Elegy from Another World

As everyone gradually awoke from their weary slumber, their emotions had largely calmed down. Xiao Bei manipulated her tentacles, gently yet firmly guiding us along the newly repaired passage back into the labyrinth of flesh and blood, back to the "home" we had once lived in, where we had almost lost.

As the familiar tentacles gently pierced her ear canal once more, the symbiotic network reconnected, and that warm and close sense of connection instantly soothed her last shred of fear. Xiao Bei's voice rang out clearly through the network, carrying an unprecedented solemnity:

【Dear residents, after careful consideration and with the consent of Licia herself, from this day forward, Licia will officially become the new manager of the labyrinth, my new mistress. She will lead us in protecting this home.】

A moment of silence fell over the internet, quickly replaced by a flood of surprise, curiosity, and, more importantly, agreement and reassurance. No one raised an objection. Everyone knew that without Liscia's decisive action and sacrifice in that critical moment, they might already be homeless, or even perished along with the labyrinth. She was the undisputed leader.

Upon becoming a manager, I immediately began planning how to utilize the energy stored and continuously generated in the pleasure converter. The primary task, naturally, was to strengthen our already exposed and vulnerable defenses.

I had Xiao Bei retrieve the complete structural diagram of the maze. It was a giant sphere, approximately four hundred meters in diameter, buried deep underground. I re-divided its interior into three concentric circular regions:

Inner Ring (Core Living Area): Adjacent to the pleasure converter, this is the living space for all our residents. Its proximity to the energy source ensures efficient energy use to maintain living facilities and provides the fastest possible protection in emergencies.

Central (Functional Facilities Level): Planned for various functional areas, such as the plantation I have already established, and future plans to build workshops, libraries, recreation rooms, etc. This area is key to the development of the community and the improvement of the quality of life.

Outer Ring (Active Defense Layer): The outermost layer of the maze, and the first line of defense against invasion. The vast majority of defensive weapons and traps will be deployed here.

Once the plan was finalized, implementation began immediately. Although the labyrinth's fleshy walls possessed astonishing plasticity and regenerative abilities, capable of being rapidly reconstructed like clay, such a large-scale transformation still consumed enormous resources. It took a full three days, and approximately 90% of the energy stored in the pleasure converter, to initially complete the zoning and basic structural reinforcement.

While cleaning and repairing the core area, an unexpected discovery shocked both Xiaobei and me. Among the charred remains of the former knight commander, we found a small, inconspicuous object that shimmered with a strange light. It was the same little thing he had pulled from his pocket when he instantly subdued me.

Xiaobei searched all the databases and said he knew nothing about it, only that it was one of the spoils that the original owner brought back from the ruins of the Demon King's castle.

I cautiously tried to sense and manipulate it. The result was astonishing—this tiny thing could actually affect the local flow of time! While it couldn't reverse time or stop it completely, it could create a field where the passage of time was significantly slowed down within a radius of about two meters centered on itself!

"No wonder...no wonder he was able to subdue me so easily back then..." I murmured, a chill running down my spine. To him, my movements must have been as slow as a snail. This was an almost cheat-like, powerful ability. What chilled me even more was that if a mere trophy from the Demon King's castle possessed such power, how terrifying must the true hero's team have been, capable of defeating the Demon King himself in a direct confrontation? Just thinking about it sent shivers down my spine.

"I hope I never run into them..." I prayed silently. To be on the safe side, I decided to encapsulate this dangerous and powerful item directly inside the core of the maze (pink crystal), allowing it to be restrained and controlled by the core's energy field, and never to be used lightly except in extreme circumstances.

Next came weapons development. Since ordinary tentacles were weak in close combat, we should play to their strengths and avoid their weaknesses. I recalled my knowledge of firearms from my previous life and combined it with the magical technology and biological characteristics of this world to begin modifying the tentacles. After many failures and adjustments, I finally succeeded in creating several special "shooting tentacles." They abandoned close combat, and their tips were modified into a structure similar to a cannon muzzle, capable of compressing and spraying highly corrosive biological acid at high speed for mid- to long-range attacks. Although it was only a preliminary result, it at least gave the labyrinth a decent ability to launch a counterattack.

At this point, the planned defense upgrade was initially completed, and the energy accumulated by the pleasure converter was almost completely exhausted.

Finally, looking at this newly transformed home, still made of flesh and blood but brimming with hope, I suggested, "How about we give this place a new name? 'Labyrinth' sounds a bit eerie. Since we're seeking peace and happiness here, how about... 'Flesh and Blood Utopia'?"

Through the internet, I sensed everyone's thoughts—agreement, recognition, and a hint of anticipation for a new beginning.

"Okay, that's settled then."

"A flesh-and-blood utopia...that's pretty good."

"This is our new home."

And so, amidst ruins and the ashes of misunderstanding, the "Flesh and Blood Utopia" was officially born. It carries the pain of the past and also nurtures the hope of the future, quietly awaiting its peaceful and warm tomorrow in this strange underground world.