Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 105: The Roommate Agreement

"Okay," Xin Yi said, tapping the charcoal against the skin. "We are stuck here. We are linked. If one of us dies, we all die. So, we need ground rules."

She wrote SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS in big, bold letters.

"First off, quarters. Sha Chen has graciously agreed—"

"I was coerced," Sha Chen grunted, arms crossed.

"—Agreed," Xin Yi corrected loudly, "to open the East Wing for guests. However, we need to assign rooms."

"I refuse," Hei Yan spoke up immediately. The Panther Alpha was sitting on the back of his chair, feet on the seat, crouching like a gargoyle. "I do not sleep indoors. Walls make me itch. I will sleep on the roof."

"You will not sleep on the roof!" Xin Yi snapped. "What if it rains? You’ll get sick! If you get sick, you will die, and then, I die!"

"I am a creature of the night," Hei Yan hissed, his tail twitching. "I am death. Death does not get sniffles."

[DING! (¬_¬)]

[System: Host, let him sleep on the roof. If he falls off, we can just reboot.]

"No roof!" Xin Yi wrote HEI YAN - ROOM 1 (WINDOW OPEN). "Next. Qing Lin?"

"I require heat," the Snake King said smoothly. He was currently radiating a low, menacing chill that was making Feng Huang shiver. "My blood slows in this......dog fortress. I need hot stones. And moisture."

"I can arrange for a fire pit in Room 2," Xin Yi noted.

"And furs," Feng Huang added, raising his hand. "I can no longer sleep on straw. It ruins my coat. I require silk. P byreferably red. It brings out my eyes."

Sha Chen slammed his hand on the table. BAM.

"This is a fortress!" the Wolf King roared, his patience finally snapping. "Not a brothel! You want silk? Go catch a silkworm! And you—" he pointed at Hei Yan, "—get your feet off my chair! You are scratching the varnish!"

"Your ’varnish’ is ugly," Hei Yan shot back.

"Stop it!" Xin Yi yelled. "Okay, fine! Feng Huang gets the softest furs we have. Qing Lin gets the fire. Hei Yan gets the room with the balcony so he can stare at the moon and brood. Happy?"

"Adequate," Qing Lin murmured.

"Tacky, but acceptable," Feng Huang sighed.

"Hmph," Hei Yan grunted.

"Now," Xin Yi wiped her forehead, leaving a smudge of charcoal on her nose. "The big project. The Goddess wants a Neutral Zone. A city where all tribes can trade." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She flipped the deer skin over to reveal a complex drawing. It was a map. There were designated areas for housing, a central market, a school, and, most importantly, a complex grid of lines running underground.

"I call this.....The City of Dawn," Xin Yi announced.

The Alphas leaned in. Despite their hatred for each other, they were curious.

"We need to divide the labor based on tribal strengths," Xin Yi explained. "I have thought about this."

"The Snakes will handle the water systems," Qing Lin said instantly, pointing a long, pale finger at the grid lines. "Pipes. Tunnels. Flow. We understand the underground better than anyone. Your wolves dig like frantic puppies. We dig with precision."

"Excuse me?" Sha Chen bristled. "My wolves built this place! We are the foundation! We will handle the construction!"

"And who will feed this city?" Hei Yan sneered, hopping down from his chair. "You think wolves can hunt for four tribes? You run in packs and make noise. Panthers are silent. We are the best hunters. We will supply the food."

"And the Tigers?" Feng Huang asked, looking at his reflection in a polished metal cup.

Everyone looked at him.

"Well?" Xin Yi asked. "What are Tigers good at? besides... fainting?"

Feng Huang looked offended. He flipped his hair. "We are majestic. We are powerful. We will be the face of the city! Who would want to visit a city run by a gloomy snake or a dirty wolf? But a Tiger? We scream dignity!"

[DING! (≧▽≦)]

[System: He has a point. He’s very shiny.]

"Fine," Xin Yi muttered, writing it down. Snakes = Plumbing. Panthers = Food. Wolves = Building. Tigers = ...Vibes.

"Wait."

Sha Chen’s voice silenced them, it wasn’t loud, but it was heavy.

The Wolf King was staring at the blueprints. Then he looked at Qing Lin. Then at Xin Yi.

"Pipes," Sha Chen said slowly. "Plumbing. Foundation mixing." He looked at Qing Lin with narrowing eyes. "How do you know what those are?"

The room went quiet.

"The Snake King just spoke of ’precision digging’ for water pipes," Sha Chen continued, his voice dropping an octave. "How does a Snake, living in a swamp, know about indoor plumbing?"

Xin Yi froze. "Ah. Well. You see....."

Sha Chen turned his white gaze to Xin Yi. The betrayal in his eyes was palpable. "That was why you asked that I send them."

"Send who?" Feng Huang asked, confused.

"The Wolves," Sha Chen growled. "To teach them? To give them our secrets?"

"Uh? They aren’t secrets, Sha Chen!" Xin Yi pleaded. "It’s civilization! Everyone deserves toilets!"

"They don’t deserve anything!"

"Don’t talk to her like that," Qing Lin hissed.

The Snake King didn’t stand up. He didn’t need to. He just uncoiled slightly, his hand drifting to the spear leaning against the table.

"She is my female," Qing Lin said, his voice cold and deadly. "She didn’t even do what you’re accusing her of, so do not raise your voice, Dog."

"She deceived me!" Sha Chen roared, stepping forward. "She gave you the advantage!"

"She gave us hygiene," Qing Lin countered smoothly. "You are being very stupid, Wolf king. Did you really think I wouldn’t come back for my female?"

"YOU—" Sha Chen lunged.

"SIT DOWN!" Xin Yi slammed both hands on the table.

The golden life link on their wrists flared with blinding light.

ZAP.

"GAH!" Sha Chen and Qing Lin both jerked back, clutching their chests as a shock of divine electricity hit them.

"I am the Administrator!" Xin Yi panted, holding up her glowing wrist. "And I say the meeting is adjourned! Sha Chen, stop being jealous of plumbing! Qing Lin, stop antagonizing him! Hei Yan, get off the furniture! Feng Huang......keep being pretty!"

She grabbed the blueprints and rolled them up aggressively.

"We start digging tomorrow! Now get out of my sight before I ask the Goddess to turn us all into hamsters!"

Silence reigned in the dining hall.

Slowly, Hei Yan hopped off the chair and stalked out toward the balcony. "Hamsters are weak. I would be a gerbil."

Feng Huang sighed, checking his nails. "I need to sleep. The stress is bad for my pores." He drifted away.

Sha Chen stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. He looked at Xin Yi, his eyes filled with hurt, before he turned and marched out the main door without a word.

Xin Yi slumped against the table. "Oh god. This is going to be a disaster."

"I thought it went well."

She jumped. Qing Lin was still sitting there. He hadn’t moved.

"Well?" Xin Yi laughed nervously. "Sha Chen hates me. Hei Yan thinks he’s a teenager. And Feng Huang is useless."

Qing Lin stood up. He walked around the table, and stopped right behind her.

"Sha Chen is a fool," Qing Lin whispered, his hands coming up to rest on her waist. "He thinks you gave away secrets. He does not understand that you are the prize, not the plumbing."

Xin Yi shivered. "Qing Lin, I....."

"You were masterful," he murmured, moving her hair aside to kiss the sensitive spot on her neck. "Commanding them. It suits you."

"I was yelling," she weaky protested.

"It was......stimulating."

He turned her around. His emerald eyes were dark, the pupils blown wide. There was no anger in them now. Only hunger.

"The meeting is over," he said, his voice dropping to a husky purr. "The others are gone. And I have not had a moment alone with you since the swamp."

"We.....we need to work on the blueprints," Xin Yi stammered, placing her hands on his chest. "The Neutral Zone......"

"The Neutral Zone can wait," Qing Lin said, sweeping her up into his arms in one fluid motion.

Xin Yi yelped, wrapping her legs around his waist instinctively. "Qing Lin! What are you doing?"

"Taking you to inspect my quarters," he growled, walking toward the hallway. "I need to ensure the.....heat.....is sufficient."

"But—"

"Quiet, Xin Yi," he silenced her with a quick, bruising kiss. "Or I will bite you."

He kicked the door to the guest wing open.

[DING! (¬‿¬)]

[Cough cough]

[Privacy Mode: ACTIVATED.]

[Do not disturb. The Snake is in the tunnel. I repeat, the Snake is in the tunnel.]