Chapter 67: Where is my valley?

Was the system under the impression that it could be the only fat cat between them? If it could charge excessively, so could she. In the whole world, there was no place like the shelter the system had given her. Those who could not afford the rent could share rooms and split it.

"It’s called a strategic business venture, Beauty!" Zyra declared proudly, slapping her chest. "They get absolute safety from all living dangers and disasters, the beasts get their luxury saunas, and I get not to burden my future children with the debt! It’s a win-win-win!"

Beauty stared at her for a moment before bursting into a warm, genuine laugh. [You know what? I love the enthusiasm. If you can actually pull that off, you’ll be the most powerful and most feared landlord in the wild lands. I will help you get ideas on how to make the money. We split the profits.]

"Deal," Zyra said, her eyes burning with a fiery new ambition as she stared at the house.

A contract was presented before her on the virtual screen and she signed it immediately. She declared on finalizing the deal, "I will call this place Beast valley."

[I like that name host. For naming it after the beasts I will engrave this name in the gate archway at no cost.]

"Thank you, Beauty."

Then, the virtual screen in her head came alive surveillance feed from the brand-new front gate. There was Hunter. He was standing right at the entrance of the valley, his mouth hanging wide open. He was staring at the massive iron like black gate with wide eyes, looking at it like it was an alien spaceship that had just landed from the sky. His hands had gone completely limp; the dead rabbits and deer he had spent an hour hunting had slid right out of his grip, plopping uselessly into the dirt.

"Oh, right," Zyra muttered, slapping her forehead. "I completely forgot about him."

She quickly racked her brain for a normal, logical explanation, but honestly, how do you explain a high-tech fortress/beast resort appearing out of thin air? Giving up on logic, she waved her hand. "Beauty, slide the gate open."

With a deep, heavy rumble that shook the ground, the iron gates slid to the side. The very moment they opened, Hunter saw the breathtaking transformation inside. The wild unshaped ordinary green valley was gone. In its place stood paved stone roads, a towering luxury mansion of about ten floors and many modern stone and glass houses arranged neatly like you would find in a planned city. Hunter’s soul almost left his body. He stumbled backward, taking three frantic steps away from the entrance, his eyes practically popping out of his skull as he wondered if he was in the right place.

"Oh, for shit’s sake," Zyra cursed under her breath, seeing the pure panic on his face.

Then he rushed inside, two guns in both hands, frantically looking around, his voice cracking with anxiety. "Tyrant! Tyrant! Where are you? Answer me!"

He sniffed the air, chasing the faint scent of his tiger. Zyra also made her out of the house, standing on the back of a three wheeled self-driving scooter. She almost collided with him near the empty supermarket building.

"Where is my tiger?" He bellowed.

"I ate him...what do you think!" Zyra said sarcastically as she strolled over to him, crossing her arms. "And wow, it’s so incredibly heartwarming to know that you were super worried about me too, Hunter. Truly, I feel the worry of my bodyguard."

Hunter didn’t even hear her sarcasm. His eyes darted around suspiciously, looking at the walls and the smooth roads. The words just bubbled out of him like a broken faucet, his hands shaking as he pointed at the sky. "I was only gone for an hour.... What happened here? Where is my valley? Zyra, tell me what’s going on right now!"

Zyra sighed, understanding how genuinely terrified and confused the poor guy was. She reached out, patted his rigid shoulder, and pointed toward the inside. "Look, nobody is attacking us. Just come inside first. It’s a long story."

Hunter hesitated, his legs stiff. He looked at the gate like it might snap shut and trap him forever. But seeing Zyra so relaxed, he finally swallowed his fear and returned to retrieve his prey. He made his way back inside, treating the paved stone road like it was made of fragile glass.

"Follow me," Zyra chuckled, leading him down the left path. "Let’s check on your precious beast first first."

She took him straight to the Beast Paradise Pavilion, which had a wide entrance, like a tunnel leading into a modern jungle. Except for the fact that this jungle was a building, it had elevators and kind of resembled an amusement park from the old books which carried pictures of the old earth.

The moment Hunter stepped off the elevator, his brain completely short-circuited. The air was warm and smelled like expensive incense. The lounge area was the very first shocker, it was so spacious and beautiful, with empty glass aquariums, but a lot of sea vegetation.

It was waiting for future residents. One floor had a mud bath, the size of a large swimming pool. Another had water, like a lake had been transferred into the building.

He finally found Tyrant on the fourth floor. The tiger was currently sinking deeply into a massive, plush leather massage chair. The chair was vibrating, making the beast hum in satisfaction.

Next to him, several small, robots were moving around on tiny wheels. One robot was gently brushing Tyrant’s tail fur, another was applying a soothing cucumber paste to his claws, and a third was holding a silver platter filled with roasted sugary fish, feeding the tiger.

Hunter’s eyes grew wider than teacups. He pinched his own arm hard to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. "What... what in the heaven’s name is going on here?!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the luxurious room.

"Shhhhh!" Spice who relaxing on a nearby velvet sofa, suddenly hissed loudly. The snake glared at Hunter, as if strictly telling him to shut up and stop ruining the peaceful spa vibe.

Hearing the noise, Tyrant lazily lifted a furry, dark-green eye mask with one claw. He looked at Hunter, gave a tiny, incredibly relaxed dog-like smile, and then immediately pulled the eye mask back down over his eyes, going right back to sleep while the chair kneaded his back muscles.

Hunter stood frozen, looking like a statue of absolute disbelief. "Never has he ever ignored me....this is spoiling him."

Zyra couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. "Sometimes I forget half-life beasts start sharing half of our intelligence after we bond with them."

She grabbed the back of Hunter’s shirt and gently yanked him toward the exit. "Come on, stop bothering the real owners of this shelter. Let me show you where the lesser species, aka humans, have to live."

She led the completely dazed Hunter out of the pavilion and toward the main mansion, steering him right into the elevator.

Hunter slapped his hand against the red emergency button. With a sharp ’clack’, the elevator screeched to a sudden halt, making them both sway slightly.

"Alright, that’s it," Hunter said, his voice cracking with a mix of absolute bewilderment and exhaustion. He planted his boots firmly on the metallic floor and glared at her. "I am not going a single inch further until you explain this. Look at me, Zyra! A giant fortress? Spa chairs for beasts? Tech that is out of this world, probably from the Somnivores and some from the old earth? How is any of this physically possible?"

Zyra just shrugged, her face completely blank as if they were discussing the weather. "Will you believe me if I said that I have an invisible friend who gave me all this?"

Hunter stared at her. One second passed. Then two.