“A hobby?” A puzzled Xu Han replied.

“Yes, a hobby.” Jemma said, pointing a finger at Xu Han. “Improving this dungeon? That’s your Life. Your Duty. Your Purpose. Creating a new species? That’s just a hobby. Something you enjoy doing in your spare time when you have the time and energy to spare.”

“I know what a hobby is, but I would not call creating a new species as a ‘hobby’.” An outraged Xu Han fumed. If he was still a cultivator, he would have struck his dungeon fairy down for the insult.

“It is when it’s distracting you what you are supposed to do, which is to grow and defend the dungeon.”

“And as I just said, creating a new species will help with that. I just need a few disposable prisoners for some experiments.”

“You need more than a few,” Jemma scoffed. “According to what Challenger said, it took him years before he managed to create his first Dullahan. Years! What makes you think you would do any better?”

“I was a cultivator who lived for thousands of years. I have experience.”

“Not in creating new species.” Jemma countered. “Why do you even want new species for? I thought you are all about ‘spreading knowledge’. How does creating a new species help with that?”

The dungeon fairy’s argument caught Xu Han short as he realized that his dungeon fairy had a point. Xu Han’s original plan was to spread the knowledge he had to this world, and the creation a new species did not really help with that. Considering the time and effort it would take to create a new species, it may exactly slow his plan…unless he could find a way to combine the two.

When the thought came, a plan slowly formed within his mind.

It was short, so short that it would be an exaggeration to even call it a plan. It was more like an outline of a plan, a brief idea, a moment of inspiration, and once it took hold, it festered and grew. Xu Han turned his attention back to his dungeon fairy who was looking at him with a critical eye. Xu Han had the idea, but he knew he need his dungeon fairy’ support. He needed a way to lure Jemma into the conversation, and convinced her of his idea.

“Jemma, what you said is true, it doesn’t help but it also doesn’t hurt. Also, I will be faster than Challenger because I already know what I am going to create.”

“What do you mean?” Jemma asked. That was a question Xu Han was ready for.

“The variety of species in the Crimson Lands may not be as great as the ones in this world, but they are numerous. I know them. I know how their anatomy work, their body shape, the way they move, even the way they procreate. Jemma, I am not doing this blind. I know what the end result of my experiments will be.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“The Crimson Lands? Wait, are you saying you intend to recreate the species of your former world? Was that your plan all along?”

“No. At first, I just wanted to know how to create new species,” Xu Han admitted, “but when I heard how Challenger created the Dullahan, and the way the Dullahans were creating a culture on their own, the idea came to me.”

“The idea to recreate your world in this one?” Jemma asked in a tone that indicated her disapproval.

Xu Han noted that and hesitated, thinking of a way to placate her. “Not really,” he finally said. “I am going to recreate the different species of the Crimson Lands, but I am not going to recreate their culture. I shall let them be. Mostly.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am going to do what Challenger did. I am going to create them, but I shall leave their society alone. I shall give them orders, give them a purpose within my dungeon, but I shall let them grow their own culture, with only occasional guidance from me.”

“What do you mean by ‘occasional guidance’?” A suspicious Jemma wondered.

“Think of it more of a social experiment, is there such a term here? Never mind, I’ll give you an example,” Xu Han said as he reminisced about his old world. “The Flood Dragons once ruled the oceans of the Crimson Lands. Before the death of their Dragon Kings and the destruction of the Sea Palaces, they were a strong and mighty species with a civilization that rivaled the greatest of humanity. I shall recreate the Flood Dragons, create a floor filled with water, maybe several floors, and let the Flood Dragons live there. However, I shall not dictate their life. I will not interfere with them socially. I wish to see if they will recreate the culture I knew or will they create something totally new and different.”

“Interesting, what happened to the Flood Dragons in your old world?” Jemma asked as she struck her thinking pose. It was clear to Xu Han that his idea intrigued her.

“We, humans, killed them all.”

“Typical humans,” Jemma scoffed. “But how does recreating them help you spread knowledge?”

“The Flood Dragons were a civilization, with their own art, music, and culture. Jemma, you have never heard the Songs of the Deep. You do not know how soothing, and hauntingly beautiful their songs were. I shall grant some of those songs to my Flood Dragons, let them be the treasures of the floor, and see how the Flood Dragons would react to them. Would they recreate the culture of the Flood Dragons of the Crimson Lands based around these songs, or would a brand-new civilization be borne from them?”

“Ideas of a new floor, several floors, you get to spread your knowledge, and a new species is introduced to the world. I can see the attraction of such a plan.” Jemma said approvingly. “I can get behind the idea, but I think you are being too ambitious. You are thinking too far ahead. Core, what you are proposing requires a lot of work. You haven’t even created a single Flood Dragon yet and you are thinking of several floors of them. Even if you know what you are doing, it took Challenger years to create the first Dullahan. And he knew what he wanted also.”

“Maybe you are right,” Xu Han admitted. “I should start with something simpler.”

“On that we agree. It’s too early to think about another world’s music when you only have three floors.”

The dungeon core mentally nodded as a new idea came to him. “The floors can wait, let me attempt something I really should have tried by now. I had a God’s work in front of me and never bothered to do more with it.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Tell me, Jemma. Don’t you think the Guardian of Cards is a little bored? Do you think he would mind a little company?” Xu Han teased. He knew Jemma got him when a small smile appeared on her face.

“You are going to need a lot of cats.”