Surrounded by Five Beast Lords novel Chapter 7

Chapter 7 Apply For Her Homestead

Dora stumbled out of bed and lunged for her clothes, hurriedly throwing them on. The soft fabric brushed against the bite mark on her neck, bringing another faint sting and numb itch that instantly reminded her of last night’s madness.

Her heartbeat pounded wildly in the silent room, loud enough that she could almost hear it echoing around her.

Holding her breath, she stepped barefoot across the icy floor, picked up her shoes from the ground, and tiptoed toward the door.

The door was made of thick metal, looking stately and heavy under the dim light.

Her trembling hand wrapped around the handle. The icy touch made her shiver. Taking a deep breath, she twisted it hard, and the door opened.

Outside was another silent hallway lit with soft lighting. There wasn’t a single person in sight.

A rush of joy exploded inside Dora, the kind of relief that came from surviving a dead end. She didn’t even have time to think about what she’d do after escaping. Right now, getting out was the only thing that mattered.

Like a frightened kitten, she pressed herself against the wall and hurried forward in careful steps. She headed toward what looked like an exit, relying purely on instinct.

Only after turning a corner and spotting a much larger door ahead, one glowing faintly with natural daylight from outside, did she finally slow down.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a smooth black decorative panel built into the hallway wall, polished enough to reflect her image like a mirror.

The reflection clearly showed how miserable she looked. Her long hair was messy. Her face was pale with dark circles beneath her eyes. But the most eye–catching thing of all was the mark on the side of her neck.

At the bite mark, a vivid black snake had appeared, coiled there with its tongue extended as if alive.

Dora slapped a hand over the mark in panic, looking guilty. She then used every ounce of strength she had left to stumble toward the glowing exit door.

The moment she stepped outside the hotel, she plunged straight into the gray streets beyond. The air carried a faint metallic smell mixed with dust.

She tightly wrapped the thin coat around herself, though it did almost nothing against the cold, and wandered aimlessly along the street.

As she walked, Dora silently calculated her situation. She knew she could go back

Chapter 7 Apply For Her Homestead

home now.

She’d beaten up Iris and then caused an even bigger disaster by trying to kidnap Cassian and force a match with him.

All the starcoins her mother had given her were used up on that stupid, failed kidnapping plan.

Now she was completely broke and homeless. Dora thought bitterly, ‘How dumb can I even be?‘

The cold wind brushed against Dora’s face, carrying the planet’s familiar dry air and faint trace of radiation.

She pulled her thin coat tighter around herself and truly felt what it meant to be completely alone for the first time.

She wandered aimlessly down the street, her gaze drifting across towering metal skyscrapers that disappeared into the clouds, suspending traffic lanes overhead, and pedestrians hurrying past in protective suits or all kinds of strange clothing.

Then she passed a massive public information screen. Government announcements and welfare ads rolled across it one after another.

One line suddenly caught her eye: [Precious female citizens, your exclusive homestead is waiting for you!]

[Once you complete an official match with a beast mate, you may apply for a federally assigned homestead. Build a safe home together with your beast mate and face the future side by side!]

Dora stopped dead in her tracks, and her eyes lit up instantly.

She thought, ‘Thank goodness. There is still a way out.‘

She remembered that in this interstellar world, adult females were protected under a

Γ basic welfare system.

As long as a female turned 18, awakened the Spatial Realm Ability, and completed an officially recognized match or marriage registration with a male, she had the right to apply for her own homestead through the government.

Almost unconsciously, Dora raised a hand and lightly touched the snake mark on her

neck.

‘Does this count as a match?‘ Dora wondered.

She opened the Optical Brain on her wrist. The faint blue glow from the screen reflected against her pale face, which had flushed from sudden excitement.

She entered the citizen services interface and opened the homestead application channel.

Chapter 7 Apply For Her Homestead

The system prompted her to verify her identity and marital or matching status.

Dora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then she submitted her personal biometric information along with a photo of the snake mark on her neck for

verification.

After a few seconds, a soft notification sound rang out.

The Optical Brain screen flickered once before a new interface appeared.

[Identity verification complete… Detecting matching relationship… High–intensity temporary biological imprint and energy linkage detected,

Conditions meet the reference requirements under Amendment 7, Clause 3 of the Interstellar Beastfolk Marriage and Matching Provisional Act regarding “presumed factual marital relationships under emergency circumstances.“]

[Linked individual: Clive Blackthorne. Age: 26. Beast form: Black Snake. Registered rank: Rank–4 Peak Beastfolk.]

[Warning: Final online confirmation from the linked individual, Clive Blackthorne, has not yet been completed. Certain rights and benefits may remain restricted. However, under the Female Basic Protection Act, your homestead application eligibility has been temporarily activated.]

[Please enter your preferred homestead area, or allow the system to assign basic protected land near your current coordinates.]

Dora thought, ‘Oh my! It actually worked?‘

She stared at the lines of text: “Temporarily activated“, “May remain restricted“, “Has not yet been completed.”

Those words kept jumping out at her, reminding her that this was only a temporary shelter built on a connection Clive could withdraw at any moment.

She mused, ‘Forget it. Something is still better than nothing. As for the rest, I’ll deal with it when it comes.‘

Dora quickly tapped the nearest available assignment option.

Almost instantly, her Optical Brain chimed again.

[Application accepted. Assignment complete. Homestead ID: y–7 Zone–89757. Coordinates have been sent to your navigation system.]

[This plot is government basic protected land. Initial status: undeveloped wasteland. Basic energy shield has been activated. Female authorization enabled.]

[Please complete first identity verification within 72 hours to activate full shield ownership. Failure to do so will result in automatic reclamation.]

Dora thought, ‘y–7 Zone? That sounds remote as hell. Probably a new district, or just

Chapter 7 Apply For Her Homestead straight–up wasteland.

But to Dora right now, this unknown piece of land was basically a lifeline.

Following the navigation, she took several public hover shuttles that were free for female citizens. The farther she went, the more desolate the surroundings became.

Even the glow of the protective domes grew dimmer and weaker. At last, she stood before a piece of land that truly deserved the word “wasteland“.

In front of her stretched barren soil mixed with dark red gravel and strange bits of metallic debris. Harsh wind whipped up sand and dust, stinging her eyes until she could barely keep them open.

Far away, she could make out the blurry outline of the city’s defense perimeter. Beyond that was a heavy, gloomy sky glowing faintly with pollution.

The so–called basic energy shield was nothing more than a thin layer of pale blue light along the border, so faint that it was almost invisible. It barely outlined what looked like a plot of about 5,000 square feet.

At the edge of the yard, a few wilted, grayish pollution–resistant ferns grew in a messy line, pretending to be a fence.

Right now, Dora had absolutely nothing–no tools, no materials, and no food, not even a piece of cloth she could spread on the ground.

She thought, ‘What am I supposed to do tonight? Am I really going to sleep on this cold, hard wasteland?‘

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