Mirabelle’s jaw twitched.

For one brief moment, her fingers itched to find out exactly how far the creature could fly if she punched it with her new Beastwoman strength.

Then she calmed down.

Mostly.

Unfortunately, the annoying little spirit had a point. Which somehow made it worse.

Mirabelle: "Even so, I’d be back to zero points..

What if I end up in a situation where I absolutely need to buy something and don’t have any Legacy Points left?"

Pebbles: "There is currently a discount."

Mirabelle: "..."

Pebbles: "How does 24,000 Legacy Points sound?"

Mirabelle stared at him.

Mirabelle: "15,000."

Pebbles: "23,000."

Mirabelle: "14,000."

Pebbles: "That is not how this works."

Mirabelle: "I think it is."

The argument continued for a while.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Until Pebbles, who somehow looked visibly stressed despite lacking sweat glands, suddenly slammed two tentacles down onto an imaginary table:

"Fine!"

The tiny octopus pointed dramatically at her. "19,850 Legacy Points."

Another tentacle shot into the air.

"And not a single Legacy Point less!"

Immediately, a screen appeared:

[Confirm]

[Decline]

The second option was written in noticeably smaller letters.

Mirabelle might have laughed. If she hadn’t been so stingy and still mourning the loss of 19,850 Legacy Points.

Even so, she bought it.

She wasn’t stupid.

First, there had to be a reason the System was recommending Merchant’s Eye.

Second, she fully understood just how absurdly powerful a skill like this could be.

The moment she confirmed the purchase, a cheerful little jingle rang out. Completely out of place in Beastworld.

The scent of grass, stone, and distant cooking fires suddenly sharpened. Her senses grew.

For a heartbeat, it felt as though someone had turned the entire world up a notch.

DING!

A window appeared.

[Purchase Confirmed]

[Merchant’s Eye Acquired]

[-19,850 Legacy Points]

[Current Balance: 5,150 Legacy Points]

[The world contains opportunities hidden in plain sight.

You may now perceive the value of goods, trades, and commercial prospects beyond normal observation.]

Mirabelle barely finished reading before her eyes began to burn.

With a startled scream, she dropped to her knees, both hands clamped over her face. The pain didn’t build gradually. It was simply there.

Instantly.

Full force.

This was what acid must feel like.

Tears sprang to her eyes instantly.

Fortunately, the agony lasted only a few seconds.

Even so, her teeth ground together and her ears flattened so tightly against her head that she almost looked human again.

Breathing heavily, she slowly pushed herself upright. Her tail helped maintain her balance while she kept her eyes closed.

Mirabelle: "Next time, give me a warning."

Her voice sounded grumpy. And slightly weak.

Pebbles completely ignored the complaint:

"I temporarily suppressed the Mate Bond so Kaelith wouldn’t come running because he thought you were dying."

A pause.

"You’re welcome."

With that, the spirit began circling around Mirabelle’s head in what looked suspiciously like excitement.

Carefully, she opened her eyes. At first they were sensitive to the light.

Then her vision settled on the large stone beneath her. A translucent yellow-orange window appeared in the center of it.

---

[Sun-Warmed Boulder

Quality: Common

Estimated Value: 12 Feral Cores (Stage 1)

Transportation Included

Description:

A large flat stone positioned to receive sunlight throughout most of the day.

Indispensable for Kaelith’s daily sunbathing.]

---

Her eyes drifted toward the sleeping hyena inside.

That sounded accurate.

Technically a rock.

According to Kaelith, a necessity.

Her gaze back to the stone and to the floating octopus mascot above it.

---

[ERROR]

[Appraisal Failed.

Insufficient Authorization.]

[...]

[Calculating...]

[Additional Information Available.

Access Restricted.]

---

Aha.

That was interesting.

Not useful.

But interesting.

Her gaze moved on. One of the sparrows had landed on the railing. She could hear its tiny claws scratching against the railing.

It stared directly at her with tiny black button eyes.

---

[Steppe Sparrow

Estimated Value: 0.002 Feral Cores (Stage 1)

Description: Healthy. Agitated.

Currently judging you.

---

Mirabelle nearly jumped backward.

’Excuse me?’

Mirabelle had known the bird for approximately three seconds. And it was already judging her.

How dare this tiny creature —

Wait.

Why was the skill adding commentary? That didn’t seem particularly efficient.

She looked back at Pebbles.

The same error screen appeared.

The octopus lifted two tentacles and performed something resembling a shrug:

"We did not create the skill.

We merely provide access to it."

Ah.

Now that was interesting.

Did that mean these abilities already existed in this world?

Or had they originated somewhere else entirely?

Apparently feeling generous, Pebbles volunteered another piece of information:

"You can turn the skill on and off if it becomes distracting."

Mirabelle immediately tested it. Once again, a single thought was enough.

Mirabelle’s ears flicked backward. With a soft click, the balcony doors opened.

A moment later, she heard the feather-light footsteps of a predator. Then two powerful, tattooed arms wrapped around her.

Her back was pressed against a bare chest. His heartbeat thudded steadily against her back. Kaelith’s sun-warmed scent surrounded her.

Immediately her hands covered his where they rested folded in front of her chest. Heat radiated from his skin.

Her tail curled around his ankle as naturally as breathing. The hyena beastman nuzzled into her neck and whispered in a rough, sleep-heavy voice:

"Good morning."

Then she felt something hard press against her backside. Her core twitched longingly.

The whole scene would have been incredibly romantic.

If there weren’t an animated floating thing hovering nearby and watching...

Pebbles observed the situation for a moment:

"Biological response detected. The probability of successful mating remains high."

A blue-grey screen appeared.

DING!

[Sub Quest: Start a Dynasty

A ruler may grow a territories.

A dynasty requires heirs to hold them.

Objective: Conceive your first pup.

Reward:

+500,000 Legacy Points

+10,000 Development Points

Penalty: The Beast Goddess will be mildly disappointed.]

Mirabelle’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

’Absolutely not.’

While Kaelith continued standing behind her with his eyes closed, enjoying the morning sun and reminding her far too vividly of the previous night, Mirabelle navigated through the Legacy Store with new found determination. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

A moment later, she purchased a one-month contraceptive pill without even blinking.

[Monthly Contraceptive Pill

Price: 250 Legacy Points

Category: Consumable

Duration: 30 Days

Effect: Prevents conception for one month.

Reliability: 99.98%

Side Effects: Negligible

Compatibility: Confirmed

Description:

Recommended for rulers who wish to postpone dynastic responsibilities.]

Mirabelle stared at the flood of information.

Apparently Merchant’s Eye also worked inside the Store. Whether that last comment had been necessary, however, was highly debatable.

[Consume?]

[Yes]

[No]

She confirmed the purchase mentally. Immediately, a small round pill appeared in her mouth. The pill dissolved with surprising sweetness as it touched her tongue.

Pebbles’ tentacles twitched irritably:

"Current Sub Quest Progress: 0%."

That was enough.

Mirabelle: ’Set System Spirit to Notification and Alert Mode.’

The octopus’ eyes widened in surprise.

Then — PUFF — he vanished into a cloud.

The cloud scattered immediately in the morning breeze.

According to the manual, this mode limited the Spirit’s appearances to important events.

Quests.

Danger.

Completed milestones.

Rare occurrences.

The balcony fell silent.

Grass rustled.

Birds called somewhere below.

Kaelith’s steady breathing warmed the top of her head..

Much better.

Now her attention shifted fully to the Beastman behind her. Turning in his arms, she looked up at him with a smile:

"How about round two?"

Kaelith answered with an approving growl.

Then he seized her ass and lifted her effortlessly. Her legs immediately locked around his waist.

The movement caused her cloak to fall open.

Suddenly, Mirabelle became very aware of the fact that he was still completely naked.

Out of the corner of her eye, a yellow-orange screen appeared.

[Kaelith

Species: Hyena Beast

Status: First Mate

Classification: SSS

Estimated Value: ERROR

Remarks:

No comparable specimen found.

Valuation exceeds system parameters.]

With a thought, she disabled Merchant’s Eye.

Then there was only one thing left worth focusing on.

Her lips remained on his as he carried her back inside with effortless strength.

Teasingly, she traced the outline of his mouth with her tongue, nipped playfully at his lower lip, and soothed the sting with soft kisses.

Her fingers brushed the mate mark on his throat by accident.

The reaction was immediate.

A shudder ran through the beastman’s entire body.

His ears snapped upright.

His tail froze mid-sway.

Even his pupils narrowed to thin circles.

A satisfied purr escaped her throat, louder than the morning birds outside and the wind playing with the curtains.

The room still carried traces of the previous night.

Beneath it lingered the scent of wood, smoke, sun-warmed stone, and the dry freshness drifting in through the open balcony.

With a quiet PLOP, Kaelith dropped the lynx female onto the bed.

Mirabelle giggled as the robe spread beneath her. Propping herself up on her elbows, she let the fabric slide completely from her shoulders.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Nothing blocked their view of one another. Golden morning light spilled through the room.

The air seemed to grow warmer. And the heat in Kaelith’s gaze left little room for interpretation.