Upon arriving at Sleepy Hollow, Murphy noticed a significant decrease in the population since his last visit. The reason, Tyre explained, was that everyone was busy crafting crystals. Intrigued, Murphy decided to take a look for himself.
The sense of solidarity and camaraderie among the succubi was evident everywhere. Most of the succubi in the room were middle-aged, busy working on the crystals. The youth and teens, however, were remarkably ... lackadaisical.
Just as Murphy was about to remind them not to overwork themselves, Tyre intervened to assure him that they all had been craving some refreshing activities. Crafting crystals was apparently light, interesting work - perfect for them.
Murphy gathered the idle young succubi and erected a simple platform in the center of the square.
Addressing the crowd from atop the platform, Murphy announced, “Over the past few days, while organizing items left behind by the old demon king, I’ve discovered several educational resources specifically meant for succubi. You know, you can’t be catching your z’s in peace without putting in your fair share of learning".
“It keeps me awake at night thinking of you lot sleeping soundly without studying a bit."
"But it’s also a fact that not a lot of you can comprehend the demon's universal language anymore. After giving it some thought, I’ve decided to teach you what I can, even though I might not be a succubus, at least, I’m literate".
"Our crash course spans nine days and covers three textbooks – history, theory, and practical application. Consider yourselves graduates once you've mastered them."
"I hope you all pay due attention. After all, you don't want to be left speechless when a human asks you, ‘Being a succubus, surely you know a lot, right?’"
Murphy's rousing speech injected a newfound energy into the monotonous existence of the succubi. Without missing a beat, they dove right into their first history lesson, using the memoirs of Tyre's great-grandmother as the primary resource.
Taking a practical approach to learning, Murphy shared his thoughts with Tyre after the day's lessons, "I think, I reckon we should divide our time between study and practical learning. It'll ease the transition into their roles."
"Roles? What do you expect these succubi to do once they have acquired the necessary skills?"
Only then Murphy revealed his plan. “Try guessing what we’re using the crystals to record?”
---
Eight days later, after successfully running this crash course single-handedly, Murphy noticed a dramatic change in the succubi. Being naturally curious, they hung on every word, took every lesson to heart. And at the end, they all received a hand-written graduation certificate from Murphy. Despite the fact that the fa majority still couldn't read, this didn't diminish their elation.
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Murphy then hand-picked five lively and attractive succubi, leading them into the final phase of his plan.
The five promptly formed the first girl band of this magical world, named Warm Glow Hot Springs by Murphy.
As the first step in entertaining humans, the personality of these five was amiable enough to satisfy the human's need for friendly contact, and their fantasies of succubi.
Albeit succubi, during the war between humans and demons, mostly relied on their innate abilities and acquired skills for upcoming missions, now when most humans had never even seen a succubi, their image was inevitably associated with certain embarrassing assumptions. What Murphy intended to do, was to capitalize on these assumptions, but carefully easing human vigilance towards succubus at the same time, paving the way for his future plans.
Murphy then looked at the modestly dressed succubi. It was high time for some showbiz apparel.
Known to have one of the most profound cultural lineage among all demon races, the succubi, due to their natural predispositions and line of work, possessed a slew of suits and gowns. Guided by Tyre, Murphy located the stockpile of these garments within Sleepy Hollow.
“Tyre, don’t you see something wrong here?” Murphy, surrounded by exquisite gowns, asked.
“Are they too old-fashioned?” Tyre seemed genuinely confused.
“You guys are even more naive than I expected. There’s too much fabric!" Murphy was pointing out the most glaring issue with the gowns.
"These gowns are way too covered-up. Even the parts that could be exposed are hidden. They look like they're wrapped in a dumpling wrapper. No one would find these appealing."
"All I’m asking doesn’t seem too excessive. The bits that can’t be exposed, we definitely should keep them covered. And the bits that can … Well, you get the gist, don’t you?" Murphy tracked down the best tailor among the succubi and gave her a comprehensive brief.
With a look of both bewilderment and admiration, the tailor nodded her understanding.
"Good, you've understood. Cut down half of these dresses as I outlined, and make some different sets using your regular materials. They'll all be useful later."
"What about the rest?" Tyre inquired, while jotting down his tasks.
"Leave the rest as they are. They'll come in handy. Just you wait and see. Once they get a taste of this new style, we'll switch it up. Variety is the spice of life, after all."
By the time Murphy had arranged for the performance costumes, several succubi musicians, who could play a decent tune, were invited to the bottom of the stage where Murphy was planning to record.
With all preparations in place, the five succubi took to the stage for their very first performance under the Warm Glow Hot Springs moniker.
Shortly afterwards, Murphy found himself burying his head in his hands. “Has anyone ever told you all that your dancing resembles that of the undead?"
"If we add a few bonfires in your midst, your dance would pass for the goblin’s pre-dinner ceremony."
"And your singing, it’s a whole separate issue. It's obvious that you all have a pleasing voice, but it sounds as though you're not in sync with the band."
"Your Majesty, I think they might burst into tears," Tyre muttered in a low voice right next to Murphy.
"And you, my man, didn’t you assure me that succubi are notoriously good at singing and dancing? Does this seem the case to you?"
"I'm sorry, I remember in my childhood succubi were indeed known for their singing and dancing talent. Maybe the younger ones have strayed off in the recent years?"
"And by strayed off, don't you mean they've slacked big time? They obviously haven't learnt much, have they? Now go to the crystal workshop, and bring all the talented succubi aunts. Let them teach these young ones a thing or two."
Murphy had to admit, this approach was remarkably effective. The aunts, by and large, hadn’t lost much of their craft. Even without formal training, their grace and poise far surpassed the young ones.
The young succubi were swift learners, especially when provided with the best resources and most professional guidance. After a few days of intense practice, the girls of Warm Glow Hot Springs markedly improved. Their movements no longer resembled those of the undead, instead, they were now at a passable level.