"Oh dear, I haven't had that nightmare in a long time," I said with sadness.
I looked around and realized I had awakened in the Control Room. Since that incident, I couldn't stand the sight of blood, and I couldn't completely shake off that trauma.
I had become somewhat desensitized over time, but witnessing someone's beheading was still far beyond my tolerance.
That day marked the first turning point in my life, and I still vividly remembered it.
Sometimes I wanted to forget it, but most of the time, I couldn't. It was the only memory I had of my mother, even though it wasn't during her best times.
Her appearance and the lesson never to hope too much were etched into my mind. Her crystal-clear green eyes, both her trademark and her curse, remained unforgettable.
I also remember that eventually, the police and emergency services arrived because some neighbors had called them after hearing the gunshots and screams.
They quickly secured the scene, sparing the rest of the family from witnessing the gruesome aftermath.
Fortunately, there were no legal issues with the firearm since my father had a gun license.
The gun was usually locked in a safe.
My mother had acted in self-defense, and this problem had been ongoing for a while. However, I was unaware of these details for a long time, which led to my deep self-doubt.
I didn't lose my genitals, thankfully, but I did lose a testicle. I didn't know how I had been so lucky amidst the tragedy, but it helped me avoid being genderless.
However, I became infertile as a result.
From that day on, I became more withdrawn and focused on sports and on my career as an astronaut. I had found the universe and biology fascinating before, but after that day, I also saw it as a sanctuary. It allowed me to redirect my thoughts away from the past.
My dream and goal were to travel to space.
My sister, unfortunately, struggled with it the most... but I don't want to bring that up now.
"Enough of that!" I scolded myself. "That was more than 100 years ago!"
"But speaking of dreams and goals, what do I have in this world?"
"Maybe I should start by finding out the name of this world," I joked. "Or perhaps actually live to be 134 years old this time!"
For now, I didn't dwell on it. I was more interested in how long I had been absent. So, I checked my status and noticed that it had been 9 hours.
"I seem to be sleeping a bit longer in this world," I mumbled. "Or is it because I'm a newborn again?"
------
[Status]
Name: -
Age: 0 years, 0 months, 4 weeks, 0 days, 21 hours
Species: Dungeon Core
Level: 3/4
Exp: 36013 / 40000
EC: 284/450
----------
Nearly a whole day had passed since the lizard people entered the first floor, and for them, almost 20 days had gone by. Even during the time I was lost in thought, another week had passed.
Because I was quite interested in the progress of the lizard people, I quickly teleported to the first floor.
I didn't hold a grudge against the lizard people for their ritualistic killings. Traveling in my old world had taught me that there were many different cultures and customs, and many people killed others.
You couldn't change them, so I preferred to learn about their cultures to understand their purposes. And I believed that this was especially important in a new world.
„That doesn't mean killing was something normal…"
After a brief detour into my thoughts, I focused on the first floor, or rather, the lizard city.
What immediately caught my eye was the increase in the number of buildings. There were now many more houses, probably around 60, and some stone roads were being constructed.
The wall on the hills surrounding the emerging city now stood at about 4 meters above the ground and was a good 2 meters thick. I also noticed the construction of watchtowers and the expansion of the wall.
Probably several thousand lizard people were working on fortifying the wall, and even more were involved in building the city. Everything was progressing rapidly.
Furthermore, they had started digging a tunnel through the hill, likely for a simple entrance gate. Currently, they had to climb the hills to exit the bay.
I also saw that they were conserving wood, and as a result, many structures were made of stone, with only a few houses using wood. This was understandable because there wasn't much wood available within a 1000 km radius.
I also noticed the beginning of fields, situated outside the bay. Several thousand farmers were diligently working on them, while several thousand soldiers stood guard to ensure their safety.
I was a bit surprised because I had expected intruders to try to destroy me, but these lizard people seemed more interested in settling down.
"That's probably for the best!" I said with some relief.
Out of curiosity, I flew to the city's center, which was still composed of tents.
It seemed that a city plan was already in place, as everything was neatly arranged.
In the middle, close to the sea, were the houses, with a really wide road being built. This road led to the still-under-construction tunnel.
About halfway, there was a large marketplace, which was already paved with cobblestones.
Larger tents were set up there, housing multiple kitchens where the lizard people cooked. They brought in food on large wagons from the outside world, just like the humans.
Everything was running smoothly, and it was relatively peaceful.
What I found really cool was their use of the [Salty Aqueous Space]. They filled jugs with water, effectively doubling their volume.
Like that they can store double the amount. Of course, they only used waterproof items like stones to transport in the water.
These items were transported because the stone quarry for the [Space Hardened Stone] was located outside the bay.
I checked on the commanders again, but they were clearly strategizing, and since I couldn't understand them anyway, the visit was rather uneventful.
"Nothing much happening right now," I said to myself.
I didn't plan to visit the temple again at the moment, and currently, the lizard people hardly left the bay, if at all.
After an hour of observation and searching for the people I had imprisoned, I lost interest.
I was about to leave the first floor to see if I could finally make some adjustments to my Control Room when I saw the commander assembling an army of 10,000 soldiers.
"Oh, that looks interesting!" I exclaimed and flew over to them.