Chapter 301 – Alarm
There was a moment of silence. I could almost see the gears turning in her head.
“Yes, I can see how that’d make sense if you have access to large quantities of water. Washing machines here use a small water reservoir that needs to be filled every time.”
“Got it. That’s perfect. And I agree with the kettle and toaster too. Please go ahead with designing those. And, no need to hurry, there’s no rush.”
“I’ll work at my normal pace.”
“You always work too hard.”
“So do you.”
“Haha! Oh, by the way, how’s the computer research going?”
“Slowly.”
“Yes, I can imagine it’s not easy. Speaking of which, when are you going to give me back my phone?”
“I’ll keep it for now.”
“You’re considering it your own possession, aren't you?”
“Yes.”
Her usual honesty made me chuckle.
“Look at this little thief.”
I tried to tease her, but her complete lack of reaction made it hard to judge the effect. After a bit, I could only surrender.
“Alright, whatever you want. I’ve given up on it now. Maybe you’ll give it back when you have a working computer. Anyway, good luck with work. Try to take breaks from time to time. I’ll get going now, need to furnish my new home.”
“See you later.”
I teleported back to the outer world. On top of the furnishing, there was one item I absolutely wanted to buy. That item was an alarm, which was a must-have due to the circumstances.
There existed alarms in the inner world, but interestingly enough, the ones in the outer world were better, even though they were enchanted and not selnic. This just showed how much more dangerous the outside was compared to the relative peace inside the domes.
Multiple types existed because multiple alarm spells were commonly known. For example, the ones based on earth spells detected a change of mass in an area to ring the alarm. The ones using air spells worked similarly, but monitored presences that disturbed the normal air flow. There were even ones for water spells, which only worked in a context where water was everywhere, like in a lake or sea, and were favored by underwater species.
Still, they all had one thing in common: they also reacted to abnormal sel levels. Since all living beings contained more sel than their surroundings, it was an effective way to detect intruders, be they animals or species.
There were some downsides, though. First was the price. The cheapest ones were priced at around 35 golds, and the most expensive ones were above 50 golds. This wasn’t something many could afford. The second issue was that they needed daily recharges. That one wasn’t a big deal. It could be done every night before going to sleep.
I was more than willing to trade money for safety. I ended up buying both earth and air ones, surrounding my house with alarms. I told Kuini and the children about it, so they could recharge them by themselves whenever I wasn’t home. Of course, I had to listen to Erin fuming for a while about my ridiculous ways of spending money, which went from one ear and out of the other.
Since I was working on defense, I also upgraded the rank of the mercenaries guarding my store. Previously rank 5, I asked for rank 6 from then on. The martial center had to ask for help from another center to get three rank 6 to work daily on guarding one location. I had to pay a premium for that, but a daily increase of a few tens of silvers was nothing compared to the tens of golds I was earning from the store sales.
I spent a few days working on this and continuing to furnish the house. With that, I was pretty much done with my short-term objectives. It was now time to move into my home.
I told Kuini and the children it was fine to move in. For the children, I bought a small carriage with two horses that they could use to go back and forth from Geola to the village. Fortunately, my annex building, which served as a stable, was large enough to accommodate all these animals. Aren and Erin volunteered to take care of them, with Orun still being a bit reluctant around the large creatures. I didn’t doubt that it was only temporary. Seeing horses from close by every day would help him get used to them.
The children were scheduled to arrive the following day, so I spent the first evening together with Kuini. Her eyes were full of determination as she inspected every corner of the place the second she came in. Soon enough, she was using her newly bought tools to clean everything.
“You can take it easy for the first day, Kuini.”
She shook her head.
“No, my Lord. I’m not planning to slack off. I’ll work seriously.”
“You’re admirable.”
She blushed a little.
“Please don’t say that. I didn’t even start yet.”
“Alright. Just tell me if it gets too much. I’m willing to help, too.”
“No! You have more important things to do than cleaning and cooking, my Lord.”
“That’s a misconception. I’d have done it myself if you weren’t here, you know?”
She shook her head again, stubbornly.
“Leave it all to me. I can handle this easily.”
“Thanks. I’ll take very good care of you during relief times.”
She flinched, her ears dropping a little.
“What about the children? They’re not bunnies. We can’t do that when they’re here.”
“I don’t think you need to care too much about them. They’re freeloaders, after all. And you know what?”
“…What?”
“They’re not here until tomorrow, right?”
Her white fur took on a slight red complexion.
“…Yes.”
There was already a hint of lust in her gaze. However, she shook her head as if to forget about it.
“Please don’t say that, my Lord. I’m here to work.”
“Ohoh? We’ll see how long that bravado lasts.”
She shivered before running away.
“I have a lot to do!”
Read 30 more chapters here: https://subscribestar.adult/dictatelion or here: https://www.patreon.com/Dictatelion