I Own a Brothel in Another World

Chapter 170 – Slow Transition

After sharing a slower moment with my fierce sharkgirl mate, letting Meru pamper me gently with everything she has to offer, I finally get some well-deserved rest. I assumed Neira would be the one closing the party but she just sends me a warm smile while still doing her magic behind the easel. It’s a breath of fresh air to see one of my wives not throwing herself at my bone like a starved dog on any given occasion. I’m sure she would gladly join in on the fun but uses her painting as an excuse to let me catch my breath.

While doing exactly that, Emi and Safi, who are still combined together, switch their form into that of a bed again. All the women, save for my Dark Elf artist, jump onto the bouncy mattress and surround me with their alluring bodies. It feels a tad awkward with the only parts of mine protruding from the slime being my face and cock, but I do get to enjoy the quite magical view of having them look at me from above with loving smiles.

Of course, Neira doesn’t waste any time and gets right to capturing another scene to immortalise my life.

The thought about my position inside the elastic bed makes me realise that I haven’t really heard anything from the two devoted Slimes making it up. Asked about that, the girls explain that Safi and Emi don't seem to be able to get through to me with Whispers due to my weakened, chaotic state. And, since they are my bed, lacking crucial parts such as lips, they can’t really speak. I’m told that they don’t mind it and will continue helping my body relax as much as they can.

So, I slowly recover as we chat a little. Of course, with my current position, it doesn’t surprise me that a hand or two wanders towards the firm tower in the middle of the bed during these conversations. It would be way too much to expect them to stay completely away from that specific area, especially taking into consideration the fact that Lianne is present. Thankfully, they do spare me from anything more intense and draining.

After regathering enough of my bearings, using up a lot of potions, pills, meds, and everything that can speed up my recovery, I get up and move to see what Neira has come up with in the meantime. Though, saying get up is a bit stretching it. It’s Safi and Emi who shape themselves into a full-body suit and drag me around whenever I ask them.

Slimeman: Return of the Raging Boner.

With vengeance!

All of us gather near the talented Elf’s station and examine her craft. She has made a bunch of neat sketches, mostly completed drawings, and even started setting up the groundwork for entire paintings. No surprise, she’s captured every single position the girls have used on me while I was a chair and a bed. These are going to be a collection. Maybe we can even put them in an entire hallway back at home if we cut my face out or something. Many techniques displayed by the sketches are quite enticing.

But, that’s a thought for another time.

Wishing to finally get out of Lianne’s Love Lodge, my perfect wives allow for that and escort me into the ship. I do argue a little about my clothes, or the lack of them to be precise, but I fail to achieve anything in that regard and surrender myself to my exhibitionist fate. At least, I feel like I’m starting to regain more control of my important parts, forcing the beast down so as not to slice through the air as I walk around.

The last thing I want right now is to entice an entire ship of horny sea women with my dangling stiffy.

But, the girls we stumble onto smile at me joyfully and happily, clearly glad to see me back up, even if I have to walk with a full-body support suit. I thank them for keeping the ship in a ready state and helping with everything they can while they share their thanks for my valiant fighting. I’m sure everyone has heard the details about the last battle by now.

We meet up with Alyssa and stop by the helm for a while. She fills me in on what I’ve missed regarding the ship and her crew while I briefly recount the story from my side. She gives me a more up-to-date introduction to what is currently going on around here, letting me know that we are still above the fallen Sahuagin capital. The returning squads and units are still a pain in the ass, as it seems.

Spending some time amongst the crew, I decide to take a look at the situation under the water by myself and we all jump off the ship. With the cold water around me, I don’t really need Safi and Emi to chill my body, but I keep myself from saying that out loud. I can tell that they love every second of being useful to me so I see no issue in leaning on them and their kind devotion. They deserve all the happiness, no matter what brings it to them, even if that’s having to drag me around everywhere on my every whim.

We find some Mermaids and other aquatic races moving around, swimming into or out of the ugly city. Their numbers are lower than during the open confrontation, but I can tell that the most eager warriors remained on site. I even recognize a bunch of the released prisoners among the people we pass by while heading towards the underwater settlement. Many stop to gawk at us. Or more likely at me.

Fei, back in her element, whistles loudly and a shadow descends onto us after a brief moment. Her trusty steed shows up with the holding net attached to its body. She beams at me while gesturing at the smart gimmick to let people hang onto the proud beast and we all oblige, taking the ell taxi to the Sahuagin capital. Only then do I notice that many more eels provide the same service to everyone else.

I would have never expected the Mermaids to turn the eggs we brought back to their new home into their personal transporters.

Getting curious about that once more, I turn to my Diva friend as we zoom forward. “I know you girls brought these with you from back home, but what’s the entire story behind them? Aren’t they as big if not even bigger than the mother we have slain in that cave? How are they so matured?”

A proud grin curls up Fei’s pouty lips. “After we set up the incubation room, we too thought that it would take a long time not only for them to break out of their shells but also to come under our wings. But, some of the caretakers noticed that our songs changed after becoming Diva’s.”

“Ah.” I cock my head to the back in understanding, having a decently accurate idea of what she’s getting at.

“It’s most likely as you think. They experimented a lot and found out that we can influence the beasts inside the eggs and the eggs themselves too.” She giggles sweetly. “After many days of testing, they came up with a list of songs and their supposed effects. Then, everyone worked hard together and we grew the eels up at an incredible pace. They are now not only bound to our tribe, remaining completely loyal to our kin, but also much, much stronger than the other eels out there in the ocean.”

“Damn. That’s impressive. Your voices are incredibly versatile. I didn’t think you would be able to speed-grow these beings with the power of your songs. But, that’s great news and discovery.” I nod at her, impressed.

She blushes visibly and escapes my eyes, making me wonder just how much she had to say during that taming project. Fei is clearly way too giddy to hear the compliments regarding this operation. She must have played an integral part in that research and experimentation.

So, we ride the taxi murder eel and reach the settlement. I don’t know what I expected, but the streets and the horrendous buildings are more or less empty, save for some of our people that stayed behind to take down the returning enemies. Blood covers a lot of everything, though the bodies and their pieces seem to have been cleaned up after the slaughter that has taken place all around here.

Of course, most of the underwater town is in pieces after the emergence of the Kraken. It looks like it has broken out of the heart of the city, where the palace has been in the past. It’s a miracle that so many prisoners survived the beast’s entrance. Many streets and buildings give a feeling like they are going to crumble in a blink, plunging into the dark depths of the branching hole left by the monster. But, since we are underwater, they aren’t as susceptible to simple gravity.

We locate Cir near the remains of the palace, overseeing the transfer of goods saved and excavated from the crumbled town. There certainly aren’t any more people to get out, at least not alive. A brief pang of guilt washes over me as I realise that bringing the fight to the Sahuagins is what triggered this destructive event, taking many innocent lives that were lost to the destruction the Kraken left in its wake.

Fei and Meru are first to quickly console me and assure me that I shouldn’t blame myself for it since no one could have known. Besides, those lives would have been lost if not worse had I not intervened. In the end, I give in and let everyone cheer me up with their kind attempts.

Not long after that, I get to experience the returning units on my own. My precious wives prohibit me from intervening so I have to leave it to the others. It’s going to be a good evaluation of the defenders’ strength. Though, I have no doubt that they are capable after the battle we’ve been in together and having in mind the fact that they repelled any threat for a week straight while I was in a coma.

Cir takes the lead alongside two more people I don’t recognize. One of them is a Sea Nymph with lots of scars over her mesmerising body, clearly a fierce warrior that must have been taken as a prisoner. The other is a handsome Triton with green scales and a complete lack of hair, even on his head. That takes me a little off guard for a moment but I try not to stare at the weirdly unsettling image.

Each of them bolts towards a different direction after finishing their brief strategy meeting. They take their own units and prepare for the upcoming defence, covering the town with a triangle formation. I worry about them just a little, but they quickly prove themselves in my eyes.

The soldiers on the frontlines battle in a much more organised manner, listening to the commands of their respective leaders. They aren’t yet a fully professional army, but they are enough to fend off irregular waves of chaotic Sahuagins trying to get back home to see what the fuck has happened while they were gone.

Everyone fights with vigour, clearly ecstatic to have a chance to tear more of those assholes to shreds with their own two hands, or however many they have, or whatever kind of limbs they have. After a short while, I’m sure that they are enough to defend their positions against anything that comes at them. Plus, many of the Divas I have created aid the army with their trained murder eels. I don’t think there’s a second Kraken or a Shaman on the level of the emperor anywhere near. They can handle anything below that.

This makes me a bit more secure about leaving them here and departing to take care of the unholy gates scattered all over the sea bed. My girls object to that plan, saying that I’m nowhere in a state to do anything, but I assure them that I’m going to fully recover before considering what to do.

That last part isn’t exactly true since I’m constantly thinking about it, but I’m not going to act without their knowledge and approval.

Seeing everything that I can, I return to the ship and focus on getting back on my own feet. I have no doubt that all my beloved companions would like to support me for as long as they can, but I can’t remain half-crippled forever, no matter how much I enjoy their care too. I have to heal and consolidate my sixth Tier. It’s going to be a while before it fully settles within me.

The next few days fly by in a flash.

I do get lots of rest and receive lots of love from my wives. As soon as I recover enough for most of my skills and abilities to click back into place, they don’t spare my body anymore. We fuck like rabbits and I don’t really stop it either. I can feel myself healing even faster while indulging in the core theme of my Class, which is physical pleasure and love.

Naturally, it’s not just my devoted lovers that are glad to be of help to me and I let the others pitch in too after being harassed about it by Lianne and the others. Thus, Alyssa’s crew and the Divas jump on the proverbial ship and also participate in the grand healing operation, taking advantage of my need to recover to jump on that cock as much as they can.

Soon, I feel like new, but my Status doesn’t change much yet. I’m back to full health and the extent of my abilities, at least. It doesn’t really bother me to wait a few more days or longer for everything to settle in properly. I’ve waited for the next Tier a bit and this is just nothing compared to that period.

But, it doesn’t really mean that I’m going to just continue staying idle and stuffing every hole in a few-mile radius all day. With my strength recovered, there’s no reason to delay everything any further. We’ve been on the sea for a long time, and even if Alyssa’s crew is a gathering of badass, sea-loving sailor women, it certainly does take a toll on them, at least a mental one, no matter how much I boost their morale. I don’t want to extend this mission unnecessarily. People are waiting for us back at home too.

So, I decide to gather a small team and depart.

At first, everyone objects, but Fei suggests using her eel, assuring us that it can travel at an incredible speed, especially with the help of a Diva’s song. Emphasising the last bit, she pretty much cements her presence in the party since I feel like she wouldn’t give her precious companion to anyone else.

It takes a lot of pleasing and reasoning with my beloved wives but they finally relent. Me, Meru, Fei, Safi, and Emi are the final roster of the striking squad that is going to take down all the remaining gates. Cir found lots of information on the location of most if not all of them and we’ve studied those in extreme detail, making our own map of the massive sea bed. It shouldn’t take us forever, but it will be a moment.

Thus, we agree to regroup back at home. My other wives and companions are to start their return trip not too long after our departure. It’s not like Alyssa and her crew can help too much with the Sahuagins since those bastards keep themselves mostly under the water. There’s no reason for them to stay anchored in the middle of the ocean just to wait for me to achieve my goal.

Before separating, we all gather next to the ship, on a big platform of ice created by my caring magician wife. The Mermaids poke their heads out of the water while the sailor girls peek over the railing to look down at us. Fei’s eel is eagerly waiting by our side too, fully equipped for a long journey.

“Don’t stall, idiot,” Cornelia whimpers into my ear as I hug her dearly.

“I won’t. I promise.” I smile warmly while patting her back. “I’m going to wrap this up in a flash. Maybe I’ll even beat you to it and welcome you back in the docks.”

She snorts at me and pulls away with one last peck on my lips. “Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about us. We can kick as much ass as you can.”

“I know.” I chuckle, turning to the others. “See you soon. As for those who we might not see that soon, thank you for your help with everything. I hope that your new homes and your waters will now be much safer. Just rely on each other and things are going to be fine.”

Sharing a brief, affectionate moment with all the people important to my heart, I wave at the sailor girls and the fish ladies before taking a spot on the eel’s back. This time, Fei’s friend has been equipped with three saddles and handlebars, one for me, Meru, and Fei. Safi and Emi will stick to me in their suit form for the trip.

Bidding farewell to everyone, we rush towards the setting sun. Minus the sun since we are deep underwater and it's dark as hell everywhere here even though it’s still the middle of the day.

“I can’t believe I’m on a journey to save the world with you, after which we will finally make the waters a safe place again and return to your home together.” Fei sighs dreamily as we speed ahead.

She is definitely using some kind of ability or something else to shield us from the force of the current we created. Or it’s her long friend’s doing. Nevertheless, I chuckle lightly while shaking my head and give her thick tail a tender squeeze as it bellows right in front of me.

“I think you are forgetting something again. It’s not nice to run away from your responsibilities, young lady.”

Fei pouts at me over her shoulder. “I don’t need to take lessons from the old crones if I’m going back with you. There are many of us now and anyone can replace me. I’m not one of the only two Divas in our tribe anymore. It won’t make any difference.”

“It’s still something you should do as a Mermaid. Forgetting that it’s a tradition, you will certainly learn a lot of useful stuff from those elders. There’s no rush. I won’t suddenly run away with my entire mansion somewhere deeper inland.” I smirk at her.

She nibbles on her bottom lip and sighs heavily. “Alright. I’m sorry. I will do as the Matriarch says and won’t try to find an excuse to sneak out anymore.”

“Good. You shouldn’t neglect your personal development just for me. There will be plenty of time to have fun, either in the water or on land.” I wink at her.

“You are right.”

“Besides, it hasn’t been long since I passed the idea of turning some of the clean water channels in the sewers into a highway for aquatic folk to my trusted inventors and constructors. Besides, we will have to prepare a good environment for your kind too,” I add.

“That’s true. I’m sure you wouldn’t let me use that barrel again.” She giggles with a mischievous spark in her eyes and I shake my head.

We continue our journey in relative silence. Now and then, we run into the returning Sahuagins and make quick work out of them, helping lessen the burden on the defenders back at the capital. It doesn’t slow us down too much and Fei’s animal companion is incredibly fast. I have a feeling that she’s grown him to be like that. It would match her role as a scout decently well.

Not wasting any time, we start hitting up the spots marked on our makeshift map, using the capital as our orientation point. It’s quite easy following a single direction while knowing that we have it behind our backs and are heading somewhere in a straight line.

Unfortunately, we quickly realise that all the X’es on our map are also villages or other places completely pillaged and ruined by the Sahuagin bastards. They did need blood and organs for their wicked rituals so it’s quite logical. It just makes us think for a moment about the scale of the destruction and pretty much genocide. If we hadn’t stopped them, the entire environment would have been in danger of being annihilated.

So, we try to steel ourselves as we travel from one extremely sad and painful location to another. Safi and Emi help me with the patterns and we nullify their power as quickly as we can, not wanting to remain in those desecrated villages for any longer than we have to. Hopefully, with the arrays gone, some sea folk will be able to push through that revolting feeling and settle back down in these spots.

In about a week, we take down more or less half of the evil gates. At that point, I feel somewhat stronger after a good sleep alongside my dazzling companions. I confirm that I hit Tier 6 with everything that it entails. My stats jump exactly by the same, static amount, but I know well that it’s not what matters in my case, and just a single glance at the numbers in brackets proves that. I could have base values at zero and still be out of this world with those separate numbers.

As for the skills, since we don’t seem to be in too much trouble, I save checking the few new ones until we get back so I can do it with all my beloved wives. Unless something happens, of course. Then, I’m not going to hesitate and give them a quick glance. Though, I’m sure I should be able to solve all our issues here with just my current strength and the aid of my badass ladies.

I’m going to have to try and invite Lumina more into my Soul Realm now that I’m a bit more durable too. I know she is trying to limit her visits to the minimum to keep her soul from straining mine as even a fragment of her can pretty much turn me into dust. I’m well aware that what she has shown as her avatar back during the fight with the Shaman was just a fraction of her power. I wonder if Tier 10 is even enough to stand alongside a goddess.

The rest of the marked settlements take us a bit less time than the first half and we wrap it up in about five days. Perhaps I’m a bit eager to finally return and reunite with everyone back at home in blood and flesh. It’s nothing compared to sharing a mental conversation or even a brief meeting in our dreams. Maybe I’m getting a bit homesick after all.

Thanks to our meticulous planning, we end up as close to Evaneheim as we can with our final village. Fei slows down our method of transport rather than encouraging the dutiful eel to go faster and I can guess why. She will have to separate from us the moment we arrive at the docks. I don’t blame her for wanting to spend some more time with us by stalling the arrival.

“Fei,” I call to her and she flinches immediately, making me chuckle. “I’m not going to scold you. We can stop here for a moment if you would like. I can already tell we are close. If you keep dropping the speed, we will move at a snail’s pace soon anyway.”

She glances at me over her shoulder with an apologetic smile and we come to a halt. Leaving our seats, we gather on top of our valiant taxi and I bring the adorable Mermaid into my embrace. Fei scans my face for a few moments and then snuggles into the crook of my neck with a long sigh.

“I’m going to miss you again…” she admits. “The others too… Even Cir, though she won’t say it…”

“She has a lot of responsibilities. And she knows that we can meet now and then as soon as she gives me a hint through our connection. Don’t be too greedy.” I rub her back with one hand and thread my fingers through her black hair with the other. “Same goes for all of us. We have things we need to prioritise. I’ll be waiting for you and any friends you may bring.”

“Maybe I will spread the news about our special Patron in the temple.” She smirks at me slyly. “Though, I don’t think they will believe my words easily.”

“I would say that the appearance of dozens of Divas more or less at the same time and from the same tribe does make things quite believable.” I caress her cheek.

Fei brings her face up and we share a slow, gentle kiss. “Thank you for everything you have done for us. And for me. We are strong thanks to you. I never dreamed about seeing a glimpse of the Goddess, nor mating with the person she has picked as her apostle. I feel just a little special.”

“That’s because you are. So, just keep making yourself even more special by learning about your race and my predecessor.”

She snorts cutely. “You don’t have to motivate me any more. I’m not going to go back on my word. Thank you once more.”

I nod and we put some distance between us. She smiles sweetly at my Slime beauties and Meru.

“Take good care of him. I bet he puts himself in even more danger on land than in our waters.”

I roll my eyes at her comment but Meru nods with some kind of determination in her fierce gaze. Then, we all share a hug with Fei and let her mount the eel alone. With one last wave, she slowly leaves and we watch her disappear into the deep sea without turning back to look at us over her shoulder, which definitely doesn’t come easy to her.

“Alright. Our turn now. Let’s maybe find a less crowded place to pop out of the depths without any warning.” I put my hands on my hips and hear Emi giggle in my mind.

We get to the docks in about twenty minutes of fast swimming and emerge by one of the wooden platforms just above the surface of the water. Quickly jumping onto the planks, we walk up the stairs like nothing has happened. I realise that our diving suits might catch some unnecessary attention so we dry off and hop into our official clothes. I’m back in my favourite suit and the girls wear their maid uniforms. Even Meru dons on, which is rare. She looks deadly in it rather than cute but it’s sexy in its own way.

As we wander through the port, I can’t shake off the feeling that something is slightly different. At the first glance, nothing has really changed, but there’s just this tingle that reinforces what I would call intuition or something. My eyes pick up on some differences but my brain isn’t able to fully process them.

Finally, I get it.

The demi-human slaves carrying crates, goods, or doing any other stuff look different. They are a bit less hunched from fear, some look much better physically, and some even dare to hold their heads high instead of glueing their gazes to the ground. 

This is new.

We move closer to one of the merchants coordinating the loading of goods onto his ship over a wooden ramp while holding a list of them and ticking things off on it.

I clear my throat to indicate our arrival. “Hello. We’ve just stepped off our ship and were curious about something, though we aren’t sure if it’s an okay thing to ask. Would you maybe mind at least letting us know if we aren’t doing too much seeking such information?”

The middle-aged man scanned me with his inquisitive eyes before smiling. “I don’t know, I’m quite busy at the moment, and as they say, time is money.”

I summon a small sack of coins and shake it a few times while raising my brow. The man’s eyes turn wide as he clearly recognizes the sound of gold. He’s a really skilled and knowledgeable merchant, just as I thought.

He clears his throat this time. “I would love to help you satiate your curiosity, young master. What do you need?”

“I heard that the kingdom was leaning slightly into Human supremacy so I was a bit worried about bringing my companions with me, but it doesn’t look to me like the demi-humans here are in extremely pitiful states,” I explain.

“Ah. You are lucky, then. This is a recent change. A new ruling regarding demi-human slaves was introduced about two weeks ago. It was a bit hectic in the beginning but things have started settling down already.” He grins. “Demi-human slaves are now protected the same way as the Human slaves. So, you don’t have to worry about your little friends here being captured unjustly or something like that. At least not openly and not in the capital.”

I rub my chin while nodding. Seems like Ross managed to push through the stubborn nobles. This is great. We are another step closer to creating a safer place for everyone.

“Thank you, kind sir.” I hand him the small sack. “We will be on our way then.”

He checks the contents and licks his lips after noticing that I haven't scammed him. “Pardon my assumption, but you look like someone who enjoys the company of non-humans, young master. I heard from my boys that there’s a very popular place here that lets people spend time around various races. Including some quality time. My men tend to blow most of their savings on that quite high-class establishment each time we aren’t on the water. It might be worth checking out.”

I nod with a big smile, which he seems to interpret as my approval of his tip. Rather than that, I’m glad to hear that we are on the minds of not just regulars but also short-term visitors. And I have no doubt that they pass on the word further on their journeys.

Bidding farewell to the merchant, we spill into the streets of Evaneheim. Same as in the docks, we can now easily notice the changed behaviour of the slaves. This sight reminds me of something and I decide to drop by somewhere before getting home, letting the girls know about the altered plans.

I bring us to Selina’s and easily secure a meeting with the boss. One of the well-dressed receptionists guides us to the owner’s main office chamber and leaves us alone in front of the door. Selina invites us in after I knock and we come into the view of the mature lady with an excessive addiction to anything that’s red. She sends a soft smile my way and gestures for us to sit down.

“I heard your little entourage returned with a few heads and I was starting to worry that the sea claimed you.” She chuckles quietly. “But, I was sure that you are stronger than this and I’m glad to see that my ability to judge people is still functioning well no matter my increasing years.”

“You have a skill to judge people?” I raise a brow at her.

She shakes her head and hand. “No, nothing of sorts. It’s just my gut feeling.”

“I see. Anyway, I heard about the change. I came in to check how you are faring. Even though I gave you some heads up, demi-human slaves have definitely been a big loss for you.” I lead us towards the main topic.

“That helped me immeasurably.” She grins widely. “I had enough time to prepare as much as I could. Thanks to that, my losses were minimal. Technically, I even earned rather than lost from the reform.”

“How come? You had to release at least some part of your captives, no?” I ask curiously.

“Yes, of course. And I released whoever had been kept unjustly, but not before selling off most of my merchandise to other traders at a bargain price.” She lets out her ladylike chuckle. “I announced complete restructuration of my business a moment before the reform hit, starting a big sale. Of course, I prepared official documents for all the slaves so that their history could be tracked as far as to the way how they were captured. It was an extremely successful sale.”

I laugh openly. “And they had to release their fresh purchases right away or else they would be in deep shit. You really are a born merchant. That move not only earned you some decent coin to cover the necessary changes but also put all your competition under additional pressure. Such a genius.”

“Your lovely friends helped me with funds too. I appreciate your constant patronage, Alastair.” She raises her wine glass in a toast and I join her.

“Oh? Care to elaborate?” I glance at her after taking a sip.

“You were buying lots of strong people. As far as I know, price wasn’t an issue and you were looking for anyone with actual battle, adventuring, army experience and so on. The additional requirement was for them to be female and of unparalleled beauty, though it was a secondary condition,” Selina explains. “Some of them have joined you before the reform and I hope your girls knew what they were doing since you would be obliged to release those unjustly captured too. I would feel bad knowing that you got nothing out of that.”

I snicker and nod respectfully. “Thank you for worrying about us. Everything should be alright on our end. We knew about the reform so I trust their judgement. In any way, it’s great to see the world changing bit by bit. I’m looking forward to our further cooperation. I don’t think I will feel that bad buying from you anymore thanks to knowing that your merchandise isn’t unlawfully acquired.”

“You will find my merchandise much better cared for now, therefore its quality raised too. Prices are slowly rising everywhere, though I don’t think this is a problem for you.” Selina winks at me. “Now, I have to excuse myself but I do need to attend to an important customer.”

We accompany Selina as far as we can and leave the building soon after. I’m certain that the mentioned purchases are related to our mercenary program and I’m super curious to see how things are going. With some more laws protecting the demi-humans, things are starting to look good for it. We might be able to start operating in no time.

Exciting.