I was sitting on a bench in the plaza, with Gemma by my side. I had my arm around her waist while gently caressing her swollen belly, round from pregnancy. We were both watching Lily and Petunia as they tried to interact with the people who appeared and wandered through the fief.
It was fascinating to see these individuals here, though it was clear that something was off about them. Their flaws were evident in both the way they interacted and their appearance.
Their looks were generic. It wasn't that they were unpleasant to the eye, but they didn't stand out either—everyone had average features, neither particularly beautiful nor ugly. If not for their clothing, there would be no way to tell a wizard from a muggle.
These NPCs simply roamed the area or visited certain buildings, such as the restaurant or the hospital. The surprising thing was that I could get some money from them, albeit in a limited way, by offering services like food. They also seemed to have the memory of a mosquito and a set number of pre-written phrases for most conversations. It was amusing to see the girls get frustrated with them, as they would introduce themselves multiple times, act surprised with every encounter, or repeat the same comment about the day every time a conversation was attempted.
However, their presence wasn't entirely free, so to speak. Maintaining these NPCs required certain conditions. They needed houses to live in; otherwise, they would wander aimlessly until leaving the fief. When they entered areas where enemies were allowed, they could be killed, and it would take a long time for new ones to be generated. If I restricted their movement to just this area, they would spend the little money they had until they could no longer afford food at the restaurant and ended up starving to death. That's why houses were necessary—they provided stability, preventing them from aimlessly roaming and ensuring shelter and food.
Regarding their economy, I noticed that some NPCs had started simulating jobs in certain buildings, such as the factory, the sawmill, the restaurant, and the market. In some cases, this provided administrative benefits, while in others, their presence was purely decorative. Fortunately, I had already built several houses to beautify the fief, and now I had set them up to be habitable for the NPCs. Additionally, I planned to establish another separate area, like the one I planned for the Quidditch Pitch, where I would build a low-cost city to house as many NPCs as possible and maintain movement between that space and this one.
The girls really enjoyed the presence of these NPCs. Before, there were only a few of us here, and not all of us could speak human language. Now, there were more "people," with their quirks, and I could see the happiness on their faces. Perhaps only Eileen had trouble accepting this new situation; she liked not being disturbed in her little world of two with Andra, but she seemed to be getting used to it quickly.
Though, well, now Gemma had found another way to entertain herself—getting exaggerated reactions from the NPCs passing by. She went from sitting beside me to kneeling in front of me, pulling down my pants.
I wanted to tell her not to push herself too hard in her condition, but when she had a firm grip on me and started using her tongue to battle with my basilisk, I fell silent and simply rested my hand on her head. Lily and Petunia seemed to notice, though they didn't come over or anything—they just stole glances from time to time, blushing. From their expressions, I could tell they were hesitating to approach, fearing they might interrupt and feeling a bit embarrassed. Despite being taught by Gemma, they were still too shy to initiate certain group activities.
It was only after Gemma received her "breakfast" that they finally decided to join in. They began savoring the meatballs, each one with passion and dedication, while Gemma resumed her work, swallowing my snake deep into her throat, almost without making a single sound of discomfort. As the pregnant one, she had the right to the first three releases over the others, especially since Lily and Petunia still couldn't do what she did and felt a little intimidated—though I found out they had asked Andra for advice and had been practicing.
Now, receiving the treatment of a king, I observed the new settings that had appeared in the fief. With the arrival of NPCs and the expansion of the zones, new upgrade options had been activated, part of the "Mysteries to Discover" reward.
In fact, everything seemed to be tied to the only chapter of the main campaign I had completed—the Philosopher's Stone. Now, the following options were available for purchase:
I could increase the number of passive and neutral NPCs, such as muggles, wizards, Hogwarts students, and centaurs. However, unlike the ones obtained through the campaign, these new NPCs came from the 1980–2000 period, according to the description. Additionally, to house a large number of centaurs, I needed a different type of housing, as I couldn't use the same ones meant for muggles and wizards.
There were also enemy NPCs, which included trolls, cerberuses, and dragon hatchlings. They weren't as numerous as the Death Eaters and werewolves from the previous reward, but they had their own characteristics. Trolls could appear sporadically, and I could build a new area called the Troll Camp, which was basically a troll village. However, compared to a human settlement, its population was considerably smaller. To give an idea, a human village in this fief could house about 500 people, whereas a troll village would only have around 50 trolls—though this could be improved with upgrades.
Cerberuses and dragon hatchlings were even rarer. In total, only one of each could exist in the fief, and with the current territory expansion, the limit was up to three dragon hatchlings and two cerberuses at the same time. Additionally, they would appear randomly in different areas and wouldn't encounter each other due to the distances.
Regarding resources, Chocolate Frogs had been added. Now, it was possible to find them or their collectible cards scattered around. If one was in an area with enemies, these resources, like previously obtained loot, could appear next to a skeleton, as if they had once belonged to someone. However, these remains or justifications would disappear shortly after collecting the items.
As for dungeons, let's first look at the one I already have—the Shrieking Shack. This dungeon can appear after defeating a Whomping Willow, revealing an underground passage that leads to an abandoned house not far from there. Inside, one or more werewolves can be found; if there's a full moon, their number and strength increase significantly, and the fief's calming effect weakens.
Now, the new option available to add is a Challenge Basement. It appears as a trapdoor inside a building or among its ruins, and inside, different versions of the challenges that had to be overcome to reach the Philosopher's Stone last year are presented. The difficulty can vary, from the original to much harder versions. For example, instead of just one troll, multiple ones may appear, or in the potions challenge, all the bottles might look identical and contain poison except for one. Additionally, the order of the challenges is randomized.
Gemma received her second dose, which she swallowed with a smile, and retired to sit next to me again, leaving the girls to compete with each other to please me and see who would get the next one.
I caressed her once more, resting my hand on her belly. I had already made the necessary preparations for our future daughter; now, it was just a matter of waiting. Due to the changes I had made, the time until the birth would be different from that of a normal human, but that didn't worry me.
I turned my thoughts back to the fief. With a daughter on the way, after having my spider daughters and the possible future foals with Elise, the image that had once been blurry in my mind was now becoming clearer and clearer.
Changes would begin once again in this fief: its expansion and construction. The crystal coins I gained would help with that, although I reserved part of them for Christmas gifts, which luckily were now cheaper. Had they not been, I would have hesitated to buy them.
But, in itself, I already had a new source of income thanks to these additions to the fief. The enemy NPCs that appear in different areas aren't only a great training method, but they also drop money and items, just like in a video game, though nothing too valuable. Other NPCs also drop things, but it's not worth attacking the good ones unless it's an emergency.
Death Eaters are the best targets. Werewolves, on the other hand, rarely drop money, and their items are usually claws, fur, blood, or other werewolf materials. The problem with the Death Eaters is that from time to time they use unforgivable curses, and I fear sending my women against them and something happening to them. I can set their cooldowns, aggression, and power, but that would reduce the rewards. So, for now, I have to deal with them myself to earn money. It's convenient since they can accumulate up to a certain point, which means more money, though I don't think they'll become too numerous. Just like there are Death Eaters, there are also Phoenix Order NPCs, and when the two groups meet, they immediately start fighting until one side falls. Also, the members of the Order tend to help those in danger, so the situation isn't overly dangerous.
I'll have to take care of this myself until my daughters return. Ghost Spider is immune to the Killing Curse, so she could handle it with no problem. By the way, where could they be? Are they still fighting? I know I gave them freedom, but I'm a little worried... not for them, but for the problems they might cause. Still, as a father, I must trust them. If something had happened, they would have already informed me.
I pushed my worries aside and got up, surprising the girls and annoying Lily, who had yet to receive her morning milk. I could only comfort her with the promise of visiting her tonight to give her what she so deeply desired. This made her blush and, at the same time, made Petunia angry since just a moment ago, she had felt happy to have surpassed her sister.
I helped Gemma get up and walked her to her house, giving her a kiss on the cheek and promising I would go for her tonight, not before giving her a playful slap on the backside before I left.
I left the others behind and went to the merchant. With the arrival of the NPCs, I now had a couple of assistants who pretended to work in the market, although I didn't see them doing anything particularly useful. I looked for what I wanted and smiled when I saw the reduced price: from 500 to just 100 crystal coins.
I did the mental calculations on how many I would need. Undoubtedly, I would spend more coins than I would like, but it was a good gift that could help my girls a lot. Besides, I had already earned enough money, and if I completed the monthly mission well, I could recover what I spent.
I bought the potions and a few other things, stored them in my inventory, and then headed to my ritual zone to personally test their effects.
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