The number of wolves and foxes was not decided by Kousuke all at once, but rather by having Nana and Wanri first scout the surroundings before making the decision.
Furthermore, they were told not to bring only evolved species but to mix in the basic species as well.
The reason was simple: to investigate whether wolves and fox spirits would evolve in the same way if they were raised within the mansion’s barrier on the continent.
Therefore, Nana and Wanri were instructed to bring a larger number of the two basic species.
By the way, slimes, starting with Sura, were also brought over, and Kousuke chose them somewhat arbitrarily.
The slimes were intended to stay within the mansion’s barrier anyway.
This was because ordinary slimes would not be able to survive in the environment near the new base.
Of course, evolved species like Sura would probably survive to some extent, but he had no intention of causing needless sacrifices to find out.
While Kousuke was checking the effects of the barrier around the mansion, Nana and Wanri, who had gone to scout the surrounding area, returned.
As if they had noticed him loitering outside, they ran directly towards Kousuke’s location from the beginning.
Wanri had transformed from a fox into a human on the way.
“Wanri, thank you for your hard work,” Kousuke said, stroking Nana’s neck.
Wanri replied with a smile, “Older Brother, I’m home.”
“Yeah. Welcome back. So, how was it?”
He didn’t explicitly ask what “how it was” referred to. Both Nana and Wanri knew very well what they had gone to do.
In response to Kousuke’s question, Nana tilted her head slightly, and after Wanri nodded once, she began to speak.
“Both the wolves and the foxes seem to be able to accommodate about fifty each. If possible, it would be good to have about half of each be basic species…”
“Half, meaning… twenty-five? Is that alright?” Kousuke asked.
The location of the new base was not on the coast of the Central Continent, but rather inland to some extent.
Given how high the level of the monsters that appeared there was, Kousuke had expected the numbers to be somewhat lower.
Perhaps noticing Kousuke’s worried expression, Wanri nodded reassuringly with a smile.
“Yes. It’s alright. Nana and I plan to bring strong companions for the remaining half.”
The choice of which species of wolf or fox to bring was entirely left to Nana and Wanri.
Kousuke only wanted to know the numbers, and he intended to cover the basic species with newly summoned familiars, so he had conveyed that to them.
“Is that so? If so, I can rest assured, but… is the tower alright?” Kousuke was concerned that bringing too many strong species all at once would disrupt the battle balance on each floor.
However, Wanri nodded and replied, “Yes. In fact, on both sides, there’s actually a slight surplus on their respective floors.”
“Huh? Really?” Kousuke, now curious, asked Wanri for details.
According to Wanri, the situation with the familiars in Amamiya Tower was that evolved species were accumulating slightly on each floor.
As a result, lower-ranked species had fewer opportunities to fight stronger opponents.
Kousuke was aware to some extent that fighting opponents stronger than oneself would increase opportunities for evolution, so he wasn’t surprised by Wanri’s explanation.
What concerned him more was the surplus of evolved species.
“Wow. I messed up. I should have listened properly. Since you didn’t say anything, I thought the balance was just right.”
From Kousuke’s perspective, since Nana and Wanri, who managed the respective familiars, hadn’t said anything, he assumed there were no problems.
Moreover, when he surveyed each floor, the atmosphere was peaceful, so he hadn’t noticed anything amiss.
As a result, Kousuke hadn’t specifically asked Nana and Wanri for details, which had led him to overlook the problem.
Seeing Kousuke lost in thought, Wanri misunderstood and looked somewhat dejected.
“Um… I’m sorry. It’s not like there’s any problem with the group, so I thought it would be okay if it was like this…”
Hearing Wanri’s voice, Kousuke finally looked at her and realized he had made her misunderstand.
“Ah, no, sorry, sorry. I’m not blaming you or Nana. I just wish I had listened more carefully.”
From Kousuke’s point of view, as long as the respective communities of familiars were stable, there was no problem.
Sufficient divine power was already being obtained on each floor of the tower.
Stabilizing each base was more important than forcibly increasing the number of familiars.
Someone might call him stability-oriented, but after more than ten years in such a state, it was understandable that his focus would shift in that direction.
Hearing Kousuke’s words, Wanri showed a relieved expression.
“Well, that’s why, Nana and Wanri, don’t worry about it. What’s more important is the matter of this new base here.”
As long as the bases in the tower were operating stably, evolution was not a major issue.
What was more important to Kousuke now was the new base.
“So, we still need something like a stable, right?” Kousuke asked.
Even if they were wolves or foxes, it would be better to have a facility to shelter them from the elements.
In response to Kousuke’s question, Wanri nodded slightly, and Nana vigorously shook her head up and down beside her.
The familiars inside the tower were accustomed to living with stables, so they would be in trouble if they were suddenly thrown into a place without them.
Of course, given their species, they would normally live in the wild without them. However, health-wise, having them would definitely be better.
“That’s right, isn’t it? … Hmm. Now, what should we do?”
The easiest solution would be to prepare a new stable on one of the tower floors and for Kousuke to summon it.
However, only the building would be summoned, without any barrier.
Asura’s mansion had a barrier, but it didn’t have enough space to accommodate two stables where fifty wolves or foxes could comfortably live.
Since this area, starting with Black Bears, was where many monsters appeared, it would be preferable to have a barrier.
Wondering what to do, Kousuke decided to summon just one stable and then create a simple barrier.
After that, he planned to have the wolves and foxes cohabitate for a while and then build new stables for each of them to live in elsewhere.
The experience of building structures gained from this would prove useful.
He had no plans to do this, but one never knows what might be useful in life.
Regardless, the basic management method for the wolves and foxes had been decided.
Kousuke immediately returned to the management layer, constructed a stable on an appropriate floor, and summoned it to a suitable location at the new base.
Wanri said it would be too small for all one hundred wolves and foxes to fit, but it was fine since not all of them would necessarily be in the stable.
Besides, the stables Kousuke planned to build had a simpler interior structure than ordinary houses, so they wouldn’t take much time to construct.
With the makeshift temporary base ready, Kousuke summoned twenty-five wolves and twenty-five foxes each and brought them to the stable.
It was impossible to move them all at once, so it was done in several trips.
The new stable was already inhabited by evolved species of wolves and foxes that Nana and Wanri had brought.
With Kousuke bringing the basic species of wolves and foxes, the new base was beginning to take shape.
Once Kousuke worked hard to prepare proper stables, the full operation of the new base would commence.
Behind the scenes, the slimes had also been brought over. However, there were no evolved species among them; only the basic species were summoned and released within the barrier.
