Chapter 299: Currency of the New World
The four Embran women lay sprawling across the wooden floor spent their bellies swollen after Alexander had filled their cunts to the brim. Alexander, meanwhile, stood tall, feeling at his absolute peak. He could feel a strange surge of energy flowing from his cock, revitalizing every corner of his body.
"Surprised?" one of the TMC operators asked, leaning his elbows on the table.
"What the hell is this?" Alexander asked, looking down at his hands as he felt the surge in his vitality.
"We have no damn idea how it works biologically, but that’s just how things are here: the more you fuck them, the stronger you get," the man answered with a grin. "The corporation is still researching the phenomenon, but as far as we’re concerned, it’s great. Plus, they pay damn well; the women of this world are generous."
Alexander walked over to the table where the leather pouches handed over by the fox girls sat. He opened them one by one and began counting the energy crystals inside. Each pouch contained fifty high-quality clear stones. In total, they added up to two hundred crystals.
"Just to give you an idea of what you’re holding, you just made the equivalent of two hundred million back on Earth just for fucking," another guy said, taking a sip of wine. "That’s how absurdly wealthy and generous they are around these parts."
Alexander was impressed by the figure, weighing the pouches in his hands.
"Though a piece of advice: never exchange those crystals for regular cash unless you urgently need to back on the other side," the operator warned him in a more serious tone. "On Earth, there’s massive demand but almost zero supply. Nobody who knows the real value of these stones trades them for traditional currency; around here, everything is negotiated and traded using crystals."
"I see..." Alexander said, stashing the pouches of crystals into his belt before taking a seat at the table with them. "But how did you guys end up here in the first place?"
"It was an accident," replied the operator who seemed to be leading the group, topping off his glass of crimson wine. "There was a glitch in the jump device’s coordinates back in our sector. When we opened the portal, we ended up trapped in this frozen biome. Luckily, we managed to establish contact with the local civilization and set up this business. It’s basically a tavern... or, to be more precise, a high-end brothel catering to wealthy women in the region."
Alexander raised an eyebrow, processing the information.
"If you guys discovered this place by accident, how come the corporation has so much detailed data on the Embran race?" Alexander asked.
"You’re confusing two different things, kid," the second man said, shaking his head. "The race is one thing, but geographic location is something else. Fox women are spread across this entire world, but this land is so massive that it’s divided into isolated kingdoms and sectors. If you tried to travel from here to the nearest TMC outpost, you’d never make it. We don’t even know where the other groups are set up."
"Are we that isolated?" Alexander asked.
"That’s right, and it’s not because we’ve been lazy," the third man added, leaning back against his chair. "We’ve explored the surrounding areas as far as our strength has allowed us. The problem is there’s a forest surrounding this entire region that’s completely impossible to get out of. It’s a deadly natural maze."
Alexander began to realize the gravity and true scale of his situation. This outpost wasn’t just a commercial branch; it was a containment point for these men.
"And how often do you go back to Earth?" Alexander asked, looking intently at the group.
The group’s leader let out a soft, faint laugh and stared at the liquid in his glass before answering.
"It’s not that we can’t cross back if we wanted to... but, at least in my case, I have nothing to go back to over there," he said slowly. "I’d rather have fun here and explore what I can. I tried going back for a visit once, but after being here, everything on that side felt fragile... like it was made of paper. When you spend enough time in this world, ours simply stops having any meaning."
Alexander understood them completely. Lately, Earth had felt like an alien place to him; he was always out of place. Either he was far too powerful for the fragility of the human world, or far too weak for the power struggles between major factions. There was no middle ground, so he fully grasped the apathy and detachment those men felt.
"I understand what you’re saying," Alexander said, breaking the silence. "By the way, what are your names?"
The five men looked at each other before answering. One of them let out a short laugh and spoke up.
"There are no names here, kid," the man said. "We call each other 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The number represents how long we’ve been here. I’m Old 5 because I was the first to arrive at this post... or rather, the first to reach the Yellow rank needed for deployment."
Alexander raised an eyebrow, confused.
"Yellow?" Alexander asked. "Shouldn’t you need to be Orange rank for deployment?"
"No, Yellow rank and a recommendation letter from a superior is enough to get sent here," Old 5 answered. "You hold the Orange rank, which is why you’re the captain. In fact, we were planning on calling you ’0’. We’re way too used to our numbers, and you’re the boss. Hope you don’t mind."
"Not at all, you can call me whatever you like," Alexander said, raising his hands. "I don’t really feel like your boss, either. Let’s just treat each other as equals, alright?"
Old 5 slowly shook his head, a calm smile on his face.
"That won’t work either, partner. In this business, hierarchy is law. So you’re the captain: you order and decide everything that happens in this place. We’ll make sure to bring your orders to life."
Alexander didn’t try to push them or argue about the structure. He simply nodded.
"Alright, so be it," Alexander said.
He stood up, walked toward the large window of the hall, and looked out over the frozen horizon. In the distance, the first light of dawn was beginning to paint the snow, marking the start of his first day in the Sandoria Empire.