"That's fine! That is worth some effort! You know, if you had told me that originally I would have leveled up my soul faster!"

  Dragon says "How was I supposed to know that it would make a difference! You are just crazy!"

  "Maybe I am, but I love anime. Now, how do I build this palace thing?"

  The dragon looks like he is going to eat me again, but then he just sighs and starts explaining. The process at least sounds simple and fairly straight forward, but I won't know for sure until I try it. After the dragon is done explaining, I tell him about my evolution system and how it has worked so far.

  Dragon says "I don't think I can help you with that. It isn't like anything that I have encountered before."

  "Actually, that wasn't what I was going to ask. I want to make sure I follow the path to dragon, so I want to ask about things I can hunt. I am not about to hunt a dragon, that would be suicide. I want to know what drakes I would be allowed to kill and if you know of anything else with a dragon bloodline. I have a suspicion that I can find drakes on the land bridge. Can you confirm that? Would it be okay for me to hunt them?"

  Dragon says "You are correct, but how did you know that? Many drakes live along the southern coast of the land bridge. The waters near the coast are home to one of their favorite foods. In fact, they are also something that you could eat."

  "It was just a guess. What is this favorite food?"

  Dragon says "We don't have a name for them, but I believe that the humans call them Dragonfish. They have a dragon bloodline, so they may help you."

  "I don't exactly want to get a bunch of fish abilities though."

  Dragon says "They aren't actually fish, that is just what humans call them. They breathe air, but they look like eels with the head of a dragon."

  "Oh, okay. I will try them. Are the drakes okay for me to hunt? Are there any that I should leave alone?"

  Dragon says "You can hunt them, but any female that has young or is guarding eggs, you must leave alone. If you kill them, then you become responsible for raising their young."

  "I will be sure to leave them alone. I already have enough kids!"

  Dragon laughs and says "You are already raising two drakes. What's a couple more?"

  "I already don't have enough time to give my kids the attention that they deserve. Adding more kids would only make it worse. Now that I am starting to act as the king, my time is becoming even more limited."

  Dragon says "From what I have heard, you are doing fine. Keep in mind that your kids are not human, they do not have the same needs. Beast kids tend to mature faster and become more independent long before human children."

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "You are probably right, but I can't change the way I feel."

  Dragon says "The fact that you haven't kicked any of them out of the nest yet already puts you ahead of most beast parents. Not only have you showered them with love, but you have taught them things no other beast has ever had a chance to learn. In fact, if my child were to hatch right now, I would be tempted to have you raise it."

  "I'm flattered, but I would also love to listen in as you try to explain that to your mate!"

  Dragon says "Comments like that are why you are always in trouble and are probably going to be the reason something ends up eating you!"

  "Very probably! I will do my very best to make sure whatever eats me dies of indigestion!"

  Dragon says "I can just see you doing that too! Anyway, now it is my turn to ask you a question."

  "Sure, go ahead."

  Dragon says "How far into the hallway have you explored?"

  "I've only explored the first dozen or so doors. Why?"

  Dragon says "That's all?! No wonder your soul level was progressing so slowly! Just what were you even doing?"

  "Well, I'm sorry that I don't have the time to nap for a few centuries and explore the hall!"

  Dragon growls and says "Are you trying to find out what it feels like to have me bite you?!"

  "Sorry, I can't help it. Sometimes the filter between my brain and my mouth just stops working. Although, I really don't have much free time to explore the hall. I have a lot of distractions in my life."

  Dragon says "Those are just excuses!"

  "I also have two mates that I need to keep happy."

  Dragon says "Alright, that excuse is a valid one. Unhappy mates make life not worth living!"

  "Exactly! Anyway, why did you ask about the hallway?"

  Dragon says "I thought you might be getting close to one of the secrets of the hallway. My mistake!"

  "Secrets? What secrets?!"

  Dragon says "As far as anyone knows, the hallway is infinite, but there is a repeating pattern to it. Every five hundred doors there is a break, within that section of the hallway there are only two doors. They are in the middle of the break, one on either side. One door is white and the other is black. They stand opposite each other and no matter where in the hallway they are they go to the same places."

  "Interesting! So, where do the doors go?!"

  Dragon says "Well, I was going to tell you, but now I think I will let you suffer!"

  "Oh, come on. I'm sorry for being a smartass, alright? Besides, if you don't tell me then the odds are that I will end up doing something stupid!"

  Dragon says "That's true enough. Alright, fine! The white door leads to Soul City. A place where all races can mingle and trade. Fighting is forbidden in the city so it is perfectly safe."

  "A city?! Is the currency soul coins?!"

  Dragon says "Yes, it is."

  "Finally! I have been wondering where I could use them ever since I found the first one!"

  Dragon says "I hope you have found a lot, but I doubt it. The prices in the city are extremely high."

  "How high? I have several thousand coins. What are the prices like? What kind of things are for sale?"

  Dragon says "With that much, you might be able to buy one or two cheap items. Soul items are what are sold in the city, everything from armor pieces to weapons and materials."

  "Oh, I only need two armor pieces so I am not too worried about that. I don't really need a soul weapon either, but what kind of materials are for sale?"

  Dragon says "All sorts of things that are found in the many worlds connected to the hallway. Materials for making armor and weapons, even materials useful in expanding the soul palace. You can even buy pets and slaves that are tied directly to your soul. However, I think you misunderstand something about the soul armor."

  "It sounds like I should go visit this city soon. What have I misunderstood?"