Inside a comfortably warm apartnt, five succubi lay sprawled across various surfaces in various states of undignified exhaustion.
So were face-down on the floorboards, others were half-subrged in the plush bedding, and one had claid the only sofa, lying four-limbs-up like a discarded doll. This was the ho assigned to them by the Iron Fortress administration—a literal heaven equipped with a heating array and soft mattresses.
Scarlett buried her face in a pillow, only her two black, elegant horns visible.
"I'm hungry."
A voice broke the heavy silence of the room. It was Kula, who was currently lying flat on the floor, poking her own stomach as it let out a series of growling, rhythmic protests.
"Last week's rations ran out yesterday," Kula moaned, her voice completely drained of energy. "Black bread, dried at... it's all gone. There isn't even a crumb left."
On the sofa, Mona rolled over to face the wall, mumbling incoherently. "Quiet... if you sleep, the hunger can't find you."
From a corner, Chloe whispered timidly, "Maybe... we could go to the Logistics Bureau? Perhaps they'd let us have next week's rations early?"
Eris let out a snort, rolling over to turn her back on everyone. "Dream on. I checked. Iron Fortress rules are absolute: fixed weekly rations. No exceptions. If you want more, you have to work."
The silence in the room deepened, punctuated only by the increasing volu of Kula's stomach.
Suddenly, Scarlett sprang from the bed as if she'd been hit by a lightning spell. She threw the blankets aside with a flourish usually reserved for a battlefield commander.
"We cannot continue to rot like this!" Scarlett's voice rang with a sudden, fierce passion. "We are Succubi! We are children of desire! Are we really going to just sit here and wait for the void to claim us?!"
The four other succubi blinked at her, showing zero reaction. Kula scratched her backside lazily and asked, "What are we going to do then? Go mug soone?"
Chloe imdiately shook her head. "You've been watching too many Punishnt Legion patrols. We'd be 'radishes' in ten minutes."
Scarlett squeezed her fists, holding them to her chest. "We need to utilize our inherent advantages!"
"Advantages?" Kula glanced down at her own chest, then at Scarlett's. "Well, we definitely have those."
"Not those!" Scarlett's forehead practically twitched with frustration. "Our talents! Our racial abilities!"
Mona peered over the edge of the sofa. "Sleeping?"
Scarlett finally reached the punchline. "Dreamwalking! We can enter the minds of others while they sleep!"
She looked at her unmotivated sisters, took a deep breath, and began to outline her grand vision.
"Listen close! Here is the plan: we form a rchant Guild! I've already got the na: [Succubus Dreams]!"
"Our business model is simple: Customized Dream Experiences. The client leaves an address and pays us a fee. At night, we enter their mind and weave exactly what they desire! Want to be a King? No problem! Want a mountain of gold? Easy! Want to be surrounded by a hundred beauties? We are professionals!"
Scarlett grew more animated as she spoke, her eyes gleaming as if she could already see the piles of silver.
"Price: One silver coin per session! By crafting these dreams, we not only get paid in coin, but we can also harvest a tiny, harmless amount of essence as a snack! It's a win-win! No—it's a total landslide for us!"
Scarlett finished her pitch, standing with hands on hips, waiting for the cheers and adoration.
Instead, silence.
Mona let out a massive yawn. "Working at night? That sounds like a pain. Can't we just make the clients co to us?"
Chloe whispered, "What if a client wants a really scary nightmare and we end up scaring ourselves?"
Kula focused on the only tric that mattered. "How many roasted chickens does one silver coin buy?"
Eris added pragmatically, "We don't even have a business permit."
The barrage of negativity caused Scarlett's smile to falter. She marched over to Kula first. "With silver coins, Kula, we can buy real roasted chicken! A mountain of them! You can eat until you pass out!"
Kula's eyes lit up like lanterns.
Scarlett whirled on Mona. "With money, you can sleep wherever you want! You wake up, you eat, you sleep again! It's the ultimate cycle!"
Mona paused. That... actually sounds like a solid logic.
Finally, Scarlett patted Chloe on the shoulder. "We are professionals! Create the dream, control the dream. Why would we be scared of our own work? Have so pride!"
Chloe gave a hesitant, semi-convinced nod. Eris started to open her mouth, but Scarlett cut her off.
"Do you want to gnaw on dry black bread for the rest of eternity? Do you want to go hungry for nine als every three days?!"
The four heads shook in unison.
Finally, Scarlett looked Eris in the eye. "That Personage gave us a chance. He didn't save us so we could wait around to starve. Do you really want him to think we're just a pack of useless baggage that only knows how to breathe?"
Eris went silent. This ti, even Mona sat up straight on the sofa.
"No!"
"Then let's move!" Scarlett threw her arm up in a rallying cry. "We head to the Logistics Bureau right now and apply for our license!"
Kula was the first to scramble up. "Yeah!"
Under Scarlett's fire, the five succubi finally reached a consensus. They were going to be entrepreneurs. They were going to make a fortune. They were going to beco the premier dream-service providers of the Evernight Empire.
Phase One: Legalizing their shaky business idea.
The five of them began a frantic, ssy scramble to get ready. They unearthed their only semi-clean sets of clothes, helping each other fix their hair and polish their horns.
Chloe clutched an old dress with a frayed collar, looking nervous. "Scarlett, is this okay? Do I look... professional?"
Scarlett gave her a distracted thumbs-up. "Professional! You look sharp!"
"I think there's dust on my left horn..." Kula muttered, trying to rub it with her sleeve.
"Forget the dust! Move it!"
Ten minutes later, the five succubi—looking more like refugees than business moguls—stepped out of their front door. The sunlight hit their faces, making them squint.
The streets were a hive of activity. Skeleton Soldiers marched in lockstep, and human rchants pushed wagons of goods. Everything was orderly and vibrant.
Scarlett took a deep breath, put her hands on her hips, and looked left, then right.
"Alright... does anyone actually rember where the Logistics Bureau is?"
Four heads shook 'no' simultaneously.
Scarlett squeezed her eyes shut, trying to visualize their entry route from a few days ago. "It's fine. I have a general idea. Follow !"
She picked a direction at random and began a confident, determined stride.
"Objective: Logistics Bureau! Move out!"
"Move out!" Kula echoed from the back.
And so, the five succubi marched with heads held high toward the first milestone of their "Grand Empire."
...Even though they were walking in the exact opposite direction.
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