The sector-dividing walls had neared completion at three of the four places where they bisected my demesne, and work had begun on the outer wall of my settlement, which stood on the very outer edge of my demesne. Given that my lands would not spread again until I reached the next evolution and completed some yet-unknown-to-me tasks, I felt confident in taking this step to secure my settlement. Granted, I was still woefully unprepared for any attacks from the sky, and, as Imu was fond of pointing out, my defence did not amount to more than the strength of my Guards and Archers. Even with my powerful Lord and Toadcaller, as well as my new Cavalry and Sharpshooter Corps, it would only take a handful of determined Silver-Ranked Adventurers to end me.
“We’re lacking aerial defence,” Imu pointed out, mirroring my thoughts.
“The Sharpshooters and Archers aren’t good enough?” I asked.
“For lesser flying beasts, maybe, but we have nothing to deter the Calamity Goose3 or something like a Gryphon or Dragon. We would need speciality weapons to be able to injure those.”
“Are you sure the Calamity survived that last fight with the Adventurers?”
“I’m certain.”
A sudden idea popped into my head and I used my Does my shit stink? perk to figure out if it was a good idea. It came back 108,7% “Yes”.
“Remember when I evolved those Archers together?” I asked Imu.
“Remember? It’s like an imprint on the back of my eyelids!”
“I’m gonna try something!” I told him, then flew off from the sector wall we’d been perched atop. I could hear him yelling obscenities at me in the distance, but I ignored it.
After having the Mount Pen Breeder pull two fresh toad Mounts out of the ground, I bade them hop a bit away from nearby buildings, and then I infused both of them with my essence.
Imu came hopping towards me furiously, as my power made the two toads begin to melt and alter form, before light and smoke obscured the sight. The light began to turn a deep amber as time passed, and the silhouette of the two shapes in the smoke fused together to become one.
Then, with an earthquaking poof, the smoke blew aside and behind stood a single shape.
“What the…?” Imu started, but then lost his words.
I looked at the new creation, not really comprehending it either.
System then suddenly appeared out of nowhere and threw herself at the new beast in my settlement, hugging it and disappearing into its thick fur.
Congratulations! For experimenting on the beasts of your settlement and evolving a new kind of beast, you unlocked the ability to construct a Beast Inventor Workshop!
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>Structures>????
—Beast Inventor Workshop (Hermit’s Lodge)—
Unlocks the ability to evolve a crazy minion to Mad Scientist and enables the invention of unique beasts for various purposes
Required Materials: Quarried Stone, Timber, Wrought Iron, Silver Dust, & Gold Dust
Imu stomped the ground angrily. “This makes no sense!” he cried, pointing at the massive beast. “How does combining two toads Mounts make that!?”
“It looks cute,” I replied.
“It’s a blessed rabbit! A RABBIT!!! MADE FROM COMBINING TOADS!?!”
“It’s not a rabbit,” I told him, inspecting it with Appraisal:
Name: Él
Occupation: Paragon of Fluff and Snuggles
Species: Jackicorn
Level: 100/100
Alignment: Looking-for-cuddles
Faction: Toad Town
The Jackicorn was over two metres tall and four metres from hind to front. Its body was coated in a silvery-white fur that was as soft as a blooming dandelion’s puff and its four paws were adorned with devasting claws that could easily carve through stone walls or dig massive tunnels in seconds. It had two large green-glowing eyes, but, most uniquely, it had an enormous horn with a spiralling groove going from base to tip. It also had a large comfortable-looking dewlap, indicating it was female.
“Congratulations! It’s sooooo soft!” System announced excitedly, burying herself further in the Jackicorn’s fur, disappearing from sight.
Perhaps attracted by the commotion, Lord Toadskandarr came walking over with his retinue of fawning Aristocrats and obedient servants.
“My, my,” he said, getting closer to also take part in the cuddling. “It is a fitting defender of my fair realm,” he announced.
Imu remained sceptical, sitting atop Goldie some metres away, while System, Toadskandarr, and the entire retinue ringed around the Jackicorn to touch its soft fur.
Suddenly, it tilted its head down and stared straight at Imu judgingly.
“Chubby one. I demand to be petted.”
Imu rubbed his face in exasperation. “It talks… Of course it talks.”
Possessing Lord Toadskandarr’s body, I was sitting atop the Jackicorn, as we moved through the settlement, letting all my minions take a break to pet the enormous fluff-ball.
“This is unironically the best thing you have done for your minions,” Imu remarked.
“Nevermind that!” I said, “I can feel!”
“It must have happened since the last evolution,” he replied.
“I can’t feel anything when possessing the Guild Master though.”
“Hm, I see.”
“Let’s find a feast of worms to celebrate!”
“Absolutely not.”
After spending a day riding around my settlement, I got back to work and started construction on both the Marketplace and the newly-unlocked Beast Inventor Workshop. The Workshop I placed near the Fletchery, Armoury, and Mount Pen in the eastern quadrant.
As for the Marketplace, it gained a spot in the northern quadrant, at the middle of what was ostensibly the centrum of mercantile industry, as the Baker, Carpenter, and five Merchant Shops lay there. With Imu’s eye for design, we rearranged some things, such that the Baker and Shops ringed around the Marketplace building. I also added the Toy Store to the area, since I thought it was about time, plus, the idea of toys seemed to excite System, though I had no idea what a toy even was.
Without having told them to, the five Merchants had all branched into different things. One sold raw Frog meat, another sold the surplus stock of tools, another sold weapons, the fourth and fifth both sold random second-hand stuff.
The Carpenter had been busy making more carts, with my three original ones now functioning exclusively to bring stuff from the quarry to the industrious forges in the southern quadrant. With the next few carts he made, I would evolve some Caravaneers.
After the Toy Store was finished, I looked for a happy minion to evolve to become its Vendor, but it was pretty hard to find one.
“Imu!” I complained. “I can’t find a happy minion!”
“Yeah… no shit… It’s called ‘consequences’.”