Deep into the night, I managed to finally get away from the fluffballs and return to my home in the 85th floor fountain room.

After a day and night of making food and partying, I settled into a nice, hot bath with Claret in my arms and devoted myself to working on the skill to allow Alicia's birth.

Most of the fundamentals were already worked out. I just had to figure out how to integrate Alicia's DNA with my own to create an embryo before the skill finishes its integration into a full fledged vampire baby.

I did have concerns as to how she would grow, but at that point I could just make a new skill to fix that issue.

Probably.

Either way, it was a problem which I had no way to deal with at this time. It wasn't even guaranteed to be an issue in the first place, so worrying so much about it was just going to be counterproductive.

Aside from combining our two genes, the other issue was actually getting a confirmed sample of Alicia's genes in the first place. I had plenty of various samples, but I had no idea which one was Alicia's.

While I couldn't see the chances of it working being very good at all, the only chance I had to get a full copy of Alicia's genetic data was to find a match from her old home. But it's been quite a long time since she last lived there, so it was going to be quite difficult.

Most of the genetic samples I'd be able to get wouldn't be hers. Or rather, out of thousands of samples I'd likely end up with, I would be lucky if more than one of them was hers.

That was a problem I would have to find a solution to eventually but for now my main concern was getting this skill finished.

Aside from that, since I got so engrossed with working on the skill, by the time I got out of the bath, my hands and feet looked like swollen prunes. Again.

(I need to stop doing this.)

On the other hand, my familiar spirit looked positively glowing. At this rate she'll become a full fledged bath addict, though I couldn't say that I wasn't already one at this point. Aside from a few rare instances, I'd hardly gone more than a few days without taking one in the last few years.

I made myself comfortable on my bed to let my skin release its excess moisture. Before I went back to my work, I produced another fancy mana treat and handed it over to Claret. This one was in the shape of a tulip.

Once again I had to convince her to actually eat it rather than figure out a way to preserve it forever.

 

The next day, I exited the dungeon, only to be met with a swarm of fluff obscuring everything around me.

The little spirits looked like they really wanted to play again, even though it wasn't that long since the last time. But together with Claret, I managed to hold it off so I could visit the fairies.

Past the small clearing in front of the dungeon, I was greeted with the sight of something quite unusual, though it wasn't my first time seeing it. Though the scale was quite different.

All around there were butterfly winged people lazily floating around despite the sun being nearly overhead.

Some were awake and doing their daily chores, but even those were lethargic about it. Their faces were pale and they winced at every little sound or bright light.

(These guys really don't know how to hold back.)

I greeted each as I passed them, and the ones that were awake responded, though just barely.

My eyes moved from the hung over fairies to what they had built in the last two weeks since I had come back home.

The various houses had increased in quantities and quality as they continued to build their settlements. Many small acorn shaped structures hanging from branches, houses that looked half like sticks and leaves piled on the base of thick branches, and the occasional window or door that could be seen from the trunks of some trees.

Unlike before, many of these structures were starting to develop decorations as well. Some were simply carved pieces of wood or leaves and vines tied up in certain ways, but what was most interesting was various crystals that were built into or attached to the structures. They shimmered brightly as the light hit them.

It was quite beautiful and surprisingly fit in quite well despite how out of place they ought to have been.

After a bit of admiring, I made my way to the centre of the settlement, and my eyes were greeted with the sight of a structure entirely made up of those crystals.

It was the elders' house, and it had grown quite a bit since the last time I had visited it.

There were now additional sections added to the outside of the structure forming rooms, balconies, and even something that I could only describe as a fairy's version of a courtyard. The outer walls also sported many new decorations, from crystal flowers and leaves, to statues of fairies I didn't recognize.

*Knock knock*

"Elder Aurae? Are you there?"

Due to how things ended the night before, I wanted to make sure everyone was alright, and confirm if the fairies needed help from someone sober.

It felt like these settlement wide drunken feasts were a normal thing for the fairies, so they were probably alright, but it didn't hurt to check just in case.

They were in a brand new environment after all.

*Knock knock knock*

"Elder Aurae? Are you home?"

There wasn't any response, so I tried again.

"Yeeees?"

After a minute, the front doors opened, but an unfamiliar voice lazily answered.

"Ah, umm, I was wondering if Elder Aurae was around."

"Yeeees?"

With the repeated response, the figure who opened the door poked his head out.

It was an older fairy with a shaggy beard that reached beyond his feet.

He didn't seem to be quite all there, but I suspected it wasn't because he was still drunk from last night.

"Elder Aurae. I was wondering if she was in."

"Yeeees?"

(Is he playing with me?)

A part of me just wanted to push him aside, but he was quite frail looking, and if he was just hard of hearing or senile, I didn't want to do anything that could bring him harm.

That said, I was at a loss as to what to do.

"Yeeeees?"

Despite my lack of a response, he asked the same thing again.

"I SAID, IS ELDER AURAE AROUND?"

In the hopes that he was just hard of hearing despite him making no attempts at trying to hear me better, I tried raising my voice to be understand.

"..."

He turned his head sideways, finally a different response than before.

I got a bit excited that I finally got through to him.

After a few moments, he turned his head back to me.

He pulled a hand from his side, a mushroom held out.

Finally, after another moment as I was confused what he was doing with a mushroom, he simply started to eat it in front of me.

(I want to hit him so bad.)

But if I hit an elderly person in a fit of anger, there was an extremely high chance that I would do serious harm to him. Rather than knocking some sense into him, I'd probably knock his head off of his shoulders instead.

So as much as I wanted to, I was forced to exercise all my willpower to restrain myself.

(Is this how Magni feels when he deals with the fairies?)

I thought I had good compatibility with these eccentric creatures, but it seemed that it wasn't true with all of them.

"Scarlet? What are you yelling for. Ouch. My head..."

Behind me a familiar sight appeared. Her light blue wings fluttering slowly as she zigzagged towards me, unable to fly in a straight line while she held her head with both hands.

"Ah, Orphne. Are you alright?"

Her face was quite pale along with her cloths being stained in something. It looked like she had only recently woke up.

"Maybe...I'm done for..."

While I was convinced that it was just an exaggeration, Orphne really looked like she might keel right over at any moment. Her hangover must have been quite bad.

"Here, have this. It might help a little."

I pulled out an orange from my bag, peeled the skin off of it with a claw and separated a slice of it, offering it to the little creature.

"Nom...tasty..."

There wasn't much energy to her, but she was already looking a bit better. I continued to feed the fruit that was probably at least half of her body weight until there was nothing left.

(Really, where does all that mass go in that tiny body?)

"Puhaaah! That was good."

By the time Orphne had finished, she was looking quite a bit better. The vitamins along with all the fluids probably did wonders to her dehydrated and nutrient depleted body.

"So what're you doing here Scarlet? Gonna make more treats?"

Her little eyes sparkled at the thought.

"No. I was trying to meet with Elder Aurae, but I couldn't get past the front doors."

Moving aside, I showed her what I was talking about.

Still floating there blocking the half open double doors was that old fairy, munching on a different mushroom from before.

"Aaaah! Elder Vodnik! You're eating mushrooms again! Stop it!"

And with that, Orphne flew right past me with so much energy it was as if she had somehow managed to erase the fact that she had a terrible hangover just a few seconds ago from history. When I spun my head back to the crystal building's doors, all I saw was the energetic fairy in the middle of a flying double kick with the old fairy's legs being sucked through the doorway back inside.

(Wait, seriously?!)

I was so worried that he'd be seriously hurt when my self control was being pushed to its limits and Orphne just sent him flying without a single regard.

(Or rather, that looked a bit familiar.)

I moved to look through the partially open door. The sight of the elderly fairy's head partially embedded in a cloudy crystal wall instantly brought back memories of a similar scene. The time when nearly the exact same thing happened to him when I first visited this palace.

(Right. He was the other elder.)

It seemed that all my worries had been in vain, though I wasn't exactly 100% sure that it was true as my strength was likely on quite a different level compared to Orphne or Aurae.

"Gaaahhhh! Who is it who wants to eat a Super Lovely Heart Annihilation Beam so early in the morning?!"

And as if on cue, a pink winged fairy appeared from the far doorway. She was waving a wand in one hand while holding her head with the other.

On the other hand, as if all that energy just a few seconds ago was a lie, Orphne was floating over the now twitching elder with an expression that was halfway between smug and in serious pain.

Looking a bit closely, despite her superman pose, she looked like she was having a bit of trouble floating in one spot as her body wavered a bit side to side.

"Are you alright there Aurae?"

I pulled out another orange and quickly peeled and removed a slice, offering it to the hung over elder.

"Omm...sh'tasty..."

The little fairy nibbled on the orange slice as she slowly savoured the juicy flavour. Traces of bliss emerged on her face.

Piece by piece, I slowly fed the elder until she had finished the whole fruit and floated there, patting her belly. It looked like she had recovered quite a bit already.

(But still, no matter how many times I see it, it's insane how these fairies can eat so much.)

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. Thanks. So, what can I do for you?"

Aurae glanced over to the side where the other elder was, his face still planted in the wall. Orphne kept poking his butt every few seconds, chuckling every time he twitched in response.

"Ah, well, I was wondering, yesterday, all the remaining fairies had arrived, right?"

As I talked, I pulled out another orange and offered it to the elder, but she shook her head. Then I offered it to Orphne, but it looked like she was enjoying herself with poking Vodnik too much to notice.

"Yes. That should be all of them. Thanks to you, the welcoming feast was a huge success!"

"Glad I could be of help. I owe you guys so much for all the things you did for me."

"No no, we're the one who owe you. Even after being the one to discover this great place for the spirits and letting us live here, but you've made so many amazing treats for both the spirits and all of us fairies!"

"No, well, I mean, I was just doing what I wanted."

Just like how they were doing what they wanted. It wasn't like they asked for permission to live here. Though it wasn't really like I could contest it in the first place. My claim to my home was still only the inside of the dungeon.

"And we're doing what we want! But that doesn't mean that we aren't helping each other, and whether for fortune or ill, we fairies always pay our debts!"

"Even with that said, I still don't think you owe me anything."

"No no no, what about yesterday? You gathered so many ingredients and made so many cakes!"

"Yea, but your people gathered most of the ingredients and made most of the cakes!"

"That would only be fair if you ate your own share as well, but you didn't!"

"You expect a vampire to eat solid food? That's more like torture."

Just the thought brought back the memory of so long ago when I tried to eat burnt rabbit meat. To think that feeling food go down your throat when you were starving could be so painful. Though to me that wasn't food, but I didn't know that at the time.

"That doesn't matter! You made so much food and none of it was for you! You didn't get to enjoy your own work! That means we owe you for that!"

"I enjoyed plenty enough. I like watching you fairies and the spirits fly around. It's like watching an air show."

"An air show?"

The elder tilted her head cutely.

"It's a show where people fly around doing difficult manoeuvres. Like flying in a close formation while banking and weaving as if they were one, or doing difficult airborne stunts."

"A show where you watch people fly? Sounds weird. Is that something the other races do?"

Maybe it was because flying came as naturally to the fairies as breathing, that they couldn't see the joy in watching others fly. But I couldn't accept that line of thought. People on Earth enjoyed watching people doing all sorts of things, even if they were quite ordinary, as long as it was pushing human limits. Most sports were like that, and the Olympics was another for even simpler things like running.

(Or maybe it's the competitive spirit that's the real reason?)

"Have you fairies ever tried it? Competing to see who can fly the most beautifully or do the most difficult manoeuvres?"

"A competition? Hmm...sometimes we race to be the first to get some tasty food or drink."

"I meant organized competition. Like you have rules and all compete while an audience watches."

"No, not really."

"Maybe it'll be worth trying in the future? See if you can make groups that can fly intricate patterns in the air and have prizes for the best teams or something."

"But how is that different from dancing?"

"Well, airshows are done entirely through flying. Normally the ones doing it isn't capable of hovering like you fairies can, so things work a bit differently."

"Hmmm...that sounds interesting."

It would be interesting to see what sort of thing a race that was born to fly would come up with once some of them decided to dedicate themselves into stylish flying. Unlike aerobatic teams, there was very little cost and risk involved for these people, so they could easily devote a ton more time to coming up with strange and unusual manoeuvres.

"I can show you some things I do for fun later on as well, but I think you fairies can probably come up with better things once you see some sample manoeuvres."

"That sounds like fun! Ack! No! I mean, we still owe you for before, and now we'll owe you another one! We hate it owing people and then getting even more debts! I'll make sure to settle this debt! Just you watch!"

"No, I mean, I did ask for more clothes from Anthousai, so won't that count as settling the new debt?"

"I heard about that, but you're still providing half the materials, right? I can't really say it's paying for both debts."

"Erm, in that case, how about some fairy dust? I might be able to do some stuff with it if I had some."

Frankly speaking, I had no idea what I could do with such a thing. Valuable as it may be, it was like throwing pearls before swine. But if it would get her off of my back with all this owing stuff, then it would be worth it.

"That's it? Is that really enough?"

"Isn't fairy dust considered really valuable by the other countries? It would be extremely hard for me to get any through any other means, so it would be really helpful!"

It was a bold-faced lie, but I could only hope that it was convincing enough.

"Hmmm...well, I suppose that's fine."

"Then we don't owe each other anything, right?"

"After you teach us some of those tricks, then yes!"

(Thank friggen god.)

"Alright. That aside, are you guys going to be alright from here one?"

"Do you mean for setting up everyone to live here?"

"Yea. Food, or whatever else you need. Do you all have enough?"

No matter how much they managed to bring with them, the fairies effectively abandoned their old home for the sake of the fluffballs. While I was the reason why come here specifically, I had nothing to do with them actually coming here, so it wasn't like I was responsible for them. But I couldn't help but worry.

"From what I heard about our gathering teams, it seems like the dungeon of yours has everything we need to rebuild. From food to crafting materials, and especially mana crystals. The reports I've been hearing were quite unbelievable as to the variety of things that could be found there. There's definitely something strange about your dungeon."

"I that so?"

It was the first dungeon I had ever been to, and only of two. While the two dungeons were quite different, it was hard for me to make any judgments as to what was normal regarding either with such an insignificant sample size. Some day I should ask Aurae.

"Oh yea, what's these mana crystals you mentioned? Are these it?"

I pulled out a few coloured stones from my bag. They were the things that the dungeon's monsters had dropped after I killed them. Quite a lot of them had been stockpiled before I left, and even when I came back I continued to collect them in case they could come in use.

"That's it that's it! Mana crystals are solidified lumps of mana that are made inside of the bodies of monsters. They're usually found near the heart."

That explains why I hadn't found any from monsters outside. Any monsters I harvested usually I only went for the hide and meat. The organs weren't as useful for general cooking unless if I was making sausages or something with liver, so I just left them for any scavengers to take.

"Huh. What are they used for?"

"Pretty much anything that needs mana to work. Anything from moving ships faster than the winds can push to lightening up a room."

"I see."

So effectively what was known as magical tools in various fantasy stories were exactly this.

"If that's the case, does that man you have people who can make these devices?"

"With the right materials, of course!"

"Any chance you can introduce me to one of them in the future? I'd like to try my hand at making some things."

"Heh heh heh! I can! Finally, you'll be the one to owe us!"

"I can make a map of what can be found in the dungeon in exchange."

"Deal!"

Elder Aurae gave me a thumbs up in an instant.

"Gah! The debt! The debt you were supposed to owe us!"

And in virtually an instant that bright smile of hers broke down as she realized her plans had immediately crumbled. Her hands went to her head as she howled before slumping down as if she was being hung from her wings.

And with that, I quickly retreated back to my home despite it being only just after noon. I didn't want to risk something else coming up to complicate things when I finally got Aurae's agreement.

 

The moment I got back, I went to work on my skills again.

Lately I had been spending a lot of time just fooling around and doing random chores. Even if I didn't have to sleep, I was being quite a lot less productive than I was before. Even if developing relations with my neighbours couldn't really be considered unproductive, it wasn't helping me approach my personal goals.

I may have had virtually unlimited time before I needed to create Alicia's new body, it was still better to do it sooner rather than later, or else we might end up getting used to her inhabiting my body and separating might become difficult.

Either that, or she might find it difficult to live with a separate body once the time comes. I needed to do everything I could to avoid as much of that as possible.

And so, most of my afternoon and night was spent on that, only getting up and take a break to have something to eat, or to relax in a hot bath while playing with Claret's hair as it floated in the water.

If I had a choice, then I wouldn't have actually minded if this continued forever. Just the three of us enjoying our time together.

But the march of time was relentless. Something which I was all too often reminded of.