just used.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The cat-girl started to see the issue. ¡°Compared to you, I know how to hold back, though.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± It did not sound like Sophia was convinced, though. Especially not after the past few hours happened. ¡°I do!¡± She smiled at her before facing the wolf again. ¡°Teach me!¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± Before they got started, the group first walked along the path Fen had created. Maya should get an impression of his work, and it already was there, after all. ---------------- ¡°So, what¡¯s first?!¡± The cat-girl was very motivated. "You''ve already down the enthusiasm, so we can head to step two, in my opinion." ¡°Great! What is step two?¡± ¡°You need to release a part of your internal magic.¡± Fen looked at her. ¡°Not too much, though. It burns extremely strong, and the concentration of ambient magic in this jungle is already quite high. Once you have done, you let it flow in the direction you want to create your path.¡± ¡°You can move your own magic once it''s released?" Maya tilted her head. "I thought you could only do that if you use it while doing so?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± He nodded. ¡°From what you need to imagine to do it, it¡¯s relatively similar to wind-based magic. It¡¯s just that you have to stop at thinking about it. Do not put any actual power into it. You should eventually feel it moving into the direction you want it.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Trying to visualize his explanation, the cat-girl closed her eyes and concentrated for a bit. ¡°Okay, I think it feels right! What now?!¡± ¡°The next step is pretty complicated," Fen paused momentarily. "I''m not entirely sure how to explain it, either.¡± ¡°Thanks to the dense flora around here, the air is already much better in assisting fire.¡± Sophia joined the conversation again as the plants were already doing a good job on the oxygen front. ¡°You should be good to go if you simply pour some power into wanting the air to be better for fire. Only a little, though. You should feel when it¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Maya was happy about the tip. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Saying so, she closed her eyes once again and concentrated for another minute. ¡°I¡¯m good! This should work out fine!¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± The tiger looked rather dubious about her claim. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Really?¡± She raised her eyebrow. ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Absolutely?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The cat-girl was starting to get upset. ¡°Just trust me, okay?!¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Even though she nodded, Sophia still did not look like she believed her. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you regret doubting me!¡± Sounding extra smug, Maya then activated her prepared magic. Instantly after, the entire space in front of her turned into a yellow-white inferno. It only lasted a fraction of a second because their surroundings turned completely dark before the cat-girl could even react. ¡°To correct your claim, no, you were not good. This did, in fact, not work out fine." Sophia let out a small sigh while calmly patting the earthen dome she created around the trio the moment Maya ignited her magic. ¡°Far from it, in fact.¡± ¡°What just happened?¡± Fen wasn¡¯t able to follow the events. ¡°Dear Maya here almost just killed us.¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± The girl in question raised her voice while she stared at the blonde. ¡°How?!¡± ¡°You concentrate almost all of your released raw magical around 10 meters in front of us. Same with the changes to the air around it.¡± ¡°S-Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say something?!¡± Maya got even louder. ¡°I tried.¡± The tiger stared right at her. ¡°You just got upset for not trusting you, though.¡± "A-Ah.¡± She immediately broke eye contact with her. ¡°Because, thanks to using Canir¡¯s magic, I can see raw ambient magic, so I saw this coming from the very beginning. I already started preparing the dome before our beloved cat here finished her own preparations.¡± ¡°Y-You should¡¯ve tried to warn me harder!¡± ¡°Would you have believed me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl went silent again. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Was it really that bad?¡± Fen lightly tilted his head. ¡°Well,¡± Lightly scratching her cheek, Sophia then removed the earthen dome around them. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°O-Oh.¡± Maya and the wolf had the same reaction. In a radius of roughly 200 meters around them, the entire jungle was gone. Only ash and some burnt stumps remained where once luscious flora was. It had turned bright, as well. As the trees were gone, the bright-white nothingness of Sophia¡¯s domain shone down on them once more. ¡°My poor jungle, too!¡± The tiger started pouting a little. ¡°Well, I was thinking about having a lake near the cottage, so this might be perfect for it~. In the middle of a jungle also makes for an amazing backdrop!" ¡°Could you be a little more serious?!¡± The cat-girl glared at her once more. ¡°I almost just killed us!¡± ¡°I should let lose more, I should be more serious¡­ Could you decide on one stance?¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°This and that are completely different situations!¡± ¡°Even though we were never in danger? I made sure nothing could happen, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Afterward, as Maya needed to sort out her feelings over the event, the trio decided to take a short break from exploring. Sophia went ahead and used the time to take a better look at the area to get her lake plans started. Chapter 027 – Fen’s way of exploring Maya wanted to try out some advanced magic Fen had used before while exploring the jungle. Which went well. She overdid it a little and made a small mistake or two, resulting in almost burning them alive. Luckily, Sophia saw this coming and made sure to protect them so that they were in no danger at any point in time. ¡°Alrighty, this will make a fine place for a small lake~.¡± The tiger finished inspecting the area Maya burned down and reunited with the other two. ¡°Have you calmed down by now?¡± She then faced her cat. ¡°¡­¡± The girl in question wasn¡¯t sure what to say. "You know, if you get upset every time you almost die and or kill someone while having fun with magic, the future looks bleak.¡± Fen wasn¡¯t necessarily helpful, either. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about not being indifferent over such a topic!¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s at least still quite lively.¡± Sophia liked her strong reply. ¡°How about, instead, you just stop being so overconfident and listen to others?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°And, this coming from me, has to mean something!¡± ¡°It means a lot!¡± The wolf agreed with her. ¡°How are you two able to get over something so easily?!¡± ¡°Experience.¡± Fen and the tiger were in perfect sync. ¡°You learned how to use magic a year ago!¡± Maya glared at Sophia again. ¡°And how often did I almost kill me and or others, including this whole content, during that year already?¡± ¡°Do NOT look so smug while admitting that!¡± The cat-girl¡¯s glare intensified. ¡°I thought we wanted to be more easygoing?¡± There was not a shred of remorse in the blonde. ¡°¡­¡± Maya went silent again. ¡°We also agreed that I¡¯m allowed to punish you if you overdo it." ¡°Feel free to do whatever you want tonight~.¡± She was up for the challenge. ¡°Though, you are the one who almost killed us today. Does that mean that I get to be the top?¡± ¡°¡­¡± It didn¡¯t take much for the cat-girl to go silent again. ¡°I thought we were trying to build her up again?¡± Fen was a little confused over her way of doing things. "Don''t worry, the best way to cheer up Maya, is to get her laid." ¡°I see.¡± He decided against engaging further in this topic. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± The cat-girl¡¯s expression slowly softened up. ¡°She¡¯s right, though.¡± She then smiled at Fen. ¡°There are no better ways for that when it comes to me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know that.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know that.¡± ¡°Better now?¡± Sophia thought it was time to get back on track. "A little.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Tonight will include a lot of action, though!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± She wasn¡¯t against it. For reasons. ¡°You two are way too horny¡­¡± Fen gave up on them. ¡°Anyway, are we good now?¡± ¡°At least better.¡± The cat-girl still wasn¡¯t completely over it. ¡°Fair enough.¡± He nodded. ¡°Enough to continue, though?¡± ¡°As long as you take the lead for a bit longer.¡± She didn¡¯t feel like immediately using magic again. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Could you continue with the path on the other side of the clearing?¡± Sophia addressed the wolf. ¡°I want to integrate the future lake into it.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Sure thing!¡± He nodded. ¡°I think I¡¯ll also do something else besides fire for a change.¡± ¡°I love the sound of that!¡± The tiger was happy about the change of plans. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ---------------- The trio arrived on the other side of the charred and burnt clearing in no time at all, and Fen quickly started getting ready for even more magic. ¡°How would you feel about a random, maybe slightly erratic path, my dear?¡± He addressed Sophia with a playful tone in his voice. ¡°I am intrigued.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°As long as it looks somewhat natural.¡± ¡°That lies outside of my powers.¡± ¡°What are you up to?¡± ¡°I want to make a small tornado and see what happens inside a jungle!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment and just looked at him. "Maya just exploded a big portion of it, and now you want to finish it off?!" She did not like his idea. ¡°If your jungle can¡¯t endure a little wind, it doesn¡¯t deserve to survive.¡± Fen just stared at her. ¡°Only the strong shall live!¡± ¡°The jungle is only a day old!¡± She stared back. ¡°You don¡¯t expect from a baby that only the strong survive, do you?!¡± ¡°Of course I do!¡± ¡°Maya!¡± Hearing that, the blonde immediately faced her. ¡°Once we are at that point, Uncle Fenny is not allowed to get closer than five meters to our daughter!¡± ¡°Agreed!¡± The cat-girl felt the same. ¡°Hey!¡± Uncle Fenny didn¡¯t seem to like that. ¡°Also, a child between the two of you? She¡¯d easily be able to survive a tornado or two!¡± ¡°50 meters!¡± Sophia quickly reevaluated her earlier decision after hearing this. ¡°500 meters!¡± Maya was even harsher. ¡°I¡¯ll also tell Aura about this!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea.¡± The tiger nodded a few times. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯d love to hear that!¡± "A-Anything but that!¡± The wolf started panicking. ¡°She¡¯ll kill me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± The cat-girl smiled at him. ¡°You little-!¡± ¡°Glad you¡¯re feeling better.¡± Sophia liked that Maya returned to her usual self after the earlier incident. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not as shaken by it anymore.¡± She nodded. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°I hate you two.¡± Having enough of them, Fen returned to his magic. He took a few steps back, away from the jungle, and began to concentrate for a moment. Immediately after, strong winds formed in front of him, which then quickly started to swirl around and grew in intensity. Once it reached a height of about five meters, the wolf opened his eyes again, and the miniature tornado, albeit much more violent-looking than a regular one, made its way toward the jungle. The moment it made contact with the overgrown flora, it shredded it to tiny bits, and various plant matter got thrown all over the place while the tornado was eating its way deeper inside. Soon enough, you could only hear branches breaking and plants being destroyed as the tornado disappeared into the hole it had created as it was taking turns instead of going straight. Only very few things are being straight in Sophia¡¯s domain, after all. ¡°Okay, I do kinda like that.¡± Sophia watched the tornado making its way through the undergrowth with a curious expression. ¡°It looks nice and natural, too~.¡± ¡°Yeah, it looks pretty fun!¡± Maya also liked it. ¡°It also looks much safer regarding collateral damage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s much easier magic, true.¡± He nodded. ¡°About as effective for the job, too.¡± ¡°Want to try it, too?¡± The tiger wanted to get her back to playing around with magic. Especially when it¡¯s not fire that could burn down her jungle. ¡°Hmm.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯d like to see Fen do it one or two more times first. My big magic skills seem to have gotten a little rusty during the winter. Once I feel confident again, I might want to try again if that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me!¡± ¡°And more tornados for me!¡± Sophia and Fen liked her suggestion. ¡°And once I¡¯m feeling de-rusted, a good old fire tornado like the good old times might be fun. Normal fire, not the fancy one from earlier.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The wolf was a big fan of that, too. ¡°Take it easy, girl!¡± The blonde wanted them to let go of playing with fire inside the jungle already. ---------------- Once everyone got a good laugh out of that, the group kept going and chased after Fen''s tornado, which had been eating its way through the jungle for the past couple of minutes. It had been quite effective, as well. The entire undergrowth had been turned to shreds and disappeared along the path it had created. Only the bigger trees were left. While mostly intact, they did have some cuts in their barks, though. ¡°I¡¯m not one for self-praise, but I want to say that I did a good job here.¡± The wolf sounded quite proud of himself. ¡°I have to agree.¡± The tiger nodded. "The shredded pieces of plants aside, this natural-looking path through the jungle is exactly what I wanted from the very beginning! I guess the plant bits aren¡¯t even a bad thing in the first place because they¡¯ll become good fertilizer later on!¡± ¡°I¡¯m missing the ash and burnt bits, but it¡¯s not bad.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best part!¡± Sophia glared at the cat-girl. ¡°Debatable.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°Again, it seems much safer, though. And, after my earlier mishap, it¡¯s a fair trade for now. Fen, please keep up the work and continue like that for a while, so I can make sure to relearn it~.¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± He liked her praise. ¡°In return, you¡¯re going to decide which way I¡¯ll send the wind. The initial direction, at least.¡± ¡°Sounds fun! Sophia, which way is the core of the jungle again?¡± ¡°This way!¡± She pointed to her left. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go that way!¡± The cat-girl pointed in the exact different direction. ¡°Happy Maya is the best Maya.¡± Fen and Sophia were on the same page. ¡°Idiots¡­¡± She started blushing a little. Once a course of action was decided on, the wolf created another tornado, and the group continued their exploration. Chapter 028 – A little too much teasing Maya¡¯s little mishap of almost burning them alive had led to something good. In Sophia¡¯s eyes, at least. Fen took the lead for a while and also changed his approach of traversing the jungle away from fire. Instead, he created a tornado with wind magic and let it lose in order to create a path of its own. Everyone liked this way of doing it, so they decided to use this technique going forward. ¡°Anyone interested in a fun fact?¡± While the trio was following Fen¡¯s trail, Sophia addressed the two. ¡°That really depends on what you define as fun.¡± ¡°What he said!¡± Maya and the wolf had mixed feelings about it. ¡°I love the confidence you have in me.¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°It was just an interesting observation I made, nothing else. Especially nothing that warrants such a reaction!¡± She started pouting. ¡°What did the whiny tiger realize?¡± Fen did not want to entertain her. ¡°As if I¡¯d tell you with that attitude!¡± She only pouted more. ¡°Shall we keep going?¡± The wolf faced Maya instead. "A good idea!¡± She just nodded. ¡°HEY!¡± Sophia jumped in front of them. ¡°You know how much I hate being ignored!¡± ¡°We do.¡± They briefly nodded before walking right past the blonde. ¡°Oi!¡± Disliking that even more, she literally appeared before the duo again while also glaring at them. ¡°How did you do that?!¡± They had no idea how the tiger suddenly appeared before them. ¡°My domain, my rules!¡± ¡°Wait, she can stop time!¡± Maya remembered something important. ¡°Why are we surprised?¡± ¡°True!¡± Fen nodded. Afterward, as the amazement was gone, the two started walking again. ¡°Grrr!¡± The tiger growled at the duo and then clapped her hands. "That will teach them!" She was talking to herself because she suddenly was the only one there. ---------------- ¡°E-Eh?!¡± Fen and Maya needed a moment to understand what was happening, but they soon were shocked by what happened. The two had gotten separated from Sophia and ended up in a different place somewhere in the jungle. It wasn''t in a place they had explored before, either. They ended up in a small and cramped place where they could barely move, thanks to the extremely thick undergrowth. It was impossible to see anything, either, thanks to that and the mostly missing light, which could not pass through the crowns of the trees. ¡°Where are we¡­?¡± The cat-girl was trying her best to orientate herself. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Fen had no answers for her. ¡°It seems like Sophia somehow put us into a different location inside the jungle.¡± ¡°This idiot has way too much power in her domain!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like this explanation. ¡°Very true.¡± He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s still an overreaction!¡± ¡°Well, we were teasing her a lot.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°You also know just how much she loves being the center of attention. Ignoring her was like the worst thing we could do.¡± ¡°I know that she loves nothing more than having all eyes on her, but still!¡± He raised his voice a little. ¡°In the first place, she¡¯s overreacting all day already! Even for her! Almost basically annoying already! Is something else going on with her?¡± ¡°It seems like this domain is doing things with her, so, as she mentioned herself, she¡¯s getting a bit overprotective about it.¡± ¡°True, but why would she be so annoying about it? I mean, okay, we also were annoying and overdid it, but¡­ Sophia¡¯s usually much more lax about such things.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Maya paused for a moment. ¡°Ah, her period should be right around the corner. It¡¯s usually not a big deal for her, that lucky idiot,¡± Her expression changed for a moment. ¡°Still, every now and then, it affects her, too. So, all that¡¯s happening today, combined with being extra emotional, yeah, that could be it.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Fen wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Alright, that explains everything!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The cat-girl glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to say that!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± The wolf raised his voice. ¡°You brought the period thing up!¡± ¡°And? Only the ones who get them are allowed to complain and or make jokes about them!¡± ¡°So unreasonable!¡± He shook his head. ¡°Wait, are you also-¡± Fen wasn¡¯t able to finish his sentence as he suddenly saw a massive ball of fire closing in on him. He barely managed to dodge it by jumping into the undergrowth, but a part of his fur on the side, and some of his tail still got a little singed because he wasn''t quite fast enough. ¡°Were you trying to say something just now?¡± Maya smiled at him. ¡°I thought I saw something behind you and decided to attack it, but I guess I was wrong~.¡± ¡°I AM DEEPLY SORRY!¡± He was properly panicking. ¡°For what?¡± She just tilted her head. ¡°Anyway, should we get going? Let¡¯s try and find our idiot.¡± ¡°G-Gladly!¡± He jumped at the opportunity to drop the topic. ¡°Any idea how to do that, though?¡± He looked around. ¡°If I concentrate and use the embers of your previous attack as a light source, I can look about ten meters into the jungle because it¡¯s so overgrown. I have no idea where we are, and it seems like Sophia¡¯s further away than I can feel with my detection magic.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She had forgotten about their situation. ¡°Really, she put us that far away?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s also not helping that this jungle is overflowing with magic, which heavily interferes with my detection. I might just not be able to see her.¡± ¡°Either way, that¡¯s bad, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fen nodded. ¡°Anyway, good luck getting us back to her.¡± ¡°Why me?!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like his suggestion. ¡°Whose girlfriend is she? Mine or yours?¡± ¡°And who¡¯s the one that raised her?!¡± Maya threw the responsibility back at him. ¡°I met her like a month before you did!¡± He did not accept the blame. ¡°And how ham did you go with her during that month?!¡± She had no intention of backing down. ¡°You ruined any chance of her developing a normal common sense! It¡¯s your fault she sticks out everywhere we go! Sure, she loves the attention and can¡¯t get enough of it, but you still share a lot of the responsibility for how she ended up like this! After all, you''re the one who met her in her most defining and imprinting period in this world!" "¡­" The wolf paused for a moment. "How about this way?" He then gestured to his left, the direction Maya had sent her fireball before. ¡°Are you just trying to use the easy way out?¡± ¡°N-No!¡± He shook his head. ¡°I have not the slightest idea which direction to take, so this is the only plan I have. Maybe we''re lucky, and you instinctively attacked me¡­ err, whatever you saw in a way that leads us back¡­¡± He had a hard time convincing himself that his words made sense. ¡°Yeah, sure, let¡¯s go with that.¡± Maya just rolled her eyes and began walking in the direction her earlier fireball had eaten its way roughly 200 meters deep into the jungle. She apparently really wanted to make sure to kill whatever she thought tried to attack them. ¡°You better start coming up with a plan B while we walk, though.¡± "I will do my best!" Fen ran after her while nodding a few times. He had no intentions of talking back, either. ---------------- The two kept traversing through the jungle for about an hour, mostly by the wolf using wind-based magic, and they were making tremendous progress on reuniting with Sophia. ¡°We¡¯re lost, aren¡¯t we?¡± Maya looked around while commenting on the fact that there was still nothing but overgrown plants around them. ¡°We are so absolutely lost!¡± Fen reacted with a big nod. ¡°Do you think Sophia had something in mind when she sent us to that specific place? Did she plan something? A hint or the likes?¡± ¡°Since when does Sophia plan things?¡± She just scratched her cheek. ¡°Ah.¡± He noticed just how stupid his question was. "Is there really nothing you can pick up with your detection thingy?" ¡°The issue is that I pick up too much.¡± He looked around for a bit. ¡°It works by detecting the internal magic of an individual. Unfortunately, the magic in the air in this jungle is so noticeable that it almost looks like it''s one massive individual. If I activate my detection, I feel overwhelmed because the response is too much.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Maya roughly understood his issue. ¡°Can¡¯t you finetune it? Sophia mentioned something about using her detection with a certain baseline so that low-magic stuff won''t show up for her.¡± ¡°If I would be as talented as the striped idiot, yes, I could do that.¡± Fen hung his head in response. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who invented that magic in the first place? Come on! Put in some effort!¡± ¡°Haa¡­" He let out a sigh but then still closed his eyes and concentrated for a while. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m able to notice some slight fluctuations, but that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Fluctuations?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Some areas feel like they have a higher concentration of magic than others. It¡¯s faint, though, because it¡¯s hard to notice.¡± "Okay!" Her expression changed. "Let''s head in the direction with the highest concentration! There''s no way we would find Sophia in a direction where there''s less magic! No matter how faintly less it is." ¡°That¡¯s a good point!¡± ¡°Depending on where we actually are, it might also be Anna or Ari in the cottage. Their readings should also be much higher than any ambient magic inside the jungle." ¡°That also would help us a lot to get out of this situation!¡± Fen was starting to like the plan. Once they had decided on the best course of action, the two, with new-found motivation, continued to try and find a way out of the jungle. Chapter 029 – Getting to know each other better Maya and Fen had teased Sophia a bit too much, and the blonde got a little upset. To teach them a lesson, she then teleported the duo to a remote location inside the jungle where they were on their own and had to find their way back without help. Most of the time, the cat-girl and the wolf were bickering, but they eventually also came up with a plan to get out of their predicament. ¡°So nice and quiet around here~.¡± While she was on her own, Sophia used the time to relax a little. ¡°I¡¯m bored!¡± It didn''t last long until she couldn''t pretend to like it anymore. ¡°The two idiots are also walking in the exact opposite direction from me or the cottage for quite a while already, so they''ll probably be lost forever¡­ Imagine being that bad with directions!¡± Letting out a small chuckle because she couldn¡¯t say that while staying serious, she then started looking around to distract herself from getting even more bored. Soon enough, she found something that tickled her interest. ¡°The magic concentration around here definitely has gotten a lot denser, huh?¡± The tiger concentrated on the pink and purple particles floating in the air around her. As Sophia was one of the few in the group who could see raw or environmental magic, and most could only vaguely feel it, Fen and Maya hadn¡¯t noticed anything out of the ordinary earlier. Although, this also was the reason why the wolf was having difficulties with his detection skills. ¡°I¡¯m so happy that my domain is developing so well~.¡± She started smiling. ¡°Thank you!¡± The moment she said those words, Sophia noticed that the sparkly particles started to move around in a circular pattern around her rather than just floating around. The number of particles heavily increased, as well. ¡°You lot absolutely are sentient and or conscious, aren''t you? I might or might not mix up those two all the time, so don''t pay too much attention to that part, please." ¡°Hah.¡± At the very moment the tiger made this comment, the pink and purple particles froze and stopped mid-air without moving even the slightest bit. ¡°You know, acting like a child or pet that got caught doesn¡¯t help.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s far less suspicious if you just keep going like nothing happened. ¡°It¡¯s too late now!¡± She raised her voice a little when she noticed that the sparkles instantly returned to their previous pattern. ¡°The gig¡¯s already up~.¡± Being in an excellent mood, Sophia walked over to a nearby tree and sat down on a low-hanging branch there. ¡°Alrighty!¡± She clapped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s use this time to get to know each other better while it¡¯s just us~.¡± The blonde then tilted her head while trying to come up with a plan. "From the beginning! I''m Sophia, and I love you! Ever since coming to this world, being able to play with magic or you lot, I still don¡¯t know how that works, has been the most amazing thing ever!¡± The sparkly particles got even more lively when she introduced herself with those words. It seemed like they had gotten more again, as well. The particles were definitely coming out of the jungle and flocked around her while it looked like they were in a good mood. ¡°Someone¡¯s having fun, huh?¡± Her smile got a little brighter as she watched the magic particles dance for a little while. ¡°I wonder if we can get some real communication going. Hey, you all can¡¯t speak, right?¡± She tried her luck. The magic particles stopped moving for a second, but they then all moved a little from left to right a couple of times before returning to their previous rhythmical pattern. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a no, huh?¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°They definitely understand me, though, and some form of conversation seems to be possible, too!¡± Sophia tried to work with what she had. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± She vigorously raised her arm, and the ambient magic became more energetic again. ¡°Mhm,¡± The tiger paused for a moment. ¡°I wonder how we can make the most out of this and have as much fun as possible!¡± She then looked around in the area and pointed at the corridor Fen had cut into the jungle. ¡°Was it okay that we destroy a little bit of it to get through?¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Once again, the pink and purple objects stopped mid-air. A few seconds later, they lightly moved up and down. ¡°I assume that¡¯s a nod?¡± Hearing that, they moved even more up and down. ¡°Great! We¡¯ll try to keep the damage low, and I also promise that the two pyromaniacs from earlier won¡¯t be allowed to let loose that much again!¡± After hearing that, the sparkles got a little wilder, and a couple of them encircled a nearby tree, which then immediately went up in flames and turned into ash. Once the tree was fully gone, the particles flew over the ground and made the ashes disappear. Then, they returned to swirl around Sophia. ¡°You like fire?¡± The blonde tried to make sense of what she just witnessed. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t blame you! It might be one of my favorites, too.¡± She smiled at them. ¡°Although, is it really okay for magic to be partial to certain types~?¡± The instant those words left her lips, the little sparkles got the wildest yet. All of them rushed into the jungle and disappeared. Not a single one was left, leaving the area around Sophia the only spot without a spec of ambient magic. "Eh¡­?" Naturally, she looked quite confused as she watched them disappear. ¡°Did I say something wrong? It was just a light tease.¡± She scratched her cheek and started thinking about a way to apologize, but it didn¡¯t seem there was any need for that. The jungle began to shake, and multiple things happened at once. Numerous trees and lots of undergrowth disappeared and were replaced by various different things. The magic particles became visible again, and they were more than ever. Immediately after, a small pond appeared together with a little hill forming next to it. A few other plants that didn¡¯t belong to a jungle also grew, as well as it started to become windy in the area. It even began to rain a little while the lighting changed. ¡°Ohh!¡± The blonde clapped her hands and nodded understandingly. ¡°It¡¯s not that you prefer fire, but the fact the two went wild with their magic. It just happens to be fire, and you lot are okay with that! You don¡¯t want me to hold them back!¡± Hearing her come to this conclusion, the particles stopped doing their magic showcase and returned to the tiger. Seemingly happy that she figured it out, they energetically swirled around her again. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Sophia suddenly jumped off the branch she was sitting on and stared at her surroundings with big eyes. ¡°Magic can use magic?!¡± She raised her voice once she noticed that. ¡°I mean, well¡­ Using it without getting any input from a user?!¡± It happened many times before, but seemingly feeling like they got caught doing something bad, the magic particles completely froze. It looked like the way they sparkled dimmed, too. It did not seem like they were supposed to reveal this. In a way, their behavior was strangely similar to Mira, who also gets way too talkative all the time and accidentally ends up saying more than she intended to. It made it obvious that they¡¯re related. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± The blonde¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°It really explains the whole authority thing, too! It¡¯s our way to interact with you all! Though, I hate the word authority now! It sounds like we''re above you or something better¡­ Wielding authority over you.¡± Listening to the tiger¡¯s deduction, the particles started moving again and strongly swung from right to left a couple of times, making it look like they disagreed with her. ¡°No?¡± She tilted her head once more. ¡°Wait.¡± It looked like she actually understood it now. ¡°It¡¯s the other way around! Canir said something similar, too, I think. The higher our authority is, the closer we get to you! It means you think of us as more equal the more authority we have. My, aren¡¯t we a bit conceited?¡± Her expression turned into a bit of a smirk. ¡°H-Hey!¡± The moment she made this accusation, she was swept off her feet by a powerful gust of wind. The sparkly particles also seemed a little upset because they were darting all over the place and occasionally hit the tiger with even more wind from all sides. "I-I''m just kidding! Calm down!" A few moments later, they actually did, and Sophia was able to stand up again and could take care of her disheveled clothes and hair before continuing. ¡°Okay, don¡¯t tease magic.¡± She made a mental note before continuing. ¡°Well, it might also be a way to ensure you¡¯re on the same page and not be abused. After all,¡± Sophia made another pause. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that it¡¯s not even us who are using magic. Rather, we ask you to do stuff for us based on our imagination or words. Wait, does that mean you actually can read our minds when we use chantless stuff?! Our internal magic acts more like a translation, and the more of you we have inside us, the better we understand each other and the closer we are to you, effectively raising our authority to a level that brings us closer to being equals!¡± Following her explanation, the pink and purple particles of ambient magic more and more circled around the tiger in a rhythm that could almost be compared to a dance. Needing a break after all of this and wrapping her head around her theory, Sophia sat down on her branch once more, watching the particles move around her for a good while. It had a rather calming effect on her, too. Chapter 030 – Bonding experiences Sophia had gotten rid of Fen and Maya because they teased her too much and decided to take it easy for a while. While being bored, she noticed that the concentration of ambient magic around her had significantly increased. Using the chance of being alone, the blonde tried to confirm the idea of magic being conscious and/or sentient like she thought to have found out the last time she was in Mira¡¯s domain. ¡°This really is something.¡± The tiger was still alone with the pink and purple particles dancing around her as she continued to have trouble wrapping her head around her findings. ¡°I¡¯m starting to understand why Mira¡¯s keeping this or you a secret, though.¡± She smiled at her surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s really hard to believe. Magic works completely differently from how everyone thinks it does. I¡¯m sure I¡¯m still missing a lot, too! I see how it would be too much. It¡¯s beyond amazing but also almost impossible to comprehend. The current system, once everyone gets rid of the self-imposed elemental restrictions, works well enough, after all." Seemingly listening to her, the particles changed the way they moved every time the tiger got a little further with her theory. Once she stopped talking, some of them got closer to Sophia and messed a little with her hair and clothes. ¡°Hey!¡± She lightly swished them away. ¡°No touching. Especially no lifting of the skirt!¡± Saying so with a teasing voice, the tiger patted down her skirt, only to be immediately met with a strong gust of wind right to her face. It seemed like they didn¡¯t like the unjustified sexual harassment claim. After all, the blonde¡¯s skirt never had moved a bit when they were messing with her. ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m sorry~.¡± The tiger lightly apologized. ¡°You saw a lot of me already, so you know that I like to tease!¡± She didn¡¯t feel sorry at all. ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t really care how you¡¯re, uhh¡­ used, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re just happy to have fun, right? Me being able to see and interact with you all is just one of the best fun you can have, I guess? I¡¯m having a lot of fun, too! Let¡¯s play lots!¡± Liking that a lot, the pink and purple magic particles got excited once again. They energetically swirled around in the air while even more ambient magic joined from other places in the jungle. ¡°Someone¡¯s eager, huh?¡± Sophia enjoyed seeing their reaction. ¡°Mhm, earlier, I saw you all using actual magic, not just changing properties to help nature grow. Does that mean we can do stuff together without me using my authority on you?¡± To answer her question, they formed a small orb of water roughly a meter away from the tiger and slowly moved it closer to her face. ¡°H-Hey!¡± She quickly swished it away before it could hit her. "Also, it''s unfair that you lot can tease me but then get upset if I do the same!" Not pleased about having been called out, the tiger was attacked by another gust of wind. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is, huh? I guess my hairdo will suffer a lot in the future.¡± She had no intention of fully stopping the teasing. ¡°Alright, anyway, if magic can be used without the direct input of someone¡¯s authority, can I ask you to make me a nice mountain around here? I''m not really a fan of my domain being so flat! It would be great to get some diversity in the terrain.¡± Nothing happened for a little while. Then, most of the particles grouped together and collectively moved from left to right several times. ¡°Huh?¡± Sophia looked confused and tilted her head. ¡°Wait, so you can do whatever you want, but you don¡¯t respond to doing something for others if they don¡¯t use their authority?¡± Right after, the ambient magic moved up and down a few times before energetically swirling around the tiger again. ¡°Well, it was worth a try. I can see why you¡¯d say no to it, though. It would be too much power, after all." She was quite disappointed but by no means mad about it. ¡°How about I give you free reign over my domain? No logical restrictions. The only rule is that it must be at least somewhat cute!¡± The magic particles, every single one of them, instantly and completely stopped moving once they heard these words. ¡°Oh, it seems like I piqued some interest, huh~?¡± Sophia tried her hardest to look and sound as smug as possible. ¡°HEY!¡± Naturally, she was immediately hit with another strong gust of wind. ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Stolen story; please report. As an answer to her defiance, the tiger was pummeled by even more wind, but the pink and purple sparkles also became lively again. They rapidly encircled the blonde once more and spun around her so fast that it almost seemed like she was in the eye of a very fancy tornado. ¡°I like how, while you aren¡¯t able to speak, you¡¯re still so easy to read.¡± In response to that, they seemed to be getting impatient as they only increased the speed they were swirling around Sophia. ¡°Calm down, I¡¯ll get to it in a moment!¡± She let out a small chuckle before continuing. ¡°Mira told me that you and nature are very tightly connected. Plants generate more magic, and you transform and create more nature to promote even more growth. A win-win for everyone.¡± Some of the particles stopped spinning around her and moved up and down a couple of times. ¡°Exactly, but the results of this symbiosis are kinda normal. The magic-boosted plants are still just regular old plants, just bigger or denser grown. Trees that make your neck hurt when you try to find out how tall they are are cool but also not that special once you get used to them. How about something actually exciting for a change?¡± Feeling deeply offended over having been called boring, the particles stopped swirling around the girl and took some distance as well. On top of that, she was once more hit by a few wind attacks. ¡°Hey! I didn¡¯t call you boring! I just think it would be nice to do more things out of the ordinary!¡± Hearing that, the ambient magic calmed down again and returned to their usual gentle swishing. ¡°Something more fantasy-like would be sooo much fun! If things get overgrown already, why not a forest of nothing but massive mushrooms? Green or brown trees? How about different colors? Purple trees would be amazing! No, a whole forest in that and similar shades! Completely useless bioluminescence in all sorts of plants to make the area glow! Maybe even based on actual light generated from infused magic! Glowy orbs everywhere! Not just flora with unusual sizes, but completely unbound by their normal properties!¡± She was getting very excited about her ideas. It seemed like Sophia wasn¡¯t the only excited one, either. Half of the pink and purple had already disappeared into the jungle while being accompanied by construction-like noises. At the same time, the remaining ambient magic began to swirl around the tiger once more. ¡°You like that?¡± The blonde was smiling again. "Just remember the requirement to be at least somewhat cute, okay? You don¡¯t have to do what I suggested, either. It was just a reference for you to work with. Do whatever you think is fun! Anyway, everyone still here, go and play with your friends!" She pointed at the jungle before her, and the remaining particles also immediately left. Sophia waited there for about an hour to see if the ambient magic needed her for anything, but she eventually decided to head out and reunite with Fen and Maya. ---------------- ¡°Is there anything new showing up on your detection already¡­?¡± The duo was still fighting their way through the undergrowth when the cat-girl asked for an update. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell.¡± The wolf shook his head. ¡°The ambient magic is becoming denser, though. It makes it even more impossible to see anything, but as you mentioned before, if the magic''s getting denser, we¡¯re on the right track!¡± ¡°You¡¯d think so, right?¡± The blonde¡¯s voice joined their conversation from behind them. ¡°Exact- HUH?!¡± Maya first nodded before quickly turning her head. ¡°Sophia?!¡± ¡°A good day to you two idiots~.¡± Still being in a great mood from earlier, she playfully greeted them. ¡°How are we the idiots here?!¡± As Fen was already used to her popping out of nowhere, he jumped straight to the point. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty stupid to walk in the exact opposite direction of your goal for hours with such confidence.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned smug. ¡°You¡¯ve been getting further away from the cottage or me the entire time. In fact, you¡¯re heading right for the core of the jungle.¡± ¡°Fen!¡± The cat-girl immediately glared at him. ¡°What?!¡± He met her stare. ¡°You¡¯re the one who suggested following the higher magic readings." ¡°A-Ah.¡± She quickly turned her head away. ¡°It¡¯s all your fault in the first place!¡± Maya then proceeded to glare at the tiger. ¡°True!¡± Fen could agree with that. ¡°You two were the ones teasing me without a break.¡± The blonde, however, did not agree. ¡°Ah.¡± This time, both turned their heads away. ¡°Anyway, did you two have a good time together?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to keep going with the topic. She had already long since stopped caring and was in a way too good of a mood after the earlier events with the ambient magic. Afterward, the duo explained their arduous journey while making sure to complain as much as possible. Though, it was more than obvious that the tiger didn¡¯t care the least bit about it and was just happy to hear that the two seemed to have bonded a lot. Chapter 031 – The core of the jungle Sophia learned even more about magic and also managed to further bond with it. She also gave it free rein over her domain to let them add whatever they wanted to it. It seemed like the particles, from the way they acted, were very happy about playing around without needing to recreate normal flora. The prospect of being allowed to create whatever they could think of made them very excited. ¡°As we¡¯re already relatively close after you two got lost, shall we continue to head towards the core of the jungle?¡± Sophia, after having reunited with Fen and Maya, wanted to continue exploring after their break. ¡°I¡¯m not against it.¡± Fen was up for more. ¡°Same.¡± Maya also nodded. ¡°Great!¡± She energetically raised her arm high in the air. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde then made a passage through the jungle using wind-based magic. ¡°Someone¡¯s in a good mood, huh?¡± The wolf didn¡¯t fail to notice her excitement. ¡°Yeah.¡± The cat-girl nodded again. ¡°What did you do after you exiled us?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She froze up for a moment to come up with an explanation. ¡°I played with magic?¡± Luckily, she had no need to lie. Technically telling the truth while accidentally omitting some details was one of her specialties, after all. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± As it didn¡¯t sound like anything out of the ordinary for Maya, she didn¡¯t feel the need to ask any more questions. ¡°By the way, the next time we leave, the Sophia Tax of magic power left behind in my domain will be the absolute maximum to have barely enough left for the regular world.¡± The blonde smiled at the duo. ¡°There¡¯s a little project I started working on, and there needs to be a LOT more ambient magic around!¡± ¡°Do I want to know?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. "Just be assured whatever playful or ridiculous thing you''ll do in the future, now that you stopped holding back, won''t even come close to what I¡¯m up to.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her expression turned complicated. "Don''t worry, it''ll be strictly contained to my domain." ¡°Good¡­¡± ¡°The outside world isn¡¯t ready for it, after all.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned a little smug. ¡°Fen, remind me that I never ask what she¡¯s up to.¡± The cat-girl lightly rubbed her temples while looking at the wolf. ¡°And if I ever find out, remind me that I need to get Ari for a double punishment.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± He just nodded because he didn¡¯t want to get involved. ¡°Though, I am quite curious about hearing more.¡± Fen then turned his attention to the blonde. ¡°It will be a while before I can reveal it.¡± She lightly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s too early for even the group to know.¡± ¡°Even more curious!¡± ¡°Even more concerned!¡± The duo had very different views on it. ¡°Well, things will definitely be interesting in the future~.¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get going!¡± She then started walking alongside the path she created. ---------------- The trio kept exploring the jungle that Mira had gifted to the blonde for another hour and were slowly getting closer to the core. "The plants around here sure are extra dense, huh?" Maya couldn''t help but notice that there really was no empty room between them anymore. ¡°I guess that¡¯s to be expected from the overseer of magic, huh?¡± ¡°It surely is impressive.¡± Fen nodded a few times. ¡°You do know that this area here is pretty close to where you and Ari had your, uhh¡­ moment?¡± The blonde looked at the cat-girl. ¡°It¡¯s mostly your doing because Mira¡¯s bit of the jungle wasn¡¯t nearly as overgrown as this.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°A-Ah.¡± Maya averted her face. ¡°Though, I can¡¯t say for sure how the very core looks because even I have a hard time getting a reading there.¡± ¡°So it might be from Mira, after all!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°No, there are definitely faint traces of Ari¡¯s and your magic inside the plants here.¡± Sophia shook her head in return. ¡°Ah.¡± She had the same reaction as before. ¡°The magic I¡¯m sensing from further ahead, around the core, feels more neutral, though. Whatever happens there is not your fault for a change." The tiger turned a little smug again. ¡°Hey!¡± Maya glared at her. ¡°The last part wasn¡¯t necessary!¡± ¡°It definitely was.¡± She disagreed with her. ¡°Let¡¯s continue!¡± ¡°Yes, I want to see what¡¯s going on there, too!¡± Fen was also very motivated. ¡°Urgh.¡± ---------------- ¡°Ah.¡± They kept going for another 30 minutes, and this time, it was Sophia¡¯s time to have the dumbfounded reaction. ¡°Well, that¡¯s indeed unexpected.¡± The wolf was surprised, as well. ¡°Interesting.¡± Maya, too, wasn¡¯t sure what to make out of the fact the group had stumbled into a small shrine of Canir right in the very core of the jungle. It wasn''t anything fancy, just a stone statue of him between two small obelisk-like structures about three meters tall, but it was a shrine nonetheless. ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to understand why Mira gave you this particular part of the jungle.¡± ¡°You think?¡± The blonde glared at Fen. ¡°She even said she gave me a bit extra because the jungle is so interesting in the area she added.¡± ¡°To be fair,¡± Maya glanced at the shrine again. ¡°I think it is somewhat interesting.¡± ¡°You think?!¡± Sophia then focused her attention on the cat-girl. ¡°I disagree!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s interesting to find a shrine of Canir in the middle of a jungle you have been gifted by the overseer of magic?¡± Fen could see why it would be interesting. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about whether you enjoy it or not.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The tiger went silent. ¡°The one thing is too much to make the other part viable, though!¡± ¡°Did Mira ever mention that you¡¯ll like the extra?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Grr!¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate that and ignored her. Then, the blonde walked closer to the shrine and lifted her hand. Immediately after, everything turned sparkly, and once it stopped, the shrine was gone. "With that, the shrine becomes a problem of the regular world. No Canir shrines in my domain! I put it in the area we camped before~.¡± ¡°Clever.¡± Fen liked her solution. ¡°I disagree.¡± Another male voice joined the conversation and expressed his dissatisfaction with Sophia''s actions. ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia, Fen, and Maya had the exact same reaction when they turned around to look at Canir, who decided to join their party. ¡°It¡¯s lovely to see you all again, too.¡± Slightly grumpy sounding, the man with the dark-brown, unkempt-looking hair, seemingly in his twenties and giving off a rather unreliable feel, rolled his eyes after seeing how unenthusiastic they were. ¡°Why are you here?¡± The tiger looked right at him. "Mira said that no one can enter my domain unless I let them in!" ¡°Like, just as an example, by pouring magic into one of my shrines and summoning?¡± His expression turned smug. ¡°Ah.¡± It was a common reaction that day. ¡°It¡¯s been a while~.¡± Canir seemed to be in a good mood. ¡°Although, I don¡¯t know why this statue is, well¡­ was here?¡± He seemed honestly surprised. ¡°If I remember right, this was Mira¡¯s.¡± ¡°She got rid of it to annoy me!¡± Sophia was not happy about it. ¡°Oh?¡± His tone changed a little. ¡°That¡¯s not nice. It was a gift for her.¡± ¡°Did she want that gift?¡± Fen addressed him. ¡°This and that are unrelated.¡± He turned his head away. ¡°Unrelated to that, it¡¯s not nice to re-gift presents!¡± ¡°Especially not if the new receiver wants it even less.¡± Sophia heartily agreed with his statement, though for different reasons. ¡°Is it really that unpleasant for me to be here, my dear?¡± Canir then faced the blonde once more. ¡°This is my sanctuary!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°It¡¯s supposed to be stalker free!¡± She didn¡¯t like the part where the male overseer enjoys watching her exploits. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, can¡¯t take a peek in here.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°Even now that I¡¯m here, I can only see the things directly around me like everyone else. And, right now, I can¡¯t say that¡¯s much at all.¡± Canir took a quick glance at the thick undergrowth all around them. ¡°Not a great feeling to be this blind.¡± ¡°Wait, does that mean I¡¯m more powerful than you right now?!¡± The tiger¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°C-Calm down!¡± He didn¡¯t like how excited she seemed while closing in on him. ¡°While I can¡¯t oversee this place, I still have all my other powers!¡± "Aww." Sophia looked incredibly disappointed while she also relaxed her clenched fist again. "I thought this was my chance!" ¡°Chance for what?!¡± He didn¡¯t like that, either. ¡°They get along splendidly as usual, huh?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Fen and Maya just looked at their exchange with a warm expression. ¡°How did you come to that conclusion?!¡± The two didn¡¯t agree with that. ¡°Anyway, enough of that.¡± Canir then decided to change the topic. ¡°Will Mira be around later? I¡¯d like to have a word with her about getting rid of my shrine.¡± ¡°Why would I rat out my favorite overseer?¡± The blonde smirked at him. ¡°H-Hey!¡± He tried to look extra hurt. The two kept bickering for a good while longer. As it was more than obvious that both of them were actually having a lot of fun while doing so, Fen and Maya had no intention of intervening and stopping them. Once Sophia and Canir had enough, the tiger invited him to the cottage with them. After all, while she has some issues with him, Sophia doesn¡¯t really hate him. Having saved her life and bringing her over to the new world definitely helped with that sentiment. Chapter 032 – Shrine dispute The group finally made it to the core of the jungle, but Sophia was not amused by what they found there. It seems like Mira really gave her something extra when she gifted her the jungle, namely a shrine of Canir. Not happy with that in the slightest, the tiger immediately banished the shrine from her domain. While doing that, by pouring some of her magic into it, she accidentally summoned Canir himself, though. ¡°You¡¯re really invested in your domain already, huh?¡± They had just arrived at the cottage after having taken a portal there, and Canir took in the sights once more. ¡°The jungle surrounding this area is especially ridiculous. One can really count on your absolute inability to hold back.¡± She gave the blonde a thumbs up. ¡°Hey!¡± She glared at him. ¡°Don¡¯t put me on the same level as Ari and Maya, okay?! They¡¯re the ones who grew this jungle! I had nothing to do with that.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± He faced the cat-girl. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Well, they kept teasing us about being the party poopers, so, as it¡¯s just Sophia¡¯s domain, we decided to go wild for a change.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like the just part. ¡°Now I¡¯m even more upset that I can''t peek into here.¡± Canir didn¡¯t like having missed something entertaining. ¡°I¡¯d love to see more of a crazy cat-girl outside of this domain, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re in luck!¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°Maya agreed to stop being my babysitter unless I seriously overdo it and will return to her usual playful side. Results of this is exhibit A.¡± She pointed at the jungle all around them.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± He liked the sound of that. ¡°I¡¯m starting to have more doubts about that, though.¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Being cheered on by this overseer makes me feel like it would be a bad idea, after all.¡± She stole a glance at Canir during the last part. ¡°Oi!¡± "A-Ah¡­" The cat-girl momentarily forgot that he was quite an important person. Not that anyone else cared about that. ¡°Too bad you promised already!¡± Sophia faced her with a grin. ¡°You¡¯ll lose all your credibility if you turn back now! I won¡¯t ever listen to you anymore, either!¡± ¡°You listened to me before?¡± The threat didn¡¯t have the expected effect on Maya. "Where was I when that happened?" ¡°¡­¡± The tiger needed a moment to come up with a comeback. ¡°W-Well, I super won¡¯t listen to you ever again! Nothing up to now will compare to the future!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you boosted her ego a bit too much?¡± Ignoring her girlfriend, Maya looked at Canir again. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for that!¡± He crossed his arms. ¡°I may have helped her out at the start, but at this point, it¡¯s 100% her own doing!¡± ¡°All I hear is excuses and not wanting to take responsibility.¡± The cat-girl slowly shook her head. ¡°Who¡¯s the one that spent an entire year with her? You or me? I wonder what had the bigger influence on her ego.¡± Canir turned the tables on her. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to teleport both of you to random destinations inside my domain and make sure that neither of you can use any magic during the next three days I leave you there!¡± Sophia did not enjoy their exchange. ¡°We¡¯re deeply sorry!¡± They immediately apologized. ¡°Good!¡± Her mood quickly improved again. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go and scare Anna and Ari!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Maya couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°They haven¡¯t met Canir yet.¡± Her expression turned into a grin. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to change that~.¡± ¡°Oh, seems like the evening will be fun!¡± The cat-girl immediately liked the plan. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°And she made me responsible for Sophia becoming the way she is¡­¡± The male overseer let out a tired sigh. ¡°¡­¡± Maya had no comeback for that. ¡°Anyway, sure, I don¡¯t mind meeting them.¡± Canir had nothing against the plan. Once they agreed on the idea, the group finally entered the cottage after having stood in front of it for a while. ---------------- ¡°Oi~!¡± Sophia went upstairs and knocked on the door of Ari¡¯s and Anna¡¯s room. ¡°Get dressed and come out! There¡¯s a guest I¡¯d like you to meet, and being naked is not an option for that." ¡°¡­¡± Nothing happened for about ten seconds. ¡°Thanks, we¡¯re good.¡± Anna eventually answered her. ¡°We¡¯re not getting up today.¡± ¡°What she said.¡± Ari immediately did a follow-up. ¡°It¡¯s someone rather important, so it would be quite rude not to show up.¡± ¡°No one is more important than the comfiness of this bed right now.¡± The princess didn''t care. ¡°What she said!¡± The jaguar repeated herself. ¡°I feel that statement on every level possible, but¡­¡± Sophia had a hard time to be convincing here as she follows the same philosophy. ¡°It¡¯s the most important person possible, though.¡± ¡°Even if it would be Canir himself, I don¡¯t care!¡± Ari raised her voice a little. ¡°Pfft!¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter. ¡°I love you." She was a big fan of the jaguar. "Anyway, you have no choice! I''ll give you a minute to get ready, or I''ll come in and get you! I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re still naked by then!¡± ¡°B-But!¡± The couple didn¡¯t like that. ¡°The clock¡¯s ticking~.¡± Immediately after, all that could be heard for a little while was the rustling sound of bedsheets and clothes being tossed around and hastily put on. "I hate you." Extremely upset-looking, the two glared at the blonde as they opened the door. ¡°Happy to see you, too~.¡± She just smiled back at them. ¡°Who could be so important for us having to leave bed?!¡± Anna was in a bad mood. ¡°Exactly!¡± So was the jaguar. ¡°My legs are still sore from yesterday! I want to lie down again!¡± ¡°Same!¡± ¡°Wow, you two are whinier than I ever was!¡± Sophia just rolled her eyes. ¡°No.¡± They did not agree with her claim. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She decided not to go into details here. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go!¡± She grabbed both their hands and dragged them downstairs. ¡°Slow down a bit!¡± Ari¡¯s tired legs couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°Also, how did you know we were naked earlier?¡± She got curious about that part. ¡°I didn¡¯t, but thanks for the confirmation~.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Sophia liked her embarrassed expression. ---------------- ¡°W-W-WHAT?!¡± The moment the couple entered the living room and saw the special guest, their fatigue and grumpiness from having had to leave the bed were blown away in an instant. Instead, pure shock and confusion were written all over their faces. ¡°I am pleased to meet such lovely young ladies.¡± Not bothered by their reaction, Canir greeted them with a perfect business smile. ¡°I hate how this guy can switch gears so fast.¡± The blonde lightly shook her head. ¡°Shush!¡± He glared at her for a moment before focusing on the couple again. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so stiff. I won¡¯t do anything to you.¡± ¡°Yeah, because I would punch you into a different dimension if you would.¡± Sophia had no intention of staying quiet. ¡°Oi!¡± Canir glared at her again. There was the slightest hint of being intimidated in his expression, though. ¡°You also warmed up to Mira, right? I''d like to get the same treatment because I don''t enjoy those stiff formalities." "B-But you''re C-Canir!" Anna had a hard time complying with his request. ¡°I definitely am~.¡± ¡°S-Sophia!¡± Ari then faced the blonde. ¡°W-Why is C-Canir here?!¡± Her voice cracked a few times. ¡°W-Why is there another god here?! As if Mira wasn¡¯t enough!¡± ¡°Overseer.¡± Canir and Sophia did not appreciate that. ¡°A-Ah! I-I¡¯m very sorry!¡± She instantly apologized once she noticed the scrunched and disapproving expression of the two. ¡°Wait, why do you have the exact same expression, Sophia?!¡± ¡°Just because!¡± She didn¡¯t feel like explaining it. ¡°S-Still, again, why is the greatest of overseers here?!" The princess tried to stay on topic. "What did you do, Sophia?!" ¡°Why is it always my fault?!¡± ¡°BECAUSE IT ALWAYS IS!¡± Maya, Fen, Ari, Anna, and even Canir unionized. ¡°Hey!¡± Her cheeks puffed up as she started pouting. ¡°I¡¯m innocent!¡± ¡°You did kind of remove his shrine and accidentally summoned him this way, though.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t on her side, either. ¡°That was an accident!¡± The blonde glared at her. ¡°Also, Mira was the one who hid the shrine in there in the first place!¡± ¡°Somewhat of a fair point.¡± The cat-girl was okay with that excuse. "Nothing would''ve happened if you just let my shrine alone, though." Canir, on the other hand, was not okay with the excuse. ¡°There¡¯s just no way that would¡¯ve been an option!¡± Sophia vehemently shook her head. ¡°As I mentioned before, this is my sanctuary!¡± ¡°And how would my shrine intervene with your sanctuary?¡± ¡°Me knowing it''s there is enough to interrupt my inner peace!" ¡°You¡¯re the worst!¡± Canir glared at her again. ¡°As if that¡¯s news to anyone here!¡± She just rolled with it. ¡°¡­¡± No one had anything to add here. ¡°Could we stay on topic, please?!¡± Anna, once more, raised her voice. ¡°Why is the C-Canir here?!¡± ¡°E-Exactly!¡± Ari nodded a few times. ¡°Well, accidentally summoning him aside,¡± Sophia scratched her cheek before continuing. ¡°I think I already told you that Canir¡¯s the reason I ended up in the world where I met all of you, right? Every now and then, we meet up to have a chat and stuff. His kinks and the way he handles stuff aside, it¡¯s actually quite fun when he¡¯s around.¡± ¡°I love you, too.¡± He tried to sound as sarcastic as possible when smiling at the blonde. Afterward, while they continued to bicker a whole lot, the duo explained what was going on in the most illogical way possible. Chapter 033 – Playful and obnoxious After accidentally summoning Canir into her domain, Sophia brought him with them to the cottage and introduced him to Anna and Ari, who had yet to meet him. Naturally, meeting the overseer, the royal couple was more than flabbergasted and needed a good while and an extended explanation to wrap their heads around what was happening. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe we¡¯re in the same room as Canir.¡± Anna had calmed down a lot, but she still couldn''t help staring at them while the group was sitting down on the sofas in the cottage¡¯s living room. ¡°Yes!¡± Ari just nodded a few times. "It feels like you two took this much better compared to back when you first met Mira." Maya noticed a slight difference in their reactions towards meeting the overseers. ¡°It helps that Canir has this sloppy and unreliable feel to him, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia''s expression turned into a grin while she faced him. "Is it just me, or are you extra moody today?" The male overseer wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of her teasing. ¡°I-I wouldn¡¯t go there if I were you.¡± Fen suddenly raised his voice as he remembered his conversation with the cat-girl over why the tiger was behaving so all over the place during their exploration. Even for her, that is. ¡°Oi.¡± Maya immediately glared at him. ¡°Do I want to know?¡± The blonde looked rather confused while she looked in their direction. ¡°No.¡± Both shook their heads. ¡°Mhmrn.¡± Sophia felt like she didn¡¯t like their exchange. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Canir seemed to have connected the dots. Not wanting to be punched into a pixelated red pulp, he naturally didn¡¯t say a word, though. ¡°Anyway,¡± The blonde didn¡¯t want them to continue, so she got back on track and focused on Anna and Ari again. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because of how he looks, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The couple went silent for a moment and stole a few glances at the overseer before Ari eventually spoke up. ¡°W-Well, the Canir statues in the shrines definitely give off a way different feeling than the, uhh¡­ real one, but not in a bad way. I guess? Definitely much more approachable.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°Neither father, the school, nor anyone else ever mentioned anything about this, uhh¡­ more casual look, but I like it. Still, while you¡¯re obviously the same person, your statues and portraits look very different.¡± ¡°How many drawings, statues, or other depictions are there of tigers?¡± He just looked at the royal tiger princess. ¡°Fair point.¡± She could follow his logic. ¡°I have about three million pictures of Ellie on my camera!¡± Sophia interrupted them. ¡°Official works.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°From this world, too.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Canir then smiled at Anna again. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t use Sophia as a benchmark, but in general, as most overseers, I don¡¯t enjoy being treated as special. It¡¯s understandable that this needs some time, but there¡¯s no reason to act any different with me around.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll try!¡± She reacted with a big nod while Ari also moved her head up and down a few times. ¡°By the way,¡± Being happy enough with their reaction, the overseer changed his attention to the blonde once more. ¡°Has Mira mentioned when she¡¯ll be here? There''s still that bone I must pick with her, after all." ¡°Are we going to have a fight of overseers? Shall I prepare popcorn?¡± ¡°H-HUH?!¡± Ari and Anna really didn¡¯t like the sound of that. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I wonder if my domain survives the war between two overseers.¡± ¡°E-EH?!¡± The couple got even louder. ¡°Shush already.¡± Canir rolled his eyes. ¡°I just want to know how my shrine ended up here~.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Ari was relieved to hear that. ---------------- They kept chatting for a good while longer, and Sophia also explained where Steph, Chloe, and Aura were, as Anna and Ari had slept through that bit happening, but after around an hour, things got even livelier. "Ah." Mira had returned to the blonde''s domain, and her expression turned quite awkward once she noticed that Canir was also there. ¡°A good day to you.¡± Fey, who had arrived together with the teal fox, lightly greeted him like it was the most normal thing for her. ¡°A good day to you, too.¡± Canir smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It certainly has.¡± She reacted with a slight nod. Afterward, the full left Mira¡¯s side and sat down on the ground next to the big sofa where Sophia, Maya, Anna, and Ari were sitting on. ¡°Why are you walking away from me?¡± Mira did not like her reaction. ¡°I have no intention to be in the blast zone, you know?¡± It seemed like she already knew what was going on. ¡°I told you this would happen sooner or later. As we''re talking about Sophia, it obviously ended up being sooner rather than later.¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± The blonde took it as a compliment. "So, what do you have to say in your defense, my highly regarded colleague?¡± He turned uncharacteristically serious. ¡°Well,¡± Mira awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I thought it would be a fun prank.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The seriousness was instantly gone. ¡°I can¡¯t fault you for that.¡± Canir nodded a few times. ¡°Why did I not see that coming¡­?¡± Fey let out a sigh. ¡°I hate overseers.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Mira didn¡¯t like that, either. ¡°So you didn¡¯t want to get rid of my shrine, but playing a prank on Sophia was more important, huh?¡± ¡°Oh, I absolutely wanted to get rid of it!¡± Mira smiled at him. ¡°I know that!¡± He rolled his eyes. "You could''ve just played along!" ¡°You know that I¡¯m an honest person~.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± Canir didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°Why do I not believe you?¡± ¡°Trust issues?¡± She just smiled back at him. ¡°I wonder why?!¡± He got louder again. ¡°They got along surprisingly well, huh?¡± Maya leaned to the side to address Fey next to the sofa. ¡°Why do you think it¡¯s surprising?¡± She couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°They¡¯re both stupidly playful and obnoxious.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± There was little Maya could say here. "Hey!" Both overseers glared at the duo. ¡°That¡¯s also why those sisters have such good aptitude to overseer powers.¡± The full then stole a glance at the blonde tiger. "Especially that one." ¡°Hey!¡± A third complainer joined Mira and Canir. ¡°I can¡¯t fault her for that observation, though.¡± The full overseers suddenly synced up. ¡°Oi!¡± The half-one then glared at them instead. "Not cool!" "O-Overseers are way different from what I''ve imagined!" Anna eventually joined the conversation. ¡°I mean, we already got to know Mira by now, but the Canir seems to have a similar personality.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ari nodded a few times. ¡°It¡¯s quite the shock that overseers are so¡­ so¡­ like you all are!" ¡°Hey!¡± They stared at the jaguar with a stern expression. For some reason, Sophia had joined the duo, as well. ¡°I-I am VERY sorry!¡± She immediately apologized to them once she realized her casual rudeness. ¡°Wait, why are you having the same reaction as them?!¡± ¡°Because you compared me to them! I saw you glancing at me when you made that statement.¡± The blonde pointed at herself and then at Canir. ¡°I¡¯m the most offended here! Being compared to him!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not nice!¡± Mira was the one who got upset first. "Yes, yes, you''re the close second on the list to be offended here!" Sophia wasn¡¯t going to step down more than that. ¡°Ari, you better apologize!¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± The jaguar had no intention of doing that. ¡°I very much agree.¡± Canir had the same opinion and smiled at Ari. ¡°Anyway, enough of that!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t want to continue the topic. ¡°Though, my dear Canir, how about giving Mira an extra big and fancy shrine of yours to make up for the lost one? I think that¡¯s only fair.¡± ¡°Best idea you had today!¡± ¡°Worst idea you had today!¡± Canir and Mira had different opinions on the matter. ¡°Since when do you hate me?¡± The teal fox then stared at Sophia. ¡°Who¡¯s the one that snuck his shrine into my sanctuary first?!¡± She stared back at her. ¡°It¡¯s only fair that you get to suffer a bit here!¡± ¡°Could you two stop making it sound like my shrines are the worst things in existence?¡± The male overseer was not a fan of their conversation. ¡°But they are!¡± The duo was getting along great, all things considered. ¡°I think Sophia will also get a new shrine.¡± He had enough. ¡°One that is immune to all sort of tinkering, including applied magic, once it¡¯s placed.¡± ¡°NOOO!¡± ¡°Serves you right!¡± Canir greatly enjoyed their reaction. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something we can do against that atrocity later on, right?!¡± ¡°We have to give it our best!¡± The blonde tiger and teal fox only ended up bonding more over it. ¡°There¡¯s just no way I¡¯m going to accept it just like that!¡± ¡°Good!¡± Afterward, they kept chatting for a good bit longer, mostly Sophia and the overseers bickering over pretty much anything, which thoroughly destroyed any bit of awe that was left in Anna and Ari towards the overseers. Some time later, Chloe, Steph, and Aura also returned after having put a pause on their hobby for the time being. Chapter 034 – New possibilities Sophia and Mira were hating a little too much over Canir¡¯s shrines, which made him a little upset. To pay them back for all the sass they gave him, he decided to gift each an extra fancy shrine that couldn''t be removed from their domains. Naturally, the two girls weren¡¯t the slightest bit happy about that. ¡°Would you look at that, a wild Canir.¡± Aura, Steph, and Chloe had returned to the mansion, and the wolf was the first to greet him. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Long time, no see!¡± The other two followed right after her. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, too.¡± Canir simply smiled at them. Afterward, as the female wolf had asked, he briefly explained to her how he ended up here. ¡°Oh!¡± Aura seemed to like the story. ¡°It seems like everyone had a lot of fun today, huh?¡± ¡°Debatable.¡± Sophia, Maya, Fen, and Mira had mixed feelings on the matter. After all, the trio went through a lot, and the teal fox didn''t end up being scot-free, either. ¡°I¡¯m super envious that you all went on an adventure without us!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like that so much happened without her being there, too. ¡°To be fair, we had our own adventure.¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t upset about it. ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The dog quickly cheered up again. ¡°Oh, speaking of! Sophia!¡± ¡°That¡¯s my name, yes.¡± The blonde looked at her little sister. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°Your domain is broken!¡± ¡°My domain is broken?¡± She looked quite confused after hearing that. ¡°Right!¡± Chloe joined in on Steph''s complaint. ¡°While we were designing the eternal kingdom of ice and coldness, a ton of half-burned leaves and sticks suddenly appeared out of nowhere! It was so much that it completely buried us!¡± ¡°You have no idea how much that surprised me!¡± ¡°Ahhh.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°My domain¡¯s fine then. Maya did that.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± The duo then stared at the cat-girl. ¡°Don¡¯t believe her! She¡¯s the one who sent it to your location!¡± ¡°Ah, that makes more sense.¡± Steph and Chloe could believe that much more. ¡°Oi!¡± The blonde glared at the cat-girl. ¡°You¡¯re the one who burned down half of my jungle, cleaned it up with air magic, and then made me teleport everything to where the two were. I may have done it, but you made me do it. I even only realized halfway through when you were guiding me!" ¡°It¡¯s hard to come up with anything to refute that.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s the truth!¡± She just glared harder at the cat-girl. ¡°You weren¡¯t against it, though.¡± ¡°I never said I was!¡± Sophia also had fun doing it, after all. ¡°I¡¯m confused, but I seriously hope to see more of this Maya!¡± Steph wasn¡¯t exactly sure what was going on, but she was a fan of the playful cat-girl. "Wait up just a moment!" It seemed like Sophia had just noticed something else. Something of utmost importance. Eternal kingdom of ice and coldness?!" She remembered Chloe''s earlier description. "Is it just me, or is that horrible project sounding increasingly grand with each mention?!" ¡°Because it is becoming grander with each passing moment~.¡± ¡°Exactly~!¡± The duo seemed to be having a great time with their project. "I need to make sure to fence off their area so that it doesn''t spread too much.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that?!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like her sister¡¯s idea. ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in an ice kingdom in the first place?!¡± ¡°Where do you want me to start?¡± ¡°The part where you stop!¡± The sisters very much disagreed on the topic. ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°Aura, how is your project coming along?¡± Sophia decided that it was best to simply ignore Steph for the sake of her own sanity. ¡°I like your idea a little better, after all.¡± ¡°Well, the pines haven¡¯t grown yet, but I have a great feeling about it!¡± The wolf seemed to be in a good mood. ¡°I spaced the saplings out and gave each of the three a third of my raw magic! I¡¯m totally empty right now. I can¡¯t wait to see them all grown up~.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°You used your entire internal magic on three saplings¡­?¡± Mira¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°I sure did!¡± Aura just reacted with a big nod. ¡°Oh.¡± The teal fox awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I love this group!¡± The other overseer was enjoying himself, though. ¡°What¡¯s up with those reactions?!¡± Sophia immediately got concerned about her domain again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine~.¡± Canir smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ve never been this worried in my life!¡± It was a big red flag to her. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Aura, my dear, how far away from each other are those saplings?¡± Mira faced the wolf instead. ¡°A couple hundred kilometers, I guess?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I had quite the workout to space them out. I didn''t want a massive center that gets gradually lighter, like the jungle here. I want a forest that¡¯s the same density everywhere~.¡± ¡°Phew!¡± The female overseer looked visibly relieved. ¡°Oi!¡± Sophia then glared at her. ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a limit on how much raw magic plants can absorb.¡± Mira finally answered her. ¡°Knowing our Aura here, she definitely would¡¯ve tried to brute force more into them.¡± ¡°I absolutely would¡¯ve!¡± The wolf in question nodded a few times. ¡°Which could¡¯ve led to some unforeseeable results." The female overseer continued. ¡°Plants happily accept more than the limit because they don''t know better for obvious reasons, but it comes with some side effects. All sorts of mutations can or will happen. The final product might have nothing in common with the original once fully grown. This will also happen if there''s too much in close proximity.¡± ¡°Mutations?¡± Steph¡¯s ears perked up while her tail started wagging. ¡°Details, please!¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s relatively random.¡± Mira wasn¡¯t sure what to tell her. ¡°Pretty much anything can happen. It can fuse with other plants and create some sort of impossible hybrid, for example. Occasionally, it can even happen that the plants stop being plants.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head in confusion. ¡°You don''t mean it becomes alive now, do you?" ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± She shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s a high chance it mineralizes instead. Too much raw magic can cause the plants to crystalize during their growth. To be fair, it¡¯s very pretty, though.¡± ¡°WAIT!¡± The voices of Chloe and the sisters overlapped. "Are you telling me that creating a crystal forest is possible?!" Their dreams were one and the same. ¡°Yes.¡± The teal fox nodded. ¡°Judging by those sparkling eyes, I said too much, huh?¡± ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± The trio got very loud. ¡°Why are you three so giddy?¡± Ari didn¡¯t understand their excitement. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you?!¡± The trio stared at her. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what she just said?!¡± "Yeah, something about crystallized plants?" She tilted her head. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you excited, then?!¡± Chloe and the sisters were still completely unionizing. "The possibilities are endless!" ¡°Again, why are you?!¡± The jaguar also decided to raise her voice. ¡°Crystal forests are amazing! Beautiful, too!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been to one before?¡± Ari still looked confused. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know they were a thing a few minutes ago!¡± ¡°Never been to one!¡± All three shook their heads. ¡°Then again, WHY?!¡± She was losing her patience. ¡°Movies~.¡± Sophia took over the explaining. "There are many movies from our old world that feature them. Even from a long time ago~." ¡°Exactly!¡± Chloe, who had left their world over twenty years ago, nodded. ¡°They were common for me, too!¡± ¡°So, why exactly should I get excited over something you lot experienced in a DIFFERENT world?!¡± Ari slowly shook their head while looking right at the blonde. ¡°Movie night later!¡± Sophia had an easy solution for the issue. ¡°Oh, now that I think about it, the TV we bought back when Maya and I visited Earth and all the other stuff is still in the mansion in the capital.¡± "Not everything." The cat-girl shook her head. "The toys are already here.¡± ¡°I know¡­¡± The tiger rolled her eyes before continuing. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s put a TV here to deal with emergencies like the current one!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it an emergency, but whatever¡­¡± Ari gave up. ¡°Speaking of your old world,¡± Canir seemed to have gotten curious about something and faced the blonde. ¡°I heard that you offered your family to come over here, too.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± She scratched her cheek in return. ¡°I did do that, yeah. Well, I advertised the new world quite strongly, I guess. They still haven¡¯t decided, though. It¡¯s quite the decision, after all. Something like that usually takes some time, after all.¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡± Steph shook her head while she looked at her sister after she noticed her glance and pronunciation of the word usually. ¡°Easiest decision of my life!¡± ¡°I was talking about normal people.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The dog-girl was surprisingly okay with that response. ¡°Why are those sisters so self-aware yet ridiculous?¡± Ari could only roll her eyes once more. ¡°Anyway, back to the family!¡± Sophia ignored her. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a hard decision for them. Lots to consider and all that. Sari aside, mom and dad were useful members of the society and all that, after all.¡± ¡°True, didn¡¯t really apply to us.¡± Steph could see why they would hesitate. ¡°Exactly.¡± The blonde nodded before continuing. ¡°All of this is hard to comprehend, too.¡± She simply gestured at everything around her. ¡°It¡¯s not something I can or will push them into, either. Oh! I just had an idea.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± Ari had a bad feeling. ¡°Shush!¡± She lightly glared at her before continuing. ¡°I could show them my domain! Around the cottage, it¡¯s already quite presentable. Absolutely no dangers, either. Except maybe Maya going on another rampage.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t like the last part. ¡°That way, we wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the whole them being regular humans thingy, which would complicate things if anyone sees them.¡± ¡°And people say my family background is wild because I¡¯m the princess of a nation.¡± Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m the most normal girl in existence compared to those sisters.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The two just scratched their cheeks in response. There was nothing they could say in their defense, after all. ¡°What do you think, Canir?¡± The blonde then faced him. ¡°Well, as long as you don¡¯t think about getting their friends, and the family of them, and their friends, and so on, it shouldn¡¯t do any damage.¡± ¡°No, only those three. I have no attachment to anyone besides that.¡± ¡°Same.¡± The sisters were on the same page. ¡°Well, none that¡¯s strong enough that I want them to be here.¡± Steph was a little more specific. ¡°Good.¡± He nodded. ¡°Also, I¡¯m okay with giving them the language blessing, but other than that, you¡¯re on your own with them this time. In terms of magic and the like. I¡¯d say Mira also pampered Steph more than enough.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The duo seemed okay with those terms. Afterward, as the sisters had gotten into it, they discussed some more ideas about their parents for quite a while. Once they came up with something loosely resembling a plan, Sophia made a quick trip to their mansion in the capital to fetch a TV and other necessities to watch a movie or three to teach Ari the amazingness of crystal forests. Chapter 035 – Mutated flora Canir decided to hang out with the group for a little bit, and some interesting things got revealed, like the possibility of feeding plants too much raw magic, which could mutate them or even lead to a whole crystallized forest. The sister''s parents also became a topic, and Sophia had the idea to show her family back on Earth her domain to get them a taste of what a world with magic looks like. "Okay, I can see now why you three like the idea of a crystalized forest so much." Ari nodded a few times while she was looking at the TV. The group had decided to watch a few movies together, namely fantasy ones that feature all kinds of magical sights, because Chloe and the sisters wanted to show the jaguar the beauty and romance of those sparkly forests. ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡± Steph, Sophia, and the pink fox sounded quite smug while they smiled at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Anna also seemed quite excited about it. ¡°It¡¯s SOO beautiful!¡± ¡°What she said!¡± The wolves, too, seemed to be fans of the idea. ¡°I do agree that it¡¯s very pretty.¡± Maya also liked it. "Though, I think that those glowing forests are very much cooler! Plants that light up are super fun~.¡± ¡°A compelling argument!¡± Steph agreed with her. ¡°I think I might actually like that one better, too! Bioluminescence is so cool!¡± ¡°By the way, bioluminescence is a very common mutation~.¡± Mira smiled at the two. ¡°Ohh!¡± They loved to hear it. ¡°Let¡¯s try it out the next time we have time!¡± The dog-girl gave Maya a thumbs up. ¡°Sounds like a plan!¡± The cat-girl was in on it. ¡°You two alone together?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow after hearing this. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I feel about that.¡± ¡°Oh, jealous~?¡± Smirking at her sister, Steph then put her arm around Maya¡¯s neck, who happened to be sitting next to her when they were watching the movies. ¡°Not exactly.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s more like that you two are by far the biggest perverts in our group, and I¡¯m not sure if I want to find out what you¡¯d come up with when alone together.¡± ¡°She¡¯s got a point!¡± Anna, Ari, and Chloe agreed with her. ¡°Do you think that little of us?!¡± Steph and Maya were hurt. ¡°Yes.¡± The trio just nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s come up with the most perverted thing possible!¡± ¡°Exactly what I was thinking just now!¡± The dog and cat-girl started pouting while they looked at each other. "How about a tentacle forest?" "Ohh!" ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised about that.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. "Also, why was that the first thing you came up with?!" She didn''t like her suggestion. ¡°If it helps,¡± Ari joined the conversation. ¡°I like what I saw about the crystal forests in those movies, but glowing plants also seem a little cooler to me. I''d like to help make such a place instead." ¡°Of course!¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°We naturally welcome the third-biggest pervert in our group to our illustrious endeavor!¡± Steph¡¯s mood seemed to be excellent. ¡°It¡¯s threesome time!¡± ¡°I''ll ignore the last part because I know you by now, but what¡¯s that other part supposed to mean?!¡± She didn¡¯t enjoy that accusation. ¡°You know what I mean~.¡± The dog just smiled at her. ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Well,¡± Anna raised her hand while a slight blush appeared on her face. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to finish your sentence!¡± The jaguar got loud. ¡°Hehe.¡± Steph and Maya gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Shush!¡± Ari didn¡¯t like that, either. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure how adding another pervert to the mix would help with the situation, but I guess you at least know where to draw the line.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I guess?¡± ¡°I hate you all so much.¡± She then turned her head away because she didn¡¯t want to talk with them anymore. "I definitely want to be on the crystal forest team, though!" Anna faced her fellow tiger. ¡°The glowy stuff looks fun, and I want to see it once it''s done, but crystals are way cooler!¡± ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to join me~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m totally coming with you two, as well!" Chloe joined the tiger faction. "Same reason as our princess, too!" ¡°The more the merrier!¡± The blonde naturally was happy to have her. The girls continued to make plans for a little longer and also watched yet another movie together, but eventually decided that the day had been long enough. Once Canir headed back, everyone got ready to sleep and rest. ---------------- ¡°Oh!¡± On the following morning, while everyone was in the cottage¡¯s living room, Sophia suddenly raised her voice. ¡°Canir forgot to give me one of his stupid fancy shrines!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so relieved just yet.¡± Mira looked at her. ¡°Knowing him, he¡¯s probably busy preparing something as obnoxious as possible for us right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m absolutely certain he is.¡± The blonde agreed with her. ¡°I won¡¯t ever let him back into my domain again, though~.¡± ¡°Good thinking!¡± She sounded impressed by her solution. ¡°I think I might join you on that plan!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Noticing they were done with the topic, Steph spoke up. "I was wondering what the plan for today is. More of our own projects? The special forests, more traveling in the normal world? Or, do you want to fetch our family?¡± She tilted her head during the last part while facing her sister. ¡°I¡¯d definitely say that the family thing will be a topic for another day.¡± She strongly shook her head a few times. ¡°Mira, how complicated is it to create the mutated forests we got so excited over yesterday?¡± ¡°Just use an obscene amount of your internal magic, and you''re good to go." She smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m good at that!¡± Sophia liked the requirements. ¡°We know.¡± Many people present had the same reaction. ¡°There are some smaller issues with your plan, though.¡± The teal fox informed her about a problem. ¡°You still remember that I said those mutations are random, right? You all got super excited, split up in groups and whatnot, but there¡¯s no way to tell what sort of mutation will happen. Not even that it is going to happen.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The girls definitely had forgotten about it. ¡°There are certain plants and biomes that are more likely to mutate in the desired direction, though." As usual, Mira couldn''t help but spoil them with information. ¡°Swamps, mossy areas, and other places with natural high humidity often mutate towards bioluminescence. Basically, places where mushrooms grow well, which also have the highest chance to develop a glow under high-magic conditions. For crystallization or fossilization, depending on your goal, hard-leaved plants and trees found in hotter regions are prone to it. They aren¡¯t able to absorb a high amount of magic, so there¡¯s a high chance they mineralize instead of mutating. For example, the flora of the monster country of the regular world works rather well in that regard.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Very useful information! The monster country is super far away, though. While I want to go there again, it¡¯ll take a while. Anna, are there any swamps on the way we¡¯re currently traveling?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°I roughly know where the notable cities in our kingdom are and what''s special about them, but I don¡¯t know much about the geographical properties and biomes outside of the immediate area around the capital.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for me.¡± Ari¡¯s knowledge wasn¡¯t any more detailed, either. ¡°Aww.¡± It wasn¡¯t what she wanted to hear. ¡°Didn¡¯t we cross a massive swamp during our travels?" Chloe eventually joined the conversation and faced Fey with a questioning expression. ¡°That was over five years ago, you know?¡± She looked back at her. ¡°I doubt that place would be overly helpful for you impatient lot.¡± ¡°True.¡± A lot of them agreed with that statement. ¡°Also,¡± The full continued. ¡°I don¡¯t think you need a full swamp for your project. Any swampy area would work to get a sample for your experiments inside the domain here, right?¡± She looked at Mira during the last bit. "Yes." She nodded. "Though, it might be beneficial to get a few extra samples because there¡¯s a high chance you need multiple tries to get the desired outcome.¡± ¡°Even that won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Fey didn¡¯t see an issue with that. ¡°Swampy areas are everywhere. I can guarantee you that we will find one in not even an hour after we¡¯re back to traveling.¡± ¡°I like that confidence!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°You better make sure to sniff one out if we don¡¯t, though!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You¡¯re oddly cooperative with our idiocy, Feyfey!¡± Chloe raised an eyebrow. ¡°What is going on?¡± She got suspicious. ¡°I don¡¯t care if Sophia¡¯s domain turns into a freaky attraction, so I¡¯m all in favor if you live out your fantasies here instead of the regular world.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The pink fox could get behind her reasoning. ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph had enough of the talking and decided it was time to head out. And so, after a rough plan for the day had been formed, everyone got ready, and the group left Sophia¡¯s domain to resume their travels, now with the daily goal of finding a swamp or swampy area. Chapter 036 – Swampy area The group learned about plant mutations and crystallization and how it can be done by exposing flora to too much raw magic. Sophia and the other girls got very excited about this and wanted to try it out immediately. Unfortunately, getting a specific mutation is not easy and needs a particular biome or type of plant to increase the chances for it to happen. Because of that, they decided to search for a swamp because that apparently increases the likelihood of a bioluminescent mutation. ¡°Oh, there really is a shrine of Canir here now.¡± The group had returned to the place where they had left off in the regular world the other day using Sophia''s portals, and Ari immediately noticed a certain change in the environment. ¡°Yup.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°That¡¯s the one Mira hid in the jungle she gave me.¡± She lightly glared at the overseer before continuing. ¡°And no, I¡¯m not going to do anything with that. It¡¯s going to stay here.¡± She pointed at the shrine in the middle of nowhere. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say anything.¡± The jaguar shook her head. ¡°Actually, there are many shrines of Canir out in the wild that no one can explain why they''re in those specific places. Yours will fit right in." ¡°Good!¡± Sophia was glad about not having gotten a lecture. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She then looked at Mira again. ¡°Could it be that I wasn¡¯t the first one with the idea of booting his shrines out of their domains? Have other overseers, or people with their own domains, done the same? His shrines being in places that make no sense, is quite suspicious, after all." ¡°I would not be surprised if that¡¯s the case.¡± The teal fox couldn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Personally, I sealed the area around the shrine, but I can see this option being viable, too.¡± ¡°If you sealed it, why did you give it to me?!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°Again, because I thought it would be funny~.¡± She just smiled at her. ¡°Grr!¡± Sophia growled briefly at her before turning her attention to Fey. ¡°You have 56 minutes left to find us a swampy area.¡± ¡°55.¡± Steph slightly corrected her. ¡°Shush.¡± The full glared at the sisters. ¡°You know that hurrying me will only lead to the exact opposite of what you want.¡± ¡°I mean, you did sound quite confident when you announced it.¡± Chloe faced her mother. ¡°You have to follow up on it now.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Fey let out a sigh. "Having raised you, I really should''ve learned how to keep my mouth shut by now." ¡°You didn¡¯t, though~.¡± Steph smirked at her. ¡°And so, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°One day, when no one¡¯s watching, I¡¯m going to set you on fire.¡± The full did not appreciate the dog¡¯s comment. ¡°You will not!¡± Chloe did not appreciate her comment, either. ¡°I absolutely will!¡± She stared right back at her daughter. "Well, it wouldn''t be the first time, so it''s fine~." Steph didn''t seem bothered by it. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes turned wide as she turned to look at her girlfriend. ¡°Fey¡¯s been teaching me the correct usage of magic, right?¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Mom¡¯s either a lot worse at controlling her magic than she claims to be, or all those times my hair and tail got singed during the fire sessions were on purpose~.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Mom glared at the violet dog. ¡°You¡¯re 100 years too early to call me that!¡± ¡°Oh! An actual number!¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned the smuggest yet. ¡°I can work with that!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± She just growled at her. ¡°I love how well they get along!¡± Chloe had her very own interpretation of the exchange. ¡°I also would¡¯ve set her on fire a couple of times.¡± Ari sided with Fey. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± She was happy to have at least one supporter. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go and get over with it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so soft on them~.¡± Mira liked how she caved in at the end, anyway. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ---------------- The group finally got going and left the Canir shrine in the middle of nowhere behind. Navigating the area for a while, Fey eventually led them into a densely grown forest and kept going in there for about 20 minutes. ¡°I told you so.¡± Sounding even more smug than Steph earlier, the red full gestured at a murky-green pond in the middle of the forest, which was surrounded by a swamp-like area, trees covered in moss and overgrown with mushrooms. ¡°Ohh!¡± The sisters and Chloe simply started clapping their hands. ¡°Why is it so hot around here?¡± Maya noticed something else of interest. ¡°Well, not exactly hot, but quite a bit warmer than it should be. Mushrooms aren¡¯t supposed to grow like that during spring, right? The trees are already fully covered in leaves, too.¡± She made a slight pause before continuing. ¡°Okay, we just grew a fully overgrown jungle in Sophia¡¯s domain, but that¡¯s a different topic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question!¡± The jaguar nodded a few times. ¡°Everything else, outside the domain, was just starting to grow or blossom.¡± ¡°Feyfey, explanation, please!¡± Chloe then faced her mother with expectant eyes. ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who guided us to this place.¡± Steph looked at her with the same expression. ¡°It¡¯s only natural, no?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Not being able to say anything against that, Fey started surveying the area for a little while. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like there¡¯s any excess magic that could be a cause for the elevated temperature.¡± She walked around for a bit longer and then looked down at her paws. ¡°The ground around here feels a lot warmer than usual. There might be some sort of increased thermal activity in this region, and it''s strong enough in this region to increase the temperature above ground enough to make the current state possible.¡± ¡°Sounds like it would make sense.¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Maya, write that down and add it to the list of things I want to do in my domain!¡± She smiled at her secretary. ¡°Will do!¡± The cat-girl nodded, but she had no intention of writing anything down, just like she always does when urged to do so. Her job as a secretary wasn¡¯t a mutual agreement, after all. ¡°Thermal activity?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Wait!¡± She then got loud. ¡°As in a volcanic area?! We¡¯re still super close to the capital, though! Isn¡¯t that dangerous?!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe and the sisters had the same reaction again. ¡°Hey!¡± The princess glared at them. ¡°No getting excited over that!¡± ¡°I highly doubt it.¡± Aura addressed the concerned-looking tiger. ¡°There are no signs of volcanic activities around here. No earthquakes, no geysers, smells of escaping gases from the underground, or any fissures in the earth that would indicate something busy underground.¡± She tried to calm her down. ¡°I-I see!¡± It worked on the princess. ¡°My guess,¡± Fen continued. ¡°I¡¯d say that there¡¯s a huge underground lake in the area, which reaches deep enough to touch hotter rock. It¡¯s active enough to heat up the area, but there''s no pressure because there are none of the things Aura mentioned. It should be harmless.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°You two sure know a lot about this.¡± Sophia was impressed by the wolves. ¡°Because volcanoes are awesome!¡± The two synced up perfectly while seeming to be quite excited all of a sudden. ¡°Ahh, I remember now.¡± Fey, on the other hand, sounded rather tired for some reason instead. "Back when I was last traveling with them, we visited a volcanic area with an active volcano, and they got really into it. I was rather tiring¡­¡± ¡°That was the best!¡± The wolves seemed to remember it, too. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find a volcano now!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The sisters and Chloe, once again, were directly onboard. ¡°But not here!¡± Anna got loud again. ¡°Otherwise, count me in!¡± ¡°Is there really no chance that this area has actual volcanic activity?" Ari, the levelheaded one, wanted to ensure the capital was in no direct danger. ¡°There¡¯s not no chance, but it¡¯s highly unlikely.¡± Fen faced her. ¡°There¡¯s no place in the world where there is no chance, but the signs indicate heavily against it.¡± ¡°Good!¡± ¡°Want to make sure it¡¯s safe?¡± The blonde smirked at the royal couple. ¡°How?¡± They just tilted their heads. ¡°Hehe!¡± Sounding extra smug, she then lifted her hand. Immediately after, the whole area started to rumble before a massive hole appeared before them. "Underground adventure!" The tiger pointed at the pit. Upon closer inspection, rather than just a vertical hole, it seemed more like a tunnel seemingly going on forever into the depths at a slight angle. ¡°You¡¯re the absolute best!¡± Steph, the dog-girl, looked very moved by her sister''s digging skills. ¡°Best adventure yet!¡± ¡°What she said!¡± The wolves quickly agreed with her. ¡°Oh, I really liked that massive underground lake beneath the capital!¡± Maya also was a fan. ¡°It was super beautiful, and it would be fun if there¡¯s something similar here~.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lake under the capital?!¡± The eyes of the princess turned wide after hearing this news. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s part of the dungeon there.¡± The cat-girl answered her without thinking. ¡°A-Ah.¡± ¡°THERE¡¯S A DUNGEON?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Not wanting to deal with that, Maya simply started walking and entered the newly created cave. ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± The dogs, even though two of them were wolves, immediately ran after her. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Anna also followed them. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Fey sounded even more tired. ¡°Adventure!¡± Her daughter was the exact opposite and urged all the remaining people of the group to also enter the tunnel. Before Sophia followed suit, she collected a few samples of the swampy area for her domain to experiment on later before she and the rest finally disappeared into the newly created hole made by her. Chapter 037 – Underground tunneling Fey guided the group to a swampy area, just like she promised before, but the main attraction turned out to be something different. The area was unusually warm, especially the ground below them, and the full fox theorized some sort of thermal activity beneath. Because of that, Anna was concerned that it might be an undiscovered volcanic area, which could endanger the nearby capital. The wolves reassured her that it would be unlikely as there were no other signs of it. However, Sophia still turned it into an adventure and created a tunnel leading underground with her magic to explore what really was going on in the area below. ¡°This sure is something!¡± Ari curiously looked around at the greyish-brown and perfectly round walls of the tunnel that led them deeper and deeper underground while their surroundings were dimly lit by light-based magic. ¡°I love it!¡± Steph sounded even more excited over it. The overly present dog side of the girl was having a grand time. ¡°I wanna continue digging the tunnel!¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± Sophia just smiled at her and the overly active and wagging tail attached to her sister. ¡°By the way,¡± Fey joined the conversation. ¡°Am I allowed to crash this party, or shall we continue this journey in blissful ignorance? If you want to ensure there''s no volcanic activity and the like.¡± ¡°I know that we¡¯d need to dig multiple kilometers deep to have a chance to find magma. We¡¯d also run into some slight issues long before that. There might be some hints like fissures, tunnels, or steam, or I don''t know what?¡± It¡¯s not like the blonde was running on a plan right now, after all. ¡°I want to find out the reason for the temperature, too. There also might be some other fun stuff! Like that lake that got mentioned before.¡± ¡°Alright, fair enough.¡± She hadn¡¯t expected such a reasonable reply. "Speaking of the lake!" Anna raised her voice while she was swirling around Maya. "What did you mean earlier by saying there¡¯s an underground lake beneath the capital?! More importantly, you mentioned a dungeon, too! A DUNGEON!¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to redirect you to Fen for that.¡± The cat-girl simply gestured at the wolf. ¡°He¡¯s the one who built that dungeon under the capital, after all. For the record, I was rather upset when I found out because he promised me not to do that.¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± Fen growled at her. ¡°Was that really necessary? Also, Aura helped me a lot!¡± ¡°Was that really necessary?¡± The female wolf rolled her eyes in response. ¡°You made a dungeon?!¡± The tall tiger zoomed in on him. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°Right!¡± The male wolf relaxed again. ¡°I forgot that the princess is fun!¡± He had expected a scolding. ¡°I mean, the royal side in me is concerned over how that sounds, BUT!¡± She made a slight pause. ¡°I¡¯m too curious to care about that at the moment!¡± ¡°Do you remember how I mentioned that one of my portals leads to a dungeon?¡± Sophia was the one who answered her. "We never got to explore it with you all as planned because of the winterly hibernation, but that dungeon is under the capital. Actually, the start of it is behind a secret door in the basement of our mansion! The wolves started building it the day we moved in there~.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s also not a regular dungeon. There are no monsters or dangerous animals and the like. Even though it¡¯s quite far underground, we didn¡¯t want to take any risks in that regard for something being under the capital.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Ari was the most relieved about that. ¡°It¡¯s more like a massively giant maze.¡± The wolf continued. ¡°There are some traps, though, so it¡¯s not fully without danger.¡± ¡°Sounds great!" Anna liked it a lot. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°The general design is a lot like this tunnel, though.¡± Aura gestured around them. ¡°Just a lot of soil, so if you want to see it, it might be an activity for a slow day and not when we¡¯re traveling.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ---------------- Once the topic of the capital dungeon was taken care of, the group continued their underground travels, now with Steph in the lead. The dog-girl really wanted to dig some holes, after all. ¡°Oh?¡± After around an hour of digging, Steph seemed to have noticed something. ¡°Is it just me, or is it getting wetter around here?¡± She pointed at the walls of the newly created tunnel bit and how it had water literally running down on it. "I mean, it was always a little moist, groundwater and stuff, but that¡¯s a little excessive, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Maybe we¡¯re getting closer to that rumored lake?¡± Chloe, who was right next to her, got closer to one of the walls, touched it, and took a guess. ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s like a waterfall!¡± ¡°Or our overexcited dog dug right under a part of the lake, and the tunnels are going to collapse any minute now from the water pressure." ¡°Don¡¯t be so negative!¡± The pink fox didn¡¯t like her mother¡¯s guess of the situation. ¡°It is a lot of water, though.¡± Aura could see why the full made that comment. ¡°A lot of water.¡± Fen also agreed with her and gestured towards the end of the downward-sloping tunnel they were in. A lot of water had collected there, and a part of the tunnel had already flooded a few minutes after Steph had created it. ¡°Ah.¡± Chloe noticed that Fey might¡¯ve had a point. ¡°Isn¡¯t that kinda bad?!¡± Ari didn¡¯t like this turn of events. ¡°No.¡± Fey shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s very bad.¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± The jaguar got even louder. ¡°We¡¯d probably get crushed to death by the water mass if the tunnel caves in.¡± ¡°Why are you so calm, then?!¡± Ari was properly panicking by now. ¡°Because there¡¯s a pretty easy solution for this.¡± Saying so, Fey turned around and walked up the sloped tunnel. ¡°There was always a little water, but these masses only started showing up after we reached this depth. If we stay above it, we should be safe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Noticing the easy solution, the jaguar immediately grabbed Anna¡¯s hand and dragged her up the tunnel to where the fox was. The others also quickly did the same. ¡°Alrighty!¡± Once everyone was on higher ground, Steph clapped her hands. ¡°As it seems like I was about to end us all, does anyone else take the lead now?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Fen jumped at the chance. He wasn¡¯t concerned by the possible almost near-death experience and just wanted to continue digging. A canine is a canine, after all, be it a dog or a wolf. While technically part of the same family, the fox side of the group didn¡¯t seem as enthusiastic about it, though. ¡°By the way,¡± While the male wolf was getting ready to lead the group, Fey got a little closer to Mira next to her. ¡°You know exactly what''s happening around us, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± The overseer smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m not telling, though. It would ruin the fun.¡± ¡°I figured as much.¡± She just rolled her eyes in return. ---------------- Fen led the group for another hour and created a whole network of tunnels to find something interesting and/or get some energy out of his system. Then, after a little while longer, his newest digging activity finally uncovered something of interest. ¡°There we go!¡± He sounded quite happy with himself after his last use of magic dug right into a massive cave. It was hard to see what was going in there because it was only dimly lit from the light magic inside the tunnel, but it seemed to be above the size of the forest above ground where they found the swampy area. ¡°Good job!¡± Sophia gave the wolf a small pat while she walked beside him to get a better look at the cave. ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Saying so, the blonde used her own magic to lighten up the whole cave. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the place we were looking for, huh?¡± Now that there was more light, the sheer scale of the cave was much clearer. It was almost perfectly circular, with a diameter of about two kilometers. Fen had dug through the cave walls at an elevated place, so the group had a perfect view of the lake that covered the entire floor beneath. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s actually steaming!¡± Steph also got closer and made an interesting discovery when she looked at the water. ¡°Not much, so it doesn¡¯t seem to be too hot, but it¡¯s definitely a little steamy! It¡¯s rather warm around here, too!¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Anna also joined them to see it. ¡°Woah! Wait, isn¡¯t that a bad sign?!" She then stared at Fen with a complicated expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It seems a little warm, but nowhere close to the sources of geysers, for example. In an actual active volcanic area, the water reservoir would be boiling, and we¡¯d be cooked alive by the rising steam alone.¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s good¡­?¡± She wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about his explanation. ¡°If I were to take a guess,¡± Aura continued. ¡°I¡¯d say that this lake is really deep and touches deeper rock layers, which is hot enough to heat it. However, it is not touching magma or something else that is active. Otherwise, as Fen said, we would''ve turned into steamed buns already." ¡°Maya, I want steamed buns for dinner!¡± Sophia liked the sound of that. ¡°Me, too!¡± Steph felt the same. ¡°I don¡¯t like how you came to this based on the current conversation, but¡­¡± The cat-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°I do like the idea, though.¡± Afterward, once the dinner plans were finalized, the group decided to get closer to the water by digging down through the cave walls to get a better look at it and maybe notice a thing or two more. Chapter 038 – Hot spring The group had success during their underground exploration and found a massive cave, including a lake. The water was special, too, as it was quite warm to the point where it was ever so slightly steaming. It didn''t seem to be related to a volcano, as the water was neither boiling nor were they cooked alive by the steam. ¡°Oho, it¡¯s actually quite a bit hotter than I thought." The group had reached the water, and Steph curiously put her hand into it. ¡°Kinda like an extra warm bath, I¡¯d say~.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Liking the sound of that, Sophia also touched the water. ¡°The temperature¡¯s perfect!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Maya tilted her head while watching the sisters and then looking at the lake. ¡°The water¡¯s pretty milky, the light steam, and this mineral smell in the area¡­ This whole thing¡¯s just a massive underground hot spring, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ten points to our cat.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it is, a huge thermal spring. The forest above is flourishing to such a degree simply because of the size and the closeness to the surface, which lets enough warmth reach it.¡± ¡°Hot spring?!¡± Hearing that, the dog-girl got even more excited. Immediately after, she removed her jacket and started unbuttoning her shorts while her tail wagged vigorously. ¡°Oi!¡± The blonde karate chopped her head and stopped her sister just before she fully pulled down her shorts. ¡°What?¡± She just looked at her sister. ¡°It¡¯s a hot spring! Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph reached for her already half-off shorts again. ¡°We¡¯re all friends, so it¡¯s fine~.¡± And with that, on top of a short smile at the male wolf, her shorts fell on the ground. "Also, while Fen''s the only straight individual and male in our group, which would make me wary in the old world, he''s like the least horny member, by far, and we''re not exactly compatible, are we?¡± She then grabbed the hem of her panties and was ready to get rid of them, too. "Not only are we incompatible, but I also have zero interest in you.¡± Fen took a quick glance at the slightly extra exposed dog and then shook his head. ¡°Zero?¡± She looked back at him as she stopped stripping for a moment. ¡°That hurts!¡± ¡°Well, I mean, your tail is very pretty, and your ears are amongst the cutest canine ears I¡¯ve seen, but all your furless human bits are an absolute no-go for me." He took a better look at the almost-naked girl and let out a huff. "Not a chance.¡± ¡°Good enough!¡± Steph was happy with the clarification on his side. ¡°White, huh?¡± During their exchange, Maya''s eyes immediately fell on a specific something that was about to hit the floor. ¡°I would¡¯ve expected something bolder from you.¡± ¡°They¡¯re my comfy panties!¡± Steph showed her a cheeky smile. ¡°Perfect for moving around a lot! The other types of panties are reserved for other types of events~.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± She could get behind her logic. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of an issue, though.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The dog tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m not going in there.¡± Maya pointed at the gigantic lake with the milky-white water and then all around her. "I''m not in the mood to go into water of which I can''t see the bottom inside a massive cave we reached through self-made tunnels.¡± ¡°What she said!¡± Ari felt the same. "A shallow open-air hot spring, count me in, but this here is a massive turn-off!¡± She also just pointed all around her. ¡°You¡¯re no fun!¡± Looking incredibly disappointed, Steph kneeled down to grab her shorts before fixing her panties and slid into them again before also putting on her jacket once more. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ignoring her sister, the blonde kept staring at the water while seemingly thinking about something. ¡°What are you up to?¡± Maya knew that look on her girlfriend¡¯s face. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°I¡¯m currently in the middle of having an idea.¡± ¡°Why even bother coming up with something if no one wants to enjoy an amazing hot spring¡­?¡± Steph was already properly depressed over it. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m trying to come up with a solution for that.¡± ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± The dog¡¯s mood swings could be even stronger than those of the older sister. ¡°Unless you take this hot spring and put it somewhere else, there¡¯s nothing you can come up with.¡± Ari slowly shook her head while looking at the blonde. ¡°That¡¯s the plan~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Mira, is there anything dangerous or unhealthy in this water?¡± ¡°Nope, it¡¯s perfectly fine.¡± The overseer smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s, in fact, one of the better hot spring sources I¡¯ve seen so far.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± She seemed to be happy about her evaluation. ¡°Okay, give me five minutes!¡± Saying so, the short tiger created two portals to her domain for some reason and stepped through the right one. ¡°Oh, I think I know what she¡¯s up to!¡± Chloe started smiling. ¡°That¡¯s going to be fun~.¡± ---------------- ¡°Alrighty!¡± Roughly five minutes had passed, and Sophia reunited with the group after passing through the left portal. ¡°I¡¯m almost done~.¡± ¡°Done with what?¡± Steph had trouble following her. ¡°Give me a moment~.¡± She then focused her attention on the two portals and moved one of them right in the middle and roughly 50 meters above the lake by using her magic. ¡°Perfect!¡± Then, the blonde also moved the second portal on top of the water, but she submerged it instead of putting it up. A few moments later, the milky-white water started gushing out of the portal floating above the lake. ¡°It¡¯s working!¡± ¡°What is working?!¡± The dog-girl was getting impatient. ¡°I created a big hole in my domain where I put the submerged portal on the bottom.¡± She pointed at the lake in front of them. ¡°I also made an overflow around it, which follows a short river and feeds into the second portal over there." Sophia pointed at the floating one above the lake where the water was gushing out. ¡°That way, it gets constantly replaced by fresh and hot water.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She needed a moment. ¡°Wait, does that mean you have your own natural hot spring in your domain now?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Her sister gave her a thumbs up. ¡°We need to do some redesigning, but that¡¯s exactly it~.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Maya also seemed interested. ¡°If the hot spring¡¯s in your domain, and made cutely, it''s a different story!" ¡°I agree.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s not in a cave and I can stand in it, I¡¯m in favor, too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The sisters unionized. ¡°Anyway, while I¡¯m also looking forward to that, now that I know this place is a lot less dangerous, which is a good thing, it took away much of the excitement.¡± Anna was glad there wasn''t any volcanic activity, but it also made things a bit more boring. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate the disrespect towards this amazing underground hot spring!¡± Steph shook her head a couple of times while looking at the princess. ¡°I think this hole is great!¡± ¡°It gave us the chance to build our own private hot springs in Sophia¡¯s domain, what more do you want?¡± She stared back at her. ¡°From now on, once it¡¯s done, we can take a dip in it every single day and then take it easy in the cottage. It¡¯s a win-win, so shut up~.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s a compromise I can live with.¡± She still seemed ever so slightly unhappy. ¡°You just like holes too much.¡± ¡°I love holes!¡± Steph got loud. ¡°¡­¡± They went silent for a moment. ¡°Should we head back to the surface?¡± Ari didn¡¯t want to deal with whatever the situation was heading towards and decided to change the topic. ¡°I¡¯m very much in favor of this suggestion.¡± Fey felt the same. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten everything I wanted and more~.¡± She was in a good mood. Steph eventually also agreed to leave the cave behind, and the group started to retrace their way through the many tunnels Fen and the dog-girl created on their way down. While they were heading back, the blonde kept sealing the tunnels using earth-based magic. After all, she didn''t want anyone to ever come across the cave and her portals. ¡°Finally, daylight again!¡± The jaguar seemed to be glad to be out of the tunnels. "It looks like we still have a few hours left before it gets dark." Steph glanced at the sun through the treetops above them and then looked at the group. ¡°Should we keep going for a little longer?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia decided to answer for the entire group. ¡°I won¡¯t accept any other replies, either~.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± No one seemed to have anything against it in the first place. ¡°Where to go, though?¡± Chloe looked around for a moment. "We got a little derailed today, but how do we get back on track?" "Were we ever on any sort of tracks?" ¡°What tracks?¡± The sisters got incredibly confused. ¡°Okay, you win that round.¡± The fox had nothing to add there. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go that way!¡± She then energetically pointed to her left. ¡°Which direction is this?¡± Sophia leaned over to Maya. ¡°South-west¡­ ish." She looked at the sun''s position for a little bit before answering. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde seemed to be okay with the direction. ¡°I was concerned you wanted to go north, towards the cold, but that¡¯s totally fine~.¡± ¡°Ah, I forgot about that!¡± Chloe looked mad at herself. ¡°Too late!¡± Not giving her a chance to change her mind, Sophia immediately started walking in the direction the fox-girl had pointed. Not wanting to be left behind, the others quickly followed after her, and their group continued their exploration for a little while longer. Chapter 039 – Tired Sophia connected the underground hot springs with her domain to build something nice with it there. Everyone was looking forward to soaking in their very own hot spring next to the cottage very soon. Once they returned to the surface and noticed that the sun was still up, they decided to keep exploring for a little while longer. ¡°Oh, yay, another plain!¡± After walking for a good while, Steph sounded ever so slightly bored. ¡°Anna, the area around the capital is way too monotone!¡± ¡°And how is that my fault?!¡± She looked back at her. ¡°You¡¯re the princess of this place, right?¡± ¡°And what does that have to do with anything?!¡± ¡°No idea~.¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°Grr!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°We¡¯re still mostly in the right direction of Sava, though. It is one of the cities on the list that was given to us by father. Things might get more interesting once we¡¯re close to that.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph got motivated again. ¡°Sure.¡± They kept going for another hour or two, but once they reached a small forest after the sun had fully set, the group once more returned to Sophia¡¯s domain to spend the night there. However, Fey and Mira decided to head over to the teal''s domain for a while. Fen wanted to see Aura¡¯s pine forest, so they went there, leaving the girls on their own for the time being. ---------------- ¡°Alright, hot springs time!¡± The very second they arrived at the cottage on the other side, Steph immediately got loud again and sprinted into the jungle around it. ¡°I think someone didn¡¯t get powered out enough today.¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°Though, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen her powered out¡­¡± ¡°Because that has never happened before.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. "I doubt it''s even possible." ¡°I tried many times.¡± Chloe shook her head. ¡°It is impossible.¡± ¡°Are the things you tried the things I assume we¡¯re talking about?¡± Maya smiled at the fox. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can even try making her tired by running around with her, do I? I¡¯d just die in the process!¡± She had no idea why the cat-girl even asked. "Of course, it''s that." ¡°Hehe~.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we go after her?¡± Anna pointed in the direction Steph had disappeared in. ¡°Who knows what kinds of hot springs she¡¯s going to create if she¡¯s unsupervised.¡± ¡°Good call!¡± Everyone agreed with her, and the girls also left the mansion to stop the dog-girl. ¡°There you finally are!¡± Noticing their arrival, Steph smiled at the girls. ¡°Let¡¯s get going already!¡± ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± Sophia lightly tilted her head while looking at her sister. ¡°When do we ever have a plan?¡± She looked back at her. ¡°Let¡¯s just make something and see how it turns out!¡± ¡°And here¡¯s our daily reminder that those very different-looking girls are indeed sisters.¡± Ari spoke out everyone¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Remember, it has to look cute. Otherwise, I don¡¯t want to go into the hot springs! I need to be in the right mood to get naked!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya stared at her for a moment. ¡°Sometimes, you¡¯re worse than Sophia when it comes to speaking without thinking first. Your ambiguity is something else.¡± "A-Ah.¡± The jaguar just now noticed it. ¡°You all are rubbing off on me too much!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been like that since the day we became friends.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°Just ask Anna how many misunderstandings were caused~.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remind me of that!¡± The princess didn¡¯t want to hear it. ¡°Urgh.¡± Ari had nothing more to defend herself with. ¡°So, what¡¯s your plan to make it look cute?¡± Steph looked at the jaguar. ¡°What do we need to do to get you naked?¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Shut up!¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate this. ¡°Anna, how do we get Ari out of her clothes the fastest?¡± Not having gotten an answer, the dog-girl faced the princess. "I''m sure you''d know." ¡°I do know how, but I¡¯m definitely not telling you!¡± The tiger glared at her. ¡°It¡¯s of no importance here, either!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± The jaguar had enough. ¡°It doesn¡¯t take much to get me-.¡± She suddenly paused mid-sentence, shook her head, and continued. ¡°Ahem, making it look cute and comfy shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± Maya loved how she had immediately followed up with something without thinking again before correcting herself. ¡°S-Shush!¡± Her cheeks turned slightly red. ¡°The most important thing for the hot springs is to be comfy and sit down. It shouldn''t be too deep. Not being able to see the ground, like in the cave, is a complete no-go. Some sort of fencing or bushes around us to feel less exposed would be nice, too. I know we''re the only ones around here, but the feeling is important!¡± ¡°I agree with that!¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Also, why I¡¯d prefer a view at the open sky, as there is no sky in the domain right now, I¡¯d prefer it to be under the tree crowns. The all-white is not good for the mood.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t blame her for that. After all, she wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of the white part of her domain, either. ¡°Until I manage to create an actual sky, I feel the same, too.¡± ¡°It sounds like we have a plan!¡± Steph got loud again. Let¡¯s go!¡± Being concerned that the dog-girl might actually explode from being too excited, the girls got going and started the construction of their very own private hot springs. ---------------- The group was at it for about two hours, but they eventually managed to turn their project into something respectable. ¡°Haa~.¡± Relaxing in the water, Maya let out a comfortable sigh. ¡°I have to admit, this was completely worth it.¡± Afterward, she submerged her body a little deeper in the water, almost hiding the fact that she was fully naked at the moment, thanks to the fact that the water wasn''t clear and more of a milky white color. ¡°Yes." Ari felt the same as she stretched her arms over her head while looking around. The pool they were in was about three by four meters wide and, judging by how much of their bodies were sticking out while sitting in it, about half a meter deep. On the short side opposite of them, there was a one-meter high and wide waterfall feeding fresh hot water into the pool, which was lined with flat stones all around it. On the longer side was one little indentation each, where the water could overflow, which flowed downhill through a small river before it eventually disappeared below a hedge. The hedge was about two meters high and went around the entire hot springs to provide an extra bit of privacy. ¡°It¡¯s so comfy~.¡± The jaguar finished stretching and then leaned against Anna next to her while resting the side of her head on the tiger¡¯s breast. ¡°What exactly is comfy here?¡± Steph looked right at her. ¡°The water or the pillow?¡± She naturally didn¡¯t fail to notice what she was doing. ¡°Yes~.¡± Ari smiled at her, which then turned into a bit of a smirk as she rubbed her head against the super soft and comfy pillow. ¡°So envious!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like her smirk. ¡°Is what I would¡¯ve said a year ago!¡± Then, she looked to her right, where her own pillowy girlfriend was also relaxing in the water, though only the upper half of her breast, shoulder, head, and a third of her tail were visible in the milky water. ¡°I have my own, after all!¡± ¡°No pillows for you!¡± Chloe did not appreciate being reduced to that. ¡°Yes, I agree with my similarly endowed friend.¡± Anna smiled at the pink fox before peeling Ari away from her chest. "Hey!" The duo, in need of resting their tired heads against something soft, got upset. ¡°Shush!¡± ¡°How does it feel to only be the third most perverted member in the group for a change?¡± Sophia looked at Maya next to her, who was surprisingly calm, all things considered. To be fair, she also was using the blonde''s chest as a pillow, just as Ari had a moment ago, but she had just naturally done it without being smug, and it wasn¡¯t because she had nothing to be smug about, either. Sophia was undoubtedly the smaller tiger in all areas, but she still was a very comfortable pillow. ¡°Do you want me to?¡± The cat-girl¡¯s expression turned mischievous as she turned and lifted her head to smile at her. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good.¡± Sophia lightly shook her head. ¡°Good.¡± She got comfortable against the blonde¡¯s chest and side again. ¡°Today¡¯s cuddly mood, not horny.¡± ¡°Even though there¡¯s so much to look at because we¡¯re all naked together?¡± She then gestured at the other four while taking her time looking at Anna, Ari, and Chloe. ¡°There is a lot to see and be horny over.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m just the 4th most perverted one today, huh?¡± Maya¡¯s voice turned a little smug. ¡°Ah.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Though, you can¡¯t blame me, can you?!¡± Sophia pointed at her naked friends again. ¡°I¡¯m not the issue here! You¡¯re usually way hornier over much less. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not always horny, okay?¡± She sounded ever so slightly displeased. "¡­" All five of them went silent momentarily before unionizing. "E-Eh¡­?" They were honestly shocked by this revelation. ¡°Are you getting sick?¡± This was the only possible explanation for them. ¡°Don''t worry, I just got tired over building the hot springs. I¡¯ll be back to normal after a good sleep.¡± She started smiling again. ¡°Tomorrow, when we¡¯re in the water together again, I¡¯ll be your usual beloved pervert. By the way, I just decided that this hot spring bath will be part of our daily evening routine from now on. I wanna enjoy the amazing view every day! Also, we need to come up with a way to make the water a bit less opaque. We''re missing out on all the interesting bits below the waterline!" "That sounds a lot better." The group was relieved that Maya hadn''t gotten sick because it seemed like that for a moment. Once their new evening routine was universally agreed on, the girls relaxed in the water for a little longer before eventually returning to the cottage and getting ready for bed. Maya apparently really needed it, after all. Chapter 040 – Biome checkup Roughly two weeks passed since the girls built their very own private hot spring inside Sophia''s dimension, and they had used it every single day since then. It was a more than welcome way to end their day after a lot of walking around in the normal world and going crazy with their biomes in the domain. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I want to see it¡­¡± Everyone except Mira and Fey were together in the cottage¡¯s living room when Sophia shook her head a couple of times. ¡°We¡¯re so close to reaching Checko, so we should keep the surprises low to not get overstimulated. I could already sense it on my detection magic, too!¡± ¡°We¡¯re close to reaching what now?¡± Ari looked confused. ¡°The city on the list of places Menzor wants us to visit.¡± She looked at her. ¡°It was Checko, right? If not, it was basically the same, just with a different letter or so. Cut me some slack!" ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar paused for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s Sava¡­¡± ¡°See! Basically the same!¡± ¡°There¡¯s not even a single letter in there that¡¯s the same!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°The number of letters is different, too!¡± ¡°But both are cities with names made out of letters!¡± ¡°What else should they be made of?!¡± ¡°Stuff!¡± Sophia ran out of arguments, not that she ever had any in the first place. "Maya, we''ll take her to a doctor once we''re in Sava." Ari faced the cat-girl. "She''s good at using healing magic, and we also have some sort of proficiency in it, but I think she needs to see a professional. Something''s wrong with her brain." ¡°I¡¯ve been saying that for a long time already.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°I¡¯m just a little bad with names!¡± ¡°There are limits to that!¡± The duo disagreed with her. ¡°Anyway!¡± Sophia decided to change the topic. "Steph, I''m not sure I''m ready to see your biome yet. I think we should do it another year¡­ err, time, I mean.¡± ¡°You do know that if you give me a year, the glorious eternal arctic ice Kingdom of the permafrozen tundra will have reached the cottage without your intervention?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The short tiger went silent. ¡°Did the name get even fancier again?¡± ¡°And it got this fancy after just a week!¡± Her expression turned smug while she smirked at her sister. ¡°Imagine how many adjectives there will be in a year~!¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± She hung her head in return. ¡°I guess it¡¯s really worse to wait here.¡± She gave up. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Should we take a look at my pine wonderland afterward?¡± Aura looked at her. ¡°It''s not the warmest place, either, because pines work better in temperate conditions, but it''s far from actually being cold, and I''m really proud of how it turned out!" ¡°If I survive Steph¡¯s hellscape, I¡¯d love to see that!¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t very hopeful about her future. ¡°Let¡¯s get over with it.¡± ¡°Do we have to come, too¡­?¡± Maya and the royal couple were also not overly enthusiastic about it. ¡°Yes!¡± Afterward, as there was no getting around it, the group followed the excited-looking dog-girl through one of the portals in front of the cottage. ---------------- ¡°Alright, time to leave!¡± Exactly 0.5 seconds after they arrived in Steph¡¯s biome, Sophia immediately turned around again. ¡°Not so fast!¡± Her little sister grabbed her hand to stop her. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°B-But!¡± The blonde used her free hand to point all around her. ¡°We just escaped snow hell in the capital, I don¡¯t want to be back!¡± There wasn¡¯t much vegetation, mostly some scattered pine, fir, and spruce trees together with some bushes, but each of the trees was still a few hundred meters high. This wasn''t the issue she was having, though. As far as she could look, the entire area was covered in a thick layer of snow, which seemed to be around a full meter deep. Obviously, thanks to that, the temperature was far from ideal for the cat, too. ¡°I agree.¡± Ari, Anna, and Maya, the other cats, felt the same as they nodded along with the shorter tiger. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t have the same opinion as the cats. ¡°Look, I agree that it looks very nice around here, snow is quite pretty, after all.¡± Sophia could admit to that much. ¡°Even so, I don¡¯t enjoy being cold, so this place isn¡¯t for me! No matter how impressive it might be!¡± ¡°The cold is so great, though!¡± ¡°Fen!¡± Instead of bickering with her sister, the blonde faced the wolf. ¡°I have a request.¡± ¡°Oh, I think I like that expression.¡± He was a fan of the mischievous grin she was having. "I''m sure you''ll enjoy this." She gave him a thumbs up. "When we acquired the hot springs, I found out that you are quite the volcano enthusiast.¡± "You can say that again!¡± He reacted with a big nod. ¡°Okay, how about I give you a little task?¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°You still haven¡¯t started your own biome yet, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not asking me to make a volcano, aren¡¯t you?!¡± ¡°Not a good idea?¡± ¡°To borrow the catchphrase of our dog, let¡¯s go!¡± Fen was a big fan. "What he said!" Aura sounded just as, if not even more, excited about it. ¡°I want a whole volcanic area!¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Steph raised her hand. ¡°Where is this going to happen? Not here, right? R-Right?!¡± ¡°Volcanoes aren¡¯t uncommon in a tundra~.¡± Aura¡¯s voice turned smug. ¡°They totally are!¡± The dog got loud. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t actually know, but I do know when I¡¯m being teased!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°I leave that decision to our wolves.¡± Sophia glanced at them. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a portal to wherever you want it to happen.¡± ¡°Hmm~.¡± Sounding even more smug, the couple turned to look at Steph. ¡°Please! Don¡¯t!¡± Steph got on her knees. ¡°This place is my baby! I love it and everything about it!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry~.¡± The female wolf liked to tease, but she had no intention of being cruel. ¡°Though, I want to please our dear owner of this place too. Sophia, please give us some space between here and the jungle. Fenny and I will ensure that the winter wonderland won''t get too close to the main area.¡± ¡°I can live with that!¡± It was good enough for the blonde. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± The dog also wasn¡¯t too unhappy with it. ¡°I wonder if I can overwhelm lava with ice?¡± ¡°Try it~.¡± Aura took the challenge. ¡°Don¡¯t go and complain if I try and find out how much snow lava can melt at once afterward.¡± "By the way," Having mixed feelings about where that rivalry would end up in, Sophia changed the topic. "How did you even manage to make all that snow and stuff?" She pointed all around her. ¡°According to Mira, a high concentration of raw magic naturally warms the place.¡± ¡°No idea.¡± Her little sister just shrugged. ¡°I created a couple of huge ice blocks and started a storm over them using wind-based magic. It turned into a super crazy blizzard and kept going for hours! Afterward, it somehow continued to snow while magic particles in the air also kept increasing for some reason. I don¡¯t know why that happened, but I¡¯m very happy about it!¡± ¡°The magic particles increased, huh?¡± Sophia took a short side-glance at her surroundings. ¡°Yeah!¡± Steph nodded. "Even magic knows what''s good and fun, after all!" ¡°Ahaha." The blonde scratched her cheek, knowing it was probably exactly that. ¡°Should we head to my pine forest now?¡± The female wolf got closer to Sophia. ¡°It¡¯s amazing there and you¡¯ll love the smell!¡± ¡°Anything to get out of this freezing hell!¡± The blonde was a big fan of the plan. ¡°Sounds fun, too!¡± Wanting to leave the cold as quickly as possible, all the cats immediately stepped through the portal, followed by the wolves and then by Chloe and Steph, who sighed while doing so. ---------------- ¡°There we are!¡± Sounding incredibly proud, Aura stood in front of the group as she gestured around while her tail was wagging in a way that could almost rival Steph¡¯s constant wagging full of energy. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t it?!¡± The girls, and Fen, found themselves in a forest with nothing but pine trees as far as the eye could reach. Each tree was around 200 meters high, and it seemed like there were thousands of them. The ground was dry and littered with dead pinecones and needles, covering everything in a brown layer, making crunchy sounds as one walked through the place. This wasn''t the most important part of the forest, though. ¡°The smell!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling as she sniffed around. ¡°This is the best! You definitely weren¡¯t kidding when you said you''ll make the best-smelling forest!" ¡°Yes!¡± Everyone else agreed with her. ¡°Good job!¡± The blonde praised her again. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Aura seemed genuinely happy about it. ¡°I have terrible news for you, though.¡± Sophia then faced her sister while slowly shaking her head. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You lost the contest.¡± ¡°What contest?!¡± She got confused. ¡°For the best biome project!¡± The short tiger started smiling. ¡°Ignoring my cat-brain and objectively speaking, the winter wonder hell¡­ err, land you made looks great and is beautifully crafted, but it can''t beat the best-smelling forest in existence. The place here itself looks immaculate, too." "¡­" Steph had nothing to say. Her dog nose being extra sensitive, causing her tail to wag even more than usual ever since first smelling the place, didn''t help, either. ¡°He.¡± Aura only got even more smug. Afterward, the group continued to enjoy the forest and smell for a good while longer before eventually heading back to the cottage. Chapter 041 – Sava Sophia and the group visited the biome projects of Steph and Aura, and while the cats weren''t personally fans of the dog''s freezing winter wonderland, they still could easily admit that it was a very pretty place. It couldn''t compete with the female wolf''s massive pine forest and the amazing smell in there. While they were at it, the wolves also got tasked to create a volcanic area to make sure Steph¡¯s cold hell wouldn¡¯t spread too much. ¡°Oho, civilization!¡± The group was back traveling in the regular world when Sophia spotted a cobblestone road after leaving a forest they had been traversing for a little while. ¡°We are really close to a city. My detection magic has also noticed it by now. About five thousand people, give or take some." Fen nodded at her. "It''s probably the place our princess mentioned and about half an hour away from here.¡± ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Sava¡¯s supposed to have that many inhabitants.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph got excited over seeing a new city. "Should we get Mira and Fey before we get there?" Currently, the group was traveling without them. ¡°They said they¡¯re busy for a while, so it¡¯s probably better not to.¡± Chloe answered her. ¡°Busy with each other?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Curiously enough, I had no intention of asking my parents what they¡¯re up to when they''re alone with each other.¡± The pink fox just stared at her for a while. ¡°Understandable.¡± "Also," Ari rolled her eyes while looking at the two. "I think it''s not a bad thing they''re not with us. We already have two tigers with us, one of them being the nation''s first princess. People will be bewildered enough already, even without the overseer of magic being with us." "A good point.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°We¡¯d probably need a week to explain that alone. Sophia¡¯s portal thing not even counted in.¡± ¡°Oh, that part¡¯s going to be easy!¡± The blonde sounded strangely confident for some reason. ¡°You, out of all people, have a plan?¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°I absolutely have!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°An absolutely flawless plan that will spare us the trouble of explaining the plan!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment while she continued to stare at the short tiger. ¡°You¡¯re going to use your portals to bring over Menzor and let him do all the explaining because you can¡¯t be bothered, right?¡± ¡°You know me so well!¡± Sophia was touched. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the plan!¡± ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really blame you.¡± The black-haired girl also thought it was too much of a pain. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and see a new city!¡± Steph wanted to get going. ---------------- For the next half hour, the group walked along the road before eventually arriving at the outskirts of Sava. The city obviously wasn¡¯t nearly as big as the capital, but it was far from small, either. Another big difference was that no walls encircled the city, giving it a pretty open and inviting feel. ¡°Oh, I think I like places without walls and gates better!¡± Sophia liked the casual design of the city. ¡°Yes.¡± Anna agreed. ¡°The capital is the capital, though. It has to look extra impressive. Not to mention the extra layer of protection. Not necessarily from monsters or enemies, but it prevents shady people from entering freely thanks to the controlled gates.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good point.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I still prefer the openness, though.¡± Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°I do, too.¡± ¡°There do seem to be some guards on patrol, though.¡± As they were getting closer, Ari spotted a group of uniformed dog beastfolk along the path they were following. ¡°Hmm,¡± Sophia¡¯s gaze focused on a specific part of the guards. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever actually used a sword since being here.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Steph also stared at the sword dangling on their sides. ¡°That sounds like it would be a ton of fun! I wanna learn how to use a sword!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The sisters already got sidetracked before arriving in the capital. ¡°Do you want me to teach you a thing or two?¡± Anna smiled at them. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, but I used to have regular sword training sessions held by the highest-ranking officers. Princess things, you know.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The two were very interested. ¡°Oh, now that you mention that, while it wasn¡¯t a military officer, I used to have some sword training in the past, too." Maya also joined the conversation. ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia hadn''t seen that one coming. ¡°Do you remember Rashk? The lizard man from the adventurer party in my hometown. He used to teach me in the past.¡± ¡°Why?¡± The blonde only got more confused. ¡°You were using magic and being a nuisance to him with it ever since you were little, right?¡± ¡°That was exactly the reason~.¡± The cat-girl¡¯s voice turned cheeky. ¡°He¡¯s been using a sword forever, and he was confident about beating me in a fight using them because I always won when I used my magic. He thought it would be unfair to fight me without any prior training, though, and here we are.¡± ¡°And?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°Were you able to learn it?¡± ¡°Rashk regretted teaching me quite quickly." She got even more cheeky. "I soon became an absolute menace in both magic and sword fighting to him~.¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re great!¡± The dog-girl was a fan of her sister¡¯s girlfriend. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Why have you never mentioned that before?¡± Sophia just looked at her. ¡°No idea.¡± The cat-girl shrugged. ¡°I mostly forgot about it myself until Anna mentioned having been trained in the past. Fighting with a sword is nice and all, but in all honestly, magic is SOOO much more fun!¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°I still wanna give it a try!¡± The sisters synced up perfectly. ¡°Sure thing, I¡¯ll add it to the list of things to do in our off time.¡± Maya smiled at them. ¡°Oh, speaking of things to do, we totally forgot to get started on the glowy bioluminescence forest!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Steph, too, had forgotten about it. ¡°True!¡± The same was the case for the older sister. ¡°We even got the swampy area bits to try and create such a biome, but I just put it in a corner of my domain without ever doing anything with it.¡± ¡°To be fair, we were quite preoccupied with our already ongoing biomes.¡± Chloe tried to come up with an excuse. ¡°True.¡± Everyone agreed with her. ¡°And we were even more preoccupied with the hot springs.¡± Maya, too, had an excuse. ¡°TRUE!¡± The girls agreed with that even more. ¡°So many fun things to do~.¡± Sophia looked quite happy about the situation they were in. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She wasn''t alone with that feeling. ¡°We first have to deal with the city, though.¡± Ari pointed towards it. ¡°There¡¯s a lot we have to do in Sava, after all.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go shopping!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar just looked at Sophia. ¡°While I do like that idea, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°I know~.¡± Smiling at her, the blonde started walking towards the place again. ---------------- After walking for a few minutes more, they arrived at the patrolling guard¡¯s area, and those naturally didn¡¯t fail to notice the interesting composition of the group. ¡°Greetings to, huh, a tiger? Wait, two of them!¡± One of the guards started greeting them when he noticed the duo. ¡°Woah, you¡¯re right!¡± His colleague had the same reaction. ¡°It really has been a while since I got that reaction~.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned nostalgic. ¡°A good day to you.¡± Anna put on a perfect business smile and turned on her princess mode. ¡°We are indeed of the tiger family. We come from the capital and are currently on a mission father, King Menzor, has sent us.¡± It wasn¡¯t the reason they were traveling, but his list of places that would be nice to get a portal was why they ended up in the city of Sava, so she wasn''t lying. Technically telling the truth really was a specialty of tigers. "On a mission of His Majesty?!" The first guard got loud. ¡°Did you say father just now?!¡± So did the other one. ¡°Wait,¡± He then took a better look at Anna. ¡°I think I saw you before when I was in the capital.¡± "It''s a pleasure to meet you." Her smile got even more perfect. "My name is Anna. I am King Menzor''s daughter and this nation''s first princess." ¡°No way!¡± The two guards unionized. ¡°You better get used to this exchange quick.¡± Maya awkwardly scratched her cheek while glancing at Steph and Chloe beside her. "This will happen every time we visit a lively place." The cat-girl spoke from experience as she went through that a lot with her blonde tiger on their way to the capital. Afterward, the model princess kept explaining the situation while the blonde tiger decided to completely stay out of the conversation. Everyone knows that no one loves attention more than her, but while it made her feel nostalgic about her previous travels, this kind of exchange was rather boring and tiring. Because of that, she opted to let Anna take care of it. She was the princess, after all. She had nothing to do with any of it. This was the excuse she tried hard to gaslight herself into the entire time. Chapter 042 – Eccentric The group finally arrived at Sava, one of the cities in the beastfolk kingdom that Menzor had asked the blonde to build a portal to connect various places with each other as she had offered prior to their departure. Naturally, upon their arrival, Anna and Sophia immediately became the center of attention, thanks to them being tigers. ¡°I am aware that tigers are rare outside the immediate area of the capital, but we still aren¡¯t that far away, are we?¡± Anna let out a tired sigh when she looked at the group. ¡°The guard shouldn¡¯t have been that surprised, right?¡± ¡°People got surprised over me even in the capital.¡± Sophia slowly shook her head. ¡°Because no one ever saw you before! Ah¡­¡± The princess paused for a moment. ¡°I guess I just answered my own question, huh?¡± ¡°Kinda.¡± Aura nodded. ¡°It¡¯s also the fact that tigers are basically celebrities. Absolutely everyone knows who they are and what they stand for." She took a quick glance at Fen and Maya during the second part. "¡­" The duo turned their heads away, feeling reminded of the time when Sophia turned herself into a tiger, and neither of them realized just how big of a deal that was because they forgot that tigers were the royals of the beastfolk. ¡°I guess you have a point there.¡± Anna didn''t question her explanation. ¡°This is actually the furthest away from the capital I ever was already, so this is very surprising to me.¡± ¡°It will only get worse the farther we travel.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Ari, I¡¯ll be counting on you once my princess etiquette reaches its limit.¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°You were much better at those lessons, after all.¡± ¡°As long as you try, I¡¯ll gladly help you out.¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t mind helping her out. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Why is she better than you at it? You are the princess here!¡± Maya had to make a comment on that. ¡°In the first place, why had Ari taken those lessons at all?¡± ¡°Because Ari is Ari! She¡¯s the best at everything!¡± The tall tiger sounded super smug about it. "Also, Mother said that we should take those lessons together because she will be with me all the time, anyway. Not to mention that she knew that Ari was more the type for it even though I was born the princess.¡± "I love how absolutely everyone was treating you as a couple for ages already, and you two dense idiots only managed to accept your feelings last year.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes in response. ¡°¡­¡± The dense couple in question awkwardly turned their heads away as they could say nothing in their defense. ¡°Should we get going?¡± Sophia pointed at the entrance of the city. ¡°I want to get over with it and explore the place! There might be some interesting food here!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Maya, the fellow food enthusiast and main cook of the group, liked the plan. ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯ll make you partake in those princess and or tiger explanations in the future, as well.¡± Ari lightly glared at her. ¡°It¡¯s not just related to Anna, after all.¡± ¡°Why do you want to make your life even harder?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°You know that I¡¯m useless for those kinds of things and only create more chaos when I¡¯m part of such conversations.¡± ¡°I hate those self-aware tigers¡­¡± The jaguar gave up on the plan for the time being. ---------------- The group finally entered the city and continued to follow the cobbled main road for a while, taking in the sights. However, as it was a perfectly normal place, not much different from a district in the capital they''d been in for the longest time, there didn''t seem to be much to explore. The only difference was the curious onlookers. Fortunately, everyone was taking their distance as the group was a little difficult to approach with so many high-ranking people. ¡°By the way, does anyone know where we need to go to meet the mayor or whatever to talk about the things we need to talk about¡­?¡± Sophia, the usual voice of reason, discovered a slight flaw in the plan. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Ah.¡± They all had the same reaction and stopped walking. ¡°Well, it probably should be a bigger estate that shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find.¡± Ari looked around for a little bit. ¡°We could also just ask someone.¡± Fortunately, after walking along the main street for a few minutes longer, the problem solved itself as the group ended up in front of a mansion with two guards in front of the entrance. Upon asking, they confirmed that this was indeed the place of the city¡¯s mayor. Thanks to the two tigers, they also didn''t even need to ask for an audience and were guided right inside the mansion. ¡°I guess you two being tigers does have its perks.¡± Maya looked at the duo while they were waiting in the entrance area of the mansion. ¡°It makes getting audiences way easier.¡± ¡°Not that we¡¯d need any sort of audiences without them in the first place.¡± It wasn¡¯t an immediate positive thing for Chloe. ¡°True!¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°It would be much less complicated without them.¡± ¡°Much more boring, too!¡± The tigers in question did not appreciate their exchange. ¡°Speaking of boring,¡± A new female voice joined their conversation. ¡°I was not expecting to welcome the nation¡¯s first princess and the blonde newcomer today. How do I come to this unexpected honor?¡± In front of them stood a black-haired dog-girl with floppy ears who seemed to be around her forties. ¡°My name is Vess, and I¡¯m the mayor of this lovely little city. How can I be of help to those prominent guests?" ¡°Newcomer?¡± Sophia pointed at herself. ¡°I¡¯m already known around here?¡± ¡°Everyone who¡¯s even the slightest bit informed in an area of at least three months of traveling from there knows about the new eccentric blonde tiger that is turning the capital upside down.¡± The mayor smiled at her. ¡°She called me eccentric, Maya!¡± She immediately started pouting. ¡°What do you want me to do here?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Applaud her for the impressive display of professionalism by downplaying it by so much?¡± ¡°Grr!¡± She just growled at her. ¡°Anyway,¡± Anna decided to ignore them and turned on her princess mode again. ¡°I¡¯m pleased to meet you, Mayor Vess, and happy to be welcomed so warmly. While you already know who I am, I¡¯d still like to introduce myself. I am Anna, daughter of the royal family and the first princess of this nation. Father, King Menzor, sent us on a mission, and your city is on the list of places he tasked us to visit.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be worried, Mayor Vess.¡± The tall tiger smiled at her after noticing how her expression changed for the worse. "I have never heard anything negative about how Sava is ruled. Father hasn¡¯t sent me for this reason, either. It¡¯s a complicated matter, so I would like to ask for a more private area to continue our conversation.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Hearing that she didn¡¯t seem to be in trouble, the black-haired dog-girl seemed a lot more relaxed again and pointed to her right. ¡°Please follow me to a meeting room where we can talk without interruption." ---------------- While following the mayor to the meeting room, Sophia, Maya, Steph, and Chloe kept staring at Anna with massive smiles on their faces. ¡°W-What?¡± The tall tiger didn''t like that. ¡°Princess mode Anna is amazing~.¡± Steph was the first to reply. ¡°Exactly~.¡± Maya agreed. ¡°The contrast between that and the regular Anna is something else entirely!¡± ¡°Super hot, too!¡± Steph gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Such a gap is a massive turn-on!" ¡°Absolutely!¡± The cat-girl nodded along. ¡°T-Thanks¡­?¡± Anna wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°Could you two stop being horny for even a single day?!¡± Sophia, Ari, and Chloe all shook their heads in unison. ¡°No.¡± They had no intention of complying with that. "Impossible!" ¡°We noticed.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to interrupt the conversation, but we have arrived.¡± While awkwardly scratching her cheek, Vess pointed at an open door leading into a meeting room with a massive table surrounded by around 15 chairs. "Ah." Everyone but the wolves, who couldn''t care less about the topic, got embarrassed and silently entered the room before sitting on an empty chair while Aura and Fen got comfortable in the corner. ¡°Soo¡­¡± Waiting for a little moment longer after everyone found a chair, the mayor faced Anna. ¡°Again, what can I do for you all today?¡± ¡°And with that, it¡¯s your turn, Sophia.¡± The princess pointed at her fellow tiger. ¡°It¡¯s the project of the eccentric blonde, after all.¡± ¡°Mrrr!¡± The eccentric one did not appreciate that. ¡°Anyway!¡± She got over it soon enough, though. ¡°It¡¯s more of a side-project, but we¡¯re currently trying to improve the infrastructure in the kingdom and how cities are connected with the capital.¡± ¡°Ohh! Are there plans to build new roads? Maybe a straighter route to improve traveling time?¡± ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t do straight things.¡± Sophia shook her head a few times. ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand.¡± Obviously, the mayor got confused over that. ¡°Regardless of that, while I do like the idea of improving travel times, I can''t see how we could afford to rebuild the road network. Sava is doing well, but I can''t see a way to budget that in without putting a major strain on our finances.¡± ¡°The network itself won¡¯t be financed by the connected cities. We''re planning to run it on a per-use basis. Basically, the network will be tolled. Each city only needs to accommodate for that part, with a building to process the tolling, for example.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Vess needed a moment to process it. "Okay, I understand the concept, but how can the capital finance that upfront if the cities aren''t made to pay? How do you make sure people don¡¯t simply use the more convenient route once they¡¯re outside the cities? The idea has so many flaws that I don''t even know where to start." ¡°Give me ten minutes, please!¡± Not wanting to deal with any more of the tedious explanation part, she simply opened a portal behind her chair, stood up, and disappeared through it. ¡°E-EH?!¡± Afterward, the remaining group, mostly Anna and Ari, were busy calming down the mayor before Sophia returned. Chapter 043 – The eccentric’s plan Sophia and the others met the mayor of Sava and began to explain the planned travel and transportation changes between selected cities and the capital to her. Even though the blonde¡¯s explanation skills were as outstanding as always, she still had difficulties explaining the plan to her. Because of that, she decided to get help, created a portal, and disappeared through it for a couple of minutes. ¡°S-Sophia?!¡± Back in the capital, Menzor was currently having a meeting with a few of his ministers when an uninvited guest suddenly stormed their meeting room. ¡°What are you doing here?! It¡¯s almost been a month since you left!¡± ¡°Really?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Wow, my sense of time is almost as bad as my sense of direction¡­ I could¡¯ve sworn it was a week or two at best!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s been close to fours.¡± He lightly shook her head. ¡°Again, what are you doing here? Also, as you can see, we¡¯re in the middle of something here.¡± He pointed at the ministers around him. ¡°I would appreciate it if you don¡¯t suddenly barge into my meetings.¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy, too, you know!¡± She started pouting. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived in¡­ in¡­ uhh¡­ We¡¯ve arrived in a city that was on the list you gave me!¡± Sophia gave up on trying to remember the name. ¡°You know, the cities where a portal would be nice.¡± ¡°Ohh, is that so?¡± The king¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Did you offer them a portal connection?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve run into a bit of an issue.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± "I remembered that I really hate explaining things!¡± "That is not new to me or anyone in this room." Menzor then glanced at his ministers, who all nodded in unison. ¡°And because of that, I need to borrow you for about half an hour!¡± ¡°For what exactly?¡± ¡°Not only am I not good at explanation, I also don¡¯t want to deal with them.¡± She shook her head a few times. ¡°Because of that, I decided that our dear king will do the explaining for the mayors of the cities we visit.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Menzor stared at her for a moment. ¡°Why exactly did I not see this coming?¡± He sounded disappointed in himself. ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°The others knew immediately before I even finished telling them my plan.¡± "Well, everyone in your group is about as eccentric as you are, so it''s not surprising you think alike." "Ah." She didn''t appreciate being called eccentric by yet another person. "Also, your daughter is part of my group!" ¡°That¡¯s how I know.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°I did not remember our king to be this sassy.¡± She looked at the ministers behind him. ¡°When he¡¯s right, he¡¯s right.¡± They all just nodded. ¡°Hey!¡± Menzor glared at them. ¡°You¡¯re speaking about my daughter here!¡± ¡°¡­¡± They immediately went silent. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde pointed at the king. ¡°We have a meeting to attend! Also, before you start complaining, you have two options here. One, you come with me and explain it to the mayor. Two, that city isn¡¯t going to get a portal. Neither is any other city where you aren¡¯t going to cooperate.¡± ¡°Haa,¡± He massaged his temples. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t really have a choice here, huh?¡± Menzor then faced his ministers again. ¡°Let¡¯s reschedule this to tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They nodded. Once he was done with his current meeting, Menzor followed Sophia to attend another slightly unexpected one. ---------------- This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I wonder if I ever get used to this?¡± The king lightly shook himself after coming out of the portal. ¡°Oh, Mayor Vess, long time no see!¡± He noticed the girl with the dumbfounded expression. ¡°Does that mean we¡¯re in Sava?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± Sophia shrugged as she had given up on remembering names for the time being. ¡°Father!¡± Seeing him, Anna directly ran up to him and hugged her father. ¡°I missed you, too.¡± Menzor quickly hugged her back. ¡°Aww.¡± The blonde liked that. ¡°They love each other even though he calls her eccentric and all that.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Hearing that, Anna let go of him. ¡°HEY!¡± Menzor glared at Sophia. ¡°Y-Your Majesty?!¡± Luckily, Vess stopped being flabbergasted and saved him from the wrath of his daughter. ¡°How?! Why?! What¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite overwhelming, I know.¡± The king sympathized with her. ¡°Explaining this situation will take a while, so how about we sit down?¡± Doing just that, everyone got comfortable on their chairs again before Menzor began to tell the mayor of Sava what was going on right now. ---------------- ¡°Sooo¡­¡± Vess scratched the side of her head while looking more confused than ever. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that the capital invented a magic that makes it possible to travel between places instantly? I¡¯ve seen it with my own eyes, but I still can¡¯t believe it. In the first place, not only does it seem to be chantless magic, but it also seems to be uncategorized! That should¡¯ve been nothing more than a fable!¡± ¡°Ahh, right¡­¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°I forgot that most people still believe in magic being insanely limited and reduced to a few elements at once.¡± She then looked tired after remembering how most approached magic in such a boring and unenthusiastic way that they thought it was only possible to use one or two elements like fire or air at best. ¡°Our views on magic have greatly changed in the past year." He took a short glance at the blonde, the reason for said change, before continuing. ¡°Our scholars are currently in the middle of writing down the new teachings before distributing them throughout the kingdom. The portals will immensely help with that, too.¡± He then looked at the shorter tiger once more. ¡°Also, unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t anyone directly in the capital who invented them. It¡¯s our Sophia here who came up with them.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also the only one who can use them.¡± The blonde suddenly sounded a bit more serious. ¡°Menzor will tell you the rules later, but those portals run on a strict no-strikes policy. Trying even one shady thing with them means they''re gone, and trust me, I''ll know even without being nearby." ¡°Yes.¡± The king nodded. ¡°Every city participating in the network will have to sign a very detailed contract explaining all the details. Furthermore, the capital will serve as a central point, and no direct portals between cities will exist. That way, we can perfectly monitor all activities from there. We¡¯ll be running on even stricter rules to prevent Sophia from shutting us down. This is way too important to treat it lightly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you understand.¡± She smiled at him before facing the mayor again. ¡°Do you see now why the initial costs are of no concern? It¡¯s because there are none. The tolls are mainly there for the upkeep, like the bureaucracy, supervision, and management. Obviously, that also includes my cut for inventing and installing them in various cities. My pension is secured!¡± ¡°W-Wow.¡± Vess wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°J-Just who are you?!¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to know that myself.¡± Menzor nodded a few times while both stared at the short tiger. ¡°Me?¡± She pointed at herself. ¡°I¡¯m just an eccentric girl with too many ideas and a vivid imagination.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two went silent after noticing the blonde was still upset over having been called eccentric by them. ¡°Anyway~.¡± Sophia¡¯s mood returned to normal as she decided to change the topic while addressing the king. ¡°Is the portal building outside the capital finished already?¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± He shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t construct a building that size in a mere month! It will take many more!¡± ¡°I see.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I never really understood why you¡¯re building a new place outside the capital walls anyway. I¡¯m sure there¡¯s something like a warehouse that could¡¯ve been used instead, no?¡± "A warehouse is no place for something of such importance.¡± He shook his head. ¡°This will be the first thing the entire kingdom will see when using the portals and arriving in the capital. It has to look the part.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I also like to make the places I stay in look nice and cute, so it makes sense.¡± ¡°The biggest reason for it to be outside the walls of the capital is the security side of it, though.¡± Obviously, the king didn¡¯t just think about the style of the project. ¡°The hub will connect to many dozen cities once it¡¯s fully operational. It¡¯s way too much of a risk to give all of them immediate access to the inside parts of the capital. We¡¯re not worried about internal strife, though that has to be considered, too, but what if a city gets attacked and overrun. The attackers or monsters could breach our entire security and destroy the capital from the inside before we could react. Outside the wall, we have at least some time to react to close the gates and ready our standing army.¡± ¡°Clever!¡± Sophia seemed impressed by his forward-thinking. ¡°By the way, I can configure my portals and limit the individuals that go through. I can block monsters, non-beastfolk, or people with obvious malicious intent from using the portals.¡± ¡°AND YOU DIDN''T THINK THIS DETAIL WAS WORTH MENTIONING BEFOREHAND?!¡± The king got a little loud. ¡°Oops~.¡± She didn''t feel the slightest bit sorry about it. ¡°W-Well, there¡¯s always the chance that someone¡¯s capable of hiding their intent. It also makes more sense for the hub to be outside from a logistical side, so it¡¯s still the best way to do it.¡± Afterward, Menzor needed a bit of a break to get over the eccentric girl¡¯s antics. He also had to go into more detail about the project for Vess because the poor mayor hadn''t been able to follow them in the slightest. Chapter 044 – Misplacement Sophia made a quick trip to the capital to collect the king because she didn¡¯t want to bother explaining the portal plan to the mayor of the city they were currently in herself. Naturally, things still took quite a while as it was far from an easy topic, especially because Vess, the mayor, still needed to learn about the advanced magic the blonde and the others had introduced to the capital. "Wow, that took a lot longer than I had thought¡­" The group was back on the streets when Sophia let out a sigh. ¡°Really?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°I was expecting for it to take the entire day.¡± ¡°At the very least.¡± Ari nodded a few times. ¡°Well, fair enough.¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t argue against that in the end. ¡°Too bad the portal hub in the capital isn¡¯t done yet. That means I have to return here once they finish it. For now, I just put it underground here and in the capital.¡± ¡°It will take you a grand total of seven minutes to do that.¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to pull through with it.¡± ¡°Barely!¡± As usual, she couldn¡¯t do without complaining. ¡°By the way, we¡¯ve been walking around now for a little while, and while the city is quite pretty, it looks exactly like a smaller part of the capital. Nothing new or exciting, I mean. How about we get something to eat and then get going?" ¡°Sounds good!¡± Steph nodded. ¡°Traveling is more fun~.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The others also agreed. Afterward, the group briefly looked for a nice-looking restaurant to eat something together before leaving the city, as there was nothing of interest to do. ---------------- They traveled for about an hour, but as the meeting with the mayor had taken quite a while, it was already getting dark, and they decided to return to Sophia¡¯s domain. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and start the bioluminescence biome!¡± Back in the cottage, Steph was still full of energy and wanted to start the project they came up with two weeks ago. ¡°Ohh!¡± Maya liked the idea because she also wanted to play around with it back then. ¡°Hmm,¡± The blonde tilted her head. "I mean, it''s still kinda early, and we''ve already eaten, so we might as well play around some more!" ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± And so, before getting comfortable, the group decided to immediately head out again. ¡°Alrighty, this way!¡± Outside the cottage, Sophia opened another one of her portals. ¡°I placed the samples from the hot springs forest there.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Highly motivated, Steph was the first to step through it before everyone else followed after her. ¡°Uhh¡­ You sure about that?¡± On the other side, Maya tilted her head while looking around. All there was, was the endless white void of her standard domain. ¡°E-Eh?¡± Sophia looked the most surprised. ¡°I am 100% certain I had put it here.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a surprise that your sudden surge in navigation abilities was just a fluke.¡± Maya didn¡¯t sound surprised. ¡°Be it your domain or not. You having no sense of direction even here makes much more sense." ¡°True.¡± Everyone besides the blonde agreed with the cat-girl. ¡°Hey!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Sophia then looked into the distance to her right. A moment later, she was gone. ¡°Huh?!¡± The others hadn¡¯t seen that one coming. ---------------- Instantly after disappearing, the blonde arrived in another part of her domain. However, the new area had nothing with the previous all-white nothingness in common. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°What happened here?!¡± She found herself inside a massive forest she hadn''t seen before. It was far from a regular forest, as well. The place was littered with very old-looking trees covered in moss and vines, while the entire area felt very moist with an incredibly high humidity. Mushrooms had grown everywhere, as well. Not to mention that they came in all sorts of healthy and unhealthy colors, and some of them were even taller than Sophia. All of this wasn¡¯t the most striking in the forest, though. Half of the trees, moss, vines, and mushrooms were glowing in a pale blue light that illuminated the entire area and gave it a slightly eerie but fascinating feeling. A few moments after her arrival and taking in all the sights, the blonde was suddenly swarmed by countless pink and purple magic particles that started swirling around her while it seemed like they were even more active than usual. ¡°Oh?¡± Sophia curiously watched them dancing around for a little bit. ¡°You seem quite excited! Did you all make this forest?¡± She took a wild guess. Hearing that, the particles increased the speed at which they were moving around the tiger. "I guess that''s a yes, huh?" Being happy they were understood, the ambient magic left inside the forest also swarmed the tiger. "Wait a moment!¡± It seemed like she noticed something. ¡°Does that mean you all stole the swampy biome sample from the place I put it?¡± Instantly after, every single pink and purple particle in the air froze as they got caught. A moment later, a part of the particles left Sophia and covered a small area of the forest that looked relatively normal. Then, that area disappeared, leaving behind a small hole. "Did you just return it to where I had initially put it?" Sophia tried to guess what they were doing as she watched the particles without interrupting. After they were done, the magic returned to the blonde while moving up and down a few times. "I guess that means the others will have something to play with before I return, huh? Good!" It seemed like she first wanted to spend some more time in the forest. ¡°How did you all even do that in the first place?¡± Trying to answer her question, some of the magic particles formed into a big ball while swirling around before suddenly jumping around two meters to the side. ¡°Ah, you just took it and put it somewhere else, huh?¡± Hearing her guess, the magic stopped their act and returned to swirling around the blonde. ¡°Haha, just like that? How fun~.¡± She liked how carefree they were. ¡°You still should¡¯ve said something, though! I kinda embarrassed myself earlier when I wanted to show the samples to the others, and nothing was there¡­¡± Learning that they caused trouble for her, the particles stopped moving once more. They¡¯d become noticeably less sparkly, as well. ¡°H-Hey! There¡¯s no need to get depressed over that!¡± She immediately felt guilty. ¡°I told you that you can do whatever you want in my domain, so it¡¯s totally alright! Glowy spooky forest sounded like a fun idea, so you wanted to play with it, right?¡± Seemingly relieved about that, the particles perked up again and happily circled around the blonde for a little bit while also playfully hitting her with light wind gusts. ¡°Still, why didn¡¯t any of you tell me and simply took it to a different place?¡± The pink and purple magic took a bit of a distance from the blonde and then started darting all over the place in an uncoordinated way before suddenly hitting Sophia with a gust of wind so hard it swept her off her feet, and she landed butt-first on the ground. "HEY! Don''t surprise me like that!" She wasn''t a fan of that. The particles then also immediately swarmed her once more, and it seemed like they were trying to help her up, too, "Oh, wait, is that what it was? You wanted it to be a surprise for me?¡± In response to that, the particles started jumping up and down once Sophia was back on her feet again. ¡°I see!¡± She looked quite happy about that. ¡°Thank you! I wasn¡¯t expecting that, but I love it! It turned out super well, too! Maya and the others will have to try really hard to do something nearly as impressive~.¡± Delighted by the praise, the ambient magic around the tiger looked like it started dancing again. "Hehe~." The blonde watched them for a little while with a big smile on her lips. ¡°For the future, though, whenever I bring new samples into the domain, and you see something interesting, could you leave something for us to play with, too? My other friends also love creating stuff, and I want everyone to have fun in here.¡± The particles stopped their dance momentarily to move up and down before returning to their previous rhythmic movements. "Thank you!" She was glad they understood. Afterward, the blonde stayed for a little longer and chatted some more with magic before she eventually decided to return to the others she had left earlier to search for the biome sample. ---------------- ¡°Where have you been?!¡± Back with the group, Sophia was immediately greeted by Maya. ¡°You were gone for like half an hour!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­¡± She scratched her cheek in return. ¡°I went to look for the swampy sample we had gathered back then.¡± She pointed at the few mossy trees and mushrooms that were now behind them. ¡°Once I found it, I tried to understand why it happened. Turns out domains are a little more complicated than I had previously anticipated, I guess?¡± As usual, Sophia kept those things vague. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t happen anymore from now on.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go!¡± It seems like Steph had gotten even more impatient while her sister was gone because she was already circling the samples with an expression showing that she was raring to go and play with it. ¡°There was no need to wait for me, you know?¡± ¡°SEE!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°I told you we didn¡¯t have to wait!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The others weren¡¯t sure how to react to that. Once all that was taken care of, the group started building with the swampy biome sample while Sophia was secretly cheering them on to match and surpass magic, who had done the same in a different corner of her domain. Chapter 045 – Hills Having left the first city, the group visited since leaving the capital and traveling for a little longer, they decide to spend the rest of their day as usual in Sophia''s domain. Inside, things were a little confusing, though. The swampy biome samples they had collected before were gone, and the blonde had to search for them. As it turned out, magic had borrowed them to create a massive bioluminescent forest in the middle of nowhere. Sophia naturally was rather surprised by that, but she was also happy that the playful pink and purple particles were having fun in her place. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± The group returned to the regular world the day after they played around with the biome sample when Sophia suddenly stopped walking while having a shocked expression. ¡°Stop that!¡± Maya reacted purely on instinct. ¡°What she said!¡± Ari felt the same. ¡°Shush, it¡¯s no premonition this time!¡± The blonde glared at the duo. ¡°In that city with the mayor, Menzor mentioned that it has already been a month since we left the capital! We went traveling in April, so it¡¯s May already!¡± ¡°You should become a detective.¡± Fen rolled his eyes. ¡°Your deductive skills are second to none.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate this kind of sass, either. ¡°Anna! Ellie¡¯s birthday is in May, right?! If I missed it, I¡¯m going to level a country!¡± ¡°Calm down!¡± The princess of the country they were in right now didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°It won¡¯t be this country, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only marginally better!¡± Anna still was a little relieved, though. ¡°Ellie¡¯s birthday is at the end of the month, so we still have around two weeks left.¡± ¡°Phew!¡± The blonde looked visibly relieved. ¡°That would¡¯ve been the worst! Also, I need to get a present, too!¡± "I''m pretty sure she''ll be happy enough just seeing you." Ari didn''t think she had to put overly much effort into it. ¡°Still!¡± Sophia wanted to give her something. ¡°Maya, let¡¯s make a quick trip to the capital next week to look for a present!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Maya happily agreed with her plan because she loved Ellie just as much. "By the way," While talking about the little princess, Steph started looking around before facing Chloe. ¡°Have Mira and Fey mentioned when they¡¯ll be back?¡± ¡°They haven¡¯t.¡± She shook her head in return. ¡°Not that it¡¯s overly rare for the two to disappear for a week or two.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The dog-girl nodded. ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re up to!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± Chloe still didn¡¯t feel like wanting to know what her mothers did in their alone time. ¡°Hehe~.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s keep traveling until it¡¯s time for the little one¡¯s birthday! Anna, are there any other cities from the king¡¯s list nearby we should go to first?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I took a look at it before, and the next cities are all at least one or two months away. The directions don¡¯t matter, either, because there will be one wherever we head towards.¡± ¡°The burden of choice! I love it!¡± As usual, it was quite hard to dampen Steph¡¯s mood. "Also," The princess wasn''t done yet. "Father mentioned that completing the portal hub building will take a good while longer. Visiting too many cities might actually be a problem.¡± ¡°I could still give the cities a deactivated portal and activate the capital side once the building is ready.¡± It wasn¡¯t really an issue for the blonde. ¡°Well, we could do that, but¡­ I was going to suggest to just head in whatever direction for now while not caring about the cities¡­¡± ¡°That way!¡± Hearing that, Steph immediately pointed to her left. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°I fully support this!¡± As this was what Anna really wanted, she instantly agreed with the dog-girl. ¡°Let¡¯s see some stuff!¡± ¡°I like that one better!¡± Sophia immediately disregarded her suggestion for their clearly superior one. ¡°Yep, that sounds a lot more fun.¡± Maya, too, sided with them. ¡°I guess that¡¯s the best course of action right now.¡± Ari also felt similarly. ¡°Though, I am a little concerned that Fey isn¡¯t with us right now to deal with whatever ridiculous thing you all will come up with. Then again, it¡¯s better now when there¡¯s no city around us rather than when there are people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Energetically raising her hand, Steph then began walking in the direction she had pointed before. ¡°Maya, which cardinal direction is that?¡± Sophia had a bad feeling about the route her sister had chosen. ¡°West.¡± She paused for a moment to orientate herself better. ¡°Well, west-ish.¡± "West is okay! I feared that she was leading us north towards the cold!" ¡°Ah.¡± The dog-girl stopped moving. ¡°I forgot about that!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Not giving her any time to change her mind, the blonde caught up to her sister, grabbed her hand, and continued walking in the direction Steph had suggested. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s fine~.¡± She wasn''t overly upset about it. ¡°Exploring is exploring!¡± ---------------- ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a new one!¡± The group kept walking for around two hours when a massive mountain range was slowly coming into view, which caused Sophia''s eyes to sparkle. ¡°Most of the kingdom, all the way back to and including the monster country, was relatively flat, after all. In fact, Anna had the biggest hills wherever we went.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± Maya and Steph loved her for the comparison. ¡°Why did you have to bring me into this?!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like that and quickly covered her chest with her arms. ¡°She does have a point, though.¡± Even Ari sided with the blonde. ¡°Your hills were, in fact, the biggest around up until now.¡± "Hey!" Anna glared at her girlfriend. ¡°Also, that¡¯s simply not true! Compared to basically all the girls from the cow tribe, I¡¯m average at the very best!¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°I take back my words.¡± ¡°Those girls are great~.¡± Maya suddenly had a wide grin on her face. ¡°Personally, they are a bit too much for my taste.¡± The voices of Sophia and Chloe overlapped perfectly. ¡°I can see why they¡¯re popular, though.¡± The duo had the same feelings on them. "More than a bit, actually." They fit the fox''s taste even less. ¡°HOLD ON A MOMENT!¡± Steph seemed to have some issues with the current topic. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that there are big-breasted cow-girls and no one had the courtesy to TELL ME?!¡± ¡°Oops, I guess I forgot.¡± The short tiger just shrugged. ¡°I only met a few myself and didn''t know any of them well enough to introduce them. Together with the part where they aren¡¯t my type.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Also, I had a hunch that you¡¯d react to them like that, so I had one more reason to stay silent on top of that.¡± ¡°I hate you all!¡± The dog-girl was not happy about that. ¡°The girls are horny again, huh?¡± The wolves were lagging a little behind the others when Aura just had to make a comment. ¡°What do you mean? Again?¡± Fen tilted his head. ¡°Where was I the only time they weren¡¯t horny about something and or someone?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± The female wolf had to give it to him. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± Sophia, the least horny member of the girls, decided that it was time to change the topic back to the initial topic, ignoring the fact that she started it all, which may or may not made her title slightly debatable in this instance. ¡°Mountain range! Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Her sister probably was okay talking about the cow-girls for a lot longer, but exploring is even more important to her than that, so she wasn¡¯t the slightest bit against the idea. ¡°On that much more enjoyable note,¡± Anna was the happiest over the change of topic. ¡°I think there will be many mountains from now on. The kingdom''s geography will change towards that and stay like it for quite a while if we keep heading in this direction.¡± ¡°There are some really high mountains in that range, if I remember right, as well." Ari added some details to the geography lesson. ¡°Sounds great!¡± Sophia was looking forward to it. ¡°I¡¯ve never climbed an actual mountain before!¡± ¡°Really?¡± The jaguar looked surprised. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Why is it surprising that I want to climb a mountain?¡± "The part where it''s May, and the higher we go, the colder it will get.¡± She looked right at the short tiger. ¡°I¡¯m fairly sure many of the mountains will still have a layer of snow. In fact, if I remember the geography lessons right, some mountains in the area are so high that they¡¯re covered in snow all year round.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia froze up. ¡°S-So, about that idea of going north, how about we give that a try, after all? I¡¯m sure the northern part of the country is lovely!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chloe and Steph appeared left and right of her, grabbed the blonde''s hands, and started dragging her toward the direction of the mountain range. ¡°NOOO!¡± The cold-hating striped cat really didn¡¯t want to go there anymore. Unfortunately- the cold-loving couple didn¡¯t care about that. Also, that very duo, ignoring the wolves, who very obviously didn''t want to get involved, were the strongest in the group after Sophia, so she actually would need to put in some effort into beating them, too. Unless she would remember to stop time, of course. And, if there¡¯s one thing she hates more than the cold, it¡¯s dealing with bothersome things that need effort to solve. Also, the short tiger still wanted to climb a mountain regardless of all that. In the end, she decided to go along with it. Although, she obviously never stopped complaining once on the way. There are few more things she likes more than complaining, after all. Chapter 046 – Mountain range While they were out exploring in the regular world, the group spotted a massive mountain range in the distance. At first, Sophia was really excited about that because she had never climbed a tall mountain. Still, after Ari notified her about the part where it was going to be quite cold there, her motivation had lowered significantly. Steph and Chloe only loved the plan even more because of that, though, and the group decided to head towards the mountain anyway. ¡°Does anyone know how cold the top of a mountain can get?¡± As they were getting closer to them, Sophia was starting to get a little nervous. They had spent another night in the blonde¡¯s domain right before they reached the beginning of the mountain range. ¡°Well, cold enough for snow to stick, so¡­¡± Ari, too, didn¡¯t sound the happiest about it. ¡°Very, I assume.¡± ¡°Oh, no.¡± The blonde hated to hear it. ¡°Oh, YES!¡± Steph and Chloe loved it, though. ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to pack out my warming magic again to heat up the surroundings. I hoped that I wouldn''t have to use it before next winter, but dire times call for extreme measures.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Maya, Ari, and Anna seemed very grateful about her plan. ¡°Stupid cats.¡± Steph rolled her eyes. "Chloe, let''s make sure to always be ahead of them to avoid getting caught up in that!" ¡°Good idea!¡± The pink fox nodded. ¡°I want to enjoy the nice cold!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Doing as suggested, the dog-girl grabbed Chloe''s hand, and the two dashed ahead. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Sophia hung her head. ¡°And it¡¯s only morning¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The other cats agreed with her. Still, after letting out a few more sighs, they followed after the energetic couple together with the wolves behind them. ---------------- ¡°I-I think I see something white up there¡­¡± The group arrived at the foot of the first tree when the blonde noticed something alarming when she looked up. ¡°The day just keeps getting better and better!¡± The little sister was way more enthusiastic about the sight. ¡°Now that we¡¯re a little closer, it''s much steeper than I had thought¡­" Chloe also sounded somewhat uneasy, though for a different reason. ¡°This is going to be challenging, isn¡¯t it? By that, I mean exhausting, right?¡± ¡°One of the few good things about this.¡± The pros and cons list of Sophia and the fox was the exact same, just with the header being swapped. ¡°Stop whining, you two!¡± As Steph loved both those aspects, working out and being in a cold area, she couldn¡¯t be happier and had no compassion for the duo. ¡°Also, sis, I¡¯ve spotted some bushes and other vegetation I¡¯d like for my biome project! The higher parts of the mountain work perfectly for the theme I''m going for!" ¡°Sure, we can borrow some samples.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°In fact, I¡¯d like the whole mountain for my domain.¡± The short tiger scratched her cheek for looking up. ¡°There are no hills whatsoever in my place yet, and I''d love to change that!" ¡°That sounds soo fun!¡± Naturally, the dog-girl was a supporter of such a ridiculous suggestion. ¡°Can you portal a whole mountain into your domain?¡± ¡°If I should, is the question here. I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s just using enough authority to increase the size. Borrowing a mountain seems a bit excessive, no? No one will notice a few missing trees or bushes we borrowed, but a whole mountain is something else. Ignoring even the reactions of possible witnesses, the area here is quite beautiful, so rescuing this mountain would be rather detrimental to the property value.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Oh, dearest princess of this nation, how do you feel about liberating this mountain?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna paused for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re talking about stealing it, right?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°We would never!¡± The sisters sounded offended. ¡°Just because you call it borrowing, rescuing, or even liberating, the meaning is all the same! How do you even rescue a mountain?! From what?!¡± ¡°Rescue it from its static position it has been in for eons?¡± Sophia tilted her head. "A mountain has to stretch its legs once in a while!¡± ¡°The liberating feeling of being able to move after millions or so of years!¡± "What legs?!" Ari raised her voice. ¡°You two¡­¡± Anna had no words. ¡°Does it have to be that mountain?¡± She pointed at the one right in front of them. ¡°The mountain range around here is pretty well-known, and Father''s head would probably explode hearing that a part of it was rescued.¡± The tall tiger decided to go along with it. ¡°Aww.¡± The sisters hung their heads. ¡°It¡¯s quite an extensive mountain range, though. As far as I know, it isn¡¯t fully mapped, either. The inner parts are supposedly quite hard to traverse, and no one really knows how it looks there. You can liberate one of those mountains if that makes it any better. Well, if we get to them, at least.¡± The princess found a compromise. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± More motivated than ever, the sisters energetically raised their arms before starting the ascend of the mountain in front of them. Sophia also had completely forgotten about the cold issue. ---------------- ¡°It really is getting pretty steep, huh¡­?¡± The group was leisurely ascending the mountain for around half an hour when Ari started to notice that it was becoming a lot more tiring going up. ¡°Yes!¡± Chloe heavily agreed with her. ¡°My body¡¯s not flexible enough for such a climb!¡± ¡°Not only that, but it has become noticeably colder, too!¡± Anna also felt like complaining. "I mean, I agree with the last thing, but get a grip, you three!" Sophia did not share most of their whining. ¡°Even that is not worth complaining over!¡± Steph lightly glared at her sister before focusing on the sluggish trio. ¡°Seriously, we¡¯ve been walking every day for the past month or even more, how are you three still this inflexible?!¡± ¡°To be fair,¡± Ari felt the need to defend herself. ¡°I think walking and running around is good cardio and gives you more stamina, but it doesn¡¯t make you any more flexible!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not wrong, but you three don''t have any outstanding stamina, either!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar had nothing to defend herself with anymore. ¡°Maybe we should introduce some yoga to our daily routine? That could maybe help.¡± Steph threw a random idea into the mix. ¡°Ohh!¡± The blonde seemed to like the suggestion. ¡°That sounds great!¡± ¡°What¡¯s¡­ yoga?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia noticed that it may haven¡¯t existed in their new world yet. ¡°It¡¯s, uhh¡­ a fancy way of stretching?¡± ¡°You just offended every single person in existence that practices yoga ever.¡± The dog-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you have a better explanation?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph went silent. ¡°Okay, I also never got into the spiritual side of it, but it also helps you relax. Admittedly, I also was mostly talking about the exercise part.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°It comes with many different poses to stretch and move your body of varying difficulty. It helps a lot in terms of making your body move the way you want it to. It really makes you flexible in all sorts of places when you do it enough~.¡± ¡°Kinky implications aside, I fully agree!¡± Sophia knew what kind of flexibility Steph was talking about there towards the end. ¡°I used to do it all the time in the old world as a warmup for my running or to wind down in the evening!¡± ¡°I often joined for the evening sessions!¡± Steph smiled at her sister. ¡°I think I loosely remember yoga from my previous run before respawning.¡± Chloe¡¯s wording for her life on Earth before she died there was rather interesting. ¡°I never got to try it, but it looked quite interesting! I¡¯d love to try it!¡± Maya and the royal couple also wanted to try it, so everyone decided to have a yoga lesson together the next time they got the chance. Afterward, they tackled some more of the mountain. ---------------- ¡°Ohhh!¡± The group continued for another hour and got reasonably high on the mountain. High enough that they had already passed the tree line when Sophia suddenly noticed something new ahead of them. ¡°A cave!¡± She pointed at an entrance in the side of the mountain leading into it before eventually turning dark enough to hide any detail inside. ¡°I love caves!¡± Chloe got very excited over the sighting. ¡°Let¡¯s explore it!¡± ¡°B-But!¡± Steph pointed further up the mountain. ¡°We¡¯re so close to the snowy part already!¡± ¡°But there¡¯s a cave!¡± Sophia and the pink fox unionized. ¡°Why are you siding with her?!¡± The dog-girl stared at her girlfriend. ¡°You love snow even more than I do!¡± ¡°Because, again, it¡¯s a cave!¡± ¡°Urgh,¡± She hung her head. ¡°I hate it even more that I understand the reasoning! What to do¡­¡± ¡°Cave!¡± Maya, the royal couple, and the wolves also decided against the snow. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t fight against the entire group.¡± Steph gave up. ¡°Though, I think some decisions were also based on not having to climb the mountain any longer and relax their legs a little, rather than the exploring part.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe, Anna, and Ari awkwardly turned their heads to the side to break eye contact. ¡°Well, caves are indeed great, so I can¡¯t complain too much.¡± The dog-girl wasn¡¯t actually upset. ¡°Also, the moment we¡¯re done exploring and out again, to the summit we go!" She had no intention of giving up on that. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I dread the snow, and I''m not the slightest bit looking forward to it, but I want to be able to say that I climbed a massive mountain! Not to mention that we''ll probably get a good look over which mountain to rescue from there, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Steph was happy with that reply. Once they had decided on their next steps, the group got closer to the cave they found to see inside and explore. Chapter 047 – Tunnel During the group¡¯s ascend up the mountain they found, Sophia came across a cave leading into it, and so everyone decided to take a break from climbing in favor of exploring the cave. Steph was a little reluctant because she was looking forward to the snowy peak, but she couldn''t fight against the allure of something unknown, either. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s gotten dark quite fast in here, huh?¡± Sophia looked around in the cave while squinting her slightly glowing eyes that were reflecting the little light left. ¡°I can¡¯t see more than like 50 meters ahead.¡± ¡°That¡¯s way more than I do!¡± Steph looked a little envious. ¡°It¡¯s more like 15 at best! Also, your eyes look so cool, sis!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± She liked the compliment, and envy in her voice. ¡°Though your eyes are also kinda glowy, so they¡¯re definitely better than human ones in that regard. It would probably be pitch black for our old selves already.¡± ¡°True!¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± The blonde then looked at Chloe. ¡°You¡¯re a fox, so a canine, same family as Steph and our wolves, but your eyes are more similar to the rest of us cats. They glow stronger than theirs, too. How good is your night vision?¡± ¡°I can see further than 15 meters, but it¡¯s not 50. Though, it¡¯s probably closer to yours than Steph¡¯s. 35, maybe 40?¡± She also squinted her eyes a little. ¡°Real cats still are a level higher in that regard, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Being part animal sure is fascinating!¡± ¡°Exciting, too!¡± Steph agreed with her sister. ¡°Also slightly weird when applying old-world logic, but they just don¡¯t know what¡¯s good!¡± "It probably will only get darker, and soon no one can see anything anymore.¡± The blonde tried to concentrate on the deeper parts of the cave in front of them. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to add some light ourselves. Steph, do the honors, please!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Nodding once, the dog-girl closed her eyes for a moment. A moment later, dim orbs of light appeared inside the cave and lightly illuminated the surrounding area. ¡°I decided to go for a moody setting. A brightly lit cave sounds weird.¡± ¡°Good thinking!¡± Sophia agreed with her decision. ¡°I wonder where this leads to.¡± Now that they were able to see much further in, Maya was trying to find out what was in front of them. ¡°Rather than a cave, it looks more like a tunnel to me, though.¡± With the better lighting, she noticed that the cave was the same width and height the entire way across and looked fairly even and straight shortly after the entrance. ¡°It actually looks more like it has been made rather than having naturally formed.¡± ¡°Who or what could dig through a mountain?!¡± Ari didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°I could.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± ¡°Me, three.¡± Sophia, Chloe, and Steph smiled at her. ¡°I made several very similar tunnels in the past. Through mountains, too.¡± ¡°Same.¡± The wolves even had practical experience already. ¡°I hate this group.¡± The jaguar forgot for a moment who she was traveling with. ¡°Also,¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°I¡¯ll have to remind you that we did this very thing around two weeks ago when we found the underground hot springs. Sure, that wasn¡¯t a mountain, but it was still pure stone once we got deeper." ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± She paused for a moment to collect herself. ¡°Wait!¡± It only made her more concerned. ¡°That means that someone else as ridiculous as this group would be nearby!¡± ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± Sounding very enthusiastic about it, Steph pointed further into the tunnel. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Ari didn¡¯t share the sentiment. ¡°Let¡¯s talk this out a little more!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sophia smiled at the jaguar. ¡°I can¡¯t sense any powerful being outside our group in my entire detection range.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Aww." Her little sister seemed disappointed about it. ¡°Thank you so much for having such a useful skill!¡± The black-haired girl was really happy about it, though. ¡°Also,¡± Fen approached the tunnel wall and inspected it. "I seriously doubt this cave has been created recently. While it clearly has been made by someone or something, the elements have strongly worn down the walls. For the erosion to reach the current level, many years have to go by. Way more than any of you are old.¡± He took a quick glance at everyone except Aura. ¡°Who or whatever this did is long gone.¡± ¡°But why would you carve a tunnel through a mountain and just leave?¡± Ari was still confused. "I did it all the time." The male wolf sounded a little smug. "I love digging, and sometimes, going through a mountain is easier than going above it.¡± "Honestly, I was going to suggest tunneling through it before, as well. I really didn¡¯t want to deal with the snow, but I just knew Steph wouldn¡¯t let me. Also, climbing sounded fun.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you know me so well, sis!¡± The dog-girl gave Sophia a thumbs up in response. "Yeah, now that I think about it, it does suit the two of you, going for the most complicated and ridiculous way to solve a problem." The jaguar rolled her eyes while looking in the direction of the shorter tiger and Fen. ¡°Hehe.¡± They took it as a compliment. ¡°Well, all that aside, it¡¯s very reassuring that we¡¯re alone around here.¡± Ari was relieved about that part. "I guess it''s very unlikely to meet anyone as ridiculous as this group out of nowhere, huh?¡± ¡°Way to jinx it.¡± Maya just had to make that comment. ¡°Ah.¡± A bit of color left her face. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to meet new friends!¡± As usual, Steph got along great with the cat-girl. ¡°S-Stop it!¡± Ari only panicked more. ¡°It¡¯s highly unlikely.¡± Fen sounded a little more serious. ¡°It would be an outright miracle to meet someone else with our magic levels.¡± For some reason, he had to put extra emphasis on the miracle part. ¡°I hate all of you!¡± Having had enough of being teased by them, the jaguar walked past everyone and journeyed deeper into the cave. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± The dog-girl ran after her because she was eager to explore. ---------------- ¡°Oh?¡± Roughly 20 minutes after the group continued walking, Sophia noticed something further down the tunnel. ¡°I can see a light! Have we reached the other side of the mountain?¡± ¡°Really? It doesn¡¯t really feel like a light to me.¡± Maya squinted her eyes to focus on what the blonde was pointing at. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem overly bright, and it just looks too, uhh¡­ white to me. We¡¯ve also been going uphill the entire time in the tunnel. I think it¡¯s actually¡­¡± ¡°SNOW!¡± Steph came to that conclusion first and immediately sprinted towards it. ¡°IT IS!¡± There, she jumped headfirst into it with such force that only her lower legs and feet ended up being visible. ¡°Someone really missed the snow, huh?¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Chloe ran after her girlfriend because the arctic fox also was a big fan of the cold white in front of them. She opted against jumping headfirst into it and just pushed her arms up to her elbows into it, though. ¡°I missed this fluffy coldness!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard someone calling snow fluffy coldness.¡± Ari had conflicting feelings about that. ¡°A nightmare, sure, but not that.¡± After all, she wasn¡¯t a fan of it. ¡°Is it just me, or is Steph¡¯s animal side extra strong? She''s more dog than actual dogs I know!" Sophia stared at the girl, or rather where she had last been because Steph had fully dug herself into the snow and was nowhere to be seen anymore. ¡°It¡¯s interesting you¡¯re the one saying that.¡± Anna stared at her. ¡°I know about 100 members of the tiger family by name, and you''re more tiger than any of them. You¡¯re way more instinct-driven, not to mention that those instincts seem way stronger in you, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also more cat than any cats I know." Maya sided with the princess. ¡°And I¡¯d know, I am one, after all.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± The blonde turned her head away. ¡°Stupid instincts¡­ I really overdid it when I transformed into my tiger self. Well, it explains why Steph is the same then.¡± ¡°Yep, both sisters have no clue about the concept of holding back.¡± Maya nodded a few times. "Anyway!" Sophia decided that she didn''t want to be the topic any longer. "What are we going to do about this, in Ari''s very fitting words, nightmare?¡± She then pointed at the snow. ¡°I¡¯ve rekindled my passion for fire.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°That will take care of this really quick!¡± ¡°Rekindled, huh?¡± The jaguar lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°That wasn''t even on purpose!¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Ari didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Urgh!¡± She wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of being on the receiving end of the sass. ¡°Whatever, how about it?¡± The cat-girl faced Sophia again. ¡°Sure thing.¡± She nodded. ¡°The sooner we get rid of the snow, the better!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± "Don''t you want to get your sister out before that?" Anna felt like they had forgotten about something when she looked at the cat-girl who had literal flames in her eyes as she was raring to go. "She''s pretty fire-resistant, it should be fine." The older sister didn''t see an issue with the plan. "Also, if we pull her out first, there''s a 200% chance that she''ll be complaining about our plan of melting the snow.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± The princess wasn¡¯t entirely convinced. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Maya rolled up her sleeves and walked closer to the snow because she had no intention of being stopped by Anna, who could just watch her clearing the path out of the cave. A few minutes later, actual light from the outside illuminated the tunnel once again after the massive fireball had lost its power and revealed the exit. Chapter 048 – Snow The cave the group found on the side of the mountain they were climbing turned out to be a tunnel that led them to the other side of the mountain. Unfortunately, it was blocked by snow, but Maya¡¯s love for fire-based magic dealt with that in a matter of seconds. ¡°You are by far the worst person in existence!¡± The group was still near the exit of the tunnel and had currently gathered around a big campfire where Steph was glaring daggers at Maya. ¡°Wow, she really is fire-resistant!¡± Anna stared at the dog-girl with an amazed expression. Steph was completely soaked and had stripped down to her underwear while her clothes were drying close to the flames, but she looked completely unhurt after Maya had used fire magic to melt the snow she was in earlier. Not even a strand of her hair was burned. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?!¡± Ari also looked amazed while she looked at the almost naked girl, only wearing a matching set of a black bra and panties, but for a very different reason. ¡°I¡¯m shivering over here just looking at you!¡± ¡°Not at all~.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for restrictions and morals placed on us by society, I could run around like that all day. Even less than that would be fine by me!¡± ¡°Even in the snow?!¡± ¡°Especially in the snow~.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°Right now, I would even be okay being trapped in a glacier. My burning rage for Maya would keep me warm there, too!¡± She returned to glaring at the cat-girl. ¡°My love for you burns passionately, too~.¡± Maya smiled back at her. ¡°Come on, you would¡¯ve done exactly the same in my position.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph went silent for a moment. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Her raging fire was immediately extinguished. ¡°That easy?!¡± The princess couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°When she¡¯s right, she¡¯s right.¡± The dog-girl just shrugged. ¡°By the way, again, shouldn''t I just dry you and your clothes with air magic, and we''re good to go?" Sophia joined the conversation. "I told you earlier already, but you simply continued to strip out of your wet clothes¡­" ¡°Because I have no issues with stripping! Nothing to hide in this group~.¡± Steph then smiled at her sister. ¡°Also, getting soaked and making a campfire to dry yourself and your clothes is such a fun mood I can¡¯t miss out on! Magic is amazing, but it makes some things too easy!¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± The blonde had no intentions of stopping her. ¡°I do get that, though. Sometimes, I also like to do something myself instead of letting magic take care of it.¡± ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re good, right?¡± Maya wanted to make sure, after all, and faced the dog-girl once more. ¡°Sure!¡± She just nodded. Afterward, once her clothes were fully dried, Steph put something on again, and the group decided to continue their exploration of the mountain range. ---------------- ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re good~.¡± They managed to take exactly three steps when Steph decided that it was time for revenge. Spotting a massive pile of snow right next to them, she got behind Maya and instantly pushed her into it. It also was the soft and powdery type of snow, so the cat-girl sunk completely into it before jumping out of it again around half a second later. ¡°What do you mean we¡¯re good?!¡± Once she was out of the snow, the cat-girl immediately glared at her. ¡°I only used flames earlier because I know that you¡¯re fire-resistant! I¡¯m not the slightest bit snow-resistant, though!¡± ¡°Are you seriously comparing snow with actual fire?!¡± The dog-girl couldn¡¯t believe her. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°No, she¡¯s got a point.¡± Ari, Anna, and Sophia sided with Maya. ¡°I don¡¯t accept complaints from the cat faction on the matter!¡± ¡°By the way, how did you become fire-resistant in the first place?¡± As Fen wasn¡¯t interested in their fight, he changed the topic to something that did catch his attention. ¡°That seems like a very handy feature I¡¯d very much like to have, too.¡± ¡°It just naturally happened during my magic training with Fey.¡± The dog-girl actually acknowledged having that feature. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll let you join our next lesson.¡± ¡°Ah, uhh¡­¡± He suddenly got very awkward. ¡°It¡¯s not that important.¡± ¡°Still scared of the fierce fox, huh?¡± Aura lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Can you blame me?!¡± He didn¡¯t appreciate the comment. ¡°You still remember the punishments when I overdid it back when we were traveling together, right?!¡± ¡°Oh, maybe I should have her teach me some of those for future use!¡± The female wolf liked the idea. ¡°How about you don¡¯t?!¡± Fen, however, did not. ¡°Everyone¡¯s in a fighty mood today, huh?¡± Chloe sounded like she had mixed feelings about the group¡¯s current dynamic. ¡°I like it better when we get along.¡± ¡°To be fair, while I agree, it would be kinda weird if there would never be any sort of fight.¡± Sophia saw her point. ¡°Also, the war crime of being pushed into the snow aside, I¡¯d say most of it is just some light bickering as usual.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± The fox nodded. ¡°Also, getting pushed into snow is not a war crime.¡± She couldn¡¯t agree with that part. "Imagine being in a desert, and someone pushes you into the scorching sand, is that not a war crime to you?¡± The blonde translated it into Chloe¡¯s most hated thing. ¡°¡­¡± She had a hard time coming up with a reply to that. ¡°Thank you for proving my point!¡± Steph then got loud. "I hate the heat, and Maya literally set me on fire! Fire resistant or not, it still got too toasty for my liking!¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The short tiger went silent before looking at Maya. ¡°I tried to defend you because the snow thing was dirty, but she¡¯s got a point there.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± The cat-girl awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I guess I really complained too much there. Sorry about that.¡± ¡°As long as you understand~.¡± The dog-girl was happy with that. Once their differences aside and they forgave each other, Maya used air-based magic to free herself from the snow that was still sticking to her clothes, and the group was finally ready to continue to explore the mountain range in front of them. Their surroundings had turned into a complete winter wonderland with snow having piled up everywhere, and the only vegetation was some scattered pine trees, which also were covered in a thick layer of white snow. ---------------- "Is it just me, or are the four of you sticking quite close together?" They found something loosely resembling a path where the snow wasn¡¯t quite as high and followed that for a while. As they were doing so, Chloe kept glancing at Ari, Anna, Sophia, and Maya. ¡°Well, I mean, even closer than usual.¡± She noticed that there was absolutely zero space between the four while they were walking. ¡°WE¡¯RE COLD!¡± Every single one of them glared at her. "A-Ah, I see." As she was completely overpowered by the replies of the cats and the force behind it, the fox-girl had nothing better to say. ¡°Are you really, though?¡± Steph took a better look at them. ¡°I see no shivering and¡­ Is the snow below your feet melting? I don¡¯t want to get close, but you turned up the heating, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°OBVIOUSLY!¡± The four were still in perfect sync. ¡°Then stop being so loud!¡± ¡°Never!¡± Sophia had no intention of complying with the request of her sister. ¡°We might be physically warm thanks to my heating magic, but looking at all that snow makes us feel cold regardless!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The other three cats nodded in unison. ¡°You are by far the whiniest group of people I¡¯ve ever met.¡± Steph slowly shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re sorry for being cats!¡± They had no intention of changing anytime soon. ¡°Also, syncing up with four people is seriously creepy!¡± ¡°Again, we¡¯re sorry!¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± She couldn¡¯t deal with them any longer. ¡°Chloe, let¡¯s take the lead and have some fun! Those four are too much for me!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She liked the plan. ¡°But, if possible, I would be happy if we take an easy route up the mountain¡­ I¡¯m not a good climber, and the snow, as much as I love it, doesn''t exactly make it any easier." ¡°That¡¯s fair!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°Thanks to the snow, we also can¡¯t see the ground anymore, which makes it a little dangerous and easy to misstep. Taking it easy and being cautious really is the best approach in this snow paradise!¡± ¡°Great!" Chloe was happy that she didn¡¯t plan to be too reckless. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph grabbed the fox''s hand, and the two started walking in front of the rest. ¡°Wait for me!¡± Aura dashed after the duo. ¡°Snow isn¡¯t my favorite, and nothing beats getting comfy in front of a fireplace, but I still like to play in it!¡± ¡°I knew I could count on you!¡± The dog-girl happily welcomed her, and the trio continued to increase the distance from the cats. "You''re sticking suspiciously close to us, Fenny~." It was the cats and one wolf that stayed behind. "Does a certain someone want to stay warm, as well?" ¡°Shush!¡± He lightly growled at her. ¡°I don¡¯t mind the cold, but I can¡¯t say I like it, either. As long as it isn¡¯t too overbearing, I much prefer a warmer climate." ¡°Hehe.¡± She liked his reply. As there also was no way she could tease him about this in the current situation, the blonde just patted her hip a few times. ¡°Come closer, my big guy~.¡± Not saying no to that, Fen got close to Sophia¡¯s side, and the five slowly followed after the much more motivated trio that had covered a good bit of distance already. Chapter 049 – Enjoying the simple things Steph got her revenge after Maya used fire magic on her and the snow that was blocking the cave exit by throwing the cold-hating cat-girl in a pile of powdery snow, which ended up in a bit of a fight between them, but they got over it before long. Afterward, they continued the exploration of the snowy mountain range. ¡°I really was hoping not having to see snow for a looong time, but here we are¡­ What have we done to deserve this punishment?¡± Sophia, the other cats, and Fen were trailing behind on the mountain when the blonde started complaining again. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know!¡± Ari, Anna, and Maya were asking the same question. ¡°I mean, I could think of many things we did to deserve that, but¡­¡± ¡°Shush!¡± Sophia glared at him. ¡°We don¡¯t mention those things when we complain!¡± ¡°Ah, my mistake.¡± ¡°Anyway, I need some distraction!¡± The blonde then looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°Anna, I think you mentioned that this mountain range is mostly unexplored?¡± ¡°As far as I know, yes.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°That tunnel we found was probably unknown to previous explorers, and getting to the top without advanced magic is quite a hard feat. I don¡¯t know if this specific mountain has been conquered by our folk yet, but if this nightmare continues and we traverse deeper into the mountain range, we¡¯ll be the first.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± The blonde¡¯s expression turned complicated. ¡°Stop that right now!¡± Ari didn''t like the look on her face. ¡°What?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°The thought you¡¯re having right now! No!¡± ¡°What thought am I having?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to feign ignorance!¡± The jaguar glared at her. "Your expression clearly showed that you got interested in the part where no one has fully explored this place yet and how you want to be the first to see the unknown!¡± She then shook her head. ¡°No!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t she know me a little too well?¡± Sophia turned to look at Maya instead. ¡°Not really.¡± The cat-girl disagreed with her. ¡°It was pretty easy to figure out what you were thinking right now.¡± ¡°I see.¡± As she knew that she wasn''t the hardest to read, the blonde decided against making an additional comment on it. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on it, though?¡± She was still looking at Maya. ¡°Ah.¡± She scratched her cheek for a moment. ¡°On one hand, I definitely agree with Ari''s reluctance to stay in this hell for any longer than absolutely necessary, but¡­¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°The thought about seeing something nobody else has seen before is very intriguing.¡± Her newfound passion for exploration had gotten the better of her. "I''ll be sticking close to you and your warming magic, though!" She squeezed Sophia''s arm that she had been clinging to the entire while saying the last part. ¡°Sure~.¡± The owner of the arm didn¡¯t mind that in the slightest. ¡°Why?!¡± Ari was not a fan of her decision. ¡°We could be in this winter hell for at least a week if we¡¯re going to explore the whole area!¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± The cat-girl froze for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s a very convincing point, but¡­ I still think it would be worthwhile if we could see something interesting." ¡°There¡¯s also one more massive advantage we¡¯d gain if we pull through with this.¡± Sophia tried to further convince the jaguar. ¡°Steph and Chloe hate the heat, and they will be as intolerable and annoying about that as we currently are. We''re already here and suffering, so if we pull through it now, they will have no room to complain once we find a nice and toasty area to explore! They¡¯ll just have to agree to go.¡± ¡°Mrmm¡­¡± Ari growled for a moment before looking at Anna. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Well,¡± The princess tilted her head. "I don''t really care about Sophia''s argument because Steph will agree regardless of the temperature if there''s something interesting to explore. She will complain all the way through, she¡¯s Sophia¡¯s sister, after all, but she will definitely agree to whatever we find.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Ha.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°You may have a point there.¡± "The initial idea of exploring the unknown is very alluring, though." Anna wasn''t done yet. ¡°Being able to see a place of our kingdom no one has been to sounds amazing!¡± ¡°Ah, you struck her princess bone.¡± The jaguar let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s over now.¡± ¡°Sorry!¡± ¡°I want a reward from all three of you for that!¡± Ari glared at the three treacherous cats. ¡°For me having to deal with snow because of you all again!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Maya stared at her for a moment. ¡°Not that kind of reward!¡± She immediately cut her off. ¡°Hehe.¡± The cat-girl liked her reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t mind~.¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°Whatever you want!¡± ¡°Thank you! I look forward to it~.¡± ¡°I don''t like the phrasing!¡± This time, Anna got loud. ¡°I just said that it¡¯s not that kind of reward!¡± The jaguar glared at her. ¡°Get out of the horny corner, you two!¡± The blonde shook her head a few times. ¡°Yeah, do you need a time-out?" Ari did the same. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Should we try and catch up with the others?¡± Fen noticed that it may have been a mistake to stay with the four and suggested regrouping now that they agreed to continue the exploration of the snowy mountain range. ---------------- ¡°I love this place!¡± Far in front of the others, the trio was happily exploring the area while Steph was having an especially good time. ¡°Yeah!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°I have some mixed feelings about the amount of snow.¡± Aura sounded a little dubious about the current situation. She currently was a little taller than a regular wolf, with her shoulder height being about one meter, and that came with a bit of a problem in their current situation. Only the very top of her back and her head were visible as the snow was high enough to almost completely bury her inside of it. ¡°You look so adorable!¡± The dog-girl was having a great time watching the wolf jump forward in the snow only to immediately sink in again, causing a trail of holes in the snow behind her rather than a full path as she tried to traverse the terrain. ¡°Maybe I should transform to my regular size?¡± Aura remembered that she was normally at least twice as tall. ¡°Would that be as much fun, though?¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°You really enjoy even the simplest things to the fullest, huh?¡± The wolf stared back at her. ¡°Absolutely!¡± She gave her a strong reply. ¡°Everyone who does not, is living their life the wrong way!" ¡°I love you!¡± Chloe, who was living with the same motto, liked that a lot. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°You do have a point there.¡± The female wolf also could sympathize with that. ¡°It is fairly entertaining to jump through the snow like that. It¡¯s not like we have to travel efficiently, either.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Steph reacted with a big nod. ¡°The cats will take forever to catch up with us, anyway, so we can take our time and play around as much as we want!¡± ¡°The cats and Fen.¡± The fox slightly corrected her. ¡°Is there really that much of a difference?¡± The dog tilted her head. ¡°He¡¯s pretty much an honorary cat at this point. He was just as lazy as the others during winter.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°His poor dignity.¡± Aura tried her hardest to hold back a chuckle. ¡°He¡¯s a cute one, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Well, he couldn¡¯t be further away from being my type, but I definitely see your point!¡± A male wolf wasn''t Steph¡¯s partner of choice, after all. ¡°He¡¯s a good one.¡± ¡°I like how wide his personality ranges!¡± Chloe also was a fan of the male wolf. ¡°Fenfen seems grumpy and complains a lot, but he goes along with absolutely everything! He often looks bored, but the moment someone mentions any remotely interesting magic, he gets more excited than any of us! He and Sophia also get along on a whole other level, so he has to be amazing!¡± ¡°Hehe!¡± Aura loved to hear her partner being praised. In some way or another, at least. ¡°Yeah, he and Sophia have a special bond. It makes me a little envious and sad that I wasn''t there for Fen when he actually wasn''t doing well.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°You heard about my accident when my teleport experiment went wrong?¡± "Where you almost died and ended up on the demon continent with amnesia? Yeah, I don¡¯t remember who told me, but I heard about that story before.¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Yes, that one.¡± Aura paused for a moment. ¡°From what I¡¯ve learned afterward, he kept looking for me for a long time until he eventually gave up¡­ Gave up hard enough that he even stopped enjoying magic. Sophia was the one who made him enjoy life again after they met. She¡¯s a special kind of interesting oddball, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± She agreed with the description of her sister. "Well, one thing''s for sure: Sophia is definitely no competition. Also, while I get why you¡¯d be envious, the only thing you should be is being thankful here!" ¡°I absolutely am! I will never not be thankful to Sophia for pulling Fen out of his low! They also helped each other get over a hard time, so it¡¯s natural they have a special connection. I¡¯m fine with that, and happy, but it¡¯s just a tiny bit unfortunate I caused Fen¡¯s depressed state and wasn''t there to help him. Still, I¡¯m beyond glad he¡¯s doing so well now! He definitely changed for the better, thanks to Sophia, so everything is well!" ¡°Good!¡± Steph was glad about the happy end. ¡°Also, take this!¡± Immediately after, she made a snowball and threw it at the wolf. ¡°That¡¯s for ruining the mood of our fun exploration with gloomy topics!¡± ¡°Oi! Aura did not appreciate the sneaky attack and immediately fired back at the dog with the use of magic. After all, she was missing hands to do it the normal way. ¡°Let¡¯s go! As this was a declaration of war for Steph, their snowball fight officially started, and countless balls of snow were flying through the air mere moments later. It didn¡¯t take long until Chloe was hit by a stray attack, which caused her to enter the fight and turned it into a three-way standoff. The trio continued to play around like that until the latecomer cats, including the male honorary one, finally caught up to them. Chapter 050 – Braving the cold Sophia and the other cats decided to tough it out and see the exploration of the snowy mountain range to the end. Ari still didn¡¯t want to and demanded a reward for having to be cold for so long, but the other three lost to the allure of exploring something new and exciting no one had ever seen before. Having a precedent against Steph and Chloe to rely on for later when they want to visit a hot area was a nice bonus. ¡°Someone¡¯s having a great time, huh?¡± The group was finally reunited again, and the blonde rolled her eyes when she spotted the trio having a snowball fight. ¡°Welcome back, sis!¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Join us!¡± She then got ready to throw one in the tiger¡¯s direction. ¡°If one of these nasty cold bombs hits me, I¡¯m going to change the climate of the whole mountain range.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t feel like joining. ¡°My magic will turn everything here to summer instantly.¡± ¡°Why wasn¡¯t that an option earlier?!¡± Ari seemed to like the plan. ¡°Shush!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Not wanting to risk it, the dog-girl threw the snowball at Aura instead. ¡°What brings you here? I was sure you would¡¯ve fled to the cottage in the domain by now.¡± ¡°Why wasn¡¯t that an option earlier, either?!¡± The jaguar repeated herself. ¡°Why are you whining more than I am?!¡± Sophia stared back at her. ¡°Being whiny and annoying is my thing!¡± ¡°Because I SERIOUSLY hate the cold!¡± She only got louder. ¡°Reward or not, I still loathe the plan we decided on earlier!¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The blonde almost sounded impressed. ¡°I underestimated how extreme you can be.¡± ¡°Plan you decided on?¡± Steph got interested in that part. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± ¡°We have good news!¡± Sophia smiled at her sister. ¡°We have terrible news!¡± Ari wasn¡¯t smiling. ¡°What is it?!¡± Naturally, Steph had some issues following them. ¡°Please ignore her, she¡¯s in a bit of a bad mood right now.¡± ¡°A bit?!¡± The jaguar glared at the blonde. ¡°Anyway,¡± Sophia decided to also ignore her for the time being. ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly happy about it, but we decided to fully explore the mountain range and not find a way out.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± The dog-girl hadn''t seen that one coming. ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Chloe sounded happy about it. ¡°Wait, where¡¯s the catch?!¡± Steph felt like there was something up with her decision. ¡°We¡¯re here already, and there might be something unknown ahead! The curiosity got the better of me in the end.¡± ¡°Curiosity kills the cat, though.¡± Ari was having a very gloomy day. ¡°You really are on a run, huh?¡± Sophia glanced at the jaguar before facing her sister again. ¡°Anna¡¯s also looking forward to seeing an area of the kingdom that hasn¡¯t been fully explored yet. Her princess bone got tickled there.¡± ¡°I see!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°So, no catch there?¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it~.¡± The blonde smiled back. ¡°Now I worry!¡± It obviously had the reverse effect on her. ¡°They¡¯re totally going to hold this against us when they want to explore a hot area.¡± Chloe immediately saw through it. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The short tiger only reacted with a cheeky laugh. ¡°Really? That¡¯s fine by me!¡± Steph wasn¡¯t bothered by it. ¡°Sure, I''ll be complaining the entire time, but I''m not going to miss out on anything worthwhile to explore!¡± ¡°Told you so!¡± Anna sounded rather smug about having her reaction predicted accurately. Stolen novel; please report. ¡°There¡¯s zero tolerance for any funny business, though!¡± Sophia suddenly got much more serious. ¡°Pushing me into the snow or anything else that makes me feel colder will result in the aforementioned immediate and violate climate change of the entire region.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The dog-girl gave her a firm nod. ¡°You being clumsy and faceplanting into a pile of snow doesn¡¯t count, though, right?" ¡°Why would I do that?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Because I know you!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± She didn¡¯t like the implication. ¡°But, yes, if it¡¯s my own fault, I won¡¯t do anything that drastic.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t speaking for everyone, though.¡± Ari disagreed with her. ¡°I¡¯ll go all out and end everything no matter the reason!¡± ¡°I somehow like the dark Ari.¡± Chloe was a fan of the stark difference in her personality. "I disagree on this very occasion because of the topic, but in general, I agree because she gets pretty cool when she does that.¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Has she always been that bad with the cold?¡± Maya faced Anna instead. ¡°We all were pretty, uhh¡­ passive during the winter, so I hadn¡¯t paid any attention, but she¡¯s worse than Sophia right now!¡± ¡°And that means something!¡± The blonde herself had to add that part. ¡°She¡¯s never been good with it, just like basically any feline, but this year somehow was especially bad." The princess shrugged. ¡°I have no clue why, though.¡± ¡°This winter was even colder than usual!¡± The jaguar loudly complained. ¡°Also, almost all feline races have subspecies that have adapted to colder climates and live in those regions. Jaguars are warm climates only, though! My ancestors never gave me any resistance to the cold!¡± ¡°Your ancestors have been living in the capital for generations already.¡± Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°They helped the tigers build it!¡± ¡°And we have been suffering ever since!¡± Ari didn''t accept the complaint. ¡°Look up the records! The jaguar and tiger families almost split up back when the capital was founded because we didn''t agree with the location''s climate!" ¡°Wow.¡± The princess had nothing else to say. ¡°To be fair, I think it takes a little longer than a few generations for a species to fully adapt to a new climate.¡± Sophia sided with the jaguar. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Ari smiled at the blonde. ¡°Because of that, I CAN¡¯T deal with the cold a second time!¡± ¡°You never complained about it so much in the previous years, though?¡± Anna was a little confused over the level of whining the jaguar was currently on. ¡°Because of you!¡± The black-haired girl just stared at her. ¡°Why me?!¡± The princess pointed at herself. ¡°I have always been pretty vocal about my dislike of the cold and got close to hibernating more than once!¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly the reason!¡± She raised her voice a bit more. ¡°I tried to be strong so that not both of us became totally useless during the winter months.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for your sacrifice!¡± Anna was glad that she looked out for her. ¡°Why the change of heart now, though?¡± ¡°Because of this group!¡± She pointed at everyone around her. "No one''s trying to keep up an image and is just being themselves. As everyone said, I¡¯m easily influenced, so I got more open, too. I try to preserve regular common sense by keeping everyone lightly in check, but when it comes to holding back personal things, everyone rubbed off on me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome~.¡± Sophia took partial credit for that. ¡°Yeah, you helped a lot with that.¡± The jaguar felt the need to put an emphasis on the word help there. ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde enjoyed the slight glare that was accompanied by her reply. ¡°You know, if it¡¯s really that bad with the cold, which is TOTALLY understandable, we don¡¯t all have to go through it.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ari¡¯s interest was piqued. ¡°Tell me more, please!¡± ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t limited to the cold, either. If someone feels unwell or has decided on a lazy day, it¡¯s not like the entire group has to take a break.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Whoever feels that way can just relax in the cottage or play around in the other parts of my domain while the rest of the group is out traveling in the regular world. If there¡¯s something interesting, we can still go and collect the ones that stayed behind in the domain. I mean, Fey and Mira also come and go whenever they feel like it.¡± ¡°I like the sound of that!¡± The jaguar was an instant fan. ¡°That¡¯s actually a great idea!¡± Steph agreed with her. "Sometimes, we''re just walking through the same plain the entire day, and it might be more fun to work on a biome in the domain instead!¡± ¡°And if enough opt out of the plains exploration, I can run through it at full speed and get a nice workout!¡± ¡°That sounds great!¡± Steph immediately turned around on her suggestion and sided with her sister instead. ¡°Yeah, if that happens, I¡¯ll definitely stay in the domain!¡± Anna hated everything she just heard. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely keep you company there, too!¡± Chloe felt the same as the princess. ¡°It seems like we came up with a decent plan, huh?¡± Sophia was glad that everyone liked her suggestion. ¡°Even so, while it was my suggestion, and it''s true that everyone needs some alone time here and there, I¡¯d still prefer if we do as much as possible together, though. The more, the merrier has become my motto since coming to this world, after all!" ¡°Absolutely!¡± Everyone felt the same. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Steph then energetically raised her arm. ¡°For now, let¡¯s explore more of this lovely mountain!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chloe was a big supporter of the plan. ¡°Ah.¡± Ari froze for a moment. ¡°You know what, now that there¡¯s a way out for me, I think I¡¯ll try to finish today together with everyone else.¡± ¡°That sure is a massive change of heart after you were that against it just minutes ago.¡± The dog-girl lightly tilted her head. ¡°Do you want me here, or do you not?!¡± She just glared at her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph stopped the teasing immediately. Once all of that was taken care of, everyone continued to explore and travel up the mountain a little further. Still, as the snow piled up more and more the higher they got, progress was slow even for the massively overpowered group they were. Chapter 051 – Odd duo Ari had gotten a little whiny over the fact that even the other cats wanted to continue the exploration of the snowy mountain range in the hope of finding something new and interesting. The jaguar was heavily against that idea because she really hates the cold. As a result, Sophia introduced a new guideline to the group¡¯s traveling formation. She suggested that not all have to be traveling together all the time, and if someone wants to stay in the domain, the others could still be out and exploring. ¡°Well, I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting it to turn out like this.¡± On the following day, when most of the group returned to the regular world to explore the mountains, Ari immediately took advantage of the newly introduced guidelines and decided to stay in the cottage to evade the cold she hated so much. ¡°Do you not wish my company?¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t the only one who stayed behind as she was currently sitting together with Fen in the cottage¡¯s living room. ¡°That¡¯s absolutely not what I meant!¡± She shook her head a few times. ¡°Do you really dislike the cold so much that you also decided to stay behind?¡± "No, it''s not quite on your level. I mean, you really made quite the scene yesterday." ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She could only awkwardly scratch her cheek. "I don''t exactly enjoy it, though. My fur lets me tolerate it, but if I can avoid it, I will avoid it. I mean, unless it leads to something interesting, but I don''t think that mountain range will lead to anything too big in the next few days." ¡°I see!¡± "Also, Sophia and you all are great, but I need a break every now and then. The group''s a bit too hyper to be with 24/7. I know I''m oftentimes part of the problem when it comes to getting excited, but I hope you understand what I mean." ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry about ruining your day off, then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Fen shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re the one I¡¯d mind the least keeping me company when I need a break.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°How do you know? Actually, I think this is the first time since we met that it¡¯s just the two of us.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, that might actually be the cause.¡± He nodded once before continuing. ¡°You¡¯re easily the most grounded one out of the group, though. I doubt you¡¯d be the cause to ruin my day off.¡± ¡°Happy to hear that someone still thinks I¡¯m normal.¡± ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t go that far!¡± The wolf shook his head a few times. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Anyway, do you have any plans for today, or were you just taking it easy?¡± Fen decided to not further elaborate on the previous topic. ¡°¡­¡± She stared at him for a moment because of the earlier jab, but Ari eventually decided to let it go. ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it. I¡¯m just happy not being in that nightmarish cold today. Oh, maybe I¡¯ll visit the bioluminescent forest we began creating the other day.¡± ¡°I had completely forgotten about that already.¡± ¡°Ahaha, too much is going on lately, huh?¡± ¡°That is very true.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± Ari kept looking at him. ¡°Any plans on your end?¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first day I happily slept through completely.¡± ¡°You really enjoy your days off to the fullest, huh?¡± ¡°For some, doing absolutely nothing is the very definition of holidays.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t seem too convinced. "I''ve also been contemplating putting more work into the biome Sophia gave me to play with. I might start it for real today." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Oh!¡± The jaguar thought that would be more fitting for the occasion. ¡°Wait, what was your biome again? I can¡¯t really remember what it was.¡± ¡°Just a good old deciduous forest. I feel like something basic might be pretty nice. I also like the feel inside those forests, so I thought about making my own.¡± ¡°Deciduous, those are the trees that lose their leaves in fall, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± He nodded. ¡°My version will be evergreen, though. Summer is my favorite season in that kind of forest because I like the woody smell inside when it''s warm, and the dim light shining through the green leaves is very relaxing, too.¡± ¡°That sounds lovely!¡± Ari was becoming a fan of his plan. ¡°Although, making it permanently fall for the colored foliage could be nice, too.¡± ¡°That is true, but I really like the lush green.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± She couldn¡¯t blame him for his preference. ¡°I also agree that a summer theme would be the most comfy.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I like it! I¡¯m a fan of the massive jungle Maya and I created around the cottage here, but a nice and simple forest will be a great place to relax.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was hoping to accomplish." The wolf agreed with her. "Do you want to help me out?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The jaguar hadn''t expected that. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°You went completely bonkers on the jungle, but I¡¯m sure you can hold back enough to create something that is just nice.¡± ¡°Shush!¡± ¡°I had to do it~.¡± Fen sounded rather smug. ¡°So, do you want to accompany me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be of any help because of the big difference in our magic power, but I would love to try!¡± ¡°Maya also has less than I do, and the two of you still created that massive jungle that is way more than I want for my forest. I think it should be fine." ¡°Ahaha, fair point.¡± ¡°Sophia gave me a spot in her domain together with a portal.¡± He just continued. ¡°Together with some land and a couple of beech, oak, and maple saplings. I had already expanded it to around 100 meters in diameter, but that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Alright, sounds like fun!¡± Having decided on a plan for the day, the rather uncommon duo left the cottage and took the portal Sophia had prepared for the wolf to start his own biome. ---------------- "Oho, it has gotten a little denser around here." The two arrived at Fen''s spot, and he took a quick glance at their surroundings. ¡°The trees grew quite a bit, too.¡± ¡°It already looks lovely!¡± Ari was also looking around. ¡°You were right about the lighting, too!¡± She turned her head up towards the canopy and noticed how the light was making it shine in a bright green while a few rays made it through and lightly illuminated the bottom layer they were in at the moment. ¡°So cozy! It¡¯s kinda dim, but the glow and the few extra light rays make it just right! Especially compared to the jungle where it¡¯s basically pitch black.¡± ¡°Yeah, this is just right.¡± He agreed with her evaluation. "Your jungle is great, and I love the massive trees we made. I will definitely make many more in the future, but everything being oversized wouldn''t fit the theme I''m going for here. The overgrowth would also block out all the light, and the feeling would be gone." ¡°You are so right with that!¡± The jaguar nodded along. ¡°Even better, down here, you don''t even realize that the light isn¡¯t coming from the sun but Sophia¡¯s white domain background thing. The green glow from the canopy makes it look just light sunlight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best part.¡± Fen felt the same. ¡°Our blondie really needs to do something about that. Her domain is the most fascinating thing I¡¯ve witnessed, but it¡¯s quite hard on the eyes.¡± ¡°Especially in the morning when you just woke up and get your eyes seared if you don¡¯t remember when opening the window or something like that. Maya removed too much of the jungle around the cottage¡­¡± Ari agreed with his complaint. ¡°She did say that it will take a while, right?¡± ¡°The concentration of ambient magic needs to be high enough or something like that.¡± He tried to remember what Sophia had told them. ¡°I guess we just need more trees to block it for the time being, huh?¡± ¡°Exactly what I was thinking!¡± ¡°Do you want to continue the forest in a specific way?¡± Ari looked around again. ¡°After all, it¡¯s your oasis, so I don¡¯t want to ruin anything.¡± ¡°I prefer maple over oak over beech trees. Do what you want with that information.¡± ¡°Focus on maple, got it.¡± The jaguar smiled at him. ¡°Anything else?¡± ¡°The trees can be a little bigger than usual, but nothing too extreme, please.¡± He then gestured around him. ¡°This area is pretty much perfect.¡± ¡°I see!¡± She nodded. ¡°Can you really control it, though? For a single tree, yes, you use less of your magic to feed it, but how do you do that for a whole area you want to expand? In the jungle, Maya and I just dumped it into the area, and we know to what that led.¡± ¡°I am not exactly sure about that, actually.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± It wasn¡¯t the explanation Ari had hoped for. ¡°How should I do it, then?¡± "When I made this part, I stretched out my released magic as thin as possible. That way, the saplings could only absorb a little magic, I guess? The rest was used to create more shrubbery and soil and all that. Honestly, I have no idea how this domain works.¡± "Don''t look at me with that questioning expression!¡± The jaguar shook her head. "I''m like the least adept when it comes to magic in this group!" ¡°I think you¡¯re selling yourself a bit short.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you do some very promising things before. You just need some more training~.¡± ¡°T-Thanks.¡± She got a little bashful. ¡°So¡­ Stretching out my released magic as thin as possible while hoping for the best¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do.¡± He nodded. ¡°Also, that second part, about hoping for the best, is the way to do any big magic.¡± ¡°Why do I feel like Fey would disagree with that?¡± Ari didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°D-Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± He just turned his head away. Afterward, after having agreed on something loosely resembling a plan, the two got to work on shaping Fen¡¯s normal biome in Sophia¡¯s domain. Chapter 052 – Complaining The formation of a rather unexpected duo happened after Ari and Fen decided to take a day off to escape from the cold mountain the rest of the group was exploring. The two got along quite well, though, and decided to work together on the biome the wolf was planning to create in Sophia¡¯s domain. ¡°Are we there yet?¡± While they were having a great time, Sophia¡¯s experience was a little more debatable. ¡°Good question!¡± Maya and Anna looked just as miserable when they were lagging behind Aura, Steph, and Chloe while climbing up the snowy mountain. "You know you can just look up to find the answer, right?" Steph lifted her arm to point toward the summit, which was still nowhere to be seen. ¡°¡­¡± The trio didn¡¯t like that answer. ¡°Also, don¡¯t act like the three of you are having a hard time!¡± She then pointed at the cats, or rather at the ground below them. While she and the other two were wading through snow that was at least one meter high, the fact they had a great time doing so aside, the ground below Sophia, who had Anna and Maya clinging to her arms on each side for maximum warmth, was completely free of snow. ¡°You¡¯re heating the air around you so much that the snow is melting instantly! Look behind you! You¡¯re creating an actual path up the mountain!¡± Behind them was a roughly 1.5-meter-wide path where the snow had melted all the way to the stone layer of the area they were walking through. "We''d die without it!" While the cats had agreed to continue the exploration, they also said they would never stop complaining, and they were certainly holding up to that promise. ¡°Stop syncing up like that all the time!¡± ¡°No!¡± They disagreed with her. ¡°Ha¡­¡± The dog-girl gave up. ¡°Well, you¡¯re at least keeping up and here, so I¡¯ll cut you some slack.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± Maya got interested in that part. ¡°Ari and Fen, huh? That¡¯s an odd duo, isn¡¯t it? I wonder what they¡¯re up to together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting question!¡± Aura also was curious about it. ¡°Though, knowing my Fenny, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he naps the entire day away.¡± ¡°I can see that happening.¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°I wonder if Ari would join him~. I mean, after she was so whiny about the cold yesterday, this would be the perfect comfy countermeasure.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I would do!¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really sound like Ari, though.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± The short tiger agreed with that. ¡°If anything, she¡¯d probably be out for revenge.¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°You know, for us cats betraying her.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The blonde hadn¡¯t thought about that. ¡°She¡¯s going to burn down my domain!¡± She then proceeded to panic. ¡°That sounds fun!¡± Maya liked the thought of that. ¡°Even more things to look forward to when we get home!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to hear it. ¡°I can definitely see it happen.¡± Anna went along with the cat-girl. ¡°I hate all of you.¡± The short tiger wasn¡¯t a fan of the conversation. ¡°L-Let¡¯s continue exploring the mountain!¡± She wanted to distract herself. ¡°I¡¯m not going to say no to that!¡± Steph immediately got even more motivated. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Chloe thought so, too. ¡°Let¡¯s climb to the summit and pour one out for Sophia¡¯s destroyed domain up there!¡± ¡°Well, I know for sure that one biome¡¯s going up in flames. Do burnt pines smell as good as fresh ones?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I went too far!¡± As she liked her pine forest a lot, the wolf immediately regretted her teasing. ¡°Please let my pines live!¡± ¡°Haa, fine.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just try to reach the top and see if we can spot something interesting from there.¡± Sophia had enough and started walking again while dragging the other two cats, who were clinging to her arms for warmth, with her. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Yay!¡± Steph, as usual, was raring to go. ---------------- ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡± After around an hour of climbing, Sophia made a horrible discovery when she looked towards the sky. ¡°We already have enough! There¡¯s no need to start snowing now!¡± ¡°Sophia, do something!¡± Anna looked equally disturbed when she looked up. ¡°What she said!¡± So did Maya. ¡°You three have to be the most melodramatic people I ever met.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just simply not true.¡± The trio, once more, completely synced their reply. ¡°Tell me one person that¡¯s worse than you!¡± She stared at them. ¡°ONE single person!¡± ¡°Ari.¡± They answered at the same time again. ¡°She was much worse than us yesterday and even refused to come with us today!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph paused for a moment. ¡°Okay, fine, you idiots win that round.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Anyway!¡± The dog rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just some snowflakes! Very light ones, too!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that there¡¯s way enough snow around here already!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Maya and Anna agreed with the blonde. ¡°Does the snow even affect you?¡± Chloe tilted her head while looking at the cats. ¡°I see the snowflakes falling about you, but they disappear before they get close to you. Probably melting by the heat bubble around you, right?¡± ¡°Oh, now that you mention it!¡± Sophia only then realized what was going on above her. ¡°I guess it¡¯s not that bad, then.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± ¡°I love you!¡± The two cats only clung stronger to the blonde¡¯s arms. ¡°Any time~.¡± ¡°Enjoy being sandwiched?¡± Steph briefly glanced at Maya and Anna doing their best to stick as close as possible to Sophia to be in the middle of the warmth generation she was doing before staring at her sister. ¡°I can¡¯t complain~.¡± She smiled back at her. ¡°Well, I might be doing nothing but complaining today, but surely not about that~.¡± ¡°I have to admit that I¡¯m a little envious.¡± She couldn¡¯t hide it. ¡°Getting so much attention from two beauties!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t like that. ¡°What?¡± Steph just tilted her head. ¡°Look at her and tell me she isn¡¯t enviable.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox stared at Sophia for a moment. ¡°Fine, being popular seems to come with quite a few nice benefits.¡± ¡°Hating the cold does come with some benefits~.¡± The blonde looked and sounded rather smug. ¡°Okay, knowing that the snow can¡¯t harm us, let¡¯s continue!¡± "Even without the heat barrier, it couldn''t possibly hurt you!¡± The dog rolled her eyes. ¡°We beg to differ!¡± The cats replied together again. ¡°Haa¡­¡± ---------------- They kept climbing up the mountain for about two more hours, and luckily, it stopped snowing even faster than it started, so it hadn''t turned into a bother for anyone. Even if some of them loved it, it wasn''t helping when you were trying to scale a mountain. ¡°Oh?¡± Sophia looked up after the sky had cleared up and spotted something interesting now that they were able to see farther than before. ¡° ¡°Mhm?¡± Steph did the same. ¡°You¡¯re right! It was hard to see because it was kinda cloudy and foggy before, but we¡¯re close!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it actually stopped being foggy, though.¡± Chloe turned around while looking down the path they came from. "It seems more like we passed the fog layer, and we''re in the clear zone now." Looking back, they weren¡¯t able to see down all the way, thanks to a layer of fog wrapping around the middle part of the mountain. ¡°Makes sense!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°Explains the bad weather, too. Though, I was hoping to get a good view of the area if we reached the top. That could be hard with all the fog below us¡­" "That would be very unfortunate." Anna agreed with her. ¡°I hope it will be gone by the time we reach it.¡± ¡°You do know that there¡¯s a pretty easy solution for that, right?¡± Aura just looked at the tigers. ¡°Really?¡± The girls tilted their heads. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Somehow sounding disappointed, the wolf then went silent for a few moments. Then, things turned a little turbulent. Strong winds formed everywhere around the group before the gusts traveled down the mountain. They were so strong that they shot right through the fog further down. The air movement then caused the fog to fully disappear. Doing that a few more times, Aura then caused all the mist in the visible area further down the mountain to disappear. ¡°Right!¡± ¡°I forgot about magic!¡± The tigers seemed quite impressed. ¡°Hehe.¡± The wolf liked their reaction. ¡°Is that really the solution, though?¡± Chloe sounded a little dubious while she was looking at the result. ¡°Sure, the fog is gone, but you¡¯ve swept up so much snow that you¡¯ve caused an avalanche and a snowstorm at once¡­¡± She pointed further down the mountain, where everything had turned into chaos. ¡°Ah.¡± Aura hadn¡¯t thought that her actions could¡¯ve possibly had consequences. "It''s fine! I''ve checked with my detection magic before, and no living being was down there, anyway." ¡°It doesn¡¯t help with the visibility, though.¡± Steph lightly shook her head. "This is the other side of the mountain we haven''t explored, after all." ¡°Ah.¡± The wolf reacted the same. ¡°It¡¯s fine! It will calm down eventually, and we¡¯ll be able to see.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s anything left to see.¡± Maya also had to add something. ¡°Everything worthwhile might be covered in snow from the avalanche. ¡°Ah.¡± Aura was attacked from all sides. ¡°It¡¯s fine! This is just the first mountain of the range. If there¡¯s anything interesting in the first place, it would be deeper inside.¡± ¡°How do we get deeper inside, though?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°The valley we have to cross for that is now covered in probably 50 meters of snow that shot down the mountain.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She wasn¡¯t getting a break anytime soon. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Once we¡¯re down, I¡¯ll use some more wind to get rid of it again. ¡°What if you only create more chaos doing that?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The wolf wasn¡¯t able to have any different reaction. ¡°It¡¯s fine! Actually, yeah, it is fine! We love chaos, after all!" ¡°Fair enough.¡± The girls accepted her final flimsy excuse. Once that issue was taken care of, the group continued their ascend while also increasing their pace as the summit had finally come into view. Chapter 053 – Whims of great significance The group made steady progress on climbing up the mountain and had already gotten close enough to the summit that they could see it. Aura also caused a massive avalanche, a blizzard, and buried a plain under 50 meters of snow, but little mishaps happen from time to time, so they weren¡¯t too worried about it. ¡°Your big form is still a sight to behold!¡± Ari and Fen were having a much more relaxed day. They had put some work into Fen¡¯s biome, but the two were currently taking a break in the already established and nice-looking middle part of it. ¡°It¡¯s very comfortable, too.¡± ¡°Nice to hear, I guess?¡± Fen was lying in the shade of a tree in his normal two-meter-something form while the jaguar had sat down next to him while leaning her back against the wolf¡¯s side. ¡°The mossy ground also is very nice to rest on.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Ari patted the ground next to her a few times before looking up. ¡°I still love the lighting! The green shine of the leaves by the light from above and the few rays making it through the foliage makes this place so relaxing~.¡± She let out a comfortable sigh while saying so as she leaned more against his body. ¡°Yes.¡± He agreed. ¡°It makes you sleepy, too.¡± Fen reacted to her sigh with one of his own. ¡°Ahaha.¡± "It''s definitely one of my favorite places already. I¡¯m glad it¡¯s turning out so well.¡± ¡°It''s really so nice!" Ari felt the same. "Thanks for letting me be a part of it." ¡°You are very welcome.¡± He nodded once. ¡°You¡¯ve been a great help, too.¡± ¡°How long do you think it takes before we see the growth of the new areas where we used our magic earlier?¡± She focused her gaze further away from where the two were currently relaxing. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen in the other biomes we made so far, I think it will be a few hours before we see first results and some growth.¡± "A few hours, huh?¡± Ari¡¯s expression turned ever so slightly complicated while seemingly getting even more comfortable against Fen''s side. ¡°Shall we take a nap until then?¡± The wolf took a wild guess for her intentions. ¡°I can guarantee that napping in a place like this will be most amazing.¡± "A-Ah¡­¡± She started blushing. ¡°L-Let me think about it¡­¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± He sounded just a little smug. ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to not take this opportunity, though.¡± ¡°I would never stand between you and your reason to be in this wonderful place.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Fen appreciated her empathy. ¡°Would you mind if I ask a few questions, though?¡± Ari turned her head to the side to look at his face. ¡°It very much depends on the question if I answer, but I¡¯ll at least listen.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask for more.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been wondering ever since you, Aura, and Feyanis showed your big forms to us. The one you''re currently in, and I''m liking a lot, thanks to the comfiness. That, and Fen.¡± Ari paused for a second. ¡°Are you Fenrir?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He had no issues with simply admitting it. ¡°Hah.¡± She went silent for a moment. ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think I know my full name, right?¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± She couldn¡¯t really say anything there. ¡°You do know just how much of an impact you had on this country, right?¡± ¡°Barely any to none?¡± He lightly tilted his head while looking at the jaguar. ¡°You¡¯re joking, aren¡¯t you?¡± She didn¡¯t believe him. Stolen story; please report. "Are you maybe mistaking me for someone else?" ¡°How many giant wolves going by the name of Fenrir are there?¡± She just stared at him. ¡°Mhm.¡± There was little he could say there. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard about your age so far, I doubt it was an ancestor of yours, either.¡± ¡°Yes, I am older than this country.¡± ¡°See! It has to be you!¡± ¡°So, what did I do to be so significant?¡± He honestly couldn¡¯t think of anything. ¡°Well, for one, it is said that you¡¯re the one responsible for forming this country.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Fen only got more confused. ¡°I am fairly certain that the tiger family united the beastfolk and founded the kingdom. I mean, we¡¯re running around with the current princess right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, but¡­¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the exact story right now, but the history books said something along the lines of you having met the first king, King Aron.¡± ¡°Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I did.¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°I remember being invited to the official forming of the capital a little while later. It was a lovely little village back then.¡± ¡°What a thing to hear, calling the capital a nice little village.¡± The jaguar needed a moment to process that. ¡°That might be it, though. It¡¯s said that you caused them to build the capital, so it¡¯s only natural that you were invited to it.¡± ¡°How was I the cause for that?¡± He still couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°How were the exact words again? There was a conversation between you and the future first king of the kingdom¡­¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°You make a great leader, and the tigers really are something else when caring for others. Have you ever thought about uniting the beastfolk, Aron? Sounds like fun, doesn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sure you could pull off something as interesting as that.¡± ¡°A-Ah.¡± The wolf froze for a second. ¡°I think¡­ I think I remember now.¡± He then awkwardly turned his head away from Ari. ¡°I, uhh¡­ I was really bored back then¡­¡± ¡°W-WHAT?!¡± ¡°Back then, the beastfolk kept things inside their own factions and rarely interacted with other families. That Aron was different, though, as he had a whole party of many different families around him while they were adventuring the lands.¡± He sounded a little nostalgic. ¡°I was intrigued by that concept and wanted to see if it could work out.¡± "That sounds a lot nicer than what you''ve said before!" ¡°Well, I was intrigued because I was bored and wanted to watch something interesting happening.¡± ¡°How about you keep that part to yourself from now on?!¡± Ari looked tired. ¡°Like, keep it a secret to anyone! Especially from Anna and the other tigers!¡± "Sure." ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°Our kingdom was formed because someone was bored and wanted some entertainment.¡± ¡°To be fair,¡± Fen wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°Canir¡¯s treated as a god, and he has the same motives. You¡¯ve met him and now know that he¡¯s an overseer mostly for the fact of wanting to be entertained.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Her eyes went lifeless for a second. ¡°My mind had suppressed that.¡± ¡°If it helps, I was serious back then when I called the king a good leader and all that. I wouldn¡¯t have said that purely for the entertainment.¡± ¡°That is a little relieving.¡± Ari was glad that the founding of their country wasn''t completely based on a joke. ¡°Our history records say that you constantly helped us out ever since then, though.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. "You won countless wars for us and saved us from even more impossible-to-defeat monsters." ¡°Admittedly, my memory is a little hazy because it¡¯s impossible to remember everything, but I will guarantee you that I never fought alongside the beastfolk in a war.¡± He shook his head a few times. ¡°That¡¯s not my style.¡± ¡°That is what¡¯s recorded in our history, though.¡± Ari shrugged. "You were the reason many wars against the humans were won with little to no casualties. You showed up, and the human army was gone by the next day." ¡°Ah.¡± His voice turned awkward again. ¡°I think I may know what happened there.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°The humans just really hate me.¡± He let out another sigh. ¡°How does that explain anything?¡± ¡°They constantly tried to hunt me down in the past before I made them understand they have no hope of ever beating me.¡± Fen rolled his eyes. ¡°Whenever they attacked me, I made sure that none of their so-called warriors were left behind in the area. I may have also erased some of their armies in the process. There¡¯s a possibility that at least some of those armies were about to attack the beastfolk. Similarly, with those monsters, I¡¯m just a muscle head that loves to fight. If there¡¯s a strong being, I¡¯ll fight it. Circumstances do not matter.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Ari went silent for a minute. ¡°Again, don¡¯t ever mention that while in the presence of anyone of the beastfolk.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± He wasn¡¯t the type to suddenly tell stories, anyway. ¡°I do quite like the beastfolk, though. Their magic capabilities are rather underwhelming for the most part, but they¡¯re a nice and friendly folk, so it¡¯s great that I was able to help without even noticing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Are there any other, uhh¡­ folk tales about me?¡± ¡°There are some of you and Aurora together.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± His interest was piqued. ¡°Would you mind telling me?¡± "I don''t mind, but it''s mostly romance stories about how the two of you have been the perfect couple for centuries. Do you really want to hear that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He just stared at her for a moment. ¡°Never mind, forget I asked.¡± Fen definitely did not want to hear it. ¡°Also, don¡¯t ever tell Aura about this.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± As Fen absolutely had no intention of continuing that topic, as he and Aura had only officially started dating last year, the duo decided to chat about other things for a bit while enjoying the nice and calming scenery around them. Chapter 054 – Reaching the summit Ari and Fen were having a lovely time building the wolf¡¯s relaxing deciduous forest together and spent a long time just chatting about various things, including his heroic deeds for the kingdom, which turned out to be all just lucky coincidences and him being bored. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡± While those two were having probably one of the most relaxing days in a while, this wasn¡¯t the case for Sophia and the others. ¡°The summit is within reach!¡± ¡°Finally!¡± Anna and Maya sounded rather tired. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph and Chloe were still highly motivated, though. ¡°Just in time for my snowstorm from earlier to calm down, too.¡± Aura looked behind her and down the mountain where she had caused the avalanche when she tried to get rid of the fog with wind magic. ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad that worked out?¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°Very!¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can spot anything interesting from the top!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ---------------- 15 minutes later, after they finished the final bit of the ascend, the group finally reached the summit of the first mountain they climbed in the range. "WOW!" Finally getting a good view of the entire area from above, Sophia''s eyes turned wide. ¡°This is amazing!¡± Anna had the same reaction. ¡°This was totally worth the odyssey!¡± Maya, too, was overwhelmed by the sight. ¡°I was not expecting that!¡± So was Chloe. ¡°This is something else entirely!¡± Steph also couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°¡­¡± Aura stared at them for a while before eventually focusing on the sight, as well. ¡°What¡¯s up with the sarcasm?¡± It was a nice view, but it was ultimately just more mountains, snow, and bits of forests they could see in the far distance. There was nothing exceptionally interesting as far as the eye could reach. ¡°Because it¡¯s so anticlimactic!¡± The blonde pointed into the distance. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s very pretty! In fact, this view would make for an amazing painting! It¡¯s one of the most beautiful normal sights I¡¯ve seen in my life, but¡­ I was hoping for something like a grand reveal inside the mountain range! Like the remains of a ruined civilization!¡± ¡°Or of a thriving civilization that¡¯s still alive!¡± Steph changed the details of her story a little. ¡°That would¡¯ve been even better!¡± She agreed with her little sister. ¡°How high did you think the chance for that to happen was if you¡¯re that disappointed over it?¡± ¡°With this group and taking into account just how many ridiculous things we came across already, pretty high, I¡¯d say.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Hmm,¡± Aura stopped to think about it for a moment. ¡°I guess you have a point there. Well, an alive civilization was out of the question from the get-go because I had picked up no signs of life with my magic, but some ruins indeed would''ve been nice. Maybe the abandoned colony from the being that made the tunnel through the mountain.¡± She was quickly sold on the idea. ¡°To be fair, ignore that I also complained, but I think it might be too early to judge.¡± Chloe pointed at another mountain a good bit away in front of them. ¡°That bad boy is a few hundred meters higher than the one we¡¯re on. Judging by the distance from looking down, it probably is a good bit over 3000 meters tall. It¡¯s much wider, too. Even so, I think I might even see some mountain peaks behind it, too. We''re still on the outskirts of the range, and there''s no way of telling what lies behind it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°We really just started exploring the area, huh?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°That means even more snow, huh?¡± ¡°NOOO!¡± Anna and Maya were not happy to hear that. ¡°More exploring!¡± Steph was, though. ¡°I think I¡¯ll join Ari from now on!¡± ¡°Me, too!¡± The princess and the cat-girl decided to run away. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Very enticing.¡± The blonde liked the idea. ¡°Too bad you have to come with us, though~.¡± The dog smiled at her sister. ¡°We need your portals to return, after all. Without them, us traveling alone wouldn¡¯t really help anyone.¡± ¡°Well, I could just give you a portal-enchanted item.¡± Sophia smiled back at her with equal amounts of sass in her expression. ¡°The ones that open when pouring magic into it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± She had forgotten about that. ¡°Wait, so you¡¯re all going to ditch us, after all?¡± ¡°Mhm, wait a moment! I just got an idea!¡± ¡°Uh-oh.¡± Maya had a bad feeling after hearing this from her girlfriend. ¡°No, I think you¡¯ll like this!¡± Sophia then pulled out a fist-sized stone out of her storage. ¡°This is one of my, uhh¡­ Portable Portal stones! One of my PPs.¡± ¡°No.¡± Everyone collectively decided that that would not be the abbreviation for them. ¡°I love you all~.¡± Sophia was very pleased about the reaction she got from them. ¡°Anyway, who wants to take a shortcut?¡± She lightly threw up the stone above her hand a few times while asking. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to do what I think you¡¯re doing, right?¡± Chloe had a feeling she knew her plan already. ¡°Exactly that~.¡± Smiling at her, Sophia then got in a pose loosely resembling that of a baseball pitcher. Then, she used all her might to throw the stone in the direction of the other mountain. It also looked like she used air magic at the same time because the rock looked like it turned supersonic, accompanied by a slight bang, while a gust of wind parted the clouds above them. ¡°That mountain is like ten kilometers away, you know?¡± Steph tried to follow the rock flying through the air with her eyes, but it was too small for it. ¡°Magic is great and all, and that throw was super impressive, but isn¡¯t that a bit far?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t doubt the amazingness of magic!¡± Sophia did not appreciate that. ¡°I could reach the capital from here if there are no obstacles between me and it!¡± ¡°And if you¡¯d know in which direction the capital is.¡± Maya just had to. ¡°Minor details!¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate that, either. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s give this a try!¡± Immediately after, she opened a bigger portal for them to go through. ¡°Alright, Steph, you go first!¡± ¡°Why me?!¡± The dog-girl had no intention of following suit. ¡°Because you insulted my beloved magic!¡± ¡°I did never! I just was a little dubious of it being able to do the job.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even worse!¡± As usual, the blonde was impossible to please. ¡°Also, you¡¯re fire-proof! There¡¯s a high chance you¡¯re falling-down-a-cliff-at-the-side-of-a-mountain-proof, too.¡± ¡°Those are two very different skills to have!¡± Steph raised her voice. ¡°Are those skills in the first place?¡± Anna was unsure if that was the right description here. ¡°Absolutely!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her before facing her sister. ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of confidence after your previous levels of sass.¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± She wasn¡¯t a fan of the sudden reversal. ¡°What about you, Chloe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m snow-proof, but that¡¯s about it!¡± She immediately got loud. ¡°Well, the portal leads to the summit of a snowy mountain, so¡­¡± ¡°BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CLIFF YOU JUST MENTIONED?!¡± She wasn¡¯t going to bite. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure if I 100% exactly hit it¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to make Chloe go through it!¡± Steph got very protective very quick. ¡°I¡¯ll throw you through it before that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re all such babies.¡± While saying so, Aura simply jumped into the portal and disappeared through it. "We definitely know who''s got the pants on in this group." ¡°Yes.¡± Everyone agreed with Steph. ¡°Everything¡¯s clear!¡± Half a minute later, the wolf stuck out her head through the portal and gestured to the girls to follow after her. ---------------- ¡°I hate you!¡± On the other side, the cats got incredibly angry at Aura. ¡°I love you!¡± Steph and Chloe had much warmer feelings for her, though. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The wolf liked their reactions. While Sophia¡¯s portal had indeed reached the top of the other mountain, the summit was covered in roughly three meters of snow. Because of that, the moment they exited the portal, they fell into the snow and sunk down deep into it. ¡°It was safe, but I maybe forgot to mention a detail or two~.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± The cats just growled at her. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± The snow-loving two only fell more for her. ¡°Alright, I warned you! Time to change the climate of the whole region!¡± Sophia was quite upset about the situation. ¡°Not so fast.¡± Aura stopped her. ¡°You warned Steph, not me. Also, I didn¡¯t push you into the snow. You fell into it after I omitted some details. The snow¡¯s staying.¡± ¡°GRR!¡± The blonde only growled louder. ¡°Seriously, I love you!¡± Steph managed to like her even more. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re the best!¡± Chloe had the same opinion. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia looked around for a few moments, but all she could see was snow. After falling into it, the group ended up forming a hole with snow all around them except a small opening above them where a bit of light shone through. ¡°There are few things and places I hated more than the current situation!¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been here for our entire life, but we agree!¡± Anna and Ari hated it just as much. ¡°Easily top ten for me!¡± Steph disagreed. ¡°It¡¯s nice~.¡± As Chloe had already seen many things in this world, her reply was a little more neutral. ¡°Is it just me, or was traveling a lot less exhausting when it was just us and Fen?¡± Sounding tired, the blonde glanced at her cat. ¡°Very.¡± She nodded. ¡°Though, admittedly, it was a lot less exciting, too.¡± While Maya obviously wasn¡¯t a fan of the current situation, she could admit that it had gotten much more entertaining with the current group. ¡°Fair.¡± Sophia had to agree. ¡°Alright, fine, I won¡¯t change the climate of the entire mountain range for the time being. The snow on the summit here has to go, though! To see something and get out of here!¡± Not giving them a chance to complain, she immediately used her magic to warm up the entire area to quickly melt the snow in a 20-meter radius around them. ¡°So warm! Disgusting!¡± Steph and Chloe weren¡¯t a fan. Afterward, once they were freed and able to leave the snow hole, the group finally was able to get a good look at their surroundings and what else would possibly revealed from on top of the second, much higher mountain they were on. Chapter 055 – Comfy forest design While the group was exploring the mountain range, Sophia decided to start cheating to make some better progress. She took one of her portable portals and used magic to throw it to another mountain that was further away. Thanks to that, the group could instantly travel there instead of descending from their current location, walking through a valley, and climbing another mountain over 3000 meters tall. ¡°Hah~.¡± While the group was having an action-paced exploration, Ari and Fen were having a much more relaxed time. ¡°I told you a nap was a good idea.¡± The wolf looked at the jaguar sleepily rubbing her eyes before stretching while she was still leaning against his side. "¡­" Ari didn''t answer at first, only letting out another yawn before stretching herself further. "I-I guess." ¡°You would sound a lot more convincing if you didn¡¯t look so comfortable.¡± He just continued to stare at her. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent again while her cheeks turned a little red. ¡°How long did we sleep?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Fen looked around for a moment. ¡°I honestly have no idea. Normally, I would be able to tell from the position of the sun, but as the lighting doesn¡¯t change in this place, I have no answer. My usual naps last for around three hours, so if I had to take a guess, it would be around that much.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She nodded once while still looking rather sleepy. ¡°Do you think the others are back already?¡± ¡°I highly doubt it.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Sophia would¡¯ve come to get us already, then. After all, she would know where we are right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± She agreed with his explanation. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Shall we take another nap?¡± Fen still seemed tired. ¡°I-I think I¡¯ll refrain from it for the time being.¡± Even though she said so, she still sounded ever so slightly reluctant. ¡°I see.¡± He, too, sounded disappointed about it. ¡°Instead, how about we go and see if our new area grew?¡± Ari needed an excuse to get up. ¡°It¡¯s been a few hours since we last looked.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Fen didn''t sound overly happy about it, but he was still curious about it, too. ---------------- They eventually and very reluctantly got up, stretched themselves some more, and lazily walked towards the area the two used their magic to grow Fen¡¯s forest bigger a couple of hours ago. ¡°Oh!¡± Once they arrived in the new area, Ari finally fully woke up, and her eyes grew wide. "It worked!" She noticed that there were many new trees around them that weren¡¯t there at the beginning of the day. ¡°It sure has.¡± The wolf was also looking around. ¡°Thanks for focusing on the maple trees, by the way.¡± He noticed how Ari had primarily grown them in the new area after he mentioned liking them the most. ¡°You are welcome~.¡± She smiled at him in return. ¡°How do you like the rest of it?¡± ¡°It turned out great!¡± Fen sounded happy. ¡°The trees are nice and densely grown without being too big. Enough light for a good feeling inside still makes it through the canopy, too. Though, it¡¯s kinda interesting that that the ground around here is so much mossier. I wonder how that happened.¡± He looked at the ground in front of him, which was completely covered in a thick layer of moss. "That''s indeed weird." Ari looked at her feet and noticed how they were lightly sinking into the soft green carpet. ¡°Maybe a patch of moss in the old area sponged up more magic than it should¡¯ve?¡± ¡°Your guess is as good as mine.¡± He had no better explanation, either. ¡°It would be great if it¡¯s that easy, though.¡± Stolen novel; please report. ¡°You like the moss?¡± She was wondering why he thought it was great. ¡°Absolutely!¡± He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s nice and comfortable! Sleeping on it is the best when it comes to staying in a forest.¡± ¡°Everything comes back to naps with you, huh?¡± Ari lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°They are very important for a healthy lifestyle!¡± ¡°Are they now?¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°How are you feeling right now?¡± ¡°Great, why?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Nice and rested? Feeling healthy and full of energy?¡± ¡°Pretty much?¡± ¡°Right after the nap we had just moments ago?¡± His voice was overflowing with sass. ¡°I know why you and Sophia get along so well.¡± ¡°Because we know how to live life to the fullest?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Yeah, sure, let¡¯s go with that.¡± ¡°Do you not agree that it sounds very comfortable?¡± ¡°Well,¡± Ari looked down at her feet again and noticed the spring in her step as she put some force on the moss. ¡°I guess you might have a point. I mean, the other spot already was a little mossy, and it was nice to sit on, so¡­" ¡°See? Was it that hard to be honest?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from you!¡± She glared at the wolf. ¡°Sophia and Aura are constantly teasing you about not being honest, too!¡± ¡°Was there really a need to go for such a low blow?¡± He turned away his head. ¡°You started it.¡± Ari wasn¡¯t going to apologize. ¡°How about we drop the topic? We had such a relaxing thing going on, after all.¡± ¡°I like that idea!¡± She nodded a few times. "Okay, should we expand the forest a little more, or do you have different plans for it?¡± ¡°A little bit bigger would be nice, but I also want to add some other things, so it shouldn¡¯t become too massive. It should be a small oasis, after all.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The jaguar got interested in that. ¡°What other things are you planning?¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to have a river going through the forest here. Flowing water has a really pleasant sound, which will help make it even more comfortable and relaxing around here." Fen was going all out to make his napping place as perfect as possible. ¡°A small lake it leads to would be nice, too.¡± ¡°We should¡¯ve done something together way sooner!¡± Ari smiled at him. ¡°That sounds lovely!¡± ¡°Glad to hear.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She got very motivated over it. ---------------- Having come up with a plan, the two got to work. Ari used some more of her raw magic to dispense it in her surroundings in order to let the flora grow better. While she was doing that, Fen was a little more destructive. With the help of earth-based magic, he dug a five-meter-wide and two-meter-deep trench through the entirety of his forest from one end to the other. Trying to make it seem somewhat natural, he added many twists and turns so that the riverbed wouldn¡¯t look too weird. ¡°Mhm, it looks like the lake has to wait a little longer.¡± Sounding a little troubled, Fen looked at the end of the riverbed at the outskirts of his forest. ¡°What¡¯s up, big guy?¡± Ari joined him a few moments later and tried to find out what he was doing. ¡°Good job on the river, by the way, it¡¯s looking good already.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve run into a bit of an issue.¡± He then gestured in front of him. His riverbed was around two meters deep and led out of the forest where he planned to create a lake. Unfortunately, as the forest ran out, the layer of dirt below it ran out, too. It just slowly transformed into the all-white floor of Sophia¡¯s domain at some point. ¡°I can¡¯t dig through that.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± The jaguar scratched her cheek. ¡°Do we need to grow the forest in that direction, too? So that we can dig down?¡± ¡°It needs to get something, that is true, but while digging the riverbed, I noticed that this weird white floor is also under the whole forest. It was around three meters deep, more than enough for a river, but a lake needs to be a lot deeper!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°How does all that work in the first place? How does the white stuff turn into dirt?¡± ¡°Beats me.¡± He had no explanation. ¡°Magic, I guess.¡± ¡°The overseer kind on top, huh?¡± ¡°That appears to be the case.¡± Fen thought so, too. ¡°I guess I have to ask her to make a lake-sized hole in the ground for me.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°If I remember right, oak trees have pretty deep and expansive roots, right?¡± ¡°It at least seemed like that when I dug some out while making the riverbed.¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It also feels like the white floor gets replaced by soil depending on how much the plants need it, right?¡± ¡°That could be an explanation, yes.¡± He then looked at her. ¡°Do you have an idea?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± Ari wasn¡¯t entirely sure yet. ¡°If we take a single oak sapling and put it in the middle of where you want the lake to be and grow it, the white floor will be replaced with soil. The bigger the tree, the more of the white will be replaced.¡± ¡°So, we should make a gigantic oak tree in the hope the roots will also become massive and replace much of the white under it?¡± "Yes." She nodded. "Afterward, we get rid of the tree, and just a massive hole should remain. ¡°Interesting.¡± ¡°It¡¯s either that or asking Sophia.¡± "I''m quite partial to trying it out ourselves first before that.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Ari let out a small chuckle. ¡°We don¡¯t want to give Sophia that satisfaction, do we?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± He thought the same. Once they decided on a course of action, the two got a spare oak sapling and put it in a spot where Fen wanted the lake to be. Obviously, the duo made sure to have enough distance from the forest so that the massive growth wouldn''t accidentally spread to it. After having bathed the sapling in a generous but not too over-the-top amount of magic from both, they returned to the forest and began filling the riverbed with water so that it would turn into an actual river rather than just a trench. Chapter 056 – Pink Fen and Ari were still diligently working on their forest oasis and had just begun adding a river and a lake to make it even more comfortable and relaxing in the area. As especially the lake turned out to be more work than expected, they needed to get a little creative and test out some things before continuing, though. ¡°Finally, free!¡± While those two were having a great time, Sophia had just won a fight between life and death. Getting rid of the snow they fell into, that is. ¡°I just want a hot bath and go to bed¡­¡± The fight had left some scars on Maya, too. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to the hot springs tonight!¡± Anna¡¯s feelings on the matter also were the same. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Steph just let out a sigh. ¡°Though, I agree with the hot springs part!¡± She loved that event, after all. ¡°Was it at least worth it?¡± Anna then started looking around. ¡°WOW! Would you look at that, more mountains and snow!¡± She did not find anything of interest. ¡°More fun stuff, perfect!¡± Steph¡¯s opinion on it differed greatly. ¡°Well, that was to be expected.¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Wait, I think I just spotted something pink and weird-looking!¡± She then pointed a little bit to her right. "Hey, that''s rude!" Chloe got upset over the fact that the cat-girl was roughly pointing in her direction. "Also, I have a name!" ¡°Not you, pink idiot.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Turn around and look to the right of the next mountain we¡¯re facing. There¡¯s something pink peeking out behind its base.¡± "Hey!" The fox-girl did not like the idiot part but still turned around as instructed. "Let''s see!" She then looked in the direction Maya was actually pointing while squinting her eyes and putting a hand over her forehead to block out some of the sun to see better. ¡°Ohh! You¡¯re right! What is it, though?¡± She squinted her eyes even more to focus on the objects in the distance. ¡°Are those trees?¡± ¡°Trees?¡± Sophia¡¯s tail perked up as she heard that. ¡°Pink trees?!¡± She seemed very interested in them. The blonde then also tried her best to focus on the area Maya was still pointing at. ¡°They¡¯re actually pink! Wait, are those cherry blossoms?!¡± She got quite excited. ¡°Cherry blossoms?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit late for them to bloom?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a lot colder around here, so it would make sense if they bloom later.¡± Chloe had an easy explanation for it. ¡°Right, that¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia suddenly became the most motivated person in the group. ¡°Ehh?¡± Maya didn¡¯t like her enthusiasm. "It''s getting late, though! We''ve been out in this hell all day, and I''m pretty sure the sun''s about to set, too!" ¡°I 100% support the complaints of our cat-girl!¡± The princess instantly sided with her. ¡°I¡¯m not going home before I reach those trees!¡± The blonde sounded more determined than ever. ¡°I need those cherry blossoms in my domain!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± Maya didn¡¯t want to stay. ¡°Because I love them!¡± "Perfectly valid reason!" Steph supported her sister''s sudden passion. "I, too, love everything that is pink!¡± She smiled at Chloe during the last part. ¡°Does it have to be today, though?!¡± Maya wasn¡¯t done being against it just yet. ¡°Exactly!¡± The tall cold-hating cat had the same concerns. ¡°As mentioned before, you don¡¯t have to stay.¡± Sophia then opened one of her portals in front of her. ¡°Though, I would be very grateful if someone would prepare dinner for us in around two hours.¡± ¡°Deal!¡± Maya immediately jumped through the portal. ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± Anna followed right after her. ¡°Ahaha.¡± The short tiger could only laugh over this. ¡°Who could¡¯ve possibly imagined me being the last cat standing, huh?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yeah, I would¡¯ve lost a lot of gold if I had placed any bets on that.¡± Aura agreed with her. ¡°Yes.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°Especially because I would¡¯ve put my odds on Ari for being the least affected between you four idiots.¡± ¡°Things really worked out weirdly there.¡± Chloe, too, was confused about the outcome. ¡°Anyway!¡± The blonde decided to ignore them. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the top of the mountain next to the cherry blossoms first to get an overview of what¡¯s going on there!¡± She then grabbed another of her portable portals and threw it towards the mountain just as she did before. "Yay!" Steph and Chloe were big fans of the excited tiger. ---------------- ¡°WOW!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes grew wide the moment they arrived on the other mountain. Luckily, that summit was only covered in a very thin layer of snow that wasn¡¯t much of a bother. Thanks to that, they could immediately concentrate on what lay ahead and down the mountain. It wasn''t visible before, but it wasn¡¯t just a few cherry blossom trees. Hidden behind the mountain that had blocked the view before, there was an entire forest of cherry blossoms in full bloom. It was so massive that the whole area between the mountains, which were a couple of kilometers apart, was covered in pink. ¡°It looks so nice!¡± Her little sister agreed with the view. ¡°As expected, once something is pink, it¡¯s perfect!¡± She smiled at Chloe again. ¡°That wasn¡¯t your best one.¡± The fox slowly shook her head. ¡°Thank you, though~.¡± She still liked it regardless. ¡°Still, yes, this looks absolutely lovely! It would make a great biome in the domain, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The tiger agreed. ¡°Also, before anyone gets the idea, it will be MY project! I adore cherry blossoms, and I want another project that''s just mine!" ¡°Another?¡± Steph got curious about her wording. ¡°You helped all of us with various things, but was there something else you did?¡± ¡°Maybe~.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Now I¡¯m getting curious!¡± ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s still a secret.¡± As Sophia was talking about magic being conscious and how she''s having a ton of fun with them, she had no intention of telling them about it. ¡°It¡¯s also still a work in progress, so maybe in a few years once it¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Years?!¡± Aura raised her voice. ¡°Just what are you up to?!¡± ¡°Something incredibly fun!¡± Her mood was excellent. ¡°And you¡¯ll hate me for having kept it a secret once you find out~.¡± ¡°I already hate you right now!¡± Steph started pouting as she hated being left out of something. ¡°I wanna be in on the fun!¡± ¡°Sorry, no can do.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°Everyone should have a thing or two just for them, and that¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°Alright, fine.¡± The dog-girl gave up. ¡°Well, I¡¯m looking forward to whenever it¡¯s done.¡± Aura didn¡¯t sound upset in the first place. "A few years sound excessive at first, but they¡¯re over in a flash, after all.¡± Being as long-lived as she was, something like that long stopped mattering for her. ¡°And on that note, the cherry blossom forest will be another me project!¡± Sophia ignored the wolf. ¡°I want it to be exactly how I want it to be without any input from others~." ¡°Ehh?¡± Steph didn¡¯t like that that. ¡°Not even a single suggestion? We already have one, but we need a hot spring surrounded by everblooming cherry blossoms!¡± ¡°Who do you take me for?¡± She stared at her while slowly shaking her head. ¡°It would be a crime not to have them there. ¡°In fact, there will be multiple different ones!¡± ¡°Okay, you have my blessing for the project!¡± The dog-girl was happy. "Wait, does that just mean that no one can help you with the forest or that you''re the only one allowed to use cherry blossoms? I mean, it''s your domain, so there''s little I can say, but I¡¯d love to have them in more areas.¡± Chloe had mixed feelings about the plan. ¡°They are very pretty, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, no, that would be totally alright~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. "It would be nice to have a little group of them sprinkled everywhere, but I want to keep the massive forest unique for the time being.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± It was enough for the fox-girl. ¡°It¡¯s just as Steph said, everything¡¯s better when it¡¯s pink~.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The dog-girl nodded a few times. ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because Maya isn¡¯t here right now.¡± Chloe didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Not facing her, Sophia raised her arm and began walking down the mountain towards the cherry blossom forest. ¡°Dork.¡± The fox-girl could only shake her head. Obviously, Sophia made exactly three steps before she remembered that they were traveling using her portable portals. She quickly pulled out another one and threw it towards the forest. ¡°Ohh!¡± Arriving inside the sea of cherry blossoms, the blonde¡¯s mood increased yet again. ¡°It looks even better up close!¡± She twirled around on the spot while several pink petals fell down on and around her. They seemed to be in bloom for a few days already because even the lightest breeze caused more petals to fly around in the air, and the ground, too, was covered in pink. ¡°We came at the perfect time, huh?¡± Steph was also looking around with a big smile. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been more impressive and beautiful.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± She nodded. ¡°I almost feel bad that I¡¯m going to rip a 200 by 200-meter-wide hole into it to put into my domain. ¡°This much?¡± Aura tilted her head. ¡°Didn¡¯t we usually take a few trees or saplings together with a bit of soil?¡± ¡°I love this area too much, and I want a full copy as my starting point. With just a few saplings, the output is more random. I mean, the areas you all made with the samples we collected look nothing like the original places, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°I mean, I¡¯m going to make some changes, but the base is perfect! I wanna keep the feel! At least in some parts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to whatever the outcome is~.¡± Chloe was certain she¡¯d turn it into something nice and beautiful. Afterward, Sophia went ahead and borrowed a sizeable portion of the cherry blossom forest for her domain. Though, feeling bad about the hole she created, she released a little of her internal magic in the area, hoping the surrounding trees would absorb it and grow enough to close the gap she made. Then, once the four were ready, the group returned to the cottage using the blonde¡¯s portal that she opened for them. Chapter 057 – Lakes and rivers Sophia and the others found a massive cherry blossom forest hidden inside the mountain range, and the blonde got very excited over it. Loving the trees with the pink petals a whole lot, she decided to bring a part of it over to the domain to use it as a start for her very own biome project there. ¡°My dearest Fen, I think I may have found a slight flaw in your river plans.¡± The duo was still working on the wolf¡¯s forest when the jaguar suddenly looked at him while helping him fill the riverbed he made with water. ¡°Oh?¡± He faced her. ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°You wanted the river because you like the sound of flowing water, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fen nodded. ¡°I think it¡¯s a very relaxing sound.¡± ¡°I agree, but¡­ How¡¯s the river supposed to flow?¡± She tilted her head while pointing at the water they created with magic so far. ¡°The area is completely flat, and the water''s just, well¡­ sitting there. One end of the river needs to be higher than the other, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± He froze. ¡°I forgot about that part.¡± "Yep, it''s obvious why you and Sophia get along~." She had to chuckle at his all-too-familiar reaction that reminded her of the blonde. ¡°Hmm,¡± The wolf looked around in the area before facing her again. ¡°Any idea how to fix that?¡± ¡°Is it even fixable?¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°We would need to redo the entire area to add a slope. Even then, we''d need a water source that''s constantly putting out water, or else the lake would just run dry. How would we do that? Also, what would we do with all the water coming out at the end of the river? There¡¯s the planned lake, but that will also be full eventually.¡± The more she thought about it, the more issues came to light. "I like the way how you think so logically." Fen liked their conversation. ¡°A water source wouldn¡¯t be so hard, I guess. I mean, there hasn¡¯t to be a constant flow of water. After all, it would be enough to have it when someone''s here, and they could just use their magic to create a source.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair, but that means we couldn¡¯t put any fish in the water because they¡¯d die once the source is gone.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that! Fish would be nice! Delicious, too!¡± The wolf had some questionable priorities. ¡°Yes, that wouldn¡¯t work. Also, I really don¡¯t want to redo everything here to create a slope.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The jaguar agreed. ¡°It also wouldn¡¯t solve the problem of the excess water, or you at least would have to constantly make sure nothing is overflowing.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound relaxing at all.¡± He disliked the idea more and more. ¡°Exactly.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Fen tilted his head after the jaguar suddenly loudly clapped her hands. ¡°Did you come up with something?¡± ¡°Maybe!¡± ¡°I like the confidence!¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°Let me hear it.¡± ¡°Instead of an artificial water source, we could make an artificial current. That way, even if we add fish, they¡¯d still be able to survive without us around. ¡°That sounds a lot more practical.¡± He agreed with her. ¡°How would we do that, though?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent question!¡± Ari awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°You know, you keep saying that it¡¯s obvious why Sophia and I get along, but you¡¯re not that different in many aspects.¡± He felt reminded of many of the sudden ideas the blonde got out of nowhere while having the same reaction as the jaguar. ¡°Y-Yeah, we all kinda rub off on each other¡­¡± "So, what''s the idea you have?" He wanted to avoid going into detail there. ¡°We could make the river loop! Or maybe have both, end and start, connected to the lake. That way, once we make one part move, the entire river water should start flowing in response.¡± ¡°That might actually work!¡± Fen liked the idea. ¡°We need to add a bit more pathing to the riverbed to make it loop into the lake, but that won¡¯t take too long.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get started, then. Afterward, the duo immediately began rerouting the riverbed so that it started and ended where they planned to make the lake. ---------------- ¡°Speaking of the lake, huh?¡± The two finished in no time at all and ended up in the lake area around half an hour later. There, Ari looked at their previous project while scratching her cheek. They made a massive oak tree, which seemed to be about 600 to 700 meters tall. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°It¡¯s certainly most fascinating how those plants react to raw magic.¡± The wolf seemed impressed by the result. ¡°It¡¯s good that we didn''t use more of it, too. "A little more, and the rest of the forest definitely would''ve been affected, as well." ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The jaguar also noticed how close the new tree and the soil around it had come to the forest, even though they had placed the sapling roughly 500 meters away from it. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s time for Maya¡¯s favorite afternoon activity!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not interested in you that way.¡± Ari turned him down while lightly waving her hand. "After all, Maya''s favorite activity at any time is guaranteed to be something horny." ¡°¡­¡± Fen stared at her in absolute silence for what felt like a whole minute. "No." He then shook his head a few times. ¡°Thinking about it now, you might be right, but that¡¯s not what I meant. She also loves to play with fire and burn things down.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Seriously, and here I praised you for being logical earlier.¡± "Come on!" The jaguar started pouting. "When you think about Maya and the things she loves, setting fire to stuff isn''t the first that comes to mind!" ¡°¡­¡± He went silent once more. ¡°Again, fair point, but¡­ Let¡¯s just get past that topic, okay?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Ari nodded. ¡°Alright, burning down such a massive tree sounds fun!¡± ¡°Absolutely no one in this group dislikes a good fire, huh?¡± He liked her reaction. ¡°Do you want to do the honors?¡± The wolf then gestured at the tree. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who came up with the idea of creating it to convert the white ground into soil, so it¡¯s only fair you get the reward of burning it down.¡± ¡°If you say so!¡± She started smiling. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s give this a try!¡± Immediately after, she threw a couple of fireballs into the tree¡¯s massive crown, setting it ablaze instantly. "Seeing a great fire is always such a lovely sight!" Fen looked up as he was watching the tree burn down. ¡°Good job so far! Going from top to bottom first was a good call, too. That way, there''s less danger of the crown crashing into the forest when the trunk burns and breaks.¡± ¡°That was what I was thinking, too!¡± Ari was happy he understood her reasoning. ¡°Though, this approach also has some downsides.¡± She noticed how a ton of debris in the form of burning leaves, sticks, embers, and ash had started raining down as the fire kept consuming more and more of the tree. ¡°Yeah, a fire like that can get a little dirty on that front.¡± He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s part of the experience, though. The massive ball of fire that once was the crown of the tree, combined with the embers raining down, is a sight to behold! We should do that more often!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± There was nothing else she could say here. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s finish it!¡± She then shot a few extra fireballs towards the tree¡¯s trunk to speed up the process a little. Roughly half an hour later, only a few burnt remains of the once massive tree were left. ¡°That was fun!¡± Fen¡¯s mood was excellent. ¡°Do you mind if I dig out the roots and create the shape for the lake?¡± ¡°Go wild!¡± Ari smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m not that into digging, so I have no plans of stealing your fun.¡± ¡°Great!¡± He immediately started digging. Fen was so into it that he didn¡¯t even use magic in the beginning and disappeared underground by just using his paws. Ari watched him for a while, but she eventually decided to clean up the area because her tree inferno had caused quite a bit of rubbish to pile up everywhere. ¡°Good job!¡± Around an hour later, the two got together again. ¡°Also, how did you do all that in an hour?!¡± With big eyes and a slightly agape mouth, she looked at the massive hole with a diameter of seemingly reaching a kilometer while being roughly 150 meters deep in the center before getting shallower the further out it got. ¡°I got very motivated.¡± The wolf sounded quite smug while looking at her. ¡°I can see that!¡± "The idea with the tree and the roots was amazing. It turned out to be the perfect size of ground that got converted into soil for the lake!" ¡°If anything, I might argue that you overdid it ever so slightly. That¡¯s going to be one massive lake!¡± ¡°Like I said, I got very motivated while digging~.¡± "I mean, it''s still okay, but it will take a long while to fill that hole with water.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Judging by his voice, he hadn¡¯t thought about that when he was motivated. ¡°Also,¡± Ari then looked up. ¡°I¡¯m not the biggest fan of having the domain¡¯s background lighting up the entire area in that bright white.¡± ¡°To be perfectly honest, I think I had too much fun building all this that I forgot to think about things like that¡­¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°You are absolutely right, though. Right now, ignoring the part where there¡¯s no water yet, this place is not very nice. Way too bright and not relaxing at all. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s fixable for the time being, though. The domain needs to grow a sky first or whatever for it to work.¡± ¡°Mhmh.¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°I think I might have a solution for that. A temporary one, at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all ears!¡± ¡°How about we make a small island in the middle of the planned lake? There, we''ll place a massive tree with a wide canopy that covers the entire lake! That way, we can block out the ugly white. We just need to make sure that some light still gets through.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± He seemed to like the idea. ¡°That could work! There are some variants of oaks that grew quite wide, too, right?¡± ¡°Well, the one I burned down earlier would¡¯ve worked already because it spanned over the whole area. The trunk was too wide, and the roots were way too big, though." ¡°Yes, there probably would be little space left for the lake, huh?" ¡°Do you know weeping willows?¡± ¡°Willows?¡± The wolf tilted his head. ¡°Wait, those are the trees where the leaves hang down like garlands, right?¡± ¡°Yes, those!¡± She nodded. ¡°If cultivated right, they can grow really wide and take little trunk space. They¡¯re really pretty, too.¡± ¡°Oh, I always found those very fascinating. We could try that! Though, we don¡¯t have any of those right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The jaguar hung her head. "A weeping cherry would be even better! They naturally grow quite wide, and pink cherry blossoms are amazingly beautiful! Though, just where would we get a cherry blossom tree from? Especially a weeping one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m normally not into pink, but cherries are an exception.¡± He apparently liked them, too. "But, yes, I haven¡¯t seen them in quite a while. I guess it will be easier to get a regular weeping willow.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s for the best to put the lake area for a little while longer?¡± He looked at the huge hole. ¡°At least until we have a final plan.¡± ¡°Sounds like a good idea.¡± Ari agreed. ¡°Alright, how about we head back for the time being?¡± ¡°How about another little break before the energetic rest of our group returns?" ¡°I like that plan better!¡± The jaguar reacted with a big nod. Doing just that, the duo returned to the middle of the original forest and got comfortable there for a little bit to brace themselves for the return of the others. Chapter 058 – Soft and comfortable Fen and Ari made even more progress on their forest project and just finished the outline for the planned lake in the area. Unfortunately, thanks to the openness of a lake area, the entire place was bathed in the all-white nothingness of Sophia¡¯s domain. They came up with the idea of growing a tree with a massive canopy over it, and both liked the idea of a weeping willow or cherry, but as they had neither at hand right now, the duo decided to take a break for the time being. ¡°Finally back home!¡± Sophia, Aura, Steph, and Chloe arrived back in the domain right in front of the cottage, and the blonde was quite happy to be out of the winter hell. ¡°You did well~.¡± The fox smiled at her. ¡°At least better than the other cats.¡± Steph didn¡¯t praise her as much. ¡°Which is quite the feat if we take into account who we¡¯re talking about.¡± Aura defended the blonde a little. ¡°And I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯ll never forget about that!¡± The tiger sounded incredibly smug. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m hungry!¡± Steph decided that it was time to change the topic. ¡°I can smell cooking, so let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the nose of a dog for you, huh?¡± Sophia seemed impressed. ¡°An excellent idea! Alright, I¡¯ll go collect Fenny and Ari, and we can eat!" ¡°Mhm?¡± Aura looked confused. ¡°They aren¡¯t in the cottage?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It seems like they¡¯re in the area where I gave Fennyfenny a spot for his biome project. They probably got bored while we were out.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s meet inside once I got them!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ---------------- Sophia went to the area where she noticed Fen and Ari to be, thanks to instinctively knowing where everyone was at all times. ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly a sort of nostalgic sight.¡± She appeared right in front of the duo without having made a single sound. Thanks to that, she got a good view of what was happening right now. Fen and Ari had decided to take a break before returning, but that actually meant that they took another nap in the relaxing forest they built. Just as before, the jaguar had leaned against the wolf¡¯s side, and both were fast asleep when the blonde arrived. ¡°That reminds me of the early days with Fenny~.¡± She watched them for a little longer as she was reminded of the time when she just arrived in the world and met the wolf. ¡°It certainly is amazing how easy Ari goes with the flow, too. ALSO!¡± The tiger let out a small chuckle before looking around some more. ¡°This forest is amazing! So cozy and comfy-looking! I can see why they¡¯re napping! In fact, I¡¯m even more envious now! I guess that¡¯s what they were up to today, huh?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two had yet to wake up and notice her presence. ¡°Alright, wakey-wakey~.¡± Having had enough of watching them, the blonde hit them with a light gust of wind. ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Fen immediately woke up. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Ari needed a little longer and had to stretch herself and yawn first before noticing the tiger. ¡°A-Ah." Her cheeks turned red once she noticed Sophia had seen her in this situation. ¡°Someone got comfy, huh?¡± She smiled at the jaguar after seeing her cute reaction. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can¡¯t blame you for it~.¡± The blonde had no intention to tease her. ¡°It¡¯s my spot, though.¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate the competition. ¡°I slept like that almost every night before we arrived in the capital last year.¡± ¡°I, uhh¡­ I understand why.¡± Ari lightly nodded. ¡°He¡¯s very soft and comfortable.¡± ¡°I am not entirely sure how I should feel about such praise.¡± Fen wasn¡¯t exactly happy about it. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°You should definitely be happy that two girls want to cling to you and sleep with you, too~.¡± Sophia gave him a thumbs up. ¡°That sounds horrible out of context!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°That!¡± The wolf nodded a few times while looking at her. ¡°Also, we are mutually not interested in each other! What part should make me happy here?¡± ¡°Bragging rights to others when you leave out some details~.¡± The blonde sounded extra cheeky. ¡°It¡¯s technically not a lie when you say that you have a whole group of beautiful girls around you who love to cling to you.¡± ¡°You are the absolute worst.¡± He had nothing else to say to her. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ari nodded in agreement. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s fun~.¡± ¡°No.¡± The duo shook their heads. ¡°Are you two besties now?!¡± Sophia was surprised by their unionization. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t see that one coming.¡± She seemed happy about it, though. ¡°Well, I can see why you two get along, but that much is nice!¡± ¡°It turned out that we have a lot in common and got along quite well while working on my forest.¡± Fen looked around while sounding rather proud. ¡°I see! Speaking of, the forest looks great! Good job, you two!¡± She smiled at them. ¡°I love it! So comfy! None of my stupid all-white default domain, too!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± They enjoyed her praise. "You really need to do something against that bright white!" The wolf shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s really bad. ¡°I¡¯m trying, you know?!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s the main purpose of the Sophia Tax! I need to raise the concentration of raw ambient magic for that to work!¡± ¡°I hope it happens soon.¡± "Me, too!" Sophia was looking forward to it the most, after all. "Anyway, how about a tour? I love this place already, and I want to see more~." ¡°Sure!¡± ---------------- The duo showed her all the places they created during the day, like the mossy area and the partially watered riverbed, before eventually arriving at the place where they dug out the hole for the planned lake. ¡°Very impressive for just a day of work! You two really had a good time, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The two nodded while looking at the tiger. ¡°Okay, again, I love the forest, but I¡¯m not sure about the lake area.¡± She scratched her cheek while taking everything in. ¡°I get the idea, but the open roof, especially at the moment, with my white domain, completely ruins the mood. "We know." They just sighed. "Got a little over-motivated before realizing, huh?" She took a guess on what happened. ¡°We don¡¯t want to answer that.¡± "Have you thought about covering it with something?¡± Sophia looked up. ¡°Maybe a massive tree with a wide crown to block out the white.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the plan we had." Ari nodded. "The current trees all have too big roots, though. We want to make a small island in the middle to put a tree with a wide crown there. While oaks can have wide crowns, they have wide roots, too. I mean, this hole came to be after we made a massive oak and removed it and the roots underground." ¡°Wow, looks like you¡¯ve got it figured out already, huh?¡± The tiger seemed impressed again. ¡°Yeah~.¡± The jaguar kept nodding. ¡°Fen and I decided to find a weeping willow and put it there. We both seem to like it, and they have massive crowns." ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± The wolf agreed with her. "A weeping willow, huh?" She tilted her head. "Does a weeping cherry work? I''m not sure if pink would work for Fennyfenny, but I''d prefer that over a willow." ¡°Cherry trees are one of the exceptions when it comes to pink.¡± He didn¡¯t mind. ¡°I like them.¡± ¡°A weeping cherry would be even harder to come by, though!¡± Ari raised her voice a little. ¡°Do you want one?¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°You have one?!¡± ¡°A few hundred, yes.¡± She tried her hardest not to look smug. ¡°Why do you have so many of them?!¡± The jaguar got even louder. ¡°How, too?!¡± ¡°While someone decided to stay home, the rest of us braved the cold and found a massive cherry blossom field in the middle of the mountain range. Thousands of cherries! It was one of the most beautiful sceneries I¡¯ve ever seen!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ari¡¯s expression turned awkward. She seemed a little envious, too. ¡°It was amazing!¡± Sophia had to rub it in. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going to create the most amazing cherry blossom biome in my domain, but I can part with a single weeping cherry if you want to. Most of the trees we found were regular cherry blossoms, but there were a good few weeping ones in between, too.¡± ¡°Ohh! It would be amazing if we could get one!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Fen agreed with Ari¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Sure thing~.¡± She smiled at the energetic duo again. ¡°Not today, though. I first need to sort through the trees I¡­ borrowed! Maybe I¡¯ll also just get you a fresh one instead. ALSO! I¡¯m hungry! Maya¡¯s been preparing dinner, so let¡¯s go and eat! Afterward, I need a hot bath to recover from today¡¯s ordeal!¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me.¡± Ari liked what she was hearing. ¡°Fen and I also decided to head back before, well¡­¡± "You two took a nice nap?" ¡°Y-Yeah, that.¡± She lightly nodded. ¡°We¡¯ve done enough today, so tomorrow is more than fine.¡± Once they decided on what to do the following day, the trio took a portal back to the cottage. Luckily, they arrived just in time when Maya, with the help of the princess, finished preparing dinner for the entire group. Afterward, the girls, excluding the wolves, went to their hot springs for their usual evening bath together. While bathing, Sophia had a grand time teasing the other cats about her being the most resilient one of the day. Ari had been on the receiving end of especially much flak, thanks to her having been bailed out entirely. Chapter 059 – Reality check Sophia and the others finished their mountain range adventure after having found a cherry blossom forest and headed back to the cottage. There, the blonde found out that Fen and Ari had been doing their own thing the entire day and created a very nice-looking, comfortable, and relaxing forest together. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia started the next day on a very motivated note. Because she wanted to start working on her very own cherry blossom biome, as well as the cats needing a break from the snowy mountains, they decided to stay in the domain. Steph, Chloe, and Aura thought about adventuring on their own but ultimately decided against it. Instead, they asked the blonde to open one of her portals in a remote area of her domain and another one leading to the top of one of the snowy mountains because they wanted to play around. ¡°It¡¯s still so very beautiful!¡± The blonde went to the area in her domain where she put the portion of the cherry blossom forest, she borrowed from the mountain range and looked at it with sparkling eyes because she loved it so much. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to mess around with it!¡± ¡°My dearest and most beloved magic, do you want to play with me~?¡± She looked at nothing in particular when she said those words with her sweetest voice possible. ¡°There are so many fun things I want to try!¡± Two seconds later, the tiger was swarmed by an uncountable amount of pink and purple particles that began to swirl and dance around her. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you, too!¡± Her already excellent mood brightened even more when she noticed just how excited the magic particles were after having been called out by her. Hearing that, they became even more active and increased their pace around the tiger. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked their reaction. ¡°Take a look at that!¡± She then pointed at the portion of the cherry blossom forest in front of her that she had rescued from the mountain range. ¡°Isn¡¯t it the cutest?¡± Going in the direction she was pointing at, around two-thirds of the particles disappeared into the forest and roamed around in it. Interestingly enough, the pink and purple bits flying in between the trees made it look like cherry petals were dancing through the forest from a distance. ¡°Magical cherry forest! Even better!¡± The blonde¡¯s smile got bigger. ¡°Do you like it, too?¡± She looked at the mass of particles in front of her that just returned and watched them moving up and down a few times. ¡°Great! Do you all want to help me make this forest look even more amazing and turn it into a massive biome?¡± Immediately after she said those words, the particles returned to energetically swirling around the tiger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not for free~.¡± Saying so, she lifted her hand, and many pink and purple particles rose out of it before immediately joining the others still swirling around her. ¡°You can have as much of my authority as you need. It should be fair, after all. I just want to involve all of you directly instead of just using my authority to make magic do things for me.¡± In response to that, the raw magic got more active once again and returned to moving up and down. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like the plan~.¡± Sophia took it as a positive reaction. "I have some wishes, but other than that, we can play a lot! Do you want to hear my ideas?" The particles immediately moved even more up and down. "Not that you can''t read my thoughts, anyway, huh?" That remark earned her several gusts of wind that almost swept her off her feet. ¡°What, it¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate their reaction, but she only was met with even more wind afterward. "You know, it''s quite unfair that you get to play with me but immediately get upset when I tease you a little!" The blonde started pouting. Unfortunately, magic''s answer to that only was even more wind hitting the tiger''s face. ¡°Grr! Another gust of wind, and we''re not going to play anymore!" The instant she said those words, every single particle froze in midair. There wasn¡¯t the slightest breath of wind anymore, either. ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± ¡°Okay, with that out of the way, let¡¯s start!¡± After all, Sophia hadn''t been angry at all. ¡°I have some things I want to see in the forest, but there¡¯s lots to play with. Are you all okay with that?¡± She paused for a moment to watch the reaction of the particles. Unsurprisingly, every single one of them immediately returned to moving up and down in an extremely energetic manner. ¡°Perfect!¡± She gave them a nod of approval. ¡°First, do you see that there are many regular cherry blossoms but not quite as many of the weeping cherry trees? I mean those with the hanging garland-like leaves.¡± Listening to her, a small group of the particles moved away from the tiger and circled around one of the wishing cherries that were nearby. ¡°Exactly! I love them! If possible, I¡¯d like more of them. Like two-thirds weeping, and one-third the regular ones.¡± Afterward, two more groups of particles left Sophia. One began circling around regular cherry blossoms while the other chose a second weeping one. "Exactly!" This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Second, I want this place to be mainly beautiful. The looks should awe you, and not having a bunch of massive trees. I¡¯d like to have more instead of bigger trees. You should be able to be in there for weeks and still not see anything other than cherry trees! They can be a little bigger, but no more than 50% extra over the original. Can we do that?¡± Hearing her suggestion, every particle gathered around the tiger and collectively nodded by moving up once more. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Alrighty! Now, let¡¯s get to the really important points! I¡¯m bored of flat plains! Everything in my domain so far has been built on perfectly flat ground¡­ I don¡¯t like it! I want some mountains and valleys! Maybe have a river flow through it, too! No flatness allowed! We can do that, right?¡± The blonde smiled at the particles, but they had an unexpected reaction. Standing still for a moment, they then began moving from left to right a few times.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She honestly hadn''t seen that coming. ¡°You don¡¯t want to?¡± Noticing how Sophia sounded disappointed, the particles turned into a frenzy, seemingly not knowing what to do. ¡°That¡¯s not it?¡± The tiger tilted her head, netting another nod from them. ¡°Is there a problem with my suggestion?¡± They kept nodding. ¡°Hmm, what could it be?¡± She tried to figure out what was going on. ¡°Wait, creating a few hills and all that should be easy, but¡­ Is it the size of the planned forest? Is my internal magic authority not enough?¡± The particles got lively again and returned to energetically nodding. ¡°Unexpected!¡± As she was quite proud of the amount of authority she had over magic, this was quite the blow for her. ¡°How much do you need? Two times?¡± No reaction. ¡°Three?¡± Still nothing. ¡°Huh? Five times?! That can¡¯t be!" The particles, however, still seemed utterly unimpressed by her offer. ¡°It can¡¯t be something like ten times, right?!¡± Judging by their reaction, it seemed to be exactly that, though. Hearing the number ten, the pink and purple particles return to being lively. ¡°T-That can¡¯t be!¡± She was honestly shocked. ¡°How¡¯s that supposed to ever work?! Wait!¡± It seemed like Sophia had an idea. ¡°Does it have to be at once? My authority regenerates super fast, so can I offer you everything I have, go back to the regular world, reset my authority with, uhh¡­ fresh magic, and return to offer it inside my domain? Then, I do that as many times as needed to make the perfect forest!" Tilting her head, she then waited for the reply of the particles. They stopped moving for a couple of seconds, then turned wild, as if having a conversation between themselves, and then went back to staying still. A few moments later, they seemed to have come to a conclusion as they began to move up and down like many times before. ¡°By the way, just to be curious, how much authority is needed to add a natural-looking sky over the forest? I really don¡¯t like the white, after all.¡± She pointed up at the bright-white sky there currently was. ¡°It surely isn¡¯t something ridiculous as needing triple digits of my authority, right?¡± However, the particles just did nothing and stood still. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you replying?!¡± She had a bad feeling about it. ¡°It actually is in the triple digits?!¡± Surprisingly, the ambient magic started moving from left to right to deny it. "Don''t scare me like that! What actually is it? Something like 50 times? That¡¯s still way too much, but it could work!¡± The particles simply kept moving from left to right. ¡°Ehh?¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°Could you decide on a stance, please? Wait!" Her eyes grew wide. "You went silent when I joked about it being ridiculous but also said no when I asked if it¡¯s triple digits! You also said no when I mentioned a high number below that. D-Don¡¯t tell me you said no to the triple digits because it¡¯s more than that?!¡± Unfortunately, the magic particles stopped moving sideways and returned to nodding. ¡°I-I don¡¯t even want to know the actual number! I think I¡¯ll get depressed!¡± She had a bad feeling about it. "A-N-Y-W-A-Y!" Sophia had a strong need to change the topic. ¡°There¡¯s one more request I have for the forest. Do you all see how the trees only come in different shades of lighter and dark pink?¡± She gestured at the forest in front of them. The ambient magic paused for a moment and then went back to moving up and down. "Great! I want more variety, though. Pink should be dominant, but I want various other cute colors, though. Various shades of purple, violet, lilac, and white, too. On top of that, the different colored trees should blend into each other! Like, no light pink right next to a deep purple! The color and shade should slowly change in the area. Compared to the other things, that one should be easy, right?¡± Contrary to her expectations, the pink and purple particles stopped moving, though. ¡°WHY?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Wow, what a reality check! I thought I was absolutely overpowered, but I guess I was too cocky there, huh?¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Is it because the extra colors are mutations? Mira said you need to infuse plants with a lot of raw magic for them to happen, so?¡± Trying to figure out what was going on, she tried to make a guess. Immediately after, magic returned to its usual rhythm, moving up and down. "I''m tired already, and we haven''t even started yet!¡± It was too much for her. Afterward, Sophia needed a short break to recover from the shock and to come up with the optimal way to build her dream forest while not having even slightly enough authority to do so. Chapter 060 – Navigating around limitations Sophia took the day off from exploring to start working on her cherry blossom biome inside the domain. Instead of doing it herself, though, she decided to play together with the sentient part of magic because she wanted to do it together with them. The pink and purple particles seemed really happy that the tiger actively involved them in her plan, but once they made her understand that she needed a lot more authority to bring her plans to life. ¡°Well, this sure was unexpected.¡± The blonde was right in front of the patch of cherry blossom forest she rescued and put in her domain. The ambient magic particles were also still dancing around her while seemingly having a lot of fun. ¡°You lot said that I can pay in installments, right?¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°As in, offer all of my authority by releasing raw magic, leaving my domain, having it reset, and repeating those things, right?" The tiger waited for a moment and then watched the particles moving up and down. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a lot of trips!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started!¡± While saying so, countless pink and purple particles rose from all over her body as she was releasing her internal magic to the environment. The particles immediately joined the others, and the density in the area noticeably increased. ¡°This was about 95% of my authority, and I really need to do this like 15 times more?!" Unsurprisingly, the ambient magic just moved up and down, the newly joined one included. ¡°Fine.¡± Giving up while shrugging, Sophia then opened a portal and disappeared through it. ---------------- ¡°Woah!¡± The tiger returned to the original cherry blossom forest in the mountain range and got a brief surprise there. Before, when she borrowed the patch of the forest to put in her domain, she left some of her raw magic behind in the hope of fixing the hole she made. It worked. It had already completely regrown, and it was denser than ever. On top of that, in the very middle, a huge weeping cherry that was around 100 meters wide had grown. ¡°It looks great!¡± She liked it a lot. ¡°I should give that one to Fennyfenny and Ari for their project! It would fit so well in the middle of a lake. Once it grows with magic, it should become even wider, too.¡± Saying so, she opened a portal around the big tree and let it disappear. Then, the tiger waited around twenty minutes for her authority to fully reset before returning to the domain herself. ¡°I¡¯m back~.¡± Sophia returned to the area with the patch of cherry forest inside her domain and cheerfully greeted the magic particles there, who happily swirled around her in return. ¡°Someone¡¯s looking forward to it even more than I do, huh?¡± She smiled over how energetic they looked. Not wasting any time, she then quickly released all of her internal magic before returning to the mountain range once more. ¡°Urgh, I can¡¯t wait for the finished product, but it¡¯s sooo boring!¡± The tiger was on her fifth trip to the mountain range when she let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s taking forever, too! There has to be a way to cheese this, right?¡± She tilted her head while looking at the portal right in front of her. ¡°Wait a moment, do I even have to go back and forth?¡± She then moved just her hand and arm into the portal while the rest of her body stayed behind in the original cherry forest. ¡°Raw magic doesn¡¯t seem to cross the portal on its own, but if I release it through my hand on the other side, my authority should still recover while doing it, right?¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go and have a look!¡± After having released her magic through the portal while simultaneously regenerating it for around half an hour, Sophia wanted to find out if it was working and decided to check. ¡°Wow, so sparkly!¡± Arriving in her domain, the blonde was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of pink and purple particles around her. ¡°Yes!¡± She raised her fist high in the air. ¡°It¡¯s working! There¡¯s definitely more of you now! I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s as effective as going back and forth, but that¡¯s not important! Let¡¯s go and catch Maya!¡± Sounding highly motivated, she then left through yet another portal. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ---------------- ¡°Why are we here¡­?¡± Sounding rather confused, Maya looked around in the living room of their mansion in the capital while tilting her head before facing Sophia next to her. "I need to kill a few hours, and so I wanted to spend time with my favorite girl while doing so!" The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Aww!¡± She still looked confused, but she liked what she was hearing. ¡°Unfortunately, you were the only one available, though~.¡± Her mood was so good that she got the overwhelming urge to tease her cat. ¡°Oi!¡± Maya really didn¡¯t like that. ¡°I¡¯m just joking!¡± She was still smiling. ¡°Come on, you have to admit that it was a good one.¡± ¡°Mrng!¡± While looking ever so slightly proud, she refused to admit it. ¡°Again, why are we here? I thought you were working on your cherry blossom forest?¡± ¡°I am!¡± The blond just nodded. ¡°I just don¡¯t have enough magic authority to finish it. That''s why I need to take some breaks." ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Wait! You?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t have enough magic? You?!¡± She had to say it a couple of times. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?!¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve seen how surprised I was when I found out!¡± She continued to have trouble believing how insignificant her powers really were. "Anyway, don''t worry, it''s nothing dangerous. It''s just that I''m totally overdoing it with the scale of things.¡± ¡°Ah, the usual, I see.¡± Maya just nodded along. ¡°So, for the third time or so, why are we here?¡± She still had no idea why the two were back in the capital and the mansion¡¯s living room. ¡°I need to pump some more raw magic or authority into my planned cherry blossom area inside the domain.¡± While saying so, the tiger opened a portal and put her arm into it. ¡°I need to stay like that for a couple of hours to transport my authority into there while also recovering it at the same time on this side. If I recover and reset my authority in the domain, there wouldn¡¯t be any extra magic, after all.¡± ¡°Is it okay if I just pretend to have understood what you just told me?¡± The cat-girl looked more confused again. ¡°Of course!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Long story short, I take magic from here and put it into the domain, using my body as the transport.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± She also nodded. ¡°I STILL don¡¯t get why we¡¯re here!¡± ¡°We need to have fun together for a couple of hours, but we can¡¯t do the usual because I can¡¯t use my body much, so I was thinking of doing a TV marathon.¡± Sophia pointed at the big TV they had in the living room they had gotten the first time they visited Earth last year. ¡°Do you remember? Before we left the capital, we started a series we both liked, but we couldn¡¯t finish it, as Steph and Chloe were physically unable to stay in the capital because they were going insane from us near-hibernating?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± "How about we get comfy on the sofa and cuddle a little? I can easily do that much with only one arm available, and we watch a whole season or two in one go?¡± "I''ll go make popcorn!" Once she understood the plan, the cat-girl was on board really quickly. ¡°Exactly what I wanted to hear!¡± ---------------- Once they were ready, and had fresh popcorn, the duo got comfortable on a sofa in the living room. It took a little moment to find a good spot because Sophia had a portal attached to herself that ate half her arm, but as Maya simply cuddled to her other side, it hadn¡¯t been much of an issue. The only downside was that both arms of the tiger were preoccupied, one being in the portal and the other used as a pillow, so she needed the cat-girl''s help with the popcorn and had her feed her whenever she wanted some. For some reason, she didn''t seem bothered about it, though. Maya just could¡¯ve shifted her body a little to free the blonde¡¯s other arm, but she simply didn''t want to at that time. The couple enjoyed each other¡¯s company and the TV show for many hours over the rest of the day and had a great time together. However, the two had some slight trouble concentrating on the season finale as the longer they were watching, the more busy they had gotten with each other instead. Once it had gotten dark in the capital and the TV series, among other things, finished, the couple returned to the domain, and Sophia headed back to the spot where she was preparing her cherry blossom forest. ¡°Well, good thing you only need one hand for very many things~.¡± Smiling broadly, the tiger happily exited the portal. ¡°And none at all for-, W-WOAH!¡± She immediately froze once she noticed what was going on. Stepping out of the portal, her entire vision was instantly and completely covered in pink and purple magic particles. They were so dense that she could neither see the forest nor even the slightest bit of her all-white default domain. ¡°W-Wow, it definitely worked!¡± She needed a moment to let it sink in. ¡°How do you even deal with this?¡± Afterward, Sophia took another small break to think of a way to continue from here on. Chapter 061 – Expressive Sophia spent most of the day filling her domain with extra magic by using her body to transport her authority through a portal and resetting it in the regular world at the same time. While doing that, she also had a good time with Maya because they used their time off to watch TV and cuddle in their mansion in the capital. ¡°Again, wow!¡± Sophia still had difficulties wrapping her head around the fact that her entire vision had turned pink and purple from all the magic particles in the vicinity around her. She wasn¡¯t even sure that she was in the right spot where the cherry blossom forest was planned to grow because she couldn¡¯t even see her lower body because it was just magic particles everywhere. In fact, she could barely see her chest, and her hand disappeared around 20 centimeters away from her face when she tested it out. ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty scary¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like how limited her vision was. ¡°Could you all give me some room to breathe and see?¡± While saying so, the blonde moved her arms in a way like one would open and part a curtain. Immediately after, the particles started moving and created an empty zone between the tiger and the outskirts of the borrowed cherry blossom forest that was indeed in front of her. ¡°Much better!¡± She looked relieved. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t love being surrounded by you all, but I was starting to feel claustrophobic here.¡± Now that she was actually able to see, the literal walls of pink and purple particles around her seemed even more impressed. ¡°My method was way more effective than I thought, huh? How many times of my regular authority ended up being here?¡± A second later, a small group of particles split from the wall and moved in front of the tiger. There, it reshaped itself to a floating ¡®30x¡¯ in the air. ¡°Thirty times?!¡± Her eyes grew wide. ¡°How did that happen?!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t believe that it was this much. ¡°But! Regardless of that, that has to be enough for the size, the terrain, and the colors, right?!¡± The particles in front of the tiger changed again and turned themselves into three checkmarks instead. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde energetically raised her hand high in the air. ¡°Wait!¡± She then looked at the three floating checkmarks in front of her while also tilting her head. "Were you guys always this good at communicating?" The tiger seemed quite confused. Hearing that, the particles then changed themselves into a question mark shape. ¡°That!¡± She pointed at them. ¡°Before, you all only moved up and down or from side to side to deny or confirm something or hit me with wind magic when I made you upset! I still easily understood you because there were tons of emotions behind the way you reacted, but I¡¯m getting precise answers now! What changed?¡± She was certain that something was different. Immediately after those words, the rogue magic particles scattered and merged into the walls around the tiger again. ¡°Oh, you don''t want to tell me, huh?¡± Sophia then proceeded to sound extra hurt and sad. ¡°And here I thought we would be able to get along even better now¡­ I guess I was wrong¡­¡± The instant she finished her sentence, the magic particles got quite active. They began to move around the blonde frantically and created something like a tornado, just even more frantic-looking. ¡°Well, at least it still seems like you¡¯re easy to read. That¡¯s a small relief, I think¡­¡± She tried her best to sound even more sad. "A-Ah.¡± Unfortunately, it backfired, though. Magic saw through her act, and the next thing the blonde noticed was being hit by a powerful gust of wind. It had so much force that it easily lifted her off the ground, but not just that, it was enough to shoot her into the wall of magic particles and made her disappear into it before the tiger even had the chance to react. ¡°Ha.¡± It took Sophia around 5 minutes to return to the spot she was blown away from, and it wasn''t just because she had difficulties navigating through the dense particles. ¡°Woah! My ears are still ringing because the wind was super loud while flying through the air so fast¡­" She needed a moment to recover. ¡°You definitely still get very upset about being teased, too. That¡¯s reassuring. In one way or another.¡± ¡°Seriously, what changed?¡± There was no way she would let something like that just slide. ¡°You all definitely got way more expressive! Never before have you used actual signs or even numbers before! WAIT!¡± She then took a good look around. ¡°Is it because there¡¯s so much of you now? It¡¯s the only thing that actually changed, after all. It certainly can¡¯t be because I brought you all here by expending my authority constantly. It¡¯s impossible for you to get smarter by passing through me. If anything, you¡¯d get dumber.¡± For some reason, the magic particles completely stopped moving and froze in place. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°HEY!¡± She didn''t like their absolute lack of a reaction. ¡°You can lie for all I care, but don¡¯t stay silent there!¡± Not moving for another moment, a few particles then formed a ¡®thumbs-up¡¯ sign in front of the tiger. ¡°It¡¯s too late now!¡± She didn¡¯t enjoy being consoled, either. ¡°ANYWAY!¡± Sophia decided to not further engage in the topic. The topic she started, that is. ¡°It is because there are more of you now, right? Are you some sort of hivemind?! The more of you there are, the higher your intelligence and capability to think gets? Or at least being able to communicate on a higher level?¡± The loose particles returned to the others, and all of them began to move just a little bit. ¡°I¡¯m not actually sure what that reaction means.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be a no, though?¡± She stared at them for a while longer. ¡°If that¡¯s actually the case, that¡¯s beyond amazing!¡± Sophia was getting excited. ¡°The possibilities! They¡¯re endless!¡± Really excited. ¡°WAIT!¡± Incredibly excited. ¡°How much ambient magic in one spot is needed for you to actually TALK?! Spoken words and all that!¡± The ambient magic stopped moving for a moment afterward. Then, a sizeable group of particles separated from the rest and circled around Sophia a couple of times before moving up and down in front of her. ¡°Yes?¡± She tilted her head while interpreting their nodding. ¡°Yes, is not a suitable reply to my question!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°I can¡¯t believe even you guys are using that sort of non-reply on me! I never should¡¯ve introduced that to this world!¡± Sophia sounded extra dramatic. ¡°Not telling, huh? Well, I guess I have to find out myself! It¡¯s more fun, too!¡± Hearing that, the particles got extra cheerful and circled around the tiger at an even higher speed. "You want me to find out but can''t help me too much, is it?" She tried to guess their reaction, and she got a floating checkmark in return. ¡°Stupid rules, but I can see the reasoning. It¡¯s quite big, after all. I can¡¯t wait to talk to you all, though!¡± She smiled at the floating particles in front of her, who then eagerly swished around all over the place, seemingly being excited, too. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s play with the forest for the time being.¡± Sophia decided to change the topic. "Wait!" She reconsidered. ¡°If we go through with the plans and grow the cherry blossom paradise, won¡¯t all of you stop being here? You¡¯ll get used up to convert the area, ri-?!¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence because another gust of wind had sent her flying again. ¡°No?¡± The tiger tried to understand why she was sent flying again after she returned a few minutes later. Immediately after, multiple pink and purple floating ¡®X¡¯ formed in the air all around her. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a clear reaction.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Why, though? For the plants to grow, they absorb you, right?¡± Reacting to that, the particles got very active in front of her. At first, a group of them formed into a cloud. Then, a sparkly pink and purple tree appeared next to it as the particles formed into something resembling it. ¡°Okay?¡± She looked quite confused. The particles weren¡¯t done, though. The cloud moved into the tree, and it turned twice as big. A little while later, many pink and purple particles began shooting out of the tree''s crown like a fountain. After it was done, the tree still had the same big size, but the cloud that got absorbed later was back and had more than three times the previous size. ¡°Soo¡­¡± Sophia needed a minute to let it sink in. ¡°Right, if plants turn magical, they start radiating raw magic into their surroundings, which then help the other plants grow, and so on and so forth.¡± She nodded a few times while remembering that part. ¡°Rather than being used, you just change purpose for a while before returning stronger than ever?¡± Hearing the tiger come to that conclusion, the magic particles stopped their play, and a few of them formed into a thumbs-up shape. Even more so, the thumbs-up then moved in front of the sparkly tree while a thumbs-down appeared in front of the regular pink and purple cloud. ¡°Hmm?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°You want to be useful¡­?¡± It was the only thing the blonde could think of. ¡°Just being a massive pile of sparkly particles is no fun, and you''d rather be productive?" The particles then only showed a thumbs-up reaction before getting rowdy and swirling around Sophia a couple of times in an excited manner. "Ah, I see!" She started smiling. "Fair enough! It makes sense that you guys work a little differently! I still want to get enough ambient magic that I can talk to you, though! Well, I guess having a massive forest that constantly generates more of you would help there, huh?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s finally get started on our cherry blossom paradise!¡± Sophia energetically raised her arm while the particles around her only increased their pace, too. Afterward, once the complicated topic was over, they finally got to work on what had been planned hours before. Chapter 062 – Kicked out Sophia had flooded a part of her domain with so much magic that all the pink and purple particles got so dense that it was impossible for her to even see the hand in front of her very eyes. The high concentration also revealed that the conscious side becomes more expressive and intelligent the more ambient magic there is. The blonde was very motivated to explore this revelation a lot more, but the particles refused to tell her the details, and she lacked the skills to solve it on her own for the time being. Because of that, they decided to focus on the cherry blossom biome first. ¡°I really need to have another chat with Mira soon! Maybe I can get some more juicy secrets out of her!" Sophia was still highly motivated to find out the whole truth about magic and how it really works. ¡°For now, forest time!¡± She raised her arms, and a group of pink and purple particles immediately circled around it. ¡°Do I need to actually do anything, though?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve already filled the area with my magic slash authority, and we talked about what I want. Magic can take care of the rest and play around a bit, too. Let¡¯s go and do your thing¡­?¡± As it was the first time she didn¡¯t actively use magic, the blonde was a little unsure how to proceed. Then, a number of particles moved around her head and made it impossible for her to see anything anymore. ¡°Ha.¡± A few moments later, once the particles decided to let her see again, Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to react. A little bit of the ambient magic was still left and happily circling around her, but most had simply disappeared, which made her be able to clearly see the patch of cherry blossom forest in front of her. Before, the dense particles had blocked her view quite severely, after all. ¡°Is it done? I can sense a lot of power from the flora around us, but it will take a while, huh?¡± In response to that, the remaining few particles in front of her moved up and down a couple of times. ¡°¡­¡± Noticing how their ability to communicate had decreased, Sophia¡¯s expression changed. Thanks to that, though, she was immediately hit by a gust of wind. ¡°Come on! I know you¡¯re happy to do something useful, but it is still a little sad from my point of view!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Let me get used to it, okay?!¡± The tiger was treating the particles as individuals, which, in their eyes, seemed to be the wrong approach here. Hearing this, the ambient magic stopped attacking her and went back to moving up and down while also energetically swirling around her. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re happy, it really can¡¯t be a bad thing.¡± She cheered up again after seeing how well they were doing. ¡°What now, though?¡± She pointed at the forest. A moment later, one of the usual portals appeared in front of her. ¡°I like how I am not surprised that you guys can create my portals. Well, the portals are made out of you, so I guess it makes sense.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Wait, you want me to leave?¡± While tilting her head, the particles moved up and down even stronger than before. ¡°How rude! Getting kicked out of my own place!¡± She immediately started pouting but stopped doing so just as quickly the moment the tiger started noticing that it was getting windy around her again. "I''m just kidding! The forest needs time to grow and develop, right? There''s nothing to do for me right now, so I might as well head home because you all also want to help with the forest, right?" Trying to guess their intention, Sophia was rewarded with another nod by them. ¡°Alright, have fun!¡± She smiled at them. ¡°I¡¯ll come back and visit tomorrow! You better make sure I can¡¯t believe my eyes when I return! I want to be swept off my feet by the sights!¡± Nodding a few times, the particles circled around the tiger for a moment before also heading into the forest. Sophia watched them leave for a moment longer before she then took the portal. ---------------- ¡°Aaand I¡¯m home!¡± After crossing through the portal that the magic particles made for her, Sophia found herself in front of their cottage. ¡°Tiny bit disappointed I didn¡¯t end up somewhere else entirely~.¡± She had hoped for something more exciting. ¡°Hmm, I have no intention of going near the three cold freaks today, Anna and Maya seem to be inside, no signs of Mira and Fey¡­ Oh, Fenny and Ari are in their little relaxation spot again! Let''s pay them a visit and see how they like the cherry I gave them!" Having found something of interest with her detection magic, she immediately headed out again. ¡°Welcome!¡± There, the blonde was immediately greeted by the duo. ¡°Wow, I would¡¯ve lost the bet about you two napping again.¡± She couldn¡¯t believe that they were awake. ¡°W-We would never!¡± Ari raised her voice. ¡°Your hair looks slightly disheveled, though.¡± Sophia smirked at her. ¡°Some of Fenny¡¯s fur is sticking to it, too.¡± She reached for the jaguar¡¯s hair and removed some of the greyish fur there. ¡°You need to do something about that shedding, my dear.¡± She then smiled at the wolf. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°A-Ah.¡± Ari¡¯s cheeks turned red. ¡°It¡¯s just too comfortable here!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not blaming you~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to lose my winter coat.¡± Fen had no intention of coming up with an excuse for the napping. ¡°It¡¯s only natural that I¡¯m shedding.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. ¡°After having gone through that cold hell lately, I almost forgot that it¡¯s spring!¡± ¡°Why do you think I opted against joining you on the mountain range adventure?¡± The wolf just looked at her. ¡°Because you¡¯re lazy?¡± She stared back at him. ¡°¡­¡± Fen went silent for a moment. ¡°I mean the other reason!¡± ¡°Are you also shedding or just lazy?¡± Sophia then focused on Ari again. ¡°Actually,¡± The jaguar then moved her tail in front of her and used her hand to pluck out a strand of fur. ¡°It¡¯s not as strong as in fulls, but I do have a bit of a winter coat going on that is starting to shed now.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± The blonde hadn''t seen that one coming. "Wait, then, there was no reason for you to complain about being cold as much as I did! Even more, actually! I¡¯m the most cold-resistant cat in the group, after all!¡± She won¡¯t ever let go of that. ¡°How is my winter coat going to help me when the only fur and hair I have is on my head and tail while the entire rest of my body is completely free of it?¡± She didn¡¯t let that excuse count. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia could follow her reasoning. ¡°Also, you¡¯re the same!¡± Ari threw it right back at her. ¡°Your tail definitely looks a little thicker than I remember it being in summer.¡± "It does?" The tiger took a better look at her own tail and also plucked out some loose fur. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± If it slowly gets thicker, you don¡¯t really notice it, but the fluffier bits of hair are definitely loose! I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m shedding!¡± She learned something about her body she didn''t need to know. "It probably started when my hair began to turn lighter and fluffier, huh? Not a fan!¡± ¡°See!¡± Ari felt vindicated. ¡°You have an even bigger winter coat because your hair got thicker on top, but because you also have no fur on other parts of your body, it¡¯s pointless! And cold!¡± ¡°How do you know where I do and don¡¯t have fur on my body?¡± Sophia slightly raised an eyebrow. ¡°Because we¡¯ve seen each other naked many times by now.¡± ¡°Again, fair point.¡± There was little she could say there. ¡°Though, I doubt Anna would be happy about your wording.¡± ¡°The two of you have seen each other naked probably about as many times, too. It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia actually looked impressed. ¡°I absolutely love this cocky-confident side of yours.¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve already seen me naked, too.¡± She played into it. ¡°Don¡¯t you think we¡¯re moving a bit fast?¡± ¡°If you two are done flirting, could I ask why you came here?¡± Fen didn¡¯t want to deal with any of this and changed the topic while looking at the tiger. ¡°A-Ah.¡± The duo noticed that they fell into their usual routine. ¡°Ahem!¡± Sophia cleared her throat before continuing. "I wanted to see how you two like the present I gave you." ¡°Present?¡± Fen and Ari only tilted their heads. ¡°The weeping cherry I put in the area where you two planned the lake.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The wolf sounded surprised. ¡°We haven¡¯t been in that area yet.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve lost complete track of time after what I went through today, but that was like 5-10 hours ago, you know?¡± She had been busy. ¡°What have you done all day? Napping?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fen and Ari went silent. The latter also turned her head away. ¡°Wow.¡± There was a slight hint of envy in her voice. ¡°Alright, putting that aside, do you want to go and see?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They gave her a big nod. ---------------- ¡°Ohhh!¡± The trio arrived at the lakeside, and Fen and Ari immediately liked what they saw. Sophia had placed the roughly 100-meter-wide weeping cherry on a small island in the middle of the massive hole that the two planned to convert into the lake later on. ¡°It¡¯s a good one, isn¡¯t it?¡± The blonde smiled at them. ¡°It¡¯s perfect!¡± They kept staring at the massive tree filled to the brim with beautiful pink petals hanging down on the branches like garlands. ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± She liked their reaction. ¡°I can leave growing it to the right size to you, right? I¡¯ve used so much magic today that I actually feel a little sore. It¡¯s enough for me for one day.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The wolf reacted with a nod. "Of co-, Wait!" Ari was also about to agree when the tiger''s words registered in her brain. "What do you mean? How does one get sore from using too much magic?! Tired, sure, but sore?!¡± ¡°How about you try to constantly use and recover your magic for about ten whole hours for a total of 30 times your maximum capacity, while also doing it with your girlfriend in the middle of it after one thing led to another.¡± Sophia remembered her session with Maya. ¡°I¡¯ll ignore the last part because that¡¯s just the usual, but WHAT DID YOU DO?!¡± ¡°For what in the world do you need 30 times your power?¡± Fen also got curious. "I need it for my world.¡± Sophia looked at him. ¡°This beast of a place is insatiable! The total amount of magic I need to add a sky is at least a four-digit number of what I have at my disposal. At the very least! There could be even more zeroes involved there! It turns out I''m way too weak to run this place efficiently!" ¡°¡­¡± The two went silent. They knew how overpowered the tiger was and how much she loved to boast about that at every opportunity possible, so that statement was quite the shock to them. ¡°Okay, to be fair, I used the entirety of this amount of raw magic to grow a cherry blossom forest of a size that is beyond comprehension, so¡­ yeah.¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Ahh!¡± The duo quickly was relieved that the blonde still was the same dork regardless. Once the topic was over, Fen and Ari quickly bathed the cherry in a little bit of their magic before the trio returned to the cottage, as it had gotten very late. Chapter 063 – Advanced biome growing Sophia finished the preparations for her cherry blossom forest, and as there was nothing left to do for her because the blonde had to wait for it to grow, she decided to pay Fen and Ari a visit to see how they liked her present of the weeping cherry she placed in the area they planned to create a lake. ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± The moment the trio arrived back at the cottage, Sophia¡¯s stomach started complaining. ¡°Besides some popcorn, I haven¡¯t eaten any food today!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ignore your pronunciation on the food part, but I agree with the general statement.¡± Fen rolled his eyes while also nodding. ¡°Food was a bit of an afterthought today.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ari felt the same. ¡°Because you forgot about it as you napped the entire day away?¡± The blonde just looked at them. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Happy with their reaction, the blonde entered the cottage while making her presence known. ¡°Food!¡± Ari and Fen eventually followed her, and luck was on their side, too. Maya and Anna were cooking together again and had just finished doing so when they returned. Aura, Steph, and Chloe were also there by now, and the group had their usual dinner together. ---------------- ¡°Sis!¡± After dinner, everyone got comfortable together in the living room when Steph energetically addressed the blonde. ¡°I have good news!¡± ¡°I don''t like the sound of that.¡± Sophia, on the other hand, had a bad feeling about it. ¡°How rude!¡± She started pouting. ¡°I just wanted to tell you how Aura, Chloe, and I made the most amazing biome ever by collecting a lot of snow, a little bit of the mountain itself, and some cold-resistant plant life! It turned out amazing!¡± "That''s even worse than what I had imagined!" The blonde started shivering just thinking about it. "Good job, though¡­ I want diversity in my domain!¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I had enough cold, though, so I leave you to it without even taking a look!¡± ¡°I wanna boast to you about it, though! Then again, being unsupervised comes with its very own perks!¡± She had conflicting feelings but came to the conclusion that she could live with them. ¡°By the way, you look a little tired.¡± Chloe faced Sophia and noticed a hint of exhaustion on her face. ¡°Did you do anything out of the ordinary?¡± ¡°Yeah, you could say that I was quite busy~.¡± She just smiled at her. ¡°Oh?¡± The pink fox seemed curious. ¡°Tell us!¡± So was Steph. ¡°Mhmm, I kinda want to keep it a secret now.¡± Sophia decided that she wanted to tease them a little. ¡°Just that if you see, hear, and or feel anything strange while being in my domain, please pay it no mind~.¡± ¡°Ehh?¡± The couple didn¡¯t like that. ¡°What you told us sounded quite different, though.¡± Ari tilted her head. "HUH?!" The dog-girl got even louder. "You told her but not your OWN sister?!" She took it very personally. ¡°Not really.¡± The blonde ignored her and focused on the jaguar first. ¡°Pumping thirty times my magic into the domain in rapid succession and using it all at once to massively terraform a huge area could make my domain a little rowdy for a while, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Well, if you put it that way, you do have a point.¡± Ari was surprisingly accepting of her explanation. ¡°Thirty¡­ times?¡± The eyes of Chloe and Aura turned wide. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me about that number when you explained your plan.¡± Maya also got a bad feeling. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°To be fair, we were a little distracted, preoccupied, busy, and all over each other before we were above each other.¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°In that order, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl paused for a moment. ¡°Fair.¡± She nodded. ¡°After how we went at it, it¡¯s only natural to forget a few things afterward.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± "While I''m in awe at your impressive sex life and would like to ask some details later to learn those skills, could we focus for a moment?!¡± Steph was getting impatient. ¡°Sis, tell me what you did already! What did you need thirty times your magic for?! Also, how?!¡± ¡°I would love to know the last part, too!¡± Chloe also just got more curious. ¡°I found out that while ambient magic doesn¡¯t transfer naturally through my portals, I can guide it through by using my body. I spent most of the day in the regular world, sending my raw magic through the portal while also constantly regenerating it. Because my magic regeneration is faster than I can reasonably spend it, I ended up at thirty times my maximum capacity at the end of the day. I call it advanced biome growing techniques~.¡± ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s so clever!¡± The fox sounded impressed. ¡°Why that much, though?¡± Aura tilted her head. ¡°My pine forest is already so big that it¡¯s hard to put into words, and I didn''t even use all of my raw magic to grow it. With the amount you used, rather than a forest, it will be a cherry blossom country! Maybe even the size of a whole continent!" ¡°And?¡± Sophia looked back at her. ¡°¡­¡± Aura needed a moment. ¡°Good point.¡± She then nodded along. "Go on." ¡°Also, I¡¯m not just growing the trees.¡± The blonde lightly shook her head. ¡°I also plan to change the terrain because I don¡¯t want it to be just a flat area. Hills, rivers, and maybe even chasms require a lot to form. I think, at least. I also want the trees to mutate in a certain way to get different colors. All of that is going to be expensive. I don¡¯t have an exact number, but I have a feeling that I need about this much.¡± She naturally couldn¡¯t go into detail about where she got that feeling from. ¡°Wow!¡± The female wolf liked the sound of that. ¡°The terrain being flat is the only complaint I have about my wonderful pine forest! Injecting thirty times my magic into it will take a whole month, though! My regeneration isn¡¯t nearly as fast as yours, after all.¡± ¡°If you only want a less flat terrain, thirty times isn¡¯t nearly necessary.¡± Sophia thought about it for a moment. ¡°I think you should be okay with five times at best to create something nice-looking.¡± ¡°That sounds a lot more manageable!¡± Aura got excited again. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure how well it will work if the forest is already built, though.¡± The tiger scratched her cheek. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some things get messed up in the process.¡± ¡°That¡¯s totally fine!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°After all, I can just fix it afterward! If I can make it better, I¡¯ll happily redo parts of it!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Sophia was a big fan of her enthusiasm. ¡°Just pour out your magic in the area you want to change, but do not use it for anything! Let it accumulate until, uhh¡­ you can¡¯t see raw magic particles, right?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Aura shook her head. ¡°Only you and those two can.¡± She then glanced at Chloe and Steph.¡± ¡°Feyfey also can~.¡± The pink fox sounded a little proud. ¡°Mira, obviously, can do so, too. Probably has something to do with us being so exposed to overseer magic?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°The sisters have been gifted magic by them, and I¡¯m the daughter of one.¡± ¡°Sounds about right.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°That¡¯s my theory, too.¡± ¡°Be it as it may, while I can¡¯t see it, I can feel the concentration around me.¡± The wolf got back to the topic. ¡°I should be able to tell once I released five times my total power if that¡¯s what you meant to say.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Once you feel like it¡¯s at that level, get me, and we can play~.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°The same offer stands for everyone else, too, of course.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Steph thought about it. ¡°My current frozen tundra makes sense to be flat, but my eternal ice kingdom of frozen perfection could do well with some snowy mountains!¡± "I''ll help!" Chloe got just as motivated over the dog-girl''s idea. "Also, your regeneration is super-fast, too, and mine''s even faster than Sophia''s!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph¡¯s excitement soared even more. ¡°Let¡¯s recreate the mountain range we¡¯re exploring right now! Just even bigger and much colder!¡± ¡°Great idea!¡± The fox nodded along. ¡°Even Sophia¡¯s thirty times her magic will take us no time at all! The original mountain range will pale in comparison to what we¡¯re going to create!¡± ¡°I love you!¡± She was touched by her enthusiasm. ¡°Love you, too~.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°Have I made a mistake?¡± Sophia was already regretting her suggestion. ¡°On the other hand, it will introduce sooo much raw magic to my domain, and that will bring us ever so slightly closer to getting a sky!¡± She had very conflicting emotions on the matter. ¡°Alright, fine¡­¡± The tiger allowed it for the greater good of her domain. ¡°Just make sure to grow it away from here, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The cold-loving couple nodded in agreement. ¡°This would''ve saved us a lot of hassle, wouldn''t it?" Having listened to them for a while, Fen then moved next to Ari.¡± ¡°For the river?¡± The jaguar looked back at her. "Yeah, but we still would run into the issue of the permanent water source and what to do with all the water downstream because it would flood everything.¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Magic should be able to take care of that, too.¡± Sophia faced the duo. ¡°There¡¯s no reason it can¡¯t generate and remove water at will.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The two had nothing else to say. Afterward, everyone continued to make more plans to bring their biome projects to the next level. Chapter 064 – The gap between them Everyone reunited in the cottage after working on their own projects and had dinner together. Afterward, Sophia told them about her cherry blossom forest and how she was planning to alter the terrain to get rid of the default flatness of her domain. Everyone else got really interested in that and also wanted to do the same with their biomes because they didn¡¯t like how flat they were, either. ¡°Hey~.¡± On the following day, after having laid the groundwork for her very blossom forest, Sophia went on a little trip. ¡°Welcome~.¡± Mira lightly greeted the blonde when she opened the door of her little lakeside hut in the middle of the jungle inside the teal fox¡¯s own domain. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Chloe needed Fey for something or another, and I thought I''d come and get her for our pink girl." ¡°Really?¡± Hearing that, the fox in question quickly joined Mira¡¯s side at the door. ¡°Yup.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°We also haven¡¯t seen you in a while, either.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The full nodded a few times. ¡°We planned to return later today, anyway, but do you mind if I go ahead?¡± She then faced the teal fox. ¡°Don¡¯t let her wait~.¡± Mira gave her the okay, and Fey immediately left the hut and disappeared into the jungle from where the tiger had come earlier. ¡°She sure is something else when it comes to her baby, huh?¡± Sophia watched the fox leave with a warm smile on her face. "As one should." Mira had the same expression but then faced the blonde. ¡°Did Chloe really need her for something, or did you just try to make her leave, though?" ¡°Doesn¡¯t Chloe always need her for something?¡± She dodged the question. ¡°And?¡± The overseer just kept staring at her. ¡°I like how sharp you are~.¡± ¡°So, what do you need me for?¡± She saw through her actions in an instant. ¡°Just a nice little chat~.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± Mira didn''t like how sweet-sounding her voice was. ¡°I did some more bonding with our beloved pink and purple sparkly friends, and I have questions!¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± The teal fox paused for a moment before gesturing her inside. ¡°As I have the feeling this will take a while, how about we go and sit down somewhere comfortable?¡± ---------------- The two went into the hut and got comfortable in the cozy living room of Mira¡¯s lakeside hut. ¡°How much of my authority do I need to collect and condense for magic to manifest a body?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox went silent for around a minute. ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°You know what I mean!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t believe her act of feigning ignorance. ¡°Explain how you came to that idea.¡± ¡°I started creating my own personal biome in my domain, and I had the most amazing chat with magic while doing so." ¡°Define chat.¡± "I guessed the absolute wildest things, and my particle friends reacted to them accordingly." ¡°You¡¯re good at that.¡± ¡°I sure am!¡± The blonde sounded proud of herself. ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°I wanted to find how much authority I need to spend to get some terrain changes together with a few specific mutations while also giving the sparkly ones as much freedom as possible. Once I found out a rough number, I spent an entire day pumping raw magic from the outside world into my domain through a portal by constantly converting and resetting my authority to the point I felt sore from it!¡± She had to add a little complaint to it. ¡°When I finally stopped and returned to the area, I ended up pouring thirty times my authority into a small area.¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Ah.¡± Her expression turned awkward. ¡°You know what happened next, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia started to notice that Mira was doing her usual spiel of finding out how much exactly she knew. ¡°Once I was able to see again, by the way, being surrounded by nothing but dense sparkly particles reducing your sight to mere centimeters is quite scary, I started to notice some changes.¡± She made a slight pause. ¡°Magic somehow had gotten a lot more talkative in a way. Like, they started using sign language! They showed me exact numbers in the air, like the thirty times my power being in the area, or reacted with thumbs up and down symbols while replying to my questions and guesses.¡± ¡°Yeah, environmental magic starts to gain that level of ability after around fifteen times your powers.¡± ¡°I knew it!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Magic¡¯s a hivemind, isn¡¯t it?! The more of it there is, the higher their intelligence gets, right?! Or rather, the better they¡¯re able to use and convey their intelligence!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mira stared at her for a little while before her expression eventually softened up. ¡°Close enough for the time being.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± She didn¡¯t like her reply. ¡°Not important~.¡± The overseer smiled at her. ¡°Anyway, continue.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± Sophia had to growl at her first before doing so. ¡°I asked them how much of my authority I needed to release to have them talk with me, but the particles just teased me in return! They returned to simply moving up and down as if saying yes to my question, where yes wasn''t an option! It''s something I introduced to this world!" ¡°Magic¡¯s naturally playful~.¡± Mira looked like a proud mother while saying so. ¡°I noticed!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°So, what¡¯s the number? How much do I need to be able to talk with the particles?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The fox tried her hardest not to burst into laughter. ¡°I hate you sooo much right now!¡± ¡°Come on, you should¡¯ve seen that one coming.¡± There was just no way Mira could¡¯ve passed on that chance. ¡°I really should¡¯ve!¡± She looked a little embarrassed. ¡°It¡¯s a lot, by the way.¡± The overseer sounded a little more serious. ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡± Sophia immediately sounded motivated again. ¡°You just confirmed that it is indeed possible! That means I just have to keep pumping raw magic into my domain while also using the flora to create even more until something happens!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± She was glad the tiger took it as a challenge rather than demotivating her. ¡°So, and with that, we¡¯re back to my question of giving magic a body!¡± The blonde returned to her previous topic. ¡°If talking is possible at some point, that has to be, too!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you want to know.¡± Mira lightly shook her head. ¡°Why not?!¡± She disagreed with her assumption. ¡°I absolutely do! Why wouldn¡¯t I?!¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to make you feel down after you¡¯re doing so well at the moment.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± Sophia got louder again. ¡°You¡¯re feeling extremely powerful because you, in the regular world, have an incredibly high authority over magic, but in absolute terms, well¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°You don¡¯t want to give me a reality check?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, magic already made me understand that I¡¯m actually quite weak by telling me just how much authority I need for the most basic-looking things in my domain.¡± ¡°Yes, you unlocked your domain extremely early, so that¡¯s quite the extra added challenge because you don¡¯t have enough power to adequately populate it with things. Though, you have a rather useful group of friends in that regard.¡± "Steph might actually be a little too helpful.¡± She shuddered for a moment while remembering her sister¡¯s kingdom of coldness that she was creating. ¡°Anyway, I can take it! Hit me with another reality check!¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Shrugging, Mira then lifted her arm and put up the palm of her hand. A moment later, a roughly five-centimeter-wide dark purple sphere appeared on top of it. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°Magic?¡± The tiger stared at it for a while. ¡°I can feel intense power from it, but why does it look like that? It¡¯s not sparkly at all. There are no particles, either.¡± ¡°It is magic, yes.¡± The overseer nodded. "The reason it looks like that is because of how condensed it is." She then lightly threw it towards Sophia. "Here~.¡± ¡°It¡¯s warm!¡± Catching it, the blonde immediately noticed the sphere¡¯s temperature. ¡°Wait, I can touch it?!¡± She only then noticed that part. ¡°HOW?! I can see the particles of ambient magic, but I¡¯ve never been able to touch them!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happens if you compress enough environmental magic past a certain point.¡± ¡°Really? That''s amazing! I never thought you could touch magic! So, it getting a body is definitely possible, right?!" Sophia took a better look at the sphere. ¡°How much magic is in that ball?¡± ¡°Can you not feel it?¡± Mira tilted her head. ¡°I can feel that it is a lot. Like, a LOT a lot, but I can¡¯t put it into words.¡± She stared at it even harder. ¡°Almost as if it¡¯s telling me yes when I try to figure out how much magic is in there.¡± ¡°Yep, sounds about right.¡± ¡°YES is not an answer to my question!¡± ¡°You¡¯re holding about 4,000 times your authority in the form of compressed ambient magic right now. Give or take a few hundred times.¡± ¡°I want to revise my previous statement! Yes is a perfectly adequate response!¡± Sophia then went silent for a moment. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± She looked like she went in shock over it. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± After enjoying her reaction for a moment, Mira took back the sphere and held it herself. ¡°It¡¯s quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°A-Are you serious right now?¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°I am.¡± Nodding once, the overseer then put her other hand over the orb to hide it from view. Seemingly concentrating for a moment, she then removed her hand again to reveal a small blue parakeet sitting on top of her palm. It was alive, too, as it curiously looked around while also chirping a few times. ¡°Tada~.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia was usually easily able to accept new experiences and situations after coming to her new world and getting used to the changes, but this sight was enough to fully overload her. Chapter 065 – Parakeet Sophia met up with Mira, and the two talked about the blonde''s newest discoveries about magic. Wanting to find out if and how the expressive magic particles she loves so much can acquire a physical body, the many-tailed fox eventually caved in and showed the blonde what environmental magic can transform into under the right conditions. Learning what those conditions are, only made Sophia even more aware of how little her powers really are, though, as the overseer just casually used 4,000 times the tiger¡¯s power to create a small bird from magic. ¡°You okay?¡± Mira smiled at the tiger while she was gently petting the blue parakeet she just created. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Sophia lightly shook her head. ¡°W-When did the power scaling get that out of hand?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s always been like that.¡± The teal fox kept smiling. ¡°I told you before that your personal authority is nowhere close to becoming an overseer.¡± ¡°I know, but¡­ 4,000 times my magic just like that?¡± She looked quite dejected. ¡°I don¡¯t even feel like you radiate any noticeable less power now after doing that.¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°But, to be fair, I¡¯m a special case in that regard.¡± Mira didn¡¯t like her looking like that. ¡°You do remember that I¡¯m the overseer of magic, right? I have near limitless authority over it. You would''ve noticed a dent in Canir''s powers if he had done this." She gestured at the bird. "Though, yes, it would be a small dent." ¡°That does make it better!¡± Sophia started to cheer up. ¡°WAIT!¡± She then got loud. ¡°Fen and I almost destroyed a country when we combined our authority and caused magic to go out of control! If that little sphere had that much power, then¡­¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, the planet would simply stop existing if that orb would react with anything.¡± ¡°DON¡¯T SOUND SO NONCHALLANT WHILE SAYING IT!¡± The blonde got even louder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, environmental magic can only reach a certain density in the regular world.¡± Mira lightly waved her hand. ¡°The accident you and Fen had only happened because your blank authority, given by Canir, can overrule those limitations. No one besides you and the big boss can push magic over the dangerous threshold density in the outside world. Well, I can, too, but only because I can change rules." She made a slight pause while scratching her cheek. "Domains are a different story, though. Magic has more freedom there. It¡¯s less reactive to go supernova, too. In a way, domains are like a holiday for it where it can let loose. Especially when a certain someone noticed one of magic¡¯s biggest secrets and told them to explicitly have fun.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked the last part. ¡°Also, I see.¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Very reassuring, too.¡± The tiger was glad that the world she came to love wouldn¡¯t so easily explode, after all. ¡°Does that mean I have to take care that no one explodes my domain? Ari and Maya already threatened me with it, but it seems it might actually be possible if they collect some excess raw magic.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t.¡± Mira shook her head. ¡°The owner of the domain has the highest authority over it. If you don¡¯t want it to explode, it won¡¯t. Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to tell magic to go ahead and destroy your place.¡± ¡°You love to hear it!¡± ¡°You can explode your own domain, though.¡± The overseer stared right at her. ¡°Especially when you play around with environmental magic density without knowing what you¡¯re doing.¡± "A-Ah.¡± She froze for a moment. ¡°Can¡¯t I just have a nice chat with magic and tell them to not explode my domain even when I mess up?¡± ¡°That would work.¡± Mira just nodded. ¡°That was easy!¡± "You, as the domain owner, can set up your own rules, and magic will abide by them as long as they don''t contradict a superior rule.¡± She added a little extra explanation to it. ¡°It certainly also helps that you can communicate directly with them to get your full and uninterpreted intention across.¡± ¡°I did have some troubles with misinterpretations in the past.¡± ¡°I know~.¡± The teal fox smiled at her. ¡°Knowing you, you will continue to do so in the future, too. You''re the textbook example of act first, think later, after all." ¡°G-Guilty as charged.¡± There was no way she could talk back here. ¡°If thinking is involved at all.¡± ¡°¡­¡± You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°Anyway, yeah, you should probably do that, telling magic to preserve your domain when you continue to play around like you do." ¡°That will be the first thing I do when I get back!¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Speaking of anyway,¡± Sophia thought it was time to change the topic and pointed at the blue parakeet that had gotten comfortable on Mira¡¯s shoulder while they were talking. ¡°Hypothetically speaking, if I manage to somehow amass 4,000 times my authority and compress it like that ball from earlier, could I do that, too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She simply nodded. ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± That was all the tiger wanted to hear. ¡°It¡¯s great that you bounce back so easily.¡± ¡°By the way, what is that bird?¡± The blonde pointed at Mira¡¯s shoulder once more, causing the bird to turn its neck to look back at her. It also let out a small chirp while doing so. ¡°It¡¯s a parakeet.¡± Mira lightly tilted her head. Curiously enough, the bid did the same. ¡°A blue one.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± Sophia let out a small sigh. ¡°It looks like a bird, acts like a bird, and sounds like a bird.¡± ¡°Because it is a bird.¡± The overseer nodded. ¡°A parakeet.¡± ¡°As I said, I can see that!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that side of her. ¡°You created it with magic! Does that mean it¡¯s a magic bird?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bird that can use magic.¡± Mira¡¯s wording was a little different. ¡°Show her~.¡± She then turned her head to glance at the bird on her shoulder. The blue parakeet then flapped its wings once, and a strong gust of wind, way more powerful than it should be able to, hit the tiger full on. ¡°Whoa!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes grew wide as she hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°Wait, why am I surprised? It¡¯s a being made with magic! It would be weirder if it couldn¡¯t use it!¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°Other than that, it¡¯s an entirely normal bird. Well, aside from the part where it''s highly intelligent.¡± ¡°Magic can even create life?!¡± The blonde raised her voice once more. ¡°I mean, technically speaking, flora like trees is alive, too. Also, have you forgotten about blessing magic? It¡¯s a natural process, but you still create new life with the help of magic, just with a few extra steps. Okay, that¡¯s actually different, more of a conversion into reproductive cells based on your DNA, but you get the gist.¡± The overseer scratched her cheek. ¡°Anyway, elemental magic has its name for a reason. We all are nothing but elements, either, so it naturally can do that, too. Although, even small birds like this one here are highly complex creatures, and that''s the reason they''re so expensive to make.¡± She added some more details. ¡°The sentient side of magic then will then take care of the, well, sentient side of the creature.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t know how else to react. "Wait! Are griffins also born from magic, then? They''re the only animals I''ve met so far that could use magic. Well, I mean, Fenny and the others are in their own category.¡± "No, griffins are just intelligent enough to understand how to use magic and are granted authority. Any living being past a certain threshold can use it to some level.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see!¡± She thought she was onto something there, but it turned out to be nothing. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I want to know, but a griffin that was created from magic would''ve been a lot more expensive than the 4,000 times for the parakeet, right? That''s probably how it works, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°M-U-C-H more~.¡± The overseer¡¯s expression turned a little mischievous. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked!¡± She quickly shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s do something nicer instead!¡± Saying so, the blonde¡¯s arm disappeared into one of her small portals, and she pulled a small brown bag out of her storage on the other side. ¡°If it¡¯s a real bird, it should love these, right?¡± Opening the bag, she then poured a couple of sunflower seeds out of it on top of her open palm. ¡°Here~.¡± She presented it to the parakeet, which then quickly left Mira''s shoulder to fly over to Sophia and landed on her hand. There, it immediately started munching on the seeds. ¡°Why do you have sunflower seeds just ready like that in your storage?" Mira was surprised by their sudden appearance. ¡°Why not?¡± The tiger tilted her head in return. ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± She could find no fault in her reasoning. ¡°It really is just a parakeet, huh?¡± She watched the bird that was happily eating the seeds while sitting in the palm of her hand. ¡°Aside from the part where it feels super strong.¡± ¡°Well, yeah, it could easily beat you up.¡± The teal fox smiled at her. ¡°Eh? It could?!¡± With big eyes, Sophia stared at the bird. Responding to that, it let go of the seeds for a moment, looked back at the tiger, nodded slightly, and then returned to focus on the treat. ¡°So smug!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe the bird¡¯s reaction. ¡°So cute, though!¡± ¡°Yes, adorable creatures acting smug always is a sight for sore eyes.¡± Mira agreed. ¡°Why did you look at me just now?!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± The overseer just continued to smile at the blonde. ¡°It could beat me, huh?¡± Sophia went back to staring at the bird. ¡°You and everyone else in your group.¡± She nodded. ¡°At once.¡± ¡°You¡¯re way too overpowered!¡± The tiger addressed the parakeet, who in return nodded once more before eating some more seeds. ¡°How intelligent is it really, though? It can obviously understand what I¡¯m saying.¡± ¡°You can interact with it the same way you do with the high-density magic particles. It¡¯s still not at the level where it can talk with you, though.¡± Mira added some details. ¡°Still no talking, huh?¡± Hearing the blonde, the bird looked up again while shaking its head. ¡°Well, even so, that¡¯s amazing!¡± She wasn¡¯t that bothered by it. ¡°It still means I could get a permanent magic friend that I could interact with even when the concentration of ambient magic is too low, right?¡± The parakeet nodded a few times in return. ¡°Yes.¡± Mira also confirmed it. ¡°It can also be used to relay your intended use of magic to get a better efficiency and clearer vision of your plan through explaining it to it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re amazing! Best bird friend ever!¡± Sophia had nothing but praise for the bird as she smiled at it. Responding to that, the bird did a little dance on top of the tiger¡¯s hand. ¡°Are you happy that I called you friend, or do you want my attention because you ate all the sunflower seeds and want more?" The blonde noticed that they were all gone. Hearing that, the parakeet nodded a few times. ¡°Magic really has taken a liking to my stupid yes reply to a question where it¡¯s not an option, huh?¡± Sophia awkwardly looked at the teal fox. ¡°It appears so.¡± Afterward, Sophia fed it some more seed and even added a bit of variety as she had a whole range of them in her storage. She also interacted with it some more to make sure to befriend it properly. Chapter 066 – Creative naming Mira successfully broke a little of Sophia¡¯s worldview by showing her just how powerful magic can be and how limited the tiger still was. Once she got over it and learned a lot, the blonde did her best to befriend the parakeet the overseer created with magic because she already liked it a lot. ¡°Can magic birds get fat?¡± Sophia was still watching the blue parakeet sitting on her hand, munching away one seed after another with rapid speed. Hearing that, the bird lifted its head and slowly shook it from side to side while looking at the blonde. Immediately after, it focused on the food again. ¡°It can, by the way.¡± Mira also shook her head as she glanced at the parakeet. Noticing that it got called out, the bird froze. It still swallowed the seed in its mouth, though. "Again, physically, it has become a regular bird." ¡°I love this little guy~!¡± The tiger gently patted the bird¡¯s head because she was a big fan of how expressive it was. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t get fat if you overeat on a single day.¡± She smiled at the parakeet. ¡°You can also just fly around a lot later for exercise.¡± The moment she said these words, the bird immediately returned to happily eating the seeds at an even faster pace. ¡°Don¡¯t spoil it too much.¡± Mira didn¡¯t approve of it. ¡°But Blu¡¯s too adorable not to spoil!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°Blu?¡± Mira tilted her head. Curiously enough, the bird did the same motion while still swallowing a seed. ¡°The parakeet¡¯s name!¡± She sounded a little excited. "I''m not good with names, so I went for something rather, uhh¡­ obvious, but Blu''s still a cute name, right?!" The tiger looked at the bird for confirmation. Seemingly thinking about it for a moment, it then flapped its wings, took flight, and circled around the blonde a few times before landing on her shoulder. There, it went ahead and rubbed its head against the side of Sophia¡¯s cheek. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a yes on the name.¡± Mira didn¡¯t need to think too hard about interpreting the reaction. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde started smiling broadly. ¡°Nice to meet you, Blu!¡± Seemingly at least as happy about it, the bird rubbed his head even stronger against Sophia¡¯s cheek while also chirping a couple of times. "Your ability to form bonds so quickly and deeply is most fascinating." The overseer stared at the tiger while occasionally glancing at Blu on her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m trying my best!¡± She sounded incredibly happy while saying so. ¡°Alright, I guess that¡¯s a good stopping point to head home, though. After all, I still need to check what magic did with my cherry blossom biome.¡± Sophia thought she learned enough for one day. ¡°Afterward, I¡¯ll proceed to constantly flood my domain with my authority from the outside for the next months to get ever-so-slightly closer to some bigger stuff¡­¡± She sounded tired already. ¡°At least I have Blu now to play with and get to know magic even better!¡± Hearing that, the bird nodded a few times while chirping happily. ¡°What makes you think Blu can come with you?¡± ¡°Because we¡¯re friends!¡± The blonde¡¯s reasoning was simple. ¡°That doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± ¡°Blu, do you want to come to my domain?¡± Sophia addressed the bird directly. ¡°It¡¯s not as fancy as here, but I allowed magic to do whatever it wants! There are only two rules: Not blowing up my domain, and big creations should be cute! Other than that, everyone can do whatever they want! Sounds great, doesn¡¯t it? We can become even better friends, too!¡± Listening to her, Blu then lifted one wing in the air while still nodding and chirping in an even happier tone. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to deny Blu¡¯s wish, are you?¡± ¡°You are the worst.¡± The teal fox eventually gave up when she couldn¡¯t bear the sad-looking expression on Blu any longer and glared at the tiger one last time. ¡°I know!¡± ¡°Do not tell the others that I created it and also not how strong it really is. They''ll notice that it can beat all of them easily, but let''s not mention the times multiple thousand multiplier.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Both nodded a couple of times. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Blu!¡± Watching the bird lift its wing again while still sitting on her shoulder, Sophia opened one of her portals and stepped through it. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Letting out a sigh, Mira then also followed after her. ---------------- ¡°Ohh!¡± They headed directly to the cherry blossom biome, and Sophia immediately got excited when she saw the countless cherry trees around them. It was impossible to tell just how many there were because the tiger would need to be on an elevated area to get an overview, but magic definitely held word and created countless cherry blossoms. Even more weeping cherries, too. Just like the blonde had asked for. Even though they couldn''t see very far, it was already noticeable that the terrain wasn''t just flat, either. ¡°This pink goodness never gets old.¡± Mira also seemed to like the area. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I know, right?!¡± The blonde nodded a few times. Noticing their arrival, countless pink and purple particles appeared from all over the forest and circled around the duo before forming into a cloud in front of them. Seeing them, Blu left Sophia''s shoulder, and it flew through the cloud a couple of times as if greeting them before returning to the tiger. ¡°Aww~.¡± Sophia gently patted Blu¡¯s head before focusing on the cloud. ¡°It looks amazing!¡± She immediately started praising them. ¡°The first impression is exactly how I imagined it to be! I really need to find a way to see it from above because it¡¯s mostly just pink around here, too. I want to see if it changes color along the way!¡± A few moments after saying that, a portal suddenly appeared in front of her while some of the magic particles swirled around it. ¡°Oh?¡± Mira¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°It¡¯s rare for magic to be that eager.¡± ¡°It is?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I have yet to see them not eager.¡± As she said so, the particles sped up and got behind her while trying to push Sophia through the portal. ¡°See?¡± ¡°Hmm, it rarely gets this excited with me.¡± ¡°Maybe magic just likes me more than you~.¡± The tiger¡¯s voice got incredibly smug. ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true, right?¡± The overseer looked around, but every single particle froze for a second or two. Even Blu on Sophia¡¯s shoulder just turned its head away. ¡°Hey!¡± Mira raised her voice. ¡°Everyone, explain that reaction just now!¡± ¡°Magic¡¯s rebelling against their master, huh?¡± Sophia only got smugger. ¡°Hey!¡± The teal fox glared at her. ¡°Also, I just created you, Blu, and that¡¯s how you thank me?!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked the reaction. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re just excited that they can play around in my domain so much. After all, there are next to no rules except not blowing up the place entirely and my preference for cute things. I¡¯m sure you, as the overseer, imposed more rules to your domain to keep things balanced, right?¡± Agreeing with her explanation, Blu nodded again while the particles also started moving up and down. ¡°I see.¡± Mira paused for a moment. ¡°So, Sophia¡¯s the cool aunt that lets you do whatever you want when you visit her, knowing that you have to behave at home, huh?¡± She looked right at the parakeet on Sophia¡¯s shoulder, which only turned its head away in return. ¡°Oh!¡± Hearing that analogy, Sophia¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I like that! Alright, magic, from now on, I¡¯m your cool aunt!¡± Welcoming her to the family, Blu did a little dance on the tiger¡¯s shoulder while all the particles rapidly swirled around her. ¡°I wasn¡¯t being seri-, well, whatever.¡± The overseer let out a sigh. ¡°Sure, why not.¡± She gave up. "Alright, let''s go to wherever this leads!" Energetically raising her arm, the tiger then stepped through the portal magic had provided for her. ¡°Sure.¡± Mira followed after her. ¡°WOW!¡± Arriving on the other side, Sophia got even more excited. The portal led to a floating island roughly 500 meters above the forest. It was around 50 meters in diameter and had a massive weeping cherry in its very center, with the leaves and branches spanning over the entire island, providing a nice protection from the usual all-white around them. Under the tree, attached to two low-hanging branches, was also a hammock, together with a small river flowing from one end of the island to the other. The water then simply fell off the sides and rained down on the forest below like a small waterfall. ¡°I guess I¡¯m moving out of the cottage! This place is way better!¡± ¡°It really is a very beautiful place.¡± The teal fox also agreed. ¡°ALSO!¡± The tiger raised her voice even more. ¡°Floating island! How?!¡± ¡°I love how short and precise you are.¡± Mira let out a small chuckle. ¡°As usual, the answer is magic. Making something float is an easy feat for it.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Sophia decided that she wouldn¡¯t question it and just nodded. ¡°I should¡¯ve known that earlier, though! I love it! Magic, suggestion for the future! Floating cherry island all over the place!¡± She addressed the pink and purple particles around her, who then immediately started moving up and down. ¡°Also, thank you very much for making this place for me so that I can get a good look at everything!¡± The particles got even more active after hearing that. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s really no surprise that they like you so much.¡± Though she had some mixed feelings on a few earlier events, Mira couldn''t help but smile at their exchange. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia let out a short giggle before continuing. ¡°Okay, I already got a small glimpse, but let¡¯s get a better look.¡± Saying so, she walked over to the edge of the island and looked down. ¡°Also, we need to add some guard rails here.¡± She got a little uneasy about the 500-meter drop without any protection. Ignoring the safety hazard for the time being, she then focused on the forest below them. Thanks to being on such an elevated point and her domain being flat, she could look on forever, but even then, the blonde wasn''t able to see the edge of the vast forest as her eyesight gave out before the cherries did. She could clearly see that two-thirds of the trees were weeping cherries while the rest were of the regular kind, just as she wanted it to be. The terrain had been visibly altered, too. Instead of everything being flat, there were some actual mountains or at least hills, valleys, a few plains, and even rivers all over the place. The tiger could even spot a few smaller lakes the rivers fed into and something that looked like a massive ravine in the far distance, splitting a part of the land. The most striking feature was the color shift of the whole forest, though. Just as she had asked for, the trees came in many shades of white, violet, pink, and purple, almost leading to a full red. The change happened in a nice gradient, too. Instead of dark purple trees being right next to light violet ones, the white cherries slowly turned into a light pink, normal pink, darker pink, light purple, and so on. The same happened with the violet and other hues. ¡°Oho.¡± Mira walked up next to her and also took in the sights. ¡°That¡¯s no good.¡± She shook her head after a little while. ¡°Why?!¡± She didn¡¯t like her reaction. ¡°This cherry blossom biome might be more impressive than all the ones I have combined. It¡¯s absolutely stunning without being obnoxious or too oversized and mutated.¡± The overseer paused for a moment. ¡°I can¡¯t let that slide.¡± ¡°We did it, magic!¡± Hearing that, Sophia¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°We made the boss jealous!¡± Even the particles around her somehow seemed smug about it. ¡°I really am the cool aunt here!¡± ¡°Why do I feel the urge to give you a little push right now?¡± The teal fox looked over the edge of the island, down towards the forest, before glancing at the tiger beside her. ¡°Try it!¡± Sophia took a stance against her. ¡°You were the one who said you can''t beat me in my own domain, so I''m looking forward to testing that out." ¡°That¡¯s the reason we¡¯re both still up here right now." Mira smiled back at her. ¡°Not that either of us would get even a scratch by falling down from up here, anyway.¡± ¡°Also, this is no place for violence!¡± The blonde ended the topic. ¡°Good call.¡± The overseer nodded. Afterward, once things calmed down, mostly Sophia having grown tired of her teasing and smugness, they simply enjoyed the beautiful area for a while longer. Chapter 067 – Blu Sophia befriended the blue parakeet Mira created with magic and decided to call it Blu. While it wasn''t the most creative name, the blonde thought it was cute, and that was all that mattered. Once that was taken care of, she, Mira, and Blu went to the tiger¡¯s domain to inspect the new cherry blossom biome. Arriving there, everything turned out just as the blonde had hoped it to be, but she was especially excited over the floating island above the forest that magic had created as an observation platform for Sophia. ¡°By the way,¡± The blonde and Mira were still on the floating island when Sophia patted Blu''s head after he returned to her shoulder while the tiger looked at the overseer. ¡°I¡¯m fine with not telling the others what Blu really is. I¡¯m not lying if I simply say I found an amazing bird in your domain, after all, but I can still introduce Blu to the group, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°While pure animals that can use magic, especially smaller ones like birds, are rare, it¡¯s not unheard of. Nobody should expect anything there, especially when it came out of my domain.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia clapped her hands. ¡°Everyone will love you, Blu!¡± She immediately returned to patting the parakeet¡¯s head. ¡°Speaking of everyone, let¡¯s go and get them! They need to see this!¡± ¡°Do they need to see this, or do you need to boast about it?¡± The teal fox raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes!¡± Seemingly in a good mood, the tiger then quickly made yet another portal and stepped through it. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing¡¯s for sure, it¡¯s that it doesn¡¯t get boring with her around.¡± Not entirely sure how to feel about it, Mira then also followed after her. ---------------- ¡°Sophia! Mira!¡± Back in the cottage, Chloe happened to be in the entrance hall and greeted them. ¡°Bird? Cute!¡± She saw Blu on the blonde¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Wait, later!¡± She seemed to be in a hurry. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sophia was confused over her twitchy acting. ¡°Toilet!¡± She had a very good explanation. ¡°Also, thank you very much for bringing Feyfey back! I hadn''t even noticed that you overheard me needing her!¡± After saying that, the pink fox disappeared into the bathroom. ¡°Your daughter is something else.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°Mh-hm.¡± Mira just nodded. ¡°Also, you really weren¡¯t lying earlier when you made Fey leave to talk alone with me in my domain, huh?¡± ¡°I have no idea what Chloe was talking about just now.¡± She shook her head in return. ¡°I should¡¯ve known.¡± The overseer rolled her eyes. ¡°To the living room!¡± Ignoring her, Sophia then started walking again and entered said room. ¡°I love that bird!¡± Everyone except Chloe was in the living room, and Steph immediately noticed the little parakeet on Sophia''s shoulder. ¡°It really is cute!¡± Ari, Anna, and Maya had the same reaction, too. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Fey and the wolves seemed to have noticed something about it as all three were staring at it with an oddly serious aura around them. ¡°This is Blu!¡± Sophia focused on the girls while giving the bird a gentle head pat. ¡°I came across it in Mira¡¯s domain, and we became friends! So good friends that it''s staying with me now!" ¡°Blu?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°Come on, sis, I know that your naming sense is¡­ basic, but that''s a little too on the nose, even for you! Don¡¯t you feel sorry? W-WHOA!¡± The moment she finished her sentence, Blu flapped its wings and hit her with a strong blow of wind that knocked her over. ¡°Blu can use magic, by the way.¡± The blonde grinned at her. ¡°It also likes my name a whole lot.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Steph bounced right back up. ¡°I take everything back! While it may be a simple name, simple is best!¡± She smiled at Blu. ¡°It¡¯s a great name!¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Sophia also was glad that she reconsidered. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m back! That was a close call¡­¡± Looking visibly relieved, Chloe returned and joined the others in the living room. ¡°So, now that I¡¯m not preoccupied any longer, why does Sophia have a bird with so much magic authority that it could beat all of us up? Like, it wouldn''t even be close to a fight, I want to add. It''s S-E-V-E-R-A-L times stronger! Like, triple digits or even more!¡± She stared right at Blu. ¡°Mira excluded, of course.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia, Mira, and Blu froze. ¡°That¡¯s what felt so odd about it!¡± Fey and the wolves had the same reaction. ¡°You hadn¡¯t factored in that your daughter is dangerously sharp about these kinds of things, huh?¡± The blonde glanced at the overseer. ¡°I might have not, yes.¡± She nodded slightly. ¡°How were you able to notice?¡± The teal fox looked at her daughter. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, you know?¡± ¡°I do know.¡± It wasn¡¯t what Mira was implying. ¡°No, you should only be able to feel that Blu is strong, but not how strong because the difference is too big.¡± ¡°And how would that not lead to the conclusion I came to?¡± The pink fox tilted her head. ¡°Yeah, sure, I can¡¯t see how strong it is, but it vastly overshadows Sophia¡¯s feel as it¡¯s sitting on her shoulder.¡± ¡°I guess I was the stupid one here.¡± Mira had nothing else to say. "You aren''t the wisest of overseers, aren''t you?¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Thankfully, that¡¯s not a requirement for being one.¡± She awkwardly rubbed her cheek in return. ¡°I mean, look at Canir.¡± ¡°Well, you win that argument.¡± The short tiger had to give it to her. ¡°So, what or who is this cute bird?¡± Chloe got back to the topic. ¡°It¡¯s Blu!¡± Sophia smiled at her while the parakeet nodded a few times. ¡°So cute!¡± The pink fox liked that. ¡°Such a fitting name, too! Simple and easy to remember, but adorable at the same time!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re the best!¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs-up before facing her sister with a smug expression. ¡°What are you grinning at me for?¡± Steph looked back at her. ¡°I know that my Chloe is the absolute best!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The pink fox got happy over that. ¡°So, I want to know more about our lovely Blu! Where did you find such a powerful bird? Also, I thought only bigger animals could use magic?¡± "I came across it in Mira''s domain, and we immediately bonded~." Though omitting some crucial details, Sophia did her special and technically didn¡¯t lie. ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Then, it makes perfect sense for such an overpowered bird to exist. I mean, her domain is overflowing with magic, more than enough to affect even animals, I guess.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± The blonde just agreed with her. ¡°There are quite a few animals in my domain that can use magic.¡± Mira did the same. ¡°It really is cute, but isn¡¯t it dangerous to have such a powerful animal around us?¡± Ari wasn¡¯t quite sure how to feel about their new friend yet. ¡°Are you dangerous, Blu?¡± Sophia turned her head to the side to glance at the parakeet on her shoulder, which then quickly shook its head in return. ¡°See?¡± The blonde smiled at Ari. ¡°How is it able to understand you?¡± She only got more confused. ¡°Blu¡¯s a clever one!¡± The short tiger sounded oddly proud while the bird continued to nod. ¡°Animals that can use magic usually are more intelligent, too.¡± Mira added some vague extra information. ¡°Also, no, Blu isn¡¯t dangerous to any of you as long you don¡¯t attack first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very reassuring!¡± The jaguar looked relieved. ¡°Well then, welcome to the group, Blu~.¡± Once she knew that it wasn¡¯t dangerous, Ari was completely on board. Hearing that she accepted the bird in their circle, Blu flew over to Ari and landed on her shoulder instead. There, it gently rubbed its head against the side of her cheek. ¡°So cute!¡± She liked the bird even more now and started to gently pet its head. ¡°Blu¡¯s good!¡± Sophia seemed impressed. ¡°To win over our jaguar so easily.¡± ¡°True.¡± Everyone agreed. ¡°Hey!¡± Ari raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯m weak to cute things, and Blu is way too powerful in that regard! No, I¡¯m not talking about his magic here, either!¡± ¡°Fair.¡± The short tiger couldn¡¯t fault her logic. ¡°True and real, too.¡± ¡°Unfair!¡± Seeing how Ari was already bonding with Blu before they got the chance, the other girls got envious of her. ¡°Me, too!¡± They unionized as they watched the parakeet rubbing its head against the jaguar¡¯s cheek. Noticing what they wanted, Blu eventually left the jaguar¡¯s shoulder and introduced itself to Anna, Maya, Steph, and Chloe in the same manner before eventually returning to Sophia. ---------------- ¡°Alright, with that taken care of, there¡¯s something I need to show everyone!¡± The blonde got very excited. ¡°There¡¯s something you need to boast about, you mean.¡± Mira corrected her. ¡°Same difference!¡± She didn¡¯t care. ¡°Anyway, everyone, I¡¯m really proud of the biomes you created so far!¡± The short tiger smiled at the group. ¡°Even you, Steph.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t like being singled out like that. ¡°My biome¡¯s the best!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if you still say that once we take a peek at my new benchmark for area creation!¡± ¡°I like how humble you are.¡± Mira gave her a sarcastic thumbs-up. ¡°It made even you jealous!¡± Sophia looked back at her. ¡°I have all the bragging rights here!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The teal fox quickly turned down her sass. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde energetically raised her arm, and so did Blu with his wing on her shoulder. ¡°Be prepared to be amazed!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll prepare to nitpick on every single odd detail I find!¡± Steph was still upset about her sister¡¯s earlier remark. ¡°Good luck with that~.¡± Knowing just how amazing her cherry blossom forest turned out, her expression turned rather smug. Afterward, the short tiger guided them outside and through the portal leading to the floating island above her biome for maximum effect. "A-Ah.¡± It didn¡¯t seem like the dog-girl would be able to nitpick because her jaw dropped the moment she arrived there. Chapter 068 – Sturdy Blu was introduced to the rest of the group, but Mira¡¯s wish to keep its real powers hidden was busted the moment her daughter took as much as a single glance at it. Chloe instantly noticed that Blu was beyond powerful, but she luckily bought the excuse of it just being a random bird from her domain because she could see how the teal fox¡¯s place was full of animals like the parakeet. Afterward, Sophia took everyone to the floating island of her newly created cherry blossom biome because she got the overwhelming urge to boast about it. After all, she can''t function without being at the center of attention at least once a day. ¡°HOW?!¡± Steph was the first to react when she realized that they were on a floating island as she glanced down at the side of it. ¡°How does it float?!¡± ¡°Magic, of course~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s quite easy to make things float with it.¡± ¡°IT IS?!¡± Her sister got even louder. ¡°You didn¡¯t know about it?¡± The blonde got even smugger about it. ¡°I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mira smiled at Steph. ¡°Sophia was even more surprised than you are right now when she first saw it earlier.¡± ¡°T-There was no need to mention that part!¡± She glared at her in return. ¡°Ha!¡± The dog-girl¡¯s expression turned into a smirk. ¡°Wait, if she didn¡¯t know about it, how did Sophia do it, then?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Sophia created the area, right? That means she should¡¯ve wanted this floating island to happen, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Well,¡± The short tiger scratched her cheek. ¡°I wanted a viewing platform to overlook the forest and take in its whole glory. Magic interpreted that into this.¡± She simply gestured around. ¡°Ahh, I see!¡± The pink fox nodded a few times. ¡°Your ambiguity when it comes to using magic really leads to the most amazing results!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Circumstances aside, I think I have to admit defeat, though.¡± Steph was looking down the island and at the cherry blossom forest below again. ¡°Even the palace area of my kingdom of eternal coldness looks like slums compared to your biome.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a palace area in your hellscape?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like those words. ¡°I was planning one before, but I need to redo everything!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°I was playing things way too safe! I need to get way more extreme! Now I have a benchmark and have to respond accordingly!¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t have to.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Your ice hell is fine the way it is!" She hated it enough already, after all. ¡°Too late! I¡¯m already fired up!¡± There was no stopping her any longer. ¡°Chloe, you¡¯ll still help me fill our kingdom with raw magic, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll not only help you, but I¡¯ll also make sure to help you surpass her creation!¡± She was just as motivated. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± ¡°That being said,¡± The pink fox also moved to the edge of the island. ¡°It is amazingly beautiful!¡± ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± Sophia was happy to hear that. ¡°I absolutely love how it came out.¡± ¡°You have all the reasons to be proud!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to make a better cherry blossom forest than this. It¡¯s simply perfect!¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Steph nodded. ¡°I still love all things pink more, though! No one can beat me in that regard!¡± She kept glancing at Chloe. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Sophia smirked at her before pointing down the island. ¡°I think my love for pink burns a little hotter than yours~.¡± ¡°Never!¡± Raising her voice, the dog-girl then leaned over to Chloe and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°I mean,¡± The blonde tilted her head before glancing at Maya. ¡°Cheek is fine~.¡± The cat-girl gave her a thumbs up. ¡°See?¡± Sophia then also leaned over and kissed Chloe¡¯s other cheek. It was a lot lighter than Steph¡¯s, though. ¡°Your dedication to pink is lacking~.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± The little sister wasn¡¯t a fan of losing, so this time, she wrapped her arms around the fox''s neck, pulled her close, and gave her a full kiss on the lips. ¡°It is not!¡± She stared at the short tiger with a serious expression after parting. ¡°Hmm,¡± Sophia paused for a moment. Then, she shook her head and started smiling. ¡°Fine, your dedication to Chloe is slightly bigger than mine is. How about that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not happy, but it¡¯s a compromise I can accept.¡± ¡°Our daughter sure is popular, huh?¡± Mira smiled at Fey next to her while watching their exchange. ¡°Not happy.¡± The full fox shook her head. ¡°Especially when she¡¯s popular with those chaotic sisters!¡± ¡°She¡¯s popular with all of us girls, though.¡± Maya decided that she didn¡¯t want to help. ¡°Yes.¡± Ari and Anna felt the same. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Chloe got even happier. ¡°Also, our girl is about as chaotic as the sisters.¡± ¡°Not helping!¡± Fey raised her voice. ¡°All of you, I want to add!¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Once they were done lightly flirting with Chloe, Anna, Ari, and Maya slowly went closer to the edge of the floating island. ¡°Is it, uhh¡­ really safe¡­?¡± They didn¡¯t feel like wanting to fall down. ¡°I¡¯ll catch you if any of you trip~.¡± Sophia smiled at the trio. ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily overly help-, WOAH!¡± The jaguar wanted to complain about her reply, but she had a very different reaction once she was close enough to the edge to see the cherry blossom forest below in all its glory. ¡°Woah!¡± The other two felt the same. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the reaction I wanted!¡± The blonde was a big fan of the exchange. ¡°I¡¯m glad you all like it.¡± ¡°This is absolutely gorgeous!¡± Maya praised her some more. ¡°Almost as beautiful as the things we did while you were getting your magic ready for this~.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Sophia had to chuckle at this very typical response. ¡°True, though.¡± ¡°It is indeed very stunning.¡± Ari and Anna nodded a few times. ¡°How about some railing on this island, though?¡± They were still not fans of standing so close to the edge. ¡°It makes you nervous, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The short tiger agreed with them. ¡°It¡¯s on the list.¡± ¡°I wanna go down!¡± Steph got excited. ¡°How do we do that? Jump?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead~.¡± Sophia pointed down the edge. ¡°How about no?!¡± The other girls had something against that idea. "Don''t worry, Steph''s pretty sturdy," Fey reassured them. "A small drop like that won''t hurt her.¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The dog-girl nodded. ¡°And she would know, after all.¡± "Exactly." The full fox nodded. ¡°How would she know that you won¡¯t get hurt from such a height?!¡± Chloe got loud. ¡°Who knows?¡± Both decided to feign ignorance. ¡°Oi!¡± The pink fox raised her voice even more. ¡°From now on, the two of you aren¡¯t allowed to do any of your little training sessions without supervision!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The duo had nothing else to say. "Do I count as supervision?" Sophia pointed at herself. "I''m getting really curious about what the two are up to all the time and how Steph became fireproof, among other things." ¡°No!¡± Ari immediately shot her down. ¡°I don¡¯t even want to imagine the consequences there.¡± ¡°Fey and I mostly train in Mira¡¯s domain, so the consequences are minimal.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Oh!¡± The jaguar¡¯s expression changed. ¡°If that¡¯s how it is, Sophia definitely counts as supervision! Everything that powers her out from going crazy in the regular world is a good thing!¡± ¡°Nice!¡± The blonde was happy to get the permission in the end. ¡°Only I count as supervision!¡± The pink fox thought otherwise. ¡°The supervision is meant to keep Steph from gaining even more questionable features!¡± She was concerned about her girlfriend. ¡°Aww.¡± ¡°If you want to, I can show you the things Steph and I usually do.¡± Fey looked at the disappointed tiger. ¡°Just the two of us have some nice training together.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t care about that.¡± Chloe started smiling again. ¡°Go wild, you two!¡± "A little more love for the older sister would be appreciated!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like how fast her attitude changed. ¡°I love you a whole lot, but I also know that Canir went so wild with you that you¡¯re basically indestructible.¡± Missing love wasn''t the issue. She simply had complete faith in her survival rate when paired with Fey. ¡°Oh, okay, fair enough.¡± The short tiger looked relieved. ¡°I mean, I even kissed you earlier and all that, so that would¡¯ve been quite the shock!¡± ¡°And I enjoyed that a lot!¡± ¡°Wording!¡± Ari shook her head while listening to them. ¡°You¡¯re the last who¡¯s allowed to make comments on that!¡± Multiple people in the group immediately retorted when they heard the jaguar¡¯s words. "A-Ah.¡± She awkwardly turned her head to the side because there was nothing she could say to defend herself. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it!¡± Sophia smiled back at Fey. ¡°I definitely wanna try it someday!¡± ¡°Anytime you¡¯re ready to learn some manners and restraint~.¡± The full¡¯s voice was full of smugness. ¡°I don¡¯t think Steph learned either so far, though?¡± The blonde glanced at her sister while tilting her head. "Nope!" She just gave her a thumbs-up in return. ¡°Well,¡± Even though she started saying something, Fey didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go down already! I want to see the forest up close!¡± Steph returned to her previous request. ¡°Sophia, portal please!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Doing as told, the short tiger created a portal that led towards the actual cherry blossom forest and gestured the group to go through it before following after them, as well. Chapter 069 – Nice Sophia took the group to the floating island towering over the cherry blossom forest she created with the help of magic. Everyone was very surprised over just how massive and beautiful the area had turned out to be. They were also big fans of the island itself, but the group decided to take a portal down to the actual forest to take a better look at the nice area there instead. ¡°Nice!¡± Steph got excited the moment they entered the forest below the floating island. ¡°It¡¯s so nice down here! The trees are just perfect! Not over-the-top big, but dense enough to fully block out your stupid all-white default design." No one liked the standard color of it. "You don''t even realize that you''re not in a normal world around here. It¡¯s nice and peaceful out here and great for relaxing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice how the terrain changes.¡± Fen was also looking around. ¡°I prefer my forest because it¡¯s made after my preferences, but I¡¯m starting to dislike how flat the area is there.¡± ¡°Yeah, having some hills and drops in the area is a lot nicer, huh?¡± Ari nodded a few times. ¡°I guess we have to do some remodeling in your forest, after all?¡± She smiled at the male wolf. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Yes, it is a little boring, but I still think we made a nice area together. I wouldn¡¯t want to destroy it.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Ari liked his reply. ¡°Oh! How about we treat our current area as a nice plateau and create a more mountainous terrain around it?¡± "Oh, that''s a nice idea!¡± Fen liked her suggestion a lot. ¡°We should give that a try!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°I have to admit that it¡¯s indeed a nice forest you have created here.¡± Even Fey seemed impressed. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly tasteful.¡± ¡°HEY!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t appreciate her wording. ¡°What?¡± The full tilted her head. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly known for understatement, are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°I can only agree with everyone else, you made a very nice space here.¡± The cat-girl also liked the creation. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to spend a lot of time here. The varying colors of the cherries are especially nice in my eyes.¡± ¡°Oh, speaking of that!¡± Anna joined the conversation. ¡°Can we get one of the dark purple weeping cherries at the cottage? If possible, right in front of the window of Ari¡¯s and my room! They look so nice, and I¡¯d love to wake up to that sight outside the window every morning!¡± ¡°I fully support this nice suggestion!¡± The jaguar nodded a few times. ¡°Sure thing~.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± The royal couple was happy to hear it. ¡°By the way, is there a sixty-nine joke I missed, or why are we saying nice so often right now?¡± Sophia tilted her head as she noticed a curious pattern in their current conversation. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Maya looked back at her. ¡°We¡¯re just praising your nice creation here.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You know that I don¡¯t joke about sixty-nine!¡± Her voice turned serious. ¡°It¡¯s not a joke, but an amazing activity, after all!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The blonde had nothing else to say there. ¡°Sure, it is nice.¡± She decided to join them. ¡°What is?¡± The cat-girl had to do it. ¡°Your forest or sixty-nine?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± It was exactly what Maya wanted to hear. ¡°You¡¯re right, it is very nice.¡± All the hybrid girls except Mira agreed with the blonde. ¡°We¡¯re rather horny today again, huh?¡± Sophia reacted with a wry smile while looking at all of them. ---------------- Once they finished playing around with that topic, the girls eventually got back on track and refocused their attention on the cherry blossom forest. ¡°By the way, where are the hot springs at?¡± Steph was looking around in the area again. ¡°You promised me there would be hot springs! You can¡¯t have a forest like this without them, after all!¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned a little awkward. ¡°How could you?!¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t like her sister¡¯s reaction. ¡°This place just came into existence! I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to make anything specific yet!¡± ¡°Boo!¡± She didn¡¯t accept her excuse. ¡°Boo!¡± Maya felt the same. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°We already have a hot spring at home! You don¡¯t have to be so horny for a new one!¡± ¡°We do!¡± Steph and the cat-girl disagreed. ¡°It would be much better here!¡± ¡°I do kind of agree with the perverts here.¡± Ari nodded a few times. ¡°We knew we could count on number three on the pervert list for that!¡± The duo smiled at the jaguar. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant!¡± She got loud. ¡°I just wanted to say that the atmosphere here is better! The cherry blossoms make for a much more beautiful backdrop.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± Sophia reacted with a sigh. ¡°Alright, fine, I¡¯ll get to-, Hmm?¡± She noticed that the parakeet on her shoulder was getting lively as it flapped its wings while also chirping a couple of times. ¡°What is it, Blu?¡± The bird then took off from her shoulder and flew into the forest while continuing to chirp even louder. ¡°Does Blu want us to follow?¡± Chloe took a wild guess. ¡°It appears so?¡± The blonde had no better explanation, either. ¡°Or it got so angry with you that there are no hot springs here that it had to leave.¡± Steph was still upset about it. ¡°Very likely!¡± Maya agreed with her. ¡°I¡¯ll go with Chloe¡¯s suggestion!¡± Sophia glared at the duo before continuing. ¡°Let¡¯s go and follow Blu!¡± Afterward, she immediately started walking in the direction the parakeet had flown before the others eventually followed after her. The blonde also ignored the fact that Maya and Steph high-fived before they moved. ---------------- The group followed Blu through the forest for about 15 minutes before it eventually landed on a branch of a tree in front of something a little bit different. ¡°Ohh!¡± Noticing where they had ended up, Steph¡¯s eyes immediately lit up. ¡°So there was one, after all! Let¡¯s go!¡± Blu had guided them to a small area of cherry blossoms that actually had a hot spring. Steam rose from the roughly ten-by-eight-meter-wide oval-shaped pond, which seemed to be naturally formed and lined with grey rocks around the entire edge and inside, as well. ¡°Amazing!¡± Maya felt the same. The whole area was slightly elevated and carved into a small mountain. On the far side, where the hill ascended further up, hot water was flowing down the rocks and into the pond, constantly renewing the water in the hot spring while causing it to overflow on the other end, where it then ran down downhill before disappearing into the ground. While it was easy to see the elevation, it was still impossible to take a look at the mountain itself, though. The pink weeping cherries and regular cherry blossom trees around the hot spring made it impossible to see far into the distance, or up, for that matter. Not that any of them felt the need to look anywhere else in the first place. ¡°Well, that solves that issue~.¡± Sophia then tapped her shoulder a few times, and Blu quickly flew over again to land it. ¡°Thank you!¡± She gently patted the bird¡¯s head afterward. ¡°Wait, how did it know?!¡± Chloe stared at the bird. ¡°Because Blu¡¯s amazing~.¡± The short tiger had an easy explanation. ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± The pink fox didn¡¯t have an issue with that part. ¡°How and why, though?!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re amazing, you¡¯re amazing~.¡± Sophia had no intention of being helpful anytime soon. ¡°Mira, explanation please!¡± Chloe went for a more useful source of information instead. ¡°Blu¡¯s amazing.¡± The overseer didn¡¯t feel like helping, either. ¡°Sophia¡¯s entirely correct on her deduction. If you¡¯re amazing, you¡¯re amazing.¡± Naturally, she didn¡¯t want them to know the actual reason. Blu having a connection with ambient magic and knowing it had made a hot spring for the blonde tiger because they were aware she wanted one, that is. ¡°Grr!¡± Her daughter did not appreciate it. ¡°Feyfey, do you have an explanation for me?¡± She then turned to her actually reliable other mother for help. ¡°I can only take a guess here.¡± The full wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to tell her, either. ¡°I do have some experience with the animals in our many-tailed idiot¡¯s domain, though. Most of them are able to use magic to some capability, and the higher their proficiency, the more intelligent and cleverer they seem. Blu seems especially quick on the uptake, so I guess it¡¯s not impossible for it to have some special abilities or something along the lines. I mean, it has, Mira excluded, much more magic power than all of us combined. I''m sure that comes with some side effects." ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°It sounds like it would make sense. In one way or another. As much sense as any of this can make.¡± ¡°As I said, Blu¡¯s amazing!¡± Sounding extra proud, Sophia patted the parakeet¡¯s head on her shoulder a little more, which responded by happily moving its body around the entire time. ¡°Less theory crafting, more hot springs!¡± Steph had enough of the conversation and pointed at the steaming water in front of them with an eager expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Then, she immediately stripped down and jumped into the water, making her naked butt the last thing the group saw of her before creating a massive splash that even reached some of the girls. ¡°I love her enthusiasm, but I think I¡¯ll sit that one out.¡± Mira didn¡¯t feel like taking a bath right now. ¡°Yeah.¡± Fey and the wolves agreed with her. Blu also moved away from the tree and relocated to the overseer¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Boo!¡± Steph resurfaced and didn¡¯t like what she heard. ¡°How about you show some modesty and don¡¯t present your bare chest to all of us like it¡¯s nothing?¡± Anna slowly shook her head while looking at the dog-girl, who had everything waist-up on full display as that much of her was sticking out of the water. ¡°How about you not stare so much instead?¡± Her expression turned into a smirk while noticing how the princess had her eyes glued to her. ¡°A-Ah.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m flattered you like the view~.¡± Neither shame nor modesty existed in the being called Steph as she puffed out her modest chest. ¡°Let me see something, too! Anna, Ari, Maya, Chloe, sis, all of you! Strip right this instant and join me! The water¡¯s great, too!¡± ¡°Fine!¡± Overpowered by her energy, the five, once Mira and the others left, also got rid of their clothes and joined the overly excited dog-girl in the water. As usual, Maya and Sophia ended up cuddling with each other. Anna and Ari used their bodies to lean onto each other, and Chloe tried to tame the violet whirlwind of their group. ¡°This is heaven!¡± Clearly not talking about the water, Steph was looking at all of them while her fox was trying to make her sit tight in the water. ¡°How are you still this excited over this?¡± Ari tilted her head. "We''ve been using the other hot spring for like a month already, and we''ve seen each other naked every night since then." ¡°Because all of you are way too hot!¡± There was zero hesitation in her reply. ¡°Chloe wins by far, but this much beauty in one spot should be illegal! Sis doesn¡¯t count for me, but she also adds to my claim! It¡¯s an all-you-can-eat buffet for the eyes!¡± ¡°She does have a point.¡± Maya nodded a few times as she squeezed the naked body of Sophia, who had gotten comfortable between her legs. ¡°And this tiger counts for me, so I agree with her even more.¡± "I guess so." The jaguar couldn''t really deny it. Even so, she still tried hard not to stare in a specific direction for too long or hard because she didn¡¯t want to get teased about it. The third-horniest member of the group has some unfortunate experience with that, after all. Afterward, once some more staring had been engaged in, the group finally shifted their attention to the beautiful cherry blossom backdrop of their new hot spring and decided to relax while cuddling with each other, mostly with their actual partners, for a good while longer. Chapter 070 – Secrets of the forest The group was awestruck by the cherry blossom forest Sophia and the magic particles had made together. At first, Steph was quite disappointed that there was no hot spring around because a beautiful area like the forest just needed to have one, but after Blu had guided them to an existing one nearby, the dog-girl was more than pleased, too. Immediately using this chance, the girls decided to test it out and had a nice bath together. ¡°That was great!¡± Back in the cottage, and dressed again, the girls were relaxing together in the living room while being comfy on the sofas. "Casual yet somewhat revealing loungewear is great, too, so I can live with the current situation!" She was still a little horny. "Crop tops are a good compromise!¡± The dog-girl was looking at the other girls wearing shorts and some sort of top that was either shoulder-free or showed some level of stomach. Or, which she liked the most, both. ¡°Well said.¡± Maya agreed with her. ¡°Personally, I might prefer skimpy clothes over fully nude even. Leaving the last bit to the imagination adds spice! Not that I have to actually imagine what the hidden bits are like because I know them, but that''s beside the point~." ¡°I can only dream to be as cultured as you are in the future!¡± The dog-girl looked at her with sparkling eyes. ¡°You¡¯re three levels ahead of me!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°We have to make sure that those two are never alone together.¡± Sophia leaned towards Chloe on the other sofa left of her with a concerned expression. ¡°I don¡¯t want to imagine what they could come up with when it¡¯s just them.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°I feel like that would end up being quite intense for us.¡± ¡°Maya, do you have some time for me tomorrow?¡± Liking the sound of that, Steph smiled at the cat-girl. ¡°For you?¡± She smiled back at her. ¡°Always, my dear.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The blonde and the fox had the same reaction. ¡°You really should¡¯ve seen that one coming.¡± Ari could only roll her eyes. ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± The two hung their heads. ¡°Speaking of tomorrow,¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Do we have any plans already? Preferably some that don¡¯t involve the snowy mountain range from the outside world.¡± ¡°Well, I just scored a date with Maya, so I don¡¯t have much interest in the snow.¡± Steph, the biggest enthusiast of the place, was preoccupied already. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind exploring it some more, but I doubt it holds any more big secrets like the cherry blossom plateau, so I¡¯m in no rush, either.¡± Chloe didn¡¯t particularly care either way. ¡°I¡¯d like to explore my new forest a little more.¡± Sophia also had enough of the mountain range. ¡°It feels like I haven¡¯t seen everything yet, so I¡¯d like to take another break day from the other world.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°I might go and visit Aura¡¯s place because it sounds quite awesome. Maybe I got some inspiration for more own ideas, too!¡± Afterward, the girls kept making some more plans to spend the day on personal projects and chatted for a good while longer before eventually turning in for sleep. ---------------- ¡°Alright, Blu, are there any other secrets in the forest here?¡± Sophia was back in the hot spring area from the day before and patted her favorite parakeet sitting on her shoulder while looking around. In response to that, the bird pressed its head against her hand a couple of times while chirping a happy-sounding tune before eventually taking flight. ¡°Do you want me to follow you?¡± She watched Blu flying around in front of her while tilting her head to guess the intent. Immediately after, the parakeet flew through a portal that appeared mere moments before. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a yes? Also, so everyone¡¯s using portals to wherever now, huh?¡± Shrugging, she then also stepped through it. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Ohh!¡± Exiting the portal, the blonde found herself on a floating island again. It was a different one from the day before, though. It was roughly the same size, but it had a regular cherry blossom tree in its middle rather than a weeping cherry, and there was no river, either. ¡°WOW!¡± The most stunning was the view from up there, tough. ¡°So many!¡± Hundreds of islands were floating in the air around them. Most of them were of similar size, but some were bigger, while others were massive enough to have an entire small forest on top. Roughly a tenth had rivers raining down on the area below, too. ¡°Magic sure acts fast! I just told the sparkly particles that I¡¯d like more floating islands a day ago! Amazing!¡± Blu landed on her shoulder again and chirped a couple of times, almost sounding proud while doing so. ¡°It¡¯s also impressive how much you are in contact with magic! Yesterday, you knew exactly where the hot spring was, and now this! I mean, it makes sense because you¡¯re made from pure magic, but still!¡± She had trouble finding the right words. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Her conclusion was the same nonetheless, and the tiger petted the parakeet some more. ¡°This is so amazing!¡± Sophia got a little closer to the edge of their floating island to get a better look at all the others around, as well as slightly above and below them. ¡°Ohh! It¡¯s really just plain old dirt and rocks beneath those islands, huh?¡± It was the first time she was able to see how they were floating from another point of view. "So surreal! Awesome, though!" She was really excited about it. ¡°Blu!¡± The tiger addressed the bird in a highly energetic way. ¡°Are there any other great places hidden in the forest? I¡¯m in an explorer mood and wanna see something amazing!¡± Looking at it with sparkling eyes, the parakeet took flight once more and flew around the blonde a couple of times before yet another portal appeared in front of them. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± She immediately jumped into it while Blu followed after her. ¡°Oh, I think I saw this from above!¡± They ended up right at the edge of a massive ravine that was splitting a huge part of the forest apart. It was impossible to tell how long it was because it curved around and eventually disappeared into the forest, but it was about 100 meters wide. ¡°Woah!¡± Getting closer to the edge and looking down, Sophia¡¯s eyes grew wide. It was multiple hundreds of meters deep. In fact, she had trouble making out the bottom of the ravine because there were numerous ledges and overhanging rock blocking the view and lighting from above. ¡°Alright, I wanna go down there!¡± Hearing her highly excited voice, Blu flapped its wings extra strongly while flying around the tiger, and yet another portal appeared right in front of them. "Ah, no, that''s not what I mean." Sophia shook her head. ¡°Half the fun is getting there! Not just jumping, either! I wonder if I can find a path that I can use~.¡± Understanding her desire for adventure, the parakeet let the portal disappear again and flew a few laps over the ravine. ¡°Oh, did you find anything?¡± Sophia noticed that it had eventually started circling over a specific spot near the edge around 40 meters to the left of the blonde. ¡°Let¡¯s see!¡± She moved over to the place and looked over the cliff to see what was going on. ¡°That¡¯s a start.¡± After saying so, the tiger walked over the edge and disappeared into the ravine. That¡¯s what it looked like, at least. ¡°Two meters done, some hundreds left~.¡± After jumping, the blonde landed on a ledge roughly two meters down on the side of the ravine. ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can keep going down like that.¡± She then looked further down to find any other spots she could jump to continue her descent. ¡°That should work!¡± Sophia found another platform about 15 meters down to the right of her and swiftly jumped onto it. ¡°I¡¯m really not human anymore, huh?¡± She lightly patted her legs after landing the ten-meter-fall like it was nothing and looked up at the spot she came from. ¡°Humans don¡¯t usually land a 15-meter jump on a hard surface with the only issue being some dust on their clothes, right?¡± At the same time, Blu also flew down and landed on her shoulder before rubbing its head against Sophia¡¯s cheek. ¡°You like non-human me better? Yeah, I¡¯ll agree on that.¡± There were some ups and downs, but the girl definitely preferred being a half-tiger magic sponge over her previous human life. ¡°Let¡¯s get all the way down like this!¡± Energetically raising her fist while sounding highly motivated, Sophia then quickly jumped to another ledge further down on the ravine''s walls. She kept going like that for around half an hour, finding ledges and jumping from one to another while getting further down the ravine. It took a while because she didn¡¯t want to cheese it by jumping right to the bottom, which wouldn¡¯t have been a problem for her, as that would¡¯ve ruined the mood and fun getting down there in a somewhat creative way. ¡°W-WOAH!¡± Finally arriving at the bottom of the ravine and noticing that there was something rather unexpected that wasn¡¯t visible while climbing down, Sophia¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°I have to get Anna and Chloe! They need to see this, too!¡± Immediately after saying that, the tiger created a portal at the bottom of the ravine and disappeared through it to bring over her friends. Chapter 071 – Sparkly Sophia and Blu were exploring the tiger¡¯s new cherry blossom forest to see if there were any interesting secrets hidden there, and there were. At first, she found out that magic had created hundreds of extra floating islands above the forest, and Blu then guided her to a massive ravine, which the blonde decided to climb down and see what was on the bottom. ¡°Chloe! Anna!¡± Sophia returned to the cottage and immediately called for the two. ¡°Yes?¡± The duo poked their heads out of the living room door a few moments later. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Get ready! We¡¯re going on a trip!¡± She just smiled at them. ¡°We already are ready to go on a trip.¡± The pink fox answered her. ¡°Yes.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°We were about to head over to Aura''s pine forest.¡± ¡°That can wait!¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°I found something absolutely amazing both of you need to see!¡± She was extremely excited about her findings in the ravine. ¡°What happened?¡± Chloe got curious. ¡°You have to see it yourself! It''s too amazing to describe!" Afterward, she grabbed the hands of the girls and dragged them with her through the portal. ---------------- ¡°WOAH!¡± Arriving at the bottom of the ravine, Anna and Chloe immediately got loud. ¡°Quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia sounded extra smug. ¡°Where are we?¡± The pink fox looked up but was unable to see anything that would help her orientate because the light from the top was too blinding as it was rather dark around them, too. ¡°It looks like some sort of ravine?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen something like that before!¡± The princess was looking at the walls in front of them with sparkling eyes. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it is.¡± The blonde smiled at Chloe. ¡°It¡¯s a ravine in the middle of my cherry blossom forest! Blu showed it to me~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± The fox liked the place. ¡°Wait, how did it know about this?¡± She then stared at the bird on Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Because Blu¡¯s amazing!¡± The short tiger had the same reply as before. The parakeet also flapped its wings a couple of times while nodding. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you¡¯re so cute!¡± Chloe got closer to Sophia and patted Blu¡¯s head a couple of times. ¡°Else, you¡¯d be subjected to some serious questioning!¡± She intensified her stare at the parakeet, who then actually turned its head away. ¡°By the way, the ravine is not the main reason I brought you two specifically here, you know?¡± The blonde got back on track. ¡°Do you remember when we learned about the mutation stuff and how we got excited about crystals?¡± She looked at the fox specifically while saying so. ¡°Anna, after we watched those movies, you also wanted to play with us, right? While Maya and the others were more interested in the glowy mushroom stuff.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not a crystalized forest, but close enough, I guess?¡± Sophia pointed past the duo and behind the portal they came through. ¡°Hmm?¡± Turning around, they then looked in the direction she was pointing at. ¡°W-WHOAH!¡± Both immediately got loud once they saw what was going on. The bottom of the ravine was more than just a long passage. Hidden from above, it expanded into a massive cave system leading into the rocky sides. More than that, right behind the group was an entrance to a gigantic cave made purely with white, light pink, and purple crystals that used the little light from above to illuminate the whole cave and turned it into a sparkly wonderland. The entire area looked like the insides of an enormous 100-by-100-meter-wide amethyst geode. ¡°This is quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± The blonde was also looking at everything with great interest. After all, she immediately went to get the others before she really had the chance to take it in herself. ¡°It¡¯s amazing!¡± Anna and Chloe just nodded in agreement. ¡°Should we explore the caves and tunnels a little?¡± Sophia smiled at the duo. "It looks absolutely amazing, and maybe we can even find a hint for our crystalized plants idea to recreate!" Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The two liked the idea a lot. ¡°Exactly the response I wanted to hear!¡± Energetically raising her fist once more, the short tiger then guided them deeper into the cave while everyone was taking in the sights with their eyes sparkling almost as much as the crystals themselves. ¡°This sure looks weird.¡± Once they reached the other end of the smaller cave, the trio entered a roughly three-meter-wide tunnel also made purely out of the same crystals. Just like before, thanks to the crystals reflecting light on a level that almost seemed unnatural, the entire tunnel system was well-lit and extremely sparkly. ¡°You get used to it.¡± Sophia gave her a quick thumbs up. "How do you get used to that?! Also, where did you get the chance to do so in the first place?!" She didn''t understand how the blonde got the experience of getting used to it. ¡°Ah, right, I forgot that you can¡¯t see it.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Can¡¯t see what?!¡± The princess raised her voice because she felt left out. ¡°Raw or ambient magic.¡± Sophia smiled at her. "The pink and purple color scheme of the crystals, together with the sparkles from the reflections, look a lot like the magic particles Chloe and I can see all the time.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess relaxed again after she understood. ¡°Wait, you two¡¯s vision is sparkly and shiny like that all the time?!¡± She then wildly gestured all around her. ¡°No.¡± The pink fox shook her head. ¡°Normally, it¡¯s only a little sparkle here and there unless you release your own magic and increase the amount around you. Well, Mira¡¯s domain¡¯s constantly sparkly, though. Sophia¡¯s domain is getting more like that, too. Especially the cherry blossom forest above. That was quite the sight.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve seen what was going on right before I created the forest.¡± Sophia looked at Chloe. ¡°It was so sparkly that I literally couldn¡¯t see my hand in front of my eyes. It was actually a little scary even.¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve loved to see that!¡± She only got more interested in it. ¡°You two really are something else.¡± Anna wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Well, as I¡¯m the weakest in the group and can¡¯t see it naturally, I¡¯m quite happy about being able to witness something similarly looking, though!¡± She looked on the bright side instead. ¡°I don¡¯t think it has something to do with power.¡± Chloe shook her head. ¡°I could already see magic before Steph gave me half of her powers. Back then, it was roughly on the level of current you, maybe even below that.¡± ¡°Not to mention that Aura can¡¯t see it, either. In theory, she has even more magic than the two of us.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± The pink fox nodded. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure, because Steph and Feyfey can also see it, it¡¯s because of our connection to the overseers.¡± ¡°That circle¡¯s even more elite!¡± Anna got loud again. ¡°Ahaha.¡± The duo could only chuckle over her lively reactions. ---------------- Afterward, the three followed the crystal tunnel for about half an hour while they had one or seven discussions over where to go whenever there was a fork, and they eventually arrived in yet another cave. While it was around the same size, it was still a little different from the geode-like-looking one from before, though. ¡°Why are we coming across so many hot springs and thermal baths lately?¡± Anna lightly rolled her eyes when she noticed the white cave made from limestone and calcite. Inside, there were many pool-like basins filled with slightly steaming and perfectly blue water. They were stacked up next to each other and grew towards the ceiling in a stepped pattern, where they were supplied with a source of fresh hot water that overflowed from pool to pool. The roof itself, contrary to the limestone and calcite walls and pools, was made from the same crystals of the tunnels, giving everything the same sparkly feel as before. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± The other tiger shrugged. ¡°Well, I had magic create the forest above, and it knows how much we all love baths, so¡­" She glanced at Blu on her shoulder towards the end, who nodded and flapped its wings a couple of times in return. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the how!¡± Chloe lightly raised her voice. "Same with the other hot springs inside the forest! We had to literally portal in water from a different world or dimension or whatever, but here, there¡¯s just a natural hot spring! Does that mean there¡¯s even more stuff under us? Something has to be heating up the water, right? Like magma or something like that.¡± ¡°You might be overthinking this.¡± Sophia lightly shook her head while looking at the fox. Coincidentally, Blu was doing the same, too. "Magic can create water. Why wouldn''t magic also be able to create hot water out of nothing?¡± ¡°Ha.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Fair enough, I guess?¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t say much there at first. ¡°Wait, how though! Where does the magic to create water come from when no one of us is using or releasing it?¡± "Didn''t Mira say a good while ago that magic gets generated from enhanced flora?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°This will then automatically get used to further grow the environment as some form of symbiosis. Or something like that, if I remember right. Sophia¡¯s idea for this place was to create something amazing, right? That leaves a lot to the imagination, and it resulted in an amazing underground hot spring. Excess magic generated in the cherry blossom forest above will be used up for the hot water down here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe and Sophia just stared at the princess for this absolutely sound explanation. Hearing that, Blu also left the blonde¡¯s shoulder and flew over to Anna. Landing on her shoulder instead, the parakeet then rubbed its head against her cheek. It seemed like her explanation was spot-on. ¡°Ehehe, aren¡¯t you the cutest~?¡± The tall tiger happily patted Blu¡¯s head a few times before pointing at the hot spring pools in front of them while glancing at the duo. "Should we go for a dip? I mean, we''re here already, and it looks really nice, too.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± There was no hesitation in their reply. As the previous topic was exhausted, the duo liked her alternative suggestion as a change of pace. Having decided on their next activity, the trio quickly stripped and entered one of the white calcite pools with the perfectly blue thermal water. Even Blu joined them and took its own bath in a tiny divot formed at the edge of the pool the group entered. Chapter 072 – Sophisticated conversations Sophia, Anna, and Chloe were exploring the crystal cave system under the cherry blossom forest and were having a ton of fun looking at all the sparkling minerals and the amazing lighting. On top of that, the trio also found an underground limestone and calcite hot spring with amazingly blue thermal water. ¡°Hmm.¡± The three decided to test out the hot spring and took a bath in it together. While relaxing and enjoying the perfectly temperate water, Sophia kept staring at the other two with a complicated expression. ¡°Our eyes are up here.¡± Anna and Chloe didn''t appreciate the blonde¡¯s line of sight, and both ended up covering their breasts. ¡°There¡¯s no need to make up for the absence of Maya and Steph.¡± They were in perfect sync. ¡°Ahaha.¡± The short tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Believe it or not, I actually had no horny thoughts when I was staring." She shook her head. "Well, mostly none.¡± "Sure." They did, in fact, not believe her. ¡°Seriously!¡± Sophia jumped up in the water and ended up presenting her entire naked body to the two. ¡°It¡¯s less obvious when it¡¯s all of us because I¡¯m kinda in the middle of the group, but if I¡¯m just with you two, I don¡¯t compare so well¡­¡± She then looked down at her own chest. ¡°Seriously?¡± The duo also went ahead and stared at the same area. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°You look amazing, though!¡± Chloe shook her head. ¡°And it¡¯s quite easy to tell right now.¡± Her gaze slowly went from the top of the blonde¡¯s head all the way down to her thighs to the point where the rest of her legs disappeared in the opaque blue water. ¡°Very easy.¡± Anna was doing the exact same thing as the fox. ¡°You have a very similar body type to Ari, and you know how much I like that type. In fact, your breasts are bigger than hers. It¡¯s not much, but because I studied hers so much, I can tell!¡± She stared even harder at them to make sure about her claim. ¡°Medium is the best! Depending on the individual scale, you¡¯d qualify as large, too! You had an impressive growth in the last year!¡± ¡°I even think they¡¯re too big.¡± Chloe, too, intensified her stare. ¡°I¡¯m into smaller ones, so I absolutely prefer Steph over you there.¡± ¡°I-I see.¡± Feeling bashful about the compliments, in one way or another, Sophia submerged herself in the water again to protect herself against their stares. "I mean, I''m happy about my body, but with just the three of us, the difference is quite something.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The two well-endowed girls had very little to say there. ¡°Speaking of,¡± Chloe tilted her head while looking at the short tiger. ¡°What is your preference in that regard? I like them small, and Anna''s into medium breasts. What about you?" ¡°I like boobs!¡± Sophia smiled while giving her an instant reply. ¡°Small, medium, big, I like all of them. Boobs are boobs and boobs are great!¡± ¡°I mean, I agree and feel the same at the end of the day, but no preference whatsoever?¡± The fox lightly tilted her head. ¡°Yeah!¡± Anna agreed. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that all boobs are great because they¡¯re boobs, but if you had to choose, what would it be?¡± ¡°Ehhh¡­?" Judging by her expression, it was one of the hardest questions Sophia had ever been asked. ¡°In the first place, I¡¯m more into legs! That''s why I''m truly neutral when it comes to breasts! As long as I get something to play with, I¡¯m happy. Thighs over boobs any day! Good calves do things to me, too~.¡± ¡°We know about your very obvious leg fetish.¡± The duo just stared at her as the revelation of her preference was far from one. ¡°If I really had to choose, though, hmm¡­¡± The blonde gave it some serious thought. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t dislike getting hugged by Anna and almost suffocating from it because her massive chest is at the perfect height to smother me." ¡°Hey!¡± The princess got loud. ¡°Okay, I do have a habit of almost suffocating shorter girls, though¡­ There were some close calls with Ari, too¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t actually complain much about it. ¡°G-Go on.¡± ¡°My size can already be a pain, though. Yours and Chloe¡¯s must be even more annoying when running or constantly getting in the way. Not to mention shoulder and back pain at the end of the day. Finding cute clothes and underwear, including lingerie, is much harder, too. Knowing all that makes it hard to enjoy massive breasts to the fullest.¡± ¡°True.¡± The duo looked rather tired while nodding a few times. ¡°I do love me some soft pillows to rest on, though. Maya¡¯s are great in that. They¡¯re also big, but not massive. Chloe, how much would you hate me if I were to say that I love Mira¡¯s boobs? They¡¯re slightly bigger than those of my cat, but still not a size with all the mentioned downsides. At least not to such a degree.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°¡­¡± The pink fox decided to say nothing at all because she really didn¡¯t want to engage in this conversation where the breasts of her mother were the topic. ¡°So you prefer bigger breasts?¡± Anna tried to summarize it. ¡°Within reason, that is.¡± ¡°Yeah, I guess?¡± The short tiger agreed. ¡°They¡¯re comfy, after all!¡± She was more interested in the feel rather than looks. ¡°That being said, again, if it¡¯s just about looks and there¡¯s a girl with small breasts and amazing legs and a girl with Mira¡¯s boobs and just good legs, I would pick the small boobs without any hesitation whatsoever! A boob pillow is great and all, but a lap pillow is divine!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Chloe still didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with it after her mother got mentioned once again. ¡°Okay, I understand!¡± The tall tiger nodded. ¡°Wait, so your ideal type is Mira?¡± She tried to connect one and one. ¡°I''m no expert because, for me, it''s the other way around for legs and boobs, but Mira has nice legs, right?¡± ¡°She definitely has!¡± The blonde thought so, too. ¡°Very nice, actually, but not perfect. I would appreciate a little more squish. Soft and squishy is the best! When it comes to that, Chloe will win, but Chloe as a whole is a bit short, so while the squish seems to be perfect, there¡¯s not enough leg in absolute terms! Sorry!¡± She showed the pink fox a wry smile before continuing. ¡°Ari, even though she overall seems thin, seems to have great legs in terms of squishy levels, and you, my dear princess, I love your endlessly long legs, but my Maya actually takes the cake. She¡¯s decently tall with long legs, and the squishiness of her thighs is close to perfect, too. I am very happy with what I got~.¡± She started smiling. ¡°Great boobs as an extra on top, too.¡± ¡°Thanks to everything that is holy!¡± Chloe seemed relieved about something. ¡°Mira is extremely hot, though.¡± Sophia just had to do it. ¡°True.¡± Anna thought so, too. ¡°HEY!¡± The fox got loud again. ¡°She¡¯s still my mother!¡± ¡°So?¡± The two didn¡¯t see an issue with that. ¡°After all, she¡¯s yours, not ours.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Some compassion here would be nice!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± They had no intention of giving her any. ¡°ANYWAY!¡± Chloe ended the topic of Mira. "It is so interesting how different our tastes are. Or preferences, at least. It''s also great that we found partners that meet those preferences, huh?" ¡°I am fairly sure that they¡¯re the reason we have those preferences.¡± Anna didn¡¯t exactly agree with her. ¡°For me, at least, I¡¯m certain that Ari shaped my preferences, and she''s the reason I like girls the way I do." ¡°You admitted being into me and my looks before you got together with her, though~.¡± Sophia smirked at the princess. ¡°That again?!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°Also, it¡¯s absolutely guaranteed it was because you¡¯re so similar to her build, albeit not quite as big back then. You all already made me admit that I was in love with Ari for much longer, and you were just a crush that helped me realize that!" ¡°To be reduced to a mere stepping stool¡­ I¡¯m deeply hurt!¡± The short tiger tried to sound as hurt as possible. ¡°Shush!¡± The princess didn¡¯t want to entertain her. ¡°I am so upset that I didn¡¯t know you all back then already!¡± Chloe started pouting. ¡°It sounds like it was quite an entertaining time! I feel like I missed out on so much!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t miss anything!¡± Anna only got even louder. ¡°Ahaha!¡± The fox let out a chuckle before focusing on Sophia again. "What about you? Did your tastes also get influenced and or shaped by Maya, or did you already like her type?¡± ¡°Well,¡± She scratched her cheek while thinking about it. ¡°I¡¯ve been into legs ever since hitting puberty, so that didn¡¯t have to do anything with her. I may have gotten more into her type of legs, but that¡¯s about it. She definitely shaped my liking for bigger breasts, though. Before, I truly didn¡¯t care, and still don¡¯t do that much, but she made me realize how comfy they are! Great to look at and play with, too.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Again, so fascinating!¡± ¡°Chloe, my dear,¡± Sophia looked right at her. ¡°Shall I remind you about how you told me that I was your type a little while after we met in that elven village? I¡¯ve grown a little more since then, but I already was in the medium category at that time." She even gave her breasts a slight squeeze to get her point across. ¡°True.¡± She watched the squeeze for a second before looking the blonde in the eyes again. "I''m pretty sure I was talking about your personality, though. I also remember almost being relieved that you weren¡¯t smaller because it made it easier to accept that you were already taken regardless.¡± ¡°Right, fair enough. I do remember talking about Steph a lot afterward because her default personality is like an enhanced version of my best traits.¡± ¡°So, you actually were lucky that Steph ticked all the boxes for you?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Yep!¡± Chloe reacted with a big nod. ¡°I like to look at height gaps; you and Ari are adorable together, Sophia and Maya to a lesser degree, too, but I don¡¯t want to be in a relationship like that myself. The cuteness aside, it seems quite bothersome for a lot of things like kissing or hugging that don''t involve being smothered by the taller one. Some poses during nightly activities seem to become harder or maybe even impossible, too.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± The princess just hung her head. "I''m flexible, and Maya''s committed, so we don''t have any issues with that." Sophia smiled at her instead. ¡°Our gap also isn¡¯t that big, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons I like girls my height, meaning short ones. It¡¯s kinda the opposite for the boob topic, though. I am big, so I¡¯m attracted to the other end of the spectrum there. I want what I don¡¯t have myself, I guess? It doesn¡¯t come with any of the downsides of being tall, which I don¡¯t have going on for me either, after all. In fact, smaller breasts appear to be a lot more sensible, which is a lot of fun! Steph¡¯s reactions are adorable!¡± She got a little extra specific at the end. ¡°Hey!¡± The short tiger raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s my sister you¡¯re talking about!¡± She wasn¡¯t actually upset because she also loves Chloe, but she just had to do it. ¡°You lusted after my MOTHER just a few minutes ago!¡± The fox didn¡¯t like that in the slightest. "A-Ah.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°Go on.¡± There was nothing the blonde could say here. ¡°Anyway, yeah, Steph¡¯s exactly my type, so I¡¯ll forever be grateful to Sophia that she brought her over here, too.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome~.¡± Afterward, the girls continued to relax in the hot spring while also chatting about the same topic for a good while longer. It seemed like their bathing session would go on for a good while longer. Chapter 073 – Crystal plans The trio was still enjoying their break in the hot spring they found after following the crystal tunnels Sophia found under her cherry blossom forest, and they had a great time with some very specific girls-talk during their usual naked bonding, of which they were still engaging in. ¡°Wait, now that I think about it, Steph actually did change my taste in girls in some area.¡± Chloe picked up the conversation from before again. ¡°Oh?¡± Anna tilted her head while looking at her. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°I think of myself as a rather gentle and soft personality, so I thought I would prefer to have a partner who is a top.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± The princess could follow her logic. ¡°Steph¡¯s the biggest bottom in existence, though. Because of that, I tried being the top, and I ended up enjoying that a lot even though I never expected it. Dominating Steph is like the best thing ever!¡± Her voice was full of glee. "While being respectful, of course!" She looked at Sophia, the older sister of said girl, at the end. ¡°I am going to tease her so much about this!¡± She had no issues with it. ¡°Ah, I see!¡± The tall tiger nodded a few times. ¡°Wait, what?¡± She then looked confused. ¡°Steph? A bottom? No way! She¡¯s like the most energetic and outgoing girl in our group! Not to mention that her horny levels almost reach those of Maya! There¡¯s no way she¡¯s a bottom!¡± ¡°Trust me, I was the most surprised.¡± Chloe paused for a moment. ¡°She¡¯s also eager in the bedroom, but I have to lead because else, she gets nothing done. Steph''s excited but passive. It''s actually really cute how she acts when she wants me to go. So shy~.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Anna had no better words. ¡°To be fair,¡± Sophia then looked at the princess. ¡°You¡¯re also super outgoing and lively, and yet a bottom, as well.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Who told you that? I¡¯m not? Okay, I¡¯m not exactly a full top, but I¡¯m so not a bottom, either. I enjoy both sides!¡± ¡°Eh, but Ari¡­ Wait!¡± The blonde¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Right, I¡¯m sorry! I mixed something up there. You might not necessarily be a bottom but something of a masochist. You also can take the initiative there to do things now that I think about it, huh?¡± ¡°Oh, Steph¡¯s one, too!¡± Chloe smiled at the tall tiger. ¡°She lets me do everything, though. Very fun, so I can¡¯t complain~.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, Ari!¡± She got loud. ¡°There was no need to tell her that!¡± ¡°Again, to be fair,¡± The blonde repeated herself. ¡°You¡¯re not making that much of a secret out of it. Your reactions to a lot of things make it pretty clear that you enjoy some more¡­ advanced techniques.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna¡¯s face turned red. ¡°Oi!¡± Sophia stared at her. ¡°That was not an invitation to get horny now!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± She turned her head away. ¡°What about you?¡± Leaving the tall tiger on her own, Chloe faced the short one. ¡°It¡¯s very obvious that Maya¡¯s a top, so¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a very happy switch~.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°I enjoy having Maya take care of things because she is REALLY good at what she¡¯s doing, but during the times when I¡¯m in the mood, I¡¯ll take care of her, too. Especially when toys are involved because she¡¯s quite weak to them. Getting a reaction out of her with them gives me life! She¡¯s unbelievably cute and adorable when I get the upper hand and top her in bed~.¡± ¡°Actually, I can see that with the two of you.¡± The fox nodded. ¡°It makes perfect sense with your dynamic.¡± ¡°Your toys are evil in the first place!¡± Anna finally got over the previous topic and immediately got loud again. "Ari and I tried one of them you gave us a few times, and it¡¯s way too¡­ effective! It feels amazing, but it¡¯s SO powerful!¡± ¡°Which one of my selections did you two try?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I gave you something of everything to play with, after all.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°The one you put on top of your c-¡­ that uses this weird air magic that makes it vibrate and pulsate¡­¡± Her cheeks turned red again. ¡°I¡¯m so happy that Chloe taught us that magic to soundproof our room because every corner of this domain would¡¯ve heard my screams! Ari¡¯s, too, for that matter!¡± ¡°Why did you two jump right at the most elaborate one out of the bunch?¡± ¡°It is? How are we supposed to know?!¡± She didn¡¯t accept her reply. ¡°You just gave us a bag with a bunch of things while simply saying have fun~.¡± ¡°Alright, fair enough.¡± There was little Sophia could defend herself with. ¡°It¡¯s amazing how you two instinctively went for the most satisfying toy out of the bunch first. As expected from the loud couple.¡± ¡°Shush!¡± "Anyway, start with a regular vibrator, for example! Those are similar to the dildos that exist in this world. They just have a feature where they can move on their own and or vibrate a little." ¡°Really? We actually skipped those because we thought they were just the regular kind¡­ If they have some other feature, we''ll give it a try!" ¡°You should!¡± The short tiger smiled at the tall one. ¡°There are also those small pink eggs with the cable attached to it. They¡¯re not overly stimulating, but they¡¯re very fun to play with and versatile, too. Those are a good start, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± Chloe also agreed. ¡°Steph loves it when I use them all over her body! Though, I combine them with a variety of other toys.¡± ¡°There you have it.¡± ¡°I see!¡± The princess kept nodding with a big smile on her lips. ¡°I know what I¡¯m going to do tonight!¡± She seemed highly motivated. ¡°Ari and I, I mean!¡± "A good idea.¡± The other two seemed to have the same plan now and, judging by their expressions, were already looking forward to it, too. ¡°Oh, speaking of, I¡¯d like some more of those egg toys!¡± Chloe looked at Sophia. ¡°Sure, how many?¡± ¡°At least eight would be great! So that I can use them at the same time on her.¡± ¡°WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!¡± ¡°Fun stuff~.¡± The three kept chatting about the same and similar topics for a little while longer, but as they had been in the hot spring for quite a while by now, they eventually decided to get out. Once they took a quick shower and dried themselves with the help of water and air magic, the girls got dressed again and chose to explore some more because it was still too early for their nightly bedroom plans and time to stop the horny. ---------------- ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see where this one leads to!¡± Finally wearing clothes again, the trio entered a crystal tunnel different from where they came from and followed it for a while with Sophia in the lead. ¡°It would be great if we can find something we can use to recreate this crystal wonderland in other areas. Not necessarily caves and tunnels, but a forest with a similar theme.¡± Chloe was hoping for something exciting. ¡°I¡¯d love that!¡± Anna felt the same. ¡°Mira said that plants crystalize when they have been fed too much magic, right?¡± The blonde tried to recall what the overseer told them the last time the topic came up. "Doesn''t that mean if we find ones that are already crystalized, it''s too late, and we can''t use them because they''re not alive anymore?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point!¡± The fox hadn¡¯t thought about that, either. ¡°Do we know if that¡¯s a requirement, though?¡± The princess tilted her head and then pointed all around her. ¡°If magic created all of this out of thin air, it should be able to just grow a crystal forest if we find a sample, no? Or convert a regular forest into one by placing some crystals in the middle and using some power on it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely worth a try!¡± Sophia energetically raised her arm in the air. Blu, sitting on her shoulder again, also lifted a wing while nodding a few times. ¡°Good thinking!¡± Chloe gave the tall tiger a thumbs-up. ¡°I like how you just throw out ideas!¡± ¡°Well, I have no idea how magic works anymore, and the more I hear, the more confused I get. Though, I learned that simply blurting out the first thing that comes to mind usually is the solution and correct way to do things.¡± Anna had learned a lot from Sophia and the others. ¡°True.¡± The other two saw no flaw in her argumentation. Blu also nodded a few times. Having decided on something that somewhat resembled a plan in one way or another, the trio kept going for another hour while navigating through the underground tunnels. ¡°Hmm?¡± After a while, Sophia tilted her head while looking at the other two girls. ¡°Is it just me, or is this tunnel leading up?¡± ¡°Yes, it seems like we¡¯ve been ascending for a while already.¡± The fox had noticed the same. ¡°Is it maybe leading us back to the surface?¡± The princess took a wild guess. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we couldn¡¯t make our own exit or simply use a portal to leave this place. It would be cool if it actually leads somewhere, though. That being said, it would be nice to run into something we can use for our forest first.¡± ¡°True!¡± Following the tunnel for another 15 minutes, their surroundings finally changed, and the group arrived at something new. ¡°Oh!¡± Sophia got excited when the girls arrived at a small cave that was about 30 by 30 meters wide. While there were a lot fewer crystals around in total, there was a massive and different-looking cluster of them right in the middle, but the walls and floor were regular dirt. The cave was also filled with many plants of various different kinds. The mesmerizing part was that the middle part of the roof was missing and let in a lot of light from the surface. A few cherry trees could be seen, too, and many of their roots were visible in other parts of the roof. ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe and Anna had the same reaction. Afterward, the trio took a better look at the cave for a moment while trying to figure out if it could somehow help them with their crystal forest plan. Chapter 074 – Peculiar crystal Sophia, Anna, and Chloe finally left the underground hot spring they found and continued their exploration of the crystalized tunnels under the cherry blossom forest. After a little while, they came close to the surface again and found a small cave with a massive crystal cluster, many plants and a partially open roof leading to the cherry blossoms and took a better look at it. ¡°This is such a nice cave!¡± Anna was a big fan of the place they found. ¡°Yeah!¡± Sophia felt the same. "I like the hole in the ceiling and how we can see the cherry blossoms from below." Chloe thought so, too. "Let''s just hope it''s stable enough to support the trees so that it doesn''t cave in and crush us." ¡°Oi!¡± The tigers didn¡¯t appreciate that. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine~.¡± The fox smiled at them before getting closer to the massive light-pink crystal cluster in the very middle of the cave that was about five by five meters wide. ¡°This looks kinda important, doesn¡¯t it? Or ominous. I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± ¡°Would you stop already?!¡± The blonde glared at her. Blu, sitting on her shoulder, also shook its head a few times. ¡°It¡¯s pretty fun, but I¡¯ll try~.¡± ¡°Have you been hanging out with Maya lately?¡± Sophia tried to find out why Chloe was being like that, and this was the most logical explanation. ¡°Every now and then, yes.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She nodded a few times in understanding. ¡°Regardless, you do have a point.¡± The blonde moved closer to the crystal cluster. ¡°The important part, not the ominous one.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Anna also joined them and looked at the massive crystal, as well. ¡°It looks fancy, but other than that?¡± ¡°It feels important!¡± Sophia and Chloe synced up. ¡°I see!¡± The princess nodded in understanding while her expression made clear that she had no idea what they were talking about. ¡°Blu, what do you think?¡± The blonde turned her head a little to glance at the parakeet on her shoulder. It then looked back at her while tilting its head. A few moments later, it flapped its wings and took flight. In the air, Blu flew a few laps around the massive crystal cluster before landing on top of it. The second the bird touched it, the entire crystal instantly began to shine in a bright white light. Immediately after, Blu returned to Sophia¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ahh, now I see how it feels important!¡± The tall tiger watched the spectacle with great interest. ¡°That was quite something!¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it.¡± The shorter tiger felt similarly about it. ¡°Wait a moment,¡± Chloe tilted her head while she looked at the crystal with a concentrated expression. ¡°I think it¡¯s radiating magic power now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Hearing that, Sophia also gave it her full attention. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right!¡± She noticed right away after having taken a better look. ¡°Blu, what did you do?¡± Unfortunately, the parakeet only looked away when asked. ¡°You little¡­¡± She knew full well that the bird knew exactly what was going on. ¡°Any idea what just happened?¡± Anna got closer to the crystal and put her hand on it. At the same moment, it started shining again, although in a way paler light. ¡°E-Eh?¡± She immediately pulled away her hand. ¡°It felt like it was sucking out my magic!¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Interested in that, Sophia did the same as her fellow tiger and also touched the cluster. ¡°Woah!¡± The instant she did, it lit up again. It was still nowhere near as bright as when Blu did it, but it was a noticeably stronger light than Anna¡¯s. ¡°Does it react to the individual authority?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°It would explain how our super bird almost blinded us and how Sophia¡¯s reaction was much brighter than that of Anna.¡± Saying so, she couldn¡¯t help herself and also placed her hand on it. Just as the other times before, it immediately began to glow once more. The intensity was somewhere in between the other two girls. ¡°Well, that confirms that idea.¡± The fox kept her hand on it for five seconds longer before removing it. ¡°Also, that little moment just now took around ten percent of my internal magic just like that!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°That much?!¡± The blonde¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Wait, was the light intensity really our internal power?¡± She tilted her head while looking at Chloe. ¡°Yours was right in between Anna¡¯s and mine. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be closer to me?¡± ¡°Have you paid any attention to your own authority lately?¡± The fox just looked back at her. ¡°Yeah,¡± Anna nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not that good at sensing it in great detail, but you almost have twice as much magic as Chloe.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Sophia got only more confused and stared at the pink girl for a moment. ¡°When did you lose that much of your power? Did you share your magic with someone like Steph and I did before?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not me who lost authority, you know?¡± She lightly shook her head. ¡°You gained an absolutely significant amount instead. You¡¯re almost on the level of Aura already. At least on the detectable level. We both know that you¡¯ve been way above her for a long time already because you have overseer authority in you, which is more effective.¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± The short tiger got loud. ¡°When did that happen?! Also, why did no one tell me?!¡± "We figured you''d already know but also have no idea how or why it happened." Anna looked at her. "That''s why we decided to let it be.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± She wasn¡¯t a fan of the reasoning. ¡°For the when, it started happening after we left the capital.¡± Chloe just continued. ¡°It made a massive jump a few days ago, though.¡± ¡°So, during and after the cherry blossom forest?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I hadn''t noticed at all! I was super busy, but still! Hmm¡­ Why?¡± She only got more confused. ¡°I¡¯ve been using my authority non-stop by creating as much ambient and raw magic as possible, but that shouldn¡¯t have that much of an effect!¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s why we didn¡¯t ask!¡± The princess smiled at her. ¡°We knew you wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Why does that sound so rude?!¡± The blonde still didn¡¯t like it. ¡°My theory is that it¡¯s related to your domain.¡± The fox still took a guess. ¡°I mean, that¡¯s the only thing to make any sort of sense.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Anna clapped her hands. ¡°Do you think they¡¯re linked?¡± She looked at Chloe. ¡°Like, whenever the domain grows, she does, too. The cherry blossoms and the whole area here, in general, were quite the leaps, right? Sophia¡¯s powers making a leap during the same time sounds like it would make sense, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The other three, Blu included, just stared at her. ¡°W-What?¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate their stares. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that idea at all!¡± The fox seemed impressed. ¡°It¡¯s such a good theory, though! It works so well, too! The overseer domains have to have some special features we don¡¯t know about yet. Something like this would fit in perfectly!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t so sure about the theory. ¡°Don¡¯t you think Mira would¡¯ve mentioned that when she explained the domain and how it works to me?¡± ¡°Mira?¡± Chloe stared at her. ¡°The one who didn¡¯t tell me that she¡¯s my mother for almost 20 years? The one that loves to be entertained by only giving partial information about a situation because she wants to see how it turns out? The one that only explains things after we managed to get about 70% of the way there ourselves?¡± ¡°You win that round.¡± The blonde had nothing to say there. ¡°Also, you¡¯re still salty about the mom part, huh?¡± ¡°I obviously am!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°I love her, though, and I¡¯m feeling close to her again, so it¡¯s mostly fine. The same goes for Feyfey. I¡¯m still upset that the two hid the fact that we¡¯re family for so long, but they had their reasons. Stupid reasons, but we went over that enough already.¡± ¡°Well, that much is fair.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t blame her for it. ¡°Anyway, do you two really think I''m linked with my domain in such a way, and my powers grow when it grows¡­?" ¡°Yes!¡± They were very convinced of what they had just come up with. ¡°It definitely would be amazing!¡± The blonde was starting to like the idea. ¡°That means everyone has to start pumping their magic into my domain constantly! The Sophia Tax will be significantly raised!¡± ¡°Oh no, she¡¯s drunk on power!¡± ¡°I knew this day would happen eventually.¡± Chloe and Anna just looked at each other. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± The short tiger glared at the princess. ¡°If I have more magic, I can make the domain even better, meaning you all can do more fun stuff in here, too! Also, I want to boost everyone¡¯s powers! Especially those of Ari and you, Anna!" She faced the princess. "You have so many great ideas, and our jaguar also shows some very promising things when using magic, so I want to see you at full power! I don''t want to be the only one to grow in power! Everyone, at least to some degree, should grow with me! Right now, I couldn¡¯t even create a forest the way I wanted it to be in one go, so I first have to get a lot stronger before I can do that comfortably!¡± "Aww!" The girls were touched by her intent. Blu also happily chirped while flapping its wings a few times. The bird also liked how she was treating magic and its powers. ¡°Well, I¡¯d still say I¡¯m selfish because a big part of my motivation is my domain, but thanks for the reaction!¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°Being able to make you all have more fun is also quite important to me!¡± ¡°Don''t ruin it now.¡± Chloe slowly shook her head. ¡°Yeah!¡± Anna agreed with the fox. ¡°Although, if one of the side-effects is me receiving a lot more magic power to keep, I¡¯d even support you if your goal is world domination!¡± The tall tiger was even more selfish. ¡°I¡¯m literally building my own new world right now, so¡­¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I have no interest in the outside world in that regard, but you aren¡¯t exactly wrong? Worldbuilding, what we''ve been doing non-stop lately, sounds better, so I''ll choose that.¡± ¡°Close enough of a distinction! Let¡¯s go!¡± The princess energetically raised her arm. ¡°Sure, why not!¡± Chloe just shrugged. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia and Blu also raised their arm, respectively wing. Afterward, more motivated than ever, the group continued to study and experiment with the crystal cluster to find out what was going on with it and why it was hungry for magic. Chapter 075 – Magic storage The trio was still in the small cave under the cherry blossom forest and busy studying the crystal cluster that sucked out their magic power when touching it. Naturally, as they were a curious bunch, they just had to find out what it was for. ¡°Alrighty, back to this thing!¡± Sophia pointed at the massive crystal. ¡°Does anyone have any idea what our new overlord is?¡± ¡°Eh? You already started worshipping it?¡± Chloe just stared at her. ¡°It looks majestic and is able to drain our magic in seconds! What¡¯s not to worship here?¡± ¡°Fair point.¡± The fox nodded a couple of times. ¡°It is?!¡± Anna couldn¡¯t follow their logic. ¡°Absolu-, Oi!¡± The blonde was interrupted by Blu on her shoulder, who had headbutted her cheek strong enough to make her stop talking. ¡°Don''t worry, you¡¯re still my number one overlord. The crystal is just a lesser one! It¡¯s not going to beat you anytime soon!¡± She then gently patted its head a couple of times. ¡°Hey!¡± A second later, Blu flapped its wings so hard that it almost swept Sophia off her feet as it took flight before landing on a root that was hanging from the ceiling. ¡°Someone doesn¡¯t like to be messed with, huh?¡± Chloe looked at the parakeet with a wry expression. ¡°Yeah, ma-, Blu really doesn¡¯t like to be teased.¡± Sophia had some experience with that, after all. "Aside from the fact that I was kinda serious. Oh, wait a moment! Or did you get upset over how we weren''t treating the crystal thingy seriously enough and were just playing around?" She faced the bird while tilting her head, causing it to move its head up and down a couple of times. ¡°What should we do, though?¡± Anna stared at the crystal. ¡°Should we give it what it wants?¡± Chloe did the same. ¡°Feeding it as much magic as we can, that is.¡± ¡°We might as well try?¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°The worst that can happen is it, together with all of us, exploding, after all.¡± ¡°And you complained about my remarks earlier!¡± The fox lightly glared at the short tiger, who had gotten quite loud over her teasing regarding bad events from before. ¡°You got me there.¡± Sophia had nothing to say there. ¡°Blu, you¡¯re the one who showed us that the thing¡¯s special. You better make sure it doesn¡¯t explode on us!¡± She looked right at the bird, who in return lifted its right wing in a way that looked like it was saluting to the tiger. ¡°You sure have a lot of faith in our little bird friend, huh?" Anna¡¯s eyes wandered between Sophia and Blu. ¡°Of course!¡± She just nodded. ¡°I mean, Blu can easily beat us up and then some, so protecting us should be no issue, either~.¡± Sophia smiled at the bird, who then puffed up its chest to make itself look even more important. ¡°So cute!¡± It didn¡¯t have quite the desired effect on the girls, though. ¡°Good enough for me!¡± The princess was happy with that explanation and reaction. ¡°Alright, Anna, you go first.¡± The short tiger smiled at her fellow tall one. ¡°Why me?!¡± She wasn¡¯t a fan of the plan. ¡°Because, as of now, you¡¯re the one with the least amount of magic authority around.¡± ¡°Which means you¡¯re the least risk of making the crystal explode.¡± Chloe completed the blonde¡¯s reasoning. "A-Ah.¡± Anna liked that just as little, for even more reasons. ¡°Well, good point, though.¡± It did make a lot of sense, after all. ¡°Alright, fine!¡± Agreeing to the plan, albeit somewhat reluctantly, the princess then got closer to the crystal again and placed her hand on it. Immediately upon touching it, the cluster began to dimly glow, and roughly 20 seconds later, she retracted her hand again. ¡°I¡¯m already basically empty!¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The other two girls ignored her and stared at the crystal instead. ¡°Curiously enough, while not as strong as when Anna had her hand on it, it was still ever so slightly glowing. ¡°Is it storing the magic it sucked out of me?¡± The tall tiger tilted her head. ¡°Maybe?¡± The shorter striped girl wasn¡¯t sure, either. ¡°I can feel some power radiating off of it now, though, so you might be right with that.¡± She nodded a few times. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Shall I go next?¡± Chloe pointed at herself while looking at the blonde. ¡°Sure!¡± She just nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Highly motivated, the fox placed her hand on the crystal and left it there for a little over a minute. While she was doing that, the cluster lit up considerably more and stayed like that even after she was done, too. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s definitely storing magic inside.¡± Once Chloe was done, Sophia concentrated on the crystal. ¡°I can roughly feel the same power from it that you two poured into it.¡± ¡°Surprisingly, depleting all of your authority in like a minute is no fun at all¡­¡± The fox sounded a little tired. ¡°Not being able to recover in your domain only makes it worse, too.¡± ¡°True!¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°Well, it would make little sense to recover here when I want to flood my domain with raw magic! That¡¯s also used to reset your authority once it enters your body, after all.¡± The blonde shrugged because there was nothing she could do. ¡°Fair enough, but still!¡± The two weren¡¯t happy about it. ¡°So, my turn now, huh?¡± Sophia just ignored them and placed her hand on the crystal. The second she did that, it started shining on a level that easily overpowered the level of Chloe¡¯s reaction from before. It was nowhere near the eye-searing brightness Blu had caused when the bird had briefly landed on the cluster before. She left her hand on it for about two minutes before removing it again, and once it was done, the crystal kept shining in a noticeably brighter light than before. "Okay, I have to agree, getting your magic sucked out that fast is a bit much, at least if you aren''t doing it voluntarily." ¡°We know!¡± The two showed no sympathy after they went through the same before. ¡°What now, though?¡± The short tiger was still staring at the glowing cluster. "A good question.¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Chloe, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who suggested feeding it magic.¡± The princes looked at the fox. ¡°So, what¡¯s step two?¡± ¡°What gave you the impression that I have a plan or even know what¡¯s going on?¡± The pink girl shrugged in return. ¡°I¡¯m not necessarily surprised.¡± Anna just smiled. ¡°How about you come up with something?¡± Chloe threw the ball back at the tall tiger. ¡°Ehh¡­?¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Should we bring it to the cottage? It¡¯s really pretty, and the glow''s looking great, too. It would look nice in front of the cottage¡¯s entrance.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about decorative uses, but sure, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± The fox scratched her cheek while nodding once. ¡°You two are something else.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Blu, while I agree with them that it would look nice, there surely have to be some better uses for this thing, right?¡± She pointed at the cluster while looking at the parakeet. In return, the bird moved its head up and down a few times. ¡°See!¡± The blonde then faced the other two. ¡°And what would that be?¡± The duo, naturally, couldn¡¯t interpret much into the nodding of a parakeet. "A good question.¡± The short tiger didn¡¯t have more details, either. ¡°Is it possible that we can use the crystal as a storage for magic?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°If it goes in, it should be able to come out again, too, right?¡± ¡°It could be.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°What use would that be, though?¡± ¡°That would be the best thing ever!¡± Anna suddenly got loud. ¡°You have a use for that?¡± Sophia faced her fellow tiger. ¡°Absolutely!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°It would help me use bigger magic with more power than I currently have, wouldn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The other two seemed surprised. ¡°It means that after charging it a couple or many times, I would be able to use the same types of magic as Sophia does, doesn¡¯t it?!¡± The princess sounded really excited. ¡°If I get it out of the crystal and use it together with my own magic at the same time, I mean!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The blonde and pink girl also got louder. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that even works, but it¡¯s worth a try, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The two heartily agreed. ¡°Maybe it could also be used in our biomes." Anna wasn''t done with her ideas just yet. ¡°Mira said that some stuff, like mutations, can use a lot of the ambient magic thingy, right? I can¡¯t see that like you two, and I also have a hard time feeling it unless it¡¯s really a lot. I can easily sense it in the crystal, though. Maybe you can place a charged one in the middle of the biome you¡¯re currently creating and release it at once to create some extra fancy effects!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia sounded impressed by her ideas. ¡°We definitely need to try that out!¡± ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Chloe seemed to be thinking about something. ¡°That biome thing sounds very interesting. ¡°Right now, we have crystal filled with so much magic that the glow is hurting my eyes. We¡¯re in a cave with many crystal tunnels leading to and from it, right under a portion of the cherry blossom forest. What would happen to the area if we manage to release the stored magic?¡± ¡°We need to try that out!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Maybe we can grow the crystal tunnel structure all the way to the trees and turn them into the same!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The other tiger felt the same. ¡°How do we get it out, though?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± The two shook their heads. Blu, who had been watching them until now, then suddenly took flight again and landed on the cluster. It instantly turned so bright that the girls needed to avert their eyes, but it thankfully stopped again after five seconds. Interestingly enough, while it was still shining to some degree, the white to light pink color of the crystal changed to a very deep pink and purple instead. ¡°Whoa!¡± The girls had the same reaction. ¡°Wait, now it really has the exact same color as ambient magic!¡± Chloe noticed something familiar in the color. "You''re right!" Sophia thought so, too. "Hmm, does that mean it''s full? As in, that¡¯s as much magic the crystal can store?¡± ¡°Oh, that would make sense!¡± The fox could follow her explanation. Hearing that, Blu, who was still sitting on it, nodded a few times while flapping its wings. ¡°Ohh!¡± They got even more excited. ¡°Can we use it now?¡± Sophia looked at the parakeet. Immediately after, a portal appeared in front of the girls, and Blu used one of its wings to gesture at it, urging them to step through it. ¡°Ah, Blu¡¯s up to something.¡± The blonde was used to the random portals already. ¡°Let¡¯s go and see what¡¯s going to happen.¡± She was the first to enter it before the other two also followed after her. The last thing they saw before disappearing through the portal was another blinding light illuminating the cave before they arrived at the other side. Chapter 076 – Surprise in the making Sophia, Chloe, and Anna had left the cave with the massive crystal cluster that would suck out their magic when touched, for which, with the help of Blu, they eventually came to the conclusion that it wouldn''t steal but rather store it for later use in one way or another. Afterward, they all emptied their magic into the crystal to see what would happen, but Blu made them leave the cave for some reason. ¡°And we¡¯re back home~.¡± After they took the portal out of the cave they were in, the trio found themselves in front of their usual cottage. ¡°No way, did Blu seriously throw us out just now?!¡± Anna faced her fellow tiger after they were made to use the portal the parakeet created for them. ¡°Was it doing something after we left?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°I saw some sort of bright flash right before I stepped through the portal.¡± ¡°I saw that, too!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°Blu heard that we want a crystal forest, so maybe it''s creating one by using the stored magic in the cluster?" ¡°Your guess is as good as mine.¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°I think so, too, though.¡± ¡°But why can¡¯t we watch?¡± The fox was confused over why they had to take the portal. ¡°Probably because Blu wants to surprise us.¡± Sophia had an easy explanation. ¡°After all, our dear parakeet is a playful one.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The two thought so, too. ¡°Now we have to wait for-, Ah.¡± Before the short tiger was able to finish her sentence, Blu appeared through the portal and quickly flew over Sophia to land in its favorite spot. Her left shoulder, that is. ¡°Welcome back.¡± Chloe smiled at the bird. ¡°Are you done? Can we take a look now?¡± In response to that, the parakeet shook its head a few times while also crossing its wings. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a no.¡± The blonde looked to the side to see Blu¡¯s reaction. ¡°Is it going to take a little longer before it¡¯s done?¡± In return to that, the bird nodded. ¡°Such a tease!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like that. ¡°At least tell me it¡¯s just a day and not more than that!¡± She wasn''t patient enough for it to take even longer. Luckily, Blu slightly turned to face her and then reacted with an even bigger nod. ¡°Well, that¡¯s something, at least.¡± ¡°I really hope this will only affect a small portion of my beloved cherry blossom forest.¡± Sophia kept looking at the bird. ¡°After all, I think it¡¯s perfect, and I¡¯d be devasted if too much gets turned into something else.¡± The second she finished her sentence, Blu completely froze up. A few moments later, the bird flew away from the blonde¡¯s shoulder and disappeared through the portal before returning roughly five minutes later. ¡°Someone needed to fix something, huh?¡± Chloe took a guess on what just happened. Blu had no intention to face her and just turned its head away, though. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Everyone had to chuckle over the bird¡¯s reaction. ---------------- ¡°By the way, where are the perverts?¡± The girls, and Blu, went inside the cottage and got comfortable when Sophia looked at Anna and Chloe. ¡°I can¡¯t sense them in my domain, so it seems they¡¯re out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Ari told me that she¡¯ll go to Fen¡¯s biome to help him out some more.¡± ¡°I love you~.¡± The blonde smiled at her fellow tiger. ¡°Yes, I can sense her, too. I was talking about Maya and Steph.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Anna got a little embarrassed. ¡°About that,¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°The two went to Mira¡¯s domain to ask her about some things.¡± ¡°What are they up to?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± The fox and the princess shook their heads. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Before they left and you came to get us for the ravine, the two got excited about all sorts of things.¡± Chloe rolled her eyes while answering her. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Now I need to know!¡± The short tiger naturally got curious. ¡°Long story short, Steph and Maya went to Mira because they wanted to ask her if it¡¯s possible to make a tentacle forest¡­¡± ¡°WHY?!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°Because they¡¯re perverts.¡± The fox had an easy explanation for it. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they were just messing with us because they know we heard them.¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Sophia didn¡¯t seem so sure about it. ¡°It¡¯s far from the first time I heard them mentioning tentacles¡­ I think it might be time to be concerned.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Anna looked confused. ¡°It sounds kind of fun, doesn¡¯t it? I mean, they¡¯d be controlled by the girls, so being tied up while they, Ari in my case, have their way with you using the tentacles¡­ no?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The other two just stared at the uber pervert with a slightly agape mouth. "A-Ah.¡± The tall tiger¡¯s face instantly turned bright red before she turned her head away. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that¡¯s unexpected coming from you.¡± Sophia smiled at the princess. ¡°How¡¯s that not being a bottom, though?¡± Chloe tilted her head while she remembered their earlier conversation. ¡°Or wait, do you want to use them on Ari, too?¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± Anna didn¡¯t want to answer that and just lightly glared at her. ¡°Chloe!¡± The blonde then faced the fox. ¡°Yes?!¡± She stared back at her. ¡°You need to make sure to power Steph out tonight!¡± Sophia sounded oddly serious. ¡°To a level where she forgets all about their plan!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± The pink girl nodded a few times. ¡°You do the same with Maya!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you two just tell them that you don¡¯t want to engage in those activities?¡± Once Anna stopped being embarrassed, she tilted her head while looking at the duo. ¡°¡­¡± They didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Are you concerned you might like it when you hear them suggesting it?¡± Her voice turned a little playful. ¡°That would be awful, wouldn¡¯t it~?¡± ¡°S-Shush!¡± They didn¡¯t want to answer that and just lightly glared at her. ¡°Hehe.¡± Anna liked that she was able to get the upper hand here. ¡°Anyway!¡± Sophia wanted to change the topic. ¡°Do you think we should tell the others of the fancy new hot spring we found, or should that be our little secret because we already have 2 public ones?" ¡°I mean,¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°A secret sounds fun, but Steph will kill us if she ever finds out that we kept a hot spring from her. She really loves them, after all.¡± ¡°Is it really the hot spring she loves, though?¡± The princess wasn''t so sure about that. ¡°I think it¡¯s more about the view.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox paused for a second. ¡°You, uhh, you aren¡¯t wrong, but the result is still the same because she wasn''t with us when we went there.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Anna could get behind her reasoning now. ¡°Also, I think that going there with everyone, just like the other places, sounds more fun.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The shorter tiger agreed. ¡°One of the more eventful days, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The other two felt the same. ¡°Speaking of eventful days! Anna!¡± The blonde suddenly faced her fellow tiger. ¡°Yes?¡± She looked back at her. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no secret that besides my complete lack of directional sense, I also have no sense for time, either.¡± "We know." The other two girls and Blu nodded in agreement. ¡°Hey!¡± She glared at the parakeet, who was munching on some seeds the blonde had placed on the table before them. ¡°It¡¯s too early for you to join them in these topics!¡± In response to that, the bird only lightly lifted its wings, as if shrugging, before returning its focus to the seeds. ¡°Blu fits so well into our group!¡± Anna and Chloe liked its sass. ¡°Grr!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t, though. ¡°Anyway, not important right now! Ellie! We talked about her birthday a few days, maybe a week ago? That means her birthday definitely is right around the corner now!¡± ¡°It is.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°On the coming weekend, to be exact. Ari and I wanted to go to the capital either tomorrow or the day after to get her a present.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t plan to tell me?!¡± She got loud. ¡°Maya knows about it." Anna shrugged. "I told her about our plan, and we decided to bring you and her with us. Chloe can naturally come, too.¡± She briefly smiled at the fox. ¡°And why no mention to me?!¡± Sophia raised her voice even more. ¡°I arguably love her the most!¡± ¡°I¡¯m still her sister!¡± The princess stared at her. ¡°And?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She had no comeback for that. ¡°We¡¯re doing a lot lately, and it¡¯s not easy to get a hold of you lately between your trips and the creation of the cherry forest. It just slipped my mind. We definitely would¡¯ve taken you with us when we were going to leave for the capital.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯m fine with that!¡± The blonde started smiling again. ¡°I can¡¯t wait~.¡± ¡°I hope Ellie won¡¯t be too mad with you.¡± Anna looked at Sophia with a wry smile. ¡°After all, you haven¡¯t visited her once since we left all those many weeks ago.¡± "A-Ah.¡± She froze. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best to make it up to her.¡± The short tiger was honestly frightened about that possibility. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Chloe showed her an honest smile instead. ¡°Ellie loves you too much to be mad for longer than five minutes.¡± ¡°Five minutes of Ellie being mad at me is six minutes longer than I can take!¡± It only made it worse for the blonde. ¡°Well, it¡¯s your fault for not visiting her sooner.¡± The fox had no nice words left. ¡°¡­¡± She hung her head. Luckily, Steph, Maya, and Ari returned mere moments later, and the situation was resolved by being distracted by them. It seemed like Fen went to Aura instead, as well as Fey and Mira having stayed behind in the overseer¡¯s domain, making it only the six girls in the cottage. They didn¡¯t stay long there, though. Steph instantly smelled something odd, and after intensely sniffing her sister and then her girlfriend afterward with great vigor, she linked the smell to them, having been in a hot spring, one with a mineral composition she hadn''t smelled before. Naturally, she demanded to be taken there to inspect it and take it for a test to determine whether it was worthy of her exquisite tastes. With that, the girls spent their evening in the underground crystal cavern hot spring. Chapter 077 – Forest changes The explorer trio returned from their expedition of the caves below the cherry blossom forest and the massive crystal cluster that absorbed their magic powers. Blu did something with that cluster, but as it needed time to develop, the results would only be visible the day after. While waiting, the girls made some more plans for Ellie''s upcoming birthday and what to do there before taking yet another dip in the underground hot spring after Steph found out about it. ¡°This better be good, Blu!¡± Anna, Chloe, and Sophia were together again the day after they explored the caves beneath the cherry blossom forest, and the princess stared at the bird sitting on the blonde''s shoulder. In response to that, the parakeet fluffed up its feathers to make itself look more important while chirping a couple of times. ¡°Someone¡¯s confident, huh?¡± The fox smiled at Blu. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see it!¡± "That sure are some grand expectations, huh?¡± Sophia gently patted the bird¡¯s head. ¡°I just hope my beautiful forest is still in one piece.¡± Hearing that, the bird on her shoulder froze for a brief moment. ¡°Oi!¡± She didn¡¯t like that reaction. Instead of reacting to her, Blu simply took flight and disappeared through a portal it created just in time before the group. ¡°I love that parakeet!¡± Smiling broadly, Chloe also stepped through the portal. ¡°What she said!¡± Anna then did the same, as well. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, I love that literal bundle of magic the most, buuut¡­¡± Not finishing her sentence, the short tiger quickly followed after them. ---------------- ¡°WOW!¡± On the other side of the portal, all three girls immediately had the same reaction. They didn¡¯t arrive in the cave from before, but in the actual cherry blossom forest above it. Or, to be more exact, what was left of it. Things had changed drastically since the previous day they were there. A sizeable portion of the forest had significantly changed its properties. Everything, the ground, the grass, the tree trunks, branches, and every single leaf and blossom, crystallized. The shape was still clearly visible, and it still had some resemblance to the original color, like green for the grass or brown for the trunks, but the surface of everything had turned smooth and shiny together with an extra coating of various pink hues on top of it. ¡°This is the coolest thing ever!¡± Sophia was the first to say something past the initial wow reaction they all had before. ¡°True!¡± The other two nodded a couple of times. ¡°Where is,- W-Whoa!¡± The blonde took a few steps around the area and immediately stopped when she heard crunching sounds beneath her feet. Looking down and behind her, she noticed that the crystallized grass she stepped on shattered into tiny pieces. ¡°So brittle! I guess they¡¯re not on the same level as diamonds, huh? That¡¯s a little disappointing.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Chloe and Anna tilted their heads. ¡°Monetary value!¡± As usual, the short tiger was completely shameless. ¡°Are you in need of money?¡± The fox only got more confused. ¡°Not at all.¡± She shook her head. ¡°In fact, the few projects I have going on with the king and the payments from the inventions I rented out or sold give me more than I can reasonably spend.¡± ¡°Then shush.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Sophia smiled at her in return. ¡°Would still be cool if this place would all be diamonds, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t refute that. ¡°While it likely won¡¯t be on the level of diamonds, I think those crystals would still be worth a pretty something.¡± Anna got closer to a cherry blossom tree and picked a crystallized blossom from it. ¡°Look how pretty it is!¡± She held up her hand with the blossom on top of her palm. ¡°I¡¯m sure it would sell incredibly well as an accessory or decorations!¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°That¡¯s brilliant!¡± The blonde liked her suggestion. ¡°We¡¯d need to destroy this beautiful place to sell it, though.¡± The fox had a more mixed reaction to the idea and scratched her cheek while looking around. ¡°It seems like a waste to me. Especially when considering that you aren¡¯t in need of money." She slowly shook her head while looking at the greedy, short tiger. ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°Well, we could still make a separate secluded area for harvesting, but you do have a point there. Yeah, we don¡¯t really have to do that for the time being.¡± ¡°We should give some to Ellie, though.¡± The princess looked at the crystal in her hand again. ¡°She loves cherry blossoms and everything that sparkles. To be honest, I think she¡¯d like this more than any other present we could possibly find when we go shopping later.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± The blonde¡¯s eyes grew wide after learning this valuable information. ¡°Oh, wait, now that I think about it, she absolutely loved the cherry blossoms in the royal garden back in March before we left.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Sophia then changed her attention to a massive crystallized cherry blossom tree in front of the group. ¡°Interesting~.¡± "You''re going to place one of those trees in the castle¡¯s garden, aren¡¯t you?¡± Anna didn¡¯t have a hard time guessing her intention. ¡°Right in front of Ellie¡¯s room!¡± The short tiger¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°Poor Menzor.¡± Chloe just felt sorry for the king. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine~.¡± Both tigers just smiled at her. ¡°By the way, where has the cave gone?¡± The fox decided that it was time for a change of topic instead. ¡°It¡¯s still the same area, so it should be somewhere below us, right?¡± ¡°Asking all the right questions!¡± Now that she remembered it, the blonde was wondering about the same. ¡°Blu, where is it?¡± She turned her head to glance at the usual bird that was sitting on her shoulder and had stayed silent up until now. In return, the parakeet tilted its head for a moment before quickly taking flight soon after. Blu flew around for a couple of seconds before it eventually began drawing circles in the air roughly 20 meters to the left of the girls. ¡°Such a good guide~.¡± Smiling at the bird, Chloe was the first to start walking in Blu''s direction. ¡°That¡¯s why we work so well together!¡± Sophia was right behind her. ¡°Keeps me from getting lost in my own domain!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you should sound so confident here.¡± Anna lightly rolled her eyes while she followed after the fellow tiger. "Ohh!" Arriving where the parakeet was, the trio immediately got loud again. There was a small opening in the crystallized ground, and looking down through it, they could spot the massive crystal cluster from before again. It had stopped glowing and returned to its light pink and translucent hue from when they first found it. Everything around it inside the cave had completely crystallized, as well. ¡°Is it empty again?¡± The princess tried to interpret the change in the crystal. ¡°It seems like it.¡± The fox thought so, too. ¡°I can¡¯t feel any magic from it anymore, either.¡± ¡°I guess it was used to change the area, huh?¡± Sophia gently patted Blu¡¯s head, who had landed on her shoulder again. ¡°Good job!¡± In response, the bird nodded once and then only further pressed its head against her hand to get pet even more. ¡°Is it possible to get more of those charging crystals?¡± Anna looked at the bird with a questioning expression. Pausing for a moment, Blu then nodded again while looking back at the princess. ¡°Awesome! I want one near the cottage so that I can charge it up whenever I¡¯m nearby! Once it¡¯s charged enough, I¡¯ll finally start my own biome for real and kick it off with a bang!¡± "A literal bang?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow in return. ¡°Probably!¡± The princess was in a good mood. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it~.¡± The shorter blonde was, too. ¡°I still need to do that, too.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°I helped Steph make hers, but I have yet to start my own biome." ¡°How cold is it going to be¡­?¡± Sophia had a bad feeling about it. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ---------------- Looking at the crystallized part of the forest a little while longer, the group eventually returned to the cottage and met up with Ari, Maya, and Steph there. ¡°Alright, we have come together here for the most important thing since we¡¯ve left the capital! I want everyone at full attention!¡± The blonde audibly clapped her hands while her gaze wandered from one girl to another while they were in the living room. ¡°What¡¯s this about¡­?¡± Ari leaned over to Anna to find out what was going on and why the short tiger seemed so serious. ¡°Ellie¡¯s birthday.¡± The princess just rolled her eyes while answering the jaguar. ¡°Ah.¡± She didn¡¯t seem overly surprised. ¡°Anna, Chloe, and I already have an amazing present for the bestest girl, but I also want to get her something that¡¯s just from me! Everything who also wants to get her a present is welcome to join us for the capital!¡± ¡°Ignoring the part where it was my idea to go to the capital, I¡¯m coming with you, yeah.¡± Ari wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about her idea having been stolen. ¡°Well, you know how much she loves to be in the center of attention.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°True.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The attention-seeking tiger raised her voice. Once Sophia calmed down again, the girls made some more plans for Ellie¡¯s upcoming birthday before eventually returning to the beastfolk capital by taking a portal to their mansion there. Chapter 078 – Present shopping Sophia, Anna, and Chloe checked up on the place where they poured their magic into a crystal to charge it up and were happy to find out that the whole area had turned into a wonderland where even the cherry blossom trees had gotten crystalized and become extra sparkly. Afterward, they reunited with Ari, Steph, and Maya to make plans for Ellie''s upcoming birthday before heading to the capital together. ¡°By the way, what is everyone getting for the little princess?¡± Back in the mansion, Sophia was curious about everyone¡¯s plans. ¡°She always loves the clothes I get her, so I¡¯ll be buying her a new outfit for late spring and early summer.¡± Ari already had a solid plan. ¡°That sister of mine likes to draw and goes through crayons like there¡¯s no tomorrow.¡± Anna continued. ¡°I wanted to get her an extra big and colorful set to go wild on.¡± ¡°Ohh, I like that!¡± The blonde was a fan of the ideas so far. ¡°Plushies!¡± Steph and Chloe seemed highly motivated, as well. ¡°She already has some that look like Steph and me in animal form, so we''re going to try and complete the set!" The fox added some more details. ¡°Exactly!¡± The dog just nodded. ¡°Good luck! If you find a Maya plushy, I want one, too!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± The duo smiled at the short tiger. ¡°I¡¯m still not entirely sure.¡± The cat-girl in question scratched her cheek. ¡°She was really into the pottery session with the clay back when we made Kira¡¯s present together with her. Because of that, I was thinking about something arts and craft related, as well.¡± ¡°She¡¯s really good with all things creative.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°What about you?¡± Maya threw the question back at her. ¡°Any ideas for a gift?¡± ¡°I have a few, but I¡¯m starting to warm up to something immaterial instead. I¡¯ll think about it some more.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°For now, let¡¯s go shopping! I might change my mind during that again~.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Everyone agreed with her. Afterward, they got ready to leave the mansion and went to one of the capital¡¯s shopping districts to get their presents for Ellie. ---------------- The rest of the day passed in the blink of an eye, and everyone successfully managed to get something for the upcoming birthday of the little princess. ¡°So, in the end, you went with a bracelet, huh?¡± On the way back to the mansion, Anna glanced at the small bag the blonde was holding. ¡°Well, it looked super cute when I saw it in the window, so I had to get it! ¡°Fair enough.¡± The taller tiger just nodded. ¡°It was pretty cute. Ellie will love it, too. She¡¯s a big fan of those colorful gemstones that are on it.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Sophia was glad to hear it. ¡°I might add and or replace some of them with the ones from our crystal forest after shaping and polishing them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°Makes it super personal, too.¡± ¡°Glad to hear!¡± ¡°The what now?¡± Steph and Maya synced up. Ari also tilted her head in response. "Oh, right, you''ve only seen the hot spring with the crystals around it, huh?¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°There are countless tunnels around it that are made purely from crystals leading to the surface, among other places. There, Chloe, Anna, Blu, and I played around with some other stuff and turned a part of my cherry blossom forest into crystals~.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°And it¡¯s amazing!¡± Chloe and Anna replied at the same time. ¡°I want to see it!¡± The dog and cat-girl raised their voices. ¡°Sure, we can take a look later once we¡¯re back home~.¡± She just smiled at them. ¡°Awesome!¡± ---------------- A little while later, the group returned to the mansion and were about to head into the domain when Sophia suddenly stopped while tilting her head. ¡°Ah¡­ Anna and Chloe, could you two show them the crystalized forest? Maybe also collect Fenny and Aura, as well? I just noticed that I forgot something.¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Maya, could you help me?¡± "Sure thing!" The fox and the princess nodded in return, and everyone besides the cat-girl took the portal to the other side. ¡°So, what did you see with your detection magic?¡± Once she was alone with her tiger, Maya stared right at her. ¡°That ¡®Ah¡¯of yours always means the same.¡± ¡°Ahaha~.¡± The tiger could only laugh. ¡°I really need to learn some new tricks.¡± ¡°So?¡± She just kept staring. ¡°I detected a certain couple walking towards the mansion, and I thought it would be best to wait and greet them~.¡± ¡°Certain couple?¡± The cat-girl looked confused. ¡°Kira and the king?¡± ¡°Why would I want you to stay behind, then?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± She hadn¡¯t thought that far. ¡°Wait! Are you talking about my parents?¡± ¡°It would be highly unlikely to be mine, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, Theo and Eve are heading this way.¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve slightly forgotten about the part that they¡¯re still in the capital.¡± ¡°What a horrible daughter you are!¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°As if you¡¯re any better.¡± ¡°I had tea with Eve just last week!¡± ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± She hadn¡¯t seen that one coming. ¡°How? Where was I?¡± ¡°I ran into her when I made a quick trip to here. No idea where you were, though.¡± ¡°You really are something else.¡± Maya had nothing better to say. ¡°I was talking about your parents, though. It¡¯s gotten quite quiet around that topic lately.¡± "A-Ah.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned awkward. ¡°To be fair, my situation is a lot more complicated than you forgetting about your parents still being in the capital.¡± ¡°You are not wrong with that, but my point still stands.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still planning to bring them to my domain at some point, but I¡¯m not sure how to tackle that. It would be cool if they stay because this world is objectively better, but it¡¯s not as easy as that.¡± ¡°The fact that we¡¯re traveling or playing with the biomes in your domain all day isn''t really helping either, is it?" The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Most of the time, your parents would be alone in this world, not to mention the part where they''re humans. I mean, you and Steph are one thing; both of you turned into the beastfolk like it was nothing, but I assume your parents are grown-up and at least somewhat reasonable, right? They wouldn¡¯t swap species just like that, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said my situation is way more complicated!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Should we have our parents meet?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Maya hadn¡¯t seen that one coming, either. ¡°I can¡¯t even wrap my head around the number of issues that would arise with that.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The tiger scratched her cheek. ¡°It would also solve a lot of other ones, though. Also, at some point, I¡¯ll have to tell your parents more about me, anyway, so we might as well go all the way with it.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°I just really want to have my family here. I can¡¯t and won¡¯t force them, though. So, I need to make it as appealing as possible for them. I still have no idea how to solve many things regarding that, but having someone to talk to is a start, is it not?¡± ¡°That is true.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Still, telling my parents about it, huh?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want me to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t, but¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°My parents are pretty normal. I have no idea how they¡¯d take in something like that.¡± ¡°They love me, though~.¡± Sophia turned a little smug. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s a good or a bad thing in this situation.¡± ¡°Ahhh.¡± She needed another moment. ¡°I¡¯m willing to try if you¡¯re okay with it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop you if that¡¯s what you want.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°Are we doing it today? Will you go and fetch your parents?¡± ¡°That might be skipping a few steps.¡± The blonde hadn''t planned to go that far just yet. "Let''s start with telling Theo and Eve today and see how it goes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Maya just nodded. ¡°Should we go and meet them, then? Before they leave the area again, I mean.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to.¡± She shook her head. ¡°They¡¯re still headed right for the mansion and should be in front of the entrance in a few minutes.¡± ¡°What are they doing here in the first place?¡± ¡°What makes you think I know?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I was just thinking loudly.¡± The cat-girl shrugged. ¡°Maybe they saw us shopping and decided to meet us here.¡± She still tried to make a guess. ¡°That might be it.¡± Maya had no better explanation, either. While waiting for them, the couple tried to form a rough plan on how Sophia should tell them about her circumstances to keep the impact manageable. Afterward, they left the mansion a couple of minutes later to welcome Maya¡¯s parents at the gate of their mansion. Chapter 079 – Filling in the parents The girls went to the capital to get presents for Ellie''s upcoming birthday. Once they got everything they wanted and were about to head back to the domain, Sophia noticed that Maya''s parents were nearby, thanks to her detection magic, and she decided to stay behind together with the cat-girl to meet them. While waiting for them, the blonde also chose to tell them about her past because she hoped they would help her with her own family. ¡°Sophia!¡± In front of the mansion, once they saw each other, the tiger and Maya¡¯s mother immediately hugged each other. ¡°Good to see you, Eve!¡± The blonde was just as enthusiastic about meeting the black-and-white-haired cat-girl. ¡°How¡¯s your back doing, Theo?¡± She then smiled at the brown-haired middle-aged cat-man. ¡°Better than ever, thanks to you!¡± He was also smiling. ¡°Glad to hear!¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you, too. Mom. Dad.¡± Maya, the actual daughter, was slightly upset over her treatment. Being fully ignored, that is. ¡°Oh, I hadn¡¯t seen you there.¡± Finally letting go of Sophia, Eve then faced her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going home.¡± The white-haired cat-girl already had enough and turned to face the mansion. ¡°I leave your favorite daughter here.¡± Glancing at Sophia, she then started walking towards the building. ¡°Oi!¡± The blonde grabbed her arm and stopped her from moving. ¡°You¡¯re staying!¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m just playing around~.¡± Saying so, Eve then also hugged her daughter. ¡°I have, in fact, missed you, too.¡± ¡°Hmpf.¡± She was still pouting. ¡°Would you be interested in traveling with us?¡± Sophia faced Eve. ¡°The reactions you get out of Maya are amazing!¡± ¡°That¡¯s never going to happen!¡± The white-haired cat-girl got loud. ¡°I¡¯m not going to travel with my parents! I would have to hold back way too much!¡± ¡°Hold back?¡± Her mother tilted her head. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°I am NOT going to tell you!¡± The perpetually horny girl had no intention of disclosing this fact. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Anyway, what brings you two here?¡± Maya decided to change the topic. ¡°We saw you and your friends go shopping together, but as we didn¡¯t want to disturb you, we decided to try our luck here instead.¡± Theo answered her. ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± ¡°Do you two have some time at the moment?¡± Sophia turned a little more serious. ¡°Yes.¡± Maya¡¯s parents nodded. Afterward, the blonde guided everyone into the mansion''s living room, where they got comfortable on the sofas. ---------------- ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a complicated one. I wonder where to start¡­¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek while looking at Maya¡¯s parents. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to tell us right now that you and Maya are going to break up, I¡¯ll never forgive you!¡± Eve didn¡¯t like the feeling of the current conversation. ¡°There are no such plans!¡± The couple shook their heads. ¡°Out with it, then~.¡± Maya¡¯s mother smiled at the blonde. ¡°It can¡¯t be too bad, then.¡± ¡°I never said it¡¯s bad. It¡¯s just a very complicated topic.¡± She let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s about my past and family.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Hearing that, Theo and Eve immediately changed to a serious expression, too. "I met my parents roughly half a year ago, and you''ve seen the violet-haired dog-girl together with us a few times, right? That¡¯s Steph. She¡¯s my sister.¡± Sophia decided to just get over with it. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it ¡°E-Eh?¡± Eve raised her voice. ¡°B-But I thought your family was¡­¡± ¡°Gone, yes.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Not dead, even though it may sounded like it back then. I¡¯m sorry about that. They went missing, or rather, I went missing. Until something happened, it was impossible for me to reunite with them.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°Excellent question!¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°My background¡¯s a little more complicated than just being somewhat of a member of the royal family.¡± She moved around her striped tail a little to bring the point of being a tiger across. ¡°And that¡¯s already plenty complicated.¡± Maya rolled her eyes. ¡°Not helping!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t planning to.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Lightly glaring at her girlfriend, she then continued. ¡°I come from a very remote place.¡± Technically, it was quite true. ¡°In fact, I, uhh¡­ I come from another world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Theo and Eve just went silent and blinked a couple of times while staring at the tiger with an expression of pure confusion. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°What a relatable reaction.¡± Maya looked strangely nostalgic. ¡°So, all you¡¯re doing today is unneeded comments, huh?¡± The blonde faced her cat. ¡°It¡¯s one of those days, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to break the tension~.¡± She just gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± ¡°Hold on a moment!¡± Maya¡¯s mother got loud. ¡°What do you mean?!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Her father reacted with a few big nods. ¡°What are you talking about?!¡± ¡°It sounds a little stupid, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia looked a little awkward. ¡°Very understandable.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Theo agreed. ¡°Especially because you¡¯re always so reasonable, which makes this sort of joke even more ridiculous.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Eve felt the same. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± The blonde glanced at Maya, who was only slowly shaking her head in a disapproving manner over how her parents still thought that her girlfriend was reasonable. ¡°Okay, so what is this really about?¡± Obviously, the two still weren¡¯t believing the tiger. ¡°It¡¯s true what I said.¡± She looked right at them with a serious expression. ¡°I really am from a different world. That¡¯s the reason I wasn¡¯t able to see my family for the longest time. They had stayed behind in that other world while I was here with no means to return. I was able to do just that half a year ago, though. While doing so, Steph decided to come with me to live here in this much better world while my parents are still undecided on what to do and where to stay.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Maya decided to be helpful, after all. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it. It¡¯s definitely another world because there¡¯s no way such a place exists around here.¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± They were still unable to believe it. ¡°If it helps you to believe it, Canir¡¯s the one who brought her to this world.¡± The white-haired cat-girl was helpful for exactly seven seconds. ¡°?!¡± Her parents were unable to react in spoken words. ¡°Could you go back to unneeded remarks?¡± Sophia glared at her. ¡°I don¡¯t need that kind of help right now.¡± "Why?!" Maya glared back. "Shock value is the easiest way to make someone understand! I¡¯d know because it''s a common occurrence when around you.¡± ¡°That may be true, but your parents deserve a more tactful approach!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do tactful anymore.¡± ¡°I noticed!¡± The blonde rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, yes, as our idiot so bluntly blurted out, Canir¡¯s the reason I arrived in this world after living in another one before. I¡¯ll spare the details, though, because they¡¯re no fun.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have any words or know how I should react. Neither if I should believe it or not.¡± Eve had some rather conflicting feelings on the matter. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard stories of a similar topic before, but I never believed it. I mean, it makes no sense whatsoever!¡± Theo, too, didn¡¯t just accept it like that. ¡°Do you want to see it?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°That world, I mean.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t recommend it.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°There are some very interesting things there, but there are many cons to it, too." ¡°H-How¡­?¡± Eve looked confused. ¡°Well,¡± Thinking about it for a moment, Sophia then opened one of her sparkly portals next to them. ¡°If you step through this gate, it will bring you to a room from where we can visit my previous world.¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°We also live in there while were traveling.¡± Maya added some extra details. ¡°Not Sophia¡¯s old world, but the place inside the portal.¡± ¡°There really is a different world other than this?¡± ¡°There is.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Probably many more, but I don¡¯t know them yet.¡± ¡°What do you mean by YET?!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Who knows what¡¯ll happen in the future?" She just shrugged. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it any better!¡± ¡°So, do you want to see it?¡± Ignoring her girlfriend, the tiger kept concentrating on her parents. ¡°M-Maybe another time¡­¡± Eve was too overwhelmed to take the offer. ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± Theo sided with his wife. ¡°Sure thing~.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t going to push them. ¡°The whole reason I brought up this topic was another one, anyway.¡± ¡°Other than shocking us to the very core?¡± Eve tilted her head. ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°My sister came with me, but my parents are still in that other world, and I really want them to come here, too. As I said before, this is, objectively speaking, the better world. They don¡¯t know anyone here, though. Because of that, I was hoping that I could introduce them to you when showing them this world. I think it would be a great help if they have someone to talk to.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± "I''d love to meet the parents of our future daughter-in-law!" Eve got very excited about that. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia and Maya only reacted with an awkward laugh. ¡°I¡¯m ready whenever to meet them!¡± Eve was really looking forward to it. ¡°Well, I still have some more explaining to do.¡± Sophia tried to calm her down. ¡°There are some circumstances about them that complicate things a little." She had no idea how she should explain the bit where her parents were humans. ¡°I¡¯ll go and make some tea.¡± Maya stood up from the sofa to leave for the kitchen. ¡°We¡¯ll need it because this will take a while.¡± The blonde liked that idea, and the group took a little break where she tried her best to lay out her story in the most logical way to explain it to Maya''s parents in a way that made sense. Chapter 080 – Breaking the parents Sophia and Maya met up with the cat-girl¡¯s parents and had a long chat with them. During that conversation, the blonde told them that she came from another world and that her parents were still there. Naturally, Eve and Theo had trouble believing her, but once they saw her portals, they became a little more open about the idea. Sophia also told them that she wants her parents to also be in the new world and how she''d love their help with that. ¡°Okay, can I continue with the complicated part now?¡± Putting away the cup of tea she was holding, Sophia then faced Maya¡¯s parents. ¡°The complicated part?!¡± ¡°You just told us you¡¯re from a different world, and that wasn''t the difficult part?!" Unfortunately, the tea they just had didn''t have much of a calming effect on Theo and Eve. ¡°Well, from a technical standpoint, the world thingy is more complicated.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Something else has more of an impact, though.¡± ¡°More of an impact?!¡± The two synced up. "Fine, maybe that isn''t it, either." She had trouble finding the right words. ¡°It¡¯s more of a problem that comes with the world I used to live in.¡± "A MASSIVE problem.¡± Maya reacted with a big nod. ¡°Canir gave me a new life in this world, and I used the chance to turn myself into a member of the tiger beastfolk without knowing they¡¯re royalty. Steph did something similar. My parents are still humans, though. That''s because there are only humans in the world where I came from before my life there literally ended, and I started a new one here." ¡°?!¡± Their expression had turned amazingly complicated. ¡°They have nothing in common with the humans in this world, though! Yes, their looks are the same, mainly the lack of beast bits, but their character traits are completely different!¡± As Sophia was specifically talking about her family, she technically was telling the truth. ¡°¡­¡± They had no idea what to say. ¡°The looks are still the issue.¡± The tiger kept going. ¡°Even though they look like regular humans of this world, they are different. No one would care about that at first glance, though. They¡¯ll only see the human part and understandably want nothing to do with them.¡± ¡°There are members of the beastfolk that have no visible animal traits and are called hidden.¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°The beast side is either in parts of the body that aren¡¯t usually visible, inside, or they simply have a few character traits and nothing else. It¡¯s a bit of a stretch, but if they really don¡¯t act like our humans here and are friendly, people could believe it. Especially if you inject some magic into them.¡± ¡°You finally started being actually helpful!¡± Sophia was touched. ¡°Okay, I did that to myself.¡± She had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°I still think that could work out, though. It''s that, or you give them some very slight animal features that aren¡¯t really noticeable unless you¡¯re really looking at it if your parents don¡¯t want to change too much.¡± ¡°Yeah, I have to talk about that with them, too.¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t looking forward to that, either. ¡°W-What is going on?!¡± Eve had no nerve to deal with their conversation. ¡°Ah, sorry about that.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°The beastfolk doesn¡¯t exist in the world I came from. Neither do demons, elves, and all the other races. Just humans and completely regular animals. It¡¯s a sad world.¡± ¡°O-Only humans¡­?¡± Theo didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a horrible place!¡± Maya nodded a couple of times. ¡°It¡¯s the worst part of going there. Though, to be fair, most of the individuals I met so far were at least decent or something like that. That world might be doomed, but it does house some nice people. Sophia also came from there, after all~.¡± If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Trying to farm some points with me?¡± She just stared at her. ¡°And it¡¯s working~.¡± The white-haired cat was quite proud of herself for that. ¡°Fair enough.¡± It was indeed working on her. ¡°Have you been there¡­?¡± Theo faced his daughter. ¡°You made it sound like that.¡± "A couple of times." She nodded. "The first time was by accident, but that place has some amazing places to go shopping, so we returned a couple of times to get all sorts of stuff!" She decided against going into detail, though. For obvious reasons. ¡°My daughter went to another world¡­ Other worlds are a thing¡­¡± Her father was having a hard time. ¡°You forgot the part where I¡¯m dating a girl from another world.¡± Maya showed him a cheeky grin. ¡°Not helping!¡± Sophia resorted to glaring again. ¡°Also, shall I remind you how you reacted back when I told you?¡± "A-Ah." The grin was immediately gone as she remembered how she had run away on the day she had learned about the blonde''s past. ¡°Again, my parents are decent human beings.¡± She tried to convince them some more. ¡°I mean, I get that that¡¯s unbelievable for someone from this world, but it¡¯s true. After all, they raised me. Okay, I have some flaws, but I think my behavior is pretty decent.¡± ¡°Meh.¡± Maya just shrugged. ¡°Please go through that portal and wait in the cottage until I''m done here!" The blonde pointed at the portal she had created earlier while sounding rather angry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± She apologized. ¡°You make it sound so easy to lighten the mood by making stupid comments, but it¡¯s an art, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one of my few talents, so of course it is!¡± ¡°Could we focus a little?¡± Eve tried to get them back on track. ¡°I¡¯m already completely overwhelmed, so this isn¡¯t the slightest bit helpful.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Theo just nodded. ¡°We¡¯re sorry.¡± ¡°Have you really been a¡­ human in the past¡­?¡± Eve¡¯s expression turned complicated again. "A long time ago.¡± A year can arguably be a long time, so she was technically telling the truth. ¡°I¡¯ve never identified with the humans of this world and almost went to war with them the moment I met a group of them. Then, I actually did go to war against them last year, so¡­ Yeah, again, the only thing that¡¯s similar to this world¡¯s humans and my parents are their general looks. I don¡¯t even have that in common with them anymore, and I have no attachment to the human inhabitants of this world. My past plays absolutely no role here.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°If you two agree to meet my parents, you¡¯ll immediately see that they have nothing in common with the humans of this world, as well.¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°I might be biased because they''re my parents, but I''m convinced they''re nice people, and you''ll immediately notice that they share nothing except the looks with the inhabitants of this world.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eve looked at her daughter. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t met them yet, but they¡¯re the parents of Sophia and Steph, and they''re, albeit quite hyperactive, lovely girls. It would be a big stretch to imagine them being bad people.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°They¡¯re actually rather similar to you two, Theo and Eve. I don¡¯t know Maya¡¯s brother, but you also raised a mostly nice and occasionally bratty daughter, just like Steph.¡± ¡°Just think of them as hidden ones instead of humans when you see them.¡± Maya noticed how the two still didn¡¯t seem too convinced about the idea. ¡°It¡¯ll make things way easier.¡± ¡°What she said!¡± The blonde liked the plan. ¡°It will make me unbelievably happy if you agree to meet them!¡± She then faced Theo and Eve with a pleading expression. ¡°Your puppy eyes aren¡¯t nearly as good as Steph¡¯s.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s a dog!¡± Sophia glared at Maya. ¡°I¡¯m a mighty and proud tiger! I have other selling points!¡± ¡°See?¡± Maya smiled at her parents instead. ¡°Do you think such a dork could''ve been raised by bad people?" ¡°That¡¯s a compelling argument.¡± The two nodded. ¡°Why is that the thing that convinced you?!¡± The mighty tiger wasn¡¯t happy about the change of heart, at least not in this situation and with that reasoning. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± All three of the cat family had to chuckle. ¡°Well, whatever!¡± She decided to stop caring about semantics and was just happy about the result. ¡°After that chuckle, I won¡¯t accept a no for an answer any longer! I¡¯m so happy you agreed to meet my parents!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two went silent. ¡°I¡¯ll meet with them soon and tell them about my plan and do some convincing to have them come to my place for a visit. Once I''ve managed to do that, I''ll get the two of you, and we''ll have a loooong chat about a lot of things.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still not entirely convinced about the circumstances, but I¡¯m willing to give it a try.¡± Theo scratched his cheek. ¡°I agree that Sophia¡¯s parents are impossible to be bad, but just hearing the word human fills me with nothing but hesitation.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Eve nodded. ¡°Trust me, I understand that.¡± Sophia also agreed with them. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any good experiences with humans in this world, either, so I really get it, but I promise that my parents are different.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll meet them.¡± Theo finally caved in. "I can''t not meet the parents of my future daughter-in-law, so it''s hard to be against it." Eve did so, too. "There''s lots of planning I have to do with Sophia¡¯s mother, after all!¡± She was already four steps ahead. ¡°Can I take the day off when that happens?¡± Maya had a bad feeling about the meeting. ¡°No.¡± Everyone shook their heads. ¡°It was worth a try.¡± Afterward, the four put the topic aside and continued to leisurely chat about other things for a while. Sophia¡¯s tea party with Eve aside, they hadn¡¯t seen each other for a while, and they had a lot of stories to tell Theo and Eve about things that happened during their travels so far. Chapter 081 – Mayas dilemma Sophia had put a lot of work into her convincing skill and managed to talk Eve and Theo into meeting her parents even though they were quite reluctant about it after learning that they were humans. Thankfully, they had nothing in common with the humans in the new world, and the blonde made them agree, which brought her one step closer to getting her family to her new home, which was a much better place, in her opinion. ¡°Well, that was something.¡± Sophia and Maya were back in the cottage, and the tiger let out a tired sigh as she got comfortable on one of the sofas in the living room. ¡°I think it went well, though.¡± She smiled at the cat-girl next to her on the sofa. ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°I hadn¡¯t expected for them to buy your background so fast.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t give them much of a choice, after all.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m just happy they love me so much and also accepted my past.¡± ¡°You have to try much harder for them to dislike you.¡± She smiled back at the blonde. ¡°You have completely won them over.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked that. "I look forward to seeing how you fare with my parents!" "A-Ah!¡± Maya¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Somehow, I hadn¡¯t thought about that part yet!¡± ¡°You better start coming up with ideas, then~.¡± ¡°I need to have an emergency meeting with Chloe as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± The tiger looked confused. ¡°She¡¯s in the same situation as I am!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°She¡¯s dating Steph!¡± ¡°Right!¡± It took a while before Sophia understood. ¡°True! She¡¯d also have to meet them if I get them to visit us. I need to make sure to have popcorn ready that day! Steph and I are going to have an amazing time when that happens~.¡± ¡°Not helping!¡± Maya got loud. ¡°I wasn¡¯t intending to be helpful.¡± She just smiled at her. ¡°Ahh.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, I guess I earned that after doing the same during the conversation with my parents earlier.¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Sophia just looked at her. ¡°In all seriousness, though, you should be fine. Once you make my mother believe you¡¯re actually real, everything will be alright.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°My mother still isn¡¯t entirely convinced that I have a partner. I mean, she hasn¡¯t seen much of the new me yet, and past Sophia indeed was too much of a wreck to be in a relationship.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± Maya could follow her logic. ¡°Well, that shouldn¡¯t be too hard. I mean, it¡¯s kinda obvious that I exist.¡± ¡°Slightly obvious, yeah.¡± The tiger couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°Parents do be parents, though.¡± ¡°A good counter.¡± She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m so envious that you met my parents without knowing who they were and managed to bond with them before being able to get nervous over the fact they¡¯re the parents of your partner!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice turned smug. ¡°Every once and then, even I get lucky!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been nothing but lucky since coming to this world!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°And don¡¯t you dare to say anything against that! You¡¯ve claimed to be unlucky many times in the past, but it¡¯s SOOO not the case!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not lucky all the time.¡± She still had to complain. ¡°Tell me one event where you weren¡¯t stupidly lucky!¡± ¡°I can tell you at least three!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Maya didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°The first time I met this world¡¯s humans! The second time! The third time when I went to war against them!¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I love it when I make you speechless.¡± Sophia gave her a cheeky grin. ¡°I like it more when you make me scream.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t going to lose a contest of being cheeky. ¡°¡­¡± The tiger also went silent for a second. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s indeed better.¡± ¡°Alright, with our evening activity being decided on, can we focus for a little longer?¡± She winked at her before looking slightly more serious again. ¡°Who¡¯s the one that went off-topic?!¡± ¡°Both of us.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°So you really plan to bring the rest of your family over, huh?¡± ¡°I want them to consider it at the very least!¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Some quality-of-life issues aside, the world we live in now is much better, after all! Healthcare alone is leagues ahead! Sure, earth has developed some amazing medicine for many illnesses, a lot of which humanity has created themselves, but let¡¯s not go there¡­ Anyway, medicine may be great, but here, you can just magic away everything that could cause harm! There are basically no dangers to your health!¡± ¡°To be fair,¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Even here, we normally rely on medicine, too. Usually, healing magic is only practiced by a select few and only used when nothing else works.¡± ¡°We constantly use healing magic on next to everything, though.¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°Because our group is far from the norm in this world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± She saw her point. ¡°My family would have 24/7 full and free Sophia healthcare, though. Steph healthcare as a backup, too.¡± ¡°What a good daughter.¡± Maya was proud of her. ¡°Well, you also turned the back of my father into that of a 20-year-old again, so I guess that¡¯s to be expected.¡± "Your parents are also family, so of course, it''s to be expected!" ¡°I can see why they love you so much.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°It will still be hard work to convince your parents to come to this world, though. After all, I assume that they have a lot more to give up than you and Steph had.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Sophia nodded. "Not to mention the big issue of them being humans. That far from makes it easier, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly. Still, the cheap excuse of them being hidden if they play along with it might just work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll suggest that to them once we talk about the situation.¡± The blonde also thought that it was a viable option. ¡°For starters, I¡¯ll just show them my domain and bring your parents there, too. That way, they can get to know each other in a safe and undisturbed place. My parents also get a first feel of a different world without having the need to pretend to be something or someone else.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good base for a plan to me.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Sophia agreed. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing that our plans always work the way we intended them to be, as well.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The cat-girl awkwardly scratched her cheek. The couple talked about it for a little bit longer until the other girls returned from their little trip to the crystalized forest and joined them in the living room. ---------------- ¡°We¡¯re back!¡± Steph energetically announced their arrival. ¡°That forest looked so amazing! My next project is definitely going to be something fantasy-like, too!¡± ¡°Important news, Chloe!¡± Ignoring the dog, Maya immediately addressed the pink fox. ¡°Oh?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Sophia wants to talk her parents into visiting this place!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph reacted first. ¡°Great idea, sis!¡± She smiled at the blonde. ¡°Whatever the plan is, I¡¯m in! I¡¯ll help in any way possible!¡± She also wanted them to be here. ¡°I knew I could count on you~.¡± Sophia just gave her a thumbs up. ¡°That surely is going to be interesting.¡± Chloe nodded a few times before looking at the cat-girl again. ¡°Why did you address me, though?¡± She didn¡¯t understand that part. ¡°If their parents will visit, it means that we¡¯re going to meet them, too!¡± She raised her voice a little. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it~.¡± The fox still didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°That means we¡¯re going to meet the parents of our girlfriends!¡± Maya got even louder while she repeated herself. ¡°Ohh!¡± She finally understood her intention but then tilted her head again. "So?" ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous about that?!¡± The cat-girl couldn¡¯t believe her reaction. ¡°That¡¯s a big deal, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Is it?¡± Chloe only got more confused. ¡°I mean, okay, it''s been a little while since I''ve last seen them, but they like me, and I''m a big fan of them, too!" ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± She hadn¡¯t expected that reply. ¡°You¡¯ve already met them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The fox nodded. ¡°Steph dragged me to the old world roughly two weeks after we started dating. We¡¯ve met two or three more times since then, too.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Maya stared at the dog-girl. ¡°Why are you so fast with everything you do?!¡± ¡°If you know, you know!¡± She smiled back at her. ¡°No need to waste time!¡± ¡°To be fair,¡± Sophia joined the conversation. ¡°She and Chloe started dating not even a week after meeting. Waiting two more after that to meet the family seems reasonable to me.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, sis.¡± ¡°Nothing about that is reasonable!¡± The cat-girl thought otherwise. ¡°It¡¯s good that we didn¡¯t have to do any of this, huh?¡± Anna, who had been just listening until now, smiled at Ari next to her. ¡°Yes!¡± The jaguar thought so, too. ¡°We''ve grown up knowing each other''s parents, after all~." She seemed very glad about that fact. ¡°So I''m seriously the only one here who hasn''t met my partner''s parents?!" ¡°Yup.¡± All five nodded. ¡°No way!¡± Maya didn¡¯t like that revelation. ¡°You really need to step up your game there.¡± Steph smirked at her. ¡°Urgh!¡± She wasn¡¯t a fan of her smug sass. ¡°Sophia, go get your parents right now!¡± The cat-girl had enough. "Good job on riling her up." The blonde sounded impressed as she looked at the girls. ¡°You took away all her nervousness, too. Thank you very much for that~.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that was their intention!¡± ¡°It sure was~.¡± All four of them simply smiled at the loud cat-girl. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll go and visit them soon.¡± Sophia faced her. ¡°Ellie¡¯s birthday comes first, though. It¡¯s right around the corner, after all.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± The group chatted about the topic around their family for a little while longer, including the part where the couple asked Maya''s parents for help before they eventually changed to the crystallized cherry blossom forest because Steph still had many questions about that after having seen it for the first time before coming back home. Chapter 082 – Ellie’s birthday Sophia and Maya told the others about the blonde¡¯s plan of making the sister¡¯s parents visit the domain and/or the new world to show them how amazing their new place is. Naturally, Steph was a big fan of the plan and immediately decided to help in whichever way possible. Maya also found out that she was the only one in their group who hadn''t met their partner''s parents and got teased a lot about it. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s finally time!¡± A few days had passed since Sophia announced her plan to make her parents visit her place, but something else had priority right now. The girls were back in the capital, and the blonde energetically raised her arm with a big smile. "Ellie''s birthday is finally here!¡± ¡°I wonder how upset she¡¯s going to be that you haven¡¯t visited her once since we left.¡± Anna just smiled at her fellow tiger. ¡°Don''t do that to me!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Thankfully, I have some emergency backup plans ready for that!¡± ¡°Shall we go?¡± Maya also wanted to see the little princess. ¡°The time should be right now.¡± The tall princess nodded. ¡°The official part of her birthday, being congratulated by all kinds of people she doesn¡¯t know or care about yet, should be over by now, and we probably have her all to ourselves.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± With the blonde in the lead, they took the portal that was still in the closet of Anna¡¯s room in the royal castle to get there as soon as possible. ---------------- ¡°So¡­phia!¡± The group went to the castle¡¯s entrance hall and were immediately greeted by the little tiger. Seeing the blonde, she immediately ran up to her and launched herself towards the girl. Sophia caught her midair, gently grabbed her by the arms, and started spinning on the spot, letting Ellie fly through the air for a few rounds. Afterward, she pulled the princess close and tightly hugged her while the little tiger also wrapped her arms around the blonde¡¯s neck. ¡°Ellie missed you so much!¡± ¡°I missed you, too!¡± Saying so, the two continued to hug each other for a good minute. ¡°So much for being angry, huh?¡± Ari watched the two tigers hugging with a warm expression. She was especially impressed at how tightly the small, roughly 1-meter-tall princess with the wavy and light-orange hair in the little red riding hood-like dress was clinging to the blonde. ¡°Yeah.¡± Anna scratched her cheek. ¡°It was a 50-50 chance of either happening." ¡°Oh, Ellie is very upset, but hug was more important first.¡± The princess then moved her upper body back a little to look the blonde, who was still holding her, right in the eyes. ¡°Why did So¡­phia never visit¡­?¡± She sounded extremely sad. ¡°Y-You promised!¡± ¡°-¡± Sophia died. ¡°O-Ouch.¡± The other girls all had the same reaction. ¡°Maya!¡± After Sophia fell lifelessly on her knees, Ellie let go of her and ran over to the cat-girl to hug her, too. ¡°Hey!¡± She also got on her knees, but only to be in her line of sight, and happily hugged her back. ¡°I am so sorry that we haven¡¯t come to play sooner. Things were a little complicated and eventful lately.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± The little tiger seemed a little pouty as she let go of her. Afterward, she walked over to the other girls and also hugged them all before stopping in front of her older sister and staring up at her. ¡°What?¡± Anna tilted her head as she looked down. ¡°Did I come back home too early?¡± She knew about the rebellious side of her little sister and thought that this was the issue here for sure. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°¡­¡± Ellie just kept staring at her for a moment. A moment later, she wrapped her arms around the tall tiger¡¯s leg and tightly hugged it. The enormous size difference between the striped sisters made anything else impossible, as the short princess was only barely as tall as Anna''s legs. ¡°Aww!¡± Maya, Ari, Steph, and Chloe had the same reaction. As Sophia had died earlier and was lying face down on the floor by now, she was unable to react in any way possible. ¡°¡­¡± Anna also stayed silent for a moment. She did eventually start to gently pet the head of her little sister, who was still clinging to her leg, though. ¡°Aww!¡± Everyone except the dead girl had the same reaction again. ¡°She was a little lonely the past two months.¡± The queen, Kira, joined the group. Technically, she had always been in the corner of the entrance hall, but she decided to stay out of their reunion for a little while. ¡°Enough that she even started missing her sister." ¡°Is that so?¡± Anna stared at Ellie. ¡°Nu-uh!¡± She strongly shook her head from left to right. At the same time, the little princess only clung stronger to her leg, though. ¡°Not true!¡± ¡°Since when have you gotten cute?!¡± The tall tiger couldn¡¯t believe the change in her little sister, who used to treat her so coldly. Afterward, she pulled the small tiger off her leg and grabbed her. Then, Anna lifted her up to actually hug Ellie and then let her cling to her side as the tall girl kept holding the short one. ¡°Not lonely!¡± Elli¡¯s pouting just got stronger as she clung to Anna¡¯s waist now. ¡°Aww!¡± Once again, everyone, including the queen, had the same reaction. Sophia was still dead, though. "Okay, for that alone, it was worth it." Kira¡¯s expression turned warm as she watched her daughters being so close to each other. ¡°Steph, could you please use your little magic box that makes small paintings?¡± ¡°This?¡± The dog-girl pulled out her smartphone. ¡°You know that I took like a thousand pictures of Ellie already?¡± ¡°And I want three thousand more!¡± The queen wasn¡¯t content with the current amount. ¡°Especially when it¡¯s about my two babies hugging! That hasn¡¯t happened in a long time! I would ask Sophia, but she¡¯s busy being dead, so I can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Fine~.¡± Steph opened the camera app on her phone and took a couple of pictures of the sisters. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the painting tomorrow.¡± She lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°I need to print it first¡­¡± ¡°Thank you sooo much!¡± The queen looked incredibly happy. ¡°By the way, now that I mentioned it, why is Sophia lying dead in the entrance hall of the castle?¡± ¡°Ellie was sad that Sophia never visited and told her that in a very deadly way.¡± Maya, the girlfriend of the dead girl, answered her. ¡°Ahhh, yes, she¡¯s good at that.¡± Kira just nodded a few times while glancing at her youngest daughter. ¡°Such a shame. She was so young, too.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± The cat-girl agreed. ¡°Her sudden death threw quite a wrench in my future life plans, as well.¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± She saw the issue. ¡°Anyway, thank you very much for coming to my daughter¡¯s birthday!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Ellie, still clinging to Anna, also thanked them. ¡°Of course!¡± They, except the corpse, all nodded. ¡°Happy birthday, Ellie!¡± The girls perfectly synced up with each other. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The little princess liked that. ¡°Should we get to a more comfortable place?¡± The queen looked around in the entrance hall they were in at the moment. ¡°The official part of her birthday is over, so she¡¯s all yours now.¡± ¡°Ellie met a lot of people she didn¡¯t know yet!¡± The little tiger raised her voice. ¡°Ellie didn¡¯t like that!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Anna let out a chuckle while smiling at her pouting sister. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s part of being a princess. You¡¯ll have to get used to that. It¡¯ll only become more the older you get.¡± ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t want to get used to something like that!¡± ¡°Why do you think I ran away? Traveling is way easier than being a princess.¡± ¡°Ellie wants to run away, too!¡± The little tiger showed the tall one a determined expression as she looked up at her. ¡°Ellie will travel with you and the others!¡± ¡°Why would you say something like that?!¡± Kira glared at her oldest daughter. ¡°She doesn¡¯t dislike me right now, so I have to score points!¡± She regretted nothing. ¡°That¡¯s not how that works!¡± The queen only got louder. ¡°Ellie thinks it works.¡± The little princess nodded a few times while giving her sister, whom she was still clinging to, a little squeeze. ¡°Ellie is very happy about the idea.¡± ¡°Of course you are¡­¡± Kira rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go to one of the lounge rooms for the time being.¡± She gave up. ¡°I already asked the maids to prepare some tea, pastries, and snacks the moment you all arrive, so everything should be ready by now.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The girls liked the plan. ¡°Maya, if you¡¯d be so nice?¡± The queen pointed at the dead body of her girlfriend. ¡°Sure!¡± Understanding what she meant, the cat-girl walked over to Sophia and scooped her up. Then, she threw the limp corpse over her shoulder and secured it with her arm. ¡°We¡¯re ready to go~.¡± Once that was dealt with, the group left the entrance hall of the castle and moved over to a lounge room to continue the event and chat some more. Chapter 083 – Making up for it Sophia and the girls went to the capital to celebrate Ellie¡¯s birthday. Unfortunately, while meeting the little princess, the blonde died after the small tiger told her how sad she was that she hadn¡¯t visited her even once since leaving. ¡°HAPPY BIRTHDAY!¡± Roughly an hour after the group went to the lounge room and chatted a ton with each other, Sophia revived again and jumped on her feet after Maya had thrown her corpse into an armchair when they arrived there. ¡°Ah, she¡¯s back.¡± Everyone had the same reaction. ¡°Wait, where are we?¡± The blonde noticed that they were in a different room. ¡°We switched to a more comfortable place after you died.¡± Maya answered her. ¡°Ah, I see!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Anyway, I AM SO SORRY!¡± Seemingly having gotten over her own death rather quickly, she faced Ellie, who was sitting on Anna¡¯s lap on the sofa opposite of her while her head was being petted by Ari, who was sitting next to them. ¡°The last two months were so all over the place that I didn¡¯t find the right time to visit. Also, I wanted to show you something amazing, and it took a while to find something worthy!¡± ¡°Mmmhh¡­¡± Ellie wasn¡¯t entirely convinced and just growled for a moment. ¡°Amazing?¡± Something did catch her attention, though. ¡°Yes!¡± Noticing she got her, the blonde¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°Soon, I¡¯ll show you the most amazing place in existence!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The eyes of the little princess started sparkling. ¡°You¡¯re not going to take my daughter to some random place far away from the capital!" Kira wasn''t a fan of where this was heading. ¡°Even if I guarantee you that it¡¯s the safest place in existence?¡± As Sophia was talking about her domain, she was quite confident about her claim. ¡°You can come with us to confirm its safety yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s kind of hard for a queen to leave the capital with little to no notice, you know?¡± ¡°Using my portals, no one will even notice that you were gone for an hour~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°They¡¯re the only way to reach that place, anyway.¡± ¡°Enticing.¡± Kira seemed interested, to say the least. ¡°What kind of place is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to ruin the surprise!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She couldn¡¯t blame her for that. ¡°Ellie, do you want to go on an adventure with Sophia?¡± ¡°Y-E-S!¡± The little princess was able to hide it quite well, but it seemed like she was a little interested in the idea. ¡°Hehe~.¡± The blonde liked her subtle reaction. ¡°Let¡¯s do that later today!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°For now, let¡¯s focus a little more on your birthday, though.¡± Ari smiled at the little tiger. ¡°We have some presents for you, you know?¡± ¡°Presents?!¡± She seemed to be ever so slightly interested in that, too. ¡°Yes, we all have a little something for you~.¡± ---------------- After the jaguar mentioned it, everyone gave the little princess their presents while congratulating her once more on her fourth birthday. ¡°Thank you so very much!¡± She smiled at all of them. ¡°Ellie wants to wear Ari¡¯s new clothes when it gets warm! Same for the crayon and paper mach¨¦ sets! Ellie can¡¯t wait to play with them!¡± She looked at Anna and Maya, who gave those to her. ¡°Let¡¯s play together soon!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The two nodded a couple of times. ¡°Ellie will also sleep with the teddy tonight!¡± She glanced at the massive light-brown teddy bear that was about her size she had gotten from Chloe and Steph. Initially, they wanted to get her some plushies that resembled the girls in their group in one way or another, but as they couldn''t find any, they decided to get her a regular but massive one together. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± They were happy that she liked it. ¡°The bracelet is very cute, too!¡± The little princess looked at her left wrist with the bracelet that was decorated with many colorful gemstones before smiling at Sophia, the person she got it from. ¡°Ellie especially loves the pink ones! They look like they have cherry blossoms inside! So cute!¡± ¡°They actually have.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°The pink gemstones were made by cherry blossoms crystallizing.¡± ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t get it, but Ellie loves it!¡± That sentence was too much for the little tiger, but she knew that it was amazing. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She had to chuckle at her reaction. ¡°Here!¡± The blonde then showed her a couple more crystallized leaves, blossoms, and a bunch of petals. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°WHAO!¡± Ellie seemed to like them a lot, judging by her voice and sparkling eyes. "Anna, Chloe, and I, with the help of someone else, actually made these ourselves!¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± The little princess got even more excited. ¡°Is that true?!¡± She then looked up at her own sister as she was still sitting on her lap. ¡°Yes!¡± She smiled down at her. ¡°We used magic to create them!¡± ¡°So cool!¡± Her eyes were sparkling. ¡°Ellie wants to use magic, too! When is it time for Ellie?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be soon~.¡± Sophia encouraged her. ¡°And once it happens, we¡¯re going to have SOOO much fun!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°While it will undoubtedly be joyous even, I also fear the day it actually happens." Kira had mixed feelings about it, mainly because the blonde was going to teach her daughter. ¡°Alright, my beloved birthday girl, do you now want to see that special place I mentioned earlier?¡± Sophia paid no mind to the queen and her doubts. ¡°YES!¡± She jumped off Anna¡¯s lap in anticipation. ¡°Aww.¡± The girl in question was sad that the sisterly bonding was over. ¡°Perfect!¡± Afterward, the blonde opened one of her usual portals in front of everyone. ¡°WOW!¡± The little princess was impressed a lot today. ¡°Where exactly does this lead to?¡± Kira gestured at it while tilting her head. ¡°The place we¡¯ve been staying in for the last two months when we¡¯re not traveling. An awesome place, I want to add!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t really help that much, you know?¡± The queen slowly shook her head. ¡°Fair point, but you have to see it for yourself.¡± She pointed at the portal. ¡°All I¡¯ll guarantee you is that it¡¯s 100% perfectly safe!¡± ¡°Well, I know that you¡¯d never endanger Ellie, so¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t used my portals yet, have you?¡± Sophia ignored the queen again and faced the little princess instead. ¡°You can actually go through it like a door! On the other side is a completely different world you''ve never seen before!" Obviously, she was talking about her domain and not the world she came from. ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She just nodded. ¡°Ellie wants to see!¡± Immediately after, the little tiger walked right into the portal and disappeared. ¡°W-Wait!¡± Kira instantly ran after her. ¡°Kids sure are fearless.¡± Ari was impressed with how fast Ellie used the portal. With those words, everyone else also followed after the queen and the little princess to enter Sophia¡¯s domain. ---------------- ¡°WOAH!¡± The portal led to the group''s cottage, surrounded by the massively overgrown jungle inside the blonde''s domain, and Ellie was busy taking everything in. ¡°What is this place? Where are we?¡± Kira was mostly confused, though. "Wait, isn''t that the cottage you removed for the portal hub outside the capital?¡± She thought that the building felt familiar. ¡°The very one.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I told everyone that it¡¯s cute and that I want to keep it, so I did. We¡¯re using it as our base while traveling. We always take a portal here once we¡¯re done exploring for the day.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She nodded a few times while pretending she understood what was going on. ¡°By the way, where is here?¡± ¡°Uhh,¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. She only now noticed that explaining her domain to outsiders was slightly difficult. ¡°This is the place where all my portals lead to.¡± ¡°Mhhm?¡± The queen tilted her head. ¡°I am fairly sure the last time I used one of your portals, I didn¡¯t see this place.¡± ¡°The explanation about my portals I gave the king and the others was a little, err¡­ abridged. Like I said, all my portals lead to the same destination, which is this area.¡± She gestured all around her. ¡°In here, I can connect two portals, though. That way, they won''t lead to this place anymore but to the source of the other portal instead." ¡°It¡¯s okay if I don¡¯t understand that, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t really understand it myself.¡± Sophia simply smiled at her. ¡°It just works?.¡± ¡°Okay, but I¡¯m still confused over where we are.¡± Kira decided to brush past the portal topic. ¡°You¡¯ve been in Sava a month ago, and traveling another month still gets you nowhere near close to a jungle in our kingdom.¡± ¡°Ah, that might be because we¡¯re not in the beastfolk kingdom right now.¡± The blonde understood her confusion. ¡°This place is somewhere else entirely.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The queen got loud. ¡°Seriously, where are we?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s my place.¡± She still wasn¡¯t sure how to explain it. ¡°The portals are connected to a place that isn¡¯t part of the regular world. I absolutely don¡¯t understand it, either, but everything you can see around here is basically my own little world? In fact, the jungle around here was actually made by Ari and Maya by using their magic on a few saplings we got from Mira.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kira stared at her for a little while in absolute silence. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Everyone except Sophia and Ellie agreed with her confusion. ¡°Well, if you want a clearer explanation, you have to ask our dear overseer of magic.¡± The blonde ignored the girls and kept focusing on the queen. ¡°She knows how this place works because she has something similar and actually knows how it works.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°All I know is that I have a perfect overview of the entire place and can see and intervene in any and all possible danger. There are no dangerous animals or even monsters anywhere. It¡¯s the safest place in existence. Even if there would be anything potentially harmful in here, I could sense it and stop it from hurting anyone before it would ever happen.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She smiled at the queen. ¡°Because of that, it¡¯s much more likely for Ellie to hurt herself in the castle than it is here! Honestly, she should live here for her own safety!¡± ¡°YES!¡± The little princess seemed to like the idea. ¡°Ellie wants to live here!¡± ¡°The only way for you to have a child live here will involve Maya because it has to be your own!¡± Kira wasn¡¯t a fan of the suggestion, though. ¡°My baby isn¡¯t going to live here!¡± ¡°Aww.¡± Sophia looked honestly disappointed. ¡°That will take a few years, then¡­ I¡¯ll still take Ellie on a birthday exploration, though! There are many amazing things I want to show her!¡± ¡°Ellie wants to explore, too!¡± She reacted with a couple of big nods. ¡°I promise that she won¡¯t even get a single scratch when I return her to you once we¡¯re done playing!¡± The blonde looked at the queen with pleading eyes. ¡°Please!¡± Ellie did the same. ¡°¡­¡± Kira looked at the duo for a few moments. ¡°Fine.¡± She eventually caved in. ¡°Still, as much as a bruise, and I''ll send the entire beastfolk army after you! I know that they won¡¯t be able to hurt you, but your afternoon will be ruined!¡± ¡°Not my afternoon!¡± Sophia played along. ¡°If anything, I won¡¯t be able to forgive myself, so it will be my utmost priority!¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Ellie, have fun.¡± She reluctantly gave her okay. ¡°YAY!¡± Both tigers had the same reaction. Afterward, Sophia immediately began planning on what to show Ellie and in which order. Kira and the others then went inside for the time being because the blonde wanted some alone time with the princess because she wanted to make up for the long time she hadn¡¯t visited her. Chapter 084 – Domain tour Sophia returned from the dead, and they celebrated Ellie''s birthday while also giving her their birthday presents. Afterward, the blonde took everyone, including Kira and the little princess, to her domain because she wanted to go exploring with the birthday girl. Once the queen finally, but still very reluctantly, agreed, she immediately started planning their trip. ¡°Have you ever seen a jungle before?¡± Sophia and the little princess were still together in front of the cottage where the blonde pointed and the overgrown place in front of them. ¡°Only in picture books!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Something in Ellie really wants to see it, though!¡± Her inner tiger was speaking. ¡°Ahaha, I get you~.¡± The blonde lightly patted her head. She was very aware of her inner tiger, after all. ¡°Should we go?¡± She held out her hand. ¡°Before mom comes back because she changed her mind?¡± ¡°Quickly!¡± Ellie quickly grabbed her hand and dragged the taller tiger towards the jungle. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± ---------------- ¡°It¡¯s so cool!¡± A few minutes later and already deep in the jungle, Ellie¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she took in the sights around her. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°Jungles are great~.¡± ¡°Ellie wants to climb a tree!¡± She was having a great time already. ¡°Ehh, I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek while looking at a nearby tree. As they were grown by magic, the massive kapok trees around them were way too tall for a four-year-old to safely climb. ¡°Please!¡± The princess turned on her puppy eyes. ¡°Are you really a tiger?!¡± She was surprised that her dog levels reached even Steph''s. ¡°Hmm?¡± She just tilted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s keep exploring for a little while longer first, okay? Even if we climb trees here, we won''t see anything too out of the ordinary.¡± Sophia tried to buy some time. ¡°Later, I will show you a place that¡¯s really high up, and the view''s amazing there! Much better than up the trees here!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She seemed to be okay with that. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Squeezing Sophia¡¯s hand, the little tiger then dragged her deeper into the jungle. ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde was happy that she was seemingly having a great time. The duo then followed the path Maya and Fen had burned into the jungle a while ago when they were looking for the heart of the jungle, where they ended up finding Canir¡¯s shrine. ¡°Where does this go to?¡± After a little while, Ellie got curious about the path they were following. ¡°Nowhere important.¡± She shook her head. After all, the shrine didn¡¯t exist anymore, and it was far from important to her in the first place. ¡°It¡¯s just a nice little path to explore the jungle. It¡¯s really pretty out here, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Very!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t know why, but Ellie loves being in a jungle!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a tiger.¡± Sophia smiled at her again. ¡°Our ancestors, full tigers, at least many types of them, used to live deep inside jungles.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Our tiger bits still remember this, and that makes us love the jungle very much. It''s the same for me, too." Her tiger bits were very intense, after all. ¡°Makes sense!¡± ¡°Still, as amazing as the jungle is, should we take a look at the other places that are here? Maya and Ari made the jungle, but do you want to see what Chloe and Steph did?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie got excited about the plan. ¡°Wait!¡± She then froze, though. ¡°Steph and Chloe¡­ they like the cold¡­ and snow¡­¡± She didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°Yes, they made an icy snow kingdom of stupidity or whatever the name was.¡± This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°¡­¡± The expression of the little tiger changed into the very opposite of excitement. ¡°Should we go to the place Fenny and Ari made instead?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Liking her strong response, Sophia opened another portal, and the two went to visit the regular forest Fen had created with the help of the jaguar. ---------------- ¡°Such a pretty forest!¡± The princess immediately took a liking to the project Fen and Ari were working on. ¡°Taking a nap here must be nice!¡± ¡°Funnily enough, that was exactly why he created the place." She nodded. "To relax and nap." "A good plan!¡± Ellie fully supported the wolf. ¡°Very true.¡± Sophia thought so, too. ¡°The two were also working on a nice lake with an amazing ch-¡­ ah.¡± She stopped herself from mentioning the cherry blossom tree, or rather the weeping cherry she had given the duo for their lake. After all, she wanted to surprise her with the sea of cherry blossoms in her massive forest. ¡°Hmm?¡± The little tiger tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing~.¡± She just smiled. ¡°Oh! Do you want to see the pine forest Aura made, too?¡± ¡°YES!¡± It seemed like she couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s a pinee?¡± ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s a sort of tree. You know, the one with the needles that smell really nice.¡± ¡°Never heard of it!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Sounds interesting, though! Ellie wants to see it!¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± Nodding once, Sophia then opened yet another portal for them to step through. ¡°WAOH!¡± They arrived on a little hill Aura seemed to have made to overlook the area better, and Ellie immediately got excited again once she saw the never-ending forest of nothing but pine trees all around her. ¡°What a weird tree. So big, too!¡± ¡°Aura really went all out with it, huh?¡± The blonde also sounded impressed. ¡°My favorite part definitely is the smell, though.¡± ¡°True!¡± While agreeing, Ellie went ahead and sniffed the air a couple of times. ¡°Very nice!¡± ¡°Right, now that I think about it, there are no needle leaf trees in the capital, right? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen any of them right outside, either. It¡¯s not just the name, but it¡¯s actually the first time seeing this kind of tree, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°It¡¯s Ellie¡¯s first time not in the capital! It¡¯s amazing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re having a good time!¡± ¡°Yes! Best birthday ever!¡± ¡°Awesome! Should we walk around in the pine forest here for a little bit and enjoy the smell for a while longer?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The princess liked the idea. Then, she grabbed Sophia¡¯s hand again and decided to take the lead while guiding the taller tiger through the forest she¡¯d never seen before. ¡°This forest is great, isn¡¯t it?¡± The two were walking around for roughly 15 minutes when the blonde looked at her again. ¡°I think the scent is very calming~.¡± ¡°Very!¡± She nodded. ¡°Though, Ellie noticed something very confusing!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°That!¡± The princess pointed up. ¡°There¡¯s no sky! It¡¯s bright, but no sun! Just white!¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± Sophia saw the issue. ¡°You couldn¡¯t see it in the jungle and Fenny¡¯s forest, but it¡¯s like that everywhere around here.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Ellie kept looking at the sky, or the lack of it. ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°An excellent question!¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh! It¡¯s like paper!¡± ¡°Paper¡­?¡± The princess got only more confused. ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia just smiled. ¡°When you draw something nice and colorful, you also start with a white sheet of paper, right?¡± ¡°Right!¡± She could work with that explanation. ¡°It¡¯s the same with this place." The blonde continued. "Everything around here is white all over, and we''re painting over it by creating colorful nature with magic.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Do you want to see how it looked before we created our forest and stuff like that?¡± ¡°I can?!¡± She got excited once again. ¡°Of course!¡± Saying so, Sophia opened yet another portal and went through it together with the little tiger. ---------------- ¡°SO BRIGHT!¡± Arriving at an empty spot of Sophia¡¯s domain, Ellie immediately covered her eyes because she was surprised by just how white it was. ¡°It really is hard on the eyes, isn¡¯t it?¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t blame her. ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded while still covering her eyes and only stealing some glances here and there. ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t understand many things yet because she¡¯s young, but does this make sense to adults¡­?¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± She had to laugh at this. "No, even though I own this place, it doesn''t make any sense to me, either.¡± ¡°Good!¡± The princess looked honestly relieved. "Ellie thought being an adult is even more complicated than she thought!" ¡°You¡¯ll be fine~.¡± Sophia patted her head in return. ¡°Though, it is kinda cool in a way, isn¡¯t it? This place, I mean.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­" She looked around a little bit while trying to get her eyes used to the brightness by blinking a couple of times. ¡°Maybe!¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± ¡°Can Ellie paint here, too?¡± Finally being somewhat okay with the environment, the princess looked around at the nothingness while tilting her head. ¡°Do you mean this area?¡± She tried to understand what she meant. ¡°Like the forests the others made?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The little tiger nodded. ¡°Ellie wants to make her own place, too!¡± ¡°That would be fun, but you can¡¯t use magic yet, can you?¡± Sophia looked a little awkward. ¡°You need magic for it¡­¡± ¡°AWW!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Ellie wants to use magic already!¡± ¡°Again, I¡¯m sure it will happen soon.¡± The blonde tried to cheer her up again. "Once it does happen, I''ll train you, and then we can make a forest or whatever else you want together here!" ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Promise!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°The moment it happens, I¡¯ll be there for you day and night to teach you everything you need to know about magic!¡± ¡°YAY!¡± ¡°Okay, how about we go to the next place I want to show you for the time being?¡± ¡°There¡¯s more?!¡± "I was saving the best place for last~." The blonde sounded a little smug. "There''s still the thing I¡¯m working on right now!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Saying so, Sophia got ready to open yet another portal that led to her cherry blossoms area, the place she was looking forward to showing Ellie since the very beginning. Chapter 085 – Boasting about cherry blossoms Sophia took Ellie to her domain as a part of her birthday gift and showed her all the biomes the others created. Saving the best for last, the blonde took the princess to her cherry blossom area after lightly explaining everything that was going on in the first place. ¡°Okay, you can open your eyes now.¡± The duo went to the initial floating island with the river and the hammock over the cherry blossom forest. Ellie was currently sitting on the blonde¡¯s shoulders while covering her eyes with her hands. ¡°Why did Ellie have to- WAOH!¡± Her eyes immediately fell on the massive pink and white weeping cherry in the middle of the island and spanning all above it. ¡°Pretty tree!¡± Her eyes were already sparkling before having even noticed where they currently were. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a nice tree, buuut~,¡± Sophia then turned around to make the princess face away from it. ¡°W-A-O-H!¡± She got even more excited as she finally noticed their surroundings. ¡°Are the islands floating?!¡± The princess first noticed the hundreds of other floating objects in the distance around them. ¡°They sure are~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°In fact, we¡¯re on one of those floating islands right now, too!¡± She walked closer to the edge and bent slightly forward to show the little tiger on her shoulders what was below her. ¡°?!¡± Her vocabulary wasn¡¯t developed enough to put her feelings into words. ¡°Cherry!¡± She ushered the first thing that came to mind as she looked at the never-ending sea of white, pink, purple, and red trees below them. ¡°SO MANY!¡± ¡°It¡¯s something, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°IT¡¯S AMAZING!¡± She liked it a lot. ¡°Ellie has never seen anything like this!¡± ¡°Most people that ever existed probably haven¡¯t.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Can we go down?!¡± The princess on Sophia¡¯s shoulders started to get fidgety. ¡°Ellie wants to see the cherry blossoms close!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Immediately after, yet another portal appeared beside them, and she walked through it. ---------------- ¡°Ellie¡¯s going to live here from now on!¡± Down in the actual forest, the little tiger jumped off the blonde''s shoulders and started dancing around the trees and their cherry blossoms that were constantly falling down on the ground to a level where everything was already covered in a layer of petals. ¡°This place is so much better than the castle! Can we build a room for Ellie right here?¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re more than welcome to stay here, but good luck convincing your mom.¡± She saw some slight issues with her plan. ¡°A-Ah.¡± The little tiger froze. ¡°Ellie forgot about that.¡± "She might be a too tough opponent for us." ¡°True!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°Mama can¡¯t be beat.¡± ¡°Yes, moms can never be beat.¡± Sophia smiled at her. "How about we just come here to play really often for the time being?" ¡°Okay!¡± It was a compromise she could live with. ¡°Wait! If the blossoms already falling like that, it won¡¯t stay pretty for long! It only lasts for a week or two!¡± ¡°Oh, you don''t have to worry about that~.¡± The blonde sounded ever so slightly smug. ¡°They¡¯re magic trees! They¡¯ll stay in full bloom forever!¡± ¡°NO WAY!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°That¡¯s been Ellie¡¯s dream ever since seeing my first cherry!¡± ¡°And now it came true~.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± The little tiger was very happy about it. ¡°Can I have a magic cherry for home? Ellie wants to look at one forever! Even when not here!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Naturally, she¡¯d gladly do that. ¡°Oh, wait, I have a better idea! If you can wait a bit longer, I''ll teach you how to do it once you''re able to use magic. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ellie tilted her head while thinking about it. ¡°That sounds fun, but what if it takes longer¡­?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll simply do it for you.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She cheered up again. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°You¡¯re very welcome~.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t help but spoil her. ¡°Can we walk around a little longer?¡± The princess was already back to dancing between the trees and through the cherry blossoms. ¡°Ellie saw some very pretty dark purple cherries when we were above! Can we see them? They¡¯re all the regular pink and white around here.¡± ¡°Whatever the birthday girl desires~.¡± No wasn¡¯t an option. ¡°Let¡¯s see, dark purple, huh?¡± She spun around on the spot before pointing in the direction opposite the princess. "They should be in that direction because the blossoms are getting slightly darker over there.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie got closer to Sophia again and grabbed her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ---------------- The duo walked through the forest for around half an hour while Ellie took her time to look at all the trees, cherry blossoms, and falling petals, together with how they were slowly changing colors. Just like Sophia, she also seemed to prefer the weeping cherries over the regular ones, as she watched them for much longer whenever she stopped walking. ¡°Ah, there are the dark purple blossoms~.¡± After some more exploring, they finally found the trees Ellie wanted to see. ¡°Yay!¡± The princess immediately sprinted over the cluster of weeping cherries and jumped through the air to catch some of the falling petals. ¡°Ellie has never seen anything more pretty!¡± ¡°Yes, I also love how it turned out.¡± ¡°Bestest place ever!¡± She was really happy to be here. ¡°Do the trees really stay pretty forever?¡± ¡°They do~.¡± Sophia smiled at her again. ¡°Magic is amazing and lets you do that if you want! It can bring your desires to reality! Well, within limits, of course.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing!¡± Her eyes were sparkling. ¡°Magic can change nature! So cool!¡± ¡°Magic and nature are actually good friends and help each other out.¡± ¡°Ohhh!¡± ¡°They help each other grow and take care of each other.¡± The blonde explained it in very easy terms to her. ¡°But, if you can use magic, you can change nature to your liking a little.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± She seemed rather interested. ¡°Can Ellie make it warm forever? No more winter?!¡± ¡°Gosh, I love you so much!¡± The blonde sympathized with her on many levels. ¡°It might be possible, but you would need a LOT of magic for that. Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to. Also, it would be unfair to those who love and need the cold.¡± ¡°Aww¡­¡± The princess hung her head. ¡°Ellie gets it, though.¡± ¡°You can change the temperature directly around you, though.¡± She tried to cheer her up. ¡°I¡¯ve been making it warmer around myself and the other cats in the group ever since winter started to survive.¡± ¡°Awesome! So¡­phia NEEDS to teach Ellie how to do that!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an essential skill to any cold-hating cat, so of course I will~." ¡°THANK YOU!¡± That made her the happiest yet. The cold was a serious business for all of them, after all. ¡°Now Ellie really hopes she learns to use magic before next cold time!¡± "Well, it''s only May, so it''s not even summer, and we still have a lot of time left before it has to happen." ¡°I hope!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle before looking around for a moment. ¡°Do you want to see the best place now?¡± "There''s something even better!?!" The princess got loud because she didn''t think it was possible to one-up the cherry blossoms. "How about you decide for yourself?" Once again, Sophia opened a portal and escorted her through it. ---------------- ¡°H-HUH!?¡± The blonde brought the princess to the crystallized part of the cherry blossom forest, and she immediately froze in surprise. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°This is the place where I got those pink gemstones from.¡± Sophia pointed at the bracelet the little tiger was wearing on her left wrist. ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer Ellie¡¯s question!¡± She just got loud. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She scratched her cheek in return. ¡°Earlier, I said that you can influence nature with your magic, right?¡± ¡°Uh-huh!¡± She nodded. ¡°You see, when you use too much magic, this happens.¡± She gestured all around her. ¡°Usually, plants just get bigger with magic, but they can mutate, too.¡± ¡°Mutatate?¡± The princess looked confused. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia had to chuckle at her pronunciation. ¡°It¡¯s when something like plants or animals change either a little or a lot and start being different. Like, if you¡¯d suddenly have a second tail.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Ellie looked at her tail. ¡°That would be fun!¡± ¡°Mhmm, I¡¯m not so sure about that.¡± She glanced at her own tail with a complicated expression. ¡°Then again, Mira has nine of them and is doing just fine¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°Anyway, if you use too much magic on nature, stuff like this can happen.¡± She pointed around herself again. ¡°Stuff can crystallize or completely change in different ways.¡± ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t really get it, but it''s SOO cool!" It was a little too much for her to fully understand what was going on. "I was planning to gift you one of the crystal trees and put it into the castle garden right in front of your room as an extra birthday gift, too." "BESTEST BIRTHDAY EVER!" The princess wasn''t against the idea. "Thank you!" "Hehe." "A second tail still would be cool, too!¡± She had taken a liking to the idea and was staring at her singular one again. ¡°How about no? Your mom will kill me if I let that happen.¡± ¡°Fine¡­¡± She sounded honestly disappointed. ¡°Does that mean Ellie can make her own gems when she can use magic?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not impossible, but it¡¯s really, really, really hard.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°To create this place, Anna, Chloe, and I needed to use all of our magic together, and even then, we needed help from a new friend that has way more magic than all of us combined.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The princess had no better response. "A new friend?¡± ¡°Blu~!¡± As if on cue, the little blue parakeet appeared out of nowhere, landed on the blonde''s shoulder, and happily chirped a couple of times while rubbing its head against her cheek. ¡°This is our newest and cutest friend~.¡± ¡°So adorable!¡± Ellie was an instant fan. ¡°Wait, Blu has more magic than all of you?¡± ¡°Well, excluding Mira, but yes, our lovely bird here is stronger than everyone you know together!¡± ¡°Wow, so Blu¡¯s the bestest?¡± ¡°Sure is!¡± Sophia nodded while the parakeet was doing the same. ¡°Wait!¡± She then got loud. ¡°Why can a bird use magic, but Ellie can¡¯t?!¡± The princess got jealous. ¡°What a dilemma, huh?¡± The blonde had nothing to say and just looked to the side to glance at the parakeet on her shoulder. ¡°What do you think? I can sense her magic already, but why can¡¯t she use it yet?¡± In return, Blu just tilted its head while staring right at the princess for a while. Then, the parakeet took flight only to land on the little tiger¡¯s shoulder instead before rubbing its head against her cheek, as well. The moment they touched, a pale pink light surrounded Blu and Ellie, and countless pink and purple magic particles appeared out of nowhere and circled around the princess while also going in and out of her. ¡°Blu is so cute!¡± Ellie didn¡¯t seem to have noticed and was just happy about the parakeet being as adorable as it was. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Sophia, on the other hand, looked slightly confused over what just happened. Once the light disappeared and the particles seemingly got absorbed into the little princess, Blu flew back to the blonde while chirping a couple of times. ¡°Did just happen what I think happened¡­?¡± She simply stared at the overly proud-looking bird with a dumbfounded expression for a while. Chapter 086 – Talented princess Sophia gave Ellie a tour of her domain, and the princess loved all of it. She was especially fond of the cherry blossoms and even wanted to live there. In the end, the little tiger also met Blu, and the two became friends quickly. Something unexpected happened during their meeting as well, though. ¡°Whaah, so pretty!" Seemingly not having noticed anything yet, Ellie was busy exploring the crystallized plants while her eyes were sparkling almost as much as her surroundings. ¡°What just happened, Blu?¡± The blonde brought her hand to her shoulder and let the bird hop onto it before moving in front of her to look at it while talking. ¡°Why did you and her glow just now? Why did I see magic particles going in and out of her?¡± In response to that, the parakeet didn¡¯t react at all. ¡°Oi!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°It¡¯s clear that you did something!¡± She continued to stare at Blu for a while until the parakeet eventually turned its head away after caving into the pressure. ¡°Do you want me to get angry?¡± Anything concerning the little princess was not game to her, after all. After that, the bird immediately raised its wings in defeat. Even the absolutely overpowered Blu instinctively knew that angry Sophia would be bad news. ¡°So, what did you do?¡± Pausing for a second, the parakeet then rubbed its head against Sophia¡¯s thumb while it was sitting on her hand. ¡°Yes, I was that you pat her cheek.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°What happened afterward, though? Why did you two glow? Why were there magic particles going in and out of Ellie?¡± Blue just tilted its head in return. A second later, the parakeet started flapping its wings a couple of times. "Yeah, I have no idea what that means." She had trouble interpreting the bird¡¯s intent. "Okay, both of you were glowing, and the particles¡­ Did you unlock Ellie¡¯s magic?!¡± The parakeet immediately shook its head. ¡°No? But it did unlock, didn¡¯t it? I could feel her power before already, but it feels active now.¡± Blu changed its response to nodding instead. ¡°So it did activate!¡± Sophia sounded excited. ¡°But you really had nothing to do with it?¡± Hearing that, the bird froze. ¡°Is there anything you want to tell me?¡± Blu then just turned its entire body away from the blonde. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? You didn¡¯t unlock, but you also didn¡¯t not help?¡± Blu didn¡¯t move an inch in return. ¡°Not the most talkative today, huh?¡± Sophia felt like they had already had better conversations before. "Mhmm, was it about to unlock soon on its own, but you being near her and touching her cheek, as a massive bundle of pure magic, kickstarted it?¡± She took a guess on the events. Hearing that, Blu turned around again and moved its head up and down a couple of times. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She stared at the parakeet before breaking into a smile. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± Sophia then gently patted its head for a little while. ¡°It¡¯s about half of Maya, isn¡¯t it?¡± She then looked at Blu again, who nodded in return. ¡°Anna¡¯s going to be sooo jealous." She already knew how the older sister would react now that the little princess had about twice the magic she had at her disposal. ¡°Ellie!¡± Once the blonde was done with Blu, she faced the princess, who was entertaining herself with one of the crystallized cherry blossoms while they were having their conversation. ¡°Hmm?¡± She quickly walked up to the taller tiger. ¡°Does So¡­phia need anything?¡± ¡°How are you feeling right now?¡± "GREAT!" Her answer came instantly. ¡°This place is the bestest!¡± ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I meant your health, though. For example, feeling like you got a cold?¡± Sophia roughly remembered the time when Ari and her magic got messed up and how sick they felt back then. ¡°Not at all!¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Ellie¡¯s full of energy and never felt better!¡± As she said that, Blu left the blonde¡¯s shoulder and landed on the little tiger''s shoulder again while rubbing its head against her cheek once more before nodding a couple of times. "Ehehe~." Ellie liked that a lot. ¡°Perfect!¡± She was relieved that she wasn¡¯t suffering from any side effects. After all, Sophia had no idea how children naturally awaken their magic in that new world of hers. ¡°Do you want to experiment a little with me?¡± ¡°Expeririment?¡± The little tiger looked confused. ¡°There¡¯s a few things I want to try together with you.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°If it works out, we¡¯re going to have a TON of fun!¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Ellie loves FUN!¡± The princess was a fan of the plan already. ¡°Come here for a bit~.¡± Saying so, Sophia sat down cross-legged on the grass and patted the ground in front of her. "Okay!" She quickly did the same, and the two looked at each other for a moment while sitting down in front of each other. ¡°Perfect!¡± Still smiling, the blonde stretched out her arms and held her hands in front of Ellie. ¡°What are we doing?¡± Still confused, the princess went ahead and placed her hands on top of Sophia¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m going to try something now.¡± Holding her hands, Sophia then used some of her raw magic and let it flow into the little tiger. Pink and purple particles covered both their hands and parts of Ellie''s arms. "Are you feeling something right now?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Ellie feels a little warm.¡± As she couldn¡¯t see the particles, this was the only noteworthy change for her. ¡°That¡¯s a start! Anything else? For example, feeling extremely powerful and strong?¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly what the blonde was going for. ¡°Ellie always feels powerful and strong!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a healthy girl?¡± ¡°The healthiest!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± She had to chuckle. ¡°Still, maybe even more powerful than usual?¡± ¡°Hard to tell when you¡¯re the most strongest!¡± Ellie¡¯s mood was excellent. ¡°That is true.¡± Sophia played along. ¡°Ellie feels like she has even more energy! Does that count?¡± ¡°That very much counts!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The princess got happy. ¡°Why, though?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be getting to that now.¡± The blonde let go of Ellie¡¯s left hand and presented the palm of her own hand to the princess. A moment later, a perfectly round ball of water with a diameter of five centimeters appeared and began to float roughly 15 centimeters over her palm. ¡°Ohh!¡± The little tiger stared at it with sparkling eyes. ¡°So jealous! Ellie wants to use magic, too!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°How about we train a little and get you ready for when it¡¯s time?¡± She wanted to surprise her. ¡°Okay!¡± She managed to get even more excited. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Steph¡¯s rubbing off on you, huh? When we were in the capital.¡± She noticed the dog¡¯s favorite catchphrase. ¡°But, yes, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°What does Ellie need to do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± She hadn¡¯t gotten that far in her plan yet. ¡°I guess, let¡¯s start with¡­ Alright, please put your hand, palm side up, between my hand and the ball of water in the same way I¡¯m doing it right now.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She did exactly as told and then stared at the water ball with a curious expression. ¡°Now?¡± ¡°Can you feel the water?¡± ¡°Nu-uh!¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°How can water be felt without touching?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go philosophical on me now.¡± ¡°Philololo- what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes while stifling a chuckle. ¡°Does your hand feel any different than usual? After all, it¡¯s right between my hand and the magic I¡¯m using it for.¡± ¡°Mhrmm!¡± She stared at her hand for a good bit while her face went through all sorts of expressions. "A little tingly!¡± ¡°Tingly, huh?¡± ¡°Tingly!¡± The princess nodded once. ¡°Okay, what now?¡± Saying so, the blonde grew the ball of water to twice its original size. ¡°More tingly!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what reply she expected. ¡°Can you try and concentrate on the tingly?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°Try to make it feel even more tingly!¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s not sure if So¡­phia¡¯s a good or bad teacher.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The blonde agreed. ¡°Do you think you can try?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The princess closed her eyes to concentrate extra hard. ¡°Is it working?¡± ¡°No idea!¡± She lightly shrugged. ¡°I really need to step up my teaching game, after all!¡± ¡°Ellie thinks so, too!¡± The princess nodded in agreement. ¡°25% less sassy, please!¡± ¡°Best Ellie can do is 10%!¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Sophia needed to pause for a moment. ¡°Have you been secretly meeting Maya lately?¡± ¡°No, why?¡± ¡°Not important.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°The tingly feeling you have is probably the magic I¡¯m using. Again, I¡¯m controlling the water through my hand by using magic. Try to concentrate on the water like you want to control it, too. Like, think about wanting to make it bigger really hard. Put some power into that idea! The tingly feeling might get stronger that way~.¡± She tried to trick the little tiger into using her magic. ¡°Thinking about wanting to make it bigger?¡± Ellie tilted her head while staring at the ball of water. ¡°Really hard and strongly!¡± She repeated herself. ¡°Okay!¡± The princess seemed highly motivated and focused on the water floating on top of her palm, which Sophia was keeping there. "Bigger! Ellie wants it bigger!¡± She stared at it so hard that her expression turned all scrunched up. ¡°More water! Bigger ball! More powerful!¡± The little tiger was doing her bestest to influence it. ¡°Oh?¡± A few minutes after Ellie started making grimaces at the water, something began to change. Small ripples formed all over the perfectly round and smooth ball, which soon grew a tiny bit in size. ¡°It¡¯s more tingly now!¡± Her eyes were sparkling again. ¡°Ellie can feel it! It¡¯s bigger, too!¡± ¡°It sure is~.¡± The blonde kept smiling. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s more tingly now.¡± ¡°Should we try something more advanced now?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Being a fan of her enthusiasm, Sophia went right for the next step. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m making the water float with my magic. Try imagining doing the same. Want it to float really hard!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She immediately went back to making grimaces at the water as the princess was focusing hard on the task. A minute later, the ball rose up ever so slightly. ¡°Talented.¡± Sophia murmured this word before slowly lowering her hand, which had been below Ellie''s until now. ¡°Still tingly?¡± ¡°Nu-uh!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Ellie¡¯s hand just feels powerful?¡± ¡°Yeah, it feels quite powerful to use magic.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°So, how do you like using magic? It¡¯s pretty cool, isn¡¯t it? You learned it so fast, too!¡± ¡°H-HUH?!" Hearing that, Ellie''s concentration broke, and the ball of water she had been controlling for the past couple of moments splashed onto her hand and lightly spilled over the two girls. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t that much water they were playing with. Chapter 087 – Magic awakening Ellie¡¯s meeting with Blu, a bundle of highly condensed magic, caused her own magic to awaken. Sophia, who noticed this, immediately tested out the princess''s new skill and made her use magic without knowing it. From the looks of it, the little tiger seemed to be quite apt at it, as well. ¡°What do you mean?!¡± The little tiger was still in shock. ¡°Ellie used magic?!¡± ¡°You sure did~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°No!¡± She didn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Yes~.¡± The blonde kept smiling. ¡°I created the ball of water, but you¡¯re the one that made it bigger and kept it floating for a little once I took away my hand.¡± ¡°Nu-uh!¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Ellie can¡¯t use magic yet!¡± ¡°You can.¡± Sophia also shook her head in the same manner. ¡°You became able to earlier when you met Blu.¡± The parakeet, who had landed on the blonde¡¯s shoulder again, nodded a few times in confirmation. ¡°Is So¡­phia really not lying?¡± ¡°I would never lie to you!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°So, Ellie really did water magic?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She nodded. ¡°At first, you just supported my magic, but it was fully your own doing near the end.¡± ¡°Waoh!¡± The princess got excited again. ¡°Ellie needs to learn all the magic! RIGHT NOW!¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so enthusiastic, but I¡¯m afraid that it might have to wait until tomorrow.¡± ¡°WHY?!¡± The princess didn¡¯t like that. ¡°So¡­phia said that when Ellie¡¯s magic is ready that she will spend all her time to teach!¡± ¡°And I will absolutely do that!¡± The blonde had no intention to break her promise. ¡°Still, you just unlocked your magic! That¡¯s pretty big, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°The biggest!¡± She felt the same about the matter. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your parents deserve to know first? Before I then turned you into the bestest four-year-old magic user?¡± ¡°Guess so¡­¡± While it seemed like she understood, the little tiger still looked disappointed and hung her head. "Let''s do it quickly so we can more magic!" ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia let out another chuckle. ¡°It seems like Kira already went home, so let¡¯s head directly to the castle.¡± ---------------- Once the princess stopped being reluctant about it, the blonde opened one of her portals, and the two stepped through it. "I honestly wasn''t expecting the two of you to be back so early." The duo immediately ran into Kira in one of the hallways in the castle. "Ah, let me guess. You came to get permission for a sleepover?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie reacted with a big nod. The plan was news for her, but she was an immediate fan. ¡°I won¡¯t say no to that, either, but that¡¯s not what we came here for.¡± The blonde shook her head. "A little something happened that we need to tell you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡± The queen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you get hurt, Ellie?!¡± She immediately focused on her daughter. ¡°I told you what¡¯s going to happen if she gets even a scratch!¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s perfectly fine!¡± The blonde and the little tiger synced up. ¡°Then, what happened?¡± Kira looked confused. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± She then noticed something when she took a better look at her daughter. ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought her back.¡± ¡°Your magic unlocked, Ellie?!¡± The queen got incredibly loud. ¡°IT DID!¡± The little tiger gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Ellie already used it, too! Funny floating water balls!¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°N-No way!¡± She looked quite shocked. ¡°So much, too! We have to go to Menzor immediately!¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± The blonde just kept nodding, and the trio made their way to where the king was. ¡°Dear, we need your full attention right now!¡± Kira flew into his office. ¡°How can I be of service?¡± He lifted his head from a couple of papers he was focusing on and looked at his wife. ¡°Here!¡± Saying so, the queen grabbed Ellie under her arms and lifted her on the massive wooden table that was separating the couple. ¡°Hello, beloved daughter of mine.¡± Looking rather confused, he smiled at her. ¡°Hey~!¡± She happily waved at him. ¡°What am I missing?¡± He then looked at Kira again. ¡°Take a good look at your daughter, and you tell me." ¡°Hmm.¡± Doing as told, Menzor scanned the little tiger from head to toe. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Just like before, Sophia simply nodded. ¡°Her magic did indeed awaken when we were playing together.¡± ¡°No way!¡± The king jumped off his chair. ¡°It¡¯s so much I can¡¯t even really put it in numbers!¡± "Ellie''s the strongest, after all!" The princess, who was still standing on the desk, showed her father a V-sign with her fingers. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Liking her reply, the blonde got closer to her and lifted the little tiger off the table before facing Menzor. "It''s about half of Maya''s power or twice that of Anna''s current magic, depending on how you want to look at it.¡± ¡°That much?!¡± He got even louder. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean she can learn and use chantless magic?!¡± ¡°She already did~.¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°I taught her a little water magic earlier. Chantless, of course, because that¡¯s the only way I can use and teach magic.¡± ¡°Floaty water ball!¡± Ellie cheerfully nodded. ¡°N-NO WAY!¡± Kira and Menzor synced up. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t belittle your daughter like that.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°She¡¯s a very talented girl!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie thought so, too. ¡°Not nice!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what we meant!¡± Both glared at Sophia. ¡°Sure sounded like it, though.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°Sounded like it!¡± To bring the point across, she started pouting, as well. ¡°No, it¡¯s just not plausible that anyone learns magic mere hours after they unlock it!¡± ¡°It was minutes, okay?¡± ¡°Minutes!¡± Ellie put extra emphasis on the most important part of the blonde¡¯s statement. "That''s even less plausible!" Kira sided with the king. ¡°It takes months before you can use your first spells. Activation words are a whole story entirely!¡± ¡°Well, it might sound weird, but chantless magic is by far the easiest way to use magic. Yeah, it¡¯s hard to obtain because it¡¯s literally based on your power, but it¡¯s ridiculously easy to use. For chants, you actually have to come up with something and put work into stuff I don¡¯t even understand. Activations stuff is similar, too. For chantless, your imagination is the limit. You literally just have to think about what you want. If your imagination is great, you¡¯ve already won.¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s imaginanation is the bestest!¡± The little tiger was a natural when it came to that. "We need to work a little on your concentration, though.¡± Sophia smiled at the princess. ¡°We don¡¯t want to get wet again because you lost your focus, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She was highly motivated. ¡°Our baby actually used chantless magic¡­?¡± Kira still had a hard time believing it. ¡°Well, to be perfectly fair, I did some magic where I included her. She influenced my magic and then later took it over. I still have to teach her how to create something from scratch.¡± ¡°Ellie can¡¯t wait!¡± She was bouncing all over the room in anticipation. ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± The king nodded along. "So you made sure she actually unlocked it, and you noticed how promising and talented she is?¡± ¡°Pretty much!¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°She did use actual magic, though.¡± ¡°If this gets public, that our nation¡¯s princess has this level of magic reserves, on top of being able to use chantless magic, things will get hectic again.¡± Menzor was holding his head. ¡°Anna also can use chantless magic, though?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Since back when I boosted hers and Ari¡¯s magic around their birthday.¡± "And that also caused quite the stir." ¡°So, it probably won¡¯t be a good idea to tell you that I plan to boost Anna¡¯s magic again in the future? To my current level, at the very least. The same with Ari and the others." ¡°Why do you hate me so much?!¡± Menzor got loud while he was rubbing his temples. "You''re back for five minutes, and my migraine is back already." ¡°You know that it¡¯s a good thing, right? Me gifting your daughter more magic to use?¡± ¡°Ellie also wants more magic!¡± She had no idea what was going on, but the little princess still wanted to get in on the fun. ¡°Let¡¯s think about that possibility once you¡¯re able to control your current power.¡± Even Sophia thought it was too early for her. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°I mean, that is indeed true, and I¡¯m very grateful that you¡¯re supporting our daughter to this extent, but it¡¯s a lot to take in.¡± Menzor faced the blonde again. ¡°Be it as the king or father.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Kira just nodded. ¡°Fair enough, I guess.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t blame them. ¡°Anyway, I promised Ellie I would teach her some more magic tomorrow, but I brought her back for now because I thought you needed to know first. How about I give you some time to let it sink in, and if there''s anything I need to know, you can tell me tomorrow. Assuming that we continue with the plan of me teaching her because my way of using magic is¡­ well, it¡¯s just better than any other teacher in existence.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kira nodded. ¡°Your way of doing things is a little eccentric, but the results speak for itself. It will be for the best if Ellie learns from you.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± The king nodded. ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde decided to not comment on the eccentric part and just smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll come and get her tomorrow around noon. If there¡¯s anything you want me to know, you can tell me then.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Ellie can¡¯t wait!¡± Once the outline of the plan was set in stone, Sophia decided to head home for the time being, as it had been a long day for everyone involved. She still needed to tell the others of Ellie''s awakening, as well. Chapter 088 – Do as I say, not as I do Ellie¡¯s magic finally awakened, and Sophia took her back to the castle in the capital because of that. Naturally, their parents deserved to know about this important change in their daughter. Once Kira and Menzor calmed down, to some degree at least, the blonde told them that she was going to pick up the princess on the following day to start her magic training. "So¡­phia!" Just as promised, the blonde returned the day after and was immediately greeted by the princess the moment she arrived. ¡°Ellie~.¡± Sophia caught the rapidly approaching girl, who leaped at her during the last few steps and tightly hugged the little tiger. ¡°Ready for some magic?¡± ¡°Y-E-S!¡± She was very ready. ¡°Is there anything I need to keep in mind?¡± Once she finished hugging the princess, the blonde let go of her and faced Kira, who had been there as well. "A few things.¡± She nodded. ¡°First of all, before you start with the practical side of your teaching, you''re going to explain the potential dangers to her. Don¡¯t just go look at this amazing thing before telling her what could happen if it goes wrong.¡± ¡°Fair enough, I can do that.¡± Sophia nodded along. It wasn¡¯t her way of doing things, quite the opposite actually, but for the sake of the little princess and her safety, the blonde had no issues with following this approach. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The queen was glad she understood. ¡°Adding to that, no fire magic or other types that could easily harm herself or others for the time being. I¡¯m not against having her learn it, but save it for last. Losing control of a little bit of water or wind can be quite a nuisance. Losing control of even a tiny flame can end up in a catastrophe, especially if she¡¯s alone when it happens.¡± "A reasonable demand.¡± The blonde saw no flaw in her logic. "While fire is my forte, water¡ªand air-based magics are the easiest to teach, so I planned to start with them anyway.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Kira was relieved that Sophia was listening to her. ¡°Let¡¯s get going already!¡± While the two were laying the groundwork, the princess was getting impatient. ¡°Ellie wants to learn magic!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re almost done.¡± Sophia smiled at her before looking at Kira again. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± ¡°No, Menzor and I are most concerned about her safety, so we would be most grateful if you followed these points. Also, please remember that she¡¯s still a princess of this nation and only four years old. Try not to teach her anything too eccentric.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The eccentric tiger got loud. ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± Ellie was having none of this, grabbed Sophia¡¯s hand, and started to drag her out of the entrance hall of the castle. ¡°Have fun~.¡± Kira just smiled at them while she waved at her leaving daughter. ---------------- The duo returned to the blonde¡¯s domain and went to the floating island with the weeping cherry and hammock above the massive cherry blossom forest. ¡°We should be allowed to enjoy a bit of a view while training, right?¡± Sophia smiled at the princess before looking off the island. ¡°Yes!¡± Ellie felt the same. ¡°Teaching first, though!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll get to that soon~.¡± She had to chuckle at her impatience. ¡°Before we get to the action, we have to do some talking, though.¡± ¡°Boo!¡± The princess wasn¡¯t a fan of that. ¡°I get the feeling, and I¡¯m fully behind you on that, but it¡¯s one of the conditions Kira gave me. If I don¡¯t tell you about possible dangers and other things to keep in mind, I¡¯m not allowed to teach you.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Her face scrunched up. ¡°Make it quick, please!¡± ¡°You really are the best.¡± Sophia was liking her even more. ¡°Your mom has a point, though. Magic can be quite dangerous, you know?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Ellie tilted her head. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°We don¡¯t want you to get hurt, right?¡± ¡°No!¡± The princess nodded in return. ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde was glad she understood. ¡°Blu, would you like to assist me?¡± As she said those words, the parakeet flew out of the weeping cherry that was on the island and landed on her shoulder before rubbing its head against her cheek as usual. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Ellie didn¡¯t even see Blu!¡± She smiled at the bird. ¡°Such a good hider!¡± ¡°Yep, one of the many talents our Blu has~.¡± As if agreeing with the tigers, it puffed out its chest while waving one of its wings, as well. ¡°But how does Blu help with explaining?¡± The princess looked at the bird. ¡°Blu can¡¯t talk, right?¡± ¡°Not in words, but it¡¯s a very expressive parakeet." Sophia patted its head, and Blu raised a wing to agree with her. ¡°True!¡± ¡°Also, for now, Blu is emotional support.¡± She was still patting its head. ¡°I¡¯ll do the talking. After all, if Kira finds out I let a bird explain it to you, I¡¯ll be executed. The fact that Blu¡¯s stronger and more intelligent than all of us combined likely won¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°Ellie loves moral support!¡± ¡°Do you even know what that is?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter!¡± Her mood was excellent. "Fair enough." Sophia had no intention of going into detail, either. "Alright, let''s get comfortable and talk a little~." The blonde sat down on the grass below her, and the princess promptly did the same. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± "First of all, your mom is right. Magic can be incredibly dangerous if you don''t know what you''re doing." She jumped right into it. ¡°I¡¯d know because I have no idea what I¡¯m doing, and it¡¯s gotten dangerous many times already.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Yes, but if you¡¯re diligent, nothing bad will happen.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°Ellie will be the dilligentest!¡± ¡°You¡¯re already the bestest, so it should be easy for you.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Anyway, two very important things about using magic are your imagination and being able to control your creations. If you can master both, everything will be alright.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie kept nodding. ¡°For example, the ball of water from yesterday,¡± Saying so, the blonde created another waterball with a diameter of ten centimeters above her palm. ¡°I thought about the size before it appeared. What do you think would¡¯ve happened if I didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ nothing?¡± The princess looked confused. ¡°That¡¯s one of the options, but it also could¡¯ve resulted in this.¡± The ball on top of her palm turned into a tiny droplet. ¡°Ohh! Right! If there¡¯s no size, it can be everything! Ellie understands!¡± ¡°Good, but here¡¯s another possibility and the real catch.¡± Sophia pointed up, and a couple seconds later, a massive mass of water formed above them that was many times the size of the island was on. It hovered above them a little while before the tiger let it disappear again. ¡°W-WAOH!¡± Ellie¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Amazing!¡± "It is, but what do you think would''ve happened if this amount of water had appeared somewhere inside, like your room?" ¡°O-Oh!¡± The princess froze. ¡°Not good.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± She just nodded. ¡°It could¡¯ve been even bigger, too.¡± ¡°Is Ellie¡¯s magic even strong enough for that¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t really know how strong you are yet, huh?¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Do you know that Anna got really strong when I gave her some of my magic?¡± ¡°Yes! Mama and papa told Ellie that Anna became the strongest! Beside So¡­phia and friends!¡± ¡°Yeah, Anna and Ari became the strongest in the capital outside my group. By far, I have to add.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°So cool! Wait, has Ellie also become as strong?!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve become as strong as Anna and Ari together!¡± ¡°WAOH!¡± She got excited. ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Really~.¡± Sophia smiled at the little tiger. ¡°You¡¯re the strongest in the capital now?¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s the strongest?!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always been, but now you¡¯re officially, too!¡± ¡°So cool!¡± She was liking her new position. ¡°Does that mean Ellie could really make so much water with magic.¡± ¡°M-u-c-h more.¡± The blonde looked right at her. ¡°If you want to, you could flood the entire capital!¡± ¡°Nuh-uh!¡± The princess vehemently shook her head. "Do you see now why it''s important for me to tell you about the dangers of magic? ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± She hung her head. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be scared, though." Sophia reached over to her and gently patted Ellie''s head. "Magic is something wonderful and not scary at all when used right. You¡¯re very young and able to learn a lot, not to mention very clever. You¡¯ll be able to master it without any issues! I¡¯ll guarantee it!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The princess cheered up again. ¡°Magic, roughly speaking, has three steps. One, think of what you want. Two, think of how you want it. Three, concentrate on it and make it a reality.¡± The blonde held up three fingers while doing so. ¡°Each of them is equally important. All three have to be taken care of to make your dreams come true.¡± "Does So¡­phia also do that whenever she uses magic?" Ellie wanted to know how she did it. ¡°This is a strictly do as I say, not as I do scenario.¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°The difference is that I know how to deal with the consequences of my actions. Every now and then.¡± She only whispered those words. ¡°You, at least right now, don''t have enough experience to be lenient." ¡°Ellie understands!¡± She reacted with a big nod. ¡°Good~.¡± She smiled at her again. ¡°Okay, tell me in your own words what¡¯s important with magic.¡± Sophia wanted to see if the princess really paid attention. ¡°Imaginanation, details, focus!¡± Her reply was instantaneous. ¡°That¡¯s a good start.¡± The taller tiger nodded. ¡°As you mentioned details, please add some in your explanation." She felt it was a little lacking. ¡°So mean!¡± "Is it mean to make sure you understand what it means to use magic, how it works, and avoid hurting yourself and others?¡± Sophia gave her none of it. ¡°I can understand you want to get to the action already, but this is important.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± There was nothing the princess could say. ¡°First, Ellie needs to come up with something she wants to do! Like a ball of water! Then, Ellie has to make sure to think about the details! Like size! Maybe temperature, too? Dirty water? Clean water? Where it should be? All of this, right? Afterward, Ellie needs to concentratate and use magic to make it real? Ellie doesn''t really get that part yet¡­" ¡°That¡¯s a very good explanation! Excellent with the details!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°We can get to the concentration part later when we start using magic. That will be the time where to learn that staying focused is important, too." ¡°Yay!¡± She was happy she got it right. Afterward, continuing with high enthusiasm, Sophia kept telling her more things about magic, how to use it, and potential dangers for about an hour without going into too many fine details to keep it simple and understandable for the little princess. Chapter 089 – Water ball! Sophia took Ellie to her domain again to officially start the magic training of the little princess. As demanded by Kira, the blonde first began by explaining the possible dangers of it and what could happen if one was recklessly using it. Even though Sophia had basically no experience with being reckless and never encountered any danger when using magic, she did her best to convey it to the little tiger to make sure she was safe. Something like that would probably be written down in her memoirs if she ever decided to write them. ¡°Okay, Ellie learned a lot! Can we do action now?!" The little princes had gotten impatient after all the theoretical teaching Sophia had done so far. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°I can¡¯t promise action right away, but how about some practical lessons to switch things up a little?¡± ¡°Ellie accepts!¡± It was a compromise she could live with. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Should we train more with the ball of water? It¡¯s quite easy to explain and you seemed to like playing with it, too.¡± ¡°Waterball!¡± It seemed like she liked the idea. ¡°Alright, then make one~.¡± ¡°E-Eh?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Ellie should?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± She smiled at her. "You''re the one who wants to learn it, right?" ¡°But¡­?¡± ¡°We just went over the three most important parts of magic, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°Ellie has the imaginanation and details, but no idea how to use powers!¡± ¡°Well, why don''t you try a few things?¡± She encouraged her. ¡°If you have the vision and the details, messing up with that step a few times won''t cause too many issues, especially if we¡¯re talking about low amounts of water.¡± "A little tip!¡± ¡°Just imagine you really, really, really want to have some water. So much that you put some force into your thoughts when thinking about it." ¡°Like when Ellie wants cake?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°Yes. Yes, that works a lot.¡± She thought that was a much better analogy. ¡°Take your feelings for cake and use it on the water you want to create!" ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Any other questions?¡± ¡°Can we get cake when we¡¯re done training?¡± Now that she had thought about it, it was too late for the princess. ¡°My dear, your birthday was yesterday. Didn¡¯t you have a ton of cake? I¡¯m sure you had.¡± ¡°So?¡± The little tiger tilted her head. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She could follow her reasoning. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s get some cake when we¡¯re done here.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Only if you manage to successfully use your magic to create the ball of water, though." The blonde had to use the opportunity. ¡°So¡­phia knows how to motivate someone!¡± She sounded the most determined yet. ¡°I sure do~.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ---------------- Having a rough idea of how to do it, thinking about cake, and pretending it''s about water, Ellie got to work and started concentrating on the task at hand. Watching her the entire time, the blonde eventually decided to get comfortable under a tree next to her while Blu sat down on her shoulder, as well. ¡°How is it going?¡± After around five minutes of silence, Sophia tried to find out how she was doing. ¡°Not good!¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Ellie still remembers the tingly feeling from So¡­phia¡¯s magic from yesterday, but no idea how to make it!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s hard to explain.¡± She just nodded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that I don¡¯t exactly remember how Fennyfenny taught me, either¡­" It''s been a year, after all, and she''s very forgetful. ¡°I just remember eventually feeling it.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Mhmm.¡± The little tiger couldn¡¯t do much with that. ¡°Blu, can you help her?¡± The blonde looked at the expert on her shoulder. In response to that, the parakeet nodded once before flying over to the princess. It landed on top of her palm, which she had been holding up ever since trying to activate her magic for the ball of water. ¡°Oh?¡± The little tiger tilted her head while looking at the bird on top of her hand. ¡°Ellie¡¯s hand is starting to feel warm. A little tingly, too!¡± Immediately after, Blu relocated to her shoulder. ¡°How about you try it again now?¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Focus on the feeling in your hand and try to turn it into water.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Nodding, the princess closed her eyes for a moment and did exactly that. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± A few seconds later, she opened them again and stared at her hand. Then, a wobbly mass of water roughly ten by ten centimeters big appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Ohh!¡± The instant her eyes started sparkling, the water collapsed, drenching her hand and the ground beneath. "A-Ah¡­¡± The princess noticed that she lost concentration the moment she succeeded. "Yep, that happens." Sophia scratched her cheek while Blu, on Ellie''s shoulder, nodded a few times. ¡°It worked, though! Congratulations on using magic on your own for the first time!¡± She started applauding and the parakeet also flapped its wings alongside her. ¡°But Blu helped Ellie¡­¡± The little tiger wasn¡¯t convinced about her success. ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± The blonde shook her head while the parakeet did the same. ¡°Blu just released a tiny bit of magic on your hand to let you feel it. It was already gone when you created the water. It was all your own magic.¡± ¡°How does So¡­phia know?¡± ¡°Ah, I haven¡¯t told you yet, huh? I can actually see the magic around me. That¡¯s how I can tell what happened.¡± ¡°Ellie wants to see magic, too!¡± She immediately got excited about that part. "Ahh, unfortunately, that''s not something I can teach you." Sophia got a little awkward. ¡°It¡¯s not something you can learn. You either can see it or you can¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Really? Too bad!¡± The princess took it relatively well. ¡°Yeah, but you don¡¯t have to worry!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°You can use magic even without seeing it perfectly well. Your sister, Ari, Maya, and the wolves can¡¯t see it, either, but they¡¯re all super good at magic!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°All you need is to be able to feel it to use it perfectly well.¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Right now, it¡¯s tingly and warm to you, but you¡¯ll be able to feel it in detail very soon!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia was happy her motivation wasn¡¯t broken. ¡°Alright, back to your magic! It was a great first try, but you need to work on your concentration so that you can keep it going rather than it immediately collapsing." ¡°Ellie will try!¡± She raised her fist high in the air. ¡°Okay, try another ball of water while the feeling is strong!" The blonde gave her a thumbs-up in return. "Focus on the tingly and give it a go! However, this time, try to stay concentrated all the way through." ¡°Yes!¡± Nodding once, the princess proceeded to stare at her hand for a while. ¡°Oh! Ellie can feel the tingly again!¡± ¡°Great!¡± The taller tiger smiled at her. ¡°That¡¯s really good! It means that your connection with magic is growing already. Now, focus on what you want to do and give it a go~.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Doing exactly that, Ellie concentrated for a little while longer, and soon enough, another wavy ball of water of the same size as before appeared floating on top of her palm. ¡°Ohh!¡± Her eyes started sparkling again, but this time, the water continued to float. It wavered quite a bit, but it never collapsed. ¡°Nicely done!¡± Seeing that she managed to keep her concentration, Sophia lightly clapped her hands while having a proud expression. "Ehehe-, Ah!¡± Unfortunately, the praise was enough for the princess to lose concentration, after all. The ball of water immediately lost its shape and drenched her hand, as well as the ground below her once gravity rose back to power. ¡°Uhh, sorry about that.¡± The blonde felt slightly responsible for that. ¡°I think I vaguely remember being in the same position when Fenny taught me. The moment I got some praise, my concentration also slipped.¡± ¡°Ellie likes praise, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡± She had no intentions of changing that behavior anytime soon. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t blame her. She, too, lives for praise, after all. ¡°Alright, just keep going! Eventually, using magic becomes as natural as breathing. Soon, small distractions like that won¡¯t matter anymore~.¡± ¡°More tries!¡± The princess liked the idea and immediately returned to training her water ball skills. ¡°Ellie¡¯s going to perfect her skills today!¡± ¡°Ambitious! I like it!¡± Continuing to hone her water-making skills, the princess trained for around an hour while Sophia tried to distract her every now and then as she was relaxing under a nearby tree to increase the girl¡¯s ability to keep her attention and focus on the task. ¡°Ellie thinks she gets it now!¡± Sounding incredibly proud, the little tiger presented the perfectly round ball of floating water to Sophia. ¡°Time of distraction is over!¡± ¡°Should I put more effort into my distractions?" The blonde got a little cheeky. ¡°I¡¯m at five percent of my power right now.¡± ¡°Nuh-uh!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Sophia had to chuckle at her cute pout. ¡°Well, even after that, the water is still going strong. That¡¯s an amazing accomplishment and shall be honored.¡± "Yay!" She got happier again. "Also, Ellie has gotten very tired!" Saying so, the ball of water in front of her finally dropped to the ground. ¡°Magic is hard!¡± "You''ve barely used any of yours, though. Rather, it¡¯s concentrating that¡¯s hard.¡± ¡°Same difference!¡± The princess didn¡¯t care about minor details. "A good counter.¡± The blonde could follow her logic. ¡°Should we take a break?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She reacted with a hearty nod. ¡°Ellie wants cake! Cake was promised!¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me~.¡± Sophia agreed with her plan. ¡°You managed to use magic and create a ball of water all on your own, so there shall be cake!¡± ¡°YAY!¡± Having decided on their course of action, the blonde opened one of her portals, and the two quickly stepped through it to have their well-earned break accompanied by lots of cake to celebrate the little tiger''s success. Chapter 090 – Serious and reasonable Ellie successfully learned her first real bits of magic and successfully created a floating orb of water without any help whatsoever from Sophia or Blu. To celebrate this massive accomplishment, they returned to the cottage to organize some cake that was promised to the princess as an additional reward. ¡°Cake!¡± The duo entered the group''s cottage inside Sophia''s domain, and the princess immediately made her presence known. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± The blonde was her biggest fan. "Eh¡­?" Sounding rather confused, Maya and Ari stuck their heads out of the kitchen. ¡°Hey~.¡± Sophia waved at the duo. ¡°I promised our little tiger cake if her training went well.¡± ¡°Training went well!¡± The princess gave them a thumbs up. ¡°My dear, your birthday was yesterday.¡± The jaguar lightly shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s still lots of cake inside your belly, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°So?¡± Ellie didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°Fair point.¡± Maya saw no flaw in her argumentation. ¡°Oi!¡± Ari glared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t enable her bad eating habits!¡± "But cake is cake." The cat-girl, who had a big sweet tooth, wasn¡¯t on her side. ¡°Exactely!¡± Maya won a lot of points in Ellie¡¯s book. ¡°She¡¯s earned it, though.¡± Sophia smiled at the jaguar. ¡°Our little princess already managed to use magic without any help whatsoever.¡± ¡°Water ball!¡± Ellie was quite proud of herself, too. ¡°Wow!¡± Ari seemed impressed. ¡°Okay, fine, cake it is.¡± In the end, she also felt like this achievement needed to be celebrated. ¡°We don¡¯t have any cake here, though. Making one will take too long, too.¡± ¡°To the capital!¡± Maya energetically grabbed the jaguar¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go and buy one!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Ellie liked the plan. ¡°Just how much do you want cake?¡± Ari lightly rolled her eyes when looking at the cat-girl. ¡°Yes.¡± She wanted it a lot. Afterward, she dragged the jaguar away to buy a cake in the capital by taking one of Sophia''s portals. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s wait in the living room for them.¡± The blonde faced Ellie next to her. ¡°Okay!¡± She simply nodded. ---------------- ¡°Oh, would you look at that? My favorite sister has come to visit!" In the living room, Anna, who had been in there together with Steph and Chloe, greeted the little princess. ¡°Isn¡¯t Ellie the only sister?¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re my favorite~.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She seemed to understand her. ¡°Anna¡¯s Ellie¡¯s favorite sister, too!¡± ¡°You cheeky little¡­¡± ¡°Come on, you did that to yourself.¡± Chloe had no sympathy for her. ¡°Sisters do be sisters.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Steph and Sophia seemed to get it, though. ¡°By the way, how is the training going?¡± The tall tiger had already discarded the teasing. "I still can''t believe my sister''s magic awakened this early! I think it took me like two years longer!¡± ¡°Not to mention that she has like twice your current power already~.¡± Sophia had to do it. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s the bestest, after all!¡± The little tiger had an easy explanation and got closer to her sister to show her a V-sign with her hand. ¡°True.¡± Everyone except Anna agreed. ¡°You little rascal!¡± The tall princess grabbed the short one and placed her on her lap. ¡°Hey!¡± Ellie struggled for a moment, but once she noticed that she was unable to escape from Anna¡¯s arms wrapped around her waist, she gave up. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°They totally get along better now than they did before we left the capital, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Sisters sometimes need a time away from each other to notice how close they actually are.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek while listening to her sister. ¡°Hit a mark, huh?¡± Steph just smiled at her. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She only got more awkward. ¡°W-Well, it¡¯s great you get along again.¡± The blonde focused on the tiger sisters instead. ¡°Yes!¡± Anna thought so, too. ¡°Could be worse.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The tall tiger lightly shook the cheeky princess on her lap. ¡°Have you been secretly hanging out with Maya?¡± ¡°I thought the same not too long ago, too!¡± Sophia also had been out-sassed by the little tiger, after all. ¡°So, how¡¯s the magic going?¡± Ignoring the older tigers, Chloe smiled at the younger one. ¡°Amazingly!¡± She smiled back at her. ¡°So¡­phia taught Ellie how to make a water ball!¡± ¡°So quick!¡± Anna got loud again. ¡°Why¡¯s my little sister so much more talented than I am?!¡± ¡°To be fair, you¡¯ve been taught magic the wrong way for your entire life.¡± Sophia tried to cheer her up. ¡°The way it has been taught until now was the worst and needlessly complicated. If Fenny hadn''t been my teacher and I''d attended the magic academy like you did, I probably still wouldn¡¯t be able to use magic. Ellie never had to go through any of that and is just, well¡­ using magic.¡± ¡°So much wasted time!¡± The tall tiger hung her head. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Knowing a thing or two about having wasted a lot of time in the past, basically her entire life in the previous world, Sophia returned to her awkward laughter. ¡°How much did she learn today?¡± Chloe also got interested in the topic. ¡°Water ball!¡± Ellie immediately got excited again. ¡°Yeah, I taught her how to create a floating sphere of water.¡± The blonde nodded. "That''s amazing! Good job!" The fox-girl praised the princess. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Did you tell her anything else about magic beforehand, or did you jump right into creating things?" The fox was interested in Sophia''s teaching methods. ¡°I gave her a general rundown of what magic is and just how vast her new powers really are. Afterward, I made sure to teach her the dangers of magic and how you have to be careful when using it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Everyone except the princess just stared at her. ¡°What?!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like how they were all looking at her with a condescending expression while lightly shaking their head. ¡°I am perfectly capable of doing such things!¡± ¡°Do as I told, not as I do, huh?¡± The pink girls seemed to understand her way of doing things. ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia agreed. "Also, you three have no right to give me any flak when it comes to the topic of being careful or not.¡± ¡°¡­¡± They went silent rather quickly. They chatted about Ellie''s magic teachings for a bit longer, but when Ari and Maya returned, the topic was immediately dropped. ---------------- ¡°We¡¯ve got the cake~.¡± The duo entered the living room, and the cat-girl energetically announced their arrival. ¡°CAKE!¡± Ellie was very happy about that. ¡°Cake?¡± Anna tilted her head while looking down at her sister. ¡°She made me promise her cake when she learns the water ball magic today, and, well, she did learn it.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The tall tiger could follow that logic. ¡°Well, it¡¯s always time for cake, so I fully support this.¡± ¡°Exactely!¡± The little sister was happy she understood the importance of cake. Afterward, everyone got a slice of the chocolate cake Ari and Maya had gotten in the capital while chatting some more. ¡°By the way, as Ellie will have my undivided attention for the next week at the very least, does anyone intend to continue the exploration of the outside world, or what¡¯s the plan?¡± Sophia addressed the others. ¡°We¡¯ll be staying in the domain.¡± Anna, Ari, and Maya replied together. ¡°Because we¡¯re still in the snowy mountain range?¡± The blonde took a wild guess. ¡°Because of that!¡± The trio nodded in response. ¡°Chloe, Aura, and I wanted to explore more of it.¡± Steph was more open to the idea. ¡°We¡¯re thinking about recreating a mountain range biome and wanted to get some more inspiration.¡± The fox nodded along. ¡°And maybe borrow a few things.¡± The dog-girl naturally had some ulterior motives. ¡°Sis, can you liberate a mountain for us?¡± She smiled at her with puppy eyes. "It won''t take long, after all! Just a quick massive portal, and we''re good!" ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Sophia reluctantly agreed. She liked the idea of having a mountain range in her domain, but she had a bad feeling about what those three would turn it into. ¡°On one condition, though.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Steph tilted her head. "You three will also traverse the rest of the mountain range so that all of us can continue traveling on the other side where there¡¯s not even a hint of snow left!¡± ¡°A great plan!¡± The other cats supported the blonde¡¯s condition. ¡°Sure.¡± Chloe had nothing against it. ¡°We might be taking our time to enjoy the snow as much as possible, though.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t care!¡± The cats unionized again. ¡°Also, make sure to notify me if you stumble across anything interesting, like that cherry blossom forest that absolutely didn''t belong there." Sophia added an extra condition. ¡°Of course!¡± Steph, a fellow lover of all things interesting, had no intention of cheating her sister out of such a thing. ¡°Thank you!¡± The blonde smiled at the dog-girl before facing the little princess again. ¡°Ellie!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± She lazily looked towards her while continuing to focus on the cake she was munching on. "We''re going to continue your training tomorrow, so make sure to get plenty of rest tonight, okay?" ¡°YAY!¡± The princess was looking forward to it already. ¡°There¡¯s one rule I have to give you, too, though.¡± Sophia suddenly sounded a little more serious. ¡°You are not allowed to use magic on your own yet. Only when I or your parents allow you to do so. You did well today, but you need to get used to it more first. Soon, you can use magic whenever you want, but only after you get better control of it. It¡¯s too dangerous for now.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Ellie sounded a little pouty. ¡°If I find out that you broke this one rule, I will immediately stop teaching you and will never return to doing so either. Do you understand?¡± ¡°YES!¡± The little princess reacted with a big nod. ¡°Ellie understands and will never use magic on her own until she¡¯s allowed!¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Ari seemed impressed. ¡°Serious and reasonable Sophia is always a sight to behold!¡± ¡°Shush!¡± She glared at the jaguar. ¡°If it¡¯s important, I¡¯ll be the most reasonable person in this group! Things just usually aren¡¯t serious enough for me to care!¡± "I wasn''t making fun of you," Ari shook her head. "It''s just that it''s a rare side of you, and it''s great that you have it." Once the topic was dealt with, everyone finished their cake, and Sophia brought Ellie back home to let her get some rest after an exhausting day. There, she also gave Kira a quick update on the progress and told her she''d pick up the princess again the next day for more training. Chapter 091 - Mischief The group celebrated Ellie''s first use of magic, where she didn''t get any help from anybody with cake, and Sophia announced that she was going to teach the little princess for a while longer, and the others were free to do whatever they wanted. The blonde also gave Ellie some rules regarding the use of her new magic, including making her promise that she wasn¡¯t going to use it unsupervised for the time being. ¡°Alrighty, are you ready for more training?¡± Sophia and Ellie were back in the cherry blossom forest when the blonde addressed the princess in a cheery voice. ¡°Y-E-S!¡± The little tiger was very motivated. ¡°Perfect!¡± She liked the enthusiasm. ¡°Blu¡¯s here to help, too!¡± After saying this, the little parakeet appeared from one of the nearby trees and landed on the blonde¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°For now, how about you show what you learned yesterday and make us a nice little water ball to warm up?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie immediately jumped at the prompt and began concentrating. In the end, it took her two extra tries to get it working as she wanted to, but she was able to recreate the success of the previous day. ¡°Focusing can be hard, huh?¡± Sophia smiled at the princes after the third attempt was successful. ¡°Good job!¡± ¡°Very hard!¡± Ellie nodded. ¡°Still super fun!¡± ¡°Do you want to play with more water, or should we try some other things with magic?¡± ¡°What other things can be done?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Whatever you can think of~.¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°And then three more things on top of that.¡± ¡°Waoh!¡± The little tiger seemed impressed. ¡°That¡¯s too many choices for Ellie, though!¡± ¡°It¡¯s horrible, isn¡¯t it?¡± The blonde felt her. ¡°Too many choices can make things actually worse, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°How about we try playing around with wind for a change? It''s fun, and you can use it for a lot of mischief~." ¡°Ellie loves mischef!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised about that.¡± Sophia knew that she would like that. ¡°Let¡¯s give teaching you this a try!¡± While saying so, the branches of the weeping cherries around them began to sway in the newly generated wind, and countless petals and cherry blossoms started to circle around the princess, almost trapping her in a whirlwind of pink. ¡°So pretty!¡± Not bothered by the wind whatsoever, the little tiger just began catching the cherry blossoms moving around her midair. ¡°How does wind magic work?¡± ¡°The same as the water one.¡± ¡°Think, concentrate, let¡¯s go?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Do you think you can do it?¡± ¡°Ellie will try!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia liked the enthusiasm. ¡°Remember, only a light breeze. You don¡¯t want to destroy all those lovely trees, right?¡± ¡°Never!¡± The princess shook her head. "Perfect, then start preparing!" She gave her a thumbs-up. "Blu and I will be watching you." Afterward, the blonde, with the parakeet on her shoulder, got comfortable under one of the trees while watching the little tiger. ¡°Can the wind keep going? Ellie wants to feel it more to try and do the same!¡± The little tiger needed more inspiration. ¡°Sure thing!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Blu, would you mind?¡± Immediately after, the parakeet lightly flapped its wings, and something akin to a gentle summer breeze enveloped the whole area around them. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Thank you!¡± ---------------- While Sophia and Blu were relaxing together, Ellie kept studying the wind around her. Moving around, spinning in circles, catching some floating petals here and there, and trying to become one with the wind, in her words, at least. ¡°Any luck?¡± After around 20 minutes, the blonde tried to find out how it was going. ¡°Close!¡± She looked at her with sparkling eyes. ¡°Ellie¡¯s this close to becoming the wind!¡± ¡°The task was to create wind, not turn into it.¡± "A-Ah!¡± The princess froze for a moment. ¡°Ellie got too into it!¡± ¡°Happens all the time.¡± Sophia felt her. ¡°Wanna try again?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°This time, Ellie will focus on the right thing!¡± ¡°Do your best~.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go again!¡± Ellie immediately stretched out her arms to feel more of the wind around her. ¡°Mhrmm¡­¡± Her eyebrows scrunched up. ¡°Did you notice something?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± The princess seemed a little confused. ¡°Tell me what it might be.¡± The blonde encouraged her to go on. ¡°Ellie feels like the wind comes from somewhere. Normally, the wind is just there and is windy for a little bit, but this¡­ Ellie doesn¡¯t know, feels weird!¡± ¡°Try to focus on that somewhere.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Find the place the wind comes from!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Closing her eyes, the princess blindly walked around the area to try and find the source of the wind Blu was creating. ¡°Mhmm, oh!¡± After stumbling around for around five minutes and almost crashing into four trees later, she eventually stopped roughly 30 meters to the left of the blonde. ¡°What did you find?¡± The blonde looked at her while gently petting the parakeet that moved to her hand, which she was holding up. ¡°Found it!¡± She opened her eyes again. ¡°Yeah, but what did you find?¡± ¡°Windy magic!¡± The princess pointed at an empty area between two cherry blossoms. ¡°It¡¯s coming from there!¡± ¡°What makes you think so?¡± Sophia wanted more details. ¡°The wind isn¡¯t any stronger there, is it?¡± ¡°It feels like magic here! The same tingly or powerful feeling Ellie had when she first felt it and used it on her own! It¡¯s strong here! The wind also goes in all directions and not the same in this place!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a start.¡± She was okay with that reply. ¡°Study the area a little more and try to get a better hold of the feeling. Then, do your best and replicate it to make your own wind. Still, always remember to take care of your concentration and not to overdo it for now.¡± ¡°Will do!¡± Ellie immediately walked right into the middle of the area she had been pointing at. There, she lifted her arms as if trying to grab something out of the air. Naturally, she had no success with that. Afterward, it seemed like she started concentrating on some once more. ¡°It¡¯s sooo fun watching someone who has no idea how magic works play around with it and trying to figure out what¡¯s going on!¡± Sophia was having a great time. In response to that, Blu looked straight at the blonde and nodded a few times. ¡°What¡¯s with that reaction?!¡± She didn¡¯t like how the bird was looking at her, but Blu just reacted with a slightly sassy-sounding chirp. ¡°W-Waoh!¡± While Sophia was being teased by a bird, Ellie suddenly made some tremendous progress and got loud. A massive gust of air shot from her hand and blew away almost all the cherry blossoms on the tree in front of her, causing a small tornado of pink petals. ¡°A-Ah¡­¡± Her expression then turned a little awkward. ¡°Someone overdid it a little, huh?¡± The blonde smiled at the princess. ¡°B-But Ellie didn¡¯t use more than she could feel!¡± She started pouting. ¡°Why so different?!¡± ¡°The magic you felt was the source for the entire wind in the area all around us.¡± Sophia lightly shook her head. ¡°You used the same amount and instantly shot it away from your hand. Because of that, it was much more powerful.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The little tiger nodded a few times. ¡°Ellie hadn¡¯t thought about that!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it~." She wasn''t upset. "My suggestion for the future is not to try and copy simple things like the amount of magic. Always add details and think of the result while using magic.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The princess was happy about the guidance. ¡°Ellie will remember this from now!¡± ¡°Perfect~.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Do you want to try again? This time, maybe a little gentler, though.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The little tiger reacted with a big nod. She was still highly motivated. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± ---------------- The princess immediately returned to concentrating on the task and another ten minutes quickly passed. During that time, it seemed like she was making great progress because her expression turned rather confident before long. ¡°Ellie gets it now!¡± While announcing these words, a gentle breeze formed in front of her and picked up countless cherry blossoms that lay on the ground from the earlier accident. Then, the wind carried them over to the little tiger and showered her in petals for a little while as they circled around her. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Sophia looked honestly impressed. Blu also was using its wings to clap. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! Good job!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She enjoyed being praised. ¡°Magic is so fun!¡± ¡°It sure is!¡± The blonde thought so, too. Blu also nodded along. ¡°You are very talented, too! You¡¯re learning it so fast!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The princess got even happier. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia was proud of her. ¡°Should we jump right into the next lesson?¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s hungry!¡± She had other plans. "A very valid argument.¡± The blonde nodded. "A good one, too.¡± She could never say no to getting something to eat. ¡°Shall we head home for a bit and have lunch?¡± ¡°Lunch!¡± Having decided to take a break from Ellie''s magic training to get some food, Sophia opened one of her portals, and the two returned to the cottage for the time being. Chapter 092 – Sisterly bonds Sophia''s magic classes to teach Ellie continued for another day and the princess managed to learn the basics of air-based magic by being able to create her own gusts of wind. It turned out that the little tiger not only had a lot of it but also was very talented at using magic. "Do you want to keep going with air and wind, or should we try something different?" The duo returned to the cherry blossom forest, and Sophia wanted to know what to do next. ¡°Ellie wants to learn some mischef with wind!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°Something I can annoy Anna with!¡± After all, she loved her older sister. ¡°Gladly~.¡± The blonde saw no issues with her request. ¡°Just to be sure, you just want to mess with her a little, right? You don¡¯t want to make her actually angry?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She agreed. ¡°Ellie wants to be a menace but doesn¡¯t want Anna to hate her!¡± ¡°You want to be a proper sister, got it!¡± As a fellow sister, Sophia was fully behind the plan. ¡°What¡¯s possible with wind to be annoying?¡± The princess didn¡¯t want to waste any time. ¡°Well, Blu is the expert when it comes to harassing others with wind magic, so we have the best teacher on hand already.¡± She pointed at the little parakeet who had gotten comfortable on Ellie¡¯s shoulder after their lunch. ¡°Oi!¡± Not liking that, the bird got upset and flapped its wings once. Instantly after, a massive wall of air hit the blonde and pushed her several meters back while also liberating two trees of all their cherry blossoms. ¡°Ohh!¡± The little tiger clapped her hands a couple of times. ¡°See?¡± Sophia returned to them and smiled at her. ¡°Blu¡¯s the bird to be when it comes to learning wind-related things.¡± ¡°Good to know!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°Still, Ellie wants to annoy Anna, not make her go fly.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The blonde was happy that she knew where to draw the line. ¡°Blu, teach her some fun things that are more on the harmless side.¡± After hearing that, the parakeet used its wing to salute before taking off from Ellie¡¯s shoulder and landing on the ground between the tigers. A second later, a gust of air hit the blonde''s face and disheveled her entire hairdo. To some degree, at least, as she always had rather wild hair. ¡°Messing with hair!" Ellie¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°Very annoying!¡± ¡°Very¡­¡± Not entirely happy about the situation, Sophia used her hands to entangle her hair and roughly put it back into shape. ¡°I wonder if Kira buys it if I blame the bird for her daughter¡¯s new skill- Oi!¡± Another gust of wind hit her. Blu did not approve of her plan. "Ellie promises to only use mischef on Anna!" The princess instinctively knew that she could end up in trouble otherwise. ¡°Well, that could work.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Phew.¡± She looked relieved. ¡°And maybe papa if he ignores Ellie too much again!¡± ¡°Absolutely deserved.¡± The blonde had no intention of stopping her there. ¡°Kira would agree there, too.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± She clapped her hands in anticipation. ¡°Ellie can¡¯t wait to-, huh?¡± She suddenly turned around. ¡°Eh¡­? Something touched Ellie¡¯s shoulder just no-, Ei!¡± The princess then looked behind her over her other shoulder before jumping back on the spot. ¡°Again!¡± ¡°Hehe~.¡± Sophia let out a small laugh while Blu also chirped a few times. ¡°What?!¡± The little tiger didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Ellie definitely felt something!¡± ¡°Did you forget the part where we¡¯re teaching you mischief with magic right now?¡± The blonde chuckled again while smiling at her. ¡°Blu used air to imitate someone tapping your shoulder.¡± The parakeet nodded in agreement. ¡°O-Oh!¡± She sounded a little embarrassed in return. ¡°That¡¯s a good one!¡± Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ---------------- Having seen two types of mischievous wind magic she liked a lot, Ellie seemed raring to go and immediately jumped right into training again. She kept going for a little over an hour and quickly made some progress, thanks to Blu''s help. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about this, chief.¡± The better the princess was getting, the more Sophia was suffering as her test subject. Her hair had been turned into a complete mess, and even her clothes had started to become disheveled by the constant wind attacks she had been receiving the past hour. ¡°Ellie is very sure, though!¡± She disagreed with the blonde. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are.¡± The taller tiger lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes!¡± The little one was full of vigor. ¡°Alright, fine.¡± She couldn¡¯t win against her. ¡°You¡¯ve already gotten plenty of experience with ruining my hair, though. How about you focus on the shoulder tap trick for now? I¡¯d like a break if that¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ellie could agree with that and jumped right into training once more. ¡°Haa, I¡¯m way too soft.¡± Enjoying the break while the princess was getting ready, Sophia let out a soft sigh while trying to fix her destroyed hair, which had started to look more like a bird''s nest thanks to having been subjected to so much wind lately. Afterward, the princess played around with the blonde for another half an hour, where she constantly tried to use short bursts of gentle wind next to Sophia''s shoulder to make it feel like someone was there. Unfortunately, every now and then, Ellie misjudged her strength, and a harder blow hit the blonde, ruining her freshly fixed hair again. Another 30 minutes passed, and after Blu showed the princess how it was done a few more times, Ellie eventually managed to recreate it relatively well, to the point where someone unassuming would turn around to check what had just tried to touch them. ¡°Ellie wants to see Anna and try her new skills!¡± In higher spirits than ever after having finished her training, the princess couldn¡¯t wait to see her sister to be a proper menace to her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± Sophia happily agreed to pushing the problem she created, Ellie, to someone else. Wasting no time whatsoever, she opened a portal to the cottage, and they quickly stepped through it. ---------------- Back at home, the trio, Blu was on the blonde¡¯s shoulder, went to the living room, where they ran into the tall tiger and the others. ¡°Ei!¡± Seeing her sister, Ellie immediately welcomed Anna with an air blast to her face, causing her bangs and twintails to become a tangled and fuzzy mess in an instant. ¡°Oi!¡± Naturally, she wasn¡¯t very fond of this. ¡°What was that for?!¡± ¡°Mischef!¡± The mood of the little princess was excellent. "Yup, that''s about what I expected when I heard that Sophia''s going to be her teacher." Ari, who was also in the living room, wasn''t overly surprised about what had just happened. ¡°Why me, though!?¡± Anna didn¡¯t like her treatment. ¡°One of the many jobs of the older sister is to endure the mischief of the younger one.¡± Steph, sitting next to Chloe on one of the sofas, had an easy explanation for her. ¡°She¡¯s speaking from experience, too.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°I sure am~.¡± ¡°Also, you¡¯re not the only one.¡± The blonde then pointed at herself and her ruined hair while looking at the taller tiger. ¡°She used me as a test subject for the entire day.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that makes it any better!¡± In fact, Anna actually started pouting after hearing that. ¡°You do know that Kira will kill you when she finds out that you taught her baby nothing but mischief, yes?¡± The jaguar slowly shook her head as she stared at Sophia. ¡°It was Blu that did the teaching!¡± She instantly pointed at the bird on her shoulder. ¡°O-Ouch!¡± She then was immediately hit on the cheek by the parakeet¡¯s wing. ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s totally going to buy that.¡± Ari just rolled her eyes in return. ¡°Ellie also promised me that she only ever uses magic to do mischief when the target is Anna.¡± ¡°Exactely!¡± The little princess nodded in agreement. ¡°Or when papa ignores Ellie too much!¡± ¡°Well, I guess that should be okay.¡± The jaguar scratched her cheek. ¡°Ignoring Ellie is a crime, and messing with one¡¯s sister is apparently to be expected, too.¡± ¡°Ehehe~!¡± The short tiger liked that even Ari was on her side. ¡°Ellie, my dear~.¡± Anna then kneeled down to get on the same level as the short tiger. ¡°You do know that sisters messing with each other is a two-way interaction?¡± ¡°Two-way?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°H-HEY!¡± Ellie was suddenly trapped in a gentle whirlwind that completely messed up her hair in an instant. ¡°I can use magic, too!¡± The tall tiger showed her a smug grin. ¡°Unfair!¡± Ellie didn¡¯t like that. ¡°How so?¡± Anna didn¡¯t see an issue. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Ellie, but that¡¯s how it works.¡± The other sisters, Sophia and Steph, had bad news for the little princess. "A-Ah.¡± She hadn¡¯t expected such a betrayal. ¡°That¡¯s how it is~.¡± The tall tiger smiled at her sister. ¡°If you want to mess with me, prepare to get messed with!¡± ¡°Sophia, Blu!¡± The little princess suddenly faced the duo. ¡°Ellie needs to learn better and more mischef!¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs-up, and the parakeet saluted her with one of its wings. ¡°Having fun?¡± Ari nudged Anna¡¯s side. ¡°I saw how you, even while complaining, were smiling the entire time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a LOT better than having gotten the cold shoulder from her for most of last year!" She enjoyed the actual sisterly interaction with Ellie a lot. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The group kept chatting a little longer about the wonders of sisterly bonds before it was eventually time to bring Ellie back home to have her rest. While she had been energetic until the very end, it had still been quite an eventful and tiring day for her, after all. Chapter 093 – Playing the long game Ellie spent the entire day training her newly awakened magic and decided that she wanted to learn some tricks to satiate her mischievous side because she wanted to learn wind-based magic to mess with her older sister. It was a great success, but she forgot about the part where Anna could also use magic and immediately got back to her. ¡°Ellie wants to make a house!¡± Sophia, Blu, and the princess were back in the cherry blossom forest the following day, and the little tiger started with a grand request. "Come again?" The blonde felt like she had missed something. The parakeet on her shoulder also tilted its head to the side. ¡°One day, Ellie will live here in paradise, so she needs a house!¡± She gestured all around her while saying so. ¡°I thought we came to the conclusion that Kira wouldn¡¯t ever allow this?¡± Sophia vaguely remembered her wanting to live amongst the cherry blossoms before. ¡°But once Ellie¡¯s Anna¡¯s age, mama can¡¯t say no any longer!¡± ¡°Oh, we¡¯re playing the long game, huh?¡± Sophia was starting to understand. ¡°Yes!¡± She just nodded. ¡°When that happens, Ellie needs a place to stay!¡± ¡°They grow up so fast!¡± The blonde looked touched. ¡°Also, not a feeling I should have yet.¡± She then seemed rather conflicted over the fact she got emotional over a child growing up. ¡°So, can we make a house?!¡± Ellie was very motivated about her plan. "Well, I''m not sure if we''ll be able to build a house anytime soon, but how about we teach you some earth-based magic for the time being?" While saying so, the three were surrounded by earthen walls that shot out of the ground. "You can do stuff like that with it. Walls are the start of any good house, right?" ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The princess was in favor of the suggestion. ---------------- Not wanting her cherry blossom forest to be affected by the upcoming earth-related training, Sophia decided it was time to relocate to a different place. ¡°Alright, we can go wild here.¡± Once they exited her portal, Sophia gestured at the plain grassland all around them. There were some trees scattered here and there, but it was mostly just green as far as the eye could see, together with some colorful flowers mixed in everywhere. "I did this when I was bored. It''s nice-looking, but nothing of value would be lost if we used it as a training ground." ¡°Ellie just lost 20% of her motivation!¡± The little tiger was already missing the cherry blossoms. ¡°Surrounded by pink was so much better!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but are you willing to risk those beautiful trees while training with earth magic?¡± "A good point!¡± The princess saw the issue. ¡°That would be bad!¡± ¡°The plain suddenly sounds a lot better, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She agreed. ¡°Okay, what does Ellie have to do to learn earth?¡± ¡°The same as usual~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Ahh, makes sense!¡± Ellie didn¡¯t seem surprised. ¡°Still, can So¡­phia and Blu make some things with earth magic? Ellie wants to get a better feeling on it!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The blonde, together with Blu, nodded in return. Immediately after, numerous earthen walls and pillars shot out of the ground around them. ¡°If you need any more help, ask away, but for now, have fun~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Ellie¡¯s specialty!¡± She was quite talented at having fun. ¡°Mine, too~.¡± Sophia smiled at her before getting comfortable under one of the few nearby trees, and Blu also joined her by sitting down on her shoulder. The biggest downside of the grassland was the full exposure of her domain''s all-white default texture, so they wanted at least a little cover from it. ¡°Mhrmm¡­¡± While the two were relaxing, Ellie was busy circling around the dirt pillars they had created for her. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel very different from usual dirt?" She eventually tilted her head while looking confused. "Not very magic-like!" If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Ah, that¡¯s because the earth magic we used earlier works a little differently from the air and water-related things we taught you before." ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Before, we used magic to create water and wind.¡± Sophia made a slight pause to let her think about it. ¡°Now, we used it to move it. We simply pushed the dirt up from below the ground.¡± ¡°Mhh¡­ Ohh!¡± The princess needed a second. ¡°Does that mean magic cannot make dirt? Only move it?¡± ¡°No.¡± The blonde and Blu shook their heads. ¡°You can create dirt. In fact, everything around here has been created with magic, dirt included." Sophia simply gestured all around her on the plain they were in. ¡°It¡¯s just a different way of interacting with magic.¡± ¡°Ellie understands!¡± She nodded a couple of times. "How does that work?" The little tiger may have understood the concept, but she still had no idea what it meant. ¡°Imagine grabbing or pushing the dirt, but without actually touching it with your hands. Use your magic power to do it while thinking about the shape you want it to turn into.¡± ¡°Mhrrmmm¡­¡± The expression of the princess scrunched up. ¡°Ellie thinks she needs a little bit of thinking to do that. Sounds weird!¡± ¡°Many things I say sound weird.¡± The blonde was used to it already. ¡°Play around with the idea a little and see what happens.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She had nothing against weird ideas and immediately focused on the pillar of dirt again. ¡°It¡¯s so much harder without any magic to feel!¡± ¡°Do your best~.¡± Sophia just cheered her on some more. ¡°Ellie always does her best!¡± Saying so, she kneeled down and put her hands on the grass below. ¡°Wait! Ellie wasn¡¯t supposed to touch it with her hands!¡± She immediately jumped up again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to treat it so literally~.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. "It''s okay to touch it like that to get a better feeling. You¡¯re just not supposed to dig a hole, form the dirt into a pillar, and call it magic afterward.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°Much easier then!¡± She immediately returned to touching the ground while having a concentrated expression. ---------------- Ellie kept studying the grass and dirt for about half an hour while touching it in various places to see if she could feel anything that would help with her magic. ¡°Do you need some more help?¡± Sophia was wondering if the little tiger was making any progress in her eyes. ¡°So¡­phia said that Ellie should use her magic to grab or move dirt, right?¡± ¡°Something like that, yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Like when you were controlling the water or air, just that the dirt is already there.¡± ¡°Ellie has an idea, then!" Saying so, the princess suddenly made a fist and punched the ground below her. Immediately upon making contact with the dirt, her fist dug into it and pushed away the ground in a roughly two-meter radius around her. There first were some ripple or wave-like motions at the top before everything finally caved in. The result of this made the little tiger fall into a one-meter-deep hole she ended up making herself. ¡°W-Woah, are you okay?!¡± Sophia jumped on her feet with a worried expression. Up until now, she had been lying under a tree, and the hole that had the same depth as Ellie was tall. From her point of view, it looked like she had been swallowed whole. ¡°Better than ever!¡± Ellie only lifted one of her arms out of the hole and gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Don¡¯t surprise me like that!¡± The blonde got closer to the hole, kneeled down on the edge of it, and lifted the princess out of it. ¡°What was that superhero-like move for?" She felt some sort of familiarity between her punching the ground so hard it split open and some of the superhero movies she had seen in the past. ¡°Superhero?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me~.¡± She had no plans of explaining it to her. ¡°Anyway, care to explain your thought process here?¡± The taller tiger pointed at the hole. ¡°Ellie wanted to look cool!¡± Her reason was simple but perfectly valid. ¡°You definitely succeeded in that.¡± Sophia had to give her that. ¡°Please explain what you did, though.¡± While she saw what happened, the blonde still wanted to hear it from her. ¡°Ellie used her magic to push away dirt around her fist!¡± She sounded extremely proud of herself. ¡°Was thinking and concentrating about the dirt going away from Elli¡¯s fist as she hit the ground.¡± "Kind of like you wanted the dirt to behave like water?" ¡°Yes!¡± The little tiger gave her a big nod. ¡°That¡¯s quite something!¡± The blonde seemed honestly impressed. ¡°Did you want to create a hole this massive and deep, though?¡± ¡°N-No comment!¡± She quickly turned her head away. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Sophia had to chuckle at her reaction. ¡°What if it hadn¡¯t worked out, though? Hitting the ground so hard surely would¡¯ve hurt your hand.¡± ¡°Ellie was very confident of herself!¡± She gave her another thumbs-up. ¡°No danger, no gain!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde needed a small pause. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with the message, but you being in danger is playing with my life! Kira will end me if something happens to you. I wouldn¡¯t blame her, either, because I absolutely earned it.¡± ¡°Mama doesn¡¯t need to know, does she?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It will be secret between Ellie and So¡­phia!¡± The princess showed her a bright smile. ¡°Okay? Okay!¡± ¡°This girl is dangerous¡­ And she only just turned four!¡± She was worried about the princess''s future ¡ªor rather, about everyone around her because no one would be able to ever go against her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The little tiger didn¡¯t care about her monologue. ¡°Ellie wants to learn more! This time, Ellie wants to learn something from Sop¡­phia from start to finish!¡± Doing as told, the blonde let out a small sigh but then gladly continued to teach the princess a bit more earth-related magic to keep the training going at a decent pace before coming up with something new. Chapter 094 – Overwhelmed by choice Ellie''s training continued, and the princess managed to use her first bits of earth-related magic in a way that surprised even Sophia, treating dirt the same way as water and giving it the same properties. The only thing the blonde could complain about was the little tiger''s recklessness because she was playing with her life, as Kira would kill Sophia if anything happened to her baby. ¡°Do you think you understand now?¡± They were still on the massive plain inside Sophia''s domain, where the blonde smiled at the princess while looking at the roughly 50 pillars of dirt and grass around them, each between three and ten meters tall and one to three meters wide. They almost seemed like the overgrown and decayed remnants of an ancient building. ¡°Ellie¡¯s the queen of pillars!¡± The little tiger sounded incredibly proud of herself. ¡°It¡¯s time for something else, though!¡± ¡°Nothing but pillars can get a little boring, huh?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°What do you want to learn instead?¡± ¡°No idea!¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Magic is so much that Ellie is overwhelmed by choice!¡± ¡°I know that feeling.¡± It wasn¡¯t a new feeling for the blonde. ¡°Magic can just about do anything, so whatever idea you have, there¡¯s a chance we can try it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too many options for a child!¡± ¡°Handy excuse you have there.¡± Sophia lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Yep!¡± The little tiger thought so, too. ¡°Ellie already learned water, wind, and dirt! What other big ones are there?¡± ¡°You want to get a taste of all the basics?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Mhm, that might be a little complicated.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°The very basics are the water, air, earth, and fire elements or categories. At the moment, Kira banned me from teaching you fire because it¡¯s the most dangerous out of them.¡± ¡°No fun!¡± Ellie started pouting. ¡°Beyond that, there are light and dark magic, as well as nature and uncategorized magic.¡± She simply ignored her complaints. ¡°Light is too advanced at the moment, and I won¡¯t be teaching you dark magic because it¡¯s bad magic.¡± ¡°Bad?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s magic to be mean.¡± Sophia tried to put it in easy terms. ¡°Not the fun type of being mean, but actually evil in a way that hurts people very easily.¡± ¡°Ellie hates dark magic!¡± Though rebellious at times, she was a good girl, after all. ¡°Perfect response!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Nature and uncategorized could be fun.¡± ¡°What¡¯s uncatetegorized¡­?¡± The princess wasn¡¯t a fan of the word. ¡°You know, air is air, water is water, fire is fire. Basic elements and easy to group. Uncategorized is magic that doesn''t really fit into any other groups. It¡¯s completely freestyle.¡± ¡°Ellie loves freestyling!¡± "Should we try magic with fewer rules or restrictions? That''s what it basically is." "Let''s go!" The little tiger got excited. ¡°We can combine it with nature, too. In fact, I used both of them to create the cherry blossom forest. ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± She got even more excited. ---------------- They used a portal to relocate again, and Sophia guided the princess to a mostly unused part of her domain. There were only a few cherry saplings together with a small patch of grass in the middle of the usual all-white nothingness. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ellie pointed at the bit of vegetation in front of them. "A little project I prepared for you.¡± ¡°Ohh?¡± Ellie seemed interested already. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "You see, all the amazing places I showed you in my domain that the others made started like this." She pointed at the few saplings. ¡°They used their magic to grow them into beautiful trees and also expanded the areas to the sizes you saw.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The eyes of the little tiger were sparkling. ¡°Unbelievable that this turned into that! Magic is the bestest!¡± "Sure is!" Sophia agreed while Blu nodded a couple of times on her shoulder. ¡°How about you give it a shot, too?¡± She smiled at the princess. ¡°I prepared those cherry blossoms and weeping cherries for you to make your own place.¡± ¡°WAOH!¡± Her excitement only grew even more. ¡°Ellie can¡¯t wait!¡± ¡°Unless you prefer to play with some other trees instead.¡± ¡°CHERRIES!¡± She didn¡¯t. ¡°Perfect~.¡± ¡°What does Ellie have to do?!¡± She was already excitedly circling around the sapling with sparkling eyes. ¡°Quick!¡± ¡°Calm down, my dear.¡± ¡°No!¡± The princess had no intentions of doing so. ¡°Ahaha!¡± Sophia had to chuckle at that. "This is a bit of a weird one. On the one hand, I''d definitely put it into the nature-related category of magic, but it¡¯s actually more of an uncategorized type of use case.¡± ¡°Ellie has no idea what any of that means!¡± It was too cryptic for her. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair.¡± It¡¯s not like Sophia ever really understood the category thing herself. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s super easy, though. You only have to drown the saplings in your magic. Then, they drink it all up and grow a lot!¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She liked that explanation a lot more. ¡°How big can the trees get?¡± ¡°How big do you want them to be?¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Because that¡¯s how big they can get.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too much power for Ellie!¡± She was immediately overwhelmed. ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia kept smiling. ¡°The more magic you use on them, the bigger they grow. The surroundings will be affected more, as well.¡± ¡°Makes sense!¡± The little tiger nodded a few times. ¡°Then, if Ellie uses up all of her magic for today, what would happen?¡± ¡°You¡¯d get very tired, but the saplings would grow into a forest so big that you''d need a week to find your way out of it. They would be so tall that you''d hurt your neck looking up at them, as well." ¡°Worth it!¡± It seemed like she was okay with those side effects for the greater good. ¡°Please teach Ellie how to give the cherries her magic!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Let¡¯s see, how do I explain this?¡± She tilted her head. "You already were right about saying to give your magic to the trees. You don¡¯t actually use your magic on them.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Ellie needed more information. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°Before, you used your magic to create or control something, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not the case when you want to grow plants.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s actually even easier than that. You only have to release your magic, and the trees soak it up themselves before growing strong and healthy." ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°Wait, then how does Ellie control how big something should grow?¡± "It''s mostly based on how much magic you release and how dense you make it. For example, if you put it all in one spot, the tree right next to it will become massive. If you only release a little here and there, they won¡¯t grow as big, but they will spread out more.¡± ¡°That makes sense!¡± It looked like the little tiger was understanding the concept. ¡°Any other questions?¡± ¡°YES!¡± Judging by her strong reaction, it seemed rather important for the princess. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How does any of that work?¡± It was a rather substantial question. ¡°Ellie knows how to use magic now, but how does she just release it?¡± ¡°You only have to concentrate for it. Think about wanting your magic to leave your body, and you should soon start to feel weaker. That would be your magic leaving, and you can easily feel when it''s enough." ¡°That really sounds easy!¡± The excitement of the princess rose again. "Can Ellie go wild with the growing, or does she have to be careful? Ellie wants the biggest cherry in the world!¡± ¡°In my domain, so this place with the stupid white sky, you can go as wild as you want with it.¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°At home, you have to take care, though.¡± The blonde sounded a little more serious. ¡°If you grow a tree in the garden of the castle, it might become so big that it could destroy the castle!¡± ¡°That would be bad!¡± The little tiger saw the issue. "That means Ellie should train here to see how much cherry blossoms she can grow in the garden at home?" ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Sure.¡± Sophia decided that it wasn¡¯t her problem. After all, she did tell the princess to be careful. Whether or not Kira would think so, too, was another question entirely. ¡°Yay!¡± The little tiger clapped her hands. ¡°For now, Ellie needs to learn how big a tree gets when she uses all of her magic on one tree!¡± ¡°Yep, it¡¯s important to find out what your limits are~." She smiled at her. ¡°That will probably be the last lesson for today, though. Once you¡¯ve released all your magic, you have to rest and let it regenerate. For you, that can easily take a full day. It can be quite tiring, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay!¡± She didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°If Ellie can make a massive cherry, one of her biggest dreams come true, so waiting just a day is more than fine!¡± ¡°Alrighty~.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The princess walked up to one of the cherry saplings and stretched out her hand before closing her eyes to concentrate. "It''s looking good!" After a few minutes, she noticed that the magical particles began to leave the princess''s body through her hand. ¡°Ellie can feel it, too!¡± She nodded a couple of times while she kept going for another five minutes before opening her eyes again. ¡°Okay, Ellie¡¯s done, but nothing happened!¡± She was bothered by the fact that the sapling still looked the same. ¡°It will take a while.¡± Sophia tried to calm her down. ¡°The sapling is currently soaking up all of your magic and will use it to start growing soon. It usually takes about a day before it''s fully done, though. When we come back tomorrow, we¡¯ll see how amazing it turned out.¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s not good with patience!¡± It didn¡¯t calm her down in the slightest. ¡°How about we go and get something to eat?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Thankfully, it was rather easy to divert her attention. She was taking a lot after Sophia, after all. Doing as told, they returned to the cottage for a break and had some food together. Chapter 095 – Model student Sophia taught Ellie how to grow saplings into overgrown trees by using their raw magic on them. Naturally, the princess got super excited about the idea of making her own massive cherry tree and couldn¡¯t wait to try it out. As she was allowed to go all out in the blonde¡¯s domain, she immediately decided to use all of her available magic on one single sapling. ¡°Hurry up!¡± On the following day, Sophia returned to the castle in the capital to pick up Ellie, but the impatient-sounding princess was already waiting for her. ¡°So¡­phia¡¯s late!¡± ¡°I missed you, too~.¡± She just lightly waved at her. ¡°I probably would¡¯ve been late even if I had come before you woke up, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± There was no winning with the little tiger. ¡°How is the training going?¡± Kira was also with her and looked at the blonde. ¡°Hasn¡¯t she told you already?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°She tried to, I guess?¡± The queen scratched her cheek in return. ¡°Unfortunately, she was way too excited for me to understand anything.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± She could see that being an issue. ¡°She¡¯s an absolute model student and listens to every word I say. She literally soaks up everything I teach her, as well.¡± ¡°I feared that being the case.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing if you ask me!¡± ¡°I generally agree, but you¡¯re still the wildest magic user in the whole capital, and your way of doing things is something else entirely." Kira got a little awkward. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about my baby!¡± ¡°That¡¯s so terribly rude!¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that Mira, yes, the overseer of magic, is my friend! She recently praised me for my way of using magic, too! My teachings are overseer-approved! It can¡¯t get much better than that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± There was nothing the queen could say here. ¡°To be fair, she also called me weak, making my position as a teacher a little less convincing, but¡­¡± ¡°You? Weak?¡± Kira couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Well, when compared to her, at least. I¡¯m nowhere near overseer levels, after all¡­¡± Her voice turned a little distant towards the end. For the longest time, Sophia was happy to know that there was a massive distance between her and the real overseers because she didn¡¯t want to become one, but working on her domain made her realize that having a lot of magic would be pretty nice. ¡°That is fairly reassuring.¡± The queen smiled at her. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I¡¯m eternally grateful for your work, but Ellie¡¯s still my baby, so nothing will ever be good enough for her. I¡¯ll always find something to complain or be concerned about. You¡¯ll understand once you become a mother yourself.¡± ¡°If anything, I¡¯m concerned over how much I understand it already.¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s a few years too early for me to understand those feelings!¡± ¡°I look forward to the day when it isn¡¯t too early for you anymore~.¡± ¡°Shush!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the grin on her face. ¡°I wonder if years will be the final answer, though.¡± The queen wasn¡¯t the least bit intimidated by the blonde. ¡°You do know that I¡¯d need to get pregnant in the next few months for it to stay under a year, you know?!¡± She glared at her. ¡°I do, in fact, know how pregnancies work.¡± Kira, a mother of three, just nodded. "Then leave me be! It will happen when I want it to happen at the earliest!" ¡°Fair enough.¡± As she was mostly just teasing her, the queen wasn¡¯t that disappointed. ¡°Thankfully, for you and Maya, accidents are fairly unlikely as well. I mean, there¡¯s usually nothing that, you know?¡± ¡°All of the fun, none of the responsibility~.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Ellie wants to have fun, too!¡± The little princess suddenly joined the conversation even though she obviously had no idea what they were talking about. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°NO!¡± The two instantly synced and vehemently shook their heads. ¡°It¡¯s forty years too early for that!¡± They were a little overprotective. ¡°Boo!¡± "How about we get back to the previous topic?" Kira remembered her daughter again. Looking at the blonde, she asked, "What precisely did she learn so far?" ¡°Well, I already told you about the basics in water and air magic I taught her, right?" Sophia looked back at her. ¡°Yes, when you returned her before.¡± She nodded. ¡°Since then, she also got quite good with earth magic, and yesterday, we dabbled a little in uncategorized magic.¡± ¡°Uncategorized?!¡± Kira got loud. ¡°Already?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a talented one.¡± Sophia smiled at the little tiger. ¡°Ellie is the bestest!¡± The princess looked incredibly proud as she faced her mother. ¡°You sure are~.¡± The blonde gently patted her head. ¡°Ehehe!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The queen needed a moment. ¡°This is really something!¡± ¡°To be fair, Anna can do all that, too, so both of your daughters are amazing, but Ellie being just four adds a lot of weight to it.¡± ¡°The new tiger generation is something else.¡± Kira sounded amazed. ¡°You¡¯re in your own league, but both my daughters, even before you boosted Anna, are more promising than almost any of our ancestors. Ellie¡¯s even handily beating the founders.¡± ¡°Ellie¡¯s the bestest, after all!¡± The little princess only cared about the part that was interesting to her. ¡°Ellie especially is more powerful than the norm, but isn¡¯t the actual reason for this simply because they''re using magic closer to its full potential?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Both are undoubtedly amazing, and I love them, but isn¡¯t it more of a case of every predecessor just being, well¡­ bad?¡± She was extra direct today. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be disrespectful, but these achievements mostly feel so massive because no one else really put any meaningful work into magic before. This kingdom could¡¯ve advanced to levels incomparable to today¡¯s standards hundreds of years ago.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The queen went silent. ¡°I have no words.¡± She needed a moment. ¡°It is still true, though. It¡¯s the dawn of a new generation, no matter the circumstances. Many things will change, and most will hopefully be for the better.¡± ¡°I can agree with that.¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Ellie will change things for the worse if she can¡¯t go and see her new cherry blossoms soon!¡± The little tiger was finally reaching the end of her patience. ¡°I guess that marks the end of our conversation.¡± The blonde just shrugged. ¡°You might be right.¡± The queen also knew that there was no winning against her. ¡°Do you want to come with us and see what your daughter created?¡± She smiled at Kira. ¡°Gladly!¡± ---------------- Sophia opened a quick portal to the area she and Ellie played together the day before and guided the two through before following after them. ¡°What do you think, Ellie?¡± They arrived at a slightly elevated area next to where the princess had released her magic, and the blonde smiled at her while pointing toward a massive forest. ¡°WAOH!¡± There was only one viable reaction for her to have. With sparkling eyes, she was taking in the countless pink and purple weeping cherries with some regular cherry blossom trees mixed in here and there. It went on for kilometers in each direction, but something else had hogged most of her attention. In the middle of everything, there was a massive dark-purple weeping cherry that triumphantly towered over everything else. It was around 500 meters tall and more than twice as wide, easily exceeding a while kilometer in width. The hanging branches of the main tree were so long as well that they almost reached all the way to the ground. ¡°What is this place¡­?¡± Kira was in awe as she took in the scenery. ¡°It¡¯s a cherry forest Ellie grew with her magic.¡± ¡°The bestest forest!¡± The eyes of the princess were still sparkling. ¡°There¡¯s just no way.¡± The queen shook her head. ¡°Forests need multiple dozens of years to grow to such a size. Not to mention the mindbogglingly massive one in the middle that goes against everything that is common sense.¡± ¡°Your common sense, not the one we go by.¡± Sophia shook her head as well, but for a different reason. "Magic makes a lot of things possible, including growing such a scenery overnight.¡± ¡°Are you seriously trying to tell me that my four-year-old daughter created this place?" She simply gestured all around her. ¡°The place itself is mine, but Ellie created most of the forest.¡± The blonde corrected her a little. ¡°I gave her a small patch of grass with a handful of cherry saplings. Flora has the ability to absorb magic and use it to rapidly accelerate its growth. So, when you release your own internal magic without using it, this happens.¡± She pointed at the forest again. ¡°You saw the jungle around the cottage, right? That one was grown in a similar way.¡± ¡°That is way too overpowered!¡± Kira raised her voice. ¡°You could reshape entire tracts of lands with this!¡± ¡°Countries.¡± Sophia lightly corrected her again. ¡°With enough magic, it will scale limitlessly. It simply keeps going as long as you feed it. In fact, at some point, it starts generating magic and feeds itself to grow.¡± ¡°This is insane.¡± ¡°For once, I actually want to agree there.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°It is amazing, though. Magic is amazing. Do you want to see me at my current full power?¡± ¡°Full power?¡± The queen looked confused. ¡°What I created in this time without holding using magic like I constantly do when I¡¯m outside and out in your kingdom. This place here is basically my kingdom, together with my rules. One of them is the ban on holding back." ¡°You at full power?¡± Kira shivered once. ¡°Will my brain be able to comprehend this? How much are you usually holding back when we¡¯re around? I saw the stuff you did, so it can¡¯t be that much, right¡­?¡± ¡°How about we go on a little tour~?¡± Sophia showed her a cheeky grin before opening another portal in front of them. ¡°This will be fun!¡± It was a spontaneous decision, but the blonde decided to show the queen just how unable to control she really is and how everyone should be happy that she has this place all to herself to let loose every now and then. Chapter 096 – Unbelievable things Kira came to visit the blonde¡¯s domain to see the progress of Ellie¡¯s magic teachings and what she had created there. Overwhelmed by the forest her daughter made, Sophia then decided to show the queen her powers inside the domain and what she¡¯s capable of when not holding back. She wanted her to realize just how massive the potential of magic really was and how little they were utilizing it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start with the less impressive-looking work of mine before we get to the main attraction!¡± Exiting the portal, Sophia addressed the queen in an excited tone. ¡°W-Wha¡ª?!" Kira wasn''t even able to finish a single word before she was overwhelmed by the sight in front of her¡ªor rather, below her. The trio arrived on a ten-meter-wide rock platform that was floating in the air roughly one kilometer above ground. Looking down, a massive lush-green plain stretched as far as the eye could see. Which, thanks to being so high up and there not being a curvature in Sophia¡¯s flat domain, was quite a lot. Multiple hundreds of kilometers a lot. It looked the same as the plain Ellie learned the first bit of earth magic, but it was simply going on forever. Every now and then, a couple of trees, as well as some smaller lakes in varying sizes, could be spotted here and there. Compared to the area where the princess did her training, there were many more colorful flowers spread all over the grass. ¡°So high!¡± Ellie was a lot less shocked and excitedly took in the sights. ¡°So colorful, too!¡± ¡°This is a bit of a side project of mine.¡± Sophia ignored the flabbergasted queen and patted the smaller tiger¡¯s head while also making sure that she wouldn¡¯t get too close to the edge and fall down. ¡°Whenever I have some excess magic after playing around all day, I dump it all here and use it to grow the plain. I don''t really have anything in mind for it, but I really want to fill as much of this place as possible to get rid of the white nothingness. We¡¯re in the middle of the biome right now, and it spreads around 1,000 kilometers in each direction. Though, it¡¯s continuing to grow as we speak, so it¡¯s more of a rough estimate. ¡°1-1,000?!¡± The queen didn¡¯t seem to stop being shocked anytime soon. ¡°Might be getting close to or slightly above 1,2, actually.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Y-You¡¯re trying to tell me that this plain is 1,200 by 1,200 kilometers wide?!¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± She lightly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s a circle with a diameter of around 2,400 to 2,500 kilometers. No corners and stuff.¡± ¡°That only marginally makes it better!¡± Calming down wasn¡¯t an option yet. ¡°It¡¯s hard to convert because it¡¯s more rectangular, but that probably could be close to one-third of our entire continent and more than half of the combined size of our kingdom!¡± ¡°Thanks for telling me how much bigger it still has to become!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to have a point of reference!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the takeaway here!¡± ¡°It sure is~.¡± Sophia thought otherwise. "Ellie thinks so, too!" The little tiger joined the blonde. Not that she had any idea what was going on, and she just liked the flower field below them. ¡°This is way too much!¡± Kira pointed down. ¡°No one should have so much power that they¡¯re able to create something of such a size!¡± ¡°You should see Mira¡¯s place. It¡¯s probably many sizes of this entire world. She just called me weak when I complained about making this place was hard.¡± ¡°She¡¯s the overseer of magic, though!¡± The queen didn¡¯t let that argument count. ¡°You aren¡¯t!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why my place is much smaller and more humble than Mira¡¯s. Also, if Ellie had focused on landscape rather than trees, she could¡¯ve easily created a way over 200 kilometers wide plain, as well.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The little princess raised her arms in anticipation. ¡°Later~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Do you want to create your own forest?¡± Sophia looked at the queen again. ¡°Your magic power should be good for a low double-digit kilometer radius, as well. After all, as it¡¯s a circle, it gets much more taxing the bigger the radius is, but it''s rather easy to create something with a smaller but still impressive size.¡± ¡°Even I could do a ten-kilometer-wide forest?!" Kira raised her voice. ¡°It should be a good bit more than just ten.¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°That¡¯s way too excessive!¡± ¡°That¡¯s magic for you~.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t see an issue with that. ¡°I am so envious of how easygoing you are.¡± ¡°So, the queen¡¯s royal forest project go?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s reschedule this to another date¡­¡± Kira was having a hard time. ¡°Sure thing!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Okay, if not that, how about we get to the main attraction now, then?¡± ¡°Main attractions?!¡± The queen didn¡¯t seem to like the sound of that. ¡°Like I said, this was just a warm-up.¡± The blonde pointed at the massive flowery plain below them. ¡°There¡¯s another place I created where I really went all out with my magic. This place is nothing compared to that.¡± She gestured down once more. ¡°I have a bad feeling about this!¡± Kira took a few steps back. ¡°I¡¯d like my sanity to stay with me if possible.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯ll only be minor damage to your sanity~.¡± "It''s the frequency of how often we receive damage from you that is the issue!" ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had nothing to say there. Instead, she simply opened another portal and pointed at it. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ellie 100% was on her side. ¡°Fine.¡± Kira hung her head. ¡°Be aware of the fact that I¡¯m going to tell Menzor about your terraforming skills, and we''ll get back to you when we''re planning a new city or want to use some land that isn''t quite perfect." ¡°Sounds fun!¡± It didn¡¯t have quite the effect on the blonde the queen hoped it would. ¡°Alrighty, this way!¡± She pointed at her portal before grabbing Ellie¡¯s hand to guide her through it. ¡°¡­¡± Saying nothing and just bracing herself, Kira eventually followed after her. ---------------- ¡°Yay, back to the floaties!¡± Ellie¡¯s eyes started sparkling the moment she noticed that they went to the countless floating islands above the blonde¡¯s incredible cherry blossom forest. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t get too close to the edge!¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°What is this place?!¡± The queen got loud instead. ¡°Why are there islands floating in the air everywhere?! How, too?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just what islands do~.¡± The blonde got a little cheeky. ¡°They float around!¡± ¡°They do not.¡± Kira shook her head. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She shrugged in return. ¡°Magic islands float around. Better?¡± ¡°Marginally.¡± ¡°You sure are hard to please.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The queen let out a sigh in frustration. "Answers, please! What even are magic islands?! Just adding the word magic to everything doesn¡¯t mean it suddenly makes sense!¡± ¡°According to Mira, it absolutely does, though.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Though on another scale, I had the same reaction as you many times already when it came to her stuff, but all she ever says is, because of magic. That''s all I get, too.¡± "That doesn''t mean you have to make me suffer from a lack of information, too!" ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I can do, though?¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know how magic islands work, either. I just know that magic is incredibly amazing, so when she told me that making an island float is an easy task for magic, I was easily convinced.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± The queen paused for a moment while looking around. ¡°I saw you doing unbelievable things before. The war, the lake, the plain from earlier¡­ Even Ellie made a forest that shouldn¡¯t have been possible according to common sense, especially for a four-year-old whose magic awakened a few days ago.¡± ¡°Ohh, she¡¯s starting to believe!¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Also, don¡¯t just focus on the floating islands. How about you get a little closer to the edge and take a peek down. That¡¯s where the real show is.¡± ¡°You know that every royal has been taught to become extraordinarily wary when being told to step closer to an edge, you know?¡± She raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know I could simply grab you and throw you off myself? Ignoring my magic, I am WAY stronger than you. There¡¯s no need for me to resort to such cheap tricks.¡± Sophia slowly shook her head after hearing this. ¡°That was an attempt on trying to make you think more about your wording of things¡­¡± Kira let out a short sigh. ¡°Not going to happen.¡± The blonde stared right at her. "Many have tried, and even more have failed. ¡°Someday, someone will be successful.¡± The queen could only hope. ¡°And you think magic is unbelievable, huh?¡± Sophia¡¯s expression got even more cheeky. "Spare me with your sass-, WOW!" Kira got closer to the edge of the island they were on and was immediately shocked after looking down. ¡°Okay, ignoring the island parts, I can see what you mean! This is insane!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± That was all the blonde wanted to hear. ¡°I¡¯m quite proud of it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen weeping cherries and blossoms as colorful and vast! It doesn¡¯t quite pack as much of a punch as Ellie¡¯s massive weeping cherry on a small scale, but the entire picture is just¡­ perfect.¡± She was overwhelmed as she continued to look at the never-ending sea of trees below them and how they slowly changed colors from pure white to pink to violet to purple all the way to almost red, seemingly going on forever before eventually disappearing from sight behind a few hills in the far distance. ¡°Even Mira was envious of my creation!¡± Her voice became smug again. ¡°Well, she made many things incomparably more amazing, but I have the best cherry blossom forest~.¡± ¡°The bestest!¡± Ellie agreed, as well. ¡°Wow.¡± As she needed a moment to gather her words, the queen and the others took a short break to take in the sights some more. Chapter 097 – A common trait Sophia was still giving Kira a tour of her domain together with Ellie, and they finally arrived at the blonde¡¯s unbelievable cherry blossom forest. There, the queen slowly started to believe and understand that magic really has limitless potential. ¡°Calmed down again?¡± They were still on one of the floating islands above the blonde¡¯s forest when Sophia got closer to Kira, who seemed lost in watching the scenery below them. ¡°Debatable.¡± The queen shrugged in return. ¡°You know that Menzor¡¯s head would explode if he¡¯d see this?¡± ¡°Good thing you¡¯re here, huh?¡± ¡°Again, debatable.¡± She, too, had sustained some damage from being overwhelmed. ¡°Hehe!¡± ¡°How big is this place?¡± ¡°My domain or the cherry forest?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°The forest. You said that the flower field was just a side project, and this is your main work, so¡­¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°The plain is much bigger than this place. The other one was basically just growing grass on a flat surface, after all. The forest, with its dense and colorful trees, together with the actual landscaping and the floating islands, was much more costly. It''s still a couple hundred kilometers in each direction, but it''s nowhere close to four digits.¡± "That, in a way, is kind of reassuring." Kira seemed a little relieved about it. ¡°With the magic I poured into this forest, the flowery plain from before would''ve ended up being three times the size of the continent the beastfolk lives on. The cherries easily took ten times more.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She went silent. ¡°There was no need to tell me that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°True, but a little lie here and there to play things down never hurt anybody.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something a queen of a country should say!¡± ¡°That¡¯s like the most queen-like thing I said today!¡± Kira glared back at her. ¡°The whole life of a royal is based on knowing where to omit some details to keep order and peace amongst the folk.¡± ¡°Omitting details and lying are two very different things!¡± As Sophia¡¯s entire being and way of doing things relied on that differentiation, it was very important to her. ¡°Sure.¡± She simply stared at the blonde for a moment. ¡°Anyway, then do whatever is compatible with your moral compass!¡± ¡°And when you find out, you¡¯ll complain that I didn¡¯t tell you everything!¡± ¡°That would be an issue for a later date, though.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no winning with you, is there?¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a common trait with tigers.¡± Kira did the same. "I did see that one coming." It was more than obvious, after all. ¡°Anyway, yeah, you do have a point.¡± The queen scratched her cheek. "Both options, telling me everything in fine detail or omitting things, are either bad for my mental health or bad for other reasons.¡± ¡°So, because hitting you with the full force from the get-go is easier for me, I went with that!¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± She didn¡¯t seem overly thankful while saying so. ¡°I lightly threatened you before, but can we request this service for the kingdom?¡± ¡°You want a massive cherry blossom forest for the beastfolk?¡± Sophia looked slightly confused. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ellie liked the plan. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°I¡¯m more thinking about the general idea.¡± Kira shook her head. ¡°There are many barren places where even the plain from before would be a huge improvement and would turn it into usable land for the kingdom.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see!¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Well, it would be quite easy, but I¡¯m not sure if that would be a good idea? I mean, terraforming an area the size of a city should be fine, but I have no idea how massive places made by magic behave in the long run. It¡¯s fine contained inside my domain and would even be a little fun to play with, but it could end badly for the kingdom. Also, magical-grown flora can be quite aggressive and try to grow as much and as far as possible. It might spread to places it shouldn¡¯t have.¡± ¡°Those are some very concerning arguments!¡± She slightly raised her voice. ¡°I like the times where you show you have a great head on your shoulders, though.¡± ¡°You mean all the time?¡± ¡°No.¡± Kira slowly shook her head while looking right at her. ¡°How terribly rude!¡± Sophia started pouting in return. ¡°I¡¯m not going to apologize.¡± ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s the best of plans for me to do anything too grand for the kingdom in that regard. I don¡¯t want to be responsible for the results! Some smaller fun things, sure, general terraforming, too, but not messing too much with the flora.¡± ¡°That is more than fair.¡± The queen didn¡¯t blame her. ¡°It is fairly simple to learn. I would even go as far as calling it one of the easiest uses of magic. You only need a tiny bit of control to produce some great results. Someone with regular powers probably won¡¯t be able to do any harm but could create many wonderful and or helpful things in return. Do you want to learn how to do it?¡± ¡°Ellie can teach mama!¡± The princess joined the conversation again. ¡°Ellie knows how to do it, too!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be something?¡± Sophia patted the head of the little tiger next to her while looking at the queen. "She could also show you how diligent she''s with magic." ¡°Ellie¡¯s the diligentest!¡± ¡°You sure are~.¡± The blonde smiled at her before focusing on Kira again. ¡°It seems like a great opportunity, right? It will give her a lot of confidence, as well. Something that is very needed when using magic because confidence is key. It¡¯s proof for you that she¡¯s making progress, too.¡± ¡°Progress!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°You really know how to force someone into agreeing with your plans.¡± She lightly shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could say no now.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Ellie and Sophia had the same reaction. ¡°I want Ellie to teach me alone, though.¡± Kira faced the blonde. ¡°I want to see how she fares without your supervision.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± She nodded. ¡°Ellie will do her best!¡± The princess did so, too. ---------------- Once they had decided that the princess would try to teach her mother a little, they decided to head back for the time being. ¡°I¡¯m home!¡± After returning the two to the capital, Sophia returned to the cottage for the time being. ¡°Kinda empty here, huh? Though we have a rare one, so that makes up for it, I guess?" She entered the living room and addressed the only individual there. ¡°I would like if you wouldn¡¯t call me a rare one.¡± Sounding quite unamused, Fey, who was lying on the fluffy rug in the middle of the room, looked back at her while slowly shaking her head. "Tell me I''m wrong, and I''ll apologize." The blonde just reacted with a smile. ¡°You are definitely here the least, are you not?¡± ¡°I guess you do have a point putting it that way.¡± The fox had to give it to her. ¡°I do enjoy myself some tranquil time the most, and that¡¯s a rare commodity in this group. That being said, I very much like the forest Fen and the jaguar made.¡± ¡°Tranquil?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°What¡¯s that? Is it tasty?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m kidding!¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Mira, by the way?¡± She looked around for a moment. ¡°Even rarer than you being here is you being here without her." ¡°We aren¡¯t always together, you know?¡± Fey¡¯s voice turned a little stern. ¡°Had a fight?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°O-Okay.¡± Something about the way she replied made Sophia rethink her idea of prodding any further. ¡°Anyway, want to do anything together?¡± ¡°You and me?¡± The fox tilted her head. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a new one.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The blonde nodded a couple of times. ¡°We haven¡¯t done overly much together ever since you and Mira joined us. Okay, I know you only joined because of Chloe, but still!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°You and Steph do so many things together!¡± ¡°Oh, you want to become fireproof?¡± Fey¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°We can arrange that~.¡± ¡°That was not my intention! Not to mention, thanks to Canir¡¯s boost, I¡¯m fairly sure I already am.¡± ¡°We should find out and make sure, though.¡± The fox suddenly felt like playing. "Please save your tough love for the little sister, okay?¡± ¡°There¡¯s plenty of that for both sisters, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I mean, I do want to find out what you two do during your usual training sessions, soo¡­ I¡¯m not really into tough stuff, though, so please go easy on me, okay?¡± ¡°The older sister is the soft one, huh?¡± ¡°She sure is!¡± Sophia strongly moved her head up and down. ¡°Well, I guess we can spend the afternoon together.¡± The fox eventually agreed. ¡°I¡¯m curious about your magic, and Chloe went to Fen earlier, so I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°Fenny and Chloe, huh?¡± The tiger tilted her head. "I look forward to whatever they come up with!¡± ¡°Always looking for entertainment, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She had no intention of hiding it. "So, do you have anything planned, or did you invite me in the spur of the moment, but you have no idea what to do now?" ¡°Even you should know the answer to that!¡± Sophia sounded smug about it for some reason. ¡°Yes, you are sisters. There''s no doubt about that." The fox let out a sigh before standing up from the rug she was lying on until now. "Alright, let''s go." She then walked out of the living room. "Let''s go!" The blonde immediately followed after her, and the duo left the cottage together. Chapter 098 – Restraint Sophia went back to the cottage and ran into Fey there. Taking the opportunity, she suggested they spend some time together because the blonde and the full had rarely done that in the past. Once the fox agreed, the duo headed out to play and/or train. ¡°Oho, that¡¯s a surprisingly modest-looking place we went to.¡± Fey and Sophia went to the flowery plain inside the blonde¡¯s domain when the fox said so while looking around. "I''ll have you know that everything I created inside my domain so far is relatively normal looking.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you create a forest that is entirely crystallized?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Okay, let me correct myself. Everything I created on my own and without the input of others is somewhat normal." ¡°Unexpected.¡± Fey looked at her. ¡°So, you¡¯re a product of bad influence?¡± "I wouldn''t go that far." She awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Okay, this place may look normal at first glance, but it''s one-third the size of the beastfolk continent.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The full paused for a second while looking around some more. ¡°Well, that actually makes me feel at ease because it sounds more like the girl I came to know.¡± ¡°Ahaha~.¡± She just chuckled. ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not too excessive in one way or another. It''s contained within my own place, and I just want to make it look nice around here." ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything, did I?¡± ¡°Your expression said all!¡± The blonde got loud. "It''s quite the feat to read expressions of fulls.¡± She sounded impressed. ¡°It¡¯s not that hard!¡± ¡°Anyway, if you really want to make it look nice, you should do something about the area above us.¡± Fey changed the topic and just looked up. ¡°The all-white sky is a little hard on the eyes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± She raised her voice even more. ¡°Do you have any idea how hard that is?!¡± "I''ve been together with Mira, the overseer of magic, for longer than your mind can comprehend.¡± The fox stared at her for a second. ¡°Yes, yes, I do know.¡± She then nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve accompanied her when she created new sections of her domain and filled it with life.¡± ¡°Well, I guess that makes sense.¡± The tiger understood her reasoning. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m impressed that your domain is already at this level.¡± Fey nodded a few times in return. ¡°You may have the most potent authority in your group, more than me, too, but if you compare it to Mira, you might as well have no authority whatsoever.¡± ¡°I¡¯m W-E-L-L aware of that!¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°I know that I¡¯m weak!¡± ¡°Admitting that you have a problem is the first step to fixing it, is what I want to say, but¡­¡± The fox paused for a moment. ¡°In your case, it would mean becoming as powerful as an overseer, and that would create many more problems than solve them." ¡°Problems?¡± The blonde looked confused. ¡°Are there any, aside from sounding like it would be a massive pain beyond the massive powers you wield?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about you.¡± Fey shook her head. ¡°It would be a problem for everyone else.¡± ¡°Ahhh!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°Yeah, I would be a menace.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t admit it so easily!¡± "You strike me as someone who likes honesty.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The full stared at her for a second. ¡°Both sisters are way too smug.¡± "Don''t worry, I''m no match to Steph when it comes to that." ¡°That is a little reassuring.¡± She didn¡¯t sound overly relieved, though. ¡°That being said, I focus my ridiculous thoughts on my domain, so it would mostly only be little accidents that could affect the regular world.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°That¡¯s the thing I¡¯m most concerned about!¡± Fey got loud. ¡°Your accidents!¡± "Okay, that''s fair." Sophia had no way to defend herself. Accidents weren''t exactly rare with her, after all. ¡°Maybe I should try teaching you some restraint, after all.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that project working out with Steph?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox went silent again. ¡°I think you¡¯re more likely to listen to reason, though. Steph¡¯s just that uncontrollable, after all.¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯re having a great time with her, though. Sure, all you do is complain when she¡¯s involved, but it never felt like you were actually upset. Quite the opposite, if you ask me." She smiled at her. ¡°I think you¡¯re quite similar to Fennyfenny in that regard. Grumpy on the outside but soft on the inside!" ¡°I dislike how sharp those sisters are.¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± Sophia liked her reply a lot. ¡°Alright! Teach me some restraint!¡± She took the challenge. "I suddenly have a bad feeling about this!" Fey shook her head. "Maybe it¡¯s better to prioritize on increasing your focus and concentration to reduce your accidents with magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it would be way easier to teach me restraint, but let¡¯s go!¡± "A-Ah.¡± She thought she made a smart decision, but Fey quickly noticed her mistake. ¡°I¡¯ll show no mercy, though.¡± ---------------- Having no chance to change her mind anymore, the fox gave up with a sigh, and the two got ready to have a magic training session together. For the time being, they stayed in the flowery plain because there was nothing that could be destroyed there. ¡°How do you and Steph usually train?¡± Sophia was still curious about that part. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t tell Chloe about it.¡± ¡°That heavily depends on how she¡¯s behaving that day.¡± ¡°When is she not hyper and overly nosy?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fox stared at her. ¡°That point goes to the older sister." ¡°So?¡± She had no intentions of letting it go. ¡°Give me a taste of how you treat the usual Steph!¡± ¡°Alright, that can be arranged.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s- W-WOAH!¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence because she had to dodge a massive pillar of fire that was suddenly speeding towards her. ¡°Steph would¡¯ve tackled this little flame head-on.¡± Fey sounded honestly disappointed. ¡°That was a ten-by-ten meters wide inferno!" The blonde got loud. ¡°No need to go into semantics here.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Sophia had no words. ¡°Is that how she became fire-proof?¡± ¡°That¡¯s step one of a very long sequence of events.¡± Her voice turned smug. ¡°Steph¡¯s a lot more adventurous than you are.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Well, prove me wrong~.¡± The full showed her a small smirk by lightly lifting the left side of her snout to show a bit of fangs while also closing her left eye. ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go~.¡± Not only had Fey already unknowingly picked up some of Steph¡¯s antics, as had everyone else in the group, but she had also learned how to handle the sisters. To some degree, at least. ¡°You totally learned that from,- WOAH!¡± The blonde was about to tease because she used Steph¡¯s catchphrase, but she didn¡¯t get the chance because another flaming inferno instantly closed in on her. This time, it was faster than Sophia could react, as well, and it swallowed her whole. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see if she has what it takes to become fire-proof.¡± The fox watched the flames for a while and waited for them to disappear to see how the tiger fared against it. ¡°How about the older sister gets the title of fire-avoiding?!¡± Sophia immediately got loud again once it was safe. As it turned out, she had encased herself in an earthen dome to shield herself from the heat milliseconds before the flames hit her. ¡°Your reaction is quite nice.¡± The full seemed rather impressed. ¡°Still, you¡¯re playing it a lot safer than Steph.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± She decided it was a compliment. ¡°It really is a good thing. It¡¯s not as entertaining, but I approve of this way of doing things.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I¡¯m not as entertaining as Steph!¡± ¡°You¡¯re even more of a pain to deal with, though.¡± Fey wasn''t a fan of her jumpy mood. ¡°Am I really, though?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Well, debatable.¡± She wasn''t sure of it herself. ¡°Anyway, playing it safe is a good thing. Your execution was far from ideal, though.¡± Fey slowly shook her head. ¡°Your reaction time is commendable, but your decision-making under pressure is debatable at best." ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Sophia felt slightly offended. ¡°Shielding yourself from fire by putting something between you and it, dirt in my case, is a very effective method!¡± ¡°You¡¯re able to freely teleport inside your domain.¡± She looked right at her. ¡°Not only is that even faster, but it will guarantee that you stay out of harm''s way." ¡°Ah.¡± The tiger froze. ¡°Now that you mention it, I do have that ability.¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. "You are right; I tend to simply act rather than consider my options beforehand." ¡°Something else you and your sister have in common.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°I mean, it wasn¡¯t a wrong decision, and it got the job done, but there would¡¯ve been many more elegant and simpler solutions to the problem.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± Sophia could only agree with her assessment. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try and see if I can teach that into your thick skull. It would be great if something sticks, and we can use it as a foundation to build further skills later on.¡± ¡°How are we going to do that, though?¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°If there¡¯s one thing I¡¯m confident about, it¡¯s my inability to learn these kinds of things.¡± ¡°With force, of course~.¡± Fey¡¯s expression turned into a smirk again. ¡°I¡¯ll keep attacking you until I deem your countermeasures as the best possible solution in the situation. And, whenever I disagree, my attack will become fiercer.¡± ¡°Ah, I see why Steph gained so many passive defense effects.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a slow learner~.¡± ¡°Or you¡¯re a bad tea,- OI!¡± She suddenly was hit by a powerful gust of wind that almost swept her away. Afterward, the duo glared at each other for a second before getting ready to test Fey''s plan. Chapter 099 – Shrewd Sophia and Fey started their long-awaited training session, and the fox immediately found some flaws in the blonde''s way of doing things. Unfortunately, the full was rather trigger-happy, and the method she chose for teaching the tiger was violence. ¡°W-Woah!¡± Having chosen violence, Fey wasted no time and sent a wave of flames toward the blonde, who catapulted herself up high into the air to jump over the fire. Landing back on her feet a few moments later, all that remained was scorched earth all around her. Nothing of the previously lush green and flowery plain in a hundred-meter radius was left. Only a single carbonized black tree around 20 meters next to her hadn¡¯t turned fully into ash. ¡°Once more, commendable reaction time, but your solution leaves a lot to desire.¡± ¡°Easier said than done!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°I see death approaching me, and my body reacts on its own!¡± "A little bit of fire like that won¡¯t kill you.¡± She shook her head in return. ¡°My mind thinks so, though! During my life in the other world, this would¡¯ve been more than enough to kill me 20 times over!¡± The tiger only raised her voice more. ¡°In a calm moment, I know that I¡¯m super tough, but I tend to forget about that during such times!¡± ¡°And we¡¯re going to teach your mind that it¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°I already know that!¡± Sophia glared at the full. ¡°No need to teach me the obvious, no matter how stupid I am!¡± "That''s not what I was trying to say." The fox rolled her eyes. "We''re going to teach your mind that panicking isn''t the solution, and many variables have changed." ¡°I assume we¡¯re doing that by using more violence?¡± ¡°Lots of it!¡± Fey nodded. ¡°How much do you care about this place to stay intact? I mean, we already burned a lot of it, but I don¡¯t want to overdo it without your permission.¡± ¡°A bit late to ask that, indeed.¡± Sophia also looked at their burned surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s fine, though. That¡¯s why we¡¯re here in the first place. This place is easy to fix and so big that a few kilometers of it being destroyed would''ve had no impact on the overall picture." ¡°Music to my ears!¡± It was exactly what she wanted to hear. ¡°Oh, I just had a great idea!¡± The blonde¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°I have a bad feeling about that.¡± ¡°Shush!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like her negativity. ¡°I don¡¯t mind this area getting destroyed by us, but you¡¯re going to fix it afterward!¡± She looked right at her. ¡°I want a biome created by you in my domain!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a shrewd one?¡± ¡°The shrewdest!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, but it definitely was a good try.¡± ¡°Come on, please!¡± She stared at her with big, upturned eyes. ¡°Your puppy eyes aren¡¯t nearly as good as the ones of your younger sister.¡± Fey just shook her head. ¡°See it as an added challenge for you to make things more interesting!¡± ¡°How so? "The faster and better you teach me, the less of this place gets destroyed, and the smaller your biome can be! You can show everyone how good your teaching is!¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± ¡°Come on, you have nothing to lose! Please!¡± She started begging. ¡°It¡¯s just a fun little thing inside my biome that has no impact on the normal world! There¡¯s no reason to say no.¡± ¡°Can I do it together with Chloe?¡± ¡°Sure, make it a family activity!¡± ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Fey caved in. ¡°Don¡¯t expect anything fancy or too out of the ordinary, though!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you want to do something together with Chloe?" She tilted her head. "As if she''d let you make anything boring." ¡°Ah.¡± The fox froze for a moment. "You know what? You win this round." ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The tiger liked her reaction. "O-Oi!" Her grin only lasted a second, though. Another barrage of fire formed around her and swallowed the blonde whole. ¡°You¡¯re at least a thousand years too early and way too green behind your ears to sass me, little miss-, Oh.¡± She sounded smug for a moment as she watched the 50-meter tall and wide ball of dark red and orange fire in the position Sophia was in, but she quickly went silent after noticing the flaming inferno was growing. The 50-meter diameter quickly became 100 meters, and then doubled into a 200-meter big ball of bluish-white fire. It didn¡¯t stop there, either. As the flames got brighter, hotter, and louder, the ball just kept growing and growing¡ªuntil it didn''t. Then, everything turned silent for a fraction of a second before it became loud¡ªvery loud. The 500-meter-wide ball of blue fire that suspiciously looked like a sun exploded. Everything as far as the eye could see and more was instantly turned into nothingness. Even the dirt below the plain was gone. The explosion, heat, and force had revealed the default texture of Sophia¡¯s domain that had been hidden under a deep layer of earth just moments ago. Only two spots of it were left. Towering roughly 100 meters above the white floor, ground zero, where the ball of fire had started, looked completely untouched, as well as a little patch of grass and flowers around 200 meters away from it. On those patches, Sophia and Fey were standing while being fully unharmed. One of them looked visibly shaken, though. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ---------------- ¡°Sassing someone has nothing to do with age!¡± Lightly dusting herself off, Sophia looked around while seeming to be rather proud of herself. ¡°Does this count as an adequate reaction, or should we train some more?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey wasn¡¯t quite able to reply yet. ¡°Too much?¡± The blonde innocently tilted her head while lightly jumping to the island the fox was standing on. "Are you insane?!" After around a minute of being stun-locked, the fox eventually got loud. ¡°A little and sometimes.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t really deny it. ¡°What even happened?!¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve gotten surprised by your sudden attack once more and panicked, but then I overheard your green behind my ears comment, and I disagreed with that.¡± ¡°I know you like to overdo things, but there are limits!¡± Fey only raised her voice even more. ¡°I got upset!¡± "There''s upset, and then there''s this!¡± She gestured all around her. ¡°Well, I have some slight issues with holding back. I¡¯m also kinda impulsive and have trouble holding back my emotions at times because they got messed with.¡± Sophia used a rare excuse based on the boosts Canir used on her. ¡°Is that so?¡± The full stared at her for a few seconds. ¡°Okay, be honest, you just wanted to flex your magic skills on me because I maybe was treating you a bit too much like a child, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I mean, that¡¯s not not true.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek in return. ¡°You really are crazy.¡± She had nothing to add. ¡°To be fair, you¡¯ve been with Steph a lot lately, so you should be used to it already.¡± ¡°NONONONO!¡± Fey vehemently shook her head. ¡°You told me so, and the dog said the same, and I believed you two for the longest time, but Steph''s definitely the tamer sister here!" ¡°How rude!¡± ¡°Rude?!¡± The fox first stared at her before her head wandered around to look at their surroundings, or the lack thereof, after the blonde had created a supernova and erased everything around them. ¡°How big was the explosion in the first place? How far has the heat and fire spread while destroying everything?¡± ¡°Uhh, let¡¯s see.¡± Sophia closed her eyes for a second. ¡°Everything¡¯s gone in a 50-kilometer radius around it. More has been burned, though.¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Yes way!¡± ¡°That¡¯s too big of a radius!¡± ¡°I mean, I did use all of my internal authority, as well as a lot of ambient magic as a booster, so it seems about right to me.¡± ¡°You do know that there are supposed to be upper limits for the use of magic, right?!¡± Fey stared right at her. ¡°Yeah, but those don¡¯t apply to me.¡± Sophia shook her head. "My magic is based on Canir''s authority, and that doesn''t care about the natural limitations of magic." ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± Fey¡¯s eyes turned lifeless for a second. ¡°I forgot that you were a ticking time bomb.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde started pouting. "I''ll have you know that ever since Canir told me about it, I¡¯ve been listening to my inner tiger!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The fox sounded confused. ¡°When I turned myself into a tiger, my tiger bits came with the authority of a regular beastfolk. They let me sense the limitations a regular magic user has to abide by. It then feels like I shouldn''t be doing whatever I was doing. I can still do it, but I know I¡¯m doing something unnatural.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Fey nodded. ¡°I honestly underestimated you there. You really put a lot more thought into the situation than I would¡¯ve given you credit for.¡± ¡°Rude! But thank you very much!¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t sure how to feel. ¡°Though, Mira also told me that magic behaves a little differently inside domains, anyway. Like, it¡¯s less reactive and doesn¡¯t go ham when the density of ambient magic gets too high.¡± ¡°Really? I didn¡¯t know that.¡± The fox tilted her head. ¡°It would make sense, though, as some parts of Mira¡¯s domain are flooded with so much ambients that you can¡¯t even see properly.¡± "Ah, right. You can see the sparkly particles, too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Mira kind of infected me with the ability at one point because she wanted me to understand magic better. That¡¯s why Chloe inherited it, too.¡± ¡°Infected sure is a way to put it. I still remember how surprised everyone was when they found out that I could see magic, and I thought everyone could." ¡°I can imagine. Perks of not being native to this world, huh?¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s call it perks.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Ahaha.¡± The fox had to chuckle at that. ¡°Anyway, back to the domain rules. Magic has some basic rules here, but from what I''ve understood, it can be a lot more liberal with them." "That is very concerning." Fey suddenly became a little uneasy. "Even within its limitations, it can be very dangerous.¡± ¡°I actually agree there. I love my domain, so I absolutely don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to or in it.¡± Sophia felt the same. ¡°Luckily, Mira explained to me that I can give magic my own rules inside the domain as long as they don¡¯t contradict the general rules that still apply to it here." ¡°Really?!¡± The full raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s massive! Overseer domains are something else! Did you already set up any rules?¡± ¡°Two, yes.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°One of them is that my domain can¡¯t accidentally explode from using too much or the wrong magic." She then paused and looked around at the nothingness that was left after her earlier actions. ¡°I mean, events that could destroy the whole domain, not just smaller parts.¡± ¡°With your friends, that was a wise decision.¡± Fey liked her precaution there. ¡°What¡¯s the other rule you established?¡± ¡°No one can get hurt inside my domain." Sophia showed the fox her brightest smile. "I love my friends, and I don''t want them to get hurt. This place is for having fun and fun only. No consequences. Period.¡± Her smile only got brighter. ¡°That being said, I don¡¯t mean scratches or other minor injuries. Those are part of the experiences, but no one can get hurt in a way that would have lasting consequences. Magic will actively prevent this from happening as long as you¡¯re inside my domain. There¡¯s one exception, though.¡± The blonde suddenly turned serious. ¡°As soon as you¡¯re acting with real malicious intent towards something or someone, this protection is gone.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The full needed a moment. ¡°What¡¯s this malicious intent exception about, though? Are you having doubts about any of your friends?¡± ¡°Just a precaution.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Mira said that no one can¡¯t enter my domain unless I allow them to. Still, if someone I don¡¯t know ever manages to make their way inside, I don''t want them to be protected by my rules if they¡¯re trouble.¡± ¡°Again, wow.¡± Fey sounded even more impressed. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry that I¡¯ve underestimated you so much. You¡¯re exceptionally more thoughtful than I had expected.¡± She nodded a few times as she approved of her. ¡°Loving your friends and family so much that you created an environment for them where they can¡¯t get hurt is something else. Something I 100% support. Thank you for letting my Chloe be a part of it.¡± She liked her dedication a whole lot. ¡°You¡¯re welcome~.¡± The tiger just smiled at her. ¡°It also means that as long as you don¡¯t want to actually hurt Steph, you can train with her really hard when staying in my domain~.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too good to me.¡± The fox was touched by her generosity. ¡°Sisterly love is beautiful, too. Thank you very much for the approval of my techniques!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Oh, but that also means I don¡¯t have to hold back when trying to teach you, huh?¡± Fey¡¯s expression turned into a slight smirk. ¡°Same goes for me.¡± She returned the smirk while she gestured all around her. ¡°Ah.¡± The fox also glanced at the absolute nothingness they were in after the tiger had effortlessly destroyed everything in the vicinity. After this flood of information, the duo decided to take a short break while also relocating to a nicer place for the time being. Chapter 100 – Worries of a mother Fey¡¯s choice of using violence to teach Sophia was met with some violence from the blonde in return. As a result of that, she created a small sun, exploded it, and eradicated a part of her domain in a radius of 50 kilometers around them, together with severely burning parts of it even further away. Afterward, the tiger explained some peculiarities of her domain to the fox, like the rules she created that her domain can¡¯t explode from failed experiments or how no one can get seriously hurt as they¡¯re protected by magic. ¡°Okay, this place is quite a bit nicer." After the flowery plain they were on was annihilated, the duo relocated to one of the floating islands above the blonde¡¯s cherry forest. Specifically, it was the first island Blu showed her with the little river, the massive weeping cherry, and the hammock under it. There, Fey got closer to the edge to get a good view of the forest. ¡°I agree~.¡± Sophia, who had gotten comfortable in the hammock, felt the same while smiling at her. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to whatever biome you come up with in the place that got destroyed. ¡°You¡¯re the one that erased the place from existence!¡± ¡°So?¡± The blonde shrugged. "Our agreement was that you''re going to fix the damages done to the place. Whose damages was never part of it~.¡± ¡°You little s-.¡± Fey didn¡¯t finish her sentence and just glared at the smug tiger. ¡°That was your plan from the beginning, wasn¡¯t it?! That¡¯s why you overdid it by so much, right?!¡± ¡°Well,¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I got surprised and then a little upset, but I might¡¯ve omitted the idea that I came up with that little detail halfway through fueling that flaming inferno with every bit of authority and ambient magic I could grab.¡± ¡°You are at least ten times worse than your little sister.¡± The fox couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°I know Steph pretty well and how good she¡¯s at tricking people.¡± Sophia shook her head a few times. ¡°There¡¯s zero chance that she didn¡¯t try to trick you before.¡± ¡°NOT ON THAT LEVEL!¡± "Steph''s really trying to win over the future mother-in-law if she¡¯s holding back that much, huh?¡± The blonde was impressed by her sister¡¯s ability to play nice. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that!¡± Fey just got louder. ¡°You do know that there¡¯s nothing you can do if those two want it, right?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow as she looked at the mother of her sister¡¯s girlfriend. ¡°¡­¡± In response, the full sat down on her hind legs and hung her head without saying a single word. ¡°Most damage I did today, huh?¡± The tiger felt a little guilty. ¡°What would you do in my position?¡± Fey looked right at her. ¡°Imagine your possible future daughter found a partner you never met even once before they started dating, and you had no idea who they were. On top of that, their personality is the exact opposite of yours, too.¡± ¡°I-I would be happy my baby found something she l-loves¡­!¡± Her left eye twitched a few times, and she almost bit her lips twice, but Sophia managed to get the sentence out somewhat properly. ¡°You just called the future partner of your kid a something.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The blonde only then noticed her mistake. ¡°Also, Maya¡¯s not here, so you can be honest.¡± The full naturally saw through her lousy lie. ¡°¡­¡± Still on the hammock, Sophia went silent while closing her eyes. A few moments later, a dark shadow enveloped the floating island they were on. Before long, it was shrouded in a pitch-black sphere of black nothingness that was the exact opposite of the domain around them. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the reaction I was expecting." Fey calmly looked at the silently raging tiger before addressing her. "I would be glad if you turned off the darkness magic again soon. It''s quite an unpleasant feeling to have, especially when it''s used by such an experienced individual. I know because I¡¯m fairly skilled at it, too.¡± The fox seemed to be faring rather well with the pressure caused by the darkness magic, but she still wasn''t enjoying it. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sophia opened her eyes again, and the darkness was gone. ¡°Sorry, I rested my eyes for a moment. Did something happen?" ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep up that act, you know?¡± The fox rolled her eyes. ¡°I fully and 100% support your perfectly adequate reaction to my question." She may be serious, but even more than that, the fox was ruthless above anything. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Scratching her cheek, the tiger got off her hammock and walked over to the fox. There, she sat down on the ground before her to get on the same line of sight. ¡°How¡¯s my sister still alive? Imagining what you¡¯ve just said was enough to make me think about some things. Enough that it makes me scared about having kids.¡± ¡°She¡¯s sturdy.¡± The full gave her a dry reply. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Well, it helps that Steph¡¯s a good girl. A genuinely good one, I mean.¡± Fey looked back at her. "She''s exhausting to deal with at times, but it''s clear that her heart''s in the right place.¡± "Steph is the best; that is true." Sophia was quite proud of her sister. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I would go that far, but I have to agree that Chloe made a decent choice.¡± That was all she could admit to. ¡°It¡¯s just that we¡¯re talking about my baby here, so my feelings will never change. It didn¡¯t help that they started dating while I was away or how Mira pushed them together without telling me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m scared when thinking about the idea of my future child possibly getting a partner and how I¡¯d react, but adding that to the mix¡­ I already know that I¡¯m overprotective, so I have a bad feeling about that." The tiger looked highly awkward. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°We¡¯re not so different, you and I, aren¡¯t we?¡± Fey was sympathizing with her. ¡°True, we¡¯re exactly the same.¡± The blonde lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Aside from the part where the other half of our personalities are polar opposites, huh?¡± ¡°To put it into your words, minor differences, right?¡± The fox had a bit of a playful side to her, too. ¡°Sure~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°If you¡¯re still around with us when it¡¯s time for me to raise my daughter, I hope I can count on you.¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll teach you everything you should not do." Fey vigorously shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s so much we did wrong with her! You watched our worst mistakes collapse live, as well! You know about the disastrous decisions Mira and I made and how we essentially robbed her of one mother.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde paused for a moment. ¡°W-Well, knowing what not to do sounds pretty good to me.¡± Knowing it¡¯s bad advice and being able to do the opposite is far from the worst. ¡°I was mainly talking about teaching my restraint when it comes to the possible future partner of my daughter.¡± ¡°I can try.¡± Fey nodded. ¡°If you¡¯re not busy being overprotective of your future grandchild, that is~.¡± Sophia just had to do it. ¡°?!¡± Judging by her expression, which was a mix between shock and terror, it was the first time the fox had ever thought about that possibility. A moment later, black nothingness began to ooze out of her body and quickly covered the whole island in a dark haze. ¡°We really aren¡¯t so different, huh?¡± The tiger scratched her cheek while watching the spectacle for a little while. ¡°I guess I have to apologize to Steph later for making Fey aware of this little detail.¡± ¡°Only if you have time to tell her before I kill that dog.¡± The full wasn¡¯t happy about the revelation. ¡°Steph¡¯s only 50% responsible for a future where that happens, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey hung her head and the black haze slowly disappeared again. ¡°You¡¯re the worst.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that one before.¡± The blonde shrugged and then changed the subject. "By the way, speaking of raising Chloe and the mistakes you made, how is it going? Has she forgiven you and Mira for the secrets and lies? Last time I mentioned it to her, she still sounded a little, uhhh¡­ salty.¡± ¡°Yes, that sums it up rather well.¡± Fey sounded a little awkward. "Things are mostly back to normal, and she''s even at the point where she actually called Mira mom a couple of times. She''s gotten quite close to her, but every now and then, she remembers what we did, and we¡¯ll get punished with nothing but pouting by her for the rest of the day.¡± ¡°To be fair, I can understand her.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fey nodded. ¡°We¡¯re not upset in the slightest because we¡¯ve earned it. In fact, we¡¯ve earned a lot more than that.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°It would still be nice if we¡¯re able to get over it eventually.¡± ¡°Do you have any ideas to help her?¡± Sophia got curious. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ one thing I haven¡¯t tried yet.¡± She sounded rather reluctant for some reason. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The tiger instantly cheered her on. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Well, ever since she found out that I was in a humanoid form when I had her, Chloe has been begging me to show it to her." ¡°Right!¡± Sophia clapped her hands. ¡°I remember that! You said that you need time to relearn it again, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How much longer do you need?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been able to do it again since last week!¡± ¡°Awesome! Let¡¯s go show her immediately!¡± She was excited about it. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that she loves your natural form, but your humanoid version was the one that gave birth to her, right? Seeing where she came from is guaranteed to make her feel even closer to you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m hoping for, too, but¡­¡± Her voice trailed off towards the end. ¡°But?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Back when I first learned how to transform myself, Mira helped me a lot with the magic, and many of her personal tastes ended up being incorporated into my humanoid form." ¡°You have no idea how curious I am right now!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°Why am I not surprised about that reaction?¡± ¡°SHOW ME!¡± She only got more excited. ¡°I¡¯m confident in saying that Chloe and I are rather similar, so you can test her reaction with me!¡± "It is true; you''re both very nosy.¡± Fey rolled her eyes. ¡°As much as it pains me, you do have a point there. It might be beneficial to show it to someone else first before the big reveal.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± Sophia jumped on her feet and clapped her hands. ¡°What do you need to do it?¡± ¡°For the transformation itself, nothing.¡± The fox shook her head. ¡°I need a portal to the cottage to go to Mira¡¯s domain first, though. I have a set of clothes there. I know you all have no problems with being nude around each other, but I pass for the time being.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you nude right now, too?¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I have fur right now, and my current body has no bits that common decency demands to be covered when in the company of others." ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°Luckily for you, the clothes I have were unfortunately provided by Mira and come in a similar design, meaning they''re rather revealing." ¡°Could you not make me sound like a pervert?!¡± The tiger didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°Portal, please.¡± She didn¡¯t even acknowledge her complaints. ¡°Grr!¡± Growling for a moment, she then still did as told and created one for the fox to pass through. ---------------- Roughly 20 minutes had passed since the fox disappeared, and Sophia was about to get her because she was starting to feel ditched when someone new suddenly appeared through the portal. It was a girl the blonde had never seen before. She was a little shorter than the tiger and somewhere in between Chloe¡¯s and Steph¡¯s height. Just like the dog girl, she had short hair, but the hair of the new girl had a little more volume and was white with many red accents and highlights that covered around half of her entire hair. Her body as a whole matched Steph in terms of her figure and chest size, as well. Short, a little on the sporty side, modest, but cute and squishy-looking nonetheless. On top of her head were two long and pointy fox ears that had a red tip each that perfectly harmonized with the girl¡¯s blood-red eyes that came with slit pupils like most of them. Looking a little embarrassed from presenting herself like that, the girl seemed a little fidgety with a slight blush on her cheeks. Her clothes seemed to be an abridged version of Mira¡¯s black shrine outfit. The black top with red accents was relatively short and showed even more than the nine-tailed fox did, which was then combined with a short skirt in the same color scheme. She was also wearing wide-rimmed arm sleeves as well as thigh-high overknees in the same primarily black with red highlights type of color scheme together with short black boots that had a red top part. On the side of her skirt and the outside of her sleeves, little cherry blossom pins that looked like the hairpin Chloe and the various cherry ornaments Mira was wearing were attached. All of those already outstanding features paled against the massive tail that was attached to the back of her body. The tip was a dark, almost blood-like red that quickly faded into a pure white with some red specks here and there for the remaining 2/3 of her tail. The shape was nearly a carbon copy of Chloe''s, with it looking like incredibly fluffy cotton candy and the base easily being way wider than her torso. There was one more difference besides the coloring, though. The tail of the new girl was even bigger and fluffier than Chloe¡¯s. It had at least 30% more volume than the one of the pink fox. ¡°S-So?¡± Sounding somewhat nervous, Fey addressed the blonde. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°YOU ARE WAY TOO ADORABLE!¡± There was nothing else that was going through Sophia¡¯s head right now. Afterward, the tiger needed a small break to collect her thoughts on what she was seeing right now to give the incredibly cute fox-girl in front of her a proper reply to her question. Chapter 100.5 – Illustration Behold Fey in her whole glory! --- I''ve put a whole bunch of versions down below, but for the whole experience, please take a look at the folder right here: -- Click me! -- --- She''s so darn adorable! --- Different Hair: You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. --------- --------- Different expressions (full): ---------- ---------- Different level of clothes:
I was worried that she''d be too adorable for her strictness/anger/scariness to still work, but as you can see from the expressions, being so adorable just makes her even more scary when angry! -- Also, which version does everyone like the most? Patreon was rather divided on the hairstyle but pretty much agreed to prefer the black clothes. Personally, I''m a big fan of white + ponytail~ Chapter 101 – Gap Sophia and Fey took a break from their training and decided to have a chat and get to know each other better. During their conversation, the two also talked about how to deal with being overprotective before the fox eventually mentioned that she¡¯s become able to use her transformation magic again to turn into a humanoid hybrid, which Chloe had been begging to see ever since she found out her mother could do that. ¡°Really? Your first and only reaction is to call me adorable?¡± Slowly shaking her head, the white and red fox-girl stared at Sophia while addressing her in a disapproving tone. ¡°Here!¡± Raising her voice, the blonde showed her arm into a portal that opened on her left and then pulled out a full-body mirror. "Look at yourself!¡± She placed it in front of Fey. ¡°That¡¯s the first reaction anyone should have when first seeing you!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fluffy fox-girl looked at her reflection in the mirror for a moment. ¡°I forgot just how much Mira made me focus on the fluffy and cute side of things in her words¡­¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek in return. ¡°I knew Mira¡¯s tastes were excellent!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Seriously though, you look really nice! There¡¯s absolutely no need to hide from Chloe!¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring.¡± ¡°But still!¡± The tiger put the mirror away and circled around Fey a few times. ¡°My eyes are blessed! The goddess of fluff has descended!¡± ¡°Is it really that much?¡± The fox-girl sounded awkward again. "In theory, I''ve spent more time in a humanoid form than you have lived so far, but it still feels awkward to me to put it into words. Mira feels beautiful to me, and my daughter is perfect, but most of you girls all look pretty similar to me.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± The blonde nodded a few times. She could see how it would be difficult for her. ¡°All I can say is that Chloe should be grateful that she inherited your cuteness. Her tail is the same as yours, though not quite as magnificent, and it''s adorable! She''s got your height, too, huh?¡± She lightly mustered the fox-girl that was slightly shorter than herself. "Her ears are from Mira, though. The shape of yours is quite a bit different. Also, her height is the only body feature she inherited from you, huh?¡± The tiger took a quick glance at her chest and then also her legs. ¡°You¡¯re a lot more slender. Thighs included, as well.¡± ¡°Yes, she¡¯s a healthy mix of both of us.¡± ¡°Although, I¡¯m not sure which hair she got.¡± Sophia focused on her head. "It seems like your hair has a lot of volume, but it''s impossible to tell with such a short length. Why short hair in the first place?¡± ¡°Long hair is a pain to deal with.¡± Sounding slightly annoyed, Fey''s head suddenly began to glow in a purple light. After it was gone, her previous hairstyle had changed into very long and straight hair. Just as before, it was still white with many red accents and highlights from the roots all the way to the tips of her hair. ¡°Chloe¡¯s hair is closer to Mira¡¯s as the longer mine gets, the smoother it becomes. Mira and Chloe are the complete opposite.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The blonde clapped a few times. ¡°How much hair changes a person! You look completely different now!¡± ¡°Better or worse?¡± The fox-girl raised an eyebrow. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that one¡¯s worse than the other, just different. The long hair makes you look a little more elegant but also younger, while the short hair gives you a more mature but also playful image.¡± Sophia looked a bit confused for a moment. ¡°Somehow, those images are a little cross, and one should cancel the other, but that¡¯s how it feels to me.¡± ¡°Humanoid sense of those images eludes me.¡± Fey wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°Yeah, true.¡± Sophia only nodded. ¡°Normally, I prefer long hair, but the short hair also totally works on you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also this style.¡± The fox-girl¡¯s hair shone again and turned itself into a neatly tied high ponytail at the back of her head in the same white and red color pattern. ¡°How¡¯s this? I kind of like how there¡¯s no hair around my nape because it makes it more breathable and easier to move.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s just hot." It had quite a specific effect on the blonde. ¡°Okay, short hair it is!¡± Not wanting to deal with that, Fey immediately changed her hair to the initial short style again. ¡°Aww.¡± Sophia was disappointed for a second, but it didn¡¯t last too long. ¡°Well, the short hair is cute, too, so it¡¯s okay~.¡± ¡°Thanks, I guess?¡± The fox-girl didn¡¯t know how to react. ¡°That being said!¡± The blonde looked right at her. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Yes?¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°You look nothing like I had imagined you to be!¡± Sophia scanned her from ears to toe once more. ¡°Well, color scheme aside, that is.¡± ¡°How did you imagine me to look?¡± The red fox got curious. ¡°Taller!¡± Her reply was instant. ¡°Somehow, I thought you would be closer to Anna in height. Though, now it makes sense why Chloe is so short even though Mira¡¯s taller than Maya.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± ¡°Somehow, I also imagined you to be super buff and ripped. Like, from all the stories I heard about you and how Fenny is scared of you, I was expecting you to look battle-hardened with a well-defined six-pack, abs, and thighs that could crush someone.¡± She paused for a moment and looked at the fox-girl once more. ¡°To be fair, I¡¯m happy about it because I much prefer soft and squishy girls, but it doesn''t exactly fit the image you had been going for you." ¡°Well, you can thank Mira for that.¡± Fey looked a little awkward. ¡°She said that I would look amazing like this, and she really wanted to see it. Her preference in humanoid girls apparently is something exactly like my current looks.¡± ¡°Good job, Mira!¡± ¡°Overall, I agree with your assessment, though.¡± The fox-girl nodded once. ¡°Without Mira¡¯s input, I probably would¡¯ve tried something like you described. It''s not like I cared about my humanoid looks back then, though, so I thought making Mira happy was more important than looking accurate to my image.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the sweetest?!¡± ¡°I have to match my look, don¡¯t I?¡± Fey showed her a slight smirk. ¡°Touch¨¦!¡± The blonde liked her reply. ¡°In all seriousness, though, I think it was a lucky decision.¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± Sophia agreed. ¡°Fluff is justice, after all! Though, I have the feeling that¡¯s not what you meant.¡± ¡°I was thinking about Chloe.¡± She shook her head. ¡°She ended up absorbing all my cute traits. Imagine her personality, but having inherited, in your words, my tall and buff version, which likely would¡¯ve led to her getting muscular with little to no effort thanks to Mira having made sure that she¡¯s always going to be healthy.¡± ¡°Interesting thought, but yeah, would¡¯ve been weird.¡± The blonde nodded along. ¡°I mean, as long as you aren¡¯t unhappy with your looks and how everyone will call you adorable when they see you, all is fine, I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m neither happy nor unhappy.¡± Fey took a neutral stance. ¡°Mira is happy, though. Chloe ended up perfectly, as well, and I don¡¯t really care.¡± ¡°Sounds like a net positive to me.¡± "Exactly." The fox-girl came to the same conclusion. ¡°Speaking of Chloe, where did the pink come from?¡± The blonde noticed an odd detail about their daughter. ¡°She got a healthy portion of both of you, but neither of you has any pink going on.¡± "Well, simply speaking, red and white combines into pink, but we¡¯ve wondered about the same, too.¡± Fey scratched her cheek. ¡°The only explanation that made sense to us was the mixing. I''m half white and half red, and Mira is ? white. The extra bits of teal in her maybe added some shading to Chloe¡¯s colors.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± She could live with that explanation. ¡°Anyway, back to you! It looks like there¡¯s just one downside with your looks, huh?¡± Sophia went back to mustering Fey. ¡°It not fitting my image, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I can¡¯t take your achievements seriously now. Fen¡¯s being scared of a cute small fox? The human capital fallen and seized by a short girl with a tail so big and fluffy she probably gets stuck in a doorframe a lot? The serious and no excessive fun allowed fox is actually the most adorable individual in our group? I bet if you start pouting, everyone¡¯s first thought will be to pinch that cute little puffed cheek!¡± ¡°Oh? Is that so?¡± The atmosphere suddenly changed as Fey¡¯s wholly flat and ice-cold voice reached Sophia¡¯s ears. It even seemed cold enough that the temperature dropped because the tiger started shivering a little. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± Her expression did change, but it, unfortunately, wasn''t a pout. It was a glare so powerful that half her face turned dark. Not only that, but the ground below her was turned dark, as well, as black nothingness began to ooze out of the adorable small fox-girl. While her lower half was slowly being eaten by darkness magic, her upper body was wrapped in magic particles that were so dense that her hair was affected by them and started moving up and down as if possessed. ¡°Really, really unfortunate.¡± Her blood-red eyes had lost all of their shine, and they seemed like they were staring right into Sophia¡¯s very soul. ¡°Ha.¡± The tiger was frozen in place for a few seconds but then instinctively took a few steps backward to get some distance between them. ¡°You, err¡­ win that round.¡± She raised her arms in defeat. ¡°If anything, your new looks make you even scarier when angry.¡± The gap between her appearance and feeling only made it more intense. ¡°Happy to hear~.¡± Fey clapped her hands while replying to her in a cheerful tone, and the oppressive aura and expression, as well as the black nothingness, instantly disappeared, leaving behind the adorable short fox-girl from before. ¡°Wow.¡± Sophia had no idea what else to say. ¡°You know, back when I first went into public in this form, many had the same reaction when they found out who I was.¡± The fox-girl looked like she was reminiscing of a better time. "A few days later, no one did that anymore, and the rumor of my red accents being the dried-up remains of the blood of my enemies began to circulate over the continent. Linking me together with Mira, some even called me her goddess of war, but she happily corrected her on that front because that wasn¡¯t something I wanted to deal with. The blood of my enemies bit was something I took a liking to, though. It¡¯s very poetic if you ask me.¡± ¡°Again, wow!¡± The blonde still had no other words. ¡°In the first place!¡± Fey then stared at the tiger. ¡°You¡¯re widely regarded as cute, as well. Even so, you regularly threaten the king of the beastfolk, and the entire upper echelon behind him is scared of you. On top of that, you went to war against a massive human army and won without breaking a sweat. By brainwashing them with darkness magic, no less. You made an entire army cry and wet themselves while cowering in fear in front of you. What made you think that cute short girls can¡¯t be scary when you¡¯re a part of that trope? You¡¯re on the short side, after all.¡± The fox slowly shook her head while saying so. ¡°Ah.¡± Still at a loss on how to deal with the adorable bundle of feistiness that packed way too much of a punch, Sophia needed a break to collect her thoughts. Chapter 102 – A good exercise Sophia saw Fey¡¯s humanoid form for the first time, and she was an instant fan of the adorable short fox-girl, but she had some slight issues with how her appearance didn¡¯t match her image any longer. Slightly upset by that, the red fox showed the tiger just how scary cute girls could be when they wanted and showed the blonde her dark side. ¡°And Maya calls me scary when I get angry.¡± Sophia had no better summary than this after having witnessed Fey being upset at her. ¡°You¡¯ve earned it, too.¡± The fox-girl sounded ever so slightly smug. ¡°That being said, I¡¯d love to see you angry. I heard some stories and saw some glimpses of your potential, and they seemed incredibly promising, but I''ve yet to see the real deal.¡± ¡°Well, you need to threaten or hurt one of my loved ones, but I can not recommend that.¡± Judging by her glare, the blonde didn¡¯t like that idea. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have the same values in that regard, so that won¡¯t happen.¡± Fey smiled at her. ¡°Wait, accidents with Steph during our training won¡¯t count, right?¡± ¡°Nah, she¡¯s sturdy.¡± The tiger shook her head. ¡°Alright! Make sure to let me be there the next time you get angry, though.¡± "I mean, I don''t like being angry, so I try not to get to, but sure, I guess?¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Speaking of training, though, should we do some more?¡± Sophia got back to the thing they got together for in the first place. ¡°We got gloriously sidetracked, but I still want to learn!¡± ¡°Good mindset!¡± Fey gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°It would be a good exercise to get used to this body, too.¡± She gestured all over herself. ¡°I feel a little rusty.¡± ¡°You didn''t look too rusty when you got upset at me earlier!" "Oh, trust me, I was." The fox-girl showed her a slight smirk. ¡°Ha.¡± Sophia suddenly had a bad feeling about this. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go!¡± Not giving her a chance, Fey grabbed her hand and dragged her off to the edge of the floating island they were on. There, without hesitating for a fraction of a second, she jumped off while dragging the tiger down the 500-meter fall with her. ---------------- ¡°You are the worst!¡± Having arrived in the cherry blossom below the island, Sophia glared at the fox-girl next to her in the little crater they were in. ¡°Why?¡± Fey cutely tilted her head while she dusted herself off and removed some of the cherry petals and branches from her body, clothes, and hair. ¡°It was the fastest way to get down here. Creating your portals and going through them would¡¯ve taken longer than the ten seconds it took us to fall.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the issue here!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°WAIT! Why am I the voice of reason here?!¡± ¡°I need to act more like my looks now, don¡¯t I?¡± The short and energetic-looking fox-girl smiled at her again. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia stared back at her. ¡°You do know that you''re acting exactly like Steph usually does, right?" She felt something familiar there. ¡°Why do you always go for such low blows?!¡± Fey looked mortified. ¡°Steph¡¯s personality is kinda infective, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll only admit to being less strict inside your domain because it¡¯s a private space.¡± The fox-girl turned her head away. ¡°Sure~.¡± The blonde¡¯s voice turned cheeky. ¡°It definitely matches your looks more, but¡­ Well, Ari said the same about letting loose in here because no one can judge her." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Exactly.¡± Fey nodded. ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to learn anything about restraint from you this way, though.¡± ¡°What if I get so unhinged that you chose to learn restraint just to make me stop?¡± ¡°Is that a threat or an invitation?¡± Sophia was a bit of a fan of being unhinged, after all. ¡°Yes.¡± The fox-girl just smirked at her. ¡°NO!¡± The tiger shook her head. ¡°NU-UH!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Yes, as a reply to non-yes questions is a privilege of highest playfulness that you have to earn first! You can¡¯t just do that!¡± ¡°I just did, though?¡± Fey gave her another cute smile. ¡°Are you trying reverse psychology on me now?!¡± Sophia was trying to understand her. ¡°Making me the reasonable one so I understand it?¡± ¡°I have no idea what you mean.¡± She just kept smiling. ¡°Urgh!¡± Letting out a groan, the blonde then dropped the topic. ¡°Why did you want to go down here, anyway?¡± She pointed up through the hole in the crown of the cherry tree they crashed through after jumping down the floating island. ¡°To train, of course!¡± ¡°Inside my beloved forest?!¡± Sophia didn''t like the idea. ¡°This is a sanctuary to relax, not to fight!¡± "Maybe putting something at stake will help you concentrate to keep the damage low.¡± ¡°That may be true, but¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t enough to convince her. ¡°How about a less destructive approach, then?" Fey tried a different approach. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± "A classic manhunt.¡± ¡°What does that mean in this world?¡± As the blonde had a rough idea of what that entailed in her old world, she raised an eyebrow. ¡°The focus lies on the hunt, and places with limited visibility like this are perfect. Only limited magic abilities are allowed, and no cutting through terrain in a brute-force manner is permitted. The goal is to track down and subdue the prey.¡± ¡°So¡­ Hide and seek with higher stakes?¡± Sophia tried to understand it. ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Are there any other rules?¡± ¡°Whatever we agree on beforehand.¡± ¡°So, if we ban everything related to fire and everything else that destroys more than three trees per square kilometer, that can be arranged?¡± ¡°Not an issue~.¡± The fox-girl gave her another thumbs-up. ¡°Though, then I have some rules for you, too.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± "No portals or straight-up teleportation.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It would be impossible for me to catch you with those.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only fair.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°Or any other magics that only overseers can use." Fey stared right at her. "I know a few things Mira can use, and I''m more than sure you''re hiding a few of your abilities from everyone, as well. I have no idea as to what you classify, but you can use a few of their tricks, after all." ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Hit the mark, huh?¡± ¡°No comment.¡± Sophia had no intention of elaborating anything there. "Anyway, there''s one last question I have regarding your hide-and-seek idea.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°How will any of this teach me restraint?¡± She was missing the connection. ¡°An excellent question!¡± ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡± The blonde felt a sense of relatability in her reply. ¡°I have!¡± Fey disagreed with her judgmental stare. ¡°Again, before we can teach you restraint, you need to learn to use your powers correctly at all times. Me hunting you will keep the pressure high, and you might get used to making quick and good decisions to get away from me.¡± "I feel like you just made that up, and the only reason is you wanting to play, but as it sounds interesting, I don''t mind." Sophia smiled at her. ---------------- ¡°Alright, you have five minutes to get away from me before I start hunting you.¡± Once they agreed on the plan, Fey got ready to hunt the tiger. ¡°Do you have any idea how far I can get away in five minutes?!¡± As Sophia was quite confident about her running skills, she felt like the fox-girl was making a mistake here. ¡°I saw you running.¡± She simply shrugged. ¡°Impressive for a regular hybrid, but trust me, I am faster than you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± And with that, the blonde¡¯s competitive spirit was lit. ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret this!¡± ¡°Do your best~.¡± Fey wasn¡¯t intimidated by her. ¡°Okay, head on out.¡± ¡°Bye!¡± Jumping at the chance, the blonde disappeared so fast that only an afterimage of her was left for a fraction of a second. ¡°So eager.¡± Fey just smiled in the direction Sophia disappeared in. ¡°Just like the younger sister.¡± She seemed to be in a good mood. "It pains me to admit that I can see why Chloe likes them so much and even loves one of them¡­ but why are they all so airheaded?! That daughter of mine included.¡± The fox-girl wasn¡¯t just blaming the sisters. Once she finished complaining, she got comfortable under one of the weeping cherries while Sophia increased her lead in their already ongoing hunt. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m back in this form.¡± Leaning against the tree¡¯s trunk, the fox-girl lifted her arms to stare at them and the back of her hands. ¡°It¡¯s getting close to 20 years now, huh? I stopped using it when Chloe became aware of her surroundings. That was another stupid mistake of mine. Just as Sophia said, this form surely makes her feel closer to me. This is her real mother, after all. I hope she¡¯ll accept it. I¡¯m not a fan of it, but I¡¯ll get used to it again soon. Mira will be happy, too. She likes her humanoid version, and there are many things we can do together if we''re both in this form." ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time to teach that smug tiger a lesson.¡± She ended up being busy with her thoughts for about ten whole minutes before Fey decided to finally go and catch herself some striped prey. Afterward, she disappeared from her resting spot so fast that the wind she created ripped all petals from the tree she had been sitting under mere moments ago. Chapter 103 – Hide and seek
Fey wanted to get used to her humanoid body, while Sophia was looking forward to some more training. Combining those plans with each other, the fox-girl suggested a manhunt, which basically was hide and seek with extra steps and assisted by some basic but non-destructive magic, as the blonde didn¡¯t want her cherry blossom forest to get destroyed by the two letting loose. ¡°I like how she¡¯s already lost the challenge of paying attention to details before we even started.¡± Humanoid Fey was speeding through the cherry blossom forest while lightly chuckling to herself as she nimbly avoided every obstacle in her way. ¡°We can use detection magic, silly girl. I know exactly where you are.¡± Continuing to run straight towards the fleeing tiger, the red fox-girl quickly got used to her new body, causing her to be able to speed even more, and she caught up with the blonde after not even 20 minutes. ---------------- ¡°How are you here already?!¡± Once Sophia noticed the fox-girl appearing behind her, she immediately started panicking. ¡°That¡¯s not possible!" ¡°I told you that I¡¯m faster than you.¡± Fey sounded extra smug with her reply. ¡°Even if that were true, there are limits!¡± She didn''t believe her. ¡°I ran in a completely random pattern to make it impossible for you to find me!¡± ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work out for you, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You still have to actually ca-, W-WOAH!¡± The tiger was about to speed up when a root shot out of the ground right in front of her feet. Not having enough time to react, Sophia tripped and fell on the floor. ¡°You were saying?¡± The little fox-girl jumped at the tiger on the floor, landed on top of her, and pinned her down. ¡°Prey caught!¡± "I have to be honest; getting pinned down by you wasn''t on my bucket list for today." Sophia had no idea how else to react. ¡°Shush.¡± Fey lightly glared at her. ¡°Don''t ruin my victory.¡± Afterward, she let go of the blonde¡¯s wrists she was pushing down and then swiftly climbed off her again. ¡°You are insane!¡± Sophia lifted her back and sat down cross-legged in front of the fox-girl, who had done the same in response. ¡°You¡¯re just a lot slower than you thought you were.¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± The passionate runner took a lot of damage from that. ¡°That being said, I¡¯m a little disappointed.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Even Steph held out longer during the manhunts we had. I was in my full form, too. Not in the rusty girl version I am right now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing rusty about you!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°Also, there¡¯s no way! I''m exercising with Steph a lot, and she has never won against me once!" ¡°I said she held out longer, not that she¡¯s faster.¡± Fey smiled at her with a smug reaction. "We''re running away from each other! Being faster is all that counts!" Sophia started pouting. ¡°It¡¯s certainly important, but being smart is key.¡± ¡°How is being smart going to help you here?¡± ¡°Steph remembered that I could use detection magic before we started our first chase." ¡°¡­¡± The blonde went silent. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Do you remember how all of this started because I want to make you think before you act?¡± The fox-girl slowly shook her head. ¡°I, uhh¡­ To be fair, I was so concerned about my forest that I only thought about rules to save it from you.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°How happy are you with that excuse?¡± Fey didn¡¯t seem to be overly content with it. ¡°I¡¯ve had better excuses before.¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Wait! You said no special overseer magic! That¡¯s why I turned off all my information over my domain and where everything is, too!¡± ¡°So? Fen¡¯s the one who invented the regular detection magic. It¡¯s basically just a hyper-focused version of the magic instinct every living being with enough authority has.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The tiger hung her head. ¡°Then again, it doesn¡¯t seem like me using it would¡¯ve helped, huh?¡± "Not when I''m allowed to use it, too." Fey shook her head. ¡°At best, it would¡¯ve taken me a little longer to get you.¡± "What was even the point of the chase in the first place, then?" Sophia looked confused again. ¡°Besides the lesson of being more thoughtful before agreeing on something.¡± ¡°I think that alone is already a big thing.¡± She didn¡¯t share her disappointment. ¡°When Steph and I do the hunt, we simply ban that, too, and only rely on our instincts to find the other. Magical support is allowed as long as it stays reasonable, like using the wind to find the other.¡± ¡°That sounds like it could work.¡± ¡°Do you want to try again?¡± The fox wanted to give her another chance. ¡°What¡¯s Steph¡¯s record?¡± ¡°Two hours and 17 minutes.¡± ¡°Not bad, sis!¡± She was proud of her for a moment. ¡°Wait, until she was found or caught?¡± ¡°Caught.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯m looking forward to getting pinned down by you again in two hours and 18 minutes!¡± ¡°I like the confidence combined with a healthy amount of realism.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Sophia jumped back on her feet and turned around. ¡°Okay, you have five minutes again.¡± Fey also stood up. ¡°Though, this time, I really will give you only those five and not ten like earlier.¡± ¡°Wait, what?!¡± The blonde froze in her tracks. ¡°It took you only 20 minutes to catch me earlier! That was after you waited ten?!¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± The fox-girl liked her shocked reaction. ¡°I can¡¯t wait until I get fully used to my body.¡± ¡°YOU¡¯RE SCARY!¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± It was a compliment for her. Once the advanced set of rules was put in place, Sophia got ready and disappeared into the forest as fast as she could. ---------------- ¡°Should I point out the other four mistakes she made once I catch her, or should we just enjoy it for today? I¡¯m starting to understand her a little, so it might be best to let her act a little more before I try some more things.¡± Fey kept herself busy while she was waiting for the five minutes to be over. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see, she disappeared in that direction." It was getting close to the time limit, and the fox-girl was getting ready to start the chase. ¡°Hmm.¡± She closed her eyes and stood motionlessly for a couple of moments before she turned to her left. ¡°She¡¯s so loud! Aren¡¯t tigers supposed to be silent hunters? There¡¯s just no way she¡¯s going to last over two hours like that.¡± ¡°Fair enough, I can''t hear her here anymore just after the five-minute mark passed." Fey was still looking in the same direction before she got going. "Let''s see how long it takes before that changes again." With that being said, she sprinted into the jungle and sped towards the area where she last heard Sophia. ¡°Alright, time for another try.¡± After having run in the direction she last heard Sophia for around five minutes, the fox-girl stopped and closed her eyes again to better focus on her hearing abilities. ¡°She changed direction, huh?¡± She turned around 90 degrees to her right after listening to her surroundings for a while. "Still, so loud, that girl!" ¡°She¡¯s picked up her pace, huh?¡± Fey made another stop after around 15 minutes of running to check if she was getting closer. ¡°I would¡¯ve expected to have visuals on her by now. Okay, I''m significantly slower because I''m focusing on being silent but still." She tilted her head while looking around. ¡°I can still hear that clumsy oaf, though. She¡¯s like a whirlwind, fast but destroying every twig in her path.¡± The fox-girl rolled her eyes before adjusting her position a little to her left before starting to run again. ¡°And she warned me about not destroying this place.¡± ¡°Okay, I have to give her props for this. I didn¡¯t think she¡¯d hold out that long.¡± 20 minutes later, the red fox took another break to get an update on the situation. ¡°In fact, I can¡¯t even hear her anymore. Has she gotten far enough to get outside my hearing range? She shouldn¡¯t be, though.¡± Closing her eyes once more, Fey then concentrated extra hard and stood there motionlessly for around a minute. ¡°Aha!¡± Sounding triumphant, she immediately bolted deeper into the forest to her right. "Hmm, something is not right here." It had been an hour in total since she started her chase, and the fox-girl was getting an odd feeling. ¡°How does she keep getting away from me? Also, why do I only hear her every now and then? It should be a constant noise.¡± She went silent for a moment. ¡°Right now, I don¡¯t hear a single thing. Is she trying the same? Hear me and then adjust her direction based on that? She shouldn''t be able to hear me, though. Wait! Is she tricking me with those sounds?!¡± Her eyes grew wide, and at that moment, she heard two different noises from different directions. ¡°That little¡­¡± Having come to that realization, Fey sped in the direction right between the two sounds she heard. Afterward, she kept going like that for around half an hour while making frequent stops to listen for new noises and trying to triangulate them to find the source. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem to be working, and she had to come up with a new way to find and catch the tiger, who appeared to be more elusive than she had initially thought. Chapter 104 – Hunting The duo was in the middle of their second chase after Fey effortlessly caught the blonde in the first one, but it seemed like the tiger was doing a lot better in the current hunt. The fox-girl had no issues locating Sophia inside the forest because the so-called silent hunter that tigers are supposed to be was anything but silent. That¡¯s what the fox-girl had thought was going on, at least, but she eventually noticed that something wasn¡¯t right. ¡°Okay, think, what is going on?¡± Fey stopped in the middle of a small clearing around a little lake in the middle of the cherry blossom forest and turned to look around her. ¡°Why am I hearing her in the distance to my left, right, and right in front of me?¡± She seemed rather confused about the situation. ¡°Is she tricking me?¡± This possibility was starting to make sense to her. ¡°I''ve described her as a whirlwind earlier because she was sounding like it. Is that what she¡¯s doing? Creating literal whirlwinds to distract me while running in a different direction?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°Not too shabby.¡± She then nodded a few times. ¡°She¡¯s doing decent when not pressured, huh?¡± The fox-girl looked a little proud. ¡°Creating the whirlwinds in different directions at the same time over a wide range puts the cherry on top." ¡°I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d need to put some effort into getting her.¡± It seemed like Fey had been looking down on her a little too much. She then raised her chin up and began sniffing the air. ¡°Thankfully, my senses transferred over to this body.¡± She continued to sniff around for a bit longer before her gaze fixated on a direction across the lake. ¡°Got you!¡± Having a bit of an excited expression on her face, the fox-girl jumped over the lake and disappeared into the forest once more. ¡°We¡¯re getting somewhere now!" It had been an hour and twenty minutes since the chase had begun, and Fey''s confidence was on the rise again. ¡°She¡¯s definitely been here! Not only is her scent getting stronger, but I can also see broken twigs and other markings too! There¡¯s only one issue¡­¡± She arrived at a path that had clearly been used by someone not too long ago, but as the fox-girl first looked to her left and then her right, she wasn¡¯t sure in which direction Sophia had run. ¡°I¡¯m surprised she knows how to cover her tracks in a way you can¡¯t exactly tell which way she went. The broken twigs haven''t fallen in a specific direction, and the stepped-on grass and cherry petals are blurred, too. Was she using wind magic around herself to scramble everything?¡± ¡°Clever, but!¡± She then looked to her right. ¡°The scent is a little stronger this way, and I can hear two sounds right now." Fey went silent for a moment. "One doesn''t make any sense, and the other one matches the path!" Having decided on a direction, the fox-girl immediately darted along the path and was trying to make up time for the next 20 minutes. ---------------- ¡°Mhmm, have I made a mistake?¡± The fox-girl eventually reached the end of the path she had been following and looked confused. ¡°How did she do this? Her scent was getting stronger and stronger until it just vanished once the track ended here. That makes no sense, does it?¡± She was thinking aloud to help her understand it. ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯d cheat, so there were definitely no portals involved.¡± Fey looked around to find some hints. ¡°Oh?¡± She eventually looked up and noticed a small, tiger-sized hole in the crown of one of the cherries. ¡°Is that what she did?¡± Getting some tension into her legs by kneeling down, the fox-girl then jumped up and through the same hole, widening it by a lot because her tail was more than twice the size of her torso. ¡°Where did she go?¡± Seemingly being the most normal thing, she jumped about 60 meters high in the air and calmly looked around to find anything that stood out. ¡°That lake formed by the waterfall from the island above seems promising!¡± Once she landed back on the ground, the fox-girl immediately made her way over to the lake and inspected the area. ¡°She probably jumped all the way over here, so I lost her scent on the track. I can faintly smell it again, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be leading anywhere. She¡¯s a lot better than I had imagined.¡± Fey seemed impressed again. ¡°Seriously, though, where did she¡­ no way?!¡± She looked at the massive torrent of water flowing down from the island roughly 500 meters above her. ¡°She did not swim up the waterfall, right? Right?!¡± Fey couldn¡¯t believe her own idea. ¡°Well, I¡¯m running out of options, so¡­¡± Fey then jumped into the lake and freestyled her way up the violent waterfall like it was no big deal. Comparing her to a regular being would be an insult to everyone involved. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°Great, now I¡¯m wet¡­¡± Having arrived on top of the island after just a couple of minutes, Fey looked a little dejected, especially after glancing at her tail, which lost around 80% of its volume while being dripping wet. She then first shook herself a couple of times before using air magic and drying herself with a little whirlwind all around her. ¡°Not sure if that¡¯s the solution, but better than before, at least.¡± The fox-girl looked at her tail again after it turned into a gigantic ball of pure frizz. ¡°Oh! I will ask Mira if she can take care of my tail for me~.¡± Her mood instantly brightened up again. ¡°There¡¯s more good news, too.¡± Once she finished drying herself, Fey looked around on the island a little bit and quickly spotted a small puddle next to the river and a few footsteps that were still wet. ¡°I can still make out her scent, too. Someone was in a hurry, huh?¡± Her expression turned smug. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s faked them either, so¡­¡± The fox-girl followed the footsteps to the edge of the island to see where the tiger went. ¡°So, we''re doing island hopping now?" Her view fell on another small floating island around 300 meters in front of her. ---------------- For the next half hour, the fox-girl kept jumping from island to island high above the cherry forest while trying to track down the surprisingly elusive tiger. Whenever she found a hint of her having been on the island, Fey continued on, and whenever there was nothing, she backtracked to the previous one before going in a different direction. ¡°Well, congratulations.¡± The red fox stopped on an island where she found another couple of footsteps. ¡°She officially just beat Steph¡¯s record." It had been around two hours and 20 minutes since the chase had started, meaning the older sister had been on the run for longer than the dog-girl had managed so far. ¡°It won¡¯t be a much longer record, though.¡± Fey pressed the side of her hand against her forehead and strained her eyes a little. ¡°Got you!¡± In the far distance, a couple of islands away from her position, she finally spotted something jumping through the air. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Before even finishing those words, she kicked the ground and catapulted herself in the direction of the tiger. The fox-girl used so much force that she even moved the island she was on out of its previous position in the sky. She needed only two minutes to catch up with the tiger, and it only took that long because Sophia eventually noticed the approaching doom and desperately tried to evade the fox-girl and put some distance between them again. Naturally, it was of no use, and the inevitable eventually happened. ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± The blonde made one last desperate attempt to jump from one island to another, but that was the last mistake she made in the chase. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± While the tiger was in the air, Fey used all of her strength to launch herself at Sophia to catch her in midair. Tackling her first, the fox-girl then wrapped her arms around the tiger and tightly hugged her to make sure she couldn''t wiggle herself free. Fey was well aware Sophia was ultimately stronger than her, but she also knew that the scatterbrained girl would forget about that in this situation. ¡°It¡¯s my win~.¡± ¡°Nooo!¡± Sophia only let out another scream. Afterward, something unfortunate happened. As Fey jumped the blonde so hard, they left the trajectory to the island and ended up falling towards the cherry blossom forest below them again. This time, it came with a little twist, though, and the two, while continuing to hug, made a 500-meter-deep dive right into one of the many little lakes inside the forest, causing a massive splash the moment they hit the water. ¡°Great, I¡¯m wet again.¡± The fox-girl felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤-vu as she sat down at the shore of the lake while taking care of her wet clothes and sad-looking tail. ¡°YOU DON''T SAY?!" Sophia, sounding a little upset, was lying on her back next to her, sprawling out her limbs and looking quite exhausted. "You''re way too extreme!" ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± Fey looked to her side and smiled at the tiger. Afterward, she created a miniature twister of warm air around them and used it to dry both of them. ¡°Congratulations on beating Steph¡¯s record, by the way.¡± The fox-girl then gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°You held out longer than her. Only by a few minutes, but a win is a win.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± It was enough to cheer her up. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to be so smug about it in front of her~." ¡°Before that, you have some explaining to do, though.¡± The fox-girl finished drying herself and took a glance at her frizzy ball of a tail before focusing on Sophia. ¡°You did some things during the chase I¡¯d love to get an explanation for.¡± "Cute!" All the blonde could focus on right now was the fluffy-looking ball of fur behind Fey, so she needed a little break to regain her focus and be able to answer her questions. Chapter 105 – Strategies
The chase between Sophia and Fey came to an end, and the fox-girl had inevitably won in an explosive final where she tackled the blonde mid-air, which caused both of them to crash down into a lake over 500 meters below them. On the plus side, the tiger had beaten Steph¡¯s record of evading the fox for over two hours. ¡°Okay, now that we¡¯re done, not wet anymore, and clothed again, let¡¯s talk about what happened." The duo was still next to the lake they had crash-dived into when Fey wanted to start a conversation. ¡°WORDING!¡± The blonde didn''t like the way she phrased her sentence. ¡°No.¡± The fox-girl slowly shook her head as she looked right at her. ¡°Come on, I wouldn¡¯t be me if I hadn¡¯t used that chance. You basically handed it to me on a plate.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t think she should or could be blamed for that. ¡°I can and will blame you for that.¡± Fey was taking none of it. ¡°Fine.¡± She gave up. ¡°So, what do you want to talk about after our passionate last two hours of nothing but action and you wanting me?¡± ¡°Haa.¡± The red fox reacted with a sigh. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s up?¡± The tiger actually gave up. ¡°I want to know about the tactics you used that made you able to evade me for so long.¡± ¡°Ehh, but that would put me at a disadvantage for our next chase!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the plan. ¡°How about there won¡¯t be a next time if you don¡¯t tell me?¡± Fey¡¯s expression turned smug. ¡°So unfair!¡± The tiger started pouting in return. ¡°Okay, but in return, I want to hear which mistakes I made and how you found me in the end!¡± ¡°That seems fair.¡± The fox-girl was okay with the deal. ¡°Though, I feel like you already know what I did, anyway?¡± Sophia didn¡¯t think she even needed an explanation. ¡°I have my suspicions, but I¡¯d like to hear it from you.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± She nodded along. ¡°Well, in the beginning, I just ran as fast as I could to get some distance between us. After a couple of minutes, I started noticing that I was way too loud, to a level where even a deaf person could hear me, and slowed down so that I didn''t break everything in my path to keep down the noise. I knew that you¡¯d easily close the gap between us that way, though.¡± The tiger made a slight pause. ¡°Being that loud gave me an idea, though.¡± ¡°Being loud on purpose, huh?¡± Fey finished her sentence. ¡°Exactly.¡± She nodded. ¡°Just not me being loud, that is.¡± Sophia lightly corrected her. ¡°At first, I threw some bigger stones I found a couple hundred meters away from me, but I didn''t feel like it was working overly well." "I heard some light thuds every now and then, but it wasn''t enough to pay attention to them." The fox shook her head. "I put them under regular forest noises.¡± ¡°Yeah, I thought so, too.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Then, I remembered how most of the noise I created came from the speed I used to get away from you.¡± ¡°It sounded like a whirlwind literally tearing through a forest.¡± ¡°That!¡± She agreed. ¡°That¡¯s why I started using air magic to create some weak miniature tornados before running in a different direction." ¡°So it wasn¡¯t you being incompetent to be stealthy, but you having set up a red herring for me, huh?¡± Fey didn¡¯t like how she had actually been fooled for a while at the beginning of their chase. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked her miffed expression. ¡°But how did you manage to create multiple different sources of noise? At some point, I heard whirlwinds tearing through the forest from at least three different directions.¡± "Well, one of them was me because I thought it wouldn''t matter anymore if I was loud when there are multiple sources. I enchanted some stones with air magic and threw them as far as I could to create some confusion.¡± ¡°You certainly succeeded with that.¡± ¡°You love to hear it!¡± The blonde seemed a little smug about that. ¡°What made you change your strategy, though? Halfway through, I noticed that there were no more extra sounds anymore.¡± ¡°Because I know that you are cleverer than I am.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I had the feeling that you¡¯d eventually realize my little trick and ignore the sounds.¡± ¡°The multiple sources of sound actually were your mistake.¡± Fey nodded along. ¡°That made me notice that something was up. If you had continued to concentrate on one direction away from your actual path, I probably would¡¯ve been fooled for longer.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Ahh.¡± She looked a little awkward again. ¡°I thought I was being clever there.¡± ¡°I was quite a bit confused in the beginning and had to rethink my strategy, so it wasn''t a bad plan, but I was the wrong opponent there. I have to say, going to the floating island was really clever!¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Sophia cheered up again. ¡°How did you even find out that I went up to one?!" ¡°I followed your smell.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Sophia looked a little panicked, lifted her right arm, and smelled her own armpit to make sure. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, there¡¯s nothing!¡± She looked relieved again. ¡°Firstly, I didn¡¯t say you smell bad.¡± Fey rolled her eyes. ¡°Secondly, I still have the sense of smell of my full fox form, which has been massively enhanced by magic, so even without an excessive smell on your end, I can still make it out over a very long distance.¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that!¡± ¡°You sure didn¡¯t.¡± The fox-girl smiled at her. ¡°Once I noticed that the noises were a false trail by you, I began sniffing you out and followed your scent instead. That finally got me to a path you made that led me to the waterfall you used to swim up to the island.¡± ¡°Urgh! I even jumped to the lake from that path to hide my tracks!¡± ¡°That was another mistake of yours.¡± Fey shook her head. ¡°How so?¡± She couldn¡¯t follow her. ¡°In fact, that even should¡¯ve masked my scent!¡± ¡°It didn''t mask the tiger-sized hole in the crown of the tree at the end of the path, though.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She embarrassedly turned her head away. ¡°My concentration started slipping there, huh?¡± ¡°It seems like it.¡± The fox-girl thought so, too. ¡°As the lake with the waterfall was the only notable thing in the area after I jumped through the same hole, I went to check it out, and sure enough, I picked up your scent again, and the waterfall was the only option from there on out." ¡°I should¡¯ve paid more attention there.¡± ¡°Once I arrived on the island, things got rather easy.¡± Fey¡¯s voice turned confident. ¡°Not only did I find some tracks of you again, like some wet footprints, but you also only had limited places to go from there on out.¡± ¡°Yeah, my concentration was definitely gone at that point.¡± ¡°It took me a while because I had to jump back and forth between islands to find your scent and track, but you saw the result~.¡± ¡°You tackling me mid-air and us falling down over 500 meters and headfirst into a lake? Yeah, I noticed that.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Sophia suddenly raised her voice. ¡°I should¡¯ve gone back down into the forest after jumping from island to island a couple of times.¡± ¡°Oh, that would¡¯ve been a cheeky move!¡± The fox-girl nodded a couple of times. ¡°I probably would¡¯ve noticed after a while, but it would¡¯ve bought you a lot of time! Maybe even enough to get out of my scent range.¡± ¡°Too bad!" The tiger looked highly disappointed in herself. "For the next time, I''ll definitely try to trick your sniffing skills!¡± "I''m looking forward to it." Fey took the challenge. "I''ll ignore our first hunt, but I¡¯m quite impressed about this one and how crafty you were.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± She was happy about the praise. ¡°Now, I have a question for you, though!¡± ¡°Ask away.¡± ¡°Seriously, did you change your personality during your transformation, as well?!¡± The blonde stared at her. ¡°You joked about matching it to your looks, but it¡¯s way too different! Where¡¯s the serious, strict, wise, and no-common-sense-breaking-fun-allowed fox?¡± ¡°You sure are a rude one.¡± The red fox shook her head in return. ¡°Don''t dodge the question!¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly situational how I act.¡± Fey looked back at her. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have done the hunt in the regular world because way too many unforeseeable things could happen. I respect your wishes, but I don''t really care about your domain on that level. That¡¯s why I have no qualms about letting loose here. It''s similar to Mira''s domain, where I usually go to train with Steph. I know it will be repaired instantly, and no one else can get caught up in our nonsense there." ¡°That¡¯s fair, but is that really all there is?¡± Sophia furrowed her brows in response. ¡°Well, you can ask Fen and Aura about it. My strict personality is my prominent one because my sense of duty is very high, but they will confirm that I also play around when the circumstances are right. Me knowing a lot more about magic than is known in the regular world, thanks to Mira, also adds to that. I have the self-given duty to not interfere in that area, so I¡¯m strict about ridiculous magics, as well as my instincts to protect Chloe at all costs because I know how dangerous magic can be.¡± ¡°So the domains are like a holiday home to you?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Fey liked the analogy. ¡°Especially yours.¡± ¡°Because you care more about Mira than you do about me, fair enough.¡± She couldn¡¯t blame the fox for that. "I mean¡­" She scratched her cheek. "Not exactly false, but I was speaking about the extra rules you mentioned that apply to your domain. Not being able to get hurt, and even more so, not being able to hurt others, is SUCH a nice thing that actually made me start to like this place and not just simply treat it as a plaything of overseers and whatever you are supposed to be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really proud of my rules!¡± ¡°You should be.¡± ¡°I guess it makes sense that you seem a bit more relaxed and outgoing, then. I haven¡¯t really spent that much time with you, either, so it was even more of a shock to me. I bet Steph already knows more of that side of yours.¡± ¡°She¡¯s partly responsible for it, too.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± The blonde tilted her head. "I mean, you were kind of right about the times when you said I picked up some habits from your sister." ¡°I knew it!¡± ¡°Mira encouraged me to do so.¡± The fox scratched her cheek. ¡°Steph¡¯s the partner of our daughter, so you should try to understand her better and see why Chloe loves her, is what she said.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Mira!¡± Sophia was proud of the overseer. "That doesn''t mean I fully approve of Steph yet and am happy about how hyper she is. I will continue to be strict with her, especially in the regular world, and hell will break loose if she ever dares to hurt my baby.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia had no intention of stopping her there. ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy you¡¯re trying to give my sister a chance and found something to your liking in my domain.¡± ¡°I have mixed feelings about the first part, but I¡¯m positively surprised by your views on things, especially regarding friends and family.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°I will show no mercy if you do anything stupid, though. Especially when you do something ridiculous in the regular world.¡± Her strict side returned. ¡°I will continue to try and teach you some manners, too. As well as ensuring that you pay more attention to your surroundings, magic, and your general situational awareness on top of your non-existent broken common sense even for someone that understands magic as well as I do." ¡°Good luck!¡± Sophia smirked at her. Afterward, the two continued to chat for a good while longer to try and understand each other better. Chapter 106 – Cozy time Sophia got curious about Fey¡¯s personality because it seemed to have changed drastically after the transformation into her humanoid body. It turned out to be more of a coincidence because Sophia simply hadn''t spent enough time with her yet. The changes were primarily based on the fox-girl not being in the regular world, where she feels responsible for upholding discipline and order, thanks to her extensive knowledge, combined with her wanting to understand Steph, the girlfriend of her daughter, better, among various other things. ¡°Fenfen!¡± The duo weren¡¯t the only ones having a good time together. Even before Sophia returned home, running into Fey, and everything that happened after, Chloe went to visit the male wolf in his forest to spend some time with him. ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly a surprise.¡± Fen, who was relaxing in the shade under his favorite maple tree on the soft and comfortable moss in the middle of his biome, lazily lifted his head to look at the pink fox. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not a bother right now.¡± She just smiled at him. ¡°You would never be.¡± He seemed to be in a good mood. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Chloe liked his reply. ¡°Is there anything I can do for you?¡± He was wondering why she came to visit. ¡°Did Sophia do something ridiculous again?¡± ¡°No.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I at least don¡¯t think so?¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her today, but you never know when it comes to her.¡± ¡°True.¡± He nodded along. ¡°I just wanted to visit you.¡± ¡°Oh, I see!¡± ¡°I really like this forest!¡± The fox looked around with a big smile on her lips. ¡°It¡¯s so cozy!¡± ¡°That was the goal~.¡± Fen was glad she liked it. ¡°Though, a lot of the praise belongs to Ari because she helped a whole lot.¡± ¡°I heard about that.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°I was quite surprised about that.¡± ¡°Yes, I hadn¡¯t expected it, either.¡± He was just as surprised about their sudden collaboration. ¡°Would you like to do something with me, too?¡± She wanted in on the fun. ¡°As long as it isn¡¯t anything related to snow or anything else cold, I¡¯m willing to listen.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Chloe let out a small chuckle. ¡°There are way too few enjoyers of the cold in this group.¡± ¡°I think there are too many.¡± He disagreed with her. ¡°There are more than zero, after all.¡± ¡°Yet another explanation why you and Sophia get along so well, huh?¡± ¡°And Ari.¡± Fen agreed. ¡°She seems to dislike the cold the most, after all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, while I prefer the cold, I would never force it on anyone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s reassuring to hear.¡± ¡°Do you plan to leave this place completely natural, or are there any plans to make something homely inside the forest?¡± ¡°For example?¡± He showed some interest in her question. ¡°Something like a small and cozy log cabin somewhere inside here somewhere. Napping outside is nice, but knowing Sophia, there will be a weather system in her domain sooner or later. Outside naps are a lot less enjoyable when it¡¯s raining.¡± "A fair point.¡± Fen nodded. ¡°Especially if you add a fireplace, something like that is quite enjoyable.¡± ¡°After our cozy winter evenings in the capital mansion, I knew you¡¯d like that. Your favorite spot was on that rug right in front of the fire, after all." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "I am unable to say anything in my defense." ¡°I knew I¡¯d get you with that.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯d like to keep this forest natural after all, though.¡± Fen liked the place he and Ari created, so he was reluctant to change it that much. ¡°That being said, I wouldn''t be against the idea of creating a new area with a cozy hut like that in the middle of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯d love that!¡± Chloe lightly clapped her hands while smiling at him. ¡°Okay, hear me out on this, okay?!¡± Her eyes suddenly started sparkling. ¡°Half of the coziness of napping in front of a fireplace in the mansion came from it being winter and how you see it being snowy and cold outside from the windows, right?¡± ¡°I suddenly don¡¯t like where this is going.¡± The wolf had a bad feeling. ¡°Again, I¡¯m not going to force you, but think about maximum comfiness possible!¡± ¡°Fine, go on.¡± Fen reluctantly let her continue. ¡°Imagine a densely-grown and evergreen needle-leaf forest full of firs, pines, spruces, and larches. In the middle of that forest, we will place the coziest log cabin in existence. Here comes the twist, though!" ¡°Can we do it without the twist?¡± The wolf already had a feeling he''d know what it was. ¡°That¡¯s the most important part!¡± The fox shook her head. ¡°The entire forest and the hut will then be covered in a nice layer of snow! Not on a level where everything is completely buried in it, but rather just a nice coating of white everywhere. Once Sophia has the sky thing sorted out, we¡¯ll make it permanently night with the starriest night sky anyone ever saw. Enough to illuminate the area and make the snow and forest look extra cozy!¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± He sounded conflicted. ¡°I like the sound of it, but¡­ We just escaped the snow hellscape! To be actually working with it again. Not to mention that I¡¯d need to go through it whenever I want to get to the comfy fireplace.¡± ¡°That can be easily solved!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t want to let go of the idea so soon. ¡°We can have Sophia put a portal inside the log cabin, so the only time you¡¯ll be seeing snow is through the window while relaxing in front of the fireplace.¡± ¡°Enticing.¡± Fen was slowly starting to believe. ¡°I can do everything related to the snow, too! We can do the landscaping, the forest, and the cabin together before I take care of that!" ¡°How are we going to do the log cabin, though?¡± The wolf tilted his head. "I don''t like to assume things, but you don''t strike me as a carpenter." ¡°Ah.¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that! Oh!¡± She suddenly clapped her hands. ¡°There are a lot of great carpenters in the village where we met! I¡¯m sure we could commission them to make one for us. I doubt a small cabin would cost all that much, not to mention that we¡¯re, uhh¡­ kinda rich? After all, we just need to deal with a slightly strong monster to get a huge reward.¡± ¡°That could work. Though, do you think Sophia would let them in here to work on it?¡± ¡°Do they have to?¡± The fox looked at him. ¡°Alex and the others from the village could build it there, and once it''s done, Sophia goes and yoinks it like the cottage back in the capital.¡± ¡°That tiger of ours is quite handy, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Very!¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°So? Let¡¯s go?!¡± ¡°If you keep the snow away from me, I¡¯m inclined to give it a try.¡± He was still worried about that part. ¡°More comfortable places to nap are always welcome, after all.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± The fox-girl looked delighted. ¡°Should we start right now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡± He nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the village first to ask Alex and the others about the log cabin! Afterward, we can start planning out the area!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Afterward, they returned to the cottage and headed to the portal hub there to travel to the elven village where the group first met Chloe. ---------------- ¡°Remind me to tell Sophia that she should sort out that portal hub of hers, okay?¡± The duo arrived in the blonde¡¯s treehouse inside the village hidden in the forest near the capital, and Chloe felt like complaining to the wolf. ¡°That is a good idea.¡± Fen nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just a massive all-white room with about 40 portals leading to wherever¡­¡± ¡°They¡¯re not marked, either!¡± She seemed a little upset. ¡°It took us four tries to get here!¡± ¡°Indeed, some signs surely wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± He saw the issue. "A little bit of grouping them into similar destinations, either.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Chloe agreed with him. ¡°Well, whatever, let¡¯s head over to Alex and tell him about our plan!¡± Dropping the topic, the duo went to the bar that was the central gathering hub of the village to look for Alex, an older fox-man with brown hair who had been more or less leading this place. ¡°Chloe! Fen!¡± Entering the bar, the man in question spotted them first. ¡°What a surprise! It¡¯s been a while!¡± ¡°Alex!¡± Chloe waved back at him. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Naturally, the male fox got curious about them. ¡°We¡¯ve come for a business inquiry!¡± The pink fox was highly excited about her plan. "Oho!" Alex was in high spirits but also looked rather confused. "Bless me with details, my dear." ¡°We¡¯re looking for some skilled carpenters to build us a log cabin!¡± Chloe showed him a bright smile. "You''ve certainly come to the right place. We have a bunch of amazing carpenters, but I thought you all left to travel? What sense does a cabin make in this context?¡± "Sophia has a fancy type of magic that can transport everything, regardless of size, from one place to another. I only want it to be made here, but the cabin will be placed somewhere else once it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Alex nodded a couple of times. "So, you want a log cabin, huh?" He didn''t even try to comprehend what he just heard. ¡°The coziest one!¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°Alright, let''s head over to our best carpenters! I''m sure they''re delighted to receive a job request from our cutest pink honorary villager!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Afterward, the trio left the tavern, and Alex guided them to the mentioned carpenters to let Chloe explain exactly what she wanted to get in her cozy dream cabin. Chapter 107 – Big baby wolf
Chloe went to Fen¡¯s cozy forest to pay him a visit. There, she suggested creating another comfortable place together with the wolf because she wanted to spend time with him. Fen was reluctant at first because the pink fox suggested something involving snow, but a warm fireplace inside a cozy log cabin in the middle of a snowy forest did catch his interest in the end. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for it to be done!¡± Chloe and Fen were back in the entrance hall of the cottage inside Sophia¡¯s domain, and the fox was energetically bouncing up and down. ¡°You sure went all out with it, too.¡± Fen turned his head to follow the pink swirl zooming around him. ¡°What was that about keeping it small and cozy again?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t end up that big!¡± She stared back at him. "A small kitchen and a bathroom were necessary! An extra bedroom wouldn¡¯t hurt, either. You¡¯re the one who wanted that extra-large fireplace and bigger living room.¡± "That was the sole reason I agreed to your plan in the first place." ¡°Fair enough.¡± The fox wasn¡¯t going to tease him. ¡°Should we get started on the forest now?¡± ¡°Can we even do that without Sophia?¡± Fen tilted his head. ¡°She needs to give us a place and a piece of land with saplings to get started. ¡°We could get a pine sapling from Aura, but that¡¯s not really it.¡± ¡°Steph¡¯s working on a taiga that would be the perfect basis for our forest. She has exactly the trees we need. The area is so big that she had Sophia place portals all over the place to quickly get from one spot to another there. If we go to the very edge of her biome, we should find a pristine spot with a lot of saplings!¡± ¡°That sounds like a plan to me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Still in high spirits, Chloe guided him to the portal that led to Steph''s place, and from there, they took another one to get to the edge of the dog-girl''s biome, where everything was left untouched. ---------------- ¡°You could¡¯ve warned me that Steph¡¯s portal hub in her place is inside an ice palace!" There was something the wolf had to complain about once they arrived. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have come with me if I did.¡± The fox-girl just smiled at him. ¡°¡­¡± There was nothing he could say. ¡°Anyway, you were right about this being a good spot.¡± Fen looked at the area around them. It was a barren taiga on a completely flat terrain with some shrubs here and there, together with some firs, pines, spruces, and larches in varying sizes. Most of them could still be classified as saplings. ¡°We should be able to turn this place into something cozy with ease.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Chloe was happy he wasn¡¯t upset with her. ¡°Oh, should we add a little river next to the cabin? Rivers are cozy, right?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be against it.¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°Sophia¡¯s cherry blossom forest is in a hilly area. Do you think we can do something similar? I feel like the most atmospheric would be for the log cabin to be in a little valley enshrouded by a massive mountain range all around it. Together with the river flowing through it.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°I really like the idea!¡± She agreed with him. ¡°Sophia mentioned that it took about 30 times her powers to create that forest, though. Are we able to do that?¡± ¡°Maybe not as fast as her, but with both of us together, we almost match her authority, so it shouldn¡¯t be impossible? If I remember right, your regeneration is even faster than hers, too.¡± ¡°Good point!¡± Chloe hadn¡¯t thought about that. ¡°Also, her cherry forest is massive. If we encircle the entire valley with the mountain range, we only need a couple of kilometers in each direction because you can¡¯t see past the mountains.¡± Fen added some details. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± She lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Do you have any idea how we do that, tho,- Oh, hey Blu!¡± While the fox was tilting her head and wondering how they could put their plan into motion, their favorite bird suddenly appeared out of nowhere and landed on her shoulder before lightly rubbing its head against her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± The wolf ignored the perfect timing of the parakeet¡¯s arrival and focused on Chloe. ¡°I understand how plants grow under the influence of magic, but how it turns into a complete landscape is beyond me.¡± ¡°I asked Mira about that because I wasn¡¯t satisfied with what I heard so far.¡± Chloe smiled at him while petting the bird on her shoulder. ¡°It felt like she was hiding something from me, but it seems like nature and magic are in a symbiotic relationship. Raw environmental magic, so the particles some of us, myself included, can see, apparently can change into base elements and materials. Magic gets absorbed by plants, and they generate new magic in return. The excess magic generated can turn into things beneficial for the plants, like more and better soil. She didn¡¯t want to explain how any of it works, though. Just that it works.¡± She seemed a little miffed about that. ¡°Blu, you don¡¯t happen to know how that works, right? I mean, you have more magic than any of us combined.¡± The fox looked to her side, but the parakeet just froze for a moment before tilting its head away from her gaze. ¡°Just kidding~.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Fen thought about it for a moment. "In the end, the how is not that important for it to work, but it is a little odd. Still, the general concept seems sound enough to me. Although, how can we use that for our mountain range idea?¡± He noticed a flaw. ¡°It¡¯s purely for aesthetic reasons and not beneficial for plants, right?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Chloe awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°We might need to get a little creative there. We could try to get some plants that usually only grow on mountain ranges, like certain types of shrubbery, and hope they come with a mountain once it''s fed magic?" ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s that easy?¡± The wolf wasn¡¯t sure about her suggestion. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to try, does it?¡± She smiled at him again. ¡°Sophia still has that portal to the cherry blossom forest in the valley between the mountain range in the regular world. That area is actually pretty similar to what we¡¯re planning, so if we collect a lot of stuff and place it in the areas we want it to grow into mountains, maybe?¡± It was a lot of wishful thinking on her end. ¡°I see two significant issues with that idea.¡± Fen didn''t seem convinced. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°For one, I¡¯d have to go to Steph¡¯s ice palace again. On top of that, our destination would be snowy mountains. I don''t even know what I like less.¡± ¡°You big baby!¡± Chloe and Blu were shaking their heads. ¡°Okay, how about this? This lovely bird and I will go and collect the things from the mountain range while you¡¯re going to outline the valley and where the mountain range should be. You¡¯re quite fast, after all.¡± ¡°That sounds a lot better.¡± He was a fan of that. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± Energetically raising her arm, Chloe, with the parakeet on her shoulder, disappeared through the portal. ¡°Such an energetic girl.¡± Letting out a small sigh, though not sounding annoyed in the slightest, Fen also got to work. ---------------- ¡°Can you believe him?¡± After walking through a couple more portals, Chloe and Blu finally arrived in the original cherry blossom forest they found hidden behind the mountain range in the regular world, where the fox-girl glanced at the bird. "How can a big wolf like him be such a baby?!" In response to that, it just chirped a couple of times as it flew over to a cherry tree and landed on a branch there. ¡°Exactly!¡± Chloe thought so, too. Not that she understood the parakeet. ¡°Oh, right, we haven¡¯t told you about our plan, huh?¡± The fox was still talking with Blu. ¡°Fennyfenny and I want to make the coziest winter-themed forest! We already ordered an amazing cottage for maximum comfy! We want to place it in a valley that¡¯s encircled by a massive mountain range all around! Inside the valley, we want a little river together with a dense taiga-like forest with lots of pines, firs, spruces, and the like! Afterward, I want to coat everything in a nice layer of snow!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that sound amazing?!¡± In response to the hyper girl, the parakeet just nodded. ¡°Right now, we¡¯re going to collect plants that grow on the side of the mountain range in the hope that if we feed them magic inside Sophia''s domain, it will also grow a mountain because the plants only grow there. I know it sounds farfetched, but we really want those mountains! Do you think it could work?¡± Listening to her, Blu paused for a moment and then just tilted its head. ¡°Yeah, no idea what I was expecting.¡± Chloe shrugged at the seemingly clueless bird. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s just collect a bunch of plants and see what happens!¡± Afterward, she began walking over to the mountain on her left. Having arrived there, the pink fox climbed up it a little and collected all sorts of little plants she recognized being exclusive to only growing there and nowhere else before returning to Fen later on. Chapter 108 – Planting plants Chloe and Fen were trying to find out how they could make their cozy winter theme work. They went ahead and ordered a log cabin from the carpenters in the village where they first met the fox girl. Afterward, while struggling to understand how it really worked, the pink fox went to gather plants that exclusively grew on mountain ranges in the hope it would affect the landscaping in Sophia''s domain when they fed them with magic. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± After around two and a half hours, Chloe returned to the area Fen was in and lightly greeted him while carrying a bunch of small plants in her arms. Blu was flying around her while having a little plant in its beak, as well. ¡°Welcome!¡± The wolf lightly greeted her. ¡°I just finished marking the outline of the valley, too. We¡¯re right in the middle of an oval with a radius of five to ten kilometers. I felt like a perfect circle would be a little too unnatural. I think it¡¯s way past 500 square kilometers in total. Way more than enough, if you ask me. The circumference I marked had a good 100 kilometers, as well, so I also got a nice workout out of it~." ¡°Sounds good! That¡¯s plenty big indeed!¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Wait!¡± Chloe then looked down at her arms. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have enough plants to mark an outline of 100 kilometers!¡± ¡°Hmm, it seems like you have about 20 plants there?¡± ¡°25.¡± Chloe corrected his guess. ¡°26 with the one Blu¡¯s carrying.¡± ¡°That should be enough, I think.¡± Fen tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s enough for every four kilometers. It sounds like a big distance, but in the grand scheme of things, it should still show the shape we want it to be.¡± "That''s true." She nodded. "It''s not like it must be a perfect oval, either. ¡°WAIT!¡± Chloe suddenly got loud. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean we have to walk the whole 100 kilometers to place the plants?!¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°That¡¯s too much for frail little me!¡± ¡°Lazy little you, you mean?¡± Fen looked right at her while shaking his head. Blu then landed on the wolf¡¯s head and did the same before he continued. ¡°There¡¯s nothing frail about you.¡± ¡°Fennyfenny, can I get a lift~?¡± She didn¡¯t even bother protesting his correction because there was nothing she could protest, and she went right to plead with him. ¡°For someone being raised by that Fey, you sure are spoilt.¡± The wolf rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s exactly because I was raised by her~.¡± Chloe smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯ve been with her in the past, right? So, you should very well know how she is when her dutiful side is on break.¡± ¡°That might be true, but still.¡± ¡°Please~.¡± She just looked at him with upturned pleading eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been learning how to do that from your puppy girlfriend, huh?¡± The wolf had no chance against her puppy eyes. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright, fine.¡± Fen gave up and transformed into his original form, with his shoulder height being over two and a half meters high. ¡°Yay!¡± The pink fox immediately jumped on his back while Blu was still on the wolf¡¯s head from before his transformation. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Do not hurry me when you¡¯re riding on my back.¡± He didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Yeah, Feyfey also always gets upset when I do that¡­¡± Chloe sounded a little awkward. ---------------- Once everyone was hanging on tight to him, Fen went full speed ahead, and the group reached their destination in just a few minutes. ¡°Here we are.¡± The wolf brought them about five kilometers away from the portal and gestured at a small line dug into the ground that stretched in two directions away from the group. ¡°That¡¯s the perimeter of the oval I mentioned.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Chloe, who was still on his back, nodded a couple of times. "I assume you used magic to dig this line?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°I was quite tempted to dig a trench using my paws, but that would''ve taken too long." ¡°Understandable.¡± She saw his reasoning. ¡°Blu, would you like to plant the plant you¡¯re holding first?¡± The fox looked at the little parakeet sitting between Fen¡¯s ears on his head right in front of her. In response to that, the bird took flight and quickly landed on the line the wolf had created. There, it dug a small hole with its claws before putting the little plant from its beak in it. Once it was done, Blu flew back to Fen¡¯s head. ¡°Good job!¡± Chloe gave the bird a gentle pat. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°How should we continue from here?¡± Fen looked at the little plant the parakeet had put in the ground. ¡°We said that putting a plant down every couple of kilometers, but that alone won¡¯t do much, won¡¯t it?¡± ¡°True.¡± The fox thought so, too. ¡°We definitely need to release some of our magic on the plants so that they can grow, hopefully together with a mountain." ¡°Would that turn into a mountain range, though?¡± The wolf wasn¡¯t sure about that, either. ¡°It seems like that, if it will work in the first place, would make more smaller mountains, no?¡± ¡°Another good point.¡± Chloe tilted her head while thinking about the dilemma. ¡°Maybe we should slowly release our magic while running around the perimeter of your oval?¡± ¡°Hmm, so that we draw the location we want the mountain range to grow with the raw magic? I guess that¡¯s worth a try.¡± Fen thought it could work. ¡°I¡¯ll rely on you to make sure that we evenly spread the magic, then. While I can roughly feel it, you having the ability to see magic is a lot more reliable.¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± The fox-girl was more than happy to help. ¡°The only question left now is how much magic to use.¡± The wolf took a short break. ¡°The perimeter is around 100 kilometers so that roughly means we can use 1% of our magic per kilometer. That doesn¡¯t sound enough to grow a mountain, does it?¡± ¡°If you put it like that, it does seem like it wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°Still, Sophia made that massive forest with about 30 times her powers. It has a couple of hills and cliffs, as well. No actual mountain ranges, but our idea is sooo much smaller.¡± ¡°Yes, you might be right.¡± He didn¡¯t sound too convinced. ¡°Wait, how long do you need to regenerate your authority again?¡± ¡°Ever since Steph increased my total authority, it increased by a bit. I¡¯d say it¡¯s about ten minutes from empty to full.¡± ¡°THAT¡¯S SO FAST!¡± He got loud. ¡°I guess that¡¯s being the daughter of the overseer of magic for you, huh?¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Chloe liked his reaction. ¡°Why are you asking?¡± ¡°Do you have one of Sophia¡¯s portable portals on you?¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± She nodded before touching the cherry blossom hairpin above her bang. ¡°Actually, I had Sophia enchant this pin with the portal magic so that I always have it on me!¡± "Clever!" Fen seemed impressed. "How about you use 10% of your magic per kilometer, and we have a short break every ten kilometers, during which you take a quick trip to the regular world to reset your authority?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great idea!¡± The fox liked his plan. ¡°This will be fun!¡± ---------------- Fen ran alongside his previously created line, and they planted two more of the plants on the way before taking a break to let Chloe¡¯s authority reset. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re running low?¡± The wolf noticed how he could barely feel any magic on the fox any longer. ¡°Yep, I¡¯m about done.¡± She just nodded before jumping off his back and placing the plants she had in her arms on the ground. Then, Chloe took off the pin from her hair and poured some magic into it. Immediately after, a portal opened in front of her arm where she was holding the pin. ¡°That sure seems handy.¡± Fen looked at the spectacle. ¡°Maybe I should ask Sophia to get me one, too.¡± ¡°You would look super cute with a flower pin on your head!¡± The fox was a big fan of the idea. ¡°I wasn¡¯t necessarily talking about that part.¡± He rolled his eyes in return. ¡°Aww!¡± She looked extremely disappointed. ¡°It would be adorable, though!¡± ¡°You do realize that that¡¯s part of the issue, right?¡± Fen stared at her while slightly moving his head from side to side. ¡°How about a piercing for one of your ears? That would be cool!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t want to let go of the idea so soon. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that¡­¡± He had some mixed feelings about that. ¡°I didn¡¯t hear a no! Let¡¯s go!¡± She got only more excited. ¡°Please step through the portal and reset your authority.¡± ¡°Okay~.¡± With a slight smirk on her lips, the fox disappeared. ¡°She¡¯s a dangerous one.¡± Fen let out a sigh once she was gone, while Blu, who was still on his head, nodded a couple of times. ¡°It¡¯s so easy to get caught in her pace. Just like a certain blonde girl we know.¡± The wolf then rolled his eyes while the parakeet kept nodding. "Alright, let''s continue!" Precisely ten minutes later, the energetic fox returned and immediately jumped back on Fen¡¯s back before pointing forward over his head. ¡°What did I say about hurrying me?¡± He didn¡¯t move an inch in return. ¡°Ah, right, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Chloe quickly apologized. ¡°I¡¯m too excited! Should we continue?¡± ¡°That sounds better.¡± The wolf reacted with a slight nod before he started running. Afterward, they continued along the line the wolf made beforehand while putting a plant in the ground every couple of kilometers as the fox-girl took frequent breaks to reset her authority. --------------- ¡°Aaaand we¡¯re done!¡± The trio, Blu included, had spent the last half day planting plants Chloe collected from a mountain range, and they just arrived back at the first plant they started on when the fox-girl happily clapped her hands. "It took a lot longer than I had thought, but it''s finished." Fen nodded along. "Well, it''s mostly because I also took a few breaks to regenerate a little of my authority, too.¡± ¡°Yeah, we forgot that we also need some magic to grow the forest itself, after all.¡± ¡°Should we do that right now?¡± Fen tilted his head. ¡°I guess it would be best to head back to the center and spread out our remaining authority from there?¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me.¡± The fox-girl liked the idea, and they moved to the center of the oval where they had planted the plants until now. There, the two released almost all of their remaining authority all around them. ¡°So sparkly~.¡± Chloe marveled at the raw magic particles she could see all around for a moment before using a little bit of air magic to scatter and evenly distribute them over the entire valley they were trying to create. ¡°That should be it!¡± ¡°Phew.¡± The wolf let out a sigh. ¡°Should we call it a day? This turned out to be more exhausting than I had anticipated.¡± ¡°True.¡± Chloe agreed. ¡°We have to wait for a day or two now to see how it turned out, anyway. I just hope it forms into a nice mountain range together with a forest in the valley like we imagined!¡± ¡°That would be nice.¡± "Okay, let''s go home! Blu, are you coming with us?" She looked at the bird that was still on Fen''s head while pointing at the portal next to her. In response to that, the parakeet shook its head before immediately taking flight. Before long, it had disappeared from sight, as well. ¡°I guess someone¡¯s busy, huh?¡± The pink fox shrugged while watching the bird leave. Once the two were alone, they stepped through the portal and decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. Chapter 109 – Storing magic
Chloe and Fen were still working on their cozy winter biome and were making great progress after they agreed on how to do it. The two still weren¡¯t sure it would work because they were assuming a lot of things about magic, but they were motivated, and that''s all that was important. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I was expecting that.¡± Sophia and Fey, as well as Chloe and Fen, weren''t the only odd duos of the day. Mira was in the small cottage of her own domain when she opened the door for a guest. "What can I do for the esteemed princess of the beastfolk kingdom?" She smiled at Anna, who had come to visit her for some reason. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not a bother?¡± The tall tiger looked a little awkward. ¡°You would never~.¡± The overseer was still smiling and gestured her inside. "I take it you want to chat?" ¡°Thank you!¡± Anna entered the cottage, and the two went to the living room together, where they sat down. ¡°So, what¡¯s up?¡± Having gotten comfortable on the sofa across from the princess, Mira tilted her head while looking at her. ¡°I¡¯ve come for guidance!¡± ¡°Oho!¡± She nodded a few times. ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I want to get better at using magic!¡± The tiger raised her voice. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m lagging behind in the group!¡± "You''ve certainly come to the most knowledgeable individual in that regard, but you also know that I can¡¯t just tell you things about magic.¡± ¡°A, you already broke this rule more times than I can count, and that¡¯s just talking about all those times I was present when Sophia or Chloe wanted to know something.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°B, I also know that you will confirm things when I guess correctly, so I just have to throw enough ideas at you. That¡¯s what those two do, too, after all." ¡°What an observant princess.¡± The overseer scratched her cheek. ¡°You don¡¯t really need to be observant for that.¡± ¡°I just love my daughter, okay?!¡± ¡°Sophia¡¯s your daughter?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°It would explain sooo much, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about the pink one!¡± The overseer got loud. ¡°Sophia¡¯s just a curious tiger that knows how to get answers out of me.¡± ¡°I want to be that tiger, too!¡± The princess pointed at herself. "Alright, throw some stuff at me, and let''s see what happens." "Okay!" She sounded pretty determined. ¡°When Sophia, Chloe, and I were exploring the cherry blossom forest, we found a cave with a massive translucent crystal. Blu landed on it and accidentally showed us that the thing sucks magic out of you and stores it. The three of us then poured all of our magic into the crystal until it got all sparkly while glowing in a pink light.¡± ¡°That little parakeet¡­¡± Mira rolled her eyes, knowing full well that it wasn¡¯t accidentally. ¡°Anyway, we all wanted to see a crystal forest, and when we returned to the same place the day after, the area had turned into exactly that, and the crystal became translucent again, ready to absorb more magic." ¡°So, what¡¯s the question?¡± ¡°Was our theory correct? Are there crystals that can store magic?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As they had basically found out about it already, the overseer had no intention to hide it. ¡°Awesome!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°All of us together filled it up in an instant and directly used it, but can you also store it inside the crystal for longer and slowly store more over days or weeks?¡± ¡°What for?¡± The teal fox tilted her head. ¡°I have the least amount of magic power in the group, but I have high ambitions!¡± ¡°You love to hear it.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°I like the biomes everyone is making in Sophia¡¯s place, and I want to make my own.¡± The princess paused for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have enough power to make something truly amazing, though. After finding that crystal, I got the idea to place it in the area I want to create my biome, and whenever I have some excess magic, I would pour it into it. Once there''s enough inside the crystal, I would then use it to create my dream place.¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Not bad!" The overseer nodded a few times. "It seems like you gave it some good thought, and I like that~." ¡°I need to make do with what I have, after all.¡± She was happy that it seemed possible. "I can''t wait to get started!" ¡°There¡¯s an easier way for you to make an impressive biome in Sophia¡¯s place, though.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Anna perked up. ¡°How?! Also, I thought you were not going to openly help?¡± ¡°Sophia already found out about it. She just hasn¡¯t gotten around to tell you yet.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± She nodded. ¡°Well, she was pretty preoccupied with Ellie.¡± ¡°She did the same as you¡¯re planning, amassing a lot of extra magic to create something she shouldn''t be able to with her current powers." "The way-too-impressive cherry blossom forest, right?" The princess tilted her head. ¡°Yes.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°She used her portals to transfer magic from your world to her domain.¡± ¡°You can do that?!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°So, she just opened a portal and let the magic flow into her place?!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s a little more involved than that.¡± The overseer shook her head. ¡°You''ve heard the others use the term authority before, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, especially Chloe and Sophia use that all the time to describe their own magic.¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s how magic works.¡± Mira paused for a moment. ¡°The magic that resides inside of you is actually the authority you have over the available magic in your vicinity. The more authority you have, the better and longer you can control magic. Your magic also doesn''t exactly run out while using it, but you rather lose the authority to use it, and you get put on cooldown. There are exceptions, though, like using your authority to grow plants like in the biome you''re all playing with at the moment. There, you actually release your internal magic, which then slowly gets refilled by the free magic around you.¡± ¡°Ha." Anna went silent and thought about it for a little while. "That makes so much sense!¡± She suddenly raised her voice. ¡°So much more than all the stuff we¡¯ve been learning in the academy and my private teachers before meeting Sophia and the others!¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± The fox awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°The interpretation of magic on the beastfolk and human continent is lacking, to say the least. In fact, it somehow has gotten worse over time. You all got way too comfortable with it." ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had nothing to say in their defense. ¡°Wait, does that mean that there are places where this advanced knowledge of magic is common sense?¡± ¡°The inhabitants of the demon continent are fairly close to it, as well as constantly trying to push further to learn more about it.¡± Mira had to take another jab at the lazy beastfolk at the end. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s going to be sooo interesting once we finally go there!¡± The princess got excited instead. ¡°Anyway, I think I missed the part where this helps me make my biome in Sophia¡¯s domain, though.¡± ¡°Right, we went on a bit of a tangent there.¡± Mira got back to the initial topic. ¡°Sophia used a trick and was on both sides at the same time. ¡°While being in your world, she was regenerating her authority, but at the same time, she also was sending her raw magic through the portal by putting a part of her body through it.¡± ¡°Why is she so clever about the weirdest things?!¡± Anna was impressed by the fellow tiger. ¡°That¡¯s an excellent question.¡± The overseer had wondered about the same many times, as well. ¡°She¡¯s a most interesting fellow.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± The princess nodded in agreement. ¡°Wait, so I could just relax at home back in the castle all day while sticking a part of my body through a portal and slowly transferring my magic?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what Sophia did for her cherry blossom forest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cheap!¡± The tiger got loud. ¡°To be fair, she and Chloe are pretty much the only ones that can do it like that. They only need a couple of minutes to reset their authority completely so they can keep transferring magic for the entire day. You, unfortunately, can¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She hung her head in return. ¡°True, it takes me about half a day to fully be able to use magic again. Well, doesn¡¯t that mean the crystal would be the best for my situation, after all?¡± Anna scratched her cheek. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like Sophia''s portal trick would help me with my biome, or am I missing something?" ¡°There¡¯s nothing you gain from using the crystal either, though. At least not for this.¡± Mira got a little cryptic towards the end. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Just because you release your internal authority as pure magic, it''s not gone. It stays in the area where you released it until it has a purpose. Instead of filling the crystal, you can just keep releasing your magic in the area where you want to make your biome until you think it¡¯s enough. Only then, when you imagine the area that you want to build with your magic, it will get used and converted.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see what you mean now!¡± The princess clapped her hands. ¡°I thought that once you release your magic, it will latch onto the next best thing, but now that you mention it, the trees we played with also only changed after we wanted them to.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°But how do I know when I released enough magic? I can¡¯t see it like Sophia can, so it would be just guessing on my part.¡± ¡°The crystal glow also only shows how much it¡¯s filled, not how much magic it absorbed. The capacity varies greatly depending on its size and other variables.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s just guessing either way?!¡± Anna didn¡¯t like this revelation. ¡°You know, it¡¯s actually fairly easy to reliably gauge the environmental magic around you when you know what you¡¯re doing.¡± Mira tried to cheer her up. ¡°What gave you the impression that I know what I¡¯m doing?!¡± ¡°Ahaha, you and Sophia really have a lot in common~.¡± She felt very reminded of the other tiger. ¡°How about I give you a little training session?¡± ¡°The overseer of magic is going to teach me magic?!¡± The princess got so excited that she jumped off the sofa. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to teach you any new things, but as long as it''s just tricks a couple of people from the group already know, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s against my meddling rules, so I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± It didn¡¯t dampen her excitement in the slightest. Not giving her any time to think it over, Anna immediately dragged Mira out of the cottage so they could start training as soon as possible. Chapter 110 – Magic sensitivity Anna went to visit Mira because she wanted to get better at using magic and learn a few tricks to finally start building her biome in Sophia¡¯s domain. She was hoping to use the magic crystal that stores magic, and while it was possible, it turned out that other options seemed to make more sense for the situation. To use them, the princess needed to get better at feeling magic, and the overseer decided to give her a little training session. ¡°Are you ready to learn something~?¡± The two went to an open field in the overseer''s domain, where Mira smiled at the princess before looking in the far distance to her left. "Just in time, too." ¡°I¡¯ve never been more ready to learn!¡± Anna reacted with a big nod while ignoring the cryptic part of the overseer''s question. "Admittedly, that''s not a high bar, but ignore that!" ¡°Haha.¡± Mira let out a small chuckle. ¡°The goal is to make you understand and read magic levels in the area, so you have to concentrate a lot. I hope you¡¯re prepared.¡± ¡°Concentrating isn¡¯t one of my strong suits, but I¡¯ll give it my all and then some extra on top!¡± ¡°Your motivational levels are definitely up there, though.¡± The fox smiled at her. ¡°Okay, for starters, try to tell me how much magic is in the area around us right now.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Anna looked around before closing her eyes and pausing for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can feel anything at all.¡± She eventually shook her head. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good start.¡± Mira gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°When we got here, I removed the entirety of ambient magic around here. So, there is nothing for you to feel.¡± ¡°Yay, I guess?¡± The tiger tilted her head. ¡°The question is if I would¡¯ve felt anything even if you didn¡¯t do that, though. I can¡¯t say I ever felt magic in normal areas before. Only when being in your domain or certain places in Sophia¡¯s.¡± ¡°There is a difference between feeling nothing and not feeling it. The former comes from there being nothing, while the latter can be explained by being used to it so that you aren''t conscious about it anymore. Like breathing, for example. Most of the time, you just do it, but once you focus on it, it suddenly becomes a conscious thing.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Could you change the magic around us to regular levels so that I can try and feel a difference?" ¡°That was the plan~.¡± Saying so, the overseer blinked once. ¡°Okay, done~.¡± ¡°So quick!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the overseer of magic for nothing, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± The princess had forgotten about that for a moment. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see.¡± She then closed her eyes and concentrated for a little bit. ¡°Hmm, it still feels like nothing, but more of a familiar nothingness, I guess?¡± She looked confused when she opened her eyes again. ¡°Good.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°If you feel a difference, that¡¯s a good sign. The familiarity of nothingness comes from your body being used to it, as I mentioned before. It simply ignores this level of magic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re just giving me too much credit, though.¡± Anna didn¡¯t feel like she was understanding much. ¡°That¡¯s unlikely.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can see your potential, and let¡¯s just say that you¡¯re an excellent fit for your group.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s increase the ambient magic and see what happens, okay?¡± The overseer ignored her questioning expression and closed her eyes for a second. ¡°Okay, try and guess what I did.¡± ¡°Mrmm.¡± She first growled slightly over the evasive fox before doing as told and began to concentrate once more. ¡°Could I get a hint on how I should focus on the magic?¡± ¡°Magic is power, among many other attributes, so try to see if anything feels more powerful than usual.¡± ¡°Power, huh?¡± With her eyes still closed, Anna turned around on the spot a couple of times to feel her surroundings. ¡°I feel more powerful in certain areas in Sophia¡¯s domain, like in the cherry blossom forest or in the area around your cabin, but right now and here¡­?¡± She tilted her head and paused for a second. ¡°The air maybe feels a little richer, if that makes any sense to you?¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°It does.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°It was a subtle increase, so it might¡¯ve not been enough to make a meaningful distinction for you. Okay, try again now. I changed it a little more.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± This time, the princess went silent for two whole minutes. ¡°Hmm, I still wouldn¡¯t call it powerful, but it feels quite nice! Like, it¡¯s comfortable to be here? More akin to being loosely wrapped in a fluffy blanket if I had to describe it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting take.¡± The overseer looked at the tiger. ¡°I like it, though.¡± ¡°How much higher is the magic around us right now?¡± ¡°Around double the usual amount.¡± ¡°And it only feels like a comfy blanket to me?!¡± Anna was disappointed in herself. ¡°To be fair, Sophia¡¯s forest is several hundred times above the usual level, and my cabin area is in the high four-digit area." ¡°Ah.¡± The tiger went silent. ¡°Doubling the ambient magic sounds like a lot at first, but it¡¯s actually a very subtle change in reality.¡± Mira was smiling again. ¡°In fact, I only wanted to test and see if you feel anything different at all on this level. I¡¯m surprised you could differentiate it to such a level already.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Anna¡¯s face lit up. ¡°I told you that you have potential~.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Her motivation reached a new high. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try something more tangible next." Saying so, the teal fox closed her eyes, and immediately afterward, a pure white dome with a diameter of 100 meters and 50 meters high enshrouded them. The ground below then had been replaced by it, as well. ¡°This is the base of domains. It''s the same thing you see all over Sophia''s place because she''s not able to fill it yet. Right now, we''re disconnected from the rest of my domain, and I¡¯ve set it up in a way that magic can¡¯t cross the dome.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± Looking rather confused, the princess tilted her head. ¡°The feeling of the comfy blanket is gone, too. It¡¯s back to nothing again.¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s currently no magic inside this dome.¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s your turn now.¡± ¡°My turn?!¡± The surprised tiger pointed at herself. ¡°Exactly~.¡± ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°For starters, release all of your authority, and we¡¯ll continue from there. It¡¯s the same as when you want to grow a sapling, just without thinking about the flora part.¡± ¡°Sounds easy enough.¡± Nodding once, the princess immediately got to work. ¡°Alright, done!¡± It only took her around a minute to get rid of her magic. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Here, have it back~.¡± Mira then snapped her finger. ¡°Eh?¡± The princess jumped in response. ¡°My magic is back!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve reset your authority, yes.¡± ¡°You can do that?!¡± ¡°Again, overseer of magic and all that~.¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± It had slipped her mind again. ¡°The magic of your initial authority is still in the area, though.¡± Mira gestured around them. ¡°How much more than the usual ambient levels is at the moment?¡± ¡°Will the amount of my authority even make a dif- wow, okay!¡± The princess wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence before noticing the change. ¡°It feels like a lot more than when you doubled it earlier!¡± ¡°How much do you think?¡± ¡°Hard to say.¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s like two or three times as intense as the comfy blanket feeling from earlier.¡± She scratched her cheek while thinking about it some more before settling on something more definitive. ¡°If I had to take a guess, it feels like ten times as much as the normal nothingness. Give or take two, I guess.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Mira clapped her hands. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much spot on!¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s 9.84 times as much, but there¡¯s no need to go into that much detail. Not many are capable of sensing magic like that. Let''s keep going and make the feeling stick.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Anna immediately began to release her authority once more, but she soon noticed something odd. ¡°I¡¯m done, but it somehow felt like it took a lot longer to release my magic.¡± ¡°Again, nicely done noticing that.¡± The teal fox gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°I was sneakily resetting your authority while you were releasing it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To keep things interesting, of course.¡± She looked a little cheeky. ¡°Also, the ambient magic would¡¯ve simply doubled with your authority flooding the area a second time. Now, you have to actually feel the real amount.¡± ¡°So unfair!¡± Anna¡¯s expression turned into a pout. ¡°Well, it helps to learn and understand it better, so I guess that''s fair." She changed her mind after thinking about it. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see. It¡¯s still a lot less than Sophia¡¯s forest, so you didn¡¯t go completely wild.¡± ¡°I mean, it would¡¯ve taken you like half an hour of constant releasing your authority to get close to that level, so you¡¯d definitely stopped in the middle of it.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°So, it definitely feels like more than double as before, but the exact number is even harder to guess than the last time. I¡¯m inclined to say that it tripled from before, so around 30 times the base level?¡± ¡°Try a little harder.¡± Mira didn¡¯t seem fully content with her guess. ¡°Mhmm.¡± The tiger scratched her cheek while walking around in the area for a little bit to get a better reading. ¡°It could be as much as 35 times the amount, but I¡¯m fairly confident that it¡¯s not more than that.¡± ¡°30 times was the correct answer.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°Not cool!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all training~.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± The tiger raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why does it feel like you¡¯re just having fun with me?¡± ¡°Must be your imagination~.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Anna didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Yes.¡± Mira just nodded. ¡°Let''s continue.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Even though she was still dubious of her motivation, the princess agreed because she knew that she¡¯d greatly benefit from it regardless. After a short break, Anna continued her training for a reasonable amount of time while Mira was giving her clues, resetting her authority, and obviously teasing her a lot. Chapter 111 – Not bad
Mira was still training Anna to learn how to better read the magic and power levels around her in preparation for making her own biome in Sophia¡¯s domain. Even though the teal fox had a rather playful way of teaching her, the princess still made great progress and showed great potential on a level that even impressed the overseer. ¡°You¡¯re doing remarkably well!¡± The two were still in the all-white dome, and Mira had nothing but praise for the princess. ¡°Thank you!¡± Anna seemed proud of herself, too. ¡°That being said, my body is really confused! Exhausted in one moment after I released my magic and then feeling better than new immediately after when you reset my authority.¡± ¡°Sorry about that.¡± The overseer scratched her cheek. "A little warning on that, too, you¡¯ll be feeling rather sore tomorrow. It''s just like an incredible exercise for your body.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Well, I can deal with that much after having learned so much!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± ¡°That being said, the more magic there is around me, the harder it becomes to feel the exact amount. Is there anything I can do about that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a hard one.¡± Mira tilted her head. ¡°Sophia also still has that issue even though she can see magic. At some point, it becomes so dense that it¡¯s quite complicated to reliably tell the quantity of particles.¡± ¡°I mean, if even Sophia can¡¯t do it, I¡¯m happy enough!¡± As the blonde was the benchmark for her, Anna wasn¡¯t upset in the slightest. ¡°Also, to be fair, you managed to sense up to 150 times your own authority in the area around you. I doubt there will be many opportunities, at least in the near future, where you¡¯d need to be able to feel more.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°On top of that, it¡¯s all contained inside this small dome. If I want to make my own biome, it will spread way further, and it will take forever to reach this density, right?" ¡°Correct.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°If you¡¯re able to amass this much environmental magic in a bigger area, you could feasibly create something on the level of Sophia¡¯s cherry blossom forest.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± She got loud. ¡°If you spread it out enough, maybe not quite the same diameter, but I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°Let''s go!¡± It was enough for the tiger to get even more excited. ¡°Do you want to guess how much magic there is around us now?¡± With a snap of her finger, the overseer¡¯s expression turned cheeky. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Alright, how much is it?¡± ¡°No, that was my answer.¡± Anna shook her head. "How much; and my answer is yes.¡± She stared right at her. "This is clearly some four-digit or higher shenanigans you''re showing me right now. No way I could ever make an educated guess here!¡± ¡°You get some bonus points for at least noticing the rough idea here. I liked the sass, too.¡± The teal fox gave her another thumbs-up. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get rid of this dome to try a different approach and see when you can differentiate between magic levels." Saying so, she snapped her fingers again, which caused the all-white walls to disappear, and the green plain below their feet from before reappeared, as well. ¡°Okay?¡± The princess looked confused. ¡°The total amount of ambient magic will stay the same, but I ordered it to disperse in the area. I want you to constantly feel it and tell me once the density of it becomes thin enough for you to put it in a number based on your own authority.¡± ¡°So, basically, a reverse of what we¡¯ve been doing before? Steadily increasing the magic to the point where it becomes too much for me?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Close enough.¡± She nodded. ¡°Alright!¡± Nodding once, the princess then closed her eyes and began to concentrate on her surroundings to better feel the magic all around her. ---------------- Around 15 minutes had passed since Mira removed the dome around them and had tasked the princess to feel the magic around them go down in density. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°How is it going?¡± The fox got curious about her progress. ¡°I think I¡¯m getting there!¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°The feeling is getting clearer! It seems around 200 times my power, but with each passing second, it''s getting lower, and I can sense it better!¡± She closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident in saying it¡¯s about 175 now!¡± "Oho, you even squeezed out an improvement over earlier, not bad!¡± Mira smiled at her. "There really is something about tigers being more sensitive to magic, after all." ¡°Mother mentioned that she¡¯s good at sensing the powers of others, but it¡¯s nowhere near this level! Well, I think, at least!¡± ¡°She has nowhere near your current authority, either.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It gets amplified by that.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± The tiger understood the connection. ¡°Wait, so if my authority grows, if that¡¯s possible, my ability to sense magic gets better, too?¡± ¡°With a bit more training alongside it, yes.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°That¡¯s so cool!¡± "It''s lovely to see how much all of this excites you~." The overseer liked how invested Anna was in the topic. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Anyway, shall we take a break for the time being? I¡¯d say you earned it.¡± ¡°YES!¡± The princess liked the idea. ¡°My body yearns for a comfy sofa!¡± ¡°The exhaustion from the training is setting in, huh? Again, look forward to tomorrow. You¡¯ll feel it in every fiber of your being.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s relax for a bit!¡± Smiling at the tiger with the complicated expression, Mira snapped her fingers again, and the two instantly disappeared from the plain. They suddenly found themselves in the living room of the overseer''s cottage. ¡°You sure know how to brag, don¡¯t you?¡± Anna just looked at her. ¡°That was awesome, though!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Mira scratched her cheek. ¡°With great power comes great need to show off.¡± ¡°Is that why Sophia always wants to be in the center of attention?!¡± Everything suddenly made sense for the princess. ¡°No, I think that¡¯s just who she is.¡± The teal fox shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine her not being in the middle of everything regardless of her powers.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°She probably would try even harder to make up for it.¡± ¡°True.¡± Mira thought so, too. Having agreed that there¡¯s no possible constellation where their favorite blonde would ever not be in the center of attention, Mira served something to drink before the two got comfortable on the sofas while chatting some more. ---------------- ¡°By the way, I¡¯m still not quite done about those crystals that store magic.¡± Anna came back to the very first topic she had and the reason why she visited the overseer. ¡°Also, thank you very much for the training! I learned so much!¡± ¡°Even though you have a better alternative now?¡± The teal fox tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯re very welcome, too~.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m generally speaking here.¡± She shook her head. ¡°For my biome, I¡¯ll definitely use what I just learned.¡± ¡°Then, what do you mean?¡± ¡°Can those crystals be used in the regular world outside those domains you and Sophia have?¡± ¡°They can.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°They¡¯re incredibly rare, though. After all, they usually form in areas with high exposure to magic in the first place. Outside of our domains, magic tends to be spread out equally. There shouldn¡¯t be more than the ones below Sophia¡¯s cherry blossom forest, either, so I doubt she¡¯d like to part with it.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°Wait, incredibly rare doesn¡¯t mean nonexistent, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± The overseer smiled at her. ¡°There are around five places on the entirety of the beastfolk continent where you could find them. Three of them are in hard-to-find underground caves. One spot is at the bottom of a massive lake, though the last one is somewhat accessible in a giant crater, so there¡¯s that.¡± ¡°That is incredibly rare!¡± ¡°If not for you, what do you plan to do with the crystals in the regular world?¡± Mira got curious about her motivation. ¡°For my people!¡± Anna entered princess mode. ¡°I feel like those would be incredibly helpful for a variety of things! Especially for people with magic powers on the low side that have to rely on others! They could save up whatever magic they have left at the end of the day and use it in time when it''s needed. With small crystals, there would be little to no danger, either, because even if the regular folk, who aren''t gifted or have been boosted, or whatever like Sophia did for me, even saving up a week¡¯s worth of magic is nothing in the grand scheme of things. It would make all sorts of convenient things possible, though!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a tiger for you!¡± The teal fox seemed impressed. ¡°Always thinking about the others~.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± It was a compliment for her. ¡°By the way, those crystals are part of the same family as the heating ore you use for your stoves or the light stones that are used in the streetlamps. You power them with your internal magic, and those then slowly radiate warmth or light.¡± "Ohh!" Anna''s eyes started sparkling. "That means it really could be used by everyone after a bit of training. The scarcity issue aside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a lot more dangerous, too. After all, with those fixed elements, the result will always be the same. You can¡¯t oversaturate it, either. With the unattuned crystals, people could forget how much they charged or misinterpret the glow level and accidentally burn down their house when activating it with something fire-related.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The princess hadn¡¯t thought about that part. ¡°Well, you have a point there. Wait a moment!¡± She suddenly got loud. ¡°Yes?¡± Mira tilted her head. ¡°There¡¯s a mineral that stores and emits pure magic. There''s one that emits heat, one that radiates light..." ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡± She nodded. ¡°There has to be others, right?!¡± The tiger got excited again. ¡°Like something that spews out water when magic is put into it! Or wind!¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be something~?¡± The overseer reacted with nothing more than a cheeky grin. ¡°That¡¯s 100% a yes!¡± Anna had only one explanation for Mira¡¯s expression. ¡°Let¡¯s go! That actually would be even handier! So many quality-of-life things that could be done with those! I have to talk with Sophia about those!¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to find them, too.¡± The overseer found a flaw in her plan. ¡°If those exist, I mean, of course.¡± ¡°Minor details!¡± The princess was too fired up to care. Once she was set on the topic and felt the need to discuss it with her fellow tiger, Anna thanked the teal fox for the training again before heading back to the cottage. Chapter 112 – Friendly fire Anna finished the training she received from Mira and was able to detect the levels of raw magic around her much better now. Afterward, the tiger also found out that there potentially are several other minerals that could generate water or air when using raw magic on them, just like the already existing heating or light ores. ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t expect you to come here.¡± Aura was in her pine forest when she got surprised by the unexpected arrival of a certain black-haired jaguar. ¡°I heard that your biome is temperate but not cold, and there was a lot of praise for being gorgeous, so I got curious about it.¡± Ari looked around in the area before facing the wolf. ¡°It really does look nice. Pines are great trees. The best is the smell, though!¡± She became a quick fan of the forest. ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± Aura enjoyed the praise. ¡°Are you doing anything right now?¡± ¡°Bored?¡± The wolf tilted her head. ¡°Maybe a little.¡± Ari shrugged. ¡°Everyone seems to be doing their own thing today.¡± ¡°Yeah, I love Sophia¡¯s domain for that!¡± She nodded. ¡°Plenty of room for your own crazy things, but you also can just hop to someone else and play with them~.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°Anyway, I was just about to burn down most of this forest, so you came at the perfect time if you feel like playing with fire!¡± Aura came back to her question. ¡°Eh?!¡± The jaguar got loud. ¡°Why would you want to burn down this lovely place?¡± ¡°Forest fires introduce new nutrients to a forest that help it grow even better.¡± ¡°Even though the forest runs on magic?¡± Ari looked confused. ¡°Minor details!¡± ¡°Seems pretty major to me, though.¡± She tilted her head at the wolf. ¡°Well, to be fair, I was just hoping for the nutrient thing to be an added side effect.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the main motivation, then? I think it would be a shame to destroy this lovely place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m unhappy with the terrain.¡± Aura came to the main issue. ¡°I made this place before Sophia showed us her cherry blossom forest, and I didn''t know you could make your biome something else other than completely flat.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see!¡± The jaguar nodded while looking around in the forest and noticed that there was no elevation whatsoever. ¡°Is that really a reason to burn it down, though? It¡¯s still a nice place and Sophia would be happy to have as much space as possible of her domain covered. It might be better to add a new area to the forest that has improved terrain instead.¡± ¡°But I wanna burn down a forest!¡± The wolf started to sound pouty. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ari had no chance of going against her on that. ¡°So, do you want to join me?¡± ¡°In burning this place down or changing the terrain?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Aura¡¯s reply was full of smug. ¡°I should¡¯ve seen that one coming.¡± The jaguar looked a little awkward. ¡°I mean, I usually only like to burn things when I¡¯m upset, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you threatened to burn down Sophia¡¯s domain so many times already when she misbehaved, huh?¡± ¡°Precisely~.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Alright, do you want me to make you angry, or should we just have some fun together?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll go with the latter.¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t feel like becoming angry at the moment. ¡°How much of the forest do you want to burn down?¡± ¡°Whatever happens, happens~.¡± Aura gave her a playful reply. ¡°We¡¯ll start some nice fires and enjoy the show!¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing but free spirits in our group, huh?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°Okay, I give you the honor of the first burn.¡± ¡°Nu-uh!¡± Ari shook her head. ¡°This is your place, so you have to go first. Also, I have the feeling that pine trees take some effort to burn down, so I don''t want to embarrass myself by going first and doing no damage!" ¡°You overthink things too much, my dear~.¡± Saying so, Aura turned to her right. Then, she went silent for a few seconds, and immediately after, a massive pillar of fire with a diameter of 100 meters shot into the forest in front of her. ¡°Oh, you might be right about the pines being sturdy.¡± Once the flames were gone, she looked at the damage and noticed that while the pines were burned, many big pieces of carbonized trunks remained in the path of destruction she created. ¡°The fire isn¡¯t really spreading, either.¡± Ari pointed out that while there were still some flames burning here and there, the fire had basically not spread further than the initial pillar. ¡°Do you think magic maybe also reinforced them to make the trees sturdier?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be surprised if it didn¡¯t.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re probably right on that.¡± ¡°If I had to take a guess, constant burn for longer probably would be more effective than a short burst of strong flames.¡± The jaguar tried to come up with a strategy. ¡°Alright, give it a try!¡± The wolf encouraged her idea. ¡°Mhmm.¡± Tilting her head, Ari looked around for a little before stretching out her hand in front of her. ¡°Sophia is doing it all the time, but I¡¯m not that good at sensing magic levels around me, so I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s a good idea¡­¡± ¡°It will be fine!¡± Aura disagreed with her. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± She nodded. ¡°By the way, what are we talking about?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar just stared at her. ¡°You get along well with Sophia, don¡¯t you?¡± She felt a sense of d¨¦j¨¤-vu talking with her. ¡°I¡¯m a big fan of blondie!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Ari let out a dry laugh. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± The wolf got interested in her idea. ¡°When Sophia uses big types of fire magic, she always releases her internal magic in the area and then lights it on fire, creating a massive inferno that way. It seems like it would be ideal for our situation, but I¡¯m not good at sensing magic, nor do I have much at my disposal in the first place.¡± "I''m excellent at sensing magic, and I have way too much of it inside of me, too!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a nice coincidence?¡± Ari smiled at her. ¡°Sure is!¡± Aura nodded. ¡°Should we give it a try?¡± ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not dangerous?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it is dangerous~.¡± It was part of the reason why the wolf was a fan of the idea. ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll spread our magic nice and evenly. Then, immediately after we light it, we¡¯re going through to good old portal over her and leave the blast zone.¡± Aura gestured at the pink gate right next to them. ¡°Contrary to Steph, I don¡¯t enjoy being set on fire, either.¡± ¡°Oh, I like that!¡± Ari quickly calmed down after hearing that she had a plan. ¡°Okay, how about I release my magic around the portal area here, and you make a circle around that? You¡¯re a lot faster than I am, and you have at least ten times as much magic as I do, so you can cover a much larger area.¡± ¡°That sounds like a plan to me.¡± Nodding once, the wolf then immediately dashed off into the forest. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see how this will go wrong.¡± Having some doubts by now, Ari still got to work and also released her own internal magic in the area. ¡°Alright, we should be good!¡± Aura returned to the portal after around 15 minutes. ¡°Everything in a 10-kilometer radius around us is coated in a nice layer of raw magic. If that isn''t enough to get a forest fire started, I¡¯m out of ideas.¡± ¡°If your forest survives that, I think it has earned the right to stay, and you have to start new somewhere else." ¡°Fair enough.¡± The wolf agreed with her. ¡°Anyway, please do the honors of starting the fire~.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don''t want to do it yourself?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Aura nodded. ¡°It was your idea, after all.¡± ¡°Ah, you want someone to blame if it goes wrong, got it.¡± The jaguar saw through her. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Reluctantly agreeing to be in charge, the jaguar then used her last bit of magic to create a small ball of fire and shot it into the forest. Then, before it could ignite its surroundings, the duo quickly left through the portal. ---------------- ¡°How long do you think we have to wait?¡± Back in the portal hub, Ari tilted her head while looking at the wolf. ¡°That''s an excellent question." She had no idea, either. "Oh, wait a moment. Sophia made me another portal to the forest on a hill to overlook everything. That¡¯s the place that made me dislike the flatness in the first place, but it would be a good place to see how it¡¯s going. It¡¯s around 100 kilometers away from the area where we started the fire, so it should be safe for us to go there.¡± ¡°100 kilometer sounds good!¡± The jaguar was okay with the distance, and the two went through the second portal, which led to a different area inside the pine forest. ¡°¡­¡± Arriving there and looking in the direction of where they started the fire, the two instantly went silent. Their plan had worked perfectly, and the forest was burning down as they intended. The intensity of the flames was something else, though. Thanks to being on an elevated area, the duo was able to perfectly overlook the flaming inferno that had already reached a diameter of around 50 kilometers and was growing rapidly while eating away the pines. The crackling sound of the raging fire could even be heard from their position. The smoke it created was awe-inspiring, as well. Literal tons of it wafted into the air above the forest, and it was thick enough to block the all-white canopy of Sophia''s domain. The smoke was even above the two already and caused ash to rain down where they were, as well as coating the trees and the ground in a layer of grey. Aura and Ari watched the world burn for a little longer before eventually returning through the portal once the fire was closing in on them at a rapid pace, as well as the smoke and ash getting to a level where it felt dangerous to breathe. Chapter 113 – Change of plans Ari went to visit Aura in her pine forest and was immediately swept away in the pace of the wolf. In the end, the jaguar agreed to help her burn down the entire forest because Aura wanted to remodel it by adding more varying terrain to it as she disliked how flat it was. ¡°Well, magic sure is good fuel, huh?¡± After Ari and Aura evacuated to the portal hub to flee from the raging fire, the wolf wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°You think so?¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes while looking at her. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing the fire couldn¡¯t cross through the portal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°Not that I know why. Well, Sophia made those things, so it probably has some weird extra features we don¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°Like nothing dangerous can cross them?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Ari could see it being the case, too. ¡°What are we going to do now, though? That fire is probably going to burn for a week or two.¡± ¡°You might be right about that. Though, I¡¯d say that we could take a peek at the core, where we started the fire, as soon as tomorrow. Everything that could burn, should¡¯ve burned by then around there.¡± ¡°The smoke and ash might still be an issue, though." The jaguar had doubts about the plan''s safety. "Nothing a bit of air magic in the form of a massive breeze couldn¡¯t solve.¡± ¡°That could indeed work.¡± She was okay with that solution. ¡°Anyway, now that this is on halt for the time being, is there anything you want to do?¡± Aura then looked at the jaguar. ¡°As in?¡± She tilted her head in return. "A biome?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°You made the jungle around the cottage together with Maya, or rather, you two messed around with it, but are you planning anything else?¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Ari scratched her cheek. "I like the jungle a lot, and it already has some characteristics of it, but I''d love an actual full-fledged rainforest. Super dense and with a canopy towering above that blocks all light. The ground level should be super dark, foggy, and moist! Frequent rain, rivers, and lakes!¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s beast bits are tickled, huh?¡± ¡°My inner jaguar would be very happy to have a place like this.¡± She just nodded. "Should we make one?¡± Aura liked the idea. ¡°It¡¯s not a place I usually yearn for, but it sounds fun!¡± ¡°Eh, are you sure?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She nodded. ¡°We could go on the outskirts of the jungle and get started from there unless you''d prefer to start out fresh in a different place." ¡°I think it would look even better if it slowly blends into it starting from the jungle!¡± Ari was warming up to the idea. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Having decided on their spontaneous new plan, the duo returned to the cottage and used a portal from there that handily led them to the edge of the jungle Maya and the jaguar had grown back when they first started using the domain as their base to mess with Sophia. ---------------- ¡°Oho, I think this would be a nice area to start.¡± The two arrived on the edge of the jungle, where Aura took a look at their surroundings. ¡°Yes.¡± Ari nodded while glancing at the flora around them. The overgrowth and density of the regular jungle had disappeared, and only some larger kapok and a few types of Shorea trees remained together with various kinds of palms and general shrubbery. ¡°Should we ask Sophia for permission first, though?¡± ¡°I don''t remember you asking her when doing the first add-on to the jungle.¡± The wolf stared at her. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Because I was upset back then!¡± ¡°I don''t see why we should ask her.¡± Aura tilted her head. ¡°After all, she wants all of us to build as much as possible in her domain. Also, it¡¯s a tropical rainforest. It¡¯s a warm place. Not cold. In conclusion, she¡¯ll love it.¡± "A fair conclusion.¡± The jaguar saw no flaw in her argumentation. ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s give this a try!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The wolf was highly motivated. ¡°You said you want to focus on the rain part of the forest, right? Wet, damp, mossy, rivers, lakes, and of course, near constant rain.¡± ¡°Y-E-S!¡± She reacted with a big nod while her tail excitedly swished around in anticipation. ¡°My, someone¡¯s looking forward to it.¡± Her voice turned cheeky for a second. "Though, have you ever been to a rainforest to know what they look like?" ¡°Unfortunately, I haven¡¯t.¡± Ari hung her head. ¡°I¡¯ve only read about it and saw paintings depicting it. Somehow, it feels like my jaguar bits instinctively know how it looks, though.¡± ¡°I mean, technically, you are correct.¡± The wolf looked right at her. ¡°It¡¯s a lot messier than you think it is, though. Especially the ground layer. It¡¯s nothing but massive roots, dead and rotten plant material, all sorts of goop, and various types of mushrooms. It smells pretty foul, too.¡± ¡°It seems like you have some actual experience?¡± Ari was wondering where her details came from. ¡°Have you been there before?¡± "I''ve lived in a rainforest for a while." She nodded in return. ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± ¡°It was definitely interesting.¡± Aura kept nodding. ¡°Though, most of the life happens in the understory and canopy levels above the forest floor. Only bigger animals that can¡¯t climb trees live on the ground level. And insects. Billions of insects.¡± A certain blonde tiger, currently being busy with Fey, suddenly shuddered for some reason. "Ohh!" The jaguar didn''t seem to have an issue with that, either. "Insects are fine, and being on trees is fun!" ¡°Well, I guess you really are made to be in a jungle.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ari thought so, too. ¡°I bet Sophia and Anna would love it, too! Some tigers live in jungles, too, right?" ¡°Anna seems like a girl that would love it there just as much as you do. With Sophia, I have my doubts, though.¡± Aura knew about her fear of insects, after all. ¡°Eh, but Sophia is the most tiger-like tiger I know?" ¡°She¡¯s also terrified about bugs, soo¡­¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°I guess it will be fine as long as it¡¯s artificially created, but if our future rain forest ever gets filled with actual life, I have a bad feeling about it, now that I think about it. Probably rather similar with the jungle around the cottage.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ari froze for a second. ¡°Well, not my issue.¡± Having a rainforest was more important to the jaguar right now. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Aura liked her reaction. ¡°How do you design a biome, though?¡± The jaguar got a little confused when she actually began thinking about their project. "For the jungle, Maya and I just dumped our magic into the area, and whatever happened, happened." She scratched her cheek. ¡°Fen¡¯s place was mostly done, as well, when I started helping out there. The river and lake were something he dug out before we filled it with water using magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± The wolf didn¡¯t seem to know, either. ¡°Eh?!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°You have no idea even though we already burned down your forest?! Shouldn''t you have thought about that beforehand?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s more fun this way.¡± ¡°It is?!¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°I have much to learn.¡± The usually serious jaguar had difficulties imagining that way of living. ¡°You sure do.¡± Naturally, the wolf would happily further corrupt Ari. ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen so far, magic is quite flexible when it comes to us building the biomes here. If we simply imagine our wishes strongly enough, it usually turns out the way we wanted it to.¡± "True, magic is pretty lenient, all things considered." The jaguar came to the same conclusion. "Details would probably help to shape the rainforest, though? Like, if we release more magic in certain areas and less in others, instead of evenly spreading it out, I¡¯d guess that those areas would develop differently.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Aura nodded. ¡°It might be possible to control the density of the forest that way.¡± ¡°The question is if it¡¯s possible to control the free magic to that level? Like, if we release only half of the magic in a certain area to have a less dense area, can we tell magic to stay like that and not equalize with the surrounding magic?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± The wolf didn¡¯t share her worries. ¡°I guess so.¡± She couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°We do have an actual problem, though.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°What is it?¡± "We used up all of our magic earlier when we set fire to my forest. We don''t really have any juice left to get started on the rainforest." ¡°Ah.¡± She had forgotten about that, as well. ¡°I guess we have to re-schedule, huh?¡± ¡°I still have a bit of power left, but¡­¡± Aura paused for a moment. ¡°We could start by outlining the overall design? You mentioned wanting a lot of rivers and lakes, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The jaguar reacted with another big nod. ¡°I¡¯d like it to be super tropical and wet!¡± ¡°How about we use this massive field over there to lightly draw, with that, I mean dig, some shallow riverbeds with our remaining magic?¡± She gestured at the never-ending green field the jungle moved into. ¡°That way, we may be able to design the main area and let magic take care of the rest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Ari excitedly clapped her hands. ¡°Though, you have to remember that I¡¯m quite slow, so this might take a while.¡± ¡°I have a plan for that!¡± Saying so, Aura decided to return to her regular, over two-meter-high version in front of the jaguar. "Hop on!" ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± ¡°I know~.¡± Her voice was full of smug. Afterward, Ari climbed on Aura''s back, and the two spent the rest of the day planning out the rough shape of the rainforest they wanted to grow. Chapter 114 – The grand search Having successfully lit the pine forest on fire, Aura and Ari decided to start a new project. The jaguar really wanted to have her own rainforest, and the wolf happily agreed to help her out by growing it with their magic. ¡°Let¡¯s go on an adventure!¡± Just like everyone else, Steph also wanted to have a fun day, so she went to her favorite cat-girl and addressed her while her tail was excitedly wagging from side to side, strong enough to create a bit of a breeze around her. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°You seem a bit too hyper at the moment. It seems like I''d need to leash our dear dog, or else she''d run away at the first opportunity given." ¡°Nuh-uh!¡± Steph shook her head. "While I like being leashed, it''s only if Chloe does it!" ¡°Kinky.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Nice!¡± ¡°It really is!¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I can absolutely recommend it.¡± ¡°You should talk about that with our dear princess. I¡¯m sure Anna would love to hear more about that.¡± Maya reacted with a cheeky grin. ¡°Good idea!¡± ¡°By the way, leash aside, what kind of adventure are we talking about?¡± Maya finally got curious about the initial conversation starter. ¡°We still have to get to Mira¡¯s special place!¡± The dog-girl got excited again. ¡°Uhh.¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I agree that she¡¯s rather attractive, but she¡¯s still the mother of your girlfriend, you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that special place!¡± Steph got loud. ¡°I see why that was your first thought, though!¡± She noticed her unfavorable wording. ¡°What else are we talking about, then?¡± ¡°Remember when we asked her about anything tentacle-related? Like, if we could create and control them with magic?¡± ¡°Right!¡± Maya clapped her hands. ¡°I completely forgot about that! On the day we first asked her, Sophia did some things to me that night that left the entire day in a haze for me!¡± ¡°Good going, sis!¡± She was proud of her for a moment before continuing. ¡°The tentacle forest! She confirmed that it''s possible, and exists, and that she has one in her domain!" ¡°I remember!¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°She made us a portal to the general area but told us we have to find it ourselves.¡± ¡°Yep, but we were unable to find it on that day. Let¡¯s go back to the area and start another search!¡± Her tail was wagging even harder again. ¡°I like that idea!¡± Maya was immediately onboard. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The dog-girl energetically raised her arm. Being in high spirits, the duo took the portal to Mira''s domain, which the overseer had put into the cottage, and immediately went to the area they talked about after noticing that the teal fox wasn¡¯t at home for some reason. ---------------- ¡°Do you have any suggestions on where we should search?¡± The two arrived inside a dense broadleaf forest mainly consisting of oak trees before Maya pointed to her left. "The last time, we went in that direction, if I remember correctly." ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°You¡¯re the dog! Sniff out the horny!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Not amused by that, she walked over to the cat-girl, got on her tiptoes, and up close to Maya before she began sniffing her neck. ¡°Found it!¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Sounding actually impressed by that, she lightly turned her head, puckered her lips, and lightly blew some air into Steph''s ear, which was right next to her mouth. ¡°Oi!¡± The dog-girl jumped back in surprise because the sensation was too much. Their ears are very delicate, after all, to say the very least. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "I have to give it to you. That was a good one." Maya gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I still have much to learn, though!¡± She lightly rubbed her sensitive ear while waiting for the slight blush to disappear from her cheeks. ¡°You sure do~.¡± The cat-girl only got cheekier. ¡°Seriously, though, what direction do you want to go?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Having recovered from the attack, Steph tilted her head. ¡°My sense of smell is excellent, but how do tentacles smell?¡± ¡°Wet and slimy? Not that that translates overly well into a smell, I guess.¡± She wasn¡¯t much of a help. ¡°Not really, no.¡± The dog-girl shook her head. ¡°How about we simply try the opposite direction of last time for starters?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any better suggestion, either.¡± Maya shrugged. ¡°We just have to be on the lookout for anything wet and slimy!¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that hard! I¡¯m an expert in that!¡± ¡°Same!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The two noticed they were doing nothing but innuendos today. ---------------- ¡°By the way, leashing aside, how is it going with Chloe?¡± While they were traversing the forest, Maya started a new conversation. ¡°Generally speaking, or do you mean what other fun we do besides the leashing?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± She needed to think about it first. ¡°For now, generally speaking.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going amazingly!¡± Steph nodded. ¡°Chloe¡¯s the best! Giving Sophia no choice in taking me to this world and meeting her was the best thing ever!¡± ¡°Well, she is an amazing girl in the first place, so I would assume all the extra benefits when dating her are the icing on the cake.¡± ¡°The best icing possible!¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re treating her well, too.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything else!¡± ¡°Because Fey would end you?¡± Maya raised an eyebrow. ¡°Because Chloe deserves to be treated perfectly!¡± ¡°Good answer.¡± ¡°Also, Fey¡¯s just grumpy on the outside! Once you break her shell, she gets a lot more playful!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°Fey? Playful?¡± Naturally, Maya had difficulties believing her. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Unexpected.¡± The cat-girl could say little else. ¡°You would still perish if you ever hurt Chloe and Fey finds out.¡± ¡°True.¡± She nodded. ¡°It would be deserved, too.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Speaking of, how is it going with that sister of mine?¡± Steph decided that it was time to turn the topic around on her. ¡°We know that our blondie is a bit on the complicated end, after all.¡± ¡°Funny you¡¯re saying that.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°You two are pretty similar, just that you¡¯re even more of a handful.¡± ¡°When did I ever mention anything else?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s your win.¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve gotten used to her not being the person she was in our old world anymore, but it still feels odd being compared to her. It¡¯s true, so there¡¯s nothing wrong with it, and I¡¯m happy about it, but it¡¯s still a little weird.¡± ¡°Absolutely fair.¡± She didn''t blame her. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her at her worst, only saw some glimpses, but even her change between first meeting her and today is already hard to comprehend, so I can see how it would be weird. I mean, she always was an attention hogger, but there¡¯s not an ounce of shyness left. Okay, the awkward dork from back then was adorable, but I much prefer the confident dork.¡± "Yes!" Steph thought so, too. "I''m so happy for her! We feel much more like sisters now, too!¡± ¡°Even though you look a lot less like that now.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The violet dog-girl scratched her cheek while thinking about the blonde tiger. ¡°We do have different fathers, so it¡¯s fine!¡± ¡°I mean, sure, but¡­¡± ¡°Shush!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Maya liked her reaction. ¡°There¡¯s one thing she could take after you a little more, though.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± She got curious. ¡°You¡¯re a lot more openly horny! Sophia¡¯s up for it whenever I want to do it, unless I messed up with something, but it¡¯s rare that she initiates things!¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯re just too horny that she doesn¡¯t feel the need to initiate things?¡± ¡°I tried waiting for her to take the first step, but she was fine with just cuddling!¡± The cat-girl sounded extremely upset. ¡°How long did you wait before giving up?¡± ¡°A whole four days!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re definitely too eager, which causes her to take it easy.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I could wait even longer!" ¡°Then don¡¯t complain!¡± The dog-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Well, during the times she does initiate things, it¡¯s about three times as great as usual, so I guess it comes with some upsides, too.¡± She had no intentions of changing. ¡°I would imagine it¡¯s similar with you and Chloe, though? I mean, you are always up for it, too, after all.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± The dog-girl shook her head. ¡°I mean, of course, I am, but Chloe¡¯s much hornier than I am. She totally overpowers me, which is AMAZING!¡± ¡°Nice!¡± ¡°I mean, I may have been the one who jokingly mentioned a leash, but she¡¯s the one who immediately went shopping and put a collar on me the following night! Needlessly to say, it was great fun~.¡± "It''s always the innocent-looking ones, huh?" ¡°Always~.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°Still, aren¡¯t you a bit too compatible with your dog form?¡± ¡°This and that are totally unrelated!¡± The dog-girl turned her head away. ¡°You¡¯ve been the submissive type before already?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She chose not to answer that. She knew that there was no reply that wouldn¡¯t give Maya even more opportunities to attack. ¡°That being said, I would¡¯ve imagined you to be a different type.¡± She cut her some slack. ¡°After all, you¡¯re quite open about all things horny.¡± ¡°Again, completely unrelated!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Enjoying the blush on Steph¡¯s cheeks for a moment, Maya let out a soft chuckle. Afterward, while keeping up the horny topics, as there was no one around to stop them, the duo continued to search Mira¡¯s domain for the fabled tentacle forest they longed to find to please their perverted minds. Chapter 115 – The skills of a dog Maya and Steph went to Mira''s domain together to continue their search for the tentacle forest the overseer mentioned existed in her place. Being the perverts they are, they couldn¡¯t just not find it without losing their precious title of being perpetually horny. ¡°By the way, what does a tentacle forest look like?¡± The two were still in the middle of a dense broadleaf forest when the cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a forest full of tentacles?¡± Steph looked back at her with a questioning expression. ¡°I figured as much, but how does it actually look? Like, is it full of normal trees where some tentacle-like vines dangle down from? Is it green? When I think about tentacles, plant colors aren''t the first that come to mind." ¡°True!¡± The dog-girl nodded. ¡°I¡¯d go with pink! Also, when I think about tentacles, I feel like a cave filled with them to be more natural. Not to mention that their shapes should be more like¡­¡± She decided against finishing her sentence. ¡°Green vines dangling down trees sounds more like a regular jungle to me.¡± ¡°So, what does that mean?¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Is Mira messing with us and is trying to sell some regular vines as tentacles to us, or are we taking the forest part too literally?" ¡°Well, I doubt Mira would mess with us like that.¡± Steph shook her head. ¡°Really? From what I¡¯ve seen so far, Mira loves to mess with people, though?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t disagree with that, but she also knows how important being horny is to us. After the Chloe fiasco, she¡¯s sworn not to mess with important things." ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I would put us being horny and disappointed that there are no tentacles to play with on the same level as Chloe not knowing who her mother was for the longest time." Maya had her doubts about the comparability here. ¡°I am disappointed in how unenthusiastic you really are about sexy times!" ¡°I¡¯ll tell Chloe about what you just said.¡± The cat-girl slowly shook her head. ¡°And how little you think about the probably worst chain of events in her life in this world.¡± ¡°I AM DEEPLY SORRY! PLEASE DON¡¯T!¡± Steph immediately sank to her knees and started pleading with her. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°Phew!¡± Looking visibly relieved, she stood up again. ¡°In all seriousness, though, I was just generally speaking. Yes, Mira likes to mess with people, but this doesn¡¯t seem like her style.¡± "Alright, let''s assume you''re right. What are the alternatives?" Maya was still not entirely convinced but at least quite entertained the idea for now. ¡°Should we ignore the forest part and search for a cave or something else below ground instead?¡± ¡°I mean, we are in the domain of an overseer, the overseer of magic, to be exact. What are the chances of underground forests being a thing here? A dark tentacle corner and or cave being a part of that doesn¡¯t seem impossible!¡± ¡°I hate how that makes sense.¡± ¡°Why do you hate it?¡± The dog-girl disliked her lack of enthusiasm. ¡°We¡¯re inside an overgrown forest right now. Visibility is low, to say the least.¡± She gestured all around her while saying so. ¡°How easy do you think it will be to find a hole or cave entrance leading underground in this environment?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Steph finally understood the issue. ¡°Already, my dear dog, sniff out a cave for us!¡± ¡°Do caves even have a smell?!¡± Steph got loud. ¡°Okay, maybe a damp or moldy smell, but that¡¯s not something you would notice far away from the entrance!¡± ¡°So useless¡­¡± ¡°How about you listen to cave sounds and find an entrance that way?!¡± She glared at the cat-girl. ¡°My hearing isn¡¯t that good.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°You always hear Sophia, Chloe, or me trying to come up with some mischief no matter how far you are away from us!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because the three of you are unable to be secretive and or silent when plotting things.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Steph had nothing to counter. ¡°We¡¯re in quite the dilemma, huh?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one dog trick that could help us, though.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to dig!¡± Steph pointed at the ground in front of her feet. ¡°Let¡¯s dig straight down and see what happens!¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± The cat-girl raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s never a good idea to do anything straight, but I¡¯m out of options!¡± ¡°Forced to go straight, huh?¡± "Exactly!" She nodded. "A horrible fate!¡± ¡°You two really are sisters.¡± Maya had to smile. ¡°Sophia has to make the same joke at least once a week, too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so proud of her!¡± ¡°Alright, fine, let¡¯s give it a try. I mean, the worst that could happen is us breaking into a cave and falling, but that¡¯s nothing magic can¡¯t solve.¡± "There''s no lava close to the surface in real life either, so we¡¯re definitely fine!¡± Steph energetically raised her arm. ¡°Lava?¡± The cat-girl looked confused. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ignoring her, the dog-girl immediately got to work and began using her magic to instantly create a hole right below them. ---------------- ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Roughly ten minutes after Steph started digging, things took a turn. As indicated by Maya¡¯s scream, the two broke through the ceiling of a cave and fell to the bottom of it before even being able to react. Luckily, it wasn''t that deep, and there was a little lake right below them. ¡°I guess there¡¯s a reason why you don¡¯t dig straight down, after all!¡± A few moments later, the duo swam over to the shore and sat down there. While being dripping wet, the dog-girl awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I knew that nothing good ever comes from anything remotely related to being straight!¡± ¡°You should be more like me.¡± The cat-girl lightly shook her head while looking at her. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°I never even thought about giving anything straight a try because I just know it¡¯s of no use for me.¡± ¡°You are so wise!¡± Steph had nothing but admiration for her. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Once they agreed that anything straight was useless to them and just complicated things, the two dried themselves after having taken an involuntary bath before looking around and getting familiar with their new surroundings. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly not that dark in here, huh?¡± The dog-girl was happy she could see quite well inside the cave. ¡°Well, the veiling light is certainly helping.¡± Maya pointed up at the hole they fell through. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She nodded before looking around some more. ¡°Although, that tunnel also seems kinda bright, doesn¡¯t it?¡± The dog-girl pointed to her right, where a passageway was leading away from the cave. ¡°That is true!¡± The cat-girl also looked in that direction. "I wonder what it could be." ¡°Tentacles?!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°That light up?¡± Maya looked confused. ¡°There are many glow-in-the-dark toys, so why shouldn¡¯t tentacles glow, too?!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°THERE ARE?!¡± Maya got even louder. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the next time we go shopping in the other world~.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and take a look at what''s going on there!" She pointed at the tunnel. ¡°Sure!¡± The cat-girl nodded and began walking towards it to find the source of the light. ---------------- ¡°Ohh!¡± Walking through the passageway for a couple of minutes, the duo eventually found out why it was illuminated the way it was. ¡°Well, I didn''t see that one coming.¡± Maya looked up towards the source and noticed that the two were at the bottom of a massive ravine. ¡°It was just actual light, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Steph hung her head. ¡°The most boring possibility!¡± ¡°Miffed about it not being glowing tentacles?¡± ¡°ABSOLUTELY!¡± She nodded a couple of times. ¡°That would¡¯ve been so much more fun!¡± ¡°I guess you have a point.¡± Maya couldn¡¯t blame her. ¡°Do you know what is even worse?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°We were only a few hundred meters away from finding that ravine above ground. The digging and falling into the lake were completely unnecessary.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°As the damage is already done, should we continue for a little while longer?¡± The cat-girl looked at her. ¡°I won¡¯t let you go before we find the tentacles!¡± ¡°Will you let me go when we find them?¡± Maya raised an eyebrow. ¡°Of course!¡± The dog-girl nodded again. ¡°After all, you have to go and get Sophia while I pick up Chloe! They need to be in on the fun, after all!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She had no objections to her plan. "By the way, should we explore that area a little more?" Maya pointed further down the ravine, where it seemed to be opening up a fair bit. ¡°With the overhang of the rocks, it¡¯s actually starting to look like an underground forest, so we have that going for us. If there¡¯s a tunnel or cave somewhere nearby that area, Mira would¡¯ve been technically correct with her claim.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the best type of correct!¡± Once they had agreed on a course of action, the two picked up the pace. They explored more of the ravine for the next couple of hours before eventually arriving at a larger cave-in that seemingly had overgrown over a long period of time. It being at the bottom of the ravine and encased by rocks gave off a feeling of an entire ecosystem being below ground. From there, Maya and Steph checked every corner in the hope of finding anything out of the ordinary, like another cave or tunnel. Eventually, they actually found a promising passageway and promptly decided to follow it. It took them a full hour to find something, and they were about to give up when their entire vision suddenly turned pink. "OOOHHHH!" Their patience had paid out, and both their eyes were sparkling as they took in the very horny sight all around them. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Steph was especially motivated. ¡°Not right now, though.¡± Stopping the dog-girl, who had already begun lifting her top to strip, Maya grabbed Steph by her neck and dragged her back home to tell Sophia and Chloe the happy news. Chapter 116 – Difference in intensity The search for the tentacle paradise Steph and Maya had been engaging in was successful, and the two immediately headed back home to get Sophia and Chloe to tell them the happy news and bring them to the place for a little bit of fun. ¡°SOPHIA!¡± ¡°CHLOE!¡± The horny duo returned home and immediately called out their partners. ¡°Only one of them is there right now.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice echoed from the living room. ¡°Just arrived a few moments ago, too.¡± ¡°My win!¡± Maya smirked at the dog-girl before entering the living room. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± She promptly stopped, though. ¡°Grrr! A-Ah.¡± Steph bumped into the back of the cat-girl because she hadn¡¯t anticipated her sudden halt. ¡°Why did you-? Wait, who are you?! Who is this way-too-fluffy being?!¡± She got excited once she spotted the red-haired fox-girl next to the tiger. ¡°Minus 500 million points.¡± Fey looked rather disappointed. ¡°Same!¡± The blonde nodded a couple of times while agreeing with the fox. ¡°There is no such thing as a way-too-fluffy being.¡± Her disappointment was for a very different reason, though. ¡°FEY?!¡± Once she heard her voice, Steph immediately realized who the girl was. ¡°EH?!¡± It didn¡¯t take away the slightest bit of her surprise, though. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Maya also couldn¡¯t follow. ¡°What is going on?!¡± The dog-girl began circling around Fey to look at her from every angle. ¡°You are way too cute! That¡¯s the most amazing thing ever. I like Mira a whole lot, but now it¡¯s obvious where Chloe got her cuteness from! That tail of yours is glorious! WHY ARE YOU NOT A FOX ANYMORE, THOUGH?!¡± ¡°Chloe wanted to see this form, and I''ve re-learned how to do it a little while ago.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Steph clapped her hands. ¡°I forgot about that plot point!¡± She kept looking at her. ¡°This form is amazing, but why aren¡¯t you a buff muscle lady, though?! I love it, but it absolutely doesn''t fit the outward character you established.¡± She had the same expectations and complaints as her sister before. ¡°Do you want me to get angry and show you how well this form fits?¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t!¡± Sophia vehemently shook her head. ¡°She showed you and almost wet yourself, huh?¡± Maya took a wild guess after her reaction. ¡°Exactly!¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°Actually, the cute ones often can get the scariest, so I guess it makes sense. I still imagined you to be muscular and all that, though! Then again, it does make sense when thinking about Chloe. After all, her height and fluffiness had to have come from somewhere.¡± ¡°You can complain about me not being muscular to Mira.¡± Fey looked at the dog-girl. ¡°My looks were completely modeled after her taste in girls.¡± ¡°Mira has amazing taste, after all.¡± ¡°True!¡± The sisters thought alike. ¡°She¡¯s surely happy to hear it.¡± The fox had nothing else to say. ¡°By the way, Steph, as you¡¯re someone rather close to Chloe.¡± ¡°As much as you regret it.¡± The dog-girl finished her sentence. "..." ¡°I¡¯ve spent the entire day with Fey, and she had nothing but nice words for you~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a complete and utter lie!¡± The girl in question glared at her. ¡°Okay, 90% of what she said was nice.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey couldn¡¯t complain about that. ¡°I need to hear everything about that later!¡± Steph looked at her sister. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Sure!¡± She smiled back at her. ¡°I¡¯ll also tell you all about how I broke your record in Fey¡¯s chase game~.¡± ¡°THERE¡¯S NO WAY!¡± She looked devastated. ¡°Could you focus on my question for the time being?¡± Fey stared at the dog-girl while shaking her head. ¡°Why are you even asking?¡± Steph looked confused. "You look incredible! I have no idea how genetics work in this world with the influence of magic and all, including the two biological moms part, but she¡¯ll be delighted to learn more about her roots! There are a lot of bits she inherited from Mira, but it¡¯s so obvious that you¡¯re her mother!¡± ¡°I told you so!¡± Sophia just nodded a few times. ¡°That¡¯s very reassuring.¡± She let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Nervous?¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°Well,¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a big revelation, is it not?¡± ¡°It will be fine!¡± Steph gave her a thumbs up. ¡°She¡¯ll love you even more after this!¡± ¡°I think so, too~.¡± A new voice joined the conversation. Mira arrived out of nowhere and entered the living room. There, she walked over to the red-haired girl and lovingly patted her head. ¡°After all, you¡¯re adorable and the reason Chloe ended up being the cutest girl in existence.¡± She was very fond of her two favorite girls. ¡°T-Thank you!¡± She got a little embarrassed over the overseer¡¯s compliments. ¡°WOW!¡± Anna was right behind the teal fox and stared at Fey with big eyes. ¡°We have a new goddess of fluff! You¡¯re so pretty, Fey!¡± ¡°Well said, my dear princess!¡± Sophia liked her evaluation. ¡°At least the princess immediately knew who I was.¡± The red-haired girl glanced at Steph. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s obviously Fey! It¡¯s exactly how I imagined her to be ever since I heard that she has a humanoid version!¡± ¡°This princess is something else.¡± The sisters were surprised at how sharp Anna once more had been. "Also, thank you very much for being responsible for how Fey turned out to look!" They then smiled at Mira. ¡°You¡¯re very much welcome!¡± She smiled back at them. ¡°She¡¯s adorable, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Is it hard to switch between animal and a more humanoid form?¡± Anna seemed to be a little interested in the process. ¡°It seems fun.¡± ¡°I KNOW, RIGHT?!¡± Steph was on her side. ¡°I want to learn it, too!¡± ¡°It is incredibly hard.¡± The red-haired girl shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t even remember how many years it took me to learn.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°It was hard even for me.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± The eyes of the princess turned wide. ¡°I guess that''s definitely impossible for me to learn, then. With today''s power level, at least. Well, I guess that makes sense. I mean, it''s a type of magic you REALLY want to make sure it works out the way you want it. There are probably like a billion bad outcomes that could happen when changing your body like that, huh?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The overseer confirmed it for her. ¡°I like the regular Fey better.¡± Aura also returned and immediately joined the conversation with a complaint. ¡°So do I, my dear.¡± The red-haired girl agreed while shrugging. ¡°So fluffy!¡± Ari¡¯s opinion was a lot different when she entered the living room behind the wolf. ¡°Perfect answer!¡± The sisters gave the jaguar a thumbs up each. ¡°Also, you¡¯re not going to try and transform into a full tiger.¡± The way she glared at the princess, Ari seemed to have heard that bit before entering the room. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She just scratched her cheek in return. ¡°This is quite something, though.¡± The jaguar shifted her attention to Fey again. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly what I imagined when I heard you can also change forms, but when thinking about Chloe, it does make a lot of sense. She¡¯ll be delighted when she sees you!¡± ¡°I really hope so, too.¡± ¡°While we¡¯re waiting for our pink girl in question, Sophia!¡± Steph faced her sister. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°How come you got first dibs on seeing new Fey?¡± ¡°We went to train with each other and tried to beat some restraint into me.¡± ¡°Let me guess, it failed?¡± Ari decided to make a guess on the outcome. ¡°Absolutely~.¡± The blonde smiled at her before looking at the dog-girl again. ¡°Afterward, we took a little break and simply chatted while the topic eventually drifted to Chloe and how it was going with her after the issues there were.¡± ¡°Putting it mildly.¡± The redhead nodded. "During that talk, she mentioned that she''s re-learned how to transform. Naturally, I couldn''t let that slide, so I had her show it to me.¡± ¡°So envious!¡± Steph raised her voice. ¡°I would¡¯ve loved to be the one she opened up to!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also the first she hugged in this form~.¡± The blonde decided to rub salt in the wound. ¡°You are not.¡± Fey and Mira shook their heads. ¡°I meant between Steph and I.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The two nodded. ¡°WHY?!¡± The dog-girl just got louder. "She tackled me during our game of chase and hugged me to stop me from running. She did it twice, actually. The second time, she caught and hugged me mid-air before we fell down around 500 meters and right into a lake." ¡°It was just to catch her. The hug had no other meaning.¡± Fey tried to play it down. "WHEN YOU CAUGHT ME DURING OUR CHASES, YOU USED YOUR JAW TO BITE MY NECK!¡± It only made it worse for her. ¡°It sounds like something you would be into, though.¡± Maya couldn¡¯t hold back the comment. ¡°NOT IN THIS SITUATION AND NOT WITH FEY!¡± ¡°What do you mean by not with me?¡± The red-haired mother of Chloe stared right at her. ¡°THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME!¡± Steph was having none of it right now. "The second time she caught me was about five minutes after I beat your chase record with her, by the way~." Sophia just kept going. ¡°GRRRRR!¡± Afterward, Sophia continued to tell everyone about her day with Fey and their chases. Naturally, she made sure to tease Steph as many times as possible to show her just how much fun they had while waiting for the girl of honor, Chloe, who everyone was looking forward to seeing her reaction to humanoid Fey. Chapter 117 – Fluff and fluff Almost everyone except Chloe met Fey after she changed into her humanoid form, and the group was looking forward to seeing how the pink fox-girl would react to her changed mother. While they were waiting for her, Sophia also told everyone about her adventures with the red-haired girl, much to the dismay of Steph, who would¡¯ve loved to be in her shoes. ¡°Eh¡­?¡± Roughly half an hour after everyone met the red-haired girl, Chloe finally returned home and immediately froze in place. ¡°F-Feyfey?¡± While in shock, she naturally had no difficulties identifying the girl in front of her. ¡°S-Surprise.¡± She wasn¡¯t sure what to say to her. ¡°You said you wanted to see this form of mine, so I,-OOF!¡± Fey wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence because her daughter had already run up to her and almost made her topple over from the aggressive hug the pink fox-girl gave her without warning. She could do nothing else but to simply return the hug for the time being. ¡°Aww!¡± Everyone had the same reaction. ¡°I prefer the original Fey.¡± Almost everyone. Fen, who had arrived behind Chloe, wasn¡¯t a fan of the change he was seeing. ¡°I agree, but shush!¡± Aura stared at him while shaking her head. ¡°You are so cute!¡± Once the pink fox let go of her, she immediately circled around the red-haired girl a couple of times. ¡°Your tail has gotten even fluffier! How is that even possible?!¡± ¡°It just happened?¡± Fey scratched her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s where I got my tail from, huh?¡± Chloe was still staring at her. ¡°I mean, I already saw the similarities in your full form, but it¡¯s even more obvious now. It¡¯s exactly the same as mine, just even bigger!¡± ¡°That is indeed the case.¡± She nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve got my ears, though.¡± Mira pointed at the ones on top of her head while smiling at her daughter. ¡°True!¡± The pink fox smiled back at her before focusing on Fey again. "Well, now I also know why I''m so small!¡± ¡°Short.¡± The red-haired girl corrected. ¡°I¡¯m small and short. You are just short.¡± ¡°Yep, the big part came from me.¡± The overseer gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Hmm?¡± Chloe was confused for a moment, but after looking down on herself and seeing nothing but her own chest before glancing at Fey, who could easily see her own feet when looking down, she understood what was meant. ¡°Ahh.¡± ¡°Genetics are a wonderful thing." Steph was pleased about how she turned out. ¡°Why do you look like this, though?¡± Chloe tilted her head while looking at her short mother once more. ¡°I mean, it makes sense because my features that aren¡¯t from Mira had to come from somewhere, and your full form is also adorable, but it isn¡¯t exactly what I had pictured in my mind. I especially thought you would¡¯ve been taller!¡± ¡°You can thank your mother for that.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The pink fox looked confused. ¡°This mother.¡± Mira pointed at herself. ¡°When I was teaching her how to transform, I shamelessly took the chance to talk her into transforming into my ideal type of woman.¡± "As I wasn''t interested in my looks, I had no trouble granting her wish.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chloe had nothing else to say. ¡°WAIT! Is that why you like Steph so much?!¡± She suddenly got loud. ¡°They¡¯re a very similar type! Speaking about their bodies here!¡± ¡°If Steph was a couple thousand years older, then maybe.¡± The overseer shrugged while looking at the dog-girl. ¡°Just like you, she¡¯s just a baby in my eyes. I like her because she has such a bubbly personality and gets along with you so well.¡± ¡°I see!¡± She was relieved to hear it. ¡°Hmm, does that mean I inherited my taste from Mira, as well?¡± Her gaze wandered between Steph and the overseer. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The dog-girl gave the teal fox a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if something like that is hereditary, but you¡¯re welcome~.¡± Everyone kept chatting for a while longer, but as Chloe also wanted to have some alone time with Fey, she eventually decided to do just that. ---------------- "Thank you so much for showing me this form." The two went to Mira''s hut in her domain, and Chloe happily smiled at the red-haired girl. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it.¡± Fey nodded once. ¡°I was worried about how you¡¯d take it, so I¡¯m happy about your reaction.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way I ever would''ve reacted negatively, no matter how you ended up looking. I don''t care about that. I only care about that you showed me yourself at all!¡± ¡°Well, can you blame me for being nervous after having raised you in my other form for the past almost 20 years and then suddenly switching to someone else entirely?¡± "I guess that''s fair." Chloe could see how it may be tricky. ¡°The only thing I¡¯m upset about is that you haven¡¯t shown me earlier, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°That being said, I¡¯m not sure how I feel about my mother looking younger than I do.¡± ¡°I do not look younger than you!¡± Fey didn¡¯t like that. ¡°It¡¯s not by much, but I¡¯m still taller than you, too.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s not wrong, but at least a certain part of my body is a lot more developed than yours, which does make me look more mature.¡± "A big chest isn¡¯t necessarily a sign of maturity.¡± ¡°It literally is, though?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Exceptions like early bloomers aside, of course. In any case, it¡¯s way more of a maturity sign than one¡¯s height!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey hadn''t expected such a comeback. ¡°You still have a baby face, though.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± The pink fox rolled her eyes. ¡°Again, very mature. By the way, my face is a lot more similar to yours than it is to Mira.¡± ¡°Grr, I don¡¯t like being sassed by my own daughter.¡± Fey furrowed her brows. ¡°Grr, right back at you!¡± Chloe returned the growl. ¡°In the first place, it¡¯s not a bad thing even if you look younger.¡± ¡°It absolutely is!¡± The red-haired fox disagreed. ¡°Why? You¡¯re so cute!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not always a compliment, you know?¡± ¡°It absolutely is!¡± She disagreed with her. ¡°Being cute is most important, after all.¡± ¡°Not for everyone.¡± ¡°Easy to say as the cutest individual around!¡± ¡°Can we stop that topic already?¡± Fey had enough of it. ¡°Fine.¡± The expression of the pink fox changed into a slight pout. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°There is a technical question I have about the transformation, though.¡± Chloe sounded a lot more serious again. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Is it just a visible change, or are you actually a regular hybrid right now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the same as you, Sophia, and all your other friends.¡± "So, it''s the same magic Sophia and Steph used to change themselves from humans to their current forms?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± The pink fox tilted her head. ¡°The transformation itself is the same as them, but what Mira and I are doing comes with some extra steps beforehand. The sisters threw away their humanity and can never fully turn back because the beast features have become an inseparable part of them.¡± "That was why Steph had some trouble with controlling her tail and all that in the beginning, right?" ¡°Exactly.¡± Fey nodded. ¡°So, what¡¯s different with your transformation, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s complicated to explain.¡± The red-haired girl scratched her cheek. ¡°Inside of me, there are two different versions responsible for each body, more or less. When I decide to change, my full form goes on break while my hybrid body takes over. They are fully separated from each other in terms of bodily functions, so they can¡¯t influence each other. That way, I won¡¯t be affected by extra body parts or organs working differently when switching from one species to another.¡± ¡°Sooo¡­ You¡¯re a 2-in-1?¡± ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°O¡­kay?¡± She was still a little confused. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s so hard and took me so long.¡± Fey smiled at her. ¡°If I accidentally mess up and my two forms mix with each other, I¡¯ll be in a WHOLE lot of problems.¡± ¡°I see!¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°Hmm, does that mean that if the sister will ever learn that magic, they could return to being normal humans? Not that they would ever want to. Not those two.¡± ¡°Not quite.¡± She shook her head. ¡°While their bodies would function the same as regular humans, they would still have their beast sides sleeping inside of them. Not exactly normal in my eyes.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The pink fox understood the reasoning. ¡°Wait, Mira is originally a full, too, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And both of you had your full side sleeping inside of you when you made me. Does that mean I¡¯m secretly quite a bit closer to being a full than I thought?¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be.¡± Fey shook her head. ¡°Right now, my full form is still inside of me, but it''s not active and also not influencing my current body. That should¡¯ve made it near impossible for you to inherit anything from it, too.¡± ¡°That makes sense!¡± ¡°Mira might be the better person to ask, though. She¡¯s a lot more knowledgeable about it.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She nodded. ¡°Well, my outside appearance is that of a regular hybrid, so even if I had more hidden full parts, it wouldn¡¯t really matter.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± The red-haired girl agreed with her. ¡°Anyway, thank you so much for showing me this form after so long!¡± Chloe smiled at her mother. ¡°I feel even closer to you now, mom!¡± ¡°I have the most adorable daughter in existence.¡± She had nothing else to say. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Thank you, that¡¯s all I wanted to hear.¡± "Are you going to stay as a hybrid form for a while now, or was it a once-and-done situation?" ¡°Turning back into a full is even harder, so it might take a while before I¡¯m able to do so.¡± Fey also just smiled at her. "I don''t even care that it sounded like a lie~." Chloe was happy that her mother was going to stay like that for a longer time. The duo chatted for a bit longer before eventually heading back to the others in the cottage to spend some more time together with everyone. Chapter 118 – Playful wolf Chloe finally met the hybrid form of her mother, Fey, and she was an instant fan of it. Naturally, she was quite surprised in the beginning. Still, it immediately made her feel even closer to her because the pink finally saw her true heritage. After all, Fey had conceived her when she was in this form, as she wanted to make sure that Chloe would become a humanoid hybrid after having been a regular human in her previous life. ¡°Fey!¡± The moment the mother and daughter duo returned, Steph instantly faced the red-haired girl. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I demand a rematch!¡± ¡°In what?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°In our game of chase!¡± The dog-girl stared right at her. ¡°Sophia having beaten me is unacceptable! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re still a little rusty after having just transformed, but still!¡± ¡°She shot me out of the air 500 meters above the ground!¡± The blonde raised her voice as she disagreed with Fey being out of shape. ¡°Okay, very rusty.¡± Steph corrected herself. ¡°Thank you.¡± The red fox smiled at her. ¡°I know you¡¯d understand me.¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± ¡°You two are insane!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°What is all this about?¡± As Chloe wasn¡¯t there when they talked about it earlier, she was confused about what was going on. ¡°Fey and Steph came up with a game that increases stamina, tactical thinking, strength, and many other things.¡± Sophia answered her. ¡°Well, okay, it¡¯s a glorified version of hide and seek, but if you¡¯re overpowered and filled to the brim with magic, even that can become extreme.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The two in question nodded. ¡°The most important part is the leaderboard, though.¡± The blonde¡¯s voice turned smug. ¡°Steph managed to get away from Fey for a little over two hours, and I just beat her record by some solid minutes~." ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve beaten my standing record against Fey in her absolute prime after she just transformed into her new body and probably barely knows how to move in it yet. By a mere few minutes, as well." ¡°That¡¯s how it is.¡± The red-haired girl gave Steph a thumbs up. "I don''t like you two getting along at these times!" Sophia raised her voice. ¡°Nono, that¡¯s the best part.¡± Chloe disagreed with her. ¡°If them getting along means you getting teased, well, tough luck." ¡°Oi!¡± She glared at the pink fox. ¡°Also, stop with the being rusty part already!¡± She then focused on the duo again. ¡°There¡¯s just no way Fey was even more agile as a full!¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to show you the place we use for our game in Mira¡¯s domain, but it¡¯s currently under construction after the last time.¡± ¡°Yes, last time got a little too intense.¡± Fey awkwardly scratched her cheek while glancing at the dog-girl. ¡°Under construction is a nice way of describing that massive, multiple-kilometer-wide crater you made in my domain where once a beautiful forest biome was.¡± Mira slowly shook her head. ¡°Ah.¡± They just looked away from her. ¡°We¡¯re sorry.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t.¡± The overseer didn¡¯t believe them. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I feel like I want to see it.¡± Chloe got curious. ¡°The crater?¡± Mira looked at her. ¡°No, them chasing each other.¡± She shook her head. ¡°It seems like a fun event to watch. Though, them zooming through a forest probably wouldn¡¯t be the most visible event.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Steph smiled at the pink fox. ¡°I doubt it would be overly entertaining, at least in the beginning when only running is involved. In a forest, you can¡¯t really see much in the first place, as well.¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°I think I can help with that.¡± Mira faced her daughter. ¡°I can make us a little platform above their playground and make their position visible to us with magic. We still won¡¯t be able to see them in person, but we can track their position and watch the progress.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe seemed to like the idea. ¡°Feyfey, can we do that?¡± "I don''t see why not." She couldn''t win against the sparkling eyes of her daughter. She then leaned over to Steph and started whispering. ¡°Remember that we can¡¯t go all out when she¡¯s watching us.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± She nodded. ¡°I heard that.¡± The pink fox shook her head. ¡°I want to play, too!¡± Aura''s excited-sounding voice joined the conversation. ¡°While you two were gone, the sisters told me about the chase thing, and it sounds like a lot of fun.¡± She stared at the red-haired girl. ¡°I want to see how long I can elude the master!¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Fey lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Finally, a challenge!¡± ¡°Hey!¡± The sisters in question didn''t like that. ¡°Do you think either of you can beat me?¡± Full of smug, the female wolf looked at them. ¡°Yes!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°In a fair match that doesn¡¯t involve any sort of cheating on your part.¡± She lightly corrected herself. ¡°After all, I know a fair share of your tricks.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde quickly turned silent. ¡°I take you on!¡± Steph was a lot more feisty. ¡°I like your confidence!¡± Aura was a fan of the dog-girl. ¡°I give her five minutes.¡± Fen shook his head. ¡°At best.¡± ¡°The chase starts with a five-minute head start for the one running away.¡± Fey looked at him. ¡°I know?¡± He didn¡¯t understand why she corrected him. ¡°Make it at least six!¡± Steph got loud. ¡°You should know by now that I¡¯m a realist.¡± He just kept shaking his head. ¡°You are SOOO not!¡± She only raised her voice more. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not a convincing argument.¡± Everyone agreed with her. ¡°¡­¡± Fen made a slight pause. ¡°The best I can do is 5:30.¡± ¡°Challenge accepted!¡± It was enough for the dog-girl. ¡°Let''s go!¡± She energetically raised her arm high in the air. ¡°Fey, afterward, I take you on!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it~.¡± Fey smiled at her. ¡°Mira, how quickly can you prepare the magic and viewing platform you mentioned earlier?¡± ¡°It will be done the moment we arrive in my domain.¡± The overseer gave Steph a thumbs up. ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°Perfect, indeed.¡± Sophia nodded a couple of times. ¡°My domain already has sustained enough damage today.¡± ¡°You complain too much!¡± Fey glared at her. ¡°I barely destroyed any of your precious trees during our chase!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about you.¡± ¡°Oh, never mind then.¡± The red fox shrugged in response. ¡°So, why did you and Ari light your entire pine forest on fire?¡± The blonde faced Aura and the jaguar. Naturally, as it happened in her domain, she knew about that already. ¡°We¡¯re working on a project~.¡± The female wolf gave her a playful reply. "For the record, I suggested doing the project in a different place rather than burning down the current forest." Ari tried to save herself. ¡°For the record, our beloved jaguar came up with the idea of how to burn it down and is responsible for it burning with the intensity it currently is.¡± Aura was having none of it. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Someone had fun today, huh?¡± Anna smiled at her pyromaniac girlfriend. ¡°It, uhh¡­ was pretty entertaining.¡± She couldn¡¯t deny it. ---------------- Afterward, the group went to Mira¡¯s domain, where the overseer transported everyone except Steph and Aura to a floating island hovering over a seemingly never-ending and massively overgrown broadleaf forest. ¡°Yep, I can¡¯t see a thing.¡± Chloe got closer to the island¡¯s edge and looked down. ¡°Just trees and green. And green trees.¡± ¡°Steph is there, and Aura is over in that area.¡± The teal fox walked up next to her and pointed at two spots in the forest below them. Immediately after, two red dots appeared roughly a kilometer away from each other. ¡°Only we can see them, so it won¡¯t interfere with their game.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± She lightly clapped her hands. ¡°That will be so fun seeing them close in on each other!¡± ¡°You know,¡± Sophia joined them at the edge of the island. ¡°The dots are perfect for tracking them, but if this becomes a regular thing, we could attach a camera to each of them so we could watch what they''re seeing if we put a TV up here.¡± ¡°That would be amazing, too!¡± Chloe liked that a lot. ¡°We could turn it into a whole tournament to watch!¡± ¡°A good tournament needs a solid betting system, too!¡± Mira was in on the plan. ¡°Anyone, note down your estimated time for the current match, and the closest guess will receive a special prize! The five-minute wait at the start of the chase is not included!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the prize?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow in interest. ¡°That¡¯s a secret~.¡± ¡°So sly!¡± ¡°17 seconds!¡± Fen was the first to reply. ¡°I agree that she has no chance, but Steph should hold out a little longer than that.¡± Fey lightly shook her head. ¡°After all, she managed to get quite a respectable time against me.¡± ¡°You have heard that they agreed on no rules, right?" The male wolf stared at her. "She even allowed Aura to use detection magic because the dog wanted to see how fast she is.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The red fox paused for a second. ¡°Two minutes and 37 seconds.¡± Her confidence in Steph was short-lived. ¡°You two are so pessimistic!¡± Chloe didn''t like how they were underselling her girlfriend. ¡°She¡¯ll last at least an hour!¡± ¡°I don''t know.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Fey got me in like ten or 15 minutes when she was allowed to use detection magic. ¡°I¡¯ll pick 15 minutes.¡± ¡°30 minutes for me!¡± Anna just picked a number. ¡°Steph¡¯s way too energetic to be defeated so quickly, so I¡¯ll go with 45 minutes.¡± Ari had a little more faith in her. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll refrain from adding my guess, as I don''t want to hurt any feelings." Mira showed anyone a cheeky smile before clapping her hands loudly enough for it to echo through the entire forest, which was obviously amplified by magic. ¡°They had a little longer than five minutes now, but let¡¯s see how this turns out~.¡± Instantly after the clap, the forest turned noisy. There was a massive explosion-like sound, and one of the red dots zoomed towards the other at tremendous speed. It was so fast and violent that it parted the entire forest, dug up the ground, and uprooted the trees in the path between the dots. Mere seconds later, the two red dots had overlapped and merged into a single one. ¡°And that¡¯s my win~.¡± Fen¡¯s voice was full of smugness as he looked at the path of absolute destruction his girlfriend had created when catching the violet dog in a literal instant. Chapter 119 – A real challenge Aura learned about the chase the sisters had with Fey and wanted in on the fun. Steph, being the feisty girl she was, challenged her in a no-rules match because she wanted to find out how fast the female wolf really was. Rather unsurprisingly, the dog-girl met a quick end. ¡°Fey, have you been holding back on me?¡± Mira transported Steph and Aura to the floating island the others were on, and the dog-girl faced the red fox. ¡°Well,¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I didn¡¯t go at my absolute 100%, mostly because, contrary to that lunatic of a wolf, I have some self-preservation instincts, but I wasn¡¯t holding back, either.¡± "You''re too soft~." Aura didn''t even react to the lack of self-preservation she was accused of. ¡°Anyway,¡± Ignoring her, Fey kept looking at Steph. "This was a no-rules match, and you even let her use detection magic. I¡¯m not sure if I would¡¯ve been able to catch you in 23 seconds like she did, but I wouldn¡¯t have taken more than a few minutes, either. You¡¯re good at hiding and playing tricks, but once I locked down on you, our chase always was quickly over, as well.¡± ¡°Fair enough, I guess.¡± The dog-girl had little she could say there. ¡°With proper preparation and some sensible rules, it probably would¡¯ve taken me closer to an hour.¡± Aura tried to make it sound a little better. ¡°Does that mean you think you¡¯re better than Fey?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°It means that she likes you a lot more than I do~.¡± She just gave her a smug reply. ¡°I like you a whole lot, don¡¯t get me wrong, but I don¡¯t, unconsciously, make it easier for you.¡± ¡°I-I would never!¡± The cheeks of the red-haired girl turned a little pink. ¡°Sure~.¡± The female wolf didn¡¯t buy it. ¡°Of course you wouldn¡¯t~.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°You love to hear it!¡± The voices of Steph and Chloe overlapped. ¡°You do not!¡± Fey disagreed before glaring at Aura. ¡°We¡¯ll have our chase next, right? I¡¯ll make you regret this!¡± ¡°Just what I was hoping for.¡± The female wolf was looking for a challenge, after all. ¡°Any rules we should agree on beforehand?¡± ¡°No detection magic. Other than that, anything goes.¡± ¡°Exactly what I wanted to hear!¡± Nodding once, Aura walked over to the edge of the floating island they were on. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make short work out of you.¡± Still slightly upset, Fey walked towards the edge on the other side of the island. ¡°I¡¯ll come after you in exactly five minutes.¡± Saying so, she jumped over the edge and down into the forest. ¡°I can¡¯t wait~.¡± Aura quickly did the same. ¡°I don¡¯t like how it¡¯s becoming normal that everyone in this group is jumping down hundreds of meters somewhere like it¡¯s nothing.¡± Ari wasn¡¯t a fan of everyone just jumping down the floating islands they had been rather often lately. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll soon do it, too~.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± She disagreed. ---------------- ¡°I need to remember that this body is more expressive.¡± Down in the forest, Fey was still slightly embarrassed over how effortlessly Aura had toyed with her. ¡°Also, how do I not eat my own words now?" She looked around the area for a moment while scratching her cheek. ¡°Unfortunately, that wolf is even more bite than bark. Figuratively and literally speaking. I¡¯ll have a hard time finding, let alone catching her.¡± Once she finished complaining, the red-haired girl went silent and began concentrating on her surroundings to get used to the sounds of the forest, to understand and notice when anything else made a sound. ¡°I prefer the original fox, but this Fey is pretty cute, too~.¡± Aura, who was in a different part of the forest, was a lot more relaxed. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s make some preparations here!¡± Saying so, the wolf changed her size. She was already in her smaller mode, but she decided to shrink further down to a shoulder height of roughly 50 centimeters. ¡°I lose some speed like this, but I¡¯ve also become a lot nimbler and make less sound on top!¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Having decided on a rough strategy, the wolf wasted no more time and got going to further increase her distance from the fox in the time she had left. ¡°Ha.¡± About 15 minutes had passed since Fey started searching for Aura, but things weren¡¯t going well. ¡°Nothing.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I can¡¯t hear a single thing. It seems like Mira brought us to one of the forests that has no animal life yet, huh? This is going to be even harder than I thought. I forgot how skilled that wolf really is. To not make a single noise in a place where there is nothing to mask anything is quite impressive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so tempting to take a look at my detection magic!¡± Another 20 minutes of Aura zooming through the forest passed when she made a slight break. ¡°I¡¯ve made sure not to create a single sound, so she shouldn¡¯t have a clue where I¡¯m at. That makes me want to mess with her!¡± Her mischievous side got the better of her. Saying so, the wolf concentrated for a second and used a bit of fire magic to create a small explosion before sprinting away from the location. ¡°What was that?!¡± Naturally, Fey was unable to overhear this unnatural sound. ¡°Good try, but it¡¯s way too obviously intentional.¡± Her expression turned into a smirk. ¡°Sophia did that way too often during our chase!¡± Unfortunately, her experience with the tiger made her too suspicious about the sound. "Alright, now I know where not to go!¡± Taking into account where the floating island was and where Aura jumped into the forest, the red-haired girl turned at a 90-degree angle away from the explosion sound to her right and continued to run in that direction. "Alrighty, I wonder if my little boom made her get closer to me~." The wolf was having a great time. "Then again, we''re dealing with Feyfey here!" She let out a small chuckle. ¡°Knowing that stubborn and overthinking girl, she probably heard the sound and deliberately went in a different direction because she thought I was tricking her.¡± Outsmarting the smart girl, Aura then decided to create another explosion far away from her before continuing to run in the same direction as before. ¡°I knew it!¡± Hearing the second expression, Fey¡¯s expression turned smug again. ¡°This time, the sound came from somewhere else entirely! Aura¡¯s fast, but not that fast to close the gap in between so quickly!¡± Feeling validated, the fox-girl also continued to run in the same direction as before, unknowingly further widening the gap between them. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure she¡¯s overthinking it.¡± Half an hour had passed, and Aura made another break. ¡°Still nothing.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Fey¡¯s either also ultra silent, or she¡¯s thinking the explosions were bait. Well, they were bait, but in an honest way. Okay, to be fair, I probably wouldn¡¯t bite on that, either.¡± The wolf couldn¡¯t blame her for not going towards the sound. ¡°Not to mention that the second explosion was in a completely random place, too. We might be in this forest for a while, huh?¡± Not exactly sure what to do next, Aura decided to stay in the same place for a little while longer to see if she could come up with a plan. ¡°It has gotten silent again, huh?¡± Fey had gotten just as confused over the situation. ¡°What was her goal with the explosions, anyway? She should know that I¡¯d never fall for that!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Then again, I did fall for it when Sophia did it¡­¡± Her expression turned ever so slightly awkward. ¡°It is Aura, though. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she wanted me to think I was getting tricked and she was tricking me this way. That would mean that the first explosion was actually in the place she was at that time. The second sound in a different area then was to herd me to her because she knew I wouldn¡¯t be going towards the sound.¡± Managing to overthink the events even more, Fey slightly adjusted the direction she was traveling in and headed over to the place where she heard the first explosion. ¡°Hmm.¡± Aura was still in the same place as before and had spent the last 15 minutes thinking of a plan. ¡°Wait, am I overthinking things, too?!¡± She just came to a horrible conclusion. ¡°Nah, there¡¯s just no way that could be the case~.¡± It was too unbelievable for her. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s see¡­ Let''s try to imagine Fey¡¯s train of thought here. ¡°The first explosion probably made her change direction away from it. She knew where I landed after jumping from the island, so she probably went in a direction that made sense for me to take. The second explosion in a completely random place after probably just solidified her thinking, and she simply continued on the same path.¡± Looking up and through an open spot in the canopy of a tree, the wolf located the floating island to get a reference of her position. ¡°Okay, that would mean she probably went somewhere in that direction. Let''s make this chase a little more interesting and get closer to her!¡± Motivated by all the wrong things, the equally overthinking wolf broke into a sprint to get closer to the fox. That¡¯s at least what she thought she was doing. ---------------- ¡°This will take a while, won¡¯t it?¡± Back on the island, Sophia was getting ever so slightly bored of watching the two red dots zoom in every direction except the one that would get them close to each other. ¡°Also, what were those two explosions for?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Those were Aura¡¯s, right? Shouldn''t you be as inconspicuous as possible while running away?¡± ¡°Well, Fey¡¯s at a massive disadvantage here.¡± Fen looked at her. ¡°If Aura wants to, she can travel at tremendous speed without making a single sound. Fey can most likely do it, too, but that¡¯s not going to help her at the moment. This chase could literally go on for weeks without them meeting each other.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Aura probably wanted to spice things up a little.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± The pink fox nodded a couple of times. Even though it wasn¡¯t the most exciting activity right now, the group continued to watch them for a while longer to see if anything would happen. After all, they had nothing else to do, anyway. Chapter 120 – It usually doesn’t involve arson Fey and Aura started their chase after the female wolf teased her about all sorts of things to get the fox all riled up. Unfortunately, both girls were insanely skilled, a bit paranoid, and also continuously overthought things. Thanks to that, even after hours of zooming through the forest, their chase hadn''t advanced in the slightest. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Fey was still speeding through the forest while searching for Aura when she suddenly came to an abrupt and complete stop. ¡°I¡¯m still operating on Sophia¡¯s rules! I wasn¡¯t allowed to destroy her cherry blossoms, but this is just a regular forest in Mira¡¯s place. It doesn¡¯t matter if I get a little wild.¡± Immediately after, she lifted her right arm, and a pillar of fire shot away from her hand. It burned a ten-meter wide and 500-meter-long trench into the forest and only left ash behind. She wasn¡¯t done with just that, though. Keeping the flame going, the red-haired girl slowly rotated herself and ended up burning away a perfect circle of a diameter of a kilometer with her in the center of the forest. Looking rather proud of herself, Fey then slowly walked to the edge of the destruction in front of her. ---------------- ¡°W-Woah!¡± Back on the island, Chloe¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°Can you really still call this hide and seek?!¡± ¡°Feyfey finally stopped messing around!¡± Steph lightly clapped her hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know what she was doing the past two hours, but it¡¯s finally closer to our challenges.¡± ¡°You two usually play like that!?¡± The pink fox stared right at her. "How else are you supposed to play hide-and-seek?" The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°It usually doesn¡¯t involve arson!¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°That sounds so boring!¡± She couldn¡¯t understand the duo. ¡°Hmm?¡± Steph then looked at her sister. ¡°How did you and Fey play again? The complete destruction of the environment is an integral part of finding someone, after all.¡± ¡°It is not!¡± Chloe and the blonde vehemently shook their heads. ¡°It sure is.¡± She disagreed with them once more. ¡°Anyway, she tracked me normally, I guess? Finding hints of me having been there like broken branches and stuff, as well as following my scent as her nose.¡± ¡°And you only held out like a couple more minutes than my record?!¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned smug. ¡°The world is okay again!¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°I would hold out a week like that!¡± She smirked at her sister. "When Fey chases me, she instantly starts a couple of fires to burn away any above-ground hiding spots, and I usually resort to digging tunnels with magic once I run out of forest and hope she doesn''t blow up the dirt I''m currently in. You were playing in baby mode!" ¡°¡­¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure what to say there. She thought that her chase with the fox was intense, but it appeared that she was wrong about that. ¡°I like that you and Feyfey are getting along, but I REALLY have my doubts about the intensity of your way of doing things.¡± Chloe slowly shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± Steph just smiled at her. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m so glad that my previous time still has some meaning!¡± ¡°Grr!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Next time we do the chase, I''ll choose a place I don''t care about!" ---------------- ¡°Oho!" Narrowly dodging the flaming inferno, Aura stopped at the edge of the still-intact forest and slightly peeked her head out of it to get a glimpse of the pyromaniac fox-girl. ¡°I was wondering when she would finally get serious~.¡± She was having a lot of fun. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s time to stop with the baiting, huh?¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Having survived the first wave, Aura decided it was time to put a little more distance between them to make sure she didn''t get caught up in another fire attack. ¡°It would¡¯ve been too easy to get her with that, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Fey scratched her cheek. ¡°I was a little hopeful to see a slightly charred wolf with a still lightly burning tail. Just like Steph looked like the first couple of times before she learned not to get too close to me.¡± She took another glance at the burned remains around her. "Well, wishful thinking won''t get me anywhere.¡± Shrugging once, the fox arrived at the edge of the circle of her destruction, where she raised her arm once more before burning down another significant portion of the forest. ¡°I wonder if she gets punished by Mira for all this later on~.¡± Aura had gotten away from the inferno and lightly chuckled to herself. ¡°She¡¯s making quite the mess, after all. Though, knowing Mira, she can probably fix the whole area with a snap of her finger.¡± The wolf had no doubts it wasn¡¯t an actual issue. ¡°That being said, did we set up an out-of-bounds area? It wouldn¡¯t be hard to get so far away that our dear fox runs out of magic before she gets to me.¡± She found a slight flaw in their game. Trying to account for that, Aura decided to change directions and began circling around the inferno to keep everything relatively contained. ¡°I think I just found a flaw in this.¡± It seemed like Fey also noticed an issue. "We never agreed on the playing field. She could go on forever, and I''d need to burn down half of Mira''s domain to find that wolf.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Mira¡¯s quite lenient, but I doubt even I would be excused for that much damage. It might be beneficial to narrow down her position a little more before it¡¯s time to get aggressive.¡± Saying so, Fey stopped setting the forest in front of her on fire and looked down at the ground. Immediately after, it began to move, and a pillar of dirt shot up to create a platform for her to stand on. ¡°Ohh!¡± Aura heard the sound of moving earth and took a quick peek through the canopy of a tree. There, she saw the red-haired fox standing on a roughly 200-meter-high platform as she was surveying the area below. "She noticed the downsides of mindlessly burning down everything, huh?" The wolf nodded a few times. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens if I do this~.¡± Saying so, she used a bit of magic and cut down a tree as loudly and flashy as possible. ¡°¡­¡± Fey looked at the random tree that suddenly exploded a little bit away from her. ¡°I know that she¡¯s baiting me, but there isn¡¯t much I can lose, is there? Let¡¯s go and take a look.¡± She then jumped off the platform and dove into the forest, where she saw the suspicious movement. "That playful little¡­ wolf.¡± It seemed like she wanted to say something else as she saw the exploded tree, a couple of deliberately placed paw-prints in the dirt, as well as a cutely drawn heart right next to them, together with an arrow pointing further down in the forest. Slightly annoyed by her teasing, Fey glared in the direction of the arrow before sending a massive pillar of fire along with it. ¡°She¡¯s so hot-headed!¡± Further along inside the forest, Aura dodged the rapidly approaching fire and turned around. ¡°At least things are more interesting now~." Saying so, she increased her speed a little to put more distance between them. ¡°The chasing part is a lot more fun than the hiding part!¡± Letting out a small chuckle, the wolf then turned at a 90-degree angle and drew another arrow into the ground before running further into the forest. ¡°Aura¡¯s having a good time, huh?¡± Fey found the new arrow and rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m starting to wonder how long we¡¯ll keep going with this. No rules with the sisters means certain defeat for them because they¡¯re just babies with no experience, but it¡¯s different with Aura. She might be one of the most experienced beings in existence. As one can see in how everything is just a game to her.¡± She scratched her cheek again. ¡°That being said, she wouldn¡¯t have a much easier time finding me, either.¡± The fox tried to make herself feel better. Having no better plan for the time being, Fey shot another barrage of fire the way the arrow was pointing before following after it. ¡°Someone found the second arrow, huh?¡± Jumping out of the fire¡¯s range, Aura just nodded a couple of times in return. ¡°Should I wait for her here? I want some more action!¡± She was becoming impatient. ¡°Then again, while I like to set things on fire, I don¡¯t like to be set on fire. Something that will definitely happen if I just stay here.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Also, Fey would probably be angry with me if I gave up like that.¡± Eventually coming up with something, the wolf made another quick art project in the dirt before disappearing into the forest once more. ¡°She¡¯s gotten bored of the hiding part of the chase, huh?¡± Fey found the last place the wolf was and lightly chuckled when she saw another heart drawn in the dirt. Inside the heart, the words Detection OK could be read. "Well, it indeed was becoming a little tedious, so this will speed up things a lot.¡± She closed her eyes for a moment and then turned to her right. Instantly after, she dashed into the forest with tremendous speed. Having entered the final phase of their chase, things quickly became a lot more interesting and heated between the two. Chapter 121 – A hot personality Fey and Aura had entered the final phase of their chase, and the wolf allowed the fox-girl to use detection magic as the two were too evenly matched and weren¡¯t progressing in the slightest. Naturally, once Fey knew where exactly she had to look, the time for tricks was over, and the two met soon enough. ¡°Welcome~.¡± Once Fey was allowed to use her detection magic, she quickly pinpointed Aura¡¯s location and found her comfortably sitting down in the middle of a massive green field. ¡°No rules for us were a bit of a hot-headed oversight, huh?¡± ¡°I do admit that I got caught in your pace and hadn¡¯t fully thought it through.¡± The red-haired fox nodded. ¡°You have a skill for that.¡± ¡°I sure have~.¡± It was a compliment for her. ¡°Should we start with the grand finale?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The fox tilted her head. ¡°You have found me, but I have yet to be caught.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± She nodded once. ¡°I assume jumping at you with high speed isn''t going to work, huh? The sisters are highly susceptible to it." ¡°You can try and embarrass yourself, but that tactic only works on babies.¡± ¡°I figured as much.¡± Fey rolled her eyes. ¡°Should we add one or two more rules on how I have to catch you? To avoid another stalemate?¡± ¡°That is a good idea.¡± Aura agreed. ¡°How about we limit ourselves to this plain?¡± She looked behind her while gesturing at the never-ending green. ¡°No world-ending magic, either.¡± ¡°Seems like a plan to me.¡± The fox nodded. ¡°What would count as catching you? A simple tap or a full-on tackle?¡± ¡°I want a big fat hug from you!¡± ¡°Why?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°I thought you preferred my full form?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the issue you have?¡± The wolf hadn''t expected that. ¡°It¡¯s true, but if I get a hug from you, I have something I can tease Steph with~.¡± ¡°Ohh, okay, that¡¯s a reason I can get behind.¡± Fey became a fan of the plan. ¡°I¡¯ll give you the heartiest hug possible when I get you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best~.¡± Her voice was super playful. ¡°If you get me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I¡¯ll make sure you can tease Steph plenty later on~.¡± Fey¡¯s voice had the same ring to it. ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Ready!¡± ¡°Go!¡± ---------------- The moment they said the word, the fox instantly jumped at the wolf with a speed that made it look like she broke the sonic barrier. It sounded like it, too. Unfortunately, Aura¡¯s reaction was faster. Right before Fey reached her, an earthen wall appeared right in front of her, causing her to crash into it. ¡°So you opted to embarrass yourself after all, huh?" The wolf smirked at the fox, whose head was sticking out of the other side of the wall right in front of her. ¡°I had to give it a try.¡± Saying so, the entire three-meter-wide and one-meter-thick wall exploded into countless pieces, and the fox shot forward even faster. Aura barely managed to dodge to the side and made another big leap to increase the distance between them a little more. Afterward, the wolf created multiple more earth-made walls around her to shield herself from the catapulting fox, who was about to launch herself once again. ¡°So trigger-happy~.¡± Fey let out another chuckle when she had time for a breather. ¡°Let''s see, what could we do to-, oh!¡± Before she was able to finish her sentence, a torrent of water breached the walls and threatened to drown her. Controlling the water herself, Aura held it above her and pushed it over yet another wall and away from her. Immediately after, she jumped right through the wall on her left to free herself from the self-made prison. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ¡°You won¡¯t get away that easily!¡± The fox-girl used her power with air magic to tear up the ground left and right of the fleeing wolf. The trenches were about 20 meters wide and 10 meters deep and went on for about a kilometer. It was nothing the wolf couldn¡¯t easily jump over, but it carried the message of something worse happening if she did, so Aura continued to run in a straight line for a while longer before coming up with a new plan. ¡°Yep, this is a lot more fun!¡± Having a great time, Aura sped up even more, and the curious urge to find out what would happen if she were to cross the trench immediately overcame her. Jumping over it, the wolf got attacked by countless roots that had been laid bare inside the trench. They were about to reach and entangle her, but as it didn''t seem like she was into this kind of thing, Aura wrapped herself in a ball of fire and ignited every root that came close to her. ¡°Her reflexes are admirable.¡± The red-haired girl had only praise for her. ¡°I guess I need to try a little harder. A few moments later, the whole area was bathed in a glaringly bright light. With the use of light-based magic, she turned the entire plain so bright that it was impossible to open one''s eyes without them hurting. Being able to see anything had become impossible, too. ¡°Blinding me is a creative one.¡± With her eyes firmly shut to protect them, the wolf nodded a couple of times. ¡°Though, what¡¯s the point?¡± She looked confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hurting yourself with more than you affect me? I¡¯m a wolf, you know? Our hearing might be on par, but my sense of smell is unbeatable. You can¡¯t outsmart me on instincts, either. Not to mention that we can still use our detection magic.¡± Slightly confused over Fey¡¯s tactic, Aura erected an earthen dome all around her to shield herself from the brightness and rest her eyes. Unfortunately, she didn¡¯t get the chance to get a breather. ¡°Got you!¡± The fox instantly used her fist to break through the earth and filled the entire dome with red-hot fire while she turned off the blinding light. The temperature was so high that even the dirt melted away. ¡°I know this won¡¯t hurt you, too bad, but it¡¯s over now-, ah.¡± The smugness in her voice disappeared the second she realized the dome she had melted was empty. In the time between Aura shielding herself from the brightness and Fey breaking through her protection, the wolf had dug herself underground, and all that was left between the molten remains was a wolf-sized hole leading underground. ¡°She¡¯s such a hot personality!¡± Currently being busy digging a tunnel away from the scene, the wolf had to chuckle at her own stupid joke. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s get away from her for the time being!¡± Aura sped up her magic-assisted digging. Feeling called out, the hot personality of a girl, Fey, lifted her hand over the hole and shot another pillar of fire into it. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see where she pops out.¡± She fixed her gaze on the field in front of her while continuing to flood the tunnel with fire. ---------------- Roughly 30 seconds later, an explosion happened approximately 300 meters to the right of her before a pillar of fire shot out of it. ¡°She might be too hot for me!¡± The explosion right before the fire was caused by Aura, who shot out of the ground right before the flames caught up to her. Although, there was a slight scorch mark on the very tip of her tail, so it definitely was a close call. ¡°Let''s cool her down a bit!¡± Soon after, a three-meter-high wall made out of stone shot out of the ground and formed a roughly 500-meter-wide circle around the wolf. Afterward, she made a small pedestal for herself and then filled the entire area with water, creating a shallow but massive lake. ¡°Are you not a fan of fire?¡± Fey also made herself a pedestal around 200 meters away from the fold and smirked at her. ¡°I am.¡± Aura shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of being set on fire, though.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you care so deeply about such small details as semantics.¡± ¡°This is far from a small detail if you ask me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The fox cutely tilted her head. ¡°How do you feel about being steamed, then?¡± Not waiting for her reply, Fey began throwing fire into the water to heat it up. Soon enough, steam began to rise from the entire body of water before it eventually started to boil and bubble violently. Before long, the whole area had turned into a sauna with near zero visibility thanks to the thick steam. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m the biggest fan.¡± Aura shook her head. ¡°I do like myself a hot bath every now and then, but this might be a bit much. I think we should chill it a little.¡± Having had enough of her surroundings, she concentrated for a moment, and the water around her pedestal began to freeze. Pouring even more power into it, half of the lake was soon frozen while the other half was still boiling. ¡°Well, ice seems more your style. That is indeed true." The fox couldn¡¯t blame her for not liking the steam. ¡°In all fairness, I like your side better, too.¡± The fluffy girl also was a fan of the ice. ¡°Not today, though!¡± Trying her best to win against the spreading ice of the wolf, Fey increased her fire to fight back. The heat and cold went back and forth for a long while. At times, more of the water was frozen, while in other moments, more of it was boiling, but it roughly always stayed at 50-50. To ensure that, both girls poured more and more power into their magic. Too much power. As it became more and more violent, it got more unstable, as well. Super cold and hot water and/or ice often don¡¯t get along too well, either. As a result of that, things soon went past the critical levels and exploded. A massive steam explosion occurred, eradicated the entire makeshift lake, and took the two girls with them. Once things calmed down, the duo was lying at the bottom of the 800-meter-wide crater with a dizzy-looking Fey on top of the equally disheveled wolf. Whether it was a draw or the win of the fox had yet to be determined, but the answer would most likely vary depending on who one would ask. Chapter 122 – Accepting defeat The chase between Aura and Fey reached its explosive finale, literally, and once they made it through the violent and massive steam explosion that took out both, they still needed to settle on who won and who lost. ¡°There is no way I accept defeat here!¡± The two had crawled out of the crater they had accidentally created and were in the middle of an argument as if nothing happened. ¡°The best I¡¯ll accept is a draw!¡± Aura vehemently shook her head. ¡°What do you mean, best you can accept?!¡± Fey glared at her. ¡°It¡¯s crystal clear that you lost!¡± ¡°It was by mere chance that you landed on top of me!¡± ¡°I still would¡¯ve won if you landed on top of me, you know?¡± The fox slowly shook her head. ¡°How does that make any sense?!¡± The wolf loudly disagreed. ¡°The goal was to catch you, and that usually happens by touching the person running away. It doesn¡¯t really matter how one gets touched, does it? I even went ahead and gave you a little squeeze to make sure and clear your hug requirement." ¡°¡­¡± She had a hard time finding a compelling argument. ¡°So, do you admit defeat?¡± Fey grinned at her. ¡°Never!¡± Her pride didn¡¯t allow her to do so. ¡°Stop being so stubborn!¡± ¡°You are part of the group who isn¡¯t allowed to call others stubborn!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Fey just stared right at her. ¡°You know exactly what I mean.¡± ---------------- After having agreed to disagree on the outcome of their chase, the duo returned to the others on the island. ¡°Congratulations on your victory!¡± ¡°That was amazing!¡± The sisters immediately surrounded Fey and clapped their hands. ¡°Heh.¡± With an expression full of smug, she just smirked at the wolf. ¡°Grrr!¡± Aura growled back at her. ¡°It was a draw!¡± ¡°How was that a draw¡­?¡± Sophia and Steph looked confused. ¡°Because we took each other out!¡± ¡°So?¡± The two only got more confused. ¡°It was a chase, was it not?¡± The dog-girl shrugged. ¡°The goal was for Fey to catch you.¡± The blonde did the same. ¡°Not who was better in the admittedly very impressive magic showdown.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The female wolf went silent. ¡°Those sisters have some redeeming features, after all.¡± Fey was proud of them. ¡°Hey!¡± The two didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°That being said, Aura was literally playing around with you until it changed into more of a regular magic match.¡± Fen sided with his wolf. ¡°You would¡¯ve had no chance if Aura didn¡¯t want to have more fun during your contest.¡± ¡°That is regrettably true.¡± The red-haired girl had to agree. ¡°Though, I feel like I have to say that I think she also would¡¯ve had a hard time finding me if the roles were reversed.¡± ¡°Should we give it a try?¡± The female wolf stared at the fox. ¡°I¡¯d like to see if that constellation would also end in a draw.¡± She still couldn¡¯t accept it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a draw!¡± Fey raised her voice. ¡°My victory even was confirmed by the sisters!¡± ¡°Since when do you listen to them?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The expression of the red fox turned awkward. ¡°W-When they¡¯re right, they¡¯re right.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Oi!¡± The girls in question didn¡¯t like the look on her face and the stutter she had. ¡°Actually, we think it might be a draw, after all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing I rarely listen to either of you.¡± Fey¡¯s mood instantly changed to playful again. ¡°You¡¯re the worst!¡± The sister-telepathy was going strong today. ¡°Can you even still call this hide and seek or a chase?¡± Chloe joined the conversation while she was still looking over the edge of the island and down on the destroyed battlefield they turned the plain below them into. ¡°Of course!¡± Fey, Aura, Fen, and Steph didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°Hmm, it looked amazing, and I really want to play around with magic together with both of you, but I have to side with our lovely pink ball of fluff here.¡± Sophia nodded a couple of times while looking at Chloe. ¡°You two were just playing around and having fun! Nothing wrong with that, but both of you had forgotten about the objective halfway in.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Both turned their head away from the blonde as they had a hard time refuting her argument. ¡°This is the grown-up version of hide and seek!¡± Steph tried to defend them because she loved to play like that, too. ¡°Now, grown-up hide and seek is something else entirely.¡± Maya lightly shook her head without elaborating further. ¡°Ah, true, you¡¯re right about that.¡± The dog-girl just nodded in agreement. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s great that you¡¯re having fun, but it seems a little excessive?¡± Chloe also loved using magic and getting carried away with it, but usually not in overly offensive ways. ¡°Hearing that from you, miss-I-have-no-sense-of-holding-back, that really is something else.¡± Fey stared at her daughter with big eyes. ¡°Exactly.¡± The pink girl nodded. ¡°Also, good luck on telling me to hold back the next time I have a fun idea I want to try, Feyfey.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve made a horrible mistake.¡± She hung her head in return. ¡°Okay, hear me out, alright?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Chloe tilted her head. "Steph already knows about it from our previous chases, and I told Sophia, too, but when I¡¯m inside a domain, I¡¯m not nearly as strict when it comes to magic usage.¡± ¡°Well, duh!¡± The pink fox pointed down the island, at the massive field of destruction, while continuing to stare at her. ¡°I kinda figured that part already.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Outside, in the regular world, I worry that I might have an impact on something I shouldn''t, thanks to my ties to Mira, the overseer of magic. Destroying an ecosystem or two could have serious consequences, as well. Those are things I don''t have to worry about when we''re inside the domain of an overseer." ¡°Worry a little!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like the last part. ¡°And I told you that it¡¯s not a big deal even in the regular world.¡± Mira smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s a resilient place, that world of yours. Nothing too bad would happen if you let loose.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just saying that because it would be interesting for you to watch!¡± Fey glared at her. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Stupid overseers and their constant desire to be entertained¡­¡± The red fox let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s in our nature!¡± Mira simply smiled at her before looking at Sophia. ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Leave me out of this!¡± The blonde vehemently shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m no overseer!¡± ¡°You do love to be entertained, though.¡± Chloe saw the connection. ¡°So do you!¡± Sophia stared right at her. ¡°As do Fen, Aura, Steph, Anna, as well as Maya and Ari to some degree!¡± Her gaze wandered between all of them while saying so. ¡°Okay, fair point.¡± The pink fox had to give that round to her. ¡°Anyway, so as long as I stay within Sophia¡¯s domain, I can do whatever I want with magic, and you won''t ever complain?!" She focused on Fey again. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°In fact, I would welcome it. The more you power yourself out there, the tamer you will be in the regular world.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see about that!¡± Chloe took it as a challenge. ¡°You can do the same in my domain, by the way.¡± Mira didn¡¯t want to be left out. ¡°I¡¯d love it if you have your own little area in my place!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I want to start with Sophia¡¯s domain, though! I want to be a part of its founding to boast about it later on when it inevitably becomes famous!¡± ¡°You love to hear it!¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs-up. ¡°I have just the idea for you, too! Fey agreed to also build her own biome in my domain under the condition of doing it together with her.¡± ¡°LET''S GO!¡± Chloe liked the plan very much and looked at the red fox with sparkling eyes. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want to get involved in her place?¡± Mira seemed surprised about it. ¡°Sophia tricked me into it.¡± Fey just lightly shook her head. ¡°Ah, okay, that makes more sense.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia looked rather proud of herself while smirking at them. ¡°Let''s do it, Feyfey!¡± Chloe was excitedly circling around her mother. ¡°Please!¡± ¡°I mean, I never go back on my word, even if my opponent cheated.¡± She glared at Sophia once more. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s build something together soon.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± The pink fox was quite happy about it. ¡°Let''s start with it immediately once I¡¯m done with the place Fenfen and I are doing right now!¡± ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no rush.¡± If it were for her, she¡¯d prefer it to not happen, after all. "You''re just hoping I forget about it if enough time passes!" ¡°I-I would never!¡± Feeling caught by her own daughter, Fey turned her head away. ¡°Grr!¡± Chloe didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°How about, after that, the three of us build something together in my domain, then?¡± Mira smiled at her daughter while pointing at the red fox. ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes were sparkling again. ¡°That sounds lovely! I¡¯d love to do that!¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t say no to that, either.¡± Fey reacted with a wry smile. ¡°It does sound like an endearing activity with the two of you, though.¡± She absolutely had nothing against family bonding time. ¡°I¡¯d like to create something worthwhile, though. Something we still can enjoy a long time away from now on. Not simply going as wild with magic as possible.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± The pink fox was okay with that. ¡°I already know that it will be my new most-liked place inside my domain.¡± The family continued to bond for a little while longer before they eventually put the topic on hold for the time being. Afterward, they all returned to the cottage and had dinner together to finish off quite an eventful day. Chapter 123 – Idiot proofing The group congratulated Fey on her victory against Aura in the chase, even though the female wolf didn''t accept her loss, and some of the girls had some doubts about it having been a chase in the first place. It had ended up being more of a magic showdown, after all. Afterward, Chloe bonded a little more with her parents before they ended the day by having dinner together. ¡°Sophia, we have a problem!¡± On the morning after the grand chase, Aura, together with Ari, stood in front of the blonde in the cottage¡¯s hallway. ¡°Yes?¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Two of the portals you made for me stopped working!¡± It seemed like a serious issue for the wolf. ¡°Really? That sounds odd?¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°That¡¯s never happened before. Can you show me?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Saying so, Aura guided her to their portal hub. ¡°By the way, you really have to clean up this place!¡± Once they arrived there, Ari used the chance to get Sophia to bring some order into the mess she had created. "It''s just portal after portal without any order whatsoever!¡± She pointed at the at least 50 of them all around them. ¡°Last time I wanted to go somewhere, it took me like four times to find the right one!¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°All of the portals are my creation and connected to me, so I know where they lead to, so I never had an issue with that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big issue for everyone else, though!¡± The jaguar raised her voice a little. ¡°Is that so?¡± The tiger looked at Aura for confirmation. ¡°It¡¯s the slightest bit confusing at times, yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Alright, next time I have some free time, I¡¯ll make a couple of signs.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Ari smiled at her in return. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s focus on your problem for now.¡± Sophia then focused on the wolf again. ¡°Yes!¡± Nodding once, Fey turned to her left and gestured at two portals there. ¡°Those two were supposed to lead to my pine forest, but when you try to step through, they don¡¯t let you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡± The blonde got closer to the portals and placed her hand on one. Curiously enough, she indeed wasn''t able to push her hand through it. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s disabled.¡± "Why, though?" The wolf was curious about the reason. ¡°Inside my domain, those portals are a little more advanced because they belong to it and follow its rules.¡± ¡°I have no idea what any of this means.¡± Aura only got confused. ¡°The portal knows when the other side is dangerous and prevents the users from subjecting themselves to something that could lead to them getting hurt.¡± ¡°How would it be dangerous?¡± The wolf tilted her head. ¡°Hmm.¡± Sophia closed her eyes for a moment. ¡°Both places are still on fire, so it would hurt quite a lot when the portal would be open and let you through.¡± ¡°That¡¯s handy!¡± Aura was impressed for a moment. "Thank you for idiot-proofing this place!" Ari clapped her hands. "The idiot, me, is very happy about that!¡± ¡°You¡¯re very welcome!¡± The tiger smiled at her. ¡°Both places are still burning? Even ground zero where we started the fire? I would¡¯ve guessed everything is burned down there by now." The wolf was surprised to hear it. "I guess my trees are even sturdier than we thought, huh?" She looked at Ari during the last part. ¡°As expected from you and your magic.¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She was happy to hear it. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to give it more time, then.¡± ¡°You know, Ari¡¯s complaint about the messy portal situation and now this.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯ve been playing around with see-through portals lately and had a lot of fun with it. Actually, seeing where the portal leads to would be even better than signs, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± Ari was a big fan of the suggestion. ¡°I¡¯ll do the others later, but let¡¯s have a look at the dangerous one here.¡± While saying so, the tiger put her hand on the portal once more, and after a few moments, the sparkly pink inside slowly began to change. It soon changed into a flickering orange and red hue, and it became visible that the portal led to a flaming inferno that one definitely should avoid visiting for the time being. ¡°ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR IDIOT PROOFING THEM!¡± Seeing what was happening on the other side, Ari raised her voice by a good bit. ¡°Fascinating!¡± Aura was a lot more relaxed about it. ¡°Well, I guess we have to wait a little longer to regrow the forest to even higher glory for a bit longer, then! Ari, how about we fully focus on our other project for today instead?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She reacted with a big nod. "What else, other than burning down my domain, are you two up to?" Sophia got interested in and concerned about whatever else they were doing. "Our dearest jaguar here wanted to have a rainforest to please the ancestors inside her, and I''m helping her with it." ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°What about the one around our cottage?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s not rainforest-y enough!¡± Ari energetically shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s more of a jungle, after all.¡± ¡°Alright, all the power to you!¡± She wasn''t going to stop her. ¡°Thanks!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have some fun!¡± Saying so, Aura got behind the jaguar and pushed her through another portal. ¡°Enjoy!¡± Sophia just waved after them. ¡°¡­¡± A few moments later, they returned for some reason, though. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Wrong portal!¡± The duo then disappeared through another one right next to it. ¡°Ha.¡± Awkwardly scratching her cheek, Sophia then spent the next hour making all the existing portals see-through before returning to the cottage. ---------------- ¡°All alone?¡± Back in the cottage''s living room, the blonde ran into her fellow tiger, Anna. ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°I thought about getting in some more training with Mira, but after I saw her disappearing with new Fey through the portal to her domain, I didn¡¯t feel like interrupting whatever they planned to do.¡± The princess thought she¡¯d be a bother. ¡°That¡¯s, uhh¡­ probably for the best.¡± The shorter tiger nodded a couple of times. ¡°Who knows what their plans were.¡± ¡°I have a pretty good idea.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Sophia just kept nodding. ¡°What were you doing with Mira, anyway? I just barely overheard that you had spent the day with her yesterday.¡± ¡°I had her teach me magic!¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°Well, okay, only how to properly detect and measure its level in the area without seeing it, as that''s not possible for me." ¡°Ahh, I see!¡± She calmed down a little. ¡°That¡¯s still amazing! Also, being able to see it isn¡¯t that much of a help past a certain point because you literally go blind if there¡¯s too much magic around you.¡± ¡°Mira mentioned that, too.¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°Was there a specific reason you wanted to get better at that?¡± The blonde got curious again. ¡°Initially, I wanted to ask her if it was possible to use that magic stone we found below your cherry forest to keep storing my magic to be able to use its reserves to create a massive biome for myself in one go.¡± ¡°And?" ¡°It¡¯s possible, but it doesn¡¯t make much sense in Mira¡¯s eyes. It would be much easier to simply release my internal magic as ambient magic in the area I want my biome and keep doing that until it¡¯s enough. As long as I don¡¯t give the ambient magic a purpose, it seems to stay in the area as long as I want it to. Once the levels are high enough, I could get started without having to use the stone, of which we don¡¯t know how much it holds, anyway.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just what I did with the cherry blossoms! I can attest that this method works~.¡± ¡°Mira said so, too, so I¡¯m sure of it.¡± The princess gave her a thumbs up. ¡°You have the benefit of a much larger capacity and near-instant regeneration, though. Because of that, it will take me a lot longer.¡± She then hung her head a little. ¡°That is true, but even if you had more, you¡¯d want to spend more, too, so the problem will always stay the same. I mean, I feel the same way, even with my powers! Next to Mira, I feel downright insignificant.¡± ¡°There''s always someone better than you, huh? To be fair, Mira¡¯s a bit of an extreme comparison. Then again, in absolute terms, I¡¯m beyond privileged already, so I shouldn¡¯t complain, either.¡± Anna was aware that both were having some high-level complaints others could only dream of. ¡°That is very much the case here.¡± The blonde could only agree with her. ¡°Anyway, how did the training go? Did you learn how to gauge magic levels properly?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± She vigorously nodded. ¡°Mira even praised me for my skills!¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± Sophia lightly clapped her hands. ¡°How far apart can you tell the levels?¡± ¡°Yesterday, I managed to get just shy of 200 times my maximum power. I hope to get even better with more training!¡± She sounded very motivated. ¡°W-What the-?!¡± The blonde got loud. ¡°That¡¯s way more than I can!¡± ¡°You do have over ten times my magic power, so it¡¯s not that much in total terms.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still a WHOLE lot!¡± It wasn¡¯t any less of an achievement for the shorter tiger. ¡°I was completely overwhelmed when I was in an area with about 30 times my power, so I''d guess we''re about on the same level, absolutely speaking!" ¡°Even though I¡¯m much weaker than you?!¡± ¡°Not the word I would¡¯ve used, but yeah, you have a lot less magic at your disposal, but you¡¯re that sensitive to it!¡± ¡°I wonder if it scales with power at all?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°I wonder if I could sense it even better with more internal magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to find out, but I¡¯m still too weak to boost you more at the moment.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Maybe sometime in the future again.¡± ¡°That wasn''t my intention!¡± The tall tiger rapidly shook her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t begging, just curious!¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I wasn¡¯t accusing you, either.¡± She had to chuckle at the panicking princess. ¡°Now I want to see you in action, though! Let''s go somewhere else and see who can sense magic levels better!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Having decided on their spontaneous date, the two tigers left the cottage to play around with their magic. Chapter 124 – Stamina Aura and Ari wanted to check on the pine forest they burned down but got confused over the fact that the portals leading there didn''t let them go through. With the help of Sophia, they found out that the forest was still burning, and the portals deactivated themselves to keep the girls away from harm. While she was at it, the blonde also turned the portals see-through, so that they were less confusing, before spending the rest of the day with Anna to play with magic together with her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Roughly an hour before Sophia helped Ari and Aura, Chloe dragged Fen to the portal hub to go to their ongoing project. ¡°I want to see if we were able to create our mountain range!¡± ¡°Calm down. It''s not going to run away.¡± Fen wasn¡¯t one to hurry. ¡°But we¡¯ll need like half an hour to find the right portal and get there, so there¡¯s no time to waste!¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s a fair point.¡± The wolf looked at the many dozens of portals all around them while nodding a few times. ¡°Let¡¯s make sure to properly complain to Sophia about that soon.¡± "Absolutely!" The fox agreed with him, and the two then went through the first portal they thought would lead to their project. ¡°¡­¡± The two returned to the portal hub rather swiftly but managed to find the right one after only four more tries and finally made it to the area where they were planning to make the cozy snowy mountain hut relaxation place. ---------------- ¡°WOW!¡± Arriving there, Chloe¡¯s eyes immediately grew wide. ¡°I¡¯m in awe.¡± Fen also was pleasantly surprised when he looked at the scenery around them. The plateau they planned to place the hut on was still slightly empty; only a couple of needle-leaf trees had grown so far as they only managed to pour out the little remaining magic power they had when they finished up the other day. That wasn¡¯t the cause of their reaction, though. A little further away, in a circle roughly ten kilometers all around them, was a new mountain range that covered the whole horizon. The height varied a little in some areas, but it seemed about one to two kilometers high. Some plants were growing on the sides of the range. Especially the ground layer was covered in them, but most of it in the higher areas was just grey rocks without any sign of snow around the summit area, either. ¡°This is way better than I had hoped it to be!¡± Chloe¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°The mountains are perfect!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe our, well, mostly yours, magic was enough to create all this!¡± The wolf was surprised by just how much the area had changed. ¡°Creating so much material to form this massive mountain range should be much more costly!¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re inside Sophia¡¯s domain.¡± The fox smiled at him. ¡°How surprising would it really be if magic were to behave all funky in here?¡± ¡°It would be surprising if it weren¡¯t true." He nodded. ¡°It¡¯s still puzzling, though, but I can accept a Sophia place behaving like Sophia, so it¡¯s perfectly understandable.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She let out a small chuckle before focusing on the mountains again. ¡°It would¡¯ve been even better if they came with snow already.¡± ¡°Debatable.¡± Fen didn¡¯t share her opinion. ¡°For visual purposes!¡± She lightly glared at him. "There''s no need for you to go there just to have it look nice!" ¡°That¡¯s somewhat acceptable.¡± ¡°Are the mountains not high enough for natural snow?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°In the regular world, they might not be high enough, though that heavily depends on the climate.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Well, something like an actual climate doesn¡¯t really exist in this place yet, so¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± The fox looked up at the sky, or rather the all-white lack of it. "There¡¯s nothing that could naturally create snow, huh?¡± ¡°Not that the mountains have been created naturally.¡± The wolf rolled his eyes. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Chloe let out another chuckle. ¡°Anyway, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of putting snow on the mountains. However, I''ll need Sophia''s help. I''ll ask her to place multiple dozens of portals all over the place for me to use. I¡¯ll die if I have to walk everywhere!¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°It would be good for you to gain some more stamina, though.¡± Fen stared right at her. ¡°¡­¡± She just turned her head away. ¡°T-This is too much of a challenge!¡± ¡°So weak.¡± ¡°I know!¡± She nodded. ¡°Almost as weak as you when it comes to snow or other cold things.¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve seen that one coming.¡± Fen sounded ever so slightly awkward as he had nothing to defend himself with. ¡°Anyway, should we do the forest and the river around here first?" Chloe dropped the topic and pointed all around her. ¡°The hut should be right in the middle, where we are right now, so the river should be nearby, too!¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me.¡± The wolf agreed with her. ¡°To make it more natural, I suggest the river should start somewhere in the mountain range and then have it go through the entire plain.¡± ¡°That would look amazing!¡± Chloe smiled at him. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like that!¡± ¡°How do we do it, though?¡± Fen tilted his head. ¡°In my other forest, Ari and I dug out the riverbed and then filled it with water. I have nothing against manual labor, but¡­¡± ¡°I do, though!¡± ¡°I figured, so let me finish.¡± He rolled his eyes. ¡°There has to be a more, uhh, magical approach to it.¡± ¡°I like that a lot more!¡± Chloe went back to smiling. ¡°Sophia said that it¡¯s possible for magic to create a continuous source of water. If that¡¯s true, we should probably put it somewhere on the mountain range.¡± ¡°It might help if we carve a little trench along the plateau to guide the direction of the future river.¡± "A valid point." The wolf liked her addition. "Judging by what we did so far, it might be enough to release our magic alongside the trench to have it grow later on.¡± ¡°Just what I was about to suggest, too!¡± The fox nodded a couple of times. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try it out.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Afterward, Chloe waited for Fen to change to his big mode to jump on his back. Once he did so, the duo sped to the edge of the plateau where the mountain range started. ---------------- ¡°How about we mark this the end of the river and walk over to the other side while roughly carving the path for the river and releasing bits of our magic?¡± Fen was thinking about their next steps. ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± ¡°Both of us are going to walk, though. On our own feet.¡± The wolf stared at her. "It''s just 20 kilometers. Maybe 25 or, at best, 30 if we add some bends to the river.¡± ¡°Hrmmnnn¡­¡± Chloe¡¯s face scrunched up. ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you that it''ll take a couple of hours.¡± "I''m in no rush, and you need to get every bit of exercise you can." ¡°Are you calling me fat?!¡± The fox instantly got loud. ¡°How did you come to that conclusion?¡± He looked confused. ¡°I¡¯m calling you lazy, untrained, and in dire need of more stamina.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She wasn¡¯t sure if that was any better. As he was right, all she could do was change her expression into a pout, though. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± Saying so, Fen simply began walking away from her. ¡°Ah, wait for me!¡± The fox quickly ran after him, and the duo continued to walk next to each other towards the center of the plateau. While slowly moving forward, Fen used a bit of his magic to carve a roughly one-meter-wide and 50cm-deep trench into the ground behind them while Chloe released bits of her internal authority alongside it. ¡°With that, we¡¯re back at the hut location.¡± A few hours had passed since then when Fen announced their arrival at the portal in the middle of the plateau. ¡°Does the river really need that many twists and turns¡­?¡± Looking and sounding rather exhausted, Chloe looked back at their path so far and how wiggly the trench they made was. ¡°I think it¡¯s like twice as long and bendy as it needed to be.¡± ¡°No, I think it¡¯s perfect like that.¡± The wolf shook his head. ¡°It looks more natural like that.¡± ¡°You just wanted me to walk more!¡± The fox saw through his intent. ¡°That is an utterly baseless accusation.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± He just nodded. ¡°Now, we have to keep it going like that, too. If the second half of the river becomes straight now, it would look really weird.¡± His plan was flawless. ¡°I would usually agree that everything straight is weird, but¡­¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. ¡°I guess it¡¯s better not to change that behavior, either.¡± It wasn¡¯t for the reasons the wolf intended, but she agreed to keep going the way they did before. Another couple of hours passed before they eventually arrived at the other side of the plateau from where they initially started. ¡°I was just about to run out of magic, so that was perfect.¡± Fen sounded quite satisfied. ¡°I was just about to run out of my will to live!¡± Chloe strongly disagreed with him. ¡°Thanks to the twists, it was W-A-Y more than the distance you told me!¡± ¡°It sure was~.¡± He nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t keep track of the exact distance, but I¡¯d guess we walked for about 50 to 60 kilometers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sound so smug about it!¡± She got loud. "You''re still alive, and it was a good endurance training for you, so keep quiet." ¡°Grrr!¡± ¡°You think that growling at me, a wolf, will do much?¡± ¡°I think I could beat you!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fen stared at her. ¡°Sure, your magic is more potent, but will you be able to catch me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, how do we do this perpetual water source idea to feed the river?¡± The wolf ignored her reaction and looked up the mountain in front of them. "A small lake where we create some water and pump a good bit of magic into while thinking it should keep going and only to disappear once it reaches the end of the river?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how I¡¯d do it.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s give it a try." Afterward, the two dug out a little pond and used their magic to fill it with water to the point it overflowed into the trench they made the past couple of hours. While doing that for a while and watching the water travel down the plateau, the duo also released more of their internal magic into the pond while hoping it would keep going forever and continuously keeping the river alive and filled. Chapter 125 – The joys of spelunking Fen and Chloe spent the day working on their wintery holiday home and finished making the outline for the river that is supposed to go through the plateau inside their freshly created mountain range they willed into existence with magic. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have a strategy meeting!¡± Hiding from the others, Steph and Maya used a portal to the capital and sat down in the mansion''s living room, where the dog-girl stared at the cat with a most serious expression. ¡°Sure!¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°Wait, about what?¡± ¡°The amazing pink cave we found!¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± She nodded. ¡°The tentacles, I got it.¡± ¡°The whole Fey situation got us pretty distracted, but we still have to get Sophia and Chloe over there!¡± ¡°True.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Should we get Ari and Anna, as well?¡± ¡°The more the merrier!¡± Steph was an immediate fan of the suggestion. ¡°Although, as much as I love and adore Ari, I think we should only invite her after we took our girls first. She has a good influence on Sophia, and we absolutely don¡¯t need that for our endeavor.¡± ¡°You are good!¡± Maya seemed impressed. ¡°I¡¯m learning from the best.¡± The dog-girl gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Ari also easily goes with the flow. So, if we get Sophia on our side, she¡¯ll definitely get curious. Especially because I know Anna will be regardless.¡± ¡°Perfect! Okay, with that decided, how do we get our girls in there?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the question.¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Carefully, I guess.¡± ¡°Well, duh!¡± The dog-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Tricking them isn¡¯t an option, either. They have to agree to it, after all. Forcing them is out of the question.¡± She shook her head. "We couldn''t even if we wanted to. The two of us combined are still weaker than them.¡± Maya agreed with her. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°But, yes, consent is important and key here.¡± She felt the same as Steph on the matter. ¡°Maybe a little tricking?¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned mischievous. ¡°How so?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°We can¡¯t make them agree to do it with us, but we can make them go there without knowing why and what¡¯s waiting for them.¡± ¡°Why would that help us?¡± ¡°If we just tell them that we found a tentacle cave, there¡¯s like zero chance for them to go with us.¡± Steph shook her head. ¡°Okay, Chloe might be curious because she¡¯s a massive pervert, but what do you think Sophia would do?¡± ¡°Ahh, good point!¡± Maya finally understood her. "She definitely wouldn''t come with us." ¡°That¡¯s why we won¡¯t mention where we¡¯re going!¡± The dog-girl lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Problem solved!¡± ¡°Is it?¡± The cat-girl had her doubts. ¡°They¡¯ll definitely get suspicious if we just tell them to let¡¯s go somewhere without elaborating on where part.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still talking about Sophia and Chloe, you know?¡± Steph didn''t understand her reaction. ¡°Oh my gosh, Maya and I found the most amazing thing ever! You two have to see it immediately! You absolutely won¡¯t believe it until you see it with your own eyes!¡± She then made a slight pause. ¡°Afterward, both their eyes will be sparkling in anticipation, and they''re raring to go. They''ll be way too curious and distracted to ask questions.¡± ¡°You know what, I tip my imaginary hat to you.¡± Maya had to give it to her. ¡°You are absolutely correct on that. ¡°They love exploring and seeing interesting things way too much to pass on that. Also, that underground forest near it was genuinely amazing, and we can show that to them first.¡± ¡°And then we go like; Oh, what¡¯s that cave over there?¡± The dog-girl finished her sentence. ¡°Bam, our win!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± They couldn¡¯t help but shake hands afterward. "Now we just have to find the right time when nothing''s going on to take them on a trip!" Maya sounded super energetic. ¡°Which might be a tough thing.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The cat-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°True that.¡± ¡°Before that, should we go and take another look at the cave?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°Horny?¡± ¡°Always.¡± The dog-girl had no idea why she even asked. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, though.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°What did you mean, then?¡± ¡°When we found the cave, we got so excited we immediately left to get our girls. We still need to see how it or they work, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°That is true!¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Important, too!¡± She raised her voice a little. ¡°Vital, even. I need to know how those tentacles operate. After all, I¡¯m out if they¡¯re somewhat sentient and do their own thing. They have to be lifeless until I control them with magic. I need to be in charge of them!¡± ¡°Why would they be sentient?¡± Steph looked confused. ¡°I¡¯ve watched a ton of videos from your old world!¡± ¡°We¡¯re talking about porn, right?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°The tentacles in those movies were definitely sentient.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see where you¡¯re coming from.¡± The dog-girl totally saw those movies, as well. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, it was super hot, and I enjoyed it a lot." ¡°You enjoyed it, or yourself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°I enjoyed Sophia while watching it, too.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± ¡°Anyway, it was great to watch, but I don¡¯t want to partake in it if the tentacles are doing something to me and or Sophia on their own. I want to use the tentacles to do something to me and or Sophia. That''s a crucial distinction for me." "Mhmm." Steph paused for a moment to think about it. ¡°You want them to be an extension of yourself or a quite elaborate toy and not a separate entity?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°You know what, more than fair!¡± The dog could follow her logic. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve mentioned it, I feel the same. One of us needs to be in charge and control of the tentacle, or else it wouldn''t feel right." "I''m happy we''re on the same page.¡± She smiled at her partner in crime. ¡°Alright, shall we head over?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph energetically raised her arm high in the air. ---------------- The duo returned to the cottage and then took one of the portals to Mira¡¯s domain that the overseer had provided for them. Luckily, they didn¡¯t take the one to the teal fox¡¯s hut, so she and Fey wouldn¡¯t get interrupted. ¡°You still remember where it was, right?¡± The two were back in the dense forest inside Mira''s domain, where they last explored and ended up finding, or digging into, a massive ravine with its own forest growing on its bottom. "I thought you remembered?!" The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± Devastated over the turn of events, Steph dramatically fell to her knees. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, idiot.¡± She lightly rolled her eyes while smiling at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember that we marked our way when we headed back to the portal?¡± Saying so, she pointed in front of them, where a lone stick was driven into the ground, together with an arrow drawn into the ground below it. ¡°Right!¡± The dog-girl instantly jumped back on her feet. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that!¡± "You sure are cute." Maya liked her reaction. ¡°I¡¯m Sophia¡¯s little sister, after all!¡± She gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Yup, that explains it.¡± The cat-girl saw no flaw in her logic. ¡°Would be weird if she were the only adorable one in the family.¡± ¡°They¡¯re all adorable!¡± Having settled that debate, the duo got back on track and followed their markers to reach the ravine where they found the goodies. "Yeah, we can definitely trick them into coming here!" Having climbed down the ravine, Maya looked around and nodded a couple of times. "This place, with the massive overhang of rocks together with the forest growing here, looks amazing!" ¡°Absolutely!¡± Steph thought so, too. ¡°I love the indirect lighting because the sun has to go through the ravine to illuminate anything down here.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t even feel bad getting the girls here because they¡¯ll like it!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°Shall we head over to the main attraction?¡± She then pointed at the other side of the small forest, where the tunnel entrance to the cave was. ¡°Sure!¡± ---------------- Traversing the forest and entering the tunnel, the duo followed it for a while before eventually arriving in the cave of their desire. It was a massive cave where the color pink was ever so present. All over the place were hundreds of pink tentacle-shaped vines with a diameter of a couple of centimeters hanging from the ceiling. Rather than something alien, they seemed to be plant-based, though. The ceiling of the cave was covered in green lichen-like plants, and the tentacles seemed to be its outgrows. They just happened to be pink and wiggly, and their ends or tips were suspiciously shaped like something else. ¡°Nature knew exactly what they were doing when they made this plant.¡± Steph lightly rolled her eyes while looking at some of the details of the tentacles. ¡°I wonder if nature was called Mira in this instance.¡± The cat-girl wasn¡¯t sure this was a natural plant. ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s looking good, though. They wiggle around a little, probably because of the wind down here, but it doesn¡¯t seem like they have a will of their own.¡± Saying so, Steph moved closer to the nearest tentacle and gently touched it with one finger. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s slippery!¡± ¡°Yeah, there definitely not entirely naturally grown.¡± Maya was convinced of it now. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right, they are slippery!¡± She went ahead and touched one, too. ¡°The tentacle itself is pretty squishy, too. Still firm but not hard at all. It feels just like some of the toys we have!¡± There was a sense of familiarity that she liked. ¡°It¡¯s perfect!¡± The dog-girl felt the same. ¡°How do we control them, though?¡± She continued to poke the tentacle, but it only wiggled a little more in return. ¡°I have been playing around with nature magic a little recently.¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°That could work, I guess.¡± Saying so, she grabbed one of the tentacles and concentrated for a moment. Then, it began to wiggle way more actively before the lower half of it curled upward. Another second later, it moved towards Steph, and the tip lightly slapped her cheek. ¡°Oi!¡± She got loud in return. ¡°Wait, how did you do that?!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Maya reacted with a smug smile. ¡°You pour a little bit of your internal magic into it while imagining how you want to move it. I need some more training because it was a lot more awkward than I had imagined, but it¡¯s rather easy!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± With sparkling eyes, Steph also grabbed a tentacle and did the same as the cat-girl, which also resulted in Maya being slapped with it. ¡°It works!¡± ¡°Yep, I deserved that.¡± She couldn¡¯t blame her. ¡°Speaking of training~.¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned cheeky. ¡°Shall we give them a go?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya looked at the wiggling tentacles, including the one in her hand, before facing the excited dog-girl. ¡°Look, it seems like it would be fun, but you¡¯re still the sister of my girlfriend.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I meant.¡± Steph shook her head. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to control your tentacles. We¡¯re our own player here. If all of us were here, it maybe would be a little different, but with just the two of us, it would be in the weird territory.¡± She felt similarly on the topic. ¡°How about we go on opposite ends of the cave? We couldn¡¯t even see each other because of all the tentacles hanging from the ceiling. Dividing the cave with earth magic and making two rooms would be another option. That way, it''s no different from our cottage, where we all know what¡¯s going on in the other rooms during the night, too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya didn''t say anything and just looked around in the cave. ¡°Let''s go.¡± ¡°LET''S GO!¡± As the day was still young, there was still lots of exploring in the cave left to be done. Chapter 126 – A tiger’s playground Maya and Steph went to visit the tentacle cave they found the other day to see how it really worked before they got too excited the last time and left before they had the chance to explore everything. As it turned out, it was perfect on various levels, and the cat-girl got the urge to question Mira about how natural that cave really was. Other urges were had, too. Fulfilled, as well. ¡°By the way, what type of biome are you planning to save up for?¡± Sophia and Anna had moved to an empty part of the blonde''s domain, where she became curious about the princess''s plans. "A savanna!¡± The tall tiger smiled at her. ¡°Dry grasslands as far as you can see, lots of shrubs, acacia trees, sandy bits, an oasis scattered here and there, and maybe a mountain range in the distance to distract the eye~!¡± "Ho!" Sophia''s entire body perked up, and even her tail went stiff and pointed up. ¡°The tiger bits have been tickled, huh?¡± Anna understood her reaction. ¡°Very much so!¡± The blonde¡¯s voice was filled with excitement. ¡°The jungle Maya and Ari made scratched a lot of itches, but somehow, a savanna has been calling for me ever since we started playing in your domain thingy.¡± ¡°I like the jungle a whole lot, but now that I¡¯ve heard you saying it, YES!¡± Sophia nodded a couple of times. ¡°This is such a great idea!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Anna was happy that her idea was liked so much by her. ¡°Do you really want to do all of it on your own?¡± Sophia tilted her head. "I''d love to help you with it! Let''s make the most amazing place for tigers together!" ¡°Mhmm.¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s totally okay if you want it to be your solo project like my cherry blossom forest, but I just had to ask because my inner tiger is way too excited right now!¡± ¡°It would be fun to make something together with someone, just like everyone else already did. A fellow tiger who understands the appeal of a savanna only makes it better, too.¡± The princess wasn''t against the idea. ¡°I¡¯ll be in charge, though! I want to take care of the design and how it¡¯s going to look! You can help, but it¡¯s my project!¡± ¡°Oho, I like the assertive boss-lady Anna!¡± Sophia seemed to be a fan of tall and beautiful girls wielding authority. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely fine with that~.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± ¡°How big do you want it to be? To see how far away we should go from everyone else.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Anna¡¯s reply was instantaneous. ¡°A yes distance away from the others, huh?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Sure, that can be arranged!¡± Saying so, another portal appeared in front of the two. ¡°Lead the way, boss~.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± Nodding once, the princess stepped through the portal before the blonde quickly followed after her. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s a whole lot of nothing here.¡± Arriving at the other side and being greeted by the all-white nothingness, Anna had little else to say. ¡°We''re also at least a whole continent''s worth of distance away from everything else." ¡°Seriously?!¡± The tall tiger raised her voice. ¡°Yes enough on the size and distance from the others?¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°Barely!¡± ¡°I like the confidence.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Anna let out a small chuckle. ¡°By the way, how do we get started on the savanna?¡± ¡°Step one starts with a disappointment.¡± The blonde¡¯s expression turned a little awkward. ¡°Let¡¯s start with step two, then!¡± The princess wasn¡¯t a fan. ¡°That could prove difficult.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± ¡°When starting a new biome, we need some samples and a base to start. Unfortunately, we haven¡¯t been to a savanna yet, so we don¡¯t have any trees or other flora specific to it that we could use.¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Oh, I can help with that!¡± It didn¡¯t seem to be an issue for her. ¡°Have you secretly been to a savanna and hid a bit of it somewhere?¡± Sophia looked confused. ¡°Something like that, yeah.¡± She actually nodded. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°After Mira taught me how to hone my magic sensing skills, I told her about my plans in more detail and how badly I wanted to have my own savanna. She then generously gave me a little plot in her domain I could use to gather inspiration. We¡¯re free to take whatever we need from there.¡± ¡°Nice!¡± Sophia clapped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The princess was just as motivated. ¡°We have to head back to the cottage to take her portal, though.¡± ¡°While we¡¯re at it, let¡¯s link this place to the portal hub!¡± Saying so, Sophia opened yet another portal in front of them. ¡°This way!¡± ¡°Can we put the portal somewhere on the side or something like that? The hub is so confusing that I always get lost when trying to go somewhere.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t seen my most recent modifications yet.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s much easier to find your way now!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± The duo then went through the portal to take a look at the new hub and head over to Mira¡¯s domain. ---------------- ¡°Ta-da!¡± Arriving there, Sophia gave her a thumbs up while looking rather smug. ¡°I made the portals on this side see-through! That way, we can see where it leads to~.¡± "I didn''t know you could do that!" ¡°Yeah, I only recently figured out how to do it. It''s perfect for this, isn''t it?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Not just for knowing where the portal leads to, but it¡¯s also reassuring to see where you end up. It makes it a lot less weird.¡± ¡°You have a good point there.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I think we should only use them like this from now on.¡± ¡°We really should!¡± The tall tiger agreed with her. ¡°You should also do the same for the portal connection between the cities and the capital. Again, seeing where you end up makes this a lot more accessible and less frightening. People will be a lot less hesitant to use them like that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s the princess mode, huh? Even thinking about that when I had completely forgotten about that project." Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°You are right about that, though.¡± She nodded in agreement. ¡°It is a little intimidating to step into solid-looking pink and purple particles without knowing what''s going on. I tend to forget about that because I''m using them constantly." ¡°You¡¯re also the one who invented them.¡± ¡°That, too, helps. Well, it¡¯s a good thing we only visited one city so far, huh?¡± ¡°And, judging by our progress so far, it will take another year to arrive at the next one.¡± Anna lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°Ah.¡± The blonde got a little awkward again. ¡°To be fair, we¡¯re having a great time in my domain creating all sorts of stuff, no? Rather than exploring a world, we¡¯re literally creating one right now!¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t complaining.¡± The princess smiled at her in return. ¡°It¡¯s amazing in here! That being said, I still would like to travel my kingdom a little more and visit more cities.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t blame her for that. ¡°I want to train Ellie a little more and make the bestest savanna possible with you, but we should be back to traveling soon.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± Anna liked the plan. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head to Mira¡¯s place and borrow some inspiration.¡± ¡°Let''s go!¡± Having returned to the cottage, the two then went through one of the portals Mira provided for them to go to the area the overseer gave the princess. ¡°Nice, we can absolutely work with that!¡± Arriving there, Sophia looked at the roughly 200-by-200-meter patch of savanna in the middle of a regular green plain. There were a handful of acacia trees in varying sizes, a couple of spiky shrubbery, and lots of dry grass and reddish dirt. ¡°Did Mira make that just for you?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°It was already there when she brought me here, but we¡¯re talking about Mira here. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she could prepare this in a fraction of a second.¡± ¡°You have a point there.¡± The blonde thought so, too. ¡°She sure is something else. I bet it¡¯s so much fun to have that amount of magic to play with!¡± ¡°I feel the same about you in that regard.¡± Anna just stared at her. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s grab the stuff and get started!¡± She didn''t want to warm up that topic again. ¡°Okay!¡± Afterward, Sophia created a single massive portal the size of the savanna patch and transported the whole area to her own domain, only leaving behind a circular crater in the middle of the plain. "Well then, let''s hear your plan for this?" Back in Sophia''s domain, the short tiger pointed at the patch of savanna biome before gesturing at the all-white nothingness around it. ¡°How do you want it to look?¡± ¡°An excellent question!¡± ¡°You have no idea, do you?¡± The blonde had a feeling that her reaction meant something along the lines of that. ¡°I do!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I have the perfect picture in my mind, but it¡¯s hard to put into words!¡± ¡°Understandable, I often have the same issue.¡± Sophia felt her struggles. ¡°Good news is that you don¡¯t have to!¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°If you simply concentrate on the image while releasing your magic, it will turn into something resembling it closer than any words could describe. That''s the foundation of magic, after all~." ¡°Let''s go!¡± She instantly got even more motivated. ¡°How are you going to help, then?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be your magic supply.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Give me your hand, and while you release your magic and think about the savanna, I¡¯ll pour my magic into you, refilling your powers until I run out, too.¡± ¡°That works?!¡± ¡°The last time I did that with Fen, I almost blew up the beastfolk continent, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine this time.¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it~.¡± ¡°Nonono, there¡¯s lots to worry about in that sentence!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± She just shook her head. ¡°Magic doesn¡¯t explode as easily in my domain, and you also have less power than Fenny.¡± ¡°B-BUT!¡± ¡°Let''s go!¡± Not giving her any more room to complain, Sophia grabbed the hand of the princess, and they started the preparations for the new tiger savanna. Chapter 127 – Savanna time Sophia and Anna spent some time together together, and the princess told the blonde about her plans to create a massive savanna in her domain. Being a fellow tiger, the shorter girl was a massive fan of the idea and instantly offered her help. A couple of days had passed since the tigers started working on their little project, but progress came to a bit of a halt because, after the initial creation, they focused on filling the area with ambient magic to do a big chunk in on go once they had amassed enough. ¡°Sophia!¡± Once again, the blonde was approached by a needlessly dramatic-sounding Aura. ¡°Your domain is broken again!¡± ¡°When is it not broken in your eyes?!¡± She took the baseless accusation personally. ¡°She¡¯s right, though.¡± Ari, who was next to the wolf, sided with her. ¡°What did you two troublemakers do this time?!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°Hey!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like being addressed like that. ¡°Complaint denied!¡± She shook her head. ¡°In fact, you, Ari, probably went rogue the most in my domain! Everyone may have done one thing out of proportion, but you are partially responsible for the overgrown jungle around the cottage and helped burn down an entire biome!" ¡°¡­¡± The number one troublemaker had nothing to defend herself with. ¡°There lies the issue, though!¡± Aura stared at the tiger. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with your domain because my forest is still burning!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a big forest you made there. It will take a while before it all burns down.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t see the issue. ¡°But the portal to the very middle of the place, where we started to fire, is still just showing a flaming inferno on the other side!¡± The wolf wasn¡¯t happy with her explanation. ¡°Well, you used a healthy amount of magic when you created the trees, and, just like you, they won''t go down without a fight~." ¡°Mrmm¡­¡± ¡°You just have to wait a little longer~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Fine.¡± Aura gave up. ¡°Ari, my dear, it will be another rainforest day!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± The jaguar liked the sound of that, and the duo swiftly left the tiger. "Hmm¡­" The blonde let out a small sigh when she was alone. "How am I going to tell her that the two perfectly balanced out the fire and the magical regeneration of the trees, creating a perpetual fiery hellscape on accident?¡± As it was her domain, she naturally knew what was going on but just shrugged it off. "Well, it''s fine! It''s certainly one of the more interesting places in here now." She paused for a second. "Whatever, savanna time!" Saying so, she went to get Anna so they could work on their project some more. ---------------- ¡°I hate everything about this.¡± While Sophia was chatting with Aura and Ari, Chloe and Fen were together and working on their holiday home. It didn''t seem like the wolf was enjoying himself, though. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that!¡± The pink fox smiled at him while concentrating on the snowstorm she was creating in front of them. ¡°I¡¯m just covering the forest in a layer of snow. It¡¯s not going to hurt you.¡± ¡°Shush!¡± He didn''t like how smug she looked. ¡°Just because it can¡¯t hurt me, it doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it!¡± ¡°You¡¯d really think that you, as such a fluffy wolf, would enjoy snow a lot more.¡± ¡°And you¡¯d be wrong.¡± Fen shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a personal preference of mine. I prefer dry heat, hence why Sophia found me in the monster country.¡± ¡°That place was hell!¡± Chloe had a strong reaction to it. ¡°I liked the animals, I¡¯m still upset that I didn¡¯t get to pet a griffin, but the climate was the worst!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a little warm there. It¡¯s not going to hurt you.¡± The wolf had to do it. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I sure felt like dying, though!¡± The fox only got loud. ¡°I accept the comeback, though. Fair enough, I guess. Everyone has things they¡¯re good and bad with.¡± ¡°And things they like and dislike.¡± Fen nodded along. ¡°You are very right!¡± She gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ll be fine! I¡¯ll keep the area directly around us snow-free until our cozy log cabin is done. Once it¡¯s here, you don¡¯t have to be outside anymore, and you can simply enjoy the view from the inside while relaxing in front of the warm fireplace. It will be well worth the current suffering!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what keeps me going.¡± Having put aside their differences, the duo kept working on their place for a while longer, although Fen decided to focus all of his attention on finishing the river that was flowing through the plateau. Having initially created it with magic worked extraordinarily well, but he decided to make some manual adjustments near the place for their log cabin to make it look extra nice in the immediate vicinity. ---------------- While the duo was working on their holiday home, Sophia arrived at the savanna she was helping Anna build and lightly greeted the tall tiger who was already there. ¡°You¡¯re late!¡± The princess was happy to see her. ¡°I see where Ellie got that from.¡± The blonde smiled back at her. ¡°She¡¯s a lot cuter when she does it.¡± "Shut up. Everything that she does is cute in your eyes." ¡°Good point.¡± Sophia had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°Anyway, I don¡¯t remember agreeing on a time to meet up.¡± ¡°Unimportant and minor details!¡± ¡°Yep, definitely sisters.¡± She saw a definite similarity between the two princesses. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s looking quite nice around here already, huh?¡± The blonde looked at the extensive savanna around them. The many acacia trees, lots of shrubbery, some spiky and some not, and the dry grasslands on reddish-brown earth, together with some spots of sandy or rocky areas, filled her with joy. ¡°Yes!¡± Anna reacted with a big nod. ¡°Aside from the sky, it¡¯s lovely!¡± She lightly gestured up while saying so. ¡°The usual issue, huh?¡± She glanced at the all-white nothingness above them. ¡°You know, this place might be ideal for an experiment. It wouldn¡¯t really work in the other places, but the sky above a savanna is pretty basic in some way, no?¡± ¡°I guess¡­?¡± The princess seemed confused. ¡°A simple blue sky, not clouds and the like, would be enough, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Plenty better than white, that¡¯s for sure!¡± ¡°We might have to use up all of the magic we saved in the area, though.¡± ¡°Ehh, but we, especially you, have released so much the last couple of days to make a massive advancement in one go.¡± Anna wasn¡¯t an immediate fan of the idea. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure if it¡¯s enough.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°It was just a suggestion, too. It¡¯s also your decision as this is your project. We can continue on the savanna itself, or we can try and create something that loosely resembles a sky.¡± ¡°Mrmm.¡± It seemed to be a difficult decision for the princess. ¡°Your place will be the first that has a sky, by the way.¡± She tried to sell the idea to her. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± It was enough to convince her. ¡°What do we have to do?¡± ¡°An excellent question!¡± Sophia just nodded. ¡°I have no idea.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s helpful!¡± Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°Blue!¡± She suddenly raised her arm high into the air and pointed at the all-white space above them. Unfortunately, it didn''t end up changing colors. ¡°Ah.¡± She still summoned something Blu, though. Their favorite blue parakeet appeared out of nowhere and landed on top of her outstretched hand. At the same time, it cutely tilted its head to the side while looking at the princess. It also made a couple of confused-sounding chirps. ¡°Close enough!¡± The blonde was impressed. ¡°We weren¡¯t talking about you, though, Blu.¡± She smiled at the bird, who then flew over to her and landed on her shoulder before rubbing its head against her cheek. ¡°Anna and I are trying to make the sky blue.¡± In return to that, the bird nodded a couple of times. ¡°How did you even hear us? Were you hiding somewhere nearby?" The princess got suspicious about the parakeet, which only lightly flapped its wings while tilting its head to the side once again. "That bird is way too cheeky!" ¡°It¡¯s great, isn¡¯t it?¡± As she wasn¡¯t on the receiving end of it, the blonde was a big fan of Blu¡¯s cheekiness. ¡°So, what do you think about our plan, my dearest of birds?¡± She glanced at the parakeet on her shoulder, who then looked up at the default whiteness of the domain above them. It didn¡¯t react in any other way, though. ¡°Blu, as an expert in all things blue, we¡¯re open to any hints possible!¡± Anna tried to appeal to the bird. ¡°With how much magic our beloved bird has, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s capable of a trick or two! It''s probably smarter than the two of us combined, too. Hearing that, the parakeet just nodded a couple of times while letting out some chirps, as well. ¡°Oi! To what part did you nod just now?!¡± Now that the blonde was included, she suddenly liked Blu¡¯s sass a lot less. Coincidentally, the parakeet just added another nod, as if simply saying yes, before flying away from Sophia''s shoulder. Afterward, the bird circled above them a couple of times before eventually landing on top of Anna¡¯s head, right between her ears, before chirping a few more times. ¡°Do you have any translation for that?¡± Anna addressed the blonde. ¡°Nope.¡± She shook her head. ¡°If I had to take a guess, as Blu flew above us, it wants us to concentrate our magic on that area. If we use all we have inside of us, together with what we have already poured into the area while thinking about blue, it may work out. It won¡¯t be a real sky, but it might be easier on the eyes. What do you think?¡± Sophia looked at the bird on top of Anna¡¯s head, who simply nodded. ¡°I guess it¡¯s worth a try.¡± The princess had nothing against the idea. Having decided on a course of action, the duo spent the next hour transporting all the magic in and around them high in the sky while thinking about the color blue as the bird Blu was giving them moral support by being its adorable self. Chapter 128 – Blue Everyone continued to work on their biome projects, and the two tigers were especially active with them. Having gotten tired of the all-white nothingness above them, Sophia suggested to try and create a fake blue sky as their savannah wouldn''t need any clouds and the likes to make it look natural. With the help of their favorite parakeet, Blu, the duo tried to paint the sky blue with their magic. ¡°It¡¯s actually working!¡± The tigers returned to the savannah the following day, and Sophia was fascinated by the new sights above them. ¡°I was expecting a bit more blue, though.¡± Anna was also looking at the sky, but she wasn¡¯t entirely happy with the very pale blue above them. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, this already is incomparably better than the pure white, but it¡¯s still kinda white. It¡¯s more of a hint of blue.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably because the magic we amassed wasn¡¯t nearly enough to make it have the same color as a regular cloudless blue sky.¡± ¡°It was SOOO much, though!¡± ¡°If anything, I¡¯m shocked it worked at all.¡± The blonde was surprised about something else instead. ¡°Admittedly, it doesn¡¯t look that good right now, but it should be decent if we do the same two or three more times!¡± ¡°That¡¯s one hungry sky!¡± ¡°It yearns for magic~.¡± Sophia nodded a couple of times. "Should we keep feeding the sky, or do you want to do some more savannah building?" ¡°Mhmm, I think we should keep feeling blue.¡± The princess smiled at her. ¡°Sorry, I had to do it.¡± ¡°Totally fine~.¡± The blonde liked the playful tiger. ¡°It will probably take a week or two, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine by me.¡± Anna didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°I don¡¯t want the savannah as fast as possible. I want it as best as possible!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± ¡°That gives me some more time to think about the details and placement of things, too.¡± ¡°This might be the best opportunity to do some more traveling.¡± Sophia lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Being in the regular world is the best way to reset and amass some good amount of magic! Also, there¡¯s a new technique I want to try to get magic into the domain, so that would be perfect.¡± ¡°Do you think the others also feel like traveling?¡± ¡°Should be.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Steph definitely would love it, and Maya hasn''t really started anything in here, so she shouldn''t care. Chloe and Fen are waiting for that log cabin for their holiday home, which I still don¡¯t get why they need a holiday home together, but all the power to them, I guess. On top of that, Aura and Ari are waiting for their forest to stop burning, soo¡­" She scratched her cheek, already knowing that it would never stop. "Additionally, the mom foxes are so busy with each other after Fey turned humanoid that they won¡¯t accompany us, anyway.¡± ¡°I wonder if Chloe will get a little sister soon.¡± Anna knew what she was talking about. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She had to chuckle at that. ¡°I guess being humanoid has some benefits in those areas, huh? Not that I necessarily want to know how fulls have fun, but I assume the activities are a little more basic there¡­?¡± ¡°So, traveling time?¡± The princess didn¡¯t feel like continuing the topic. ¡°Traveling!¡± Sophia also happily dropped it. ---------------- The tigers finished up on their project for the day and returned to the cottage. However, before that, Sophia went and collected the others to tell them about the plans. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Hearing the suggestion of resuming their travels, Steph immediately got excited over it. ¡°The domain is amazingly fun, but I¡¯ve been waiting to see more of the other world!¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Seems like a great idea to me!¡± Chloe agreed with her. ¡°It really has been some time, and I also would like to see more of the area. Feyfey already has shown me so much of the world, but there¡¯s so much more left to see!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind seeing more, either.¡± Maya just nodded. ¡°Same.¡± Ari did the same. ¡°Ah, as long as we can skip the snowy mountain range!¡± She remembered where they left off the last time. I won¡¯t be accepting any more snow near me for the rest of the year!¡± "A very valid point!¡± The cat-girl liked her condition. ¡°Let¡¯s definitely skip the mountains!¡± ¡°I support this idea, too.¡± The princess also had enough of it. ¡°That should be arrangeable.¡± Sophia smiled at her fellow cats. ¡°Once we¡¯re back on the mountain, I¡¯ll take another portal stone and throw it so fast and far that it will end up in the future!¡± She gave them a thumbs up. ¡°Or maybe a couple of kilometers away, so we skip the mountain range. Whatever I can achieve the fastest, I guess.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hoping for the time travel!¡± The dog-girl preferred the interesting-sounding option. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best~.¡± "Once we''re on the other side, could we try to head over to a city from father¡¯s list? I know we agreed that we wouldn¡¯t specifically go for them, but I¡¯d really like to visit another city.¡± ¡°Sure thing!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°If you can guide us to one, that is.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The princess scratched her cheek. ¡°Ari, please help, okay?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°Once I find a point of interest I can categorize, that is.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± It was good enough for her. ¡°I¡¯ll join you once the portal out of the snow is ready.¡± Fen joined the conversation while shaking his head. ¡°The pink ball of fluff already subjected me to enough lately, so I¡¯m done with it.¡± ¡°There was always a healthy distance between you and it!¡± Chloe glared at him. ¡°Stop whining, Fenfen!¡± ¡°Speaking about whining, how long will it take before you ask Aura or me for a ride because we¡¯re walking too much during our travels?¡± He stared back at her. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent. ¡°They get along well, huh?¡± Steph smiled at her sister. ¡°True.¡± She nodded. ¡°They always have been, too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you ride on me.¡± Aura was okay with being a taxi. ¡°YAY!¡± Chloe happily clapped her hands. ¡°Don¡¯t spoil her so much.¡± The male wolf shook his head. ¡°She has to get some more stamina.¡± ¡°True.¡± Steph suddenly nodded. ¡°HEY!¡± The pink fox didn¡¯t like that. ¡°What?¡± The dog-girl tilted her head. ¡°You getting more stamina is an absolute win for me! For various reasons!¡± Her expression turned into a smirk. ¡°With that, I mean horny reasons.¡± ¡°There was absolutely no need to elaborate.¡± Ari shook her head. ¡°We all know.¡± ¡°Better make sure!¡± Steph didn¡¯t care about her objection. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m sure you also would like to have Anna more stamina, right? For various reasons.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar went silent. ¡°As if you could handle playing with me any longer.¡± The princess didn¡¯t appreciate the baseless slander and glared at her girlfriend in return. ¡°¡­¡± She continued to stay silent. ¡°Stamina training, it is!¡± The dog-girl clapped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Should we head out right now?¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes wandered between all of them. ¡°It¡¯s still early, after all.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± No one had anything against it. ---------------- ¡°Brrr!¡± Arriving in the mountain range, specifically in the cherry blossom valley inside it, all the cats had the same reaction. "Shush!" Steph and Chloe just rolled their eyes. ¡°Babies.¡± Aura also sided with the cold enthusiasts. ¡°It¡¯s not even cold at all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re 70% fluff and fur!¡± Anna, Ari, Maya, and Sophia unionized and glared at her. ¡°To be fair, in our defense, it is a lot colder than the cottage area from my domain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because it¡¯s too warm there!¡± Her sister didn¡¯t accept the excuse. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get out of here!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t feel like entertaining the topic any longer. ¡°I just need to know in which direction, though.¡± She looked around while awkwardly scratching her cheek. ¡°It might be a shock to some, but I¡¯m actually not that good with directions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shock to NO one.¡± They all shook their heads. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She couldn¡¯t blame them for their reaction. ¡°So, which direction would lead out of the mountain range?¡± ¡°We came from there, soo¡­¡± Chloe pointed to her right before turning around. ¡°If I had to take an uneducated guess, this would lead to the other side.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The others just nodded. ¡°Okay, that lines up with my detection magic.¡± Sophia ignored the condescending tone in their voices and simply continued as she had no intention of improving her directional awareness any time soon. ¡°I can sense a little city around 30 kilometers in that direction. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go that way!¡± Saying so, the blonde took one of her enchanted portal stones out of her storage and did a quick warmup exercise with her right arm. A few moments later, she roughly imitated the movements of a baseball pitcher and sent the stone flying in the direction everyone was pointing and where she detected the city. After around a minute, she gestured for everyone to return through the portal they came from to relocate to wherever the stone ended up in through her portal hub on the other side. There, they also picked up Fen, who had refused to go to the mountain range before, and everyone looked at the new portal while Sophia made it see-through. Revealing what was on the other side, yet another simple green plain with a couple of trees sprinkled here and there, they walked through it to finally resume their exploration after a long time of having gotten sidetracked by virtually everything. Chapter 129 – Shortcuts The group decided to finally resume their exploration of the regular world as their biome projects were taking some extra time to finish as they didn''t have enough magic at their disposal. As the cats, and Fen, didn¡¯t want to deal with the cold mountain range anymore and decided to skip it entirely, the blonde took a portal stone and threw it to the other side of it to directly continue from there. ¡°By the way, have you been in this area before?¡± While the group was walking through the plain where the tiger''s portal stone had ended up in, Sophia turned to look at Chloe. ¡°You and Fey visited all kinds of places together, right?¡± ¡°No.¡± The fox shook her head. ¡°We came from a different route before we arrived in the village we met. Actually, we were planning to go this way, too, after Feyfey finished her business in the human capital. It¡¯s new for me, too.¡± ¡°Aww, too bad.¡± The blonde looked a little disappointed. ¡°I was hoping for a little guidance to interesting places. I don¡¯t mind taking it slowly, but if it¡¯s nothing but green plains for 80% of the time, I have a feeling that we''re back to my domain and playing with our biomes fairly soon. Don''t get me wrong, I love plains as a filler, and we¡¯re going to have plenty in said domain, too, but they¡¯re a little boring.¡± ¡°That is true!¡± Steph chimed in. "It''s a great place to run around and play fetch, but it''s nothing new or fancy." Her inner dog got out for a moment. "The plain we''re in right now might as well be in our old world, and I wouldn''t notice it.¡± ¡°We are in the middle of the continent in an area with a temperate climate.¡± Aura lightly shook her head. ¡°At least from what I remember, aside from some scattered places here and there, plains and regular forests are the dominant biomes around.¡± ¡°Exactly what I didn¡¯t want to hear.¡± The blonde hung her head. "I think we need to come up with a better way to explore this continent. Or, at the very least, the less interesting parts of it.¡± "I''m all ears!" The dog-girl liked the way this was going. ¡°Me, too!¡± Chloe felt the same. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°I just said that we need to come up with something!¡± Sophia got loud. ¡°What made you think I know a solution?!¡± She shook her head. "The best solution would be somehow being able to skip the boring parts in one way or another." "Like the mountain range that we just did?" Ari tilted her head. ¡°That wasn''t a boring place!¡± Steph disagreed with her. ¡°Though, I understand the intent, and that should work, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± She tilted her head while looking at her sister. ¡°Whenever it gets boring, we throw a portal stone as far away as we can to skip an area. How far could you throw it?¡± ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s actually a limit?¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°I mean, physical strength aside, it¡¯s just a matter of using enough magic to keep it flying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The dog-girl nodded. ¡°I wonder if I could throw a rock into space?¡± The blonde suddenly looked up at the sky. ¡°Ohh!¡± Steph and Chloe seemed to like the idea. ¡°No.¡± Maya and Ari didn¡¯t share the reaction and just shook their heads instead. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°Anyway, there are some issues with using the portal stones to skip areas.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Her sister couldn¡¯t think of any on the spot. ¡°We could miss interesting places, but we still could do so while walking regularly, so that¡¯s not as bad. In which direction should we skip, though? I mean, I would get lost regardless, but there¡¯s no way anyone could keep track of our position after a couple of skips. Then, there¡¯s the biggest issue of all. What if I hit someone with the portal stone when it lands? There¡¯s a high chance it could kill a person!¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Ha.¡± The dog-girl thought about it for a moment. ¡°Those are indeed some issues. Well, hitting someone seems rather unlikely, but I feel like you shouldn¡¯t chance it, either.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to have cared about that when we left the mountain range, tough.¡± Ari looked at her. ¡°Well, the destination of where I threw the portal was within my detection range, so I knew that no one was around.¡± Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°Ahh, that makes sense.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that already the solution for this problem?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°If we only skip as far as your detection magic works, you can easily avoid harming someone.¡± ¡°That is true!¡± The blonde liked the suggestion. ¡°My detection range also is over 150 kilometers at the moment, so we could skip some decent chunks. Actually, that would be too much already. If we do a bit of exploring every 50 or so kilometers, we should be fine!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The dog-girl immediately got excited again. Not that she ever stopped in the first place. ¡°There¡¯s still the issue of having no idea in which direction to go and or getting lost.¡± Sophia slowly shook her head. ¡°How about a map?¡± Ari tried one of her logical ideas. ¡°Do you have one?¡± "Ah." The jaguar noticed a flaw in her suggestion. "We could just make a quick trip to the capital and ask Father for a detailed map of the entire kingdom.¡± Anna gave them a thumbs up. ¡°Perks of having a connection with a princess and all~.¡± ¡°Awesome idea!¡± Sophia clapped her hands in glee. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go?¡± Steph gave it another try. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Makes one think why we never took a map with us when we left the capital, huh?¡± Maya leaned over to Ari while rolling her eyes. ¡°Kind of, yeah.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°We did leave in a bit of a hurry because everyone was so excited so that definitely played a part there.¡± ¡°True.¡± ---------------- Having decided on a course of action, the group returned to their travels more motivated than ever. As they were still getting closer to the city Sophia had detected with her magic, the group decided to go there first before giving the portal skips a try. ¡°By the way, does anyone know the name of the city we¡¯re heading to?¡± The group had been walking through the green plain for a while when Sophia eventually got curious about the place they were going to. ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to remember it anyway.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been so hurt in my life!¡± She had a rather dramatic reaction to the accusation. ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Ari didn¡¯t buy any of that. ¡°This and that are unrelated!¡± ¡°They are not.¡± She was just shaking her head while looking at the short tiger. ¡°¡­¡± Sophia had no chance of winning against her. ¡°So, what¡¯s the name?¡± She still wanted to know, though. ¡°It should be Egona.¡± The jaguar let out a small sigh before continuing. "It''s a medium-sized city a little secluded from other places as it¡¯s close to the usually impassable mountain range and thus can only be reached from the other side.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± Sophia nodded a few times. ¡°Is it on the list of places Menzor would like a portal?¡± She then looked at Maya, who was keeping said list safe for her. "Let me see." The cat-girl pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and unfolded it. ¡°Yup, it¡¯s right here.¡± She showed it to her while pointing at a specific name. ¡°Perfect!¡± Sophia then faced Anna for some reason. ¡°Dearest and most beloved princess of ours, I¡¯m counting on you to explain everything to the mayor of the place once more.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± She let out a small sigh in return. ¡°Alright, I''ll tell the mayor about our portal plans and linking their city with the capital. Under one condition, though. Tell me what the city is called again. Ari told you only a minute ago, so I¡¯m sure you remember, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde froze before awkwardly turning her head away. "There''s just no way you''ve forgotten it already?!" Anna couldn¡¯t believe her fellow tiger. ¡°It¡¯s seriously been literally a minute at best!¡± ¡°L-Look, I have other qualities!¡± Sophia got defensive. ¡°Names just isn¡¯t one of them.¡± ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯ll have to explain it to the mayor, then.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± The blonde growled at her. ¡°Wait, the last time, I got Menzor from the capital and had him explain it! Problem solved!¡± Her expression turned smug. ¡°You¡¯re so insufferable.¡± Anna gave up on her. ¡°We still need to take her to a doctor because of this, don¡¯t we?¡± Maya leaned over to Ari again. ¡°I¡¯m worried that she might have some sort of brain damage.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s becoming more and more concerning.¡± The jaguar nodded in agreement. ¡°Oi!¡± Sophia glared at them. "Don''t worry! We''ll love and support you no matter what the results of the examination are." The two smiled back at her. As there was nothing the blonde could say there anymore, she simply sped up towards the city before the others hurriedly followed after her. Being teased and showered in love at the same time was still one of her biggest weaknesses. Right after being unable to remember random names and places, that is. Chapter 130 – Is your head okay? While walking towards the beastfolk city on the other side of the mountain range, Sophia had already gotten bored from walking through green plains that had no excitement in them whatsoever. Thinking about it for a while together with the group, they decided to use the blonde¡¯s portals to skip boring parts of their travels by throwing an enchanted portal stone into the far distance and continuing from wherever it landed. To make it a little less random, they also decided to get a map of the kingdom, though. ¡°Could we start from the beginning again¡­?¡± The group arrived at the city, and after entering it, Anna, Ari, Sophia, and Maya immediately went to the mayor¡¯s place to get over with it. Meeting up with the middle-aged cat-man with receding black hair, who was leading the city and going by the name of Teimo and explaining the situation, he could only react by folding his hands over his head while looking extremely confused. "A-Also, what is that, and HOW did the blonde tiger disappear through it?!" Teimo then pointed at a portal in the corner of the room. ¡°I think I actually hate Sophia.¡± Anna hung her head. ¡°She has no intention of helping, but she sure knows how to make the situation even more complicated.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Maya could only awkwardly scratch her cheek as there was no way she could defend her girlfriend there. "To be fair, it is easier to explain things without her around.¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°That being said, she could¡¯ve gone outside the room to use the portal for a less shocking effect, so Anna¡¯s 100% correct there.¡± ¡°Anyway,¡± Anna rolled her eyes before facing the mayor again. ¡°I, well, we are here under the direct order of father, King Menzor, to propose a one-of-a-kind opportunity to forever change and better the kingdom.¡± The tiger entered princess mode. ---------------- ¡°Menzor, my beloved and most-favorite king there is!¡± Back in the capital, Sophia had stormed the castle and barged into his office without any announcement whatsoever. ¡°I hate everything about that.¡± Being used to it already, Menzor only lifted his head while preparing himself to rub his temples in anticipation of the guaranteed headache he was going to get in the upcoming 23 seconds. ¡°I missed you, too!¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°What¡¯s up with the uncalled-for hostility?¡± ¡°Really?¡± He stared right at her. ¡°With an entrance like that, which usually means a lot of work on my end, it¡¯s very called for.¡± ¡°It seems a lot more than usual!¡± ¡°That might be because of what you did to Ellie.¡± He let out a defeated sigh. ¡°I SHOWERED HER IN NOTHING BUT LOVE!¡± Sophia took offense to the way he worded his sentence. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the part where you¡¯re teaching her magic.¡± Menzor shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not helping her rebellious phase.¡± ¡°Is our princess a little mischievous?¡± The blonde¡¯s expression turned smug. ¡°Every single time I leave my office, she suddenly jumps out from behind a potted plant and hits me with a blast of air before immediately disappearing again. Afterward, I have to fix my hair and clothes while explaining to my retainers what happened and why Ellie can use chantless magic." ¡°To be fair, fixing your hair shouldn¡¯t take that long, no?¡± She took a glance at the king¡¯s ever-so-slightly receding hairline. ¡°Oi.¡± The aura around Menzor suddenly turned cold. ¡°Ah, okay, I admit, that was stepping over the line.¡± The blonde threw up her hands. ¡°I apologize for that.¡± ¡°Any sort of hair loss is your fault in the first place! You''ve made me age at least 20 years already, and constantly rubbing my temples from coping with the things you do is far from helping." He still sounded quite upset. ¡°Ahaha, sorry about that.¡± Saying so, Sophia walked up to his desk, reached over it, and placed her hand on top of the king¡¯s head. A moment later, it was briefly bathed in a pale blue light before the blonde let go of his head again and sat down on the chair at the opposite side of the desk. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. ¡°What did you just do?¡± His anger turned into confusion. ¡°Don''t worry about it!¡± She just smiled at him. ¡°You¡¯ll see tomorrow~.¡± ¡°I have a bad feeling about this.¡± ¡°You should have a better outlook in life!¡± The blonde was still smiling. ¡°You¡¯re making it really hard for me to try!¡± He was not. "By the way, it''s your fault that Ellie is playing tricks on you, you know?" Sophia dropped the topic. ¡°How is that my fault?¡± ¡°She just wants attention.¡± She shook her head a couple of times. "She''s upset that you don''t spend enough time with her. Before, she gave you the cold shoulder in return and now, it''s mischievous magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Menzor hung his head in return. ¡°It¡¯s not easy being a king, you know?¡± ¡°You have more than capable retainers." The blonde didn''t accept that. "You don''t have to be a king all day, every day. Be a dad for an hour or two a day and more on the weekends." ¡°You might have a point there.¡± ¡°I not might have a point. I do have one.¡± She stared right at him. "And if you disagree, I''ll personally make sure you go fully bald before the month is over. I¡¯ll teach Ellie more than just mischievous magic, too.¡± ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± He gave her a slight nod. "I''ll make sure to find some time for her." ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll do my best, but for now¡­ Why are you here?¡± The king wanted to know the reason for her visit. ¡°I¡¯m sure it wasn''t for reprimanding me. I hope.¡± ¡°I mean, that¡¯s always a good reason, but you are right. That wasn¡¯t the issue.¡± Sophia gave him a cheeky smile for a moment. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived at the next city for the portal project.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± His mood improved significantly, and he leaned forward on the chair he was sitting in to show his interest. ¡°Which city is it?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± The blonde shrugged. "I forgot the name the moment I heard it." ¡°Is your head okay?!¡± He got loud. "I don''t like how many people are asking that." ¡°Is there anything notable about the city that could help me?¡± He just continued. "After we left the previous place where we placed a portal, whose name I also don''t remember, we eventually found a massive mountain range.¡± "You visited Sava, and there''s a range a good bit north of it. From my knowledge, there shouldn¡¯t be any city from my list in that area, though.¡± ¡°The city is on the other side of it.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°We passed over the mountain range and continued our travels from there.¡± ¡°That one¡¯s supposed to be impassable!¡± Menzor got loud. ¡°That¡¯s why there¡¯s a terribly long road leading around it.¡± ¡°Are you really surprised that our group simply climbed over it?¡± She stared at him while shrugging again. ¡°Go on.¡± He noticed how stupid his reaction was. ¡°Was there anything of interest up there? Your group is the first that ever passed it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± She shook her head. ¡°We found definite evidence that something or someone was up there before us. We found an artificially created tunnel through one of the mountains. No idea who or what, but it seemed like someone powerful was up there before.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like anything about that.¡± The king wasn¡¯t a fan of how that sounded. ¡°There are more of your kind?¡± ¡°How rude!¡± The blonde disliked his wording. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s Fey, Aura, and Fen in our group alone, who all could do that with ease. There surely are more like them out there.¡± "A frightening thought." Menzor shuddered. ¡°Other than that, the mountain range was just cold and full of snow. I don¡¯t really recommend it.¡± She hadn''t been a fan of it, after all. ¡°Oh, but in the middle of it, there was a stunning cherry blossom forest on a plateau. No idea how that worked out to be there, but I loved it a whole lot!¡± ¡°That is certainly interesting.¡± The king wasn''t sure what to do with this information. ¡°So, you crossed the mountain range and found a city nearby?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°If I assume you crossed the range in a straight line, it should be,-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do anything straight.¡± Sophia interrupted him while shaking her head. ¡°Haa¡­ Well, even if not, the only option would still be Egona.¡± He just rolled his eyes while continuing. ¡°Medium-sized city, relatively close to the foot of the range?¡± ¡°The name doesn¡¯t ring a bell, but the place sounds like that, yeah.¡± ¡°Have you met the mayor already and told them about the project?¡± ¡°Anna and the others are currently with him.¡± She gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°I came to get you so that you can explain the full plan to him. I simply can¡¯t be bothered, after all.¡± ¡°You do know that you are the worst, right?¡± He slowly shook his head in return. ¡°I have heard that before, yes.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I have to deny that claim, though. After all, it¡¯s me who suggested the plan to better the entire kingdom. For that alone, I simply can¡¯t be the worst. There might be some attitude issues that I have no plans of fixing, but I¡¯m not the worst.¡± ¡°How are you that self-aware and still be the way you are?¡± ¡°Pure skill!¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± He sounded more and more tired. ¡°So, we have to head over there right now?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Oh, before that, I need a full map of the entire kingdom.¡± ¡°What for?¡± Menzor looked confused. ¡°We¡¯re trying to plan our route a little better and want to make sure not to miss any important places when we skip boring areas.¡± ¡°Ahh, that makes sense. Sure, that can be arranged. I¡¯ll tell our head cartographer to have it prepared for you immediately.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Once those topics were taken care of, Menzor informed some of his retainers about the situation before he left for Egona together with Sophia. Chapter 131 – Map The group arrived in Egona, a beastfolk city near the mountain range they crossed, and met the mayor there to tell him about the portal connection plans. As Sophia had no intention of explaining anything, though, she went to get the king from the capital to have him do it instead. ¡°What a fun day!¡± The group was back in their cottage, where Sophia let out a comfortable sigh. ¡°I have the feeling that father would disagree with you there.¡± Anna awkwardly scratched her cheek in return. ¡°He already looked tired when you brought him over, but even more so after he finished explaining the plan to the mayor.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be fine.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Pay him a quick visit tomorrow, and you''ll see the happiest man in existence~." ¡°What did you do?¡± The princess raised an eyebrow. ¡°I gave him a very nice gift that he¡¯ll get to enjoy tomorrow.¡± ¡°Is it okay to have a bad feeling about this?¡± Anna looked at Ari next to her for confirmation. ¡°I¡¯m glad that even you noticed.¡± The jaguar smiled at her. ¡°Your track record with the king speaks a rather clear language, but let us hear what good you did for him.¡± ¡°Have you noticed how his hair is getting thinner?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± She nodded. ¡°It began on the day he met you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way Anna hadn''t caused him any hair loss before!¡± Sophia had no way of refuting her claim completely, but she didn¡¯t believe her to be the root cause. ¡°Okay, you got me there.¡± The jaguar scratched her cheek in return. ¡°I have been a bit of a menace before, yes." Anna sounded almost proud. ¡°So, what did you do? Used some kind of magic to make it all fall out at once, so he gets over it?¡± ¡°I MAY BE FEISTY, BUT I¡¯M NOT A MONSTER!¡± The blonde glared at her. ¡°In fact, I did the exact opposite! I used a little bit of healing magic on his hair roots. They¡¯ll be stronger than they¡¯ve ever been. When he wakes up tomorrow, his hair will probably be twice as thick and grown all the way down to his waist.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Ari seemed impressed. ¡°Well, I think you should¡¯ve asked him for consent beforehand, but it¡¯s still a lovely gesture.¡± ¡°I definitely have to head home tomorrow!¡± Anna¡¯s eyes were sparkling. ¡°I need to see father with long and luscious hair!¡± ¡°Field trip tomorrow~.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°Speaking of, what are we going to do here?¡± She pointed at the pile of paper lying on the coffee table in front of the sofas in the living room. It seemed about 50 one-by-one-meter big sheets stacked on top of each other. ¡°Father really gave you a complete map of the kingdom, huh?¡± The princess looked at the topmost paper and noticed how a small part of her kingdom was drawn on it. ¡°It seems we have a puzzle on our hand, as well.¡± Ari joined her and glanced at the sheets below it, showing other landmarks while also lining up with the edges of some of the other sheets. ¡°It will likely form a massive full map once we¡¯ve laid out and arranged everything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯ll get a detailed picture by it, though.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t see an issue in it being so big. ¡°I¡¯d say it¡¯s time for a map room! We have to hang it somewhere to get the best overview of it~.¡± ---------------- ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely no satellite map.¡± Sophia had created a small white room inside her domain where they put the map fragments on the wall after having puzzled them together. While looking at the whole picture, Steph only scratched her cheek while trying to understand what she was seeing. ¡°Quite true.¡± The blonde nodded with a questioning expression while tilting her head to the side. For the most part, the map was understandable enough, but the details were nowhere near as close as the sisters were used to. It looked a lot more artsy, as well. Rather than fully colored, it was primarily shades of brown as well as points of interest like cities, rivers, lakes, mountain ranges, and the like that had an actual drawing next to the rough shape of the landmarks. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What¡¯s a satellite?¡± Ari looked confused. ¡°Don''t worry about it.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s something from our old world.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°It¡¯s something humans created and sent into space. From there, it takes pictures of the entire planet and sends them back. That way, we know exactly how continents look and what¡¯s on them in great detail.¡± ¡°Your humans sent something into SPACE?!¡± The jaguar got loud. ¡°Your world is crazy!¡± ¡°True.¡± The sisters and Chloe agreed with her. They decided not to elaborate on the reason why they agreed, though. "There are some things this world is kind of a step down, huh?¡± Steph wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°The quality of living here is surreal, in the best of ways, but modern quality of life has some things left to desire.¡± ¡°The issue is that one of them can negatively influence the other, though.¡± Sophia also had mixed feelings. ¡°Makes you lazy, too.¡± ¡°That is a very fair point.¡± ¡°Also, we have magic here. It¡¯s just a matter of creativity to create or recreate all kinds of comfort features. Once more people get these stupid artificial elements limitations of just being able to use one or two of them, like just fire or just water, out of their heads, things will become interesting! I''m sure there''s a way to create super detailed maps with magic in one way or another!¡± ¡°Magic is the bestest!¡± The dog-girl agreed with her bottom line. ¡°Well, anyway, it¡¯s still understandable, so it¡¯s no issue.¡± She looked at the map again. ¡°So, where should we go first?¡± ¡°Hmm, to answer that, I first need to know where we''re in relation to things." Sophia scanned every inch of the map while she was getting increasingly confused. ¡°We¡¯re about here.¡± Ari walked over next to her and roughly pointed at the middle of the map. ¡°You can see Egona, the city we just left, and the mountain range right next to that, too.¡± ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± The blonde smiled at her before continuing to orient herself on the map. "How wrong would I be if I said that is the capital?¡± She pointed a bit to the left of the area the jaguar showed her. ¡°That is indeed the capital.¡± She nodded. ¡°It even says Tirago above it, you know?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I wasn''t sure.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. "It doesn''t say capital, after all. What''s a Tirago in the first place?" ¡°Tirago is the name of our capital.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Her expression got only more awkward. ¡°G-Good to know.¡± ¡°Girl, you lived there for half a year!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°Maya, where¡¯s your place?¡± Sophia completely ignored her and glanced at her girlfriend instead. ¡°You remember that it was close to the monster country, right?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded. ¡°Try to find that, then. It¡¯s pretty clearly marked, so even you should find it.¡± ¡°You overestimate my capabilities here.¡± The blonde had a bad feeling about it. ¡°Just give it a try.¡± ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Sophia studied the map for a few minutes. ¡°It¡¯s been described as a dead zone by the beastfolk, so I get the distinct feeling that the big area on the far left, the one littered with crosses and skulls, might be it.¡± ¡°Good job!¡± The cat-girl reacted by clapping her hands. ¡°The name of my hometown won¡¯t do anything for you, but I¡¯m sure you can still find it regardless. I believe in you!¡± ¡°I like the teacher roleplay you do during the night every now and then a lot more than this.¡± Sophia wasn''t sure how to feel getting a regular lecture from her. ¡°Me, too!¡± Maya enthusiastically nodded. ¡°Aaaand now I know what we''re going to do tonight!¡± Hearing that, Steph¡¯s eyes started sparkling as she looked at Chloe. ¡°Sounds fun~.¡± The fox-girl liked the plan. ¡°Ari?!¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The jaguar smiled at her enthusiastic-look girlfriend. ¡°It¡¯s rare that you start the horny, but I approve!¡± Maya gave the blonde a thumbs-up before pointing at the map again. ¡°So, where is it?¡± ¡°Let''s see¡­ The capital is that way, so it should be on this side of the monster country.¡± She tried her best to narrow it down. ¡°There are a couple of places marked with Humans, so that probably indicates their settlements? I distinctly remember those being relatively close to your home.¡± Her expression turned a little twitchy for a moment. ¡°There¡¯s a place called Remote Outpost Raumont close to them.¡± Sophia paused for a moment. ¡°That does sound kind of familiar. ¡°Yay!¡± The cat-girl was clapping again. ¡°It sounds familiar because that is my home!¡± ¡°I¡¯m the best!¡± The blonde was quite proud of herself. "I wouldn''t go that far." Ari wasn''t entirely convinced. "Still, it''s good that you remembered the name of your girlfriend¡¯s hometown. Or at least recognized it when you read it.¡± ¡°Cut me some slack!¡± She started pouting. Afterward, the group continued to give Sophia some more geography lessons in the hope something would stick in the end. They had little hope of it succeeding, as they knew that it wasn''t one of her talents, but they were still willing to try. While doing so, the blonde also found an interesting-looking area with many lakes and rivers that weren''t too far away from their current location. The others also got curious and decided to go there next. Chapter 132 – Skipping The group got a map of the entire kingdom from the king and studied it to see where they were and what interesting places could be explored. While they were at it, they also gave the directionally challenged tiger, the blonde one, a geography lesson. It went about as expected, but she still managed to find Maya''s hometown on the map, to the surprise of many, including herself. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Having studied the map and decided on a destination, the group got ready on the following day, and that made Steph quite excited. "The art on the map looked like a waterpark with all the lakes and whatnot, so it¡¯s going to be awesome!¡± ¡°Do you two know anything about that place?¡± Sophia looked at the royal couple. ¡°The area¡¯s called the ¡®Great Lakes of Gativa¡¯.¡± Ari nodded. "The great lakes part should be obvious, and Gativa is the name of the city closest to them." ¡°I¡¯ve never been there, but it¡¯s a popular sightseeing location.¡± Anna added some detail. "If I remember correctly, father was a big fan because it generates tons of tax money." ¡°You love to hear it.¡± Sophia liked Menzor¡¯s reasoning. ¡°It seems like we got something to look forward to!¡± ¡°It¡¯s this way, by the way.¡± Maya pointed to her right. ¡°It¡¯s south from us, so we have to go that way.¡± ¡°You know me so well!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°I was about to ask in which direction I have to throw the portal stone into!¡± ¡°I figured as much.¡± The cat-girl knew that there was no way she could¡¯ve found out the direction on her own. ¡°By the way, how do you know how much power and magic you have to use for the stone to travel the distance you want?¡± Chloe tilted her head. "According to the scale on the map, the place is about 200 kilometers away, and you''d need to throw it twice to stay within your detection range, right? So, how do you meter that?¡± ¡°An excellent question!¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°That means she has no idea, either.¡± Steph knew that reaction from her sister. ¡°It¡¯s all about feeling!¡± She raised her voice a little. ¡°Sure, I have no idea how much force or magic I need to throw a stone 100 kilometers away from me! It¡¯s filled to the brim with magic, though. Thanks to that, I can use my detection magic to track it flying through the air!¡± ¡°This girl has built-in radar¡­¡± The dog-girl couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Well, not really, but the result is similar-ish enough.¡± ¡°Pretty much~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I should be able to influence it in case I overshoot it. Undershooting, as long as there¡¯s no one to it, isn¡¯t a problem in the first place. Because of that, I¡¯ll take it easy for the time being. I mean, it¡¯s not an issue if we have to take multiple stops in between, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chloe saw no flaw in her logic. ¡°Alright!¡± The blonde looked at the stone in her hand and lightly threw it into the air a couple of times to get a better feeling of it. Afterward, she turned in the direction Maya had pointed in earlier and got ready to throw it. Imitating a baseball player, she then launched the stone into the sky and watched it disappear from view almost instantly. ¡°So?¡± Steph got curious about it. ¡°It¡¯s still flying.¡± The short tiger shrugged. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s quite some distance, so it can take a minute or some more.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Aaaand we have touchdown!¡± A couple of moments later, Sophia clapped her hands. ¡°It seems like it fell a little short and landed around 50 kilometers away from here.¡± Saying so, she opened another portal in front of them. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look!¡± The tiger made the portal see-through, which immediately killed her enthusiasm. ¡°Would you look at that, another green plain~.¡± Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. ---------------- The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Disappointed or not, the group still stepped through the portal to continue their journey on the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s explore a little longer before we do the next skip!¡± Steph wanted to check out whether or not there was anything of interest around. ¡°Sure.¡± The others had nothing against the plan. ¡°By the way, Sophia?¡± While they were walking through the field, Anna eventually addressed her fellow tiger. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She looked back at her. "Back when we decided to go traveling again, you told me that you have a plan on how to pump magic into your domain while walking around here. Have I missed it, or have you forgotten about it?" ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia stopped in her tracks. ¡°Thanks for reminding me!¡± She had definitely forgotten about it already. ¡°So?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Let me show you~.¡± Smiling at the tall tiger, the blonde moved her tail around so that the tip was near her face. Afterward, she hovered both her hands around it before creating a portal between them, which then swallowed the tip of her tail. Staring at it for a few seconds, Sophia then moved her tail around a little bit to make sure the portal stayed connected to the tip before having it resume its default reverse s-like shape behind her. ¡°Okay?¡± Anna looked quite confused as she stared at the pink and purple sphere attached to the end of the blonde¡¯s tail. ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll use that portal to continuously transport my magic into the domain while regenerating it here at the same time. This way, I¡¯ll stay mobile, don¡¯t have to go back and forth, and also have all my other limbs unoccupied.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± The tall tiger finally understood. ¡°Too bad it¡¯s useless for me because my regeneration isn¡¯t fast enough.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s unfortunately true.¡± She nodded. ¡°This is only useful for me, Chloe, and Steph.¡± She then looked at the duo in question. ¡°Is there any interest in donating to the domain? Of course, you can use all the magic for your own projects. I¡¯m happy as long as the domain grows.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The couple was rather supportive of the idea. ¡°Awesome!¡± Enthusiastically clapping her hands, the blonde then created two more portals, which the two then placed into their tails. As the portal needed to have contact with their actual tails and not just the fluff around it, they had to push it in quite a bit, especially Chloe. On the plus side, thanks to that, it wasn¡¯t even visible on them. Compared to Sophia¡¯s tail, which had gotten a little distracting now that it had a sparkly orb attached to it, they looked completely normal. ---------------- Having taken care of that and successfully established a connection to the domain to constantly supply great amounts of magic to it, the group continued walking once more to see if the green plain would lead to anything interesting at all. ¡°Is there something special about those great lakes?¡± While they were walking around, Maya tried to kill time and got curious about their destination. ¡°What makes them great, and why are they popular with tourists?" ¡°An excellent question!¡± Sophia also wanted to know more about it. ¡°For one, lake areas are always popular.¡± Anna took an educated guess. ¡°I can get behind that.¡± The blonde had no issues with that explanation. ¡°Those also always were my favorite spots to take a break when we traveled towards the capital.¡± ¡°True.¡± Maya also agreed with her. ¡°The biggest lake there apparently is so big that you can¡¯t see from one side to another, giving off the feel you''re actually at the sea. The beaches are supposedly rather pretty, too. As the actual sea is nowhere close, it''s only natural that it became a popular alternative." ¡°Ohh!¡± The sisters liked the sound of that. ¡°Gativa itself, the city near the lakes, is supposed to be quite the attraction, too." Ari added some more detail. "They cashed all in on the water theme, and many canals go through it all over the place. You can actually travel to most places inside the city by small boats, or so I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°That sounds fun!¡± Chloe joined the conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s all go on a boat ride together!¡± ¡°Do you like boats?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°No idea!¡± The pink fox shrugged. "I''ve never been on one, so I can''t say for sure. In my old life, I basically never went outside, and here, while traveling with Fey, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen one.¡± ¡°Let''s go!¡± Steph immediately raised her arm. ¡°Now that you mention it, I¡¯ve never been on a boat, either.¡± The princess scratched her cheek. "There aren''t any places around the capital that have boats, after all.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°Not even on a river?! Or going fishing on a pond?!¡± The dog-girl raised her voice. ¡°No.¡± The royal couple shook their heads. ¡°You two are way more sheltered princesses than I thought you were! Literally, I want to add!¡± She got even louder after hearing this. "Your childhoods must¡¯ve been so boring!¡± ¡°¡­¡± They had nothing to say in their defense. ¡°Do you remember when you caught that massive fish and capsized the boat we were in when you tried to reel it in?¡± Sophia lightly rolled her eyes while smiling at her sister. ¡°We should go fishing again!¡± Steph got even more motivated. ¡°I wanna catch a sea monster!¡± being in a different world only made her more extreme. ¡°Though, that might be difficult in a lake. I wonder if any big things live in there, too!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± The blonde could only chuckle. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure about the extent of that, but going fishing again in itself sounds fun.¡± ¡°Great!¡± It was good enough for her. ¡°Fishing trip with everyone!¡± Having decided on a plan of what to do once they arrived at their destination, the group picked up the pace for a little bit longer before deciding that it was time for another portal skip as there was nothing of interest around them. Chapter 133 – Lake city On their way towards the lake area the group found on the map, Sophia came up with a new way of transporting excess magic into the domain by attaching a portal to her tail and leaving it active the entire time. While walking, Steph also found out that Chloe, Anna, and Ari had never been on a boat before and decided that it was time to change it. She also suggested that everyone should go on a fishing trip together while they were at it. ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t think I have to ask, but the lake city will also be getting a portal, right?¡± The group had skipped some more distance and were only 20 kilometers away from their destination when Sophia got curious about the work part of their trip. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Anna nodded a couple of times. ¡°It¡¯s one of the more important places, too.¡± ¡°I figured as much.¡± The blonde just wanted to make sure. ¡°I guess Menzor will be kidnapped again today.¡± ¡°Kingnapped.¡± Steph corrected her. ¡°True!¡± ¡°Oh, can I go and get father this time?¡± Anna suddenly raised her voice. ¡°I need to see his new hair if your magic worked out the way you told us!¡± "Ohh, that will be fun~." Sophia reacted with a big smile. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in Kira¡¯s reaction.¡± Ari¡¯s priorities were on something else. Walking for around another hour, the group eventually arrived at the top of a small hill, which gave them a good overview of the surrounding area. ¡°WOW!¡± From their position, they were able to see the lakes and the city, which made Sophia quite excited. Beginning from the foot of the hill and continuing all the way over the horizon, there were three massive lakes. They were divided by three strips of land with a road on each, which led to a city sandwiched in between those lakes. It almost seemed like it was built on an island, and the land bridges were added later. The city itself, though obviously nowhere near as big as the capital, was quite sizeable, too. Just as Ari had mentioned before, a significant portion of it was connected by waterways rather than regular roads. Those channels were connected to the lakes and could also be used to go from one body of water to another without needing to go on land. The few roads inside Gativa were connected with bridges over the canals to make traveling on foot a little easier. Many boats were rowing through the canals while the regular streets were bustling with people, as well. It being popular was quite true. Even though it wasn¡¯t summer yet, the beautiful white beaches of the lakes closest to the city were also filled with people. From the looks of it, the sisters weren¡¯t alone with their fishing idea, either. All the lakes had a couple of boats floating on them, as well, with some of them having people with fishing poles on them. ¡°We¡¯re absolutely going to rent a boat before we leave this place!¡± Steph was also looking forward to their stay. ¡°Let¡¯s buy one!¡± The blonde was even more into it. ¡°That works for me!¡± ¡°Why do you want to buy a boat?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°Because I want a water world in my domain!¡± Sophia was thinking big. ¡°This place looks amazing, and I want a massive lake area in my place, too! A boat would be amazing for that!¡± ¡°Alright, fair enough.¡± The fox nodded. ¡°Good plan.¡± ¡°I kind of want one, too.¡± Ari, out of everyone, joined the conversation. ¡°Eh?¡± The blonde hadn¡¯t expected that. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I was thinking about that lake I helped Fen make in his relaxation forest. The one with the massive cherry blossom on an island in the middle of it.¡± The jaguar smiled at the male wolf. ¡°I think it would be quite cozy to go boating on there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not opposed to that idea.¡± Fen just nodded. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get multiple boats!¡± Sophia had no issues with that. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°If they sell boats, that is.¡± Maya tried not to get them too excited. ¡°Don¡¯t ruin the dream!¡± She didn¡¯t make herself overly popular with that and got multiple retorts in return. ---------------- Having decided on their plan for the day, the group walked the last stretch and entered the city. There, before even being able to explore the place, the guards at the entrance had implored for Sophia and Anna, being the tigers they are, to meet the mayor immediately. The others had no intention of coming with them and decided to explore without them. However, Ari and Maya had no choice but to accompany them. ¡°Well, I most certainly wasn¡¯t expecting to meet the first princess and her girlfriend today.¡± Inside the mayor¡¯s mansion, the four were greeted by a tall wolf-girl who seemed to be in her mid-forties, was almost as tall as Anna, with short silver hair, light-blue eyes, and a tail similar to Steph¡¯s, though not quite as fluffy. ¡°What can I, Kai, mayor of Gativa, do for such important guests with so little notice? No notice, to be exact.¡± She focused her attention on Anna and Ari for the time being. ¡°H-How do you know that she¡¯s my girlfriend?!¡± The tall tiger got a little embarrassed over the fact that they got called out by a stranger. ¡°Hmm?¡± Kai tilted her head. ¡°When I was in the capital two or maybe three years ago for a meeting with King Menzor, I saw the two of you walking together through the castle. ¡°When I asked Queen Kira about that lovely black jaguar maid with the unbelievably pretty black hair, Kira introduced her to me as the future wife of the princess.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The girls in question only got more embarrassed. Ari even got dealt double damage because of being self-conscious about her hair, and how she was convinced that everyone hated it before meeting Sophia. ¡°I forgot about that plot point!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°Well, maybe not forgot but rather repressed it¡­¡± She didn''t want to remember how dense the two were about their feelings for each other while everyone around them knew what was going on. ¡°Dense idiots.¡± ¡°Same!¡± The blonde nodded. Not only had she dealt with dense Ari in the past, but she also had to deal with idiot Ari and her self-inflicted low self-esteem caused by being different and not liking it. ¡°Ahh, young love~.¡± The mayor nodded a few times. ¡°By the way, speaking of important guests, who might you be?¡± Kai finally changed her attention to the other tiger. ¡°I¡¯m Sophia!¡± She just smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± The mayor stared at her for a little longer. ¡°I don¡¯t think I remember seeing any other tiger girls around Princess Anna¡¯s age during my last visit in the capital.¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it~.¡± The blonde was still smiling, but something about her changed and caused the mayor to immediately drop the topic. ¡°Well, the capital is big, and I was only there for a short time, so it makes sense. There¡¯s no way I saw all of the tigers.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡°So, again, why are two tigers and, I presume, partners¡­?¡± Kai took a quick glance at Maya, who simply nodded. ¡°Why are you visiting my city? I¡¯m aware and proud that it¡¯s a popular spot in the country. Still, a visit of such important people usually only happens with prior notice so we can prepare adequate accommodation.¡± ¡°It wasn''t exactly planned.¡± Anna scratched her cheek. ¡°We were somewhat nearby and decided to visit. Okay, father asked us to visit, together with various other cities, but the timing was indeed random.¡± ¡°What a cryptic princess.¡± Naturally, the mayor was a little confused as she was missing a lot of context. ¡°Then, the question shifts to why His Majesty asked you to visit at all.¡± ¡°The main reason is that I wanted to travel and get to know the country. I feel like I, as the first princess, should know my country. So, the four of us here, together with a couple of more people who are currently exploring the city, went on a trip. Before leaving, father gave us a list of places to visit.¡± ¡°Ah, just like your brother, huh?¡± Kai apparently knew that the prince had also left the capital to travel to the kingdom. ¡°So, the list was to help you find the best spots? I¡¯m honored that Gativa is on it.¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Anna shook her head. ¡°The entirety of the kingdom is about to change in unimaginable ways, and we were tasked to inform the affected cities.¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t know if I like the sound of that.¡± The mayor got uneasy. ¡°Don''t worry, it¡¯s a good change.¡± The princess tried to calm her down. ¡°It¡¯s just incredibly complicated to explain and generally unbelievable.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± Kai¡¯s confusion only grew. ¡°What would you do if I were to say that there¡¯s a way to connect this place and the capital in a way that traveling between them would take seconds.¡± ¡°I¡¯d probably call for a doctor to take a look at you because our beloved princess has gone crazy.¡± ¡°Oh, does that mean you have a doctor that specializes in brain-related worries at hand?¡± Maya perked up while looking at Sophia. ¡°Shush!¡± The blonde glared at her in return. ¡°I get where you¡¯re coming from, but it¡¯s true!¡± Anna was perfectly aware that her reaction was reasonable and expected. ¡°Sophia?¡± ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll get the king!¡± Nodding, she quickly opened a portal without warning and got ready to go through it. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± The princess stopped her. ¡°How about we bring the mayor to Father instead? I feel like that would make explaining things even easier!¡± ¡°Good point!¡± ¡°WHAT IS THAT?!¡± The silver-haired wolf-girl got loud. ¡°This is the connection to the capital I mentioned a few moments ago.¡± Anna smiled at the mayor. ¡°Sophia, could you make it see-through?¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± She hadn¡¯t thought that far. ¡°See?¡± The princess then pointed inside the portal. ¡°What you can see here is my bedroom in the castle of the capital.¡± ¡°There¡¯s just no way! What is even going on?!¡± While the tigers noticed that they overloaded Kai''s common sense, they also didn''t feel like explaining anymore because it was getting tedious. Making sure to give Menzor the biggest headache possible, they just went behind the mayor and pushed her through the portal so that she could meet the king directly on the other side. Chapter 134 – Fabulous The group arrived in Gativa, a beautiful city surrounded by massive lakes, and met Kai, the mayor there, to tell her about the portals and the plan to link her city to the capital. Naturally, she couldn¡¯t believe something as outrageous and even doubted the sanity of the princess. This time, instead of bringing Menzor over to have him explain the situation, the tigers used the portal to bring the mayor to the capital instead. This would make things a lot easier, after all. ¡°Sophia, my dear~.¡± Arriving in the castle and exiting Anna¡¯s room, the group was immediately greeted by Kira, who was smiling at the blonde. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯re looking at me.¡± She had a bad feeling about the situation. ¡°What did you do to Menzor?¡± ¡°What makes you think I did something to him?¡± Sophia tried to feign innocence. ¡°Who else but you could¡¯ve made his hair grow all the way down to his waist overnight?¡± She kept staring at her. ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± There was little she could say there. ¡°Though, I¡¯d probably be able to teach Ellie how to do it in a couple of days.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡± The queen wasn''t a fan of the idea. ¡°Please don¡¯t teach my baby how to alter the body of someone.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I won¡¯t! She¡¯s way too young for that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the only issue!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t alter his body, by the way.¡± Sophia lightly shook her head. ¡°I only used a little bit of healing magic on his hair roots to have them work at peak efficiency again. His hair being so long only happened because the roots got kickstarted.¡± ¡°Why, though?¡± ¡°He blamed me for his recent hair loss, so I fixed it~.¡± The blonde gave the queen a thumbs up. ¡°He hadn¡¯t told me about that part.¡± Kira scratched her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more into it. I haven¡¯t seen him yet, but I¡¯m sure Menzor looks fabulous right now~.¡± ¡°He absolutely does!¡± The queen reacted with a smile. ¡°I like it a lot, but you can imagine my shock when I woke up next to him this morning, right?¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Sophia awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°I can see that being rather startling. Especially in the morning.¡± ¡°No kidding.¡± ¡°I need to see father!¡± Anna joined the conversation. ¡°I¡¯ll never forgive myself if I can¡¯t see him with luscious hair!¡± ¡°That¡¯s my daughter!¡± Kira was proud of her. ¡°Why are you all here in the first place? Wait a moment! Kai¡­?¡± She only then noticed the wolf-girl behind Maya, who was still inside the princess''s room. ¡°What are you doing here? Ah, wait, I see! You all arrived in Gativa, huh? Your travel speed is something else! How is that even possible?!¡± She stared at Sophia again. ¡°I have my ways~.¡± Her expression turned smug as she puffed out her chest. ¡°Welcome to the capital.¡± The queen greeted the mayor. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it? How are things going? Aside from the recent damage to your common sense, that is.¡± ¡°I am INCREDIBLY confused!¡± She had nothing else to say at the moment. "A common feeling around Sophia.¡± ¡°True.¡± Anna and Maya nodded. ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Well, I confuse even myself all the time, so I guess it¡¯s justified, huh?¡± ¡°Alright, anyway, let''s head over to Menzor so that our dear Kai can get some insight on what¡¯s going on.¡± Kira smiled at the bewildered-looking wolf. ¡°And to see a fabulous king!¡± ¡°That!" Anna nodded at her fellow tiger. ---------------- Afterward, Kira guided the group to Menzor¡¯s office and slowly opened the door. ¡°Dear, you have guests.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I was expecting anyone anymore today, though.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°Also, since when do you escort them to my office? On top of that, I told you that I canceled all my meetings before my barber fixed this mess!¡± He pointed at his head. His hair had grown all the way down to his waist and had enough volume to make him look twice as wide. In fact, his hairstyle was quite similar to Sophia¡¯s fluffy and wavy hair. Only that his was a deep and shiny orange rather than blonde, and it was even more locked and slightly longer, too. ¡°When they¡¯re important enough, it¡¯s absolutely the job of the queen.¡± Kira smiled at him. ¡°You look great, dear, so there¡¯s no need for a barber. ¡°Who would be this important and comes to visit without prior notice¡­?¡± The king only got more confused. ¡°Ah.¡± He then noticed an all-too-familiar blonde tail sticking out behind the door next to his wife. ¡°Sophia, we need to talk.¡± "That''s why I''m here~." She playfully jumped into the doorframe and showed him a cheeky grin. ¡°My, if you were a girl, there¡¯s a chance I¡¯d fall for you.¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I¡¯ll end you.¡± He wasn''t quite as happy to see her. ¡°You get angry and accuse me of being the reason you had hair loss, and when I fix it, you get angry, too.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s unbecoming of a king.¡± ¡°What do you mean by fixed?!¡± He got loud. ¡°You just messed with my hair because you got upset over what I said, did you not?!¡± ¡°Absolutely not!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I used healing magic on your hair roots and made them stronger than ever before!¡± ¡°Does that mean my hair will always be that long after a night, no matter how much it gets cut?¡± ¡°No, that would be way too much of a pain.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I asked!¡± The king was aware of her mischievous nature, after all. ¡°That was just a side-effect of re-activating your roots again. They were basically dead already, after all. I had to use some extra magic to start them again. From now on, they¡¯ll work normally again.¡± ¡°They were NOT almost dead!¡± Menzor didn¡¯t like that accusation. ¡°Well¡­¡± Anna and Kira scratched their cheeks. ¡°Hey!¡± He didn¡¯t like that, either. ¡°Do you want me to reverse it?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s not rush things here.¡± His entire demeanor suddenly changed. ¡°Ahaha!¡± Sophia had to chuckle at that. ¡°Sure thing~.¡± ¡°How long will the healing effect last?¡± He lifted one of his luscious locks while looking at the blonde. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the exact time, but they should probably last as long as they did so far again.¡± ¡°O-Oh.¡± Menzor tried his best to hide his smile. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Sophia obviously didn¡¯t fail to miss it, though. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not the only guest, you know?¡± "You look amazing, father!" Anna appeared next to the blonde and smiled at him. "Don''t you dare and cut it! It¡¯s fabulous and makes you look twice as majestic!¡± ¡°What she said.¡± Sophia agreed with her. Kira, too, nodded ever so slightly. ¡°Haa¡­¡± He hung his head. ¡°They do have a point, your Majesty.¡± Kai poked her head into the office. ¡°It might be slightly too unkempt at the moment, but it has the potential to boost your aura.¡± ¡°And who might you be?¡± Menzor stared at her for a moment. ¡°Wait, you are the mayor of Gativa, are you not? Kai, if I remember correctly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, your Majesty.¡± She fully entered the room and gave him a slight nod. ¡°It really has.¡± He thought so, too. ¡°Wait, what are you doing here?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent question.¡± The wolf-girl shrugged while glancing at Sophia. ¡°Ahh.¡± That was enough for him to understand the situation. "In fact, I''d like to get a detailed, in-depth explanation of what, in the name of everything that is holy, is going on!" She raised her voice. ¡°Well, how about you get comfortable over there?¡± Menzor pointed at the two sofas in the corner of his office. ¡°This might take a while.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Doing as told, she moved over to the seating area before everyone else did the same. ¡°I assume the chances for you explaining the plan is zero?¡± The king stole a short glance at the blonde. ¡°Zero at best.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I figured as much.¡± Letting out a sigh, Menzor then focused his attention on Kai. ¡°Well, you already having used the portal should make things a lot easier.¡± ¡°What is that, anyway?! How am I in the capital right now?!¡± ¡°Long story short, magic.¡± ¡°Perfect explanation~.¡± Sophia smiled at the king. "That doesn''t necessarily explain much, if at all." ¡°I know, right?!¡± Menzor agreed with her complaint on many levels. ¡°The purple thing you stepped through to come here is an invention by Sophia, and she calls it a portal. The way she uses magic is on another level, and she''s capable of doing things that should be impossible. One of those impossible things are the mentioned portals. This magic allows her to connect two faraway places with each other and allows one to go from one spot to another basically in an instant.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Kai went silent for a moment. ¡°Impossible is a very fitting word. Was magic even possible to do something like that?¡± ¡°Magic can do whatever you want it to do!¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs up. ¡°It appears to be.¡± The wolf-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°Also, while impossible is indeed a perfect description, I experienced it. I stepped through a purple thing and went from Gativa to the royal castle in a mere moment.¡± ¡°Having them come over here really simplifies things.¡± Menzor was glad that the mayor had already accepted the situation. ¡°We can do it like that every time from now on.¡± The blonde smiled at him. ¡°That would be helpful.¡± ¡°I still don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here!¡± Kai got louder again. ¡°Ahem!¡± The king cleared his throat. ¡°Sophia graciously allowed us to use her portals.¡± ¡°And because of the dividends generated by the taxation of its use.¡± While the short tiger was definitely happy about being able to better the kingdom, she absolutely had no issues with profiting from it. ¡°That is also the case, yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°Anyway, we plan to use this to connect notable cities and other points of interest with a central point just in front of the capital, revolutionizing the way we all travel and transport goods.¡± ¡°W-Wow.¡± Kai wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to that before looking at the princess. ¡°You really weren¡¯t kidding when you said that there¡¯s a plan that will change the kingdom from the ground up.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± The mayor, once more, raised her voice. ¡°As life-changing as that sounds, isn¡¯t it extremely dangerous to have the whole kingdom accessible by one place? I¡¯m not sure if I could subject my city to such a security risk.¡± ¡°I can understand that.¡± The king nodded. ¡°That¡¯s also the reason we decided to put the hub, where all the portals are located, outside of the city walls.¡± ¡°Well, that protects the capital, but what about the places on the other side of the connection?" ¡°Another valid concern. Further proof that you are an excellent mayor.¡± ¡°It fills me with great joy to hear that from you, your Majesty.¡± ¡°Yes, to address that concern, the military commanders and I recently decided to relocate the garrisons of the capital''s standing army. They were in line for modernization anyway, and so we decided to build them from the ground up in the same area as the portal hub. If anyone wants to reach Gativa, or any other city for that matter, they have to go through my army first.¡± Menzor¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s quite reassuring.¡± It was enough to convince Kai. ¡°Not to mention that this allows us to immediately respond to emergencies.¡± He looked right at her. ¡°If you send a distress signal that Gativa is under attack, the army will be there to aid you in minutes.¡± He then looked at Sophia. ¡°This doesn¡¯t violate our agreement, does it.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Using my portal to defend the kingdom is okay and encouraged. Attacking other places would be a no-no, though.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± ¡°Speaking of our deal, have you forgotten that the portals come with built-in protection against this stuff?¡± The blonde looked a little confused. ¡°Attacking armies or individuals with extreme malicious intent would cause the portals to shut down.¡± ¡°I¡¯m aware of that.¡± He nodded. ¡°I also don¡¯t want to bet everything on one hand, though.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t blame him there. ¡°You do know how to convince people.¡± Kai ignored the exchange and stared back at the king. ¡°Alright, I need some more details on the exact plan, but consider Gativa more than interested.¡± ¡°Great to hear!¡± Afterward, once Sophia had finally gotten too bored of the situation, she decided that it was time to head back to the beautiful lake city while the king would handle the rest with the mayor. She then took Maya, Anna, and Ari, and the girls returned to reunite with the others who were already exploring Gativa. Chapter 135 – Water city date Sophia, together with Anna and their partners, had brought Kai, the mayor of Gativa, to the royal castle in the capital to have Menzor explain the situation and the portal plans to her. Once they were done with that, they left them behind and reunited with the others, who had decided to go and have fun without them in the water city. ¡°Oh, it looks like Chloe and Steph split up with the wolves.¡± The group had just exited the mayor¡¯s mansion when Sophia took a peek at the current situation with her detection magic. ¡°Maybe they changed from exploring to going on a date instead?¡± Ari took a wild guess. ¡°Ohh!¡± Anna seemed to like the sound of that. ¡°Let''s do that, too!¡± She stared at her jaguar with sparkling eyes. ¡°I support this suggestion!¡± Nodding a few times, Maya then smiled at the blonde. ¡°Sure!¡± Sophia smiled back at her. ¡°How about we regroup in the cottage once we¡¯re done before doing some group explorations, including the fishing trip Steph suggested?¡± She tilted her head while looking at the royal couple. ¡°Okay!¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Ari did so, too. ¡°I have one of your portal stones, so we¡¯re good on that part. "Let''s go!" Highly motivated, the princess grabbed Ari''s hand, and the two quickly disappeared into one of the city''s streets. ¡°What she said!¡± The cat-girl was just as motivated about it. ¡°Okay!¡± ---------------- ¡°So, where do you want to go, princess?" It had been around five minutes, and Maya and Sophia were walking hand in hand on a street alongside a roughly four-meter-wide canal. ¡°Wrong tiger.¡± The blonde lightly rolled her eyes while smiling at her cat-girl. ¡°Anna¡¯s everyone¡¯s princess, but you are mine~.¡± ¡°Someone¡¯s trying to be smooth today, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m always smooth!¡± Maya showed her a cheeky grin. ¡°Sure! That¡¯s definitely what you are!¡± Somehow, Sophia''s voice was highly playful while she said those words. ¡°There''s no need to sound the way you did!" The cat-girl started pouting. ¡°What would you have done in my place?¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Maya couldn¡¯t really defend herself there. ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia let out a small chuckle. ¡°Anyway, the princess would like some food.¡± ¡°How do you know Anna¡¯s hungry?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Good one.¡± ¡°Is there anything you particularly fancy?¡± ¡°Food would be nice.¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°For the type of food, I¡¯m open to whatever we find first.¡± ¡°You¡¯re almost too uncomplicated.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone ever used those words to describe me.¡± If anything, Sophia had gotten used to being called the exact opposite. ¡°Ha.¡± She froze for a moment. ¡°In relation to food, you overcomplicated dork!¡± ¡°That truly sounds more like me~.¡± The blonde smiled at her cat. ¡°I do have some few things I dislike, but overall, it would be a miracle to find a place where there isn¡¯t anything I¡¯d eat~.¡± ¡°It makes it harder to decide on a place to eat, though.¡± ¡°Well, if you want me to choose a place, you are certainly correct, but I¡¯ll be happy with like the first caf¨¦ we run into. I just decided that I want something sweet, by the way.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°That¡¯s why a caf¨¦, huh? Also, so much for everything is fine.¡± The cat-girl lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°We can also look for a steakhouse if that tickles your fancy.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s how much I really care~.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in favor of the sweets suggestion!¡± Maya shook her head a couple of times. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re one of our biggest sweet tooths, after all~.¡± ¡°Wait, did you decide on a caf¨¦ because of me?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve thought that far ahead~.¡± Sophia reacted with a slight smirk. ¡°Smooth.¡± She didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°How can I be smooth when you¡¯re supposed to be the smooth one here?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked her reaction. ---------------- The couple followed the street they were on for a little while longer before they eventually found a lovely caf¨¦. It even had an outdoor area with seating right next to the canal, which divided the two sides of the street, so you could watch the water and boats while enjoying your food and drinks. ¡°I wonder if I could put a whole city into my domain.¡± The couple got seated on a table right next to the canal, and Sophia was excitedly looking around. ¡°It¡¯s such a beautiful space!¡±. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if the people here would enjoy being inside a white void.¡± Maya scratched her cheek. ¡°Especially if you just go and borrow the city without prior notice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The blonde looked around for a little longer. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ready to have an extended amount of people inside it, either.¡± ¡°Do you even want to?¡± ¡°Good point!¡± She shook her head a few times. ¡°Sounds like a massive pain!¡± ¡°I would assume so, yes.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°It also wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to rob the homes of all those people.¡± ¡°Borrow the homes.¡± The blonde corrected her. ¡°You are right, though. Let¡¯s try and find an abandoned city during our travels!¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She nodded. ¡°Though, it might be best to check in with Menzor first before liberating it from its confinement in whatever location it is." ¡°How nice and considerate of you! That would probably be good, yeah. We might accidentally borrow a place that was reserved for something or whatever.¡± ¡°Okay, with that decided, let¡¯s order already!¡± Getting a little impatient, Maya tapped the menu they were holding a couple of times. ¡°I want some chocolate cake, by the way!¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling fruity today, so it¡¯ll be cake decorated with lots of fruit for me~.¡± Picking something that matched their fancy together with some drinks, the couple called over a waitress and ordered just that. ¡°Oh, it looks good!¡± Just a few minutes later, their order had arrived, and the cat-girl was staring at her rich chocolate cake with sparkling eyes. "It really does!" While not as excited, Sophia was also quite happy about her sponge cake, which was lavishly decorated with cream and various fruits, including strawberries, blueberries, and sliced kiwi. "Oh!" Maya suddenly clapped her hands. "Doesn''t that kinda remind you of our first date?" ¡°Hmm?¡± The blonde, who had just tried her first bite, tilted her head with the fork still in her mouth. "Do you mean the time when you dragged me into a caf¨¦ shortly after we met and called it a date out of nowhere?" ¡°Exactly that!¡± She nodded. ¡°Not a lot of that day stuck because you fried my brain with your extrovertedness, but didn¡¯t you have the fruit cake while I had chocolate?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Maya stared at their cakes again. "Wanna share?" She then held out her fork, which had a bite of her chocolate cake on it. ¡°Sure!¡± The blonde leaned lightly over the table and took it. ¡°Yep, back then, you had a complete meltdown over that.¡± She smiled at her striped girlfriend, who had come a long way since then. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± She had mixed feelings about that. ¡°Current me is a massive improvement over Sophia from back then.¡± ¡°Old Sophia did have her cute moments, though.¡± Maya didn¡¯t think everything about the blonde from the past was a mess. ¡°Just because I was easier to tease.¡± ¡°That is not completely unrelated~.¡± She just gave her a cheeky smirk in return. ¡°It¡¯s not like you aren''t still easy to tease, either.¡± ¡°I tease back now, though!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite good at it, too.¡± ¡°Thank you very much~.¡± Sophia smiled at her again. ¡°Anyway, want some fruits?¡± She then held up her fork with some of her cake. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Taking up the offer, Maya leaned over to take a bit of her cake. ¡°Oho, this one¡¯s good, too!¡± Afterward, the duo continued their caf¨¦ date while chatting some more and finishing up their cakes. That being said, most of their cake was fed to the other, so they basically ended up swapping their order, though neither of them seemed to have cared about that. ---------------- ¡°I wonder where we can get one of those boats.¡± The couple had left the caf¨¦ area and were walking hand in hand alongside one of the many water canals where the blonde was looking at one of the many boats in there. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Maya also watched the activity on the water for a little bit. ¡°If I had to guess, maybe somewhere near one of the entrances of the city? Or maybe where the lakes go into the city.¡± ¡°That sounds logical.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure Steph already sniffed out the place we need to go.¡± ¡°Judging by how excited she was about it, there¡¯s a high chance of that being the case, yes.¡± ¡°Speaking of that sister of mine, it seems like she and Chloe just returned to the cottage as I felt them using a portal.¡± ¡°Well, after visiting the mayor, the trip to the capital, and our date, quite some time has passed, so they¡¯re probably taking a break.¡± The cat-girl could see why they returned. ¡°Should we go, too?¡± Sophia looked at her while tilting her head. ¡°We can ask them if they found the boating place and maybe tell us about other interesting places they found in the city.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± She agreed with the plan. ¡°They might¡¯ve found more dating spots, too! We definitely have to check them out!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Having decided on that, the couple headed back to Sophia''s domain to check in with her sister and Chloe to see what they''d been up to during the day and maybe get a tip or two for another date to have while they were in the water city. Chapter 136 – Ball Sophia and Maya went on a quick date while they were in Gativa and made a stop in a cozy caf¨¦ together. That made them remember their very first date shortly after meeting each other, where the cat-girl had dragged the blonde on a date out of nowhere. Compared to back then, Sophia was a lot less of a nervous mess, though, and the two simply enjoyed their time with each other. ¡°Welcome home!¡± Arriving in the cottage after their date, Sophia and Maya were energetically greeted by Chloe and Steph, who were already in the living room. ¡°We¡¯re back~.¡± Sophia lightly waved at the couple. ¡°Are you two done with the mayor and the portal business?¡± The pink fox was interested in how their day went. ¡°Yup!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°That was taken care of rather quickly, actually. Anna and I threw her through the portal and brought her to the king in the capital, which made making her believe our plan much easier.¡± ¡°Afterward, Sophia and I explored the water city a little more and went on a date~.¡± Maya came to the more important part. ¡°We did the same!¡± Steph clapped her hands. ¡°It¡¯s such a nice city!¡± ¡°I love the canals!¡± Chloe agreed with her. ¡°True!¡± The tiger and cat felt the same. ¡°That you two find any fun date spots, by the way?¡± Maya tilted her head while looking at the two. ¡°Sophia and I found a nice caf¨¦ that served amazing cake, and we looked at some of the canals, but that was about it before returning to the cottage.¡± ¡°The caf¨¦ with the outside seating right next to the main water canal?¡± The pink fox tilted her head. ¡°Steph and I were there for lunch, and you¡¯re right, the cake was awesome!¡± ¡°Usually not my type of lunch, but it was indeed delicious!¡± Steph nodded. ¡°The extra sugar also was quite helpful for playing at the beach afterward!¡± ¡°Too bad we never found the ball we lost, huh?¡± ¡°It was such a good ball, too!¡± Steph sounded devastated all of a sudden. ¡°You two went to the beach and played fetch?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yep!¡± Her sister saw no issue with that. ¡°Just how much dog are you?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned a little cheeky. ¡°I¡¯m very in tune with myself~.¡± ¡°She definitely found her calling.¡± Maya had nothing else to add. ¡°True.¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°Not that the older sister isn¡¯t a perfect fit for being a tiger, either.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t gone hunting in a while, have we?¡± Sophia¡¯s inner tiger woke up after hearing that. ¡°Count me in!¡± Steph liked the idea. ¡°By the way, how was the beach?¡± Maya decided that it was time to change the topic before the sisters went too feral and looked at the fox. ¡°It was great!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°From where we came from, you could roughly see that the city is surrounded by lakes, but from the beach, it actually felt like being at the sea! The sand was beautifully white, too! It also felt nice to the touch because it¡¯s fine sand and not something coarse or the size of pebbles. The water was really clean and clear, as well!¡± ¡°That sounds amazing!¡± Maya lightly clapped her hands before looking at Sophia. ¡°We really need to go there!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± She didn¡¯t want to miss it, either. ¡°Speaking of, has any of you found a place where we can rent and or buy boats?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°We saw a ton of boats on the canals in the city, but we haven¡¯t found the source.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Steph gave her a thumbs up. ¡°We¡¯re going fishing tomorrow!¡±Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°There¡¯s a dock near where the lake flows into the city where you can rent them.¡± The pink fox added a bit of detail. ¡°We¡¯ve already rented one for tomorrow, too. They didn¡¯t appear to sell them, though.¡± ¡°But they told us that we should visit the other lake entrance if we¡¯re serious about buying a boat. It seems like there is a place where we can buy them.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Sophia liked the plan. ¡°We¡¯re back!¡± While the four were chatting, Anna¡¯s excited voice suddenly echoed through the entrance hall. ¡°We¡¯re in the living room~.¡± Steph answered her. ¡°Welcome!¡± She waved at the princess and Ari the moment they entered. ¡°Hey~.¡± The jaguar waved back at her. ¡°Done with the date?¡± Maya wanted to know how it went for them. ¡°Yes.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Though, we were a little tired, so we just opted for a little exploring and eating together in a restaurant.¡± ¡°This is such a scenic city!¡± The jaguar seemed happy with the way their date went. ¡°Did you also go to the nice caf¨¦ with the awesome cake?¡± The cat-girl wanted details. ¡°That sounds lovely, but no.¡± Ari shook her head. ¡°Just before coming back, we had a nice dinner in an excellent steakhouse we came across.¡± ¡°The tiger wanted meat!¡± Anna pointed at herself. ¡°The steak was massive! Delicious and tender, too!¡± ¡°So did the jaguar.¡± Ari did the same. ¡°The fries also were tasty!¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s in tune with their inner animal, huh?¡± Maya felt reminded of their earlier conversation. ¡°I¡¯m hungry again!¡± The sisters had a strong reaction to the royal couple¡¯s dinner description. ¡°I think I know where the rest of us will have dinner later.¡± Chloe also got a little interested. ¡°Yep.¡± So was the cat-girl. ¡°Well, I can 100% recommend it.¡± Anna gently rubbed her stomach. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m about to fall into a food coma, so I¡¯ll take a bath now before spending the rest of the evening on that sofa over there.¡± She pointed at the free sofa on her left in the living room. ¡°I¡¯m in complete and full support of this plan.¡± Ari nodded a couple of times while also patting her stomach with a satisfied expression. Even though it hadn¡¯t been that long since Maya and Sophia had their cake, after having heard about the steakhouse, they decided to get some more food. After all, sweets go to a separate stomach, and their main one was still empty. Steph and Chloe had cake for lunch, so they were more than okay with a savory dinner, and so the four carnivores on main returned to the water city to get some meat. ---------------- ¡°Oh, Fenny, Aura!¡± Back in Gativa, the group ran into the wolves, and Sophia waved at them. ¡°Hey!¡± The female wolf nodded at her. ¡°Where are you all headed to? Fen and I were about to return to the cottage." ¡°Anna and Ari told us about a steakhouse that put them into a food coma!¡± The blonde smiled at them. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could¡¯ve passed on that!¡± Steph sounded as excited as her sister about that. ¡°Oh.¡± Fen''s ears perked up, and his tail began to wag ever-so-slightly. ¡°Interested, my big guy?¡± The tiger didn¡¯t fail to notice his reaction. ¡°I¡¯m sure they also cater to fulls~.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡± Aura helped him out a little. "A big slab of meat sounds quite enticing, too.¡± ¡°I have to agree.¡± The male wolf nodded. ¡°He also lost a lot of energy from playing at the beach all day, so I¡¯m sure he needs some calories~.¡± Aura¡¯s voice turned playful. ¡°He ran around a whole lot!¡± ¡°H-Hey!¡± ¡°Dogs be dogs, huh?¡± Sophia glanced at her sister while saying so. ¡°The beach was the best, wasn¡¯t it?!¡± Steph raised her voice. ¡°I played so much, too!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell them about the ball you found?¡± Aura was having a great time. ¡°Would you shut up?!¡± ¡°You found a ball?!¡± The dog-girl got even louder. ¡°I¡¯ve lost mine while playing when I hit it too hard! I¡¯m going to miss that perfect blue ball with white stripes so much!¡± ¡°Interesting!¡± The female wolf tilted her head. ¡°That sounds exactly like the ball we found. It came flying to us out of nowhere, and Fen chased it down." ¡°NO WAY!?¡± Steph couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°That has to be mine! Where is it now?!¡± ¡°We left it at the beach.¡± Aura had bad news for her. ¡°Noooo!¡± The dog-girl dramatically fell on her knees. ¡°What was so special about that ball¡­?¡± Sophia was a big supporter of being overly and needlessly dramatic, but not even she could follow her. ¡°It was the bestest and most bounciest ball in existence!¡± ¡°It was indeed rather bouncy.¡± Fen answered without thinking. ¡°That definitely was my ball, then! Also, Chloe bought it for me, so it was twice as good!¡± ¡°Okay, fair enough on that.¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t blame her for liking a present she got from her girlfriend. ¡°Can you show me where you left it?!¡± Steph stared at the wolves. ¡°From what Ari told us, the steakhouse is near the beach where I lost it, anyway!¡± ¡°Sure, we can take a look.¡± Aura wanted to try and help her. ¡°Yay!¡± The wolves joined the group for their dinner plans in the steakhouse, but before that, everyone went to the beach to retrieve the ball their dog had lost while playing. ¡°We left the ball somewhere around here.¡± Having arrived at the beach, Aura gestured towards the lake in front of her. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Steph scanned the entire area. ¡°I see something!¡± She instantly sprinted onto the beach and jumped at a blue object she saw in the distance. ¡°It is my ball!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that great~?¡± Chloe smiled at her with a warm expression. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Wearing one of her biggest smiles yet, the dog-girl returned to the group while tightly holding the ball to her chest and energetically wagging her tail from side to side. ¡°She can be quite cute if she wants to.¡± Maya had nothing else to say. ¡°Yep.¡± Chloe and Sophia nodded. Once she was reunited with her beloved ball, the group left the beach and went to the steakhouse that was recommended by the royal couple. Arriving there, everyone ordered way too much, heavily overate on meat, and barely made it home before falling into a deep food coma, joining Anna and Ari. Chapter 137 – Boating While talking about what they did during their dates, Anna and Ari mentioned the steakhouse they visited. The other carnivores were quite intrigued by that and decided to all have dinner there. After having collected the wolves and retrieved Steph¡¯s favorite ball from the beach, they did just that and ended the day in a deep food coma they fell into afterward. ¡°Boating time!¡± Around noon on the following day, after everyone slept in, the group returned to Gativa to explore it some more. While most still looked tired, Steph was already full of energy. ¡°We also wanted to go fishing during the boat trip, right?¡± Anna tilted her head. "Does the boat rental place also give out fishing rods, or do we have to get them elsewhere?" ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have some rods in my storage~.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Why?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°Why not?¡± The blonde simply shrugged in return. ¡°They¡¯re good fishing rods, too!¡± Maya smiled at the jaguar. ¡°I used them before~.¡± ¡°You really have to let me take a peek at your storage already!¡± Steph stared at her sister. ¡°I just have to see what¡¯s all in there!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a good idea." She shook her head. "You''d absolutely get lost, and even with me knowing where everyone is inside my domain at all times, I¡¯m not confident I could find you in the mess that is my storage.¡± ¡°Sounds fun!¡± It only made the dog-girl more excited. ¡°Just how big is it?!¡± The jaguar raised her voice. ¡°Yes.¡± Sophia just had to do it. ¡°¡­¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, how about we head over to the rental place?¡± Sophia returned to the initial topic. ¡°Let''s go!¡± Steph forgot about the storage already. "By the way, didn''t the wolves really not want to come with us?" She addressed the fact that the two weren¡¯t around. ¡°Fen didn¡¯t trust all of us together on a boat.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°Aura also wanted to go and play with him some more.¡± ¡°Fen can be quite wise every now and then." The jaguar nodded a couple of times. "Speaking of, could we try not to capsize five minutes in?" ¡°¡­¡± The sisters looked at each other. ¡°We¡¯ll try, yes.¡± ---------------- Afterward, the girls made their way over to the rental place and got their boat. It was a simple brown rowing boat, but it was easily big enough for the six girls to be comfortable and still have some storage space left. The boat had three rows of seats, and the sisters took the one in the middle as they decided to take care of the rowing and took one paddle each. Anna and Ari got on the back, while Chloe and Maya shared the front row for the time being. They had turned around to look at the sisters, though. ¡°You know, it¡¯s a little wobbly, but it¡¯s pretty fun!¡± While they were slowly moving further into the lake, the princess looked around and took in the sights. ¡°I agree!¡± Ari smiled at her before dangling her arm out of the boat and dipping her fingertips into the water. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare to capsize us, though!¡± Her expression changed a little. ¡°The water is way too cold for that!¡± ¡°That will entirely depend on how much the fish we might catch will fight back, but we¡¯ll try our best.¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°How are you liking it so far?¡± Steph looked at her fox instead. ¡°It¡¯s fun!¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°I agree with the wobbly bit, but I actually like that a lot, too!¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome to hear!¡± The dog-girl was happy that she was having a good time. ¡°It¡¯s fascinating how clear the water is!¡± Maya leaned over the side of the boat and tried to gauge how deep she could look down into the near crystal-clear water. ¡°It¡¯s kinda shallow right now, but I can still see the ground!¡± "It is very pretty but also probably bad for fishing because they can see us and get wary." The blonde wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about it.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Even worse, I can¡¯t see any fish in the first place.¡± Steph noticed a lack of fish in the water around them. ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia only just realized that before looking around. ¡°There are a couple of people fishing in their boats, but they¡¯re way further out, so I guess we have to find a good spot first.¡± ¡°By the way, what are we going to do about the bait?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°We know that our princess doesn''t like worms and the likes that are usually used for bait." ¡°Eh?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly a fan, but I don¡¯t really have an issue with worms.¡± ¡°I was talking about my oversensitive princess.¡± The cat-girl gestured at the blonde. ¡°Can you use ladybugs for bait?¡± Sophia remembered that Maya''s mother told her that her daughter was afraid of them and then stared right at her cat. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent. ¡°Anyway, I got some artificial bait~.¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs up. ¡°It''s some sort of thick paste made out of¡­ I don¡¯t think I want to know and formed into a ball to attach to the lure, so I¡¯m fine~.¡± ¡°The lengths you go through to avoid insects or other crawly stuff like worms will never cease to amaze me.¡± Steph rolled her eyes. ¡°She¡¯s been using that bait ever since we were little and refused to use live bait during our first fishing trip.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll never change!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°I hate those creepy little buggers!¡± ¡°Maybe you should try some exposure therapy?¡± Ari earnestly tried to help her. ¡°Exposure therapy between me and bugs would end up in an extinction event.¡± The blonde''s expression turned a little sour, to say the least. ¡°I know that insects are important and useful, so I¡¯d rather not do that.¡± ¡°Well, it was just a suggestion.¡± The jaguar scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see that you realized that it would be bad to erase all bugs and the like." ¡°I¡¯m not completely stupid, okay? I may have some irrational fears, as everyone does, but I do know that genocide is rarely the correct answer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s NEVER the answer!¡± Ari got loud. ¡°Fine.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Don¡¯t look so disappointed!¡± She raised her voice even more. ¡°How about we try and find a spot with fish?¡± As much as she loved her sister being unhinged, Steph wanted to get to the main attraction. ---------------- Having put the genocide discussion on hold for the time being, they concentrated on their boating trip again. The sisters rowed them further onto the lake while everyone was on the lookout to find any hints of fish below the surface. ¡°Oh, I saw something moving just now!¡± After around 20 minutes of paddling, Maya suddenly pointed to her right, her eyes fixed on a spot on the lake while her tail pointed completely up. ¡°The cat found the fish.¡± Steph let out a chuckle. ¡°Such a strong reaction, too.¡± ¡°Shut up, dog!¡± Maya glared at her. ¡°Okay, fair comeback.¡± She couldn¡¯t blame her for that reaction. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s slowly head over there without making too much of a ruckus.¡± Sophia put a finger on her lips to silence them. ¡°We don¡¯t want to scare them away, do we?¡± ¡°Right!¡± The bickering duo nodded before the sisters got the boat closer to the spot where Maya spotted the fish. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sound like a sheltered princess again, but how do you fish¡­?¡± Anna awkwardly scratched her cheek as she watched the fish in the water a little bit away from them. ¡°Yes.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to do it, either.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a cat instinctively know how to catch fish?¡± Steph seemed to be in a barky mood today. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s in our nature to know how to use a fishing rod.¡± The jaguar slowly shook her head while staring at her. ¡°Exactly!¡± Anna agreed with her. ¡°I mean, I feel like I know at which angle I had to jump into the water to stay out of the fish¡¯s sight and catch it with my bare hands, but I have no idea how to use a rod.¡± ¡°About 25 to 30 degrees.¡± Sophia smiled at her fellow tiger. ¡°We¡¯d need to move a tiny bit more to our right for that to work, though.¡± Maya¡¯s cat instincts were also working. ¡°Ha.¡± The dog-girl hadn''t expected them to go full instinct on her. ¡°I also don¡¯t want to jump into the water.¡± The princess shook her head. ¡°Very much so.¡± Ari felt the same. ¡°Way too cold.¡± ¡°Time for a training session~.¡± Saying so, Sophia grabbed into her storage and pulled out a couple of fishing rods to hand one to each. She then also took out a box with the artificial bait balls and a set of colorful lures. ¡°Okay, the rod is a rod, and the reel is used to pull in the line. It''s pretty self-explanatory, I guess?" ¡°So far, yes.¡± Anna was able to follow her. "The lure is the more interesting part." The blonde opened the box and took out something that looked like a small blue fish with two hooks dangling from its body. ¡°This thing gets attached to the end of the like. It¡¯s to lure in other fish. The bait goes on the hooks for, well¡­ obvious reasons.¡± Saying so, she took two of the bait balls and pierced them on the hooks. ¡°Makes sense.¡± Ari nodded along. ¡°The most complicated part is getting the lure into the water or casting it. Technically, at least, because it¡¯s not actually complicated." Having attached the lure to the line and put some bait on the hooks, Sophia grabbed the handle of the rod with her right hand and effortlessly cast the line with a light movement of her arm. The lure flew through the air and hit the water with a satisfying plop sound around 15 meters away from the boat. ¡°You don¡¯t really need to use any power at all. For casual fishing like this, at least.¡± ¡°The only thing you really have to watch out for is that nothing is in the way of the arc the lure takes. You absolutely don¡¯t want to get your hook stuck in anything.¡± Steph added some detail. ¡°Or anyone.¡± Sophia suddenly glared at her sister. ¡°You would know, right?¡± ¡°Come on!¡± She got loud. ¡°That was over six years ago! Your earlobe grew back together without any marks, too!¡± ¡°Just be careful, okay?¡± The blonde rolled her eyes and just looked at the couple. ¡°If I¡¯m the one saying that it means something, okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Both energetically nodded a couple of times. "I hope you apologized back when that happened." Chloe had nothing else to say when she looked at Steph. ¡°Of course!¡± Afterward, Sophia showed them how to do it a couple more times to make sure they understood how it was done before the other girls finally prepared their own lures and cast their rods to have a relaxing day of fishing in the middle of a massive lake. Chapter 138 – Fishing The group was still in Gativa, and the girls had just rented a boat together to go on a fishing trip in the middle of one of the massive lakes around the city. After Sophia gave a brief tutorial on how to use a fishing rod and prepare a lure with bait because the sisters knew how to fish as they had done it a lot in the past, the other girls also gave it a try. ¡°Fishing is fun!¡± After around an hour, Ari got the hang of it and enjoyed it a lot. ¡°It¡¯s so easy, too!¡± Sounding quite proud, Anna looked at the basin between the couple¡¯s feet, which had four fish between 30 and 40 centimeters swimming in it. ¡°So true!¡± Chloe nodded a couple of times while looking at the basin between her and Maya, which even had six fish in it. ¡°We should go fishing together more often!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Maya smiled at the fox next to her. ¡°I always forget how enjoyable it is.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The sisters were suspiciously quiet as they stared at the tiny and empty bucket beneath them. The two had yet to catch their first fish. ¡°It¡¯s always like this, isn¡¯t it?¡± The cat-girl looked at them with a wry smile. ¡°The ones with the most experience and knowledge get the short end of the stick during those group activities.¡± ¡°Trying to console us only hurts more!¡± ¡°What she said!¡± Steph and Sophia didn¡¯t want to hear it. ¡°Your teaching was great, though.¡± Chloe also tried to cheer up the blonde. ¡°We¡¯re definitely just having beginners¡¯ luck!¡± ¡°I¡¯m no beginner, though.¡± Maya pointed at herself. ¡°Are you trying to help or make it worse?! Decide!¡± The fox glared at her. ¡°I¡¯ll make up for it by preparing a feast of fish tonight.¡± She reacted with a smug expression. ¡°That¡¯s not going to make it any-.¡± "I love you!" It worked pretty well on Sophia, and she didn''t even let Chloe finish her sentence. ¡°Still upset!¡± It didn¡¯t work quite as well on Steph. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get you a new ball to play with as a backup to cheer you up.¡± Maya just rolled her eyes. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m not taken seriously here.¡± The dog-girl started pouting. ¡°You¡¯ve been making cat jokes all day already, so you¡¯re in no position to complain.¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t let her have it. ¡°¡­¡± She had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°Sophia, can I try a way of fishing that is more befitting of this world?¡± ¡°I have a feeling I know what you''re planning." The blonde glanced at the hand of her sister, which had become covered in pink and purple magic particles. ¡°I actually have no idea how fish would react to that. I wonder if they get curious about it?¡± ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like whatever is happening at the moment.¡± Ari had a bad feeling. "She wants to try fishing with magic." As Chloe could also see the particles, she made a guess about her plan. ¡°Do I want to be on the boat when that is going on?¡± The jaguar¡¯s bad feeling got worse. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ignoring Ari¡¯s complaints, the dog-girl grabbed a few of the bait balls and bathed them in the magic particles that were coming out of her hand. Afterward, she grabbed the fanciest rainbow lure with the biggest hook they had and pierced five balls of bait on it. ¡°Ah, wait a moment.¡± Sophia suddenly stopped her right when she was about to cast the line. The blonde placed her hand on Steph¡¯s rod and bathed the whole thing in her own magic particles. ¡°I went ahead and reinforced it and the line with magic so they¡¯re stronger~.¡± ¡°Good call!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°Also, try to aim really far that way~.¡± Sophia pointed towards her right and further onto the lake. ¡°I can feel some very faint magic power from down there. It¡¯s about the same as a cow or a horse, so it might be the same size.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s a fish worthy to be caught!¡± Steph got extra motivated after hearing this. Immediately following suit, she cast the line in the direction her sister was pointing at. The lure made a beautiful arc in the air before hitting the surface almost 150 meters away from the boat.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°In how much danger are we right now?¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°I mean, if it has the same magic power as horses or cows, it should have similar physical strength, too.¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t worried. ¡°Phew.¡± Ari seemed relieved. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a horse or a cow messed with enough for them to become enraged, have you?¡± Maya looked at the fox-girl while shaking her head. ¡°They¡¯re scary!¡± ¡°Why and how do you know that?¡± The jaguar stared at her. ¡°¡­¡± She went silent for a moment while scratching her cheek. ¡°Not everyone had as a sheltered childhood as you and Anna had. Some of us had fun!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess with horses!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like that. ¡°I like them! They sure are scary when angry, though, that is true!¡± ¡°And what about cows?¡± The jaguar noticed that the blonde addressed only one issue. ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Her expression also turned awkward. ¡°Hehe! Do you remember the time when we visited that farm when we were little and,-¡± ¡°Shh!¡± Sophia silenced her sister before she could finish her sentence. ¡°That¡¯s my girlfriend!¡± Maya was proud of her. ¡°I knew you know how to have fun! Good job for you, too, Steph.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°To be fair, though, while it was fun as kids because we all apparently were brats, I wouldn¡¯t enjoy it nowadays.¡± ¡°True!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Hunting animals, sure, but messing with them for the sake of messing with them would probably feel odd.¡± ¡°You have a point there.¡± Maya also agreed with the sister. ¡°I haven¡¯t done something like that in forever, either. Good memories, but having matured a little, I¡¯d tend to agree.¡± ¡°Sooo, back to my concern.¡± Ari tried to get back on track. ¡°The chances of getting wet today are higher than anticipated.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not talking about the good kind of getting wet, either.¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± The jaguar hung her head. ¡°I hate being cold and wet. Especially if it¡¯s the wrong kind.¡± She played along a little. ¡°Hot and wet is indeed better.¡± Steph just had to. ¡°We can do that later today in the evening, but for now, it''s time that the sisters beat all of you in fishing!" There were more important things to take care of for the time being. ¡°What she said!¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°The second part, at least. The first part shall be mostly everyone¡¯s own responsibility!¡± ---------------- ¡°Are you sure there was anything big in the water around there?¡± Around 20 minutes had passed since the sisters started their enhanced fishing when Steph pointed at the area of the lake where her line entered the water. ¡°Yes.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°It¡¯s still there, too. In fact, it¡¯s been circling around the lure for a while now already. With quite a bit of distance in between, though.¡± "A shy one, huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯d call it wary, but sure.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°Same difference!¡± She didn¡¯t care about semantics. ¡°How about you put some more magic into the bait to make it more appetizing?" The older sister tried to come up with a way to lure whatever was in the lake out. ¡°Great idea!¡± Agreeing with her, Steph gripped the handle of her fishing rod a little stronger and poured more of her internal magic into it. The particles then moved up the rod and along the line all the way to where it entered the lake before eventually reaching the lure and hooks. ¡°Oh!¡± A moment later, Sophia¡¯s ears and tail perked up. "Someone became interested!" ¡°Let''s go!¡± Steph¡¯s excitement rose. A moment later, small ripples began to appear on the surface of the water, indicating that something was moving below. ¡°W-Woah!¡± Instantly after, the line attached to the fishing rod began moving with such force that it almost pulled the dog-girl out of the boat. "It''s a strong one!" Sophia quickly wrapped her arms around her sister''s waist to make sure she stayed in the boat. The line was still connected to the fish, though, and it was strong enough to pull the whole boat, causing it to zoom around on the lake, with the girls doing their best to stay on. ¡°That¡¯s no fish, that¡¯s a monster!¡± Holding on for dear life, Ari was far from enjoying the current situation. ¡°I know, right?!¡± Steph¡¯s voice was filled with excitement. ¡°This is the best!¡± ¡°Try to reel it in!¡± The blonde was firing her on. ¡°On it!¡± The dog-girl nodded and started working on her rod. She pulled it towards herself a couple of times while trying to spool in the line to get whatever had bitten on the hook ever so closer. Luckily, as her strength was far above that of ordinary people, thanks to her high magic powers, she had no issues with that. The only struggle was keeping the boat upright from all the shaking. ¡°Whoa, it¡¯s a sturgeon!¡± Thanks to the water being so clear, Sophia soon was able to identify the silvery fish, with an elongated body and scutes on its back, long before it surfaced. ¡°And what a fine one, too!¡± It being way over eight meters long, maybe even getting close to ten, made her eyes grow wide. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one of this size!¡± Steph was equally surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they could get that big! Aren¡¯t the biggest ones usually half this size?!¡± ¡°I mean, we are in a different world.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Good point!¡± The dog-girl nodded a couple of times while wrestling with the fishing rod. ¡°I have heard of sturgeons that size before.¡± Maya tilted her head. It appeared that the new world did have some peculiarities here and there. ¡°Although, saying it¡¯s rare would be a massive understatement. Sturgeons themselves are common, though, so this one probably just never got caught and grew old as there''s an abundance of them to catch.¡± ¡°Oh, if they¡¯re not rare here, I want to keep it as a pet!¡± Sophia took a liking to the big fish. ¡°I like the way you¡¯re thinking!¡± Steph was on the same page as her. ¡°How do we catch it, though? It¡¯s kind of a big guy, after all.¡± ¡°Just get it closer and I¡¯ll take care of the rest~.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Alrighty!¡± Steph spent the next couple of minutes getting the fish closer to the boat. Once it was almost right next to them, the sturgeon suddenly got restless and jumped out of the water and right over them. Using that chance, Sophia opened a portal in the air, and the fish had no other chance than to pass through it and disappear. ¡°And with that, the sisters win the fishing activity!¡± Sophia looked extra smug after she made the portal disappear. Afterward, they took a little break because the royal couple needed time to catch up with what had just happened. Chapter 139 – Greg
The group went on a fishing trip, and as a matter of course, the sisters overdid it a little. After having been upset that the two were the only ones who hadn''t caught anything yet, they enchanted some bait with a healthy dose of magic and managed to attract an almost ten-meter-long sturgeon from the depths of the lake and successfully caught it. ¡°Uhh, where did it go?¡± Still on the lake inside their boat, Ari looked rather confused as she looked at the spot above them where a massive sturgeon had just jumped over before the blonde portaled it away. ¡°Inside my domain, of course!¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Well, yeah, I figured as much.¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not a good place for a fish, though, is it? Especially when it¡¯s such a massive one.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°I felt like the lake you and Fenny made was a good place to put it.¡± ¡°Why?!¡± She got loud. ¡°That¡¯s the relaxation place for Fen and me! There¡¯s no space for a ten-meter-big lake monster!¡± "It seemed pretty relaxed before it got hooked, if you ask me." Sophia didn''t think it would be an issue. ¡°I also think our big wolf would have fun playing with it and trying to catch it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right about the second part.¡± Ari could see how Fen would like that. ¡°Well, it didn¡¯t try to attack us and was minding its own business before getting caught, so I guess it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it starve, though?¡± Chloe was concerned about it. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in terms of food, like other fish, in there, right? Sturgeons are hunters, right? Only feeding them some regular fish food probably won¡¯t work?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good and important point!¡± The blonde nodded a couple of times. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She looked around for a little while. ¡°Ari, would you mind if I dump some more fish and other water life into that lake of yours and Fen?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to borrow this lake, you know?¡± The jaguar had a bad feeling about the plan. ¡°I don¡¯t want the entire lake!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I just want to get enough fish to keep the big boy happy and entertained!¡± ¡°Well, if you fish for them, it would take forever, so what¡¯s the plan?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°Hey!¡± Both sisters got loud when they heard how the tall tiger pronounced the you. ¡°Heh.¡± She had hoped for this reaction. ¡°Anyway!¡± Pouting for a second, the blonde then continued. ¡°I planned to place a portal in the lake, somewhere near the ground so that no one sees it, and have fish and other lake inhabitants swim through it on their own!¡± ¡°How do you make sure the fish don¡¯t go back, though?¡± Chloe got interested in Sophia¡¯s plan. ¡°More importantly, what if Greg uses the portal to return home?¡± "A good ques-, Wait, who¡¯s Greg?¡± She got confused over the name. ¡°What person did I forget about this time?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the big fish you two caught earlier!¡± The pink fox smiled at her. ¡°It¡¯s Greg!¡± ¡°Alright, sure!¡± Sophia decided not to question it. ¡°I like Greg!¡± Steph was okay with it, too. ¡°What if it¡¯s a female fish?¡± Ari noticed a flaw. ¡°Greg¡¯s a unisex name!¡± The sisters and Chloe unionized. ¡°Is it?¡± She didn¡¯t believe them. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Back to the portal!¡± Sophia raised her voice. ¡°I can make them one-way only! That way, the fish can swim into my domain, but they can¡¯t come back.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great solution!¡± Chloe gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could do that.¡± ¡°I just decided that they can do that!¡± The blonde reacted with a cheeky smirk. "I mean, I can already control who can go through it and who cannot, so making it one-way only is actually a much easier thing to do if you ask me.¡± ¡°If you say so?¡± While the pink fox couldn¡¯t entirely follow her, she still got the gist of it. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll put the portal down right here, deep enough that you can''t see it anymore." Saying so, Sophia put her hand over the water next to the boat and concentrated for a second. ¡°That should be it. I wonder if the fish get curious and swim through.¡± ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t work, I think it will help a lot with other things.¡± Chloe scratched her cheek while saying so, ¡°Right now, it¡¯s basically just a big hole filled with water created by magic, right?¡± She looked at the jaguar. ¡°Pretty much.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°Lakes are usually not that sterile, are they?¡± The fox tilted her head. ¡°There¡¯s tons of algae and little critters, together with a bunch more microorganisms to make life for fish even possible in the first place.¡± ¡°That is true!¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°Most of those are also just passively floating through the water and so will definitely go through the portal sooner or later. For the fish, I guess we just have to wait and hope.¡± ¡°We could also start with the fish we already caught?¡± Anna pointed at the basin full of fish next to her feet. ¡°Nope, those are dinner.¡± The blonde had other plans for them. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The princess couldn¡¯t say anything there. ---------------- Having been satisfied with their catch, the sisters especially, the group explored the lake with their rented boat for a little longer before eventually getting closer to the city again. From there, they entered one of the canals leading into Gativa to row through the waterways that were going everywhere along the streets. Before that, Sophia had also put their caught fish into her domain, though. Having them in the basins between their feet would¡¯ve been a little much, after all. ¡°Alright, who wants to take over?¡± Having just entered the city, Sophia pointed at the paddle she had been using until now. ¡°How about it, Chloe?¡± She looked at the fox. ¡°You were the most interested in a boat ride the other day, so it would only make sense to be in charge of it at least once, right?¡± "If no one minds that we''ll travel at an incredibly slow pace, I¡¯d like to give it a try!¡± The fox nodded a couple of times. ¡°My arms aren¡¯t the strongest, after all.¡± ¡°What you do at night with me speaks a different language, though.¡± Steph just had to. ¡°Good things, I want to add.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my fingers.¡± She shook her head. ¡°My arms are noodles.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The dog-girl paused for a second. ¡°That point goes to you.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s swap seats.¡± Not wanting them to get sidetracked even more, Sophia carefully stood up from the middle bench of their boat and pointed at the spot where Chloe was sitting next to Maya. "Okay!" Nodding again, the two swapped places, and the fox-girl, together with Steph, took care of maneuvering the boat through the canals inside the city. ¡°Am I right in guessing that you did that because you didn''t want to be responsible for bumping into anything or anyone in those tight canals?¡± ¡°No comment~.¡± The blonde just smiled at her. ¡°You sure are cheeky.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t we also want to buy a boat or two?¡± While paddling through the canals, Ari got curious about that. "For inside the domain to have around for projects." ¡°We absolutely will!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Steph, you mentioned that the rental place told you where we can buy them?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± She nodded. ¡°I was thinking about heading there, too. I have no idea how to get there from here, though.¡± The dog-girl looked around. ¡°Well, there aren¡¯t many options to go, either, so I guess we just keep going and end up there eventually?¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me!¡± Having agreed on that, the group continued to travel through the city for a while longer. On their way, the girls also came across the lovely caf¨¦ again and decided to make a quick stop there. After all, they had been quite active during the day and more than earned themselves a sweet treat. ¡°Okay, I have to admit, that was pretty good.¡± Back on the boat, Ari looked rather satisfied after having visited the caf¨¦ for the first time after the other couples had been there before the other day. ¡°The cake really was amazing!¡± ¡°True!¡± Anna agreed with her. ¡°The steakhouse we went instead before was amazing, too, though. But, as we¡¯ll have fish tonight, something sweet for a late lunch works~.¡± ¡°Something sweet always works!¡± Maya¡¯s opinion differed a little. ¡°True!¡± Chloe felt the same as the cat-girl. ¡°Both always work!¡± The sisters didn''t understand why there was even any dispute over this. ¡°Fair.¡± The others had nothing to add. After this conclusion, they rowed through the canal for another half an hour before eventually arriving at a different corner of the city, which led into the lake at the back of it. ¡°Oh, I think that¡¯s the place!¡± Steph pointed at the dock with the massive Boats for Sale sign above it. ¡°You think?¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°No need for the sass!¡± The dog-girl didn¡¯t appreciate it. Afterward, they tied their rental boat to the dock and went to look at the offerings available. There weren¡¯t overly fancy options to get, they all had roughly the same shape as the rented boat, but they were new, and it was possible to choose from a variety of colors. In the end, each couple got their own boat for future activities in the domain. Sophia and Maya got a green one, Anna and Ari went for a dark blue, and Steph and Chloe settled on a red one after a bit of back and forth. Chapter 140 – Changing directions Having finished their fishing trip and relocated the massive sturgeon they caught into Sophia¡¯s domain, the group explored the lake and Gativa for a little while longer before eventually going inside the city and to the boat store Chloe and Steph had heard about before. There, each couple got their very own boat for future activities in Sophia''s domain. ¡°Sophia!¡± Roughly two weeks had passed since they visited Gativa, and the group had been on their way again for quite some time after the tigers had a last meeting with the mayor to get everything ready for the official portal to the kingdom. While having breakfast in the cottage together, the blonde then was addressed in an excited tone by Aura. ¡°Yesh?¡± Still munching on a toast with some jam on it, the girl in question tilted her head. ¡°Finish chewing first!¡± Ari wasn¡¯t a fan of her table manners. ¡°¡­¡± Chewing a couple of more times, Sophia then swallowed everything with a big gulp before looking at the female wolf again. ¡°So, what can I do for you?¡± ¡°I went to check on the portals to my pine forest earlier, and everything is still on fire!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, it can take weeks for especially disastrous forest fires to die out.¡± ¡°It HAS been weeks!¡± She didn¡¯t buy the excuse. ¡°Fair enough.¡± There was nothing Sophia could say there, so she simply took another bite from her toast. ¡°You won¡¯t get to drop the subject that easily!¡± Aura raised her voice. ¡°You know about everything that is going on in your domain, so there¡¯s no way you don¡¯t know what¡¯s up about my forest!¡± ¡°I do, in fact, know.¡± Taking a short glance at the jaguar, who was slowly shaking her head, the blonde made sure to properly swallow first before giving her reply. ¡°I was a little concerned about you not liking what is going on, though. Ari has created a colossal mess, after all.¡± ¡°Why me?!¡± The girl in question got loud. ¡°You were the one who suggested flooding her forest with raw magic and igniting it, right?¡± ¡°I did.¡± She nodded. ¡°Because I learned it from you. There¡¯s no way you can blame me for that!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you have seen me doing that in an area that is already rich in ambient magic.¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know?! I can¡¯t see magic!¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ve created something beautiful, so I have to give you props in the end.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like any of this!¡± Ari glared at her. ¡°Especially because I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m getting framed here!¡± ¡°Long story short, Aura¡¯s pine tree was already overflowing with magic because she really went all out on growing those trees.¡± ¡°Guilty as charged.¡± The female wolf nodded while sounding smug. ¡°And so, releasing even more magic, combined with ordering it to burn down everything, went at odds with the present magic busy growing the forest. Right now, the area is at the perfect equilibrium of flaming inferno and rebuilding the trees. The forest hasn¡¯t stopped burning yet because the trees are being constantly regenerated by magic. You two, with Ari at the top, have managed to create an everlasting biome of fire.¡± ¡°N-No way¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The reactions of the jaguar and wolf differed significantly. ¡°You¡¯re not going to miss your pine forest?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°I thought you liked it so much?¡± ¡°I loved it a whole lot!¡± Aura nodded. ¡°It can be rebuilt in a different place, though. Bigger and better than ever!¡± She wasn''t bothered by it. ¡°Having helped Ari make an everlasting and perpetually burning flaming inferno is an amazing byproduct, as well! That got to be the coolest area in your domain right now, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It sure is!¡± Sophia smiled at her. "Is it just me, or is Ari outdoing all of us?!" Steph sounded a little envious. ¡°The massive jungle right outside the door, Fen¡¯s relaxation forest, the rainforest, and now an everlasting inferno biome?!¡±This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Yes, our dear jaguar operates outside the current common sense of my domain.¡± The blonde nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s a little infuriating that she¡¯s that much ahead of us, but at the same time, I only have praise for her raising the bar of what was turning into the status quo around here.¡± ¡°Would you all stop bullying me already?!¡± The cause of the common sense destruction inside Sophia¡¯s domain, Ari, glared at everyone involved. ¡°Laid it on a bit too thick, huh?¡± The dog-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°It¡¯s not that much fun being on that side, huh?¡± Sophia, the girl who had been accused of the same many times, especially by the jaguar, stared back at her. ¡°Ah.¡± She quickly averted her face. ¡°Those extreme things were an accident, okay?¡± ¡°Same for me.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t let her have it. "How about you help me rebuild another pine forest in a different place to atone?¡± Aura looked at the jaguar. ¡°Bigger and better than ever, I want to add! This time, with lots of attention paid to the general terrain.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She gladly agreed to that. "I look forward to the impending chaos." ¡°Hey!¡± Ari glared at Sophia gain before facing the female wolf. ¡°We¡¯ll take it easy, okay? Nice terrain, nice forest, nice smell.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Aura nodded. ¡°That was my planned theme for it since the beginning, too. Though, I know who to ask if I want something spectacular in the future~.¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± The jaguar hung her head. Once everyone finished teasing Ari and eating their breakfast, the group got ready to leave and returned to the regular world to do some more traveling. ---------------- ¡°By the way, it''s been two weeks since we left the lake city. We have traveled about 1000 kilometers since then, thanks to the portal skip, and visited two more cities and connected them with the capital." While walking through a small forest they came across, Sophia was thinking aloud about what happened lately. ¡°Even so, we¡¯ve barely seen anything that left a lasting memory since then.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Steph thought so, too. "The fluffies we met in the cities aside, the other world vibes are at an all-time low! It¡¯s little different from lots of places on Earth!¡± ¡°Well, the central parts of the continent are rather, let¡¯s call it¡­ unimpressive.¡± Anna scratched her cheek. ¡°Sightseeing aside, that¡¯s supposed to be a good thing, though. After all, interesting terrain often equals dangerous terrain. It makes traveling a lot easier, too.¡± ¡°Fair enough, but still way too boring!¡± While the blonde understood the reasoning for it being an ideal place to live and be, it didn¡¯t mean she liked it. ¡°Aura! Fenfen!¡± She then faced the wolves. ¡°Yes?¡± The female one tilted her head. ¡°How well do you know this continent? You two have traveled a lot, right?" ¡°I know enough that I think that you¡¯ll be bored for a good bit longer.¡± Aura lightly shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s a whole lot of nothing in the central parts of the continent. Just as mentioned, convenient but boring.¡± ¡°Not what I wanted to hear!¡± ¡°We could change direction a little and head south-east for a while.¡± The female wolf paused for a moment to think. ¡°It would probably take another week or two, and using the portal skips a whole lot, but it would lead to something interesting." ¡°Oh, I like the sound of that!¡± Steph also seemed very interested. ¡°I don¡¯t think you do.¡± Aura stared at the dog-girl for a second. ¡°It¡¯s a desert we¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°Alright, I now know when I¡¯ll take my vacation days!¡± Chloe immediately got loud. ¡°Not going to happen! I already did that with Feyfey, and I won¡¯t survive another day!¡± The pink arctic fox had a strong aversion to deserts. ¡°A desert, huh?¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned a little awkward. ¡°I¡¯ve never been to one, so that¡¯s quite exciting! I''m not a fan of the temperature, though." Just like her girlfriend, she much preferred the cold, after all. "Okay, how about some nighttime exploring in the desert? It¡¯s supposed to get amazingly cold there once the sun¡¯s out!¡± ¡°Right!¡± Chloe clapped her hands. ¡°We have the domain now! Back when I was in a desert with Feyfey, there was no running away from daytime, so I hated it there!¡± ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll have to split up if we go there.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Nighttime is sleepy time and not explore freezing desert time.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Maya, Anna, and Ari agreed with the blonde. None of them were a fan of the cold, after all. ¡°Afterward, heading to coastal regions would probably help to keep things interesting.¡± Aura added some more details to her suggested route. ¡°The terrain gets a lot more diverse and interesting in those areas. It¡¯s more populated, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°Most of the cities on King Menzor¡¯s list are also closer to the seas surrounding the continent.¡± "Oh!" Sophia clapped her hands. "Doesn''t that sound like a plan already? It will also bring us closer to the demon continent, right? We need to reach the sea first for that." ¡°Yes, but also no.¡± Aura lightly shook her head. ¡°We obviously have to cross the sea to get there, but not on this side of the beastfolk continent. We¡¯re currently headed in the opposite direction. We have to go to the sea west of the monster country for the best water route to the demon continent.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Sophia needed to let it sink in first. ¡°So, the plan would be something like this? We first head south-east for the desert and explore that for a bit. Afterward, we make our way to the coast from there and then turn west-ish and walk along the coast while visiting more cities until we¡¯re back to the monster country. Once there, we head for the sea once more to embark for the demon continent." ¡°That would be my suggestion.¡± Aura agreed with her. ¡°Let''s go!¡± The blonde liked it. ¡°Someone needs to track directions, though, because I surely am not going to be able to.¡± ¡°We know.¡± Everyone nodded. ¡°Grr.¡± She did it to herself, but she still didn''t appreciate them nodding along so quickly. ¡°Oh, can we visit my hometown on the way back?¡± Maya lightly clapped her hands to get Sophia''s attention. ¡°It¡¯s close to the monster country, so it won''t be much of a detour, if at all. I''d like to have a portal there for my parents so they can easily head back if they ever get tired of the capital.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°I would¡¯ve done so regardless~.¡± ¡°Thank you! It¡¯s also on the king¡¯s list, so that works out doubly well!¡± Having decided on a rough plan for their future travels, the group got going again and headed south-east to find the desert Aura mentioned. Chapter 141 – Trying a little harder Sophia got bored from their travels again because there was nothing out of the ordinary that excited her. Asking the wolves for help, Aura told them that there was a desert not too far away, and the blonde immediately took a liking to that idea. Steph and Chloe weren''t that into it at first, because both prefer the cold, but after remembering they could stay in the domain during the day and explore it during the night when it''s cold, they also got excited. While they were at it, the group also decided on a rough route to get closer to their goal of going to the demon continent. ¡°By the way, are there any cities or villages in the desert, or is it just a big box of sand?" A few days had passed since the group had nailed down their itinerary, and Sophia got curious about that part as they were traveling through another forest after her portal stone had landed in it. Having decided to explore it for a few minutes before continuing, the blonde then looked at Anna and Ari as well as Fen and Aura, hoping one of them would know the answer. ¡°Hmm.¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°I know that there are desert villages. Bigger ones, too, but I can¡¯t quite remember if there¡¯s one in this desert.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°Skipping from place to place and generally zooming around has dealt a blow to the confidence of my geography knowledge. I''m not sure if the place we''re headed to has inhabitants or not." ¡°It¡¯s been a few centuries since the last time I visited that desert, so it¡¯s questionable whether my input is of any value.¡± Fen didn¡¯t think it would still be relevant after all those years. ¡°True.¡± Aura nodded. ¡°There was an oasis with a small village right in the middle of the desert, but after all this time, it might be gone entirely or has grown into a full-fledged city.¡± ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± As Steph loved a good mystery, Steph got excited over this. ¡°We have to cross a desert to maybe find it, though.¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t quite as enthusiastic, though. ¡°Don''t worry! Again, the two of us will have our very own night date in the desert! Once the sun comes up, we leave the place to our cats!¡± ¡°Right!¡± The fox cheered up again. ¡°Oh, speaking about hot!¡± She then looked at Sophia. ¡°Hey!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°You¡¯re dating my sister! Thanks, though~.¡± ¡°You are quite attractive, true, but I wasn''t talking about you. I wanted to talk with you.¡± Chloe rolled her eyes in return. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia had to smile at that. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°The everlasting inferno Ari created with Aura¡¯s help. What are you going to do about the byproducts?" ¡°I helped Aura!¡± The jaguar glared at her. ¡°Byproducts?¡± The short tiger tilted her head. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Smoke and ash, for example.¡± She added a little more detail to her question. ¡°A constantly burning forest must produce a lot of both, right?" ¡°Ahh!¡± Sophia finally understood what she meant. ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a lot of that! Literal mountains of ash are forming around the forest. It''s quite pretty, actually. It almost looks like it¡¯s snowing constantly. Only that the ash is more grey than white, and it¡¯s less deadly.¡± ¡°How is ash less deadly than snow?!¡± Chloe got loud. ¡°Ash and smoke literally kill you when you breathe in too much of it!" ¡°I¡¯m quite weak to snow, so I take my chances with that.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°You¡¯re insufferable.¡± She had no other words. ¡°Anyway, if it¡¯s constantly burning and thus constantly creating ash, isn¡¯t that going to be a problem eventually?¡± ¡°It could be?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Although, the next biome that is currently being worked on is multiple thousands of kilometers away. Also, while the fire is creating a massive updraft that is carrying the ash away, once it gets far enough away, there¡¯s absolutely zero wind because it¡¯s just my empty domain. It can¡¯t really travel all that far because of that. It will probably just keep piling up around the forest and create a massive mountain range of ash sooner or later. I mean, it will still spread by collapsing into each other, but I feel like it would be a century or two before becoming a problem. Before that happens, I''m sure someone other than me comes up with a suggestion on what to do with an ash biome.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I already have like seven ideas!¡± Aura sounded a little excited. ¡°See?¡± The blonde gave Chloe a smug smirk. ¡°Fair enough.¡± The fox nodded along. ¡°Are you sure about that, though, sis?¡± Steph looked at her with a questioning expression. ¡°If the fire is constantly burning, it¡¯s also constantly generating heat. That will spread and continue to heat up the surroundings of the forest. It will slow down considerably the further it gets away from it, but it¡¯s energy, and it doesn¡¯t suddenly stop at a certain distance and disappear. The difference in temperature could be enough to create low- and high-pressure zones that generate wind. Ari might¡¯ve actually taken the first step in introducing a weather system into your domain.¡± ¡°Why are you overtaking me in my own domain?!¡± The blonde stared at the jaguar. ¡°How about you try a little harder?¡± Having had enough of that topic, Ari stared back at her. ¡°Well, Anna and I created a sky over our savannah biome, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m slacking, okay?¡± ¡°You have?!¡± As this was news to the others, they got loud. "Yeah." She nodded. "Okay, it''s a fake sky. We basically just painted the ceiling blue with magic, but it looks great!" ¡°It really does!¡± Anna agreed with her. ¡°So much easier on the eyes, too.¡± ¡°I can imagine!¡± Chloe had the strongest reaction. ¡°How does that work? The cozy winter holiday retreat of Fenfen and I is about to be finished with the general design, but the all-white sky is ruining it! We need an eternal night sky with stars! A fake one would be perfectly fine with me for now!¡± ¡°Anything that doesn¡¯t sear my eyes when looking up is greatly appreciated.¡± The wolf in question felt similarly. ¡°Three weeks¡¯ worth of magic. Anna dumped all of her magic into the area once she had recovered, and I kept pouring mine into it day in and out for those three weeks. That¡¯s the reason I had attached the portal to my tail during our travels. When sleeping in the cottage, I actually had the tip of my tail sticking into the regular world to keep going when asleep.¡± ¡°Wow!" Chloe seemed impressed. "Wait a moment!¡± She then raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing the same ever since you taught me the portal trick inside my tail to transfer magic. I¡¯ve been using some of it to create more snow and trees, but most is still unused in our valley! My magic regeneration also is faster than yours, so I might have enough to do so already!¡± ¡°Mhmm, it¡¯s hard to tell how much you really need because Anna and I didn¡¯t do it all at once. Your plan could also need more magic because we only created a blue sky. If you want it to be night, you have to block out all the light from my domain. Having stars could also make things more complicated.¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely worth a try!¡± The fox wasn¡¯t going to stop just because of that. ¡°Absolutely!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Also, I actually have to get rid of the ambient magic in the valley.¡± Chloe awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°It has become so much that I can barely see anything anymore. Just pink and purple particles everywhere!¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite distracting, isn¡¯t it?¡± The blonde had also run into that issue before. ¡°Very!¡± She nodded. ¡°Fenfen, should we give it a try later?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± The wolf in question seemed okay with the plan. ¡°The place for the log cabin is still snow-free, right?¡± ¡°Yes, you can go there without any issue.¡± The fox lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°You should totally do that around the cottage, too!¡± Maya looked at Chloe. ¡°The night sky, I mean! The jungle canopy blocks most of the glaring light, but it¡¯s still kinda bright through the trees. As we go there mostly in the evening to sleep, it always feels a little weird having to close the curtains really tightly to make it dark enough in our rooms.¡± ¡°True!¡± Most of them agreed with her. ¡°I think we could come up with an easier solution for the cottage, now that I think about it.¡± Sophia was the one who answered her. ¡°Thanks to the jungle having grown even over the cottage, we don¡¯t actually see the sky or the lack of it. It¡¯s just the ceiling of my domain shining through. It would probably work just fine if I simply made a platform out of something right above the jungle trees near the cottage to block out the remaining light. That¡¯s just a few minutes of work rather than some weeks.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that easy, why haven¡¯t you done that months ago?!¡± The cat-girl got a little upset with her. ¡°I might¡¯ve not thought about it before.¡± Sophia had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°I¡¯ll get right to it once we¡¯re done here for the day.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Speaking of, should we try to get out of here?¡± The blonde gestured at the forest all around them, which they had been traveling through all the time while having their chat. ¡°Sure.¡± The others also had enough of it. Afterward, the group picked up their pace to get out of the forest and into yet another green plain. From there, Sophia took another of her portal stones and threw it south-east from them with quite a bit of force so they could skip another part of their travels. Chapter 142 – Leisure time While talking about the perpetual forest fire Ari and Aura created, Steph and Chloe brought up the point that it could actually influence more parts of the domain. As the constant fire would continue to produce heat, which slowly spreads further and further, this could cause low- and high-pressure zones possibly leading to wind and a whole weather system. Afterward, everyone also got excited that the tigers managed to create something resembling a sky in a part of the domain, and they quickly wanted to do the same to get rid of the eye-searing all-whiteness everywhere around them. ¡°So, it¡¯s been a month, huh?¡± While the group was busy traveling, Mira and Fey were having a more relaxed time in the overseer¡¯s domain. The two were currently walking along a path that led through yet another beautiful cherry blossom forest when the teal fox smiled at her. ¡°Have you gotten used to your humanoid body yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯d argue that you explored this body more than I did in the past month, but that would be vulgar, so I¡¯ll refrain from saying that.¡± The short fox rolled her eyes in response. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± There wasn¡¯t an ounce of shame in Mira¡¯s smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a while! This form offers a lot more options, after all.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡± Fey averted her face. ¡°Why are humanoid bodies so sensitive?¡± ¡°For reasons~.¡± The overseer smiled at her. ¡°Okay, it¡¯s mostly because humanoid bodies are more fragile, so being sensitive is part of their self-preservation. It comes with some bonuses in other areas, though.¡± ¡°I see.¡± She tried to sound indifferent. ¡°Well, I enjoy cuddles and various forms of general intimacy in my regular form, but I do admit that this body has its own merits.¡± ¡°You love to hear it!¡± Mira¡¯s expression turned cheeky for a second. ¡°Seriously, though, are you comfortable with this body? I know that you like your original body better, so you don¡¯t have to force yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± Fey smiled at her. ¡°Yes, I like my original body better, but this one isn¡¯t so bad once you get used to it. It comes with various benefits and makes quite a few things easier. You and Chloe also like it a lot, which makes me happy and causes me to like this body, too. We already mentioned the things the two of us can do, and Chloe also seems to have gotten even clingier with me because now she treats me as an equal when she hugs me, which our baby now does every other time she sees me at the moment." The short fox paused for a second. "It''s nice.¡± ¡°Great!¡± "I mean, I''d like to return to my original body every now and then and stay in it for a while, too, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have any issues with staying in this body for a couple of years at the moment.¡± ¡°I fully understand that.¡± Mira nodded a couple of times. ¡°I would say that this humanoid hybrid form of mine has become my favorite over time, but I get the urge to turn full all the time, nonetheless. Sometimes, it¡¯s just more comfortable.¡± ¡°Speaking of comfortable, I think that¡¯s currently my biggest gripe about this form.¡± Her expression turned disgruntled. ¡°As a full, I just lay down wherever, whenever, in any position, and I can just sleep. In this body, it¡¯s so difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position, and it just doesn¡¯t work without a fluffy mattress. At all.¡± ¡°Well, that might just be because you¡¯re spoilt.¡± ¡°I am not.¡± Fey didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Sure~.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°No, you are right about that. That¡¯s one of my main urges to turn full, too. To roll up and take a nap. Our tails are way too massive, so a good chunk of positions humanoid creatures usually sleep in won''t work for us.¡± The overseer looked back to glance at her armada of tails. ¡°Those are surprisingly not helping to get a comfortable sleep, either.¡± She then put her hands under her breasts and slightly lifted them. ¡°Well, I do not have the latter problem.¡± The small fox stared down at herself.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Your tail is an even bigger obstacle, though. Mine are more maneuverable because they''re nine individual tails, while yours is one massive tail." Mira decided not to mention anything about Fey¡¯s stare. ¡°Chloe doesn¡¯t seem to have any issues with either, though. Having inherited my tail and your assets. She never had any issues with sleeping.¡± ¡°To be fair, she doesn¡¯t know it any other way because she only has this form.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± There was nothing Fey could add there. ¡°Anyway, now that I know you¡¯re comfortable with your body, back to me being a clingy nuisance!¡± Saying so, Mira grabbed Fey¡¯s arm and tightly clung to it while pulling the short fox closer to her. ¡°So hopeless.¡± Without a shred of annoyance in her voice, she lightly rolled her eyes with a gentle smile on her lips. At the same time, Fey scooched even closer to the teal fox so they could be as intimate as possible while walking through the cherry blossom forest. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ---------------- "By the way, is this a new forest?" While they were still clinging to each other, with Mira tightly hugging her arm and pressing it against her body, Fey got curious about her surroundings. ¡°We¡¯ve spent a lot of time under the cherry blossoms together. I mean, we even made Chloe under one, but this forest feels fresh.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The overseer nodded. ¡°I was so impressed by the one Sophia made in her domain that it inspired me to create a new one. It¡¯s still a work in progress, though. This time, I tried adding paths to make it easier to traverse. Humanoid bodies have an easier time with clear footing, after all. That being said, I also think it¡¯s added a certain charm to it, so I wanted to give it a go regardless.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The short fox briefly glared at her feet. ¡°Personally, I still prefer it being all nature, but changing it up a little is certainly not a bad thing.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°I heard the others visited Gativa not too long ago.¡± Fey tilted her head. ¡°The water city with the big lakes surrounding it.¡± ¡°Oh, I like that place!¡± ¡°Not on that scale, but it might be nice to add a little lake to this forest?¡± She looked around while saying so. ¡°Water and cherry blossoms go well together. Maybe a little dock to relax, too.¡± ¡°That sounds lovely!¡± Mira was a fan of the idea. ¡°I might even put another hut on the shore next to the dock.¡± ¡°It would indeed be a nice place to stay for longer.¡± She agreed with her. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Steph¡¯s catchphrase really spread, huh?¡± Hearing Mira¡¯s excited reply, the short fox rolled her eyes once more. ¡°You would know, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± The overseer¡¯s expression turned cheeky. ¡°After all, you¡¯re using it a lot.¡± ¡°I do not.¡± Fey started pouting. ¡°Sure~.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± ¡°Should we ask Chloe if she wants to help us with the lake area?¡± Happy with her reaction, Mira then got a little more serious again. ¡°I¡¯d enjoy that a lot!¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s ask her soon!¡± ¡°Speaking of, I also still have to make that biome in Sophia''s domain, which she tricked me into doing. I wanted to do that together with Chloe, too." Fey let out a small sigh. ¡°Oho, you¡¯re actually going to do it?¡± ¡°I mean, I was hoping that they would forget about it, but how high are the chances that Sophia and Chloe would do so? The odds are not in my favor.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± Mira agreed with her. ¡°Do you already know what you¡¯ll do?¡± ¡°Whatever Chloe wants to do.¡± She shrugged in return. ¡°After I talked her down to a reasonable level, that is." "Ahaha.¡± The overseer let out another chuckle. ¡°Knowing her, it will probably be related to snow.¡± ¡°Well, she got the love for cold from me, so I¡¯m okay with it.¡± The fluffy red fox had nothing against her daughter¡¯s temperature preference. ¡°She definitely has that from you.¡± Mira rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m okay with it because I have magic regulating the temperature around me all the time, but I do prefer a warmer climate.¡± ¡°Is that why I feel warmer the closer you cling to me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because you have the hots for me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fey just stared at her. ¡°Yeah, that one was kind of bad.¡± The teal fox awkwardly scratched her cheek. "I got that from the girls because they''re always like that." ¡°I¡¯m glad you noticed.¡± The short fox started smiling again. ¡°Maybe it would be better to make a warmer biome together with Chloe, though.¡± She thought about it for a moment. "Our baby is way too spoilt and needs to learn to better deal with things outside of her comfort zone.¡± ¡°That, uhh¡­ That is indeed the case.¡± Mira nodded. ¡°To be fair, she¡¯s so sweet that it¡¯s hard not to spoil her. In fact, I¡¯m in awe you managed to raise her this well! I would¡¯ve been way too much of an enabler.¡± ¡°It still would¡¯ve been better if you had been there, but that was even more of a bad decision on my side than it was on yours.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just try to never mention it again.¡± Mira didn¡¯t want to talk about it. ¡°Yes.¡± Fey felt so, too. Not wanting to ruin the mood, the couple immediately dropped the topic and instead continued to chat about more mundane things while walking arm in arm along the path through the beautiful cherry blossom forest. Chapter 143 – Adding details Mira and Fey were having a relaxing day in the overseer¡¯s domain and spent their time strolling through a beautiful cherry blossom forest the teal fox had created for them. While doing so, they talked about all kinds of things, including a plan to build a new place to stay in Mira¡¯s domain and how they¡¯d like to do that together with Chloe as a family activity. As a matter of course, the couple also flirted a whole lot with each other. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s so stuffy in here!¡± After having traveled a whole lot in the regular world, the group decided to take a day off, so Ari and Aura went to take a look at their rainforest project. Arriving there, the jaguar was overwhelmed by the hot and humid air. ¡°We¡¯re about halfway there~.¡± Aura sniffed the air. ¡°It¡¯s still way off to the humidity of a real rainforest.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°Even though I¡¯m all sweaty and wet after just a few minutes of being here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°In a real one, it feels like someone dumped a bucket of water into your face the moment you enter it and continuously gets more intense the deeper you go in.¡± ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if we can get to that level with magic alone.¡± Aura looked around while saying so. They were surrounded by kapok trees with massive roots spreading all over the ground, as well as some smaller and more regular jungle-like trees. On top of that, ferns of various sizes had spread everywhere, and the ground was covered in a layer of moss. Visibility was incredibly low, as well. It was extremely dark, and the few dozens of meters they could see were blurred by an intense layer of fog all around them. It was clean, though. There were no dead plants or trees, animals or insects, and other than the moss, the ground had no signs of rotting flora. ¡°Why not?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°Animals, insects, bacteria, mushrooms, and much more.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I mentioned it before, but real rainforests are not sterile. They are the exact opposite, in fact. Rot and decay are major and integral parts of it, and the processes related to them also raise the humidity a lot. Not to mention that it makes things even stuffier because of the smell.¡± ¡°I think I could do without said smell, but that¡¯s not really an option if I want the full experience of a real rainforest, huh?¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t seem to be a fan of rotting smells. ¡°That is indeed the case.¡± The wolf had bad news for her in that regard. ¡°At the moment, I¡¯m not sure what we can do there, though. We simply don¡¯t have any animals that could live here.¡± ¡°True.¡± "Insects seem to be doable, though. When I explored the jungle around the cottage in a little more detail, I already saw a bunch of them. Mostly smaller ones like ants, caterpillars, and centipedes. On top of that, many different spiders, as well. It will take quite a while before there¡¯s a big enough concentration of those in our rainforest part.¡± ¡°Wait, where did those come from in the first place?¡± Ari looked confused. ¡°Knowing Sophia and her fear of critters, I highly doubt it¡¯s her doing.¡± ¡°My bet is on Mira.¡± The wolf took a wild guess. ¡°The original patch of jungle the whole area is based on came from her, right? I¡¯m convinced that our dear overseer gave her a whole ecosystem rather than just the flora part.¡± ¡°Ohh, that makes a lot of sense!¡± The jaguar nodded in understanding. ¡°We better get some of them into our rainforest as soon as possible. There''s a chance that, once she notices that the jungle is full of life, our Sophia will burn it all down.¡± "A chance?¡± Aura tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m an optimist!¡± ¡°Since when?¡± ¡°Shush!¡± Ari didn¡¯t appreciate the teasing. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°How will we be able to get the critters in here, though? I would imagine that carrying isn¡¯t the most viable option.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°That is true.¡± The wolf agreed. ¡°Insects and spiders aren¡¯t exactly the most cooperative. If we find one, we might be able to relocate an ant¡¯s nest, though. Not manually, of course, but we could use magic to cocoon it into the earth so the ants can''t get to us, and then just place it somewhere here into our rainforest." ¡°That sounds like a plan." The jaguar liked the idea. "Or, at least, a good start! Maybe luring them could also work? Insects love easy food, right?¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t?¡± Aura wasn¡¯t sure if that was a defining trait for insects only. ¡°Fair point.¡± She scratched her cheek in return. ¡°Anyway, that doesn¡¯t matter now, does it? I mean, if we leave behind some tracks of food that lead out of the jungle and into our rainforest, insects will surely follow it. If we then put a bigger stash of it somewhere deep inside, they would probably stay and multiply a lot, wouldn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also a great idea.¡± The wolf nodded. ¡°I would suggest trying to find an ant colony first, though. This will get us a lot of activity with minimal effort. Ants are quite efficient, after all. Also, lots of insects and other small animals prey on them. They might follow after the nest.¡± ¡°Sure!¡± Ari had nothing against it. "You haven''t, by any chance, already found a colony, do you?" ¡°That would be quite helpful, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Very much so.¡± ¡°Well, how hard can it be to find it?¡± Aura was highly motivated. And so the two spent the rest of their day roaming through the jungle around the cottage to find an ant colony they could borrow for their project. ---------------- ¡°Fenfen!¡± Chloe and the male wolf went to their holiday retreat, where the fox got quite excited. ¡°Let¡¯s create a starry night sky here in our valley!" ¡°It¡¯s definitely worth a try!¡± He was up to the task. ¡°Have you asked the tigers how they did it?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Her expression turned awkward. ¡°I knew I forgot something!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. "I wonder what the best way to--; Oh, hey, Blu!" She then noticed a particular blue bird joining the two. It then landed on her shoulder and lightly rubbed its head against her cheek. ¡°Basically, you have no idea, right?¡± Fen rolled his eyes. ¡°Pretty much.¡± She nodded. ¡°Hmm, do you think it would really be as easy as just making magic literally color the area above us as they said?¡± Fen looked up. ¡°Knowing Sophia, I¡¯m always certain she¡¯d do something cheap like that to get around it, but still...¡± ¡°Blu, what do you think?¡± Chloe glanced at the bird on her shoulder, but it only tilted its head in confusion. ¡°Ah, right, you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, huh? Sophia and Anna said that they colored the sky above their biome with magic, and we''re trying to find out exactly how they did it and whether or not there''s a secret to it." In response to that, the bird looked up and stared at the all-white ceiling for a while before eventually flapping its wing a couple of times. ¡°We really need a translator for that bird.¡± Fen stared at the energetic parakeet for a little while. ¡°It may look goofy, but it definitely knows more,- Hey!¡± Before he was able to finish his sentence, the wolf was hit by a strong gust of wind originating from the parakeet that almost blew him away. ¡°Don¡¯t call Blu goofy!¡± The fox-girl lightly glared at him while gently patting the bird¡¯s head at the same time. "It wasn''t meant as an insult.¡± He tried to defend himself. ¡°I harbor no ill will against it.¡± ¡°Good!¡± Hearing that, Chloe¡¯s expression turned soft again. After all, she also was a big fan of the lively parakeet. ¡°Hmm, but even if we can simply paint the area above us, how could we make sparkly stars? They are essential. We need some lights, after all.¡± ¡°Personally, I¡¯d enjoy some northern aurora lights in the sky.¡± Fen had a different idea. ¡°I mean, some stars would still add value, but those northern lights were about the only thing I liked when being up north in colder climates.¡± ¡°OHHHH!¡± Chloe got very excited in an instant. ¡°We NEED to have northern lights!¡± ¡°It seems like I said too much.¡± Fen regretted making her this excited. ¡°Blu, what do you think?!¡± She gently grabbed the bird from her shoulder and placed it on her palm to look at it with sparkling eyes. ¡°You have more magic than all of his combined, so I¡¯m sure you know! Just a nod, and I''m happy!" Listening to her, Blu kept staring at the fox-girl for a little while before eventually tilting its head while chirping a couple of times. Then, the parakeet turned around on her hand, looked up, flapped its wings once, and took flight. Soon after, it disappeared from sight. ¡°You glared at me earlier for making the bird upset, and yet you are the one who made it leave.¡± Fen stared at her. ¡°Ah.¡± She had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°I guess I wanted a little too much and scared Blu away, huh?¡± ¡°You sure got overenthusiastic.¡± He nodded. ¡°Anyway, I think adding stars might actually be rather easy. If we paint everything above us black, we could leave behind tiny holes where Sophia¡¯s domain shines through. That way, we¡¯d get small bright spots everywhere that could look like stars.¡± "That could work!" Chloe had already recovered from scaring away Blu. ¡°Yeah, I guess it¡¯s best to focus on the sky itself for the time being. That¡¯s the most important part, after all.¡± ¡°I mean, seeing how fickle magic is, especially in Sophia¡¯s domain, we could try thinking about the northern light while creating the sky. It might take our desire into consideration.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cute, Fenfen!¡± ¡°¡­¡± After agreeing on that, more or less, the duo started to focus on their project and relocated all the magic particles to the ceiling above them while thinking about how they wanted it to look in the hope it would help. Chapter 144 – Wardrobe issues
Chloe and Fen were highly motivated to improve their snowy winter retreat after they learned that the tigers had successfully created a fake sky above their biome. The two ended up wanting to make a starry night sky combined with northern lights. They even asked Blu for help, but seemingly only confused the bird as it immediately flew away after the pink fox got a little too excited. ¡°We did good here.¡± ¡°We did." Sophia and Anna were in their savanna biome, sitting high up in an acacia tree while overlooking their kingdom. Seemingly going on forever under the blue sky was a perfectly sculpted plain of mostly dry grass growing on reddish-brown soil. There were some lush patches here and there, but overall, it was clear that it was a dry region. The area was littered with many thorny bushes and smaller shrubbery. The duo had also been rather generous on the trees, with many baobabs and acacias growing all over the area. Even a couple of hills could be clearly seen in the distance, so it wasn¡¯t just a flat area. ¡°There¡¯s one thing missing, though.¡± While looking into the distance, Sophia sounded ever so slightly disappointed. ¡°Really?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Animals!¡± She got excited. ¡°Don¡¯t you also see all this and get the urge to hunt?¡± The blonde pointed at the savanna in front of them. ¡°Gazelles, impalas, maybe even a whole buffalo, among many more! Running after them! Outsmarting them! Pouncing them! And then putting them on the grill!" Sophia''s tail started twitching, and her pupils had turned completely slit as she excitedly moved from side to side on the tree branch they were on. ¡°I bow to your tigerness.¡± The tiger princess was impressed by just how much feline power was inside the blonde. ¡°I do see your point, though.¡± She then also stared into the distance while her tail became perky. ¡°This environment just does this to you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny it.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°How could we get them in here, though?¡± ¡°I¡¯m less worried about how and more about where we could get them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of what I meant, too.¡± "Do you know if there''s any savanna in your kingdom? Preferably one that we can reach by tomorrow?" Sophia was very eager. ¡°If you really go for it, is there any spot on this continent you wouldn¡¯t be able to reach by tomorrow?¡± The tall tiger tilted her head. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She could only nod. ¡°Anyway, only the monster country comes to mind right now. It is not actually part of the kingdom, and not all of it, but a huge area inside is supposed to be a savanna. The question is whether or not there¡¯s any prey for us to get or if it¡¯s littered with predators because it is the monster country, after all. It¡¯s regarded as so dangerous that no member of the beastfolk has set foot in it in recent history.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The blonde thought about it for a moment. ¡°I guess we have to wait a little longer, then. It was kinda dry and hot in the area where I met Fenny, but it wasn¡¯t quite a savanna yet, so I guess it was further in, huh?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°There has to be prey, though.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I mean, with your power, everything is regarded as prey.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°That¡¯s not exactly what I meant.¡± She shook her head. ¡°For predators to exist, there has to be prey. I mean, they have to eat something.¡± ¡°Oh, that is true!¡± ¡°In fact, Fenny and I ate many cows while traveling through it.¡± She remembered her time with the wolf there. ¡°Although, hunting cows would absolutely not satisfy the itch.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there.¡± The princess agreed. ¡°We could borrow some fitting animals from Mira, but she already gave us so much, and doing more on our own would be way more rewarding." The blonde wanted to rely less on the overseer. ¡°Yeah.¡± Anna agreed. ¡°That being said, we are about to visit a desert, are we not?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s not the same, far from it, but there should be some overlap in animals, should there not? Like, I¡¯m pretty sure antelopes and many more horned animals also live in more habitable areas of deserts. Ostriches do so, too. I wouldn¡¯t be against camels, either. Not quite native, but I think they should fit in. Oh, rabbits could be fun to hunt. They¡¯re fast and nimble, and I think they would fit well in a savanna.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°That¡¯s so true!¡± Sophia got excited. ¡°Wait a moment, though. You said the only savanna on the continent you know is in the monster country, right? But, isn¡¯t the area around and leading into a desert basically a savanna, too? It¡¯s not like we''re in a lush forest at one point, and a step later, we¡¯re suddenly in a desert. There¡¯s something in between, which either is a savanna or is basically the same. No idea if the actual biome is called something different, but I also don¡¯t care if it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The tall tiger paused for a second. "Very valid! I hadn''t thought about that! Now I''m even more looking forward to getting there!" ¡°Same!¡± She vigorously nodded. After having agreed on what to do next, the tigers watched over their kingdom for a little longer before eventually returning to the cottage to tell the others that they needed to go to the desert as soon as possible to borrow some animals. ---------------- "Welcome back!" At home, the tigers were greeted by Maya and Steph, who were already in the cottage''s living room and sitting next to each other on one of the sofas. ¡°Hey!¡± The striped girls waved at them. "You two weren''t out today?" The blonde got interested in what they did. ¡°Nope.¡± Steph shook her head. ¡°We took it easy and just did some planning.¡± ¡°Yup, planning.¡± Maya nodded while smirking at her girlfriend. ¡°I don¡¯t like anything about that.¡± Sophia had a bad feeling. ¡°You two are planning something?¡± The princess also raised an eyebrow. ¡°Knowing you perverts, it just has to be a sex dungeon made with magic.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Hearing that, Maya and Steph turned to look at each other for a few moments. Then, the cat-girl quickly pulled out a small notebook from somewhere and noted down something on it. ¡°That¡¯s such a great idea!¡± The duo smiled at the tall tiger. ¡°Oops.¡± She just awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Good job.¡± Sophia¡¯s voice was dripping with sarcasm as she stared at the other tiger. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Anna had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°We should definitely do some brainstorming about this lovely idea.¡± Maya smiled at Steph again. ¡°With utmost priority!¡± The dog-girl agreed. ¡°Before that, there¡¯s something else urgent we need to do, though.¡± The cat-girl didn¡¯t seem to have the same priorities. ¡°We¡¯re about to visit a desert, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Both tigers were very energetic about that. ¡°At least during the day, a desert is rather warm, is it not? On top of that, summer itself is about to start, as well.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Sophia was waiting for the point she was trying to get across. ¡°New clothes!¡± Maya raised her voice. ¡°It¡¯s long overdue for summer clothes! I¡¯ve already gotten rid of my tights to cool off, but I need something with lighter fabrics!¡± ¡°So true, bestie!¡± Steph nodded a couple of times. ¡°I haven¡¯t worn my jacket in months, but I need something airy!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wearing shorts, though?¡± The blonde stared at her sister. ¡°Not enough!¡± The dog-girl needed to wear even less. ¡°Please keep the basics of public decency in mind, okay?¡± Sophia decided against asking for more details. ¡°I¡¯ll try!¡± ¡°You do have a point, though.¡± The blonde then focused on Maya. "I still wear my tights because I adore them, and I don¡¯t trust myself wearing a skirt with bare legs, but it¡¯s getting a little too toasty.¡± ¡°You could try short spats below as a safety measure.¡± Anna tried to help out her fellow tiger. ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Spats are heresy!¡± The pervert duo hated the suggestion. ¡°I am not surprised.¡± Sophia rolled her eyes. ¡°I agree that it¡¯s time for new clothes, though. I won¡¯t go as hard as Steph, but something airy and easy to move in sounds great!¡± ¡°I look forward to seeing it!¡± Maya couldn¡¯t wait to see her girlfriend in new clothes. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll be entirely choosing on my own, though!¡± Sophia stared right at her. ¡°No getting talked into something because it looks cute and or hot on me like the last time!¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Having gotten a little less pushy recently, the cat-girl wasn''t too bothered by it and readily accepted it. ¡°Anyway, shopping trip! Time to get new clothes!¡± ¡°It seems like I came at the perfect time.¡± While the girls were chatting, Ari and Aura returned home, and the jaguar immediately joined the conversation. "Exactly!" Chloe and Fen arrived at the same time, and the fox-girl was just as interested. "I need to get new clothes! I¡¯m already melting!¡± ¡°You wear a super short skirt, though?¡± Sophia just looked at her. ¡°Not enough!¡± Chloe needed to wear even less. ¡°Please keep the basics of public decency in mind, okay?¡± Feeling a sense of d¨¦j¨¤-vu, Sophia decided against asking for more details. ¡°I¡¯ll try!¡± The fox and dog-girl were made for each other. ¡°I¡¯m wearing a thicker pullover, though, and that needs to be gone! My skirt is fine, but anything more than a tank top is pure pain!¡± ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± Ari wanted to hear more about the shopping trip. ¡°Well, long story short, it will be summer soon, and we''re about to explore a desert. Our wardrobe is not prepared for that.¡± Maya gave her a quick rundown. ¡°I see!¡± She nodded. "Quite true, and I''ve been meaning to say something about that for a week or two already, now that you mentioned it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head out for it tomorrow!¡± Steph energetically raised her arm high in the air. ¡°Yes!¡± The others agreed. Afterward, the girls all got together to make some more detailed plans for their shopping trip, as it was a serious business for them. Naturally, the wolves left them alone for that because Aura had no need for clothes, and Fen, in his own words, would rather do literally anything else than join them. Chapter 145 – Clothing preferences The girls noticed that summer was right around the corner and that they were about to visit a desert. They realized that their wardrobes weren¡¯t prepared for this, so they decided to go shopping together to get clothes that would fit the occasion. ¡°So, how are we going to approach this?¡± On the following day, while they were getting ready to leave, Sophia wanted to go over their plan again. ¡°As I mentioned yesterday, our best bet would be the capital," Ari answered her. ¡°Not only does it have the most stores, but I also know about all the good ones!¡± She looked and sounded quite confident. ¡°Do not go against Ari when it comes to fashion.¡± Anna nodded a couple of times. ¡°She¡¯s on another level when it comes to that.¡± ¡°Do not go against Ari full stop.¡± The jaguar corrected her while slowly shaking her head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far, no.¡± The princess disagreed with her correction. ¡°Hey!¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°That was a good one.¡± Sophia smiled at her fellow tiger. ¡°Anyway, going to the capital sounds like a good plan. So does having Ari in charge of everything.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± As usual, Steph seemed very motivated. ¡°Yeah!¡± The other girls felt the same. ---------------- The group used a portal to get to their mansion in the capital and immediately headed over to the shopping district from there. ¡°Does everyone already have an idea of what they want?¡± As they approached the first store, Ari, who was guiding them, became interested in their preferences. ¡°I want the lightest and skimpiest clothes that are socially acceptable in this world!¡± Steph was the first to reply. ¡°Well, without it looking cheap, that is.¡± She still had some level of decency left. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my style, but the beastfolk is not overly judgy on that part.¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°After all, we have full and other individuals close to that who simply don''t wear clothes in the first place. Although, as you''re rather low on the animal scale, and especially fur scale, I¡¯d at least advise wearing hotpants and a crop top that covers the essentials.¡± ¡°Sold!¡± The dog-girl already was a fan of the idea. ¡°Nice!¡± Chloe liked it, too. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that would be the right outfit for you.¡± The jaguar stared at the fox-girl. "You can wear many styles, and I''m envious of a lot of them because they don¡¯t work on me, but I don¡¯t know if a minimum-length crop top is a part of that list. At home, go for it. All of us would highly appreciate it, but it might be suboptimal for traveling, especially running around.¡± ¡°Oh, I know! I wasn¡¯t going to get it for myself~.¡± The pink girl smiled at her. ¡°I was looking forward to seeing Steph in it.¡± ¡°Ahh, fair enough!¡± She couldn¡¯t blame her for that. ¡°That¡¯s the third-biggest pervert for you.¡± Maya didn¡¯t fail to hear what the jaguar said in the middle. ¡°It would definitely be appreciated at home.¡± She agreed with her, too. ¡°Yes!¡± She wasn¡¯t alone with that, either, and multiple girls nodded along. ¡°What do you mean you would appreciate it?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much all I¡¯ve been wearing at home, anyway.¡± ¡°And we do appreciate it a lot!¡± The girls changed their wording. "I love this group." Maya was deeply touched by how they unionized over the horny. ¡°Anyway,¡± The fox lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep it easy with the shopping. I like my skirt, so I might stick with it, or get a similar one with lighter fabric. Same with my overknees, although I might get rid of them entirely. I have to switch to something like a thinner spaghetti top, though. Anything more will kill me during summer.¡± ¡°I can work with that~.¡± Ari nodded a couple of times. "There are multiple stores we can go to for that! What about everyone else?¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°No idea!¡± Sophia still seemed rather undecided. ¡°I only know that it¡¯s not going to be a skirt.¡± "So, what about a pair of jeans?" The jaguar looked at her princess, who was currently wearing them.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Sophia stared at the legs of her fellow tiger, and also took a quick glance at her actual pants. ¡°It looks great, but jeans tend to be a little stiff, especially when going really at it.¡± ¡°I can see that.¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°Baggy pants wouldn¡¯t fit you, like, at all, so I¡¯d advise heavily against them. I¡¯d doubt you¡¯d enjoy a dress, so¡­ True to last year and some trusty shorts to match with your sister, too?¡± ¡°Let''s match!¡± Steph liked the idea. ¡°Hmm, I like to look at hotpants, but I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d be comfortable wearing them. I didn''t overly like the shorts I had last year, but they sure were comfy. Speaking about jeans, denim shorts could work. Combined with a nice oversized and airy shirt, I would probably be happy.¡± ¡°Oh, that should look really cute on you!¡± ¡°Can I join in on the denim plan?¡± Anna looked at the blonde. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling the shorts life, but I would fancy something in the direction of a denim skirt.¡± ¡°Go for it!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I look forward to seeing your legs in it.¡± ¡°I am not surprised.¡± The princess rolled her eyes. ¡°I wonder if I should go for a slightly wider, though. Tight denim skirts tend to roll up when moving a lot. Seeing how we walk and run a lot, and me wanting to gain more endurance, it could be a little distracting.¡± ¡°I see this as an absolute win.¡± Steph seemed to be a fan of tight skirts. ¡°Both sisters are after me today, huh?¡± The tall tiger looked rather happy. ¡°If Sophia is allowed to prioritize comfiness, I can do so, too!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The blonde nodded in agreement. ¡°Like the others, in the top department, I¡¯d like to get something airier and sportier. Though, I do need more support, so my options might be limited. Thanks to magic, there are no downsides to a more free approach for the girls, but having them sway around is quite distracting.¡± "True." The girls were already distracted by the two girls on Anna. ¡°I sure am popular today.¡± The princess was flattered. ¡°I like the stomach-free approach of the sisters, though not quite as radical as Steph. I wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable with too much exposed while being outside. I think that look works better on shorter girls.¡± ¡°We should¡¯ve gone shopping for summer clothes way sooner.¡± The jaguar was looking forward to seeing her girlfriend in such clothes. ¡°The skirt should be easy to get in multiple shops. The top, hmm¡­ I have an idea for a line of clothes that would suit you splendidly!¡± Ari smiled at her. ¡°We might need to visit a shop focused on outdoors and adventurer-like clothes.¡± ¡°Sounds great!¡± ¡°I wanna go there, too!¡± The shorter tiger got interested, as well. ¡°I feel like I could get my preferred set of clothes there, too, while also having them be more durable than regular fashion.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The little sister also perked up. After all, the two were the, by far, most sporty girls in the group, so they naturally got interested. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll guide you to the store and have you three fun in there.¡± Ari smiled at the trio before facing the cat-girl. ¡°Maya, sporty or girly?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be joining you and Chloe~.¡± She understood that the jaguar was about to suggest that they should split up. "If we all stick together, it will take a week to get something for everyone. While I wouldn''t mind a week-long shopping trip, I also know how that would end with this group.¡± She glanced at the rowdy ones around her. ¡°Do you already know what you want?¡± The jaguar continued to be curious about their tastes and looked at Maya. ¡°Pretty much!¡± She nodded. ¡°I was thinking of something with a bit of a neckline to get some air to the girls.¡± Maya smirked at Anna, who made a similar comparison earlier. "I''m leaning towards a square neck, but I''m open to options. Maybe with a little lace trim for extra breathability and, of course, short sleeves. I¡¯ll also stay true to the skirt life. Definitely a high-waist one, but I¡¯m not quite sure about the style yet. Probably something in the accordion or pleated direction combined with a belt, though. I also need a new pair of boots while we¡¯re at it.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to have so much fun!¡± Ari was glad that she wasn¡¯t the only fashion enjoyer in the group. ¡°What about you?¡± The cat-girl threw the question back at her. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to try out a vest for a long time already!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. "A sleeveless one, to be exact! I never was confident enough for it, though. I used to be quite shy, after all, and exposed shoulders, armpits, and maybe even a little bit of the side of my chest, doesn¡¯t really go well with that character trait.¡± ¡°Confident Ari is the best!¡± The princess liked what she was hearing. ¡°Summer is, too!¡± She, just like everyone else, had a thing for lightly dressed girls. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± The jaguar scratched her cheek. ¡°Other than that, I¡¯ll join you in the skirt life once more.¡± She smiled at the cat-girl. "I was thinking of a mid-high waist but no belt. Probably not pleated this time, or at best, only lightly paneled. My favorite might be a plain old regular A-line. On top of that, I saw some adorable laced-up sandals the other day that I need.¡± ¡°That sounds lovely!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She was glad that Maya liked it. ¡°You two do remember that we¡¯re traveling a lot, right?¡± Sophia stared at them. ¡°At high speed more often than not, and all sorts of terrain.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t care!¡± They didn¡¯t care. ¡°Okay.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t feel like saying anymore. ¡°I¡¯m not girly enough for this. Can you please tell us where the outdoorsy fashion store is? I need something extra rugged after hearing all this!¡± Steph was becoming impatient. Not wanting to make the dog wait even longer, Ari guided them to the store in question before they split up. Sophia, Steph, and Anna decided to look for something practical and airy, while Maya and Ari went for high fashion instead. Chloe joined the two because she also liked cute clothes, and her idea was a mix of cute and airy. Chapter 146 – About skirts and shorts The girls finally went shopping for summer clothes, and that made everyone quite excited. Ari was especially looking forward to it because she liked everything related to fashion. As their tastes differed a lot, though, the group split up in two. The sisters and Anna went to an outdoor fashion store while the other three tried to max out the cuteness scale. ¡°By the way, don¡¯t you have something like a dress code because you¡¯re the princess and all?¡± After having entered the outdoorsy store, Steph became curious if Anna could wear whatever she wanted even though she was such an important figure. "During formal events, there definitely is a dress code." She nodded. ¡°Ari hates those events, but she loves putting me in dresses.¡± ¡°I still have yet to see you in a dress.¡± The dog-girl liked the idea. ¡°Same!¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve been invited to many events by father, yet you declined all of them, so you have no right to complain about that.¡± Anna stared at her fellow tiger. ¡°Because it sounds like a massive pain!¡± She had good reason to decline. ¡°Anyway,¡± The princess looked at the dog-girl again. ¡°I should avoid looking sloppy in public, but other than that, there aren¡¯t any special rules for me. Or at least none I know of, and if I don¡¯t know those rules, they don¡¯t apply.¡± ¡°I love the reasoning.¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Why are you asking, though?¡± ¡°Well, your plan was to go for a short skirt and a stomach-free top, right?¡± The little sister tilted her head. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, I deeply appreciate it, but I wasn¡¯t sure if it isn¡¯t unbecoming of a princess, or something like that.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± She finally understood her intent. ¡°I don¡¯t see any issue with my choice of clothing. Otherwise, Ari also would¡¯ve stopped me.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± ¡°If anything, I¡¯d say it fits perfectly!¡± Sophia smiled at the tall tiger. "I need to see the denim skirt first, but the stomach-free top, preferably with a sporty cut, screams adventurer princess, and that''s just the best kind of princess!" ¡°Ohh!¡± Steph clapped her hands. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re the older sister! I still have much to learn! It is true, an adventurer princess is peak! I¡¯m disappointed in myself that I hadn¡¯t thought about that!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best to not fail the expectations of the sisters.¡± Anna could only roll her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re looking forward.¡± The two were on the same page. ¡°While we¡¯re at it, I¡¯m more surprised that you¡¯re also thinking about going for the midriff.¡± The princess then focused on Sophia. ¡°I still remember how fussy you were about your clothes last year and how you didn¡¯t like showing off your body even though you have all the reasons for doing so because it''s very show-off worthy!" ¡°Well, I don¡¯t like attention, so I wanted to avoid gaining more of that when I mess up with a skirt.¡± ¡°Stop lying!¡± Steph and Anna matched up perfectly when they raised their voices. "Hey!" Sophia didn''t like that. ¡°Nobody likes attention more than you do!¡± ¡°Nobody needs attention more than you do!¡± The two had the same opinion on the matter. ¡°That is absolutely and 100% not true!¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Unrelated to that, I have become more confident in myself since then. Also, showing off my stomach is not something I overly care about, I guess? Especially when compared to accidentally revealing some way more private bits in skirt-related incidents. Panties or not.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°Fair enough.¡± Anna could follow her logic. ¡°While I¡¯m not worried about that, because I¡¯m not clumsy, I get it.¡± ¡°Skirts can give off a sense of uncertainty, huh?¡± Steph nodded. ¡°Which is kinda interesting because shorts usually show off more in the legs, thighs, and butt department than skirts do.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not open on the bottom, though!¡± ¡°True.¡± ¡°Alright, with that being settled, let¡¯s take a look at what the store offers!¡± ---------------- ¡°Oh, we¡¯re getting somewhere now!¡± After a bit of browsing the ware inside the store, Steph soon found something that piqued her interest. The clothing section was filled with many mannequins that displayed various outfits. All of them were giving off an outdoorsy and adventurous feel, and the dog-girl stopped at a particular one that matched her idea pretty well. ¡°It¡¯s cute!¡± Anna stood next to her and looked at the mannequin, which was wearing a white crop top with an off-shoulder neckline on one side. It was a little oversized, as well, creating a bit of an overhang below its chest, and barely covered anything of the stomach area. It was combined with super short black shorts with a fluffy-looking white fur lining at the bottom around the legs. It greatly accentuated the curves on the display dummy. ¡°I could never wear this outside, at least the shirt, because of how I¡¯m built, but I love the style!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit too revealing for my taste, but it does look great!¡± Sophia nodded a few times as she agreed with her fellow tiger. ¡°I love it!¡± Steph lightly clapped her hands. ¡°They have different colors for the shirt, too!¡± She pointed at the shelf below it. ¡°The black and pink ones also look nice! I¡¯m going to try them on!¡± Saying so, she grabbed a couple of shirts and a pair of shorts in her size before disappearing into one of the dressing rooms. ¡°Your sister really is amazing! No second guessing anything ever and simply jumping headfirst into whatever is in front of her. Or it¡¯s an Ari issue where she has to look at everything first before deciding on what clothes she wants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s Steph for you.¡± Sophia smiled at the princess. "Second-guessing or doubts, in general, are not part of how her very being works. It can be annoying at times, but she definitely knows how to enjoy life to the fullest. Well, unless she¡¯s obsessed with something stupid and refuses to let go.¡± "I''M NOT SORRY THAT I WAS OBSESSED WITH THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MY SISTER!" As there was only a curtain between the tigers and the dog-girl, she naturally could hear everything they were talking about. ¡°Also, it made me go to paradise, so it¡¯s another win for me!¡± ¡°She¡¯s also kinda stubborn and refuses to admit any shortcomings of herself.¡± Sophia ignored her complaints. ¡°Well, you two are sisters, so it¡¯s only natural that you two share some character traits.¡± Anna could easily accept this. ¡°Oi!¡± The blonde didn''t like that reversal. ¡°I love you, Anna!¡± Steph did, though. Afterward, some more rustling of clothes could be heard before the dog-girl stepped out of the cabin to present her new look. ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess seemed to like it as she was looking at the short girl in the white crop top and black shorts they had seen on the mannequin before. She was still wearing her usual shoes, but Steph had also gotten rid of her overknees. "Some regular socks, maybe up to your calves, would work really well, I think!" ¡°Good plan!¡± Steph nodded. ¡°I like how wide the sleeves are and that it''s off-shoulder on one side." Sophia also took a good look. ¡°The bra strap on your shoulder makes it spicy, too. Well, it¡¯s still too short for my liking, but that¡¯s a personal preference, I guess.¡± Saying so, she shifted her upper body a little to the side to get a lower point of view. ¡°I mean, I can see a bit of the lace hem under the cups of your bra.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Anna, who had an even higher line of sight compared to the blonde, also adjusted her position. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s true! Nice bra, by the way!¡± She liked the view. ¡°I think it¡¯s fine, though. From normal angles, there¡¯s only the illusion of being able to see it. If anyone tries to bend over and see more, that''s harassment, and using magic to destroy them would count as self-defense." ¡°What a thing to say as the princess!¡± Sophia shook her head. "So, does that mean I can blow the two of you up?" The dog-girl stared at the two tigers who did precisely that just now. ¡°We don¡¯t count.¡± The two shook their heads. ¡°How convenient!¡± Steph rolled her eyes. ¡°Exactly!¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s an abuse of power stemming from being a part of the tiger family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just not true.¡± The striped girls shook their heads. "It''s good that I like the tigers, or else it would be time for a revolution." Afterward, Steph turned around and entered the dressing room once more. ¡°Let me try the black and pink shirts, too!¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Around a minute later, Anna stared at the dog-girl wearing full black clothes while tilting her head. ¡°What she said.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°It looks good, but it¡¯s lacking contrast. The only thing that isn¡¯t black on you is the white fur lining on the shorts.¡± ¡°Yeah, you two have a point.¡± Steph looked at herself in a mirror and agreed with them. ¡°The shirt itself looks great in black, though. I¡¯ll still get it to pair with something else in the future.¡± She then returned to the dressing room and changed into the pink shirt. ¡°That looks great!¡± Seeing the dog-girl wearing pink made the princess react much more. ¡°True!¡± The blonde thought so, too. ¡°Black and pink is such a good combination.¡± ¡°I think I still prefer the white shirt, but you two are right!¡± Steph looked at herself in the mirror once more. ¡°All things pink are amazing, after all.¡± "Ahaha." The other two had to chuckle at the apparent reference to Chloe. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get all of them!¡± Once the dog-girl had decided on her new clothes, she put all of them in a small basket, and the trio continued to look around the store, as the tigers had yet to find something for themselves. Chapter 147 – Tummies are great The girls split up for their shopping activities, and Steph already found her preferred clothes while going ahead and getting a few differently colored options, as well. Anna and Sophia, who were with the dog-girl, had yet to find something, though. ¡°Found the denim corner!¡± A few minutes after Steph found her clothes, Anna excitedly pointed at a few mannequins wearing various denim-inspired clothes like jeans, shorts, skirts, and jackets. ¡°Ohh!¡± As Sophia was also interested in that, she got just as excited. ¡°I love those shorts!¡± She immediately found something that piqued her interest and pointed at one of the models. ¡°That flannel shirt is an absolute no-go, though.¡± The display was wearing a checkered red and white flannel shirt that was knotted up to show a bit of stomach. It was combined with dark blue denim shorts with a fringed bottom hem and brown knee-high boots. ¡°The boots aren¡¯t bad, but not something I¡¯d like to wear while traveling. Sneakers or running shoes would be so much better!¡± "I kinda like the cowgirl look. The style of clothes, I mean. Not cow-girls. I love them." Steph wasn¡¯t as negative about the outfit. ¡°The flannel isn¡¯t bad at all. That being said, I agree that it¡¯s not what you¡¯re looking for. It doesn¡¯t give off any exploration vibes. If we had a farm, I¡¯d totally go for it, though.¡± ¡°You¡¯d rock the look, too.¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°Nah, this was made for you!¡± Steph threw the compliment back at her. ¡°No, my boobs are too big for that.¡± The princess shook her head while pointing at the mannequin. "If I knot the shirt like that right under my chest and combine it with the unbuttoned neckline, everything will push up and spill out at the top.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the point.¡± The sisters just stared at her. ¡°Okay, fair.¡± Anna couldn¡¯t really blame them for their reaction. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll join Steph, then. If we ever have a farm, I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± ¡°Sis, let¡¯s make a farm in your domain!¡± The dog-girl immediately stared at the blonde with her puppy eyes. "A whole ranch!¡± ¡°You know, that¡¯s the one thing I¡¯ve always wanted there ever since I unlocked my domain.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Judging by the tone of her voice, the princess didn¡¯t necessarily believe her for some reason. ¡°Absolutely!¡± ¡°You two are something else.¡± Anna just rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, putting my second-favorite type of cowgirl aside for the time being, the one that doesn¡¯t involve toys, what kind of style were you looking for again?¡± Steph looked at her sister. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Sophia looked around to see if there was a shirt she liked on display somewhere. ¡°That one¡¯s super cute!¡± She pointed at a mannequin wearing a dark pink shirt with short but relatively wide sleeves. The shirt had a regular round neck that showed no cleavage, but it was knotted together on one side to reveal a bit of stomach just up above the display¡¯s belly button. It was paired with a of white cargo shorts, but the blonde didn¡¯t care about that part. ¡°Cargos are good for pockets, but as I have unlimited storage, I don¡¯t care about that!¡± She shrugged while thinking about her domain. ¡°The shirt is perfect, though!¡± ¡°Oh, it really is adorable!¡± Anna agreed with her. ¡°I like how it¡¯s tied up a little with the side knot. It gives off a cheeky feeling, which is a perfect fit for you!¡± ¡°I do be cheeky at times.¡± The shorter tiger nodded. ¡°I think it would work perfectly with the shorts from the cowgirl-look mannequin!¡± ¡°True, that should look great together.¡± Steph thought so, too. ¡°The lime-colored shirt also looks cute!¡± The princess pointed at the shelf next to the display. ¡°Not quite as nice as the pink, but I¡¯m biased there.¡± The dog-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°Still, the lime looks good! The white one doesn¡¯t look bad, either.¡± ¡°Yay for choices!¡± Sophia lightly clapped her hands before she grabbed a pair of the shorts she liked and the three differently colored shirts they just talked about. With the clothes on her arm, she went into the changing room Steph had used earlier to try everything on. She started out by combining the new shorts with the white shirt her sister had suggested, as she was the least thrilled about it. Naturally, she had also gotten rid of her beloved red argyle tights because they would clash with the rest of the outfit. ¡°Mhm.¡± Steph mustered the blonde. ¡°You have great legs, sis!¡± She liked the shorts. ¡°The leg fetish runs in the family, huh?¡± Anna just stared at the two. ¡°She¡¯s not wrong, though. ¡°I already thought so last year when you had that other pair of shorts. In fact, both sisters are blessed in that regard. I thank both of you for choosing shorts once more.¡± "Ahaha." Both had the same reaction to the remark of the princess. ¡°The leg fetish runs in this group.¡± Steph just had to mention it.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I can¡¯t refute that.¡± The tall tiger shrugged in response. ¡°That aside, I¡¯m not entirely sure about the white shirt.¡± She focused on Sophia and the slightly oversized shirt that had its lower third tied into a knot on its side to reveal a bit of the blonde¡¯s stomach, just enough to show her belly button. "Don''t get me wrong, the best kind of tummy is an exposed tummy. I love tummies, but it might be lacking contrast. You''re surprisingly fair-skinned for someone as active and outdoorsy as you are, and your blonde hair is quite light, too, so a pure white shirt might be slightly lacking. The pullover you wear at least has the differently colored shoulder part, which made it work there.¡± ¡°Our fashion critique here has a point.¡± Steph had to agree with her. ¡°It¡¯s still cute, though. I¡¯d say it¡¯s okay to wear every now and then, at the very least when lounging around at home.¡± ¡°For that, it really doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°For at home, as long as you wear anything at all, it''s fine, and it''s whatever." ¡°I¡¯d say that even that¡¯s optional.¡± The dog-girl gave her a cheeky grin. ¡°I know that you feel and act that way. We¡¯ve been living together for a while already, after all.¡± The princess rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try the lime one.¡± Sophia ignored them and closed the curtain of the changing room once more. ¡°Ohh, the green looks so good on you!¡± Seeing the blonde in the new color, Anna lightly clapped her hands. ¡°You definitely should get that one, too.¡± ¡°What she said.¡± Steph thought so, too. ¡°It highlights your eyes! It¡¯s a different, darker green, but that makes the effect even stronger!¡± ¡°Yay~.¡± Sophia was happy to hear that. ¡°I¡¯ve always liked green, so that¡¯s perfect! I still want to try on the pink one, though. I think that¡¯s my favorite.¡± Saying so, Sophia disappeared into the changing room again. ¡°That¡¯s definitely the one!¡± The dog-girl gave her sister two thumbs up after she presented herself wearing the pink shirt with the denim shorts. ¡°It¡¯s not just because I¡¯m biased towards the color, too!¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± Anna nodded. ¡°The other two, especially the green one, were also nice, but this is just perfect! The pink definitely should be your default!¡± ¡°Mhm!¡± Feeling happy about their praise, the blonde took a good look at herself in the mirror next to her. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s super cute! I was a little worried that pink wouldn¡¯t work on me because it¡¯s too cute, but it seems alright!¡± ¡°The heck?¡± Steph and Anna got visibly confused. ¡°What¡¯s with that reaction?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re like the second-cutest girl in our group! By a big margin, too!¡± The princess stared at her. ¡°Speaking about visuals, at least.¡± "Yeah!" The dog-girl also just looked at her. "You''re only beaten by Chloe in terms of cuteness! Visually speaking, at least.¡± She had to add the same disclaimer as Anna. ¡°¡­¡± She started blushing in return. ¡°Wait, what¡¯s the second part about?!¡± Sophia then got loud. ¡°Exactly.¡± The duo just smiled at her and the bratty reaction she had. ¡°Grr.¡± ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s my turn!¡± Anna changed the topic. ¡°Sophia got her new outfit, so I¡¯m the only one left!¡± "Sure." The blonde gave up. "There were denim skirts in the area where I got my shorts. Was there anything that fits your idea?" ¡°Yup!¡± The tall tiger nodded while pointing at the mannequin next to the one that inspired Sophia. ¡°This one looks great!¡± It was wearing a dark blue denim skirt in the same color as Sophia''s new shorts. It was a higher skirt and covered all the way up and over the belly button of the display. The skirt was combined with a black belt and boots, as well as a black and white spaghetti top. ¡°It¡¯s so short!¡± Sophia raised her voice again. While the upper part of the skirt went quite high, the lower part, the important one, only went down enough to cover the necessities and nothing more. ¡°I like that you can admire all of the legs, but is that okay?¡± As the blonde was in a clinch with skirts for this very reason, she had her doubts about its practicality. ¡°That¡¯s the best part!¡± Steph disagreed with her sister. ¡°It seems fine to me, too.¡± Anna also didn¡¯t see an issue. ¡°It being so short makes moving in it super easy, and I¡¯m a princess, so accidentally revealing too much isn¡¯t an issue for me.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with being a princess?!¡± The blonde only got louder. ¡°Are there some rules in this world I don¡¯t know about yet?!¡± "No, but I''ve received training on how to move in a skirt elegantly and without risk of accidents ever since I¡¯ve been a kid.¡± She smiled at her. "I don''t care about elegance, but it still works~." ¡°You had a skirt teacher?!¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Anna just nodded. ¡°Ari and I attended those lessons together. Well, it was a teacher for etiquette, but that''s pretty much the same.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Sophia had nothing else to say. ¡°Alright, I love the skirt, but the spaghetti top isn¡¯t doing it for me.¡± The princess took another look at the mannequin. ¡°I wonder if I can find anything better, though.¡± ¡°What about that one?¡± Steph looked around before pointing at a display a little away from them. It was a top that roughly resembled a black sports bra for the general shape. It seemed a little more padded and less revealing, so it could be used as an outdoors top. The back was almost fully closed, as well. The top was a two-piece, as well. Above the black part, covering parts of the shoulder and collarbone area, there was a white piece of fabric going below the mannequin''s arms. To add some spice, there was a small area between those two parts that revealed a bit of cleavage. ¡°That looks great!¡± Sophia reacted first. "It''s definitely sporty and cool. It seems supportive, too, which would help a lot. It''s perfect for the adventurer princess look!¡± ¡°I like it!¡± Anna was a fan, too. ¡°The two-tone is great, and it seems like it¡¯s made for girls that have more going on! Just what I need. Let me go and try it on!¡± Saying so, the princess quickly grabbed the top and skirt in her size and disappeared into the changing room the sisters had already used before. ¡°Ohh!¡± Once she stepped out of it, Sophia and Steph clapped their hands. ¡°This is perfect!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Anna was happy about their reaction. ¡°It¡¯s super comfy, too! The top even doubles as a sports bra, as it''s extra padded and has supportive areas integrated into the fabric on the inside so that you don''t have to wear a regular one below it for maximum ease of movement and comfort!¡± ¡°The top is amazing!¡± The dog-girl stared for a little longer. ¡°Also, big! You really are at the top of our group." She sounded a little regretful while thinking about someone else. ¡°Well, Chloe is still the cutest, and that¡¯s the most important visual trait, so it¡¯s fine~.¡± ¡°Yeah, it looks great.¡± Sophia ignored her sister and gave the fellow tiger a thumbs up. ¡°The skirt fits you very well, too. The whole outfit is spicy, comfy-looking, adventurous, but not cheap at all!¡± Afterward, the princess tried on two more versions of the top, one with the black and white colors reversed and another one that was pink instead of white to have an extra cute variant after being pushed by the sisters to give it a test. She decided on getting all three versions in the end, and the trio headed over to the counter to pay for their spoils as they had gotten everything they came for. Chapter 148 – Fluffy image Anna and the sisters had plundered the clothing section of the outdoorsy store, and everyone got their favorite outfit, together with some additional versions in different colors for a bit of variety. Satisfied with their haul, the trio left the store and went to eat something as a treat because they knew the other girls would take way longer than them. ¡°Was it really a good idea to let them go shopping on their own?¡± While Sophia, Steph, and the princess were looking for their clothes, Maya, Chloe, and Ari were going to a store that suited their tastes. While walking, the cat-girl was second-guessing their decision to split up, though. ¡°It¡¯s fine~.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°They¡¯re not babies, you know?¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°¡­¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Y-Yes.¡± ¡°Very convincing.¡± ¡°As much as it goes against my everything, I also think it will be fine.¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°Sophia will keep them in line.¡± ¡°Sophia?¡± The cat-girl raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yes.¡± She nodded. ¡°Your girlfriend is surprisingly conservative when it comes to clothes, so I doubt she¡¯d let the others go too extreme. Also, she¡¯s the second cutest girl in the group if we speak about looks alone. She can¡¯t beat our fox here, but she¡¯s above the rest of us by a great margin. Steph and Anna will likely try to dress her up in something cute, which will make them forget to go all out.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± As the fox-girl liked being called cute, she enjoyed that a lot. ¡°I also think Sophia can handle them. Yes, when you say that out loud, it does sound weird.¡± She saw why Maya seemed surprised. ¡°On top of that, Anna¡¯s still the princess of this country. I doubt she has a dress code outside of formal events, but I would assume she knows that she, more than anyone else, should follow some basic rules of public appearances.¡± ¡°True.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°There are no explicit rules, but Anna knows she could get in trouble if she overdoes it.¡± ¡°Does the name of the trouble in question start with an A?¡± Maya stared at the jaguar. ¡°It does, indeed.¡± She confirmed it. ¡°The second and third letters are ri, if you''re wondering." ¡°I figured as much~.¡± Maya had not been wondering about it. ¡°I hope Sophia doesn¡¯t keep them in check too much, though.¡± Chloe sounded a little concerned. ¡°I mean, the only good thing about summer is being able to see cute girls in more revealing clothes. If she takes that away from me, my only ray of hope, I¡¯ll create my own winter that will be everywhere and forever.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still talking about Sophia, so that shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± Maya shook her head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing about her that is straight. She won''t rob us of a good view of nicely clothed girls.¡± ¡°Also, you and Steph run around basically naked at home half of the time, and I¡¯m being very generous with the word basically here.¡± Ari stared at the fox. ¡°Sophia will probably just make sure Steph doesn¡¯t do the same in public.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair enough.¡± Chloe could follow her logic. ¡°Wait, does that mean you two are going to stop me, too?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The duo nodded in sync. "For the sole fact that Fey would kill us if we let you run around in public looking like an exhibitionist.¡± Maya added some extra bit of detail. ¡°Stupid Feyfey.¡± She hung her head in return. ¡°I like how you didn¡¯t refute the claim of her killing us.¡± The cat-girl rolled her eyes. ¡°Well¡­¡± Chloe paused for a second. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get some clothes!¡± She changed the subject instead. ---------------- With Ari in the lead, they walked through the shopping district for a little while longer before the jaguar eventually stopped in front of a fancy-looking boutique.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°This is one of my favorite places!¡± Ari smiled at the other two. "The quality is top-notch, and everything they have is adorable! They definitely have the looks Maya and I are looking for. An adorable top and a skirt for our Chloe should be an easy task, too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The two liked the sound of that. Afterward, the girls entered the store and looked around. ¡°So many cute clothes!¡± Inside, Chloe¡¯s eyes immediately started sparkling. ¡°Should we look for your outfit first?¡± Ari liked how excited she was. ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡± ¡°What were you going for again?¡± While looking around, Maya tried to remember what look Chloe wanted to get. ¡°More or less just a more summery version of my current clothes.¡± She pointed at herself. ¡°I like the look, so I¡¯d like to get a similar skirt. Just without the inner lining and maybe a little shorter, as well.¡± ¡°Is there even room left to make it shorter?¡± The cat-girl stared at her lower half. ¡°Sure~.¡± The fox smiled at her. ¡°I need a top that is way more airy, too. Either fully shoulder-free or a spaghetti one with a bit of cleavage to give the girls some air.¡± She had the same issue as Anna. I obviously need short sleeves, or none at all, too. Some frills would also be nice. I have a fluffy image to keep, after all.¡± ¡°You could wear full plate armor and still wouldn¡¯t be able to lose your fluffy image.¡± Ari didn¡¯t think the fox had to worry about that. ¡°I would literally die in full plate!¡± She didn¡¯t even want to imagine it. ¡°Cooked do death!¡± ¡°I was just making an example.¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes. "Though, I''d pay to see a full-plate soldier with a massive pink tail sticking out their rear.¡± Maya let out a small chuckle. ¡°Not happening!¡± Chloe only got louder. ¡°We should tell Steph about the idea.¡± ¡°We should NOT!¡± The fox glared at Maya. ¡°How about that skirt over there?¡± Wanting to change the topic, Ari looked around for a moment and pointed at a mannequin that was wearing a black waist-pleated skirt with a single horizontal white line at its hem. ¡°You have to know how to move in that one, though.¡± She hinted at the extreme shortness of the skirt and how an incident would only be a slightly wrong bent or kneel away. ¡°That¡¯s such a cute skirt!¡± Chloe started smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve been wearing skirts all my life, short ones at that, so that won''t be an issue! Also, I¡¯m short, so most wouldn''t see it in the first place, thanks to their higher line of sight." ¡°Is that how that works?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°Well, it¡¯s really not hard to handle a skirt, so you¡¯re right regardless. Sophia just likes to whine, which means her complaints in that regard are pretty much unfounded, anyway.¡± ¡°True.¡± The fox nodded. ¡°Anyway, the skirt looks adorable, so I¡¯m totally going to give it a try. I still need to find a top first, though. No use in trying it on now if I don¡¯t know what it has to match with.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± The other two could follow her reasoning. ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Chloe walked around the store and took a look at the other mannequins for inspiration before eventually stopping at one that caught her interest. ¡°This one looks adorable!¡± She pointed at a white cotton top with two thin shoulder straps, slightly revealing in the cleavage department, and an extra layer of frilly fabric over the chest area and doubling as short sleeves for its arms, as well. ¡°Woah, it¡¯s great!¡± Ari also was a fan. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s great!¡± Maya liked it, too. ¡°Ah, look, they also have it in different colors.¡± She then pointed at the stand next to it, where the same shirt in light blue, violet, pink, green, and yellow was displayed. ¡°Ohh!¡± The fox became even more excited. ¡°I¡¯ll pass on the green and yellow, and I¡¯d like to try something different than pink for contrast, but the light violet and the sky blue look interesting!¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s no harm in getting multiple versions, is there?¡± The jaguar smiled at her. ¡°Great idea!¡± Saying so, Chloe lightly clapped her hands before grabbing a few shirts in the colors she liked. Afterward, she also got the skirt from before and went into one of the changing rooms the store provided. ¡°Do you have any idea how we could get her into plate armor?¡± While the fox-girl was changing, Maya addressed the jaguar. ¡°You¡¯re still on about that?¡± Ari rolled her eyes once more. ¡°Come on, as if you aren¡¯t curious!¡± ¡°Well, the massive fluffy tail sticking out of the armor you mentioned would be a little interesting." She couldn''t deny it. ¡°Ha!¡± Maya¡¯s expression turned smug. ¡°I said no!¡± As is the norm for many changing rooms, Chloe was only behind a curtain and thus could hear everything. Once she finished scolding them, the fox finished changing and presented herself. ¡°Ohh!¡± Seeing her in the white top and black skirt from before, without the usual overknees, the duo immediately forgot about the topic once more. ¡°You¡¯re adorable!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The fox-girl was happy over their reaction. ¡°I like it, too!¡± She looked at herself in the provided mirror. ¡°Alright, let me try the violet and blue one, too!¡± Being satisfied with her looks so far, Chloe returned to the changing room to see how the other colors would look on her. ¡°Mhm, that light sky blue is an interesting one!¡± Ari mustered the fox after she changed. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would work on me, but it looks great on you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s absolutely perfect for your pastel vibe!¡± Maya thought so, too. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll get it, too!¡± The fox reacted with a happy nod. ¡°Well, the light violet one is the same as Steph¡¯s hair, so I don¡¯t need to try it on. I¡¯ll obviously get it, as well.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± The other two had to chuckle at this very Chloe-like reasoning. Afterward, the fox-girl changed back to her regular clothes and put everything she was getting into a small basket before helping Ari and Maya find their outfits. Chapter 149 – Pretty clothes Maya and Ari helped Chloe find new clothes for the upcoming summer season, and she was pleased with her new look. Afterward, she naturally returned the favor and supported the other two in finding a new look for them, as well. "Which of you two has the fancier idea again?" After the fox-girl had gotten her clothes, she faced Maya and Ari to find out on who they should focus on next. ¡°Mine was pretty easy to get, so maybe we should go with something medium complex now?¡± ¡°I think Ari and I have the same general idea with a mid-thigh high waist skirt, but I want to go a little extra with the top. What about you?¡± She then glanced at the jaguar. ¡°I want to keep it simple.¡± Ari smiled at her. ¡°I might even try and go for something in between a high waist skirt and the one Chloe has. Obviously, it¡¯s going to be a bit longer, though.¡± She took a quick glance at the fox before continuing. ¡°I¡¯d like a regular vest with no sleeves, but I¡¯m still unsure about the color combinations I want to go for.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The fox clapped her hands. ¡°It still sounds like it shouldn¡¯t be too hard, so let¡¯s find something for you first before we concentrate on Maya.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± The cat-girl in question nodded before facing Ari. ¡°You say that you don¡¯t have a color combi thought of yet, but do you have a main color in mind already?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s okay, I¡¯d like to give dark red a try.¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be okay?¡± The cat-girl looked confused?¡± ¡°Well, red is usually your color. It has been last year, and so it is currently.¡± Ari looked at Maya¡¯s red skirt while thinking about the red and white outfit she used to wear when they met. ¡°If only one of us could wear a certain color, we would probably end up having a war over black and white, you know?¡± ¡°True.¡± Chloe agreed with Maya. ¡°It would be a little weird to wear the exact same type of outfit, but colors are fair game, in my opinion." ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The jaguar started smiling. ¡°I¡¯ll be trying out something red, then!¡± Seemingly in a great mood, she explored the boutique for a little while before eventually stopping at a mannequin that caught her interest. ¡°This is exactly what I was looking for!¡± She pointed at the display that was wearing a white sleeveless vest with a red bowtie and a frilled button panel that was combined with a dark red medium-high waist skirt with a slight golden accent trim on its hem together with a white inner lining.¡± ¡°It¡¯s so pretty!¡± The fox-girl also liked it. ¡°Leave it to the classy girl to instantly find the perfect classy clothes for herself.¡± Maya gave her a hearty thumbs up. ¡°This is absolutely made for you. It gets extra points from me for having fully exposed arms and partial shoulders, as well~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s indeed a welcome bonus.¡± Chloe felt the same about it. ¡°You two sure know how to flatter a girl.¡± Ari just rolled her eyes. ¡°Ehehe.¡± ¡°Regardless of that, I still want to try it.¡± She wasn¡¯t too bothered by the two perverts. ¡°Although, I¡¯ll also give the regular black and white style ago, as well as maybe trying out full white.¡± She pointed at the other skirt colors available on the shelf next to the display. ¡°Oh, look! They also have multiple color options for the bowties!¡± The fox-girl pointed at another nearby shelf. ¡°I think it would look nice to match them with the color of the skirt you¡¯re going for. There''s also a yellowish-golden one that matches the accents in your hair. That could work really well, too.¡± ¡°That should look nice!¡± The jaguar liked the suggestion. Afterward, she grabbed a vest in her size, as well as a selection of skirts and bowties in different colors, before disappearing into the changing room Chloe had used earlier. ¡°Perfection!¡± After Ari changed into the new outfit, Maya and Chloe simply started clapping. ¡°A bit overdramatic, aren¡¯t we?¡± Even so, the jaguar still was smiling. ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Chloe shook her head. ¡°It fits you so well!¡± ¡°You just can¡¯t go wrong with a black, white, and red combination.¡± Maya was quite familiar with this set of colors, after all. ¡°The added gold bits from your hair and the accents on the clothes look great, too.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± She became a little bashful. ¡°I guess I should get it, then.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°You have to get it!¡± The duo corrected her. ¡°Okay~.¡± With an even bigger smile on her lips, Ari returned to the changing room to try on the other two skirts in white and black, as well as the differently colored bowties. In the end, she decided to get everything because Maya and Chloe just kept showering her with compliments, saying how she looked stunning in absolutely everything she tried on. Chloe even got her an additional orange bowtie because it was the same color as Anna¡¯s hair. ---------------- ¡°Time for the main attraction!¡± After Ari had changed back into her regular clothes and collected all the pieces she wanted, Chloe energetically addressed the cat-girl. ¡°How and why am I the main attraction?¡± Maya wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that. ¡°Well, you said that you had the fanciest outfit choice, so it makes sense to me.¡± The jaguar agreed with the fox. ¡°I never said mine was the fanciest!¡± She didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°I just wanted to try something slightly more complex.¡± ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s pretty much the same at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Yep.¡± It had no effect on Ari and Chloe. ¡°We look forward to seeing you go all out.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll make it extra fancy.¡± She gave up. ¡°While Ari was changing and collecting all her new clothes, I looked around a little, and I found some combinations that were pretty close to what I had in mind. In fact, it looks even better than I had hoped. I¡¯m still fairly undecided on the color combinations, though.¡± ¡°Show us!¡± The fox was becoming more excited again. ¡°Sure~.¡± Maya took them to a mannequin in the corner of the boutique. ¡°I adore this skirt.¡± She pointed at the baby blue waist-high pleated skirt. It ended up right under the mannequin¡¯s chest, where it was held up with a black belt that had a few golden accents. While the skirt itself was a very light blue, it had many very thin vertical lines going from top to bottom. To round it up, the skirt had a white inner lining that frilled up at the hem. ¡°That being said, baby blue, while it is a lovely color, it is not my color.¡± ¡°You are so lucky I already found my new look!¡± Ari sounded a little envious. ¡°That is SUCH a lovely skirt!¡± ¡°It is super cute!¡± Chloe also was a fan. ¡°I really like the baby blue, too. Though, I can see why it isn¡¯t yours. Combined with pure white, it''s kinda pale, while pink is a nice accent in my case. ¡°Yep, pink works great, but as I want a white top to go with the skirt, it would be too much with my hair on top.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Also, I¡¯m happy that you got envious.¡± She then smiled at Ari. ¡°That means the skirt¡¯s approved by an expert~.¡± ¡°I just like fashion.¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t see herself as an expert. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s a great choice. Although, it also depends on what top you want to combine it with.¡± ¡°This one.¡± Maya pointed at yet another mannequin to her right. It was wearing a white top with short puffy sleeves and multiple black accent lines. The top was a mix of two fabrics, as well. The sleeves and everything below the bust line were regular cotton, while the upper chest, collarbone, and shoulder area were made from lace and were slightly see-through, as well. However, most of the collarbone area, as well as a small amount of cleavage, was bare to add a little extra spice and ventilation. On top of that, it came with a small collar only attached to the back combined with a thin black bowtie. ¡°And you call me the expert.¡± Ari stared at her. ¡°This outfit choice is immaculate! Although, I¡¯m slightly less jealous now. The top is perfect, and I love it, but my breasts are a little too small to do its form justice. It¡¯s the style to perfectly accentuate a big chest.¡± ¡°Wow, together with the skirt, it will almost give off summer dress vibes!¡± Chloe lightly clapped her hands. ¡°You¡¯ll look adorable! Even more than usual!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The cat-girl liked that. ¡°Oh, it comes with different accent colors, too!¡± She took a better look at the shelf below the display and saw that it not only came with black accents, but red and blue ones were available, too. ¡°Alright, let me get a black and a red version, and then I¡¯ll grab a white, black, and red skirt and see how it goes~.¡± Saying so, she did just that, collected the clothes she wanted to try on and disappeared into the changing room. ¡°So pretty!¡± Once Maya presented herself, the two immediately started praising her. She went ahead and tried the black skirt with the fine white vertical stripes first, and the duo seemed to like it a lot. ¡°The black is so classy!" Ari was a big fan. "It fits you so well! Your hair is such a great match with it.¡± ¡°True!¡± Chloe had nothing else to add. ¡°I think so, too!¡± The cat-girl had a satisfied expression when she looked at herself in the mirror. "Let me try the white one next." Afterward, she closed the curtain of the changing room again. ¡°I love that!¡± Seeing the new look, the fox-girl got excited first. ¡°All-white can get overwhelming fast, but the red accents and all those fine black lines on the skirt make it work perfectly!¡± ¡°What she said.¡± The jaguar just nodded. ¡°I¡¯m so happy I found those clothes!¡± Maya¡¯s expression got even brighter. ¡°Alright, time for the red versions!¡± As it was previously her color, she was most excited about this. ¡°Wow!¡± Looking at the cat-girl in the white top with red accents, as well as the red skirt with its fine white lines, the duo was left speechless. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a reaction.¡± ¡°Seriously, red is your color!¡± Chloe and Ari synced up. ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°You love to hear it~.¡± Maya enjoyed the praise and looked at herself in the mirror once more. ¡°It really is pretty!¡± She also was happy with her new look. ¡°The red one might be my favorite, too, but the black and white ones are so great, as well! It¡¯s so hard to decide! I guess I¡¯ll be switching around a lot in the future~.¡± ¡°Great plan!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± In the end, Maya also decided to get everything, two different tops with red and black accents, as well as three different skirts in red, black, and white. On top of that, she also got a red and black bowtie, as well as a light yellow/blonde one that Chloe made her buy as it matched Sophia¡¯s hair. Afterward, the girls went to pay for their clothes and finally excited the boutique. Before reuniting with the others, they had to make yet another stop, though. Ari still had to buy her laced sandals, which she wanted to get in a different store. While they were at it, Maya couldn''t help but get a new pair of boots for herself, as well. Satisfied with their haul, the girls treated themselves to something sweet in a caf¨¦ before heading back to the mansion to meet up with Anna and the sisters. Bonus Chapter: Merry Christmas! There were only a few things Sophia missed from Earth, but certain holidays were one of them. Once she told Maya all about Christmas, including how popular it was with kids, the couple decided to introduce it to Ellie and celebrate it with her. ¡°Ellie~!¡± The duo went to the castle and promptly ran into the little tiger. ¡°So¡­phia! Maya!¡± Spotting them, she dashed towards the girls and did a full-on lounge once she was close enough. ¡°Ooff!¡± They got on their knees to catch the striped, orange bullet who came at them with enough force to almost topple them over. "Let''s play!" Once she gave both a hug and made sure not to let them escape, the little tiger immediately started demanding reasonable things. ¡°That¡¯s why we came.¡± Maya gently rubbed the girl¡¯s head. ¡°YAY!¡± ¡°Do you want to celebrate Christmas with us?¡± The blonde got right to the main attraction. ¡°Ellie loves Crimmas!¡± She got even more excited. ¡°Pfff!¡± Sophia tried her best to stifle the chuckle she got from her pronunciation. ¡°Wait, do you know what Christmas is?¡± ¡°Nope!¡± The little tiger shook her head. ¡°But if So¡­phia wants to celebrate it, Ellie loves it!¡± ¡°Nngh.¡± She took damage from her adorableness. ¡°You¡¯re the best.¡± ¡°Ellie knows!¡± Her expression turned a little smug. ¡°So, what is Crimmas?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a holiday from my home.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°We decorate a room with all kinds of silly and cute things, eat good food, and there are even presents.¡± ¡°See!¡± The little princess raised her voice. ¡°Ellie told So¡­phia that she loves Crimmas!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± She liked her reaction. ¡°Oh, speaking of wood, do you want to bake Christmas cookies with us?¡± ¡°That sounds like a great idea!¡± Maya was a fan of the suggestion. ¡°Ellie loves eating cookies!¡± ¡°No, I asked if you want to bake cookies with us.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The little tiger paused for a second. ¡°Can Ellie eat the cookies when baked?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± The couple nodded. ¡°Ellie loves baking cookies!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Maya and Sophia then grabbed each of Ellie''s hands and made their way to the cottage. Before doing so, they naturally went to get Kira¡¯s permission first. ---------------- ¡°Why is there a tree inside¡­?¡± Arriving in the cottage and entering the living room, the princess immediately got confused by the two-meter-tall fir next to the dining table. ¡°I thought you that Christmas has silly decorations, right?¡± ¡°Ellie wasn¡¯t expecting that silly!¡± She seemed quite into it, though, as she immediately began to energetically circle around it. ¡°The tree is funny, but Ellie was expecting more colorful and sparkly stuff when she heard decorations!¡± ¡°Ohoho, you¡¯re in for a treat~.¡± Hearing her complaint, Sophia started chuckling as Christmas was one of the most colorful and especially sparkly holidays she knew. ¡°Take a look at this!¡± She gestured at a massive carton filled to the brim with various Christmas ornaments, mainly consisting of red, green, and golden spheres for the tree, stars, and many glittery garlands and lametta. There also were meters of LED fairy lights powered by batteries. ¡°WAOH!¡± Seeing all that, her eyes sparkled even more than the ornaments. ¡°Most of those will go on the tree to make it all pretty and shiny. Afterward, we can use the remaining sparkles all over the living room.¡± ¡°ELLIE LOVES CRIMMAS!¡± She became an even bigger fan of it. ¡°Are there any rules for decoration?!¡± ¡°We usually start by wrapping the fuzzy lametta garland around the tree in a spiral, but afterward, you¡¯re only limited by your creativity!¡± ¡°Ellie doesn¡¯t have limits?!¡± She was a very creative girl, after all. ¡°Before that, we need to change clothes, though." Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Christmas has a very strict dress code.¡± ¡°N-No way!¡± Her expression changed. ¡°Ellie hates dress coding! It¡¯s the worst when mama makes Ellie wear uncomfortatable clothes for a party!¡± ¡°Don''t worry, the dress code for Christmas is the bestest!¡± The blonde tried to calm her down. ¡°Here, look at this.¡± Saying so, she grabbed a nearby bag and opened it. Inside were a couple of ugly wool sweaters in green, red, and a mix of both with various wintery and Christmas-themed motives on them. A set of Santa hats came with them, as well. ¡°Wow! So ugly!¡± Taking a better look at the sweaters, the princess started chuckling. ¡°Ellie loves them!¡± ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re so bad they¡¯re amazing again.¡± "Well, they seem comfy." As Maya was interested in fashion, she had mixed feelings about it. Afterward, the trio quickly changed into the wool sweaters to look the part. Sophia went for the green one, Maya decided on red, and Ellie got a red and green striped sweater. Then, the blonde moved over the big box of ornaments in front of the tree so they could start decorating it. ---------------- ¡°Fuzz thing first, right?¡± The eyes of the little tiger wandered between the box and the tree before she grabbed the end of the long golden garland. ¡°Yay!¡± Seeing the fuzzy lametta garland up close, something came over her, and she suddenly began spinning on the spot and wrapped herself in it. ¡°Yes, exactly like that.¡± Sophia smiled at the girl with the spiraled garland around her. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Maya stared at her. ¡°It was fuzzy and sparkly, so Ellie couldn¡¯t help it!¡± The princess had no remorse. ¡°Fair.¡± The blonde understood the feeling.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Is it?¡± The cat-girl had trouble following them. ¡°Yes.¡± The tigers nodded a couple of times. ¡°I see.¡± Maya gave up. ¡°Hold still for a moment.¡± She then got closer to the princess and began to unwrap her. "Ehehe~." She helped by spinning around the other way this time, and once she was freed, the cat-girl rewarded the little tiger with a head-pat. "Yay!" ¡°Well, even on Earth, cats loved Christmas trees, so that checks out.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t blame her. ¡°Should we put it on the tree together?¡± She then looked at the princess. ¡°YES!¡± ¡°Alrighty, how about you do the bottom half before Maya and I do the top part of the tree?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Saying so, the blonde put the end of the garland on the tree''s bottom layer and ensured it wouldn''t fall off before handing it over to Ellie. ¡°You can just lay it down on the twigs as you slowly go higher while walking around the tree.¡± ¡°Sounds easy enough!¡± Giving her a big nod, she took the fuzzy golden garland and started placing it on the tree while slowly going around it. ¡°That¡¯s all Ellie can reach!¡± After a couple of minutes and some laps around the tree, the arms of the princess stopped being long enough, so she decided to hand over the remaining garland to Maya next to her. ¡°You did well~.¡± The cat-girl once again patted the little tiger¡¯s head. ¡°Ehehe!¡± ¡°Do you want to do the rest?¡± Sophia looked at her girlfriend. ¡°I¡¯ve already done it many times, and you¡¯re also taller, so it would make the most sense.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re okay with that, sure!¡± As all of this was new to her, as well, Maya gladly wanted to give it a try, too. Just like Ellie, she slowly moved around the tree while carefully wrapping the garland around it until she reached the top. ¡°Ahaha! So silly!¡± Once she saw the finished product, the little tiger started laughing. ¡°Ellie loves it!¡± Nonetheless, she was a big fan of it. ¡°We¡¯re just getting started~.¡± Giving her a thumbs up first, Sophia then grabbed a Christmas ornament, a red bell-shaped pendant, and hung it on one of the twigs. ¡°You can take whatever you like from the box and put it on the tree. As many as you want, too.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The princess managed to get even more excited. ¡°You have to be a little careful, though.¡± The blonde took another ornament, a golden ball, and dangled it before the little tiger. "They''re made out of very thin glass, so if you drop them, they''ll break." ¡°Ellie will be the carefullest!¡± She reacted with a determined nod. She then quickly grabbed a silvery star-shaped ornament and carefully hung it from a twig while properly making sure it wouldn¡¯t fall off. "Wait, what''s that stringy, long, colorful thingy?!" While she was getting her next decoration to hang up, Ellie noticed something inside the box and pointed at it.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot about that! Those are fairy lights.¡± She remembered the many strings of battery-powered LED lights she had prepared. ¡°FAIRY LIGHTS?!¡± The little princess raised her voice by a fair bit. ¡°Wait, fairies are a thing here¡­?¡± Sophia wasn¡¯t sure how to take her reaction. ¡°It¡¯s just a name.¡± She then shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s, uhh¡­ a device that converts magic into colorful lights that shine for many hours.¡± It was a rather broad generalization. ¡°Ellie wants that!¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Sophia also gave the excited girl a pat on her head. "We''ll later use them to decorate the whole room, but at least one definitely belongs on the tree." Afterward, Sophia and Ellie wrapped the fairy string lights around the tree together before they returned to decorating it with all the ornaments from the box. Naturally, as the little princess was way too excited about it, the trio ended up fully overcrowding the tree in red, green, silver, and gold spheres, bells, stars, and various other trinkets and accessories. There barely was any tree left when they finally ran out of ornaments. Once the Christmas tree was full, the girls concentrated on the rest of the living room. With Ellie sitting on her shoulders, Sophia hung the fairy lightly all along the walls just under the ceiling while Maya hung a couple of Christmas wreaths on the walls, as well as decorating the dining table. ---------------- ¡°So pretty!¡± Once everything was fully decorated, Ellie¡¯s eyes were sparkling almost as much as the ornaments all around them. ¡°The fairies look sad, though!¡± She looked at all the string lights and didn''t feel like they were overly impressive. ¡°Don''t worry, they¡¯ll wake up soon~.¡± Sophia smiled at her because the fairy lights still needed to be turned on. ¡°Before that, we have to place the most important decoration, though.¡± ¡°We¡¯re missing something?!¡± Ellie¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock. Yes!¡± She nodded and pulled the last remaining ornament out of the big box. It was a massive golden star attached to a hollow stand. ¡°This has to go on the very tip of the tree. If we don''t do that, Christmas will get canceled." ¡°NO WAY!¡± The little princess started panicking. ¡°Hurry up and put it on!¡± ¡°I need some help, though.¡± Saying so, the blonde kneeled down and tapped her shoulder. ¡°The star has to be put on the tree by the most important person in the room, so the princess has to do it. Get on my shoulders, and I lift you up." ¡°Okay!¡± Feeling the sense of urgency, the little tiger immediately climbed onto Sophia''s shoulders, and the blonde lifted her up. ¡°Be careful with it, okay?¡± Gently holding Ellie¡¯s legs with one arm, the taller tiger then handed the big golden star over to her. ¡°Now, just slide the base over the tip of the tree, and Christmas won''t be canceled." ¡°Done!¡± Following her instruction, the princess carefully attached it to the very tip of the tree. ¡°Were we on time?!¡± ¡°There¡¯s only one way to find out.¡± The panicking princess caused her to chuckle. ¡°Do you see the black dot on the base of the star? Try to push it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ WAOH!¡± Once she located the button, the princess immediately pushed it, and the star started glowing. As it turned out, the ornament was also battery-powered, and Sophia simply came up with a story around it. ¡°So pretty! That means Crimmas is saved, right?!¡± ¡°Yes, we were luckily in time.¡± ¡°YAY!¡± After her cheer, Sophia put the little tiger back on the floor before she turned on the fairy light inside the tree as well as all the others in the room, so hundreds of tiny LED lights in green, red, and blue colors cozily illuminated the whole room. ¡°WAOH!¡± ¡°This is so pretty!¡± Maya was also mesmerized by it. ¡°It sure is~.¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°Alrighty, should we try and bake some Christmas cookies now that the mood is appropriate?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The two liked the plan. ---------------- As they wanted to enjoy the mood they had created in the living room, the couple decided it would be best to prepare the cookies on the dining table. They first cleaned it up a bit before getting all the needed ingredients and utensils from the kitchen. Afterward, Sophia also provided everyone with pink aprons with a Christmas tree motif on the front. ¡°Does So¡­phia know how to make cookies?¡± The princess looked at the blonde while they were getting everything ready. ¡°I¡¯m an expert at eating cookies~.¡± Her response was a little different. ¡°So is Ellie!¡± The little tiger felt even closer to the taller one. "You two are something else." Maya rolled her eyes, though she was smiling at the same time, too. ¡°Do we need anything special for Christmas cookies, or are they the same as regular ones?¡± She got back on the topic. "The cookies themselves are regular, uhh, short¡­ crust pastry?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°The crumbly crispy one.¡± ¡°Ahh, okay.¡± The cat-girl understood her. ¡°Though, I love to have cinnamon in them.¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Cinnamon is a very Christmas-like spice on Earth.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Maya nodded along. ¡°The main thing that turns them into Christmas cookies are those~.¡± Saying so, she showed her a bunch of cookie cutters in one hand, and various tubes with food dies in the other. The cutters mainly were star, candy cane, and tree-shaped, while the colors were a bright green, red, and white. ¡°Once they¡¯re baked, we¡¯re going to use those eatable colors, they¡¯re mostly just sugar, to decorate the cookies.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cool.¡± The cat-girl liked the idea. ¡°Waoh!¡± Ellie energetically clapped her hands. ¡°Crimmas is the king of decoration!¡± ¡°It sure is~.¡± The blonde agreed with her. Knowing more about the type of cookies, Maya then started mixing the ingredients together. Naturally, she added a healthy helping of cinnamon to the dough to make her girlfriend happy. After the dough was properly kneaded through and through, they lightly dusted the table in flower and gave Ellie the task of flattening it by using a wooden dough roll. Once that was taken care of, the girls used the cookie cutters to create the base cookies in many different Christmas-themed shapes. Around 15 minutes later, the entire dough was turned into cookies, and the trio relocated to the kitchen and put the sheet pans into the oven to bake until they were lightly brown and done before letting them cool down for another 20 minutes. Then, they returned to the living room and started painting them with the food colors and various other sugar-based decorations like pearls and glitter. Ellie couldn¡¯t help herself and had to eat a couple of cookies before they even got the chance to be decorated. The girls continued to concentrate on the cookies for the rest of the afternoon before eventually getting comfortable on the sofa. There, while cuddling with each other a little, they munched on the cookies while listening to a few stories about Christmas that Sophia told them about. Ellie was also glad she had been a good girl the past year. The bestest of girls, even. After all, she didn''t like the idea of getting coal, so she was delighted when Santa gave her a few new plushies for her collection and promised to be an even besterest girl in the following year. Chapter 150 – New outfits (Sophia and Steph) Maya, Chloe, and Ari also finished their shopping trip, and after treating themselves to some cake, they returned to the mansion in the capital to meet up with the other three, who also had gotten everything they wanted. All that was left now was to present each other with their haul and maybe do a small fashion show for each other. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here already, good.¡± Arriving at the mansion, Ari was glad that Anna and the sisters weren¡¯t still out shopping. ¡°We just got here, too~.¡± The princess smiled at her. ¡°Did you all get everything you wanted?¡± Chloe wanted to know how successful the other group was. ¡°Yup.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°I even got some extra tops in different colors!¡± Steph proudly held up the shopping bag she was carrying. "That''s quite a small back for a full outfit with multiple shirts, though." The fox-girl tilted her head. ¡°While it¡¯s a lot of pieces, it¡¯s very little fabric that takes up no space~.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe liked the sound of that. ¡°I was worried that Sophia would rob me of my eye candy!¡± ¡°What do I have to do with any of that?¡± The blonde looked confused. ¡°Well, you were so fussy about skirts and kinda uncomfortable with wearing showy clothes in public, so there was a chance you¡¯d rein in my Steph too much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I didn''t want to let my sister run around naked in public!¡± Sophia glared at her. ¡°I don''t care when she does it at home, but it¡¯s a different story outside!¡± ¡°Such oppression!¡± Steph used the chance to become dramatic. ¡°In all seriousness, even I know that I can¡¯t run around naked in public.¡± ¡°Good.¡± ¡°But, don¡¯t worry, my beloved!¡± The dog-girl then faced her fox. ¡°She was slightly concerned that my new top could show a part of my bra from a certain angle, but she had no intention of stopping me.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± Chloe clapped her hands. ¡°In the first place, dearest sister of mine, the shorts you got aren¡¯t much more modest than the ones I got.¡± Steph stared at the blonde. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d argue that they reveal even more inner thigh than mine do.¡± ¡°What a joyous day!¡± Hearing that, Maya also got excited. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s¡­ uhm, not exactly wrong, but the cut of both shorts is extremely different!¡± Sophia needed to think of a comeback first. ¡°Yours go up way more on the sides and reveal more outer hips, which makes it a lot more suggestive.¡± ¡°Steph¡¯s shorts show a lot more butt, as well.¡± Anna suddenly joined in. ¡°Sophia¡¯s only highlight and accentuate a bit of the underside of her rear. Steph¡¯s, on the other hand, REALLY go all out on the backside.¡± ¡°Just where were you looking when we didn¡¯t pay attention?!¡± The sisters perfectly synced up. ¡°Where any girl that loves girls would look.¡± The princess wasn¡¯t the least bit guilty about it. ¡°Fair.¡± Sophia and Steph could get behind that reasoning. ¡°It sounds like your shopping trip was a success, huh?¡± Chloe tried to summarize their exchange. ¡°Very!¡± The trio nodded in agreement. ¡°What about you three?¡± Steph got curious about their side. ¡°Just as well!¡± The fox-girl smiled at her. ¡°Ari¡¯s new clothes are super pretty, Maya¡¯s outfit looks gorgeous, and I found something cute and airy~.¡± ¡°I look forward to seeing everything!¡± Steph couldn¡¯t wait. ¡°Though, it¡¯s surprising that the biggest pervert of our group has opted for the classiest outfit.¡± The jaguar had to take a jab at Maya. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± The dog-girl tilted her head while staring at Ari. ¡°Haven¡¯t you always been dressing modestly and classy?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about myself!¡± She immediately got loud. ¡°Good one!¡± The cat-girl gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Alright, time for a fashion show!¡± Steph couldn¡¯t wait any longer.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Afterward, the girls returned to the cottage in Sophia''s domain because they felt more at home there at this point and got ready to show off their new clothes. ---------------- Back there, they got comfortable in the living room before splitting up in duos to present their new outfits to the others. ¡°Did you make your boobs even bigger?¡± Steph and Sophia had left the living room to change, and the dog-girl stared at her sister when she was only wearing her underwear, a set of a black bra and panties. The focus of her gaze lay on a quite specific spot. ¡°It¡¯s not a pushup bra, so there¡¯s definitely more volume compared to when we all went to the hot spring together two days ago.¡± ¡°Why are you ogling your own sister?¡± Sophia raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s the job of the younger sister to make sure the older one is healthy.¡± ¡°The younger sister has a lot of jobs, doesn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Are they bigger?¡± The blonde looked down at herself. "Stop feigning ignorance, or I''ll find out myself!" Saying so, the dog-girl lifted her arms and imitated a claw movement with her hands. ¡°It¡¯s not sexual harassment if the little sister cops a feel to make sure everything is in order.¡± ¡°It absolutely is!¡± The tiger disagreed with her. ¡°There¡¯s room to argue that it might be even worse.¡± ¡°There¡¯s not!¡± ¡°The size of my chest is a complicated topic.¡± Not wanting to be groped by Steph, she eventually started talking. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to be, though.¡± ¡°It is if you can freely adjust them.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Especially when your girlfriend loves to play with them and constantly asks for different sizes while we¡¯re going at it. Well, it''s fun, so I don''t mind, but it gets a little confusing.¡± ¡°I really have much to learn before I finally will be able to operate on Maya¡¯s level.¡± The white-haired girl became even more of a role model for the dog. ¡°Anyway, I also wasn''t a fan of my chest size when I came to this world after Canir made me look younger. Once I realized I could just freely adjust or grow them with magic, I did just that. I wanted it to be natural, though, so I only do a little at a time. It is a little hard to keep track of it, so they seem bigger or smaller than on the days before, I guess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an interesting issue to have.¡± Steph didn''t exactly show sympathy for her. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She had nothing to say in her defense. ¡°That¡¯s also why I love the oversized shirt I got. It makes your size harder to guess.¡± ¡°I guess, but they definitely show that you¡¯re stacked. Oversized shirts on small girls take away everything, while they enhance the feel for the ones with an already big chest.¡± ¡°Not the worst fate.¡± Sophia could live with it. I want to be somewhere in between Ari and Maya, so I¡¯d say I¡¯m in a good spot right now~.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°Well, you could also just be happy with what you were given as I do, but to each their own.¡± ¡°Girl, you changed your hair, eyes, I¡¯m pretty sure you got smaller, and became a different SPECIES two minutes after arriving in this world. You have no right to tell me what I do with my body and what not. Before you say that I did the same, I accidentally became a tiger while you knew exactly what you were doing.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She froze. Even her always-active tail stopped wagging for a second. ¡°Additionally,¡± She then put her hands under her chest and scooped them up a little. ¡°I¡¯d say that they¡¯re actually closer to my old self right now, meaning I¡¯m just returning a little to what was given to me.¡± ¡°Trying to be cheeky backfired on me here, huh?¡± The dog-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°Sure has.¡± ¡°Well, it sounds like an excuse now, but having fun is the most important thing, so I guess it¡¯s fine that you change your boobs as often as others change their clothes.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like her wording. ¡°Anyway, speaking about changing, how about we put on our new clothes already?¡± She had noticed that the two were talking to each other in their underwear for the last ten minutes. "Okay, you''re wearing about as much, if not more, than usual at home, but that''s not the point at the moment.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± She didn¡¯t sound too happy about it. ¡°I''ll wear some clothes at home for a change, to show the others my choice." ¡°Good girl.¡± Smiling at her sister, Sophia then finally put on her new shirt and shorts. For now, she had decided to try on the green top first. She also combined the outfit with a new pair of sneakers she had gotten from her old world a little while ago. While she loved the boots that she was able to get in the new world, sporty shoes that were breathable, soft, and light, thanks to using synthetic fibers, were still something she preferred from Earth. ¡°Done!¡± The dog-girl slipped into her shorts and opted for the pink crop top she bought. Her shoes were still the same, but she had exchanged her black thigh-high socks for black ones that only covered half of her calves. ¡°You know, I just realized one downside to my new top. With it being so short and barely covering my chest when I stand still, going braless in this outfit is probably not a good idea. Especially when I jump around. It would be quite something if the top rolls up and there¡¯s no bra to cover up the girls.¡± ¡°That is very true.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Wait, what do you mean by in this outfit?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Steph cutely tilted her head. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Then, she dragged her into the living room to present themselves to the girls. ¡°WOW!¡± Seeing the sisters, Maya and Chloe immediately got excited and loud. After all, they would be enjoying the sisters the most, so they were delighted by the new revealing looks. ¡°You look so cute, Sophia!¡± Ari was a big fan of the blonde. ¡°Your legs have to be out in the open, after all! Your leggings were adorable, but this is better! The tied oversized shirt, together with a bit of belly, is really great! I love it!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Sophia liked that. ¡°Steph looks amazing, too!¡± The jaguar then focused on the little sister. ¡°It¡¯s indeed very skimpy, but in an adorable way! Your figure and body type are perfect for it. You look hot, thanks to showing so much skin, but it doesn¡¯t feel cheap at all! Good choice!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Exactly what I was going for~.¡± Afterward, once Chloe and Maya recovered from their initial overwhelming feelings of seeing their girlfriends in new clothes that made them look extremely hot, the duo showered them with compliments while checking them out from every angle. They also kept doing so after every time the sisters changed into the different colors they had gotten. Chapter 151 – New outfits (Chloe and Ari) Everyone in the group got their new clothes and returned to the cottage inside Sophia¡¯s domain to present their new clothes. There, they split into duos, and the sisters were the first to present their new outfits to the others. Naturally, everyone liked the somewhat revealing but still adorable look they went for. ¡°Alright, that was a strong start!¡± Once they finished admiring the sisters, Ari lightly clapped her hands. "Should we go next, Chloe?" "Okay!" The fox-girl nodded, and the two left the living room soon after. Just like the sisters before, the two also decided to change together as they were comfortable enough with each other to not care about that. ¡°Wow, every time I see you without clothes, I can¡¯t help but admire you.¡± Even though they were comfortable around each other, Chloe just had to stare at the jaguar, who had stripped down to her underwear and was currently just wearing a set of a black lace bra and panties with a few flowery red accents on both. ¡°You have such a great figure! How do you get such a perfect body?!¡± ¡°T-Thanks.¡± Ari started blushing. ¡°You probably have to thank my parents for that, though. They gave it to me, after all, and I¡¯m only maintaining it. Also, I think that¡¯s pretty subjective, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No!¡± She shook her head. ¡°You¡¯re objectively extremely attractive. You¡¯re not my preferred type, Steph¡¯s the personification of that, but you¡¯re just all around so pretty! It¡¯s crazy!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar was too embarrassed to reply. ¡°I¡¯m so envious!¡± ¡°Eh?!¡± That was enough to make her talk again. ¡°Our body types are quite different, but you¡¯re adorable! There¡¯s no reason to be envious.¡± While saying so, the jaguar checked out the fox from ear tips to her toes. She had also stripped down to her underwear, which obviously was a pink and white set of a bra and panties with an extra frilly hem on both. Thanks to that, Ari could be pretty confident about her claim. ¡°Also, your boobs are massive, which is something I can absolutely not claim for myself! In fact, between us six girlies, only Steph is smaller than I am! I used to be above Sophia, but she just won¡¯t stop growing!¡± ¡°That girl¡¯s crazy, isn¡¯t she?¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous!¡± ¡°So, you want to be bigger?¡± ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t say no to a little more, but I¡¯m okay with what I have.¡± She just shrugged. ¡°I think my proportions work okay-ish.¡± ¡°Your proportions are AMAZING!¡± "So are yours, so don''t ever say that you''re envious again." Ari stared at her. "I don''t know. Sometimes, they make me feel a little cubby, though." ¡°Shut up, will you?!¡± The jaguar got upset. ¡°Having curves or being squishy is nothing negative! For many, it¡¯s a sign of femininity! Everyone in our group would agree with me calling you the most feminine girl around!¡± ¡°T-Thanks!¡± Ari managed to make her blush. ¡°Though, if you really feel like you¡¯re chubby, you could try to be sportier and get some more endurance. It will make you feel more healthy. I need to do the same, not to lose weight or change my body, but simply to feel more comfortable with myself.¡± "Ah." Chloe''s expression turned awkward. After all, she knew full well just how lazy she was. ¡°Let¡¯s try some of this yoga thing together that the sisters talked about a little while ago.¡± She smiled at her again. ¡°It sounded like it would be perfect for us. Being flexible is essential to feeling healthy!¡± ¡°I¡¯d love that!¡± The fox-girl¡¯s mood improved. ¡°Let¡¯s do that!¡± ---------------- ¡°Seriously, if you ever going to call yourself chubby again, I¡¯ll get angry.¡± The duo finished changing, and Ari just stared at the fox while slowly shaking her head. The jaguar had decided to combine her new white vest with the red skirt, a pair of brown sandals, and a black bowtie, while Chloe had opted for a frilly white top, a black skirt, and pure white overknees. ¡°Your waist isn¡¯t any bigger than mine! You have bigger boobs, curvier hips, and soft thighs. It¡¯s the perfect combination for many! You¡¯re not just cute, but you¡¯re also gorgeous, and trust me, I''m not just saying that because I love big boobs."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well, you are dating Anna, so the last part is not your most convincing argument.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°I guarantee that the girls will be all over you the moment we enter the living room. Okay, wait, that¡¯s actually not a good one because they are all over everything female.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Chloe had to chuckle at that. ¡°Thank you! I mean, I don¡¯t actually think that way, either, but sometimes you just have those thoughts.¡± ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair enough.¡± Ari was well aware that everyone sometimes has moments when they aren''t happy with themselves. ¡°It¡¯s great that you¡¯re looking out for others like that!¡± ¡°I was self-conscious about my hair for the longest time, so I know my fair share about this. Thanks to the help of mostly our dear tigers, I also know that it¡¯s stupid to worry about such things. At the very least, when they''re just plain wrong and self-inflicted worries.¡± ¡°Ahhh.¡± The fox-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°By the way, you also look even more stunning in your new clothes." She had to return the compliments. ¡°Sophia will go crazy seeing your bare legs all day now. With good reason, I want to add. It was more than time for you to give short skirts and no pantyhose or leggings a try. The vest and no sleeves also work so well on you!¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Ari smiled at her. ¡°Though, I probably need a little time to get used to it. It was my idea, but I feel a tiny bit exposed at the moment. Then again, I¡¯m still wearing more than the sisters, especially Steph, so that helps a lot.¡± ¡°I love Steph¡¯s outfit!¡± ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes. ¡°She does look great, though.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked that her girlfriend got complimented. ¡°Alright, should we go and show the others?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Chloe energetically raised her arm high in the air. ¡°Steph sure has rubbed off on you.¡± Ari had to smile at this very typical reaction. ¡°On all of us~.¡± She lightly corrected her. ¡°Not wrong.¡± ---------------- ¡°WOW!¡± Steph and Anna immediately got very excited after their girlfriends returned to the living room in their new clothes. ¡°Ohh!¡± Sophia also liked the view, and because she wasn¡¯t as affected by the duo, as she wasn¡¯t dating them, she didn¡¯t need any time to think of some words. ¡°Even with pure white overknees, your legs are amazing, Chloe!" She started with the most crucial part. ¡°They are a work of art! The top is great, too! I like the frills! And the boobs! They were kinda hidden in your pullover, but they sure are not any more! I also low how it accentuates and highlights your thin waist! Your figure is so gorgeous, so I highly approve of seeing more of it!" She just casually confirmed everything Ari had told the fox earlier. ¡°See?!¡± The jaguar smiled at Chloe while sporting a smug expression. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She only reacted with a chuckle. ¡°Speaking of gorgeous!¡± The blonde then focused on Ari. ¡°Thank you!¡± She was staring at her legs especially. ¡°Short skirt, beautiful bare legs, cute sandals! Perfection!¡± She was a girl of few words. ¡°The vest is adorable, too! The red works quite well on you, too.¡± ¡°Thank you~.¡± The jaguar enjoyed the praise. "I''m the luckiest girl in existence!" Once the blonde finished her compliments, it was finally Anna¡¯s and Steph¡¯s turn, and the duo immediately synced up. ¡°Perfect reply.¡± Chloe and Ari smiled at them. ¡°Your old pullover looked comfy, but this is so much better!¡± The dog-girl went first while looking at her fox. ¡°Bare stomach would¡¯ve also been amazing, but spaghetti tops with some cleavage are the best! Amazing choice! Also, what my observant sister said! It makes your waist look even better! I didn¡¯t know that was even possible! The skirt is cute, too! Although, I would¡¯ve loved to see more of you in bare legs. Don''t get me wrong, I love overknees, and those pure white ones are amazing, but¡­¡± She scratched her cheek towards the end. ¡°I was actually thinking about going bare legs, as well. After all, it¡¯s way too warm to have them.¡± Chloe nodded in agreement. ¡°It was more a force of habit and because those white ones looked really cute!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so pretty!¡± Once Steph calmed down a little, it was finally Anna¡¯s turn to praise Ari. ¡°I love everything about it! I¡¯ve never seen you wearing a vest, so this is new and exciting! Bare arms and partially visible shoulders are a big plus, too.¡± ¡°I wanted to try something new~.¡± The jaguar seemed happy that her princess liked her look. ¡°Speaking of new, it¡¯s not the shortest skirt you¡¯ve worn, our school uniform probably was shorter, but it¡¯s new for you not wearing tights! With the short skirt, no legwear, and those sandals that are only barely covering more than going barefoot, I really hope Sophia is going to have neck issues in the future from looking down so much.¡± ¡°Don''t worry, my healing magic will take care of that~.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t even try to deny it. ¡°I like how she¡¯s usually one of the least horny unless it¡¯s about legs.¡± Anna lightly rolled her eyes before continuing. ¡°The red is interesting, too! Our uniform¡¯s skirt was also kind of red, but it was checkered, so it¡¯s totally different. It works so well with the white vest and your black hair! Also, those sandals are adorable!¡± "I love them, too." Ari was also delighted about her sandals. ¡°I¡¯m happy you like my experiment! I¡¯ve gotten a lot more comfortable with myself thanks to the group, so I felt like showing off a little more.¡± ¡°I love this group!¡± The princess smiled at everyone else in the room. ¡°Yup!¡± The others felt the same. Afterward, Ari and Chloe also changed in the other color variations the two got and showed off some more. Steph especially liked the light violet and sky-blue tops of Chloe, even more so than the white one, while Anna had a hard time picking her favorite between the red and black skirts the jaguar bought. Not that she didn¡¯t like the all-white version, though. Chapter 152 – New outfits (Maya and Anna) Chloe and Ari showed off their new clothes, and everyone loved how cute and pretty they looked. Even more than before, that is. Naturally, the duo was glad everyone liked their new clothes and were happy they decided to get the outfit they settled on. ¡°Alright, should we go now?¡± After she finished watching Ari in her new clothes, Anna turned to look at Ari. ¡°Sure!¡± She nodded. ¡°We already saved the bests for last, so we can¡¯t have them wait even longer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true!¡± The princess liked her way of thinking. ¡°Hey!¡± The others, however, didn¡¯t. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Liking their reaction, the duo then left the living room to change. ---------------- ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little odd that we see each other naked or at least in underwear so often?¡± Just like the others before, Anna and Maya had opted to change together, and while doing so, the princess looked at the cat-girl in her full-white lace bra and panties after having stripped down to it. ¡°Not at all~.¡± Maya looked back at the princess while checking out the sportier dark blue underwear she was wearing. ¡°In fact, I welcome it!¡± ¡°I might¡¯ve asked the wrong person here.¡± She lightly rolled her eyes in return. ¡°You looked at me first, you know?¡± ¡°I never said I¡¯m not a pervert!¡± ¡°So, what do you want to hear, then¡­?¡± Maya got confused. ¡°Do you have an issue with it or not?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I love girls, after all. Seeing them in no or next to clothing, especially when everyone in our group looks so amazing, is a big plus!¡± Anna got quite energetic over it. ¡°I was just wondering if I should mind, though?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The cat-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°I mean, I¡¯m a pretty open pervert, so I definitely say you shouldn¡¯t mind, but¡­ Why do you think you maybe should mind?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re all dating someone, right?¡± The princess paused for a moment. ¡°The last time I checked, I was fairly certain that I¡¯m only dating one girl and not five.¡± ¡°That might depend a little on your definition of dating because we¡¯ve gotten really close, but yes, for the most part, that is the case.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly it!¡± Anna raised her voice. ¡°Is it okay to be this close with others if you¡¯re dating someone else?¡± ¡°As long as your partner, Ari in your case or Sophia in mine, doesn¡¯t mind, I don¡¯t see why not. Those two, especially, are like the most ambiguous, too. I wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of that in the beginning, but I stopped being jealous of that a long time ago. It would be extremely unfair if I¡¯m allowed to be the pervert I am while she isn¡¯t even allowed some flirting.¡± ¡°That is fair.¡± The princess nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the same for me, too. I used to be extremely jealous, but it somehow turned into me just being happy that Ari gets along so well with so many people at some point.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°I still hate it if someone else I don¡¯t know tries to flirt with her, though!¡± ¡°Same!¡± Maya heartily agreed with her. ¡°That¡¯s why I think it¡¯s okay that we aren¡¯t as strictly monogamous as we started out last year.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± She still wasn¡¯t entirely sure what to think about it. ¡°There are still some differences, you know?¡± Maya looked right at her. ¡°I do love you, but not nearly as much as I love Sophia. I know it¡¯s the same for your feelings for Ari and me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± ¡°Also, while we maybe, depending on who you ask, had some questionable group activities, I don¡¯t remember having had sex with you.¡± ¡°True!" The princess understood the angle from which she was coming. ¡°Those activities also always included Ari in my case so that it didn¡¯t become weird.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I think the thing we have going on here is perfectly okay!¡± The cat-girl decided to summarize their conversation.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Should we talk about this with everyone at some point to see if we really all are on the same page?¡± The tiger wanted to make sure no one felt uncomfortable. ¡°Sure, that might not be a bad idea.¡± Maya nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the current object first, though.¡± ¡°What was that again?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°I only remember us looking at each other in our underwear.¡± ¡°Speaking of,¡± The cat-girl then focused on the top half of the princess and pointed at the dark blue full-cup bra she was wearing. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that bra is too small for you. It¡¯s pushing out at the sides a little.¡± ¡°Yeah, it has gotten a little tight lately.¡± ¡°They got bigger?!¡± "A little.¡± The tiger awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Actually, the tops I got while shopping are of the sporty kind and double as a bra, as well. I got a perfect size, so that shouldn¡¯t be an issue any longer. Well, I still need a few new ones for other clothes, but that¡¯s for later~.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Maya got even more excited. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get changed already!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Afterward, they did just that. Though, as Anna mentioned that she was also going to change her bra, or instead into a top that doubled as one, Maya opted to turn around to not ride around on the earlier topic for even more. ---------------- ¡°Woah!¡± Once they finished changing, the cat-girl turned around again and quickly raised her voice after seeing the princess in her new clothes. She had opted for the black top with the white accent color over her collarbone. ¡°All three of you went for midriff?!¡± She stared at Anna¡¯s stomach. ¡°Also, I see now what you meant with the integrated bra. Rather than integrated, this basically is a sports bra with some extra bits to make it a standalone piece of clothing!¡± ¡°Pretty much~.¡± The tiger nodded. ¡°It looks great!¡± The cat-girl just nodded. ¡°It seems pretty supportive, too, so I can see why you like it. It really gives some great adventurer feeling, as well. The denim skirt and bare legs also work amazingly well!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Anna enjoyed being praised. ¡°You look absolutely stunning!¡± She then focused on Maya, who had decided to wear her new black skirt with the thin white stripes, the white top with black highlights, and the black boots she had gotten on a whim when the jaguar got her new sandals. ¡°It¡¯s such a pretty dress! Though, why is the biggest pervert wearing the most adorable and modest clothes? Actually, this seems exactly like something Ari would wear.¡± ¡°She was actually a little jealous that I found this outfit before her.¡± Maya sounded a little smug. ¡°She also said that it would fit me better, though. Mostly because the top works better with bigger boobs.¡± She lightly lifted her own chest while saying so. ¡°That¡¯s a point.¡± The princess stared at Maya¡¯s breast for a moment before continuing. ¡°Ari¡¯s new outfit is also quite bold, more so than yours even, but I¡¯ve never seen her showing cleavage outside of home, while your top is actually quite showy. The overall cute look of your outfit makes it quite innocent, though.¡± ¡°Imagine calling anything related to me innocent.¡± The cat-girl let out a small chuckle. ¡°Yes, I feel weird having said that, too.¡± Anna scratched her cheek. ¡°Anyway, it looks great on you! It¡¯s a little unexpected that you went for the most innocent-looking outfit in the group, but it works so well with your hair and figure!¡± ¡°Thank you~.¡± She also appreciated the praise. ---------------- Once the two finished checking each other out and showering the other in compliments, they finally returned to the living room to present themselves to the others. ¡°Ohh, more bare stomach!¡± Seeing her girlfriend, Ari immediately looked rather happy. ¡°What a blessing!¡± She liked it a lot. ¡°The top is amazing! It looks very comfy, and it seems quite supportive, too." The jaguar took a better look at it. ¡°It¡¯s an integrated one, huh? It¡¯s so sporty, perfect for someone like you who likes to bounce all over the place!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Anna was happy that it had such a great reception. "Yes! It''s super supportive and helps keep everything in place. Well, they still jiggle a good bit, but nowhere close to being a problem.¡± ¡°I love jiggling!¡± Steph just had to add a comment. ¡°Same!¡± She wasn¡¯t alone with it, either, and got many supportive voices backing her up. ¡°I love the denim skirt!¡± Chloe also complimented the princess. ¡°Nice and short, and that slit on the side probably makes it really easy to move in!¡± ¡°It does!¡± Anna nodded. ¡°Normally, denim skirts are a little stiff, but this one isn¡¯t at all.¡± ¡°It really accentuates your legs, too!¡± The jaguar¡¯s line of sight wandered further down. ¡°It¡¯s great! Also, those shoes look interesting. They seem rather similar to what the sisters wear.¡± She noticed the black and white sneakers the princess was wearing. "Sophia got them for me the other day, and I decided to combine them with the new outfit. I¡¯ve never worn shoes as comfortable as those!¡± ¡°Our old world is good for some things.¡± Steph scratched her cheek. ¡°Comfy sporty shoes are one of these things.¡± ¡°They are amazing!¡± Anna nodded in agreement. ¡°Speaking of amazing,¡± Having heard that word a few times now, Sophia finally spoke up while looking at her cat-girl. ¡°I love it!¡± ¡°Short and right to the point, I love that~.¡± Maya smiled at her. ¡°The top is so cute, and I love the cleavage!¡± The blonde got a little lost in it. ¡°The lace part is the best! The black accents are so nice, too! The skirt is also way too beautiful! All those little white lines really lighten it up and tie everything together. It¡¯s short enough to give me lots of room to appreciate your legs! Thank you very much for being so considerate!¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome~.¡± The cat-girl liked it when Sophia was openly being a pervert. ¡°Those black boots look great, as well! Everything is so carefully chosen and combined. So fashionable! I have much to learn!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll happily teach you!¡± Maya would love to go on a shopping trip with her, after all. Once everyone calmed down, Maya and Anna went to change a couple of more times because there were still more variations the two wanted to show off. Ari ended up really liking the pink top the princess had gotten talked into because it was cute, and everyone adored the red version of Maya¡¯s outfit. Chapter 153 – Practicality of clothes Maya and Anna also finished presenting their new clothes. With that, everyone had seen the outfits they were going to wear from now on and their many colorful variations. Naturally, the girls went all out and were more than ready to face the upcoming summer months now. ¡°Okay, first things first, I love the outfits of you two.¡± A little after everyone showed off their new clothes, Sophia eventually addressed Maya and Ari. ¡°Very cute, very classy, very pretty, very sexy.¡± She gave each a thumbs up. ¡°But?¡± The two tilted their heads. ¡°Is it really a good outfit for running around and exploring, though?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± The jaguar and cat-girl nodded. ¡°Really?¡± The blonde raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯d love to hear your explanation on that.¡± ¡°Because the outfit looks cute!¡± The duo synced up perfectly. ¡°Solid reasoning.¡± Chloe saw no flaw in their reply. ¡°Okay, normally, I would agree that cute is always the answer.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t exactly blame them for their reaction. ¡°Still, sandals?¡± She focused on Ari¡¯s feet. ¡°We¡¯re traveling through all kinds of terrain, so you¡¯ll constantly have to deal with sticks or pebbles getting stuck in there. Heck, we¡¯re about to enter a desert, so that will be a lot of fun with sandals.¡± ¡°Worth it for the fashion points!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t regret it in the slightest. ¡°I just wanted to mention it.¡± The blonde shrugged in return. ¡°Same for Maya.¡± She then focused on her girlfriend. ¡°You look perfect for a date, but traversing through an overgrown forest like we did a couple of days ago?¡± ¡°My fire magic is stronger than some shrubbery that could damage or dirty my clothes.¡± The cat-girl saw no issues with her choice, either. ¡°I tried, didn¡¯t I?¡± Sophia turned to Steph for help. ¡°You do realize that your clothes aren¡¯t suited much, if any better than theirs, to explore a desert, right?" The dog-girl slowly shook her head. ¡°In fact, none of our clothes really work for such a hazardous place. You¡¯re supposed to wear long clothes to protect your body from the sun and sand.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± She froze. ¡°W-Well, there¡¯s always magic to take of such things.¡± The blonde awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°That¡¯s why our outfits are just as fine as yours~.¡± Ari and Maya smiled at her. ¡°Fine.¡± Sophia gave up. ¡°I guess my worries were unfounded.¡± ¡°Sure were!¡± ¡°Speaking of the desert, now that we have new clothes, fitting or not, should we try and find it already.¡± Anna tried to get everyone back on track. ¡°Okay!¡± The others liked the plan. As it had gotten late already, though, the girls spent the rest of the day chatting and relaxing to have a fresh day dedicated to exploring. ---------------- ¡°How much farther away do you think it is?¡± The girls returned to the regular world and were currently walking through another green plain when the princess sounded a little eager to find the desert. ¡°We should get there today.¡± Aura was also with them and addressed the tall tiger. ¡°If I remember the location correctly, we should arrive at the outskirts of the desert.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± The princess got even more excited. ¡°The outskirts are the place Sophia and I have to visit first, too!¡± ¡°Why?¡± This was news to Ari. ¡°We want to borrow some animals.¡± Sophia smiled at the jaguar.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°For our savannah biome!¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°Ahh, I see.¡± Ari was relieved that it was nothing outrageous. ¡°That makes sense. The area around a desert and a savannah should be relatively similar, huh?¡± ¡°We hope!¡± ¡°Is your domain, especially that biome, ready for actual animals already?" Aura tilted her head in response. ¡°Well, we also need to borrow some food for the carnivores, as in smaller animals, but plants and stuff should be enough available, no?¡± The blonde wondered where the question came from. ¡°Is there anything missing?¡± ¡°You, out of everyone, should know that living beings like to sleep.¡± The wolf stared at the sleep-loving tiger. ¡°We have the jungle roof and a house with curtains. Animals rely on the natural day and night cycle for their sleep. Kind of hard to do that if everything around you is a constant bright white. Especially if we¡¯re talking about a savannah with little to no places to retreat.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The tigers had forgotten about that bit. ¡°It could maybe work if you make a couple of underground areas or dark caves for the animals to go and rest, but you¡¯d first need to test and find out if they¡¯re able to adapt to it.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯ll take a little longer to finish our kingdom, huh?¡± Looking visibly disappointed, Sophia looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°Yes.¡± Anna also hung her head. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely hide a portal there, though. Once we¡¯re ready to have animals, we¡¯ll get them immediately!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The princess cheered up a little. ¡°That sounds like a plan to me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep going!¡± Not going to be defeated by the slight setback, Sophia energetically raised her harm before pulling a portal stone out of her storage, but she then suddenly stopped while looking around for a bit. ¡°That way.¡± Aura, knowing perfectly well what the issue was, gestured to her right. ¡°Thank you!¡± Smiling at her, the blonde then finally threw the stone. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ---------------- ¡°Ohh!¡± After having taken the portal shortcut two times, the group arrived at the outskirts of a dry savanna-like grassland, which made the tigers quite excited. ¡°I¡¯m feeling too hot already¡­¡± ¡°Same!¡± Chloe and Steph weren¡¯t as much of a fan. ¡°It¡¯s just like the monster country!¡± Sophia lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Just with less weird and poisonous-looking plants and more regular animals!¡± ¡°So, it''s quite different?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°Small details!¡± The blonde ignored her. ¡°I can even see some gazelles and antelopes in the distance!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± The princess looked in the same direction with a miffed expression. ¡°It¡¯s sooooo unfortunate that we can¡¯t keep them yet!¡± ¡°YES!¡± Both tigers felt the same. ¡°I¡¯m already giving it my all with pouring all my magic into our savanna so we can try stuff as soon as possible!¡± Sophia gestured at the small portal attached to the tip of her tail. ¡°Great!¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll be sitting this one out.¡± The dog-girl already had enough. ¡°At least until it turns night, and it cools down.¡± ¡°I like that idea!¡± Chloe nodded a couple of times. ¡°No, I love that idea!¡± After all, she hated heat even more than Steph. "I''ll come and get you once it turns to night." Ari smiled at her. ¡°Thank you!¡± The fox-girl was happy about that. ¡°Because you want to leave before it gets cold, right?¡± Steph saw right through her. ¡°Do you want to know when it¡¯s safe to come exploring or not?¡± The jaguar stared right at her while slowly shaking her head. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The dog-girl immediately stopped the sass. ¡°Good.¡± ¡°Oh, could you send over Fen when you head back?¡± Aura looked at Steph. ¡°He was a little sleepy earlier, but he told me that he wanted to see the desert because it has been a while for him, too.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± She gave her a thumbs up. Afterward, the heat-hating duo left through a portal provided by Sophia to let the cats and Aura do their own thing. ---------------- ¡°Oho, it¡¯s just like the monster country!¡± Fen looked around with great interest. ¡°Just with less weird and poisonous-looking plants and more regular food!¡± The male wolf joined them instead of Chloe and Steph, and he had a pretty similar reaction to the blonde when he first saw the dry grassland in front of them. ¡°Seriously, that means nothing!¡± Ari had to make the same retort again. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t focus on the small details so much, my dear.¡± He just stared at her. ¡°It¡¯s always nice to be reminded why you and Sophia get along.¡± The jaguar rolled her eyes. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked that. ¡°Do you two still want to explore the grasslands, or should we try to get closer to the actual desert?" Maya looked at the tigers while tilting her head. ¡°I¡¯m fine for now.¡± The blonde shook her head. ¡°Same.¡± Anna did so, too. ¡°In fact, it would make it worse if we were to find even cooler things.¡± ¡°Okay, then let¡¯s go and find the desert!¡± The cat-girl seemed quite hyped about it. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re excited about it, all the more reason to find it immediately!¡± Sophia liked that Maya was looking forward to exploring. ¡°A grassland is cool and all, but I¡¯ve never been to a desert before! It¡¯s such an interesting place, from the sound of it, so I¡¯m really looking forward to it!¡± ¡°A cat liking a giant box of sand isn¡¯t exactly a surprise.¡± Fen just had to say it. ¡°Hey!¡± Maya didn¡¯t appreciate that. ¡°This and that are almost completely unrelated!¡± ¡°Almost, huh?¡± ¡°As if you aren¡¯t just here because you can dig to your heart''s content through the sand!" The cat-girl threw it back at the wolf. ¡°No comment.¡± He just turned his head away. ¡°Alrighty~!¡± Smiling broadly, Sophia clapped her hand to get everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Let¡¯s go and find the actual desert!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Doing as agreed on, the group wandered through the savanna-like grasslands for about half an hour before things eventually turned a lot sandier. Chapter 154 – Enjoying the sand The group reached the savanna-like grasslands bordering the desert they wanted to visit, which made the two tigers very excited. Unfortunately, that feeling didn''t last long. Initially, Anna and Sophia planned to get a bunch of animals from there to place them in their own biome, but Aura mentioned that normal animals need a functioning day and night circle. As this wasn''t yet a thing inside the blonde''s domain, they had to put their plan on hold for the time being and decided to head to the desert immediately. ¡°Ohh!¡± The group crossed the grasslands and saw the actual desert unfold in front of them, which made Maya the most excited out of them. ¡°This looks so cool!¡± She excitedly looked at the seemingly never-ending amount of sand that turned more and more orange the further she looked. Countless dunes of varying sizes began to form not too far away from them, as well. ¡°Just as I remember it~.¡± Fen also seemed in a great mood. ¡°It seems to have gotten quite a bit bigger, though.¡± Aura tried to see into the distance to gauge how vast the desert in front of them was. "I can''t even make a guess on its size. It seems to go on forever.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s been a couple hundreds of years, so it¡¯s natural that it changed.¡± The male wolf had an easy explanation for her feelings. ¡°That is a good point.¡± ¡°How do you traverse a desert?¡± While Ari was also taking in the side, she curiously tilted her head to the side as she tried to find any landmarks for orientation. ¡°Everything looks exactly the same, so how do you not get terribly lost? Aside from using advanced magic, that is.¡± She lightly eyed the wolves and Sophia at the end. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d get lost even with magic.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°You¡¯d get lost on a straight street, so that¡¯s not a surprise.¡± Fen just stared at her. ¡°That is just because I don¡¯t do well with straight things!¡± She started pouting in return. ¡°There are actually a few things that make navigating the desert possible that don¡¯t rely on magic.¡± Aura ignored Sophia and looked at the jaguar. ¡°If you know the place already, you¡¯d definitely see patterns or recognize a set of rocks. Following established tracks is another option.¡± "That might be true, but what about people that have never been there before?" The jaguar wasn¡¯t entirely happy with that. ¡°The easiest way to get around would be by following the cardinal directions.¡± The female wolf looked up. ¡°The sun has quite the presence, so using it to figure out is not that hard. On this side of the planet, it roughly rises in the east, has its highest point towards the south, and then disappears, more or less, in the west. It won¡¯t be exact, but it will prevent you from running in circles. During the night, you then can use the stars to navigate.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, that makes sense!¡± Ari smiled at her. "It''s quite similar to regular navigating; it''s just a bit more confusing, and you have to check more regularly because you can''t use any landmarks as an additional orientation, huh?¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± Aura nodded in agreement. ¡°Navigating by the sun or stars is the real magic to me.¡± Sophia decided to double down on it. ¡°It¡¯s really not that hard.¡± Maya faced her tiger. ¡°Exactly!¡± Ari just nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°Aura, you also already detected the city inside the desert already, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s south of us. Well, a touch of south-east, to be exact.¡± ¡°You heard her~.¡± Sophia smiled at Ari and Maya. ¡°It will be the job of the two of you to guide us there.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The duo froze for a second. ¡°S-Sure, that will be easy!¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Thus, on yet another whim of Sophia, Ari and Maya had become in charge of finding the hidden city deep inside the desert. ---------------- ¡°Sure is hot here, huh?¡± The group had been exploring the desert for around half an hour and were just walking up a small dune when Anna looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°It is a desert, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia shrugged in return. ¡°I like the constant breeze, though.¡± ¡°Yes, it feels very nice.¡± The princess agreed with her. ¡°The sun is a bit much, but the wind is making it feel very cozy.¡± ¡°For now.¡± Aura didn¡¯t sound quite as happy and excited. ¡°Hmm?¡± The tigers tilted their heads. ¡°Have any of you been in a sandstorm before?¡± ¡°No¡­?¡± They somehow didn¡¯t like the sound of that. ¡°Why?¡± "The wind has been getting stronger in the last couple of minutes, and it''s starting to look pretty dusty over there, too." The female wolf gestured to her left, where not just the sand but the air itself had an orange tint to it in the far distance, probably caused by a vast amount of sand twirling around. ¡°That¡¯s not good, isn¡¯t it?¡± The princess wasn¡¯t a fan of the view. ¡°It¡¯s certainly not ideal.¡± Aura nodded. ¡°Well, it seems like it¡¯s a good thing that our tour guides have been leading us away from it, huh?¡± Sophia pointed at Maya and Ari on a dune a little ahead of the trio. ¡°The part where they¡¯ve been walking in the wrong direction for the past ten minutes aside.¡± ¡°Yep~.¡± The wolf did her best to stifle a chuckle. ¡°Wait, they are?!¡± This was news to Anna, so she raised her voice. "Even more so, you, out of all people, noticed?!" That part shocked her even more. ¡°Only because I took a peek with my detection magic.¡± Sophia shrugged again. ¡°I never would¡¯ve noticed otherwise.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite reassuring.¡± The princess liked that there was a logical explanation for it. ¡°Though, shouldn¡¯t we tell them about it?¡± "Absolutely not." The blonde shrugged her head. "They were way too sassy about it earlier. Also, it''s not like we''re in any danger, even if we get lost in a desert. In fact, we might find something fun.¡± ¡°What if that catches up with us, though?¡± Anna gestured at the impeding sandstorm Aura had made them aware of. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m kinda curious what it¡¯s like, and if it¡¯s too much, we can just leave through one of my portals or use some magic to shield us from it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually a good point.¡± The princess hadn¡¯t thought that far. ¡°That makes me curious about it now, too!¡± She changed her mind about it being dangerous in an instant. ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± Sophia smiled at her fellow tiger. ¡°Speaking of curious, where¡¯s Fen?¡± Anna eventually addressed the fact that he wasn¡¯t with them anymore. ¡°He¡¯s having a grand old time over there.¡± Aura looked to her right. There, a few hundred meters away from them, the male wolf in his full size was standing on top of a roughly twenty-meter-tall dune while looking rather majestic for about three seconds. Then, he suddenly jumped off the steep end of the dune and down into the sand far below it. His landing caused a massive shockwave and catapulted sand everywhere. It was very clearly aided by magic because a regular jump like that wouldn¡¯t have been as violent. Once everything settled down again, the wolf was nowhere to be seen, though. Only a suspiciously deep crater that was quickly being refilled with sand rinsing into it again. ¡°Fennyfenny is so cute when he¡¯s playing around~.¡± Sophia had a great time watching him. ¡°He¡¯s adorable!¡± Aura thought so, too. ¡°Where did he go, though?¡± The princess was confused over his sudden disappearance. ¡°Underground.¡± The blonde pointed down at the sand. ¡°He¡¯s digging tunnels all over the place.¡± "Wait, how do you dig tunnels in the sand?" Anna tilted her head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t everything collapse instantly? There¡¯s like zero structural integrity with sand, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°Well, the sand goes only to a certain point.¡± The female wolf answered her. ¡°Below, there¡¯s regular ground like rocks and stuff.¡± ¡°Ah, of course!¡± The princess felt stupid for a moment. ¡°I hadn''t thought that far.¡± ¡°I can also see Fenny using magic to melt the sand with fire, creating some glass-like walls that become solid," Sophia added some alternative ideas. ¡°Sounds fun!¡± Anna nodded a few times. ¡°Though, it¡¯s hot enough already, so that might be a bit much for even me.¡± ¡°True!¡± The blonde felt the same. ¡°By the way, should we add a desert biome to my domain?¡± She then faced Aura. ¡°Why are you asking me?¡± She seemed a little confused. "Well, your partner seems to be having the most fun. In fact, he''s having so much fun that you can¡¯t even get a hold of him. That¡¯s why you¡¯re the next best one to ask.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± She could follow her reasoning. ¡°I like the desert, but it¡¯s not exactly my favorite. For Fen, I¡¯d definitely like to have it, though. Also, I¡¯m sure you¡¯d want to have any possible biome in the first place, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong with that.¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll borrow a little later~.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°Should we regroup with our tour guides?¡± While they were chatting, Anna pointed at Ari and Maya a little further away in front of them. ¡°It seems like whatever they were doing with their stick in the sand led to a result or something like that because they started walking again.¡± ¡°They were watching the shadow the sun cast behind it to read which direction west is." Aura gave a little explanation. "Though, let''s ignore for now that they started walking south again.¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± Sophia loved the fact that the two were utterly lost without even knowing it. Afterward, the trio regrouped with them and continued to follow their lead without saying a single word on the matter. Sophia had a difficult time with that, though, because Ari and Maya continued to be smugly confident about their skill, and the blonde really wanted to get back at them. Chapter 155 – Sandstorm The group, though without Chloe and Steph, were having a great time exploring the desert they were in. While Fen was being extra playful and jumping around and digging through the sand everywhere, Ari and Maya got themselves the job of navigating through the desert because they claimed it was easy. ¡°Sophia, could you please do something about that already?!¡± Another hour of desert exploring had passed when Maya was becoming increasingly nervous about the sandstorm Aura had spotted earlier. It was still there and had also gotten closer than ever to them. ¡°What am I supposed to do here?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°You and Ari are in charge of navigating, so it¡¯s not my fault.¡± ¡°But the storm is faster than we can walk!¡± She got loud. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do here to get away from it!¡± ¡°Oh, you want to get away from it!¡± Sophia clapped her hands. "I thought you wanted to see it from upfront, too." ¡°Why would I want that?!¡± Maya just raised her voice even more. ¡°Because it¡¯s cool?¡± Anna sided with her fellow tiger. ¡°It¡¯s not!¡± Ari wasn¡¯t on their team, though. ¡°That¡¯s way too dangerous!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a little sand and some wind.¡± The blonde shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s much more than that!¡± Maya and the jaguar got louder once again. ¡°I mean, they do sort of have a point.¡± Aura somewhat sided with their tour guides. ¡°The betrayal!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Come on, you should know that a sandstorm as massive and violent as this basically is a guaranteed death to regular people that get caught in it.¡± The wolf stared at her before gesturing at the massive storm that had covered the entire view to their right. ¡°When did we turn into regular people?¡± Tilting her head in confusion, the blonde looked at Anna with a questioning expression. ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± She shrugged in return. ¡°Okay, fair point.¡± Aura had nothing to say there. ¡°I just wanted to express that it¡¯s a little more than just a bit of sand and wind. It may feel like that to us, but that¡¯s not the case for most.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll have you know that there will be sand in the cottage for months once we get home after being inside that storm.¡± ¡°Okay, that is bad!¡± ¡°How is that the thing that makes you panic?!¡± Ari couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Sand gets everywhere and is a massive pain to clean!¡± The blonde raised her voice. ¡°Okay, no one is allowed to enter the cottage before they¡¯ve made a trip to our hot spring! Their clothes will be left there, as well! That¡¯s an order!¡± "I don''t think I''ll ever understand how your girlfriend prioritizes things." The jaguar gave up and just stared at Maya.¡± ¡°Same.¡± Unfortunately, she had no answers for her, either. ¡°Alright, with that taken care of, let¡¯s continue!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The tigers were in high spirits. "Nothing has been taken care of!" Ari and Maya pointed at the sandstorm once more. ¡°It¡¯s quite easy to protect ourselves from that.¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°As usual, it¡¯s magic, of course. If I create enough wind of my own around us that pushes away from our position, the storm and sand will never reach us. It will kinda be like being in the eye of a tornado or something like that.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Hearing that, the cat-girl relaxed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m okay with getting closer. Fun might not be the right word, but it does sound interesting!¡± The curiosity got the better of the cat.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°You know what they say about curious cats!¡± Ari didn¡¯t like her change of mind. ¡°Also, it will mess with our navigation when we go off course now!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Maya gave a thumbs up. ¡°It¡¯s been super easy to find the right direction until now, so we won¡¯t have any difficulties getting back on track after a little exploring.¡± ¡°If you say so¡­¡± The jaguar wasn¡¯t convinced. "¡­" Neither were the other three. However, for them, it was mostly because they already knew their tour guides were utterly lost. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s Fen?¡± Wanting to change the topic, Ari noticed that the male wolf was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he with us when we started exploring?¡± ¡°Uhh, he is doing his own thing.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek while saying so. "He was digging around for a while, but he''s now, funnily enough, in the middle of the storm," Aura added some details. ¡°Why are you all so obsessed with putting yourself in danger all the time?!¡± ¡°Because it makes life a whole lot more interesting~.¡± The female wolf had an easy explanation for her. ¡°You¡¯ll understand what I mean once you get older.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I want to understand.¡± Ari rarely was a fan of danger, after all. ¡°Also, Sophia is only a few years older, and even if it''s just a couple of days, I''m older than Anna, so that isn¡¯t really an argument!¡± ¡°To me, all of you are little baby cubs at best.¡± Aura¡¯s voice turned gentle. ¡°Those tigers of ours, especially the blonde one, are just naturally a little more wild. Still, you¡¯ll understand the beauty of danger eventually. You already show great potential, too, so I¡¯m sure the future will be fun~.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± The jaguar raised her voice once more. ¡°Well, you have been the biggest danger to my domain so far, so I can definitely see her point.¡± Sophia nodded along with the wolf¡¯s assessment. ¡°Urgh.¡± Ari had little room to defend herself. ¡°Ahaha.¡± The blonde let out a small chuckle. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go and see what Fennyfenny¡¯s doing!¡± Sounding extra energetic, she then pointed at the sandstorm she was detecting the wolf in. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Anna and Aura were also looking forward to it. "Be sure to activate your counter-magic sooner rather than later!" Maya was a little more cautious. ¡°I should¡¯ve left with Steph and Chloe.¡± Ari seemed a little tired. Afterward, Maya and the jaguar took a little break from their flawless navigation job, and the group began moving right toward the massive sandstorm to get a better look at what was happening near it. ---------------- ¡°Oh, I can see now why it would be considered dangerous." The group walked right up to the sandstorm, and Sophia noticed how violent it was. She was using air magic to create a protected dome around them, but while it prevented them from being blasted by sand, it didn¡¯t improve their visibility overly much. Everything around them was just orange. The air outside the dome was so filled with sand and dust that they were able to see nothing outside the dome. On top of that, because of the strong winds of the storm, it was incredibly loud, too. ¡°You think?!¡± Ari glared at her. ¡°It is pretty cool.¡± Anna was fascinated by the spectacle around them. ¡°Normal people would never be able to look at this calmly, so I¡¯m enjoying it a lot!¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not wrong, but it¡¯s still scary!¡± The jaguar still wasn''t a fan of it. ¡°Do you want to know another interesting fact?¡± The blonde looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°Hmm?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°If you replace the yellow sand and dust with pink and purple particles, it looks just like what I see in an area with dense environmental magic. Like, when we flooded our savanna with magic, it looked exactly like this for me.¡± Sophia just gestured all around her. ¡°Just, as I said, in pink and purple.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Anna got loud. ¡°How do you see things, then?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the funny part,¡± She shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said the other day when you were upset about it that being able to feel magic without seeing it, isn¡¯t always a bad thing.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°I guess so!¡± ¡°Wait, so you are basically blind in areas with high magic?¡± Maya also sounded confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case for most areas in your domain where we live and work on?¡± ¡°Not for the most part.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°I can kinda blank them out as long as it isn¡¯t too high of a concentration around me. I can also move the magic particles around to let me see stuff. It¡¯s only an issue in areas like my cherry forest or the savanna where I continuously poured all my magic into the same spot for weeks.¡± ¡°Ah, that sounds a lot more reasonable.¡± The cat-girl nodded a few times. ¡°Can¡¯t you turn off seeing those particles?¡± Even Ari was interested in the topic. ¡°If so, I haven¡¯t figured it out yet.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. On top of that, she didn''t exactly want to, either, because she loved watching the energetic magic particles and how she communicated with them, but she couldn''t exactly mention it. "I''ll ask Mira how she handles it if it ever becomes an actual problem." ¡°Yeah, she would probably know.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try and find Fenny!¡± Sophia then energetically raised her arm high in the air. ¡°I want to see what he¡¯s up to!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The others were also curious about that. Afterward, as there was no way they could find anything the regular inside the storm, the blonde used her detection magic to locate the wolf. Even so, it still took them quite a while to reach Fen because walking around with zero visibility, even when the destination is clear, is not the easiest task. Chapter 156 – Memories The group was in the middle of exploring the desert when a sandstorm was catching up to them. Maya and especially Ari didn¡¯t like that issue overly much and wanted to avoid it. The tigers were highly curious about it, though. After a bit of convincing, and Sophia promising that it won¡¯t be an issue, thanks to her protecting them with magic, they decided to head right into it. ¡°Phew, that was a close one!¡± Back in their cottage, Steph let out a relieved sigh as she and Chloe entered the living room. ¡°True!¡± The fox-girl reacted with a big nod. ¡°The dry grassland already was pain, so it would¡¯ve been over for me in the desert!¡± Shivering once, she then sat down on the sofa to get comfortable. ¡°True!¡± Feeling the same about it, Steph also shot for the sofa and snuggled right against her fox. ¡°I don¡¯t mind this type of warmth, though~.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re having one of your smooth days again, huh?¡± Chloe started smiling. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°This will significantly worsen our position the next time the cats complain about being cold, though.¡± The fox awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°That is quite true.¡± ¡°Even though being hot is so much worse!¡± She started pouting. "If you''re cold, you can always just wear more layers! If you''re hot, once you are stripped completely naked, there''s nothing you can do anymore! And unless we¡¯re at home, we can¡¯t even go that far!¡± ¡°To be fair, with the help of magic, neither really is an issue.¡± Steph shrugged. ¡°Personally, I just like to complain and strip~.¡± ¡°Since when do we argue with reason and sense in this group?¡± The fox just stared at her. "A solid and fair point.¡± There was nothing she could say there. "Being perfectly clear, stripping, and complaining is great, but still!¡± ¡°But still?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°Sophia had said it many times before, but it¡¯s a mood issue!¡± She got a little loud. ¡°Sure, I can make it frosty around me, but I¡¯ll still feel hot if I¡¯m walking through a desert while the sun is trying to cook me alive!¡± ¡°Well, you are hot, so there¡¯s nothing that can be done about that there.¡± Steph¡¯s voice turned a little smug. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that was smooth or cheap.¡± The fox wasn¡¯t so sure about that one. ¡°Why not both?¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m an expert at either!¡± ¡°It certainly keeps things interesting.¡± Chloe reacted with a small chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m the best at that, too!¡± ¡°You sure are~.¡± ¡°So, long story short, we aren¡¯t going to change anything, are we?¡± ¡°Nope! We keep complaining!¡± The fox sounded quite energetic about it. ¡°And stripping!¡± "A decent compromise!¡± Steph liked that. ¡°The stripping is what really sells it to me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly surprised.¡± She just lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, though.¡± The fox also liked to wear as little clothing as possible, after all. ¡°Exactly what I wanted to hear!¡± She was looking forward to future stripping. ¡°Though, again, the cats will continue to be a pain this way.¡± ¡°I mean¡­¡± ¡°Fair, they¡¯re always a pain.¡± Steph nodded a couple of times. ¡°Regardless of the topic.¡± ¡°You said it, not me!¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± Steph enjoyed the slightly panicked expression of the fox. ¡°Regardless of all that, I¡¯m still looking forward to the desert at night!¡± Even though Steph hated the heat, she still wanted to explore when it cooled off. ¡°Absolutely!¡± She felt the same. ¡°The last time I was in a desert with Feyfey, I had to be there day and night, so I was busy being dead from the sun all day during the night that I wasn¡¯t able to enjoy it.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Poor baby!¡± ¡°Very much so!¡± Chloe raised her voice. ¡°I only survived because I knew how to make ice with magic!¡± ¡°Why did you two go to a desert in the first place?" ¡°Because curious young me was stupid and didn''t think about consequences!¡± She let out a sigh before continuing. ¡°Naturally, once we were there, Feyfey turned it into a learning exercise for me.¡± ¡°Of course she did.¡± Steph wasn¡¯t surprised. ¡°The only thing I learned was how much I really hate the heat, though!¡± ¡°Sometimes, the way parents, well¡­ parent, is beyond our understanding.¡± ¡°So true!¡± "Well, yours is an especially obvious case, but let¡¯s not go there.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not!¡± ¡°Although, speaking about parenting or parents in general, there has been a topic I¡¯ve been wanting to ask but never dared to¡­¡± Steph¡¯s voice and expression turned sheepish. ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡± ¡°I am certain you don¡¯t.¡± The dog-girl just scratched her cheek. ¡°Let it out.¡± ¡°Sophia and I are from the same world as you, right? Where you, uhh¡­ died in your previous life¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Chloe lightly nodded. ¡°Well, unless there''s some sort of parallel worlds type of shenanigans going on." ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s assume it¡¯s not, though.¡± The fox wasn¡¯t so sure how to feel about her being so excited all of a sudden. ¡°That would be for the better!¡± Steph thought so, too. ¡°So, Sophia and I are from the same world you used to live quite a while ago. Thanks to her portals, we can visit Earth whenever we want. In fact, we go there to shop for specialty items quite often. Maya went there especially often, but you only went there when we first met and when I introduced you to my parents.¡± ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not too comfortable going there.¡± Chloe sounded a little awkward. ¡°I love the stuff you all brought over from there, like the TV, the movies and games, some clothes and food, and especially the toys, but¡­¡± She paused for a moment. "A lot has changed in the last 20 years, but it still reawakens some very weird memories of my past life I¡¯m not too keen on going through again. I had a great, albeit short, previous life, but I want to live in the here and now.¡± ¡°That is very reasonable.¡± The dog-girl could understand that very well. ¡°This is the paradise, after all!¡± ¡°It sure is~.¡± Chloe smiled at her. ¡°Except all the hot places.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± She had to chuckle at that. ¡°Does that mean that you¡¯ve never thought about visiting your previous family? Now that it¡¯s technically possible.¡± ¡°Again, it¡¯s been over 20 years since I died, you know?¡± The fox stared right at her. ¡°Well, assuming they weren¡¯t way past 50 already back then, it¡¯s likely that your parents are still around, no?¡± ¡°They were pretty young when they had me¡­¡± ¡°That makes it even more likely.¡± ¡°How do you think a meeting between us would go¡­?¡± Chloe¡¯s voice was starting to sound heavy. ¡°Also, remember, I was 14 when I died 20 years ago. I¡¯ve already way outlived my previous run, and I''ve already been dead for my previous family for longer than I was with them. How would me meeting them not end in sadness and despair for everyone involved?¡± ¡°You have thought about it, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s not really my place to talk about that, isn¡¯t it?¡± The dog-girl could only imagine how difficult it would be for her. ¡°It¡¯s complicated, to say the least." Her expression further scrunched up. "You ended up here entirely voluntarily, but it¡¯s just¡­ see what Sophia¡¯s case did to you and your family. My family was with me when I died. They had closure in terms of knowing what happened. They know I¡¯m dead. Now, 20 years later, a girl who looks entirely different and has only vague memories of her life with them shows up and claims to be their daughter. Sure, that¡¯s a great idea.¡± ¡°Yeah, complicated doesn¡¯t even begin to explain your situation.¡± Steph couldn¡¯t blame her. ¡°Honestly, I have no idea how I would deal with that, so I was curious and a little concerned about you because it feels like it would be a big deal.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another issue with how I regained my memories.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I wasn¡¯t reborn with them and had them since the very start. I grew up with seeing scenes of them when I was the same age on Earth until those memories stopped when I died. It wasn¡¯t an everyday occurrence, either. It was more like a best of kind of thing.¡± Chloe made another short pause. ¡°It feels incredibly rude to say, but it was more like watching a TV show, just in my head. It shaped my personality a little, and it was clear that it was me, but¡­ It¡¯s also not anymore. I¡¯m fond of those memories, but at the same time, especially after all this time, my previous family doesn¡¯t really¡­ Feyfey is my mom. Mira, too.¡± She couldn''t really put her feelings into words. ¡°The TV-like memories and the fact that it has been so long probably makes them feel a little like strangers.¡± Steph tried to understand it. ¡°Issues aside, Fey has been incredibly loving and never made you feel like you don¡¯t belong here. Mira has been doing her best, too.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The fox-girl reacted with a big nod. ¡°The connection with my old life is pretty much non-existent at this point. Meeting my old family and telling them everything, assuming they¡¯d understand and accept it, would do no good to anyone involved. I can only see it leading to pain and suffering.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to wrap my head around, but it makes sense. If it had been only a few years, together with a different form of regaining your memories, or the situation of your life was another, it maybe would''ve been different. Still, you are right. It would only open old wounds that have already healed. Even more so if the attachment is rightfully and understandably gone.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chloe had nothing else to reply. ¡°Thank you for asking and looking out for me, though.¡± ¡°Well, now I¡¯m sorry I asked, but thank you for explaining it to me.¡± She felt rather bad for making her tell her. ¡°Different topic?¡± ¡°Please.¡± Afterward, the couple took a short break to put the heavy topic aside and improve the mood by focusing on some more fun talk and activities later on. Chapter 157 – Lap privileges While most of the group was having a great time exploring the desert, Steph and Chloe stayed back home because the heat really wasn¡¯t their thing. While relaxing, the dog-girl got curious about Chloe¡¯s past life and wondered if she ever planned to visit her previous family now that she was able to do so with Sophia¡¯s portals. The fox-girl denied it, though. As it had been so long since she died, and her memories felt more like a TV show, on top of having been lovingly raised by Fey, she had lost the connection to her previous life and had no intention of opening old wounds for everyone involved. ¡°Do I still have lap privileges?¡± After their serious discussion from earlier, Steph still sounded a little sheepish. ¡°Why would you have lost them?¡± The fox looked confused. ¡°Because I made you talk about something unpleasant.¡± ¡°It was far from my favorite topic, but I¡¯d never be upset at you for having an honest interest in my life. In fact, it makes me happy.¡± ¡°Great to hear!¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, my lap is all yours~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even better to hear!¡± Steph liked that a lot. Afterward, she immediately climbed all over her fox and laid her back on Chloe¡¯s lap. ¡°I demand belly rubs!¡± Saying so, she even further lifted her already short top to present her entire stomach to her. ¡°One serving of the usual coming right up!¡± Seemingly being used to her overly dog-like behavior, Chloe smiled at her while putting a hand on Steph¡¯s stomach and began to gently rub it in a circular motion. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Her expression turned into a goofy smile. ¡°It¡¯s so adorable how in tune you are with your dog side.¡± Liking her reaction, the fox-girl increased the intensity of her petting. ¡°I wonder if the cats also do something similar.¡± ¡°Well, if they¡¯re like real cats, they enjoy belly rubs for 2.6 seconds before they attack and scratch you.¡± Steph awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Speaking from experience there, too. There might be exceptions, but there¡¯s definitely a pattern.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°That does indeed sound like a cat. I was more generally thinking, though. Like, are there any specific behaviors that cats have to show affection?¡± ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s not exactly exclusively a cat behavior, but they like to mark stuff to show what¡¯s theirs. I know for a fact that Sophia does that a lot. If you cuddle with her, she eventually begins to rub her head all over you. Actual cats do that to leave their scents on individuals or objects to tell others that they¡¯re their possession.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so cute! I actually think I saw her doing that, too!¡± Chloe nodded a couple of times. In fact, I¡¯m almost sure she did that to me, too!¡± ¡°She did that to everyone in our group multiple times.¡± The dog-girl shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re all part of her circle, after all.¡± ¡°Aww~.¡± She liked that. ¡°Also, I¡¯m kinda good with scents, and Sophia and Maya smell almost the same, so I can take a guess on how much they¡¯re doing that with each other.¡± ¡°Very true.¡± As Steph¡¯s nose was excellent, she had noticed the same. ¡°Ari and Anna are similar in that regard, as well.¡± ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s the case for us, too.¡± Chloe looked right at Steph while tilting her head. At the same time, she also was still rubbing her belly. ¡°I don¡¯t really, I think, rub my head against you, but we¡¯re all over each other all the time. It¡¯s hard to smell your own scent, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if we smell similarly or the same from being together all the time.¡± ¡°I hope so!¡± While saying so, the dog-girl wiggled her body around to rub all over Chloe¡¯s lap to leave even more of her scent on her. ¡°I¡¯m not outdone by some cats!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The fox liked her reply. ¡°Also, they seem to use their tails for a lot, especially in affectionate ways.¡± ¡°I bet they use it for horny ways, too!¡± Steph got excited. ¡°That¡¯s what I definitely would do, after all!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Chloe went silent for a moment. She might or might not remembered how she asked Sophia about that very topic about half a year ago, as well. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty cute how expressive their tails are, though. Mine¡¯s too big to do much more than a little swishing around, so I¡¯m a tiny bit envious. Of yours, too.¡± She took a quick look at Steph¡¯s white and violet tail.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°To be fair, my tail only has two settings." She also glanced at her tail. "Wagging a lot and wagging a whole lot." Even now, when she was lying half on it, it still refused to stay still. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s also because I haven¡¯t stopped being excited and happy ever since getting it.¡± ¡°And it makes you even more lovable than you already were.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m not the only smooth one today, huh?¡± Steph¡¯s expression turned cheeky again. ¡°I¡¯m just being honest~.¡± ¡°That just makes you even smoother!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Chloe just reacted with a gentle smile. ¡°You are the lovable one!¡± She took some damage from the smile alone. ¡°WE both are~.¡± The fox-girl smiled at her. ¡°By the way, I want to do something together with you in the domain! Let¡¯s make a biome just for the two of us!¡± Steph¡¯s voice turned more excited. ¡°Something nice and cool! You helped me with my permafrozen kingdom of greatness, but I want to create something together with you from the ground up!¡± ¡°I¡¯d love that!¡± Chloe liked the idea. ¡°Fenfen and I are currently waiting for our log cabin to be finished so we can start right away, as well!" ¡°Yay!¡± "Do you have something in mind already?" She tilted her head. ¡°Something cold, obviously!¡± Steph stated the obvious for them. "I want to recreate a polar region like Antarctica on Earth! Layers upon layers of snow and ice as far as you can see! Maybe a mountain range that has been frozen over and some permanent snowstorms here and there!" ¡°I¡¯m a little more partial to arctic regions, but that still sounds amazing!¡± The Arctic fox was a little biased. ¡°Also, if it¡¯s made by us, we can mix and match the regions to create a best of!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph was looking forward to it already. ¡°Not right this instant, though. At the moment, this is more fun!¡± While saying so, she wiggled around a little to rub her back against Chloe''s lap while her stomach was being petted by the fox-girl. ¡°Sounds good~.¡± She lightly increased her petting in response. ¡°Oh, by the way, speaking of fun!¡± The fox suddenly raised her voice while she looked at Steph¡¯s bare stomach she was petting before moving her gaze a little to the side and up on the dog-girl. ¡°Why are you not wearing a bra?¡± She noticed that she could see the unobstructed underside of Steph¡¯s chest peeking through the already short shirt she had lifted a little on top. "I''m not complaining. In fact, it''s the opposite of that, but I am curious about the why.¡± ¡°Do you like what you see?¡± Smirking at her in a provocative way, Steph grabbed the hem of her top and pulled it up further to lay even more of her chest bare. ¡°I love what I''m seeing!" The fox-girl took a long and hard stare at the dog-girl''s almost completely exposed chest before seeking eye contact with her again. ¡°Where did it go, though? You were wearing one when we were still with the others, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I got rid of it the moment we arrived home when you entered the living room before me.¡± ¡°To get more comfy?¡± Chloe tilted her head. ¡°That¡¯s a valid reason.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just one of the reasons.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the other, then?¡± ¡°Well, everyone will be in the desert for the rest of the day, so it¡¯s just us in the house for quite a while, and I didn¡¯t want to waste any time~.¡± ¡°Oh~.¡± Understanding what she meant and realizing that the two were going to be alone for the next couple of hours, Chloe¡¯s expression turned mischievous. Afterward, she stopped petting Steph¡¯s stomach and began to move her hand towards the dog-girl¡¯s chest, which had been completely bare at this point. Coping a feel of her left breast, the fox then gave it a slight squeeze before smirking at her. ¡°Mhm~.¡± Steph was already enjoying it. ¡°¡­¡± Without saying another word, Chloe gave her chest another squeeze or three before changing positions. She first moved the dog-girl away from her lap and laid Steph down on the sofa next to her before moving on top of her. In their new arrangement, the fox-girl''s hand found her way towards Steph''s chest once more while she also moved in for a kiss. Once their lips touched, the dog-girl immediately wrapped her arms around Chloe''s neck and pulled her even closer, which caused her to collapse on top of her. Chloe didn¡¯t seem to mind, though, and simply continued from there as she was used to being the top, anyway. In the end, they never left the living room, let alone the sofa, because their switch had been flipped. Going to their room was no longer an option, as it only would have been a waste of valuable time. ---------------- ¡°I-I can¡¯t believe we did it in the living room! Even more so, on the sofa we all sit on every day!¡± A good while had passed since they started going at it, and Chloe promptly got embarrassed over the events after the post-activity clarity had set in. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± Steph had to chuckle at her reaction. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll notice? We cleaned everything with magic and opened all the windows to get some fresh air in, also assisted with wind magic, but still!¡± ¡°Don''t worry about it~.¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°We aren¡¯t the first ones to do it in the living room. Not even the first ones to do it on the sofa.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Chloe raised her voice. ¡°How do you know?! Have you caught someone in the act?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the smell~.¡± She smirked at her. ¡°After the wolves, I probably have the best nose, and the, albeit faint, smell of sweat sweet, and some other things lingers constantly. It seems to be a common occurrence, really. In fact, I¡¯m a little disappointed in myself that I haven¡¯t managed to catch them doing it yet.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± The pink fox had nothing else to say. ¡°Every single one of our friends is so perverted! Ourselves included!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s why I love this group so much!¡± Steph wouldn¡¯t want to have it any other way. ¡°Anyway, because of that, we should be fine with a little more airing out. Not that I would mind them knowing, either.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Chloe gave up worrying about it. ¡°Lunch?¡± ¡°Lunch!¡± As they had burned a lot of calories, they had gotten hungry and decided to get something to eat before having more fun together for the rest of the day. Chapter 158 – Lost Steph and Chloe decided to stay at home while the rest of the group was exploring the desert. Instead of relaxing, the couple was quite active, though. In fact, they got so enamored with each other that the two didn¡¯t even manage to leave the living room before spending some quality time together while they were home alone. ¡°Does anyone know where we are?¡± While Chloe and Steph were busy with each other, the others were still on their exploration expedition when Maya tilted her head while looking at Sophia. ¡°In the desert!¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°In a sandstorm, to be more exact," Anna added some extra detail. ¡°I hate tigers.¡± She hung her head in return. ¡°Understandable.¡± Ari couldn¡¯t blame her. ¡°Why?!¡± The striped girls in question didn¡¯t appreciate that. "It''s obvious that we''re in a desert. Inside a sandstorm, to be more specific." The cat-girl gestured all around them while glaring at the duo. The group was still inside the protective bubble the blonde had created with magic while the storm was still heavily going on, increasing visibility from zero to nearly zero because of all the sand and dust in the air. ¡°Then why are you asking?¡± The two feigned ignorance. ¡°I want to know where we are in relation to things!¡± Maya raised her voice a little. ¡°Ohh!¡± The tigers nodded a couple of times. ¡°Haa¡­¡± She sounded a little tired. ¡°Fennyfenny is a couple of hundred meters that way.¡± Sophia pointed slightly to her left. ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted to hear.¡± The cat-girl¡¯s expression relaxed again. ¡°I¡¯m still curious about what he¡¯s doing in the storm all this time.¡± Anna scratched her cheek. ¡°There isn¡¯t that much to see, is there? Quite literally speaking.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s find out~.¡± Saying so, the blonde showed her a smug grin. Immediately after, pink and purple artifacts appeared all around them, and they looked just like Sophia''s portal. It soon covered their entire vision, and it lasted for around a minute before disappearing again. In fact, a lot disappeared. The storm was gone, and so was lots of the sand around them. The group stood on a small, elevated area while everything around them in a 500-meter radius had formed into a roughly ten- to 15-meter-deep crater. ¡°I wonder if I broke any laws of physics by transporting a storm into my domain. Then again, in a world of magic, those rules are optional anyway, aren¡¯t they?¡± She simply scratched her cheek while not giving it too much thought. "Look, there he is!" Sophia then pointed at another slight elevation 200 meters in front of them. ---------------- ¡°Oi!¡± Fen came over to the group and stared at the blonde. "What was that for?! I was having fun with the storm!" ¡°How?!¡± Ari raised her voice. ¡°Our cozy forest is fun, but this?! I¡¯m so glad that Sophia made it disappear.¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t agree with him. ¡°My interests are many and diverse~.¡± The male wolf sounded a little cheeky. "Well, I''m happy you fell for me, then~." There was even more sass in Aura''s voice. ¡°Hmm?¡± He seemed confused for a second. ¡°I was talking about my hobbies, you idiot!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°What did you do in the storm?¡± Anna still wanted to know what he had been up to. ¡°I accidentally tunneled my way through the sand right into it and wanted to test something once I noticed where I was. After all, I hadn''t seen a proper sandstorm in quite a while.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Sophia got interested in his wording. ¡°Please tell me more about that testing of yours.¡± ¡°Please do not tell her.¡± The jaguar had a bad feeling about it. ¡°I tried to control it!¡± Naturally, Fen was on Sophia¡¯s side and ignored Ari¡¯s plea. ¡°I poured out my magic to see if I can influence the storm with it.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°That explains why the sandstorm grew so massive after it was relatively small when I first noticed it.¡± The female wolf nodded a few times. ¡°It worked?!¡± Fen sounded excited. ¡°I didn¡¯t see much when I was inside, so I wasn¡¯t sure if anything even changed!¡± ¡°It sure worked!¡± Ari glared at him. ¡°It was MASSIVE.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± The male wolf only got happier. ¡°Unfortunately, I got interrupted from trying more because someone decided to borrow the storm.¡± He stared at Sophia while saying so. ¡°Hehe.¡± The blonde stuck out her tongue. ¡°Maya wanted to see where we are, Ari wanted to be out of the storm, and Anna wanted to know what you were doing. This was just the quickest way~.¡± ¡°You just wanted to see if you could and get it into your domain!¡± Fen didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°That¡¯s merely a positive side-effect from solving a problem in the most efficient way.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t do that!¡± That was even less believable to him. ¡°What?!¡± The blonde started pouting. ¡°My ability to solve problems or being efficient?!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Fen got louder. ¡°Such slander!¡± ¡°I love it when they¡¯re having fun like that~.¡± Aura just watched them with warm eyes. ¡°It¡¯s pretty cute, yes.¡± Maya, Ari, and Anna nodded along. ¡°Anyway, I demand reparation for ruining my fun!¡± Fen returned to staring at the blonde. ¡°Do you want me to make another sandstorm?¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°That would be a great start!¡± He liked the idea. ¡°Hmm.¡± The blonde thought about it for a moment. ¡°I kinda don¡¯t want to do it here because I messed with the area enough already. Although, the desert bit I borrowed is not enough for a nice storm. Does it have to be sand?¡± "Not necessarily." He shook his head. "Just a regular storm, as in just wind, would be no fun, though." He was a little picky with his fun. ¡°What about, let¡¯s see¡­¡± She paused to think for a second. ¡°How do you feel about a fire-based storm over a plain made of ash pilled meter-high on top of each other? A flaming ash tornado would also be on the menu.¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± His interest was piqued. ¡°Oh, right, I haven¡¯t been there since we started working on Ari¡¯s jungle.¡± Aura already knew what she meant. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The blonde smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the never-ending forest fire Ari created in my domain. There are literal mountains of ash around that could be quite interesting to see how it would react in a storm.¡± ¡°That Ari helped to create!¡± It was a critical distinction for the jaguar. "There''s no use complaining. I''m never going to let it go." Sophia just smiled at her. ¡°¡­¡± She looked a little upset for a moment before relaxing again. ¡°I mean, I tease you just as much, if not more, so it''s hard to insist here¡­¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± The blonde was glad she understood and then looked at Aura. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind Fen playing around with it, would you?¡± ¡°Under one condition!¡± She stared right at her wolf. ¡°Only if we play together!¡± ¡°It would be my pleasure~.¡± He gladly accepted her demand. ¡°By the way, after the borrowed desert bit got mentioned, are there any plans for creating that into a biome already?¡± Maya wanted to know more about it. ¡°I¡¯m open to suggestions~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Could I give it a try in turning it into a bigger biome?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t overly enjoy the sandstorm, but the desert itself is amazing! ¡°Absolutely!¡± The blonde happily clapped her hands. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see how it turns out with your lead! It will also be your first very own biome, so I¡¯m looking forward to it all the more!¡± ¡°Please don''t expect too much, I just want to play around.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the first and most important role when starting a new biome in my domain!¡± It was precisely how the blonde wanted it to be. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try my best~.¡± The cat-girl¡¯s motivation rose. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°Oh, speaking of playing around.¡± Fen suddenly hijacked the conversation. ¡°I know I¡¯m not one to talk because I explored the desert in my own way, but was there a reason you all kept walking in circles or a zig-zag pattern at best? I was really confused whenever I used my detection magic to orient myself. I thought we were heading to the city inside the desert? I¡¯ve not once detected you heading in its direction, though.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Aura, Anna, and Sophia got a little awkward and looked away while the tigers also scratched their cheeks. ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± Ari and Maya, the ones responsible for that, got loud instead. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, as Sophia wasn''t leading, it looked like you all got terribly lost, as if Sophia was leading you.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± The blonde didn¡¯t like that. ¡°I know where the city is, thanks to my detection magic, so there¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve done as bad of a job as our tour guides!¡± She pointed at Maya and Ari while glaring at Fen. ¡°That¡¯s why I was sure you weren¡¯t leading.¡± He just nodded. ¡°It just looked like you were because there was no sense of direction even hinted at while you lot were traveling.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± There was little she could say there. ¡°What are you two even talking about?!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Maya and Ari didn¡¯t like their conversation. ¡°We were perfectly using the sun as a guide!¡± The cat-girl stared at Fen. ¡°What she said!¡± The jaguar nodded along. ¡°Which sun were you using to determine the right direction¡­?¡± He tilted his head in return. ¡°The yellow one!¡± They pointed at the sun in the sky above them. ¡°Weird.¡± Fen had nothing else to say. ¡°Actually, he has a point.¡± Aura awkwardly looked at the duo. ¡°You two have been getting us lost since the very beginning. In fact, we''ve been the closest to the city right after having taken the detour to get to Fen inside the storm." ¡°N-No way!¡± Maya couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°Why didn¡¯t anyone say something?!¡± Neither could Ari. ¡°Because it was funny seeing you two being so confidently wrong.¡± Aura and the tigers had an easy explanation for it. ¡°¡­¡± Afterward, the group took a short break from exploring the desert because Ari and Maya needed a little while to heal their broken egos. Chapter 159 – Desert city The group reached the middle of the sandstorm inside the desert and reunited with Fen there, who was trying to control it with his magic. Having been interrupted in doing so, as Sophia teleported the entire storm and part of the desert, he was upset at her for a moment, but after having been promised to create his very own firestorm over an ashen wasteland inside the blonde''s domain, he quickly forgave her again. ¡°Alright, if you still don¡¯t get it right now, you¡¯re never allowed to call out Sophia on her sense of direction ever again.¡± Fen had spent the last hour teaching Maya and Ari how to read directions by using the sun without having to rely on landmarks, as those were either not a thing or, at best, quite deceiving in a desert. ¡°I really hope they mess up again.¡± The blonde saw it as a possible absolute win for her. ¡°It certainly would be quite entertaining.¡± It wasn¡¯t for the same reason, but Anna wasn¡¯t against it, either. ¡°Shush!¡± The duo in question glared at the tigers. ¡°Alrighty, should we head to the city?¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°Or try to, at least~.¡± Her mood was excellent. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure that you won¡¯t have a single thing to complain about!¡± The duo raised their voices. ¡°We¡¯ll find the straightest path possible!¡± ¡°Will you now?¡± The blonde raised an eyebrow. ¡°¡­¡± Ari and Maya needed a second to notice their mistake. ¡°We¡¯ll find the most direct path possible!¡± ¡°Better.¡± She liked her correction. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± As Steph wasn¡¯t with them, Anna took over her job. Afterward, the group finally left the massive crater Sophia had created when borrowing the storm behind and got going. Luckily, because everything around them was nothing but sand, the crater was already filling itself, and no one would even notice that something had happened in the area. ---------------- ¡°So, how are we doing?¡± After having wandered around in the desert for another hour after they left the place of the storm, Sophia faced Ari and Maya while everyone was on top of a massive dune to overlook the area. ¡°Are we still on the right track~?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± The jaguar nodded. ¡°We¡¯re dead on this time! We¡¯re headed right for the city!" She was pretty confident after their initial setback. ¡°It¡¯s just the direction, but it¡¯s the straightest I¡¯ve ever been!¡± Maya nodded along. ¡°Though, to be fair, everything that isn¡¯t exactly the perfect opposite direction would be the straightest I¡¯ve ever been¡­¡± She scratched her cheek while thinking about what she just said. ¡°Really~?¡± The blonde¡¯s expression just turned even more smug. "Are you certain you''re on course now? ¡°Yes!¡± The two got loud. ¡°Okay~.¡± ¡°Wait, why is she so smug?¡± Ari then turned to look at Maya. ¡°When is she not smug?¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s not wrong, but hear me out!¡± The jaguar couldn''t refute her claim but had more to say. ¡°She can detect where the city is, right? What if the way she¡¯s acting is because we¡¯re wrong again?!¡± ¡°What if she¡¯s doing it to mess with us?¡± After all, Maya knew that Sophia liked to do that. ¡°I wonder~.¡± The blonde continuous teasing wasn¡¯t helping. ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± The duo stared at her, but Sophia just kept smiling. ¡°She¡¯s good.¡± Anna had to give it to her fellow tiger. ¡°Grr!¡± Ari and Maya didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s continue and see where we ended up with our impeccable tour guides!" The blonde winked at them before raising her arm high in the air.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°We''ll end right at the city entrance!" The two weren''t her biggest fans today. ¡°By the way, what is there to know about the city?¡± Sophia ignored them and looked at the princess. ¡°Wait, was the name mentioned already?¡± ¡°Would it matter?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°I could¡¯ve told you ten minutes ago, and you would¡¯ve asked the same question.¡± ¡°¡­¡± She stared at her for a second. ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the oasis city of Iridai.¡± The princess smiled at her. ¡°Of Iridai?¡± Sophia gave it some thought. ¡°Does that mean the desert we¡¯re in is called like that? Or is it the city?¡± ¡°Both in this case.¡± Anna reacted with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s the only city and generally inhabited area of the desert, so they share the name.¡± ¡°I bet someone with a bad naming sense just couldn¡¯t be bothered to come up with two names.¡± The blonde felt like someone had just been lazy. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re in any position to criticize others in that regard.¡± She stared right at her. ¡°Fair.¡± Sophia had to accept that. ¡°Still, oasis city, huh?¡± She recovered quickly, though. ¡°Is it just a fancy name, or is there an actual oasis?¡± ¡°The city is built on an oasis that is sustained by an underground water reservoir, or so I remember at least.¡± Her memories of the details were slightly hazy. ¡°Ohh!¡± The shorter tiger liked it, nonetheless. ¡°Maya, can I request an oasis for your desert biome in my domain?¡± "Wouldn''t it be better to see it first before making that request?" The cat-girl felt like she was a bit hasty. ¡°It¡¯s an oasis in a desert!¡± The blonde repeated herself. ¡°Even if the city will be lackluster, it¡¯s still a must-have!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± She saw her point. ¡°I¡¯m not going to make my own city, but I¡¯ll try to get some inspiration from the nature side of the oasis.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°I may need some help with the landscaping, though.¡± Maya looked at her tiger. ¡°I still don¡¯t really know how your domain works, so creating a water source to feed an oasis might be beyond me right now.¡± ¡°Bold of you to assume that I know how my domain works.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°That much will be easy, though. I¡¯ll gladly help out there!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Still, a city inside the domain, huh?¡± Anna got interested in that bit. ¡°Are there any plans for that?¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°I mean, that would be fun, but I wonder if you can make buildings with magic? You should be, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°If anyone here could do that, it would be you.¡± Ari stared at her while everyone else nodded in agreement. ¡°This needs some more experimenting!¡± The blonde got quite motivated over it. ¡°Although, I¡¯m still not ready to have random people inside my place, and a city with buildings but no people would be super weird, too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Anna agreed with her before thinking about it a little longer. ¡°Then again, it would be a good preparation for the time when or if you let people inside.¡± ¡°I guess so?¡± She wasn¡¯t overly convinced. ¡°By the way, if there would be a city with people in your domain, what would you be?¡± The princess got even more curious. ¡°The mayor? Maybe even their queen?¡± ¡°That sounds like a massive pain!¡± Sophia began to like the idea even less. ¡°Is that even enough?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°You literally created the place they would live in. You made their world. I¡¯m certain they would treat you as their goddess.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± The blonde suddenly raised her voice. ¡°No people inside my domain for the foreseeable future!¡± She absolutely had no plans to deal with that anytime soon. With that topic being over, they continued their travels through the desert and their search for the oasis city while being led by their tour guides, Ari and Maya. ---------------- ¡°Ohhh!¡± Another hour and a half had passed, and the sight in front of them made jaguar and cat-girl rather excited. Their progress had been slow because deep sand wasn¡¯t the easiest to traverse, especially when having to go up and down high dunes, but they were eventually rewarded with a change of scenery. The dunes had eventually smoothed down, and the entire desert had become flatter. Here and there, small patches of green began to appear, as well. ¡°We¡¯re getting closer!¡± Ari clapped her hands. ¡°The greenery means that there has to be some amount of water, which implies the oasis can¡¯t be that far anymore.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Maya nodded along. ¡°I told you we would find it!¡± She then smirked at her tiger. ¡°Yep, you found an oasis," Sophia smirked back at her. "Good job~." ¡°What¡¯s up with that intonation?!¡± The duo didn''t like how she emphasized the word an. ¡°You said that there¡¯s only one oasis city, right?!¡± Maya then stared at the princess. ¡°I did.¡± She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the only city, yes, but I have no idea if it is the only oasis in this desert, though.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The tour guides froze after hearing that. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been teasing them enough?¡± While listening to them, Aura eventually addressed the blonde. ¡°Not really, no.¡± Sophia shook her head in return. ¡°They usually take it farther than that!¡± ¡°It would make you the better person, though.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Her ears perked up after hearing that. ¡°Good point!¡± ¡°Haha.¡± The female wolf let out a small chuckle before facing the duo. ¡°Admittedly, it was still not really the most direct part, but we are indeed on the outskirts of the right oasis.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The two weren¡¯t sure how to feel about that at first. ¡°Good enough!¡± They got over it fairly quickly, all things considered. ¡°The city¡¯s still a little over ten kilometers away, though, so don¡¯t get too overconfident yet," Aura warned them. ¡°Don''t start relying on the fact that there are more landmarks just yet. The oasis is big, and the shape might be misleading.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The two gave her a big nod while raising their arms high in the air. ¡°Final push, let¡¯s go!¡± It may have been too late for the warning about being overconfident. With Ari and Maya more motivated than ever, the group got ready for the final leg of their journey to the oasis city of Iridai. Chapter 160 – Personal best The cats, together with the two wolves, were still in the desert and happily exploring the place until they eventually found the outskirts of the oasis they were looking for. Being finally on the right track, Ari and Maya, their tour guides, pushed for the final bit to find the city inside of the oasis. ¡°Alright, should we go for another round?¡± Back in the cottage, Steph and Chloe had just finished their lunch when the dog-girl pointed at the living room when they were in the entrance hall. ¡°Why there again?¡± The fox tilted her head. "A good point!¡± Steph raised her voice. ¡°There are so many other rooms we didn¡¯t have sex in, either!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily what I meant.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it in every room in the cottage we haven¡¯t done it in yet!¡± She got pretty excited about her idea. "It''s super rare that it''s just us here, so we have to use this chance!" ¡°Every room?¡± Chloe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Every single one!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°Hallways, closets, and all that included!¡± ¡°The cottage is a whole lot smaller than the mansion in the capital, but we¡¯re still talking about at least 15 more rooms here besides the living where we just did it." The fox paused for a moment. "Also, there''s a chance everyone will return around dinner time. That¡¯s quite ambitious, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°15 quickies in five hours are absolutely not impossible!¡± She energetically clapped her hands. ¡°I believe in you!¡± ¡°Easy for you to say.¡± Chloe rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be doing most of the work, after all.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best to help!¡± The dog-girl got a little embarrassed. ¡°Just treat it as stamina training! You said that you wanted to increase it, right?¡± ¡°It is the most enjoyable sort of training, that is true.¡± She had a hard time finding arguments against it. ¡°LET¡¯S GO!¡± There was no stopping Steph any longer. ¡°Fine~.¡± Chloe gave up but with a smile on her lips. It¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t like the idea, after all. ¡°Where should we start?¡± ¡°I mean, we already are in the hallway, so we might as well?¡± Her expression turned cheeky. ¡°Okay!¡± With a similar expression, the fox-girl leaned in for a kiss to get things rolling. ---------------- ¡°Haa¡­¡± Exactly five and a half hours later, the couple was back in the living room, where Steph let out a tired sigh while being sprawled out over one of the sofas. Her hair seemed slightly wet, making it look like she had just come out of the bath while she was wearing the pink version of her top, and still nothing beneath it, combined with only a pair of black panties. ¡°Haa¡­¡± Chloe had the same tired reaction while she lay on the other sofa. Her hair was wrapped in a towel, so the two definitely just came out of the bath. She was wearing a thin white spaghetti top with nothing beneath it, as was evident by the fact that it was ever-so-slightly see-through. Besides that, just like the dog-girl, she also was just wearing a pair of panties, only a frilly pink one instead. ¡°I¡¯m going to be so sore tomorrow!¡± She provocatively wiggled around her fingers while saying so. ¡°I already am!¡± The dog-girl lightly massaged her inner thighs in return. ¡°You¡¯re welcome~.¡± Chloe gave her a slight smirk in response. ¡°Haha!¡± Despite the exhaustion, their moods were excellent. ¡°Still, we went a little overtime, huh? Well, to be fair, we went at it twice in the bathroom. Once because it was the last room, and one more time in the shower when we washed off the sweat, among other things.¡± ¡°You were just too cute under the shower!¡± The fox regretted nothing.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Still, this is probably a new record for us, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°For the number of times we did it, absolutely!¡± Steph nodded. "We did have some sessions where you focused on teasing me, which did take a lot longer, though.¡± ¡°Oh, those were fun times!¡± The fox started smiling. ¡°Your reactions when being edged are the best!¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing how different you are during private times compared to your usual personality!¡± "You''re mostly responsible for that." Chloe looked at her. "Before meeting you, I was convinced I needed a top as a partner. Turns out that I was the top all along!¡± ¡°Judging by how instantly you were ready for it, I merely made you realize!¡± Steph shook her head. ¡°I take responsibility for that, but not for you being the way you are.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s fair.¡± She couldn¡¯t really say much there. ¡°I enjoy it a lot, so I have to thank you for making me realize.¡± "You are very welcome!" The dog-girl sounded happy. ¡°I also have to thank you for taking care of me!¡± ¡°That being said, don¡¯t you think we overdid it a little today?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Steph furiously shook her head. ¡°This should become our new daily routine!¡± ¡°Daily?!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t mind doing it every day, far from it, but just once or twice during the night is enough! There are not enough hours in a day for it, and we¡¯d get caught for sure!¡± ¡°I guess you have a point there. We¡¯d have no time left for exploring!¡± Aside from Chloe, that was another big passion of the dog, after all. ¡°It might be a bit late for not getting caught, though.¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± Chloe got loud. ¡°I mean, we just had sex in every single room of the cottage. The bedrooms of the others included. There¡¯s no way they¡¯re not going to notice. The living room here is one thing, but their own rooms? Cleaning and letting in some fresh air will only get you so far.¡± ¡°Urgh.¡± She wasn''t sure what to say there. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely put the blame on you for doing it in their rooms!¡± ¡°Even though you were the one who literally pushed me into them?¡± ¡°Even so!¡± While acknowledging it, Chloe didn''t care about it. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind~.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°As you know, I¡¯m pretty open about those things, so I don¡¯t mind taking responsibility! I mean, I did suggest going at it in every room, so it¡¯s fair even if you are the one who got the most motivated. Also, if they find out, I¡¯ll absolutely brag about it in the smuggest way possible! I¡¯m sure it will even make Maya envious!¡± She just made a massive leap in her rivalry with the cat-girl about being the horniest in the group. ¡°What an odd competition you have going on with her.¡± The fox rolled her eyes. ¡°It may be odd, but it¡¯s also the best kind of competition!¡± She gave her a lazy thumbs up while not moving another inch on the sofa. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the best, but it¡¯s definitely up there.¡± Chloe mostly agreed with her. ¡°I¡¯m sure Sophia also enjoys the competition, even if she probably won¡¯t admit it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one thing where the sisterly bond is failing with us!¡± Steph suddenly got loud. ¡°I¡¯m competing with Maya about being the horniest girl while Sophia¡¯s comfortably riding the position of the least horny between us girlies!¡± ¡°I mean, with how perverted all of us are, being in last place still doesn¡¯t mean overly much if you ask me.¡± The fox-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°Especially with how obviously she lusts over everyone¡¯s legs all the time.¡± She knew that Sophia, all things considered, still was a massive pervert. ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± Steph could follow her explanation. ¡°That being said, I already had Maya complain about how rarely Sophia initiates things to me, though.¡± "Seriously?" Chloe sounded surprised to hear that. ¡°Though, with Maya¡¯s libido being what it is, always active, I probably wouldn¡¯t feel the need to initiate things, either. I mean, while I¡¯m always up for it, 75% of the times we do it, you¡¯re also the one to start it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the same thing I told her!¡± The dog-girl nodded. ¡°I also suggested waiting until Sophia needs her attention, but Maya made it quite clear that she¡¯d literally die if she had to wait for longer than three days!¡± ¡°Be honest. How would you react if we didn¡¯t do it for three days?¡± ¡°How rude!¡± She started pouting. ¡°I¡¯d survive at least five days!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Chloe didn¡¯t believe her. ¡°Should we give it a try?¡± ¡°?!¡± The dog was unable to reply in spoken words at first. "Y-You would also suffer from it, wouldn''t you?!" ¡°We just did it 17 times today!¡± The fox shrugged. "I''ll probably survive for a week right now. Also, it''s only about doing it with each other, right? I¡¯ll probably be able to go a few days longer with some solo sessions.¡± ¡°That¡¯s literally cheating!¡± Steph didn¡¯t like that. "If you have to touch yourself to keep going, that''s the moment you lose the challenge!" ¡°Well, fair enough.¡± She could only agree with her there. ¡°I guess I am hornier than Sophia, huh?¡± ¡°And I love you even more for that!¡± It was a definite plus for the dog-girl. ¡°Well, those two are doing fine, too. Sophia has more of a romantic side to make up for it, after all.¡± ¡°That is true!¡± Chloe nodded. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even need to try to swoon someone! She¡¯s an absolute natural.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the part where we sisters are one and the same again!¡± Steph¡¯s voice turned smug. ¡°Sure~.¡± So did the one of the fox-girl. ¡°Hey!¡± She didn¡¯t appreciate the teasing undertone. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Afterward, as there was no chance the two would be active anytime soon after their exhausting day, Chloe and Steph relaxed in the living room for a good amount of time longer. While doing so, they chatted about all sorts of mundane and maybe horny things while being comfy on their sofa. Chapter 161 – Oasis Chloe and Steph were having quite a busy day at home while the rest of the group was exploring the desert. Using the rare chance of being alone, the couple not only had fun in the living room, but they also decided to inaugurate every single room in the cottage in their own horny way. Naturally, this was quite exhausting, so the two ended up being sore and tired at the end of the day. ¡°Ohh!¡± At the same time as Chloe and Steph were exercising at home, Maya got excited about their new findings in the desert as she energetically pointed at a couple of palm trees growing in the middle of a large green patch in the desert. ¡°It¡¯s definitely getting greener!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ari nodded. ¡°That means we¡¯re getting closer to the center of the oasis! The city can¡¯t be far, either!¡± ¡°You¡¯d think so, wouldn¡¯t you~?¡± Sophia smiled at them. ¡°Stop it!¡± The two had enough of her teasing. ¡°Fine.¡± She gave up. ¡°To be fair, you two have gotten us a little off-track.¡± Aura addressed their tour guides. ¡°Huh?!¡± The two¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Yes way.¡± Fen joined the conversation and gestured a bit to the right of the direction they were walking in. ¡°It¡¯s that way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Maya and Ari froze. ¡°Seriously, how can one be so bad with directions?¡± Sophia had reconsidered giving up on the teasing. ¡°Too much?¡± She then awkwardly scratched her cheek as she noticed how everyone was looking at her while slowly shaking their heads. "The desert is a way bigger opponent than I had thought." The jaguar hung her head. ¡°Yes, I also underestimated it greatly.¡± Maya nodded along. ¡°Well, at the beginning, you messed up a lot, but having gotten a little lost closer to the oasis is reasonable.¡± Aura tried to cheer them up. ¡°I mean, being able to read directions isn¡¯t going to help you that much if you don¡¯t know the exact position of the city you¡¯re trying to find. Like, you¡¯re going to miss it if you¡¯re just a few degrees off while traveling.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± Fen agreed with her. ¡°You really were all over the place in the beginning, though.¡± He just had to take another jab at them, too. ¡°Thank you, Aura.¡± The two ignored the male wolf and smiled at her. ¡°By the way,¡± While the two were busy with the wolves, Sophia looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°I wanna know more about the city!¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Anna scratched her cheek in return. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what else I can add here. As you may have noticed, it¡¯s a little secluded.¡± She just pointed all around her. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about it other than the part where it exists. Father just mentioned a couple of times just how easy it is to work with them. Like, the castle gets a letter once a year that they¡¯re doing fine, and that''s pretty much it.¡± ¡°How mysterious!¡± The blonde¡¯s excitement rose a little. ¡°The king maybe forgot about it, too, though.¡± Maya joined the conversation. ¡°Iridai isn¡¯t on the list of places he wanted us to visit.¡± ¡°Iridai?¡± Sophia tilted her head. ¡°Ha¡­¡± Everyone had the same reaction. ¡°Judging by that reply, it¡¯s probably the name of the city, huh?¡± She took a random guess. ¡°Yes.¡± They nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t think Menzor would forget about one of the kingdom¡¯s more notable cities, though.¡± Ari didn¡¯t think that this was the reason for it not being on the list. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like every bigger city of the kingdom is on the list in the first place, right? I¡¯m sure they chose the places in a strategic manner to space out the portals as best and efficient as possible.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°That makes a lot of sense.¡± The cat-girl nodded. "A city in the middle of the desert is not the most accessible place and a lesser place of interest. In a way, a portal would be the most interesting for them to get easier access to stuff, but they seem to be doing fine, so they might not even be interested.¡± ¡°It¡¯s either that or even father thought there¡¯s just no way we¡¯d end up here, so he simply didn¡¯t bother adding it.¡± The princess had another possible explanation ready. ¡°Ah.¡± The girls found that to be the much more likely case in the end. ¡°I guess we should ask Menzor first before meeting the mayor of the city?¡± The blonde tilted her head. ¡°In case there¡¯s another reason besides just not believing in how random we are, that is.¡± ¡°True.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°I like it when our tigers are mature and responsible.¡± Hearing their cautious approach, Ari turned to smile at Maya. ¡°Same.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°It also confuses me greatly, though.¡± ¡°True!¡± She thought so, too. ¡°If I wouldn¡¯t feel the same about them being immature and irresponsible at times, I¡¯d be offended now.¡± Sophia looked at her fellow tiger. ¡°Yes.¡± The princess came to the same conclusion. ---------------- A little while later, the group continued their journey, and after around 20 minutes, they finally arrived at their destination, the oasis city of Iridai in the middle of the desert. ¡°Woah!¡± Everyone except the wolves had the same reaction when first seeing the city. Just before finding the city, they had to ascend a last dune, which came with the added benefit of them getting a good view of everything in the area. The desert had become a lot greener, with patches of grass and palm trees and cacti growing all over the place. The most notable thing was the city in front of them, though. All things considered, it was more of a bigger village with around 200 buildings at best, but being surrounded by nothing but sand as far as the eye could see and then some didn''t make it any less impressive. The houses were made from a mix of sandstone bricks and terracotta. They also looked relatively small and cozy, with only a few buildings being on the larger side here and there. What really stole the show was the roughly 150-by-200-meter big lake in the very center of the city and the dense vegetation of mostly grass and palm trees around it. More palms and cacti were scattered everywhere between the buildings, too. ¡°I wonder what type of beastfolk lives here!¡± While saying so, Sophia squinted her eyes to try and identify what was going on in the streets of the city. ¡°Oh, I spot some cats! Their ears are a bit wider, and their tails are slightly more bushy! There are some with super long ears with long tuff at the tip, too! Just like a lynx! Everyone¡¯s also super tanned!¡± ¡°I mean, the latter is kinda obvious.¡± Maya pointed at the glaring sun above them. ¡°Desert cats, huh?¡± As their resident cat-girl, she naturally got interested in them and also took a better look. ¡°I¡¯m surprised there are so many of them! Being fascinated by the desert makes a lot more sense to me now, though!" She started to understand why she got the urge to create her own desert inside Sophia¡¯s domain. "I''m looking forward to seeing what this fascination turns into~." The blonde smiled at her before focusing on the city again. ¡°Who else is there? Oh, I see lots of horny people!¡± ¡°HUH?!¡± Hearing that, Maya got even more excited and looked in the same direction as Sophia was. ¡°Where?!¡± ¡°Let me correct myself.¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°People with horns.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­¡± The cat-girl was visibly disappointed. ¡°I love how both of you are absolute dorks, just about different topics.¡± Anna liked their exchange. ¡°And oftentimes about the same topics, too.¡± ¡°You were looking in the same direction as Sophia just now, too.¡± Ari addressed her tiger. ¡°Ah.¡± The princess awkwardly scratched her cheek in return. ¡°I-I just wanted to see the bighorn-sheep and gazelle beastfolk!¡± She hastily described some of the people she was seeing. ¡°Sure.¡± The jaguar didn''t exactly believe her. ¡°The horns are great, though!¡± Sophia kept surveying the people. ¡°The long and pointy ones of the gazelles seem a bit dangerous, but the long and curly ones of the bighorn sheep are super adorable!¡± ¡°That is true.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°If my partner had long and pointy horns, I probably would always be a little scared to get poked by it. Especially if you sleep in the same bed.¡± "Maybe there are some protective covers you can stick on them during sleep to prevent accidental injuries?" The blonde tilted her head. ¡°Oh, that could work!¡± The jaguar liked her solution. ¡°That being said, cute as they are, if we are on the topic of sleeping already, it always seems to me that horns would be incredibly hard to deal with. Like, you can only sleep on your back because you can''t turn your head to the side as the horns are in the way.¡± ¡°You are right!¡± The sleep-loving tiger hated that. ¡°On the other hand, Chloe has her massive tail that makes her unable to sleep on her back and has to sleep on her side. Or, at least at an angle, at best, if the fluff compresses a little. I guess it''s a matter of being used to it? Like, you can¡¯t miss something you never experienced?¡± ¡°Chloe¡¯s tail also comes with the added benefit of being a walking pillow ready to lean against whenever it¡¯s needed.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t see her tail as a downside. ¡°Fair enough.¡± She just nodded. ¡°Should we go to the city already?¡± Anna had enough of just looking at it from a distance. ¡°Okay!¡± The others agreed with her. Afterward, the group descended from the dune they were on and finally made their way toward the city to meet the locals. Chapter 162 – Iridai The group finally found the oasis city in the middle of the desert, and they couldn''t wait to explore it. Even before arriving and looking at it from a distance, the girls got fascinated by the people they could spot. They were especially curious about the horny ones. Much to Maya''s regret, it was about their horns and not something else. ¡°Oh?¡± Once the group got near the entrance of the city, an older man, presumably somewhere in his sixties, with a healthy tan, short brown hair, and very long gazelle-like horns on top of his head, spotted them. ¡°Visitors? Here?¡± He naturally knew that they weren¡¯t from the city, but that was the confusing part. ¡°How did you all end up here? More importantly, how did you survive the desert?¡± He glanced at the lightly dressed girls during the last part. ¡°We¡¯re quite tough~.¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s technically how that works.¡± The horned beast man scratched his cheek. ¡°Then again, you being here does prove your point, so what would this old man know, I guess? Not to mention that the power levels radiating from all of you are making me feel dizzy. That being said, it¡¯s another feat entirely to find this place, though. Your navigational skills must be something else.¡± ¡°They sure are!¡± The blonde nodded. As they really were something else, she wasn¡¯t wrong with saying so, either. ¡°My next question would be related to you two.¡± He then singled the tigers out. ¡°Why is the royal family here?¡± He naturally knew what the stripes meant. ¡°I leave that explanation to our lovely expert.¡± Smiling, Sophia took a step back while gesturing at the princess at the same time. ¡°I love you, too.¡± Sounding rather sarcastic, the tall tiger smiled back at her while rolling her eyes. ¡°We are currently traveling through the continent to get a feeling of the kingdom. Every member of the royal family should get some firsthand in that regard. After all, how are you supposed to be the head of a kingdom you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Oho.¡± The horned man nodded. ¡°You¡¯re doing the same as Prince Nathan, I see.¡± ¡°Wait, you know about my brother¡¯s journey?¡± Hearing that, Anna¡¯s ears perked up. ¡°Yes.¡± He looked at her. ¡°He and his group were here, uhh¡­ at least a year ago? Probably a bit longer even.¡± ¡°Nathan was here?!¡± The princess got loud. ¡°Wait, his group?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°He was supposed to only be with your sister, wasn¡¯t he?¡± Anna looked at Ari for confirmation. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought so, too.¡± ¡°He did have a jaguar with him. A golden one, though.¡± He mustered Ari for a second before continuing. ¡°There also was a cat-boy and another girl with him, too. I don¡¯t remember exactly, but I think she was a puma.¡± ¡°Nathan made some friends, huh?¡± Anna sounded strangely happy. ¡°Good for him!¡± "A puma!¡± Sophia was most interested in that part. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen one yet!¡± ¡°They did seem pretty close.¡± The horned man kept focusing on the princess. ¡°They were only here for two days, though, so don¡¯t go asking me about details of their relationship now.¡± ¡°I wonder how they ended up here.¡± The tall tiger scratched her cheek. ¡°I mean, Nathan isn¡¯t weak, in relative terms, but the desert was quite something, too. I¡¯m not sure how he would¡¯ve fared with that sandstorm¡­¡± "Well, the cat-boy gave me the same reply as the blonde princess gave me earlier and just boasted that they''re quite tough, too.¡± He took a quick glance at Sophia before shrugging. ¡°As I wasn¡¯t really interested in knowing what that means, I didn¡¯t ask.¡± "A good mindset.¡± Ari nodded a couple of times, knowing that sometimes not asking about something was the easier solution with the chance of fewer headaches. ¡°Exactly.¡± The horned man smiled at her. ¡°They did arrive during the night, though. Navigating by the stars and not being grilled by the sun makes things a lot easier, after all.¡± ¡°The night¡¯s way too cold!¡± Sophia wasn''t a fan. ¡°People normally prefer freezing a little over getting a heatstroke and dying.¡± He didn¡¯t share her opinion. ¡°People are weird!¡± ¡°You are an interesting princess.¡± The gazelle-man wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. ¡°Thanks!¡± She knew what he was trying to imply, but the blonde also learned how to deal with it in the best way. ¡°I really want to see Nathan now!¡± Having heard about her brother and his new friends, Anna got quite curious about him.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Were you two close?¡± Maya got curious about the relationship between the royal siblings. ¡°A normal amount, I guess?¡± She tilted her head in return. ¡°Those two regularly turned the castle upside down when unsupervised for more than five seconds.¡± Ari rolled her eyes while looking at the cat-girl. ¡°Also, guess who had to catch and prevent them from doing too many stupid things?¡± "It might be a bit of a stretch, but maybe a certain pair of jaguar sisters?¡± She gave her a wry smile. ¡°E-x-a-c-t-l-y!¡± Ari looked incredibly tired just remembering it. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± There wasn¡¯t a shred of regret in Anna¡¯s reaction. ¡°Those were good times!¡± ¡°And Menzor was trying to blame me for his receding hairline.¡± Sophia started pouting. ¡°To be fair, how often have you turned the castle upside down?¡± Maya stared at her. ¡°Okay, good point.¡± She had little to defend herself with there. ¡°The current tiger generation is a wild one, huh?¡± The horned man scratched his cheek while listening to them. ¡°We sure are~.¡± The stripped duo smiled at him while also giving a thumbs up. ¡°Well, I guess the tiger family will continue to be interesting leaders. I don¡¯t mean it in a bad way, either.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try our best~.¡± Anna just nodded a few times. ¡°It seems like we¡¯re in good hands.¡± He didn¡¯t dislike the liveliness of her. ¡°So, what are the plans? I hate to admit it, but while our little village sounds adventurous, it''s an oasis in the middle of a desert, after all, there isn''t all that much to see once you''ve gotten here." ¡°We¡¯re happy enough just having found it and being able to explore it a little." ¡°I mean, there are some good places, that is certainly the case.¡± He wasn¡¯t going to stop them. ¡°I can recommend the tavern. ¡°They serve some mean cactus spirit that will kick you out of your shoes. Many delicious coconut-based cocktails, as well. A bit too sweet for my liking, but quite popular nonetheless.¡± ¡°And with that, you have my attention.¡± Fen, who had stayed silent until now, perked right up. ¡°Ahaha.¡± Sophia smiled at the alcohol-loving wolf. ¡°I love coconut, though, so thank you for the tip!¡± As she was immune to alcohol, the blonde didn¡¯t really care about the spirit, but sweet and delicious cocktails were right up her alley. ¡°Well, if you want to chat some more, you¡¯ll find me there in the evening. For now, there are some other things I need to take care of. Enjoy the village!¡± With that, he lightly waved at them before leaving. ¡°Bye!¡± Sophia and the other girls waved, as well. ¡°I like him! Normally, people always make a fuss when they see the two of us, but he was super relaxed!¡± She looked at Anna during the last part. ¡°Yes!¡± The princess nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright, before we do some exploring, should we make a quick trip to the castle to ask father if we should find the mayor and tell them about the portal plan?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that before we accidentally run into them and don¡¯t know what to say!¡± The blonde liked the suggestion. ¡°As we can¡¯t be bothered, we¡¯ll stay behind and start exploring already.¡± Fen didn''t want to join them. ¡°And with that, he means the exploration of the tavern¡¯s insides.¡± Aura held back a small chuckle. ¡°Well, I like coconut-based drinks, so I¡¯m all for it.¡± ¡°Sure thing~.¡± Sophia smiled at them. Afterward, after having decided on a course of action, the girls parted with the wolves and went to a hidden side alley to use one of the blonde¡¯s portals to head to the capital. Luckily, they went right to the portal hub and not through their cottage, disrupting Chloe¡¯s and Steph¡¯s activities. ---------------- ¡°Father!¡± In the castle, the girls headed right for Menzor''s office and, with the princess in the lead, barged right into it. ¡°So that¡¯s why the day so far was strangely peaceful, huh?¡± The king lazily lifted his head and looked at the girls. ¡°What can I do for you, dear daughter of mine?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve come for guidance!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a new one.¡± He was surprised that they actually came to seek his help. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived in Iridai and are unsure what to do next.¡± ¡°How are you already there?!¡± He got loud for a moment. ¡°Never mind, I don¡¯t think I want to know. Anyway, I strongly suggest against entering the desert. It''s a perilous and inhospitable place for the most part. Though, while I see Maya and Ari being concerned about it, I don¡¯t feel like either of you would care about that.¡± Menzor stared at the two tigers during the last bit. ¡°Oh, no we already did cross it!¡± Anna gave him a thumbs up. ¡°When I mentioned Iridai, I was talking about the oasis city, not the desert itself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The king just stared at them for a little while ¡°Haa¡­¡± He then let out a short sigh while rubbing his temples. ¡°I really become my greatest enemy if I keep getting surprised by them and their antics.¡± ¡°It would be best for your health if you get used to it already, too.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Also, I loved that you kept rocking the mane style.¡± She smiled while looking at the luscious and fluffy mass of hair on his head. "It''s the best!" Anna thought so, too." ¡°¡­¡± Menzor went silent again. ¡°I haven¡¯t fully decided on what to do with it yet.¡± ¡°You already reached perfection in my eyes!¡± ¡°I think so, too!¡± The two tigers didn''t see the need for him to test out different hairstyles. ¡°Why are you here again?¡± He decided to drop the topic. ¡°Why do you need my help regarding Iridai?¡± ¡°We were wondering why it wasn''t on the list of places that should get a portal.¡± Maya finally got to the point. ¡°I simply didn¡¯t think you¡¯d ever end up there.¡± The king shrugged. ¡°Figured as much.¡± ¡°I also don''t think Iridai is significant enough. Yes, it¡¯s an impressive place, and they have all my respect for living in the middle of such an inhospitable place as the Iridai desert, but at the end of the day, it¡¯s just a bigger village. I mean, we can¡¯t have a thousand portals here just because it would be easier for every village. Judging by all the reports I got from them so far, they¡¯re pretty happy with their secluded life, as well.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Sophia nodded along. ¡°Alright, no portal for them!¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Once the topic was over, Anna looked at her father again. ¡°Nathan also was in Iridai.¡± "HUH?!" Hearing that, Menzor got loud. ¡°I know, right?¡± She smiled at him. ¡°A local told me that he and his friends were there about a year ago.¡± ¡°How?!¡± He just raised his voice even more. ¡°Wait, friends? Wasn''t he supposed to just be with the sister of your Ari?¡± ¡°It seems like he found some more people. They couldn¡¯t tell me more about them, though.¡± ¡°Fascinating.¡± Menzor scratched his cheek. ¡°I appreciate that the castle doesn¡¯t get as destroyed as often as it used to be with both of you being here, but I¡¯m looking forward to the day Nathan returns and tells us about his journey.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Once the two had finished catching up, the group returned to the oasis city because they still wanted to explore it some more. Chapter 163 – Sand cat The group entered the oasis city of Iridai and had a pleasant conversation with a local. While doing so, they learned that Nathan, the prince of the kingdom and Anna''s older brother, had also been there in the past during his travels. This made the princess quite excited because she wanted to know how he was doing. ¡°I really like those sandstone houses!¡± The group was back in the oasis city after having paid Menzor a visit, and Sophia was excitedly taking in the sights. ¡°The added terracotta bits are super cute, too.¡± ¡°That is true!¡± Maya, who was next to her, nodded a couple of times. ¡°It looks super cozy! I¡¯m not sure, but it also feels like those houses would be easy to make with magic, wouldn¡¯t they? Like, sandstone is just, more or less, compacted sand, and terracotta is baked clay. If we have the raw materials, refining it with magic wouldn¡¯t be any work at all.¡± ¡°You are more than welcome to try!¡± The blonde lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Anything to add to your biome is something I look forward to!¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re getting a city inside your domain, after all?¡± Anna tilted her head while remembering the conversation they had about it before. ¡°Ah.¡± The blonde had forgotten about that already. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine! If Maya wants to experiment with it, so be it! Also, Chloe and Fenny are working on their log cabin holiday home, so we can get some sandstone retreats!¡± She was mainly trying to convince herself more than anyone else. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it~.¡± Anna smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best!¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Don''t expect too much just yet, though.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I just had that idea on a whim, and I have no idea if it actually works.¡± ¡°We believe in you!¡± The princess gave her a thumbs up, only increasing the pressure even more. ¡°Fine!¡± Maya gave up. ¡°I¡¯ll make the most amazing desert city there is! Even this oasis place will pale in comparison!¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± Anna liked her strong reply. ¡°Our princess is learning how to get a reaction out of Maya, huh?" Sophia was impressed with how she handled her. ¡°Yep, she¡¯s getting good.¡± Ari thought so, too. ¡°Grr!¡± The cat-girl in question didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± Anna did, though. ¡°Anyway, I want to see the lake in the middle of this place!¡± Sophia decided it was time for a new topic. ¡°It¡¯s the source of this oasis, right? Maybe something is interesting there and or gives us inspiration for a biome idea.¡± ¡°I want to see it, too!¡± The princess liked the suggestion. ¡°Lakes are always nice!¡± Ari also was a fan. ¡°Well, I need to get a better look at it to be able to create a better version, so it¡¯s crucial that we go there.¡± As Maya had given herself a big challenge, she could use all the help there is. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the pretty lake!¡± The blonde energetically raised her arm. ¡°Also, someone has to remind me later that I need to borrow some of the cacti around!¡± She gestured at all the green and spiky plants anywhere between half and three meters in size everywhere around them. ¡°They¡¯re so cool!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I would¡¯ve done so regardless.¡± The cat-girl smiled at her. ¡°They¡¯re a crucial part of my desert project.¡± ¡°Awesome!¡± ---------------- Having decided on a course of action, the girls strolled through the city while taking a good look at everything. While walking around, they also had a couple of chats with some curious locals. While doing so, they found out that most of the feline beastfolk here shared traits with the so-called sand cat. A type of cat with rather wide ears and facial structures as well as a somewhat bushy tail and thicker fur to better deal with the harsh conditions in a desert, like smoldering daytime and freezing nights. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Even though Maya shared no physical traits with them, she still felt a deeply emotional connection to the idea. This made her even more motivated to create her own desert as soon as possible. She also felt the urge to ask her parents about the possibility of having distant relatives originating from the desert. Sophia was more curious about all the horned folk, but she didn''t have the nerve to outright ask about their sleeping habits just yet. Once they get to the bar later on, she¡¯d try again, though, because she really wanted to know what they do with their horns during the night. ¡°Ohh!¡± Finally arriving at the lake, Maya and her now even bigger love for the place was the first to react. ¡°Such a nice place!¡± She was looking at the lake with sparkling eyes. As they had already seen before entering the place, it was roughly 150-by-200 meters big, and the water was absolutely crystal clear. Thanks to this, it was possible to look far below the surface but still not all the way to the bottom. The lake was so deep that, because of the angle, one simply couldn¡¯t see the bottom from the edge of the water. While it was a little spooky that the water was so deep and how it had a steep cliff below its surface not too far from the shore, the stunning beach all around the lake more than made up for it. As they were in the middle of a desert, there definitely was no shortage of sand, even in the center of the oasis. The entire lake was lined with a beach of pure white sand with no impurities whatsoever. A little further away from the water, where things turned a bit greener, numerous cacti, as well as many clusters of palm trees, were growing. The latter not only provided much-needed shade but also created a picture book-like vacation feeling. Many of them had coconut growing on them, as well. ¡°You know, the clear water, the white sand, the temperature, the palm trees, and the coconut trees remind me of a vacation I went on before ending up here.¡± Sophia smiled while taking in the surroundings. ¡°It was basically just a small island, the sea, a beautiful beach, a bunch of palm trees, a hammock, and drinks served in a coconut. Hmm, with Fenny and Chloe making their winter retreat, I might make myself a tropical island retreat in my domain.¡± She also wanted a holiday home. ¡°Count me in!¡± Ari suddenly raised her voice. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely going to help you with that!¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± The blonde liked how excited she sounded. ¡°Sure thing!¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°You have to take care not to destroy it, though.¡± Sophia then stared at her. ¡°You do have a track record in that regard, after all.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Anyway, I look forward to doing it with you~.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t want to tease her more. ¡°Yes!¡± Ari nodded in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s going to be awesome and so satisfying!¡± ¡°Wording!¡± Anna just had to make a comment on that. ¡°Ah.¡± The duo awkwardly looked at each other. ¡°Also!¡± The princess wasn''t done yet. ¡°How did you two, out of everyone, as usual, just casually decide to work together on the most romantic-sounding area in your place just like that?!" ¡°To be fair, it¡¯s pretty on brand for those two.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t exactly surprised. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I had this reaction!¡± The tall tiger got louder. ¡°They¡¯re just too good at it!¡± ¡°Come on!¡± Sophia stared at them. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ari and I got flirty!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The jaguar nodded along. ¡°We have a lot of catching up to do! That¡¯s why creating our own romantic holiday retreat on a tropical island is just what we need!¡± They decided to play up the bit a little more. ¡°Grr!¡± This time, it was the princess who didn¡¯t like that. ¡°How about we make our very own romantic retreat?¡± Maya smiled at the princess. ¡°We¡¯ll make it even better than theirs!¡± ¡°That would be great!¡± Anna liked the idea and decided to play along. ¡°Do you have anything in mind already?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The cat-girl tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a big fan of lagoons. Maybe in the middle of a forest, bamboo would be fun and circled by a cliff to make it more secluded. A cozy hut with a big porch on the beach around the lagoon would round everything up.¡± ¡°That sounds so lovely!¡± The princess nodded a couple of times. ¡°Let¡¯s do that!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°This trip sure took a turn I wasn''t expecting.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°Very much so.¡± Ari agreed with her. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine, I guess. As long as no one acts on the romantic atmosphere.¡± She stared at Anna and Maya at the end. ¡°You¡¯re the biggest flirt here!¡± The two did not appreciate that. ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar had nothing to say that she could defend herself with. ¡°Alrighty, with that taken care of and decided on, shall we look for the wolves in the tavern?¡± Sophia wanted to keep going. ¡°Sure!¡± Afterward, the girls first explored the lake area for a little longer to gather more inspiration for their own new projects. Once they were happy with what they saw, the group returned to walking through the city to find the tavern that the local had told them about before. Luckily, as Fen and Aura were already there and likely having a great time, the blonde could simply use her detection magic to see where they were. Thanks to that, the girls didn''t have to walk through the whole place or ask a local for directions. Chapter 164 – Desert lake The girls explored the lake area of the oasis city and liked it a whole lot. There, one thing led to another, causing Sophia and Ari to feel the need to create a romantic holiday retreat together for some reason or another. Naturally, Anna and Maya decided to do the same because, of course they would. ¡°Ohh!¡± The girls arrived at the tavern of the oasis city, and Sophia liked what she was seeing. It was a two-story building made of mostly sandstone with wooden inserts and a bar on the ground floor. It had a rather open design with a big arched entrance at the front to let fresh air in and the heat out. The high ceiling helped with getting the temperature tolerable, as well. Using magic to cool the temperature wasn¡¯t really a thing outside the group, after all. Colorful carpets were placed all over the ground because people were sitting directly on the floor with a couple of cushions around low tables. It was already late afternoon when the girls arrived at the tavern, and the place had already turned quite lively. Many patrons were enjoying their stay. Just like everywhere else, the guests were mostly of feline and horned origin. Except for a certain duo of wolves. Fen and Aura were sitting in a corner in the tavern together with the older gazelle man the group met when first arriving in the city. ¡°Someone is having a great time, huh?¡± Maya noticed all the empty glasses in front of the male wolf and had to smile. ¡°He sure loves his alcohol.¡± ¡°Looks great!¡± Sophia saw the cut-open coconut with a straw sticking out sitting on the table in front of Aura and clapped her hands. ¡°Let¡¯s join them!¡± Looking forward to having a sweet and delicious cocktail on her own, she energetically walked over to their wolves while the others followed after her. ¡°Well, would you look who it is!¡± Arriving there, Aura addressed them first. ¡°Done with exploring already?¡± ¡°For today, at least.¡± The blonde gave her a thumbs up. ¡°For now, I¡¯d love one of these!¡± She then pointed at the coconut in front of her.¡± "A good choice.¡± The female wolf nodded. ¡°It¡¯s sweet and delicious!¡± ¡°Exactly what I wanted to hear! I take three!¡± Afterward, she sat down on a cushion right next to Aura. ¡°I¡¯ll start with one first.¡± As Maya knew the meaning of restraint, she sounded a lot more reasonable as she also sat down. ¡°Then again, alcohol works on me, so I have to deal with that.¡± ¡°Me, too.¡± Ari and Anna had the same reaction. ¡°Just one for now, please.¡± ¡°Did you come across anything interesting while exploring?¡± Auro got curious about their trip. ¡°Maya made friends with the sand cat folk," Sophia answered her. ¡°They¡¯re great!¡± The cat-girl energetically continued. ¡°I really need to ask my parents whether or not some distant relatives of hours were sand cats, too! I relate with them way too much, after all!¡± ¡°Someone likes the desert, huh?¡± Aura let out a small chuckle. ¡°Very much!¡± She just nodded. ¡°We also took a look at the lake.¡± The blonde continued. ¡°The water and the beach were amazing! I¡¯m really curious about how deep the lake really is!¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± The horned man from before looked at her. ¡°My name¡¯s Doma, by the way. I don¡¯t think we got to that part earlier when we met.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Sophia!¡± She smiled at him. ¡°Those three are Maya, Anna, and Ari.¡± The blonde went ahead to introduce them to him, as well. ¡°Why is it a good question, though?¡± Sophia then focused on Doma again. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Because we haven''t found an answer to that question, either.¡± He shrugged. ¡°We tried to measure it a couple of years ago, but that didn¡¯t work out.¡± ¡°How so?¡± The blonde tilted her head before taking a sip from the coconut drink a server had just given her. ¡°Delicious! So smooth and tasty!¡± ¡°We organized a massively long string, attached a big rock to it, and took a boat to the middle of the lake. From there, we tried to let it sink to the bottom and measure the distance left, but we ran out of string before reaching the end.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the solution be a longer rope, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to find one that¡¯s even longer than 500 meters.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Sophia noticed the issue. ¡°Well, how about tying two together, then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a commodity item, you know?¡± He stared at her. ¡°We only bought it by chance when we made our journey to the trade hub because the people who commissioned it never came to collect it. Having another one made will take a long while, as well as costing us a good amount of gold. We were curious, but not to that amount. It¡¯s not like we¡¯d gain anything from knowing how deep the lake is, do we?¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair enough.¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t blame him for that. ¡°I still love crazy nature like that, though! A super-deep lake is intriguing! I¡¯d still love to find out how deep it really is!¡± ¡°Well, unless you somehow have a couple hundred meters of rope on you, this might be easier said than done.¡± Doma didn¡¯t think it would be possible. ¡°Actually~.¡± Her expression turned cheeky. ¡°Of course she has that in her storage¡­" Maya had a feeling of what he was trying to imply, and she just let out a sigh before taking another sip from her own coconut drink. ¡°Yeah.¡± Ari had the exact same reaction. ¡°Wait, I have an even better idea!¡± Sophia then clapped her hands. ¡°I could just use magic to measure the distance!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an expert on the matter, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how magic works.¡± The horned man looked confused. ¡°I can create water with magic, which is a literal blessing in a desert, and others can use other elements, but something like that doesn''t sound like anything I know." ¡°Ahh, how nostalgic~.¡± Hearing that, the short tiger started smiling. ¡°It sure has been a while since I last heard that complaint.¡± Although, as she didn¡¯t feel like explaining the whole topic at the moment, she skipped right to the point for the time being. ¡°There¡¯s more to magic than just elements. The wolves and us girls here are powerful enough to use uncategorized magic. I¡¯m a little talented with it, too, so I have a trick or two up my sleeve.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Doma was at a loss for words. ¡°Understandable reaction.¡± Ari couldn¡¯t blame him and just nodded a few times for taking another sip of her drink. ¡°This is so good!¡± Her eyes started sparkling. ¡°I know, right?!¡± The blonde felt the same. Words aside, neither of them were concerned about the horned man¡¯s broken common sense, though. ¡°Today¡¯s youth is crazy.¡± It was all he could say. ¡°I won¡¯t say no to having the depth measured, but really, how does that work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually one of my easier tricks.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Simply put, I can put a bit of my magic into objects like stones, for example. Once I did that, I can perfectly tell where it is and thus how far it is away from me.¡± ¡°That is quite handy.¡± Doma seemed impressed. ¡°She can be pretty useful.¡± Maya had to agree. "So, I guess we''ll have a nice boat ride to the middle of the lake tomorrow~." Sophia gave a thumbs up. ¡°That¡¯s doubly nice because I wanted to see how the clear water looks from above, too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite eerie.¡± He scratched his cheek. ¡°It just goes down and down before it slowly turns dark once the sunlight can¡¯t reach further down anymore. I didn¡¯t enjoy being there. I always had the feeling that something would jump at me at any moment. The beach is a much nicer place.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± Both tigers liked the sound of his description. ¡°Was the something bit really necessary?¡± Ari wasn¡¯t as much of a fan. ¡°I¡¯m NOT going on that boat!¡± Maya really didn¡¯t like it. ¡°I love my scaredy cat~.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned smug. ¡°S-Shut up!¡± She raised her voice. ¡°It¡¯s perfectly normal to dislike spooky stuff!¡± ¡°It sure is~.¡± Everyone looked at her with warm eyes. ¡°Grr!¡± Maya hated that even more. ¡°Feel free to come with us~.¡± The blonde¡¯s voice became even more teasing. "I look forward to the next spider-infested cave we come across." The cat-girl had enough. ¡°A-Ah.¡± Sophia turned pale. ¡°Those two really are made for each other.¡± Aura let out a small chuckle while watching their exchange. ¡°For the better and worse!¡± The duo in question perfectly synchronized. Once everyone got a good laugh at that, and them, the group continued to enjoy the tavern, or to be more precise, the drinks the tavern served. While doing so, Sophia also finally found out how the horned beastfolk usually slept. As it turned out, the people with pointy horns really put something soft, like cork, on them when sharing the bed with someone. Asking a bighorn sheep at the table next to them, she also learned that it¡¯s really just a matter of getting used to sleeping in one position only. It¡¯s not like they had a choice, after all. Chapter 165 – Records to break The girls finished their initial exploration of the lake in the middle of the oasis city and went to the tavern the wolves had been in for a couple of hours already. There, they also reunited with the horned beast man named Doma, whom they met when arriving in the city. He then told them how they tried to measure the depth of the lake but failed to do so because it was just too deep. Naturally, Sophia quickly offered her help by using magic because she had been curious about it. ¡°Alright, time for a boating trip!" After having spent the rest of the evening and most of the night in the tavern, Sophia energetically raised her arm high in the air after exiting the building at early noon of the following day. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Anna was just as motivated as she stood next to her. ¡°It wasn¡¯t needed, but it was nice of the owner to let us sleep in one of the rooms upstairs, so I¡¯m full of energy!¡± ¡°I should¡¯ve drunk more to not be awake right now¡­¡± Maya still wasn¡¯t looking forward to it. ¡°You certainly tried last night.¡± Ari appeared next to her and reacted with a wry smile. "Fen is still out, and Aura''s with him, too, so it definitely was an option you could¡¯ve stuck to.¡± "Urgh, that''s what I get for drinking responsibly, huh?" The cat-girl hung her head. "Speaking of responsibility, we totally forget to get Chloe and Steph in the evening, huh?¡± The jaguar just remembered them. ¡°It¡¯s fine. They were probably too tired to join us, anyway.¡± Once she recovered, Maya shrugged in return. ¡°Tired?¡± Ari looked confused. ¡°From what?¡± ¡°They were alone at home all day, and we''re talking about Steph and Chloe.¡± She stared at her for a second. ¡°There¡¯s a 100% chance they had sex together the entire day.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± The jaguar couldn¡¯t say much there. ¡°That¡¯s definitely what I would¡¯ve done with Sophia in that situation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not surprised.¡± She rolled her eyes while staring at the cat-girl. ¡°So would¡¯ve you and Anna.¡± Maya didn¡¯t buy her reaction. ¡°¡­¡± Ari turned her head away. ¡°Hurry up already!¡± The tigers had already started walking when Sophia turned around to call their girlfriends. ¡°Doma is waiting for us at the lake!¡± Anna was just as impatient. ¡°We¡¯re coming!¡± The jaguar waved at her. ¡°I wonder how many times Steph and or Chloe said the same thing yesterday~.¡± Maya just had to do it. ¡°Hopefully not more than eleven times.¡± Ari decided to humor her. ¡°Huh?!¡± She got loud. ¡°Why such a specific number? Also, why hopefully not more than that?¡± ¡°Anna¡¯s and my record are twelve times on a single day, and I don¡¯t want them having beat us.¡± Saying so, she gave the cat-girl a seductive smirk before she started walking to catch up with the tigers. ¡°EH?!¡± Maya needed a moment to process that. ¡°SOPHIA!¡± She then quickly broke into a sprint. ¡°Yes?¡± The girl in question tilted her head once the cat-girl arrived in front of her. ¡°My standing in this group is in danger!¡± She sounded desperate. ¡°Cancel all the plans you have for tomorrow because I need you for something!¡± ¡°Do I want to know what she¡¯s up to?¡± Sophia looked at Ari instead. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Just say yes.¡± The jaguar wanted to help Maya out a little. ¡°It¡¯s not like she has a chance, anyway~.¡± She smirked at her again. ¡°Grr!¡± The cat-girl growled in return. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I have some mixed feelings about this.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek while watching their exchange. ¡°Well, if Ari says I should just agree with it, it can¡¯t be that bad. Okay, fine, I¡¯ll keep my tomorrow free.¡± ¡°That¡¯s such unfair preferential treatment!¡± Maya should¡¯ve been happy, but she raised her voice instead. ¡°Whenever I tell you to just say yes, you instantly refuse!¡± ¡°Because we¡¯ve been together for over a year, and I know you!¡± Sophia just stared at her. ¡°I also don¡¯t always refuse you, only when your intentions are blatantly obvious.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The cat-girl went silent again. ¡°Am I getting sick? I¡¯m on the wrong side of the teasing business way too often lately.¡± ¡°No, everything seems alright.¡± Sophia, Ari, and Anna synched perfectly. ¡°¡­¡± ---------------- Once the topic was taken care of, the girls finally resumed their walk and made their way to the oasis lake, where Doma was apparently already waiting for them to measure the depth of the lake with the help of Sophia¡¯s magic. ¡°Slept well?¡± Arriving at the beach, the girls were greeted by the horned man. ¡°I always do~.¡± Sophia gave him a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯m honestly surprised that you¡¯re alive again already.¡± He stared at the blonde. ¡°You drank the cocktails like they were juice, so I was sure you¡¯d be dead until next week.¡± ¡°I was serious when I told you that I¡¯m immune to alcohol.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°To me, it was like drinking juice.¡± ¡°I have met many people who said the exact same thing before, and they all got wasted on the following day at the very latest.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± She couldn¡¯t blame him for thinking so. ¡°Well, I¡¯m actually physically immune to getting drunk, so that¡¯s that~.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Doma needed a second. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I should feel sorry or happy for you, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s indeed a bit of a mixed bag.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°For the most part, it¡¯s positive, for health reasons alone, but it can get a little weird if everyone else is drunk. Then again, I¡¯m always silly and rarely make sense, so I fit right in with drunk people.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± He nodded. ¡°I actually didn¡¯t even notice that you were completely sober.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± She was still smiling. ¡°It also made me win some bets in the past~.¡± ¡°Cheeky!¡± The horned man looked impressed. ¡°I like that.¡± ¡°I have been called cheeky at times, yes~.¡± ¡°At times, yeah.¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go and measure the lake¡¯s depth!¡± Sophia ignored her and faced Doma again. ¡°How should we go about it?¡± ¡°We have a boat more than big enough for all of us we can use.¡± He pointed at a dock not too far away from the group. ¡°Everything else will be up to you.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me!¡± The blonde raised her arm, and the group went to the dock to board the boat. ---------------- ¡°Yeah, I kinda don¡¯t like this.¡± While Sophia and Anna were rowing the group over the lake, Maya leaned a little over the edge of the boat to look at the water. It was so clear that she could see all the way to the bottom without any issues. If it weren''t for the slight ripples and waves the boat was creating, it would look like they were flying instead of floating. In the area they currently were, the lake was around 50 meters deep, and the bottom was mostly made out of sand, algae, and seaweed. A variety of fish was swimming around, as well. They, too, looked like they were flying rather than swimming. ¡°Really?¡± Ari was doing the same but looked rather fascinated instead. ¡°I think it looks quite cool! It¡¯s like we¡¯re flying~.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s creepy! Something about it is super unnerving!¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The jaguar tilted her head. ¡°I think murky water is way worse in that regard because you don¡¯t see what¡¯s in there.¡± ¡°You are not wrong about that.¡± Maya could follow her logic. "Murky water is more natural and the expected state, though. Somehow, that makes it easier for me to deal with it." ¡°You¡¯re a weird girl.¡± Ari had nothing else to say. ¡°She sure is.¡± Sophia agreed with the jaguar. ¡°That¡¯s why we love her, though.¡± ¡°That is true!¡± Anna and Ari felt the same. ¡°And I hate all of you.¡± Maya, on the other hand, had a different opinion on the matter. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°It¡¯s interesting how similar this royal group is to the one of the prince.¡± Doma was just listening to them. They were almost as close, and one of them also was scared of the weirdest things that made no sense.¡± He glanced at the cat-girl at the end. ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Really?!¡± Anna got excited hearing that. ¡°Well, they didn''t sound like they spend every night in one big pile like you four do, if you know what I mean, but they also were amazing friends.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The girls looked a little awkward after hearing that. "We don''t do that, either." Ari decided to correct him. "Anna and I are dating, while Sophia and Maya are a couple. We aren¡¯t all dating each other.¡± ¡°Sure you aren¡¯t.¡± The horned man rolled his eyes. It was obvious that he didn''t believe her for one second. ¡°They also loved to make jokes, so that¡¯s one more point where the groups are similar.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± The jaguar hung her head. "Also, the wolves aside, we''re six," Maya added some more detail. "There are two more girls who aren''t with us right now because they hate the heat with a, funnily enough, burning passion.¡± ¡°More for the pile, good for you.¡± Doma naturally understood it only that way. ¡°Can we ignore the pile for a moment, and can we concentrate on Nathan again?!" Anna raised her voice. ¡°Did it seem like the prince was dating any of them? I need to know how much I can tease him the next time we meet!¡± She didn¡¯t even try to hide her ulterior motives. ¡°They weren¡¯t as obvious as all of you, and as I don¡¯t understand the romantic antics of the youth, I don¡¯t want to take a guess there.¡± ¡°Too bad!¡± Afterward, Anan kept pestering Doma about her brother while they were rowing closer to the center of the lake. After all, it was her sisterly duty to get as much dirt on her brother as possible, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. Chapter 166 – Scaredy cat The group spent the night in the tavern in the oasis city and had a great time there. On the following day, they met with Doma again and took a boat ride on the lake to get to its center and measure the depth because Sophia wanted to find out just how deep it was. ¡°Sophia, is there any way for you to sniff out my brother?¡± While rowing over the lake, Anna addressed her fellow tiger. ¡°I really want to meet his group!¡± ¡°To mess with him?¡± She raised an eyebrow in return. ¡°Of course!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°What a model sister you are.¡± The blonde was proud of her. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked her reply. ¡°So?¡± ¡°Well, if you want to sniff out someone, the wolves or Steph would be ones to ask. They have great noses, after all.¡± ¡°I was more figuratively and less literally talking.¡± Anna rolled her eyes. ¡°I was thinking about something more magical.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Sophia scratched her cheek. "They need to be somewhat near for me to be able to pick them up with any magic. That will be pretty hard if we have no idea where they are currently. On top of that, their magic power is more on the regular side, right? It will be quite hard for me to spot them between everyone and everything else I can sense." ¡°Too bad!¡± The princess had hoped for something better. "Alright, I''ll get an old jacket from Nathan for Steph to learn his scent, so that she can literally sniff him out!¡± ¡°That might raise your chances of finding him.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°Though, knowing Steph, she probably would have an easier time finding a cute girl over a boy.¡± ¡°Then I''ll take an old jacket from Ari''s sister! She''s almost as cute as Ari, and she¡¯s also with Nathan!¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± The jaguar in question liked the praise of her sister and especially how she ranked above her. ¡°That will work a lot better!¡± Sophia felt like that would motivate her sister much more. ¡°I¡¯m all for meeting cute girls, but I kinda doubt our dog can sniff out people in any meaningful distance.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t overly convinced by the plan. ¡°Well, I guess it would help us with not walking past them in the same city, but still¡­" ¡°Steph has the weirdest talents, so don¡¯t write her off that easily.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t like her belittling her sister. ¡°I mean, yeah, her talents are great and fun, but there are limits to things. Then again, she is your sister, so she cares about limits as much as you so, so¡­¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The blonde smiled at her girlfriend. ¡°Okay, I REALLY hate this now!¡± While they were chatting, the tigers were also rowing them closer to the center of the lake at the same time. The closer they got, the more nervous Maya became. The ground was getting further and further away before it suddenly completely disappeared below a steep cliff in the water. ¡°This is the worst!¡± After the cliff, they were able to look down a few hundred meters and spotted some fish here and there, but it eventually turned hazy before everything turned dark. It was so deep that the sunlight eventually wasn''t able to penetrate the water any further. Details and fish became fuzzy-looking before they faded away entirely after a while. They were more or less floating over a massive and pitch-black pit of nothingness. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m inclined to agree with you now.¡± Ari also took another look at the water below them and shuddered a little. ¡°This is creepily eerie.¡± ¡°Ohh, I think it¡¯s pretty cool, though!¡± Anna shifted her attention away from the conversation and looked down the abyss. ¡°Wait, I think I saw something sparkle just now!¡± Apparently, it stared back, too. ¡°STOP THAT!¡± The cat-girl only panicked more in return. ¡°You¡¯re just messing around, right?!¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s right.¡± Doma agreed with the princess. ¡°We¡¯ve observed the sparkle in the depth multiple times in the past. However, we were unable to identify it because of the depth. Our leading theory is that it''s just some minerals reflecting bits of light that made it that far down.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Oh, that makes a lot of sense!¡± Ari was relieved that it seemed relatively harmless. ¡°Actually,¡± Looking slightly surprised, Sophia looked at a specific area in the depth below them while squinting her eyes and scratching her cheek. ¡°If you finish your sentence and tell me what¡¯s down there, I¡¯LL BREAK UP WITH YOU!¡± The cat-girl was properly terrified by her odd reaction alone. ¡°You are so cute when you¡¯re scared!¡± As Sophia preferred to keep her girlfriend, she opted against telling her. ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°How does breaking with an individual inside a group work?¡± Doma got interested in the logistics of it. ¡°We aren¡¯t a group in that regard!¡± The jaguar glared at him. ¡°Ah, right, I forgot about that narrative.¡± Judging by the sarcasm in his voice, the horned man still didn''t believe her. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to know what¡¯s down there?¡± Ignoring them, Anna looked at Maya with a questioning expression. ¡°Like, doesn¡¯t not knowing make it even scarier?¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t know, I can more easily pretend that it doesn¡¯t exist!¡± ¡°But it does exist, though?¡± ¡°Without Sophia telling you what¡¯s down there, you have no proof!¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t that the proof¡­?¡± The princess only got more confused. ¡°Listen,¡± The cat-girl stared at her. ¡°We don¡¯t do logical and sound arguments in this group, so shut up already.¡± She was so nervous that her tail got all puffy while it twitched and darted all over the place behind her back. "You are right. She is cute when she¡¯s scared.¡± Letting out a small chuckle, she turned to Sophia and gave her a slight nod. ¡°So very true!¡± Sophia reacted with a thumbs up in her direction. ¡°Urgh, I should¡¯ve stayed home.¡± Maya wasn¡¯t a fan of her current situation. ¡°For many reasons, that is.¡± ¡°No, we love to have you here right now.¡± The tigers and Ari disagreed with her. ¡°I hate all of you.¡± ¡°We love you dearly, though.¡± The girls enjoyed the current scaredy cat. ¡°See?¡± Doma suddenly faced Ari again. ¡°You can publicly deny that you¡¯re all dating each other however much you want, but the truth is obvious to everyone around you. I mean, there''s nothing wrong with that, so there''s no need for the denial, is there?¡± "A-Ah.¡± The jaguar awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°We, uhh, do make it seem like it is the case at times, don¡¯t we¡­?¡± She then looked at the others. ¡°Well¡­¡± The two tigers also had little to say in their defense. ¡°And I have to break up with all of you!¡± Maya still didn¡¯t like the situation she was in. ¡°Not helping!¡± Ari glared at her. ¡°You aren¡¯t helping me, either!¡± The cat-girl¡¯s glare was even stronger. ¡°Alright, should we try to find out how deep this lake is already?¡± Not paying more attention to the topic, Sophia looked at Doma. ¡°I would greatly appreciate that.¡± He nodded. ¡°I¡¯m too old to keep up with your conversations.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± The blonde couldn¡¯t blame him for that. ¡°Though, I wonder if you can keep up with this any better.¡± Saying so, she opened a small portal linked to her storage and pulled out a few fist-sized stones. ¡°HUH?!¡± Naturally, Doma instantly got loud. ¡°What just happened?!¡± ¡°Listening to the love talk of a bunch of girls was easier, huh?¡± She felt a little sorry for him. ¡°What was that sparkly stuff?! Where did those stones come from?!¡± ¡°Magic~.¡± Sophia put the stones on the floor of the boat in front of her and gave the horned man a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ve told you that magic can do much more than simply controlling elements. What you just saw was me using magic to store things.¡± It wasn''t exactly the case as she used it to access her domain, but it was close enough in a way, and she didn''t feel like explaining it in detail. ¡°Ha.¡± He needed a minute to process this information. ¡°It appears that I¡¯ve been in this village for too long because it seems like the outside world has progressed at a tremendous pace without me noticing.¡± ¡°It happens.¡± She smiled at him while nodding a few times. ¡°Don¡¯t let her fool you.¡± Ari slowly shook her head while looking at Doma. ¡°She¡¯s just special.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually quite relieving to hear.¡± His expression turned softer. ¡°Then again, all of you have magic powers far beyond everything I¡¯ve ever felt before, so I¡¯m not sure if I can believe you there, either.¡± He developed some trust issues regarding the jaguar¡¯s claims. ¡°¡­¡± She gave up. ¡°To be fair, she¡¯s not entirely wrong.¡± Sophia tried to help Ari out a little. ¡°This is some rather advanced magic only a small handful of people can do.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The horned man simply nodded along. ¡°Anyway, can you feel the magic radiating from this stone?¡± The blonde grabbed one of the stones on the boat¡¯s floor in front of her and held it up before Doma. ¡°Hmm.¡± He concentrated on it for a moment. ¡°Yes, I can feel a faint power in it. What use does it have, though?¡± ¡°Well, the important part right now is that I put some of my magic in there, and I can track it. It won¡¯t be exact down to a single meter, but it will reliably tell me how far away it is from me at all times.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t pretend that I understand it, but I get it.¡± ¡°Good enough.¡± Sophia smiled at him. "I''ll throw a couple of stones at once to make sure at least one of them reaches the deepest point of the lake. After all, we want to avoid it accidentally getting stuck on a ledge and giving us a false reading." ¡°That makes sense.¡± ¡°Speaking of avoiding, I have to make REALLY sure not to get close to the area that sparkled earlier.¡± The blonde scratched her cheek. ¡°Hitting that would be EXTREMELY bad.¡± ¡°WHY WOULD IT BE BAD?!¡± Maya instantly began to panic again. ¡°I would need to tell you what it is to answer that.¡± ¡°NEVER MIND!¡± She didn¡¯t want to know, after all. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Saying so, the blonde took the five stones she took out of her portal and threw them into the lake in different positions. Once that was taken care of, the girls, and Doma, took a small break while waiting for the stones to reach the bottom and enjoying their relaxing boat trip. Chapter 167 – A cute reason The girls and Doma went to the middle of the lake in the oasis city so that Sophia could use her magic to measure its depth. Arriving there, Maya anything but liked it, though. It was so deep that she soon was unable to reach the bottom, which made it look like they were floating over a spooky and bottomless pit. To make matters worse, there was something sparkly deep inside the hole that made the cat-girl even more nervous because it seemed like the blonde knew what this something was, implying that it had magic and might even be alive. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they forgot about us!¡± On the morning of the following day, Steph''s pouty voice could be heard through the cottage. ¡°I wanted to see the night-time desert!¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay with it.¡± Chloe, who sat next to her on one of the sofas in the living room, smiled at the dog-girl. ¡°Yesterday was rather tiring, so I would¡¯ve been too exhausted for exploring, anyway.¡± "That is true. I also slept like a baby, but it''s still not nice that they didn''t even come to ask if we wanted to take a look!" It didn¡¯t make it much better for her. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s true!¡± Thinking about it for a moment, the fox agreed with her. ¡°Ari said to get us once it turned dark and cold. Do you think something happened?" Her expression became concerned. ¡°You do remember who we¡¯re talking about here, right?¡± Steph stared at her. ¡°The only thing that could happen to that group is them having so much fun that they forgot about us!¡± ¡°How rude!¡± The concerned expression immediately disappeared again. ¡°Suddenly, I don¡¯t feel bad anymore that we had sex in their beds yesterday!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Steph nodded a few times. ¡°Well, I never felt bad about the second part, but still! In fact, we should do that again right now to really show them!¡± ¡°Good try.¡± Chloe slowly shook her head while looking at them. ¡°I had to use the chance.¡± There wasn¡¯t a shred of guilt inside the dog. ¡°I applaud your enthusiasm.¡± ¡°Ehehe~.¡± ¡°Anyway, seeming as if it will be another day just with the two of us, what do you want to do today?" ¡°Hmm~.¡± Her expression turned mischievous. "Besides having sex all day." Chloe had a hunch about why her expression changed and rolled her eyes in return. ¡°Ah.¡± She hung her head. ¡°Fine¡­¡± "Oh, didn''t you want to make an arctic biome? Let¡¯s use this chance of not having to deal with the cold-hating cats and start with that!¡± ¡°Antarctic.¡± Steph smiled at her arctic fox. ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t want to recreate the area of my origin?!¡± Chloe started pouting. ¡°Huskies, which you very obviously borrowed at the very least your tail and temperament from, also originate from arctic regions! All the good stuff comes from there! Let¡¯s go and create our home together!¡± She stared at her with big eyes. ¡°For me being the dog here, you sure have gotten good at making puppy eyes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve learned everything that is to learn from you~.¡± ¡°One really can¡¯t say no to you.¡± Steph smiled at her. ¡°Well, we might as well. Overall, the arctic is a nice place with more animals and vegetation, anyway. The main reason I wanted to go for the antarctic is because I like penguins.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The fox hadn¡¯t expected such a cute reason. ¡°I mean, if it¡¯s made by us, it doesn¡¯t need to be logical in terms of flora and fauna. Let¡¯s make the best of both worlds, penguins included!¡± ¡°Yay~!¡± The dog-girl happily clapped her hands. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Gladly!¡± An excited Steph was her favorite Steph. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the place Sophia reserved for my future biome. We already have a portal that leads there, and we¡¯ve been continuously filling the area with magic all day long the last few weeks. There¡¯s so much raw magic for us to play with that you can¡¯t even see a millimeter in front of you because the particles are so dense!¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± She liked the sound of that, and the couple immediately headed out to play. ---------------- ¡°Woah, there¡¯s even more raw magic than I remember!" Arriving at the place, Chloe wasn''t sure where to look because no matter the direction, her entire vision was filled with the pink and purple sparkly magic particles. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°I can¡¯t even see you!¡± Steph, who was right next to her, stared in the direction of where the fox was supposed to be. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can do anything like this, can we?¡± ¡°Being able to see would be highly beneficial.¡± Even though no one could see it, the dog nodded a couple of times. ¡°Is there a way to turn the particles down?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± Chloe sounded unsure about it. ¡°In the past, it never had been an issue because natural levels of magic are either invisible or a few particles here and there at best. Even in Mira¡¯s domain, it¡¯s usually not an issue. Here, though, where we can do whatever we want, it has become rather overwhelming.¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it lightly, too.¡± ¡°I remember Sophia complaining about the same before, so I doubt she could help us with that, either.¡± The fox gave it some more thought. "Well, I''d say the only one who''d know for sure is Mira. She¡¯s enjoying her time with Feyfey too much, though, and I don¡¯t want to interrupt them.¡± She paused for a second. ¡°For various reasons.¡± ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll have a new sister soon?¡± Steph just had to do it. ¡°You did not just say that just now?!¡± She couldn¡¯t believe her. ¡°We¡¯re talking about my parents here!¡± ¡°Too much?¡± ¡°Kinda!¡± Even though it was impossible to see it, Chloe was currently glaring at her. ¡°It would be adorable, though! Your little sister, that is.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t stop this topic, there will be no sex for a month.¡± Her voice turned cold. ¡°Trust me, I know how to take care of myself if I really have to, so I¡¯ll easily last that long to teach you a lesson.¡± ¡°So, how do we solve the issue of not being able to see?¡± Steph instantly dropped the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± The fox scratched her cheek. ¡°Oh, how about we try and move the particles above us so that we have some room to breathe and see?¡± ¡°Sounds like a plan to me!¡± The dog-girl liked the idea. ¡°How, though?¡± ¡°Not a clue.¡± Chloe hadn¡¯t thought that far yet. ¡°Hmm¡­ How abo- HUWHWAR?!¡± Steph suddenly started screaming out of nowhere. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Because she couldn¡¯t see her, the fox also immediately started panicking after hearing her scream. ¡°S-Something touched my shoulder just-, huh¡­?¡± The dog-girl stopped mid-sentence when she heard the characteristic chirping of a certain bird coming from her shoulder. ¡°Blu?¡± Hearing its name, the chirping only got more playful before Steph felt something rubbing against her cheek. ¡°Ohh!¡± Hearing the chirps, Chloe also calmed down. ¡°You scared me, Steph.¡± ¡°I am so sorry!¡± Her voice was overflowing with sarcasm. ¡°That¡¯s much worse than the three heart attacks I just had.¡± ¡°Okay, fair.¡± The fox couldn¡¯t really blame her for the reaction she had. ¡°Blu, please don¡¯t ever surprise me like that again.¡± Steph then focused on Blu on her shoulder, which she still couldn¡¯t see, thanks to the magic particles. ¡°Also, if you aren¡¯t Blu and just stole the voice of our favorite bird, I¡¯ll use the entire raw magic around us to light everything on fire!¡± The thought of it being an imposter spooked her even more. ¡°It would be perfectly justified, too.¡± Chloe agreed with her. In response to that, the particles around them suddenly began to move and turned into a swirl around the girls. It increased in speed for a little while before eventually moving away from the two to form a small magic-free dome around them. ¡°Much better!¡± Steph immediately felt a lot more comfortable before she slowly turned her head to glance at her shoulder. ¡°Good, it really is Blu!¡± Hearing its name, the parakeet rubbed its head against the dog¡¯s cheek again. ¡°Phew!¡± The fox-girl also looked relieved. ¡°Well, that was a lot easier than I had thought.¡± She took a look around them. ¡°I never would¡¯ve thought to just use air magic to push the particles away from us.¡± ¡°True.¡± Steph nodded. ¡°It¡¯s already starting to close in on us already, though.¡± She noticed how the dome around them was shrinking. ¡°We still have to think about something more permanent.¡± After she said that, both girls stared at the blue bird, who quickly raised its wings a little as if shrugging. ¡°That would¡¯ve been too easy, huh?¡± Chloe had hoped that Blu would help them some more. ¡°Well, how does the saying go? Nothing¡¯s more permanent than a temporary fix!¡± The dog-girl smiled at her. ¡°I mean, for now, we can just use some wind every now and then while using up the magic.¡± ¡°I guess that works for now.¡± She nodded in return. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Steph energetically raised her arm high in the air. Seeing how motivated she was, Blu, who was still on her other shoulder, tilted its head while looking at Chloe. ¡°Do you want to know what we¡¯re planning?¡± She tried to guess the reason for the bird¡¯s reaction, who nodded in return. ¡°We want to create our own polar-region biome with many meters of snow and ice, as well as massive mountains covered in ice. Fitting flora and fauna would also be amazing! It should be so cold and icy and snowy that our cats would pass out just thinking about it!¡± Hearing that, Blue froze for a moment before flapping its wings and taking flight. The bird then flew into the magic particles and instantly disappeared from sight. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate that Blu¡¯s on the side of our cats.¡± Steph didn¡¯t like the reaction. ¡°Yeah.¡± The fox-girl nodded. ¡°Though, to be fair most birds, parakeets definitely included, actually aren¡¯t made for the cold.¡± She could still understand why it flew away. ¡°Oh?¡± A few seconds later, Steph started smiling again because Blu suddenly returned. ¡°Eh? Huh? How? Why? Wait, what¡­?¡± The dog-girl then proceeded to get quite confused when she noticed that the parakeet was wearing a tiny green scarf around its neck as well as an equally colored beanie on its head before landing on her shoulder again. ¡°That¡¯s so cute!" Chloe liked the look, and Blu nodded a few times while happily chirping. "No, that''s¡­ Okay, that''s true, but why?! More importantly, how?!¡± ¡°I wonder if Sophia had winter clothes for Blu in the storage area of her domain." ¡°Why would she?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think, from my experience so far, that there¡¯s anything she doesn¡¯t have in her storage.¡± ¡°I hate how you¡¯re probably right about that.¡± Steph could follow her logic. ¡°Still, a bird shouldn''t be able to put them on themselves!¡± ¡°I don''t know, Blu¡¯s pretty clever.¡± Chloe smiled at the parakeet, who nodded even more extensively in return. ¡°¡­¡± The dog-girl gave up. Afterward, they took a small break because Chloe wanted to cuddle with the dressed-up parakeet for a little while before the trio began planning out their biome. Chapter 168 – Having a bad day Chloe and Steph were pretty upset that the others had forgotten about them because no one ever came to get them in the evening for the desert visit when it cooled down. On the day after, the couple then decided to start working on their new polar region biome with as much snow, ice, and coldness as possible. ¡°Okay, this seriously is a deep lake.¡± Back in the oasis city, the girls and Doma were still in the middle of the lake and trying to find out how deep it was. ¡°Oh, has your magic reached the bottom?¡± The horned man tilted his head. ¡°No, but the stones just passed 1,000 meters.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± He seemed impressed. ¡°No wonder our rope didn¡¯t do anything!¡± ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Maya got loud. ¡°Are you telling me that we¡¯re floating over a pitch-black abyss with something in there that is a kilometer deep?!¡± She didn¡¯t like anything about their situation. ¡°An over a kilometer deep abyss.¡± Anna slightly corrected her. ¡°Sophia said that they haven¡¯t reached the bottom yet, after all.¡± ¡°I hate you.¡± The cat-girl glared at the princess. ¡°You¡¯re getting teased a lot in this group, aren¡¯t you?¡± Doma felt sorry for Maya. ¡°¡­¡± "Don''t worry about it." He tried to comfort her. "I''m sure with some training, you''ll able to get back at them eventually." ¡°Pfft!¡± Anna, Ari, and Sophia couldn¡¯t hold back their laughter. ¡°I¡¯m just having a bad day or two!¡± She glared at the horned man. ¡°Normally, I¡¯m the one teasing them!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± He smiled at her. ¡°With that attitude, you¡¯ll get to turn it around in no time!¡± ¡°Ohh, one stone just stopped moving!¡± Before Maya could unintentionally be even more bullied, Sophia suddenly clapped her hands. ¡°It clocked in at around 1,300 meters!¡± ¡°That¡¯s so deep!¡± Ari¡¯s eyes grew wide before tilting her head. ¡°Wait, one of them?¡± ¡°Yeah, the others are still falling.¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°It probably got stuck on a ledge or something like that.¡± ¡°I had no idea lakes could be that deep!¡± Anna was fascinated by it. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s anything special going on here.¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s certainly something special about this lake.¡± Sophia agreed with her. ¡°I can¡¯t talk about it, though.¡± She took a quick look at Maya. ¡°Oh, the others just stopped, as well! They¡¯re a little all over the place, but it makes sense that the ground isn¡¯t perfectly flat. We¡¯re talking about somewhere in between 1,500 and 1,600 meters.¡± ¡°THERE¡¯S NO WAY THIS PIT IS THAT DEEP!¡± Maya really wanted to go home now. ¡°I mean, you are right about it being unbelievable, but does it really make a difference in terms of how scary it is?¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°Like, both 500 and 1,500 meters are scarily deep, so does it matter?¡± ¡°It makes ALL the difference!¡± The cat-girl raised her voice. ¡°You¡¯re really having a bad day, huh? Well, two, but still.¡± It was all that the jaguar could reply there. ¡°Thank you very much for acknowledging it!¡± She reacted with a wry smile. ¡°Can we go home now?!¡± ¡°Yeah, I think we¡¯re done.¡± Sophia nodded. ¡°Wait, let me do one more for good measure.¡± Saying so, the blonde took another stone out of her storage and also threw it into the lake. ¡°We don¡¯t have to wait for it here, though, so I guess we can start heading back to land now.¡± ¡°THANK YOU!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Anna watched the sinking stone for a moment while tilting her head as she decided against mentioning the part where it was right above the place where the princess saw the sparkling earlier. After all, Maya was suffering enough already. ---------------- This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I think I¡¯ll hate lakes for the foreseeable future!¡± Back on land, Maya fell on her knees and buried her arms into the sandy beach to get as much contact with the ground as possible. ¡°That scaredy cat of yours is also quite dramatic, huh?¡± Doma scratched his cheek while watching her. ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re used to it already.¡± Sophia, Ari, and Anna were on a roll. ¡°Once I¡¯m back to form, my revenge will be unlike anything before!¡± The cat-girl glared at them. ¡°I¡¯ll get Steph to help me, as well, and you all know what it means if the two of us work together!¡± ¡°Is that really a punishment?¡± Anna looked confused. ¡°It almost sounds like you¡¯re threatening us with a good time as you and Steph together is guaranteed to mean something perverted.¡± ¡°There are plenty of perverted things that can double as a punishment!¡± ¡°OHH!¡± Hearing that, the tall tiger got extra excited. ¡°Ah, I forgot that you¡¯re into that.¡± Maya hadn''t taken the princess''s M-tendencies into account. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ari suddenly faced Doma with an awkward impression. ¡°It is fully understandable that you think our relationship is the way you imagine it to be.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°I still don¡¯t know why you want to hide it. It''s not like there''s anything morally wrong with it, but being this obvious really isn¡¯t the way to archive it in the first place.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The jaguar didn¡¯t have anything to add there. ¡°Anyway, thank you very much.¡± The horned man then looked at Sophia. "Your magic is impressive, and I''m thankful you discovered the depth of our lake. I''m not sure if we ever have any use for that information, but I¡¯m happy to know that our lake is just that special.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very welcome~.¡± The blonde gave him a thumbs up. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m thankful, too. I love all things that are out of the ordinary. The oasis city alone was already fascinating, but I love this lake! There are so many mysterious things going on in there. It''s amazing!" ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?!¡± Maya got loud again. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it~.¡± ¡°I would also be curious about it, though.¡± Doma scratched his cheek. ¡°I know that one of your girlfriends is scared to hear it, but you''re making it sound like it''s a big deal, so I''m getting concerned that it might affect the village." ¡°It¡¯s fine. There''s nothing that would concern you or anyone else around.¡± She lightly waved her hand. ¡°Also, I like to exaggerate things because it¡¯s fun to mess around, so I¡¯m really not the most reliable person when it comes to stuff like that.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± He was content with that explanation. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head back to Fenny and Aura.¡± Sophia had seen enough of the lake area. "Best idea I''ve heard today!" The cat-girl liked the plan. ¡°Do you think they, as in Fen, are already alive again?¡± Anna remembered how drunk the male wolf had gotten last night and how he was completely out of commission in the morning when they left for their exploration trip. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed him moving around a little, so it should be fine. He¡¯s still in the tavern, though.¡± ---------------- Having decided on that, the group left the beach and went back to the tavern to reunite with the wolves there. ¡°Oh, welcome back.¡± Arriving there, they were quickly greeted by Aura. She and Fen were sitting together at a low table while having a lavish early lunch on a feast of meat. ¡°Hungover meal?¡± The blonde raised an eyebrow. ¡°For him, yes.¡± The female wolf lightly gestured at her partner. ¡°I am perfectly fine and not hungover whatsoever.¡± Fen shook his head in return. ¡°Yeah, but only because you¡¯ve used enough healing magic for a small village on yourself earlier.¡± She just stared at him. "Am I hungover, or am I not?" He didn''t see the issue. ¡°Not anymore, no.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± His voice turned smug. ¡°When he¡¯s right, he¡¯s right.¡± Anna had to give it to him. ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily think that getting to the point where you need to use healing magic on yourself to cure your hangover is a good thing, but that¡¯s not my decision.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing just fine, but thanks for the concern.¡± ¡°By the way, what were you all up to?¡± Aura thought it was time to change the topic and got curious about what the girls and Doma did before returning to the tavern. ¡°We went to explore the lake and uncovered its secrets~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°Ohh!¡± The female wolf sounded excited. ¡°Does that mean you also found out that the massive source of magic is-,¡± ¡°Shhh~!¡± The blonde put a finger on her lips to silence her. "On behalf of our scaredy cat, Maya, we''ve decided not to talk about it. ¡°Considering what that is, that¡¯s understandable.¡± Aura nodded a few times. ¡°I HATE ALL OF YOU!¡± Maya was repeating herself a lot lately. ¡°If not that, what other secrets did you uncover, then?¡± As the female wolf was also a fan of a good tease, she made sure to put an extra emphasis on that while glancing at Maya before continuing. ¡°Was there anything else noteworthy?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 1,600 meters deep!¡± ¡°Really? Wow!¡± She seemed impressed. ¡°That might very well be the deepest lake I¡¯ve heard of! It explains how this oasis is flourishing on such a level, though. How did you measure its depth? I know we¡¯re talking about you here, but I doubt even you would be able to dive that deep.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Steph, so I had no desire to try!¡± She shook her head. ¡°I used some stones enchanted with my magic to track them. That let me feel how far they were away from me.¡± ¡°Ah, that makes sense. Still, such a depth is remarkable!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fen also agreed with her. ¡°It¡¯s unexpected, too. It really doesn¡¯t look like it at all. I would¡¯ve expected that that was on the bottom of the lake and not in the upper third.¡± "If anyone says that with a weird intonation once more, they¡¯ll learn the extent of my wrath!¡± Maya glared at the wolf. ¡°I¡¯d love to see that.¡± Fen used the exact same pronunciation again. ¡°You, me, Sophia¡¯s place, this evening!¡± She officially challenged him. ¡°Sure.¡± He took the challenge. Afterward, as the mood had gotten a little heated, Sophia decided that it was time for a break. Seeing the wolves'' lunch, she had also become hungry, so she had multiple reasons for doing so. Chapter 169 – Snow and ice The group found out that the oasis lake was around 1,600 meters deep, which fascinated everyone except Maya, as she only found it spooky floating over such a deep abyss, and was overjoyed when they were back on solid ground. Unfortunately, she got teased a lot because of that, which ended up with her challenging Fen to a duel because he especially rubbed her the wrong way while doing so. ¡°You¡¯re so adorable, Blu!¡± Chloe and Steph were still planning their polar biome, but the fox was unable to look away from the parakeet in its tiny and adorable green beanie and scarf. In response to that, the bird, who was still on the dog¡¯s shoulder, playfully lifted its right wing to wave at her while happily chirping a couple of times. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s super cute.¡± Steph also agreed with the sentiment. ¡°I¡¯m still dying to know how Blu got into it, though! Sophia is going to get questioned by me once she¡¯s back! I need to know why she has those clothes for Blu and how she was able to teach a bird how to put it on!¡± In her eyes, it had to be the work of her sister. "Well, Blu is highly intelligent, so putting it on wouldn¡¯t be a challenge, right?¡± She looked at the bird, who nodded in return. ¡°I mean, it clearly understands our language.¡± "Yes, Blu probably is cleverer than I am, but¡­ Hey!" She glanced over at her shoulder and saw how the bird was nodding even stronger now. ¡°Even so, please tell me how you¡¯d be able to wrap a scarf around your neck with wings!¡± ¡°Magic?¡± Chloe tilted her head. "I HATE HOW THAT''S A VIABLE EXPLANATION FOR EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD!" The dog-girl got loud. ¡°Ahaha.¡± She had to chuckle at her reaction. ¡°At the same time, you also love it, though, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the best, yes!¡± Steph nodded. ¡°I just love to complain!¡± ¡°Obviously, you are the sister of Sophia, after all.¡± It definitely wasn¡¯t news or a surprise for the fox. ¡°Ehehe~.¡± She liked being grouped with Sophia. ¡°Okay, my dear smug bird,¡± Steph then glanced at her shoulder again. ¡°As you agreed to being cleverer than I am, how about you prove it?" She was still a little upset about it. ¡°See all this raw magic surrounding us? How about you use that to create a blizzard of unimaginable size and power? I¡¯m sure that for a bird of your standing and prowess, this will be a piece of cake.¡± ¡°Ohh, that sounds fun!¡± Chloe liked the idea and lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Yes, you can use the magic we amassed and don¡¯t have to use your own. This place should be made with Steph¡¯s and my powers, after all.¡± ¡°Having some creative twists from playful birds would be appreciated, though!¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± The fox nodded in agreement. Having heard that, Blu flapped its wings once before taking flight and disappearing into the pink and purple particles. ¡°You know, as expressive as Blu is, did that bird leave again, or are we about to see some-, never mind." Steph didn¡¯t have time to finish her sentence before the pink and purple magic particles around them began moving again. They first started to pulsate, which got more violent with each passing second before the particles suddenly got pushed away from the couple in a way that resembled a shockwave from an explosion. Everything in a radius of 500 meters around the two had returned to the original all-white of Sophia¡¯s domain with a dome of violent-looking magic particles swirling in the distance. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going on. Oh?¡± Looking confused for a second, Chloe tilted her head while looking at her surroundings before she spotted Blu returning to them and landing on her shoulder this time. ¡°What did you do?¡± Steph focused on the bird, who lightly flapped its wings in return. A few moments later, snowflakes began to fall all around them. With each passing second, more and more appeared out of thin air until their entire vision was filled with snowflakes before long. ¡°Ohh!¡± Chloe liked that. ¡°You can never go wrong with snow!¡± ¡°True!¡± The dog-girl agreed. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that much will get us closer to a polar biome, though." She scratched her cheek. At that very moment, Blu flapped its wings once more, and their environment quickly changed. The falling snow became much more violent and intense while strong winds formed in the area as well. Soon after, they found themselves in the midst of a massive blizzard. ¡°Ah, never mind.¡± Steph retreated her earlier criticism. ¡°I love blizzards!¡± The fox was happily spinning in circles with her arms spread out to catch as many snowflakes with them as possible. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°It looks very promising!¡± Steph felt the same. ¡°Although, even I am starting to feel underdressed.¡± She looked down at herself while gesturing at her clothes. Or rather, in her case, the lack of clothing. ¡°Don¡¯t ever mention that you said that when the cats can hear you.¡± Chloe suddenly turned serious. ¡°We¡¯d never hear the end of it.¡± ¡°You are so right about that!¡± She vigorously nodded along. ¡°You do have a point, though." Saying so, Chloe focused on the outfit of her girlfriend, but she quickly changed her mind and gave all her attention to Steph¡¯s exposed tummy. "Oi, my eyes are up here!" As she just had to do it, the dog-girl pointed at her face while doing so. ¡°I¡¯ve made my decision.¡± Sounding extra smug, the fox kept staring at her stomach. ¡°Gosh, I love you!¡± ¡°Love you, too~.¡± ¡°Well, I could go for a quick change, but I feel like my old clothes have outlived their use, so I''m not the most motivated to do so." The dog-girl scratched her cheek. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just use magic to keep myself from getting frostbite.¡± ¡°That sounds like a plan to me!¡± Chloe gave her a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be doing the same, though I have a little more clothing on me, so I might last slightly longer.¡± ¡°Is that a challenge I¡¯m smelling there?!¡± Steph got even more excited. ¡°Not necessarily, but I¡¯m also not going to stop you, either.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°By the way, how big is this blizzard?¡± The fox-girl gestured all around her. ¡°That¡¯s an excellent question!¡± Steph was also curious about that and looked at Blu for more info. Pausing for a moment, the parakeet then only reacted with an enthusiastic nod. ¡°I guess the answer is yes, huh?¡± Chloe lightly rolled her eyes. ¡°I love this bird!¡± After all, the dog-girl was a big supporter and fan of the yes reply. ¡°Is it snowing everywhere?¡± The fox tilted her head. ¡°It¡¯s a good start and an ideal base once there are a couple of meters of snow and ice, but a proper polar region needs more than that!¡± ¡°You are so right about that!¡± Steph shared her concern. ¡°We also need some massive mountains and some desolate rocky areas!¡± ¡°I was more thinking about an entire ocean with a thick layer of ice on it.¡± Chloe thought that she wasn¡¯t thinking on a big enough scale. ¡°Ohh!¡± The dog-girl clapped her hands. ¡°I didn¡¯t know we¡¯d go this grand this quickly! I¡¯m all for it, though!¡± ¡°Well, the center of the arctic is a frozen ocean with land around it, so that¡¯s a must!¡± ¡°Ahh, antarctica is the opposite, a frozen continent encircled by oceans, so I was thinking icy mountains and rocks first.¡± ¡°As we¡¯ve decided on the superior polar region, the arctic, we have to get a frozen ocean!¡± The arctic fox was still slightly biased. ¡°Like agreed on before, we¡¯ll be adding the best parts of antarctica, as well, though.¡± ¡°Penguins!¡± ¡°Like penguins, yes~.¡± Chloe smiled at the excited-looking dog-girl. ¡°Yay!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how or where we¡¯ll be able to borrow some penguins, though.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen one since being reborn here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me there aren¡¯t any around in this world?!¡± Steph¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever seen one on Earth, either.¡± The fox shrugged. ¡°Have you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡± She could follow her logic. ¡°I¡¯ve seen them many times in zoos and in videos, but I guess neither really counts in this world because those aren¡¯t a thing here.¡± ¡°We should ask the wolves or my parents about it. All of them know this world like no one else.¡± Chloe had an easy solution for their issue. ¡°True!¡± Steph liked the plan. ¡°Do you know if penguins exist, Blu?¡± She looked at the parakeet, who then left Chloe¡¯s shoulder and flew over to hers to rub its head against the dog-girl¡¯s cheek. ¡°Yeah, I have no idea what that means.¡± ¡°Our dear Blu can be a little cryptic at times.¡± ¡°More like most of the time." Steph had a hard time understanding some of the bird''s reactions. ¡°That¡¯s not true at all.¡± The fox shook her head while smiling at the parakeet. ¡°On that note, do we have enough raw magic left to create a frozen ocean?¡± Immediately after she finished her sentence, Blu began to violently shake its head. ¡°Okay, fair enough, that wasn¡¯t cryptic at all.¡± Steph gave the parakeet on her shoulder a gentle pat on its head. ¡°Though, probably wasn''t what you wanted to hear, right?¡± She then glanced at Chloe. ¡°Is it because you already reserved everything for the blizzard?¡± The fox-girl wanted to know the reason, but Blu just kept shaking its head. ¡°Was it never enough to begin with?¡± The dog tried to make her own guess, which was answered by a nod of the bird. "But water uses so little magic, and there was so much of it!¡± ¡°An ocean has quite a bit of water, though.¡± Steph scratched her cheek while Blu reacted with an even bigger nod. ¡°We can easily fill a big lake with water ourselves, but a lake is literally just a drop in an ocean when compared to it.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair.¡± Chloe couldn¡¯t really say much there. "Still, both of us continuously poured out magic in here for weeks, and with our super-fast regeneration, there should¡¯ve been like a 1000 times our power around here!¡± She couldn¡¯t let go of it just yet. ¡°Not even a small ocean?¡± She looked at Blu with pleading eyes, who began to move its head in all directions in rhythmic motion as if having a hard time deciding on yes or no. ¡°Maybe we should first define the ocean first?¡± Steph tilted her head. ¡°If we go for something more akin to a sea, things might be more doable, right?¡± She glanced at Blu on her shoulder, who was still moving its head in multiple directions, but it had begun to look more like a nod after the dog-girl finished her sentence. ¡°Like, it¡¯s cool to have tens of thousands of kilometers of ocean, but when standing in front of it, a few hundred kilometers won''t look any different. We could start small and grow it over time. It will immediately look like we want it to, just not as big from the get-go.¡± She smiled at Chloe while Blu broke into a full nod at the end. ¡°That sounds great!¡± Afterward, once they decided on the plan, they got to work together with Blu. Immediately after they found a way to deal with the raging blizzard that was only a couple of meters away and all around them, that is. It made things just a little more complicated, after all. Chapter 170 – A slight detour Chloe and Steph, with Blu''s help, began working on the polar biome of their dreams. Giving the reins to their favorite parakeet, Blu used the environmental magic the couple had amassed in the area to create a massive, raging blizzard that turned the vicinity into a frozen torrent of snow. ¡°By the way, how does this place get its supplies?¡± The cats and the wolves were still in the oasis city and had just finished their dinner in the tavern when Anna got curious about how the place operated and looked at Doma, the native, who had been with them most of the time so far. "I think you mentioned something about a trade hub, where you also got that rope to measure the lake, but where is it?" ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a great question!¡± Sophia also wanted to know more about that. ¡°This place should be green enough to have a little farm somewhere, as well as fish from the lake and coconuts for drinks and probably some other dishes, but I doubt that¡¯s enough for a whole village. Not to mention that I had pasta last night, and I have a feeling that it wasn¡¯t locally produced.¡± ¡°Yes, we try to produce locally what we can, but oasis or not, being in the middle of a desert is severely limiting in what is possible.¡± Doma nodded. ¡°The trade hub I mentioned is in Barak, a city at the edge of the desert, roughly a night''s walk away from here. Once a week, two of us head over there after sundown, get every necessity needed, and then return on the following night. Doing it during the day would be suicide for most, after all.¡± ¡°That sounds like one of the most massive pains I¡¯ve ever heard of!¡± Sophia, who was a big fan of convenience, hated everything about that. ¡°It¡¯s a price we gladly pay for being truly on our own.¡± The horned man shrugged. ¡°We have nothing against visitors, but everyone in this town enjoys the fact that we don¡¯t have to deal with too much civilization.¡± ¡°I respect that.¡± Fen, who was also with them, nodded a few times. ¡°Very relatable.¡± ¡°Not surprised about that one.¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°Not that it¡¯s not understandable.¡± ¡°How is that understandable for you?!¡± Ari raised her voice. ¡°You live for being in the center of everyone¡¯s attention! There¡¯s no way you¡¯d survive without enough civilization around you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The blonde stared back at her, but she was unable to say anything. It¡¯s not like she was ever going to admit it, but there was some truth to it. ¡°Anyway,¡± Doma got back to the topic. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not convenient and even dangerous at times because the desert is a fickle beast, and you never know what it has in store when you try to cross it. Even so, there¡¯s nothing that can be done about it.¡± He just shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s something we have to arrange ourselves with in order to keep our preferred way of living going.¡± ¡°Mhmm.¡± Sophia paused for a moment while seemingly thinking about something. ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t be able to function like that, and I¡¯m happy I don¡¯t have to. Still, I respect the choice of not wanting to deal with the outside world.¡± As someone who was literally in the middle of creating her own world, she could respect their choice and way of living. ¡°I guess that means we¡¯re headed to Barak next, huh?¡± Maya, having had a feeling about what the blonde was thinking about, tried to guess their next destination. ¡°Barak is the trade city Doma mentioned two minutes ago, by the way.¡± She made sure Sophia understood what she meant. ¡°Yeah, I wanna see it!¡± She reacted with a big nod. ¡°Oh, speaking of, the prince and his friends also headed to Barak after leaving here.¡± The horned man looked at Anna. ¡°Well, they also came from here because that¡¯s the only real connection from this place out of the desert, but that¡¯s beside the point. You might be able to learn more about their travel route there.¡± Stolen story; please report. ¡°Ohh!¡± Hearing that, the princess got excited. ¡°Sophia, I know we already roughly decided on our route alongside the coast for a while, but if we get a hint about my brother, can we try and follow it?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± She smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯d like to get to our destination sooner rather than later, but some detours are totally fine. I also want to meet them, too!¡± The short tiger gave the tall one a thumbs up. ¡°I have yet to see Ari¡¯s sister, after all!¡± She didn¡¯t care about the prince in the slightest. ¡°You can never go wrong with knowing more cute girls!¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Maya reacted with an energetic nod. ¡°The more cute girls, the better!¡± She felt the exact same. ¡°How are you so sure that my sister is cute?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°Because she¡¯s your sister.¡± The couple had an easy explanation for their assessment. ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± The jaguar got embarrassed. ¡°You girls can¡¯t function without flirting with each other for five minutes, huh?¡± Doma lightly rolled his eyes. ¡°More like one minute at best.¡± Fen corrected him while sounding slightly tired. ¡°¡­¡± The girls in question had nothing to say in their defense. ---------------- The group chatted for a little longer, but once the sun was the highest and hottest above the oasis, the girls thought it was the perfect time to return to the desert and head for the trade hub. Naturally, Doma tried his best to stop them from killing themselves because doing something like that would be a suicide commando for everyday people. Not wanting to worry him, as she had taken a liking to him, Sophia showed him how she was able to regulate the temperature around them with magic. She even created artificial shade above them to really get the point across. Shocked at first, for many reasons, the horned man then let out a sigh before wishing them well and an enjoyable journey. ¡°Why are we stopping here?¡± The group had just gotten out of sight of the city when Anna addressed her fellow tiger as they stopped at a small green patch with a few palm trees still fed by the oasis water. ¡°There¡¯s a little something I want to do~.¡± Sophia smiled at her in return. ¡°Let me guess, a portal?¡± Maya had a feeling that she already knew the answer. ¡°Exactly!¡± She nodded. ¡°Good idea!¡± The princess clapped her hands. ¡°I¡¯d love to return here one day, too!¡± ¡°To be precise, I¡¯ll be making two portals here!¡± ¡°Why two?¡± Ari looked confused. ¡°One will lead to my domain for us to take for future visits. Also, Steph would kill me if she didn''t have a way to see the oasis city. If we survive the part where we forgot to get them for a visit last night when it cooled down.¡± ¡°Ahaha.¡± The girls let out a small chuckle, albeit sounding ever-so-slightly awkward while doing so. ¡°The other one will be for the city.¡± The blonde smiled at them. "I''m not going to link it to the capital because it makes no sense, and I''m pretty sure they wouldn''t even want it because it would end their secluded lifestyle. Still, I want to make it easier for them to get to the trade hub, so I¡¯ll make another portal at the edge of the desert near the place.¡± ¡°Aww, that¡¯s so sweet!¡± The jaguar liked her idea. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you put it right in the city and Barak, though?¡± ¡°Same reason.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°If it¡¯s in the trade place, more people would want to take it to see the oasis, and it might not be the best for everyone in the oasis to know about it.¡± ¡°Wow, reasonable and responsible Sophia is making me feel things!¡± ¡°I like how you were the one trying to explain to Doma that we weren¡¯t one big happy poly family while also being the one who hinted at it the most.¡± Maya rolled her eyes at the jaguar¡¯s usual ambiguity. ¡°I meant that I feel proud!¡± Ari glared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t make it sound weird!¡± ¡°No, that one¡¯s on you.¡± Everyone disagreed with her. ¡°¡­¡± She didn¡¯t like that. ¡°Anyway, once we¡¯re close enough to the trade place, I¡¯ll place another portal, link then, and then show it to Doma.¡± The blonde got back to the topic. "Whether or not he uses it or tells the others will be up to him.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°How will you prevent others from finding and using it, though? You always bury your own portals to the domain and do some magic thing around it so only you can open it, but that won¡¯t work here, will it?¡± ¡°Well, as long as I don¡¯t seal it, something similar would work nicely. I was thinking about something similar to the hidden entrance to the portal room in our mansion in the capital. The one behind the stairs that opens once you pour a little magic into it. You''d never accidentally open it if you don''t know about it." ¡°That sounds like it could work!¡± Afterward, Sophia did just that. She dug two holes under the palm trees of the little green patch and put a portal leading to her domain in one of them. Then, she closed the hole again and made sure that no one besides her could ever reach it by making the soil around it impassable with even the most advanced magic. The second hold got a portal that wasn¡¯t linked to anything yet and simply closed it with a top layer of regular soil that would move and form a little staircase when activated with magic. Chapter 171 – Napping spots The group left the oasis city and started their travel towards the trade hub called Barak near the edge of the desert. Before entirely leaving, Sophia ensured they could return at any time, though. She hid one of her portals below a small green patch and some palm trees and sealed it with magic. Afterward, she created a second one she¡¯d later link to the trade hub to make the life of the folk in the oasis a little easier. "So, do you want to be our tour guides again?" Once she finished her portal business, Sophia looked at Ari and Maya with a slight smirk on her lips. ¡°¡­¡± The two first looked at each other for a few seconds before both vehemently shook their heads. ¡°No, thanks, we¡¯re good!¡± They had enough of getting lost in the big box of sand the group was in. ¡°Ahaha, you two are great~.¡± The blonde had to chuckle at them. ¡°Alright, let the best navigator of the group, me, take care of it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared!¡± Anna had a bad feeling about this. "Hey!" She glared at her. "Also, don''t forget about my detection magic! I don''t need to know cardinal directions or be able to tell left and up apart! It doesn¡¯t matter because I can simply follow the stuff I sense~.¡± ¡°How do you know it¡¯s Barak, though?¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°The place we want to go to, I mean.¡± ¡°Minor details! Unimportant ones, too!¡± She didn¡¯t accept her concern. ¡°Also, how many cities do you think are around us here? More specifically, around ten kilometers away in that direction?¡± She pointed right in front of where they were facing. ¡°Okay, fair enough.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned extra smug. ¡°Before that, I need to borrow some more of the green patches around here.¡± Saying so, the blonde pointed and a couple of palm trees together with some cacti here and there around 100 meters left of them. A moment later, a portal swallowed the area and was gone entirely once it disappeared again. "Ari, we''ll use the sand and palm trees as the basis for our island resort!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡± Hearing that, the jaguar also got excited. ¡°This will be such a nice place!¡± ¡°An island resort doesn¡¯t sound half bad.¡± Fen joined the conversation. ¡°I¡¯d like to reserve a permanent nap spot under a palm tree or two.¡± ¡°Make sure two wolves fit there!¡± Aura also liked the idea. ¡°Sure thing~.¡± Sophia gave them a thumbs up. "Oh, right, we also wanted to make a romantic lagoon to spite them, right?" Maya looked at Anna as she remembered their plan to make their own romantic-sounding place after Sophia and Ari had once more gotten flirty with each other. ¡°Absolutely!¡± The princess reacted with a big nod. ¡°We have to show them!¡± ¡°A lagoon, huh?¡± Fen thought about it for a second. "I''d like to request a napping spot for wolves there, too." While he didn''t care about the girls¡¯ usual stupidity and flirtiness, he wanted to profit from it by getting more nice places to sleep. ¡°I support this!¡± The female wolf agreed with him. ¡°Nice and secluded, but still with a view, please.¡± ¡°So demanding!¡± Anna stared at her. ¡°Well, that should be arrangeable, though.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Aura was happy about it. ¡°Alrighty, with that taken care of, let¡¯s head to the trade place!¡± Sophia wanted to get going. ¡°And find some hints about my brother!¡± The princess energetically raised her arm high in the air. ---------------- ¡°By the way, how long has it been since your brother left the capital?¡± About half an hour had passed since they started moving again, and while the group was on top of a roughly ten-meter-high sand dune, Sophia got a little curious about the brother of the taller tiger. ¡°Hmmm,¡± The princess tilted her head. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure. It¡¯s definitely been a good while already, though. I¡¯d say it¡¯s been at least four years already.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°It¡¯s getting close to five years this summer," Ari added a little more detail. ¡°Woah, that is quite a while!¡± The blonde seemed surprised. ¡°Wait, how old is your brother?¡± ¡°24.¡± ¡°Nina¡¯s also 24, by the way.¡± The jaguar smiled at Sophia. ¡°Ohh, I see!¡± Sophia nodded a few times before she looked confused. ¡°Who¡¯s Nina?¡± ¡°My sister.¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°You really have to do something about your bad name memory." ¡°No, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that name, too.¡± Maya defended the poor memory of her girlfriend. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it always was just sister during the few times she got mentioned.¡± ¡°Oh, sorry about that.¡± She quickly apologized to the blonde. ¡°I mean, I do have a track record in that regard.¡± Sophia couldn¡¯t really blame her. ¡°Still, how incredibly rude of you!¡± It didn¡¯t stop her from doing so anyway, though. "Be better with names, and I''ll stop being rude." Ari just stared at her. ¡°24, huh?¡± As she had zero intentions of changing, or even the ability to do so, the blonde simply returned to the previous topic. ¡°Well, I somewhat remember that you used your brother as an argument for Menzor to let you go traveling yourself because he left the capital when he was your age, so I guess it makes sense.¡± ¡°Yep!¡± The princess nodded. ¡°I was even more annoying than Nathan, so father let me go a couple of months earlier than him, though~.¡± "You''re probably lucky he didn''t kick you out when you were twelve." The jaguar lightly shook her head. ¡°I feel like we can thank Kira for that.¡± ¡°Do you really think I would¡¯ve made it that far without mother?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°It was an¡­ optimistic guess.¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, jokes aside, you know how to be a proper princess and daughter when you have to, so this was just a little messing around at the end of the day.¡± ¡°Exactly~.¡± ¡°Was it planned for your brother to be away from the capital for five years or longer?¡± Maya also got curious about it. ¡°Isn¡¯t that an awfully long time for the first prince of the country to not be there?¡± ¡°The country is quite big, too.¡± Anna had an easy explanation for his long absence. ¡°Nathan also wanted to learn how other mayors rule their cities in depth. There''s a chance he''s stayed for a month at the same place multiple times.¡± ¡°Not to mention that the prince can¡¯t use portals to take shortcuts, which saved us a lot of time.¡± Ari didn''t think their ways of traveling were comparable, either. ¡°That is fair.¡± The cat-girl nodded. ¡°Our way of traveling is rather special.¡± ¡°That¡¯s putting it very mildly.¡± ¡°Anyway, I don''t remember father and Nathan ever agreeing on a time frame.¡± The princess looked at Maya. ¡°It was more of a it takes however long it takes kind of deal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my favorite kind of deal!¡± Sophia liked this way of doing things. ¡°I wonder if your brother found anything interesting to look at during his travels that we should visit, as well!¡± ¡°While it¡¯s not impossible, I doubt it.¡± Anna shrugged. ¡°Nathan wanted to get to know the kingdom''s people rather than places. "Also, his magic was only on my level before you gave me some of yours. That means he has to be way more cautious while exploring and has to avoid many places we walked right through." ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± The excitement on her face was gone in an instant. ¡°Then again, he and his group did end up here.¡± Ari gestured at the desert around them. ¡°To me, it seems like they¡¯re quite the adventurous group.¡± ¡°That is true!¡± The princess nodded a few times. ¡°I still can¡¯t wait to see who they are! They seem like a fun bunch. Not to mention that I have to tell them all the embarrassing secrets about Nathan that I know!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a model sister!¡± Sophia gave her a thumbs up. ¡°That¡¯s just how it¡¯s supposed to be~.¡± ¡°As a fellow sibling, I¡¯m glad you approve of my way.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Luca would disagree with that.¡± Maya let out a small chuckle as she started smiling. ¡°Yeah, because you, out of everyone, definitely didn¡¯t do the same to him.¡± Sophia stared at her girlfriend. ¡°I would never!¡± The cat-girl started pouting. "Wait, I already told you about the pranks we did to each other, right?" ¡°Yup.¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why he definitely would disagree here.¡± ¡°Never mind!¡± Maya immediately stopped pouting. ¡°Who¡¯s Luca?¡± Anna looked confused. ¡°I don''t think I¡¯ve heard that name before, either.¡± Ari had the same expression. ¡°That would be my brother.¡± Maya smiled at her. "He''s two years older than me." ¡°Oh, right!¡± The jaguar lightly clapped her hands. ¡°You also had an older brother, hadn¡¯t you? I guess it¡¯s the same issue as Nina, huh? We always just called them sister or brother when talking about them.¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± The cat-girl nodded again. ¡°Funnily enough, he¡¯s also out there exploring. Just that it''s over six years in his case already." ¡°And you were surprised over how Nathan was gone for so long?¡± Anna tilted her head. ¡°Well, Luca isn¡¯t the prince of this nation for starters.¡± Maya stared at her. "Also, in my mother''s words, he simply left the nest, so it¡¯s not set in stone that he has any plans to return at all.¡± ¡°Fair enough.¡± "Wait, even if he did, doesn''t he currently have nothing to return to, anyway?" Sophia tilted her head. "You are with us, and your parents are still in the capital." ¡°Ah.¡± The cat-girl hadn''t thought about that yet. ¡°Well, as long as he doesn¡¯t return before we visit my home and place a portal there, it should be fine!¡± ¡°You just jinxed it.¡± Everyone stared at her. ¡°S-Shush!¡± Once everyone learned a little more about each other¡¯s siblings, the girls put the topic on hold for the time being, and the group eventually continued their travel to the trade hub and to finally get out of the desert again. Chapter 172 – Power scaling The girls shared some anecdotes about their siblings while crossing the desert on their way to the trade hub Doma had told them about. Everyone learned a little more about Nathan, Anna''s older brother; Nina, Ari''s older sister; and Luca, Maya''s older brother, and how they haven''t seen them in years. ¡°Woah!¡± To escape the blizzard Blu had created, Steph, Chloe, and the bird in question relocated to the top of a massive pillar of ice that had conveniently appeared below their feet before growing taller. Being above the blizzard now, the dog-girl was amazed by the sights. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have said it better myself!¡± Chloe shared her feelings as she looked at the spectacle below them. It was a white flurry of ice and snow whirling all around them, covering the entire area as far as they could see. It was so dense and violent that the girls were unable to tell how high up they really were. Even the pure-white sky above them had turned cloudy, and more snow eventually began to fall from above, indicating that it was still growing in size. ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best that Sophia isn¡¯t anywhere near, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah, she would have at least three different emotional meltdowns just from looking at this.¡± Steph gestured all around them. ¡°True.¡± She let out a small chuckle. ¡°Then again, we''re the ones that flee from the outside desert adventure because it''s too hot for our liking." The fox then scratched her cheek. ¡°This and that are unrelated!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Chloe raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Anyway, what should we do about the ocean?¡± Steph changed the topic. ¡°It would be a waste to get rid of everything Blu¡¯s blizzard already created to replace it with water, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± The fox felt the same. ¡°What would be the alternative, though?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good question.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°Oh, how about we make this area the land portion of the biome? Once the blizzard has done its thing, we can add some mountains and other stuff to make it look cool.¡± ¡°B-But my ocean!¡± Chloe wasn¡¯t a fan of the suggestion. ¡°I wasn¡¯t done yet.¡± She smiled at her. ¡°We¡¯ll go to the edge of the blizzard area and start the water part from there. That way, the ocean has all the space it needs to grow while we already have some solid land to play with. Once there¡¯s a decently formed coast, we¡¯d immediately have a good starting habitat for penguins, too!¡± ¡°You really like them, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I love them!¡± Steph was very enthusiastic about her penguins. ¡°Ehehe.¡± The fox enjoyed the extra cute side of her girlfriend. ¡°Well, the plan of starting the ocean next to the frozen land doesn¡¯t sound half bad.¡± She was warming up to the idea. ¡°Great!¡± She lightly clapped her hands. ¡°There is, however, a slight issue there, though.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I have no idea how to get there.¡± The dog-girl shrugged. ¡°The blizzard is massive, and I don¡¯t even want to know how long it would take us to reach the edge of it. Without a point of reference, we¡¯re certain to get lost, too. In fact, I¡¯d bet money that it probably grows faster than we can navigate through it, so we¡¯d never get out of it.¡± After saying that, Blu just nodded a couple of times. ¡°See?¡± Steph was glad it got confirmed. ¡°That certainly is an issue.¡± Chloe scratched her cheek. Hearing that, Blu jumped on the icy ground before the two and turned to face them. A moment later, one of the usual two-meter-high and wide pink and purple portals appeared behind the bird. Then, the parakeet lifted its right wing and pointed at it. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°E-Eh¡­?¡± The couple hadn''t seen that coming. ¡°You can do that?!¡± Seeing how surprised they looked, Blu proudly puffed up its chest. ¡°Wait, did Sophia teach you how to do that?¡± The fox stared at the parakeet. ¡°I thought sis and Mira are the only ones being able to use them because of overseer shenanigans!?¡± Steph also got loud before she started pouting. ¡°I want my own portals, too!¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably still a power issue? Like, Mira, being the overseer of magic, has basically unlimited magic, and Sophia uses the same type of power as Canir, who is the overseer. Blu¡¯s arguably more powerful than all of us combined, so that might be the explanation.¡± ¡°Grr!¡± The dog started growling. ¡°We need a way to increase our own magic!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say no to having more power myself.¡± Chloe nodded a few times. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all that easy, though.¡± ¡°Well, Sophia¡¯s power almost tripled since we started going all out in her domain, so there has to be an easy way!¡± ¡°She¡¯s also constantly pouring all of her internal authority into this place, which is likely accelerating her growth like crazy.¡± ¡°We¡¯re doing the same, though!¡± Steph didn¡¯t think that was the explanation. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s true!¡± The fox-girl hadn¡¯t thought that far yet. "Could it be that only she''s growing because it''s her domain, and they''re somehow linked to each other rather than just her tirelessly using her magic day in and out?¡± ¡°Like, on top of her own efforts, all of us are also helping her grow?¡± She gave it some more thought. ¡°I love being there for Sophia, and her domain is a lot of fun, so I don¡¯t regret anything, but I also want more magic to play with!¡± The dog-girl got even more envious. ¡°I¡¯ve been happy even with the amount I had before you shared half with me, but I also don¡¯t want to be left behind by Sophia, or even more so, you. If you want to grow, I want to do so, too!¡± Chloe was slightly more relaxed about it. ¡°Then again, have we really not grown?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Steph looked confused. ¡°Sophia hadn¡¯t noticed herself that her authority exploded until we told her so. What if something similar happened to us, and we got stronger without even realizing it, either? Our authority regenerates so fast, and regular magic costs so little that a change probably won¡¯t be noticeable at all.¡± ¡°It doesn''t seem like you feel any different, though." The dog-girl stared at Chloe for a moment while seemingly concentrating quite hard. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the exact same amount of authority I can feel in myself.¡± "That says nothing, though, because we''ve been doing the same for weeks. Continuously pouring magic into this place here, that is.¡± The fox shrugged. ¡°That would imply that we should¡¯ve grown in power by the same amount, meaning we¡¯re still the same.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°Blu, has our authority over magic grown since we¡¯ve met you?¡± Feeling like they were getting nowhere, Chloe turned to the parakeet for help. In return, the bird tilted its head while alternatingly looking at the girls for a couple of seconds. Afterward, it energetically nodded to confirm her question. ¡°Seriously?!¡± Steph couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°How much?!¡± She got very excited and stared at the bird, who only tilted its head in return once more. ¡°It¡¯s not as crazy as Sophia¡¯s growth, is it?¡± Naturally, the fox also got quite curious, but Blu then shook its head. ¡°Too bad!¡± The dog-girl didn''t like that. ¡°How much is it, then? Twice?¡± Hearing that number, Blu¡¯s headshake changed into something between a shake and a nod. ¡°A bit less than twice?¡± Steph tried to further narrow it down, and the parakeet¡¯s movement turned into an energetic nodding. ¡°Seriously?!¡± Chloe had the same reaction as the dog-girl before. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice at all?!¡± ¡°Same!¡± Steph nodded along. ¡°Fey and Mira also were barely around, so there weren¡¯t many people attentive enough to realize. Maybe the wolves, but I guess they were also doing their own things.¡± ¡°Or didn¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Or that!¡± The dog-girl could easily see this being the case. ¡°Especially Fen!¡± ¡°Maybe they also grew? That would be another possible explanation.¡± She didn¡¯t want to be too mean to them, after all. ¡°Sophia was the one who started pumping all her magic into the domain, so we immediately noticed something about her authority, but once all of us started doing the same, it became a lot less noticeable.¡± Listening to her, Blu then nodded again. ¡°We probably grew a bit more than the others because our recovery is faster, right?¡± Steph looked at the parakeet, which was still moving its head up and down. "Let''s go!" Her competitive side liked that quite a bit. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell the others!¡± Chloe happily clapped her hands while smiling. ¡°I bet everyone will be happy to hear their magic grew and now have more to play with!¡± ¡°Sophia will probably be the happiest because that means everyone can pump even more into her domain.¡± Knowing the selfish side of her sister, Steph¡¯s expression formed into a slight smirk. ¡°Well, it¡¯s an absolute win-win for everyone, so I doubt anyone, me included, would care about that.¡± The fox-girl shrugged. ¡°In fact, without her domain, we wouldn¡¯t be able to grow this fast in the first place, right?¡± She smiled at Blu, who was probably going to get a sore neck from all the nodding it was doing. ¡°That is very true!" Steph agreed with her. "Alright, before we see them again and tell them the good news, let''s work on our project a bit more!¡± She energetically raised her arm high in the air. ¡°Okay!¡± The fox-girl did the same. Having learned many new things about everyone''s authority on magic, the couple eventually got back on track with their polar biome and finally stepped through the portal Blu had provided them with quite a while ago. Chapter 173 – A confusing individual Chloe and Steph learned something interesting about theirs and everyone else''s authority on magic while working on their polar biome. Not only Sophia''s powers had grown considerably since they started pouring as magic as possible into the domain, but everyone else had done so, too, which was confirmed by everyone''s favorite parakeet, Blu. ¡°Oh, I think we¡¯re slowly reaching the edge of the desert!¡± The girls, and Fen, were still traveling towards the trade hub when Anna noticed that the dunes were getting flatter, as well as more shrubbery, albeit dried out, began to show up. Here and there were also some greener spots coming into view together with a few acacia trees in the far distance. "Yes, we should also see the trade hub city in a few minutes." Sophia nodded while smiling at her. "Aren''t I a good tour guide?" Her expression turned into a grin. ¡°You¡¯re definitely not the worst in the group.¡± Anna stole a quick glance at Ari and Maya. ¡°¡­¡± The duo in question had nothing to say and just sheepishly turned their heads away. ¡°Ahaha~.¡± The blonde liked that. ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you this smug.¡± The princess smiled at her fellow tiger. ¡°It¡¯s also rare that I have a better sense of direction than Maya and or Ari.¡± "More like it''s unheard of." Anna lightly rolled her eyes. "Also, I don''t think that has anything to do with your sense of direction, either. After all, you literally used magic to get us here.¡± ¡°If you try and take this away from me, I¡¯ll ground you for a week!¡± Sophia didn¡¯t appreciate that. ¡°You can¡¯t ground a princess!¡± She stared at her. ¡°Especially because you¡¯re not my mother!¡± ¡°Do you want to see me try?¡± ¡°I¡¯d love to see you do-, wait¡­" Anna suddenly stopped while tilting her head. "Are we talking about grounding me or some advanced kind of punishment roleplay? The kinky kind, I mean.¡± She somehow felt the need to clarify that. ¡°Ohh?¡± Hearing that, Maya perked up again. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear more about that!¡± ¡°Not this again.¡± Ari rolled her eyes. ¡°Again?¡± Sophia lifted an eyebrow. ¡°What are you two up to during the night?" She stared at the royal couple. ¡°Fun stuff!¡± The two just smiled at her. ¡°My position in this group continues to be in danger!¡± The cat-girl got loud. "Sophia! You need to help me reclaim and secure my role as the biggest pervert of the group!" ¡°Ehh?¡± She scratched her cheek. ¡°Can¡¯t you do that on your own¡­ Ah, you kinda need me for that, huh?¡± ¡°It would certainly help!¡± Maya nodded a few times. ¡°Solo sessions can get you only so far on the leaderboard!¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± The blonde didn¡¯t even think about questioning it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t enjoy having fun with you. In fact, I welcome it almost whenever you want to do it. Sure, we can play around a whole lot to show them who¡¯s the boss here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Not here and or right now, though.¡± Sophia found her reply a little too enthusiastic. ¡°Aww!¡± ¡°Idiot~.¡± She didn¡¯t actually sound upset when saying that, though. "Anyway, before we get to that, let''s focus on the unfinished business first.¡± The blond put the topic on halt for the day. ¡°I still need to add the second portal somewhere around here so that no one from the trade city would actually see the people from the oasis using them." ¡°How about there?¡± Anna pointed slightly to their left. There, a few lone acacia trees surrounded by a formation of a couple of bigger boulders could be seen. ¡°It¡¯s a good and easily distinguishable landmark, but it also offers some protection and no line of sight towards the trade city." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°You¡¯re a genius!¡± Sophia liked the plan. ¡°That''s the perfect place!¡± Having decided on that, the group made their way over there, and Sophia began to work on the hidden portal she had buried underground. Afterward, she tested it out by going through it to get close to the oasis city. From there, the blonde decided to pay Doma another visit. ---------------- ¡°Sophia¡­?¡± When the horned man saw the tiger entering the tavern, he naturally got confused. ¡°What are you doing here? Wait, let me guess, your group walked in a circle and ended up back here?" He tilted his head. "Yeah, that happens to the best of us in this desert where everything looks the same." ¡°Not quite.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Or rather, not at all.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite the confusing individual.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve heard that.¡± ¡°Obviously.¡± Doma nodded a few times. ¡°So, what¡¯s up.¡± ¡°There¡¯s something I want to show you, but we need to go on a little trip for that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I like the sound of that.¡± He got a little wary of her. ¡°What if I refuse?¡± ¡°You know that I¡¯m a lot stronger than you, right? I could just grab you, put you under my arm, and carry you there.¡± Sophia stared at him for a moment. ¡°We both don¡¯t want that to happen, do we?¡± ¡°We really don¡¯t.¡± The horned man shook his head. ¡°So, where are we headed to?¡± He gave up. ¡°Just outside the city and a few minutes into the desert.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not too unreasonable. The sun isn¡¯t all that high anymore, either, so I won¡¯t be cooked when going there.¡± His expression relaxed a little. ¡°Did you find something of interest out there?¡± ¡°Something like that!¡± Sophia just gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way how you skirt around questions.¡± ¡°Showing is easier than telling!¡± Saying so, the blonde grabbed Doma¡¯s arm and dragged him out of the tavern. ---------------- ¡°So¡­?¡± The duo arrived in the area where Sophia had hidden the first portal, and the horned man questioningly tilted his head while looking around. ¡°Do you feel like there¡¯s anything weird around here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Doma stared right at the blonde. ¡°Wow.¡± She needed a moment. ¡°That was a brilliant one.¡± Sophia had to hand it to him. ¡°Happy to hear.¡± ¡°Other than me, is there anything about the area that feels different or odd to you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so?¡± Looking confused, he tried to concentrate on his surroundings. ¡°No, everything seems normal to me.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde lightly clapped her hands. ¡°Alright, could you put your hand on the ground around there?¡± She pointed at the slightly grassy patch of sand and dirt on the foot of the palm tree in front of them. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Just play along with it.¡± "Fine¡­" Realizing that it was useless to argue with her, Doma gave up, kneeled down, and put his hand on the ground. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Are you feeling anything weird now?¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°Still just you.¡± He shook his head. ¡°So much sass.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Doma took it as a compliment. ¡°Why am I touching the ground?¡± He was still confused. ¡°Pour some magic into it and see what happens.¡± ¡°Do what now?¡± His confusion only grew. ¡°Ahh.¡± Sophia only just remembered that she was talking to someone with a regular common sense of magic. ¡°Hmm, how do I explain this?¡± She tilted her head. ¡°Ah, have you ever used one of the magic ovens or stoves?¡± ¡°The one where you have to put your hand in a certain place and concentrate on turning it on? Yeah, the tavern has one of those fancy things, but I prefer regular fire to cook. Especially because we only eat warm meals in the evening and night when it''s cold outside, so it doubles as a heat source. Though, yes, I have given it a try.¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± The blonde nodded once. ¡°It¡¯s not widely known like this yet, but that¡¯s pouring your own internal magic into something else.¡± ¡°Okay¡­?¡± He had a hard time following her. ¡°Concentrate the same way on the ground as you did with that stove." ¡°You want me to turn on the ground?¡± ¡°Not the words I would use, but yes, that¡¯s more or less what I want.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Giving the crazy girl what she wanted, Doma concentrated briefly and turned on the ground. ¡°W-Whoa?! What?!¡± Immediately after, a hold opened in front of him before the dirt and sand formed a small stair leading downward. ¡°Huh? What is this?¡± Before he had time to process this, the horned man noticed the pink and purple portal at the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Do you remember when we were on the lake and how I took the stones out of something before throwing them into the water?¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­?¡± ¡°I call it a portal, and the thing downstairs here is the same. This portal lets me connect two places with each other and allows me to travel instantly between them. If you want to, I could get you to the royal capital in two seconds by using one of these.¡± ¡°What?¡± Doma had entirely lost track of the conversation. ¡°This is a gift to you and the oasis city.¡± Sophia smiled at him. ¡°This portal is connected with another one at the edge of the desert a couple hundred meters away from the trade hub city. With this, if you want to use it, you can skip the entire desert traversal to resupply.¡± ¡°¡­¡± He was unable to say anything for a good while. ¡°What are you even talking about?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m quite bad at explaining things.¡± She awkwardly scratched her cheek. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m a lot better at showing things~.¡± ¡°H-Huh?!¡± Before he had the chance to complain, Sophia got behind him gently but with absolute and undeniable vigor, making him go down the stairs by putting her hand on his back and making him unable to stop or ponder. Briefly stopping right in front of the portal for a short second, the blonde then made him go through it because this would answer most of his questions instantly, though also raising a few more at the same time, as well. Chapter 174 – Half at best The group reached the outskirts of the desert after having left the oasis city, but once they were there, Sophia made a quick return to it to tell Doma about the portals she created to make it easier for them to reach the trade hub the inhabitants usually go to restock on supplies and food every couple of weeks. Naturally, the horned man had a hard time believing her story, so the blonde simply showed him by pushing the man through the portal. ¡°W-What just happened?!¡± Back at the edge of the desert, Doma, who had just exited the portal and was made to walk up the underground stairs by Sophia, was more than just confused over the recent events. ¡°Wait, I know this place! This is just a few hundred meters away from Barak!¡± Once he noticed his surroundings, the horned man got even louder. ¡°Hey.¡± Noticing their arrival, Ari lightly waved at him before Anna and Maya eventually did the same. ¡°I went with my tried and proven show, don¡¯t tell method because explaining my portals is a pain.¡± Sophia gave them a brief overview of the situation. ¡°Tried and proven for you, yes.¡± The jaguar felt sorry for the confused and bewildered-looking man next to her. "Exactly!" Sophia gave her a thumbs-up before facing Doma again. "You are right. The trade city is just behind this slight hill.¡± She pointed to her right. ¡°I¡¯ve put the portal here because no one from the city would ever see you using it in this area.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± He went silent for an entire minute. ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay because you don¡¯t know me that well, but I¡¯m always serious.¡± ¡°¡­¡± All the girls and Fen stared at the serious blonde while slowly shaking their heads. ¡°Shush!¡± She glared at them before smiling at the horned man. ¡°That¡¯s how my portals work. They connect two faraway places directly with each other like you¡¯ve experienced just now.¡± ¡°How is that possible?¡± Doma was still flabbergasted. ¡°Magic~.¡± Sophia¡¯s smile only got brighter. "Is that really a viable explanation for things?" He wasn''t happy with her reply. ¡°It unfortunately is.¡± Ari, Anna, and Maya let out a sigh. ¡°It¡¯s the best explanation~.¡± Sophia didn¡¯t share their reaction. ¡°Just who are you?!¡± ¡°Just your average friendly neighborhood tiger you can meet everywhere.¡± The blonde gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°Why do I feel like only half of that is true.¡± He raised an eyebrow in return. ¡°At best.¡± Ari also stared at the shorter tiger. ¡°You all should stop being so hung up on little details!¡± ¡°Are they little, though?¡± Doma had his doubts about it. ¡°Anyway!¡± Sophia had enough. "I get that outsiders find it hard to understand me, but let''s focus on my portal, okay? You saw it working, and that''s all that counts, right?" ¡°At the end of the day, it certainly does.¡± He agreed with her. "Okay, I''ll agree on the technical aspect, because I doubt I¡¯d ever understand it, but I¡¯m still curious about the why. Why here and why in general?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot easier to answer!¡± The blonde¡¯s expression brightened again. ¡°I like you and the oasis, so I wanted to make things easier for you all. Having to traverse a desert twice for an entire night just to get some supplies sounds like pure horror to me! Even so, I respect your wish for reclusiveness. That¡¯s why I placed it away from both cities and hid it from outsiders." She smiled at him. "No one who doesn¡¯t know about it would ever stumble onto it because you have to use magic to get to it. All the portals do is shorten your shopping trips. The oasis won¡¯t suddenly become overrun by tourists or anything like that. You don¡¯t even have to tell anyone. I wouldn''t be upset if you decided against using it entirely, either." Sophia just shrugged at the end. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Now I feel bad for sassing you.¡± The horned man got a little awkward. ¡°That happens quite often with her.¡± Ari nodded. ¡°Sometimes, all you want to do is get back at her for the teasing, but then she turns incredibly wholesome, and you just feel bad.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a girl of many layers~.¡± The blonde wasn¡¯t upset. ¡°Very true.¡± Maya, who knew her the best, easily agreed there. ¡°Hehe.¡± ¡°So, in summary, we¡¯d be able to use these portal things to skip the dangerous desert traversal to reach Barak? You also created them in a way that will make our nice little oasis stay secluded if we desire so?" ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it.¡± ¡°Wow.¡± Doma needed a second. ¡°Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. This will eliminate the literally only downside of our little paradise.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very welcome~.¡± Sophia was glad he liked it. ¡°Still, is it okay to use such a gift on something so trivial as making our commute easier? It seems like something like this would be invaluable to the kingdom.¡± He felt like it was wasted on them. ¡°No, let me correct myself, for the entire planet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± The blonde smiled at him. ¡°I¡¯m not limited on how many portals I can create, so it makes no difference.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± She just nodded. "In fact, placing portals all over the country is our side-mission while traveling. We''re also visiting bigger cities and connecting them with the capital through my portals to create a massive hub leading to various places instantly. The oasis city was too small to be included in that, though. Also, it would actively go against everyone¡¯s values there, being directly accessible by the capital of all places, so we doubly decided against it.¡± ¡°Thank you SOO much for that!¡± Doma was incredibly happy about the last part. ¡°Yes, we would probably abandon the oasis if it were connected to the capital like that.¡± They really liked being secluded. ¡°Again, you¡¯re welcome~.¡± ¡°Even so, it seems like the kingdom will change a lot, huh?¡± The horned man tilted his head. ¡°Those portals, if they¡¯re really placed all over the place, will revolutionize the way basically everything is done.¡± ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡± As Sophia was a big fan of convenience, she couldn''t wait to see what people would come up with when distance wasn''t an issue any longer. ¡°I can imagine.¡± He clearly saw the potential. Once the topic calmed down a bit, Sophia explained a little more about the portals to Doma and how to use them. Afterward, she also told him what he had to do to open the ground to access the hidden portal and where exactly he had to pour his magic into it. Once everything was clear to the horned man, he returned to the oasis area to think about who to tell about it and how to proceed with the gift in the future. ---------------- ¡°Alrighty, this was fun!¡± Once the group was on their own again, Sophia lightly clapped her hands with a satisfied expression on her face. ¡°You really live for breaking the common sense of others, huh?¡± Ari stared at her. ¡°You first have to break it to fix it~.¡± The blonde, as usual, wasn¡¯t the slightest bit sorry about it. ¡°Okay, I admit there might be less drastic approaches, but they¡¯re also less effective. I''d go crazy if I had to explain it in great detail while ensuring not to overload them every time we meet someone new. They will greatly benefit from the changes, so I have no qualms about them suffering a little for half an hour with a headache because of me.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± The jaguar had little to say there. "Actually, that''s quite reasonable, all things considered. It¡¯s probably on me because I see people getting overloaded by you so often. For others, it¡¯s a one-time thing to go through.¡± ¡°Except for Menzor.¡± Maya lightly corrected her. ¡°True.¡± "Father, as the king of the kingdom, also benefits the most from Sophia''s improvements, so it''s fair he suffers more." Anna had no remorse for her father. ¡°Exactly~.¡± Sophia gave her fellow tiger a thumbs up. ¡°Fair.¡± Ari and Maya could live with that. ¡°Okay, should we head over to the trade city now?¡± Saying so, Sophia closed the hole to the underground portal and pointed at the small hill to her right. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± The others liked the plan. ¡°Oh, by the way, while you were getting Doma earlier, I took another look at the list of cities to get a portal we got from Menzor.¡± After they started walking, Maya addressed the blonde. ¡°Barak is actually on it, so your solution of connecting the oasis place with it like this was actually the perfect solution for everyone involved.¡± ¡°Ohh!¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Anna clapped her hands. ¡°That means we have all the more reason to meet the mayor. After all, I wanted to ask them about Nathan! He definitely visited them and spent some time there. That means the mayor¡¯s likely to know where he and his group headed to after leaving Barak.¡± ¡°It sounds like we have a plan there!¡± Even more motivated, Sophia energetically raised her arm while the group walked up the small hill before reaching the city in question. Chapter 175 – Trade city Sophia showed Doma the portals she had made for him and the oasis city to connect them to the edge of the desert. That way, they could reach the trade hub without needing to traverse the desert whenever they needed to stock up on supplies. Naturally, the horned man was initially overwhelmed, but once he somewhat understood the situation, he was thankful for the amazing gift she had given them. ¡°Ohh!" The group walked up the small hill at the edge of the desert, and once they were on its top, the trade city called Barak finally came into view, which made Sophia quite excited. It was bigger than she had anticipated, as the city seemed to have enough housing to provide for thousands of people. The buildings themselves were similar to those of the oasis city and primarily based on sandstone as there was an abundance of materials right next to them. Barak used a lot more wood, mainly in the form of Acacia, in their buildings, though, which gave the city a warm feeling from the yellow, orange, and reddish colors everywhere. In the middle of the city was an enormous plaza with countless stalls and tents with various wares on display. ¡°Shopping time!¡± Maya also got excited. ¡°I think I see some stalls with spices!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± As Ari also liked to cook, her motivation to get going soared, as well. ¡°I wonder how this place gets its wares.¡± While they were getting closer to the city, Sophia wondered how it became a trade hub. "While not in the desert, it¡¯s still not a prime location as it''s basically inaccessible from the sandy side.¡± ¡°One of the western main roads of the kingdom starts in Barak," Anna answered while pointing at the massive road leading out of the city and past the horizon that could be seen in the distance from the group¡¯s position. ¡°On top of that, it has a direct road to the coast, as well as the northern territory.¡± She then gestured at the slightly smaller roads in the north and south. ¡°While its back is against the desert, Barak is quite central.¡± ¡°Alright, seems reasonable to me, then!¡± The blonde nodded. ¡°I also really like the sound of that road leading to the coast! We¡¯re definitely taking this one next.¡± Their plan was to head towards the sea, after all. ¡°Unless we get some tangible details on your brother¡¯s course.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± The princess was glad Sophia was still willing to take a detour for her. ¡°You¡¯re welcome~.¡± Sophia smiled at her. ¡°I like meeting new people! Especially when it¡¯s something as significant as the group of your brother!¡± "Really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you care about how significant someone is?" ¡°When that someone is traveling with a cute jaguar and puma-girl, I care a lot!¡± "I love you." Maya was a fan of her girlfriend''s pure and noble intentions. ¡°I feel a little bad for Nathan right now, but I can¡¯t blame you there.¡± While Anna was looking forward to seeing her brother again, she definitely didn¡¯t fail to recognize the allure of cute girls. ¡°I want to see my sister, too, but that puma-girl Doma mentioned also caught my interest.¡± Ari scratched her cheek. ¡°You don¡¯t see pumas all that often, at least not in the capital area.¡± ¡°Ohh, a rare girl!¡± Sophia liked that even more. ¡°Well, we still have to find them first, so getting excited already might be a little early.¡± ¡°True!¡± The jaguar agreed with her. Wrapping up their conversation about Nathan¡¯s group and their future itinerary, the group finally got closer to the city and made their way toward its nearest entrance. ---------------- ¡°Welcome to my humble city.¡± Once they entered the place, everyone immediately recognized Anna and Sophia as the tigers they were, and the group was asked to visit the mayor first before doing anything else. Naturally, Fen and Aura decided not to partake in that and quickly parted with the two tigers, Ari, and Maya, to explore on their own. Arriving at the mayor¡¯s place, the girls were promptly greeted by, judging by the streaked black and white hair, combined with the horse-like ears and tail, a zebra woman somewhere in her forties. ¡°I am Darci, mayor of Barak.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± The tall tiger entered her formal mode. "I am Anna, the first princess of the nation.¡± She introduced herself first before gesturing at the other girls. ¡°Those are Ari, Sophia, and Maya, close friends and relatives of the family.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± The trio in question kept it simple. ¡°The pleasure is all mine.¡± Darci smiled at the princess. ¡°Although, I have to ask why Barak comes to the honor of welcoming another royal member of the royal family with her entourage in a little over a year? This time, it even consists of two tigers.¡± ¡°It might be hard to believe, but it¡¯s actually a complete coincidence." Anna scratched her cheek. "We only discovered yesterday that the prince had also visited Barak.¡± She was the most surprised about it, after all. ¡°My dear brother left the capital a couple of years ago to get a better understanding of the kingdom. I embarked on a similar journey earlier this year, and it seems like our paths have almost crossed." ¡°Fascinating.¡± The mayor nodded a few times. ¡°Oh, does that mean that you are also intending to learn how I rule my city? The prince followed me for around a month to learn the ropes of being a mayor.¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± Anna¡¯s reply was instantaneous. ¡°This is Nathan¡¯s thing. He wanted to get to know the people and learn how to rule. While I''m also interested in our people, I mainly intend to see and learn about the kingdom¡¯s nature, flora, and fauna." ¡°Wow, that¡¯s just as commendable.¡± ¡°And a lot less work for you, isn¡¯t it?¡± Sophia had to take a quick jab after seeing Darci¡¯s relaxed expression. ¡°I really like how direct the tiger family is.¡± She smiled at the blonde. ¡°I am more than happy to serve and teach the ruling family my ways of doing things, but having someone follow you for an entire month while asking one question after another without a single break in between can be a little exhausting. Please pardon me for not being disappointed that I don''t need to do that again." ¡°Ahaha.¡± The shorter tiger let out a small chuckle while giving her a thumbs up. ¡°Well, I guess I wish you a nice stay in Barak, then.¡± The mayor scratched her cheek. ¡°Naturally, I¡¯d love to give the nation¡¯s princess and her group a detailed tour of the city. That¡¯s the least I can do." ¡°That sounds lovely.¡± Anna wasn¡¯t against the plan. ¡°Before that, I have a question, though. Do you happen to know where Nathan went after they left Barak? If we have the chance, we¡¯d like to try and catch up with them.¡± "Won''t that be a bit hard?¡± Darci tilted her head. ¡°The prince and his group have a lead of about a year, after all.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± The tall tiger nodded. "We aren''t spending a month or longer in each major city we visit, though. Also, if we know their destination, we might be able to take a shortcut or two.¡± She didn¡¯t feel the need to go into detail on how their group takes shortcuts. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s true.¡± She could follow her logic. ¡°I don¡¯t have an exact destination, but the prince mentioned that they¡¯d take the coastal road next before deciding on their next course once they reached the sea.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Anna raised her voice. ¡°That¡¯s where we planned to go, anyway, so that¡¯s perfect!¡± She was happy that they were already on the right track. "How convenient~." Sophia was glad it was working out so well. ¡°There is a bit of an official side to our visit here, though.¡± She got a little more serious. ¡°Is that so?¡± Hearing the other tiger mention the word official, the mayor tensed up a little. ¡°Right! The big project to change the kingdom from the ground up!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Her wording didn''t make Darci feel any more at ease. ¡°Should we make it quick and painless as usual?¡± ¡°Not sure if painless is the right word here.¡± As Ari knew what the blonde was talking about, she had a hard time agreeing with her choice of words there. ¡°As we agreed on before, for me, it is.¡± The blonde gave the jaguar a cheeky grin before facing the mayor again. A moment later, she raised her arm for extra effect and let a portal with a diameter of two meters appear next to her. ¡°Time for a trip~!¡± ¡°W-What is that?!¡± To the surprise of no one, the mayor immediately freaked out when she saw the mass of pink and purple particles swirling around after they appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Ah, wait a moment, that¡¯s still the old model.¡± Sophia glanced at the portal and noticed it still had an opaque center rather than being see-through to see what was on the other side. ¡°Is this better?¡± ¡°Not really, no!¡± Darci heavily shook her head while staring at the portal and the room that was revealed inside. ¡°I¡¯m so happy that we moved the portal out of my closet and into a separate room.¡± Anna was rather glad about the relocation. ¡°What am I looking at here?!¡± The mayor got louder. Not wanting to explain it to her because she knew it would take ages, Sophia got behind Darci and pushed her through the portal to let things speak for themselves. Arriving in the castle, they immediately brought her to the king to give him his usual headache, as well. Chapter 176 – Spices The group arrived at Barak, a major trade city in the kingdom, and met with Darci, the city''s mayor. From her, they learned that Anna¡¯s brother and his group made their way toward the coast, the same direction they planned to go. Afterward, Sophia told her about the portal plans in her usual brash way by simply creating it, bringing the mayor over to the capital, and letting Menzor deal with the rest. "I guess we have to explore the city ourselves after all, huh?" The girls had returned to Barak and were currently making their way towards the big plaza in its middle when Sophia scratched her cheek. ¡°It appears so.¡± Anna nodded. ¡°I think Darci will be having a meeting with father for quite a bit longer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad, but exploring without a guide should be fun, too!¡± ¡°True!¡± The blonde agreed with her fellow tiger. ¡°I want to find the stall with all the spices I saw from the hill before we arrived.¡± Maya lightly clapped her hands. ¡°I wonder if they offer anything we don¡¯t have!¡± ¡°Do you think there are any spices offered here that aren¡¯t available in the capital?¡± Ari tilted her head. ¡°That would be amazing!¡± ¡°Only one way to find out!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± The two cooks of their group were getting excited. ¡°I¡¯d love to get curry more often again because I''ve been craving it lately!¡± Sophia immediately had demands. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve had anything curry-flavored in this world yet. Which is a travesty!¡± ¡°Curry?¡± Maya tilted her head. ¡°Wait, that¡¯s the yellow powdery spice, right? We had that a couple of times when we ate something during our shopping trips, right? It was quite intense! Very tasty, though!" ¡°Curry comes in various different forms depending on the region, but yeah, I also meant the yellow powdery form. It¡¯s super versatile and works with nearly everything!¡± ¡°It would be great if we could find it here!¡± The cat-girl liked the idea. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard about curry, but now I¡¯d love to try it!¡± Ari immediately got interested in it. ¡°Let¡¯s search real hard!¡± Sophia energetically raised her arm. ¡°I need it!¡± ---------------- ¡°Whoa, so many things!¡± Arriving at the plaza, Maya¡¯s eyes grew wide. ¡°It¡¯s even bigger than the market in the capital!¡± She didn¡¯t even know where to look first because there were just way too many stalls selling all kinds of things. Accessories, clothes, cutlery, various food stalls, places for furniture, rugs, fabrics, books, fruits and vegetables, as well as countless other things, some of which she''d never seen before. ¡°Oh my gosh, there are so many things that aren¡¯t in my storage yet!¡± Sophia¡¯s eyes were sparkling. "I need to get one of each at the very least so as not to fall behind!" "Are we developing a hoarding problem?" Ari tilted her head while looking at the blonde. ¡°Nope!¡± She shook her head. ¡°Really?¡± The jaguar raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not developing one.¡± Sophia shook her head. ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°I have a limitless amount of available storage as well as perfect organization because I merely need to think about the thing that I want to get it out of storage. Not becoming a hoarder would be the real weird thing here.¡± She wasn¡¯t feeling the least bit bad about it. ¡°¡­¡± Ari paused for a moment. ¡°Okay, fair. I¡¯m not sure if I would end the same way, but I definitely can¡¯t blame you there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not sure you¡¯d do the same?¡± The blonde stared back at her. ¡°Do you want me to list the things you made me store for you?¡± ¡°I take back everything I said.¡± She vigorously shook her head in return. ¡°Hehe.¡± Having agreed that Sophia''s storage is fantastic and hoarding is not only justified but also encouraged, the girls started exploring the stalls and got basically everything that interested them even a little. Most of the vendors went into shock when they saw their wares disappearing into pink sparkles after they got bought. Still, a tactical ¡®Don''t worry about it¡¯ by both tigers was more than enough to make them reconsider asking about a million questions about what just happened. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. They walked around some more and bought even more before eventually arriving at the food and general produce section of the marketplace, which excited Maya greatly. The cat-girl bought and had Sophia store whatever was eatable and offered for sale. Pasta, seeds, nuts, legumes, as well as dried fruits and vegetables that could be easily transported, were on sale in huge quantities, and found a new home inside her very own limitless pantry the blonde decided to make for Maya. ¡°There we go!¡± The cat-girl energetically clapped her hands when they arrived at a stall offering spices en masse. "Wow!" Ari was just as amazed by the multiple dozens, maybe even hundreds, of different and overly colorful spices in grounded, shredded, or whole variations. ¡°That¡¯s quite the group." The owner of the stall, a tanned cat-man with long and dark-brown hair in his forties, noticed the girls and energetically greeted them. ¡°Whatever it is, I¡¯m here to spice up your life!¡± ¡°¡­¡± They just stared at him. ¡°Get it? I sell spices.¡± His expression turned awkward. ¡°Should we go somewhere else?¡± Sophia looked at the other three. ¡°I bet there are more places where we can get our stuff.¡± ¡°Good idea!¡± The others nodded. ¡°That¡¯s way too much of an overreaction!¡± The stall owner didn¡¯t appreciate that. ¡°I¡¯m usually pretty popular with that, you know?!¡± ¡°With whom?¡± The blonde didn¡¯t believe him. ¡°With all the older ladies!¡± He puffed out his chest. ¡°Many of the gentleman, too!¡± ¡°Are you calling us old now?¡± Sophia liked that even less. ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Just that I like old ladies better because they enjoy my corny jokes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡± The blonde shrugged before smiling at him. ¡°Okay, my life is already spicy enough, so I¡¯m good on that front. I¡¯d love more seasoning for my food, though." She also had five wordplays ready, but she learned enough not to act on them. Especially not after she denied the shop owner his fun. ¡°You¡¯ve come to the right place, then!¡± The owner¡¯s place was filled with confidence again. ¡°There¡¯s no seasoning I don¡¯t sell!¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Sophia took a look at the many colorful and fragrant spices lined out in small boxes all over the stall. ¡°I see turmeric, but what about curry?¡± She pointed at the only yellow powder on sale. ¡°The what now?¡± The cat-man tilted his head. ¡°So much for having everything, huh?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t have what I don¡¯t know!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a mix of different spices.¡± The blonde looked at him. ¡°If I remember right, the main ones are coriander, cumin, and turmeric. A bit of cayenne pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and fenugreek is popular, too. Though, there are a myriad of different blends because everyone has their favorite.¡± ¡°She barely knows how to cook, but she sure knows her spices.¡± Maya was somewhat proud of her. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s the issue.¡± The vendor looked back at Sophia. ¡°I don¡¯t sell mixes. Mono spices only. I, just like most others here, am a wholesale merchant. The folk who buy my spices are the ones who come up with spice blends.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± The short tiger hung her head in disappointment. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get any pre-mixed blends from the other stalls here, either.¡± The spice vendor shook his head. ¡°Our inventory would become way too big for us to manage if we were to sell a bunch of mixes on top of the pure spices.¡± ¡°I guess that makes sense.¡± Sophia still wasn¡¯t happy about it. ¡°You¡¯re more than welcome to get all the spices to create your own mix.¡± He gave the blonde a thumbs up. ¡°The more you get, the higher the discount will be, too.¡± ¡°That would be plan B.¡± She nodded. ¡°As long as the ingredients are from here, I don¡¯t mind getting a recipe from Earth.¡± She only mumbled the last part to herself. ¡°I still think, from a business perspective, selling some mixes would be beneficial. Two or three of them wouldn''t bloat the inventory, either. Still, it would put you ahead of the competition because I¡¯m pretty sure all of you source the spices from the same place, so the only thing that would differentiate from all the spice places would be the prize. If you develop a popular spice mix, you can show everyone just what your spices are capable of.¡± ¡°You know, that¡¯s not the worst idea I¡¯ve heard.¡± The stall owner wasn¡¯t opposed to the idea. ¡°It¡¯s even more appealing when the idea came from a tiger. That¡¯s great from a marketing standpoint!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that has much to do with me being a tiger.¡± Sophia shrugged. ¡°More like a selfish girl, who happens to be striped, wanting to get her spice mixes from a wholesale business so she doesn¡¯t have to visit twelve different places. I wouldn¡¯t be upset if the other spice places would start doing the same, and all of you eventually have a huge contest on who comes up with the best mixes so that I, and everyone else, will be able to get the best possible products out of it~.¡± She smiled at him. ¡°In fact, that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to tell the other stalls once we explore the marketplace some more.¡± The blonde clearly wasn¡¯t doing it for his benefit. ¡°It¡¯s certainly true that the tiger family is an honest one, huh?¡± The cat-man scratched his cheek over her frankness. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I dislike that in general.¡± The girls chatted with the stall owner for a bit longer, and Sophia ended up buying every single spicy she could remember being in curry powder and then some extra for good measure because she was sure she had forgotten about a couple more. While they were at it, Maya and Ari also used the chance to stock up on some other spices for regular cooking they were starting to run out on, as well. Afterward, they continued to explore the marketplace while buying all sorts of things that even marginally caught their interest. Eventually, they also reunited with the wolves, who had been on a food spree ever since they split up a few hours ago. Fen then also accidentally guided them to a stall selling a myriad of alcohol and suggested that now that they were there already, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to stock up on some more supplies.