6: We're all parasites; who doesn't have ulterior motives?

Tu Nan silently chewed on that number.

She could sense the System's mockery of her previous proposal through it.

It felt as if it were saying, "I don't have 50%, but do you want 1%?"

She didn't mind the System's little temper; doing business meant a back-and-forth. Being mocked meant it cared; only with a response was there a chance to bargain.

"Hey, System. Help me look more, pick some good ones... Selection is more important than effort, don't you think?"

"If you don't help me, who will?"

She coaxed with soft words, but the System didn't buy it and fell silent again.

It's fine, constant dripping wears away the stone; take it slow... Sweet talk costs nothing anyway.

"With this kind of strength, why aren't you doing Interstellar Mercenary work?"

"To be honest, our River Valley can't offer terms as good as the Mercenaries."

Why would such talent end up in the River Valley Dungeon? Gray hadn't lost his head; he was testing the man's motives.

Li pondered for a moment and slowly pulled down his hood.

His strange appearance was revealed to everyone.

"Ah, I see..."

Gray realized the truth, and his smile became more sincere.

A Chaotic Beast who couldn't transform into a Beast Form.

With such obvious physical traits, it was unlikely this man was a spy sent by another faction.

"Hmm... The Mercenaries do always require a powerful Beast Form. Our Underground City isn't so picky about that."

"I want a stable place to raise a Foster Mother," Li added.

Gray looked at Tu Nan, who was standing behind Li.

Tu Nan moved closer to Li and let him pull down her hood.

She obediently turned her body and brushed aside the black hair at the back of her neck, revealing the string of numbers to everyone.

The frail Foster Mother was exposed to everyone's eyes, drawing gasps from the crowd.

Ignoring the others, Li stared only at Gray, calmly listing his conditions for settling down.

"I need a stable supply of food and water, a safe place to live, and enough order in that residence for me to raise my Children."

"I need to be able to go out and hunt with peace of mind."

While having a family did put Gray more at ease, he sized Tu Nan up and raised an eyebrow at Li.

"No ears, no tail. Can a Foster Mother like this really give birth?"

"Aren't you afraid of wasting resources raising her?"

Tu Nan instantly shrank back into Li's arms as if terrified Gray would talk him into abandoning her.

But in her heart, she felt no ripple; after all, she was worth 60,000 Karu—that was Li's entire net worth.

The sunk cost was terrifyingly high.

Seeing Li remain unmoved, Gray stretched and stood up.

"Those delicate things from the Surface City aren't easy to keep alive."

"What's wrong with natural beastmen? Though pregnancy is harder, with your skills, finding three to five wouldn't be a problem; one of them is bound to conceive. They have strong bodies and don't need special care."

Li remained silent, not responding at all.

Gray found it dull and stopped talking. He spread his hands and gave a nonchalant smile.

"No matter, young people always have their own ideas."

He extended his hand, "Then welcome to River Valley. As long as you follow my rules, I can guarantee her safety. Everyone knows I value rules most; it's much better than those bullshit Surface Cities."

Li shook his hand. Tu Nan and he now had a temporary place to stay.

***

By the riverbank, Gaia was still leading them.

"This area, and that one, any of these vacant ones can be chosen."

"I think that cave is good; it's near the water, making it convenient."

Tu Nan followed his gaze to the rock wall.

The cave Gaia pointed to did look decent; it was on the second level above the ground, at the end of a passage—in a way, a "private courtyard."

But Tu Nan looked higher. She tugged at Li and pointed to that spot.

"I like higher places, is that okay?"

She made her request timidly.

By the river, an underground river. Tu Nan had a natural wariness toward such terrain.

Temporary convenience meant nothing; safety was the priority.

The cave she chose was at the very top of the rock wall, offering a bird's-eye view of the entire River Valley.

There were no other caves nearby, which meant less social interaction and fewer conflicts. From Gray's words earlier, she had keenly judged that "Foster Mothers" might not be popular here—well, except for her user.

Importantly, there was an extra passage below that cave that led directly to the hall where Gray had been.

Though she had no proof, Tu Nan guessed by intuition that there must be another exit—no leader would leave themselves without a way out.

She felt that path was inexplicably important.

Li looked around, nodded, and said directly to Gaia, "That one. Is anyone there?"

"..." Gaia was speechless.

Who would be up there? It would take fifteen minutes just to fetch water once. He advised Li, "It's too inconvenient. With her thin arms and legs, fetching water will be a hassle. It's better to..."

"No problem," Li interrupted him. "I'll just fetch more at once; it's no big deal."

Go ahead and spoil her then, Gaia rolled his eyes.

He couldn't stand the way Li raised his Foster Mother and offered a subtle suggestion.

"You should still let her exercise more. Look, she doesn't even have beast ears or a tail; her Physique is clearly weak. Doing some chores every day counts as exercise... otherwise, how will she give birth?"

"Don't let her lose her life with the first litter."

Li really hadn't thought of that.

He frowned and looked at Tu Nan, seemingly genuinely worried about her attrition rate.

But when Tu Nan heard those words, she became even more uneasy.

She didn't say a word, but her hands were twisted white.

Li froze for a moment, suddenly feeling a pang of heartache, and instantly felt these weren't major issues.

"Eat more in the future... I heard the trading ships rarely let Foster Mothers eat their fill."

She just hadn't been raised well. After he took over, he'd let her eat more meat, and she would naturally fatten up.

After a moment of silence, Li seemed to make up his mind and said to her with a serious face, "I won't touch you for now. Get a bit fatter; that's better for childbearing."

Tu Nan sneered wildly inside, but her face remained a picture of ignorance.

She promised Li innocently, "Then I will definitely eat well and conceive Lord Li's cub soon."

She didn't need this man's superficial kindness; she only cared about one thing.

If he didn't touch her... when would she get pregnant?

When could she give birth?

When could she get that 10% gene enhancement reward?

Of course, with her current broken body, the risk of childbirth was also very high.

Should she slow down?

A three-year lifespan had to be calculated and used precisely.

***

The two of them settled in temporarily.

The lighting in the cave was okay. The room, however, only had a crude bed, table, and cabinet. A pot and a waist-high water barrel were in the corner; there was no toilet in the cave.

It was practically like a prison, or perhaps even worse, since water couldn't even be supplied mechanically here.

In a world with starships, yet no one was willing to build infrastructure here. Tu Nan keenly realized: this so-called Underground City was not very stable.

Li dropped his backpack and went out directly carrying the water barrel from the room.

Tu Nan picked up Li's backpack from the floor, placed it on the table, and cautiously did not open it.

She didn't know where Li's boundaries were, but he seemed to have no "domestic experience."

He was like a lone wolf with no habit of settling down; he spoke little, and did he have no financial planning?

That glaring 1% from earlier reminded Tu Nan again that in the short term, she had no other choice.

Since that was the case, she had to make Li treat her a bit better.

Tu Nan's face was expressionless.

The System called her "host." Interesting, where was it hosted?

In her brain? Or some spiritual world? Could all her thoughts be perceived?

And Li, to her, was also a "host."

She would manipulate Li's behavior to obtain resources and achieve her goals.

The System and her, one link after another, were parasites in this world.

"Tch."

Li carried water in one hand and a paper-wrapped bundle in the other, kicking the door open and interrupting her wandering thoughts.

Tu Nan smiled and looked up at Li.

Her current best option.