The sound of banging metal echoed along with the sound of water vapor. A large steam engine with six spider-like water pumps kept moving up and down. In the center of the machine was a large glass chamber. Inside was an egg with a transparent shell.
This machine was a caecilian egg incubator.
The dwarves seem to be working diligently despite the humid and hot conditions in the cave. Some of them put firewood into the combustion engine. Some checked that the iron pipes on the machine were not leaking. Some are keeping the water tank in the steam engine from running out. They all work together to ensure that the incubator machine continued to work perfectly.
It has been twenty-five days since the incubator machine was built. The process has only reached 90%. Although not fully completed, the incubator can already be used, although not automatically. Therefore, the dwarves have to do some work manually.
Their spirits were quite high after receiving the lure of a potential new partner. The dwarves were tired of seeing female dwarves with beards. They wanted something new.
Among the dozens of hard-working dwarves, there was a little girl watching at the machine. Her attention was drawn to the egg in the glass chamber. Curiosity showed on her face.
"Hey! What are you doing!?"
Suddenly, one of the dwarves with a long beard came yelling at her. Spontaneously, the little girl was startled to the point of jumping.
The dwarf with the long beard laughed at her.
"How dare you thrill Pippi! You damn midget, you want to die, huh?" The little girl uttered an expletive. She fisted the air repeatedly.
Hearing the insults hurled at him, the long-bearded dwarf snorted. "You little snot-nosed brat. Haven't you ever looked in the mirror. I'm taller than you by an inch."
Pippi raised one of her eyebrows. A smirk emerged from her tiny lips.
"But Pippi is still a child, so it is okay. Not like you. Old and horny."
"What did you say?!"
Now, it was Goyo's turn to get angry. The two stared at each other with a grunt.
It was no secret that the two of them would fight every time they met. Pippi and Goyo were like water and fire.
However, the fight soon ended.
"I told you to work, not fight."
A stern voice stopped the argument between the energy blob creatures and the dwarves. They gasped as a man in a long black suit with white hair approached them.
Pippi quickly grimaced, while Goyo lowered her head.
"Hehe, sorry lord. We weren't fighting. Just had a little argument about this egg," said the little girl. She glanced at the dwarf with the long beard. "Isn't that right, Goyo?"
Goyo stammered. "Yes, lord. We were discussing the issue of egg safety." He joined in the cover-up of Pippi's lie.
Isaac was silent. The dungeon master just stared at the two midgets before him with a cold stare. While they seemed to bite their lips while looking away.
After staring at them for a long time, words came out of his mouth.
"Good. Brainstorming for a common goal is important. You've improved."
Pippi and Goyo breathed a sigh of relief. Their lies were believed by the dungeon master.
At least, that's what they thought.
Of course, Isaac knew that these two creatures were lying. It was obvious from their expressions and tone. But he wasn't going to get angry.
It was better to see his men working together than to keep arguing. Just like a machine, gears that didn't fit together would make the machine unable to work.
Besides, scolding them and finding fault with them wouldn't make things any better. The strength of the dungeon depends on the monsters in it. They must unite no matter what.
However, that didn't mean Isaac would just let them lie to their master.
"Alright, then. Since you two seem to be so compatible, I need to increase your working hours. You two will continue to watch over the caecilian egg together until it hatches."
"WHAT!?" They said it simultaneously.
"But, lord... Pippi heard that there will be a celebration in the Elven Village..."
"I also need to take care of the workshop..."
Goyo and Pippi tried to negotiate, but the dungeon master didn't care. They needed to be punished for daring to lie to their master.
Isaac smirked.
"You guys have nothing to worry about. The Elven Village celebration is still a while away. Besides, I've bought some new dwarves to help with the workshop. Everything is under control."
The two of them had disappointed looks on their faces. It was impossible for them to refute him. The dungeon master's words were absolute.
Pippi and Goyo could only bow their heads.
Isaac smiled broadly. After giving his men a lesson, he quickly left the incubator machine.
'The construction of the incubator is going well. I think the eggs will hatch faster. Now, let's see how the homunculus children develop.'
He walked down the dark tunnel. The deeper he went, the fainter the sound of the steam engine became. Until finally he saw a light.
Isaac arrived at the other side of the cave.
If the previous side was the belly of the cave, rocks and minerals on each side, then on the other side was a large room.
The walls were painted white and the floor was covered in sponges of various bright colors. Inside, it feels like a daycare center.
The homunculus children were playing. They were running around. Some were playing on the slide. Some were swimming in a pool filled with plastic balls. The elf parents looked busy taking care of them. Some were feeding them, some were punishing their child. There were also those who play with their children.
The homunculus children looked different from the last time Isaac saw them. They no longer had flat expressions. Now, smiles could be seen on their faces.
The elven parents succeeded in awakening their feelings. They raised the homunculus children as if they were their own. Though they had only been together for a few weeks, their affection was obvious.
'Well, this is quite surprising.'
Actually, Isaac himself didn't expect this parenting process to go well. He still remembered the distressed looks on the elves's faces when they were given the task for taking care of the homunculus children. In fact, he thought there might be one or two homunculus child who died.
As it turned out, his estimate was wrong. The results were far beyond expectations.
Suddenly, one of the little ones shouted while pointing at Isaac.
"Look! Lord Isaac!"
The children who were busy playing then looked at him. Including the elves.
"Lord Isaac!"
They stopped playing and ran towards him. Isaac was surprised, as were the elves. The parents of these children looked deathly pale. They were afraid the dungeon master would be angry.
But, their fears quickly vanished.
Isaac just smiled as dozens of homunculus children surrounded him. He didn't get angry, or try to avoid them. Instead, he stroked their heads.
The elven parents breathed a sigh of relief as they stroked their chests.
"Lord Isaac! Lord Isaac! Lord Isaac!"
"Thank you lord! I love Lord Isaac."
"Let's play! Let's play!"
They all tried to hug and touch Isaac. It was as if he was a father who promised to take his children to the zoo.
Isaac looked dazed. Never before had he been surrounded by so many fragile creatures. Once he shook his hand, these homunculus could be killed in an instant. Therefore, he was quite careful about touching them.
Then, a male elf with silver hair approached him
"Children, please do not disturb, Lord Isaac. You can't bother adults."
Hearing the reprimand from the elf, they made sullen faces. That male elf told them to go back to playing, they obeyed. The homunculus children returned to their parents. While the elf parents bowed their heads to Isaac from a distance.
"My lord, forgive the children for disturbing you. I hope you will forgive them," said the male elf as he bowed.
"It's all right. It's a pleasant experience. They grow up fast. The last time I brought them here, they were only as tall as my thighs. Now they are as tall as my belly button," Isaac replied.
The dungeon master tapped the male elf on the shoulder. "Good job. Too bad you don't have a name."
"It is an honor to be praised by you."
Isaac turned his face into a serious look.
"In a few days they will be teenagers. Their behavior will probably change too. There will be changes to this place."
The male elf bowed his head. "Yes, my lord. Their growth is very fast. This is quite surprising to us."
Elves are long-lived creatures. To them, a few weeks are like a few seconds. In their eyes, a homunculus is like a flower that blooms quickly.
"That's a good thing. In a month or two, they will be ready for marriage. We will prepare a suitable couple for them. You will be able to relax and enjoy the Moon Festival for a while."
Of course, this was good news for Isaac. The sooner they matured, the sooner his project would be completed.
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